BOOK TENTH
��219
��Perpetual smiled on Earth with vernant
flowers,
Equal in days and nights, except to those Beyond the polar circles; to them day 681 Had unbenighted shon, while the low Sun, To recompense his distance, in their sight Had rounded still the horizon, and not
known Or east or west which had forbid the
snow
From cold Estotiland, and south as far Beneath Magellan. At that tasted Fruit, The Sun, as from Thyestean banquet, turned His course intended; else how had the
world 689
Inhabited, though sinless, more than now Avoided pinching cold and scorching heat ? These changes in the heavens, though slow,
produced Like change on sea and land sideral
blast,
Vapour, and mist, and exhalation hot, Corrupt and pestilent. Now from the north Of Norumbega, and the Samoed shore, Bursting their brazen dungeon, armed with
ice, And snow, and hail, and stormy gust and
flaw,
Boreas and Ca^cias and Argestes loud And Thrascias rend the woods, and seas
upturn ; 700
With adverse blasts upturns them from
the south Notus and Afer, black with thundrous
clouds
From Serraliona; thwart of these, as fierce Forth rush the Levant and the Ponent
winds,
Eurus and Zephyr, with their lateral noise, Sirocco and Libecchio. Thus began Outrage from lifeless things; but Discord
first,
Daughter of Sin, among the irrational Death introduced through fierce antipathy. Beast now with beast 'gan war, and fowl
with fowl, 710
And fish with fish. To graze the herb all
leaving Devoured each other; nor stood much in
awe Of Man, but fled him, or with countenance
grim Glared on him passing. These were from
without The growing miseries; which Adam saw
��Already in part, though hid in gloomiest
shade,
To sorrow abandoned, but worse felt within, And, in a troubled sea of passion tost, Thus to disburden sought with sad com-
plaint : " O miserable of happy ! Is this the
end 720
Of this new glorious World, and me so late The glory of that glory ? who now, become Accursed of blessed, hide me from the face Of God, whom to behold was then my
highth Of happiness ! Yet well, if here would
end The misery ! I deserved it, and would
bear My own deservings. But this will not
serve :
All that I eat or drink, or shall beget, Is propagated curse. O voice, once heard Delightfully, ' Encrease and multiply ' Now death to hear ! for what can I en-
crease
Or multiply but curses on my head ? Who, of all ages to succeed, but, feeling The evil on him brought by me, will curse My head ? ' 111 fare our Ancestor impure ! For this we may thank Adam ! ' but his
thanks
Shall be the execration. So, besides Mine own that bide upon me, all from
me
Shall with a fierce reflux on me redound On me, as on their natural centre, light; 740 Heavy, though in their place. O fleeting
��Of Paradise, dear bought with lasting woes ! Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould me Man ? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me, or here
place
In this delicious Garden ? As my will Concurred not to my being, it were but
right
And equal to reduce me to my dust, Desirous to resign and render back All I received, unable to perform 750
Thy terms too hard, by which I was to
hold
The good I sought not. To the loss of that, Sufficient penalty, why hast thou added The sense of endless woes ? Inexplicable Thy justice seems. Yet, to say truth, too
late
�� �
