Now hast thou power to judge of such as those 100 105 110 The father's crime; and let him not believe That God will change His scutcheon for the lilies. This little planet doth adorn itself With the good spirits that have active been, That fame and honor might come after them; And whensoever the desires mount thither, Thus deviating, must perforce the rays With our desert is portion of our joy, 115 Because we see them neither less nor greater. 120 Herein doth living Justice sweeten so Affection in us, that forevermore And in the compass of this present pearl 125 The grand and beauteous work was ill rewarded. But the Provençals who against him wrought, 130 They have not laughed, and therefore ill goes he Who makes his hurt of the good deeds of others. Four daughters, and each one of them a queen, Had Raymond Berenger, and this for him Did Romeo, a poor man and a pilgrim ; And then malicious words incited him To summon to a reckoning this just man, Who rendered to him seven and five for ten. Then he departed poor and stricken in years, And if the world could know the heart he had, In begging bit by bit his livelihood, 135 141 Though much it laud him, it would laud him more." CANTO VII. "Osanna sanctus Deus Sabaoth, And to their dance this and the others moved, Veiled themselves from me with a sudden dis tance. Doubting was I, and saying, "Tell her, tell her,” 10 Within me, "tell her," saying, "tell my Lady," Who slakes my thirst with her sweet effluences; And yet that reverence which doth lord it over The whole of me only by B and ICE, Bowed me again like unto one who drowses. Short while did Beatrice endure me thus ; And she began, lighting me with a smile Such as would make one happy in the fire: According to infallible advisement, After what manner a just vengeance justly Could be avenged has put thee upon thinking, But I will speedily thy mind unloose; And do thou listen, for these words of mine Of a great doctrine will a present make thee. By not enduring on the power that wills 20 25 Curb for his good, that man who ne'er was born, Damning himself damned all his progeny; Whereby the human species down below Lay sick for many centuries in great error, Till to descend it pleased the Word of God 30 To where the nature, which from its own Maker Estranged itself, he joined to him in person By the sole act of his eternal love. Now unto what is said direct thy sight; This nature when united to its Maker, Such as created, was sincere and good; But by itself alone was banished forth From Paradise, because it turned aside Out of the way of truth and of its life. Therefore the penalty the cross held out, If measured by the nature thus assumed, None ever yet with so great justice stung, And none was ever of so great injustice, 25 45 Considering who the Person was that suffered, Within whom such a nature was contracted. From one act therefore issued things diverse; To God and to the Jews one death was pleasing; Earth trembled at it and the Heaven was opened. It should no longer now seem difficult To thee, when it is said that a just vengeance 50 By a just court was afterward avenged. But now do I behold thy mind entangled From thought to thought within a knot, from which With great desire it waits to free itself. Thou sayest, Well discern I what I hear 6 ; But it is hidden from me why God willed For our redemption only this one mode.' Buried remaineth, brother, this decree Unto the eyes of every one whose nature Is in the flame of love not yet adult. Verily, inasmuch as at this mark say. One gazes long and little is discerned, The more conformed thereto, the more it pleases; 55 60 65 70 75 8 And to his dignity no more returns, Unless he fill up where transgression empties Except by passing one of these two fords: Of the eternal counsel, to my speech To satisfy, not having power to sink Far as he disobeying thought to rise ; And for this reason man has been from power Of satisfying by himself excluded. Therefore it God behoved in his own ways Man to restore unto his perfect life, I say in one, or else in both of them. But since the action of the doer is So much more grateful, as it more presents The goodness of the heart from which it issues, Goodness Divine, that doth imprint the world, Has been contented to proceed by each And all its ways to lift you up again; Nor 'twixt the first day and the final night Such high and such magnificent proceeding By one or by the other was or shall be; 85 95 100 105 114 |