366
Harps ever tuned, that glittering by their side
367
Like quivers hung, and with preamble sweet
368
Of charming symphony 2551 they introduce
369
Their sacred song, and waken raptures high.
370
No voice exempt, no voice but well could join
371
Melodious part, such concord2552 is in Heav’n.
372
Thee, Father, first they sung Omnipotent,
373
Immutable, Immortal, Infinite,
374
Eternal King, Thee Author of all being,
375
Fountain of light, Thyself invisible
376
Amidst the glorious brightness where Thou sit’st
377
Throned inaccessible, but 2553 when Thou shad’st
378
The full blaze of thy beams and, through a cloud
379
Drawn round about Thee like a radiant shrine,
380
Dark with excessive bright Thy skirts2554 appear,
381
Yet2555 dazzle Heav’n, that brightest Seraphim
382
Approach not, but with both wings veil their eyes.
383
Thee2556 next they sang of all creation first,
384
Begotten Son, Divine Similitude,
385
In whose conspicuous2557 count’nance, without cloud
386
Made visible, the Almighty Father shines,
387
Whom else no creature can behold. On thee
388
Impressed2558 the effulgence2559 of His glory abides,
389
Transfused on thee His ample2560 Spirit rests.
390
He Heav’n of Heav’ns and all the Powers therein
391
By thee created; and by thee threw down
392
Th’ aspiring Dominations.2561 Thou that day
393
Thy Father’s dreadful thunder didst not spare,
394
Nor stop thy flaming chariot-wheels, that shook
395
Heav’n’s everlasting frame, while o’er the necks
396
Thou drov’st of warring Angels disarrayed.
397
Back from pursuit, thy Powers2562 with loud acclaim
398
Thee only extolled, Son of thy Father’s might,
399
To execute fierce vengeance on His foes,
400
Not so on man. Him through their2563 malice fallen,
401
Father of mercy and grace, Thou didst not doom2564
402
So strictly, but much more to pity inclined.
403
No sooner did Thy dear and only Son
404
Perceive Thee purposed not to doom frail man
405
So strictly, but much more to pity inclined,
406
He to appease Thy wrath, and end the strife
407
Of mercy and justice in Thy face discerned,
408
Regardless of the bliss wherein he sat
409
Second to Thee, offered himself to die
410
For man’s offence. O unexampled love,
411
Love nowhere to be found less than Divine!
412
Hail, Son of God, Savior of men! Thy name
413
Shall be the copious matter of my song
414
Henceforth, and never shall my heart thy praise
415
Forget, nor from thy Father’s praise disjoin.2565
416
Thus they in Heav’n, above the starry sphere,
417
Their happy hours in joy and hymning spent.
418
419
Of this round world, whose first convex2567 divides
420
The luminous inferior orbs, enclosed 2568
421
From Chaos and th’ inroad 2569 of Darkness old,
422
Satan alighted walks. A globe far off
423
It seemed, now seems a boundless continent
424
Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night
425
Starless exposed, and ever-threat’ning storms
426
Of Chaos blust’ring round, inclement 2570 sky,
427
Save on that side which from the wall of Heav’n,
428
Though distant far, some small reflection gains
429
Of glimmering air less vexed with tempest loud.
430
Here walked the fiend at large2571 in spacious field.
431
As when a vulture on Imaus2572 bred,
432
Whose snowy ridge the roving Tartar bounds,2573
433
Dislodging2574 from a region scarce of prey
434
To gorge the flesh of lambs or yeanling2575 kids,
435
On hills where flocks are fed, flies toward the springs2576
436
Of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams,
437
But in2577 his way lights2578 on the barren plains
438
Of Sericana,2579 where Chineses drive
439
With sails and wind their cany2580 waggons light.2581
440
So on this windy sea of land, the fiend
441
Walked up and down alone, bent on his prey—
442
Alone, for other creature in this place,
443
Living or lifeless, to be found was none,
444
None yet, but store2582 hereafter from the earth
445
Up hither like aereal vapors flew
446
Of all things transitory and vain, when Sin
447
With vanity had filled the works of men:
448
Both all things vain, and all who in vain things
449
Built their fond hopes of glory or lasting fame,
450
Or2583 happiness in this or th’ other life,
451
All who have their reward on earth, the fruits
452
Of painful superstition and blind zeal,
453
Nought seeking but the praise of men, here find
454
Fit retribution, empty as their deeds.
455
All th’ unaccomplished 2584 works of Nature’s hand,
456
Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly2585 mixed,
457
Dissolved on earth, fleet2586 hither, and in vain,
458
Till final dissolution, wander here,
459
Not in the neighboring moon, as some have dreamed.
460
Those argent2587 fields’ more likely habitants,
461
Translated2588 Saints,2589 or middle Spirits hold
462
Betwixt th’ angelical and human kind.
463
Hither of ill-joined sons and daughters born
464
First from the ancient world those giants came,
465
With many a vain exploit, though then renowned.
466
The builders next of Babel on the plain
467
Of Sennaär, 2590 and still with vain design,
468
New Babels, had
2591 they wherewithal,2592 would build.
469
Others came single:2593 he, 2594 who to be deemed2595
470
A god, leaped fondly2596 into Aetna’s flames,
471
Empedocles; and he, 2597 who to enjoy
472
Plato’s Elysium,2598 leaped into the sea,
473
Cleombrotus; and many more too long, 2599
474
Embryos and idiots, eremites,2600 and friars
475
White, 2601 black, 2602 and gray, 2603 with all their trumpery. 2604
476
Here pilgrims roam, that strayed so far to seek
477
In Golgotha2605 him dead who lives in Heav’n,
478
And they who to be sure of Paradise,
479
Dying, put on the weeds2606 of Dominick,2607
480
Or in Franciscan2608 think to pass disguised.
481
They pass the planets seven, and pass the fixed,
482
And that crystalline sphere whose balance weighs
483
The trepidation talked,2609 and that first moved.2610
484
And now Saint Peter at Heav’n’s wicket2611 seems
485
To wait 2612 them with his keys, and now at foot
486
Of Heav’n’s ascent they lift their feet, when lo!
487
A violent2613 cross wind from either coast
488
Blows them transverse, 2614 ten thousand leagues2615 awry2616
489
Into the devious2617 air. Then might ye see
490
Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers, tossed
491
And fluttered into rags, then relics, beads,
492
Indulgences, dispenses,2618 pardons, bulls,
493
The sport of winds. All these, upwhirled aloft,
494
Fly o’er the backside2619 of the world far off
495
Into a limbo large and broad, since called
496
The Paradise of Fools, to few unknown
497
Long after, now unpeopled, and untrod.
498
All this dark globe the fiend found as he passed,
499
And long he wandered, till at last a gleam
500
Of dawning light2620 turned thitherward in haste
501
His travelled steps. Far distant he descries,2621
502
Ascending by degrees2622 magnificent
503
Up to the wall of Heav’n, a structure high
504
At top whereof, but far more rich, appeared
505
The work as of a kingly palace-gate,
506
With frontispiece2623 of diamond and gold
507
Embellished. Thick with sparkling orient2624 gems
508
The portal 2625 shone, inimitable on earth
509
By model or by shading2626 pencil drawn.
510
These stairs were such as whereon Jacob saw
511
Angels ascending and descending, bands
512
Of guardians bright, when he from Esau fled
513
To Padan-Aram,2627 in the field of Luz,2628
514
Dreaming by night under the open sky
515
And waking cried, “This is the gate of Heav’n!
516
Each stair mysteriously 2629 was meant, nor stood
517
There always, but drawn up2630 to Heav’n sometimes,
518
Viewless.2631 And underneath a bright sea flowed
519
Of jasper, or of liquid pearl, whereon
520
Who after came from earth, sailing arrived,
521
Wafted by Angels, or flew o’er the lake
522
Rapt2632 in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds.
523
The stairs were then let down, whether to dare
524
The fiend by easy ascent, or aggravate2633
525
His sad exclusion from the doors of bliss,
526
Direct against which opened from beneath,
527
Just o’er the blissful seat of Paradise,
528
A passage down to th’ earth, a passage wide,
529
Wider by far than that of after-times
530
Over Mount Sion and, though that were large,
531
Over the Promised Land, to God so dear,
532
By which, to visit oft those happy tribes,
533
On high behests2634 His Angels to and fro
534
Passed frequent, and His eye with choice regard2635
535
From Paneas,2636 the fount 2637 of Jordan’s flood,2638
536
To Beersaba,2639 where the Holy Land
537
Borders on Egypt and th’Arabian shore.
538
So wide the op’ning seemed, where bounds were set
539
To darkness, such as bound the ocean wave.
540
Satan from hence, now on the lower stair
541
That scaled by steps of gold to Heav’n-gate,
542
Looks down with wonder at the sudden view
543
Of all this world at once. As when a scout,2640
544
Through dark and desert ways with peril gone
545
All night, at last by break of cheerful dawn
546
Obtains the brow of some high-climbing hill,
547
Which to his eye discovers2641 unaware
548
The goodly 2642 prospect 2643 of some foreign land
549
First seen, or some renowned metropolis
550
With glistering spires and pinnacles adorned,
551
Which now the rising sun gilds with his beams,
552
Such wonder seized, though after Heaven seen,
553
The Spirit malign, but much more envy seized,
554
At sight of all this world beheld so fair.
555
Round he surveys (and well might, where he stood
556
So high above the circling canopy
557
Of Night’s extended shade), from eastern point
558
Of Libra2644 to the fleecy star 2645 that bears
559
Andromeda 2646 far off Atlantic seas
560
Beyond th’ horizon. Then from pole to pole
561
He views in breadth, and without longer pause
562
Down right into the world’s first region throws
563
His flight precipitant,2647 and winds2648 with ease
564
Through the pure marble2649 air his oblique way
565
Amongst innumerable stars, that shone
566
Stars distant, but nigh hand seemed other worlds—
567
Or 2650 other worlds they seemed, or happy isles,
568
Like those Hesperian gardens2651 famed of old,
569
Fortunate fields, and groves, and flowery vales,
570
Thrice happy isles. But who dwelt happy there
; 571
He stayed2652 not to inquire. Above them all
572
The golden sun, in splendor likest Heav’n,
573
Allured his eye. Thither his course he bends
574