With an undaunted lover, this presumption
With one more soft and timid, are so prevailing,
They seem two strong incentives

To kindle the fierce fame of love's desire.
Whence I a skilful mistress

Brandish my tongue,
And give a mortal wound.
Say why art thou so pensive,

O my most gentle Adam?

Adam. Restrain, restrain thy step Whoe'er thou art, nor with thy songs inveigle Him, who has only cause for ceaseless tears.

THE FLESH.

Without thy strict injunction,
Creature of noble semblance,
To stand aloof from thee

Grieves me; I want the courage to approach
The flowery bloom of thy engaging face,
Fearing lest serpents in thy radiant eyes,
For ever on the watch

With stings devoid of pity, pierce my heart.
But every bitter root

That leads thee to suspicion,

I from thy breast will pluck, for know, I am
The very soul of love, yes! of that love
Which has induced thy Maker

From nothing to make all :

And since in that debased

Condition into which thy sorrows sunk thee,
This love alone can draw thee,

To the low world I took my flight from heaven.
Perchance thou mayest suppose, enjoying love,
That thou must therefore lead a savage life,
A lover of the brutes;

No, no, adorning all thy form with flowers,
And wearing on thy locks a wreath of palm,
Thou shalt enjoy a vest of gold and silver,
Such as I wear, and such as high in heaven
The radiant tissue shines, when sun and moon
Weave their united rays.

Thine eyes shall sparkle with resplendent fire,
On thy warm cheek a graceful blush shall glow,
And when in ecstasy thy lip is pressed,
Its richer hue shall make the coral pale..
Say at the very sound dost thou not feel
Thy heart dissolve in amorous joy? I see
Thou art delighted, Adam.

Adam. I love, in truth I love,
But only burn with love

For my almighty Maker.

THE FLESH.

The soul alone can love,

Can love this heavenly lord:

But in these sublunary woodland scenes,

Love has delights of a corporeal kind.

Adam. The love thou speakest of it is mine to prove With my beloved consort.

THE FLESH.

Yes! that is true; yet only sons of death

Can spring from your affection.

Adam. Sad fruit of my offence !

THE FLESH.

Ah, but immortal children

From me shall spring, if thou wilt yield to me.
Amidst these herbs and flowers

Be ours sublimest love!

Simple! extend thy hand,

Behold, and touch my breast that thou wilt find
Far different from the breast of mortal Eve.
If thou wilt love, shall I not make thee worthy
Of the unbounded joy

To steal thee from thyself? Ah come, ah come,
To this pure bosom that I show thee, Adam!
Oh, say to me, I love thee!

Perchance thou mayest believe,

Each man to spring from thee

Ought to be happy with a single woman;

Each woman too contented

To love one man alone!

Simple, if such thy though :

For all the sweets of love

Become more poignant by the change of lovers.

See how each animal, that dwells on earth,

Leads a delicious life,

By changing its affection;

And thou, sole sovereign of each living creature,

Shalt thou content thee with a single lover?

Adam. Let sorrow's flame convert my heart to ashes,

Rather than it may burn with double love!

Hence then! depart! for a blind mole am I

To all thy proffered beauty;

And truly in thy presence

I feel no touch of love.

THE FLESH.

O thou most icy heart!

Now kindle with the flame of my affection.
Behold this ample cavern of the earth;
Lo, it was made for love; whate'er it holds
Within its spacious circuit,

Of love perceives the fire.

Love rules the earth, the sea, the air, and fire,
With endless love a hundred genial stars,

Not moving from their sphere,

Scatter their flames through heaven;
And other wandering planets
Through those exalted regions
Direct their golden steps.

What river, fount, or stream,

Unconscious flows and destitute of love?
What frozen sea does love not penetrate
With his imperious ardour?

What glowing ocean does not oft discover
A visage pale and wan,

As if infirm with love?

What flower, what plant, or stone,

Wishes for love in vain, of love deprived?
Whate'er inhabits heaven, or earth, or sea,
Burns in the flame of love.

Behold that sportive bird of painted wing,
That goes with fluttering joy from bough to bough,
And in his song declares he sings of love!

Behold the sweet and oft repeated kisses

Of those two doves, what dost thou think of them? Of love they are the kisses.

The beauteous peacock see,

That gaily fondles his attractive mate;

He whirls the plume of love.

Hear you that nightingale, does she not mourn?

Now does she not exult? now 'tis her joy

With her melodious warble

To stun the valleys, and make glad the hills.
Simple, what dost thou think?

'Tis love that makes her tuneful.

Behold that river with its banks of flowers,

Its stream of purest silver,

And of fine gold its sand;

Behold, dost thou not see within its bosom

A thousand fishes glide?

They lead the dance of love.

Behold that sportive goat, that butting runs

Exulting o'er the plain,

His conflicts are from love.

Look there, and see amidst a thousand folds

Those close entwisted snakes,

That in a single being seem combined:

Coy Adam, even these

Weave the close web of love.

Behold, at length where yonder clustering vine

Her amorous arms around the elm extends,

She also burns with love.

Even that flower, that ever courts the sun,

Thus in its glances speaks,

I dart the glance of love!

And thou unmelting soul! wilt thou alone,
Wilt thou disdain to feel

That which all creatures prove?

Nought can resist my golden pungent dart,
Nor air, nor fire, nor sea, nor earth, nor heaven.

SCENE II.-LUCifer, The Flesh, and ADAM.

Now burn with love, and bless the fond desire
Of her, whom the Creator

Made blazing all with love.

Adam. And who art thou, whose thick and bushy locks And beard of silver shade thy head and face?

Lucifer. Adam, I am a man; I am thy brother,

But of a higher rank;

Since I have drawn the vital air of heaven,

Thou in this lower world;

For well thou knowest, that station

Affords an airy grandeur to our birth.

In years too I surpass thee;

My voice too, and my language

Declare me old, as these my locks of silver :

Now if all elder things

Are deemed superior to their successors,

In this my merit must be more than thine.

Adam. How I should answer thee, my tongue knows not,

Thou lofty Lord of Heaven!

Since my sad error with so thick a cloud

Of ever-during fear

O'ershades my eyes and heart.

Lucifer. Oh, Adam, do not fear!

THE FLESH,

Wait thou a little! soon

That shall be known to thee, which now is hid:

All for thy good alone,

And to save man from many griefs and pains.

Lucifer. Now, Adam, understand,

How having made me in his lofty heaven,

He next created thee;

For a new wish he formed

To make another man, and give the world

To be his grateful residence, and then

Clay he made flesh, and of that flesh made man:

Then from the side of man he woman drew,

And then ordained the law

Prohibiting the apple,

Which if he tasted, man

Must be deprived of his celestial home.

Hence is it thou hast felt,

Hence is it thou hast seen
Clouds rolling through the air,
And fiery scintillations in the sky,

Rebellowing thunder and its rattling bolts,
And the tempestuous crash.

These mournful pomps of horror,

Say, say, what canst thou think

That they portend below to new-made man?

All these appeared in heaven, because from heaven Now the celestial Adam is dislodged.

As to terrestrial man,

(As if the world would drive him from the world,) The earth itself grew barren,

And every fruit grew harsh,

The waters full of turbulence and gall,

And every creature sharpened

His beak, or tusk, or talon.

Behold at last, O heaven! a pair of brothers,
The citizens of earth.

O Adam, do not grieve,

That I by fault of thine have now lost heaven,
Since to have haply found

Thee, my beloved brother,

Now makes me not to feel the loss of heaven;

And happy we will live

In this, a sylvan, and a sunny scene.

Or emulous of heaven, in God's own heaven
Raised to a noble seat,

I will, that we ascend,

And underneath our feet

Joy to behold the congregated choirs,

Even like the blessed choirs,

The children of this man.

Now if we wish success to our desires,

And should delight to see

Springing like grass, and frequent as the flowers,

Our children rapidly arise to light,

Turn we our eyes and heart

To this fair goddess of delightful love

For easy 'tis to her

To form in sweet array the troops we wish.

A plant so sweetly fruitful

Is not; nor is the Earth herself so fertile ;

Nor does it raise so soon

Its nutritive production,

As she will raise, if we are so disposed,

The fruit of lovely children.

Then to the lily whiteness

Of her enchanting cheek

Advance the living roses of the
And of so sweet a flower

For this love's goddess le

Land!