'Tis Cain; and watching by my husband. What

Dost thou there, brother?

sleep? Oh, Heaven!

Doth he 360

What means this paleness, and yon stream? No, no!

It is not blood; for who would shed his blood?

Abel! what's this?- who hath done this? He moves not;

He breathes not: and his hands drop down from mine

With stony lifelessness! Ah! cruel Cain!

Why camest thou not in time to save him from

This violence? Whatever hath assailed him,

Thou wert the stronger, and shouldst have stepped in

Between him and aggression! Father! Eve!

Adah! - come hither! Death is in the world!

370

Exit ZILLAH, calling on her Parents, etc.
Cain (solus). And who hath brought
him there? I who abhor
The name of Death so deeply, that the
thought

Empoisoned all my life, before I knew
His aspect
I have led him here, and
given

My brother to his cold and still embrace, As if he would not have asserted his Inexorable claim without my aid.

I am awake at last - a dreary dream Had maddened me; - but he shall ne'er awake!

Enter ADAM, EVE, ADAH, and ZILLAH.

Adam. A voice of woe from Zillah brings me here

380

What do I see? - 'Tis true! - My son! my son!

-

The Voice within. Cain! Cain! Adah. It soundeth like an angel's

tone.

Enter the ANGEL of the Lord. Angel. Where is thy brother Abel? Cain. Am I then

My brother's keeper?

Angel. Cain! what hast thou done? The voice of thy slain brother's blood cries out, 470

Even from the ground, unto the Lord! -Now, art thou

Cursed from the earth, which opened late her mouth

To drink thy brother's blood from thy rash hand.

Henceforth, when thou shalt till the ground, it shall not

Yield thee her strength; a fugitive shalt

thou

Be from this day, and vagabond on

earth!

Adah. This punishment is more than he can bear.

Behold thou drivest him from the face of earth,

And from the face of God shall he be hid. A fugitive and vagabond on earth, 480 'Twill come to pass, that whoso findeth him Shall slay him.

Cain. Would they could! but who are they

Shall slay me? Where are these on the lone earth As yet unpeopled?

Angel. Thou hast slain thy brother, And who shall warrant thee against thy son?

Adah. Angel of Light! be merciful, nor say

["I have avoided introducing the Deity, as in Scripture (though Milton does, and not very wisely either); but have adopted his angel as sent to Cain instead, on purpose to avoid shocking any feelings on the subject, by falling short of what all uninspired men must fall short in viz. giving an adequate notion of the effect of the presence of Jehovah. The Old Mysteries introduced him liberally enough, and this is avoided in the New."- Letter to Murray, February 8, 1822, Letters, 1901, vi. 13. Byron does not seem to have known that Catholic divines regard "Angel of the Lord" as a name for the Second Person of the Trinity.]