Allen Ginsberg on William Blake’s Vala or The Four Zoas continues from here
AG: Okay (the four figures) do they have directions, do you remember? Does anybody know?
Student: I think so.
Student (HL): Yes.
AG: Do they have directions?
Student (HL): (These were taken) from the vision of Ezekiel, which, you know, like, Blake felt that he was having a vision …
AG: Yeah.
Student (HL): … the way Ezekiel got a vision. And these were, like, wheels within wheels, and on each of the wheels there were these four creatures …. and the creatures represented the possibilities of mankind – like the ox could be the slow sensational aspect …
AG: Tharmas.
Student: Yeah, Tharmas is ox-like.
AG: Is ox.
Student: Right.
AG: And what was the other?
Student: The lion. The eagle, who would be … I don’t know.
Student (2): Reason.
AG: The eagle is…
Student: Could be inspiration, too.
Student (2): Imagination.
Student: Imagination…Imagination. Yeah, could be.
AG: Yes. The Eagle – Urthona
Student (2): Los is the fourth star
AG: Urthona or Earth-owner or the imagination is represented as genius eagle-head.
Student(2): Then Urizen would be the man.
Student: But you see….
AG: Tharmas is the ox. Then what are the others?
Student: The lion.
AG: The lion is Urizen. The lion has been used for Urizen, as interchangeable, and then the man’s head is Luvah – emotions.
Student: (Yes)
AG: That’s really interesting. So that the Four Zoas here, in Blake, do have some relation to the four … is it the four beasts of the Revelation? Is (that what they’re) called?
Student: (Four living) creatures who are (animals)
AG: Four living creatures of Revelation. Well, (in the Bible) they’re each holding books? Can you describe the scene?
Student: No, I can’t.
AG: Are they not each holding books? Each of these?
Student: I think that’s the angels that are holding the books.
AG: Yeah…
Student: No, I don’t think so. I think they’re just….
AG: Okay, maybe someone (could look that up). Could you check that out and maybe bring it in? Bring the Bible next time and find the specific passage that describes the four.
So there’s a parallel or there’s a correlation between Blake’s Zoas and the four living creatures. Now, do the living creatures have any further schematic senses?
to be continued