CANTO XXXIII. "DEUS, venerunt gentes," alternating Now three, now four, melodious psalmody Listened to them with such a countenance, Et iterum, my sisters predilect, Then all the seven in front of her she placed; That her tenth step was placed upon the ground, She said to me: "Why, brother, dost thou not As unto those who are too reverential, Speaking in presence of superiors, Who drag no living utterance to their teeth, It me befell, that without perfect sound Began I: "My necessity, Madonna, You know, and that which thereunto is good." And she to me: "Of fear and bashfulness Henceforward I will have thee strip thyself, Was, and is not; but let him who is guilty The Eagle that left his plumes upon the car, For verily I see, and hence narrate it, The stars already near to bring the time, One sent from God, shall slay the thievish woman And peradventure my dark utterance, Like Themis and the Sphinx, may less persuade thee, But soon the facts shall be the Naiades Who shall this difficult enigma solve, Without destruction of the flocks and harvests. These words, so teach them unto those who live Not to conceal what thou hast seen the plant, Whoever pillages or shatters it, With blasphemy of deed offendeth God, For biting that, in pain and in desire Five thousand years and more the first-born soul Thy genius slumbers, if it deem it not For special reason so pre-eminent In height, and so inverted in its summit. And if thy vain imaginings had not been And Pyramus to the mulberry, their pleasure, Thou by so many circumstances only The justice of the interdict of God Morally in the tree wouldst recognize. But since I see thee in thine intellect Converted into stone and stained with sin, I will too, if not written, at least painted, Thou bear it back within thee, for the reason Which does not change the figure stamped upon it, But wherefore so beyond my power of sight The more I strive, so much the more I lose it ?" "That thou mayst recognize," she said, "the school Distant as far as separated is From earth the heaven that highest hastens on." Smiling she answered, "recollect thee now Such an oblivion clearly demonstrates Some error in thy will elsewhere intent. Truly from this time forward shall my words Be naked, so far as it is befitting To lay them open unto thy rude gaze." The sun was holding the meridian circle, When halted (as he cometh to a halt, Who goes before a squadron as its escort, The ladies seven at a dark shadow's edge, Such as, beneath green leaves and branches black, In front of them the Tigris and Euphrates Methought I saw forth issue from one fountain, "O light, O glory of the human race! What stream is this which here unfolds itself For such a prayer, 'twas said unto me, "Pray Matilda that she tell thee;" and here answered, Were told to him by me; and sure I am The beautiful lady: "This and other things The water of Lethe has not hid them from him." And Beatrice: "Perhaps a greater care, Which oftentimes our memory takes away, But Eunoë behold, that yonder rises; Lead him to it, and, as thou art accustomed, Like gentle soul, that maketh no excuse, But makes its own will of another's will The beautiful lady moved, and unto Statius If, Reader, I possessed a longer space For writing it, I yet would sing in part Of the sweet draught that ne'er would satiate me; But inasmuch as full are all the leaves Made ready for this second canticle, The curb of art no farther lets me go. From the most holy water I returned Regenerate, in the manner of new trees That are renewed with a new foliage, Pure and disposed to mount unto the stars. 130 139 ་ |