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PARADISO CANTO 27
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	Unto the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
glory!"-all Paradise began, so that
the sweetness of the singing held me rapt.

	"GLORY be to the Father, to the Son,
And Holy Ghost!" all Paradise began,
So that the melody inebriate made me.








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	What I saw seemed to me to be a smile
the universe had smiled; my rapture had
entered by way of hearing and of sight.

	What I beheld seemed unto me a smile
Of the universe; for my inebriation
Found entrance through the hearing and the sight








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	O joy! O gladness words can never speak!
O life perfected by both love and peace!
O richness so assured, that knows no longing!

	O joy! O gladness inexpressible!
O perfect life of love and peacefulness!
O riches without hankering secure!








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	Before my eyes, there stood, aflame, the foul
torches, and that which had been first to come
began to glow with greater radiance,

	Before mine eyes were standing the four torches
Enkindled, and the one that first had come
Began to make itself more luminous;








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	and what its image then became was like
what Jupiter's would be if Mars and he
were birds and had exchanged their plumages.

	And even such in semblance it became
As Jupiter would become, if he and Mars
Were birds, and they should interchange their feathers. 








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	After the Providence that there assigns
to every office its appointed time
had, to those holy choirs, on every side,

	That Providence, which here distributeth
Season and service, in the blessed choir
Had silence upon every side imposed.








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	commanded silence, I then heard: "If I
change color, do not be amazed, for as
I speak, you will see change in all these flames.

	When I heard say: "If I my colour change,
Marvel not at it; for while I am speaking
Thou shalt behold all these their colour change.








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	He who on earth usurps my place, my place,
my place that in the sight of God's own Son
is vacant now, has made my burial ground

	He who usurps upon the earth my place,
My place, my place, which vacant has become
Before the presence of the Son of God,








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	a sewer of blood, a sewer of stench, so that
the perverse one who fell from Heaven, here
above, can find contentment there below."

	Has of my cemetery made a sewer
Of blood and stench, whereby the Perverse One
Who fell from here, below there is appeased!"








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	Then I saw all the heaven colored by
the hue that paints the clouds at morning and
at evening, with the sun confronting them.

	With the same colour which, through sun adverse,
Painteth the clouds at evening or at morn,
Beheld I then the whole of heaven suffused.








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	And like a woman who, although secure
in her own honesty, will pale on even
hearing about another woman's failing,

	And as a modest woman, who abides
Sure of herself, and at another's failing,
From listening only, timorous becomes,








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	just so did Beatrice change in appearance;
and I believe that such eclipse was in
the sky when He, the Highest Power, suffered.

	Even thus did Beatrice change countenance;
And I believe in heaven was such eclipse,
When suffered the supreme Omnipotence;








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	Then his words followed with a voice so altered
from what it was before-even his likeness
did not display a greater change than that.

	Thereafterward proceeded forth his words
With voice so much transmuted from itself,
The very countenance was not more changed.








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	"The Bride of Christ was never nurtured by
my blood, and blood of Linus and of Cletus,
to be employed in gaining greater riches;

	The spouse of Christ has never nurtured been
On blood of mine, of Linus and of Cletus,
To be made use of in acquest of gold;








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	but to acquire this life of joyousness,
Sixtus and Pius, Urban and Calixtus,
after much lamentation, shed their blood.

	But in acquest of this delightful life
Sixtus and Pius, Urban and Calixtus,
After much lamentation, shed their blood.








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	We did not want one portion of Christ's people
to sit at the right side of our successors,
while, on the left, the other portion sat,

	Our purpose was not, that on the right hand
Of our successors should in part be seated
The Christian folk, in part upon the other;








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	nor did we want the keys that were consigned
to me, to serve as an escutcheon on
a banner that waged war against the baptized;

	Nor that the keys which were to me confided
Should e'er become the escutcheon on a banner,  
That should wage war on those who are baptized;








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	nor did we want my form upon a seal
for trafficking in lying privileges-
for which I often blush and flash with anger.

	Nor I be made the figure of a seal
To privileges venal and mendacious,
Whereat I often redden and flash with fire.








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	From here on high one sees rapacious wolves
clothed in the cloaks of shepherds. You, the vengeance
of God, oh, why do you still lie concealed?

	In garb of shepherds the rapacious wolves 
Are seen from here above o'er all the pastures!
O wrath of God, why dost thou slumber still








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	The Gascons and the Cahorsines-they both
prepare to drink our blood: o good beginning,
to what a miserable end you fall!

	To drink our blood the Caorsines and Gascons
Are making ready. O thou good beginning,
Unto how vile an end must thou needs fall! 








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	But that high Providence which once preserved,
with Scipio, the glory of the world
for Rome, will soon bring help, as I conceive;

	But the high Providence, that with Scipio
At Rome the glory of the world defended,
Will speedily bring aid, as I conceive;








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	and you, my son, who through your mortal weight
will yet return below, speak plainly there,
and do not hide that which I do not hide."

	And thou, my son, who by thy mortal weight
Shalt down return again, open thy mouth;
What I conceal not, do not thou conceal.'








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	As, when the horn of heaven's Goat abuts
the sun, our sky flakes frozen vapors downward,
so did I see that ether there adorned;

	As with its frozen vapours downward falls
In flakes our atmosphere, what time the horn
Of the celestial; Goat doth touch the sun,








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	for from that sphere, triumphant vapors now
were flaking up to the Empyrean-
returning after dwelling here with us.

	Upward in such array saw I the ether
Become, and flaked with the triumphant vapours,
Which there together with us had remained.








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	My sight was following their semblances-
until the space between us grew so great
as to deny my eyes all farther reach.

	My sight was following up their semblances,
And followed till the medium, by excess,
The passing farther onward took from it; 








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	At this, my lady, seeing me set free
from gazing upward, told me: "Let your eyes
look down and see how far you have revolved."

	Whereat the Lady, who beheld me freed
From gazing upward, said to me: "Cast down
Thy sight, and see how far thou art turned round."








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	I saw that, from the time when I looked down
before, I had traversed all of the arc
of the first clime, from its midpoint to end,

	Since the first time that I had downward looked,
I saw that I had moved through the whole arc  
Which the first climate makes from midst to end;








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	so that, beyond Cadiz, I saw Ulysses'
mad course and, to the east, could almost see
that shoreline where Europa was sweet burden.

	So that I saw the mad track of Ulysses
Past Gades, and this side, well nigh the shore
Whereon became Europa a sweet burden.








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	I should have seen more of this threshing floor
but for the motion of the sun beneath
my feet: it was a sign and more away.

	And of this threshing-floor the site to me
Were more unveiled, but the sun was proceeding
Under my feet, a sign and more removed.








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	My mind, enraptured, always longing for
my lady gallantly, was burning more
than ever for my eyes' return to her;

	My mind enamoured, which is dallying
At all times with my Lady, to bring back
To her mine eyes was more than ever ardent.








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	and if-by means of human,flesh or portraits-
nature or art has fashioned lures to draw
the eye so as to grip the mind, all these

	And if or Art or Nature has made bait
To catch the eyes and so possess the mind,
In human flesh or in its portraiture,








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	would seem nothing if set beside the godly
beauty that shone upon me when I turned
to see the smiling face of Beatrice.

	All joined together would appear as nought
To the divine delight which shone upon me
When to her smiling face I turned me round.








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	The powers that her gaze now granted me
drew me out of the lovely nest of Leda
and thrust me into heaven's swiftest sphere.

	The virtue that her look endowed me with
From the fair nest of Leda tore me forth,
And up into the swiftest heaven impelled me.








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	Its parts were all so equally alive
and excellent, that I cannot say which
place Beatrice selected for my entry.

	Its parts exceeding full of life and lofty
Are all so uniform, I cannot say
Which Beatrice selected for my place.








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	But she, who saw what my desire was-
her smile had so much gladness that within
her face there seemed to be God's joy-began:

	But she, who was aware of my desire,
Began, the while she smiled so joyously
That God seemed in her countenance to rejoice:  








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	"The nature of the universe, which holds
the center still and moves all else around it,
begins here as if from its turning-post.

	"The nature of that motion, which keeps quiet
The centre and all the rest about it moves,
From hence begins as from its starting point.








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	This heaven has no other where than this:
the mind of God, in which are kindled both
the love that turns it and the force it rains.

	And in this heaven there is no other Where
Than in the Mind Divine, wherein is kindled  
The love that turns it, and the power it rains.








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	As in a circle, light and love enclose it,
as it surrounds the rest-and that enclosing,
only He who encloses understands.

	Within a circle light and love embrace it
Even as this doth the others, and that precinct
He who encircles it alone controls.








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	No other heaven measures this sphere's motion,
but it serves as the measure for the rest,
even as half and fifth determine ten;

	Its motion is not by another meted,
But all the others measured are by this,
As ten is by the half and by the fifth.








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	and now it can be evident to you
how time has roots within this vessel and,
within the other vessels, has its leaves.

	And in what manner time in such a pot
May have its roots, and in the rest its leaves,
Now unto thee can manifest be made.








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	O greediness, you who-within your depths-
cause mortals to sink so, that none is left
able to lift his eyes above your waves!

	O Covetousness, that mortals dost ingulf
Beneath thee so, that no one hath the power
Of drawing back his eyes from out thy waves!








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	The will has a good blossoming in men;
but then the never-ending downpours turn
the sound plums into rotten, empty skins.

	Full fairly blossoms in mankind the will;
But the uninterrupted rain converts
Into abortive wildings the true plums.








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	For innocence and trust are to be found
only in little children; then they flee
even before a full beard cloaks the cheeks.

	Fidelity and innocence are found
Only in children; afterwards they both
Take flight or e'er the cheeks with down are covered.








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	One, for as long as he still lisps, will fast,
but when his tongue is free at last, he gorges,
devouring any food through any month;

	One, while he prattles still, observes the fasts,
Who, when his tongue is loosed, forthwith devours
Whatever food under whatever moon;








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	and one, while he still lisps, will love and heed
his mother, but when he acquires speech
more fully, he will long to see her buried.

	Another, while he prattles, loves and listens
Unto his mother, who when speech is perfect
Forthwith desires to see her in her grave.








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	Just so, white skin turns black when it is struck
by direct light-the lovely daughter of
the one who brings us dawn and leaves us evening.

	Even thus is swarthy made the skin so white
In its first aspect of the daughter fair
Of him who brings the morn, and leaves the night.








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	That you not be amazed at what I say,
consider this: on earth no king holds sway;
therefore, the family of humans strays.

	Thou, that it may not be a marvel to thee,
Think that on earth there is no one who governs;
Whence goes astray the human family.








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	But well before a thousand years have passed
(and January is unwintered by
day's hundredth part, which they neglect below),

	Ere January be unwintered wholly
By the centesimal on earth neglected,
Shall these supernal circles roar so loud








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	this high sphere shall shine so, that Providence,
long waited for, will turn the sterns to where
the prows now are, so that the fleet runs straight;

	The tempest that has been so long awaited
Shall whirl the poops about where are the prows;
So that the fleet shall run its course direct,








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	and then fine fruit shall follow on the flower."

	And the true fruit shall follow on the flower."




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