威廉·布萊克（William Blake），是一個「遠離塵世」的瘋狂天才，讓人們不禁聯想到另一位19世紀偉大的瘋狂天才——梵谷。
本·瓊生在評價同時代的威廉·莎士比亞時曾說：他不屬於一個時代,而屬於所有的世紀。英國文學史上另一個威廉在世時及死後多年卻遠沒有這麼幸運。這位不朽的詩人就是威廉·布萊克。
直到後來詩人葉芝等人重編了他的詩集，時至今日，布萊克列為英國文學史上與喬叟、斯賓塞、莎士比亞、彌爾頓、華茲華斯齊名的最偉大的六位詩人之一。由於他的畫作在文藝復興以後，開啟了不重形似而重精神力量的創作新路，他又被讚譽為「英國藝術方面最重要的人物之一」。
或許布萊克在天國會感謝周作人，因為是周作人1919年第一個把他領到了中國。今日是世界詩歌日，微信裡的《天真的預言》這首詩是英國詩人威廉·布萊克最負盛名的作品。
自1999年開始，每年的3月21日成為聯合國教科文組織選定的「世界詩歌日」（World Poem Day），目的是希望為世界各地人們舉辦的各項詩歌活動提供一個契機，進而能夠帶動人們開展不同層次的詩歌運動。
Auguries of Innocence
天真的預言
William Blake -威廉·布萊克
Songs of Innocence, 1789
To see a world in a grain of sand
一沙一世界,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
一花一天堂，
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
君掌盛無邊，
And eternity in an hour.
剎那含永劫 。 ————前四句由李叔同譯 （宗白華在《中國藝術意境之誕生》所引用）
A robin redbreast in a cage
知更鳥兒籠中囚
Puts all heaven in a rage.
花花天堂怒不休
A dove-house filled with doves and pigeons
家鴿野鴿擠一堂
Shudders hell through all its regions.
震天顫地蕩蒼茫。
A dog starved at his master's gate
狗趴主人門前餓
Predicts the ruin of the state.
昭示國毀家落寞。
A horse misused upon the road
馬兒受虐奔路上
Calls to heaven for human blood.
痛喚天將人血償。
Each outcry of the hunted hare
兔兒被獵叫聲聲
A fibre from the brain does tear.
聲聲如刀絞心門。
A skylark wounded in the wing,
雲雀羽傷，
A cherubim does cease to sing.
天使止唱。
The game-cock clipped and armed for fight
娛雞蓄勢鬥
Does the rising sun affright.
旭日亦顫抖。
Every wolf's and lion's howl
獅狼吼紛紛
Raises from hell a human soul.
一吼一人魂。
The wild deer wandering here and there
野鹿遊四方
Keeps the human soul from care.
意冷人心荒。
The lamb misused breeds public strife,
羊虐眾生惱，
And yet forgives the butcher's knife.
猶念恕屠刀。
The bat that flits at close of eve
夜近蝠飛
Has left the brain that won't believe.
疑生心背。
The owl that calls upon the night
貓頭鷹呼喚著黑夜
Speaks the unbeliever's fright.
講述背信者的恐怯。
He who shall hurt the little wren
誰人傷鷦鷯
Shall never be beloved by men.
逢男皆離逃。
He who the ox to wrath has moved
誰人惹牛怒
Shall never be by woman loved.
逢女皆陌路。
The wanton boy that kills the fly
頑童戲飛蟲
Shall feel the spider's enmity.
蜘蛛敵意濃。
He who torments the chafer's sprite
誰人折磨金龜子的靈魂
Weaves a bower in endless night.
在無盡的黑夜糾結冰冷。
The caterpillar on the leaf
毛毛蟲爬在葉子上
Repeats to thee thy mother's grief.
重述你母親的哀傷。
Kill not the moth nor butterfly,
勸君莫殺蝶與蛾，
For the Last Judgment draweth nigh.
最後審判臨君側。
He who shall train the horse to war
誰人馴馬戰
Shall never pass the polar bar.
極地永成憾。
The beggar's dog and widow's cat,
乞丐的狗，寡婦的貓
Feed them, and thou wilt grow fat.
喂喂他們吧，你將孱弱變英豪
The gnat that sings his summer's song
蚊蟲夏日歌
Poison gets from Slander's tongue.
毒源誹謗舌。
The poison of the snake and newt
蠑螈蛇口毒
Is the sweat of Envy's foot.
妒忌足底出。
The poison of the honey-bee
蜂蜜現毒藥
Is the artist's jealousy.
藝匠妒當勺。
The prince's robes and beggar's rags
王子的華袍，乞丐的破衫
Are toadstools on the miser's bags.
都是守財奴的毒斑。
A truth that's told with bad intent
真相惡意講
Beats all the lies you can invent.
尤過千般謊。
It is right it should be so:
此番皆是真：
Man was made for joy and woe;
人為悲喜生；
And when this we rightly know
會當悟此門
Through the world we safely go.
天涯過無痕。
Joy and woe are woven fine,
悲喜巧交集，
A clothing for the soul divine.
靈魂披聖衣。
Under every grief and pine
哀傷悲痛裡
Runs a joy with silken twine.
喜樂絲絲系。
The babe is more than swaddling bands,
莫當孩提襁褓帶，
Throughout all these human lands;
此地此民無例外；
Tools were made and born were hands,
萬器唯有手主宰，
Every farmer understands.
一農一戶皆明白。
Every tear from every eye
眸中滴滴淚
Becomes a babe in eternity;
經久成寶貝；
This is caught by females bright
智女得領會
And returned to its own delight.
快樂返相隨。
The bleat, the bark, bellow, and roar
咩叫，吠叫，吼叫，和咆哮
Are waves that beat on heaven's shore.
都是拍打天堂彼岸的浪濤。
The babe that weeps the rod beneath
棍棒下抽泣的嬰孩
Writes Revenge! in realms of death.
書寫報復吧！在那死亡的地帶。
The beggar's rags fluttering in air
乞丐的破衫隨風飄展
Does to rags the heavens tear.
勾蕩起花花天堂撕碎的燦爛。
The soldier armed with sword and gun
戰士配刀槍
Palsied strikes the summer's sun.
顫慄襲夏陽。
The poor man's farthing is worth more
窮人手中幣
Than all the gold on Afric's shore.
洲金比不及。
One mite wrung from the labourer's hands
勞者手中取一釐
Shall buy and sell the miser's lands,
足可買賣吝者地。
Or if protected from on high
若得上天加庇護
Does that whole nation sell and buy.
買賣全國絕非虛。
He who mocks the infant's faith
誰人嘲弄幼之誠
Shall be mocked in age and death.
老死皆被嘲纏身。
He who shall teach the child to doubt
誰人唆教童置疑
The rotting grave shall ne'er get out.
腐墓埋困永難離。
He who respects the infant's faith
誰人尊重幼之誠
Triumphs over hell and death.
陰曹地府亦常勝。
The child's toys and the old man's reasons
孩童的玩具，老人的說辭
Are the fruits of the two seasons.
是他們這兩季的果實。
The questioner who sits so sly
問者詭異坐
Shall never know how to reply.
其己永無措。
He who replies to words of doubt
誰人回復疑之嚷
Doth put the light of knowledge out.
實則湮滅真之光。
The strongest poison ever known
迄今最毒藥
Came from Caesar's laurel crown.
凱撒桂冠找。
Nought can deform the human race
無能變人心
Like to the armour's iron brace.
似胄鐵支形。
When gold and gems adorn the plough
金玉飾犁耙
To peaceful arts shall Envy bow.
平庸成無價。
A riddle or the cricket's cry
謎呼蛐蛐叫
Is to doubt a fit reply.
皆因疑所好。
The emmet's inch and eagle's mile
蟻之寸，鷹之裡
Make lame philosophy to smile.
哲理雖跛笑此彼。
He who doubts from what he sees
人旦疑所見
Will ne'er believe, do what you please.
雖求亦有嫌。
If the sun and moon should doubt,
日月若有疑，
They'd immediately go out.
立散了無息。
To be in a passion you good may do,
激情塑美好，
But no good if a passion is in you.
情激釀糟糕。
The whore and gambler, by the state
娼賭州許之，
Licensed, build that nation's fate.
國運行於此。
The harlot's cry from street to street
逐街皆聞妓女哭
Shall weave old England's winding sheet.
英倫屍布怨織出。
The winner's shout, the loser's curse,
勝者呼，敗者哭
Dance before dead England's hearse.
英倫棺木臺前舞
Every night and every morn
每一晚，每一晨
Some to misery are born.
註定有人負苦悶
Every morn and every night
每一晨，每一晚
Some are born to sweet delight.
註定有人享甜歡。
Some are born to sweet delight,
註定有人享甜歡，
Some are born to endless night.
註定有人熬到晚。
We are led to believe a lie
謊言千變引人憐
When we see not through the eye
時逢萬象眼未見
Which was born in a night to perish in a night,
一夜興起一夜變，
When the soul slept in beams of light.
且逢靈魂光下眠。
God appears, and God is light
上帝是光把靈現
To those poor souls who dwell in night,
指引夜魂攬青天
But does a human form display
上帝化人行世間
To those who dwell in realms of day.
遍撒光明愛無邊