"Hear the voice of the Bard! Who Present, Past, and Future sees, Whose ears have heard, The Holy Word That walk'd among the ancient trees." -William Blake Should we be reading the poetry of Blake and Wordsworth the same way as the canonized prophets of scripture? That's the argument Vogel makes in this provocative new collection combining the two major titans of the Romantic Generation. Indeed, both poets literally viewed themselves as prophets. Blake, recalling the words of Hebraic scripture, often referred to himself ...
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"Hear the voice of the Bard! Who Present, Past, and Future sees, Whose ears have heard, The Holy Word That walk'd among the ancient trees." -William Blake Should we be reading the poetry of Blake and Wordsworth the same way as the canonized prophets of scripture? That's the argument Vogel makes in this provocative new collection combining the two major titans of the Romantic Generation. Indeed, both poets literally viewed themselves as prophets. Blake, recalling the words of Hebraic scripture, often referred to himself as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness," while Wordsworth considered his role as poet, "the rock of defense for human nature." In Poet Prophets, Vogel showcases the incredible visionary power of these two remarkable poets with an impassioned introductory essay exploring their roles as messengers of a spiritual reality to which most were "out of tune"; 50 poems from each author, including their longer works, "Jerusalem" and "The Prelude"; brief introductions to each poem to provide context and accessibility, and a list of famous quotes for easy-reference. "Of the six major poets now commonly grouped as the English Romantics, [these] two clearly stand in eminence.[They] shared [the] similar desire to awaken us from the sleep of death, which we call life." -Harold Bloom
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