Paradise Lost

by John Milton

Wherever placed, let him dispose; joy thou In what he gives to thee, this Paradise And thy fair Eve; Heaven is for thee too high To know what passes there; be lowly wise: Think only what concerns thee, and thy being;

175 Dream not of other worlds, what creatures there Live, in what state, condition, or degree; Contented that thus far hath been revealed Not of Earth only, but of highest Heaven.

To whom thus Adam, cleared of doubt, replied. 180 How fully hast thou satisfied me, pure Intellig...

And, freed from intricacies, taught to live The easiest way; nor with perplexing thoughts To interrupt the sweet of life, from which 185 God hath bid dwell far off all anxious cares, And not molest us; unless we ours...

But apt the mind or fancy is to rove Unchecked, and of he...

not to know at large of things remote From use, obscure and subtle; but, to know That which before us lies in daily life, Is the prime wisdom:

What is more, is fume, 195 Or emptiness, or fond impertinence: And renders us, in things that most concern, Unpractised, unprepared, and still to seek.

from this high pitch let us descend A lower flight, and speak of thin...

Thee I have heard relating what was done Ere my remembrance: now, hear me relate 205 My story, which perhaps thou hast not heard;

To whom thus Raphael answered heavenly meek.

God on thee 220 Abundantly his gifts hath also poured Inward and outward both, his image fair:

Speaking, or mute, all comeliness and grace Attends thee; and each word, each motion, forms; Nor less think we in Heaven of thee on Earth 225 Than of our fellow-servant, and inquire Gladly into the ways of God with Man:

For God, we see, hath honoured thee, and set On Ma...

Fast we found, fast shut, The dismal gates, and barricadoed strong; But long ere our approaching heard within Noise, other than the sound of dance or song, Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage.

“Thy mansion wants thee, Adam; rise, First Man, of men innumerable ordained First Father! called by thee, I come thy guide To the garden of bliss, thy seat prepared.” 300 So saying, by the hand he took me raised, And over fields and waters, as in air Smooth-sliding without step,

Presence Divine. Rejoicing, but with awe, 315 In adoration at his feet I fell Submiss: He reared me, and “Whom thou soughtest I am,”

“Author of all this thou seest Above, or round about thee, or beneath. This Paradise I give thee, count it thine 320 To till and keep, and of the fruit to eat: Of every tree that in the garden grows Eat freely with glad heart; fear here no dearth:

But of the tree whose operation brings Knowledge of good and ill, which I have set 325 The pledge of thy obedience and thy faith, Amid the garden by the tree of life, Remember what I warn thee, shun to taste, And shun the bitter consequence: for know, The day thou eatest thereof, my sole command 330 Transgressed, inevitably thou shalt die, From that day ...

“Not only these fair bounds, but all the Earth To thee and to thy race I give; as lords 340 Possess it, and all things that therein live,

I bring them to receive From thee their names, and pay thee fealty 345 With low subjection;

understand the same Of fish within their watery residence, Not hither summoned, since they cannot change Their element, to draw the thinner air.”

I named them, as they passed, and understood Their nature, with such knowledge God endued My sudden apprehension: But in these 355 I found not what methought I wanted still; And to the heavenly Vision thus presumed.

Is not the Earth 370 With various living creatures, and the air Replenished, and all these at thy command To come and play before thee?

Let not my words offend thee, Heavenly Power; 380 My Maker, be propitious while I speak. Hast thou not made me here thy substitute, And these inferiour far beneath me set?

Of fellowship I speak 390 Such as I seek, fit to participate All rational delight: wherein the brute Cannot be human consort: They rejoice Each with their kind, lion with lioness; So fitly them in pairs thou hast combined:

Whereto the Almighty answered, not displeased. A nice and subtle happiness, I see, 400 Thou to thyself proposest, in the choice Of thy associates, Adam! and wilt taste No pleasure, though in pleasure, solitary. What thinkest thou then of me, and this my state? Seem I to thee sufficiently possessed 405 Of happiness, or not? who am alone From all eternity; for none I know Second to me or like, equal much less. How have I then with whom to hold converse, Save with the creatures which I made, and those 410 To me inferiour, infinite descents Beneath what other creatures are to thee?

I lowly answered.

To attain The highth and depth of thy eternal ways All human thoughts come short, Supreme of things! 415 Thou in thyself art perfect, and in thee Is no deficience found: Not so is Man, But in degree; the cause of his desire By conversation with his like to help Or solace his defects. No need that thou 420 Sh...

But Man by number is to manifest His single imperfection, and beget Like of his like, his image multiplied, 425 In unity defect...

This answer from the gracious Voice Divine. Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was pleased; And find thee knowing, not of beasts alone, Which thou hast rightly named, but of thyself;

And be so minded still: I, ere thou spakest, 445 Knew it not good for Man to be alone; And no such company as then thou sawest Intended thee; for trial only brought, To see how thou couldest judge of fit and meet: What next I bring shall please thee, be assured,

Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self, Thy wish exactly to thy heart’s desire.

sought repair Of sleep, which instantly fell on me, called By Nature as in aid, and closed mine eyes. 460 Mine eyes he closed, but open left the cell Of fancy, my internal sight; by which, Abstract as in a trance, methought I saw, Though sleeping, where I lay, and saw the shape Still glorious before whom awake I stood: 465 Who stooping opened my left side, and took From thence a rib, with cordial spirits warm, And life-blood streaming fresh; wide was the wound, But suddenly with flesh filled up and healed:

The rib he formed and fashioned with his hands; 470 Under his forming hands a creature grew, Man-like, but different sex;

so lovely fair, That what seemed fair in all the world, seemed now Mean, or in her summed up, in her contained And in her looks; which from that time infused 475 Sweetness into my heart, unfelt before, And into all things f...

She disappeared, and left me dark; I waked To find her, or for ever to deplore 480 Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure: When out of hope, behold her, not far off, Such as I saw her in my dream, adorned With w...

On she came, 485 Led by her heavenly Maker, though unseen, And guided by his voice; nor uninformed Of nuptial sanctity, and marriage rites: Grace was in all her steps, Heave...

thou hast fulfilled Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign, Giver of all things fair! but fairest this Of all thy gifts! nor enviest. I now see 495 Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, myself Before me: Woman is her name; of Man Extracted: for this cause he shall forego Father and mother, and to his wife adhere; And they shall be one flesh, one heart, one soul.

The character of that dominion given O’er other creatures: Yet when I approach Her loveliness, so absolute she seems And in herself complete, so well to know Her own,

that what she wills to do or say, 550 Seems wisest, virtuousest, discreetest, best: All higher knowledge in her presence falls Degraded; Wisdom in discourse with her Loses discountenanced, and like Folly shows; Authority and Reason on her wait, 555 As one intended first, not after made Occasionally; and, to consummate all, Greatness of mind and Nobleness their seat Build in her loveliest, and create an awe About her,

Love refines 590 The thoughts, and heart enlarges; hath his seat In reason, and is judicious; is the scale By which to heavenly love thou mayest ascend,

To whom thus, half abashed, Adam replied.

So much delights me, as those graceful acts, Those thousand decencies, that daily flow From all her words and actions mixed with love And sweet compliance, which declare unfeigned Union of mind, or in us both one soul; 605 Harmony to behold in wedded pair More grateful than harmonious sound to the ear. Yet these subject not; I to thee disclose What inward thence I feel, not therefore foiled, Who meet with various objects, from the sense 610 Variously representing; yet, still free, Approve the best, and follow what I approve.

Love, thou sayest, Leads up to Heaven, is both the way and guide;

To whom the Angel, with a smile that glowed Celestial rosy red, Love’s proper hue, 620 Answered.

without love no happiness.

Be strong, live happy, and love! But, first of all, Him, whom to love is to obey, and keep 635 His great command;

I now must change Those notes to tragick; foul distrust, and breach Disloyal on the part of Man, revolt, And disobedience: on the part of Heaven Now alienated, distance and distaste, 10 Anger and just rebuke, and judgement given, That brought into this world a world of woe,

Sin and her shadow Death, and Misery Death’s harbinger:

bent On Man’s destruction, maugre what might hap Of heavier on himself, fearless returned By night he fled, and at midnight returned From compassing the earth; cautious of day, 60 Since Uriel, regent of the sun, descried His entrance, and foreworned the Cherubim That kept their watch;