The Book of Ahania (Chapter II )

    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，

    Scalèd and poisonous， hornèd，

    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

    Drièd， laid them apart till winter；

    Then a Bow black prepar'd： on this Bow

    A poisonèd 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 fixèd

    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.