T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.
The First Love of Adam and Eve
By John Milton (16081674)(From Paradise Lost, 1674) THUS talking, hand in hand alone they passed | |
On to their blissful bower. It was a place | |
Chosen by the sov’reign Planter, when he framed | |
All things to Man’s delightful use; the roof | |
Of thickest covert was inwoven shade, | 5 |
Laurel and myrtle, and what higher grew | |
Of firm and fragrant leaf; on either side | |
Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub, | |
Fenced up the verdant wall; each beauteous flower, | |
Iris all hues, roses, and jessamine, | 10 |
Rear’d high their flourished heads between, and wrought | |
Mosaic; under foot the violet, | |
Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay | |
Broidered the ground, more coloured than the stone | |
Of costliest emblem: Other creature here, | 15 |
Beast, bird, insect, or worm, durst enter none; | |
Such was their awe of Man. In shadier bower | |
More sacred and sequestered, though but feigned, | |
Pan or Sylvanus never slept, nor nymph, | |
Nor Faunus haunted. Here, in close recess, | 20 |
With flowers, garlands, and sweet-smelling herbs, | |
Espousèd Eve decked first her nuptial bed | |
And heavenly quires the hymenean sung, | |
What day the genial Angel to our sire | |
Brought her, in naked beauty more adorned, | 25 |
More lovely than Pandora, whom the Gods | |
Endowed with all their gifts, and, O! too like | |
In sad event, when to the unwiser son | |
Of Japhet brought by Hermes, she ensnared | |
Mankind with her fair looks, to be avenged | 30 |
On him who had stole Jove’s authentic fire. | |
Thus at their shady lodge arrived, both stood, | |
Both turned, and under open sky adored | |
The God that made both sky, air, earth and heaven | |
Which they beheld, the moon’s resplendent globe, | 35 |
And starry pole: “Thou also madest the night, | |
Maker Omnipotent; and thou the day, | |
Which we in our appointed work employed, | |
Have finished, happy in our mutual help | |
And mutual love, the crown of all our bliss | 40 |
Ordained by thee; and this delicious place, | |
For us too large, where thy abundance wants | |
Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground. | |
But thou hast promised from us two a race | |
To fill the earth, who shall with us extol | 45 |
Thy goodness infinite, both when we wake | |
And when we seek, as now, the gift of sleep.” | |
This said unanimous, and other rites | |
Observing none, but adoration pure | |
Which God likes best, into their inmost bower | 50 |
Handed they went; and eased the putting off | |
Those troublesome disguises which we wear, | |
Straight side by side were laid; nor turned, I ween, | |
Adam from his fair spouse, nor Eve the rites | |
Mysterious of connubial love refused: | 55 |
Whatever hypocrites austerely talk | |
Of purity, and place, and innocence, | |
Defaming as impure what God declares | |
Pure, and commands to some, leaves free to all. | |
Our Maker bids increase; who bids abstain | 60 |
But our destroyer, foe to God and Man? | |
Hail, wedded Love, mysterious law, true source | |
Of human offspring, sole propriety | |
In Paradise, of all things common else! | |
By thee adult’rous love was driven from men | 65 |
Among the bestial herds to range; by thee, | |
Founded in reason, loyal, just and pure, | |
Relations dear, and all the charities | |
Of father, son, and brother, first were known. | |
Far be it that I should write thee sin or blame, | 70 |
Or think the unbefitting holiest place | |
Perpetual fountain of domestic sweets, | |
Whose bed is undefiled and chaste pronounced, | |
Present or past, as saints and patriarchs used! | |
Here love his golden shafts employs, here lights | 75 |
His constant lamp, and waves his purple wings, | |
Reigns here and revels; not in the bought smile | |
Of harlots, loveless, joyless, unendeared, | |
Casual fruition: nor in court amours | |
Mixed dance, or wanton mask, or midnight ball, | 80 |
Or serenade, which the starved lover sings | |
To his proud fair, best quitted with disdain. | |
These lulled by nightingales embracing slept, | |
And on their naked limbs the flow’ry roof | |
Showered roses, which the morn repaired. Sleep on, | 85 |
Blest pair! and, O! yet happiest if ye seek | |
No happier state, and know to know no more! | |