9

No more of talk where God or Angel guest With Man, as with his friend, familiar used To sit indulgent, and with him partake Rural repast, permitting him the while Venial discourse unblamed: I now must change Those notes to tragic; foul distrust, and breach Disloyal on the part of Man, revolt, And disobedience: on the part of Heaven Now alienated, distance and distaste, Anger and just rebuke, and judgement given, That brought into this world a world of woe, Sin and her shadow Death, and Misery Death's harbinger.

O Earth, how like to Heaven, if not preferred More justly, seat worthier of gods, as built With second thoughts, reforming what was old! For what god after better worse would build? The more I see Pleasures about me, so much more I feel Torment within me, as from the hateful siege Of contraries; all good to me becomes Bane, and in Heaven much worse would be my state. Revenge, at first though sweet, Bitter ere long back on itself recoils; Let it; I reck not, so it light well aimed, Since higher I fall short, on him who next Provokes my envy, this new favourite Of Heaven, this Man of clay, son of despite, Whom us the more to spite his Maker raised From dust: spite then with spite is best repaid.

O much deceived, much failing, hapless Eve, Of thy presumed return! Event perverse! Thou never from that hour in Paradise Found'st either sweet repast, or sound repose; Such ambush hid among sweet flowers and shades Waited with hellish rancour imminent To intercept thy way, or send thee back Despoiled of innocence, of faith, of bliss. For now, and since first break of dawn, the fiend, Mere serpent in appearance, forth was come, And on his quest, where likeliest he might find The only two of mankind, but in them The whole included race, his purposed prey.

Let us divide our labours, thou where choice Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind The woodbine round this arbour, or direct The clasping ivy where to climb, while I In yonder spring of roses intermixed With myrtle, find what to redress till noon: For while so near each other thus all day Our task we choose, what wonder if so near Looks intervene and smiles, or object new Casual discourse draw on, which intermits Our day's work brought to little, though begun Early.

But other doubt possesses me, lest harm Befall thee severed from me; for thou knowest What hath been warned us, what malicious foe Envying our happiness, and of his own Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame By sly assault; and somewhere nigh at hand Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find His wish and best advantage, us asunder, Hopeless to circumvent us joined, where each To other speedy aid might lend at need; Whether his first design be to withdraw Our fealty from God, or to disturb Conjugal love.

If this be our condition, thus to dwell In narrow circuit straitened by a foe, Subtle or violent, we not endued Single with like defence, wherever met, How are we happy, still in fear of harm? But harm precedes not sin: only our foe Tempting affronts us with his foul esteem Of our integrity: his foul esteem Sticks no dishonour on our front, but turns Foul on himself; then wherefore shunned or feared By us? who rather double honour gain From his surmise proved false, find peace within, Favour from Heaven, our witness from the event. And what is faith, love, virtue unassayed Alone, without exterior help sustained?

So spake the patriarch of mankind, but Eve Persisted, yet submiss, though last, replied. Thus saying, from her husband's hand her hand Soft she withdrew, and like a wood-nymph light Oread or Dryad, or of Delia's train, Betook her to the groves, but Delia's self In gait surpassed and goddess-like deport, Though not as she with bow and quiver armed, But with such gardening tools as art yet rude, Guiltless of fire had formed, or angels brought. O much deceived, much failing, hapless Eve.

Empress of this fair world, resplendent Eve, Easy to me it is to tell thee all What thou command'st and right thou shouldst be obeyed: I was at first as other beasts that graze The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low, As was my food, nor aught but food discerned Or sex, and apprehended nothing high: Till on a day roving the field, I chanced A goodly tree far distant to behold Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mixed, Ruddy and gold: I nearer drew to gaze; When from the boughs a savoury odour blown, Grateful to appetite, more pleased my sense Than smell of sweetest fennel.

Indeed? hath God then said that of the fruit Of all these garden trees ye shall not eat, Yet lords declared of all in Earth or air? To whom the guileful Tempter thus replied. Goddess humane, reach then, and freely taste. He ended, and his words replete with guile Into her heart too easy entrance won: Fixed on the fruit she gazed, which to behold Might tempt alone, and in her ears the sound Yet rung of his persuasive words, impregned With reason, to her seeming, and with truth.

Ye shall not die: how should ye? by the fruit? It gives you life to knowledge. By the Threatener? Look on me, me who have touched and tasted, yet both live, And life more perfect have attained than fate Meant me, by venturing higher than my lot. Shall that be shut to Man, which to the beast Is open? or will God incense his ire For such a petty trespass, and not praise Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain Of death denounced, whatever thing death be, Deterred not from achieving what might lead To happier life, knowledge of good and evil?

So saying, her rash hand in evil hour Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate: Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat Signhing through all her works gave signs of woe, That all was lost. Back to the thicket slunk The guilty serpent, and well might, for Eve Intent now wholly on her taste, naught else Regarded, such delight till then, as seemed, In fruit she never tasted, whether true Or fancied so, through expectation high Of knowledge, nor was godhead from her thought. Greedily she engorged without restraint, And knew not eating death.

Adam the while, Waiting desirous her return, had wove Of choicest flowers a garland to adorn Her tresses, and her rural labours crown, As reapers oft are wont their harvest queen. Great joy he promised to his thoughts, and new Solace in her return, so long delayed; Yet oft his heart, divine of something ill, Misgave him; he the faltering measure felt; And forth to meet her went, the way she took That morn when first they parted; by the Tree Of Knowledge he must pass; there he her met, Scarce from the tree returning; in her hand A bough of fairest fruit that downy smiled, New gathered, and ambrosial smell diffused.

How can I live without thee, how forego Thy sweet converse and love so dearly joined, To live again in these wild woods forlorn? Should God create another Eve, and I Another rib afford, yet loss of thee Would never from my heart; no, no, I feel The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh, Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe. So having said, as one from sad dismay Recomforted, and after thoughts disturbed Submitting to what seemed remediless, Thus in calm mood his words to Eve he turned.

He scrupled not to eat Against his better knowledge, not deceived, But fondly overcome with female charm. Earth trembled from her entrails, as again In pangs, and Nature gave a second groan, Sky loured, and muttering thunder, some sad drops Wept at completing of the mortal sin Original; while Adam took no thought, Eating his fill, nor Eve to iterate Her former trespass feared, the more to soothe Him with her loved society.

Thus they in mutual accusation spent The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning, And of their vain contest appeared no end. Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit, That with exhilarating vapour bland About their spirits had played, and inmost powers Made err, was now exhaled, and grosser sleep Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams Encumbered, now had left them, up they rose As from unrest, and each the other viewing, Soon found their eyes how opened, and their minds How darkened; innocence, that as a veil Had shadowed them from knowing ill, was gone.