Page:Works of William Blake; poetic, symbolic, and critical (1893) Volume 2.djvu/308

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MILTON II.

She enters into the void outside existence and finds it to be Milton's shadow. She enters as a dove, thus counterpai-ting the Annunciation as Satan counterpartcd the coming again.

The covering cherub is revealed as Luvah's l^obe of blood. The starry seven become one man, and the clouds of Ololon, which were the heavens, are put on by him and the clouds are seen as the literal expression of Scripture, — the word of the Word.

Then the vision of the four Zoas, who included the twenty- four cities, is seen as they arose into Albion's bosom, — as in the last pages of "Jerusalem," Blake falls on the path, his soul returning to his body, and sees Mrs. Blake beside him trembling. Then Time and Space arise over them, and all their physical powers (animals) are made ready to go forth to gather into poetry the truths that they have learned, the great vintage and harvest of the nations.

Such are the last words of the last prophetic book that Blake eft to us. Merely to measure his power is a task. Who will emulate it now ?


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