The Complete Poetry of John Milton (122 page)

   275     
My early visitation, and my last

               
At Eev’n, which I bred up with tender hand

               
From the first op’ning bud, and gave ye Names,

               
Who now shall rear ye to the Sun, or rank
²⁶

               
Your Tribes, and water from th’ ambrosial Fount?

   280     
Thee lastly nuptial Bowr, by mee adornd

               
With what to sight or smell was sweet; from thee

               
How shall I part, and whither wander down

               
Into a lower World, to this obscure

               
And wild, how shall we breath in other Air

   285     
Less pure, accustomd to immortal Fruits?

           
      
       Whom thus the Angel interrupted mild.

               
Lament not
Eve
, but patiently resigne

               
What justly thou hast lost; nor set thy heart,

               
Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine;

   290     
Thy going is not lonely, with thee goes

               
Thy Husband, him to follow thou art bound;

               
Where he abides, think there thy native soil.

           
      
       
Adam
by this from the cold sudden damp

               
Recovering, and his scatterd spirits returnd,

   295     
To
Michael
thus his humble words address’d.

           
      
       Celestial, whether among the Thrones, or nam’d

               
Of them the Highest, for such of shape may seem

               
Prince above Princes, gently hast thou tould

               
Thy message, which might else in telling wound,

   300     
And in performing end us; what besides

               
Of sorrow and dejection and despair

               
Our frailtie can sustain, thy tidings bring,

               
Departure from this happy place, our sweet

               
Recess, and onely consolation left

   305     
Familiar to our eyes, all places else

               
Inhospitable appeer and desolate,

               
Nor knowing us nor known: and if by prayer

               
Incessant I could hope to change the will

               
Of him who all things can, I would not cease

   310     
To wearie him with my assiduous cries:

               
But prayer against his absolute Decree

               
No more avails then breath against the wind,

               
Blown stifling back on him that breaths it forth:

               
Therefore to his great bidding I submit.

   315     
This most afflicts me, that departing hence,

               
As from his face I shall be hid, depriv’d

               
His blessed count’nance; here I could frequent,

               
With worship, place by place where he voutsaf’d

               
Presence Divine, and to my Sons relate;

   320     
On this Mount he appeerd, under this Tree

               
Stood visible, among these Pines his voice

               
I heard, here with him at this Fountain talk’d:

               
So many grateful Altars I would rear

               
Of grassie Terf, and pile up every Stone

   325     
Of lustre from the brook, in memorie,

               
Or monument to Ages, and thereon

               
Offer sweet smelling Gumms and Fruits and Flowrs:

               
In yonder nether World where shall I seek

               
His bright appearances, or footstep trace?

   330     
For though I fled him angrie, yet recall’d

               
To life prolong’d and promis’d Race, I now

               
Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts

               
Of glory, and farr off his steps adore.

           
      
       To whom thus
Michael
with regard benigne.

   335     
Adam
, thou know’st Heav’n his, and all the Earth,

               
Not this Rock onely; his Omnipresence fills

               
Land, Sea, and Air, and every kind that lives,

               
Fomented
²⁷
by his virtual
²⁸
power and warmd:

               
All th’ Earth he gave thee to possess and rule,

   340     
No despicable gift; surmise not then

               
His presence to these narrow bounds confin’d

               
Of Paradise or
Eden:
this had been

               
Perhaps thy Capital Seat, from whence had spred

               
All generations, and had hither come

   345     
From all the ends of th’ Earth, to celebrate

               
And reverence thee thir great Progenitor.

               
But this præeminence thou hast lost, brought down

               
To dwell on eeven ground now with thy Sons:

               
Yet doubt not but in Vallie and in Plain

   350     
God is as here, and will be found alike

               
Present, and of his presence many a signe

               
Still following thee, still compassing thee round

               
With goodness and paternal Love, his Face

               
Express, and of his steps the track Divine.

   355     
Which that thou mayst beleeve, and be confirmd

               
Ere thou from hence depart, know I am sent

               
To shew thee what shall come in future dayes

               
To thee and to thy Ofspring; good with bad

               
Expect to hear, supernal Grace contending

   360     
With sinfulness of Men; thereby to learn

               
True patience, and to temper joy with fear

               
And pious sorrow, equally enur’d

               
By moderation either state to bear,

               
Prosperous or adverse: so shalt thou lead

   365     
Safest thy life, and best prepar’d endure

               
Thy mortal passage when it comes. Ascend

               
This Hill; let
Eve
(for I have drencht her eyes)

               
Here sleep below while thou to foresight wak’st,

               
As once thou slepst, while Shee to life was formd.

   370  
      
       To whom thus
Adam
gratefully repli’d.

               
Ascend, I follow thee, safe Guide, the path

               
Thou lead’st me, and to th’ hand of Heav’n submit,

               
However chast’ning, to the evil turn

               
My obvious breast, arming to overcom

   375     
By suffering, and earn rest from labour won,

               
If so I may attain. So both ascend

               
In the Visions of God: It was a Hill

               
Of Paradise the highest, from whose top

               
The Hemisphere of Earth in cleerest Ken

   380     
Stretcht out to amplest reach of prospect lay.

               
Not higher that Hill nor wider looking round,

               
Whereon for different cause the Tempter set

               
Our second
Adam
²⁹
in the Wilderness,

               
To shew him all Earths Kingdoms and thir Glory.

   385     
His Eye might there command wherever stood

               
City of old or modern Fame, the Seat

               
Of mightiest Empire, from the destind Walls

               
Of
Cambalu
, seat of
Cathaian Can
³⁰

               
And
Samarchand
by
Oxus, Temirs
Throne,
³¹

   390     
To
Paquin
of
Sinæan
Kings,
³²
and thence

               
To
Agra
and
Lahor
of great
Mogul

               
Down to the golden
Chersonese
,
³³
or where

               
The
Persian
in
Ecbatan
sate, or since

               
In
Hispahan
, or where the
Russian Ksar

   395     
In
Mosco
, or the Sultan in
Bizance
,

               
Turchestan
-born; nor could his eye not ken

               
Th’ Empire of
Negus
to his utmost Port

               
Ercoco
and the less Maritime Kings

               
Mombaza
, and
Quiloa
, and
Melind
,

   400     
And
Sofala
thought
Ophir
, to the Realm

               
Of
Congo
, and
Angola
fardest South;

               
Or thence from
Niger
Flood to
Atlas
Mount

               
The Kingdoms of
Almansor, Fez
and
Sus
,

               
Marocco
and
Algiers
, and
Tremisen;

   405     
On
Europe
thence, and where
Rome
was to sway

               
The World: in Spirit perhaps he also saw

               
Rich
Mexico
the seat of
Motezume
,

               
And
Cusco
in
Peru
, the richer seat

               
Of
Atabalipa
,
³⁴
and yet unspoil’d

   410     
Guiana
, whose great Citie
Geryons
Sons
³⁵

               
Call
El Dorado:
but to nobler sights

               
Michael
from
Adams
eyes the Film remov’d

               
Which that false Fruit that promis’d clearer sight

               
Had bred; then purg’d with Euphrasie and Rue
³⁶

   415     
The visual Nerve, for he had much to see;

               
And from the Well of Life three drops instill’d.

               
So deep the power of these Ingredients pierc’d,

               
Eevn to the inmost seat of mental sight,

               
That
Adam
now enforc’t to close his eyes,

   420     
Sunk down and all his Spirits became intranst:

               
But him the gentle Angel by the hand

               
Soon rais’d, and his attention thus recall’d.

           
      
       
Adam
, now ope thine eyes, and first behold

               
Th’ effects which thy original crime hath wrought