Page:William Blake, a critical essay (Swinburne).djvu/338

296 .

(A is heard coming on.)

. O Earth, cover not thou my blood! cover not thou my blood!

(Enter the of .)

. Thou visionary Phantasm, thou art not the real Abel.

. Among the Elohim a Human Victim I wander: I am their House,

Prince of the Air, and our dimensions compass Zenith and Nadir.

Vain is thy Covenant, O Jehovah: I am the Accuser and Avenger

Of Blood; Earth, cover not thou the blood of Abel.

. What vengeance dost thou require?

.

. He who shall take Cain's life must also die, O Abel;

And who is he? Adam, wilt thou, or Eve, thou, do this?

. It is all a vain delusion of the all- creative Imagination.

Eve, come away, and let us not believe these vain delusions.

Abel is dead, and Cain slew him; We shall also die a death

And then—what then? be as poor Abel, a Thought; or as

This? O what shall I call thee, Form Divine, Father of Mercies,

That appearest to my Spiritual Vision? Eve, seest thou also?

. I see him plainly with my mind's eye: I see also Abel living;

Tho' terribly afflicted, as we also are: yet Jehovah sees him

Alive and not dead; were it not better to believe Vision

With all our might and strength, tho' we are fallen and lost?

. Eve, thou hast spoken truly; let us kneel before his feet.

(They kneel before .)

. Are these the sacrifices of Eternity, O Jehovah? a broken spirit

And a contrite heart? O, I cannot forgive; the Accuser hath

Entered into me as into his house, and I loathe thy Tabernacles.

As thou hast said so is it come to pass: My desire is unto Cain

And he doth rule over me: therefore my soul in fumes of blood

Cries for vengeance: Sacrifice on Sacrifice, Blood on Blood.

. Lo, I have given you a Lamb for an Atonement instead

Of the Transgressor, or no Flesh or Spirit could ever live.

. Compelled I cry, O Earth, cover not the blood of Abel.

( sinks down into the grave, from which arises armed in glittering scales with a crown and a spear.)

. I will have human blood and not the blood of bulls or goats,

And no Atonement, Jehovah; the Elohim live on Sacrifice

Of men: hence I am God of men; thou human, Jehovah.