The Descent into Hell Second Edition, Revised and Re-arranged, with an Analysis and Notes: To which are added, Uriel, a Fragment and Three Odes. By John A. Heraud |
 |
|
| I. |
| I. |
 | II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. | XVI. THE SOMETIME DISOBEDIENT. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
|
|
 | The Descent into Hell |  |
XVI. THE SOMETIME DISOBEDIENT.
I.1.
The Good die young, yet have not lived in vain;
For Wisdom is the grey hair unto men,
A spotless Life old age: how great their gain!
For Wisdom is the grey hair unto men,
A spotless Life old age: how great their gain!
Beloved of God, oh, most beloved then;
Translated from amidst a sinful race,
Soon perfect, why should they be proved agen?
Translated from amidst a sinful race,
Soon perfect, why should they be proved agen?
176
So Enoch walked with God, and saw his face,
For God esteems his Chosen, and his Saints
Shall seek and find his mercy and his grace.
For God esteems his Chosen, and his Saints
Shall seek and find his mercy and his grace.
The People saw, but held in base restraints,
They understood not, how he will reward
Love that fears not, and Faith that never faints.
They understood not, how he will reward
Love that fears not, and Faith that never faints.
I.2.
Ye understood not, or did not regard,
Who from yon Hill of Speculation came,
Patriarch and Sage, with Prophet, Priest and Bard,
Who from yon Hill of Speculation came,
Patriarch and Sage, with Prophet, Priest and Bard,
Old men and young, by Beauty set-aflame,
From the voluptuous Daughters of the Plain,
Each heart devote on its selected Dame,
From the voluptuous Daughters of the Plain,
Each heart devote on its selected Dame,
Though Lady of the Line of cursed Cain.
Musick and Song delight the Ear..the Eye
Is ravished with the Dance though graceful, vain—
Musick and Song delight the Ear..the Eye
Is ravished with the Dance though graceful, vain—
Vain, idle, tempting Lust with Melody
And Motion exquisite, lures for the sense,
Nor fraught with ill if tempered holily.
And Motion exquisite, lures for the sense,
Nor fraught with ill if tempered holily.
But oft with these the Hours of Sin commence,
And from her Mount of Vision drag the Soul,
To waste her strength in wanton feculence.
And from her Mount of Vision drag the Soul,
To waste her strength in wanton feculence.
I.3.
Sin grows gigantick; Force, without control,
Usurps the Seat of Justice. Evil thrives
From length of years, and reaches its far goal.
Usurps the Seat of Justice. Evil thrives
From length of years, and reaches its far goal.
Oh! heaven-born Science! what of thee survives?
Ill only, all the Good is purged away—
Knowledge but from the Visible derives
Ill only, all the Good is purged away—
Knowledge but from the Visible derives
177
The intellectual elements, that may
Inflate, but cannot fatten, whom they feed;
And demon-pride pervades the night and day,
Inflate, but cannot fatten, whom they feed;
And demon-pride pervades the night and day,
The mystick rite of a corrupted Creed,
Strange divination of strange gods begot,
The accursed Art, the unutterable Deed!
Strange divination of strange gods begot,
The accursed Art, the unutterable Deed!
II.1.
Let Age have honour, and a quiet lot,
The hoary head is as a silver crown,
That he is cold of heart who worships not—
The hoary head is as a silver crown,
That he is cold of heart who worships not—
Antient of Days! Methuselah is known
To Thee with honour, whom for ten long ages
Wisdom had hallowed, knowledge and renown.
To Thee with honour, whom for ten long ages
Wisdom had hallowed, knowledge and renown.
Seers of God, ye half-immortal Sages.
Time, the Truth-utterer, to your patient view,
Of his huge tome expanded all the pages;
Time, the Truth-utterer, to your patient view,
Of his huge tome expanded all the pages;
Nature her every secret showed to you,
And Heaven had eke revealed its mysteries,
But that Man's heart made evil what it knew.
And Heaven had eke revealed its mysteries,
But that Man's heart made evil what it knew.
II.2.
Oh! his Imaginings have fraught the skies,
With lusts abominable; and the Earth
Groans with his guilt, and teems with agonies.
With lusts abominable; and the Earth
Groans with his guilt, and teems with agonies.
Long Centuries between his death and birth,
Teem with heroick purpose, and rejoice
In its completion with no transient mirth.
Teem with heroick purpose, and rejoice
In its completion with no transient mirth.
Ambition dreams of empire, and the Voice
Of millions, at the end of many times,
Doth hail the Tyrant of their fatal choice
Of millions, at the end of many times,
Doth hail the Tyrant of their fatal choice
178
Pride, Power and Passion, each its zenith climbs,
And rages like the dog-star in the days
Of madness. Love itself, itself sublimes
And rages like the dog-star in the days
Of madness. Love itself, itself sublimes
In the undying heart on which it preys,
And Hate becomes immortal, and fell Ire
With ages grows, and Grief;—yet Death delays.
And Hate becomes immortal, and fell Ire
With ages grows, and Grief;—yet Death delays.
II.3.
But Age hath no authority. The Sire,
Made feebler with the weight of Centuries,
Shrinks from unfilial vigour. Thou wilt require,
Made feebler with the weight of Centuries,
Shrinks from unfilial vigour. Thou wilt require,
Great Father! the paternal blood that cries
Now from the ground. Yet mercy reigns supreme;
Lo, in yon Ark a ready refuge lies,
Now from the ground. Yet mercy reigns supreme;
Lo, in yon Ark a ready refuge lies,
For who will seek it. Let the Prophet dream;
They reck not of his warning that foretells
The penal Deluge, weary of the theme.
They reck not of his warning that foretells
The penal Deluge, weary of the theme.
Yet there the Preacher stands, where Man rebels,
His eloquent arms upraised unto his God,
Who hears in heaven and answers, and impels.
His eloquent arms upraised unto his God,
Who hears in heaven and answers, and impels.
III.1
Heaven! ope thy windows! send the Flood abroad!
Thou Earth, break up thy fountains,..and spurn hence
The proud Oppressor, son of force and fraud!
Thou Earth, break up thy fountains,..and spurn hence
The proud Oppressor, son of force and fraud!
—The starting Horse, hit by the hail intense
Though small, intensely small, erects his ears,
His mane erects, and smarts in every sense.
Though small, intensely small, erects his ears,
His mane erects, and smarts in every sense.
With martial pride his arched neck he rears,
His veins with courage tremble while they madden,
His eye returns the lightning while it sears,
His veins with courage tremble while they madden,
His eye returns the lightning while it sears,
179
Till the surrounding storms his spirit sadden,
And reeling in the rain and wind and thunder,
He yields the life the hills no longer gladden.
And reeling in the rain and wind and thunder,
He yields the life the hills no longer gladden.
III.2.
Fear, Madness, Blasphemy and wanton Wonder,
A Band of revellers, in open air,
Invoking Hymen, when the rock asunder
A Band of revellers, in open air,
Invoking Hymen, when the rock asunder
Rent, and the Fountain of the Abyss rose there,
'Mid the cleft Cliff upboiling—on one ridge,
Rage perishing, and curses breathe for prayer!
'Mid the cleft Cliff upboiling—on one ridge,
Rage perishing, and curses breathe for prayer!
Lo, on the other torn and riven ledge,
Despair, amid his sullen family,
Sits fixed, remediless, though the peak's edge
Despair, amid his sullen family,
Sits fixed, remediless, though the peak's edge
Might tempt him, if awaked to sense were he,
Plunging into the flood that fulmines near,
To brave his dread and prove his destiny.
Plunging into the flood that fulmines near,
To brave his dread and prove his destiny.
But now, exanimate of all but fear,
Fear worse than Death, them howl the Wolves about
Unfeared, for worse than Famine clings them there.
Fear worse than Death, them howl the Wolves about
Unfeared, for worse than Famine clings them there.
III.3
Long Days and Nights, on that high station, out
Amidst the Ocean, they have sate and watched
Destruction's goings-on, since first the shout
Amidst the Ocean, they have sate and watched
Destruction's goings-on, since first the shout
Rose from all people, and all eyes attached
Looked through the gloom up to the sky, wherein
Orb met with orb. How fearfully they clashed,
Looked through the gloom up to the sky, wherein
Orb met with orb. How fearfully they clashed,
And rent the heavens! Then Death gat hold of Sin,
And strangled her amidst the waves,..but kills
Her not. Behold no refuge! Earth hath been!
And strangled her amidst the waves,..but kills
Her not. Behold no refuge! Earth hath been!
180
With multitudes yon ample cavern fills,
Who, from the bursting waters rushing thence,
Meet myriads scaping from the falling Hills!
Who, from the bursting waters rushing thence,
Meet myriads scaping from the falling Hills!
IV.1
Yea, Earth hath been! and the magnificence
Of Cities was! Of all that they contained,
(After it in the distance aches the sense,)
Of Cities was! Of all that they contained,
(After it in the distance aches the sense,)
Yon little Speck is all that hath remained;
God's Angel guides the Ark, and guards it well,
Blessed, albeit on every side constrained—
God's Angel guides the Ark, and guards it well,
Blessed, albeit on every side constrained—
In its capacious womb a World doth dwell
In safety, creatures of the Earth and Air,
And Man their lord, and Woman, first who fell,
In safety, creatures of the Earth and Air,
And Man their lord, and Woman, first who fell,
Yet fairest of all things when all were fair;
Them guides God's Angel to their Ararat,
And renovated Earth awaits them there.
Them guides God's Angel to their Ararat,
And renovated Earth awaits them there.
IV.2.
Hope cheered them on their way, God's Presence that
Faith quickens in the souls of faithful men,
That moral Courage which the World spurns at,
Faith quickens in the souls of faithful men,
That moral Courage which the World spurns at,
But which shall conquer in the Trial, when
The Heroes of Earth's vulgar Victories,
Worse Flood shall whelm than rolled o'er giants then.
The Heroes of Earth's vulgar Victories,
Worse Flood shall whelm than rolled o'er giants then.
The living billows, beneath living skies,
Leap o'er their Carcasses, and nothing lives
Between, save that saved Ark, and he who flies,
Leap o'er their Carcasses, and nothing lives
Between, save that saved Ark, and he who flies,
Yon Raven, in the search of land, that gives
No footing to the Dove who straight returns:
And whom the Ark which sent her forth receives.
No footing to the Dove who straight returns:
And whom the Ark which sent her forth receives.
181
Again go forth, oh Dove! To him who yearns
The Olive-branch she brings! Go forth again!
She comes not back. Lo! Earth! and Man discerns.
The Olive-branch she brings! Go forth again!
She comes not back. Lo! Earth! and Man discerns.
IV.3.
Ye by the flood baptized, by Deluge slain—
Come ye to Judgement! lo, the Judge appears!
Where'er ye bide, on mountain or in plain,
Come ye to Judgement! lo, the Judge appears!
Where'er ye bide, on mountain or in plain,
Come in your multitudes! foretold by Seers,
Concurrent Prophecy of Paradise,
Dated co-eval with the Eternal Years,
Concurrent Prophecy of Paradise,
Dated co-eval with the Eternal Years,
Older than Earth, more ancient than the Skies—
Come Myriads! the Messiah to behold,
The Preacher like to Noah—Rise—arise!
Come Myriads! the Messiah to behold,
The Preacher like to Noah—Rise—arise!
He cometh with his Saints redeemed of old,
The Deeds of the Ungodly to confound,
And everlasting Judgement to unfold!
Hushed be the strain—the ground is holy ground.The Deeds of the Ungodly to confound,
And everlasting Judgement to unfold!
| The Descent into Hell | |