登陆注册
5386800000011

第11章 Book 2(5)

Part on the Plain, or in the Air sublime Upon the wing, or in swift race contend, As at th' Olympian Games or PYTHIAN fields;

Part curb thir fierie Steeds, or shun the Goal With rapid wheels, or fronted Brigads form.

As when to warn proud Cities warr appears Wag'd in the troubl'd Skie, and Armies rush To Battel in the Clouds, before each Van Pric forth the Aerie Knights, and couch thir spears Till thickest Legions close; with feats of Arms From either end of Heav'n the welkin burns.

Others with vast TYPHOEAN rage more fell Rend up both Rocks and Hills, and ride the Air In whirlwind; Hell scarce holds the wilde uproar.

As when ALCIDES from OEALIA Crown'd With conquest, felt th' envenom'd robe, and tore Through pain up by the roots THESSALIAN Pines, And LICHAS from the top of OETA threw Into th' EUBOIC Sea. Others more milde, Retreated in a silent valley, sing With notes Angelical to many a Harp Thir own Heroic deeds and hapless fall By doom of Battel; and complain that Fate Free Vertue should enthrall to Force or Chance.

Thir song was partial, but the harmony (What could it less when Spirits immortal sing?)

Suspended Hell, and took with ravishment The thronging audience. In discourse more sweet (For Eloquence the Soul, Song charms the Sense,)

Others apart sat on a Hill retir'd, In thoughts more elevate, and reason'd high Of Providence, Foreknowledge, Will, and Fate, Fixt Fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute, And found no end, in wandring mazes lost.

Of good and evil much they argu'd then, Of happiness and final misery, Passion and Apathie, and glory and shame, Vain wisdom all, and false Philosophie:

Yet with a pleasing sorcerie could charm Pain for a while or anguish, and excite Fallacious hope, or arm th' obdured brest With stubborn patience as with triple steel.

Another part in Squadrons and gross Bands, On bold adventure to discover wide That dismal world, if any Clime perhaps Might yeild them easier habitation, bend Four ways thir flying March, along the Banks Of four infernal Rivers that disgorge Into the burning Lake thir baleful streams;

Abhorred STYX the flood of deadly hate, Sad ACHERON of sorrow, black and deep;

COCYTUS, nam'd of lamentation loud Heard on the ruful stream; fierce PHLEGETON Whose waves of torrent fire inflame with rage.

Farr off from these a slow and silent stream, LETHE the River of Oblivion roules Her watrie Labyrinth, whereof who drinks, Forthwith his former state and being forgets, Forgets both joy and grief, pleasure and pain.

Beyond this flood a frozen Continent Lies dark and wilde, beat with perpetual storms Of Whirlwind and dire Hail, which on firm land Thaws not, but gathers heap, and ruin seems Of ancient pile; all else deep snow and ice, A gulf profound as that SERBONIAN Bog Betwixt DAMIATA and mount CASIUS old, Where Armies whole have sunk: the parching Air Burns frore, and cold performs th' effect of Fire.

Thither by harpy-footed Furies hail'd, At certain revolutions all the damn'd Are brought: and feel by turns the bitter change Of fierce extreams, extreams by change more fierce, From Beds of raging Fire to starve in Ice Thir soft Ethereal warmth, and there to pine Immovable, infixt, and frozen round, Periods of time, thence hurried back to fire.

They ferry over this LETHEAN Sound Both to and fro, thir sorrow to augment, And wish and struggle, as they pass, to reach The tempting stream, with one small drop to loose In sweet forgetfulness all pain and woe, All in one moment, and so neer the brink;

But fate withstands, and to oppose th' attempt MEDUSA with GORGONIAN terror guards The Ford, and of it self the water flies All taste of living wight, as once it fled The lip of TANTALUS. Thus roving on In confus'd march forlorn, th' adventrous Bands With shuddring horror pale, and eyes agast View'd first thir lamentable lot, and found No rest: through many a dark and drearie Vaile They pass'd, and many a Region dolorous, O're many a Frozen, many a Fierie Alpe, Rocks, Caves, Lakes, Fens, Bogs, Dens, and shades of death, A Universe of death, which God by curse Created evil, for evil only good, Where all life dies, death lives, and nature breeds, Perverse, all monstrous, all prodigious things, Abominable, inutterable, and worse Then Fables yet have feign'd, or fear conceiv'd, GORGONS and HYDRA'S, and CHIMERA'S dire.

Mean while the Adversary of God and Man, SATAN with thoughts inflam'd of highest design, Puts on swift wings, and toward the Gates of Hell Explores his solitary flight; som times He scours the right hand coast, som times the left, Now shaves with level wing the Deep, then soares Up to the fiery concave touring high.

As when farr off at Sea a Fleet descri'd Hangs in the Clouds, by AEQUINOCTIAL Winds Close sailing from BENGALA, or the Iles Of TERNATE and TIDORE, whence Merchants bring Thir spicie Drugs: they on the trading Flood Through the wide ETHIOPIAN to the Cape Ply stemming nightly toward the Pole. So seem'd Farr off the flying Fiend: at last appeer Hell bounds high reaching to the horrid Roof, And thrice threefold the Gates; three folds were Brass Three Iron, three of Adamantine Rock, Impenitrable, impal'd with circling fire, Yet unconsum'd. Before the Gates there sat On either side a formidable shape;

The one seem'd Woman to the waste, and fair, But ended foul in many a scaly fould 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 CERBEREAN mouths full loud, and rung A hideous Peal: yet, when they list, would creep, If aught disturb'd thir noyse, into her woomb, And kennel there, yet there still bark'd and howl'd Within unseen. Farr less abhorrd then these Vex'd SCYLLA bathing in the Sea that parts CALABRIA from the hoarce TRINACRIAN shore:

同类推荐
  • 吴光禄使闽奏稿选录

    吴光禄使闽奏稿选录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 外科精义

    外科精义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 说唐

    说唐

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 菩萨睒子经

    菩萨睒子经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 未轩文集

    未轩文集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 重生大海蟒

    重生大海蟒

    海洋自古就被一层神秘的面纱所笼罩,即使是我们现在的科技也无法将其揭开。传说中的海洋巨怪,神秘的幽灵船,多如繁星神秘诡异的失踪事件。一切的一切都吸引着我们去探索和了解,跟我一起进入那神秘莫测的海洋深处吧
  • 指头画说

    指头画说

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 囧囧娇妻:燕归君不归

    囧囧娇妻:燕归君不归

    唐小古本来以为,上有大哥罩着,下有个小酒楼靠着,这辈子就可以好吃懒做的小掌柜。可没想到天要下雨哥要娶媳妇,当了十三年的小少爷居然要被未来嫂子当小妞嫁出去——是可忍孰不可忍,想抢我的饭碗,我就抢你的男人!喵喵的诱兄计划,这辈子就是要吃定你!这辈子就是要吃、定、你——
  • 香港小学体育教师的专业生涯

    香港小学体育教师的专业生涯

    本书主要探索香港小学体育教师的专业生涯。由于教育及课程改革所致,书中集中讨论香港体育教师工作生活中明显过重的工作量及多元角色所带来的问题。
  • 家有特工魔姐

    家有特工魔姐

    她在执行任务时被炸“到”了另一个时空既来之则安之,没有什么大不了的。敢欺负我的那就双倍回来。不就是废材么?谁规定出人头地只有这一条路。“姐姐,这样做行吗?”“没事,出了事姐给你兜着,记住你有一辈子都有姐罩着”某女看着眼前的小不点说。就为了姐姐这一句话,做定姐姐的小跟班。“你想当我姐夫?”某天眯着笑眯眯的大眼睛问。“你有意见?”某烈回以勾魂一笑,绝色倾城万物失色。“好处呢?”“随你提”“成交”就这样某个没有良心的弟弟把自家的姐给卖了。没办法,谁让姐姐的婚事一直是让他这个弟弟操心啊,这好不容易有个合适的。。。。。“你这个流氓,我这么小你也吃得下?”某冰大叫“冰儿,你这辈子、下辈子,生生世世只能是我一个人的”他看着她霸道的宣布。结果在某冰的抗议中把她吃干抺尽。“阿烈,你给我听着,我要你活着,你说过陪我一辈子的,你休想吃过了就后悔,所以就是上穷碧落下黄泉,你都别想逃出老娘的手心”悦冰大叫着...“叶,万年以前你是我的妻,万年以后我依旧不会放手”黑色的玄雾弥漫在他的周围,让他显得妖异倾城。万年轮回,他、她能挣脱那个万年前不为人知的诅咒么?
  • 你我相逢在黑夜的海上

    你我相逢在黑夜的海上

    我们对爱情最大的误解,是相信它无所不能。吕品知道,如果碰到Titanic那样的灾难,杨焕一定会是那个牺牲自己推她上救生艇的人。可惜他们生活的这个世界很平静,没有Titanic,没有火山海啸,只有日复一日枯燥重复的生活。在吕品遭受家庭毁灭性背叛时,只有杨焕伸出援助之手,青梅竹马的感情,却在多年后因为无处不在的巨大差异而黯然分手。
  • 陆心匪石

    陆心匪石

    赵九宫自认为自己和陆挚条件是非常相配的,同样的家世,同样出色的容貌,同样名校毕业,同样是家族产业的唯一继承人,多么完美匹配的条件,只除了:她有一条尾巴。而当他们家想把狗女儿(强行)许配给最出色的青年领军人物陆挚的时候,发现陆挚竟然有女朋友了,并且是以结婚为前提在交往,最重要的是,比赵九宫美,比赵九宫有气质,比赵九宫……更像正常人。赵九宫的大尾巴无意中被人拍到传到了网上,赵九宫得到了科研人士的注意,就在她以为自己会被抓走杀掉的时候,那个翻手为云覆手为雨的男人出现了:“我们结婚能够帮你挡掉很多麻烦,你考虑一下?”
  • 灵界万物有灵

    灵界万物有灵

    一个男孩,带着自己的鱼和梦想,探索着这个万物有灵的世界。(致敬宠物小精灵、宠魅、以及心中那个奇幻的世界。)
  • 千里夜行

    千里夜行

    “千里寻死鬼,夜半送地府。”“开门迎四方,莫问是王土。”
  • 窄的门

    窄的门

    因家中变故,寄人篱下的伍月与阮秋在码头登船时邂逅,自此认定“他是一个渡我的人,也是我要找的人”,在梦的干预下,一再出现的渡、船、岸的意象,让她开始了对这场邂逅的寻找,也由此开启了寻梦之旅。