Allen Ginsberg’s 1979 Naropa lecture on William Blake’s Europe – A Prophecy continues from here
AG: “The Crystal Cabinet“ is one of his (Blake’s) most beautiful poems.
Student: (Page) four-seven-nine
AG: Where?
Student: (Page) four-seven-nine
AG: Thank you. Helpful.
(Allen proceeds to sing the poem):
The Crystal Cabinet
The Maiden caught me in the Wild
Where I was dancing merrily
She put me into her Cabinet
And Lockd me up with a golden Key
This cabinet is formd of Gold
And Pearl & Crystal shining bright
And within it opens into a World
And a little lovely Moony Night
Another England there I saw
Another London with its Tower
Another Thames & other Hills
And another pleasant Surrey Bower
Another Maiden like herself
Translucent lovely shining clear
Threefold each in the other close
O what a pleasant trembling fear
O what a smile a threefold smile
Filld me that like a flame I burnd
I bent to Kiss the lovely Maid
And found a Threefold Kiss returnd.
I strove to sieze the inmost Form
With ardor fierce & hands of flame
But burst the Crystal Cabinet
And like a Weeping Babe became
A weeping Babe upon the wild
And Weeping Woman pale reclind
And in the outward air again
I filld with woes the passing Wind.
So what happened there? “Threefold” would mean three of the Zoas, not four. Something is lacking. Probably imagination, I would guess….
Blake scholar, Larry Clayton examines “The Crystal Cabinet” from a variety of perspectives here, here, here and here
The late Tom Clark pairs Blake’s poem with a painting by Blake’s contemporary, the painter John Sell Cotman – see here
to be continued
Audio for the above. an be heard here, beginning at approximately twenty-six-and-a-half minutes in and concluding at approximately twenty-eight-and-a-half minutes in