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The Clod and the Pebble by William Blake (text and explanation)

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  The Clod and the Pebble By William Blake   'Love seeketh not itself to please, Nor for itself hath any care, But for another gives its ease, And builds a heaven in hell's despair.' So sung a little clod of clay, Trodden with the cattle's feet; But a pebble of the brook Warbled out these meters meet: 'Love seeketh only Self to please, To bind another to its delight, Joys in another's loss of ease, And builds a hell in heaven's despite.' The poem was first published in William Blake’s collection of poems “Songs of Experience” in 1794. The poem contrasts two opposing views on love, represented by a soft clod of clay and a hard pebble. The clod represents the more optimistic and perhaps a naive perspective, which views love as a kind of radical selflessness and the willingness to sacrifice. On the other hand, the pebble declares love as pure selfishness. However, the poet does not validate any of the two view points and leaves it to th
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Ode on a Grecian Urn (Text with summary and major themes)

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  Ode on a Grecian Urn (Greek) Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,                                          (pure, chaste)        Thou foster-child of silence and slow time, Sylvan historian, who canst thus express                           (relating to woods/forests)        A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme: What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy shape        Of deities or mortals, or of both,                                    (gods)                In Tempe or the dales of Arcady ?                          (name of places in Greece)        What men or gods are these? What maidens loth? What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?                What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?   Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard        Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on; Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,        Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone: Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not
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Poetic devices

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  How Many Poetic Devices Are There? There are hundreds, possibly even thousands, of different literary devices open to poets. They can be divided into categories— Poetic Form ,  Poetic Diction , and  Poetic Punctuation . Poetic Devices—Form First, we’ll look at poetic devices relating to form. Poetic form refers to how the poem is structured using stanzas, line length, rhyme, and rhythm. Clever use of poetic form can enhance the meaning or emotion the poet is trying to achieve. What Are the Basic Poetic Devices of Form? Again, there are a huge variety of formal choices open to a poet, but for the purposes of this article we can divide them into three categories:  fixed verse ,  blank verse  and  free verse . 1: Fixed Verse Fixed verse poems follow traditional forms, based on formal rhyme schemes and specific patterns of stanza, refrain, and meter. Types of fixed verse include  limerick ,  haiku ,  ballad ,  villanelle ,  sestina , and  rondeau . The most used, however
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