The Book of Ahania (Chapter I )

    On spikèd flames rose； his hot visage

    Flam'd furious； sparkles his hair and beard

    Shot down his wide bosom¹ and shoulders.

    On clouds of smoke rages his chariot，

    And his right hand burns red in its cloud，

    Moulding into a vast Globe his wrath²，

    As the thunder-stone is moulded，

    Son of Urizen's silent burnings.

    2. `Shall we worship this Demon³ of smoke，'

    Said Fuzon， `this abstract Nonentity⁴，

    This cloudy God seated on waters，

    Now seen， now obscur'd， King of Sorrow？'

    3. So he spoke⁵ in a fiery⁶ flame，

    On Urizen frowning indignant，

    The Globe of wrath shaking on high.

    Roaring with fury， he threw

    The howling Globe； burning it flew，

    Length'ning into a hungry beam. Swiftly

    4. Oppos'd to the exulting⁷ flam'd beam，

    The broad Disk of Urizen upheav'd

    Across the Void many a mile.

    5. It was forg'd in mills where the winter

    Beats incessant⁸： ten winters the disk，

    Unremitting， endur'd the cold hammer.

    6. But the strong arm that sent it remember'd

    The sounding beam： laughing， it tore through

    That beaten mass， keeping its direction，

    The cold loins of Urizen dividing.

    7. Dire⁹ shriek'd his invisible Lust¹⁰！

    Deep groan'd Urizen； stretching his awful hand，

    Ahania （so name his parted Soul）

    He seiz'd on his mountains of Jealousy¹¹.

    He groan'd， anguish'd， and callèd her Sin，

    Kissing her and weeping over her；

    Then hid her in darkness， in silence，

    Jealous， tho' she was invisible.

    8. She fell down， a faint Shadow， wand'ring

    In Chaos¹²， and circling dark Urizen，

    As the moon， anguish'd， circles the earth，

    Hopeless！ abhorr'd！ a death-shadow，

    Unseen， unbodièd， unknown，

    The mother of Pestilence¹³！

    9. But the fiery beam of Fuzon

    Was a pillar of fire to Egypt，

    Five hundred years wand'ring on earth，

    Till Los seiz'd it， and beat in a mass

    With the body of the sun.