The Passion

The Fall of Man

SATAN
O evil spite! O cursèd day!
What great joy have I lost for ay!
Now God has fashioned man, his friend,
To have that bliss without an end.
And now they are in Paradise -
But they'll go hence, if I be wise!

My content I shall contrive,
For I shall man betray:
God of his pleasure to deprive -
This now shall I essay.
In a serpent's body shall I wend
And corrupt them with all my cunning!
Eve! Eve!

EVE
Who is there?

SATAN
......I am a friend.
For thy good am I coming
And thee have sought.
Of all the fruit that thou see'st hanging
In Paradise, why this one eat'st thou not?

EVE
We may from everyone
Take whate'er we will,
But this one must we shun
Or his wrath shall we feel.

SATAN
And why this one tree - this would I know -
More than others standing by?

EVE
For God forbad us near it go
Nor eat thereof, Adam and I.
And so we fear:
For if we did, we both should die,
He said, and end our pleasures here.

SATAN
Ye shall not surely die!
For God doth know
That in the day ye eat thereof
Ye both shall know
All things that be
In earth and sea
And like gods shall ye be.
For good and evil shall ye learn,
And thus great glory ye shall earn.

EVE
Why! what kind of thing art thou
That tells this tale to me?

SATAN
A worm - that knows full well how
Ye might worshipped be.

EVE
Could this be true, all this you say?

SATAN
Aye sure: why trust not me?
I never would, in any way,
Tell aught but truth to thee.

EVE
Ah Lord, this tree is fair and bright,
Green and seemly in my sight.
Its fruit is sweet and full of might
That gods it can us make.

(She eats the fruit.)

SATAN
Bite boldly on! Have no fear!
Give Adam too when he comes here!

(Exit SATAN: enter ADAM)

EVE
My loving lord and good husband,
Listen to me, sir, I pray:
Take this fair fruit all in your hand;
Thereof a morsel bite, I say.
All God's wisdom to understand
And God's peer to be for ay.

ADAM
I dare on touch thy hand for fear
Of God the King.
Out of thy hand with hasty speed
Cast out that thing!

EVE
Adam, taste here the fruit full good.

ADAM
Alas! woman, why took'st thou this?
Our Lord commanded to us both
To shun this tree of his.
Thy work will make him wroth.
Alas! thou hast done amiss!

EVE
Nay Adam: grieve thee nought at it
Whilst I give thee the reason why.
A worm has given me to wit
Like gods shall we be, thou and I,
If that we eat here of this tree.

ADAM
To God most high in heaven's seat
Shall we be equal, thou and I?

EVE
Yea Adam: fail we not to reach
This high estate. Thus thee I teach.

ADAM
To eat it I would not eschew
If certain of thy saying.

EVE
Bite on boldly. It is true.
We shall be gods and know all thing.

ADAM
To win that name
I shall taste it at thy teaching.

(He bites into the fruit.)

Alas! What have I done? For shame!
Ill counsel came from thee!
Ah Eve, thou art to blame!
To this enticed thou me.
My limbs against me all exclaim,
For I am naked, as I think.

EVE
Alas Adam! Right so am I.

ADAM
And for sorrow must we sink.
For we have grieved God Amighty
That made me man,
Broken his bidding bitterly.
Alas that ever we began!
This work, Eve, thou hast wrought.

EVE
Nay Adam, blame me not!
The worm to blame were worthy more:
With tales untrue he me betrayed.

ADAM
Alas that I listened to your lore
Or trusted the stories that you said!
So may I bide.
For that rash act am I repaid;
For that deed done I curse my pride.
Our nakedness me grieves:
Wherewith shall we it hide?

EVE
Right as thou sayest, so shall it be,
For we are naked and all bare.
Full gladly now would I hide me
From my Lord's sight, I know not where.

(Enter GOD)

GOD
Adam! Adam!

(Adam and Eve hide)

ADAM
Lord!

GOD
Where art thou? Where?

ADAM
I hear thee Lord, but see thee not.

GOD
Say: to whom does it belong
This sin that thou hast wrought.

ADAM
Lord, it was Eve that did this wrong
And to this state me brought.

GOD
Say Eve, why did'st thou Adam make
To eat the fruit that should hang still,
Which was commanded none should take?

EVE
A worm, O Lord, beguiled my will.
Alas! that ever I did deed so ill!

GOD
Ah wicked worm!

(SATAN appears)

Woe wait on thee
And on thy belly thou shalt glide
And ay be full of enmity
To all mankind, on every side.
His heel by thee shall bruisèd be
And he shall bruise thy head!
And Adam and Eve, to punish ye,
From work on earth ye shall not shrink
But labour for your bread.

ADAM
Alas! how we do sink!
We that had all the world's good
Now thrust out as I think!

GOD
Now Cherubim, my angels bright,
To middle earth quick drive these two.
Do all my will, for it is right.
My full will seek ye all to do!

(Angels drive out Adam and Eve)

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