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.C A N T O XXIARGUMENTBeatrice smiles no longer, as they ascend to the seventh Heaven, of Saturn, wherein is Jacob s ladder, reaching upwardsout of sight.The soul of St.Peter Damian explains the reason why the song of the blessed is not heard there, andshows that God s counsels are hidden.Then he speaks of his own life, and the backsliding of the clergy.ALREADY were my eyes fixed again upon the countenance of my Lady, and my mind withthem, and from every other attention it had withdrawn itself; and she was not smiling; but, If I smiled, she began to me,  thou wouldst become what Semele was, when she became ofashes; for my beauty, which through the stairs of the eternal palace is more kindled, as thouhast observed, in proportion as one more ascends, if it were not tempered, is of such splendorthat thy mortal power would at its effulgence be as a leaf which a thunderbolt rends apart.We have been raised to the seventh splendor, which beneath the breast of the burning Lionis now beaming down, mingled with his might.Fix thy mind after thine eyes, and make ofthose mirrors to the figure, which in that mirror shall be apparent to thee.He who should know what was the feasting of my eyes on the blessed countenance, whenI transferred myself to other care, would recognize how much it was for my pleasure to obeymy heavenly escort, counterpoising the one side with the other.Within the crystal whichbears the name, as it circles the world, of the world s illustrious chief, under whom all iniquitylay dead, of the colour of gold wherein a ray shines through, I saw a ladder raised on high sofar that my eye followed it not.I saw moreover descend downwards by its steps so manysplendours that I thought every light which appears in the heaven thence had been diffused.And as by their natural custom the daws altogether, at the beginning of the day, bestirthemselves to warm their chilly plumes; then some go away without return; others turn themback to whence they started, and others wheeling make a stay; such fashion seemed to meto be there in that sparkling which came together, so soon as it smote upon a certain step;and that one which halted nearest to us became so bright that I said in my thoughts,  I seewell the love that thou dost signal to me. But she from whom I await the how and the whenof speech and silence, stands still; wherefore I do well, against my wish, in that I ask not.Wherefore she who saw my silence in the sight of Him who sees all, said to me:  Set free thyburning desire.And I began:  My service makes not me worthy of thy response, but through her whogrants me leave to ask.O blessed life, who standest hidden within thy own joy, make knownto me the occasion which has placed thee so near me; and tell me wherefore in this circle issilent the sweet symphony of Paradise, which below through the others sounds so devout. Thou hast thy hearing mortal, as thy sight, he answered me;  wherefore here is no chant, forthe same cause that Beatrice has no smile.Down through the steps of the holy stair have Idescended thus far, only to give thee greeting with my speech and with the light whichenwraps me; nor has more love made me to be more alert, for as much love and more isfervent from hence on high, even as the flaming makes manifest to thee.But the high charitywhich makes us ready servants to the counsel which guides the world casts the lot here, asthou dost observe.  I see well, said I,  O holy lamp, how free love in this court suffices toexecute the eternal providence; but this is that which seems to me hard to discern, why thoualone wast predestined to this office among thy consorts. I had not come to the last wordbefore the light made of its middle a center, whirling itself like a swift millstone.Then thelove that was therewithin made answer:  A divine light is concentrated upon me, penetratingthrough this, whereof I am in the womb, the virtue of which, in conjunction with my vision,lifts me above myself so far that I see the Supreme Essence, from which it is expressed.Hencecomes the gladness wherewith I am aflame, because to my view, in proportion as it is clear,I match the clearness of my flame.But that soul in heaven which is most purified, that seraphwho most has his eye fixed on God, will not satisfy thy demand, seeing that what thou seekestis so far removed in the abyss of the eternal law that it is cut off from all created sight [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]