Close sailing from Bengala, or the isles
Of Ternate and Tidore, whence merchants bring Their spicy drugs: they on the trading flood 640 Through the wide Ethiopian to the Cape Piy stemming nightly toward the poie. So seem'd Far off the flying Fiend: at last appear Hell bounds high reaching to the horrid roof, And thrice threefold 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, 650 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 Cerberian mouths full loud, and rung A hideous peal: yet, when they list, would creep, If ought disturb'd their noise, into her womb, And kennel there, yet there still bark'd and howl'd, Within unseen. 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, Lur'd with the smell of infant blood, to dance With Lapland witches, while the lab'ring 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, 670 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. Satan was now at hand, and from his seat The monster moving onward came as fast With horrid strides, Hell trembled as he strode. Th' undaunted Fiend what this might be admir'd, Admir'd, not fear'd; God and his Son except, Created thing nought 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 reply'd. Art thou that traitor Angel, art thou He, Who first broke peace in Heav'n and faith, till then Unbroken, and in proud rebellious arms 691 Drew after him the third part of Heav'n's sons Conjur'd against the High'est, for which both thou And they, outcast from God, are here condemn'd To waste eternal days in woe and pain? And reckon'st thou thyself with Spirits of Heav`n, 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, Faise fugitive, and to thy speed add wings, Lest with a whip of scorpions I pursue
Thy ling`ring, or 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 th' other side Incens'd with indignation Satan stood Unterrif'd, and like a comet burn`d, That fires the length of Ophiuchus huge In th' arctic sky, and from his horrid hair Shakes pestilence and war. Each at the head Level'd his deadly aim: their fatal hands No second stroke intend, and such a frown Each cast at th' other, as when two black clouds, With Heav'n's artillery fraught, come rattling on Over the Caspian, then stand front to front / Hovering a space, till winds the signal blow To join their dark encounter in mid-air : So frown'd the mighty combatants, that Hell Grew darker at their frown, so match'd they stood; For never but once more was either like
To meet so great a foe: and now great deeds Had been atchiev'd, whereof all Hell had rung, Had not the snaky sorceress that sat
Fast by Hell gate, and kept the fatal key,
Ris'n, and with hideous outcry rush'd between.
O Father, what intends thy hand, she cry'd, Against thy only Son? What fury', O Son, Possesses thee to bend that mortal dart
Against thy Father's head? and know'st for whom; For him who sits above and laughs the while 731 At thee ordain'd his drudge, to execute Whate'er his wrath, which he calls justice, bids; His wrath, which one day will destroy ye both. She spake, and at her words the hellish pest Forbore, then these to her, Satan return'd. So strange thy outcry, and thy words so strange Thou interposest, that my sudden hand Prevented, spares to tell thee yet by deeds What it intends; till first I know of thee, What thing thou art, thus double-form'd, and why In this infernal vale first met thou call'st Me Father, and that phantasm call'st my Son; I know thee not, nor ever saw till now Sight more detestable than him and thee.
T' whom thus the portress of Hell gate reply'd. Hast thou forgot me then, and do I seem Now in thine eyes so foul? Once deem'd so fair In Heav'n when at th' assembly, and in sight Of all the Seraphim with thee combin'd In bold conspiracy against Heav'n's king, All on a sudden miserable pain
Surpriz'd thee, dim thine eyes, and dizzy swum In darkness, while thy head flames thick and fast Threw forth, till on the left side opening wide, Likest to thee in shape and count'nance bright,
Then shining heav'nly fair, a Goddess arm'd Out of thy head I sprung: amazement seiz'd All th' host of Heav'n; back they recoil'd afraid At first, and call'd me SIN, and for a sign 760 Portentous held me; but familiar grown, I pleas'd, and with attractive graces won The most averse, thee chiefly, who full oft Thyself in me thy perfect image viewing Becam'st enamour'd, and such joy thou took'st With me in secret, that my womb conceiv'd A growing burthen. Mean while war arose, And fields were fought in Heav'n: wherein remain'd (For what could else?) to our almighty foe Clear victory, to our part loss and rout Through all the empyréan: down they fell Driv'n headlong from the pitch of Heaven, down Into this deep, and in the general fall
I also; at which time this pow'rful key
Into my hand was giv'n, with charge to keep These gates for ever shut, which none can pass Without my opening. Pensive here I sat Alone, but long I sat not, till my womb Pregnant by thee, and now excessive grown Prodigious motion felt and rueful throes. At last this odious offspring whom thou seest Thine own begotten, breaking violent way Tore through my entraiis, that with fear and pain Distorted, all my nether shape thus grew Transform'd: but he my inbred enemy Forth issued, brandishing his fatal dart
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