Of a steep wilderness; whose hairy sides With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild, Access denied and overbead up-grew Josuperable height of loftiest shade,
Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm, A sylvan scene! And, as the ranks ascend, Shade above shade, a woody theatre
Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops The verduous wall of Paradise up-sprung; Which to our general sire gave prospect large Jato his nether empire, neighb'ring round. And higher than that wall a circling row Of goodliest trees, loaden with fairest fruit, Blossoms, and fruits at once of golden hue, Appear'd with gay enamell'd colours mix'd; On which the sun more glad impress'd his beams, Than in fair evening cloud or humid bow, When God hath shower'd the earth: so lovely seem'd That landscape! And of pure now purer air Meets his approach; and to the heart inspires Vernal delight and joy, able to drive All sadness but despair: now gentle gales, Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense Native perfumes, and whisper whence they stole Those balmy spoils. As when to them who sail Beyond the Cape of Hope, and now are past Mozambic, off at sea north-east winds blow Sabean odours, from the spicy shore
Of Araby the bless'd, with such delay
Well pleas'd, they slack their course, and many a Cheer'd with the grateful smell old Ocean smiles. So entertain'd those odorous sweets the fiend, Who came their bane; tho' with them better pleas'd Than Asmodeus with the fishy fume That drove him, though enamour'd, from the spouse Of Tobit's son, and with a vengeance sent From Medea post to Egypt, there fast bound. Now to th' ascent of that steep savage bill Satan had journey'd on, pensive and slow; But further way found none, so thick intwin'd, As one continued brake, the undergrowth
Of shrubs and tangling bushes had perplex'd All path of man or beast that pass'd that way. One gate there only was, and that look'd east On th' other side: which when th' arch-felon saw, Due entrance he disdain'd, and in contempt, At one slight bound high overleap'd all bound Of hill, or highest wall, and sheer within Lights on his feet.
As when a prowling wolf,
Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey, Watching where shepherds pen their locks at eve, In hurdled cotes amid the field secure,
Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold: Or as a thief, bent to unhoard the cash
Of some rich burgher, whose substantial doors, Cross-barr'd and bolted fast, fear no assault In at the window climbs, or o'er the tiles : So clomb this first grand thief into God's fold; So since into his church lewd hirelings climb. Thence up he flew, and on the tree of life, (The middle tree, and highest there that grew) Sat like a cormorant; yet not true life Thereby regained, but sat devising death To them who liv'd: nor on the virtue thought Of that life-giving plant, but only us'd
For prospect, what well us'd had been the pledge Of immortality. So little knows
Any, but God alone, to value right
The good before him, but perverts best things To worst abuse, or to their meanest use. Beneath him, with new wonder, now he views, To all delight of human sense expos'd
In narrow room, nature's whole wealth, yea more, A heaven on earth! For blissful Paradise, Of God the garden was, by him in th" east Of Eden planted; Eden stretch'd her line From Auran eastward to the royal towers Of great Seleucia, built by Grecian kings, Or where the sons of Eden, long before Dwelt in Telassar. In this pleasant soil His far more pleasant garden God ordain'd, Out of the fertile ground he caus'd to grow
All trees of noblest kind, for sight, smell, taste; And all amid them stood the tree of life, High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit Of vegetable gold and next to life,
Our death, the tree of knowledge, grew fast by; Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill; Southward, through Eden went a river large, Nor chang'd his course, but through the shaggy hill Pass'd underneath ingulf'd; for God had thrown That mountain as his garden mould, high rais'd Upon the rapid current, which through veins Of porous earth, with kindly thirst up-drawn, Rose a fresh fountain, and with many a rill Water'd the garden; thence united fell Down the steep glade, and met the nether flood, Which from his darksome apssage now appears ;" And now divided into four main streams, Runs diverse, wand'ring many a famous realm And country, whereof here needs no account: But rather to tell how, (if art could tell
flow) from that sapphire fount the crisped brooks Rolling on orient pearls, and sands of gold, With mazy error under pendent shades Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed Flowers worthy of Paradise, which not nice art In beds and curious knots, but nature boon Pour'd forth profuse on hill, and dale, and plain, Both where the morning sun first warmly smote The open field, and where the unpierc'd shade Imbrown'd the noon-tide bowers. Thus was this place, A happy rural seat of various view:
Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm; Oibers whose fruit burnish'd with golden rind, Hung amiable: Hesperian fables true,
If true, here only, and of delicious taste. Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, and flocks Grazing the tender herb, were interpos'd, Or palmy billock, or the flowery lap
Of some irriguous valley spread her store; Flowers of all hue, and without thorn the rose. Another side, umbrageous grots, and caves.
Of cool recess, o'er which the mantling vine Lays forth her purple grape, and gently creeps Luxuriant: meanwhile murm'ring waters fall Down the slope bills. dispers'd, or in a lake, That to the fringed oank with myrtle crown'd Her crystal mirrors holds, unite their streams. The birds their choir apply: airs, vernal airs, Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune The trembling leaves, while universal Pan
Knit with the Graces, and the hours in dance, Led on the eternal spring. Not that fair field Of Enna, where Proserpine gathering flowers, Herself a fairer flower, by gloomy Dis
Was gather'd; which cost Ceres all that pain To seek her thro' the world; nor that sweet grove Of Daphne by Orontes, and the inspir'd Castalian spring, might with this Paradise Of Eden strive; nor that Nyseian isle Girt with the river Triton, where old Cham, Whom Gentiles Ammon call, and Lybian Jove, Hid Amalthea, and her florid son,
Young Bacchus, from his stepdame Rhea's eye; Nor where Abassin kings their issue guard Mount Amara, though this by some suppos'd True Paradise, under the Ethiop line
By Nilus' head, enclos'd with shining rock, A whole day's journey high, but wide remote From this Assyrian garden, where the fiend, Saw undelighted all delight, all kind Of living creatures, new to sight and strange. Two of far nobler shape, erect and tall, Godlike erect, with native honour clad, In naked majesty seem'd lords of all, And worthy seem'd; for in their looks divine The image of their glorious Maker shone, Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure, (Severe, but in true filial freedom plac'd) Whence true authority in men; though botla Not equal, as their sex not equal seem'd; For contemplation be and valour form'd, For softness she and sweet attractive graces
He for God only, she for God in him. His fair large front and eye sublime declar'd Absolute rule; hyacinthine locks
Round from his parted forelock manly hung Clust'ring, but not beneath his shoulders broad: She, as a veil, down to the slender waist Her unadorned golden tresses wore Dishevell❜d, but in wanton ringlets wav'd, As the vine curls her tendrils, which implied Subjection, but requir'd with gentle sway, And by her yielded, by him best receiv'd, Yielded with coy submission, modest pride, And sweet reluctant amorous delay.
Nor those mysterious part were then conceal'd; Then was not guilty shame, dishonest shame Of Nature's works, honour dishonourable! Sin-bred how have ye troubled all mankind With shows instead, mere shows of seeming pure, And banish'd from man's life his happiest life, Simplicity and spotless innocence !
So pass'd they naked on, nor shunn'd the sight Of God or angel, for they thought no ill: So hand in hand they pass'd, the loveliest pair That ever since in love's embraces met; Adam, the goodliest man of men since born His sons; the fairest of her daughters, Eve. Under a tuft of shade, that on a green Stood whispering soft, by a fresh fountain side, They sat them down: and, after no more toil Of their sweet gard'ning-labour than suffie'd To recommend cool Zephyr, and make ease More easy, wholesome thirst and appetite More grateful, to their supper fruits they fell, Nectarine fruits which the compliant boughs Yielded them, sidelong as they sat recline On the soft downy bank damask'd with flowers: The savoury pulp they chew, and in the rind Still as they thirsted scoop the brimming stream; Nor gentle purpose nor endearing smiles Wanted, nor youthful dalliance, as beseems Fair couple, link'd in happy nuptial league,
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