The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems by John Milton, Burton Raffel Read Free Book Online Page A

the sufferance 1516 of supernal 1517 power
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    “Is this the region, this the soil, the clime
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Said then the lost Archangel, “this the seat 1518
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That we must change for Heav’n?—this mournful gloom
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For that celestial light? Be it so, since He
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Who now is sov’reign can dispose 1519 and bid 1520
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What shall be right. Farthest from Him is best
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Whom reason hath equalled, force hath made supreme
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Above His equals. Farewell, happy fields
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Where joy forever dwells! Hail, horrors! hail
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Infernal world! and thou, profoundest 1521 Hell
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Receive thy new possessor—one who brings
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A mind not to be changed by place or time
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The mind is its own place, and in itself
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Can make a Heav’n of Hell, a Hell of Heav’n.
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What matter where, if I be still the same
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And what I should be, all but 1522 less than He
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Whom thunder hath made greater? Here at least
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We shall be free. Th’Almighty hath not built
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Here for His envy, will not drive us hence
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Here we may reign secure and, in my choice
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To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell
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Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heav’n!
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    “But wherefore let we then our faithful friends
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Th’ associates and co-partners of our loss
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Lie thus astonished 1523 on th’ oblivious 1524 pool
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And call them not to share with us their part
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In this unhappy mansion, 1525 or once more
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With rallied arms to try what may be yet
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Regained in Heav’n, or what more lost in Hell
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So Satan spoke; and him Beelzebub
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Thus answered: “Leader of those armies bright
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Which, but th’ Omnipotent, none could have foiled! 1526
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If once they hear that voice, their liveliest pledge 1527
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Of hope in fears and dangers—heard so oft
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In worst extremes, and on the perilous edge
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Of battle, when it raged, in all assaults
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Their surest signal—they will soon resume
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New courage and revive, though now they lie
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Grovelling and prostrate on yon lake of fire
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As we erewhile, astounded 1528 and amazed. 1529
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No wonder, fall’n such a pernicious 1530 height
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    He scarce had ceased when the superior fiend
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Was moving toward the shore, his ponderous shield
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Ethereal 1531 temper, 1532 massy, large, and round
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Behind him cast. The broad circumference
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Hung on his shoulders like the moon, whose orb
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Through optic glass the Tuscan 1533 artist 1534 views
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At evening, from the top of Fesolé
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Or in Valdarno, to descry 1535 new lands
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Rivers, or mountains in her spotty 1536 globe
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His spear—to equal which the tallest pine
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Hewn on Norwegian hills to be the mast
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Of some great ammiral, 1537 were but a wand— 1538
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He walked with, to support uneasy 1539 steps
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Over the burning marl, 1540 not like those steps
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On Heaven’s azure. And the torrid clime
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Smote 1541 on him sore besides, vaulted 1542 with fire
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Nathless 1543 he so endured, till on the beach
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Of that inflamèd 1544 sea he stood, and called
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His legions, Angel forms, who lay entranced 1545
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Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks
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In Vallombrosa, 1546 where th’ Etrurian 1547