Milton's Mountains (in Greek)

From John Milton's own Greek translation of Psalm CXIV (Everyman's Library)

Prose translation (Everyman's Library):

"The immense mountains rushed wildly about, leaping like lusty lambs in a rich meadow. All the smaller crags skipped like lambs about their dear mother to the sound of the syrinx....Why, immense mountains, did you rush wildly about, leaping like lusty lambs in a rich meadow? Why, smaller crags, did you skip like lambs about their dear mother to the sound of the syrinx?"

From Milton's own paraphrase of  Psalm CXIV (he was fifteen years old at the time):

"The huge high-bellied mountains skip like rams

Amongst their ewes, the little hills like lambs...

That glassy floods from rugged rocks can crush,

And make soft rills from fiery flint-stones crush".

Photos: JP (Vikos Gorge and Epirus)


Something lighter: L'Allegro

Händel. L'Allegro, Il Penseroso ed Il Moderato


From L'Allegro:

"Haste thee nymph, and bring with thee

Jest and youthful Jollity,

Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles,

Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles,

Such as hang on Hebe's cheek,

And love to live in dimple sleek;

Sport that wrinkled Care derides,

And Laughter holding both his sides.

Come, and trip it as ye go

On the light fantastic toe,

And in thy right hand lead with thee,

The mountain-nymph, sweet Liberty;

And if I give thee honour due,

Mirth, admit me of thy crew

To live with her, and live with thee,

In unreproved pleasures free;

To hear the lark begin his flight,

And singing startle the dull night,

From his watch-tower in the skies,

Till the dappled dawn doth rise...



Straight mine eye hath caught new pleasures

Whilst the landskip round it measures,

Russet lawns, and fallows gray,

Where the nibbling flocks do stray;

Mountains on whose barren breast

The labouring clouds do often rest..."