Divine Comedy, Cary's Translation, Complete

by Dante Alighieri

CANTO XXVI

With dazzled eyes, whilst wond’ring I remain’d,
Forth of the beamy flame which dazzled me,
Issued a breath, that in attention mute
Detain’d me; and these words it spake: “’Twere well,
That, long as till thy vision, on my form
O’erspent, regain its virtue, with discourse
Thou compensate the brief delay. Say then,
Beginning, to what point thy soul aspires:
And meanwhile rest assur’d, that sight in thee
Is but o’erpowered a space, not wholly quench’d:
Since thy fair guide and lovely, in her look
Hath potency, the like to that which dwelt
In Ananias’ hand.” I answering thus:
“Be to mine eyes the remedy or late
Or early, at her pleasure; for they were
The gates, at which she enter’d, and did light
Her never dying fire. My wishes here
Are centered; in this palace is the weal,
That Alpha and Omega, is to all
The lessons love can read me.” Yet again
The voice which had dispers’d my fear, when daz’d
With that excess, to converse urg’d, and spake:
“Behooves thee sift more narrowly thy terms,
And say, who level’d at this scope thy bow.”

“Philosophy,” said I, “hath arguments,
And this place hath authority enough
’T’ imprint in me such love: for, of constraint,
Good, inasmuch as we perceive the good,
Kindles our love, and in degree the more,
As it comprises more of goodness in ’t.
The essence then, where such advantage is,
That each good, found without it, is naught else
But of his light the beam, must needs attract
The soul of each one, loving, who the truth
Discerns, on which this proof is built. Such truth
Learn I from him, who shows me the first love
Of all intelligential substances
Eternal: from his voice I learn, whose word
Is truth, that of himself to Moses saith,
‘I will make all my good before thee pass.’
Lastly from thee I learn, who chief proclaim’st,
E’en at the outset of thy heralding,
In mortal ears the mystery of heav’n.”

“Through human wisdom, and th’ authority
Therewith agreeing,” heard I answer’d, “keep
The choicest of thy love for God. But say,
If thou yet other cords within thee feel’st
That draw thee towards him; so that thou report
How many are the fangs, with which this love
Is grappled to thy soul.” I did not miss,
To what intent the eagle of our Lord
Had pointed his demand; yea noted well
Th’ avowal, which he led to; and resum’d:
“All grappling bonds, that knit the heart to God,
Confederate to make fast our clarity.
The being of the world, and mine own being,
The death which he endur’d that I should live,
And that, which all the faithful hope, as I do,
To the foremention’d lively knowledge join’d,
Have from the sea of ill love sav’d my bark,
And on the coast secur’d it of the right.
As for the leaves, that in the garden bloom,
My love for them is great, as is the good
Dealt by th’ eternal hand, that tends them all.”

I ended, and therewith a song most sweet
Rang through the spheres; and “Holy, holy, holy,”
Accordant with the rest my lady sang.
And as a sleep is broken and dispers’d
Through sharp encounter of the nimble light,
With the eye’s spirit running forth to meet
The ray, from membrane on to the membrane urg’d;
And the upstartled wight loathes that be sees;
So, at his sudden waking, he misdeems
Of all around him, till assurance waits
On better judgment: thus the saintly came
Drove from before mine eyes the motes away,
With the resplendence of her own, that cast
Their brightness downward, thousand miles below.
Whence I my vision, clearer shall before,
Recover’d; and, well nigh astounded, ask’d
Of a fourth light, that now with us I saw.

And Beatrice: “The first diving soul,
That ever the first virtue fram’d, admires
Within these rays his Maker.” Like the leaf,
That bows its lithe top till the blast is blown;
By its own virtue rear’d then stands aloof;
So I, the whilst she said, awe-stricken bow’d.
Then eagerness to speak embolden’d me;
And I began: “O fruit! that wast alone
Mature, when first engender’d! Ancient father!
That doubly seest in every wedded bride
Thy daughter by affinity and blood!
Devoutly as I may, I pray thee hold
Converse with me: my will thou seest; and I,
More speedily to hear thee, tell it not “

It chanceth oft some animal bewrays,
Through the sleek cov’ring of his furry coat.
The fondness, that stirs in him and conforms
His outside seeming to the cheer within:
And in like guise was Adam’s spirit mov’d
To joyous mood, that through the covering shone,
Transparent, when to pleasure me it spake:
“No need thy will be told, which I untold
Better discern, than thou whatever thing
Thou holdst most certain: for that will I see
In Him, who is truth’s mirror, and Himself
Parhelion unto all things, and naught else
To him. This wouldst thou hear; how long since God
Plac’d me high garden, from whose hounds
She led me up in this ladder, steep and long;
What space endur’d my season of delight;
Whence truly sprang the wrath that banish’d me;
And what the language, which I spake and fram’d
Not that I tasted of the tree, my son,
Was in itself the cause of that exile,
But only my transgressing of the mark
Assign’d me. There, whence at thy lady’s hest
The Mantuan mov’d him, still was I debarr’d
This council, till the sun had made complete,
Four thousand and three hundred rounds and twice,
His annual journey; and, through every light
In his broad pathway, saw I him return,
Thousand save sev’nty times, the whilst I dwelt
Upon the earth. The language I did use
Was worn away, or ever Nimrod’s race
Their unaccomplishable work began.
For naught, that man inclines to, ere was lasting,
Left by his reason free, and variable,
As is the sky that sways him. That he speaks,
Is nature’s prompting: whether thus or thus,
She leaves to you, as ye do most affect it.
Ere I descended into hell’s abyss,
El was the name on earth of the Chief Good,
Whose joy enfolds me: Eli then ’twas call’d
And so beseemeth: for, in mortals, use
Is as the leaf upon the bough; that goes,
And other comes instead. Upon the mount
Most high above the waters, all my life,
Both innocent and guilty, did but reach
From the first hour, to that which cometh next
(As the sun changes quarter), to the sixth.

CANTO XXVII

Then “Glory to the Father, to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit,” rang aloud
Throughout all Paradise, that with the song
My spirit reel’d, so passing sweet the strain:
And what I saw was equal ecstasy;
One universal smile it seem’d of all things,
Joy past compare, gladness unutterable,
Imperishable life of peace and love,
Exhaustless riches and unmeasur’d bliss.

Before mine eyes stood the four torches lit;
And that, which first had come, began to wax
In brightness, and in semblance such became,
As Jove might be, if he and Mars were birds,
And interchang’d their plumes. Silence ensued,
Through the blest quire, by Him, who here appoints
Vicissitude of ministry, enjoin’d;
When thus I heard: “Wonder not, if my hue
Be chang’d; for, while I speak, these shalt thou see
All in like manner change with me. My place
He who usurps on earth (my place, ay, mine,
Which in the presence of the Son of God
Is void), the same hath made my cemetery
A common sewer of puddle and of blood:
The more below his triumph, who from hence
Malignant fell.” Such colour, as the sun,
At eve or morning, paints and adverse cloud,
Then saw I sprinkled over all the sky.
And as th’ unblemish’d dame, who in herself
Secure of censure, yet at bare report
Of other’s failing, shrinks with maiden fear;
So Beatrice in her semblance chang’d:
And such eclipse in heav’n methinks was seen,
When the Most Holy suffer’d. Then the words
Proceeded, with voice, alter’d from itself
So clean, the semblance did not alter more.
“Not to this end was Christ’s spouse with my blood,
With that of Linus, and of Cletus fed:
That she might serve for purchase of base gold:
But for the purchase of this happy life
Did Sextus, Pius, and Callixtus bleed,
And Urban, they, whose doom was not without
Much weeping seal’d. No purpose was of our
That on the right hand of our successors
Part of the Christian people should be set,
And part upon their left; nor that the keys,
Which were vouchsaf’d me, should for ensign serve
Unto the banners, that do levy war
On the baptiz’d: nor I, for sigil-mark
Set upon sold and lying privileges;
Which makes me oft to bicker and turn red.
In shepherd’s clothing greedy wolves below
Range wide o’er all the pastures. Arm of God!
Why longer sleepst thou? Caorsines and Gascona
Prepare to quaff our blood. O good beginning
To what a vile conclusion must thou stoop!
But the high providence, which did defend
Through Scipio the world’s glory unto Rome,
Will not delay its succour: and thou, son,
Who through thy mortal weight shall yet again
Return below, open thy lips, nor hide
What is by me not hidden.” As a Hood
Of frozen vapours streams adown the air,
What time the she-goat with her skiey horn
Touches the sun; so saw I there stream wide
The vapours, who with us had linger’d late
And with glad triumph deck th’ ethereal cope.
Onward my sight their semblances pursued;
So far pursued, as till the space between
From its reach sever’d them: whereat the guide
Celestial, marking me no more intent
On upward gazing, said, “Look down and see
What circuit thou hast compass’d.” From the hour
When I before had cast my view beneath,
All the first region overpast I saw,
Which from the midmost to the bound’ry winds;
That onward thence from Gades I beheld
The unwise passage of Laertes’ son,
And hitherward the shore, where thou, Europa!
Mad’st thee a joyful burden: and yet more
Of this dim spot had seen, but that the sun,
A constellation off and more, had ta’en
His progress in the zodiac underneath.