CANTO XXWhen, disappearing, from our hemisphere,The world’s enlightener vanishes, and dayOn all sides wasteth, suddenly the sky,Erewhile irradiate only with his beam,Is yet again unfolded, putting forthInnumerable lights wherein one shines.Of such vicissitude in heaven I thought,As the great sign, that marshaleth the worldAnd the world’s leaders, in the blessed beakWas silent; for that all those living lights,Waxing in splendour, burst forth into songs,Such as from memory glide and fall away.Sweet love! that dost apparel thee in smiles,How lustrous was thy semblance in those sparkles,Which merely are from holy thoughts inspir’d!After the precious and bright beaming stones,That did ingem the sixth light, ceas’d the chimingOf their angelic bells; methought I heardThe murmuring of a river, that doth fallFrom rock to rock transpicuous, making knownThe richness of his spring-head: and as soundOf cistern, at the fret-board, or of pipe,Is, at the wind-hole, modulate and tun’d;Thus up the neck, as it were hollow, roseThat murmuring of the eagle, and forthwithVoice there assum’d, and thence along the beakIssued in form of words, such as my heartDid look for, on whose tables I inscrib’d them.“The part in me, that sees, and bears the sun,,In mortal eagles,” it began, “must nowBe noted steadfastly: for of the fires,That figure me, those, glittering in mine eye,Are chief of all the greatest. This, that shinesMidmost for pupil, was the same, who sangThe Holy Spirit’s song, and bare aboutThe ark from town to town; now doth he knowThe merit of his soul-impassion’d strainsBy their well-fitted guerdon. Of the five,That make the circle of the vision, heWho to the beak is nearest, comfortedThe widow for her son: now doth he knowHow dear he costeth not to follow Christ,Both from experience of this pleasant life,And of its opposite. He next, who followsIn the circumference, for the over arch,By true repenting slack’d the pace of death:Now knoweth he, that the degrees of heav’nAlter not, when through pious prayer belowToday’s is made tomorrow’s destiny.The other following, with the laws and me,To yield the shepherd room, pass’d o’er to Greece,From good intent producing evil fruit:Now knoweth he, how all the ill, deriv’dFrom his well doing, doth not helm him aught,Though it have brought destruction on the world.That, which thou seest in the under bow,Was William, whom that land bewails, which weepsFor Charles and Frederick living: now he knowsHow well is lov’d in heav’n the righteous king,Which he betokens by his radiant seeming.Who in the erring world beneath would deem,That Trojan Ripheus in this round was setFifth of the saintly splendours? now he knowsEnough of that, which the world cannot see,The grace divine, albeit e’en his sightReach not its utmost depth.” Like to the lark,That warbling in the air expatiates long,Then, trilling out his last sweet melody,Drops satiate with the sweetness; such appear’dThat image stampt by the’ everlasting pleasure,Which fashions like itself all lovely things.I, though my doubting were as manifest,As is through glass the hue that mantles it,In silence waited not: for to my lips“What things are these?” involuntary rush’d,And forc’d a passage out: whereat I mark’dA sudden lightening and new revelry.The eye was kindled: and the blessed signNo more to keep me wond’ring and suspense,Replied: “I see that thou believ’st these things,Because I tell them, but discern’st not how;So that thy knowledge waits not on thy faith:As one who knows the name of thing by rote,But is a stranger to its properties,Till other’s tongue reveal them. Fervent loveAnd lively hope with violence assailThe kingdom of the heavens, and overcomeThe will of the Most high; not in such sortAs man prevails o’er man; but conquers it,Because ’tis willing to be conquer’d, still,Though conquer’d, by its mercy conquering.“Those, in the eye who live the first and fifth,Cause thee to marvel, in that thou behold’stThe region of the angels deck’d with them.They quitted not their bodies, as thou deem’st,Gentiles but Christians, in firm rooted faith,This of the feet in future to be pierc’d,That of feet nail’d already to the cross.One from the barrier of the dark abyss,Where never any with good will returns,Came back unto his bones. Of lively hopeSuch was the meed; of lively hope, that wing’dThe prayers sent up to God for his release,And put power into them to bend his will.The glorious Spirit, of whom I speak to thee,A little while returning to the flesh,Believ’d in him, who had the means to help,And, in believing, nourish’d such a flameOf holy love, that at the second deathHe was made sharer in our gamesome mirth.The other, through the riches of that grace,Which from so deep a fountain doth distil,As never eye created saw its rising,Plac’d all his love below on just and right:Wherefore of grace God op’d in him the eyeTo the redemption of mankind to come;Wherein believing, he endur’d no moreThe filth of paganism, and for their waysRebuk’d the stubborn nations. The three nymphs,Whom at the right wheel thou beheldst advancing,Were sponsors for him more than thousand yearsBefore baptizing. O how far remov’d,Predestination! is thy root from suchAs see not the First cause entire: and ye,O mortal men! be wary how ye judge:For we, who see our Maker, know not yetThe number of the chosen: and esteemSuch scantiness of knowledge our delight:For all our good is in that primal goodConcentrate, and God’s will and ours are one.”So, by that form divine, was giv’n to meSweet medicine to clear and strengthen sight,And, as one handling skillfully the harp,Attendant on some skilful songster’s voiceBids the chords vibrate, and therein the songAcquires more pleasure; so, the whilst it spake,It doth remember me, that I beheldThe pair of blessed luminaries move.Like the accordant twinkling of two eyes,Their beamy circlets, dancing to the sounds.
When, disappearing, from our hemisphere,The world’s enlightener vanishes, and dayOn all sides wasteth, suddenly the sky,Erewhile irradiate only with his beam,Is yet again unfolded, putting forthInnumerable lights wherein one shines.Of such vicissitude in heaven I thought,As the great sign, that marshaleth the worldAnd the world’s leaders, in the blessed beakWas silent; for that all those living lights,Waxing in splendour, burst forth into songs,Such as from memory glide and fall away.
Sweet love! that dost apparel thee in smiles,How lustrous was thy semblance in those sparkles,Which merely are from holy thoughts inspir’d!
After the precious and bright beaming stones,That did ingem the sixth light, ceas’d the chimingOf their angelic bells; methought I heardThe murmuring of a river, that doth fallFrom rock to rock transpicuous, making knownThe richness of his spring-head: and as soundOf cistern, at the fret-board, or of pipe,Is, at the wind-hole, modulate and tun’d;Thus up the neck, as it were hollow, roseThat murmuring of the eagle, and forthwithVoice there assum’d, and thence along the beakIssued in form of words, such as my heartDid look for, on whose tables I inscrib’d them.
“The part in me, that sees, and bears the sun,,In mortal eagles,” it began, “must nowBe noted steadfastly: for of the fires,That figure me, those, glittering in mine eye,Are chief of all the greatest. This, that shinesMidmost for pupil, was the same, who sangThe Holy Spirit’s song, and bare aboutThe ark from town to town; now doth he knowThe merit of his soul-impassion’d strainsBy their well-fitted guerdon. Of the five,That make the circle of the vision, heWho to the beak is nearest, comfortedThe widow for her son: now doth he knowHow dear he costeth not to follow Christ,Both from experience of this pleasant life,And of its opposite. He next, who followsIn the circumference, for the over arch,By true repenting slack’d the pace of death:Now knoweth he, that the degrees of heav’nAlter not, when through pious prayer belowToday’s is made tomorrow’s destiny.The other following, with the laws and me,To yield the shepherd room, pass’d o’er to Greece,From good intent producing evil fruit:Now knoweth he, how all the ill, deriv’dFrom his well doing, doth not helm him aught,Though it have brought destruction on the world.That, which thou seest in the under bow,Was William, whom that land bewails, which weepsFor Charles and Frederick living: now he knowsHow well is lov’d in heav’n the righteous king,Which he betokens by his radiant seeming.Who in the erring world beneath would deem,That Trojan Ripheus in this round was setFifth of the saintly splendours? now he knowsEnough of that, which the world cannot see,The grace divine, albeit e’en his sightReach not its utmost depth.” Like to the lark,That warbling in the air expatiates long,Then, trilling out his last sweet melody,Drops satiate with the sweetness; such appear’dThat image stampt by the’ everlasting pleasure,Which fashions like itself all lovely things.
I, though my doubting were as manifest,As is through glass the hue that mantles it,In silence waited not: for to my lips“What things are these?” involuntary rush’d,And forc’d a passage out: whereat I mark’dA sudden lightening and new revelry.The eye was kindled: and the blessed signNo more to keep me wond’ring and suspense,Replied: “I see that thou believ’st these things,Because I tell them, but discern’st not how;So that thy knowledge waits not on thy faith:As one who knows the name of thing by rote,But is a stranger to its properties,Till other’s tongue reveal them. Fervent loveAnd lively hope with violence assailThe kingdom of the heavens, and overcomeThe will of the Most high; not in such sortAs man prevails o’er man; but conquers it,Because ’tis willing to be conquer’d, still,Though conquer’d, by its mercy conquering.
“Those, in the eye who live the first and fifth,Cause thee to marvel, in that thou behold’stThe region of the angels deck’d with them.They quitted not their bodies, as thou deem’st,Gentiles but Christians, in firm rooted faith,This of the feet in future to be pierc’d,That of feet nail’d already to the cross.One from the barrier of the dark abyss,Where never any with good will returns,Came back unto his bones. Of lively hopeSuch was the meed; of lively hope, that wing’dThe prayers sent up to God for his release,And put power into them to bend his will.The glorious Spirit, of whom I speak to thee,A little while returning to the flesh,Believ’d in him, who had the means to help,And, in believing, nourish’d such a flameOf holy love, that at the second deathHe was made sharer in our gamesome mirth.The other, through the riches of that grace,Which from so deep a fountain doth distil,As never eye created saw its rising,Plac’d all his love below on just and right:Wherefore of grace God op’d in him the eyeTo the redemption of mankind to come;Wherein believing, he endur’d no moreThe filth of paganism, and for their waysRebuk’d the stubborn nations. The three nymphs,Whom at the right wheel thou beheldst advancing,Were sponsors for him more than thousand yearsBefore baptizing. O how far remov’d,Predestination! is thy root from suchAs see not the First cause entire: and ye,O mortal men! be wary how ye judge:For we, who see our Maker, know not yetThe number of the chosen: and esteemSuch scantiness of knowledge our delight:For all our good is in that primal goodConcentrate, and God’s will and ours are one.”
So, by that form divine, was giv’n to meSweet medicine to clear and strengthen sight,And, as one handling skillfully the harp,Attendant on some skilful songster’s voiceBids the chords vibrate, and therein the songAcquires more pleasure; so, the whilst it spake,It doth remember me, that I beheldThe pair of blessed luminaries move.Like the accordant twinkling of two eyes,Their beamy circlets, dancing to the sounds.