The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (48 page)

274

   
“O thou, in Heav’n and earth the only peace

275

Found out for mankind under wrath, O thou

276

My sole complacence!
²⁵²⁹
Well thou know’st how dear

277

To me are all my works, nor man the least,

278

Though last created, that for him I spare

279

Thee from my bosom and right hand, to save,

280

By losing thee a while, the whole race lost.

281

Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem,
²⁵³⁰

282

Their nature also to thy nature join,

283

And be thyself man among men on earth,

284

Made flesh, when time shall be, of virgin seed,

285

By wondrous birth. Be thou in Adam’s room
²⁵³¹

286

The head of all mankind, though Adam’s son.

287

As in him perish all men, so in thee,

288

As from a second root, shall be restored

289

As many as are restored, without thee none.

290

His crime makes guilty all his sons: thy merit,

291

Imputed,
²⁵³²
shall absolve them
²⁵³³
who renounce

292

Their own both righteous and unrighteous deeds,

293

And live in thee transplanted, and from thee

294

Receive new life. So man, as is most just,

295

Shall satisfy for man, be judged and die,

296

And dying rise, and rising with him raise

297

His brethren, ransomed with his own dear life.

298

So Heav’nly love shall outdo hellish hate,

299

Giving to death, and dying to redeem,

300

So dearly
²⁵³⁴
to redeem what hellish hate

301

So easily destroyed, and still destroys

302

In those who, when they may, accept not grace.

303

Nor shalt thou, by descending to assume

304

Man’s nature, lessen or degrade thine own.

305

Because thou hast, though throned in highest bliss

306

Equal to God, and equally enjoying

307

Godlike fruition,
²⁵³⁵
quitted
²⁵³⁶
all, to save

308

A world from utter loss, and hast been found

309

By merit more than birthright Son of God,

310

Found worthiest to be so by being good,

311

Far more than great or high—because in thee

312

Love hath abounded more than glory abounds.

313

Therefore thy humiliation shall exalt

314

With thee thy manhood also to this throne.

315

Here shalt thou sit incarnate,
²⁵³⁷
here shalt reign

316

Both God and man, Son both of God and man,

317

Anointed universal King. All power

318

I give thee: reign forever, and assume

319

Thy merits.
²⁵³⁸
Under thee, as head supreme,

320

Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions, I reduce.
²⁵³⁹

321

All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide
²⁵⁴⁰

322

In Heav’n, or earth, or under earth in Hell.

323

When thou, attended gloriously from Heav’n

324

Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send

325

The summoning Arch-Angels to proclaim

326

Thy dread tribunal, forthwith from all winds

327

The living, and forthwith the cited
²⁵⁴¹
dead

328

Of all past ages, to the general doom
²⁵⁴²

329

Shall hasten. Such a peal
²⁵⁴³
shall rouse their sleep.

330

Then all thy Saints assembled, thou shalt judge

331

Bad men and Angels. They, arraigned,
²⁵⁴⁴
shall sink

332

Beneath thy sentence. Hell, her numbers full,

333

Thenceforth shall be forever shut. Meanwhile

334

The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring

335

New Heav’n and earth, wherein the just shall dwell

336

And after all their tribulations long

337

See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,

338

With joy and peace triumphing, and fair truth.

339

Then thou thy regal scepter shalt lay by,

340

For regal scepter then no more shall need:

341

God shall be all in all. But all ye gods,

342

Adore him, who to compass
²⁵⁴⁵
all this dies,

343

Adore the Son, and honor him as me.

344

   
No sooner had the Almighty ceased, but all

345

The multitude of Angels, with a shout

346

Loud as from numbers without number, sweet

347

As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heav’n rung

348

With jubilee,
²⁵⁴⁶
and loud hosannas
²⁵⁴⁷
filled

349

The eternal regions. Lowly reverent

350

Towards either throne they bow, and to the ground

351

With solemn adoration down they cast

352

Their crowns inwove with amarant
²⁵⁴⁸
and gold,

353

Immortal amarant, a flower which once

354

In Paradise, fast by the Tree of Life,

355

Began to bloom, but soon for man’s offence

356

To Heav’n removed, where first it grew, there grows,

357

And flow’rs aloft, shading the Fount of Life,

358

And where the river of bliss through midst of Heav’n

359

Rolls o’er Elysian flow’rs her amber stream.

360

With these that never fade the Spirits elect
²⁵⁴⁹

361

Bind their resplendent locks inwreathed with beams,

362

Now in loose garlands thick thrown off, the bright

363

Pavement,
²⁵⁵⁰
that like a sea of jasper shone,

364

Impurpled with celestial roses smiled.

365

Then, crowned again, their golden harps they took,

366

Harps ever tuned, that glittering by their side