Morte carent; quoniam & belli gravis Exitus armis Haudquaquam fractos ufu meliora magiftro Edocuit: quin tandem alacres vi, fraude, tenaces Propofiti, pacifque haud unquam in fœdus ituri, Vexamus dirum æternis affultibus hoftem? Qui jam fecurus lætos fine more triumphos Toto agitat cœlo victor, fua nec capit amens Gaudia, quòd fuperâ folus dominetur in arce. Hæc Satanas altâ jactabat voce, fed acres Cura gravis stimulos imo fub pectore versat; Olli Balzebus fcelerato rettulit ore:
O Rex armipotens, ô qui celfiffimus omnes Imperio exfuperas, fceptris quicunque fuperbi Aufpicio duxere tuo metuenda minatas Bella Seraphinas acies; quas fortibus aufis Impavidas fenfit fuperæ Rex arduus aulæ,
Quærentes num vi fceptrum cafuve teneret, An fato: Heu nimiùm memori mihi pectora tangit
Since through experience of this great Event In Arms not worse, in Forefight much advanc'd, We may with more fuccessful Hope refolve To wage by force or guile eternal war, Irreconcileable to our grand Foe, Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy Sole reigning holds the Tyranny of Heav'n.
So fpake th' Apoftate Angel, though in pain, Vaunting aloud, but rack'd with deep despair:
And him thus answer'd foon his bold Compeer :
O Prince, O Chief of many throned Powers, That led th' imbattell'd Seraphim to War Under thy conduct, and in dreadful deeds Fearless endanger'd Heav'n's perpetual King, And put to proof his high Supremacy, Whether upheld by ftrength, or chance, or fate:: Too well I fee and rue the dire Event, That with fad overthrow and foul defeat
Exitus immanis, nos qui cæleftibus oris Detrufit, tantâque ingentes clade cohortes, Quantùm celfa Deûm potuit Natura perire, Turbavit: Mens fpirat adhuc invicta, vigorque Sponte redit, vitæ quanquam periere prioris Gaudia, & æterno merfatur gloria luctu.
Sin fors Omnipotens (hoc tandem nomine cogor Dignari; neque enim tales minor ulla potestas Viciffet vires) noftrum hunc fupereffe vigorem Paffus, ut æternos meliùs tolerare labores Poffimus fine fine, & longum ultricibus iris Sufficere; hìc imo ufque Erebo victoris iniqui Ad nutum medios penfa exercere per ignes, Aut denfis invisa sequi mandata sub umbris. Quid juvat integras vires fervare, perenni Quid fupereffe ævo, pœnas fi vita perennes Horrorum fœcunda ferat? Quem deinde rebellis Dux populi aggreditur præceps & talibus infit:
Hath loft us Heav'n; and all this mighty Hoft In horrible Destruction laid thus low, As far as Gods and Heav'nly Effences Can perish For the Mind and Spirit remains. Invincible, and Vigour foon returns, Though all our Glory extinct, and happy State Here swallow'd up in endless Mifery. But what if He our Conqu'ror (whom I now Of force believe Almighty, fince no less [ours) Than fuch could have o'er-power'd fuch Force as
Have left us this our Spirit and Strength entire Strongly to fuffer and fupport our Pains, That we may fo fuffice his vengeful Ire, Or do him mightier Service as his thralls By Right of War, whate'er his Business be, Here in the Heart of Hell to work in Fire, Or do his Errands in the gloomy Deep? What can it then avail, though yet we feel Strength undiminish'd, or Eternal Being, To undergo Eternal Punishment?
Degener atque oblite Tui! Patiamur, Agamus, Quicquid erit, miferum eft fracto cecidiffe vigore: At Nos, quæ fors cunque ferat, perstabimus iidem, Gens adverfa Bono æternùm, pravique quod ufquam est Certa fequi; invifi quicquid fuprema tyranni Vox prohibet, labor is nobis, ea fola voluptas. Ille Mali de fonte Bonum deducere quærit; Sit Noftrum fini quæfito obftare, Malumque Extorquere Bono. Quoties cruciabitur Hoftis, Confilia eludi dum fentiet intima, metâ Propofitâ noftras penitùs deflexa per artes ? En verò irarum referentes tela Miniftros
Ad cælum revocat Victor: cum fulphure grando Jam pofuit; flammarum omnis defæviit æftus, Æthereo qui nos dudum de culmine miffos Excepit: quin fulguris alâ invecta rubenti Iras effudere Tonitrua, laffaque ceffant
Per vastum immenfumque altè reboare Profundum.
Whereto with speedy Words th' Arch-Fiend reply'd: Fall'n Cherub! To be weak is miferable, Doing or Suffering: But of this be fure, To do ought good never will be our task, But ever to do ill our fole delight, As being contrary to his high will Whom we refift. If then his Providence Out of our evil feek to bring forth good, Our labour must be to pervert that end, And out of good still to find Means of evil:
Which oft times may fucceed, so as perhaps Shall grieve him, if I fail not, and disturb His inmoft Counfels from their deftin'd aim. But fee the angry Victor hath recall'd
His Minifters of vengeance and pursuit
Back to the Gates of Heav'n: The fulphurous Hail, Shot after us in Storm, o'er-blown hath laid The fiery Surge, that from the Precipice Of Heav'n receiv'd us falling; and the Thunder, Wing'd with red Lightning and impetuous rage,
Dextrum igitur tempus (feu nos jam fpreverit Hoftis Securus, feu tandem acres fatiaverit iras)
Captemus. Viden' abruptum diffundier æquor,
Incultos latè campos, omnique carentes Luce plagas, nifi quæ liventibus edita flammis Exilit, incertoque tremifcit pallida motu ? Illic igniti fugientes gurgitis æftum
Quæramus tandem fpatium requiemque dolori, Siqua ibi fit requies; cogentefque agmina fracta Tentemus quæ fit potior Sententia; quid nos Reftituat; dirum irritet quid atrociùs Hostem; Quo mala vincamus ftudio; quas vivida vires Spes dederit: fin Spes abfit, quin mittimus ultrò Sperare? Hoc animos, ipfum Hoc fera pectora firmet. His comitem affatus, fublimi vertice fluctus Exfuperans, oculifque procul flammantibus ardens Exstabat Satanas; vafto dum flumine proni Immanes membrorum artus per jugera multa
Perhaps hath spent his shafts, and ceases now To bellow through the vaft and boundless Deep. Let us not flip th' occafion, whether scorn, Or fatiate fury yield it from our Foc.
Seeft thou yon dreary Plain, forlorn and wild, The Seat of defolation, void of light, Save what the glimmering of these livid flames Cafts pale and dreadful? Thither let us tend From off the toffing of these fiery Waves; There reft, if any Reft can harbour there,
And re-affembling our affiicted Powers, Confult how we may henceforth most offend Our Enemy, our own Lofs how repair, How overcome this dire Calamity, What reinforcement we may gain from Hope, If not, what refolution from despair.
Thus Satan talking to his nearest Mate With Head up lift above the wave, and Eyes That fparkling blaz'd; his other Parts befides Prone on the Flood, extended long and large,
Undabant. Non illum ingenti mole minaces Vincebant (quos fama canit) telluris Alumni Aufi inferre Jovi bellum, Briareufque tremendus Et Typhon, magnus magno exporrectus in antro Antiquam ad Tarson: non Illum ipfa horrida ponti Bellua, quæ fluctus inter mirabile Monftrum Navigat, æquoreæque exultat maxima gentis. Olim Hæc noctivagæ rectori visa biremis, Norvegii falis in fpumâ dum fortè quiescit, (Sic perhibent nautæ) vasta Infula creditur, amplo Immenfum porrecta finu; latus anchora prensat Squamofum, & tutâ fruitur ftatione Magister,
Dum pontum obvelant tenebræ, luxque alma moratur. Talem cernere erat flammantes vincta per undas Membra exporrectum Satanam: nec membra levâffet Ex alto rurfum emergens, ni fponte fupremo Omnipotens nutu paffus malefana patrare Aufa animi effrænis, diros explere furores,
Lay floating many a rood; in bulk as huge As whom the Fables name of monstrous fize, Titanian, or Earth-born, that warr'd on Jove, Briareos or Typhon, whom the Den By ancient Tarfus held: or that Sea-beaft Leviathan, which God of all his works Created hugeft that fwim th' Ocean ftream: Him haply flumb'ring on the Norway foam, The Pilot of fome fmall night-founder'd Skiff,
Deeming fome Ifland, oft (as Sea-men tell,) With fixed Anchor in his skaly rind, Moors by his Side under the Lee, while Night Invests the Sea, and wished Morn delays:
So ftretch'd out huge in length the Arch-fiend lay, Chain'd on the burning Lake; nor ever thence Had ris'n or heav'd his head, but that the will And high permiffion of all-ruling Heav'n Left him at large to his own dark designs,
« ПретходнаНастави » |