Sailing with angels . . .

It's Tew's day and I'm wondering where the lions are.

William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway on this date in 1582.

Today is the 266th anniversary of William Blake's birth. The poet and artist was born on this date in 1757 London.

Factory or farm, individuals needed a sense of belonging in their work, a conversation with something larger than themselves, a felt participation, and a touch of spiritual fulfillment and the mysterious generative nature of that fulfillment. [William] Blake might have said that they needed a conversation with the angels. Earning and providing were all very well, but once the basics were met, human beings naturally turned their inward and outward eyes to greater horizons. – David Whyte, from Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimage of Identity, Riverhead Books; Reprint edition (April 2, 2002) .

And, It's the 80th birthday of Randy Newman. The singer, songwriter, composer was born on this day in Los Angeles. His early solo career was notable for effective irony. These days Mr. Newman is a composer of Academy Award and Grammy winning scores and songs for motion pictures, most notably for the Pixar animations.

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,

In the forests of the night;

What immortal hand or eye,

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

. . . Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

– William Blake