The Garden of Love I went to the Garden of Love, And saw what I never had seen; A Chapel was built in the midst, And the gates of this Chapel were shut.

And ‘Thou shalt not,’ writ over the door; So I turned to the Garden of Love, That so many sweet flowers bore, But the thorns were all I could see.

And priests in black gowns, who stood In the shadows at the altar, Brought out their cords of loyalty, And the sacrifice of the world.

• William Blake