Sometimes you know something so well you don't know it at all. I realized that truth again on rereading a poem I long since thought I knew.
Today I heard a (rather indifferent) recording Sir Hubert Parry's setting of the preface to Milton by William Blake -- better known as Jerusalem (note, Blake wrote Jerusalem: The Emanation of The Giant Albion and this is not that work -- yes, it's confusing).
Today I heard a (rather indifferent) recording Sir Hubert Parry's setting of the preface to Milton by William Blake -- better known as Jerusalem (note, Blake wrote Jerusalem: The Emanation of The Giant Albion and this is not that work -- yes, it's confusing).
See photograph of text at right.
The poem was inspired by the story that a young Jesus, accompanied by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, traveled to the area that is now England and visited Glastonbury.
What I didn't realize until I bothered rereading the text this afternoon was that it does not affirm the story of Jesus in England but rather Blake poses is as a question.
Blake says that there may, or may not, have been such a visit, when there was briefly heaven in England. But that was then; now, he says, we are faced with the challenge of creating such a country once again.
Here's Blake's poem
And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen !
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills ?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills ?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my Chariot of fire !
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land.
The poem was inspired by the story that a young Jesus, accompanied by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, traveled to the area that is now England and visited Glastonbury.
What I didn't realize until I bothered rereading the text this afternoon was that it does not affirm the story of Jesus in England but rather Blake poses is as a question.
Blake says that there may, or may not, have been such a visit, when there was briefly heaven in England. But that was then; now, he says, we are faced with the challenge of creating such a country once again.
Here's Blake's poem
And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands pleasant pastures seen !
And did the Countenance Divine,
Shine forth upon our clouded hills ?
And was Jerusalem builded here,
Among these dark Satanic Mills ?
Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my Chariot of fire !
I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands green & pleasant Land.
5 comments:
Thanks for the post Morton. I always enjoy your blog because so few bloggers say anything about culture. (I guess Charles Lamb was right when he said that "Lawyer were, I suppose, children once.") Blake is one of my favorite, as is Coleridge. I hope you see my blog sometimes, I try to connect poetry and politics as much as possible. http://kirbycairo.blogspot.com/
Thanks again.
Thanks -- and readers do check out Kirby's blog -- some very good stuff.
Enough stroking. Blake was nuts and saw stuff that wasn't there.
LP,
Perhaps, but as William Wordsworth remarked, "There was no doubt that this poor man was mad, but there is something in the madness of this man which interests me more than the sanity of Lord Byron and Walter Scott."
j
My favourite from "The Tyger" by Blake:
When the stars threw down their spears
And watered heaven with their tears
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
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