In his old age Milton became quite blind, and the wonderful poems, which have earned for him such lasting and wellmerited fame, were dictated by the blind poet and transcribed1 by his wife and daughters. The most valued of these is "Paradise Lost," which may truly be regarded as one of the most sublime productions of the human mind," both in design and in execution; and whether we consider the powerful delineation of character, or the exquisite beauty of the descriptions contained in this wonderful poem, we find our admiration equally excited.
Milton's prose works are now little read. His poetical works include "Paradise Regained," a sequel to "Paradise Lost," but much inferior; "L'Allegro," "Il Penseroso," "Comus," &c.
1. TRANSCRIBED, copied, written. (Lat. scribo, to write.) 2. DELINEATION, a representation or description. (Lat. linea, a line.)
MORNING HYMN OF ADAM AND EVE.
THESE are Thy glorious works, Parent of good,
Almighty! Thine this universal frame
Thus wondrous fair: Thyself how wondrous then,
Unspeakable! who sittest above these heavens,
To us invisible, or dimly seen
In these Thy lowest works; yet these declare
Thy goodness beyond thought, and power divine.
Speak, ye who best can tell, ye sons of light,
Angels for ye behold Him, and with songs
And choral symphonies,1 day without night,
Circle His throne rejoicing; ye in heaven,
On earth join all ye creatures to extol
Him first, Him last, Him midst, and without end.
Fairest of stars,2 last in the train of night,
If better, thou belong not to the dawn,
Sure pledge of day that crownest the smiling morn,
With thy bright circlet praise Him in thy sphere,
While day arises, that sweet hour of praise.
Thou sun, of this great world both eye and soul,
Acknowledge Him thy greater; sound His praise
In thy eternal course, both when thou climbest,
And when high noon hast gained, and when thou
fallest.
Moon that now meets the orient sun, now fliest
With the fixed stars, fixed in their orb that flies,
And ye five other wandering fires, that move
In mystic dance not without song, resound
His praise, who out of darkness called up light.
Air, and ye elements, the eldest birth
Of nature's womb, that in quaternion 5 run
Perpetual circle, multiform; and mix
And nourish all things; let your ceaseless change
Vary to our great Maker still new praise.
Ye mists and exhalations, that now rise
From hill or streaming lake, dusky or gray,
Till the sun paint your fleecy skirts with gold;
In honour of the world's great Author, rise;
Whether to deck with clouds the unclouded sky,
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers,
Rising or falling, still advance His praise.
His praise, ye winds that from four quarters blow,
Breathe soft or loud; and wave your tops, ye pines,
With every plant, in sign of worship wave.
Fountains, and ye that warble, as ye flow,
Melodious murmurs, warbling, tune His praise.
Join voices, all ye living souls; ye birds,
That, singing up to heaven's gate, ascend,
Bear on your wings, and in your notes, His praise.
Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk
The earth, and stately tread, or lowly creep.
Witness if I be silent, morn or even,
To hill or valley, fountain or fresh shade,
Made vocal by my song and taught His praise.
Hail, universal Lord, be bounteous still
To give us only good; and if the night
Have gathered aught of evil, or concealed,
Disperse it, as now light dispels the dark.
"Paradise Lost".
1. SYMPHONIES, harmonious sounds. CHORAL SYMPHONIES, a full band of voices, singing together in harmony.
2. FAIREST OF STARS, the morning and evening stars, which are seen first after sunset, and for some little time after sunrise ; the planets, Jupiter and Venus, are alternately the morning and evening stars.
3. ORIENT, eastward, the part where the sun rises. (Lat. orior, to rise.)
4. FIVE OTHER WANDERING FIRES, the planets, of which only seven were known at this time.
5. QUATERNION, a company composed of four. The word here has reference to the four so-called elements, earth, air, fire, and
SATAN'S ADDRESS TO THE SUN.
OH thou, that with surpassing glory crowned,
Lookest from thy sole dominion like the god
Of this new world; at whose sight all the stars
Hide their diminished heads; to thee I call,
But with no friendly voice, and add thy name,
O sun! to tell thee how I hate thy beams,
That bring to my remembrance from what state
I fell, how glorious once above thy sphere,
Till pride and worse ambition threw me down,
Warring in heaven against heaven's matchless King.
Ah, wherefore? He deserved no such return
From me, whom He created what I was
In that bright eminence, and with His good
Upbraided none; nor was His service hard;
What could be less than to afford Him praise,
The easiest recompense, and pay Him thanks
How due! Yet all His good proved ill in me.
I wrought but malice; lifted up so high
I disdained subjection, and thought one step higher
Would set me highest, and in a moment quit
The debt immense of boundless gratitude,
So burdensome, still paying, still to owe;
Forgetful what from Him I still received.
And understood not that a grateful mind
By owing, owes not, but still pays, at once
Indebted and discharged. What burden then?
Oh, had His powerful destiny ordained
Me some inferior angel. I had stood
Then happy; no unbounded hope had raised
Ambition; yet why not? Some other power
As great might have aspired, and me, though mean,
Drawn to his part. But other powers as great
Fell not, but stand unshaken, from within
Or from without, to all temptations armed.
Hadst thou the same free will and power to stand?
Thou hadst. Whom hast thou then or what to accuse
But heaven's free love dealt equally to all?
Be then His love accursed, since love or hate
To me alike, it deals eternal woe.
Nay, cursed be thou, since against His thy will
Chose freely what it now so justly rues.
Me miserable! which way shall I fly
Infinite wrath and infinite despair?
Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell;
And, in the lowest depth a lower deep,
Still threatening to devour me, opens wide,
To which the hell I suffer seems a heaven.
Oh, then, at last relent. Is there no place
Left for repentance, none for pardon left?
None left but by submission; and that word
Disdain forbids me, and my dread of shame
Among the spirits beneath, whom I seduced
With other promises and other vaunts
Than to submit, boasting I could subdue
The Omnipotent! Ah me! they little know
How dearly I abide that boast so vain,
Under what torments inwardly I groan,
While they adore me on the throne of hell,
With diadem and sceptre high advanced,
The lower still I fall, only supreme
In misery: such joy ambition finds.
But say I could repent, and could obtain
By act of grace, my former state;
Would height recall high thought, how soon unsay What feigned submission swore! Ease would recant Vows made in pain, as violent and void;
For never can true reconcilement grow
Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep;
Which would but lead me to a worse relapse
And heavier fall; so should I purchase dear
Short intermission bought with double smart.
This knows my punisher; therefore as far
From granting He, as I from begging peace.
All hope excluded thus, behold, instead
Of us outcast, exiled, His new delight,
Mankind, created, and for him this world.
So farewell hope, and with hope farewell fear;
Farewell remorse: all good to me is lost.
Evil be thou my good; by thee at least
Divided empire with heaven's King I hold
By thee; and more than half perhaps will reign,
As man, ere long, and this new world shall know.
"Paradise Lost"-MILTON.
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