I Askèd a Thief
I askèd a thief to steal me a peach:
He turnèd up his eyes.
I ask’d a lithe lady to lie her down:
Holy and meek, she cries.
As soon as I went
An Angel came:
He wink’d at the thief,
And smil’d at the dame;
And without one word said
Had a peach from the tree,
And still as a maid
Enjoy’d the lady.
(As read by Dean Temple on the January 19, 2006 podcast)
By William Blake, 1796