Page:Life of William Blake, Gilchrist.djvu/180

 But it proves ineffectual against Fuzon's fiery beam:—

Wounded and enraged, Urizen prepares a bow formed of the ribs of a huge serpent—'a circle of darkness'—and strung with its sinews, by which Fuzon is smitten down into seeming death. In the midst of the conflict, Ahania, who is called 'the parted soul of Urizen,' is cast forth:—

Her lamentation, from which we draw our final extract, fills the concluding portion of the poem:—

While intent on the composition and execution of these mystic books, Blake did not neglect the humble task-work which secured him a modest independence. He was at this time busy on certain plates for a book of travels, Captain J. G. Stedman's Narrative of a Five Years Expedition against the Revolted Negroes of Surinam. This work, 'illustrated