When Klopstock England Defied

William Blake 1757 (Soho) – 1827 (London)



When Klopstock England defied,
Uprose William Blake in his pride;
For old Nobodaddy aloft
. . . and belch'd and cough'd;
Then swore a great oath that made Heaven quake,
And call'd aloud to English Blake.
Blake was giving his body ease,
At Lambeth beneath the poplar trees.
From his seat then started he
And turn'd him round three times three.
The moon at that sight blush'd scarlet red,
The stars threw down their cups and fled,
And all the devils that were in hell,

Answerèd with a ninefold yell.
Klopstock felt the intripled turn,
And all his bowels began to churn,
And his bowels turn'd round three times three,
And lock'd in his soul with a ninefold key; . . .
Then again old Nobodaddy swore
He ne'er had seen such a thing before,
Since Noah was shut in the ark,
Since Eve first chose her hellfire spark,
Since 'twas the fashion to go naked,
Since the old Anything was created . . .

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 25, 2023

49 sec read
102

Quick analysis:

Scheme AABBCCDDEEFFG GHHEEIIJJKK
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 872
Words 158
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 13, 11

William Blake

William Blake was an English poet, painter and printmaker. more…

All William Blake poems | William Blake Books

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