Paradise Lost

by John Milton

How all his malice served but to bring forth Infinite goodness, grace, and mercy, shewn On Man by him seduced, but on himself Treble confusion, wrath, and vengeance poured.

O shame to men! Devil with devil damned Firm concord holds; men only disagree Of creatures rational, though under hope Of heavenly grace, and, God proclaiming peace, Yet live in hatred, enmity, and strife Among themselves, and levy cruel wars Wasting the earth, each other to destroy: As if (which might induce us to accord) Man had not hellish foes enow besides, That day and night for his destruction wait!

Spirits of Heaven.”

This irony is everywhere. Satan and the fallen angels both clim Heaven as their beloved home as well as the place they most despise. It seems as though this is for only a lack of ownership.

And reckon’st thou thyself with Spirits of Heaven

Death speaks truth.

and the subtle Fiend his lore Soon learned, now milder, and thus answered smooth:— “Dear daughter

He feels like God here.

Sad instrument of all our woe,

This is interesting. It is also the instrument of our existence. The irony of Satan enacting God's greater glory?

Not free, what proof could they have given sincere Of true allegiance, constant faith or love, Where only what they needs must do appear’d, Not what they would?

word

Language embodies the soul of language and brings order to it

formless mass,

Such joy ambition finds.

Submission of the ego is the way to Grace and the widenning out into the full Self.

A shape within the watery gleam appeared,

Narcissus

Where neither joy nor love, but fierce desire, Among our other torments not the least, Still unfulfilled with pain of longing pines.

Can it be sin to know?

desire

That Heaven would want spectators,

“Thou also madest the night, Maker Omnipotent,

rites Observing none, but adoration pure Which God likes best,

Hail, wedded Love,

Army of Fiends, fit body to fit head.

Satan sought to own spirits; to make them a part of himself- and this grotesque desire for ownership is the cause of loneliness.

hypocrite,

He claims to hate servitude, yet he wants to be served.

Neither our own, but given:

by merit thine,

Evil into the mind of God or Man May come and go, so unreproved, and leave No spot or blame behind:

for neither various style Nor holy rapture wanted they to praise Their Maker,

rule or art,

It's interesting that these two things are compared.

Freely we serve, Because we freely love, as in our will To love or not;

By likening spiritual to corporal forms, As may express them best; though what if Earth Be but a shadow of Heaven, and things therein Each to other like, more than on earth is thought?

An explanation of Metaphor.

who saw When this creation was? rememberest thou Thy making, while the Maker gave thee being? We know no time when we were not as now;

to serve whom God ordains, Or Nature: God and Nature bid the same, When he who rules is worthiest, and excels Them whom he governs. This is servitude, To serve the unwise, or him who hath rebelled Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee, Thyself not free, but to thyself enthralled;

Behests obey, worthiest to be obeyed;

Here he is respecting himself far more than Satan claims to be doing for himself. He chooses to obey the worthiest because it is only the worthiest which deserves his worship. He is self aware is recognizing his position in contrast to the worthiest. He accepts the way of things and clings not to foolish pointless vanity which wishes things were not what they were.

Nameless

Consulting on the sum of things,

Son, in whose face invisible is beheld Visibly, what by Deity I am;

A cup filled.

thou always seek’st To glorify thy Son, I always thee,

This I my glory account,

Is this referring to the ego? How we are both God as well as a piece of the soul of God?

And gladlier shall resign, when in the end Thou shalt be all in all,

Death? Consciousness or ego disolving- drops sprung up from the river of the universe returning to the universe?

hapless

It is impossible to defeat How It Is.

rebellious

"Good" is being aligned with the Way It Is; "Bad" is reblling against it.

proud

Pride is immovable certainty. Humility is giving way to Truth.

aspiring to his hight,

Hath honoured me, according to his will.

Self-evidence is proof of the will of God.

by strength They measure all,

the invisible King, Only Omniscient,

I Am

in his powerful Word And Spirit,

Two differet things: the cup and the water.

self-knowing;

who made him chief Of all his works:

Why? Greater even than angels? Because of their ability to expand themselves? To ascend?

but to create Is greater than created to destroy.

Consider first, that great Or bright infers not excellence: the Earth Though, in comparison of Heaven, so small, Nor glistering, may of solid good contain More plenty than the sun that barren shines;

Yet not to Earth are those bright luminaries Officious; but to thee, Earth’s habitant.