Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (50 page)

838.
Plagues
: afflictions, strokes of divine retribution. Editors cite the plagues of Egypt under Pharaoh, who is contextually present. In prophecy of the apocalypse, plagues, thunder, lightning, and earthquake are grouped together (see, e.g., Rev. 17).

840–41.
In
Apology
, Milton personifies “the invincible warrior Zeal,” riding a chariot like the one described in Ezekiel and driving “over the heads of scarlet prelates, and such as are insolent to maintain traditions, bruising their stiff necks under his flaming wheels” (Yale 1:900).

842–43.
“And [they] said to the mountains and rocks, ‘fall on us, and hide us from the … wrath of the Lamb’ ” (Rev. 6.16; cp. Luke 23.30, Hosea 10.8).

846.
Distinct
: adorned.

849.
pernicious
: deadly, sudden; cp. l. 520.

857.
goats
: In Scripture the damned are compared to goats, whom at the Last Judgment Christ will gather in his left hand before passing sentence: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25.41).

861.
Rolled inward
: rolled up or together; cp. Rev. 6.14: “And the heaven departed [was removed] as a scroll when it is rolled together.”
disclosed:
bared, opened.

862.
wasteful
: full of emptiness (Elledge).

868.
ruining
: falling.

869.
fate
: God’s curse (2.622–23). “Fate or
fatum
is only what is
fatum
, spoken, by some almighty power” (CD 1.2 in
MLM
1146).

871.
Nine days they fell
: After falling for nine days, they lie stunned for another nine on the lake in Hell (1.50–53). In Hesiod, the rebellious Titans fall for nine days from Heaven to Earth and nine more from earth to Tartarus (
Theog
. 720–25).

873.
rout
: mob, those defeated.

874–75.
Hell … closed:
“Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure” (Isa. 5.14).

884.
jubilee
: joyful shouting.

885.
palm
: symbolic of triumph, as at
SA
1735. “[The people] took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 22.12–13; cp. Rev. 7.9).

892.
right hand
: St. Paul describes Christ after his ascension into Heaven as sitting “on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1.3).

900–907.
Raphael’s most explicit and specific warning of Satan’s plot against humanity and its motive. He does not mention the apprehension of Satan at Eve’s ear during the previous night.

909.
Thy weaker
: Eve, the “weaker vessel” (1 Pet. 3.7). She is present for Raphael’s narration and at this moment.

Descend from Heav’n
¹
Urania, by that name

If rightly thou art called, whose voice divine

Following, above th’ Olympian hill
³
I soar,

Above the flight of Pegasean wing
⁴
.

The meaning, not the name
⁵
I call: for thou

Nor of the Muses nine, nor on the top

Of old Olympus dwell’st, but Heav’nly born,

Before the hills appeared, or fountain flowed,

Thou with eternal Wisdom
⁹
didst converse,

Wisdom thy sister, and with her didst play

In presence of th’ Almighty Father, pleased

With thy celestial song. Up led by thee

Into the Heav’n of Heav’ns
¹³
I have presumed,

An earthly guest, and drawn empyreal air,

Thy temp’ring
¹⁵
; with like safety guided down

Return me to my native element:

Lest from
¹⁷
this flying steed unreined, (as once

Bellerophon, though from a lower clime
¹⁸
)

Dismounted, on th’ Aleian field I fall

Erroneous there to wander and forlorn.

Half yet
²¹
remains unsung, but narrower bound

Within the visible diurnal sphere
²²
;

Standing on earth, not rapt
²³
above the pole,

More safe I sing with mortal voice, unchanged

To hoarse
²⁵
or mute, though fall’n on evil days,

On evil days though fall’n, and evil tongues
²⁶
;

In darkness
²⁷
, and with dangers compassed round,

And solitude; yet not alone, while thou
²⁸

Visit’st my slumbers nightly, or when morn

Purples the east: still govern thou my song,

Urania, and fit audience find, though few.

But drive far off the barbarous dissonance
³²

Of Bacchus and his revellers, the race
³³

Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard

In Rhodope, where woods and rocks had ears

To rapture, till the savage clamor drowned

Both harp and voice; nor could the Muse defend

Her son. So fail not thou, who thee implores:

For thou art Heav’nly she an empty dream.

   Say Goddess, what ensued when Raphael,

The affable archangel, had forewarned

Adam by dire example to beware

Apostasy, by what befell in Heaven

To those apostates, lest the like befall

In Paradise to Adam or his race,

Charged not to touch
⁴⁶
the interdicted tree,

If they transgress, and slight that sole command
⁴⁷
,

So easily obeyed amid the choice

Of all tastes else to please their appetite,

Though wand’ring
⁵⁰
. He with his consorted Eve

The story heard attentive, and was filled

With admiration
⁵²
, and deep muse to hear

Of things so high and strange, things to their thought

So unimaginable as hate in Heav’n,

And war so near the peace of God in bliss

With such confusion: but the evil soon

Driv’n back redounded
⁵⁷
as a flood on those

From whom it sprung, impossible to mix

With blessedness. Whence Adam soon repealed
⁵⁹

The doubts that in his heart arose: and now

Led on, yet sinless, with desire to know

What nearer might concern him, how this world

Of heav’n and earth conspicuous
⁶³
first began,

When, and whereof created, for what cause,

What within Eden or without was done

Before his memory, as one whose drouth

Yet scarce allayed still eyes the current stream,

Whose liquid murmur heard new thirst excites,

Proceeded thus to ask his Heav’nly guest.

   “Great things, and full of wonder in our ears,

Far differing from this world, thou hast revealed

Divine interpreter
⁷²
, by favor sent

Down from the Empyrean to forewarn

Us timely of what might else have been our loss,

Unknown, which human knowledge could not reach:

For which to the infinitely Good we owe

Immortal thanks, and his admonishment

Receive with solemn purpose to observe

Immutably his sov’reign will, the end
⁷⁹

Of what we are. But since thou hast vouchsafed

Gently for our instruction to impart

Things above earthly thought, which yet concerned

Our knowing, as to highest wisdom seemed
⁸³
,

Deign to descend now lower, and relate

What may no less perhaps avail us known
⁸⁵
,

How first began this heav’n which we behold

Distant so high, with moving fires adorned

Innumerable, and this which yields or fills
⁸⁸

All space, the ambient air wide interfused

Embracing round this florid Earth; what cause

Moved the Creator in his holy rest

Through all eternity so late to build

In Chaos, and the work begun, how soon

Absolved
⁹⁴
, if unforbid thou may’st unfold

What we, not to explore the secrets ask

Of his eternal empire, but the more

To magnify
⁹⁷
his works, the more we know.

And the great light of day yet wants
⁹⁸
to run

Much of his race though steep, suspense
⁹⁹
in heav’n

Held by thy voice, thy potent voice he hears
¹⁰⁰
,

And longer will delay to hear thee tell

His generation, and the rising birth

Of nature from the unapparent deep
¹⁰³
:

Or if the star of ev’ning and the moon

Haste to thy audience, Night with her will bring

Silence, and Sleep list’ning to thee will watch
¹⁰⁶
,

Or we can bid his
¹⁰⁷
absence, till thy song

End, and dismiss thee ere the morning shine.”

   Thus Adam his illustrious guest besought:

And thus the godlike angel answered mild.

“This also thy request with caution asked

Obtain: though to recount almighty works

What words or tongue of Seraph can suffice,

Or heart of man suffice to comprehend?

Yet what thou canst attain, which best may serve

To glorify the Maker, and infer
¹¹⁶

Thee also happier, shall not be withheld

Thy hearing, such commission from above

I have received, to answer thy desire

Of knowledge within bounds
¹²⁰
; beyond abstain

To ask, nor let thine own inventions
¹²¹
hope

Things not revealed, which th’ invisible King,

Only omniscient, hath suppressed in night,

To none communicable in Earth or Heaven
¹²⁴
:

Enough is left besides to search and know.

But knowledge is as food, and needs no less

Her temperance over appetite, to know

In measure what the mind may well contain,

Oppresses else with surfeit, and soon turns

Wisdom to folly, as nourishment to wind.

   “Know then, that after Lucifer from Heav’n

(So call him
¹³²
, brighter once amidst the host

Of angels, than that star the stars among)

Fell with his flaming legions through the deep

Into his place, and the great Son returned

Victorious with his saints
¹³⁶
, th’ omnipotent

Eternal Father from his throne beheld

Their multitude, and to his Son thus spake.

   “ ‘At least our envious foe hath failed, who thought

All like himself rebellious, by whose aid

This inaccessible high strength, the seat

Of Deity supreme, us dispossessed,

He trusted to have seized, and into fraud
¹⁴³

Drew many, whom their place knows here no more
¹⁴⁴
;

Yet far the greater part
¹⁴⁵
have kept, I see,

Their station
¹⁴⁶
, Heav’n yet populous retains

Number sufficient to possess her realms

Though wide, and this high temple to frequent

With ministeries due and solemn rites:

But lest
¹⁵⁰
his heart exalt him in the harm

Already done, to have dispeopled Heav’n,

My damage fondly
¹⁵²
deemed, I can repair

That detriment, if such it be to lose

Self-lost, and in a moment will create

Another world, out of one man a race

Of men innumerable
¹⁵⁶
, there to dwell,

Not here, till by degrees of merit raised

They open to themselves at length the way

Up hither, under long obedience tried,

And Earth be chang’d to Heav’n, and Heav’n to Earth,

One kingdom, joy and union without end.

Meanwhile inhabit lax
¹⁶²
, ye powers of Heav’n,

And thou my Word, begotten Son, by thee

This I perform, speak thou, and be it done:

My overshadowing Spirit and might with thee
¹⁶⁵

I send along, ride forth, and bid the deep

Within appointed bounds be heav’n and earth;

Boundless
¹⁶⁸
the deep, because I am who fill

Infinitude, nor vacuous the space.

Though I uncircumscribed myself retire,

And put not forth my goodness, which is free
¹⁷¹

To act or not, necessity and chance
¹⁷²

Approach not me, and what I will is fate
¹⁷³
.’

   “So spake th’ Almighty, and to what he spake

His Word, the filial Godhead
¹⁷⁵
, gave effect.

Immediate are the acts of God
¹⁷⁶
, more swift

Than time or motion, but to human ears

Cannot without process of speech
¹⁷⁸
be told,

So told as earthly notion
¹⁷⁹
can receive.

Great triumph
¹⁸⁰
and rejoicing was in Heav’n

When such was heard declared th’ Almighty’s will;

Glory they sung to the most high, good will

To future men, and in their dwellings peace:

Glory to him whose just avenging ire

Had driven out th’ ungodly from his sight

And th’ habitations of the just; to him

Glory and praise, whose wisdom had ordained

Good out of evil
¹⁸⁸
to create, instead

Of spirits malign a better race to bring

Into their vacant room, and thence diffuse

His good to worlds and ages infinite.

So sang the hierarchies: meanwhile the Son

On his great expedition now appeared,

Girt
¹⁹⁴
with omnipotence, with radiance crowned

Of majesty divine, sapience and love

Immense, and all his Father in him shone.

About his chariot numberless were poured
¹⁹⁷

Cherub and Seraph, Potentates and Thrones,

And Virtues, wingèd spirits, and chariots winged,

From the armory of God
²⁰⁰
, where stand of old

Myriads between
²⁰¹
two brazen mountains lodged

Against
²⁰²
a solemn day, harnessed at hand,

Celestial equipage; and now
²⁰³
came forth

Spontaneous, for within them spirit lived,

Attendant on their Lord: Heav’n opened wide
²⁰⁵

Her ever-during
²⁰⁶
gates, harmonious sound

On golden hinges moving, to let forth

The King of Glory in his powerful Word

And Spirit coming to create new worlds.

On Heav’nly ground they stood, and from the shore

They viewed the vast immeasurable abyss

Outrageous
²¹²
as a sea, dark, wasteful, wild,

Up from the bottom turned by furious winds

And surging waves, as mountains to assault

Heav’n’s highth, and with the center mix the pole.

   “ ‘Silence, ye troubled waves, and thou deep, peace,’

Said then th’ omnific
²¹⁷
Word, ‘your discord end.’

   “Nor stayed, but on the wings of Cherubim

Uplifted, in paternal glory rode

Far into Chaos, and the world unborn;

For Chaos heard his voice: him all his train

Followed in bright procession to behold

Creation, and the wonders of his might.

Then stayed the fervid
²²⁴
wheels, and in his hand

He took the golden compasses
²²⁵
, prepared

In God’s eternal store, to circumscribe
²²⁶

This universe, and all created things:

One foot he centered, and the other turned

Round through the vast profundity obscure,

And said, ‘Thus far extend, thus far thy bounds,

This be thy just
²³¹
circumference, O world.’

Thus God the heav’n created, thus the earth,

Matter unformed and void
²³³
: darkness profound

Covered th’ abyss: but on the wat’ry calm

His brooding wings
²³⁵
the Spirit of God outspread,

And vital virtue
²³⁶
infused, and vital warmth

Throughout the fluid mass, but downward purged

The black tartareous
²³⁸
cold infernal dregs