Page:The Complete Poetical Works of John Milton.djvu/261

 BOOK TENTH

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��Perpetual smiled on Earth with vernant

flowers,

Equal in days and nights, except to those Beyond the polar circles; to them day 681 Had unbenighted shon, while the low Sun, To recompense his distance, in their sight Had rounded still the horizon, and not

known Or east or west which had forbid the

snow

From cold Estotiland, and south as far Beneath Magellan. At that tasted Fruit, The Sun, as from Thyestean banquet, turned His course intended; else how had the

world 689

Inhabited, though sinless, more than now Avoided pinching cold and scorching heat ? These changes in the heavens, though slow,

produced Like change on sea and land sideral

blast,

Vapour, and mist, and exhalation hot, Corrupt and pestilent. Now from the north Of Norumbega, and the Samoed shore, Bursting their brazen dungeon, armed with

ice, And snow, and hail, and stormy gust and

flaw,

Boreas and Ca^cias and Argestes loud And Thrascias rend the woods, and seas

upturn ; 700

With adverse blasts upturns them from

the south Notus and Afer, black with thundrous

clouds

From Serraliona; thwart of these, as fierce Forth rush the Levant and the Ponent

winds,

Eurus and Zephyr, with their lateral noise, Sirocco and Libecchio. Thus began Outrage from lifeless things; but Discord

first,

Daughter of Sin, among the irrational Death introduced through fierce antipathy. Beast now with beast 'gan war, and fowl

with fowl, 710

And fish with fish. To graze the herb all

leaving Devoured each other; nor stood much in

awe Of Man, but fled him, or with countenance

grim Glared on him passing. These were from

without The growing miseries; which Adam saw

��Already in part, though hid in gloomiest

shade,

To sorrow abandoned, but worse felt within, And, in a troubled sea of passion tost, Thus to disburden sought with sad com-

plaint : " O miserable of happy ! Is this the

end 720

Of this new glorious World, and me so late The glory of that glory ? who now, become Accursed of blessed, hide me from the face Of God, whom to behold was then my

highth Of happiness ! Yet well, if here would

end The misery ! I deserved it, and would

bear My own deservings. But this will not

serve :

All that I eat or drink, or shall beget, Is propagated curse. O voice, once heard Delightfully, ' Encrease and multiply ' Now death to hear ! for what can I en-

crease

Or multiply but curses on my head ? Who, of all ages to succeed, but, feeling The evil on him brought by me, will curse My head ? ' 111 fare our Ancestor impure ! For this we may thank Adam ! ' but his

thanks

Shall be the execration. So, besides Mine own that bide upon me, all from

me

Shall with a fierce reflux on me redound On me, as on their natural centre, light; 740 Heavy, though in their place. O fleeting

��Of Paradise, dear bought with lasting woes ! Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould me Man ? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me, or here

place

In this delicious Garden ? As my will Concurred not to my being, it were but

right

And equal to reduce me to my dust, Desirous to resign and render back All I received, unable to perform 750

Thy terms too hard, by which I was to

hold

The good I sought not. To the loss of that, Sufficient penalty, why hast thou added The sense of endless woes ? Inexplicable Thy justice seems. Yet, to say truth, too

late

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