And seems a moving land, and at his gills Draws in, and at his trunk spouts out, a sea, Meanwhile the tepid caves, and fens, and shores, Their brood as numerous hatch, from the egg, that, soon Bursting with kindly rupture, forth disclosed Their callow young; but feather'd soon, and fledge, They summ'd their pens, & soaring the air sublime, With clang despised the ground, under a cloud In prospect; there the eagle and the stork, On cliffs and cedar tops their eyries build: Part loosely wing the region; part more wise, In common, ranged in figure, wedge their way, Intelligent of seasons, and set forth Their airy caravan, high over seas Flying, and over lands, with mutual wing Easing their flight; so steers the prudent crane Her annual voyage, borne on winds; the air Floats, as they pass, fann'd with unnumber'd plumes: From branch to branch, the smaller birds with song Solaced the woods, and spread their painted wings, Till even, nor then the solemn nightingale Ceased warbling, but all night tuned her soft lays : Others, on silver lakes and rivers, bathed Their downy breast; the swan, with arched neck Between her white wings mantling, proudly rows Her state with oary feet; yet oft they quit The dank, and, rising on stiff pinions, tower The mid aerial sky: others on ground Walk'd firm: the crested cock, whose clarion sounds The silent hours, and the other, whose gay train Adorns him, colour'd with the florid hue Of rainbows and starry eyes. The waters thus With fish replenish'd, and the air with fowl, Evening and morn solemnized the fifth day.
The sixth, and of creation last, arose With evening harps and matin; when God said, 'Let the earth bring forth soul living in her kind, Cattle, and creeping things, and beast of the earth, Each in their kind." The earth obey'd, and straight, Opening her fertile womb, teem'd at a birth Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms, Limb'd and full grown out of the ground up rose, As from his lair, the wild beast, where he wons In forest wild, in thicket, brake, or den; Among the trees in pairs they rose, they walk'd: The cattle in the fields and meadows green; Those rare and solitary, these in flocks.
Pasturing at once, and in broad herds up sprung. The grassy clods now calved; now half appear'd The tawny lion, pawing to get free
His hinder parts, then springs, as broke from bonds, And rampant shakes his brinded mane; the ounce, The libbard, and the tiger, as the mole Rising, the crumbled earth above them threw In hillocks; the swift stag, from under ground, Bore up his branching head: scarce from his mould Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheaved His vastness: fleeced the flocks, and bleating, rose As plants: ambiguous between sea and land, The river horse, and scaly crocodile. At once came forth whatever creeps the ground, Insect or worm: those waved their limber fans, For wings, and smallest lineaments exact, In all the liveries deck'd of summer's pride, With spots of gold and purple, azure and green These, as a line, their long dimensions drew, Streaking the ground with sinnuous trace; not all Minims of nature; some of serpent kind, Wonderous in length and corpulence, involved Their snaky folds, and added wings. First crept The parsimonious emmet, provident
Of future, in small room large heart enclosed, Pattern of just equality perhaps
Hereafter, join'd in her popular tribes
Of commonalty; swarming next appear'd
The female bee, that feeds her husband drone
Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells,
With honey stored: The rest are numberless,
And thou their natures know'st, and gav'st them names,
Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown
The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field,
O huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes, And hairy mane terrific, though to thee Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.
'Now Heaven in all her glory shone, and roll'd Her motions, as the great first Mover's hand
First wheel'd their course; Earth, in her rich attire Consummate lovely, smiled; air, water, earth, By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walk'd, Frequent; and of the sixth day yet remain'd. There wanted yet the master-work, the end Of all yet done; a creature, who, not prone And brute, as other creatures, but endued With sanctity of reason, might erect
His stature, and upright, with front serene, Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence Magnanimous, to correspond with Heaven; But grateful, to acknowledge whence his good Descends; thither, with heart, and voice, and eyes, Directed in devotion, to adore
And worship God supreme, who made him chief
Of all his works; therefore the Omnipotent Eternal Father, for where is not he Present? thus to his Son audibly spake.
"Let us make now Man in our image, Man
In our similitude; and let them rule Over the fish, and fowl, of sea and air, Beast of the field, and over all the earth, And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.' This said, he form'd thee, Adam, thee, O Man! Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breathed The breath of life; in his own image he Created thee, in the image of God Express, and thou becamest a living soul. Male he created thee; but thy consort
Female, for race; then bless'd mankind, & said, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth; Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold,
Over fish of the sea, and fowl of the air,
And every living thing that moves on the earth. Wherever thus created, for no place
Is yet distinct by name. Thence, as thou know'st,
He brought thee into this delicious grove,
This garden, planted with the trees of God,
Delectable both to behold and taste;
And freely all their pleasant fruit for food
Gave thee; all sorts are here that all the earth yields 540
Variety without end; but of the tree,
Which tasted, works knowledge of good and evil,
Thou may'st not; in the day thou eat'st, thou diest: Death is the penalty imposed; beware,
And govern well thy appetite, lest Sin Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death.
"Here finish'd he; and all that he had made View'd, and behold all was entirely good; So even and morn accomplish'd the sixth day: Yet not till the Creator, from his work Desisting, though unwearied, up return'd, Up to the Heaven of Heavens, his high abode, Thence to behold this new-created world, The addition of his empire, how it show'd
In prospect from his throne, how good, how fair, Answering his great idea. Up he rode, Follow'd with acclamation, and the sound, Symphonious, of ten thousand harps, that tuned Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air Resounded; thou remember'st, for thou heardst; The Heavens, and all the constellations rung, The planets in their stations listening stood, While the bright pomp ascended jubilant. Open, ye everlasting gates,' they sung; Open, ye Heavens, your living doors; let in The great Creator, from his work return'd Magnificent-his six days' work, a world; Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign To visit oft the dwellings of just men, Delighted; and with frequent intercourse, Thither will send his winged messengers, On errands of supernal grace.' So sung The glorious train ascending: he through Heaven, That open'd wide her blazing portals, led To God's eternal house, direct the way, A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold, And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear, Seen in the galaxy, that milky way, Which nightly, as a circling zone thou seest,
Powder'd with stars. And now on earth the seventh Evening arose in Eden, for the sun
Was set, and twilight from the east came on Forerunning night; when, at the holy moun Of Heaven's high-seated top, the imperial throne Of Godhead, fix'd for ever firm and sure, The Filial Power arrived, and sat him down With his great Father; for he also went Invisible, yet stay'd, such privilege Hath Omnipresence, and the work ordain'd, Author and end of all things; and from work Now resting, bless'd and hallow'd the seventh day, As resting on that day from all his work; But not in silence holy kept: the harp Had work, and rested not, the solemn pipe, And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop, All sounds on fret, by string or golden wire, Temper'd soft tunings, intermix'd with voice, Choral or unison: of incense clouds, Fuming from golden censers, hid the mount. Creation, and the six days' acts, they sung:
"Great are thy works, Jehovah! infinite
Thy pow'r! what thought can measure thee, or tongue Relate thee? greater now in thy return,
Than from the giant angels; thee that day Thy thunders magnified; but to create, Is greater than created to destroy. Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bouna Thy empire? easily the proud attempt Of Spirits apostate, and their counsels vain, Thou hast repell'd, while impiously they thought Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw The number of thy worshippers. Who seeks To lessen thee, against his purpose, serves To manifest the more thy might his evil Thou usest, & from thence createst more good. Witness this new-made world, another Heaven, From Heaven-gate not far, founded in view On the clear hyaline, the glassy sea; Of amplitude almost immense, with stars Numerous, and every star perhaps a world Of destined habitation; but thou know'st Their seasons among these the seat of men, Earth with her nether ocean circumfused, Their pleasant dwelling-place. Thrice happy men, And sons of men, whom God hath thus advanced, Created in his image, there to dwell, And worship him, and in reward to rule Over his works, on earth, in sea, or air, And multiply a race of worshippers, Holy and just thrice happy, if they know Their happiness, and persevere upright.'
"So sung they, and the empyrean rung With hallelujahs: Thus was sabbath kept. And thy request think now fulfill'd, that ask'd, How first this world and face of things began, And what before thy memory was done, From the beginning, that posterity,
Inform'd by thee, might know; if else thou seek'st Ought, not surpassing human measure, say."
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