The Book of Ahania

1. But the forehead of Urizen gathering1，
And his eyes pale with anguish2， his lips

Blue and changing， in tears and bitter

Contrition3 he prepar'd his Bow，

2. Form'd of Ribs4， that in his dark solitude5，

When obscur'd in his forests， fell monsters

Arose. For his dire6 Contemplations

Rush'd down like floods from his mountains，

In torrents7 of mud settling thick，

With eggs of unnatural8 production：

Forthwith hatching， some howl'd on his hills，

Some in vales， some aloft flew in air.

3. Of these， an enormous dread9 Serpent，

Scald and poisonous， hornd，

Approach'd Urizen， even to his knees，

As he sat on his dark-rooted Oak.

4. With his horns he push'd furious：

Great the conflict and great the jealousy10

In cold poisons； but Urizen smote11 him！

5. First he poison'd the rocks with his blood，

Then polish'd his ribs， and his sinews

Drid， laid them apart till winter；

Then a Bow black prepar'd： on this Bow

A poisond Rock plac'd in silence.

He utter'd these words to the Bow：

6. `O Bow of the clouds of Secrecy12！

O nerve of that lust-form'd monster！

Send this Rock swift， invisible， thro'

The black clouds on the bosom13 of Fuzon.'

7. So saying， in torment14 of his wounds

He bent15 the enormous ribs slowly

A circle of darkness！ then fixd

The sinew in its rest； then the Rock，

Poisonous source， plac'd with art， lifting difficult

Its weighty bulk. Silent the Rock lay，

8. While Fuzon， his tigers unloosing，

Thought Urizen slain16 by his wrath17.

`I am God！' said he， `eldest of things.'

9. Sudden sings the Rock； swift and invisible

On Fuzon flew， enter'd his bosom；

His beautiful visage， his tresses，

That gave light to the mornings of heaven，

Were smitten18 with darkness， deform'd，

And outstretch'd on the edge of the forest.

10. But the Rock fell upon the Earth，

Mount Sinai， in Arabia.