A couple weeks ago I opened at random the Selected Non-Fictions of Borges to the line:In 1717, he [Swift] said to Young, the author of Night Thoughts, "I am like that tree; I will begin to die at the top."
I quickly read the whole amazing essay (on the phrase "I am that I am"), then backtracked to "the author of Night Thoughts" — Edward Young (1681–1765) sounded perfect for my side project on obscure authors. A few clicks on Google revealed that William Blake illustrated parts of Young's poem — Night Thoughts: Or, the Complaint and the Consolation — in 1797, and that the Yale Center for British Art houses large scans of the illustrations. Dover has also published an edition of these works.
I've been waiting five years to feature Blake. Enjoy.
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