When delving into the depths of Blake’s visionary realm, it becomes evident that his words are symbolically charged with boundless significance, operating not only as a metaphorical tool within the realm of his poetics but also as a powerful conduit to the metaphysical realm. As testament to his profound genius and symbolic prowess, the meaning behind several of his mesmerizing poetic works transcends the conventions of traditional explanations.
Main picture: From Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion by William Blake, plate 53, printed in 1821
Rather than succumbing to the limitations of literal interpretations, Blake wisely delivers multi-layered symbology that penetrates the subconscious and moves into what Gurdjieff calls, objective art. In other words, Blake’s poetics are Divine. Through his profound works, he demonstrated his mystical ability to ingeniously employ both his poetics and metaphysics as indispensable instruments to shed light on inquiries surrounding his own creative process and metaphysical insights.
We see some of his metaphysical insights in these lines:
To see the world in a grain of sand,
and to see heaven in a wild flower,
hold infinity in the palm of your hands,
and eternity in an hour.
And: If the doors of perception were cleansed everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things thro’ narrow chinks of his cavern.
In these words, the cavern represents the body and the narrow chinks symbolize man’s constrained senses. However, it is not the senses themselves that are limited, but rather their confinement to physical perceptions. If these were cleansed, the fog of the material world would dissipate and reality would appear.
It is clear, Blake was not a common subjective artist, dazzled and sleepy, who did not see past the veil of the material world. He saw in his consciousness, through his heightened state of awareness, the interconnectedness that permeates all aspects of life. He understood energy acts in accordance with certain laws that govern its behaviour, and that these laws find their origins in the actions of God’s radiant light, which serves as the fundamental driving force behind all existence. When Blake said ‘’desire is energy, energy is delight’’, he had obviously observed when energy goes back to its origin, there is an eruption of bliss, and enlightenment is the ultimate state of this delight.
Blake’s poetics transmutes the hard gold of metaphysics into the material of the human soul. Delving into the volumes of Blakes works, one becomes acquainted with the intricate framework of the English poet, which extends far beyond philosophical musings – they are interwoven with the threads of metaphysics. It is within this very element that the system governing the principles of epistemology, psychology, religious exploration, theodicy, and the vast spectrum of philosophical inquiries unfolds, transcending the boundaries of various disciplines and sciences. Each stroke of William Blake’s creative genius manifests in a myriad of forms, yet only those born of the metaphysical foundation remain unencumbered, unmarred, and untarnished by the fallacies and limitations imposed by the material realm. His metaphysical and intellectual inclination, driven by a remarkable bent of mind, is unequivocally evident in the profound depths of his awe-inspiring poems and visual art. The philosophical and metaphysical dimensions that permeate his profound verses have elevated him to a position of perennial distinction, portraying an ever-increasing significance and utmost relevance among the greatest English poets to ever grace this world. His use of symbol and metaphor are far beyond mere images, their purpose extending far beyond the superficial and instead delve deep into the very realm of the Divine. Blake’s symbols hold a captivating allure, transcending the ordinary limits of perception and communication. They are imbued with a transcendent power that gracefully expand the boundaries of understanding, carrying an extraordinary power, resonating with layers upon layers of meaning and wisdom.
In his painting ‘The Ancient of Days’’, Blake’s visual poetics shows us the God Urizen (Saturn) who is establishing a dazed sphere where mankind is confined to a repetitive cycle within their physical form, caged to reason and materialistic logic. Blake understood that reason was the outer boundary of energy, and if this energy was detached from its centre, which is the imagination, it would become corrupted or egotistic and observed that without any sense of Divinity, people will eventually become like engineered and programmed robots; confined and limited to the intellectual realm.
Within the realm of metaphysics in literature, and specifically in poetry, it cannot be confined to easily recognizable boundaries or limited to institutionalized settings. It goes beyond the intellectual realm, descending into the depths of Divine truths that can only be revealed through a magnetic love for God, detached from the constraints of theology and liturgy that may have been tainted or manipulated for personal gain. Blake’s poetics transcend the desires of individuals or the profit-seeking motives of egocentric authorities. His is a poetics of transformation; it will if the individual’s perception is open to it, instantly strike a deep chord in their being.
What emerges from the in-depth analysis of Blake’s work is the profound and intricate relationship that exists between poetry and alchemy. Alchemy seeks to turn lead into gold and in the same respect, poetry has the alchemical significance of transforming elemental experience into pure understanding. This metaphorical sense of transformation stands as the underlying doctrine binding these two arts together. It becomes evident that poetry and alchemy are not solely concerned with the end results but rather with the process itself; they are committed to the “great work,” the profound endeavour of creation and elevation. Blakes poetics are an elevation and turn experience into pure understanding. His extraordinary symbolic power defies the confines of mere literature, and driven by a profound desire to awaken a fresh perspective within every reader/viewer, meticulously transcribed his visionary experiences to ensure the profound revelation of new meanings. In Blake’s symbolic universe, the concrete nature of an object becomes a vessel to convey an abstract significance, a concentrated embodiment of something far more profound. His poetic discourse addresses mankind by directing attention to the eternal that embodies the human essence. He implores his readers and viewers to transcend their innate weaknesses, to ascend from their baseness, and to embrace Divinity, for in the grandness of existence, everything is inextricably interconnected, and all things – even the most mundane – possess the potential for Divine illumination.
Blake’s poetics – born under the gothic shadows of the industrial revolution and reacting against the Enlightenment values – appears driven by the irrational forces; this is a reaction only to the appearance of the world, and not the essence of it. A serious reading of his opus reveals that Blake was aware of the nature of the world; he was not interested in the shadows, but of the light and capable of expounding metaphysical matters with great insight and used words and visuals not only as poetic images but as deep centres of resonances.
There is an image of Blake as a lunatic of spiritual fervor and little reason. He was known in his day as a mystic and had earned a reputation for being ‘mad’. In 1809, he organized an exhibition in a desperate attempt to promote his work, but it was widely criticized in its only review as showcasing “wretched pictures” created by “an unfortunate lunatic.” This is something that is not surprising. As in any age, the visionaries are always subject to the scrutiny of those who possess only the shadows of world; who fail to comprehend the artistic brilliance that often accompanies a touch of madness and mystic insight. Blake’s impact and significance resonate far beyond the confines of conditioned, unconscious society. He, like all great artists are the voice within the silence of the world, and to those who are full of noise, silence is madness, and nothing will convince them otherwise.
Danny Metcalfe is a writer residing in the North-East of England. He has had poems, short stories, and essays published in various magazines. His first poetry collection was praised for being ahead of its time. He is currently writing his first novel.
Hermes Risen 