The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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434
Nearer he drew, and many a walk traversed
435
Of stateliest covert,4884 cedar, pine, or palm,
436
Then voluble 4885 and bold, now hid, now seen
437
Among thick-woven arborets,4886 and flow’rs
438
Imbordered on each bank, the hand 4887 of Eve
439
Spot more delicious than those gardens feigned 4888
440
Or 4889 of revived Adonis,4890 or renowned
441
Alcinous,4891 host of old Laertes’ son,4892
442
Or that, not mystic,4893 where the sapient 4894 king 4895
443
Held dalliance4896 with his fair Egyptian spouse. 4897
444
Much he the place admired,4898 the person more.
445
As one who long in populous city pent,4899
446
Where houses thick and sewers annoy4900 the air,
447
Forth issuing on a summer’s morn to breathe
448
Among the pleasant villages and farms
449
Adjoined, from each thing met conceives delight,
450
The smell of grain, or tedded grass,4901 or kine, 4902
451
Or dairy, 4903 each rural sight, each rural sound.
452
If chance, with nymph-like step, fair virgin pass,
453
What pleasing seemed, for her4904 now pleases more,
454
She most, and in her look sums all delight.
455
Such pleasure took the serpent to behold
456
This flowery plat,4905 the sweet recess4906 of Eve
457
Thus early, thus alone. Her Heav’nly form
458
Angelic, but more soft, and feminine,
459
Her graceful innocence, her every air
460
Of gesture, or least action, overawed4907
461
His malice, and with rapine4908 sweet bereaved4909
462
His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought.
463
That space4910 the Evil One abstracted 4911 stood
464
From his own evil, and for the time remained
465
Stupidly 4912 good, of enmity disarmed,
466
Of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge.
467
But the hot Hell that always in him burns,
468
Though in mid Heav’n, soon ended his delight,
469
And tortures him now more, the more he sees
470
Of pleasure, not for him ordained. Then soon
471
Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts
472
Of mischief, gratulating, 4913 thus excites:4914
473
“Thoughts, whither have ye led me! with what sweet
474
Compulsion thus transported, to forget
475
What hither brought us! Hate, not love, nor hope
476
Of Paradise for Hell, hope here to taste
477
Of pleasure, but all pleasure to destroy,
478
Save what is in destroying. Other joy
479
To me is lost. Then let me not let pass4915
480
Occasion4916 which now smiles. Behold alone
481
The woman, opportune 4917 to all attempts,
482
Her husband, for I view far round, not nigh,
483
Whose higher intellectual 4918 more I shun,
484
And strength, of courage haughty, 4919 and of limb
485
Heroic built, though of terrestrial mould,
486
Foe not informidable! 4920 exempt from wound,
487
I not, so much hath Hell debased, and pain
488
Enfeebled me, to what I was in Heav’n.
489
She fair, divinely fair, fit love for Gods!
490
Not terrible, though terror be in love
491
And beauty, not4921 approached 4922 by stronger hate,
492
Hate stronger, under show of love well feigned,
493
The way which to her ruin now I tend.”4923
494
So spoke the enemy of mankind, enclosed
495
In serpent, inmate4924 bad! and toward Eve
496
Addressed 4925 his way, not with indented 4926 wave,
497
Prone on the ground, as since, but on his rear,
498
Circular base of rising folds, that tow’red
499
Fold above fold, a surging maze! His head
500
Crested aloft, and carbuncle 4927 his eyes,
501
With burnished neck of verdant gold, erect
502
Amidst his circling spires,4928 that on the grass
503
Floated 4929 redundant.4930 Pleasing was his shape
504
And lovely, never since of serpent-kind
505
Lovelier, not those that in Illyria changed 4931
506
Hermione 4932 and Cadmus,4933 or the god
507
In Epidaurus,4934 nor to which transformed
508
Ammonian Jove, 4935 or Capitoline, 4936 was seen,
509
He with Olympias, this with her who bore
510
Scipio, the height 4937 of Rome. With tract4938 oblique 4939
511
At first, as one who sought access 4940 but feared
512
To interrupt, sidelong he works his way.
513
As when a ship, by skilful steersman wrought
514
Nigh river’s mouth or foreland,4941 where the wind
515
Veers oft, as oft so steers, and shifts her sail,
516
So varied he, and of his tortuous 4942 train
517
Curled many a wanton4943 wreath4944 in sight of Eve,
518
To lure her eye. She, busied, heard the sound
519
Of rustling leaves, but minded not, as used
520
To such disport before 4945 her through the field,
521
From every beast, more duteous4946 at her call
522
Than at Circean call the herd disguised.4947
523
He, bolder now, uncalled before her stood,
524
But as in gaze admiring. Oft he bowed
525
His turret crest, and sleek enamelled neck,
526
Fawning, and licked the ground whereon she trod.
527
His gentle dumb expression turned at length
528
The eye of Eve to mark his play. He, glad
529
Of her attention gained, with serpent-tongue
530
Organic,4948 or impulse4949 of vocal air,
531
His fraudulent temptation thus began:
532
“Wonder not, sov’reign mistress, if perhaps
533
Thou canst, who art sole 4950 wonder! Much less arm
534
Thy looks, the Heav’n of mildness, with disdain,
535
Displeased that I approach thee thus, and gaze
536
>
Insatiate, 4951 I thus single, nor have feared
537
Thy awful 4952 brow, more awful thus retired.4953
538
Fairest resemblance of thy Maker fair,
539
Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine
540
By gift, and thy celestial beauty adore
541
With ravishment 4954 beheld! There best beheld,
542
Where universally admired, but here
543
In this enclosure wild, these beasts among,
544
Beholders rude, and shallow 4955 to discern
545
Half what in thee is fair, one man except,
546
Who sees thee? And what is one? Who should be seen
547
A goddess among gods, adored and served
548
By Angels numberless, thy daily train.
549
So glozed 4956 the Tempter, and his proem4957 tuned.4958
550
Into the heart of Eve his words made way,
551
Though at the voice much marvelling. At length,
552
Not unamazed, she thus in answer spoke:
553
“What may this mean? Language of man pronounced
554
By tongue of brute, and human sense expressed?
555
The first, at least, of these I thought denied
556
To beasts, whom God, on their creation-day,
557
Created mute to all articulate sound.
558
The latter I demur, 4959 for in their looks
559
Much reason, and in their actions, oft appears.
560
Thee, serpent, subtlest beast of all the field
561
I knew, but not with human voice endued.
562
Redouble then this miracle, and say
563
How cam’st thou speakable 4960 of 4961 mute, and how
564
To me so friendly grown above the rest
565
Of brutal kind, that daily are in sight?
566
Say, for such wonder 4962 claims attention due.
567
To whom the guileful Tempter thus replied:
568
“Empress of this fair world, resplendent Eve!
569
Easy to me it is to tell thee all
570
What thou command’st, and right thou should’st be obeyed.
571
I was at first as other beasts that graze
572
The trodden herb, of abject 4963 thoughts and low,
573
As was my food, nor aught but food discerned,
574
Or sex, and apprehended nothing high.
575
Till on a day, roving the field, I chanced
576
A goodly tree far distant to behold,
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Loaden with fruit of fairest colors mixed,
578
Ruddy and gold. I nearer drew to gaze,
579
When from the boughs a savory odor blown,
580
Grateful 4964 to appetite, more pleased my sense
581
Than smell of sweetest fennel,4965 or the teats
582
Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at ev’n,4966
583
Unsucked of lamb or kid, that tend 4967 their play.
584
To satisfy the sharp desire I had
585
Of tasting those fair apples, I resolved
586
Not to defer. Hunger and thirst at once,
587
Powerful persuaders, quick’ned at the scent
588
Of that alluring4968 fruit, urged me so keen.
589
About the mossy trunk I wound me soon,4969
590
For high from ground the branches would require
591
Thy utmost reach, or Adam’s. Round the tree
592
All other beasts that saw, with like desire
593
Longing and envying stood, but could not reach.
594
Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung
595
Tempting so nigh, to pluck and eat my fill
596
I spared not, for such pleasure till that hour,
597
At feed 4970 or fountain never had I found.
598
Sated at length, ere long I might 4971 perceive
599
Strange alteration in me, to degree
600
Of reason in my inward powers, and speech
601
Wanted 4972 not long, though to this shape retained.4973
602
Thenceforth to speculations high or deep
603
I turned my thoughts, and with capacious mind
604
Considered all things visible in Heav’n,
605
Or earth, or middle, 4974 all things fair and good.
606
But all that fair and good in thy divine
607
Semblance, and in thy beauty’s Heav’nly ray,
608
United I beheld: no fair to thine
609
Equivalent or second! Which compelled
610
Me thus, though importune4975 perhaps, to come
611
And gaze, and worship thee of right declared
612
Sov’reign of creatures, universal Dame!”4976
613
So talked the spirited 4977 sly snake, and Eve,
614
Yet more amazed, unwary thus replied:
615
“Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt
616
The virtue4978 of that fruit, in thee first proved.4979
617
But say, where grows the tree? from hence how far?
618
For many are the trees of God that grow
619
In Paradise, and various, yet unknown
620
To us. In such abundance lies our choice,
621
As leaves a greater store of fruit untouched,
622
Still hanging incorruptible, till men
623
Grow up to their provision,4980 and more hands
624
Help to disburden Nature of her birth.” 4981
625
To whom the wily adder, blithe and glad:
626
“Empress, the way is ready, and not long.
627
Beyond a row of myrtles, on a flat,4982
628
Fast 4983 by a fountain, one small thicket past
629
Of blowing myrrh and balm. If thou accept
630
My conduct,4984 I can bring thee thither soon.
631
“Lead then,” said Eve. He, leading, swiftly rolled
632
In tangles, and made intricate seem straight,
633
To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy
634
Bright’ns his crest, as when a wand’ring fire,
635
Compact 4985 of unctuous4986 vapor, which the night
636
Condenses, and the cold environs4987 round,
637
Kindled through agitation4988 to a flame,
638
Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends,4989
639
Hovering and blazing with delusive light,
Misleads th’ amazed night-wanderer from his way
641
To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool,
642
There swallowed up and lost, from succor far.