The Net of Religion

William Blake: The first book of Urizen (1794) Plate 25. Redigeret af EKS

Navnet Urizen er et sprogspil over udtrykket “Your Reason”. Urizen er Blakes billede på forstanden, som er spaltet ud af det oprindelige sind, den er kastet ud af evigheden. 

Som erstatning harmonien skaber Urizen sin egen verden (vores verden!), behersket  af rationalitet, oplysning og naturlove…samtidig lider han derved, og det skaber åndelig forurening, religiøs ideologi - 

The Ox in the slaughterhouse moans,

The Dog at the wintry door, 

And he wept & he called it Pity

And his tears flowed down on the winds.

Cold he wander’s on high, over their cities

In weeping & pain & woe, 

And wherever he wander’d, in sorrows

A cold shadow followed behind him

Like a spider’s web, moist, cold & dim,

Drawing out from his sorrowing soul.

Till a Web, dark & cold, throughout all

The tormented elements stretch’d 

From the sorrows of Urizen’s soul.

None could break the Web, no wings of fire, 

So twisted the cords, & so knotted

The meshes, like twisted to the human brain.

And they called it The Net of Religion.