Not then mistrust, but tender love enjoins,

  That I should mind thee oft, and mind thou me.

  Firm we subsist, yet possible to swerve,

  360 Since reason not impossibly may meet

  Some specious object by the Foe suborned,

  And fall into deception unaware,

  Not keeping strictest watch, as she was warned.

  Seek not temptation then, which to avoid

  365 Were better, and most likely if from me

  Thou sever not: trial will come unsought.

  Wouldst thou approve thy constancy, approve

  First thy obedience; th’ other who can know,

  Not seeing thee attempted, who attest?

  370 But if thou think, trial unsought may find

  Us both securer than thus warned thou seem’st,

  Go; for thy stay, not free, absents thee more;

  Go in thy native innocence, rely

  On what thou hast of virtue, summon all,

  375 For God towards thee hath done his part, do thine.

  So spake the patriarch of mankind, but Eve

  Persisted, yet submiss, though last, replied.

  With thy permission, then, and thus forewarned

  Chiefly by what thy own last reasoning words

  380 Touched only, that our trial, when least sought,

  May find us both perhaps far less prepared,

  The willinger I go, nor much expect

  A Foe so proud will first the weaker seek;

  So bent, the more shall shame him his repulse.

  385 Thus saying, from her husband’s hand her hand

  Soft she withdrew, and like a wood-nymph light

  Oread or Dryad, or of Delia’s train,

  Betook her to the groves, but Delia’s self

  In gait surpassed and goddess-like deport,

  390 Though not as she with bow and quiver armed,

  But with such gard’ning tools as art yet rude,

  Guiltless of fire had formed, or angels brought.

  To Pales, or Pomona thus adorned,

  Likeliest she seemed, Pomona when she fled

  395 Vertumnus, or to Ceres in her prime,

  Yet virgin of Proserpina from Jove.

  Her long with ardent look his eye pursued

  Delighted, but desiring more her stay.

  Oft he to her his charge of quick return

  400 Repeated, she to him as oft engaged

  To be returned by noon amid the bow’r,

  And all things in best order to invite

  Noontide repast, or afternoon’s repose.

  O much deceived, much failing, hapless Eve,

  405 Of thy presumed return! event perverse!

  Thou never from that hour in Paradise

  Found’st either sweet repast, or sound repose;

  Such ambush hid among sweet flow’rs and shades

  Waited with Hellish rancour imminent

  410 To intercept thy way, or send thee back

  Despoiled of innocence, of faith, of bliss.

  For now, and since first break of dawn the Fiend,

  Mere serpent in appearance, forth was come,

  And on his quest, where likeliest he might find

  415 The only two of mankind, but in them

  The whole included race, his purposed prey.

  In bow’r and field he sought, where any tuft

  Of grove or garden-plot more pleasant lay,

  Their tendance or plantation for delight;

  420 By fountain or by shady rivulet

  He sought them both, but wished his hap might find

  Eve separate; he wished, but not with hope

  Of what so seldom chanced, when to his wish,

  Beyond his hope, Eve separate he spies,

  425 Veiled in a cloud of fragrance, where she stood,

  Half spied, so thick the roses bushing round

  About her glowed, oft stooping to support

  Each flow’r of slender stalk, whose head though gay

  Carnation, purple, azure, or specked with gold,

  430 Hung drooping unsustained; them she upstays

  Gently with myrtle band, mindless the while,

  Herself, though fairest unsupported flow’r,

  From her best prop so far, and storm so nigh.

  Nearer he drew, and many a walk traversed

  435 Of stateliest covert, cedar, pine, or palm,

  Then voluble and bold, now hid, now seen

  Among thick-woven arborets and flow’rs

  Embordered on each bank, the hand of Eve:

  Spot more delicious than those gardens feigned

  440 Or of revived Adonis, or renowned

  Alcinous, host of old Laertes’ son,

  Or that, not mystic, where the sapient king

  Held dalliance with his fair Egyptian spouse.

  Much he the place admired, the person more.

  445 As one who long in populous city pent,

  Where houses thick and sewers annoy the air,

  Forth issuing on a summer’s morn to breathe

  Among the pleasant villages and farms

  Adjoined, from each thing met conceives delight,

  450 The smell of grain, or tedded grass, or kine,

  Or dairy, each rural sight, each rural sound;

  If chance with nymph-like step fair virgin pass,

  What pleasing seemed, for her now pleases more,

  She most, and in her look sums all delight.

  455 Such pleasure took the serpent to behold

  This flow’ry plat, the sweet recess of Eve

  Thus early, thus alone; her Heav’nly form

  Angelic, but more soft, and feminine,

  Her graceful innocence, her every air

  460 Of gesture or least action overawed

  His malice, and with rapine sweet bereaved

  His fierceness of the fierce intent it brought:

  That space the Evil One abstracted stood

  From his own evil, and for the time remained

  465 Stupidly good, of enmity disarmed,

  Of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge;

  But the hot Hell that always in him burns,

  Though in mid-Heav’n, soon ended his delight,

  And tortures him now more, the more he sees

  470 Of pleasure not for him ordained: then soon

  Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts

  Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites.

  Thoughts, whither have ye led me, with what sweet

  Compulsion thus transported to forget

  475 What hither brought us, hate, not love, nor hope

  Of Paradise for Hell, hope here to taste

  Of pleasure, but all pleasure to destroy,

  Save what is in destroying; other joy

  To me is lost. Then let me not let pass

  480 Occasion which now smiles; behold alone

  The woman, opportune to all attempts,

  Her husband, for I view far round, not nigh,

  Whose higher intellectual more I shun,

  And strength, of courage haughty, and of limb

  485 Heroic built, though of terrestrial mould,

  Foe not informidable, exempt from wound,

  I not; so much hath Hell debased, and pain

  Enfeebled me, to what I was in Heav’n.

  She fair, divinely fair, fit love for gods,

  490 Not terrible, though terror be in love

  And beauty, not approached by stronger hate,

  Hate stronger, under show of love well-feigned,

  The way which to her ruin now I tend.

  So spake the Enemy of mankind, enclosed

  495 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 tow’red

  Fold above fold, a surging maze, his head

  5
00 Crested aloft, and carbuncle his eyes;

  With burnished neck of verdant gold, erect

  Amidst his circling spires, that on the grass

  Floated redundant: pleasing was his shape,

  And lovely, never since of serpent kind

  505 Lovelier, not those that in Illyria changed

  Hermione and Cadmus, or the god

  In Epidaurus; nor to which transformed

  Ammonian Jove, or Capitoline was seen,

  He with Olympias, this with her who bore

  510 Scipio the heighth of Rome. With tract oblique

  At first, as one who sought accéss, but feared

  To interrupt, sidelong he works his way.

  As when a ship by skilful steersman wrought

  Nigh river’s mouth or foreland, where the wind

  515 Veers oft, as oft so steers, and shifts her sail;

  So varied he, and of his tortuous train

  Curled many a wanton wreath in sight of Eve,

  To lure her eye; she busied heard the sound

  Of rustling leaves, but minded not, as used

  520 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

  525 His turret crest, and sleek enamelled neck,

  Fawning, and licked the ground whereon she trod.

  His gentle dumb expression turned at length

  The eye of Eve to mark his play; he glad

  Of her attention gained, with serpent tongue

  530 Organic, or impúlse of vocal air,

  His fraudulent temptation thus began.

  Wonder not, sov’reign mistress, if perhaps

  Thou canst, who art sole wonder, much less arm

  Thy looks, the Heav’n of mildness, with disdain,

  535 Displeased that I approach thee thus, and gaze

  Insatiate, I thus single, nor have feared

  Thy awful brow, more awful thus retired.

  Fairest resemblance of thy Maker fair,

  Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine

  540 By gift, and thy celestial beauty adore

  With ravishment beheld, there best beheld

  Where universally admired; but here

  In this enclosure wild, these beasts among,

  Beholders rude, and shallow to discern

  545 Half what in thee is fair, one man except,

  Who sees thee? (and what is one?) who shouldst be seen

  A goddess among gods, adored and served

  By angels numberless, thy daily train.

  So glozed the Tempter, and his proem tuned;

  550 Into the heart of Eve his words made way,

  Though at the voice much marvelling; at length

  Not unamazed she thus in answer spake.

  What may this mean? Language of man pronounced

  By tongue of brute, and human sense expressed?

  555 The first at least of these I thought denied

  To beasts, whom God on their Creation-day

  Created mute to all articulate sound;

  The latter I demur, for in their looks

  Much reason, and in their actions oft appears.

  560 Thee, serpent, subtlest beast of all the field

  I knew, but not with human voice endued;

  Redouble then this miracle, and say,

  How cam’st thou speakable of mute, and how

  To me so friendly grown above the rest

  565 Of brutal kind, that daily are in sight?

  Say, for such wonder claims attention due.

  To whom the guileful Tempter thus replied.

  Empress of this fair world, resplendent Eve,

  Easy to me it is to tell thee all

  570 What thou command’st, and right thou shouldst be obeyed:

  I was at first as other beasts that graze

  The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low,

  As was my food, nor aught but food discerned

  Or sex, and apprehended nothing high:

  575 Till on a day roving the field, I chanced

  A goodly tree far distant to behold

  Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mixed,

  Ruddy and gold: I nearer drew to gaze;

  When from the boughs a savoury odour blown,

  580 Grateful to appetite, more pleased my sense

  Than smell of sweetest fennel, or the teats

  Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at ev’n,

  Unsucked of lamb or kid, that tend their play.

  To satisfy the sharp desire I had

  585 Of tasting those fair apples, I resolved

  Not to defer; hunger and thirst at once,

  Powerful persuaders, quickened at the scent

  Of that alluring fruit, urged me so keen.

  About the mossy trunk I wound me soon,

  590 For high from ground the branches would require

  Thy utmost reach or Adam’s: round the tree

  All other beasts that saw, with like desire

  Longing and envying stood, but could not reach.

  Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung

  595 Tempting so nigh, to pluck and eat my fill

  I spared not, for such pleasure till that hour

  At feed or fountain never had I found.

  Sated at length, ere long I might perceive

  Strange alteration in me, to degree

  600 Of reason in my inward powers, and speech

  Wanted not long, though to this shape retained.

  Thenceforth to speculations high or deep

  I turned my thoughts, and with capacious mind

  Considered all things visible in heav’n,

  605 Or earth, or middle, all things fair and good;

  But all that fair and good in thy divine

  Semblance, and in thy beauty’s Heav’nly ray

  United I beheld; no fair to thine

  Equivalent or second, which compelled

  610 Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come

  And gaze, and worship thee of right declared

  Sov’reign of creatures, universal dame.

  So talked the spirited sly snake; and Eve

  Yet more amazed unwary thus replied.

  615 Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt

  The virtue of that fruit, in thee first proved:

  But say, where grows the tree, from hence how far?

  For many are the trees of God that grow

  In Paradise, and various, yet unknown

  620 To us, in such abundance lies our choice,

  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.

  625 To whom the wily adder, blithe and glad.

  Empress, the way is ready, and not long,

  Beyond a row of myrtles, on a flat,

  Fast by a fountain, one small thicket past

  Of blowing myrrh and balm; if thou accept

  630 My conduct, I can bring thee thither soon.

  Lead then, said Eve. He leading swiftly rolled

  In tangles, and made intricate seem straight,

  To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy

  Brightens his crest, as when a wand’ring fire,

  635 Compact of unctuous vapour, which the night

  Condenses, and the cold environs round,

  Kindled through agitation to a flame,

  Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends

  Hovering and blazing with delusive light,

  640 Misleads th’ amazed night-wanderer from his way

  To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool,

  There swallowed up and lost, from succour far.

  So glistered the dire snake, an
d into fraud

  Led Eve our credulous mother, to the tree

  645 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,

  650 Wondrous indeed, if cause of such effects.

  But of this tree we may not taste nor 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.

  655 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

  660 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.

  She scarce had said, though brief, when now more bold

  665 The Tempter, but with show of zeal and love

  To man, and indignation at his wrong,

  New part puts on, and as to passion moved,

  Fluctuates disturbed, yet comely, and in act

  Raised, as of some great matter to begin.

  670 As when of old some orator renowned

  In Athens or free Rome, where eloquence

  Flourished, since mute, to some great cause addressed,

  Stood in himself collected, while each part,

  Motion, each act won audience ere the tongue,

  675 Sometimes in heighth began, as no delay

  Of preface brooking through his zeal of right.

  So standing, moving, or to heighth upgrown

  The Tempter all impassioned thus began.

  O sacred, wise, and wisdom-giving plant,

  680 Mother of science, now I feel thy power

  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

  685 Those rigid threats of death; ye shall not die:

  How should ye? by the fruit? it gives you life

  To knowledge. By the Threat’ner? look on me,

  Me who have touched and tasted, yet both live,

  And life more perfect have attained than Fate

  690 Meant me, by vent’ring higher than my lot.

  Shall that be shut to man, which to the beast

  Is open? or will God incense his ire

  For such a petty trespass, and not praise

  Rather your dauntless virtue, whom the pain

  695 Of death denounced, whatever thing death be,

  Deterred not from achieving what might lead