DESCENT

 

'The Descent of Man into the Vale of Death: 'But Hope Rekindled, Only to Illume the Shades of Death, and Light Her to the Tomb'

Blake Archive
Robert Blair's The Grave

All that Blake wrote was a exploration of his own psyche and an invitation to us to look within ourselves. Blake knew that individuals are not consciously aware of the motivations that drive them to choose death rather than life, devolution rather than evolution. He was motivated to look at the forces within himself which struggled with one another instead of cooperating to produce a healthy wholeness. He wrote in order to expose the unseen to the light of consciousness.

To accomplish such a feat one must enter the repository of the dark secrets, shattering fears, and rejected sinfullness which one conceals from others and from  oneself. One must descend from the light of day into hidden passages where one encounters the unknown.  

  

In William Blake's Circle of Destiny, Milton O Percival, wrote of the process through which Blake made his readers familiar with the stages on the journey through which individuals travel as they experience life: 

Page 219

"The Course of experience, which is at once the course of error and the process by which Satan is revealed and regeneration is accomplished, is in the hands of Los and Enitharmon.

Page 228

The struggle between the masculine and the feminine contraries - the struggle between mind and emotions, between reason and sense, between Spectre and Emanation, betweeen the inner and the outer in every sense - constitutes a trial by fire, a spiritual purgation. In Blake's fires, as in the fires of alchemy, the feminine cotrary is purified first. If man fell by woman, it is by woman that he is redeemed. The feminine emotions, driven to desperation by the increasing severity of the rational mind turn from vengence to forgiveness in their own defense. In The Four Zoas Enitharmon's change of heart seems to be brought about by the suffering of the bound Orc and her own fear of a God of Mystery... [T]he emotions have been driven by the doubting rational mind into such narrow and cruel forms, such perversions of their true nature, that a sudden conversion is induced...Redeemed from error's power, the female unites herself again with her masculine contrary." 

Jerusalem, Plate 7, (E 149)

"And thus the Spectre spoke: Wilt thou still go on to destruction?
Till thy life is all taken away by this deceitful Friendship?    
He drinks thee up like water! like wine he pours thee
Into his tuns: thy Daughters are trodden in his vintage
He makes thy Sons the trampling of his bulls, they are plow'd
And harrowd for his profit, lo! thy stolen Emanation
Is his garden of pleasure! all the Spectres of his Sons mock thee
Look how they scorn thy once admired palaces! now in ruins
Because of Albion! because of deceit and friendship!"

Jerusalem, Plate 7, (E 150) 

"Los answer'd. Altho' I know not this! I know far worse than this:
I know that Albion hath divided me, and that thou O my Spectre,
Hast just cause to be irritated: but look stedfastly upon me:
Comfort thyself in my strength the time will arrive,
When all Albions injuries shall cease, and when we shall         
Embrace him tenfold bright, rising from his tomb in immortality.
They have divided themselves by Wrath. they must be united by
Pity: let us therefore take example & warning O my Spectre,
O that I could abstain from wrath! O that the Lamb
Of God would look upon me and pity me in my fury.                
In anguish of regeneration! in terrors of self annihilation:
Pity must join together those whom wrath has torn in sunder,
And the Religion of Generation which was meant for the destruction
Of Jerusalem, become her covering, till the time of the End.
O holy Generation! [Image] of regeneration! 
O point of mutual forgiveness between Enemies!
Birthplace of the Lamb of God incomprehensible!
The Dead despise & scorn thee, & cast thee out as accursed:
Seeing the Lamb of God in thy gardens & thy palaces:
Where they desire to place the Abomination of Desolation." 

Jerusalem, Plate 9, (E 152)

"Every Emanative joy forbidden as a Crime:
And the Emanations buried alive in the earth with pomp of religion:          
Inspiration deny'd; Genius forbidden by laws of punishment:
I saw terrified; I took the sighs & tears, & bitter groans:
I lifted them into my Furnaces; to form the spiritual sword.
That lays open the hidden heart: I drew forth the pang
Of sorrow red hot: I workd it on my resolute anvil:              
I heated it in the flames of Hand, & Hyle, & Coban
Nine times; Gwendolen & Cambel & Gwineverra
Are melted into the gold, the silver, the liquid ruby,
The crysolite, the topaz, the jacinth, & every precious stone,
Loud roar my Furnaces and loud my hammer is heard:               
I labour day and night, I behold the soft affections
Condense beneath my hammer into forms of cruelty
But still I labour in hope, tho' still my tears flow down.
That he who will not defend Truth, may be compelld to defend
A Lie: that he may be snared and caught and snared and taken     
That Enthusiasm and Life may not cease: arise Spectre arise!

Thus they contended among the Furnaces with groans & tears;
Groaning the Spectre heavd the bellows, obeying Los's frowns;
Till the Spaces of Erin were perfected in the furnaces
Of affliction, and Los drew them forth, compelling the harsh Spectre.         
Plate 10
Into the Furnaces & into the valleys of the Anvils of Death
And into the mountains of the Anvils & of the heavy Hammers
Till he should bring the Sons & Daughters of Jerusalem to be
The Sons & Daughters of Los that he might protect them from
Albions dread Spectres; storming, loud, thunderous & mighty      

The Bellows & the Hammers move compell'd by Los's hand."