My heart, which by a secret harmony
Still moves with thine, join'd in connexion sweet, That thou on earth hadst prosper'd, which thy looks Now also evidence, but straight I felt 361 Though distant from thee worlds between, yet felt That I must after thee with this thy son, Such fatal consequence unites us three: Hell could no longer hold us in her bounds, Nor this unvoyageable gulf obscure Detain from following thy illustrious track. Thou hast atchiev'd our liberty, confin'd Within Hell-gates till now, thou us impower'd To fortify thus far, and overlay With this portentous bridge the dark abyss. Thine now is all this world; thy virtue' hath won What thy hands builded not, thy wisdom gain'd With odds what war hath lost, and fully' aveng'd Our foil in Heav'n; here thou shalt monarch reign, There did'st not; there let him still victor sway, As battle hath adjudg'd, from this new world Retiring, by his own doom alienated,
And henceforth monarchy with thee divide Of all things parted by th' empyreal bounds, 380 His quadrature, from thy orbicular world, Or try thee now more dang'rous to his throne. Whom thus the Prince of darkness answer'd glad. Fair daughter, and thou Son and Grandchild both, High proof ye now have giv'n to be the race Of Satan, (for I glory in the name, Antagonist of Heav'n's almighty king)
Amply have merited of me, of all
Th' infernal empire, that so near Heav'n's door Triumphal with triumphal act have met, 390 Mine with this glorious work, and made one realm Hell and this world, one realm, one continent Of easy thorough-fare. Therefore while I Descend through darkness, on your road with ease, To my associate Pow'rs, them to acquaint With these successes, and with them rejoice, You two this way, among these numerous orbs All yours, right down to Paradise descend; There dwell and reign in bliss, thence on the earth Dominion exercise and in the air,
Chiefly on Man, sole lord of all declar'd,
Him first make sure your thrall, and lastly kill. My substitutes I send ye, and create Plenipotent on earth, of matchles might Issuing from me: on your joint vigour now My hold of this new kingdom all depends, Through Sin to Death expos'd by my exploit. If your joint pow'r prevail, th' affairs of Hell No detriment need fear; go and be strong.
So saying he dismiss'd them; they with speed Their course through thickest constellations held, Spreading their bane; the blasted stars look'd wan, And planet-struck, real eclipse
Then suffer'd. Th' other way Satan went down The causey to Hell-gate; on either side Disparted Chaos over-built exclaim'd,
And with rebounding surge the bars assail'd
That scorn'd his indignation: through the gate Wide open and unguarded, Satan pass'd, And all about found desolate; for those Appointed to sit there, had left their charge, Flown to the upper world; the rest were all Far to th' inland retir'd, about the walls Of Pandemonium, city and proud seat Of Lucifer, so by allusion call'd, Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd.
There kept their watch the legions, while the Grand In council sat, solicitous what chance Might intercept their emp'ror sent; so he Departing gave command, and they observ'd. 430 As when the Tartar from his Russian foe By Astracan over the
Retires, or Bactrian Sophi from the horns Of Turkish crescent, leaves all waste beyond The realm of Aladule, in his retreat
To Tauris or Casbeen: So these the late Heav'n-banish'd host, left desert utmost Hell Many a dark league, reduc'd in careful watch Round their metropolis, and now expecting Each hour their great adventurer from the search Of foreign worlds: he through the midst unmask'd, In show plebeian Angel militant
Of lowest order, pass'd; and from the door Of that Plutonian hall, invisible
Ascended his high throne, which under state Of richest texture spread, at th' upper end Was plac'd in regal lustre. Down a while He sat, and round about him saw unseen:
At last as from a cloud his fulgent head And shape star-bright appear'd, or brighter, clad With what permissive glory since his fall Was left him, or false glitter: All amaz'd At that so sudden blaze the Stygian throng Bent their aspect, and whom they wish'd beheld, Their mighty chief return'd: loud was th' acclaim: Forth rush'd in haste the great consulting peers, Rais'd from their dark Divan, and with like joy Congratulant approach'd him, who with hand Silence, and with these words attention won. Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers,
For in possession such, not only' of right, I call ye and declare ye now, return'd Successful beyond hope, to lead ye forth Triumphant out of this infernal pit Abominable, accurs'd, the house of woe, And dungeon of our tyrant: now possess, As Lords, a spacious world, to' our native Heaven Little inferior, by my adventure hard
With peril great atchiev'd. Long were to tell What I have done, what suffer'd, with what pain Voyag'd th' unreal, vast, unbounded deep
Of horrible confusion, over which
By Sin and Death a broad way now is pav'd To expedite your glorious march; but I Toil'd out my uncouth passage, forc'd to ride Th' untractable abyss, plung'd in the womb Of unoriginal Night and Chaos wild,
That jealous of their secrets fiercely' oppos'd My journey strange, with clamorous uproar Protesting Fate supreme; thence how I found 480 The new-created world, which fame in Heaven Long had foretold, a fabric wonderful
Of absolute perfection, therein Man Plac'd in a Paradise, by our exile
Made happy: Him by fraud I have seduc'd From his Creator, and the more to increase Your wonder, with an apple; he thereat Offended, worth your laughter, hath giv'n up Both his beloved Man and all his world, To Sin and Death a prey, and so to us, Without our hazard, labour, or alarm, To range in, and to dwell, and over Man To rule, as over all he should have rul'd, True is, me also he hath judg'd, or rather Me not, but the brute serpent in whose shape Man I deceiv'd: that which to me belongs, Is enmity, which he will put between
Me and mankind; I am to bruise his heel; His seed, when is not set, shall bruise my head: A world who would not purchase with a bruise, 500 Or much more grievous pain? Ye have th' account Of my performance: What remains, ye Gods, But up and enter now into full bliss?
So having said, a while he stood, expecting Their universal shout and high applause To fill his ear, when contrary he hears On all sides, from innumerable tongues
« PoprzedniaDalej » |