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The phrase has become a byword for divine energy, and inspired the title of the 1981 film Chariots of Fire, in which the hymn "Jerusalem" is sung during the final scenes. The plural phrase "chariots of fire" refers to 2 Kings 6:17.
- Summary
- Meaning
- Structure
- Literary Devices
- Themes
- Detailed Analysis
- Historical Context
- About William Blake
- Similar Poetry
William Blake’s magnum opus, ‘Jerusalem,’ presents myriad aspects, entailing the poet’s mindset during the beginning of the 19th century, the political situation, inclinations, the Christian allegories, and lastly, his social revolution ideology. William Blake published his literary classic, ‘Jerusalem’ in 1804. The poem was inspired by a mythical ...
William Blake was a social reformer and an ardent supporter of the French Revolution which toppled the monarchy. His poem revisits an urban legend of a young Jesus walking on English shores during his “lost years”. Blake despises the tyranny of British rule and the horrors of industrialization knocking on English doors. The prophetic poem is a mish...
Each stanza of Blake’s ‘Jerusalem’ consists of four verses, which are known as quatrains. It works within the iambic tetrameter. Each quatrain consists of four (tetra) iambs. For instance, the following line contains four iambic feet: The regular meter is disturbed in a few places, for most cases, there’s a regular rhyme scheme consisting of ABCB, ...
The poetic devices used in Blake’s poem are as follows: 1. Alliteration: It occurs in “pleasant pastures”, “Bring me my Bow of burning gold”, and “Sword sleep”. 2. Anaphora:All the lines of the third stanza begin with the phrase “Bring me my…”. It is an example of anaphora. 3. Metaphor:This device is present in the phrases such as “Lamb of God”, “d...
William Blake’s prophetic poem, ‘Jerusalem’ has inspired scholars dead in their tracks. Being a deeply religious person, Blake’s ‘The Tyger’ and ‘Jerusalem’ are steeped in Christian allegories and themes on the whole. The poet was entirely against the concept of industrialization which fast enveloped the proletariat class of England back in 1804. P...
Stanza One
This verse of ‘Jerusalem’ is fairly straightforward—the narratoris wondering if Jesus had at one point walked upon the hills of England. His strong emphasis on nature—the green mountains and pleasant pastures—paint an idyllic landscape, one worthy of such gentle description as the “Lamb of God”. It sounds as though Jesus walked across England, but so peaceful was the time that only the greenness of nature was there to greet, or there to watch the important event. Let’s have a close look at th...
Stanza Two
In the second stanza, the narrator continues stoically in his interrogative mode, contemplating if his divine presence ever landed mistakenly upon English shores. Did he walk on their clouded hills and taught disciples about peace and forgiveness? The terrain of questioning is the same as the first stanza, wondering if Jesus Christ may have lived in these lands before preaching in his native land. Then coming to the third verse, he wonders if Jesus formed a new Jerusalem in these very lands,...
Stanza Three
After mentioning the satanic mills, the poet is psyched up to the maximum. He embarks on painting a mythical tale with chariots of fire, the clouds to unfold for him. The poet seems to be alluding to ancient Greek Gods or angels which as the popular culture goes, are hypothesized to be wandering the skies in magnificent forms and stylistic traits. Especially, the “Chariot of fire” has been referred to as a factory incineration event described in the historic context section. Let’s analyze the...
‘Jerusalem’was written during the rise of industrialization in England, a process that was considered dark and evil by a great many farmers who would be put out of business by it. The poem alludes to an event steeped in the history of Albion town. The first factory Albion Flour Mills was opposed by native inhabitants, ultimately incinerating it in ...
William Blake was an outspoken advocate of the French Revolution and inserted political anecdotesand social ideals via his poetry. He stood for radical change and imagined a toppling of British monarchy a la French Revolution. Seemingly, William Blake and his wife Catherine were revolutionaries of their time. Coming from severe distress, poverty, a...
The following poems are similar to the themes present in William Blake’s prophetic verse ‘Jerusalem: And did those feet in ancient time’. 1. ‘The Old Tongue’ by Herbert Williams – This poem evokes a sense of loss through the depiction of Wales, degraded by industrialization. Read more Herbert Williams poems. 2. ‘London, 1802’ by William Wordsworth ...
The 1981 Oscar-winning movie Chariots of Fire got its title from a couplet in this hymn, which is sung in the film. The couplet in question is: "Bring me my bow, of burning gold. Bring me my arrows of desire/Bring me my spear, O clouds unfold. Bring me my chariot of fire."
The title of the film was inspired by the hymn Jerusalem, written by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916, which includes the words “bring me my chariots of fire” from William Blake’s poetical tribute Milton A Poem (c. 1804-1810).
on England's pleasant pastures seen? And did the countenance divine. shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here. among these dark satanic mills? 2 Bring me my bow of burning gold! Bring me my arrows of desire! Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire! I will not cease from mental fight,
- William Blake
- English
- And did those feet in ancient time
- 8.8.8.8 D
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire. I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand. Till we have built Jerusalem. In...
The film's title was inspired by the line "Bring me my Chariot of fire!" from the William Blake poem adapted into the British hymn and unofficial English anthem "Jerusalem"; the hymn is heard at the end of the film. The original phrase "chariot(s) of fire" is from 2 Kings 2:11 and 6:17 in the Bible. Plot
