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
263 | | Her crystal mirror holds, unite their streams. |
264 | | |
265 | | Breathing the smell of field and grove, attune |
266 | | The trembling leaves, while universal Pan, |
267 | | |
268 | | Led on th’ eternal Spring. Not that fair field |
269 | | Of Enna, |
270 | | Herself a fairer flow’r by gloomy Dis |
271 | | Was gathered, which cost Ceres |
272 | | To seek her through the world. Nor that sweet grove |
273 | | |
274 | | Castalian spring, |
275 | | |
276 | | |
277 | | Whom gentiles Ammon call, and Libyan Jove, |
278 | | |
279 | | Young Bacchus from his stepdame Rhea’s eye, |
280 | | |
281 | | Mount Amara, |
282 | | True Paradise under the Ethiop line |
283 | | |
284 | | A whole day’s journey high, but wide remote |
285 | | From this Assyrian garden, where the fiend |
286 | | Saw, undelighted, all delight, all kind |
287 | | Of living creatures, new to sight, and strange. |
288 | | |
289 | | Godlike erect, with native honor clad |
290 | | In naked majesty, seemed lords of all. |
291 | | And worthy seemed, for in their looks divine |
292 | | The image of their glorious Maker shone, |
293 | | Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure |
294 | | (Severe, but in true filial freedom placed) |
295 | | Whence true authority in men. Though both |
296 | | Not equal, as their sex not equal seemed: |
297 | | For contemplation he, and valor, formed; |
298 | | For softness she and sweet attractive grace; |
299 | | He for God only, she for God in him. |
300 | | |
301 | | Absolute rule, and hyacinthine |
302 | | Round from his parted forelock |
303 | | Clust’ring, but not beneath his shoulders broad. |
304 | | She as a veil down to the slender waist |
305 | | Her unadornèd golden tresses wore |
306 | | |
307 | | As the vine curls her tendrils, which implied |
308 | | |
309 | | And by her yielded, by him best received, |
310 | | Yielded with coy |
311 | | And sweet, reluctant, amorous delay. |
312 | | Nor those mysterious parts |
313 | | Then was not guilty shame, dishonest |
314 | | Of Nature’s works. Honor dishonorable, |
315 | | Sin-bred, how have ye troubled all mankind |
316 | | With shows |
317 | | And banished from man’s life his happiest life, |
318 | | Simplicity and spotless innocence! |
319 | | |
320 | | Of God or Angel, for they thought no ill: |
321 | | So hand in hand they passed, the loveliest pair |
322 | | That ever since in love’s embraces met, |
323 | | Adam the goodliest man of men, since born |
324 | | His sons, the fairest of her daughters Eve. |
325 | | |
326 | | Stood whispering soft, by a fresh fountain side |
327 | | They sat them down and, after no more toil |
328 | | Of their sweet gardening labor than sufficed |
329 | | |
330 | | More easy, wholesome thirst and appetite |
331 | | More grateful, to their supper-fruits they fell, |
332 | | |
333 | | Yielded them, side-long as they sat recline |
334 | | On the soft downy bank, damasked |
335 | | The savory pulp they chew, and in the rind, |
336 | | Still as they thirsted, scoop the brimming stream, |
337 | | Nor gentle purpose, |
338 | | Wanted, |
339 | | Fair couple, linked in happy nuptial league, |
340 | | Alone as they. About them frisking played |
341 | | All beasts of the earth, since wild, and of all chase |
342 | | In wood or wilderness, forest or den. |
343 | | |
344 | | |
345 | | Gambolled |
346 | | To make them mirth, used all his might, and wreathed |
347 | | |
348 | |