rrour+ with grim hew,
2 Did alwayes sore, beating his yron wings;
And after him Owles and Night-rauens flew,
4 The hatefull messengers of heauy things,
Of death and dolour telling sad tidings;
6 Whiles sad _Celeno_, sitting on a clift,
A song of bale and bitter sorrow sings,
8 That hart of flint a sunder could haue rift:
Which hauing ended, after him she flyeth swift.
1 Horrour > horror _1590;_ horrour _1596_
1 And over them sad Horror, with grim hue,
hue > appearance; colour
2 Did always soar, beating his iron wings;
always > always; _perhaps also:_ all ways [in all directions, round
and round]
iron wings > (Cf. 111.31:9)
3 And after him owls and night-ravens flew,
owls > (To the Romans, the owl was an omen of death: see _Met._
10.453; see also 105.30:6, etc.)
night-raven > {An unspecified nocturnal bird, perhaps the nightjar
or the night-heron. See _SC_, gloss to "June"}
4 The hateful messengers of heavy things,
heavy > distressing, grievous; grave
5 Of death and dolour telling sad tidings;
dolour > dolour; physical suffering; grief
6 While sad Celeno, sitting on a cliff,
Celeno > (One of the harpies, vultures with the head and breasts of
a woman; associated with greed. The others were Ocypeta and
A{e"}llo. See _Aen._ 3.219 ff.)
7 A song of bale and bitter sorrow sings,
bale > woe, torment
8 That heart of flint asunder could have rived:
rived > torn asunder
9 Which having ended, after him she flies swift.
207.24
All these before the gates of _Pluto_ lay,
2 By whom they passing, spake vnto them nought.
But th'Elfin knight with wonder all the way
4 Did feed his eyes, and fild his inner thought.
At last him to a litle dore he brought,
6 That to the gate of Hell, which gaped wide,
Was next adioyning, ne them parted +ought+:
8 Betwixt them both was but a litle stride,
That did the house of Richesse from hell-mouth diuide.
7 ought > nought _1590_
1 All these before the gates of Pluto lay,
2 By whom they passing, spoke to them naught.
naught > nothing at all [Guyon and Mammon said nothing to Pain,
Strife, etc. as they passed]
3 But the Elfin knight with wonder all the way
4 Did feed his eyes, and fild his inner thought.
fild > filled; _or:_ defiled (cf. 105.32:2 etc.)
5 At last him to a little door he brought,
he > [Mammon]
6 That to the gate of hell
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