Summary

The speaker introduces the temporal setting of the poem: the day of Christ's birth to Mary, his virgin mother. He explains the promise that Christ should release humanity from the penalty for sin they should have faced and establish peace. He then tries to describe Christ's appearance, which he finds difficult. He depicts Christ sitting in Heaven as a judge, and then shows Christ giving up that place of power to become one with humanity. The speaker calls upon the muse to inspire him, and expresses how difficult it is to find adequate words of praise for the moment of Christ's nativity. These introductory stanzas conclude by showing the Three Magi traveling from the East to bring gifts to the infant Christ.

Analysis

This first section of Milton’s complex poem introduces to the reader the critical themes that are to follow. Milton...