russ@uokvax.UUCP (03/21/84)
#N:uokvax:8300048:000:5507
uokvax!russ Mar 19 17:52:00 1984
Below are some excerps from the "Marriage of Heaven and Hell" which was
written by William Blake in 1790.
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The Voice of the Devil
All Bibles or sacred codes have been the causes of the following Errors:
1. That Man has two real existing principles, Viz: a Body & a Soul.
2. That Energy, called Evil, is alone from the Body; & that Reason, called
Good, is alone from the soul.
3. That God will torment Man in Eternity for following his Energies.
But the following Contraries to these are:
1. Man has no Body distinct form his Soul, for that called Body is a portion
of Soul discerned by the five Senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.
2. Energy is the only life and is from the Body and Reason is the bound or
outward circumference of Energy.
3. Energy is Eternal Delight.
Those who restrain desire do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained;
and the restrainer or reason usurps its place & governs the unwilling.
And being restrained it by degrees becomes passive till it is only the
shadow of desire.
Proverbs of Hell
In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.
Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.
The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.
Prudence is a rich ugly old maid courted by Incapacity.
He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.
The cut worm forgives the plow.
Dip him in the river who loves water.
A fool sees not the same tree that the wise man sees.
He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.
Eternity is in love with the productions of time.
The busy bee has no time for sorrow.
The hours of folly are measur'd by the clock, but of wisdom: no
clock can measure.
All wholesome food is caught without net or a trap.
Bring out number, weight, & measure in a year of dearth.
No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.
A dead body revenges not injuries.
The most sublime act is to set another before you.
If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.
Folly is the cloke of knavery.
Shame is Pride's cloke.
Prisons are built with the stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of
Religion.
The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.
The lust of the goat is the bounty of God.
The wrath of the lion is the wisdom of God.
The nakedness of woman is the work of God.
Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps.
The roaring of the lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the
stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity
too great for the eye of man.
The fox condemns the trap, not himself.
Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth.
Let man wear the fell of the lion, woman the fleece of the sheep.
The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.
The selfish smiling fool & the sullen frowning fool shall be both
thought wise, that they may be a rod.
What is now proved was once only imagin'd.
The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbit watch the roots; the lion,
the tyger, the horse, the elephant, watch the fruits.
The cistern contains; the fountain overflows.
One thought fills immensity.
Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you.
Every thing possible to be believ'd is an image of truth.
The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of
the crow.
The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion.
Think in the morning, Act in the noon, Eat in the evening, Sleep
in the night.
He who has suffered you to impose on him knows you.
As the plow follows words, so God rewards prayers.
The tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.
Expect poison from standing water.
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.
Listen to the fools reproach! it is a kingly title!
The eyes of fire, the nostrils of air, the mouth of water, the beard
of earth.
The weak in courage is strong in cunning.
The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow, nor the lion
the horse how he shall take his prey.
The thankful reciever bears a plentiful harvest.
If others had not been foolish, we should be so.
The soul of sweet delight can never be defil'd.
When thou seest an Eagle, thou seest a portion of Genius; lift up
thy head!
As the catterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the
priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.
To create a little flower is the labour of ages.
Damn braces: Bless relaxes.
The best wine is the oldest, the best water the newest.
Prayers plow not! Praises reap not!
Joys laugh not! Sorrows weep not!
The head Sublime, the heart Pathos, the genitals Beauty, the hands
& feet Proportion.
As the air to the bird or the sea to the fish, so is contempt to the
contemptable.
The crow wish'd every thing was black, the owl, that every thing
was white.
Exurberance is Beauty.
If the lion was advise'd by the fox, he would be cunning.
Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without
Improvement are roads of Genius.
Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires.
Where man is not nature is barren.
Truth can never be told soo as to be understood, and not be believ'd.
Enough! or Too much!
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"Just skating away on the thin ice of the new day"
Russell Spence
University of Oklahoma
Engineering Computer Network
...!ctvax!uokvax!russ