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| British Library Four Zoas Manuscript Page 133 |
Four Zoas, Night IX, Page 132, (E 401)
"Joy thrilld thro all the Furious form of Tharmas humanizing
Mild he Embracd her whom he sought he raisd her thro the heavens
Sounding his trumpet to awake the Dead on high he soard
Over the ruind worlds the smoking tomb of the Eternal Prophet
PAGE 133
The Eternal Man arose he welcomd them to the Feast
The feast was spread in the bright South & the Eternal Man
Sat at the feast rejoicing & the wine of Eternity
Was servd round by the flames of Luvah all day & all the night
And Many Eternal Men sat at the golden feast to see
The female form now separate They shudderd at the horrible thing
Not born for the sport and amusement of Man but born to drink up all his powers
They wept to see their shadows they said to one another this is Sin
This is the Generative world they rememberd the Days of old
And One of the Eternals spoke All was silent at the feast
Man is a Worm wearied with joy he seeks the caves of sleep
Among the Flowers of Beulah in his Selfish cold repose
Forsaking Brotherhood & Universal love in selfish clay
Folding the pure wings of his mind seeking the places dark
Abstracted from the roots of Science then inclosd around
In walls of Gold we cast him like a Seed into the Earth
Till times & spaces have passd over him duly every morn
We visit him covering with a Veil the immortal seed
With windows from the inclement sky we cover him & with walls
And hearths protect the Selfish terror till divided all
In families we see our shadows born. & thence we know | Ephesians
That Man subsists by Brotherhood & Universal Love | iii c.
We fall on one anothers necks more closely we embrace | 10 v
Not for ourselves but for the Eternal family we live
Man liveth not by Self alone but in his brothers face
Each shall behold the Eternal Father & love & joy abound
So spoke the Eternal at the Feast they embracd the New born Man
Calling him Brother image of the Eternal Father. they sat down
At the immortal tables sounding loud their instruments of joy
Calling the Morning into Beulah the Eternal Man rejoicd
When Morning dawnd The Eternals rose to labour at the Vintage
Beneath they saw their sons & daughters wondering inconcievable
At the dark myriads in Shadows in the worlds beneath
The morning dawnd Urizen rose & in his hand the Flail
Sounds on the Floor heard terrible by all beneath the heavens
Dismal loud redounding the nether floor shakes with the sound
PAGE 134
And all Nations were threshed out & the stars threshd from their husks
Then Tharmas took the Winnowing fan the winnowing wind furious
Above veerd round by the violent whirlwind driven west & south
Tossed the Nations like Chaff into the seas of Tharmas
O Mystery Fierce Tharmas cries Behold thy end is come
Art thou she that made the nations drunk with the cup of Religion
Go down ye Kings & Councellors & Giant Warriors
Go down into the depths go down & hide yourselves beneath
Go down with horse & Chariots & Trumpets of hoarse war
Lo how the Pomp of Mystery goes down into the Caves"
Ephesians 3
[8] Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
[9] And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
[10] To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
[11] According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
[12] In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
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| British
Museum Illustrations to Young's Night Thoughts |
The process which Blake described was one of building and destroying, of discovering truth and rejecting falsehood, being elevated and being brought low. Embracing the 'New born Man' required that the 'labour at the vintage' continue. The old wine had to be eliminated for the new wine to be formed. The wheat and chaff had to be separated.
As the Eternals sat at the feast, they recapitulated the account of man's history in the material world as it appeared to them. They became reconciled to man as a brother in their family when they acknowledged that 'Man subsists by Brotherhood & Universal Love'. The scripture to which Blake refers, Ephesians 3:10 states: "To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God." This a reciprocal arrangement: what is beheld on earth is beheld in heaven and the reverse is equally true.
The vintage included eliminating the aspect of Luvah which included emotional excesses of a sexual nature which were associated with the mystery religions.
Harold Bloom, in Blake's Apocalypse, on page 280 states the situation in this way:
"Now the vegetative mysteries are over; the dying gods are dead, and only the human is to remain. The wine of life is separated from the lees of the deathly, and the dying-god aspect of man's emotional being is 'put for dung on the ground,' to fertilize the new birth of nature that will cease to be cyclic. The wine of ages, the waters of a more abundant life, are carried off in a harvest festival of rejoicing by everything in man that is more creative."
The image from Night Thoughts can be seen as the wrath of God treading out the vintage represented by the fallen rulers of the nations of the world.
Romans 1
[18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
[19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
[20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
[21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
Revelation 14
[18] And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
[19] And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
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