Paradise Lost - Milton John - Страница 26

To whom the winged Hierarch repli'd.

O ADAM, one Almightie is, from whom

All things proceed, and up to him return,

If not deprav'd from good, created all

Such to perfection, one first matter all,

Indu'd with various forms, various degrees

Of substance, and in things that live, of life;

But more refin'd, more spiritous, and pure,

As neerer to him plac't or neerer tending

Each in thir several active Sphears assignd,

Till body up to spirit work, in bounds

Proportiond to each kind. So from the root

Springs lighter the green stalk, from thence the leaves

More aerie, last the bright consummate floure

Spirits odorous breathes: flours and thir fruit

Mans nourishment, by gradual scale sublim'd

To vital Spirits aspire, to animal,

To intellectual, give both life and sense,

Fansie and understanding, whence the soule

Reason receives, and reason is her being,

Discursive, or Intuitive; discourse

Is oftest yours, the latter most is ours,

Differing but in degree, of kind the same.

Wonder not then, what God for you saw good

If I refuse not, but convert, as you,

To proper substance; time may come when men

With Angels may participate, and find

No inconvenient Diet, nor too light Fare:

And from these corporal nutriments perhaps

Your bodies may at last turn all to Spirit

Improv'd by tract of time, and wingd ascend

Ethereal, as wee, or may at choice

Here or in Heav'nly Paradises dwell;

If ye be found obedient, and retain

Unalterably firm his love entire

Whose progenie you are. Mean while enjoy

Your fill what happiness this happie state

Can comprehend, incapable of more.

To whom the Patriarch of mankind repli'd.

O favourable spirit, propitious guest,

Well hast thou taught the way that might direct

Our knowledge, and the scale of Nature set

From center to circumference, whereon

In contemplation of created things

By steps we may ascend to God. But say,

What meant that caution joind, IF YE BE FOUND

OBEDIENT? can wee want obedience then

To him, or possibly his love desert

Who formd us from the dust, and plac'd us here

Full to the utmost measure of what bliss

Human desires can seek or apprehend?

To whom the Angel. Son of Heav'n and Earth,

Attend: That thou art happie, owe to God;

That thou continu'st such, owe to thy self,

That is, to thy obedience; therein stand.

This was that caution giv'n thee; be advis'd.

God made thee perfet, not immutable;

And good he made thee, but to persevere

He left it in thy power, ordaind thy will

By nature free, not over-rul'd by Fate

Inextricable, or strict necessity;

Our voluntarie service he requires,

Not our necessitated, such with him

Findes no acceptance, nor can find, for how

Can hearts, not free, be tri'd whether they serve

Willing or no, who will but what they must

By Destinie, and can no other choose?

My self and all th' Angelic Host that stand

In sight of God enthron'd, our happie state

Hold, as you yours, while our obedience holds;

On other surety none; freely we serve.

Because wee freely love, as in our will

To love or not; in this we stand or fall:

And som are fall'n, to disobedience fall'n,

And so from Heav'n to deepest Hell; O fall

From what high state of bliss into what woe!

To whom our great Progenitor. Thy words

Attentive, and with more delighted eare

Divine instructer, I have heard, then when

Cherubic Songs by night from neighbouring Hills

Aereal Music send: nor knew I not

To be both will and deed created free;

Yet that we never shall forget to love

Our maker, and obey him whose command

Single, is yet so just, my constant thoughts

Assur'd me and still assure: though what thou tellst

Hath past in Heav'n, som doubt within me move,

But more desire to hear, if thou consent,

The full relation, which must needs be strange,

Worthy of Sacred silence to be heard;

And we have yet large day, for scarce the Sun

Hath finisht half his journey, and scarce begins

His other half in the great Zone of Heav'n.

Thus ADAM made request, and RAPHAEL

After short pause assenting, thus began.

High matter thou injoinst me, O prime of men,

Sad task and hard, for how shall I relate

To human sense th' invisible exploits

Of warring Spirits; how without remorse

The ruin of so many glorious once

And perfet while they stood; how last unfould

The secrets of another world, perhaps

Not lawful to reveal? yet for thy good

This is dispenc't, and what surmounts the reach

Of human sense, I shall delineate so,

By lik'ning spiritual to corporal forms,

As may express them best, though what if Earth

Be but the shaddow of Heav'n, and things therein

Each to other like, more then on earth is thought?

As yet this world was not, and CHAOS wilde

Reignd where these Heav'ns now rowl, where Earth now rests

Upon her Center pois'd, when on a day

(For Time, though in Eternitie, appli'd

To motion, measures all things durable

By present, past, and future) on such day

As Heav'ns great Year brings forth, th' Empyreal Host

Of Angels by Imperial summons call'd,

Innumerable before th' Almighties Throne

Forthwith from all the ends of Heav'n appeerd

Under thir Hierarchs in orders bright

Ten thousand thousand Ensignes high advanc'd,

Standards, and Gonfalons twixt Van and Reare

Streame in the Aire, and for distinction serve

Of Hierarchies, of Orders, and Degrees;

Or in thir glittering Tissues bear imblaz'd

Holy Memorials, acts of Zeale and Love

Recorded eminent. Thus when in Orbes

Of circuit inexpressible they stood,

Orb within Orb, the Father infinite,

By whom in bliss imbosom'd sat the Son,

Amidst as from a flaming Mount, whoseop

Brightness had made invisible, thus spake.

Hear all ye Angels, Progenie of Light,

Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Vertues, Powers,

Hear my Decree, which unrevok't shall stand.

This day I have begot whom I declare

My onely Son, and on this holy Hill

Him have anointed, whom ye now behold

At my right hand; your Head I him appoint;

And by my Self have sworn to him shall bow

All knees in Heav'n, and shall confess him Lord:

Under his great Vice-gerent Reign abide

United as one individual Soule

For ever happie: him who disobeyes

Mee disobeyes, breaks union, and that day

Cast out from God and blessed vision, falls

Into utter darkness, deep ingulft, his place

Ordaind without redemption, without end.

So spake th' Omnipotent, and with his words

All seemd well pleas'd, all seem'd, but were not all.

That day, as other solem dayes, they spent

In song and dance about the sacred Hill,

Mystical dance, which yonder starrie Spheare

Of Planets and of fixt in all her Wheeles

Resembles nearest, mazes intricate,

Eccentric, intervolv'd, yet regular

Then most, when most irregular they seem:

And in thir motions harmonie Divine

So smooths her charming tones, that Gods own ear

Listens delighted. Eevning approachd

(For we have also our Eevning and our Morn,

We ours for change delectable, not need)

Forthwith from dance to sweet repast they turn

Desirous, all in Circles as they stood,

Tables are set, and on a sudden pil'd

With Angels Food, and rubied Nectar flows:

In Pearl, in Diamond, and massie Gold,

Fruit of delicious Vines, the growth of Heav'n.