[Excerpt] William Blake: Proverbs from Hell

The Proverbs of Hell

William Blake (1757-1827), translated by Fei Bai

Spring Learn, teach in the fall, enjoy in the winter.

In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.

Let your carts and plows crush the bones of the dead.

Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.

Deviation is the only way to the palace of wisdom.

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.

Prudence is the incompetent pursuit of a rich, ugly spinster.

Prudence is a rich, ugly old maid courted by Incapacity.

Desire without action breeds plague.

He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.

The moth cut off by the plow forgives the plowshare.

The cut worm forgives the plow.

The one who loves water is placed in the river.

Dip him in the river who loves water.

A fool and a wise man do not see the same tree.

A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.

Whoever's face does not shine will never become a star.

He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.

A product that loves time forever.

Eternity is in love with the productions of time.

Busy bees have no time for regrets.

The busy bee has no time for sorrow.

The hours of foolishness can be measured by a clock, but the hours of wisdom cannot.

The hours of folly are measur'd by the clock; but of wisdom, no clock can measure.

No wholesome food comes from nets and traps.

All wholesome food is caught without a net or a trap.

Weights and measures are to be promulgated in years of famine.

Bring out number, weight and measure in a year of dearth.

No bird can fly high if it relies on its own wings alone.

No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.

Only a corpse will not avenge an injury.

A dead body revenges not injuries.

The most noble act is to put others before you.

The most sublime act is to set another before you.

A fool becomes wise if he persists in his folly.

If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.

Folly is the cloak of a scoundrel.

Folly is the cloak of knavery.

Shyness is the cloak of pride.

Shame is Pride's cloke.

Prisons are made of the stone of law, brothels of the bricks of religion.

Prisons are built with stones of law, brothels with bricks of religion.

The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.

The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.

The lust of the goat is the love of God.

The lust of the goat is the bounty of God.

The naked body of woman is the work of God.

The nakedness of woman is the work of God.

The lion’s wrath is the wisdom of God.

The wrath of the lion is the wisdom of God.

If you are too sad, you will laugh; if you are too happy, you will cry.

Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps.

The roar of the lion, the howl of the wolf, the rage of the sea in the storm, and the sword that destroys all are too much in the eyes of mortals A great part of eternity.

The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity, too great for the eye of man.

fox Blame the trap, not yourself.

The fox condemns the trap, not himself.

Joy conceives, sorrow gives birth.

Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth.

Let men wear lion skins and women wear wool.

Let man wear the fell of the lion, woman the fleece of the sheep.

Birds need nests, spiders need webs, and people need friendship.

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.

The fool who chuckles to himself and the one who frowns should be regarded as wise. They may be from the same stick. both ends.

The selfish, smiling fool, and the sullen, frowning fool shall be both thought wise, that they may be a rod.

Everything that is now proven was once a phenomenon.

What is now proved was once only imagin'd.

Rats, mice, foxes, and rabbits only see the roots, while lions, tigers, horses, and elephants see the fruits.

The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbit watch the roots; the lion, the tyger, the horse, the elephant watch the fruits.

The pond is filled with water and the spring water is flowing.

The cistern contains: the fountain overflows.

One thought can fill space.

One thought fills immensity.

Always be prepared to tell the truth and mean people will avoid you.

Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you.

Everything that is credible is a sign of truth.

Every thing possible to be believe'd is an image of truth.

An eagle will never waste time condescending to learn from a crow.

The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of the crow.

The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion.

The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion.

Think in the morning, act at noon, eat at dusk, and sleep at night.

Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.

People who have been fooled by you know you best.

He who has suffered'd you to impose on him, knows you.

The plow obeys the command of man, and God rewards the prayer.

As the plow follows words, so God rewards prayers.

An angry tiger is smarter than a preaching horse.

The tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.

Standing water is poisonous.

Expect poison from the standing water.

Unless you know what too much is, you will never know what is enough.

You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.

Please listen to the scolding of fools, this is a great honor.

Listen to the fool's reproach! it is a kingly title!

Fire is the eyes, wind is the nostrils, water is the mouth, and the earth is the beard.

The eyes of fire, the nostrils of air, the mouth of water, the beard of earth.

He who is timid of courage is good at trickery.

The weak in courage is strong in cunning.

The apple tree never asks the beech how to grow, the lion never asks the zebra how to find food.

The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow; nor the lion, the horse, how he shall take his prey.

The delighted tax collector brought a good harvest.

The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.

If others are never stupid, it must be us who are.

If others had not been foolish, we should be so.

A sweet and happy soul will not be stained.

The soul of sweet delight can never be defil'd.

When you look at an eagle, you are looking at a piece of genius, look up!

When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!

Caterpillars always love to lay eggs on the most beautiful leaves, and priests always love to curse the most legitimate ones. hapiness.

As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.

It takes thousands of years to create a small flower.

To create a little flower is the labor of ages.

Curses excite people, blessings make them slack.

Damn braces. Bless relaxes.

The older the wine, the better, and the fresher the water, the better.

The best wine is the oldest, the best water the newest.

Those who pray do not cultivate, those who praise do not harvest.

Prayers plow not! Praises reap not!

If you are extremely happy, you will not laugh, if you are extremely sad, you will not cry.

Joys laugh not! Sorrows weep not!

Sublimity is the head, pain is the heart, reproduction is beauty, and balance is the limbs.

The head Sublime, the heart Pathos, the genitals Beauty, the hands and feet Proportion.

Despicableness is to the despicable as wind is to birds and water is to fish.

As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible.

The crow wants everything to be black, the owl wants everything to be white.

The crow wish'd every thing was black, the owl that every thing was white.

Abundance is beauty.

Exuberance is Beauty.

If the lion accepts the fox's advice, he will only use trickery.

If the lion was advised by the fox, he would be cunning.

The road becomes straight after being repaired, but the winding road without repair is the path of genius.

Improvement makes strait roads; but the crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius.

Desire without action is like strangling the baby in the cradle.

Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires.

Wherever humans have not yet visited, nature is desolate.

Where man is not, nature is barren.

The truth is never something that can only be understood but not believed.

Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believed'd.

Enough, too much!

Enough! or too much.

(from "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell")