Te pennâ intrepidus jam liberiore reviso
Gurgite ab inferno remeans, immane ferumque Tandem emenfus iter, quà per loca fenta tenebrisque Obfita continuis cecini Noctemque Chaumque, Haud quali Orpheæ fonuerunt carmine Chordæ. Mufa dedit pronum tentare iter, alta Profundi Scrutari arcana, æthereafque evadere ad auras, Difficilique pedem raroque in tramite duxit. Te demum illæfus repeto, Lux alma, tuumque Agnofco vitale jubar; tamen invida nostris Ipfa negas te offerre oculis, qui plurima inani Sefe circumagunt motu, femperque requirunt Nequicquam optatos radios & amabile lumen : Reftinxit Nox tanta acies, feu nubila faltem Vela premunt. At Pieridum non fecius erro Avia per loca, divini_perculfus amore
Carminis, aut umbras, aut colles inter apricos,
Aut fontem ad purum. Te verò ante omnia, suavis
Thee I revifit now with bolder wing, Efcap'd the Stygian Pool, tho' long detain'd In that obfcure fojourn; while in my flight Through utter and through middle darkness born, With other notes than to th' Orphean Lyre, I fung of Chaos, and eternal Night; Taught by the heav'nly Muse to venture down The dark descent, and up to re-afcend, Tho' hard, and rare. Thee I revifit fafe,
And feel thy fov'reign vital Lamp: but Thou Revifit'st not these Eyes, that roll in vain To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn; So thick a Drop Serene hath quench'd their Orbs, Or dim Suffufion veil'd. Yet not the more Ceafe I to wander, where the Muses haunt Clear Spring, or fhady Grove, or funny Hill, Smit with the love of facred Song: but chief Thee, Sion, and the flow'ry Brooks beneath,
Te Sion, variofque finu referentia flores
Quæ facros allapfa pedes tibi garrula lambunt Flumina, nocturnus repeto; memorique revolvo Mecum animo Par dulce Virûm, quos fæva premebat Communis mihi Sors (eadem modo fama maneret!) Mæoniden Thamyrinque; & Phinea fæpe recordor Tirefiamque antiquum, orbatos lumine Vates. Pectore ibi tacito totus fruor, unde canori Sponte fluunt numeri, quales Philomela tenebris Dat mediis, denfâ carmen modulata fub umbrâ. Rite vices diverfæ anni, diverfa recurrunt
Tempora: Sed mihi nec Vefper, nec Mane recurrit Alternum; non Ver placidum, aut maturior Æstas Florea; non Pecudes, aut prona Armenta per agros, Non facies Divina Hominis: Sed lurida mæstum Caligo & Nox longa tegit; Jucunda virorum Fugere alloquia & lætæ commercia vitæ. Pro fpecie rerum pulchroque volumine mundi
That wash thy hallow'd Feet, and warbling flow, Nightly I vifit: nor fometimes forget Those other Two equal'd with me in Fate, (So were I equal'd with them in renown!) Blind Thamyris, and blind Maonides: And Tirefias and Phineus, Prophets old. Then feed on Thoughts, that voluntary move Harmonious Numbers; as the wakeful Bird Sings darkling, and in fhadiest Covert hid
Tunes her nocturnal Note. Thus with the Year Seafons return; but not to me returns Day, or the sweet approach of Ev'n or Morn, Or fight of vernal bloom, or Summer's Rofe, Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine: But Cloud instead, and ever-during dark Surrounds me, from the chearful ways of men Cut off; and for the Book of knowledge fair Presented with an univerfal Blank
His oculis rafam & vacuam Natura tabellam
Offert, & trifti delet mihi cuncta liturâ ; Obftruiturque omnino aditus, quo pectoris imas Mittitur in latebras facili Sapientia portâ. Ergo infunde animo, cœli Lux dia, benignos Uberius radios, penetraliaque intima mentis Illuftra: meliora ibi confere lumina, & omnem Inde fuga nebulam, ut videam fanctiffima rerum Arcana, humanifque oculis impervia pandam.
Jam Pater omnipotens flammantibus ætheris oris, Quà rutilam tenet ante alias celfiffimus arcem, Lumina detorquens, manuum monumenta fuarum, Quidque agerent varii, nuper quos ftruxerat, Orbes, Confpicit: agglomerant Divûm fanctiffima turba, Quot cœli supera aftra; Deique tuentibus ora Miranda attonitos pertentant Gaudia fenfus. Unicus ad dextram, patrii fulgoris Imago, Filius affedit folio.
Primævos cernit felici in fede Parentes, Humani folos generis, per amœna recessûs Otia carpentes puræ immortalia dona
Lætitiæ, & fævi immunem Rivalis Amorem. Orcum parte aliâ interjectaque gurgitis ora, Atque ibi vix Nocte emerfum fuper aere fufco Defpectat Satanam, radentem monia cœli, Defeffifque alis optantem infidere mundi Exteriore novi tergo, qui firma volanti Terra videbatur; non æthere cincta, fed alto Oceani gremio aut medias fufpenfa per auras. Illum de fpeculâ fublimi (unde omnia latè Quæ fuerint, quæ fint & quæ ventura trahantur, Profpectat) Pater obfervans, his vocibus ultro Alloquitur Natum unigenam, atque ita præfcius infit: Unice Nate, viden' cœli immaniffimus Hoftis, Quem nec clauftra Erebi, nec pondera vasta Catenarum Ingentum, nec lati Abruptum informe Profundi
Of Mankind) in the happy Garden plac'd, Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love; Uninterrupted joy, unrival'd love, In blifsful folitude. He then furvey'd Hell and the Gulf between; and Satan there Coafting the wall of Heav'n on this fide Night, In the dun Air fublime; and ready now To ftoop with wearied wings, and willing feet, On the bare outfide of this World: that feem'd
Firm Land imbosom'd, without Firmament, Uncertain which, in Ocean, or in Air. Him GOD beholding from His prospect high, Wherein past, prefent, future He beholds, Thus to his only SON foreseeing fpake.
Only begotten SoN! feeft thou what rage Transports our Adverfary, whom no bounds Prefcrib'd, no bars of Hell, nor all the chains Heap'd on him there, nor yet the main Abyss
Gurgitibus cohibere valet, quibus ardeat iris Efferus? Ufque adeò rabido fub pectore glifcit Vindicta, auctorem quondam læfura rebellem. Jamque Illum cœli prope monia lucis in oris Objicibus lætum ruptis fert præpes ad orbem Ala novum, meditantem Homini, qui fedibus iftis Succeffit, cladem infandam; feu perdere apertâ Vi poffit, five infidiis clam vertere cœcis, Triftius! Et vertet. Præceps mendacibus ultro Aufcultabit Homo illecebris, folumque Parentis Mandatum, fola obfequii citò pignora franget: Hinc unâ Ipfe cadet Sobolesque infida ruinâ. Ipfe fibi cladis cafûsque miferrimus auctor; Non Ego, qui recto primùm puroque creato Arma dedi viresque habiles: feu ftare volenti Seu labi, data labendi ftandive facultas. Hæc cunctis nempe arbitrii communia Jura Indulfi Superûm turmis, quofque alta fideles
Wide interrupt, can hold? So bent he seems On desperate revenge, that fhall redound Upon his own rebellious Head. And now Through all restraint broke loose, he wings his way Not far off Heav'n in the Precincts of Light, Directly tow'rds the new-created World, And Man there plac'd; with purpose to affay If Him by force he can deftroy, or worse, By fome fatfe guile pervert: and fhall pervert; For Man will hearken to his glozing Lies,
And easily tranfgrefs the fole Command, Sole pledge of his obedience: fo will fall, He, and his faithlefs Progeny. Whose fault? Whose but his own? Ingrate! He had of Me All he could have: I made him juft, and right; Sufficient to have ftood, though free to fall. Such I created all th' Ethereal Pow'rs, [fail'd: And Spirits, both them who ftood, and them who Freely they stood who ftood, and fell who fell. Not free, what proof could they have giv❜n fincere Evexit
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