And sense of Heav’n’s desertion.
I was His nursling once, and choice delight,
His destined7610 from the womb,
Promised by Heav’nly message twice descending.
Under His special7611 eye
Abstemious7612 I grew up and thrived amain.7613
He led me on to mightiest deeds
(Above the nerve7614 of mortal arm)
Against th’ uncircumcised, our enemies,
But now hath cast me off as7615 never known,
And to those cruel enemies,
Whom I by His appointment7616 had provoked,7617
Left me all helpless with th’ irreparable loss
Of sight, reserved alive to be repeated7618
The subject of their cruelty, or scorn.
Nor am I in the list7619 of them that hope.
Hopeless are all my evils, all remediless.
This one prayer yet remains, might I be heard:
No long petition, speedy death,
The close of all my miseries, and the balm.
CHOR. Many are the sayings of the wise,
In ancient and in modern books enrolled,7620
Extolling patience as the truest fortitude,7621
And to the bearing well of all calamities,
All chances incident to man’s frail life,
Consolatories writ
With studied 7622 argument, and much persuasion7623 sought,7624
Lenient7625 of grief and anxious thought.
But with th’ afflicted in his pangs their sound
Little prevails, or rather seems a tune
Harsh, and of dissonant mood from his complaint,
Unless he feel within
Some source of consolation from above,
Secret refreshings, that repair7626 his strength,
And fainting spirits uphold.
God of our fathers, what is man!
That Thou towards him with hand so various,7627
Or might I say contrarious,
Temper’st Thy providence through his short course7628
Not evenly, as thou rul’st
The Angelic orders and inferior creatures mute,
Irrational and brute.
Nor do I name of men the common rout,7629
That wand’ring loose7630 about
Grow up and perish, as7631 the summer fly,
Heads without name no more remembered!
But such as Thou hast solemnly7632 elected,7633
With gifts and graces eminently adorned
To some great work, Thy glory
And people’s safety,7634 which in part they effect.
Yet toward these thus dignified,7635 Thou oft
Amidst their height of noon
Changest Thy countenance and Thy hand, with no regard
Of highest favors past
From Thee on them, or them to Thee of service.
Nor only dost degrade them, or remit7636
To life obscured, which were a fair dismission,
But throw’st them lower than Thou did’st exalt them high,
Unseemly falls,7637 in human eye,
Too grievous for the trespass or omission—
Oft leav’st them to the hostile sword
Of heathen and profane,7638 their carcasses
To dogs and fowls a prey, or else captived,
Or to the unjust tribunals, under change of times,
And condemnation of the ungrateful multitude.
If these they scape, perhaps in poverty
With sickness and disease Thou bow’st them down,
Painful diseases and deformed,
In crude7639 old age,
Though not disordinate,7640 yet causeless suff ’ring
The punishment of dissolute days. In fine,7641
Just or unjust alike seem miserable,
For oft alike both come to evil end.
So7642 deal not, with this once Thy glorious champion,
The image of Thy strength, and mighty minister.7643
What do I beg? How hast Thou dealt7644 already?
Behold him in this state calamitous, and turn
His labors—for Thou canst—to peaceful end.
But who is this, what thing of sea or land?
Female of sex it seems,
That so bedecked, ornate, and gay,
Comes this way sailing
Like a stately ship
Of Tarsus,7645 bound for th’ Isles
Of Javan7646 or Gadier,7647
With all her bravery7648 on, and tackle7649 trim,7650
Sails filled, and streamers7651 waving
(Courted by all the winds that hold them play),7652
An amber scent of odorous perfume
Her harbinger,7653 a damsel train7654 behind.
Some rich Philistian matron she may seem,
And now at nearer view, no other, certain,
Than Dalila, thy wife.
SAM. My wife, my traitress, let her not come near me.
CHOR. Yet on she moves, now stands and eyes thee fixed,7655
About t’ have spoke, but now, with head declined
Like a fair flower surcharged7656 with dew, she weeps
And words addressed7657 seem into tears dissolved,
Wetting the borders of her silken veil.
But now again she makes address7658 to speak.
DAL. With doubtful feet and wavering resolution
I came, still dreading thy displeasure, Samson,
Which to have merited, without excuse,
I cannot but acknowledge. Yet if tears
May expiate (though the fact more evil drew7659
In the perverse7660 event than I foresaw)
My penance hath not slack’ned, though my pardon
No way assured. But conjugal affection
Prevailing over fear and timorous doubt,
Hath led me on, desirous to behold
Once more thy face, and know of thy estate.7661
If aught in my ability may serve
To lighten what thou suffer’st, and appease
Thy mind with what amends is in my power,
Though late, yet in some part to recompense
My rash but more unfortunate misdeed.
SAM. Out, out hyena! These are thy wonted7662 arts,
And arts of every woman false like thee,
To break all faith, all vows, deceive, betray,
Then as7663 repentant to submit, beseech
And reconcilement move7664 with feigned remorse,
Confess, and promise wonders in her change,
Not truly penitent, but chief 7665 to try7666
Her husband, how far urged7667 his patience bears,
His virtue or weakness which way t’ assail,
Then with more cautious and instructed7668 skill
Again transgresses, and again submits,
That7669 wisest and best men full oft beguiled
With goodness, principled7670 not to reject
The penitent, but ever to forgive,
Are drawn to wear out miserable days,
Entangled with a pois’nous bosom7671 snake,
If not by quick destruction soon cut off,
As I by thee, to ages an example.
DAL. Yet hear me Samson. Not that I endeavor
To lessen or extenuate my offence,
But that on th’ other side if it be weighed
By itself, with aggravations7672 not surcharged,7673
Or else with just allowance counterpoised,7674
I may, if possible, thy pardon find
The easier towards me, or thy hatred less.
First granting, as I do, it was a weakness
In me, but incident7675 to all our sex,
Curiosity, inquisitive, importune7676
Of secrets, then with like infirmity
To publish7677 them, both common female faults.
Was it not weakness also to make known,
For7678 importun
ity (that is, for naught),
Wherein consisted all thy strength and safety?
To what I did thou showd’st me first the way.
But I to enemies revealed, and should not.
Nor should’st thou have trusted that to woman’s frailty:
Ere I to thee, thou to thyself wast cruel.
Let weakness then with weakness come to parle,7679
So near related, or the same of kind,
Thine forgive mine, that men may censure thine
The gentler, if severely thou exact not
More strength from me than in thyself was found.
And what if love, which thou interpret’st7680 hate,
The jealousy of love, powerful of sway
In human hearts, nor less in mine towards thee,
Caused what I did? I saw thee mutable7681
Of fancy,7682 feared lest one day thou would’st leave me
As her at Timna,7683 sought by all means therefore
How to endear, and hold thee to me firmest.
No better way I saw than by importuning
To learn thy secrets, get into my power
Thy key of strength and safety. Thou wilt say,
Why then revealed? I was assured by those
Who tempted me that nothing was designed7684
Against thee but safe custody, and hold.7685
That made for me.7686 I knew that liberty
Would draw thee forth to perilous enterprises,
While I at home sat full of cares and fears,
Wailing thy absence in my widowed bed.
Here7687 I should still enjoy thee day and night,
Mine and love’s prisoner, not the Philistines’,
Whole7688 to myself, unhazarded7689 abroad,
Fearless7690 at home of partners7691 in my love.
These reasons in love’s law have passed for good,
Though fond7692 and reasonless to some, perhaps.
And love hath oft, well meaning, wrought much woe,
Yet always pity or pardon hath obtained.
Be not unlike all others, not austere7693
As thou art strong, inflexible as steel.
If thou in strength all mortals dost exceed,
In uncompassionate anger do not so.
SAM. How cunningly the sorceress displays
Her own transgressions, to upbraid me mine!
That malice, not repentance, brought thee hither,
By this appears. I gave, thou say’st, th’ example,
I led the way. Bitter reproach, but true.
I to myself was false ere thou to me.
Such pardon therefore as I give my folly,
Take to thy wicked deed, which when thou see’st
Impartial, self-severe, inexorable,
Thou wilt renounce thy seeking, and much rather
Confess it feigned. Weakness is thy excuse,
And I believe it—weakness to resist
Philistian gold! If weakness may excuse,
What murderer, what traitor, parricide,
Incestuous, sacrilegious, but may plead it?
All wickedness is weakness: that plea therefore
With God or man will gain thee no remission.
But love constrain’d7694 thee! Call it furious7695 rage7696
To satisfy thy lust. Love seeks to have love.
My love how could’st thou hope, who took’st the way
To raise in me inexpiable7697 hate,
Knowing,7698 as needs I must, by thee betrayed?
In vain thou striv’st to cover shame with shame,
Or by evasions thy crime uncover’st more.
DAL. Since thou determin’st7699 weakness for no plea
In man or woman, though to thy own condemning,
Hear what assaults I had, what snares besides,
What sieges girt me round, ere I consented,
Which might have awed the best resolved of men,
The constantest t’ have yielded without blame.
It was not gold, as to my charge thou lay’st,
That wrought7700 with me. Thou know’st the magistrates7701
And princes of my country came in person,
Solicited, commanded, threatened, urged,
Adjured7702 by all the bonds of civil duty
And of religion, pressed7703 how just it was,
How honorable, how glorious to entrap
A common7704 enemy, who had destroyed
Such numbers of our nation. And the priest
Was not behind,7705 but ever at my ear,
Preaching how meritorious with the gods
It would be to ensnare an irreligious
Dishonorer of Dagon. What had I
T’ oppose against such powerful arguments?
Only my love of thee held long debate,
And combated in silence all these reasons
With hard contest.7706 At length that grounded7707 maxim,
So rife7708 and celebrated in the mouths
Of wisest men, that to the public good
Private respects7709 must yield, with grave authority
Took full possession of me, and prevailed,
Virtue, as I thought—truth—duty so enjoining.7710
SAM. I thought where all thy circling wiles would end!
In feigned religion, smooth hypocrisy.
But had thy love, still odiously7711 pretended,
Been, as it ought, sincere, it would have taught thee
Far other reasonings, brought forth other deeds.
I before7712 all the daughters of my tribe
And of my nation chose thee from among
My enemies, loved thee, as too well thou knew’st—
Too well—unbosomed all my secrets to thee,
Not out of levity,7713 but over-pow’red
By thy request, who7714 could deny thee nothing,
Yet now am judged an enemy. Why then
Didst thou at first receive me for thy husband,
Then, as since then, thy country’s foe professed?7715
Being once a wife, for me thou wast to leave
Parents and country, nor was I their7716 subject,7717
Nor under their protection, but my own,
Thou mine,7718 not theirs. If aught against my life
Thy country sought of thee, it sought unjustly,
Against the law of Nature, law of nations,
No more thy country, but an impious crew
Of men conspiring to uphold their state
By worse than hostile deeds, violating the ends
For which our country is a name so dear,
Not therefore to be obeyed. But zeal moved thee!
To please thy gods thou didst it—gods unable
To acquit7719 themselves and prosecute their foes.
But by ungodly deeds, the contradiction
Of their own deity, gods cannot be—
Less therefore to be pleased, obeyed, or feared.
These false pretexts and varnished colors failing,
Bare in thy guilt how foul must thou appear!
DAL. In argument with men a woman ever
Goes by the worse,7720 whatever be her cause.
SAM. For want of words no doubt, or lack of breath!
Witness when I was worried with7721 thy peals.7722
DAL. I was a fool, too rash, and quite mistaken
In what I thought would have succeeded best.
Let me obtain forgiveness of thee, Samson!
Afford7723 me place7724 to show what recompense
Towards thee I intend for what I have misdone,
Misguided. Only what remains past cure
Bear not too sensibly,7725 nor still insist
T’ afflict thyself in vain. Though sight be lost,
Life yet hath many solaces, enjoyed
Where other senses want7726 not their delights,
At home in leisure and domestic ease,
Exempt from many a care and chance7727 to w
hich
Eye-sight exposes, daily, men abroad.7728
I to the lords will intercede, not doubting
Their favorable ear,7729 that I may fetch thee
From forth this loathsome prison-house, t’ abide
With me, where my redoubled love and care,
With nursing diligence (to me glad office),7730
May ever tend about thee to7731 old age
With all things grateful7732 cheered, and so supplied
That what by me thou hast lost thou least shalt miss.
SAM. No, no, of my condition take no care!
It fits not.7733 Thou and I long since are twain,7734
Nor think me so unwary or accurst
To bring my feet again into the snare
Where once I have been caught. I know thy trains,7735
Though dearly to my cost! Thy ginns,7736 and toils.7737
Thy fair enchanted cup, and warbling charms
No more on me have power, their force is nulled.7738
So much of adders’ wisdom7739 I have learned
To fence my ear against thy sorceries.
If in my flower of youth and strength, when all men
Loved, honored, feared me, thou alone could hate me,
Thy husband, slight7740 me, sell7741 me, and forego7742 me,
How would’st thou use me now, blind, and thereby
Deceiveable, in most things as a child
Helpless, thence easily contemned,7743 and scorned,
And last7744 neglected? How would’st thou insult7745
When I must live uxorious7746 to thy will
In perfect7747 thraldom?7748 How again betray me,
Bearing my words and doings to the lords
To gloss7749 upon, and censuring,7750 frown or smile?
This jail I count7751 the house of liberty
To thine, whose doors my feet shall never enter!
DAL. Let me approach, at least, and touch thy hand.
SAM. Not for thy life, lest fierce remembrance wake
My sudden rage to tear thee joint by joint.
At distance I forgive thee, go with that.
Bewail thy falsehood, and the pious works
It hath brought forth to make thee memorable
Among illustrious women, faithful wives.
Cherish thy hast’ned widowhood with the gold
Of matrimonial treason. So farewell.
DAL. I see thou art implacable,7752 more deaf
To prayers than winds and seas. Yet winds to seas
Are reconciled at length, and sea to shore.
Thy anger, unappeasable, still rages,
Eternal tempest never to be calmed.
Why do I humble thus myself, and suing7753
For peace, reap nothing but repulse and hate—
Bid go,7754 with evil omen and the brand
Of infamy upon my name denounced?
The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Page 72
