| [Pl. 25] | 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. | U25.23 U25.30 |
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 | U25.40 |
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 | {Pl. 26}{Pl. 27} [Pl. 28] |
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. | U28.10 |
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. | U28.20 |
9. And the salt ocean rolled englob'd |
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