God asked Eve about this:

"Why did you forfeit these plenteous delights, daughter,
the new creations of paradise, abundant blessings, when 890
in your cupidity you seized on the trunk and took the
fruit from the branch of the tree and ate the accursed
thing in defiance of me, and gave of the apple to Adam,
when you both by my prohibition were so strictly for- 895
bidden to do so?"

Then the fair maiden, the woman overcome by shame,
answered him:

"The serpent tempted me and urgently prompted me
to sin; through fair words the worm goaded me into
accursed frowardness, until I basely performed the 900
deadly act, committed the crime, and robbed the tree in
the grove, as it was not lawful to do, and ate the fruit."

Then our Saviour, the Lord Almighty, ordained wide
wanderings for the serpent, the venomous worm, and 905
spoke further in these words:

"To far distant times shalt thou, an outcast, crawl
over the broad earth on thy breast, thy belly; without
feet shalt thou move about, so long as life and breath
remain in thee. Dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy 910
life, since thou hast accomplished so evil a deed here.
Thee the woman shall war against, and hate thee
[worse than anything else] under heaven, and shall tread
upon thine accursed head with her feet; thou shalt lie
in wait at her heels, in ever-new conflict: for there
shall be war between thy offspring and her offspring 915
always, as long as the earth exists under the cloudy
skies. Now dost thou understand and know, baleful
destroyer of mankind, how thou shalt live!"

XI.

Then God wrathfully spoke to Eve:

"Depart now from bliss! Thou shalt be ever under
the sway of men; with fear of men cruelly oppressed, 920
thou shalt sorrowfully endure the heinousness of thine
offence and wait for death, and with weeping and wailing
and great anguish bring into the world thy sons and
daughters!"

Likewise to Adam did the Eternal Lord, Source of 925
Light and Life, declare a cruel edict:

"Thou shalt seek another country, a joyless dwelling-
place, and wander in exile, naked and needy, driven 930
away from the blessings of paradise; the separation of
soul and body is now ordained for thee. Lo, thou hast
wickedly originated sin: therefore thou shalt toil, and
win thy sustenance on earth by thyself, a