Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (33 page)

Embrowned
²⁴⁶
the noontide bow’rs: thus was this place,

A happy rural seat
²⁴⁷
of various view;

Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm,

Others whose fruit burnished with golden rind

Hung amiable
²⁵⁰
, Hesperian fables true,

If true, here only, and of delicious taste:

Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, and flocks

Grazing the tender herb, were interposed,

Or palmy hillock, or the flow’ry lap
²⁵⁴

Of some irriguous
²⁵⁵
valley spread her store,

Flow’rs of all hue, and without thorn the rose
²⁵⁶
:

Another side, umbrageous
²⁵⁷
grots and caves

Of cool recess, o’er which the mantling
²⁵⁸
vine

Lays forth her purple grape, and gently creeps

Luxuriant; meanwhile murmuring waters fall

Down the slope hills, dispersed, or in a lake,

That to the fringèd bank with myrtle crowned,
²⁶²

Her crystal mirror
²⁶²
holds, unite their streams.

The birds their choir apply; airs
²⁶⁴
, vernal airs,

Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune

The trembling leaves, while universal Pan
²⁶⁶

Knit with the Graces and the Hours
²⁶⁷
in dance

Led on th’ eternal spring. Not that fair field
²⁶⁸

Of Enna, where Proserpine gathering flow’rs
²⁶⁸

Herself a fairer flow’r by gloomy Dis
²⁶⁸

Was gathered, which cost Ceres all that pain
²⁶⁸

To seek her through the world
²⁶⁸
; nor that sweet grove

Of Daphne by Orontes, and th’ inspired
²⁷³

Castalian spring
²⁷³
, might with this Paradise

Of Eden strive; nor that Nyseian isle
²⁷⁵

Girt with the river Triton, where old Cham,
²⁷⁵

Whom Gentiles Ammon call and Lybian Jove,
²⁷⁵

Hid Amalthea and her florid son
²⁷⁵

Young Bacchus from his stepdame Rhea’s eye
²⁷⁵
;

Nor where Abassin
²⁸⁰
kings their issue guard,

Mount Amara, though this by some supposed

True Paradise under the Ethiop line

By Nilus’ head, enclosed with shining rock,

A whole day’s journey high, but wide remote

From this Assyrian garden, where the fiend

Saw undelighted all delight, all kind

Of living creatures new to sight and strange:

Two of far nobler shape erect and tall,

Godlike erect, with native honor clad

In naked majesty seemed lords of all,

And worthy seemed, for in their looks divine

The image of their glorious Maker shone,

Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure,

Severe but in true filial freedom placed;

Whence true authority in men; though both

Not equal, as their sex not equal seemed;

For contemplation he and valor formed,

For softness she and sweet attractive grace,

He for God only, she for God in him:

His fair large front
³⁰⁰
and eye sublime declared

Absolute rule; and hyacinthine
³⁰¹
locks

Round from his parted forelock manly hung

Clust’ring, but not beneath his shoulders broad:

She as a
³⁰⁴
veil down to the slender waist

Her unadornèd golden tresses wore

Disheveled, but in wanton
³⁰⁶
ringlets waved

As the vine curls her tendrils, which implied

Subjection, but required with gentle sway,

And by her yielded, by him best received,

Yielded with coy
³¹⁰
submission, modest pride,

And sweet reluctant
³¹¹
amorous delay.

Nor those mysterious
³¹²
parts were then concealed,

Then was not guilty shame, dishonest shame

Of nature’s works, honor dishonorable,

Sin-bred, how have ye troubled all mankind

With shows instead, mere shows of seeming pure,

And banished from man’s life his happiest life,

Simplicity and spotless innocence.

So passed they naked on, nor shunned the sight

Of God or angel, for they thought no ill:

So hand in hand they passed, the loveliest pair

That ever since in love’s embraces met,

Adam the goodliest man of men since born

His sons, the fairest of her daughters Eve.

Under a tuft of shade that on a green

Stood whispering soft, by a fresh fountain side

They sat them down, and after no more toil

Of their sweet gard’ning labor than sufficed

To recommend cool Zephyr
³²⁹
, and made ease

More easy, wholesome thirst and appetite

More grateful, to their supper fruits they fell,
³³¹

Nectarine
³³²
fruits which the compliant boughs

Yielded them, sidelong as they sat recline

On the soft downy bank damasked
³³⁴
with flow’rs:

The savory pulp they chew, and in the rind

Still as they thirsted scoop the brimming stream;

Nor gentle purpose
³³⁷
, nor endearing smiles

Wanted
³³⁸
, nor youthful dalliance as beseems

Fair couple, linked in happy nuptial league,

Alone as they. About them frisking played

All beasts of th’ earth, since wild, and of all chase
³⁴¹

In wood or wilderness, forest or den;

Sporting the lion ramped
³⁴³
, and in his paw

Dandled
³⁴⁴
the kid; bears, tigers, ounces, pards,

Gamboled before them, th’ unwieldy elephant

To make them mirth used all his might, and wreathed

His lithe proboscis; close the serpent sly

Insinuating
³⁴⁸
, wove with Gordian twine

His braided train, and of his fatal guile

Gave proof unheeded; others on the grass

Couched, and now filled with pasture gazing sat,

Or bedward ruminating
³⁵²
: for the sun

Declined was hasting now with prone career
³⁵³

To th’ ocean isles
³⁵⁴
, and in th’ ascending scale

Of heav’n the stars that usher evening rose:

When Satan still in gaze, as first he stood
³⁵⁶
,

Scarce thus at length failed speech recovered sad.

   “O Hell! What do mine eyes with grief behold,

Into our room of bliss thus high advanced

Creatures of other mold
³⁶⁰
, earth-born perhaps,

Not spirits, yet to Heav’nly spirits bright
³⁶¹

Little inferior
³⁶¹
; whom my thoughts pursue

With wonder, and could love, so lively shines

In them divine resemblance, and such grace

The hand that formed them on their shape hath poured.

Ah gentle pair, ye little think how nigh

Your change approaches, when all these delights

Will vanish and deliver ye to woe,

More woe, the more your taste is now of joy;

Happy, but for so happy
³⁷⁰
ill secured

Long to continue, and this high seat your Heav’n

Ill fenced for Heav’n to keep out such a foe

As now is entered; yet no purposed foe

To you whom I could pity thus forlorn

Though I unpitied: league with you I seek,

And mutual amity so strait
³⁷⁶
, so close,

That I with you must dwell, or you with me

Henceforth; my dwelling haply may not please

Like this fair Paradise, your sense, yet such

Accept your Maker’s work; he
³⁸⁰
gave it me,

Which I as freely give; Hell shall unfold,

To entertain you two, her widest gates
³⁸²
,

And send forth all her kings; there will be room,

Not like these narrow limits, to receive

Your numerous offspring; if no better place,

Thank him who puts me loath to this revenge

On you who wrong me not for
³⁸⁷
him who wronged.

And should I at your harmless innocence

Melt, as I do, yet public reason just
³⁸⁹
,

Honor and empire with revenge enlarged,

By conquering this new world, compels me now

To do what else though damned I should abhor.”

   So spake the fiend, and with necessity,

The tyrant’s plea, excused his devilish deeds.

Then from his lofty stand on that high tree

Down he alights among the sportful herd

Of those four-footed kinds, himself now one,

Now other, as their shape served best his end

Nearer to view his prey, and unespied

To mark what of their state he more might learn

By word or action marked: about them round

A lion
⁴⁰²
now he stalks with fiery glare,

Then as a tiger, who by chance hath spied

In some purlieu two gentle fawns at play,

Straight couches close, then rising changes oft

His couchant watch, as one who chose his ground

Whence rushing he might surest seize them both

Gripped in each paw: when Adam first of men

To first of women Eve thus moving speech,

Turned him all ear
⁴¹⁰
to hear new utterance flow.

   “Sole partner and sole
⁴¹¹
part of all these joys,

Dearer thyself than all; needs must the power

That made us, and for us this ample world

Be infinitely good, and of his good

As liberal and free as infinite,

That raised us from the dust and placed us here

In all this happiness, who at his hand

Have nothing merited, nor can perform

Aught whereof he hath need, he who requires

From us no other service than to keep

This one, this easy charge, of all the trees

In Paradise that bear delicious fruit

So various, not to taste that only Tree

Of Knowledge, planted by the Tree of Life,

So near grows death to life, whate’er death is
⁴²⁵
,

Some dreadful thing no doubt; for well thou know’st

God hath pronounced it death to taste that Tree,

The only sign of our obedience left

Among so many signs of power and rule

Conferred upon us, and dominion giv’n

Over all other creatures that possess

Earth, air, and sea. Then let us not think hard

One easy prohibition, who enjoy

Free leave so large to all things else, and choice

Unlimited of manifold delights:

But let us ever praise him, and extol

His bounty, following our delightful task

To prune these growing plants, and tend these flow’rs,

Which were it toilsome, yet with thee were sweet.”

   To whom thus Eve replied. “O thou for whom

And from whom I was formed flesh of thy flesh,

And without whom am to no end, my guide

And head, what thou hast said is just and right.

For we to him indeed all praises owe,

And daily thanks, I chiefly who enjoy

So far the happier lot, enjoying thee

Preeminent by so much odds
⁴⁴⁷
, while thou

Like consort to thyself canst nowhere find.

That day I oft remember, when from sleep

I first awaked, and found myself reposed

Under a shade on
⁴⁵¹
flow’rs, much wond’ring where

And what I was, whence thither brought, and how.

Not distant far from thence a murmuring sound

Of waters issued from a cave and spread

Into a liquid plain, then stood unmoved

Pure as th’ expanse of heav’n; I thither went

With unexperienced thought, and laid me down

On the green bank, to look into the clear

Smooth lake, that to me seemed another sky.

As I bent down to look, just opposite,
⁴⁶⁰

A shape within the wat’ry gleam appeared

Bending to look on me, I started back,

It started back, but pleased I soon returned,

Pleased it returned as soon with answering looks

Of sympathy and love; there I had fixed

Mine eyes till now, and pined
⁴⁶⁶
with vain desire,

Had not a voice thus warned me, ‘What thou seest,

What there thou seest fair creature is thyself,

With thee it came and goes: but follow me,

And I will bring thee where no shadow stays
⁴⁷⁰

Thy coming, and thy soft embraces, he

Whose image thou art, him thou shall enjoy

Inseparably thine, to him shalt bear

Multitudes like thyself, and thence be called

Mother of human race.’ What could I do,

But follow straight, invisibly thus led?

Till I espied thee, fair indeed and tall,

Under a platan
⁴⁷⁸
, yet methought less fair,

Less winning soft, less amiably mild,

Than
⁴⁸⁰
that smooth wat’ry image; back I turned,

Thou following cried’st aloud, ‘Return fair Eve,

Whom fli’st thou? Whom thou fli’st, of him thou art,

His flesh, his bone; to give thee being I lent

Out of my side to thee, nearest my heart

Substantial life, to have thee by my side

Henceforth an individual
⁴⁸⁶
solace dear;