Read The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Online
Authors: John Milton,Burton Raffel
Tags: #Fiction, #General, #Literary Collections, #Poetry, #Classics, #English; Irish; Scottish; Welsh, #English poetry
175 | | As one continued brake, |
176 | | Of shrubs and tangling bushes had perplexed |
177 | | All path of man or beast that passed that way. |
178 | | One gate there only was, and that looked east |
179 | | On th’ other side. Which when the arch-felon saw, |
180 | | Due entrance he disdained and, in contempt, |
181 | | At one slight |
182 | | Of hill or highest wall, and sheer |
183 | | Lights on his feet. As when a prowling wolf, |
184 | | Whom hunger drives to seek new haunt for prey, |
185 | | Watching where shepherds pen their flocks at eve |
186 | | |
187 | | Leaps o’er the fence with ease into the fold— |
188 | | Or as a thief, bent to unhoard |
189 | | Of some rich burgher, whose substantial doors, |
190 | | Cross-barred and bolted fast, fear no assault, |
191 | | In at the window climbs, or o’er the tiles, |
192 | | So clomb |
193 | | So since into His church lewd hirelings climb. |
194 | | Thence up he flew, and on the Tree of Life, |
195 | | The middle tree and highest there that grew, |
196 | | Sat like a cormorant, yet not true life |
197 | | Thereby regained, but sat devising death |
198 | | To them who lived, nor on the virtue thought |
199 | | Of that life-giving plant, but only used |
200 | | |
201 | | Of immortality. So little knows |
202 | | Any, but God alone, to value right |
203 | | The good before him, but perverts best things |
204 | | To worst abuse, or to their meanest |
205 | | |
206 | | To all delight of human sense exposed |
207 | | In narrow room, |
208 | | A Heav’n on earth. For blissful Paradise |
209 | | Of God the garden was, by Him in th’ east |
210 | | Of Eden planted. Eden stretched her line |
211 | | From Auran |
212 | | Of great Seleucia, |
213 | | Or where the sons of Eden long before |
214 | | Dwelt in Telassar. |
215 | | His far more pleasant garden God ordained. |
216 | | Out of the fertile ground He caused to grow |
217 | | All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste, |
218 | | And all amid them stood the Tree of Life, |
219 | | High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit |
220 | | Of vegetable |
221 | | Our death, the Tree of Knowledge, grew fast by, |
222 | | Knowledge of good bought dear by knowing ill. |
223 | | Southward through Eden went a river large, |
224 | | Nor changed his course, but through the shaggy |
225 | | |
226 | | That mountain as His garden-mold |
227 | | Upon the rapid current, which through veins |
228 | | Of porous earth with kindly |
229 | | Rose a fresh fountain, and with many a rill |
230 | | Watered the garden, thence united fell |
231 | | |
232 | | Which from his darksome passage now appears, |
233 | | And now, divided into four main streams, |
234 | | Runs diverse, |
235 | | And country, whereof here needs no account, |
236 | | But rather to tell how, if art |
237 | | How from that sapphire fount the crispèd |
238 | | Rolling on orient |
239 | | |
240 | | Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed |
241 | | Flow’rs worthy of Paradise, which not nice |
242 | | |
243 | | Poured forth profuse on hill and dale and plain, |
244 | | Both where the morning sun first warmly smote |
245 | | The open field, and where the unpierced shade |
246 | | Imbrowned |
247 | | A happy rural seat of various view, |
248 | | Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm, |
249 | | Others whose fruit, burnished with golden rind, |
250 | | |
251 | | If true, here onl, and of delicious taste. |
252 | | Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, |
253 | | Grazing the tender herb, |
254 | | |
255 | | Of some irriguous |
256 | | Flow’rs of all hue, and without thorn the rose. |
257 | | Another side, umbrageous |
258 | | Of cool recess, o’er which the mantling |
259 | | Lays forth her purple grape, and gently creeps |
260 | | Luxuriant. Meanwhile murmuring waters fall |
261 | | Down the slope hills, dispersed, or in a lake, |
262 | | That to the fringèd bank with myrtle crowned |