The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (64 page)

1

   
Now morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime
³²⁷⁹

2

Advancing, sowed the earth with orient
³²⁸⁰
pearl,

3

When Adam waked, so customed,
³²⁸¹
for his sleep

4

Was airy-light, from pure digestion bred,
³²⁸²

5

And temperate
³²⁸³
vapors
³²⁸⁴
bland,
³²⁸⁵
which th’ only sound

6

Of leaves and fuming
³²⁸⁶
rills, Aurora’s
³²⁸⁷
fan,

7

Lightly dispersed,
³²⁸⁸
and the shrill matin
³²⁸⁹
song

8

Of birds on every bough, so much the more

9

His wonder was to find unwakened Eve

10

With tresses discomposed, and glowing cheek,

11

As through unquiet rest. He, on his side

12

Leaning half raised, with looks of cordial
³²⁹⁰
love

13

Hung over her enamored, and beheld

14

Beauty which, whether waking or asleep,

15

Shot forth peculiar
³²⁹¹
graces. Then with voice

16

Mild, as when Zephyrus
³²⁹²
on Flora
³²⁹³
breathes,

17

Her hand soft touching, whispered thus: “Awake,

18

My fairest, my espoused, my latest found,

19

Heav’n’s last best gift, my ever new delight!

20

Awake. The morning shines, and the fresh field

21

Calls us. We lose the prime,
³²⁹⁴
to mark
³²⁹⁵
how spring
³²⁹⁶

22

Our tender plants, how blows the citron grove,

23

What drops the myrrh,
³²⁹⁷
and what the balmy reed,
³²⁹⁸

24

How Nature paints her colors, how the bee

25

Sits on the bloom extracting liquid sweet.

26

   
Such whispering waked her, but with startled eye

27

On Adam, whom embracing, thus she spoke:

28

   
“O sole in whom my thoughts find all repose,

29

My glory, my perfection! Glad I see

30

Thy face, and morn returned, for I this night

31

(Such night till this I never passed) have dreamed

32

(If dreamed) not, as I oft am wont,
³²⁹⁹
of thee,

33

Works of day past, or morrow’s next design,
³³⁰⁰

34

But of offence and trouble, which my mind

35

Knew never till this irksome
³³⁰¹
night. Methought

36

Close at mine ear one called me forth to walk,

37

With gentle voice; I thought it thine. It said,

38

‘Why sleep’st thou, Eve? Now is the pleasant time,

39

The cool, the silent, save
³³⁰²
where silence yields

40

To the night-warbling bird, that now awake

41

Tunes sweetest his love-labored song. Now reigns

42

Full-orbed the moon, and with more pleasing light

43

Shadowy sets off the face of things. In vain,

⁴⁴

If none regard.
³³⁰³
Heav’n wakes with all his eyes,

45

Whom to behold but thee, Nature’s desire?

46

In whose sight all things joy,
³³⁰⁴
with ravishment
³³⁰⁵

47

Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze.

48

I rose as at thy call, but found thee not;

49

To find thee I directed then my walk,

50

And on, methought, alone I passed through ways

51

That brought me on a sudden to the tree

52

Of interdicted
³³⁰⁶
knowledge. Fair it seemed,

53

Much fairer to my fancy than by day,

54

And as I wond’ring looked, beside it stood

55

One shaped and winged like one of those from Heav’n

56

By us oft seen. His dewy locks distilled
³³⁰⁷

57

Ambrosia. On that tree he also gazed,

58

And ‘O fair plant,’ said he, ‘with fruit surcharged,
³³⁰⁸

59

Deigns none to ease thy load, and taste thy sweet,

60

Nor god, nor man? Is knowledge so despised?

61

Or envy, or what reserve
³³⁰⁹
forbids to taste?

62

Forbid who will, none shall from me withhold

63

Longer thy offered good: why else set
³³¹⁰
here?

64

This said, he paused not, but with venturous
³³¹¹
arm

65

He plucked, he tasted; me damp
³³¹²
horror chilled

66

At such bold words vouched
³³¹³
with a deed so bold,

67

But he thus, overjoyed: ‘O fruit divine,

68

Sweet of thyself, but much more sweet thus cropped,
³³¹⁴

69

Forbidden here, it seems, as only fit

70

For gods, yet able to make gods of men.

71

And why not gods of men? Since good, the more

72

Communicated, more abundant grows,

73

The author
³³¹⁵
not impaired, but honored more?

74

Here, happy creature, fair angelic Eve!

75

Partake thou also. Happy though thou art,

76

Happier thou may’st be, worthier canst not be.

77

Taste this, and be henceforth among the gods

78

Thyself a goddess, not to earth confined,

79

But sometimes in the air, as we, sometimes

80

Ascend to Heav’n, by merit thine, and see

81

What life the gods live there, and such live thou!

82

   
“So saying, he drew nigh, and to me held,

83

Ev’n to my mouth of that same fruit held part
³³¹⁶

84

Which he had plucked. The pleasant savory smell

85

So quickened appetite that I, methought,

86

Could not but taste. Forthwith up to the clouds

87

With him I flew, and underneath beheld

88

The earth outstretched immense, a prospect wide

89

And various, wond’ring at my flight and change