The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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The Hell within him, for within him Hell
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He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell
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One step, no more than from himself, can fly
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By change of place. Now conscience wakes despair
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That slumbered, wakes the bitter memory
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Of what he what must be
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Worse: of 2751 worse deeds, worse sufferings must ensue. 2752
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Sometimes towards Eden, which now in his view
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Lay pleasant, his grieved look he fixes sad,
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Sometimes towards Heav’n and the full-blazing sun,
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Which now sat high in his2753 meridian2754 tower.
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Then much2755 revolving, 2756 thus in sighs began:
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“O thou,2757 that with surpassing glory crowned,
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Look’st from thy sole dominion like the god
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Of this new world, at whose sight all the stars
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Hide their diminished heads, to thee I call,
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But with no friendly voice, and add thy name,
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O Sun! to tell thee how I hate thy beams,
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That bring to my remembrance from what state
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I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere, 2758
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Till pride and worse ambition threw me down,
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Warring in Heav’n against Heav’n’s matchless King.
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Ah, wherefore! He deserved no such return
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From me, whom He created what I was
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In that bright eminence, 2759 and with His good
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Upbraided 2760 none. Nor was His service hard.
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What could be less than to afford 2761 Him praise,
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The easiest recompence, 2762 and pay Him thanks—
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How due! 2763 Yet all His good proved ill in me,
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And wrought 2764 but malice. Lifted up so high
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I ’sdained 2765 subjection,2766 and thought one step higher
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Would set me highest, and in a moment quit2767
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The debt immense of endless gratitude,
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So burdensome still 2768 paying, still to owe,
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Forgetful what from Him I still received,
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And understood not that a grateful mind
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By owing owes not, but still pays, at once
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Indebted and discharged. What burden then?
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O, had His powerful destiny ordained
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Me some inferior Angel, I had stood 2769
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Then happy: no unbounded 2770 hope had raised
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Ambition! Yet why not? Some other Power 2771
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As great might have aspired, and me, though mean,2772
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Drawn2773 to his part.2774 But other Powers as great
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Fell not, but stand unshaken from within
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Or from without, to all temptations armed.2775
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Hadst thou the same free will and power to stand?2776
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Thou hadst: whom hast thou then or what t’ accuse,
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But Heav’n’s free2777 love dealt equally to all?
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Be then His love accursed, since love or hate,
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To me alike, it deals2778 eternal woe.
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Nay, cursed be thou,2779 since against His thy will
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Chose freely what it now so justly2780 rues!2781
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“Me miserable! 2782 Which way shall I fly2783
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Infinite wrath, and infinite despair?
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Which2784 way I fly is Hell. Myself am Hell,
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And in the lowest deep a lower deep
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Still threat’ning to devour me opens wide,
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To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heav’n.
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O then, at last relent! 2785 Is there no place
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Left for repentance, none for pardon left?
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None left but by submission, and that word
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Disdain forbids me, and my dread of shame
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Among the Spirits beneath, whom I seduced
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With other promises and other vaunts2786
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Than to submit, boasting I could subdue
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The Omnipotent. Ay me! they little know
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How dearly2787 I abide 2788 that boast so vain,
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Under what torments inwardly I groan,
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While they adore me on the throne of Hell!
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With diadem and scepter high advanced2789
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The lower still I fall, only supreme
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In misery. Such joy ambition finds!2790
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But say I could repent, and could obtain,
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By act of grace, my former state, how soon
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Would height recall high thoughts, how soon unsay
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What feigned 2791 submission swore? Ease would recant2792
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Vows made in pain, as violent2793 and void.
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For never can true reconcilement grow
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Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep,
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Which would but lead me to a worse relapse
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And heavier fall. So should I purchase dear2794
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Short intermission, bought with double smart.2795
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This knows my punisher, therefore as far
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From granting He, as I from begging, peace.
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All hope excluded thus, behold, instead
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Of us 2796 out-cast, exiled, his new delight,
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Mankind created, and for him 2797 this world.
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So farewell hope and, with hope, farewell fear,
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Farewell remorse! All good to me is lost.
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Evil, be thou my good: by thee at least
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Divided empire with Heav’n’s King I hold—
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By thee, and more than half 2798 perhaps will reign,
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As man ere long, and this new world, shall know.
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Thus while he spoke, each passion dimmed his face
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Thrice changed with pale, 2799 ire, 2800 envy, and despair,
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Which marred2801 his borrowed visage, and betrayed
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Him counterfeit, if any eye beheld.
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For Heav’nly minds from such distempers2802 foul
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Are ever clear. 2803 Whereof he soon aware,
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Each perturbation2804 smoothed with outward calm,
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Artificer2805 of fraud, and2806 was the first
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That practised falsehood under saintly show,
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D
eep malice to conceal, couched2807 with revenge.
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Yet not enough had practised 2808 to deceive
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Uriel, once warned, whose eye pursued him down
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The way he went, and on the Assyrian mount
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Saw him disfigured, more than could befall 2809
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Spirit of happy sort. His gestures fierce
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He marked, and mad demeanor, 2810 then alone,
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As he supposed, all unobserved, unseen.
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So on he fares,2811 and to the border comes
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Of Eden, where delicious Paradise,
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Now nearer, crowns with her enclosure green,
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As with a rural mound, the champaign2812 head 2813
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Of a steep wilderness, whose hairy sides
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With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild,
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Access denied.2814 And overhead up grew
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Insuperable2815 height of loftiest shade,
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Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm,
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A sylvan2816 scene, and as the ranks 2817 ascend,
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Shade above shade, a woody theater 2818
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Of stateliest 2819 view. Yet higher than their tops
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The verdurous wall of Paradise upsprung,
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Which to our general2820 sire gave prospect large 2821
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Into his 2822 nether 2823 empire neighboring round.
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And higher than that wall a circling row
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Of goodliest2824 trees, loaden with fairest fruit,
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Blossoms and fruits at once2825 of golden hue
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Appeared, with gay enamelled 2826 colors mixed,
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On which the sun more glad impressed 2827 his beams
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Than in fair evening cloud, or humid bow, 2828
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When God hath show’red the earth. So lovely seemed
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That landscape. And of pure now purer 2829 air
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Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires
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Vernal2830 delight and joy, able to drive2831
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All sadness but despair. Now gentle gales,2832
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Fanning their odoriferous2833 wings, dispense2834
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Native2835 perfumes, and whisper whence they stole
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Those balmy spoils.2836 As when to them who sail
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Beyond the Cape of Hope, 2837 and now are past
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Mozambique, 2838 off at sea north-east winds blow
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Sabean2839 odors from the spicy shore
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Of Araby the blest,2840 with such delay
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Well pleased they slack2841 their course, 2842 and many a league2843
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Cheered with the grateful 2844 smell old ocean smiles.
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So entertained 2845 those odorous sweets the fiend,
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Who came their bane, 2846 though with them better pleased
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Than Asmodeus2847 with the fishy fume2848
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That drove him, though enamored, from the spouse
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Of Tobit’s son, and with a vengeance sent 2849
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From Media post2850 to Egypt, there fast bound.2851
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Now to the ascent of that steep savage2852 hill
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Satan had journeyed on, pensive and slow,
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But further way found none, so thick entwined,
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As one continued brake, 2853 the undergrowth
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Of shrubs and tangling bushes had perplexed 2854
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All path of man or beast that passed that way.
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One gate there only was, and that looked east
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On th’ other side. Which when the arch-felon saw,
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Due entrance he disdained and, in contempt,
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At one slight2855 bound high over-leaped all bound
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Of hill or highest wall, and sheer2856 within
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Lights on his feet. As when a prowling wolf,
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Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey,
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Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve
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In hurdled 2857 cotes2858 amid the field secure,
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Leaps o’er the fence with ease into the fold—
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Or as a thief, bent to unhoard 2859 the cash
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Of some rich burgher, whose substantial doors,
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Cross-barred and bolted fast, fear no assault,
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In at the window climbs, or o’er the tiles,2860
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So clomb2861 this first grand thief into God’s fold.
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So since into His church lewd hirelings climb.
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Thence up he flew, and on the Tree of Life,
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The middle tree and highest there that grew,
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Sat like a cormorant, yet not true life
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Thereby regained, but sat devising death
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To them who lived, nor on the virtue thought
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Of that life-giving plant, but only used
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For prospect,2862 what well-used had been2863 the pledge2864
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Of immortality. So little knows
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Any, but God alone, to value right
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The good before him, but perverts best things
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To worst abuse, or to their meanest 2865 use.
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Beneath him with new wonder now he views,
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To all delight of human sense exposed
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In narrow room,2866 Nature’s whole wealth, yea more,
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A Heav’n on earth. For blissful Paradise
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Of God the garden was, by Him in th’ east
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Of Eden planted. Eden stretched her line2867
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From Auran2868 eastward to the royal tow’rs
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Of great Seleucia,2869 built by Grecian kings,
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Or where the sons of Eden long before
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Dwelt in Telassar. 2870 In this pleasant soil
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His far more pleasant garden God ordained.
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Out of the fertile ground He caused to grow
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All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste,
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And all amid them stood the Tree of Life,
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High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit
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Of vegetable2871 gold. And next to life
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Our death, the Tree of Knowledge, grew fast by,
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Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill.
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Southward through Eden went a river large,
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Nor changed his course, but through the shaggy2872 hill
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Passed underneath engulfed,2873 for God had thrown2874
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That mountain as His garden-mold 2875 high raised
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Upon the rapid current, which through veins
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Of porous earth with kindly 2876 thirst up-drawn,