Jerusalem
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.
There is an expression which has existed, in some form or another, since at least the first century A.D., when Plutarch used it in his Moralia: On The Delay Of Divine Vengeance: "the mills of the gods grind late...". The idea is that divine retribution may be slow in coming, but that it always occurs. Later, in the Christian era, this meaning was expanded to include the plans or will of God, for example, as Longfellow expressed it: "Though the mills of God grind slowly/ Yet they grind exceeding small/ Though with patience He stands waiting/ With exactness He grinds all." I think it possible that Blake is, with his "Dark, Satanic Mills" is referring to the opposite of this- the plans or schemes of Satan, as opposed to those of the Almighty (Shaddai). Or maybe I'm completely off base; you decide.