Canto 2

O ye, who are in a little bark, desirous to listen, following behind my craft which singing passes on, turn to see again Your shores; put not out upon the deep; for haply losing me, ye would remain astray. The water that I sail was never crossed. Minerva inspires, and Apollo guides me, and nine Muses point out to me the Bears.

You who follow my singing ship in a small boat, eager to listen, turn back toward your shores. Do not venture into deep water, for if you lose sight of me, you may be left lost. The waters I sail have never been crossed before. Minerva inspires me, Apollo guides me, and the nine Muses point out the Bears to me.

Ye other few, who have lifted tip your necks be. times to the bread of the Angels, oil which one here subsists, but never becomes sated of it, ye may well put forth your vessel over the salt deep, keeping my wake before you on the water which turns smooth again. Those glorious ones who passed over to Colchos wondered not as ye shall do, when they saw Jason become a ploughman.

You other few, who have long reached for the bread of the Angels, may set your vessel out over the salty sea. Here, people live on that bread but never grow tired of it. Follow the wake of my vessel as the water smooths behind me. The glorious ones who sailed to Colchos were less amazed when they saw Jason become a ploughman than you will be.

The concreate and perpetual thirst for the deiform realm was bearing us on swift almost as ye see the heavens. Beatrice was looking upward, and I upon her, and perhaps in such time as a quarrel²¹ rests, and flies, and from the notch is unlocked,²² I saw myself arrived where a wonderful thing drew my sight to itself; and therefore she, from whom the working of my mind could not be hid, turned toward me, glad as beautiful. “Uplift thy grateful mind to God,” she said to me, “who with the first star²³ has conjoined us.”

The inborn and eternal thirst for the divine realm was carrying us onward, almost as swiftly as you see the heavens move. Beatrice was looking upward, and I was looking at her. Perhaps in the time it takes a crossbow bolt²¹ to rest, fly, and be released from the notch,²² I found myself at a place where a wonderful sight drew my gaze. Beatrice could see what was passing through my mind, so she turned toward me, as joyful as she was beautiful. “Lift your grateful mind to God,” she said to me, “who has joined us with the first star²³.”

It seemed to me that a cloud had covered us, lucid, dense, solid, and polished, like a diamond which the sun had struck. Within itself the eternal pearl had received us, even as water receives a ray of light, remaining unbroken. If I was body (and here²⁴ it is not conceivable how one dimension brooked another, which needs must be if body enter body) the desire ought the more to kindle us to see that Essence, in which is seen how our nature and God were united. There will be seen that which we hold by faith, not demonstrated, but it will be known of itself like the first truth which man believes.²⁵

It seemed to me that a cloud had covered us. It was clear, dense, solid, and polished, like a diamond struck by the sun. The eternal pearl received us into itself, just as water receives a ray of light without breaking apart. If I had a body, our desire to see that Essence should burn all the more. Here²⁴ we cannot imagine how one body could occupy the same space as another, as it must if one body enters another. In that Essence we will see how our nature and God were united. There we will see what we hold by faith. It will not be demonstrated, but will be self-evident, like the first truth a person believes.²⁵

I replied, “My Lady, devoutly to the utmost that I can, do I thank him who from the mortal world has removed me. But tell me what are the dusky marks of this body, which there below on earth make people fable about Cain?”²⁶

I replied, “My Lady, I thank him who brought me from the mortal world as devoutly as I can. But tell me, what are the dark marks on this body? They make people down on earth tell stories about Cain.”²⁶

She smiled somewhat, and then she said, “If the opinion of mortals errs where the key of sense unlocks not, surely the shafts of wonder ought not now to pierce thee, since thou seest that the reason following the senses has short wings. But tell me what thou thyself thinkest of it.” And I, “That which here above appears to us diverse, I believe is caused by rare and dense bodies.” And she, “Surely enough thou shalt see that thy belief is submerged in error, if then listenest well to the argument that I shall make against it. The eighth sphere²⁷ displays to you many lights, which may be noted of different aspects in quality and quantity. If rare and dense effected all this,²⁸ one single virtue, more or less or equally distributed, would be in all. Different virtues must needs be fruits of formal principles;²⁹ and by thy reckoning, these, all but one, would be destroyed. Further, if rarity were the cause of that darkness of which you ask, either this planet would be thus deficient of its matter through and through, or else as a body distributes the fat and the loan, so this would interchange the leaves in its volume. If the first were the case, it would be manifest in the eclipses of the sun, by the shining through of the light, as when it is poured out upon any other rare body. This is not so; therefore we must look at the other, and if it happen that I quash this other, thy opinion will be falsified. If it be that this rare passes not through,³⁰ there needs must be a limit, beyond which its contrary allows it not to pass further; and thence the ray from another body is poured back, just as color returns through a glass which hides lead behind itself. Now thou wilt say that the ray shows itself dimmer there than in the other parts, by being there reflected from further back. From this objection experiment, which is wont to be the fountain to the streams of your arts, may deliver thee, if ever thou try it. Thou shalt take three mirrors, and set two of them at an equal distance from thee, and let the other, further removed, meet thine eyes between the first two. Turning toward them, cause a light to be placed behind thy back, which may illumine the three mirrors, and return to thee thrown back front all. Although the more distant image reach thee not so great in quantity, thou wilt then see how it cannot but be of equal brightness.

She smiled slightly, then said, “Mortals can be mistaken about things the senses cannot reveal. Surely that should not surprise you now, since you see how little reason can do when it follows the senses. But tell me what you think about it.” And I said, “I believe that the differences we see in the heavens are caused by differences in the density of bodies.” And she said, “If you listen carefully to my argument, you will surely see that your belief is mistaken. The eighth sphere²⁷ displays many lights to you, differing in quality and size. If density alone caused all these differences,²⁸ a single power would exist in them all, distributed more, less, or equally. Different powers must arise from different formal principles.²⁹ But by your reasoning, all but one of these principles would be eliminated. “Furthermore, if the dark patches you ask about were caused by lower density, one of two things would follow. Either this planet would be less dense all the way through, or its layers would vary like the fat and lean parts of a body. If the first were true, it would be evident during eclipses of the sun. Sunlight would shine through the planet, as it does through any other less dense body. This does not happen, so we must consider the other possibility. And if I disprove that possibility, your belief will be shown to be false. “If the less dense material does not extend all the way through,³⁰ there must be a boundary. Beyond that boundary, denser material prevents it from passing further. A ray from another body is then reflected back, just as color returns through glass backed with lead. Now you will say that the ray looks dimmer there than elsewhere because it is reflected from farther back. You may free yourself from this objection through experiment, if you ever try it. Experiment is the usual source of your arts. “Take three mirrors. Set two of them at the same distance from you, and place the third farther away, between the first two as you look at them. Facing the mirrors, have a light placed behind you. Let it shine on all three mirrors, so that each reflects its light back to you. Although the more distant image appears smaller, you will see that it must be equally bright.”

“Now, as beneath the blows of the warm rays that which lies under the snow remains bare both of the former color³¹ and the cold, thee, thus remaining in thy intellect, will I inform with light so living that it shall tremble in its aspect to thee.³²

“Now, warm rays melt the snow, leaving what lay beneath it free of both its former color³¹ and the cold. Just as the snow melts, your intellect has been cleared. I will fill it with light so vivid that it will seem to tremble before you.³²

“Within the heaven of the divine peace revolves a body, in whose virtue lies the being of all that it contains.³³ The following heaven³⁴ which has so many sights, distributes that being through divers essences³⁵ from it distinct, and by it contained. The other spheres, by various differences, dispose the distinctions which they have within themselves unto their ends and their seeds.³⁶ These organs of the world thus proceed, as thou now seest, from grade to grade; for they receivefrom above, and operate below. Observe me well, how I advance through this place to the truth which thou desirest, so that hereafter thou mayest know to keep the ford alone. The motion and the virtue of the holy spheres must needs be inspired by blessed motors, as the work of the hammer by the smith. And the heaven, which so many lights make beautiful, takes its image from the deep Mind which revolves it, and makes thereof a seal. And as the soul within your dust is diffused through different members, and conformed to divers potencies, so the Intelligence³⁷ displays its own goodness multiplied through the stars, itself circling upon its own unity. Divers virtue makes divers alloy with the precious body that it quickens, in which, even as life in you, it is bound. Because of the glad nature whence, it flows, the virtue mingled through the body shines,³⁸ as gladness through the living pupil. From this,³⁹ comes whatso seems different between light and light, not from dense and rare; this is the formal principle which produces, conformed unto its goodness, the dark and the bright.”

“Within the heaven of divine peace, a body revolves. Its power gives being to everything it contains.³³ The next heaven,³⁴ with its many sights, distributes that being among various essences.³⁵ These are distinct from it, yet contained within it. The other spheres, through their various differences, direct the distinctions within themselves toward their ends and their seeds.³⁶ Thus, as you now see, these organs of the world act in a series of levels. They receive from above and act below. Watch carefully as I move through this place toward the truth you seek, so that later you may cross the ford alone. The motion and power of the holy spheres must be inspired by blessed movers, just as a smith wields a hammer. The heaven made beautiful by so many lights takes its image from the deep Mind that turns it. The heaven then makes that image into a seal. The soul within your earthly body is spread through different members and fitted to different powers. In the same way, the Intelligence³⁷ displays its goodness multiplied through the stars, while circling in its own unity. The various powers blend differently with the precious body each brings to life. Each power is bound within that body, just as life is bound within you. Because of the joyful nature from which it flows, the power mingled throughout the body shines,³⁸ as joy shines through a living pupil. This³⁹ is what makes one light seem different from another, not differences in density or rarity. This is the shaping principle that produces darkness and brightness, according to its goodness.”