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第45章

the divine comedy(神曲)-第45章

小说: the divine comedy(神曲) 字数: 每页4000字

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And Beatrice exclaimed: 〃Behold the hosts
  Of Christ's triumphal march; and all the fruit
  Harvested by the rolling of these spheres!〃

It seemed to me her face was all aflame;
  And eyes she had so full of ecstasy
  That I must needs pass on without describing。

As when in nights serene of the full moon
  Smiles Trivia among the nymphs eternal
  Who paint the firmament through all its gulfs;

Saw I; above the myriads of lamps;
  A Sun that one and all of them enkindled;
  E'en as our own doth the supernal sights;

And through the living light transparent shone
  The lucent substance so intensely clear
  Into my sight; that I sustained it not。

O Beatrice; thou gentle guide and dear!
  To me she said: 〃What overmasters thee
  A virtue is from which naught shields itself。

There are the wisdom and the omnipotence
  That oped the thoroughfares 'twixt heaven and earth;
  For which there erst had been so long a yearning。〃

As fire from out a cloud unlocks itself;
  Dilating so it finds not room therein;
  And down; against its nature; falls to earth;

So did my mind; among those aliments
  Becoming larger; issue from itself;
  And that which it became cannot remember。

〃Open thine eyes; and look at what I am:
  Thou hast beheld such things; that strong enough
  Hast thou become to tolerate my smile。〃

I was as one who still retains the feeling
  Of a forgotten vision; and endeavours
  In vain to bring it back into his mind;

When I this invitation heard; deserving
  Of so much gratitude; it never fades
  Out of the book that chronicles the past。

If at this moment sounded all the tongues
  That Polyhymnia and her sisters made
  Most lubrical with their delicious milk;

To aid me; to a thousandth of the truth
  It would not reach; singing the holy smile
  And how the holy aspect it illumed。

And therefore; representing Paradise;
  The sacred poem must perforce leap over;
  Even as a man who finds his way cut off;

But whoso thinketh of the ponderous theme;
  And of the mortal shoulder laden with it;
  Should blame it not; if under this it tremble。

It is no passage for a little boat
  This which goes cleaving the audacious prow;
  Nor for a pilot who would spare himself。

〃Why doth my face so much enamour thee;
  That to the garden fair thou turnest not;
  Which under the rays of Christ is blossoming?

There is the Rose in which the Word Divine
  Became incarnate; there the lilies are
  By whose perfume the good way was discovered。〃

Thus Beatrice; and I; who to her counsels
  Was wholly ready; once again betook me
  Unto the battle of the feeble brows。

As in the sunshine; that unsullied streams
  Through fractured cloud; ere now a meadow of flowers
  Mine eyes with shadow covered o'er have seen;

So troops of splendours manifold I saw
  Illumined from above with burning rays;
  Beholding not the source of the effulgence。

O power benignant that dost so imprint them!
  Thou didst exalt thyself to give more scope
  There to mine eyes; that were not strong enough。

The name of that fair flower I e'er invoke
  Morning and evening utterly enthralled
  My soul to gaze upon the greater fire。

And when in both mine eyes depicted were
  The glory and greatness of the living star
  Which there excelleth; as it here excelled;

Athwart the heavens a little torch descended
  Formed in a circle like a coronal;
  And cinctured it; and whirled itself about it。

Whatever melody most sweetly soundeth
  On earth; and to itself most draws the soul;
  Would seem a cloud that; rent asunder; thunders;

Compared unto the sounding of that lyre
  Wherewith was crowned the sapphire beautiful;
  Which gives the clearest heaven its sapphire hue。

〃I am Angelic Love; that circle round
  The joy sublime which breathes from out the womb
  That was the hostelry of our Desire;

And I shall circle; Lady of Heaven; while
  Thou followest thy Son; and mak'st diviner
  The sphere supreme; because thou enterest there。〃

Thus did the circulated melody
  Seal itself up; and all the other lights
  Were making to resound the name of Mary。

The regal mantle of the volumes all
  Of that world; which most fervid is and living
  With breath of God and with his works and ways;

Extended over us its inner border;
  So very distant; that the semblance of it
  There where I was not yet appeared to me。

Therefore mine eyes did not possess the power
  Of following the incoronated flame;
  Which mounted upward near to its own seed。

And as a little child; that towards its mother
  Stretches its arms; when it the milk has taken;
  Through impulse kindled into outward flame;

Each of those gleams of whiteness upward reached
  So with its summit; that the deep affection
  They had for Mary was revealed to me。

Thereafter they remained there in my sight;
  'Regina coeli' singing with such sweetness;
  That ne'er from me has the delight departed。

O; what exuberance is garnered up
  Within those richest coffers; which had been
  Good husbandmen for sowing here below!

There they enjoy and live upon the treasure
  Which was acquired while weeping in the exile
  Of Babylon; wherein the gold was left。

There triumpheth; beneath the exalted Son
  Of God and Mary; in his victory;
  Both with the ancient council and the new;

He who doth keep the keys of such a glory。



Paradiso: Canto XXIV


〃O company elect to the great supper
  Of the Lamb benedight; who feedeth you
  So that for ever full is your desire;

If by the grace of God this man foretaste
  Something of that which falleth from your table;
  Or ever death prescribe to him the time;

Direct your mind to his immense desire;
  And him somewhat bedew; ye drinking are
  For ever at the fount whence comes his thought。〃

Thus Beatrice; and those souls beatified
  Transformed themselves to spheres on steadfast poles;
  Flaming intensely in the guise of comets。

And as the wheels in works of horologes
  Revolve so that the first to the beholder
  Motionless seems; and the last one to fly;

So in like manner did those carols; dancing
  In different measure; of their affluence
  Give me the gauge; as they were swift or slow。

From that one which I noted of most beauty
  Beheld I issue forth a fire so happy
  That none it left there of a greater brightness;

And around Beatrice three several times
  It whirled itself with so divine a song;
  My fantasy repeats it not to me;

Therefore the pen skips; and I write it not;
  Since our imagination for such folds;
  Much more our speech; is of a tint too glaring。

〃O holy sister mine; who us implorest
  With such devotion; by thine ardent love
  Thou dost unbind me from that beautiful sphere!〃

Thereafter; having stopped; the blessed fire
  Unto my Lady did direct its breath;
  Which spake in fashion as I here have said。

And she: 〃O light eterne of the great man
  To whom our Lord delivered up the keys
  He carried down of this miraculous joy;

This one examine on points light and grave;
  As good beseemeth thee; about the Faith
  By means of which thou on the sea didst walk。

If he love well; and hope well; and believe;
  From thee 'tis hid not; for thou hast thy sight
  There where depicted everything is seen。

But since this kingdom has made citizens
  By means of the true Faith; to glorify it
  'Tis well he have the chance to speak thereof。〃

As baccalaureate arms himself; and speaks not
  Until the master doth propose the question;
  To argue it; and not to terminate it;

So did I arm myself with every reason;
  While she was speaking; that I might be ready
  For such a questioner and such profession。

〃Say; thou good Christian; manifest thyself;
  What is the Faith?〃  Whereat I raised my brow
  Unto that light wherefrom was this breathed forth。

Then turned I round to Beatrice; and she
  Prompt signals made to me that I should pour
  The water forth from my internal fountain。

〃May grace; that suffers me to make confession;〃
  Began I; 〃to the great centurion;
  Cause my conceptions all to be explicit!〃

And I continued: 〃As the truthful pen;
  Father; 

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