Vondel's Lucifer Part 39

She says, "The wily Serpent hath deceived Me with this lure." Thus each the charge denies Of being the cause of their sad wretchedness.

Chorus:

Mercy! What penalty hangs o'er their crime?

Gabriel:

The woman, who hath Adam thus seduced, G.o.d threatens with the pains of tears and travail, And her subjection, and the man with care And labor, sweat and arduous slavery; 550 The soil, where man, at last, shall find his grave, With noxious weeds and great calamities; The Serpent, for the sly misuse thus made Of his most subtle tongue, shall, o'er the ground, Upon his belly creep, and live alone On dust and earth. But as a comfort sure, In such a misery, to poor mankind G.o.d promises, in truth, out of the seed And blood of the first woman, to raise up The Strong One, who shall crush the Serpent's head, 560 This Dragon vile, through deadly hate, by time Nor yet eternity to be removed.

And though this raging monster make attempt To bite His heel, yet shall the Hero win; And from the strife shall come with honors crowned.

I come, in the name of Him, the Highest One, To thee this sad disaster to reveal.

Forthwith all things in wonted order place, Ere they, for us, shall further mischief brew.

Michael:

Come, Uriel, armor-bearer, who dost guard 570 The Right divine and punishest the Wrong: Take up thy flaming sword: fly down below, And drive the twain from Eden, who have dared Transgress, so rash and blind, the primal law.

Go, guard the gate of the Paradise profaned, And forcibly the exiles drive away From this rare food, this tree, prolonging life.

Permit not that they pluck the immortal fruit, Nor their abuse of heavenly gifts allow.

Thou art placed, as sentinel, the garden over, 580 And o'er this tree. Then see that Adam shall Be driven out, and that from morn to eve He plough the field, and till the clayey ground From which, the breath of G.o.d once fashioned him, Ozias, to whose hand once G.o.d Himself With honor did entrust the ponderous hammer Of bright-hewn diamond made, also the chains Of ruby and the clamps so sharp of teeth, Go hence, and capture and securely bind The host of the infernal animals, 590 Also the lion and the dragon fell, That furiously against our standards rage.

Sweep from the sky these hordes accursed, and bind Them neck and claw, and chain them forcibly.

This key of the black bottomless abyss And all its dungeons is unto your care, Azarias, enjoined. Go hence, and lock All that our power a.s.sail within those vaults.

Maceda, take this torch, to you this flame Is given: go light the deep lake sulphurous. 600 Down in the centre of the Earth, and there Torment thou Lucifer, who hath brought forth Such numerous horrors, in the eternal fire Unquenchable, with chilling frosts commingled: There Grief and Horror and Obduracy, And Hunger, Thirst, and comfortless Despair, The sting of Conscience, Wrath implacable, The punishments given for this mad attempt, Amid the smoke from G.o.d's deep glow concealed, Bear witness to the blasting curse of Heaven, 610 Pa.s.sed on this Spirit impious, the while Shall come the promised Seed, the Reconciler, Who shall appease the blazing wrath of G.o.d, And in His wondrous love to man restore All that by Adam's trespa.s.s has been lost.

[Ill.u.s.tration: --"The eternal fire Unquenchable, with chilling frosts commingled."]

Chorus:

Deliverer, who thus the Serpent's head Shalt bruise, and who, at the appointed time, Shalt fallen mankind cleanse from the foul taint Original, from Adam's loins derived; And who again, for frail Eve's offspring, shalt 620 Ope here, on high, a fairer Paradise, "We shall with longing tell the centuries Till the year, day, and hour when shall appear Thy promised Mercy, which its pristine bloom To pining Nature shall restore, and place Upon the throne whereout the Angels fell The souls and bodies Thou hast glorified. 627

The End.

Parallelisms Between Vondel and Milton.

Since Mr. Edmundson's book is out of print, we have been asked to give a list of his parallelisms between the "Lucifer" and Milton. This will give the student the benefit of his comparisons.

LUCIFER, ACT I.

Line 13.

PARADISE LOST.--Book III., line 741.

Line 22.

P.L.--{V., 266-272.

{II., 1012.

Line 35.

P.L.--V., 426.

Line 52.

P.L.--{VIII., 107.

{X., 85.

Line 57.

P.L.--II., 104-105.

Line 61.

P.L.--IV., 227.

Line 63.

P.L.--IV., 233.

Line 64.

P.L.--III., 554.

Line 73.

P.L.--IV., 225.

Line 78.

P.L.--VII., 577.

Line 85-95.

P.L.--{VII., 317.

{VII., 333.

{IV., 644.

Line 107.

P.L.--IV., 340.

Line 115.

P.L.--{V., 7.

{IV., 642.

{IV., 238.

Line 131.

P.L.--{IV., 360-365.

{IX., 457.

Line 134.

P.L.--VII., 505-511.

Line 158.

P.L.--{V., 137.

{IV., 689.

Line 174.