20
The Hell within him, for within him Hell
21
He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell
22
One step, no more than from himself, can fly
23
By change of place. Now conscience wakes despair
24
That slumbered, wakes the bitter memory
25
Of what he what must be
26
Worse: of 2751 worse deeds, worse sufferings must ensue. 2752
27
Sometimes towards Eden, which now in his view
28
Lay pleasant, his grieved look he fixes sad,
29
Sometimes towards Heav’n and the full-blazing sun,
30
Which now sat high in his2753 meridian2754 tower.
31
Then much2755 revolving, 2756 thus in sighs began:
32
“O thou,2757 that with surpassing glory crowned,
33
Look’st from thy sole dominion like the god
34
Of this new world, at whose sight all the stars
35
Hide their diminished heads, to thee I call,
36
But with no friendly voice, and add thy name,
37
O Sun! to tell thee how I hate thy beams,
38
That bring to my remembrance from what state
39
I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere, 2758
40
Till pride and worse ambition threw me down,
41
Warring in Heav’n against Heav’n’s matchless King.
42
Ah, wherefore! He deserved no such return
43
From me, whom He created what I was
44
In that bright eminence, 2759 and with His good
45
Upbraided 2760 none. Nor was His service hard.
46
What could be less than to afford 2761 Him praise,
47
The easiest recompence, 2762 and pay Him thanks—
48
How due! 2763 Yet all His good proved ill in me,
49
And wrought 2764 but malice. Lifted up so high
50
I ’sdained 2765 subjection,2766 and thought one step higher
51
Would set me highest, and in a moment quit2767
52
The debt immense of endless gratitude,
53
So burdensome still 2768 paying, still to owe,
54
Forgetful what from Him I still received,
55
And understood not that a grateful mind
56
By owing owes not, but still pays, at once
57
Indebted and discharged. What burden then?
58
O, had His powerful destiny ordained
59
Me some inferior Angel, I had stood 2769
60
Then happy: no unbounded 2770 hope had raised
61
Ambition! Yet why not? Some other Power 2771
62
As great might have aspired, and me, though mean,2772
63
Drawn2773 to his part.2774 But other Powers as great
64
Fell not, but stand unshaken from within
65
Or from without, to all temptations armed.2775
66
Hadst thou the same free will and power to stand?2776
67
Thou hadst: whom hast thou then or what t’ accuse,
68
But Heav’n’s free2777 love dealt equally to all?
69
Be then His love accursed, since love or hate,
70
To me alike, it deals2778 eternal woe.
71
Nay, cursed be thou,2779 since against His thy will
72
73
“Me miserable! 2782 Which way shall I fly2783
74
Infinite wrath, and infinite despair?
75
Which2784 way I fly is Hell. Myself am Hell,
76
And in the lowest deep a lower deep
77
Still threat’ning to devour me opens wide,
78
To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heav’n.
79
O then, at last relent! 2785 Is there no place
80
Left for repentance, none for pardon left?
81
None left but by submission, and that word
82
Disdain forbids me, and my dread of shame
83
Among the Spirits beneath, whom I seduced
84
With other promises and other vaunts2786
85
Than to submit, boasting I could subdue
86
The Omnipotent. Ay me! they little know
87
How dearly2787 I abide 2788 that boast so vain,
88
Under what torments inwardly I groan,
89
While they adore me on the throne of Hell!
90
With diadem and scepter high advanced2789
91
The lower still I fall, only supreme
92
In misery. Such joy ambition finds!2790
93
But say I could repent, and could obtain,
94
By act of grace, my former state, how soon
95
Would height recall high thoughts, how soon unsay
96
What feigned 2791 submission swore? Ease would recant2792
97
Vows made in pain, as violent2793 and void.
98
For never can true reconcilement grow
99
Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep,
100
Which would but lead me to a worse relapse
101
And heavier fall. So should I purchase dear2794
102
Short intermission, bought with double smart.2795
103
This knows my punisher, therefore as far
104
From granting He, as I from begging, peace.
105
All hope excluded thus, behold, instead
106
Of us 2796 out-cast, exiled, his new delight,
107
Mankind created, and for him 2797 this world.
108
So farewell hope and, with hope, farewell fear,
109
Farewell remorse! All good to me is lost.
110
Evil, be thou my good: by thee at least
111
Divided empire with Heav’n’s King I hold—
112
By thee, and more than half 2798 perhaps will reign,
113
As man ere long, and this new world, shall know.
114
Thus while he spoke, each passion dimmed his face
115
Thrice changed with pale, 2799 ire, 2800 envy, and despair,
116
Which marred2801 his borrowed visage, and betrayed
117
Him counterfeit, if any eye beheld.
118
For Heav’nly minds from such distempers2802 foul
119
Are ever clear. 2803 Whereof he soon aware,
120
Each perturbation2804 smoothed with outward calm,
121
Artificer2805 of fraud, and2806 was the first
122
That practised falsehood under saintly show,
123
D
eep malice to conceal, couched2807 with revenge.
124
Yet not enough had practised 2808 to deceive
125
Uriel, once warned, whose eye pursued him down
126
The way he went, and on the Assyrian mount
127
Saw him disfigured, more than could befall 2809
128
Spirit of happy sort. His gestures fierce
129
He marked, and mad demeanor, 2810 then alone,
130
As he supposed, all unobserved, unseen.
131
So on he fares,2811 and to the border comes
132
Of Eden, where delicious Paradise,
133
Now nearer, crowns with her enclosure green,
134
As with a rural mound, the champaign2812 head 2813
135
Of a steep wilderness, whose hairy sides
136
With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild,
137
Access denied.2814 And overhead up grew
138
Insuperable2815 height of loftiest shade,
139
Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm,
140
A sylvan2816 scene, and as the ranks 2817 ascend,
141
Shade above shade, a woody theater 2818
142
Of stateliest 2819 view. Yet higher than their tops
143
The verdurous wall of Paradise upsprung,
144
Which to our general2820 sire gave prospect large 2821
145
Into his 2822 nether 2823 empire neighboring round.
146
And higher than that wall a circling row
147
Of goodliest2824 trees, loaden with fairest fruit,
148
Blossoms and fruits at once2825 of golden hue
149
Appeared, with gay enamelled 2826 colors mixed,
150
On which the sun more glad impressed 2827 his beams
151
Than in fair evening cloud, or humid bow, 2828
152
When God hath show’red the earth. So lovely seemed
153
That landscape. And of pure now purer 2829 air
154
Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires
155
Vernal2830 delight and joy, able to drive2831
156
All sadness but despair. Now gentle gales,2832
157
Fanning their odoriferous2833 wings, dispense2834
158
Native2835 perfumes, and whisper whence they stole
159
Those balmy spoils.2836 As when to them who sail
160
Beyond the Cape of Hope, 2837 and now are past
161
Mozambique, 2838 off at sea north-east winds blow
162
Sabean2839 odors from the spicy shore
163
Of Araby the blest,2840 with such delay
164
Well pleased they slack2841 their course, 2842 and many a league2843
165
Cheered with the grateful 2844 smell old ocean smiles.
166
So entertained 2845 those odorous sweets the fiend,
167
Who came their bane, 2846 though with them better pleased
168
Than Asmodeus2847 with the fishy fume2848
169
That drove him, though enamored, from the spouse
170
Of Tobit’s son, and with a vengeance sent 2849
171
From Media post2850 to Egypt, there fast bound.2851
172
Now to the ascent of that steep savage2852 hill
173
Satan had journeyed on, pensive and slow,
174
But further way found none, so thick entwined,
175
As one continued brake, 2853 the undergrowth
176
Of shrubs and tangling bushes had perplexed 2854
177
All path of man or beast that passed that way.
178
One gate there only was, and that looked east
179
On th’ other side. Which when the arch-felon saw,
180
Due entrance he disdained and, in contempt,
181
At one slight2855 bound high over-leaped all bound
182
Of hill or highest wall, and sheer2856 within
183
Lights on his feet. As when a prowling wolf,
184
Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey,
185
Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve
186
In hurdled 2857 cotes2858 amid the field secure,
187
Leaps o’er the fence with ease into the fold—
188
Or as a thief, bent to unhoard 2859 the cash
189
Of some rich burgher, whose substantial doors,
190
Cross-barred and bolted fast, fear no assault,
191
In at the window climbs, or o’er the tiles,2860
192
So clomb2861 this first grand thief into God’s fold.
193
So since into His church lewd hirelings climb.
194
Thence up he flew, and on the Tree of Life,
195
The middle tree and highest there that grew,
196
Sat like a cormorant, yet not true life
197
Thereby regained, but sat devising death
198
To them who lived, nor on the virtue thought
199
Of that life-giving plant, but only used
200
For prospect,2862 what well-used had been2863 the pledge2864
201
Of immortality. So little knows
202
Any, but God alone, to value right
203
The good before him, but perverts best things
204
To worst abuse, or to their meanest 2865 use.
205
Beneath him with new wonder now he views,
206
To all delight of human sense exposed
207
In narrow room,2866 Nature’s whole wealth, yea more,
208
A Heav’n on earth. For blissful Paradise
209
Of God the garden was, by Him in th’ east
210
Of Eden planted. Eden stretched her line2867
211
From Auran2868 eastward to the royal tow’rs
212
Of great Seleucia,2869 built by Grecian kings,
213
Or where the sons of Eden long before
214
Dwelt in Telassar. 2870 In this pleasant soil
215
His far more pleasant garden God ordained.
216
Out of the fertile ground He caused to grow
217
All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste,
218
And all amid them stood the Tree of Life,
219
High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit
220
Of vegetable2871 gold. And next to life
221
Our death, the Tree of Knowledge, grew fast by,
222
Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill.
223
Southward through Eden went a river large,
224
Nor changed his course, but through the shaggy2872 hill
225
Passed underneath engulfed,2873 for God had thrown2874
226
That mountain as His garden-mold 2875 high raised
227
Upon the rapid current, which through veins
228
Of porous earth with kindly 2876 thirst up-drawn,