The Complete Poetry of John Milton (77 page)

   115     
Thrice chang’d with pale, ire, envie and despair,

               
Which marrd his borrow’d visage, and betraid

               
Him counterfet, if any eye beheld.

               
For heav’nly minds from such distempers foul

               
Are ever cleer. Whereof hee soon aware,

   120     
Each perturbation smooth’d with outward calm,

               
Artificer of fraud; and was the first

               
That practis’d falshood under saintly shew,

               
Deep malice to conceal, couch’t with revenge:

               
Yet not anough had practis’d to deceive

   125     
Uriel
once warnd; whose eye pursu’d him down

               
The way he went, and on th’
Assyrian
mount

               
Saw him disfigur’d,
⁶
more then could befall

               
Spirit of happie sort: his gestures fierce

               
He mark’d and mad demeanour, then alone,

   130     
As he suppos’d, all unobserv’d, unseen.

               
So on he fares, and to the border comes

               
Of
Eden
, where delicious Paradise,

               
Now nearer, Crowns with her enclosure green,

               
As with a rural mound the champain head
⁷

   135     
Of a steep wilderness, whose hairie sides

               
With thicket overgrown, grottesque and wild,

               
Access deni’d; and over head up grew

               
Insuperable highth of loftiest shade,

               
Cedar, and Pine, and Firr, and branching Palm,

   140     
A Silvan Scene, and as the ranks ascend

               
Shade above shade, a woodie Theatre

               
Of stateliest view. Yet higher then thir tops

               
The verdurous wall of Paradise up sprung:

               
Which to our general Sire gave prospect large

   145     
Into his neather Empire neighbouring round.

               
And higher then that Wall a circling row

               
Of goodliest Trees loaden with fairest Fruit,

               
Blossoms and Fruit at once of golden hue

               
Appeerd, with gay enameld colours mixt:

   150     
On which the Sun more glad impress’d his beams

               
Then in fair Evening Cloud, or humid Bow,

               
When God hath showrd the earth; so lovely seemd

               
That Lantskip: And of pure now purer air

               
Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires

   155     
Vernal delight and joy, able to drive

               
All sadness but despair: now gentle gales

               
Fanning thir odoriferous wings dispense

               
Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole

               
Those balmie spoils. As when to them who sail

   160     
Beyond the
Cape of Hope
, and now are past

               
Mozambic
, off at Sea North-East winds blow

               
Sabean
⁸
Odours from the spicie shoar

               
Of
Arabie
the blest, with such delay

               
Well pleas’d they slack thir course, and many a League

   165     
Chear’d with the grateful smell old Ocean smiles.

               
So entertaind those odorous sweets the Fiend

               
Who came thir bane, though with them better pleas’d

               
Then
Asmodeus
⁹
with the fishie fume,

               
That drove him, though enamourd, from the Spouse

   170     
Of
Tobits
Son, and with a vengeance sent

               
From
Media
post to
Ægypt
, there fast bound.

           
      
       Now to th’ ascent of that steep savage
¹⁰
Hill

               
Satan
had journied on, pensive and slow;

               
But further way found none, so thick entwin’d,

   175     
As one continu’d brake, the undergrowth

               
Of shrubs and tangling bushes had perplext

               
All path of Man or Beast that past that way:

               
One Gate there only was, and that look’d East

               
On th’ other side: which when th’ arch-fellon saw

   180     
Due entrance he disdaind, and in contempt,

               
At one slight bound high overleap’d all bound

               
Of Hill or highest Wall, and sheer within

               
Lights on his feet. As when a prowling Wolf,

               
Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey,

   185     
Watching where Shepherds pen thir Flocks at eeve

               
In hurdl’d Cotes amid the field secure,

               
Leaps o’re the fence with ease into the Fould:

               
Or as a Thief bent to unhoord the cash

               
Of some rich Burgher, whose substantial dores,

   190     
Cross-barrd and bolted fast, fear no assault,

               
In at the window climbs, or o’re the tiles;

               
So clomb this first grand Thief into Gods Fould:

               
So since into his Church lewd Hirelings climb.
¹¹

               
Thence up he flew, and on the Tree of Life,

   195     
The middle Tree and highest there that grew,

               
Sat like a Cormorant;
¹²
yet not true Life

               
Thereby regaind, but sat devising Death

               
To them who liv’d; nor on the vertue thought

               
Of that life-giving Plant, but only us’d

   200     
For prospect, what well us’d had bin the pledge

               
Of immortality. So little knows

               
Any, but God alone, to value right

               
The good before him, but perverts best things

               
To worst abuse, or to thir meanest use.

   205     
Beneath him with new wonder now he views

               
To all delight of human sense expos’d

               
In narrow room Natures whole wealth, yea more,

               
A Heav’n on Earth: for blissful Paradise

               
Of God the Garden was, by him in th’ East

   210     
Of
Eden
planted;
Eden
stretch’d her Line

               
From
Auran
¹³
Eastward to the Royal Towrs

               
Of great
Seleucia
, built by
Grecian
Kings,

               
Or where the Sons of
Eden
long before

               
Dwelt in
Telassar:
¹⁴
in this pleasant soil

   215     
His farr more pleasant Garden God ordaind;

               
Out of the fertil ground he caus’d to grow

               
All Trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste;

               
And all amid them stood the Tree of Life,

               
High eminent, blooming Ambrosial Fruit

   220     
Of vegetable Gold; and next to Life

               
Our Death the Tree of Knowledge grew fast by,

               
Knowledge of Good bought dear by knowing ill.

               
Southward through
Eden
went a River
¹⁵
large,

               
Nor chang’d his course, but through the shaggie hill

   225     
Pass’d underneath ingulft, for God had thrown

               
That Mountain as his Garden mould high rais’d

               
Upon the rapid current, which through veins

               
Of porous Earth with kindly thirst up drawn,

               
Rose a fresh Fountain, and with many a rill

   230     
Waterd the Garden; thence united fell

               
Down the steep glade, and met the neather Flood,

               
Which from his darksom passage now appeers,

               
And now divided into four main Streams,
¹⁶

               
Runs divers, wandring many a famous Realm

   235     
And Country whereof here needs no account,

               
But rather to tell how, if Art could tell,

               
How from that Saphire Fount the crisped Brooks,

               
Rowling on Orient Pearl and sands of Gold,

               
With mazie error
¹⁷
under pendant shades

   240     
Ran Nectar, visiting each plant, and fed

               
Flowrs worthy of Paradise which not nice Art

               
In Beds and curious Knots,
¹⁸
but Nature boon
¹⁹

               
Powrd forth profuse on Hill and Dale and Plain,

               
Both where the morning Sun first warmly smote

   245     
The open field, and where the unpierc’t shade

               
Imbrownd the noontide Bowrs: Thus was this place,

               
A happy rural seat of various view;

               
Groves whose rich Trees wept odorous Gumms and Balm,

               
Others whose fruit burnisht with Golden Rind

   250     
Hung amiable,
Hesperian
Fables true,

               
If true, here only, and of delicious taste:

               
Betwixt them Lawns, or level Downs, and Flocks

               
Grasing the tender herb, were interpos’d,

               
Or palmie hilloc, or the flowrie lap

   255     
Of som irriguous Valley spred her store,

               
Flowrs of all hue, and without Thorn the Rose:

               
Another side, umbrageous Grots and Caves

               
Of cool recess, o’re which the mantling vine

               
Layes forth her purple Grape, and gently creeps

   260     
Luxuriant; mean while murmuring waters fall

               
Down the slope hills, disperst, or in a Lake,

               
That to the fringed Bank with Myrtle crownd,

               
Her chrystal mirror holds, unite thir streams.

               
The Birds thir quire apply; aires, vernal aires,

   265     
Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune

               
The trembling leaves, while Universal
Pan

               
Knit with the
Graces
²⁰
and the
Hours
in dance

               
Led on th’ Eternal Spring. Not that fair field

               
Of
Enna
, where
Proserpin
gathring flowrs