Before the Angel, and of him to ask
54
Chose4403 rather. He, she knew, would intermix
55
Grateful4404 digressions, and solve high dispute
56
With conjugal caresses: from his lip
57
Not words alone pleased her. (O! when meet 4405 now
58
Such pairs, in love and mutual honor joined?
59
With goddess-like demeanor forth she went,
60
Not unattended, for on her, as queen,
61
A pomp4406 of winning graces waited still,
62
And from about her shot darts of desire
63
Into all eyes, to wish her still in sight.
64
And Raphael now, to Adam’s doubt proposed,
65
Benevolent and facile, 4407 thus replied:
66
“To ask or search, I blame thee not, for Heav’n
67
Is as the book of God before thee set,
68
Wherein to read His wondrous works, and learn
69
His seasons, hours, or days, or months, or years.
70
This to attain,4408 whether Heav’n move or earth,
71
Imports4409 not if 4410 thou reckon4411 right. The rest
72
From man or Angel the great Architect
73
Did wisely to conceal, and not divulge
74
His secrets to be scanned4412 by them who ought
75
Rather admire, 4413 or if they list 4414 to try
76
Conjecture, He His fabric of the Heav’ns
77
Hath left to their disputes, perhaps to move
78
His laughter at their quaint4415 opinions wide4416
79
Hereafter. When they come to model 4417 Heav’n
80
And calculate the stars, how they will wield 4418
81
The mighty frame, how build, unbuild, contrive
82
To save4419 appearances,4420 how gird 4421 the sphere
83
With centric4422 and eccentric4423 scribbled o’er,
84
Cycle4424 and epicycle, 4425 orb4426 in orb.
85
Already by thy reasoning this I guess,
86
Who4427 art to lead thy offspring, and supposest
87
That bodies bright and greater should not serve
88
The less not bright, nor Heav’n such journeys run,
89
Earth sitting still, when she alone receives
90
The benefit.
“Consider, first, that great
91
Or bright infers4428 not excellence. The earth,
92
Though in comparison of Heav’n so small,
93
Nor glistering, 4429 may of solid good contain
94
More plenty than the sun that barren shines,
95
Whose virtue4430 on itself works no effect,
96
But in the fruitful earth, there first received,
97
His beams, unactive4431 else, 4432 their vigor4433 find.
98
Yet not to earth are those bright luminaries
99
Officious,4434 but to thee, earth’s habitant.
100
And for the Heav’n’s wide circuit, let it speak
101
The Maker’s high magnificence, who built
102
So spacious, and His line stretched out so far
103
That man may know he dwells not in his own,
104
An edifice too large for him to fill,
105
Lodged in a small partition,4435 and the rest
106
Ordained for uses to his Lord best known.
107
The swiftness of those circles attribute, 4436
108
Though numberless, to His Omnipotence,
109
That to corporeal substances could add
110
Speed almost spiritual. Me thou think’st not slow,
111
Who since the morning-hour set out from Heav’n
112
Where God resides, and ere mid-day arrived
113
In Eden—distance inexpressible
114
By numbers that have name. But this I urge, 4437
115
Admitting4438 motion in the Heav’ns, to show
116
Invalid that which thee to doubt it moved.4439
117
Not that I so affirm,4440 though so it seem
118
To thee who hast thy dwelling here on earth.
119
God, to remove His ways from human sense,
120
Placed Heav’n from earth so far, that earthly sight,
121
If it presume, might err in things too high,
122
And no advantage gain. What if the sun
123
Be center to the world? and other stars,
124
By his4441 attractive4442 virtue4443 and their own
125
Incited, dance about him various rounds?
126
Their wand’ring course now high, now low, then hid,
127
Progressive, 4444 retrograde, 4445 or standing still,
128
In six4446 thou see’st? And what if sev’nth to these
129
The planet earth, so steadfast though she seem,
130
Insensibly three different motions move,
131
Which else to several spheres thou must ascribe,
132
Moved contrary with thwart4447 obliquities,4448
133
Or save the sun his labor, and that swift
134
Nocturnal and diurnal rhomb4449 supposed,
135
Invisible4450 else above all stars, the wheel
136
Of day and night, which needs not thy belief
137
If earth, industrious4451 of herself, fetch4452 day
138
Travelling east, and with her part averse
139
From the sun’s beam meet night, her other part
140
Still luminous by his4453 ray? What if that light,
141
Sent from her 4454 through the wide transpicuous4455 air,
142
To the terrestrial moon be as a star,
143
Enlight’ning her4456 by day, as she 4457 by night
144
This earth, reciprocal, if land be there,
145
Fields and inhabitants? Her spots thou see’st
146
As clouds, and clouds may rain, and rain produce
147
Fruits in her softened soil for some to eat
148
Allotted 4458 there. And other suns perhaps,
149
With their attendant moons, thou wilt descry,
150
Communicating male and female light,4459
151
Which two great sexes animate the world,
152
Stored in each orb perhaps with some that live.
153
For such vast room4460 in Nature unpossessed
154
By living soul, desert 4461 and desolate,
155
Only to shine, yet scarce to contr
ibute4462
156
Each orb a glimpse of light, conveyed so far
157
Down to this habitable, 4463 which returns
158
Light back to them, is obvious to dispute. 4464
159
But whether thus these things, or whether not—
160
But whether the sun, predominant in Heav’n,
161
Rise on the earth, or earth rise on the sun—
162
He from the east his flaming road begin,
163
Or she from west her silent course advance,
164
With inoffensive4465 pace that spinning sleeps
165
On her soft axle, while she paces ev’n,4466
166
And bears thee soft with the smooth air along—
167
Solicit4467 not thy thoughts with matters hid.
168
Leave them to God above. Him serve, and fear!
169
Of other creatures, as Him pleases best,
170
Wherever placed, let Him dispose. Joy thou
171
In what He gives to thee, this Paradise
172
And thy fair Eve. Heav’n is for thee too high
173
To know what passes there. Be lowly 4468 wise,
174
Think only what concerns thee, and thy being.
175
Dream not of other worlds, what creatures there
176
Live, in what state, 4469 condition,4470 or degree,4471
177
Contented that thus far hath been revealed
178
Not of earth only, but of highest Heav’n.
179
To whom thus Adam, cleared of doubt, replied:
180
“How fully hast thou satisfied me, pure
181
Intelligence of Heav’n, Angel serene!
182
And, freed from intricacies,4472 taught to live
183
The easiest way, nor with perplexing thoughts
184
To interrupt the sweet of life, from which
185
God hath bid dwell far off all anxious cares,
186
And not molest4473 us, unless we ourselves
187
Seek them with wand’ring thoughts, and notions vain.
188
But apt the mind or fancy is to rove
189
Unchecked, and of her roving is no end,
190
Till warned, or by experience taught, she learn
191
That not to know at large4474 of things remote
192
From use, obscure and subtle, 4475 but to know
193
That which before us lies in daily life,
194
Is the prime wisdom. What is more, is fume4476
195
Or emptiness, or fond 4477 impertinence, 4478
196
And renders us, in things that most concern
197
Unpractised, unprepared, and still to seek.
198
Therefore from this high pitch4479 let us descend 4480
199
A lower flight, and speak of things at hand
200
Useful, whence haply, 4481 mention may arise
201
Of something not unseasonable to ask,
202
By sufferance, 4482 and thy wonted 4483 favor, deigned.
203
“Thee I have heard relating what was done
204
Ere my remembrance. Now, hear me relate
205
My story, which perhaps thou hast not heard.
206
And day is not yet spent—till then thou see’st
207
How subtly to detain thee I devise,
208
Inviting thee to hear while I relate.
209
Fond! 4484 were it not in hope of thy reply,
210
For while I sit with thee, I seem in Heav’n,
And sweeter thy discourse is to my ear
212
Than fruits of palm-tree pleasantest to thirst
213
And hunger both, from4485 labor, at the hour
214
Of sweet repast.4486 They satiate, 4487 and soon fill,
215
Though pleasant, but thy words, with grace divine
216
Imbued,4488 bring to their sweetness no satiety.”4489
217
To whom thus Raphael answered, Heav’nly meek:4490
218
“Nor are thy lips ungraceful, sire of men,
219
Nor tongue ineloquent. For God on thee
220
Abundantly His gifts hath also poured
221
Inward and outward both, His image fair.
222
Speaking or mute, 4491 all comeliness and grace
223
Attends thee, and each word, each motion4492 forms.4493
224
Nor less think we in Heav’n of thee on earth
225
Than of our fellow-servant, and inquire
226
Gladly into the ways of God with man,
227
For God, we see, hath honored thee, and set
228
On man His equal love. Say therefore on,
229
For I that day was absent, as befell,4494
230
Bound on a voyage uncouth4495 and obscure, 4496
231
Far on excursion4497 toward the gates of Hell,
232
Squared 4498 in full legion4499 (such command we had)
233
To see that none thence issued forth a spy
234
Or enemy, while God was in His work,
235
Lest He, incensed at such eruption4500 bold,
236
Destruction with creation might have mixed.
237
Not that they durst without His leave attempt—
238
But us He sends upon His high behests
239
For state, as Sov’reign King, and to inure4501
240
Our prompt obedience. 4502 Fast we found, fast shut,
241
The dismal gates, and barricado’d 4503 strong,
242
But long ere our approaching heard within
243
Noise, other than the sound of dance or song,
244
Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage.
245
Glad we returned up to the coasts of light
246
Ere sabbath-ev’ning: so we had in charge. 4504
247
But thy relation4505 now, for I attend,4506
248
Pleased with thy words no less than thou with mine.
249
So spoke the godlike Power, and thus our sire:
250
“For man to tell how human life began
251
Is hard, for who himself beginning knew?
252
Desire with thee still longer to converse
253
Induced 4507 me. As new waked from soundest sleep,
254
Soft on the flow’ry herb4508 I found me laid,
255
In balmy4509 sweat, which with his beams the sun
256
Soon dried, and on the reeking4510 moisture fed.
257
Straight toward Heav’n my wond’ring eyes I turned,
258
And gazed a whi
le the ample sky, till raised
259
By quick instinctive motion, up I sprung,
260
As thitherward endeavoring, and upright
261
Stood on my feet. About me round I saw
262