The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri

-40 PURGATORY. Cahto XXVIII. And you, who praying stand'st before the rest, Say would you further hear ; I come prepared For all your questions, till I give you rest," ** The wave," I said, " and sound in the forest stirred, ^^ Struggle within me 'gainst belief new won Of something which opposed to this I heard." Whence she : " I'll tell you how proceeds on. By its own law, what causes your surprise. And purge the cloud which o'er your sight is thrown. '^ Ood, who alone unto Himself can please, Man fit for good created, and this soil G-ave him as earnest of Eternal Peace. Through his default he stayed here but awhile ; Through his default to sorrow and to tears *^ He changed the pleasing sport and honoured smile. That the disturbance which beneath appears The exhalation of the wave and plain, Which after heat, as far as may be, veers, Might cause no perturbation unto man, ^°* This mount ascended towards the heavens so high, Free, when its gate the outer world does ban. Now, since in circuit aye continuously The air revolves with its primal motion, If nought does break its current through the sky, ^^^ On this fair upland, free from all commotion. Such motion acts upon the living air. And makes resound the forest's leafy ocean : And the smote plant such excellence does share, That it impregnates with its power the breeze, "^ Which whirling ever, thai does onwards bear ; So that the earth below, in its degrees Of soil and climate, does conceive and bear Of diverse natures, all its diverse trees. And this once heard, hereafter will appear "^ No marvel to your mind, if any plant Without apparent seed does germin there. And you must know this Paradisal haunt In which you are is full of every seed And bears such fruit as earth can never grant. ^^^ The wave you seest has no fountain head Eestored by vapour, through cold air congealed. As streams whose course now wither, and now speed ; Line 86. The statement recently made to him by Statins, that there conld be neither wind, rain, nor vapour on the hill of Purgatory. Line 103. The air revolves ever from the empyrean to the lower spheres, with the current given to it in the primum mobile.

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Canto XXIX. PURGATORY. 241 But from a fount perennial is it welled, That through the will of Q-od has such a store, ^^ That with its water its two streams are filled. On this side it descends with the power The memory of former sin to hide ; On the other, that of good it does restore. Here it is Lethe, on the other side ^^ Called Euno^ : nor does it work its spell Full J, till tasted has been either tide. All other flavours this surpasses well : And that I may completely satisfy Your thirst, although I nothing further tell. For grace 1*11 give you a corollary, Nor think I that my speech will be less dear, If even beyond my promise I supply. Who sang in olden times, each poet seer, The blest condition of the Age of Gold, Have haply dreamed of their Parnassus here The human root was iimocent here of old ; Here is perpetual spring, and every fruit : This is the nectar of which each has told." I turned me then unto our poets, mute, And in their beaming eyes a smile did trace, Which in that closing sentence had its root : Then to the lady fair I turned my face.

HO

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CANTO XXIX. As Dante advances by the side of the lady on opposite banks of the stream, its course turns towards the east, and on the side of the river opposite to Dante there descends an Ai)6calyptic vision. As one enamoured, singing by the water She still continued, till the close was won, Beaii quorum tecta stmt peccata : And like the nymphs who wandered on alone Along the sylvan shadows, with desire * Now to escape, and now to see the sun ; Then did she move against the stream, yet higher The bank ascending, while with steps decreased On her short steps I followed, ever by her. Line 3. Blessed are they whose transgressions are covered.— Fs. xxxii. 1. R

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242 PURGATORY. Cakto XXES. We had not yet a hundred footsteps paced, ^^ When the banks altered their direction there, So that my face was turned towards the east. Nor yet again had we proceeded far, When towards me turned the lady mine^ and said, " My brother, now you must behold, and hear." And lo ! a sudden splendour overspread, From every quarter all the forest wide. That in my mind the thought of lightning bred. But since that lightning, as it comes, does bide, And as it lasts, acquires splendour more, " What thing is this ?" within my thoughts I cried. And a soul-thrilling melody ran o'er The luminous air, which woke my ardent zeal Eve's hardihood to censure, and deplore : That there, where earth and sky obeyed her weal, ^* Only a woman, and but lately made, She could not suffer one concealing veil. 'Neath which, devoutly if she had but strayed, I should have tasted there ineffable Delights before, and longer had essayed. ^ Whilst thus I wandered, rapt within the spell Of those first offerings of Eternal Peace, And for yet greater joys desirous still, Before us, like a fire whose flames increase, 'Neath the green boughs the air all glowing grew, ^* And song was heard in those sweet melodies : Muses, you holy virgins, if for you Hunger, or cold, or vigils I have known, Good reason spurs me now to claim my due. Now o'er me you must pour your Helicon, Urania now must help me with her quire. To write in verse things hard for thought alone. Beyond appeared seven trees of gold like fire, In seeming by the distance falsified Which separated them from us : when nigher I had approached them, so that closely eyed The doubtful object which the sense deceives, Through distance had no lineament denied, That virtue which discourse to reason gives, That they were candlesticks, and in the strain That voices sang Hosanna there, perceives.