Begone, at length begone, Ye frightened angels, now relinquish heaven ! Becomes the blessed lord of these bright seats. Michael. Why longer pause to crush the proud loquacity Of this presumptuous and insulting rebel? Soon with a pen of adamant, with striking Dread characters of blood, Within the volume of eternal woe The glory shall be blazoned Of thy lost victory. To arms! at length to arms, To spread dismay through hell! Joy, Man! smile, Heaven; and Tartarus, lament ! Lucifer. Seldom upon the vaunting Of a proud tongue too bold Boldness of hand attends. To arms to arms! Thou fight with me; and you, my followers, all Transperse and put to flight this abject crew, Of an unwarlike leader! Ah! him who favours brief and endless shame Him a celestial stroke Now drives confounded to the blind abyss; And justice here decrees, That he who lost the fight should lose the sun. Angels and God, at length ye are triumphant ! O'erwhelmed, and all his legion Sinks from the light of day to endless night. Michael. Fall thou at length, fall wounded and subdued, Fierce monster of the shades, To death's deep horrors, there be doomed to die Nor hope thy wings to heaven Ever to spread again, that wish, too bold For thee, so desperate and unrepenting. Thou'rt fallen, at length thou'rt fallen, Most arrogant of monsters, In pain thou sink'st as low, As high in joy it was thy hope to soar. Again thou learn'st to fall, Transfixt with thunder, to the drear abyss. Fool! thou hast wished to take this man thy captive, And thou alone hast plunged Within the deepest gulf: Hence, pierced and overwhelmed, The flame of wrath eternal Bore thee to hell, the hell of hottest fires. Hast yielded, plying thy winged feet in haste. And at thy ardent blast and baleful breathing Clouds, lightning, and tempestuous bursts of thunder, With rattling deadly bolts of arrowy flame, Rolled through the air, whence all the mountains shook, And all the vales re-echoed in convulsion. And yet, behold, in heaven The spheres move round more musical than ever, And all the azure sky The lucid sun with brighter beam adorns ; Behold the ocean, tremulously placid, And from his Persian gulf In gay abundance scattering pearl and coral; Behold, what verdant and what flowery brows These pleasant vales in exultation raise; Hark, to the grateful accents Of every flying songster, Inhabitant of air, That in his flight now gives Voice to the woods and music to the vales. Now, all rejoicing in a day so noble, SCENE IX.-ADAM, EVE, Chorus of ANGELS. O SOUNDS beloved, that call us now in joy, O thou, that haply of celestial ruby Wearest the blazing mail, Hallowed and brave Archangel, Brave, yet compassionate, thy golden locks Radiant as light, thy glittering helmet covers: Thou in thy right hand shakest the spear of victory, And raisest in thy left a golden balance : Close, close thy painted plumes so rich in gold, On him who, prostrate, honours and adores thee. Eve. O happy dawn of the eternal sun, Thou courteous kind restorer, To these my blinded eyes With sorrow darkened, and bedewed with tears; Now of thy rays, a fixt contemplator, The mole of error stands ; Now on your voice depends An asp, once deaf to heaven's most friendly dictates I, wavering wanderer, Who undissembling_own The fault in which I fell, to thee I bend, Nor in my speech deny That I am Eve, the cause Now let thy guardian hand (O in the deeds of God thou faithful servant!) Relieve me from the depth Of my so great offences. Adam. Of heavenly mysteries And secret will of God, Thou hallowed blest revealer, Of mournful Eve and Adam That strikes the heart, in issuing from the eyes, A rock of sorrow in a sea of tears. Michael. Arise, O both arise, you who of God Are creatures so regarded, Dismiss your fears of the infernal portent. Corrects you with one hand, He with the other proffers your protection. With happy auspices, He who delivers souls, On his light wings directs his flight to you, In God's dread warfare harbinger of peace. The mighty Fount of life, The Artificer of souls, The Architect of worlds, The mighty Lord of heaven, Maker of angels and of all things made, The infinite Creator, To safety summons you, And to short war a lasting peace ordains. Now from those double fountains The warm and gushing streams Of sorrow, Eve, restrain! Thou hast been culpable In rashly seizing the forbidden fruit ; Anguish and grief; thou hast indeed converted Now by the aid of Him, Whose handmaid nature is, and servant fate, Who can restrain the sun, And motion give to this unmoving mass, Even yet may Eve enjoy In prison, liberty; May be unbound, though fettered, And triumph, while she is o'ercome, and vanquish. Now, since there shines in heaven The star of love and peace, And to the shame of hell, The victor to the vanquished yields his palm, And supplicant in prayer, give God the praise For you shall find, to recompense your zeal, That God your father is, your mansion heaven. Adam. Thou mighty Lord, who resting high above, With regulated errors And with discordant union guidest heaven; O of the fair eternal realms of light Thou Lord immutable, resplendent power, Thou dazzler and obscurer of the sun! And on this humid cheek I dry my bitter tears, I cheer my heart. And yet a citizen of highest heaven. With strife and contest peace, With ruin victory, With deep offence salvation, With powers of darkness heaven, These to unite is not a human talent, But of the eternal hand, Omnipotence supreme; hence is it, Lord, That wounded Eve is whole, Triumphs in loss, and, though subdued, has glory. My guide, I will obey thee; Since, O benignant Lord, Thy service is dominion, And to obey thee, glory If pain allow not that I speak the pain Which wounds my heart so deeply, Thou most indulgent Father Givest to the heart and soul a new existence: Raising my voice to heaven, I'll teach resounding echo To carry to the sky my humble song, Devoted to thy praise. Michael. Ye victims cleansed by tears, Ye martyrs in affliction, Amidst your blessed pains, Ye holocausts of life and of content! Now call the stars no more And death turned into life. Hence mortal Adam is now made immortal, In which the tender God of mercy blazes, Wage with the hostile Serpent constant war ; To conquer Hell, and triumph over Death. Would not direct towards the ground your face, Your happy souls may point towards their home: Is as a shining glass, in which of God Inure yourselves to water, sun, and winds, In the most barren desert That the sun visits when he blazes most, There both exert your powers; There many years and many, United ye shall dwell in hallowed love; And from your progeny henceforth the world Exulting shall derive fertility. And now to you, ye mortal pair, I promise, As ye together sinned, If ye in penitence have joined together, Together e'en in Heaven, In a corporeal veil Contemplating the sacred face of God, Ye shall enjoy the bliss of Paradise. Adam. Greater than my offence I now acknowledge Your mercy, O my God! Since you, become the sovereign friend of man, |