The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (116 page)

445

Ascended his high throne, which under state
⁵³⁹⁶

446

Of richest texture spread, at th’ upper end

447

Was placed in regal luster. Down a while

448

He sat, and round about him saw unseen.

449

At last, as from a cloud, his fulgent
⁵³⁹⁷
head

450

And shape star-bright appeared, or brighter, clad

451

With what permissive glory since his fall

452

Was left him, or false glitter. All amazed

453

At that so sudden blaze, the Stygian
⁵³⁹⁸
throng

454

Bent
⁵³⁹⁹
their aspect,
⁵⁴⁰⁰
and whom they wished beheld,

455

Their mighty chief returned. Loud was th’ acclaim!

456

Forth rushed in haste the great consulting peers,

457

Raised from their dark divan,
⁵⁴⁰¹
and with like joy

458

Congratulant approached him, who with hand

459

Silence, and with these words attention won:

460

   
“Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers!

461

For in possession such, not only of right,

462

I call ye and declare ye now, returned

463

Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth

464

Triumphant out of this infernal pit

465

Abominable, accursed, the house of woe

466

And dungeon of our tyrant. Now possess,

467

As lords, a spacious world, t’ our native Heav’n

468

Little inferior, by my adventure hard

469

With peril great achieved. Long were to tell

470

What I have done, what suffered, with what pain

471

Voyaged th’ unreal,
⁵⁴⁰²
vast, unbounded deep

472

Of horrible confusion, over which

473

By Sin and Death a broad way now is paved,

474

To expedite your glorious march. But I

475

Toiled out my uncouth
⁵⁴⁰³
passage, forced to ride
⁵⁴⁰⁴

476

The untractable
⁵⁴⁰⁵
abyss, plunged in the womb

477

Of unoriginal
⁵⁴⁰⁶
Night and Chaos wild

478

That, jealous of their secrets, fiercely opposed

479

My journey strange,
⁵⁴⁰⁷
with clamorous uproar

480

Protesting Fate supreme. Thence how I found

481

The new created world, which fame
⁵⁴⁰⁸
in Heav’n

482

Long had foretold, a fabric
⁵⁴⁰⁹
wonderful

483

Of absolute
⁵⁴¹⁰
perfection, therein man

484

Placed in a Paradise, by our exile

485

Made happy. Him by fraud I have seduced
⁵⁴¹¹

486

From his Creator and, the more to increase

487

Your wonder, with an apple.
⁵⁴¹²
He,
⁵⁴¹³
thereat

488

Offended (worth your laughter!) hath given up

489

Both His belovèd man and all his world

490

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

491

Without our hazard, labor, or alarm,
⁵⁴¹⁴

492

To range
⁵⁴¹⁵
in, and to dwell, and over man

493

To rule, as over all He should have ruled.

494

   
“True is, me also He hath judged, or rather

495

Me not, but the brute serpent in whose shape

496

Man I deceived. That which to me belongs

497

Is enmity, which He will put between

498

Me and mankind. I am to bruise
⁵⁴¹⁶
his heel.

499

His seed (when is not set
⁵⁴¹⁷
) shall bruise my head.

500

A world who would not purchase with a bruise,

501

Or much more grievous pain?

“Ye have th’ acc

502

Of my performance. What remains, ye Gods,

503

But up, and enter now into full bliss?

504

   
So having said, a while he stood, expecting

505

Their universal shout and high applause

506

To fill his ear—when, contrary, he hears

507

On all sides, from innumerable tongues,

508

   
A dismal universal hiss, the sound

509

Of public scorn. He wondered, but not long

510

Had leisure, wond’ring at himself now more.

511

His visage drawn he felt to sharp and spare;

512

His arms clung to his ribs, his legs entwining

513

Each other, till supplanted
⁵⁴¹⁸
down he fell,

514

A monstrous serpent on his belly prone,

515

Reluctant,
⁵⁴¹⁹
but in vain. A greater power

516

Now ruled him, punished in the shape he sinned,

517

According to his doom.
⁵⁴²⁰
He would have spoke,

518

But hiss for hiss returned with forkèd tongue

519

To forkèd tongue, for now were all transformed

520

Alike, to serpents all, as accessories

521

To his bold
⁵⁴²¹
riot.
⁵⁴²²
Dreadful was the din

522

Of hissing through the hall, thick swarming now

523

With complicated
⁵⁴²³
monsters head and tail,

524

Scorpion, and asp, and amphisbaena
⁵⁴²⁴
dire,

525

Cerastes hornèd, hydrus,
⁵⁴²⁵
and elops
⁵⁴²⁶
drear,
⁵⁴²⁷

526

And dipsas
⁵⁴²⁸
(not so thick swarmed once the soil

527

Bedropped with blood of Gorgon,
⁵⁴²⁹
or the isle

528

Ophiusa),
⁵⁴³⁰
but still greatest he the midst,

529

Now dragon grown, larger than whom
⁵⁴³¹
the sun

530

Engendered in the Pythian
⁵⁴³²
vale on slime,
⁵⁴³³

531

Huge python, and his
⁵⁴³⁴
power no less he seemed

532

Above the rest still to retain. They all

533

Him followed, issuing forth to th’ open field,