This turn hath made amends; Thou haft fulfill'd Thy words, Creator bounteous and benign! Giver of all things fair but fairest this Of all thy gifts, nor enviet. I now fee Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh, my felf Before me woman is her name, of man Extracted for this caufe he thall forgo Father and mother, and t'his wife adhere; And they fhall be one fiefh, one heart, one foul.
She heard me thus, and tho' divinely brought, 500 Yet innocence, and virgin modesty,
Her virtue, and the conscience of her worth,
That would be woo'd, and not unfought be won,
Not obvious, not obtrufive, but retir'd,
The more defirable: or, to fay all,
Nature her felf (though pure of finful thought)
Wrought in her fo, that feeing me, the turn'd.
I follow'd her; the what was honor knew,
And with obfequious majefty approv'd,
My pleafed reafon. --- To the nuptial bow'r
I led her blufhing like the morn: ali heav'n,
And happy conffellations, on that hour
Shed their felecteft influence: the earth
Gave fign of gratulation, and each hill:
Joyous the birds; fresh gales, and gentle airs
Whisper'd it to the woods, and from their wings
Flung rofe, flung odors from the spicy fhrub,
Difporting till the amourous bird of night
Sung fpoufal, and bid hafte the ev'ning tar
On his hill-top, to light the bridal lamp.
Thus I have told thee all my ftate, and brought My ftory to the fum of earthly blifs, Which I enjoy; and muft confess to find In all things elfe delight indeed, but fuch
As us'd or not, works in the mind no change, 525 Nor vehement defire; thefe delicacies
I mean of tafte, fight, fmell, herbs, fruits, and flow'rs,
Walks, and the melody of birds: but here
Far otherwife, tranfported I behold,
Transported touch: here paffion first I felt,
Commotion ftrange! in all enjoyments elfe
Superior, and unmov'd; here only weak,
Against the charm of beauty's powerful glance.
Or Nature fail'd in me, and left fome part
Not proof enough fuch object to fuftain;
Or from my fide fubducting, took perhaps
More than enough: at least, on her beftow'd
Too much of ornament; in outward fhew
Elaborate, of inward lefs exact,
For well I understand in the prime end
Of Nature, her th' inferior, in the mind
And inward faculties, which moft excel:
In outward also her refembling less
His image who made both; and lefs expreffing
The character of that dominion giv'n
O'er other creatures. Yet, when I approach
Her loveliness, fo abfolute she feems
And in her felf complete, fo well to know
Her own; that what the wills to do or fay,
Seems wifeft, virtuoufeft, discreteft, best:
All higher knowledge in her prefence falls
Degraded; wifdom in difcourfe with her
Lofes difcount'nanc'd, and like folly fhews:
Authority and reafon on her wait,
As one intended firft, not after made
Occafionally and (to confummate all).
Greatness of mind, and nobleness, their feat
Build in her lovelieft, and create an awe
About her, as a guard Angelic plac'd.
To whom the Angel with contracted brow. 560
Accufe not Nature, the hath done her part;
Do thou but thine, and be not diffident
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