The Clod and the Pebble - William Blake
/The Clod and the Pebble - William Blake/
Two Voices on Love’s True Nature
Original (Line 1): ‘Love seeketh not itself to please,
English (Line 1): Love seeketh not itself to please,
Original (Line 2): Nor for itself hath any care,
English (Line 2): Nor for itself hath any care,
Original (Line 3): But for another gives its ease,
English (Line 3): But for another gives its ease,
Original (Line 4): And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.’
English (Line 4): And builds a Heaven in Hell’s despair.
Original (Line 5): So sang a little Clod of Clay,
English (Line 5): So sang a little Clod of Clay,
Original (Line 6): Trodden with the cattle’s feet,
English (Line 6): Trodden with the cattle’s feet,
Original (Line 7): But a Pebble of the brook
English (Line 7): But a Pebble of the brook
Original (Line 8): Warbled out these metres meet:
English (Line 8): Warbled out these metres meet:
Original (Line 9): ‘Love seeketh only Self to please,
English (Line 9): Love seeketh only Self to please,
Original (Line 10): To bind another to Its delight,
English (Line 10): To bind another to Its delight,
Original (Line 11): Joys in another’s loss of ease,
English (Line 11): Joys in another’s loss of ease,
Original (Line 12): And builds a Hell in Heaven’s despite.’
English (Line 12): And builds a Hell in Heaven’s despite.
From William Blake’s The Clod and the Pebble (1794), appearing in Songs of Experience. This poem is in the public domain.
William Blake’s “The Clod and the Pebble” presents two contrasting stances on the nature of love. The Clod of Clay, soft and impressionable, sees love as inherently selfless—an act of giving that creates “a Heaven in Hell’s despair.” This humble viewpoint aligns with an ideal of compassion: genuine love not only refrains from seeking its own gratification but actively finds ease in caring for the other.
Opposing it, the Pebble declares a far more self-centered version of love, delighting only in personal gain and satisfaction. For the Pebble, love “seeketh only Self to please” and can bind the beloved to the lover’s will, transforming even heavenlike hope into a “Hell” of possession and control.
By pairing these two voices—the malleable Clod of Clay and the unyielding Pebble—Blake invites readers to consider that love can embody either an expansive, empathetic force or a constrictive, selfish one. This tension between altruistic love and possessive desire remains a defining aspect of the human experience. The brevity of the poem underscores the sharp dichotomy: in just a few lines, Blake shows how one concept can be viewed through two radically different moral lenses, prompting us to examine where we stand.
Key points
1. The Clod’s vision of love is defined by selflessness and empathy.
2. The Pebble represents a harsher, more possessive stance, seeking personal gain.
3. Blake’s contrasting symbols illustrate dual potentialities within love.
4. The poem encourages reflection on whether love liberates or binds us.
