The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (8 page)

Hail bounteous May, that dost inspire

Mirth and youth and warm desire,

Woods and groves are of thy dressing,
²¹⁷

Hill and dale
²¹⁸
doth boast thy blessing.

Thus we salute thee with our early song,

And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

ENGLISH
²¹⁹
SONNETS
²²⁰

SONNET 1

1628? 1630?

O nightingale, that on yon bloomy spray
²²¹

Warblest at eve, when all the woods are still,

Thou with fresh hope the lover’s heart dost fill,

While the jolly hours lead on propitious
²²²
May.

Thy liquid notes that close the eye of day,

First heard before the shallow cuckoo’s bill,

Portend success in love. O if Jove’s will

Have linked that amorous power to thy soft lay
²²³

Now timely
²²⁴
sing, ere the rude
²²⁵
bird of hate
²²⁶

Foretell my hopeless doom, in some grove nigh,

As thou from year to year hast sung too late

For my relief, yet hadst no reason why.

Whether the muse or love call thee his mate,

Both them I serve, and of their train
²²⁷
am I.

SONNET 7

1632

How soon hath time, the subtle
²²⁸
thief of youth,

Stol’n on his wing my three and twentieth year!

My hasting days fly on, with full career,
²²⁹

But my late spring no bud or blossom show’th.

Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth

That I to manhood am arrived so near,

And inward ripeness doth much less appear,

That some more timely-happy spirits indu’th.
²³⁰

Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,

It shall be still
²³¹
in strictest measure ev’n
²³²

To that same lot,
²³³
however mean
²³⁴
or high,

Towards which time leads me, and the will of Heav’n.

All is, if I have grace to use it so,

As ever in my great task-master’s eye.

SONNET 8

1642

Captain or colonel,
²³⁵
or knight in arms,

Whose chance
²³⁶
on these defenseless doors may seize,
²³⁷

If ever deed of honor did thee please

Guard them, and him within
²³⁸
protect from harms.

He can requite
²³⁹
thee, for he knows the charms

That call fame on such gentle
²⁴⁰
acts as these,

And he can spread thy name o’er lands and seas,

Whatever clime the sun’s bright circle warms.

Lift not thy spear against the muses’ bow’r!
²⁴¹

The great Emathian conqueror
²⁴²
bid spare

The house of Pindarus,
²⁴³
when temple and tow’r

Went to the ground, and the repeated air
²⁴⁴

Of sad Electra’s poet
²⁴⁵
had the power

To save th’ Athenian walls from ruin bare.

SONNET 9

1643–45

Lady,
²⁴⁶
that in the prime of earliest youth

Wisely hath shunned the broad way,
²⁴⁷
and the green,

And with those few art eminently
²⁴⁸
seen

That labor up the hill of Heav’nly truth,

The better part with Mary, and with Ruth,
²⁴⁹

Chosen thou hast, and they that overween
²⁵⁰

And at thy growing virtues fret
²⁵¹
their spleen

No anger find in thee, but pity and ruth.
²⁵²

Thy care
²⁵³
is fixed, and zealously attends
²⁵⁴

To fill thy odorous lamp with deeds of light,

And hope that reaps not shame. Therefore be sure,

Thou, when the bridegroom with his feastful friends

Passes to bliss, at the mid hour of night,

Hast gained thy entrance, virgin wise and pure.

SONNET 10

1643–45

Daughter to that good earl,
²⁵⁵
once president

Of England’s Council and her Treasury,

Who lived in both unstained with gold or fee,

And left them both, more in himself content,

Till the sad breaking of that Parliament

Broke him,
²⁵⁶
as that dishonest victory

At Chaeronéa,
²⁵⁷
fatal to liberty

Killed with report that old man, eloquent.
²⁵⁸

Though later born than to have known the days

Wherein your father flourished, yet by you,

Madam, methinks I see him living yet,

So well your words his noble virtues praise

That all both judge you to relate
²⁵⁹
them true

And to possess them, honored Margaret.

SONNET 11

1645?

I did but prompt the age to quit their clogs
²⁶⁰

By the known rules of ancient liberty
²⁶¹

When straight a barbarous noise environs
²⁶²
me

Of owls and cuckoos, asses, apes, and dogs.

As when those hinds
²⁶³
that were transformed to frogs

Railed at Latona’s twin-born progeny,
²⁶⁴

Which after held the sun and moon in fee.

But this is got by casting pearl to hogs,

That bawl for freedom, in their senseless mood,

And still
²⁶⁵
revolt when truth would set them free.

Licence, they mean, when they cry “liberty,”

For who loves that must first be wise and good.

But from that mark how far they rove we see

For all this waste of wealth and loss of blood.

SONNET 12

1647?

A book was writ, of late, called Tetrachordon,
²⁶⁶

And woven close both matter, form, and style.

The subject new, it walked the town a while,

Numb’ring good intellects—now seldom pored on.
²⁶⁷

Cries the stall-reader, “Bless us! What a word on

A title page is this!” And some in file
²⁶⁸

Stand spelling false, while
²⁶⁹
one might walk to Mile-

End Green. Why is it harder, sirs, than Gordon,
²⁷⁰

Colkitto,
²⁷¹
or MacDonnell,
²⁷²
or Galasp?
²⁷³

Those rugged names to our like mouths grow sleek,

That would have made Quintilian
²⁷⁴
stare and gasp!

Thy age, like ours—O soul of Sir John Cheek!—
²⁷⁵

Hated not learning worse than toad or asp,

When thou taught’st Cambridge, and King Edward, Greek.