I've Discovered William Blake

William Blake (1757-1827)

excerpts from The Four Zoas

I was struck speechless as I heard this read by Simon Callow at Westminster Abbey, 10 July 2007, as part of a celebration of the 250th anniversary of Blake's birth involving composers, Westminster choir, tenor and oboe soloists. (I attended with a few Exmoor folks as a new piece of Blake's words set by James Lavino was being premiered. James Lavino is one of Exmoor's highlighted composers.) I may have encountered Blake before in my studies, but the fresh relevance and sting of his words were potent for me today.

"What is the price of Experience? do men buy it for a song?
Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No, it is bought with the price
Of all that a man hath, his house, his wife, his children.
Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy,
And in the wither'd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain.

It is an easy thing to triumph in the summer's sun
And in the vintage and to sing on the waggon loaded with corn.
It is an easy thing to talk of patience to the afflicted,
To speak the laws of prudence to the houseless wanderer,
To listen to the hungry raven's cry in wintry season
When the red blood is fill'd with wine and with the marrow of lambs.

It is an easy thing to laugh at wrathful elements,
To hear the dog howl at the wintry door, the ox in the slaughter house moan;
To see a god on every wind and a blessing on every blast;
To hear sounds of love in the thunder storm that destroys our enemies' house;
To rejoice in the blight that covers his field, and the sickness that cuts off his children,
While our olive and vine sing and laugh round our door, and our children bring fruits and flowers.

Then the groan and the dolor are quite forgotten, and the slave grinding at the mill,
And the captive in chains, and the poor in the prison, and the soldier in the field
When the shatter'd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead.

It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity:
Thus could I sing and thus rejoice: but it is not so with me."

“Compel the poor to live upon a crust of bread, by soft mild arts.
Smile when they frown, frown when they smile; and when a man looks pale
With labour and abstinence, say he looks healthy and happy;
And when his children sicken, let them die; there are enough
Born, even too many, and our earth will be overrun
Without these arts. If you would make the poor live with temper,
With pomp give every crust of bread you give; with gracious cunning
Magnify small gifts; reduce the man to want a gift, and then give with pomp.
Say he smiles if you hear him sigh. If pale, say he is ruddy.
Preach temperance: say he is overgorg'd and drowns his wit
In strong drink, though you know that bread and water are all
He can afford. Flatter his wife, pity his children, till we can
Reduce all to our will, as spaniels are taught with art."

The sun has left his blackness and has found a fresher morning,
And the mild moon rejoices in the clear and cloudless night,
And Man walks forth from midst of the fires: the evil is all consum'd.
His eyes behold the Angelic spheres arising night and day;
The stars consum'd like a lamp blown out, and in their stead, behold
The expanding eyes of Man behold the depths of wondrous worlds!
One Earth, one sea beneath; nor erring globes wander, but stars
Of fire rise up nightly from the ocean; and one sun
Each morning, like a new born man, issues with songs and joy
Calling the Plowman to his labour and the Shepherd to his rest.
He walks upon the Eternal Mountains, raising his heavenly voice,
Conversing with the animal forms of wisdom night and day,
That, risen from the sea of fire, renew'd walk o'er the Earth;
For Tharmas brought his flocks upon the hills, and in the vales
Around the Eternal Man's bright tent, the little children play
Among the woolly flocks. The hammer of Urthona sounds
In the deep caves beneath; his limbs renew'd, his Lions roar
Around the Furnaces and in evening sport upon the plains.
They raise their faces from the earth, conversing with the Man:

"How is it we have walk'd through fires and yet are not consum'd?
How is it that all things are chang'd, even as in ancient times?"

Rediscovering Evangelism

In my post-high school Christian life, I have not considered myself as having strong desires to verbally share my faith in order to convert others. In fact, I have had some strong thoughts against verbally sharing my faith in any attempt to convert someone else by convincing them my way of believing was better than theirs and assured of a place safe from the evils of a hell.

However, this past weekend I had a fantastic conversation lasting over three hours with a staunch atheist who recognised that although he could not at this point subscribe to any religion, he had an unsatisfied longing within himself to believe in something Greater. It began as many such conversations begin with me in the UK - explaining to folks what a Mennonite is and why I call myself one. It flowed from questions of the faith's principles and set of beliefs and practices to a general discussion on faith and religion.

I shared many of my likely radical views of faith with him, for which he readily listened and even more readily challenged. Many times throughout the conversation, he seemed awestruck that I could actually believe what I was saying. The views I espoused on religion and faith seemed so unlike many he had heard and he found resonance in many of them.

As a person who believes Conversations are most often Holy experiences, I thoroughly enjoyed the three hours of to-and-fro engaged debate and dialogue on religion and faith, and in fact could have continued throughout the night into the hours of dawn. I was strongly aware of the strange beauty of the engagement between us during our conversation, a beauty pointing to the presence of God dancing in the confusing muck of these humans tackling these issues of the spirit.

I left the conversation having a strong desire for further engagement and the chance to wrestle alongside this person in their quest for faith. I believe I'm rediscovering an excitement of sharing the Gospel of Christ, and am on the edge of my seat to see where God may lead in the particularities of my hopeful future conversations with this fellow seeker.