Vala, or The Four Zoas/Night the Third

[ page 37 ]

Now sat the King of Light on high upon his starry throne And bright Ahania bow'd herself before his splendid feet

O Urizen look on Me. like a mournful stream I Embrace round thy knees & wet My bright hair with my tears: Why sighs my Lord! are not the morning stars thy obedient Sons Do they not bow their bright heads at thy voice? at thy command Do they not fly into their stations & return their light to thee The immortal Atmospheres are thine, there thou art seen in glory Surrounded by the ever changing Daughters of the Light Why wilt thou look upon futurity darkning present joy

She ceas'd the Prince his light obscurd & the splendors of his crown

[ page 38 (III 13-27)]

Infolded in thick clouds, from whence his mighty voice burst forth

O bright [Ahania] a Boy is born of the dark Ocean Whom Urizen doth serve, with Light replenishing his darkness I am set here a King of trouble commanded here to serve And do my ministry to those who eat of my wide table All this is mine yet I must serve & that Prophetic boy Must grow up to command his Prince but hear my determind Decree Vala shall become a Worm in Enitharmons Wombt Laying her seed upon the fibres soon to issue forth And Luvah in the loins of Los a dark & furious death

Alas for me! what will become of me at that dread time? Ahania bow'd her head & wept seven days before the King And on the eighth day when his clouds unfolded from his throne She rais'd her bright head sweet perfumd & thus with heavenly voice

O Prince the Eternal One hath set thee leader of his hosts

[ page 39 (III 30-47) ]

Leave all futurity to him Resume thy fields of Lightt Why didst thou listen to the voice of Luvah that dread morn To give the immortal steeds of light to his deceitful hands No longer now obedient to thy will thou art compell'd	 To forge the curbs of iron & brass to build the iron mangers	5 To feed them with intoxication from the wine presses of Luvah Till the Divine Vision & Fruition is quite obliterated They call thy lions to the fields of blood, they rowze thy tygers Out of the halls of justice, till these dens thy wisdom framd Golden & beautiful but O how unlike those sweet fields of bliss Where liberty was justice & eternal science was mercy Then O my dear lord listen to Ahania, listen to the vision The vision of Ahania in the slumbers of Urizen When Urizen slept in the porch & the Ancient Man was smittent

The Darkning Man walkd on the steps of fire before his halls And Vala walkd with him in dreams of soft deluding slumber He looked up & saw thee Prince of Light thy splendor faded But saw not Los nor Enitharmon for Luvah hid them in shadow

[ page 40 (III 48-66) ]

In a soft cloud Outstretch'd across, & Luvah dwelt in the cloud Then Man ascended mourning into the splendors of his palace Above him rose a Shadow from his wearied intellect Of living gold, pure, perfect, holy; in white linen pure he hover'd	 A sweet entrancing self delusion, a watry vision of Man Soft exulting in existence all the Man absorbing Man fell upon his face prostrate before the watry shadow Saying O Lord whence is this change thou knowest I am nothing And Vala trembled & coverd her face, & her locks. were spread on the pavement I heard astonishd at the Vision & my heart trembled within me I heard the voice of the Slumberous Man & thus he spoke Idolatrous to his own Shadow words of Eternity uttering O I am nothing when I enter into judgment with thee If thou withdraw thy breath I die & vanish into Hades If thou dost lay thine hand upon me behold I am silent If thou withhold thine hand I perish like a fallen leaf O I am nothing & to nothing must return again If thou withdraw thy breath, behold I am oblivion He ceasd: the shadowy voice was silent; but the cloud hoverd over their heads

[ page 41 (III 67-84)]

In golden wreathes, the sorrow of Man & the balmy drops fell down And Lo that Son of Man, that shadowy Spirit of the Fallen One Luvah, descended from the cloud; In terror Albion rose- Indignant rose the Awful Man & turnd his back on Vala Why roll thy clouds in sick'ning mists. I can no longer hide	5 The dismal vision of mine Eyes, O love & life & light! Prophetic dreads urge me to speak. futurity is before me Like a dark lamp. Eternal death haunts all my expectation Rent from Eternal Brotherhood we die & are no more I heard the Voice of Albion starting from his sleep “Whence is this voice crying Enion that soundeth in my ears O cruel pity! O dark deceit! can Love seek for dominion And Luvah strove to gain dominion over the mighty Albion They strove together above the Body where Vala was inclos'd	 And the dark Body of Albion left prostrate upon the crystal pavement Coverd with boils from head to foot. the terrible smitings of Luvah Then frownd the Fallen Man & put forth Luvah from his presence (I heard him: frown not Urizen: but listen to my Vision) [ page 42 (III 85-108) ]

Saying, Go & die the Death of Man for Vala the sweet wanderer I will turn the volutions of your Ears outward; & bend your Nostrils Downward; & your fluxile Eyes englob'd, roll round in fear Your withring Lips & Tongue shrink up into a narrow circle Till into narrow forms you creep. Go take your fiery way And learn what 'tis to absorb the Man you Spirits of Pity & Love O Urizen why art thou pale at the visions of Ahania Listen to her who loves thee lest we also are driven away. They heard the Voice & fled swift as the winters setting sun And now the Human Blood foamd high, I saw that Luvah & Vala Went down the Human Heart where Paradise & its joys abounded In jealous fears in fury & rage, & flames roll'd round their fervid feet And the vast form of Nature like a Serpent play'd before them And as they went in folding fires & thunders of the deep Vala shrunk in like the dark sea that leaves its slimy banks And from her bosom Luvah fell far as the east & west And the vast form of Nature like a Serpent roll'd between. She ended. for [from] his wrathful throne burst forth the black hail storm Am I not God said Urizen. Who is Equal to me Do I not stretch the heavens abroad or fold them up like a garment	20 He spoke mustering his heavy clouds around him black opake

[ page 43 (III 109-39) ]

Then thunders rolld around & lightnings darted to & fro His visage changd to darkness & his strong right hand came forth To cast Ahania to the Earth be siezd her by the hair And threw her from the steps of ice that froze around his throne Saying Art thou also become like Vala. thus I cast thee out Shall the feminine indolent bliss. the indulgent self of weariness The passive idle sleep the enormous night & darkness of Death Set herself up to give her laws to the active masculine virtue Thou little diminutive portion that darst be a counterpart Thy passivity thy laws of obedience & insincerity Are my abhorrence. Wherefore hast thou taken that fair form Whence is this power given to thee! once thou wast in my breast A sluggish current of dim waters. on whose verdant margin A cavern shaggd with horrid shades. dark cool & deadly. where I laid my head in the hot noon after the broken clods Had wearied me. there I laid my plow & there my horses fed And thou hast risen with thy moist locks into a watry image Reflecting all my indolence my weakness & my death To weigh me down beneath the grave into non Entity Where Luvah strives scorned by Vala age after age wandering Shrinking & shrinking from her Lord & calling him the Tempter And art thou also become like Vala thus I cast thee out. So loud in thunders spoke the King folded in dark despair And threw Ahania from his bosom obdurate She fell like lightning Then fled the sons of Urizen from his thunderous throne petrific They fled to East & West & left the North & South of Heaven A crash ran thro the immense The bounds of Destiny were broken The bounds of Destiny crashd direful & the swelling Sea Burst from its bonds in whirlpools fierce roaring with Human voice Triumphing even to the Stars at bright Ahanias fall Down from the dismal North the Prince in thunders & thick clouds

[ page 44 (III 140-67) ]

As when the thunderbolt down falleth on the appointed place Fell down down rushing ruining thundering shuddering Into the Caverns of the Grave & places of Human Seed Where the impressions of Despair & Hope enroot forever A world of Darkness. Ahania fell far into Non Entity	5 She Continued falling. Loud the Crash continud loud & Hoarse From the Crash roared a flame of blue sulphureous fire from the flame A dolorous groan that struck with dumbness all confusion Swallowing up the horrible din in agony on agony Thro the Confusion like a crack across from immense to immense Loud strong a universal groan of death louder Than all the wracking elements deafend & rended worse Than Urizen & all his hosts in curst despair down rushing But from the Dolorous Groan one like a shadow of smoke appeard And human bones rattling together in the smoke & stamping The nether Abyss & gnasshing in fierce despair. panting in sobs Thick short incessant bursting sobbing. deep despairing stamping struggling Struggling to utter the voice of Man struggling to take the features of Man. Struggling To take the limbs of Man at length emerging from the smoke Of Urizen dashed in pieces from his precipitant fall Tharms reard up his hands & stood on the affrighted Ocean The dead reard up his Voice & stood on the resounding shore Crying. Fury in my limbs. destruction in my bones & marrow My skull riven into filaments. my eyes into sea jellies Floating upon the tide wander bubbling & bubbling Uttering my lamentations & begetting little monsters Who sit mocking upon the little pebbles of the tide In all my rivers & on dried shells that the fish [ page 45 (III 168-99) ]

Have quite forsaken. O fool fool to lose my sweetest bliss Where art thou Enion ah too near to cunning too far off And yet too near. Dashd down I send thee into distant darkness Far as my strength can hurl thee wander there & laugh & play Among the frozen arrows they will tear thy tender flesh Fall off afar from Tharmas come not too near my strong fury Scream & fall off & laugh at Tharmas lovely summer beauty Till winter rends thee into Shivers as thou hast rended me So Tharmas bellowd oer the ocean thundring sobbing bursting The bounds of Destiny were broken & hatred now began Instead of love to Enion. Enion blind & age bent Plungd into the cold billows living a life in midst of waters In terrors she witherd away to Entuthon Benithon A world of deep darkness where all things in horrors are rooted These are the words of Enion heard from the cold waves of despair O Tharmas I had lost thee. & when I hoped I had found thee O Tharmas do not thou destroy me quite but let A little shadow. but a little showery form of Enion Be near thee loved Terror. let me still remain & then do thou Thy righteous doom upon me. only let me hear thy voice Driven by thy rage I wander like a cloud into the deep Where never yet Existence came, there losing all my life I back return weaker & weaker, consume me not away In thy great wrath. tho I have sinned. tho I have rebelld Make me not like the things forgotten as they had not been Make not the thing that loveth thee. a tear wiped away Tharmas replied riding on storms his voice of Thunder rolld Image of grief thy fading lineaments make my eyelids fail What have I done! both rage & mercy are alike to me Looking upon thee Image of faint waters. I recoil From my fierce rage into thy semblance. Enion return Why does thy piteous face Evanish like a rainy cloud

[ page 46 (III 200-11) ]

Melting. a shower of falling tears. nothing but tears! Enion: Substanceless. voiceless, weeping. vanishd. nothing but tears! Enion Art thou for ever vanishd from the watry eyes of Tharmas Rage Rage shall never from my bosom. winds & waters of woe Consuming all to the end consuming Love and Hope are ended For now no more remaind of Enion in the dismal air Only a voice eternal wailing in the Elements Where Enion, blind & age bent wanderd Ahania wanders now She wanders in Eternal fear of falling into the indefinite For her bright eyes behold the Abyss. sometimes a little sleep Weighs down her eyelids then she falls then starting wakes in fears Sleepless to wander round repelld on the margin of Non Entity

End of the Third Night