Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (55 page)

Desire with thee still longer to converse

Induced me. As new waked from soundest sleep

Soft on the flow’ry herb I found me laid

In balmy sweat
²⁵⁵
, which with his beams the sun

Soon dried, and on the reeking
²⁵⁶
moisture fed.

Straight toward heav’n my wond’ring eyes I turned,

And gazed a while the ample sky, till raised

By quick instinctive motion up I sprung,

As thitherward endeavoring, and upright

Stood on my feet; about me round I saw

Hill, dale, and shady woods, and sunny plains,

And liquid lapse
²⁶³
of murmuring streams; by these,

Creatures that lived, and moved, and walked, or flew,

Birds on the branches warbling; all things smiled,

With fragrance and with joy my heart o’erflowed.

Myself I then perused, and limb by limb

Surveyed, and sometimes went, and sometimes ran

With supple joints, as lively vigor led:

But who I was, or where, or from what cause,

Knew not; to speak I tried, and forthwith spake,

My tongue obeyed and readily could name

Whate’er I saw. ‘Thou sun
²⁷³
,’ said I, ‘fair light,

And thou enlightened earth, so fresh and gay,

Ye hills and dales, ye rivers, woods, and plains,

And ye that live and move, fair creatures, tell,

Tell, if ye saw, how came I thus, how here?

Not of myself; by some great Maker then,

In goodness and in power pre-eminent;

Tell me, how may I know him, how adore,

From whom I have that thus I move and live,
²⁸¹

And feel that I am happier than I know
²⁸²
.’

While thus I called, and strayed I knew not whither,

From where I first drew air, and first beheld

This happy light, when answer none returned,

On a green shady bank profuse of flow’rs

Pensive
²⁸⁷
I sat me down; there gentle sleep

First found me, and with soft oppression
²⁸⁸
seized

My drowsèd sense, untroubled, though I thought

I then was passing to my former state

Insensible, and forthwith to dissolve:

When suddenly stood at my head a dream,

Whose inward apparition gently moved

My fancy to believe I yet had being,

And lived: one came, methought, of shape divine,

And said, ‘Thy mansion wants thee, Adam, rise,

First man, of men innumerable ordained

First father, called by thee I come thy guide

To the garden of bliss, thy seat prepared.’

So saying, by the hand he took me raised,

And over fields and waters, as in air

Smooth sliding without step, last led
³⁰²
me up

A woody mountain, whose high top was plain,

A circuit wide, enclosed, with goodliest trees

Planted, with walks, and bowers, that what I saw

Of Earth before scarce pleasant seemed. Each tree

Loaden with fairest fruit, that hung to the eye

Tempting, stirred in me sudden appetite

To pluck and eat; whereat I waked, and found

Before mine eyes all real, as the dream

Had lively shadowed: here had new begun

My wand’ring, had not he who was my guide

Up hither, from among the trees appeared

Presence divine. Rejoicing, but with awe

In adoration at his feet I fell

Submiss: he reared me, and ‘Whom thou sought’st I am,’

Said mildly, ‘Author of all this thou seest

Above, or round about thee or beneath.

This Paradise I give thee, count it thine

To till and keep, and of the fruit to eat:

Of every tree that in the garden grows

Eat freely with glad heart; fear here no dearth:

But of the tree whose operation brings

Knowledge of good and ill, which I have set

The pledge of thy obedience and thy faith,

Amid the garden by the Tree of Life,

Remember what I warn thee, shun to taste,

And shun the bitter consequence: for know,

The day thou eat’st thereof, my sole command

Transgressed, inevitably thou shalt die;

From that day mortal
³³¹
, and this happy state

Shalt lose, expelled from hence into a world

Of woe and sorrow.’ Sternly he pronounced

The rigid interdiction, which resounds

Yet dreadful in mine ear, though in my choice

Not to incur; but soon his clear aspect

Returned and gracious purpose thus renewed.

‘Not only these fair bounds, but all the Earth

To thee and to thy race I give; as lords

Possess it, and all things that therein live,

Or live in sea, or air, beast, fish, and fowl.

In sign whereof each bird and beast behold

After their kinds; I bring them to receive

From thee their names, and pay thee fealty

With low subjection; understand the same

Of fish within their wat’ry residence,

Not hither summoned, since they cannot change

Their element to draw the thinner air.’

As thus he spake, each bird and beast behold

Approaching two and two
³⁵⁰
, these cow’ring low

With blandishment, each bird stooped on his wing.

I named them, as they passed, and understood

Their nature, with such knowledge God endued

My sudden apprehension: but in these

I found not what methought I wanted still;

And to the Heav’nly vision thus presumed.

   “ ‘O by what name, for thou above all these,

Above mankind, or aught than mankind higher,

Surpassest far my naming, how may I

Adore thee, Author of this universe,

And all this good to man, for whose well-being

So amply, and with hands so liberal

Thou hast provided all things: but with me

I see not who partakes. In solitude

What happiness, who can enjoy alone,

Or all enjoying, what contentment find?’

Thus I presumptuous; and the vision bright,

As with a smile more brightened, thus replied.

   “ ‘What call’st thou solitude, is not the Earth

With various living creatures, and the air

Replenished, and all these at thy command

To come and play before thee? Know’st thou not

Their language
³⁷³
and their ways? They also know,

And reason not contemptibly; with these

Find pastime, and bear rule; thy realm is large.’

So spake the Universal Lord, and seemed

So ordering. I with leave of speech implored,

And humble deprecation thus replied.

   “ ‘Let not
³⁷⁹
my words offend thee, Heav’nly power,

My Maker, be propitious while I speak.

Hast thou not made me here thy substitute,

And these inferior far beneath me set?

Among unequals
³⁸³
what society

Can sort
³⁸⁴
, what harmony or true delight?

Which must be mutual, in proportion due

Giv’n and received; but in disparity

The one intense
³⁸⁷
, the other still remiss

Cannot well suit with either, but soon prove

Tedious alike: of fellowship I speak

Such as I seek, fit to participate

All rational delight, wherein the brute

Cannot be human consort; they rejoice

Each with their kind, lion with lioness;

So fitly them in pairs thou hast combined;

Much less can bird with beast, or fish with fowl

So well converse, nor with the ox the ape;

Worse then can man with beast, and least of all.’

   “Whereto th’ Almighty answered, not displeased.

‘A nice
³⁹⁹
and subtle happiness I see

Thou to thyself proposest, in the choice

Of thy associates, Adam, and wilt taste

No pleasure, though in pleasure, solitary.

What think’st thou then of me, and this my state,

Seem I to thee sufficiently possessed

Of happiness, or not? Who
⁴⁰⁵
am alone

From all eternity, for none I know

Second to me or like, equal much less.

How have I then with whom to hold converse

Save with the creatures which I made, and those

To me inferior, infinite descents

Beneath what other creatures are to thee?’

   “He ceased, I lowly answered. ‘To attain

The highth and depth of thy eternal ways

All human thoughts come short, supreme of things;

Thou in thyself art perfect, and in thee

Is no deficience found; not so is man,

But in degree
⁴¹⁷
, the cause of his desire

By conversation with his like to help,

Or solace his defects. No need
⁴¹⁹
that thou

Shouldst propagate, already infinite,

And through all numbers absolute, though one;

But man
⁴²²
by number is to manifest

His single imperfection, and beget

Like of his like, his image multiplied,

In unity defective, which requires

Collateral
⁴²⁶
love, and dearest amity.

Thou in thy secrecy although alone,

Best with thyself accompanied, seek’st not

Social communication, yet so pleased,

Canst raise thy creature to what highth thou wilt

Of union or communion, deified;

I by conversing cannot these erect

From prone, nor in their ways complacence find.’

Thus I emboldened spake, and freedom used

Permissive
⁴³⁵
, and acceptance found, which gained

This answer from the gracious voice divine.

   “ ‘Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was pleased,

And find thee knowing not of beasts alone,

Which thou hast rightly named, but of thyself,

Expressing well the spirit within thee free,

My image, not imparted to the brute,

Whose fellowship therefore unmeet for thee

Good reason was thou freely shouldst dislike,

And be so minded still; I, ere thou spak’st,

Knew it not good for man to be alone,
⁴⁴⁵

And no such company as then thou saw’st

Intended thee, for trial only brought,

To see how thou could’st judge of fit and meet:

What next I bring shall please thee, be assured,

Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self
⁴⁵⁰
,

Thy wish exactly to thy heart’s desire.’

   “He ended, or I heard no more, for now

My Earthly
⁴⁵³
by his Heav’nly overpowered,

Which it had long stood under
⁴⁵⁴
, strained to the highth

In that celestial colloquy sublime,

As with an object that excels the sense,

Dazzled and spent, sunk down, and sought repair

Of sleep, which instantly fell on me, called

By nature as in aid, and closed mine eyes.

Mine eyes he closed, but open left the cell

Of fancy my internal sight, by which

Abstract as in a trance methought I saw,
⁴⁶²

Though sleeping, where I lay, and saw the shape

Still glorious before whom awake I stood,

Who stooping opened my left side, and took

From thence a rib, with cordial spirits
⁴⁶⁶
warm,

And life-blood streaming fresh; wide was the wound,

But suddenly with flesh filled up and healed:

The rib he formed and fashioned with his hands;

Under his forming hands a creature grew,

Manlike, but different sex, so lovely fair,

That what seemed fair in all the world, seemed now

Mean, or in her summed up, in her contained

And in her looks, which from that time infused

Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before,

And into all things from her air inspired

The spirit of love and amorous delight.

She disappeared, and left me dark. I waked

To find her, or forever to deplore

Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure:

When out of hope
⁴⁸¹
, behold her, not far off,

Such as I saw her in my dream, adorned

With what all Earth or Heaven could bestow

To make her amiable: on she came,

Led by her Heav’nly Maker, though unseen,

And guided by his voice, nor uninformed

Of nuptial sanctity and marriage rites:

Grace was in all her steps, heav’n in her eye,

In every gesture dignity and love.

I overjoyed could not forbear aloud.

   “ ‘This turn hath made amends; thou hast fulfilled

Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign,

Giver of all things fair, but fairest this

Of all thy gifts, nor enviest
⁴⁹⁴
. I now see

Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, my self

Before me; woman is her name, of man

Extracted; for this cause he shall forgo

Father and mother, and to his wife adhere;

And they shall be one flesh, one heart, one soul
⁴⁹⁹
.’

   “She heard me thus, and though divinely brought,

Yet innocence and virgin modesty,

Her virtue and the conscience
⁵⁰²
of her worth,

That would be wooed, and not unsought be won,

Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retired,

The more desirable, or to say all,

Nature herself, though pure of sinful thought,

Wrought in her so, that seeing me, she turned;

I followed her, she what was honor knew,

And with obsequious
⁵⁰⁹
majesty approved

My pleaded reason. To the nuptial bow’r

I led her blushing
⁵¹¹
like the morn: all heav’n,