The epic of the fall of man; a comparative study of Caedmon, Dante and Milton . n liquid fire, scarce visibleAmid the surging clouds of rolling smokeAnd deep infernal gloom, the Angelic hostWho fell not from their love still held far offThe empyreal battlements of , then perceived the traitorous fiends in Hell,And in one moment stood their folly bareIn having thus exchanged celestial blissFor the unending torments which their prideAnd groundless arrogance had thus entailed. In a similar strain, Milton tells how Satan, . . with his horrid crew,Lay vanquished, rolling in the fiery gul
The epic of the fall of man; a comparative study of Caedmon, Dante and Milton . n liquid fire, scarce visibleAmid the surging clouds of rolling smokeAnd deep infernal gloom, the Angelic hostWho fell not from their love still held far offThe empyreal battlements of , then perceived the traitorous fiends in Hell,And in one moment stood their folly bareIn having thus exchanged celestial blissFor the unending torments which their prideAnd groundless arrogance had thus entailed. In a similar strain, Milton tells how Satan, . . with his horrid crew,Lay vanquished, rolling in the fiery gulf,Confounded, though immortal. But his doomReserved him to more wrath ; for now the thoughtBoth of lost happiness and lasting painTorments him : round he throws his baleful eyes,That witnessed huge affliction and dismay,Mixed with obdurate pride and steadfast hate. His legions—Angel Forms, who lay entrancedThick as autumnal leaves that strow the brooksIn Vallombrosa. So thick bestrewn,Abject and lost, lay these, covering the flood,Under amazement of their hideous The Angelic hostWho fell not from their love still held far offTh-- Empyreal battlements of Ileazeii. The Fall of the Rebel Angels i8i At this point in the narrative, the two versions,although sufficiently similar to show a commonorigin, differ considerably in mode of the less artificial narrative of Ca^dmon, the Arch-Fiend is represented as being bound fast in ironbands in deepest Hell ; and in this position, ad-dressing the fallen Angels in a speech, which, fordramatic power, is unsurpassed even by Milton. Itis true that in Caedmon there is no high mount,no glistening throne, no dazzling palace of Pan-demonium, rising like an exhalation, and builtlike a temple; there are no spectacular effects;simply liquid fires, and chilling frosts, and horridtorments, and the vanquished Archangel—Godsprisoner—held in adamantine chains, bemoaning hislost estate, in terms of deepest remorse mingledwith th
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectdantealighieri12651321
