The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (40 page)

626

      

Abominable, inutterable, and worse

627

      

Than fables yet have feigned
²²⁰⁶
or fear conceived,

628

      

Gorgons,
²²⁰⁷
and Hydras,
²²⁰⁸
and Chimeras
²²⁰⁹
dire.

629

      

   
Meanwhile the adversary of God and man,

630

      

Satan, with thoughts inflamed of highest design,
²²¹⁰

631

      

Puts on
²²¹¹
swift wings, and toward the gates of Hell

632

      

Explores
²²¹²
his solitary flight. Sometimes

633

      

He scours
²²¹³
the right-hand coast, sometimes the left,

634

      

Now shaves
²²¹⁴
with le

635

      

Up to the fiery concave
²²¹⁵
towering high.

636

      

As when far off at sea a fleet descried
²²¹⁶

637

      

Hangs in the clouds, by
²²¹⁷
equinoctial
²²¹⁸
winds

638

      

Close sailing
²²¹⁹
from Bengala,
²²²⁰
or the isles

639

      

Of Ternate and Tidore,
²²²¹
whence merchants bring

640

      

Their spicy drugs—they on the trading
²²²²
flood,
²²²³

641

      

Through the wide Ethiopian
²²²⁴
to the Cape
²²²⁵

642

      

Ply
²²²⁶
stemming
²²²⁷
nightly toward the pole:
²²²⁸
so seemed

643

      

Far off the flying fiend. At last appear

644

      

Hell-bounds,
²²²⁹
high reaching to the horrid roof,

645

      

And thrice threefold the gates. Three folds
²²³⁰
were brass,

646

      

Three iron, three of adamantine rock,

647

      

Impenetrable, impaled
²²³¹
with circling fire,

648

      

Yet unconsumed. Before the gates there sat

649

      

On either side a formidable
²²³²
shape.

650

      

The one seemed woman to the waist, and fair,

651

      

But ended foul in many a scaly fold,

652

      

Voluminous and vast—a serpent armed

653

      

With mortal sting. About her middle round

654

      

A cry
²²³³
of Hell-hounds never-ceasing barked

655

      

With wide Cerberean mouths full loud, and rung

656

      

A hideous peal,
²²³⁴
yet when they list,
²²³⁵
would creep,

657

      

If aught disturbed their noise, into her womb,

658

      

And kennel
²²³⁶
there, yet there still barked and howled

659

      

Within unseen. Far less abhorred than these

660

      

Vexed
²²³⁷
Scylla,
²²³⁸
bathing in the sea that parts

661

      

Calabria
²²³⁹
from the hoarse
²²⁴⁰
Trinacrian
²²⁴¹
shore.

662

      

Nor uglier follow
²²⁴²
the night-hag,
²²⁴³
when called

663

      

In secret, riding through the air she comes,

664

      

Lured with the smell of infant blood, to dance

665

      

With Lapland
²²⁴⁴
witches, while the laboring moon
²²⁴⁵

666

      

Eclipses at
²²⁴⁶
their charms. The other shape

667

      

If shape it might be called, that shape had none

668

      

Distinguishable in member,
²²⁴⁷
joint, or limb,

669

      

Or substance might be called that shadow seemed,
²²⁴⁸

670

      

For each seemed either—black it stood as Night,

671

      

Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell,

672

      

And shook a dreadful dart.
²²⁴⁹
What seemed his head

673

      

The likeness of a kingly crown had on.

674

      

Satan was now at hand, and from his seat

675

      

The monster moving onward came as fast
²²⁵⁰

676

      

With horrid strides. Hell trembled as he strode.

677

      

Th’ undaunted fiend what this might be admired—
²²⁵¹

678

      

Admired, not feared (God and His Son except,

679

      

Created thing naught valued
²²⁵²
he nor shunned),
²²⁵³

680

      

And with disdainful look thus first began:

681

      

   
“Whence and what art thou, execrable
²²⁵⁴
shape,

682

      

That dar’st, though grim
²²⁵⁵
and terrible, advance

683

      

Thy miscreated
²²⁵⁶
front
²²⁵⁷
athwart
²²⁵⁸
my way

684

      

To yonder gates? Through them I mean to pass,

685

      

That be assured, without leave asked of thee.

686

      

Retire, or taste thy folly, and learn by proof,

687

      

Hell-born, not to contend with Spirits of Heav’n.

688

      

To whom the goblin,
²²⁵⁹
full of wrath, replied:

689

      

   
“Art thou that traitor Angel? Art thou he

690

      

Who first broke peace in Heav’n, and faith, till then

691

      

Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms

692

      

Drew after him the third part of Heav’n’s sons,

693

      

Conjured
²²⁶⁰
against the Highest—for which both thou

694

      

And they, outcast from God, are here condemned

695

      

To waste
²²⁶¹
eternal days in woe and pain?

696

      

And reckon’st
²²⁶²
thou thyself with Spirits of Heav’n,

697

      

Hell-doomed, and breath’st defiance here and scorn,

698

      

Where I reign king and, to enrage thee more,

699

      

Thy king and lord? Back to thy punishment,

700

      

False fugitive, and to thy speed add wings,

701

      

Lest with a whip of scorpions I pursue

702

      

Thy ling’ring, or with one stroke of this dart

703

      

Strange
²²⁶³
horror seize thee, and pangs unfelt before.

704

      

   
So spoke the grisly terror, and in shape,

705

      

So speaking and so threat’ning, grew tenfold

706

      

More dreadful and deform. On th’ other side,

707

      

Incensed with indignation, Satan stood

708

      

Unterrified, and like a comet burned,

709

      

That fires the length of Ophiuchus
²²⁶⁴
huge

710

      

In th’ arctic sky, and from his horrid hair