Read Online The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems by John Milton, Burton Raffel - Free Book Online

of rage
554
      
Deliberate valour breathed, firm, and unmoved
555
      
With dread of death to flight or foul retreat
556
      
Nor wanting 1743 power to mitigate 1744 and suage 1745
557
      
With solemn touches troubled thoughts, and chase
558
      
Anguish and doubt and fear and sorrow and pain
559
      
From mortal or immortal minds. Thus they
560
      
Breathing united force with fixèd thought
561
      
Moved on in silence to soft pipes that charmed
562
      
Their painful steps o’er the burnt soil.
    And now
563
      
Advanced in view they stand—a horrid 1746 front 1747
564
      
Of dreadful length 1748 and dazzling arms, 1749 in guise 1750
565
      
Of warriors old, with ordered 1751 spear and shield
566
      
Awaiting what command their mighty chief
567
      
Had to impose. 1752 He through the armèd files 1753
568
      
Darts his experienced eye, and soon traverse 1754
569
      
The whole battalion views—their order due, 1755
570
      
Their visages and stature as of gods
571
      
Their number last he sums. 1756 And now his heart
572
      
Distends 1757 with pride and hard’ning in his strength
573
      
Glories, for never since created man
574
      
Met such embodied 1758 force as, named 1759 with these
575
      
Could merit 1760 more than 1761 that small infantry
576
      
Warred on by cranes 1762 —though all the giant brood
577
      
Of Phlegra 1763 with th’ heroic race were joined
578
      
That fought at Thebes 1764 and Ilium, 1765 on each side
579
      
Mixed with auxiliar 1766 gods, and what resounds 1767
580
      
In fable or romance of Uther’s son, 1768
581
      
Begirt with 1769 British and Armoric 1770 knights
582
      
And all who since, baptized or infidel
583
      
Jousted 1771 in Aspramont, 1772 or Montalban, 1773
584
      
Damasco, 1774 or Marocco, 1775 or Trebisond, 1776
585
      
Or whom Biserta 1777 sent from Afric shore
586
      
When Charlemain with all his peerage fell
587
      
By Fontarabbia. 1778 Thus far these, beyond
588
      
Compare of 1779 mortal prowess, yet observed
589
      
Their dread 1780 commander. He, above the rest
590
      
In shape and gesture proudly eminent
591
      
Stood like a tow’r. His form had yet not lost
592
      
All her original brightness, nor appeared
593
      
Less than Archangel ruined, and th’ excess
594
      
Of glory obscured, as when the sun new-ris’n
595
      
Looks through the horizontal misty air
596
      
Shorn of his beams, or from behind the moon
597
      
In dim eclipse, disastrous 1781 twilight sheds 1782
598
      
On half the nations, and with fear of change
599
      
Perplexes 1783 monarchs. Darkened so, yet shone
600
      
Above them all th’Archangel, but his face
601
      
Deep scars of thunder had intrenched, 1784 and care
602
      
Sat on his faded cheek, but under brows
603
      
Of dauntless courage, and considerate 1785 pride
604
      
Waiting revenge. Cruel his eye, but cast 1786
605
      
Signs of remorse and passion, to behold
606
      
The fellows 1787 of his crime, the followers rather
607
      
(Far other once beheld in bliss), condemned
608
      
For ever now to have their lot 1788 in pain
609
      
Millions of Spirits for his fault amerced 1789
610
      
Of heav’n, and from eternal splendors flung
611
      
For his revolt, yet faithful how they stood
612
      
Their glory withered—as when Heaven’s fire
613
      
Hath scathed 1790 the forest oaks or mountain pines
614
      
With singèd top their stately 1791 growth, though bare
615
      
Stands on the blasted 1792 heath. He now