My glory, my perfection! Glad I see
30
Thy face, and morn returned, for I this night
31
(Such night till this I never passed) have dreamed
32
(If dreamed) not, as I oft am wont,3299 of thee,
33
Works of day past, or morrow’s next design,3300
34
But of offence and trouble, which my mind
35
Knew never till this irksome3301 night. Methought
36
Close at mine ear one called me forth to walk,
37
With gentle voice; I thought it thine. It said,
38
‘Why sleep’st thou, Eve? Now is the pleasant time,
39
The cool, the silent, save 3302 where silence yields
40
To the night-warbling bird, that now awake
41
Tunes sweetest his love-labored song. Now reigns
42
Full-orbed the moon, and with more pleasing light
43
Shadowy sets off the face of things. In vain,
44
If none regard.3303 Heav’n wakes with all his eyes,
45
Whom to behold but thee, Nature’s desire?
46
In whose sight all things joy, 3304 with ravishment 3305
47
Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze.
48
I rose as at thy call, but found thee not;
49
To find thee I directed then my walk,
50
And on, methought, alone I passed through ways
51
That brought me on a sudden to the tree
52
Of interdicted3306 knowledge. Fair it seemed,
53
Much fairer to my fancy than by day,
54
And as I wond’ring looked, beside it stood
55
One shaped and winged like one of those from Heav’n
56
By us oft seen. His dewy locks distilled3307
57
Ambrosia. On that tree he also gazed,
58
And ‘O fair plant,’ said he, ‘with fruit surcharged,3308
59
Deigns none to ease thy load, and taste thy sweet,
60
Nor god, nor man? Is knowledge so despised?
61
Or envy, or what reserve3309 forbids to taste?
62
Forbid who will, none shall from me withhold
63
Longer thy offered good: why else set 3310 here?
64
This said, he paused not, but with venturous3311 arm
65
He plucked, he tasted; me damp3312 horror chilled
66
At such bold words vouched 3313 with a deed so bold,
67
But he thus, overjoyed: ‘O fruit divine,
68
Sweet of thyself, but much more sweet thus cropped,3314
69
Forbidden here, it seems, as only fit
70
For gods, yet able to make gods of men.
71
And why not gods of men? Since good, the more
72
Communicated, more abundant grows,
73
The author3315 not impaired, but honored more?
74
Here, happy creature, fair angelic Eve!
75
Partake thou also. Happy though thou art,
76
Happier thou may’st be, worthier canst not be.
77
Taste this, and be henceforth among the gods
78
Thyself a goddess, not to earth confined,
79
But sometimes in the air, as we, sometimes
80
Ascend to Heav’n, by merit thine, and see
81
What life the gods live there, and such live thou!
82
“So saying, he drew nigh, and to me held,
83
Ev’n to my mouth of that same fruit held part3316
84
Which he had plucked. The pleasant savory smell
85
So quickened appetite that I, methought,
86
Could not but taste. Forthwith up to the clouds
87
With him I flew, and underneath beheld
88
The earth outstretched immense, a prospect wide
89
And various, wond’ring at my flight and change
90
To this high exaltation. Suddenly
91
My guide was gone, and I, methought, sunk down,
92
And fell asleep. But O, how glad I waked
93
To find this but a dream!” Thus Eve her night
94
Related, and thus Adam answered, sad:3317
95
“Best image of myself, and dearer half,
96
The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep
97
Affects me equally, nor can I like
98
This uncouth3318 dream, of evil sprung, I fear.
99
Yet evil whence? In thee can harbor none,
100
Created pure. But know that in the soul
101
Are many lesser faculties, that serve
102
Reason as chief; among these Fancy 3319 next 3320
103
Her office 3321 holds. Of all external things
104
Which the five watchful3322 senses represent,3323
105
She forms imaginations, airy shapes,
106
Which reason, joining or disjoining, frames
107
All what we affirm or what deny, and call 3324
108
Our knowledge or opinion, then retires
109
Into her private cell, when Nature rests.
110
Oft, in her absence, mimic Fancy wakes
111
To imitate her but, misjoining shapes,
112
Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams,
113
Ill matching words and deeds long past or late. 3325
114
Some such resemblances, methinks, I find
115
Of our last evening’s talk, in this thy dream,
116
But with addition strange. Yet be not sad.3326
117
Evil into the mind of god or man
118
May come and go, so unapproved, and leave
119
No spot or blame behind. Which gives me hope
120
That what in sleep thou didst abhor to dream,
121
Waking thou never will consent to do.
122
Be not disheartened, then, nor cloud those looks
123
That wont to be more cheerful and serene
124
Than when fair morning first smiles on the world.
125
And let us to our fresh employments rise
126
Among the groves, the fountains, and the flowers
127
That open now their choicest bosomed3327 smells,
128
Reserved from night, and kept for thee in store.
129
So cheered he his fair spouse, and she was cheered.
130
But silently a gentle tear let fall
131
From either eye, and wiped them with her hair.
132
Two other precious drops that ready stood,
133
Each in their crystal sluice, 3328 he ere they fell
134
Kissed, as the gracious signs of sweet remorse
135
And pious awe, that feared to have offended.
136
So all was cleared, and to the field they haste.
137
But first, from under shady arborous roof
138
Soon as they forth were come to open sight
139
Of day-spring, and the sun, who scarce up-risen,
140
With wheels yet hov’ring o’er the ocean-brim,
141
Shot parallel to the earth his dewy ray,
142
Discovering 3329 in wide landscape all the east
143
Of Paradise and Eden’s happy plains,
144
Lowly they bowed adoring, and began
145
Their orisons,3330 each morning duly paid
146
In various3331 style, for neither various style
147
Nor holy rapture wanted 3332 they to praise
148
Their Maker, in fit 3333 strains3334 pronounced, or sung
149
Unmeditated, such prompt3335 eloquence
150
Flowed from their lips, in prose or numerous3336 verse,
151
More tuneable 3337 than needed lute or harp
152
To add more sweetness. And they thus began:
153
“These are Thy glorious works, Parent of good,
154
Almighty! Thine this universal frame, 3338
155
Thus wondrous fair. Thyself how wondrous then!
156
Unspeakable, who sit’st above these. Heav’ns
157
To us invisible, or dimly seen
158
In these Thy lowest works. Yet these declare
159
Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine.
160
Speak ye who best can tell, ye sons of light,
161
Angels, for ye behold Him, and with songs
162
And choral symphonies,3339 day without night,
163
Circle His throne rejoicing, ye in Heav’n!
164
On earth join all ye creatures to extol
165
Him first, Him last, Him midst, and without end!
166
Fairest of stars,3340 last in the train of night
167
(If better thou belong not to the dawn)
168
Sure pledge3341 of day that crown’st the smiling morn
169
With thy bright circlet,3342 praise Him in thy sphere,
170
While day arises, that sweet hour of prime. 3343
171
Thou sun, of this great world both eye and soul,
172
Acknowledge Him thy greater, sound His praise
173
In thse, both when thou climb’st
174
And when high noon hast gained,3344 and when thou fall’st.
175
Moon, that now meet’st the orient3345 sun, now fly’st 3346
176
With the fixed stars, fixed in their orb that flies,3347
177
And ye five other wand’ring3348 fires3349 that move
178
In mystic dance not without song, resound
179
His praise, who out of darkness called up light.
180
Air, and ye Elements, the eldest birth
181
Of Nature’s womb, that in quaternion3350 run
182
Perpetual circle, multiform, and mix
183
And nourish all things: let your ceaseless change
184
Vary, 3351 to our great Maker still new praise.
185
Ye mists and exhalations that now rise
186
From hill or steaming lake, dusky or gray,
187
Till the sun paint your fleecy skirts with gold,
188
In honor to the world’s great Author rise,
189
Whether to deck with clouds the uncolored 3352 sky,
190
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers,
191
Rising or falling still advance His praise.
192
His praise, ye winds, that from four quarters blow,
193
Breathe soft or loud. And wave your tops, ye pines,
194
With every plant, in sign of worship wave!
195
Fountains,3353 and ye that warble as ye flow,
196
Melodious murmurs, warbling tune3354 His praise.
197
Join voices, all ye living souls! Ye birds,
198
That singing up to Heaven-gate ascend,
199
Bear on your wings, and in your notes, His praise.
200
Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk
201
The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep,
202
Witness3355 if I be silent, morn or ev’n,
203
To hill, or valley, fountain, or fresh shade,
204
Made vocal3356 by my song, and taught His praise.
205
Hail, universal Lord, be bounteous still3357
206
To give us only good. And if the night
207
Have gathered aught of evil, or concealed,
208
Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark!
209
So prayed they innocent, and to their thoughts
210
Firm peace recovered soon, and wonted3358 calm.
211
On to their morning’s rural 3359 work they haste,
212
Among sweet dews and flow’rs, where any row
213
Of fruit-trees over-woody reached too far
214
Their pampered boughs,3360 and needed hands to check
215
Fruitless 3361 embraces.3362 Or they led the vine
216
To wed her elm; she, spoused, about him twines
217
Her marriageable arms, and with him brings
218
Her dow’r, th’ adopted 3363 clusters,3364 to adorn
219
His barren3365 leaves. Them thus employed beheld
220
With pity Heav’n’s high King, 3366 and to him called
221
Raphael, the sociable Spirit that deigned
222
To travel with Tobias, and secured
223
His marriage with the seven-times-wedded maid.3367
224
“Raphael,” said He, “thou hear’st what stir on earth
225
Satan, from Hell ’scaped through the darksome gulf,
226
Hath raised in Paradise, and how disturbed
227
This night the human pair, how he designs3368
228
In them at once to ruin all mankind.
229
Go, therefore: half this day as friend with friend
230
Converse with Adam, in what bow’r or shade
231
Thou find’st him from the heat of noon retired,
232
To respite3369 his day-labor with repast3370
233
Or with repose, and such discourse bring on
234
As may advise him of his happy state,
235
Happiness in his power left free to will,
236
Left to his own free will, his will though free,
237
Yet mutable. 3371 Whence warn him to beware
238
He swerve not, too secure. 3372 Tell him withal 3373
The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Page 30
