William Blake (1757-1827) was the first to introduce the romantic note of mysticism in English poetry. In his poetry, we are very close to Wordsworth. Though he is a transitional poet or a precursor of the Romantic Revival, he is even more romantic in many ways than the Romantic poets. He was the most undisciplined and lonely of all poets and lived in his world, peopled by phantoms and spectres whom he regarded as more real than the humdrum realities of the physical world. He is best known for his three thin volumes – Poetical Sketches (1783), Songs of Innocence (1789) and Songs of Experience (1794), which contain some of the most precious gems of English lyricism. He loves nature, but all nature for him is “afire with God”; she is “a window to God” for him. He may not spiritualise nature, but he comes very near to doing so. With Blake, we are at the very threshold of the Romantic era.
WORKS CITED
https://poets.org/poet/william-blake
Dr Aswathy Aravindakshan is a teacher, bilingual writer and artist with over two decades of experience in teaching English language and literature. She currently serves as Assistant Professor of English at NSS College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Her blog, ashlit.in brings together academic resources, creative writing in Malayalam and English, and visual art. The platform features lecture notes, study materials, poems, reflections, short prose, and a curated collection of her paintings. Through this space, she seeks to foster learning, creativity, and meaningful engagement with literature and the arts.
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