My Master and myself, we two alone Were going upward, and I thought, in going, "What did the spirit of Romagna mean, Where by companionship each share is lessened, But if the love of the supernal sphere Should upwardly direct your aspiration, So much the more of good each one possesses, I said, "than if I had before been silent, And more of doubt within my mind I gather. How can it be, that boon distributed The more possessors can more wealthy make Therein, than if by few it be possessed?" And he to me : 66 Because thou fixest still Thy mind entirely upon earthly things, Which is above there, runneth unto love, O'er it increases the eternal valour. And the more people thitherward aspire, More are there to love well, and more they love there, And if my reasoning appease thee not, Thou shalt see Beatrice; and she will fully Endeavour, then, that soon may be extinct, As are the two already, the five wounds There it appeared to me that in a vision And in a temple many persons saw; Behaviour of a mother, saying: "Son, Were seeking for thee;"—and as here she ceased, Adown her cheeks which grief distils whenever For whose name was such strife among the gods, That clasped our daughter, O Pisistratus ;" To answer her with aspect temperate : "What shall we do to those who wish us ill, If he who loves us be by us condemned?" Then saw I people hot in fire of wrath, With stones a young man slaying, clamorously And him I saw bow down, because of death That weighed already on him, to the earth, But of his eyes made ever gates to heaven, Imploring the high Lord, in so great strife, That he would pardon those his persecutors, To things external to it which are true, My Leader, who could see me bear myself Like to a man that rouses him from sleep, 85 Exclaimed: "What ails thee, that thou canst not stand? But hast been coming more than half a league Veiling thine eyes, and with thy legs entangled, "O my sweet Father, if thou listen to me, I'll tell thee," said I, "what appeared to me, When thus from me my legs were ta'en away." And he: "If thou shouldst have a hundred masks Upon thy face, from me would not be shut Thy cogitations, howsoever small. 90 95 100 105 110 115 121 125 What thou hast seen was that thou mayst not fail To ope thy heart unto the waters of peace, Who only looketh with the eyes that see not But asked it to give vigour to thy feet; Thus must we needs urge on the sluggards, slow Nor was there place to hide one's self therefrom. 130 135 140 145 CANTO XVI. DARKNESS of hell, and of a night deprived As much as may be tenebrous with cloud, As did that smoke which there enveloped us, Whereat mine escort, faithful and sagacious, Lest he should wander, or should strike against So went I through the bitter and foul air, Listening unto my Leader, who said only, Voices I heard, and every one appeared To supplicate for peace and misericord Still "Agnus Dei" their exordium was; One word there was in all, and metre one, So that all harmony appeared among them. "Master," I said, "are spirits those I hear?" And he to me: "Thou apprehendest truly, "Now who art thou, that cleavest through our smoke, Whereon my Master said: "Do thou reply, To return beautiful to Him who made thee, Thou shalt hear marvels if thou follow me." "Thee will I follow far as is allowed me," He answered; "and if smoke prevent our seeing, Which death unwindeth am I going upward, And if God in his grace has me infolded, So that he wills that I behold his court But tell it me, and tell me if I go Right for the pass, and be thy words our escort." "Lombard was I, and I was Marco called; The world I knew, and loved that excellence, Thus he made answer, and subjoined: "I pray To do what thou dost ask me; but am bursting First it was simple, and is now made double 25 30 35 40 45 thee 50 55 By thy opinion, which makes certain to me, But I beseech thee point me out the cause, That I may see it, and to others show it; For one in the heavens, and here below one puts it." A sigh profound, that grief forced into Ai! He first sent forth, and then began he: "Brother, Ye who are living every cause refer Still upward to the heavens, as if all things 60 65 If this were so, in you would be destroyed I say not all; but granting that I say it, In the first battles with the heavens it suffers, Though free, ye subject are, and that creates In you the cause is, be it sought in you; Weeping and laughing in her childish sport, Save that, proceeding from a joyous Maker, Behoved a king to have, who at the least No one; because the shepherd who precedes Can ruminate, but cleaveth not the hoof; Wherefore the people that perceives its guide Strike only at the good for which it hankers, The cause is that has made the world depraved, Rome, that reformed the world, accustomed was Two suns to have, which one road and the other, One has the other quenched, and to the crosier |