The Book Of Urizen: Chapter IV

I 1.     Los smitten with astonishment     Frightend at the hurtling bones 2.     And at the surging sulphureous     Perturbed Immortal mad raging 3.     In whirlwinds & pitch & nitre     Round the furious limbs of Los 4.     And Los formed nets & gins     And threw the nets round about 5.     He watch'd in shuddring fear     The dark changes & bound every change     With rivets of iron & brass; 6.     And these were the changes of Urizen. II 1.     Ages on ages roll'd over him!     In stony sleep ages roll'd over him!     Like a dark waste stretching chang'able     By earthquakes riv'n, belching sullen fires     On ages roll'd ages in ghastly     Sick torment; around him in whirlwinds     Of darkness the eternal Prophet howl'd     Beating still on his rivets of iron     Pouring sodor of iron; dividing     The horrible night into watches. 2.     And Urizen (so his eternal name)     His prolific delight obscurd more & more     In dark secresy hiding in surgeing     Sulphureous fluid his phantasies.     The Eternal Prophet heavd the dark bellows,     And turn'd restless the tongs; and the hammer     Incessant beat; forging chains new & new     Numb'ring with links. hours, days & years 3.     The eternal mind bounded began to roll     Eddies of wrath ceaseless round & round,     And the sulphureous foam surgeing thick     Settled, a lake, bright, & shining clear:     White as the snow on the mountains cold. 4.     Forgetfulness, dumbness, necessity!     In chains of the mind locked up,     Like fetters of ice shrinking together     Disorganiz'd, rent from Eternity,     Los beat on his fetters of iron;     And heated his furnaces & pour'd     Iron sodor and sodor of brass 5.     Restless turnd the immortal inchain'd     Heaving dolorous! anguish'd! unbearable     Till a roof shaggy wild inclos'd     In an orb, his fountain of thought. 6.     In a horrible dreamful slumber;     Like the linked infernal chain;     A vast Spine writh'd in torment     Upon the winds; shooting pain'd     Ribs, like a bending cavern     And bones of solidness, froze     Over all his nerves of joy.     And a first Age passed over,     And a state of dismal woe. 7.     From the caverns of his jointed Spine,     Down sunk with fright a red     Round globe hot burning deep     Deep down into the Abyss:     Panting: Conglobing, Trembling     Shooting out ten thousand branches     Around his solid bones.     And a second Age passed over,     And a state of dismal woe. 8.     In harrowing fear rolling round;     His nervous brain shot branches     Round the branches of his heart.     On high into two little orbs     And fixed in two little caves     Hiding carefully from the wind,     His Eyes beheld the deep,     And a third Age passed over:     And a state of dismal woe. 9.     The pangs of hope began,     In heavy pain striving, struggling.     Two Ears in close volutions.     From beneath his orbs of vision     Shot spiring out and petrified     As they grew. And a fourth Age passed     And a state of dismal woe. 10.     In ghastly torment sick;     Hanging upon the wind;     Two Nostrils bent down to the deep.     And a fifth Age passed over;     And a state of dismal woe. 11.     In ghastly torment sick;     Within his ribs bloated round,     A craving Hungry Cavern;     Thence arose his channeld Throat,     And like a red flame a Tongue     Of thirst & of hunger appeard.     And a sixth Age passed over:     And a state of dismal woe. 12.     Enraged & stifled with torment     He threw his right Arm to the north     His left Arm to the south     Shooting out in anguish deep,     And his Feet stampd the nether Abyss     In trembling & howling & dismay.     And a seventh Age passed over:     And a state of dismal woe.