The Annotated Read Online

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   Now morn, her rosy steps in the eastern clime3279

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Advancing, sowed the earth with orient3280 pearl,

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When Adam waked, so customed,3281 for his sleep

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Was airy-light, from pure digestion bred,3282

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And temperate3283 vapors3284 bland,3285 which th’ only sound

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Of leaves and fuming3286 rills, Aurora’s3287 fan,

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Lightly dispersed,3288 and the shrill matin3289 song

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Of birds on every bough, so much the more

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His wonder was to find unwakened Eve

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With tresses discomposed, and glowing cheek,

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As through unquiet rest. He, on his side

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Leaning half raised, with looks of cordial 3290 love

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Hung over her enamored, and beheld

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Beauty which, whether waking or asleep,

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Shot forth peculiar3291 graces. Then with voice

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Mild, as when Zephyrus3292 on Flora3293 breathes,

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Her hand soft touching, whispered thus: “Awake,

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My fairest, my espoused, my latest found,

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

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Awake. The morning shines, and the fresh field

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Calls us. We lose the prime, 3294 to mark3295 how spring3296

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Our tender plants, how blows the citron grove,

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

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How Nature paints her colors, how the bee

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Sits on the bloom extracting liquid sweet.

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   Such whispering waked her, but with startled eye

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On Adam, whom embracing, thus she spoke:

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   “O sole in whom my thoughts find all repose,

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My glory, my perfection! Glad I see

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Thy face, and morn returned, for I this night

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(Such night till this I never passed) have dreamed

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

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

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But of offence and trouble, which my mind

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Knew never till this irksome3301 night. Methought

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Close at mine ear one called me forth to walk,

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

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

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The cool, the silent, save 3302 where silence yields

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To the night-warbling bird, that now awake

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Tunes sweetest his love-labored song. Now reigns

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Full-orbed the moon, and with more pleasing light

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Shadowy sets off the face of things. In vain,

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

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Whom to behold but thee, Nature’s desire?

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In whose sight all things joy, 3304 with ravishment 3305

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Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze.

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

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To find thee I directed then my walk,

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And on, methought, alone I passed through ways

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That brought me on a sudden to the tree

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Of interdicted3306 knowledge. Fair it seemed,

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Much fairer to my fancy than by day,

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And as I wond’ring looked, beside it stood

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

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By us oft seen. His dewy locks distilled3307

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Ambrosia. On that tree he also gazed,

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

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

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Nor god, nor man? Is knowledge so despised?

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Or envy, or what reserve3309 forbids to taste?

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Forbid who will, none shall from me withhold

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Longer thy offered good: why else set 3310 here?

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This said, he paused not, but with venturous3311 arm

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He plucked, he tasted; me damp3312 horror chilled

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

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But he thus, overjoyed: ‘O fruit divine,

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

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Forbidden here, it seems, as only fit

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For gods, yet able to make gods of men.

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

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Communicated, more abundant grows,

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The author3315 not impaired, but honored more?

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Here, happy creature, fair angelic Eve!

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Partake thou also. Happy though thou art,

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

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Taste this, and be henceforth among the gods

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Thyself a goddess, not to earth confined,

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But sometimes in the air, as we, sometimes

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

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

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

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Ev’n to my mouth of that same fruit held part3316

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Which he had plucked. The pleasant savory smell

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So quickened appetite that I, methought,

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Could not but taste. Forthwith up to the clouds

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With him I flew, and underneath beheld

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The earth outstretched immense, a prospect wide

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And various, wond’ring at my flight and change

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To this high exaltation. Suddenly

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My guide was gone, and I, methought, sunk down,

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And fell asleep. But O, how glad I waked

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To find this but a dream!” Thus Eve her night

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Related, and thus Adam answered, sad:3317

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   “Best image of myself, and dearer half,

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The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep

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Affects me equally, nor can I like

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This uncouth3318 dream, of evil sprung, I fear.

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Yet evil whence? In thee can harbor none,

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Created pure. But know that in the soul

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Are many lesser faculties, that serve

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Reason as chief; among these Fancy 3319 next 3320

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Her office 3321 holds. Of all external things

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Which the five watchful3322 senses represent,3323

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She forms imaginations, airy shapes,

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Which reason, joining or disjoining, frames

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All what we affirm or what deny, and call 3324

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Our knowledge or opinion, then retires

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Into her private cell, when Nature rests.

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Oft, in her absence, mimic Fancy wakes

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To imitate her but, misjoining shapes,

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Wild work produces oft, and most in dreams,

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Ill matching words and deeds long past or late. 3325

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Some such resemblances, methinks, I find

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Of our last evening’s talk, in this thy dream,

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But with addition strange. Yet be not sad.3326

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Evil into the mind of god or man

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May come and go, so unapproved, and leave

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No spot or blame behind. Which gives me hope

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That what in sleep thou didst abhor to dream,

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Waking thou never will consent to do.

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Be not disheartened, then, nor cloud those looks

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That wont to be more cheerful and serene

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Than when fair morning first smiles on the world.

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And let us to our fresh employments rise

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Among the groves, the fountains, and the flowers

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That open now their choicest bosomed3327 smells,

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Reserved from night, and kept for thee in store.

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   So cheered he his fair spouse, and she was cheered.

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But silently a gentle tear let fall

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From either eye, and wiped them with her hair.

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Two other precious drops that ready stood,

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Each in their crystal sluice, 3328 he ere they fell

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Kissed, as the gracious signs of sweet remorse

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And pious awe, that feared to have offended.

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So all was cleared, and to the field they haste.

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   But first, from under shady arborous roof

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Soon as they forth were come to open sight

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Of day-spring, and the sun, who scarce up-risen,

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With wheels yet hov’ring o’er the ocean-brim,

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Shot parallel to the earth his dewy ray,

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Discovering 3329 in wide landscape all the east

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Of Paradise and Eden’s happy plains,

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Lowly they bowed adoring, and began

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Their orisons,3330 each morning duly paid

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In various3331 style, for neither various style

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Nor holy rapture wanted 3332 they to praise

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Their Maker, in fit 3333 strains3334 pronounced, or sung

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Unmeditated, such prompt3335 eloquence

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Flowed from their lips, in prose or numerous3336 verse,

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More tuneable 3337 than needed lute or harp

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To add more sweetness. And they thus began:

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   “These are Thy glorious works, Parent of good,

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Almighty! Thine this universal frame, 3338

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Thus wondrous fair. Thyself how wondrous then!

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Unspeakable, who sit’st above these. Heav’ns

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To us invisible, or dimly seen

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In these Thy lowest works. Yet these declare

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Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine.

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Speak ye who best can tell, ye sons of light,

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Angels, for ye behold Him, and with songs

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And choral symphonies,3339 day without night,

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Circle His throne rejoicing, ye in Heav’n!

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On earth join all ye creatures to extol

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Him first, Him last, Him midst, and without end!

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Fairest of stars,3340 last in the train of night

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(If better thou belong not to the dawn)

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Sure pledge3341 of day that crown’st the smiling morn

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With thy bright circlet,3342 praise Him in thy sphere,

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While day arises, that sweet hour of prime. 3343

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Thou sun, of this great world both eye and soul,

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Acknowledge Him thy greater, sound His praise

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In thse, both when thou climb’st

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And when high noon hast gained,3344 and when thou fall’st.

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Moon, that now meet’st the orient3345 sun, now fly’st 3346

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With the fixed stars, fixed in their orb that flies,3347

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And ye five other wand’ring3348 fires3349 that move

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In mystic dance not without song, resound

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His praise, who out of darkness called up light.

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Air, and ye Elements, the eldest birth

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Of Nature’s womb, that in quaternion3350 run

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Perpetual circle, multiform, and mix

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And nourish all things: let your ceaseless change

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Vary, 3351 to our great Maker still new praise.

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Ye mists and exhalations that now rise

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From hill or steaming lake, dusky or gray,

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Till the sun paint your fleecy skirts with gold,

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In honor to the world’s great Author rise,

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Whether to deck with clouds the uncolored 3352 sky,

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Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers,

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Rising or falling still advance His praise.

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His praise, ye winds, that from four quarters blow,

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Breathe soft or loud. And wave your tops, ye pines,

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With every plant, in sign of worship wave!

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Fountains,3353 and ye that warble as ye flow,

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Melodious murmurs, warbling tune3354 His praise.

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Join voices, all ye living souls! Ye birds,

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That singing up to Heaven-gate ascend,

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Bear on your wings, and in your notes, His praise.

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Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk

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The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep,

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Witness3355 if I be silent, morn or ev’n,

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To hill, or valley, fountain, or fresh shade,

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Made vocal3356 by my song, and taught His praise.

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Hail, universal Lord, be bounteous still3357

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To give us only good. And if the night

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Have gathered aught of evil, or concealed,

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Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark!

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   So prayed they innocent, and to their thoughts

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Firm peace recovered soon, and wonted3358 calm.

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On to their morning’s rural 3359 work they haste,

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Among sweet dews and flow’rs, where any row

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Of fruit-trees over-woody reached too far

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Their pampered boughs,3360 and needed hands to check

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Fruitless 3361 embraces.3362 Or they led the vine

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To wed her elm; she, spoused, about him twines

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Her marriageable arms, and with him brings

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Her dow’r, th’ adopted 3363 clusters,3364 to adorn

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His barren3365 leaves.