The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (34 page)

92

Calls us to penance? More destroyed than thus

93

We should be quite abolished, and expire

94

What fear we then? What doubt we to incense
¹⁹⁵²

95

His utmost ire? which, to the height enraged

96

Will either quite consume us, and reduce

97

To nothing this essential
¹⁹⁵³
—happier far

98

Than miserable to have eternal being

99

Or if our substance be indeed divine

100

And cannot cease to be, we are at worst

101

On this side nothing. And by proof we feel

102

Our power sufficient to disturb His Heav’n,

103

And with perpetual inroads to alarm

104

Though inaccessible, His fatal throne

105

Which if not victory, is yet revenge

106

   
He ended frowning, and his look denounced
¹⁹⁵⁴

107

Desperate revenge, and battle dangerous

108

To less than gods. On th’ other side up rose

109

Belial, in act more graceful and humane

110

A fairer person lost not Heav’n. He seemed

111

For dignity composed, and high exploit

112

But all was false and hollow, though his tongue

113

Dropped manna
¹⁹⁵⁵
and could make the worse appear

114

The better reason, to perplex
¹⁹⁵⁶
and dash
¹⁹⁵⁷

115

Maturest counsels, for his thoughts were low

116

To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds

117

Timorous and slothful. Yet he pleased the ear

118

And with persuasive accent thus began

119

   
“I should be much for open war, O peers,
¹⁹⁵⁸

120

As not behind in hate, if what was urged

121

Main reason to persuade immediate war

122

Did not dissuade me most, and seem to cast

123

Ominous conjecture
¹⁹⁵⁹
on the whole success,
¹⁹⁶⁰

124

When he who most excels in fact
¹⁹⁶¹
of arms

125

In what he counsels and in what excels

126

Mistrustful, grounds his courage on despair

127

And utter dissolution
¹⁹⁶²
as the scope
¹⁹⁶³

128

Of all his aim,
¹⁹⁶⁴
after some dire revenge

129

First, what revenge? The tow’rs of Heav’n are filled

130

With armèd watch that render all access

131

Impregnable. Oft on the bordering deep

132

Encamp their legions, or with obscure
¹⁹⁶⁵
wing

133

Scout far and wide into the realm of Night

134

Scorning surprise. Or could
¹⁹⁶⁶
we break our way

135

By force, and at our heels all Hell should rise

136

With blackest insurrection to confound
¹⁹⁶⁷

137

Heav’n’s purest light, yet our great enemy

138

All incorruptible, would on His throne

139

Sit unpolluted, and th’ ethereal
¹⁹⁶⁸
mould,
¹⁹⁶⁹

140

Incapable of stain, would soon expel

141

Her mischief,
¹⁹⁷⁰
and purge off the baser
¹⁹⁷¹
fire

142

Victorious. Thus repulsed, our final hope

143

Is flat
¹⁹⁷²
despair: we must exasperate

144

Th’Almighty victor to spend
¹⁹⁷³
all His rage

145

And that must end us, that must be our cure

146

To be no more. Sad cure! for who would lose,
¹⁹⁷⁴

147

Though full of pain, this intellectual being,
¹⁹⁷⁵

148

Those thoughts that wander through eternity

149

To perish rather, swallowed up and lost

150

In the wide womb of uncreated Night

151

Devoid of sense and motion? And who knows

152

Let this be good, whether our angry foe

153

Can give it, or will ever? How He can

154

Is doubtful; that He never will is sure

155

Will He, so wise, let loose at once His ire

156

Belike
¹⁹⁷⁶
through impotence or unaware

157

To give His enemies their wish, and end

158

Them in His anger, whom His anger saves

159

To punish endless? ‘Wherefore cease we, then

160

Say they who counsel war: ‘we are decreed,
¹⁹⁷⁷

161

Reserved,
¹⁹⁷⁸
and destined to eternal woe

162

Whatever doing, what can we suffer more

163

What can we suffer worse?’ Is this, then, worst

164

Thus sitting, thus consulting, thus in arms

165

What when we fled amain,
¹⁹⁷⁹
pursued and struck

166

With Heav’n’s afflicting thunder, and besought

167

The deep to shelter us? This Hell then seemed

168

A refuge from those wounds. Or when we lay

169

Chained on the burning lake? That sure was worse.

170

What if the breath that kindled those grim fires

171

Awaked, should blow them into sevenfold rage

172

And plunge us in the flames? Or from above

173

Should intermitted
¹⁹⁸⁰
vengeance arm again

174

His red right hand to plague us? What if all

175

Her stores were opened, and this firmament

176

Of Hell should spout her cataracts of fire

177

Impendent
¹⁹⁸¹
horrors, threat’ning hideous fall

178

One day upon our heads, while we, perhaps

179

Designing or exhorting glorious war

180

Caught in a fiery tempest, shall be hurled

181

Each on his rock transfixed, the sport and prey

182

Of racking
¹⁹⁸²
whirlwinds, or for ever sunk

183

Under yon boiling ocean, wrapped in chains