Wonder, awe, fear, astonishment,

Petrify the eternal myriads;

At the first female form now separate

PLATE 19

They call’d her Pity, and fled

11. ‘Spread a Tent, with strong curtains around them

‘Let cords & stakes bind in the Void

That Eternals may no more behold them’

12. They began to weave curtains of darkness

They erected large pillars round the Void

With golden hooks fastend in the pillars

With infinite labour the Eternals

A woof wove, and called it Science

CHAP: VI

10   1. But Los saw the Female & pitied

He embrac’d her, she wept, she refus’d

In perverse and cruel delight

She fled from his arms, yet he followd

2. Eternity shudder’d when they saw,

Man begetting his likeness,

On his own divided image.

3. A time passed over, the Eternals

Began to erect a tent;

When Enitharmon, sick,

20   Felt a Worm within her womb.

4. Yet helpless it lay like a Worm

In the trembling womb

To be moulded into existence

5. All day the worm lay on her bosom

All night within her womb

The worm lay till it grew to a serpent

With dolorous hissings & poisons

Round Enitharmons loins folding,

6. Coild within Enitharmons womb

30   The serpent grew casting its scales,

With sharp pangs the hissings began

To change to a grating cry,

Many sorrows and dismal throes

Many forms of fish, bird & beast,

Brought forth an Infant form

Where was a worm before.

7. The Eternals their tent finished

Alarm’d with these gloomy visions

When Enitharmon groaning

40   Produc’d a man Child to the light.

8. A shriek ran thro’ Eternity:

And a paralytic stroke;

At the birth of the Human shadow.

9. Delving earth in his resistless way;

Howling, the Child with fierce flames

Issu’d from Enitharmon.

10. The Eternals, closed the tent:

They beat down the stakes the cords

PLATE 20

Stretch’d for a work of eternity;

No more Los beheld Eternity.

11. In his hands he siez’d the infant

He bathed him in springs of sorrow

He gave him to Enitharmon.

CHAP: VII

1. They named the child Orc, he grew

Fed with milk of Enitharmon

2. Los awoke her; O sorrow & pain!

A tight’ning girdle grew,

10   Around his bosom. In sobbings

He burst the girdle in twain,

But still another girdle

Oppressd his bosom, In sobbings

Again he burst it. Again

Another girdle succeeds

The girdle was form’d by day;

By night was burst in twain.

3. These falling down on the rock

Into an iron Chain

20   In each other link by link lock’d

4. They took Orc to the top of a mountain.

O how Enitharmon wept!

They chain’d his young limbs to the rock

With the Chain of Jealousy

Beneath Urizens deathful shadow

5. The dead heard the voice of the child

And began to awake from sleep

All things. heard the voice of the child

And began to awake to life.

30   6. And Urizen craving with hunger

Stung with the odours of Nature

Explor’d his dens around

7. He form’d a line & a plummet

To divide the Abyss beneath.

He form’d a dividing rule:

8. He formed scales to weigh;

He formed massy weights;

He formed a brazen quadrant;

He formed golden compasses

40   And began to explore the Abyss

And he planted a garden of fruits

9. But Los encircled Enitharmon

With fires of Prophecy

From the sight of Urizen & Orc.

10. And she bore an enormous race

CHAP: VIII

1. Urizen explor’d his dens

Mountain, moor, & wilderness,

With a globe of fire lighting his journey

A fearful journey, annoy’d

50   By cruel enormities: forms

PLATE 23

Of life on his forsaken mountains

2. And his world teemd vast enormities

Frightning; faithless; fawning

Portions of life; similitudes

Of a foot, or a hand, or a head

Or a heart, or an eye, they swam mischevous

Dread terrors! delighting in blood

3. Most Urizen sicken’d to see

His eternal creations appear

10   Sons & daughters of sorrow on mountains

Weeping! wailing! first Thiriel appear’d

Astonish’d at his own existence

Like a man from a cloud born, & Utha

From the waters emerging, laments!

Grodna rent the deep earth howling

Amaz’d! his heavens immense cracks

Like the ground parch’d with heat; then Fuzon

Flam’d out! first begotten, last born.

All his eternal sons in like manner

20   His daughters from green herbs & cattle

From monsters, & worms of the pit.

4.