Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence Magnanimous to correspond with Heaven, 511 But grateful to acknowledge whence his good Descends; thither with heart, and voice, and
Directed in devotion, to adore
And worship God Supreme, who made him chief
Of all his works; therefore the Omnipotent
Eternal Father (for where is not He
Present?) thus to his Son audibly spake :
"Let us make now Man in our image, Man
In our similitude, and let them rule
Over the fish and fowl of sea and air,
Beast of the field, and over all the earth, And every creeping thing that creeps the ground!
This said, he formed thee, Adam, thee, O Man,
Dust of the ground, and in thy nostrils breathed
The breath of life; in his own image he
Created thee, in the image of God
Express, and thou becamest a living soul.
Male he created thee, but thy consórt
Female, for race; then blessed mankind, and
'Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth;
Subdue it, and throughout dominion hold
Over fish of the sea, and fowl of the air,
And every living thing that moves on the earth!'
Wherever thus created, (for no place
Is yet distinct by name,) thence, as thou know'st,
He brought thee into this delicious grove,
This garden, planted with the trees of God,
Delectable both to behold and taste;
And freely all their pleasant fruit for food 540
Gave thee; all sorts are here that all the earth
Variety without end; but of the tree,
Which, tasted, works knowledge of good and evil, Thou may'st not; in the day thou eat'st, thou diest.
Death is the penalty imposed; beware,
And govern well thy appetite, lest Sin
Surprise thee, and her black attendant Death.
"Here finished he, and all that he had made
Viewed, and, behold, all was entirely good.
So even and morn accomplished the sixth Day;
Yet not till the Creator, from his work
Desisting, though unwearied, up returned,
Up to the Heaven of Heavens, his high abode,
Thence to behold his new-created world,
The addition of his empire-how it showed
In prospect from his throne-how good-how
fair,
Answering his great idea. Up he rode, Followed with acclamation, and the sound Symphonious of ten thousand harps that tuned Angelic harmonies. The earth, the air
(thou remember'st for thou
The heavens and all the constellations rung, The planets in their stations listening stood, While the bright pomp ascended jubilant.
Open, ye everlasting gates!' they sung; Open, ye heavens, your living doors! let in The great Creator, from his work returned Magnificent, his six days' work, a world! Open, and henceforth oft; for God will deign To visit oft the dwellings of just men Delighted, and with frequent intercourse Thither will send his wingèd messengers On errands of supernal grace.' So sung The glorious train ascending. He through
That opened wide her blazing portals, led
To God's eternal house direct the way,
A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold,
And pavement stars, as stars to thee appear,
Seen in the galaxy,-that milky way,
Which nightly, as a circling zone, thou seest Powdered with stars. And now on earth the seventh
Evening arose in Eden, for the sun
Was set, and twilight from the east came on,
Forerunning night; when at the holy mount
Of Heaven's high-seated top, the imperial throne
Of Godhead, fixed for ever firm and sure,
The Filial Power arrived, and sat him down
With his great Father; for he also went
Invisible, yet stayed (such privilege
589
Hath Omnipresence,) and the work ordained,
Author and End of all things, and, from work
Now resting, blessed and hallowed the seventh
As resting on that day from all his work;
But not in silence holy kept; the harp
Had work and rested not, the solemn pipe,
And dulcimer, all organs of sweet stop,
All sounds on fret, by string or golden wire,
Tempered soft tunings, intermixed with voice
Choral or unison; of incense clouds,
Fuming from golden censers, hid the Mount.
Creation and the six days' acts they sung: 601
'Great are thy works, Jehovah ! infinite
Thy power! What thought can measure thee,
or tongue
Relate thee? greater now in thy return
Than from the giant Angels; thee that day
Thy thunders magnified; but to create
Is greater than created to destroy.
Who can impair thee, mighty King, or bound
Thy empire? Easily the proud attempt
Of Spirits apostate, and their counsels vain, 610
Thou hast repelled, while impiously they thought
Thee to diminish, and from thee withdraw
The number of thy worshippers. Who seeks
To lessen thee, against his
purpose serves
To manifest the more thy might; his evil
Thou usest, and from thence createst more good.
Witness this new-made world, another Heaven
From Heaven gate not far, founded in view
On the clear hyaline, the glassy sea;
Of amplitude almost immense, with stars 620
Numerous, and every star perhaps a world
Of destined habitation; but thou know'st
Their seasons; among these the seat of men,
Earth with her nether ocean circumfused,
Their pleasant dwelling-place. Thrice happy
And sons of men, whom God hath thus advanced,
Created in his image, there to dwell
And worship him, and, in reward, to rule
Over his works, on earth, in sea, or air,
And multiply a race of worshippers
Holy and just; thrice happy, if they know
Their happiness, and persevere upright!'
So sung they, and the Empyréan rung With halleluiahs; thus was Sabbath kept. And thy request think now fulfilled, that asked How first this world and face of things began, And what, before thy memory, was done From the beginning, that posterity, Informed by thee, might know. If else thou seek'st Aught, not surpassing human measure, say."
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