The four zoas poem. The Four Zoas (excerpt) by William Blake 2022-11-04
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The Four Zoas is a long and complex poem written by the English poet and painter William Blake. It is considered to be one of his most difficult and obscure works, and its meaning has been the subject of much debate among literary critics and scholars.
The Four Zoas is divided into nine sections, each of which is named after one of the four Zoas, or primal forces that are central to Blake's mythology. The Zoas are named Urizen, Luvah, Tharmas, and Urthona, and each represents a different aspect of human nature. Urizen is the force of reason and intellect, Luvah represents emotion and passion, Tharmas represents the physical body and senses, and Urthona represents the imagination and creative spirit.
The poem tells the story of the fall and eventual redemption of the Zoas, who are originally united in a state of primal unity but become separated and fallen due to their own internal conflicts and desires. The poem traces the Zoas' journey through various stages of conflict and suffering, as they struggle to reintegrate and achieve reconciliation.
One of the main themes of The Four Zoas is the tension between the individual and the collective, and the ways in which human nature can both unite and divide us. Blake uses the Zoas to explore the different aspects of human nature, and the ways in which they can conflict with one another. He also explores the role of imagination and creativity in the process of reconciliation and healing, and the importance of finding a balance between reason and emotion.
Despite its difficulty and complexity, The Four Zoas is a powerful and thought-provoking work that continues to inspire and challenge readers to this day. Its exploration of the human condition and the ways in which we can overcome our own internal conflicts and find unity and redemption remains as relevant and timeless as ever.
The Four Zoas: [1] Night the First by William Blake
Then Los smote her upon the Earth twas long eer she revivd He answer'd, darkning more with indignation hid in smiles I die not Enitharmon tho thou singst thy Song of Death Nor shalt thou me torment For I behold the Fallen Man Seeking to comfort Vala, she will not be comfortedt She rises from his throne and seeks the shadows of her garden Weeping for Luvah lost, in the bloody beams of your false morning Sickning lies the Fallen Man his head sick his heart faint Mighty atchievement of your power! So speaking he dashd him with his foot. In addition to the allegorical characters uses geographic areas in the same way to represent different levels of consciousness. O terrible wine presses of Luvah O caverns of the Grave How lovely the delights of those risen again from death O trembling joy excess of joy is like Excess of grief. I know Too late now to repent. It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity: Thus could I sing and thus rejoice: but it is not so with me.
The Four Zoas: [5] Night the Fifth by William Blake
By the eighth, open warfare breaks out between Reason Urizen and Creativity Los. . Tho' this bright world of all our joy is in the Human Brain. So saying they went down into the garden among the fruits And Enion sang among the flowers that grew among the trees And Vala said Go Tharmas weep not Go to Enion. Where is the voice of God that calld me from the silent dew Where is the Lord of Vala dost thou hide in clefts of the rock Why shouldst thou hide thyself from Vala from the soul that wanders desolate. Then love shall shew its root in deepest Hell End of the Fifth Night. If thou refusest dashd abroad on all My waves.
Is this a deed of Love I know what I have done. The hammer of Urthona sounds In the deep caves beneath; his limbs renew'd, his Lions roar Around the Furnaces and in evening sport upon the plains. VVALA: Night the Fourth But Tharmas rode on the dark Abyss. The soul and body are integrated. In the fierce flames the limbs of Mystery lay consuming with howling And deep despair. Now Los began to speak His woes aloud to Enitharmon. And Spirits of Flaming fire on high, govern'd the mighty Song.
It operates on the following levels: Historical and geographical, where cities represent different parts of Albion's body as well as other people. If you would make the poor live with temper, With pomp give every crust of bread you give; with gracious cunning Magnify small gifts; reduce the man to want a gift, and then give with pomp. Although these characters operate in the poem as individuals, they also represent the four aspects of a single person. On the second night, Urizen gains control and the heavens are created. If you would make the poor live with temper, With pomp give every crust of bread you give; with gracious cunning Magnify small gifts; reduce the man to want a gift, and then give with pomp. Feelest thou The dread I feel unknown before My voice refuses to roar And in weak moans I speak to thee This night Before the mornings dawn the Eagle calld the Vulture The Raven calld the hawk I heard them from my forests black Saying Let us go up far for soon I smell upon the wind A terror coming from the South.
It begins on the first night when Urizen and Luvah are battling for control of man. Or wisdom for a dance in the street? When in the pleasant gates of sleep I enterd I saw my Luvah like a spirit stand in the bright air Round him stood spirits like me who reard me a bright house And here I see thee house remain in my most pleasant world. They raise their faces from the earth, conversing with the Man: 'How is it we have walk'd through fires and yet are not consum'd? White as the snow Forgetfulness dumbness necessity in chains of the mind lockd up In fetters of ice shrinking. Preach temperance: say he is overgorg'd and drowns his wit In strong drink, though you know that bread and water are all He can afford. As a result, he unleashes a flood that unleashes chaos, and he loses control. Blake ultimately concluded that Swedenborg's theology was still too limited and conventional.
The Four Zoas: [4] Night the Fourth by William Blake
One Earth, one sea beneath; nor erring globes wander, but stars Of fire rise up nightly from the ocean; and one sun Each morning, like a new born man, issues with songs and joy Calling the Plowman to his labour and the Shepherd to his rest. If dashd in pieces from a rocky height I reunite in endless torment. Then the groan and the dolor are quite forgotten, and the slave grinding at the mill, And the captive in chains, and the poor in the prison, and the soldier in the field When the shatter'd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead. No, it is bought with the priceOf all that a man hath, his house, his wife, his children. She speaks to her infant race her milk Descends of down on the sand. In vain with bitter tears To melt the chain of Jealousy. Or Of all that a man hath, his house, his wife, his children.
The hammer of Urthona soundsIn the deep caves beneath; his limbs renew'd, his Lions roarAround the Furnaces and in evening sport upon the plains. If you would make the poor live with temper, With pomp give every crust of bread you give; with gracious cunning Magnify small gifts; reduce the man to want a gift, and then give with pomp. Flatter his wife, pity his children, till we can Reduce all to our will, as spaniels are taught with art. The differences between the two versions are primarily in the last two "nights". No, it is bought with the price Of all that a man hath, his house, his wife, his children.
Los his vegetable hands Outstretchd his right hand branching out in fibrous strength Siezd the Sun. Rattling go up the flames around the Synagogue Of Satan Loud the Serpent Orc ragd thro his twenty Seven Folds. Then the groan and the dolor are quite forgotten, and the slave grinding at the mill, And the captive in chains, and the poor in the prison, and the soldier in the field When the shatter'd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead. Smile when they frown, frown when they smile; and when a man looks pale With labour and abstinence, say he looks healthy and happy; And when his children sicken, let them die; there are enough Born, even too many, and our earth will be overrun Without these arts. How is it that all things are chang'd, even as in ancient times? Demons of Waves their watry Eccho's woke! He walks upon the Eternal Mountains, raising his heavenly voice, Conversing with the animal forms of wisdom night and day, That, risen from the sea of fire, renew'd walk o'er the Earth; For Tharmas brought his flocks upon the hills, and in the vales Around the Eternal Man's bright tent, the little children play Among the woolly flocks.
