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 devil 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 heav'n With spirits masculine, create at last This novelty on earth, this fair defect Of nature, and not fill the world at once With men as angels without feminine, Or find some other way to generate Mankind? this mischief had not then befall'n, And more than shall befal, innumerable Disturbances on earth through female snares, And strait conjunction with this sex: for either 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 perverseners, but shall see her gain? 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'dot flowing 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 heav'n 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 thyself 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 an The sentence from thy head remov'd may light On me, sole cause to thee of all this wo. 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 Towards her, his life so late and sole delight, Now at his feet submissive in distress, Creatures so fair his reconcilement seeking His counsel, 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 tco 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 east 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 wo; Since this day's death denounc'd if ought I see, I 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 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 evis, and of easier choice. If care of our descent perplex us most, Which must be born to certain wo, 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 being yet unbegot. Childless thou art, childless remain so. Death
Shall be deceivd his glut, and with us two Be forc'd to satisfy his ravenous maw. But if thou judge it hard and difficult, Conversing, looking, loving, to abstain From love's due rites, nuptial embraces sweet, And with desire to languish without hope, Before the present object languishing With like desire, which would be misery And torment less than none of what we dread: Then both ourselves and seed at once to free From what we fear for both, let us make short, Let us seek Death, or he not found, supply With our own hands his office on ourselves; Why stand we longer shivering under fears, That show no end but death, and have the power, Of many ways to die, the shortest choosing, Destruction with destruction to destroy? She ended here, or vehement despair
Broke off the rest; so much of death her thoughts Had entertain'd, as dy'd her cheeks with pale. But Adam with such counsel nothing sway'd, To better hopes his more attentive mind Lab'ring had rais'd, and thus to Eve reply'd. Eve, thy contempt of life and pleasure seems To argue in thee something more sublime And excellent than what thy mind contemns; But self-destruction therefore sought, refutes That excellence thought in thee, and implies, Not thy contempt, but anguish and regret For loss of life, and pleasure overlov'd. Or if thou covet death, as utmost end Of misery, so thinking to evade
The penalty pronounc'd doubt not but God Hath wiselier arm'd his vengeful ire than so To be forestall'd; much more I fear lest death So snatch'd will not exempt us from the pain We are by doom to pay; rather such acts Of contumacy will provoke the Highest To make death in us live; then let us seek
Some safer resolution, which methinks
I have in view, calling to mind with heed Part of our sentence, That thy seed shall bruise The serpent's head; piteous amends, unless He meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe Satan, who in the serpent hath contriv'd Against us this deceit; to crush his head Would be revenge indeed; which will be lost By death brought on ourselves, or childless days Resolv'd as thou proposest: so our foe Shall 'scape his punishment ordain'd, and wer Instead shall double ours upon our heads. No more be mention'd then of violence Against ourselves, and wilful barrenness, That cuts us off from hope, and savours only Rancour and pride, impatience and despite, Reluctance against God and his just yoke Laid on our necks. Remember with what mild And gracious temper he both heard and judg'd Without wrath or reviling; we expected .mmediate dissolution, which we thought Was meant by death that day, when lo, to thee Pains only in child-bearing were foretold, And bringing forth, soon recompens'd with joy, Fruit of thy womb. On me the curse aslope Gianc'd on the ground; with labour I must earn My bread; what harm? Idleness had been worse My labour will sustain me; and lest cold Or heat should injure us, his timely care Hath unbesought provided, and his hands Cloth'd us unworthy, pitying while he judg'd How much more, if we pray him, will his ear Be open, and his heart to pity incline,
And teach us further by what means to shun Th' inclement seasons, rain, ice, hail, and snow Which now the sky with various face begins To show us in this mountain, while the winds Blow moist and keen, shattering the graceful locks Of these far spreading trees; which tids us seek
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