55

Urizen's role in the construction of the Pythagorean universe begins, in a late addition that continues the like additions which end Night the First, with Albion "Rising upon his Couch of death" (K. II. 1). Albion turns "his Eyes outward to Self, losing the Divine Vision" (K. II. 2). Because he has lost the inward "Divine Vision" by turning "outward." Albion sees his own exudation into the finite and perceives his own chaos. He summons his rational energies to establish order:

[Man del.] Albion call'd Urizen & said: "Behold these

sick'ning Spheres,

"Whence is this voice of Enion that soundeth in my

[ears del.] Porches?

5 "Take thou possession! take this Scepter.' go forth in

my might,

"For I am weary & must sleep in the dark sleep of Death.

"Thy brother Luvah hath smitten me, but pity thou his

youth

"Tho' thou hast not piti'd my Age, 0 Urizen, Prince of

Light."

(K. II. 3-8)

In this speech Albion stresses his own sleep, "the dark sleep of Death," and the sound of "the voice of Enion" at the edge of the circle of destiny. He knows of Luvah's anarchy and so gives his power of order to Urizen; then, he dies. Blake's emendation from "ears" to "Porches" recalls the first speech of Enitharmon: "The Fallen Man takes his repose, Urizen sleeps in the porch" (K. I. 261). The porch is of Albion's house in eternity out of which, so to speak, his component energies have been banished. It can be thought of as a 'balcony' from which Albion's exudation can be seen as a 'landscape'. Called up from the nuptial "Feast of envy" (K. II. 10), Urizen is able to see Albion's finite exudation before him, for he stands, as it were, at the threshold of Albion's outward looking consciousness: