BOOK EIGHTH
��191
��No pleasure, though in pleasure, solitary. What thiuk'st thou, then, of Me, and this
my state ?
Seem I to thee sufficiently possessed Of happiness, or not, who am alone From all eternity ? for none I know Second to me or like, equal much less. How have I, then, with whom to hold con- verse, Save with the creatures which I made, and
those
To me inferior infinite descents 410
Beneath what other creatures are to thee ? '
"He ceased. I lowly answered: 'To
attain
The highth and depth of thy eternal ways All human thoughts come short, Supreme
of Things !
Thou in thyself art perfet, and in Thee Is no deficience found. Not so is Man, But in degree the cause of his desire By conversation with his like to help Or solace his defects. No need that thou Should'st propagate, already infinite, 420 And through all numbers absolute, though
One;
But Man by number is to manifest His single imperfection, and beget Like of his like, his image multiplied, In unity defective; which requires Collateral love, and dearest amity. Thou, in thy secrecy although alone, Best with thyself accompanied, seek'st not Social communication yet, so pleased, Canst raise thy creature to what highth
thou wilt 430
Of union or communion, deified; I, by conversing, cannot these erect From prone, nor in their ways complacence
find.' Thus I emboldened spake, and freedom
used Permissive, and acceptance found; which
gained
This answer from the gratious Voice Di- vine : " ' Thus far to try thee, Adam, I was
pleased,
And find thee knowing not of beasts alone, Which thou hast rightly named, but of
thyself
Expressing well the spirit within thee free, My image, not imparted to the brute; 441 Whose fellowship, therefore, unmeet for
thee,
��Good reason was thou freely shouldst dis- like.
And be so minded still. I, ere thou spak'st, Knew it not good for Man to be alone, And no such company as then thou saw'st Intended thee for trial only brought, To see how thou couldst judge of fit and
meet.
What next I bring shall please thee, be assured, 449
Thy likeness, thy fit help, thy other self, Thy wish exactly to thy heart's desire.' "He ended, or I heard no more; for
now
My earthly, by his heavenly overpowered, Which it had long stood under, strained to
the highth
In that celestial colloquy sublime, As with an object that excels the sense, Dazzled and spent, sunk down, and sought
repair
Of sleep, which instantly fell on me, called By Nature as in aid, and closed mine eyes. Mine eyes he closed, but open left the cell Of fancy, my internal sight; by which, 461 Abstract as in a trance, methought I saw, Though sleeping, where I lay, and saw the
Shape
Still glorious before whom awake I stood; Who, stooping, opened my left side, and
took
From thence a rib, with cordial spirits warm, And life-blood streaming fresh; wide was
the wound,
But suddenly with flesh filled up and healed. The rib he formed and fashioned with his hands ; 469
Under his forming hands a creature grew, Man-like, but different sex, so lovely fair That what seemed fair in all the world
seemed now
Mean, or in her summed up, in her con- tained
And in her looks, which from that time in- fused
Sweetness into my heart unfelt before, And into all things from her air inspired The spirit of love and amorous delight. She disappeared, and left me dark; I waked To find her, or for ever to deplore 479
Her loss, and other pleasures all abjure: When, out of hope, behold her not far off, Such as I saw her in my dream, adorned With what all Earth or Heaven could be- stow
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