Hughes' Jerusalem 5

                                                 II 

"The Temptation of Los and his Contentions with his Spectre"
This Title appears on page 53 of the Jerusalem text  and page 164 of the Commentary.

In this image, Plate 6 of Jerusalem we see Los at his furnace staring up at his Spectre.

(Los is Sol spelled backward. The Sun provides physical energy; Los spiritual energy.)

" Twas outward a Sun: inward Los in his might" in a letter to Butts; (E722)

(Hughes page 164)

                                                                 Here is the text:

PLATE 6

"His spectre driv'n by the Starry Wheels of Albions sons, black and 

Opake divided from his back; he labours and he mourns!

For as his Emanation divided, his Spectre also divided 

In terror of those starry wheels: and the Spectre stood over Los 

Howling in pain: a blackning Shadow, blackning dark & opake 

Cursing the terrible Los: bitterly cursing him for his friendship 

To Albion, suggesting murderous thoughts against Albion. 

Los rag'd and stamp'd the earth in his might & terrible wrath! 

He stood and stampd the earth! then he threw down his hammer in rage & 

In fury: then he sat down and wept, terrified! Then arose 

And chaunted his song, labouring with the tongs and hammer: 

But still the Spectre divided, and still his pain increas'd!

148

In pain the Spectre divided: in pain of hunger and thirst:" 

From Hughes' Commentary p.164:

Our prophets and poets keep the spark of divine energy. He mentioned the mythical Prometheus, who, like Los worked with fire.

Los repesents all of us; each goes through the same temptations and failures of Los,  to 

overcome our Spectre who drives us to live in 'this world' instead of becoming open to the Eternal. We may go to church faithfully every Sunday, but that's entirely different from openness to God.

Blake had an "especially stern and inner struggle" with the 'main chance' which crippled him from true intuition and creativity....

until he went to Felpham!!

On Hughes page 165 he quotes this letter to Butts as follows:

"And now let me finish with assuring you that Tho I have been

very unhappy I am so no longer I am again Emerged into the light of Day I still & shall to Eternity Embrace Christianity and Adore him who is the Express image of God but I have traveld thro Perils & Darkness not unlike a Champion I have Conquerd and shall still Go on Conquering Nothing can withstand the fury of my Course among the Stars of God & in the Abysses of the Accuser"

The 'accuser' in this case is the same as the Spectre.