The Complete Poetry of John Milton (73 page)

   300     
So dearly to redeem what Hellish hate

               
So easily destroy’d, and still destroyes

               
In those who, when they may, accept not grace.

               
Nor shalt thou by descending to assume

               
Mans Nature, less’n or degrade thine own.

   305     
Because thou hast, though Thron’d in highest bliss

               
Equal to God, and equally enjoying

               
God-like fruition, quitted all to save

               
A World from utter loss, and hast been found

               
By Merit more then Birthright Son of God,

   310     
Found worthiest to be so by being Good,

               
Farr more then Great or High; because in thee

               
Love hath abounded more then Glory abounds,

               
Therefore thy Humiliation shall exalt

               
With thee thy Manhood also to this Throne;

   315     
Here shalt thou sit incarnate, here shalt Reign

               
Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man,

               
Anointed universal King; all Power

               
I give thee, reign for ever, and assume

               
Thy Merits; under thee as Head Supream

   320     
Thrones, Princedoms, Powers, Dominions I reduce:

               
All knees to thee shall bow, of them that bide

               
In Heav’n, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell;

               
When thou attended gloriously from Heav’n

               
Shalt in the Sky appeer, and from thee send

   325     
The summoning Arch-Angels to proclaim

               
Thy dread Tribunal: forthwith from all Winds

               
The living, and forthwith the cited dead

               
Of all past Ages to the general Doom
¹⁵

               
Shall hast’n, such a peal shall rouse thir sleep.

   330     
Then all thy Saints assembl’d, thou shalt judge

               
Bad men and Angels, they arraign’d shall sink

               
Beneath thy Sentence; Hell her numbers full,

               
Thenceforth shall be for ever shut. Mean while

               
The World shall burn, and from her ashes spring
¹⁶

   335     
New Heav’n and Earth,
¹⁷
wherein the just shall dwell

               
And after all thir tribulations long

               
See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds,

               
With Joy and Love triumphing, and fair Truth.

               
Then thou thy regal Scepter shalt lay by,

   340     
For regal Scepter then no more shall need,

               
God shall be All in All.
¹⁸
But all ye Gods,

               
Adore him, who to compass all this dies,

               
Adore the Son, and honour him as mee.

           
      
       No sooner had th’ Almighty ceas’t, but all

   345     
The multitude of Angels with a shout

               
Loud as from numbers without number, sweet

               
As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heav’n rung

               
With Jubilee, and loud Hosanna’s filld

               
Th’ eternal Regions: lowly reverent

   350     
Towards either Throne they bow, and to the ground

               
With solemn adoration down they cast

               
Thir Crowns inwove with Amarant and Gold,

               
Immortal Amarant, a Flowr which once

               
In Paradise, fast by the Tree of Life

   355     
Began to bloom, but soon for mans offence

               
To Heav’n remov’d where first it grew, there grows,

               
And flowrs aloft shading the Fount of Life,

               
And where the river of Bliss through midst of Heavn

               
Rowls o’re
Elisian
Flowrs her Amber stream;

   360     
With these that never fade the Spirits Elect

               
Bind thir resplendent locks inwreath’d with beams,

               
Now in loose Garlands thick thrown off, the bright

               
Pavement that like a Sea of Jasper shon

               
Impurpl’d with Celestial Roses smil’d.

   365     
Then Crown’d again thir gold’n Harps they took,

               
Harps ever tun’d, that glittering by thir side

               
Like Quivers hung, and with Præamble sweet

               
Of charming symphonie they introduce

               
This sacred Song, and waken raptures high;

   370     
No voice exempt, no voice but well could join

               
Melodious part, such concord is in Heav’n.

           
      
       Thee Father first they sung Omnipotent,

               
Immutable, Immortal, Infinite,

               
Eternal King; thee Author of all being,

   375     
Fountain of Light, thy self invisible

               
Amidst the glorious brightness where thou sit’st

               
Thron’d inaccessible, but when thou shad’st

               
The full blaze of thy beams, and through a cloud

               
Drawn round about thee like a radiant Shrine,

   380     
Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appeer,

               
Yet dazle Heav’n, that brightest Seraphim

               
Approach not, but with both wings veil thir eyes.

               
Thee next they sang of all Creation first,

               
Begotten Son, Divine Similitude,

   385     
In whose conspicuous count’nance, without cloud

               
Made visible, th’ Almighty Father shines,

               
Whom else no Creature can behold; on thee

               
Impresst th’ effulgence of his Glorie abides,

               
Transfus’d on thee his ample Spirit rests.

   390     
Hee Heav’n of Heav’ns and all the Powers therein

               
By thee created, and by thee threw down

               
Th’ aspiring Dominations: thou that day

               
Thy Fathers dreadful Thunder didst not spare,

               
Nor stop thy flaming Chariot wheels, that shook

   395     
Heav’ns everlasting Frame, while o’re the necks

               
Thou drov’st of warring Angels disarraid.

               
Back from pursuit thy Powers with loud acclaim

               
Thee only extoll’d, Son of thy Fathers might,

               
To execute fierce vengeance on his foes,

   400     
Not so on Man; him through their malice fall’n,

               
Father of Mercie and Grace, thou didst not doom

               
So strictly, but much more to pitie encline:

               
No sooner did thy dear and onely Son

               
Perceive thee purpos’d not to doom frail Man

   405     
So strictly, but much more to pitie enclin’d,

               
He to appease thy wrauth, and end the strife

               
Of Mercy and Justice in thy face discern’d,

               
Regardless of the Bliss wherein hee sat

               
Second to thee, offerd himself to die

   410     
For mans offence. O unexampl’d love,

               
Love no where to be found less then Divine!

               
Hail Son of God, Saviour of Men, thy Name

               
Shall be the copious matter of my Song

               
Henceforth, and never shall my Harp thy praise

   415     
Forget, nor from thy Fathers praise disjoin.

           
      
       Thus they in Heav’n, above the starry Sphear,

               
Thir happie hours in joy and hymning spent.

               
Mean while upon the firm opacous
¹⁹
Globe

               
Of this round World, whose first convex divides

   420     
The luminous inferior Orbs, enclos’d

               
From
Chaos
and th’ inroad of Darkness old,

               
Satan
alighted walks: a Globe farr off

               
It seem’d, now seems a boundless Continent

               
Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night

   425     
Starless expos’d, and ever-threatning storms

               
Of
Chaos
blustring round, inclement skie;

               
Save on that side which from the wall of Heav’n

               
Though distant farr som small reflection gains

               
Of glimmering air less vext with tempest loud:

   430     
Here walk’d the Fiend at large in spacious field.

               
As when a Vultur on
Imaus
²⁰
bred,

               
Whose snowie ridge the roving
Tartar
bounds,

               
Dislodging from a Region scarce of prey

               
To gorge the flesh of Lambs or yeanling Kids

   435     
On Hills where Flocks are fed, flies toward the Springs

               
Of
Ganges
or
Hydaspes, Indian
streams;

               
But in his way lights on the barren plains

               
Of
Sericana
, where
Chineses
drive

               
With Sails and Wind thir canie Waggons light:

   440     
So on this windie Sea of Land, the Fiend

               
Walk’d up and down alone bent on his prey,

               
Alone, for other Creature in this place

               
Living or liveless to be found was none,

               
None yet, but store hereafter from the earth

   445     
Up hither like Aereal vapours flew

               
Of all things transitorie and vain, when Sin

               
With vanity had filld the works of men:

               
Both all things vain, and all who in vain things

               
Built thir fond hopes of Glorie or lasting fame,

   450     
Or happiness in this or th’ other life;

               
All who have thir reward on Earth, the fruits

               
Of painful Superstition and blind Zeal,

               
Naught seeking but the praise of men, here find

               
Fit retribution, emptie as thir deeds;

   455     
All th’ unaccomplisht works of Natures hand,

               
Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly
²¹
mixt,

               
Dissolv’d on Earth, fleet hither, and in vain,

               
Till final dissolution, wander here,

               
Not in the neighbouring Moon, as some
²²
have dreamd;