577
Of Phlegra1763 with th’ heroic race were joined
578
That fought at Thebes1764 and Ilium,1765 on each side
579
Mixed with auxiliar1766 gods, and what resounds1767
580
In fable or romance of Uther’s son,1768
581
Begirt with1769 British and Armoric1770 knights
582
And all who since, baptized or infidel
583
Jousted 1771 in Aspramont,1772 or Montalban,1773
584
Damasco, 1774 or Marocco, 1775 or Trebisond,1776
585
Or whom Biserta1777 sent from Afric shore
586
When Charlemain with all his peerage fell
587
By Fontarabbia.1778 Thus far these, beyond
588
Compare of 1779 mortal prowess, yet observed
589
Their dread 1780 commander. He, above the rest
590
In shape and gesture proudly eminent
591
Stood like a tow’r. His form had yet not lost
592
All her original brightness, nor appeared
593
Less than Archangel ruined, and th’ excess
594
Of glory obscured, as when the sun new-ris’n
595
Looks through the horizontal misty air
596
Shorn of his beams, or from behind the moon
597
In dim eclipse, disastrous1781 twilight sheds1782
598
On half the nations, and with fear of change
599
Perplexes1783 monarchs. Darkened so, yet shone
600
Above them all th’Archangel, but his face
601
Deep scars of thunder had intrenched,1784 and care
602
Sat on his faded cheek, but under brows
603
Of dauntless courage, and considerate1785 pride
604
Waiting revenge. Cruel his eye, but cast1786
605
Signs of remorse and passion, to behold
606
The fellows1787 of his crime, the followers rather
607
(Far other once beheld in bliss), condemned
608
For ever now to have their lot 1788 in pain
609
Millions of Spirits for his fault amerced1789
610
Of heav’n, and from eternal splendors flung
611
For his revolt, yet faithful how they stood
612
Their glory withered—as when Heaven’s fire
613
Hath scathed 1790 the forest oaks or mountain pines
614
With singèd top their stately 1791 growth, though bare
615
Stands on the blasted1792 heath. He now prepared
616
To speak, whereat their doubled ranks they bend
617
From wing to wing, and half enclose him round
618
With all his peers. Attention held them mute
619
Thrice he assayed,1793 and thrice, in spite of 1794 scorn
620
Tears, such as Angels weep, burst forth. At last
621
Words interwove with sighs found out their way
622
“O myriads of immortal Spirits! O Powers
623
Matchless, but 1795 with th’Almighty! And that strife
624
Was not inglorious, though th’ event1796 was dire, 1797
625
As this place testifies, and this dire change
626
Hateful to utter. But what power of mind
627
Foreseeing or presaging, 1798 from the depth
628
Of knowledge past or present, could have feared
629
How such united force of gods, how such
630
As stood like these, could ever know repulse?1799
631
For who can yet believe, though after loss
632
That all these puissant 1800 legions,1801 whose exile
633
Hath emptied Heav’n, shall fail to re-ascend
634
Self-raised, and repossess their native seat
635
For me, be witness all the host of Heav’n,
636
If counsels1802 different, or danger shunned
637
By me, have lost our hopes. But He who reigns
638
Monarch in Heav’n till then as one secure
639
Sat on His throne, upheld by old repute
640
Consent or custom, and His regal state
641
Put forth at full,1803 but still His strength concealed
642
Which tempted our attempt, and wrought1804 our fall
643
Henceforth His might 1805 we know, and know our own
644
So as not either to provoke, or dread
645
New war provoked. Our better part 1806 remains
646
To work in close1807 design,1808 by fraud or guile
647
What force effected1809 not, that He no less
648
At length from us may find:1810 who overcomes
649
By force hath overcome but half his foe
650
Space may produce new worlds—whereof so rife1811
651
There went a fame 1812 in Heav’n that He ere long
652
Intended to create, and therein plant
653
A generation whom His choice1813 regard 1814
654
Should favor equal to the sons of Heav’n.
655
Thither, if but to pry, shall be perhaps
656
Our first eruption1815 —thither, or elsewhere
657
For this infernal pit shall never hold
658
Celestial Spirits in bondage, nor th’ abyss
659
Long under darkness cover. 1816
“But these thoughts
660
Full counsel must mature. Peace is despaired
661
For who can think submission? War, then, war
662
Open or understood, must be resolved
663
He spoke and, to confirm his words, outflew
664
Millions of flaming swords, drawn from the thighs1817
665
Of mighty Cherubim: the sudden blaze
666
Far round illumined Hell. Highly 1818 they raged
667
Against the Highest, and fierce with graspèd 1819 arms
668
Clashed on their sounding1820 shields the din of war
669
Hurling defiance toward the vault of Heav’n.
670
There stood a hill not far, whose grisly 1821 top
671
Belched fire and rolling smoke; the rest entire1822
672
Shone with a glossy scurf 1823 —undoubted sign
673
That in his womb was hid metallic ore
674
The work of sulphur. 1824 Thither, winged with speed
675
A numerous brigade hastened: as when bands
676
Of pioneers,1825 with spade and pickaxe armed
677
Forerun1826 the royal camp, to trench1827 a field
678
Or
cast1828 a rampart.1829 Mammon led them on—
679
Mammon, the least erected 1830 Spirit that fell
680
From Heav’n, for even in Heav’n his looks and thoughts
681
Were always downward bent, admiring more
682
The riches of Heav’n’s pavement, trodden gold
683
Than aught divine or holy else1831 enjoyed
684
In vision beatific.1832 By him first
685
Men also, and by his suggestion taught
686
Ransacked the center, 1833 and with impious hands
687
Rifled1834 the bowels of their mother earth
688
For treasures better hid. Soon had his crew
689
Opened into the hill a spacious wound
690
And digged out ribs1835 of gold. Let none admire1836
691
That riches grow in Hell: that soil may best
692
Deserve the precious bane. 1837 And here let those
693
Who boast in1838 mortal things, and wond’ring tell
694
Of Babel, and the works of Memphian1839 kings
695
Learn how their greatest monuments of fame
696
And strength, and art, are easily outdone
697
By Spirits reprobate, 1840 and in an hour
698
What in an age they, 1841 with incessant toil
699
And hands innumerable, scarce perform
700
Nigh1842 on the plain, in many cells1843 prepared
701
That underneath had veins of liquid fire
702
Sluiced1844 from the lake, a second multitude
703
With wondrous art 1845 founded1846 the massy1847 ore
704
Severing1848 each kind, and scummed1849 the bullion dross.1850
705
A third as soon1851 had formed within the ground
706
A various1852 mould, and from the boiling cells
707
By strange1853 conveyance filled each hollow nook
708
As in an organ, from one blast of wind
709
To many a row of pipes the sound-board breathes
710
Anon1854 out of the earth a fabric1855 huge
711
Rose like an exhalation with the sound
712
Of dulcet 1856 symphonies1857 and voices sweet
713
Built like a temple, where pilasters1858 round
714
Were set, and Doric1859 pillars overlaid
715
With golden architrave, 1860 nor did there want1861
716
Cornice1862 or frieze, 1863 with bossy sculptures1864 grav’n.
717
The roof was fretted 1865 gold. Not Babylon
718
Nor great Alcairo1866 such magnificence
719
Equaled in all their glories, to enshrine
720
Belus or Serapis 1867 their gods, or seat 1868
721
Their kings, when Egypt with Assyria strove
722
In wealth and luxury. Th’ ascending pile1869
723
Stood fixed 1870 her stately height, and straight the doors
724
Opening their brazen1871 folds, discover, 1872 wide
725
Within, her ample spaces o’er the smooth
726
And level pavement. From the archèd roof
727
Pendant 1873 by subtle1874 magic, many a row
728
Of starry lamps and blazing cressets,1875 fed
729
With naphtha and asphaltus, yielded light
730
As from a sky. The hasty 1876 multitude
731
Admiring entered, and the work some praise
732
And some the architect. His hand was known
In Heav’n by many a tow’red structure high
734
Where sceptered Angels held their residence
735
And sat as Princes, whom the supreme King
736
Exalted to such power, and gave to rule
737
Each in his hierarchy, the Orders bright
738
Nor was his name unheard or unadored
739
In ancient Greece. And in Ausonian1877 land
740
Men called him Mulciber, 1878 and how he fell
741
From Heav’n they fabled,1879 thrown by angry Jove
742
Sheer1880 o’er the crystal battlements.1881 From morn
743
To noon he fell, from noon to dewy eve
744
A summer’s day, and with the setting sun
745
Dropt from the zenith1882 like a falling star
746
On Lemnos, th’Aegean isle. Thus they relate, 1883
747
Erring, for he with this rebellious rout 1884
748
Fell long before, nor aught availed him now
749
To have built in Heav’n high tow’rs, nor did he scape
750
By all his engines,1885 but was headlong sent
751
With his industrious1886 crew, to build in Hell
752
Meanwhile the wingèd heralds, by command
753
Of sov’reign power, with awful 1887 ceremony
754
And trumpet’s sound throughout the host 1888 proclaim
755
A solemn council forthwith to be held
756
At Pandemonium, the high capital
757
Of Satan and his peers.1889 Their summons called
758
From every band and squarèd 1890 regiment
759
By place1891 or choice the worthiest. They anon1892
760
With hundreds and with thousands trooping came
761
Attended.1893 All access1894 was thronged, the gates
762
And porches wide, but chief the spacious hall
763
(Though like a covered field, where champions bold
764
Wont1895 ride in armed, and at the Soldan’s1896 chair
765
Defied the best of Paynim1897 chivalry
766
To mortal combat, or career1898 with lance
767
Thick swarmed, both on the ground and in the air
768
Brushed with the hiss of rustling wings. As bees
769
In spring-time, when the sun with Taurus rides
770
Pour forth their populous youth about the hive
771
In clusters, they among fresh dews and flowers
772
Fly to and fro, or on the smoothèd plank
773
The suburb1899 of their straw-built citadel
774
New rubbed with balm, expatiate1900 and confer
775
Their state-affairs. So thick the airy crowd
776
Swarmed and were straitened,1901 till, the signal given
777
Behold a wonder! They but now who seemed
778
In bigness to surpass earth’s giant sons
779
Now less than smallest dwarfs in narrow room
780
Throng n
umberless—like that pygmean race
781
Beyond the Indian mount,1902 or faery elves
782
Whose midnight revels 1903 by a forest-side
783
Or fountain some belated 1904 peasant sees
784