Paradise Lost

by John Milton

Not without song, each morning, and due praise, Shall tend thee, and the fertile burden ease Of thy full branches offered free to all; Till, dieted by thee, I grow mature In knowledge, as the Gods, who all things know; 805 Though others envy what they cannot give: For, had the gift been theirs, it had not here Thus grown.

Experience, next, to thee I owe, Best guide; not following thee, I had remained In ignorance; thou openest wisdom’s way, 810 And givest access, though secret she retire.

Heaven is high, High, and remote to see from thence distinct Each thing on Earth; and other care perhaps May have diverted from continual watch 815 Our great F...

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, 820 But keeps 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 ...

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; 830 A death to think! Confirmed then I resolve, Adam shall share with me in bliss or woe: So dear I love him,...

Adam the while, Waiting desirous her return, had wove 840 Of choicest flowers a garland, to adorn Her tresses, and her rural labours crown; As reapers oft are wont their harvest-queen. Great joy he promised to his thoughts, and new Solace in her return, so long delayed:

And forth to meet her went, the way she took That morn when first they parted: by the tree Of knowledge he must pass; there he her met, 850 Scarce from the tree returning; in her hand A bough of fairest fruit, that downy smiled, New gathered, and ambrosial smell diffused. To him she hasted; in her face excuse Came prologue, and apology too prompt;

This tree is not, as we are told, a tree Of danger tasted, nor to evil unknown 865 Opening the way,

of divine effect To open eyes, and make them Gods who taste; And hath been tasted such:

The serpent wise, Or not restrained as we, or not obeying, Hath eaten of the fruit; and is become, 870 Not dead, as we are threatened, but thenceforth Endued with human voice and human sense, Reasoning to ...

I Have also tasted, and have also found 875 The effects to correspond; opener mine eyes, Dim erst, dilated spirits, ampler heart, And growing up to Godhead; which for th...

Thou therefore also taste, that equal lot May join us, equal joy, as equal love; Lest, thou not tasting, different degree Disjoin us, and I then too late renounce 885 Deity for thee, when Fate will not permit.

Thus Eve with countenance blithe her story told; But in her cheek distemper flushing glowed. On the other side Adam, soon as he heard The fatal trespass done by Eve, amazed, 890 Astonied stood and blank, while horrour chill Ran through his veins, and all his joints relaxed; From his slack hand the garland wreathed for Eve Down dropt, and all the faded roses shed: Speechless he stood and pale, till thus at length 895 First to himself he inward silence broke.

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 905 Of enemy hath beguiled thee, yet unknown,

me with thee hath ruined; for with thee Certain my resolution is to die: How can I live without thee!

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, 915 Bone of my bone thou art, and from thy state Mine never shall be parted, bliss or woe.

Bold deed thou hast presumed, adventurous Eve, And peril great provoked, who thus hast dared, Had it been only coveting to eye That sacred fruit, sacred to abstinence, 925 Much more to taste it under ban to touch. But past who can recall, or done undo? Not God Omnipotent, nor Fate; yet so Perhaps thou shalt not die, perhaps the fact Is not so heinous now, foretasted fruit, 930 Profaned first by the serpent, by him first Made common, and unhallowed, ere our taste; Nor yet on him found deadly; yet he lives; Lives, as thou saidst, and gains to live, as Man, Higher degree of life;

inducement strong 935 To us, as likely tasting to attain Proportional ascent; which cannot be But to be Gods, or Angels, demi-Gods.

Nor can I think that God, Creator wise, Though threatening, will in earnest so destroy 940 Us his prime creatures, dignified so high, Set...

For us created, needs with us must fail, Dependant made; so God shall uncreate, Be frustrate, do, undo, and labour lose; 945 Not well conceived of God, who, though his power Creation could repeat, yet w...

I with thee have fixed my lot, Certain to undergo like doom: If death Consort with thee, death is to me as life;

My own in thee, for what thou art is mine; Our state cannot be severed; we are one, One flesh; to lose thee were to lose myself.

Rather than death, or aught than death more dread, 970 Shall separate us, linked in love so dear, To undergo with me one guilt, one crime, If any be, of tasting this fair fruit;

This happy trial of thy love, which else So eminently never had been known? Were it I thought death menaced would ensue This my attempt, I would sustain alone The worst, and not persuade thee, rather die 980 Deserted, than oblige thee with a fact Pernicious to thy peace; chiefly assured Remarkably so late of thy so true, So faithful, love unequalled:

I feel Far otherwise the event; not death, but life 985 Augmented, opened eyes, new hopes, new joys, Taste so divine, that what of sweet before Hath touched my sense,

On my experience, Adam, freely taste, And fear of death deliver to the winds. 990 So saying, she embraced ...

much won, that he his love Had so ennobled, as of choice to incur Divine displeasur...

he scrupled not to eat, Against his better knowledge; not deceived, But fondly overcome with female charm. 1000 Earth trembled from her entrails, as again In pangs; and Nature gave a second groan; Sky loured; and, muttering thunder, some sad drops Wept at completing of the mortal sin Original: while Adam took no thought, 1005 Eating his fill; nor Eve to iterate Her former trespass feared, the more to sooth Him with her loved society; that now, As with new wine intoxicated both,

fancy that they feel 1010 Divinity within them breeding wings,

But that false fruit Far other operation first displayed, Carnal desire inflaming; he on Eve Began to cast lascivious eyes; she him 1015 As wantonly repaid; in lust they b...

Much pleasure we have lost, while we abstained From this delightful fruit, nor known till now True relish, tasting; if such pleasure be 1025 In things to us forbidden, it might be wished, For this one tree had been forbidden ten. But come, so well refreshed, now let us play, As meet is, after such delicious fare; For never did thy beauty, since the day 1030 I saw thee first and wedded thee, adorned With all perfections, so inflame my sense With ardour to enjoy thee, fairer now Than ever; bounty of this virtuous tree!

There they their fill of love and love’s disport Took largely, of their mutual guilt the seal, The solace of their sin; till dewy sleep 1045 Oppressed them, wearied with their amorous play, Soon as the force of that fallacious fruit,

As from unrest; and, each the other viewing, Soon found their eyes how opened, and their minds How darkened; innocence, that as a veil 1055 Had shadowed them from knowing ill, was gone; Just confidence, and native righteousness, And honour, from about them, naked left To guilty Shame; he covered, but his robe Uncovered more.

Herculean Samson, from the harlot-lap Of Philistean Dalilah, and waked Shorn of his strength.

true in our fall, 1070 False in our promised rising;

since our eyes Opened we find indeed, and find we know Both good and evil; good lost, and evil got;

shame, the last of evils; of the first 1080 Be sure then.—How shall I behold the face Henceforth of God or Angel, erst with joy And rapture so oft beheld?

Those heavenly shapes Will dazzle now this earthly with their blaze Insufferably bright. O! might I here 1085 In solitude live savage; in some glade Obscured, where highest woods, impenetrable To star or sun-light, spread their umbrage broad And brown as evening: Cover me, ye Pines! Ye Cedars, with innumerable boughs 1090 Hide me, where I may never see them more!—

Those middle parts; that this new comer, Shame, There sit not, and reproach us as unclean. So counselled he, and both together went 1100 Into the thickest wood; there soon they chose The fig-tree; not that kind for fruit renowned,

They sat them down to weep; nor only tears Rained at their eyes, but high winds worse within Began to rise, high passions, anger, hate, Mistrust, suspicion, discord; and shook sore 1125 Their inward state of mind, calm region once And full of peace, now tost and turbulent:

Understanding ruled not, and the Will Heard not her lore; both in subjection now To sensual Appetite, who from beneath 1130 Usurping over sovran Reason claimed Superiour sway:

From thus distempered breast, Adam, estranged in look and altered style, Speech intermitted thus to Eve renewed. Would thou hadst hearkened to my words, and staid 1135 With me, as I besought thee, when that strange Desire of wandering, this unhappy morn, I know not whence possessed thee; we had then Remain...

Immutable, when thou wert lost, not I; Who might have lived, and joyed immortal bliss, Yet willingly chose rather death with thee? And am I now upbraided as the cause Of thy transgressing? Not enough severe, 1170 It seems, in thy restraint: What could I more I warned thee, I admonished 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.

What seemed in thee so perfect, that I thought 1180 No evil durst attempt thee; but I rue The errour now, which is become my crime, And thou the accuser. Thus it shall befall Him, who, to worth in women overtrusting, Lets her will rule: restraint she will not brook; 1185 And, left to herself, if evil thence ensue, She first his weak indulgence will accuse.

Thus they in mutual accusation spent The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning; And of their vain contest appeared no end.

Man should be seduced, And flattered out of all, believing lies Against his Maker;

Easy it may be seen that I intend Mercy colleague with justice, sending thee 60 Man’s friend, his Mediator, his designed Both ransom and Redeemer voluntary, And destined Man himself to judge Man fallen.

So spake the Father; and, unfolding bright Toward the right hand his glory, on the Son 65 Blazed forth unclouded Deity: He full Resplendent all his Father manifest Expressed, and thus divinely answered mild.

Whoever judged, the worst on me must light, When time shall be;

I may mitigate their doom On me derived; yet I shall temper so Justice with mercy, as may illustrate most Them fully satisfied, and thee appease.