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The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.

William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, 1790–93

Literature

The story behind the card

William Blake (1757–1827), a London poet and engraver, printed and hand-coloured his own illustrated books. In The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, written between 1790 and 1793, he imagines a visit to Hell, which stands for energy and desire rather than punishment, and brings back the “Proverbs of Hell”, provocative sayings like this one. The idea is that people learn their limits by living fully, not by timid obedience. Another proverb says you never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.

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Aşırılığın yolu bilgelik sarayına çıkar.
William Blake, Cennet ile Cehennemin Evliliği, 1790–1793

William Blake (1757–1827), resimli kitaplarını kendi eliyle basıp boyayan Londralı bir şair ve gravür ustasıydı. 1790–1793 arasında yazdığı Cennet ile Cehennemin Evliliği'nde cehenneme bir yolculuk hayal eder; ama onun gözünde cehennem bir ceza yeri değil, enerjinin ve arzunun simgesidir. Oradan “Cehennem Atasözleri” adını verdiği kışkırtıcı sözlerle döner; bu cümle de onlardan biridir. Buradaki fikir şu: İnsan sınırlarını korkuyla kurallara boyun eğerek değil, hayatı dolu dolu yaşayarak öğrenir. Atasözlerinden bir başkası da, neyin fazla olduğunu bilmeyenin neyin yeterli olduğunu da bilemeyeceğini söyler.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: William Blake
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