View source for And did those feet in ancient time

{{Short description|1808 William Blake poem and popular hymn}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox poem
| name             = And did those feet in ancient time 
| image            = Milton preface.jpg
| image_size       =
| caption          = The preface to ''[[Milton: A Poem in Two Books|Milton]]'', as it appeared in Blake's own [[Illuminated manuscript|illuminated version]]
| author           = [[William Blake]]
| written          = 1804
| publication_date = 1808
| country          = [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|United Kingdom]]
| language         = [[English language|English]]
| form             = [[Epic poetry]]
| lines            = 16
|wikisource = And did those feet in ancient time
}}[[File:William Blake by Thomas Phillips.jpg|thumb|William Blake]]
"'''And did those feet in ancient time'''" is a poem by [[William Blake]] from the preface to his epic ''[[Milton: A Poem in Two Books]]'', one of a collection of writings known as the [[William Blake's prophetic books|Prophetic Books]]. The date of 1804 on the title page is probably when the plates were begun, but the poem was printed {{circa|1808}}.<ref name=cocel>Cox, Michael, editor, ''The Concise Oxford Chronology of English Literature'', "1808", p 289, Oxford University Press, 2004, {{ISBN|0-19-860634-6}}</ref> Today it is best known as the hymn "'''Jerusalem'''", with music written by Sir [[Hubert Parry]] in 1916. The famous orchestration was written by Sir [[Edward Elgar]]. It is not to be confused with another poem, much longer and larger in scope and also by Blake, called ''[[Jerusalem: The Emanation of the Giant Albion]]''.

It is often assumed that the poem was inspired by the [[apocryphal]] story that [[Jesus]], in [[unknown years of Jesus|the unknown years]] before [[Ministry of Jesus|his ministry]], visited what is now England, accompanied by [[Joseph of Arimathea]].<ref name="Icons1">Icons – a portrait of England. Icon: Jerusalem (hymn) [http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/jerusalem/features/and-did-those-feet Feature: And did those feet?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212021243/http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/jerusalem/features/and-did-those-feet |date=12 December 2009 }} Accessed 7 August 2008</ref> However, according to British folklore scholar A. W. Smith, "there was little reason to believe that an oral tradition concerning a visit made by Jesus to Britain existed before the early part of the twentieth century".<ref name=wsmith>{{cite journal| last = Smith| first = A. W.| title = 'And Did Those Feet...?': The 'Legend' of Christ's Visit to Britain| journal = Folklore| volume = 100| issue = 1| pages = 63–83| publisher = [[Taylor and Francis]]| date = 1989| doi = 10.1080/0015587X.1989.9715752| jstor = 1260001}}</ref> Instead, the poem draws on an older story, repeated in [[The History of Britain (Milton)|Milton's ''History of Britain'']], that Joseph of Arimathea travelled alone, after the [[ascension of Jesus]], to preach to the [[ancient Britons]].<ref name=whittaker>{{cite news |last=Whittaker |first=Jason |title=Anti-empire, anti-fascist, pro-suffragist: the stunning secret life of Proms staple Jerusalem |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=5 September 2022 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/sep/05/anti-empire-anti-fascist-pro-suffragette-last-night-of-the-proms-jerusalem-william-blake }}</ref> The poem's theme is linked to the [[Book of Revelation]] ([[Revelation 3:12|3:12]] and [[Revelation 21|21]]:2) describing a [[Second Coming]], wherein Jesus establishes a [[New Jerusalem]]. Churches in general, and the [[Church of England]] in particular, have long used Jerusalem as a metaphor for [[Heaven (Christianity)|Heaven]], a place of universal love and peace.{{efn|The hymn 'Jerusalem the Golden with milk and honey blessed... I know not oh I know not what joys await me there....' uses Jerusalem for the same metaphor.}}

In the most common interpretation of the poem, Blake asks whether a visit by Jesus briefly created heaven in England, in contrast to the "dark Satanic Mills" of the [[Industrial Revolution]]. Blake's poem asks four questions rather than asserting the historical truth of Christ's visit.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theoneshow/onepassions/2008/10/whats-your-anthem.html |title=What's your anthem? |work=[[The One Show]] |publisher=BBC |date=17 October 2008 |access-date=29 April 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/bring-no-spears-to-jerusalem-1347934.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107084448/http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/bring-no-spears-to-jerusalem-1347934.html |archive-date=2012-11-07 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Bring no spears to 'Jerusalem' |date=17 May 1996 |website=[[The Independent]] }}</ref> The second verse is interpreted as an exhortation to create an ideal society in England, whether or not there was a divine visit.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://greatpoetryexplained.blogspot.com/2019/02/jerusalem-and-did-those-feet-by-william.html?m=1|access-date=12 September 2020|title=Great Poetry Explained|date=25 February 2019}}</ref><ref name="Rowland">{{cite news |last=Rowland |first=Christopher |date=November 2007 |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/william_blake_a_visionary_for_our_time/ |title=William Blake: a visionary for our time |work=[[OpenDemocracy]] |access-date=19 April 2020 }}</ref>

==Text==
The original text is found in the preface Blake wrote 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: ..."<ref name="blakearchive">{{cite web|url=http://www.blakearchive.org/copy/milton.b?descId=milton.b.illbk.02|first=William|last=Blake|title=''Milton a Poem'', copy B object 2|work=[[The William Blake Archive]]|publisher=Ed. Morris Eaves, Robert N. Essick, and Joseph Viscomi|access-date=8 June 2019}}</ref>

'''Blake's poem'''<!-- rendered literatim per [[WP:QUOTE]]; do not add apostrophes -->
{{Blockquote|<poem>
And did those feet in ancient time,
Walk upon Englands{{efn|name=genetive|Here wrote the genitive without an apostrophe.}} mountains green:
And was the holy [[Lamb of God]],
On Englands{{efn|name=genetive}} pleasant pastures seen!

And did the [[Divine countenance|Countenance Divine]],
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was [[New Jerusalem|Jerusalem]] builded here,
Among these{{efn|Parry used ''those'' in his setting of the poem}} dark Satanic Mills?

[[Armor of God|Bring me my Bow]] of burning gold:
Bring me my Arrows of desire:
Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
Bring me my [[wikisource:Bible (King James)/2 Kings#6:17|Chariot of fire]]!

I will not cease from Mental Fight,
Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand:
Till we have built Jerusalem,
In Englands{{efn|name=genetive}} green & pleasant Land.
</poem>}}

Beneath the poem Blake inscribed a quotation from the Bible:<ref name="Numbers">{{cite web|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+11%3A29&version=KJV|title=Numbers 11:29 | work=King James Version | publisher=biblegateway.com}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|<poem>"Would to God that all the Lords{{efn|name=genetive}} people were Prophets"
[[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] XI. Ch 29.v<ref name="blakearchive"/></poem>}}

==="Dark Satanic Mills"===
{{Wiktionary|dark satanic mill}}

[[File:Albion Flour Mills Bankside.jpg|thumb|Albion Flour Mills, [[Bankside]], London]]
The phrase "dark Satanic Mills", which entered the English language from this poem, is often interpreted as referring to the early [[Industrial Revolution]] and its destruction of nature and human relationships.<ref>Lienhard, John H. 1999 [http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi1413.htm Poets in the Industrial Revolution.] [[The Engines of Our Ingenuity]] No. 1413: (Revised transcription)</ref> That view has been linked to the fate of the [[Albion Mills, Southwark|Albion Flour Mills]] in [[Southwark]], the first major factory in London. The rotary steam-powered flour mill, built by the firm of [[Boulton and Watt]], could produce 6,000 [[bushel]]s of flour per week. The factory could have driven independent traditional millers out of business, but it was destroyed in 1791 by fire. There were rumours of arson, but the most likely cause was a bearing that overheated due to poor maintenance <ref>{{cite journal |title=The Albion Mills 1784–1791 |first=John |last=Mosse |date=1967 |journal=Transactions of the Newcomen Society |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=47–60 |doi=10.1179/tns.1967.004}}</ref> with flour dust being highly explosive.<ref>{{cite web | title=Prevention of dust explosions in the food industry | publisher=Health and Safety Executive | url=https://www.hse.gov.uk/food/safety-hazards/dustexplosion.htm | website=HSE | access-date=8 November 2025 }}</ref>

London's independent millers celebrated, with placards reading, "Success to the mills of [[Albion]] but no Albion Mills."<ref name="ICONS1">ICONS – a portrait of England. Icon: Jerusalem (hymn) [http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/jerusalem/features/and-did-those-feet Feature: And did those feet?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212021243/http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/jerusalem/features/and-did-those-feet |date=12 December 2009 }} Accessed 7 August 2008</ref> Opponents referred to the factory as [[satan]]ic, and accused its owners of adulterating flour and using cheap imports at the expense of British producers. A contemporary illustration of the fire shows a [[devil]] squatting on the building.<ref>[[Brian Maidment]], ''Reading Popular Prints, 1790–1870'', Manchester University Press, 2001, p.40</ref> The mill was a short distance from Blake's home.

Blake's phrase resonates with a broader theme in his works; what he envisioned as a physically and spiritually [[Political repression|repressive]] ideology based on a quantified reality. Blake saw the [[cotton mill]]s and [[collieries]] of the period as a mechanism for the enslavement of millions, but the concepts underpinning the works had a wider application:<ref name="PortKaz">[[Alfred Kazin]]: ''Introduction to a volume of Blake.'' 1946</ref><ref name="HallGen">{{cite web|url=http://www.21learn.org/archive/articles/hall_genius.php |title=In Defense of Genius |last=Hall |first=Ernest |author-link=Ernest Hall (businessman) |date=8 February 1996 |work=Annual Lecture to the Arts Council of England |publisher=21st Century Learning Initiative |access-date=19 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025003242/http://www.21learn.org/archive/articles/hall_genius.php |archive-date=25 October 2008 }}</ref>
{{Blockquote|And all the Arts of Life they changed into the Arts of Death in Albion./...{{efn|[[Incipit]] of citation given in Hall, 1996: <poem>"And all the Arts of Life they changed into the Arts of Death in Albion.
The hour-glass contemned because its simple workmanship
Was like the workmanship of the Plowman and the water-wheel

That raises water into cisterns, broken and burned with fire
Because its workmanship was like the workmanship of the shepherd;
And in their stead intricate wheels invented, wheel without wheel
To perplex youth in their outgoings and to bind to labours in
Albion."</poem>}}|''[[Jerusalem The Emanation of the Giant Albion|Jerusalem]]'' Chapter 3. [[William Blake]]}}

[[File:Milton a Poem, copy C, object 4 (Bentley 4, Erdman 6, Keynes 4) detail-a.jpg|thumb|400px|The first reference to Satan's "mills", next to images of megaliths ([[Milton: A Poem in Two Books]], copy C, object 4)]]

Another interpretation is that the phrase refers to the established [[Church of England]], which, in contrast to Blake, preached a doctrine of conformity to the established social order and class system. [[Stonehenge]] and other megaliths are featured in ''Milton'', suggesting they may relate to the supposedly oppressive power of priestcraft in general. [[Peter Porter (poet)|Peter Porter]] observed that many scholars argue that the "[mills] are churches and not the factories of the Industrial Revolution everyone else takes them for".<ref>Peter Porter, ''The English Poets: from Chaucer to Edward Thomas'', Secker and Warburg, 1974, p.198., quoted in Shivashankar Mishra, ''The Rise of William Blake'', Mittal Publications, 1995, p.184.</ref> In 2007, the [[Bishop of Durham]], [[N. T. Wright]], explicitly recognised that element of English subculture when he acknowledged the view that "dark satanic mills" could refer to the "great churches".<ref name=DurhBish>[[N. T. Wright]], Bishop of Durham (23 June 2007) "[http://www.ntwrightpage.com/sermons/Durham_Wisdom.htm Where Shall Wisdom be Found?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131022005251/http://ntwrightpage.com/sermons/Durham_Wisdom.htm |date=22 October 2013 }}" Homily at the 175th anniversary of the founding of the [[University of Durham]]. ntwrightpage.com</ref> In similar vein, in 1967 the critic [[F. W. Bateson]] stated "the adoption by the Churches and women's organizations of this anti-clerical paean of free love is amusing evidence of the carelessness with which poetry is read".<ref>Quoted in {{cite book |authorlink=Yvor Winters |last=Winters |first=Yvor |title=Forms of Discovery |date=1967 |pages=165–166 |url=https://archive.org/details/formsofdiscovery0000wint/page/164/mode/2up?view=theater |url-access=registration}}</ref>

An alternative theory is that Blake is referring to a mystical concept within his own mythology, related to the ancient history of England. Satan's "mills" are referred to repeatedly in the main poem, and are first described in words which suggest neither industrialism nor ancient megaliths, but rather something more abstract: "the starry Mills of Satan/ Are built beneath the earth and waters of the Mundane Shell...To Mortals thy Mills seem everything, and the Harrow of [[El Shaddai|Shaddai]] / A scheme of human conduct invisible and incomprehensible".<ref>Blake, William, ''Milton: A Poem'', plate 4.</ref>

==="Chariots of fire"===
The line from the poem "Bring me my Chariot of fire!" draws on the story of [[wikisource:Bible (King James)/2 Kings#2:11|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]]'', in which the hymn "Jerusalem" is sung during the final scenes. The plural phrase "chariots of fire" refers to [[wikisource:Bible (King James)/2 Kings#6:17|2 Kings 6:17]].

==="Green and pleasant land"===
Blake lived in London for most of his life, but wrote much of ''Milton'' while living in a cottage, now [[Blake's Cottage]], in the village of [[Felpham]] in Sussex. Amanda Gilroy argues that the poem is informed by Blake's "evident pleasure" in the Felpham countryside.<ref>{{cite book| first=Amanda | last=Gilroy | title=Green and Pleasant Land: English Culture and the Romantic Countryside | publisher=Peeters Publishers | year=2004 | page=66}}</ref> However, local people say that records from [[Lavant, West Sussex|Lavant]], near Chichester, state that Blake wrote "And did those feet in ancient time" in an east-facing alcove of the Earl of March public house.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The history of the Earl of March public house|url=https://theearlofmarch.com/about/|date=24 September 2019<!--from page source-->|access-date=28 May 2021|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515080329/https://theearlofmarch.com/about/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Green and pleasant land|first=Mark|last=Crosby|url=https://www.goodwood.com/estate/estate-news/green-and-pleasant-land/|date=3 October 2019|website=Goodwood}}</ref>

The phrase "green and pleasant land" has become a common term for an identifiably English landscape or society. It appears as a headline, title or sub-title in numerous articles and books. Sometimes it refers, whether with appreciation, nostalgia or critical analysis, to idyllic or enigmatic aspects of the English countryside.<ref>[https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/eric-ravilious-green-and-pleasant-land-2025022.html "Eric Ravilious: Green and Pleasant Land," by Tom Lubbock, ''The Independent,'' 13 July 2010.]. Retrieved 7 January 2011</ref> In other contexts it can suggest the perceived habits and aspirations of rural middle-class life.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/mar/06/britishidentity.features11 "This green and pleasant land," by Tim Adams, ''The Observer,'' 10 April 2005.]. Retrieved 7 January 2011</ref> Sometimes it is used ironically,<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2007/mar/06/britishidentity.features11 "Green and pleasant land?" by Jeremy Paxman, ''The Guardian,'' 6 March 2007.]. Retrieved 7 January 2011</ref> e.g. in the [[Dire Straits]] song "[[Iron Hand (song)|Iron Hand]]".

===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]], and [[Napoleon]] claimed to be continuing this revolution.<ref>[http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRblake.htm William Blake] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705065137/http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRblake.htm |date=5 July 2008 }} Spartacus Educational (schoolnet.co) – Accessed 7 August 2008</ref> 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 trial was not a direct result of anything he had written, but comments he had made in conversation, including "Damn the King!".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/wblake.htm |title=William Blake |website=Books and Writers |first=Petri |last=Liukkonen |publisher=[[Kuusankoski]] Public Library |location=Finland |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20120126033604/http%3A//www%2Ekirjasto%2Esci%2Efi/wblake%2Ehtm |archive-date= 26 January 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The poem is followed in the preface by a quotation from ''[[Book of Numbers|Numbers]]'' 11:29: <!-- rendered literatim per [[WP:QUOTE]]; do not add apostrophe -->"Would to God that all the Lords people were prophets." [[Christopher Rowland (theologian)|Christopher Rowland]] has argued that this includes

<blockquote>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.<ref name="Rowland"/></blockquote>

The words of the poem "stress the importance of people taking responsibility for change and building a better society <!-- rendered literatim per [[WP:QUOTE]]; do not add apostrophe -->'in Englands green and pleasant land.{{'"}}<ref name="Rowland"/>

==Popularisation==
{{See also|William Blake in popular culture}}
The poem, which was little known during the century which followed its writing,<ref>{{cite book|url = https://archive.org/details/jerusalemjerusal0000carr |url-access = registration |page = [https://archive.org/details/jerusalemjerusal0000carr/page/236 236]|title = Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World|first = James|last = Carroll|publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year = 2011|isbn = 978-0-547-19561-2|author-link = James Carroll (novelist)}}</ref> was included in the patriotic anthology of verse ''The Spirit of Man,'' edited by the [[Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom]], [[Robert Bridges]], and published in 1916, at a time when morale had begun to decline because of the high number of casualties in World War I and the perception that there was no end in sight.<ref>{{cite book|title = The Spirit of Man: An Anthology in English & French from the Philosophers & Poets|date = January 1916|url = https://archive.org/stream/spiritofmanantho00bridiala#page/n5/mode/2up|chapter-url = https://archive.org/stream/spiritofmanantho00bridiala#page/n335/mode/2up|page = 335|publisher = Longmans, Green & Co.|access-date =10 September 2012|editor-first = Robert|editor-last = Bridges|editor-link = Robert Bridges|chapter = Index|edition = First}}</ref>

Under these circumstances, Bridges, finding the poem an appropriate hymn text to "brace the spirit of the nation [to] accept with cheerfulness all the sacrifices necessary,"<ref>{{cite book|url = https://archive.org/details/jerusalemjerusal0000carr |url-access = registration |page = [https://archive.org/details/jerusalemjerusal0000carr/page/235 235]|title = Jerusalem, Jerusalem: How the Ancient City Ignited Our Modern World|first = James|last = Carroll|publisher = Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year = 2011|isbn = 978-0-547-19561-2|author-link = James Carroll (novelist)}}</ref> asked [[Hubert Parry|Sir Hubert Parry]] to put it to music for a [[Fight for Right Movement|Fight for Right campaign]] meeting in London's [[Queen's Hall]]. Bridges asked Parry to supply "suitable, simple music to Blake's stanzas – music that an audience could take up and join in", and added that, if Parry could not do it himself, he might delegate the task to [[George Butterworth]].<ref>C. L.Graves, Hubert Parry, Macmillan 1926, p. 92</ref>

The poem's idealistic [[Theme (literature)|theme]] or [[subtext]] accounts for its popularity across much of the political spectrum. It was used as a campaign slogan by the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] in the [[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945 general election]]; [[Clement Attlee]] said they would build "a new Jerusalem".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/tr_show01.html |title=Link to PBS script quoting Attlee in 1945 – Accessed 7 August 2008 |publisher=Pbs.org |date=24 October 1929 |access-date=29 April 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110516015358/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/commandingheights/shared/minitextlo/tr_show01.html| archive-date= 16 May 2011 | url-status= live}}</ref> It has been sung at conferences of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]], at the [[Glee Club (British politics)|Glee Club]] of the British [[Liberal Assembly]], the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] and by the [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100152734/what-does-it-really-mean-to-be-english-nothing-at-all-and-thats-how-it-should-be/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426214426/http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danhodges/100152734/what-does-it-really-mean-to-be-english-nothing-at-all-and-thats-how-it-should-be/ | url-status=dead | archive-date=26 April 2012 | work=The Daily Telegraph | title=What does it really mean to be English? Nothing at all – and that's how it should be | date=24 April 2012}}</ref>

===Setting to music===
====By Hubert Parry====
{{Infobox musical composition
| name               = "Jerusalem"
| type               = [[Anthem]] 
| composer           = [[Hubert Parry]]
| image              = File:Hubert Parry.jpg
| caption            = The composer, c. 1916
| composed           = {{Start date|1916|03|10|df=y}}
| premiere_date      = {{Start date|1916|03|28|df=y}}
| premiere_location  = [[Queen's Hall]], [[Langham Place, London]]
| premiere_conductor = [[Hubert Parry]]
| text               = "And did those feet in ancient time" by [[William Blake]] (1804)
| duration           = 2:45
| language           = [[English language|English]]
| key                = [[D major]] 
| scoring            = {{Hlist|[[Organ (music)|Organ]] (or orchestra)|[[Choir|Chorus]]}}
| misc               = {{Audio sample
| type               = song 
| file               = HWW And Did Those Feet.ogg
| description        = Parry's arrangement rendered electronically
}}}}
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 added a four-bar musical introduction to each verse and a [[coda (music)|coda]], echoing melodic [[motif (music)|motif]]s of the song. The word "these" was substituted by "those" before "dark satanic mills".

Parry was initially reluctant to supply music for the campaign meeting, as he had doubts about the ultra-patriotism of Fight for Right; but knowing that his former student Walford Davies was to conduct the performance, and not wanting to disappoint either Robert Bridges or Davies, he agreed, writing it on 10 March 1916, and handing the manuscript to Davies with the comment, "Here's a tune for you, old chap. Do what you like with it."<ref>Benoliel, Bernard, Parry Before Jerusalem, Ashgate, Aldershot, 1997</ref> Davies later recalled,

{{blockquote|We looked at [the manuscript] together in his room at the [[Royal College of Music]], and I recall vividly his unwonted happiness over it&nbsp;... 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&nbsp;...<ref name="dibble">[[Jeremy Dibble|Dibble, Jeremy]], C. Hubert H. Parry: His life and music, Oxford University Press, 1992</ref>}}

Davies arranged for the vocal score to be published by [[Curwen Press|Curwen]] in time for the concert at the [[Queen's Hall]] on 28 March and began rehearsing it.<ref name="Wilt">Christopher Wiltshire (Former archivist, British Federation of Festivals for Music, Speech and Dance), [https://www.theguardian.com/letters/story/0,3604,408355,00.html Guardian newspaper 8 December 2000 Letters: Tune into Jerusalem's fighting history] ''[[The Guardian]]'' 8 December 2000.</ref> It was a success and was taken up generally.

But Parry began to have misgivings again about Fight for Right, and in May 1917 wrote to the organisation's founder Sir [[Francis Younghusband]] withdrawing his support entirely. There was even concern that the composer might withdraw the song from all public use, but the situation was saved by [[Millicent Fawcett]] of the [[National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies]] (NUWSS). The song had been taken up by the Suffragists in 1917 and Fawcett asked Parry if it might be used at a Suffrage Demonstration Concert on 13 March 1918. Parry was delighted and orchestrated the piece for the concert (it had originally been for voices and organ). After the concert, Fawcett asked the composer if it might become the Women Voters' Hymn. Parry 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 too. So they would combine happily".<ref name="dibble"/>

Accordingly, he assigned the copyright to the NUWSS. When that organisation was wound up in 1928, Parry's executors reassigned the copyright to the [[Women's Institutes]], where it remained until it entered the public domain in 1968.<ref name="dibble"/>

The song was first called "And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time" and the early 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).<ref>The manuscripts of the song with organ and with orchestra, and of Elgar's orchestration, are in the library of the Royal College of Music, London</ref> 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 the [[Leeds Festival (classical music)|Leeds Festival]].<ref name="ICONS2">ICONS – a portrait of England. Icon: Jerusalem (hymn) [http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/jerusalem/biography/sir-hubert-parry Sir Hubert Parry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110809003129/http://www.icons.org.uk/theicons/collection/jerusalem/biography/sir-hubert-parry |date=9 August 2011 }}, "Jerusalem" and Elgar's orchestration.</ref> Elgar's 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).

====By Wallen====
In 2020 a new musical arrangement of the poem by [[Errollyn Wallen]], a British composer born in Belize, was sung by South African soprano [[Golda Schultz]] at the Last Night of the Proms. Parry's version was traditionally sung at the Last Night, with Elgar's orchestration; the new version, with different rhythms, [[Consonance and dissonance|dissonance]], and reference to the [[blues]], caused much controversy.<ref name=whittaker/>

====Use as a hymn====
Although Parry composed the music as a unison song, many churches have adopted "Jerusalem" as a four-part hymn; a number of English entities, including the BBC, the Crown, cathedrals, churches, and chapels regularly use it as an office or recessional hymn on [[Saint George's Day]].<ref>On its being played at King George V opening the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, "British Table Talk", ''Christian Century'' (22 May 1924): 663; and Rubert Speaight, "England and St. George: A programme for St. George's Day [3 May], 1943", ''London Calling'' 169 (May 1943), iv.</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=And did those feet in ancient time |url=https://solarspell-dls.sfis.asu.edu/mea/wikipedia/wp/a/And_did_those_feet_in_ancient_time.htm |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=solarspell-dls.sfis.asu.edu}}</ref>

However, some clergy 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;<ref>{{cite video |title=Jerusalem: An Anthem for England |date=8 July 2007 |publisher=[[BBC Four]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074rmy}}</ref> consequently, it is not sung in some churches in England.<ref>{{Cite news
 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1584578/Cathedral-bans-popular-hymn-Jerusalem.html 
 |title=Cathedral bans popular hymn Jerusalem 
 |date=10 April 2008 
 |work=The Daily Telegraph 
 |location=London 
 |access-date=11 April 2008 
 |first=Sophie 
 |last=Borland 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411001808/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2008%2F04%2F10%2Fnjerusalem110.xml 
 |archive-date=11 April 2008 
 |url-status=live 
}}
</ref><ref name=":0" /> It was sung as a hymn during the [[wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton]] in [[Westminster Abbey]].<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/royal-wedding/8479507/Royal-wedding-Prince-William-and-Kate-Middleton-choose-popular-hymns.html "Royal Wedding: Prince William and Kate Middleton choose popular hymns"], The Telegraph, 29 April 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2011.</ref>

Many schools use the song, especially [[Public school (UK)|public schools]] in Great Britain (it was used as the title music for the [[BBC]]'s 1979 series ''Public School'' about [[Radley College]]), and several private schools in Australia, New Zealand, New England and Canada. In Hong Kong, diverted version of "Jerusalem" is also used as the school hymn of St. Catherine's School for Girls, Kwun Tong and Bishop Hall Jubilee School. "Jerusalem" was chosen as the opening hymn for the [[London Olympics 2012]], although "[[God Save the Queen]]" was the anthem sung during the raising of the flag in salute to the Queen. 

It has been sung on BBC's ''[[Songs Of Praise]]'' for many years; in a countrywide poll to find the UK's favourite hymn in 2019, it was voted top, relegating previous favourite "[[How Great Thou Art]]" into second place.<ref>{{Cite web |title=‘Jerusalem’ voted the UK's favourite hymn |url=https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/jerusalem-named-britains-favourite-hymn/#:~:text=Britain's%20favourite%20hymn%20has%20been,of%20members%20of%20the%20public. |access-date=2025-03-02 |website=Classic FM |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2019-09-29 |title=World War One hymn is nation's favourite |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-49871456 |access-date=2025-03-02 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

====Proposal as English anthem====
{{See also|National anthem of England}}Upon hearing the orchestral version for the first time, King [[George V]] said that he preferred "Jerusalem" over the British national anthem "[[God Save the King]]". "Jerusalem" is considered to be England's most popular patriotic song; ''[[The New York Times]]'' said it was "fast becoming an alternative national anthem,"<ref name="nytimes.com">{{Cite news| url =https://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/theater/20time.html?ref=arts | work=The New York Times | title=Time, and the Green and Pleasant Land | first=Ben | last=Brantley | date=20 July 2009 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref> and there have been calls to give it official status.<ref>[http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31408&SESSION=875 Parliamentary Early Day Motion 2791] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090821141152/http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=31408&SESSION=875 |date=21 August 2009 }}, UK Parliament, 18 October 2006</ref> England has no official anthem and uses the British national anthem "[[God Save the King]]", also unofficial, 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 official hymn of the [[England and Wales Cricket Board]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://anthem4england.co.uk/category/correspondence/ |title=Correspondence |publisher=Anthem 4 England |location=UK |date=8 May 2007 |access-date=29 April 2011 |archive-date=20 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720030917/http://anthem4england.co.uk/category/correspondence/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> although "God Save the Queen" has been sung before England's games on several occasions, including the [[2010 ICC World Twenty20]], the [[2010–11 Ashes series]] and the [[2019 ICC Cricket World Cup]]. Questions in [[British Parliament|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".<ref>{{cite web|author=Sir Andrew Foster |url=http://www.weareengland.org/news.asp?itemid=327&itemTitle=England+announce+victory+anthem+for+Delhi+chosen+by+the+public%21&section=115&sectionTitle=News |title=England announce victory anthem for Delhi chosen by the public! – Commonwealth Games England |publisher=Weare England |date=30 May 2010 |access-date=29 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611162431/http://www.weareengland.org/news.asp?itemid=327&itemTitle=England+announce+victory+anthem+for+Delhi+chosen+by+the+public%21&section=115&sectionTitle=News |archive-date=11 June 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref>

In 2005 [[BBC Four]] produced ''Jerusalem: An Anthem For England'' highlighting the usages of the song/poem and a case was made for its adoption as the [[national anthem of England]]. Varied contributions come from [[Howard Goodall]], [[Billy Bragg]], [[Garry Bushell]], [[Lord Hattersley]], [[Ann Widdecombe]] and [[David Mellor]], [[Militarism|war proponents]], [[pacifism|war opponents]], [[suffragettes]], [[trade unionists]], [[Independent school (United Kingdom)|public schoolboys]], the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]], the [[The Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]], [[Football Supporters' Federation|football supporters]], the [[British National Party]], the [[Women's Institute#.22Jerusalem.22|Women's Institute]], [[London Gay Men's Chorus]], [[London Community Gospel Choir]], [[Fat Les]] and [[naturists#United Kingdom|naturists]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1071222/ | title=Jerusalem: An Anthem for England (TV 2005) | website=[[Internet Movie Database]] | access-date=27 September 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2005/sep/09/broadcasting.tvandradio | title=Get me to the clink on time |work=The Guardian |location=UK | date=9 September 2005 | access-date=28 September 2011 | author=Sam Wollaston}}</ref>

==Cultural significance==
===Enduring popularity===
<!--PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO LIST PERFORMANCES OF JERUSALEM ON RECORD, FILM, TV OR THEATRE. LINKS TO MONTY PYTHON, BILLY BRAGG AND EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROVIDED-->
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. The song has also had a large cultural impact in Great Britain. 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. Similarly, along with "[[The Red Flag]]", it is sung each year at the closing of the annual [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] conference. It is also often sung at the service at the [[Durham Miners' Gala]].

The song was used by the [[National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies]] (indeed Parry transferred the copyright to the NUWSS in 1918; the Union was wound up in 1928 after women won the right to vote).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=8553|title=Jerusalem|website=SongFacts|access-date=5 September 2022}}</ref> During the 1920s many [[Women's Institutes]] (WI) started closing meetings by singing it, and this caught on nationally. Although it was never 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.<ref>The "Jam and ''Jerusalem''" caricature of the WI is still current enough that they have a [[FAQ]] about it on their site at [http://www.thewi.org.uk/standard.aspx?id=12466] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111082408/http://www.thewi.org.uk/standard.aspx?id=12466|date=11 January 2009}}</ref>

A rendition of "Jerusalem" was included in the 1973 album ''[[Brain Salad Surgery]]'' by the [[progressive rock]] group [[Emerson, Lake & Palmer]]. The arrangement of the hymn is notable for its use of the first polyphonic synthesizer, the [[Moog synthesizer|Moog Apollo]]. It was released as a single, but failed to chart in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/brain-salad-surgery-mw0000462279|title=Brain Salad Surgery - Emerson, Lake & Palmer |via=www.allmusic.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/keith-emerson-talks-elps-brain-salad-surgery-track-by-track-594681 |title=Keith Emerson talks ELP's Brain Salad Surgery track-by-track |first=Joe|last=Bosso |date=17 February 2014 |website=MusicRadar |access-date=1 March 2022}}</ref>

An instrumental rendition of the hymn was included in the 1989 album "The Amsterdam EP" by Scottish rock band [[Simple Minds]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/release/931106-Simple-Minds-The-Amsterdam-EP | title=Simple Minds - the Amsterdam EP | website=[[Discogs]] | date=2 September 1989 }}</ref>

[[Iron Maiden]] singer [[Bruce Dickinson]] incorporated the full text of the poem into his 6:42 track ''Jerusalem'' (co-written with [[Roy Z]]), a part of his [[William Blake]] inspired 1998 solo album ''[[The Chemical Wedding (Bruce Dickinson album)|The Chemical Wedding]]''. Dickinson performed the track live in 2023 as part of the ''[[Jon Lord]]'' ''[[Concerto for Group and Orchestra]]'' tour.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTnBlV7R1eE | title= Bruce Dickinson - Jerusalem (Zagreb 24.3.2023)  | website=[[YouTube]] | date=25 March 2023}}</ref>

"Jerusalem" is traditionally sung before [[rugby league]]'s [[Challenge Cup]] Final, along with "[[Abide with Me]]", and before the [[Super League Grand Final]], where it is introduced as "the rugby league anthem". Before 2008, it was the anthem used by the [[England national rugby league team|national side]], as "[[God Save the Queen]]" was used by [[Great Britain national rugby league team|the Great Britain team]]: since the Lions were superseded by England, "God Save the Queen" has replaced "Jerusalem". Since 2004, it has been the anthem of the [[England cricket team|England]] [[cricket]] team, being played before each day of their home [[Test cricket|test matches]].

It was also used in the [[2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony|opening ceremony]] of the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] held in London and inspired several of the opening show segments directed by [[Danny Boyle]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Navigating the 'Isles of Wonder': A guide to the Olympic opening ceremony|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/27/sport/decoding-olympic-opening-ceremony/index.html|publisher=CNN|access-date=28 July 2012}}</ref> It was included in the ceremony's soundtrack album, ''[[Isles of Wonder: Music for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games|Isles of Wonder]]''.

===Use in film, television and theatre===
<!--PLEASE DO NOT TRY TO LIST PERFORMANCES OF JERUSALEM ON RECORD, FILM, TV OR THEATRE. LINKS TO MONTY PYTHON, BILLY BRAGG AND EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROVIDED-->
"Bring me my Chariot of fire" inspired the title of the film ''[[Chariots of Fire]]''.<ref name="welland">[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082158/trivia IMDb trivia – Origin of title] – Accessed 11 August 2008</ref>

The hymn has featured in many other films and television programmes including ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]'', ''[[How to Get Ahead in Advertising]]'', ''[[The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)|The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner]]'', ''[[Saint Jack (film)|Saint Jack]]'', ''[[Calendar Girls]]'', Season 3: Episode 22 of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', ''[[Goodnight Mister Tom (film)|Goodnight Mister Tom]]'', ''[[Women in Love]]'', ''[[The Man Who Fell to Earth]]'', ''[[Shameless (British TV series)|Shameless]]'', ''[[Jackboots on Whitehall]]'', ''[[Quatermass and the Pit]]'', ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'', ''[[Spud 2: The Madness Continues]]'', and ''[[Collateral (TV series)|Collateral]]'' (UK TV series).

An extract was heard in the 2013 ''[[Doctor Who]]'' episode "[[The Crimson Horror]]" although that story was set in 1893, i.e., before Parry's arrangement. A bawdy version of the first verse is sung by Mr Partridge in the third episode of Series 1 of ''[[Hi-de-Hi!]]''. A punk version is heard in [[Derek Jarman]]'s 1977 film ''[[Jubilee (1978 film)|Jubilee]]''. In an episode of ''[[Peep Show (British TV series)|Peep Show]]'', Jez ([[Robert Webb]]) records a track titled "This Is Outrageous" which uses the first and a version of the second line in a verse.<ref>{{YouTube|ySqtuxadnn4}}</ref> A modified version of the hymn, replacing the word "England" with "Neo", is used in ''[[Neo Yokio]]'' as the national anthem of the eponymous city state.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/neo-yokio/.121543|title=Neo Yokio Review|first=Mike|last=Toole|work=[[Anime News Network]]|date=September 19, 2017|access-date=September 26, 2017|quote=Neo Yokio's national anthem is William Blake's 'Jerusalem,' and fight scenes are underpinned by tunes by the likes of Mingus.}}</ref>

In the theatre it appears in ''[[Jerusalem (play)|Jerusalem]]'',<ref name="nytimes.com" /> ''[[Calendar Girls]]'' and in ''[[Time and the Conways]]''.<ref name="nytimes.com"/>

British band [[The Verve]] reworks lines from "Jerusalem" in their song "[[Love Is Noise]]", asking, "Will those feet in modern times/Walk on soles that are made in China?", and alludes to "bright prosaic malls". Another version of "Jerusalem" was produced by the British post-punk band [[The Fall (band)|The Fall]] in 1988.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Fall - Jerusalem |date=1988 |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1315930-The-Fall-Jerusalem?srsltid=AfmBOop-B7Hr_LdzXNNf03oZumep6Hl-sd36sFNZN2OoeH7W4u6KVqGN |access-date=2025-02-24 |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Civil religion]]
* [[Industrial Revolution#Opposition from Romanticism|Romanticism and the Industrial Revolution]]
* [[List of British anthems]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist|30em}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource|Milton (Blake)/Preface}}
*[http://www.blakearchive.org/exist/blake/archive/comparison.xq?selection=compare&copies=all&bentleynum=B2&copyid=milton.a&java= Comparisons of the Hand Painted copies of the Preface] on the [[William Blake Archive]]
* {{Cantorion|music/651/Jerusalem_Sheet_music|Jerusalem}}
* [http://www.hymnary.org/text/and_did_those_feet_in_ancient_time And did those feet in ancient time] at [[Hymnary.org]]
* {{librivox book | title=Jerusalem | author=Blake}} (Multiple versions)

{{William Blake|lit}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:And Did Those Feet In Ancient Time}}
[[Category:1804 poems]]
[[Category:1916 songs]]
[[Category:English Christian hymns]]
[[Category:English patriotic songs]]
[[Category:National symbols of England]]
[[Category:Anthems of non-sovereign states]]
[[Category:Poetry by William Blake]]
[[Category:British Israelism]]
[[Category:Musical settings of poems by William Blake]]
[[Category:British anthems]]
[[Category:Joseph of Arimathea]]
[[Category:Hymns in The New English Hymnal]]
[[Category:Works based on the Book of Revelation]]
[[Category:1800s neologisms]]
[[Category:1800s quotations]]
[[Category:Quotations from literature]]
[[Category:Quotations from music]]