Jerusalem. The Emanation of the Giant Albion/Plate 24

What have I said? What have I done? O all-powerful Human Words! You recoil back upon me in the blood of the Lamb slain in his Children. Two bleeding Contraries equally true, are his Witnesses against me We reared mighty Stones: we danced naked around them: Thinking to bring Love into light of day, to Jerusalems shame: Displaying our Giant limbs to all the winds of heaven! Sudden Shame siezd us, we could not look on one-another for abhorrence: the Blue Of our immortal Veins & all their Hosts fled from our Limbs, And wanderd distant in a dismal Night clouded & dark: The Sun fled from the Britons forehead: the Moon from his mighty loins: Scandinavia fled with all his mountains filld with groans,

O what is Life & what is Man. O what is Death? Wherefore Are you my Children, natives in the Grave to where I go Or are you born to feed the hungry ravenings of Destruction To be the sport of Accident! to waste in Wrath & Love, a weary Life, in brooding cares & anxious labours, that prove but chaff. O Jerusalem Jerusalem I have forsaken thy Courts Thy Pillars of ivory & gold: thy Curtains of silk & fine Linen: thy Pavements of precious stones: thy Walls of pearl And gold, thy Gates of Thanksgiving thy Windows of Praise: Thy Clouds of Blessing; thy Cherubims of Tender-mercy Stretching their Wings sublime over the Little-ones of Albion O Human Imagination O Divine Body I have Crucified I have turned my back upon thee into the Wastes of Moral Law: There Babylon is builded in the Waste, founded in Human desolation. O Babylon thy Watchman stands over thee in the night Thy severe judge all the day long proves thee O Babylon With provings of destruction, with giving thee thy hearts desire. But Albion is cast forth to the Potter his Children to the Builders To build Babylon because they have forsaken Jerusalem The Walls of Babylon are Souls of Men: her Gates the Groans Of Nations: her Towers are the Miseries of once happy Families. Her Streets are paved with Destruction, her Houses built with Death Her Palaces with Hell & the Grave; her Synagogues with Torments Of ever-hardening Despair squard & polishd with cruel skill Yet thou wast lovely as the summer cloud upon my hills When Jerusalem was thy hearts desire in times of youth & love. Thy Sons came to Jerusalem with gifts, she sent them away With blessings on their hands & on their feet, blessings of gold, And pearl & diamond: thy Daughters sang in her Courts: They came up to Jerusalem; they walked before Albion In the Exchanges of London every Nation walkd And London walkd in every Nation mutual in love & harmony Albion coverd the whole Earth, England encompassd the Nations, Mutual each within others bosom in Visions of Regeneration; Jerusalem coverd the Atlantic Mountains & the Erythrean, From bright Japan & China to Hesperia France & England. Mount Zion lifted his head in every Nation under heaven: And the Mount of Olives was beheld over the whole Earth: The footsteps of the Lamb of God were there: but now no more No more shall I behold him, he is closd in Luvahs Sepulcher. Yet why these smitings of Luvah, the gentlest mildest Zoa? If God was Merciful this could not be: O Lamb of God Thou art a delusion and Jerusalem is my Sin! O my Children I have educated you in the crucifying cruelties of Demonstration Till you have assum'd the Providence of God & slain your Father Dost thou appear before me who liest dead in Luvahs Sepulcher Dost thou forgive me! thou who wast Dead & art Alive? Look not so Merciful upon me O thou Slain Lamb of God I die! I die in thy arms tho Hope is banishd from me.

Thundring the Veil rushes from his hand Vegetating Knot by Knot, Day by Day, Night by Night; loud roll the indignant Atlantic Waves & the Erythrean, turning up the bottoms of the Deeps