The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (160 page)

Read The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Online

Authors: John Milton,Burton Raffel

Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Literary Collections, #Poetry, #Classics, #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #English poetry

BOOK: The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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Again in safety what thou would’st have done

To Samson, but shalt never see Gath more.

HAR. Thou durst not thus disparage glorious arms, 1130

Which greatest heroes have in battle worn,

Their ornament and safety, had not spells

And black enchantments, some magician’s art

Armed thee or charmed thee strong, which thou from Heav’n

Feignd’st at thy birth was giv’n thee in thy hair,

Where strength can least abide, though all thy hairs

Were bristles ranged like those that ridge the back

Of chafed
7835
wild boars or ruffled
7836
porcupines.

SAM. I know no spells, use no forbidden arts.

My trust is in the living God who gave me 1140

At my nativity this strength, diffused

No less through all my sinews, joints and bones,

Than thine, while
7837
I preserved these locks unshorn,

The pledge of my unviolated vow.

For proof hereof, if Dagon be thy god,

Go to his temple, invocate
7838
his aid

With solemnest devotion, spread before him

How highly it concerns his glory now

To frustrate and dissolve these magic spells,

Which I to be the power of Israel’s God 1150

Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test,

Offering to combat thee, his champion bold,

With th’ utmost of his godhead seconded:
7839

Then thou shalt see, or rather to thy sorrow

Soon feel, whose God is strongest, thine or mine.

HAR. Presume not on thy God, what e’er He be.

Thee He regards
7840
not, owns
7841
not, hath cut off

Quite from his
7842
people and delivered up

Into thy enemies’ hand, permitted them

To put out both thine eyes, and fettered send thee 1160

Into the common prison, there to grind
7843

Among the slaves and asses, thy comrades,

As good for nothing else, no better service

With those thy boist’rous
7844
locks. No worthy match

For valor to assail, nor by the sword

Of noble warrior, so to stain his honor,

But by the barber’s razor best subdued.
7845

SAM. All these indignities, for such they are

From thine,
7846
these evils I deserve and more,

Acknowledge them from God inflicted on me 1170

Justly, yet despair not of His final pardon

Whose ear is ever open, and His eye

Gracious
7847
to re-admit the suppliant.

In confidence whereof I once again

Defy
7848
thee to the trial of mortal fight,

By combat to decide whose god is God,

Thine or whom I with Israel’s sons adore.

HAR. Fair honor that thou dost thy God, in trusting

He will accept thee to defend his cause—

A murderer, a revolter,
7849
and a robber. 1180

SAM. Tongue-doughty
7850
giant, how dost thou prove me these?

HAR. Is not thy nation subject to our lords?

Their magistrates confessed it, when they took thee

As a league
7851
breaker and delivered, bound,

Into our hands—for hadst thou not committed

Notorious
7852
murder on those thirty men

At Askalon, who never did thee harm,

Then like a robber strip’dst them of their robes?
7853

The Philistines, when thou hadst broke the league,

Went up with armèd powers, thee only seeking, 1190

To others did no violence nor spoil.
7854

SAM. Among the daughters of the Philistines

I chose a wife, which argued
7855
me no foe,

And in your city held my nuptial feast.

But your ill-meaning politician
7856
lords,

Under pretence of bridal friends and guests,

Appointed to await me thirty spies,

Who threat’ning cruel death constrained
7857
the bride

To wring from me and tell to them my secret

That solved the riddle which I had proposed. 1200

When I perceived all set on enmity,

As
7858
on my enemies, wherever chanced,

I used
7859
hostility, and took their spoil

To pay my underminers
7860
in their coin.

My nation was subjected to your lords.

It was the force of conquest; force with force

Is well ejected when the conquered can.

But I a private
7861
person, whom my country

As a league
7862
-breaker gave up,
7863
bound, presumed
7864

Single
7865
rebellion and did hostile acts? 1210

I was no private but a person raised

With strength sufficient, and command from Heav’n,

To free my country. If their servile minds

Me their deliverer sent would not receive,

But to their masters gave me up for nought,

Th’ unworthier they. Whence to this day they serve.

I was to do my part from Heav’n assigned,

And had performed it if my known
7866
offense

Had not disabled me
7867
—not all your force.

These shifts
7868
refuted, answer thy appellant
7869
1220

(Though by his blindness maimed for high attempts)

Who now defies
7870
thee thrice
7871
to single fight,

As a petty
7872
enterprise
7873
of small
7874
enforce.
7875

HAR. With thee, a man condemned, a slave enrolled,

Due by the law to capital punishment?

To fight with thee no man of arms will deign.

SAM. Cam’st thou for this, vain boaster, to survey
7876
me,

To descant
7877
on my strength, and give thy verdict?

Come nearer, part not hence so slight informed—

But take good heed my hand survey not thee. 1230

HAR. O Baal-zebub!
7878
Can my ears, unused,
7879

Hear these dishonors and not render
7880
death?

SAM. No man withholds thee, nothing from thy hand

Fear I incurable: bring up thy van!
7881

My heels are fettered, but my fist is free.

HAR. This insolence
7882
other kind of answer fits.
7883

SAM. Go, baffled
7884
coward, lest I run upon thee,

Though in these chains—bulk
7885
without spirit vast!—
7886

And with one buffet
7887
lay thy structure
7888
low,

Or swing thee in the air, then dash thee down 1240

To th’ hazard
7889
of thy brains and shattered sides.

HAR. By Astaroth, ere long thou shalt lament

These braveries,
7890
in irons loaden on thee.

CHOR. His giantship is gone, somewhat crestfall’n,

Stalking
7891
with less unconscionable
7892
strides

And lower looks, but in a sultry
7893
chafe.
7894

SAM. I dread him not, nor all his giant-brood,

Though fame
7895
divulge
7896
him father of five sons,

All of gigantic size, Goliath chief.
7897

CHOR. He will directly to the lords, I fear,

And with malicious counsel stir them up

Some way or other yet further to afflict thee.

SAM. He must allege some cause, and offered fight

Will not dare mention, lest a question rise

Whether he durst accept the offer or not,

And that he durst not plain enough appeared.

Much more affliction than already felt

They cannot well impose, nor I sustain,

If they intend advantage
7898
of my labors,

The work of many hands, which earns my keeping 1260

With no small profit daily to my owners.

But come what will, my deadliest foe will prove

My speediest friend, by death to rid me hence:

The worst that he can give, to me the best.

Yet so it may fall out, because their end

Is hate, not help to me, it may—with mine—
7899

Draw their own ruin who attempt the deed.

CHOR. Oh how comely
7900
it is, and how reviving

To the spirits of just men long oppressed,

When God into the hands of their deliverer 1270

Puts invincible might

To quell
7901
the mighty of the earth, th’ oppressor,

The brute and boist’rous
7902
force of violent men,

Hardy
7903
and industrious
7904
to support

Tyrannic power, but raging
7905
to pursue

The righteous and all such as honor truth!

He
7906
all their ammunition
7907

And feats of war defeats

With plain heroic magnitude of mind

And celestial vigor armed,

Their armories and magazines contemns,
7908

Renders them useless, while

With wingèd expedition,
7909

Swift as the lightning glance,
7910
he executes
7911

His errand on the wicked, who surprised

Lose their defence, distracted
7912
and amazed.
7913

But patience is more oft the exercise
7914

Of Saints, the trial of their fortitude,
7915

Making them each his own deliverer,

And victor over all
7916

That tyranny or fortune can inflict.

Either of these is in thy lot,

Samson, with might endued
7917

Above the sons of men. But sight bereaved
7918

May chance to number thee with those

Whom patience finally must crown.

This idol’s day hath been to thee no day of rest, Laboring thy mind

More than the working day thy hands.

And yet perhaps more trouble is behind.
7919

For I descry this way

Some other tending.
7920
In his hand

A scepter or quaint
7921
staff he bears,

Comes on amain,
7922
speed in his look.

By his habit I discern him now

A public officer, and now at hand.

His message will be short and voluble.
7923

OFF. Hebrews, the pris’ner Samson here I seek.

CHOR. His manacles remark
7924
him. There he sits.

OFF. Samson, to thee our lords thus bid me say:

This day to Dagon is a solemn feast,

With sacrifices, triumph, pomp,
7925
and games.

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