THE ARGUMENT.—Satan, having compassed the Earth, with meditated guile returns as a mist by night into Paradise; enters into the Serpent sleeping. Adam and Eve in the morning go forth to their labours, which Eve proposes to divide in several places, each labouring apart: Adam consents not, alleging the danger lest that Enemy of whom they were forewarned should attempt her found alone. Eve, loth to be thought not circumspect or firm enough, urges her going apart, the rather desirous to make trial of her strength; Adam at last yields. The Serpent finds her alone: his subtle approach, first gazing, then speaking, with much flattery extolling Eve above all other creatures. Eve, wondering to hear the Serpent speak, asks how he attained to human speech and such understanding not till now; the Serpent answers that by tasting of a certain Tree in the Garden he attained both to speech and reason, till then void of both. Eve requires him to bring her to that tree, and finds it to be the Tree of Knowledge forbidden: the Serpent, now grown bolder, with many wiles and arguments induces her at length to eat. She, pleased with the taste, deliberates a while whether to impart thereof to Adam or not; at last brings him of the fruit; relates what persuaded her to eat thereof. Adam, at first amazed, but perceiving her lost, resolves, through vehemence of love, to perish with her, and, extenuating the trespass, eats also of the fruit. The effects thereof in them both; they seek to cover their nakedness; then fall to variance and accusation of one another.
tl;dr This is the book y'all will usually skip to. Satan rolls a 20 and gains +50 speechcraft enabling him to persuade Eve to eat the Forbidden Fruit. Adam and Eve bang. Paradise ultimately ends, and Earth begins.
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tl;dr
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NO MORE of talk where God or Angel Guest | Now that the angel's visit with Adam is done, we can get to more important things. | |
With Man, as with his friend, familiar used | ||
To sit indulgent, and with him partake | ||
Rural repast, permitting him to while | ||
Venial discourse unblamed. I now must change |
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Those notes to tragic—foul distrust, and breach | ||
Disloyal, on the part of man, revolt | Like when man lost faith | |
And disobedience; on the part of Heaven, | and disobeyed God. And God got angry | |
Now alienated, distance and distaste, | ||
Anger and just rebuke, and judgment given, |
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| and passed judgement |
That brought into this World a world of woe, | that brought the suffering we all know | |
Sin and her shadow Death, and Misery, | into the world. Like Sin, Death, and Misery. | |
Death’s harbinger. Sad task! yet argument | SAD! It's a sad story. | |
Not less but more heroic than the wrauth | But a little more inspiring than | |
Of stern Achilles on his foe pursued |
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| those stories your teachers and professors |
Thrice fugitive about Troy wall; or rage | made you read like the Iliad, Aeneid, or the Odyssey. | |
Of Turnus for Lavinia disespoused; | ||
Or Neptune’s ire, or Juno’s that so long | ||
Perplexed the Greek, and Cytherea’s son: | ||
If answerable style I can obtain |
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| I just hope my |
Of my celestial Patroness, who deigns | heavenly muse | |
Her nightly visitation unimplored, | keeps coming every night | |
And dictates to me slumbering, or inspires | in my dreams to help me | |
Easy my unpremeditated verse, | write this. | |
Since first this subject for heroic song |
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| Seriously, this story |
Pleased me, long choosing and beginning late, | has taken a long time. (it's taken ME a long time to get this translation done too.) | |
Not sedulous by nature to indite | ||
Wars, hitherto the only argument | You know, I'd argue that war was the only | |
Heroic deemed, chief maistrie to dissect | thing people would write about. | |
With long and tedious havoc fabled knights |
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| With brave knights in battle |
In battles feigned (the better fortitude | but no one ever talked about | |
Of patience and heroic martyrdom | patience and heroic sacrifice, things that I feel matter most. | |
Unsung), or to describe races and games, | Or writers would go on about races, games, tournaments, | |
Or tilting furniture, emblazoned shields, | ||
Impreses quaint, caparisons and steeds, |
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| and extravagant celebrations. |
Bases and tinsel trappings, gorgeous knights | ||
At joust and tournament; then marshalled feast | ||
Served up in hall with sewers and seneshals: | ||
The skill of artifice or office mean; | ||
Not that which justly gives heroic name |
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| Not me though. |
To person or to poem! Me, of these | ||
Nor skilled nor studious, higher argument | I'd rather write about different things. | |
Remains, sufficient of itself to raise | ||
That name, unless an age too late, or cold | ||
Climat, or years, damp my intended wing |
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Depressed; and much they may if all be mine, | ||
Not Hers who brings it nightly to my ear. | ||
The Sun was sunk, and after him the Star | ||
Of Hesperus, whose office is to bring | ||
Twilight upon the Earth, short arbiter |
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| Anyways, it was nighttime upon the Earth. |
’Twixt day and night, and now from end to end | ||
Night’s hemisphere had veiled the horizon round, | ||
When Satan, who late fled before the threats | Gabriel threw Satan out of Eden, but that | |
Of Gabriel out of Eden, now improved | isn't going to stop our hero from coming back. | |
In meditated fraud and malice, bent |
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| He has a plan. A bad one for us (humans) but a good one for him. |
On Man’s destruction, maugre what might hap | ||
Of heavier on himself, fearless returned. | It was worth the risk. | |
By night he fled, and at midnight returned | At returned at midnight | |
From compassing the Earth—cautious of day | because at day time | |
Since Uriel, Regent of the Sun, descried |
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| Uriel was able to spot him |
His entrance, and forwarned the Cherubim | and warn the other angels. | |
That kept their watch. Thence, full of anguish, driven, | ||
The space of seven continued nights he rode | For seven nights, Satan flew | |
With darkness—thrice the equinoctial line | around the Earth but staying in the dark side of the Earth. | |
He circled, four times crossed the car of Night |
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From pole to pole, traversing each colure— | Finally, on the eight night he returned. | |
On the eighth returned, and on the coast averse | ||
From entrance or cherubic watch by stealth | Like those Mission Impossible movies, he found a secret way in. | |
Found unsuspected way. There was a place | It was a place | |
(Now not, though Sin, not Time, first wraught the change) |
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| (that was actually not even there anymore, because Sin had destroyed it) |
Where Tigris, at the foot of Paradise, | It was a place where the Tigris river flowed, | |
Into a gulf shot under ground, till part | where it went underground | |
Rose up a fountain by the Tree of Life. | and eventually led to the Tree of Life. | |
In with the river sunk, and with it rose, | This is where Satan swam. | |
Satan, involved in rising mist; then sought |
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| Through the mist, he rose |
Where to lie hid. Sea he had searched and land | and found himself in the garden. Now he needed to hide. | |
From Eden over Pontus, and the Pool | So he searched everywhere. | |
Mæotis, up beyond the river Ob; | ||
Downward as far Antartic; and, in length, | ||
West from Orontes to the ocean barred |
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At Darien, thence to the land where flows | From the land to the sea. | |
Ganges and Indus. Thus the orb he roamed | He roamed | |
With narrow search, and with inspection deep | and searched and studied every | |
Considered every creature, which of all | creature to | |
Most opportune might serve his wiles, and found |
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| see what form he should take. |
The Serpent subtlest beast of all the field. | He decided that the snake was probably the best form for him to sneak around in. | |
Him, after long debate, irresolute | ||
Of thoughts revolved, his final sentence chose | ||
Fit vessel, fittest Imp of fraud, in whom | ||
To enter, and his dark suggestions hide |
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| Because it was such a sneaky creature |
From sharpest sight; for in the wily snake | it would hide Satan's behavior perfectly. | |
Whatever sleights none would suspicious mark | ||
As from his wit and native subtlety | ||
Proceeding, which, in other beasts observed, | ||
Doubt might beget of diabolic power |
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Active within beyond the sense of brute. | ||
Thus he resolved, but first from inward grief | Now with that out of the way, | |
His bursting passion into plaints thus poured:— | Satan went on to passionately speak. | |
“O Earth, how like to Heaven, if not preferred | "Well, this Earth reminds me of Heaven. Just a little bit better. | |
More justly, seat worthier of Gods, as built |
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| And more fitting for angels. |
With second thoughts, reforming what was old! | God knew what he was doing this time around | |
For what God, after better, worse would build? | when he was creating this world. | |
Terrestrial Heaven, danced round by other Heavens, | It's much like an earthly Heaven, but surrounded by other | |
That shine, yet bear their bright officious lamps, | heavens. | |
Light above light, for thee alone, as seems, |
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In thee concentring all their precious beams | ||
Of sacred influence! As God in Heaven | Yet God is the center of Heaven, and this here is | |
Is centre, yet extends to all, so thou | ||
Centring receiv’st from all those orbs; in thee, | the center of the universe. | |
Not in themselves, all their known virtue appears, |
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Productive in herb, plant, and nobler birth | The stars light up the life of everything here. | |
Of creatures animate with gradual life | Making the animals and plants | |
Of growth, sense, reason, all summed up in Man. | and even man. | |
With what delight could I have walked thee round, | I could've walked around here | |
If I could joy in aught—sweet interchange |
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| and enjoy all the sights. |
Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains, | ||
Now land, now sea, and shores with forest crowned, | ||
Rocks, dens, and caves! But I in none of these | Everything is so peaceful. Everything that I am not. | |
Find place or refuge; and the more I see | The more that I see all of this beauty, the more | |
Pleasures about me, so much more I feel |
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| I am tortured. |
Torment within me, as from the hateful siege | ||
Of contraries; all good to me becomes | ||
Bane, and in Heaven much worse would be my state. | My anguish would be worse if I was still in Heaven. | |
But neither here seek I, nor in Heaven, | But, I'm not keen on settling on living here right now. | |
To dwell, unless by maistring Heaven’s Supreme; |
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| Or in Heaven. I'd only stay in Heaven if I could overthrew God. |
Nor hope to be myself less miserable | And I'm not looking for an escape from misery. | |
By what I seek, but others to make such | I just want to make everyone else | |
As I, though thereby worse to me redound. | as miserable as me. | |
For only in destroying I find ease | Who care if | |
To my relentless thoughts; and him destroyed, |
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| that makes my condition any worse. I just want everyone and everything destroyed too. |
Or won to what may work his utter loss, | ||
For whom all this was made, all this will soon | I will destroy man. Or make | |
Follow, as to him linked in weal or woe: | man destroy himself. | |
In woe then, that destruction wide may range! | ||
To me shall be the glory sole among |
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| I'll have glory. All my followers on Satangram will Like this so much. |
The Infernal Powers, in one day to have marred | That I could to annihilate God's creation in one day | |
What he, Almighty styled, six nights and days | what it took God six days to make. | |
Continued making, and who knows how long | I don't think God had planned this creation of man for long. | |
Before had been contriving? though perhaps | ||
Not longer than since I in one night freed |
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| It could have been a surprise for him since the time I freed |
From servitude inglorious well nigh half | half of his slave angels. | |
The Angelic Name, and thinner left the throng | ||
Of his adorers. He, to be avenged, | ||
And to repair his numbers thus impaired— | ||
Whether such virtue, spent of old, now failed |
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| Did he forgot how to create |
More Angels to create (if they at least | more angels or | |
Are his created), or to spite us more— | ||
Determined to advance into our room | ||
A creature formed of earth, and him endow, | did he just create this man out of dirt to replace us? | |
Exalted from so base original, |
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With heavenly spoils, our spoils. What he decreed | ||
He effected; Man he made, and for him built | Did he make man and make this awesome world | |
Magnificent this World, and Earth his seat, | for man | |
Him Lord pronounced, and, O indignity! | ||
Subjected to his service Angel-wings |
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| and then plan to reduce the angels to be at man's service? |
And flaming ministers, to watch and tend | ||
Their earthly charge. Of these the vigilance | And those damn guards that I have to | |
I dread, and to elude, thus wrapt in mist | sneak past as a snake. Ugh. | |
Of midnight vapour, glide obscure, and pry | ||
In every bush and brake, where hap may find |
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The Serpent sleeping, in whose mazy folds | ||
To hide me, and the dark intent I bring. | ||
O foul descent! that I, who erst contended | What has become of me? | |
With Gods to sit the highest, am now constrained | I was great! And now I'm going to be slithering on like a snake. | |
Into a beast, and, mixed with bestial slime, |
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This essence to incarnate and imbrute, | ||
That to the highth of Deity aspired! | ||
But what will not ambition and revenge | I guess this is what having ambition and revenge gets you. | |
Descend to? Who aspires must down as low | The higher you aim, the harder you fall. | |
As high he soared, obnoxious, first or last, |
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To basest things. Revenge, at first though sweet, | Revenge is sweet at first, but it gets bitter in the end. | |
Bitter ere long back on itself recoils. | ||
Let it; I reck not, so it light well aimed, | Whatever. I don't really care anymore. | |
Since higher I fall short, on him who next | ||
Provokes my envy, this new favourite |
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| As long as I can |
Of Heaven, this Man of Clay, son of despite, | mess with God's man of clay. | |
Whom, us the more to spite, his Maker raised | ||
From dust: spite then with spite is best repaid.” | It's payback time." | |
So saying, through each thicket, dank or dry, | ||
Like a black mist low-creeping, he held on |
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| Like a black mist, creeping a long |
His midnight search, where soonest he might find | he searched through the night for | |
The Serpent. Him fast sleeping soon he found, | a snake to possess. | |
In labyrinth of many a round self-rowled, | ||
His head the midst, well stored with subtle wiles: | ||
Not yet in horrid shade or dismal den: |
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Nor nocent yet, but on the grassy herb, | ||
Fearless, unfeared, he slept. In at his mouth | Into the snake's mouth | |
The Devil entered, and his brutal sense. | Satan went. | |
In heart or head, possessing soon inspired | ||
With act intelligential; but his sleep |
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| Satan slept. |
Disturbed not, waiting close the approach of morn. | And there he waited until the morning. | |
Now, whenas sacred light began to dawn | At dawn | |
In Eden on the humid flowers, that breathed | in Eden, the flowers gave off their | |
Their morning incense, when all things that breathe | morning smells! | |
From the Earth’s great altar send up silent praise |
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To the Creator, and his nostrils fill | Which awakened | |
With grateful smell, forth came the human pair, | our lovely couple. | |
And joined their vocal worship to the quire | They said their morning prayers | |
Of creatures wanting voice; that done, partake | ||
The season, prime for sweetest scents and airs; |
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| and took a deep breath |
Then com’mune how that day they best may ply | before getting to work in the garden. | |
Their growing work—for much their work outgrew | You should know, that there's actually | |
The hands’ dispatch of two gardening so wide: | a lot of work for just two people. | |
And Eve first to her husband thus began:— | Eve spoke to Adam, | |
“Adam, well may we labour still to dress |
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| "Adam, we're working so |
This Garden, still to tend plant, herb, and flower, | hard in this garden | |
Our pleasant task enjoined; but, till more hands | ||
Aid us, the work under our labour grows, | but everything is growing so fast | |
Luxurious by restraint: what we by day | ||
Lop overgrown, or prune, or prop, or bind, |
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| that I don't think we can keep up. |
One night or two with wanton growth derides, | ||
Tending to wild. Thou, therefore, now advise, | I have an idea: | |
Or hear what to my mind first thoughts present. | ||
Let us divide our labours—thou where choice | Let's split up! (Which is probably what you shouldn't do with Satan lurking about, so let's put our dramatic irony hats on now.) | |
Leads thee, or where most needs, whether to wind |
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The woodbine round this arbour, or direct | ||
The clasping ivy where to climb; while I | You go on with the vines | |
In yonder spring of roses intermixed | and I'll tend to the roses. | |
With myrtle find what to redress till noon. | ||
For, while so near each other thus all day |
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Our task we choose, what wonder if so near | ||
Looks intervene and smiles, or objects new | ||
Casual discourse draw on, which intermits | I figure this is the best way before we get distracted." | |
Our day’s work, brought to little, though begun | ||
Early, and the hour of supper comes unearned!” |
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To whom mild answer Adam thus returned:— | Adam replied, | |
“Sole Eve, associate sole, to me beyond | "Eve, you are the best companion a guy can have. | |
Compare above all living creatures dear! | No one and nothing can compare to you! | |
Well hast thou motioned, well thy thoughts imployed | ||
How we might best fulfil the work which here |
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God hath assigned us, nor of me shalt pass | I don't think God wants us to work so hard, | |
Unpraised; for nothing lovelier can be found | we should enjoy each other's company here. | |
In woman than to study household good, | ||
And good works in her husband to promote. | ||
Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed |
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Labour as to debar us when we need | ||
Refreshment, whether food, or talk between, | ||
Food of the mind, or this sweet intercourse | We're meant to enjoy all that is around us. | |
Of looks and smiles; for smiles from reason flow | ||
To brute denied, and are of love the food— |
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Love, not the lowest end of human life. | That makes us different from the animals! | |
For not to irksome toil, but to delight, | We're not supposed to work so much that we can't enjoy life. | |
He made us, and delight to reason joined. | ||
These paths and bowers doubt not but our joint hands | I'm sure we can keep | |
Will keep from wilderness with ease, as wide |
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| the maintenance up around us |
As we need walk, till younger hands ere long | until we have children to | |
Assist us. But, if much converse perhaps | help us with it all. | |
Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield; | But, if you want to work hard right now, then so be it. | |
For solitude sometimes is best society, | I don't mind if we go our separate ways to get it all done. | |
And short retirement urges sweet return. |
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| I do look forward to seeing you again after we're through. |
But other doubt possesses me, lest harm | I'll be honest though, I will worry about you going off alone. | |
Befall thee, severed from me; for thou know’st | ||
What hath been warned us—what malicious foe, | Remember what Raphael warned us about? | |
Envying our happiness, and of his own | Satan is out there somewhere | |
Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame |
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| and he wants to harm us. |
By sly assault and somewhere nigh at hand | I'm sure he's hiding | |
Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find | watching and waiting for the right time to strike. | |
His wish and best advantage, us asunder, | ||
Hopeless to circumvent us joined, where each | ||
To other speedy aid might lend at need. |
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Whether his first design be to withdraw | He may plan to get us to disobey God | |
Our fealty from God, or to disturb | or split us apart | |
Conjugal love—than which perhaps no bliss | ||
Enjoyed by us excites his envy more— | or whatever! | |
Or this, or worse, leave not the faithful side |
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| I think we should stick together. |
That gave thee being, still shades thee and protects. | You belong next to your husband so I can protect you." | |
The wife, where danger or dishonour lurks, | ||
Safest and seemliest by her husband stays, | ||
Who guards her, or with her the worst endures.” | ||
To whom the virgin majesty of Eve, |
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| Eve was a little hurt and offended for some reason. |
As one who loves, and some unkindness meets, | ||
With sweet austere composure thus replied:— | She replied as sweetly as she could, | |
“Offspring of Heaven and Earth, and all Earth’s lord! | "Yeah, I remember the warning about Satan... | |
That such an Enemy we have, who seeks | ||
Our ruin, both by thee informed I learn, |
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And from the parting Angel overheard, | ||
As in a shady nook I stood behind, | ||
Just then returned at shut of evening flowers. | ||
But that thou shouldst my firmness therefore doubt | I just never thought you would think I would | |
To God or thee, because we have a foe |
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May tempt it, I expected not to hear. | just wander off and let Satan hurt me! | |
His violence thou fear’st not, being such | He can't hurt us physically | |
As we, not capable of death or pain, | because we're protected from death or pain. | |
Can either not receive, or can repel. | ||
His fraud is, then, thy fear; which plain infers |
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| Do you think Satan could easily trick me? |
Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love | And that I'm not strong enough to defend myself? | |
Can by his fraud be shaken or seduced: | I'm not helpless. | |
Thoughts, which how found they harbour in thy breast, | ||
Adam! misthought of her to thee so dear?” | What are you even thinking about me, Adam?" | |
To whom, with healing words, Adam replied:— |
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| Adam replies to try and help the situation, |
“Daughter of God and Man, immortal Eve!— | "Eve! You are the immortal daughter of God and man! | |
For such thou art, from sin and blame entire— | No one is saying you're going to sin. | |
Not diffident of thee do I dissuade | I'm saying that it's not that I have no confidence in you, | |
Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid | It's just, even if | |
The attempt itself, intended by our Foe. |
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| Satan fails, |
For he who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses | it would be kind of an insult to you. | |
The tempted with dishonour foul, supposed | ||
Not incorruptible of faith, not proof | ||
Against temptation. Thou thyself with scorn | You would resent the attempt I'm sure. | |
And anger wouldst resent the offered wrong, |
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Though ineffectual found; misdeem not, then, | And actually | |
If such affront I labour to avert | ||
From thee alone, which on us both at once | if we stay together, we'll be stronger against any attempt. | |
The enemy, though bold, will hardly dare; | Satan is bold, but I don't think he'll take us on if we're together. | |
Or, daring, first on me the assault shall light. |
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| Besides, I'll step up and get in his face. |
Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn— | However, I also don't think we should underestimate him | |
Subtle he needs must be who could seduce | ||
Angels—nor think superfluous others’ aid. | because he did fool the angels to side with him. | |
I from the influence of thy looks receive | When we're together, Eve, | |
Access in every virtue—in thy sight |
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More wise, more watchful, stronger, if need were | I can be more stronger and braver. | |
Of outward strength; while shame, thou looking on, | Because a man will never look weak in front | |
Shame to be overcome or overreached, | of his woman. | |
Would utmost vigour raise, and raised unite. | ||
Why shouldst not thou like sense within thee feel |
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| You should feel that way." |
When I am present, and thy trial choose | ||
With me, best witness of thy virtue tried?” | ||
So spake domestic Adam in his care | ||
And matrimonial love; but Eve, who thought | However, Eve was still convinced Adam didn't trust her | |
Less attributed to her faith sincere, |
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| being on her own in the garden. |
Thus her reply with accent sweet renewed:— | She replied, | |
“If this be our condition, thus to dwell | "You know, if this is how it's supposed to be, | |
In narrow circuit straitened by a Foe, | where we're afraid to be apart for a bit, | |
Subtle or violent, we not endued | ||
Single with like defence wherever met, |
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How are we happy, still in fear of harm? | what kind of life is that? How can we be truly happy? | |
But harm precedes not sin: only our Foe | We can't be harmed if we just say no to Satan and sin. | |
Tempting affronts us with his foul esteem | His attempt to tempt us won't shame us | |
Of our integrity: his foul esteem | it only shames him. | |
Sticks no dishonour on our front, but turns |
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Foul on himself; then wherefore shunned or feared | ||
By us, who rather double honour gain | Plus, it'll be something we can be proud of. | |
From his surmise proved false, find peace within, | To say no to evil! | |
Favour from Heaven, our witness, from the event? | ||
And what is faith, love, virtue, unassayed |
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Alone, without exterior help sustained? | ||
Let us not then suspect our happy state | ||
Left so imperfet by the Maker wise | I don't think God meant for us to live in fear here." | |
As not secure to single or combined. | ||
Frail is our happiness, if this be so; |
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And Eden were no Eden, thus exposed.” | ||
To whom thus Adam fervently replied:— | Adam replied, | |
“O Woman, best are all things as the will | "Eve, I believe God made everything perfect here. | |
Of God ordained them; his creating hand | Including everything that protects us from harm, | |
Nothing imperfet or deficient left |
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| sin, and even Satan himself. |
Of all that he created—much less Man, | ||
Or aught that might his happy state secure, | ||
Secure from outward force. Within himself | But I do think that there is still danger. And this danger | |
The danger lies, yet lies within his power; | can be within us. | |
Against his will he can receive no harm. |
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| It's up to us to control that within. Nothing can harm |
But God left free the Will; for what obeys | us against our will, but God did give us free will too. | |
Reason is free; and Reason he made right, | And to guide this free will, God gave us reason. | |
But bid her well beware, and still erect, | So we need to be mindful that | |
Lest, by some fair appearing good surprised, | ||
She dictate false, and misinform the Will |
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| some of our thoughts and reasoning can misinform us into mistaking evil for good. |
To do what God expressly hath forbid. | ||
Not then mistrust, but tender love, enjoins | It's not mistrust, but love. | |
That I should mind thee oft; and mind thou me, | And I want to remind you of that often. | |
Firm we subsist, yet possible to swerve, | We're strong, yes, however, it's still possible | |
Since Reason not impossibly may meet |
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| |
Some specious object by the foe suborned, | ||
And fall into deception unaware, | to fall into temptation. | |
Not keeping strictest watch, as she was warned. | We must be careful. | |
Seek not temptation, then, which to avoid | ||
Were better, and most likely if from me |
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| I really think it's better if |
Thou sever not: trial will come unsought. | you stay with me and not wander off. | |
Wouldst thou approve thy constancy, approve | ||
First thy obedience; the other who can know, | You don't have to prove your faithfulness and trustworthiness. You should prove your obedience first. | |
Not seeing thee attempted, who attest? | ||
But, if thou think trial unsought may find |
370
| But, I know you're keen on facing temptation head on, |
Us both securer than thus warned thou seem’st, | so I say | |
Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more. | go ahead. | |
Go in thy native innocence; rely | You are innocent in every way, wise, and virtuous. | |
On what thou hast of virtue; summon all; | ||
For God towards thee hath done his part: do thine.” |
375
| God has given you everything you need." |
So spake the Patriarch of Mankind; but Eve | ||
Persisted; yet submiss, though last, replied:— | Eve has won the 'small argument.' She replied, | |
“With thy permission, then, and thus forewarned, | "I'll go on then, with your permission. | |
Chiefly by what thy own last reasoning words | ||
Touched only, that our trial, when least sought, |
380
| Because facing temptation head on is better than |
May find us both perhaps far less prepared, | letting it come to us when we least expect it. | |
The willinger I go, nor much expect | Although, there's probably nothing to worry about. | |
A Foe so proud will first the weaker seek; | I highly doubt someone as proud asSatan | |
So bent, the more shall shame him his repulse.” | would even attempt to attack the weaker sex first. Because if he were to fail, that would shame him even more!" | |
Thus saying, from her husband’s hand her hand |
385
| Eve then let go of Adam's hand. |
Soft she withdrew, and, like a wood—nymph light, | She glowed like Diana the goddess of hunting. | |
Oread or Dryad, or of Delia’s train, | ||
Betook her to the groves, but Delia’s self | She then disappeared into the woods, | |
In gait surpassed and goddess-like deport, | ||
Though not as she with bow and quiver armed, |
390
| but instead wielding gardening tools and not a bow and quiver of arrows. |
But with such gardening tools as Art, yet rude, | ||
Guiltless of fire had formed, or Angels brought. | ||
To Pales, or Pomona, thus adorned, | ||
Likest she seemed—Pomona when she fled | ||
Vertumnus—or to Ceres in her prime, |
395
| |
Yet virgin of Proserpina from Jove. | ||
Her long with ardent look his eye pursued | ||
Delighted, but desiring more her stay. | Adam watched her as she left, wanting her even more the further she walked away. | |
Oft he to her his charge of quick return | He kept calling for her to turn around and come back | |
Repeated; she to him as oft engaged |
400
| but as she kept walking she reminded him |
To be returned by noon amid the bower, | that she'd be back by noon. | |
And all things in best order to invite | ||
Noontide repast, or afternoon’s repose. | ||
O much deceived, much failing, hapless Eve, | Oh... but you and I both know that she wouldn't come back the same. | |
Of thy presumed return! event perverse! |
405
| |
Thou never from that hour in Paradise | ||
Found’st either sweet repast or sound repose; | ||
Such ambush, hid among sweet flowers and shades, | Satan is out there waiting in the shade. Among the flowers. | |
Waited, with hellish rancour imminent, | ||
To intercept thy way, or send thee back |
410
| |
Despoiled of innocence, of faith, of bliss. | ||
For now, and since first break of dawn, the Fiend, | Ever since the break of dawn, Satan has been waiting | |
Mere Serpent in appearance, forth was come, | ||
And on his quest where likeliest he might find | ||
The only two of mankind, but in them |
415
| for the two of them to come around. They are the future of mankind, and Satan will ruin it all. |
The whole included race, his purposed prey. | ||
In bower and field he sought, where any tuft | ||
Of grove or garden-plot more pleasant lay, | ||
Their tendance or plantation for delight; | ||
By fountain or by shady rivulet |
420
| |
He sought them both, but wished his hap might find | Satan ideally wanted to get Eve all alone, but he didn't think that would ever happen. | |
Eve separate; he wished, but not with hope | ||
Of what so seldom chanced, when to his wish, | ||
Beyond his hope, Eve separate he spies, | But there she was. All that Satan had hoped for. | |
Veiled in a cloud of fragrance, where she stood, |
425
| She was partially hidden |
Half-spied, so thick the roses bushing round | among the thick roses. | |
About her glowed, oft stooping to support | ||
Each flower of tender stalk, whose head, though gay | Eve was talking the drooping flowers | |
Carnation, purple, azure, or specked with gold, | and lifting them back up neatly. | |
Hung drooping unsustained. Them she upstays |
430
| |
Gently with myrtle band, mindless the while | ||
Herself, though fairest unsupported flower, | But Eve is actually the one that needs lifting up right now. | |
From her best prop so far, and storm so nigh. | ||
Nearer he drew, and many a walk traversed | The Satan snake approached closer. | |
Of stateliest covert, cedar, pine, or palm; |
435
| |
Then voluble and bold, now hid, now seen | And then hid among the thick undergrowth. | |
Among thick-woven arborets, and flowers | ||
Imbordered on each bank, the hand of Eve: | Satan moved through the areas that Eve had tended to, | |
Spot more delicious than those gardens feigned | ||
Or of revived Adonis, or renowned |
440
| places that were more beautiful than the fictional gardens |
Alcinoüs, host of old Laertes’ son, | ||
Or that, not mystic, where the sapient king | where Adonis lived or the garden | |
Held dalliance with his fair Egyptian spouse. | where Solomon made love with his fair Egyptian spouse. | |
Much he the place admired, the person more. | Satan admired the beauty of his surroundings, but he admired Eve even more. | |
As one who, long in populous city pent, |
445
| Satan felt like |
Where houses thick and sewers annoy the air, | a person who lived in a dirty slum of a city, | |
Forth issuing on a summer’s morn, to breathe | who happens to take a walk in the beautiful countryside | |
Among the pleasant villages and farms | among the villages and the farms. | |
Adjoined, from each thing met conceives delight— | ||
The smell of grain, or tedded grass, or kine, |
450
| The pleasant smells and sounds, |
Or dairy, each rural sight, each rural sound— | ||
If chance with nymph-like step fair virgin pass, | and the beautiful women that pass by. | |
What pleasing seemed for her now pleases more, | Everything looks so picturesque, but | |
She most, and in her look sums all delight: | Eve's radiance glows overall. | |
Such pleasure took the Serpent to behold |
455
| Eve was like an angel to him. |
This flowery plat, the sweet recess of Eve | ||
Thus early, thus alone. Her heavenly form | ||
Angelic, but more soft and feminine, | ||
Her graceful innocence, her every air | For a moment, her beauty and innocence | |
Of gesture or least action, overawed |
460
| overcame Satan's hate |
His malice, and with rapine sweet bereaved | ||
His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought. | almost to the point where he actually forgot his evil plans. | |
That space the Evil One abstracted stood | ||
From his own evil, and for the time remained | ||
Stupidly good, of enmity disarmed, |
465
| |
Of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge. | ||
But the hot hell that always in him burns, | The hot hell inside Satan, reminded him of his intentions. | |
Though in mid Heaven, soon ended his delight, | ||
And tortures him now more, the more he sees | He was feeling the torture of things | |
Of pleasure not for him ordained. Then soon |
470
| and pleasures that he knew he could never have. |
Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts | The hatred came back. | |
Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites:— | He spoke, | |
“Thoughts, whither have ye led me? with what sweet | "Am I losing my mind? | |
Compulsion thus transported to forget | Am I forgetting what I came here for? I need to snap out of it. | |
What hither brought us? hate, not love, nor hope |
475
| I'm here for hate, not love. Not nice things. |
Of Paradise for Hell, here to taste | I'm not here for pleasure | |
Of pleasure, but all pleasure to destroy, | I'm here to destroy it. The only pleasure I'll have is the pleasure of destroying all of this. | |
Save what is in destroying; other joy | ||
To me is lost. Then let me not let pass | I can't lose my chance. There she is. She's all alone. | |
Occasion which now smiles. Behold alone |
480
| |
The Woman, opportune to all attempts— | ||
Her husband, for I view far round, not nigh, | I don't see her husband here anywhere too! | |
Whose higher intellectual more I shun, | He's a lot stronger than me. | |
And strength, of courage haughty, and of limb | ||
Heroic built, though of terrestrial mould; |
485
| |
Foe not informidable, exempt from wound— | ||
I not; so much hath Hell debased, and pain | And I'm a lot weaker ever since Heaven. | |
Infeebled me, to what I was in Heaven. | ||
She fair, divinely fair, fit love for Gods, | Eve is so fair. | |
Not terrible, though terror be in love, |
490
| And she's not scary at all, although |
And beauty, not approached by stronger hate, | love and beauty are kind of scary. | |
Hate stronger under show of love well feigned— | But hate, especially my hate, is stronger than love. | |
The way which to her ruin now I tend.” | I will ruin Eve by disguising my hate as love. " | |
So spake the Enemy of Mankind, enclosed | ||
In serpent, inmate bad, and toward Eve |
495
| And so the snake, possessed by Satan, approached Eve. |
Addressed his way—not with indented wave, | ||
Prone on the ground, as since, but on his rear, | He didn't move about like ordinary snakes do. | |
Circular base of rising folds, that towered | Satan rose above from the ground, and towered | |
Fold above fold, a surging maze; his head | everything below hime with his head held high. | |
Crested aloft, and carbuncle his eyes; |
500
| His eyes were like red gemstones |
With burnished neck of verdant gold, erect | and his thick neck was a green tinted gold. | |
Amidst his circling spires, that on the grass | ||
Floated redundant. Pleasing was his shape | His overall body shape could be described as beautiful. | |
And lovely; never since the serpent kind | ||
Lovelier—not those that in Illyria changed |
505
| More beautiful than other snakes described in |
Hermione and Cadmus, or the God | Roman tales, | |
In Epidaurus; nor to which transformed | fables, | |
Ammonian Jove, or Capitoline, was seen, | and stories you might come to learn in future | |
He with Olympias, this with her who bore | intense English courses. | |
Scipio, the highth of Rome. With tract oblique |
510
| Satan inched closer to Eve, |
At first, as one who sought access but feared | as if he were shy or hesitant. | |
To interrupt, sidelong he works his way. | ||
As when a ship, by skilful steersman wrought | Kind of like a ship haphazardly weaving its way | |
Nigh river’s mouth or foreland, where the wind | along a coastline. | |
Veers oft, as oft so steers, and shifts her sail, |
515
| |
So varied he, and of his tortuous train | His long train-like body | |
Curled many a wanton wreath in sight of Eve, | stretched, coiled, and uncoiled | |
To lure her eye. She, busied, heard the sound | in front of Eve desperately trying to get her attention. | |
Of rustling leaves, but minded not, as used | Eve did hear some kind of disturbance by her in the leaves. | |
To such disport before her through the field |
520
| But she didn't go on to see what it really was because she's use to animals being around her. |
From every beast, more duteous at her call | Animals and beasts always came to her whenever she called. | |
Than at Circean call the herd disguised. | They obeyed Eve a little better than others in mythology. | |
He, bolder now, uncalled before her stood, | Satan in snake-mode mustered a little bit more courage | |
But as in gaze admiring. Oft he bowed | and approached her without her having to call upon him. He bowed | |
His turret crest and sleek enamelled neck, |
525
| |
Fawning, and licked the ground whereon she trod. | and licked the ground (because I guess snakes do that.) | |
His gentle dumb expression turned at length | This weird maneuver caught Eve's attention. | |
The eye of Eve to mark his play; he, glad | ||
Of her attention gained, with serpent-tongue | And finally his sneaky serpent tongue spoke to her, | |
Organic, or impulse of vocal air, |
530
| |
His fraudulent temptation thus began:— | ||
“Wonder not, sovran mistress (if perhaps | "Hey, don't worry m'lady. | |
Thou canst who art sole wonder), much less arm | You must be wondering why I came up to you unannounced, but | |
Thy looks, the heaven of mildness, with disdain, | ||
Displeased that I approach thee thus, and gaze |
535
| I just had to muster the courage to finally approach you and have a look. |
Insatiate, I thus single, nor have feared | ||
Thy awful brow, more awful thus retired. | ||
Fairest resemblance of thy Maker fair, | Because you are so beautiful, you are definitely from Heaven. | |
Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine | But down here with all these beast and animals, | |
By gift, and thy celestial beauty adore, |
540
| |
With ravishment beheld—there best beheld | ||
Where universally admired. But here, | there's only one man around to really appreciate | |
In this enclosure wild, these beasts among, | all your beauty. And that's a shame! | |
Beholders rude, and shallow to discern | ||
Half what in thee is fair, one man except, |
545
| |
Who sees thee (and what is one?) who shouldst be seen | To me, you are a divine goddess. | |
A Goddess among Gods, adored and served | You deserve to be seen | |
By Angels numberless, thy daily train?” | and served by all the Angels every single day." | |
So glozed the Tempter, and his proem tuned. | All this praise made Eve feel flattered. | |
Into the heart of Eve his words made way, |
550
| She was definitely touched by the strange talking snake. |
Though at the voice much marvelling; at length, | ||
Not unamazed, she thus in answer spake:— | She replied, | |
“What may this mean? Language of Man pronounced | "Wow, a talking snake. | |
By tongue of brute, and human sense expressed! | ||
The first at least of these I thought denied |
555
| I didn't realize God made animals |
To beasts, whom God on their creation-day | that could talk. | |
Created mute to all articulate sound; | ||
The latter I demur, for in their looks | I don't doubt that animals are intelligent in their own ways, | |
Much reason, and in their actions, oft appears. | ||
Thee, Serpent, subtlest beast of all the field |
560
| But snakes... well. You are sly creatures in my opinion, |
I knew, but not with human voice endued; | but this is very interesting. | |
Redouble, then, this miracle, and say, | ||
How cam’st thou speakable of mute, and how | How on Earth did you learn how to talk?" | |
To me so friendly grown above the rest | ||
Of brutal kind that daily are in sight: |
565
| |
Say, for such wonder claims attention due.” | ||
To whom the guileful Tempter thus replied:— | The sneaky snake replied, | |
“Empress of this fair World, resplendent Eve! | "Eve, fair Eve... | |
Easy to me it is to tell thee all | ||
What thou command’st, and right thou shouldst be obeyed. |
570
| |
I was at first as other beasts that graze | I used to be like all the other simple animals, | |
The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low, | ||
As was my food, nor aught but food discerned | just thinking about food, | |
Or sex, and apprehended nothing high: | and sex. Nothing more, nothing less. | |
Till on a day, roving the field, I chanced |
575
| Until one day |
A goodly tree far distant to behold, | I was taking a slither | |
Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mixed, | and found this amazing tree with colorful fruit on | |
Ruddy and gold. In nearer drew to gaze; | its branches. Red and yellow fruits just ripe for the taking! | |
When from the boughs a savoury odour blown, | The wind blew its tantalizing smell to me | |
Grateful to appetite, more pleased my sense |
580
| and I couldn't help myself anymore. |
Than smell of sweetest fennel, or the teats | ||
Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at even, | I needed it. | |
Unsucked of lamb or kid, that tend their play. | ||
To satisfy the sharp desire I had | ||
Of tasting those fair Apples, I resolved |
585
| |
Not to defer; hunger and thirst at once, | ||
Powerful persuaders, quickened at the scent | ||
Of that alluring fruit, urged me so keen. | So I hurried up the trunk, slithering all around it | |
About the mossy trunk I wound me soon; | making my way to the fruit. | |
For, high from ground, the branches would require |
590
| It was a massive tree, |
Thy utmost reach, or Adam’s; round the Tree | you and Adam would have to reach up high to even get some fruit too. | |
All other beasts that saw, with like desire | As I was going up, all the other animals below me | |
Longing and envying stood, but could not reach. | were just jealous that they couldn't have a taste. Suckers. | |
Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung | ||
Tempting so nigh, to pluck and eat my fill |
595
| I ate my fill. |
I spared not; for such pleasure till that hour | I've never tasted anything so delicious, so scrumptious, | |
At feed or fountain never had I found. | in my entire life. | |
Sated at length, ere long I might perceive | Soon after I started to feel something | |
Strange alteration in me, to degree | in me. Something different. | |
Of Reason in my inward powers, and Speech |
600
| I was able to think thoughts, thoughts and concepts |
Wanted not long, though to this shape retained. | beyond myself. And I began to speak them into existence. | |
Thenceforth to speculations high or deep | ||
I turned my thoughts, and with capacious mind | ||
Considered all things visible in Heaven, | I was able to ponder life, and my very own existence. | |
Or Earth, or Middle, all things fair and good. |
605
| |
But all that fair and good in thy Divine | And as much as I could think, | |
Semblance, and in thy beauty’s heavenly ray, | none of that beauty even compares | |
United I beheld—no fair to thine | ||
Equivalent or second; which compelled | to your own beauty, Eve." | |
Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come |
610
| |
And gaze, and worship thee of right declared | ||
Sovran of creatures, universal Dame!” | ||
So talked the spirited sly Snake; and Eve, | The line worked on Eve. (And that kind of talk shouldn't work on anyone these days, it's too superficial, sneaky, and manipulative.) | |
Yet more amazed, unwary thus replied:— | The amazed Eve replied, | |
“Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt |
615
| "Oh snake, |
The virtue of that Fruit, in thee first proved. | you flatter me! I wonder how much that fruit affected your brain. | |
But say, where grows the Tree? from hence how far? | Where is this tree anyway? | |
For many are the trees of God that grow | I've seen a lot of trees in my day | |
In Paradise, and various, yet unknown | but I've never seen this one that you speak so highly of." | |
To us; in such abundance lies our choice |
620
| |
As leaves a greater store of fruit untouched, | ||
Still hanging incorruptible, till men | ||
Grow up to their provision, and more hands | ||
Help to disburden Nature of her bearth.” | ||
To whom the wily Adder, blithe and glad;— |
625
| Satan has hooked her. He gladly tells her, |
“Empress, the way is ready, and not long— | "Ah Eve, I thought you'd never ask. I can take you right to it!" | |
Beyond a row of myrtles, on a flat, | ||
Fast by a fountain, one small thicket past | ||
Of blowing myrrh and balm. If thou accept | ||
My conduct, I can bring thee thither soon.” |
630
| |
“Lead, then,” said Eve. He, leading, swiftly rowled | Eve said, "Alright bet. Lead the way." | |
In tangles, and made intricate seem straight, | And they headed to the tree together. | |
To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy | ||
Brightens his crest. As when a wandering fire, | Satan was clearly excited. | |
Compact of unctuous vapour, which the night |
635
| |
Condenses, and the cold invirons round, | ||
Kindled through agitation to a flame | ||
(Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends), | ||
Hovering and blazing with delusive light, | ||
Misleads the amazed night-wanderer from his way |
640
| |
To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool, | ||
There swallowed up and lost, from succour far: | ||
So glistered the dire Snake, and into fraud | Eve slowly recognized where the snake was taking her, | |
Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the Tree | ||
Of Prohibition, root of all our woe; |
645
| |
Which when she saw, thus to her guide she spake:— | so she spoke up, | |
“Serpent, we might have spared our coming hither, | "Uhm, snake. I don't think you should bother any more. | |
Fruitless to me, though fruit be here to excess, | I know about this tree. | |
The credit of whose virtue rest with thee— | It might have been all good for you, but | |
Wondrous, indeed, if cause of such effects! |
650
| |
But of this tree we may not taste nor touch; | God told us not to have any. We can't even touch it. | |
God so commanded, and left that command | We're able to do anything else BUT mess with the tree." | |
Sole daughter of his voice: the rest, we live | ||
Law to ourselves; our Reason is our Law.” | ||
To whom the Tempter guilefully replied:— |
655
| Satan, already so far in his plan, replied, |
“Indeed! Hath God then said that of the fruit | "Really? | |
Of all these garden-trees ye shall not eat, | Of all these trees here... and | |
Yet lords declared of all in Earth or Air?” | God basically made you lords of this Earth, and you can't even eat from one simple tree?" | |
To whom thus Eve, yet sinless:—“Of the fruit | Eve innocently replied, | |
Of each tree in the garden we may eat; |
660
| "We can eat whatever we want. Except this one. |
But of the fruit of this fair Tree, amidst | If we even touch this tree, we'll die." | |
The Garden, God hath said, ‘Ye shall not eat | ||
Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’“ | ||
She scarce had said, though brief, when now more bold | ||
The Tempter, but, with shew of zeal and love |
665
| This emboldened Satan. He wanted to make it seem like |
To Man, and indignation at his wrong, | both Adam and Eve were cheated. And that he actually cared about them. | |
New part puts on, and, as to passion moved, | ||
Fluctuates disturbed, yet comely, and in act | He put on a new act, as if he were | |
Raised, as of some great matter to begin. | ||
As when of old some orator renowned |
670
| some great speaker on a soapbox. |
In Athens or free Rome, where eloquence | ||
Flourished, since mute, to some great cause addressed, | With fake passion coursing through him, he set the stage for | |
Stood in himself collected, while each part, | a momentous and rousing speech. | |
Motion, each act, won audience ere the tongue | ||
Sometimes in highth began, as no delay |
675
| |
Of preface brooking through his zeal of right: | ||
So standing, moving, or to highth upgrown, | ||
The Tempter, all impassioned, thus began:— | The great lier began, | |
“O sacred, wise, and wisdom-giving Plant, | "Oh, wisdom-giving tree, | |
Mother of science! now I feel thy power |
680
| now I understand. |
Within me clear, not only to discern | ||
Things in their causes, but to trace the ways | ||
Of highest agents, deemed however wise. | ||
Queen of this Universe! do not believe | Eve, queen of the universe... | |
Those rigid threats of death. Ye shall not die. |
685
| you shouldn't believe you will die! You won't! |
How should ye? By the Fruit? it gives you life | Why should you, and how could you? This fruit isn't poison at all, | |
To knowledge. By the Threatener? look on me, | It gives you wisdom and knowledge. I mean, just look at ME. | |
Me who have touched and tasted, yet both live, | I touched it, I tasted it. Yet here I stand. | |
And life more perfect have attained than Fate | And not only am I still alive, I feel even more alive. | |
Meant me, by venturing higher than my lot. |
690
| I feel as though I have a more perfect life than I would have if I were still a an ordinary snake. |
Shall that be shut to Man which to the Beast | Besides, I don't think God would be angry with you for such | |
Is open? or will God incense his ire | a little thing. | |
For such a petty trespass, and not praise | ||
Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain | He'd probably admire your courage to do something risky, especially if you thought you were going to die! | |
Of death denounced, whatever thing Death be, |
695
| AND especially doing it because you weren't afraid to die. |
Deterred not from achieving what might lead | ||
To happier life, knowledge of Good and Evil? | Why would he be angry if you were trying to better yourself. | |
Of good, how just! of evil—if what is evil | To know more about the world around you. To know more about good and evil. | |
Be real, why not known, since easier shunned? | Don't you think it's a good idea to know about evil so that you can work to avoid it if it ever comes your way? | |
God, therefore, cannot hurt ye and be just; |
700
| God can't punish you for this and be considered fair. |
Not just, not God; not feared then, nor obeyed: | Because can't be unfair, it's not the way he works. | |
Your fear itself of death removes the fear. | And it doesn't make any sense to fear him. | |
Why, then, was this forbid? Why but to awe, | ||
Why but to keep ye low and ignorant, | In my opinion, I think God want's to keep you low and ignorant of good and evil. | |
His worshipers? He knows that in the day |
705
| God probably knows that if you eat the fruit |
Ye eat thereof your eyes, that seem so clear, | you'll become wise. As wise as him. | |
Yet are but dim, shall perfectly be then | ||
Opened and cleared, and ye shall be as Gods, | Gods even. I guess he wants to be the only one to know it all. | |
Knowing both good and evil, as they know. | ||
That ye should be as Gods, since I as Man, |
710
| So, since I ate the fruit and became similar to a man, |
Internal Man, is but proportion meet— | it'll definitely make you similar to a God. | |
I, of brute, human; ye, of human, Gods. | ||
So ye shall die perhaps, by putting off | And if you do die, you'll likely be reborn as a God. | |
Human, to put on Gods—death to be wished, | ||
Though threatened, which no worse than this can bring! |
715
| |
And what are Gods, that Man may not become | So why shouldn't man become God too? | |
As they, participating godlike food? | ||
The Gods are first, and that advantage use | The Gods came first | |
On our belief, that all from them proceeds. | and they tell you everything comes from them, | |
I question it; for this fair Earth I see, |
720
| I don't think that's fair. And I don't think that's right. |
Warmed by the Sun, producing every kind; | Just look around at everything the sun touches, and how it produces more life. | |
Them nothing. If they all things, who enclosed | If God controls everything, who put the knowledge | |
Knowledge of Good and Evil in this Tree, | of good and evil in this tree | |
That whoso eats thereof forthwith attains | that they don't want anyone to have? | |
Wisdom without their leave? and wherein lies |
725
| |
The offence, that Man should thus attain to know? | Overall, what is the big problem in wanting to have more knowledge anyway? | |
What can your knowledge hurt him, or this Tree | How can your newfound knowledge hurt God, or this tree? | |
Impart against his will, if all be his? | Especially if he's so powerful. | |
Or is it envy? and can envy dwell | Maybe he's selfish. | |
In Heavenly breasts? These, these and many more |
730
| I'm asking a lot of questions, and you should be asking the same ones too. |
Causes import your need of this fair Fruit. | This tree's fruit may be the start to finding those answers, Eve. | |
Goddess humane, reach, then, and freely taste!” | Come up, reach them, and have a taste of new knowledge." | |
He ended; and his words, replete with guile, | ||
Into her heart too easy entrance won. | Eve was sold. | |
Fixed on the Fruit she gazed, which to behold |
735
| She gazed at the fruit. |
Might tempt alone; and in her ears the sound | She was tempted at the thought of knowledge and knowing. | |
Yet rung of his persuasive words, impregned | As quick-fire as the snake's words were, they kind of made sense to her. | |
With reason, to her seeming, and with truth. | ||
Meanwhile the hour of noon drew on, and waked | It was getting near noontime, | |
An eager appetite, raised by the smell |
740
| and Eve was getting hungry. The smell of the fruit wasn't helping. |
So savoury of that Fruit, which with desire, | ||
Inclinable now grown to touch or taste, | ||
Solicited her longing eye; yet first, | ||
Pausing a while, thus to herself she mused:— | Even paused and thought to herself, | |
“Great are thy virtues, doubtless, best of Fruits, |
745
| "Oh fruit... |
Though kept from Man, and worthy to be admired, | you've been kept from us for far too long. | |
Whose taste, too long forborne, at first assay | You taught a simple snake how to speak, | |
Gave elocution to the mute, and taught | ||
The tongue not made for speech to speak thy praise. | and he spoke so highly of you. | |
Thy praise he also who forbids thy use |
750
| And God praised you too. You are the tree of knowledge |
Conceals not from us, naming thee the Tree | ||
Of Knowledge, knowledge both of Good and Evil; | of good and evil | |
Forbids us then to taste. But his forbidding | But God forbids us from tasting you. | |
Commends thee more, while it infers the good | That just makes you so much more desirable. | |
By thee communicated, and our want; |
755
| None of this makes sense to me. |
For good unknown sure is not bad, or, had | Because how can we ever enjoy the things that are good | |
And yet unknown, is as not had at all. | if we don't even know that they are considered good? | |
In plain, then, what forbids he but to know? | Basically by forbidding us access to this fruit, he's forbidding | |
Forbids us good, forbids us to be wise! | us all the good in the world! | |
Such prohibitions bind not. But, if Death |
760
| |
Bind us with after-bands, what profits then | IF we die after eating it, what good is the knowledge we get? | |
Our inward freedom? In the day we eat | ||
Of this fair Fruit, our doom is we shall die! | What a crazy situation! | |
How dies the Serpent? He hath eaten, and lives, | ||
And knows, and speaks, and reasons, and discerns, |
765
| |
Irrational till then. For us alone | We're the only ones here on Earth, are we the only ones who can die? | |
Was death invented? or to us denied | ||
This intellectual food, for beasts reserved? | This fruit of knowledge... animals can have it, but we can't?? | |
For beasts it seems; yet that one beast which first | I mean, the one creature that did eat of the fruit... he seems friendly. | |
Hath tasted envies not, but brings with joy |
770
| And he really wants us to share in his newfound knowledge. |
The good befallen him, author unsuspect, | ||
Friendly to Man, far from deceit or guile. | ||
What fear I, then? rather, what know to fear | So, what's there to be afraid of then? | |
Under this ignorance of Good and Evil, | Plus, how am I supposed to know what to even be afraid of if I'm supposed to stay ignorant and not know what actually is good and evil? | |
Of God or Death, of law or penalty? |
775
| |
Here grows the cure of all, this fruit divine, | So here's the answer to it all. This fruit. | |
Fair to the eye, inviting to the taste, | So delicious looking. So fair. | |
Of virtue to make wise. What hinders, then, | Along with the grand power to make wiser than before. What's to stop me then? | |
To reach, and feed at once both body and mind?” | If this is my chance to feed my body and my mind??" | |
So saying, her rash hand in evil hour |
780
| |
Forth-reaching to the Fruit, she plucked, she eat. | She reached for a fruit, plucked it, and ate it. | |
Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat, | The earth felt a wound. A crushing blow that we will still | |
Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe | feel to this day. A giant sigh could be felt through the earth, because all was lost. | |
That all was lost. Back to the thicket slunk | Back into the thicket the | |
The guilty Serpent, and well might, for Eve, |
785
| snake retreated. His job was done. |
Intent now only her taste, naught else | Eve was busy | |
Regarded; such delight till then, as seemed, | ||
In fruit she never tasted, whether true, | binging on knowledge. | |
Or fancied so through expectation high | Could it be that this was the most | |
Of knowledge; nor was Godhead from her thought. |
790
| delicious fruit she's ever tasted? |
Greedily she ingorged without restraint, | Or maybe she just constantly told her self that | |
And knew not eating death. Satiate at length, | because that's what she expected it to be? | |
And hightened as with wine, jocond and boon, | One thing was for certain, she was eating death. But she was high as a kite, as if she were drunk on wine. | |
Thus to herself she pleasingly began:— | ||
“O sovran, virtuous, precious of all trees |
795
| She thought to herself more, |
In Paradise! of operation blest | "Oh tree, oh fruit! | |
To sapience, hitherto obscured, infamed, | You are so delicious! Your goodness and knowledge was hidden. | |
And thy fair Fruit let hang, as to no end | You were hanging here on these branches with all your beauty as if | |
Created! but henceforth my early care, | if had no purpose before I came! But not anymore. | |
Not without song, each morning, and due praise, |
800
| I'll be here every morning, |
Shall tend thee, and the fertil burden ease | to tend to you and lighten your branches. | |
Of thy full branches, offered free to all; | ||
Till, dieted by thee, I grow mature | By eating you more and more, I will grow mature, and smarter. | |
In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know, | Until I'm like a God that knows everything. | |
Though others envy what they cannot give— |
805
| |
For, had the gift been theirs, it had not here | ||
Thus grown! Experience, next to thee I owe, | Im so glad | |
Best guide: not following thee, I had remained | that I did this. You can only learn from experience, or else | |
In ignorance; thou open’st Wisdom’s way, | everything new remains hidden and secret. | |
And giv’st access, though secret she retire. | 810 | |
And I perhaps am secret: Heaven is high— | I just hope what I did stays secret. Heaven is far away, | |
High, and remote to see from thence distinct | so it's got to be difficult to see absolutely everything happening on Earth... | |
Each thing on Earth; and other care perhaps | I'm sure God has other things to be attending to anyway. | |
May have diverted from continual watch | ||
Our great Forbidder, safe with all his Spies |
815
| |
About him. But to Adam in what sort | As for Adam... I wonder | |
Shall I appear? Shall I to him make known | how he'll see me. Should I tell him what happened? | |
As yet my change, and give him to partake | How the fruit has changed me? Maybe he can eat it too. | |
Full happiness with me, or rather not, | Or maybe not. I keep it to myself... | |
But keep the odds of knowledge in my power | 820 | I can keep knowledge to myself and it'll help me |
Without copartner? so to add what wants | be more equal to him. | |
In female sex, the more to draw his love, | Because that's what's missing in the female sex. | |
And render me more equal, and perhaps— | ||
A thing not undesirable—sometime | ||
Superior; for, inferior, who is free? |
825
| I can be a little superior sometimes for a change. Being inferior is limiting. |
This may be well; but what if God have seen, | Ahh, but what if God has already see me do this. | |
And death ensue? Then I shall be no more; | And I end up dead anyway? | |
And Adam, wedded to another Eve, | And then Adam gets a new wife?? OH nooo... | |
Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct! | I can't even think of him being happy with someone else | |
A death to think! Confirmed, then, I resolve | 830 | while I'm gone. Well. That's it then. |
Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe. | ||
So dear I love him that with him all deaths | I love him so much that I would rather die with him, than to live without him." | |
I could endure, without him live no life.” | ||
So saying, from the Tree her step she turned, | From under the tree, she turned and bowed to the tree. | |
But first low reverence done, as to the Power |
835
| |
That dwelt within, whose presence had infused | She could sense the knowledge within the tree and she admired it. | |
Into the plant sciential sap, derived | ||
From nectar, drink of Gods. Adam the while, | ||
Waiting desirous her return, had wove | Meanwhile, Adam was weaving a | |
Of choicest flowers a garland, to adorn |
840
| flower garland for Eve's hair. |
Her tresses, and her rural labours crown, | ||
As reapers oft are wont their harvest-queen. | ||
Great joy he promised to his thoughts, and new | He was excited and expecting a happy reunion | |
Solace in her return, so long delayed; | when Eve returned. But she was taking a while, and that made him uneasy. | |
Yet oft his heart, divine of something ill, | 845 | |
Misgave him. He the faltering measure felt, | ||
And forth to meet her went, the way she took | Worried, he went to find her. Tracing her steps in the direction that she had went. | |
That morn when first they parted. By the Tree | It was a path toward the tree of knowledge. | |
Of Knowledge he must pass; there he her met, | ||
Scarce from the Tree returning; in her hand |
850
| And there she was. Holding in her hand |
A bough of fairest fruit, that downy smiled, | and branch from the tree with fruit hanging from it. | |
New gathered, and ambrosial smell diffused. | ||
To him she hasted; in her face excuse | She quickly ran to Adam. Her face looked like it was searching for a way to excuse and apologize. | |
Came prologue, and apology to prompt, | ||
Which, with bland words at will, she thus addressed:— | 855 | She said, |
“Hast thou not wondered, Adam, at my stay? | "Adam, were you wondering why it was taking me so long? | |
Thee I have missed, and thought it long, deprived | I've missed you so much, | |
Thy presence—agony of love till now | ||
Not felt, nor shall be twice; for never more | this will be the first and last time this ever happens. | |
Mean I to try, what rash untried I sought, | 860 | I don't ever want to be separated again. |
The pain of absence from thy sight. But strange | ||
Hath been the cause, and wonderful to hear. | But I have to tell you what just happened. | |
This Tree is not, as we are told, a Tree | The tree. The tree of knowledge isn't dangerous after all! | |
Of danger tasted, nor to evil unknown | ||
Opening the way, but of divine effect |
865
| It opens your mind and makes you knowledgeable of everything in the world! |
To open eyes, and make them Gods who taste; | It'll make you feel like a God! | |
And hath been tasted such. The Serpent wise, | There was a snake that had eaten the fruit | |
Or not restrained as we, or not obeying, | and he didn't die. | |
Hath eaten of the Fruit, and is become | ||
Not dead, as we are threatened, but thenceforth | 870 | Instead, he learned how to talk. And gave him human intelligence. |
Endued with human voice and human sense, | ||
Reasoning to admiration, and with me | He convinced me to eat the fruit too, | |
Persuasively hath so prevailed that I | and I did. | |
Have also tasted, and have also found | My eyes were opened, | |
The effects to correspond—opener mine eyes, |
875
| I feel like I see the world in a different way, |
Dim erst, dilated spirits, ampler heart, | And I just feel like a God too! | |
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; | I want you to feel this way, Adam. We have to do this together as it's no good without you to share it with. | |
Tedious, unshared with thee, and odious soon. |
880
| |
Thou, therefore, also taste, that equal lot | If you eat the fruit, we'll be able to | |
May join us, equal joy, as equal love; | share equal joy, knowledge, and love. | |
Lest, thou not tasting, different degree | But if you don't eat it, we'll be on different levels (basically out of his league lol) | |
Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce | and we won't be able to connect anymore. It would make me regret eating the fruit it you don't do it too." | |
Deity for thee, when fate will not permit.” | 885 | |
Thus Eve with countenance blithe her story told; | Eve said all of this as casually as she could. | |
But in her cheek distemper flushing glowed. | ||
On the other side, Adam, soon as he heard | ||
The fatal trespass done by Eve, amazed, | ||
Astonied stood and blank, while horror chill |
890
| Adam was honestly horrified and stunned. |
Ran through his veins, and all his joints relaxed. | His body felt limp and weak. | |
From his slack hand the garland wreathed for Eve | The beautiful garland he had made | |
Down dropt, and all the faded roses shed. | fell to the ground and shattered in pieces. | |
Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length | He was speechless. | |
First to himself he inward silence broke:— | 895 | In his head he thought to himself, |
“O fairest of Creation, last and best | "How could this happen? | |
Of all God’s works, creature in whom excelled | This beautiful creature, that God created | |
Whatever can to sight or thought be formed, | ||
Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet! | so good, so loving, no all of a sudden | |
How art thou lost! how on a sudden lost, | 900 | ruined, deflowered, |
Defaced, deflowered, and now to death devote! | and destined for death? | |
Rather, how hast thou yielded to transgress | What drove her to this? | |
The strict forbiddance, how to violate | To violate God in this way? | |
The sacred Fruit forbidden? Some cursed fraud | ||
Of enemy hath beguiled thee, yet unknown, | 905 | Something evil must have persuaded her. |
And me with thee hath ruined; for with thee | And now I'm doomed too. | |
Certain my resolution is to die. | Because I just can't live without my Eve. | |
How can I live without thee? how forgo | ||
Thy sweet converse, and love so dearly joined, | ||
To live again in these wild woods forlorn? | 910 | |
Should God create another Eve, and I | And if God even created another Eve, | |
Another rib afford, yet loss of thee | I wouldn't be able to get over losing her. | |
Would never from my heart. No, no! I feel | Eve is my flesh, my love, a part of me. | |
The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh, | I don't care what happens anymore." | |
Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state | 915 | |
Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe.” | ||
So having said, as one from sad dismay | Knowing that nothing can change now, he calmly spoke to Eve, | |
Recomforted, and, after thoughts disturbed, | ||
Submitting to what seemed remediless, | ||
Thus in calm mood his words to Eve he turned:— |
920
| |
“Bold deed thou hast presumed, adventrous Eve, | "Eve, you really did something. But it was | |
And peril great provoked, who thus hast dared | bold and daring. | |
Had it been only coveting to eye | ||
That sacred Food, sacred to abstinence; | ||
Much more to taste it, under ban to touch. | 925 | We were just told not to touch the fruit, |
But past who can recall, or done undo? | but you went ahead and tasted and eaten it. There's no turning back now. | |
Not God Omnipotent, nor Fate! Yet so | No way to undo it all, not even God can undo it. | |
Perhaps thou shalt not die; perhaps the fact | You might not die, | |
Is not so hainous now-foretasted Fruit, | ||
Profaned first by the Serpent, by him first |
930
| because maybe the fruit lost its sacredness when the snake ate it first. |
Made common and unhallowed ere our taste, | ||
Nor yet on him found deadly. He yet lives— | Sure he survived, and it made him a little more like us. | |
Lives, as thou saidst, and gains to live, as Man, | ||
Higher degree of life: inducement strong | You know, it's very appealing to eat the fruit. I can't blame you, or the snake. | |
To us, as likely, tasting, to attain |
935
| |
Proportional ascent; which cannot be | ||
But to be Gods, or Angels, Demi-gods. | ||
Nor can I think that God, Creator wise, | Overall, I don't think God would kill us, | |
Though threatening, will in earnest so destroy | ||
Us, his prime creatures, dignified so high, | 940 | as we are the highest of his creation! |
Set over all his works; which, in our fall, | He made the rest of the world around us, just for us... | |
For us created, needs with us must fail, | so he'd have to destroy it all too. | |
Dependent made. So God shall uncreate, | I don't think he would create all this | |
Be frustrate, do, undo, and labour lose— | just to destroy it all. | |
Not well conceived of God; who, though his power |
945
| God's plan isn't that simple. |
Creation could repeat, yet would be loth | ||
Us to abolish, lest the Adversary | But then again, God could always replace us. | |
Triumph and say: ‘Fickle their state whom God | ||
Most favours; who can please him long? Me first | ||
He ruined, now Mankind; whom will he next?’— | 950 | |
Matter of scorn not to be given the Foe. | ||
However, I with thee have fixed my lot, | Eve, I've my life is with you. And I'm ready to share the rest of your days with you. | |
Certain to undergo like doom. If death | And if your fate is death and doom, that is life to me especially if it's with you. | |
Consort with thee, death is to me as life; | ||
So forcible within my heart I feel |
955
| That's just how strong our bond and love is. |
The bond of Nature draw me to my own— | That's the way it is with us." | |
My own is 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:— | 960 | Eve replied ecstatically, |
“O glorious trial of exceeding love, | "Oh Adam! You're so full of love for me! | |
Illustrious evidence, example high! | ||
Ingaging me to emulate; but, short | I wish I could express my love for you | |
Of thy perfection, how shall I attain, | the same way you express your love for me. | |
Adam? from whose dear side I boast me sprung, |
965
| I'm so proud my life came from your rib, your side, |
And gladly of our union hear thee speak, | I love to hear how united we are | |
One heart, one soul in both; whereof good proof | ||
This day affords, declaring thee resolved, | ||
Rather than death, or aught than death more dread, | and how not even death could separate us. | |
Shall separate us, linked in love so dear, | 970 | |
To undergo with me one guilt, one crime, | You're ready to share in this crime. | |
If any be, of tasting this fair Fruit; | If there even is any crime in eating the fruit. | |
Whose virtue (for of good still good proceeds, | But you'll see that more good will come from the fruit. | |
Direct, or by occasion) hath presented | ||
This happy trial of thy love, which else |
975
| |
So eminently never had been known. | ||
Were it I thought death menaced would ensue | If I thought I was really going to die, I would never take you down with me, Adam. | |
This my attempt, I would sustain alone | ||
The worst, and not persuade thee—rather die | ||
Deserted than oblige thee with a fact | 980 | |
Pernicious to thy peace, chiefly assured | ||
Remarkably so late of thy so true, | ||
So faithful love unequalled. But I feel | You are so faithful to me. | |
Far otherwise the event—not death, but life | But death just isn't going to happen. We're certain of that now. | |
Augmented, opened eyes, new hopes, new joys, |
985
| This fruit brings new hopes, and new joys. |
Taste so divine that what of sweet before | Its divine taste | |
Hath touched my sense flat seems to this and harsh. | makes everything else pale in comparison. Nothing is quite like it. | |
On my experience, Adam, freely taste, | Trust me Adam. Taste the fruit and join me too." | |
And fear of death deliver to the winds.” | ||
So saying, she embraced him, and for joy | 990 | Eve embraced Adam and |
Tenderly wept, much won that he his love | wept happy tears because he loves her so much. | |
Had so ennobled as of choice to incur | He loves her so much that he'd risk God's | |
Divine displeasure for her sake, or death. | wrath for her sake. It's a crazy kind of love. | |
In recompense (for such compliance bad | ||
Such recompense best merits), from the bough | 995 | |
She gave him of that fair enticing Fruit | Eve took a fruit off the brance | |
With liberal hand. He scrupled not to eat, | and gave it to Adam. | |
Against his better knowledge, not deceived, | Something inside of Adam told him he shouldn't do this, | |
But fondly overcome with female charm. | but her charms got the best of him. | |
Earth trembled from her entrails, as again |
1000
| The earth quaked. |
In pangs, and Nature gave a second groan; | Nature groaned in the form of distant thunder. | |
Sky loured, and, muttering thunder, some sad drops | ||
Wept at completing of the mortal Sin | The sky wept slightly with teardrops as the mortal sin was completed. | |
Original; while Adam took no thought, | Adam didn't notice any of this happening. | |
Eating his fill, nor Eve to iterate | 1005 | Eve joined in the eating of the fruit, and they both ate together. |
Her former trespass feared, the more to soothe | ||
Him with her loved society; that now, | ||
As with new wine intoxicated both, | All of a sudden they were acting like they were drunk. | |
They swim in mirth, and fancy that they feel | ||
Divinity within them breeding wings | 1010 | |
Wherewith to scorn the Earth. But that false Fruit | ||
Far other operation first displayed, | ||
Carnal desire inflaming. He on Eve | Their inner desires were aflame, | |
Began to cast lascivious eyes; she him | they looked at each other lustfully. | |
As wantonly repaid; in lust they burn, |
1015
| |
Till Adam thus ’gan Eve to dalliance move:— | Adam flirted, | |
“Eve, now I see thou art exact of taste | "You have good taste, Eve | |
And elegant—of sapience no small part; | ||
Since to each meaning savour we apply, | in more things that just fruit. | |
And palate call judicious. I the praise | 1020 | Eve, you've shown me something new, |
Yield thee; so well this day thou hast purveyed. | something more pleasurable than ever imagined. | |
Much pleasure we have lost, while we abstained | We've missed out on so many things. And now we can see it clearly. | |
From this delightful Fruit, nor known till now | ||
True relish, tasting. If such pleasure be | ||
In things to us forbidden, it might be wished |
1025
| |
For this one Tree had been forbidden ten. | If forbidden things were able to give this much pleasure and joy, then we should wish for ten more forbidden trees. | |
But come; so well refreshed, now let us play, | Now that we've had our fill, let's go play. | |
As meet is, after such delicious fare; | ||
For never did thy beauty, since the day | For now I see your beauty in a new light." | |
I saw thee first and wedded thee, adorned |
1030
| |
With all perfections, so enflame my sense | ||
With ardour to enjoy thee, fairer now | ||
Than ever-bounty of this virtuous Tree!” | They looked at each other lustfully. | |
So said he, and forbore not glance or toy | ||
Of amorous intent, well understood | 1035 | |
Of Eve, whose eye darted contagious fire. | ||
Her hand he seized, and to a shady bank, | He took her hand and led her to a shady bank. | |
Thick overhead with verdant roof imbowered, | ||
He led her, nothing loth; flowers were the couch, | There were flowers there to serve as their bed. | |
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 gilt the seal, | They banged. | |
The solace of their sin, till dewy sleep | ||
Oppressed them, wearied with their amorous play. | 1045 | Then they slept. |
Soon as the force of that fallacious Fruit, | The residing effects of the fruit were wearing off. | |
That with exhilarating vapour bland | ||
About their spirits had played, and inmost powers | ||
Made err, was now exhaled, and grosser sleep, | They had weird dreams and immediately woke up. | |
Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams | 1050 | |
Incumbered, now had left them, up they rose | ||
As from unrest, and, each the other viewing, | After waking up, they looked at each other and saw something different. | |
Soon found their eyes how opened, and their minds | ||
How darkened. Innocence, that as a veil | They saw each other's all. They saw each other's innocence. | |
Had shadowed them from knowing ill, was gone; |
1055
| The same innocence that protected them from evil was gone. |
Just confidence, and native righteousness, | ||
And honour, from about them, naked left | ||
To guilty Shame: he covered, but his robe | ||
Uncovered more. So rose the Danite strong, | ||
Herculean Samson, from the harlot-lap |
1060
| |
Of Philistean Dalilah, and waked | ||
Shorn of his strength; they destitute and bare | ||
Of all their virtue. Silent, and in face | ||
Confounded, long they sat, as strucken mute; | They sat in silence, until Adam spoke, | |
Till Adam, though not less than Eve abashed, | 1065 | |
At length gave utterance to these words constrained:— | ||
“O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give ear | "Eve... why did you listen to that snake? | |
To that false Worm, of whomsoever taught | ||
To counterfeit Man’s voice—true in our fall, | ||
False in our promised rising; since our eyes | 1070 | This isn't good. None of this feels right. Our eyes are opened to too much now. |
Opened we find indeed, and find we know | ||
Both good and evil, good lost and evil got: | Good has lost and evil got the best of us. | |
Bad Fruit of Knowledge, if this be to know, | ||
Which leaves us naked thus, of honour void, | We're naked now and I recognize that. | |
Of innocence, of faith, of purity, | 1075 | |
Our wonted ornaments now soiled and stained, | ||
And in our faces evident the signs | Our faces are full of shame from what we've done here. | |
Of foul concupiscence; whence evil store, | ||
Even shame, the last of evils; of the first | ||
Be sure then. How shall I behold the face | 1080 | How do I even face God now, or the angels? |
Henceforth of God or Angel, erst with joy | I always looked forward to seeing the angels, | |
And rapture so oft beheld? Those Heavenly Shapes | but not anymore. | |
Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze | Their light blinds me. | |
Insufferably bright. Oh, might I here | ||
In solitude live savage, in some glade |
1085
| I feel like just hiding |
Obscured, where highest woods, impenetrable | in the woods where I won't have to see the angels again. | |
To star or sunlight, spread their umbrage broad, | ||
And brown as evening. Cover me, ye pines! | ||
Ye cedars, with innumerable boughs | ||
Hide me, where I may never see them more! | 1090 | |
But let us now, as in bad plight, devise | Come now. We need to find | |
What best may, for the present, serve to hide | a way to hide our parts. We're naked and lack honor now. | |
The parts of each other that seem most | We must cover ourselves. Cover our shame." | |
To shame obnoxious, and unseemliest seen— | ||
Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves, together sewed, | 1095 | |
And girded on our loins, may cover round | ||
Those middle parts, that this new comer, Shame, | ||
There sit not, and reproach us as unclean.” | ||
So counselled he, and both together went | Into the woods they went, | |
Into the thickest wood. There soon they choose | 1100 | where they found a |
The fig tree—not that kind for fruit renowned, | fig tree. It didn't have any fruits, but it had big leaves. | |
But such, as at this day, to Indians known, | ||
In Malabar or Decan spreads her arms | ||
Braunching so broad and long that in the ground | ||
The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow | 1105 | |
About the mother tree, a pillared shade | ||
High overarched, and echoing walks between: | ||
There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat, | ||
Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds | ||
At loop-holes cut through thickest shade. Those leaves | 1110 | They took the leaves and |
They gathered, broad as Amazonian targe, | ||
And with what skill they had together sewed, | used their sewing skills to fashion together some biblical fashion. | |
To gird their waist—vain covering, if to hide | ||
Their guilt and dreaded shame! O how unlike | What a huge difference from when they were okay with being naked, to now being ashamed of their nudity. | |
To that first naked glory! Such of late | 1115 | |
Columbus found the American, so girt | ||
With feathered cincture, naked else and wild, | ||
Among the trees on isles and woody shores. | ||
Thus fenced, and, as they thought, their shame in part | Adam and Eve were covered, but it wasn't enough to comfort them. | |
Covered, but not at rest or ease of mind, | 1120 | |
They sat them down to weep. Nor only tears | They cried because | |
Rained at their eyes, but high winds worse within | their minds were full of rabid emotions like | |
Began to rise, high passions—anger, hate, | anger, hate | |
Mistrust, suspicion, discord—and shook sore | mistrust, suspicious, and discord. | |
Their inward state of mind, calm region once | 1125 | They were changed, inside and out. |
And full of peace, now tost and turbulent: | ||
For Understanding ruled not, and the Will | ||
Heard not her lore, both in subjection now | ||
To sensual Appetite, who, from beneath | Their new appetites and desires are influencing things they've never experienced before. | |
Usurping over sovran Reason, claimed | 1130 | |
Superior sway. From thus distempered breast | ||
Adam, estranged in look and altered style, | A changed Adam spoke up, | |
Speech intermitted thus to Eve renewed:— | ||
“Would thou hadst hearkened to my words, and stayed | "Eve, why couldn't you just listen to me. | |
With me, as I besought thee, when that strange | 1135 | You wandering off like that alone. |
Desire of wandering, this unhappy morn, | If you didn't go alone, then none of this | |
I know not whence possessed thee! We had then | would have happened! | |
Remained still happy—not, as now, despoiled | We'd still be happy! | |
Of all our good, shamed, naked, miserable! | ||
Let none henceforth seek needless cause to approve | 1140 | Why do people always have to try and prove |
The faith they owe; when earnestly they seek | how good they are all the time? | |
Such proof, conclude they then begin to fail.” | That's just inviting trouble." | |
To whom, soon moved with touch of blame, thus Eve:— | Eve became defensive and responded, | |
“What words have passed thy lips, Adam severe? | "Wow Adam. Did you really just say that? | |
Imput’st thou that to my default, or will | 1145 | So it's all my fault apparently? My cRaZy idea to go wandering by myself? |
Of wandering, as thou call’st it, which who knows | ||
But might as ill have happened thou being by, | It probably would have happened to you if you were there. | |
Or to thyself perhaps? Hadst thou been there, | ||
Or here the attempt, thou couldst not have discerned | You're not so high and mighty to not be fooled too. | |
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; | ||
Was I to have never parted from thy side? | Do you expect me to stay by your side forever and not have some time for myself? | |
As good have grown there still, a lifeless rib. | I should have just stayed as one of your ribs if you're going to act like this. | |
Being as I am, why didst not thou, the Head, | 1155 | Besides, if I'm so helpless, |
Command me absolutely not to go, | and it was so dangerous, | |
Going into such danger, as thou saidst? | ||
Too facile then, thou didst not much gainsay, | why didn't you just stop me from going by myself? | |
Nay, didst permit, approve, and fair dismiss. | Where were you?? You didn't do anything, you just let me go. | |
Hadst thou been firm and fixed in thy dissent, | 1160 | Maybe if you were a stronger and better person, |
Neither had I transgressed, nor thou with me.” | things would be different. And none of this wouldn't have happened." | |
To whom, then first incensed, Adam replied:— | This pissed Adam off. | |
“Is this the love, is this the recompense | "Is this how you treat me? | |
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve, expressed | You're so ungrateful! | |
Immutable when thou wert lost, not I— | 1165 | |
Who might have lived, and joyed immortal bliss, | ||
Yet willingly chose rather death with thee? | I was ready to die for you. That's why I ate the fruit! | |
And am I now upbraided as the cause | ||
Of thy transgressing? not enough severe, | ||
It seems, in thy restraint! What could I more? | 1170 | What do you expect of me? |
I warned thee, I admonished thee, foretold | Don't say I didn't warn you. I told you not to go. I warned you that Satan and evil was probably out there. | |
The danger, and the lurking Enemy | ||
That lay in wait; beyond this had been force, | ||
And force upon free will hath here no place. | Did you expect me to physically force you to stay? We don't do that here, we have free will. | |
But confidence then bore thee on, secure | 1175 | You were just so confident. |
Either to meet no danger, or to find | Or you were looking for a stupid way to prove yourself. | |
Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps | ||
I also erred in overmuch admiring | Maybe I was wrong to love and care about you too much. | |
What seemed in thee so perfet that I thought | That I thought you were so perfect that nothing bad could happen to you. | |
No evil durst attempt thee, But I rue | 1180 | |
That error now, which is become my crime, | My bad. My mistake. | |
And thou the accuser. Thus it shall befall | ||
Him who, to worth in women overtrusting, | I guess this is what happens when you trust a woman and let her have her own way all the time. | |
Lets her will rule: restraint she will not brook; | Can't stop a woman from doing something, | |
And, left to herself, if evil thence ensue, | 1185 | and if she messes up the guy ends up being the bad guy for not stopping her in the first place!" |
She first his weak indulgence will accuse.” | ||
Thus they in mutual accusation spent | ||
The fruitless hours, but neither self—condemning; | They continued to fight for a long time. | |
And of their vain contest’ appeared no end. | ||
1190 | ||
1195 | ||
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