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
796
Raise out of friendship hostile deeds in peace.
797
The conquered also, and enslaved by war,
798
Shall with their freedom lost all virtue lose
799
And fear of God, from whom their piety feigned
800
In sharp contest
6143
of battle found no aid
801
Against invaders. Therefore cooled in zeal,
802
Thenceforth shall practice how to live secure,
6144
803
Worldly or dissolute, on what their lords
804
Shall leave them to enjoy, for th’ earth shall bear
805
806
807
Justice and temperance, truth and faith, forgot—
808
One man
6149
except, the only son of light
809
In a dark age, against example good,
6150
810
811
Offended.
6153
Fearless of reproach and scorn,
812
Or violence, he of their wicked ways
813
Shall them admonish, and before them set
814
The paths of righteousness, how much more safe
815
And full of peace, denouncing
6154
wrath to come
816
Of their impenitence,
6155
and shall return
817
Of them derided, but of God observed
818
The one just man alive. By His command
819
Shall build a wondrous ark, as thou beheld’st,
820
To save himself, and household, from amidst
821
A world devote to universal wrack.
6156
822
No sooner he, with them of man and beast
823
Select
6157
for life shall in the ark be lodged,
824
And sheltered round, but all the cataracts
6158
825
Of Heav’n set open on the earth shall pour
826
Rain, day and night. All fountains of the deep,
827
Broke up, shall heave the ocean to usurp
828
Beyond all bounds, till inundation rise
829
Above the highest hills. Then shall this mount
830
Of Paradise by might of waves be moved
831
Out of his place, pushed by the hornèd
6159
flood,
832
With all his verdure spoiled,
6160
and trees adrift,
833
834
And there take root an island salt and bare,
835
The haunt of seals, and orcs,
6163
and sea-mew’s
6164
clang,
6165
836
To teach thee that God attributes
6166
to place
837
No sanctity, if none
6167
be thither brought
838
By men who there frequent, or therein dwell.
839
And now, what further shall ensue, behold.”
840
He looked, and saw the ark hull
6168
on the flood,
841
Which now abated, for the clouds were fled,
842
Driven by a keen north-wind that, blowing dry,
843
844
And the clear sun on his wide wat’ry glass
845
846
As after thirst, which made their flowing shrink
847
From standing lake to tripping
6173
ebb, that stole
848
With soft foot towards the deep, who now had stopped
6174
849
His sluices,
6175
as the Heav’n his windows shut.
850
The ark no more now floats, but seems on ground,
851
Fast on the top of some high mountain fixed.
852
And now the tops of hills as rocks appear.
853
With clamor
6176
thence the rapid currents drive
854
855
Forthwith
6179
from out the ark a raven flies,
856
And after him the surer
6180
messenger,
857
A dove sent forth once and again
6181
to spy
858
Green tree or ground, whereon his foot may light.
6182
859
The second time returning, in his bill
860
An olive leaf he brings, pacific
6183
sign.
861
Anon
6184
dry ground appears, and from his ark
862
The ancient sire descends, with all his train,
863
Then with uplifted hands and eyes devout,
864
Grateful to Heav’n, over his head beholds
865
A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow
6185
866
867
Betok’ning
6188
peace from God, and cov’nant new.
868
Whereat the heart of Adam, erst
6189
so sad,
869
Greatly rejoiced, and thus his joy broke forth:
870
“O thou, who future things canst represent
871
As present, Heav’nly instructor, I revive
872
At this last sight, assured that man shall live,
873
With all the creatures and their seed preserve.
6190
874
Far less I now lament for one whole world
875
Of wicked sons destroyed, than I rejoice
876
For one man found so perfect, and so just,
877
That God vouchsafes to raise another world
878
From him, and all His anger to forget.
879
But say, what mean those colored streaks in Heav’n
880
881
Or serve they, as a flow’ry verge,
6193
to bind
882
The fluid skirts of that same wat’ry cloud,