Blake's Agitation: Criticism and the Emotions

Appendix

Appendix Blake’sVariations on “cracked across” From David V. Erdman, ed., The Complete Poetry and Prose of William Blake (1988) America: A Prophecy (1793), cancelled plate b So still the terrors rent . . . . . . so the dark house was rent The valley mov’d beneath; its shining pillars split in twain, And its roofs crack across down falling on th’Angelic seats. (20–24, E 58) The Book of Urizen (1794), plate 23 Grodna rent the deep earth howling Amaz’d! his heavens immense cracks Like the ground parch’d with heat . . . (15–17, E 81) The Book of Los (1795), plate 4 1: The Immortal stood frozen amidst The vast rock of eternity; times And times; a night of vast durance: Impatient, stifled, stiffend, hardned. 2: Till impatience no longer could bear The hard bondage, rent: rent, the vast solid With a crash from immense to immense 3: Crack’d across into numberless fragments The Prophetic wrath, strug’ling for vent Hurls apart, stamping furious to dust And crumbling with bursting sobs; heaves The black marble on high into fragments 320 Appendix 4: Hurl’d apart on all sides, as a falling Rock: the innumerable fragments away Fell asunder; and horrible vacuum Beneath him & on all sides round. 5: Falling, falling! Los fell & fell Sunk precipitant heavy down down Times on times, night on night, day on day . . . (11–29, E 92) The Four Zoas (c. 1797–1805), Night the Third [Ahania] Continued falling. Loud the Crash continud loud & Hoarse From the Crash roared a flame of blue sulphureous fire from the flame A dolorous groan that.struck with dumbness all confusion Swallowing up the horrible din in agony on agony Thro the Confusion like a crack across from immense to immense Loud strong a universal groan* of death louder Than all the wracking elements (p. 44; ll. 6–11, E 329) Night the Ninth Los his vegetable hands Outstretchd his right hand branching out in fibrous Strength Siezd the Sun. His left hand like dark roots coverd the Moon And tore them down cracking the heavens across from immense to immense Then fell the fires of Eternity with loud & shrill Sound of Loud Trumpet thundering along from heaven to heaven A mighty sound articulate Awake ye dead & come To judgment from the four winds Awake & Come away Folding like scrolls of the Enormous volume of Heaven & Earth With thunderous noise & dreadful shakings rocking to and fro The heavens are shaken & the Earth removed from its place . . . (p. 117; ll. 6–16, E 386–387) *[“Noise call you it or universal groan” (Samson Agonistes, 1511)] ...