Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale : She all night long her am'rous descant sung: Silence was pleased. Now glow'd the firmament With living sapphires: Hesperus, that led The starry host, rode brightest, till the Moon, Rising in clouded majesty, at length
Apparent queen, unveil'd her peerless light, And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw.
When Adam thus to Eve: Fair Consort, th' bour Of night, and all things now retired to rest, Mind us of like repose, since God hath set Labour and rest, as day and night, to men
Successive; and the timely dew of sleep
Now falling, with soft slumb'rous weight inclines
Our eye-lids. Other creatures all day long
Rove idle, unemploy'd, and less need rest; Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed, which declares his dignity, And the regard of Heav'n on all his ways; While other animals inactive range; And of their doings God takes no account. To-morrow, ere fresh morning streak the east With first approach of light, we must be ris'n, And at our pleasant labour, to reform Yon flow'ry arbours, yonder alleys green, Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown,
That mock our scant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth:
Those blossoms also, and those dropping gums, That lie bestrown unsightly and unsmooth, Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease; Meanwhile, as Nature wills, Night bids us rest.
To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty' adorn'd: My Author and Disposer, what thou bidst, Unargued, I obey; so God ordains;
God is thy law, thou mine; to know no more Is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise. With thee conversing I forget all time;
All seasons and their change, all please alike. 640 Sweet is the breath of Morn, her rising sweet,
627. Walks in the first edition.
628. Manuring; in the sense of the French manœuvre, to manage or cultivate.
640. The seasons of the day, not of the year, are here meant.
With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the Sun, When first on this delightful land he spreads His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, Glist'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth After soft show'rs; and sweet the coming on Of grateful ev'ning mild; then silent Night, With this her solemn bird, and this fair Moon, And these the gems of Heav'n, her starry train; But neither breath of Morn, when she ascends With charm of earliest birds; nor rising Sun On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower, Glist'ring with dew; nor fragrance after showers; Nor grateful ev'ning mild; nor silent Night With this her solemn bird, nor walk by Moon, 655 Or glitt'ring star-light, without thee is sweet. But wherefore all night long shine these? For whom This glorious sight, when sleep hath shut all eyes? To whom our general ancestor reply'd: Daughter of God and Man, accomplish'd Eve, These have their course to finish round the earth By morrow ev'ning, and from land to land In order, though to nations yet unborn,
Minist'ring light prepared, they set and rise; Lest total darkness should by night regain Her old possession, and extinguish life
In nature and all things, which these soft fires Not only enlighten, but with kindly heat Of various influence, foment and warm, Temper or nourish, or in part shed down Their stellar virtue on all kinds that grow On earth, made hereby apter to receive Perfection from the Sun's more potent ray.
These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, 674 Shine not in vain; nor think, tho' men were none, That Heav'n would want spectators, God want praise
648. A very ingenious essay has been written, by whom I forget, to shew that the ancients considered the nightingale's song cheer ful. 661. Those is read in some editions. 671. Milton's affectation of learning has been mentioned an objected to. I venture, however, to observe, though he may seem to have erred when such passages in his poem are subjected to the severe and particularizing eye of a critic, that, taken as a whole, its grandeur and splendid effect upon the mind would have been considerably less, had these appliances of a high knowledge been unemployed in it, illustration.
Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep. All these with ceaseless praise his works behold, Both day and night. How often from the steep 680 Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard Celestial voices to the midnight air,
Sole, or responsive each to other's note, Singing their great Creator! Oft in bands While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk With heav'nly touch of instrumental sounds, In full harmonic number join'd, their songs Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heav'n. Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass'd On to their blissful bow'r; it was a place Chosen by the Sov'reign Planter, when he framed All things to Man's delightful use. The roof Of thickest covert was inwoven shade Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew Of firm and fragrant leaf: on either side Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub
Fenced up the verdant wall; each beauteous flow'r, Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine,
Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, and Mosaic: underfoot the violet,
Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay
Broider'd the ground, more colour'd than with stone Of costliest emblem. Other creature here, Beast, bird, insect, or worm, durst enter none: Such was their awe of Man. In shadier bower 705 More sacred and sequester'd, though but feign'd, Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor Nymph Nor Faunus haunted. Here, in close recess,
With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs, Espoused Eve deck'd first her nuptial bed, And heav'nly choirs the hymenean sung, What day the genial Angel to our sire Brought her in naked beauty more adorn'd, More lovely than Pandora, whom the Gods
Endow'd with all their gifts: and O too like 715
700. Homer, Il. xiv. 347.
714. Pandora, the fable of Pandora's box needs no explanation. -Authentic fire, the original, and prototype, or the source of earthly fire,-Unwiser is not a comparative here, but means verv unwise
In sad event, when to th' unwiser son
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she ensnared Mankind with her fair looks, to be avenged On him who had stole Jove's authentic fire.
Thus at their shady lodge arrived, both stood, 720 Both turn'd, and under open sky adored
The God that made both sky, air, earth, and heav'n, Which they beheld, the moon's resplendent globe, And starry pole: Thou also mad'st the night, Maker omnipotent, and thou the day, Which we in our appointed work employ'd Have finish'd, happy in our mutual help And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss Ordain'd by thee; and this delicious place For us too large, where thy abundance wants Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground. But thou hast promised from us two a race To fill the earth, who shall with us extol Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake And when we seek, as now, thy gift of sleep. This said unanimous, and other rites Observing none, but adoration pure
Which God likes best, into their inmost bower Handed they went; and eased the putting off These troublesome disguises which we wear, Straight side by side were laid; nor turn'd I ween Adam from his fair spouse, nor Eve the rites Mysterious of connubial love refused: Whatever hypocrites austerely talk Of purity, and place, and innocence,
Defaming as impure what God declares
Pure, and commands to some, leaves free to all.
Our Maker bids increase; who bids abstain
But our Destroyer, foe to God and Man?
Hail wedded Love, mysterious law, true source 750 Of human offspring, sole propriety
In Paradise of all things common else.
By thee adult'rous lust was driven from men, Among the bestial herds to range; by thee, Founded in reason, loyal, just, and pure,
746. In allusion to 1 Tim. iv. 1, 2, 3.
750. This apostrophe is said to be borrowed from one of TassoP letters. Mysterious: See Eph. v. 32.
Relations dear, and all the charities
Of father, son, and brother, first were known. Far be 't, that I should write thee sin or blame, Or think thee unbefitting holiest place, Perpetual fountain of domestic sweets, Whose bed is undefiled and chaste pronounced, Present, or past, as saints and patriarchs used. Here Love his golden shafts employs, here lights His constant lamp, and waves his purple wings, Reigns here and revels; not in the bought smile 765 Of harlots, loveless, joyless, unendear'd, Casual fruition; nor in court-amours,
Mix'd dance, or wanton mask, or midnight ball, Or serenate, which the starved lover sings To his proud fair, best quitted with disdain. These, lull'd by nightingales, embracing, slept, And on their naked limbs the flow'ry roof Shower'd roses, which the morn repair'd. Sleep on, Blest pair! and O yet happiest, if ye seek
No happier state, and know to know no more.
Now had Night measured with her shadowy cone
Half way up hill this vast sublunar vault, And from their ivory port the Cherubim Forth issuing at th' accustom'd hour, stood arm'd To their night watches in warlike parade, 780 When Gabriel to his next in power thus spake : Uzziel, half these draw off, and coast the south With strictest watch; these other wheel the north; Our circuit meets full west. As flame they part; Half wheeling to the shield, half to the spear. From these, two strong and subtle Spirits he call'd That near him stood, and gave them thus in charge: Ithuriel and Zephon, with wing'd speed Search thro' this garden; leave unsearch'd no nook; But chiefly where those two fair creatures lodge, Now laid perhaps asleep, secure of harm. This evening from the Sun's decline arrived
756. The charities; the affections called forth by the different relations of life.
769. Serenate: Milton follows the Italian in his spelling.
Starved; cold, unaccepted.
782. Uzziel, the strength of God.
784. See Heb. chap. i.
788. Ithuriel, the discovery of God. Zephon, a secret,
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