LUCIFER. And who and what doth not? Who covets evil For its own bitter sake?-None-nothing! 't is The leaven of all life and lifelessness. CAIN. Within those glorious orbs which we behold, LUCIFER. Thou hast seen them from afar. CAIN. And what of that? Distance can but diminish glory-they When nearer must be more ineffable. LUCIFER. Approach the things of earth most beautiful, And judge their beauty near. CAIN. This question of my father; and he said, To good. Strange good, that must arise from out A lamb stung by a reptile: the poor suckling My father pluck'd some herbs, and laid them to I have done this A better portion for the animal The loveliest thing I know is loveliest nearest. LUCIFER. Then there must be delusion.-What is that, CAIN. My sister Adah.-All the stars of heaven, Him sink, and feel my heart float softly with him The forest shade-the green bough-the bird's voice | The vesper bird's, which seems to sing of love, | And mingles with the song of cherubim, As the day closes over Eden's walls; All these are nothing to my eyes and heart, LUCIFER. "T is frail as fair mortality, In the first dawn and bloom of young creation CAIN. You think so, being not her brother. LUCIFER. Mortal! My brotherhood's with those who have no children. CAIN. Then thou canst have no fellowship with us. LUCIFER. It may be that thine own shall be for me. But if thou dost possess a beautiful CAIN. Why do I exist? Why art thou wretched? why are all things so? And yet my sire says He 's omnipotent: -(he pauses, I have thought, why recala thought that--( as agitated-Spirit! Here we are in thy world; speak not of mine. Thou hast shown me wonders; thou hast shown me those Of which ours is the wreek; thou hast pointed out Is the dim and remote companion, in Infinity of life: thou hast shown me shadows Of that existence with the dreaded name Which my sire brought us-death; thou hast shown me much But not all show me where Jehovah dwells, CAIN. What is that To me? should I not love that which all love? LUCIFER. And the Jehovah-the indulgent Lord, CAIN. I Ne'er saw Him, and I know not if He smiles. LUCIFER. But you have seen his angels. CAIN. Rarely. LUCIFER. But And so we shall remain; but were it not so, Jarring and turning space to misery— Sufficiently to see they love your brother; His sacrifices are acceptable. CAIN. So be they! wherefore speak to me of this? LUCIFER. Because thou hast thought of this ere now. CAIN. Of worlds and life, which I hold with him-No! I have a victor-true; but no superior. Homage He has froin all-but none from me: I battle it against him, as I battled In highest heaven. Through all eternity, And the unfathomable gulfs of Hades, All, all, will I dispute! And world by world, Or mutual and irrevocable hate? He as a conqueror will call the conquer'd Were I the victor, his works would be deem'd The only evil ones. And you, ye new And scarce-born mortals, what have been his gifts To you already in your little world? CAIN. But few; and some of those but bitter. ye LUCIFER. Back With me, then, to thine earth, and try the rest ACT III. SCENE I. LUCIFER. Didst thou not require Knowledge? And have I not, in what I show'd, Taught thee to know thyself? The Earth near Eden, as in Act I. Enter CAIN and ADAH. Shut out the sun like night, and therefore seem'd Fitting to shadow slumber. CAIN. Ay, the last And longest; but no matter-lead me to him. Worlds which he once shone on, and never more [They go up to the child. | Years had roll'd o'er my absence. How lovely he appears! his little cheeks, In their pure incarnation, vying with The rose leaves strewn beneath them. ADAH. And his lips, too, How beautifully parted! No, you shall not 'T is closed. CAIN. You have said well; I will contain My heart till then. He smiles, and sleeps!-Sleep on Of a world scarce less young: sleep on, and smile! Even for our parents' error. Of what ? Of Paradise!-Ay! dream of it, Thou know'st CAIN. To us? they sinn'd, then let them die! ADAH. Thou hast not spoken well, nor is that thought Thy own, but of the spirit who was with thee. Would I could die for them, so they might live! CAIN. Why, so say I-provided that one victim Might satiate the insatiable of life, And that our little rosy sleeper there Might never taste of death nor human sorrow, Nor hand it down to those who spring from him. ADAH. How know we that some such atonement one day May not redeem our race? CAIN. By sacrificing The harmless for the guilty? what atonement ADAH. Alas! thou sinnest now my Cain; thy words Sound impious in mine ears. CAIN. Then leave me! ADAH. Never, CAIN. So soon? ADAH. Two hours since ye departed: two long hours Say, what have we here! |