Blake's Selected Poems Read online

  “Let the Brothels of Paris be opened”

  Let the Brothels of Paris be opened

  With many an alluring dance

  To awake the Physicians thro the city

  Said the beautiful Queen of France

  Then old Nobodaddy aloft

  Farted & belchd & coughd

  And said I love hanging & drawing & quartering

  Every bit as well as war & slaughtering

  Then he swore a great & solemn Oath

  To kill the people I am loth

  But If they rebel they must go to hell

  They shall have a Priest & a passing bell

  The King awoke on his couch of gold

  As soon as he heard these tidings told

  Arise & come both fife & drum

  And the [Famine]6 shall eat both crust & crumb

  The Queen of France just touchd this Globe

  And the Pestilence darted from her robe

  But our good Queen quite grows to the ground

  And a great many suckers grow all around

  “Who will exchange his own fire side”

  Who will exchange his own fire side

  For the stone of anothers door

  Who will exchange his wheaten loaf

  For the links of a dungeon floor

  Fayette beheld the King & Queen

  In curses & iron bound

  But mute Fayette wept tear for tear

  And guarded them around

  O who would smile on the wintry seas

  & Pity the stormy roar

  Or who will exchange his new born child

  For the dog at the wintry door

  “When Klopstock England defied”

  When Klopstock England defied

  Uprose terrible Blake in his pride

  For old Nobodaddy aloft

  Farted & Belchd & coughd

  Then swore a great oath that made heavn quake

  And calld aloud to English Blake

  Blake was giving his body ease

  At Lambeth beneath the poplar trees

  From his seat then started he

  And turnd himself round three times three

  The Moon at that sight blushd scarlet red

  The stars threw down their cups & fled

  And all the devils that were in hell

  Answered with a ninefold yell

  Klopstock felt the intripled turn

  And all his bowels began to churn

  And his bowels turned round three times three

  And lockd in his soul with a ninefold key

  That from his body it neer could be parted

  Till to the last trumpet it was farted

  Then again old nobodaddy swore

  He neer had seen such a thing before

  Since Noah was shut in the ark

  Since Eve first chose her hell fire spark

  Since twas the fashion to go naked

  Since the old anything was created

  And in pity he begd him to turn again

  And ease poor Klopstocks nine fold pain

  From pity then he redend round

  And the ninefold Spell unwound

  If Blake could do this when he rose up from shite

  What might he not do if he sat down to write

  “Great things are done when men & mountains meet”

  Great things are done when Men & Mountains meet

  This is not Done by Jostling in the Street

  “If you play a Game of Chance know before you begin”

  If you play a Game of Chance know before you begin

  If you are benevolent you will never win

  “If I eer Grow to Mans Estate”

  If I eer Grow to Mans Estate

  O Give to me a Womans fate

  May I govern all both great & small

  Have the last word & take the wall

  The Argument

  [FROM THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL]

  Rintrah roars & shakes his fires in the burdend air;

  Hungry clouds swag on the deep

  Once meek, and in a perilous path,

  The just man kept his course along

  The vale of death.

  Roses are planted where thorns grow.

  And on the barren heath

  Sing the honey bees.

  Then the perilous path was planted:

  And a river, and a spring

  On every cliff and tomb;

  And on the bleached bones

  Red clay brought forth.

  Till the villain left the paths of ease,

  To walk in perilous paths, and drive

  The just man into barren climes.

  Now the sneaking serpent walks

  In mild humility.

  And the just man rages in the wilds

  Where lions roam.

  Rintrah roars & shakes his fires in the burdend air;

  Hungry clouds swag on the deep.

  Proverbs of Hell

  In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.

  Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.

  The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.

  Prudence is a rich ugly old maid courted by Incapacity.

  He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.

  The cut worm forgives the plow.

  Dip him in the river who loves water.

  A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.

  He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.

  Eternity is in love with the productions of time.

  The busy bee has no time for sorrow.

  The hours of folly are measur’d by the clock, but of wisdom: no clock can measure.

  All wholsom food is caught without a net or a trap.

  Bring out number weight & measure in a year of dearth.

  No bird soars too high. if he soars with his own wings.

  A dead body. revenges not injuries.

  The most sublime act is to set another before you.

  If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise

  Folly is the cloke of knavery.

  Shame is Prides cloke.

  Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion.

  The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.

  The lust of the goat is the bounty of God.

  The wrath of the lion is the wisdom of God.

  The nakedness of woman is the work of God.

  Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps.

  The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword. are portions of eternity too great for the eye of man.

  The fox condemns the trap, not himself

  Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth.

  Let man wear the fell of the lion. woman the fleece of the sheep.

  The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.

  The selfish smiling fool. & the sullen frowning fool. shall be both thought wise. that they may be a rod.

  What is now proved was once, only imagin’d.

  The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbet; watch the roots, the lion, the tyger, the horse, the elephant, watch the fruits.

  The cistern contains: the fountain overflows

  One thought. fills immensity.

  Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you.

  Every thing possible to be believ’d is an image of truth.

  The eagle never lost so much time. as when he submitted to learn of the crow.

  The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion.

  Think in the morning, Act in the noon, Eat in the evening, Sleep in the night.

  He who has sufferd you to impose on him knows you.

  As the plow follows words, so God rewards prayers.

  The tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction

  Expect poison from the standing water.

  You never know what is
enough unless you know what is more than enough.

  Listen to the fools reproach! it is a kingly title!

  The eyes of fire, the nostrils of air, the mouth of water, the beard of earth.

  The weak in courage is strong in cunning.

  The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow, nor the lion. the horse; how he shall take his prey.

  The thankful reciever bears a plentiful harvest.

  If others had not been foolish. we should be so.

  The soul of sweet delight. can never be defil’d,

  When thou seest an Eagle, thou seest a portion of Genius. lift up thy head!

  As the catterpiller chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.

  To create a little flower is the labour of ages.

  Damn. braces: Bless relaxes.

  The best wine is the oldest. the best water the newest.

  Prayers plow not! Praises reap not!

  Joys laugh not! Sorrows weep not!

  The head Sublime, the heart Pathos, the genitals Beauty, the hands & feet Proportion.

  As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible.

  The crow wish’d every thing was black, the owl, that every thing was white.

  Exuberance is Beauty.

  If the lion was advised by the fox. he would be cunning.

  Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius.

  Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires

  Where man is not nature is barren.

  Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ’d.

  Enough! or Too much

  A Song of Liberty

  The Eternal Female groand! it was heard over all the Earth:

  Albions coast is sick silent; the American meadows faint!

  Shadows of Prophecy shiver along by the lakes and the rivers and mutter across the ocean! France rend down thy dungeon;

  Golden Spain burst the barriers of old Rome;

  Cast thy keys O Rome into the deep down falling, even to eternity down falling,

  And weep!

  In her trembling hands she took the new born terror howling;

  On those infinite mountains of light now barr’d out by the atlantic sea, the new born fire stood before the starry king!

  Flag’d with grey brow’d snows and thunderous visages the jealous wings wav’d over the deep.

  The speary hand burned aloft, unbuckled was the shield, forth went the hand of jealousy among the flaming hair, and hurl’d the new born wonder thro’ the starry night.

  The fire, the fire, is falling!

  Look up! look up! O citizen of London. enlarge thy countenance ; O Jew, leave counting gold! return to thy oil and wine; O African! black African! (go. winged thought widen his forehead.)

  The fiery limbs, the flaming hair, shot like the sinking sun into the western sea.

  Wak’d from his eternal sleep, the hoary element roaring fled away:

  Down rushd beating his wings in vain the jealous king: his grey brow’d councellors, thunderous warriors, curl’d veterans, among helms, and shields, and chariots horses, elephants: banners, castles, slings and rocks,

  Falling, rushing, ruining! buried in the ruins, on Urthona’s dens.

  All night beneath the ruins, then their sullen flames faded emerge round the gloomy king,

  With thunder and fire: leading his starry hosts thro’ the waste wilderness he promulgates his ten commands, glancing his beamy eyelids over the deep in dark dismay,

  Where the son of fire in his eastern cloud, while the morning plumes her golden breast,

  Spurning the clouds written with curses, stamps the stony law to dust, loosing the eternal horses from the dens of night; crying

  Empire is no more! and now the lion & wolf shall cease.

  Preludium

  [FROM AMERICA A PROPHECY]

  The shadowy daughter of Urthona stood before red Ore.

  When fourteen suns had faintly journey’d o‘er his dark abode;

  His food she brought in iron baskets, his drink in cups of iron;

  Crown’d with a helmet & dark hair the nameless female stood;

  A quiver with its burning stores, a bow like that of night,

  When pestilence is shot from heaven; no other arms she need:

  Invulnerable tho’ naked, save where clouds roll round her loins,

  Their awful folds in the dark air; silent she stood as night;

  For never from her iron tongue could voice or sound arise;

  But dumb till that dread day when Ore assay’d his fierce embrace.

  Dark virgin; said the hairy youth, thy father stern abhorr’d;

  Rivets my tenfold chains while still on high my spirit soars;

  Sometimes an eagle screaming in the sky, sometimes a lion,

  Stalking upon the mountains, & sometimes a whale I lash

  The raging fathomless abyss, anon a serpent folding

  Around the pillars of Urthona, and round thy dark limbs,

  On the Canadian wilds I fold, feeble my spirit folds.

  For chaind beneath I rend these caverns; when thou bringest food

  I howl my joy! and my red eyes seek to behold thy face

  In vain! these clouds roll to & fro, & hide thee from my sight.

  Silent as despairing love, and strong as jealousy,

  The hairy shoulders rend the links, free are the wrists of fire;

  Round the terrific loins he siez’d the panting struggling womb;

  It joy’d: she put aside her clouds & smiled her first-born smile;

  As when a black cloud shews its light’nings to the silent deep.

  Soon as she saw the terrible boy then burst the virgin cry.

  I know thee, I have found thee, & I will not let thee go;

  Thou art the image of God who dwells in darkness of Africa;

  And thou art fall’n to give me life in regions of dark death.

  On my American plains I feel the struggling afflictions

  Endur’d by roots that writhe their arms into the nether deep:

  I see a serpent in Canada, who courts me to his love;

  In Mexico an Eagle, and a Lion in Peru;

  I see a Whale in the South-sea, drinking my soul away.

  O what limb rending pains I feel. thy fire & my frost

  Mingle in howling pains, in furrows by thy lightnings rent;

  This is eternal death; and this the torment long foretold.

  The Song of Los

  AFRICA

  I will sing you a song of Los. the Eternal Prophet:

  He sung it to four harps at the tables of Eternity.

  In heart-formed Africa.

  Urizen faded! Ariston shudderd!

  And thus the Song began

  Adam stood in the garden of Eden:

  And Noah on the mountains of Ararat;

  They saw Urizen give his Laws to the Nations

  By the hands of the children of Los.

  Adam shudderd! Noah faded! black grew the sunny African

  When Rintrah gave Abstract Philosophy to Brama in the East:

  (Night spoke to the Cloud!

  Lo these Human form’d spirits in smiling hipocrisy. War

  Against one another; so let them War on; slaves to the eternal

  Elements)

  Noah shrunk, beneath the waters;

  Abram fled in fires from Chaldea;

  Moses beheld upon Mount Sinai forms of dark delusion:

  To Trismegistus. Palamabron gave an abstract Law:

  To Pythagoras Socrates & Plato.

  Times rolled on o’er all the sons of Har, time after time

  Orc on Mount Atlas howld, chain’d down with the Chain of

  Jealousy

  Then Oothoon hoverd over Judah & Jerusalem

  And Jesus heard her voice (a man of sorrows) he recievd

  A Gospel from wretch
ed Theotormon.

  The human race began to wither, for the healthy built

  Secluded places, fearing the joys of Love

  And the disease’d only propagated:

  So Antamon call’d up Leutha from her valleys of delight:

  And to Mahomet a loose Bible gave.

  But in the North, to Odin, Sotha gave a Code of War,

  Because of Diralada thinking to reclaim his joy.

  These were the Churches: Hospitals: Castles: Palaces:

  Like nets & gins & traps to catch the joys of Eternity

  And all the rest a desart;

  Till like a dream Eternity was obliterated & erased.