The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (135 page)

181

And all
⁶²⁸²
his people. Thunder mixed with hail,

182

Hail mixed with fire, must rend th’ Egyptian sky,

183

And wheel
⁶²⁸³
on th’ earth, devouring where it rolls.

184

What it devours not, herb, or fruit, or grain,

185

A darksome cloud of locusts swarming down

186

Must eat, and on the ground leave nothing green.

187

Darkness must overshadow all his
⁶²⁸⁴
bounds,

188

Palpable
⁶²⁸⁵
darkness, and blot out three days.

189

Last, with one midnight stroke all the first-born

190

Of Egypt must lie dead. Thus with ten wounds

191

The river-dragon
⁶²⁸⁶
tamed at length submits

192

To let his sojourners depart, and oft

193

Humbles his stubborn heart, but still as ice

194

More hardened after thaw, till in his rage

195

Pursuing whom he late
⁶²⁸⁷
dismissed,
⁶²⁸⁸
the sea

196

Swallows him with his host,
⁶²⁸⁹
but them
⁶²⁹⁰
lets pass

197

As
⁶²⁹¹
on dry land, between two crystal walls,

198

Awed
⁶²⁹²
by the rod of Moses so to stand

199

Divided, till his rescued gain their shore.

200

   
“Such wondrous power God to His saint will lend,

201

Though present in His Angel, who shall go

202

Before them in a cloud and pillar
⁶²⁹³
of fire,

203

By day a cloud, by night a pillar of fire,

204

To guide them in their journey, and remove
⁶²⁹⁴

205

Behind them, while the obdurate
⁶²⁹⁵
king pursues.

206

All night he will pursue, but his approach

207

Darkness defends
⁶²⁹⁶
between
⁶²⁹⁷
till morning watch.

208

Then through the fiery pillar, and the cloud,

209

God looking forth will trouble
⁶²⁹⁸
all his
⁶²⁹⁹
host,

210

And craze
⁶³⁰⁰
their chariot-wheels, when by command

211

Moses once more his potent rod extends

212

Over the sea. The sea his rod obeys;

213

On their embattled
⁶³⁰¹
ranks the waves return,

214

And overwhelm their war.
⁶³⁰²
The race elect
⁶³⁰³

215

Safe toward Canaan from the shore
⁶³⁰⁴
advance

216

Through the wild desert, not the readiest
⁶³⁰⁵
way,

217

Lest ent’ring
⁶³⁰⁶
on the Canaanite alarmed
⁶³⁰⁷

218

War terrify them
⁶³⁰⁸
inexpert,
⁶³⁰⁹
and fear

219

Return them
⁶³¹⁰
back to Egypt, choosing rather

220

Inglorious life with servitude, for life

221

To noble (and ignoble) is more sweet

222

Untrained in arms, where rashness leads not on.
⁶³¹¹

223

   
“This also shall they gain by their delay

224

In the wide wilderness. There they shall found
⁶³¹²

225

Their government, and their great senate
⁶³¹³
choose

226

Through the twelve tribes,
⁶³¹⁴
to rule by laws ordained.

227

God from the mount of Sinai, whose gray top

228

Shall tremble, He descending, will Himself

229

In thunder, lightning, and loud trumpets’ sound

230

Ordain them laws, part such as appertain
⁶³¹⁵

231

To civil justice, part religious rites

232

Of sacrifice, informing them, by types
⁶³¹⁶

233

And shadows,
⁶³¹⁷
of that destined seed
⁶³¹⁸
to bruise
⁶³¹⁹

234

The serpent, by what means he shall achieve

235

Mankind’s deliverance. But the voice of God

236

To mortal ear is dreadful. They beseech

237

That Moses might report
⁶³²⁰
to them His will,

238

And terror cease. He grants what they besought,

239

Instructed that to God is no access

240

Without mediator, whose high office now

241

Moses in figure
⁶³²¹
bears, to introduce

242

One greater, of whose day he shall foretell,

243

And all the prophets in their age the times

244

Of great Messiah shall sing.

“Thus, laws and rites

245

Established, such delight hath God in men

246

Obedient to His will, that he vouchsafes

247

Among them to set up His tabernacle,

248

The Holy One with mortal men to dwell.

249

By His prescript
⁶³²²
a sanctuary is framed

250

Of cedar, overlaid with gold, therein

251

An ark,
⁶³²³
and in the ark His testimony,
⁶³²⁴

252

The records of His cov’nant. Over these

253

A mercy-seat of gold,
⁶³²⁵
between the wings

254

Of two bright Cherubim. Before him
⁶³²⁶
burn

255

Seven lamps as in a zodiac
⁶³²⁷
representing

256

The Heav’nly fires. Over the tent a cloud

257

Shall rest by day, a fiery gleam by night,

258

Save when they journey. And at length they come,

259

Conducted by His Angel, to the land

260

Promised to Abraham and his seed.

“The rest

261

Were long to tell, how many battles fought,

262

How many kings destroyed, and kingdoms won,

263

Or how the sun shall in mid Heav’n stand still

264

A day entire, and night’s due course adjourn,

265

Man’s voice commanding, ‘Sun, in Gibeon stand,

266

And thou moon in the vale of Aialon,

267

Till Israel overcome!’
⁶³²⁸
So call
⁶³²⁹
the third