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PARADISO CANTO 03
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	That sun which first had warmed my breast with love
had now revealed to me, confuting, proving,
the gentle face of truth, its loveliness;

	THAT Sun, which erst with love my bosom warmed,
Of beauteous truth had unto me discovered,
By proving and reproving, the sweet aspect.








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	and I, in order to declare myself
corrected and convinced, lifted my head
as high as my confessional required.

	And, that I might confess myself convinced
And confident, so far as was befitting,
I lifted more erect my head to speak.








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	But a new vision showed itself to me;
the grip in which it held me was so fast
that I did not remember to confess.

	But there appeared a vision, which withdrew me
So close to it, in order to be seen,
That my confession I remembered not.








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	Just as, returning through transparent, clean
glass, or through waters calm and crystalline
(so shallow that they scarcely can reflect),

	Such as through polished and transparent glass,
Or waters crystalline and undisturbed,
But not so deep as that their bed be lost,








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	the mirrored image of our faces meets
our pupils with no greater force than that
a pearl has when displayed on a white forehead-

	Come back again the outlines of our faces
So feeble, that a pearl on forehead white
Comes not less speedily unto our eyes;








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	so faint, the many faces I saw keen
to speak; thus, my mistake was contrary
to that which led the man to love the fountain.

	Such saw I many faces prompt to speak,
So that I ran in error opposite
To that which kindled love 'twixt man and fountain.








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	As soon as I had noticed them, thinking
that what I saw were merely mirrorings,
I turned around to see who they might be;

	As soon as I became aware of them,
Esteeming them as mirrored semblances,
To see of whom they were, mine eyes I turned,








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	and I saw nothing; and I let my sight
turn back to meet the light of my dear guide,
who, as she smiled, glowed in her holy eyes.

	And nothing saw, and once more turned them forward
Direct into the light of my sweet Guide,
Who smiling kindled in her holy eyes.








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	"There is no need to wonder if I smile,"
she said, "because you reason like a child;
your steps do not yet rest upon the truth;

	"Marvel thou not,"she said to me,"because
I smile at this thy puerile conceit,
Since on the truth it trusts not yet its foot,








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	your mind misguides you into emptiness: 
what you are seeing are true substances,
placed here because their vows were not fulfilled.

	But turns thee, as 'tis wont, on emptiness.
True substances are these which thou beholdest,
Here relegate for breaking of some vow.








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	Thus, speak and listen; trust what they will say:
the truthful light in which they find their peace
will not allow their steps to turn astray."

	Therefore speak with them, listen and believe;
For the true light, which giveth peace to them,
Permits them not to turn from it their feet."








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	Then I turned to the shade that seemed most anxious
to speak, and I began as would a man
bewildered by desire too intense:

	And I unto the shade that seemed most wishful
To speak directed me, and I began,
As one whom too great eagerness bewilders:








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	"O spirit born to goodness, you who feel,
beneath the rays of the eternal life,
that sweetness which cannot be known unless

	"O well-created spirit, who in the rays
Of life eternal dost the sweetness taste
Which being untasted ne'er is comprehended.








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	it is experienced, it would be gracious
of you to let me know your name and fate."
At this, unhesitant, with smiling eyes:

	Grateful 'twill be to me, if thou content me
Both with thy name and with your destiny."
Whereat she promptly and with laughing eyes:








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	"Our charity will never lock its gates
against just will; our love is like the Love
that would have all Its court be like Itself.

	"Our charity doth never shut the doors
Against a just desire, except as one
Who wills that all her court be like herself.








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	Within the world I was a nun, a virgin;
and if your mind attends and recollects,
my greater beauty here will not conceal me,

	I was a virgin sister in the world;
And if thy mind doth contemplate me well,
The being more fair will not conceal me from thee,








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	and you will recognize me as Piccarda,
who, placed here with the other blessed ones,
am blessed within the slowest of the spheres.

	But thou shalt recognise I am Piccarda,
Who, stationed here among these other blessed,
Myself am blessed in the slowest sphere.








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	Our sentiments, which only serve the flame
that is the pleasure of the Holy Ghost,
delight in their conforming to His order.

	All our affections, that alone inflamed
Are in the pleasure of the Holy Ghost,
Rejoice at being of his order formed;








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	And we are to be found within a sphere
this low, because we have neglected vows,
so that in some respect we were deficient."

	And this allotment, which appears so low,
Therefore is given us, because our vows
Have been neglected and in some part void."








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	And I to her: "Within your wonderful
semblance there is something divine that glows,
transforming the appearance you once showed:

	Whence I to her: "In your miraculous aspects
There shines I know not what of the divine,
Which doth transform you from our first conceptions.








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	therefore, my recognizing you was slow;
but what you now have told me is of help;
I can identify you much more clearly.

	Therefore I was not swift in my remembrance;
But what thou tellest me now aids me so,
That the refiguring is easier to me.








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	But tell me: though you're happy here, do you
desire a higher place in order to
see more and to be still more close to Him?"

	But tell me, ye who in this place are happy,
Are you desirous of a higher place,
To see more or to make yourselves more friends ?"








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	Together with her fellow shades she smiled
at first; then she replied to me with such
gladness, like one who burns with love's first flame:

	First with those other shades she smiled a little;
Thereafter answered me so full of gladness,
She seemed to burn in the first fire of love:








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	"Brother, the power of love appeases our
will so-we only long for what we have;
we do not thirst for greater blessedness.

	"Brother, our will is quieted by virtue
Of charity, that makes us wish alone
For what we have, nor gives us thirst for more.








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	Should we desire a higher sphere than ours,
then our desires would be discordant with
the will of Him who has assigned us here,

	If to be more exalted we aspired,
Discordant would our aspirations be
Unto the will of Him who here secludes us;








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	but you'll see no such discord in these spheres;
to live in love is-here-necessity,
if you think on love's nature carefully.

	Which thou shalt see finds no place in these circles,
If being in charity is needful here,
And if thou lookest well into its nature;








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	The essence of this blessed life consists
in keeping to the boundaries of God's will,
through which our wills become one single will;

	Nay, 'tis essential to this blest existence
To keep itself within the will divine,
Whereby our very wishes are made one;








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	so that, as we are ranged from step to step
throughout this kingdom, all this kingdom wills
that which will please the King whose will is rule.

	So that, as we are station above station
Throughout this realm, to all the realm 'tis pleasing,
As to the King, who makes his will our will.








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	And in His will there is our peace: that sea
to which all beings move-the beings He
creates or nature makes-such is His will."

	And his will is our peace; this is the sea
To which is moving onward whatsoever
It doth create, and all that nature makes."








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	Then it was clear to me how every place
in Heaven is in Paradise, though grace
does not rain equally from the High Good.

	Then it was clear to me how everywhere
In heaven is Paradise, although the grace
Of good supreme there rain not in one measure








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	But just as, when our hunger has been sated
with one food, we still long to taste the other-
while thankful for the first, we crave the latter-

	But as it comes to pass, if one food sates,
And for another still remains the longing,
We ask for this, and that decline with thanks,








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	so was I in my words and in my gestures,
asking to learn from her what was the web
of which her shuttle had not reached the end.

	E'en thus did I; with gesture and with word,
To learn from her what was the web wherein
She did not ply the shuttle to the end.








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	"A perfect life," she said, "and her high merit
enheaven, up above, a woman whose
rule governs those who, in your world, would wear

	"A perfect life and merit high in-heaven
A lady o'er us," said she, "by whose rule
Down in your world they vest and veil themselves,








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	nuns' dress and veil, so that, until their death,
they wake and sleep with that Spouse who accepts
all vows that love conforms unto His pleasure.

	That until death they may both watch and sleep
Beside that Spouse who every vow accepts
Which charity conformeth to his pleasure.








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	Still young, I fled the world to follow her;
and, in her order's habit, I enclosed
myself and promised my life to her rule.

	To follow her, in girlhood from the world
I fled, and in her habit shut myself,
And pledged me to the pathway of her sect.








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	Then men more used to malice than to good
took me-violently-from my sweet cloister:
God knows what, after that, my life became.

	Then men accustomed unto evil more
Than unto good, from the sweet cloister tore me;
God knows what afterward my life became.








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	This other radiance that shows itself
to you at my right hand, a brightness kindled
by all the light that fills our heaven-she

	This other splendour, which to thee reveals
Itself on my right side, and is enkindled
With all the illumination of our sphere,








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	has understood what I have said: she was
a sister, and from her head, too, by force,
the shadow of the sacred veil was taken.

	What of myself I say applies to her;
A nun was she, and likewise from her head
Was ta'en the shadow of the sacred wimple.








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	But though she had been turned back to the world
against her will, against all honest practice,
the veil upon her heart was never loosed.

	But when she too was to the world returned
Against her wishes and against good usage,
Of the heart's veil she never was divested.








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	This is the splendor of the great Costanza,
who from the Swabians' second gust engendered
the one who was their third and final power."

	Of great Costanza this is the effulgence,
Who from the second wind of Suabia
Brought forth the third and latest puissance."








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	This said, she then began to sing "Ave
Maria" and, while singing, vanished as
a weighty thing will vanish in deep water.

	Thus unto me she spake, and then began
"Ave Maria" singing, and in singing
Vanished, as through deep water something heavy.








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	My sight, which followed her as long as it
was able to, once she was out of view,
returned to where its greater longing lay,

	My sight, that followed her as long a time
As it was possible, when it had lost her
Turned round unto the mark of more desire,








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	and it was wholly bent on Beatrice;
but she then struck my eyes with so much brightness
that I, at first, could not withstand her force;

	And wholly unto Beatrice reverted;
But she such lightnings flashed into mine eyes,
That at the first my sight endured it not;








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	and that made me delay my questioning.

	And this in questioning more backward made me.




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