Genesis B, lines 599–744

Heo þa þæs ofætes æt, alwaldan bræc
word and willan. þa meahte heo wide geseon
þurh þæs laðan læn þe hie mid ligenum beswac,
dearnenga bedrog, þe hire for his dædum com,
þæt hire þuhte hwitre heofon and eorðe,
and eall þeos woruld wlitigre, and geweorc godes
micel and mihtig, þeah heo hit þurh monnes geþeaht
ne sceawode; ac se sceaða georne
swicode ymb þa sawle þe hire ær þa siene onlah,
þæt heo swa wide wlitan meahte
ofer heofonrice. þa se forhatena spræc
þurh feondscipe (nalles he hie freme lærde):
"þu meaht nu þe self geseon, swa ic hit þe secgan ne þearf,
Eue seo gode, þæt þe is ungelic
wlite and wæstmas, siððan þu minum wordum getruwodest,
læstes mine lare. Nu scineð þe leoht fore
glædlic ongean þæt ic from gode brohte
hwit of heofonum; nu þu his hrinan meaht.
Sæge Adame hwilce þu gesihðe hæfst
þurh minne cime cræfta. Gif giet þurh cuscne siodo
læst mina lara, þonne gife ic him þæs leohtes genog
þæs ic þe swa godes gegired hæbbe.
Ne wite ic him þa womcwidas, þeah he his wyrðe ne sie
to alætanne; þæs fela he me laðes spræc."
Swa hire eaforan sculon æfter lybban:
þonne hie lað gedoð, hie sculon lufe wyrcean,
betan heora hearran hearmcwyde ond habban his hyldo forð.
þa gieng to Adame idesa scenost,
wifa wlitegost þe on woruld come,
forþon heo wæs handgeweorc heofoncyninges,
þeah heo þa dearnenga fordon wurde,
forlæd mid ligenum, þæt hie lað gode
þurh þæs wraðan geþanc weorðan sceolden,
þurh þæs deofles searo dom forlætan,
hierran hyldo, hefonrices þolian
monige hwile. Bið þam men full wa
þe hine ne warnað þonne he his geweald hafað!
Sum heo hire on handum bær, sum hire æt heortan læg,
æppel unsælga, þone hire ær forbead
drihtna drihten, deaðbeames ofet,
and þæt word acwæð wuldres aldor,
þæt þæt micle morð menn ne þorfton
þegnas þolian, ac he þeoda gehwam
hefonrice forgeaf, halig drihten,
widbradne welan, gif hie þone wæstm an
lætan wolden þe þæt laðe treow
on his bogum bær, bitre gefylled;
þæt wæs deaðes beam þe him drihten forbead.
Forlec hie þa mid ligenum se wæs lað gode,
on hete heofoncyninges, and hyge Euan,
wifes wac geþoht, þæt heo ongan his wordum truwian,
læstan his lare, and geleafan nom
þæt he þa bysene from gode brungen hæfde
þe he hire swa wærlice wordum sægde,
iewde hire tacen and treowa gehet,
his holdne hyge. þa heo to hire hearran spræc:
"Adam, frea min, þis ofet is swa swete,
bliðe on breostum, and þes boda sciene,
godes engel god, ic on his gearwan geseo
þæt he is ærendsecg uncres hearran,
hefoncyninges. His hyldo is unc betere
to gewinnanne þonne his wiðermedo.
Gif þu him heodæg wuht hearmes gesprece,
he forgifð hit þeah, gif wit him geongordom
læstan willað. Hwæt scal þe swa laðlic strið
wið þines hearran bodan? Unc is his hyldo þearf;
he mæg unc ærendian to þam alwaldan,
heofoncyninge. Ic mæg heonon geseon
hwær he sylf siteð, (þæt is suð and east),
welan bewunden, se ðas woruld gesceop;
geseo ic him his englas ymbe hweorfan
mid feðerhaman, ealra folca mæst,
wereda wynsumast. Hwa meahte me swelc gewit gifan,
gif hit gegnunga god ne onsende,
heofones waldend? Gehyran mæg ic rume
and swa wide geseon on woruld ealle
ofer þas sidan gesceaft, ic mæg swegles gamen
gehyran on heofnum. Wearð me on hige leohte
utan and innan, siðþan ic þæs ofætes onbat.
Nu hæbbe ic his her on handa, herra se goda;
gife ic hit þe georne. Ic gelyfe þæt hit from gode come,
broht from his bysene, þæs me þes boda sægde
wærum wordum. Hit nis wuhte gelic
elles on eorðan, buton swa þes ar sægeð,
þæt hit gegnunga from gode come."
Hio spræc him þicce to and speon hine ealne dæg
on þa dimman dæd þæt hie drihtnes heora
willan bræcon. Stod se wraða boda,
legde him lustas on and mid listum speon,
fylgde him frecne; wæs se feond full neah
þe on þa frecnan fyrd gefaren hæfde
ofer langne weg; leode hogode
on þæt micle morð men forweorpan,
forlæran and forlædan, þæt hie læn godes,
ælmihtiges gife an forleten,
heofenrices geweald. Hwæt, se hellsceaða
gearwe wiste þæt hie godes yrre
habban sceoldon and hellgeþwing,
þone nearwan nið niede onfon,
siððan hie gebod godes forbrocen hæfdon,
þa he forlærde mid ligenwordum
to þam unræde idese sciene,
wifa wlitegost, þæt heo on his willan spræc,
wæs him on helpe handweorc godes
to forlæranne.
Heo spræc ða to Adame idesa sceonost
ful þiclice, oð þam þegne ongan
his hige hweorfan, þæt he þam gehate getruwode
þe him þæt wif wordum sægde.
Heo dyde hit þeah þurh holdne hyge, nyste þæt þær hearma swa fela,
fyrenearfeða, fylgean sceolde
monna cynne, þæs heo on mod genam
þæt heo þæs laðan bodan larum hyrde,
ac wende þæt heo hyldo heofoncyninges
worhte mid þam wordum þe heo þam were swelce
tacen oðiewde and treowe gehet,
oðþæt Adame innan breostum
his hyge hwyrfde and his heorte ongann
wendan to hire willan. He æt þam wife onfeng
helle and hinnsið, þeah hit nære haten swa,
ac hit ofetes noman agan sceolde;
hit wæs þeah deaðes swefn and deofles gespon,
hell and hinnsið and hæleða forlor,
menniscra morð, þæt hie to mete dædon,
ofet unfæle. Swa hit him on innan com,
hran æt heortan, hloh þa and plegode
boda bitre gehugod, sægde begra þanc
hearran sinum: "Nu hæbbe ic þine hyldo me
witode geworhte, and þinne willan gelæst
to ful monegum dæge. Men synt forlædde,
Adam and Eue. Him is unhyldo
waldendes witod, nu hie wordcwyde his,
lare forleton. Forþon hie leng ne magon
healdan heofonrice, ac hie to helle sculon
on þone sweartan sið. Swa þu his sorge ne þearft
beran on þinum breostum, þær þu gebunden ligst,
murnan on mode, þæt her men bun
þone hean heofon, þeah wit hearmas nu,
þreaweorc þoliað, and þystre land,
and þurh þin micle mod monig forleton
on heofonrice heahgetimbro,
godlice geardas. Unc wearð god yrre
forþon wit him noldon on heofonrice
hnigan mid heafdum halgum drihtne
þurh geongordom; ac unc gegenge ne wæs
þæt wit him on þegnscipe þeowian wolden.