The Annotated Milton: Complete English Poems (122 page)

964

      

A long day’s dying, to augment our pain,

965

      

And to our seed (O hapless Seed!) derived.”
⁵⁷⁰⁵

966

      

To whom thus Eve, recovering heart, replied:

967

      

   
“Adam, by sad experiment I know

968

      

How little weight my words with thee can find,

969

      

Found so erroneous, thence by just event
⁵⁷⁰⁶

970

      

Found so unfortunate. Nevertheless,

971

      

Restored by thee, vile as I am, to place

972

      

Of new acceptance, hopeful to regain

973

      

Thy love, the sole contentment of my heart

974

      

Living or dying, from thee I will not hide

975

      

What thoughts in my unquiet breast are ris’n,

976

      

Tending to some relief of our extremes,

977

      

Or end, though sharp and sad, yet tolerable,

978

      

As in our evils, and of easier choice.

979

      

If care of our descent perplex us most,

980

      

Which must be born to certain woe, devoured

981

      

By Death at last (and miserable it is

982

      

To be to others cause of misery,

983

      

Our own begotten, and of our loins to bring

984

      

Into this cursèd world a woeful race,

985

      

That after wretched life must be at last

986

      

Food for so foul a monster), in thy power

987

      

It lies, yet ere conception, to prevent

988

      

The race unblest, to being yet unbegot.

989

      

Childless thou art: childless remain. So Death

990

      

Shall be deceived
⁵⁷⁰⁷
his glut, and with us two

991

      

Be forced to satisfy his ravenous maw.

992

      

But if thou judge it hard and difficult,

993

      

Conversing, looking, loving, to abstain

994

      

From love’s due
⁵⁷⁰⁸
rites, nuptial embraces sweet,

995

      

And with desire to languish
⁵⁷⁰⁹
without hope,

996

      

Before the present object
⁵⁷¹⁰
languishing

997

      

With like desire, which would be misery

998

      

And torment less than none of what we dread,

999

      

Then both ourselves and seed at once to free

1000

      

From what we fear for both, let us make short
⁵⁷¹¹
—

1001

      

Let us seek Death, or he not found, supply

1002

      

With our own hands his office
⁵⁷¹²
on ourselves.

1003

      

Why stand we longer shivering under fears

1004

      

That show no end but death, and have the power

1005

      

Of many ways to die the shortest choosing,

1006

      

Destruction with destruction to destroy?

1007

      

   
She ended here, or vehement
⁵⁷¹³
despair

1008

      

Broke off the rest: so much of death her thoughts

1009

      

Had entertained
⁵⁷¹⁴
as dyed her cheeks with pale.

1010

      

But Adam, with such counsel nothing swayed,
⁵⁷¹⁵

1011

      

To better hopes his more attentive
⁵⁷¹⁶
mind

1012

      

Laboring had raised, and thus to Eve replied:

1013

      

   
“Eve, thy contempt of life and pleasure seems

1014

      

To argue in thee something more sublime

1015

      

And excellent than what thy mind contemns.
⁵⁷¹⁷

1016

      

But self-destruction therefore sought refutes

1017

      

That excellence thought in thee, and implies,

1018

      

Not thy contempt, but anguish and regret

1019

      

For loss of life and pleasure overloved.

1020

      

Or if thou covet death, as utmost end

1021

      

Of misery, so thinking to evade

1022

      

The penalty pronounced, doubt not but God

1023

      

Hath wiselier armed His vengeful ire, than so

1024

      

To be forestalled. Much more I fear lest death,

1025

      

So snatched, will not exempt us from the pain

1026

      

We are by doom
⁵⁷¹⁸
to pay. Rather, such acts

1027

      

Of contumacy
⁵⁷¹⁹
will provoke the Highest

1028

      

To make death in us live. Then let us seek

1029

      

Some safer resolution, which methinks

1030

      

I have in view, calling to mind with heed

1031

      

Part of our sentence, that thy seed shall bruise
⁵⁷²⁰

1032

      

The serpent’s head. Piteous amends! unless

1033

      

Be meant, whom I conjecture, our grand foe,

1034

      

Satan, who in the serpent hath contrived

1035

      

Against us this deceit. To crush his head

1036

      

Would be revenge indeed! Which will be lost

1037

      

By death brought on ourselves, or childless days

1038

      

Resolved,
⁵⁷²¹
as thou proposest. So
⁵⁷²²
our foe

1039

      

Shall ’scape his punishment ordained, and we

1040

      

Instead shall double ours upon our heads.

1041

      

No more be mentioned then of violence

1042

      

Against ourselves, and wilful barrenness,

1043

      

That cuts us off from hope, and savors
⁵⁷²³
only

1044

      

Rancor
⁵⁷²⁴
and pride, impatience and despite,
⁵⁷²⁵

1045

      

Reluctance
⁵⁷²⁶
against God and His just yoke

1046

      

Laid on our necks. Remember with what mild

1047

      

And gracious temper He both heard and judged,

1048

      

Without wrath or reviling. We expected

1049

      

Immediate dissolution,
⁵⁷²⁷
which we thought

1050

      

Was meant by death that day, when lo, to thee

1051

      

Pains only in child-bearing were foretold,

1052

      

And bringing forth, soon recompensed with joy,

1053

      

Fruit of thy womb. On me the curse aslope
⁵⁷²⁸

1054

      

Glanced
⁵⁷²⁹
on the ground: with labor I must earn

1055

      

My bread. What harm? Idleness had been worse.