And every permutation deem as foolish, Be faithful and not blind in doing that, As Jephthah was in his first offering, Whom more beseemed to say, 'I have done wrong,' Than to do worse by keeping; and as foolish Thou the great leader of the Greeks wilt find, Whence wept Iphigenia her fair face, And made for her both wise and simple weep, Who heard such kind of worship spoken of. Christians, be ye more serious in your movements; Be ye not like a feather at each wind, And think not every water washes you. Ye have the Old and the New Testament, And the Pastor of the Church who guideth you; Let this suffice you unto your salvation. 60 70 75 If evil appetite cry aught else to you, Be ye as men, and not as silly sheep, So that the Jew among you may not mock you. Be ye not as the lamb that doth abandon Its mother's milk, and frolicsome and simple 80 85 That had already in advance new questions; Strikes ere the bowstring quiet hath become, My Lady there so joyful I beheld, 90 As into the brightness of that heaven she entered, 95 More luminous thereat the planet grew; And if the star itself was changed and smiled, What became I, who by my nature am Exceeding mutable in every guise! As, in a fish-pond which is pure and tranquil,. 100 The fishes draw to that which from without Comes in such fashion that their food they deem it; So I beheld more than a thousand splendors Drawing towards us, and in each was heard: "Lo, this is she who shall increase our love." And as each one was coming unto us, Full of beatitude the shade was seen, By the effulgence clear that issued from it. Think, Reader, if what here is just beginning 105 No farther should proceed, how thou wouldst have An agonizing need of knowing more; And of thyself thou 'lt see how I from these Was in desire of hearing their conditions, As they unto mine eyes were manifest. "O thou well-born, unto whom Grace concedes III 115 With light that through the whole of heaven is spread Kindled are we, and hence if thou desirest To know of us, at thine own pleasure sate thee." Thus by some one among those holy spirits 121 Was spoken, and by Beatrice: "Speak, speak Securely, and believe them even as Gods.” "Well I perceive how thou dost nest thyself 126 In thine own light, and drawest it from thine eyes, Because they coruscate when thou dost smile, But know not who thou art, nor why thou hast, Spirit august, thy station in the sphere That veils itself to men in alien rays." This said I in direction of the light 130 Which first had spoken to me; whence it became By far more lucent than it was before. Even as the sun, that doth conceal himself By too much light, when heat has worn away In its own radiance the figure saintly, 135 CANTO VI "AFTER that Constantine the eagle turned Near to the mountains whence it issued first ; It governed there the world from hand to hand, And, changing thus, upon mine own alighted. Cæsar I was, and am Justinian, 5 10 Who, by the will of primal Love I feel, Took from the laws the useless and redundant; And ere unto the work I was attent, One nature to exist in Christ, not more, Believed, and with such faith was I contented. 15 But blessed Agapetus, he who was The supreme pastor, to the faith sincere And to my Belisarius I commended 20 25 The arms, to which was Heaven's right hand so joined It was a signal that I should repose. 30 35 Three hundred years and upward, till at last The three to three fought for it yet again. Thou knowest what it achieved from Sabine wrong Down to Lucretia's sorrow, in seven kings . O'ercoming round about the neighboring nations; Thou knowest what it achieved, borne by the Ro mans Illustrious against Brennus, against Pyrrhus, Against the other princes and confederates. Torquatus thence and Quinctius, who from locks Unkempt was named, Decii and Fabii, Received the fame I willingly embalm; It struck to earth the pride of the Arabians, Who, following Hannibal, had passed across The Alpine ridges, Po, from which thou glidest; Beneath it triumphed while they yet were young Pompey and Scipio, and to the hill Beneath which thou wast born it bitter seemed; Then, near unto the time when heaven had willed To bring the whole world to its mood serene, Did Cæsar by the will of Rome assume it. 4I 45 50 55 |