Ah Sunflower

by William Blake — a poem card from Justes Mots

Blake uses the sunflower's eternal quest for light as a metaphor for human longing to transcend earthly suffering and time. The poem evokes those exhausted by life's burdens—desire-stricken youth and virginal maidens—seeking eternal rest. Its compressed beauty makes it suitable for contemplating loss, mortality, and the human yearning for peace beyond time.

Ah Sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun;
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller's journey is done;

Where the Youth pined away with desire,
And the pale virgin shrouded in snow,
Arise from their graves, and aspire…

Themes: sympathy · grief · reflection · long-distance