854
Came prologue,5048 and apology too prompt,
855
Which, with bland5049 words at will,5050 she thus addressed:
856
“Hast thou not wondered, Adam, at my stay?
857
Thee I have missed, and thought it long, deprived5051
858
Thy presence. Agony of love till now
859
Not felt, nor shall be twice, for never more
860
Mean I to try, what rash untried I sought,
861
The pain of absence from thy sight. But strange
862
Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear.
863
This tree is not, as we are told, a tree
864
Of danger tasted, nor to evil unknown
865
Op’ning the way, but of divine effect
866
To open eyes, and make them gods who taste,
867
And hath been tasted such. The serpent wise,
868
Or not restrained as we, or not obeying,
869
Hath eaten of the fruit, and is become—
870
Not dead, as we are threat’ned, but thenceforth
871
Endued5052 with human voice and human sense,
872
Reasoning to admiration,5053 and with me
873
Persuasively hath so prevailed, that I
874
Have also tasted, and have also found
875
Th’ effects to correspond.5054 Opener mine eyes,
876
Dim erst, dilated 5055 spirits, ampler heart,
877
And growing up to godhead—which for thee
878
Chiefly I sought—without thee can despise.
879
For bliss, as5056 thou hast part,5057 to me is bliss.
880
Tedious, unshared with thee, and odious soon.
881
Thou therefore also taste, that equal lot5058
882
May join us, equal joy, as equal love,
883
Lest thou not tasting, different degree
884
Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce
88
Deity for thee, when Fate will not permit.”
886
Thus Eve with count’nance blithe5059 her story told,
887
But in her cheek distemper5060 flushing glowed.
888
On th’ other side Adam, soon as he heard
889
The fatal trespass done by Eve, amazed,
890
Astonied5061 stood and blank,5062 while horror chill
891
Ran through his veins, and all his joints relaxed.5063
892
From his slack hand the garland wreathed for Eve
893
Down dropped, and all the faded roses shed.5064
894
Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length
895
First to himself he inward silence broke:
896
“O fairest of Creation, last and best
897
Of all God’s works, creature in whom excelled
898
Whatever can to sight or thought be formed,
899
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!
900
How art thou lost! How on a sudden lost,
901
Defaced, deflow’red, and now to death devote! 5065
902
Rather, how hast thou yielded to transgress
903
The strict forbiddance, how to violate
904
The sacred fruit forbidden! Some cursèd fraud
905
Of enemy hath beguiled thee, yet unknown,
906
And me with thee hath ruined, for with thee
907
Certain my resolution is to die!
908
How can I live without thee? How forego
909
Thy sweet converse,5066 and love so dearly joined,
910
To live again in these wild woods forlorn?5067
911
Should God create another Eve, and I
912
Another rib afford, yet loss of thee
913
Would never 5068 from my heart. No, no, I feel
914
The link of Nature draw me. Flesh of flesh,
915
Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state5069
916
Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe.”
917
So having said, as one from sad dismay
918
Recomforted,5070 and after thoughts disturbed
919
Submitting to what seemed remediless,
920
Thus in calm mood his words to Eve he turned:
921
“Bold deed thou hast presumed, advent’rous Eve,
922
And peril great provoked, who thus hast dared,
923
Had it been only coveting to eye
924
That sacred fruit, sacred to abstinence,
925
Much more to taste it under ban to touch.
926
But past who can recall, or done undo?
927
Not God Omnipotent, nor Fate. Yet so
928
Perhaps thou shalt not die, perhaps the fact
929
Is not so heinous,5071 now, foretasted 5072 fruit,
930
Profaned5073 first by the serpent, by him first
931
Made common5074 and unhallowed,5075 ere our taste,
932
Nor yet on him found deadly. Yet he lives,
933
Lives, as thou said’st, and gains to live, as man,
934
Higher degree of life—inducement strong
935
To us, as likely tasting to attain
936
Proportional ascent, which cannot be
937
But to be gods, or Angels, demi-gods.
938
Nor can I think that God, Creator wise,
939
Though threat’ning, will in earnest so destroy
940
Us His prime creatures, dignified so high,
941
Set over all His works, which in our fall,
942
For us created, needs with us must fail,
943
Dependent made. So God shall uncreate,
944
Be frustrate, do, undo, and labor lose—
945
Not well conceived of God, who though His power
946
Creation could repeat, yet would be loath
947
Us to abolish, lest the adversary
948
Triumph, and say: ‘Fickle their state whom God
949
Most favors. Who can please Him long? Me first
950
He ruined, now mankind. Whom will He next?’
951
Matter of scorn, not to be giv’n the foe.
952
However, I with thee have fixed my lot,
953
Certain5076 to undergo like5077 doom. If death
954
Consort5078 with thee, death is to me as life,
955
So forcible 5079 within my heart I feel
956
The bond of Nature draw me to my own,
957
My own in thee, for what thou art is mine,
958
Our state cannot be severed. W
e are one,
959
One flesh. To lose thee were to lose myself.”
960
So Adam, and thus Eve to him replied:
961
“O glorious trial of exceeding5080 love,
962
Illustrious evidence,5081 example high!
963
Engaging me to emulate. But short 5082
964
Of thy perfection, how shall I attain,5083
965
Adam, from whose dear side I boast me sprung,
966
And gladly of our union hear thee speak,
967
One heart, one soul in both—whereof good proof
968
This day affords, declaring thee resolved,
969
Rather than death, or aught than death more dread,
970
Shall separate us, linked in love so dear,
971
To undergo with me one guilt, one crime,
972
If any be, of tasting this fair fruit,
973
Whose virtue, for of good still good proceeds,
974
Direct, or by occasion,5084 hath presented
975
This happy trial of thy love, which else
976
So eminently 5085 never had been known?
977
Were it 5086 I thought death menaced 5087 would ensue5088
978
This my attempt, I would sustain5089 alone
979
The worst, and not persuade thee, rather die
980
Deserted, than oblige thee with a fact 5090
981
Pernicious5091 to thy peace, chiefly assured
982
Remarkably so late5092 of thy so true,
983
So faithful, love unequalled. But I feel
984
Far otherwise th’ event. Not death, but life
985
Augmented, opened eyes, new hopes, new joys,
986
Taste so divine, that what of sweet before
987
Hath touched my sense, flat seems to this, and harsh.
988
On my experience, Adam, freely taste,
989
And fear of death deliver to the winds.
990
So saying, she embraced him, and for joy
991
Tenderly wept, much won5093 that he his love
992
Had so ennobled, as of choice to incur
993
Divine displeasure for her sake, or death.
994
In recompence ( for such compliance bad,
995
Such recompence best merits) from the bough
996
She gave him of that fair enticing fruit
997
With liberal hand. He scrupled not to eat,
998
Against his better knowledge, not deceived,
999
But fondly5094 overcome with female charm.
1000
Earth trembled from her entrails, as again
1001
In pangs, and Nature gave a second groan,
1002
Sky loured 5095 and, muttering thunder, some sad drops
1003
Wept at completing5096 of the mortal sin
1004
Original 5097 —while Adam took no thought,
1005
Eating his fill, nor Eve to iterate5098
1006
Her former trespass feared, the more to soothe
1007
Him with her loved society, that now,
1008
As with new wine intoxicated both,
1009
They swim in mirth, and fancy that they feel
1010
Divinity within them breeding wings
1011
Wherewith to scorn the earth. But that false fruit
1012
Far other operation5099 first displayed,
1013
Carnal desire inflaming. He on Eve
1014
Began to cast lascivious eyes, she him
1015
As wantonly repaid. In lust they burn,
1016
Till Adam thus ’gan Eve to dalliance5100 move:
1017
“Eve, now I see thou art exact 5101 of taste,
1018
And elegant,5102 of 5103 sapience5104 no small part.
1019
Since to each meaning savor 5105 we apply,
1020
And palate 5106 call judicious,5107 I the praise
1021
Yield thee, so well this day thou hast purveyed.5108
1022
Much pleasure we have lost, while we abstained
1023
From this delightful fruit, nor known till now
1024
True relish,5109 tasting. If such pleasure be
1025
In things to us forbidden, it might be wished
1026
For this one tree had been forbidden ten.
1027
But come, so well refreshed, now let us play,
1028
As meet is, after such delicious fare,
1029
For never did thy beauty, since the day
1030
I saw thee first and wedded thee, adorned
1031
With all perfections, so inflame my sense
1032
With ardor to enjoy thee, fairer now
1033
Than ever—bounty5110 of this virtuous5111 tree!
1034
So said he, and forbore not glance or toy 5112
1035
Of amorous intent, well understood
1036
Of Eve, whose eye darted contagious fire.
1037
Her hand he seized, and to a shady bank,
1038
Thick overhead with verdant roof embow’red,
1039
He led her, nothing loath. Flow’rs were the couch,
1040
Pansies, and violets, and asphodel,
1041
And hyacinth, earth’s freshest softest lap.5113
1042
There they their fill of love and love’s disport 5114
1043
Took largely, 5115 of their mutual guilt the seal,
1044
The solace of their sin, till dewy5116 sleep
1045
Oppressed 5117 them, wearied with their amorous play.
1046
Soon as the force of that fallacious5118 fruit,
1047
That with exhilarating vapor bland 5119
1048
About their spirits had played, and inmost powers
1049
Made err, was now exhaled, and grosser sleep,
1050
Bred of unkindly5120 fumes, with conscious dreams
1051
Encumbered,5121 now had left them, up they rose
1052
As from unrest 5122 and, each the other viewing,
1053
Soon found their eyes how opened, and their minds
1054
How darkened. Innocence, that as a veil
1055
Had shadowed them from knowing ill, was gone,
1056
Just 5123 confidence, and native righteousness,5124
1057
And honor, from5125 about them, naked left
1058
To guilty shame. He covered,5126 but his robe
1059
Uncovered more. So rose the Danite5127 strong,
1060
Herculean Samson, from the harlot-lap
1061
Of Philistean5128 Dalilah,5129 and waked
1062
&nb
sp; Shorn of his strength. They destitute and bare
1063
Of all their virtue, silent, and in face
1064
Confounded,5130 long they sat, as stricken mute,
1065
Till Adam, though not less than Eve abashed,
The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Page 49
