Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Vala or the Four Zoas by William Blake Vala or The Four Zoas. Learn about this topic in these articles: discussed in biography. In the epic poem Vala or The Four Zoas (manuscript 1796?–1807?), he writes, “Urizen rose up from his couch / On wings of tenfold joy, clapping his hands,” and, in his poem Milton , plates 29 and 33 portray figures, labeled “William” and “Robert,” falling backward as a star plunges… …writings are his enormous prophecies Vala or The Four Zoas (which Blake composed and revised from roughly 1796 to 1807 but never published), Milton , and Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion . In them, his myth expands, adding to Urizen (reason) and Los (imagination) the Zoas Tharmas and Luvah. (The… place in English literature. …ambitiously, in the unfinished manuscript Vala (later redrafted as The Four Zoas ), written from about 1796 to about 1807. Vala sau The Four Zoas - Vala, or The Four Zoas. Vala, sau The Four Zoas, se referă la una dintre cărțile profetice neterminate ale poetului englez William Blake , începută în 1797. Personajele principale ale cărții sunt cele patru Zoas ( Urthona , Urizen , Luvah și Tharmas ), care au fost create de căderea lui Albion în mitologia lui Blake . Este format din nouă cărți, denumite „nopți”. Acestea prezintă interacțiunile Zoas, formele lor căzute și Emanațiile lor . Blake a intenționat ca cartea să fie o însumare a universului său mitic , dar, nemulțumit, a abandonat efortul în 1807, lăsând poemul într-o schiță brută și gravarea sa neterminată. Textul poeziei a fost publicat pentru prima dată (cu doar o mică parte din ilustrațiile însoțitoare), în 1893, de poetul irlandez WB Yeats și colegul său de colaborare, scriitorul și poetul englez Edwin John Ellis , în cartea de comentarii în trei volume. despre lucrările lui William Blake, The Works of William Blake . Cuprins. fundal. Blake a început să lucreze la Vala, sau The Death and Judgment of the Eternal Man: A Dream of Nine Nights, în timp ce lucra la o ediție ilustrată a lui Edward Young 's Night Thoughts după 1795. El a continuat să lucreze la el de-a lungul deceniului, dar încet și-a pierdut încrederea că ar putea finaliza lucrarea, deoarece suferea de o stare profundă de depresie. După 1800, a reușit să lucreze din nou la asta. Poezia a fost redenumită ulterior Cei patru Zoas: chinurile Iubirii și geloziei din Moartea și judecata lui Albion the Ancient Man în 1807, iar acest nume este folosit pentru a descrie o a doua versiune a poemului, cu prima finalizată între 1796 și 1802. Manuscrisul propriu-zis al poeziei a fost scris pe gravuri de dovadă ale gândurilor nocturne . Liniile au fost înconjurate de desene mari și au existat în jur de 2.000 de linii în ediția originală a poemului și 4.000 în a doua ediție. Din revizuirea Blake la lucrare, el a schimbat în primul rând ultimele două „nopți”. Vala era mult mai mare decât oricare dintre lucrările sale anterioare. Europe a Prophecy avea 265 de rânduri și era tipărit pe plăci de cupru care măsurau 23 x 17 cm. Plăcile folosite pentru a imprima Vala aveau 41 x 32 cm. De asemenea, lucrarea a durat mult mai mult decât lucrările sale anterioare; majoritatea proiectelor lui Blake au fost finalizate în decurs de un an, dar Vala a durat zece ani până la finalizarea întregului proces. Un caiet a fost probabil folosit pentru a redacta poezia sau desenele operei, dar niciunul nu a supraviețuit. Una dintre foile manuscrise a fost folosită inițial pentru a crea o istorie a Angliei care a fost abandonată de Blake în 1793. Lucrarea nu a fost niciodată pusă în gravură, iar manuscrisul a fost dat lui John Linnell . Porțiuni din lucrare au fost folosite mai târziu în Ierusalimul Emanația albionului uriaș . Poezia este împărțită în nouă „nopți”. Începe o schiță timpurie: Acesta este mormântul lui Eno care a zguduit cerurile cu mânie și astfel începe Cartea Vala pe care oricine o citește Dacă, cu inteligența sa, înțelege cumplita Frază Cerurile se vor cutremura, pământul se va mișca și se va înfiora și munții cu toate pădurile lor, pârâurile și văile: bocesc de frică dezgustătoare. În a doua „noapte”, se discută tema guvernării femeilor, dar se pune accentul pe modul în care capacitatea de a le crea constrânge. Omenirea este închisă de creație, iar experiența provoacă o durere mare: Care este prețul Experienței? o cumpără bărbații pentru o melodie Sau înțelepciunea pentru un dans pe stradă? Nu, este cumpărat cu prețul Din tot ce are un bărbat, casa lui, soția sa, copiii săi. Înțelepciunea este vândută în piața pustie, unde nimeni nu vine să cumpere Și în câmpul de veșnic, unde fermierul ară degeaba pentru pâine. „Noaptea” finală descrie Los mărturisind o viziune a răstignirii lui Hristos în mâinile lui Urizen . In raspuns: . Își pierde mâinile de legume Outstretchd; mâna dreaptă ramificându-se în puterea fibroasă, Siezd Soarele; mâna stângă ca niște rădăcini întunecate acopereau Luna Și le dărâmau crăpând cerurile de la imens la imens. Apoi au căzut focurile Eternității cu un sunet puternic și strident Trompetă tunând de-a lungul cerului spre cer Un sunet puternic articulat „Deșteptați-vă morți și veniți la judecată din cele patru vânturi! Deșteptați- vă și veniți!” Se pliază ca sulurile volumului enorm al Cerului și Pământului Cu zgomot tunător și tremurături groaznice care se învârt încoace și încolo, Cerurile sunt zguduite și Pământul îndepărtat de locul său. Vala conchide: . Urthona se ridică din zidurile ruine În toate forțele sale antice pentru a forma armura de aur a științei Pentru războiul intelectual. Războiul săbiilor a dispărut acum, Religiile întunecate au dispărut și domnește știința dulce. La fel ca multe dintre lucrările lui Blake, desenele din Vala descriu activitatea sexuală sau organele genitale ale individului. Blake a folosit aceste imagini ca parte a unei sărbători generale a sexului și sexualității. Acest accent pus pe sexualitatea liberă apare în Căsătoria cerului și iadului , Viziuni ale fiicelor lui Albion și proiectele lui Blake bazate pe Cartea lui Enoh. Convingerile lui Blake au subliniat necesitatea deschiderii sexuale în relații și lipsa geloziei. În Vala , ideea geloziei este o temă centrală și una dintre bazele poveștii. Între diferitele ediții, conceptul poemului se schimbă. Ediția ulterioară a fost la o scară conceptuală mai mică și subliniază conceptul de închisoare găsit în Cartea lui Urizen . Prima versiune a subliniat natura inteligenței și a problemelor spirituale. Ediția ulterioară a pus accentul pe ideea de renovare aflată în creștinism. Pe măsură ce Blake a revizuit poezia, a adăugat imagini mai concrete și a conectat complotul la istoriile druizilor și ale creștinilor, împreună cu adăugarea de diverse locații conectate la acestea. În ambele ediții ale poemului, Blake și-a schimbat sistemul mitologic în Cartea lui Urizen de la o luptă dualistă între două puteri divine la o luptă cu patru aspecte despărțite de Eternitate. Aceste aspecte sunt cele patru Zoas ale lui Blake, care reprezintă patru aspecte ale Dumnezeului Atotputernic, iar Vala este prima lucrare care le menționează. În special, uniunea lui Dumnezeu / Omul lui Blake este împărțită în componentele corpului Urizen (cap), Urthona (coapsele), Luvah (inimă) și Tharmas (unitatea corpului), cu Emanații pereche fiind Ahania (înțelepciunea, din cap) ), Enitharmon (ceea ce nu poate fi atins în natură, din coapse), Vala (natura, din inimă) și Enion (mama pământului, din separarea unității). În legătură cu înțelegerea lui Blake despre divin, Zoas sunt Dumnezeu Tatăl (Tharmas, simț), Fiul lui Dumnezeu (Luvah, dragoste), Duhul Sfânt (Urthona, imaginația) și Satana, care era inițial din substanța divină. (Urizen, rațiunea) și emanațiile lor reprezintă îndemnuri sexuale (Enion), natură (Vala), inspirație (Enitharmon) și plăcere (Ahania). Blake credea că fiecare persoană avea o identitate dublă, jumătate fiind bună și cealaltă rea. În Vala , atât personajul Orc , cât și Omul veșnic își discută despre sine ca fiind împărțiți. În momentul în care lucra la lucrările sale ulterioare, inclusiv Vala , Blake a simțit că este capabil să-și depășească bătălia interioară, dar era îngrijorat de pierderea abilităților sale artistice. Aceste gânduri au fost transmise în Vala, în timp ce personajul Los (imaginația) este conectat la imaginea lui Hristos și a adăugat un element creștin lumii sale mitice. În versiunea revizuită a lui Vala , Blake a adăugat imagini creștine și ebraice și descrie modul în care Los experimentează o viziune a Mielului lui Dumnezeu care regenerează spiritul lui Los. În opoziție cu Hristos este Urizen și sinagoga lui Satana , care mai târziu îl răstigneste pe Hristos. Din ele se naște Deismul. Răspuns critic. În 1945, Northrop Frye susținea: „Nu există nimic asemănător cu explozia colosală a puterii creatoare din A Noua Noapte a celor Patru Zoos în altă parte în poezia engleză”. GE Bentley Jr. , în 2003, credea că „cea mai extraordinară realizare” a lui Blake între „anii prodigioși” din 1795 și 1800 a fost Vala, pe lângă faptul că a susținut că „Poemul oferă o analiză profundă a limitărilor omului, dar nici un indiciu de evadare din închisoare". The Four Zoas (Excerpt) 'What is the price of Experience? do men buy it for a song? Or wisdom for a dance in the street? No, it is bought with the price Of all that a man hath, his house, his wife, his children. Wisdom is sold in the desolate market where none come to buy, And in the wither'd field where the farmer plows for bread in vain. It is an easy thing to triumph in the summer's sun And in the vintage and to sing on the waggon loaded with corn. It is an easy thing to talk of patience to the afflicted, To speak the laws of prudence to the houseless wanderer, To listen to the hungry raven's cry in wintry season When the red blood is fill'd with wine and with the marrow of lambs. It is an easy thing to laugh at wrathful elements, To hear the dog howl at the wintry door, the ox in the slaughter house moan; To see a god on every wind and a blessing on every blast; To hear sounds of love in the thunder storm that destroys our enemies' house; To rejoice in the blight that covers his field, and the sickness that cuts off his children, While our olive and vine sing and laugh round our door, and our children bring fruits and flowers. Then the groan and the dolor are quite forgotten, and the slave grinding at the mill, And the captive in chains, and the poor in the prison, and the soldier in the field When the shatter'd bone hath laid him groaning among the happier dead. It is an easy thing to rejoice in the tents of prosperity: Thus could I sing and thus rejoice: but it is not so with me.' 'Compel the poor to live upon a crust of bread, by soft mild arts. Smile when they frown, frown when they smile; and when a man looks pale With labour and abstinence, say he looks healthy and happy; And when his children sicken, let them die; there are enough Born, even too many, and our earth will be overrun Without these arts. If you would make the poor live with temper, With pomp give every crust of bread you give; with gracious cunning Magnify small gifts; reduce the man to want a gift, and then give with pomp. Say he smiles if you hear him sigh. If pale, say he is ruddy. Preach temperance: say he is overgorg'd and drowns his wit In strong drink, though you know that bread and water are all He can afford. Flatter his wife, pity his children, till we can Reduce all to our will, as spaniels are taught with art.' The sun has left his blackness and has found a fresher morning, And the mild moon rejoices in the clear and cloudless night, And Man walks forth from midst of the fires: the evil is all consum'd. His eyes behold the Angelic spheres arising night and day; The stars consum'd like a lamp blown out, and in their stead, behold The expanding eyes of Man behold the depths of wondrous worlds! One Earth, one sea beneath; nor erring globes wander, but stars Of fire rise up nightly from the ocean; and one sun Each morning, like a new born man, issues with songs and joy Calling the Plowman to his labour and the Shepherd to his rest. He walks upon the Eternal Mountains, raising his heavenly voice, Conversing with the animal forms of wisdom night and day, That, risen from the sea of fire, renew'd walk o'er the Earth; For Tharmas brought his flocks upon the hills, and in the vales Around the Eternal Man's bright tent, the little children play Among the woolly flocks. The hammer of Urthona sounds In the deep caves beneath; his limbs renew'd, his Lions roar Around the Furnaces and in evening sport upon the plains. They raise their faces from the earth, conversing with the Man: 'How is it we have walk'd through fires and yet are not consum'd? How is it that all things are chang'd, even as in ancient times?' Urizen. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Urizen , character in the mythology of William Blake. A godlike figure, Urizen personifies reason and law, and Blake believed him to be the true deity worshipped by his contemporaries. Blake first told Urizen’s story, the struggle against the chaos caused by the loss of a true human spirit, in the so-called “Prophetic Books,” including America, a Prophecy (1793), The Book of Urizen (1794), and The Song of Los (1795), and then, more ambitiously, in the unfinished manuscript Vala , or The Four Zoas , written from approximately 1796 to 1807. In an engraving from Europe, a Prophecy (1794), Blake depicts Urizen as a grim scientist, creating the Earth with a huge pair of compasses. This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper, Senior Editor. William Blake's prophetic books. The prophetic books of the 18th-century English poet and artist William Blake are a series of lengthy, interrelated poetic works drawing upon Blake's own personal mythology. They have been described as forming "what is in proportion to its merits the least read body of poetry in the English language". [1] While Blake worked as a commercial illustrator, these books were ones that he produced, with his own engravings, as an extended and largely private project. Contents. Overview Critical reception The continental prophecies The books Notes External links. Overview. In these works, concluding with the epic Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion , he elaborated a personal invented mythology (mythopoeia). The mythopoeia is largely Biblical in inspiration; apart from that, it has been extensively debated for both its political and religious content. While The French Revolution from 1791 is not illustrated and is usually excluded from the list of prophetic books, David V. Erdman contends that the separation of this work from the corpus removes a key to the symbolism used by Blake. [2] Another work, Vala, or The Four Zoas (1797), begun while Blake was residing in Felpham, was abandoned in draft form; of this abandoning by Blake, Northrop Frye has commented that " [a]nyone who cares about poetry or painting must see in [ Vala ' s] unfinished state a major cultural disaster". [3] Critical reception. The continental prophecies. The cycle of continental prophecies comprises America a Prophecy (1793), Europe a Prophecy (1794) and The Song of Los (1795), which is made up of sections Africa and Asia . The books. Tiriel (c. 1789) The Book of Thel (c. 1789) America a Prophecy (1793) Europe a Prophecy (1794) Visions of the Daughters of Albion (1793) The Book of Urizen (1794) The Book of Ahania (1795) The Book of Los (1795) The Song of Los (1795) Vala, or The Four Zoas (begun 1797, unfinished; abandoned c. 1804 ) Milton: A Poem in Two Books (1804–1810) Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion (1804–1820) Notes. ↑ Frye, Northrop and Denham, Robert D. Collected Works of Northrop Frye . 2006, pp 11–12. ↑ Blake: Prophet Against Empire (third edition 1977), p. 165. ↑ Frye, Northrop, Fearful Symmetry: A Study of William Blake , 1969, p. 269. External links. Bindman, David (2001). William Blake: The Complete Illuminated Books . Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-28245-8 . v t e. Poetical Sketches An Island in the Moon All Religions are One There is No Natural Religion. The Shepherd The Ecchoing Green The Lamb The Little Black Boy The Blossom The Chimney Sweeper The Little Boy Lost The Little Boy Found Laughing Song A Cradle Song The Divine Image Holy Thursday Night Spring Nurse's Song Infant Joy A Dream On Another's Sorrow. Introduction Earth's Answer The Clod and the Pebble Holy Thursday The Little Girl Lost The Little Girl Found The Chimney Sweeper Nurse's Song The Sick Rose The Fly The Angel The Tyger My Pretty Rose Tree Ah! Sun-flower The Lilly The Garden of Love The Little Vagabond London The Human Abstract Infant Sorrow A Poison Tree A Little Boy Lost A Little Girl Lost To Tirzah The School Boy The Voice of the Ancient Bard A Divine Image (found only in Copy BB) America a Prophecy Europe a Prophecy The Song of Los. Tiriel The Book of Thel The Marriage of Heaven and Hell The French Revolution Visions of the Daughters of Albion The Book of Urizen The Book of Ahania The Book of Los The Four Zoas Milton Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion. "Auguries of Innocence" "The Mental Traveller" Ahania Albion Beulah Bromion Enion Enitharmon Fuzon Golgonooza Grodna Har Leutha Los Luvah Orc Palamabron Spectre Tharmas Thiriel Tiriel Urizen Urthona Utha Vala. Relief etching Engravings for Original Stories from Real Life The Ancient of Days Europe Supported by Africa and America The Night of Enitharmon's Joy Newton Nebuchadnezzar Illustrations for Night-Thoughts Illustrations of The Grave The Four and Twenty Elders Casting their Crowns before the Divine Throne Illustrations of Paradise Lost A Vision of the Last Judgement Descriptive Catalogue The Great Red Dragon Paintings Pity The Ghost of a Flea Agony in the Garden Illustrations of On the Morning of Christ's Nativity The Wood of the Self-Murderers: The Harpies and the Suicides Illustrations of the Book of Job. Visionary Heads. Life of William Blake The Works of William Blake: Poetic, Symbolic and Critical Fearful Symmetry Blake: Prophet Against Empire Witness Against the Beast. Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings (1943) Ten Blake Songs (1958) Songs and Proverbs of William Blake (1965) The Lamb (1982) Themes from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1998) William Blake in popular culture William Blake Archive Blake (1983 monologue) In Lambeth (1989 play) Catherine Blake (wife) Ancients. Related Research Articles. In the mythology of William Blake, Urizen is the embodiment of conventional reason and law. He is usually depicted as a bearded old man; he sometimes bears architect's tools, to create and constrain the universe; or nets, with which he ensnares people in webs of law and conventional society. Originally, Urizen represented one half of a two-part system, with him representing reason and Los, his opposition, representing imagination. In Blake's reworking of his mythic system, Urizen is one of the four Zoas that result from the division of the primordial man, Albion, and he continues to represent reason. He has an Emanation, or paired female equivalent, Ahania, who stands for Pleasure. In Blake's myth, Urizen is joined by many daughters with three representing aspects of the body. He is also joined by many sons, with four representing the four elements. These sons join in rebellion against their father but are later united in the Last Judgment. In many of Blake's books, Urizen is seen with four books that represent the various laws that he places upon humanity. The prophetic books of the English poet and artist William Blake contain an invented mythology (mythopoeia), in which Blake worked to encode his spiritual and political ideas into a prophecy for a new age. This desire to recreate the cosmos is the heart of his work and his psychology. His myths often described the struggle between enlightenment and free love on the one hand, and restrictive education and morals on the other. Orc is a proper name for one of the characters in the complex mythology of William Blake. A fallen figure, Orc is the embodiment of rebellion, and stands opposed to Urizen, the embodiment of tradition. In the complex mythology of William Blake, Albion is the primeval man whose fall and division results in the Four Zoas : Urizen, Tharmas, Luvah/Orc and Urthona/Los. The name derives from the ancient and mythological name of Britain, Albion. Jerusalem , subtitled The Emanation of the Giant Albion , is the last, longest and greatest in scope of the prophetic books written and illustrated by the English poet, artist and engraver William Blake. Etched in handwriting, accompanied by small sketches, marginal figures and huge full-plate illustrations, it has been described as "visionary theatre". The poet himself believed it was his masterpiece and it has been said that "of all Blake's illuminated epics, this is by far the most public and accessible". The Book of Urizen is one of the major prophetic books of the English writer William Blake, illustrated by Blake's own plates. It was originally published as The First Book of Urizen in 1794. Later editions dropped the "First". The book takes its name from the character Urizen in Blake's mythology, who represents alienated reason as the source of oppression. The book describes Urizen as the "primeaval priest" and tells how he became separated from the other Eternals to create his own alienated and enslaving realm of religious dogma. Los and Enitharmon create a space within Urizen's fallen universe to give birth to their son Orc, the spirit of revolution and freedom. The Book of Ahania is one of the English poet William Blake's prophetic books. It was published in 1795, illustrated by Blake's own plates. Enitharmon is a major female character in William Blake's mythology, playing a main part in some of his prophetic books. She is, but not directly, an aspect of the male Urthona, one of the Four Zoas. She is in fact the Emanation of Los, also male. There is a complex verbal nexus attached. The Zoa Tharmas has emanation Enion, and Eni-tharm(as)-on is one derivation of her name. That should perhaps be read in the inverse direction though, as a construction of the Tharmas/Enion pair's names. Within Blake's myth, she represents female domination and sexual restraints that limit the artistic imagination. She, with Los, gives birth to various children, including Orc. In the mythological writings of William Blake, Luvah is one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. He represents love, passion, and rebellious energy. His Emanation is Vala; his fallen form is Orc. Throughout Blake's mythological system, he is opposed to Urizen, the representation of reason. He is also connected to Jesus, who takes upon his form as the being of love after Luvah falls and turns to a being of hate. In the mythological writings of William Blake, Urthona is one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. Specifically, he is the Zoa of inspiration and creativity, and he is a blacksmith god. His female counterpart is Enitharmon. Urthona usually appears in his "fallen" form, that of Los. The Spectre is one aspect of the fourfold nature of the human psyche along with Humanity, Emanation and Shadow that William Blake used to explore his spiritual mythology throughout his poetry and art. As one of Blake's elements of the psyche, Spectre takes on symbolic meaning when referred to throughout his poems. According to professor Joseph Hogan, "Spectre functions to define individuals from others [. ] When it is separated [from Emanation], it is reason, trying to define everything in terms of unchanging essences." Thus, according to Samuel Foster Damon, Spectre epitomizes "Reason separated from humanity" and "Self-centered selfhood" or, as Alexander S. Gourlay puts it, Spectre is "characterized by self-defensive rationalization". Tiriel is the eponymous character in a poem by William Blake written c. 1789, and considered the first of his prophetic books. The character of Tiriel is often interpreted as a foreshadowing of Urizen, representative of conventionality and conformity, and one of the major characters in Blake's as yet unrealised mythological system. In the mythological writings of William Blake, Los is the fallen form of Urthona, one of the four Zoas. He is referred to as the "eternal prophet" and creates the visionary city of Golgonooza. Los is regularly described as a smith, beating with his hammer on a forge, which is metaphorically connected to the beating of the human heart. The bellows of his forge are the human lungs. Los's emanation, Enitharmon, represents spiritual beauty and embodies pity, but at the same time creates the spatial aspect of the fallen world, weaving bodies for men and creating sexual strife through her insistence upon chastity. In the Book of Urizen (1794), Los and Enitharmon have the child, Orc, who is the embodiment of the spirit of revolution. The name Los is, by common critical acceptance, an anagram of Sol , the Latin word for "sun". Such innovations are common in many of Blake's prophetic poems. Leutha is a female character appearing in the mythology of William Blake. According to S. Foster Damon, A Blake Dictionary , she stands for 'sex under law'. Europe a Prophecy is a 1794 prophetic book by the British poet and illustrator William Blake. It is engraved on 18 plates, and survives in just nine known copies. It followed America a Prophecy of 1793. Vala, or The Four Zoas refers to one of the uncompleted prophetic books by the English poet William Blake, begun in 1797. The titular main characters of the book are the Four Zoas, who were created by the fall of Albion in Blake's mythology. It consists of nine books, referred to as "nights". These outline the interactions of the Zoas, their fallen forms and their Emanations. Blake intended the book to be a summation of his mythic universe but, dissatisfied, he abandoned the effort in 1807, leaving the poem in a rough draft and its engraving unfinished. The text of the poem was first published, in 1893, by the Irish poet W. B. Yeats and his fellow collaborator, the English writer and poet Edwin John Ellis, in their three-volume commentary book about William Blake's works, The Works of William Blake: Poetic, Symbolic and Critical . America a Prophecy is a 1793 prophetic book by the English poet and illustrator William Blake. It is engraved on eighteen plates, and survives in fourteen known copies. It is the first of Blake's Continental prophecies . The Song of Los is one of William Blake's epic poems, known as prophetic books. The poem consists of two sections, "Africa" and "Asia". In the first section Blake catalogues the decline of morality in Europe, which he blames on both the African slave trade and enlightenment philosophers. The book provides a historical context for The Book of Urizen , The Book of Ahania , and The Book of Los , and also ties those more obscure works to The Continental Prophecies , "Europe" and "America". The second section consists of Los urging revolution. The continental prophecies is a group of illuminated books by William Blake that have been subject of numerous studies due to their recurrent and unorthodox use of political, literary and sexual metaphors. They consist of America , Europe and The Song of Los . In the mythological writings of William Blake, Vala is an Emanation/mate of Luvah, one of the four Zoas, who were created when Albion, the primordial man, was divided fourfold. She represents nature while Luvah represents emotions. Originally with Luvah, she joins with Albion and begets the Zoa Urizen. In her fallen aspect, she is the wandering figure known as the Shadowy Female. After the Final Judgment, she is reunited with Luvah but placed under the dominion of the restored Urizen.