Complete Poetry and Selected Prose of John Milton
Page 55
Tell, if ye saw, how came I thus, how here?
Not of my self; by some great Maker then,
In goodness and in power præeminent;
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Tell me, how may I know him, how adore,
From whom I have that thus I move and live,
And feel that I am happier then I know.
While thus I call’d, and stray’d I knew not whither,
From where I first drew Air, and first beheld
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This happie Light, when answer none return’d,
On a green shadie Bank profuse of Flowrs
Pensive I sate me down; there gentle sleep
First found me, and with soft oppression seis’d
My droused sense, untroubl’d, though I thought
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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 mov’d
My fancy to believe I yet had being,
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And liv’d: One came, methought, of shape Divine,
And said, thy Mansion wants thee, Adam, rise,
First Man, of Men innumerable ordain’d
First Father, call’d by thee I come thy Guide
To the Garden of bliss, thy seat prepar’d.22
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So saying, by the hand he took me rais’d,
And over Fields and Waters, as in Air
Smooth sliding without step, last led me up
A woodie Mountain; whose high top was plain,
A Circuit wide, enclos’d, with goodliest Trees
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Planted, with Walks, and Bowers, that what I saw
Of Earth before scarse pleasant seemd. Each Tree
Load’n with fairest Fruit that hung to th’ Eye
Tempting, stirr’d in me sudden appetite
To pluck and eat; whereat I wak’d, and found
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Before mine Eyes all real, as the dream
Had lively shadowd:23 Here had new begun
My wandring, had not hee who was my Guide
Up hither, from among the Trees appeer’d,
Presence Divine. Rejoycing, but with aw
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In adoration at his feet I fell
Submiss:24 he rear’d me, and Whom thou soughtst 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
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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 operation25 brings
Knowledge of good and ill, which I have set
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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
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Transgrest, inevitably thou shalt dye;26
From that day mortal, and this happie State
Shalt loose, expell’d from hence into a World
Of woe and sorrow. Sternly he pronounc’d
The rigid interdiction, which resounds
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Yet dreadful in mine ear, though in my choice
Not to incur; but soon his cleer aspect
Return’d and gracious purpose thus renew’d.
Not onely these fair bounds, but all the Earth
To thee and to thy Race I give; as Lords
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Possess it, and all things that therein live,
Or live in Sea, or Air, Beast, Fish, and Fowl.
In signe whereof each Bird and Beast behold
After thir kinds; I bring them to receave
From thee thir Names, and pay thee fealtie
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With low subjection; understand the same
Of Fish within thir watry residence,
Not hither summond, since they cannot change
Thir Element to draw the thinner Air.
As thus he spake, each Bird and Beast behold
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Approaching two and two, these cowring low
With blandishment, each Bird stoop’d on his wing.
I nam’d them, as they pass’d, and understood
Thir Nature, with such knowledge God endu’d
My sudden apprehension: but in these
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I found not what me thought I wanted still;
And to the Heav’nly vision thus presum’d.
O by what Name, for thou above all these,
Above mankind, or aught then mankind higher,
Surpassest farr my naming, how may I
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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 mee
I see not who partakes. In solitude
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What happiness, who can enjoy alone,
Or all enjoying, what contentment find?
Thus I presumptuous; and the vision bright,
As with a smile more bright’n’d, thus repli’d.
What call’st thou solitude, is not the Earth
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With various living creatures, and the Air
Replenisht, and all these at thy command
To come and play before thee, know’st thou not
Thir language and thir wayes, they also know,
And reason not contemptibly; with these
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Find pastime, and bear rule; thy Realm is large.
So spake the Universal Lord, and seem’d
So ordering. I with leave of speech implor’d,
And humble deprecation thus repli’d.
Let not my words offend thee, Heav’nly Power,
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My Maker, be propitious while I speak.
Hast thou not made me here thy substitute,
And these inferiour farr beneath me set?
Among unequals what societie
Can sort,27 what harmonie or true delight?
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Which must be mutual, in proportion due
Giv’n and receiv’d; but in disparitie
The one intense, the other still remiss28
Cannot well suit with either, but soon prove
Tedious alike: Of fellowship I speak
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Such as I seek, fit to participate
All rational delight, wherein the brute
Cannot be human consort; they rejoyce
Each with thir kind, Lion with Lioness;
So fitly them in pairs thou hast combin’d;
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Much less can Bird with Beast, or Fish with Fowl
So well converse, nor with the Ox the Ape;
Wors then can Man with Beast, and least of all.
Whereto th’ Almighty answer’d, not displeas’d.
A nice29 and suttle happiness I see
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Thou to thy self proposest, in the choice
Of thy Associates, Adam, and wilt taste
No pleasure, though in pleasure, solitarie.
What thinkst thou then of mee, and this my State,
Seem I to thee sufficiently possest
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Of happiness, or not? who am alone
From all Eternitie, 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
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To me inferiour, infinite descents
Beneath what other Creatures are to thee?
> He ceas’d, I lowly answer’d. To attain
The highth and depth of thy Eternal wayes
All human thoughts come short, Supream of things;
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Thou in thy self art perfet, and in thee
Is no deficience found; not so is Man,
But in degree, the cause of his desire
By conversation with his like to help,
Or solace his defects. No need that thou
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Shouldst propagat, already infinite;
And through all numbers absolute,30 though One;
But Man by number is to manifest
His single imperfection, and beget
Like of his like, his Image multipli’d,
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In unitie defective, which requires
Collateral love, and deerest amitie.
Thou in thy secresie although alone,
Best with thy self accompanied, seek’st not
Social communication, yet so pleas’d,
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Canst raise thy Creature to what highth thou wilt
Of Union or Communion, deifi’d;
I by conversing cannot these erect
From prone, nor in thir wayes complacence find.
Thus I embold’n’d spake, and freedom us’d
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Permissive, and acceptance found, which gain’d
This answer from the gratious voice Divine.
Thus farr to try thee, Adam, I was pleas’d,
And find thee knowing not of Beasts alone,
Which thou hast rightly nam’d, but of thy self,
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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,
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Knew it not good for Man to be alone,
And no such companie as then thou saw’st
Intended thee, for trial onely brought,
To see how thou could’st judge of fit and meet:
What next I bring shall please thee, be assur’d,
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Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self,
Thy wish exactly to thy hearts desire.
Hee ended, or I heard no more, for now
My earthly31 by his Heav’nly overpowerd,
Which it had long stood under, streind to th’ highth
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In that celestial Colloquie sublime,
As with an object that excels the sense,
Dazl’d and spent, sunk down, and sought repair
Of sleep, which instantly fell on me, call’d
By Nature as in aid, and clos’d mine eyes.
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Mine eyes he clos’d, but op’n left the Cell
Of Fancie my internal sight, by which
Abstract as in a transe methought I saw,
Though sleeping, where I lay, and saw the shape
Still glorious before whom awake I stood;
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Who stooping op’n’d my left side, and took
From thence a Rib, with cordial spirits32 warm,
And life-blood streaming fresh; wide was the wound,
But suddenly with flesh fill’d up and heal’d:
The Rib he formd and fashiond with his hands;
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Under his forming hands a Creature grew,
Manlike, but different sex, so lovely fair,
That what seemd fair in all the World, seemd now
Mean, or in her summ’d up, in her containd
And in her looks, which from that time infus’d
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Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before,
And into all things from her Air inspir’d
The spirit of love and amorous delight.
Shee disappeerd, and left me dark, I wak’d
To find her, or for ever to deplore
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Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure:
When out of hope, behold her, not farr off,
Such as I saw her in my dream, adornd
With what all Earth or Heaven could bestow
To make her amiable: On she came,
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Led by her Heav’nly Maker, though unseen,
And guided by his voice, nor uninformd
Of nuptial Sanctitie and marriage Rites:
Grace was in all her steps, Heav’n in her Eye,
In every gesture dignitie and love.
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I overjoyd could not forbear aloud.
This turn hath made amends; thou hast fulfill’d
Thy words, Creator bounteous and benigne,
Giver of all things fair, but fairest this
Of all thy gifts, nor enviest. I now see
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Bone of my Bone, Flesh of my Flesh, my Self
Before me; Woman is her Name, of Man
Extracted; for this cause he shall forgoe
Father and Mother, and to his Wife adhere;
And they shall be one Flesh, one Heart, one Soul.
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She heard me thus, and though divinely brought,
Yet Innocence and Virgin Modestie,
Her vertue and the conscience of her worth,
That would be woo’d, and not unsought be won,
Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retir’d,
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The more desirable, or to say all,
Nature her self, though pure of sinful thought,
Wrought in her so, that seeing me, she turn’d;
I follow’d her, she what was Honour knew,
And with obsequious33 Majestie approv’d
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My pleaded reason. To the Nuptial Bowr
I led her blushing like the Morn: all Heav’n,
And happie Constellations on that hour
Shed thir selectest influence; the Earth
Gave sign of gratulation, and each Hill;
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Joyous the Birds; fresh Gales and gentle Aires
Whisper’d it to the Woods, and from thir wings
Flung Rose, flung Odours from the spicie Shrub,
Disporting, till the amorous Bird of Night34
Sung Spousal, and bid haste the Eevning Starr
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On his Hill top, to light the bridal Lamp.
Thus I have told thee all my State, and brought
My Storie to the sum of earthly bliss
Which I enjoy, and must confess to find
In all things else delight indeed, but such
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As us’d or not, works in the mind no change,
Nor vehement desire, these delicacies
I mean of Taste, Sight, Smell, Herbs, Fruits, and Flowrs,
Walks, and the melodie of Birds; but here
Farr otherwise, transported I behold,
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Transported touch; here passion first I felt,
Commotion strange, in all enjoyments else
Superiour and unmov’d, here onely weak
Against the charm of Beauties powerful glance.
Or Nature faild in mee, and left some part
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Not proof enough such Object to sustain,
Or from my side subducting, took perhaps
More then enough; at least on her bestow’d
Too much of Ornament, in outward shew
Elaborate, of inward less exact.
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For well I understand in the prime end
Of Nature her th’ inferiour, in the mind
And inward Faculties, which most excell,
In outward also her resembling less
His Image who made both, and less expressing
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The character of that Dominion giv’n
O’re other Creatures; yet when I approach
Her
loveliness, so absolute35 she seems
And in her self compleat, so well to know
Her own, that what she wills to do or say,
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Seems wisest, vertuousest, discreetest, best;
All higher knowledge in her presence falls
Degraded, Wisdom in discourse with her
Looses discount’nanc’t, and like folly shews;
Authority and Reason on her wait,
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As one intended first, not after made
Occasionally; and to consummate all,
Greatness of mind and nobleness thir seat
Build in her loveliest, and create an awe
About her, as a guard Angelic plac’t.
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To whom the Angel with contracted brow.
Accuse not Nature, she hath don her part;
Do thou but thine, and be not diffident
Of Wisdom, she deserts thee not, if thou
Dismiss not her, when most thou needst her nigh,
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By attributing overmuch to things
Less excellent, as thou thy self perceav’st.
For what admir’st thou, what transports thee so,
An outside? fair no doubt, and worthy well
Thy cherishing, thy honouring, and thy love,
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Not thy subjection: weigh with her thy self;
Then value: Oft times nothing profits more
Then self-esteem, grounded on just and right
Well manag’d; of that skill36 the more thou know’st,
The more she will acknowledge thee her Head,
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And to realities yeild all her shows:
Made so adorn for thy delight the more,
So awful, that with honour thou maist love
Thy mate, who sees when thou art seen least wise.
But if the sense of touch whereby mankind
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Is propagated seem such dear delight
Beyond all other, think the same voutsaf’t
To Cattel and each Beast; which would not be
To them made common and divulg’d, if aught
Therein enjoy’d were worthy to subdue