The savage beasts in her victorious play, Knit with a golden baldric which forelay Athwart her snowy breast, and did divide Her dainty paps; which, like young fruit in May, Now little gan to swell, and being tied, Through her thin weed their places only signified. Her yellow locks crispèd like golden wire, About her shoulders weren loosely shed, And when the wind amongst them did inspire, They waved like a pennon wide dispread, And low behind her back were scattered; And, whether art it were or heedless hap, As through the flowering forest rash she fled, In her rude hair sweet flowers themselves did lap, [did enwrap. And flourishing fresh leaves and blossoms Such as Diana, by the sandy shore Of swift Eurotas, or on Cynthus green, Where all the nymphs have her unwares forlore, [keen, Wand'reth alone, with bow and arrows To seek her game; or, as that famous queen Of Amazons, whom Pyrrhus did destroy, The day the first of Priam she was seen, Did show herself in great triumphant joy, To succour the weak state of sad afflicted Troy. (The more to use their ears) their voices sure would spare That moduleth her tunes so admirably rare, As man to set in parts at first had learned of her. To Philomel, the next the linnet we prefer, And by that warbling bird, the wood-lark, place we then [and the wren. The reed-sparrow, the nope, the redbreast, The yellow-pate, which, though she hurt the blooming tree, [she. Yet scarce hath any bird a finer pipe than And of these chaunting fowls, the goldfinch not behind, [her kind. That hath so many sorts descending from The tydy from her notes as delicate as they, The laughing hecco, then the counterfeiting jay; [the leaves, The softer with the shrill (some hid among Some in the taller trees, some in the lower greaves) [tain sun Thus sing away the morn, until the mounThrough thick exhaled fogs his golden head hath run, [covert creeps, And through the twisted tops of our close To kiss the gentle shade, the while that sweetly sleeps. Do boast the pansy, lily, and the rose, And every flower doth laugh as Zephyr blows. The seas are now more even than the earth, Or gently swell as curled by Zephyr's breath; The rivers run as smoothed by his hand; The wanton heifer through the grassy land Plays wildly free, her horns scarce budding yet; [lambs While in the sunny fields the new-dropped Gambol, rejoicing round their milky dams. Hark! how each bough a several music yields; The lusty throstle, early nightingale, Accord in tune, though vary in their tale. The chirping swallow, called forth by the sun, And crested lark doth her division run. The yellow bees the air with music fill, The finches carol, and the turtles bill. :0: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. 1564-1616. CLEOPATRA. THE barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, [gold; Burned on the water: the poop was beaten Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that The winds were love-sick with them; the oars were silver, [made Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and The water, which they beat, to follow faster, As amorous of their strokes. For her own person, It beggared all description: she did lie In her pavilion (cloth-of-gold of tissue), O'er-picturing that Venus, where we see The fancy outwork nature. On each side her Now that the winter's gone, the earth has lost [the frost Her snow-white robes; and now no more Candies the grass, or casts an icy cream Upon the silver lake or crystal stream. [earth, But the warm sun thaws the benumbèd And makes it tender; gives a second birth To the dead swallows; wakes in hollow tree The drowsy cuckoo and the humble bee. Now do a choir of chirping minstrels bring In triumph to the world the youthful spring: The valleys, hills, and woods in rich array, Welcome the coming of the longed-for May. :0: JOHN MILTON. THE EARTHLY PARADISE. EDEN stretched her line From Auran eastward to the royal towers Of great Seleucia, built by Grecian kings, Or where the sons of Eden long before Dwelt in Telassar. In this pleasant soil His far more pleasant garden God ordained; Out of the fertile ground He caused to grow All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste; And all amid them stood the Tree of Life, High eminent, blooming ambrosial fruit Of vegetable gold; and next to Life Our death, the Tree of Knowledge, grew fast by, [ing ill. Knowledge of good bought dear by knowSouthward through Eden went a river large, Nor changed his course, but through the shaggy hill [thrown Passed underneath ingulfed; for God had That mountain as His garden mound, high raised [veins Upon the rapid current, which, through Of porous earth with kindly thirst up drawn, Rose a fresh fountain, and with many a rill Watered the garden; thence united fell Down the steep glade, and met the nether flood, [appears; Which from his darksome passage now And now divided into four main streams Runs diverse, wandering many a famous realm [account; And country, whereof here needs no But rather to tell how, if art could tell, How from that sapphire fount the crispèd brooks, Rolling on orient pearl and sands of gold, With mazy error under pendent shades Ran nectar, visiting each plant, and fed Flowers worthy of Paradise, which not nice art In beds and curious knots, but nature boon Poured forth profuse on hill, and dale, and plain, [smote Both where the morning sun first warmly The open field, and where the unpierced shade [was this place Imbrowned the noontide bowers. Thus A happy rural seat of various view: Groves whose rich trees wept odorous gums and balm, [rind Others whose fruit burnished with golden Hung amiable, Hesperian fables true, If true, here only, and of delicious taste. Betwixt them lawns, or level downs, and flocks Grazing the tender herb, were interposed, rose. The trembling leaves, while universal Pan, Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance, [field Led on th' eternal spring. Not that fair Of Enna, where Proserpine gathering flowers, Herself a fairer flower, by gloomy Dis Was gathered, which cost Ceres all that pain [sweet grove To seek her through the world, nor that Of Daphne by Orontes and the inspired Castalian spring might with this Paradise Of Eden strive nor that Nyseian isle Girt with the river Triton, where old Cham, Whom Gentiles Ammon call and Libyan Jove, Hid Amalthea and her florid son [eye; Young Bacchus from his stepdame Rhea's Nor where Abassin kings their issue guard, Mount Amara, though this by some supposed True Paradise, under the Ethiop line By Nilus' head, enclosed with shining rock, ADAM AND EVE. Two of far nobler shape erect and tall, Godlike erect, with native honour clad In native majesty, seemed lords of all, And worthy seemed; for in their looks divine The image of their glorious Maker shone, Truth, wisdom, sanctitude severe and pure, Severe, but in true filial freedom placed, Whence true authority in men: though both Not equal, as their sex not equal, seemed. For contemplation he and valour formed, For softness she and sweet attractive grace; He for God only, she for God in him. So hand in hand they passed, the loveliest pair That ever since in love's embraces met; Adam the goodliest man of men since born His sons, the fairest of her daughters Eve. Under a tuft of shade, that on a green Stood whisp'ring soft, by a fresh fountain side They sat them down; and after no more toil Of their sweet gard'ning labour than sufficed To recommend cool Zephyr, and made ease More easy, wholesome thirst and appetite More grateful, to their supper fruits they fell, [boughs Nectarine fruits, which the compliant Yielded them, side-long as they sat reclined On the soft downy bank damasked with flow'rs. frind, The savoury pulp they chew, and in the Still as they thirsted, scoop the brimming stream. * A phoenix, gazed by all, as that sole bird, When, to inshrine his reliques in the sun's Bright temple, to Egyptian Thebes he flies, At once on th' eastern cliff of Paradise He lights, and to his proper shape returns A seraph winged: six wings he wore, to shade His lineaments divine; the pair that clad Each shoulder broad came mantling o'er his breast With regal ornament; the middle pair Girt like a starry zone his waist, and round Skirted his loins and thighs with downy gold [his feet And colours dipped in heav'n; the third Shadowed from either heel with feathered mail [stood, Sky-tinctured grain. Like Maia's son he And shook his plumes, that heavenly fragrance filled [the bands The circuit wide. Straight knew him all Of angels under watch; and to his state, And to his message high, in honour rise; For on some message high they guessed him bound. Their glittering tents he passed, and now is come [myrrh, Into the blissful field, through groves of And flow'ring odours, cassia, nard, and balm, The brandished sword of GOD before them blazed Fierce as a comet; which with torrid heat, And vapour as the Libyan air adust, Began to parch that temperate clime: whereat In either hand the hast'ning angel caught Our ling'ring parents, and to the eastern gate Led them direct, and down the cliff as fast To the subjected plain; then disappeared. They looking back all th' eastern side beheld Of Paradise, so late their happy seat, Waved over by that flaming brand, the gate With dreadful faces thronged and fiery |