The Complete Poetry of John Milton (120 page)
Read The Complete Poetry of John Milton Online
Authors: John Milton
Tags: #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #Poetry, #European
68
disparage.
69
harmonized.
70
(planets).
71
The planets are unbenign when their conjunction (“synod,” l. 661) is at angles of 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 120 degrees, and 180 degrees.
72
The tilting of the earth 23.5 degrees from the sun’s course, which was the same as the celestial equator (Copernicus), or the alteration of the sun’s course a like amount (l. 673; Ptolemy) created winter. The sun moves upward to the Tropic of Cancer (through the Bull and the Pleiades and then through Gemini) in Jan.–June, and southward to the Tropic of Capricorn (through Leo, Virgo, and Libra) in July–Dec.
73
Labrador. “Magellan” means the Straits of Magellan.
74
Atreus served his brother Thyestes his sons as food at a banquet of revenge.
75
malign influence from the stars.
76
New England. The “
Samoed
shore” is Siberia.
77
burst of wind.
78
Boreas, Caecias, Argestes, and Thrascias were winds from the north; Notus and Afer (l. 702) from the south; Eurus (l. 705) from the east (“Levant”), and Zephyr from the west (“Ponent”); Sirocco (l. 706) from the southeast and Libecchio from the southwest.
79
opposition.
80
flow back.
81
Gen. iii. 19.
82
The potentiality of matter is limited by that to which it is united; that is, God will not make man’s punishment infinite though he himself is infinite.
83
“Heva” was said to mean serpent, being an aspirated sound plus “Eve.”
84
a mottled, dull green.
85
held before as a disguise.
86
a pun of “left” side and “evil.” Eve was traditionally considered morally defective because she was created from this bent rib.
87
Compare IV, 299: “Hee for God only, shee for God in him.”
88
in evils such as ours.
89
Eve.
90
struggle.
91
The air is thought of as being “rubbed” by the collision, causing fire from friction.
92
kindle.
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, but declares
that they must no longer abide in Paradise; sends
Michael
with a Band of Cherubim to dispossess them; but first to reveal to
Adam
future things:
Michaels
coming down.
Adam
shews to
Eve
certain ominous signs; he discerns
Michaels
approach, goes out to meet him: the Angel denounces thir departure.
Eve’s
Lamentation.
Adam
pleads, but submits: The Angel leads him up to a high Hill, sets before him in vision what shall happ’n till the Flood.
Thus they in lowliest plight repentant stood
Praying, for from the Mercie-seat
1
above
Prevenient Grace
2
descending had remov’d
The stonie
3
from thir hearts, and made new flesh
5
Regenerat grow instead, that sighs now breath’d
Unutterable, which the Spirit of prayer
Inspir’d, and wing’d for Heav’n with speedier flight
Then loudest Oratorie: yet thir port
Not of mean suiters, nor important less
10
Seem’d thir Petition, then when th’ ancient Pair
In Fables old, less ancient yet then these,
Deucalion
and chaste
Pyrrha
to restore
The Race of Mankind drownd, before the Shrine
Of
Themis
4
stood devout. To Heav’n thir prayers
15
Flew up, nor miss’d the way, by envious winds
Blow’n vagabond or frustrate: in they pass’d
Dimentionless through Heav’nly dores; then clad
With incense, where the Golden Altar fum’d,
By thir great Intercessor, came in sight
20
Before the Fathers Throne: Them the glad Son
Presenting, thus to intercede began.
See Father, what first fruits on Earth are sprung
From thy implanted Grace in Man, these Sighs
And Prayers, which in this Golden Censer, mixt
25
With Incense, I thy Priest before thee bring,
Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed
Sow’n with contrition in his heart, then those
Which his own hand manuring
5
all the Trees
Of Paradise could have produc’t, ere fall’n
30
From innocence. Now therefore bend thine ear
To supplication, hear his sighs though mute;
Unskilful with what words to pray, let mee
Interpret for him, mee his Advocate
And propitiation, all his works on mee
35
Good or not good ingraft, my Merit those
Shall perfet, and for these my Death shall pay.
Accept me, and in mee from these receave
The smell of peace toward Mankind, let him live
Before thee reconcil’d, at least his days
40
Numberd, though sad, till Death, his doom (which I
To mitigate thus plead, not to reverse)
To better life shall yeeld him, where with mee
All my redeemd may dwell in joy and bliss,
Made one with me as I with thee am one.
45
To whom the Father, without Cloud, serene.
All thy request for Man, accepted Son,
Obtain, all thy request was my Decree:
But longer in that Paradise to dwell,
The Law I gave to Nature him forbids:
50
Those pure immortal Elements that know
No gross, no unharmoneous mixture foul,
Eject him tainted now, and purge him off
As a distemper, gross to air as gross,
And mortal food, as may dispose him best
55
For dissolution wrought by Sin, that first
Distemperd all things, and of incorrupt
Corrupted. I at first with two fair gifts
Created him endowd, with Happiness
And Immortalitie: that fondly lost,
60
This other serv’d but to eternize woe;
Till I provided Death; so Death becomes
His final remedie, and after Life
Tri’d in sharp tribulation, and refin’d
By Faith and faithful works, to second Life,
65
Wak’t in the renovation of the just,
Resignes him up with Heav’n and Earth renewd.
But let us call to Synod all the Blest
Through Heav’ns wide bounds; from them I will not hide
My judgments, how with Mankind I proceed,
70
As how with peccant Angels late they saw;
And in thir state, though firm, stood more confirmd.
He ended, and the Son gave signal high
To the bright Minister that watch’d, hee blew
His Trumpet, heard in
Oreb
6
since perhaps
75
When God descended, and perhaps once more
To sound at general Doom.
7
Th’ Angelic blast
Fill’d all the Regions: from thir blissful Bowrs
Of
Amarantin
8
Shade, Fountain or Spring,
By the waters of Life, where ere they sate
80
In fellowships of joy: the Sons of Light
Hasted, resorting to the Summons high,
And took thir Seats; till from his Throne supream
Th’ Almighty thus pronounc’d his sovran Will.
O Sons, like one of us Man is become
85
To know both Good and Evil, since his taste
Of that defended
9
Fruit; but let him boast
His knowledge of Good lost, and Evil got,
Happier, had it suffic’d him to have known
Good by it self, and Evil not at all.
90
He sorrows now, repents, and prayes contrite,
My motions in him, longer then they move,
His heart I know, how variable and vain
Self-left.
10
Least therefore his now bolder hand
Reach also of the Tree of Life, and eat,
95
And live for ever, dream at least to live
For ever, to remove him I decree,
And send him from the Garden forth to Till
The Ground whence he was taken, fitter soil.
Michael
, this my behest have thou in charge,
100
Take to thee from among the Cherubim
Thy choice of flaming Warriours, least the Fiend
Or in behalf of
11
Man, or to invade
Vacant possession som new trouble raise:
Hast thee, and from the Paradise of God
105
Without remorse
12
drive out the sinful Pair,
From hallowd ground th’ unholie, and denounce
To them and to thir Progenie from thence
Perpetual banishment. Yet least they faint
At the sad Sentence rigorously urg’d,
110
For I behold them soft’n’d and with tears
Bewailing thir excess, all terror hide.
If patiently thy bidding they obey,
Dismiss them not disconsolate; reveal
To
Adam
what shall come in future dayes,
115
As I shall thee enlighten, intermix
My Cov’nant in the womans seed renewd;
So send them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace:
And on the East side of the Garden place,
Where entrance up from
Eden
easiest climbs,
120
Cherubic watch, and of a Sword the flame
Wide waving, all approach farr off to fright,
And guard all passage to the Tree of Life:
Least Paradise a receptacle prove
To Spirits foul, and all my Trees thir prey,