Lucy Burroughs answered
From an early age, William Blake reported having visions; he claimed to have seen God at age four, and a tree full of angels several years later.
Blake was also a great believer in the sublime power and beauty of nature, and made this the subject of much of his work. He believed that he was at one with the natural world, and could 'see' and understand it in ways that most people couldn't.
"There was no doubt that this poor man was mad" - William Wordsworth
Whether or not Blake genuinely had these visions is open to debate. The visions, which continued throughout his life, were usually beautiful and religious in nature. Blake also believed that Archangels had instructed him to write, and that his work was enjoyed and celebrated in Heaven.
When speaking of the Romantic poets, it is easy for one to assume that drugs are responsible for eccentricities like Blake's. However, while many of his peers (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, for example) were heavy opium users, Blake, allegedly, was not.
When speaking of the Romantic poets, it is easy for one to assume that drugs are responsible for eccentricities like Blake's. However, while many of his peers (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, for example) were heavy opium users, Blake, allegedly, was not.
