The Divine Comedy - The Original Classic Edition. Dante Dante

ear o' th' harvest thresh'd, And its grain safely stor'd, sweet charity

       Invites me with the other to like toil.

       "Thou know'st, that in the bosom, whence the rib

       68

       Was ta'en to fashion that fair cheek, whose taste All the world pays for, and in that, which pierc'd By the keen lance, both after and before

       Such satisfaction offer'd, as outweighs Each evil in the scale, whate'er of light To human nature is allow'd, must all

       Have by his virtue been infus'd, who form'd Both one and other: and thou thence admir'st In that I told thee, of beatitudes

       A second, there is none, to his enclos'd

       In the fifth radiance. Open now thine eyes To what I answer thee; and thou shalt see Thy deeming and my saying meet in truth, As centre in the round. That which dies not,

       And that which can die, are but each the beam Of that idea, which our Soverign Sire Engendereth loving; for that lively light,

       Which passeth from his brightness; not disjoin'd From him, nor from his love triune with them, Doth, through his bounty, congregate itself, Mirror'd, as 't were in new existences,

       Itself unalterable and ever one.

       "Descending hence unto the lowest powers, Its energy so sinks, at last it makes

       But brief contingencies: for so I name

       Things generated, which the heav'nly orbs

       Moving, with seed or without seed, produce.

       Their wax, and that which molds it, differ much:

       69

       And thence with lustre, more or less, it shows Th' ideal stamp impress: so that one tree According to his kind, hath better fruit,

       And worse: and, at your birth, ye, mortal men, Are in your talents various. Were the wax Molded with nice exactness, and the heav'n

       In its disposing influence supreme,

       The lustre of the seal should be complete: But nature renders it imperfect ever, Resembling thus the artist in her work, Whose faultering hand is faithless to his skill. Howe'er, if love itself dispose, and mark

       The primal virtue, kindling with bright view, There all perfection is vouchsafed; and such

       The clay was made, accomplish'd with each gift, That life can teem with; such the burden fill'd The virgin's bosom: so that I commend

       Thy judgment, that the human nature ne'er

       Was or can be, such as in them it was.

       "Did I advance no further than this point,

       'How then had he no peer?' thou might'st reply. But, that what now appears not, may appear Right plainly, ponder, who he was, and what (When he was bidden 'Ask' ), the motive sway'd To his requesting. I have spoken thus,

       That thou mayst see, he was a king, who ask'd

       For wisdom, to the end he might be king

       Sufficient: not the number to search out

       70

       Of the celestial movers; or to know, If necessary with contingent e'er Have made necessity; or whether that Be granted, that first motion is; or if

       Of the mid circle can, by art, be made

       Triangle with each corner, blunt or sharp.

       "Whence, noting that, which I have said, and this, Thou kingly prudence and that ken mayst learn, At which the dart of my intention aims.

       And, marking clearly, that I told thee, 'Risen,' Thou shalt discern it only hath respect

       To kings, of whom are many, and the good Are rare. With this distinction take my words; And they may well consist with that which thou Of the first human father dost believe,

       And of our well-beloved. And let this Henceforth be led unto thy feet, to make Thee slow in motion, as a weary man,

       Both to the 'yea' and to the 'nay' thou seest not. For he among the fools is down full low,

       Whose affirmation, or denial, is Without distinction, in each case alike Since it befalls, that in most instances Current opinion leads to false: and then Affection bends the judgment to her ply.

       "Much more than vainly doth he loose from shore,

       Since he returns not such as he set forth,

       71

       Who fishes for the truth and wanteth skill. And open proofs of this unto the world Have been afforded in Parmenides, Melissus, Bryso, and the crowd beside,

       Who journey'd on, and knew not whither: so did

       Sabellius, Arius, and the other fools,

       Who, like to scymitars, reflected back

       The scripture-image, by distortion marr'd.

       "Let not the people be too swift to judge, As one who reckons on the blades in field, Or ere the crop be ripe. For I have seen The thorn frown rudely all the winter long And after bear the rose upon its top;

       And bark, that all the way across the sea Ran straight and speedy, perish at the last, E'en in the haven's mouth seeing one steal, Another brine, his offering to the priest,

       Let not Dame Birtha and Sir Martin thence Into heav'n's counsels deem that they can pry: For one of these may rise, the other fall."

       CANTO XIV

       From centre to the circle, and so back

       From circle to the centre, water moves

       72

       In the round chalice, even as the blow

       Impels it, inwardly, or from without.

       Such was the image glanc'd into my mind, As the great spirit of Aquinum ceas'd; And Beatrice after him her words

       Resum'd alternate: "Need there is (tho' yet

       He tells it to you not in words, nor e'en

       In thought) that he should fathom to its depth

       Another mystery. Tell him, if the light,

       Wherewith your substance blooms, shall stay with you

       Eternally, as now: and, if it doth,

       How, when ye shall regain your visible forms, The sight may without harm endure the change, That also tell." As those, who in a ring

       Tread the light measure, in their fitful mirth

       Raise loud the voice, and spring with gladder bound; Thus, at the hearing of that pious suit,

       The saintly circles in their tourneying

       And wond'rous note attested new delight.

       Whoso laments, that we must doff this garb Of frail mortality, thenceforth to live Immortally above, he hath not seen

       The sweet refreshing, of that heav'nly shower.

       Him, who lives ever, and for ever reigns In mystic union of the Three in One, Unbounded, bounding all, each spirit thrice

       Sang, with such melody, as but to hear

       73

       For highest merit were an ample meed.

       And from the lesser orb the goodliest light, With gentle voice and mild, such as perhaps The angel's once to Mary, thus replied: "Long as the joy of Paradise shall last,

       Our love shall shine around that raiment, bright, As fervent; fervent, as in vision blest;

       And that as far in blessedness exceeding, As it hath grave beyond its virtue great.

       Our shape, regarmented with glorious weeds

       Of saintly flesh, must, being thus entire,

       Show yet more gracious. Therefore shall increase, Whate'er of light, gratuitous, imparts

       The Supreme Good; light, ministering aid, The better disclose his glory: whence

       The vision needs increasing,