Took largely, of their mutual guilt the feal,
The folace of their fin, till dewy fleep
Opprefs'd them, wearied with their amorous play. 1045 Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit,
That with exhilarating vapor bland
About their fpirits had play'd, and inmost powers Made err, was now exhal'd; and groffer fleep Bred of unkindly fumes, with conscious dreams 1050 Incumber'd, now had left them; up they rofe
As from unreft, and each the other viewing, Soon found their eyes how open'd, and their minds How darken'd; innocence, that as a veil
Had fhadow'd them from knowing ill, was gone, 1055 Juft confidence, and native righteousness,
And honor from about them, naked left
To guilty fhame; he cover'd, but his robe Uncover'd more. So rofe the Danite strong Herculean Samfon from the harlot-lap Of Philiftéan Dalilah, and wak'd
Shorn of his ftrength. They deftitute and bare Of all their virtue: filent, and in face Confounded long they fat, as ftrucken mute,
Till Adam, though not lefs than Eve abash'd, 1065 · At length gave utterance to these words constrain'd. O Eve, in evil hour thou didst give ear To that falfe worm, of whomfoever taught To counterfeit Man's voice, true in our fall, Falfe in our promis'd rifing; fince our eyes Open'd we find indeed, and find we know Both good and ev'il, good loft, and evil got,
Bad fruit of knowledge, if this be to know, Which leaves us naked thus, of honor void, Of innocence, of faith, of purity, Our wonted ornaments now foil'd and ftain'd, And in our faces evident the figns
Of foul concupiscence; whence evil store; Ev'n fhame, the last of evils; of the firft Be fure then. How fhall I behold the face Henceforth of God or Angel, erft with joy And rapture fo' oft beheld? thofe heav'nly shapes Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze Infufferably bright. O might I here
In folitude live favage, in fome glade Obfcur'd, where highest woods impenetrable To ftar or fun-light, 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. But let us now, as in bad plight, devise What beft may for the prefent ferve to hide The parts of each from other, that seem most To fhame obnoxious, and unfeemlieft feen;
Some tree, whose broad smooth leaves together fow'd, And girded on our loins, may cover round Thofe middle parts, that this new comer, fhame, There fit not, and reproach us as unclean.
So counsel'd he, and both together went Into the thickest wood; there foon they chose The fig-tree, not that kind for fruit renown'd, But fuch as at this day to Indians known
In Malabar or Decan spreads her arms
Branching fo broad and long, that in the ground The bended twigs take root, and daughters grow 1105 About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade
High overarch'd, and echoing walks between; There oft the Indian herdsman fhunning heat Shelters in cool, and tends his pasturing herds At loopholes cut through thickest shade: Thofe leaves They gather'd, broad as Amazonian targe, And with what skill they had, together fow'd, To gird their waste, vain covering if to hide Their guilt and dreaded fhame; O how unlike To that first naked glory! Such of late Columbus found th' American, fo girt With feather'd cincture, naked elfe and wild Among the trees on iles and woody shores.
Thus fenc'd, and, as they thought, their shame in part Cover'd, but not at rest or ease of mind,
They fat them down to weep; nor only tears
Rain'd at their eyes, but high winds worse within Began to rife, high paffions, anger, hate,
Miftruft, fufpicion, difcord, and shook fore
Their inward ftate of mind, calm region once And full of peace, now toft and turbulent: For understanding rul'd not, and the will Heard not her lore, both in fubjection now To fenfual appetite, who from beneath Ufurping over fovran reason clam'd
Superior fway: from thus diftemper'd breast, Adam, estrang'd in lock and alter'd stile,
Speech intermitted thus to Eve renew'd.
Would thou hadst hearken'd to my words, and stay'd With me, as I befought thee, when that strange 1135 Defire of wand'ring this unhappy morn,
I know not whence poffefs'd thee: we had then Remain'd still happy; not as now, defpoil'd Of all our good, sham'd, naked, miserable. Let none henceforth feek needlefs caufe to' approve The faith they owe; when earnestly they seek Such proof, conclude, they then begin to fail.
To whom foon mov'd with touch of blame thus Eve. What words have pafs'd thy lips, Adam fevere! Imput'st thou that to my default, or will
Of wand'ring, as thou call'ft it, which who knows But might as ill have happen'd thou being by, Or to thyfelf perhaps? hadft thou been there,
Or here th' attempt, thou couldst not have difcern'd Fraud in the Serpent, fpeaking as he spake; No ground of enmity between us known, Why he should mean me ill, or feck to harm. Was I to have never parted from thy fide? As good have grown there ftill a lifeless rib. Being as I am, why didft not thou the head Command me abfolutely not to go, Going into fuch danger as thou faidft?
Too facil then thou didst not much gainfay, Nay didft permit, approve, and fair dismiss. Hadft thou been firm and fix'd in thy diffent, Neither had I tranfgrefs'd, nor thou with me.
To whom then firft incens'd Adam reply'd. Is this the love, is this the recompenfe
Of mine to thee, ingrateful Eve, exprefs'd Immutable when thou wert loft, not I,
Who might have liv'd and joy'd immortal bliss,
Yet willingly chofe rather death with thee?
And am I now upbraided as the cause
Of thy tranfgreffing? not enough fevere,
It feems, in thy reftraint: what could I more?
I warn'd thee, I admonish'd thee, foretold The danger, and the lurking enemy
That lay in wait; beyond this had been force, And force upon free will hath here no place.
But confidence then bore thee on, fecure
Either to meet no danger, or to find
Matter of glorious trial; and perhaps
I alfo err'd in overmuch admiring
What feem'd in thee fo perfect, that I thought No evil durft attempt thee, but I rue
That error now, which is become my crime,
And thou th' accufer. Thus it fhall befall
Him who to worth in woman overtrufting
Lets her will rule; reftraint fhe will not brook, And left to' herself, if evil thence enfuc,
She first his weak indulgence will accuse. Thus they in mutual accusation spent
The fruitless hours, but neither felf-condemning, And of their vain conteft appear'd no end.
THE END OF THE NINTH BOOK.
« VorigeDoorgaan » |