Jerusalem ["And did those feet in ancient time"] BY WILLIAM BLAKE

 

 

“Jerusalem” composed in 1804 by William Blake as a part of Milton consists of 4 quatrains rhyming abcb defe ghgh ijkj. Originally the poem did not have a title. The current title was actually something that had been given to the poem later by a composer who had set the poem down to music. Looking at the present title of the poem, churches have long used Jerusalem as a metaphor for Heaven, a place of universal love and peace. In that sense, it is that place of peace and love that the poet is referring to by the term Jerusalem, not the geographical location.

It is said that “Jerusalem” was composed by Blake while he was living in a cottage, which is now called Blake’s Cottage, in the village of Felpham in Sussex. Like his other poems, this shorter poem too presents a slice of Blake’s philosophy and his desire for a better world. The theme of the poem is misuse of power which brings misery to humanity and need for love and peace. It must be noted that the poem's theme has a direct link to the Book of Revelation (3:12 and 21:2) which describes a Second Coming, wherein Jesus would a New Jerusalem.

And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon Englands mountains green:

And was the holy Lamb of God,

On Englands pleasant pastures seen! 

 

And did the Countenance Divine,

Shine forth upon our clouded hills?

And was Jerusalem builded here,

Among these dark Satanic Mills?

 

In the first two quatrains of the poem poetic persona asks four questions. All four questions are based on the legend that Jesus during the missing 12 years of his life had visited England accompanied by a merchant called Joseph of Arimathea. According to British folklore scholar A. W. Smith, "there was little reason to believe that an oral tradition concerning a visit made by Jesus to Britain existed before the early part of the twentieth century". Blake in his poem uses the pseudo-Biblical allusion to raise a point rather than to assert the historical truth of Christ's visit. The four rhetorical questions are: 

a.       Did Jesus visit England?

b.      Did people of England actually see Jesus?

c.       Did he bless England with his presence?

d.      Did Jesus build a community of peace and love where the “Satanic Mills” are today? 

All four questions are examples of the use of parallelism and they invite visual images. In addition, the use of “feet” is an example of the use of synecdoche which draws the reader’s attention to that particular part of the divine anatomy. The four questions express the poetic persona’s awe at the thought that Jesus had actually sanctified the very earth and air that he is occupying with His holy presence. This feeling of amazement is further accentuated by the use of the exclamation mark at the end of the first stanza. In referring to Jesus as Lamb (He refers to Jesus as Lamb in his well-known “The Lamb” too) he tries to draw the reader’s attention to their shared qualities such as innocence and purity. In addition, in the Old Testament lambs are often offered as sacrifices; Jesus had sacrificed himself for the sins of mankind according to the Bible.

In the second stanza, through the metaphor “Countenance Divine” Jesus’ face is compared to the sun. – Did he bless our land with the warmth of his being? The poet asks. The metaphor generates a lot of warm feelings in the reader, especially when juxtaposed with the phrase “clouded hills”. In addition, the metaphor also invites a visual image. With reference to Jerusalem, it is not the Biblical town where Jesus was born but the New Jerusalem Jesus said to have created in England the poet is referring to. The phrase "Satanic Mills" has become a part of English usage, albeit in relation to factories/industrialization and their impact on environment and human relationships. Many think of the phrase as a reference to “the early industrial revolution and its destruction of nature and human relationships”. Others believe that the phrase refers to the established Church of England which promoted the established social order or the status quo. The poet brings the past and the present together in the last two lines of the second stanza and blurs time. He seems to have lost track of time for a moment – it is done intentionally.

Bring me my Bow of burning gold:

Bring me my arrows of desire:

Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold!

Bring me my Chariot of fire!

 

 The third stanza offers a series of imperatives, 4 parallel structures and two of them end in exclamations signalling further heightening of emotions. The poetic persona is about to go to battle against the Satanic Mills. He is addressing someone and demanding for his armour: a Bow of burning gold, arrows of desire, and a spear. The weapons are somewhat unconventional due to the ferocity of the enemy. Thus armed, he invokes the clouds to unfold so that Heaven would be able to see him better and probably safeguard him in this battle. Ultimately, he calls for his chosen mode of transport, a “Chariot of fire”. There are several Biblical allusions to the phrase “Chariot of fire”: in the Old Testament Prophet Elijah was taken up to heaven while he was still alive on such a chariot. In order to defeat the “Satanic Mills” or the corrupt Church one would need a sign of Divine favour in the league of what Elijah had received. This is high time to recall that Blake in fact was accused of committing heresy and was only later cleared of the charges. Being branded a heretic in a conservative society was tantamount to socioeconomic death for the accused whether proven or not. The phrase “Chariot of fire” also can be understood as an allusion to divine energy, especially as the line ends with an exclamation mark.    

 

I will not cease from Mental Fight,

Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand:

Till we have built Jerusalem,

In Englands green & pleasant Land.

 

In the last stanza, the poetic person declares two resolutions he has made:

1.      He will not “cease from Mental Fight”

2.      He will not allow his sword to sleep in his hand till together with likeminded people he has built a Jerusalem in England’s “green & pleasant land”.

The struggle is both mental and physical. The sword he is not going to rest could very well be his pen. Blake seems to assure his readers that he would not let his pen rest until they had managed to create a place of love and peace in England. Many assume that the reference to “green & pleasant Land”[1] had been inspired by the aforementioned visit to Sussex where he seemed to have composed the major part of his work Milton. The poem ends with positive note of hope and common struggle for better conditions.

Questions:

1.      What is the rhyming scheme of the poem?

2.      What are 4 rhetorical questions the poetic person asks in the first two stanzas?

3.      What does Jerusalem stand for in the poem? It stands for a peaceful place full of love.

4.      What are two interpretations of the term “Satanic Mills”?

5.      Why does the poetic persona feel that it has to be destroyed?

6.      What are 3 weapons the poetic person is going to use in his battle against the Satanic Mills?

7.      Why does he feel that he had to us a chariot of fire in his battle?

8.      Identify three techniques used in the third stanza and their purpose.

9.      What does the poetic person promise the reader that he would do in the last stanza? 

10.  What is the aim of his struggle?

---

[1] Blake’s fascination in green and pleasant pastures is seen several of his poems such as “The Garden of Love”.