Page:Life of William Blake 2, Gilchrist.djvu/98

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76
SELECTIONS FROM BLAKE'S WRITINGS.

Whate'er is born of Mortal Birth,
Must be consumèd with the earth,
To rise from generation free:
Then what have I to do with thee?


The sexes sprang from shame and pride,
Blown in the morn, in evening died;
But mercy changed death into sleep;
The sexes rose to work and weep.


Thou, mother of my mortal part,
With cruelty didst mould my heart,
And with false self-deceiving tears
Didst bind my nostrils, eyes, and ears,


Didst close my tongue in senseless clay,
And me to mortal life betray.
The death of Jesus set me free:
Then what have I to do with thee?