The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (92 page)

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

BOOK: The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems
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88

      

The less not bright, nor Heav’n such journeys run,

89

      

Earth sitting still, when she alone receives

90

      

The benefit.

 

      

         
“Consider, first, that great

91

      

Or bright infers
4428
not excellence. The earth,

92

      

Though in comparison of Heav’n so small,

93

      

Nor glistering,
4429
may of solid good contain

94

      

More plenty than the sun that barren shines,

95

      

Whose virtue
4430
on itself works no effect,

96

      

But in the fruitful earth, there first received,

97

      

His beams, unactive
4431
else,
4432
their vigor
4433
find.

98

      

Yet not to earth are those bright luminaries

99

      

Officious,
4434
but to thee, earth’s habitant.

100

      

And for the Heav’n’s wide circuit, let it speak

101

      

The Maker’s high magnificence, who built

102

      

So spacious, and His line stretched out so far

103

      

That man may know he dwells not in his own,

104

      

An edifice too large for him to fill,

105

      

Lodged in a small partition,
4435
and the rest

106

      

Ordained for uses to his Lord best known.

107

      

The swiftness of those circles attribute,
4436

108

      

Though numberless, to His Omnipotence,

109

      

That to corporeal substances could add

110

      

Speed almost spiritual. Me thou think’st not slow,

111

      

Who since the morning-hour set out from Heav’n

112

      

Where God resides, and ere mid-day arrived

113

      

In Eden—distance inexpressible

114

      

By numbers that have name. But this I urge,
4437

115

      

Admitting
4438
motion in the Heav’ns, to show

116

      

Invalid that which thee to doubt it moved.
4439

117

      

Not that I so affirm,
4440
though so it seem

118

      

To thee who hast thy dwelling here on earth.

119

      

God, to remove His ways from human sense,

120

      

Placed Heav’n from earth so far, that earthly sight,

121

      

If it presume, might err in things too high,

122

      

And no advantage gain. What if the sun

123

      

Be center to the world? and other stars,

124

      

By his
4441
attractive
4442
virtue
4443
and their own

125

      

Incited, dance about him various rounds?

126

      

Their wand’ring course now high, now low, then hid,

127

      

Progressive,
4444
retrograde,
4445
or standing still,

128

      

In six
4446
thou see’st? And what if sev’nth to these

129

      

The planet earth, so steadfast though she seem,

130

      

Insensibly three different motions move,

131

      

Which else to several spheres thou must ascribe,

132

      

Moved contrary with thwart
4447
obliquities,
4448

133

      

Or save the sun his labor, and that swift

134

      

Nocturnal and diurnal rhomb
4449
supposed,

135

      

Invisible
4450
else above all stars, the wheel

136

      

Of day and night, which needs not thy belief

137

      

If earth, industrious
4451
of herself, fetch
4452
day

138

      

Travelling east, and with her part averse

139

      

From the sun’s beam meet night, her other part

140

      

Still luminous by his
4453
ray? What if that light,

141

      

Sent from her
4454
through the wide transpicuous
4455
air,

142

      

To the terrestrial moon be as a star,

143

      

Enlight’ning her
4456
by day, as she
4457
by night

144

      

This earth, reciprocal, if land be there,

145

      

Fields and inhabitants? Her spots thou see’st

146

      

As clouds, and clouds may rain, and rain produce

147

      

Fruits in her softened soil for some to eat

148

      

Allotted
4458
there. And other suns perhaps,

149

      

With their attendant moons, thou wilt descry,

150

      

Communicating male and female light,
4459

151

      

Which two great sexes animate the world,

152

      

Stored in each orb perhaps with some that live.

153

      

For such vast room
4460
in Nature unpossessed

154

      

By living soul, desert
4461
and desolate,

155

      

Only to shine, yet scarce to contribute
4462

156

      

Each orb a glimpse of light, conveyed so far

157

      

Down to this habitable,
4463
which returns

158

      

Light back to them, is obvious to dispute.
4464

159

      

But whether thus these things, or whether not—

160

      

But whether the sun, predominant in Heav’n,

161

      

Rise on the earth, or earth rise on the sun—

162

      

He from the east his flaming road begin,

163

      

Or she from west her silent course advance,

164

      

With inoffensive
4465
pace that spinning sleeps

165

      

On her soft axle, while she paces ev’n,
4466

166

      

And bears thee soft with the smooth air along—

167

      

Solicit
4467
not thy thoughts with matters hid.

168

      

Leave them to God above. Him serve, and fear!

169

      

Of other creatures, as Him pleases best,

170

      

Wherever placed, let Him dispose. Joy thou

171

      

In what He gives to thee, this Paradise

172

      

And thy fair Eve. Heav’n is for thee too high

173

      

To know what passes there. Be lowly
4468
wise,

174

      

Think only what concerns thee, and thy being.

175

      

Dream not of other worlds, what creatures there

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