Paradise Lost E-Book

John Milton

• Herausgeber: anna ruggieri
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste
Brought death into the World, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,
Sing, Heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed
In the beginning how the heavens and earth
Rose out of Chaos: or, if Sion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God, I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above th’ Aonian mount, while it pursues
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.

Leseprobe

Paradise Lost

John Milton

First digital edition 2017 by Anna Ruggieri

CONTENTS

BOOK I.

BOOK II.

BOOK III

BOOK IV.

BOOK V.

BOOK VI.

BOOK VII.

BOOK VIII.

BOOK IX.

BOOK X.

BOOK I.

Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit   Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tast   Brought Death into the World, and all our woe,   With loss of EDEN, till one greater Man   Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat,   Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret top   Of OREB, or of SINAI, didst inspire   That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed,   In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earth   Rose out of CHAOS: Or if SION Hill   Delight thee more, and SILOA'S Brook that flow'd   Fast by the Oracle of God; I thence   Invoke thy aid to my adventrous Song,   That with no middle flight intends to soar   Above th' AONIAN Mount, while it pursues   Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime.   And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost prefer   Before all Temples th' upright heart and pure,   Instruct me, for Thou know'st; Thou from the first   Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread   Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss   And mad'st it pregnant: What in me is dark   Illumine, what is low raise and support;   That to the highth of this great Argument   I may assert th' Eternal Providence,   And justifie the wayes of God to men.

Say first, for Heav'n hides nothing from thy view   Nor the deep Tract of Hell, say first what cause   Mov'd our Grand Parents in that happy State,   Favour'd of Heav'n so highly, to fall off   From their Creator, and transgress his Will   For one restraint, Lords of the World besides?   Who first seduc'd them to that fowl revolt?   Th' infernal Serpent; he it was, whose guile   Stird up with Envy and Revenge, deceiv'd   The Mother of Mankinde, what time his Pride   Had cast him out from Heav'n, with all his Host   Of Rebel Angels, by whose aid aspiring   To set himself in Glory above his Peers,   He trusted to have equal'd the most High,   If he oppos'd; and with ambitious aim   Against the Throne and Monarchy of God   Rais'd impious War in Heav'n and Battel proud   With vain attempt. Him the Almighty Power   Hurld headlong flaming from th' Ethereal Skie   With hideous ruine and combustion down   To bottomless perdition, there to dwell   In Adamantine Chains and penal Fire,   Who durst defie th' Omnipotent to Arms.   Nine times the Space that measures Day and Night   To mortal men, he with his horrid crew   Lay vanquisht, rowling in the fiery Gulfe   Confounded though immortal: But his doom   Reserv'd him to more wrath; for now the thought   Both of lost happiness and lasting pain   Torments him; round he throws his baleful eyes   That witness'd huge affliction and dismay   Mixt with obdurate pride and stedfast hate:   At once as far as Angels kenn he views   The dismal Situation waste and wilde,   A Dungeon horrible, on all sides round   As one great Furnace flam'd, yet from those flames   No light, but rather darkness visible   Serv'd only to discover sights of woe,   Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace   And rest can never dwell, hope never comes   That comes to all; but torture without end   Still urges, and a fiery Deluge, fed   With ever-burning Sulphur unconsum'd:   Such place Eternal Justice had prepar'd   For those rebellious, here their Prison ordain'd   In utter darkness, and their portion set   As far remov'd from God and light of Heav'n   As from the Center thrice to th' utmost Pole.   O how unlike the place from whence they fell!   There the companions of his fall, o'rewhelm'd   With Floods and Whirlwinds of tempestuous fire,   He soon discerns, and weltring by his side   One next himself in power, and next in crime,   Long after known in PALESTINE, and nam'd   BEELZEBUB. To whom th' Arch-Enemy,   And thence in Heav'n call'd Satan, with bold words   Breaking the horrid silence thus began.

If thou beest he; But O how fall'n! how chang'd   From him, who in the happy Realms of Light   Cloth'd with transcendent brightnes didst outshine   Myriads though bright: If he whom mutual league,   United thoughts and counsels, equal hope,   And hazard in the Glorious Enterprize,   Joynd with me once, now misery hath joynd   In equal ruin: into what Pit thou seest   From what highth fal'n, so much the stronger provd   He with his Thunder: and till then who knew   The force of those dire Arms? yet not for those   Nor what the Potent Victor in his rage   Can else inflict do I repent or change,   Though chang'd in outward lustre; that fixt mind   And high disdain, from sence of injur'd merit,   That with the mightiest rais'd me to contend,   And to the fierce contention brought along   Innumerable force of Spirits arm'd   That durst dislike his reign, and me preferring,   His utmost power with adverse power oppos'd   In dubious Battel on the Plains of Heav'n,   And shook his throne. What though the field be lost?   All is not lost; the unconquerable Will,   And study of revenge, immortal hate,   And courage never to submit or yield:   And what is else not to be overcome?   That Glory never shall his wrath or might   Extort from me. To bow and sue for grace   With suppliant knee, and deifie his power   Who from the terrour of this Arm so late   Doubted his Empire, that were low indeed,   That were an ignominy and shame beneath   This downfall; since by Fate the strength of Gods   And this Empyreal substance cannot fail,   Since through experience of this great event   In Arms not worse, in foresight much advanc't,   We may with more successful hope resolve   To wage by force or guile eternal Warr   Irreconcileable, to our grand Foe,   Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy   Sole reigning holds the Tyranny of Heav'n.