The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (28 page)

355

Beneath
¹⁵⁷⁹
Gibraltar to the Libyan sands

356

   
Forthwith,
¹⁵⁸⁰
from every squadron and each band

357

The heads and leaders thither haste, where stood

358

Their great commander—godlike shapes, and forms

359

Excelling
¹⁵⁸¹
human; princely Dignities

360

And Powers that erst
¹⁵⁸²
in Heav’n sat on thrones

361

Though of their names in Heav’nly records now

362

Be no memorial, blotted out and razed

363

By their rebellion, from the Books of Life.
¹⁵⁸³

364

Nor had they yet among the sons of Eve

365

Got them new names, till wand’ring o’er the earth

366

(Through God’s high sufferance)
¹⁵⁸⁴
for the trial
¹⁵⁸⁵
of man

367

By falsities and lies the greatest part

368

Of mankind they corrupted to forsake

369

God their Creator, and th’ invisible

370

Glory of Him that made them to transform

371

Oft to the image of a brute, adorned

372

With gay
¹⁵⁸⁶
religions full of pomp and gold

373

And devils to adore for deities

374

Then were they known to men by various names

375

And various idols through the heathen world

376

   
Say, Muse, their names then known, who first, who last

377

Roused from their slumber on that fiery couch,
¹⁵⁸⁷

378

At their great emperor’s call, as next in worth

379

Came singly where he stood on the bare strand,
¹⁵⁸⁸

380

While the promiscuous
¹⁵⁸⁹
crowd stood yet aloof?
¹⁵⁹⁰

381

The chief
¹⁵⁹¹
were those who, from the pit of Hell

382

Roaming to seek their prey on Earth, durst fix
¹⁵⁹²

383

Their seats, long after, next the seat of God

384

Their altars by His altar, gods adored

385

Among the nations round, and durst abide
¹⁵⁹³

386

Jehovah thundering out of Sion, throned

387

Between the Cherubim, yea, often placed

388

Within His sanctuary itself their shrines

389

Abominations!—and with cursèd things

390

His holy rites and solemn feasts profaned,
¹⁵⁹⁴

391

And with their darkness durst affront
¹⁵⁹⁵
His light

392

   
First, Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood

393

Of human sacrifice, and parents’ tears

394

Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels
¹⁵⁹⁶
loud

395

Their children’s cries unheard that passed through fire

396

To his grim
¹⁵⁹⁷
idol. Him the Ammonite
¹⁵⁹⁸

397

Worshipped in Rabba
¹⁵⁹⁹
and her wat’ry plain

398

In Argob
¹⁶⁰⁰
and in Basan,
¹⁶⁰¹
to the stream

399

Of utmost Arnon.
¹⁶⁰²
Nor content with such