The Marriage of Heaven and Hell — A Memorable Fancy 6
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell — A Memorable Fancy 6
William Blake
I was in a printing-house in Hell, and saw the method in which
knowledge is transmitted from generation to generation.
In the first chamber was a dragon-man, clearing away the rubbish from a
cave's mouth; within, a number of dragons were hollowing the cave.
In the second chamber was a viper folding round the rock and the cave,
and others adorning it with gold, silver, and precious stones.
In the third chamber was an eagle with wings and feathers of air; he
caused the inside of the cave to be infinite; around were numbers of
eagle-like men, who built palaces in the immense cliffs.
In the fourth chamber were lions of flaming fire raging around and
melting the metals into living fluids.
In the fifth chamber were unnamed forms, which cast the metals into the
expanse.
There they were received by men who occupied the sixth chamber, and
took the forms of books, and were arranged in libraries.
* * * * *
The Giants who formed this world into its sensual existence and now
seem to live in it in chains are in truth the causes of its life and
the sources of all activity, but the chains are the cunning of weak
and tame minds, which have power to resist energy, according to the
proverb, "The weak in courage is strong in cunning."
Thus one portion of being is the Prolific, the other the Devouring. To
the devourer it seems as if the producer was in his chains; but it is
not so, he only takes portions of existence, and fancies that the whole.
But the Prolific would cease to be prolific unless the Devourer as a
sea received the excess of his delights.
Some will say, "Is not God alone the Prolific?" I answer: "God only
acts and is in existing beings or men."
These two classes of men are always upon earth, and they should be
enemies: whoever tries to reconcile them seeks to destroy existence.
Religion is an endeavour to reconcile the two.
_Note._--Jesus Christ did not wish to unite but to separate them, as
in the parable of sheep and goats; and He says: "I came not to send
peace, but a sword."
Messiah, or Satan, or Tempter, was formerly thought to be one of the
antediluvians who are our Energies.
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Complete poem text from the cited public-domain source edition.
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