Jerusalem. The Emanation of the Giant Albion/Plate 31a
Jerusalem The Emanation of The Giant Albion, copy E, object 31 (Bentley 31, Erdman 45, Keynes 31)
His western heaven with rocky clouds of death & despair.
Fearing that Albion should turn his back against the Divine VisionLos took his globe of fire to search the interiors of AlbionsBosom, in all the terrors of friendship, entering the caves5Of despair & death, to search the tempters out, walking amongAlbions rocks & precipices! caves of solitude & dark despair,And saw every Minute Particular of Albion degraded & murderdBut saw not by whom; they were hidden within in the minute particularsOf which they had possessd themselves; and there they take up10The articulations of a mans soul, and laughing throw it downInto the frame, then knock it out upon the plank, & souls are bak'dIn bricks to build the pyramids of Heber & Terah. But LosSearchd in vain: closd from the minutia he walkd, difficult.He came down from Highgate thro Hackney & Holloway towards London15Till he came to old Stratford & thence to Stepney & the IsleOf Leuthas Dogs, thence thro the narrows of the Rivers sideAnd saw every minute particular, the jewels of Albion, running downThe kennels of the streets & lanes as if they were abhorrd.Every Universal Form, was become barren mountains of Moral20Virtue: and every Minute Particular hardend into grains of sand:And all the tendernesses of the soul cast forth as filth & mire,Among the winding places of deep contemplation intricateTo where the Tower of London frownd dreadful over Jerusalem:A building of Luvah builded in Jerusalems eastern gate to be25His secluded Court: thence to Bethlehem where was buildedDens of despair in the house of bread: enquiring in vainOf stones and rocks he took his way, for human form was none:And thus he spoke, looking on Albions City with many tears
What shall I do! what could I do, if I could find these Criminals30I could not dare to take vengeance; for all things are so constructedAnd builded by the Divine hand, that the sinner shall always escape,And he who takes vengeance alone is the criminal of Providence;If I should dare to lay my finger on a grain of sandIn way of vengeance; I punish the already punishd: O whom35Should I pity if I pity not the sinner who is gone astray!O Albion, if thou takest vengeance; if thou revengest thy wrongsThou art for ever lost! What can I do to hinder the SonsOf Albion from taking vengeance? or how shall I them perswade.
So spoke Los, travelling thro darkness & horrid solitude:40And he beheld Jerusalem in Westminster & Marybone,Among the ruins of the Temple: and Vala who is her Shadow,Jerusalems Shadow bent northward over the Island white.At length he sat on London Stone, & heard Jerusalems voice.
Albion I cannot be thy Wife. thine own Minute Particulars,45Belong to God alone. and all thy little ones are holyThey are of Faith & not of Demonstration: wherefore is ValaClothd in black mourning upon my rivers currents, Vala awake!I hear thy shuttles sing in the sky, and round my limbsI feel the iron threads of love & jealousy & despair.
50Vala reply'd. Albion is mine! Luvah gave me to AlbionAnd now recieves reproach & hate. Was it not said of oldSet your Son before a man & he shall take you & your sonsFor slaves: but set your Daughter before a man & SheShall make him & his sons & daughters your slaves for ever!55And is this Faith? Behold the strife of Albion, & LuvahIs great in the east, their spears of blood rage in the eastern heavenUrizen is the champion of Albion, they will slay my Luvah:And thou O harlot daughter! daughter of despair art allThis cause of these shakings of my towers on Euphrates.60Here is the House of Albion, & here is thy secluded placeAnd here we have found thy sins: & hence we turn thee forth,For all to avoid thee: to be astonishd at thee for thy sins:Because thou art the impurity & the harlot: & thy children!Children of whoredoms: born for Sacrifice: for the meat & drink65Offering: to sustain the glorious combat & the battle & warThat Man may be purified by the death of thy delusions.
So saying she her dark threads cast over the trembling River:And over the valleys; from the hills of Hertfordshire to the hillsOf Surrey across Middlesex & across Albions House70Of Eternity! pale stood Albion at his eastern gate,