Complete Poems The

Inthecourseofhisforty-yearcareerJohnMiltonevolvedfromaprodigytoablindprophet,fromaphilosophicalaesthetetoaPuritanrebel,andfromaLatinistpoetwhoproclaimedthetriumphofreasontoanepicpoetobsessedwiththeintractabilityofsin.Amasterofalmosteveryversestyle--fromthepastoral,devotional,andtenderlylyricaltothesupremegrandeurofhisgreatepic,ParadiseLost,andhisbiblical"Greektragedy,"SamsonAgonistes--Miltonleftabodyofworkunrivaledinliteraryhistory.AlthoughhewroteComusand"Lycidas"shortlyafterleavingCambridgeUniversity,Miltondevotedmuchofhisadultlife--andevensacrificedhiseyesight--todefendingthecauseofOliverCromwell'sCommonwealth.Milton'slaterpoetry,producedafterCharlesII'srestorationledtothedefeatoftheCommonwealth,containsnotonlypersonallyachievedtheologicalinsightsbutalsoadeepfirsthandunderstandingofpoliticsandpower.ThiseditionpresentsMilton'scompleteEnglish,Latin,andGreekpoems,modernizingspelling,capitalization,andanypunctuationlikelytocauseconfusion.Fullyannotatedwithglossesonthepoems'biblical,classical,andhistoricalallusions,thisisthebestplacetostartforreaderswantingtocometogripswiththisgiantinEnglishliterature.