The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (83 page)

801

      

   
“‘Stand still in bright array, ye Saints; here stand,

802

      

Ye Angels armed; this day from battle rest.

803

      

Faithful hath been your warfare, and of God

804

      

Accepted, fearless in His righteous cause,

805

      

And as ye have received, so have ye done,

806

      

Invincibly. But of this cursèd crew

807

      

The punishment to other hand belongs.

808

      

Vengeance is His, or whose He sole appoints.

809

      

Number to this day’s work is not ordained,

810

      

Nor multitude. Stand only, and behold

811

      

God’s indignation on these godless poured

812

      

By me. Not you, but me, they have despised,

813

      

Yet envied. Against me is all their rage,

814

      

Because the Father, to whom in Heav’n supreme

815

      

Kingdom, and power, and glory appertains,

816

      

Hath honored me, according to His will.

817

      

Therefore to me their doom
⁴⁰⁶⁴
He hath assigned,

818

      

That they may have their wish, to try
⁴⁰⁶⁵
with me

819

      

In battle which the stronger proves, they all,

82

      

Or I alone against them, since by strength

821

      

They measure all, of other excellence

822

      

Not emulous,
⁴⁰⁶⁶
nor care who them excels.

823

      

Nor other strife with them do I vouchsafe. ’
⁴⁰⁶⁷

824

      

   
“So spoke the Son, and into terror changed

825

      

His count’nance, too severe to be beheld,

826

      

And full of wrath bent on his enemies.

827

      

At once the Four spread out their starry wings

828

      

With dreadful shade contiguous, and the orbs

829

      

Of his fierce chariot rolled, as with the sound

830

      

Of torrent floods, or of a numerous host.
⁴⁰⁶⁸

831

      

He on his impious foes right onward drove,

832

      

Gloomy
⁴⁰⁶⁹
as night. Under his burning wheels

833

      

The steadfast empyrean
⁴⁰⁷⁰
shook throughout,

834

      

All but the throne itself of God. Full soon

835

      

Among them he arrived, in his right hand

836

      

Grasping ten thousand thunders, which he sent

837

      

Before him, such as in their souls infixed

838

      

Plagues.
⁴⁰⁷¹
They astonished
⁴⁰⁷²
all resistance lost,

839

      

All courage. Down their idle
⁴⁰⁷³
weapons dropped.

840

      

O’er shields, and helms, and helmèd heads he rode

841

      

Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim prostrate,

842

      

That wished the mountains now might be again

843

      

Thrown on them, as a shelter from his ire.
⁴⁰⁷⁴

844

      

Nor less on either side tempestuous fell

845

      

His arrows, from the fourfold-visaged Four

846

      

Distinct
⁴⁰⁷⁵
with eyes, and from the living wheels

847

      

Distinct alike with multitude of eyes.

848

      

One Spirit in them ruled; and every eye

849

      

Glared lightning, and shot forth pernicious
⁴⁰⁷⁶
fire

850

      

Among the accursed, that withered all their strength,

851

      

And of their wonted
⁴⁰⁷⁷
vigor left them drained,

852

      

Exhausted, spiritless, afflicted, fall’n.

853

      

Yet half his strength he put not forth, but checked

854

      

His thunder in mid volley, for he meant

855

      

Not to destroy, but root them out of Heav’n.

856

      

The overthrown he raised, and as a herd

857

      

Of goats or timorous flock together thronged

858

      

Drove them before him thunder-struck, pursued

859

      

With terrors, and with furies, to the bounds

860

      

And crystal wall of Heav’n, which op’ning wide,

861

      

Rolled inward, and a spacious gap disclosed

862

      

Into the wasteful
⁴⁰⁷⁸
deep. The monstrous sight

863

      

Struck them with horror backward, but far worse

864

      

Urged them behind. Headlong themselves they threw

865

      

Down from the verge
⁴⁰⁷⁹
of Heav’n. Eternal wrath

866

      

Burnt after them to the bottomless pit.

867

      

   
“Hell heard th’ unsufferable
⁴⁰⁸⁰
noise, Hell saw

868

      

Heav’n ruining
⁴⁰⁸¹
from Heav’n, and would have fled

869

      

Affrighted, but strict
⁴⁰⁸²
Fate had cast too deep

870

      

Her dark foundations, and too fast had bound.

871

      

Nine days they fell. Confounded
⁴⁰⁸³
Chaos roared,

872

      

And felt tenfold confusion in their fall

873

      

Through his wild anarchy, so huge a rout
⁴⁰⁸⁴

874

      

Encumbered him with ruin. Hell at last

875

      

Yawning
⁴⁰⁸⁵
received them whole, and on them closed,

876

      

Hell their fit habitation, fraught
⁴⁰⁸⁶
with fire

877

      

Unquenchable, the house of woe and pain.

878

      

Disburdened Heav’n rejoiced, and soon repaired

879

      

Her mural
⁴⁰⁸⁷
breach, returning whence it rolled.

880

      

   
“Sole victor, from th’ expulsion of his foes,

881

      

Messiah his triumphal chariot turned.

882

      

To meet him all his Saints, who silent stood

883

      

Eye-witnesses of his almighty acts,

884

      

With jubilee
⁴⁰⁸⁸
advanced and, as they went,

885

      

Shaded with branching palm, each Order bright

886

      

Sung triumph, and him sung victorious King,

887

      

Son, heir, and Lord, to him dominion giv’n,

888

      

Worthiest to reign. He celebrated rode

889

      

Triumphant through mid Heav’n, into the courts

890

      

And temple of his Mighty Father throned

891

      

On high, who into glory him received,

892

      

Where now he sits at the right hand of bliss.