cend from Heav’n Urania, by that name
If rightly thou art call’d, whoe Voice divine
Following, above th’ Olympian Hill I oare, Above the flight of Pegasean wing. The meaning, not the Name I call: for thou Nor of the Mues nine, nor on the top Of old Olympus dwell’t, but Heav’nlie borne, Before the Hills appeerd, or Fountain flow’d, Thou with Eternal widom didt convere, 10Widom thy Siter, and with her didt play In preence of th’ Almightie Father, plea’d With thy Celetial Song. Up led by thee Into the Heav’n of Heav’ns I have preum’d, An Earthlie Guet, and drawn Empyreal Aire, Thy tempring; with like afetie guided down Return me to my Native Element: Leat from this flying Steed unrein’d, (as once Bellerophon, though from a lower Clime) Dimounted, on th’ Aleian Field I fall 20Erroneous, there to wander and forlorne. Half yet remaines unung, but narrower bound Within the viible Diurnal Spheare; Standing on Earth, not rapt above the Pole, More afe I Sing with mortal voice, unchang’d To hoarce or mute, though fall’n on evil dayes, On evil dayes though fall’n, and evil tongues; In darknes, and with dangers compat rouud, And olitude; yet not alone, while thou Viit’t my lumbers Nightly, or when Morn 30Purples the Eat: till govern thou my Song, Urania, and fit audience find, though few. But drive farr off the barbarous dionance Of Bacchus and his Revellers, the Race Of that wilde Rout that tore the Thracian Bard In Rhodope, where Woods and Rocks had Eares To rapture, till the avage clamor dround Both Harp and Voice; nor could the Mue defend Her Son. So fail not thou, who thee implore: For thou art Heav’nlie, hee an empty dreame. 40 Say Goddes, what enu’d when Raphael, The affable Arch-angel, had forewarn’d Adam by dire example to beware Apotaie, by what befell in Heaven To thoe Apotates, leat the like befall In Paradie to Adam or his Race, Charg’d not to touch the interdicted Tree, If they trangres, and light that ole command, So eaily obeyd amid the choice Of all tats ele to pleae thir appetite, 50Though wandring. He with his conorted Eve The torie heard attentive, and was fill’d With admiration, and deep Mue to heare Of things o high and trange, things to thir thought So unimaginable as hate in Heav’n, And Warr o neer the Peace of God in blis With uch confuion: but the evil oon Driv’n back redounded as a flood on thoe From whom it prung, impoible to mix With Bleednes. Whence Adam oon repeal’d 60The doubts that in his heart aroe: and now Led on, yet inles, with deire to know What neerer might concern him, how this World Of Heav’n and Earth conpicuous firt began, When, and whereof created, for what caue, What within Eden or without was done Before his memorie, as one whoe drouth Yet carce allay’d till eyes the current treame, Whoe liquid murmur heard new thirt excites, Proceeded thus to ak his Heav’nly Guet. 70 Great things, and full of wonder in our eares, Farr differing from this World, thou hat reveal’d Divine Interpreter, by favour ent Down from the Empyrean to forewarne Us timely of what might ele have bin our los, Unknown, which human knowledg could not reach: For which to the infinitly Good we owe Immortal thanks, and his admonihment Receave with olemne purpoe to oberve Immutably his ovran will, the end 80Of what we are. But ince thou hat voutaf’t Gently for our intruction to impart Things above Earthly thought, which yet concernd Our knowing, as to highet widom eemd, Deign to decend now lower, and relate What may no les perhaps availe us known, How firt began this Heav’n which we behold Ditant o high, with moving Fires adornd Innumerable, and this which yeelds or fills All pace, the ambient Aire wide interfu’d 90Imbracing round this florid Earth, what caue Mov’d the Creator in his holy Ret Through all Eternitie o late to build In Chaos, and the work begun, how oon Abolv’d, if unforbid thou mait unfould What wee, not to explore the ecrets ake Of his Eternal Empire, but the more To magnifie his works, the more we know. And the great Light of Day yet wants to run Much of his Race though teep, upens in Heav’n 100Held by thy voice, thy potent voice he heares, And longer will delay to heare thee tell His Generation, and the riing Birth Of Nature from the unapparent Deep: Or if the Starr of Eevning and the Moon Hate to thy audience, Night with her will bring Silence, and Sleep litning to thee will watch, Or we can bid his abence, till thy Song End, and dimis thee ere the Morning hine. Thus Adam his illutrous Guet beought: 110 And thus the Godlike Angel anwerd milde.