Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Milton
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Such favour I unworthie am voutsaft,
By mee the Promis’d Seed shall all restore.
So spake our Mother Eve, and Adam heard
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Well pleas’d, but answer’d not; for now too nigh
Th’ Archangel stood, and from the other Hill
To thir fixt Station, all in bright array
The Cherubim descended; on the ground
Gliding meteorous, as Ev’ning Mist
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Ris’n from a River o’re the marish39 glides,
And gathers ground fast at the Labourers heel
Homeward returning. High in Front advanc’t,
The brandisht Sword of God before them blaz’d40
Fierce as a Comet; which with torrid heat,
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And vapour as the Libyan Air adust,41
Began to parch that temperate Clime; whereat
In either hand the hastning Angel caught
Our lingring Parents, and to th’ Eastern Gate
Led them direct, and down the Cliff as fast
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To the subjected42 Plain; then disappeer’d.
They looking back, all th’ Eastern side beheld
Of Paradise, so late thir happie seat,
Wav’d over by that flaming Brand, the Gate
With dreadful Faces throng’d and fierie Armes:
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Som natural tears they drop’d, but wip’d them soon;
The World was all before them, where to choose
Thir place of rest, and Providence thir guide:
They hand in hand with wandring steps and slow,
Through Eden took thir solitarie way.43
(1642?–1665?)
* * *
1 pauses (to eat).
2 Nimrod (“rebel,” l. 36), the mighty hunter (l. 33) who is fabled as the founder of Babylon (Babel).
3 Shinar; a “gurge” is a whirlpool.
4 quarrelsome, putting at variance.
5 that is, Babel.
6 Ham, father of Canaan.
7 Ham saw his father naked, and Noah said, “Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren” (Gen. ix. 25).
8 Abraham.
9 Ur was west and Haran east of the Euphrates. After travelling northwest, Abraham moves southwest into Canaan, then north to Hamath on the Orontes in Syria, to the west of which was the Great Desert. Mt. Hermon (and Senir in the same range) or more correctly (l. 145) the Jordan was considered the eastern boundary of Canaan, and the Mediterranean Sea bounded it on the west. Mt. Carmel was a promontory on the sea.
10 Isaac, whose son was Jacob (later Israel, ll. 267–69), progenitor of the twelve tribes of Israel
11 Joseph.
12 See Exod. i. 8.
13 raise with swellings.
14 Pharaoh; see Ezek. xxix. 3.
15 prohibits (by lying between the Egyptians and the Israelites).
16 shatter.
17 the council of seventy elders chosen by Moses (Exod. xxiv. 1–9).
18 as a type.
19 See XI, n. 1.
20 The candelabrum is likened to the seven planets shining throughout the universe.
21 from Josh. x. 12.
22 depravity.
23 The expiations are shadows (types) of Christ’s expiation.
24 Joshua is not only a type of Jesus; both words mean “savior.”
25 David.
26 Solomon.
27 of Persia; that is, Cyrus, Cambyses, Darius, Xerxes, Artaxerxes.
28 the Asmonean priest-princes, whose domination began with Jonathan in 153 B.C.
29 Antipater, whose son Herod was ruling when Jesus was born.
30 to Bethlehem.
31 both “of the head” as prophesied and “fatal.”
32 satisfied.
33 In contrast the arms of Christ’s warfare are Faith and Works; the arms of war are Money and Iron (Son. 17).
34 smoothly flowing.
35 living.
36 the Holy Spirit (John xv. 26).
37 contemplation, mental vision.
38 await (their signal to move on).
39 marsh.
40 Gen. iii. 24: “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden Cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
41 dried by heat.
42 lying under (the cliff).
43 Ps. cvii. 4: “They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way.”
Paradise Regain’d1
BOOK I
I who e’re while the happy Garden sung,
By one mans disobedience lost, now sing
Recover’d Paradise to all mankind,
By one mans firm obedience fully tri’d
5
Through all temptation, and the Tempter foil’d
In all his wiles, defeated and repuls’t,
And Eden rais’d in the wast Wilderness.
Thou Spirit who ledst this glorious Eremite
Into the Desert, his Victorious Field
10
Against the Spiritual Foe, and broughtst him thence
By proof th’ undoubted Son of God, inspire,
As thou art wont, my prompted Song else mute,2
And bear through highth or depth of natures bounds
With prosperous wing full summ’d3 to tell of deeds
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Above Heroic, though in secret done,
And unrecorded left through many an Age,
Worthy t’ have not remain’d so long unsung.
Now had the great Proclaimer4 with a voice
More awful then the sound of Trumpet, cri’d
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Repentance, and Heav’ns Kingdom nigh at hand
To all Baptiz’d: to his great Baptism flock’d
With aw the Regions round, and with them came
From Nazareth the Son of Joseph deem’d
To the flood Jordan, came as then obscure,
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Unmarkt, unknown; but him the Baptist soon
Descri’d, divinely warn’d, and witness bore
As to his worthier, and would have resign’d
To him his Heav’nly Office, nor was long
His witness unconfirm’d: on him baptiz’d
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Heav’n open’d, and in likeness of a Dove
The Spirit descended, while the Fathers voice
From Heav’n pronounc’d him his beloved Son.
That heard the Adversary,5 who roving still
About the world, at that assembly fam’d
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Would not be last, and with the voice divine
Nigh Thunder-struck, th’ exalted man, to whom
Such high attest was giv’n, a while survey’d
With wonder, then with envy fraught and rage
Flies to his place, nor rests, but in mid air
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To Councel summons all high mighty Peers,
Within thick Clouds and dark ten-fold involv’d,
A gloomy Consistory; and them amidst
With looks agast and sad he thus bespake.
O ancient Powers of Air and this wide world,
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For much more willingly I mention Air,
This our old Conquest, then remember Hell
Our hated habitation; well ye know
How many Ages, as the years of men,
This Universe we have possest, and rul’d
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In manner at our will th’ affairs of Earth,
Since Adam and his facil consort Eve
Lost Paradise deceiv’d by me, though since
With dread attending when that fatal wound
Shall be inflicted by the Seed of Eve
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Upon my head.6 Long the decrees of Heav’n
Delay, for longest time to him is short;
And now too soon for us the circling hours
This
dreaded time have compast, wherein we
Must bide the stroak of that long threat’n’d wound,
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At least if so we can, and by the head
Broken be not intended all our power
To be infring’d, our freedom and our being
In this fair Empire won of Earth and Air;
For this ill news I bring, the Womans seed
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Destin’d to this, is late of woman born:
His birth to our just fear gave no small cause,
But his growth now to youths full flowr, displaying
All vertue, grace and wisdom to atchieve
Things highest, greatest, multiplies my fear.
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Before him a great Prophet, to proclaim
His coming, is sent Harbinger, who all
Invites, and in the Consecrated stream
Pretends to wash off sin, and fit them so
Purified to receive him pure, or rather
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To do him honour as their King; all come,
And he himself among them was baptiz’d,
Not thence to be more pure, but to receive
The testimony of Heav’n, that who he is
Thenceforth the Nations may not doubt; I saw
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The Prophet do him reverence, on him rising
Out of the water, Heav’n above the Clouds
Unfold her Crystal Dores, thence on his head
A perfect Dove descend, what e’re it meant,
And out of Heav’n the Sov’raign voice I heard,
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This is my Son belov’d, in him am pleas’d.
His Mother then is mortal, but his Sire,
He who obtains7 the Monarchy of Heav’n,
And what will he not do t’ advance his Son?
His first-begot we know, and sore have felt,
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When his fierce thunder drove us to the deep;
Who this is we must learn, for man he seems
In all his lineaments, though in his face
The glimpses of his Fathers glory shine.
Ye see our danger on the utmost edge
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Of hazard, which admits no long debate,
But must with something sudden be oppos’d,
Not force, but well couch’t fraud, well woven snares,
E’re in the head of Nations he appear
Their King, their Leader, and Supream on Earth.
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I, when no other durst, sole undertook
The dismal expedition to find out
And ruin Adam, and th’ exploit perform’d
Successfully; a calmer voyage now
Will waft me; and the way found prosperous once
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Induces best to hope of like success.
He ended, and his words impression left
Of much amazement to th’ infernal Crew,
Distracted and surpriz’d with deep dismay
At these sad tidings; but no time was then
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For long indulgence to their fears or grief:
Unanimous they all commit the care
And management of this main enterprize
To him their great Dictator, whose attempt
At first against mankind so well had thriv’d
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In Adam’s overthrow, and led thir march
From Hell’s deep-vaulted Den to dwell in light,
Regents and Potentates, and Kings, yea gods
Of many a pleasant Realm and Province wide.
So to the Coast of Jordan he directs
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His easie steps, girded with snaky wiles,
Where he might likeliest find this new-declar’d,
This man of men, attested Son of God,
Temptation and all guile on him to try;
So to subvert whom he suspected rais’d
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To end his Raign on Earth so long enjoy’d:
But contrary unweeting8 he fulfill’d
The purpos’d Counsel pre-ordain’d and fixt
Of the most High, who in full frequence9 bright
Of Angels, thus to Gabriel10 smiling spake.
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Gabriel this day by proof thou shalt behold,
Thou and all Angels conversant on Earth
With man or mens affairs, how I begin
To verifie that solemn message late,
On which I sent thee to the Virgin pure
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In Galilee, that she should bear a Son
Great in Renown, and call’d the Son of God;
Then toldst her doubting how these things could be
To her a Virgin, that on her should come
The Holy Ghost, and the power of the highest
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O’re-shadow her: this man born and now up-grown,
To shew him worthy of his birth divine
And high prediction, henceforth I expose
To Satan; let him tempt and now assay
His utmost subtilty, because he boasts
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And vaunts of his great cunning to the throng
Of his Apostasie; he might have learnt
Less over-weening, since he fail’d in Job,
Whose constant perseverance overcame
Whate’re his cruel malice could invent.
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He now shall know I can produce a man
Of female Seed, far abler to resist
All his sollicitations, and at length
All his vast force, and drive him back to Hell,
Winning by Conquest what the first man lost
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By fallacy surpriz’d. But first I mean
To exercise him in the Wilderness;
There he shall first lay down the rudiments11
Of his great warfare, e’re I send him forth
To conquer Sin and Death the two grand foes,
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By Humiliation and strong Sufferance:
His weakness shall o’recome Satanic strength
And all the world, and mass of sinful flesh;
That all the Angels and Ætherial Powers,
They now, and men hereafter may discern,
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From what consummate vertue I have chose
This perfect Man, by merit call’d my Son,
To earn Salvation for the Sons of men.
So spake th’ Eternal Father, and all Heav’n
Admiring stood a space, then into Hymns
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Burst forth, and in Celestial measures mov’d,
Circling the Throne and Singing, while the hand
Sung with the voice, and this the argument.
Victory and Triumph to the Son of God
Now entring his great duel, not of arms,
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But to vanquish by wisdom hellish wiles.
The Father knows the Son; therefore secure
Ventures his filial Vertue, though untri’d,
Against whate’re may tempt, whate’re seduce,
Allure, or terrifie, or undermine.
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Be frustrate all ye stratagems of Hell,
And devilish machinations come to nought.
So they in Heav’n their Odes and Vigils tun’d:
Mean while the Son of God, who yet some days
Lodg’d in Bethabara where John baptiz’d,
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Musing and much revolving in his brest,
How best the mighty work he might begin
Of Saviour to mankind, and which way first
Publish his God-like office now mature,
One day forth walk’d alone, the Spirit leading;
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And his deep thoughts, the better to converse
With solitude, till far from track of men,
Thought following thought, and step by step led on,
He enter’d now the borderi
ng Desert wild,
And with dark shades and rocks environ’d round,
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His holy Meditations thus persu’d.
O what a multitude of thoughts at once
Awak’n’d in me swarm, while I consider
What from within I feel my self, and hear
What from without comes often to my ears,
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Ill sorting with my present state compar’d.
When I was yet a child, no childish play
To me was pleasing, all my mind was set
Serious to learn and know, and thence to do
What might be publick good; my self I thought
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Born to that end, born to promote all truth,
All righteous things: therefore above my years,
The Law of God I read, and found it sweet,
Made it my whole delight, and in it grew
To such perfection, that e’re yet my age
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Had measur’d twice six years, at our great Feast
I went into the Temple, there to hear
The Teachers of our Law, and to propose
What might improve my knowledge or their own;
And was admir’d12 by all, yet this not all
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To which my Spirit aspir’d, victorious deeds
Flam’d in my heart, heroic acts, one while
To rescue Israel from the Roman yoke,
Then to subdue and quell o’re all the earth
Brute violence and proud Tyrannick pow’r,
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Till truth were freed, and equity restor’d:
Yet held it more humane, more heav’nly first
By winning words to conquer willing hearts,
And make perswasion do the work of fear;
At least to try, and teach the erring Soul
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Not wilfully mis-doing, but unware
Misled; the stubborn only to subdue.
These growing thoughts my Mother soon perceiving
By words at times cast forth inly rejoyc’d,
And said to me apart, high are thy thoughts
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O Son, but nourish them and let them soar