But in the mount that lies from Eden north, Where he first lighted, soon discern'd his looks 570 Alien from Heav'n, with passions foul obscur'd: Mine eye pursued him still, but under shade Lost sight of him: one of the banish'd crew, I fear, hath ventur'd from the deep, to raise New troubles; him thy care must be to find.
To whom the winged warrior thus return'd. Uriel, no wonder if thy perfect sight, Amid the sun's bright circle where thou sitt'st, See far and wide: in at this gate none pass The vigilance here plac'd, but such as come 580 Well known from Heav'n; and since meridian hour No creature thence: if Spi'rit of other sort, So minded, have o’er.eap'd these earthy bounds On purpose, hard thou know'st it to exclude Spiritual substance with corporeal bar. But if within the circuit of these walks, In whatsoever shape he lurk, of whom Thou tell'st, by morrow dawning I shall know. So promis'd he; and Uriel to his charge Return'd on that bright beam, whose point now rais'd Before him slope downward to the sun now fall'n 591 Beneath th' Azores; whether the prime orb, Incredible how swift, had thither roll'd
Diurnal, or this less volúble earth,
By shorter flight to th' east, had left him there Arraying with reflected purple' and gold
The clouds that on his western throne attend. Now came still evening on, and twilight grey
Had in her sober livery all things clad; Silence accompanied; for beast and bird, They to their grassy couch, these to their nests Were slunk, all but the wakeful nightingale; She all night long her amorous descant sung; Silence was pleas'd: now glow'd the firmament With livid saphires: Hesperus, that led The starry host, rode brighest, till the moon Rising in clouded majesty, at length Apparent queen unveil'd her peerless light, And o'er the dark her silver mantle threw. When Adam thus to Eve. Fair Consort, th' hour Of night, and all things now retir'd to rest Mind us of like repose, since God hath set Labour and rest, as day and night, to men Successive; and the timely dew of sleep Now falling with soft slumb'rous weight inclines Our eye-lids: other creatures all day long Rove idle unemploy'd, and less need rest; Man hath his daily work of body or mind Appointed, which declares his dignity. And the regard of Heav'n on all his ways; While other animals unactive range, And of their doings God takes no account. To-morrow ere fresh morning streak the east With first approach of light we must be risen, And at our pleasant labour, to reform Yon flow'ry arbours, yonder alleys green, Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown, That mock our scant manuring, and require
More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth: Those blossoms also, and those dropping gums, 630 That lie bestrown unsightly and unsmooth, Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease; Mean while, as Nature wills, night bids us rest. To whom thus Eve with perfect beauty' adorn'd. My Author and Disposer, what thou bidst Unargued I obey; so God ordains;
God is thy law, thou mine: to know no more Is woman's happiest knowledge and her praise. With thee conversing I forget all time;
All seasons and their change, all please alike. 640 Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet, With charm of earliest birds; pleasant the sun, When first on this delightful land he spreads His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, Glist'ring with dew; fragrant the fertile earth After soft show'rs: and sweet the coming on Of grateful evening mild; then silent night With this her solemn bird, and this fair moon, And these the gems of Heav'n, her starry train: But neither breath of morn, when she ascends 650 With charm of earliest birds; nor rising sun On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flower, Glist'ring with dew; nor fragrance after showers; Nor grateful evening mild; nor silent night With this her solemn bird, nor walk by moon, Or glittering star-light without thee is sweet. But wherefore all night long shine these? For whom This glorious sight, when sleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general ancestor reply'd.
Daughter of God and Man, accomplish'd Eve, These have their course to finish round the earth, By morrow evening, and from land to land In order, though to nations yet unborn, Ministring light prepar'd, they set and rise; Lest total darkness should by night regain Her old possession, and extinguish life In nature and all things, which these soft fires Not only' enlighten, but with kindly heat Of various influence foment and warm, Temper or nourish, or in part shed down Their stellar virtue on all kinds that grow On earth, made hereby apter to receive Perfection from the sun's more potent ray. These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, Shine not in vain, nor think, though men were none, That Heav'n would want spectators, God want praise:
Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth
Unseen, both when we wake, and when we sleep: All these with ceaseless praise his works behold Both day and night: how often from the steep 680 Of echoing hill or thicket have we heard Celestial voices to the midnight air, Sole, or responsive each to other's note, Singing their great Creator? Oft in bands While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk With heav'nly touch of instrumental sounds In full harmonic number jcin'd, their songs
Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heaven. Thus talking hand in hand alone they pass'd On to their blissful bow'r; it was a place Chos'n by the sov'reign Planter, when he fram'd All things to Man's delightful use; the roof Of thickest covert was inwoven shade Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either side Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub Fenc'd up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine
Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, and wrought
Mosaic; underfoot the violet,
Crocus, and hyacinth with rich inlay
Broider'd the ground, more colour'd than with stone Of costliest emblem: other creature here,
Beast, bird, insect, or worm, durst enter none; Such was their awe of Man. In shadier bower More sacred and sequester'd, though but feign'd, Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor Nymph, Nor Faunus haunted. Here in close recess, With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs Espoused Eve deck'd first her nuptial bed, And heav'nly quires the hymenxan sung, What day the genial Angel to our sire Brought her in naked beauty more adorn'd, More lovely than Pandora, whom the Gods Endow'd with all their gifts, and O too like In sad event, when to th' unwiser son
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