The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (105 page)

Read The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Online

Authors: John Milton,Burton Raffel

Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Literary Collections, #Poetry, #Classics, #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #English poetry

BOOK: The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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621

      

As leaves a greater store of fruit untouched,

622

      

Still hanging incorruptible, till men

623

      

Grow up to their provision,
4980
and more hands

624

      

Help to disburden Nature of her birth.”
4981

625

      

To whom the wily adder, blithe and glad:

626

      

   
“Empress, the way is ready, and not long.

627

      

Beyond a row of myrtles, on a flat,
4982

628

      

Fast
4983
by a fountain, one small thicket past

629

      

Of blowing myrrh and balm. If thou accept

630

      

My conduct,
4984
I can bring thee thither soon.

631

      

   
“Lead then,” said Eve. He, leading, swiftly rolled

632

      

In tangles, and made intricate seem straight,

633

      

To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy

634

      

Bright’ns his crest, as when a wand’ring fire,

635

      

Compact
4985
of unctuous
4986
vapor, which the night

636

      

Condenses, and the cold environs
4987
round,

637

      

Kindled through agitation
4988
to a flame,

638

      

Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends,
4989

639

      

Hovering and blazing with delusive light,

640

      

Misleads th’ amazed night-wanderer from his way

641

      

To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool,

642

      

There swallowed up and lost, from succor far.

643

      

So glistered the dire snake, and into fraud

644

      

Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree

645

      

Of prohibition,
4990
root of all our woe,

646

      

Which when she saw, thus to her guide she spoke:

647

      

   
“Serpent, we might have spared our coming hither,

648

      

Fruitless
4991
to me, though fruit be here to excess,

649

      

The credit
4992
of whose virtue rest with thee,

650

      

Wondrous indeed, if cause of such effects.

651

      

But of this tree we may not taste nor touch.

652

      

God so commanded, and left that command

653

      

Sole daughter
4993
of His voice. The rest, we live

654

      

Law to ourselves. Our reason is our law.

655

      

To whom the Tempter guilefully replied:

656

      

   
“Indeed! Hath God then said that of the fruit

657

      

Of all these garden-trees ye shall not eat,

658

      

Yet lords declared of all in earth or air?

659

      

To whom thus Eve, yet sinless:

 

      

“Of the fruit

660

      

Of each tree in the garden we may eat,

661

      

But of the fruit of this fair tree amidst

662

      

The garden, God hath said, ‘Ye shall not eat

663

      

Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

664

      

   
She scarce had said, though brief, when now more bold

665

      

The Tempter, but with show of zeal and love

666

      

To man, and indignation at his wrong,

667

      

New part
4994
puts on and, as
4995
to passion moved,

668

      

Fluctuates
4996
disturbed, yet comely
4997
and in act
4998

669

      

Raised as of some great matter to begin.
4999

670

      

As when of old some orator renowned,

671

      

In Athens or free Rome, where eloquence

672

      

Flourished, since mute! to some great cause addressed,
5000

673

      

Stood in himself collected, while each part,

674

      

Motion, each act, won audience ere the tongue,

675

      

Sometimes in height began, as no delay

676

      

Of preface brooking, through his zeal of right.
5001

677

      

So standing, moving, or to height up grown,

678

      

The Tempter, all impassioned, thus began:

679

      

   
“O sacred, wise, and wisdom-giving plant,

680

      

Mother of science!
5002
Now I feel thy power

681

      

Within me clear, not only to discern

682

      

Things in their causes, but to trace the ways

683

      

Of highest agents,
5003
deemed however
5004
wise.

684

      

Queen of this universe! Do not believe

685

      

Those rigid threats of death. Ye shall not die.

686

      

How should you? By the fruit? It gives you life

687

      

To knowledge. By the threat’ner?
5005
Look on me,

688

      

Me, who have touched and tasted, yet both live,

689

      

And life more perfect have attained than Fate

690

      

Meant me, by vent’ring
5006
higher than my lot.

691

      

Shall that be shut to man, which to the beast

692

      

Is open? Or will God incense
5007
His ire

693

      

For such a petty trespass? and not praise

694

      

Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain

695

      

Of death denounced,
5008
whatever thing death be,

696

      

Deterred not from achieving what might lead

697

      

To happier life, knowledge of good and evil?

698

      

Of good, how just? Of evil, if what is evil

699

      

Be real, why not known, since easier shunned?

700

      

God therefore cannot hurt ye, and be just—

701

      

Not just, not God. Not feared then, nor obeyed:

702

      

Your fear itself of death removes the fear.

703

      

Why then was this forbid? Why but to awe?

704

      

Why but to keep ye low and ignorant,

705

      

His worshippers? He knows that in the day

706

      

Ye eat thereof, your eyes that seem so clear,

707

      

Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then

708

      

Op’ned and cleared, and ye shall be as gods,

709

      

Knowing both good and evil, as they know.

710

      

That ye should be as gods, since I as man,

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