And did those feet in ancient time by William Blake

"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem, one of a collection of writings known as the Prophetic Books. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun but the poem was printed c. 1808. Today it is best known as the anthem "Jerusalem", with music written by Sir Hubert Parry in 1916.

The poem was inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus, accompanied by his uncle Joseph of Arimathea, travelled to the area that is now England and visited Glastonbury. The legend is linked to an idea in the Book of Revelation (3:12 and 21:2) describing a Second Coming, wherein Jesus establishes a new Jerusalem. The Christian church in general, and the English Church in particular, used Jerusalem as a metaphor for Heaven, a place of universal love and peace.

In the most common interpretation of the poem, Blake implies that a visit of Jesus would briefly create heaven in England, in contrast to the "dark Satanic Mills" of the Industrial Revolution. Analysts note that Blake asks four questions rather than stating a visit to be true. According to this view, the poem says that there may, or may not, have been a divine visit, when there was briefly heaven in England. But that was then; now, we are faced with the challenge of creating such a country once again.

Text
The original text is found on the preface Blake printed for inclusion with Milton, a Poem, following the lines beginning "The Stolen and Perverted Writings of Homer & Ovid: of Plato & Cicero, which all Men ought to contemn: ..." Blake's poem

Beneath this poem Blake inscribed an excerpt from the Bible: '"Would to God that all the Lord's people were Prophets" Numbers XI.Ch 29.v.' (Book of Numbers 11:29).

Dark Satanic Mills
The term "dark Satanic Mills", which entered the English language from this poem, is interpreted as referring to the early Industrial Revolution and its destruction of nature and human relationships. This view has been linked to the fate of the Albion Flour Mills, which was the first major factory in London, designed by John Rennie and Samuel Wyatt and built on land purchased by Wyatt in Southwark. This was a rotary steam-powered flour mill by Matthew Boulton and James Watt, with grinding gears by Rennie, producing 6,000 bushels of flour a week. The factory could have driven independent traditional millers out of business, but it was destroyed, perhaps deliberately, by fire in 1791. London's independent millers celebrated with placards reading, "Success to the mills of ALBION but no Albion Mills." Opponents referred to the factory as satanic, and accused its owners of adulterating flour and using cheap imports at the expense of British producers. An illustration of the fire published at the time shows a devil squatting on the building. The mills were a short distance from Blake's home.

Blake's phrase resonates with a wider theme in his works, what he envisioned as a physically and spiritually repressive ideology based on a quantifiable reality. Blake saw the cotton mills and collieries of the period as a mechanism for the enslavement of millions, but the concepts underpinning the works had a wider application: ""And all the Arts of Life they changed into the Arts of Death in Albion./... ""

- Jerusalem Chapter 3. William Blake

The phrase is alluded to in the lyrics of Yes' "Machine Messiah" from the Drama album, reflecting the dark and dystopian imagery used by Trevor Horn in the lyrics.

Another interpretation, amonst Non-Conformists, is that the phrase refers to the establised Church of England. As a part of the establishment the Church preached a doctrine of conforming to the social order, in contrast to Blake. In 2007 the new Bishop of Durham, N. T. Wright, explicity recognised this element of English subculture when he acknowledged this alternative view that the "dark satanic mills" refers to the "great churches

Chariot of fire
The line from the poem, "Bring me my Chariot of fire!" draws on the story of 2 Kings 2:11, where the Old Testament prophet Elijah is taken directly to heaven: "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven." The phrase has become a byword for divine energy, and inspired the title of the 1981 film, Chariots of Fire.

Green and pleasant Land
Blake lived in London for most of his life, but wrote much of Milton when he was living in the village of Felpham in Sussex. Amanda Gilroy argues that the poem is informed by Blake's "evident pleasure" in the Felpham countryside.

The phrase "green and pleasant land" has become a collocation for identifiably English landscape or society. It appears as a headline, title or sub-title in dozens of articles and books. Sometimes it refers, whether with appreciation, nostalgia or critical analysis, to idyllic or enigmatic aspects of the English countryside. In other contexts it can suggest the perceived habits and aspirations of rural middle-class life. Sometimes it is used ironically.

Revolution
Several of Blake's poems and paintings express a notion of universal humanity: "As all men are alike (tho' infinitely various)". He retained an active interest in social and political events for all his life, but was often forced to resort to cloaking social idealism and political statements in Protestant mystical allegory. Even though the poem was written during the Napoleonic Wars, Blake was an outspoken supporter of the French Revolution, whose successor Napoleon claimed to be. The poem expressed his desire for radical change without overt sedition. (In 1803 Blake was charged at Chichester with high treason for having 'uttered seditious and treasonable expressions' but was acquitted. ) The poem is followed in the preface by a quotation from Numbers ch. 11, v. 29: "Would to God that all the Lord's people were prophets." Christopher Rowland, a Professor of Theology at Oxford University, has argued that this includes

"everyone in the task of speaking out about what they saw. Prophecy for Blake, however, was not a prediction of the end of the world, but telling the truth as best a person can about what he or she sees, fortified by insight and an 'honest persuasion' that with personal struggle, things could be improved. A human being observes, is indignant and speaks out: it's a basic political maxim which is necessary for any age. Blake wanted to stir people from their intellectual slumbers, and the daily grind of their toil, to see that they were captivated in the grip of a culture which kept them thinking in ways which served the interests of the powerful."

The words of the poem "stress the importance of people taking responsibility for change and building a better society 'in England's green and pleasant land.'"

Popularisation
The poem, which was little known during the century which followed its writing, was included in a patriotic anthology of verse published in 1916, a time when morale had begun to decline due to the high number of casualties in World War I and the perception that there was no end in sight.

Under these circumstances, the poem came to symbolise what England was fighting for. Therefore, Robert Bridges, the Poet Laureate, asked Sir Hubert Parry to put it to music at a Fight for Right campaign meeting in London's Queen's Hall. The aims of this organisation were "to brace the spirit of the nation that the people of Great Britain, knowing that they are fighting for the best interests of humanity, may refuse any temptation, however insidious, to conclude a premature peace, and may accept with cheerfulness all the sacrifices necessary to bring the war to a satisfactory conclusion". Bridges asked Parry to supply the verse with "suitable, simple music that an audience could take up and join in".

The poem's idealistic theme or subtext accounts for its popularity across the philosophical spectrum. It was used as a campaign slogan by the Labour Party in the 1945 general election; Clement Attlee said they would build "a new Jerusalem". It has been sung at conferences of the British Conservative Party, at the Glee Club of the British Liberal Assembly, the British Labour Party and by the British Liberal Democrats.

Parry's setting of "Jerusalem"
In adapting Blake's poem as a unison song, Parry deployed a two-stanza format, each taking up eight lines of Blake's original poem. He also provided a four-bar musical introduction to each verse and a coda, echoing melodic motifs of the song. (The song is always performed with these 'extra' passages.) And the word "those" was substituted for "these" (before "dark satanic mills".)

The piece was to be conducted by Parry's former student Walford Davies, but Parry was initially reluctant to set the words as he had doubts about the ultra-patriotism of Fight for Right, but not wanting to disappoint either Robert Bridges or Davies he agreed, writing it on March 10th 1916, and handing the manuscript to Davies with the comment, "Here's a tune for you, old chap. Do what you like with it ". Davies later recalled, "We looked at [the manuscript] together in his room at the Royal College of Music, and I recall vividly his unwonted happiness over it...He ceased to speak, and put his finger on the note D in the second stanza where the words 'O clouds unfold' break his rhythm. I do not think any word passed about it. yet he made it perfectly clear that this was the one note and one moment of the song which he treasured..." Davies arranged for the vocal score to be published by Curwen in time for the concert at the Queen's Hall on March 28th and began rehearsing it. It was a success and was taken up generally.

But Parry began to have misgivings again about Fight for Right and eventually wrote to Sir Francis Younghusband withdrawing his support entirely in May 1917. There was even concern that the composer might withdraw the song, but the situation was saved by Millicent Garrett Fawcett of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). The song had been taken up by the Suffragettes in 1917 and Millicent Fawcett asked Parry if it might be used at a Suffrage Demonstration Concert on March 13th',1918. Parry was delighted and orchestrated the piece for the concert (it had originally been for voices and organ). After the concert, Millicent Fawcett asked the composer if it might become the Women Voters' Hymn. Parry was delighted. He wrote back, "I wish indeed it might become the Women Voters' Hymn, as you suggest. People seem to enjoy singing it.  And having the vote ought to diffuse a good deal of joy.  So they should combine happily". Accordingly, he assigned the copyright to the NUWSS. When that organisation was wound up in 1928, Parry's executors re-assigned the copyright to the Women's Institutes, where it remained until it entered the public domain in 1968.

The song was first called "And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time" and the early published scores have this title. The change to 'Jerusalem' seems to have been made about the time of the 1918 Suffrage Demonstration Concert, perhaps when the orchestral score was published (Parry's manuscript of the orchestral score has the old title crossed out and 'Jerusalem' inserted in a different hand). However, Parry always referred to it by its first title. He had originally intended the first verse to be sung by a solo female voice (this is marked in the score), but this is rare in contemporary performances. Sir Edward Elgar re-scored the work for very large orchestra in 1922 for use at at the Leeds Festival. Elgar admired the song and would no doubt be disheartened to realise that his orchestration has overshadowed Parry's own, primarily because it is the version usually used now for the Last Night of the Proms (though, Sir Malcolm Sargent, who introduced it to that event in the 1950s always used Parry's version).

Upon hearing the orchestral version for the first time, King George V said that he preferred "Jerusalem" over "God Save the King", the National Anthem, and Jerusalem is considered to be England's most popular patriotic song; The New York Times said it was "Fast becoming an alternative national anthem," and there have even been calls to give it official status. England has no official anthem and so uses the British National Anthem "God Save the Queen", also an unofficial anthem, for some national occasions, such as before English international football matches. However, some sports, including rugby league use "Jerusalem" as the English anthem. Jerusalem is the ECB's official hymn, although God Save the Queen was the anthem sung before England's games in 2010 ICC World Twenty20 and 2010–11 Ashes series. Questions in Parliament have not clarified the situation, as answers from the relevant minister say that since there is no official national anthem, each sport must make its own decision.

As Parliament has not clarified the situation, Team England, the English Commonwealth team held a public poll in 2010 to decide which anthem should be played at medal ceremonies to celebrate an English win at the Commonwealth Games. Jerusalem was selected by 52% of voters over Land of Hope and Glory (used since 1930) and God Save the Queen.

Use as a hymn
Although the music was composed as a unison song, "Jerusalem" has been adopted by the Church and is frequently sung as an office or recessional hymn in English cathedrals, churches and chapels on St George's Day. It is also sung in some churches on Jerusalem Sunday, a day set aside to celebrate the holy city, in Anglican Churches throughout the world and even in some Episcopal Churches in the US.

However, some vicars in the Church of England, according to the BBC TV programme "Jerusalem: An Anthem for England", have said that the song is not technically a hymn, as it is not a prayer to God (which hymns always are). Consequently, it is not sung in some churches in England.

Parry's tune is so well liked that the song is not only sung in many schools, especially public schools in Great Britain (it was used as the title music for the BBC's 1979 series 'Public School' at Radley College), but also at several private schools in Australia, New England and Canada. Some attempts have also been made to increase its use elsewhere with other words. The Church of Scotland debated altering the words of the hymn to read "Albion" instead of England to make it more locally relevant. A widely published alternative hymn text for the tune is Carl P. Daw's O day of peace that dimly shines of 1982.

Performances
The popularity of Parry's setting has resulted in many hundreds of recordings being made, too numerous to list, of both traditional choral performances and new interpretations by popular music artists. Consequently only its most notable performances are listed below.


 * It is sung every year by an audience of thousands at the end of the Last Night of the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall and simultaneously in the Proms in the Park venues throughout the country.


 * Each year it, along with The Red Flag, is sung at the closing of the annual Labour Party conference.


 * The song was used by the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (indeed it was their property until 1928, when they were wound up after women won the right to vote - see above in relation to Millicent Garret Fawcett). During the 1920s, many Women's Institutes (WI) started closing meetings by singing it, and this caught on nationally. Although it has never actually been adopted as the WI's official anthem, in practice it holds that position, and is an enduring element of the public image of the WI.


 * It is traditionally sung before rugby league's Challenge Cup Final, along with "Abide with Me", and before the Super League Grand Final.


 * A version appears on Emerson, Lake & Palmer's album Brain Salad Surgery, with a live rendition included on their Welcome Back My Friends to the Show That Never Ends... Ladies and Gentlemen album.


 * Since 2004, it has been the anthem of the England cricket team and is regularly sung by rugby union crowds.


 * A recording by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band was performed in medal ceremonies when an English competitor at the 2010 Commonwealth Games was awarded gold.


 * It was one of three hymns sung at the Wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine Middleton.

Use in film and theatre
"Bring me my chariot of fire" inspired the title of the film Chariots of Fire. A church congregation sings "Jerusalem" at the close of the film and a performance appears on the Chariots of Fire soundtrack performed by the Ambrosian Singers overlaid partly by a composition by Vangelis. One unexpected touch is that Jerusalem is sung in four-part harmony, as if it were truly a hymn. This is not authentic: Parry's composition was a unison song (that is, all voices sing the tune - perhaps one of the things that make it so 'singable' by massed crowds) and he never provided any harmonisation other than the accompaniment for organ (or orchestra). Neither does it appear in any standard hymn book in a guise other than Parry's own, so it may have been harmonised specially for the film. The film's working title was "Running" until Colin Welland saw a TV programme, Songs of Praise, featuring the hymn and decided to change the title.

The hymn has featured in many other films and TV programmes including Four Weddings and a Funeral, How to Get Ahead in Advertising,The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Calendar Girls, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Goodnight Mr. Tom, Peep Show, Women in Love (1969 film), The Man Who Fell to Earth, Circle (2000 Eddie Izzard stand-up tour), Shameless, and Monty Python's Flying Circus. A punk version is heard in Derek Jarman's 1977 film Jubilee. In the theatre it appears in Jerusalem, Calendar Girls and in Time and the Conways. Punk band Bad Religion have borrowed the opening line of Blake's poem in their song "God Song", from the 1990 album Against the Grain.

Other composers
Blake's lyrics have also been set to music by other composers without reference to Parry's melody. The words, with some variations, are used in the track Jerusalem on Bruce Dickinson's album The Chemical Wedding, which also includes lines from book two of Milton. Finn Coren also created a different musical setting for the poem on his album The Blake Project: Spring.