The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (161 page)

Thy strength they know surpassing human rate,
⁷⁹²⁶

And now some public proof
⁷⁹²⁷
thereof require

To honor this great feast and great assembly.

Rise therefore with all speed and come along,

Where I will see thee heartn’d
⁷⁹²⁸
and fresh clad

To appear as fits before th’ illustrious lords.

SAM. Thou know’st I am an Hebrew. Therefore tell them

Our Law forbids at their religious rites 1320

My presence. For that cause I cannot come.

OFF. This answer, be assured, will not content them.

SAM. Have they not sword-players, and every sort

Of gymnic artists, wrestlers, riders, runners,

Jugglers and dancers, antics,
⁷⁹²⁹
mummers,
⁷⁹³⁰
mimics,
⁷⁹³¹

But they must pick me out, with shackles tired

And over-labored at their public mill,

To make
⁷⁹³²
them sport
⁷⁹³³
with blind activity?

Do they not seek occasion of new quarrels

On my refusal to distress
⁷⁹³⁴
me more, 1330

Or make a game of my calamities?

Return the way thou cam’st. I will not come.

OFF. Regard
⁷⁹³⁵
thyself: this will offend them highly.

SAM. Myself? My conscience and internal peace!

Can they think me so broken, so debased

With corporal servitude, that my mind ever

Will condescend to such absurd commands?

Although their drudge,
⁷⁹³⁶
to be their fool or jester,

And in my midst of sorrow and heart-grief

To show them feats, and play
⁷⁹³⁷
before their god, 1340

The worst of all indignities, yet on me

Joined
⁷⁹³⁸
with extreme contempt? I will not come.

OFF. My message was imposed on me with speed,

Brooks no delay: is this thy resolution?
⁷⁹³⁹

SAM. So take it, with what speed thy message needs.

OFF. I am sorry
⁷⁹⁴⁰
what this stoutness
⁷⁹⁴¹
will produce.

SAM. Perhaps thou shalt have cause to sorrow indeed.

CHOR. Consider, Samson. Matters now are strained

Up to the height, whether to hold or break.

He’s gone, and who knows how he may report 1350

Thy words by adding fuel to the flame?

Expect another message more imperious,

More lordly thund’ring than thou well wilt bear.

SAM. Shall I abuse this consecrated gift

Of strength, again returning with my hair

After my great transgression? So requite
⁷⁹⁴²

Favor
⁷⁹⁴³
renewed, and add a greater sin

By prostituting holy things to idols?

A Nazarite
⁷⁹⁴⁴
in place abominable

Vaunting
⁷⁹⁴⁵
my strength in honor to their Dagon? 1360

Besides, how vile, contemptible, ridiculous,

What act more execrably unclean, profane?

CHOR. Yet with this strength thou serv’st the Philistines,

Idolatrous, uncircumcised, unclean.

SAM. Not in their idol-worship, but by labor

Honest and lawful to deserve my food

Of those who have me in their civil
⁷⁹⁴⁶
power.

CHOR. Where the heart joins not, outward acts defile not.

SAM. Where outward force constrains,
⁷⁹⁴⁷
the sentence
⁷⁹⁴⁸
holds.

But who constrains me to the temple of Dagon,

Not dragging? The Philistian lords command!

Commands are no constraints. If I obey them,

I do it freely, venturing to displease

God for the fear of man, and man prefer,

Set God behind—which in His jealousy
⁷⁹⁴⁹

Shall never, unrepented, find forgiveness.

Yet that He may dispense
⁷⁹⁵⁰
with me or thee,

Present in temples at idolatrous rites

For some important cause, thou need’st not doubt.

CHOR. How thou wilt here come off surmounts my reach. 1380

SAM. Be of good courage. I begin to feel

Some rousing
⁷⁹⁵¹
motions in me which dispose
⁷⁹⁵²

To something extraordinary my thoughts.

I with this messenger will go along—

Nothing to do, be sure, that may dishonor

Our Law, or stain my vow of Nazarite.

If there be aught of presage
⁷⁹⁵³
in the mind,

This day will be remarkable in my life

By some great act, or of my days the last.

CHOR. In time thou hast resolved: the man returns. 1390

OFF. Samson, this second message from our lords

To thee I am bid say. Art thou our slave,

Our captive, at the public mill our drudge,

And dar’st thou at our sending and command

Dispute thy coming? Come without delay,

Or we shall find
⁷⁹⁵⁴
such engines
⁷⁹⁵⁵
to assail
⁷⁹⁵⁶

And hamper
⁷⁹⁵⁷
thee, as thou shalt come of force,

Though thou wert firmlier fast’ned than a rock.

SAM. I could be well content to try
⁷⁹⁵⁸
their art,
⁷⁹⁵⁹

Which to no few of them would prove pernicious.
⁷⁹⁶⁰
1400

Yet knowing their advantages too many,

Because they shall
⁷⁹⁶¹
not trail
⁷⁹⁶²
me through their streets

Like a wild beast, I am content to go.

Masters’ commands come with a power resistless

To such as owe them absolute subjection,

And for a life who will not change his purpose?

(So mutable are all the ways of men)

Yet this be sure, in nothing to comply

Scandalous or forbidden in our Law.

OFF. I praise thy resolution. Doff
⁷⁹⁶³
these links:
⁷⁹⁶⁴
1410

By this compliance thou wilt win the lords

To favor, and perhaps to set thee free.

SAM. Brethren, farewell. Your company along

I will not wish, lest it perhaps offend them

To see me girt
⁷⁹⁶⁵
with friends. And how the sight

Of me as of a common enemy,

So dreaded once, may now exasperate
⁷⁹⁶⁶
them

I know not. Lords are lordliest in their wine,

And the well-feasted priest then soonest fired

With zeal, if aught religion seem concerned. 1420

No less the people on their holy-days

Impetuous,
⁷⁹⁶⁷
insolent,
⁷⁹⁶⁸
unquenchable.

Happ’n what may, of me expect to hear

Nothing dishonorable, impure, unworthy

Our God, our Law, my nation, or myself.

The last of me or no, I cannot warrant.
⁷⁹⁶⁹

CHOR. Go, and the Holy One

Of Israel be thy guide

To what may serve

His glory best, and spread His name

Great among the heathen round—
⁷⁹⁷⁰
1430

Send thee the Angel of thy birth, to stand

Fast by thy side, who from thy father’s field

Rode up in flames after his message told

Of thy conception, and be now a shield

Of fire—that Spirit that first rushed on thee

In the camp of Dan

Be efficacious in thee, now at need.

For never was from Heav’n imparted

Measure
⁷⁹⁷¹
of strength so great to mortal seed,

As in thy wond’rous actions hath been seen. 1440

But wherefore comes old Manoa in such haste,

With youthful steps? Much livelier than erewhile

He seems: supposing here to find his son,

Or of him bringing to us some glad news?

MAN. Peace with you, brethren. My inducement
⁷⁹⁷²
hither

Was not at present here to find my son,

By order of the lords new parted hence

To come and play
⁷⁹⁷³
before them at their feast.

I heard all as I came, the city rings

And numbers thither flock. I had no will,
⁷⁹⁷⁴
1450

Lest I should see him forced to things unseemly.

But that which moved my coming, now, was chiefly

To give ye part
⁷⁹⁷⁵
with me what hope I have

With good success to work his liberty.

CHOR. That hope would much rejoice us to partake
⁷⁹⁷⁶

With thee. Say reverend Sire, we thirst to hear.

MAN. I have attempted
⁷⁹⁷⁷
one by one the lords,

Either at home, or through the high street passing,

With supplication prone and father’s tears,

T’ accept of ransom for my son, their pris’ner. 1460

Some much averse
⁷⁹⁷⁸
I found, and wondrous harsh,

Contemptuous, proud, set on revenge and spite;

That part most reverenc’d Dagon and his priests.

Others more moderate seeming, but their aim

Private reward, for which both god and state

They easily would set to sale. A third

More generous
⁷⁹⁷⁹
far and civil,
⁷⁹⁸⁰
who confessed

They had enough revenged, having reduced

Their foe to misery beneath their fears.

The rest
⁷⁹⁸¹
was
⁷⁹⁸²
magnanimity
⁷⁹⁸³
to remit,
⁷⁹⁸⁴
1470

If some convenient
⁷⁹⁸⁵
ransom were proposed.

What noise or shout was that? It tore the sky.

CHOR. Doubtless the people shouting, to behold

Their once great dread, captive and blind before them,

Or at some proof of strength before them shown.

MAN. His ransom, if my whole inheritance
⁷⁹⁸⁶

May compass
⁷⁹⁸⁷
it, shall willingly be paid

And numbered down.
⁷⁹⁸⁸
Much rather I shall choose

To live the poorest in my tribe, than richest,

And he in that calamitous
⁷⁹⁸⁹
prison left. 1480

No, I am fixed
⁷⁹⁹⁰
not to part hence without him.

For his redemption all my patrimony,

If need be, I am ready to forego

And quit: not wanting
⁷⁹⁹¹
him, I shall want nothing.

CHOR. Fathers are wont
⁷⁹⁹²
to lay up
⁷⁹⁹³
for their sons:

Thou for thy son art bent to lay out all.

Sons wont to nurse their parents in old age:

Thou in old age car’st how to nurse thy son,

Made older than thy age, through eye-sight lost.

MAN. It shall be my delight to tend his eyes, 1490

And view him sitting in the house, enobled
⁷⁹⁹⁴

With all those high exploits by him achieved,

And on his shoulders waving down those locks,

That of a nation armed
⁷⁹⁹⁵
the strength contained.

And I persuade me God had not permitted

His strength again to grow up, with his hair

Garrisoned
⁷⁹⁹⁶
round about him like a camp
⁷⁹⁹⁷

Of faithful soldiery, were not His purpose

To use him further yet in some great service,

Not to sit idle with so great a gift 1500