72
Divine interpreter!4134 by favor sent
73
Down from the empyrean, to forewarn
74
Us timely of what might else have been our loss,
75
Unknown, which human knowledge could not reach.
76
For which to the infinitely Good we owe
77
Immortal thanks, and His admonishment
78
Receive, with solemn purpose to observe
79
Immutably His sov’reign will, the end4135
80
Of what we are. But since thou hast vouchsafed 4136
81
Gently, 4137 for our instruction, to impart
82
Things above earthly thought, which yet concerned
83
Our knowing, as to highest wisdom seemed,
84
Deign to descend now lower, and relate
85
What may no less perhaps avail us, known,
86
How first began this Heav’n which we behold
87
Distant so high, with moving fires adorned
88
Innumerable, and this which yields or fills
89
All space, the ambient 4138 air wide interfused 4139
90
Embracing round this florid4140 earth. What cause
91
Moved the Creator, in His holy rest 4141
92
Through all eternity, so late 4142 to build
93
In Chaos, and the work begun, how soon
94
Absolved.4143 If unforbid thou may’st unfold
95
What we, not to explore the secrets, ask
96
Of His eternal empire, but the more
97
To magnify His works, the more we know.
98
And the great light of day yet wants4144 to run
99
Much of his race, though steep. Suspense in Heav’n,
100
Held by thy voice, thy potent voice he hears,
101
And longer will delay to hear thee tell
102
His generation,4145 and the rising birth
103
Of Nature from the unapparent4146 deep.4147
104
Or if the star of ev’ning and the moon
105
Haste to thy audience, night with her will bring
106
Silence—and sleep, list’ning to thee, will watch,4148
107
Or we can bid 4149 his absence till thy song
108
End, and dismiss4150 thee ere the morning shine.
109
Thus Adam his illustrious guest besought,4151
110
And thus the godlike Angel answered mild:
111
“This also thy request, with caution asked,
112
Obtain, though to recount Almighty works
113
What words or tongue of Seraph can suffice,
114
Or heart of man suffice to comprehend?
115
Yet what thou canst attain,4152 which best may serve
116
To glorify the Maker, and infer 4153
117
Thee also happier, shall not be withheld
118
Thy hearing. Such commission from above
119
I have received, to answer thy desire
120
Of knowledge within bounds. Beyond,4154 abstain
121
To ask, nor let thine own inventions4155 hope
122
Things not revealed, which the invisible King,
123
Only 4156 Omniscient, hath suppressed 4157 in night,
124
To none communicable in earth or Heaven:
125
126
But knowledge is as food, and needs no less
127
Her temp’rance over appetite, to know
128
In measure what the mind may well contain,
129
Oppresses else with surfeit, and soon turns
130
Wisdom to folly, as nourishment to wind.
131
“Know then, that after Lucifer from Heav’n
132
(So call him, brighter once amidst the host
133
Of Angels than that star 4158 the stars among)
134
Fell with his flaming legions through the deep
135
Into his place, and the great Son returned
136
Victorious with his Saints, the Omnipotent
137
Eternal Father from His throne beheld
138
Their multitude, and to His Son thus spoke:
139
“‘At last our envious foe hath failed, who thought
140
All4159 like himself rebellious, by whose aid
141
This inaccessible high strength, the seat
142
Of Deity supreme, us dispossessed,
143
He trusted to have seized, and into fraud
144
Drew many, whom their place knows here no more.
145
Yet far the greater part have kept, I see,
146
Their station.4160 Heaven, yet populous, retains
147
Number sufficient to possess4161 her realms
148
Though wide, and this high temple to frequent4162
149
With ministeries4163 due, and solemn rites.
150
But lest his heart exalt him in the harm
151
Already done, to have dispeopled Heav’n,
152
My damage fondly 4164 deemed,4165 I can repair
153
That detriment,4166 if such it be to lose
154
Self-lost, and in a moment will create
155
Another world, out of one man a race
156
Of men innumerable, there to dwell,
157
Not here, till by degrees of merit raised
158
They open to themselves at length the way
159
Up hither, under long obedience tried,4167
160
And earth be changed to Heav’n, and Heav’n to earth,
161
One kingdom, joy and union without end.
162
Meanwhile inhabit lax,4168 ye Powers of Heav’n,
163
And thou my Word, begotten Son, by thee
164
This I perform. Speak thou, and be it done!
165
My overshadowing4169 Spirit and Might with thee
166
I send along. Ride forth, and bid the deep
167
Within appointed bounds be Heav’n and earth—
168
Boundless the deep, because I Am who fill
169
Infinitude, nor vacuous the space.
170
Though I, uncircumscribed myself, retire,
171
And put not forth my goodness, which is free
172
To act or not, necessity and chance
173
Approach not me, and what I will is fate.
174
“So spoke th’Almighty and, to what He spoke,
175
His Word, the Filial Godhead gave effect.
176
Immediate are the acts of God, more swift
177
Than time or motion, but to human ears
178
Cannot without process of speech be told,
179
So told as earthly notion can receive.
180
Great triumph and rejoicing was in Heav’n,
181
When such was heard declared th’Almighty’s will.
182
Glory they sung to the Most High, good will
183
To future men, and in their dwellings peace
184
Glory to Him, whose just avenging ire
185
Had driven out the ungodly from His sight
186
And th’ habitations of the just; to Him
187
Glory and praise, whose wisdom had ordained
188
Good out of evil to create, instead
189
Of Spirits malign a better race to bring
190
Into their vacant room,4170 and thence diffuse
191
His good to worlds and ages infinite.
192
So sang the Hierarchies.4171
“Meanwhile the Son
193
On his great expedition now appeared,
194
Girt with Omnipotence, with radiance crowned
195
Of Majesty Divine. Sapience4172 and love
196
Immense, and all his Father in him shone.
197
About his chariot numberless were poured
198
Cherub, and Seraph, Potentates, and Thrones,
199
And Virtues, wingèd Spirits, and chariots winged
200
From th’ armory4173 of God, where stand of old
201
Myriads, between two brazen4174 mountains lodged 4175
202
Against a solemn day, harnessed at hand,
203
Celestial equipage, 4176 and now came forth
204
Spontaneous,4177 for within them Spirit lived,
205
Attendant on their Lord. Heav’n op’ned wide
206
Her ever-during4178 gates, harmonious sound
207
On golden hinges moving, to let forth
208
The King of Glory, in his powerful Word
209
And Spirit, coming to create new worlds.
210
On Heav’nly ground they stood, and from the shore
211
They viewed the vast immeasurable abyss
212
Outrageous4179 as a sea, dark, wasteful,4180 wild,
213
Up from the bottom turned by furious winds
214
And surging waves, as mountains, to assault
215
Heav’n’s height, and with the center mix the pole.
216
“‘Silence, ye troubled waves, and thou, deep: peace!
217
Said then the Omnific 4181 Word. ‘Your discord end!
218
Nor stayed but on the wings of Cherubim
219
Uplifted, in paternal glory rode
220
Far into Chaos and the world unborn,
221
For Chaos heard His voice. Him all his train
222
Followed in bright procession, to behold
223
Creation, and the wonders of His might.
224
Then stayed the fervid 4182 wheels, and in His hand
225
He took the golden compasses, prepared
226
In God’s eternal store, to circumscribe4183
227
This universe, and all created things.
228
One foot He centered, and the other turned
229
Round through the vast profundity4184 obscure.
230
And said: ‘Thus far extend, thus far thy bounds,
231
This be thy just circumference, O world!
232
Thus God the Heav’n created, thus the earth,
233
Matter unformed and void. Darkness profound4185
234
Covered the abyss, but on the wat’ry calm
235
His brooding wings the Spirit of God outspread,
236
And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth
237
Throughout the fluid mass, but downward purged 4186
238
The black tartareous4187 cold infernal dregs,
239
Adverse to life. Then founded,4188 then conglobed4189
240
Like things to like; the rest to several place
241
Disparted,4190 and between4191 spun out the air,
242
And earth self-balanced on her center hung.
243
‘Let there be light,’ said God, and forthwith light
244
Ethereal,4192 first of things, quintessence4193 pure,
245
Sprung from the deep, and from her native east
246
To journey through the airy gloom began,
247
Sphered in a radiant cloud, for yet the sun
248
Was not; she4194 in a cloudy tabernacle4195
249
Sojourned 4196 the while. God saw the light was good,
250
And light from darkness by the hemisphere
251
Divided; light the Day, and darkness Night
252
He named. Thus was the first day, ev’n and morn,
253
Nor passed uncelebrated, nor unsung
254
By the celestial choirs, when orient4197 light
255
Exhaling4198 first from darkness they beheld,
256
Birth-day of Heav’n and earth. With joy and shout
257
The hollow universal orb they filled,
258
And touched their golden harps, and hymning praised
259
God and His works. Creator Him they sung,
260
Both when first ev’ning was, and when first morn.
261
Again, God said: ‘Let there be firmament4199
262
Amid the waters, and let it divide
263
The waters from the waters. ’And God made
264
The firmament, expanse of liquid, pure,
265
Transparent, elemental air, diffused
266
In circuit to the uttermost convex
267
Of this great round, partition4200 firm and sure,
268
The waters underneath from those above
269
Dividing, for as earth, so He the world
270
Built on circumfluous4201 waters calm, in wide
271
Crystalline ocean, and the loud 4202 misrule4203
272
Of Chaos far removed,4204 lest fierce extremes
273
Contiguous4205 might distemper4206 the whole frame.
274
And Heav’n He named the firmament. So ev’n
275
And morning chorus sung the second day.
276
“The earth was formed, but in the womb as yet
277
Of waters, embryon4207 immature involved,4208
278
Appeared not. Over all the face of earth
279
Main ocean flowed, not idle4209 but with warm
280
Prolific
4210 humor4211 soft’ning all her globe,
281
Fermented 4212 the great mother to conceive,
282
Satiate with genial4213 moisture, when God said:
283
‘Be gathered now ye waters under Heav’n