The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (54 page)

Read The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Online

Authors: John Milton,Burton Raffel

Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Literary Collections, #Poetry, #Classics, #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #English poetry

BOOK: The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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90

      

With diadem and scepter high advanced
2789

91

      

The lower still I fall, only supreme

92

      

In misery. Such joy ambition finds!
2790

93

      

But say I could repent, and could obtain,

94

      

By act of grace, my former state, how soon

95

      

Would height recall high thoughts, how soon unsay

96

      

What feigned
2791
submission swore? Ease would recant
2792

97

      

Vows made in pain, as violent
2793
and void.

98

      

For never can true reconcilement grow

99

      

Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep,

100

      

Which would but lead me to a worse relapse

101

      

And heavier fall. So should I purchase dear
2794

102

      

Short intermission, bought with double smart.
2795

103

      

This knows my punisher, therefore as far

104

      

From granting He, as I from begging, peace.

105

      

All hope excluded thus, behold, instead

106

      

Of us
2796
out-cast, exiled, his new delight,

107

      

Mankind created, and for him
2797
this world.

108

      

So farewell hope and, with hope, farewell fear,

109

      

Farewell remorse! All good to me is lost.

110

      

Evil, be thou my good: by thee at least

111

      

Divided empire with Heav’n’s King I hold—

112

      

By thee, and more than half
2798
perhaps will reign,

113

      

As man ere long, and this new world, shall know.

114

      

   
Thus while he spoke, each passion dimmed his face

115

      

Thrice changed with pale,
2799
ire,
2800
envy, and despair,

116

      

Which marred
2801
his borrowed visage, and betrayed

117

      

Him counterfeit, if any eye beheld.

118

      

For Heav’nly minds from such distempers
2802
foul

119

      

Are ever clear.
2803
Whereof he soon aware,

120

      

Each perturbation
2804
smoothed with outward calm,

121

      

Artificer
2805
of fraud, and
2806
was the first

122

      

That practised falsehood under saintly show,

123

      

Deep malice to conceal, couched
2807
with revenge.

124

      

Yet not enough had practised
2808
to deceive

125

      

Uriel, once warned, whose eye pursued him down

126

      

The way he went, and on the Assyrian mount

127

      

Saw him disfigured, more than could befall
2809

128

      

Spirit of happy sort. His gestures fierce

129

      

He marked, and mad demeanor,
2810
then alone,

130

      

As he supposed, all unobserved, unseen.

131

      

   
So on he fares,
2811
and to the border comes

132

      

Of Eden, where delicious Paradise,

133

      

Now nearer, crowns with her enclosure green,

134

      

As with a rural mound, the champaign
2812
head
2813

135

      

Of a steep wilderness, whose hairy sides

136

      

With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild,

137

      

Access denied.
2814
And overhead up grew

138

      

Insuperable
2815
height of loftiest shade,

139

      

Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm,

140

      

A sylvan
2816
scene, and as the ranks
2817
ascend,

141

      

Shade above shade, a woody theater
2818

142

      

Of stateliest
2819
view. Yet higher than their tops

143

      

The verdurous wall of Paradise upsprung,

144

      

Which to our general
2820
sire gave prospect large
2821

145

      

Into his
2822
nether
2823
empire neighboring round.

146

      

And higher than that wall a circling row

147

      

Of goodliest
2824
trees, loaden with fairest fruit,

148

      

Blossoms and fruits at once
2825
of golden hue

149

      

Appeared, with gay enamelled
2826
colors mixed,

150

      

On which the sun more glad impressed
2827
his beams

151

      

Than in fair evening cloud, or humid bow,
2828

152

      

When God hath show’red the earth. So lovely seemed

153

      

That landscape. And of pure now purer
2829
air

154

      

Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires

155

      

Vernal
2830
delight and joy, able to drive
2831

156

      

All sadness but despair. Now gentle gales,
2832

157

      

Fanning their odoriferous
2833
wings, dispense
2834

158

      

Native
2835
perfumes, and whisper whence they stole

159

      

Those balmy spoils.
2836
As when to them who sail

160

      

Beyond the Cape of Hope,
2837
and now are past

161

      

Mozambique,
2838
off at sea north-east winds blow

162

      

Sabean
2839
odors from the spicy shore

163

      

Of Araby the blest,
2840
with such delay

164

      

Well pleased they slack
2841
their course,
2842
and many a league
2843

165

      

Cheered with the grateful
2844
smell old ocean smiles.

166

      

So entertained
2845
those odorous sweets the fiend,

167

      

Who came their bane,
2846
though with them better pleased

168

      

Than Asmodeus
2847
with the fishy fume
2848

169

      

That drove him, though enamored, from the spouse

170

      

Of Tobit’s son, and with a vengeance sent
2849

171

      

From Media post
2850
to Egypt, there fast bound.
2851

172

      

   
Now to the ascent of that steep savage
2852
hill

173

      

Satan had journeyed on, pensive and slow,

174

      

But further way found none, so thick entwined,

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