It makes sense to concur with Erdman in assuming that Blake forgot to move the stop after 'Los' to position it after 'sang' when making these changes, and to alter the
punctuation
accordingly.
Blake - Zoas
-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. " KAU}
For measurd out in orderd spaces the Sons of Urizen {Lowecase "sons" mended to "Sons. " KAU}
With compasses divide the deep; they the strong scales erect
PAGE 29
That Luvah rent from the faint Heart of the [Eternal] [Ancient] Fallen Man {The word "Ancient" written in pencil, then erased. KAU}
And weigh the massy Globes Cubes, then fix them in their awful stations
And all the time in Caverns shut, the golden Looms erected
First spun, then wove the Atmospheres, there the Spider & Worm
Plied the wingd shuttle piping shrill thro' all the list'ning threads
Beneath the Caverns roll the weights of lead & spindles of iron
The enormous warp & woof rage direful in the affrighted deep
While far into the vast unknown, the strong wing'd Eagles bend
Their venturous flight, in Human forms distinct; thro darkness deep
They bear the woven draperies; on golden hooks they hang abroad
The universal curtains & spread out from Sun to Sun
The vehicles of light, they separate the furious particles
Into mild currents as the water mingles with the wine.
While thus the Spirits of strongest wing enlighten the dark deep
The threads are spun & the cords twisted & drawn out; then the weak
Begin their work; & many a net is netted; many a net
PAGE 30
Spread & many a Spirit caught, innumerable the nets
Innumerable the gins & traps; & many a soothing flute
Is form'd & many a corded lyre, outspread over the immense
In cruel delight they trap the listeners, & in cruel delight
Bind them, [together] condensing the strong energies into little compass
Some became seed of every plant that shall be planted; some
The bulbous roots, thrown up together into barns & garners
Then rose the Builders: First the Architect divine his plan
Unfolds, The wondrous scaffold reard all round the infinite
Quadrangular the building rose the heavens squared by a line. Trigon & cubes divide the elements in finite bonds
Multitudes without number work incessant: the hewn stone
Is placd in beds of mortar mingled with the ashes of Vala {Alternate reading of "on" for "in. " KAU}
Severe the labour, female slaves the mortar trod oppressed
Twelve halls after the names of his twelve sons composd
The golden wondrous building & three [centr f[orm]] Central Domes after the Names {Erdman posits that Blake erased the words "centr f[orm]" and replaced them with "Central Domes. " KAU}
Of his three daughters were encompassd by the twelve bright halls
Every hall surrounded by bright Paradises of Delight
In which are towns & Cities Nations Seas Mountains & Rivers {Minor grammatical changes, in tense ("were" mended to "are") and capitalization ("mountains" to "Mountains") KAU}
Each Dome opend toward four halls & the Three Domes Encompassd
The Golden Hall of Urizen whose western side glowd bright
With ever streaming fires beaming from his awful limbs
His Shadowy Feminine Semblance here reposd on a [bright] White Couch
Or hoverd oer his Starry head & when he smild she brightend
Like a bright Cloud in harvest. but when Urizen frownd She wept
In mists over his carved throne & when he turnd his back
Upon his Golden hall & sought the Labyrinthine porches
Of his wide heaven Trembling, cold in paling fears she sat
A Shadow of Despair therefore toward the West Urizen formd
A recess in the wall for fires to glow upon the pale
Females limbs in his absence & her Daughters oft upon
A Golden Altar burnt perfumes with Art Celestial formd
Foursquare sculpturd & sweetly Engravd to please their shadowy mother {"Pleasd" mended to "please. " KAU}
As[c]ending into her cloudy misty garments the blue smoke rolld to revive
Her cold limbs in the absence of her Lord. Also her sons
With lives of Victims sacrificed upon an altar of brass
On the East side. Revivd her Soul with lives of beasts & birds
Slain on the Altar up ascending into her cloudy bosom
Of terrible workmanship the Altar labour of ten thousand Slaves
One thousand Men of wondrous power spent their lives in its formation
It stood on twelve steps namd after the names of her twelve sons
And was Erected at the chief entrance of Urizens hall
When Urizen descended returnd from his immense labours & travels
Descending She reposd beside him folding him around
In her bright skirts. Astonishd & Confounded he beheld
Her shadowy form now Separate he shudderd & was silent
Till her caresses & her tears revivd him to life & joy
Two wills they had two intellects & not as in times of old
This Urizen percievd & silent brooded in darkning Clouds
To him his Labour was but Sorrow & his Kingdom was Repentance
He drave the Male Spirits all away from Ahania {Alternate reading of "drove" for "drave. " KAU}
And she drave all the Females from him away {Alternate reading of "drove" for "drave. " KAU}
Los joyd & Enitharmon laughd, saying Let us go down
And see this labour & sorrow; They went down to see the woes
Of Vala & the woes of Luvah, to draw in their delights
And Vala like a shadow oft appeard to Urizen
PAGE 31
The King of Light beheld her mourning among the Brick kilns compelld
To labour night & day among the fires, her lamenting voice
Is heard when silent night returns & the labourers take their rest
O Lord wilt thou not look upon our sore afflictions
Among these flames incessant labouring, our hard masters laugh
At all our sorrow. We are made to turn the wheel for water
To carry the heavy basket on our scorched shoulders, to sift
The sand & ashes, & to mix the clay with tears & repentance
I see not Luvah as of old
I only see his feet Like pillars
of fire travelling thro darkness
& non entity {These four lines are placed to the right of the main body of text. Erdman does not note this placement in his edition. KAU}
The times are now returnd upon us, we have given ourselves
To scorn and now are scorned by the slaves of our enemies
Our beauty is coverd over with clay & ashes, & our backs
Furrowd with whips, & our flesh bruised with the heavy basket
Forgive us O thou piteous one whom we have offended, forgive
The weak remaining shadow of Vala that returns in sorrow to thee.
Thus she lamented day & night, compelld to labour & sorrow
Luvah in vain her lamentations heard; in vain his love
Brought him in various forms before her still she knew him not
PAGE 32
Still she despisd him, calling on his name & knowing him not
Still hating still professing love, still labouring in the smoke
And Los & Enitharmon joyd, they drank in tenfold joy To come in
From all the sorrow of Luvah & the labour of Urizen {These two lines struck through, but then marked (to the right of the main body of text) with the following: "To come in. " KAU}
And Enitharmon joyd Plotting to rend the secret cloud
To plant divisions in the Soul of Urizen & Ahania
But For infinitely beautiful the wondrous work arose {Erdman notes that the word "For" has been deleted in Blake. It is not so marked in the manuscript text. KAU}
In [ songs & joy ] sorrow & care. a Golden World whose porches round the heavens
And pillard halls & rooms recievd the eternal wandering stars
A wondrous golden Building; many a window many a door
And many a division let in & out into the vast unknown
[Cubed] Circled in infinite orb immoveable, within its arches all walls & cielings {According to Erdman, "The second reading is erased; yet it is supported by the reference back to "Cubes" and "window" in 33:4-5. If ears are porches, mouth, nose, and eyes had better be doors and windows; yet the concept of micromacrocosm is better expressed in "infinite orb immoveable," with its matching of the oxymoron in "primum mobile. " If Blake hesitated to choose either reading, an editor hesitates to reject either. " KAU}
The heavens were closd & and spirits mournd their bondage night and day
And the Divine Vision appeard in Luvahs robes of blood {This line written over an erased line, possibly ending "within. " KAU}
Thus was the Mundane shell builded by Urizens strong power
Sorrowing Then went the Planters forth to plant, the Sowers forth to sow
They dug the channels for the rivers & they pourd abroad
PAGE 33
The seas & lakes, they reard the mountains & the rocks & hills
On broad pavilions, on pillard roofs & porches & high towers
In beauteous order, thence arose soft clouds & exhalations
Wandering even to the sunny orbs Cubes of light & heat {Lowercase "cubes" mended to "Cubes. " KAU}
For many a window ornamented with sweet ornaments
Lookd out into the World of Tharmas, where in ceaseless torrents {Lowercase "world" mended to "World. " KAU}
His billows roll where monsters wander in the foamy paths
On clouds the Sons of Urizen beheld Heaven walled round {Irretrievable word following "beheld. " KAU}
They weighd & orderd all & Urizen [in comfort saw] comforted saw {The erased phrase "in comfort saw" is speculation on Erdman's part. KAU}
The wondrous work flow forth like visible out of the invisible
For the Divine Lamb Even Jesus who is the Divine Vision
Permitted all lest Man should fall into Eternal Death
For when Luvah sunk down himself put on the robes of blood
Lest the state calld Luvah should cease. & the Divine Vision
Walked in robes of blood till he who slept should awake {Lines 11-15 were written over four revised and erased lines, most of which is irretrievable. KAU}
Thus were the stars of heaven created like a golden chain
To bind the Body of Man to heaven from falling into the Abyss
Each took his station, & his course began with [songs & joy] [eternal fear] sorrow & care {'songs & joy' is erased in-line, while 'eternal fear' is written below the line and then erased. EJC}
In sevens & tens & fifties, hundreds, thousands, numberd all
According to their various powers. Subordinate to Urizen
And to his sons in their degrees & to his beauteous daughters {'In sevens & tens. . . his beauteous daughters' - these 3 lines appear at the end of page 33 as a separate 3-line stanza after the section ending '. . . in the vast deep. ' However, Blake seems to indicate a re-sequencing of the material to the order shown here, indicating the insertion of these 3 lines with a letter X at their head and a corresponding X at the end of the preceding section [ending '. . . sorrow & care']. According to Erdman, this change was made while 'sorrow & care' was in its earlier form, 'eternal fear. ' Also according to Erdman, it was later that Blake added the numbers 1 [at insertion point], 2 [at the head of these new lines], and 3 [at the head of the section beginning 'travelling in silent majesty. . . '] to confirm this as a final order. EJC}
Travelling in silent majesty along their orderd ways
In right lined paths outmeasurd by proportions of weight & measure number weight
And measure. mathematic motion wondrous. along the deep
In fiery pyramid. or Cube. or unornamented pillar square
Of fire far shining. travelling along even to its destind end
Then falling down. a terrible space recovring in winter dire
Its wasted strength. it back returns upon a nether course
Till fired with ardour fresh recruited in its humble spring season
It rises up on high all summer till its wearied course
Turns into autumn. such the period of many worlds
Others triangular their right angled course maintain. others obtuse
Acute & oblong Scalene , in simple paths. but others move
In intricate ways biquadrate. Trapeziums Rhombs Rhomboids
Paralellograms. triple & quadruple. polygonic In their amazing fructifying hard subdued course in the vast deep
PAGE 34
And Los & Enitharmon were drawn down by their desires
Descending sweet upon the wind among soft harps & voices [Laughing and mocking ? Luvah breaking in the woes of Vala] {Erdman suggests that 'breaking' is a word from an unrelated layer of ms, and 'woes of Vala' as previously misrecognised in Ellis' transcription as 'womb of Vala' EJC}
[But soon ? he ? formd the lovely limbs of Enitharmon XXX & to lamentation of Enion ? answer for fear]
[XXX for vindication of Urizens word] [Thy name is familiar XXX] {These 2 partially recovered erased pencil lines are discerned by Erdman beneath line 3. This group of erased lines, which appeared in pencil under lines 2-4 and, partially obscured by a note by Ellis, in the right margin, are written here with Erdman's suppositions and unrecoverable sections so marked EJC}
To plant divisions in the Soul of Urizen & Ahania
To conduct the Voice of Enion to Ahanias midnight pillow
Urizen saw & envied & his imagination was filled
Repining he contemplated the past in his bright sphere
Terrified with his heart & spirit at the visions of futurity
That his dread fancy formd before him in the unformd void
For Now Los & Enitharmon walkd forth on the dewy Earth
Contracting or expanding their all flexible senses
At will to murmur in the flowers small as the honey bee
At will to stretch across the heavens & step from star to star
Or standing on the Earth erect, or on the stormy waves
Driving the storms before them or delighting in sunny beams
While round their heads the Elemental Gods kept harmony
Thus livd Los driving Enion far into the deathful infinite {According to Erdman, there is some partially recoverable erased material written above this line and in the margin: '? From ? Ahanias woe all XXX XXX only wrath & Envy follows in XXX their fXXXds / Urizen saw and aXXX. ' EJC}
That he may also draw Ahania's spirit into her Vortex {This line appears to have been inserted between 2 previously written lines EJC}
Ah happy blindness [she] Enion sees not the terrors of the uncertain
And oft thus she wails from the dark deep, the golden heavens tremble {Of the 100 lines that make up p. 34, only 19 comprise the standard text block; the rest are marginal additions, with 2 sizeable columns at the foot of the page, a 5-line stanza written up the lower righthand side of the page, and 2 additional larger stanzas appearing in the lefthand margin. Although Erdman does not address this issue in his notes, he does make some silent decisions regarding the order of the text, the most significant being his placement of this 4-line stanza at the very end of his transcription of p. 34. Given his lack of explanation, this in particular would seem somewhat arbitrary; although there do appear to be some markings on the page which could be suggestions for the re-ordering of the material, these do not seem conclusive enough to justify this silent alteration to the text as it appears in the Erdman edition. Instead, the text is shown here in the order in which it appears on the page; in agreement with Erdman, the marginal material seems to flow most logically as the bottom of the page, moving to the stanza in the right margin and then concluding with the material in the left margin EJC}
And Los said. Lo the Lilly pale & the rose reddning fierce
Reproach thee & the beamy gardens sicken at thy beauty {According to Erdman, beneath and below these 2 lines are about 11 erased pencil lines, the first [partially recovered] beginning 'XXX she wails,' the following 2 the same as the existing lines, and the remainder apparently different from the final text EJC}
I grasp thy vest in my strong hand in vain. like water springs
In the bright sands of Los. evading my embrace. then I alone
Wander among the virgins of the summer Look they cry
The poor forsaken Los mockd by the worm the shelly snail
The Emmet & the beetle hark they laugh & mock at Los
Secure now from the smitings of thy Power Demon of Fury {The beginning of this inserted line is set well in from the heads of the accompanying lines, but there seems no reason not to bring it into line with them EJC}
Enitharmon answerd If the God enrapturd me infolds
In clouds of sweet obscurity my beauteous form dissolving
Howl thou over the body of death tis thine But if among the virgins {The inserted material is clearly written over erased material EJC}
Of summer I have seen thee sleep & turn thy cheek delighted
Upon the rose or lilly pale. or on a bank where sleep
The beamy daughters of the light starting they rise they flee
From thy fierce love for tho I am dissolvd in the bright God
My spirit still pursues thy false love over rocks & valleys
Los answerd Therefore fade I thus dissolvd in rapturd trance
Thou canst repose on clouds of secrecy while oer my limbs
Cold dews & hoary frost creeps tho I lie on banks of summer
Among the beauties of the World Cold & repining Los
Still dies for Enitharmon nor a spirit springs from my dead corse {Clearly written over erased material. EJC}
Then I am dead till thou revivest me with thy sweet song
Now taking on Ahanias form & now the form of Enion
I know thee not as once I knew thee in those blessed fields
Where memory wishes to repose among the flocks of Tharmas
Enitharmon answerd Wherefore didst thou throw thine arms around
Ahanias Image I decievd thee & will still decieve
Urizen saw thy sin & hid his beams in darkning Clouds
I still keep watch altho I tremble & wither across the heavens
In strong vibrations of fierce jealousy for thou art mine
Created for my will my slave tho strong tho I am weak {This line appears to have been inserted between 2 existing lines. EJC}
Farewell the God calls me away I depart in my sweet bliss
She fled vanishing on the wind And left a dead cold corse
In Los's arms howlings began over the body of death {Line written over erased text. EJC}
Los spoke. Thy God in vain shall call thee if by my strong power
I can infuse my dear revenge into his glowing breast
Then jealousy shall shadow all his mountains & Ahania
Curse thee thou plague of woful Los & seek revenge on thee
So saying in deep sobs he languishd till dead he also fell
Night passd & Enitharmon eer the dawn returnd in bliss
She sang Oer Los reviving him to Life his groans were terrible
But thus she sang. I seize the sphery harp I strike the strings {As Erdman notes, these 2 lines began as 1, 'She sang Oer Los. I seize the sphery harp I strike the strings. ' Above the 2nd part, Blake added 'reviving. . . terrible,' while below the 1st part he added 'But thus she sang,' making the present 2 lines.
It makes sense to concur with Erdman in assuming that Blake forgot to move the stop after 'Los' to position it after 'sang' when making these changes, and to alter the punctuation accordingly. EJC}
At the first Sound the Golden sun arises from the Deep
And shakes his awful hair
The Eccho wakes the moon to unbind her silver locks
The golden sun bears on my song
And nine bright spheres of harmony rise round the fiery King
The joy of woman is the Death of her most best beloved
Who dies for Love of her
In torments of fierce jealousy & pangs of adoration
The Lovers night bears on my song
And the nine Spheres rejoice beneath my powerful controll
They sing unceasing to the notes of my immortal hand
The solemn silent moon
Reverberates the living harmony upon my limbs
The birds & beasts rejoice & play
And every one seeks for his mate to prove his inmost joy
Furious & terrible they sport & rend the nether deeps
The deep lifts up his rugged head
And lost in infinite huming wings vanishes with a cry
The fading cry is ever dying
The living voice is ever living in its inmost joy
Arise you little glancing wings & sing your infant joy
Arise & drink your bliss
For every thing that lives is holy for the source of life
Descends to be a weeping babe
For the Earthworm renews the moisture of the sandy plain
Now my left hand I stretch to earth beneath
And strike the terrible string
I wake sweet joy in dens of sorrow & I plant a smile
In forests of affliction
And wake the bubbling springs of life in regions of dark death
O I am weary lay thine hand upon me or I faint
I faint beneath these beams of thine
For thou hast touchd my five senses & they answerd thee
Now I am nothing & I sink
And on the bed of silence sleep till thou awakest me
Thus sang the Lovely one in Rapturous delusive trance
Los heard delighted reviving he siezd her in his arms delusive hopes
Kindling She led him into Shadows & thence fled outstretchd
Upon the immense like a bright rainbow weeping & smiling & fading
PAGE 35
I am made to sow the thistle for wheat; the nettle for a nourishing dainty
I have planted a false oath in the earth, it has brought forth a poison tree
I have chosen the serpent for a councellor & the dog
For a schoolmaster to my children
I have blotted out from light & living the dove & nightingale
And I have caused the earth worm to beg from door to door
I have taught the thief a secret path into the house of the just
I have taught pale artifice to spread his nets upon the morning
My heavens are brass my earth is iron my moon a clod of clay
My sun a pestilence burning at noon & a vapour of death in night
What is the price of Experience do men buy it for a song
Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No it is bought with the price
Of all that a man hath his house his wife his children
Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy
And in the witherd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain
It is an easy thing to triumph in the summers sun
And in the vintage & to sing on the waggon loaded with corn
It is an easy thing to talk of patience to the afflicted
To speak the laws of prudence to the houseless wanderer
PAGE 36
To listen to the hungry ravens cry in wintry season
When the red blood is filld with wine & with the marrow of lambs
It is an easy thing to laugh at wrathful elements
To hear the dog howl at the wintry door, the ox in the slaughter house moan
To see a god on every wind & a blessing on every blast
To hear sounds of love in the thunder storm that destroys our enemies house
To rejoice in the blight that covers his field, & the sickness that cuts off his children
While our olive & vine sing & laugh round our door & our children bring fruits & flowers
Then the groan & the dolor are quite forgotten & the slave grinding at the mill
And the captive in chains & the poor in the prison, & the soldier in the field
When the shatterd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead
It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity
Thus could I sing & thus rejoice, but it is not so with me!
[End of the Second Night]
Ahania heard the Lamentation & a swift Vibration
Spread thro her Golden frame. She rose up eer the dawn of day
When Urizen slept on his couch.
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. " KAU}
For measurd out in orderd spaces the Sons of Urizen {Lowecase "sons" mended to "Sons. " KAU}
With compasses divide the deep; they the strong scales erect
PAGE 29
That Luvah rent from the faint Heart of the [Eternal] [Ancient] Fallen Man {The word "Ancient" written in pencil, then erased. KAU}
And weigh the massy Globes Cubes, then fix them in their awful stations
And all the time in Caverns shut, the golden Looms erected
First spun, then wove the Atmospheres, there the Spider & Worm
Plied the wingd shuttle piping shrill thro' all the list'ning threads
Beneath the Caverns roll the weights of lead & spindles of iron
The enormous warp & woof rage direful in the affrighted deep
While far into the vast unknown, the strong wing'd Eagles bend
Their venturous flight, in Human forms distinct; thro darkness deep
They bear the woven draperies; on golden hooks they hang abroad
The universal curtains & spread out from Sun to Sun
The vehicles of light, they separate the furious particles
Into mild currents as the water mingles with the wine.
While thus the Spirits of strongest wing enlighten the dark deep
The threads are spun & the cords twisted & drawn out; then the weak
Begin their work; & many a net is netted; many a net
PAGE 30
Spread & many a Spirit caught, innumerable the nets
Innumerable the gins & traps; & many a soothing flute
Is form'd & many a corded lyre, outspread over the immense
In cruel delight they trap the listeners, & in cruel delight
Bind them, [together] condensing the strong energies into little compass
Some became seed of every plant that shall be planted; some
The bulbous roots, thrown up together into barns & garners
Then rose the Builders: First the Architect divine his plan
Unfolds, The wondrous scaffold reard all round the infinite
Quadrangular the building rose the heavens squared by a line. Trigon & cubes divide the elements in finite bonds
Multitudes without number work incessant: the hewn stone
Is placd in beds of mortar mingled with the ashes of Vala {Alternate reading of "on" for "in. " KAU}
Severe the labour, female slaves the mortar trod oppressed
Twelve halls after the names of his twelve sons composd
The golden wondrous building & three [centr f[orm]] Central Domes after the Names {Erdman posits that Blake erased the words "centr f[orm]" and replaced them with "Central Domes. " KAU}
Of his three daughters were encompassd by the twelve bright halls
Every hall surrounded by bright Paradises of Delight
In which are towns & Cities Nations Seas Mountains & Rivers {Minor grammatical changes, in tense ("were" mended to "are") and capitalization ("mountains" to "Mountains") KAU}
Each Dome opend toward four halls & the Three Domes Encompassd
The Golden Hall of Urizen whose western side glowd bright
With ever streaming fires beaming from his awful limbs
His Shadowy Feminine Semblance here reposd on a [bright] White Couch
Or hoverd oer his Starry head & when he smild she brightend
Like a bright Cloud in harvest. but when Urizen frownd She wept
In mists over his carved throne & when he turnd his back
Upon his Golden hall & sought the Labyrinthine porches
Of his wide heaven Trembling, cold in paling fears she sat
A Shadow of Despair therefore toward the West Urizen formd
A recess in the wall for fires to glow upon the pale
Females limbs in his absence & her Daughters oft upon
A Golden Altar burnt perfumes with Art Celestial formd
Foursquare sculpturd & sweetly Engravd to please their shadowy mother {"Pleasd" mended to "please. " KAU}
As[c]ending into her cloudy misty garments the blue smoke rolld to revive
Her cold limbs in the absence of her Lord. Also her sons
With lives of Victims sacrificed upon an altar of brass
On the East side. Revivd her Soul with lives of beasts & birds
Slain on the Altar up ascending into her cloudy bosom
Of terrible workmanship the Altar labour of ten thousand Slaves
One thousand Men of wondrous power spent their lives in its formation
It stood on twelve steps namd after the names of her twelve sons
And was Erected at the chief entrance of Urizens hall
When Urizen descended returnd from his immense labours & travels
Descending She reposd beside him folding him around
In her bright skirts. Astonishd & Confounded he beheld
Her shadowy form now Separate he shudderd & was silent
Till her caresses & her tears revivd him to life & joy
Two wills they had two intellects & not as in times of old
This Urizen percievd & silent brooded in darkning Clouds
To him his Labour was but Sorrow & his Kingdom was Repentance
He drave the Male Spirits all away from Ahania {Alternate reading of "drove" for "drave. " KAU}
And she drave all the Females from him away {Alternate reading of "drove" for "drave. " KAU}
Los joyd & Enitharmon laughd, saying Let us go down
And see this labour & sorrow; They went down to see the woes
Of Vala & the woes of Luvah, to draw in their delights
And Vala like a shadow oft appeard to Urizen
PAGE 31
The King of Light beheld her mourning among the Brick kilns compelld
To labour night & day among the fires, her lamenting voice
Is heard when silent night returns & the labourers take their rest
O Lord wilt thou not look upon our sore afflictions
Among these flames incessant labouring, our hard masters laugh
At all our sorrow. We are made to turn the wheel for water
To carry the heavy basket on our scorched shoulders, to sift
The sand & ashes, & to mix the clay with tears & repentance
I see not Luvah as of old
I only see his feet Like pillars
of fire travelling thro darkness
& non entity {These four lines are placed to the right of the main body of text. Erdman does not note this placement in his edition. KAU}
The times are now returnd upon us, we have given ourselves
To scorn and now are scorned by the slaves of our enemies
Our beauty is coverd over with clay & ashes, & our backs
Furrowd with whips, & our flesh bruised with the heavy basket
Forgive us O thou piteous one whom we have offended, forgive
The weak remaining shadow of Vala that returns in sorrow to thee.
Thus she lamented day & night, compelld to labour & sorrow
Luvah in vain her lamentations heard; in vain his love
Brought him in various forms before her still she knew him not
PAGE 32
Still she despisd him, calling on his name & knowing him not
Still hating still professing love, still labouring in the smoke
And Los & Enitharmon joyd, they drank in tenfold joy To come in
From all the sorrow of Luvah & the labour of Urizen {These two lines struck through, but then marked (to the right of the main body of text) with the following: "To come in. " KAU}
And Enitharmon joyd Plotting to rend the secret cloud
To plant divisions in the Soul of Urizen & Ahania
But For infinitely beautiful the wondrous work arose {Erdman notes that the word "For" has been deleted in Blake. It is not so marked in the manuscript text. KAU}
In [ songs & joy ] sorrow & care. a Golden World whose porches round the heavens
And pillard halls & rooms recievd the eternal wandering stars
A wondrous golden Building; many a window many a door
And many a division let in & out into the vast unknown
[Cubed] Circled in infinite orb immoveable, within its arches all walls & cielings {According to Erdman, "The second reading is erased; yet it is supported by the reference back to "Cubes" and "window" in 33:4-5. If ears are porches, mouth, nose, and eyes had better be doors and windows; yet the concept of micromacrocosm is better expressed in "infinite orb immoveable," with its matching of the oxymoron in "primum mobile. " If Blake hesitated to choose either reading, an editor hesitates to reject either. " KAU}
The heavens were closd & and spirits mournd their bondage night and day
And the Divine Vision appeard in Luvahs robes of blood {This line written over an erased line, possibly ending "within. " KAU}
Thus was the Mundane shell builded by Urizens strong power
Sorrowing Then went the Planters forth to plant, the Sowers forth to sow
They dug the channels for the rivers & they pourd abroad
PAGE 33
The seas & lakes, they reard the mountains & the rocks & hills
On broad pavilions, on pillard roofs & porches & high towers
In beauteous order, thence arose soft clouds & exhalations
Wandering even to the sunny orbs Cubes of light & heat {Lowercase "cubes" mended to "Cubes. " KAU}
For many a window ornamented with sweet ornaments
Lookd out into the World of Tharmas, where in ceaseless torrents {Lowercase "world" mended to "World. " KAU}
His billows roll where monsters wander in the foamy paths
On clouds the Sons of Urizen beheld Heaven walled round {Irretrievable word following "beheld. " KAU}
They weighd & orderd all & Urizen [in comfort saw] comforted saw {The erased phrase "in comfort saw" is speculation on Erdman's part. KAU}
The wondrous work flow forth like visible out of the invisible
For the Divine Lamb Even Jesus who is the Divine Vision
Permitted all lest Man should fall into Eternal Death
For when Luvah sunk down himself put on the robes of blood
Lest the state calld Luvah should cease. & the Divine Vision
Walked in robes of blood till he who slept should awake {Lines 11-15 were written over four revised and erased lines, most of which is irretrievable. KAU}
Thus were the stars of heaven created like a golden chain
To bind the Body of Man to heaven from falling into the Abyss
Each took his station, & his course began with [songs & joy] [eternal fear] sorrow & care {'songs & joy' is erased in-line, while 'eternal fear' is written below the line and then erased. EJC}
In sevens & tens & fifties, hundreds, thousands, numberd all
According to their various powers. Subordinate to Urizen
And to his sons in their degrees & to his beauteous daughters {'In sevens & tens. . . his beauteous daughters' - these 3 lines appear at the end of page 33 as a separate 3-line stanza after the section ending '. . . in the vast deep. ' However, Blake seems to indicate a re-sequencing of the material to the order shown here, indicating the insertion of these 3 lines with a letter X at their head and a corresponding X at the end of the preceding section [ending '. . . sorrow & care']. According to Erdman, this change was made while 'sorrow & care' was in its earlier form, 'eternal fear. ' Also according to Erdman, it was later that Blake added the numbers 1 [at insertion point], 2 [at the head of these new lines], and 3 [at the head of the section beginning 'travelling in silent majesty. . . '] to confirm this as a final order. EJC}
Travelling in silent majesty along their orderd ways
In right lined paths outmeasurd by proportions of weight & measure number weight
And measure. mathematic motion wondrous. along the deep
In fiery pyramid. or Cube. or unornamented pillar square
Of fire far shining. travelling along even to its destind end
Then falling down. a terrible space recovring in winter dire
Its wasted strength. it back returns upon a nether course
Till fired with ardour fresh recruited in its humble spring season
It rises up on high all summer till its wearied course
Turns into autumn. such the period of many worlds
Others triangular their right angled course maintain. others obtuse
Acute & oblong Scalene , in simple paths. but others move
In intricate ways biquadrate. Trapeziums Rhombs Rhomboids
Paralellograms. triple & quadruple. polygonic In their amazing fructifying hard subdued course in the vast deep
PAGE 34
And Los & Enitharmon were drawn down by their desires
Descending sweet upon the wind among soft harps & voices [Laughing and mocking ? Luvah breaking in the woes of Vala] {Erdman suggests that 'breaking' is a word from an unrelated layer of ms, and 'woes of Vala' as previously misrecognised in Ellis' transcription as 'womb of Vala' EJC}
[But soon ? he ? formd the lovely limbs of Enitharmon XXX & to lamentation of Enion ? answer for fear]
[XXX for vindication of Urizens word] [Thy name is familiar XXX] {These 2 partially recovered erased pencil lines are discerned by Erdman beneath line 3. This group of erased lines, which appeared in pencil under lines 2-4 and, partially obscured by a note by Ellis, in the right margin, are written here with Erdman's suppositions and unrecoverable sections so marked EJC}
To plant divisions in the Soul of Urizen & Ahania
To conduct the Voice of Enion to Ahanias midnight pillow
Urizen saw & envied & his imagination was filled
Repining he contemplated the past in his bright sphere
Terrified with his heart & spirit at the visions of futurity
That his dread fancy formd before him in the unformd void
For Now Los & Enitharmon walkd forth on the dewy Earth
Contracting or expanding their all flexible senses
At will to murmur in the flowers small as the honey bee
At will to stretch across the heavens & step from star to star
Or standing on the Earth erect, or on the stormy waves
Driving the storms before them or delighting in sunny beams
While round their heads the Elemental Gods kept harmony
Thus livd Los driving Enion far into the deathful infinite {According to Erdman, there is some partially recoverable erased material written above this line and in the margin: '? From ? Ahanias woe all XXX XXX only wrath & Envy follows in XXX their fXXXds / Urizen saw and aXXX. ' EJC}
That he may also draw Ahania's spirit into her Vortex {This line appears to have been inserted between 2 previously written lines EJC}
Ah happy blindness [she] Enion sees not the terrors of the uncertain
And oft thus she wails from the dark deep, the golden heavens tremble {Of the 100 lines that make up p. 34, only 19 comprise the standard text block; the rest are marginal additions, with 2 sizeable columns at the foot of the page, a 5-line stanza written up the lower righthand side of the page, and 2 additional larger stanzas appearing in the lefthand margin. Although Erdman does not address this issue in his notes, he does make some silent decisions regarding the order of the text, the most significant being his placement of this 4-line stanza at the very end of his transcription of p. 34. Given his lack of explanation, this in particular would seem somewhat arbitrary; although there do appear to be some markings on the page which could be suggestions for the re-ordering of the material, these do not seem conclusive enough to justify this silent alteration to the text as it appears in the Erdman edition. Instead, the text is shown here in the order in which it appears on the page; in agreement with Erdman, the marginal material seems to flow most logically as the bottom of the page, moving to the stanza in the right margin and then concluding with the material in the left margin EJC}
And Los said. Lo the Lilly pale & the rose reddning fierce
Reproach thee & the beamy gardens sicken at thy beauty {According to Erdman, beneath and below these 2 lines are about 11 erased pencil lines, the first [partially recovered] beginning 'XXX she wails,' the following 2 the same as the existing lines, and the remainder apparently different from the final text EJC}
I grasp thy vest in my strong hand in vain. like water springs
In the bright sands of Los. evading my embrace. then I alone
Wander among the virgins of the summer Look they cry
The poor forsaken Los mockd by the worm the shelly snail
The Emmet & the beetle hark they laugh & mock at Los
Secure now from the smitings of thy Power Demon of Fury {The beginning of this inserted line is set well in from the heads of the accompanying lines, but there seems no reason not to bring it into line with them EJC}
Enitharmon answerd If the God enrapturd me infolds
In clouds of sweet obscurity my beauteous form dissolving
Howl thou over the body of death tis thine But if among the virgins {The inserted material is clearly written over erased material EJC}
Of summer I have seen thee sleep & turn thy cheek delighted
Upon the rose or lilly pale. or on a bank where sleep
The beamy daughters of the light starting they rise they flee
From thy fierce love for tho I am dissolvd in the bright God
My spirit still pursues thy false love over rocks & valleys
Los answerd Therefore fade I thus dissolvd in rapturd trance
Thou canst repose on clouds of secrecy while oer my limbs
Cold dews & hoary frost creeps tho I lie on banks of summer
Among the beauties of the World Cold & repining Los
Still dies for Enitharmon nor a spirit springs from my dead corse {Clearly written over erased material. EJC}
Then I am dead till thou revivest me with thy sweet song
Now taking on Ahanias form & now the form of Enion
I know thee not as once I knew thee in those blessed fields
Where memory wishes to repose among the flocks of Tharmas
Enitharmon answerd Wherefore didst thou throw thine arms around
Ahanias Image I decievd thee & will still decieve
Urizen saw thy sin & hid his beams in darkning Clouds
I still keep watch altho I tremble & wither across the heavens
In strong vibrations of fierce jealousy for thou art mine
Created for my will my slave tho strong tho I am weak {This line appears to have been inserted between 2 existing lines. EJC}
Farewell the God calls me away I depart in my sweet bliss
She fled vanishing on the wind And left a dead cold corse
In Los's arms howlings began over the body of death {Line written over erased text. EJC}
Los spoke. Thy God in vain shall call thee if by my strong power
I can infuse my dear revenge into his glowing breast
Then jealousy shall shadow all his mountains & Ahania
Curse thee thou plague of woful Los & seek revenge on thee
So saying in deep sobs he languishd till dead he also fell
Night passd & Enitharmon eer the dawn returnd in bliss
She sang Oer Los reviving him to Life his groans were terrible
But thus she sang. I seize the sphery harp I strike the strings {As Erdman notes, these 2 lines began as 1, 'She sang Oer Los. I seize the sphery harp I strike the strings. ' Above the 2nd part, Blake added 'reviving. . . terrible,' while below the 1st part he added 'But thus she sang,' making the present 2 lines.
It makes sense to concur with Erdman in assuming that Blake forgot to move the stop after 'Los' to position it after 'sang' when making these changes, and to alter the punctuation accordingly. EJC}
At the first Sound the Golden sun arises from the Deep
And shakes his awful hair
The Eccho wakes the moon to unbind her silver locks
The golden sun bears on my song
And nine bright spheres of harmony rise round the fiery King
The joy of woman is the Death of her most best beloved
Who dies for Love of her
In torments of fierce jealousy & pangs of adoration
The Lovers night bears on my song
And the nine Spheres rejoice beneath my powerful controll
They sing unceasing to the notes of my immortal hand
The solemn silent moon
Reverberates the living harmony upon my limbs
The birds & beasts rejoice & play
And every one seeks for his mate to prove his inmost joy
Furious & terrible they sport & rend the nether deeps
The deep lifts up his rugged head
And lost in infinite huming wings vanishes with a cry
The fading cry is ever dying
The living voice is ever living in its inmost joy
Arise you little glancing wings & sing your infant joy
Arise & drink your bliss
For every thing that lives is holy for the source of life
Descends to be a weeping babe
For the Earthworm renews the moisture of the sandy plain
Now my left hand I stretch to earth beneath
And strike the terrible string
I wake sweet joy in dens of sorrow & I plant a smile
In forests of affliction
And wake the bubbling springs of life in regions of dark death
O I am weary lay thine hand upon me or I faint
I faint beneath these beams of thine
For thou hast touchd my five senses & they answerd thee
Now I am nothing & I sink
And on the bed of silence sleep till thou awakest me
Thus sang the Lovely one in Rapturous delusive trance
Los heard delighted reviving he siezd her in his arms delusive hopes
Kindling She led him into Shadows & thence fled outstretchd
Upon the immense like a bright rainbow weeping & smiling & fading
PAGE 35
I am made to sow the thistle for wheat; the nettle for a nourishing dainty
I have planted a false oath in the earth, it has brought forth a poison tree
I have chosen the serpent for a councellor & the dog
For a schoolmaster to my children
I have blotted out from light & living the dove & nightingale
And I have caused the earth worm to beg from door to door
I have taught the thief a secret path into the house of the just
I have taught pale artifice to spread his nets upon the morning
My heavens are brass my earth is iron my moon a clod of clay
My sun a pestilence burning at noon & a vapour of death in night
What is the price of Experience do men buy it for a song
Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No it is bought with the price
Of all that a man hath his house his wife his children
Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy
And in the witherd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain
It is an easy thing to triumph in the summers sun
And in the vintage & to sing on the waggon loaded with corn
It is an easy thing to talk of patience to the afflicted
To speak the laws of prudence to the houseless wanderer
PAGE 36
To listen to the hungry ravens cry in wintry season
When the red blood is filld with wine & with the marrow of lambs
It is an easy thing to laugh at wrathful elements
To hear the dog howl at the wintry door, the ox in the slaughter house moan
To see a god on every wind & a blessing on every blast
To hear sounds of love in the thunder storm that destroys our enemies house
To rejoice in the blight that covers his field, & the sickness that cuts off his children
While our olive & vine sing & laugh round our door & our children bring fruits & flowers
Then the groan & the dolor are quite forgotten & the slave grinding at the mill
And the captive in chains & the poor in the prison, & the soldier in the field
When the shatterd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead
It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity
Thus could I sing & thus rejoice, but it is not so with me!
[End of the Second Night]
Ahania heard the Lamentation & a swift Vibration
Spread thro her Golden frame. She rose up eer the dawn of day
When Urizen slept on his couch.
