I wondered today, not knowing well my English history or literature well enough, where the phrase “Green and pleasant land” which seems so deeply embedded in the psyche of Britain and particularly its planning system, had originated from. A simple google search revealed that the origin lies with the poem of William Blake as follows:
And did those feet in ancient time.
Walk upon Englands mountains green:
And was the holy Lamb of God,
On Englands 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 Englands green & pleasant Land
The poem, which every Briton probably knows was later adapted into the song (or hymn) Jerusalem by Sir Hubert Parry. The references to this, including both the song, and the imagery conjured by the poem were included in this summer’s Olympics opening ceremony, deemed by Danny Boyle and the other brains behind the ceremony to be something iconic of Britain, or perhaps more precisely England.
The sentiments behind this poem perhaps capture fears, emerging early on in the Industrial Revolution that the country would be spoiled by the ‘dark satanic mills’ of industry. Fears which were not ungrounded given the scale of industrial activity and the poor levels of environmental control at the time, leading to smog and polluted waters and barren lands. But while the idea may have originated in this context, it now seems to have a different effect. The ‘green and pleasant land’ must be protected from any and all evidence of human activity, however ecologically friendly and gentle, in favor of ‘protection of the countryside’ at all costs. A discourse that, as so many do, has been hijacked by a vested interest and an unthinking public that goes along with it. We’ve stopped thinking about what kind of development is harmful to the environment, whether development might not be so, could be made to be harmonious with the non-human world, to an extent at least. Instead, this totalitarian understanding lumps giant supermarket stores along with massive factories along with… individual dwellings for people trying to work the land organically and with care and loving attention. Is that right? Is that really the way to protect the green and pleasant land? Or does this debate need more nuance as do so many others.
Human Being Natural 