Thence there appeared the temperateness of Jove 'Twixt son and father, and to me was clear The change that of their whereabout they make; How great they are, and eke how swift they are, To me revolving with the eternal Twins, 145 150 CANTO XXIII. EVEN as a bird, 'mid the beloved leaves, Quiet upon the nest of her sweet brood And find the food wherewith to nourish them, And with an ardent longing waits the sun, Gazing intent as soon as breaks the dawn: Even thus my Lady standing was, erect And vigilant, turned round towards the zone Underneath which the sun displays less haste; So that beholding her distraught and wistful, Such I became as he is who desiring For something yearns, and hoping is appeased. The welkin grow resplendent more and more. Of Christ's triumphal march, and all the fruit It seemed to me her face was all aflame; And eyes she had so full of ecstasy Smiles Trivia among the nymphs eternal Saw I, above the myriads of lamps, A Sun that one and all of them enkindled, 5 10 15 30 23 30 And through the living light transparent shone To me she said: "What overmasters thee A virtue is from which naught shields itself. That oped the thoroughfares 'twixt heaven and earth, As fire from out a cloud unlocks itself, Dilating so it finds not room therein, And down, against its nature, falls to earth, So did my mind, among those aliments Becoming larger, issue from itself, And that which it became cannot remember. 45 "Open thine eyes, and look at what I am: Thou hast beheld such things, that strong enough I was as one who still retains the feeling Of so much gratitude, it never fades It would not reach, singing the holy smile And therefore, representing Paradise, The sacred poem must perforce leap over, Even as a man who finds his way cut off; But whoso thinketh of the ponderous theme, And of the mortal shoulder laden with it, Should blame it not, if under this it tremble. It is no passage for a little boat This which goes cleaving the audacious prow, That to the garden fair thou turnest not, There is the Rose in which the Word Divine By whose perfume the good way was discovered." Thus Beatrice; and I, who to her counsels As in the sunshine, that unsullied streams Through fractured cloud, ere now a meadow of flowers Illumined from above with burning rays, Thou didst exalt thyself to give more scope There to mine eyes, that were not strong enough. The name of that fair flower I e'er invoke Morning and evening utterly enthralled My soul to gaze upon the greater fire. And when in both mine eyes depicted were The glory and greatness of the living star Which there excelleth, as it here excelled, Athwart the heavens a little torch descended Formed in a circle like a coronal, And cinctured it, and whirled itself about it. Whatever melody most sweetly soundeth On earth, and to itself most draws the soul, Wherewith was crowned the sapphire beautiful, "I am Angelic Love, that circle round The joy sublime which breathes from out the womb And I shall circle, Lady of Heaven, while Thou followest thy Son, and mak'st diviner The sphere supreme, because thou enterest there." Thus did the circulated melody Seal itself up; and all the other lights Were making to resound the name of Mary. 110 The regal mantle of the volumes all Of that world, which most fervid is and living Extended over us its inner border, So very distant, that the semblance of it There where I was not yet appeared to me. Therefore mine eyes did not possess the power Of following the incoronated flame, Which mounted upward near to its own seed. And as a little child, that towards its mother Stretches its arms, when it the milk has taken, Regina cali singing with such sweetness, Within those richest coffers, which had been Which was acquired while weeping in the exile Of God and Mary, in his victory, Both with the ancient council and the new, He who doth keep the keys of such a glory. 175 130 135 CANTO XXIV. "O COMPANY elect to the great supper If by the grace of God this man foretaste Something of that which falleth from your table, Direct your mind to his immense desire, And him somewhat bedew; ye drinking are For ever at the fount whence comes his thought." Thus Beatrice; and those souls beatified 5 Transformed themselves to spheres on steadfast poles, And as the wheels in works of horologes Revolve so that the first to the beholder That none it left there of a greater brightness; And around Beatrice three several times Since our imagination for such folds, Much more our speech, is of a tint too glaring. "O holy sister mine, who us implorest With such devotion, by thine ardent love Thou dost unbind me from that beautiful sphere!" Unto my Lady did direct its breath, To whom our Lord delivered up the keys As good beseemeth thee, about the Faith From thee 'tis hid not; for thou hast thy sight By means of the true Faith, to glorify it So did I arm myself with every reason, While she was speaking, that I might be ready For such a questioner and such profession. "Say, thou good Christian; manifest thyself; What is the Faith?" Whereat I raised my brow Unto that light wherefrom was this breathed forth. Then turned I round to Beatrice, and she Prompt signals made to me that I should pour The water forth from my internal fountain. May grace, that suffers me to make confession," Began I, "to the great centurion, Cause my conceptions all to be explicit !" Father, of thy dear brother wrote of it, 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 |