The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems

by John Milton; Burton Raffel

  605

  Both to and fro, their sorrow to augment,

  606

  And wish and struggle, as they pass, to reach

  607

  The tempting stream, with one small drop to lose

  608

  In sweet forgetfulness all pain and woe,

  609

  All in one moment, and so near the brink.

  610

  But Fate withstands2197 and, to oppose th’ attempt,

  611

  Medusa,2198 with Gorgonian terror, guards

  612

  The ford, and of itself the water flies2199

  613

  All taste of living wight,2200 as once it fled

  614

  The lip of Tantalus.2201 Thus roving on

  615

  In confused 2202 march forlorn, th’ adventurous bands,

  616

  With shuddering horror pale and eyes aghast,

  617

  Viewed first their lamentable2203 lot, and found

  618

  No rest. Through many a dark and dreary vale

  619

  They passed, and many a region dolorous,

  620

  O’er many a frozen, many a fiery alp,

  621

  Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and shades of death—

  622

  A universe of death, which God by curse

  623

  Created evil, for evil only good,2204

  624

  Where all life dies, death lives, and Nature breeds,

  625

  Perverse, all monstrous, all prodigious2205 things,

  626

  Abominable, inutterable, and worse

  627

  Than fables yet have feigned 2206 or fear conceived,

  628

  Gorgons,2207 and Hydras,2208 and Chimeras2209 dire.

  629

  Meanwhile the adversary of God and man,

  630

  Satan, with thoughts inflamed of highest design,2210

  631

  Puts on2211 swift wings, and toward the gates of Hell

  632

  Explores2212 his solitary flight. Sometimes

  633

  He scours2213 the right-hand coast, sometimes the left,

  634

  Now shaves2214 with le

  635

  Up to the fiery concave2215 towering high.

  636

  As when far off at sea a fleet descried 2216

  637

  Hangs in the clouds, by2217 equinoctial 2218 winds

  638

  Close sailing2219 from Bengala,2220 or the isles

  639

  Of Ternate and Tidore, 2221 whence merchants bring

  640

  Their spicy drugs—they on the trading2222 flood,2223

  641

  Through the wide Ethiopian2224 to the Cape2225

  642

  Ply 2226 stemming2227 nightly toward the pole:2228 so seemed

  643

  Far off the flying fiend. At last appear

  644

  Hell-bounds,2229 high reaching to the horrid roof,

  645

  And thrice threefold the gates. Three folds2230 were brass,

  646

  Three iron, three of adamantine rock,

  647

  Impenetrable, impaled 2231 with circling fire,

  648

  Yet unconsumed. Before the gates there sat

  649

  On either side a formidable2232 shape.

  650

  The one seemed woman to the waist, and fair,

  651

  But ended foul in many a scaly fold,

  652

  Voluminous and vast—a serpent armed

  653

  With mortal sting. About her middle round

  654

  A cry 2233 of Hell-hounds never-ceasing barked

  655

  With wide Cerberean mouths full loud, and rung

  656

  A hideous peal,2234 yet when they list,2235 would creep,

  657

  If aught disturbed their noise, into her womb,

  658

  And kennel 2236 there, yet there still barked and howled

  659

  Within unseen. Far less abhorred than these

  660

  Vexed 2237 Scylla,2238 bathing in the sea that parts

  661

  Calabria2239 from the hoarse2240 Trinacrian2241 shore.

  662

  Nor uglier follow 2242 the night-hag, 2243 when called

  663

  In secret, riding through the air she comes,

  664

  Lured with the smell of infant blood, to dance

  665

  With Lapland 2244 witches, while the laboring moon2245

  666

  Eclipses at 2246 their charms. The other shape

  667

  If shape it might be called, that shape had none

  668

  Distinguishable in member, 2247 joint, or limb,

  669

  Or substance might be called that shadow seemed,2248

  670

  For each seemed either—black it stood as Night,

  671

  Fierce as ten Furies, terrible as Hell,

  672

  And shook a dreadful dart.2249 What seemed his head

  673

  The likeness of a kingly crown had on.

  674

  Satan was now at hand, and from his seat

  675

  The monster moving onward came as fast2250

  676

  With horrid strides. Hell trembled as he strode.

  677

  Th’ undaunted fiend what this might be admired—2251

  678

  Admired, not feared (God and His Son except,

  679

  Created thing naught valued2252 he nor shunned),2253

  680

  And with disdainful look thus first began:

  681

  “Whence and what art thou, execrable2254 shape,

  682

  That dar’st, though grim2255 and terrible, advance

  683

  Thy miscreated 2256 front2257 athwart 2258 my way

  684

  To yonder gates? Through them I mean to pass,

  685

  That be assured, without leave asked of thee.

  686

  Retire, or taste thy folly, and learn by proof,

  687

  Hell-born, not to contend with Spirits of Heav’n.

  688

  To whom the goblin,2259 full of wrath, replied:

  689

  “Art thou that traitor Angel? Art thou he

  690

  Who first broke peace in Heav’n, and faith, till then

  691

  Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms

  692

  Drew after him the third part of Heav’n’s sons,

  693

  Conjured2260 against the Highest—for which both thou

  694

  And they, outcast from God, are here condemned

  695

  To waste2261 eternal days in woe and pain?

  696

  And reckon’st2262 thou thyself with Spirits of Heav’n,

  697

  Hell-doomed, and breath’st defiance here and scorn,

  698

  Where I reign king and, to enrage thee more,

  699

  Thy king and lord? Back to thy punishment,

  700

  False fugitive, and to thy speed add wings,

  701

  Lest with a whip of scorpions I pursue

  702

  Thy ling’ring, or with one stroke of this dart

  703

  Strange2263 horror seize thee, and pangs unfelt before.

  704

  So spoke the grisly terror, and in shape,

  705

  So speaking and so
threat’ning, grew tenfold

  706

  More dreadful and deform. On th’ other side,

  707

  Incensed with indignation, Satan stood

  708

  Unterrified, and like a comet burned,

  709

  That fires the length of Ophiuchus2264 huge

  710

  In th’ arctic sky, and from his horrid hair

  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 join2269 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 these2276 to her Satan returned:

  737

  “So strange thy outcry, and thy words so strange

  738

  Thou interposest,2277 that my sudden2278 hand,

  739

  Prevented, spares2279 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 portress2280 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 flames2281 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

  Portentous2282 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 rout2283

  771

  Through all the Empyrean.2284 Down they fell,

  772

  Driv’n headlong from the pitch2285 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. Pensive2286 here I sat

  778

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

  779

  Pregnant by thee, and now excessive grown,

  780

  Prodigious2287 motion felt and rueful 2288 throes.2289

  781

  At last this odious2290 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, brandishing2293 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’ring2295 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

  801

  Afresh, with conscious terrors vex me round,

  802

  That rest or intermission none I find.

  803

  Before mine eyes in opposition2298 sits

  804

  Grim Death, my son and foe, who set them on,

  805

  And me, his parent, would full soon devour

  806

  For want of other prey, but that he knows

  807

  His end with mine involved, and knows that I

&
nbsp; 808

  Should prove a bitter morsel, and his bane, 2299

  809

  Whenever that shall be. So Fate pronounced.

  810

  But thou, O father, I forewarn thee, shun

  811

  His deadly arrow. Neither 2300 vainly hope