The Complete Poems

by William Blake

  20 Conclave] Etched ‘Concave’.

  27 The Stars in their courses ‘The stars in their courses fought against Sisera’ (Judges 5:20).

  31 the Seven Eyes of God See M 13.17–26, notes, and Dictionary of Proper Names.

  33 They namd the Eighth In M, the ‘Eighth’ is the Edenic form of the poet Milton.

  42–6 tho we sit down… we are One family The curse of Ulro is the separation of one person from another. But in Eternity, Man is divinely One. Idea and phrasing are from Psalm 139:7–10: ‘Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?/If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou are there./If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;/Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.’

  65–6 Establishment of Truth… Virginity Falsehood must be cut away, for Truth to be revealed.

  69 Who will go forth for us! When God asks (Isaiah 6:8)‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Isaiah replies, ‘Here am I; send me.’ Thus Los, in the next plate, is responding like Isaiah.

  Pl. 56 Los attempts to persuade the Daughters of Albion towards ‘mildness’. Their replies (11. 26–8, 39–40) are self-pitying and devious.

  5–7 Jesus, born of woman, knows all in human life, including woman’s role in weaving the flesh. ‘All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth’ (Isaiah 40:6–7).

  8 the erred wandering Phantom Mankind.

  11–14 The Daughters of Albion, says Los, must make the garment of flesh attractive, or no unborn soul will be willing to enter it.

  18 The Sun… a Scythed Chariot… the Moon: a Ship Los ironically promises to create a world of images suitable to the warlike inclinations of the Daughters.

  42 Look back into the Church Paul! (1) The Pauline Church, which became woman-dominated through worship of the Virgin; (2) St Paul’s Cathedral, in which the three Marys mourn around the Cross.

  Pl. 57.7 Rosamonds Bower Subterranean labyrinth in Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Park, supposedly built by Henry II for his mistress, Rosamond Clifford. A ballad on Fair Rosamond and her bower is in Percy’s Reliques.

  Pl. 58.2–3 Gwendolen dancing to the timbrel/Of War In triumph after the drowning of Pharaoh’s hosts in the Red Sea, ‘Miriam… took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances’ (Exodus 15:20).

  3–4 she divides in twain… the People fall around In time of war (such as the Napoleonic wars) the English people are divided. Those who support the war and those who oppose it both suffer.

  11 The Hermaphroditic Condensations Supporters of war (hermaphroditic because monstrous and barren).

  12 The obdurate Forms Opposers of war.

  19–20 the comingling… Hermaphroditic May refer (1) to the meaningless Truce of Amiens between England and France, 1802; (2) to the rationalist (Deist) philosophy shared by England and France.

  21–51 Los still labours, but Urizen for the time being directs. It is a time of false peace; hence the building has the illusion of restoring the divine order in which all nations are within Albion. But this unity is enforced only by the logic of empire.

  Pl. 59.10 Four Universes round the Mundane Egg See M 34.32–9. The Mundane Egg is the material world in a state of contracted collapse which will nevertheless incubate Eternity. The four universes are the places of the Zoas, left chaotic when the world collapsed inwards.

  23 Cathedrons Looms The workshop of Enitharmon and her daughters, who are also daughters of Los. Their work is redemptive, as they weave the flesh.

  55 In Exodus 35:5–6, 25–6, Moses asks ‘whosoever is of a willing heart’ to bring offerings for the tabernacle of ‘blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair’, and ‘all the women whose hearts stirred them up in wisdom’ spun these gifts. The point is that the gifts are offered freely, not by command.

  Pl. 60.10–37 The Lamb’s song to Jerusalem mildly rebukes her for giving way to despair (she was subdued by Vala in Pl. 45; despairing, she burst away from Albion’s bosom with a groan, and was given a space in Erin on the verge of Beulah, in Pl. 48).

  18 Nimrods Tower The Tower of Babel.

  Mizraim Egypt.

  20 Tesshina Unexplained; possibly B.’s misreading of Shinar, which is near Chaldea.

  36 I will lead thee thro the Wilderness God led the Hebrews through the wilderness by a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud.

  42–3 her reason grows like/The Wheel of Hand Jerusalem’s reason becomes controlled by doubt instead of certainty, as is shown in her next speech.

  67 lo I am with thee always The close of the first Gospel: ‘Lo I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world’ (Matthew 28:20).

  68 Only believe From the story of the raising of Jairus’ dead daughter: ‘Be not afraid, only believe… the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth’ (Mark 5:36, 39).

  69 Thy Brother Lazarus–Albion.

  Pl. 61 An interpolation. Jerusalem has been condemned for impurity. So, too, was Mary, when found pregnant out of wedlock. Blake reinterprets the story of Joseph’s doubt(cleared up by an angel in Matthew 1:19–20). In his version, Mary is indeed ‘impure’ but is freely forgiven by both God and Joseph.

  61.2 And be comforted O Jerusalem ‘Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned’ (Isaiah 40:1–2).

  6 Art thou more pure ‘Shall a man be more pure than his maker?’ (Job 4:17).

  16 his Angel in my dream In the gospel story, the angel tells Joseph that Mary has conceived of the Holy Ghost. Here, the angel insists on forgiveness of sin, implying that Mary has sinned; attribution to the Holy Ghost (1.27) in this context is ambiguous; perhaps the Holy Ghost has inspired Mary to sin so that she can be forgiven.

  30–33 Emanating into gardens… Jordan Mary’s joy at being forgiven fills all the known world with joy. Euphrates, Gihon, Hiddekel and Pison are the four rivers of Eden. Arnon and Jordan flow into the Dead Sea.

  33 And I heard the voice Blake hears the voice of Jerusalem, exiled like Ruth among the reapers.

  34–5 or am I/Babylon come up to Jerusalem? ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come… And the Gentiles shall come to thy light’ (Isaiah 60:1–3).

  35 And another voice answerd The voice of Vala–Babylon, ‘with whom the Kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication’ (Revelation 17:2), realizing the possibility of forgiveness.

  39–40 in the days of her Infancy… person ‘Thus saith the Lord God unto Jerusalem… thou was cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee… Live’ (Ezekiel 16:3–6). The remainder of Ezekiel 16 catalogues the abominations of Jerusalem, and the punishments to follow, but promises in the end a renewed covenant.

  52 Every Harlot was once a Virgin In ‘To The Accuser who is The God of This World’ (p. 863): ‘Every Harlot was a Virgin once/Nor canst thou ever change Kate into Nan.’

  Pl. 62.7 Shall Vala bring thee forth! Shall the Saviour be born of woman in the state of Nature?

  8–12 the Maternal Line… Mary The twelve women named are all biblical mothers, but the lineage is B.’s invention, fashioned to include ‘heathen’ daughters as ancestresses of Christ. Cainah, ‘wife of Cain’, Ada, Zillah, Cain’s daughters-in-law. Naamah, Zillah’s daughter, Noah’s wife. Shuah’s daughter, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, all were alien women who became linked to the Hebrews. Bathsheba, mistress of David, mother of Solomon. Naamah, wife of Solomon, mother of apostate King Jehoash. Mary, mother of Jesus.

  15 From the Lazarus story: ‘Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unt
o her, I am the resurrection and the life’ (John 11:23–5)

  16 I know that in my flesh I shall see God ‘though… worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God’ (Job 19:25).

  29 Lo. I am always with thee See 60.67 n.

  30 Luvahs Cloud The imagery returns to war and human sacrifice.

  38–9 the Vision of God… Spectres The Vision was obscured by Rationalism.

  Pl. 63 The remaining episodes in Chapter 3 are visions in Los’s furnaces helplessly perceived by Los.

  5 Luvah slew Tharmas Revolutionary France suppressed free speech and simple honesty.

  6 To justice in… Paris British troops occupied France in 1814 and again, after Napoleon’s Hundred Days, in 1815.

  7 Vala… the Daughter of Luvah Vala is Luvah’s emanation; figuratively, his daughter. She takes vengeance on Albion by producing a Walpurgisnacht of superstition.

  9 Thor & Friga Norse gods of War and Love.

  12 the Dividing of Reuben & Benjamin A re-enactment of the separation between Albion and Israel. Reuben is Israel’s oldest son, Benjamin his youngest.

  21 the Looking Glass of Enitharmon A Platonic image for this world as a mere reflection of eternity. In B.’s Vision of the Last Judgment: ‘There exist in the eternal world the permanent realities of everything which we see reflected in this vegetable glass of Nature.’

  38 the Murder was put apart The murder of Luvah by Albion.

  P1. 64.6 The following episode is the triumph of Vala–Nature as a goddess of War.

  31 A dark Hermaphrodite they stood Vala–Nature united with Albion’s Spectre–Reason. See For the Sexes: The Gates of Paradise, 1.15 (p. 862 below).

  35 Derby Peak yawnd a horrid Chasm This peak and underground caverns are in the Pennines.

  38 Caves of Machpelah Burial place of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and their wives.

  P1. 65.1 To decide Two Worlds Vala and the Spectre decide between two worlds, and choose ‘Justice’ or ‘Wrath’ (punishment) for Luvah–France, and ‘Mercy’ or ‘Pity’ (military impunity) for Albion.

  5–56] Adapted and expanded from FZ VII [b] 92.9–53. In this and the following passages, the Napoleonic wars incorporate and recapitulate all past wars.

  9 poisonous blue The woad with which the ancient British warriors painted their bodies.

  21–2 intricate wheels… To perplex youth The factory system of the Industrial Revolution, and the rationalism on which it is founded. Technology here is handmaiden of War.

  33–4 We were carried away… in ships closd up Pressgangs and the Navy.

  47 Luvah–France’s usurpation of the horses of the sun: Passion trying to be Reason. The Phaethon story here refers specifically to the failure of the French Revolution.

  56–7 The sacrifice of Luvah–France is a Druid act.

  P1. 66.2 They build a stupendous Building Stonehenge is built as the justification for ‘punishment’ of France. The axis of Stonehenge points directly to the rising sun on midsummer’s day (see 1. 5). Hence it represents ‘Natural Religion’ – Nature-worship – and ‘Natural Morality’ (1. 8).

  12 Her Two Covering Cherubs Stonehenge is here identified with the Hebrew Tabernacle, which had two cherubim covering the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies.

  13 Cove & Stone of Torture The horseshoe structure surrounding the central ‘altar stone’ at Stonehenge.

  20–28 The Knife of flint… his heart The sacrifice of Luvah continues, combining elements of circumcision (in which flint knives were used), crucifixion, flaying and Aztec sacrifice, in which the priests cut out the hearts of their victims.

  41–3 The Divine Vision… globe of blood Chronological sequence of visions: Moses’ burning bush, the pillar of fire which led the Hebrews in Exodus, Ezekiel’s wheel. A ‘globe of blood’ divides from Los and develops into Enitharmon in BU Pls. 13–18, M 3.29–33, f 86.50–58.

  46–8 The Human form… Albion’s Tree B. elsewhere treats Nature as a vast, spreading poisonous polypus, and Morality as a vast, spreading, poisonous tree. These symbols now coalesce, and become further identified with the branches of Man’s nervous system, circulatory system and reproductive organs. In brief, the agents of human sacrifice become like their victims: their own humanity is sacrificed.

  55 As the Mistletoe grows on the Oak Parasitically.

  59 Plinlimmon… Snowdon Mountains in Wales.

  62 Gwendolen… shuttle… Cambel… beam The daughters of Albion are weaving at the loom of War. The fibres used are human tissues, and the cutting of the fibres (67.11) continues the imagery of human sacrifice.

  79 high Mona From Lycidas 54, ‘the shaggy top of Mona high’, a supposed Druidic site.

  Pl. 67.1 the blood of their Covenant From Exodus 24:8 and Hebrews 13:20, ‘the blood of the everlasting covenant’.

  2 Rahab & Tirzah These two figures collectively represent female cruelty, Rahab as mistress–whore, Tirzah as mother.

  12 Calling the Rocks Atomic Origins The philosophy of Epicurus and Lucretius.

  23 Josephs Coat Joseph’s brothers stripped off his coat of many colours and dipped it in goat’s blood to simulate his death (Genesis 37:31–3).

  26–7 the Rock/Of Horeb Mt Sinai.

  29 Beth Peor The burial place of Moses, adjacent to the Promised Land.

  41–2 The slaying of Philistine Sisera by Jael, who drove a nail through his head, epitomizes female control of man’s mind, supposedly ‘for his own good’.

  67.44–68.9 Tirzah’s speech: her cruelty to Man is all in the name of Love. The passage is adapted from FZ VIII.105.30–53.

  P1. 68.3 Ebal, Mount of cursing The stones of the Law were placed in Mt Ebal, and a curse pronounced on offenders (Deuteronomy 27).

  17–18 Thor & Friga… Generation Norse, Gentile and Greek gods of War (male) and Love (female) are worshipped by the warriors. B. mistakenly treats Chemosh (associated with Molech) as female.

  22–3 Ephraim… Valley of the Jebusite Place-names within Israel, approaching Jerusalem. Olivet is the Mount of Olives.

  30 Bring your Offerings The Daughters of Albion adore ‘strong men’ and will give their love only to warriors who slay the innocent.

  38 Havilah to Shur Region of the outcast Ishmaelites (Genesis 25:18).

  43–4 Camberwell, Wimbledon, Walton, Esher Suburbs of London; Stonehenge is west, Malden east.

  51 Smitten as Uzzah Uzzah was struck dead for touching the ark of God (1 Chronicles 13:10). B.’s interpretation of ark and spear is sexual.

  53–70 The Warrior–lover’s speech to the Daughter(s) of Albion makes clear B.’s major point that war is a sublimation of unsatisfied sexuality.

  55–61 Rehob in Hamath… Meribah Kadesh The latter was a stopping-place for the Hebrews in the wilderness whence spies were sent to survey Canaan. They surveyed the land up to ‘Rehob, as men come to Hamath’ (Numbers 13:21). B. interprets this episode as a provocation to war.

  P1. 69.6 The One Male is not a unity, for all the men who compose him are in competition with each other.

  11 Leah & Rachel Jacob’s two competing jealous wives.

  14–31 Beulah… Vegetating Death The sacred tabernacle of the Israelites was an image of sexuality, as experienced in the dream-world in Beulah. But in the physical world sexuality binds men down to the cycle of life and death.

  32 the Spectres of the Dead awake in Beulah Beulah becomes infected by the lower world.

  38–44 (1) A final opposition between the conventional sexuality of ‘a Secret Place’ versus true embracings of whole beings; (2) a final opposition between the conventional religion of a veiled sanctuary accessible only to the High Priest versus the true holiness embodied in all God’s people. The tabernacle of the Hebrews in the wilderness was surrounded by their tents, yet the common people were forbidden to enter it. The veil of this tabernacle was rent when Jesus died.

  45 Wandering Reuben The ‘wandering Jew’.

  P1. 70.1 mighty Hand Leader of the Sons of Albion, and representing them all. He is three-headed
like Cerberus, for the brothers Robert, John and Leigh Hunt, publishers of The Examiner; and for the rational trinity, Bacon, Newton and Locke.

  17–18 Rahab/Sat deep within him Rahab, the whore, controls Hand by promises of sensual delight. She has a heart where a brain should be.

  P1. 71.10–49 A catalogue of the territories belonging to the children of Albion in Eternity. (Wiltshire and Staffordshire are named twice; Lancashire is omitted.)

  50–51 the Four Sons of Jerusalem… Bromion In Milton and in f 15.22, these are the four loyal sons of Los. Their loyalty unites them also to Jerusalem.

  P1. 72.1–27 A catalogue of correspondences between the counties of Ireland and the twelve tribes of Israel. The Four Camps (1. 2) corresponding to the Four Provinces of Ireland were the historic groupings of the Hebrews in the wilderness.

  32 And Thirty-two the Nations The design in this plate shows two angels weeping next to a globe on which is inscribed: ‘Continually Building. Continually Decaying because of Love & Jealousy.’

  50–51 Fenelon, Guion, Teresa The seventeenth-century quietist theologian; his female disciple, imprisoned for her opinions; Teresa of Avila, the renowned sixteenth-century mystic and leader in the Catholic Reformation. Whitefield, the Methodist evangelist; Hervey, author of Meditations Among the Tombs. All are praised for retaining and propagating their faith despite opposition.

  53 Mirror-writing: ‘Women the comforters of Men become the Tormentors & Punishers’.

  P1. 73.16 Los’s four sons examine the constellations ruled by these biblical giants.

  28 Peleg & Joktan were the two sons of Eber; in their day ‘was the earth divided’ (Genesis 10:25). Esau & Jacob were the competing sons of Isaac. Saul tried to kill David, who later succeeded him as king. The three pairs of men represent the enmities caused by ‘contraction’ of human vision.

  29 Voltaire An attack on Voltaire’s scorn of Christianity.

  35–7] A list of kings and conquerors spiritually descended from Satan. B. deleted 1. 37.