Life and Works of William Blake (MS fragment) Dante Gabriel Rossetti Love and Deceit William Blake 1880 fair copy manuscript DGR Delaware Art Museum Commentary
Introduction

This is DGR's fair copy, made in 1880, of the poem he printed under the title “Love and Deceit” in the second volume of the revised 1880 edition of Alexander Gil christ's <hi rend="i">Life of William Blake</hi> (II. 128, “Ideas of Good and Evil”). The text in fact conflates verses from the drafts of two different poems Blake had scripted on page 107 of his notebook, the first eight lines being from the poem beginning “Love to faults in always blind”, the last four from the concluding quatrain of Blake's draft of “The Human Image”. The materials are taken from the manuscript notebook of Blake's that DGR had bought in 1847.

Textual History: Composition

Textual History: Revision

Production History

Reception History

Iconographic

Printing History

First printed in Alexander Gilchrist, <hi rend="i">Life of William Blake</hi> (1880) II. 128 .

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Historical

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Translation

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Love and Deceit. Love to faults is always blind, Always is to joy inclin'd, Lawless, winged and unconfin'd, And breaks all chains from every mind. Deceit, to secrecy inclin'd Moves lawful, courteous and refin'd, To everything but interest blind, And forges fetters for the mind. There souls of men are bought and sold, And milk-fed infancy, for gold, And youth to slaughter-houses led, And beauty, for a bit of bread.