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PURGATORIO CANTO 25
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	The hour when climbers cannot pause had come:
the sun had left to Taurus the meridian,
and night had left it to the Scorpion.

	NOW  was it the ascent no hindrance brooked,
Because the sun had his meridian circle
To Taurus left, and night to Scorpio;








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	Therefore, like one who will not stop but moves
along his path, no matter what he sees,
if he is goaded by necessity,

	Wherefore as doth a man who tarries not,
But goes his way, whate er to him appear,
If of necessity the sting transfix him,








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	we made our way into the narrow gap
and, one behind the other, took the stairs
so strait that climbers there must separate.

	In this wise did we enter through the gap,
Taking the stairway, one before the other,
Which by its narrowness divides the climbers.








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	And as the fledgling stork will lift its wing
because it wants to fly, but dares not try
to leave the nest, and lets its wing drop back,

	And as the little stork that lifts its wing
With a desire to fly, and does not venture
To leave the nest, and lets it downward droop,








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	so I, with my desire to question kindled
then spent, arrived as far as making ready
to speak. But my dear father, though our steps

	Even such was I, with the desire of asking
Kindled and quenched, unto the motion coming
He makes who doth address himself to speak.








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	were hurrying, did not stop talking, for
he said: "The iron of the arrow's touched
the longbow; let the shaft of speech fly off."

	Not for our pace, though rapid it might be,
My father sweet forbore, but said: "Let fly
The bow of speech thou to the barb hast drawn"








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	Then I had confidence enough to open
my mouth and ask him: "How can one grow lean
where there is never need for nourishment?"

	With confidence I opened then my mouth,
And I began: "How can one meagre grow
There where the need of nutriment applies not ?"








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	"If you recall how Meleager was
consumed," he said, "just when the firebrand
was spent, this won't be hard to understand;

	"If thou wouldst call to mind how Meleager
Was wasted by the wasting of a brand,
This would not," said he, "be to thee so sour;








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	and if you think how, though your body's swift,
your image in the mirror captures it,
then what perplexed will seem to you transparent.

	And wouldst thou think how at each tremulous motion
Trembles within a mirror your own image:
That which seems hard would mellow seem to thee








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	But that your will to know may be appeased,
here's Statius, and I call on him and ask
that he now be the healer of your doubts."

	But that thou mayst content thee in thy wish
Lo Statius here; and him I call and pray
He now will be the healer of thy wounds."








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	"If I explain eternal ways to him,"
Statius replied, "while you are present here,
let my excuse be: I cannot refuse you."

	"If I unfold to him the eternal vengeance,"
Responded Statius, "where thou present art,
Be my excuse that I can naught deny thee."








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	Then he began: "If, son, your mind receives
and keeps my words, then what I say will serve
as light upon the how that you have asked.

	Then he began: "Son, if these words of mine
Thy mind doth contemplate and doth receive,
They'll be thy light unto the How thou sayest.








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	The thirsty veins drink up the perfect blood-
but not all of that blood: a portion's left,
like leavings that are taken from the table.

	The perfect blood, which never is drunk up
Into the thirsty veins, and which remaineth
Like food that from the table thou removest,








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	Within the heart, that part acquires power
to form all of another's human limbs,
as blood that flows through veins feeds one's own limbs.

	Takes in the heart for all the human members
Virtue informative, as being that
Which to be changed to them goes through the veins








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	Digested yet again, that part descends
to what is best not named; from there it drips
into the natural receptacle,

	Again digest, descends it where 'tis better
Silent to be than say; and then drops thence
Upon another's blood in natural vase.








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	upon another's blood; the two bloods mix,
one ready to be passive and one active
because a perfect place, the heart, prepared them.

	There one together with the other mingles,
One to be passive meant, the other active
By reason of the perfect place it springs from;








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	The active, having reached the passive, starts
to work: first it coagulates-and then
quickens-the matter it has made more dense.

	And being conjoined, begins to operate,
Coagulating first, then vivifying
What for its matter it had made consistent.








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	Having become a soul (much like a plant,
though with this difference-a plant's complete,
whereas a fetus still is journeying),

	The active virtue, being made a soul
As of a plant, (in so far different,
This on the way is, that arrived already,)








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	the active virtue labors, so the fetus
may move and feel, like a sea-sponge; and then
it starts to organize the powers it's seeded.

	Then works so much, that now it moves and feels 
Like a sea-fungus, and then undertakes
To organize the powers whose seed it is.








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	At this point, son, the power that had come
from the begetter's heart unfolds and spreads,
that nature may see every limb perfected.

	Now, Son, dilates and now distends ]itself
The virtue from the generator's heart,
Where nature is intent on all the members.








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	But how the animal becomes a speaking
being, you've not yet seen; this point's so hard,
it led one wiser than you are to err

	But how from animal it man becomes
Thou dost not see as yet; this is a point
Which made a wiser man than thou once err








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	in separating from the possible
intellect the soul, since he could see
no organ for the mind-so did he teach.

	So far, that in his doctrine separate
He made the soul from possible intellect,
For he no organ saw by this assumed.








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	Open your heart to truth we now have reached
and know that, once the brain's articulation
within the fetus has attained perfection,

	Open thy breast unto the truth that's coming,
And know that, just as soon as in the foetus
The articulation of the brain is perfect,








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	then the First Mover turns toward it with joy
on seeing so much art in nature and
breathes into it new spirit-vigorous-

	The prirmal Motor turns to it well pleased
At so great art of nature, and inspires
A spirit new with virtue all replete,








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	which draws all that is active in the fetus
into its substance and becomes one soul
that lives and feels and has self-consciousness.

	Which what it finds there active doth attract
Into its substance, and becomes one soul,
Which lives, and feels, and on itself revolves. 








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	That what I say may leave you less perplexed,
consider the sun's heat that, when combined
with sap that flows from vines, is then made wine.

	And that thou less may wonder at my word,
Behold the sun's heat, which becometh wine,
Joined to the juice that from the vine distils.








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	And when Lachesis lacks more thread, then soul's
divided from the flesh; potentially,
it bears with it the human and divine;

	Whenever Lachesis has no more thread,
It separates from the flesh, and virtually
Bears with itself the human and divine;








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	but with the human powers mute, the rest-
intelligence and memory and will-
are more acute in action than they were.

	The other faculties are voiceless all;
The memory, the intelligence, and the will
In action far more vigorous than before.








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	With no delay, the soul falls of itself-
astonishingly-on one of two shores;
there it learns-early-what way it will journey.

	Without a pause it falleth of itself
In marvellous way on one shore or the other;
There of its roads it first is cognizant.








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	There, once the soul is circumscribed by space,
the power that gives form irradiates
as-and as much as-once it formed live limbs.

	Soon as the place there circumscribeth it,
The virtue informative rays round about,
As, and as much as, in the living members.








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	And even as the saturated air,
since it reflects the rays the sun has sent,
takes rainbow colors as its ornament,

	And even as the air, when full of rain,
By alien rays that are therein reflected,
With divers colours shows itself adorned,








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	so there, where the soul stopped, the nearby air
takes on the form that soul impressed on it,
a shape that is, potentially, real body;

	So there the neighbouring air doth shape itself
Into that form which doth impress upon it
Virtually the soul that has stood still.








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	and then, just as a flame will follow after
the fire whenever fire moves, so that
new form becomes the spirit's follower.

	And then in manner of the little flame,
Which followeth the fire where'er it shifts,
After the spirit followeth its new form.








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	Since from that airy body it takes on
its semblance, that soul is called 'shade': that shape
forms organs for each sense, even for sight.

	Since afterwards it takes from this its semblance,
It is called shade; and thence it organizes
Thereafter every sense, even to the sight.








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	This airy body lets us speak and laugh;
with it we form the tears and sigh the sighs
that you, perhaps, have heard around this mountain.

	Thence is it that we speak, and thence we laugh;
Thence is it that we form the tears and sighs,
That on the mountain thou mayhap hast heard."








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	Just as we are held fast by longings and
by other sentiments, our shade takes form:
this is the cause of your astonishment."

	According as impress us our desires
And other affections, so the shade is shaped,
And this is cause of what thou wonderest at."








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	By now we'd reached the final turning we
would meet and took the pathway right, at which
we were preoccupied with other cares.

	And now unto the last of all the circles
Had we arrived, and to the right hand turned,
And were attentive to another care.








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	There, from the wall, the mountain hurls its flames;
but, from the terrace side, there whirls a wind
that pushes back the fire and limits it;

	There the embankment shoots forth flames of fire,
And upward doth the cornice breathe a blast
That drives them back, and from itself sequesters.








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	thus, on the open side, proceeding one
by one, we went; I feared the fire on
the left and, on the right, the precipice.

	Hence we must needs go on the open side,
And one by one; and I did fear the fire
On this side, and on that the falling down.








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	My guide said: "On this terrace, it is best
to curb your eyes: the least distraction-left
or right-can mean a step you will regret."

	My Leader said: "Along this place one ought
To keep upon the eyes a tightened rein,
Seeing that one so easily might err."








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	Then, from the heart of that great conflagration,
I heard "Summae Deus clementiae"
sung-and was not less keen to turn my eyes;

	"Summae Deus clementiae,"in the bosom
Of the great burning chanted then I heard,
Which made me no less eager to turn round;








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	and I saw spirits walking in the flames,
so that I looked at them and at my steps,
sharing the time I had to look at each.

	And spirits saw I walking through the flame;
Wherefore I looked, to my own steps and theirs
Apportioning my sight from time to time.








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	After they'd reached that hymn's end, "Virum non
cognosco" were the words they cried aloud;
then they began the hymn in a low voice

	After the close which to that hymn is made,
Aloud they shouted, "Virum non cognosco ;"
Then recommenced the hymn with voices low.








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	again, and, done again, they cried: "Diana
kept to the woods and banished Helice
after she'd felt the force of Venus' poison."

	This also ended, cried they: "To the wood
Diana ran, and drove forth Helice
Therefrom, who had of Venus felt the poison."








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	Then they returned to singing; and they praised
aloud those wives and husbands who were chaste,
as virtue and as matrimony mandate.

	Then to their song returned they; then the wives
They shouted, and the husbands who were chaste.
As virtue and the marriage vow imposes.








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	This is-I think-the way these spirits act
as long as they are burned by fire: this is
the care and this the nourishment with which

	And I believe that them this mode suffices,
For all the time the fire is burning them;
With such care is it needful, and such food,








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	one has to heal the final wound of all.

	That the last wound of all should be closed up.




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