Proverbs of Hell

Proverbs of Hell
Current mood: Contemplative
Category: Religion and Philosophy

The following thoughts are taken from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell poem. This work was designed to derive at the idea that when contradictions are evaluated, through comparison truth is found. Whether or not you want to start discussing the entire argument about the necessity of evil in order to appreciate good (hmm...ala Nietzche, Milton or Swendenborg anyone?) these quotations, taken from the "Proverbs of Hell" section, do cause one to think. So at any rate I challenge you to ponder, disucss or react.

I didn't post all of them, but they did not connect from one proverb to another. If they don't make sense to you, blame Blake! :) On the scale of "food for thought", I would rate this as a "bitter banana" to add my own contradiction into the mix!

"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom"

"The cut worm forgives the plow"

"Dip him in the river who loves water"

"A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees"

"He who gives no light, shall never become a star"

"Eternity is love with the productions of time"

"The busy bee has no time for sorrow"

"All wholesome food is caught without net or trap"

"No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings"

"A dead body revenges not injuries"

"Prudence is a rich, ugly old maid courted by incapacity"

"The most sublime act is to set another before you"

"If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise"

"The nakedness of woman is the work of God"

"Excess of sorrows laughs, excess of joy weeps"

"The fox condemns the trap, not himself"

"What is now proved was once imagined"

"One thought. Fills immensity"

"Alwasy be read to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you"

"Everything possible to be believed is an image of truth"

"The eagle never lost so much time, as when he submitted to learn of the crow"

"Expect poison from standing water"

"You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough"

"The weak in courage is strong in cunning"

"The thankful reciever bears a plentiful harvest"

"If others had not been foolish, we should be so"

"Damning braces, blessing relaxes"

"The best wine the oldest, the best water the newest"

"As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible"

"The crow wished everything was black, the owl wished everything was white"

"Exuberance is beauty"