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William Cowper - Adam: A Sacred Drama. Act 5.
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Possess a mansion worthy 
Both of his name and empire!

Eve.  In truth when I behold your mighty  pomps,
That might so soon be counted as my own,
I will not say that my high heart feels not 
The goading of ambition; but in turning
My eyes upon the precept of my Father, 
Will disdain, and from your proffers fly,
As from vile dirt the snowy ermine flies.
And this poor skin alone
Shall be my golden robe adorned with pearl;
A cave my proud abode;
The troubled water and rude herbs to me,
Dear beverage and food.
No! no! I will not to my first dread fault 
Now add a second like it; making thus 
A path more recent to the gulf of ruin:

The World.
O simple fair, come forth!
Come forth, ye fair and gentle virgins all.
From this my golden palace!
Be you devoted handmaids
Around this fair, and `midst your tuneful songs
Present to her rich robes, adorned with gold!

SCENE VI. -- Chorus of Nymphs, Eve, The World, and Adam.

Behold in dance, O joyful World,
Little virgins;
See these maidens, 
With their treasure bright and cheerful;
Hearken now how they are singing;
Eve alone invoke, and honour!
See their robes with gold inwoven;
See their vestments
Shedding lustre
From the treasure of their jewels!
Bright the crown, and rich the sceptre,
That to Eve is now presented.
If in heaven, nor sun nor planet
Shed its ardour
And its radiance,
Heaven would be a mass of horror;
But with light so pure and radiant
Heaven is termed the seat of splendour.
He, who made so many wonders,
Fair and beauteous,
Is desirous
All that`s fair to have before him:
Deck thyself then, O thou coy one,
If thy God delights in beauty.

Adam.  What dost thou, Eve, not see
That if uncautious to these charms thou yieldest,
We shall sink deeper in the snares of hell?

Eve.  Alas! what do I hear?

Adam.  Hence, ye rebellious crew!
By virtue of my God depart confounded,
To the infernal realms!

Chorus.  Ah, thou must then avoid this light of day,
Thou sightless mole of hell!

The World.
                              Ah flesh infected!
Await, O yet await
Fit punishment to your presumptuous rage!
And hast thou dared so highly,
Thou creature of corruption,
That this bright palace which for Eve I raised,
Speaking thou hast engulfed,
And from the day has banished
A numerous group of fair and graceful nymphs.
Come forth, now all come forth,
Ye horrid monsters, from the caves of hell!
Let us this hour display
Our utmost fortitude, and force supreme.
Now let this man be chained;
Fix him a prisoner in the depths of hell,
And let his victor reap the glory due.

Eve.  Succour, O God! O succour!
Lord, show thy mercy to my great offence!

Adam.  Ah, do not fear, my love,
But hope, still hope in Heaven; hope, for at last
Celestial grace was never slow to save.

SCENE VII. -- Lucifer, Death, The World, and Chorus of Demons, armed with various Arms.

Lucifer.  Thou fool, in vain thou toilest
To invocate high heaven; thy God may arm,
If he is not abased, and with him arm
His flying warriors all,
From our infernal chains 
And these sharp talons, now to draw thee forth;
To his first loss, and first discomfiture,
A second like the first shall soon be joined.
Of his supernal loss has he not healed 
The painful memory, 
The ruin of his Angels?
That now, inflamed with anger,
He seeks in heaven another mightier ruin?
To arms! at length to arms,
Satanic warriors all!
And let his wretched residue of Angels,
All falling out of heaven,
Be all engulfed in hell!
Lo, meteors in the air and storms at sea
I kindle and I raise:
Lo, Tartarus his wings
Spreads for celestial seats:
Behold the stars of God
By Lucifer`s proud foot crushed and extinguished;
And girt for war and glory,
Let Tartarus through heaven proclaim a triumph!

SCENE VIII. -- Archangel Michael, Chorus of Angels, Chorus of Demons.

Michael.  Tremble, thou son of wrath,
At his sharp dart`s inevitable glance,
At the dread stroke of the celestial leader;
Not against God, against thyself alone,
Thou raisest wrath, and wounding wound`st thyself.
Sink into shade, misguided, wretched spirit!
Utterly void of all angelic light,
Be blind in gazing on that heavenly lustre
To me imparted by the Lord of light,
The dazzler of the sun.
Fly, ye infected crew,
Ye enemies of God,
Nor let the breathing whirlwind,
With blast from hell, the yet unruined life
Of man o`erwhelm with deeper shades of darkness.
No more thy fatal hiss, thou snake of hell,
Shall by its discord stun;
Since pierced and panting now
Thou faintest, poisoned by thy own contagion.

Lucifer.  Heaven`s talking minister,
With rays more loaded than inspired with courage;
Soft creature of the sky,
Thou angel of repose,
In solemn indolence,
Humility`s calm nest, a seat of peace,
A warrior but in name,
Whose countenance is fear, whose heart confusion;
Spread, spread thy pinions for the arms of God,
Take refuge there, and there be confident!
For too unequal would the combat be
`Twixt cowardice and valour,
The warrior of the slave,
Infirmity and strength, and let me say,
Betwixt vile Michael and brave Lucifer.
But if such daring can inflame thy heart,
As now to rescue from this warlike arm
That man, mere flesh and clay,
That animated dust, I warn thee well
Of mortal conflict sharp, where thou shalt see,
By this avenging hand
All the large family of God extinguished.

Michael.  Such mournful victory,
O Belial, in thy frenzy desperate,
As once in heaven thou gain`st, now with mankind
Subduing the deceived,
And hence the conquered conquers,
Freed is the captive, and thyself ensnared.
Now be it manifest
What palms of victory `tis thine to raise.
Behold against thee, thou unfaithful spirit,
Michael become compassionately cruel.

Lucifer.  If at the early sound of war, the first
Encounter of our arms,
`Twas given a mighty warrior to destroy
A third part of the stars,
See in what brief assault 
I can demolish the great seat of God!
Be dazzled now before this warlike blaze,
That from the brow of death I now diffuse,
Whirling in bloody circle
From my high front these death-denouncing comets!
Behold, behold at length
Heaven yields no more a refuge to its angels!
Since to a fate more joyous
A happy pass expands, and seems to say
Begone, at length begone,
Ye frightened angels, now relinquish heaven:
The warrior doomed to hell
Becomes the blessed lord of these bright seats.

Michael.  Why longer pause to crush the proud loquacity 
Of this presumptuous and insulting rebel?
Soon with a pen of adamant, with striking
Dread characters of blood, 
Within the volume of eternal woe
The glory shall be blazoned 
Of thy lost victory.
To arms! at length to arms,
To spread dismay through hell!
Joy, Man! smile, Heaven; and Tartarus, lament!

Lucifer.  Seldom upon the vaunting
Of a proud tongue too bold 
Boldness of hand attends.  To arms! to arms!
Thou fight with me; and you, my followers, all
Unconquerable warriors,
Transperse and put to flight this abject crew,
The timid partisans
Of an unwarlike leader!
Ah!  him who favours brief and endless shame
Possessed in heaven, and now on earth displayed 
Great fortitude but with unequal force,
Him a celestial stroke
Now drives confounded to the blind abyss;
And justice here decrees,
That he who lost the fight should lose the sun.
Angels and God, at length ye are triumphant!
Now, now is Lucifer
O`erwhelmed, and all his legion
Sinks from the light of day to endless night.

Michael.  Fall thou at length, fall wounded and subdued,
Fierce monster of the shades,
To death`s deep horrors, there be doomed to die
By an immortal death!
Nor hope thy wings to heaven
Ever to spread again, that wish, too bold
For thee, so desperate and unrepenting.
Thou`rt fallen, at length thou`rt fallen,
Most arrogant of monsters,
In pain thou sink`st as low,
As high in joy it was thy hope to soar.
Again thou learn`st to fall,
Transfixt with thunder, to the drear abyss.
Fool! thou hast wished to take this man thy captive,
And thou alone hast plunged 
Within the deepest gulf:
Hence, pierced and overwhelmed,
Sinking to Tartarus
The flame of wrath eternal
Bore thee to hell, the hell of hottest fires.
A spotless angel, O thou prince of falsehood,
Thy folly hoped to put to flight and wound;
But thou, opposed to him
Hast yielded, plying thy winged feet in haste.
Thou too hast hoped to turn the spacious world,
In hostile flame, to ashes,
And at thy ardent blast and baleful breathing
Clouds, lightning, and tempestuous bursts of thunder,
With rattling deadly bolts of arrowy flame,
Rolled through the air, whence all the mountains shook,
And all the vales re-echoed in convulsion.
And yet, behold, in heaven
The spheres move round more musical than ever,
And all the azure sky
The lucid sun with brighter beam adorns;
Behold the ocean, tremulously placid,
And from his Persian gulf
In gay abundance scattering pearl and coral;
Nor weary are the sportive fish in gliding
Along the trembling sapphire.
Behold, what verdant and what flowery brows 
These pleasant vales in exultation raise;
Hark, to the grateful accents
Of every flying songster,
Inhabitant of air,
That in his flight now gives
Voice to the woods and music to the vales.
Now, all rejoicing in a day so noble,
To the confusion of the shame of hell,
Let every spotless ensign rise to heaven,
And fluttering sport with the exulting winds;
Let all the instruments of heavenly glory 
Sound through the sky the victories of heaven!

SCENE IX. -- Adam, Eve, Chorus of Angels.

O Sounds beloved, that call us now in joy,
To scenes we left in sorrow; ah! I fear
To taint the fragrance of the heavenly host,
Stained as I am with sin.
O thou, that haply of celestial ruby 
Wearest the blazing mail, 
Hallowed and brave Archangel,
Brave, yet compassionate, thy golden locks
Radiant as light, thy glittering helmet covers:
Thou in thy right hand shakest the spear of victory,
And raisest in thy left a golden balance;
Close, close thy painted plumes so rich in gold,
And cast a gentle look
On him who, prostrate, honours and adores thee.

Eve.  O happy dawn of the eternal sun,
Thou courteous kind restorer,
To these my blinded eyes
With sorrow darkened, and bedewed with tears;
Now of thy rays, a fixt contemplator,
The mole of error stands;
Now on your voice depends
An asp, once deaf to heaven`s most friendly dictates
I, wavering wanderer,
Who undissembling own
The fault in which I fell, to thee I bend,
Nor in my speech deny 
That I am Eve, the cause
Of human-kind`s perdition.
Now let thy guardian hand
(O in the deeds of God thou faithful servant!)
Relieve me from the depth 
Of my so great offences.

Adam.  Of heavenly mysteries
And secret will of God,
Thou hallowed blest revealer,
Angel of eloquence!
The fatal presages
Of mournful Eve and Adam
Now quiet with the breath
Of thy exalted converse;
So that this troubled flood 
That strikes the heart, in issuing from the eyes,
No more may make me seem
A rock of sorrow in a sea of tears.

Michael.  Arise, O both arise, you who of God 
Are creatures so regarded,
Dismiss your fears of the infernal portent.
If your eternal Lord
Corrects you with one hand,
He with the other proffers your protection.
With happy auspices,
He who delivers souls,
On his light wings directs his flight to you,
In God`s dread warfare harbinger of peace.
The mighty Fount of life,
The Artificer of souls,
The Architect of worlds,
The mighty Lord of heaven,
Maker of angels and of all things made,
The infinite Creator,
To safety summons you,
And to short war a lasting peace ordains.
Now from those double fountains 
The warm and gushing streams
Of sorrow, Eve, restrain!
Thou hast been culpable
In rashly seizing the forbidden fruit;
To man thou hast occasioned 
Anguish and grief; thou hast indeed converted 
Peace into war, and life into perdition:
Now by the aid of Him,
Whose handmaid nature is, and servant fate,
Who can restrain the sun,
And motion give to this unmoving mass,
Even yet may Eve enjoy
In prison, liberty;
May be unbound, though fettered,
And triumph, while she is o`ercome, and vanquish.
Now, since there shines in heaven
The star of love and peace,
And to the shame of hell,
The victor to the vanquished yields his palm,
Ah, now let each, with humble eyes to heaven,
Incline the knee to earth,
And supplicant in prayer, give God the praise
Of goodness infinite;
For you shall find, to recompense your zeal,
That God your father is, your mansion heaven.

Adam.  Thou mighty Lord, who resting high above,
With regulated errors
And with discordant union guidest heaven;
O of the fair eternal realms of light
Thou Lord immutable, resplendent power,
Thou dazzler and obscurer of the sun!
Now in these weeping eyes
And on this humid cheek
I dry my bitter tears, I cheer my heart.
Now, by thy zealous mercy,
Though spotted, I have safety;
Security in hazard, love in hate,
And sinking into hell,
And yet a citizen of highest heaven.

Eve.  With dissolution life,
With strife and contest peace,
With ruin victory,
With deep offence salvation,
With powers of darkness heaven,
These to unite is not a human talent,
But of the eternal hand,
Omnipotence supreme; hence it is, Lord,
That wounded Eve is whole,
Triumphs in loss, and, though subdued, has glory.
My guide I will obey thee;
Since, O benignant Lord,
Thy service is dominion,
And to obey thee, glory 
If pain allow not that I speak the pain
Which wounds my heart so deeply,
Thou most indulgent Father
Givest to the heart and soul a new existence:
Awakened by affliction,
Raising my voice to heaven,
I`ll teach resounding echo
To carry to the sky my humble song,
Devoted to thy praise.

Michael.  Ye victims cleansed by tears,
Ye martyrs in affliction,
Amidst your blessed pains,
Ye holocausts of life and of content!
Now call the stars no more
Vindictive; war is now
Converted into peace,
And death turned into life.
Hence mortal Adam is now made immortal,
And Eve, though dead in many parts, revives.
The potent fire of love,
In which the tender God of mercy blazes,
Inflames him with pure zeal to save the sinner.
Contend, resist, and bravely 
Wage with the hostile Serpent constant war;
It is man`s province now
To conquer Hell, and triumph over Death.
Creatures of grace! feel deeply now for ever,
That your most gracious Father
Would not direct towards the ground your face,
As he has made the brute, but up to heaven;
So that, for ever mindful of their source,
Your happy souls may point towards their home:
For your high realm of heaven
Is as a shining glass, in which of God
The glories ever blaze.
Inure yourselves to water, sun, and winds,
And in the stony caves,
In the most barren desert
That the sun visits when he blazes most,
There both exert your powers;
There many years and many,
United ye shall dwell in hallowed love;
And from your progeny henceforth the world
Exulting shall derive fertility.
And now to you, ye mortal pair, I promise,
As ye together sinned,
If ye in penitence have joined together,
Together e`en in Heaven,
In a corporeal veil
Contemplating the sacred face of God,
Ye shall enjoy the bliss of Paradise.

Adam.  Greater than my offence I now acknowledge
Your mercy, O my God!
Since you, become the sovereign friend of man,
To him, though ruined, now extend your hand!

Eve.  As I have known to sin,
So shall I know to weep;
For who in sinning knew forbidden joy,
Humble in punishment, should know to suffer.
Be mute, be mute, my tongue,
Speak thou within, my heart,
And say with words of love,
See how to mortals, even in perdition,
The hand of heavenly succour was extended!

Michael.  At length, since now with joy
Man, being thus delivered 
From hell`s keen talon, feels unbounded transport,
And in his rapture deems
Earth turned to heaven, this world a paradise;
By these pure splendid dazzling rays of heaven,
By these delightful fires,
That in the light of God more lovely blaze.
Rich with new beams, and with new suns this day,
Day of festivity,
The day of paradise, rather a day
Blest in itself, and blessing every other!
Let all with festive joy
Of God`s indulgence sing;
Of Adam and of Eve,
Now made on earth the denizens of heaven;
And let your tuneful songs
Become the wonder of futurity.

ANGELS SING.
Move, let us move our feet
There, where this man shall now
Wash out his past offence
With humble, hallowed drops;
And of the mighty Maker
Praise we the love and mercy,
That in this day to man`s envenomed wound
Suddenly gives his pity`s healing aid;
Rejects him and receives,
Deeming his every wrong and error light;
And now at last with more beignant zeal,
And in despite of Satan,
Gives him, redeemed from Hell,
A seat amid the golden stars of Heaven.
Ye progeny of Adam,
Whose race we shall behold adorn the world,
Ye shall not pray in vain
To your high Lord, the fountain of all mercy.
Be leaves of that pure branch,
On which the Word Incarnate shall be grafted!
Thunder, infuriate Hell,
Be stormy! yet his leaf shall never fall:
To him a joyous offspring
Is promised by the Lord of heaven`s great vineyard,
Stricken, transfixt, enkindled in a blaze,
And burning with eternal love for man.
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