In what furnace was thy brain
forged? What adamantine blade
cut those mind forg’d manacles
and freed you?
Freed, into the vales of Har
th’ eternal porter lifts the bar
the Garden of Love opens, read
‘Though shalt’ over the door:
Thou shalt write in darkness
only to shine, with the engraver’s art
thou shalt enlighten every one of us
who seeks to know thy heart.
And when that heart has ceased to beat
what dread poem, to what dread beat
shall follow, in your fearful wake
the world to rouse, it’s core to shake?
Blake! we are sleepwalking
Blake! caught within mills with complicated wheels
Blake! my only hope:
if we persist long enough in such folly
we may yet
become
wise
as you envisioned in your prophecy.
© Experimentsinfiction 2021, All Rights Reserved
Written for dVerse
Laura is hosting Poetics, and has given us the following challenge:
- Select ONE of our favourite poets (a celebrated or a lesser known one) and write a poem either:-About them (the indirect voice, as exemplified in the first two poems)
OrAddressing them in the direct voice (Jennings’ last poem)
- your title must include the poet’s name
- try and employ the poet’s recognisable style
- there are no rules for meter or poetry form
- those who choose the direct voice, might like the extra challenge of an ODE – (HERE’S HOW)
I have written an irregular Ode (because it doesn’t follow a strict scheme of stanzas like a traditional Ode) to one of my favourite poets, William Blake. This is not the first time I have responded to Blake’s poetry with a poem. In fact I’ve done this twice before, in both ‘Seer-Lion‘ and ‘Jerusalem’s Lament.’ I think it’s fair to say I have been greatly influenced by his work.
References
Laura begins her prompt with a quote from T.S. Eliot: “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” Whether or not this is a sign of maturity, I have stolen a lot in the poem above, so here are the references:
- ‘In what furnace was thy brain’ is a direct quote from ‘The Tyger,’ and the first two lines of my fourth stanza are an imitation of the last two lines of the third stanza of this same poem.
- The ‘vales of Har’ are mentioned in ‘The Book of Thel.’ Part IV of the same poem begins ‘The eternal gates’ terrific porter lifted the northern bar’
- The phrase ‘mind forg’d manacles’ is taken from the poem ‘London.’
- The Garden of Love is another poem by Blake.
- The final stanza references There Is No Natural Religion:
– ‘The bounded is loathed by its possessor. The same dull round even of a universe would soon become a mill with complicated wheels.’
and also one of Blake’s ‘Proverbs of Hell‘ from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell:
– If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.
Featured Image: The William Blake Archive, from Europe a Prophecy (Public Domain.)
Oh I love how you brought back Blake… I must say that the poetry combined with his art bring back images that makes me wonder where he went, and if we should follow in those fearful footsteps.
I am sure he is still around somewhere: probably hiding out in some ‘dark satanic mills’ 🙂
This is such a passionate, passionate ode to Blake, Ingrid! 💝💝 I especially love; “And when that heart has ceased to beat what dread poem, to what dread beat shall follow, in your fearful wake the world to rouse, it’s core to shake?”
I think we need it right now Sanaa, don’t we? Thank you for your kind comment 💕
Ingrid this was a truly impressive Ode to Blake – I liked how you referenced it and with your own words forged this – wonderful read throughout but that last verse stopped me in my tracks – Blake – we are sleepwalking…
I feel we need him to come back and give us some more pearls of wisdom; or perhaps we just need to study those he left us. Thank you Laura!
I can’t say I’m surprised that you chose Blake, Ingrid, and I love that you wrote an irregular ode, and with such close reference to his work. I wish I’d included footnotes like you and Laura. The opening questions hooked me, and I especially love the lines:
‘Thou shalt write in darkness
only to shine, with the engraver’s art
thou shalt enlighten every one of us
who seeks to know thy heart’
and the rhythm of fhe following stanza.
Many years ago, I visited a Blake exhibition in London and bought a much- treasured catalogue. Sadly, it was accidentally left behind in Ireland and I never saw it again.
Thank you Kim! It was either Blake or Wordsworth but I think I know more Blake poetry from memory. To see the words next to his artwork takes them to another level.
Well crafted ode to Blake! The last lines are so thought-provoking. I find all the mystics so intriguing and Blake especially on his spiritual views.
Yes, I think he veiled his politically radical views in metaphor. A fascinating character!
“caught within mills with complicated wheels” … a sad demise, yet with hope.
Thank you Beverly – I believe there is still hope!
Your poem feels epic and definitely does pays homage to Blake’s poetry. You definitely soared with your own wings with this one.😀
Thanks K. 😊
Wow Ingrid, an ambitious undertaking, so thoroughly and excellently achieved. This is full and rich with Blake. So well written… bravo!
Thank you Rob! I hope you are receiving my comments on your work 🙏
Well done Ingrid! A wonderful tribute.
Thank you Dwight 🙏
You are welcome!
Ingrid, I like how you call out to him in lamentation at his passing, wondering who will lead on now. Beautiful poetry in honor of a luminous poetic figure.
Thank you Lisa. We can still read his message and try to learn from it!
You’re welcome and yes!
Well, I’m stunned. This is amazing writing, no surprise there, but the gravity and impact of the final stanza:
“Blake! we are sleepwalking
Blake! caught within mills with complicated wheels
Blake! my only hope:
if we persist long enough in such folly
we may yet
become
wise
as you envisioned in your prophecy.”
It’s immersive and not only that, it’s chilling almost like calling out to an older hope for help. What can we do now if we do not have the greats to guide us? That’s the essence I got here; it’s mesmerizing and evocative, especially in how different poets and their views help shape us and guide us in different areas of life and the world. Beautifully and brilliantly written!
Thank you so much Lucy, I appreciate your in-depth reading. I think we can still learn a lot from the poets of the past. It’s ironic that not many people listened when he was alive.
Blake may not have received the attention he deserved in his lifetime, but he is certainly receiving it from you in this passionate tribute.
It’s sad but true. We often don’t recognise talent until it has passed from the earth.
This is a stunning write Ingrid. You have written a masterpiece here. I felt as if you were channeling someone, Blake maybe was crying out toms through you..
Thank you so much Christine! I am certainly affected by his prophetic voice.
Yes, I love it when we are moved by a poet’s works.
to us
Genius. This is “poet of the year” level writing.
<3
David
🤩 David 🤩 thank you! Cindy and I are copying ‘your thing’ 🤣
Very commendable. By using his words, you’ve woven yourself into the very fabric of Blake.
Thank you Ken!
The Tyger is one of my favourite poems. Wonderful evocation of Blake.
Thank you 🙏
Mercy! Mercy! The unbelievable art and poetry that followed it. Blake wherever he landed in our Universe hears you .. feels it.
Thanks Helen 🙏🌺
Very Blakeian. Jerusalem would make such a good national anthem, far better than the dirge.
Well we’re doing a shameful job of building a new Jerusalem at the moment so a dirge seems more appropriate!
Yes, that made us laugh when we heard Boris talking about building a New Jerusalem. Is he going for the Sally Army vote do you think?
wow, very well done, very “blakey”, very well emulated, loved that last stanza.
Thank you!
Wow Ingrid! You would make Blake proud! 🙌🙌🙌🙌
And that was a perfect picture match❣️
Where did you find it?
We might have to get permission from 😝David😝 or pay a user fee. (UKWLU?) right!!!!
It’s on The William Blake archive and public domain I believe because he died quite a long time ago. I think in the US the rules are slightly different!
Oh good to know. Stunning shot.
Oh great well, we’re in luck!!! If I had to go to jail I’d pick you as a cell mate tho.. 🤣
Oh that could be lots of fun: but what if we weren’t allowed to blog? 😱😱😱
🤣🤣🤣 you have a point there❣️
This piece brims with passion and urgency. I love the refrain of his name making it intense and intimate at the same time. These lines are so good:
And when that heart has ceased to beat
what dread poem, to what dread beat
shall follow, in your fearful wake
the world to rouse, it’s core to shake?
He did picture what we have come to quite well. And you capture his passion in your words. (K)
Thank you 🙏
So much power in a poem. A powerful poem!
Thank you!
I love Blake, and particularly The Tyger; it’s one of my absolute favourite poems of all time, and you’ve done a very cool job of oding it here. This:
“*Thou shalt* write in darkness
only to shine, with the engraver’s art
*thou shalt* enlighten every one of us
who seeks to know thy heart.”
Love!!
Thanks Lia, I hope I’ve done him justice! We need more voices like his.
Stunning! I like that you called his name out three times in the end…..as if to awaken him to write again.
Thank you Lillian. Who knows? Maybe it will work!
A beautiful poem. It touched my heart
Thank you ❤️🙏