Thel III
Art thou a Worm? image of weakness, art thou but a Worm?I see thee like an infant wrapped in the Lillys leaf;Ah weep not little voice, thou can'st not speak, but thou can'st weep:Is this a Worm? I see they lay helpless & naked: weepingAnd none to answer, none to cherish thee with mothers smiles.
The Clod of Clay heard the Worms voice & rais'd her pitying head:She bowd over the weeping infant, and her life exhaldIn milky fondness, then on Thel she fix'd her humble eyes;
O beauty of the vales of Har, we live not for ourselves,Thou seest me the meanest thing, and so I am indeed:My bosom of itself is cold, and of itself is dark,
But he that loves the lowly, pours his oil upon my headAnd kisses me, and binds his nuptial bands around my breast.And says; Thou mother of my children, I have loved theeAnd I have given thee a crown that none can take away.But how this is sweet maid, I know not, and I cannot knowI ponder, and I cannot ponder; yet I live and love.
The daughter of beauty wip'd her pitying tears with her white veil,And said, Alas! I knew not this, and therefore did I weep:That God would love a Worm I knew, and punish the evil footThat wilful bruis'd its helpless form: but that he cherish'd itWith milk and oil I never knew, and therefore did I weep,And I complaind in the mild air, because I fade away.And lay me down in thy cold bed, and leave my shining lot.
Queen of the vales, the matron Clay answered: I heard thy sighs.And all thy moans flew o'er my roof, but I have call'd them down:Wilt thou O Queen enter my house, tis given thee to enter,And to return: fear nothing, enter with thy virgin feet.
Words in this poem
- clod n.
- A lump or mass, especially of earth, turf, or clay. [OE. clodde, latter form of clot. See Clot.]
- pitying a.
- Expressing pity; as, a pitying eye, glance, or word.
- fondness n.
- The quality or state of being fond; foolishness.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
Thel III is in the public domain. This text is taken from Poems of William Blake, Project Gutenberg ebook #574; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: William Blake, Thel III, in Poems of William Blake (1783–1794), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #574, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/blake-poems/thel-iii.html, id L02030.
Form and metre
Thel III is 28 lines in 6 verse paragraphs. It is unrhymed, as far as the pronouncing dictionary can tell. The metre is iambic heptameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 84%). 92% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 14.0 syllables. 2 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 25% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.
See other poems in iambic heptameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 5 -A--A-- veil · weepA · foot · it · weepA · away · lot
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic heptameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| Art thou a Worm? image of weakness, art thou but a Worm? | 14 | ····/˘·/˘····· |
| I see thee like an infant wrapped in the Lillys leaf; | 14 | ·····/˘·˘··/˘· |
| Ah weep not little voice, thou can'st not speak, but thou can'st weep: | 14 | ···/˘········· |
| Is this a Worm? I see they lay helpless & naked: weeping | 14 | ········/˘/˘/˘ |
| And none to answer, none to cherish thee with mothers smiles. | 14 | ···/˘··/˘··/˘· |
| The Clod of Clay heard the Worms voice & rais'd her pitying head: | 14 | ··········/˘˘· |
| She bowd over the weeping infant, and her life exhald | 14 | ·····/˘/˘····· |
| In milky fondness, then on Thel she fix'd her humble eyes; | 14 | ·/˘/˘······/˘· |
| O beauty of the vales of Har, we live not for ourselves, | 14 | ·/˘·········˘/ |
| Thou seest me the meanest thing, and so I am indeed: | 13 | ····/˘·····˘/ |
| My bosom of itself is cold, and of itself is dark, | 14 | ·/˘·˘/····˘/·· |
| But he that loves the lowly, pours his oil upon my head | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| And kisses me, and binds his nuptial bands around my breast. | 14 | ·/˘····/˘····· |
| And says; Thou mother of my children, I have loved thee | 14 | ···/˘··/˘···˘· |
| And I have given thee a crown that none can take away. | 14 | ···/˘·······˘/ |
| But how this is sweet maid, I know not, and I cannot know | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| I ponder, and I cannot ponder; yet I live and love. | 14 | ·/˘··/˘/˘····· |
| The daughter of beauty wip'd her pitying tears with her white veil, | 15 | ·/˘·/˘··/˘····· |
| And said, Alas! I knew not this, and therefore did I weep: | 14 | ··˘/·········· |
| That God would love a Worm I knew, and punish the evil foot | 14 | ·········/˘·/· |
| That wilful bruis'd its helpless form: but that he cherish'd it | 14 | ·····/˘····/˘· |
| With milk and oil I never knew, and therefore did I weep, | 14 | ·····/˘······· |
| And I complaind in the mild air, because I fade away. | 14 | ············˘/ |
| And lay me down in thy cold bed, and leave my shining lot. | 14 | ···········/˘· |
| Queen of the vales, the matron Clay answered: I heard thy sighs. | 14 | ·····/˘·/˘···· |
| And all thy moans flew o'er my roof, but I have call'd them down: | 14 | ·············· |
| Wilt thou O Queen enter my house, tis given thee to enter, | 15 | ····/˘···/˘··/˘ |
| And to return: fear nothing, enter with thy virgin feet. | 14 | ··˘/·/˘/˘··/˘· |
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