The Human Abstract - William Blake

Pity would be no more
If we did not make somebody Poor ;
And Mercy no more could be
If all were as happy as we.

And mutual fear brings peace,
Till the selfish loves increase :
Then Cruelty knits a snare,
And spreads his baits with care.

He sits down with holy fears,
And waters the grounds with tears ;
Then Humility takes its root
Underneath his foot.

Soon spreads the dismal shade
Of Mystery over his head ;
And the Catterpillar and Fly
Feed on the Mystery.

And it bears the fruit of Deceit,
Ruddy and sweet to eat ;
And the Raven his nest has made
In its thickest shade.

The Gods of the earth and sea
Sought thro' Nature to find this Tree ;
But their search was all in vain :
There grows one in the Human Brain.

In Songs of Experience, 1794