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PARADISO CANTO 20
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	When he who graces all the world with light
has sunk so far below our hemisphere
that on all sides the day is spent, the sky,

	WHEN he who all the world illuminates
Out of our hemisphere so far descends
That on all sides the daylight is consumed,








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	which had been lit before by him alone,
immediately shows itself again
with many lights reflecting one same source,

	The heaven, that erst by him alone was kindled,
Doth suddenly reveal itself again
By many lights, wherein is one resplendent.








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	and I remembered this celestial course
when, in the blessed beak, the emblem of
the world and of its guardians fell silent;

	And came into my mind this act of heaven,
When the ensign of the world and of its leaders
Had silent in the blessed beak become;








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	for then all of those living lights grew more
resplendent, but the songs that they began
were labile-they escape my memory.

	Because those living luminaries all,
By far more luminous, did songs begin
Lapsing and falling from my memory.








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	O gentle love that wears a smile as mantle,
how ardent was your image in those torches
filled only with the breath of holy thoughts!

	O gentle Love, that with a smile dost cloak thee,
How ardent in those sparks didst thou appear,
That had the breath alone of holy thoughts!








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	After the precious, gleaming jewels with which
the sixth of Heaven's heavens was engemmed
had ended their angelic song in silence,

	After the precious and pellucid crystals,
With which begemmed the sixth light I beheld,
Silence imposed on the angelic bells,








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	I seemed to hear the murmur of a torrent
that, limpid, falls from rock to rock, whose flow
shows the abundance of its mountain source.

	I seemed to hear the murmuring of a river
That clear descendeth down from rock to rock,
Showing the affluence of its mountain-top.








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	Even as sound takes shape at the lute's neck,
and even as the wind that penetrates
the blow-hole of the bagpipe, so-with no

	And as the sound upon the cithern's neck
Taketh its form, and as upon the vent
Of rustic pipe the wind that enters it,








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	delay-that murmur of the Eagle rose
straight up, directly through its neck as if
its neck were hollow; and that murmuring

	Even thus, relieved from the delay of waiting,
That murmuring of the eagle mounted up
Along its neck, as if it had been hollow.








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	became a voice that issued from its beak,
taking the shape of words desired by
my heart-and that is where they were transcribed.

	There it became a voice, and issued thence
From out its beak, in such a form of words
As the heart waited for wherein I wrote them.  








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	"Now you must watch-and steadily-that part
of me that can, in mortal eagles, see
and suffer the sun's force," it then began

	"The part in me which sees and bears the sun
In mortal eagles," it began to me,
"Now fixedly must needs be looked upon;








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	to say to me, "because, of all the flames
from which I shape my form, those six with which
the eye in my head glows hold highest rank.

	For of the fires of which I make my figure,
Those whence the eye doth sparkle in my head 
Of all their orders the supremest are.








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	He who gleams in the center, my eye's pupil-
he was the singer of the Holy Spirit,
who bore the ark from one town to another;

	He who is shining in the midst as pupil
Was once the singer of the Holy Spirit,
Who bore the ark from city unto city;








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	now he has learned the merit will can earn-
his song had not been spurred by grace alone,
but his own will, in part, had urged him on.

	Now knoweth he the merit of his song,
In so far as effect of his own counsel,
By the reward which is commensurate.








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	Of those five flames that, arching, form my brow,
he who is nearest to my beak is one
who comforted the widow for her son;

	Of five, that make a circle for my brow,
He that approacheth nearest to my beak
Did the poor widow for her son console;








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	now he has learned the price one pays for not
following Christ, through his experience
of this sweet life and of its opposite.

	Now knoweth he how dearly it doth cost
Not following Christ, by the experience
Of this sweet life and of its opposite.








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	And he whose place is next on the circumference
of which I speak, along the upward arc,
delayed his death through truthful penitence;

	He who comes next in the circumference
Of which I speak, upon its highest arc,
Did death postpone by penitence sincere;








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	now he has learned that the eternal judgment
remains unchanged, though worthy prayer below
makes what falls due today take place tomorrow.

	Now knoweth he that the eternal judgment
Suffers no change, albeit worthy prayer
Maketh below to-morrow of to-day.








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	The next who follows-one whose good intention
bore evil fruit-to give place to the Shepherd,
with both the laws and me, made himself Greek;

	The next who follows, with the laws and me,
Under the good intent that bore bad fruit
Became a Greek by ceding to the pastor;








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	now he has learned that, even though the world
be ruined by the evil that derives
from his good act, that evil does not harm him.

	Now knoweth he how all the ill deduced
From his good action is not harmful to him,
Although the world thereby may be destroyed.  








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	He whom you see-along the downward arc-
was William, and the land that mourns his death,
for living Charles and Frederick, now laments;

	And he, whom in the downward arc thou seest,
Guglielmo was, whom the same land deplores
That weepeth Charles and Frederick yet alive;








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	now he has learned how Heaven loves the just
ruler, and he would show this outwardly
as well, so radiantly visible.

	Now knoweth he how heaven enamoured is
With a just king; and in the outward show
Of his effulgence he reveals it still.








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	Who in the erring world below would hold
that he who was the fifth among the lights
that formed this circle was the Trojan Ripheus?

	Who would believe, down in the errant world,
That e'er the Trojan Ripheus in this round
Could be the fifth one of the holy lights 








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	Now he has learned much that the world cannot
discern of God's own grace, although his sight
cannot divine, not reach its deepest site."

	Now knoweth he enough of what the world 
Has not the power to see of grace divine,
Although his sight may not discern the bottom."








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	As if it were a lark at large in air,
a lark that sings at first and then falls still,
content with final sweetness that fulfills,

	Like as a lark that in the air expatiates,
First singing and then silent with content
Of the last sweetness that doth satisfy her,








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	such seemed to me the image of the seal
of that Eternal Pleasure through whose will
each thing becomes the being that it is.

	Such seemed to me the image of the imprint
Of the eternal pleasure, by whose will
Doth everything become the thing it is.








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	And though the doubt I felt there was as plain
as any colored surface cloaked by glass,
it could not wait to voice itself, but with

	And notwithstanding to my doubt I was
As glass is to the colour that invests it,
To wait the time in silence it endured not,








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	the thrust and weight of urgency it forced
"Can such things be?" out from my lips, at which
I saw lights flash-a vast festivity.

	But forth from out my mouth, "What things are
Extorted with the force of its own weight;
Whereat I saw great joy of coruscation.








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	And then the blessed sign-its eye grown still
more bright-replied, that I might not be kept
suspended in amazement: "I can see

	Thereafterward with eye still more enkindled
The blessed standard made to me reply,
To keep me not in wonderment suspended:








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	that, since you speak of them, you do believe
these things but cannot see how they may be;
and thus, though you believe them, they are hidden.

	"I see that thou believest in these things
Because I say them, but thou seest not how;
So that, although believed in, they are hidden.








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	You act as one who apprehends a thing
by name but cannot see its quiddity
unless another set it forth to him.

	Thou doest as he doth who a thing by name
Well apprehendeth, but its quiddity
Cannot perceive, unless another show it.








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	Regnum celorum suffers violence
from ardent love and living hope, for these
can be the conquerors of Heaven's Will;

	Regnum coelorum suffereth violence
From fervent love, and from that living hope
That overcometh the Divine volition;








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	yet not as man defeats another man:
the Will of God is won because It would
be won and, won, wins through benevolence.

	Not in the guise that man o'ercometh man,
But conquers it because it will be conquered,
And conquered conquers by benignity.








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	You were amazed to see the angels' realm
adorned with those who were the first and fifth
among the living souls that form my eyebrow.

	The first life of the eyebrow and the fifth
Cause thee astonishment, because with them
Thou seest the region of the angels painted.








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	When these souls left their bodies, they were not
Gentiles-as you believe-but Christians, one
with firm faith in the Feet that suffered, one

	They passed not from their bodies, as thou thinkest,
Gentiles. but Christians in the steadfast faith
Of feet that were to suffer and had suffered. 








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	in Feet that were to suffer. One, from Hell,
where there is no returning to right will,
returned to his own bones, as the reward

	For one from Hell, where no one e'er turns back
Unto good will, returned unto his bones,
And that of living hope was the reward,emdash 








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	bestowed upon a living hope, the hope
that gave force to the prayers offered God
to resurrect him and convert his will.

	Of living hope, that placed its efficacy
In prayers to God made to resuscitate him, 
So that 'twere possible to move his will.








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	Returning briefly to the flesh, that soul
in glory-he of whom I speak-believed
in Him whose power could help him and, believing,

	The glorious soul concerning which I speak,
Returning to the flesh, where brief its stay,
Believed in Him who had the power to aid it;








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	was kindled to such fire of true love
that, when he died a second death, he was
worthy to join in this festivity.

	And, in believing, kindled to such fire  
Of genuine love, that at the second death
Worthy it was to come unto this joy.








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	The other, through the grace that surges from
a well so deep that no created one
has ever thrust his eye to its first source,

	The other one, through grace, that from so deep
A fountain wells that never hath the eye
Of any creature reached its primal wave, 








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	below, set all his love on righteousness,
so that, through grace on grace, God granted him
the sight of our redemption in the future;

	Set all his love below on righteousness;
Wherefore from grace to grace did God unclose
His eye to our redemption yet to be,








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	thus he, believing that, no longer suffered
the stench of paganism and rebuked
those who persisted in that perverse way.

	Whence he believed therein, and suffered not
From that day forth the stench of paganism,
And he reproved therefor the folk perverse.








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	More than a thousand years before baptizing,
to baptize him there were the same three women
you saw along the chariot's right-hand side.

	Those Maidens three, whom at the right-hand wheel
Thou didst behold, were unto him for baptism
More than a thousand years before baptizing.








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	How distant, o predestination, is
your root from those whose vision does not see
the Primal Cause in Its entirety!

	O thou predestination, how remote
Thy root is from the aspect of all those
Who the First Cause do not behold entire!








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	And, mortals, do take care-judge prudently:
for we, though we see God, do not yet know
all those whom He has chosen; but within

	And you, O mortals! hold yourselves restrained
In judging ; for ourselves, who look on God,
We do not know as yet all the elect;








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	the incompleteness of our knowledge is
a sweetness, for our good is then refined
in this good, since what God wills, we too will."

	And sweet to us is such a deprivation,
Because our good in this good is made perfect,
That whatsoe'er God wills, we also will."








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	So, from the image God Himself had drawn,
what I received was gentle medicine;
and I saw my shortsightedness plainly.

	After this manner by that shape divine,
To make clear in me my short-sightedness,
Was given to me a pleasant medicine;








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	And as a lutanist accompanies-
expert-with trembling strings, the expert singer,
by which the song acquires sweeter savor,

	And as good singer a good lutanist
Accompanies with vibrations of the chords,
Whereby more pleasantness the song acquires,








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	so, while the Eagle spoke-I can remember-
I saw the pair of blessed lights together,
like eyes that wink in concord, move their flames

	So, while it spake, do I remember me
That I beheld both of those blessed lights,
Even as the winking of the eyes concords,








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	in ways that were at one with what he said.

	Moving unto the words their little flames.




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