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 Without all hope of day! O first created Beam, and thou great Word, Why am I thus bereav'd thy prime decree? 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? 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 Let us not break in upon him; O change beyond report, thought, or belief! 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; 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? 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? 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 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 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 |