by John Milton
Th’ Almighty thus pronounc’d his sovran Will.
O Sons, like one of us Man is become
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To know both Good and Evil, since his taste
Of that defended9 Fruit; but let him boast
His knowledge of Good lost, and Evil got,
Happier, had it suffic’d him to have known
Good by it self, and Evil not at all.
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He sorrows now, repents, and prayes contrite,
My motions in him, longer then they move,
His heart I know, how variable and vain
Self-left.10 Least therefore his now bolder hand
Reach also of the Tree of Life, and eat,
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And live for ever, dream at least to live
For ever, to remove him I decree,
And send him from the Garden forth to Till
The Ground whence he was taken, fitter soil.
Michael, this my behest have thou in charge,
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Take to thee from among the Cherubim
Thy choice of flaming Warriours, least the Fiend
Or in behalf of11 Man, or to invade
Vacant possession som new trouble raise:
Hast thee, and from the Paradise of God
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Without remorse12 drive out the sinful Pair,
From hallowd ground th’ unholie, and denounce
To them and to thir Progenie from thence
Perpetual banishment. Yet least they faint
At the sad Sentence rigorously urg’d,
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For I behold them soft’n’d and with tears
Bewailing thir excess, all terror hide.
If patiently thy bidding they obey,
Dismiss them not disconsolate; reveal
To Adam what shall come in future dayes,
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As I shall thee enlighten, intermix
My Cov’nant in the womans seed renewd;
So send them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace:
And on the East side of the Garden place,
Where entrance up from Eden easiest climbs,
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Cherubic watch, and of a Sword the flame
Wide waving, all approach farr off to fright,
And guard all passage to the Tree of Life:
Least Paradise a receptacle prove
To Spirits foul, and all my Trees thir prey,
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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
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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
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Leucothea14 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;
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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
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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,
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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
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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
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Mother of all things living, since by thee
Man is to live, and all things live for Man.
To whom thus Eve with sad16 demeanour meek.
Ill worthie I such title should belong
To me transgressour, who for thee ordaind
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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,
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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
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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?
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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’d17
After short blush of Morn; nigh in her sight
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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;
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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
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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,
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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
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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
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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
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The field Pavilion’d with his Guardians bright;21
Nor that which on the flaming Mount ap
peerd
In Dothan, cover’d with a Camp of Fire,
Against the Syrian King, who to surprize
One man, Assassin-like had levied Warr,
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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,
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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
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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,
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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
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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;
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His starrie Helm unbuckl’d shew’d him prime
In Manhood where Youth ended; by his side
As in a glistering Zodiac24 hung the Sword,
Satans dire dread, and in his hand the Spear.
Adam bowd low, hee Kingly from his State
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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
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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
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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,
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That all his senses bound; Eve, who unseen
Yet all had heard, with audible lament
Discover’d25 soon the place of her retire.
O unexpected stroke, worse then of Death!
Must I thus leave thee Paradise? thus leave
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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,
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My early visitation, and my last
At Eev’n, which I bred up with tender hand
From the first op’ning bud, and gave ye Names,
Who now shall rear ye to the Sun, or rank26
Your Tribes, and water from th’ ambrosial Fount?
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Thee lastly nuptial Bowr, by mee adornd
With what to sight or smell was sweet; from thee
How shall I part, and whither wander down
Into a lower World, to this obscure
And wild, how shall we breath in other Air
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Less pure, accustomd to immortal Fruits?
Whom thus the Angel interrupted mild.
Lament not Eve, but patiently resigne
What justly thou hast lost; nor set thy heart,
Thus over-fond, on that which is not thine;
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Thy going is not lonely, with thee goes
Thy Husband, him to follow thou art bound;
Where he abides, think there thy native soil.
Adam by this from the cold sudden damp
Recovering, and his scatterd spirits returnd,
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To Michael thus his humble words address’d.
Celestial, whether among the Thrones, or nam’d
Of them the Highest, for such of shape may seem
Prince above Princes, gently hast thou tould
Thy message, which might else in telling wound,
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And in performing end us; what besides
Of sorrow and dejection and despair
Our frailtie can sustain, thy tidings bring,
Departure from this happy place, our sweet
Recess, and onely consolation left
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Familiar to our eyes, all places else
Inhospitable appeer 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, I would not cease
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To wearie him with my assiduous cries:
But prayer against his absolute Decree
No more avails then breath against the wind,
Blown stifling back on him that breaths it forth:
Therefore to his great bidding I submit.
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This most afflicts me, that departing hence,
As from his face I shall be hid, depriv’d
His blessed count’nance; here I could frequent,
With worship, place by place where he voutsaf’d
Presence Divine, and to my Sons relate;
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On this Mount he appeerd, under this Tree
Stood visible, among these Pines his voice
I heard, here with him at this Fountain talk’d:
So many grateful Altars I would rear
Of grassie Terf, and pile up every Stone
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Of lustre from the brook, in memorie,
Or monument to Ages, and thereon
Offer sweet smelling Gumms and Fruits and Flowrs:
In yonder nether World where shall I seek
His bright appearances, or footstep trace?
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For though I fled him angrie, yet recall’d
To life prolong’d and promis’d Race, I now
Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts
Of glory, and farr off his steps adore.
To whom thus Michael with regard benigne.
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Adam, thou know’st Heav’n his, and all the Earth,
Not this Rock onely; his Omnipresence fills
Land, Sea, and Air, and every kind that lives,
Fomented27 by his virtual28 power and warmd:
All th’ Earth he gave thee to possess and rule,
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No despicable gift; surmise not then
His presence to these narrow bounds confin’d
Of Paradise or Eden: this had been
Perhaps thy Capital Seat, from whence had spred
All generations, and had hither come
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From all the ends of th’ Earth, to celebrate
And reverence thee thir great Progenitor.
But this præeminence thou hast lost, brought down
To dwell on eeven ground now with thy Sons:
Yet doubt not but in Vallie and in Plain
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God is as here, and will be found alike
Present, and of his presence many a
signe
Still following thee, still compassing thee round
With goodness and paternal Love, his Face
Express, and of his steps the track Divine.
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Which that thou mayst beleeve, and be confirmd
Ere thou from hence depart, know I am sent
To shew thee what shall come in future dayes
To thee and to thy Ofspring; good with bad
Expect to hear, supernal Grace contending
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With sinfulness of Men; thereby to learn
True patience, and to temper joy with fear
And pious sorrow, equally enur’d
By moderation either state to bear,
Prosperous or adverse: so shalt thou lead
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Safest thy life, and best prepar’d endure
Thy mortal passage when it comes. Ascend
This Hill; let Eve (for I have drencht her eyes)
Here sleep below while thou to foresight wak’st,
As once thou slepst, while Shee to life was formd.
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To whom thus Adam gratefully repli’d.
Ascend, I follow thee, safe Guide, the path
Thou lead’st me, and to th’ hand of Heav’n submit,
However chast’ning, to the evil turn
My obvious breast, arming to overcom
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By suffering, and earn rest from labour won,
If so I may attain. So both ascend
In the Visions of God: It was a Hill
Of Paradise the highest, from whose top
The Hemisphere of Earth in cleerest Ken
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Stretcht out to amplest reach of prospect lay.
Not higher that Hill nor wider looking round,
Whereon for different cause the Tempter set
Our second Adam29 in the Wilderness,
To shew him all Earths Kingdoms and thir Glory.
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His Eye might there command wherever stood
City of old or modern Fame, the Seat
Of mightiest Empire, from the destind Walls
Of Cambalu, seat of Cathaian Can30
And Samarchand by Oxus, Temirs Throne,31