222
Looks intervene and smiles, or object new
223
Casual discourse draw on, which intermits4813
224
Our day’s work, brought to little, though begun
225
Early, and th’ hour of supper comes unearned?
226
To whom mild answer Adam thus returned:
227
“Sole Eve, associate sole, to me beyond
228
Compare above all living creatures dear!
229
Well hast thou motioned,4814 well thy thoughts employed,
230
How we might best fulfil the work which here
231
God hath assigned us, nor of me shalt pass
232
Unpraised, for nothing lovelier can be found
233
In woman, than to study houshold good,
234
And good works in her husband to promote.
235
Yet not so strictly hath our Lord imposed
236
Labor, as to debar us when we need
237
Refreshment, whether food, or talk between,
238
Food of the mind, or this sweet intercourse
239
Of looks and smiles, for smiles from reason flow,
240
To brute denied, and are of love the food—
241
Love, not the lowest end 4815 of human life.
242
For not to irksome4816 toil, but to delight
243
He made us, and delight to reason joined.
244
These paths and bowers4817 doubt not but our joint hands
245
Will keep from wilderness with ease, as wide
246
As we need walk, till younger hands ere long
247
Assist us. But if much converse perhaps
248
Thee satiate, to short absence I could yield,4818
249
For solitude sometimes is best society,
250
And short retirement 4819 urges sweet return.
251
“But other doubt possesses me, lest harm
252
Befall thee, severed from me, for thou know’st
253
What hath been warned us, what malicious foe
254
Envying our happiness, and of his own
255
Despairing, seeks to work us woe and shame
256
By sly assault. And somewhere nigh at hand
257
Watches, no doubt, with greedy hope to find
258
His wish and best advantage, us asunder.
259
Hopeless to circumvent us joined, where each
260
To other speedy aid might lend at need,
261
Whether his first design be to withdraw
262
Our fealty from God, or to disturb
263
Conjugal love, than which perhaps no bliss
264
Enjoyed by us excites his envy more.
265
Or4820 this, or worse, leave not the faithful side
266
That gave thee being, still shades thee, and protects.
267
The wife, where danger or dishonor lurks,
268
Safest and seemliest4821 by her husband stays,
269
Who guards her, or with her the worst endures.
270
To whom the virgin4822 majesty of Eve,
271
As one who loves, and some unkindness meets,
272
With sweet austere4823 composure thus replied:
273
“Offspring of Heav’n and earth, and all earth’s lord!
274
That such an enemy we have, who seeks
275
Our ruin, both by thee informed I learn,
276
And from the parting Angel over-heard,
277
As in a shady nook I stood behind,
278
Just then returned at shut of evening flow’rs.
279
But that thou should’st my firmness4824 therefore doubt
280
To God or thee, because we have a foe
281
May tempt it, I expected not to hear.
282
His violence thou fear’st not, being such
283
As we, not capable of death or pain,
284
Can either not receive, or can repel.
285
His fraud is then thy fear, which plain infers
286
Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love
287
Can by his fraud be shaken or seduced,
288
Thoughts which how found they harbor in thy breast,
289
Adam, mis-thought of her to thee so dear?
290
To whom with healing words Adam replied:
291
“Daughter of God and man, immortal Eve!
292
For such thou art, from sin and blame entire. 4825
293
Not diffident 4826 of thee do I dissuade
294
Thy absence from my sight, but to avoid
295
Th’ attempt itself, intended by our foe.
296
For he who tempts, though in vain, at least asperses4827
297
The tempted with dishonor foul, supposed
298
Not incorruptible of faith, not proof
299
Against temptation. Thou thyself with scorn
300
And anger would’st resent the offered wrong,
301
Though ineffectual found. Misdeem not, then,
302
If such affront I labor to avert
303
From thee alone, which on us both at once
304
The enemy, though bold, will hardly dare,
305
Or daring, first on me th’ assault shall light.
306
Nor thou his malice and false guile contemn.4828
307
Subtle he needs must be, who could seduce
308
Angels, nor think superfluous others’ aid.
309
I, from the influence of thy looks, receive
310
Access4829 in every virtue, in thy sight
311
More wise, more watchful, stronger, if need were
312
Of outward strength, while shame, thou looking on,
313
Shame to be overcome or over-reached,4830
314
Would utmost vigor raise, and raised unite. 4831
315
Why should’st not thou like4832 sense within thee feel
316
When I am present, and thy trial4833 choose
317
With me, best witness of thy virtue tried?
318
So spoke domestic4834 Adam in his care
319
And matrimonial love. But Eve, who thought
320
Less attributed 4835 to her faith sincere,
321
Thus her reply with accent sweet renewed:
322
“If this be our condition, thus to dwell
323
In narrow circuit, straitened 4836 by a foe,
324
Subtle or violent, we not endued
325
Single4837 with like4838 defence, wherever met,
326
How are w
e happy, still in fear of harm?
327
But harm precedes not sin. Only our foe
328
Tempting affronts4839 us with his foul esteem4840
329
Of our integrity. His foul esteem
330
Sticks no dishonor on our front,4841 but turns
331
Foul on himself. Then wherefore shunned or feared
332
By us? who rather double honor gain
333
From his surmise4842 proved false, find peace within,
334
Favor from Heav’n, our witness, from th’ event.
335
And what is faith, love, virtue, unassayed
336
Alone, without exterior help sustained?
337
Let us not then suspect4843 our happy state
338
Left so imperfect by the Maker wise
339
As not secure4844 to4845 single or combined.
340
Frail is our happiness, if this be so,
341
And Eden were no Eden, thus exposed.
342
To whom thus Adam fervently4846 replied:
343
“O woman, best are all things as the will
344
Of God ordained them! His creating hand
345
Nothing imperfect or deficient left
346
Of all that He created, much less man,
347
Or aught that might his4847 happy state secure,
348
Secure from outward force. Within himself
349
The danger lies, yet lies within his power.
350
Against his will he can receive no harm.
351
But God left free the will, for what obeys
352
Reason, is free; and reason He made right,
353
But bid her well beware, and still erect,4848
354
Lest, by some fair-appearing good surprised,
355
She dictate4849 false, and mis-inform the will
356
To do what God expressly hath forbid.
357
Not then mistrust, but tender love, enjoins4850
358
That I should mind4851 thee oft, and mind thou me.
359
Firm we subsist,4852 yet possible to swerve,
360
Since reason not impossibly may meet
361
Some specious4853 object by the foe suborned,4854
362
And fall into deception unaware,
363
Not keeping strictest watch, as she4855 was warned.
364
Seek not temptation, then, which to avoid
365
Were better, and most likely if from me
366
Thou sever not. Trial will come unsought.
367
Would’st4856 thou approve4857 thy constancy, approve
368
First thy obedience. Th’ other who can know,
369
Not seeing thee attempted, who attest?
370
But if thou think trial unsought may find
371
Us both securer4858 than thus warned thou seem’st,
372
Go, for thy stay not free absents thee more.
373
Go in thy native innocence, rely
374
On what thou hast of virtue, summon all!
375
For God towards thee hath done His part. Do thine.
376
So spoke the patriarch of mankind. But Eve
377
Persisted, yet 4859 submiss, though last 4860 replied:
378
“With thy permission, then, and thus forewarned
379
Chiefly by what thy own last reasoning words
380
Touched 4861 only, that our trial, when least sought,
381
May find us both perhaps far less prepared,
382
The willinger I go, nor much expect
383
A foe so proud will first the weaker seek.
384
So bent,4862 the more shall shame him his repulse.
385
Thus saying, from her husband’s hand her hand
386
Soft she withdrew and, like a wood-nymph light,
387
Oread 4863 or dryad,4864 or of Delia’s4865 train,
388
Betook her to the groves, but Delia’s self
389
In gait surpassed, and goddess-like deport,4866
390
Though not as she with bow and quiver armed,
391
But with such gard’ning tools as art 4867 yet rude, 4868
392
Guiltless4869 of fire, had formed, or Angels brought.
393
To Pales,4870 or Pomona,4871 thus adorned,
394
Likest she seemed, Pomona when she fled
395
Vertumnus,4872 or to Ceres4873 in her prime,
396
Yet virgin4874 of Proserpina from Jove.
397
Her long with ardent look his eye pursued,
398
Delighted, but desiring more her stay.
399
Oft he to her his charge4875 of quick return
400
Repeated; she to him as oft engaged4876
401
To be returned by noon amid the bow’r,
402
And all things in best order to invite4877
403
Noontide repast, or afternoon’s repose.
404
O much deceived, much failing, hapless4878 Eve,
405
Of thy presumed 4879 return! Event perverse! 4880
406
Thou never from that hour in Paradise
407
Found’st either sweet repast, or sound repose.
408
Such ambush, hid among sweet flow’rs and shades,
409
Waited with hellish rancor 4881 imminent
410
To intercept thy way, or send thee back
411
Despoiled of innocence, of faith, of bliss!
412
For now, and since first break of dawn the fiend,
413
Mere serpent in appearance, forth was come,
414
And on his quest, where likeliest he might find
415
The only two of mankind, but in them
416
The whole included race, his purposed prey.
417
In bow’r and field he sought, where any tuft
418
Of grove or garden-plot more pleasant lay,
419
Their tendance or plantation4882 for delight.
420
By fountain or by shady rivulet
421
He sought them both, but wished his hap4883 might find
422
Eve separate. He wished, but not with hope
423
Of what so seldom chanced, when to his wish,
424
Beyond his hope, Eve separate he spies,
425
Veiled in a cloud of fragrance, where she stood,
426
Half spied, so thick the roses bushing round
427
About her glowed, oft stooping to support
428
Each flower of slender stalk, whose head, though gay
429
Carnation, purple, azure, or specked with gold,
430
Hung drooping uns
ustained. Them she upstays
431
Gently with myrtle band, mindless the while
432
Herself, though fairest unsupported flower,
433
From her best prop so far, and storm so nigh.
The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems Page 46