241. ~Sweet Queen of Parley~, etc. 'Parley is conversation (Fr. _parler_,
to speak): _parlour_, _parole_, _palaver_, _parliament_, _parlance_.
etc., are cognate. ~Daughter of the Sphere~, _i.e._ of the sphere which is
her "airy shell" (l. 231): comp. "Sphere-born harmonious sisters, Voice
and Verse" (_At a Solemn Music_, 2).
243. ~give resounding grace~, etc., _i.e._ add the charm of echo to the
music of the spheres.
The metrical structure of this song should be noted: the lines vary in
length from two to six feet. The rhymes are few, and the effect is more
striking owing to the consonance of _shell_, _well_ with _vale_,
_nightingale_; also of _pair_, _where_ with _are_ and _sphere_; and of
_have_ with _cave_. Masson regards this song as a striking illustration
of Milton's free use of imperfect rhymes, even in his most musical
passages.
244. ~mortal mixture ... divine enchanting ravishment~. The words _mortal_
and _divine_ are in antithesis: comp. _Il Pens._ 91, 92, "The immortal
mind that hath forsook Her mansion in this fleshly nook." The lines
embody a compliment to the Lady Alice: read in this connection lines 555
and 564. 'Ravishment,' rapture (a cognate word) or ecstasy: comp. _Il
Pens._ 40, "Thy rapt soul sitting in thine eyes"; also l. 794.