- Title:
- "In Great Eternity every particular Form..." (Plate 54)
- Part Of:
Collective Title: Jerusalem: The Emanation of The Giant Albion, Copy E
- Date:
- 1804 to 1820
- Materials & Techniques:
- Relief etching printed in orange ink, with watercolor and pen and black ink on moderately thick, smooth, cream wove paper
- Dimensions:
- Sheet: 13 1/2 x 10 3/8 inches (34.3 x 26.4 cm), Plate: 8 3/8 x 5 7/8 inches (21.2 x 14.9 cm)
- Inscription(s)/Marks/Lettering:
Lettered inside image: "In Great Eternity, every particular Form gives forth or Emanates | Its own peculiar Light, & the Form is the Divine Vision, | And the Light is his Garment. This is Jerusalem in every Man, | A Tent & Tabernacle of Mutual Forgiveness, Male & Female Clothings. | And Jerusalem is called Liberty among the Children of Albion. | But Albion fell down, a Rocky fragment from Eternity hurl'd | By his own Spectre, who is the Reasoning Power in every Man, | Into his own Chaos which is the Memory between Man & Man. | The silent broodings of deadly revenge, springing from the | All powerful parental affection, fills Albion from head to foot: | Seeing his sons assimilate with Luvah, bound in the bonds | Of Spiritual Hate, from which springs Sexual Love as iron chains, | He tosses like a cloud outstretch'd among Jerusalem's Ruins | Which overspread all the Earth, he groans among his ruin'd porches. | But the Spectre like a hoar frost & a Mildew rose over Albion, | Saying, I am God, O Sons of Men! I am your Rational Power! | Am I not Bacon & Newton & Locke who teach Humility to Man? | Who teach Doubt & Experiment: & my two Wings Voltaire, Rousseau. | Where is that Friend of Sinners? that Rebel against my Laws? | Who teaches Belief to the Nations, & an unknown Eternal Life. | Come hither into the Desart & turn these stones to bread. | Vain foolish Man! wilt thou believe without Experiment? | And build a World of Phantasy upon my Great Abyss? | A World of Shapes in craving lust & devouring appetite. | So spoke the hard cold constructive Spectre: he is named Arthur: | Constructing into Druid Rocks round Canaan, Agag & Aram & Pharoh. | Then Albion drew England into his bosom in groans & tears, | But she stretch'd out her starry Night in Spaces against him like | A long Serpent, in the Abyss of the Spectre which augmented | The Night with Dragon wings, cover'd with stars, & in the Wings | Jerusalem & Vala appear 'd: & above, between the Wings, magnificent, | The Divine Vision dimly appear'd in clouds of blood weeping."; upper center: "This World | Reason | Pity | Wrath | Desire"
- Credit Line:
- Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
- Copyright Status:
- Public Domain
- Accession Number:
- B1992.8.1(54)
- Classification:
- Prints
- Collection:
- Prints and Drawings
- Subject Terms:
- bats (animals) | birds | children | heads | literary theme | men | nudes | religious and mythological subject | sphere | stars | sun | text | women
- Access:
- Accessible in the Study Room [Request]
- Link:
- https://collections.britishart.yale.edu/catalog/tms:3486
- Export:
- XML
- IIIF Manifest:
- JSON
William Blake (Tate Britain, 2000-11-02 - 2001-02-04) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition]
The Human Form Divine - William Blake from the Paul Mellon Collection (Yale Center for British Art, 1997-04-02 - 1997-07-06) [YCBA Objects in the Exhibition] [Exhibition Description]
VALA : The journal of the Blake Society, The Blake Society, London, p. 11, PR4146.B54 V35+ (YCBA) [YCBA]