Accompanies no. 2 of 12 watercolor designs for Milton's early poems L'Allegro and Il Penseroso that contrast the cheerful man with the melancholic, thoughtful one. Blake created them on commission for Thomas Butts about 1816-1820. The two series were separated in 1903 and were not reunited until 1949, when they were acquired by the Library. Each of the watercolors in this series is accompanied by Blake's transcription of the relevant portion of the poem as well as his notes on his design.
10 lines of text written in ink on the recto of a sheet of laid paper accompanying the watercolor, The Lark (1949.4:2, cataloged separately). Lines 1-4 are quoted from Milton's "L'Allegro," lines 41-44.
Transcription: "2 To hear the Lark begin his flight / And singing startle the dull Night / From His Watch Tower in the Skies / Till the dappled Dawn does rise / The Lark is an Angel on the Wing / Dull Night starts from his Watch Tower / on a Cloud. The Dawn with her / dappled Horses arises above the Earth / The Earth beneath awakes at the / Larks Voice"