Paradise Lost, John Milton [bts book recommendations .txt] 📗

Hail, holy Light, offspring of Heaven firstborn, Or of the Eternal coeternal beam

May I express thee unblam’d? since God is light, And never but in unapproached light

Dwelt from eternity, dwelt then in thee Bright effluence of bright essence increate.

Or hear”st thou rather pure ethereal stream, Whose fountain who shall tell? before the sun, Before the Heavens thou wert, and at the voice Of God, as with a mantle, didst invest ***

The rising world of waters dark and deep, Won from the void and formless infinite.

Thee I revisit now with bolder wing, Escap’d the Stygian pool, though long detain’d In that obscure sojourn, while in my flight Through utter and through middle darkness borne, With other notes than to the Orphean lyre I sung of Chaos and eternal Night;

Taught by the heavenly Muse to venture down The dark descent, and up to re-ascend, Though hard and rare: Thee I revisit safe, And feel thy sovran vital lamp; but thou Revisit’st not these eyes, that roll in vain To find thy piercing ray, and find no dawn; So thick a drop serene hath quench’d their orbs, Or dim suffusion veil’d. Yet not the more Cease I to wander, where the Muses haunt, Clear spring, or shady grove, or sunny hill, Smit with the love of sacred song; but chief Thee, Sion, and the flowery brooks beneath, That wash thy hallow’d feet, and warbling flow, Nightly I visit: nor sometimes forget So were I equall’d with them in renown, Thy sovran command, that Man should find grace; Blind Thamyris, and blind Maeonides, And Tiresias, and Phineus, prophets old: Then feed on thoughts, that voluntary move Harmonious numbers; as the wakeful bird Sings darkling, and in shadiest covert hid Tunes her nocturnal note. Thus with the year Seasons return; but not to me returns Day, or the sweet approach of even or morn, Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer’s rose, Or flocks, or herds, or human face divine; But cloud instead, and ever-during dark Surrounds me, from the cheerful ways of men Cut off, and for the book of knowledge fair Presented with a universal blank

Of nature’s works to me expung’d and ras’d, And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out.

So much the rather thou, celestial Light, Shine inward, and the mind through all her powers Irradiate; there plant eyes, all mist from thence Purge and disperse, that I may see and tell Of things invisible to mortal sight.

Now had the Almighty Father from above, From the pure empyrean where he sits High thron’d above all highth, bent down his eye His own works and their works at once to view: About him all the Sanctities of Heaven Stood thick as stars, and from his sight receiv’d Beatitude past utterance; on his right The radiant image of his glory sat,

His only son; on earth he first beheld Our two first parents, yet the only two Of mankind in the happy garden plac’d Reaping immortal fruits of joy and love, Uninterrupted joy, unrivall’d love,

In blissful solitude; he then survey’d Hell and the gulf between, and Satan there Coasting the wall of Heaven on this side Night In the dun air sublime, and ready now To stoop with wearied wings, and willing feet, On the bare outside of this world, that seem’d Firm land imbosom’d, without firmament, Uncertain which, in ocean or in air.

Him God beholding from his prospect high, Wherein past, present, future, he beholds, Thus to his only Son foreseeing spake.

Only begotten Son, seest thou what rage Transports our Adversary? whom no bounds Prescrib’d no bars of Hell, nor all the chains Heap’d on him there, nor yet the main abyss Wide interrupt, can hold; so bent he seems On desperate revenge, that shall redound Upon his own rebellious head. And now, Through all restraint broke loose, he wings his way Not far off Heaven, in the precincts of light, Directly towards the new created world, And man there plac’d, with purpose to assay If him by force he can destroy, or, worse, By some false guile pervert; and shall pervert; For man will hearken to his glozing lies, And easily transgress the sole command, Sole pledge of his obedience: So will fall He and his faithless progeny: Whose fault?

Whose but his own? ingrate, he had of me All he could have; I made him just and right, Sufficient to have stood, though free to fall.

Such I created all the ethereal Powers And Spirits, both them who stood, and them who fail’d; Freely they stood who stood, and fell who fell.

Not free, what proof could they have given sincere Of true allegiance, constant faith or love, Where only what they needs must do appear’d, Not what they would? what praise could they receive?

What pleasure I from such obedience paid, When will and reason (reason also is choice) Useless and vain, of freedom both despoil’d, Made passive both, had serv’d necessity, Not me? they therefore, as to right belong$ ‘d, So were created, nor can justly accuse Their Maker, or their making, or their fate, As if predestination over-rul’d

Their will dispos’d by absolute decree Or high foreknowledge they themselves decreed Their own revolt, not I; if I foreknew, Foreknowledge had no influence on their fault, Which had no less proved certain unforeknown.

So without least impulse or shadow of fate, Or aught by me immutably foreseen,

They trespass, authors to themselves in all Both what they judge, and what they choose; for so I form’d them free: and free they must remain, Till they enthrall themselves; I else must change Their nature, and revoke the high decree Unchangeable, eternal, which ordain’d $THeir freedom: they themselves ordain’d their fall.

The first sort by their own suggestion fell, Self-tempted, self-deprav’d: Man falls, deceiv’d By the other first: Man therefore shall find grace, The other none: In mercy and justice both, Through Heaven and Earth, so shall my glory excel; But Mercy, first and last, shall brightest shine.

Thus while God spake, ambrosial fragrance fill’d All Heaven, and in the blessed Spirits elect Sense of new joy ineffable diffus’d.

Beyond compare the Son of God was seen Most glorious; in him all his Father shone Substantially express’d; and in his face Divine compassion visibly appear’d,

Love without end, and without measure grace, Which uttering, thus he to his Father spake.

O Father, gracious was that word which clos’d Thy sovran command, that Man should find grace; , that Man should find grace;

For which both Heaven and earth shall high extol Thy praises, with the innumerable sound Of hymns and sacred songs, wherewith thy throne Encompass’d shall resound thee ever blest.

For should Man finally be lost, should Man, Thy creature late so lov’d, thy youngest son, Fall circumvented thus by fraud, though join’d With his own folly? that be from thee far, That far be from thee, Father, who art judge Of all things made, and judgest only right.

Or shall the Adversary thus obtain

His end, and frustrate thine? shall he fulfill His malice, and thy goodness bring to nought, Or proud return, though to his heavier doom, Yet with revenge accomplish’d, and to Hell Draw after him the whole race of mankind, By him corrupted? or wilt thou thyself Abolish thy creation, and unmake

For him, what for thy glory thou hast made?

So should thy goodness and thy greatness both Be question’d and blasphem’d without defence.

To whom the great Creator thus replied.

O son, in whom my soul hath chief delight, Son of my bosom, Son who art alone.

My word, my wisdom, and effectual might, All hast thou spoken as my thoughts are, all As my eternal purpose hath decreed;

Man shall not quite be lost, but sav’d who will; Yet not of will in him, but grace in me Freely vouchsaf’d; once more I will renew His lapsed powers, though forfeit; and enthrall’d By sin to foul exorbitant desires;

Upheld by me, yet once more he shall stand On even ground against his mortal foe; By me upheld, that he may know how frail His fallen condition is, and to me owe All his deliverance, and to none but me.

Some I have chosen of peculiar grace, Elect above the rest; so is my will: The rest shall hear me call, and oft be warn’d Their sinful state, and to appease betimes The incensed Deity, while offer’d grace Invites; for I will clear their senses dark, What may suffice, and soften stony hearts To pray, repent, and bring obedience due.

To prayer, repentance, and obedience due, Though but endeavour’d with sincere intent, Mine ear shall not be slow, mine eye not shut.

And I will place within them as a guide, My umpire Conscience; whom if they will hear, Light after light, well us’d, they shall attain, And to the end, persisting, safe arrive.

This my long sufferance, and my day of grace, They who neglect and scorn, shall never taste; But hard be harden’d, blind be blinded more, That they may stumble on, and deeper fall; And none but such from mercy I exclude.

But yet all is not done; Man disobeying, Disloyal, breaks his fealty, and sins Against the high supremacy of Heaven, Affecting Godhead, and, so losing all, To expiate his treason hath nought left, But to destruction sacred and devote, He, with his whole posterity, must die, Die he or justice must; unless for him Some other able, and as willing, pay The rigid satisfaction, death for death.

Say, heavenly Powers, where shall we find such love?

Which of you will be mortal, to redeem Man’s mortal crime, and just the unjust to save?

Dwells in all Heaven charity so dear?

And silence was in Heaven: $ on Man’s behalf He ask’d, but all the heavenly quire stood mute, Patron or intercessour none appear’d, Much less that durst upon his own head draw The deadly forfeiture, and ransom set.

And now without redemption all mankind Must have been lost, adjudg’d to Death and Hell By doom severe, had not the Son of God, In whom the fulness dwells of love divine, His dearest mediation thus