Paradise Lost - Milton John - Страница 58

To life prolongd and promisd Race, I now

Gladly behold though but his utmost skirts

Of glory, and farr off his steps adore.

To whom thus MICHAEL with regard benigne.

ADAM, thou know'st Heav'n his, and all the Earth

Not this Rock onely; his Omnipresence fills

Land, Sea, and Aire, and every kinde that lives,

Fomented by his virtual power and warmd:

All th' Earth he gave thee to possess and rule,

No despicable gift; surmise not then

His presence to these narrow bounds confin'd

Of Paradise or EDEN: this had been

Perhaps thy Capital Seate, from whence had spred

All generations, and had hither come

From all the ends of th' Earth, to celebrate

And reverence thee thir great Progenitor.

But this praeeminence thou hast lost, brought down

To dwell on eeven ground now with thy Sons:

Yet doubt not but in Vallie and in Plaine

God is as here, and will be found alike

Present, and of his presence many a signe

Still following thee, still compassing thee round

With goodness and paternal Love, his Face

Express, and of his steps the track Divine.

Which that thou mayst beleeve, and be confirmd,

Ere thou from hence depart, know I am sent

To shew thee what shall come in future dayes

To thee and to thy Ofspring; good with bad

Expect to hear, supernal Grace contending

With sinfulness of Men; thereby to learn

True patience, and to temper joy with fear

And pious sorrow, equally enur'd

By moderation either state to beare,

Prosperous or adverse: so shalt thou lead

Safest thy life, and best prepar'd endure

Thy mortal passage when it comes. Ascend

This Hill; let EVE (for I have drencht her eyes)

Here sleep below while thou to foresight wak'st,

As once thou slepst, while Shee to life was formd.

To whom thus ADAM gratefully repli'd.

Ascend, I follow thee, safe Guide, the path

Thou lead'st me, and to the hand of Heav'n submit,

However chast'ning, to the evil turne

My obvious breast, arming to overcom

By suffering, and earne rest from labour won,

If so I may attain. So both ascend

In the Visions of God: It was a Hill

Of Paradise the highest, from whose top

The Hemisphere of Earth in cleerest Ken

Stretcht out to amplest reach of prospect lay.

Not higher that Hill nor wider looking round,

Whereon for different cause the Tempter set

Our second ADAM in the Wilderness,

To shew him all Earths Kingdomes and thir Glory.

His Eye might there command wherever stood

City of old or modern Fame, the Seat

Of mightiest Empire, from the destind Walls

Of CAMBALU, seat of CATHAIAN CAN

And SAMARCHAND by OXUS, TEMIRS Throne,

To PAQUIN of SINAEAN Kings, and thence

To AGRA and LAHOR of great MOGUL

Down to the golden CHERSONESE, or where

The PERSIAN in ECBATAN sate, or since

In HISPAHAN, or where the RUSSIAN KSAR

In MOSCO, or the Sultan in BIZANCE,

TURCHESTAN-born; nor could his eye not ken

Th' Empire of NEGUS to his utmost Port

ERCOCO and the less Maritine Kings

MOMBAZA, and QUILOA, and MELIND,

And SOFALA thought OPHIR, to the Realme

Of CONGO, and ANGOLA fardest South;

Or thence from NIGER Flood to ATLAS Mount

The Kingdoms of ALMANSOR, FEZ, and SUS,

MAROCCO and ALGIERS, and TREMISEN;

On EUROPE thence, and where ROME was to sway

The VVorld: in Spirit perhaps he also saw

Rich MEXICO the seat of MOTEZUME,

And CUSCO in PERU, the richer seat

Of ATABALIPA, and yet unspoil'd

GUIANA, whose great Citie GERYONS Sons

Call EL DORADO: but to nobler sights

MICHAEL from ADAMS eyes the Filme remov'd

VVhich that false Fruit that promis'd clearer sight

Had bred; then purg'd with Euphrasie and Rue

The visual Nerve, for he had much to see;

And from the VVell of Life three drops instill'd.

So deep the power of these Ingredients pierc'd,

Eevn to the inmost seat of mental sight,

That ADAM now enforc't to close his eyes,

Sunk down and all his Spirits became intranst:

But him the gentle Angel by the hand

Soon rais'd, and his attention thus recall'd.

ADAM, now ope thine eyes, and first behold

Th' effects which thy original crime hath wrought

In some to spring from thee, who never touch'd

Th' excepted Tree, nor with the Snake conspir'd,

Nor sinn'd thy sin, yet from that sin derive

Corruption to bring forth more violent deeds.

His eyes he op'nd, and beheld a field,

Part arable and tilth, whereon were Sheaves

New reapt, the other part sheep-walks and foulds;

Ith' midst an Altar as the Land-mark stood

Rustic, of grassie sord; thither anon

A sweatie Reaper from his Tillage brought

First Fruits, the green Eare, and the yellow Sheaf,

Uncull'd, as came to hand; a Shepherd next

More meek came with the Firstlings of his Flock

Choicest and best; then sacrificing, laid

The Inwards and thir Fat, with Incense strew'd,

On the cleft Wood, and all due Rites perform'd.

His Offring soon propitious Fire from Heav'n

Consum'd with nimble glance, and grateful steame;

The others not, for his was not sincere;

Whereat hee inlie rag'd, and as they talk'd,

Smote him into the Midriff with a stone

That beat out life; he fell, and deadly pale

Groand out his Soul with gushing bloud effus'd.

Much at that sight was ADAM in his heart

Dismai'd, and thus in haste to th' Angel cri'd.

O Teacher, some great mischief hath befall'n

To that meek man, who well had sacrific'd;

Is Pietie thus and pure Devotion paid?

T' whom MICHAEL thus, hee also mov'd, repli'd.

These two are Brethren, ADAM, and to come

Out of thy loyns; th' unjust the just hath slain,

For envie that his Brothers Offering found

From Heav'n acceptance; but the bloodie Fact

Will be aveng'd, and th' others Faith approv'd

Loose no reward, though here thou see him die,

Rowling in dust and gore. To which our Sire.

Alas, both for the deed and for the cause!

But have I now seen Death? Is this the way

I must return to native dust? O sight

Of terrour, foul and ugly to behold,

Horrid to think, how horrible to feel!

To whom thus MICHAEL. Death thou hast seen

In his first shape on man; but many shapes

Of Death, and many are the wayes that lead

To his grim Cave, all dismal; yet to sense

More terrible at th' entrance then within.

Some, as thou saw'st, by violent stroke shall die,

By Fire, Flood, Famin, by Intemperance more

In Meats and Drinks, which on the Earth shal bring

Diseases dire, of which a monstrous crew

Before thee shall appear; that thou mayst know

What miserie th' inabstinence of EVE

Shall bring on men. Immediately a place

Before his eyes appeard, sad, noysom, dark,

A Lazar-house it seemd, wherein were laid

Numbers of all diseas'd, all maladies

Of gastly Spasm, or racking torture, qualmes

Of heart-sick Agonie, all feavorous kinds,

Convulsions, Epilepsies, fierce Catarrhs,

Intestin Stone and Ulcer, Colic pangs,

Dropsies, and Asthma's, and Joint-racking Rheums.

Dire was the tossing, deep the groans, despair

Tended the sick busiest from Couch to Couch;

And over them triumphant Death his Dart

Shook, but delaid to strike, though oft invok't

With vows, as thir chief good, and final hope.

Sight so deform what heart of Rock could long

Drie-ey'd behold? ADAM could not, but wept,

Though not of Woman born; compassion quell'd

His best of Man, and gave him up to tears