Paradise Lost - Milton John - Страница 51

Tost up and down, together crowded drove

From each side shoaling towards the mouth of Hell.

As when two Polar Winds blowing adverse

Upon the CRONIAN Sea, together drive

Mountains of Ice, that stop th' imagin'd way

Beyond PETSORA Eastward, to the rich

CATHAIAN Coast. The aggregated Soyle

Death with his Mace petrific, cold and dry,

As with a Trident smote, and fix't as firm

As DELOS floating once; the rest his look

Bound with GORGONIAN rigor not to move,

And with ASPHALTIC slime; broad as the Gate,

Deep to the Roots of Hell the gather'd beach

They fasten'd, and the Mole immense wraught on

Over the foaming deep high Archt, a Bridge

Of length prodigious joyning to the Wall

Immoveable of this now fenceless world

Forfeit to Death; from hence a passage broad,

Smooth, easie, inoffensive down to Hell.

So, if great things to small may be compar'd,

XERXES, the Libertie of GREECE to yoke,

From SUSA his MEMNONIAN Palace high

Came to the Sea, and over HELLESPONT

Bridging his way, EUROPE with ASIA joyn'd,

And scourg'd with many a stroak th' indignant waves.

Now had they brought the work by wondrous Art

Pontifical, a ridge of pendent Rock

Over the vext Abyss, following the track

Of SATAN, to the selfsame place where hee

First lighted from his Wing, and landed safe

From out of CHAOS to the outside bare

Of this round World: with Pinns of Adamant

And Chains they made all fast, too fast they made

And durable; and now in little space

The Confines met of Empyrean Heav'n

And of this World, and on the left hand Hell

With long reach interpos'd; three sev'ral wayes

In sight, to each of these three places led.

And now thir way to Earth they had descri'd,

To Paradise first tending, when behold

SATAN in likeness of an Angel bright

Betwixt the CENTAURE and the SCORPION stearing

His ZENITH, while the Sun in ARIES rose:

Disguis'd he came, but those his Children dear

Thir Parent soon discern'd, though in disguise.

Hee, after EVE seduc't, unminded slunk

Into the Wood fast by, and changing shape

To observe the sequel, saw his guileful act

By EVE, though all unweeting, seconded

Upon her Husband, saw thir shame that sought

Vain covertures; but when he saw descend

The Son of God to judge them, terrifi'd

Hee fled, not hoping to escape, but shun

The present, fearing guiltie what his wrauth

Might suddenly inflict; that past, return'd

By Night, and listning where the hapless Paire

Sate in thir sad discourse, and various plaint,

Thence gatherd his own doom, which understood

Not instant, but of future time. With joy

And tidings fraught, to Hell he now return'd,

And at the brink of CHAOS, neer the foot

Of this new wondrous Pontifice, unhop't

Met who to meet him came, his Ofspring dear.

Great joy was at thir meeting, and at sight

Of that stupendious Bridge his joy encreas'd.

Long hee admiring stood, till Sin, his faire

Inchanting Daughter, thus the silence broke.

O Parent, these are thy magnific deeds,

Thy Trophies, which thou view'st as not thine own,

Thou art thir Author and prime Architect:

For I no sooner in my Heart divin'd,

My Heart, which by a secret harmonie

Still moves with thine, joyn'd in connexion sweet,

That thou on Earth hadst prosper'd, which thy looks

Now also evidence, but straight I felt

Though distant from thee Worlds between, yet felt

That I must after thee with this thy Son;

Such fatal consequence unites us three:

Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds,

Nor this unvoyageable Gulf obscure

Detain from following thy illustrious track.

Thou hast atchiev'd our libertie, confin'd

Within Hell Gates till now, thou us impow'rd

To fortifie thus farr, and overlay

With this portentous Bridge the dark Abyss.

Thine now is all this World, thy vertue hath won

What thy hands builded not, thy Wisdom gain'd

With odds what Warr hath lost, and fully aveng'd

Our foile in Heav'n; here thou shalt Monarch reign,

There didst not; there let him still Victor sway,

As Battel hath adjudg'd, from this new World

Retiring, by his own doom alienated,

And henceforth Monarchie with thee divide

Of all things, parted by th' Empyreal bounds,

His Quadrature, from thy Orbicular World,

Or trie thee now more dang'rous to his Throne.

Whom thus the Prince of Darkness answerd glad.

Fair Daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both,

High proof ye now have giv'n to be the Race

Of SATAN (for I glorie in the name,

Antagonist of Heav'ns Almightie King)

Amply have merited of me, of all

Th' Infernal Empire, that so neer Heav'ns dore

Triumphal with triumphal act have met,

Mine with this glorious Work, & made one Realm

Hell and this World, one Realm, one Continent

Of easie thorough-fare. Therefore while I

Descend through Darkness, on your Rode with ease

To my associate Powers, them to acquaint

With these successes, and with them rejoyce,

You two this way, among those numerous Orbs

All yours, right down to Paradise descend;

There dwell & Reign in bliss, thence on the Earth

Dominion exercise and in the Aire,

Chiefly on Man, sole Lord of all declar'd,

Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill.

My Substitutes I send ye, and Create

Plenipotent on Earth, of matchless might

Issuing from mee: on your joynt vigor now

My hold of this new Kingdom all depends,

Through Sin to Death expos'd by my exploit.

If your joynt power prevaile, th' affaires of Hell

No detriment need feare, goe and be strong.

So saying he dismiss'd them, they with speed

Thir course through thickest Constellations held

Spreading thir bane; the blasted Starrs lookt wan,

And Planets, Planet-strook, real Eclips

Then sufferd. Th' other way SATAN went down

The Causey to Hell Gate; on either side

Disparted CHAOS over built exclaimd,

And with rebounding surge the barrs assaild,

That scorn'd his indignation: through the Gate,

Wide open and unguarded, SATAN pass'd,

And all about found desolate; for those

Appointed to sit there, had left thir charge,

Flown to the upper World; the rest were all

Farr to the inland retir'd, about the walls

Of PANDEMONIUM, Citie and proud seate

Of LUCIFER, so by allusion calld,

Of that bright Starr to SATAN paragond.

There kept thir Watch the Legions, while the Grand

In Council sate, sollicitous what chance

Might intercept thir Emperour sent, so hee

Departing gave command, and they observ'd.

As when the TARTAR from his RUSSIAN Foe

By ASTRACAN over the Snowie Plaines

Retires, or BACTRIAN Sophi from the hornes

Of TURKISH Crescent, leaves all waste beyond

The Realme of ALADULE, in his retreate

To TAURIS or CASBEEN. So these the late

Heav'n-banisht Host, left desert utmost Hell

Many a dark League, reduc't in careful Watch

Round thir Metropolis, and now expecting

Each hour their great adventurer from the search

Of Forrein Worlds: he through the midst unmarkt,

In shew plebeian Angel militant

Of lowest order, past; and from the dore

Of that PLUTONIAN Hall, invisible

Ascended his high Throne, which under state

Of richest texture spred, at th' upper end

Was plac't in regal lustre. Down a while

He sate, and round about him saw unseen:

At last as from a Cloud his fulgent head

And shape Starr bright appeer'd, or brighter, clad