The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (51 page)

544

      

Through dark and desert ways with peril gone

545

      

All night, at last by break of cheerful dawn

546

      

Obtains the brow of some high-climbing hill,

547

      

Which to his eye discovers
²⁶⁴¹
unaware

548

      

The goodly
²⁶⁴²
prospect
²⁶⁴³
of some foreign land

549

      

First seen, or some renowned metropolis

550

      

With glistering spires and pinnacles adorned,

551

      

Which now the rising sun gilds with his beams,

552

      

Such wonder seized, though after Heaven seen,

553

      

The Spirit malign, but much more envy seized,

554

      

At sight of all this world beheld so fair.

555

      

Round he surveys (and well might, where he stood

556

      

So high above the circling canopy

557

      

Of Night’s extended shade), from eastern point

558

      

Of Libra
²⁶⁴⁴
to the fleecy star
²⁶⁴⁵
that bears

559

      

Andromeda
²⁶⁴⁶
far off Atlantic seas

560

      

Beyond th’ horizon. Then from pole to pole

561

      

He views in breadth, and without longer pause

562

      

Down right into the world’s first region throws

563

      

His flight precipitant,
²⁶⁴⁷
and winds
²⁶⁴⁸
with ease

564

      

Through the pure marble
²⁶⁴⁹
air his oblique way

565

      

Amongst innumerable stars, that shone

566

      

Stars distant, but nigh hand seemed other worlds—

567

      

Or
²⁶⁵⁰
other worlds they seemed, or happy isles,

568

      

Like those Hesperian gardens
²⁶⁵¹
famed of old,

569

      

Fortunate fields, and groves, and flowery vales,

570

      

Thrice happy isles. But who dwelt happy there

571

      

He stayed
²⁶⁵²
not to inquire. Above them all

572

      

The golden sun, in splendor likest Heav’n,

573

      

Allured his eye. Thither his course he bends

574

      

Through the calm firmament, but up or down,

575

      

By center, or eccentric,
²⁶⁵³
hard to tell,
²⁶⁵⁴

576

      

Or longitude, where the great luminary
²⁶⁵⁵

577

      

Aloof
²⁶⁵⁶
the vulgar
²⁶⁵⁷
constellations thick,
²⁶⁵⁸

578

      

That from his
²⁶⁵⁹
lordly eye keep distance due,
²⁶⁶⁰

579

      

Dispenses light from far. They as they move

580

      

Their starry dance in numbers that compute

581

      

Days, months, and years, towards his all-cheering lamp

582

      

Turn swift their various
²⁶⁶¹
motions, or are turned

583

      

By his magnetic beam, that gently warms

584

      

The universe, and to each inward part

585

      

With gentle penetration, though unseen,

586

      

Shoots invisible virtue
²⁶⁶²
ev’n to the deep,

587

      

So wondrously was set his station bright.

588

      

   
There lands the fiend, a spot like which perhaps

589

      

Astronomer in the sun’s lucent
²⁶⁶³
orb

590

      

Through his glazed
²⁶⁶⁴
optic tube
²⁶⁶⁵
yet never saw.

591

      

The place he found beyond expression
²⁶⁶⁶
bright,

592

      

Compared with aught on earth, metal or stone,

593

      

Not all parts like, but all alike informed
²⁶⁶⁷

594

      

With radiant light, as glowing iron with fire.

595

      

If metal, part seemed gold, part silver clear;

596

      

If stone, carbuncle most or chrysolite,

597

      

Ruby or topaz, to the twelve that shone

598

      

In Aaron’s breast-plate,
²⁶⁶⁸
and a stone besides

599

      

Imagined rather oft than elsewhere seen,
²⁶⁶⁹

600

      

That stone, or like to that which here below

601

      

Philosophers in vain so long have sought—

602

      

In vain, though by their powerful art they bind

603

      

Volatile Hermes,
²⁶⁷⁰
and call up unbound

604

      

In various shapes old Proteus
²⁶⁷¹
from the sea,

605

      

Drained through a limbic
²⁶⁷²
to his native form.

606

      

What wonder then if fields and regions here

607

      

Breathe forth elixir
²⁶⁷³
pure, and rivers run

608

      

Potable
²⁶⁷⁴
gold? when with one virtuous
²⁶⁷⁵
touch

609

      

The arch-chemic
²⁶⁷⁶
sun, so far from us remote,
²⁶⁷⁷

610

      

Produces, with terrestrial humor
²⁶⁷⁸
mixed,

611

      

Here in the dark so many precious things

612

      

Of color glorious, and effect so rare?

613

      

Here matter new to gaze the Devil met,

614

      

Undazzled. Far and wide his eye commands,

615

      

For sight no obstacle found here, nor shade,

616

      

But all sun-shine, as when his beams at noon

617

      

Culminate
²⁶⁷⁹
from th’equator, as they now

618

      

Shot upward still direct, whence no way round

619

      

Shadow from body opaque can fall, and the air,

620

      

Nowhere so clear, sharpened his
²⁶⁸⁰
visual ray
²⁶⁸¹

621

      

To objects distant far, whereby he soon

622

      

Saw within ken
²⁶⁸²
a glorious Angel stand,

623

      

The same whom John saw also in the sun.
²⁶⁸³

624

      

His back was turned, but not his brightness hid.

625

      

Of beaming sunny rays a golden tiar
²⁶⁸⁴

626

      

Circled his head, nor less his locks behind

627

      

Illustrious
²⁶⁸⁵
on his shoulders fledge
²⁶⁸⁶
with wings

628

      

Lay waving round. On some great charge
²⁶⁸⁷
employed

629

      

He seemed, or fixed in cogitation
²⁶⁸⁸
deep.

630

      

   
Glad was the Spirit impure, as now in hope

631

      

To find who might direct his wandering flight