The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (86 page)

183

To future men, and in their dwellings peace

184

Glory to Him, whose just avenging ire

185

Had driven out the ungodly from His sight

186

And th’ habitations of the just; to Him

187

Glory and praise, whose wisdom had ordained

188

Good out of evil to create, instead

189

Of Spirits malign a better race to bring

190

Into their vacant room,
⁴¹⁷⁰
and thence diffuse

191

His good to worlds and ages infinite.

192

So sang the Hierarchies.
⁴¹⁷¹

“Meanwhile the Son

193

On his great expedition now appeared,

194

Girt with Omnipotence, with radiance crowned

195

Of Majesty Divine. Sapience
⁴¹⁷²
and love

196

Immense, and all his Father in him shone.

197

About his chariot numberless were poured

198

Cherub, and Seraph, Potentates, and Thrones,

199

And Virtues, wingèd Spirits, and chariots winged

200

From th’ armory
⁴¹⁷³
of God, where stand of old

201

Myriads, between two brazen
⁴¹⁷⁴
mountains lodged
⁴¹⁷⁵

202

Against a solemn day, harnessed at hand,

203

Celestial equipage,
⁴¹⁷⁶
and now came forth

204

Spontaneous,
⁴¹⁷⁷
for within them Spirit lived,

205

Attendant on their Lord. Heav’n op’ned wide

206

Her ever-during
⁴¹⁷⁸
gates, harmonious sound

207

On golden hinges moving, to let forth

208

The King of Glory, in his powerful Word

209

And Spirit, coming to create new worlds.

210

On Heav’nly ground they stood, and from the shore

211

They viewed the vast immeasurable abyss

212

Outrageous
⁴¹⁷⁹
as a sea, dark, wasteful,
⁴¹⁸⁰
wild,

213

Up from the bottom turned by furious winds

214

And surging waves, as mountains, to assault

215

Heav’n’s height, and with the center mix the pole.

216

   
“‘Silence, ye troubled waves, and thou, deep: peace!

217

Said then the Omnific
⁴¹⁸¹
Word. ‘Your discord end!

218

Nor stayed but on the wings of Cherubim

219

Uplifted, in paternal glory rode

220

Far into Chaos and the world unborn,

221

For Chaos heard His voice. Him all his train

222

Followed in bright procession, to behold

223

Creation, and the wonders of His might.

224

Then stayed the fervid
⁴¹⁸²
wheels, and in His hand

225

He took the golden compasses, prepared

226

In God’s eternal store, to circumscribe
⁴¹⁸³

227

This universe, and all created things.

228

One foot He centered, and the other turned

229

Round through the vast profundity
⁴¹⁸⁴
obscure.

230

And said: ‘Thus far extend, thus far thy bounds,

231

This be thy just circumference, O world!

232

Thus God the Heav’n created, thus the earth,

233

Matter unformed and void. Darkness profound
⁴¹⁸⁵

234

Covered the abyss, but on the wat’ry calm

235

His brooding wings the Spirit of God outspread,

236

And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth

237

Throughout the fluid mass, but downward purged
⁴¹⁸⁶

238

The black tartareous
⁴¹⁸⁷
cold infernal dregs,

239

Adverse to life. Then founded,
⁴¹⁸⁸
then conglobed
⁴¹⁸⁹

240

Like things to like; the rest to several place

241

Disparted,
⁴¹⁹⁰
and between
⁴¹⁹¹
spun out the air,

242

And earth self-balanced on her center hung.

243

‘Let there be light,’ said God, and forthwith light

244

Ethereal,
⁴¹⁹²
first of things, quintessence
⁴¹⁹³
pure,

245

Sprung from the deep, and from her native east

246

To journey through the airy gloom began,

247

Sphered in a radiant cloud, for yet the sun

248

Was not; she
⁴¹⁹⁴
in a cloudy tabernacle
⁴¹⁹⁵

249

Sojourned
⁴¹⁹⁶
the while. God saw the light was good,

250

And light from darkness by the hemisphere

251

Divided; light the Day, and darkness Night

252

He named. Thus was the first day, ev’n and morn,

253

Nor passed uncelebrated, nor unsung

254

By the celestial choirs, when orient
⁴¹⁹⁷
light

255

Exhaling
⁴¹⁹⁸
first from darkness they beheld,

256

Birth-day of Heav’n and earth. With joy and shout

257

The hollow universal orb they filled,

258

And touched their golden harps, and hymning praised

259

God and His works. Creator Him they sung,

260

Both when first ev’ning was, and when first morn.

261

Again, God said: ‘Let there be firmament
⁴¹⁹⁹

262

Amid the waters, and let it divide

263

The waters from the waters. ’And God made

264

The firmament, expanse of liquid, pure,

265

Transparent, elemental air, diffused

266

In circuit to the uttermost convex

267

Of this great round, partition
⁴²⁰⁰
firm and sure,

268

The waters underneath from those above

269

Dividing, for as earth, so He the world

270

Built on circumfluous
⁴²⁰¹
waters calm, in wide

271

Crystalline ocean, and the loud
⁴²⁰²
misrule
⁴²⁰³

272

Of Chaos far removed,
⁴²⁰⁴
lest fierce extremes