You may want to compare your understanding of them with the one expressed here and find out if it makes sense to you and fills some gaps.
Thank you for the link @Dachs - and thank you @gumbud, whose link also took me to the same article.
It makes some interesting points, some of which overlap thoughts Iāve already had or opinions Iāve already read about.
There does seem to be differing opinions among scholars who have studied the whole work these verses are taken from, so I guess there isnāt any one definitive answer.
That was only the first verse Gumbud. What about what followed - I think we need to examine the whole poem to understand what Blake is tryng to communicate:
āAnd did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon Englandās mountains green?
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On Englandās pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic mills?
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!
I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In Englandās green and pleasant landā
What about the
āclouded hillsā and the āsatanic millsā where do they fit in. My understanding is that Blake is writing about battling to create some sort of utopia. It is a great poem, but my belief is that there is more to it than simply Englandās green and pleasant land.
Edited to add
Just noticed your posts. Thanks Dachs boot and for sharing.
Jerusalem has to be my favourite hymn too. In fact, there is a note in the envelope that contains my Will that stated I want the following version to be played at my funeral:
for sure for sure poets can cover a lot of ground in one poem and we also can take a lot from it ourselves - today as in those days there remains many swathes of green and pleasant lands but also dark satanic mills but with many silenced as well and replaced by cleaner ones in a way but essentially more dangerous possibly?
poetry can be all about symbolism
Hey @gumbud, if youāre thinking of rewriting it, I hear thereās fly tipping in Yorkshire. Just thought Iād mention that.
wouldnāt challenge the bard!
Yes, I have that as part of a compilation. I have listened to it many times.
@JBR
well now we all know then ; thatāll turn quite a few away??
nb: thought yaz was keepin it a secret??
Possibly not well known is that āJerusalemā is highly critical of English society at the time. He was regretting how the industrial revolution was affecting Joe Public hence āsatanic millsā.
Even more in Lancashire - thereās a huge municipal tip called Manchester.
And an even worse one in Liverpool.
Thatās as a result of so many Paddies and their clans settling there!
Not being funny to Irish people, but that is perfectly true.
Iām in that Land, every day, and perceived threats have yet to manifest, so far so good.
thereās ma mon : thereās ma mon! talk to the locals not the would be journos!
me old mon from da pool used to say āif yaāve got no one to talk to then at least ya can talk to a lampostā???
I believe thatās just what they do, when theyāve had more than they can handle!
They give the wall a talking too.