Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (29 page)

In Golgotha him dead, who lives in Heav’n;

And they
⁴⁷⁸
who to be sure of Paradise

Dying put on the weeds of Dominic,

Or in Franciscan think to pass disguised;

They pass
⁴⁸¹
the planets seven, and pass the fixed,

And that crystalline sphere whose balance weighs

The trepidation talked, and that first moved;

And now Saint Peter at Heav’n’s wicket
⁴⁸⁴
seems

To wait them with his keys
⁴⁸⁵
, and now at foot

Of Heav’n’s ascent they lift their feet, when lo

A violent crosswind from either coast

Blows them transverse ten thousand leagues awry

Into the devious
⁴⁸⁹
air; then might ye see

Cowls, hoods and habits with their wearers tossed

And fluttered into rags, then relics, beads
⁴⁹¹
,

Indulgences
⁴⁹²
, dispenses, pardons, bulls,

The sport of winds: all these upwhirled aloft

Fly o’er the backside of the world
⁴⁹⁴
far off

Into a limbo
⁴⁹⁵
large and broad, since called

The Paradise of Fools
⁴⁹⁶
, to few unknown

Long after, now unpeopled, and untrod;

All this dark globe the fiend found as he passed,

And long he wandered, till at last a gleam

Of dawning light turned thitherward in haste

His traveled
⁵⁰¹
steps; far distant he descries

Ascending by degrees
⁵⁰²
magnificent

Up to the wall of Heaven a structure high,

At top whereof, but far more rich appeared

The work as of a kingly palace gate

With frontispiece
⁵⁰⁶
of diamond and gold

Embellished; thick with sparkling orient
⁵⁰⁷
gems

The portal shone, inimitable on Earth

By model, or by shading pencil drawn.

The stairs were such as whereon Jacob saw
⁵¹⁰

Angels ascending and descending, bands

Of guardians bright, when he from Esau fled

To Padan-Aram
⁵¹³
, in the field of Luz

Dreaming by night under the open sky,

And waking cried, “This is the gate of Heav’n.”

Each stair mysteriously
⁵¹⁶
was meant, nor stood

There always, but drawn up to Heav’n sometimes

Viewless
⁵¹⁸
, and underneath a bright sea flowed

Of jasper, or of liquid pearl
⁵¹⁸
, whereon

Who after came from Earth, sailing arrived,

Wafted
⁵²¹
by angels, or flew o’er the lake

Rapt
:
⁵²²
in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds.

The stairs were then let down, whether to dare

The fiend by easy ascent, or aggravate

His sad exclusion from the doors of bliss.

Direct against which opened from beneath,
⁵²⁶

Just o’er the blissful seat of Paradise,
⁵²⁶

A passage down to th’ Earth
⁵²⁶
, a passage wide,

Wider by far than that of aftertimes

Over Mount
⁵³⁰
Sion, and, though that were large,

Over the Promised Land to God so dear,

By which, to visit oft those happy tribes,

On high behests his angels to and fro

Passed frequent, and his eye with choice regard
⁵³⁴

From Paneas
⁵³⁵
the fount of Jordan’s flood

To Beërsaba
⁵³⁶
, where the Holy Land

Borders on Egypt and the Arabian shore;

So wide
⁵³⁸
the op’ning seemed, where bounds were set

To darkness, such as bound the ocean wave.

Satan from hence now on the lower stair

That scaled by steps of gold to Heaven gate

Looks down with wonder at the sudden view

Of all this world
⁵⁴³
at once. As when a scout

Through dark and desert ways with peril gone

All night; at last by break of cheerful dawn

Obtains the brow of some high-climbing hill,

Which to his eye discovers
⁵⁴⁷
unaware

The goodly prospect of some foreign land

First seen, or some renowned metropolis

With glistering spires and pinnacles adorned,

Which now the rising sun gilds with his beams.

Such wonder seized, though after Heaven seen
⁵⁵²
,

The spirit malign, but much more envy seized

At sight of all this world beheld so fair.

Round he surveys, and well might, where he stood

So high above the circling
⁵⁵⁶
canopy

Of night’s extended shade; from eastern point

Of Libra to the fleecy star that bears

Andromeda far off Atlantic seas

Beyond th’ horizon; then from pole to pole

He views in breadth, and without longer pause

Down right into the world’s first region
⁵⁶²
throws

His flight
⁵⁶³
precipitant, and winds with ease

Through the pure marble air his oblique way

Amongst innumerable stars, that shone

Stars distant, but nigh hand seemed other worlds,

Or other worlds they seemed, or
⁵⁶⁷
happy isles,

Like those Hesperian gardens
⁵⁶⁸
famed of old,

Fortunate fields, and groves and flow’ry vales,

Thrice happy isles, but who dwelt happy there

He stayed not to inquire: above
⁵⁷¹
them all

The golden sun in splendor likest Heaven

Allured his eye: thither his course he bends
⁵⁷³

Through the calm firmament; but up or down

By center, or eccentric, hard to tell,

Or longitude, where the great luminary

Aloof
⁵⁷⁷
the vulgar constellations thick,

That from his lordly eye keep distance due,

Dispenses light from far; they as they move

Their starry dance in numbers
⁵⁸⁰
that compute

Days, months, and years, towards his all-cheering lamp

Turn swift their various motions, or are turned

By his magnetic beam
⁵⁸³
, that gently warms

The universe, and to each inward part

With gentle penetration, though unseen,

Shoots invisible virtue
⁵⁸⁶
even to the deep:

So wondrously was set his station
⁵⁸⁷
bright.

There lands
⁵⁸⁸
the fiend, a spot like which perhaps

Astronomer in the sun’s lucent orb

Through his glazed optic tube yet never saw.

The place he found beyond expression bright,

Compared with aught on Earth, metal
⁵⁹²
or stone;

Not all parts like, but all alike informed

With radiant light, as glowing iron with fire;

If metal, part seemed gold, part silver clear;

If stone, carbuncle
⁵⁹⁶
most or chrysolite,

Ruby or topaz, to the twelve that shone
⁵⁹⁷

In Aaron’s breastplate
⁵⁹⁷
, and a stone
⁵⁹⁸
besides

Imagined rather oft than elsewhere seen,

That stone, or like to that which here below

Philosophers
⁶⁰¹
in vain so long have sought,

In vain, though by their powerful art they bind
⁶⁰²

Volatile Hermes, and call up unbound
⁶⁰²

In various shapes old Proteus from the sea,
⁶⁰²

Drained through a limbec to his native form
⁶⁰²
.

What wonder then if fields and regions here

Breathe forth elixir pure, and rivers run
⁶⁰⁷

Potable gold
⁶⁰⁷
, when with one virtuous
⁶⁰⁸
touch

Th’ arch-chemic
⁶⁰⁹
sun so far from us remote

Produces with terrestrial humor
⁶¹⁰
mixed

Here in the dark so many precious things

Of color glorious and effect
⁶¹²
so rare?

Here matter new to gaze the Devil met

Undazzled, far and wide his eye commands,

For sight no obstacle found here, nor shade,

But all sunshine, as when his beams at noon

Culminate from th’ equator
⁶¹⁷
, as they now

Shot upward still direct, whence no way round
⁶¹⁸

Shadow from body opaque can fall
⁶¹⁸
, and the air,

Nowhere so clear, sharpened his visual ray
⁶²⁰

To objects distant far
⁶²⁰
, whereby he soon

Saw within ken
⁶²²
a glorious angel stand,

The same
⁶²³
whom John saw also in the sun:

His back was turned, but not his brightness hid;

Of beaming sunny rays, a golden tiar
⁶²⁵

Circled his head, nor less his locks behind

Illustrious
⁶²⁷
on his shoulders fledge with wings

Lay waving round; on some great charge employed

He seemed, or fixed in cogitation deep.

Glad was the spirit impure as now in hope

To find who might direct his wand’ring flight

To Paradise the happy seat of man,

His journey’s end and our beginning woe.

But first he casts
⁶³⁴
to change his proper shape,

Which else might work him danger or delay:

And now a stripling Cherub he appears,

Not of the prime
⁶³⁷
, yet such as in his face

Youth smiled celestial, and to every limb

Suitable grace diffused, so well he feigned;

Under a coronet his flowing hair

In curls on either cheek played, wings he wore

Of many a colored plume sprinkled with gold,

His habit fit for speed succinct
⁶⁴³
, and held

Before his decent
⁶⁴⁴
steps a silver wand.

He drew not nigh unheard, the angel bright,

Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turned,

Admonished by his ear, and straight was known

Th’ Archangel Uriel
⁶⁴⁸
, one of the sev’n

Who in God’s presence, nearest to his throne

Stand ready at command, and are his eyes
⁶⁵⁰

That run through all the heav’ns, or down to th’ Earth
⁶⁵⁰

Bear his swift errands over moist and dry,
⁶⁵⁰

O’er sea and land
⁶⁵⁰
: him Satan thus accosts.

   “Uriel, for thou of those sev’n spirits that stand

In sight of God’s high throne, gloriously bright,

The first art wont his great authentic
⁶⁵⁶
will

Interpreter through highest Heav’n to bring,

Where all his sons thy embassy attend
⁶⁵⁸
;

And here art likeliest by supreme decree

Like honor to obtain, and as his eye

To visit oft this new creation round;

Unspeakable desire to see, and know

All these his wondrous works, but chiefly man,

His chief delight and favor
⁶⁶⁴
, him for whom

All these his works so wondrous he ordained,

Hath brought me from the choirs of Cherubim

Alone thus wand’ring. Brightest Seraph tell

In which of all these shining orbs hath man

His fixèd seat, or fixèd seat hath none,

But
⁶⁷⁰
all these shining orbs his choice to dwell;

That I may find him, and with secret gaze,

Or open admiration him behold

On whom the great Creator hath bestowed

Worlds, and on whom hath all these graces poured;

That both in him and all things, as is meet,

The Universal Maker we may praise;

Who justly hath driv’n out his rebel foes

To deepest Hell, and to repair that loss

Created this new happy race of men

To serve him better: wise are all his ways.”

   So spake the false dissembler unperceived;

For neither man nor angel can discern

Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks

Invisible, except to God alone,

By his permissive will, through Heav’n and Earth:

And oft though wisdom wake, suspicion sleeps

At wisdom’s gate, and to simplicity

Resigns her charge, while goodness thinks no ill

Where no ill seems: which now for once beguiled

Uriel, though Regent of the Sun, and held

The sharpest sighted spirit of all in Heav’n;

Who to the fraudulent impostor foul

In his uprightness answer thus returned.

“Fair angel, thy desire which tends to know

The works of God, thereby to glorify

The great Work-Master, leads to no excess

That reaches blame, but rather merits praise

The more it seems excess, that led thee hither

From thy empyreal mansion thus alone,

To witness with thine eyes what some perhaps

Contented with report hear only in Heav’n:

For wonderful indeed are all his works,

Pleasant to know, and worthiest to be all

Had in remembrance always with delight;

But what created mind can comprehend

Their number, or the wisdom infinite

That brought them forth, but hid their causes deep.

I saw when at his word the formless mass,

This world’s material mold
⁷⁰⁹
, came to a heap:

Confusion heard his voice, and wild uproar