I. Man's perceptions are not bound by organs of perception; he perceives more than sense (tho' ever so acute) can discover.
II. Reason, or the ratio of all we have already known, is not the same that it shall be when we know more.
III. [This proposition is missing.]
IV. The bounded is loathed by its possessor. the same dull round, even of the universe, would soon become a mill with complicated wheels.
V. If the many become the same as the few when possess'd, More! More! is the cry of a mistaken soul; less than All cannot satisfy Man.
VI. If any could desire what he is incapable of possessing, despair must be his eternal lot.
VII. The desire of Man being infinite, the possession is Infinite & himself Infinite.
Conclusion.
If it were not for the Poetic or Prophetic Character the Philosophic & Experimental would soon be at the ratio of all things, and stand still, unable to do other than repeat the same dull round over again.
Application.
He who sees the Infinite in all things sees God. He who sees the Ratio only sees himself only.
Therefore God becomes as we are, that we may be as he is.
(For context, in (a), Blake argues that if we can only perceive what we have senses for; if you were to have no sight, you would not be able to even think of visual things. See http://www.newi.ac.uk/rdover/blake/nonatrel.htm.)
So if our desire is to have any chance at being satisfied, there must be a way of encountering the infinite here and now:
To see a world in a grain of sand(- "Auguries of Innocence")
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand
And eternity in an hour.
No comments:
Post a Comment