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My story, which perhaps thou hast not heard;
And day is not yet spent, till then thou seest
How subtly to detain thee I devise;
Inviting thee to hear while I relate;

Fond! were it not in hope of thy reply:
For, while I sit with thee, I seem in heaven;
And sweeter thy discourse is to my ear
Than fruits of palm-tree pleasantest to thirst
And hunger both, from labour, at the hour,
Of sweet repast: they satiate, and soon fill,
Though pleasant; but thy words with grace divine
Imbued, bring to their sweetness no satiety. »

To whom thus Raphaet answer'd, heavenly meek:
«Nor are thy lips ungraceful, sire of men!
Nor tongue ineloquent; for God on thee
Abundantly his gifts hath also pour'd
Inward and outward both, his image fair:
Speaking, or mute, all comeliness and grace
Attends thee; and each word, each motion forms;
Nor less think we in heaven of thee on earth
Than of our fellow-servant, and inquire

Gladly into the ways of God with man:
For God, we see, hath honour'd thee, and set
On man his equal love: say therefore on;
For I that day was absent, as befel,
Bound on a voyage uncouth and obscure,
Far on excursion toward the gates of hell;
Squar'd in full legion (such command we had)
To see that none thence issued forth a spy
Or enemy, while God was in his work;
Lest he, incens'd at such eruption bold,
Destruction with creation might have mix'd.

Mia storia, che non anco forse udisti;
Il di ancor vive, e tu ben vedi intanto
Come a tenerti io già sottile adopri;
Te invitando ad udire i miei racconti,
Caldo sperando avere i tuoi responsi;

Che mentre io son con te mi sembro in cielo ;
E più cara al mio orecchio è tua favella,
Che non di palma i frutti a fame e a sete
Vengon giocondi appo fatica, all' ora
Di grato pasto sazian elli e presto,
Benchè piacenti, ma il tuo dir di' grazia
Diva ripien, piacer non tedio arreça.

E a lui Rafael sì con bontà celeste:

« Ned è il tuo labbro indotto, o sire umano ! Ned infacondo il dire; chè suoi doni

Dio pur su te versò con piene mani

E dentro e fuor, come a sua bella imago:
O parli o taci, ogni beltade e grazia
T'abbella, ogni atto informa ed ogni accente
Ne men noi in ciel stimiam di te su terra
Che d'un caro conservo nostro, e lieti
Coll' uomo interroghiam le vie di Dio.
Chè Dio, il vediamo, te sublima e pone
Sull' uomo eguale amor: su parla adunque ;
Ch' assente io fui, siccome avvien quel die,
Destinato a viaggio ed aspro e oscuro
Per escursion ver le infernali porte;
Serrati in squadra, (tal comando avemmo)
A cessar ch' indi esplorator rompesse
O nemico, mentre era Dio nell' opra;
Che ci non irato a così audace fuga
Sterminio e creazion mescesse insieme.

Not that they durst without his leave attempt;
But us he sends upon his high behests

For state, as sovran king; and to inure

Our prompt obedience. Fast we found, fast shut,
The dismal gates; and barricadoed strong;
But long ere our approaching, heard within
Noise, other than the sound of dance or song,
Torment, and loud lament, and furious rage.
Glad we return'd up to the coasts of light
Ere sabbath-evening: so we had in charge.
But thy relation now; for I attend,

Pleas'd with thy words no less than thou with mine. »
So spake the godlike power, and thus our sire:
<< For man to tell how human life began
Is hard; for who himself beginning knew?
Desire with thee still longer to converse
Induc'd me. As new wak'd from soundest sleep,
Soft on the flowery herb I found me laid,

In balmy sweat; which with his beams the sun
Soon dried, and on the reeking moisture fed.
Straight toward heaven my wondering eyes I turn'd,
And gaz'd awhile the ample sky: till, rais'd
By quick instinctive motion, up I sprung,
As thitherward endeavouring, and upright
Stood on my feet: about me round I saw
Hill, dale, and shady woods, and sunny plains,
And liquid lapse of murmuring streams; by these
Creatures that liv'd and walk'd, or flew;
Birds on the branches warbling; all things smil'd:
With fragrance and with joy my heart o'erflow'd,
Myself I then perus'd, and limb by limb

Survey'd, and sometimes went, and sometimes ran

Nè osato già l'avrian senza sua venia;
Pur ei ne invia per suoi consigli arcani
Di stato, qual celeste Re, e ad usare
Il pronto obbedir nostro. Chiuse e salde
Eran l'orrende porte e corse a sbarre;
Ma da elle lungi ancor, là dentro udimmo
Fragore ed altro suon che danze o canti,
Ma cruccio ed alti lai, furore ed ira.
Lieti tornammo su a region di luce
Pria d'imbrunare il sabbato: l' incarco

Fu tale. Orsù comincia; io t'odo, e piacciomi
Nel tuo parlar non men che tu nel mio. »>
Così l'angelo, e disse il nostro padre:
« Arduo è per l'uom narrar com' ebbe inizio
L'umana vita; e chi sé nascer vide?

Desio di te goder più a lungo a dire
Mi spinse. Qual chi or desto da alto sonno
Molle su l'erbe e i fior trovaimi steso
Con ambrosio sudor che a' rai del sole
Presto esalò e svani in leggier vapore.
Tosto al ciel stupefatti gli occhi io volsi
E fissi all' ampio azzurro; finchè impulso
Da vivo interno istinto su balzai

Qual chi ver là si sforza, e dritto stetti
Sopra i miei piè: mi vidi monti intorno
E valli e selve ombrose e piani aprichi,
E liquido errar di rii sonanti, e ovunque
Questi animai fluire o andar diversi ;
Cantan gli augei pei rami, tutto ride
Con fragranza, e di gioia il cor m' inonda:
Me stesso allor rimiro, e membro a membro
Visito; or lenti or presti muto i passi

With supple joints, as lively vigour led:
But who I was, or where, or from what cause,
Knew not; to speak I tried, and forthwith spake;
My tongue obey'd, and readily could name
Whate'er I saw. Thou sun, (said I) fair light,
And thou enlighten'd earth, so fresh and gay,
Ye hills, and dales, ye rivers, woods, and plains,
And ye that live and move, fair creatures, tell,
Tell, if ye saw, how came I thus, how here?
Not of myself;
by some great Maker then,

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In goodness and 'in power pre-eminent;

Tell me, how may I know him, how adore,
From whom I have that thus I move and live,
And feel that I am happier than I know.

While thus I call'd, and stray'd I knew not whither,
From where I first drew air, and first beheld
This happy light; when, answer none return'd,
On a green shady bank, profuse of flowers,
Pensive I sat me down: there gentle sleep
First found me, and with soft oppression seiz'd
My drowsed sense, untroubled: (though I thought
I then was passing to my former state
Insensible, and forthwith to dissolve :)

When suddenly stood at my head a dream,
Whose inward apparition gently mov'd

My fancy to believe I yet had being,

And liv'd; one came, methought, of shape divine,
And said: « Thy mansion wants thee, Adam; rise,
First man, of men innumerable ordain'd

First father call'd by thee, I come thy guide
To the garden of bliss, thy seat prepar'd. »

So saying, by the hand he took me raised,

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