The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (39 page)

541

      

In whirlwind. Hell scarce holds the wild uproar,

542

      

As when Alcides,
²¹⁴⁴
from Oechalia
²¹⁴⁵
crowned

543

      

With conquest, felt th’ envenomed robe,
²¹⁴⁶
and tore

544

      

Through pain up by the roots Thessalian
²¹⁴⁷
pines,

545

      

And Lichas
²¹⁴⁸
from the top of Oeta
²¹⁴⁹
threw

546

      

Into th’ Euboic sea.
²¹⁵⁰
Others, more mild,

547

      

Retreated
²¹⁵¹
in a silent valley, sing

548

      

With notes angelical to many a harp

549

      

Their own heroic deeds and hapless
²¹⁵²
fall

550

      

By doom
²¹⁵³
of battle, and complain that Fate

551

      

Free virtue should enthrall
²¹⁵⁴
to force or chance.
²¹⁵⁵

552

      

Their song was partial,
²¹⁵⁶
but the harmony

553

      

(What could it less when Spirits immortal sing?

554

      

Suspended
²¹⁵⁷
Hell, and took
²¹⁵⁸
with ravishment

555

      

The thronging audience. In discourse
²¹⁵⁹
more sweet

556

      

(For eloquence the soul,
²¹⁶⁰
song charms the sense)

557

      

Others apart sat on a hill retired,
²¹⁶¹

558

      

In thoughts more elevate, and reasoned high

559

      

Of providence, foreknowledge, will, and fate

560

      

Fixed fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute,

561

      

And found no end, in wand’ring mazes lost.

562

      

Of good and evil much they argued then,

563

      

Of happiness and final misery,

564

      

Passion and apathy, and glory and shame:

565

      

Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy

566

      

Yet with a pleasing sorcery could charm

567

      

Pain for a while, or anguish, and excite

568

      

Fallacious hope, or arm th’ obdurèd
²¹⁶²
breast

569

      

With stubborn patience, as with triple steel.

570

      

Another part, in squadrons and gross
²¹⁶³
bands,

571

      

On bold
²¹⁶⁴
adventure to discover
²¹⁶⁵
wide
²¹⁶⁶

572

      

That dismal world, if any clime perhaps

573

      

Might yield them easier habitation, bend

574

      

Four ways their flying
²¹⁶⁷
march, along the banks

575

      

Of four infernal rivers, that disgorge

576

      

Into the burning lake their baleful
²¹⁶⁸
streams—

577

      

Abhorrèd Styx, the flood
²¹⁶⁹
of deadly hate;

578

      

Sad Acheron of sorrow, black and deep;

579

      

Cocytus,
²¹⁷⁰
named of
²¹⁷¹
lamentation loud

580

      

Heard on the rueful
²¹⁷²
stream; fierce Phlegeton,
²¹⁷³

581

      

Whose waves of torrent
²¹⁷⁴
fire inflame
²¹⁷⁵
with rage.
²¹⁷⁶

582

      

Far off from these, a slow and silent stream,

583

      

Lethe,
²¹⁷⁷
the river of oblivion, rolls

584

      

Her wat’ry labyrinth,
²¹⁷⁸
whereof who drinks

585

      

Forthwith
²¹⁷⁹
his former state and being forgets—

586

      

Forgets both joy and grief, pleasure and pain.

587

      

Beyond this flood
²¹⁸⁰
a frozen continent

588

      

Lies dark and wild, beat with perpetual storms

589

      

Of whirlwind and dire hail, which on firm land

590

      

Thaws not, but gathers heap,
²¹⁸¹
and ruin seems

591

      

Of ancient pile,
²¹⁸²
all else deep snow and ice,

592

      

A gulf
²¹⁸³
profound
²¹⁸⁴
as that Serbonian bog
²¹⁸⁵

593

      

Betwixt Damiata
²¹⁸⁶
and Mount Casius
²¹⁸⁷
old,

594

      

Where armies whole have sunk. The parching
²¹⁸⁸
air

595

      

Burns frore,
²¹⁸⁹
and cold performs
²¹⁹⁰
th’ effect of fire.

596

      

Thither, by harpy-footed Furies haled,
²¹⁹¹

597

      

At certain revolutions
²¹⁹²
all the damned

598

      

Are brought and feel by turns the bitter change

599

      

Of fierce extremes, extremes by change more fierce,

600

      

From
²¹⁹³
beds of raging fire to starve
²¹⁹⁴
in ice

601

      

Their soft ethereal warmth, and there to pine
²¹⁹⁵

602

      

Immovable, infixed, and frozen round,

603

      

Periods
²¹⁹⁶
of time, thence hurried back to fire.

604

      

They ferry over this Lethean sound

605

      

Both to and fro, their sorrow to augment,

606

      

And wish and struggle, as they pass, to reach

607

      

The tempting stream, with one small drop to lose

608

      

In sweet forgetfulness all pain and woe,

609

      

All in one moment, and so near the brink.

610

      

But Fate withstands
²¹⁹⁷
and, to oppose th’ attempt,

611

      

Medusa,
²¹⁹⁸
with Gorgonian terror, guards

612

      

The ford, and of itself the water flies
²¹⁹⁹

613

      

All taste of living wight,
²²⁰⁰
as once it fled

614

      

The lip of Tantalus.
²²⁰¹
Thus roving on

615

      

In confused
²²⁰²
march forlorn, th’ adventurous bands,

616

      

With shuddering horror pale and eyes aghast,

617

      

Viewed first their lamentable
²²⁰³
lot, and found

618

      

No rest. Through many a dark and dreary vale

619

      

They passed, and many a region dolorous,

620

      

O’er many a frozen, many a fiery alp,

621

      

Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and shades of death—

622

      

A universe of death, which God by curse

623

      

Created evil, for evil only good,
²²⁰⁴

624

      

Where all life dies, death lives, and Nature breeds,

625

      

Perverse, all monstrous, all prodigious
²²⁰⁵
things,