Holy Thursday (Innocence) - William Blake
/Holy Thursday (Innocence) - William Blake/
A Bright Procession of Orphaned Children
Original (Line 1): ’Twas on a Holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean,
English (Line 1): ’Twas on a Holy Thursday, their innocent faces clean,
Original (Line 2): The children walking two & two, in red & blue & green;
English (Line 2): The children walked in twos, dressed in red, blue, and green;
Original (Line 3): Grey-headed beadles walk’d before, with wands as white as snow,
English (Line 3): Grey-headed beadles led the way, carrying wands white as snow,
Original (Line 4): Till into the high dome of Paul’s they like Thames’ waters flow.
English (Line 4): Until they flowed into St. Paul’s Cathedral like the waters of the Thames.
Original (Line 5): O what a multitude they seem’d, these flowers of London town!
English (Line 5): O what a multitude they seemed, these flowers of London town!
Original (Line 6): Seated in companies they sit with radiance all their own;
English (Line 6): Seated in groups, each child aglow with their own radiance;
Original (Line 7): The hum of multitudes was there, but multitudes of lambs,
English (Line 7): There was the hum of a great crowd, but they appeared like gentle lambs,
Original (Line 8): Thousands of little boys & girls raising their innocent hands.
English (Line 8): Thousands of little boys and girls lifted their innocent hands in unison.
Original (Line 9): Now like a mighty wind they raise to Heaven the voice of song,
English (Line 9): Then like a mighty wind, their voices rose heavenward in song,
Original (Line 10): Or like harmonious thunderings the seats of Heaven among;
English (Line 10): Or like harmonious thunder resounding among the seats of Heaven;
Original (Line 11): Beneath them sit the aged men, wise guardians of the poor;
English (Line 11): Beneath them sat the aged men, the wise protectors of these poor children;
Original (Line 12): Then cherish pity, lest you drive an angel from your door.
English (Line 12): So remember to foster compassion, lest you banish an angel from your door.
From William Blake’s Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence, 1789). This poem is in the public domain.
In “Holy Thursday (Innocence),” William Blake provides a vivid depiction of London’s charity-school children marching into St. Paul’s Cathedral on Ascension Day—traditionally called Holy Thursday in Blake’s era. The poem’s speaker observes countless children clothed in bright colors, resembling vibrant “flowers of London town.” They file in a procession led by “grey-headed beadles,” figures charged with overseeing orphaned or needy youth.
Despite the children’s difficult circumstances, their appearance and communal singing exude wonder and hope. Blake frames the event as both spiritually uplifting and visually spectacular, likening the children’s collective voices to a mighty wind or “harmonious thunderings.” By depicting these children as lambs protected by “aged men,” Blake suggests that caring for the vulnerable is a sacred duty.
Yet beneath the poem’s gentle tone lies an implicit message: it is only through genuine empathy and active charity that society avoids “driving an angel from [its] door.” Although the poem is in Blake’s Songs of Innocence, it carries a subtle critique—emphasizing the moral imperative to support and cherish those who are least fortunate.
Overall, “Holy Thursday (Innocence)” demonstrates how collective acts of compassion can be transformative, turning the solemn city into a place of vibrant unity. Through its pastoral imagery and reverent language, the poem invites readers to reflect on charity and the spiritual resonance of caring for children.
Key points
1. Blake portrays a procession of orphans as a profound moral and spiritual event.
2. Children’s voices are likened to winds or thunder, underscoring the power of collective innocence.
3. Genuine compassion is needed to ensure society does not alienate its most vulnerable.
4. Although labeled ‘Innocence,’ the poem subtly critiques any superficial demonstrations of piety.
