The Annotated Read Online

798

And summons read, the great consult began

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   High on a throne of royal state, which far

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Outshone the wealth of Ormus1918 and of Ind,1919

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Or where the gorgeous1920 East with richest hand

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Show’rs on her kings barbaric pearl and gold

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Satan exalted sat, by merit raised

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To that bad eminence and, from despair

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Thus high uplifted beyond hope, aspires

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Beyond thus high, insatiate1921 to pursue

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Vain war with Heav’n and, by success1922 untaught

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His proud imaginations thus displayed

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   “Powers and Dominions, Deities of Heav’n!—

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For since no deep within her gulf 1923 can hold

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Immortal vigor, 1924 though oppressed and fall’n,

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I give not Heav’n for lost. From this descent

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Celestial Virtues1925 rising will appear

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More glorious and more dread than from no fall

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And trust themselves to fear no second fate

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Me, though, just right 1926 and the fixed laws of Heav’n

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Did first create your leader, next free choice

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With what besides in council or in fight

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Hath been achieved of merit, yet this loss

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Thus far at least recovered,1927 hath much more

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Established in a safe, unenvied throne

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Yielded with full consent. The happier1928 state

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In Heav’n, which follows1929 dignity, 1930 might draw

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Envy from each inferior. But who here

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Will envy whom the highest place exposes

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Foremost to stand against the Thunderer’s aim

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Your bulwark,1931 and condemns to greatest share

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Of endless pain? Where there is then no good

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For which to strive, no strife can grow up there

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From faction,1932 for none sure will claim in Hell

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Precedence, none whose portion is so small

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Of present pain that with ambitious mind

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Will covet more! With this advantage, then

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To union, and firm faith, and firm accord

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More than can be in Heav’n, we now return

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To claim our just inheritance of old

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Surer to prosper than prosperity

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Could have assured us. And by what best way

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Whether of open war or covert guile

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We now debate. Who can advise may speak

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   He ceased. And next 1933 him Moloch, sceptered king,

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Stood up—the strongest and the fiercest Spirit

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That fought in Heav’n, now fiercer by despair

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His trust1934 was with th’ Eternal to be deemed

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Equal in strength, and rather than be less

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Cared not to be at all. With that care lost

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Went all his fear—of God, or Hell, or worse

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He recked1935 not—and these words thereafter spoke:

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   My sentence1936 is for open war. Of wiles

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More unexpert, I boast not. Then let those

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Contrive who need, or when they need; not now

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For while they sit contriving, shall the rest

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Millions that stand in arms, and longing wait

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The signal to ascend—sit ling’ring here

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Heav’n’s fugitives? and for their dwelling-place

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Accept this dark opprobrious1937 den of shame

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The prison of His tyranny who reigns

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By our delay? No! Let us rather choose

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Armed with Hell-flames and fury, all at once

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O’er Heav’n’s high tow’rs to force resistless way

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Turning our tortures into horrid arms

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Against the Torturer! When to meet the noise

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Of His almighty engine, 1938 He shall hear

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Infernal thunder and, for lightning, see

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Black fire and horror shot with equal rage

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Among His Angels, and His throne itself

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Mixed with Tartarean1939 sulphur and strange1940 fire

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His own invented torments. But perhaps

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The way seems difficult, and steep to scale

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With upright wing against a higher foe

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Let such bethink them, if the sleepy drench1941

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Of that forgetful 1942 lake benumb not still

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That in our proper1943 motion we ascend

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Up to our native seat; descent and fall

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To us is adverse. 1944 Who but felt of late

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When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear 1945

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Insulting, 1946 and pursued us through the deep

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With what compulsion and laborious flight

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We sunk thus low? Th’ ascent is easy, then

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Th’ event1947 is feared! Should we again provoke

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Our stronger, some worse way His wrath may find

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To our destruction, if there be in Hell

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Fear to be worse destroyed! What can be worse

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Than to dwell here, driv’n out from bliss condemned

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In this abhorrèd1948 deep to utter1949 woe

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Where pain of unextinguishable fire

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Must exercise1950 us without hope of end

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The vassals1951 of His anger, when the scourge

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Inexorably, and the torturing hour

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Calls us to penance? More destroyed than thus

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We should be quite abolished, and expire

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What fear we then? What doubt we to incense1952

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His utmost ire? which, to the height enraged

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Will either quite consume us, and reduce

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To nothing this essential1953 —happier far

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Than miserable to have eternal being

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Or if our substance be indeed divine

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And cannot cease to be, we are at worst

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On this side nothing. And by proof we feel

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Our power sufficient to disturb His Heav’n,

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And with perpetual inroads to alarm

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Though inaccessible, His fatal throne

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Which if not victory, is yet revenge

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   He ended frowning, and his look denounced1954

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Desperate revenge, and battle dangerous

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To less than gods. On th’ other side up rose

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Belial, in act more graceful and humane

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A fairer person lost not Heav’n. He seemed

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For dignity composed, and high exploit

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But all was false and hollow, though his tongue

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Dropped manna1955 and could make the worse appear

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The better reason, to perplex1956 and dash1957

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Maturest counsels, for his thoughts were low

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To vice industrious, but to nobler deeds

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Timorous and slothful. Yet he pleased the ear

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And with persuasive accent thus began

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   “I should be much for open war, O peers,1958

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As not behind in hate, if what was urged

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Main reason to persuade immediate war

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Did not dissuade me most, and seem to cast

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Ominous conjecture1959 on the whole success,1960

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When he who most excels in fact1961 of arms

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In what he counsels and in what excels

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Mistrustful, grounds his courage on despair

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And utter dissolution1962 as the scope1963

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Of all his aim,1964 after some dire revenge

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First, what revenge? The tow’rs of Heav’n are filled

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With armèd watch that render all access

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Impregnable. Oft on the bordering deep

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Encamp their legions, or with obscure1965 wing

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Scout far and wide into the realm of Night

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Scorning surprise. Or could 1966 we break our way

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By force, and at our heels all Hell should rise

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With blackest insurrection to confound1967

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Heav’n’s purest light, yet our great enemy

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All incorruptible, would on His throne

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Sit unpolluted, and th’ ethereal 1968 mould,1969

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Incapable of stain, would soon expel

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Her mischief, 1970 and purge off the baser1971 fire

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Victorious. Thus repulsed, our final hope

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Is flat1972 despair: we must exasperate

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Th’Almighty victor to spend1973 all His rage

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And that must end us, that must be our cure

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To be no more. Sad cure! for who would lose, 1974

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Though full of pain, this intellectual being, 1975

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Those thoughts that wander through eternity

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To perish rather, swallowed up and lost

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In the wide womb of uncreated Night

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Devoid of sense and motion? And who knows

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Let this be good, whether our angry foe

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Can give it, or will ever? How He can

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Is doubtful; that He never will is sure

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Will He, so wise, let loose at once His ire

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Belike1976 through impotence or unaware

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To give His enemies their wish, and end

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Them in His anger, whom His anger saves

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To punish endless? ‘Wherefore cease we, then

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Say they who counsel war: ‘we are decreed,1977

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Reserved,1978 and destined to eternal woe

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Whatever doing, what can we suffer more

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What can we suffer worse?’ Is this, then, worst

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Thus sitting, thus consulting, thus in arms

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What when we fled amain,1979 pursued and struck

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With Heav’n’s afflicting thunder, and besought

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The deep to shelter us? This Hell then seemed

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A refuge from those wounds. Or when we lay

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Chained on the burning lake? That sure was worse.

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What if the breath that kindled those grim fires

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Awaked, should blow them into sevenfold rage

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And plunge us in the flames? Or from above

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Should intermitted 1980 vengeance arm again

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His red right hand to plague us? What if all

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Her stores were opened, and this firmament

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Of Hell should spout her cataracts of fire

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Impendent1981 horrors, threat’ning hideous fall

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One day upon our heads, while we, perhaps

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Designing or exhorting glorious war

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Caught in a fiery tempest, shall be hurled

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Each on his rock transfixed, the sport and prey

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Of racking1982 whirlwinds, or for ever sunk

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Under yon boiling ocean, wrapped in chains

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There to converse with everlasting groans

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Unrespited,1983 unpitied, unreprieved

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Ages of hopeless end? This would be worse

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War, therefore, open or concealed, alike

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My voice dissuades. For what can force or guile

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With Him, or who deceive His mind, whose eye

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Views all things at one view? He from Heav’n’s height

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All these our motions vain sees and derides

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Not more Almighty to resist our might

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Than wise to frustrate all our plots and wiles

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Shall we, then, live thus vile—the race of Heav’n

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Thus trampled, thus expelled, to suffer here

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Chains and these torments? Better these than worse,

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By my advice, since fate inevitable

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Subdues us, and omnipotent decree

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The victor’s will. To suffer, as to do,

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Our strength is equal, nor the law unjust

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That so ordains. This was at first resolved

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If we were wise, against so great a foe

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Contending, 1984 and so1985 doubtful what might fall.1986

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I laugh when those who at the spear are bold

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And vent’rous, if that fail them, shrink, and fear

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What yet they know must follow—to endure

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Exile, or ignominy, 1987 or bonds, or pain

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The sentence of their conqueror. This is now

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Our doom,1988 which if we can sustain and bear

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Our Supreme foe in time may much remit1989

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His anger, and perhaps, thus far removed,1990

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Not mind1991 us, not offending, satisfied

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With what is punished, whence these raging fires

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Will slacken, if His breath stir not their flames

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Our purer essence then will overcome

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Their noxious1992 vapor or, inured,1993 not feel

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Or, changed at length, and to the place conformed 1994

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In temper and in nature, will receive

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Familiar the fierce heat, and void of pain

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This horror will grow mild, this darkness light

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Besides what hope the never-ending flight

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Of future days may bring, what chance, what change

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Worth waiting—since our present lot appears

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For happy though but ill, for ill not worst

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If we procure not to ourselves more woe

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Thus Belial, with words clothed in reason’s garb

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Counselled ignoble ease and peaceful sloth

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Not peace.