The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (13 page)

Gently o’er th’ accustomed oak—

Sweet bird that shunn’st the noise of folly,

Most musical, most melancholy!

Thee, chantress,
⁵⁷⁵
oft the woods among,

I woo
⁵⁷⁶
to hear thy even song,

And missing thee, I walk unseen

On the dry, smooth-shaven
⁵⁷⁷
green,

To behold the wand’ring moon

Riding near her highest noon

Like one that had been led astray

Through the Heav’ns’ wide pathless way,

And oft, as if her head she bowed,

Stooping through a fleecy cloud.

Oft on a plat
⁵⁷⁸
of rising ground

I hear the far-off curfew sound

Over some wide-watered shore,

Swinging slow with sullen
⁵⁷⁹
roar.

Or if the air will not permit,

Some still
⁵⁸⁰
removèd
⁵⁸¹
place will fit,

Where glowing embers through the room

Teach light to counterfeit a gloom,
⁵⁸²

Far from all resort of mirth,

Save the cricket on the hearth,

Or the bellman’s
⁵⁸³
drowsy charm
⁵⁸⁴

To bless the doors from nightly harm.

Or let my lamp, at midnight hour,

Be seen in some high lonely tow’r

Where I may oft out-watch the Bear,
⁵⁸⁵

With thrice great Hermes,
⁵⁸⁶
or unsphere

The spirit of Plato
⁵⁸⁷
to unfold
⁵⁸⁸

What worlds, or what vast regions, hold

The immortal mind that hath forsook

Her mansion
⁵⁸⁹
in this fleshly nook,
⁵⁹⁰

And of those daemons
⁵⁹¹
that are found

In fire, air, flood, or under ground,

Whose power hath a true consent
⁵⁹²

With planet, or with element.

Sometime let gorgeous
⁵⁹³
tragedy

In sceptered
⁵⁹⁴
pall
⁵⁹⁵
come sweeping by,

Presenting Thebes’,
⁵⁹⁶
or Pelops’ line,
⁵⁹⁷

Or the tale of Troy divine.

Or what (though rare) of later age

Ennobled hath the buskined
⁵⁹⁸
stage.

But, O sad virgin, that thy power

Might raise Musaeus
⁵⁹⁹
from his bower,

Or bid the soul of Orpheus sing

Such notes as, warbled to the string,

Drew iron tears down Pluto’s cheek

And made Hell grant what love did seek.

Or call up him
⁶⁰⁰
that left half told

The story of Cambuscan bold,

Of Camball, and of Algarsife,
⁶⁰¹

And who had Canace to wife,

That owned the virtuous ring and glass,

And who had Canace to wife, That owned the virtuous ring and glass,

And of the wondrous horse of brass

On which the Tartar king did ride.

And if ought else, great bards beside

In sage and solemn tunes have sung

Of tourneys,
⁶⁰²
and of trophies hung,

Of forests, and enchantments drear,

Where more is meant than meets the ear.
⁶⁰³

Thus night oft see me in thy pale career,
⁶⁰⁴

Till civil-suited
⁶⁰⁵
morn appear,

Not tricked
⁶⁰⁶
and frounced,
⁶⁰⁷
as she was wont

With the Attic boy
⁶⁰⁸
to hunt,

But kerchiefed in a comely cloud

While rocking winds are piping loud,

Or ushered with a shower still,

When the gust hath blown his fill,

Ending on the rustling leaves,

With minute drops from off the eaves.

And when the sun begins to fling

His flaring beams, me, goddess, bring

To archèd walks of twilight groves

And shadows brown that Sylvan
⁶⁰⁹
loves

Of pine, or monumental oak,

Where the rude
⁶¹⁰
ax, with heavèd
⁶¹¹
stroke,

Was never heard the nymphs to daunt

Or fright them from their hallowed haunt.
⁶¹²

There in close covert,
⁶¹³
by some brook,

Where no profaner
⁶¹⁴
eye may look,

Hide me from day’s garish
⁶¹⁵
eye,

While the bee, with honeyed thigh,

That at her flow’ry work doth sing,

And the waters murmuring

With such consort
⁶¹⁶
as they keep,

Entice the dewy-feathered sleep.

And let some strange mysterious dream

Wave at his wings, in airy stream

Of lively portraiture displayed,

Softly on my eye-lids laid.

And as I wake, sweet music breathe

Above, about, or underneath,

Sent by some spirit to mortals good,

Or th’ unseen genius
⁶¹⁷
of the wood.

But let my due
⁶¹⁸
feet never fail

To walk the studious cloisters’ pale
⁶¹⁹

And love the high embowèd
⁶²⁰
roof,

With antic pillars massy
⁶²¹
-proof,

And storied
⁶²²
windows richly dight,
⁶²³

Casting a dim religious light.

There let the pealing
⁶²⁴
organ blow

To the full voiced choir below,

In service high, and anthems clear,

As may with sweetness, through mine ear,

Dissolve me into ecstasies

And bring all Heav’n before mine eyes.

And may at last my weary age

Find out the peaceful hermitage,

The hairy gown and mossy cell

Where I may sit and rightly spell
⁶²⁵

Of every star that Heav’n doth shew,
⁶²⁶

And every herb that sips the dew,

Till old experience do attain

To something like prophetic strain.

These pleasures, Melancholy, give,

And I with thee will choose to live.

ARCADES

1633–34?

Part of an entertainment presented to the Countess

Dowager of Darby, at Harefield, by some noble persons of

her family, who appear on the scene in pastoral habit,

moving toward the seat of state, with this song:

1. Song

Look, nymphs, and shepherds, look!

What sudden blaze of majesty

Is that which we from hence descry,
⁶²⁷

Too divine to be mistook.

This, this is she

To whom our vows and wishes bend:

Here our solemn search hath end.

Fame, that her high worth to raise

Seemed erst so lavish and profuse,

We may justly now accuse

Of detraction from her praise.

Less than half we find expressed:

Envy bid conceal the rest.

Mark what radiant state she spreads

In circle round her shining throne,

Shooting her beams like silver threads!

This, this is she alone,

Sitting like a goddess bright

In the center of her light.

Might she the wise Latona
⁶²⁸
be,

Or the towered Cybele,
⁶²⁹

Mother of a hundred gods?

Juno dares not give her odds.
⁶³⁰

Who had thought this clime had held

A deity so unparall’ed?

As they come forward, the Genius of the Wood appears

and, turning toward them, says:

Gen. Stay, gentle
⁶³¹
swains,
⁶³²
for though in this disguise

I see bright honor sparkle through your eyes.

Of famous Arcady
⁶³³
ye are, and sprung

Of that renownèd flood
⁶³⁴
so often sung,

Divine Alphéus, who by secret sluice

Stole under seas, to meet his Arethuse.
⁶³⁵

And ye the breathing roses of the wood,

Fair silver-buskined
⁶³⁶
nymphs as great and good,

I know this quest of yours, and free
⁶³⁷
intent,

Was all in honor and devotion meant

To the great mistress of yon princely shrine,

Whom with low reverence I adore as mine,

And with all helpful service will comply

To further this night’s glad solemnity,