John Milton (1608-1674) has rightly been called England's greatest poet, second only to Shakespeare. He was also a civil servant and a writer on legal matters (including divorce and government). He held the post of "Secretary for Foreign Tongues," meaning mainly that he conducted correspondence between the Commonwealth of Oliver Cromwell and the other nations of Europe--in Latin.

    No surprise, then, that he had a gift for languages. In his own lifetime, Milton was famous for writing not only in English and Latin, but also in Greek and Italian. His deep knowledge of both the classical and Biblical traditions shines through in all of his work.

    Milton's father, also named John, was a musical composer who hired a tutor for young John in London. The son then started school, studied the classics, and finally received an M.A. at Cambridge. A few of his best-known works, such as "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity," were written during his student days.

    But it wasn't until much later, in the years between 1658 and 1664 when Milton was in his 50s, that he wrote his magnum opus, "Paradise Lost." By this time Milton was completely blind, and had to dictate this long poem to assistants. One can only imagine the complicated process by which a writer speaks, his words are taken down, and then portions need to be read back to him.

    The poem was published in 1667. Its protagonist is Satan, the enemy of God and man, who after himself being thrown out of Heaven, causes Adam and Eve to be removed from the Garden of Eden. Two paradises lost!

    In Book XI (11), Adam expresses sorrow to Eve that they must leave the Garden. He says there is no more "respite" or relief from "that day / That must be mortal to us both"--that is, Adam and Eve will die. Until they ate the forbidden fruit, that day would not have come.

    Must I thus leave you, Paradise? thus leave

    You, Native Soil, these happy Walks and Shades,

    Fit haunt of Gods? where I had hope[d] to spend,

    Quiet though sad, the respite of that day

    That must be mortal to us both.

    Perhaps Milton was bitter. Before "Paradise Lost" was written, the revolution which he had supported had failed. Many scholars see references to this political loss in his work.

    Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. place of happiness, like the Garden of Eden; 2. major work; 3. main character; 4. of the Greek and Romans; 5. not allowed; 6. referring to birth

    ANSWERS: 1. Paradise; 2. magnum opus; 3. protagonist; 4. classical; 5. forbidden; 6. nativity