Seu Tellus leviore fugâ properarat Eoum
Ad latus, occiduo linquens in littore Solem
Mille repercuffos vario fplendore colores
Fundentem, & radiis decorantem ardentibus auro
Nubila, quæ denfa Hefperias glomerantur ad arces.
Umbrofâ terras jam cana crepuscula pallâ
Induerant; almus proceffit Vefper, amico
Quem paffu comitata Silentia: Membra cubili
Gramineo abdiderant Pecudes, nidofque fovebant
Gens Avium: Philomela oculis admittere fomnum
Sola negat; feros Illa ufque effundit amores
Nocte canens totâ, numerifque filentia mulcet.
Jam vivis latè ardefcens cœlum omne micabat
Sapphiris clarum ante alios agit Hesperus axem
Siderei ductor populi: dum maxima Luna
Augustâ infurgit nebularum cincta coronâ ;
Inde alti Regina poli manifesta refulget,
Obducens furvis argentea vela tenebris.
Diurnal; or this lefs voluble Earth
By fhorter flight to th' Eaft had left him there,
Arraying with reflected purple, and gold,
The clouds that on his western Throne attend.
Now came ftill Evening on, and Twilight gray
Had in her fober Livery all things clad:
Silence accompany'd; for Beaft and Bird
They to their graffy couch, thefe to their nefts,
Where flunk; all but the wakeful Nightingale;
She all night long her amorous defcant fung;
Silence was pleas'd. Now glow'd the Firmament
With living Saphirs: Hefferus, that led
The starry Hoft, rode brighteft; till the Moon,
Rifing in clouded Majefty at length
Apparent Queen, unveil'd her peerless light,
And o'er the dark her filver mantle threw.
Tum fic Dilectæ Adamus: Dulciffima Conjux,
En molli reliquis Animantibus undique fomno
Oppreffis, fimili nos indulgere fopori
Nox tranquilla monet: quoniam noctifque diêque,
Atque operum fomnique vices, DEUS ordine certo
Præfcripfit: quin lento oculos jam rore gravatos
Irrigat alma Quies. At bruta Animalia passim
Per terras operum vacua, & minus indiga fomni,
Difcurrunt: Homini affiduum redit actus in orbem
Corporis, atque Animi labor; hinc patet Ipfius alta
Majeftas, propiorque DEUS: dum cætera molli
Defidie, cœlo non refpiciente, vagantur.
Ante plagas jubare aurato quàm fpargat Eoas
Craftina Lux, nobis furgendum; ut pensa secuti
Mollia, frondiferos ad læta umbracula fœtus
Arte refingamus, viridefque errantia latè
Germina calles ftudio infectemur amono,
per
Luxuriemque comarum; alios quæ effusa requirit
When Adam thus to Eve: Fair Confort, th' hour
Of night, and all things now retir'd to reft,
Mind us of like repose: fince God hath set
Labour and reft, as day and night, to men
Succeffive; and the timely dew of fleep,
Now falling with foft flumbrous weight, inclines
Our eye-lids. Other Creatures all day long
Rove idle, unimploy'd, and lefs need reft;
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 unactive range,
And of their doings GOD takes no account.
To morrow, e'er fresh morning ftreak the Eaft
With first approach of light, we must be ris'n,
And at our pleasant labour, to reform
Yon flow'ry Arbours, yonder Allies green,
Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown;
Cultores, noftro vix conceffura labori.
Hæ quoque & exuviæ florum, ftillataque vulgo
Electra arboribus, rudia atque horrentia visu,
Expurganda manent, ne nos via lædat euntes:
Nox jubet intereà faciles Naturaque fomnos.
Cui deinde eximio formæ concinna decore
Eva refert: O Qui vitæ hoc quodcunque dedisti,
Qui blandis regis imperiis, tua juffa paratâ
Mente fequor; nam fic voluit DEUS: Ille tibi eft Lex,
Tu mihi: nil fcire ulterius pulcherrima laus est
Fœminea; hæc fponfam efficiet Dos fola beatam.
Te mecum verfante, uno fefe ordine volvunt
Tempora diverfæque viccs; honor omnibus idem.
Dulce recens Aurora renidet, amabile odores
Ambrosios exorta refert, vigilumque volucrum
Concentus; primo Sol lumine dulce per herbas,
Per flores rubet, & fructus, arbuftaque guttis
Aureolis rutila, & multo lucentia rore.
That mock our fcant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth:
Those Bloffoms alfo, and thofe dropping Gums,
That lie bestrown, unfightly, and unsmooth,
Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease:
Mean while, as Nature wills, Night bids us reft.
To whom thus Eve, with perfect beauty adorn'd.
My Author, and disposer, what thou bidst
Unargu'd I obey; fo GoD ordains :
GOD is thy Law, thou mine: to know no more
Is woman's happiest knowledge, and her praise.
With thee converfing I forget all time;
All feasons, and their change: all please alike.
Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing sweet,
With charm of earliest Birds: pleasant the Sun,
When first on this delightful Land he spreads
His orient Beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r,
Glift'ring with dew: fragrant the fertile Earth
Suave etiam redolet Tellus fœcunda, benigno
Imbre finus perfufa; it gratus Vesper amicum
Tempus agens: jucunda filet Nox; fuave querelas
Blandula fundit Avis folitas: Luna ore placenti
Enitet; & Lunæ ftipant latus ordine pulchro
Clara Cohors, gemmæ infignes, decora ardua cœli.
At neque delicias fpirans Aurora, Volucrum
Concentus referens vigilum; nec lampade dulci
Sol terram irradians; non Flos, non Herba corufco
Rore micans, Tellufve finus recreata madentes,
Nec tacitus Vesper, Noctifve filentior hora
Carmen avis renovans folitæ: nec Sidera cœli,
Nec Lunæ, Te abfente, nitor mihi pectora tangit.
At quorfum hic fulgor, cur hæc fpectacula cœli
Ardua, dum latè premit omnia lumina fomnus?
Primævus fic deinde Parens: Hominifque DE Ique
Filia, muneribus cunctis fpectabilis Eva!
Obfervant certos volventia Sidera curfus,
After foft fhow'rs: and fweet the coming on
Of grateful Ev'ning mild: then, filent Night,
With this her folemn 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 earlieft Birds; nor rifing Sun
On this delightful land: nor herb, fruit, flow'r,
Glift'ring with dew: nor fragrance after fhow'rs:
Nor grateful Evening mild: nor filent Night,
With this her folemn Bird: nor walk by Moon,
Or glittering Star-light, without thee is sweet.
But wherefore all night long fhine thefe? for whom
This glorious fight, when fleep hath fhut 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,
Certum iter inftaurant, Vefper quod claudere cernet
Craftinus: Hæc varias colluftrant ignibus oras,
Postmodo venturis ut gentibus alma ministrent
Lumina, & alternis cœlo furguntque caduntque.
Ni faciant, iterum tardis Nox atra tenebris
Imperium antiquum renovet, vegetumque vigorem
Naturæ reftinguat iners, quæ lumen ab istis
Dulce capit radiis, blandoque animata calore
Nutritur, viresque novas ac pabula ducit:
Sive hinc omnigenos penetrans Vis vivida fœtus
Molliat, hinc terræ fe Spiramenta refolvant
Intima, & excipiant Solis felicius ignes.
Ergo Hæc, nocturnas fi forte haud vifa per umbras,
Non temerè effulgent. Sin terris nulla Hominum gens
Vixerit, haud ideò cœli neglecta niterent
Lumina, nec dignis caruiffet laudibus Autor.
Per terras diffufa Animarum Millia multa
(Seu noftros cum fole redux labor occupet artus,
By morrow Ev'ning; and from Land to Land
In order, though to Nations yet unborn,
Miniftring light prepar'd, they fet and rife:
Left total darkness should by Night regain
Her old poffeffion, 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 ftellar virtue, on all kinds that grow
On Earth; made hereby apter to receive
Perfection from the Sun's more potent Ray.
Thefe then, though unbeheld in deep of night,
Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were
That Heav'n would want fpectators, GoD want
Millions of fpiritual Creatures walk the Earth [praise:
Unfeen, both when we wake, and when we fleep:
|