Allen Ginsberg on William Blake’s Europe – A Prophecy continues from here
AG: “Between two moments bliss is ripe..” – I don’t understand that, actually .
Student: Well, between each moment there’s a daughter of Beulah.
AG: Ah. Between each moment….
Student: …there is a daughter of Beulah.
AG: And what would that be? Daughter of Beulah? Because people aren’t familiar with that.
Student: Inspiration. From the subconscious.
AG: Um-hmm. Well, I’m wondering how you relate it. See, Enitharmon says: “I hear the soft Oothoon in Enitharmons tents.” Remember Oothoon (who was) raped by Bromion (and) stuck with this deadbeat Theotormon worried about getting it up? So Enitharmon says, “Why wilt thou give up womans secrecy my melancholy child?” Well, why do you want to give up your virginity or why do you want to go out into the world of experience? “Between two moments bliss is ripe.”
Reed Bye: Maybe it means that there’s the possibility between … there’s always a possibility that’s between … before any moment …… if it’s thwarted or frustrated and …doesn’t have….
AG: Aha, you mean, the anticipation better than the action?
Reed Bye: Well, just that the … it isn’t … something comes along to frustrate it.
Student: It sounds like a gap in sitting practice, before you mind is …… smothered with concepts again.
AG: It’s absolutely a great line: “Between two moments bliss is ripe.” It’s one of the great lines in Blake. In this context, I’ve never quite understood it. You’ve got that key between the two?
Reed Bye: Theotormon is frustrated love.
AG: Well, guilty.
Reed Bye: Guilty.
AG: Theological torment, afraid to act.
Reed Bye: Something clamped onto.
AG: Yeah.
Reed Bye: Unnecessary.
AG: That’s the masculine aspect of it and Oothoon….
Reed Bye: And Oothoon is the female.
AG: Yeah. Who’s been raped and, at the same time, is desirous but is frustrated by the masculine not acting.
Reed Bye: And the bliss would be possible if there weren’t the guilt.
AG: Yes.
Reed Bye: So between the two moments, any two moments, there’s the chance for bliss, but the guilt … it appears.
AG: Yes. But then what I’m wondering is why would Enitharmon be saying this?
Reed Bye: I don’t know.
AG: That is, I don’t understand why she is saying, “Why wilt thou give up womans secrecy my melancholy child?” I just haven’t been able to interpret those lines clearly to make enough sense yet. But it’s kind of interesting, that little spot. If anybody ever gets around to it, let me know.
to be continued
Audio for the above can be heard here, beginning at approximately thirty-seven minutes in and concluding at approximately thirty-nine-and-a-half minutes in