Paradise Lost - Milton John - Страница 17

Worse; of worse deeds worse sufferings must ensue.

Sometimes towards EDEN which now in his view

Lay pleasant, his grievd look he fixes sad,

Sometimes towards Heav'n and the full-blazing Sun,

Which now sat high in his Meridian Towre:

Then much revolving, thus in sighs began.

O thou that with surpassing Glory crownd,

Look'st from thy sole Dominion like the God

Of this new World; at whose sight all the Starrs

Hide thir diminisht heads; to thee I call,

But with no friendly voice, and add thy name

O Sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams

That bring to my remembrance from what state

I fell, how glorious once above thy Spheare;

Till Pride and worse Ambition threw me down

Warring in Heav'n against Heav'ns matchless King:

Ah wherefore! he deservd no such return

From me, whom he created what I was

In that bright eminence, and with his good

Upbraided none; nor was his service hard.

What could be less then to afford him praise,

The easiest recompence, and pay him thanks,

How due! yet all his good prov'd ill in me,

And wrought but malice; lifted up so high

I sdeind subjection, and thought one step higher

Would set me highest, and in a moment quit

The debt immense of endless gratitude,

So burthensome, still paying, still to ow;

Forgetful what from him I still receivd,

And understood not that a grateful mind

By owing owes not, but still pays, at once

Indebted and dischargd; what burden then?

O had his powerful Destiny ordaind

Me some inferiour Angel, I had stood

Then happie; no unbounded hope had rais'd

Ambition. Yet why not? som other Power

As great might have aspir'd, and me though mean

Drawn to his part; but other Powers as great

Fell not, but stand unshak'n, from within

Or from without, to all temptations arm'd.

Hadst thou the same free Will and Power to stand?

Thou hadst: whom hast thou then or what to accuse,

But Heav'ns free Love dealt equally to all?

Be then his Love accurst, since love or hate,

To me alike, it deals eternal woe.

Nay curs'd be thou; since against his thy will

Chose freely what it now so justly rues.

Me miserable! which way shall I flie

Infinite wrauth, and infinite despaire?

Which way I flie is Hell; my self am Hell;

And in the lowest deep a lower deep

Still threatning to devour me opens wide,

To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heav'n.

O then at last relent: is there no place

Left for Repentance, none for Pardon left?

None left but by submission; and that word

DISDAIN forbids me, and my dread of shame

Among the spirits beneath, whom I seduc'd

With other promises and other vaunts

Then to submit, boasting I could subdue

Th' Omnipotent. Ay me, they little know

How dearly I abide that boast so vaine,

Under what torments inwardly I groane;

While they adore me on the Throne of Hell,

With Diadem and Scepter high advanc'd

The lower still I fall, onely Supream

In miserie; such joy Ambition findes.

But say I could repent and could obtaine

By Act of Grace my former state; how soon

Would highth recal high thoughts, how soon unsay

What feign'd submission swore: ease would recant

Vows made in pain, as violent and void.

For never can true reconcilement grow

Where wounds of deadly hate have peirc'd so deep:

Which would but lead me to a worse relapse

And heavier fall: so should I purchase deare

Short intermission bought with double smart.

This knows my punisher; therefore as farr

From granting hee, as I from begging peace:

All hope excluded thus, behold in stead

Of us out-cast, exil'd, his new delight,

Mankind created, and for him this World.

So farwel Hope, and with Hope farwel Fear,

Farwel Remorse: all Good to me is lost;

Evil be thou my Good; by thee at least

Divided Empire with Heav'ns King I hold

By thee, and more then half perhaps will reigne;

As Man ere long, and this new World shall know.

Thus while he spake, each passion dimm'd his face

Thrice chang'd with pale, ire, envie and despair,

Which marrd his borrow'd visage, and betraid

Him counterfet, if any eye beheld.

For heav'nly mindes from such distempers foule

Are ever cleer. Whereof hee soon aware,

Each perturbation smooth'd with outward calme,

Artificer of fraud; and was the first

That practisd falshood under saintly shew,

Deep malice to conceale, couch't with revenge:

Yet not anough had practisd to deceive

URIEL once warnd; whose eye pursu'd him down

The way he went, and on th' ASSYRIAN mount

Saw him disfigur'd, more then could befall

Spirit of happie sort: his gestures fierce

He markd and mad demeanour, then alone,

As he suppos'd, all unobserv'd, unseen.

So on he fares, and to the border comes

Of EDEN, where delicious Paradise,

Now nearer, Crowns with her enclosure green,

As with a rural mound the champain head

Of a steep wilderness, whose hairie sides

With thicket overgrown, grottesque and wilde,

Access deni'd; and over head up grew

Insuperable highth of loftiest shade,

Cedar, and Pine, and Firr, and branching Palm,

A Silvan Scene, and as the ranks ascend

Shade above shade, a woodie Theatre

Of stateliest view. Yet higher then thir tops

The verdurous wall of Paradise up sprung:

Which to our general Sire gave prospect large

Into his neather Empire neighbouring round.

And higher then that Wall a circling row

Of goodliest Trees loaden with fairest Fruit,

Blossoms and Fruits at once of golden hue

Appeerd, with gay enameld colours mixt:

On which the Sun more glad impress'd his beams

Then in fair Evening Cloud, or humid Bow,

When God hath showrd the earth; so lovely seemd

That Lantskip: And of pure now purer aire

Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires

Vernal delight and joy, able to drive

All sadness but despair: now gentle gales

Fanning thir odoriferous wings dispense

Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole

Those balmie spoiles. As when to them who saile

Beyond the CAPE OF HOPE, and now are past

MOZAMBIC, off at Sea North-East windes blow

SABEAN Odours from the spicie shoare

Of ARABIE the blest, with such delay

Well pleas'd they slack thir course, and many a League

Cheard with the grateful smell old Ocean smiles.

So entertaind those odorous sweets the Fiend

Who came thir bane, though with them better pleas'd

Then ASMODEUS with the fishie fume,

That drove him, though enamourd, from the Spouse

Of TOBITS Son, and with a vengeance sent

From MEDIA post to AEGYPT, there fast bound.

Now to th' ascent of that steep savage Hill

SATAN had journied on, pensive and slow;

But further way found none, so thick entwin'd,

As one continu'd brake, the undergrowth

Of shrubs and tangling bushes had perplext

All path of Man or Beast that past that way:

One Gate there onely was, and that look'd East

On th' other side: which when th' arch-fellon saw

Due entrance he disdaind, and in contempt,

At one slight bound high overleap'd all bound

Of Hill or highest Wall, and sheer within

Lights on his feet. As when a prowling Wolfe,

Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey,

Watching where Shepherds pen thir Flocks at eeve

In hurdl'd Cotes amid the field secure,

Leaps o're the fence with ease into the Fould:

Or as a Thief bent to unhoord the cash

Of some rich Burgher, whose substantial dores,