Tempest the ocean. There leviathan, Hugest of living creatures, on the deep Stretched like a promontory, sleeps or swims, And seems a moving land, and at his gills Draws in, and at his trunk spouts out, a sea. Meanwhile the tepid caves, and fens, and shores, Their brood as numerous hatch from the egg, that soon, Bursting with kindly rupture, forth disclosed
Their callow young; but feathered soon and fledge 420 They summed their pens, and, soaring the air sublime, With clang despised the ground, under a cloud In prospect. There the eagle and the stork On cliffs and cedar-tops their eyries build. Part loosely wing the region; part, more wise, In common, ranged in figure, wedge their way, Intelligent of seasons, and set forth Their aery caravan, high over seas Flying, and over lands, with mutual wing Easing their flight: so steers the prudent crane Her annual voyage, borne on winds: the air Floats as they pass, fanned with unnumbered plumes. From branch to branch the smaller birds with song Solaced the woods, and spread their painted wings, Till even; nor then the solemn nightingale Ceased warbling, but all night tuned her soft lays. Others, on silver lakes and rivers, bathed
Their downy breast; the swan, with arched neck Between her white wings mantling proudly, rows Her state with oary feet; yet oft they quit The dank, and, rising on stiff pennons, tower The mid aerial sky. Others on ground
Walked firm-the crested cock, whose clarion sounds The silent hours, and the other, whose gay train Adorns him, coloured with the florid hue Of rainbows and starry eyes. The waters thus With Fish replenished, and the air with Fowl, Evening and morn solemnized the fifth Day. "The sixth, and of Creation last, arose
With evening harps and matin; when God said, 450
'Let the Earth bring forth soul living in her kind, Cattle, and creeping things, and beast of the earth, Each in their kind!' The Earth obeyed, and, straight Opening her fertile womb, teemed at a birth Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms, Limbed and full-grown. Out of the ground up rose, As from his lair, the wild beast, where he wons In forest wild, in thicket, brake, or den— Among the trees in pairs they rose, they walked ; The cattle in the fields and meadows green : Those rare and solitary, these in flocks
Pasturing at once and in broad herds, upsprung. The grassy clods now calved; now half appeared The tawny lion, pawing to get free
His hinder parts-then springs, as broke from bonds, And rampant shakes his brinded mane; the ounce, The libbard, and the tiger, as the mole Rising, the crumbled earth above them threw In hillocks; the swift stag from underground Bore up his branching head; scarce from his mould Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheaved His vastness; fleeced the flocks and bleating rose, As plants; ambiguous between sea and land, The river-horse and scaly crocodile.
At once came forth whatever creeps the ground, Insect or worm. Those waved their limber fans For wings, and smallest lineaments exact In all the liveries decked of summer's pride, With spots of gold and purple, azure and green; These as a line their long dimension drew, Streaking the ground with sinuous trace: not all Minims of nature; some of serpent kind, Wondrous in length and corpulence, involved Their snaky folds, and added wings. First crept The parsimonious emmet, provident
Of future, in small room large heart enclosed- Pattern of just equality perhaps
Hereafter-joined in her popular tribes
Of commonalty. Swarming next appeared
The female bee, that feeds her husband drone Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells
With honey stored. The rest are numberless,
And thou their natures know'st, and gav`st them
Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown
The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field, Of huge extent sometimes, with brazen eyes And hairy mane terrific, though to thee Not noxious, but obedient at thy call.
"Now Heaven in all her glory shone, and rolled Her motions, as the great First Mover's hand 500 First wheeled their course; Earth, in her rich attire Consummate, lovely smiled; Air, Water, Earth, By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walked, Frequent; and of the sixth Day yet remained. There wanted yet the master-work, the end Of all yet done-a creature who, not prone And brute as other creatures, but endued With sanctity of reason, might erect His stature, and, upright with front serene Govern the rest, self-knowing, and from thence Magnanimous to correspond with Heaven, But grateful to acknowledge whence his good Descends; thither with heart, and voice, and eyes 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 becam'st a living soul. Male he created thee, but thy consort
Female, for race; then blessed mankind, and said, 530 '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
Gave thee. All sorts are here that all the earth yields,
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 this 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 Resounded (thou remember'st, for thou heard'st), 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 winged messengers On errands of supernal grace.' So sung
The glorious train ascending. He through Heaven, 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
Hath Omnipresence) and the work ordained, Author and end of all things, and, from work
Now resting, blessed and hallowed the seventh Day, 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:-
'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
« ПретходнаНастави » |