OW morn her rofy steps in th' eastern clime Advancing, fow'd the' earth with orient pearl, When Adam wak'd, fo custom'd, for his fleep Was aery light from pure digeftion bred,
And temp'rate vapors bland, which th' only found 5
Of leaves and fuming rills, Aurora's fan,
Lightly difpers'd, and the fhrill matin fong
Of birds on every bough; fo much the more
His wonder was to find unwaken'd Eve
With treffes difcompos'd, and glowing cheek,
As through unquiet reft: he on his fide
Leaning half rais'd, with looks of cordial love
Hung over her enamour'd, and beheld
Beauty, which, whether waking or afleep,
Shot forth peculiar graces; then with voice
Mild, as when Zephyrus on Flora breathes,
Her hand foft touching, whisper'd thus. Awake
My fairest, my efpous'd, my latest found,
Heav'n's last best gift, my ever new delight,
Awake; the morning fhines, and the fresh field
Calls us; we lose the prime, to mark how spring
Our tended plants, how blows the citron grove,
What drops the myrrh, and what the balmy reed,
How nature paints her colors, how the bee
Sits on the bloom extracting liquid sweet.
Such whisp'ring wak'd her, but with startled eye
On Adam, whom embracing, thus she spake.
O fole in whom my thoughts find all repose,
My glory, my perfection, glad I fee
Thy face, and morn return'd; for I this night
(Such night till this I never pafs'd) have dream'd,
If dream'd, not as I oft am wont, of thee,
Works of day paft, or morrow's next defign,
But of offenfe and trouble, which my mind
Knew never till this irkfome night: methought
Clofe at mine car one call'd me forth to walk
With gentle voice, I thought it thine; it said,
Why fleep'ft thou, Eve? now is the pleasant time,
The cool, the filent, fave where filence yields
To the night-warbling bird, that now awake
Tunes fweeteft his love-labor'd fong; now reigns
Full orb'd the moon, and with more pleafing light
Shadowy fets off the face of things; in vain,
If none regard; Heav'n wakes with all his eyes,
Whom to behold but thee, Nature's defire?
In whofe fight all things joy, with ravishment
Attracted by thy beauty still to gaze.
I rofe as at thy call, but found thee not;
To find thee I directed then my walk;
And on, methought, alone I pass'd through ways
That brought me on a sudden to the tree
Of interdicted knowledge: fair it seem'd,
Much fairer to my fancy than by day :
And as I wond'ring look'd, befide it stood
One fhap'd and wing'd like one of those from Heaven
By us oft feen; his dewy locks distill'd
Ambrofia; on that tree he also gaz'd;
And O fair plant, faid he, with fruit furcharg'd,
Deigns none to ease thy load and taste thy fweet,
Nor God, nor Man? is knowledge so despis'd ?
Or envy' or what referve forbids to taste?
Forbid who will, none fhall from me withhold
Longer thy offer'd good, why else set here ?
This said, he paus'd not, but with ventrous arm
He pluck'd, he tasted; me damp horror chill'd
At fuch bold words vouch'd with a deed fo bold:
But he thus overjoy'd, O fruit divine,
Sweet of thyself, but much more fweet thus cropt,
Forbidden here, it feems, as only fit
For Gods, yet able to make Gods of Men:
And why not Gods of Men, fince good, the more
Communicated, more abundant grows,
The author not impair'd, but honor'd more?
Here, happy creature, fair angelic Eve,
Partake thou alfo; happy though thou art,
Happier thou may'ft be, worthier canst not be:
Taste this, and be henceforth among the Gods
Thyfelf a Goddefs, not to earth confin'd,
But fometimes in the air, as we, fometimes
Afcend to Heav'n, by merit thine, and see
What life the Gods live there, and fuch live thou.
So faying, he drew nigh, and to me held,
Ev'n to my mouth of that same fruit held part
Which he had pluck'd; the pleasant savory finell
So quicken'd appetite, that I, methought,
Could not but taste. Forthwith up to the clouds
With him I flew, and underneath beheld
The earth outstretch'd immenfe, a prospect wide
And various: wondring at my flight and change
To this high exaltation; fuddenly
My guide was gone, and I, methought, funk down,
And fell asleep; but O how glad I wak'd
To find this but a dream! Thus Eve her night
Related, and thus Adam anfwer'd fad.
Beft image of myfelf and dearer half,
The trouble of thy thoughts this night in sleep
Affects me equally; nor can I like
This uncouth dream, of evil sprung I fear;
Yet evil whence? in thee can harbour none,
Created pure. But know that in the foul
Are many leffer faculties, that ferve
Reason as chief; among these fancy next
Her office holds; of all external things,
Which the five watchful fenfes reprefent,
She forms imaginations, aery fhapes,
Which reason joining or disjoining, frames
All what we' affirm or what deny, and call
Our knowledge or opinion; then retires
Into her private cell when nature rests.
Oft in her absence mimic fancy wakes
To imitate her; but misjoining shapes,
Wild works produces oft, and most in dreams,
Ill matching words and deeds long past or late.
Some fuch resemblances methinks I find
Of our last evening's talk, in this thy dream,
But with addition ftrange; yet be not fad.
Evil into the Mind of God or Man
May come and go, so unapprov'd, and leave
No spot or blame behind: Which gives me hope
That what in fleep thou didst abhor to dream,
Waking thou never wilt confent to do.
Be not dishearten'd then, nor cloud those looks,
That wont to be more chearful and ferene,
Than when fair morning first smiles on the world;
And let us to our fresh employments rife
Among the groves, the fountains, and the flowers
That open now their choiceft bofom'd fmells,
Referv'd from night, and kept for thee in store.
So chear'd he his fair fpoufe, and she was chear'd,
But filently a gentle tear let fall
From either eye, and wip'd them with her hair;
Two other precious drops that ready food,
Each in their crystal fluce, he ere they fell
Kifs'd, as the gracious figns of sweet remorse
And pious awe, that fear'd to have offended.
So all was clear'd, and to the field they haste.
But first, from under shady arbo'rous roof
Soon as they forth were come to open fight
Of day-spring, and the fun, who fcarce up rifen,
With wheels yet hovering o'er the ocean brim,
Shot parallel to the earth his dewy ray,
Discovering in wide fandskip all the caft
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