FESTINA LENTE 



The Garden of Eden 



So on he fares, and to the border comes 

 Of Eden, where delicious Paradise, 

 Now nearer, crowns with her enclosure green, 

 As with a rural mound, the champion head 

 Of a steep wilderness, whose hairy sides 

 With thicket overgrown, grotesque and wild, 

 Access denied; and overhead up-grew 

 Insuperable highth of loftiest shade, 

 Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm, 

 A sylvan scene, and, as the ranks ascend 

 Shade above shade, a woody theatre 

 Of stateliest view. Yet higher than their tops 

 The verdurous wall of Paradise upsprung; 

 Which to our general sire gave prospect large 

 Into his nether empire neighbouring round. 

 And higher than that wall a circling row 

 Of goodliest trees, loaden with fairest fruit, 

 Blossoms and fruits at once of golden hue, 

 Appeared, with gay enamelled colours mixed ; 

 In which the sun more glad impressed his beams 

 Than in fair Evening cloud, or humid bow, 

 When God hath showered the earth; so lovely 



seemed 

 That landskip. And of pure now purer air 



[187] 



