Of wedded maid and virgin mother born
-- Speaker (Line 3)

Importance: This line refers to Mary, who was, according to Christian belief, a virgin when she conceived and bore Jesus, the son of God. This miracle is a foundational part of the Christian faith, as it shows the divine impossibility of Christ as a figure that transcends what we normally know about human existence. Here, Milton makes use of antithesis (the pairing of ideas with their exact opposites) to emphasize the miraculous nature of Christ's birth and to distinguish Mary from all other women.

Hast thou no vers, no hymn, or solemn strein
-- Speaker (Line 17)

Importance: This line, addressed to the Muse, articulates the central struggle of the poem's first section. The speaker is trying – and, here, he fears, failing – to find an inspiration worthy of his sacred subject. He names different types of musical poetry that he worries are all insignificant to his sacred subject. The...