The Complete Poetry of John Milton (105 page)

   100     
More justly, Seat worthier of Gods, as built

               
With second thoughts, reforming what was old!

               
For what God after better worse would build?

               
Terrestrial Heav’n, danc’t round by other Heav’ns

               
That shine, yet bear thir bright officious Lamps,

   105     
Light above Light, for thee alone, as seems,

               
In thee concentring all thir precious beams

               
Of sacred influence: As God in Heav’n

               
Is Center, yet extends to all, so thou

               
Centring receav’st from all those Orbs; in thee,

   110     
Not in themselves, all thir known vertue appeers

               
Productive in Herb, Plant, and nobler birth

               
Of Creatures animate with gradual
¹⁵
life

               
Of Growth, Sense, Reason, all summ’d up in Man.

               
With what delight could I have walkt thee round,

   115     
If I could joy in aught, sweet interchange

               
Of Hill and Vallie, Rivers, Woods and Plains,

               
Now Land, now Sea, and Shores with Forrest crownd,

               
Rocks, Dens, and Caves; but I in none of these

               
Find place or refuge; and the more I see

   120     
Pleasures about me, so much more I feel

               
Torment within me, as from the hateful siege

               
Of contraries;
¹⁶
all good to me becomes

               
Bane, and in Heav’n much worse would be my state.

               
But neither here seek I, no nor in Heav’n

   125     
To dwell, unless by maistring Heav’ns Supream;

               
Nor hope to be my self less miserable

               
By what I seek, but others to make such

               
As I, though thereby worse to me redound:

               
For onely in destroying I find ease

   130     
To my relentless thoughts; and him destroyd,

               
Or won to what may work his utter loss,

               
For whom all this was made, all this will soon

               
Follow, as to him linkt in weal or woe,

               
In wo then; that destruction wide may range:

   135     
To mee shall be the glorie sole among

               
Th’ infernal Powers, in one day to have marr’d

               
What he
Almightie
styl’d, six Nights and Days

               
Continu’d making, and who knows how long

               
Before had bin contriving, though perhaps

   140     
Not longer then since I in one Night freed

               
From servitude inglorious welnigh half

               
Th’ Angelic Name, and thinner left the throng

               
Of his adorers: hee to be aveng’d,

               
And to repair his numbers thus impair’d,

   145     
Whether such vertue spent of old now faild

               
More Angels to Create, if they at least

               
Are his Created, or to spite us more,

               
Determin’d to advance into our room

               
A Creature form’d of Earth, and him endow,

   150     
Exalted from so base original,

               
With Heav’nly spoils, our spoils: What he decreed

               
He effected; Man he made, and for him built

               
Magnificent this World, and Earth his seat,

               
Him Lord pronounc’d, and, O indignitie!

   155     
Subjected to his service Angel wings,

               
And flaming Ministers to watch and tend

               
Thir earthy Charge: Of these the vigilance

               
I dread, and to elude, thus wrapt in mist

               
Of midnight vapor glide obscure, and prie

   160     
In every Bush and Brake, where hap may find

               
The Serpent sleeping, in whose mazie foulds

               
To hide me, and the dark intent I bring.

               
O foul descent! that I who erst contended

               
With Gods to sit the highest, am now constraind
¹⁷

   165     
Into a Beast, and mixt with bestial slime,

               
This essence to incarnate and imbrute,

               
That to the hight of Deitie aspir’d;

               
But what will not Ambition and Revenge

               
Descend to? who aspires must down as low

   170     
As high he soard, obnoxious
¹⁸
first or last

               
To basest things. Revenge, at first though sweet,

               
Bitter ere long back on it self recoils;

               
Let it; I reck not, so it light well aim’d,

               
Since higher I fall short, on him who next

   175     
Provokes my envie, this new Favorite

               
Of Heav’n, this Man of Clay, Son of despite,

               
Whom us the more to spite his Maker rais’d

               
From dust: spite then with spite is best repaid.

           
      
       So saying, through each Thicket Danck or Drie,

   180     
Like a black mist low creeping, he held on

               
His midnight search, where soonest he might find

               
The Serpent: him fast sleeping soon he found

               
In Labyrinth of many a round self-rowl’d,

               
His head the midst, well stor’d with suttle wiles:

   185     
Not yet in horrid Shade or dismal Den,

               
Nor nocent
¹⁹
yet, but on the grassie Herb

               
Fearless unfeard he slept: in at his Mouth

               
The Devil enterd, and his brutal sense,

               
In heart or head, possessing soon inspir’d

   190     
With act intelligential; but his sleep

               
Disturb’d not, waiting close
²⁰
th’ approach of Morn.

               
Now when as sacred Light began to dawn

               
In
Eden
on the humid Flowrs, that breath’d

               
Thir morning incense, when all things that breath,

   195     
From th’ Earths great Altar send up silent praise

               
To the Creator, and his Nostrils fill

               
With grateful Smell, forth came the human pair

               
And joynd thir vocal Worship to the Quire

               
Of Creatures wanting voice, that done, partake

   200     
The season, prime for sweetest Scents and Aires:

               
Then commune how that day they best may ply

               
Thir growing work: for much thir work outgrew

               
The hands dispatch of two Gardning so wide.

               
And
Eve
first to her Husband thus began.

    
             
Adam
, well may we labour still to dress

               
This Garden, still to tend Plant, Herb and Flowr,

               
Our pleasant task enjoyn’d, but till more hands

               
Aid us, the work under our labour grows,

               
Luxurious by restraint; what we by day

   210     
Lop overgrown, or prune, or prop, or bind,

               
One night or two with wanton growth derides

               
Tending to wild. Thou therefore now advise

               
Or hear what to my mind first thoughts present,

               
Let us divide our labours, thou where choice

   215     
Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind

               
The Woodbine round this Arbour, or direct

               
The clasping Ivie where to climb, while I

               
In yonder Spring of Roses
²¹
intermixt

               
With Myrtle, find what to redress till Noon:

   220     
For while so near each other thus all day

               
Our task we choose, what wonder if so near

               
Looks intervene and smiles, or object new

               
Casual discourse draw on, which intermits

               
Our dayes work brought to little, though begun

   225     
Early, and th’ hour of Supper comes unearn’d.

           
      
       To whom mild answer
Adam
thus return’d.

               
Sole
Eve
, Associate sole, to me beyond

               
Compare above all living Creatures dear,

               
Well hast thou motion’d, well thy thoughts imployd

   230     
How we might best fulfill the work which here

               
God hath assign’d us, nor of me shalt pass

               
Unprais’d: for nothing lovelier can be found

               
In Woman, then to studie houshold good,

               
And good works in her Husband to promote.

   235     
Yet not so strictly hath our Lord impos’d

               
Labour, as to debarr us when we need

               
Refreshment, whether food, or talk between,

               
Food of the mind, or this sweet intercourse

               
Of looks and smiles, for smiles from Reason flow,

   240     
To brute deni’d, and are of Love the food,

               
Love not the lowest end of human life.

               
For not to irksom toil, but to delight

               
He made us, and delight to Reason joyn’d.

               
These paths and Bowers doubt not but our joynt hands

   245     
Will keep from Wilderness with ease, as wide

               
As we need walk, till younger hands ere long

               
Assist us: But if much converse perhaps

               
Thee satiate, to short absence I could yeild.

               
For solitude somtimes is best societie,

   250     
And short retirement urges sweet return.

               
But other doubt possesses me, least harm

               
Befall thee sever’d from me; for thou knowst

               
What hath bin warn’d us, what malicious Foe

               
Envying our happiness, and of his own

   255     
Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame

               
By sly assault; and somwhere nigh at hand

               
Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find

               
His wish and best advantage, us asunder,

               
Hopeless to circumvent us joynd, where each