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ART OF WILLIAM BLAKE: THE BOOK OF THEL |
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Title
page, copy L. A young shepherdess, burdened by her sense of mortality, sets out to find a meaning for her life by talking with several creatures—a lily, cloud, worm, and clod of clay. These speaking symbols of life's transience are satisfied with their lot because all believe themselves to be part of natural cycles related through self-sacrifice to a spiritual purpose. On the final plate, the poem's gentle pastoralism shifts abruptly to the horrific sublime as Thel comes to her own grave and hears unanswered questions redolent with fears of both death and sexuality. This voice, and Thel's flight from it, indicate either her failure to accept the harsh truths of life or the failure of the characters she meets to satisfy the human desire for transcendental truths. |
