That witness’d huge affliction and dismay Torments him round he throws his baleful eyes Reserv’d him to more wrath for now the thought Lay vanquisht, rowling in the fiery Gulfe Nine times the Space that measures Day and Night God threw him flaming from the divine Heavens in miserable ruins to Hell, there to exist in chains of extreme hardness and punishing fire, he who dared to defy God with violent intentions. Translationįirst say, because Heaven doesn’t hide anything from you, nor does the deep depths of Hell, first say what made Adam and Eve in their pure and happy state, so privileged by Heaven, to become estranged from their Creator, and go against his will because of one forbidden thing, although they were in charge of the world otherwise, who first tempted them to rebel against God? The Hellish Serpent it was he whose terrible cleverness aroused envy and thoughts of revenge, deceived Eve, after his arrogance had caused him to be thrown out of Heaven, with his followers of rebel angels, with whose help he wanted to set himself above his fellows, and hoped to equal God himself and with this ambitious goal against God’s authority he agitated an unholy war in Heaven and fought vainly. Hurld headlong flaming from th’ Ethereal Skie Rais’d impious War in Heav’n and Battel proud He trusted to have equal’d the most High, Had cast him out from Heav’n, with all his Host The Mother of Mankinde, what time his Pride Th’ infernal Serpent he it was, whose guile Who first seduc’d them to that fowl revolt? Mov’d our Grand Parents in that happy State,įavour’d of Heav’n so highly, to fall offįrom their Creator, and transgress his Willįor one restraint, Lords of the World besides? Nor the deep Tract of Hell, say first what cause Say first, for Heav’n hides nothing from thy view O Divine Muse, sing about man’s first disobedience and the fruit of the forbidden tree, whose fatal taste brought death into the world and caused mankind’s woe and the loss of Eden, until Christ restored us, and regained Heaven, that on Mount Sinai inspired the shepherd Moses, who first taught the Jews in the beginning how the heavens and earth came out of Chaos: or, if Mount Zion appeals more to you, and the spring near the Temple where Christ cured a blind man (NAoEL page 1818, footnote #4) I therefore ask for your aid to my epic poem, that doesn’t intend to go only halfway, but instead will soar over the Helicon, the home of the classical muses (NAoEL page 1818, footnote #5), and surpass Homer and Virgil in my attempt to do things as of yet not done in prose or rhyme. Things unattempted yet in Prose or Rhime. That with no middle flight intends to soar In the Beginning how the Heav'ns and Earthĭelight thee more, and SILOA'S Brook that flow'd That Shepherd, who first taught the chosen Seed, Sing Heav'nly Muse, that on the secret top Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat, Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal tasteīrought Death into the World, and all our woe, Of Mans First Disobedience, and the Fruit Close Reading, Colloquial Paraphrase, and Analysis Original Text
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