Excerpts from the poem

1. Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit

Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste

Brought death into the world, and all our woe,

With loss of Eden, till one greater Man

Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,

Sing, Heavenly Muse. <...>

And chiefly thou, O Spirit, that does prefer

Before all temples the upright heart and pure,

Instruct me, for thou know’st; thou from the first

Wast present, and, with mighty wings outspread,

Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast Abyss,

And mad’st it pregnant: what in me is dark

Illumine, what is low raise and support;

That, to the highth of this great argument,

I may assert Eternal Providence,

And justify the ways of God to men.

(Book I, lines 1-26)

 

1. <...> In this pleasant soil

His far more pleasant garden God ordained.

Out of the fertile ground he caused to grow

All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste;

And all amid them stood the Tree of Life,

High eminent, blooming, ambrosial fruit

Of vegetable gold; and next to life;

Our death, the Tree of Knowledge, grew fast by,

Knowledge of good, bought dear by knowing ill.

(Book IV, lines 214-222)

 

3. So spake the Enemy of Mankind, enclosed

In serpent, inmate bad, and toward Eve

Addressed his way - not with indented wave,

Prone on the ground, as since, but on his rear,

Circular base of rising folds, that towered

Fold above fold, a surging maze; his head

Crested aloft, and carbuncle his eyes;

With burnished neck of verdant gold, erect

Amidst his circling spires, that on the grass

Floated redundant. <...>

<...> She, busied, heard the sound

Of rustling leaves, but minded not, as used

To such disport before her through the field

From every beast, more duteous at her call

Than at Circean call the herd disguised,

He, bolder now, uncalled before her stood,

But as in gaze admiring. Oft he bowed

His turret crest and sleek enamelled neck

Fawning and licked the ground whereon she trod.

{Book IX, lines 494-526)

 

 

1. So glistered the dire Snake, and into fraud

Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the Tree

Of Prohibition, root of all our woe;

Which when she saw, thus to her guide she spake: -

“Serpent, we might have spared our coming hither,

Fruitless to me, though fruit be here to excess

The credit of whose virtue rest with thee –

Wondrous indeed, if cause of such effects!

But of this tree we may not taste or touch;

God so commanded, and left that command

Sole daughter of his voice; the rest, we live

Law to ourselves; our Reason is our Law.”

To whom the Tempter guilefully replied: -

“Indeed! Hath God then said that of the fruit

Of all these garden-trees ye shall not eat

Yet lords declared of all in Earth or Air?”

To whom thus Eve, yet sinless: - “Of the fruit

Of each tree in the garden we may eat;

But of the fruit of this fair tree, amidst

The Garden, God hath said, ‘Ye shall not eat

Thereof, nor shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’ ”

{Book IX, lines 643-663)

 

1. So saying, her rash hand in evil hour

Forth-reaching to the fruit, she plucked, she eat.

Earth felt the wound, and Nature from her seat,

Sighing through all her works, gave signs of woe

That all was lost. Back to the thicket slunk

The guilty Serpent, and well might, for Eve,

Intent now only on her taste, naught else

Regarded; <...>

<...> Satiate at length,

And hightened as with wine, jocund and boon,

Thus to herself she pleasingly began:

- “<...> I grow mature

In knowledge, as the Gods who all things know.

Though others envy what they cannot give –

<...> But to Adam in what sort

Shall I appear? Shall I to him make known

As yet my change, and give him to partake

Full happiness with me, or rather not,

But keep the odds of knowledge in my power

Without copartner? so to add what wants

In female sex, the more to draw his love,

And render me more equal, and perhaps –

A thing not undesirable - sometime

Superior; for, inferior, who is free?

This may be well; but what if God have seen,

And death ensue? Then I shall be no more;

And Adam, wedded to another Eve,

Shall live with her enjoying, I extinct!

A death to think! Confirmed, then, I resolve

Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe.

So dear I love him that with him all deaths

I could endure, without him live no life.”

(Book IX, lines 780-833)

 

6) Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length

First to himself he inward silence broke: -

“O fairest of Creation, last and best

Of all God’s works, creature in whom excelled

Whatever can to sight or thought be formed,

Holy, divine, good, amiable, or sweet!

How art thou lost! how on a sudden lost,

Defaced, deflowered, and now to death devote!

Rather, how hast thou yielded to transgress,

The strict forbiddance, how to violate

The sacred fruit forbidden? Some cursed fraud

Of enemy hath beguiled thee, yet unknown,

And me with thee hath ruined; for with thee

Certain my resolution is to die.

How can I live without thee; how forgo

Thy sweet converse, and love so dearly joined,

To live again on these wild woods forlorn

Should God create another Eve, and I

Another rib afford, yet loss of thee

Would never from my heart. No, no! I feel

The link of nature draw me: flesh of flesh,

Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state

Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe.”

c Book IX, lines 894-916)

 

7.So saying, she embraced him, and for joy

Tenderly wept, much won that he his love

Had so ennobled as of choice to incur

Divine displeasure for her sake, or death.

In recompense (for such compliance bad

Such recompense best merits), from the bough

She gave him of that fair enticing fruit

With liberal hand. He scrupled not to cat,

Against his better knowledge, not deceived,

But fondly overcome with female charm.

In pangs, and Nature gave a second groan;

Sky loured, and, muttering thunder, some drops

Wept at completing of the mortal Sin

Original; <...> now,

As with new wine intoxicated both

They swim in mirth, and fancy that they feel

Divinity within them breeding wings

Wherewith to scorn the Earth. But that false fruit

Far other operation first displayed

Carnal desire inflaming He on Eve

Began to cast lascivious eyes; she him.

As wantonly repaid; in lust they burn.

(Book IX, lines 990-1015)

 

8. He ended, and they both descend the hill.

Descended, Adam to the bower where Eve

Lay sleeping ran before, but found her waked;

And thus with words not sad she him received: -

“Whence thou return’st and whither went’st 1 know;

For God is also in sleep, and dreams advise,

Which he hath sent propitious, some great good

Presaging, since, with sorrow and heart’s distress

Wearied, I fell asleep. But now lead on;

In me is no delay; with thee to go,

Is to stay here; without thee here to stay

Is to go hence unwilling; thou to me

Art all things under Heaven, all places thou,

Who for my wilful crime art banished hence.

This further consolation yet secure

I carry hence: though all by me is lost,

Such favour I unworthy am voutsafed,

By me the Promised Seed shall all restore.”

So spake our mother Eve; and Adam heard

Well pleased, but answered not; for now too nigh

The Archangel stood, <...>

In either hand the hastening Angel caught

Our lingering parents, and to the eastern gate

Led them direct, and down the cliff as fast

To the subjected plane - then disappeared.

They, looking back, all the eastern side beheld

Of Paradise, so late their happy seat,

Waved over by that flaming brand; the gate

With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms.

Some natural tears they dropped, but wiped them soon;

The world was all before them, where to choose

Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.

They, hand in hand, with wandering steps and slow,

Through Eden took their solitary way.

(Book XII, lines 605-649)