When Milton instructs his muse, "Say first, for Heav'n hides nothing from thy view," there's something more here than the primary sense of the word, which is just "first in sequence."

弥尔顿写到缪斯的时候，“请先说，天界和地狱深渊在您的眼中，一切都了如指掌“,这句中“先“除了它本身的意思“最先“之外，还有其他的含义“

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选

Now we might at first think that Satan's vaunting here is the product of nothing more elevated than hate and a desire for revenge, but Milton's doing something truly extraordinary.

我们首先会想到撒旦之所以在这里自吹自擂,不过是因为他的仇恨和复仇的欲望，不过弥尔顿在这里做了不同寻常的艺术处理。

耶鲁公开课 - 弥尔顿课程节选