Page:Works of William Blake; poetic, symbolic, and critical (1893) Volume 2.djvu/277

 MILTON.

The Preface to Milton springs from Blake's central idea, namely, that Imagination is common to all, is the future basis of brotherhood, is inspiration, heaven, and Christianity. But there is true and false imagination and much that pretends to be of the true, notably classic art and myth, has only been stolen from it, and perverts what was once visionary creation of states of mind into allegoric reference to the changes of matter. Matter, or the lower mind of the fine senses, should be used as symbol for the higher mind, and not vice versa.

In "ancient time" visionary freedom and the conduct of life were one. Christ, the Imagination, stood with Albion, the ancient Man. He shall return again aided by the Bow, sexual symbolism, the arrow, desire, the spear, male potency, the chariot, joy. The mental weapons shall build Jerusalem in England, that is to say, shall give mental freedom to man, once more.

Book I.

P. 1, ll. 1 to 5. Blake bids the daughters of Beulah, the beautiful forms of mental life, to descend through his right arm, and so on to the paper before him, that is to say through the executive portion of his mind, so into manifestation as poetic utterances.

The labouring inspired man, as Los, faces towards the east; his right arm is therefore southern and mental.

They are to tell the history of Milton's journey through the realms of thought and dream, and also of that sensuous world below or outside the realms of Beulah which makes Jesus, that is the Imagination, its prey, for it is the sense of touch which