Epitaph on an Infant

by William Blake (1789) — a poem card from Justes Mots

A tender narrative of a lost child guided through darkness by divine light and reunited with a grieving mother, offering spiritual consolation for child loss. Blake portrays God as a protective father figure who brings comfort and reunion, transforming sorrow into compassionate reunion. The poem provides gentle solace for those mourning the death of a child or young person.

The little boy lost in the lonely fen,
Led by the wandering light,
Began to cry, but God, ever nigh,
Appeared like his father, in white.

He kissed the child, and by the hand led,
And to his mother brought,
Who in sorrow pale, through the lonely dale,…

Themes: sympathy · grief · new-baby · reflection