Although the world thereby may be destroyed. 60 And he whom in the downward arc thou seest Guglielmo was, whom the same land deplores With a just king; and in the outward show Who would believe, down in the errant world, That e'er the Trojan Ripheus in this round Could be the fifth one of the holy lights? Now knoweth he enough of what the world Has not the power to see of grace divine, Although his sight may not discern the bottom." Like as a lark that in the air expatiates, First singing and then silent with content Of the last sweetness that doth satisfy her, Such seemed to me the image of the imprint Of the eternal pleasure, by whose will Doth everything become the thing it is. And notwithstanding to my doubt I was As glass is to the color that invests it, To wait the time in silence it endured not, But forth from out my mouth, "What things are these?" Extorted with the force of its own weight; Because I say them, but thou seest not how; 65 70 75 80 85 90 Thou doest as he doth who a thing by name Cannot perceive, unless another show it. From fervent love, and from that living hope Cause thee astonishment, because with them In prayers to God made to resuscitate him, And, in believing, kindled to such fire Of genuine love, that at the second death Set all his love below on righteousness; Wherefore from grace to grace did God unclose 95 100 105 115 120 125 His eye to our redemption yet to be, Whence he believed therein, and suffered not From that day forth the stench of Paganism, And he reproved therefor the folk perverse. Those Maidens three, whom at the right-hand wheel Thou didst behold, were unto him for baptism More than a thousand years before baptizing. O thou predestination, how remote Thy root is from the aspect of all those Who the First Cause do not behold entire ! And you, O mortals! hold yourselves restrained In judging; for ourselves, who look on God, We do not know as yet all the elect; And sweet to us is such a deprivation, Because our good in this good is made perfect, After this manner by that shape divine, To make clear in me my short-sightedness, And as good singer a good lutanist Accompanies with vibrations of the chords, So, while it spake, do I remember me That I beheld both of those blessed lights, Even as the winking of the eyes concords, Moving unto the words their little flames. 130 135 140 145 CANTO XXI ALREADY on my Lady's face mine eyes Again were fastened, and with these my mind, Of the eternal palace more enkindles, That all thy mortal power in its effulgence We are uplifted to the seventh splendor, Fix in direction of thine eyes the mind, Obedience unto my celestial escort, Revolving, bears the name of its dear leader, 5 ΙΟ 16 20 25 Colored like gold, on which the sunshine gleams, So many splendors, that I thought each light The rooks together at the break of day Others come back to where they started from, And others, wheeling round, still keep at home; Such fashion it appeared to me was there Within the sparkling that together came, Became so clear, that in my thought I said, She thereupon, who saw my silentness In the sight of Him who seeth everything, And I began: "No merit of my own Renders me worthy of response from thee; But for her sake who granteth me the asking, Thou blessed life that dost remain concealed In thy beatitude, make known to me The cause which draweth thee so near my side; And tell me why is silent in this wheel The dulcet symphony of Paradise, 30 35 40 45 50 55 |