Without remorse drive out the sinful pair,
From hallow'd ground th' unholy, and denounce To them and to their progeny from thence
At the sad sentence rigorously urg'd,
For I behold them soften'd and with tears Bewailing their excess, all terror hide. If patiently thy bidding they obey, Dismiss them not disconsolate; reveal To Adam what shall come in future days, As I shall thee inlighten; intermix
My covenant in the Woman's seed renew'd; So send them forth, though sorrowing, yet in peace; And on the east side of the garden place, Where entrance up from Eden easiest climbs, Cherubic watch, and of a sword the flame Wide-waving, all approach far off to fright, And guard all passage to the Tree of Life : Lest Paradise a receptacle prove
To spirits foul, and all my trees their prey, With whose stol'n fruit Man once more to delude. He ceas'd and th' arch-angelic Power prepar'd For swift descent, with him the cohort bright Of watchful cherubim; four faces each Had, like a double Janus, all their shape Spangled with eyes, more numerous than those 130 Of Argus, and more wakeful than to drouse, Charm'd with Arcadian pipe, the past'ral reed Of Hermes, or his opiate rod. Meanwhile To re-salute the world with sacred light
Leucothea wak'd, and with fresh dews imbalm'd The earth, when Adam and first matron Eve Had ended now their orisons, aud found Strength added from above, new hope to spring Out of despair, joy, but with fear yet link'd; Which thus to Eve his welcome words renew'd: Eve, easily may faith admit, that all The good which we enjoy from Heav'n descends; But that from us aught should ascend to Heav'n So prevalent as to concern the mind
Of God high-blest, or to incline his will Hard to belief may seem; yet this will prayer Or one short sigh of human breath, upborne Ev'n to the seat of God. For since I sought By pray'r th' offended Deity to' appease, Kneel'd and before him humbled all my heart, 150 Methought I saw him placable and mild, Bending his ear; persuasion in me grew That I was heard with favor; peace return'd Home to my breast, and to my memory His promise, that thy seed shall bruise our fee; Which then not minded in dismay, yet now Assures me that the bitterness of death
Is past, and we shall live. Whence hail to thee, Eve rightly call'd, Mother of all mankind, Mother of all things living, since by thee Man is to live, and all things live for man.
To whom thus Eve with sad demeanor meek:
Ill worthy I such title should belong
To me transgressor, who for thee ordain'd
A help, became thy snare; to me reproach Rather belongs, distrust and all dispraise; But infinite in pardon was my Judge,
That I who first brought death on all, am grac'd The source of life; next favorable thou, Who highly thus to' intitle me vouchsaf'st, 170 Far other name deserving. But the field To labor calls us now with sweat impos'd, Though after sleepless night; for see the Morn, All unconcern'd with our unrest, begins Her rosy progress smiling; let us forth, I never from thy side henceforth to stray, Where'er our day's work lies, though now injoin'd Laborious, till day droop; while here we dwell, What can be toilsome in these pleasant walks? Here let us live, though in fall'n state, content. 180 So spake, so wish'd much-humbled Eve, but Fate
Subscrib'd not; Nature first gave signs impress'd On bird, beast, air, air suddenly eclips'd After short blush of Morn; nigh in her sight The bird of Jove, stoop'd from his aery tour, Two birds of gayest plume before him drove ; Down from a hill the beast that reigns in woods, First hunter then, pursu'd a gentle brace, Goodliest of all the forest, hart and hind; Direct to th' eastern gate was bent their flight. Adam observ'd, and with his eye the chase Pursuing, not unmov'd to Eve thus spake : O Eve, some further change awaits us nigh,
Which Heav'n by these mute signs in Nature
Forerunners of his purpose, or to warn
Us haply too secure of our discharge From penalty, because from death releas'd
Some days; how long, and what till then our life, Who knows, or more than this, that we are dust, And thither must return and be no more?
Why else this double object in our sight Of flight pursu'd in th' air, and o'er the ground, One way the self-same hour? why in the east Darkness e'er day's mid-course, and morning light More orient in yon western cloud, that draws O'er the blue firmament a radiant white,
And slow descends, with something heav'nly fraught?
He err'd not, for by this the heav'nly bands Down from a sky of jasper lighted now
In Paradise, and on a hill made halt, A glorious apparition, had no doubt
And carnal fear that day dimm'd Adam's eye. Not that more glorious, when the Angels met Jacob in Mahanaim, where he saw
The field pavillion'd with his guardians bright; Nor that which on the flaming mount appear'd In Dothan, cover'd with a camp of fire, Against the Syrian king, who to surprise
One man, assassin-like, had levy'd war,
War unproclaim'd. The princely Hierarch 220 In their bright stand there left his pow'rs to seize
Possession of the garden; he alone,
To find where Adam shelter'd took his way, Not unperceiv'd of Adam, who to Eve, While the great visitant approach'd, thus spake :
Eve, now expect great tidings, which perhaps. Of us will soon determine, or impose New laws to be observ'd; for I descry From yonder blazing cloud that veils the hill One of the heav'nly host, and by his gait None of the meanest, some great potentate Or of the thrones above, such majesty Invests him coming; yet not terrible, That I should fear, not sociably mild, As Raphael, that I should much confide, But solemn and sublime, whom not to' offend, With reverence I must meet, and thou retire.
He ended; and th' Arch-angel soon drew nigh, Not in his shape celestial, but as man
Clad to meet man: over his lucid arms A military vest of purple flow'd, Livelier than Melibean, or the grain Of Sarra, worn by kings and heroes old In time of truce; Iris had dipt the woof; His starry helm unbuckled show'd him prime In manhood where youth ended; by his side As in a glist'ring zodiac hung the sword, Satan's dire dread, and in his hand the spear. Adam bow'd low; he kingly from his state Inclin'd not, but his coming thus declar'd : Adam, Heav'n's high behest no preface needs:
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