Sunday, July 15, 2012

Plate 97

Plate 97
LC Rosenwald

PLATE 97
Awake! Awake Jerusalem! O lovely Emanation of Albion
Awake and overspread all Nations as in Ancient Time
For lo! the Night of Death is past and the Eternal Day
Appears upon our Hills: Awake Jerusalem, and come away

So spake the Vision of Albion & in him so spake in my hearing
The Universal Father. Then Albion stretchd his hand into
    Infinitude.
And took his Bow. Fourfold the Vision for bright beaming Urizen
Layd his hand on the South & took a breathing Bow of carved Gold
Luvah his hand stretch'd to the East & bore a Silver Bow bright
    shining
Tharmas Westward a Bow of Brass pure flaming richly wrought
Urthona Northward in thick storms a Bow of Iron terrible
    thundering.

And the Bow is a Male & Female & the Quiver of the Arrows of
    Love,
Are the Children of this Bow:
a Bow of Mercy & Loving-kindness:
    laying
Open the hidden Heart in Wars of mutual Benevolence Wars of Love
And the Hand of Man grasps firm between the Male & Female Loves
And he Clothed himself in Bow & Arrows in awful state Fourfold
In the midst of his Twenty-eight Cities each with his Bow
    breathing
(Erdman 256)

Notes:
Albion (as Los) naked, his right hand stretching out into ‘infiniture’, the (Spiritual) Sun in his left hand 

And took his Bow. Fourfold the Vision:
Of Urizen on the South with a golden bow. The arrows of Love
Of Luvah on the East with a silver bow.
of Tharmas on the West with a brass bow. 
Of Urthonas on the North with an iron bow.

The arrows of Love,  Are the Children of this Bow:

Blake is describing the activity of Eternity; the bows and arrows are transfigurated into Love and Children.

Corporeal Wars are changed to Wars of mutual Benevolence Wars of Love.

The plate in general is another portrait of the Apocalypse. 


No comments: