The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri

Cabto XXXni. PARADISE. 389 If but returns upon mj mind a tone, And in these verses but the briefest sound, Your victory more perfect will be known. ^^ I think I should have fallen in a swound The while I bore that blaze of living light If once, hence straying, were my vision found. And I remember that I gathered might By this to bear so much that I illumed My vision with perfection infinite. O grace abounding, whence I there presumed Upon the Eternal Light to fix my gaze So long as vision was not all consumed ! Within its depths I saw, wherein does blaze Bound up with love into one volume bright, Whate'er the mighty universe displays : Substance and accident in endless might, All breathed together, in such feishion planned That what I now describe is simple Ught. The universal form of the world's band Methinks I saw, because where thus displayed More largely I perceive my joy expand. One moment's pause had me even more delayed Than five-and-twenty ages the emprise Which Neptune's wonder won at Argo's shade. So my mind, gathering all its energies, GtLzed fixt, immovable, and all intent, And ever more enkindled through the eyes. Upon that light, whoever's gaze is bent. From it towards any other sight to veer Impossible that he can e'er consent. Because all good, for which desire forms prayer, In it is centered, and beyond its rood All is defective which is perfect there. Henceforth my speech must fiidl in what I viewed. Even so far as I remember, more Than unweaned child's that craves its milky food. Not that the semblance other image bore Within the living Ught on which I gazed, "® Which ever is the same it was before, Line 85. The Deity is figured as every quality of His universe condenfled into what apneared at first as purely light. Line 94. Tne pause of a moment at such a time were to him greater than a delay of twenty-five ages to the Argonauts. Line 109. There was no change in the Deity, which appeared as light, but through increased strength of vision the seer caught a glimpse of its mysteriea revealed to him.

390 PARADISE. Camto XXXni. But through my vision, which more keenly blazed As still I looked on it, one single seeming Before me travailed, as I changed amazed. Within the substance, deep and clearly gleaming ^^^ Of the high light, three wheels appeared, which shono With colours three, and in one boundary beaming. And as from Iris, Iris, one from one Appeared reflected, and the third seemed fire That from them both was equally breathed on. ^'° O how my speech falls short, and does retire Below my thought, and that, to what I saw. To say 'twere little answers not desire. O light eteme, who in you do withdraw Alone, self-comprehended, self-perceived, ^-^ On me you smiled' st down your light and law. That second circling wheel, which so conceived. Appeared in you as a reflected light, When somewhat further by my eyes received. Within itself, with its own colour bright, ^*® Appeared as painted with our eflfigy, Wherefore on it my vision pored with might. Like the geometrician who does try To square the circle, and can never find In thought the principle he needs, I ^^ Was thus before that vision new designed. I wished to see how there the shape found home Within the circle, and how there confined : But such a flight was not for my poor plume. Did not across my mind a glory steal ^*^ From out the splendour, whence its wish did come. To the high fancy here my power did fail. But turned my will already as willed there (Moved on with equal motion like a wheel). The love which moves the sun and every star. ^*^ Line 116. The Trinity. The Second wheel reflected from the first, the Third progressing from the other two. Line 127* In the Second Person he beholds a glimpse of the incarnation of the Deity clothed in human form, but such a mystery was beyond his powers Line 140. The glory of the Deity breaking on Dante's soul inspired it with perfect accordance to the Divine Will, and left him content not to aspire after the unattainable.