‘In the Mouth of a True Orator’ (Jerusalem’s Operating Instructions)

Blake declares that every word of Jerusalem has been chosen to suit ‘the mouth of a true Orator.’ Though it is not written in the form of a play, the poem has been designed to be read aloud and heard. When I try to be a ‘true Orator,’ the poem’s peculiar language, characters, and structure become clearer, and its complexities less baffling. This article discusses why oral interpretation is appropriate to the ‘Sublime Allegory’ Blake has created, and how oral interpretation delivers us from misinterpretations of the poem’s eponymous heroine. Giving voice to the poem opens up the possibilities for historical antecedents for the character in the poem called Hand, and supports G.E. Bentley, Jr’s recent observations about the dating of the poem.