She ended weeping; and her lowly plight, Immovable till peace obtained from fault Acknowledged and deplored, in Adam wrought Commiseration. Soon his heart relented Towards her, his life so late and sole delight, Now at his feet submissive in distress, Creature so fair his reconcilement seeking, His counsel, whom she had displeased, his aid; As one disarmed, his anger all he lost, And thus with peaceful words upraised her soon:
“Unwary, and too desirous, as before So now, of what thou know’st not, who desir’st The punishment all on thyself! Alas! Bear thine own first, ill able to sustain His full wrath, whose thou feel’st as yet least part, And my displeasure bear’st so ill. If prayers Could alter high decrees, I to that place Would speed before thee, and be louder heard, That on my head all might be visited, Thy frailty and infirmer sex forgiven, To me committed, and by me exposed. But rise; let us no more contend, nor blame Each other, blamed enough elsewhere, but strive In offices of love, how we may lighten Each other’s burden, in our share of woe; Since this day’s death denounced, if aught I see, Will prove no sudden, but a slow-paced evil, A long day’s dying, to augment our pain, And to our seed (O hapless seed!) derived.”
To whom thus Eve, recovering heart, replied: “Adam, by sad experiment I know How little weight my words with thee can find, Found so erroneous, thence by just event Found so unfortunate; nevertheless,