The mys- His travelled steps.
terious Ascending by degrees magnificent
stairs of Up to the wall of Heaven, a structure high; Heaven At top whereof, but far more rich, appeared The work as of a kingly palace-gate,
With frontispiece of diamond and gold Embellished; thick with sparkling orient gems The portal shone, inimitable on Earth By model, or by shading pencil drawn. The stairs were such as whereon Jacob saw 510 Angels ascending and descending, bands Of guardians bright, when he from Esau fled To Padan-Aram, in the field of Luz Dreaming by night under the open sky, And waking cried, This is the gate of Heaven. Each stair mysteriously was meant, nor stood There always, but drawn up to Heaven sometimes Viewless; and underneath a bright sea flowed Of jasper, or of liquid pearl, whereon
Who after came from Earth sailing arrived 520 Wafted by Angels, or flew o'er the lake Rapt in a chariot drawn by fiery steeds. The stairs were then let down, whether to dare The Fiend by easy ascent, or aggravate His sad exclusion from the doors of bliss: Direct against which opened from beneath, Just o'er the blissful seat of Paradise,
A passage down to the Earth—a passage Wider by far than that of after-times
Over Mount Sion, and, though that were
large, Over the Promised Land to God so dear,
By which, to visit oft those happy tribes, On high behests his Angels to and fro
Passed frequent, and his eye with choice regard Satan From Paneas, the fount of Jordan's flood, To Beërsaba, where the Holy Land Borders on Egypt and the Arabian shore. So wide the opening seemed, where bounds were
To darkness, such as bound the ocean wave. Satan from hence, now on the lower stair, 540 That scaled by steps of gold to Heaven-gate, Looks down with wonder at the sudden view Of all this World at once. As when a scout, Through dark and desert ways with peril gone All night, at last by break of cheerful dawn Obtains the brow of some high-climbing hill, Which to his eye discovers unaware
The goodly prospect of some foreign land First seen, or some renowned metropolis With glistering spires and pinnacles adorned, 550 Which now the rising sun gilds with his beams; Such wonder seized, though after Heaven seen, The Spirit malign, but much more envy seized, At sight of all this World beheld so fair.
Round he surveys (and well might, where he stood
So high above the circling canopy
Of Night's extended shade) from eastern point Of Libra to the fleecy star that bears Andromeda far off Atlantic seas
Beyond the horizon; then from pole to pole 560 He views in breadth,—and, without longer pause, Down right into the World's first region throws His flight precipitant, and winds with ease Through the pure marble air his oblique way Amongst innumerable stars, that shone
To the Stars distant, but nigh-hand seemed other worlds. Sun he Or other worlds they seemed, or happy isles, bends his Like those Hesperian Gardens famed of old, Fortunate fields, and groves, and flowery vales; Thrice happy isles! But who dwelt happy there
He staid not to inquire: above them all The golden Sun, in splendour likest Heaven, Allured his eye. Thither his course he bends, Through the calm firmament (but up or down, By centre or eccentric, hard to tell,
Or longitude) where the great luminary, Aloof the vulgar constellations thick,
That from his lordly eye keep distance due, Dispenses light from far. They, as they
Their starry dance in numbers that compute 580 Days, months, and years, towards his all-cheer- ing lamp
Turn swift their various motions, or are turned By his magnetic beam, that gently warms The Universe, and to each inward part With gentle penetration, though unseen, Shoots invisible virtue even to the Deep; So wondrously was set his station bright. There lands the Fiend, a spot like which per- haps
Astronomer in the Sun's lucent orb
Through his glazed optic tube yet never saw. 590 The place he found beyond expression bright, Compared with aught on Earth, metal or stone- Not all parts like, but all alike informed With radiant light, as glowing iron with fire. If metal, part seemed gold, part silver clear;
If stone, carbuncle most or chrysolite, Ruby or topaz, to the twelve that shone In Aaron's breast-plate, and a stone besides, Imagined rather oft than elsewhere seen— That stone, or like to that, which here below 600 Philosophers in vain so long have sought; In vain, though by their powerful art they bind Volatile Hermes, and call up unbound In various shapes old Proteus from the sea, Drained through a limbec to his native form. What wonder then if fields and regions here Breathe forth elixir pure, and rivers run Potable gold, when, with one virtuous touch, The arch-chemic Sun, so far from us remote, Produces, with terrestrial humour mixed, Here in the dark so many precious things Of colour glorious and effect so rare ? Here matter new to gaze the Devil met Undazzled. Far and wide his eye commands; For sight no obstacle found here, nor shade, But all sunshine, as when his beams at noon Culminate from the equator, as they now Shot upward still direct, whence no way round Shadow from body opaque can fall; and the air, Nowhere so clear, sharpened his visual ray 620 To objects distant far, whereby he soon Saw within ken a glorious Angel stand, The same whom John saw also in the Sun. His back was turned, but not his brightness hid; Of beaming sunny rays a golden tiar Circled his head, nor less his locks behind Illustrious on his shoulders fledge with wings Lay waving round: on some great charge em- ployed
Satan He seemed, or fixed in cogitation deep. accosts Glad was the Spirit impure, as now in hope 630 To find who might direct his wandering flight To Paradise, the happy seat of Man,
His journey's end, and our beginning woe. But first he casts to change his proper shape, Which else might work him danger or delay: And now a stripling Cherub he appears, Not of the prime, yet such as in his face Youth smiled celestial, and to every limb Suitable grace diffused; so well he feigned. Under a coronet his flowing hair In curls on either cheek played; wings he wore Of many a coloured plume sprinkled with gold, His habit fit for speed succinct, and held Before his decent steps a silver wand.
He drew not nigh unheard; the Angel bright, Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turned, Admonished by his ear, and straight was known The Archangel Uriel-one of the seven
Who in God's presence, nearest to his throne, Stand ready at command, and are his eyes 650 That run through all the Heavens, or down to the Earth
Bear his swift errands over moist and dry, O'er sea and land. Him Satan thus accosts:- Uriel! for thou of those seven Spirits that stand
In sight of God's high throne, gloriously bright, The first art wont his great authentic will Interpreter through highest heaven to bring, Where all his Sons thy embassy attend, And here art likeliest by supreme decree Like honour to obtain, and as his eye
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