"Revolved on Heaven's great axle, and her reign 66 Spangling the hemisphere-then first adorned "With their bright luminaries, that set and rose: "Glad evening and glad morn crowned the fourth day. "And God said, 'Let the waters generate 66 Reptile with spawn abundant, living soul: "And let fowl fly above the earth, with wings "And saw that it was good, and blessed them, saying, "And lakes, and running streams, the waters fill: 'Hugest of living creatures, on the deep "Stretched like a promontory, sleeps or swims, "And seems a moving land; and at his gills "Draws in, and at his trunk spouts out, a sea. "Meanwhile the tepid caves, and fens, and shores, 390 400 410 "Their brood as numerous hatch, from the egg that, soon 66 Bursting with kindly rapture, forth disclosed "Their callow young; but feathered soon and fledge 420 “They summed their pens; and, soaring the air sublime, "With clang despised the ground, under a cloud "In prospect: there the eagle and the stork "On cliffs and cedar-tops their eyries build: "Part loosely wing the region; part, more wise, "In common, ranged in figure, wedge their way, Intelligent of seasons, and set forth 66 "Their airy caravan, high over seas "Flying, and over lands, with mutual wing 66 Easing their flight; so steers the prudent crane "Walked firm; the crested cock, whose clarion sounds "Of rainbows and starry eyes. The waters thus 66 Opening her fertile womb, teemed at a birth, "Innumerous living creatures, perfect forms, 430 440 450 460 "Those rare and solitary, these in flocks "His hinder parts; then springs, as broke from bonds, "Rising, the crumbled earth above them threw "In billocks: the swift stag from underground "Bore up his branching head: scarce from his mould, 470 66 Behemoth, biggest born of Earth, upheaved "His vastness: fleeced the flocks and bleating rose, 66 "At once came forth whatever creeps the ground, 66 "Of future; in small room large heart inclosed; "Pattern of just equality perhaps 480 "Hereafter, joined in her popular tribes "Of commonalty: swarming next appeared "The female bee, that feeds her husband drone 490 "Deliciously, and builds her waxen cells "With honey stored. The rest are numberless, "And thou their natures knowest, and gavest them names, "Needless to thee repeated; nor unknown "The serpent, subtlest beast of all the field, "Now Heaven in all her glory shone, and rolled "Her motions, as the great first Mover's hand 500 "First wheeled their course; Earth in her rich attire "Consummate lovely smiled! air, water, Earth, 66 'By fowl, fish, beast, was flown, was swum, was walked, "His stature, and upright with front serene 66 Magnanimous, to correspond with Heaven, "But grateful to acknowledge whence his good "Descends; thither with heart, and voice, and eyes, "Directed in devotion, to adore "And worship God Supreme, who made him chief Of all his works: therefore the Omnipotent, "Eternal Father, (for where is not he "Let us make now Man in our image, Man "In our similitude, and let them rule "Over the fish and fowl of sea and air, "Beast of the field, and over all the earth, "And every creeping thing that creeps the ground.' "Created thee, in the image of God 66 Express; and thou becamest a living soul. "Male he created thee; but thy consort "Female, for race; then blessed mankind, and said, "And every living thing that moves on the earth.' "Is yet distinct by name,) thence, as thou knowst, 510 520 530 "And freely all their pleasant fruit for food 540 "Gave thee: all sorts are here that all the Earth yields, "Variety without end: but of the tree, "Which, tasted, works knowledge of good and evil, "Thou mayst not; in the day thou eatst, thou diest : "Death is the penalty imposed; beware, "And govern well thy appetite; lest Sin 66 Surprise thee, and her black attendant, Death. "Desisting, though unwearied, up returned, 66 Up to the Heaven of Heavens, his high abode ; "Thence to behold this new-created world, "The addition of his empire-how it showed "In prospect from his throne-how good-how fair, "Answering his great idea. Up he rode, "Followed with acclamation, and the sound "Symphonious of ten thousand harps, that tuned "Angelic harmonies: the earth, the air "Resounded-(thou rememberst, for thou heardst,)— "The heavens and all the constellations rung"The planets in their station listening stood"While the bright promp ascended jubilant. 'Open, ye everlasting gates!' they sung; “ The glorious train ascending. He through Heaven, "A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold, 550 560 570 "Which nightly, as a circling zone, thou seest 580 |