John Milton's Invocation to Paradise Lost, Book I. It is the first verse-paragraph of his epic poem. Milton follows the traditional epic pattern of stating his topic and imploring the Holy Spirit to inspire him to complete the work at hand. In this case, he seeks guidance from God on how to begin his great poem. Milton begins by declaring that he will "invoke" (i.e., call upon) Holy Spirit to help him tell his story. He then asks God to forgive him for any sins he has committed while working on Paradise Lost and to keep him strong as he pursues knowledge about evil so that he can condemn it effectively in his poem. Finally, he promises to pray for those who read his work after him. This short piece of poetry contains many themes important to understanding Paradise Lost as a whole. If you read it out loud, try reading it slowly so that you can appreciate every word. Here are some examples of key words or phrases you should know: Invocation - a prayer or song of welcome; petition Forgiveness - forgiveness of sin Knowledge - understanding Condemn - reject, reject as wrong or bad Effectively - with wisdom or reason