The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (27 page)

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

BOOK: The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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268

      

In this unhappy mansion,
1525
or once more

269

      

With rallied arms to try what may be yet

270

      

Regained in Heav’n, or what more lost in Hell

271

      

So Satan spoke; and him Beelzebub

272

      

Thus answered: “Leader of those armies bright

273

      

Which, but th’ Omnipotent, none could have foiled!
1526

274

      

If once they hear that voice, their liveliest pledge
1527

275

      

Of hope in fears and dangers—heard so oft

276

      

In worst extremes, and on the perilous edge

277

      

Of battle, when it raged, in all assaults

278

      

Their surest signal—they will soon resume

279

      

New courage and revive, though now they lie

280

      

Grovelling and prostrate on yon lake of fire

281

      

As we erewhile, astounded
1528
and amazed.
1529

282

      

No wonder, fall’n such a pernicious
1530
height

283

      

   
He scarce had ceased when the superior fiend

284

      

Was moving toward the shore, his ponderous shield

285

      

Ethereal
1531
temper,
1532
massy, large, and round

286

      

Behind him cast. The broad circumference

287

      

Hung on his shoulders like the moon, whose orb

288

      

Through optic glass the Tuscan
1533
artist
1534
views

289

      

At evening, from the top of Fesolé

290

      

Or in Valdarno, to descry
1535
new lands

291

      

Rivers, or mountains in her spotty
1536
globe

292

      

His spear—to equal which the tallest pine

293

      

Hewn on Norwegian hills to be the mast

294

      

Of some great ammiral,
1537
were but a wand—
1538

295

      

He walked with, to support uneasy
1539
steps

296

      

Over the burning marl,
1540
not like those steps

297

      

On Heaven’s azure. And the torrid clime

298

      

Smote
1541
on him sore besides, vaulted
1542
with fire

299

      

Nathless
1543
he so endured, till on the beach

300

      

Of that inflamèd
1544
sea he stood, and called

301

      

His legions, Angel forms, who lay entranced
1545

302

      

Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks

303

      

In Vallombrosa,
1546
where th’ Etrurian
1547
shades

304

      

High over-arched, embow’r
1548
—or scattered sedge
1549

305

      

Afloat, when with fierce winds Orion armed
1550

306

      

Hath vexed
1551
the Red-Sea coast, whose waves o’erthrew

307

      

Busiris
1552
and his Memphian
1553
chivalry,
1554

308

      

While with perfidious
1555
hatred they pursued

309

      

The sojourners
1556
of Goshen,
1557
who beheld

310

      

From the safe shore their floating carcases

311

      

And broken chariot-wheels. So thick bestrewn

312

      

Abject
1558
and lost, lay these, covering the flood

313

      

Under amazement
1559
of their hideous
1560
change

314

      

   
He called so loud that all the hollow deep

315

      

Of Hell resounded: “Princes, Potentates,
1561

316

      

Warriors, the Flow’r of Heav’n—once yours, now lost

317

      

If such astonishment
1562
as this can seize

318

      

Eternal Spirits! Or have ye chosen this place

319

      

After the toil of battle to repose

320

      

Your wearied virtue,
1563
for the ease you find

321

      

To slumber here, as in the vales of Heav’n?

322

      

Or in this abject posture have ye sworn

323

      

To adore the conqueror, who now beholds

324

      

Cherub and Seraph rolling in the flood

325

      

With scattered arms and ensigns,
1564
till anon
1565

326

      

His swift pursuers from Heav’n-gates discern

327

      

Th’ advantage, and descending, tread us down

328

      

Thus drooping, or with linkèd thunderbolts

329

      

Transfix
1566
us to the bottom of this gulf?
1567

330

      

Awake, arise, or be for ever fall’n!”

331

      

   
They heard, and were abashed, and up they sprung

332

      

Upon the wing,
1568
as when men wont
1569
to watch

333

      

On duty, sleeping found by whom they dread

334

      

Rouse and bestir themselves ere well awake

335

      

Nor did they not perceive the evil plight

336

      

In which they were, or the fierce pains not feel

337

      

Yet to their general’s voice they soon obeyed

338

      

Innumerable. As when the potent rod

339

      

Of Amram’s son,
1570
in Egypt’s evil day

340

      

Waved round the coast, up-called a pitchy
1571
cloud

341

      

Of locusts, warping
1572
on the eastern wind

342

      

That o’er the realm of impious Pharaoh hung

343

      

Like night, and darkened all the land of Nile

344

      

So numberless were those bad Angels seen

345

      

Hovering on wing under the cope
1573
of Hell

346

      

’Twixt upper, nether, and surrounding fires

347

      

Till, as a signal giv’n, th’ uplifted spear

348

      

Of their great sultan waving to direct

349

      

Their course, in even balance down they light
1574

350

      

On the firm
1575
brimstone,
1576
and fill all the plain

351

      

A multitude like which the populous North
1577

352

      

Poured never from her frozen loins to pass

353

      

Rhine or the Danau,
1578
when her barbarous sons

354

      

Came like a deluge on the South and spread

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