Allen Ginsberg on William Blake continues
Now, “Asia” continues the story of “Europe“. (from “Europe”, we continue with “Asia”). In other words, at the end of “Europe”, Los got up to sing his song, calling all his sons to the strife of blood. So what happens?
“The Kings of Asia heard/ The howl rise up from Europe!/And each ran out from his Web;/Spiders of intellect./ From (out) his ancient woven Den..”- (You can get some image of that in “the Raven his nest has made/In its thickest shade.” In that poem where you have the tree, the poison tree. There’s an image of a web woven into the mind).
At any rate – “For the darkness of Asia was startled/ At the thick-flaming, thought-creating fires of Orc” – (The “thought-creating fires of Orc” – That’s really nice. He comes right out and says it – Tom Paine, so to speak. The “thought-creating fires of Orc.“)
“And the Kings of Asia stood/ And cried in bitterness of soul”.
And from here on they lament the dissolution of their authority. Like, “Can’t we call for famine anymore? Can’t the priests call up pestilence anymore? What’s the matter?”
So
“Shall not the King call for Famine from the heath?/Nor the Priest, for Pestilence from the fen?/ To restrain! to dismay! to thin!/ The inhabitants of mountain and plain; In the day, of full-feeding prosperity;/And the night of delicious songs.” – (They want to get rid of full-feeding prosperity and the delicous songs of night).
to be continued
Audio for the above can be heard here, beginning at approximately seventy two minutes in and concluding at approximately seventy-four minutes in.