With happiness stretchd across the hills

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With happiness stretchd across the hills In a cloud that dewy sweetness distills With a blue sky spread over with wings And a mild sun that mounts & sings With trees & fields full of Fairy elves And little devils who fight for themselves Remembring the Verses that Hayley sung When my heart knockd against the root of my tongue With Angels planted in Hawthorn bowers And God himself in the passing hours With Silver Angels across my way And Golden Demons that none can stay With my Father hovering upon the wind And my Brother Robert just behind And my Brother John the evil one In a black cloud making his mone Tho dead they appear upon my path Notwithstanding my terrible wrath They beg they intreat they drop their tears Filld full of hopes filld full of fears With a thousand Angels upon the Wind Pouring disconsolate from behind To drive them off & before my way A frowning Thistle implores my stay What to others a trifle appears Fills me full of smiles or tears For double the vision my Eyes do see And a double vision is always with me With my inward Eye 'tis an old Man grey With my outward a Thistle across my way “If thou goest back the thistle said Thou art to endless woe betrayd For here does Theotormon lower And here is Enitharmons bower And Los the terrible thus hath sworn Because thou backward dost return Poverty Envy old age & fear Shall bring thy Wife upon a bier And Butts shall give what Fuseli gave A dark black Rock & a gloomy Cave.” I struck the Thistle with my foot And broke him up from his delving root “Must the duties of life each other cross” “Must every joy be dung & dross” “Must my dear Butts feel cold neglect” “Because I give Hayley his due respect' “Must Flaxman look upon me as wild” “And all my friends be with doubts beguild' “Must my Wife live in my Sisters bane” “Or my sister survive on my Loves pain' “The curses of Los the terrible shade” “And his dismal terrors make me afraid” So I spoke & struck in my wrath The old man weltering upon my path Then Los appeard in all his power In the Sun he appeard descending before My face in fierce flames in my double sight Twas outward a Sun: inward Los in his might

“My hands are labourd day & night” “And Ease comes never in my sight” “My Wife has no indulgence given” “Except what comes to her from heaven” “We eat little we drink less” “This Earth breeds not our happiness” “Another Sun feeds our lifes streams” “We are not warmed with thy beams” “Thou measurest not the Time to me” “Nor yet the Space that I do see” “My Mind is not with thy light arrayd” “Thy terrors shall not make me afraid”

When I had my Defiance given The Sun stood trembling in heaven The Moon that glowd remote below Became leprous & white as snow And every Soul of men on the Earth Felt affliction & sorrow & sickness & dearth Los flamd in my path & the Sun was hot With the bows of my Mind & the Arrows of Thought My bowstring fierce with Ardour breathes My arrows glow in their golden sheaves My brothers & father march before The heavens drop with human gore

Now I a fourfold vision see And a fourfold vision is given to me  Tis fourfold in my supreme delight And three fold in soft Beulahs night And twofold Always. May God us keep From Single vision & Newtons sleep