One to the North, named Urthona: One to the South, named Urizen:
One to the East, named Luvah: One to the West, named Tharmas:
They are the Four Zoas that stood around the Throne Divine.
But when Luvah assum'd the World of Urizen to the South,
20And Albion was slain upon his mountains & in his tent:
All fell towards the Center in dire ruin, sinking down.
And in the South remains a burning fire: in the East, a void:
In the West, a world of raging waters: in the North, a solid,
Unfathomable, without end. But in the midst of these
25Is built eternally the Universe of Los and Enitharmon:
Towards which Milton went, but Urizen oppos'd his path.
The Man and Demon strove many periods. Rahab beheld,
Standing on Carmel: Rahab and Tirzah trembled to behold
The enormous strife, one giving life, the other giving death
30To his adversary, and they sent forth all their sons & daughters
In all their beauty to entice Milton across the river.
The Twofold form Hermaphroditic, and the Double-sexed,
The Female-male & the Male-female, self-dividing stood
Before him in their beauty, & in cruelties of holiness:
35Shining in darkness, glorious upon the deeps of Entuthon.
Saying: Come thou to Ephraim! behold the Kings of Canaan!
The Beautiful Amalekites, behold the fires of youth
Bound with the Chain of Jealousy by Los & Enitharmon!
The banks of Cam, cold learning's streams, London's dark frowning towers,
40Lament upon the winds of Europe in Rephaim's Vale,
Because Ahania, rent apart into a desolate night,
Laments! & Enion wanders like a weeping inarticulate voice,
And Vala labours for her bread & water among the Furnaces.
Therefore bright Tirzah triumphs, putting on all beauty,
45And all perfection, in her cruel sports among the Victims.
Come bring with thee Jerusalem with songs on the Grecian Lyre!
In Natural Religion: in experiments on Men.
Let her be Offer'd up to Holiness: Tirzah numbers her:
She numbers with her fingers every fibre ere it grow:
50Where is the Lamb of God? where is the promise of his coming?
Her shadowy sisters form the bones, even the bones of Horeb,
Around the marrow: and the orbed scull around the brain:
His Images are born for War, for Sacrifice to Tirzah:
To Natural Religion! to Tirzah, the Daughter of Rahab the Holy:
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