The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri

p. 250Cahto XXXI. She paused awliile ; " What think'st thou ?" then she said, ^® " Answer me, ere all memories of woe Shall by the water's charm be wholly fled. Fear and confusion mixed together so. Thrust forth a yes so feeble from my mouth, Signs were required its meaning clear to show. ^^ As a balestra breaketh when one draweth, With too great tension of the bow, the cord, And with less force the spear to the target goeth.

So broken 'neath my heavy load, I poured Outwards my tears and sighs, with which expires *® My voice, or it had gone across its ford. Whence she to me : " Within my own desires, Which ever guided thee to love that good Beyond the which no being e'er aspires, What thwarting moats, what fetters hast thou viewed, ^ On which account of thought to pass beyond Thou didst strip off each hope thou hadst endued ?

And what allurements, or what profits found. Upon the other's brow didst thou descry, For which thou rather there shouldst wanton, fond ?" ^ After the heaving of a bitter sigh, For words my lips with difficulty made, I scarcely found a voice for this reply.

" The things there present," weeping still, I said, " With their false pleasure turned my steps aside, ^ Soon as ye hid your face from me, and fled." ** Hadst thou been silent, or hadst thou denied, What thou confessest, none the less would note Thy sin the Judge from whom ye nought can hide. But when there issues from the sinner's throat ^ Self-accusation, in our Court above Against the edge the blunting wheel is brought.

That ne'ertheless increasing shame improve Thy error, and that other times, whene'er Listening the sirens, thou mayst stronger prove, ^ Lay grief aside, the seed of tears, and hear : So wilt thou learn how to a different way My flesh even buried should have led thee, dear.

Nature and Art did ne'er before thee lay Such pleasure as the fair limbs in which I ** Was closed, that now are only scattered clay : And if thou lostest thy chief ecstasy Through death of mine, what merely mortal thing With ill desire should thee have led away ?

Clearly thou oughtest at the primal sting Of those fallacious things have soared forth Behind me, who was never such. Thy wing Should not have drooped so heavily to earth, To wait for further blows, or a little maid, Or other vanity of briefer worth. The new-fledged birdling twice or thrice delayed ; But in the eyes of the full-feathered bird In vain the net is cast, in vain 'tis laid.

As children silent, in their shame averred, Stand listening the rebuke with downcast ken. Knowing themselves, and to repentance stirred : So did I stand : and she addressed me : " When Thou grievest but to hear, lift up the beard, And gazing, greater grief will seize thee then. With less resistance are the roots upreared Of oak robust, by blast from Arctic strand.

Or from larba's Afric region steered, Then I upraised my chin at her command : For what time by the beard she called my face Her speech's sting I well could understand And as my shamed countenance I raise. Ceasing from scattering their flowers around. Those Heavenly creatures fair the eye surveys : And my own eyes not yet assured, in swound Saw Beatrice turned towards the beast ^ That in one person had two natures crowned.

Beneath her veil, beyond the river placed, She seemed her old self to surpass far more Than even on earth all others she surpast. The sting of Penitence so pricked my core ^* That towards all other things, which me had turned Most from her love, the greater hate I bore.

Such recognition in my heart there burned That I fell senseless : and what then I grew Knows she the cause, whose beauty on me turned. ^ Then, when my heart things outward once more knew, The lady, whom I first had found alone, I saw above me ; and she said, *^ Hold true. Line 59.

This alludes either to Dante's alleged amour with Gentnoca, which, however, took place after the assumed date of the vision, or, as Cary suggests, to his marriage with Gemma Donati, which took place after Beatrice's death. Line 74. The sting is the allusion to the want of wisdom in spite of the beard.

262 PUBGATORY. Oahto XXXI. Up to the throat i' the stream she'd drawn me on. And drawing me behind her hiurried o'er ^'^ Light as a shuttle o'er the water thrown. When I was near onto the blessed shore, Asperges me, I heard in notes so suave I cannot write its unremembered lore.

The beauteous lady oped her arms to lave, ^^ Embraced my head, and gently dipped me down Where it was fit that I should drink the wave : Then bore me up, and bathed she led me on Within the daiLce of those four damsels fair ; While each of them an arm had round me thrown. ^^ *' We here are nymphs, in Heaven is each a star ; Ere Beatrice to the world descended. We were ordained as handmaids unto her.

We'll lead thee to her eyes ; but in the splendid Light hid within them, will make luminous "^ Thy own, yon three, whose gaze has deeper wended. Thus singing they began their welcome ; thus To the Gryphon's breast they led me in their arms, Where Beatrix was standing, turned to us : They said, " Of vision spare not now the charms ; Before her emerald eyes we've led thee nigher. Whence Love of old upon thee drew his arms.

A thousand wishes, hotter far than fire. My eyes attracted to those beaming eyes, That still upon the Gryphon calm aspire. As in a glass the sun, not otherwise The double-natured beast within them rayed, Now in his single, now in double guise. Think, reader, if my marvel was allayed When I beheld the thing itself stand still, ^^ That thus was changed in its reflected shade.

Whilst full of wonder and delight, its fill My soul devoured of that heavenly food, For which, when satisfied, it hungers still ; Showing themselves with higher birth endued, ^** In seemly port, the other three arise, And Angel dance with Angel song prelude. Line 98. Sprinkle me with hyssop : the prayer recited by the priest when he sprinkles tiie congregation with holy water. Line 106. The four stars described in Canto I. The seven yirtnes are mven as handmaids to Beatrice in her allegorical character of Contemplative AeUgion.