The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (50 page)

457

      

Dissolved on earth, fleet
²⁵⁸⁶
hither, and in vain,

458

      

Till final dissolution, wander here,

459

      

Not in the neighboring moon, as some have dreamed.

460

      

Those argent
²⁵⁸⁷
fields’ more likely habitants,

461

      

Translated
²⁵⁸⁸
Saints,
²⁵⁸⁹
or middle Spirits hold

462

      

Betwixt th’ angelical and human kind.

463

      

Hither of ill-joined sons and daughters born

464

      

First from the ancient world those giants came,

465

      

With many a vain exploit, though then renowned.

466

      

The builders next of Babel on the plain

467

      

Of Sennaär,
²⁵⁹⁰
and still with vain design,

468

      

New Babels, had
²⁵⁹¹
they wherewithal,
²⁵⁹²
would build.

469

      

Others came single:
²⁵⁹³
he,
²⁵⁹⁴
who to be deemed
²⁵⁹⁵

470

      

A god, leaped fondly
²⁵⁹⁶
into Aetna’s flames,

471

      

Empedocles; and he,
²⁵⁹⁷
who to enjoy

472

      

Plato’s Elysium,
²⁵⁹⁸
leaped into the sea,

473

      

Cleombrotus; and many more too long,
²⁵⁹⁹

474

      

Embryos and idiots, eremites,
²⁶⁰⁰
and friars

475

      

White,
²⁶⁰¹
black,
²⁶⁰²
and gray,
²⁶⁰³
with all their trumpery.
²⁶⁰⁴

476

      

Here pilgrims roam, that strayed so far to seek

477

      

In Golgotha
²⁶⁰⁵
him dead who lives in Heav’n,

478

      

And they who to be sure of Paradise,

479

      

Dying, put on the weeds
²⁶⁰⁶
of Dominick,
²⁶⁰⁷

480

      

Or in Franciscan
²⁶⁰⁸
think to pass disguised.

481

      

They pass the planets seven, and pass the fixed,

482

      

And that crystalline sphere whose balance weighs

483

      

The trepidation talked,
²⁶⁰⁹
and that first moved.
²⁶¹⁰

484

      

And now Saint Peter at Heav’n’s wicket
²⁶¹¹
seems

485

      

To wait
²⁶¹²
them with his keys, and now at foot

486

      

Of Heav’n’s ascent they lift their feet, when lo!

487

      

A violent
²⁶¹³
cross wind from either coast

488

      

Blows them transverse,
²⁶¹⁴
ten thousand leagues
²⁶¹⁵
awry
²⁶¹⁶

489

      

Into the devious
²⁶¹⁷
air. Then might ye see

490

      

Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers, tossed

491

      

And fluttered into rags, then relics, beads,

492

      

Indulgences, dispenses,
²⁶¹⁸
pardons, bulls,

493

      

The sport of winds. All these, upwhirled aloft,

494

      

Fly o’er the backside
²⁶¹⁹
of the world far off

495

      

Into a limbo large and broad, since called

496

      

The Paradise of Fools, to few unknown

497

      

Long after, now unpeopled, and untrod.

498

      

   
All this dark globe the fiend found as he passed,

499

      

And long he wandered, till at last a gleam

500

      

Of dawning light
²⁶²⁰
turned thitherward in haste

501

      

His travelled steps. Far distant he descries,
²⁶²¹

502

      

Ascending by degrees
²⁶²²
magnificent

503

      

Up to the wall of Heav’n, a structure high

504

      

At top whereof, but far more rich, appeared

505

      

The work as of a kingly palace-gate,

506

      

With frontispiece
²⁶²³
of diamond and gold

507

      

Embellished. Thick with sparkling orient
²⁶²⁴
gems

508

      

The portal
²⁶²⁵
shone, inimitable on earth

509

      

By model or by shading
²⁶²⁶
pencil drawn.

510

      

These stairs were such as whereon Jacob saw

511

      

Angels ascending and descending, bands

512

      

Of guardians bright, when he from Esau fled

513

      

To Padan-Aram,
²⁶²⁷
in the field of Luz,
²⁶²⁸

514

      

Dreaming by night under the open sky

515

      

And waking cried, “This is the gate of Heav’n!

516

      

Each stair mysteriously
²⁶²⁹
was meant, nor stood

517

      

There always, but drawn up
²⁶³⁰
to Heav’n sometimes,

518

      

Viewless.
²⁶³¹
And underneath a bright sea flowed

519

      

Of jasper, or of liquid pearl, whereon

520

      

Who after came from earth, sailing arrived,

521

      

Wafted by Angels, or flew o’er the lake

522

      

Rapt
²⁶³²
in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds.

523

      

The stairs were then let down, whether to dare

524

      

The fiend by easy ascent, or aggravate
²⁶³³

525

      

His sad exclusion from the doors of bliss,

526

      

Direct against which opened from beneath,

527

      

Just o’er the blissful seat of Paradise,

528

      

A passage down to th’ earth, a passage wide,

529

      

Wider by far than that of after-times

530

      

Over Mount Sion and, though that were large,

531

      

Over the Promised Land, to God so dear,

532

      

By which, to visit oft those happy tribes,

533

      

On high behests
²⁶³⁴
His Angels to and fro

534

      

Passed frequent, and His eye with choice regard
²⁶³⁵

535

      

From Paneas,
²⁶³⁶
the fount
²⁶³⁷
of Jordan’s flood,
²⁶³⁸

536

      

To Beersaba,
²⁶³⁹
where the Holy Land

537

      

Borders on Egypt and th’Arabian shore.

538

      

So wide the op’ning seemed, where bounds were set

539

      

To darkness, such as bound the ocean wave.

540

      

Satan from hence, now on the lower stair

541

      

That scaled by steps of gold to Heav’n-gate,

542

      

Looks down with wonder at the sudden view

543

      

Of all this world at once. As when a scout,
²⁶⁴⁰