Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (70 page)

   “Adam, Heav’n’s high behest no preface needs:

Sufficient that thy prayers are heard, and death,

Then due by sentence when thou didst transgress,

Defeated
²⁵⁴
of his seizure many days

Giv’n thee of grace, wherein thou may’st repent,

And one
²⁵⁶
bad act with many deeds well done

May’st cover: well may then thy Lord appeased

Redeem thee quite from death’s rapacious claim;

But longer in this Paradise to dwell
²⁵⁹

Permits not; to remove thee I am come,

And send thee from the garden forth to till

The ground whence thou wast tak’n, fitter soil.”

   He added not, for Adam at the news

Heart-strook with chilling grip
²⁶⁴
of sorrow stood,

That all his senses bound; Eve, who unseen

Yet all had heard, with audible lament

Discovered
²⁶⁷
soon the place of her retire.

   “O unexpected stroke, worse than of death!

Must I thus leave thee Paradise? Thus leave

Thee native soil
²⁷⁰
, these happy walks and shades,

Fit haunt of gods? Where I had hope to spend,

Quiet though sad, the respite
²⁷²
of that day

That must be mortal to us both. O flow’rs,

That never will in other climate grow,

My early visitation, and my last

At ev’n, which I bred up with tender hand

From the first op’ning bud, and gave ye names
²⁷⁷
,

Who now shall rear ye to the sun, or rank

Your tribes, and water from th’ ambrosial fount?

Thee lastly nuptial bower, by me adorned

With what to sight or smell was sweet; from thee

How shall I part, and whither wander down

Into a lower world, to this
²⁸³
obscure

And wild, how shall we breathe in other air

Less pure, accustomed to immortal fruits?”

   Whom thus the angel interrupted mild.

“Lament not Eve, but patiently resign

What justly thou hast lost; nor set thy heart,

Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine;

Thy going is not lonely, with thee goes
²⁹⁰

Thy husband, him to follow thou art bound;

Where he abides, think there thy native soil.”

   Adam by this
²⁹³
from the cold sudden damp

Recovering, and his scattered spirits returned,

To Michael thus his humble words addressed.

   “Celestial, whether among the Thrones, or named

Of them the highest, for such of shape may seem

Prince above princes, gently hast thou told

Thy message, which might else in telling wound,

And in performing end us; what besides

Of sorrow and dejection and despair

Our frailty can sustain, thy tidings bring,

Departure from this happy place, our sweet

Recess, and only consolation left

Familiar to our eyes, all places else

Inhospitable appear and desolate,

Nor knowing us nor known: and if by prayer

Incessant I could hope to change the will

Of him who all things can
³⁰⁹
, I would not cease

To weary him with my assiduous cries:

But prayer against his absolute decree

No more avails than breath against the wind,

Blown stifling back on him that breathes it forth:

Therefore to his great bidding I submit.

This most afflicts me, that departing hence,

As from his face I shall be hid
³¹⁶
, deprived

His blessed count’nance; here I could frequent,

With worship, place by place where he vouchsafed

Presence divine, and to my sons relate,

“On this Mount he appeared, under this tree

Stood visible, among these pines his voice

I heard, here with him at this fountain talked.”

So many grateful altars I would rear

Of grassy turf, and pile up every stone

Of luster from the brook, in memory,

Or monument to ages, and thereon

Offer sweet smelling gums and fruits and flow’rs:

In yonder nether world where shall I seek

His bright appearances, or footstep trace?

For though I fled him angry, yet recalled

To life prolonged and promised race
³³¹
, I now

Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts

Of glory, and far off his steps adore.”

   To whom thus Michael with regard benign.

“Adam, thou know’st Heav’n his, and all the Earth,

Not this rock only; his omnipresence fills

Land, sea, and air, and every kind that lives,

Fomented
³³⁸
by his virtual power and warmed:

All th’ Earth he gave thee to possess and rule,

No despicable gift; surmise not then

His presence to these narrow bounds confined

Of Paradise or Eden: this had been

Perhaps thy capital seat, from whence had spread

All generations, and had hither come

From all the ends of th’ Earth, to celebrate

And reverence thee their great progenitor.

But this preeminence thou hast lost, brought down

To dwell on even ground now with thy sons:

Yet doubt not but in valley and in plain

God is as here, and will be found alike

Present, and of his presence many a sign

Still following thee, still compassing thee round

With goodness and paternal love, his face

Express, and of his steps the track divine.

Which that thou may’st believe, and be confirmed

Ere thou from hence depart, know I am sent
³⁵⁶

To show thee what shall come in future days
³⁵⁶

To thee and to thy offspring
³⁵⁶
; good with bad

Expect to hear, supernal grace contending

With sinfulness of men; thereby to learn

True patience
³⁶¹
, and to temper joy with fear

And pious sorrow, equally inured

By moderation either state to bear,

Prosperous or adverse: so shalt thou lead

Safest thy life, and best prepared endure

Thy mortal passage when it comes. Ascend

This hill; let Eve (for I have drenched
³⁶⁷
her eyes)

Here sleep below while thou to foresight wak’st,

As once thou slept’st, while she to life was formed.”

   To whom thus Adam gratefully replied.

“Ascend, I follow thee, safe guide, the path

Thou lead’st me, and to the hand of Heav’n submit,

However chast’ning, to the evil turn

My obvious
³⁷⁴
breast, arming to overcome

By suffering, and earn rest from labor won,

If so I may attain.” So both ascend

In the visions of God
³⁷⁷
: it was a hill

Of Paradise the highest, from whose top

The hemisphere of earth in clearest ken

Stretched out to the amplest reach of prospect lay.

Not higher that hill nor wider looking round,

Whereon for different cause the Tempter set

Our second Adam
³⁸³
in the wilderness,

To show him all Earth’s kingdoms and their glory.

His eye might there command wherever stood

City of old or modern fame, the seat

Of mightiest empire, from the destined walls

Of Cambalu
³⁸⁸
, seat of Cathayan Khan

And Samarkand by Oxus
³⁸⁹
, Temir’s throne,

To Paquin
³⁹⁰
of Sinaean kings, and thence

To Agra
³⁹¹
and Lahore of Great Mogul

Down to the golden Chersonese
³⁹²
, or where

The Persian in Ecbatan
³⁹³
sat, or since

In Hispahan, or where the Russian Czar

In Moscow, or the Sultan in Bizance
³⁹⁵
,

Turkestan-born
³⁹⁶
; nor could his eye not ken

Th’ Empire of Negus
³⁹⁷
to his utmost port

Ercoco
³⁹⁸
and the less maritime kings

Mombaza
³⁹⁹
, and Quiloa, and Melind,

And Sofala thought Ophir, to the realm

Of Congo, and Angola farthest south;

Or thence from Niger
⁴⁰²
flood to Atlas mount

The kingdoms of Almansor
⁴⁰³
, Fez and Sus,

Morocco and Algiers, and Tremisen
⁴⁰⁴
;

On Europe thence, and where Rome was to sway

The world: in spirit
⁴⁰⁶
perhaps he also saw

Rich Mexico the seat of Motezume
⁴⁰⁷
,

And Cusco in Peru, the richer seat

Of Atabalipa
⁴⁰⁹
, and yet unspoiled

Guiana, whose great city Geryon’s sons
⁴¹⁰

Call El Dorado
⁴¹¹
: but to nobler sights

Michael from Adam’s eyes the film removed
⁴¹²

Which that false fruit that promised clearer sight

Had bred; then purged with euphrasy and rue
⁴¹⁴

The visual nerve, for he had much to see;

And from the Well of Life
⁴¹⁶
three drops instilled.

So deep the power of these ingredients pierced,

Even to the inmost seat of mental sight,

That Adam now enforced to close his eyes,

Sunk down and all his spirits became entranced:

But him the gentle angel by the hand

Soon raised, and his attention thus recalled.

   “Adam, now ope thine eyes, and first behold

Th’ effects which thy original crime hath wrought

In some to spring from thee, who never touched

Th’ excepted
⁴²⁶
tree, nor with the snake conspired,

Nor sinned thy sin, yet from that sin
⁴²⁷
derive

Corruption to bring forth more violent deeds.”

   His eyes he opened, and beheld a field,

Part arable and tilth
⁴³⁰
, whereon were sheaves

New reapt, the other part sheep-walks and folds;

I’ th’ midst an altar as the landmark stood

Rustic, of grassy sward
⁴³³
; thither anon

A sweaty reaper from his tillage brought

First fruits, the green ear, and the yellow sheaf,

Unculled
⁴³⁶
, as came to hand; a shepherd next

More meek came with the firstlings of his flock

Choicest and best; then sacrificing, laid

The inwards and their fat, with incense strewed,

On the cleft wood, and all due rites performed.

His off’ring soon propitious fire from heav’n
⁴⁴¹

Consumed with nimble glance
⁴⁴²
, and grateful steam;

The other’s not, for his was not sincere;

Whereat he inly raged, and as they talked,

Smote him into the midriff with a stone

That beat out life; he fell, and deadly pale

Groaned out his soul with gushing blood effused
⁴⁴⁷
.

Much at that sight was Adam in his heart

Dismayed, and thus in haste to th’ angel cried.

   “O teacher, some great mischief hath befall’n

To that meek man, who well had sacrificed;

Is piety thus and pure devotion paid?”

   T’ whom Michael thus, he also moved, replied.

“These two are brethren, Adam, and to come

Out of thy loins; th’ unjust the just hath slain,

For envy that his brother’s offering found

From Heav’n acceptance; but the bloody fact
⁴⁵⁷

Will be avenged, and th’ other’s faith approved

Lose no reward, though here thou see him die,

Rolling in dust and gore.” To which our sire.

   “Alas, both for the deed and for the cause!

But have I now seen death? Is this the way

I must return to native dust? O sight

Of terror, foul and ugly to behold,

Horrid to think, how horrible to feel!”

   To whom thus Michael. “Death thou hast seen

In his first shape on man; but many shapes

Of Death, and many are the ways that lead

To his grim cave
⁴⁶⁹
, all dismal; yet to sense

More terrible at th’ entrance than within.

Some, as thou saw’st, by violent stroke shall die,

By fire, flood, famine; by intemperance more

In meats and drinks, which on the Earth shall bring

Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew

Before thee shall appear; that thou may’st know

What misery th’ inabstinence of Eve

Shall bring on men.” Immediately a place

Before his eyes appeared, sad, noisome, dark,

A lazar-house
⁴⁷⁹
it seemed, wherein were laid

Numbers of all diseased, all maladies

Of ghastly spasm, or racking torture, qualms
⁴⁸¹

Of heart-sick agony, all feverous kinds,

Convulsions, epilepsies, fierce catarrhs,

Intestine stone and ulcer, colic pangs,

Demoniac frenzy, moping melancholy
⁴⁸⁵

And moon-struck madness, pining atrophy,

Marasmus
⁴⁸⁷
, and wide-wasting pestilence,

Dropsies
⁴⁸⁸
, and asthmas, and joint-racking rheums.

Dire was the tossing, deep the groans; Despair

Tended the sick busiest from couch to couch;

And over them triumphant Death his dart

Shook, but delayed to strike, though oft invoked

With vows, as their chief good, and final hope.

Sight so deform what heart of rock could long

Dry-eyed behold? Adam could not, but wept,