Title; E3|
THE BOOK of THEL t3
Thelcolophon; E3|
The Author & Printer Willm Blake, 1789.
Thelmotto; E3|
THEL'S Motto,
Thelmotto1; E3|
Does the Eagle know what is in the pit?
Thelmotto2; E3|
Or wilt thou go ask the Mole:
Thelmotto3; E3|
Can Wisdom be put in a silver rod?
Thelmotto4; E3|
Or Love in a golden bowl?
Title; E3|
THEL
Thelchap; E3|
I
Thel1.1; E3|
The daughters of Mne Seraphim led round their sunny flocks.
t4
Thel1.2; E3|
All but the youngest; she in paleness sought the secret air.
Thel1.3; E3|
To fade away like morning beauty from her mortal day:
Thel1.4; E3|
Down by the river of Adona her soft voice is heard:
Thel1.5; E3|
And thus her gentle lamentation falls like morning dew.
Thel1.6; E3|
O life of this our spring! why fades the lotus of the water?
Thel1.7; E3|
Why fade these children of the spring? born but to smile & fall.
Thel1.8; E3|
Ah! Thel is like a watry bow. and like a parting cloud.
Thel1.9; E3|
Like a reflection in a glass. like shadows in the water.
Thel1.10; E3|
Like dreams of infants. like a smile upon an infants face,
Thel1.11; E3|
Like the doves voice, like transient day, like music in the air;
Thel1.12; E3|
Ah! gentle may I lay me down, and gentle rest my head.
Thel1.13; E3|
And gentle sleep the sleep of death. and gentle hear the voice
t5
Thel1.14; E3|
Of him that walketh in the garden in the evening time.
Thel1.15; E4|
The Lilly of the valley breathing in the humble grass
Thel1.16; E4|
Answer'd the lovely maid and said; I am a watry weed,
Thel1.17; E4|
And I am very small, and love to dwell in lowly vales;
Thel1.18; E4|
So weak, the gilded butterfly scarce perches on my head.
Thel1.19; E4|
Yet I am visited from heaven and he that smiles on all.
Thel1.20; E4|
Walks in the valley. and each morn over me spreads his hand
Thel1.21; E4|
Saying, rejoice thou humble grass, thou new-born lilly flower,
Thel1.22; E4|
Thou gentle maid of silent valleys. and of modest brooks;
Thel1.23; E4|
For thou shalt be clothed in light, and fed with morning manna:
Thel1.24; E4|
Till summers heat melts thee beside the fountains and the springs
Thel1.25; E4|
To flourish in eternal vales: then why should Thel complain,
Thel2.1; E4|
Why should the mistress of the vales of Har, utter a sigh.
Thel2.2; E4|
She ceasd & smild in tears, then sat down in her silver shrine.
Thel2.3; E4|
Thel answerd. O thou little virgin of the peaceful valley.
Thel2.4; E4|
Giving to those that cannot crave, the voiceless, the o'ertired.
t6
Thel2.5; E4|
Thy breath doth nourish the innocent lamb, he smells thy milky garments,
Thel2.6; E4|
He crops thy flowers. while thou sittest smiling in his face,
Thel2.7; E4|
Wiping his mild and meekin mouth from all contagious taints.
Thel2.8; E4|
Thy wine doth purify the golden honey, thy perfume,
Thel2.9; E4|
Which thou dost scatter on every little blade of grass that springs
Thel2.10; E4|
Revives the milked cow, & tames the fire-breathing steed.
Thel2.11; E4|
But Thel is like a faint cloud kindled at the rising sun:
Thel2.12; E4|
I vanish from my pearly throne, and who shall find my place.
Thel2.13; E4|
Queen of the vales the Lilly answerd, ask the tender cloud,
Thel2.14; E4|
And it shall tell thee why it glitters in the morning sky,
Thel2.15; E4|
And why it scatters its bright beauty thro' the humid air.
Thel2.16; E4|
Descend O little cloud & hover before the eyes of Thel.
Thel2.17; E4|
The Cloud descended, and the Lilly bowd her modest head:
Thel2.18; E4|
And went to mind her numerous charge among the verdant grass.
Thelchap; E4|
II.
Thel3.1; E4|
O little Cloud the virgin said, I charge thee tell to me,
Thel3.2; E4|
Why thou complainest not when in one hour thou fade away:
Thel3.3; E4|
Then we shall seek thee but not find; ah Thel is like to thee.
Thel3.4; E4|
I pass away. yet I complain, and no one hears my voice.
Thel3.5; E4|
The Cloud then shew'd his golden head & his bright form emerg'd,
Thel3.6; E4|
Hovering and glittering on the air before the face of Thel.
Thel3.7; E4|
O virgin know'st thou not. our steeds drink of the golden springs
Thel3.8; E4|
Where Luvah doth renew his horses: look'st thou on my youth,
Thel3.9; E5|
And fearest thou because I vanish and am seen no more.
Thel3.10; E5|
Nothing remains; O maid I tell thee, when I pass away,
Thel3.11; E5|
It is to tenfold life, to love, to peace, and raptures holy:
Thel3.12; E5|
Unseen descending, weigh my light wings upon balmy flowers;
Thel3.13; E5|
And court the fair eyed dew. to take me to her shining tent;
Thel3.14; E5|
The weeping virgin, trembling kneels before the risen sun,
Thel3.15; E5|
Till we arise link'd in a golden band, and never part;
Thel3.16; E5|
But walk united, bearing food to all our tender flowers
Thel3.17; E5|
Dost thou O little Cloud? I fear that I am not like thee;
Thel3.18; E5|
For I walk through the vales of Har. and smell the sweetest flowers;
Thel3.19; E5|
But I feed not the little flowers: I hear the warbling birds,
Thel3.20; E5|
But I feed not the warbling birds. they fly and seek their food;
Thel3.21; E5|
But Thel delights in these no more because I fade away,
Thel3.22; E5|
And all shall say, without a use this shining woman liv'd,
Thel3.23; E5|
Or did she only live. to be at death the food of worms.
Thel3.24; E5|
The Cloud reclind upon his airy throne and answer'd thus.
Thel3.25; E5|
Then if thou art the food of worms. O virgin of the skies,
Thel3.26; E5|
How great thy use. how great thy blessing; every thing that lives,
Thel3.27; E5|
Lives not alone, nor for itself: fear not and I will call
Thel3.28; E5|
The weak worm from its lowly bed, and thou shalt hear its voice.
Thel3.29; E5|
Come forth worm of the silent valley, to thy pensive queen.
Thel3.30; E5|
The helpless worm arose, and sat upon the Lillys leaf,
Thel3.31; E5|
And the bright Cloud saild on, to find his partner in the vale.
Thelchap; E5|
III.
Thel4.1; E5|
Then Thel astonish'd view'd the Worm upon its dewy bed.
Thel4.2; E5|
Art thou a Worm? image of weakness. art thou but a Worm?
Thel4.3; E5|
I see thee like an infant wrapped in the Lillys leaf:
Thel4.4; E5|
Ah weep not little voice, thou can'st not speak. but thou can'st weep;
Thel4.5; E5|
Is this a Worm? I see thee lay helpless & naked: weeping,
Thel4.6; E5|
And none to answer, none to cherish thee with mothers smiles.
Thel4.7; E5|
The Clod of Clay heard the Worms voice, & raisd her pitying head;
Thel4.8; E5|
She bowd over the weeping infant, and her life exhal'd
Thel4.9; E5|
In milky fondness, then on Thel she fix'd her humble eyes.
Thel4.10; E5|
O beauty of the vales of Har. we live not for ourselves,
Thel4.11; E5|
Thou seest me the meanest thing, and so I am indeed;
Thel4.12; E5|
My bosom of itself is cold. and of itself is dark,
Thel5.1; E5|
But he that loves the lowly, pours his oil upon my head.
Thel5.2; E5|
And kisses me, and binds his nuptial bands around my breast.
Thel5.3; E6|
And says; Thou mother of my children, I have loved thee.
Thel5.4; E6|
And I have given thee a crown that none can take away
Thel5.5; E6|
But how this is sweet maid, I know not, and I cannot know,
Thel5.6; E6|
I ponder, and I cannot ponder; yet I live and love.
Thel5.7; E6|
The daughter of beauty wip'd her pitying tears with her white veil,
Thel5.8; E6|
And said. Alas! I knew not this, and therefore did I weep:
Thel5.9; E6|
That God would love a Worm I knew, and punish the evil foot
Thel5.10; E6|
That wilful, bruis'd its helpless form: but that he cherish'd it
Thel5.11; E6|
With milk and oil, I never knew; and therefore did I weep,
Thel5.12; E6|
And I complaind in the mild air, because I fade away,
Thel5.13; E6|
And lay me down in thy cold bed, and leave my shining lot.
Thel5.14; E6|
Queen of the vales, the matron Clay answerd; I heard thy sighs.
Thel5.15; E6|
And all thy moans flew o'er my roof. but I have call'd them down:
Thel5.16; E6|
Wilt thou O Queen enter my house. 'tis given thee to enter,
Thel5.17; E6|
And to return; fear nothing. enter with thy virgin feet.
Thelchap; E6|
IV.
Thel6.1; E6|
The eternal gates terrific porter lifted the northern bar:
Thel6.2; E6|
Thel enter'd in & saw the secrets of the land unknown;
Thel6.3; E6|
She saw the couches of the dead, & where the fibrous roots
Thel6.4; E6|
Of every heart on earth infixes deep its restless twists:
Thel6.5; E6|
A land of sorrows & of tears where never smile was seen.
Thel6.6; E6|
She wanderd in the land of clouds thro' valleys dark, listning
Thel6.7; E6|
Dolours & lamentations: waiting oft beside a dewy grave
Thel6.8; E6|
She stood in silence. listning to the voices of the ground,
Thel6.9; E6|
Till to her own grave plot she came, & there she sat down.
Thel6.10; E6|
And heard this voice of sorrow breathed from the hollow pit.
Thel6.11; E6|
Why cannot the Ear be closed to its own destruction?
Thel6.12; E6|
Or the glistning Eye to the poison of a smile!
Thel6.13; E6|
Why are Eyelids stord with arrows ready drawn,
Thel6.14; E6|
Where a thousand fighting men in ambush lie?
Thel6.15; E6|
Or an Eye of gifts & graces, show'ring fruits & coined gold!
Thel6.16; E6|
Why a Tongue impress'd with honey from every wind?
Thel6.17; E6|
Why an Ear, a whirlpool fierce to draw creations in?
Thel6.18; E6|
Why a Nostril wide inhaling terror trembling & affright.
Thel6.19; E6|
Why a tender curb upon the youthful burning boy! t7
Thel6.20; E6|
Why a little curtain of flesh on the bed of our desire?
Thel6.21; E6|
The Virgin started from her seat, & with a shriek.
Thel6.22; E6|
Fled back unhinderd till she came into the vales of Har
Thelend; E6|
The End
