Paradiso: Canto XVII

Paradiso: Canto XVIIAs came to Clymene, to be made certainOf that which he had heard against himself,He who makes fathers chary still to children,Even such was I, and such was I perceivedBy Beatrice and by the holy lightThat first on my account had changed its place.Therefore my Lady said to me: “Send forthThe flame of thy desire, so that it issueImprinted well with the internal stamp;Not that our knowledge may be greater madeBy speech of thine, but to accustom theeTo tell thy thirst, that we may give thee drink.”“O my beloved tree, (that so dost lift thee,That even as minds terrestrial perceiveNo triangle containeth two obtuse,So thou beholdest the contingent thingsEre in themselves they are, fixing thine eyesUpon the point in which all times are present,)While I was with Virgilius conjoinedUpon the mountain that the souls doth heal,And when descending into the dead world,Were spoken to me of my future lifeSome grievous words; although I feel myselfIn sooth foursquare against the blows of chance.On this account my wish would be contentTo hear what fortune is approaching me,Because foreseen an arrow comes more slowly.”Thus did I say unto that selfsame lightThat unto me had spoken before; and evenAs Beatrice willed was my own will confessed.Not in vague phrase, in which the foolish folkEnsnared themselves of old, ere yet was slainThe Lamb of God who taketh sins away,But with clear words and unambiguousLanguage responded that paternal love,Hid and revealed by its own proper smile:“Contingency, that outside of the volumeOf your materiality extends not,Is all depicted in the eternal aspect.Necessity however thence it takes not,Except as from the eye, in which ’tis mirrored,A ship that with the current down descends.From thence, e’en as there cometh to the earSweet harmony from an organ, comes in sightTo me the time that is preparing for thee.As forth from Athens went Hippolytus,By reason of his step-dame false and cruel,So thou from Florence must perforce depart.Already this is willed, and this is sought for;And soon it shall be done by him who thinks it,Where every day the Christ is bought and sold.The blame shall follow the offended partyIn outcry as is usual; but the vengeanceShall witness to the truth that doth dispense it.Thou shalt abandon everything belovedMost tenderly, and this the arrow isWhich first the bow of banishment shoots forth.Thou shalt have proof how savoureth of saltThe bread of others, and how hard a roadThe going down and up another’s stairs.And that which most shall weigh upon thy shouldersWill be the bad and foolish companyWith which into this valley thou shalt fall;For all ingrate, all mad and impiousWill they become against thee; but soon afterThey, and not thou, shall have the forehead scarlet.Of their bestiality their own proceedingsShall furnish proof; so ’twill be well for theeA party to have made thee by thyself.Thine earliest refuge and thine earliest innShall be the mighty Lombard’s courtesy,Who on the Ladder bears the holy bird,Who such benign regard shall have for theeThat ’twixt you twain, in doing and in asking,That shall be first which is with others last.With him shalt thou see one who at his birthHas by this star of strength been so impressed,That notable shall his achievements be.Not yet the people are aware of himThrough his young age, since only nine years yetAround about him have these wheels revolved.But ere the Gascon cheat the noble Henry,Some sparkles of his virtue shall appearIn caring not for silver nor for toil.So recognized shall his magnificenceBecome hereafter, that his enemiesWill not have power to keep mute tongues about it.On him rely, and on his benefits;By him shall many people be transformed,Changing condition rich and mendicant;And written in thy mind thou hence shalt bearOf him, but shalt not say it”—and things said heIncredible to those who shall be present.Then added: “Son, these are the commentariesOn what was said to thee; behold the snaresThat are concealed behind few revolutions;Yet would I not thy neighbours thou shouldst envy,Because thy life into the future reachesBeyond the punishment of their perfidies.”When by its silence showed that sainted soulThat it had finished putting in the woofInto that web which I had given it warped,Began I, even as he who yearneth after,Being in doubt, some counsel from a personWho seeth, and uprightly wills, and loves:“Well see I, father mine, how spurreth onThe time towards me such a blow to deal meAs heaviest is to him who most gives way.Therefore with foresight it is well I arm me,That, if the dearest place be taken from me,I may not lose the others by my songs.Down through the world of infinite bitterness,And o’er the mountain, from whose beauteous summitThe eyes of my own Lady lifted me,And afterward through heaven from light to light,I have learned that which, if I tell again,Will be a savour of strong herbs to many.And if I am a timid friend to truth,I fear lest I may lose my life with thoseWho will hereafter call this time the olden.”The light in which was smiling my own treasureWhich there I had discovered, flashed at firstAs in the sunshine doth a golden mirror;Then made reply: “A conscience overcastOr with its own or with another’s shame,Will taste forsooth the tartness of thy word;But ne’ertheless, all falsehood laid aside,Make manifest thy vision utterly,And let them scratch wherever is the itch;For if thine utterance shall offensive beAt the first taste, a vital nutriment’Twill leave thereafter, when it is digested.This cry of thine shall do as doth the wind,Which smiteth most the most exalted summits,And that is no slight argument of honour.Therefore are shown to thee within these wheels,Upon the mount and in the dolorous valley,Only the souls that unto fame are known;Because the spirit of the hearer rests not,Nor doth confirm its faith by an exampleWhich has the root of it unknown and hidden,Or other reason that is not apparent.”

As came to Clymene, to be made certainOf that which he had heard against himself,He who makes fathers chary still to children,

Even such was I, and such was I perceivedBy Beatrice and by the holy lightThat first on my account had changed its place.

Therefore my Lady said to me: “Send forthThe flame of thy desire, so that it issueImprinted well with the internal stamp;

Not that our knowledge may be greater madeBy speech of thine, but to accustom theeTo tell thy thirst, that we may give thee drink.”

“O my beloved tree, (that so dost lift thee,That even as minds terrestrial perceiveNo triangle containeth two obtuse,

So thou beholdest the contingent thingsEre in themselves they are, fixing thine eyesUpon the point in which all times are present,)

While I was with Virgilius conjoinedUpon the mountain that the souls doth heal,And when descending into the dead world,

Were spoken to me of my future lifeSome grievous words; although I feel myselfIn sooth foursquare against the blows of chance.

On this account my wish would be contentTo hear what fortune is approaching me,Because foreseen an arrow comes more slowly.”

Thus did I say unto that selfsame lightThat unto me had spoken before; and evenAs Beatrice willed was my own will confessed.

Not in vague phrase, in which the foolish folkEnsnared themselves of old, ere yet was slainThe Lamb of God who taketh sins away,

But with clear words and unambiguousLanguage responded that paternal love,Hid and revealed by its own proper smile:

“Contingency, that outside of the volumeOf your materiality extends not,Is all depicted in the eternal aspect.

Necessity however thence it takes not,Except as from the eye, in which ’tis mirrored,A ship that with the current down descends.

From thence, e’en as there cometh to the earSweet harmony from an organ, comes in sightTo me the time that is preparing for thee.

As forth from Athens went Hippolytus,By reason of his step-dame false and cruel,So thou from Florence must perforce depart.

Already this is willed, and this is sought for;And soon it shall be done by him who thinks it,Where every day the Christ is bought and sold.

The blame shall follow the offended partyIn outcry as is usual; but the vengeanceShall witness to the truth that doth dispense it.

Thou shalt abandon everything belovedMost tenderly, and this the arrow isWhich first the bow of banishment shoots forth.

Thou shalt have proof how savoureth of saltThe bread of others, and how hard a roadThe going down and up another’s stairs.

And that which most shall weigh upon thy shouldersWill be the bad and foolish companyWith which into this valley thou shalt fall;

For all ingrate, all mad and impiousWill they become against thee; but soon afterThey, and not thou, shall have the forehead scarlet.

Of their bestiality their own proceedingsShall furnish proof; so ’twill be well for theeA party to have made thee by thyself.

Thine earliest refuge and thine earliest innShall be the mighty Lombard’s courtesy,Who on the Ladder bears the holy bird,

Who such benign regard shall have for theeThat ’twixt you twain, in doing and in asking,That shall be first which is with others last.

With him shalt thou see one who at his birthHas by this star of strength been so impressed,That notable shall his achievements be.

Not yet the people are aware of himThrough his young age, since only nine years yetAround about him have these wheels revolved.

But ere the Gascon cheat the noble Henry,Some sparkles of his virtue shall appearIn caring not for silver nor for toil.

So recognized shall his magnificenceBecome hereafter, that his enemiesWill not have power to keep mute tongues about it.

On him rely, and on his benefits;By him shall many people be transformed,Changing condition rich and mendicant;

And written in thy mind thou hence shalt bearOf him, but shalt not say it”—and things said heIncredible to those who shall be present.

Then added: “Son, these are the commentariesOn what was said to thee; behold the snaresThat are concealed behind few revolutions;

Yet would I not thy neighbours thou shouldst envy,Because thy life into the future reachesBeyond the punishment of their perfidies.”

When by its silence showed that sainted soulThat it had finished putting in the woofInto that web which I had given it warped,

Began I, even as he who yearneth after,Being in doubt, some counsel from a personWho seeth, and uprightly wills, and loves:

“Well see I, father mine, how spurreth onThe time towards me such a blow to deal meAs heaviest is to him who most gives way.

Therefore with foresight it is well I arm me,That, if the dearest place be taken from me,I may not lose the others by my songs.

Down through the world of infinite bitterness,And o’er the mountain, from whose beauteous summitThe eyes of my own Lady lifted me,

And afterward through heaven from light to light,I have learned that which, if I tell again,Will be a savour of strong herbs to many.

And if I am a timid friend to truth,I fear lest I may lose my life with thoseWho will hereafter call this time the olden.”

The light in which was smiling my own treasureWhich there I had discovered, flashed at firstAs in the sunshine doth a golden mirror;

Then made reply: “A conscience overcastOr with its own or with another’s shame,Will taste forsooth the tartness of thy word;

But ne’ertheless, all falsehood laid aside,Make manifest thy vision utterly,And let them scratch wherever is the itch;

For if thine utterance shall offensive beAt the first taste, a vital nutriment’Twill leave thereafter, when it is digested.

This cry of thine shall do as doth the wind,Which smiteth most the most exalted summits,And that is no slight argument of honour.

Therefore are shown to thee within these wheels,Upon the mount and in the dolorous valley,Only the souls that unto fame are known;

Because the spirit of the hearer rests not,Nor doth confirm its faith by an exampleWhich has the root of it unknown and hidden,

Or other reason that is not apparent.”


Back to IndexNext