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PARADISO CANTO 09
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	Fair Clemence, after I had been enlightened
by your dear Charles, he told me how his seed
would be defrauded, but he said: "Be silent

	BEAUTIFUL Clemence, after that thy Charles
Had me enlightened, he narrated to me
The treacheries his seed should undergo;








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	and let the years revolve." All I can say
is this: lament for vengeance well-deserved
will follow on the wrongs you are to suffer.

	But said: "Be still and let the years roll round;"
So I can only say, that lamentation
Legitimate shall follow on your wrongs.








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	And now the life-soul of that holy light
turned to the Sun that fills it even as
the Goodness that suffices for all things.

	And of that holy light the life already
Had to the Sun which fills it turned again,
As to that good which for each thing sufficeth.








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	Ah, souls seduced and creatures without reverence,
who twist your hearts away from such a Good,
who let your brows be bent on emptiness!

	Ah, souls deceived, and creatures impious,
Who from such good do turn away your hearts,
Directing upon vanity your foreheads!








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	And here another of those splendors moved
toward me; and by its brightening without,
it showed its wish to please me. Beatrice,

	And now, behold, another of those splendours
Approached me, and its will to pleasure me
It signified by brightening outwardly.








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	whose eyes were fixed on me, as they had been
before, gave me the precious certainty
that she consented to my need to speak.

	The eyes of Beatrice, that fastened were
Upon me, as before, of dear assent
To my desire assurance gave to me.








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	"Pray, blessed spirit, may you remedy‹
quickly‹my wish to know," I said. "Give me
proof that you can reflect the thoughts I think."

	"Ah, bring swift compensation to my wish,
Thou blessed spirit," I said, "and give me proof
That what I think in thee I can reflect!"








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	At which that light, one still unknown to me,
out of the depth from which it sang before,
continued as if it rejoiced in kindness:

	Whereat the light, that still was new to me,
Out of its depths, whence it before was singing,
As one delighted to do good, continued:








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	"In that part of indecent Italy
that lies between Rialto and the springs
from which the Brenta and the Piave stream,

	"Within that region of the land depraved
Of Italy, that lies between Rialto
And fountain heads of Brenta and of Piava,








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	rises a hill‹of no great height‹from which
a firebrand descended, and it brought
much injury to all the land about.

	Rises a hill, and mounts not very high,
Wherefrom descended formerly a torch
That made upon that region great assault.








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	Both he and I were born of one same root:
Cunizza was my name, and I shine here
because this planet's radiance conquered me.

	Out of one root were born both I and it;
Cunizza was I called, and here I shine
Because the splendour of this star o'ercame me.








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	But in myself I pardon happily
the reason for my fate; I do not grieve‹
and vulgar minds may find this hard to see.

	But gladly to myself the cause I pardon
Of my allotment, and it does not grieve me,
Which would perhaps seem strong unto your vulgar.








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	Of the resplendent, precious jewel that stands
most close to me within-our heaven, much
fame still remains and will not die away

	Of this so luculent and precious jewel,
Which of our heaven is nearest unto me,
Great fame remained; and ere it die away








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	before this hundredth year returns five times:
see then if man should not seek excellence‹
that his first life bequeath another life.

	This hundredth year shall yet quintupled be.
See if man ought to make him excellent,
So that another life the first may leave!








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	And this, the rabble that is now enclosed
between the Adige and Tagliamento
does not consider, nor does it repent

	And thus thinks not the present multitude
Shut in by Adige and Tagliamento,
Nor yet for being scourged is penitent.








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	despite its scourgings; and since it would shun
its duty, at the marsh the Paduans
will stain the river-course that bathes Vicenza;

	But soon 'twill be that Padua in the marsh
Will change the water that Vicenza bathes,
Because the folk are stubborn against duty;








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	and where the Sile and Cagnano flow
in company, one lords it, arrogant;
the net to catch him is already set.

	And where the Sile and Cagnano join
One lordeth it, and goes with lofty head,
For catching whom e'en now the net is making.








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	Feltre shall yet lament the treachery
of her indecent shepherd‹act so filthy
that for the like none ever entered prison.

	Feltro moreover of her impious pastor
Shall weep the crime, which shall so monstrous be
That for the like none ever entered Malta.








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	The vat to hold the blood of the Ferrarese
would be too large indeed, and weary he
who weighs it ounce by ounce‹the vat that he,

	Ample exceedingly would be the vat
That of the Ferrarese could hold the blood,
And weary who should weigh it ounce by ounce,








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	generous priest, will offer up to show
fidelity to his Guelph party; and
such gifts will suit the customs of that land.

	Of which this courteous priest shall make a gift
To show himself a partisan; and such gifts
Will to the living of the land conform.








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	Above are mirrors‹Thrones is what you call them‹
and from them God in judgment shines on us;
and thus we think it right to say such things."

	Above us there are mirrors, Thrones you call them,
From which shines out on us God Judicant,
So that this utterance seems good to us."








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	Here she was silent and appeared to me
to turn toward other things, reentering
the wheeling dance where she had been before.

	Here it was silent, and it had the semblance
Of being turned elsewhither, by the wheel
On which it entered as it was before.








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	The other joy, already known to me
as precious, then appeared before my eyes
like a pure ruby struck by the sun's rays.

	The other joy, already known to me,
Became a thing transplendent in my sight,
As a fine ruby smitten by the sun.








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	On high, joy is made manifest by brightness,
as, here on earth, by smiles; but down below,
the shade grows darker when the mind feels sorrow.

	Through joy effulgence is acquired above,
As here a smile; but down below, the shade
Outwardly darkens, as the mind is sad.








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	"God can see all," I said, "and, blessed spirit,
your vision is contained in Him, so that
no wish can ever hide itself from you.

	God seeth all things, and in Him, blest spirit,
Thy sight is," said I, "so that never will
Of his can possibly from thee be hidden;








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	Your voice has always made the heavens glad
as has the singing of the pious fires
that make themselves a cowl of their six wings:

	Thy voice, then, that for ever makes the heavens
Glad, with the singing of those holy fires
Which of their six wings make themselves a cowl,








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	why then do you not satisfy my longings?
I would not have to wait for your request
if I could enter you as you do me."

	Wherefore does it not satisfy my longings ?
Indeed, I would not wait thy questioning
If I in thee were as thou art in me."








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	"The widest valley into which the waters
spread from the sea that girds the world," his words
began, "between discrepant shores, extends

	"The greatest of the valleys where the water
Expands itself," forthwith its words began,
"That sea excepted which the earth engarlands,








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	eastward so far against the sun, that when
those waters end at the meridian,
that point‹ when they began‹was the horizon.

	Between discordant shores against the sun  
Extends so far, that it meridian makes
Where it was wont before to make the horizon.








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	I lived along the shoreline of that valley
between the Ebro and the Magra, whose
brief course divides the Genoese and Tuscans.

	I was a dweller on that valley's shore
'Twixt Ebro and Magra that with journey short
Doth from the Tuscan part the Genoese. 








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	Beneath the same sunset, the same sunrise,
lie both Bougie and my own city, which
once warmed its harbor with its very blood.

	With the same sunset and same sunrise nearly
Sit Buggia and the city whence I was,
That with its blood once made the harbour hot.








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	Those men to whom my name was known, called me
Folco; and even as this sphere receives
my imprint, so was I impressed with its;

	Folco that people called me unto whom
My name was known; and now with me this heaven  
Imprints itself, as I did once with it;








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	for even Belus' daughter, wronging both
Sychaeus and Creusa, did not burn
more than I did, as long as I was young;

	For more the daughter of Belus never burned,
Offending both Sichaeus and Creusa,
Than I, so long as it became my locks,








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	nor did the Rhodopean woman whom
Demophoon deceived, nor did Alcides
when he enclosed Iole in his heart.

	Nor yet that Rodophean, who deluded
was by Demophoon, nor yet Alcides,
When Iole he in his heart had locked.








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	Yet one does not repent here; here one smiles‹
not for the fault, which we do not recall,
but for the Power that fashioned and foresaw.

	Yet here is no repenting, but we smile,
Not at the fault, which comes not back to mind,
But at the power which ordered and foresaw.








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	For here we contemplate the art adornedI
by such great love, and we discern the good
through which the world above forms that below.

	Here we behold the art that doth adorn
With such affection, and the good discover
Whereby the world above turns that below.








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	But so that all your longings born within
this sphere may be completely satisfied
when you bear them away, I must continue.

	But that thou wholly satisfied mayst bear
Thy wishes hence which in this sphere are born,
Still farther to proceed behoveth me.








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	You wish to know what spirit is within
the light that here beside me sparkles ,so,
as would a ray of sun in limpid water.

	Thou fain wouldst know who is within this light
That here beside me thus is scintillating,
Even as a sunbeam in the limpid water.








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	Know then that Rahab lives serenely in
that light, and since her presence joins our order,
she seals that order in the highest rank.

	Then know thou, that within there is at rest
Rahab, and being to our order joined,
With her in its supremest grade 'tis sealed.








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	This heaven, where the shadow cast by earth
comes to a point, had Rahab as the first
soul to be taken up when Christ triumphed.

	Into this heaven, where ends the shadowy cone
Cast by your world, before all other souls
First of Christ's triumph was she taken up.








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	And it was right to leave her in this heaven
as trophy of the lofty victory
that Christ won, palm on palm, upon the cross,

	Full meet it was to leave her in some heaven,
Even as a palm of the high victory
Which he acquired with one palm and the other,








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	for she had favored the initial glory
of Joshua within the Holy Land‹
which seldom touches the Pope's memory.

	Because she favoured the first glorious deed
Of Joshua upon the Holy Land,
That little stirs the memory of the Pope.








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	Your city, which was planted by that one
who was the first to turn against his Maker,
the one whose envy cost us many tears‹

	Thy city, which an offshoot is of him
Who first upon his Maker turned his back,
And whose ambition is so sorely wept,








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	produces and distributes the damned flower
that turns both sheep and lambs from the true course,
for of the shepherd it has made a wolf.

	Brings forth and scatters the accursed flower
Which both the sheep and lambs hath led astray
Since it has turned the shepherd to a wolf








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	For this the Gospel and the great Church Fathers
are set aside and only the Decretals
are studied‹as their margins clearly show.

	For this the Evangel and the mighty Doctors
Are derelict, and only the Decretals
So studied that it shows upon their margins.








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	On these the pope and cardinals are intent.
Their thoughts are never bent on Nazareth,
where Gabriel's open wings were reverent.

	On this are Pope and Cardinals intent;
Their meditations reach not Nazareth,
There where his pinions Gabriel unfolded








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	And yet the hill of Vatican as well
as other noble parts of Rome that were
the cemetery for Peter's soldiery

	But Vatican and the other parts elect
Of Rome, which have a cemetery been
Unto the soldiery that followed Peter








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	will soon be freed from priests' adultery."

	Shall soon be free from this adultery."




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