The Complete Poetry of John Milton (17 page)
Read The Complete Poetry of John Milton Online
Authors: John Milton
Tags: #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #Poetry, #European
(
spring 1629
)
1
See
El.
4, n. 10.
2
a fountain at Corinth.
3
Pursued by Apollo, Daphne was turned into a laurel at her own entreaty; thereafter, the leaves of the tree became a symbol of his patronage of poetry and music.
4
the nightingale, whose song in spring portends success in love.
6
the vernal equinox. Ethiopia was considered all Africa south of Egypt; Tithonus, loved by Aurora, the dawn, stands for the east; and Arctos, the double constellation of the Great and Lesser Bears, is the north.
6
See
Ely
, n. 12. Lycaon, the son of Callisto (the Wain) and Jove, is the Lesser Bear.
7
See
Fair Infant
, n. 8.
8
the moon; Lucifer is the sun.
9
Jove made her beloved Tithonus immortal but not eternally youthful.
10
While hunting, Cephalus, also beloved by Aurora, unwittingly killed his jealous wife Procis.
11
a mountain overlooking Athens.
12
goddess of crops, identified with Earth and Cybele, the Great Mother, who was worshipped on Mt. Ida.
13
See
Vice-Chancellor
, n. 16.
14
Apollo was god of healing.
15
consort of Oceanus and mother of rivers. Hesperia was the west, and Tartessus, a maritime city of Spain.
16
Juno, in anger, persuaded her to entreat Jove to visit her, a mortal, as a god, for Juno knew that she would be consumed by his lightning.
17
alluding to the myth of Arion.
1
I
This is the Month, and this the happy morn
Wherin the Son of Heav’ns eternal King,
Of wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother
2
bom,
Our great redemption from above did bring;
5
For so the holy sages once did sing,
That he our deadly forfeit should release,
And with his Father work us a perpetual peace.
II
That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable,
And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty,
10
Wherwith he wont at Heav’ns high Councel-Table,
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,
He laid aside;
3
and here with us to be,
Forsook the Courts of everlasting Day,
And chose with us a darksom House of mortal Clay.
III
15
Say Heav’nly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein
Afford a present to the Infant God?
Hast thou no vers, no hymn, or solemn strein,
To welcom him to this his new abode,
Now while the Heav’n by the Suns team untrod,
20
Hath took no print of the approaching light,
And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright?
IV
See how from far upon the Eastern rode
The Star-led Wisards
4
haste with odours sweet:
O run, prevent
5
them with thy humble ode,
25
And lay it lowly at his blessed feet;
Have thou the honour first, thy Lord to greet,
And joyn thy voice unto the Angel Quire,
From out his secret Altar toucht with hallow’d fire.
6
I
It was the Winter wild,
30
While the Heav’n-born-child,
All meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies;
Nature in aw to him
Had doff’t her gawdy trim,
With her great Master so to sympathize:
35
It was no season then for her
To wanton with the Sun, her lusty Paramour.
II
Onely with speeches fair
She woos the gentle Air
To hide her guilty front with innocent Snow,
40
And on her naked shame,
Pollute
7
with sinfull blame,
The Saintly Vail of Maiden white to throw,
8
Confounded, that her Makers eyes
Should look so neer upon her foul deformities.
III
45
But he her fears to cease,
Sent down the meek-ey’d Peace;
She crown’d with Olive green,
9
came softly sliding
Down through the turning sphear
10
His ready Harbinger,
50
With Turtle wing the amorous clouds dividing,
And waving wide her mirtle wand,
She strikes a universall Peace through Sea and Land.
IV
No War, or Battails sound
Was heard the World around:
11
55
The idle spear and shield were high up hung;
The hooked Chariot stood
Unstain’d with hostile blood,
The Trumpet spake not to the armed throng,
And Kings sate still with awfull eye,
60
As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by.
V
But peacefull was the night
Wherin the Prince of light
His raign of peace upon the earth began:
The Winds with wonder whist,
12
65
Smoothly the waters kist,
Whispering new joyes to the mild Ocean,
Who now hath quite forgot to rave,
While Birds of Calm
13
sit brooding on the charmed wave.
VI
The Stars with deep amaze
70
Stand fixt in stedfast gaze,
Bending one way their pretious influence,
14
And will not take their flight,
For all the morning light,
Or
Lucifer
15
that often warn’d them thence;
75
But in their glimmering Orbs did glow,
Untill their Lord himself bespake, and bid them go.
VII
And though the shady gloom
Had given day her room,
The Sun himself with-held his wonted speed,
80
And hid his head for shame,
As his inferiour flame,
The new-enlight’n’d world no more should need;
He saw a greater Sun appear
Then his bright Throne, or burning Axletree
16
could bear.
VIII
85
The Shepherds
17
on the Lawn,
Or ere the point of dawn,
Sate simply chatting in a rustick row;
Full little thought they than,
That the mighty
Pan
18
90
Was kindly
19
com to live with them below;
Perhaps their loves, or els their sheep,
Was all that did their silly
20
thoughts so busie keep.
IX
When such musick sweet
Their hearts and ears did greet,
95
As never was by mortall singer strook,
Divinely-warbled voice
Answering the stringed noise,
As all their souls in blisfull rapture took:
The Air such pleasure loth to lose,
100
With thousand echoes still prolongs each heav’nly close.
21
X
Nature that heard such sound
Beneath the hollow round
Of
Cynthia’s
seat,
22
the Airy region thrilling,
Now was almost won
105
To think her part was don,
And that her raign had here its last fulfilling;
She knew such harmony
23
alone
Could hold all Heav’n and Earth in happier union.
XI
At last surrounds their sight
110
A Globe of circular light,
That with long beams the shame-fac’t night array’d,
The helmed Cherubim
And sworded Seraphim
Are seen in glittering ranks with wings displaid,
115
Harping in loud and solemn quire,
With unexpressive
24
notes to Heav’ns new-born Heir.
XII
120
While the Creator Great
His constellations set,
And the well-ballanc’t world on hinges hung,
And cast the dark foundations deep,
And bid the weltring waves their oozy channel keep.
XIII
125
Ring out ye Crystall sphears,
26
Once bless our human ears,
(If ye have power to touch our senses so)
And let your silver chime
Move in melodious time;
130
And let the Base of Heav’ns deep Organ blow,
And with your ninefold harmony
Make up full consort
27
to th’ Angelick symphony.