Canto 27

“To the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit be glory,” all Paradise began, so that the sweet song was inebriating me. That which I was seeing seemed to me a smile of the Universe; for my inebriation was entering through the hearing and through the sight. O joy! O ineffable gladness! O life entire of love and of peace! O riches secure, without longing!⁵¹⁴

“Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,” all of Paradise began to sing. The sweet song filled me with a sense of intoxication. What I saw seemed to me like the smile of the Universe, because both sight and sound were intoxicating me. Oh, joy! Oh, indescribable gladness! Oh, life filled with love and peace! Oh, secure riches, free from longing!⁵¹⁴

Before my eyes the four torches were standing enkindled, and that which had come first began to make itself more vivid, and in its semblance be came such as Jove would become, if be and Mars were birds, and should interchange feathers.⁵¹⁵ The Providence which here apportions turn and office, had imposed silence on the blessed choir on every side, when I heard, “If I change color, marvel not; for, while I speak, thou shalt see all these change color. He who on earth usurps my place, my place, my place, which is vacant in the presence of the Son of God, has made of my burial-place a sewer of blood and of stench, wherewith the Perverse One who fell from here above, below there is placated.”

Four blazing torches stood before my eyes. The one that had come first began to glow more brightly. It changed in appearance as Jove would if he and Mars were birds and exchanged feathers.⁵¹⁵ Providence, which assigns each turn and duty here, had silenced the blessed choir on every side. Then I heard, “Do not wonder if I change color. While I speak, you will see all these change color too. On earth, he who usurps my place, my place, my place, has made my burial place a sewer of blood and stench. My place is vacant in the presence of the Son of God. With that blood and stench, the Perverse One who fell from up here is appeased down below.”

With that color which, by reason of the opposite sun, paints the cloud at evening and at morning, I then saw the whole Heaven overspread. And like a modest lady who abides sure of herself, and at the fault of another, in bearing of it only, becomes timid, even thus did Beatrice change countenance; and such eclipse I believe there was in heaven when the Supreme Power suffered.

I saw the whole of Heaven covered in the color that the sun paints on clouds opposite it at evening and morning. Beatrice’s face changed color, just like a modest woman who is confident in herself but grows shy merely on hearing of another’s fault. I believe there was such an eclipse in heaven when the Supreme Power suffered.

Then his words proceeded, in a voice so transmuted from itself that his countenance was not more changed; “The Bride of Christ was not nurtured on my blood, on that of Linus and of Cletus, to be employed for acquist of gold; but for acquist of this glad life Sixtus and Pius and Calixtus and Urban⁵¹⁶ shed their blood after much weeping. It was not our intention that part of the Christian people should sit on the right hand of our successors, and part on the other; nor that the keys which were conceded to me should become a sign upon a banner which should fight against those who are baptized;⁵¹⁷ nor that I should be a figure on a seal to venal and mendacious privileges, whereat I often redden and flash. In garb of shepherd, rapacious wolves are seen from here-above over all the pastures: O defence of God, why dost thou yet lie still! To drink our blood Cahorsines and Gascons are making ready:⁵¹⁸⁵¹⁹ O good beginning, to what vile end behoves it that thou fall! But the high Providence which with Scipio defended for Rome the glory of the world, will succor speedily, as I conceive. And thou, son, who because of thy mortal weight wilt again return below, open thy mouth, and conceal not that which I conceal not.”

Then he continued, his voice as changed as his face: “The Bride of Christ was not nurtured on my blood and the blood of Linus and Cletus so that she could be used to acquire gold. Rather, Sixtus, Pius, Calixtus, and Urban⁵¹⁶ shed their blood, after much weeping, to gain this joyful life. We never intended that some Christians should sit at the right hand of our successors and others at their left. Nor did we intend for the keys entrusted to me to become a symbol on a banner raised against the baptized.⁵¹⁷ Nor did we intend for my image to appear on a seal granting privileges that are corrupt and deceitful. At this, I often grow red and blaze with anger. From up here, we see ravenous wolves dressed as shepherds in every pasture. O God, why does your defense still lie idle? The Cahorsines and Gascons are preparing to drink our blood.⁵¹⁸⁵¹⁹ O noble beginning, what a vile end you must come to! But I believe that high Providence will soon help us, just as it defended for Rome the glory of the world through Scipio. And you, my son, who will return below because you still bear the weight of mortal flesh, speak out. Do not hide what I do not hide.”

Even as our air snows down flakes of frozen vapors, when the horn of the Goat of heaven touches the sun,⁵²⁰ so, upward, I saw the aether become adorned, and flaked with the triumphant vapors that had made sojourn there with us. My sight was following their semblances, and followed, till the intermediate space by its greatness pre. vented it from passing further onward. Whereon my Lady, who saw me disengaged from upward heeding, said to me, “Cast down thy sight, and look how thou hast revolved.”

Just as snowflakes of frozen vapor fall through our air when the horn of the Goat of heaven touches the sun,⁵²⁰ I saw the heavens above fill with flakes. They were the triumphant spirits who had stayed there with us. I watched their forms until they were too far away for me to see. Then my Lady, seeing that I was no longer looking upward, said to me, “Look down and see how far you have turned.”

Since the hour when I had first looked, I saw that I had moved through the whole are which the first climate makes from its middle to its end;⁵²¹ so that I saw beyond Cadiz the mad track of Ulysses, and near on this side the shore⁵²² on which Europa became a sweet burden. And more of the site of this little threshing-floor would have been discovered to me, but the sun was proceeding beneath my feet, a sign and more removed.⁵²³

Since I had first looked down, I saw that I had traveled the whole arc of the first climate, from its middle to its end.⁵²¹ So I saw beyond Cadiz the reckless path of Ulysses. Closer to me, I saw the shore⁵²² where Europa became a sweet burden. I would have seen more of this little threshing floor, but the sun was moving beneath my feet, more than one zodiac sign away.⁵²³

My enamoured mind, that ever dallies with my Lady, was more than ever burning to bring back my eyes to her. And if nature has made bait in human flesh, or art in its paintings, to catch the eyes in order to possess the mind, all united would seem naught compared to the divine pleasure which shone upon me when I turned me to her smiling face. And the virtue with which the look indulged me, tore me from the fair nest of Leda,⁵²⁴ and impelled me to the swiftest heaven.⁵²⁵

My loving mind, always dwelling on my Lady, was more eager than ever to turn my eyes back to her. Nature may create beauty in human flesh, or art may create it in paintings, to catch the eyes and captivate the mind. But all such beauty combined would seem like nothing beside the divine delight that shone on me when I turned to her smiling face. The power of her gaze, which she bestowed on me, tore me from Leda’s fair nest,⁵²⁴ and carried me to the swiftest heaven.⁵²⁵

Its parts, most living and lofty, are so uniform that I cannot tell which of them Beatrice chose for a place for me. But she, who saw my desire, began, smiling so glad that God seemed to rejoice in her countenance, “The nature of the world⁵²⁶ which quiets the centre, and moves all the rest around it, begins here as from its, starting-point. And this heaven has no other Where than the Divine Mind, in which the love that revolves it is kindled, and the virtue which it rains down. Light and love enclose it with one circle, even as this does the others, and of that cincture He who girds it is the sole Intelligence.⁵²⁷ The motion of this heaven is not marked out by another, but the others are measured by this, even as ten by a half and by a fifth.⁵²⁸ And how time can hold its roots in such a flower-pot, and in the others its leaves, may now be manifest to thee.

Its parts are so uniform, so full of life and so exalted, that I cannot say where Beatrice chose to place me. But she saw what I wanted to know and began to speak. Her smile was so joyful that God seemed to rejoice in her face. “The nature of the world⁵²⁶ keeps the center still and moves everything else around it. That nature begins here, as at its starting point. This heaven has no other place than the Divine Mind. There, the love that turns it and the power it sends down are kindled. Light and love enclose this heaven in a single circle, just as this heaven encloses the others. Only he who surrounds it understands that circle.⁵²⁷ No other heaven measures the motion of this one. Instead, this heaven measures the others, just as ten is measured by its half and its fifth.⁵²⁸ And now you may see how time has its roots in this flowerpot and its leaves in the other heavens.

“O covetousness,⁵²⁹ which whelms mortals beneath thee, so that no one has power to withdraw his eyes from out thy waves! Well. blossoms the will in men, but the continual rain converts the true plums into wildings. Faith and innocence are found only in children; then both fly away ere yet the cheeks are covered. One, so long as he stammers, fasts, who afterward, when his tongue is loosed, devours whatever food under whatever moon; and one, while stammering, loves his mother and listens to her, who, when speech is perfect, desires then to see her buried. So the skin of the fair daughter of him who brings morning and leaves evening, white in its first aspect, becomes black.⁵³⁰ Do thou, in order that thou make not marvel, reflect that on earth there is no one who governs; wherefore the human family is gone astray. But ere January be all un-wintered by that hundredth part which is down there neglected,⁵³¹ these supernal circles shall so roar that the storm which is so long awaited shall turn the sterns round to where the prows are, so that the fleet shall run straight, and true fruit shall come after the flower.”

“O greed,⁵²⁹ you overwhelm mortals so completely that no one can lift their eyes from your waves! The human will blossoms well, but the constant rain turns good plums into wild fruit. Faith and innocence are found only in children. Both disappear before their cheeks are covered with beards. A child who fasts while he can barely speak later eats any food under any moon. Another loves and obeys his mother while he can barely speak. Yet once he can speak clearly, he wishes to see her buried. So the skin of the fair daughter of him who brings morning and leaves evening turns black. At first it was white.⁵³⁰ To keep yourself from wondering at this, remember that no one governs on earth. That is why the human family has gone astray. But before the hundredth part neglected on earth makes January entirely free of winter,⁵³¹ these heavenly circles will roar. The long-awaited storm will turn the ships around, so that their sterns face where their prows once did. Then the fleet will sail straight, and good fruit will follow the flower.”