The Complete Poetry of John Milton (130 page)
Read The Complete Poetry of John Milton Online
Authors: John Milton
Tags: #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #Poetry, #European
560
Beyond which was my folly to aspire.
Henceforth I learn, that to obey is best,
And love with fear the onely God, to walk
As in his presence, ever to observe
His providence, and on him sole depend,
565
Mercifull over all his works, with good
Still overcoming evil, and by small
Accomplishing great things, by things deemd weak
Subverting worldly strong, and worldly wise
By simply meek; that suffering for Truths sake
570
Is fortitude to highest victorie,
And to the faithful Death the Gate of Life;
Taught this by his example whom I now
Acknowledge my Redeemer ever blest.
To whom thus also th’ Angel last repli’d:
575
This having learnt, thou hast attaind the sum
Of wisdom; hope no higher, though all the Starrs
Thou knewst by name, and all th’ ethereal Powers,
All secrets of the deep, all Natures works,
Or works of God in Heav’n, Air, Earth, or Sea,
580
And all the riches of this World enjoydst,
And all the rule, one Empire; onely add
Deeds to thy knowledge answerable, add Faith,
Add Vertue, Patience, Temperance, add Love,
By name to come call’d Charitie, the soul
585
Of all the rest: then wilt thou not be loath
To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess
A Paradise within thee, happier farr.
Let us descend now therefore from this top
Of Speculation;
37
for the hour precise
590
Exacts our parting hence; and see the Guards,
By mee encampt on yonder Hill, expect
38
Thir motion, at whose Front a flaming Sword,
In signal of remove, waves fiercely round;
We may no longer stay: go, waken
Eve;
595
Her also I with gentle Dreams have calm’d
Portending good, and all her spirits compos’d
To meek submission: thou at season fit
Let her with thee partake what thou hast heard,
Chiefly what may concern her Faith to know,
600
The great deliverance by her Seed to come
(For by the Womans Seed) on all Mankind.
That ye may live, which will be many dayes,
Both in one Faith unanimous though sad,
With cause for evils past, yet much more cheer’d
605
With meditation on the happie end.
He ended, and they both descend the Hill;
Descended,
Adam
to the Bowr where
Eve
Lay sleeping ran before, but found her wak’t;
And thus with words not sad she him receav’d.
610
Whence thou returnst, and whither wentst, I know;
For God is also in sleep, and Dreams advise,
Which he hath sent propitious, some great good
Presaging, since with sorrow and hearts distress
Wearied I fell asleep: but now lead on;
615
In mee is no delay; with thee to goe,
Is to stay here; without thee here to stay,
Is to go hence unwilling; thou to mee
Art all things under Heav’n, all places thou,
Who for my wilful crime art banisht hence.
620
This further consolation yet secure
I carry hence; though all by mee is lost,
Such favour I unworthie am voutsaft,
By mee the Promis’d Seed shall all restore.
So spake our Mother
Eve
, and
Adam
heard
625
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
630
Ris’n from a River o’re the marish
39
glides,
And gathers ground fast at the Labourers heel
Homeward returning. High in Front advanc’t,
The brandisht Sword of God before them blaz’d
40
Fierce as a Comet; which with torrid heat,
635
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
640
To the subjected
42
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:
645
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.”
1
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’d
3
to tell of deeds
15
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 Proclaimer
4
with a voice
More awful then the sound of Trumpet, cri’d
20
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,
25
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