Blake's black hole
This spring I was lucky to see an exhibition of Caravaggio. And at the same time there was an exhibition of paintings of William Blake, English engraver, poet, mystic… Reality of enthusiastic (восторженный) Italian vs exaltation of British nature. Paradox!
World of Blake is idiosyncratic (своеобразный). Blake himself is idiosyncratic. Both - Caravaggio and Blake - got the inspiration from the Bible, but created images are so different. One is almost genius, other is almost gnostic. A The first wants to bring Christ closer , a the second sets Him it the transcendent space, in the “world of somewhere”. Blake was a visionary (визионер). His sensibility to subtle energies seems to play not quite good joke with on him. In order to manage with spiritual essences is needed to be strong spiritual it is neccesary to be spiritually strong man. Blake had undercurrent (скрытая тенденция, не выраженное явно настроение) to anarchy. Having attraction to Christ he didn’t try to live like/with Christ however. Only at the elder ages his headstrong (упрямый, своевольный) protest was changed to more profound (основательный, мудрый) base - self-sacrifice (and may be even humility (смирение)) and forgiveness. At least it’s in his works. At least it’s in the descriptions of his biographers.
At the exhibition I remembered Blake’s words from one of his poem (approximately): «why doesn’t spring hide his its joy?..»Apparently (по всей видимости), Blake was avid (жадный) to life… And his internal riot of course was against the religion too. Blake felt everything outmoded (устаревший), detested (питать отвращение) many social relations. Oh, if it would to direct his thirst for life to creativity of life not only visions, and his ability to behold (созерцать) - into ability to interpret and forestall (предупреждать, предвосхищать) spiritual tendencies of society.
Why doesn’t spring hide his its joy? I don’t remember Blake’s variant of answer, but I’m dare to think that the answer was tied with wish of to break the bounds. But does spring really break the bounds? Isn’t its joy connected with its laws? And isn’t essence of human higher then material nature? What is spirit for?
But at that time Blake’s question was as if not question for me but an answer - as if I got some right to feel joy of any kind. You know what kind of course… No prudence -)
But what is spirit for? I hadn’t spirit, I hadn’t answer.
Blake’s words could pull me into black hole of ignorance. Blake is too smart in order to try his words on oneself.