Paradise Lost

by John Milton

Ministring light prepar'd, they set and rise; Least total darkness should by Night regaine Her old possession, and extinguish life

Sleep on, Blest pair; and O yet happiest if ye seek No happier state, and know to know no more.

Almightie, thine this universal Frame, Thus wondrous fair; thy self how wondrous then! Unspeakable, who sitst above these Heavens To us invisible or dimly seen In these thy lowest works, yet these declare Thy goodness beyond thought, and Power Divine:

Circle his Throne rejoycing, yee in Heav'n, On Earth joyn all yee Creatures to extoll Him first, him last, him midst, and without end.

Hail universal Lord, be bounteous still To give us onely good; and if the night Have gathered aught of evil or conceald, Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark.

God made thee perfet, not immutable; And good he made thee, but to persevere He left it in thy power, ordaind thy will By nature free, not over-rul'd by Fate

Because wee freely love, as in our will To love or not; in this we stand or fall: And som are fall'n, to disobedience fall'n, And so from Heav'n to deepest Hell; O fall From what high state of bliss into what woe!

High matter thou injoinst me, O prime of men, Sad task and hard, for how shall I relate To human sense th' invisible exploits Of warring Spirits; how without remorse The ruin of so many glorious once And perfet while they stood;

Servant of God, well done, well hast thou fought The better fight, who single hast maintaind Against revolted multitudes the Cause Of Truth, in word mightier then they in Armes;

Thy self not free, but to thy self enthrall'd;

And thy adherents: how hast thou disturb'd Heav'ns blessed peace, and into Nature brought Miserie, uncreated till the crime Of thy Rebellion? how hast thou instill'd Thy malice into thousands, once upright

In might though wondrous and in Acts of Warr, Nor of Renown less eager, yet by doome Canceld from Heav'n and sacred memorie, Nameless in dark oblivion let them dwell.

But pain is perfet miserie, the worst Of evils, and excessive, overturnes All patience.

Shrin'd in his Sanctuarie of Heav'n secure, Consulting on the sum of things, foreseen This tumult, and permitted all, advis'd: That his great purpose he might so fulfill, To honour his Anointed Son aveng'd Upon his enemies, and to declare All power on him transferr'd: whence to his Son Th' Assessor of his Throne he thus began.

Of Thrones and mighty Seraphim prostrate, That wish'd the Mountains now might be again Thrown on them as a shelter from his ire.

Of Goats or timerous flock together throngd Drove them before him Thunder-struck, pursu'd

Hell heard th' unsufferable noise, Hell saw Heav'n ruining from Heav'n and would have fled

Hell at last Yawning receavd them whole, and on them clos'd, Hell thir fit habitation fraught with fire

Unquenchable, the house of woe and paine.

Self-lost, and in a moment will create Another World, out of one man a Race Of men innumerable, there to dwell,

Not here, till by degrees of merit rais'd They open to themselves at length the way Up hither, under long obedience tri'd, And Earth be chang'd to Heavn, & Heav'n to Earth, One Kingdom, Joy and Union without end.

Heav'n op'nd wide Her ever during Gates, Harmonious sound On golden Hinges moving, to let forth The King of Glorie in his powerful Word And Spirit coming to create new Worlds.

Nor less think wee in Heav'n of thee on Earth Then of our fellow servant, and inquire Gladly into the wayes of God with Man: For God we see hath honour'd thee, and set On Man his equal Love: say therefore on;

The day thou eat'st thereof, my sole command Transgrest, inevitably thou shalt dye; From that day mortal, and this happie State Shalt loose, expell'd from hence into a World Of woe and sorrow.

What next I bring shall please thee, be assur'd, Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self, Thy wish, exactly to thy hearts desire.

enviest. I now see Bone of my Bone, Flesh of my Flesh, my Self Before me; Woman is her Name, of Man Extracted; for this cause he shall forgoe Father and Mother, and to his Wife adhere;

And they shall be one Flesh, one Heart, one Soule.

There was a place, Now not, though Sin, not Time, first wraught the change,

The Wife, where danger or dishonour lurks, Safest and seemliest by her Husband staies, Who guards her, or with her the worst endures.

Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn; Suttle he needs must be, who could seduce Angels, nor think superfluous others aid.

Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more; Go in thy native innocence, relie On what thou hast of vertue, summon all,

For God towards thee hath done his part, do thine.

O much deceav'd, much failing, hapless EVE, Of thy presum'd return! event perverse!

Prejudicial view of Eve

So glister'd the dire Snake and into fraud Led EVE our credulous Mother, to the Tree Of prohibition, root of all our woe;

So saying, her rash hand in evil hour Forth reaching to the Fruit, she pluck'd, she eat: Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat Sighing through all her Works gave signs of woe, That all was lost.

Against his better knowledge, not deceav'd, But fondly overcome with Femal charm.

False in our promis'd Rising; since our Eyes Op'nd we find indeed, and find we know Both Good and Evil, Good lost and Evil got, Bad Fruit of Knowledge, if this be to know, Which leaves us naked thus, of Honour void, Of Innocence, of Faith, of Puritie,

Thus fenc't, and as they thought, thir shame in part Coverd, but not at rest or ease of Mind, They sate them down to weep, nor onely Teares Raind at thir Eyes, but high Winds worse within Began to rise, high Passions, Anger, Hate,

Mistrust, Suspicion, Discord, and shook sore Thir inward State of Mind, calme Region once And full of Peace, now tost and turbulent: For Understanding rul'd not, and the Will Heard not her lore, both in subjection now To sensual Appetite, who from beneathe Usurping over sovran Reason claimd Superior sway:

Let none henceforth seek needless cause to approve The Faith they owe; when earnestly they seek Such proof, conclude, they then begin to faile.

Thus they in mutual accusation spent The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning And of thir vain contest appeer'd no end.

Hee in the Serpent had perverted EVE, Her Husband shee, to taste the fatall fruit, Was known in Heav'n; for what can scape the Eye Of God All-seeing, or deceave his Heart Omniscient, who in all things wise and just, Hinder'd not SATAN to attempt the minde

Of Man, with strength entire, and free Will arm'd, Complete to have discover'd and repulst Whatever wiles of Foe or seeming Friend.

Easie it may be seen that I intend Mercie collegue with Justice, sending thee Mans Friend, his Mediator, his design'd Both Ransom and Redeemer voluntarie,

Love was not in thir looks, either to God Or to each other, but apparent guilt, And shame, and perturbation, and despaire, Anger, and obstinacie, and hate, and guile.

That from her hand I could suspect no ill, And what she did, whatever in it self, Her doing seem'd to justifie the deed; Shee gave me of the Tree, and I did eate.

And for thee, whose perfection farr excell'd Hers in all real dignitie:

Does not view Eve as equal.

Were such as under Government well seem'd, Unseemly to beare rule,

This view of Eve is not biblically supported

Whom thus the meager Shadow answerd soon. Goe whither Fate and inclination strong Leads thee, I shall not lag behinde, nor erre The way, thou leading, such a sent I draw Of carnage, prey innumerable, and taste The savour of Death from all

things there that live: Nor shall I to the work thou enterprisest Be wanting, but afford thee equal aid.