The Garden of Love

I went to the Garden of Love,
And saw what I never had seen;
A gate with a blackened hair,
And the doors there were closed,
And I heard a voice from within.
“You should not pass, that God forbids,
The world outside is a place of dissent.
Let the roses bloom in peace,
And let the treasures of love lend their scent.”

Yet in the depths, in the woods,
The thistles grow wild, they do not bend.
What of the fruits and flowers planted,
What of the heart’s gentle hand?
Thou, my love, shall abide forever,
In the light of your gentle dear hand.

• William Blake