Paradiso

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by Dante


  I had not yet quite finished with my words

  when the light began to spin around its core,

  81

  whirling like a quickly turning millstone.

  Then the love that was within it spoke:

  ‘Divine light focuses on me, piercing →

  84

  the radiance that holds me in its womb. →

  ‘Its power, conjoined with my own sight,

  raises me so far above myself that I can see

  87

  the Highest Essence, the source from which it flows.

  ‘And this inflames the joy with which I burn:

  for, in the clarity of my sight,

  90

  I match the clearness of my flame. →

  ‘Nonetheless, the most enlightened soul in Heaven, →

  that seraph who fixes most his eye on God,

  93

  could not produce an answer to your question,

  ‘for what you ask is hidden in the depths →

  of the abyss of God’s eternal law, so that the sight

  96

  of any being He created is cut off from it.

  ‘And to the mortal world, when you return,

  bear this report, so that it shall no more presume

  99

  to set its steps toward such a goal.

  ‘The mind, here bright, is dimmed by smoke on earth.

  Ask yourself, then, how could it do down there

  102

  what it cannot, though Heaven raise it to itself?’

  His words so reined me in →

  that I withdrew the question, limiting myself

  105

  to asking humbly who he was.

  ‘Between Italy’s two shores →

  and not far distant from your homeland,

  108

  crags rise so high that thunder rolls below them.

  ‘They form a ridge called Càtria.

  A consecrated monastery stands below,

  111

  once dedicated wholly to God’s worship.’ →

  Thus a third time he began,

  addressing me, and then went on:

  114

  ‘There I became so constant serving God,

  ‘my simple fare seasoned with olive oil alone, →

  that I readily endured the heat and frost,

  117

  content in contemplation.

  ‘That cloister which used to yield abundant harvest

  to these heavens now is barren,

  120

  but soon its barrenness must be revealed.

  ‘In that place I was known as Peter Damian, →

  but Peter the Sinner in the House

  123

  of Our Lady on the Adriatic shore.

  ‘Little of mortal life on earth was left to me

  when I was singled out and dragged to that red hat →

  126

  which now is passed from bad to worse.

  ‘Cephas came, and the exalted vessel → →

  of the Holy Spirit came, lean and barefoot,

  129

  receiving their food at any doorway. →

  ‘Now our modern shepherds call for one on this side,

  one on that, to support them, they are so bloated,

  132

  and one to go before, one to boost them from behind.

  ‘Their fur-lined mantles hang upon their horses’ flanks

  so that two beasts go underneath one skin.

  135

  O patience, what a heavy load you bear!’

  As he spoke, I saw more flickering flames →

  descend, spinning from rung to rung,

  138

  at every turn more lovely.

  They thronged around him and then stopped and raised

  a cry so loud that nothing here

  could be compared to it—nor could I make it out,

  142

  so did its thunder overwhelm me.

  OUTLINE: PARADISO XXII

  SATURN

  1–21

  Beatrice explains the reason for the shouting

  1–6

  Dante as frightened child, Beatrice as reassuring mother:

  7–9

  in Heaven, she explains, only righteous zeal can account for such apparently dissonant sounds;

  10–12

  now he should see that her smile or their song would have been too much for him, since their shout has so moved him;

  13–15

  had he understood their words, he would understand the vengeance of God that awaits such prelates;

  16–18

  such vengeance comes slow for mortals who, in longing or in fear, await it anxiously;

  19–21

  now he should pay attention to the other souls here.

  22–51

  first part of the discussion with St. Benedict

  22–24

  Dante sees a crowd of joyous souls;

  25–30

  he represses the question (“who are you?”) that the largest and brightest of these pearls advances to answer:

  31–36

  “You should have understood the charity that governs us here and spoken; I will answer without making you do so”:

  37–51

  Benedict’s autobiography.

  52–72

  Dante’s premature request

  52–60

  “Show yourself to me uncovered,” without his light

  61–72

  Benedict: Dante will see him thus in the Empyrean.

  73–99

  Benedict denounces the corruption of his order

  73–75

  No mortals now try to reach meditative heights;

  76–78

  the monasteries and their monks are now derelict;

  79–84

  his attack on monastic abdication of duty;

  85–87

  humans start out well but quickly reveal their faults;

  88–93

  Peter, Francis, and he built on very little, but now one sees the institutions they founded totally corrupted;

  94–96

  God’s revenge will show His power: e.g., Jordan, Red Sea;

  97–99

  Benedict and his companions all disappear above

  100–111

  Ascent to the heaven of the fixed stars

  100–105

  Dante and Beatrice move upward with supernatural speed;

  106–111

  address to the reader: how quickly he went up and entered the Starry Sphere [in Gemini]

  112–123

  seventh invocation in the poem (to the stars of Gemini)

  124–154

  Dante looks back down

  124–126

  Beatrice: “You are so near the final happiness that your sight is clear and keen;

  127–132

  “therefore, look back at what you have already traversed.”

  133–138

  Dante sees the seven spheres and the earth,

  139–150

  and then the seven planets,

  151–154

  with a final glance at our globe before turning back to the eyes of Beatrice.

  PARADISO XXII

  Overcome by wonder, I turned to my guide, → →

  as does a child who always scurries back

  3

  to the one who has his utmost trust.

  And she, like a mother, quick in comforting →

  her son when he is pale and out of breath

  6

  with a voice that often calmed him in the past,

  said: ‘Don’t you understand you are in Heaven? →

  Don’t you understand that all of Heaven is holy,

  9

  that all things done here spring from righteous zeal?

  ‘It should be clear to you just how their song, → →

  and then my smile, would have confused you,

  12

>   since you were so startled by their cry.

  ‘In it, had you understood their prayers, →

  you would already recognize

  15

  the vengeance you shall see before you die.

  ‘The sword of Heaven never cuts in haste →

  nor in delay, but to the one who waits

  18

  in longing or in fear, it well may seem so.

  ‘Now turn around and see the others, →

  for you shall look on many illustrious spirits →

  21

  if you but set your gaze to where I say.’

  I turned my eyes as she had urged and saw

  one hundred little globes that made each other brighter →

  24

  in the glittering reflections of one another’s rays.

  I was as one who in himself restrains →

  the spur of his desire and, fearing to presume,

  27

  dares not pose his question.

  The largest and most lustrous of those pearls →

  advanced to satisfy my longing

  30

  to find out more about him.

  Then, from deep within, I heard him say: ‘Could you see, → →

  as I do, the charity burning in our midst,

  33

  you would have shared your thoughts with us.

  ‘And that your arrival at the lofty goal

  be not delayed by waiting, I shall answer

  36

  your guarded thoughts, which you dare not express.

  ‘The summit of the mountain on whose slope →

  Cassino lies was once much frequented

  39

  by people both deluded and perverse. →

  ‘I am he who first brought up the slope

  the name of Him who carried down to earth

  42

  the truth that so exalts us to the heights.

  ‘And such abundant grace shone down on me

  I led the neighboring towns away

  45

  from impious worship that misled the world. →

  ‘All these other flames spent their lives in contemplation, →

  kindled by that warmth which brings

  48

  both holy flowers and holy fruits to birth. →

  ‘Here is Macarius, here is Romualdus, →

  here are my brothers whose feet never strayed →

  51

  beyond their cloisters and whose hearts were firm.’

  And I to him: ‘The affection you display →

  when you speak with me and the signs of kindness

  54

  that I see and mark in all your fires

  ‘have enhanced my confidence,

  as the sun expands the rose

  57

  when it opens to its fullest bloom.

  ‘Therefore, I pray you, father, reassure me— →

  if I may hope to gain so great a favor—

  60

  that I may see you with your face unveiled.’

  And he: ‘Brother, your lofty wish → →

  shall find fulfillment in the highest sphere,

  63

  where all desires are fulfilled, and mine as well.

  ‘There only all we long for is perfected, →

  ripe, and entire. It is there alone

  66

  each element remains forever in its place,

  ‘for it is not in space and does not turn →

  on poles. Our ladder mounts right up to it →

  69

  and thus its top is hidden from your sight.

  ‘Jacob the patriarch saw the ladder’s highest rungs →

  attain that height when, teeming with

  72

  a throng of angels, it appeared to him.

  ‘But no one bothers now to raise his foot →

  up from the earth to climb those rungs,

  75

  and my Rule is but a waste of paper.

  ‘The walls that were constructed for an abbey

  have been converted into dens for thieves, and sacks, →

  78

  now filled with rotten flour, once served as cowls.

  ‘But the highest rates of usury are not exacted

  against God’s will so much as is the harvest

  81

  that turns the hearts of monks to madness.

  ‘For whatever the Church has in its keeping

  is reserved for those who ask it in God’s name,

  84

  and not for kindred or more vile relations.

  ‘The flesh of mortals is so weak and dissolute →

  that good beginnings go astray down there, undone

  87

  before the newly planted oak can bring forth acorns.

  ‘Peter started his community with neither gold → →

  nor silver, and I mine with fasting and with prayer, →

  90

  while Francis with humility established his.

  ‘If you consider where each started out,

  and then consider how far it now has strayed,

  93

  you shall see how dark its white has turned. →

  ‘Still, the sight of Jordan driven back and of the sea →

  that opened at the will of God were greater wonders

  96

  to behold than would be His intervention here.’

  This he said to me, and then withdrew →

  to his companions, who, drawing close together,

  99

  now swirled up as in a whirlwind.

  My sweet lady, with but a single gesture, urged me on →

  to follow right behind them up that stairway,

  102

  so did her power overcome my nature. →

  And never once down here below,

  where we mount and descend by natural law,

  105

  was there motion swift enough to match my flight.

  So may I, reader, once again return →

  there to that holy triumph for whose sake

  108

  I frequently bewail my sins and beat my breast,

  you could not have withdrawn and thrust your finger → →

  into the fire faster than I saw the sign

  111

  that follows on the Bull and was within.

  O glorious stars, O light made pregnant →

  with a mighty power, all my talent,

  114

  whatever it may be, has you as source.

  From you was risen and within you hidden

  he who is the father of all mortal life

  117

  when first I breathed the Tuscan air.

  And afterward, when I was granted grace

  to enter the high wheel that keeps you turning,

  120

  it was your zone to which I was assigned.

  To you now, with devotion, my soul sighs →

  that it gain strength for the next daunting task

  123

  that with such power draws it to itself. →

  ‘You are so near the final blessedness,’ → →

  Beatrice then began,

  126

  ‘your eyes from now on shall be clear and keen.

  ‘Thus, before you become more one with it, →

  look down once more and see how many heavens

  129

  I have already set beneath your feet, →

  ‘so that your heart, filled with joy,

  may greet the triumphant throng that comes →

  132

  in gladness to this aethereal sphere.’ →

  With my eyes I returned through every one →

  of the seven spheres below, and saw this globe of ours →

  135

  to be such that I smiled, so mean did it appear.

  That opinion which judges it as least

  I now approve as best, and he whose thoughts

  1
38

  are fixed on other things may truly be called just.

  I saw Latona’s daughter shining bright, → →

  without that shadow for which I once believed

  141

  she was both dense and rare.

  The visage of your son, Hyperion, I endured →

  and saw how Maia and Dïone move

  144

  around him in their circling near. →

  Then I saw the tempering of Jove between his father →

  and his son, and the changes that they make →

  147

  in their positions were now clear.

  All seven planets there revealed →

  their sizes, their velocities,

  150

  and how distant from each other their abodes.

  The little patch of earth that makes us here so fierce, →

  from hills to rivermouths, I saw it all →

  while I was being wheeled with the eternal Twins.

  154

  Then I turned my eyes once more to those fair eyes.

  OUTLINE: PARADISO XXIII

  STARRY SPHERE

  1–12

  simile (1): mother bird, anxiously awaiting dawn, and Beatrice awaiting “sunrise” in order to “nourish” Dante

  13–15

  comparison (1): Dante is like a man who longs for what he has not and who is satisfied by the hope itself

  16–18

  but the moments of hoping and seeing are near resolution: the sky is brightening

  19–21

  Beatrice: “See those first and then later saved by Christ”

  22–24

  Beatrice’s indescribable joy: her “home” has come to her;

  25–30

  simile (2): a full moon (Trivïa) and all the stars likened to this “sun” lighting up all the descended souls

  31–33

  and Dante’s sight cannot bear its brightness;

 

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