The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (41 page)

711

      

Shakes pestilence and war. Each at the head

712

      

Levelled his deadly aim. Their fatal
²²⁶⁵
hands

713

      

No second stroke intend. And such a frown

714

      

Each cast at th’ other as when two black clouds,

715

      

With Heav’n’s artillery fraught,
²²⁶⁶
come rattling on

716

      

Over the Caspian,
²²⁶⁷
then stand front to front,

717

      

Hov’ring a space,
²²⁶⁸
till winds the signal blow

718

      

To join
²²⁶⁹
their dark encounter in mid-air.

719

      

So frowned the mighty combatants, that Hell

720

      

Grew darker at their frown. So matched they stood,

721

      

For never but once more was either like

722

      

To meet so great a foe.
²²⁷⁰
And now great deeds

723

      

Had been achieved, whereof all Hell had rung,

724

      

Had not the snaky sorceress, that sat

725

      

Fast by
²²⁷¹
Hell-gate and kept the fatal key,

726

      

Ris’n, and with hideous outcry rushed between.

727

      

   
“O father, what intends thy hand,” she cried,

728

      

“Against thy only son? What fury, O son,

729

      

Possesses thee to bend
²²⁷²
that mortal
²²⁷³
dart

730

      

Against thy father’s head? And know’st for whom?

731

      

For Him who sits above, and laughs the while

732

      

At thee, ordained His drudge to execute

733

      

Whate’er His wrath, which He calls justice, bids—

734

      

His wrath, which one day will destroy ye both!

735

      

   
She spoke, and at her words the hellish pest
²²⁷⁴

736

      

Forbore.
²²⁷⁵
Then these
²²⁷⁶
to her Satan returned:

737

      

   
“So strange thy outcry, and thy words so strange

738

      

Thou interposest,
²²⁷⁷
that my sudden
²²⁷⁸
hand,

739

      

Prevented, spares
²²⁷⁹
to tell thee yet by deeds

740

      

What it intends, till first I know of thee

741

      

What thing thou art, thus double-formed, and why,

742

      

In this infernal vale first met, thou call’st

743

      

Me father, and that phantasm call’st my son?

744

      

I know thee not, nor ever saw till now

745

      

Sight more detestable than him and thee.

746

      

T’ whom thus the portress
²²⁸⁰
of Hell-gate replied:

747

      

   
“Hast thou forgot me, then? and do I seem

748

      

Now in thine eye so foul?—once deemed so fair

749

      

In Heav’n when at th’ assembly, and in sight

750

      

Of all the Seraphim with thee combined

751

      

In bold conspiracy against Heav’n’s King,

752

      

All on a sudden miserable pain

753

      

Surprised thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy swum

754

      

In darkness, while thy head flames
²²⁸¹
thick and fast

755

      

Threw forth, till on the left side op’ning wide,

756

      

Likest to thee in shape and count’nance bright,

757

      

Then shining heavenly fair, a goddess armed,

758

      

Out of thy head I sprung. Amazement seized

759

      

All th’ host of Heav’n. Back they recoiled, afraid

760

      

At first, and called me Sin, and for a sign

761

      

Portentous
²²⁸²
held me. But, familiar grown,

762

      

I pleased, and with attractive graces won

763

      

The most averse—thee chiefly, who full oft

764

      

Thyself in me thy perfect image viewing,

765

      

Becam’st enamored, and such joy thou took’st

766

      

With me in secret that my womb conceived

767

      

A growing burden. Meanwhile war arose,

768

      

And fields were fought in Heav’n, wherein remained

769

      

(For what could else?) to our Almighty foe

770

      

Clear victory, to our part loss and rout
²²⁸³

771

      

Through all the Empyrean.
²²⁸⁴
Down they fell,

772

      

Driv’n headlong from the pitch
²²⁸⁵
of Heaven, do

773

      

Into this deep, and in the general fall

774

      

I also, at which time this powerful key

775

      

Into my hands was giv’n, with charge to keep

776

      

These gates forever shut, which none can pass

777

      

Without my op’ning. Pensive
²²⁸⁶
here I sat

778

      

Alone, but long I sat not, till my womb,

779

      

Pregnant by thee, and now excessive grown,

780

      

Prodigious
²²⁸⁷
motion felt and rueful
²²⁸⁸
throes.
²²⁸⁹

781

      

At last this odious
²²⁹⁰
offspring whom thou seest,

782

      

Thine own begotten, breaking violent way,
²²⁹¹

783

      

Tore through my entrails that,
²²⁹²
with fear and pain

784

      

Distorted, all my nether shape thus grew

785

      

Transformed. But he my inbred enemy

786

      

Forth issued, brandishing
²²⁹³
his fatal dart,

787

      

Made to destroy. I fled, and cried out ‘Death!

788

      

Hell trembled at the hideous name, and sighed

789

      

From all her caves, and back resounded ‘Death!

790

      

I fled, but he pursued (though more, it seems,

791

      

Inflamed with lust than rage), and swifter far,

792

      

Me overtook, his mother, all dismayed,
²²⁹⁴

793

      

And in embraces forcible and foul

794

      

Engend’ring
²²⁹⁵
with me, of that rape begot

795

      

These yelling monsters, that with ceaseless cry

796

      

Surround me, as thou saw’st—hourly conceived

797

      

And hourly born, with sorrow infinite

798

      

To me, for when they list
²²⁹⁶
into the womb

799

      

That bred them they return, and howl, and gnaw

800

      

My bowels, their repast.
²²⁹⁷
Then bursting forth