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
444 | | Unhurt our minds, and understanding sound, |
445 | | Due search and consultation will disclose. |
446 | | |
447 | | |
448 | | As one he stood escaped from cruel fight, |
449 | | |
450 | | |
451 | | |
452 | | Enjoyment of our right as gods! Yet hard |
453 | | For gods, and too unequal work we find, |
454
Against unequal arms to fight in pain,
455
Against unpained, impassive,
3918
from which evil
456
Ruin must needs ensue. For what avails
457
Valor or strength, though matchless, quelled
3919
with pain
458
Which all subdues, and makes remiss
3920
the hands
459
Of mightiest? Sense of pleasure we may well
460
461
But live content, which is the calmest life.
462
But pain is perfect misery, the worst
463
Of evils and, excessive, overturns
464
All patience. He who therefore can invent
3923
465
With what more forcible we may offend
3924
466
Our yet unwounded enemies, or arm
467
Ourselves with like defence, to me deserves
468
No less than for deliverance what we owe.
469
Whereto with look composed Satan replied:
470
“‘Not uninvented that, which thou aright
3925
471
Believ’st so main
3926
to our success, I bring.
472
Which of us who beholds the bright surface
473
474
This continent of spacious Heav’n, adorned
475
With plant, fruit, flow’r ambrosial, gems, and gold—
476
Whose eye so superficially
3929
surveys
477
These things, as not to mind
3930
from whence they grow
478
Deep under ground, materials dark and crude,
479
Of spiritous and fiery spume,
3931
till touched
480
With Heav’n’s ray, and tempered,
3932
they shoot forth
481
So beauteous, opening to the ambient
3933
light?
482
These in their dark nativity
3934
the deep
483
Shall yield us, pregnant with infernal flame,
484
Which into hollow engines, long and round,
485
486
Dilated
3937
and infuriate, shall send forth
487
From far, with thund’ring noise, among our foes
488
Such implements of mischief as shall dash
489
To pieces and o’erwhelm whatever stands
490
Adverse,
3938
that they shall fear we have disarmed
491
The Thunderer of His only dreaded bolt.
492
Nor long shall be our labor: yet ere dawn,
493
Effect
3939
shall end our wish. Meanwhile revive,
494
Abandon fear, to strength and counsel joined
495
Think nothing hard, much less to be despaired.
496
“He ended, and his words their drooping cheer
3940
497
498
Th’ invention all admired, and each, how he
499
To be the inventer missed, so easy it seemed
500
Once found, which yet unfound most would have thought
501
Impossible. Yet, haply,
3943
of thy race
502
In future days, if malice should abound,
503
Someone intent on mischief, or inspired
504
With devilish machination,
3944
might devise
505
Like
3945
instrument to plague the sons of men
506
For sin, on war and mutual slaughter bent.
507
Forthwith from council to the work they flew.
508
None arguing stood; innumerable hands
509
Were ready. In a moment up they turned
510
Wide the celestial soil, and saw beneath
511
The originals
3946
of Nature in their crude
512
Conception. Sulphurous and nitrous foam
513
They found, they mingled and, with subtle art,
514
515
To blackest grain,
3949
and into store conveyed.
516
Part
3950
hidden veins digged up (nor hath this earth
517
Entrails unlike) of mineral and stone,
518
Whereof to found
3951
their engines and their balls
519
520
Provide, pernicious
3954
with one touch to fire.
521
So all ere day-spring, under conscious Night,
3955
522
Secret they finished, and in order set,
523
With silent circumspection,
3956
unespied.
524
“Now when fair morn orient
3957
in Heav’n appeared,
525
Up rose the victor-Angels, and to arms
526
The matin trumpet sung. In arms they stood
527
528
Soon banded.
3961
Others from the dawning hills
529
Look round, and scouts each coast light-armèd scour,
530
Each quarter to descry
3962
the distant foe,