Jerusalem. The Emanation of the Giant Albion/Plate 9



Condens'd his Emanations into hard opake substances; And his infant thoughts & desires, into cold, dark, cliffs of death. His hammer of gold he siezd; and his anvil of adamant. He siez'd the bars of condens'd thoughts, to forge them: Into the sword of war: into the bow and arrow: Into the thundering cannon and into the murdering gun I saw the limbs form'd for exercise, contemn'd: & the beauty of Eternity, look'd upon as deformity & loveliness as a dry tree: I saw disease forming a Body of Death around the Lamb Of God, to destroy Jerusalem, & to devour the body of Albion By war and stratagem to win the labour of the husbandman: Awkwardness arm'd in steel: folly in a helmet of gold: Weakness with horns & talons: ignorance with a rav'ning beak! Every Emanative joy forbidden as a Crime: And the Emanations buried alive in the earth with pomp of religion: Inspiration deny'd; Genius forbidden by laws of punishment: I saw terrified; I took the sighs & tears, & bitter groans: I lifted them into my Furnaces; to form the spiritual sword. That lays open the hidden heart: I drew forth the pang Of sorrow red hot: I workd it on my resolute anvil: I heated it in the flames of Hand, & Hyle, & Coban Nine times; Gwendolen & Cambel & Gwineverra Are melted into the gold, the silver, the liquid ruby, The crysolite, the topaz, the jacinth, & every precious stone, Loud roar my Furnaces and loud my hammer is heard: I labour day and night, I behold the soft affections Condense beneath my hammer into forms of cruelty But still I labour in hope, tho' still my tears flow down. That he who will not defend Truth, may be compelld to defend A Lie: that he may be snared and caught and snared and taken That Enthusiasm and Life may not cease: arise Spectre arise! Thus they contended among the Furnaces with groans & tears; Groaning the Spectre heavd the bellows, obeying Los's frowns; Till the Spaces of Erin were perfected in the furnaces Of affliction, and Los drew them forth, compelling the harsh Spectre.