Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (44 page)

“All night the dreadless angel
¹
unpursued

Through Heav’n’s wide champaign
²
held his way, till Morn,

Waked by the circling Hours, with rosy hand

Unbarr’d the gates of light. There is a cave

Within the Mount of God, fast by his throne,

Where light and darkness in perpetual round

Lodge and dislodge by turns, which makes through Heav’n

Grateful vicissitude, like day and night;

Light issues forth, and at the other door

Obsequious
¹⁰
darkness enters, till her hour

To veil the Heav’n, though darkness there might well

Seem twilight here; and now went forth the Morn

Such as in highest Heav’n, arrayed in gold

Empyreal, from before her vanished night,

Shot through with orient beams: when all the plain

Covered with thick embattled squadrons bright,

Chariots and flaming arms, and fiery steeds

Reflecting blaze on blaze, first met his view:

War he perceived, war in procinct
¹⁹
, and found

Already known what he for news had thought

To have reported: gladly then he mixed

Among those friendly powers who him received

With joy and acclamations loud, that one

That of so many myriads fall’n, yet one

Returned not lost: on to the sacred hill

They led him high applauded, and present

Before the seat supreme; from whence a voice

From midst a golden cloud thus mild was heard.

   “ ‘Servant of God,
²⁹
well done, well hast thou fought

The better fight, who single hast maintained

Against revolted multitudes the cause

Of truth, in word mightier than they in arms;

And for the testimony
³³
of truth hast borne

Universal reproach, far worse to bear

Than violence: for this was all thy care

To stand approved in sight of God, though worlds

Judged thee perverse: the easier conquest now

Remains thee, aided by this host of friends,

Back on thy foes more glorious to return

Than scorned thou didst depart, and to subdue

By force, who reason for their law refuse,

Right reason
⁴²
for their law, and for their King

Messiah, who by right of merit reigns.

Go Michael
⁴⁴
of celestial armies prince,

And thou in military prowess next

Gabriel
⁴⁶
, lead forth to battle these my sons

Invincible, lead forth my armèd Saints

By thousands and by millions ranged for fight;

Equal
⁴⁹
in number to that godless crew

Rebellious, them with fire and hostile arms

Fearless assault, and to the brow of Heav’n

Pursuing drive them out from God and bliss,

Into their place of punishment, the gulf

Of Tartarus
⁵⁴
, which ready opens wide

His fiery chaos
⁵⁵
to receive their fall.’

   “So spake
⁵⁶
the sov’reign voice, and clouds began

To darken all the hill, and smoke to roll

In dusky wreaths, reluctant
⁵⁸
flames, the sign

Of wrath awaked: nor with less dread the loud

Ethereal trumpet from on high gan
⁶⁰
blow:

At which command the powers militant,

That stood for Heav’n
⁶²
, in mighty quadrate joined

Of union irresistible
⁶³
, moved on

In silence their bright legions, to the sound

Of instrumental harmony that breathed

Heroic ardor to advent’rous deeds

Under their godlike leaders, in the cause

Of God and his Messiah. On they move

Indissolubly firm; nor obvious
⁶⁹
hill,

Nor strait’ning vale, nor wood, nor stream divides

Their perfect ranks; for high above the ground

Their march was, and the passive air upbore

Their nimble tread
⁷³
, as when the total kind

Of birds in orderly array on wing

Came summoned over Eden to receive

Their names of thee; so over many a tract

Of Heav’n they marched, and many a province wide

Tenfold the length of this terrene
⁷⁸
: at last

Far in th’ horizon
⁷⁹
to the north appeared

From skirt to skirt a fiery region
¹²⁵
, stretched

In battailous aspect, and nearer view

Bristled with upright beams innumerable

Of rigid spears, and helmets thronged, and shields

Various, with boastful argument
⁸⁴
portrayed,

The banded powers of Satan hasting on

With furious expedition
⁸⁶
; for they weened

That selfsame day by fight, or by surprise

To win the Mount of God, and on his throne

To set the envier of his state, the proud

Aspirer, but their thoughts proved fond
⁹⁰
and vain

In the mid way
⁹¹
: though strange to us it seemed

At first, that angel should with angel war,

And in fierce hosting
⁹³
meet, who wont to meet

So oft in festivals of joy and love

Unanimous, as sons of one great Sire

Hymning th’ Eternal Father: but the shout

Of battle now began, and rushing sound

Of onset ended soon each milder thought.

High in the midst exalted as a god

Th’ Apostate
¹⁰⁰
in his sun-bright chariot sat

Idol of majesty divine, enclosed

With flaming Cherubim, and golden shields;

Then lighted from his gorgeous throne, for now

’Twixt host and host but narrow space was left,

A dreadful interval, and front to front

Presented stood in terrible array

Of hideous length: before the cloudy van
¹⁰⁷
,

On the rough edge of battle ere it joined,

Satan with vast and haughty strides advanced,

Came tow’ring, armed in adamant and gold;

Abdiel that sight endured not, where he stood

Among the mightiest, bent on highest deeds,

And thus his own undaunted heart explores.

   “ ‘O Heav’n! That such resemblance of the Highest

Should yet remain, where faith and realty
¹¹⁵

Remain not; wherefore should not strength and might

There fail where virtue fails, or weakest prove

Where boldest
¹¹⁸
; though to sight unconquerable?

His puissance, trusting in th’ Almighty’s aid,

I mean to try, whose reason I have tried
¹²⁰

Unsound and false; nor is it aught but just,

That he who in debate of truth hath won,

Should win in arms, in both disputes alike

Victor; though brutish that contest and foul,

When reason hath to deal with force, yet so

Most reason is that reason overcome.’

“So pondering, and from his armèd peers

Forth stepping opposite, half way he met

His daring foe, at this prevention
¹²⁹
more

Incensed, and thus securely
¹³⁰
him defied.

   “ ‘Proud
¹³¹
, art thou met? Thy hope was to have reached

The highth of thy aspiring unopposed,

The throne of God unguarded, and his side

Abandoned at the terror of thy power

Or potent tongue; fool, not to think how vain

Against th’ Omnipotent to rise in arms;

Who
¹³⁷
out of smallest things could without end

Have raised incessant armies to defeat

Thy folly; or with solitary hand

Reaching beyond all limit at one blow

Unaided could have finished thee, and whelmed

Thy legions under darkness; but thou seest

All are not of thy train; there be who faith

Prefer, and piety to God, though then

To thee not visible, when I alone

Seemed in thy world erroneous to dissent

From all: my sect
¹⁴⁷
thou seest, now learn too late

How few sometimes may know, when thousands err.’

   “Whom the grand foe with scornful eye askance
¹⁴⁹

Thus answered. ‘Ill for thee, but in wished hour

Of my revenge, first sought for thou return’st

From flight, seditious angel, to receive

Thy merited reward, the first assay
¹⁵³

Of this right hand provoked, since first that tongue

Inspired with contradiction durst oppose

A third part of the gods, in synod
¹⁵⁶
met

Their deities to assert, who while they feel

Vigor divine within them, can allow

Omnipotence to none. But well thou com’st

Before thy fellows, ambitious to win

From me some plume, that thy success
¹⁶¹
may show

Destruction to the rest: this pause between

(Unanswered lest thou boast
¹⁶³
) to let thee know;

At first I thought that liberty and Heav’n

To Heav’nly souls had been all one; but now

I see that most through sloth had rather serve,
¹⁶⁶

Minist’ring spirits, trained up in feast and song;

Such hast thou armed, the minstrelsy of Heav’n,

Servility with freedom
¹⁶⁹
to contend,

As both their deeds compared this day shall prove.’

   “To whom in brief thus Abdiel stern replied.

‘Apostate, still thou err’st, nor end wilt find

Of erring, from the path of truth remote:

Unjustly thou deprav’st
¹⁷⁴
it with the name

Of servitude to serve whom God ordains,

Or Nature; God
¹⁷⁶
and Nature bid the same,

When he who rules is worthiest, and excels

Them whom he governs. This is servitude,

To serve th’ unwise, or him who hath rebelled

Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee,

Thyself not free, but to thyself enthralled;

Yet lewdly
¹⁸²
dar’st our minist’ring upbraid.

Reign
¹⁸³
thou in Hell thy kingdom, let me serve

In Heav’n God ever blest, and his divine

Behests obey, worthiest to be obeyed,

Yet chains in Hell, not realms expect: meanwhile

From me returned, as erst thou saidst, from flight,

This greeting on thy impious crest receive.’

   “So saying, a noble stroke he lifted high,

Which hung not, but so swift with tempest fell

On the proud crest of Satan, that no sight,

Nor motion of swift thought, less could his shield

Such ruin intercept: ten paces huge

He back recoiled; the tenth on bended knee
¹⁹⁴

His massy spear upstayed; as
¹⁹⁵
if on Earth

Winds under ground or waters forcing way

Sidelong, had pushed a mountain from his seat

Half sunk with all his pines. Amazement seized

The rebel Thrones
¹⁹⁹
, but greater rage to see

Thus foiled their mightiest, ours joy filled, and shout,

Presage of victory and fierce desire

Of battle: whereat Michael bid sound

Th’ archangel trumpet; through the vast of Heaven

It sounded, and the faithful armies rung

Hosanna to the Highest: nor stood at gaze

The adverse legions, nor less hideous joined

The horrid shock: now storming fury rose,

And clamor such as heard in Heav’n till now

Was never, arms on armor clashing brayed

Horrible discord, and the madding
²¹⁰
wheels

Of brazen chariots raged; dire was the noise

Of conflict; overhead the dismal hiss

Of fiery
²¹³
darts in flaming volleys flew,

And flying vaulted either host with fire.

So under fiery cope together rushed

Both battles main
²¹⁶
, with ruinous assault

And inextinguishable rage; all Heav’n

Resounded, and had Earth been then, all Earth

Had to her center shook. What wonder? When

Millions of fierce encount’ring angels fought

On either side, the least of whom could wield

These elements
²²²
, and arm him with the force

Of all their regions: how much more of power

Army against army numberless to raise

Dreadful combustion
²²⁵
warring, and disturb,

Though not destroy, their happy native seat;

Had not th’ Eternal King omnipotent

From his stronghold of Heav’n high overruled

And limited their might; though numbered
²²⁹
such

As each divided legion might have seemed

A numerous host, in strength each armèd hand

A legion; led in fight, yet leader seemed

Each warrior single as in chief, expert

When to advance, or stand, or turn the sway

Of battle, open when, and when to close

The ridges
²³⁶
of grim war; no thought of flight,

None of retreat, no unbecoming deed

That argued fear; each on himself relied,

As only in his arm the moment
²³⁹
lay

Of victory; deeds of eternal fame

Were done, but infinite: for wide was spread

That war and various; sometimes on firm ground

A standing fight, then soaring on main
²⁴³
wing

Tormented
²⁴⁴
all the air; all air seemed then

Conflicting fire: long time in even scale