Finally, Milton's poem is late by virtue of the simple fact that it's written in the form of an epic. An epic might have seemed like a great idea when Milton was nineteen, but by the time Milton gets actually around to writing it, it's an entirely superannuated, utterly outdated form.

最后，弥尔顿这么晚才写这首诗是因为,这是一首史诗，在弥尔顿19岁的时候,写首史诗看起来可能是个好主意，但到了弥尔顿真正要写的时候，史诗已经是一种完全落伍过时的诗体了。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选