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Me overtook, his mother, all dismayed, And in embraces forcible and foul Ingendering with me, of that rape begot These yelling monsters, that with ceaseless cry Surround me, as thou sawest; hourly conceived And hourly born, with sorrow infinite To me; for, when they list, into the womb That bred them they return, and howl, and gnaw My bowels, their repast; then bursting forth Afresh, with conscious terrors vex me round, That rest or intermission none I find. Before mine eyes in opposition sits Grim Death, my son and foe, who sets them on, And me his parent would full soon devour For want of other prey, but that he knows His end with mine involved; and knows that I Should prove a bitter morsel, and his bane, Whenever that shall be; so fate pronounced. But thou, O father, I forewarn thee, shun His deadly arrow; neither vainly hope To be invulnerable in those bright arms, Though tempered heavenly; for that mortal dint, Save He who reigns above, none can resist.

She finished; and the subtle fiend his lore Soon learned, now milder, and thus answered smooth:

Dear daughter, since thou claim'st me for thy sire,

And my fair son here show'st me, the dear pledge

Of dalliance had with thee in heaven, and joys

Then sweet, now sad to mention, through dire change

Befallen us, unforeseen, unthought of; know,

I come no enemy, but to set free

From out this dark and dismal house of pain

Both him and thee, and all the heavenly host

Of spirits, that, in our just pretences armed,

His end with mine involved.—As death came by sin, the destruction of sin would bring an end to death.