The Complete Poetry of John Milton (107 page)

   420     
By Fountain or by shadie Rivulet

               
He sought them both, but wish’d his hap might find

               
Eve
separate, he wish’d, but not with hope

               
Of what so seldom chanc’d, when to his wish,

               
Beyond his hope,
Eve
separate he spies,

   425     
Veild in a Cloud of Fragrance, where she stood,

               
Half spi’d, so thick the Roses bushing round

               
About her glowd, oft stooping to support

               
Each Flowr of slender stalk, whose head though gay

               
Carnation, Purple, Azure, or spect with Gold,

   430     
Hung drooping unsustaind, them she upstaies

               
Gently with Mirtle band, mindless the while,

               
Her self, though fairest unsupported Flowr,

               
From her best prop so farr, and storm so nigh.

               
Neerer he drew, and many a walk travers’d

   435     
Of stateliest Covert, Cedar, Pine, or Palm,

               
Then voluble
³²
and bold, now hid, now seen

               
Among thick-wov’n Arborets and Flowrs

               
Imborderd on each Bank, the hand
³³
of
Eve:

               
Spot more delicious then those Gardens feign’d

   440     
Or of reviv’d
Adonis
, or renownd

               
Alcinous
, host of old
Lærtes
Son,
³⁴

               
Or that, not Mystic,
³⁵
where the Sapient King

               
Held dalliance with his fair
Egyptian
Spouse.

               
Much hee the Place admir’d, the Person more.

   445     
As one who long in populous City pent,

               
Where Houses thick and Sewers annoy
³⁶
the Air,

               
Forth issuing on a Summers Morn to breathe

               
Among the pleasant Villages and Farmes

               
Adjoynd, from each thing met conceaves delight,

   450     
The smell of Grain, or tedded Grass,
³⁷
or Kine,

               
Or Dairie, each rural sight, each rural sound;

               
If chance with Nymphlike step fair Virgin pass,

               
What pleasing seemd, for her now pleases more,

               
She most, and in her look summs all Delight.

   455     
Such Pleasure took the Serpent to behold

               
This Flowrie Plat, the sweet recess of
Eve

               
Thus earlie, thus alone; her Heav’nly form

               
Angelic, but more soft, and Feminine,

               
Her graceful Innocence, her every Air

   460     
Of gesture or lest action overawd

               
His Malice, and with rapine sweet bereav’d

               
His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought:

               
That space the Evil one abstracted stood

               
From his own evil, and for the time remaind

   465     
Stupidly good, of enmitie disarm’d,

               
Of guile, of hate, of envie, of revenge;

               
But the hot Hell that alwayes in him burns,

               
Though in mid Heav’n, soon ended his delight,

               
And tortures him now more, the more he sees

   470     
Of pleasure not for him ordain’d: then soon

               
Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts

               
Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites.

           
      
       Thoughts, whither have ye led me, with what sweet

               
Compulsion thus transported to forget

   475     
What hither brought us, hate, not love, nor hope

               
Of Paradise for Hell, hope here to taste

               
Of pleasure, but all pleasure to destroy,

               
Save what is in destroying, other joy

               
To me is lost. Then let me not let pass

   480     
Occasion which now smiles, behold alone

               
The Woman, opportune to all attempts,

               
Her Husband, for I view far round, not nigh,

               
Whose higher intellectual more I shun,

               
And strength, of courage hautie, and of limb

   485     
Heroic built, though of terrestrial mould,

               
Foe not informidable, exempt from wound,

               
I not; so much hath Hell debas’d, and pain

               
Infeebl’d me, to what I was in Heav’n.

               
Shee fair, divinely fair, fit Love for Gods,

   490     
Not terrible, though terrour be in Love

               
And beautie, not approacht by stronger hate,

               
Hate stronger, under shew of Love well feign’d,

               
The way which to her ruin now I tend.

           
      
       So spake the Enemie of Mankind, enclos’d

   495     
In Serpent, Inmate bad, and toward
Eve

               
Address’d his way, not with indented wave,

               
Prone on the ground, as since, but on his rear,

               
Circular base of rising foulds, that tour’d
³⁸

               
Fould above fould a surging Maze, his Head

   500     
Crested aloft, and Carbuncle his Eyes;

               
With burnisht Neck of verdant Gold, erect

               
Amidst his circling Spires,
³⁹
that on the grass

               
Floted redundant: pleasing was his shape,

               
And lovely, never since of Serpent kind

   505     
Lovelier, not those that in
Illyria
chang’d
⁴⁰

               
Hermione
and
Cadmus
, or the God
⁴¹

               
In
Epidaurus;
nor to which transformd

               
Ammonian Jove
, or
Capitoline
was seen,

               
Hee with
Olympias
, this with her who bore

   510     
Scipio
the highth of
Rome.
⁴²
With tract oblique

               
At first, as one who sought access, but feard

               
To interrupt, side-long he works his way.

               
As when a Ship by skilful Stearsman wrought

               
Nigh Rivers mouth or Foreland, where the Wind

   515     
Veres oft, as oft so steers, and shifts her Sail;

               
So varied hee, and of his tortuous Train

               
Curld many a wanton wreath in sight of
Eve
,

               
To lure her Eye; shee busied heard the sound

               
Of rusling Leaves, but minded not, as us’d

   520     
To such disport before her through the Field,

               
From every Beast, more duteous at her call,

               
Then at
Circean
call the Herd disguis’d.
⁴³

               
Hee boulder now, uncall’d before her stood;

               
But as in gaze admiring: Oft he bowd

   525     
His turret Crest, and sleek enamel’d Neck,

               
Fawning, and lick’d the ground whereon she trod.

               
His gentle dumb expression turnd at length

               
The Eye of
Eve
to mark his play; he glad

               
Of her attention gaind, with Serpent Tongue

   530     
Organic, or impulse of vocal Air,
⁴⁴

               
His fraudulent temptation thus began.

           
      
       Wonder not, sovran Mistress, if perhaps

               
Thou canst, who art sole Wonder, much less arm

               
Thy looks, the Heav’n of mildness, with disdain,

   535     
Displeas’d that I approach thee thus, and gaze

               
Insatiate, I thus single, nor have feard

               
Thy awful brow, more awful thus retir’d.

               
Fairest resemblance of thy Maker fair,

               
Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine

   540     
By gift, and thy Celestial Beautie adore

               
With ravishment beheld, there best beheld

               
Where universally admir’d; but here

               
In this enclosure wild, these Beasts among,

               
Beholders rude, and shallow to discern

   545     
Half what in thee is fair, one man except,

               
Who sees thee? (and what is one?) who shouldst be seen

               
A Goddess among Gods, ador’d and serv’d

               
By Angels numberless, thy daily Train.

           
      
       So gloz’d the Tempter, and his Proem tun’d;

   550     
Into the Heart of
Eve
his words made way,

               
Though at the voice much marveling; at length

               
Not unamaz’d she thus in answer spake.

               
What may this mean? Language of Man pronounc’t

               
By Tongue of Brute, and human sense exprest?

   555     
The first at lest of these I thought deni’d

               
To Beasts, whom God on thir Creation-Day

               
Created mute to all articulat sound;

               
The latter I demurr,
⁴⁵
for in thir looks

               
Much reason, and in thir actions oft appeers.

   560     
Thee, Serpent, suttlest beast of all the field

               
I knew, but not with human voice endu’d;

               
Redouble then this miracle, and say,

               
How cam’st thou speakable of mute,
⁴⁶
and how

               
To me so friendly grown above the rest

   565     
Of brutal kind,
⁴⁷
that daily are in sight?

               
Say, for such wonder claims attention due.

           
      
       To whom the guileful Tempter thus reply’d.

               
Empress of this fair World, resplendent
Eve
,

               
Easie to mee it is to tell thee all

   570     
What thou commandst, and right thou shouldst be obeyd:

               
I was at first as other Beasts that graze

               
The trodden Herb, of abject thoughts and low,

               
As was my food, nor aught but food discern’d

               
Or Sex, and apprehended nothing high: