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| Wikipedia Commons Illustrations to Young's Night Thoughts |
You can't turn poetry into prose and not lose the essence which has been distilled into elusive images. But you can live with the images until they begin to yield that essence. Blake's Horses of Light are an image which deserves to be lived with.
We know that the Horses of Light were connected to the initial incident which initiated the fall of the Eternal Man into disunity. The Horses of Light belonged to Urizen, the Prince of Light but he agreed to exchange them with Luvah, the Cup Bearer of the Eternals for the Wine of the Almighty.
Four Zoas, Night V, Page 64, (E 344)
[Urizen speaks]
I well remember for I heard the mild & holy voice
Saying O light spring up & shine & I sprang up from the deep
He gave to me a silver scepter & crownd me with a golden crown
& said Go forth & guide my Son who wanders on the ocean
I went not forth. I hid myself in black clouds of my wrath
I calld the stars around my feet in the night of councils dark
The stars threw down their spears & fled naked away
We fell. I siezd thee dark Urthona In my left hand falling
I siezd thee beauteous Luvah thou art faded like a flower
And like a lilly is thy wife Vala witherd by winds
When thou didst bear the golden cup at the immortal tables
Thy children smote their fiery wings crownd with the gold of heaven
PAGE 65
Thy pure feet stepd on the steps divine. too pure for other feet
And thy fair locks shadowd thine eyes from the divine effulgence
Then thou didst keep with Strong Urthona the living gates of heaven
But now thou art bound down with him even to the gates of hell
Because thou gavest Urizen the wine of the Almighty
For steeds of Light that they might run in thy golden chariot of pride
I gave to thee the Steeds I pourd the stolen wine
And drunken with the immortal draught fell from my throne sublime"
In Blake's Milton there is has an account of a similar exchange. Palamabron was convinced to relinquish the Harrow of the Almighty to Satan, Prince of the Starry Hosts and the Wheels of Heaven. Palamabron would assume the labor at Satan's Mills. However Palamabron could not control Satan's horses: the energies which provide order in the universe. Nor could Satan maintain order among the horses and servants who with Palamabron provided the conditions for the work of the Almighty to proceed.
Milton, Plate 4, (E 97)
"Beneath the Plow of Rintrah & the harrow of the Almighty
In the hands of Palamabron. Where the Starry Mills of Satan
Are built beneath the Earth & Waters of the Mundane Shell
Here the Three Classes of Men take their Sexual texture Woven
The Sexual is Threefold: the Human is Fourfold"
Milton, Plate 7, (E 100)
"The first, The Elect from before the foundation of the World:
The second, The Redeem'd. The Third, The Reprobate & form'd
To destruction from the mothers womb: follow with me my plow!
Of the first class was Satan: with incomparable mildness;
His primitive tyrannical attempts on Los: with most endearing love
He soft intreated Los to give to him Palamabrons station;
For Palamabron returnd with labour wearied every evening
Palamabron oft refus'd; and as often Satan offer'd
His service till by repeated offers and repeated intreaties
Los gave to him the Harrow of the Almighty; alas blamable
Palamabron. fear'd to be angry lest Satan should accuse him of
Ingratitude, & Los believe the accusation thro Satans extreme
Mildness. Satan labour'd all day. it was a thousand years
In the evening returning terrified overlabourd & astonish'd
Embrac'd soft with a brothers tears Palamabron, who also wept
Mark well my words! they are of your eternal salvation
Next morning Palamabron rose: the horses of the Harrow
Were maddend with tormenting fury, & the servants of the Harrow
The Gnomes, accus'd Satan, with indignation fury and fire."
Milton, Plate 8, (E 101)
"Mean while wept Satan before Los, accusing Palamabron;
Himself exculpating with mildest speech. for himself believ'd
That he had not opress'd nor injur'd the refractory servants.
But Satan returning to his Mills (for Palamabron had serv'd
The Mills of Satan as the easier task) found all confusion
And back return'd to Los, not fill'd with vengeance but with tears,
Himself convinc'd of Palamabrons turpitude. Los beheld
The servants of the Mills drunken with wine and dancing wild
With shouts and Palamabrons songs, rending the forests green
With ecchoing confusion, tho' the Sun was risen on high.
Then Los took off his left sandal placing it on his head,
Signal of solemn mourning: when the servants of the Mills
Beheld the signal they in silence stood, tho' drunk with wine.
Los wept! But Rintrah also came, and Enitharmon on
His arm lean'd tremblingly observing all these things
And Los said. Ye Genii of the Mills! the Sun is on high
Your labours call you! Palamabron is also in sad dilemma;
His horses are mad! his Harrow confounded! his companions enrag'd.
Mine is the fault! I should have remember'd that pity divides the soul
And man, unmans: follow with me my Plow. this mournful day
Must be a blank in Nature: follow with me, and tomorrow again
Resume your labours, & this day shall be a mournful day"
Perhaps we can apply what Jung said about form and energy in relationship to the archetypes, to what Blake was saying about the exchange of psychic roles among his characters. On page 36 of Four Archetypes, by C. G. Jung, he states:
"The structure is something given, the precondition that is found to be present in every case. And this is the mother, the matrix - the form into which all experience is poured. The father, on the other hand, represents the dynamism of the archetype, for the archetype consists of both - form and energy."
If Blake's Zoas are archetypal figures it is appropriate to present them a being comprised of both a static and a dynamic component. The energy of the Zoa, according to Blake's system, will cause disastrous consequences if handed over to another Zoa.
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