& wet thy veil with dewy tears, *
In slumbers of my night-repose, infusing a false morning?
In slumbers of my night-repose, infusing a false morning?
Blake - Zoas
poetry.
THE FOUR ZOAS
VALA *
The torments of Love & Jealousy in
The Death and
Judgement
of Albion the Ancient Man
a Dream
of Nine Night
by William Blake 1797
PAGE 2
Rest before Labour
PAGE 3
[Greek text] [For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephes. VI chp 12 v (King James version)]*
VALA
Night the First
The Song of the Aged Mother which shook the heavens with wrath* {This page is a very thicket of revisions, erasures, and inconsistent directions for rearranging the order of the lines. We have here restored two lines, marked in the manuscript as 6 and 7 (omitted from Erdman's transcription) on the grounds that the two cancelled lines following are rewritten as lines 2 and 3. Thus, the lines marked 6 and 7 would still follow 2 & 3. Please consult the manuscript page. LFS}
Hearing the march of long resounding strong heroic Verse
Marshalld in order for the day of Intellectual Battle
The heavens shall quake, the earth was moved & shuddered & the mountains
With all their woods, the streams & valleys: waild in dismal fear
Four Mighty Ones are in every Man; a Perfect Unity John XVII c. 21 & 22 & 23 v
Cannot Exist. but from the Universal Brotherhood of Eden John I c. 14. v
The Universal Man. To Whom be Glory Evermore Amen [kai eskanosen en -[h]amen]
[ [What] are the Natures of those Living Creatures the Heavenly Father only
[Knoweth] no Individual [Knoweth nor] Can know in all Eternity] *{These lines, included in Erdman's transcription are unmistakably erased. LFS}
Los was the fourth immortal starry one, & in the Earth
Of a bright Universe Empery attended day & night
Days & nights of revolving joy, Urthona was his name
PAGE 4
In Eden; in the Auricular Nerves of Human life* {The centered text block of this page appears to be written over erased text, with four clusters of added lines in various orientations in the margin. LFS}
Which is the Earth of Eden, he his Emanations propagated
Like Sons & DaughtersFairies of Albion afterwards Gods of the Heathen, Daughter of Beulah Sing
His fall into Division & his Resurrection to Unity
His fall into the Generation of Decay & Death & his Regeneration by the Resurrection from the dead*
Begin with Tharmas Parent power. darkning in the West
Lost! Lost! Lost! are my Emanations Enion [Come Forth,] O Enion
We are become a Victim to the Living We hide in secret*
I have hidden thee Enion, in Jealous Despair Jerusalem in Silent Contrition O Pity Me
I will build thee a Labyrinth also O pity me O Enionwhere we may remain for ever alone
Why hast thou taken sweet Jerusalem from my inmost Soul
Let her Lay secret in the Soft recess of darkness & silence
It is not Love I bear to Enitharmon [Jerusalem? ]* It is Pity? ? ? *
She hath taken refuge in my bosom & I cannot cast her out.
The Men have recieved their death wounds & their Emanations are fled
To me for refuge & I cannot turn them out for Pitys sake *{inserted vertically, up the left side of the page. LFS}
Enion said--Thy fear has made me tremble thy terrors have surrounded me *{this verse paragraph appears to be an insertion over erased text. LFS}
All Love is lost Terror succeeds & Hatred instead of Love
And stern demands of Right & Duty instead of Liberty.
Once thou wast to Me the loveliest son of heaven--But now
Why art thou Terrible and yet I love thee in thy terror till
I am almost Extinct & soon shall be a Shadow in Oblivion
Unless some way can be found that I may look upon thee & live
Hide me some Shadowy semblance. secret whispring in my Ear
In secret of soft wings. in mazes of delusive beauty
I have lookd into the secret soul of him I lovd
And in the Dark recesses found Sin & cannot return
Trembling & pale sat Tharmas weeping in his clouds
Why wilt thou Examine every little fibre of my soul *{This and the following 4 lines are written down the top right hand edge of the page. LFS}
Spreading them out before the Sun like Stalks of flax to dry
The infant joy is beautiful but its anatomy
Horrible Ghast & Deadly nought shalt thou find in it
But Death Despair & Everlasting brooding Melancholy
Thou wilt go mad with horror if thou dost Examine thus * {added on center right margin, 90 degrees rotated LFS}
Every moment of my secret hours Yea I know
That I have sinnd & that my Emanations are become harlots
I am already distracted at their deeds & if I look
Upon them more Despair will bring self murder on my soul
O Enion thou art thyself a root growing in hell
Tho thus heavenly beautiful to draw me to destruction
Sometimes I think thou art a flower expanding *{This and the following four lines are added evidently in light pencil in the top margin. LFS}
Sometimes I think thou art fruit breaking from its bud
In dreadful dolor & pain & I am like an atom
A Nothing left in darkness yet I am an identity
I wish & feel & weep & groan Ah terrible terrible
PAGE 5 In Beulah Eden,Females sleep the winter in soft silken veils*
{First 8 lines inserted over a deleted strata LFS} Woven by their own hands to hide them in the darksom grave
But Males immortal live renewd by female deaths. in soft
Delight they die & they revive in spring with music & songs
Enion said Farewell I die I hide. from thy searching eyes
So saying--From her bosom weaving soft in Sinewy threads
A tabernacleof Delight for Jerusalem. She sat among the Rocks*
{insert over strike out LFS} Singing her Lamentation. Tharmas groand among his Clouds
Weeping, and then bending from his Clouds he stoopd his holy innocent head*
{innocent replaces holy LFS} And stretching out his holy hand in the vast Deep sublime
Turnd round the circle of Destiny with tears & bitter sighs
And said. Return O Wanderer when the Day of Clouds is oer
So saying he sunk down into the sea a pale white corse*
{this and the following 2 lines appear written over an erased strata LFS} So saying In torment he sunk down & flowd among her filmy Wooft
His Spectre issuing from his feet in flames of fire
In dismal gnawing pain drawn out by her lovd fingers every nerve t
She counted. every vein & lacteal threading them among
Her woof of terror. Terrified & drinking tears of woe
Shuddring she wove--nine days & nights Sleepless her food was tears
Wondring she saw her woof begin to animate. & not
As Garments woven subservient to her hands but having a will
Of its own perverse & wayward Enion lovd & wept*
{written vertically up the right margin LFS}
Nine days she labourd at her work. & nine dark sleepless nights
But on the tenth bright trembling morn the Circle of Destiny Completet
Round rolld the Sea Englobing in a watry Globe self balancd*
{a light line appears through this line LFS} A Frowning Continent appeard Where Enion in the Desart
Terrified in her own Creation viewing her woven shadow
Sat in a sweet dread intoxication of false woven bliss self woven sorrow Repentance & Contrition*
{sequence of revisions, appearent in order presented here LFS} There is from Great Eternity a mild & pleasant rest
Namd Beulah a Soft Moony Universe feminine lovely
Pure mild & Gentle given in Mercy to those who sleep
Eternally. Created by the Lamb of God around
On all sides within & without the Universal Man
The Daughters of Beulah follow sleepers in all their Dreamst
Creating Spaces lest they fall into Eternal Death
The Circle of Destiny complete they gave to it a Space
And namd the Space Ulro & brooded over it in care & love*
{this entire passage is written vertically down the right margin and appears to have been first entered lightly (pencil? ) and then written over (ink? ) LFS}
They said The Spectre is in every man insane & most
Deformd Thro the three heavens descending in fury & fire
We meet it with our Songs & loving blandishments & give
To it a form of vegetation But this Spectre of Tharmas
Is Eternal Death What shall we do O God help pity & help
So spoke they & closd the Gate of Auricular power nerves the Tongue in trembling fear*
{Passage written down the right margin LFS}
What have I done! said Enion accursed wretch! What deed.
Is this a deed of Love I know what I have done. I know
Too late now to repent. Love is changd to deadly Hate [Fears]
A [All? ] life is blotted out & I alone remain possessd with Fears
I see the [remembrance] Shadow of the dead within my [eyes] Soul wandering*
{bracketed words blotted out, revised as indicated by italics LFS} In darkness & solitude forming Seas of [Trouble] Doubt & rocks of [sorrow] Repentance*
{bracketed words blotted LFS} Already are my Eyes reverted. all that I behold
Within my Soul has lost its splendor & a brooding Fear
Shadows me oer & drives me outward to a world of woe
So waild she trembling before her own Created Phantasm*
{These 10 lines circled and lightly struck out as a block, restored in Erdman. Internal revisions as noted LFS}
[Who animating times on times by the Force of her sweet song]
But standing on the Rocks her woven shadow glowing bright* {The line indicated here as erased (as it appears to be in the reproduction) Erdman notes is penciled in, as a replacement for the line indicated as struck out LFS}
PAGE 6 She drew the Spectre forth from Tharmas in her shining loom
Of Vegetation weeping in wayward infancy & sullen youth
Listning to her soft lamentations soon his tongue began
To Lisp out words & soon in masculine strength augmenting he*
{These two lines appear to be penciled in LFS} Reard up a form of gold & stood upon the glittering rock*
{At some point, this was the first line on this page, linked to follow the deleted line at the bottom of page 5, where the prompt word for the next page is "Reard". This is a crucial set of revisions, reflecting some ambiguity about the relation between "shadow" and "spectre". LFS}
A shadowy human form winged & in his depths
The dazzlings as of gems shone clear, rapturous in joy fury
Glorying in his own eyes Exalted in terrific Pride
[ Searching for glory wishing that the heavens had eyes to See
And courting that the Earth would ope her Eyelids & behold
Such wondrous beauty repining in the midst of all his glory
That nought but Enion could be found to praise adore & love
Three days in self admiring raptures on the rocks he flamd
And three dark nights repind the solitude. but the third morn
Astonishd he found Enion hidden in the darksom Cave
She spoke What am I wherefore was I put forth on these rocks
Among the Clouds to tremble in the wind in solitude
Where is the voice that lately woke the desart Where the face
That wept among the clouds & where the voice that shall reply
No other living thing is here. The Sea the Earth. the Heaven
And Enion desolate where art though Tharmas O return
Three days she waild & three dark nights sitting among the Rocks
While the bright spectre hid himself among the ? backing clouds
Then sleep fell on her eyelids in a Chasm of the Valley
The Sixteenth morn the Spectre stood before her manifest ]
The Spectre thus spoke. [ Art thou not my slave & shalt thou dare
To smite me with thy tongue beware lest I sting also thee,]
Who art thou Diminutive husk & shell* [
Broke from my bonds I scorn my prison & yet I love]
If thou hast sinnd & art polluted know that I am pure*
And unpolluted & will bring to rigid strict account
All thy past deeds [So] hear what I tell thee! mark it well! remember! *
This world is [Mine] Thine in which thou dwellest that within thy soul*
That dark & dismal infinite where Thought roams up & down
Is [thine] Mine & there thou goest when with one Sting of my tongue
Envenomd thou rollst inwards to the place [of death & hell where] whence I emergd
She trembling answerd Wherefore was I born & what am I
[A sorrow & a fear a living torment & naked Victim]
I thought to weave a Covering [from his] for my Sins from wrath of Tharmas*
{This entire paragraph, internally revised, is marked for deleting, evidently, by two diagonal strike out lines. The page image should be consulted LFS}
PAGE 7 Examining the sins of Tharmas I have soon found my own
O slay me not thou art his Wrath embodied in Deceit
I thought Tharmas a Sinner & I murderd his Emanations *
His secret loves & Graces Ah me wretched What have I done *
For now I find that all those Emanations were my Childrens Souls *
And I have murderd them with Cruelty above atonement *
Those that remain have fled from my cruelty into the desarts
Singing with both to ownAnd thou the delusive tempter to these deeds sittest before me *
(illegible)But where is (illegible) Tharmas all thy soft delusive beauty cannot
Tempt me to murder honest lovemy own soul & wipe my tears & smile
In this thy world for ah! hownot mine tho dark I feel my world within *
The Spectre said Thou sinful Woman. was it thy desire
That I should hide thee with my power & delight thee with my beauty
And now there darknest in my presence, never from my sight
Shalt thou depart to weep in secret. In my jealous wings
I evermore will hold thee when though goest out or comest in
Tis thou hast darkend all My World O Woman lovely bare
Thus they contended? all the day, among the Caves of Tharmas
Twisting in fearful forms & hoisting howling harsh shrieking
Howling harsh shrieking, mingling their bodies pain in burning anguish
Mingling his horrible brightness with her tender limbs; then high she soar'd *
ShriekingAbove the ocean; a bright wonder that Beulah shudder'd atNature *
Half Woman & half Spectre, all his lovely changing colours mix *
With her fair crystal clearness; in her lips & cheeks his poisons rose *
In blushes like the morning, and his scaly armour softening *
A monster lovely in the heavens or wandering on the earth, *
With Spectre voice incessant waiting, in incessant thirst>
Beauty all blushing with desire mocking her fell despair>
Wandering desolate, a wonder abhorr'd by Gods & Men
PAGE 8 Till with fierce pain she brought forth on the rocks her sorrow & woe
Behold two [little Infants wept]upon the desolate wind. *
[Then forms of horror howled]
The first state weeping they began & helpless as a wave
Beaten along its sightless way growing enormous in its motion to
Its utmost goal, till strength from Enion like richest summer shining *
Raisd the [bright][fierce]boy & girl with glories from their heads out beaming *
Drawing forth drooping mothers pity drooping mothers sorrow *
But those in Great Eternity Met in the Council of God
As One Man hovering over Gilead & Hermon
He is the Good Shepherd He is the Lord & Master
To Create Man Morning by Morning to Give gifts at Noon day
Enion brooded, oer the rocks, the rough rocks vegetating groaning vegetate
Such power was given to the Solitary wanderer.
The barked Oak, the long limbed Beech; the Ches'nut tree; the Pine.
[] [] The Pear tree mild, the frowning Walnut, the sharp Crab, & Apple sweet,
The rough bark opens; twittering peep forth little beaks & wings
The Nightingale, the Goldfinch, Robin, Lark, Linnet & Thrush
The Goat leap'd from the craggy Rock cliff, the Sheep awoke from the mould
Upon its green stalk the Corn, waving innumerable
Infolding the bright Infants from the desolating winds
They sulk upon her breast her hair became like snow on mountains
Weaker & weaker, weeping woful, wearier and wearier
Faded & her bright Eyes decayd melted with pity & love
PAGE 9
[And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains]
{These lines in the top margin were erased and replaced with an image of Christ in an orb. GD}
And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains
Rehumanizing from the Spectre in pangs of maternal love
Ingrate they wanderd scorning her drawing her life majesticSpectrous Life
Repelling her away & away by a dread repulsive power
Into Non Entity revolving around in dark despair.
[Till they had drawn the Spectre quite away from Enion]
And drawing in the Spectrous life in pride and haughty joy
Thus Enion gave them all her spectrous life in dark despair.
Then Eno [Ono] a daughter of Beulah took a Moment of Time *
And drew it out to twenty years Seven thousand years with much care & affliction *
And many tears & in the twenty Every years gave visions toward heaven made windows into Eden *
She also took an atom of space & opend its center
Into Infinitude & ornamented it with wondrous art
{This is where Erdman puts these 2 lines, which appear diagonally on the page in the upper-left corner, near the exta-marginal block of text which is inserted after line 7. However, there is no cue from the manuscript about exactly where these lines should be inserted, so Erdman's placement of them is conjectural. GD}
Astonishd sat her Sisters of Beulah to see her soft affections
To Enion & her children & they ponderd these things wondring
And they Alternate kept watch over the Youthful terrors
They saw not yet the Hand Divine for it was not yet reveald
But they went on in Silent Hope & Feminine repose
But Los & Enitharmon delighted in the Moony spaces of Eno *
Nine Times they livd among the forests, feeding on sweet fruits
And nine bright Spaces wanderd weaving mazes of delight
Snaring the wild Goats for their milk they eat the flesh of Lambs
A male & female naked & ruddy as the pride of summer
Alternate Love & Hate his breast; hers Scorn & Jealousy
In embryon passions. they kiss'd not nor embrac'd for shame & fear They ? kissd ? not nor for ? shame they embracd not
{This line penciled in above the ink line. GD} His head beamd light & in his vigorous voice was prophesyNor kissd nor em. . . hand in hand [in a] sulty paradise. . . ? these ? Lovers ? swum the deep
{These fragments penciled in above the ink line. GD}
He could controll the times & seasons, & the days & years
She could controll the spaces, regions, desart, flood & forest
But had no power to weave a Veil of covering for her Sins
She drave the Females all away from Los
And Los drave all the Males from her away
They wanderd long, till they sat down upon the margind sea.
Conversing with the visions of Beulah in dark slumberous bliss *
Nine years they view the turning spheres of Beulah reading the Visions of Beulah
Night the Second {inserted above the following lines LFS}
But the two youthful wonders wanderd in the world of Tharmas *
Thy name is Enitharmon; said the bright fierce prophetic boy *
[While they. . . . . Harmony]
While thy mild voice fills all these Caverns with sweet harmony
O how thy our Parents sit & weep mourn in their silent secret bowers *
PAGE 1O
But Enitharmon answerd with a dropping tear & smiling frowning*
[[Bright]]Dark as a dewy morning when the crimson light appears *
To make us happy how they let them weary their immortal powers *
While we draw in their sweet delights while we return them scorn *
On scorn to feed our discontent; for if we grateful prove
They will withhold sweet love, whose food is thorns & bitter roots.
We hear the warlike clarions we view the turning spheres *
Yet Thou in indolence reposest holding me in bonds {These lines first appear after line 2, but are marked to be moved here. GD}
Hear! I will sing a [[Dirge]]Song of Death! it is a [[Dirge]]Song of Vala! *
The [[Eternal]]Fallen Man takes his repose: Urizen sleeps in the porch *
Luvah and Vala [[wake]] woke & fly flew up from the Human Heart *
Into the Brain; from thence upon the pillow Vala slumber'd.
And Luvah siez'd the Horses of Light, & rose into the Chariot of Day
Sweet laughter siezd me in my sleep! silent & close I laughd*
For in the visions of Vala I walkd with the mighty Fallen One *
I heard his voice among the branches, & among sweet flowers. *
Why is the light of [[Vala]] Enitharmon darken'd in her dewy morn *
Why is the silence of [[Vala lightning]] Enitharmon a Cloud terror & her smile a whirlwind *
Uttering this darkness in my halls, in the pillars of my Holy-ones
Why dost thou weep [[O]] as Vala? & wet thy veil with dewy tears, *
In slumbers of my night-repose, infusing a false morning?
Driving the Female Emanations all away from Los *
I have refusd to look upon the Universal Vision
And wilt thou slay with death him who devotes himself to thee *
If thou drivst all the Males Females away from Vala Luvah I will drive all
The Males away from thee
Once born for the sport & amusement of Man now born to drink up all his Powers
PAGE 11
I heard the sounding sea; I heard the voice weaker and weaker;
The voice came & went like a dream, I awoke in my sweet bliss.
Then Los smote her upon the Earth twas long eer she revivd {This line inserted in pencil. GD}
He Losanswer'd, darkning more with indignation hid in smiles *
I die not Enitharmon tho thou singst thy Song of Death *
Nor shalt thou me torment For I behold the Fallen Man *
Seeking to comfort Vala [[word]]she will not be comforted *
She rises from his throne and seeks the shadows of her garden
Weeping for Luvah lost, in the bloody beams of your false morning
Sickning lies the Fallen Man his head sick his heart faint *
Mighty atchievement of your power! Beware the punishment
Refusing to behold the Divine image which all behold
And live thereby. he is sunk down into a deadly sleep
But we immortal in our strength survive by stern debate
Till we have drawn the Lamb of god into a mortal form
And that he must be born is certain for One must be All
And comprehend within himself all things both small & great
We therefore for whose sake all things aspire to be be & live
Will so recieve the Divine Image that amongst the Reprobate
He may be devoted to Destruction from his mothers womb {This group of 9 lines, "Refusing. . . womb," are marked to be inserted; the entire group of lines is also crossed with a diagonal line which may indicate 1) a later intention to delete them; or 2) that the stanza is meant to replace the stanza beginning "I die not Enitharmon. . . punishment"; or 3) that the stanza is intended to follow "Nor shalt . . . Fallen Man. "GD}
I see, invisible descend into the Gardens of Vala
Luvah walking on the winds, I see the invisible knife
I see the shower of blood: I see the swords & spears of futurity
Tho in the Brain of Man we live, & in his circling Nerves.
Tho' this bright world of all our joy is in the Human Brain.
Where Urizen & all his Hosts hang their immortal lamps
Thou neer shalt leave this cold expanse where watry Tharmas mourns
So spoke Los. Scorn & Indignation rose upon Enitharmon
Then Enitharmon reddning fierce stretchd her immortal hands *
? Threaten ? not ? me ? O ? visionary ? thine ? the ? punishment {Erdman does not provide this line of inserted and struck text, but it appears to be the same text as Blake inserts below. GD}
Descend O Urizen descend with horse & chariot
Threaten not me O visionary thine the punishment!
The Human Nature shall no more remain nor Human acts
Form the free rebellious Spirits of Heaven. but War & Princedom
& Victory & Blood *
PAGE 12 {This page contains partially visible erased text running horizontally and, in the right and left margins, vertically. GD}
Night darkend as she spoke! a shuddring ran from East to West *
A Groan was heard on high. The warlike clarions ceast. the Spirits
Of Luvah & Vala shudderd in their Orb: an orb of blood! *
Eternity groand & was troubled at the Image of Eternal Death
The Wandering Man bow'd his faint head and Urizen descended
And the one must have murderd the other if he had not descended *
Indignant muttering low thunders; Urizen descended
Gloomy sounding, Now I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Sullen sat Los plotting Revenge. Silent he Urizeneye'd the Prince * {In the gap after this stanza, several fragments of erased lines appear:
. . . I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Obey thy Lord. . .
hands Pity not Vala
? Pity ? not Luvah
& these. . . GD}
Of Light. Silent the prince of Light viewd Los. at length a brooded *
Smile broke from Urizen for Enitharmon brightend more & more
Sullen he lowerd on Enitharmon but he smild on Los
Saying Thou art the Lord of Luvah into thine hands I give
The prince of Love the murderer his soul is in thine hands
Pity not Vala for she pitied not the Eternal Man
Nor pity thou the cries of Luvah. Lo these starry hosts
They are thy servants if thou wilt obey my awful Law
Los answerd furious art thou one of those who when most complacent
Mean mischief most. If you are such Lo! I am also such
One must be master. try thy Arts I also will try mine
For I percieve Thou hast Abundance which I claim as mine
Urizen startled stood but not Long soon he cried
Obey my voice young Demon I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Thus Urizen spoke collected in himself in awful pride
Art thou a visionary of Jesus the soft delusion of Eternity
Lo I am God the terrible destroyer & not the Saviour
Why should the Divine Vision compell the sons of Eden to forego each his own delight to war against his Spectre
The Spectre is the Man the rest is only delusion & fancy
So spoke the Prince of Light & sat beside the Seat of Los
Upon the sandy shore rested his chariot of fire
Ten thousand thousand were his hosts of spirits on the wind:
Ten thousand thousand glittering Chariots shining in the sky:
They pour upon the golden shore beside the silent ocean.
Rejoicing in the Victory & the heavens were filld with blood *
[[illegible text]]
The Earth spread forth her table wide. the Night a silver cup
Fill'd with the wine of anguish waited at the golden feast
But the bright Sun was not as yet; he filling all the expanse
Slept as a bird in the blue shell that soon shall burst away
[] [Los saw the wound of his blow he saw he pitied he wept] *
{This is the line as Erdman gives it, but does not remark that the line is nearly illegible in the manuscript and appears to be written in pencil and erased. GD} Los now repented that he had smitten Enitharmon he felt love
Arise in all his Veins he threw his arms around her loins To heal the wound of his smiting
They eat the fleshly bread, they drank the nervous [bloody] wine *
PAGE 13 {Erased lines of text partially visible beneath the lines of this page, especially in left and bottom margins. GD}
They listend to the Elemental Harps & Sphery Song
They view'd the dancing Hours, quick sporting thro' the sky
With winged radiance scattering joys thro the ever changing light
[The shades of]But Luvah & Vala standing in the bloody sky
On high remaind alone forsaken in fierce jealousy
They stood above the heavens forsaken desolate suspended in blood
Descend they could not. nor from Each other avert their eyes
Eternity appeard above them as One Man infolded
In Luvah robes of blood & bearing all his afflictions
As the sun shines down on the misty earth Such was the Vision
But purple night and crimson morning & [the] golden day descending
Thro' the clear changing atmosphere display'd green fields among
The varying clouds, like paradises stretch'd in the expanse
With towns & villages and temples, tents sheep-folds and pastures
Where dwell the children of the elemental worlds in harmony,
[But monstrous delusion ? invaded. . . . wrath ? enterd his world of love]
Not long in harmony they dwell, their life is drawn away
And wintry woes succeed; successive driven into the Void
Where Enion craves: successive drawn into the golden feast
[In beauty love & scorn ? the ? earthbound bride & bridegroom ? sulk]
And Los & Enitharmon sat in discontent & scorn
The Nuptial Song arose from all the thousand thousand spirits {A strike line through "thousand thousand spirits" is erased, the phrase replaced with "orbits high" which is then erased and replaced with "demons by the thousands out of a golden cloud [illegible text]" which runs into the margin. GD}
Over the joyful Earth & Sea, and ascended into the Heavens {It looks as though a strike line crossing out this line has been erased. GD}
For Elemental Gods their thunderous Organs blew; creating
Delicious Viands. Demons of Waves their watry Eccho's woke!
Bright Souls [Elements] of vegetative life, budding and blossoming
Stretch
PAGE 14
Stretch their immortal hands to smite the gold & silver Wires
And with immortal Voice soft warbling fill all Earth & Heaven.
With doubling Voices & loud Horns wound round wounding
Cavernous dwellers fill'd the enormous Revelry, Responsing!
And Spirits of Flaming fire on high, govern'd the mighty Song.
And This the Song! Sung at The fFeast of Los & Enitharmon
The Mountain Ephraim calld out to the mountain Zion: Awake O Brother Mountain
Let us refuse the Plow & Space, the heavy Roller & spiked
Harrow. burn all these Corn fields, throw down all these fences
Fattend on Human blood & drunk with wine of life is better far {Interlineal erasures throughout this stanza. GD}
Than all these labours of the harvest & the vintage. See the river
Red with the blood of Men. swells lustful round my rocky knees
My clouds are not the clouds of verdant fields & groves of fruit
But Clouds of Human Souls. my nostrils drink the lives of mMen
[[line]]
The Villages Lament. they ? faint outstretchd upon the plain
Wailing runs round the vValleys from the Mill & from the Barn
But most the polishd Palaces dark silent bow with dread {"Dark" written on top of "? weak. "GD}
Hiding their books & pictures. underneath the dens of Earth
The Cities send to one another saying My sons are Mad
With wine of cruelty. [[Let us ? light]] Let us plat a Scourge O Sister City
cChildren are nourishd for the Slaughter; once the Child was fed
With Milk; but wherefore now are Children fed with blood
PAGE 15 {This page appears to be a later insert by Blake, for it was not numbered in his original sequence. A note in the hand of Edward J. Ellis appears at the top of the manuscript page: "(a separate sheet: It cannot be placed as its sequel is missing. ) E. J. E. -1891" and beside this: "Perhaps it is all an insertion designed to preceed 'Enion blind & age bent wept upon the desolate wind,-(373 in the 1st printed numbering-suggestion of Mr F G Fleay 1904". GD}
The Horse is of more value than the Man. The Tyger fierce
Laughs at the Human form. the Lion mocks & thirsts for blood
They cry O Spider spread thy web! Enlarge thy bones & fill'd
With marrow.
& wet thy veil with dewy tears, *
In slumbers of my night-repose, infusing a false morning?
Driving the Female Emanations all away from Los *
I have refusd to look upon the Universal Vision
And wilt thou slay with death him who devotes himself to thee *
If thou drivst all the Males Females away from Vala Luvah I will drive all
The Males away from thee
Once born for the sport & amusement of Man now born to drink up all his Powers
PAGE 11
I heard the sounding sea; I heard the voice weaker and weaker;
The voice came & went like a dream, I awoke in my sweet bliss.
Then Los smote her upon the Earth twas long eer she revivd {This line inserted in pencil. GD}
He Losanswer'd, darkning more with indignation hid in smiles *
I die not Enitharmon tho thou singst thy Song of Death *
Nor shalt thou me torment For I behold the Fallen Man *
Seeking to comfort Vala [[word]]she will not be comforted *
She rises from his throne and seeks the shadows of her garden
Weeping for Luvah lost, in the bloody beams of your false morning
Sickning lies the Fallen Man his head sick his heart faint *
Mighty atchievement of your power! Beware the punishment
Refusing to behold the Divine image which all behold
And live thereby. he is sunk down into a deadly sleep
But we immortal in our strength survive by stern debate
Till we have drawn the Lamb of god into a mortal form
And that he must be born is certain for One must be All
And comprehend within himself all things both small & great
We therefore for whose sake all things aspire to be be & live
Will so recieve the Divine Image that amongst the Reprobate
He may be devoted to Destruction from his mothers womb {This group of 9 lines, "Refusing. . . womb," are marked to be inserted; the entire group of lines is also crossed with a diagonal line which may indicate 1) a later intention to delete them; or 2) that the stanza is meant to replace the stanza beginning "I die not Enitharmon. . . punishment"; or 3) that the stanza is intended to follow "Nor shalt . . . Fallen Man. "GD}
I see, invisible descend into the Gardens of Vala
Luvah walking on the winds, I see the invisible knife
I see the shower of blood: I see the swords & spears of futurity
Tho in the Brain of Man we live, & in his circling Nerves.
Tho' this bright world of all our joy is in the Human Brain.
Where Urizen & all his Hosts hang their immortal lamps
Thou neer shalt leave this cold expanse where watry Tharmas mourns
So spoke Los. Scorn & Indignation rose upon Enitharmon
Then Enitharmon reddning fierce stretchd her immortal hands *
? Threaten ? not ? me ? O ? visionary ? thine ? the ? punishment {Erdman does not provide this line of inserted and struck text, but it appears to be the same text as Blake inserts below. GD}
Descend O Urizen descend with horse & chariot
Threaten not me O visionary thine the punishment!
The Human Nature shall no more remain nor Human acts
Form the free rebellious Spirits of Heaven. but War & Princedom
& Victory & Blood *
PAGE 12 {This page contains partially visible erased text running horizontally and, in the right and left margins, vertically. GD}
Night darkend as she spoke! a shuddring ran from East to West *
A Groan was heard on high. The warlike clarions ceast. the Spirits
Of Luvah & Vala shudderd in their Orb: an orb of blood! *
Eternity groand & was troubled at the Image of Eternal Death
The Wandering Man bow'd his faint head and Urizen descended
And the one must have murderd the other if he had not descended *
Indignant muttering low thunders; Urizen descended
Gloomy sounding, Now I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Sullen sat Los plotting Revenge. Silent he Urizeneye'd the Prince * {In the gap after this stanza, several fragments of erased lines appear:
. . . I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Obey thy Lord. . .
hands Pity not Vala
? Pity ? not Luvah
& these. . . GD}
Of Light. Silent the prince of Light viewd Los. at length a brooded *
Smile broke from Urizen for Enitharmon brightend more & more
Sullen he lowerd on Enitharmon but he smild on Los
Saying Thou art the Lord of Luvah into thine hands I give
The prince of Love the murderer his soul is in thine hands
Pity not Vala for she pitied not the Eternal Man
Nor pity thou the cries of Luvah. Lo these starry hosts
They are thy servants if thou wilt obey my awful Law
Los answerd furious art thou one of those who when most complacent
Mean mischief most. If you are such Lo! I am also such
One must be master. try thy Arts I also will try mine
For I percieve Thou hast Abundance which I claim as mine
Urizen startled stood but not Long soon he cried
Obey my voice young Demon I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Thus Urizen spoke collected in himself in awful pride
Art thou a visionary of Jesus the soft delusion of Eternity
Lo I am God the terrible destroyer & not the Saviour
Why should the Divine Vision compell the sons of Eden to forego each his own delight to war against his Spectre
The Spectre is the Man the rest is only delusion & fancy
So spoke the Prince of Light & sat beside the Seat of Los
Upon the sandy shore rested his chariot of fire
Ten thousand thousand were his hosts of spirits on the wind:
Ten thousand thousand glittering Chariots shining in the sky:
They pour upon the golden shore beside the silent ocean.
Rejoicing in the Victory & the heavens were filld with blood *
[[illegible text]]
The Earth spread forth her table wide. the Night a silver cup
Fill'd with the wine of anguish waited at the golden feast
But the bright Sun was not as yet; he filling all the expanse
Slept as a bird in the blue shell that soon shall burst away
[] [Los saw the wound of his blow he saw he pitied he wept] *
{This is the line as Erdman gives it, but does not remark that the line is nearly illegible in the manuscript and appears to be written in pencil and erased. GD} Los now repented that he had smitten Enitharmon he felt love
Arise in all his Veins he threw his arms around her loins To heal the wound of his smiting
They eat the fleshly bread, they drank the nervous [bloody] wine *
PAGE 13 {Erased lines of text partially visible beneath the lines of this page, especially in left and bottom margins. GD}
They listend to the Elemental Harps & Sphery Song
They view'd the dancing Hours, quick sporting thro' the sky
With winged radiance scattering joys thro the ever changing light
[The shades of]But Luvah & Vala standing in the bloody sky
On high remaind alone forsaken in fierce jealousy
They stood above the heavens forsaken desolate suspended in blood
Descend they could not. nor from Each other avert their eyes
Eternity appeard above them as One Man infolded
In Luvah robes of blood & bearing all his afflictions
As the sun shines down on the misty earth Such was the Vision
But purple night and crimson morning & [the] golden day descending
Thro' the clear changing atmosphere display'd green fields among
The varying clouds, like paradises stretch'd in the expanse
With towns & villages and temples, tents sheep-folds and pastures
Where dwell the children of the elemental worlds in harmony,
[But monstrous delusion ? invaded. . . . wrath ? enterd his world of love]
Not long in harmony they dwell, their life is drawn away
And wintry woes succeed; successive driven into the Void
Where Enion craves: successive drawn into the golden feast
[In beauty love & scorn ? the ? earthbound bride & bridegroom ? sulk]
And Los & Enitharmon sat in discontent & scorn
The Nuptial Song arose from all the thousand thousand spirits {A strike line through "thousand thousand spirits" is erased, the phrase replaced with "orbits high" which is then erased and replaced with "demons by the thousands out of a golden cloud [illegible text]" which runs into the margin. GD}
Over the joyful Earth & Sea, and ascended into the Heavens {It looks as though a strike line crossing out this line has been erased. GD}
For Elemental Gods their thunderous Organs blew; creating
Delicious Viands. Demons of Waves their watry Eccho's woke!
Bright Souls [Elements] of vegetative life, budding and blossoming
Stretch
PAGE 14
Stretch their immortal hands to smite the gold & silver Wires
And with immortal Voice soft warbling fill all Earth & Heaven.
With doubling Voices & loud Horns wound round wounding
Cavernous dwellers fill'd the enormous Revelry, Responsing!
And Spirits of Flaming fire on high, govern'd the mighty Song.
And This the Song! Sung at The fFeast of Los & Enitharmon
The Mountain Ephraim calld out to the mountain Zion: Awake O Brother Mountain
Let us refuse the Plow & Space, the heavy Roller & spiked
Harrow. burn all these Corn fields, throw down all these fences
Fattend on Human blood & drunk with wine of life is better far {Interlineal erasures throughout this stanza. GD}
Than all these labours of the harvest & the vintage. See the river
Red with the blood of Men. swells lustful round my rocky knees
My clouds are not the clouds of verdant fields & groves of fruit
But Clouds of Human Souls. my nostrils drink the lives of mMen
[[line]]
The Villages Lament. they ? faint outstretchd upon the plain
Wailing runs round the vValleys from the Mill & from the Barn
But most the polishd Palaces dark silent bow with dread {"Dark" written on top of "? weak. "GD}
Hiding their books & pictures. underneath the dens of Earth
The Cities send to one another saying My sons are Mad
With wine of cruelty. [[Let us ? light]] Let us plat a Scourge O Sister City
cChildren are nourishd for the Slaughter; once the Child was fed
With Milk; but wherefore now are Children fed with blood
PAGE 15 {This page appears to be a later insert by Blake, for it was not numbered in his original sequence. A note in the hand of Edward J. Ellis appears at the top of the manuscript page: "(a separate sheet: It cannot be placed as its sequel is missing. ) E. J. E. -1891" and beside this: "Perhaps it is all an insertion designed to preceed 'Enion blind & age bent wept upon the desolate wind,-(373 in the 1st printed numbering-suggestion of Mr F G Fleay 1904". GD}
The Horse is of more value than the Man. The Tyger fierce
Laughs at the Human form. the Lion mocks & thirsts for blood
They cry O Spider spread thy web! Enlarge thy bones & fill'd
With marrow. sinews & flesh Exalt thyself attain a voice
Call to thy dark armd hosts, for all the sons of Men muster together
To desolate their cities! Man shall be no more! Awake O Hosts
The bow string sand upon the hills! Luvah & Vala rid
Triumphant in the bloody sky. & the hHuman form is no more
The listning Stars heard, & the first beam of the morning started back
He cried out to his father, depart! Depart! But sudden [[? he ? was seized]]Siez'd
And clad in steel. & his hHorse proudly neighd; he smelt the battle
Afar off, Rushing back, reddning with rage the [[Eternal]] Mighty Father
Siezd his bright Sheephook studded with gems & gold, he Swung it round
His head shrill sounding in the sky, down rushd the Sun with noise
Of war. The Mountains fled away they sought a place beneath
Vala remaind in desarts of dark solitude. nor Sun nor Moon
[[To ? light ? the]] By night nor day to comfort her, she labourd in thick smoke
Tharmas endurd not, he fled howling. then a barren waste sunk down
Conglobing in the dark confusion, Mean time Los was born
And Thou O Enitharmon! Hark I hear the hammers of Los
PAGE 16 {The text on this page appears to have been written on top of a page of sketches of roughly drafted limbs. GD}
They melt the bones of Vala, & the bones of Luvah into wedges
The innumerable sons & daughters of Luvah closd in furnaces
Melt into furrows. winter blows his bellows: Ice & Snow
Tend the dire anvils. Mountains mourn & Rivers faint & fail
There is no City nor Corn-field nor Orchard! All is Rock & Sand
There is no Sun nor Moon nor Star. but rugged wintry rocks
Jostling together in the void suspended by inward fires
Impatience now no longer can endure. Distracted Luvah
Bursting forth from the loins of Enitharmon, Thou fierce Terror
Go howl in vain, Smite Smite his fetters Smite O wintry hammers
Smite Spectre of Urthona, mock the fiend who drew us down
From heaven of joy into this Deep. Now rage but rage in vain
Thus sang the Demons of the Deep. the Clarions of War blew loud
The Feast redounds & Crownd with roses & the circling vine
The Enormous Bride & Bridegroom sat, beside them Urizen
With faded radiance sighd, forgetful of the flowing wine
And of Ahania his Pure Bride but She was distant far
But Los & Enitharmon sat in discontent & scorn
Craving the more the more enjoying, drawing out sweet bliss
From all the turning wheels of heaven & the chariots of the Slain
At distance Far in Night repelld. In direful hunger craving
Summers & Winters round revolving in the frightful deep.
PAGE 17
[[And]] Enion blind & age bent wept upon the desolate wind
Why does the Raven cry aloud and no eye pities her?
Why fall the Sparrow & the Robin in the foodless winter?
[[Why. . . . . . & . . . . . . . . . . ]]Faint! Shivering they sit on leafless bush, or frozen stone
Wearied with seeking food across the snowy waste; the little
Heart, cold; and the little tongue consum'd, that once in thoughtless joy
Gave songs of gratitude to [[the]]waving corn fields round their nest.
Why howl[[s] the Lion & the Wolf? Why do they roam abroad?
Deluded by [the] summers heat they sport in enormous love
And cast their young out to the [? ]] hungry wilds & sandy desarts
PAGE 18 {This text on this page was written on top of a rough sketch of a figure in a diving position. GD}
Why is the Sheep given to the knife? The Lamb plays in the Sun
He starts! he hears the foot of Man! He says, Take thou my wool
But spare my life, but he knows not that the winter cometh fast
The Spider sits in his labourd Web, eager watching for the Fly
Presently comes a famishd Bird & takes away the Spider
His Web is left all desolate, that his little anxious heart
So careful wove; & spread it out with sighs and weariness.
This was the Lamentation of Enion round the golden Feast
[[End of the First Night]]y
Eternity groand and was troubled at the image of Eternal Death
Without the body of Man an Exudation from his sickning limbs
Now Man was come to the Palm tree & to the Oak of Weeping
Which stand upon the edge of Beulah & he sunk down
From the Supporting arms of the Eternal Saviour; who disposd
The pale limbs of his Eternal Individuality
Upon The Rock of Ages. Watching over him with Love & Care
End of the First Night
PAGE 23
Night the [Second]
{We assume this is Night the Second by virtue of its ending on p 36, though it is not in the title. Evidently Blake tried it as Night the Third and as Night the First at least twice. SAS Note further that in Night One, page 9, Blake had inserted "Night the Second", even though the end of the First Night One is indicated on page 22. LFS}
Rising upon his Couch of Death Albion beheld his Sons
Turning his Eyesoutward to Self. losing the Divine Vision
[The] Albion Man calld Urizen & said. Behold these sickning Spheres {The Man is erased from the 1st rendition and Albion is set in its place. SAS}
Whence is this Voice of Enion that soundeth in my ears Porches
Take thou possession! take this Scepter! go forth in my might
For I am weary, & must sleep in the dark sleep of Death {According to Erdman's notes this line was crossed out in pencil for deletion and a replacement was written in the right margin, then the deleting lines and the replacement were thoroughly erased. The line leavess these traces: ? ? Remember? O ? Urizen/ Cxxxg / xxdxding / xxxvns? SAS}
Thy brother Luvah hath smitten me but pity thou his youth
Tho thou hast not pitid my Age O Urizen Prince of Light {According to Erdman, "Blake first wrote and erased a different text for 8, ending ? of fallen man? ;" SAS}
Urizen rose from the bright Feast like a star thro' the evening sky
Exulting at the voice that calld him from the Feast of envy {"Indignant" and "Feast of envy" were in both the first and final rendition of this line. Blake considered altering "Exulting" to "Indignant" and "Feast of envy" to "Feast of love" in the second rendition, but later changed his mind and returned to the original. SAS}
First he beheld the body of Man pale, cold, the horrors of death
Beneath his feet shot thro' him as he stood in the Human Brain
And all its golden porches grew pale with his sickening light
No more Exulting for he saw Eternal Death beneath
Pale he beheld futurity; pale he beheld the Abyss
Where Enion blind & age bent wept in direful hunger craving
All rav'ning like the hungry worm, & like the silent grave
PAGE 24
Mighty was the draught of Voidness to draw Existence in
Terrific Urizen strode above, in fear & pale dismay
He saw the indefinite space beneath & his soul shrunk with horror
His feet upon the verge of Non Existence; his voice went forth {According to Erdman, this line was at one time followed by a line that has been erased. Erdman has recoverd a portion of the line, reading: Above him he xxx Jerusalem ? in ? the bloody ? Heaven as xxx xxx his eyes. SAS}
Luvah & Vala trembling & shrinking, beheld the great Work master {According to Erdman, the first rendition of the line read "beheld the lord of ? day" rather than "beheld the great Work master". SAS}
And heard his Word! Divide ye bands influence by influence
Build we a Bower for heavens darling in the grizly deep
Build we the Mundane Shell around the Rock of Albion {Blake's rendering of this line is distinctly different from the surrounding text in form, though no indication of why is apparent. SAS}
The Bands of Heaven flew thro the air singing & shouting to Urizen [the lord ]
Some fix'd the anvil, some the loom erected, some the plow
And harrow formd & framd the harness of silver & ivory
The golden compasses, the quadrant & the rule & balance
They erected the furnaces, they formd the anvils of gold beaten in mills
Where winter beats incessant, fixing them firm on their base
The bellows began to blow & the Lions of Urizen stood round the anvil
PAGE 25
And the leopards coverd with skins of beasts tended the roaring fires
Sublime distinct their lineaments divine of human beauty {Erdman notes that there is a pencil line here followed by erased pencil lines in the right margin. " SAS}
The tygers of wrath called the horses of instruction from their mangers
They unloos'd them & put on the harness of gold & silver & ivory
In human forms distinct they stood round Urizen prince of Light
Petrifying all the Human Imagination into rock & sand {Erdman notes here that the insertion from line 6-33 begins in a stanza break and continues in the right margin. SAS}
Groans ran along Tyburns brook and along the River of Oxford
Among the Druid Temples. Albion groand on Tyburns brook
Albion gave his loud death groan The Atlantic Mountains trembled
Aloft the Moon fled with a cry the Sun with streams of blood
From Albions Loins fled all Peoples and Nations of the Earth Fled {Erdman's notes indicate that "Blake first wrote ? Fled? at the end of this line, then deleted it and began his new line with this word". SAS}
Fled with the noise of Slaughter & the stars of heaven Fled
Jerusalem came down in a dire ruin over all the Earth
She fell cold from Lambeths Vales in groans & Dewy death
The dew of anxious souls the death-sweat of the dying
In every pillard hall & arched roof of Albions skies
The brother & the brother bathe in blood upon the Severn
The Maiden weeping by. The father & the mother with
The Maidens father & her mother fainting over the body
And the Young Man the Murderer fleeing over the mountains
Reuben slept on Penmaenmawr & Levi slept on Snowdon
Their eyes their ears nostrils & tongues roll outward they behold
What is within now seen without they are raw to the hungry wind
They become Nations far remote in a little & dark Land
The Daughters of Albion girded around their garments of Needlework
Stripping Jerusalems curtains from mild demons of the hills
Across Europe & Asia to China & Japan like lightenings
They go forth & return to Albion on his rocky couch
Gwendolen Ragan Sabrina Gonorill Mehetabel Cordella
Boadicea Conwenna Estrild Gwinefrid Ignoge Cambel
Binding Jerusalems Children in the dungeons of Babylon
They play before the Armies before the hounds of Nimrod
While The Prince of Light on Salisbury plain among the druid stone {Erdman's edition splices these stanzas back into the main body of the text at this point, though he notes that Blake does not have a good marker to this effect. Erdman indicates that a linking line "must have been dropped in transcribing from working notes. " SAS}
Rattling the adamantine chains & hooks heave up the ore
In mountainous masses, plung'd in furnaces, & they shut & seald
The furnaces a time & times; all the while blew the North
His cloudy bellows & the South & East & dismal West
And all the while the plow of iron cut the dreadful furrows
In Ulro beneath Beulah where the Dead wail Night & Day {Again, Blake's rendering of this line is distinctly different from the surrounding text in form, though no indication of why is apparent. SAS}
Luvah was cast into the Furnaces of affliction & sealed
And Vala fed in cruel delight, the furnaces with fire
Stern Urizen beheld urg'd by necessity to keep
The evil day afar, & if perchance with iron power
He might avert his own despair; in woe & fear he saw
PAGE 26
Vala incircle round the furnaces where Luvah was clos'd
In joy she heard his howlings, & forgot he was her Luvah
With whom she walkd in bliss, in times of innocence & youth
Hear ye the voice of Luvah from the furnaces of Urizen
If I indeed am Valas King [Luvahs Lord] & ye O sons of Men
The workmanship of Luvahs hands; in times of Everlasting
When I calld forth the Earth-worm from the cold & dark obscure
I nurturd her I fed her with my rains & dews, she grew
A scaled Serpent, yet I fed her tho' she hated me
Day after day she fed upon the mountains in Luvahs sight
I brought her thro' the Wilderness, a dry & thirsty land
And I commanded springs to rise for her in the black desart
Till she became a Dragon winged bright & poisonous {Erdman notes that a revision was made to this line while it was still wet mending "fordemon" to "Dragon". SAS}
I opend all the floodgates of the heavens to quench her thirst
PAGE 27
And I commanded the Great deep to hide her in his hand
Till she became a little weeping Infant a span long
I carried her in my bosom as a man carries a lamb
I loved her I gave her all my soul & my delight
I hid her in soft gardens & in secret bowers of Summer
Weaving mazes of delight along the sunny Paradise
Inextricable labyrinths, She bore me sons & daughters
And they have taken her away & hid her from my sight
They have surrounded me with walls of iron & brass, [I die] O Lamb {According to Erdman's edition, the words "I die" were erased and replaced with "O Lamb. " The following four lines were written over lines erased by Blake; they cannot now be retrieved. KAU}
Of God clothed in Luvahs garments little knowest thou
Of death Eternal that we all go to Eternal Death
To our Primeval Chaos in fortuitous concourse of incoherent
Discordant principles of Love & Hate I suffer affliction
Because I love for I am I was love & but hatred awakes in me
And Urizen who was Faith & Certainty is changd to Doubt
The hand of Urizen is upon me because I blotted out
That Human terror delusion to deliver all the sons of God
From bondage of the Human form, O first born Son of Light
O Urizen my enemy I weep for thy stern ambition
But weep in vain O when will you return Vala the Wanderer
PAGE 28
These were the words of Luvah patient in afflictions {This line written over a pencilled line; Erdman posits that the word under "from" is "Los. " KAU}
Reasoning from the loins in the unreal forms of Ulros night
And when Luvah age after age was quite melted with woe
The fires of Vala faded like a shadow cold & pale
An evanescent shadow. last she fell a heap of Ashes
Beneath the furnaces a woful heap in living death
Then were the furnaces unscald with spades & pickaxes {Alternate reading of "unsealed" for "unscaled. " KAU}
Roaring let out the fluid, the molten metal ran in channels
Cut by the plow of ages held in Urizens strong hand
In many a valley, for the Bulls of Luvah dragd the Plow
With trembling horror pale aghast the Children of Men Man
Stood on the infinite Earth & saw these visions in the air
In waters & in Earth beneath they cried to one another
What are we terrors to one another - Come O brethren wherefore
Was this wide Earth spread all abroad. not for wild beasts to roam
But many stood silent & busied in their families
And many said We see no Visions in the darksom air
Measure the course of that sulphur orb that lights the dismal darksom day
Set stations on this breeding Earth & let us buy & sell
Others arose & schools Erected forming Instruments
To measure out the course of heaven. Stern Urizen beheld
In woe his brethren & his Sons in darkning woe lamenting
Upon the winds in clouds involvd Uttering his voice in thunders
Commanding all the work with care & power & severity
Then siezd the Lions of Urizen their work, & heated in the forge
Roar the bright masses, thund'ring beat the hammers, many a Globe pyramid {Lowercase "globe" mended to "Globe," then struck. KAU}
Is form'd & thrown down thund'ring into the deeps of Non Entity
Heated red hot they hizzing rend their way down many a league
Till resting. each his center basement finds; suspended there they stand {According to Erdman, the word "center" was originally deleted by Blake with a strong ink stroke and therefore not easily erased. He later changed his mind and incorporated it into the text. KAU}
Casting their sparkies dire abroad into the dismal deep {Alternate reading of "sparkles" for "sparkies.
THE FOUR ZOAS
VALA *
The torments of Love & Jealousy in
The Death and
Judgement
of Albion the Ancient Man
a Dream
of Nine Night
by William Blake 1797
PAGE 2
Rest before Labour
PAGE 3
[Greek text] [For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephes. VI chp 12 v (King James version)]*
VALA
Night the First
The Song of the Aged Mother which shook the heavens with wrath* {This page is a very thicket of revisions, erasures, and inconsistent directions for rearranging the order of the lines. We have here restored two lines, marked in the manuscript as 6 and 7 (omitted from Erdman's transcription) on the grounds that the two cancelled lines following are rewritten as lines 2 and 3. Thus, the lines marked 6 and 7 would still follow 2 & 3. Please consult the manuscript page. LFS}
Hearing the march of long resounding strong heroic Verse
Marshalld in order for the day of Intellectual Battle
The heavens shall quake, the earth was moved & shuddered & the mountains
With all their woods, the streams & valleys: waild in dismal fear
Four Mighty Ones are in every Man; a Perfect Unity John XVII c. 21 & 22 & 23 v
Cannot Exist. but from the Universal Brotherhood of Eden John I c. 14. v
The Universal Man. To Whom be Glory Evermore Amen [kai eskanosen en -[h]amen]
[ [What] are the Natures of those Living Creatures the Heavenly Father only
[Knoweth] no Individual [Knoweth nor] Can know in all Eternity] *{These lines, included in Erdman's transcription are unmistakably erased. LFS}
Los was the fourth immortal starry one, & in the Earth
Of a bright Universe Empery attended day & night
Days & nights of revolving joy, Urthona was his name
PAGE 4
In Eden; in the Auricular Nerves of Human life* {The centered text block of this page appears to be written over erased text, with four clusters of added lines in various orientations in the margin. LFS}
Which is the Earth of Eden, he his Emanations propagated
Like Sons & DaughtersFairies of Albion afterwards Gods of the Heathen, Daughter of Beulah Sing
His fall into Division & his Resurrection to Unity
His fall into the Generation of Decay & Death & his Regeneration by the Resurrection from the dead*
Begin with Tharmas Parent power. darkning in the West
Lost! Lost! Lost! are my Emanations Enion [Come Forth,] O Enion
We are become a Victim to the Living We hide in secret*
I have hidden thee Enion, in Jealous Despair Jerusalem in Silent Contrition O Pity Me
I will build thee a Labyrinth also O pity me O Enionwhere we may remain for ever alone
Why hast thou taken sweet Jerusalem from my inmost Soul
Let her Lay secret in the Soft recess of darkness & silence
It is not Love I bear to Enitharmon [Jerusalem? ]* It is Pity? ? ? *
She hath taken refuge in my bosom & I cannot cast her out.
The Men have recieved their death wounds & their Emanations are fled
To me for refuge & I cannot turn them out for Pitys sake *{inserted vertically, up the left side of the page. LFS}
Enion said--Thy fear has made me tremble thy terrors have surrounded me *{this verse paragraph appears to be an insertion over erased text. LFS}
All Love is lost Terror succeeds & Hatred instead of Love
And stern demands of Right & Duty instead of Liberty.
Once thou wast to Me the loveliest son of heaven--But now
Why art thou Terrible and yet I love thee in thy terror till
I am almost Extinct & soon shall be a Shadow in Oblivion
Unless some way can be found that I may look upon thee & live
Hide me some Shadowy semblance. secret whispring in my Ear
In secret of soft wings. in mazes of delusive beauty
I have lookd into the secret soul of him I lovd
And in the Dark recesses found Sin & cannot return
Trembling & pale sat Tharmas weeping in his clouds
Why wilt thou Examine every little fibre of my soul *{This and the following 4 lines are written down the top right hand edge of the page. LFS}
Spreading them out before the Sun like Stalks of flax to dry
The infant joy is beautiful but its anatomy
Horrible Ghast & Deadly nought shalt thou find in it
But Death Despair & Everlasting brooding Melancholy
Thou wilt go mad with horror if thou dost Examine thus * {added on center right margin, 90 degrees rotated LFS}
Every moment of my secret hours Yea I know
That I have sinnd & that my Emanations are become harlots
I am already distracted at their deeds & if I look
Upon them more Despair will bring self murder on my soul
O Enion thou art thyself a root growing in hell
Tho thus heavenly beautiful to draw me to destruction
Sometimes I think thou art a flower expanding *{This and the following four lines are added evidently in light pencil in the top margin. LFS}
Sometimes I think thou art fruit breaking from its bud
In dreadful dolor & pain & I am like an atom
A Nothing left in darkness yet I am an identity
I wish & feel & weep & groan Ah terrible terrible
PAGE 5 In Beulah Eden,Females sleep the winter in soft silken veils*
{First 8 lines inserted over a deleted strata LFS} Woven by their own hands to hide them in the darksom grave
But Males immortal live renewd by female deaths. in soft
Delight they die & they revive in spring with music & songs
Enion said Farewell I die I hide. from thy searching eyes
So saying--From her bosom weaving soft in Sinewy threads
A tabernacleof Delight for Jerusalem. She sat among the Rocks*
{insert over strike out LFS} Singing her Lamentation. Tharmas groand among his Clouds
Weeping, and then bending from his Clouds he stoopd his holy innocent head*
{innocent replaces holy LFS} And stretching out his holy hand in the vast Deep sublime
Turnd round the circle of Destiny with tears & bitter sighs
And said. Return O Wanderer when the Day of Clouds is oer
So saying he sunk down into the sea a pale white corse*
{this and the following 2 lines appear written over an erased strata LFS} So saying In torment he sunk down & flowd among her filmy Wooft
His Spectre issuing from his feet in flames of fire
In dismal gnawing pain drawn out by her lovd fingers every nerve t
She counted. every vein & lacteal threading them among
Her woof of terror. Terrified & drinking tears of woe
Shuddring she wove--nine days & nights Sleepless her food was tears
Wondring she saw her woof begin to animate. & not
As Garments woven subservient to her hands but having a will
Of its own perverse & wayward Enion lovd & wept*
{written vertically up the right margin LFS}
Nine days she labourd at her work. & nine dark sleepless nights
But on the tenth bright trembling morn the Circle of Destiny Completet
Round rolld the Sea Englobing in a watry Globe self balancd*
{a light line appears through this line LFS} A Frowning Continent appeard Where Enion in the Desart
Terrified in her own Creation viewing her woven shadow
Sat in a sweet dread intoxication of false woven bliss self woven sorrow Repentance & Contrition*
{sequence of revisions, appearent in order presented here LFS} There is from Great Eternity a mild & pleasant rest
Namd Beulah a Soft Moony Universe feminine lovely
Pure mild & Gentle given in Mercy to those who sleep
Eternally. Created by the Lamb of God around
On all sides within & without the Universal Man
The Daughters of Beulah follow sleepers in all their Dreamst
Creating Spaces lest they fall into Eternal Death
The Circle of Destiny complete they gave to it a Space
And namd the Space Ulro & brooded over it in care & love*
{this entire passage is written vertically down the right margin and appears to have been first entered lightly (pencil? ) and then written over (ink? ) LFS}
They said The Spectre is in every man insane & most
Deformd Thro the three heavens descending in fury & fire
We meet it with our Songs & loving blandishments & give
To it a form of vegetation But this Spectre of Tharmas
Is Eternal Death What shall we do O God help pity & help
So spoke they & closd the Gate of Auricular power nerves the Tongue in trembling fear*
{Passage written down the right margin LFS}
What have I done! said Enion accursed wretch! What deed.
Is this a deed of Love I know what I have done. I know
Too late now to repent. Love is changd to deadly Hate [Fears]
A [All? ] life is blotted out & I alone remain possessd with Fears
I see the [remembrance] Shadow of the dead within my [eyes] Soul wandering*
{bracketed words blotted out, revised as indicated by italics LFS} In darkness & solitude forming Seas of [Trouble] Doubt & rocks of [sorrow] Repentance*
{bracketed words blotted LFS} Already are my Eyes reverted. all that I behold
Within my Soul has lost its splendor & a brooding Fear
Shadows me oer & drives me outward to a world of woe
So waild she trembling before her own Created Phantasm*
{These 10 lines circled and lightly struck out as a block, restored in Erdman. Internal revisions as noted LFS}
[Who animating times on times by the Force of her sweet song]
But standing on the Rocks her woven shadow glowing bright* {The line indicated here as erased (as it appears to be in the reproduction) Erdman notes is penciled in, as a replacement for the line indicated as struck out LFS}
PAGE 6 She drew the Spectre forth from Tharmas in her shining loom
Of Vegetation weeping in wayward infancy & sullen youth
Listning to her soft lamentations soon his tongue began
To Lisp out words & soon in masculine strength augmenting he*
{These two lines appear to be penciled in LFS} Reard up a form of gold & stood upon the glittering rock*
{At some point, this was the first line on this page, linked to follow the deleted line at the bottom of page 5, where the prompt word for the next page is "Reard". This is a crucial set of revisions, reflecting some ambiguity about the relation between "shadow" and "spectre". LFS}
A shadowy human form winged & in his depths
The dazzlings as of gems shone clear, rapturous in joy fury
Glorying in his own eyes Exalted in terrific Pride
[ Searching for glory wishing that the heavens had eyes to See
And courting that the Earth would ope her Eyelids & behold
Such wondrous beauty repining in the midst of all his glory
That nought but Enion could be found to praise adore & love
Three days in self admiring raptures on the rocks he flamd
And three dark nights repind the solitude. but the third morn
Astonishd he found Enion hidden in the darksom Cave
She spoke What am I wherefore was I put forth on these rocks
Among the Clouds to tremble in the wind in solitude
Where is the voice that lately woke the desart Where the face
That wept among the clouds & where the voice that shall reply
No other living thing is here. The Sea the Earth. the Heaven
And Enion desolate where art though Tharmas O return
Three days she waild & three dark nights sitting among the Rocks
While the bright spectre hid himself among the ? backing clouds
Then sleep fell on her eyelids in a Chasm of the Valley
The Sixteenth morn the Spectre stood before her manifest ]
The Spectre thus spoke. [ Art thou not my slave & shalt thou dare
To smite me with thy tongue beware lest I sting also thee,]
Who art thou Diminutive husk & shell* [
Broke from my bonds I scorn my prison & yet I love]
If thou hast sinnd & art polluted know that I am pure*
And unpolluted & will bring to rigid strict account
All thy past deeds [So] hear what I tell thee! mark it well! remember! *
This world is [Mine] Thine in which thou dwellest that within thy soul*
That dark & dismal infinite where Thought roams up & down
Is [thine] Mine & there thou goest when with one Sting of my tongue
Envenomd thou rollst inwards to the place [of death & hell where] whence I emergd
She trembling answerd Wherefore was I born & what am I
[A sorrow & a fear a living torment & naked Victim]
I thought to weave a Covering [from his] for my Sins from wrath of Tharmas*
{This entire paragraph, internally revised, is marked for deleting, evidently, by two diagonal strike out lines. The page image should be consulted LFS}
PAGE 7 Examining the sins of Tharmas I have soon found my own
O slay me not thou art his Wrath embodied in Deceit
I thought Tharmas a Sinner & I murderd his Emanations *
His secret loves & Graces Ah me wretched What have I done *
For now I find that all those Emanations were my Childrens Souls *
And I have murderd them with Cruelty above atonement *
Those that remain have fled from my cruelty into the desarts
Singing with both to ownAnd thou the delusive tempter to these deeds sittest before me *
(illegible)But where is (illegible) Tharmas all thy soft delusive beauty cannot
Tempt me to murder honest lovemy own soul & wipe my tears & smile
In this thy world for ah! hownot mine tho dark I feel my world within *
The Spectre said Thou sinful Woman. was it thy desire
That I should hide thee with my power & delight thee with my beauty
And now there darknest in my presence, never from my sight
Shalt thou depart to weep in secret. In my jealous wings
I evermore will hold thee when though goest out or comest in
Tis thou hast darkend all My World O Woman lovely bare
Thus they contended? all the day, among the Caves of Tharmas
Twisting in fearful forms & hoisting howling harsh shrieking
Howling harsh shrieking, mingling their bodies pain in burning anguish
Mingling his horrible brightness with her tender limbs; then high she soar'd *
ShriekingAbove the ocean; a bright wonder that Beulah shudder'd atNature *
Half Woman & half Spectre, all his lovely changing colours mix *
With her fair crystal clearness; in her lips & cheeks his poisons rose *
In blushes like the morning, and his scaly armour softening *
A monster lovely in the heavens or wandering on the earth, *
With Spectre voice incessant waiting, in incessant thirst>
Beauty all blushing with desire mocking her fell despair>
Wandering desolate, a wonder abhorr'd by Gods & Men
PAGE 8 Till with fierce pain she brought forth on the rocks her sorrow & woe
Behold two [little Infants wept]upon the desolate wind. *
[Then forms of horror howled]
The first state weeping they began & helpless as a wave
Beaten along its sightless way growing enormous in its motion to
Its utmost goal, till strength from Enion like richest summer shining *
Raisd the [bright][fierce]boy & girl with glories from their heads out beaming *
Drawing forth drooping mothers pity drooping mothers sorrow *
But those in Great Eternity Met in the Council of God
As One Man hovering over Gilead & Hermon
He is the Good Shepherd He is the Lord & Master
To Create Man Morning by Morning to Give gifts at Noon day
Enion brooded, oer the rocks, the rough rocks vegetating groaning vegetate
Such power was given to the Solitary wanderer.
The barked Oak, the long limbed Beech; the Ches'nut tree; the Pine.
[] [] The Pear tree mild, the frowning Walnut, the sharp Crab, & Apple sweet,
The rough bark opens; twittering peep forth little beaks & wings
The Nightingale, the Goldfinch, Robin, Lark, Linnet & Thrush
The Goat leap'd from the craggy Rock cliff, the Sheep awoke from the mould
Upon its green stalk the Corn, waving innumerable
Infolding the bright Infants from the desolating winds
They sulk upon her breast her hair became like snow on mountains
Weaker & weaker, weeping woful, wearier and wearier
Faded & her bright Eyes decayd melted with pity & love
PAGE 9
[And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains]
{These lines in the top margin were erased and replaced with an image of Christ in an orb. GD}
And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains
Rehumanizing from the Spectre in pangs of maternal love
Ingrate they wanderd scorning her drawing her life majesticSpectrous Life
Repelling her away & away by a dread repulsive power
Into Non Entity revolving around in dark despair.
[Till they had drawn the Spectre quite away from Enion]
And drawing in the Spectrous life in pride and haughty joy
Thus Enion gave them all her spectrous life in dark despair.
Then Eno [Ono] a daughter of Beulah took a Moment of Time *
And drew it out to twenty years Seven thousand years with much care & affliction *
And many tears & in the twenty Every years gave visions toward heaven made windows into Eden *
She also took an atom of space & opend its center
Into Infinitude & ornamented it with wondrous art
{This is where Erdman puts these 2 lines, which appear diagonally on the page in the upper-left corner, near the exta-marginal block of text which is inserted after line 7. However, there is no cue from the manuscript about exactly where these lines should be inserted, so Erdman's placement of them is conjectural. GD}
Astonishd sat her Sisters of Beulah to see her soft affections
To Enion & her children & they ponderd these things wondring
And they Alternate kept watch over the Youthful terrors
They saw not yet the Hand Divine for it was not yet reveald
But they went on in Silent Hope & Feminine repose
But Los & Enitharmon delighted in the Moony spaces of Eno *
Nine Times they livd among the forests, feeding on sweet fruits
And nine bright Spaces wanderd weaving mazes of delight
Snaring the wild Goats for their milk they eat the flesh of Lambs
A male & female naked & ruddy as the pride of summer
Alternate Love & Hate his breast; hers Scorn & Jealousy
In embryon passions. they kiss'd not nor embrac'd for shame & fear They ? kissd ? not nor for ? shame they embracd not
{This line penciled in above the ink line. GD} His head beamd light & in his vigorous voice was prophesyNor kissd nor em. . . hand in hand [in a] sulty paradise. . . ? these ? Lovers ? swum the deep
{These fragments penciled in above the ink line. GD}
He could controll the times & seasons, & the days & years
She could controll the spaces, regions, desart, flood & forest
But had no power to weave a Veil of covering for her Sins
She drave the Females all away from Los
And Los drave all the Males from her away
They wanderd long, till they sat down upon the margind sea.
Conversing with the visions of Beulah in dark slumberous bliss *
Nine years they view the turning spheres of Beulah reading the Visions of Beulah
Night the Second {inserted above the following lines LFS}
But the two youthful wonders wanderd in the world of Tharmas *
Thy name is Enitharmon; said the bright fierce prophetic boy *
[While they. . . . . Harmony]
While thy mild voice fills all these Caverns with sweet harmony
O how thy our Parents sit & weep mourn in their silent secret bowers *
PAGE 1O
But Enitharmon answerd with a dropping tear & smiling frowning*
[[Bright]]Dark as a dewy morning when the crimson light appears *
To make us happy how they let them weary their immortal powers *
While we draw in their sweet delights while we return them scorn *
On scorn to feed our discontent; for if we grateful prove
They will withhold sweet love, whose food is thorns & bitter roots.
We hear the warlike clarions we view the turning spheres *
Yet Thou in indolence reposest holding me in bonds {These lines first appear after line 2, but are marked to be moved here. GD}
Hear! I will sing a [[Dirge]]Song of Death! it is a [[Dirge]]Song of Vala! *
The [[Eternal]]Fallen Man takes his repose: Urizen sleeps in the porch *
Luvah and Vala [[wake]] woke & fly flew up from the Human Heart *
Into the Brain; from thence upon the pillow Vala slumber'd.
And Luvah siez'd the Horses of Light, & rose into the Chariot of Day
Sweet laughter siezd me in my sleep! silent & close I laughd*
For in the visions of Vala I walkd with the mighty Fallen One *
I heard his voice among the branches, & among sweet flowers. *
Why is the light of [[Vala]] Enitharmon darken'd in her dewy morn *
Why is the silence of [[Vala lightning]] Enitharmon a Cloud terror & her smile a whirlwind *
Uttering this darkness in my halls, in the pillars of my Holy-ones
Why dost thou weep [[O]] as Vala? & wet thy veil with dewy tears, *
In slumbers of my night-repose, infusing a false morning?
Driving the Female Emanations all away from Los *
I have refusd to look upon the Universal Vision
And wilt thou slay with death him who devotes himself to thee *
If thou drivst all the Males Females away from Vala Luvah I will drive all
The Males away from thee
Once born for the sport & amusement of Man now born to drink up all his Powers
PAGE 11
I heard the sounding sea; I heard the voice weaker and weaker;
The voice came & went like a dream, I awoke in my sweet bliss.
Then Los smote her upon the Earth twas long eer she revivd {This line inserted in pencil. GD}
He Losanswer'd, darkning more with indignation hid in smiles *
I die not Enitharmon tho thou singst thy Song of Death *
Nor shalt thou me torment For I behold the Fallen Man *
Seeking to comfort Vala [[word]]she will not be comforted *
She rises from his throne and seeks the shadows of her garden
Weeping for Luvah lost, in the bloody beams of your false morning
Sickning lies the Fallen Man his head sick his heart faint *
Mighty atchievement of your power! Beware the punishment
Refusing to behold the Divine image which all behold
And live thereby. he is sunk down into a deadly sleep
But we immortal in our strength survive by stern debate
Till we have drawn the Lamb of god into a mortal form
And that he must be born is certain for One must be All
And comprehend within himself all things both small & great
We therefore for whose sake all things aspire to be be & live
Will so recieve the Divine Image that amongst the Reprobate
He may be devoted to Destruction from his mothers womb {This group of 9 lines, "Refusing. . . womb," are marked to be inserted; the entire group of lines is also crossed with a diagonal line which may indicate 1) a later intention to delete them; or 2) that the stanza is meant to replace the stanza beginning "I die not Enitharmon. . . punishment"; or 3) that the stanza is intended to follow "Nor shalt . . . Fallen Man. "GD}
I see, invisible descend into the Gardens of Vala
Luvah walking on the winds, I see the invisible knife
I see the shower of blood: I see the swords & spears of futurity
Tho in the Brain of Man we live, & in his circling Nerves.
Tho' this bright world of all our joy is in the Human Brain.
Where Urizen & all his Hosts hang their immortal lamps
Thou neer shalt leave this cold expanse where watry Tharmas mourns
So spoke Los. Scorn & Indignation rose upon Enitharmon
Then Enitharmon reddning fierce stretchd her immortal hands *
? Threaten ? not ? me ? O ? visionary ? thine ? the ? punishment {Erdman does not provide this line of inserted and struck text, but it appears to be the same text as Blake inserts below. GD}
Descend O Urizen descend with horse & chariot
Threaten not me O visionary thine the punishment!
The Human Nature shall no more remain nor Human acts
Form the free rebellious Spirits of Heaven. but War & Princedom
& Victory & Blood *
PAGE 12 {This page contains partially visible erased text running horizontally and, in the right and left margins, vertically. GD}
Night darkend as she spoke! a shuddring ran from East to West *
A Groan was heard on high. The warlike clarions ceast. the Spirits
Of Luvah & Vala shudderd in their Orb: an orb of blood! *
Eternity groand & was troubled at the Image of Eternal Death
The Wandering Man bow'd his faint head and Urizen descended
And the one must have murderd the other if he had not descended *
Indignant muttering low thunders; Urizen descended
Gloomy sounding, Now I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Sullen sat Los plotting Revenge. Silent he Urizeneye'd the Prince * {In the gap after this stanza, several fragments of erased lines appear:
. . . I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Obey thy Lord. . .
hands Pity not Vala
? Pity ? not Luvah
& these. . . GD}
Of Light. Silent the prince of Light viewd Los. at length a brooded *
Smile broke from Urizen for Enitharmon brightend more & more
Sullen he lowerd on Enitharmon but he smild on Los
Saying Thou art the Lord of Luvah into thine hands I give
The prince of Love the murderer his soul is in thine hands
Pity not Vala for she pitied not the Eternal Man
Nor pity thou the cries of Luvah. Lo these starry hosts
They are thy servants if thou wilt obey my awful Law
Los answerd furious art thou one of those who when most complacent
Mean mischief most. If you are such Lo! I am also such
One must be master. try thy Arts I also will try mine
For I percieve Thou hast Abundance which I claim as mine
Urizen startled stood but not Long soon he cried
Obey my voice young Demon I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Thus Urizen spoke collected in himself in awful pride
Art thou a visionary of Jesus the soft delusion of Eternity
Lo I am God the terrible destroyer & not the Saviour
Why should the Divine Vision compell the sons of Eden to forego each his own delight to war against his Spectre
The Spectre is the Man the rest is only delusion & fancy
So spoke the Prince of Light & sat beside the Seat of Los
Upon the sandy shore rested his chariot of fire
Ten thousand thousand were his hosts of spirits on the wind:
Ten thousand thousand glittering Chariots shining in the sky:
They pour upon the golden shore beside the silent ocean.
Rejoicing in the Victory & the heavens were filld with blood *
[[illegible text]]
The Earth spread forth her table wide. the Night a silver cup
Fill'd with the wine of anguish waited at the golden feast
But the bright Sun was not as yet; he filling all the expanse
Slept as a bird in the blue shell that soon shall burst away
[] [Los saw the wound of his blow he saw he pitied he wept] *
{This is the line as Erdman gives it, but does not remark that the line is nearly illegible in the manuscript and appears to be written in pencil and erased. GD} Los now repented that he had smitten Enitharmon he felt love
Arise in all his Veins he threw his arms around her loins To heal the wound of his smiting
They eat the fleshly bread, they drank the nervous [bloody] wine *
PAGE 13 {Erased lines of text partially visible beneath the lines of this page, especially in left and bottom margins. GD}
They listend to the Elemental Harps & Sphery Song
They view'd the dancing Hours, quick sporting thro' the sky
With winged radiance scattering joys thro the ever changing light
[The shades of]But Luvah & Vala standing in the bloody sky
On high remaind alone forsaken in fierce jealousy
They stood above the heavens forsaken desolate suspended in blood
Descend they could not. nor from Each other avert their eyes
Eternity appeard above them as One Man infolded
In Luvah robes of blood & bearing all his afflictions
As the sun shines down on the misty earth Such was the Vision
But purple night and crimson morning & [the] golden day descending
Thro' the clear changing atmosphere display'd green fields among
The varying clouds, like paradises stretch'd in the expanse
With towns & villages and temples, tents sheep-folds and pastures
Where dwell the children of the elemental worlds in harmony,
[But monstrous delusion ? invaded. . . . wrath ? enterd his world of love]
Not long in harmony they dwell, their life is drawn away
And wintry woes succeed; successive driven into the Void
Where Enion craves: successive drawn into the golden feast
[In beauty love & scorn ? the ? earthbound bride & bridegroom ? sulk]
And Los & Enitharmon sat in discontent & scorn
The Nuptial Song arose from all the thousand thousand spirits {A strike line through "thousand thousand spirits" is erased, the phrase replaced with "orbits high" which is then erased and replaced with "demons by the thousands out of a golden cloud [illegible text]" which runs into the margin. GD}
Over the joyful Earth & Sea, and ascended into the Heavens {It looks as though a strike line crossing out this line has been erased. GD}
For Elemental Gods their thunderous Organs blew; creating
Delicious Viands. Demons of Waves their watry Eccho's woke!
Bright Souls [Elements] of vegetative life, budding and blossoming
Stretch
PAGE 14
Stretch their immortal hands to smite the gold & silver Wires
And with immortal Voice soft warbling fill all Earth & Heaven.
With doubling Voices & loud Horns wound round wounding
Cavernous dwellers fill'd the enormous Revelry, Responsing!
And Spirits of Flaming fire on high, govern'd the mighty Song.
And This the Song! Sung at The fFeast of Los & Enitharmon
The Mountain Ephraim calld out to the mountain Zion: Awake O Brother Mountain
Let us refuse the Plow & Space, the heavy Roller & spiked
Harrow. burn all these Corn fields, throw down all these fences
Fattend on Human blood & drunk with wine of life is better far {Interlineal erasures throughout this stanza. GD}
Than all these labours of the harvest & the vintage. See the river
Red with the blood of Men. swells lustful round my rocky knees
My clouds are not the clouds of verdant fields & groves of fruit
But Clouds of Human Souls. my nostrils drink the lives of mMen
[[line]]
The Villages Lament. they ? faint outstretchd upon the plain
Wailing runs round the vValleys from the Mill & from the Barn
But most the polishd Palaces dark silent bow with dread {"Dark" written on top of "? weak. "GD}
Hiding their books & pictures. underneath the dens of Earth
The Cities send to one another saying My sons are Mad
With wine of cruelty. [[Let us ? light]] Let us plat a Scourge O Sister City
cChildren are nourishd for the Slaughter; once the Child was fed
With Milk; but wherefore now are Children fed with blood
PAGE 15 {This page appears to be a later insert by Blake, for it was not numbered in his original sequence. A note in the hand of Edward J. Ellis appears at the top of the manuscript page: "(a separate sheet: It cannot be placed as its sequel is missing. ) E. J. E. -1891" and beside this: "Perhaps it is all an insertion designed to preceed 'Enion blind & age bent wept upon the desolate wind,-(373 in the 1st printed numbering-suggestion of Mr F G Fleay 1904". GD}
The Horse is of more value than the Man. The Tyger fierce
Laughs at the Human form. the Lion mocks & thirsts for blood
They cry O Spider spread thy web! Enlarge thy bones & fill'd
With marrow.
& wet thy veil with dewy tears, *
In slumbers of my night-repose, infusing a false morning?
Driving the Female Emanations all away from Los *
I have refusd to look upon the Universal Vision
And wilt thou slay with death him who devotes himself to thee *
If thou drivst all the Males Females away from Vala Luvah I will drive all
The Males away from thee
Once born for the sport & amusement of Man now born to drink up all his Powers
PAGE 11
I heard the sounding sea; I heard the voice weaker and weaker;
The voice came & went like a dream, I awoke in my sweet bliss.
Then Los smote her upon the Earth twas long eer she revivd {This line inserted in pencil. GD}
He Losanswer'd, darkning more with indignation hid in smiles *
I die not Enitharmon tho thou singst thy Song of Death *
Nor shalt thou me torment For I behold the Fallen Man *
Seeking to comfort Vala [[word]]she will not be comforted *
She rises from his throne and seeks the shadows of her garden
Weeping for Luvah lost, in the bloody beams of your false morning
Sickning lies the Fallen Man his head sick his heart faint *
Mighty atchievement of your power! Beware the punishment
Refusing to behold the Divine image which all behold
And live thereby. he is sunk down into a deadly sleep
But we immortal in our strength survive by stern debate
Till we have drawn the Lamb of god into a mortal form
And that he must be born is certain for One must be All
And comprehend within himself all things both small & great
We therefore for whose sake all things aspire to be be & live
Will so recieve the Divine Image that amongst the Reprobate
He may be devoted to Destruction from his mothers womb {This group of 9 lines, "Refusing. . . womb," are marked to be inserted; the entire group of lines is also crossed with a diagonal line which may indicate 1) a later intention to delete them; or 2) that the stanza is meant to replace the stanza beginning "I die not Enitharmon. . . punishment"; or 3) that the stanza is intended to follow "Nor shalt . . . Fallen Man. "GD}
I see, invisible descend into the Gardens of Vala
Luvah walking on the winds, I see the invisible knife
I see the shower of blood: I see the swords & spears of futurity
Tho in the Brain of Man we live, & in his circling Nerves.
Tho' this bright world of all our joy is in the Human Brain.
Where Urizen & all his Hosts hang their immortal lamps
Thou neer shalt leave this cold expanse where watry Tharmas mourns
So spoke Los. Scorn & Indignation rose upon Enitharmon
Then Enitharmon reddning fierce stretchd her immortal hands *
? Threaten ? not ? me ? O ? visionary ? thine ? the ? punishment {Erdman does not provide this line of inserted and struck text, but it appears to be the same text as Blake inserts below. GD}
Descend O Urizen descend with horse & chariot
Threaten not me O visionary thine the punishment!
The Human Nature shall no more remain nor Human acts
Form the free rebellious Spirits of Heaven. but War & Princedom
& Victory & Blood *
PAGE 12 {This page contains partially visible erased text running horizontally and, in the right and left margins, vertically. GD}
Night darkend as she spoke! a shuddring ran from East to West *
A Groan was heard on high. The warlike clarions ceast. the Spirits
Of Luvah & Vala shudderd in their Orb: an orb of blood! *
Eternity groand & was troubled at the Image of Eternal Death
The Wandering Man bow'd his faint head and Urizen descended
And the one must have murderd the other if he had not descended *
Indignant muttering low thunders; Urizen descended
Gloomy sounding, Now I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Sullen sat Los plotting Revenge. Silent he Urizeneye'd the Prince * {In the gap after this stanza, several fragments of erased lines appear:
. . . I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Obey thy Lord. . .
hands Pity not Vala
? Pity ? not Luvah
& these. . . GD}
Of Light. Silent the prince of Light viewd Los. at length a brooded *
Smile broke from Urizen for Enitharmon brightend more & more
Sullen he lowerd on Enitharmon but he smild on Los
Saying Thou art the Lord of Luvah into thine hands I give
The prince of Love the murderer his soul is in thine hands
Pity not Vala for she pitied not the Eternal Man
Nor pity thou the cries of Luvah. Lo these starry hosts
They are thy servants if thou wilt obey my awful Law
Los answerd furious art thou one of those who when most complacent
Mean mischief most. If you are such Lo! I am also such
One must be master. try thy Arts I also will try mine
For I percieve Thou hast Abundance which I claim as mine
Urizen startled stood but not Long soon he cried
Obey my voice young Demon I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Thus Urizen spoke collected in himself in awful pride
Art thou a visionary of Jesus the soft delusion of Eternity
Lo I am God the terrible destroyer & not the Saviour
Why should the Divine Vision compell the sons of Eden to forego each his own delight to war against his Spectre
The Spectre is the Man the rest is only delusion & fancy
So spoke the Prince of Light & sat beside the Seat of Los
Upon the sandy shore rested his chariot of fire
Ten thousand thousand were his hosts of spirits on the wind:
Ten thousand thousand glittering Chariots shining in the sky:
They pour upon the golden shore beside the silent ocean.
Rejoicing in the Victory & the heavens were filld with blood *
[[illegible text]]
The Earth spread forth her table wide. the Night a silver cup
Fill'd with the wine of anguish waited at the golden feast
But the bright Sun was not as yet; he filling all the expanse
Slept as a bird in the blue shell that soon shall burst away
[] [Los saw the wound of his blow he saw he pitied he wept] *
{This is the line as Erdman gives it, but does not remark that the line is nearly illegible in the manuscript and appears to be written in pencil and erased. GD} Los now repented that he had smitten Enitharmon he felt love
Arise in all his Veins he threw his arms around her loins To heal the wound of his smiting
They eat the fleshly bread, they drank the nervous [bloody] wine *
PAGE 13 {Erased lines of text partially visible beneath the lines of this page, especially in left and bottom margins. GD}
They listend to the Elemental Harps & Sphery Song
They view'd the dancing Hours, quick sporting thro' the sky
With winged radiance scattering joys thro the ever changing light
[The shades of]But Luvah & Vala standing in the bloody sky
On high remaind alone forsaken in fierce jealousy
They stood above the heavens forsaken desolate suspended in blood
Descend they could not. nor from Each other avert their eyes
Eternity appeard above them as One Man infolded
In Luvah robes of blood & bearing all his afflictions
As the sun shines down on the misty earth Such was the Vision
But purple night and crimson morning & [the] golden day descending
Thro' the clear changing atmosphere display'd green fields among
The varying clouds, like paradises stretch'd in the expanse
With towns & villages and temples, tents sheep-folds and pastures
Where dwell the children of the elemental worlds in harmony,
[But monstrous delusion ? invaded. . . . wrath ? enterd his world of love]
Not long in harmony they dwell, their life is drawn away
And wintry woes succeed; successive driven into the Void
Where Enion craves: successive drawn into the golden feast
[In beauty love & scorn ? the ? earthbound bride & bridegroom ? sulk]
And Los & Enitharmon sat in discontent & scorn
The Nuptial Song arose from all the thousand thousand spirits {A strike line through "thousand thousand spirits" is erased, the phrase replaced with "orbits high" which is then erased and replaced with "demons by the thousands out of a golden cloud [illegible text]" which runs into the margin. GD}
Over the joyful Earth & Sea, and ascended into the Heavens {It looks as though a strike line crossing out this line has been erased. GD}
For Elemental Gods their thunderous Organs blew; creating
Delicious Viands. Demons of Waves their watry Eccho's woke!
Bright Souls [Elements] of vegetative life, budding and blossoming
Stretch
PAGE 14
Stretch their immortal hands to smite the gold & silver Wires
And with immortal Voice soft warbling fill all Earth & Heaven.
With doubling Voices & loud Horns wound round wounding
Cavernous dwellers fill'd the enormous Revelry, Responsing!
And Spirits of Flaming fire on high, govern'd the mighty Song.
And This the Song! Sung at The fFeast of Los & Enitharmon
The Mountain Ephraim calld out to the mountain Zion: Awake O Brother Mountain
Let us refuse the Plow & Space, the heavy Roller & spiked
Harrow. burn all these Corn fields, throw down all these fences
Fattend on Human blood & drunk with wine of life is better far {Interlineal erasures throughout this stanza. GD}
Than all these labours of the harvest & the vintage. See the river
Red with the blood of Men. swells lustful round my rocky knees
My clouds are not the clouds of verdant fields & groves of fruit
But Clouds of Human Souls. my nostrils drink the lives of mMen
[[line]]
The Villages Lament. they ? faint outstretchd upon the plain
Wailing runs round the vValleys from the Mill & from the Barn
But most the polishd Palaces dark silent bow with dread {"Dark" written on top of "? weak. "GD}
Hiding their books & pictures. underneath the dens of Earth
The Cities send to one another saying My sons are Mad
With wine of cruelty. [[Let us ? light]] Let us plat a Scourge O Sister City
cChildren are nourishd for the Slaughter; once the Child was fed
With Milk; but wherefore now are Children fed with blood
PAGE 15 {This page appears to be a later insert by Blake, for it was not numbered in his original sequence. A note in the hand of Edward J. Ellis appears at the top of the manuscript page: "(a separate sheet: It cannot be placed as its sequel is missing. ) E. J. E. -1891" and beside this: "Perhaps it is all an insertion designed to preceed 'Enion blind & age bent wept upon the desolate wind,-(373 in the 1st printed numbering-suggestion of Mr F G Fleay 1904". GD}
The Horse is of more value than the Man. The Tyger fierce
Laughs at the Human form. the Lion mocks & thirsts for blood
They cry O Spider spread thy web! Enlarge thy bones & fill'd
With marrow. sinews & flesh Exalt thyself attain a voice
Call to thy dark armd hosts, for all the sons of Men muster together
To desolate their cities! Man shall be no more! Awake O Hosts
The bow string sand upon the hills! Luvah & Vala rid
Triumphant in the bloody sky. & the hHuman form is no more
The listning Stars heard, & the first beam of the morning started back
He cried out to his father, depart! Depart! But sudden [[? he ? was seized]]Siez'd
And clad in steel. & his hHorse proudly neighd; he smelt the battle
Afar off, Rushing back, reddning with rage the [[Eternal]] Mighty Father
Siezd his bright Sheephook studded with gems & gold, he Swung it round
His head shrill sounding in the sky, down rushd the Sun with noise
Of war. The Mountains fled away they sought a place beneath
Vala remaind in desarts of dark solitude. nor Sun nor Moon
[[To ? light ? the]] By night nor day to comfort her, she labourd in thick smoke
Tharmas endurd not, he fled howling. then a barren waste sunk down
Conglobing in the dark confusion, Mean time Los was born
And Thou O Enitharmon! Hark I hear the hammers of Los
PAGE 16 {The text on this page appears to have been written on top of a page of sketches of roughly drafted limbs. GD}
They melt the bones of Vala, & the bones of Luvah into wedges
The innumerable sons & daughters of Luvah closd in furnaces
Melt into furrows. winter blows his bellows: Ice & Snow
Tend the dire anvils. Mountains mourn & Rivers faint & fail
There is no City nor Corn-field nor Orchard! All is Rock & Sand
There is no Sun nor Moon nor Star. but rugged wintry rocks
Jostling together in the void suspended by inward fires
Impatience now no longer can endure. Distracted Luvah
Bursting forth from the loins of Enitharmon, Thou fierce Terror
Go howl in vain, Smite Smite his fetters Smite O wintry hammers
Smite Spectre of Urthona, mock the fiend who drew us down
From heaven of joy into this Deep. Now rage but rage in vain
Thus sang the Demons of the Deep. the Clarions of War blew loud
The Feast redounds & Crownd with roses & the circling vine
The Enormous Bride & Bridegroom sat, beside them Urizen
With faded radiance sighd, forgetful of the flowing wine
And of Ahania his Pure Bride but She was distant far
But Los & Enitharmon sat in discontent & scorn
Craving the more the more enjoying, drawing out sweet bliss
From all the turning wheels of heaven & the chariots of the Slain
At distance Far in Night repelld. In direful hunger craving
Summers & Winters round revolving in the frightful deep.
PAGE 17
[[And]] Enion blind & age bent wept upon the desolate wind
Why does the Raven cry aloud and no eye pities her?
Why fall the Sparrow & the Robin in the foodless winter?
[[Why. . . . . . & . . . . . . . . . . ]]Faint! Shivering they sit on leafless bush, or frozen stone
Wearied with seeking food across the snowy waste; the little
Heart, cold; and the little tongue consum'd, that once in thoughtless joy
Gave songs of gratitude to [[the]]waving corn fields round their nest.
Why howl[[s] the Lion & the Wolf? Why do they roam abroad?
Deluded by [the] summers heat they sport in enormous love
And cast their young out to the [? ]] hungry wilds & sandy desarts
PAGE 18 {This text on this page was written on top of a rough sketch of a figure in a diving position. GD}
Why is the Sheep given to the knife? The Lamb plays in the Sun
He starts! he hears the foot of Man! He says, Take thou my wool
But spare my life, but he knows not that the winter cometh fast
The Spider sits in his labourd Web, eager watching for the Fly
Presently comes a famishd Bird & takes away the Spider
His Web is left all desolate, that his little anxious heart
So careful wove; & spread it out with sighs and weariness.
This was the Lamentation of Enion round the golden Feast
[[End of the First Night]]y
Eternity groand and was troubled at the image of Eternal Death
Without the body of Man an Exudation from his sickning limbs
Now Man was come to the Palm tree & to the Oak of Weeping
Which stand upon the edge of Beulah & he sunk down
From the Supporting arms of the Eternal Saviour; who disposd
The pale limbs of his Eternal Individuality
Upon The Rock of Ages. Watching over him with Love & Care
End of the First Night
PAGE 23
Night the [Second]
{We assume this is Night the Second by virtue of its ending on p 36, though it is not in the title. Evidently Blake tried it as Night the Third and as Night the First at least twice. SAS Note further that in Night One, page 9, Blake had inserted "Night the Second", even though the end of the First Night One is indicated on page 22. LFS}
Rising upon his Couch of Death Albion beheld his Sons
Turning his Eyesoutward to Self. losing the Divine Vision
[The] Albion Man calld Urizen & said. Behold these sickning Spheres {The Man is erased from the 1st rendition and Albion is set in its place. SAS}
Whence is this Voice of Enion that soundeth in my ears Porches
Take thou possession! take this Scepter! go forth in my might
For I am weary, & must sleep in the dark sleep of Death {According to Erdman's notes this line was crossed out in pencil for deletion and a replacement was written in the right margin, then the deleting lines and the replacement were thoroughly erased. The line leavess these traces: ? ? Remember? O ? Urizen/ Cxxxg / xxdxding / xxxvns? SAS}
Thy brother Luvah hath smitten me but pity thou his youth
Tho thou hast not pitid my Age O Urizen Prince of Light {According to Erdman, "Blake first wrote and erased a different text for 8, ending ? of fallen man? ;" SAS}
Urizen rose from the bright Feast like a star thro' the evening sky
Exulting at the voice that calld him from the Feast of envy {"Indignant" and "Feast of envy" were in both the first and final rendition of this line. Blake considered altering "Exulting" to "Indignant" and "Feast of envy" to "Feast of love" in the second rendition, but later changed his mind and returned to the original. SAS}
First he beheld the body of Man pale, cold, the horrors of death
Beneath his feet shot thro' him as he stood in the Human Brain
And all its golden porches grew pale with his sickening light
No more Exulting for he saw Eternal Death beneath
Pale he beheld futurity; pale he beheld the Abyss
Where Enion blind & age bent wept in direful hunger craving
All rav'ning like the hungry worm, & like the silent grave
PAGE 24
Mighty was the draught of Voidness to draw Existence in
Terrific Urizen strode above, in fear & pale dismay
He saw the indefinite space beneath & his soul shrunk with horror
His feet upon the verge of Non Existence; his voice went forth {According to Erdman, this line was at one time followed by a line that has been erased. Erdman has recoverd a portion of the line, reading: Above him he xxx Jerusalem ? in ? the bloody ? Heaven as xxx xxx his eyes. SAS}
Luvah & Vala trembling & shrinking, beheld the great Work master {According to Erdman, the first rendition of the line read "beheld the lord of ? day" rather than "beheld the great Work master". SAS}
And heard his Word! Divide ye bands influence by influence
Build we a Bower for heavens darling in the grizly deep
Build we the Mundane Shell around the Rock of Albion {Blake's rendering of this line is distinctly different from the surrounding text in form, though no indication of why is apparent. SAS}
The Bands of Heaven flew thro the air singing & shouting to Urizen [the lord ]
Some fix'd the anvil, some the loom erected, some the plow
And harrow formd & framd the harness of silver & ivory
The golden compasses, the quadrant & the rule & balance
They erected the furnaces, they formd the anvils of gold beaten in mills
Where winter beats incessant, fixing them firm on their base
The bellows began to blow & the Lions of Urizen stood round the anvil
PAGE 25
And the leopards coverd with skins of beasts tended the roaring fires
Sublime distinct their lineaments divine of human beauty {Erdman notes that there is a pencil line here followed by erased pencil lines in the right margin. " SAS}
The tygers of wrath called the horses of instruction from their mangers
They unloos'd them & put on the harness of gold & silver & ivory
In human forms distinct they stood round Urizen prince of Light
Petrifying all the Human Imagination into rock & sand {Erdman notes here that the insertion from line 6-33 begins in a stanza break and continues in the right margin. SAS}
Groans ran along Tyburns brook and along the River of Oxford
Among the Druid Temples. Albion groand on Tyburns brook
Albion gave his loud death groan The Atlantic Mountains trembled
Aloft the Moon fled with a cry the Sun with streams of blood
From Albions Loins fled all Peoples and Nations of the Earth Fled {Erdman's notes indicate that "Blake first wrote ? Fled? at the end of this line, then deleted it and began his new line with this word". SAS}
Fled with the noise of Slaughter & the stars of heaven Fled
Jerusalem came down in a dire ruin over all the Earth
She fell cold from Lambeths Vales in groans & Dewy death
The dew of anxious souls the death-sweat of the dying
In every pillard hall & arched roof of Albions skies
The brother & the brother bathe in blood upon the Severn
The Maiden weeping by. The father & the mother with
The Maidens father & her mother fainting over the body
And the Young Man the Murderer fleeing over the mountains
Reuben slept on Penmaenmawr & Levi slept on Snowdon
Their eyes their ears nostrils & tongues roll outward they behold
What is within now seen without they are raw to the hungry wind
They become Nations far remote in a little & dark Land
The Daughters of Albion girded around their garments of Needlework
Stripping Jerusalems curtains from mild demons of the hills
Across Europe & Asia to China & Japan like lightenings
They go forth & return to Albion on his rocky couch
Gwendolen Ragan Sabrina Gonorill Mehetabel Cordella
Boadicea Conwenna Estrild Gwinefrid Ignoge Cambel
Binding Jerusalems Children in the dungeons of Babylon
They play before the Armies before the hounds of Nimrod
While The Prince of Light on Salisbury plain among the druid stone {Erdman's edition splices these stanzas back into the main body of the text at this point, though he notes that Blake does not have a good marker to this effect. Erdman indicates that a linking line "must have been dropped in transcribing from working notes. " SAS}
Rattling the adamantine chains & hooks heave up the ore
In mountainous masses, plung'd in furnaces, & they shut & seald
The furnaces a time & times; all the while blew the North
His cloudy bellows & the South & East & dismal West
And all the while the plow of iron cut the dreadful furrows
In Ulro beneath Beulah where the Dead wail Night & Day {Again, Blake's rendering of this line is distinctly different from the surrounding text in form, though no indication of why is apparent. SAS}
Luvah was cast into the Furnaces of affliction & sealed
And Vala fed in cruel delight, the furnaces with fire
Stern Urizen beheld urg'd by necessity to keep
The evil day afar, & if perchance with iron power
He might avert his own despair; in woe & fear he saw
PAGE 26
Vala incircle round the furnaces where Luvah was clos'd
In joy she heard his howlings, & forgot he was her Luvah
With whom she walkd in bliss, in times of innocence & youth
Hear ye the voice of Luvah from the furnaces of Urizen
If I indeed am Valas King [Luvahs Lord] & ye O sons of Men
The workmanship of Luvahs hands; in times of Everlasting
When I calld forth the Earth-worm from the cold & dark obscure
I nurturd her I fed her with my rains & dews, she grew
A scaled Serpent, yet I fed her tho' she hated me
Day after day she fed upon the mountains in Luvahs sight
I brought her thro' the Wilderness, a dry & thirsty land
And I commanded springs to rise for her in the black desart
Till she became a Dragon winged bright & poisonous {Erdman notes that a revision was made to this line while it was still wet mending "fordemon" to "Dragon". SAS}
I opend all the floodgates of the heavens to quench her thirst
PAGE 27
And I commanded the Great deep to hide her in his hand
Till she became a little weeping Infant a span long
I carried her in my bosom as a man carries a lamb
I loved her I gave her all my soul & my delight
I hid her in soft gardens & in secret bowers of Summer
Weaving mazes of delight along the sunny Paradise
Inextricable labyrinths, She bore me sons & daughters
And they have taken her away & hid her from my sight
They have surrounded me with walls of iron & brass, [I die] O Lamb {According to Erdman's edition, the words "I die" were erased and replaced with "O Lamb. " The following four lines were written over lines erased by Blake; they cannot now be retrieved. KAU}
Of God clothed in Luvahs garments little knowest thou
Of death Eternal that we all go to Eternal Death
To our Primeval Chaos in fortuitous concourse of incoherent
Discordant principles of Love & Hate I suffer affliction
Because I love for I am I was love & but hatred awakes in me
And Urizen who was Faith & Certainty is changd to Doubt
The hand of Urizen is upon me because I blotted out
That Human terror delusion to deliver all the sons of God
From bondage of the Human form, O first born Son of Light
O Urizen my enemy I weep for thy stern ambition
But weep in vain O when will you return Vala the Wanderer
PAGE 28
These were the words of Luvah patient in afflictions {This line written over a pencilled line; Erdman posits that the word under "from" is "Los. " KAU}
Reasoning from the loins in the unreal forms of Ulros night
And when Luvah age after age was quite melted with woe
The fires of Vala faded like a shadow cold & pale
An evanescent shadow. last she fell a heap of Ashes
Beneath the furnaces a woful heap in living death
Then were the furnaces unscald with spades & pickaxes {Alternate reading of "unsealed" for "unscaled. " KAU}
Roaring let out the fluid, the molten metal ran in channels
Cut by the plow of ages held in Urizens strong hand
In many a valley, for the Bulls of Luvah dragd the Plow
With trembling horror pale aghast the Children of Men Man
Stood on the infinite Earth & saw these visions in the air
In waters & in Earth beneath they cried to one another
What are we terrors to one another - Come O brethren wherefore
Was this wide Earth spread all abroad. not for wild beasts to roam
But many stood silent & busied in their families
And many said We see no Visions in the darksom air
Measure the course of that sulphur orb that lights the dismal darksom day
Set stations on this breeding Earth & let us buy & sell
Others arose & schools Erected forming Instruments
To measure out the course of heaven. Stern Urizen beheld
In woe his brethren & his Sons in darkning woe lamenting
Upon the winds in clouds involvd Uttering his voice in thunders
Commanding all the work with care & power & severity
Then siezd the Lions of Urizen their work, & heated in the forge
Roar the bright masses, thund'ring beat the hammers, many a Globe pyramid {Lowercase "globe" mended to "Globe," then struck. KAU}
Is form'd & thrown down thund'ring into the deeps of Non Entity
Heated red hot they hizzing rend their way down many a league
Till resting. each his center basement finds; suspended there they stand {According to Erdman, the word "center" was originally deleted by Blake with a strong ink stroke and therefore not easily erased. He later changed his mind and incorporated it into the text. KAU}
Casting their sparkies dire abroad into the dismal deep {Alternate reading of "sparkles" for "sparkies.
