The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri

Canto XXIX. PURGATORY. 243 Above was flaming the resplendent train, More clear by far than in the cloudless sky The moon, that to her zenith does attain. With admiration full, I turned ray eye *? To my good Virgil, who to me replied With face no less impressed with marvel high. Those lofty objects then once more I eyed, Which came towards us at a pace so slow. That would have past them the new-wedded bride. ^^ The lady asked me : " Why art gazing so With rapt attention on yon living light. And all that comes behind, seem'st not to know ?" Then did I see a people clothed in white. That onwards, as behind their leaders streamed, ®* Was never on the earth such candour bright. Upon my left hand all the water gleamed, And if I looked on it, as in a glass, All my left side upon its surface beamed. When in such station on the bank I was '° That the stream only kept me separate, I stood to see the better what might pass : And I beheld the flames advance in state. Leaving behind them lines of painted air, Which bore the semblance there of streamers great, ^* So that above remained distinctly there Seven bands of colours, those with which his bow Makes the sun, her girdle Delia fair. These standards backwards to the distance flow Beyond my sight, and well as I could see ®° The outer bands ten paces distant show. Beneath a sky so fair, as shown by me. Came four-and-twenty elders, two by two, All of them crowned with the fleur-de-lis. And all of them were singing, " Blessed you, ^ Amongst the daughters bom of Adam, blest, Your beauties in eternal glory now.'* What time the flowers and other herbs that drest Freshly in front of me the opposite shore, By that elected troop no more were prest, ^ As light does follow light in Heaven's rich store, Close on their track four beasts behind them hied. And each a coronet of green leaves wore. They were all winged with six pinions wide. The feathers full of stars : and Argus' eyes ®^ If they were living would be such descried. Line 78. The girdle of Delia is the lunsir rainbow.

244 PURGATORY. Canto XXIX. Their forms to tell no further I premise. For other matter, reader, urges higher, So that with length I cannot here avize. But how Ezekiel painted them, admire, When he beheld them from the freezing North Come with the wind, the cloud, and with the fire : And as you'lt find them in his page set forth. So were they here, save as regards the wings, Which I beheld as John has set them forth. 'Twixt the four beasts in the central space upsprings A chariot on its two triumphant wheels, Drawn at its neck, the which a Gryphon brings : Who both his pinions in the air reveals, *Mid the seven vari-coloured lines of light, So that he cleaves none, and none conceaJs ; So high they rose, that they were lost to sight : As far as he was bird, his limbs appear Of gold, the rest with vermeil mixt were white. In Eome ne'er triumphed with a car so fair, Or Africanus or the great August ; Poor would appear the sun's own chariot there : The sun's own car, which from its true course thrust Was fire-consumed through Tellus' pious prayer, When Jove in secret purpose was most just. ^^ By the right wheel three ladies circling bear In onward dance, one of such ruddy glow That in the flame she scarcely would appear ; The other in her colour such did show. As if her frame of emerald were made ; The third appeared of newly-fallen snow ; And now they seemed by the white lady led Now by the ruddy, from the latter's song Their measure slow or fast, the others tread. On the left side, four other damsels throng, In purple clothed, in festal choir they glance, Guided by one, to whom three eyes belong. Line 100. Ezekiel i. 6. And this was their appearance : they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings. John, in Rev. iv. 8, gives six wings to the four beasts. Line 107. The chariot appears to be intended for the Church of Christy who is represented as a Gryphon, half an eagle and half a lion, symbolical of His Divine and human natures. Line ] 18. The story of Phaeton. Ovid's Metam. Line 121. The three theological virtues : the ruddy one being Charity, the green Hope, and the white Faith. When Beatrice descends in the next Canto, she will be found dn^st in these three colours. Line 130. The four cardinal virtues," led by Prudence, represented with three eyes that look at the Past, Present, and Future.

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Canto XXX. PURGATORY. 246 And close to all the interwreathM dance Two old men, in their garb unlike, draw near, But like in comely bearing they advance. ^*^ The one a chosen familiar did appear Of great Hippocrates, whom Nature made To help the beings whom she holds most dear : The other an all-different zeal displayed. Bearing a sword so brilliant, and so keen, ^^ That from across the rivulet it dismayed. Then I beheld four more of humble mien, And after all of them an old man lone With face Heaven -lighted, though he slept, was seen. And all these seven like those who first had gone "* Were habited, except that round their brows With lilies was not made their flowery crown, Bather of vermeil flowerets, and the rose : One would have sworn, who from some distance eyed. That all of them were flaming o'er the brows. ^** And when the car had reached the opposite side I heard it thunder, and that train so fair Seemed as if further movement was denied. And halted with the first insignia there. Line 134. These old men are supposed to be the physician Luke, and Paul, whose cutting style is represented by the sword. Line 142. These are either the four EvangelistSj unless these were already represented by the four beasts, or the authors of the Minor Epistles, James, Peter, John, and Jude. In either case John appears twice over } and is a^^n sapposed to be symbolised as the author of the Apocalypse in the old man with eyes closed in ecstatic vision. The poet's son, however, in his explanation asâerts tiiat this old man is Moses.