“From Milton: And Did Those Feet” : Critical Appraisal

“From Milton: And Did Those Feet” : Critical Appraisal

Of all the poets of eighteenth century, Blake is the most original and the most
spontaneous. He is the poet of inspiration. He follows no man’s lead and obeys no voice
except that which he hears in his own mystic soul, he is always looking behind the visible
frame of things, for the glories and terrors of the world of spirit. Blake’s mysticism is
based on the theology and philosophy of Swedenborg, Boehme, Kabbala and Christianity.
Kathleen Raine regards him as; “perhaps the greatest Christian prophet of the
modern world”.
Blake’s Song “And Did Those Feet” shows Blake’s eternal relation between the eternal
soul and eternal God, along with this, Blake seems deeply drunk in the passion of
patriotism. He expresses his intense desire to purge England from all the evils. According
to him, once England was a holy place where angles tread upon, where Jesus traversed
through. Once it was the chosen land. But at the time of Blake this land turned into an
evil den.
The scenario of society has been completely changed. England lived with an outward
appearance of prosperity. England was winning her wards, trade and winning respect in
foreign capitals. A wave of self-satisfied nationalism was sweeping the country. In Blake’s
time, religion itself was chipping in and the general tendencies of contemporary society
had been formal, utilitarian and material. Blake drew his religious wisdom from the same
sources as he drew his poetry and painting. This perennial source was human
imagination, which he called, the Bosom of God, the Saviour, the Divine Humanity and
Jesus.
England was, to Blake, a dreamland. He had a vision of the England that would have
been the chestiest land. The poet is of the opinion that he has zeal and zest to change
England.
“Bring me my bow of burning gold,
Bring me my arrows of desires,
Bring me my spear — O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!”
He has burning golden bow and sheaf full of arrows. He would throw the arrows and
destroy the evil everywhere from the society. He wants to equip himself with spear to
fight against the forces of evil. His chariot of fire has potential to carry away all dross
that has infected the body politic of England. The poet is ready on intellectual level to
root out evil from England means to give new orientation to English society.
Blake is a mystic and throughout his poetry he dwells upon the innocent passion of being
noble, chaste and loving. He wants England a place where only benevolence, kindness
and goodness can prevail. He feels great sorrow when he feels, that England miserably
failed to play its role. This crest-fallen England with evils, injustices and miseries taxed
upon Blake’s mind and forced by the circumstances, he decided to launch a ceaseless
fight against the agents to evil. His fight is like gods of classical mythology. He desires
from Almighty to assist him against evil.
His fight will be fought ceaselessly until Jerusalem is built upon the pastures of England.
“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”
This is a small poem but each and every line has fathomless depth. The poem is divided
into three stanzas. The first stanza has picturesque beauty that portrays the three
different situations and the ancient times England. The second is his desire to fight and
in third stanza he wants to reconstruct England on solid foundations.
The lyrics of poem have splendour and beauty. Every lyric is a window of imaginative
world; symbols are used for multiple meanings. Its vocabulary is simple and symbols are
universal. We can’t find the most complete exposition of Blake’s philosophy in this poem.




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