Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (64 page)

Impassable, impervious,
²⁵⁴
let us try

Advent’rous work, yet to thy power and mine

Not unagreeable, to found a path

Over this main
²⁵⁷
from Hell to that new world

Where Satan now prevails, a monument

Of merit high to all th’ infernal host,

Easing their passage hence, for intercourse,

Or transmigration
²⁶¹
, as their lot shall lead.

Nor can I miss the way, so strongly drawn

By this new felt attraction and instinct.”

   Whom thus the meager
²⁶⁴
shadow answered soon.

“Go whither fate and inclination strong

Leads thee, I shall not lag behind, nor err

The way, thou leading, such a scent I draw

Of carnage, prey innumerable, and taste

The savor of death from all things there that live:

Nor shall I to the work thou enterprisest

Be wanting, but afford thee equal aid.”

   So saying, with delight he snuffed
²⁷²
the smell

Of mortal change on Earth. As when a flock

Of ravenous fowl, though many a league remote,

Against
²⁷⁵
the day of battle, to a field

Where armies lie encamped, come flying, lured

With scent of living carcasses designed
²⁷⁷

For death, the following day, in bloody fight.

So scented the grim feature
²⁷⁹
, and upturned

His nostril wide into the murky
²⁸⁰
air,

Sagacious
²⁸¹
of his quarry from so far.

Then both from out Hell gates into the waste

Wide anarchy of Chaos damp and dark

Flew diverse
²⁸⁴
, and with power (their power was great)

Hovering upon the waters; what they met

Solid or slimy, as in raging sea

Tossed up and down, together crowded drove

From each side shoaling
²⁸⁸
towards the mouth of Hell.

As when two polar winds blowing adverse

Upon the Cronian Sea
²⁹⁰
, together drive

Mountains of ice, that stop th’ imagined way
²⁹¹

Beyond Petsora eastward, to the rich
²⁹¹

Cathayan Coast
²⁹¹
. The aggregated soil
²⁹³

Death with his mace petrific, cold and dry,

As with a trident smote, and fixed as firm

As Delos
²⁹⁶
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 gathered beach

They fastened, and the mole
³⁰⁰
immense wrought on

Over the foaming deep high-arched, a bridge

Of length prodigious joining to the wall

Immovable of this now fenceless world

Forfeit to Death; from hence a passage broad,

Smooth, easy, inoffensive
³⁰⁵
down to Hell.

So, if great things to small may be compared,

Xerxes
³⁰⁷
, the liberty of Greece to yoke,

From Susa
³⁰⁸
his Memnonian palace high

Came to the sea, and over Hellespont

Bridging his way, Europe with Asia joined,

And scourged with many a stroke th’ indignant
³¹¹
waves.

Now had they brought the work by wondrous art
³¹²

Pontifical
³¹²
, a ridge of pendant rock

Over the vexed
³¹⁴
abyss, following the track

Of Satan, to the selfsame place where he

First lighted from his wing, and landed safe

From out of Chaos to the outside bare

Of this round world: with pins of adamant

And chains they made all fast, too fast they made

And durable; and now in little space

The confines
³²¹
met of empyrean Heav’n

And of this world, and on the left hand Hell

With long reach interposed; three sev’ral ways

In sight, to each of these three places led.

And now their way to Earth they had descried,

To Paradise first tending, when behold

Satan in likeness of an angel bright

Betwixt the Centaur and the Scorpion steering
³²⁸

His zenith
³²⁸
, while the sun in Aries rose:

Disguised he came, but those his children dear

Their parent soon discerned, though in disguise.

He after Eve seduced, unminded slunk

Into the wood fast by, and changing shape

To observe the sequel
³³⁴
, saw his guileful act

By Eve, though all unweeting, seconded

Upon her husband, saw their shame that sought

Vain covertures; but when he saw descend

The Son of God to judge them, terrified

He fled, not hoping to escape, but shun

The present, fearing guilty what his wrath

Might suddenly inflict; that past, returned

By night, and list’ning
³⁴²
where the hapless pair

Sat in their sad discourse, and various plaint,

Thence gathered his own doom, which understood
³⁴⁴

Not instant, but of future time. With joy

And tidings fraught, to Hell he now returned,

And at the brink of Chaos, near the foot

Of this new wondrous pontifice, unhoped

Met who to meet him came, his offspring dear.

Great joy was at their meeting, and at sight

Of that stupendous bridge his joy increased.

Long he admiring stood, till Sin, his fair

Enchanting daughter, thus the silence broke.

   “O Parent, these are thy magnific deeds,

Thy trophies, which thou view’st as not thine own;

Thou art their author and prime architect:

For I no sooner in my heart divined,

My heart, which by a secret harmony

Still moves with thine, joined in connection sweet,

That thou on Earth hadst prospered, 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
³⁶⁴
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 achieved our liberty, confined

Within Hell gates till now, thou us empow’red

To fortify thus far, and overlay

With this portentous
³⁷¹
bridge the dark abyss.

Thine now is all this world, thy virtue hath won

What thy hands builded not, thy wisdom gained

With odds what war hath lost, and fully avenged

Our foil in Heav’n; here thou shalt monarch reign,

There didst not; there let him still victor sway,

As battle hath adjudged, from this new world

Retiring, by his own doom
³⁷⁸
alienated,

And henceforth
³⁷⁹
monarchy with thee divide

Of all things parted by th’ empyreal bounds,

His quadrature
³⁸¹
, from thy orbicular world,

Or try thee now more dang’rous to his throne.”

   Whom thus the Prince of Darkness answered glad.

“Fair daughter, and thou son and grandchild both,

High proof ye now have giv’n to be the race

Of Satan
³⁸⁶
(for I glory in the name,

Antagonist of Heav’n’s Almighty King)

Amply have merited of me, of all

Th’ infernal empire, that so near Heav’n’s door

Triumphal
³⁹⁰
with triumphal act have met,

Mine with this glorious work, and made one realm

Hell and this world, one realm, one continent

Of easy thoroughfare. Therefore while I

Descend through darkness, on your road with ease

To my associate powers, them to acquaint

With these successes, and with them rejoice,

You two this way, among these numerous orbs

All yours, right down to Paradise descend;

There dwell and reign in bliss, thence on the Earth

Dominion exercise
⁴⁰⁰
and in the air,

Chiefly on man, sole lord of all declared,

Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill.

My substitutes I send ye, and create

Plenipotent
⁴⁰⁴
on Earth, of matchless might

Issuing from me: on your joint vigor now

My hold of this new kingdom all depends,

Through Sin to Death exposed by my exploit.

If your joint power prevails
⁴⁰⁸
, th’ affairs of Hell

No detriment need fear
⁴⁰⁹
. Go and be strong.”

   So saying he dismissed them, they with speed

Their course through thickest constellations held

Spreading their bane; the blasted
⁴¹²
stars looked wan,

And planets, planet-struck
⁴¹³
, real eclipse

Then suffered. Th’ other way Satan went down

The causey
⁴¹⁵
to Hell gate; on either side

Disparted
⁴¹⁶
Chaos overbuilt exclaimed,

And with rebounding surge the bars assailed,

That scorned his indignation: through the gate,

Wide open and unguarded, Satan passed,

And all about found desolate; for those

Appointed to sit there, had left their charge,

Flown to the upper world; the rest were all

Far to the inland retired, about the walls

Of Pandaemonium, city and proud seat

Of Lucifer, so by allusion called,

Of that bright star
⁴²⁶
to Satan paragoned.

There kept their watch the legions, while the grand
⁴²⁷

In council sat, solicitous
⁴²⁸
what chance

Might intercept their Emperor sent, so he

Departing gave command, and they observed.

As when
⁴³¹
the Tartar from his Russian foe

By Astracan over the snowy plains

Retires, or Bactrian Sophy from the horns

Of Turkish crescent, leaves all waste beyond

The realm of Aladule, in his retreat

To Tauris or Casbeen. So these the late

Heav’n-banished host, left desert utmost Hell

Many a dark league, reduced
⁴³⁸
in careful watch

Round their metropolis, and now expecting

Each hour their great adventurer from the search

Of foreign
⁴⁴¹
worlds: he through the midst unmarked,

In show plebeian angel militant

Of lowest order, passed; and from the door

Of that Plutonian hall, invisible

Ascended his high throne, which under state
⁴⁴⁵

Of richest texture spread, at th’ upper end

Was placed in regal luster. Down awhile

He sat, and round about him saw unseen:

At last as from a cloud his fulgent head

And shape star-bright appeared, or brighter, clad

With what permissive
⁴⁵¹
glory since his fall

Was left him, or false glitter: all amazed

At that so sudden blaze
⁴⁵³
the Stygian throng

Bent their aspect, and whom they wished beheld,

Their mighty chief returned: loud was th’ acclaim:

Forth rushed in haste the great consulting peers,

Raised from their dark divan
⁴⁵⁷
, and with like joy

Congratulant
⁴⁵⁸
approached him, who with hand

Silence, and with these words attention won.

   “Thrones, Dominations,
⁴⁶⁰
Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,

For in possession such, not only of right,

I call ye and declare ye now, returned

Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth

Triumphant out of this infernal pit

Abominable, accursed, the house of woe,

And dungeon of our tyrant: now possess,

As lords, a spacious world, to our native Heaven

Little inferior, by my adventure hard

With peril great achieved. Long were to tell

What I have done, what suffered, with what pain

Voyaged th’ unreal
⁴⁷¹
, vast, unbounded deep

Of horrible confusion, over which

By Sin and Death a broad way now is paved

To expedite your glorious march; but I

Toiled out my uncouth
⁴⁷⁵
passage, forced to ride

Th’ untractable abyss, plunged in the womb

Of unoriginal
⁴⁷⁷
Night and Chaos wild,

That jealous of their secrets fiercely opposed

My journey strange, with clamorous uproar

Protesting fate supreme
⁴⁸⁰
; thence how I found

The new created world, which fame in Heav’n
⁴⁸¹

Long had foretold
⁴⁸¹
, a fabric wonderful

Of absolute perfection, therein man

Placed in a Paradise, by our exile

Made happy; him by fraud I have seduced

From his Creator, and the more to increase

Your wonder, with an apple; he thereat

Offended, worth your laughter, hath giv’n up

Both his beloved man and all his world,

To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us,

Without our hazard, labor, or alarm,

To range in, and to dwell, and over man

To rule, as over all he should have ruled.

True is,
⁴⁹⁴
me also he hath judged, or rather

Me not, but the brute serpent in whose shape

Man I deceived: that which to me belongs,