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
447 | | With fish replenished, |
448 | | Ev’ning and morn solemnized |
449 | | |
450 | | With ev’ning harps, and matin, |
451 | | ‘Let th’ earth bring forth soul living, in her kind, |
452 | | Cattle, and creeping things, and beast of th’ earth, |
453 | | Each in their kind. ’The earth obeyed, and straight |
454 | | Op’ning her fertile womb teemed |
455 | | Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms, |
456 | | Limbed and full grown. Out of the ground up rose, |
457 | | As from his lair, the wild beast where he wons |
458 | | In forest wild, in thicket, brake, |
459 | | Among the trees in pairs they rose, they walked, |
460 | | The cattle in the fields and meadows green, |
461 | | |
462 | | Pasturing at once, and in broad herds upsprung. |
463 | | The grassy clods |
464 | | The tawny lion, pawing to get free |
465 | | His hinder parts, then springs as broke from bonds, |
466 | | |
467 | | The libbard, |
468 | | Rising, the crumbled earth above them threw |
469 | | In hillocks. The swift stag from under ground |
470 | | Bore up his branching head. Scarce from his mould |
471 | | Behemoth, |
472 | | His vastness. Fleeced the flocks, and bleating rose |
473 | | |
474 | | The river-horse, |
475 | | At once came forth whatever creeps the ground, |
476 | | |
477 | | |
478 | | In all the liveries decked of summer’s pride |
479 | | With spots of gold and purple, azure and green. |
480 | | These as a line their long dimension drew, |
481 | | |
482 | | Minims |
483 | | |
484 | | Their snaky folds, and added |
485 | | The parsimonious emmet, |
486 | | Of future, in small room large heart enclosed, |
487 | | Pattern of just equality perhaps |
488 | | Hereafter, joined in her popular |
489 | | Of commonalty. Swarming, next appeared |
490 | | The female bee, that feeds her husband drone |
491 | | Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells |
492 | | With honey stored. The rest are numberless, |
493 | | And thou their natures know’st, and gav’st them names, |
494 | | Needless to thee repeated. Nor unknown |
495 | | The serpent, subtlest |
496 | | Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes |
497 | | And hairy mane terrific, |
498 | | Not noxious, |
499 | | |
500 | | Her motions, as the great first Mover’s hand |
501 | | First wheeled their course. Earth in her rich attire |
502 | | Consummate |
503 | | By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walked, |
504 | | Frequent, and of the sixth day yet remained. |
505 | | There wanted yet the master-work, the end |
506 | | Of all yet done, a creature who not prone |
507 | | And brute |
508 | | With sanctity |
509 | | His stature, and upright with front |
510 | | Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence |
511 | | |
512 | | But grateful to acknowledge whence his good |
513 | | Descends, thither with heart, and voice, and eyes |
514 | | Directed in devotion, to adore |
515 | | And worship God Supreme, who made him chief |
516 | | Of all His works. Therefore th’ Omnipotent |
517 | | Eternal Father (for where is not He |
518 | | Present?) thus to His Son audibly spoke: |
519 | | |
520 | | |
521 | | Over the fish and fowl of sea and air, |
522 | | Beast of the field, and over all the earth, |
523 | | And every creeping thing that creeps the ground. |
524 | | This said, He formed thee, Adam, thee, O man, |
525 | | Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breathed |
526 | | The breath of life. In His own image He |
527 | | Created thee, in the image of God |
528 | | Express, |
529 | | Male He created thee, but thy consort |
530 | | Female, for race, |
531 | | ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth; |
532 | | Subdue |
533 | | Over fish of the sea, and fowl of the air, |