Jerusalem. The Emanation of the Giant Albion/Plate 29

by William Blake

Jerusalem The Emanation of The Giant Albion, copy A, object 29, "Turning his back to the Divine Vision...."

[ PLATE 29 [33a] ]

Turning his back to the Divine Vision, his SpectrousChaos before his face appeard: an Unformed Memory.

Then spoke the Spectrous Chaos to Albion darkning coldFrom the back & loins where dwell the Spectrous Dead

5I am your Rational Power O Albion & that Human FormYou call Divine, is but a Worm seventy inches longThat creeps forth in a night & is dried in the morning sunIn fortuitous concourse of memorys accumulated & lostIt plows the Earth in its own conceit, it overwhelms the Hills10Beneath its winding labyrinths, till a stone of the brookStops it in midst of its pride among its hills & rivers[.] Battersea & Chelsea mourn, London & Canterbury trembleTheir place shall not be found as the wind passes over[.] The ancient Cities of the Earth remove as a traveller15And shall Albions Cities remain when I pass over themWith my deluge of forgotten remembrances over the tablet

So spoke the Spectre to Albion. he is the Great SelfhoodSatan: Worshipd as God by the Mighty Ones of the EarthHaving a white Dot calld a Center from which branches out20A Circle in continual gyrations. this became a HeartFrom which sprang numerous branches varying their motionsProducing many Heads three or seven or ten, & hands & feetInnumerable at will of the unfortunate contemplatorWho becomes his food[:] such is the way of the Devouring Power

25And this is the cause of the appearance in the frowning Chaos[.]Albions Emanation which he had hidden in jealousyAppeard now in the frowning Chaos prolific upon the ChaosReflecting back to Albion in Sexual Reasoning Hermaphroditic

Albion spoke. Who art thou that appearest in gloomy pomp30Involving the Divine Vision in colours of autumn ripenessI never saw thee till this time, nor beheld life abstractedNor darkness immingled with light on my furrowd fieldWhence camest thou! who art thou O loveliest? the Divine VisionIs as nothing before thee, faded is all life and joy

35Vala replied in clouds of tears Albions garment embracingI was a City & a Temple built by Albions Children. I was a Garden planted with beauty I allured on hill & valleyThe River of Life to flow against my walls & among my treesVala was Albions Bride & Wife in great Eternity40The loveliest of the daughters of Eternity when in day-breakI emanated from Luvah over the Towers of JerusalemAnd in her Courts among her little Children offering upThe Sacrifice of fanatic love! why loved I Jerusalem! Why was I one with her embracing in the Vision of Jesus45Wherefore did I loving create love, which never yetImmingled God & Man, when thou & I, hid the Divine VisionIn cloud of secret gloom which behold involve me round aboutKnow me now Albion: look upon me I alone am BeautyThe Imaginative Human Form is but a breathing of Vala50I breathe him forth into the Heaven from my secret CaveBorn of the Woman to obey the Woman O Albion the mightyFor the Divine appearance is Brotherhood, but I am Love