Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (14 page)

Rather than human. Nor did Israel scape

Th’ infection when their borrowed gold composed

The calf
⁴⁸⁴
in Oreb: and the rebel king

Doubled that sin in Bethel and in Dan,

Lik’ning his Maker to the grazèd ox,

Jehovah, who in one night when he passed

From Egypt marching, equaled
⁴⁸⁸
with one stroke

Both her first born and all her bleating gods.

Belial
⁴⁹⁰
came last, than whom a spirit more lewd

Fell not from Heaven, or more gross to love

Vice for itself: to him no temple stood

Or altar smoked; yet who more oft than he

In temples and at altars, when the priest

Turns atheist, as did Eli’s sons
⁴⁹⁵
, who filled

With lust and violence the house of God.

In courts and palaces he also reigns

And in luxurious cities, where the noise

Of riot ascends above their loftiest tow’rs,

And injury and outrage: and when night

Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons

Of Belial, flown
⁵⁰²
with insolence and wine.

Witness the streets of Sodom, and that night
⁵⁰³

In Gibeah, when the hospitable door

Exposed a matron
⁵⁰⁵
to avoid worse rape.

These were the prime in order and in might;

The rest were long to tell, though far renowned,

Th’ Ionian gods, of Javan’s issue held

Gods, yet confessed later than Heav’n and Earth
⁵⁰⁹

Their boasted parents; Titan Heav’n’s first born

With his enormous brood, and birthright seized

By younger Saturn, he from mightier Jove

His own and Rhea’s son like measure found;

So Jove usurping reigned: these first in Crete

And Ida
⁵¹⁵
known, thence on the snowy top

Of cold Olympus
⁵¹⁶
ruled the middle air

Their highest heav’n; or on the Delphian cliff
⁵¹⁷
,

Or in Dodona
⁵¹⁸
, and through all the bounds

Of Doric land
⁵¹⁹
; or who with Saturn old

Fled over
⁵²⁰
Adria to th’ Hesperian fields,

And o’er the Celtic roamed the utmost isles.

All these and more came flocking; but with looks

Downcast and damp
⁵²³
, yet such wherein appeared

Obscure some glimpse of joy, to have found their chief

Not in despair, to have found themselves not lost

In loss itself; which on his count’nance cast

Like doubtful hue: but he his wonted pride

Soon recollecting
⁵²⁸
, with high words, that bore

Semblance of worth, not substance, gently raised

Their fainting courage, and dispelled their fears.

Then straight commands that at the warlike sound

Of trumpets loud and clarions
⁵³²
be upreared

His mighty standard; that proud honor claimed

Azazel
⁵³⁴
as his right, a cherub tall:

Who forthwith from the glittering staff unfurled

Th’ imperial ensign, which full high advanced

Shone like a meteor
⁵³⁷
streaming to the wind

With gems and golden luster rich emblazed
⁵³⁸
,

Seraphic arms and trophies: all the while

Sonorous metal
⁵⁴⁰
blowing martial sounds:

At which the universal host upsent

A shout that tore Hell’s concave
⁵⁴²
, and beyond

Frighted the reign
⁵⁴³
of Chaos and old Night.

All in a moment through the gloom were seen

Ten thousand banners rise into the air

With orient
⁵⁴⁶
colors waving: with them rose

A forest huge of spears: and thronging helms

Appeared, and serried
⁵⁴⁸
shields in thick array

Of depth immeasurable: anon they move

In perfect phalanx to the Dorian
⁵⁵⁰
mood

Of flutes and soft recorders; such as raised

To highth of noblest temper heroes old

Arming to battle, and instead of rage

Deliberate valor breathed, firm and unmoved

With dread of death to flight or foul retreat,

Nor wanting power to mitigate and swage
⁵⁵⁶

With solemn touches, troubled thoughts, and chase

Anguish and doubt and fear and sorrow and pain

From mortal or immortal minds. Thus they

Breathing united force with fixèd thought

Moved on in silence to soft pipes that charmed

Their painful steps o’er the burnt soil; and now

Advanced in view they stand, a horrid
⁵⁶³
front

Of dreadful length and dazzling arms, in guise

Of warriors old
⁵⁶⁵
with ordered spear and shield,

Awaiting what command their mighty chief

Had to impose: he through the armèd files
⁵⁶⁷

Darts his experienced eye, and soon traverse

The whole battalion views, their order due,

Their visages and stature as of gods,

Their number last he sums
⁵⁷¹
. And now his heart

Distends with pride, and hard’ning in his strength

Glories: for never since created man
⁵⁷³
,

Met such embodied force, as named with these

Could merit more than that small infantry
⁵⁷⁵

Warred on by cranes: though all the giant brood

Of Phlegra
⁵⁷⁷
with th’ heroic race were joined

That fought
⁵⁷⁸
at Thebes and Ilium, on each side

Mixed with auxiliar
⁵⁷⁹
gods; and what resounds

In fable or romance of Uther’s son
⁵⁸⁰

Begirt with British and Armoric knights;

And all who since, baptized or infidel,

Jousted in Aspramont or Montalban
⁵⁸³
,

Damasco, or Marocco, or Trebisond,

Or whom Biserta
⁵⁸⁵
sent from Afric shore

When Charlemagne with all his peerage fell
⁵⁸⁶

By Fontarabia. Thus far these beyond

Compare of mortal prowess, yet observed
⁵⁸⁸

Their dread commander: he above the rest

In shape and gesture proudly eminent

Stood like a tow’r; his form had yet not lost

All her original brightness, nor appeared

Less than Archangel ruined, and th’ excess

Of glory
⁵⁹⁴
obscured: as when the sun new ris’n

Looks through the horizontal misty air

Shorn
⁵⁹⁶
of his beams, or from behind the moon

In dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds

On half the nations, and with fear of change

Perplexes
⁵⁹⁹
monarchs. Darkened so, yet shone

Above them all th’ Archangel: but his face

Deep scars of thunder had intrenched
⁶⁰¹
, and care

Sat on his faded cheek, but under brows

Of dauntless courage, and considerate
⁶⁰³
pride

Waiting revenge: cruel his eye, but cast

Signs of remorse and passion
⁶⁰⁵
to behold

The fellows of his crime, the followers rather

(Far other once beheld in bliss) condemned

For ever now to have their lot in pain,

Millions of spirits for his fault amerced
⁶⁰⁹

Of Heav’n, and from eternal splendors flung

For his revolt, yet faithful how they stood,

Their glory withered. As when heaven’s fire

Hath scathed the forest oaks or mountain pines,

With singèd top their stately growth though bare

Stands on the blasted heath
⁶¹⁵
. He now prepared

To speak; whereat their doubled ranks they bend

From wing to wing, and half enclose him round

With all his peers: attention held them mute.

Thrice he assayed, and thrice in spite of scorn,

Tears such as angels weep burst forth
⁶²⁰
: at last

Words interwove with sighs found out their way.

   O myriads of immortal spirits, O powers

Matchless, but with th’ Almighty, and that strife

Was not inglorious, though th’ event
⁶²⁴
was dire,

As this place testifies, and this dire change

Hateful to utter: but what power of mind

Foreseeing or presaging, from the depth

Of knowledge past or present, could have feared,

How such united force of gods, how such

As stood like these, could ever know repulse?

For who can yet believe, though after loss,

That all these puissant
⁶³²
legions, whose exile

Hath emptied Heav’n, shall fail to reascend

Self-raised, and repossess their native seat?

For me be witness all the host of Heav’n,

If counsels different, or danger shunned

By me, have lost our hopes. But he who reigns

Monarch in Heav’n, till then as one secure

Sat on his throne, upheld by old repute,

Consent or custom, and his regal state

Put forth at full, but still
⁶⁴¹
his strength concealed,

Which tempted our attempt
⁶⁴²
, and wrought our fall.

Henceforth his might we know, and know our own

So as not either to provoke, or dread

New war, provoked; our better part remains

To work in close
⁶⁴⁶
design, by fraud or guile

What force effected not: that he no less

At length from us may find, who overcomes

By force, hath overcome but half his foe.

Space may produce
⁶⁵⁰
new worlds; whereof so rife

There went a fame
⁶⁵¹
in Heav’n that he ere long

Intended to create, and therein plant

A generation
⁶⁵³
, whom his choice regard

Should favor equal to the sons of Heav’n:

Thither, if but to pry, shall be perhaps

Our first eruption
⁶⁵⁶
, thither or elsewhere:

For this infernal pit shall never hold

Celestial spirits in bondage, nor th’ abyss

Long under darkness cover. But these thoughts

Full counsel must mature: peace is despaired,

For who can think submission? War then, war

Open or understood must be resolved.”

   He spake: and to confirm his words, out flew

Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs

Of mighty Cherubim; the sudden blaze

Far round illumined Hell: highly they raged

Against the Highest, and fierce with graspèd arms

Clashed on their sounding shields the din of war,

Hurling defiance toward the vault of Heav’n.

   There stood a hill not far whose grisly top

Belched fire and rolling smoke; the rest entire

Shone with a glossy scurf
⁶⁷²
, undoubted sign

That in his womb
⁶⁷³
was hid metallic ore,

The work of sulfur
⁶⁷⁴
. Thither winged with speed

A numerous brigade hastened. As when bands

Of pioneers
⁶⁷⁶
with spade and pickax armed

Forerun the royal camp, to trench a field,

Or cast a rampart. Mammon
⁶⁷⁸
led them on,

Mammon, the least erected
⁶⁷⁹
spirit that fell

From Heav’n, for ev’n in Heav’n his looks and thoughts

Were always downward bent, admiring more

The riches of Heav’n’s pavement
⁶⁸²
, trodden gold,

Than aught divine or holy else enjoyed

In vision beatific
⁶⁸⁴
: by him first

Men also, and by his suggestion taught,

Ransacked the center
⁶⁸⁶
, and with impious hands

Rifled the bowels of their mother Earth

For treasures better hid. Soon
⁶⁸⁸
had his crew

Opened into the hill a spacious wound

And digged out ribs
⁶⁹⁰
of gold. Let none admire

That riches grow in Hell; that soil may best

Deserve the precious bane. And here let those

Who boast in mortal things, and wond’ring tell

Of Babel,
⁶⁹⁴
and the works of Memphian kings,

Learn how their greatest monuments of fame,

And strength and art are easily outdone

By spirits reprobate, and in an hour

What in an age they with incessant toil

And hands innumerable scarce perform.

Nigh on the
⁷⁰⁰
plain in many cells prepared,

That underneath had veins of liquid fire

Sluiced from the lake, a second multitude

With wondrous art founded the massy ore,

Severing each kind, and scummed the bullion dross:

A third as
⁷⁰⁵
soon had formed within the ground

A various mold, and from the boiling cells

By strange conveyance filled each hollow nook,

As in an organ from one blast of wind

To many a row of pipes the soundboard breathes.

Anon out of the earth a fabric
⁷¹⁰
huge

Rose like an
⁷¹¹
exhalation, with the sound

Of dulcet symphonies and voices sweet,

Built
⁷¹³
like a temple, where pilasters round

Were set, and Doric
⁷¹⁴
pillars overlaid

With golden architrave
⁷¹⁵
; nor did there want