[Greek text] [For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephes. VI chp 12 v (King James version)]*

The Song of the Aged Mother which shook the heavens with wrath* {This page is a very thicket of revisions, erasures, and inconsistent directions for rearranging the order of the lines. We have here restored two lines, marked in the manuscript as 6 and 7 (omitted from Erdman's transcription) on the grounds that the two cancelled lines following are rewritten as lines 2 and 3. Thus, the lines marked 6 and 7 would still follow 2 & 3. Please consult the manuscript page. LFS}
Hearing the march of long resounding strong heroic Verse
Marshalld in order for the day of Intellectual Battle
The heavens shall quake, the earth was moved & shuddered & the mountains
With all their woods, the streams & valleys: waild in dismal fear
Four Mighty Ones are in every Man; a Perfect Unity John XVII c. 21 & 22 & 23 v
Cannot Exist. but from the Universal Brotherhood of Eden John I c. 14. v
The Universal Man. To Whom be Glory Evermore Amen [kai eskanosen en -[h]amen]
[ [What] are the Natures of those Living Creatures the Heavenly Father only
[Knoweth] no Individual [Knoweth nor] Can know in all Eternity] *{These lines, included in Erdman's transcription are unmistakably erased. LFS}

Los was the fourth immortal starry one, & in the Earth
Of a bright Universe Empery attended day & night
Days & nights of revolving joy, Urthona was his name

In Eden; in the Auricular Nerves of Human life* {The centered text block of this page appears to be written over erased text, with four clusters of added lines in various orientations in the margin. LFS}
Which is the Earth of Eden, he his Emanations propagated
Like Sons & DaughtersFairies of Albion afterwards Gods of the Heathen, Daughter of Beulah Sing
His fall into Division & his Resurrection to Unity
His fall into the Generation of Decay & Death & his Regeneration by the Resurrection from the dead*

Begin with Tharmas Parent power. darkning in the West

Lost! Lost! Lost! are my Emanations Enion [Come Forth,] O Enion
We are become a Victim to the Living We hide in secret*
I have hidden thee Enion, in Jealous Despair Jerusalem in Silent Contrition O Pity Me
I will build thee a Labyrinth also O pity me O Enionwhere we may remain for ever alone
Why hast thou taken sweet Jerusalem from my inmost Soul
Let her Lay secret in the Soft recess of darkness & silence
It is not Love I bear to Enitharmon [Jerusalem?]* It is Pity??? *
She hath taken refuge in my bosom & I cannot cast her out.

The Men have recieved their death wounds & their Emanations are fled
To me for refuge & I cannot turn them out for Pitys sake *{inserted vertically, up the left side of the page. LFS}

Enion said--Thy fear has made me tremble thy terrors have surrounded me *{this verse paragraph appears to be an insertion over erased text. LFS}
All Love is lost Terror succeeds & Hatred instead of Love
And stern demands of Right & Duty instead of Liberty.
Once thou wast to Me the loveliest son of heaven--But now
Why art thou Terrible and yet I love thee in thy terror till
I am almost Extinct & soon shall be a Shadow in Oblivion
Unless some way can be found that I may look upon thee & live
Hide me some Shadowy semblance. secret whispring in my Ear
In secret of soft wings. in mazes of delusive beauty

I have lookd into the secret soul of him I lovd
And in the Dark recesses found Sin & cannot return

Trembling & pale sat Tharmas weeping in his clouds
Why wilt thou Examine every little fibre of my soul *{This and the following 4 lines are written down the top right hand edge of the page. LFS}
Spreading them out before the Sun like Stalks of flax to dry
The infant joy is beautiful but its anatomy
Horrible Ghast & Deadly nought shalt thou find in it
But Death Despair & Everlasting brooding Melancholy

Thou wilt go mad with horror if thou dost Examine thus * {added on center right margin, 90 degrees rotated LFS}
Every moment of my secret hours Yea I know
That I have sinnd & that my Emanations are become harlots
I am already distracted at their deeds & if I look
Upon them more Despair will bring self murder on my soul
O Enion thou art thyself a root growing in hell
Tho thus heavenly beautiful to draw me to destruction

Sometimes I think thou art a flower expanding *{This and the following four lines are added evidently in light pencil in the top margin. LFS}
Sometimes I think thou art fruit breaking from its bud
In dreadful dolor & pain & I am like an atom
A Nothing left in darkness yet I am an identity
I wish & feel & weep & groan Ah terrible terrible

So saying--From her bosom weaving soft in Sinewy threads
A tabernacleof Delight for Jerusalem. She sat among the Rocks*
{insert over strike out LFS} Singing her Lamentation. Tharmas groand among his Clouds
Weeping, and then bending from his Clouds he stoopd his holy innocent head*
{innocent replaces holy LFS} And stretching out his holy hand in the vast Deep sublime
Turnd round the circle of Destiny with tears & bitter sighs
And said. Return O Wanderer when the Day of Clouds is oer

So saying he sunk down into the sea a pale white corse*
{this and the following 2 lines appear written over an erased strata LFS} So saying In torment he sunk down & flowd among her filmy Wooft
His Spectre issuing from his feet in flames of fire
In dismal gnawing pain drawn out by her lovd fingers every nerve t
She counted. every vein & lacteal threading them among
Her woof of terror. Terrified & drinking tears of woe
Shuddring she wove--nine days & nights Sleepless her food was tears
Wondring she saw her woof begin to animate. & not
As Garments woven subservient to her hands but having a will
Of its own perverse & wayward Enion lovd & wept*
{written vertically up the right margin LFS}

Nine days she labourd at her work. & nine dark sleepless nights
But on the tenth bright trembling morn the Circle of Destiny Completet
Round rolld the Sea Englobing in a watry Globe self balancd*
{a light line appears through this line LFS} A Frowning Continent appeard Where Enion in the Desart
Terrified in her own Creation viewing her woven shadow
Sat in a sweet dread intoxication of false woven bliss self woven sorrow Repentance & Contrition*
{sequence of revisions, appearent in order presented here LFS} There is from Great Eternity a mild & pleasant rest
Namd Beulah a Soft Moony Universe feminine lovely
Pure mild & Gentle given in Mercy to those who sleep
Eternally. Created by the Lamb of God around
On all sides within & without the Universal Man
The Daughters of Beulah follow sleepers in all their Dreamst
Creating Spaces lest they fall into Eternal Death
The Circle of Destiny complete they gave to it a Space
And namd the Space Ulro & brooded over it in care & love*
{this entire passage is written vertically down the right margin and appears to have been first entered lightly (pencil?) and then written over (ink?) LFS}

They said The Spectre is in every man insane & most
Deformd Thro the three heavens descending in fury & fire
We meet it with our Songs & loving blandishments & give
To it a form of vegetation But this Spectre of Tharmas
Is Eternal Death What shall we do O God help pity & help
So spoke they & closd the Gate of Auricular power nerves the Tongue in trembling fear*
{Passage written down the right margin LFS}
What have I done! said Enion accursed wretch! What deed.
Is this a deed of Love I know what I have done. I know
Too late now to repent. Love is changd to deadly Hate [Fears]
A [All?] life is blotted out & I alone remain possessd with Fears
I see the [remembrance] Shadow of the dead within my [eyes] Soul wandering*
{bracketed words blotted out, revised as indicated by italics LFS} In darkness & solitude forming Seas of [Trouble] Doubt & rocks of [sorrow] Repentance*
{bracketed words blotted LFS} Already are my Eyes reverted. all that I behold
Within my Soul has lost its splendor & a brooding Fear
Shadows me oer & drives me outward to a world of woe
So waild she trembling before her own Created Phantasm*
{These 10 lines circled and lightly struck out as a block, restored in Erdman. Internal revisions as noted LFS}
[Who animating times on times by the Force of her sweet song]
But standing on the Rocks her woven shadow glowing bright* {The line indicated here as erased (as it appears to be in the reproduction) Erdman notes is penciled in, as a replacement for the line indicated as struck out LFS}

A shadowy human form winged & in his depths
The dazzlings as of gems shone clear, rapturous in joy fury
Glorying in his own eyes Exalted in terrific Pride
[ Searching for glory wishing that the heavens had eyes to See
And courting that the Earth would ope her Eyelids & behold
Such wondrous beauty repining in the midst of all his glory
That nought but Enion could be found to praise adore & love
Three days in self admiring raptures on the rocks he flamd
And three dark nights repind the solitude. but the third morn
Astonishd he found Enion hidden in the darksom Cave

She spoke What am I wherefore was I put forth on these rocks
Among the Clouds to tremble in the wind in solitude
Where is the voice that lately woke the desart Where the face
That wept among the clouds & where the voice that shall reply
No other living thing is here. The Sea the Earth. the Heaven
And Enion desolate where art though Tharmas O return

Three days she waild & three dark nights sitting among the Rocks
While the bright spectre hid himself among the ?backing clouds
Then sleep fell on her eyelids in a Chasm of the Valley
The Sixteenth morn the Spectre stood before her manifest ]

The Spectre thus spoke. [ Art thou not my slave & shalt thou dare
To smite me with thy tongue beware lest I sting also thee,]
Who art thou Diminutive husk & shell* [
Broke from my bonds I scorn my prison & yet I love]
If thou hast sinnd & art polluted know that I am pure*
And unpolluted & will bring to rigid strict account
All thy past deeds [So] hear what I tell thee! mark it well! remember!*
This world is [Mine] Thine in which thou dwellest that within thy soul*
That dark & dismal infinite where Thought roams up & down
Is [thine] Mine & there thou goest when with one Sting of my tongue
Envenomd thou rollst inwards to the place [of death & hell where] whence I emergd
She trembling answerd Wherefore was I born & what am I
[A sorrow & a fear a living torment & naked Victim]
I thought to weave a Covering [from his] for my Sins from wrath of Tharmas*
{This entire paragraph, internally revised, is marked for deleting, evidently, by two diagonal strike out lines. The page image should be consulted LFS}

Singing with both to ownAnd thou the delusive tempter to these deeds sittest before me *
(illegible)But where is (illegible) Tharmas all thy soft delusive beauty cannot
Tempt me to murder honest lovemy own soul & wipe my tears & smile
In this thy world for ah! hownot mine tho dark I feel my world within *

The Spectre said Thou sinful Woman. was it thy desire
That I should hide thee with my power & delight thee with my beauty
And now there darknest in my presence, never from my sight
Shalt thou depart to weep in secret. In my jealous wings
I evermore will hold thee when though goest out or comest in
Tis thou hast darkend all My World O Woman lovely bare

Thus they contended? all the day, among the Caves of Tharmas
Twisting in fearful forms & hoisting howling harsh shrieking
Howling harsh shrieking, mingling their bodies pain in burning anguish
Mingling his horrible brightness with her tender limbs; then high she soar'd *
ShriekingAbove the ocean; a bright wonder that Beulah shudder'd atNature *
Half Woman & half Spectre, all his lovely changing colours mix *
With her fair crystal clearness; in her lips & cheeks his poisons rose *
In blushes like the morning, and his scaly armour softening *
A monster lovely in the heavens or wandering on the earth, *
With Spectre voice incessant waiting, in incessant thirst>
Beauty all blushing with desire mocking her fell despair>

Wandering desolate, a wonder abhorr'd by Gods & Men

The first state weeping they began & helpless as a wave
Beaten along its sightless way growing enormous in its motion to
Its utmost goal, till strength from Enion like richest summer shining *
Raisd the [bright][fierce]boy & girl with glories from their heads out beaming *
Drawing forth drooping mothers pity drooping mothers sorrow *

But those in Great Eternity Met in the Council of God
As One Man hovering over Gilead & Hermon
He is the Good Shepherd He is the Lord & Master
To Create Man Morning by Morning to Give gifts at Noon day
Enion brooded, oer the rocks, the rough rocks vegetating groaning vegetate
Such power was given to the Solitary wanderer.
The barked Oak, the long limbed Beech; the Ches'nut tree; the Pine.
[] [] The Pear tree mild, the frowning Walnut, the sharp Crab, & Apple sweet,
The rough bark opens; twittering peep forth little beaks & wings
The Nightingale, the Goldfinch, Robin, Lark, Linnet & Thrush
The Goat leap'd from the craggy Rock cliff, the Sheep awoke from the mould
Upon its green stalk the Corn, waving innumerable
Infolding the bright Infants from the desolating winds

They sulk upon her breast her hair became like snow on mountains
Weaker & weaker, weeping woful, wearier and wearier
Faded & her bright Eyes decayd melted with pity & love

[And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains]
{These lines in the top margin were erased and replaced with an image of Christ in an orb.GD}
And then they wanderd far away she sought for them in vain *
In weeping blindness stumbling she followd them oer rocks & mountains

Rehumanizing from the Spectre in pangs of maternal love
Ingrate they wanderd scorning her drawing her life majesticSpectrous Life
Repelling her away & away by a dread repulsive power
Into Non Entity revolving around in dark despair.
[Till they had drawn the Spectre quite away from Enion]
And drawing in the Spectrous life in pride and haughty joy
Thus Enion gave them all her spectrous life in dark despair.

Then Eno [Ono] a daughter of Beulah took a Moment of Time *
And drew it out to twenty years Seven thousand years with much care & affliction *
And many tears & in the twenty Every years gave visions toward heaven made windows into Eden *
She also took an atom of space & opend its center
Into Infinitude & ornamented it with wondrous art
{This is where Erdman puts these 2 lines, which appear diagonally on the page in the upper-left corner, near the exta-marginal block of text which is inserted after line 7. However, there is no cue from the manuscript about exactly where these lines should be inserted, so Erdman's placement of them is conjectural.GD}
Astonishd sat her Sisters of Beulah to see her soft affections
To Enion & her children & they ponderd these things wondring
And they Alternate kept watch over the Youthful terrors
They saw not yet the Hand Divine for it was not yet reveald
But they went on in Silent Hope & Feminine repose

But Los & Enitharmon delighted in the Moony spaces of Eno *
Nine Times they livd among the forests, feeding on sweet fruits
And nine bright Spaces wanderd weaving mazes of delight
Snaring the wild Goats for their milk they eat the flesh of Lambs
A male & female naked & ruddy as the pride of summer

Alternate Love & Hate his breast; hers Scorn & Jealousy
In embryon passions. they kiss'd not nor embrac'd for shame & fear They ?kissd ?not nor for ?shame they embracd not
{This line penciled in above the ink line.GD} His head beamd light & in his vigorous voice was prophesyNor kissd nor em... hand in hand [in a] sulty paradise... ?these ?Lovers ?swum the deep
{These fragments penciled in above the ink line.GD}
He could controll the times & seasons, & the days & years
She could controll the spaces, regions, desart, flood & forest
But had no power to weave a Veil of covering for her Sins
She drave the Females all away from Los
And Los drave all the Males from her away
They wanderd long, till they sat down upon the margind sea.
Conversing with the visions of Beulah in dark slumberous bliss *
Nine years they view the turning spheres of Beulah reading the Visions of Beulah
Night the Second {inserted above the following lines LFS}
But the two youthful wonders wanderd in the world of Tharmas *
Thy name is Enitharmon; said the bright fierce prophetic boy *
[While they.....Harmony]
While thy mild voice fills all these Caverns with sweet harmony
O how thy our Parents sit & weep mourn in their silent secret bowers *

But Enitharmon answerd with a dropping tear & smiling frowning*
[[Bright]]Dark as a dewy morning when the crimson light appears *
To make us happy how they let them weary their immortal powers *
While we draw in their sweet delights while we return them scorn *
On scorn to feed our discontent; for if we grateful prove
They will withhold sweet love, whose food is thorns & bitter roots.
We hear the warlike clarions we view the turning spheres *
Yet Thou in indolence reposest holding me in bonds {These lines first appear after line 2, but are marked to be moved here.GD}
Hear! I will sing a [[Dirge]]Song of Death! it is a [[Dirge]]Song of Vala! *
The [[Eternal]]Fallen Man takes his repose: Urizen sleeps in the porch *
Luvah and Vala [[wake]] woke & fly flew up from the Human Heart *
Into the Brain; from thence upon the pillow Vala slumber'd.
And Luvah siez'd the Horses of Light, & rose into the Chariot of Day
Sweet laughter siezd me in my sleep! silent & close I laughd*
For in the visions of Vala I walkd with the mighty Fallen One *

I heard his voice among the branches, & among sweet flowers. *
Why is the light of [[Vala]] Enitharmon darken'd in her dewy morn *
Why is the silence of [[Vala lightning]] Enitharmon a Cloud terror & her smile a whirlwind *
Uttering this darkness in my halls, in the pillars of my Holy-ones
Why dost thou weep [[O]] as Vala? & wet thy veil with dewy tears, *
In slumbers of my night-repose, infusing a false morning?
Driving the Female Emanations all away from Los *
I have refusd to look upon the Universal Vision
And wilt thou slay with death him who devotes himself to thee *
If thou drivst all the Males Females away from Vala Luvah I will drive all
The Males away from thee
Once born for the sport & amusement of Man now born to drink up all his Powers

I heard the sounding sea; I heard the voice weaker and weaker;
The voice came & went like a dream, I awoke in my sweet bliss.
Then Los smote her upon the Earth twas long eer she revivd {This line inserted in pencil.GD}

He Losanswer'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 [[word]]she will not be comforted *
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! Beware the punishment
Refusing to behold the Divine image which all behold
And live thereby. he is sunk down into a deadly sleep
But we immortal in our strength survive by stern debate
Till we have drawn the Lamb of god into a mortal form
And that he must be born is certain for One must be All
And comprehend within himself all things both small & great
We therefore for whose sake all things aspire to be be & live
Will so recieve the Divine Image that amongst the Reprobate
He may be devoted to Destruction from his mothers womb {This group of 9 lines, "Refusing...womb," are marked to be inserted; the entire group of lines is also crossed with a diagonal line which may indicate 1) a later intention to delete them; or 2) that the stanza is meant to replace the stanza beginning "I die not Enitharmon... punishment"; or 3) that the stanza is intended to follow "Nor shalt ... Fallen Man."GD}

I see, invisible descend into the Gardens of Vala
Luvah walking on the winds, I see the invisible knife
I see the shower of blood: I see the swords & spears of futurity
Tho in the Brain of Man we live, & in his circling Nerves.
Tho' this bright world of all our joy is in the Human Brain.
Where Urizen & all his Hosts hang their immortal lamps
Thou neer shalt leave this cold expanse where watry Tharmas mourns

So spoke Los. Scorn & Indignation rose upon Enitharmon
Then Enitharmon reddning fierce stretchd her immortal hands *
?Threaten ?not ?me ?O ?visionary ?thine ?the ?punishment {Erdman does not provide this line of inserted and struck text, but it appears to be the same text as Blake inserts below.GD}
Descend O Urizen descend with horse & chariot
Threaten not me O visionary thine the punishment!
The Human Nature shall no more remain nor Human acts
Form the free rebellious Spirits of Heaven. but War & Princedom
& Victory & Blood *

Night darkend as she spoke! a shuddring ran from East to West *
A Groan was heard on high. The warlike clarions ceast. the Spirits
Of Luvah & Vala shudderd in their Orb: an orb of blood! *

Eternity groand & was troubled at the Image of Eternal Death
The Wandering Man bow'd his faint head and Urizen descended
And the one must have murderd the other if he had not descended *
Indignant muttering low thunders; Urizen descended
Gloomy sounding, Now I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Sullen sat Los plotting Revenge. Silent he Urizeneye'd the Prince * {In the gap after this stanza, several fragments of erased lines appear:
... I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Obey thy Lord...
hands Pity not Vala
?Pity ?not Luvah
& these... GD}
Of Light. Silent the prince of Light viewd Los. at length a brooded *
Smile broke from Urizen for Enitharmon brightend more & more
Sullen he lowerd on Enitharmon but he smild on Los

Saying Thou art the Lord of Luvah into thine hands I give
The prince of Love the murderer his soul is in thine hands
Pity not Vala for she pitied not the Eternal Man
Nor pity thou the cries of Luvah. Lo these starry hosts
They are thy servants if thou wilt obey my awful Law
Los answerd furious art thou one of those who when most complacent
Mean mischief most. If you are such Lo! I am also such
One must be master. try thy Arts I also will try mine
For I percieve Thou hast Abundance which I claim as mine
Urizen startled stood but not Long soon he cried
Obey my voice young Demon I am God from Eternity to Eternity
Thus Urizen spoke collected in himself in awful pride
Art thou a visionary of Jesus the soft delusion of Eternity
Lo I am God the terrible destroyer & not the Saviour
Why should the Divine Vision compell the sons of Eden to forego each his own delight to war against his Spectre
The Spectre is the Man the rest is only delusion & fancy

So spoke the Prince of Light & sat beside the Seat of Los
Upon the sandy shore rested his chariot of fire

Ten thousand thousand were his hosts of spirits on the wind:
Ten thousand thousand glittering Chariots shining in the sky:
They pour upon the golden shore beside the silent ocean.
Rejoicing in the Victory & the heavens were filld with blood *
[[illegible text]]

The Earth spread forth her table wide. the Night a silver cup
Fill'd with the wine of anguish waited at the golden feast
But the bright Sun was not as yet; he filling all the expanse
Slept as a bird in the blue shell that soon shall burst away
[] [Los saw the wound of his blow he saw he pitied he wept] *
{This is the line as Erdman gives it, but does not remark that the line is nearly illegible in the manuscript and appears to be written in pencil and erased.GD} Los now repented that he had smitten Enitharmon he felt love
Arise in all his Veins he threw his arms around her loins To heal the wound of his smiting
They eat the fleshly bread, they drank the nervous [bloody] wine *