In pow'r of others, never in my own;

Scarce half I feem to live, dead more than half.

O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon,
Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse

80

Without all hope of day!

O first created Beam, and thou great Word,
Let there be light, and light was over all;

Why am I thus bereav'd thy prime decree?
The fun to me is dark

And filent as the moon,

When she deserts the night

Hid in her vacant interlunar cave.

Since light fo necessary is to life,

And almost life itself, if it be true

That light is in the foul,

She all in every part; why was the fight

To fuch a tender ball as th' eye confin'd,

85

90

So obvious and fo easy to be quench'd?
And not as feeling through all parts diffus'd,
That she might look at will through every pore?
Then had I not been thus exil'd from light,
As in the land of darkness yet in light,
To live a life half dead, a living death,
And bury'd; but O yet more miserable!
Myself, my fepulchre, a moving grave,
Bury'd, yet not exempt

By privilege of death and burial

95

100

From worst of other evils, pains and wrongs, 105

But

But made hereby obnoxious more

To all miseries of life,

Life in captivity

Among inhuman foes.

But who are these? for with joint pace I hear 110
The tread of many feet fteering this way;
Perhaps my enemies who come to flare
At my affliction, and perhaps t' insult,
Their daily practice to afflict me more.
Chor. This, this is he; foftly a while,

Let us not break in upon him;

O change beyond report, thought, or belief!
See how he lies at random, carelefly diffus'd,
With languish'd head unpropt,

As one past hope, abandon'd,

And by himself giv'n over;

In flavish habit, ill-fitted weeds

O'er-worn and foil'd ;

Or do my eyes mifreprefent? Can this be he,

That heroic, that renown'd,

Irrefiftible Samfon? whom unarm'd

115

120

125

(withstand;

No ftrength of man, or fierceft wild beaft could

Who tore the lion, as the lion tears the kid,

Ran on imbattel'd armies clad in iron,

And weaponless himself,

Made arms ridiculous, useless the forgery

130

Of brazen shield and spear, the hammer'd cuirass, Chaly'bean temper'd fteel, and frock of mail

Ada

In pow'r of others, never in my own;
Scarce half I feem to live, dead more than half.
O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, 80
Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse

Without all hope of day!

O firft created Beam, and thou great Word,

Let there be light, and light was over all;

Why am I thus bereav'd thy prime decree?
The fun to me is dark

85

She all in every part; why was the fight

To fuch a tender ball as th' eye confin'd,

9

So obvious and fo eafy to be quench'd?
And not as feeling through all parts diffus'd,
That she might look at will through every pore?
Then had I not been thus exil'd from light,
As in the land of darkness yet in light,
To live a life half dead, a living death,
And bury'd; but O yet more miserable!
Myfelf, my fepulchre, a moving grave,
Bury'd, yet not exempt

By privilege of death and burial

From worst of other evils, pains and wrongs,

I

But made be

To all miles à

Life in cap Among int

But who are 24

The tread of

Perhaps y
At my af

Their daily p

Chor. This th

Let us not break. -

O change bev

e how he lies at

th languide

aine paft hope by himiel

ifh hab inter

Poor and foll

Adamantean proof;

But fafeft he who flood aloof,

When infupportably his foot advanc'd,

135

In fcorn of their proud arms and warlike tools, Spurn'd them to death by troops. The bold AfcaloFled from his lion ramp, old warriors turn'd (nite Their plated backs under his heel;

140

Or grov'ling foil'd their crested helmets in the dust. Then with what trivial weapon came to hand, The jaw of a dead afs, his sword of bone,

A thousand fore-skins fell, the flow'r of Palestine, In Ramath-lechi famous to this day.

145

(bore

Then by main force pull'd up, and on his shoulders
The gates
gates of Azza, post, and massy bar,
Up to the hill by Hebron, feat of giants old,

No journey of a sabbath-day, and loaded so ;

Like whom the Gentiles feign to bear up Heaven. Which fhall I firft bewail,

151

Thy bondage or loft fight,

Prifon within prifon

Infeparably dark?

Thou art become (O worst imprisonment!)

The dungeon of thyfelf; thy foul

155