Reason is bound to our perception, which in turn is bound to what knowledge we have of the world and our emotions. When Reason tells you that people are greedy, world is crappy, and you cannot trust anyone, Imagination knocks on your door just to tell you, “Oh yeah? Well, challenge accepted!”

Happy Sol Invictus / Merry Christmas everyone!

Based on the Blakean mythology of Four Zoas, where “Urizen” represents conventional reason and law, and “Los” represents imagination. That said, “Los” is also an anagram of “Sol”, which is Roman for “Sun”, although here I used Sun as a symbol for “Inspiration”. And because it’s Winter Solstice now, I wrote this for Christmas (although I’m a bit late…) simply because the epic battle between Urizen and Los not only remind me of that one principle of social bonding that formed many festivals of Winter Solstice (Christmas, Hanukah, most pagan variations, Amaterasu, Roman, etc.) but also as a reminder than rigid reduction of the universe will always have a challenging spirit that will rebel and enlighten all of existence, come whatever storms may.

Written in Iambic Pentameter. This is perhaps my very first Sonnet, and my first time writing in fixed metric forms, so critiques are welcome! (Note: This poetry may change as I revise it further.)

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Urizen raged at lawless void unknown,
His order benign was nature’s will invoked,
Then Reason fell to rule whose heavens choked,
Where oceans froze and grief of burden sown.

Lamenting souls succumbed to world reduced,
For love was dead, and hope forsaken’d, lost…
And yet a single fire defied the frost,
For Los rebelled, his hammer forged anew.

Turning soil to bricks to fortress round,
Burning waters to steam to fly unbound,
Churning love from broken streams of thought.

Eternal winters broke into vivid spring.
Urizen stunned, as open windows sing
Of gentle rays that Los unbridled brought.