No more of talk where God or angel guest With man, as with his friend, familiar us'd To sit indulgent, and with him partake Rural repast, permitting him the while
Venial discourse unblam'd: I now must change: Those notes to tragic; foul distrust, and breach Disloyal on the part of man, revolt,
And disobedience; on the part of heav'n Now alienated, distance and distaste, Anger and just rebuke, and judgment given, That brought into this world of wo, Sin and her shadow Death, and Misery, Death's harbinger: sad task, yet argument Not less but more heroic than the wrath Of stern Achilles on his foe pursu'd Thrice fugitive about Troy wall; or rage Of Turnus for Lavinia disespous'd, Or Neptune's ire, or Juno's, that so long Perplex'd the Greek and Cytherea's son ; If answerable style I can obtain Of my celestial patroness, who deigns Her nightly visitation unimplor'd, And dictates to me slumb'ring, or inspires Easy my unpremeditated verse: Since first this subject for heroic song
To me inferior, infinite descents
Beneath what other creatures are to thee? He ceas'd, I lowly answer'd: To attain The height and depth of thy eternal ways All human thoughts come short, Supreme of things, Thou in thyself art perfect, and in thee Is no deficience found; not so is man, But in degree, the cause of his desire By conversation with his like to help, Or solace his defects. No need that thou Should'st propagate, already infinite, And through all numbers absolute, though one; But man by number is to manifest His single imperfection, and beget Like of his like, his image multiply'd, In unity defective, which requires Collateral love, and dearest amity. Thou in thy secrecy although alone, Best with thyself accompanied, seek'st not Social communication, yet so pleas'd,
Canst raise thy creature to what height thou wilt Of union or communion, deify'd;
I by conversing cannot these erect
From prone, nor in their ways complacence find. Thus I embolden'd spake, and freedom us'd Permissive, and acceptance found, which gain'd This answer from the gracious voice divine: Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was pleas'd, And find thee knowing not of beasts alone, Which thou has rightly nam'd, but of thyself, Expressing well the spirit within thee free, My image, not imparted to the brute, Whose fellowship therefore unmeet for thee, Good reason was thou freely shouldst dislike, And be so minded still; I, ere thou spak'st, Knew it not good for man to be alone, And no such company as then thou saw'st Intended thee, for trial only brought,
To see how thou couldst judge of fit and meet:
What next I bring shall please thee, be assur'd, Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self, Thy wish exactly to thy heart's desire.
He ended, or I heard no more, for now My earthly by his heav'nly over-power'd: Which it had long stood under, strain'd to th' height In that celestial colloquy sublime,
As with an object that excels the sense,
Dazzled and spent, sunk down, and sought repair Of sleep, which instantly fell on me, call'd By nature as in aid, and clos'd mine eyes. Mine eyes he clos'd, but open left the cell Of fancy my internal sight, by which Abstract as in a trance methought I saw, Though sleeping, where I lay, and saw the shape Still glorious before whom awake I stood; Who stooping open'd my left side, and took From thence a rib, with cordial spirits warm, And life-blood streaming fresh; wide was the wound, But suddenly with flesh fill'd up and heal'd: The rib he form'd and fashion'd with his hand; Under his forming hands a creature grew, Manlike but different sex, so lovely fair,
That what seem'd fair in all the world, seem'd now Mean, or in her summ'd up, in her contain'd And in her looks, which from that time infus'd Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before, And into all things from her air inspir'd The spirit of love and amorous delight. She disappear'd, and left me dark; I wak'd To find her, or for ever to deplore Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure: When out of hope, behold her, not far off, Such as I saw her in my dream, adorn'd With what all earth or heav'n could bestow To make her amiable: on she came, Led by her heav'nly Maker, though unseen, And guided by his voice, nor uninform'd Of nuptial sanctity and marriage rites.
Grace was in all her steps, heav'n in her eye,
In every gesture dignity and love.
I overjoy'd could not forbear aloud:
This turn hath made amends; thou hast fulfil'd Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign, Giver of all things fair, but fairest this Of all thy gifts, nor enviest. I now see Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, myself Before me; woman is her name, of man Extracted; for this cause he shall forego Father and mother, and to his wife adhere; And they shall be one flesh, one heart, one soul. She heard me thus, and though divinely brought, Yet innocence and virgin modesty,
Her virtue and the conscience of her worth, That would be woo'd, and not unsought be won, Not obvious, not obtrusive, but retir'd, The more desirable, or to say all,
Nature herself, though pure of sinful thought, Wrought in her so, that seeing me, she turn'd; I follow'd her, she what was honour knew, And with obsequious majesty approved My pleaded reason. To the nuptial bower I led her blushing like the morn: all heav'n, And happy constellations on that hour Shed their selectest influence; the earth Gave sign of gratulation, and each hill; Joyous the birds; fresh gales and gentle airs Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings Flung rose, flung odours from the spicy shrub, Disporting, till the amorous bird of night Sung spousal, and bid haste the evening star On his hill top, to light the bridal harp.
Thus have I told thee all my state, and brought
My story to the sum of earthly bliss Which I enjoy, and must confess to find In all things else delight indeed, but such As us'd or not, works in the mind no change, Nor vehement desire, these delicacies
I mean of taste, sight, smell, herbs, fruits, and flow'rs, Walks, and the melody of birds; but here Far otherwise, transported I behold, Transported touch; here passion first I felt, Commotion strange, in all enjoyment else Superior and unmov'd, here only weak Against the charm of beauty's pow'rful glance Or nature fail'd in me, and left some part Not proof enough such object to sustain, Or from my side subducting, took perhaps More than enough; at least on her bestow'd Too much of ornament, in outward show Elaborate, of inward less exact.
For well I understand in the prime end Of nature her th' inferior, in the mind And inward faculties, which most excel, In outward also her resembling less
His image who made both, and less expressing The character of that dominion given O'er other creatures; yet when I approach Her loveliness, so absolute* she seems And in herself complete, so well to know Her own, that what she wills to do or say, Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best; All higher knowledge in her presence falls Degraded, wisdom in discourse with her Loses discount'nanc'd, and like folly shows; Authority and reason on her wait, As one intended first, not after made Occasionally; and to consummate all, Greatness of mind and nobleness their seat Build in her loveliest, and create an awe About her as a guard angelic plac'd.
To whom the angel with contracted brow: Accuse not nature, she hath done her part; Do thou but thine, and be not diffident Of wisdom, she deserts thee not, if thou
* "So absolute;" finished,
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