introductory note to a failed edition of "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" by William Blake, with fragments
The naive professed admiration for William Blake by Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish engineer turned visionary, is summed up in one of the comments made marginal reading Wisdom of Angels Concerning Divine love , published in 1789. That comment was: "Heaven and Hell are born together." It is strange that this idea was born under a sign naïve, was the germ of the blast more sarcastic and shocking of Blake: The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1791), not only against Swedenborg, but against religious orthodoxy, political , social and literary of his time, and also a determined and exuberant announce its own principles. It argued
Swedish creeds, who attracted many in his crusade visionary: his enthusiasm was infectious. He believed in the "Divine Humanity" in the Bible as God's dictation to inspired men, in fine and total correspondence between the natural and spiritual world and the possibility that the common man reached the revelation. Swedenborg at once exalted sexuality, and made the image of the "great man" whose body shape was an image of Heaven. Blake embraced sympathy these statements, but not for long. Closer reading convinced him that the theology and morality of Swedenborg were conventional in their marrow, and limited imagination. Thus, we have reacted bitterly to write on them with a cut lapidary: "Execrable folly!" and going so far as to ridicule. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell goes against the traditional dichotomy of the Church, accepted by the visionary Blake attacked as bloated and pompous, his "Memorable Fancies" parody "relations memorable" Swedenborg on spiritual experiences.
Blake put his ideas fully in this, his main work in prose, which proclaims its belief in the primacy immutable moral imagination. Other works, Poetical Sketches, Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience , all in verse, books "enlightened" with his own prints, classic poetry are universal. He combined his vocation as a poet and graphic artist to produce books that are visually shocking. (MS)
THE VOICE OF THE DEVIL
All Bibles or sacred codes have been responsible for the following errors: 1.The
Man has two real existing principles: a Body and Soul. 2.The
Energy, called Evil, is isolated from the body, and that Reason, called Good, what is the Soul. 3.What
God will torment Man in Eternity for following his Energies.
But contrary to those following are true:
1. Man has no body distinct from his soul, because that called Body is a portion of Soul discerned by the five Senses, the main conduits of Soul at this time.
2. Energy is the only life, and comes of the Body and Reason is the bound or outer circumference of Energy.
3. Energy is Eternal Bliss.
(...)
The ancient Poets animated all sensible things to the Gods or Geniuses, calling them by their names and adorned with the properties of forests, rivers, mountains, lakes, cities, nations, and whatever else magnified and numerous senses could perceive.
and case studies the genius of each city and country, ranking under its mental deity. Until
devised a system which took advantage of some, and vulgar subyugóse trying to understand or abstract the mental deities from their objects. Thus began Priesthood. Choosing
forms of worship of poetic fictions.
And in the long proclaimed that the Gods had ordered such things.
Thus men forgot that All deities reside in his own breast.
(Translation 1996: Manuel Sosa)
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