The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (89 page)

447

With fish replenished,
⁴³⁰¹
and the air with fowl,

448

Ev’ning and morn solemnized
⁴³⁰²
the fifth day.

449

   
“The sixth, and of Creation last, arose

450

With ev’ning harps, and matin,
⁴³⁰³
when God said:

451

‘Let th’ earth bring forth soul living, in her kind,
⁴³⁰⁴

452

Cattle, and creeping things, and beast of th’ earth,

453

Each in their kind. ’The earth obeyed, and straight

454

Op’ning her fertile womb teemed
⁴³⁰⁵
at a birth

455

Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms,

456

Limbed and full grown. Out of the ground up rose,

457

As from his lair, the wild beast where he wons
⁴³⁰⁶

458

In forest wild, in thicket, brake,
⁴³⁰⁷
or den.

459

Among the trees in pairs they rose, they walked,

460

The cattle in the fields and meadows green,

461

Those
⁴³⁰⁸
rare and solitary, these
⁴³⁰⁹
in flocks

462

Pasturing at once, and in broad herds upsprung.
⁴³¹⁰

463

The grassy clods
⁴³¹¹
now calved: now half appeared

464

The tawny lion, pawing to get free

465

His hinder parts, then springs as broke from bonds,

466

And rampant
⁴³¹²
shakes his brinded
⁴³¹³
mane. The ounce,
⁴³¹⁴

467

The libbard,
⁴³¹⁵
and the tiger, as the mole

468

Rising, the crumbled earth above them threw

469

In hillocks. The swift stag from under ground

470

Bore up his branching head. Scarce from his mould

471

Behemoth,
⁴³¹⁶
biggest born of earth, upheaved

472

His vastness. Fleeced the flocks, and bleating rose

473

As
⁴³¹⁷
plants. Ambiguous
⁴³¹⁸
between
⁴³¹⁹
sea and land

474

The river-horse,
⁴³²⁰
and scaly crocodile.

475

At once came forth whatever creeps the ground,

476

Insect or worm. Those waved their limber
⁴³²¹
fans
⁴³²²

477

For wings, and smallest lineaments
⁴³²³
exact
⁴³²⁴

478

In all the liveries decked of summer’s pride

479

With spots of gold and purple, azure and green.

480

These as a line their long dimension drew,

481

Streaking
⁴³²⁵
the ground with sinuous trace.
⁴³²⁶
Not all

482

Minims
⁴³²⁷
of Nature: some of serpent-kind,

483

Wondrous in length and corpulence,
⁴³²⁸
involved
⁴³²⁹

484

Their snaky folds, and added
⁴³³⁰
wings. First crept

485

The parsimonious emmet,
⁴³³¹
provident

486

Of future, in small room large heart enclosed,

487

Pattern of just equality perhaps

488

Hereafter, joined in her popular
⁴³³²
tribes

489

Of commonalty. Swarming, next appeared

490

The female bee, that feeds her husband drone

491

Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells

492

With honey stored. The rest are numberless,

493

And thou their natures know’st, and gav’st them names,

494

Needless to thee repeated. Nor unknown

495

The serpent, subtlest
⁴³³³
beast of all the field,

496

Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes

497

And hairy mane terrific,
⁴³³⁴
though to thee

498

Not noxious,
⁴³³⁵
but obedient at thy call.

499

   
“Now Heav’n in all her glory shone, and rolled

500

Her motions, as the great first Mover’s hand

501

First wheeled their course. Earth in her rich attire

502

Consummate
⁴³³⁶
lovely smiled. Air, water, earth,

503

By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walked,

504

Frequent, and of the sixth day yet remained.

505

There wanted yet the master-work, the end
⁴³³⁷

506

Of all yet done, a creature who not prone
⁴³³⁸

507

And brute
⁴³³⁹
as other creatures, but endued

508

With sanctity
⁴³⁴⁰
of reason, might erect

509

His stature, and upright with front
⁴³⁴¹
serene

510

Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence

511

Magnanimous
⁴³⁴²
to correspond
⁴³⁴³
with Heav’n,

512

But grateful to acknowledge whence his good

513

Descends, thither with heart, and voice, and eyes

514

Directed in devotion, to adore

515

And worship God Supreme, who made him chief

516

Of all His works. Therefore th’ Omnipotent

517

Eternal Father (for where is not He

518

Present?) thus to His Son audibly spoke:

519

   
“‘Let us make now man in our image, man

520

In our similitude,
⁴³⁴⁴
and let them
⁴³⁴⁵
rule

521

Over the fish and fowl of sea and air,

522

Beast of the field, and over all the earth,

523

And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.

524

This said, He formed thee, Adam, thee, O man,

525

Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breathed

526

The breath of life. In His own image He

527

Created thee, in the image of God

528

Express,
⁴³⁴⁶
and thou becam’st a living soul.

529

Male He created thee, but thy consort

530

Female, for race,
⁴³⁴⁷
then blessed mankind, and said:

531

‘Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth;

532

Subdue
⁴³⁴⁸
it, and throughout dominion hold

533

Over fish of the sea, and fowl of the air,