And horrors hast thou driv'n me; out of which I find no way, from deep to deeper plung'd! THUS Adam to himself lamented loud
Through the still night, not now, as ere Man fell, Wholesome and cool, and mild, but with black air Accompanied,, with damps and dreadful gloom, Which to his evil conscience represented All things with double terror: on the ground Outstretch'd he lay, on the cold ground, and oft Curs'd his creation, death as oft accus'd Of tardy execution, since denounc'd
The day of his offence. Why comes not death, Said he, with one thrice-acceptable stroke To end me? Shall truth fail to keep her word, Justice divine not hasten to be just?
But death comes not at call, justice divine
Mends not her slowest pace for pray'rs or cries. O woods, O fountains, hillocs, dales and bowers, With other echo late I taught your shades To answer, and resound far other song. Whom thus afflicted when sad Eve beheld, Desolate where she sat, approaching nigh, Soft words to his fierce passion she assay'd: But her with stern regard he thus repell'd.
Our of my sight, thou Serpent; that name best Befits thee with him leagu'd, thyself as false And hateful; nothing wants, but that thy shape, Like his, and colour serpentine may show Thy inward fraud, to warn all creatures from thee Henceforth; lest that too heav'nly form, pretended
To hellish falschood, snare them.
I had persisted happy', had not thy pride
And wand'ring vanity, when least was safe Rejected my forewarning, and disdain'd
Not to be trusted, longing to be seen
Though by the Dev'il himself, him overweening To over-reach, but with the Serpent meeting Fool'd and beguil'd, by him thou, I by thee, To trust thee from my side, imagin'd wise, Constant, mature, proof against all assaults, And understood not all was but a show Rather than solid virtue', all but a rib Crooked by nature, bent as now appears,
More to the part sinister, from me drawn,
Well if thrown out, as supernumerary
To my just number found. O why did God,
Creator wise, that peopled highest Heaven
With Spirits masculine, create at last
This novelty on earth, this fair defect
Of nature, and not fill the world at once
He never shall find out fit mate, but such As some misfortune brings him, or mistake; Or whom he wishes most shall seldom gain Through her perverseness, but shall see her gain'd
By a far worse, or if she love, withheld By parents; or his happiest choice too late Shall meet, already link'd and wedlock-bound To a fell adversary', his hate or shame : Which infinite calamity shall cause
To human life, and household peace confound.
He added not, and from her turn'd; but Eve
Not so repuls'd, with tears that ceas'd not flowing, 910 And tresses all disorder'd, at his feet
Fell humble, and embracing them, besought His peace, and thus proceeded in her plaint.
FORSAKE me not thus, Adam, witness Heaven What love sincere, and reverence in my heart I bear thee, and unweeting have offended, Unhappily deceiv'd; thy suppliant
I beg, and clasp thy knees; bereave me not, Whereon I live, thy gentle looks, thy aid, Thy counsel in this uttermost distress, My only strength and stay: forlorn of thee, Whither shall I betake me, where subsist?
While yet we live, scarce one short hour perhaps, Between us two let there be peace, both joining, As join'd in injuries, one enmity
Against a foe by doom express assign'd us, That cruel Serpent: On me exercise not Thy hatred for this misery befall'n,
On me already lost, me than myself
More miserable; both have sinn'd, but thou Against God only', I against God and thee, And to the place of judgment will return,
There with my cries importune Heav'n, that all The sentence from thy head remov'd may light On me, sole cause to thee of all this woe, Me, me only, just object of his ire.
SHE ended weeping, and her lowly plight, Immoveable till peace obtain'd from fault Acknowledg'd and deplor'd, in Adam wrought Commiseration; soon his heart relented Tow'ards her, his life so late and sole delight, Now at his feet submissive in distress, Creature so fair his reconcilement seeking,
His council whom she had displeas'd, his aid: As one disarm'd, his anger all he lost,
And thus with peaceful words uprais'd her soon. UNWARY', and too desirous, as before,
So now of what thou know'st not, who desir'st The punishment all on thyself; alas,
Bear thine own first, ill able to sustain
His full wrath, whose thou feel'st as yet least part,
And my displeasure bear'st so ill. If prayers
Could alter high decrees, I to that place
Would speed before thee, and be louder heard,
That on my head all might be visited,
Thy frailty and infirmer sex forgiven, To me committed and by me expos'd.
But rise, let us no more contend, nor blame
Each other, blam'd enough elsewhere, but strive In offices of love, how we may lighten
Each other's burden, in our share of woe;
Since this day's death denounc'd, if ought I see,
Will prove no sudden, but a slow-pac'd evil, A long day's dying to augment our pain, And to our seed (O hapless seed!) deriv'd.
To whom thus Eve, recovering heart, reply'd. Adam, by sad experiment I know
How little weight my words with thee can find,
Found so erroneous, thence by just event
Found so unfortunate; nevertheless, Restor❜d by thee, vile as I am, to place Of new acceptance, hopeful to regain Thy love, the sole contentment of my heart Living or dying, from thee I will not hide What thoughts in my unquiet breast are risen, Tending to some relief of our extremes, Or end, though sharp and sad, yet tolerable, As in our evils, and of easier choice.
If care of our descent perplex us most,
Which must be born to certain woe, devour'd
By Death at last; and miserable it is
To be to others cause of misery,
Our own begotten, and of our loins to bring
Into this cursed world a woful race,
That after wretched life must be at last
Food for so foul a monster; in thy power
It lies, yet ere conception to prevent
The race unblest, to be'ing yet unbegot.
Childless thou art, childless remain: so Death Shall be deceiv'd his glut, and with us two
Be forc'd to satisfy his ravenous maw. But if thon judge it hard and difficult,
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