In whatsoever shape he lurk, of whom
Thou tell'st, by morrow dawning I shall know." So promised he; and Uriel to his charge
Returned on that bright beam, whose point now raised Bore him slope downward to the sun, now fallen Beneath the Azores; whether the prime orb, Incredible how swift, had thither rolled Diurnal, or this less volubil earth,
By shorter flight to the east,' had left him there Arraying with reflected purple and gold
The clouds that on his western throne attend Now came still evening on, and twilight gray Had in her sober livery all things clad; Silence accompanied; for beast and bird, They to their grassy couch, these to their nests Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale ;. She all night long her amorous descant sung; Silence was pleased: now glowed the firmament With living sapphires: Hesperus, that led The starry host, rode brightest, till the moon, Rising in clouded majesty, at length, Apparent queen, unveiled her peerless light, And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw.
When Adam thus to Eve: Fair consort, the hour Of night, and all things now retired to rest, Mind us of light repose; since God hath set Labour and rest, as day and night, to men Successive; and the timely dew of sleep, Now falling with soft slumbrous weight, inclines Our eyelids: other creatures all day long
1 It being "less motion for the earth to move from west to east upon its own axis, according to the system of Copernicus, than for the heavens and heavenly bodies to move from east to west, according to the system of Ptolemy."-Newton.
2 This is the first evening in the poem; for the action of the preceding books lying out of the sphere of the sun, the time could not be computed. When Satan came first to the earth, and made that famous soliloquy at the beginning of this book, the sun was "high in his meridian tower;" and this is the evening of that day; and surely there never was a finer evening; words cannot furnish out a more lovely description."-Newton.
1 Spenser F. Q. b. i. c. i. s. 36:
"The drooping night thus creepeth on them fast,
And the sad humour loading their eyelids,
As messenger of Morpheus on them cast
Sweet slumbring dew, the which to sleep them bids."-Thyer.
Rove idle unemployed, and less need rest; Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed, which declares his dignity, And the regard of Heaven on all his ways; While other animals inactive range,
And of their doings God takes no account. To-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the east With first approach of light, we must be risen, And at our pleasant labour, to reform Yon flowery arbours, yonder alleys green, Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown, That mock our scant manuring,1 and require More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth: Those blossoms also, and those dropping gums, That lie bestrown, unsightly and unsmooth, Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease; Meanwhile, as nature wills, night bids us rest."
To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty adorned: "My author and disposer, what thou bidd'st Unargued I obey; so God ordains;
God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more Is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise. With thee conversing I forget all time; All seasons and their change, all please alike. Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet, With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the sun, When first on this delightful land he spreads His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, Glistering with dew; fragrant the fertile earth After soft showers; and sweet the coming on Of grateful evening mild; then silent night With this her solemn bird, and this fair moon, And these the gems of Heaven, her starry train: But neither breath of morn, when she ascends With charm of earliest birds; nor rising sun On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower, Glistering with dew; nor fragrance after showers; Nor grateful evening mild; nor silent night With this her solemn bird; nor walk by moon, Or glittering starlight, without thee is sweet.
1 Manuring is not here to be understood in the common sense, but as working with hands, as the French manouvrer; it is, as immediately after, to lop, to rid away what is scattered.-Richardson.
2 i. e. of the day, as in viii. 69; ix. 200.
But wherefore all night long shine these? For whom This glorious sight, when sleep hath shut all eyes?" To whom our general ancestor replied: "Daughter of God and man, accomplished Eve, These have their course to finish round the earth, By morrow evening, and from land to land In order, though to nations yet unborn, Ministering light prepared, they set and rise; Lest total darkness should by night regain Her old possession, and extinguish life In nature and all things, which these soft fires Not only enlighten, but with kindly heat Of various influence foment and warm, Temper or nourish, or in part shed down Their stellar virtue1 on all kinds that grow On earth, made hereby apter to receive Perfection from the sun's more potent ray. These, then, though unbeheld in deep of night, Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none, That Heaven would want spectators, God want praise: Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep: All these with ceaseless praise his works behold Both day and night. How often from the steep Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard Celestial voices to the midnight air, Sole, or responsive each to other's note, Singing their great Creator! Oft in bands While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk, With heavenly touch of instrumental sounds In full harmonic number joined, their songs Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heaven." Thus talking, hand in hand alone they passed
On to their blissful bower; it was a place
1 It may be remarked, once for all, that Milton's taste for displaying his own learning sometimes betrays him into details at variance with the simplicity of poetry, and almost amusingly inconsistent with the primitive nature of those of whom he discourses. But he seems to
have had in mind an old notion, that Adam was minutely acquainted with the nature and properties, as well as the names, of all the objects he beheld around him. On the knowledge and wisdom of Adam, the student may compare an eloquent article in Kitto's Bibl. Cyclop. v. i. p. 60.
2 Into watches, as the sounding of the trumpet did among the ancients.
Chosen by the sovereign Planter, when he framed All things to man's delightful use; the roof Of thickest covert was inwoven shade Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either side Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub,
Fenced up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower; Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine,
Reared high their flourished heads between, and wrought Mosaic; underfoot the violet,
Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay
Broidered the ground,1 more coloured than with stone
Of costliest emblem:2 other creature here,
Beast, bird, insect, or worm, durst enter none: Such was their awe of man. In shadier bower, More sacred and sequestered, though but feigned, Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor nymph Nor faunus haunted. Here in close recess, With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs, Espouséd Eve decked first her nuptial bed, And heavenly quires the hymenæan sung, What day the genial angel to our sire Brought her in naked beauty more adorned, More lovely than Pandora,3 whom the gods Endowed with all their gifts, and oh! too like In sad event, when to the unwiser son
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she ensnared
1 Cf. Homer, Il. xiv. where he describes the springing up of flowers to form a couch for Jupiter and Juno :
"Glad earth perceives, and from her bosom pours Unbidden herbs, and voluntary flowers;
Thick new-born violets a soft carpet spread,
And clustering lotus swelled the rising bed,
And sudden hyacinths the turf bestrow,
And flamy crocus made the mountain glow."-Pope.
3 Prometheus, the son of Japhet (or Japetus), had stolen fire from heaven-Jove's authentic fire, the original and prototype of all earthly fire; which Jupiter being angry at, to be revenged sent him Pandora, so called because all the Gods had contributed their gifts to make her more charming (for so the word signifies). She was brought by Hermes (Mercury), but was not received by Prometheus, the wiser son of Japhet (as the name implies), but by his brother Epimetheus, the unwiser son. She enticed his foolish curiosity to open a box which she brought, wherein were contained all manner of evils.Richardson.
Mankind with her fair looks, to be avenged On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.
Thus at their shady lodge arrived, both stood, Both turned, and under open sky adored
The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heaven, Which they beheld; the moon's resplendent globe, And starry pole: "Thou1 also madest the night, Maker Omnipotent, and thou the day,
Which we in our appointed work employed Have finished, happy in our mutual help And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss, Ordained by thee, and this delicious place, For us too large, where thy abundance wants Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground. But thou hast promised from us two a race To fill the earth, who shall with us extol Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake, And when we seek, as now, thy gift of sleep." This said unanimous, and other rites Observing none, but adoration pure,
Which God likes best, into their inmost bower Handed they went; and, eased the putting off These troublesome disguises which we wear, Straight side by side were laid; nor turned, I ween, Adam from his fair spouse, nor Eve the rites Mysterious of connubial love refused; Whatever hypocrites austerely talk
Of purity, and place, and innocence, Defaming as impure what God declares
Pure, and commands to some, leaves free to all Our Maker bids increase; who bids abstain But our destroyer, foe to God and man? Hail, wedded love! mysterious law, true source Of human offspring, sole propriety
In Paradise of all things common else. By thee adulterous lust was driven from men Among the bestial herds to range; by thee, Founded in reason, loyal, just, and pure, Relations dear, and all the charities
Of father, son, and brother first were known.
Far be it that I should write thee sin or blame,
1 Observe the magnificence of this sudden change from the oblique manner of speaking to the direct address.
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