Paradise Lost

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

VII, 577-581

To love, thou blamest me not;
for Love, thou sayest,
Leads up to Heaven, is both
the way and guide;
Bear with me then, if lawful
what I ask:
Love not the heavenly Spirits,
and how their love
Express they? by looks only?
or do they mix

VIII, 612-616

So scented the grim Feature,
and upturned
His nostril wide into the
murky air;
Sagacious of his quarry from
so far.
Then both from out Hell-gates,
into the waste
Wide anarchy of Chaos, damp
and dark,
Flew diverse; and with power
(their power was great)

X, 279-284

Where all his sons thy embassy
attend;
And here art likeliest by
supreme decree
Like honour to obtain, and as
his eye
To visit oft this new creation
round;
Unspeakable desire to see, and
know
All these his wonderous works,
but chiefly Man,

III, 659-664

He added not; for Adam at the
news
Heart-struck with chilling
gripe of sorrow stood,
That all his senses bound;
Eve, who unseen
Yet all had heard, with
audible lament
Discovered soon the place of
her retire.
O unexpected stroke, worse
than of Death!

XI, 263-268

At which the universal host
up-sent
A shout that tore Hell's
concave, and beyond
Frighted the reign of Chaos
and old Night.
All in a moment through the
gloom were seen
Ten thousand banners rise into
the air,
With orient colours waving:
with them rose

I, 541-546

Infinite goodness, grace, and
mercy, shewn
On Man by him seduced, but on
himself
Treble confusion, wrath, and
vengeance poured.
Forthwith upright he rears
from off the pool
His mighty stature; on each
hand the flames

I, 218-222

Her bosom, smelling sweet:
and, these scarce blown,
Forth flourished thick the
clustering vine, forth crept
The swelling gourd, up stood
the corny reed
Embattled in her field, and
the humble shrub,
And bush with frizzled hair
implicit: Last

VII, 319-323

Rhene or the Danaw, when her
barbarous sons
Came like a deluge on the
South, and spread
Beneath Gibraltar to the
Libyan sands.
Forthwith, form every squadron
and each band,
The heads and leaders thither
haste where stood

I, 353-357

The current of his fury thus
opposed.
O argument blasphemous, false,
and proud!
Words which no ear ever to
hear in Heaven
Expected, least of all from
thee, Ingrate,
In place thyself so high above
thy peers.
Canst thou with impious
obloquy condemn

V, 808-813

Which when she saw, thus to
her guide she spake.
Serpent, we might have spared
our coming hither,
Fruitless to me, though fruit
be here to excess,
The credit of whose virtue
rest with thee;
Wonderous indeed, if cause of
such effects.

IX, 646-650

As from a second root, shall
be restored
As many as are restored,
without thee none.
His crime makes guilty all his
sons; thy merit,
Imputed, shall absolve them
who renounce
Their own both righteous and
unrighteous deeds,

III, 289-293

Of servitude, to serve whom
God ordains,
Or Nature: God and Nature bid
the same,
When he who rules is
worthiest, and excels
Them whom he governs. This is
servitude,
To serve the unwise, or him
who hath rebelled

VI, 175-179

Our frailty can sustain, thy
tidings bring,
Departure from this happy
place, our sweet
Recess, and only consolation
left
Familiar to our eyes! all
places else
Inhospitable appear, and
desolate;
Nor knowing us, nor known:
And, if by prayer

XI, 302-307

And none but such from mercy I
exclude.
But yet all is not done; Man
disobeying,
Disloyal, breaks his fealty,
and sins
Against the high supremacy of
Heaven,
Affecting God-head, and, so
losing all,
To expiate his treason hath
nought left,

III, 203-208

Your bulwark, and condemns to
greatest share
Of endless pain? Where there
is, then, no good
For which to strive, no strife
can grow up there
From faction: for none sure
will claim in Hell
Precedence; none whose portion
is so small

II, 29-33

To Michael thus his humble
words addressed.
Celestial, whether among the
Thrones, or named
Of them the highest; for such
of shape may seem
Prince above princes! gently
hast thou told
Thy message, which might else
in telling wound,

XI, 295-299

From God, and over wrath grace
shall abound.
But say, if our Deliverer up
to Heaven
Must re-ascend, what will
betide the few
His faithful, left among the
unfaithful herd,
The enemies of truth? Who then
shall guide

XII, 478-482

Sure pledge of day, that
crownest the smiling morn
With thy bright circlet,
praise him in thy sphere,
While day arises, that sweet
hour of prime.
Thou Sun, of this great world
both eye and soul,
Acknowledge him thy greater;
sound his praise

V, 168-172

Over his foes and thine; there
shall surprise
The Serpent, prince of air,
and drag in chains
Through all his realm, and
there confounded leave;
Then enter into glory, and
resume
His seat at God's right hand,
exalted high

XII, 453-457

To his disciples, men who in
his life
Still followed him; to them
shall leave in charge
To teach all nations what of
him they learned
And his salvation; them who
shall believe
Baptizing in the profluent
stream, the sign

XII, 438-442

On the clear hyaline, the
glassy sea;
Of amplitude almost immense,
with stars
Numerous, and every star
perhaps a world
Of destined habitation; but
thou knowest
Their seasons: among these the
seat of Men,
Earth, with her nether ocean
circumfused,

VII, 619-624

Creatures of other mould,
earth-born perhaps,
Not Spirits, yet to heavenly
Spirits bright
Little inferiour; whom my
thoughts pursue
With wonder, and could love,
so lively shines
In them divine resemblance,
and such grace

IV, 360-364

Lodge and dislodge by turns,
which makes through Heaven
Grateful vicissitude, like day
and night;
Light issues forth, and at the
other door
Obsequious darkness enters,
till her hour
To veil the Heaven, though
darkness there might well

VI, 7-11

Yield thee, so well this day
thou hast purveyed.
Much pleasure we have lost,
while we abstained
From this delightful fruit,
nor known till now
True relish, tasting; if such
pleasure be
In things to us forbidden, it
might be wished,

IX, 1021-1025

Things, else by me
unsearchable; now heard
With wonder, but delight, and,
as is due,
With glory attributed to the
high
Creator! Something yet of
doubt remains,
Which only thy solution can
resolve.
When I behold this goodly
frame, this world,

VIII, 10-15

Impurpled with celestial roses
smiled.
Then, crowned again, their
golden harps they took,
Harps ever tuned, that
glittering by their side
Like quivers hung, and with
preamble sweet
Of charming symphony they
introduce

III, 365-369

Rose up a fountain by the tree
of life:
In with the river sunk, and
with it rose
Satan, involved in rising
mist; then sought
Where to lie hid; sea he had
searched, and land,
From Eden over Pontus and the
pool
Maeotis, up beyond the river
Ob;

IX, 73-78

And look for adoration, to the
abuse
Of those imperial titles,
which assert
Our being ordained to govern,
not to serve.
Thus far his bold discourse
without controul
Had audience; when among the
Seraphim
Abdiel, than whom none with
more zeal adored

V, 800-805

Of Majesty Divine; sapience
and love
Immense, and all his Father in
him shone.
About his chariot numberless
were poured
Cherub, and Seraph,
Potentates, and Thrones,
And Virtues, winged Spirits,
and chariots winged

VII, 195-199