Lyric Poem · Death & Loss

The Book of Thel. Part IV

by William Blake

Reading room

1The eternal gates terrific porter lifted the northern bar:

2Thel enter'd in & saw the secrets of the land unknown;

3She saw the couches of the dead, & where the fibrous roots

4Of every heart on earth infixes deep its restless twists:

5A land of sorrows & of tears where never smile was seen.

6She wandered in the land of clouds thro' valleys dark, listning

7Dolors & lamentations: waiting oft beside the dewy grave

8She stood in silence, listning to the voices of the ground,

9Till to her own grave plot she came, & there she sat down.

10And heard this voice of sorrow breathed from the hollow pit.

11Why cannot the Ear be closed to its own destruction?

12Or the glistening Eye to the poison of a smile!

13Why are Eyelids stord with arrows ready drawn,

14Where a thousand fighting men in ambush lie!

15Or an Eye of gifts & graces showring fruits & coined gold!

16Why a Tongue impress'd with honey from every wind?

17Why an Ear, a whirlpool fierce to draw creations in?

18Why a Nostril wide inhaling terror trembling & affright

19Why a tender curb upon the youthful burning boy?

20Why a little curtain of flesh on the bed of our desire?

21The Virgin started from her seat, & with a shriek,

22Fled back unhinderd till she came into the vales of Har.

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“The Book of Thel. Part IV” by William Blake — quilloak.com/poems/the-book-of-thel-part-iv

Quick facts

Poem: The Book of Thel. Part IV
Poet: William Blake
Length: 22 lines
Form: Lyric Poem
Themes: Death & Loss, Sad, Love

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Shape: 22 lines · 5 stanzas of 2–5 lines

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Author record: William Blake1757–1827
Source record: PoetryDBThe Book of Thel. Part IV by william-blake, PoetryDB transcription
Display decision: Full text · United States · reviewed 2026-07-18
Publication record: Not recorded in the imported source
Text fingerprint: SHA-256 e355198dc9409ce1…
Editorial handling: Whitespace and stanza breaks normalized for web display; no material wording change recorded.

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Lyric Poem Death & Loss Sad Love

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