William Blake, Jerusalem (1804)
The poem "Jerusalem" is part of Blake's preface to his epic Milton: A Poem (1804-1810). It is often quoted by its first line "And did those feet in ancient time" to be distinguished from Blake's other epic, Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion. The poem was set to music by Hubert Parry in 1916.
Text
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On England's 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 England's green & pleasant Land.
Critical Text
Further Reading
Context
- Carson, Jamin. "The Sublime and Education." The Journal of Aesthetic Education 40.1 (Spring 2006):79-93.
- Christopher Rowland (Oxford University). "Apocalypse and Violence: The Evidence from the Reception History of the Book of Revelation." A paper held at Apocalypse and Violence: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, a conference sponsored by Council on Middle East Studies and the Yale Divinity School in 2002.
- K. M. Newton. "Validity in Interpretation and the Literary Institution." The British Journal of Aesthetics 25.3 (1985):207-219.
- Allan Abbott. "The Intellectual Content of Poetry." Teachers College Record 39.1 (1937):1-15.
- "William Blake. A True Englishman. The New National Anthem." The Times. 12 Aug 1927: 11.
- William Blake, Milton, Copy C, 1811 edition, at www.blakearchive.org
- More info on the publishing history of Blake's Milton
- A current petition to acknowledge 'Jerusalem' as the English national anthem
- Jerusalem at the Last night of the Proms
- Monty Python sing Jerusalem (Buying a Bed) or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGEeLtqtNvU
- As the official Cricket Song
- A Bus full of Rugby Fans sings Jerusalem
- An out of hand Rugby Team
- A very patriotic video
- Jerusalem sung by Bruce Dickinson
- Jerusalem sung in Chariots of Fire, a 1981 UK film, directed by Hugh Hudson, written by Colin Welland
- Jerusalem sung in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, a 1962 UK film, directed by Tony Richardson, written by Alan Sillitoe
