Raphael, at the request of Adam, relates how and wherefore this world was first created; that God, after the expelling of Satan and his Angels out of Heaven, declared his pleasure to create another world, and other creatures to dwell therein; sends his Son with glory and attendance of Angels to perform the work of creation in six days; the Angels celebrate with hymns the performance thereof, and his re-ascension into Heaven.
DESCEND from Heaven, Urania, by that name If rightly thou art call'd, whose voice divine Following, above the Olympian hill I soar, Above the flight of Pegasean wing. The meaning, not the name, I call: for thou Nor of the muses nine, nor on the top Of old Olympus dwell'st, but, heavenly born, Before the hills appear'd, or fountain flow'd, Thou with eternal Wisdom didst converse, Wisdom thy sister, and with her didst play, In presence of the almighty Father, pleased With thy celestial song. Up led by thee, Into the Heaven of Heavens, I have presumed, An earthly guest, and drawn empyreal air, Thy tempering with like safety, guided down, Return me to my native element: Lest from this flying steed unrein'd, as once Bellerophon, though from a lower clime, Dismounted, on the Aleian field i fall, Erroneous there to wander, and forlorn. Half yet remains unsung; but narrower bound Within the visible diurnal sphere: Standing on earth, not rapt above the pole, More safe I sing, with mortal voice, unchanged To hoarse or mute, though fall'n on evil days, On evil days though fall'n, and evil tongues; In darkness, and with dangers compass'd round, And solitude; yet not alone, while thou Visit'st my slumbers nightly, or when morn Purples the east: still govern thou my song, Urania, and fit audience find, though few. But drive far off the barbarous dissonance Of Bacchus and the revellers, the race Of that wild rout that tore the Thracian bard In Rhodope, where woods and rocks had ears To rapture, till the savage clamour drown'd Both harp and voice; nor could the muse defend
So fail not thou, who thee implores ; For thou art heavenly, she an empty dream. Say goddess, what ensued when Raphael, The affable arch angel, had foreward Adam, by dire example, to beware Apostacy, by what befel in Heaven To those apostates, lest the like befall In Paradise to Adam or his race, Charged not to touch the interdicted tree, If they transgress, and slight that sole command, So easily obey'd, amid the choice
Of all tastes else to please their appetite, Though wandering. He, with his consorted Eve, The story heard attentive, and was fill'd With admiration and deep muse, to hear Of things so high & strange, things to their though So unimaginable, as hate in Heaven, And war so near the peace of God in bliss, With such confusion: but the evil, soon Driven back, redounded as a flood on those From whom it sprung, impossible to mix With blessedness. Whence, Adam soon repeal'd The doubts that in his heart arose and now Led on, yet sinless, with desire to know What nearer might concern him, how this world Of Heaven and Earth, conspicuous, first began ; When, and whereof created, for what cause, What within Eden, or without, was done Before his memory, as one whose drought Yet scarce allay'd, still eyes the current stream, Whose liquid murmur heard, new thirst excites, Proceeded thus to ask his heavenly guest.
"Great things, and full of wonder in our ears, Far differing from this world, thou hast reveal'd, Divine interpreter, by favour sent, Down from the empyrean, to forewarn Us timely, of what might else have been our loss, Unknown, which human knowledge could not reach For which, to the Infinitely Good, we owe Immortal thanks, and his admonishment Receive, with solemn purpose to observe Immutably his sovereign will, the end Of what we are. But since thou hast vouchsafed Gently for our instruction, to impart
Things above earthly thought, and yet concern'd, Our knowing, as to highest wisdom seem'd,
Deign to descend now lower, and relate
What may no less perhaps avail us known ; How first began this Heaven, which we behold Distant so high, with moving fires adorn'd, Innumerable, and this which yields or fills All space, the ambient air, wide interfused, Embracing round this florid earth: what cause Moved the Creator, in his holy rest, Through all eternity so late to build In Chaos, and the work begun, how soon Absolved; if unforbid thou may'st unfold, What we, not to explore the secrets, ask Of his eternal empire, but the more To magnify his works, the more we know. And the great light of day yet wants to run
Much of his race, though steep; suspense in Heaven,
Held by thy voice, thy potent voice, he hears, And longer will delay to hear thee tell His generation, and the rising birth Of nature from the unapparent deep: Or if the star of evening, and the moon, Haste to thy audience, night with her will bring Silence, and sleep, listening to thee, will watch; Or we can bid his absence, till thy song End, and dismiss thee ere the morning shine." Thus Adam his illustrious guest besought: And thus the Godlike angel answer'd, mild.
"This also, thy request with caution ask'd, Obtain; though, to recount Almighty works, What words or tongue of seraph can suffice, Or heart of man suffice to comprehend?
Yet what thou canst attain, which best may serve
To glorify the Maker, and infer
Thee also happier, shall not be withheld
Thy hearing; such commission from above I have received, to answer thy desire Of knowledge, within bounds; beyond, abstain To ask, nor let thine own invention hope Things not reveal'd, which the invisible King, Only Omniscient, hath suppress'd in night, To none communicable, in Earth or Heaven: Enough 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 surfeit, and soon turns Wisdom to folly, as nourishment to wind,
"Know then, that after Lucifer from Heaven,
So call him, brighter once amidst the host Of angels, than that star the stars among, Fell with his flaming legions, through the deep, Into his place, and the great Son return'd Victorious with his saints; the omnipotent Eternal Father from his throne beheld Their multitude, and to his Son thus spake.
"At least our envious foe hath fail'd, who though All like himself rebellious, by whose aid This inaccessible high strength, the seat Of Deity supreme, us dispossess'd,
He trusted to have seized; and into fraud
Drew many, whom their place knows here no more: Yet far the greater part have kept, I see, Their station; Heaven, yet populous, retains Number sufficient to possess her realms, Though wide, and this high temple to frequent, With ministeries due, and solemn rites. But lest his heart exalt him, in the harm Already done, to have dispeopled Heaven, My damage fondly deem'd, I can repair That detriment, if such it be, to lose Self-lost; and in a moment will create Another world, out of one man a race Of men innumerable, there to dwell, Not here, till, by degrees of merit raised, They open to themselves at length the way Up hither, under long obedience tried;
And Earth be changed to Heaven, and Heaven to Earth, One kingdom, joy and union without end. Meanwhile inhabit lax, ye powers of Heaven, And thou my Word, begotten Son, by thee This I perform; speak thou, and be it done: My overshadowing Spirit and might with thee I send along; ride forth and bid the deep Within appointed bounds, be Heaven and Earth; Boundless the deep, because I am who fill Infinitude, nor vacuous the space. Though I uncircumscribed myself retire, And put not forth my goodness, which is free To act or not, necessity and chance Approach not me, and what I will is fate.'
"So spake the Almighty, and to what he spake, His word, the filial Godhead, gave effect. Immediate are the acts of God, more swift Than time or motion, but, to human ears, Cannot without process of speech be told,
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