William Blake. ASIA (from the Song of Los) The Kings of Asia heard The howl rise up from Europe! And each ran out from his Web; From his ancient woven Den; For the darkness of Asia was startled At the thick-flaming, thought-creating fires of Orc. And the Kings of Asia stood And cried in bitterness of soul. Shall not the King call for Famine from the heath? Nor the Priest, for Pestilence from the fen? To restrain! to dismay! to thin! The inhabitants of mountain and plain; In the day, of full-feeding prosperity; And the night of delicious songs. Shall not the Councellor throw his curb Of Poverty on the laborious? To fix the price of labour; To invent allegoric riches: And the privy admonishers of men Call for fires in the City For heaps of smoking ruins, In the night of prosperity & wantonness To turn man from his path, To restrain the child from the womb, To cut off the bread from the city, That the remnant may learn to obey. That the pride of the heart may fail; That the lust of the eyes may be quenchd: That the delicate ear in its infancy May be dulld; and the nostrils closd up; To teach mortal worms the path That leads from the gates of the Grave. Urizen heard them cry! And his shuddring waving wings Went enormous above the red flames Drawing clouds of despair thro the heavens Of Europe as he went: And his Books of brass iron & gold Melted over the land as he flew, Heavy-waving, howling, weeping. And he stood over Judea: And stayd in his ancient place: And stretchd his clouds over Jerusalem; For Adam, a mouldering skeleton Lay bleachd on the garden of Eden; And Noah as white as snow On the mountains of Ararat. Then the thunders of Urizen bellowd aloud From his woven darkness above. Orc raging in European darkness Arose like a pillar of fire above the Alps Like a serpent of fiery flame! The sullen Earth Shrunk! Forth from the dead dust rattling bones to bones Join: shaking convulsd the shivring clay breathes And all flesh naked stands: Fathers and Friends; Mothers & Infants; Kings & Warriors: The Grave shrieks with delight, & shakes Her hollow womb, & clasps the solid stem: Her bosom swells with wild desire: And milk & blood & glandous wine.
Posted on: Sun, 01 Dec 2013 04:39:26 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015