While the bright 2 pomp ascended jubilant. "Open, ye everlasting gates!" they sung; "Open, ye heavens! your living doors; let in The great Creator, from His work return'd Magnificent, His six days' work, a world : Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign To visit oft the dwellings of just men, Delighted: and with frequent intercourse Thither will send His winged messengers On errands of 3 supernal grace." So sung The glorious train ascending: He, through heaven, That open'd wide her blazing portals, led To God's eternal house direct the way; A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold, And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear, Seen in the galaxy, that milky way
Which nightly, as a circling zone, thou seest Powder'd with stars. And now on earth the seventh Evening arose in Eden, for the sun
Was set, and twilight from the east came on, Forerunning night; when at the holy mount Of heaven's high-seated top, the imperial throne Of Godhead fix'd for ever firm and sure, The filial Power arrived, and sat Him down With his great Father, for He also went Invisible, yet, stay'd (such privilege
Hath Omnipresence), and the work ordain'd. Author and end of all things: and, from work Now resting, bless'd and hallow'd the seventh day, As resting on that day from all His work; But not in silence holy kept: the harp
Had work, and rested not; the solemn pipe, And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All sounds on fret by string or golden wire, Temper'd soft tunings, intermix'd with voice Choral or unison of incense clouds, Fuming from golden censers, hid the mount. Creation and the six days' acts they sung :
"Great are Thy works, Jehovah ! infinite
Thy power! what thought can measure Thee, or tongue Relate Thee? Greater now in Thy return Than from the giant angels: Thee that day Thy thunders magnified; but to create Is greater than, created, to destroy.
Who can impair Thee, Mighty King, or bound Thy empire? easily the proud attempt
Of spirits apostate, and their counsels vain, Thou hast repell'd; while impiously they thought Thee to diminish, and from Thee withdraw The number of Thy worshippers. Who seeks To lessen Thee, against his purpose serves To manifest the more Thy might: his evil Thou usest, and from thence creat'st more good. Witness this new-made world, another heaven, From heaven-gate not far, founded, in view, On the clear hyaline, the glassy sea;
Of amplitude almost immense, with stars Numerous, and every star, perhaps, a world Of destined habitation; but Thou know'st Their seasons among these the seat of men, Earth with her nether ocean circumfused, Their pleasant dwelling-place. Thrice happy men And sons of men, whom God hath thus advanced! Created in His image there to dwell
And worship Him; and in reward to rule Over His works, on earth, in sea, or air, And multiply a race of worshippers Holy and just thrice happy, if they know Their happiness, and persevere upright! So sung they, and the 10 empyrean rung With hallelujahs; thus was Sabbath kept.
Symphonious, sounding together. 2 pomp, procession. Jubilant
is joyful, rejoicing. 3supernal, high above other things; heavenly.
* portals, gates. galaxy, or Milky Way, a broad, white, luminous band stretching across the nocturnal sky like a path or girdle
The telescope reveals to us that it is composed of myriads of stars so distant from us that they cannot be distinguished with the naked eye. dulcimer, a musical instrument mentioned in the Bible. Its form is unknown. fret, a bar on a stringed instrument pressed down with the finger to produce any required note. Shyaline: Milton immediately translates this Greek word, meaning the glassy sea. nether, lower. 10 empyrean, the highest heaven pervaded by the pure element of fire.
VII. ADAM AND EVE'S MORNING SONG OF PRAISE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
These are thy glorious works, Parent of good, Almighty! Thine this universal frame,
Thus wondrous fair: Thyself how wondrous then, Unspeakable! who sitt'st above these heavens To us invisible, or dimly seen
In these, thy lowest works: yet these declare Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine. Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light, Angels: for ye behold Him, and with songs And choral symphonies, day without night, Circle His throne rejoicing; ye in heaven, On earth, join, all ye creatures, to extol
Him first, Him last, Him midst, and without end. 1 Fairest of stars, last in the train of night,
If better thou belong not to the dawn,
Sure pledge of day, that crown'st the smiling morn With thy bright circlet, praise Him in thy sphere, While day arises, that sweet hour of 2 prime. Thou sun, of this great world both eye and soul, Acknowledge Him thy greater; sound His praise In thy eternal course, both when thou climb'st And when high noon hast gain'd, and when thou fall'st. Moon, that now meet'st the orient sun, now fly'st, With the fix'd stars, fix'd in their orb that flies; And yes five other wandering fires, that move In mystic dance not without song, resound His praise, who out of darkness call'd up light.
Air, and ye elements, the eldest birth Of nature's womb, that in quaternion run Perpetual circle, multiform; and mix
And nourish all things; let your ceaseless change Vary to our great Maker still new praise. Ye mists and exhalations, that now rise From hill or steaming lake, dusky or gray, Till the sun paint your fleecy skirts with gold, In honour to the world's great Author rise; Whether to deck with clouds the uncolour'd sky, Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers, Rising or falling, still advance his praise.
His praise, ye winds that from four quarters blow, Breathe soft or loud; and wave your tops, ye pines, With every plant, in sign of worship wave. Fountains, and ye that warble as ye flow, Melodious murmurs, warbling tune His praise. Join voices, all ye living souls: ye birds That, singing, up to heaven-gate ascend,
Bear on your wings and in your notes His praise. Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep; Witness if I be silent, morn or even,
To hill or valley, fountain, or fresh shade, Made vocal by my song, and taught His praise. Hail, universal Lord! be bounteous still To give us only good; and if the night Have gather'd aught of evil, or conceal'd, Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark.
fairest of stars, the morning star, Lucifer. 2 prime, the first part of the day; early morning. 3 five other wandering fires, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the only planets known in Milton's time. quaternion, a company of four.
EXTRACT FROM "PARADISE REGAINED."
"Paradise Regained" is a sequel, or continuation, to " Paradise Lost." It gives an account of the temptation of Christ in the Wilderness, and the repulse of the Tempter after his repeated attempts to lead the Son of God into sin.
CHRIST IN THE WILDERNESS.
Where, still, from shade to shade, the Son of God, After forty days' fasting, had remain'd,
Now hungering first, and to Himself thus said:
"Where will this end? four times ten days I've pass'd Wandering this woody maze, and human food Nor tasted, nor had appetite: that fast
To virtue I impute not, or count part Of what I suffer here; if nature need not, Or God support nature without repast, Though needing, what praise is it to endure? But now I feel I hunger, which declares Nature hath need of what she asks; yet God Can satisfy that need some other way, Though hunger still remain: so it remain Without this body's wasting, I content me, And from the sting of famine fear no harm; Nor mind it, fed with better thoughts, that feed Me, hungering more to do my Father's will." It was the hour of night, when thus the Son Communed in silent walk, then laid Him down Under the hospitable covert nigh
Of trees thick interwoven; there He slept, And dream'd, as appetite is wont to dream,
Of meats and drinks, nature's refreshment sweet: Him thought, He by the brook of Cherith stood,
And saw the ravens with their horny beaks
Food to Elijah bringing, even and morn;
Though ravenous, taught to abstain from what they brought. He saw the prophet also, how he fled
Into the desert, and how there he slept
Under a juniper; then how, awaked,
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