The Complete Poetry of John Milton (96 page)

   85        
What may no less perhaps avail us known,

               
How first began this Heav’n which we behold

               
Distant so high, with moving Fires adornd

               
Innumerable, and this which yeelds or fills

               
All space, the ambient Air wide interfus’d

   90        
Imbracing round this florid
¹³
Earth, what cause

               
Mov’d the Creator in his holy Rest

               
Through all Eternitie so late to build

               
In
Chaos
, and the work begun, how soon

               
Absolv’d,
¹⁴
if unforbid thou maist unfould

   95        
What wee, not to explore the secrets ask

               
Of his Eternal Empire, but the more

               
To magnifie his works, the more we know.

               
And the great Light of Day yet wants to run

               
Much of his Race though steep, suspense in Heav’n

   100     
Held by thy voice, thy potent voice he heares,

               
And longer will delay to hear thee tell

               
His Generation, and the rising Birth

               
Of Nature from the unapparent
¹⁵
Deep:

               
Or if the Starr of Eevning and the Moon

   105     
Haste to thy audience, Night with her will bring

               
Silence, and Sleep listning to thee will watch,
¹⁶

               
Or we can bid his absence, till thy Song

               
End, and dismiss thee ere the Morning shine.

           
      
       Thus
Adam
his illustrious Guest besought:

   110  
      
       And thus the Godlike Angel answerd mild.

               
This also thy request with caution askt

               
Obtain: though to recount Almightie works

               
What words or tongue of Seraph can suffice,

               
Or heart of man suffice to comprehend?

   115     
Yet what thou canst attain, which best may serve

               
To glorifie the Maker, and inferr

               
Thee also happier, shall not be withheld

               
Thy hearing, such Commission from above

               
I have receav’d, to answer thy desire

   120     
Of knowledge within bounds; beyond abstain

               
To ask, nor let thine own inventions hope

               
Things not reveal’d, which th’ invisible King,

               
Onely Omniscient, hath supprest in Night,

               
To none communicable in Earth or Heaven:

   125     
Anough is left besides to search and know.

               
But Knowledge is as food, and needs no less

               
Her Temperance over Appetite, to know

               
In measure what the mind may well contain,

               
Oppresses else with Surfet, and soon turns

   130     
Wisdom to Folly, as Nourishment to Wind.

           
      
       Know then, that after
Lucifer
from Heav’n

               
(So call him, brighter once amidst the Host

               
Of Angels, then that Starr
¹⁷
the Starrs among)

               
Fell with his flaming Legions through the Deep

   135     
Into his place, and the great Son returnd

               
Victorious with his saints, th’ Omnipotent

               
Eternal Father from his Throne beheld

               
Thir multitude, and to his Son thus spake.

           
      
       At least our envious Foe hath fail’d, who thought

   140     
All like himself rebellious, by whose aid

               
This inaccessible high strength, the seat

               
Of Deitie supream, us dispossest,

               
He trusted to have seis’d, and into fraud

               
Drew many, whom thir place knows here no more;
¹⁸

   145     
Yet farr the greater part have kept, I see,

               
Thir station, Heav’n yet populous retains

               
Number sufficient to possess her Realmes

               
Though wide, and this high Temple to frequent

               
With Ministeries due and solemn Rites:

   150     
But least his heart exalt him in the harm

               
Already done, to have dispeopl’d Heav’n,

               
My damage fondly
¹⁹
deem’d, I can repair

               
That detriment, if such it be to lose

               
Self-lost, and in a moment will create

   155     
Another World, out of one man a Race

               
Of men innumerable, there to dwell,

               
Not here, till by degrees of merit rais’d

               
They open to themselves at length the way

               
Up hither, under long obedience tri’d,

   160     
And Earth be chang’d to Heav’n, and Heav’n to Earth,

               
One Kingdom, Joy and Union without end.

               
Mean while inhabit lax,
²⁰
ye Powers of Heav’n,

               
And thou my Word, begotten Son, by thee

               
This I perform, speak thou, and be it don:

   165     
My overshadowing Spirit and might with thee

               
I send along, ride forth, and bid the Deep

               
Within appointed bounds be Heav’n and Earth,

               
Boundless the Deep, because I am who fill

               
Infinitude, nor vacuous the space.

   170     
Though I uncircumscrib’d my self retire,
²¹

               
And put not forth my goodness, which is free

               
To act or not, Necessitie and Chance

               
Approach not mee, and what I will is Fate.

           
      
       So spake th’ Almightie, and to what he spake

   175     
His Word, the filial Godhead, gave effect.

               
Immediate are the Acts of God, more swift

               
Then time or motion, but to human ears

               
Cannot without process of speech be told,

               
So told as earthly notion can receave.

   180     
Great triumph and rejoycing was in Heav’n

               
When such was heard declar’d th’ Almightie’s will;

               
Glorie they sung to the most High, good will

               
To future men, and in thir dwellings peace:

               
Glorie to him whose just avenging ire

   185     
Had driven out th’ ungodly from his sight

               
And th’ habitations of the just; to him

               
Glorie and praise, whose wisdom had ordain’d

               
Good out of evil to create, in stead

               
Of Spirits maligne a better Race to bring

   190     
Into thir vacant room, and thence diffuse

               
His good to Worlds and Ages infinite.

               
So sang the Hierarchies: Mean while the Son

               
On his great Expedition now appeer’d,

               
Girt with Omnipotence, with Radiance crown’d

   195     
Of Majestie Divine, Sapience and Love

               
Immense, and all his Father in him shon.

               
About his Chariot numberless were pour’d

               
Cherub and Seraph, Potentates and Thrones,

               
And Vertues, winged Spirits, and Chariots wing’d,

   200     
From th’ Armoury of God, where stand of old

               
Myriads between two brazen Mountains lodg’d

               
Against a solemn day, harnest at hand,

               
Celestial Equipage; and now came forth

               
Spontaneous, for within them Spirit liv’d,

   205     
Attendant on thir Lord: Heav’n op’n’d wide

               
Her ever during
²²
Gates, Harmonious sound

               
On golden Hinges moving, to let forth

               
The King of Glorie in his powerful Word

               
And Spirit coming to create new Worlds.

   210     
On heav’nly ground they stood, and from the shore

               
They view’d the vast immeasurable Abyss

               
Outrageous as a Sea, dark, wasteful, wild,

               
Up from the bottom turn’d by furious winds

               
And surging waves, as Mountains to assault

   215     
Heav’ns highth, and with the Center mix the Pole.

           
      
       Silence, ye troubl’d waves, and thou Deep, peace,

               
Said then th’ Omnific
²³
Word, your discord end:

           
      
       Nor staid, but on the Wings of Cherubim

               
Uplifted, in Paternal Glorie rode

   220     
Farr into
Chaos
, and the World unborn;

               
For
Chaos
heard his voice: him all his Train

               
Follow’d in bright procession to behold

               
Creation, and the wonders of his might.

               
Then staid the fervid Wheels, and in his hand

   225     
He took the golden Compasses,
²⁴
prepar’d

               
In Gods Eternal store, to circumscribe

               
This Universe, and all created things:

               
One foot he center’d, and the other turn’d

               
Round through the vast profunditie obscure,

   230     
And said, thus farr extend, thus farr thy bounds,

               
This be thy just Circumference, O World.

               
Thus God the Heav’n created, thus the Earth,

               
Matter unform’d and void: Darkness profound

               
Cover’d th’ Abyss: but on the watrie calm

   235     
His brooding wings the Spirit of God outspred,

               
And vital vertue infus’d, and vital warmth

               
Throughout the fluid Mass, but downward purg’d

               
The black tartareous
²⁵
cold infernal dregs

               
Adverse to life: then founded, then conglob’d
²⁶

   240     
Like things to like, the rest to several place

               
Disparted, and between spun out the Air,

               
And Earth self ballanc’t on her Center hung.

           
      
       Let ther be Light, said God,
²⁷
and forthwith Light

               
Ethereal, first of things, quintessence
²⁸
pure