The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (139 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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537

      

Rarely be found.

“So shall the world go on,

538

      

To good malignant, to bad men benign,

539

      

Under her own weight groaning, till the day

540

      

Appear of respiration
6435
to the just

541

      

And vengeance to the wicked, at return

542

      

Of him so lately promised to thy aid,

543

      

The woman’s seed, obscurely then foretold,

544

      

Now ampler known thy Savior and thy Lord,

545

      

Last
6436
in the clouds from Heav’n to be revealed

546

      

In glory of the Father, to dissolve

547

      

Satan with his perverted world, then raise

548

      

From the conflagrant
6437
mass, purged and refined,

549

      

New Heav’ns, new earth, ages of endless date,
6438

550

      

Founded in righteousness, and peace, and love—

551

      

To bring forth fruits, joy and eternal bliss.”

552

      

He ended, and thus Adam last
6439
replied:

553

      

   
“How soon hath thy prediction, seer
6440
blest,

554

      

Measured
6441
this transient world, the race
6442
of time,

555

      

Till time stand fixed! Beyond is all abyss,

556

      

Eternity, whose end no eye can reach.

557

      

Greatly-instructed I shall hence depart,

558

      

Greatly in peace of thought, and have my fill

559

      

Of knowledge, what this vessel can contain,

560

      

Beyond which was my folly to aspire.

561

      

Henceforth I learn that to obey is best,

562

      

And love with fear the only God; to walk

563

      

As in His presence, ever to observe

564

      

His providence, and on Him sole depend,

565

      

Merciful over
6443
all His works, with good

566

      

Still
6444
overcoming evil, and by small

567

      

Accomplishing great things, by things deemed weak

568

      

Subverting
6445
worldly strong, and worldly wise

569

      

By simply meek; that suffering for truth’s sake

570

      

Is fortitude to highest victory

571

      

And, to the faithful, death the gate of life,

572

      

Taught this by his example, whom I now

573

      

Acknowledge my Redeemer ever blest.”

574

      

To whom thus also th’ Angel last
6446
replied:

575

      

   
“This having learned, thou hast attained the sum

576

      

Of wisdom. Hope no higher, though all the stars

577

      

Thou knew’st by name, and all the ethereal powers,

578

      

All secrets of the deep, all Nature’s works,

579

      

Or works of God in Heav’n, air, earth, or sea,

580

      

And all the riches of this world enjoyd’st,

581

      

And all the rule, one empire. Only add

582

      

Deeds to thy knowledge answerable,
6447
add faith,

583

      

Add virtue, patience, temperance, add love,

584

      

By name to come called charity, the soul

585

      

Of all the rest. Then wilt thou not be loath

586

      

To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess

587

      

A Paradise within thee, happier far.

588

      

   
“Let us descend now therefore from this top
6448

589

      

Of speculation,
6449
for the hour precise
6450

590

      

Exacts
6451
our parting hence. And see the guards,

591

      

By me encamped on yonder hill! Expect
6452

592

      

Their motion, at whose front
6453
a flaming sword,

593

      

In signal of remove,
6454
waves fiercely
6455
round.

594

      

We may no longer stay. Go, waken Eve.

595

      

Her also I with gentle dreams have calmed,

596

      

Portending
6456
good, and all her spirits composed
6457

597

      

To meek
6458
submission. Thou, at season fit,
6459

598

      

Let her with thee partake
6460
what thou hast heard,

599

      

Chiefly what may concern her faith to know,

600

      

The great deliverance by her seed to come

601

      

(For by the woman’s seed) on all mankind,

602

      

That ye may live, which will be many days,

603

      

Both in one faith unanimous,
6461
though sad,

604

      

With cause, for evils past, yet much more cheered

605

      

With meditation
6462
on the happy end.”

606

      

   
He ended, and they both descend the hill.

607

      

Descended Adam to the bow’r where Eve

608

      

Lay sleeping, ran before, but found her waked,

609

      

And thus with words not sad she him received:

610

      

   
“Whence thou return’st, and whither went’st, I know,

611

      

For God is also in sleep, and dreams advise,
6463

612

      

Which He hath sent propitious,
6464
some great good

613

      

Presaging, since with sorrow and heart’s distress

614

      

Wearied I fell asleep. But now lead on:

615

      

In me is no delay. With thee to go

616

      

Is to stay here. Without thee here to stay

617

      

Is to go hence unwilling. Thou to me

618

      

Art all things under Heav’n, all places thou,

619

      

Who for my wilful crime art banished hence.

620

      

This further consolation yet secure

621

      

I carry hence, though all by me is lost,

622

      

Such favor I unworthy am vouchsafed,
6465

623

      

By me the promised seed shall all restore.”

624

      

So spoke our mother Eve, and Adam heard

625

      

Well pleased, but answered not. For now, too nigh

626

      

The Arch-Angel stood and, from the other hill

627

      

To their fixed station, all in bright array

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