The Complete Poetry of John Milton (110 page)

   895     
First to himself he inward silence broke.

           
      
       O fairest of Creation, last and best

               
Of all Gods works, Creature in whom excell’d

               
Whatever can to sight or thought be formd,

               
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!

   900     
How art thou lost, how on a sudden lost,

               
Defac’t, deflowrd, and now to Death devote?
⁶⁹

               
Rather how hast thou yeelded to transgress

               
The strict forbiddance, how to violate

               
The sacred Fruit forbidd’n! som cursed fraud

   905     
Of Enemie hath beguil’d thee, yet unknown,

               
And mee with thee hath mind, for with thee

               
Certain my resolution is to Die;

               
How can I live without thee, how forgoe

               
Thy sweet Converse and Love so dearly joyn’d,

   910     
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,

   915     
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 disturb’d

               
Submitting to what seemd remediless,

   920     
Thus in calm mood his Words to
Eve
he turnd.

           
      
       Bold deed thou hast presum’d, adventrous
Eve
,

               
And peril great provok’t, who thus hast dar’d

               
Had it bin onely coveting to Eye

               
That sacred Fruit, sacred to abstinence,

   925     
Much more to taste it under bann to touch.

               
But past who can recall, or don undoe?

               
Not God Omnipotent, nor Fate, yet so

               
Perhaps thou shalt not Die, perhaps the Fact

               
Is not so hainous now, foretasted Fruit,

   930     
Profan’d first by the Serpent, by him first

               
Made common and unhallowd 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

   935     
To us, as likely tasting to attain

               
Proportional ascent, which cannot be

               
But to be Gods, or Angels Demi-gods.

               
Nor can I think that God, Creator wise,

               
Though threatning, will in earnest so destroy

   940     
Us his prime Creatures, dignifi’d 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 labour loose,

   945     
Not well conceav’d of God, who though his Power

               
Creation could repeat, yet would be loath

               
Us to abolish, least the Adversary

               
Triumph and say; Fickle their State whom God

               
Most Favors, who can please him long; Mee first

   950     
He ruind, now Mankind; whom will he next?

               
Matter of scorn, not to be giv’n the Foe.

               
However I with thee have fixt my Lot,

               
Certain
⁷⁰
to undergoe like doom, if Death

               
Consort with thee, Death is to mee as Life;

   955     
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 severd, we are one,

               
One Flesh; to loose thee were to loose my self.

   960  
      
       So
Adam
, and thus
Eve
to him repli’d.

               
O glorious trial of exceeding Love,

               
Illustrious evidence, example high!

               
Ingaging me to emulate, but short

               
Of thy perfection, how shall I attain,

   965     
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 prooff

               
This day affords, declaring thee resolv’d,

               
Rather then Death or aught then Death more dread

   970     
Shall separate us, linkt in Love so dear,

               
To undergoe with mee one Guilt, one Crime,

               
If any be, of tasting this fair Fruit,

               
Whose vertue, for of good still good proceeds,

               
Direct, or by occasion hath presented

   975     
This happie trial of thy Love, which else

               
So eminently never had bin known.

               
Were it I thought Death menac’t would ensue

               
This my attempt, I would sustain alone

               
The worst, and not perswade thee, rather die

   980     
Deserted, then oblige thee with a fact
⁷¹

               
Pernicious to thy Peace, chiefly assur’d

               
Remarkably so late of thy so true,

               
So faithful Love unequald; but I feel

               
Farr otherwise th’ event, not Death, but Life

   985     
Augmented, op’n’d Eyes, new Hopes, new Joyes,

               
Taste so Divine, that what of sweet before

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

               
On my experience,
Adam
, freely taste,

               
And fear of Death deliver to the Winds.

   990  
      
       So saying, she embrac’d him, and for joy

               
Tenderly wept, much won that he his Love

               
Had so enobl’d, as of choice t’ incurr

               
Divine displeasure for her sake, or Death.

               
In recompence (for such compliance bad

   995     
Such recompence best merits) from the bough

               
She gave him of that fair enticing Fruit

               
With liberal hand: he scrupl’d not to eat

               
Against his better knowledge, not deceav’d,
⁷²

               
But fondly overcome with Femal charm.
⁷³

   1000   
Earth trembl’d from her entrails, as again

               
In pangs, and Nature gave a second groan,

               
Skie lowr’d, and muttering Thunder, som sad drops

               
Wept at compleating of the mortal Sin

               
Original; while
Adam
took no thought,

   1005   
Eating his fill, nor
Eve
to iterate

               
Her former trespass fear’d, the more to soothe

               
Him with her lov’d societie, that now

               
As with new Wine intoxicated both

               
They swim in mirth, and fansie that they feel

   1010   
Divinitie within them breeding wings

               
Wherewith to scorn the Earth: but that false Fruit

               
Farr other operation first displaid,

               
Carnal desire enflaming, hee on
Eve

               
Began to cast lascivious Eyes, she him

   1015   
As wantonly repaid; in Lust they burn:

               
Till
Adam
thus ‘gan
Eve
to dalliance move.

            
      
       
Eve
, now I see thou art exact of taste,
⁷⁴

               
And elegant, of Sapience no small part,

               
Since to each meaning savour we apply,

   1020   
And Palate call judicious; I the praise

               
Yeild 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

   1025   
In things to us forbidden, it might be wish’d,

               
For this one Tree had bin forbidden ten.

               
But come, so well refresh’t, now let us play,

               
As meet is, after such delicious Fare;

               
For never did thy Beautie since the day

   1030   
I saw thee first and wedded thee, adorn’d

               
With all perfections, so enflame my sense

               
With ardor to enjoy thee, fairer now

               
Then ever, bountie of this vertuous
⁷⁵
Tree.

            
      
       So said he, and forbore not glance or toy

   1035   
Of amorous intent, well understood

               
Of
Eve
, whose Eye darted contagious Fire.

               
Her hand he seis’d, and to a shadie bank,

               
Thick overhead with verdant roof imbowr’d

               
He led her nothing loath; Flowrs were the Couch,

   1040   
Pansies, and Violets, and Asphodel,

               
And Hyacinth, Earths freshest softest lap.

               
There they thir fill of Love and Loves disport

               
Took largely, of thir mutual guilt the Seal,

               
The solace of thir sin,
⁷⁶
till dewie sleep

   1045   
Oppress’d them, wearied with thir amorous play.

               
Soon as the force of that fallacious Fruit,

               
That with exhilerating vapour bland

               
About thir spirits had plaid, and inmost powers

               
Made err, was now exhal’d, and grosser sleep

   1050   
Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams

               
Encumberd, now had left them, up they rose

               
As from unrest, and each the other viewing,

               
Soon found thir Eyes how op’n’d, and thir minds

               
How dark’n’d; innocence, that as a veil