Page:The prophetic books of William Blake, Milton.djvu/40

 Which few dare unbar, because dread Og & Anak guard the gates

Terrific: and each mortal brain is wall'd and moated round

Within: and Og & Anak watch here: here is the Seat

Of Satan in its Webs: for in brain and heart and loins

Gates open behind Satan's Seat to the City of Golgonooza,

Which is the spiritual fourfold London, in the loins of Albion.

Thus Milton fell thro' Albion's heart, travelling outside of Humanity

Beyond the Stars in Chaos in Caverns of the Mundane Shell.

But many of the Eternals rose up from eternal tables,

Drunk with the Spirit, burning round the Couch of death they stood,

Looking down into Beulah: wrathful, fill'd with rage:

They rend the heavens round the Watchers in a fiery circle,

And round the Shadowy Eighth: the Eight close up the Couch

Into a tabernacle, and flee with cries down to the Deeps:

Where Los opens his three wide gates, surrounded by raging fires:

They soon find their own place & join the Watchers of the Ulro.

Los saw them and a cold pale horror cover'd o'er his limbs.

Pondering he knew that Rintrah & Palamabron might depart:

Even as Reuben & as Gad: gave up himself to tears.

He sat down on his anvil-stock: and leaned upon the trough,

Looking into the black water, mingling it with tears.

At last when desperation almost tore his heart in twain

He recollected an old Prophecy in Eden recorded,

And often sung to the loud harp at the immortal feasts:

That Milton of the Land of Albion should up ascend

Forwards from Ulro from the Vale of Felpham, and set free

Orc from his Chain of Jealousy: he started at the thought,

P. 19 AND down descended into Udan-Adan; it was night:

And Satan sat sleeping upon his Couch in Udan-Adan:

His Spectre slept, his Shadow woke; when one sleeps th'other wakes.

But Milton entering my Foot, I saw in the nether

Regions of the Imagination; also all men on Earth

And all in Heaven, saw in the nether regions of the Imagination,

In Ulro beneath Beulah, the vast breach of Milton's descent.

But I knew not that it was Milton, for man cannot know

What passes in his members till periods of Space & Time

Reveal the secrets of Eternity: for more extensive

Than any other earthly things, are Man's earthly lineaments. 16