Canto 33

“Virgin Mother, daughter of thine own Son, humble and exalted more than any creature, fixed term of the eternal counsel, thou art she who didst so ennoble human nature that its own Maker disdained not to become His own making. Within thy womb was rekindled the Love through whose warmth this flower has thus blossomed in the eternal peace. Here thou art to us the noonday torch of charity, and below, among mortals, thou art the living fount of hope. Lady, thou art so great, and so availest, that whoso wishes grace, and has not recourse to thee, wishes his desire to fly without wings. Thy benignity not only succors him who asks, but oftentimes freely foreruns the asking. In thee mercy, in thee pity, in thee magnificence, in thee whatever of goodness is in any creature, are united. Now doth this man, who, from the lowest abyss of the universe, far even as here, has seen one by one the lives of spirits, supplicate thee, through grace, for virtue such that he may be able with his eyes to uplift himself higher toward the Ultimate Salvation. And I, who never for my own vision burned more than I do for his, proffer to thee all my prayers, and pray that they be not scant, that with thy prayers thou wouldest dissipate for him every cloud of his mortality, so that the Supreme Pleasure may be displayed to him. Further I pray thee, Queen, who canst whatso thou wilt, that, after so great a vision, thou wouldest preserve his affections sound. May thy guardianship vanquish human impulses. Behold Beatrice with all the Blessed for my prayers clasp their hands to thee.”⁵⁹⁹

“Virgin Mother, daughter of your own Son, you are more humble and more exalted than any other creature. You are the fixed goal of the eternal plan. You so ennobled human nature that its own Maker did not disdain to become what he had made. In your womb, Love was rekindled. Through its warmth, this flower has blossomed in eternal peace. Here, you are the blazing noon torch of charity for us. Below, among mortals, you are the living fountain of hope. Lady, you are so great and so powerful that anyone who seeks grace without turning to you wants to fly without wings. Your kindness not only helps those who ask, but often freely comes before the asking. In you are united mercy, compassion, magnificence, and whatever goodness exists in any creature. Now this man begs you for grace to give him strength. He has seen the lives of spirits one by one, from the lowest abyss of the universe to this place. He asks for strength so that he may lift his eyes higher, toward Ultimate Salvation. And I have never longed more for my own vision than I now long for his. I offer you all my prayers, and pray that they will be enough. With your prayers, please clear away every cloud of his mortality, so that Supreme Pleasure may be revealed to him. I also pray to you, Queen, who can do whatever you wish. After so great a vision, please keep his affections sound. May your protection overcome his human impulses. See how Beatrice and all the Blessed join my prayers, clasping their hands to you.”⁵⁹⁹

The eyes beloved and revered by God, fixed on the speaker, showed to us how pleasing unto her are devout prayers. Then to the Eternal Light were they directed, on which it is not to be believed that eye so clear is turned by any creature.

Her eyes, beloved and revered by God, rested on the speaker. They showed us how pleasing devout prayers are to her. Then she turned her eyes toward the Eternal Light. No creature, it is believed, can gaze upon it with eyes as clear as hers.

And I, who to the end of all desires was approaching, even as I ought, ended within myself the ardor of my longing.⁶⁰⁰ Bernard was beckoning to me, and was smiling, that I should look upward; but I was already, of my own accord, such as he wished; for my sight, becoming pure, was entering more and more through the radiance of the lofty Light which of itself is true.

As I approached the goal of all desires, I quieted the fire of my longing, as I should.⁶⁰⁰ Bernard smiled and beckoned me to look up. But I was already doing as he wished. For my sight was growing purer, and I was looking deeper into the radiance of the exalted Light, which is truth itself.

Thenceforward my vision was greater than our speech, which yields to such a sight, and the memory yields to such excess.⁶⁰¹

From then on, what I saw was beyond words, and its overwhelming power was beyond memory.⁶⁰¹

As is he who dreaming sees, and after the dream the passion remains imprinted, and the rest returns not to the mind, such am I; for my vision almost wholly fails, while the sweetness that was born of it yet distils within my heart. Thus the snow is by the sun unsealed; thus on the wind, in the light leaves, was lost the saying of the Sibyl.

I am like someone who wakes from a dream and remembers the feeling, but nothing else. My vision has almost entirely faded, yet the sweetness it gave me still lingers in my heart. Just as snow melts in the sun, the Sibyl's words, written on light leaves, were lost to the wind.

O Supreme Light, that so high upliftest Thyself from mortal conceptions, re-lend a little to my mind of what Thou didst appear, and make my tongue so powerful that it may be able to leave one single spark of Thy glory for the future people; for, by returning somewhat to my memory and by sounding a little in these verses, more of Thy victory shall be conceived.

O Supreme Light, you rise so far above anything mortals can imagine. Give my mind back a little of how you appeared to me. Give my words enough power to leave a single spark of your glory for future generations. For if a little returns to my memory and echoes in these verses, people will understand more of your victory.

I think that by the keenness of the living ray which I endured, I should have been bewildered if my eyes had been averted from it. And it comes to my mind that for this reason I was the more hardy to sustain so much, that I joined my look unto the Infinite Goodness.

I think the living light I endured was so intense that I would have been bewildered if I had looked away from it. I realize that this was why I was able to endure so much: I fixed my gaze on the Infinite Goodness.

O abundant Grace, whereby I presumed to fix my eyes through the Eternal Light so far that there I consumed my sight!

O abundant Grace, you gave me the courage to look so deeply into the Eternal Light that I exhausted my sight!

In its depth I saw that whatsoever is dispersed through the universe is there included, bound with love in one volume; substance and accidents and their modes, fused together, as it were, in such wise, that that of which I speak is one simple Light. The universal form of this knot⁶⁰² I believe that I saw, because in saying this I feel that I more at large rejoice. One instant only is greater oblivion for me than five and twenty centuries to the emprise which made Neptune wonder at the shadow of Argo.⁶⁰³

In its depths, I saw everything scattered throughout the universe gathered there, bound by love into one volume. Substance, its properties, and their forms were fused together, so that what I speak of is one simple Light. I believe I saw the universal form of this knot⁶⁰², because saying so makes me feel a greater joy. In a single instant, I forget more than twenty-five centuries have erased from the memory of the voyage that made Neptune wonder at Argo’s shadow.⁶⁰³

Thus my mind, wholly rapt, was gazing fixed, motionless, and intent, and ever with gazing grew enkindled. In that Light one becomes such that it is impossible he should ever consent to turn himself from it for other sight; because the Good which is the object of the will is all collected in it, and outside of it that is defective which is perfect there.

My mind was completely absorbed as I gazed, motionless and intent. The longer I gazed, the more I burned with passion. In that Light, a person becomes unable to willingly turn away to look at anything else. This is because all the Good that the will desires is gathered in that Light. Outside the Light, what is perfect there is imperfect.

Now will my speech be shorter, even in respect to that which I remember, than an infant's who still bathes his tongue at the breast. Not because more than one simple semblance was in the Living Light wherein I was gazing, which is always such as it was before; but through my sight, which was growing strong in me as I looked, one sole appearance, as I myself changed, was altering itself to me.

Now, even when I speak of what I remember, my words will be less adequate than those of a nursing infant. This is not because the Living Light I gazed into had more than one simple appearance. The Living Light is always as it was before. But my sight grew stronger as I looked. As I changed, that single appearance seemed to change for me.

Within the profound and clear subsistence of the lofty Light appeared to me three circles of three colors and of one dimension; and one appeared reflected by the other, as Iris by Iris,⁶⁰⁴ and the third appeared fire which from the one and from the other is equally breathed forth.

Within the deep, clear being of the lofty Light, I saw three circles of different colors, all the same size. One appeared reflected by the other, as one rainbow by another,⁶⁰⁴ and the third appeared to be fire breathed forth equally from both.

O how short is the telling, and how feeble toward my conception! and this toward what I saw is such that it suffices not to call it little.

Oh, how inadequate my words are to express what I grasped! And what I grasped falls so far short of what I saw that calling it little is not enough.

O Light Eternal, that sole dwellest in Thyself, sole understandest Thyself, and, by Thyself understood and understanding, lovest and smilest on Thyself! That circle, which, thus conceived, appeared in Thee as a reflected light, being somewhile regarded by my eyes, seemed to me depicted within itself, of its own very color, by our effigy, wherefore my sight was wholly set upon it. As is the geometer who wholly applies himself to measure the circle, and finds not by thinking that principle of which he is in need, such was I at that new sight. I wished to see how the image accorded with the circle, and how it has its place therein; but my own wings were not for this, had it not been that my mind was smitten by a flash in which its wish came.

O Eternal Light, you alone dwell within yourself, and you alone understand yourself. Understanding yourself and understood by yourself, you love and smile upon yourself! The circle that appeared in you as reflected light was conceived in this way. After I gazed at the circle for a while, I saw our human image within it, in its own color. So I fixed my gaze entirely on it. I was like a geometer trying with all his might to measure a circle. Despite all his thought, he cannot find the principle he needs. I felt the same way at this strange new sight. I wanted to see how the image fit the circle and how it had its place within it. But my own wings could not carry me that far. Then a flash struck my mind, and in that flash my wish was fulfilled.

To my high fantasy here power failed; but now my desire and my will, like a wheel which evenly is moved, the Lovee was turning which moves the Sun and the other stars.

Here my lofty imagination failed. But now the Lovee that moves the Sun and the other stars was turning my desire and will, like a wheel turning smoothly.