The bond of nature draw me to my own, My own in thee, for what thou art is mine; Our state cannot be sever'd, we are one, One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself. So Adam, and thus Eve to him reply'd: O glorious trial of exceeding love, 'Illustrious evidence, example high! Engaging me to emulate, but short Of thy perfection, how shall I attain, Adam? from whose dear side I boast me sprung, And gladly of our union hear thee speak, One heart, one soul in both; whereof good proof This day affords, declaring thee resolv'd,
Rather than death or aught than death more dread Shall separate us, link'd in love so dear. To undergo with me one guilt, one crime, If any be, of tasting this fair fruit,
Whose virtue (for of good still good proceeds, Direct, or by occasion) hath presented This happy trial of thy love, which else So eminently never had been known. Were it I thought death menac'd would ensue This my attempt, I would sustain alone The worst, and not persuade thee, rather die Deserted, than oblige thee with a fact Pernicious to thy peace, chiefly assur'd Remarkably so late, of thy so true, So faithful love unequal'd; but I feel Far otherwise th' event, not death, but life Augmented, open'd eyes, new hopes, new joys, Taste so divine, that what of sweet before Hath touch'd my sense, flat seems to this, and harsh On my experience, Adam, freely taste, And fear of death deliver to the winds.
So saying, she embrac'd him, and for joy Tenderly wept, much won that he his love Had so ennobled, as of choice to incur Divine displeasure for her sake, or death. In recompense (for such compliance bad
Such recompense best merits) from the bough She gave him of that fair enticing fruit With liberal hand: he scrupled not to eat Against his better knowledge, not deceiv'd, But fondly overcome with female charm. Earth trembled from her entrails, as again
In pangs, and Nature gave a second groan, Sky lour'd, 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 fear'd, the more to soothe Him with her lov'd society that now
As with new wine intoxicated both,
They swim in mirth, and fancy that they feel Divinity within them breeding wings
Wherewith to scorn the earth: but that false fruit Far other operation first display'd, Carnal desire inflaming; he on Eve Began to cast lascivious eye, she him As wantonly repaid; in lust they burn: Till Adam thus 'gan Eve to dalliance move: Eve, now I see thou art exact of taste, And elegant, of sapience no small part, Since to each meaning savour we apply, And palate call judicious; I the praise Yield thee, so well this day thou hast purvey'd Much pleasure we have lost, while we abstain'd From this delightful fruit, nor known till now True relish, tasting; if such pleasure be In things to us forbidd'n, it might be wish'd, For this one tree had been forbidden ten. But come, so well refresh'd, now let us play, As meet is after such delicious fare; For never did thy beauty since the day I saw thee first and wedded thee, adorn'd With all perfections, so inflame my sense With ardour to enjoy thee, fairer now Than ever, bounty of this virtuous tree.
So said he, and forbore not glance or toy Of amorous intent, well understood Of Eve, whose eye darted contagious fire. Her hand he seiz'd, and to a shady bank, Thick overhead with verdant roof embow'rd, He led her nothing loath; flow'rs were the couch, Pansies, and violets, and asphodel,
And hyacinth, earth's freshest softest lap. There they their fill of love and love's disport Took largely, of their mutual guilt the seal, The solace of their sin, till dewy sleep. Oppress'd them, wearied with their amorous play, Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit, That with exhilarating vapour bland
About their spirits had play'd, and inmost powers Made err, was now exhal'd; and grosser sleep Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams Encumber'd, now had left them; up they rose As from unrest, and each the other viewing, Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds How darken'd; innocence, that as a veil Had shadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone, Just confidence, and native righteousness, And honour from about them, naked left To guilty shame he cover'd, but his robe Uncover'd more. So rose the Danite strong Herculean Sampson from the harlot-lap Of Philistean Dalilah, and wak'd
Shorn of his strength, they destitute and bare Of all their virtue: silent, and in face Confounded long they sat, as stricken mute, Till Adam, though not less than Eve abash'd, At length gave utterance to these words constrain'd: O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give ear To that false worm, of whomsoever taught To counterfeit man's voice, true in our fall, False in our promis'd rising; since our eyes Open'd we find indeed, and find we know Both good and evil, good lost, and evil got.
Bad fruit of knowledge, if this be to know Which leaves us naked thus, of honour void, Of innocence, of faith, of purity.
Our wonted ornaments now soil'd and stain'd, And in our faces evident the signs
Of foul concupiscence: whence evil store; Ev'n shame, the last of evils; of the first Be sure then, How shall I behold the face Henceforth of God or angel erst with joy And rapture so oft beheld? those heav'nly shapes Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze Insufferably bright. O might I here
In solitude like savage, in some glade Obscur'd, where highest woods impenetrable To star or sun-light spread their umbrage broad And brown as evening: cover me, ye pines, Ye cedars, with innumerable boughs
Hide me, where I may never see them more. But let us now, as in bad plight, devise What best may for the present serve to hide The parts of each from other, that seem most To shame obnoxious, and unseemliest seen: Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together sow'd, And girded on our loins, may cover round Those middle parts, that this new comer shame There sit not, and reproach us as unclean.
So counsell'd he, and both together went Into the thickest wood; there soon they chose The fig-tree, not that kind for fruit renown'd, But such as at this day to Indians known In Malabar or Decan spread her arms
Branching so broad and long, that in the ground The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade
High over-arch'd and echoing walks between ; There oft, the Indian herdsman shunning heat Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds At loop-holes cut thro' thickest shade. Those leaves They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe,
And with what skill they had, together sow'd To gird their waist, vain covering if to hide Their guilt and dreaded shame; O how unlike To that first naked glory! Such of late Columbus found th' American, so girt
With feather'd cincture, naked else and wild Among the trees on isles and woody shores. Thus fenc'd and as they thought, their shame in part Cover'd, but not at rest, or ease of mind, They sat them down to weep; nor only tears Rain'd at their eyes, but high winds worse within Began to rise, high passions, anger, hate, Mistrust, suspicion, discord, and shook sore Their inward state of mind, calm region once And full of peace, now tost and turbulent; For understanding rul'd not, and the will Heard not her lore, both in subjection now To sensual appetite, who from beneath Usurping over sov'reign reason claim'd Superior sway from thus distemper'd breast, Adam, estrang'd in look and altered style, Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd:
Would thou hadst hearken'd to my words and stay'd With me as I besought thee, when that strange Desire of wand'ring this unhappy morn,
I know not whence, possess'd thee; we had then Remain'd still happy, not as now despoil'd
Of all our good, sham'd, naked, miserable. Let none henceforth seek needless cause t' approve The faith they owe; when earnestly they seek Such proof, conclude they then begin to fail.
To whom soon mov'd with touch of blame thus Eve. What words have pass'd thy lips, Adam severe ! Imput'st thou that to my default, or will
Of wand'ring, as thou call'st it, which who knows But might as ill have happen'd thou being by, Or to thyself perhaps? hadst thou been there, Or here th' attempt, thou couldst not have discern'd Fraud in the serpent, speaking as he spake ;
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