The waters from the waters! And GoD made
The firmament expanfe of liquid, pure,
Transparent, elemental air, diffus'd
In circuit to the uttermoft convex
Of this great round: partition firm and fure,
The waters underneath from those above
Dividing for as earth, fo he the world
Built on circumfluous waters calm, in wide
Chryftallin ocean, and the loud misrule
Of CHAOS far remov'd; left fierce extremes
Contiguous, might diftemper the whole frame:
And Heav'n he nam'd the firmament: fo Ev'n
And Morning Chorus fung the fecond Day.
The earth was form'd, but in the womb as yet
Of waters (embryon immature) involv'd,
Appear'd not: over all the face of earth
Main ocean flow'd; not idle, but with warm
Prolific humor foft'ning all her globe,
Fermented the great mother to conceive,
Satiate with genial moisture: when God faid,
Be gather'd now ye waters under heav'n
Into one place, and let dry land appear!
Immediately the mountains huge appear
Emergent, and their broad bare backs up-heave
Into the clouds, their tops afcend the sky:
So high as heav'd the tumid hills, fo low
Down funk a hollow bottom, broad and deep,
Capacious bed of waters! Thither they
Hafted with glad precipitance, up-rowl'd,
As drops on duft conglobing from the dry:
Part rife in chryftal wall, or ridge direct,
For hafte; fuch flight the great command imprefs'd
On the fwift floods: as armies at the call
Of trumpet (for of armies thou hast heard)
Troop to their ftandard; fo the wat'ry throng,
Wave rowling after wave, where way they found,
If Ateep, with torrent rapture, if through plain,
Soft-ebbing; nor withstood them rock or hill;
But they, or under ground, or circuit wide
With ferpent-error wandring, found their way,
And on the washy oofe deep channels wore;
Eafie, e're Go D had bid the ground be dry,
All but within thofe banks, where rivers now
Stream, and perpetual draw their humid train.
The dry land, earth; and the great receptacle
Of congregated waters, he call'd feas;
And faw that it was good: and faid, let th' earth
Put forth the verdant grafs, herb yielding feed, 310
And fruit-tree yielding fruit after her kind;
Whofe feed is in her felf upon the earth!
He fcarce had faid, when the bare earth ('till then
Defert and bare, unfightly, unadorn'd)
Brought forth the tender grafs, whofe verdure clad 315
Her univerfal face with pleasant green.
Then herbs of every leaf, that fudden flowr'd
Op'ning their various colors, and made gay
Her bofom fmelling fweet. And thefe fcarce blown,
Forth-flourish'd thick the cluftring vine, forth crept 320
The fmelling gourd, up ftood the corny reed
Embattl'd in her field; and th' humble fhrub,
And bush, with frizl'd hair implicit. Laft,
Rofe, as in dance, the ftately trees, and spread 324
Their branches hung with copious fruit; or gemm'd
Their bloffoms: with high woods the hills were crown'd;
With tufts the vallies, and each fountain fide,
With borders long the rivers: that, earth now
Seem'd like to Heav'n; a feat, where Gods might dwell,
Or wander with delight, and love to haunt 330
Her facred fhades: though God had yet not rain'd
Upon the earth, and man to till the ground
None was: but from the earth a dewy mift
Went up, and water'd all the ground, and each
Plant of the field; which, e're it was in th'earth, 335
God made, and ev'ry herb, before it grew
On the green ftem: GoD faw that it was good.
So Ev'n and Morn recorded the third Day.
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