The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
Page 56
Of sorrow unfeigned, and humiliation meek.
The End of the Tenth Book
BOOK XI
THE ARGUMENT
The son of God presents to his Father the prayers of our first parents, now repenting, and intercedes for them. God accepts them,5750 but declares they5751 must no longer abide in Paradise; sends Michael with a band of Cherubim to dispossess them, but first to reveal to Adam future things.
Michael’s coming down.
Adam shews to Eve certain ominous signs; he discerns Michael’s approach, goes out to meet him. The Angel denounces their departure.
Eve’s lamentation. Adam pleads, but submits. The Angel leads him up to a high Hill, sets before him in vision what shall happen till the Flood.
1
Thus they, in lowliest plight, repentant stood
2
Praying, for from the mercy-seat 5752 above
3
Prevenient5753 grace descending had removed
4
The stony from their hearts, and made new flesh
5
Regenerate5754 grow instead, that sighs now breathed
6
Unutterable,5755 which the spirit of prayer
7
Inspired, and winged for Heav’n with speedier flight
8
Than loudest oratory. Yet their port5756
9
Not of mean5757 suitors, nor important less
10
Seemed their petition than when the ancient pair
11
In fables old, less ancient yet than these,
12
Deucalion5758 and chaste Pyrrha,5759 to restore
13
The race of mankind drowned,5760 before the shrine
14
Of Themis5761 stood devout. To Heav’n their prayers
15
Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds
16
Blown vagabond5762 or frustrate. In they5763 passed
17
Dimensionless5764 through Heav’nly doors, then clad
18
With incense, where the golden altar fumed5765
19
By5766 their great Intercessor,5767 came in sight
20
Before the Father’s throne. Them the glad Son
21
Presenting, thus to intercede began:
22
“See, Father, what first-fruits on earth are sprung
23
From Thy implanted grace in man! These sighs
24
And prayers, which in this golden censer5768 mixed
25
With incense, I Thy priest, before Thee bring,
26
Fruits of more pleasing savor ( from Thy seed,
27
Sown with contrition in his heart) than those
28
Which, his own hand manuring,5769 all the trees
29
Of Paradise could have produced, ere fall’n
30
From innocence. Now therefore bend Thine ear
31
To supplication. Hear his sighs, though mute.
32
Unskilful with what words to pray, let me
33
Interpret for him—me, his advocate
34
And propitiation.5770 All his works on me,
35
Good, or not good, engraft.5771 My merit those5772
36
Shall perfect, and for these 5773 my death shall pay.
37
Accept me5774 and, in me, from these receive
38
The smell of peace toward mankind. Let him live
39
Before Thee reconciled, at least his days
40
Numbered, though sad, till death, his doom (which I
41
To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse),
42
To better life shall yield him, where with me
43
All my redeemed may dwell in joy and bliss,
44
Made one with me, as I with Thee am one.”
45
To whom the Father, without cloud,5775 serene:
46
“All thy request for man, accepted, Son,
47
Obtain. All thy request was my decree.
48
But longer in that Paradise to dwell
49
The law I gave to Nature him5776 forbids.
50
Those pure immortal elements that know
51
No gross, no unharmonious mixture foul,
52
Eject him, tainted now, and purge him off5777
53
As a distemper,5778 gross—to air as gross,
54
And mortal food—as may dispose him5779 best
55
For dissolution, wrought by sin, that first
56
Distempered all things, and of incorrupt
57
Corrupted. I, at first, with two fair gifts
58
Created him endowed: with happiness
59
And immortality. That5780 fondly5781 lost,
60
This other5782 served but to eternize5783 woe,
61
Till I provided death. So death becomes
62
His final remedy and, after life
63
Tried5784 in sharp tribulation,5785 and refined
64
By faith and faithful works, to second life,
65
Waked in the renovation5786 of the just,
66
Resigns5787 him up with Heav’n and earth renewed.
67
“But let us call to synod all the Blest
68
Through Heav’n’s wide bounds. From them I will not hide
69
My judgments, how with mankind I proceed,
70
As how with peccant 5788 Angels late5789 they saw,
71
And in their state,5790 though firm, stood more confirmed.”
72
He ended, and the Son gave signal high
73
To the bright minister that watched. He blew
74
His trumpet, heard in Oreb5791 since perhaps
75
When God descended, and perhaps once more
76
To sound at general doom.5792 The Angelic blast
77
Filled all the regions. From their blissful bow’rs
78
Of amarantine5793 shade, fountain or spring,
79
By the waters of life, where’er they sat
80
In fellowships of joy, the sons of light
81
Hasted, resorting 5794 to the summons high,
82
And took their seats, till from His throne supreme
83
Th’ Almighty thus pronounced His sov’reign will:
84
“O Sons, like one of us man is become
85
To know both good and evil, since his taste
86
Of that defended5795 fruit. But let him boast
87
His knowledge of good lost, and evil got,
88
Happier, had it sufficed him to have known
89
Good by itself, and evil not at all.
90
He sorrows now, repents, and prays contrite,
91
My motions5796 in him. Longer 5797 than they move,
92
His heart I know,5798 how variable and vain,
93
Self-left.5799 Lest therefore his now bolder hand
94
Reach also of the Tree of Life, and eat,
95
And
live forever—dream at least to live
96
Forever—to remove him I decree,
97
And send him from the Garden forth to till
98
The ground whence he was taken: fitter soil.
99
“Michael, this my behest5800 have thou in charge.
100
Take to thee from among the Cherubim
101
Thy choice of flaming warriors, lest the fiend,
102
Or in5801 behalf of man, or to invade
103
Vacant possession,5802 some new trouble raise.
104
Haste thee, and from the Paradise of God
105
Without remorse5803 drive out the sinful pair,
106
From hallowed ground th’ unholy, and denounce5804
107
To them, and to their progeny, from thence
108
Perpetual banishiment. Yet, lest they faint5805
109
At the sad 5806 sentence rigorously urged5807
110
(For I behold them softened, and with tears
111
Bewailing their excess), all terror hide.
112
If patiently thy bidding they obey,
113
Dismiss them not disconsolate.5808 Reveal
114
To Adam what shall come in future days,
115
As I shall thee enlighten; intermix5809
116
My cov’nant in the Woman’s seed renewed.
117
So send them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace,
118
And on the east side of the garden place,
119
Where entrance up from Eden easiest climbs,
120
Cherubic watch, and of a sword the flame
121
Wide-waving, all approach far off to fright,
122
And guard all passage to the Tree of Life,
123
Lest Paradise a receptacle5810 prove
124
To Spirits foul, and all my trees their prey,
125
With those stolen fruit man once more to delude.”
126
He ceased, and th’ Arch-Angelic Power prepared
127
For swift descent, with him the cohort 5811 bright
128
Of watchful Cherubim. Four faces each
129
Had, like a double Janus,5812 all their shape
130
Spangled with eyes more numerous than those
131
Of Argus,5813 and more wakeful than to drowse,
132
Charmed with Arcadian pipe, the pastoral reed
133
Of Hermes,5814 or his opiate rod.5815 Meanwhile,
134
To re-salute the world with sacred light,
135
Leucothea5816 waked, and with fresh dews embalmed5817
136
The earth, when Adam and first matron Eve
137
Had ended now their orisons,5818 and found
138
Strength added from above, new hope to spring
139
Out of despair, joy, but with fear yet linked,
140
Which thus to Eve his5819 welcome words renewed:
141
“Eve, easily may faith admit that all
142
The good which we enjoy from Heav’n descends;
143
But that from us aught should ascend to Heav’n
144
So prevalent5820 as to concern the mind
145
Of God high-blest, or to incline His will,
146
Hard to belief may seem, yet this will5821 prayer
147
Or one short sigh of human breath, upborne
148
Ev’n to the seat of God. For since I sought
149
By prayer th’ offended5822 Deity to appease,
150
Kneeled and before Him humbled all my heart,
151
Methought I saw him placable5823 and mild,
152
Bending his ear. Persuasion in me grew
153
That I was heard with favor, peace returned
154
Home to my breast, and to my memory
155
His promise, that thy seed shall bruise5824 our foe—
156
Which, then not minded5825 in dismay, yet now
157
Assures me that the bitterness of death
158
Is past, and we shall live. Whence hail to thee,
159
Eve rightly called, mother of all mankind,
160
Mother of all things living, since by thee
161
Man is to live, and all things live for man.”
162
To whom thus Eve, with sad 5826 demeanor meek:
163
“Ill-worthy I such title should belong,
164
To me transgressor, who for thee ordained
165
A help, became thy snare. To me reproach
166
Rather belongs, distrust, all dispraise.
167
But infinite in pardon was my Judge,
168
That I, who first brought death on all, am graced
169
The source of life, next favorable5827 thou,5828
170
Who highly5829 thus to entitle 5830 me vouchsaf’st,5831
171
Far other name deserving. But the field
172
To labor calls us, now5832 with sweat imposed,
173
Though after sleepless night, for see! the morn,
174
All unconcerned with our unrest, begins
175
Her rosy progress smiling. Let us forth,
176
I never from thy side henceforth to stray,
177
Where’er our day’s work lies, though now enjoined5833
178
Laborious, till day droop. While here we dwell,
179
What can be toilsome5834 in these pleasant walks?
180
Here let us live, though in fall’n state, content.”
181
So spoke, so wished much humbled Eve, but Fate
182
Subscribed5835 not. Nature first gave signs, impressed5836
183
On bird, beast, air—air suddenly eclipsed,5837
184
After short blush5838 of morn. Nigh in her sight
185
The bird of Jove,5839 stooped5840 from his airy tour,5841
186
Two birds of gayest plume before him drove.
187
Down from a hill the beast that reigns in woods,5842
188
First hunter then, pursued a gentle brace,5843
189
Goodliest of all the forest, hart and hind.5844
190
Direct to the eastern gate was bent their flight.
191
Adam observed, and with his eye the chase
192
Pursuing, not unmoved, to Eve thus spoke:
193
“O Eve, some further change awaits us nigh,
194
Which Heav’n, by these mute signs in Nature, shows
195
Forerunners of His purpose, or to warn
196
Us, haply5845 too secure5846 of 5847 our discharge5848
197
From penalty, because from death released
198
&n
bsp; Some days. How long, and what till then our life,
199
Who knows? Or more than this, that we are dust,
200
And thither must return, and be no more?
201
Why else this double object in our sight