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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