"He leaves it to me, bright jewel;
I feed the animals,
while he goes with pure unmeasured renown
to adore the Lord."
"I desire to ask a thing of thee,"
said the slender, very affable serpent,
"because bright and dear is thy clear reasoning,
O Eve, O bride of Adam!"
"Whatever it be that you contemplate saying,
it will not vex me, O noble creature;
certainly there will be no obscurity here,
I will narrate it to thee truthfully."
"Tell me, O glorious Eve,
since it chances that we are discoursing together,
in your judgment, is the life in Paradise,
with your lordship here, pleasant?"
(Eve replies)
"Until we go faultless in our turn, (or "ranks")
in our bodies to heaven,
we do not ask here greater lordship
than what there is of good in Paradise.
"Every good thing,[49] as it was heard,
that God created in Paradise,
save one tree, all without reserve,
is thus under our control.[50]
"It is He, the dear God, who committed to us,
O pale, bashful creature,
Paradise as a solace[51] for His people (?)
except the fruit of the one tree.
"'Let alone the very pure tree,'
He cautioned myself and Adam,
'the fruit of the rough tree, if thou eatest of it
against my command, thou shalt die.'"