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PARADISO CANTO 11
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	O senseless cares of mortals, how deceiving
are syllogistic reasonings that bring
your wings to flight so low, to earthly things!

	O THOU insensate care of mortal men,
How inconclusive are the syllogisms
That make thee beat thy wings in downward flight!








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	One studied law and one the Aphorisms
of the physicians; one was set on priesthood
and one, through force or fraud, on rulership;

	One after laws and one to aphorisms
Was going, and one following the priesthood,
And one to reign by force or sophistry,








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	one meant to plunder, one to politick;
one labored, tangled in delights of flesh,
and one was fully bent on indolence;

	And one in theft, and one in state affairs,
One in the pleasures of the flesh involved
Wearied himself, one gave himself to ease;








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	while I, delivered from our servitude
to all these things, was in the height of heaven
with Beatrice, so gloriously welcomed.

	When I, from all these things emancipate,
With Beatrice above there in the Heavens
With such exceeding glory was received!








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	After each of those spirits had returned
to that place in the ring where it had been,
it halted, like a candle in its stand.

	When each one had returned unto that point
Within the circle where it was before,
It stood as in a candlestick a candle;








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	And from within the splendor that had spoken
to me before, I heard him, as he smiled-
become more radiant, more pure-begin:

	And from within the effulgence which at first
Had spoken unto me, I heard begin
Smiling while it more luminous became:








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	"Even as I grow bright within Its rays,
so, as I gaze at the Eternal Light,
I can perceive your thoughts and see their cause.

	"Even as I am kindled in its ray,
So, looking into the Eternal Light,
The occasion of thy thoughts I apprehend.








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	You are in doubt; you want an explanation
in language that is open and expanded,
so clear that it contents your understanding

	Thou doubtest, and wouldst have me to resift
In language so extended and so open
My speech, that to thy sense it may be plain,








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	of two points: where I said, 'They fatten well,'
and where I said, 'No other ever rose'-
and here one has to make a clear distinction.

	Where just before I said, ' where well one fattens,'  
And where I said, ' there never rose a second ';
And here 'tis needful we distinguish well.








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	The Providence that rules the world with wisdom
so fathomless that creatures' intellects
are vanquished and can never probe its depth,

	The Providence, which governeth the world
With counsel, wherein all created vision
Is vanquished ere it reach unto the bottom,








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	so that the Bride of Him who, with loud cries,
had wed her with His blessed blood, might meet
her Love with more fidelity and more

	(So that towards her own Beloved might go
The bride of Him who, uttering a loud cry,
Espoused her with his consecrated blood,








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	assurance in herself, on her behalf
commanded that there be two princes, one
on this side, one on that side, as her guides.

	Self-confident and unto Him more faithful,)
Two Princes did ordain in her behoof,
Which on this side and that might be her guide.








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	One prince was all seraphic in his ardor;
the other, for his wisdom, had possessed
the splendor of cherubic light on earth.

	The one was all seraphical in ardour;
The other by his wisdom upon earth
A splendour was of light cherubical.








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	I shall devote my tale to one, because
in praising either prince one praises both:
the labors of the two were toward one goal.

	One will I speak of, for of both is spoken
In praising one, whichever may be taken,
Because unto one end their labours were.








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	Between Topino's stream and that which flows
down from the hill the blessed Ubaldo chose,
from a high peak there hangs a fertile slope;

	Between Tupino and the stream that falls
Down from the hill elect of blessed Ubald,
A fertile slope of lofty mountain hangs,








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	from there Perugia feels both heat and cold
at Porta Sole, while behind it sorrow
Nocera and Gualdo under their hard yoke.

	From which Perugia feels the cold and heat
Through Porta Sole, and behind it weep
Gualdo and Nocera their grievous yoke.








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	From this hillside, where it abates its rise,
a sun was born into the world, much like
this sun when it is climbing from the Ganges.

	From out that slope, there where it breaketh most
Its steepness, rose upon the world a sun 
As this one does sometimes from out the Ganges;








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	Therefore let him who names this site not say
Ascesi, which would be to say too little,
but Orient, if he would name it rightly.

	Therefore let him who speaketh of that place,
Say not Ascesi, for he would say little,
But Orient, if he properly would speak.








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	That sun was not yet very distant from
his rising, when he caused the earth to take
some comfort from his mighty influence;

	He was not yet far distant from his rising
Before he had begun to make the earth
Some comfort from his mighty virtue feel.








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	for even as a youth, he ran to war
against his father, on behalf of her-
the lady unto whom, just as to death,

	For he in youth his father's wrath incurred
For certain Dame, to whom, as unto death,
The gate of pleasure no one doth unlock;  








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	none willingly unlocks the door; before
his spiritual court et coram patre,
he wed her; day by day he loved her more.

	And was before his spiritual court
Et coram patre unto her united;
Then day by day more fervently he loved her.








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	She was bereft of her first husband; scorned,
obscure, for some eleven hundred years,
until that sun came, she had had no suitor.

	She, reft of her first husband, scorned, obscure,
One thousand and one hundred years and more,  
Waited without a suitor till he came.








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	Nor did it help her when men heard that he
who made earth tremble found her unafraid-
serene, with Amyclas-when he addressed her;

	Naught it availed to hear, that with Amyclas
Found her unmoved at sounding of his voice
He who struck terror into all the world;








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	nor did her constancy and courage help
when she, even when Mary stayed below,
suffered with Christ upon the cross. But so

	Naught it availed being constant and undaunted,
So that, when Mary still remained below,
She mounted up with Christ upon the cross ?








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	that I not tell my tale too darkly, you
may now take Francis and take Poverty
to be the lovers meant in my recounting.

	But that too darkly I may not proceed,
Francis and Poverty for these two lovers
Take thou henceforward in my speech diffuse.








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	Their harmony and their glad looks, their love
and wonder and their gentle contemplation,
served others as a source of holy thoughts;

	Their concord and their joyous semblances,
The love, the wonder, and the sweet regard,
They made to be the cause of holy thoughts;








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	so much so, that the venerable Bernard
went barefoot first; he hurried toward such peace;
and though he ran, he thought his pace too slow.

	So much so that the venerable Bernard
First bared his feet, and after so great peace
Ran, and, in running, thought himself too slow.








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	O wealth unknown! O good that is so fruitful!
Egidius goes barefoot, and Sylvester,
behind the groom-the bride delights them so.

	O wealth unknown! O veritable good!
Giles bares his feet, and bares his feet Sylvester
Behind the bridegroom, so doth please the bride!








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	Then Francis-father, master-goes his way
with both his lady and his family,
the lowly cord already round their waists.

	Then goes his way that father and that master,
He and his Lady and that family
Which now was girding on the humble cord;








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	Nor did he lower his eyes in shame because
he was the son of Pietro Bernardone,
nor for the scorn and wonder he aroused;

	Nor cowardice of heart weighed down his brow
At being son of Peter Bernardone,
Nor for appearing marvellously scorned;








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	but like a sovereign, he disclosed in full-
to Innocent-the sternness of his rule;
from him he had the first seal of his order.

	But regally his hard determination
To Innocent he opened, and from him
Received the primal seal upon his Order.








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	And after many of the poor had followed
Francis, whose wondrous life were better sung
by glory's choir in the Empyrean,

	After the people mendicant increased
Behind this man, whose admirable life
Better in glory of the heavens were sung,








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	the sacred purpose of this chief of shepherds
was then encircled with a second crown
by the Eternal Spirit through Honorius.

	Incoronated with a second crown
Was through Honorius by the Eternal Spirit
The holy purpose of this Archimandrite.








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	And after, in his thirst for martyrdom,
within the presence of the haughty Sultan,
he preached of Christ and those who followed Him.

	And when he had, through thirst of martyrdom,
In the proud presence of the Sultan preached
Christ and the others who came after him,








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	But, finding hearers who were too unripe
to be converted, he-not wasting time-
returned to harvest the Italian fields;

	And, finding for conversion too unripe
The folk, and not to tarry there in vain,
Returned to fruit of the Italic grass,








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	there, on the naked crag between the Arno
and Tiber, he received the final seal
from Christ; and this, his limbs bore for two years.

	On the rude rock 'twixt Tiber and the Arno
From Christ did he receive the final seal,
Which during two whole years his members bore.








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	When He who destined Francis to such goodness
was pleased to draw him up to the reward
that he had won through his humility,

	When He, who chose him unto so much good,
Was pleased to draw him up to the reward
That he had merited by being lowly,








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	then to his brothers, as to rightful heirs,
Francis commended his most precious lady,
and he bade them to love her faithfully;

	Unto his friars, as to the rightful heirs,
His most dear Lady did he recommend,
And bade that they should love her faithfully;








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	and when, returning to its kingdom, his
bright soul wanted to set forth from her bosom,
it, for its body, asked no other bier.

	And from her bosom the illustrious soul
Wished to depart, returning to its realm,
And for its body wished no other bier.








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	Consider now that man who was a colleague
worthy of Francis; with him, in high seas,
he kept the bark of Peter on true course.

	Think now what man was he, who was a fit
Companion over the high seas to keep
The bark of Peter to its proper bearings.








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	Such was our patriarch; thus you can see
that those who follow him as he commands,
as cargo carry worthy merchandise.

	And this man was our Patriarch; hence whoever
Doth follow him as he commands can see
That he is laden with good merchandise.








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	But now his flock is grown so greedy for
new nourishment that it must wander far,
in search of strange and distant grazing lands;

	But for new pasturage his flock has grown
So greedy, that it is impossible
They be not scattered over fields diverse;








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	and as his sheep, remote and vagabond,
stray farther from his side, at their return
into the fold, their lack of milk is greater.

	And in proportion as his sheep remote
And vagabond go farther off from him,
More void of milk return they to the fold.








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	Though there are some indeed who, fearing harm,
stay near the shepherd, they are few in number-
to cowl them would require little cloth.

	Verily some there are that fear a hurt,
And keep close to the shepherd; but so few,
That little cloth doth furnish forth their hoods.








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	Now if my words are not too dim and distant,
if you have listened carefully to them,
if you can call to mind what has been said,

	Now if my utterance be not indistinct,
If thine own hearing hath attentive been,
If thou recall to mind what I have said,  








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	then part of what you wish to know is answered,
for you will see the splinters on the plant
and see what my correction meant: 'Where one

	In part contented shall thy wishes be;
For thou shalt see the plant that's chipped away,
And the rebuke that lieth in the words,








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	may fatten well, if one does not stray off.'"

	' Where well one fattens, if he strayeth not."'




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