Fierce hate he recollects, and all his thoughts

Of mischief, gratulating, thus excites.

470

Thoughts, whither have ye led me! with what sweet Compulsion thus transported, to forget

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
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,

475

480

And strength, of courage haughty, and of limb
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 Heaven.
She fair, divinely fair, fit love for Gods!
Not terrible, though terror be in love

485

And beauty, not approach'd by stronger hate,

490

Hate stronger, under show of love well feign'd;

The way which to her ruin now I tend.

So spake the enemy of mankind, enclosed

In serpent, inmate bad! and toward Eve

Address'd his way: not with indented wave,

495

Prone on the ground, as since; but on his rear,
Circular base of rising folds, that tower'd
Fold above fold, a surging maze! his head
Crested aloft, and carbuncle his eyes;
With burnish'd 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
Lovelier, not those that in Illyria changed,
Hermione and Cadmus, or the god
In Epidaurus; nor to which transform'd

500

505

Ammonian Juve, or Capitoline, was seen;

He with Olympias; this with her who bore

Scipio, the height of Rome. With tract oblique
At first, as one who sought access, but fear'd
To interrupt, sidelong he works his way,
As when a ship, by skilful steersmen wrought
Nigh river's mouth or foreland, where the wind
Veers oft, as oft so steers, and shifts her sail :
So varied he, and of his tortuous train
Curl'd 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
To such disport before her through the field,
From every beast; more duteous at her call
T'han at Circean call the herd disguised.
He, bolder now, uncall'd before her stood,
But as in gaze admiring: oft he bow'd
His turret crest, and sleek enamel neck,

510

515

520

Fawning; and lick'd the ground whereon she trod. 525 His gentle dumb expression turn'd at length

The

eye of Eve to mark his play: he, glad Of her attention gain'd, with serpent-tongue Organic, or impulse of vocal air,

His fraudulent temptation thus began:

530

Wonder not, sov'reign Mistress, if perhaps
Thou canst, who art sole wonder! much less arm
Thy looks, the Heaven of mildness, with disdain,
Displeased that I approach thee thus, and gaze
Insatiate; I thus single; nor have fear'd
Thy awful brow, more awful thus retired.
Fairest resemblance of thy Maker fair.

535

Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine
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
Half what in thee is fair, one man except,

540

Who sees thee? (and what is one?) who should be seen A Goddess among Gods, adored and served

By Angels numberless, thy daily train.

So glozed the Tempter, and his proem tuned: Into the heart of Eve his words made way,

546

Though at the voice much marveling; at length 550 Not unamazed, she thus in answer spake :

What may this mean? language of man proncanced By tongue of brute, and human senso express'd ? The first, at least, of these I thought denied To beasts; whom God, on their creation-day, Created mute to all articulate sound:

555

The latter I demur; for in their looks
Much reason, and in their actions, oft appears.
Thee, Serpent, subtlest beast of all the field
I knew, but not with human voice endued;
Redouble then this miracle, and say,

560

How camest thou speakable of mute, and how

To me so friendly grown above the rest

Of brutal kind, that daily are in sight?

Say, for such wonder claims attention due.

565

To whom the guileful Tempter thus replied: Empress of this fair world, resplendent Eve! Easy to me it is to tell thee all

[obey'd:

What thou command'st; and right thou shouldst be

I was at first as other beasts that graze

570

The trodden herb, of abject thoughts and low,

As was my food; nor aught but food discern'd

Or sex, and apprehended nothing high:
Till, on a day roving the field, I chanced

A goodly tree far distant to behold

575

Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mix'd,
Ruddy and gold: I nearer drew to gaze;

When from the boughs a savoury odour blown,

Grateful to appetite, more pleased my sense

Than smell of sweetest fennel, or the teats
Of ewe or goat dropping with milk at even,
Unsuck'd of lamb or kid, that tend their play.

580

To satisfy the sharp desire I had
Of tasting those fair apples, I resolved
Not to defer; hunger and thirst at once,
Powerful persuaders, quicken'd at the scent

585

Of that alluring fruit, urged me so keen.

About the mossy trunk I wound me soon;

For, high from ground the branches would require

Thy utmost reach or Adam's: round the tree

590

All other beasts that saw, with like desire

Longing and envying stood, but could not reach.
Amid the tree now got, where plenty hung
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

Of reason in my inward powers; and speech

595

Wanted not long; though to this shape retain'd. 600
Thenceforth to speculations high or deep

I turn'd my thoughts, and with capacious mind
Consider'd all things visible in Heaven,

Or Earth, or Middle; all things fair and good:
But all that fair and good in thy divine
Semblance, and in thy beauty's heavenly ray,
United I beheld; no fair to thine
Equivalent or second! which compell'd

605

Me thus, though importune perhaps, to come
And gaze, and worship thee of right declared
Sov'reign of creatures, universal Dame!

610

So talk'd the spirited sly Snake; and Eve,

Yet more amazed, unwary thus replied:

Serpent, thy overpraising leaves in doubt

The virtue of that fruit, in thee first proved:

615

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
To us; in such abundance lies our choice,
As leaves a greater store of fruit untouch'd,

620

Still hanging incorruptible, till men
Grow up to their provision, and more hands
Help to disburden Nature of her birth.

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 pass'd
Of blowing myrrh and balm: if thou accept
My conduct, I can bring thee thither soon.

625

Lead then, said Eve. He, leading, swiftly ro.l'd 630 In tangles, and made intricate seem straight, To mischief swift. Hope elevates, and joy Brightens his crest; as when a wandering fire,

Compact of unctuous vapour, which the night
Condenses, and the cold environs round,
Kindled through agitation to a flame,

635

Which oft, they say, some evil Spirit attends,
Hovering and blazing with delusive light,

Misleads the amazed night-wanderer from his way
To bogs and mires, and oft through pond or pool; 640
There swallow'd up and lost, from succour far.

So glister'd the dire Snake, and into fraud

Led Eve, our credulous mother, to the tree
Of prohibition, root of all our woe;

644

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 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.

650

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?

655

To whom thus Eve, yet sinless Of the fruit