Skip to content
Linespedia

But In The Wine-Presses The Human Grapes Sing Not Nor Dance

By William Blake

Topics: classic

But in the Wine-presses the human grapes sing not nor dance:     They howl and writhe in shoals of torment, in fierce flames consuming,     In chains of iron and in dungeons circled with ceaseless fires,     In pits and dens and shades of death, in shapes of torment and woe:     The plates and screws and racks and saws and cords and fires and cisterns     The cruel joys of Luvah's Daughters, lacerating with knives     And whips their victims, and the deadly sport of Luvah's Sons.     They dance around the dying and they drink the howl and groan,     They catch the shrieks in cups of gold, they hand them to one another:     These are the sports of love, and these the sweet delights of amorous play,     Tears of the grape, the death sweat of the cluster, the last sigh     Of the mild youth who listens to the luring songs of Luvah.

AI analysis available. Enable JavaScript to interact.

About this line

"But in the Wine-presses the human grapes sing not nor dance:..."

This evocative piece by William Blake, titled "But In The Wine-Presses The Human Grapes Sing Not Nor Dance", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

Attribution & Rights

Author:William Blake

Public Domain: This work is in the public domain and free to use.

"But in the Wine-presses the human grapes sing not ..." by William Blake

For usage rights, copyright concerns, or to report an issue with this content, please visit our Copyright & Report page.

Related lines

"And did those feet in ancient time     Walk upon England's mountains green?     And was the holy Lamb of God     On England's pleasant pastures"

"O thou with dewy locks, who lookest down     Thro' the clear windows of the morning, turn     Thine angel eyes upon our western isle,     Which"

"Tyger, tyger, burning bright     In the forests of the night,     What immortal hand or eye     Could frame thy fearful symmetry?     In what"

"In futurity     I prophetic see     That the earth from sleep     (Grave the sentence deep)     Shall arise, and seek     for her Maker meek"

"Here morning in the ploughman's songs is met     Ere yet one footstep shows in all the sky,     And twilight in the east, a doubt as yet,     S"

"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

William Blake

About William Blake

William Blake (1757–1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker who created his own illuminated books. His collections "Songs of Innocence" and "Songs of Experience" contain poems like "The Tyger" and "London," exploring innocence, oppression, and visionary imagination.

Full Bibliography
Continue Reading

"And did those feet in ancient time     Walk upon E..."

Weekly Poetic Insight

Join our literary Sanctuary

Get the most inspiring lines, poetic analysis, and secret shayaris delivered to your inbox every Sunday.