And shouted but once more, aloud, | "My father! must I stay?" |
While o'er him fast, through sail and shroud, | The wreathing fires made way. |
They wrapt the ship in splendor wild, | They caught the flag on high, |
And stream'd above the gallant child, | Like banners in the sky. I
There came a burst of thunder sound- The boy - oh! where was he? | Ask of the winds that far around |
With fragments strew'd the sea!|
With mast, and helm, and pennon fair, | That well had borne their part- But the noblest thing that perish'd there, Was that young faithful heart. |
MEETING OF SATAN, SIN, AND DEATH.
Meanwhile the adversary of God and man, | Satan, with thoughts inflam'd of highest design, | Puts on swift wings, and towards the gates of Hell | Explores his solitary flight: | sometimes
He scours the right hand coast, | sometimes the left; | Now shaves with level wing the deep, then soars Up to the fiery concave | towering high. |
As when far off at sea a fleet descried | Hangs in the clouds, by equinoctial winds | Close sailing from Bengala, or the isles
Of Ternate and Tidore, whence merchants bring Their spicy drugs; they, on the trading flood, | Through the wide Ethiopian to the Cape,
Ply, stemming nightly toward the pole: | so seem'd Far off the flying fiend. |
Satan was now at hand; and from his seat | The monster, moving, onward came as fast, | With horrid strides; Hell trembled as he strode. I The undaunted fiend what this might be admired, | Admired, not fear'd: | God and his Son except | Created thing naught valued he, | nor shunn'd ; | And with disdainful look | thus first began:]
"Whence and what art thou, execrable shape!! That dar'st, though grim and terrible, | advance Thy miscreated front athwart my way
To yonder gates? | through them I mean to pass, That be assured, without leave ask'd of thee. I Retire, or taste thy folly; and learn by proof, Hell-born! not to contend with spirits of Heaven!" |
To whom the goblin, full of wrath, replied, | "Art thou that traitor angel, | art thou he Who first broke peace in heaven, and faith, | till then Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms |
Drew after him the third part of Heaven's sons, Conjured against the Highest, | for which both thou And they, outcast from God, | are here condemn'd | To waste eternal days in woe and pain? |
And reckonest thou thyself with spirits of Heaven, | Hell-doom'd and breath'st defiance here and scorn, | Where I reign king, and, to enrage thee more, Thy king, and lord? | Back to thy punishment, | False fugitive! and to thy speed add wings, | Lest with a whip of scorpions | I pursue
Thy lingering, or with one stroke of this dart | Strange horror seize thee, and pangs unfelt before." |
So spake a grisly terror, and in shape, |
so threat'ning, grew tenfold
nd deform. On the other side, | lignation, | Satan stood
like a comet burn'd, |
Hell bounds, high, reaching to the horrid roof, | And thrice three fold the gates: three folds were brass,
Three iron, three of adamantine rock Impenetrable, impaled with circling fire, | Yet unconsum'd. Before the gates there sat, On either side, | a formidable shape; |
The one seem'd woman to the waist, and fair; } But ended foul in many a scaly fold | Voluminous and vast, a serpent, arm'd With mortal sting; about her middle round | A cry of hell-hounds, never ceasing, bark'd | With wide Cerberean mouths | full loud, and rung A hideous peal! |
Far less abhorr'd than these | Vex'd Scylla, bathing in the sea that parts Calabria from the hoarse Trinacrian shore; Nor uglier follow the night hag, when, call'd In secret, riding through the air, she comes, Lured with the smell of infant blood, | to dance With Lapland witches, while the labouring moon | Eclipses at their charms. |
The other shape, | If shape it might be call'd | that shape had none | Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb; |
Or substance might be call'd that shadow seem'd; For each seem'd either; black it stood as night, | Fierce as ten furies, | terrible as Hell, |
And shook a dreadful dart; what seem'd his head | The likeness of a kingly crown had on. |
SCYLLA, a fabled monster, of whom mention is made in the Odyssey. She is said to have twelve feet and six long necks, with a terrific head, and three rows of close-set teeth, on each.
b CALABRIA, the part of Italy occupied by the ancient Calabri.
TRINACRĬA, one of the ancient names of Sicily.
Satan was now at hand; and from his seat | The monster, moving, onward came as fast, | With horrid strides; Hell trembled as he strode. I The undaunted fiend what this might be admired, | Admired, not fear'd: | God and his Son except | Created thing naught valued he, | nor shunn'd;| And with disdainful look thus first began: |
"Whence and what art thou, execrable shape! | That dar'st, though grim and terrible, advance Thy miscreated front athwart my way
To yonder gates? | through them I mean to pass, That be assured, without leave ask'd of thee. | Retire, or taste thy folly; and learn by proof, Hell-born! not to contend with spirits of Heaven!" |
To whom the goblin, full of wrath, replied, | "Art thou that traitor angel, | art thou he Who first broke peace in heaven, ❘ and faith, | till then Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms |
Drew after him the third part of Heaven's sons, Conjured against the Highest, | for which both thou And they, outcast from God, are here condemn'd | To waste eternal days in woe and pain? |
And reckonest thou thyself with spirits of Heaven, | Hell-doom'd! and breath'st defiance here and scorn, | Where I reign king, and, to enrage thee more, Thy king, and lord? | Back to thy punishment, | False fugitive! and to thy speed add wings, I Lest with a whip of scorpions | I pursue
Thy lingering, for with one stroke of this dart | Strange horror seize thee, and pangs unfelt before." |
So spake the grisly terror, and in shape, | So speaking and so threat'ning, grew tenfold More dreadful and deform. On the other side, I Incens'd with indignation, | Satan stood Unterrified, and like a comet burn'd, |
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