A Milton Simile in Book I of PL--on the Bees

As I memorize Book I of Milton's Paradise Lost, I come upon some things so beautifully or compactly said that I just want to stop, drink deeply of the reality just described for me and try to imagine the images becoming part of my own vocabulary and style of speaking or writing. In that connection, I had to pause over Milton's simile of the bees near the end of Book I of PL. He obviously is dependent on Homer's imaginative use of simile as he pens this one, but a close examination of its language shows the way he has "improved" on the Homeric simile. This essay presents three aspects of Milton's simile for your consideration.

Setting the Context

By the end of Book I the fallen spirits in Hell have built their capitol--Pandemonium--and are assembling for the great conclave where Satan will announce plans to undermine the work of God's creation (i.e., Adam & Eve). They press together closely, and Milton, in a beautifully onomatopoiec line, gives us the sound of their coming together:

"Thick swarm'd, both on the ground and in the air
Brusht with the hiss of rustling wings," 767-68.

Can't you hear them assemble? Can't you almost audibly perceive their wings rubbing together, sending off little "hisses" throughout the crowd? But then the simile begins:

"As Bees
In spring time, when the Sun with Taurus rides,
Pour forth thir populous youth about the Hive
In clusters; they among fresh dews and flowers
Flie to and fro, or on the smoothed Plank,
The suburb of thir Straw-built Citadel,
New rub'd with Balm, expatiate and confer
Thir State affairs," (768-775).

The Simile

Before comparing Milton with Homer or Virgil, let's identify three things that make this simile "work." First is his use of apposition. Apposition here may be defined as the addition of a parallel word or phrase by way of explanation or illustration of another. He mentions the spring time, but then "clarifies" that by saying "when the Sun with Taurus rides." The sonority of the second clause is enhanced by use of anastrophe (reversal of expected word order). Second, he extends the simile by the "or" and the description of the 'other place' where the bees congregate. They not only swarm about the hive and fly to and fro, but they also gather on the plank leading to the hive. Milton's description of this plank is priceless. He calls it the "suburb" of the "straw-built Citadel," a sort of purlieu or outlying area away from the hustle and bustle of the hive. But then he lovingly and alertly, in the space of four words, describes this "suburban plank" in more detail. It is "new rubb'd with balm." If we could "hear" the rustling and bustling of the demonic wings just before the simile began, now we can "smell" the fresh wood that reeks gently of the preservative balm spread over it. The bees have built for themselves quite a little city, quite a place of converse and life.

Then, third, Milton picks up on this last theme by imagining a society of political give and take among the bees. They "expatiate" ("walk around") and "confer" on state affairs with each other. So, there is both the swarming of the bees, especially the "populous youth" about the hive, as well as the more solemn society of the other bees discussing state affairs. This last image of bees conducting state affairs may be dependent on Virgil's description of the bees in his Fourth Georgic. See what you think of these words of Virgil:

"Come, then, I will unfold the natural powers
Great Jove himself upon the bees bestowed,
The boon for which, led by the shrill sweet strains
Of the Curetes and their clashing brass,
They fed the King of heaven in Dicte's cave.
Alone of all things they receive and hold
Community of offspring, and they house
Together in one city, and beneath
The shelter of majestic laws they live.."
(The Internet source doesn't give precise line numbers; it looks like it is about 200 lines into the Fourth Georgic)

Notice the last lines--"Together in one city, and beneath/ The shelter of majestic laws they live..." Milton has not only picked up on some of Virgil's language but has connected it to his own simile in such a way as to make the society of bees come alive for us. We understand and see their industry, their raising of families, their careful deliberations. We are almost swept up just considering the life of the bees, and then Milton brings us back to the real purpose of the simile--to emphasize the swarming of the demons together at Pandemonium. His next line is:

"So thick the aery crowd
Swarmed and were strait'n'd," 775-76.

The power of Milton's simile, as well as at least two other comparisons he draws or parentheses he inserts at the end of Book I creates an almost surreal or dreamy impression for the reader. We are diverted from the major flow of the passage--the assembly of the demons--by mental "trips" to jousting tournaments against the pagans or by bees swarming and "expatiating" among themselves on matters of state. By letting ourselves follow the simile or parenthesis, we actually can put down the poem and let our mind wander to the society or reality which he discusses. Our hearts and minds are kindled; our senses are aroused; we become full participants in the drama that is unfolding. Then, just when we are becoming comfortable in our mental journey to another place and time, he pulls us back to the "aery crowd" of demons that is congregating before the great hall in Hell.

Concluding With Homer

Now that we have seen the power of Milton's simile, let's finish by comparing it briefly with Homer's simile of the bees, in Book II of the Iliad. He writes:

"Even as the tribes of thronging bees go forth from some hollow rock, ever coming on afresh, and in clusters over the flowers of spring fly in throngs, some here, some there; even so from the ships and huts before the low sea-beach marched forth in companies their many tribes to the place of gathering," II.87-90.

Homer's simile is not quite as long as Milton's but two impressions remain for me. First, we can see the roots of Milton's full descriptions in Homer's phrases--especially the "some here, some there" (compare Milton's "Flie to and fro"). But, second, we see that Homer's simile is rather simple compared to Milton. He only mentions one type of comparison between bees and men. The bees fly out, gather in clusters, and go in all directions to do their work; so do the troops that are preparing for battle. But Milton has done something much more sophisticated than Homer, at least in this instance. He has given us the sensual reality of what we are reading about and he has given us an extended simile, where we not only see the bees swarming, but we are brought into their society. The comparison with the demons is in their clustering; but Milton wants to "play" with the image of the bees much longer than does Homer. Perhaps Virgil helped him here. In any case, we simply want to pause on the simile and drink in every last word of it. And, Milton draws this remarkable picture in a compact 53 words.

I bet he could have won any contest for vivid description of something using fewer than 100 words. Thus, the best thing I can do as I read/study Milton is to memorize him, recite him, meditate on him and speak his words to others. Only in this way, I believe, can I let the true force of his words "sink in."

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