The Book Of Urizen: Chapter Ix

1. Then the Inhabitants of those Cities: Felt their Nerves change into Marrow And hardening Bones began In swift diseases and torments, In throbbings & shootings & grindings Thro' all the coasts; till weaken'd The Senses inward rush'd shrinking, Beneath the dark net of infection. 2. Till the shrunken eyes clouded over Discernd not the woven hipocrisy But the streaky slime in their heavens Brought together by narrowing perceptions Appeard transparent air; for their eyes Grew small like the eyes of a man And in reptile forms shrinking together Of seven feet stature they remaind 3. Six days they shrunk up from existence And on the seventh day they rested And they bless'd the seventh day, in sick hope: And forgot their eternal life 4. And their thirty cities divided In form of a human heart No more could they rise at will In the infinite void, but bound down To earth by their narrowing perceptions They lived a period of years Then left a noisom body To the jaws of devouring darkness 5. And their children wept, & built Tombs in the desolate places, And form'd laws of prudence, and call'd them The eternal laws of God 6. And the thirty cities remaind Surrounded by salt floods, now call'd Africa: its name was then Egypt. 7. The remaining sons of Urizen Beheld their brethren shrink together Beneath the Net of Urizen; Perswasion was in vain; For the ears of the inhabitants, Were wither'd, & deafen'd, & cold: And their eyes could not discern, Their brethren of other cities. 8. So Fuzon call'd all together The remaining children of Urizen: And they left the pendulous earth: They called it Egypt, & left it. 9. And the salt ocean rolled englob'd.