The Complete Poetry of John Milton (121 page)

   125     
With whose stol’n Fruit Man once more to delude.

           
      
       He ceas’d; and th’ Archangelic Power prepar’d

               
For swift descent, with him the Cohort bright

               
Of watchful Cherubim; four faces each

               
Had, like a double
Janus
, all thir shape

   130     
Spangl’d with eyes more numerous then those

               
Of
Argus
, and more wakeful then to drouze,

               
Charm’d with
Arcadian
Pipe, the Pastoral Reed

               
Of
Hermes
, or his opiate Rod.
¹³
Mean while

               
To resalute the World with sacred Light

   135     
Leucothea
¹⁴
wak’d, and with fresh dews imbalmd

               
The Earth, when
Adam
and first Matron
Eve

               
Had ended now thir Orisons, and found

               
Strength added from above, new hope to spring

               
Out of despair, joy, but with fear yet linkt;

   140     
Which thus to
Eve
his welcome words renewd.

           
      
       
Eve
, easily may Faith admit, that all

               
The good which we enjoy, from Heav’n descends;

               
But that from us ought should ascend to Heav’n

               
So prevalent as to concern the mind

   145     
Of God high-blest, or to incline his will,

               
Hard to belief may seem; yet this will Prayer,

               
Or one short sigh of human breath, up-borne

               
Ev’n to the Seat of God. For since I saught

               
By Prayer th’ offended Deitie to appease,

   150     
Kneel’d and before him humbl’d all my heart,

               
Methought I saw him placable and mild,

               
Bending his ear; perswasion in me grew

               
That I was heard with favour; peace returnd

               
Home to my brest, and to my memorie

   155     
His promise, that thy Seed shall bruise our Foe;

               
Which then not minded in dismay, yet now

               
Assures me that the bitterness of death

               
Is past, and we shall live. Whence Hail to thee,

               
Eve
rightly call’d, Mother of all Mankind,
¹⁵

   160     
Mother of all things living, since by thee

               
Man is to live, and all things live for Man.

           
      
       To whom thus
Eve
with sad
¹⁶
demeanour meek.

               
Ill worthie I such title should belong

               
To me transgressour, who for thee ordaind

   165     
A help, became thy snare; to mee reproach

               
Rather belongs, distrust and all dispraise:

               
But infinite in pardon was my Judge,

               
That I who first brought Death on all, am grac’t

               
The sourse of life; next favourable thou,

   170     
Who highly thus to entitle me voutsaf’st,

               
Farr other name deserving. But the Field

               
To labour calls us now with sweat impos’d,

               
Though after sleepless Night; for see the Morn,

               
All unconcern’d with our unrest, begins

   175     
Her rosie progress smiling; let us forth,

               
I never from thy side henceforth to stray,

               
Wherere our days work lies, though now enjoind

               
Laborious, till day droop; while here we dwell,

               
What can be toilsom in these pleasant Walks?

   180     
Here let us live, though in fall’n state, content.

           
      
       So spake, so wish’d much-humbl’d
Eve
, but Fate

               
Subscrib’d not; Nature first gave Signs, imprest

               
On Bird, Beast, Air, Air suddenly eclips’d
¹⁷

               
After short blush of Morn; nigh in her sight

   185     
The Bird of
Jove
,
¹⁸
stoopt from his aerie tour,

               
Two Birds of gayest plume before him drove:

               
Down from a Hill the Beast that reigns in Woods,
¹⁹

               
First hunter then, pursu’d a gentle brace,

               
Goodliest of all the Forrest, Hart and Hind;

   190     
Direct to th’ Eastern Gate was bent thir flight.

               
Adam
observ’d, and with his Eye the chase

               
Pursuing, not unmov’d to
Eve
thus spake.

           
      
       O
Eve
, some furder change awaits us nigh,

               
Which Heav’n by these mute signs in Nature shews

   195     
Forerunners of his purpose, or to warn

               
Us haply too secure of our discharge

               
From penaltie, because from death releast

               
Some days; how long, and what till then our life,

               
Who knows, or more then this, that we are dust,

   200     
And thither must return and be no more.

               
Why else this double object in our sight

               
Of flight pursu’d in th’ Air and ore the ground

               
One way the self-same hour? why in the East

               
Darkness ere Dayes mid-course, and Morning light

   205     
More orient in yon Western Cloud that draws

               
O’re the blew Firmament a radiant white,

               
And slow descends, with somthing heav’nly fraught.

           
      
       He err’d not, for by this the heav’nly Bands

               
Down from a Skie of Jasper lighted now

   210     
In Paradise, and on a Hill made alt,
²⁰

               
A glorious Apparition, had not doubt

               
And carnal fear that day dimm’d
Adams
eye.

               
Not that more glorious, when the Angels met

               
Jacob
in
Mahanaim
, where he saw

   215     
The field Pavilion’d with his Guardians bright;
²¹

               
Nor that which on the flaming Mount appeerd

               
In
Dothan
, cover’d with a Camp of Fire,

               
Against the
Syrian
King, who to surprize

               
One man, Assassin-like had levied Warr,

   220     
Warr unproclam’d.
²²
The Princely Hierarch

               
In thir bright stand, there left his Powers to seise

               
Possession of the Garden; hee alone,

               
To find where
Adam
shelterd, took his way,

               
Not unperceav’d of
Adam
, who to
Eve
,

   225     
While the great Visitant approach’d, thus spake.

           
      
       
Eve
, now expect great tidings, which perhaps

               
Of us will soon determin, or impose

               
New Laws to be observ’d; for I descrie

               
From yonder blazing Cloud that veils the Hill

   230     
One of the heav’nly Host, and by his Gate

               
None of the meanest, some great Potentate

               
Or of the Thrones above, such Majestie

               
Invests him coming; yet not terrible,

               
That I should fear, nor sociably mild,

   235     
As
Raphael
, that I should much confide,

               
But solemn and sublime, whom not t’ offend,

               
With reverence I must meet, and thou retire.

               
He ended; and th’ Arch-Angel soon drew nigh,

               
Not in his shape Celestial, but as Man

   240     
Clad to meet Man; over his lucid Armes

               
A militarie Vest of purple flowd

               
Livelier then
Melibœan
,
²³
or the grain

               
Of
Sarra
, worn by Kings and Heroes old

               
In time of Truce;
Iris
had dipt the wooff;

   245     
His starrie Helm unbuckl’d shew’d him prime

               
In Manhood where Youth ended; by his side

               
As in a glistering
Zodiac
²⁴
hung the Sword,

               
Satans dire dread, and in his hand the Spear.

               
Adam
bowd low, hee Kingly from his State

   250     
Inclin’d not, but his coming thus declar’d.

           
      
       
Adam
, Heav’ns high behest no Preface needs:

               
Sufficient that thy Prayers are heard, and Death,

               
Then due by sentence when thou didst transgress,

               
Defeated of his seisure many dayes

   255     
Giv’n thee of Grace, wherein thou may’st repent,

               
And one bad act with many deeds well done

               
Mayst cover: well may then thy Lord appeas’d

               
Redeem thee quite from Deaths rapacious claim;

               
But longer in this Paradise to dwell

   260     
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 gripe of sorrow stood,

   265     
That all his senses bound;
Eve
, who unseen

               
Yet all had heard, with audible lament

               
Discover’d
²⁵
soon the place of her retire.

           
      
       O unexpected stroke, worse then of Death!

               
Must I thus leave thee Paradise? thus leave

   270     
Thee Native Soil, these happie Walks and Shades,

               
Fit haunt of Gods? where I had hope to spend,

               
Quiet though sad, the respit of that day

               
That must be mortal to us both. O flowrs,

               
That never will in other Climate grow,