to the gate of Heaven, described ascending by | About him all the sanctities of Heaven stairs, and the waters above the firmament that Stood thick as stars, and from his sight received flow about it: his passage thence to the orb of Beatitude past utterance; on his right the Sun ; he finds there Uriel , the regent of that The radiant image of his glory sat, orb, but first changes himself into the shape of His only Son; on Earth he first beheld a meaner angel; and, pretending a zealous desire Our two first parents, yet the only two to behold the new creation, and Man whom of mankind, in the happy garden plac'd, God had placed here, inquires of him the place Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love, of his habitation, and is directed : alights first on Uninterrupted joy, unrivall'd love, mount Niphates. In blissful solitude; he then survey'd Hell and the gulf between, and Satan there Hair, holy Light, offspring of Heaven, first-born, Coasting the wall of Heaven on this side Night Or of the Eternal coeternal beam In the dun air sublime, and ready now May I express thee unblam'd ? since God is light, To stoop with wearied wings, and willing feet, And never but in unapproached light On the bare outside of this world, that seem'd Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee, Firm land imbosom'd without firmament, Bright effluence of bright essence increate. Uncertain which, in ocean or in air. Or hear'st thou rather, pure etherial stream, Him God beholding from his prospect high, Whose fountain who shall tell ? Before the Sun, Wherein past, present, future, he beholds, Before the Heavens thou wert, and at the voice Thus to his only Son foreseeing spake. Of God, as with a mantle, didst invest Only begotten Son, seest thou what rage The rising world of waters dark and deep, Transports our adversary? whom no bounds Won from the void and formless infinite. Prescrib’d, no bars of Hell, nor all the chains Thee I revisit now with bolder wing, Heap'd on him there, nor yet the main abyss Escap'd the Stygian pool, though long detain'd Wide interrupt, can hold ; so bent he seems In that obscure sojourn, while in my flight On desperate revenge, that shall redound Through utter and through middle darkness borne, Upon his own rebellious head. And now, With other notes than to the Orphéan lyre, Through all restraint broke loose, he wings his way I sung of Chaos and eternal Night; Not far off Heaven, in the precincts of light, Taught by the heavenly Muse tu venture down Directly towards the new-created world, The dark descent, and up to re-ascend, And Man there plac'd, with purpose to assay Though hard and rare : thee I revisit safe, If him by force he can destroy, or, worse, And feel thy sovran vital lamp; but thou By some false guile pervert; and shall pervert; Revisit’st not these eyes, that roll in vain For Man will hearken to his glozing lies, To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn ; And easily transgress the sole command, So thick a drop serene hath quench'd their orbs, Sole pledge of his obedience : so will fall Or dim suffusion veil'd. Yet not the more He and his faithless progeny. Whose fault? Cease I to wander, where the Muses haunt Whose but his own? Ingrate, he had of me Clear spring, or shady grove, or sunny hill, All he could have; I made himn just and right, Smit with the love of sacred song; but chief Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall. Thee, Sion, and the flowery brooks beneath, Such I created all the etherial powers That wash thy hallow'd feet, and warbling flow, And spirits, both them who stood, and them who Nightly I visit : nor sometimes forget fail'd; Those other two equall'd with me in fate, Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell. So were I equall’d with them in renown, Not free, what proof could they have given sincere Blind Thamyris, and blind Mæonides, Of true allegiance, constant faith, or love, And Tiresias, and Phineus, prophets old : Where only what they needs must do appear'd, Then feed on thoughts, that voluntary move Not what they would ? what praise could they reHarmonious numbers; as the wakeful bird ceive? Sings darkling, and in shadiest covert hid What pleasure I from such obedience paid, Tunes her nocturnal note. Thus with the year When will and reason (reason also is choice) Seasons return; but not to me returns Useless and vain, of freedom both despoil'd, Day, or the sweet approach of even or morn, Made passive both, had serv'd necessity, Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer's rose, Not me? They therefore, as to right belong'd, Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine ; So were created, nor can justly accuse Their maker, or their making, or their fate, Or high foreknowledge; they themselves decreed Which had no less prov'd certain unforeknown. Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers So without least impúlse or shadow of fate, Irradiate ; there plant eyes, all mist from thence Or aught by me immutably foreseen, Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell They trespass, authors to themselves in all Of things invisible to mortal sight. Both what they judge, and what they choose ; Now had the Almighty Father from above, From the pure empyréan where he sits I form'd them free : and free they must remain, High thron'd above all height, bent down his eye Till they enthral themselves; I else must change His own works and their works at once to view : Their nature, and revoke the high decree for so Unchangeable, eternal, which ordain'd My umpire, Conscience; whom if they will hear, Their freedom; they themselves ordain'd their fall. Liglit after light, well us’d they shall attain, The first sort by their own suggestion fell, And to the end, persisting, safe arrive. Self-tempted, self-deprav'd: Man falls, deceiv'd This my long sufferance, and my day of grace, By the other first : Man therefore shall find grace, They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste; The other none : in mercy and justice both, But hard be barden'd, blind be blinded more, Through Heaven and Earth, so shall my glory That they may stumble on, and deeper fall; excel : And none but such from mercy I exclude. Against the high supremacy of Heaven, To expiate his treason hath nought left, Beyond compare the Son of God was seen But to destruction sacred and devote, Most glorious : in him all his father shone He, with his whole posterity, must die, Substantially express’d; and in his face Die he or justice must; unless for him Divine compassion visibly appear'd, Some other able, and as willing, pay Love without end, and without measure grace, The rigid satisfaction, death for death. Which uttering, thus he to his Father spake : Say, heavenly powers, where shall we find such * 0, Father, gracious was that word which clos'd love ? Thy sovran sentence, that Man should find grace; Which of ye will be mortal, to redeem For which both Heaven and Earth shall high extol Man's mortal crime, and just the unjust to save ? Thy praises, with the innumerable sound Dwells in all Heaven charity so dear?” Of hymns and sacred songs, wherewith thy throne He ask'd, but all the heavenly quire stood mute, Encompass'd shall resound thee ever blest. And silence was in Heaven : on man's behalf For should man finally be lost, should man, Patron or intercessor none appear’d, The creature late so lov'd, thy youngest son, Much less that durst upon his own head draw Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though join'd The deadly forfeiture, and ransom set. With his own folly? That be from thee far, And now without redemption all mankind That far be from thee, Father, who art judge Must have been lost, adjudg'd to Death and Heli Of all things made, and judgest only right. By doom severe, had not the Son of God, Or shall the adversary thus obtain In whom the fulness dwells of love divine, His end, and frustrate thine; shall he fulfil His dearest mediation thus renew'd. His malice, and thy goodness bring to nought, “ Father, thy word is past, Man shall find grace ; Or proud return, though to his heavier doom, And shall grace not find ineans, that finds her way Yet with revenge accomplish'd, and to Hell The speediest of thy winged messengers, Draw after him the whole race of mankind, To visit all thy creatures, and to all By him corrupted? or wilt thou thyself Comes unprevented, unimplor'd, unsought ? Happy for Man, so coming; he her aid Behold me then ; me for him, life for life Account me Man ; I for his sake will leave Well pleas'd; on me let Death wreak all his rage ; Lie vanquish'd; thou hast given me to possess Freely vouchsafd; once more I will renew Life in myself for ever ; by thee I live, His lapsed powers, though forfeit, and enthrall’d Though now to Death I yield, and am his due By sin to foul exorbitant desires ; All that of me can die : yet, that debt paid, Lpheld by me, yet once more he shall stand Thou wilt not leave me in the loathsome grave On even ground against his inortai foe ; His prey, nor suffer my unspotted soul By me upheld, that he may know how frail For ever with corruption there to dwell; His fall’n condition is, and to me owe But I shall rise victorious, and subdue All his deliverance, and to none but me. My vanquisher, spoil'd of his vaunted spoil ; Some I have chosen of peculiar grace, Death his death's wound shall then receive, and Elect above the rest; so is my will: stoop The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warn'a Inglorious, of his mortal sting disarm’d. Their sinful state, and to appease betimes I through the ample air in triumph high The incensed Deity, while offer'd grace Shall lead Hell captive, maugre Hell, and show Invites; for I will clear their senses dark, The powers of darkness bound. Thou, at the What may suffice, and soften stony hearts sight pray, repent, and bring obedience due. Pleas'd, out of Heaven shalt look down and smile, To prayer, repentance, and obedience due, While, by thee rais'd, I ruin all my foes, Though but endeavour'd with sincere intent, Death last, and with his carcass glut the grave: Mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut. Then, with the multitude of my redeem'd, And I will place within them as a guide, Shall enter Heaven, long absent, and return, To Father, to see thy face, wherein no cloud Bad men and angels; they, arraign'd, shall sink Of anger shall remain, but peace assurd Beneath thy sentence; Hell, her numbers full, And reconcilement; wrath shall be no more Thenceforth shall be for ever shut. Meanwhile Thenceforth, but in thy presence joy entire." The world shall burn, and from her ashes spring His words here ended, but his meek aspect New Heaven and Earth, wherein the just shall Silent yet spake, and breath'd immortal love dwell, To mortal men, above which only shone And after all their tribulations long, Filial obedience: as a sacrifice See golden days, fruitful of golden deeds, Glad to be offer'd, he attends the will With joy and love triumphing, and fair truth. Of his great Father. Admiration seiz'd Then thou thy regal sceptre shalt lay by, All Heaven, what this might mean, and whither For regal sceptre then no more shall need, tend, God shall be all in all. But, all ye gods, Wondering ; but soon the Almighty thus replied. Adore him, who to compass all this dies, “ O thou in Heaven and Earth the only peace Adore the Son, and honour him as me. Found out for mankind under wrath! O thou No sooner had the Almighty ceas'd, but all My sole complacence! well thou know'st how dear The multitude of angels, with a shout To me are all my works, nor Man the least, Loud as from numbers without number, sweet Though last created; that for him I spare As from blest voices, uttering joy, Heaven rung Thee from my bosom and right hand to save, With jubilee, and loud Hosannas filld By losing thee awhile, the whole race lost. The eternal regions : lowly reverent Thou, therefore, whom thou only canst redeem, Towards either throne they bow, and to the ground Their nature also to thy nature join ; With solemn adoration down they cast And be thyself man among men on Earth, Their crowns inwove with amarant and gold; Made flesh, when time shall be, of virgin seed, Immortal amarant, a flower which once By wonderous birth : be thou in Adam's room In Paradise, fast by the tree of life, The head of all mankind, though Adam's son. Began to bloom ; but soon for man's offence As in him perish all men, so in thee, To Heaven remov'd where first it grew, there grows, As from a second root, shall be restor'd And flowers aloft shading the fount of life, As many as are restor'd, without thee none. And where the river of bliss through midst of His crime makes guilty all his sons; thy merit, Heaven Imputed, shall absolve them who renounce Rolls o'er Elysian flowers her amber stream. Their own both righteous and unrighteous deeds, With these that never fade the spirits elect And live in thee transplanted, and from thee Bind their resplendent locks inwreath'd with beams; Receive new light. So man, as is most just, Now in loose garlands thick thrown off, the bright Shall satisfy for man, be judg'd and die, Pavement, that like a sea of jasper shone, And dying rise, and rising with him raise Impurpled with celestial roses smil'd. His brethren, ransom'd with his own dear life. Then, crown'd again, their golden harps they took, So heavenly love shall outdo hellish hate, Harps ever tun'd, that glittering by their side Giving to death, and dying to redeem, Like quivers hung, and with preamble sweet So dearly to redeem what hellish hate Of charming symphony they introduce So easily destroy'd, and still destroys Their sacred song, and waken raptures high; In those who, when they may, accept not grace. No voice exempt, no voice but well could join Nor shalt thou, by descending to assume Melodious part, such concord is in Heaven. Man's nature, lessen or degrade thine own. Thee, Father, first they sung Omnipotent, Because thou hast, though thron’d in highest bliss Immutable, Immortal, Infinite, Equal to God, and equally enjoying Eternal King; thee Author of all being, God-like fruition, quitted all, to save Fountain of light, thyself invisible A world from utter loss, and hast been found Amidst the glorious brightness where thou sitst By merit more than birthright Son of God, Thron’d inaccessible, but when thou shad'st Found worthiest to be so by being good, The full blaze of thy beams, and, through a cloud Far more than great or high ; because in thee Drawn round about thee like a radiant shrine, Love hath abounded more than glory ahounds, Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appear, Therefore thy humiliation shall exalt Yet dazzle Heaven, that brightest seraphim With thee thy manhood also to this throne; Approach not, but with both wings veil their eyes Here shalt thou sit incarnate, here shalt reign Thee next they sang of all creation first, Both God and Man, Son both of God and Man, Begotten Son, Divine Similitude, Anointed universal King ; all power In whose conspicuous countenance, without cloud I give thee; reign for ever, and assume Made visible, the Almighty Father shines, Thy merits ; under thee, as head supreme, Whom else no creature can behold; on thee Thrones, princedoms, powers, dominions, I reduce : Impress'd the effulgence of his glory abides, All knees to thec shall bow, of them that bide Transfus'd on thee his airple Spirit rests. In Heaven, or Earth, or under Earth in Hell. He Heaven of Heavens and all the powers therein When thou, attended gloriously from Heaven, By thee created ; and by thee threw down Shalt in the sky appear, and from thee send The aspiring dominations : thou that day The summoning arch-angels to proclaim Thy Father's dreadful thunder didst not spare, Thy dread tribunal: forthwith from all winds Nor stop thy flaming chariot-wheels, that shook The living, and forthwith the cited dead Heaven's everlasting frame, while o'er the necks Of all past ages, to the general doom Thou drov'st of warring angels disarray’d. Shall hasten; such a peel shall rouse their sleep. Back from pursuit thy powers with loud acclaim Then, all thy saints assembled, thou shalt judge Thee only extoil'd, Son of thy Father's might, To execute fierce vengeance on his foes, Of Sennaar, and still with vain design Not so on Man: him, through their malice fall'n, New Babels, had they wherewithal, would huild : Father of mercy and grace, thou didst not doom Others came single; he, who to be deem'd So strictly, but much more to pity incline: A god, leap'd fondly into Ætna flames, No sooner did thy dear and only Son Empedocles; and he, who to enjoy Perceive thee purpos’d not to doom frail Man Plato's Elysium, leap'd into the sea, So strictly, but much more to pity inclin'd, Cleombrotus; and many more too long, He to appease thy wrath, and end the strife Embryos and idiots, eremites and friars Of mercy and justice in thy face discern'd, White, black, and gray, with all their trumpery. Regardless of the bliss wherein he sat Here pilgrims roam, that stray'd so far to seek Second to thee, offer'd himself to die In Golgotha him dead, who lives in Heaven; For Man's offence. O unexampled love, And they, who to be sure of Paradise, Lore no where to be found less than Divine ! Dying, put on the weeds of Dominic, Hail, Son of God, Saviour of Men! Thy name Or in Franciscan think to pass disguis'd; Shall be the copious matter of my song They pass the planets seven, and pass the fix’d, Henceforth, and never shall my harp thy praise And that crystalline sphere whose balance weighs Forget, nor from thy Father's praise disjoin. The trepidation talk'd, and that first mov'd Thus they in Heaven, above the starry sphere, And now Saint Peter at Heaven's wicket seems Their happy hours in joy and hymning spent. To wait them with his keys, and now at foot;, Meanwhile upon the firm opacous globe Of Heaven's ascent they lift their feet, when lo Of this round world, whose first convex divides A violent cross wind from either coast The luminous inferior orbs, enclos'd Blows them transverse, ten thousand leagues awry From Chaos, and the inroad of Darkness old, Into the devious air : then might ye see Satan alighted walks : a globe far off Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers, tost It seem'd, now seems a boundless continent And Autter'd into rags; then reliques, beads, Dark, waste, and wild, under the frown of Night Indulgences, dispenses, pardons, bulls, Starless expos'd, and ever-threatening storms The sport of winds : all these, upwhirl'd aloft, of Chaos blustering round, inclement sky; Fly o'er the backside of the world far off, Sive on that side which from the wall of Heaven, Into a Limbo large and broad, since callid Though distant far, some small reflection gains The Paradise of Fools, to few unknown Of glimmering air, less vex'd with tempest loud: Long after, now unpeopled and untrod. Here walk'd the fiend at large in spacious field. All this dark globe the fiend found as he pass'd, As when a vulture on Imaus bred, And long he wander'd, till at last a gleam Whose snowy ridge the roving Tartar bounds, Of dawning light turn'd thither-ward in haste Dislodging from a region scarce of prey, His travellid steps : far distant he descries To gorge the flesh of lambs or yeanling kids, Ascending by degrees magnificent un hills where flocks are fed, flies toward the Up to the wall of Heaven a structure high; springs At top whereof, but far more rich appear'd Of Ganges or Hydaspes, Indian streams The work as of a kingly palace-gate, But in his way lights on the barren plains With frontispiece of diamond and gold Of Sericana, where Chineses drive Embellish'd; thick with sparkling orient gems With sails and wind their cany waggons light: The portal shone, in imitable on Earth So, on this windy sea of land, the fiend By model, or by sha ding pencil, drawn. Walk'd up and down alone, bent on his prey ; The stairs were such as whereon Jacob saw Alone, for other creature in this place, Angels ascending and descen ding, bands Living or lifeless, to be found was none, Of guardians bright, when he from Esau fled None yet, but store hereafter from the Earth To Padan-Aram, in the field of Luz Up hither like aëreal vapours flew Dreaming by night under the open sky, Of all things transitory and vain, when sin And waking cried, “ This is the gate of Heaven.” With vanity had fill'd the works of men; Each stair mysteriously was meant, nor stood Of jasper, or of liquid pearl, whereon Wafted by angels, or flew o'er the lake The stairs were then let down, whether to dare All the unaccomplish'd works of Nature's hand, The fiend by easy ascent, or aggravate Abortive, monstrous, or unkindly mix'd, [lis sad exclusion from the doors of bliss : Dissolv'd on Earth, fleet hither, and in vain, Direct against which open'd from beneath, Till final dissolution, wander here; Just o'er the blissful seat of Paradise, Not in the neighbouring Moon, as some have A passage down to the Earth, a passage wide, Wider by far than that of after-times Those argent fields more likely habitants, Over mount Sion, and, though that were large, Translated saints, or middle spirits hold Over the Promis'd Land, to God so dear ; Betwixt the angelical and human kind. By which, to visit oft those happy tribes, Hither of ill-join'd sons and daughters born On high behests his angels to and fro First from the ancient world those giants came Pass'd frequent, and his eye with choice regard With many a vain'exploit, though then renown'd: From Paneas, the fount of Jordan's food, The builders next of Babel on the plain To Beërsaba, where the Holy Land ; dream'd; Borders on Egypt and the Arabian shore ; What wonder then if fields and regions here The arch-chymic Sun, so far from us remote, But all sun-shine, as when his beams at noon Culminate from the equator, as they now First seen, or some renown’d metropolis Shot upward still direct, whence no way round With glistering spires and pinnacles adorn'd, Shadow from body opaque can fall : and the air, Which now the rising Sun gilds with his beams : No where so clear, sharpen'd his visual ray Such wonder seiz'd, though after Heaven seen, To objects distant far, whereby he soon The spirit malign, but much more envy seiz'd, Saw within ken a glorious angel stand, At sight of all this world beheld so fair. The same whom John saw also in the Sun : Round he surveys (and well might, where he stood His back was turn’d, but not his brightness hid; So high above the circling canopy Of beaming sunny rays a golden tiar Illustrious on his shoulders, fledge with wings, Andromeda far off Atlantic seas Lay waving round; on some great charge employ'd Beyond the horizon ; then from pole to pole He seem'd, or fix'd in cogitation deep. He views in breadth, and without longer pause Glad was the spirit impure, as now in hope Down right into the world's first region throws To find who might direct his wandering tight His flight precipitant, and winds with ease To Paradise, the happy seat of Man, But first he casts to change his proper shape, Under a coronet his flowing hair Before his decent steps a silver wand. Or longitude,) where the great luminary He drew not nigh unheard ; the angel bright, Aloof the vulgar constellations thick, Ere he drew nigh, his radiant visage turn'd, That from his lordly eye keep distance due, Admonish d by his ear, and straight was known Dispenses light from far ; they, as they move The arch-angel Uriel, one of the seven Their starry dance in numbers that compute Who in God's presence, nearest to his throne, Days, months and years, towards his all-cheering Stand ready at command, and are his eyes lamp That run through all the Heavens, or down to the Turn swift their various motions, or are turn'd Earth By his magnetic beam, that gently warms Bear his swift errands over moist and dry, The universe, and to each inward part O'er sea and land : him Satan thus accosts. With gentle penetration, though unseen, “ Uriel, for thou of those seven spirits that stand Shoots invisible virtue even to the deep; In sight of God's high throne, gloriously bright, So wonderously was set his station bright. The first art wont his great authentic will Where all his sons thy embassy attend; Unspeakable desire to see, and know All these his works so wonderous he ordain'd, Ruby or topaz, to the twelve that shone Hath brought me from the quires of cherubim In Aaron's breast-plate, and a stone besides Alone thus wandering. Brightest seraph, tell Imagin'd rather oft than elsewhere seen, In which of all these shining orbs hath Man That stone, or like to that, which here below His fixed seat, or fixed seat hath none, Philosophers in vain so long have sought, But all these shining orbs his choice to dwell; In vain, though by their powerful art they bind That I may find him, and with secret gaze Volatile Hermes, and call up unbound Or open admiration him behold, In various shapes old Proteus from the sea, On whom the great Creator hath bestow'd Drain'd through a limbec to his native form. Worlds, and on whom hath all these graces pour'd: |