William Morris

William Morris (1834–1896) was an English poet, textile designer, and socialist activist. His verse often explores medieval legend, pastoral beauty, and utopian ideals. Biography ↓More ↓

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William Morris

Song VI: Cherish Life that Abideth

Love is enough: cherish life that abideth, Lest ye die ere ye know him, and curse and misname him; For who knows in what ruin of all hope he hideth, On what wings of the terror of darkness he rideth? And what is the joy of man's life that ye blame him For his bliss grown a sword, and his rest grown a fire? Ye who tremble for death, or the death of desire, Pass about the cold winter-tide garden and ponder On the rose in his glory amidst of June's fire, On the languor of noontide that gathered the thunder, On the morn and its freshness, the eve and its wonder: Ye may make it no more--shall Spring come to awaken? Live on, for Love liveth, and earth shall be shaken

William Morris

Song II: Have No Thought for Tomorrow

Love is enough: have no thought for to-morrow If ye lie down this even in rest from your pain, Ye who have paid for your bliss with great sorrow: For as it was once so it shall be again. Ye shall cry out for death as ye stretch forth in vain Feeble hands to the hands that would help but they may not, Cry out to deaf ears that would hear if they could; Till again shall the change come, and words your lips say not Your hearts make all plain in the best wise they would And the world ye thought waning is glorious and good: And no morning now mocks you and no nightfall is weary, The plains are not empty of song and of deed: The sea strayeth not, nor the mountains are dreary;

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Summer

Summer looked for long am I: Much shall change or e'er I die. Prithee take it not amiss Though I weary thee with bliss.

Summer Dawn

Pray but one prayer for me 'twixt thy closed lips, Think but one thought of me up in the stars. The summer night waneth, the morning light slips, Faint and grey 'twixt the leaves of the aspen, betwixt the cloud-bars That are patiently waiting there for the dawn: Patient and colourless, though Heaven's gold Waits to float through them along with the sun. Far out in the meadows, above the young corn, The heavy elms wait, and restless and cold The uneasy wind rises; the roses are dun; Through the long twilight they pray for the dawn, Round the lone house in the midst of the corn, Speak but one word to me over the corn, Over the tender, bow'd locks of the corn.

Autumn

Laden Autumn here I stand Worn of heart, and weak of hand: Nought but rest seems good to me, Speak the word that sets me free.

Spring

Spring am I, too soft of heart Much to speak ere I depart: Ask the Summer-tide to prove The abundance of my love.

Biography

William Morris (1834–1896) was an English poet, designer, and socialist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite circle. He wrote narrative poetry, lyrical verse, and prose romances throughout his career. His work often revives medieval and Norse legends, blending chivalric themes with vivid natural description. Poems like those in 'The Earthly Paradise' (1868–1870) recount classical and medieval stories in ornate, measured verse. Later, his poetry increasingly engaged with social criticism, as in 'The Pilgrims of Hope' (1885), a narrative of the Paris Commune. His vision of a cooperative society where art and labor are reunited shapes much of his writing. His fusion of aesthetic and political concerns made him a significant precursor to both the Arts and Crafts movement and modern eco-socialist thought.

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