Love not the heavenly Spirits? and how their love Express they? by looks only, or do they mix Irradiance, virtual or immediate touch? To whom the Angel, with a smile that glowed Celestial rosy-red, love's proper hue, Answered: Let it suffice thee that thou knowest Us happy, and without love no happiness. Whatever pure thou in the body enjoyest And pure thou wert created 621 we enjoy In eminence, and obstacle find none Of membrane, joint, or limb, exclusive bars: Easier than air with air, if Spirits embrace, Total they mix, union of pure with pure Desiring, nor restrained conveyance need As flesh to mix with flesh, or soul with soul. But I can now no more; the parting sun Beyond the earth's Green Cape and Verdant Isles Hesperean sets, my signal to depart. 630 Be strong, live happy, and love! but first of all And all the Blest. Stand fast; to stand or fall 640 So saying, he arose; whom Adam thus Thy condescension, and shall be honoured ever So parted they, the Angel up to Heaven 650 PARADISE LOST. BOOK IX. THE ARGUMENT. SATAN having compassed the earth, with meditated guile returns as a mist by night into Paradise, enters into the Serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labours, which Eve proposes to divide in several places, each labouring apart; Adam consents not, alleging the danger, lest that enemy, of whom they were forewarned, should attempt her found alone. Eve, loth to be thought not circumspect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength; Adam at last yields. The Serpent finds her alone; his subtle approach, first gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve, wondering to hear the Serpent speak, asks how he attained to human speech and such understanding not till now: the Serpent answers, that by tasting of a certain tree in the garden he attained both to speech and reason, till then void of both. Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the Tree of Knowledge forbidden. The Serpent now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat; she, pleased with the taste, deliberates a while whether to impart thereof to Adam or not, at last brings him of the fruit, relates what persuaded her to eat thereof. Adam at first amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves through vehemence of love to perish with her; and extenuating the trespass eats also of the fruit. The effects thereof in them both; they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accusation of one another. N 10 more of talk where God or Angel guest With Man, as with his friend, familiar used To sit indulgent, and with him partake Rural repast, permitting him the while Venial discourse unblamed. I now must change Those notes to tragic; foul distrust, and breach Disloyal on the part of Man, revolt And disobedience; on the part of Heaven, Of my celestial patroness, who deigns And dictates to me slumbering, or inspires Easy my unpremeditated verse, Since first this subject for heroic song Pleased me, long choosing and beginning late, Wars, hitherto the only argument Heroic deemed, chief mastery to dissect, Of patience and heroic martyrdom Unsung or to describe races and games, 10 20 30 Or tilting furniture, emblazoned shields, Not that which justly gives heroic name That name, unless an age too late, or cold The sun was sunk, and after him the star 'Twixt day and night; and now from end to end In meditated fraud and malice, bent driven 40 50 60 Thence, full of anguish, The space of seven continued nights he rode |