John Milton's Paradise Lost
IN PLAIN ENGLISH
IV-1. O for that warning voice, which he who saw / Th' Apocalyps, heard cry in Heaven aloud, / Then when the Dragon, put to second rout, / Came furious down to be reveng'd on men, / Wo to the inhabitants on Earth!
IV-1. I wish somebody had warned Adam and Eve, the way St. John warned everybody about Satan in the Book of Revelation
IV-6. that now, / While time was, our first-Parents had bin warnd / The coming of thir secret foe, and scap'd / Haply so scap'd his mortal snare;
IV-6. Then maybe they could've been saved.
IV-9. for now / Satan, now first inflam'd with rage, came down, / The Tempter ere th' Accuser of man-kind, / To wreck on innocent frail man his loss / Of that first Battel, and his flight to Hell:
IV-9. Satan came to Earth to take revenge on them because he lost the war and was thrown into Hell.
IV-13. Yet not rejoycing in his speed, though bold, / Far off and fearless, nor with cause to boast, / Begins his dire attempt, which nigh the birth / Now rowling, boiles in his tumultuous brest,
IV-13. But he was feeling less sure of himself than when he began his mission.
IV-17. And like a devillish Engine back recoiles / Upon himself; horror and doubt distract / His troubl'd thoughts,
IV-17. He was feeling nervous.
IV-19. and from the bottom stirr / The Hell within him, for within him Hell / He brings, and round about him, nor from Hell / One step no more then from himself can fly / By change of place:
IV-19. He couldn't escape the feeling that he was still in Hell.
IV-23. Now conscience wakes despair / That slumberd, wakes the bitter memorie / Of what he was, what is, and what must be / Worse; of worse deeds worse sufferings must ensue.
IV-23. He was suddenly overwhelmed by painful memories of the glory he once had and how terrible his situation had become.
IV-27. Sometimes towards Eden which now in his view / Lay pleasant, his grievd look he fixes sad, Sometimes towards Heav'n and the full-blazing Sun, / Which now sat high in his Meridian Towre:
IV-27. He looked down at Eden, which was beautiful. Then he looked up at the full shining sun.
IV-31. Then much revolving, thus in sighs began. / O thou that with surpassing Glory crownd, / Look'st from thy sole Dominion like the God / Of this new World; at whose sight all the Starrs / Hide thir diminisht heads;
IV-31. He said to the sun, “You look like the god of this new world. All the stars hide when you come out.
IV-35. to thee I call, / But with no friendly voice, and add thy name / O Sun, to tell thee how I hate thy beams / That bring to my remembrance from what state / I fell, how glorious once above thy Spheare;
IV-35. But I hate you. I hate how you remind me of how glorious I once was—even more glorious than you.
IV-40. Till Pride and worse Ambition threw me down / Warring in Heav'n against Heav'ns matchless King: / Ah wherefore! he deservd no such return / From me, whom he created what I was / In that bright eminence, and with his good / Upbraided none; nor was his service hard.
IV-40. Pride and ambition caused me to go against God. But why? He's the one who gave me my glory. He was kind to me. And he didn't ask much in return.
IV-46. What could be less then to afford him praise, / The easiest recompence, and pay him thanks, / How due!
IV-46. What was so hard about giving him the praise and thanks that he deserved?
IV-48. yet all his good prov'd ill in me,
IV-48. But all his goodness only made me bad.
IV-49. And wrought but malice; lifted up so high / I ’sdeind subjection, and thought one step higher / Would set me highest,
IV-49. I was in a high position but it just made me want to be higher.
IV-52. and in a moment quit / The debt immense of endless gratitude, / So burthensome, still paying, still to ow;
IV-52. I got sick of always saying thank you.
IV-54. Forgetful what from him I still receivd,
IV-54. I guess I forgot all that he continually gave.
IV-55. And understood not that a grateful mind / By owing owes not, but still pays, at once / Indebted and dischargd; what burden then?
IV-55. I didn't see that feeling gratitude does not need to be expressed in words. So what was the problem?
IV-58. O had his powerful Destiny ordaind / Me some inferiour Angel, I had stood / Then happie; no unbounded hope had rais'd / Ambition.
IV-58. Maybe it would have been better if he had made me a lesser angel. Then I wouldn't have become so ambitious.
IV-61. Yet why not? som other Power / As great might have aspir'd, and me though mean / Drawn to his part;
IV-61. But then maybe another high angel would've done what I did. And I would end up one of his followers.
IV-63. but other Powers as great / Fell not, but stand unshak'n, from within / Or from without, to all temptations arm'd.
IV-63. But there were other angels as powerful as me, yet they never rebelled.
IV-66. Hadst thou the same free Will and Power to stand? / Thou hadst: whom hast thou then or what to accuse,
IV-66. I had the same free will as they did. So what do I have to blame for my fall?
IV-68. But Heav'ns free Love dealt equally to all? / Be then his Love accurst, since love or hate, / To me alike, it deals eternal woe.
IV-68. Nothing but God's love that he gives equally to everybody. Then damn his love! Since it makes no difference whether he loves me or hates me. Here's where I end up.
IV-71. Nay curs'd be thou; since against his thy will / Chose freely what it now so justly rues.
IV-71. No, damn myself. Since I freely chose to do what I did, and now sadly regret.
IV-73. Me miserable! which way shall I flie / Infinite wrauth, and infinite despaire? / Which way I flie is Hell; my self am Hell;
IV-73. I feel like Hell. Wherever I go is Hell. Infinite Hell, infinite hate, infinite despair.
IV-76. And in the lowest deep a lower deep / Still threatning to devour me opens wide, / To which the Hell I suffer seems a Heav'n.
IV-76. And yet I'm afraid an even worse Hell waits for me—one so bad that, compared to it, this is like Heaven.
IV-79. O then at last relent: is there no place / Left for Repentance, none for Pardon left? / None left but by submission; and that word Disdain forbids me,
IV-79. What can I do? Is there any way out of this? Yes, I can beg forgiveness, but the thought of it makes me sick.
IV-82. and my dread of shame / Among the Spirits beneath,
IV-82. How ashamed I would feel before all my followers.
IV-83. whom I seduc'd / With other promises and other vaunts / Then to submit, boasting I could subdue / Th' Omnipotent.
IV-83. I led them to this, with promises and bragging how I could beat God.
IV-86. Ay me, they little know / How dearly I abide that boast so vaine, / Under what torments inwardly I groane: / While they adore me on the Throne of Hell, / With Diadem and Sceptre high advanc'd
IV-86. They should only know how I now eat those words, and what terror I feel while they worship me as their king.
IV-91. The lower still I fall, onely Supream / In miserie; such joy Ambition findes.
IV-91. King of misery, that’s me. Still falling into worse misery.
IV-93. But say I could repent and could obtaine / By Act of Grace my former state; how soon / Would higth recall high thoughts, how soon unsay / What feign'd submission swore: ease would recant / Vows made in pain, as violent and void.
IV-93. Even if I could be forgiven, how long could I keep up the insincere apologies I made in pain once I was back in my comfortable old high place.
IV-98. For never can true reconcilement grow / Where wounds of deadly hate have peirc'd so deep:
IV-98. Things have gone way too far. There's too much hatred to ever be undone.
IV-100. Which would but lead me to a worse relapse / And heavier fall: so should I purchase deare / Short intermission bought with double smart.
IV-100. I would only relapse into worse hatred and worse rebellion. Any reconcilement would be short-lived.
IV-103. This knows my punisher; therefore as farr / From granting hee, as I from begging peace:
IV-103. God knows all this. He's as unlikely to forgive me as I am to ask him to.
IV-105. All hope excluded thus, behold in stead / Of us out-cast, exil'd, his new delight, / Mankind created, and for him this World.
IV-105. He's given up on us and created this new world of man to take our place.
IV-108. So farewel Hope, and with Hope farewel Fear,
IV-108. So all hope is gone, and with it, fear and regret as well.
IV-109. Farewel Remorse: all Good to me is lost; / Evil be thou my Good; by thee at least / Divided Empire with Heav'ns King I hold / By thee, and more then half perhaps will reigne; / As Man ere long, and this new World shall know.
IV-109. All good is lost to me. Evil will become my good. Let God rule over the world of good. I will rule over evil—and maybe my half will turn out to be bigger than his, as mankind may soon find out.”
IV-114. Thus while he spake, each passion dimm'd his face / Thrice chang'd with pale, ire, envie and despair, / Which marrd his borrow'd visage, and betraid / Him counterfet, if any eye beheld. / For heav'nly mindes from such distempers foule / Are ever cleer.
IV-114. While he spoke, his evil emotions showed on his face. If anybody had seen him, it would have given away his phony cherub’s disguise, since they never have such bad thoughts.
IV-119. Whereof hee soon aware, / Each perturbation smooth'd with outward calme, / Artificer of fraud; and was the first / That practisd falshood under saintly shew, / Deep malice to conceale, couch't with revenge:
IV-119. Realizing this, he quickly changed his expression. He was the first one ever to pretend to be saintly while hiding his true evil intent.
IV-124. Yet not anough had practisd to deceive / Uriel once warnd; whose eye pursu'd him down / The way he went, and on th' Assyrian mount / Saw him disfigur'd, more then could befall / Spirit of happie sort: his gestures fierce / He markd and mad demeanour, then alone, / As he suppos'd all unobserv'd, unseen.
IV-124. But he was too late. Uriel had been watching him the whole time.
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