At A Solemn Musick

Blest pair of Sirens, pledges of Heav'n's joy,

Sphere-born harmonious Sisters, Voice and Verse,

Wed your divine sounds, and mixt power employ

Dead things with inbreath'd sense able to pierce,

And to our high-rais'd fantasy present

That undisturbed Song of pure concent,

Ay sung before that saphire-colour'd throne

To Him that sits thereon

With Saintly shout and solemn Jubilee,

Where the bright Seraphim in burning row

Their loud up-lifted Angel trumpets blow,

And the Cherubic host in thousand choirs

Touch their immortal Harps of golden wires,

With those just Spirits that wear victorious Palms,

Hymns devout and holy Psalms

Singing everlastingly;

That we on Earth with undiscording voice

May rightly answer that melodious noise;

As once we did, till disproportion'd sin

Jarr'd against Nature's chime, and with harsh din

Broke the fair music that all creatures made

To their great Lord, whose love their motion sway'd

In first obedience, and their state of good.

And keep in tune with Heav'n, till God ere long

To His celestial consort us unite,

To live with Him, and sing in endless morn of light.

(line 3: Wed your divine sounds, &c): In the Manuscript it appears that he had written these lines thus at first, "Mix your choice words, and happiest sounds employDead things with inbreath'd sense able to pierce,And as your equal raptures temper'd sweet In high mysterious happy spousal meet,Snatch us from earth a while,Us of ourselves and native woes beguile,And to our high-rais'd phantasy present" &c.(line 6: ---- of pure concent,): So we read in the Manuscript, and in the edition of 1673, and we prefer the authority of both to the single one of the edition of 1645, which has "of pure content."(line 7: ---- the saphir-color'd throne): Alluding to Ezek. I. 26. "And above the firmament that was over their heads, was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a saphir stone."(last line): In the Manuscript the last line stands thus,"To live and sing with him in endless morn of light."~ Th. Newton, Milton's Works, 2nd edition, 1753.