" If Blake
hesitated
to choose either reading, an editor hesitates to reject either.
Blake - Zoas
" KAU}
As[c]ending into her cloudy misty garments the blue smoke rolld to revive
Her cold limbs in the absence of her Lord. Also her sons
With lives of Victims sacrificed upon an altar of brass
On the East side. Revivd her Soul with lives of beasts & birds
Slain on the Altar up ascending into her cloudy bosom
Of terrible workmanship the Altar labour of ten thousand Slaves
One thousand Men of wondrous power spent their lives in its formation
It stood on twelve steps namd after the names of her twelve sons
And was Erected at the chief entrance of Urizens hall
When Urizen descended returnd from his immense labours & travels
Descending She reposd beside him folding him around
In her bright skirts. Astonishd & Confounded he beheld
Her shadowy form now Separate he shudderd & was silent
Till her caresses & her tears revivd him to life & joy
Two wills they had two intellects & not as in times of old
This Urizen percievd & silent brooded in darkning Clouds
To him his Labour was but Sorrow & his Kingdom was Repentance
He drave the Male Spirits all away from Ahania {Alternate reading of "drove" for "drave. " KAU}
And she drave all the Females from him away {Alternate reading of "drove" for "drave. " KAU}
Los joyd & Enitharmon laughd, saying Let us go down
And see this labour & sorrow; They went down to see the woes
Of Vala & the woes of Luvah, to draw in their delights
And Vala like a shadow oft appeard to Urizen
PAGE 31
The King of Light beheld her mourning among the Brick kilns compelld
To labour night & day among the fires, her lamenting voice
Is heard when silent night returns & the labourers take their rest
O Lord wilt thou not look upon our sore afflictions
Among these flames incessant labouring, our hard masters laugh
At all our sorrow. We are made to turn the wheel for water
To carry the heavy basket on our scorched shoulders, to sift
The sand & ashes, & to mix the clay with tears & repentance
I see not Luvah as of old
I only see his feet Like pillars
of fire travelling thro darkness
& non entity {These four lines are placed to the right of the main body of text. Erdman does not note this placement in his edition. KAU}
The times are now returnd upon us, we have given ourselves
To scorn and now are scorned by the slaves of our enemies
Our beauty is coverd over with clay & ashes, & our backs
Furrowd with whips, & our flesh bruised with the heavy basket
Forgive us O thou piteous one whom we have offended, forgive
The weak remaining shadow of Vala that returns in sorrow to thee.
Thus she lamented day & night, compelld to labour & sorrow
Luvah in vain her lamentations heard; in vain his love
Brought him in various forms before her still she knew him not
PAGE 32
Still she despisd him, calling on his name & knowing him not
Still hating still professing love, still labouring in the smoke
And Los & Enitharmon joyd, they drank in tenfold joy To come in
From all the sorrow of Luvah & the labour of Urizen {These two lines struck through, but then marked (to the right of the main body of text) with the following: "To come in. " KAU}
And Enitharmon joyd Plotting to rend the secret cloud
To plant divisions in the Soul of Urizen & Ahania
But For infinitely beautiful the wondrous work arose {Erdman notes that the word "For" has been deleted in Blake. It is not so marked in the manuscript text. KAU}
In [ songs & joy ] sorrow & care. a Golden World whose porches round the heavens
And pillard halls & rooms recievd the eternal wandering stars
A wondrous golden Building; many a window many a door
And many a division let in & out into the vast unknown
[Cubed] Circled in infinite orb immoveable, within its arches all walls & cielings {According to Erdman, "The second reading is erased; yet it is supported by the reference back to "Cubes" and "window" in 33:4-5. If ears are porches, mouth, nose, and eyes had better be doors and windows; yet the concept of micromacrocosm is better expressed in "infinite orb immoveable," with its matching of the oxymoron in "primum mobile.
" If Blake hesitated to choose either reading, an editor hesitates to reject either. " KAU}
The heavens were closd & and spirits mournd their bondage night and day
And the Divine Vision appeard in Luvahs robes of blood {This line written over an erased line, possibly ending "within. " KAU}
Thus was the Mundane shell builded by Urizens strong power
Sorrowing Then went the Planters forth to plant, the Sowers forth to sow
They dug the channels for the rivers & they pourd abroad
PAGE 33
The seas & lakes, they reard the mountains & the rocks & hills
On broad pavilions, on pillard roofs & porches & high towers
In beauteous order, thence arose soft clouds & exhalations
Wandering even to the sunny orbs Cubes of light & heat {Lowercase "cubes" mended to "Cubes. " KAU}
For many a window ornamented with sweet ornaments
Lookd out into the World of Tharmas, where in ceaseless torrents {Lowercase "world" mended to "World. " KAU}
His billows roll where monsters wander in the foamy paths
On clouds the Sons of Urizen beheld Heaven walled round {Irretrievable word following "beheld. " KAU}
They weighd & orderd all & Urizen [in comfort saw] comforted saw {The erased phrase "in comfort saw" is speculation on Erdman's part. KAU}
The wondrous work flow forth like visible out of the invisible
For the Divine Lamb Even Jesus who is the Divine Vision
Permitted all lest Man should fall into Eternal Death
For when Luvah sunk down himself put on the robes of blood
Lest the state calld Luvah should cease. & the Divine Vision
Walked in robes of blood till he who slept should awake {Lines 11-15 were written over four revised and erased lines, most of which is irretrievable. KAU}
Thus were the stars of heaven created like a golden chain
To bind the Body of Man to heaven from falling into the Abyss
Each took his station, & his course began with [songs & joy] [eternal fear] sorrow & care {'songs & joy' is erased in-line, while 'eternal fear' is written below the line and then erased. EJC}
In sevens & tens & fifties, hundreds, thousands, numberd all
According to their various powers. Subordinate to Urizen
And to his sons in their degrees & to his beauteous daughters {'In sevens & tens. . . his beauteous daughters' - these 3 lines appear at the end of page 33 as a separate 3-line stanza after the section ending '. . .
As[c]ending into her cloudy misty garments the blue smoke rolld to revive
Her cold limbs in the absence of her Lord. Also her sons
With lives of Victims sacrificed upon an altar of brass
On the East side. Revivd her Soul with lives of beasts & birds
Slain on the Altar up ascending into her cloudy bosom
Of terrible workmanship the Altar labour of ten thousand Slaves
One thousand Men of wondrous power spent their lives in its formation
It stood on twelve steps namd after the names of her twelve sons
And was Erected at the chief entrance of Urizens hall
When Urizen descended returnd from his immense labours & travels
Descending She reposd beside him folding him around
In her bright skirts. Astonishd & Confounded he beheld
Her shadowy form now Separate he shudderd & was silent
Till her caresses & her tears revivd him to life & joy
Two wills they had two intellects & not as in times of old
This Urizen percievd & silent brooded in darkning Clouds
To him his Labour was but Sorrow & his Kingdom was Repentance
He drave the Male Spirits all away from Ahania {Alternate reading of "drove" for "drave. " KAU}
And she drave all the Females from him away {Alternate reading of "drove" for "drave. " KAU}
Los joyd & Enitharmon laughd, saying Let us go down
And see this labour & sorrow; They went down to see the woes
Of Vala & the woes of Luvah, to draw in their delights
And Vala like a shadow oft appeard to Urizen
PAGE 31
The King of Light beheld her mourning among the Brick kilns compelld
To labour night & day among the fires, her lamenting voice
Is heard when silent night returns & the labourers take their rest
O Lord wilt thou not look upon our sore afflictions
Among these flames incessant labouring, our hard masters laugh
At all our sorrow. We are made to turn the wheel for water
To carry the heavy basket on our scorched shoulders, to sift
The sand & ashes, & to mix the clay with tears & repentance
I see not Luvah as of old
I only see his feet Like pillars
of fire travelling thro darkness
& non entity {These four lines are placed to the right of the main body of text. Erdman does not note this placement in his edition. KAU}
The times are now returnd upon us, we have given ourselves
To scorn and now are scorned by the slaves of our enemies
Our beauty is coverd over with clay & ashes, & our backs
Furrowd with whips, & our flesh bruised with the heavy basket
Forgive us O thou piteous one whom we have offended, forgive
The weak remaining shadow of Vala that returns in sorrow to thee.
Thus she lamented day & night, compelld to labour & sorrow
Luvah in vain her lamentations heard; in vain his love
Brought him in various forms before her still she knew him not
PAGE 32
Still she despisd him, calling on his name & knowing him not
Still hating still professing love, still labouring in the smoke
And Los & Enitharmon joyd, they drank in tenfold joy To come in
From all the sorrow of Luvah & the labour of Urizen {These two lines struck through, but then marked (to the right of the main body of text) with the following: "To come in. " KAU}
And Enitharmon joyd Plotting to rend the secret cloud
To plant divisions in the Soul of Urizen & Ahania
But For infinitely beautiful the wondrous work arose {Erdman notes that the word "For" has been deleted in Blake. It is not so marked in the manuscript text. KAU}
In [ songs & joy ] sorrow & care. a Golden World whose porches round the heavens
And pillard halls & rooms recievd the eternal wandering stars
A wondrous golden Building; many a window many a door
And many a division let in & out into the vast unknown
[Cubed] Circled in infinite orb immoveable, within its arches all walls & cielings {According to Erdman, "The second reading is erased; yet it is supported by the reference back to "Cubes" and "window" in 33:4-5. If ears are porches, mouth, nose, and eyes had better be doors and windows; yet the concept of micromacrocosm is better expressed in "infinite orb immoveable," with its matching of the oxymoron in "primum mobile.
" If Blake hesitated to choose either reading, an editor hesitates to reject either. " KAU}
The heavens were closd & and spirits mournd their bondage night and day
And the Divine Vision appeard in Luvahs robes of blood {This line written over an erased line, possibly ending "within. " KAU}
Thus was the Mundane shell builded by Urizens strong power
Sorrowing Then went the Planters forth to plant, the Sowers forth to sow
They dug the channels for the rivers & they pourd abroad
PAGE 33
The seas & lakes, they reard the mountains & the rocks & hills
On broad pavilions, on pillard roofs & porches & high towers
In beauteous order, thence arose soft clouds & exhalations
Wandering even to the sunny orbs Cubes of light & heat {Lowercase "cubes" mended to "Cubes. " KAU}
For many a window ornamented with sweet ornaments
Lookd out into the World of Tharmas, where in ceaseless torrents {Lowercase "world" mended to "World. " KAU}
His billows roll where monsters wander in the foamy paths
On clouds the Sons of Urizen beheld Heaven walled round {Irretrievable word following "beheld. " KAU}
They weighd & orderd all & Urizen [in comfort saw] comforted saw {The erased phrase "in comfort saw" is speculation on Erdman's part. KAU}
The wondrous work flow forth like visible out of the invisible
For the Divine Lamb Even Jesus who is the Divine Vision
Permitted all lest Man should fall into Eternal Death
For when Luvah sunk down himself put on the robes of blood
Lest the state calld Luvah should cease. & the Divine Vision
Walked in robes of blood till he who slept should awake {Lines 11-15 were written over four revised and erased lines, most of which is irretrievable. KAU}
Thus were the stars of heaven created like a golden chain
To bind the Body of Man to heaven from falling into the Abyss
Each took his station, & his course began with [songs & joy] [eternal fear] sorrow & care {'songs & joy' is erased in-line, while 'eternal fear' is written below the line and then erased. EJC}
In sevens & tens & fifties, hundreds, thousands, numberd all
According to their various powers. Subordinate to Urizen
And to his sons in their degrees & to his beauteous daughters {'In sevens & tens. . . his beauteous daughters' - these 3 lines appear at the end of page 33 as a separate 3-line stanza after the section ending '. . .
