WOW morn her rofy steps in th' eastern clime Advancing, fow'd the earth with orient pearl, When Adam wak'd, so custom'd, for his sleep Was aery light from pure digeftion bred, And temp'rate vapors bland, which th' only found Of leaves and fuming rills, Aurora's fan, Lightly difpers'd, and the shrill matin fong Of birds on every bough; fo much the more His wonder was to find unwaken'd Eve With treffes difcompos'd, and glowing cheek, As through unquiet reft: he on his fide Leaning half rais'd, with looks of cordial love Hung over her enamour'd, and beheld Beauty, which, whether waking or asleep, Shot forth peculiar graces; then with voice Mild, as when Zephyrus on Flora breathes, Her hand foft touching, whisper'd thus. Awake My faireft, my efpous'd, my lateft found, Heav'n's last best gift, my ever new delight, Awake; the morning fhines, and the fresh field Calls us; we lofe the prime, to mark how spring Our tended plants, how blows the citron grove,
What drops the myrrh, and what the balmy reed, How nature paints her colors, how the bee Sits on the bloom extracting liquid fweet. Such whifp'ring wak'd her, but with startled eye On Adam, whom embracing thus she spake.
O fole in whom my thoughts find all repose, My glory, my perfection, glad I fee Thy face, and morn return'd; for I this night (Such night till this I never pafs'd) have dream'd, If dream'd, not as I oft am wont, of thee, Works of day paft, or morrow's next defign, But of offenfe and trouble, which my mind Knew never till this irksome night: methought 35 Close at mine ear one call'd me forth to walk With gentle voice, I thought it thine; it faid, Why fleep'ft thou, Eve? now is the pleasant time, The cool, the filent, fave where filence yields To the night-warbling bird, that now awake Tunes sweetest his love-labor'd fong; now reigns Full orb'd the moon, and with more pleasing light Shadowy fets off the face of things; in vain, If none regard; Heav'n wakes with all his eyes, Whom to behold but thee, Nature's defire ? In whofe fight all things joy, with ravishment Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze.
I rofe as at thy call, but found thee not; To find thee I directed then my walk;
And on, methought, alone I pafs'd through ways 50 That brought me on a fudden to the tree Of interdicted knowledge: fair it seem'd,
Much fairer to my fancy than by day:
And as I wond'ring look'd, befide it flood
One fhap'd and wing'd like one of those from Heaven By us oft feen; his dewy locks diftill'd Ambrofia; on that tree he also gaz'd;
And O fair plant, faid he, with fruit furcharg❜d, Deigns none to ease thy load and tafte thy sweet, Nor God, nor Man? is knowledge fo defpis'd? Or envy' or what referve forbids to taste ? Forbid who will, none fhall from me withhold Longer thy offer'd good, why else set here? This faid, he paus'd not, but with ventrous arm He pluck'd, he tafted; me damp horror chill'd At fuch bold words vouch'd with a deed fo bold: But he thus overjoy'd, O fruit divine, Sweet of thyfelf, but much more sweet thus cropt, Forbidden here, it feems, as only fit
For Gods, yet able to make Gods of Men:
And why not Gods of Men, fince good, the more Communicated, more abundant grows,
The author not impair'd, but honor'd more? Here, happy creature, fair angelic Eve, Partake thou alfo; happy though thou art, Happier thou may'ft be, worthier canft not be: Tafte this, and be henceforth among the Gods Thyfelf a Goddefs, not to earth confin'd, But fometimes in the air, as we, fometimes Afcend to Heav'n, by merit thire, and fee
What life the Gods live there, and fuch live thou.
So faying, he drew nigh, and to me held,
Book V. Ev'n to my mouth of that same fruit held part Which he had pluck'd; the pleasant savory smell So quicken'd appetite, that I, methought, 85 Could not but tafte. Forthwith up to the clouds With him I flew, and underneath beheld The earth outstretch'd immense, a prospect wide And various: wondring at my flight and change To this high exaltation; fuddenly
My guide was gone, and I, methought, funk down, And fell asleep; but O how glad I wak'd To find this but a dream! Thus Eve her night Related, and thus Adam anfwer'd fad
Beft image of myself and dearer half, The trouble of thy thoughts this night in fleep Affects me equally; nor can I like This uncouth dream, of evil sprung I fear; Yet evil whence? in thee can harbour none, Created pure. But know that in the foul Are many leffer faculties, that ferve Reason as chief; among these fancy next Her office holds; of all external things, Which the five watchful fenfes reprefent, She forms imaginations, aery fhapes, Which reafon joining or disjoining, frames All what we' affirm or what deny, and call Our knowledge or opinion; then retires Into her private cell when nature rests. Oft in her abfence mimic fancy wakes To imitate her; but misjoining fhapes, Wild works produces oft, and moft in dreams,
Ill matching words and deeds long paft or late. Some fuch resemblances methinks I find Of our laft evening's talk, in this thy dream, But with addition strange! yet be not fad. Evil into the Mind of God or Man May come and go, fo unapprov'd, and leave No spot or blame behind: Which gives me hope That what in fleep thou didst abhor to dream, Waking thou never wilt confent to do.
Be not dishearten'd then, nor cloud those looks, That wont to be more chearful and ferene, Than when fair morning firft fmiles on the world; And let us to our fresh employments rise
groves, the fountains, and the flowers now their choiceft bofom'd smells,
Referv'd from night, and kept for thee in ftore.
So chear'd he his fair spouse, and she was chear'd,
But filently a gentle tear let fall
From either eye, and wip'd them with her hair;
Two other precious drops that ready stood, Each in their crystal fluce, he ere they fell Kifs'd, as the gracious figns of fweet remorfe And pious awe, that fear'd to have offended. So all was clear'd, and to the field they hafte. But first, from under fhady arbo'rous roof Soon as they forth were come to open fight Of day-fpring, and the fun, who fcarce up rifen, With wheels yet hovering o'er the ocean brim, Shot parallel to the earth his dewy ray, Discovering in wide landskip all the east
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