My Master and myself, we two alone Were going upward, and I thought, in going, "What did the spirit of Romagna mean, Where by companionship each share is lessened, But if the love of the supernal sphere Should upwardly direct your aspiration, There would not be that fear within your breast ; So much the more of good each one possesses, "I am more hungering to be satisfied," I said, "than if I had before been silent, And more of doubt within my mind I gather. How can it be, that boon distributed The more possessors can more wealthy make Therein, than if by few it be possessed?" And he to me: "Because thou fixest still Thy mind entirely upon earthly things, Which is above there, runneth unto love, And the more people thitherward aspire, More are there to love well, and more they love And if my reasoning appease thee not, Thou shalt see Beatrice; and she will fully There it appeared to me that in a vision And in a temple many persons saw; Lo, sorrowing, thy father and myself Were seeking for thee;"-and as here she ceased, Adown her cheeks which grief distils whenever For whose name was such strife among the gods, Avenge thyself on those audacious arms That clasped our daughter, O Pisistratus ;" To answer her with aspect temperate : "What shall we do to those who wish us ill, Then saw I people hot in fire of wrath, With stones a young man slaying, clamorously And him I saw bow down, because of death That weighed already on him, to the earth, But of his eyes made ever gates to heaven, Imploring the high Lord, in so great strife, That he would pardon those his persecutors, To things external to it which are true, My Leader, who could see me bear myself Like to a man that rouses him from sleep, : Exclaimed: "What ails thee, that thou canst not stand? But hast been coming more than half a league Veiling thine eyes, and with thy legs entangled, "O my sweet Father, if thou listen to me, I'll tell thee," said I, "what appeared to me, When thus from me my legs-were ta'en away." And he: "If thou shouldst have a hundred masks Upon thy face, from me would not be shut Thy cogitations, howsoever small. What thou hast seen was that thou mayst not fail Who only looketh with the eyes that see not But asked it to give vigour to thy feet; Thus must we needs urge on the sluggards, slow We passed along, athwart the twilight peering Nor was there place to hide one's self therefrom. This of our eyes and the pure air bereft us. CANTO XVI. DARKNESS of hell, and of a night deprived As much as may be tenebrous with cloud, As did that smoke which there enveloped us, Whereat mine escort, faithful and sagacious, Lest he should wander, or should strike against So went I through the bitter and foul air, Listening unto my Leader, who said only, Voices I heard, and every one appeared To supplicate for peace and misericord One word there was in all, and metre one, So that all harmony appeared among them. "Master,” I said, are spirits those I hear?" And he to me: "Thou apprehendest truly, And they the knot of anger go unloosing." "Now who art thou, that cleavest through our smoke, Whereon my Master said: "Do thou reply, To return beautiful to Him who made thee, Thou shalt hear marvels if thou follow me." "Thee will I follow far as is allowed me," He answered; "and if smoke prevent our seeing, Which death unwindeth am I going upward, And if God in his grace has me infolded, So that he wills that I behold his court By method wholly out of modern usage, Conceal not from me who ere death thou wast, But tell it me, and tell me if I go Right for the pass, and be thy words our escort." "Lombard was I, and I was Marco called; The world I knew, and loved that excellence, For mounting upward, thou art going right." Thus he made answer, and subjoined: "I pray thee 50 And I to him: "My faith I pledge to thee To do what thou dost ask me; but am bursting First it was simple, and is now made double 55 By thy opinion, which makes certain to me, Here and elsewhere, that which I couple with it. The world forsooth is utterly deserted And with iniquity is big and covered; 6< But I beseech thee point me out the cause, For one in the heavens, and here below one puts it." A sigh profound, that grief forced into Ai! The world is blind, and sooth thou comest from it! Ye who are living every cause refer Still upward to the heavens, as if all things If this were so, in you would be destroyed I say not all; but granting that I say it, In the first battles with the heavens it suffers, Though free, ye subject are, and that creates In you the cause is, be it sought in you; Weeping and laughing in her childish sport, Issues the simple soul, that nothing knows, Save that, proceeding from a joyous Maker, Gladly it turns to that which gives it pleasure. Of trivial good at first it tastes the savour; Is cheated by it, and runs after it, If guide or rein turn not aside its love. Hence it behoved laws for a rein to place, Behoved a king to have, who at the least Of the true city should discern the tower. The laws exist, but who sets hand to them? No one; because the shepherd who precedes Can ruminate, but cleaveth not the hoof; Wherefore the people that perceives its guide Strike only at the good for which it hankers, The cause is that has made the world depraved, Rome, that reformed the world, accustomed was 90 95 120 130 75 |