As meet is, after such delicious fare; So said he, and forbore not glance or toy 1.030 1035 Of Eve, whose eye darted contagious fire. Her hand he seiz'd, and to a shady bank, Thick overhead with verdant roof imbow'r'd, He led her nothing loth; flow'rs were the couch, Pansies, and violets, and asphodel, 1040 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. 1045 Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit, That with exhilarating vapour bland' About their spirits had play'd, and inmost powers 1050 Had shadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone; 1055 Just confidence, and native righteousness, And honour from about them, naked left To guilty shame; he cover'd, but his robe Of Philistéan Dalilah, and wak'd Shorn of his strength. They destitute and bare Confounded long they sat, as strucken mute, 1060 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, 1065 1070 1075 Our wanted 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 1080 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 In solitude live savage, in some glade 1085 Obscur'd, where highest woods, impenetrable To star or sun-light, spread their umbrage broad Hide me, where I may never see them more. 1090 To shame obnoxious, and unseemliest seen; Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together sew'd, 1095 So counsell'd he, and both together, went 1100 But such as at this day to Indians known Their guilt and dreaded shame; O how unlike 1105 1110 1115 With feather'd cincture, naked else and wild Thus fenc'd, and as they thought, their shame in part 1120 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 1125 And full of peace, now tost and turbulent: Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd. 1130 1135 "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 Of all our good, sham'd, naked, miserable. Let none henceforth seek needless cause to' approve 1140 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 1145 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; 1150 No ground of enmity between us known, Why he should mean me ill, or seek to harm. 1155, 1160 1165 Who might have liv'd and joy'd'immortal bliss, And am I now upbraided as the cause Of thy transgressing? not enough severe, It seems, in thy restraint: what could I more? 1170 I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee; foretold That lay in wait; beyond this had been force, And force upon free-will hath here no place. But confidence then bore thee on, secure 1175 Either to meet no danger, or to find I also err'd in overmuch admiring What seem'd in thee so perfect, that I thought 1180 That error now, which is become my crime, And thou th' accuser. Thus it shall befall Lets her will rule; restraint she will not brook, 1185 " She first his weak indulgence will accuse." END OF THE NINTH BOOK. |