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PARADISO CANTO 32
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	Though he had been absorbed in his delight,
that contemplator freely undertook
the task of teaching; and his holy words

	ABSORBED in his delight, that contemplator
Assumed the willing office of a teacher
And gave beginning to these holy words:








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	began: "The wound that Mary closed and then
anointed was the wound that Eve-so lovely
at Mary's feet-had opened and had pierced.

	"The wound that Mary closed up and anointed,
She at her feet who is so beautiful,
She is the one who opened it and pierced it.








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	Below her, in the seats of the third rank,
Rachel and Beatrice, as you see, sit.
Sarah, Rebecca, Judith, and the one

	Within that order which the third seats make
Is seated Rachel, lower than the other,
With Beatrice, in manner as thou seest.








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	who was the great-grandmother of the singer
who, as he sorrowed for his sinfulness,
cried, 'Miserere mei'-these you can see

	Sarah, Rebecca, Judith, and her who was
Ancestress of the Singer, who for dole
Of the misdeed said, ' miserere mei,'








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	from rank to rank as I, in moving through
the Rose, from petal unto petal, give
to each her name. And from the seventh rank,

	Canst thou behold from seat to seat descending
Down in gradation, as with each one's name
I through the  ose go down from leaf to leaf.








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	just as they did within the ranks above,
the Hebrew women follow-ranging downward-
dividing all the tresses of the Rose.

	And downward from the seventh row, even as
Above the same, succeed the Hebrew women,
Dividing all the tresses of the flower








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	They are the wall by which the sacred stairs
divide, depending on the view of Christ
with which their faith aligned. Upon one side,

	Because, according to the view which Faith
In Christ had taken, these are the partition
By which the sacred stairways are divided.








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	there where the Rose is ripe, with all its petals,
are those whose faith was in the Christ to come;
and on the other side-that semicircle

	Upon this side, where perfect is the flower
With each one of its petals, seated are
Those who believed in Christ who was to come.








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	whose space is broken up by vacant places-
sit those whose sight was set upon the Christ
who had already come. And just as on

	Upon the other side, where intersected
With vacant spaces are the semicircles,
Are those who looked to Christ already come.








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	this side, to serve as such a great partition,
there is the throne in glory of the Lady
of Heaven and the seats that range below it,

	And as, upon this side, the glorious seat
Of the Lady of Heaven, and the other seats
Below it, such a great division make,  








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	so, opposite, the seat of the great John-
who, always saintly, suffered both the desert
and martyrdom, and then two years of Hell-

	So opposite doth that of the great John,
Who, ever holy, desert and martyrdom
Endured, and afterwards two years in Hell.








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	serves to divide; below him sit, assigned
to this partition, Francis, Benedict,
and Augustine, and others, rank on rank,

	And under him thus to divide were chosen
Francis, and Belledict, and Augustine,  
And down to us the rest from round to round;








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	down to this center of the Rose. Now see
how deep is God's foresight: both aspects of
the faith shall fill this garden equally.

	Behold now the high providence divine;
For one and other aspect of the Faith
In equal measure shall this garden fill.








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	And know that there, below the transverse row
that cuts across the two divisions, sit
souls who are there for merits not their own,

	And know that downward from that rank which cleaves  
Midway the sequence of the two divisions,
Not by their proper merit are they seated;








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	but-with certain conditions-others' merits;
for all of these are souls who left their bodies
before they had the power of true choice.

	But by another's under fixed conditions;
For these are spirits one and all assoiled
Before they any true election had.








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	Indeed, you may perceive this by yourself-
their faces, childlike voices, are enough,
if you look well at them and hear them sing.

	Well canst thou recognise it in their faces,
And also in their voices puerile,
If thou regard them well and hearken to them.








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	But now you doubt and, doubting, do not speak;
yet I shall loose that knot; I can release
you from the bonds of subtle reasoning.

	Now doubtest thou, and doubting thou art silent ;
But I will loosen for thee the strong bond  
In which thy subtile fancies hold thee fast.








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	Within the ample breadth of this domain,
no point can find its place by chance, just as
there is no place for sorrow, thirst, or hunger;

	Within the amplitude of this domain
No casual point can possibly find place,
No more than sadness can, or thirst, or hunger;








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	whatever you may see has been ordained
by everlasting law, so that the fit
of ring and finger here must be exact;

	For by eternal law has been established    
Whatever thou beholdest, so that closely
The ring is fitted to the finger here.








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	and thus these souls who have, precociously,
reached the true life do not, among themselves,
find places high or low without some cause.

	And therefore are these people, festinate
Unto true life, not sine causa here
More and less excellent among themselves.  








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	The King through whom this kingdom finds content
in so much love and so much joyousness
that no desire would dare to ask for more,

	The King, by means of whom this realm reposes
In so great love and in so great delight
That no will ventureth to ask for more,








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	creating every mind in His glad sight,
bestows His grace diversely, at His pleasure-
and here the fact alone must be enough.

	In his own joyous aspect every mind
Creating, at his pleasure dowers with grace
Diversely; and let here the effect suffice.








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	And this is clearly and expressly noted
for you in Holy Scripture, in those twins
who, in their mother's womb, were moved to anger.

	And this is clearly and expressly noted
For you in Holy Scripture, in those twins
Who in their mother had their anger roused.








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	Thus, it is just for the celestial light
to grace their heads with a becoming crown,
according to the color of their hair.

	According to the colour of the hair,    
Therefore, with such a grace the light supreme
Consenteth that they worthily be crowned.








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	Without, then, any merit in their works,
these infants are assigned to different ranks-
proclivity at birth, the only difference.

	Without, then, any merit of their deeds,
Stationed are they in different gradations,
Differing only in their first acuteness.








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	In early centuries, their parents' faith
alone, and their own innocence, sufficed
for the salvation of the children; when

	'Tis true that in the early centuries,
With innocence, to work out their salvation
Sufficient was the faith of parents only.








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	those early times had reached completion, then
each male child had to find, through circumcision,
the power needed by his innocent

	After the earlier ages were completed,
Behoved it that the males by circumcision
Unto their innocent wings should virtue add;








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	member; but then the age of grace arrived,
and without perfect baptism in Christ,
such innocence was kept below, in Limbo.

	But after that the time of grace had come
Without the baptism absolute of Christ,
Such innocence below there was retained.








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	Look now upon the face that is most like
the face of Christ, for only through its brightness
can you prepare your vision to see Him."

	Look now into the face that unto Christ
Hath most resemblance ; for its brightness only
Is able to prepare thee to see Christ."








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	I saw such joy rain down upon her, joy
carried by holy intellects created
to fly at such a height, that all which I

	On her did I behold so great a gladness
Rain down, borne onward in the holy minds
Created through that altitude to fly,








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	had seen before did not transfix me with
amazement so intense, nor show to me
a semblance that was so akin to God.

	That whatsoever I had seen before
Did not suspend me in such admiration,
Nor show me such similitude of God.








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	And the angelic love who had descended
earlier, now spread his wings before her,
singing "Ave Maria, gratia plena."

	And the same Love that first descended there,
 "Ave Maria, gratia plena,"singing,
In front of her his wings expanded wide.








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	On every side, the blessed court replied,
singing responses to his godly song,
so that each spirit there grew more serene.

	Unto the canticle divine responded
From every part the court beatified,
So that each sight became serener for it.








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	"O holy father-who, for me, endure
your being here below, leaving the sweet
place where eternal lot assigns your seat-

	"O holy father, who for me endurest
To be below here, leaving the sweet place
In which thou sittest by eternal lot,








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	who is that angel who with such delight
looks into our Queen's eyes-he who is so
enraptured that he seems to be a flame?"

	Who is the Angel that with so much joy
Into the eyes is looking of our Queen,
Enamoured so that he seems made of fire ?"








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	So, once again, I called upon the teaching
of him who drew from Mary beauty, as
the morning star draws beauty from the sun.

	Thus I again recourse had to the teaching
Of that one who delighted him in Mary
As doth the star of morning in the sun.








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	And he to me: "All of the gallantry
and confidence that there can be in angel
or blessed soul are found in him, and we

	And he to me: "Such gallantry and grace
As there can be in Angel and in soul,
All is in him; and thus we fain would have it;








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	would have it so, for it was he who carried
the palm below to Mary, when God's Son
wanted to bear our flesh as His own burden.

	Because he is the one who bore the palm
Down unto Mary, when the Son of God
To take our burden on himself decreed.








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	But follow with your eyes even as I
proceed to speak, and note the great patricians
of this most just and merciful empire.

	But now come onward with thine eyes, as I
Speaking shall go, and note the great patricians
Of this most just and merciful of empires.








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	Those two who, there above, are seated, most
happy to be so near the Empress, may
be likened to the two roots of this Rose:

	Those two that sit above there most enrapture
As being very near unto Augusta,
Are as it were the two roots of this Rose.








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	the one who, on her left, sits closest, is
the father whose presumptuous tasting
caused humankind to taste such bitterness;

	He who upon the left is near her placed
The father is, by whose audacious taste
The human species so much bitter tastes.








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	and on the right, you see that ancient father
of Holy Church, into whose care the keys
of this fair flower were consigned by Christ.

	Upon the right thou seest that ancient father
Of Holy Church, into whose keeping Christ
The keys committed of this lovely flower.








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	And he who saw, before he died, all of
the troubled era of the lovely Bride-
whom lance and nails had won-sits at his side;

	And he who all the evil days beheld,
Before his death, of her the beauteous bride
Who with the spear and with the nails was won,








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	and at the side of Adam sits that guide
under whose rule the people, thankless, fickle,
and stubborn, lived on manna. Facing Peter,

	Beside him sits, and by the other rests
That leader under whom on manna lived
The people ingrate, fickle, and stiff-necked.








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	Anna is seated, so content to see
her daughter that, as Anna sings hosannas,
she does not move her eyes. And opposite

	Opposite Peter seest thou Anna seated,
So well content to look upon her daughter,
Her eyes she moves not while she sings Hosanna.








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	the greatest father of a family,
Lucia sits, she who urged on your lady
when you bent your brows downward, to your ruin.

	And opposite the eldest household father
Lucìa sits, she who thy Lady moved
When to rush downward thou didst bend thy brows.








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	But time, which brings you sleep, takes flight, and now
we shall stop here-even as a good tailor
who cuts the garment as his cloth allows-

	But since the moments of thy vision fly,
Here will we make full stop, as a good tailor
Who makes the gown according to his cloth,








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	and turn our vision to the Primal Love,
that, gazing at Him, you may penetrate-
as far as that can be-His radiance.

	And unto the first Love will turn our eyes,
That looking upon Him thou penetrate
As far as possible through his effulgence.








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	But lest you now fall back when, even as
you move your wings, you think that you advance,
imploring grace, through prayer you must beseech

	Truly, lest peradventure thou recede,
Moving thy wings believing to advance,
By prayer behoves it that grace be obtained;








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	grace from that one who has the power to help you;
and do you follow me with your affection-
so may my words and your heart share one way."

	Grace from that one who has the power to aid thee;
And thou shalt follow me with thy affection
That from my words thy heart turn not aside."








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	And he began this holy supplication:

	And he began this holy orison.




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