the divine comedy(神曲)-第66章
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We passed along; athwart the twilight peering
Forward as far as ever eye could stretch
Against the sunbeams serotine and lucent;
And lo! by slow degrees a smoke approached
In our direction; sombre as the night;
Nor was there place to hide one's self therefrom。
This of our eyes and the pure air bereft us。
Purgatorio: Canto XVI
Darkness of hell; and of a night deprived
Of every planet under a poor sky;
As much as may be tenebrous with cloud;
Ne'er made unto my sight so thick a veil;
As did that smoke which there enveloped us;
Nor to the feeling of so rough a texture;
For not an eye it suffered to stay open;
Whereat mine escort; faithful and sagacious;
Drew near to me and offered me his shoulder。
E'en as a blind man goes behind his guide;
Lest he should wander; or should strike against
Aught that may harm or peradventure kill him;
So went I through the bitter and foul air;
Listening unto my Leader; who said only;
〃Look that from me thou be not separated。〃
Voices I heard; and every one appeared
To supplicate for peace and misericord
The Lamb of God who takes away our sins。
Still 〃Agnus Dei〃 their exordium was;
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
And art discoursing of us even as though
Thou didst by calends still divide the time?〃
After this manner by a voice was spoken;
Whereon my Master said: 〃Do thou reply;
And ask if on this side the way go upward。〃
And I: 〃O creature that dost cleanse thyself
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;
Hearing shall keep us joined instead thereof。〃
Thereon began I: 〃With that swathing band
Which death unwindeth am I going upward;
And hither came I through the infernal anguish。
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;
At which has each one now unbent his bow。
For mounting upward; thou art going right。〃
Thus he made answer; and subjoined: 〃I pray thee
To pray for me when thou shalt be above。〃
And I to him: 〃My faith I pledge to thee
To do what thou dost ask me; but am bursting
Inly with doubt; unless I rid me of it。
First it was simple; and is now made double
By thy opinion; which makes certain to me;
Here and elsewhere; that which I couple with it。
The world forsooth is utterly deserted
By every virtue; as thou tellest me;
And with iniquity is big and covered;
But I beseech thee point me out the cause;
That I may see it; and to others show it;
For one in the heavens; and here below one puts it。〃
A sigh profound; that grief forced into Ai!
He first sent forth; and then began he: 〃Brother;
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
They of necessity moved with themselves。
If this were so; in you would be destroyed
Free will; nor any justice would there be
In having joy for good; or grief for evil。
The heavens your movements do initiate;
I say not all; but granting that I say it;
Light has been given you for good and evil;
And free volition; which; if some fatigue
In the first battles with the heavens it suffers;
Afterwards conquers all; if well 'tis nurtured。
To greater force and to a better nature;
Though free; ye subject are; and that creates
The mind in you the heavens have not in charge。
Hence; if the present world doth go astray;
In you the cause is; be it sought in you;
And I therein will now be thy true spy。
Forth from the hand of Him; who fondles it
Before it is; like to a little girl
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;
Feeds upon that; and farther seeketh not。
Clearly canst thou perceive that evil guidance
The cause is that has made the world depraved;
And not that nature is corrupt in you。
Rome; that reformed the world; accustomed was
Two suns to have; which one road and the other;
Of God and of the world; made manifest。
One has the other quenched; and to the crosier
The sword is joined; and ill beseemeth it
That by main force one with the other go;
Because; being joined; one feareth not the other;
If thou believe not; think upon the grain;
For by its seed each herb is recognized。
In the land laved by Po and Adige;
Valour and courtesy used to be found;
Before that Frederick had his controversy;
Now in security can pass that way
Whoever will abstain; through sense of shame;
From speaking with the good; or drawing near them。
True; three old men are left; in whom upbraids
The ancient age the new; and late they deem it
That God restore them to the better life:
Currado da Palazzo; and good Gherardo;
And Guido da Castel; who better named is;
In fashion of the French; the simple Lombard:
Say thou henceforward that the Church of Rome;
Confounding in itself two governments;
Falls in the mire; and soils itself and burden。〃
〃O Marco mine;〃 I said; 〃thou reasonest well;
And now discern I why the sons of Levi
Have been excluded from the heritage。
But what Gherardo is it; who; as sample
Of a lost race; thou sayest has remained
In reprobation of the barbarous age?〃
〃Either thy speech deceives me; or it tempts me;〃
He answered me; 〃for speaking Tuscan to me;
It seems of good Gherardo naught thou knowest。
By other surname do I know him not;
Unless I take it from his daughter Gaia。
May God be with you; for I come no farther。
Behold the dawn; that through the smoke rays out;
Already whitening; and I must depart
Yonder the Angel isere he appear。〃
Thus did he speak; and would no farther hear me。
Purgatorio: Canto XVII
Remember; Reader; if e'er in the Alps
A mist o'ertook thee; through which thou couldst see
Not otherwise than through its membrane mole;
How; when the vapours humid and condensed
Begin to dissipate themselves; the sphere
Of the sun feebly enters in among them;
And thy imagination will be swift
In coming to perceive how I re…saw
The sun at first; that was already setting。
Thus; to the faithful footsteps of my Master
Mating mine own; I issued from that cloud
To rays already dead on the low shores。
O thou; Imagination; that dost steal us
So from without sometimes; that man perceives not;
Although around may sound a thousand trumpets;
Who moveth thee; if sense impel thee not?
Moves thee a light; which in the heaven takes form;
By self; or by a will that downward guides it。
Of her impiety; who changed her form
Into the bird that most delights in singing;
In my imagining appeared the trace;
And hereupon my mind was so withdrawn
Within itself; that from without there came
Nothing that then might be received by it。
Then reigned within my lofty fantasy
One crucified; disdainful and ferocious
In countenance; and even thus was dying。