"The Sun does arise, And make happy the skies..." The Echoing Green is a short poem by William Blake that was first published in 1789 and is often read within Songs of Innocence and of Experience (1794). William Blake (1757-1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake's work is today considered seminal and significant in the history of both poetry and the visual arts.