William Blake, Jerusalem (1804)

The Poem "Jerusalem" is part of Blake's Preface to his epic Milton: A Poem. It is often quoted by its first line "And id those feet in ancient time" to be distinguished from Blake's other epic, Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion.

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

Wiliam Blake. "Jerusalem (1804)." Blake's Poetry and Designs. Ed. M. L. Johnson, J. E. Grant. W.W. Norton & Company, 1979. 238.

Context

• William Blake, Milton, Copy C, 1811 edition, at www.blakearchive.org -- *More info on the publishing history of Blake 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

• Finally a very patriotic video

• Jerusalem sung by Bruce Dickinson

Further Reading

• Mary Lynn Johnson. "Milton and its Contexts." The Cambridge Companion to William Blake. Ed. Morris Eaves. Cambridge University Press. 2003. 231-250.
• "William Blake. A True Englishman. The New National Anthem." The Times. 12 Aug 1927: 11.

External Links

Wikipedia article