The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
Will be seen the luxury and the life so mild Of him of Spain, of him too of Boheme Who valour never knew, and never willed. Against the cripple of Jerusalem Signed with an I his liberality. The account against him wiU display an M. Will be seen the avarice and the villainy Of him who guardeth Etna's flaming isle, Where old Anchises, full of years, did die ; And to display how he is very vile.
The account in maimed letters will be made, That in short space will note a world of guile. And will appear to all each laidly deed Of his uncle and his brother, who such great Family and two crowns have cuckolded. And they of Portugars and Norway's State Will there be known, and he of Eascia too. Who Venice* mint did badly imitate.
O happy Hungary, wouldst thou but eschew Further ill-treatment ! and blest Navarre, Would she but arm the hills that gird her view ! And now in earnest of such final jar, ^** Both Nicosea's and Famagosta's town Against their beast complain, in urban war. Who from the others' side has never gone. Line 124. Probably, as proposed by Mr. Gary, Ferdinand IV., who died in 1312 of intemperance. Line 126.
Yenceslans, mentioned in the " Pnrgatory," Canto VIT. Line 127* Charles II. of Naples and Jemsalem, the father of Charles Martel, and also praised by him for liberality in Canto YIIl. of the " Paradise" by implication, and stamped previously with the vice of avarice by Hugh Capet in Purgatory," Canto XX., which shows that Dante's judgments were sometimes not carefully weighed. Line 130. Frederick of Sicily, son of Peter III. of Arragon.
His unde and brother were James, King of Majorca, and James II. of Arragon. See " Purgatory," Canto VII. Line 143. Navarre was at that time under the rale of France, but shortly, following Dante's advice, it revolted frum its sul]|jection. ' Line 145.
Cities in the kingdom of Cyprus, who by their loud complaints against their monarch Henry II., as bad as the others before mentioned foreshadowed what would be entered against him in the Book of Doom.
CANTO XX. The ea^Ie sings the praises of certain just kings, whose spirits are included in its image. Of these, six form its eye, David in the pupil, and in the iris around it Trajan, Hezekiah, Constantine, William II. of Sicily, and Ripheus.
The eagle explains how Trajan and Bipheus, whom Dante did not know to be Christians, had become so, and obtained their seat in Paradise.
Cahio XX. PARADISS. 337 What time the orb that lighteth all the world Descendeth from our hemisphere, the day In every part consumed, and downwards hurled, The sky, erst kindled solely by its ray. Its darkness suddenly doth re-adorn '^ With numeix>us lights, in which one shines alway. This skyey change across my mind was borne What time that standard of earth's chiefs of might Grew silent in its beak's all blest sojourn.
For then, of the multitude, each living light ^® Shining more clear, began their songs to trill Such as from memory fleet and vanish quite.
O sweet love that dost clothe thee with a smile, How in those sparkles didst thou burning swell, Whose spirit knew but thoughts all pure from guile ! ^^ After those precious stones ineffable With which I saw ingemmed that sixth light's course, Silence imposed to each angelic bell, Meseemed to hear a river's murmur hoarse, That clear descendeth down from stone to stone, ^ Showing the copious bounty of its source.
And as from frame of cithern doth the tone Take up its shape, and as from out each hole Of flageolet the wind is breathing blown ; So with a sweetly-linked delay did roll ^ The murmur from the eagle issuing, From out its neck, as though 'twere pierced, it stole. There it became a voice, and thence did spring From out its beak, in form of words made known.
Such as my heart could to its record bring. ^* " The part in me which sees and bears the sun In mortal eagles," thus did it begin, " I would that thou shouldst fixedly gaze upon. For of the fires through which this shape I win. Those, whence the eye within my head doth blaze, ^ Are of the highest grade of all within.
He that as pupil in the middle rays Was the sweet singer of the Holy Spirit, Who bore about the ark from place to place : Now of his song he knoweth all the merit, ^ In that 'twas prompted of his piety, Through the proportioned guerdon it doth 'herit. Line 6. The fixed stars, aocording to Dante's belief, receiving their light from the snn. Line 42. David knows now the fnll worth of his spiritual songs, by the proportionate reward allotted to him in Paradise. 21
Will be seen the luxury and the life so mild Of him of Spain, of him too of Boheme Who valour never knew, and never willed. Against the cripple of Jerusalem Signed with an I his liberality. The account against him wiU display an M. Will be seen the avarice and the villainy Of him who guards Etna's flaming isle, Where old Anchises, full of years, did die ; And to display how he is very vile. The account in maimed letters will be made, That in short space will note a world of guile. And will appear to all each laidly deed Of his uncle and his brother, who such great Family and two crowns have cuckolded. And they of Portugars and Norway's State Will there be known, and he of Eascia too. Who Venice* mint did badly imitate. O happy Hungary, would you but eschew Further ill-treatment ! and blest Navarre, Would she but arm the hills that gird her view ! And now in earnest of such final jar, ^** Both Nicosea's and Famagosta's town Against their beast complain, in urban war. Who from the others' side has never gone." Line 124. Probably, as proposed by Mr. Gary, Ferdinand IV., who died in 1312 of intemperance. Line 126. Yenceslans, mentioned in the " Pnrgatory," Canto VIT. Line 127* Charles II. of Naples and Jemsalem, the father of Charles Martel, and also praised by him for liberality in Canto YIIl. of the " Paradise" by implication, and stamped previously with the vice of avarice by Hugh Capet in Purgatory," Canto XX., which shows that Dante's judgments were sometimes not carefully weighed. Line 130. Frederick of Sicily, son of Peter III. of Arragon. His unde and brother were James, King of Majorca, and James II. of Arragon. See " Purgatory," Canto VII. Line 143. Navarre was at that time under the rale of France, but shortly, following Dante's advice, it revolted frum its sul]|jection. ' Line 145. Cities in the kingdom of Cyprus, who by their loud complaints against their monarch Henry II., as bad as the others before mentioned foreshadowed what would be entered against him in the Book of Doom.
CANTO XX. The ea^Ie sings the praises of certain just kings, whose spirits are included in its image. Of these, six form its eye, David in the pupil, and in the iris around it Trajan, Hezekiah, Constantine, William II. of Sicily, and Ripheus.
The eagle explains how Trajan and Bipheus, whom Dante did not know to be Christians, had become so, and obtained their seat in Paradise.
Cahio XX. PARADISS. 337 What time the orb that lights all the world Descends from our hemisphere, the day In every part consumed, and downwards hurled, The sky, erst kindled solely by its ray. Its darkness suddenly does re-adorn '^ With numeix>us lights, in which one shines alway. This skyey change across my mind was borne What time that standard of earth's chiefs of might Grew silent in its beak's all blest sojourn. For then, of the multitude, each living light ^® Shining more clear, began their songs to trill Such as from memory fleet and vanish quite. O sweet love that do clothe you with a smile, How in those sparkles did you burning swell, Whose spirit knew but thoughts all pure from guile ! ^^ After those precious stones ineffable With which I saw ingemmed that sixth light's course, Silence imposed to each angelic bell, Meseemed to hear a river's murmur hoarse, That clear descends down from stone to stone, ^ Showing the copious bounty of its source. And as from frame of cithern does the tone Take up its shape, and as from out each hole Of flageolet the wind is breathing blown ; So with a sweetly-linked delay did roll ^ The murmur from the eagle issuing, From out its neck, as though 'twere pierced, it stole. There it became a voice, and thence did spring From out its beak, in form of words made known. Such as my heart could to its record bring. ^* " The part in me which sees and bears the sun In mortal eagles," thus did it begin, " I would that you should fixedly gaze upon. For of the fires through which this shape I win. Those, whence the eye within my head does blaze, ^ Are of the highest grade of all within. He that as pupil in the middle rays Was the sweet singer of the Holy Spirit, Who bore about the ark from place to place : Now of his song he knows all the merit, ^ In that 'twas prompted of his piety, Through the proportioned guerdon it does 'herit. Line 6. The fixed stars, aocording to Dante's belief, receiving their light from the snn. Line 42. David knows now the fnll worth of his spiritual songs, by the proportionate reward allotted to him in Paradise. 21
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