Monday, September 13, 2021 Monday Musings

I almost forgot about the old blog post today. I met a friend for a picnic lunch somewhere and it doesn’t take much to throw me off my groove. However, I do have something of interest to share with you married ladies.

I’ve been reading through Paradise Lost by John Milton for the first time. It’s a bit tough now and again – an epic poem consisting of 12 “books” and each book consisting of about 900-1000 verses. Phew! I’m taking it very slowly. This morning I read about how Milton envisioned Adam trying to wake his wife up after their sleep in the Edenic bower (this is before the fall). Here’s how it went:

“Awake, my fairest, my espoused, my latest found,
Heaven’s last best gift, my ever-new delight,
Awake; the morning shines and the fresh field calls us.

I just want each of you to stop for a moment and try to imagine your husbands waking you up like that. It’s an entertaining thought, isn’t it? Since sin hadn’t yet entered the world, Eve responded pretty well:

O sole, in whom my thoughts find all repose,
My glory, my perfection, glad I see
Thy face and morn returned…

It turns out she’d had unsettling dreams because Satan had been whispering in her ear. But that’s another story. I just wanted you to know the correct response if your husband should choose to quote Milton to you some morning to wake you up. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I’m guessing that some of you wouldn’t even think of responding unless your husband had a cup of coffee with him whilst calling you his fairest and ever-new delight.

Now I know why we’re supposed to read the classics!

I’ll probably delete this in the morning, when the fresh field is calling me.