However, there is no cue from the
manuscript
about exactly where these lines should be inserted, so Erdman's placement of them is conjectural.
Blake - Zoas
[ Art thou not my slave & shalt thou dare
To smite me with thy tongue beware lest I sting also thee,]
Who art thou Diminutive husk & shell* [
Broke from my bonds I scorn my prison & yet I love]
If thou hast sinnd & art polluted know that I am pure*
And unpolluted & will bring to rigid strict account
All thy past deeds [So] hear what I tell thee! mark it well! remember! *
This world is [Mine] Thine in which thou dwellest that within thy soul*
That dark & dismal infinite where Thought roams up & down
Is [thine] Mine & there thou goest when with one Sting of my tongue
Envenomd thou rollst inwards to the place [of death & hell where] whence I emergd
She trembling answerd Wherefore was I born & what am I
[A sorrow & a fear a living torment & naked Victim]
I thought to weave a Covering [from his] for my Sins from wrath of Tharmas*
{This entire paragraph, internally revised, is marked for deleting, evidently, by two diagonal strike out lines. The page image should be consulted LFS}
PAGE 7 Examining the sins of Tharmas I have soon found my own
O slay me not thou art his Wrath embodied in Deceit
I thought Tharmas a Sinner & I murderd his Emanations *
His secret loves & Graces Ah me wretched What have I done *
For now I find that all those Emanations were my Childrens Souls *
And I have murderd them with Cruelty above atonement *
Those that remain have fled from my cruelty into the desarts
Singing with both to ownAnd thou the delusive tempter to these deeds sittest before me *
(illegible)But where is (illegible) Tharmas all thy soft delusive beauty cannot
Tempt me to murder honest lovemy own soul & wipe my tears & smile
In this thy world for ah! hownot mine tho dark I feel my world within *
The Spectre said Thou sinful Woman. was it thy desire
That I should hide thee with my power & delight thee with my beauty
And now there darknest in my presence, never from my sight
Shalt thou depart to weep in secret. In my jealous wings
I evermore will hold thee when though goest out or comest in
Tis thou hast darkend all My World O Woman lovely bare
Thus they contended? all the day, among the Caves of Tharmas
Twisting in fearful forms & hoisting howling harsh shrieking
Howling harsh shrieking, mingling their bodies pain in burning anguish
Mingling his horrible brightness with her tender limbs; then high she soar'd *
ShriekingAbove the ocean; a bright wonder that Beulah shudder'd atNature *
Half Woman & half Spectre, all his lovely changing colours mix *
With her fair crystal clearness; in her lips & cheeks his poisons rose *
In blushes like the morning, and his scaly armour softening *
A monster lovely in the heavens or wandering on the earth, *
With Spectre voice incessant waiting, in incessant thirst>
Beauty all blushing with desire mocking her fell despair>
Wandering desolate, a wonder abhorr'd by Gods & Men
PAGE 8 Till with fierce pain she brought forth on the rocks her sorrow & woe
Behold two [little Infants wept]upon the desolate wind. *
[Then forms of horror howled]
The first state weeping they began & helpless as a wave
Beaten along its sightless way growing enormous in its motion to
Its utmost goal, till strength from Enion like richest summer shining *
Raisd the [bright][fierce]boy & girl with glories from their heads out beaming *
Drawing forth drooping mothers pity drooping mothers sorrow *
But those in Great Eternity Met in the Council of God
As One Man hovering over Gilead & Hermon
He is the Good Shepherd He is the Lord & Master
To Create Man Morning by Morning to Give gifts at Noon day
Enion brooded, oer the rocks, the rough rocks vegetating groaning vegetate
Such power was given to the Solitary wanderer.
The barked Oak, the long limbed Beech; the Ches'nut tree; the Pine.
[] [] The Pear tree mild, the frowning Walnut, the sharp Crab, & Apple sweet,
The rough bark opens; twittering peep forth little beaks & wings
The Nightingale, the Goldfinch, Robin, Lark, Linnet & Thrush
The Goat leap'd from the craggy Rock cliff, the Sheep awoke from the mould
Upon its green stalk the Corn, waving innumerable
Infolding the bright Infants from the desolating winds
They sulk upon her breast her hair became like snow on mountains
Weaker & weaker, weeping woful, wearier and wearier
Faded & her bright Eyes decayd melted with pity & love
PAGE 9
[And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains]
{These lines in the top margin were erased and replaced with an image of Christ in an orb. GD}
And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains
Rehumanizing from the Spectre in pangs of maternal love
Ingrate they wanderd scorning her drawing her life majesticSpectrous Life
Repelling her away & away by a dread repulsive power
Into Non Entity revolving around in dark despair.
[Till they had drawn the Spectre quite away from Enion]
And drawing in the Spectrous life in pride and haughty joy
Thus Enion gave them all her spectrous life in dark despair.
Then Eno [Ono] a daughter of Beulah took a Moment of Time *
And drew it out to twenty years Seven thousand years with much care & affliction *
And many tears & in the twenty Every years gave visions toward heaven made windows into Eden *
She also took an atom of space & opend its center
Into Infinitude & ornamented it with wondrous art
{This is where Erdman puts these 2 lines, which appear diagonally on the page in the upper-left corner, near the exta-marginal block of text which is inserted after line 7.
However, there is no cue from the manuscript about exactly where these lines should be inserted, so Erdman's placement of them is conjectural. GD}
Astonishd sat her Sisters of Beulah to see her soft affections
To Enion & her children & they ponderd these things wondring
And they Alternate kept watch over the Youthful terrors
They saw not yet the Hand Divine for it was not yet reveald
But they went on in Silent Hope & Feminine repose
But Los & Enitharmon delighted in the Moony spaces of Eno *
Nine Times they livd among the forests, feeding on sweet fruits
And nine bright Spaces wanderd weaving mazes of delight
Snaring the wild Goats for their milk they eat the flesh of Lambs
A male & female naked & ruddy as the pride of summer
Alternate Love & Hate his breast; hers Scorn & Jealousy
In embryon passions. they kiss'd not nor embrac'd for shame & fear They ? kissd ? not nor for ? shame they embracd not
{This line penciled in above the ink line. GD} His head beamd light & in his vigorous voice was prophesyNor kissd nor em. . . hand in hand [in a] sulty paradise. . . ? these ? Lovers ? swum the deep
{These fragments penciled in above the ink line.
To smite me with thy tongue beware lest I sting also thee,]
Who art thou Diminutive husk & shell* [
Broke from my bonds I scorn my prison & yet I love]
If thou hast sinnd & art polluted know that I am pure*
And unpolluted & will bring to rigid strict account
All thy past deeds [So] hear what I tell thee! mark it well! remember! *
This world is [Mine] Thine in which thou dwellest that within thy soul*
That dark & dismal infinite where Thought roams up & down
Is [thine] Mine & there thou goest when with one Sting of my tongue
Envenomd thou rollst inwards to the place [of death & hell where] whence I emergd
She trembling answerd Wherefore was I born & what am I
[A sorrow & a fear a living torment & naked Victim]
I thought to weave a Covering [from his] for my Sins from wrath of Tharmas*
{This entire paragraph, internally revised, is marked for deleting, evidently, by two diagonal strike out lines. The page image should be consulted LFS}
PAGE 7 Examining the sins of Tharmas I have soon found my own
O slay me not thou art his Wrath embodied in Deceit
I thought Tharmas a Sinner & I murderd his Emanations *
His secret loves & Graces Ah me wretched What have I done *
For now I find that all those Emanations were my Childrens Souls *
And I have murderd them with Cruelty above atonement *
Those that remain have fled from my cruelty into the desarts
Singing with both to ownAnd thou the delusive tempter to these deeds sittest before me *
(illegible)But where is (illegible) Tharmas all thy soft delusive beauty cannot
Tempt me to murder honest lovemy own soul & wipe my tears & smile
In this thy world for ah! hownot mine tho dark I feel my world within *
The Spectre said Thou sinful Woman. was it thy desire
That I should hide thee with my power & delight thee with my beauty
And now there darknest in my presence, never from my sight
Shalt thou depart to weep in secret. In my jealous wings
I evermore will hold thee when though goest out or comest in
Tis thou hast darkend all My World O Woman lovely bare
Thus they contended? all the day, among the Caves of Tharmas
Twisting in fearful forms & hoisting howling harsh shrieking
Howling harsh shrieking, mingling their bodies pain in burning anguish
Mingling his horrible brightness with her tender limbs; then high she soar'd *
ShriekingAbove the ocean; a bright wonder that Beulah shudder'd atNature *
Half Woman & half Spectre, all his lovely changing colours mix *
With her fair crystal clearness; in her lips & cheeks his poisons rose *
In blushes like the morning, and his scaly armour softening *
A monster lovely in the heavens or wandering on the earth, *
With Spectre voice incessant waiting, in incessant thirst>
Beauty all blushing with desire mocking her fell despair>
Wandering desolate, a wonder abhorr'd by Gods & Men
PAGE 8 Till with fierce pain she brought forth on the rocks her sorrow & woe
Behold two [little Infants wept]upon the desolate wind. *
[Then forms of horror howled]
The first state weeping they began & helpless as a wave
Beaten along its sightless way growing enormous in its motion to
Its utmost goal, till strength from Enion like richest summer shining *
Raisd the [bright][fierce]boy & girl with glories from their heads out beaming *
Drawing forth drooping mothers pity drooping mothers sorrow *
But those in Great Eternity Met in the Council of God
As One Man hovering over Gilead & Hermon
He is the Good Shepherd He is the Lord & Master
To Create Man Morning by Morning to Give gifts at Noon day
Enion brooded, oer the rocks, the rough rocks vegetating groaning vegetate
Such power was given to the Solitary wanderer.
The barked Oak, the long limbed Beech; the Ches'nut tree; the Pine.
[] [] The Pear tree mild, the frowning Walnut, the sharp Crab, & Apple sweet,
The rough bark opens; twittering peep forth little beaks & wings
The Nightingale, the Goldfinch, Robin, Lark, Linnet & Thrush
The Goat leap'd from the craggy Rock cliff, the Sheep awoke from the mould
Upon its green stalk the Corn, waving innumerable
Infolding the bright Infants from the desolating winds
They sulk upon her breast her hair became like snow on mountains
Weaker & weaker, weeping woful, wearier and wearier
Faded & her bright Eyes decayd melted with pity & love
PAGE 9
[And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains]
{These lines in the top margin were erased and replaced with an image of Christ in an orb. GD}
And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains
Rehumanizing from the Spectre in pangs of maternal love
Ingrate they wanderd scorning her drawing her life majesticSpectrous Life
Repelling her away & away by a dread repulsive power
Into Non Entity revolving around in dark despair.
[Till they had drawn the Spectre quite away from Enion]
And drawing in the Spectrous life in pride and haughty joy
Thus Enion gave them all her spectrous life in dark despair.
Then Eno [Ono] a daughter of Beulah took a Moment of Time *
And drew it out to twenty years Seven thousand years with much care & affliction *
And many tears & in the twenty Every years gave visions toward heaven made windows into Eden *
She also took an atom of space & opend its center
Into Infinitude & ornamented it with wondrous art
{This is where Erdman puts these 2 lines, which appear diagonally on the page in the upper-left corner, near the exta-marginal block of text which is inserted after line 7.
However, there is no cue from the manuscript about exactly where these lines should be inserted, so Erdman's placement of them is conjectural. GD}
Astonishd sat her Sisters of Beulah to see her soft affections
To Enion & her children & they ponderd these things wondring
And they Alternate kept watch over the Youthful terrors
They saw not yet the Hand Divine for it was not yet reveald
But they went on in Silent Hope & Feminine repose
But Los & Enitharmon delighted in the Moony spaces of Eno *
Nine Times they livd among the forests, feeding on sweet fruits
And nine bright Spaces wanderd weaving mazes of delight
Snaring the wild Goats for their milk they eat the flesh of Lambs
A male & female naked & ruddy as the pride of summer
Alternate Love & Hate his breast; hers Scorn & Jealousy
In embryon passions. they kiss'd not nor embrac'd for shame & fear They ? kissd ? not nor for ? shame they embracd not
{This line penciled in above the ink line. GD} His head beamd light & in his vigorous voice was prophesyNor kissd nor em. . . hand in hand [in a] sulty paradise. . . ? these ? Lovers ? swum the deep
{These fragments penciled in above the ink line.
