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PURGATORIO CANTO 31
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	"O you upon the holy stream's far shore,"
so she, turning her speech's point against me-
even its edge had seemed too sharp-began

	"O THOU who art beyond the sacred river,"
Turning to me the point of her discourse,
That edgewise even had seemed to me so keen,








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	again, without allowing interruption,
"tell, tell if this is true; for your confession
must be entwined with such self-accusation."

	She recommenced, continuing without pause,
"Say, say if this be true; to such a charge,
Thy own confession needs must be conjoined."








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	My power of speech was so confounded that
my voice would move and yet was spent before
its organs had released it. She forbore

	My faculties were in so great confusion,
That the voice moved, but sooner was extinct
Than by its organs it was set at large.








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	a moment, then she said: "What are you thinking?
Reply to me, the water has not yet
obliterated your sad memories."

	Awhile she waited; then she said: "What thinkest ?
Answer me; for the mournful memories
In thee not yet are by the waters injured."








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	Confusion mixed with fear compelled a Yes
out of my mouth, and yet that Yes was such-
one needed eyes to make out what it was.

	Confusion and dismay together mingled
Forced such a Yes! from out my mouth, that sight
Was needful to the understanding of it.








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	Just as a crossbow that is drawn too taut
snaps both its cord and bow when it is shot,
and arrow meets its mark with feeble force,

	Even as a cross-bow breaks, when 'tis discharged
Too tensely drawn the bowstring and the bow,
And with less force the arrow hits the mark,








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	so, caught beneath that heavy weight, I burst;
and I let tears and sighs pour forth; my voice
had lost its life along its passage out.

	So I gave way beneath that heavy burden,
Outpouring in a torrent tears and sighs,
And the voice flagged upon its passage forth.








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	At this she said: "In the desire for me
that was directing you to love the Good
beyond which there's no thing to draw our longing,

	Whence she to me: "In those desires of mine
Which led thee to the loving of that good,
Beyond which there is nothing to aspire to,








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	what chains were strung, what ditches dug across
your path that, once you'd come upon them, caused
your loss of any hope of moving forward?"

	What trenches lying traverse or what chains
Didst thou discover, that of passing onward
Thou shouldst have thus despoiled thee of the hope ?








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	What benefits and what allurements were
so evident upon the brow of others
that you had need to promenade before them?"

	And what allurements or what vantages
Upon the forehead of the others showed,
That thou shouldst turn thy footsteps unto them?"








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	After I had withheld a bitter sigh,
I scarcely had the voice for my reply,
but, laboring, my lips gave my words form.

	After the heaving of a bitter sigh,
Hardly had I the voice to make response,
And with fatigue my lips did fashion it








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	Weeping, I answered: "Mere appearances
turned me aside with their false loveliness,
as soon as I had lost your countenance."

	Weeping I said: "The things that present were
With their false pleasure turned aside my steps,
Soon as your countenance concealed itself."








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	And she: "Had you been silent or denied
what you confess, your guilt would not be less
in evidence: it's known by such a Judge!

	And she: "Shouldst thou be silent, or deny
What thou confessest, not less manifest
Would be thy fault, by such a Judge 'tis known








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	But when the charge of sinfulness has burst
from one's own cheek, then in our court the whet-
stone turns and blunts our blade's own cutting edge.

	But when from one's own cheeks comes bursting forth
The accusal of the sin, in our tribunal
Against the edge the wheel doth turn itself








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	Nevertheless, that you may feel more shame
for your mistake, and that-in time to come-
hearing the Sirens, you may be more strong,

	But still, that thou mayst feel a greater shame
For thy transgression, and another time
Hearing the Sirens thou mayst be more strong,  








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	have done with all the tears you sowed, and listen:
so shall you hear how, unto other ends,
my buried flesh should have directed you.

	Cast down the seed of weeping and attend;
So shalt thou hear, how in an opposite way
My buried flesh should have directed thee.








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	Nature or art had never showed you any
beauty that matched the lovely limbs in which
I was enclosed-limbs scattered now in dust;

	Never to thee presented art or nature
Pleasure so great as the fair limbs wherein
I was enclosed, which scattered are in earth.








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	and if the highest beauty failed you through
my death, what mortal thing could then induce
you to desire it? For when the first

	And if the highest pleasure thus did fail thee
By reason of my death. what mortal thing
Should then have drawn thee into its desire ?








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	arrow of things deceptive struck you, then
you surely should have lifted up your wings
to follow me, no longer such a thing.

	Thou oughtest verily at the first shaft
Of things fallacious to have risen up
To follow me, who was no longer such.








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	No green young girl or other novelty-
such brief delight-should have weighed down your wings,
awaiting further shafts. The fledgling bird

	Thou oughtest not to have stooped thy pinions downward
To wait for further blows, or little girl,
Or other vanity of such brief use.








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	must meet two or three blows before he learns,
but any full-fledged bird is proof against
the net that has been spread or arrow, aimed."

	The callow birdlet waits for two or three,
But to the eyes of those already fledged,
In vain the net is spread or shaft is shot."








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	As children, when ashamed, will stand, their eyes
upon the ground-they listen, silently,
acknowledging their fault repentantly-

	Even as children silent in their shame
Stand listening with their eyes upon the ground,  
And conscious of their fault, and penitent;








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	so did I stand; and she enjoined me: "Since
hearing alone makes you grieve so, lift up
your beard, and sight will bring you greater tears."

	So was I standing; and she said: "If thou
In hearing sufferest pain, lift up thy beard
And thou shalt feel a greater pain in seeing."








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	There's less resistance in the sturdy oak
to its uprooting by a wind from lands
of ours or lands of Iarbas than I showed

	With less resistance is a robust holm
Uprooted, either by a native wind
Or else by that from regions of Iarbas,








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	in lifting up my chin at her command;
I knew quite well-when she said "beard" but meant
my face-the poison in her argument.

	Than I upraised at her command my chin;
And when she by the beard the face demanded,
Well I perceived the venom of her meaning.








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	When I had raised my face upright, my eyes
were able to perceive that the first creatures
had paused and were no longer scattering flowers;

	And as my countenance was lifted up,
Mine eye perceived those creatures beautiful
Had rested from the strewing of the flowers;








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	and still uncertain of itself, my vision
saw Beatrice turned toward the animal
that is, with its two natures, but one person.

	And, still but little reassured, mine eyes
Saw Beatrice turned round towards the monster, 
That is one person only in two natures.








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	Beneath her veil, beyond the stream, she seemed
so to surpass her former self in beauty
as, here on earth, she had surpassed all others.

	Beneath her veil, beyond the margent green,
She seemed to me far more her ancient self
To excel, than others here, when she was here.








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	The nettle of remorse so stung me then,
that those-among all other-things that once
most lured my love, became most hateful to me.

	So pricked me then the thorn of penitence,
That of all other things the one which turned me
Most to its love became the most my foe.








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	Such self-indictment seized my heart that I
collapsed, my senses slack; what I became
is known to her who was the cause of it.

	Such self-conviction stung me at the heart
O'erpowered I fell, and what I then became
She knoweth who had furnished me the cause.








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	Then, when my heart restored my outer sense,
I saw the woman whom I'd found alone,
standing above me, saying: "Hold, hold me!"

	Then, when the heart restored my outward sense,
The lady I had found alone, above me
I saw, and she was saying, "Hold me, hold me."








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	She'd plunged me, up to my throat, in the river,
and, drawing me behind her, she now crossed,
light as a gondola, along the surface.

	Up to my throat she in the stream had drawn me,
And, dragging me behind her, she was moving
Upon the water lightly as a shuttle.








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	When I was near the blessed shore, I heard
"Asperges me" so sweetly sung that I
cannot remember or, much less, transcribe it.

	When I was near unto the blessed shore,
"Asperges me," I heard so sweetly sung,
Remember it I cannot, much less write it








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	The lovely woman opened wide her arms;
she clasped my head, and then she thrust me under
to that point where I had to swallow water.

	The beautiful lady opened wide her arms,
Embraced my head, and plunged me underneath,
Where I was forced to swallow of the water.








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	That done, she drew me out and led me, bathed,
into the dance of the four lovely women;
and each one placed her arm above my head.

	Then forth she drew me, and all dripping brought
Into the dance of the four beautiful,
And each one with her arm did cover me.








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	"Here we are nymphs; in heaven, stars; before
she had descended to the world, we were
assigned, as her handmaids, to Beatrice;

	'We here are Nymphs, and in the Heaven are stars;
Ere Beatrice descended to the world,
We as her handmaids were appointed her.








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	we'll be your guides unto her eyes; but it
will be the three beyond, who see more deeply,
who'll help you penetrate her joyous light."

	We'll lead thee to her eyes; but for the pleasant
Light that within them is, shall sharpen thine
The three beyond, who more profoundly look."








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	So, singing, they began; then, leading me
together with them to the griffin's breast,
where Beatrice, turned toward us, stood, they said:

	Thus singing they began; and afterwards
Unto the Griffin's breast they led me with them,
Where Beatrice was standing, turned towards us.








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	"See that you are not sparing of your gaze:
before you we have set those emeralds
from which Love once had aimed his shafts at you."

	"See that thou dost not spare thine eyes," they said;
"Before the emeralds have we stationed thee,
Whence Love aforetime drew for thee his weapons."








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	A thousand longings burning more than flames
compelled my eyes to watch the radiant eyes
that, motionless, were still fixed on the griffin.

	A thousand longings, hotter than the flame,
Fastened mine eyes upon those eyes relucent,
That still upon the Griffin steadfast stayed.








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	Just like the sun within a mirror, so
the double-natured creature gleamed within,
now showing one, and now the other guise.

	As in a glass the sun, not otherwise
Within them was the twofold monster shining,
Now with the one, now with the other nature.








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	Consider, reader, if I did not wonder
when I saw something that displayed no movement
though its reflected image kept on changing.

	Think, Reader, if within myself I marvelled,
When I beheld the thing itself stand still,
And in its image it transformed itself.








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	And while, full of astonishment and gladness,
my soul tasted that food which, even as
it quenches hunger, spurs the appetite,

	While with amazement filled and jubilant,
My soul was tasting of the food, that while
It satisfies us makes us hunger for it,








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	the other three, whose stance showed them to be
the members of a higher troop, advanced-
and, to their chant, they danced angelically.

	Themselves revealing of the highest rank
In bearing, did the other three advance,
Singing to their angelic saraband.








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	"Turn, Beatrice, o turn your holy eyes
upon your faithful one," their song beseeched,
"who, that he might see you, has come so far.

	"Turn, Beatrice, O turn thy holy eyes,"
Such was their song, "unto thy faithful one,
Who has to see thee ta'en so many steps.








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	Out of your grace, do us this grace; unveil
your lips to him, so that he may discern
the second beauty you have kept concealed."

	In grace do us the grace that thou unveil
Thy face to him, so that he may discern
The second beauty which thou dost conceal."








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	O splendor of eternal living light,
who's ever grown so pale beneath Parnassus'
shade or has drunk so deeply from its fountain,

	O splendour of the living light eternal!
Who underneath the shadow of Parnassus
Has grown so pale, or drunk so at its cistern,








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	that he'd not seem to have his mind confounded,
trying to render you as you appeared
where heaven's harmony was your pale likeness-

	He would not seem to have his mind encumbered
Striving to paint thee as thou didst appear,
Where the harmonious heaven o'ershadowed thee,








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	your face, seen through the air, unveiled completely?

	When in the open air thou didst unveil ?




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