The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (139 page)

537

Rarely be found.

“So shall the world go on,

538

To good malignant, to bad men benign,

539

Under her own weight groaning, till the day

540

Appear of respiration
⁶⁴³⁵
to the just

541

And vengeance to the wicked, at return

542

Of him so lately promised to thy aid,

543

The woman’s seed, obscurely then foretold,

544

Now ampler known thy Savior and thy Lord,

545

Last
⁶⁴³⁶
in the clouds from Heav’n to be revealed

546

In glory of the Father, to dissolve

547

Satan with his perverted world, then raise

548

From the conflagrant
⁶⁴³⁷
mass, purged and refined,

549

New Heav’ns, new earth, ages of endless date,
⁶⁴³⁸

550

Founded in righteousness, and peace, and love—

551

To bring forth fruits, joy and eternal bliss.”

552

He ended, and thus Adam last
⁶⁴³⁹
replied:

553

   
“How soon hath thy prediction, seer
⁶⁴⁴⁰
blest,

554

Measured
⁶⁴⁴¹
this transient world, the race
⁶⁴⁴²
of time,

555

Till time stand fixed! Beyond is all abyss,

556

Eternity, whose end no eye can reach.

557

Greatly-instructed I shall hence depart,

558

Greatly in peace of thought, and have my fill

559

Of knowledge, what this vessel can contain,

560

Beyond which was my folly to aspire.

561

Henceforth I learn that to obey is best,

562

And love with fear the only God; to walk

563

As in His presence, ever to observe

564

His providence, and on Him sole depend,

565

Merciful over
⁶⁴⁴³
all His works, with good

566

Still
⁶⁴⁴⁴
overcoming evil, and by small

567

Accomplishing great things, by things deemed weak

568

Subverting
⁶⁴⁴⁵
worldly strong, and worldly wise

569

By simply meek; that suffering for truth’s sake

570

Is fortitude to highest victory

571

And, to the faithful, death the gate of life,

572

Taught this by his example, whom I now

573

Acknowledge my Redeemer ever blest.”

574

To whom thus also th’ Angel last
⁶⁴⁴⁶
replied:

575

   
“This having learned, thou hast attained the sum

576

Of wisdom. Hope no higher, though all the stars

577

Thou knew’st by name, and all the ethereal powers,

578

All secrets of the deep, all Nature’s works,

579

Or works of God in Heav’n, air, earth, or sea,

580

And all the riches of this world enjoyd’st,

581

And all the rule, one empire. Only add

582

Deeds to thy knowledge answerable,
⁶⁴⁴⁷
add faith,

583

Add virtue, patience, temperance, add love,

584

By name to come called charity, the soul

585

Of all the rest. Then wilt thou not be loath

586

To leave this Paradise, but shalt possess

587

A Paradise within thee, happier far.

588

   
“Let us descend now therefore from this top
⁶⁴⁴⁸

589

Of speculation,
⁶⁴⁴⁹
for the hour precise
⁶⁴⁵⁰

590

Exacts
⁶⁴⁵¹
our parting hence. And see the guards,

591

By me encamped on yonder hill! Expect
⁶⁴⁵²

592

Their motion, at whose front
⁶⁴⁵³
a flaming sword,

593

In signal of remove,
⁶⁴⁵⁴
waves fiercely
⁶⁴⁵⁵
round.

594

We may no longer stay. Go, waken Eve.

595

Her also I with gentle dreams have calmed,

596

Portending
⁶⁴⁵⁶
good, and all her spirits composed
⁶⁴⁵⁷

597

To meek
⁶⁴⁵⁸
submission. Thou, at season fit,
⁶⁴⁵⁹

598

Let her with thee partake
⁶⁴⁶⁰
what thou hast heard,

599

Chiefly what may concern her faith to know,

600

The great deliverance by her seed to come

601

(For by the woman’s seed) on all mankind,

602

That ye may live, which will be many days,

603

Both in one faith unanimous,
⁶⁴⁶¹
though sad,

604

With cause, for evils past, yet much more cheered

605

With meditation
⁶⁴⁶²
on the happy end.”

606

   
He ended, and they both descend the hill.

607

Descended Adam to the bow’r where Eve

608

Lay sleeping, ran before, but found her waked,

609

And thus with words not sad she him received:

610

   
“Whence thou return’st, and whither went’st, I know,

611

For God is also in sleep, and dreams advise,
⁶⁴⁶³

612

Which He hath sent propitious,
⁶⁴⁶⁴
some great good

613

Presaging, since with sorrow and heart’s distress

614

Wearied I fell asleep. But now lead on:

615

In me is no delay. With thee to go

616

Is to stay here. Without thee here to stay

617

Is to go hence unwilling. Thou to me

618

Art all things under Heav’n, all places thou,

619

Who for my wilful crime art banished hence.

620

This further consolation yet secure

621

I carry hence, though all by me is lost,

622

Such favor I unworthy am vouchsafed,
⁶⁴⁶⁵

623

By me the promised seed shall all restore.”

624

So spoke our mother Eve, and Adam heard

625

Well pleased, but answered not. For now, too nigh

626

The Arch-Angel stood and, from the other hill

627

To their fixed station, all in bright array