Jerusalem

Jerusalem

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountain green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.

Until recently I don't believe I had ever heard this English Hymn. The words caught in my imagination and I just had to know the history behind them. 

Come to find out, the first line "And did those feet in ancient time" is the title of a short poem written in 1804 by William Blake, the beloved English poet. It is found in the preface to his epic Milton a Poem. The poem Jerusalem became a hymn in 1916 when Sir Hubert Parry wrote the music.

Blake's poem was inspired by a legend that Jesus, as a young person (during the "lost" years), accompanied  his uncle (or family friend) Joseph of Arimathea, to the area that is now England and visited Glastonbury. The legend is linked to Revelation 3:12 and 21:2 which describes the Second Coming, wherein Jesus establishes a new Jerusalem.


Blake does not assert that his poem is an historical truth but lifts up his desire that such a country be created again. He had a complete distrust of materialism and the corruptive nature of power and asserts that Jesus' visit would have created "heaven" in England. Heaven would overcome the "dark Satanic Mills" of the Industrial Revolution as he believed the "mills' would destroy nature and human relationships. Many feel he saw the coming industrial ageas aa a mechanism for the enslavement of millions, surrounding the people with a physically and spiritually repressive ideology.

It has been performed by numerous artists over the years...from the traditional church hymn:


to solo performances:

to a rock version by Emerson, Lake and Palmer:


and prior to a rugby match:




As you can see, the English love this song! Can't say that I blame them...