Page:William Blake, a critical essay (Swinburne).djvu/317

Rh not to be taken in literal coarseness or folly of meaning. The whole stage is elemental, the scheme one of patriarchal  Never, never, I return;

Still for victory I burn.

Living, thee alone I'll have;

And when dead I'll be thy grave.

Through the heaven and earth and hell

Thou shalt never, never quell:

I will fly and thou pursue;

Night and morn the flight renew."

(This I take to be the jealous lust of power and exclusive love speaking through the incarnate "female will." See Jerusalem again.)

(This stanza ought probably to be omitted; but I retain it as being carefully numbered for insertion by Blake: though he by some evident slip of mind or pen has put it before the preceding one.)

That is perfect Jerusalem both for style and matter. The struggle of either side for supremacy—the flight and pursuit—the vehemence and perversion—the menace and the persuasion—the separate Spectre or incarnation of sex "annihilated on the rocks" of rough law or stony circumstance and necessity—the final vision of an eternity where the jealous divided loves and personal affections "born of shame and pride" shall be destroyed or absorbed in resignation of individual office and quality—all this belongs but too clearly to the huge prophetic roll. Few however will be desirous, and none will be wise, to resign for these gigantic shadows of formless and baseless fancy the splendid exposition given by the editor (p. 76 of vol. ii). Seen by that new external illumination, though it be none of the author's kindling, his poem stands on firmer feet and is clothed with a nearer light.