Paradise Lost (Modern Library Classics) (60 page)

Whose taste, too long forborne, at first assay

Gave elocution to the mute, and taught

The tongue not made for speech to speak thy praise:

Thy praise he also who forbids thy use,

Conceals not from us, naming thee the Tree

Of Knowledge, knowledge both of good and evil;

Forbids us then to taste, but his forbidding

Commends thee more, while it infers the good

By thee communicated, and our want:

For good unknown
⁷⁵⁶
, sure is not had, or had

And yet unknown, is as not had at all.

In plain then, what forbids he but to know,

Forbids us good, forbids us to be wise?

Such prohibitions bind not. But if death

Bind us with after-bands, what profits then

Our inward freedom? In the day we eat

Of this fair fruit, our doom is, we shall die.

How dies the serpent? He hath eat’n and lives,

And knows, and speaks, and reasons, and discerns,

Irrational till then. For us alone

Was death invented? Or to us denied

This intellectual food, for beasts reserved?

For beasts it seems: yet that one beast which first

Hath tasted, envies not, but brings with joy

The good befall’n him, author unsuspect
⁷⁷¹
,

Friendly to man, far from deceit or guile.

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
⁷⁷⁶
of all, this fruit divine,

Fair to the eye, inviting to the taste,

Of virtue to make wise: what hinders then

To reach, and feed at once both body and mind?”

   So saying, her rash hand
⁷⁸⁰
in evil hour

Forth reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she ate:

Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat

Sighing through all her works gave signs of woe,

That all was lost
⁷⁸⁴
. 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
⁷⁹²
: satiate at length,

And heightened as with wine, jocund and boon,

Thus to herself she pleasingly began.

   “O sov’reign, virtuous, precious of all trees

In Paradise, of operation blessed

To sapience
⁷⁹⁷
, hitherto obscured, infamed,

And thy fair fruit let hang, as to no end

Created; but henceforth my early care,

Not without song, each morning, and due praise

Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease

Of thy full branches offered 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,

Best guide; not following thee, I had remained

In ignorance, thou open’st wisdom’s way,

And giv’st access, though secret she retire.

And I perhaps am secret; Heav’n is high,

High and remote to see from thence distinct

Each thing on Earth; and other care perhaps

May have diverted from continual watch

Our great forbidder, safe with all his spies

About him. But to Adam in what sort

Shall I appear? Shall 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
⁸²⁰
of knowledge in my power

Without copartner? So to add what wants

In female sex, the more to draw his love,

And render me more equal
⁸²³
, and perhaps,

A thing not undesirable, sometime

Superior; for inferior who is free?
⁸²⁵

This may be well: but what if God have seen,

And death ensue? Then I shall be no more
⁸²⁷
,

And Adam wedded to another Eve,

Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct;

A death to think. Confirmed then I resolve;

Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe:

So dear I love him, that with him all deaths

I could endure, without him live no life.”

   So saying, from the Tree her step she turned,

But first low reverence
⁸³⁵
done, as to the power

That dwelt within, whose presence had infused

Into the plant sciential
⁸³⁷
sap, derived

From nectar, drink of gods. Adam the while

Waiting desirous her return, had wove

Of choicest flow’rs a garland to adorn

Her tresses, and her rural labors 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
⁸⁴⁵
,

Misgave him; he the falt’ring measure
⁸⁴⁶
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
⁸⁵¹
,

New gathered, and ambrosial smell diffused.

To him she hasted, in her face Excuse
⁸⁵³

Came prologue, and Apology to prompt
⁸⁵³
,

Which with bland
⁸⁵⁵
words at will she thus addressed.

   “Hast thou not wondered, Adam, at my stay?

Thee I have missed, and thought it long, deprived

Thy presence, agony of love till now

Not felt, nor shall be twice, for never more

Mean I to try, what rash untried I sought,

The pain of absence from thy sight. But strange

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

Op’ning the way, but of divine effect

To open eyes, and make them gods who taste;

And hath been tasted such: the serpent wise,

Or not restrained as we, or
⁸⁶⁸
not obeying,

Hath eaten of the fruit, and is become,

Not dead, as we are threatened, but thenceforth

Endued with human voice and human sense,

Reasoning to admiration, and with me

Persuasively hath so prevailed, that I

Have also tasted, and have also found

Th’ effects to correspond, opener mine eyes,

Dim erst, dilated spirits, ampler heart,

And growing up to Godhead; which for thee

Chiefly I sought, without thee can despise.

For bliss, as thou hast part, to me is bliss,

Tedious, unshared with thee, and odious soon.

Thou therefore also taste, that equal lot

May join us, equal joy, as equal love;

Lest thou not tasting, 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 distemper flushing glowed.

On th’ other side, Adam, soon as he heard

The fatal trespass done by Eve, amazed,

Astonied
⁸⁹⁰
stood and blank, while horror chill

Ran through his veins, and all his joints relaxed;

From his slack hand the garland wreathed for Eve

Down dropped, and all the faded roses
⁸⁹³
shed:

Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length

First to himself he inward silence broke
⁸⁹⁵
.

   “O fairest of creation, last and best
⁸⁹⁶

Of all God’s works, creature in whom excelled

Whatever can to sight or thought be formed,

Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!

How art thou lost, how on a sudden lost,

Defaced, deflow’red
⁹⁰¹
, and now to death devote?

Rather how hast thou yielded to transgress

The strict forbiddance, how to violate

The sacred fruit forbidd’n! Some cursèd fraud

Of enemy hath beguiled thee, yet unknown,

And me with thee hath ruined, for with thee

Certain my resolution is to die;

How can I live without thee, how forgo

Thy sweet converse and love so dearly joined,

To live again in these wild woods forlorn?

Should God create another Eve
⁹¹¹
, 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
⁹¹⁶
.”

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.

   “Bold deed thou hast presumed, advent’rous Eve,

And peril great provoked, who thus hath dared

Had it been only coveting to eye

That sacred
⁹²⁴
fruit, sacred to abstinence,

Much more to taste it under ban to touch.

But past
⁹²⁶
who can recall, or done undo?

Not God omnipotent, nor Fate, yet so

Perhaps thou shalt not die, perhaps the fact
⁹²⁸

Is not so heinous now, foretasted fruit,

Profaned first by the serpent, by him first

Made common and unhallowed ere our taste;

Nor yet on him found deadly; he yet lives,

Lives, as thou saidst, and gains to live as man

Higher degree of life, inducement strong

To us, as likely tasting to attain

Proportional ascent
⁹³⁶
, which cannot be

But to be gods, or angels, demi-gods.

Nor can I think that God, creator wise,

Though threat’ning, will in earnest so destroy

Us his prime creatures, dignified so high,

Set over all his works, which in our fall,

For us created, needs with us must fail,

Dependent made; so God shall uncreate,

Be frustrate, do, undo, and labor lose,

Not well conceived of God, who though his power

Creation could repeat, yet would be loath

Us to abolish, lest
⁹⁴⁷
the Adversary

Triumph and say, ‘Fickle their state whom God

Most favors; who can please him long? Me first

He ruined, now mankind; whom will he next?’

Matter of scorn, not to be given the foe.

However I with thee have fixed my lot,

Certain to undergo like doom; if death

Consort with thee, death is to me as life
⁹⁵⁴
;

So forcible within my heart I feel

The bond of nature draw me to my own,

My own in thee, for what thou art is mine;

Our state cannot be severed, we are one,

One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself.”

   So Adam, and thus Eve to him replied.

“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 resolved,

Rather than death or aught than death more dread

Shall separate us, linked 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 menaced would ensue

This my attempt, I would sustain alone

The worst, and not persuade thee, rather die

Deserted, than oblige
⁹⁸⁰
thee with a fact

Pernicious to thy peace, chiefly assured

Remarkably so late of thy so true,

So faithful love unequaled; but I feel

Far otherwise th’ event, not death, but life

Augmented, opened eyes, new hopes, new joys,

Taste so divine, that what of sweet before

Hath touched my sense, flat seems to this, and harsh.

On my experience, Adam, freely taste
⁹⁸⁸
,

And fear of death deliver to the winds.”

   So saying, she embraced 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 deceived
⁹⁹⁸
,

But fondly
⁹⁹⁹
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
¹⁰⁰³

Original
¹⁰⁰³
; while Adam took no thought,

Eating his fill, nor Eve to iterate

Her former trespass feared, the more to soothe