music: "ice core one"

 

etching by William Blake

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FROM AMERICA PROHECY BY WILLIAM BLAKE:

 

Preludium  

 
The shadowy daughter of Urthona stood before red Orc,  
When fourteen suns had faintly journey'd o'er his dark abode;  
His food she brought in iron baskets, his drink in cups of iron;  
Crown'd with a helmet & dark hair the nameless female stood;  
A quiver with its burning stores, a bow like that of night, p3.05
When pestilence is shot from heaven; no other arms she need:  
Invulnerable tho' naked, save where clouds roll round her loins,  
Their awful folds in the dark air; silent she stood as night;  
For never from her iron tongue could voice or sound arise;  
But dumb till that dread day when Orc assay'd his fierce embra[ce.] p3.10

 
Dark virgin; said the hairy youth. thy father stern abhorr'd;  
Rivets my tenfold chains while still on high my spirit soars;  
Sometimes an eagle screaming in the sky, sometimes a lion,  
Stalking upon the mountains, & sometimes a whale I lash  
The raging fathomless abyss, anon a serpent folding p3.15
Around the pillars of Urthona, and round thy dark limbs,  
On the Canadian wilds I fold, feeble my spirit folds.  
For chaind beneath I rend these caverns; when thou bringest food  
I howl my joy: and my red eyes seek to behold thy face  
In vain! these clouds roll to & fro, & hide thee from my sight. p3.20


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