What fear I then, rather what know to fear Under this ignorance of good and evil, Of God or death, of law or penalty?
Here grows the cure of all, this fruit divine, Fair to the eye, inviting to the taste,
Of virtue to make wife: what hinders then To reach, and feed at once both body' and mind? So faying, her rafh hand in evil hour Forth reaching to the fruit, fhe pluck'd, she eat: Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her feat Sighing through all her works gave signs of woe, That all was loft. Back to the thicket flunk The guilty Serpent, and well might, for Eve Intent now wholly on her tafte, nought else Regarded, fuch delight till then, as feem'd, In fruit fhe never tafted, whether true Or fancy'd fo, through expectation high
Of knowledge, nor was God-head from her thought. Greedily fhe ingorg'd without restraint,
And knew not eating death: Satiate at length, And highten'd as with wine, jocond and boon, Thus to herself the pleasingly began.
O fovran, virtuous, precious of all trees
In Paradife, of operation bleft
To fapience, hitherto obfcur'd, infam'd,
And thy fair fruit let hang, as to no end
Created; but henceforth my early care,
Not without fong, each morning, and due praise,
Shall tend thee, and the fertil burden ease
Of thy full branches offer'd free to all;
Till dieted by thee I grow mature
In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know; Though others envy what they cannot give; For had the gift been theirs, it had not here Thus grown. Experience, next to thee I owe, Beft guide; not following thee, I had remain'd In ignorance; thou open'ft wisdom's way, And giv'ft accefs, though fecret she retire. And I perhaps am fecret; Heav'n is high, High, and remote to fee from thence distinct Each thing on earth; and other care perhaps May have diverted from continual watch Our great forbidder, fafe with all his spies About him. But to Adam in what fort Shall I appear? fhall I to him make known As yet my change, and give him to partake Full happiness with me, or rather not, But keep the odds of knowledge in my power Without copartner? fo to add what wants In female fex, the more to draw his love, And render me more equal, and perhaps, A thing not undefirable, fometime Superior; for inferior who is free?
This may be well: but what if God hath seen, And death enfue? then I fhall be no more, And Adam wedded to another Eve, Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct;
A death to think. Confirm'd then I refolve, Adam fhall fhare with me in blifs or woe: So dear I love him, that with him all deaths
I could indure, without him live no life.
So faying, from the tree her step she turn'd, But firft low reverence done, as to the Power That dwelt within, whose presence had infus’d Into the plant fciential fap, deriv'd
From nectar, drink of Gods. Adam the while, Waiting defirous her return, had wove
Of choicest flow'rs a garland to adorn Her treffes, and her rural labors crown, As reapers oft are wont their harvest Great joy he promis'd to his thoughts, and new Solace in her return, fo long delay'd;
Yet oft his heart, divine of fomething ill, Mifgave him; he the faltring 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 smil'd, New gather'd, and ambrofial smell diffus'd. To him she hasted; in her face excufe
Came prologue, and apology too prompt, Which with bland words at will fhe thus addrefs'd. 855 Haft thou not wonder'd, Adam, at my stay? Thee I have mifs'd, and thought it long, depriv'd
Thy prefence, agony of love till now
Not felt, nor fhall be twice, for never more
Mean I to try, what rash untry'd I fought,
The pain of absence from thy fight. But ftrange
Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear:
This tree is not as we are told, a tree Of danger tasted, nor to' evil unknown Opening the way, but of divine effect
To open eyes, and make them Gods who taste; And hath been tafted fuch; the serpent wise, Or not reftrain'd as we, or not obeying,
Hath eaten of the fruit, and is become,
Not dead, as we are threaten'd, but thenceforth 870
Indued with human voice and human sense,
Reasoning to admiration, and with me Perfuafively hath so prevail'd, that I Have alfo tafted, and have also found Th' effects to correfpond, opener mine eyes, Dim erft, dilated fpirits, ampler heart, And growing up to Godhead; which for thee Chiefly I fought, without thee can despise. For blifs, as thou hast part, to me is bliss, Tedious, unfhar'd with thee, and odious foon. Thou therefore also tafte, that equal lot May join us, equal joy, as equal love; Left, thou not tafting, different degree Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce Deity for thee, when fate will not permit.
Thus Eve with count'nance blithe her story told;
But in her cheek diftemper flushing glow'd.
On th' other fide, Adam, foon as he heard The fatal trespass done by Eve, amaz'd, Aftonied ftood and blank, while horror chill Ran through his veins, and all his joints relax'd; From his flack hand the garland wreath'd for Eve
Down dropt, and all the faded roses shed:
Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length First to himself he inward filence broke.
O fairest of creation, laft and best
Of all God's works, Creature in whom excell'd Whatever can to fight or thought be form'd, Holy, divine, good, amiable, or fweet!
How art thou loft, how on a fudden loft, Defac'd, deflower'd, and now to death devote? Rather how haft thou yielded to tranfgrefs The ftri&t forbiddance, how to violate
The facred fruit forbidd'n? fome curfed fraud Of enemy hath beguil'd thee, yet unknown, And me with thee hath ruin'd, for with thee Certain my refolution is to die :
How can I live without thee, how forgo Thy sweet converse and love fo dearly join'd, 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:
Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state
Mine never shall be parted, blifs or woe. So having faid, as one from fad difmay Recomforted, and after thoughts disturb'd Submitting to what feem'd remedilefs,
Thus in calm mood his words to Eve he turn'd. Bold deed thou hast presum'd, adventrous Eve,
And peril great provok'd, who thus haft dar'd,
« AnteriorContinuar » |