Read The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Online
Authors: John Milton,Burton Raffel
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Literary Collections, #Poetry, #Classics, #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #English poetry
270 | | Nor shall I to the work thou enterprisest |
271 | | Be wanting, |
272 | | |
273 | | Of mortal |
274 | | Of ravenous fowl, though many a league remote, |
275 | | Against the day of battle, to a field |
276 | | Where armies lie encamped, come flying, lured |
277 | | With scent of living carcasses designed |
278 | | For death the following day, in bloody fight, |
279 | | So scented the grim feature, |
280 | | His nostril wide into the murky air, |
281 | | Sagacious |
282 | | Then both from out Hell-gates, into the waste, |
283 | | Wide anarchy of Chaos, damp and dark, |
284 | | Flew diverse, |
285 | | |
286 | | Solid or slimy, as in raging sea |
287 | | Tossed up and down, together crowded drove, |
288 | | From each side shoaling |
289 | | As when two polar winds, blowing adverse |
290 | | Upon the Cronian |
291 | | |
292 | | Beyond Petsora |
293 | | |
294 | | Death with his mace petrific, |
295 | | As with a trident, |
296 | | As Delos, |
297 | | |
298 | | And with asphaltic |
299 | | Deep to the roots of Hell the gathered beach |
300 | | |
301 | | Over the foaming deep high-arched, a bridge |
302 | | Of length prodigious, joining to the wall |
303 | | |
304 | | Forfeit |
305 | | Smooth, easy, inoffensive, |
306 | | So (if great things to small may be compared) |
307 | | Xerxes, |
308 | | From Susa, |
309 | | Came to the sea, and over Hellespont |
310 | | Bridging his way, Europe with Asia joined, |
311 | | And scourged |
312 | | |
313 | | |
314 | | Over the vexed |
315 | | Of Satan to the self-same place where he |
316 | | |
317 | | From out of Chaos, to the outside bare |
318 | | Of this round world. With pins of adamant |
319 | | And chains they made all fast—too fast they made |
320 | | And durable! And now in little space |
321 | | The confines |
322 | | And of this world, and on the left hand Hell |
323 | | |
324 | | In sight, to each of these three places led. |
325 | | |
326 | | To Paradise first tending |
327 | | Satan, in likeness of an Angel bright, |
328 | | Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering |
329 | | |
330 | | Disguised he came, but those his children dear |
331 | | Their parent soon discerned, |
332 | | He, after Eve seduced, unminded |
333 | | Into the wood fast by and, changing shape |
334 | | T’ observe the sequel, saw his guileful act |
335 | | By Eve, though all unweeting, |
336 | | Upon her husband, saw their shame that sought |
337 | | Vain covertures, |
338 | | The Son of God to judge them, terrified |
339 | | He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun |
340 | | The present, fearing, guilty, what His |
341 | | Might suddenly inflict. That past, returned |
342 | | By night, and list’ning where the hapless |
343 | | Sat in their sad discourse and various plaint, |
344 | | Thence gathered his own doom, which understood |
345 | | Not instant, but of future time. With joy |
346 | | And tidings fraught, |
347 | | And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot |
348 | | Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhoped |
349 | | Met who to meet him came, his offspring dear. |
350 | | Great joy was at their meeting, and at sight |
351 | | Of that stupendious bridge his joy increased. |
352 | | Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair |
353 | | Enchanting daughter, thus the silence broke: |
354 | | |
355 | | Thy trophies! which thou view’st as not thine own. |
356 | | Thou art their author and prime architect, |