The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (excerpt)

William Blake

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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 a 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 a net or a trap.
Bring out number, weight and 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 cloak of knavery.
Shame is Pride's cloke.
Prisons are built with 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 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, and 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 suffer'd 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 the standing water.
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.
Listen to the fool's 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 receiver 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 caterpiller 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 and feet Proportion.
As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible.
The crow wish'd every thing was black, the owl that every thing was white.
Exuberance is Beauty.
If the lion was advised by the fox, he would be cunning.
Improvement makes strait 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 so as to be understood, and not be believ'd.
Enough! or too much.

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Comments1
  • Tristan Robert Lange

    William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is a profound exploration of human perception and the dualities that shape our understanding of the world. One of the most striking lines from this work is:

    "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, Infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro' narrow chinks of his cavern."

    This quote has been a guiding light in my own spiritual journey, as well as in the lives of many others, from Aldous Huxley to Jim Morrison and The Doors. Blake's assertion that our perception is limited by self-imposed constraints resonates deeply with me. It speaks to the idea that true understanding and enlightenment come from breaking free of these limitations and seeing the world in its infinite complexity.

    Another line from Blake?s work that resonates profoundly with me is included in this excerpt:

    "You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough."

    For me, this line is an affirmation of my own life experiences. I have always been one to seek knowledge and experience, often learning things the hard way. People would often advise me to avoid certain paths to prevent mistakes, but I believe that true understanding comes from experiencing both ends of the spectrum. This idea aligns with the notion that one cannot fully appreciate "enough" without having experienced "more than enough." It?s akin to understanding love only after experiencing hate; the two must coexist for true comprehension.

    Blake's proverb also speaks to the creative process, where pushing beyond conventional limits can lead to new insights and depths in one's work. As a poet, this resonates with my own journey of blending dark and atmospheric imagery with profound emotional insights. Inspired by literary greats like Edgar Allan Poe, Jim Morrison, Bram Stoker, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, and H. P. Lovecraft, I strive to explore the macabre and the mysterious. Shelley's Frankenstein and Lovecraft's willingness to embrace the weird, particularly the Cthulhu Mythos, have profoundly influenced my work. Venturing into the realm of "more than enough" often reveals hidden truths and new creative possibilities.

    Finally, Blake's line also touches on the balance between restraint and indulgence. It suggests that wisdom and contentment come from experiencing both excess and moderation, finding a harmonious balance between the two. This philosophical perspective has been a cornerstone in my understanding of life?s dualities and the pursuit of knowledge and experience.

    In conclusion, Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell continues to be a source of inspiration and reflection. Its exploration of perception, duality, and the necessity of experiencing contraries to achieve true understanding is a testament to Blake's genius and his profound impact on literature and philosophy.