Questions about And did those feet in ancient time
Short answers, pulled from the story.
What is the poem "And did those feet in ancient time" about?
The poem, written by William Blake around 1808 as the preface to his epic Milton: A Poem in Two Books, poses four questions about whether Jesus visited England and whether Jerusalem was built there, contrasting that possibility with the "dark Satanic Mills" of Blake's time. Its third verse is interpreted as an exhortation to build an ideal society in England, and the poem draws on the Book of Revelation and the story of Joseph of Arimathea preaching to the ancient Britons.
Who composed the music for Jerusalem the hymn and when was it written?
Sir Hubert Parry composed the music on the 10th of March 1916, at the request of Poet Laureate Robert Bridges for a Fight for Right campaign meeting at London's Queen's Hall. The first performance was on the 28th of March 1916. Sir Edward Elgar later re-scored the work for large orchestra in 1922 for the Leeds Festival, and his orchestration is the version most commonly heard today.
What do the "dark Satanic Mills" in Jerusalem refer to?
The phrase has at least three competing interpretations. It is most often linked to the early Industrial Revolution, particularly the Albion Flour Mills in Southwark, which Boulton and Watt built as London's first major factory before it burned down in 1791. A second interpretation, acknowledged by the Bishop of Durham in 2007, is that the mills refer to the established Church of England. A third reading, drawn from the main poem Milton, treats Satan's mills as an abstract mystical concept within Blake's own mythology.
Why did Hubert Parry transfer the copyright of Jerusalem to the suffragists?
Parry had grown disillusioned with the Fight for Right campaign for which he originally wrote the song, and by May 1917 withdrew his support from its founder Sir Francis Younghusband. Millicent Fawcett of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies then asked Parry if the song could be performed at a Suffrage Demonstration Concert on the 13th of March 1918. Parry agreed enthusiastically, orchestrated the piece for that concert, and subsequently assigned its copyright to the NUWSS, writing that he wished it would become the Women Voters' Hymn.
Has Jerusalem ever been considered as England's official national anthem?
England has no official national anthem, and "Jerusalem" is frequently proposed as a candidate. In a public poll held in 2010 by Team England, the English Commonwealth team, "Jerusalem" was chosen by 52% of voters over "Land of Hope and Glory" and "God Save the Queen" as the anthem for Commonwealth Games medal ceremonies. King George V reportedly said he preferred it to the British national anthem "God Save the King".
What was William Blake charged with in 1803?
Blake was charged at Chichester in 1803 with high treason for having "uttered seditious and treasonable expressions". He was acquitted. The charge arose not from his writings but from remarks made in conversation, including the phrase "Damn the King!"