Poem
The work begins with a title page image of an empty, dead world with an old man looking at the title of the work. The story of the work begins in Africa with Los singing of Adam, Noah, and Moses and how they were granted laws by Urizen. This involve abstractions being granted to Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato, gospel being given to Jesus, a bible for Mahomet, and a book on war given to Odin. These caused the world to fail, as they were chains that bound the mind:
- Thus the terrible race of Los & Enitharmon gave
- Laws & Religions to the sons of Har binding them more
- And more to Earth: closing and restraining:
- Till a Philosophy of Five senses was complete
- Urizen wept & gave it into the hands of Newton & Locke (44-48)
In the second half of the work, Asia, Orc creates fires in the mind that causes kings to be startled and an apocalypse of sorts to start:
- The Grave shrieks with delight, & shakes
- Her hollow womb, & clasps the solid stem:
- Her bosom swells with wild desirel
- And mild & glandous wine
- In rivers rush & shout & dance,
- On mountain, dale and plain. (lines 59-63)
Read more about this topic: The Song Of Los
Famous quotes containing the word poem:
“It seems just possible that a poem might happen
To a very young man: but a poem is not poetry—
That is a life.”
—T.S. (Thomas Stearns)
“I’ve never read a political poem that’s accomplished anything. Poetry makes things happen, but rarely what the poet wants.”
—Howard Nemerov (1920–1991)
“From this the poem springs: that we live in a place
That is not our own and, much more, not ourselves
And hard it is in spite of blazoned days.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)