Page:Works of William Blake; poetic, symbolic, and critical (1893) Volume 2.djvu/209

 Rh Preface to Chapter II.

P. 27. — The preface to the second chapter is addressed "To the Jews," notwithstanding that Redemption is the chief subject of the chapter.

In the triad, — Head — Heart — Loins, — with its equivalents Creation — Redemption — Judgment, it is evident that Redemption corresponds to Heart. The tribes typify those states that dwell "above" (or more inward than) the states called after the names of the sons of Albion (compare p. 71, 1. 3.) These were in the region of Creation, and as fallen Man is head downwards, the heart is over the head. It is more inward, for mere Reason is essentially exterior. The progress of the story is from without inwards.

The Jews are "Sons of Jerusalem," and of Albion in so far as Jerusalem is his Emanation. The first prose paragraph announces that the meaning of this is that through them, all mental states or truths, called "Nations," will be united in one religion, the confession of the mental supremacy of Imagination, or the "Religion of Jesus," — Jesus being understood always as a symbolic name for organized inspiration applied to human purposes through the Human Form, whose Head, Heart, Loins are Mercy, Pity, Peace, — the opposites of Envy, Revenge, Cruelty, which are the Satanic, or Reasoning Head, Heart, Loins corresponding to Demonstration, Egotism, Law.

Albion and the Druids are spoken of in their pre-natal state, that is to say before Imagination fell under the chaotic, or merely remembering and reasoning state resulting from that attention to the delusions of experience which is the creation, — outer nature having only existence though this state of mind.

A poem follows, summing up the mental story about to be told in more extended form.

VOL, II 13 *