The Clod and the Pebble

William Blake(1757–1827)

Songs of Innocence and of Experience, 1794

Love seeketh not Itself to please,Nor for itself hath any care;But for another gives its ease,And builds a Heaven in Hells despair.

So sang a little Clod of Clay,Trodden with the cattles feet:But a Pebble of the brook,Warbled out these metres meet.

Love seeketh only Self to pleaseTo bind another to its delight:Joys in anothers loss of ease,And builds a Hell in Heavens despite.

From Songs of Innocence and of Experience, via the English Wikisource transcription (1826 edition).

Public domainThis poem is in the public domain. You may read it, copy it, recite it and publish it without asking anyone.