And Did Whose Feet? William Blake's Jerusalem.

In 1804, William Blake composed the opening stanzas to his prophetic epic, Milton a Poem. Those lines which begin "And did those feet" have become more famously known as the hymn Jerusalem. While the hymn, however, is often sung as a tribute to traditional patriotism, Blake's own opinions of Great Britain - then at war with France - were very different. This podcast explores the circumstances in which he wrote his stanzas, as well as answering questions as to the poem's meaning.
Narrated by Professor Jason Whittaker at the University of Lincoln, additional music is provided by the Heinz Chapel Choir from the University of Pittsburgh, and the script is adapted from the book Jerusalem: Blake, Parry and the Fight for Englishness (Oxford University Press, 2022).

[@DMS1759]

My favourite hymn and a beautiful original Blake poem 10/10 (.... and I am a Kiwi saying this!)

[@sheilaescott9619]

Emerson lake and Palmer did a very progressive version of this song

[@ZoavisionMedia]

I bought a copy of the 7” single and album Brain Salad Surgery (with its wonderful and weird H.R. Giger cover art) a few years ago. I rather like the thought that they were filling out stadiums with this in the seventies!

[@sheilaescott9619]

@@ZoavisionMedia they did fill stadiums, I was lucky enough to see them live twice. Check out their other albums, I think u might like it

[@kekoa555]

Please STOP the voice dynamic flashing lines, it is TOTALLY obtrusive to the otherwise wonderful spoken text.

[@ZoavisionMedia]

Ah! Okay - I shall remove from future ones. Thank you for feeding back on that.

[@theomnisthour6400]

When you understand that God's plan has had many chosen species and chosen peoples in the 4.5 billion years we have been playing the messiah shell game, and understand that the final chosen people are those faithful to the final chosen language, the real Speare Shaker's English, and the chosen culture, Western Classicism, the song will make much more sense

[@VVVBenjaminC]

Edinburgh is built on the site of the historical Jerusalem. Jesus was British

[@reamick]

It’s “and did *those* feet” for the title

[@ZoavisionMedia]

My podcast is asking who Blake is referring to: when researching for a book on Jerusalem, I came very strongly against the opinion that it was a reference to Jesus (which only emerged as an idea some 60 years after Blake’s death), in favour of Joseph of Arimathea, who Blake illustrated from Milton’s History of Britain twice during his career. As such, the title of the podcast is intended as a play on the stanzas from the Preface to Milton a Poem.

[@rhemaflying]

The lyrics are actually prophetic. In Enland Ireland and France the church has been free since 1215 Magna Carta. The absorbing of the church under the Monarch and Parliament in 1559 was unconstitutional as it had already been given back to God. That is why we are witnessing the death of the Church of England today. The next version known as New Jerusalem also Zion will return under Mosaic law but without the oppression of a Bishopric. Perfect people do not need controlling by thousands of regulations. Just watch! David

[@DMS1759]

Oh please, what nonsense you wrote here. Just ENJOY it for the beautiful poem and hymn it is ! 😅