The theme of the inauguration, “Ages of Imagination,”
is drawn from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,
one of the most influential works of British poet and artist William
Blake (1757–1827).
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| William Blake |
From The
Marriage of Heaven and Hell:
The Prophets Isaiah and
Ezekiel dined with me, and I asked them how they dared so roundly
to assert, that God spoke to them; and whether they did not
think at the time, that they would be misunderstood, & so
be the cause of imposition.
Isaiah answer'd, “I saw no God, nor heard any, in a finite
organical perception; but my senses discover'd the infinite in
every thing, and as I was then perswaded, & remain confirm'd;
that the voice of honest indignation is the voice of God, I cared
not for consequences but wrote.”
Then I asked: “does
a firm perswasion that a thing is so, make it so?”
He replied, “All poets say that it does, & in
ages of imagination this firm perswasion removed mountains;
but many are not capable of a firm perswasion of any thing.”
As Augsburg College celebrates
the inauguration of its eleventh president, it also celebrates
its calling as a college, and imagines itself in future ages,
using “AGES” to
remind us of the four themes of this new era: Abundance, Generosity,
Engagement, and Service.
In moving these four “mountains,” Augsburg
College, under the leadership of Paul Pribbenow, will continue
to demonstrate how the power of imagination can transform the
lives of its students, and its community.
