She all night long her amorous descant sung; Silence was pleas'd; now glow'd the firmament With living saphirs; HESPERUS that led The starry hoft rode brightest, till the moon Rifing in clouded majesty at length, Apparent Queen, unvail'd her peerless light, And o'er the dark her filver mantle threw; When ADAM thus to EVE: fair confort, th' hour bre
Of night, and all things now retir'd to rest Mind us of like repose, fince God hath set Labor and rest, as day and night to men Successive; and the timely dew of fleep Now falling with foft slumbrous weight, inclines 615 Our eye-lids: other creatures all day long Rove idle, unemploy'd, and less need rest: Man hath his daily work of body, or mind, Appointed, which declares his dignity, And the regard of Heaven on all his ways: While other animals unactive range, And of their doings God takes no account. To-morrow, e're fresh morning streak the east With first approach of light, we must be ris'n, And at our pleasant labor, to reform Yon flowry arbors, yonder allies green Our walk at noon, with branches overgrown; That mock our scant manuring, and require More hands than ours to lop their wanton growth. Those bloffoms also, and those dropping gums, 630 That lie bestrown unsightly and unfmooth, Ask riddance, if we mean to tread with ease: Mean while, as nature wills, night bids us reft.
To whom thus EVE with perfect beauty adorn'd:
My author and disposer! what thou bidst Unargu'd I obey; so GOD ordains, GOD is thy law, thou mine: to know no more Is woman's happiest knowledge, and her praise. With thee converfing I forget all time,
All seasons and their change, all please alike: Sweet is the breath of morn, her rifing fweet, With charm of earliest birds: pleasant the Sun, When first on this delightful land he spreads His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flow'r, Gliftring with dew: fragrant the fertile earth After soft show'rs: and sweet the coming on Of grateful ev'ning mild: then filent night With this her folemn bird, and this fair moon, And thefe the gems of heav'n, her starry train. But neither breath of morn, when the afcends 650 With charm of earliest birds; nor rifing Sun On this delightful land; nor herb, fruit, flow'r, Gliftring with dew; nor fragrance after show'rs; Nor grateful evening mild; nor filent night, With this her folemn bird, nor walk by moon, 655 Or glittering star-light, without thee is sweet. But wherefore all night long shine these, for whom This glorious fight, when fleep hath shut all eyes?
To whom our general ancestor reply'd: Daughter of God and man, accomplish'd EVE, 660 Those have their course to finith, round the earth, By morrow ev'ning, and from land to land In order, though to nations yet unborn, Miniftring light prepar'd, they fet and rife: Left total darkness should by night regain Her old poffeffion, and extinguith life In nature and all things; which these soft fires Not only enlighten, but with kindly heat Of various influence foment and warm, Temper or nourish; or in part shed down Their stellar virtue on all kinds that grow On earth; made hereby apter to receive Perfection from the Sun's more potent ray. These then, though unbeheld in deep of night, 674 Shine not in vain; nor think, though men were none, That heav'n would want spectators, God want praise: Millions
Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth Unfeen, both when we wake, and when we fleep. All these with ceaseless praise his works behold Both day and night: how often from the steep 680 Of echoing hill, or thicket, have we heard Cœleftial voices to the midnight air, (Sole, or refponfive each to other's note) Singing their great Creator; oft in bands While they keep watch, or nightly rounding walk, 685 With heavenly touch of inftrumental sounds, In full harmonic number join'd, their fongs Divide the night, and lift our thoughts to Heaven.
Thus talking, hand in hand, alone they pass'd On to their blissful Bow'r: it was a place Chos'n by the sov'reign planter, when he fram'd All things to man's delightful use: the roof Of thickeft covert was inwoven shade Laurel and myrtle; and what higher grew Of firm and fragrant leaf: on either fide Acanthus, and each od'rous bushy shrub Fenc'd up the verdant wall: each beauteous flow'r, Iris all hues, rofes, and jessamin
Rear'd high their flourish'd heads between, & wrought Mofaic; underfoot the violet,
Crocus and hyacinth, with rich inlay Broider'd the ground, more color'd than with stone Of costliest emblem: other creature here, Beast, bird, infect, or worm durst enter none; Such was their awe of man. In shady bow'r More facred and fequester'd, though but feign'd, PAN OF SYLVANUS never slept, nor Nymph, Nor FAUNUS haunted. Here in close recefs With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs, Espoused EVE deckt first her nuptial bed And heav'nly Quires the Hymenæan fung; What day the genial Angel to our fire Brought her in naked beauty, more adorn'd,
« ZurückWeiter » |