All on that day stirr’d up the mighty strife, Female and male: Titanic gods, and sons And daughters of old Saturn; and that band Of giant brethren, whom, from forth th’ abyss Of darkness under earth, deliverer Jove Sent up to light: grim forms and strong, with force Gigantic: arms of hundred-handed gripe Burst from their shoulders: fifty heads up-sprang, Cresting their muscular limbs. They thus opposed In dreadful conflict ’gainst the Titans stood, In all their sinewy hands [206]wielding aloft Precipitous rocks. On th’ other side, alert The Titan phalanx closed: then hands of strength Join’d prowess, and show’d forth the works of war. Th’ immeasurable sea tremendous dash’d With roaring; earth re-echoed; the broad heaven Groan’d shattering: vast Olympus reel’d throughout Down to its rooted base beneath the rush Of those immortals: the [207]dark chasm of hell Was shaken with the trembling, with the tramp Of hollow footsteps and strong battle-strokes, And measureless uproar of wild pursuit. So they against each other through the air Hurl’d intermix’d their weapons, scattering groans Where’er they fell. The voice of armies rose With rallying shout through the starr’d firmament, And with a mighty war-cry both the hosts Encountering closed. Nor longer then did Jove Curb down his force; but sudden in his soul There grew dilated strength, and it was fill’d With his omnipotence: [208]his whole of might Broke from him, and the godhead rush’d abroad. The vaulted sky, the mount Olympus, flash’d With his continual presence; for he pass’d Incessant forth, and lighten’d where he trod. Thrown from his nervous grasp the lightnings flew Reiterated swift; the whirling flash Cast sacred splendour, and the thunderbolt Fell. Then on every side the foodful earth Roar’d in the burning flame, and far and near The trackless depth of forests crash’d with fire. Yea—the broad earth burn’d red, the floods of Nile Glow’d, and the desert waters of the sea. Round and around the Titans’ earthy forms Roll’d the hot vapour, and on fiery surge Stream’d upward, swathing in one boundless blaze The purer air of heaven. Keen rush’d the light In quivering splendour from the writhen flash: Strong though they were, intolerable smote Their orbs of sight, and with bedimming glare Scorch’d up their blasted vision. [209]Through the void Of Erebus, the preternatural flame Spread, mingling fire with darkness. But to see With human eye and hear with ear of man Had been, as on a time [210]the heaven and earth Met hurtling in mid-air: as nether earth Crash’d from the centre, and the wreck of heaven Fell ruining from high. Not less, when gods Grappled with gods, the shout and clang of arms Commingled, and the tumult roar’d from heaven.