Canto 25

It was the hour in which the ascent allowed no delay; for the meridian circle had been left by the Sun to the Bull, and by the Night to the Scorpion;³⁸¹ wherefore as the man doth who, whatever may appear to him, stops not, but goes on his way, if the goad of necessity prick him, so did we enter through the gap, one before the other, taking the stairway which by its narrowness unpairs the climbers.

It was time to climb, and we could not delay. The Sun had left the meridian circle to the Bull, and Night had left it to the Scorpion.³⁸¹ So we entered through the gap, one behind the other. We were like a person driven by necessity, who keeps going without stopping, whatever appears before him. We took the stairway, which was so narrow that climbers had to go in single file.

And as the little stork that lifts its wing through will to fly, and dares not abandon the nest, and down it drops, so was I, with will to ask, kindled and quenched, coming even to the motion that he makes who proposes to speak. Nor, though our going was swift, did my sweet Father forbear, but he said, Discharge the bow of speech which up to the iron thou hast drawn.” Then I opened my mouth confidently, and began, “How can one become thin, where the need of nourishment is not felt?” “If thou hadst called to mind how Meleager was consumed by time consuming of a brand this would not be,” he said, “ so difficult to thee; and if thou hadst thought, how at your quivering your image quivers within the mirror, that which seems hard would seem easy to thee. But that thou mayst to thy pleasure be inwardly at ease, lo, here is Statius, and I call on him and pray that he be now the healer of thy wounds.” “If I explain to him the eternal view,” replied Statius, “where thou art present, let it excuse me that to thee I cannot snake denial.”³⁸²

A young stork lifts its wing, wanting to fly, but does not dare leave the nest and lowers it again. I was like that. My desire to ask a question flared up and died away, though I even moved as if to speak. Although we were walking quickly, my dear Father did not hold back. He said, “Let your words fly from the bow you have drawn to its iron tip.” Then I confidently opened my mouth and began, “How can someone grow thin where no one feels the need for food?” “If you had remembered how Meleager was consumed as a burning log was consumed, this would not be so difficult for you,” he said. “And if you had thought about how your image trembles in a mirror when you tremble, what seems hard would seem easy to you. But so that you may be fully at ease, here is Statius. I ask and pray that he will now heal your wounds.” “If I explain the eternal truth to him in your presence,” Statius replied, “let my inability to refuse you be my excuse.”³⁸²

Then he began, “If, son, thy mind regards and receives my words, they will be. for thee a light unto the ‘how,’ which thou askest.³⁸³ The perfect blood which is never drunk by the thirsty veins, but remains like the food which thou removest from time table, takes in time heart virtue informative of all the human members; even as that blood does, which passes through the veins to become those members.³⁸⁴ Digested yet again, it descends to the part whereof it is more becoming to be silent than to speak; and thence, afterwards, it drops upon another’s blood in the natural vessel. There one and the other meet together; the one ordained to be passive, and the other to be active because of the perfect place³⁸⁵ wherefrom it is pressed out; and, conjoined with the former, the latter begins to operate, first by coagulating, and then by quickening that to which it gives consistency for its own material. The active virtue having become a soul, like that of a plant (in so far different that this is on the way, and that already arrived),³⁸⁶ so worketh then, that now it moves and feels, as a sea-fungus doth; and then it proceeds to organize the powers of which it is the germ. Now, son, the virtue is displayed, now it is diffused, which issues from the heart of the begetter, where nature is intent on all the members.³⁸⁷ But how from an animal it becomes a speaking being,³⁸⁸ thou as yet seest not; this is such a point that once it made one wiser than thee to err, so that in his teaching he separated from the soul the potential intellect, because he saw no organ assumed by it.³⁸⁹ Open thy heart unto the truth that is coming, and know that, so soon as in the foitus the articulation of the brain is perfect, the Primal Motor turns to it with joy over such art of nature, and inspires a new spirit replete with virtue, which draws that which it finds active there into its own substance, and makes one single soul which lives and feels and circles on itself. And that thou mayst the less wonder at this doctrine, consider the warmth of the sun which, combining with the juice that flows from the vine, becomes wine. And when Lachesis has no more thread, this soul is loosed from the flesh, and virtually bears away with itself both the human and the divine; the other faculties all of them mute,³⁹⁰ but memory, understanding, and will³⁹¹ far more acute in action than before. Without staying, it falls of itself, marvelously to one of the banks.³⁹² Here it first knows its own roads. Soon as the place there circumscribes it, the formative virtue rays out around it in like manner, and as much as in the living members.³⁹³ And as the air when it is full of rain becomes adorned with divers colors by another’s rays which are reflected in it, so here the neighboring air shapes itself in that form which is virtually imprinted upon it by the soul that hath stopped.³⁹⁴ And then like the flamelet which follows the fire wherever it shifts, so its new form follows the spirit. Since thereafter from this it has its aspect, it is called a shade; and by this it shapes the organ for every sense even to the sight; by this we speak, and by this we laugh, by this we make the tears and the sighs, which on the mountain thou mayst have perceived. According as the desires and the other affections impress us the shade is shaped; and this is the cause of that at which thou wonderest.”

Then he began, “Son, if you pay attention to my words and take them in, they will shed light on the ‘how’ you ask about.³⁸³ The perfect blood is never consumed by the thirsty veins, but remains like food you clear from the table. In the heart, it takes on the power to form all the parts of the human body. So does the blood that passes through the veins to become those parts.³⁸⁴ Digested once again, the perfect blood descends to a part better left unspoken. From there, it later falls upon another’s blood in the natural vessel. There the two meet. One is meant to be passive, and the other to be active, because of the perfect place³⁸⁵ from which it is pressed out. Joined with the passive blood, the active blood begins to work. First it causes the other blood to coagulate. Then it brings to life the matter it has made solid for its own use. The active power becomes a soul like that of a plant. They differ in that this soul is still developing, while the plant’s soul has already reached its final state.³⁸⁶ The active power then works so that the soul moves and feels, as a sea-fungus does. It then proceeds to organize the faculties of which it is the seed. Now, son, the power that comes from the begetter’s heart is revealed and spread out. In that heart, nature is focused on forming all the body’s parts.³⁸⁷ “But you still do not see how the animal becomes a speaking being.³⁸⁸ This question once led someone wiser than you into error. In his teaching, he separated the potential intellect from the soul, because he saw no organ used by it.³⁸⁹ Open your heart to the truth that is coming. Know that as soon as the brain is fully formed in the fetus, the Primal Motor turns to it, delighted by nature’s skill. He breathes into it a new spirit full of power. This spirit draws the active soul it finds there into its own substance. It makes one single soul that lives, feels, and reflects on itself. To make this doctrine less surprising, consider the sun’s warmth. When it combines with the juice flowing from the vine, that juice becomes wine. “When Lachesis has no more thread, the soul is released from the flesh. It carries with it the powers of both the human and the divine. All its other faculties fall silent,³⁹⁰ but memory, understanding, and will³⁹¹ become far sharper in their action than before. Without delay, the soul falls of its own accord, in a marvelous way, to one of the banks.³⁹² There it first learns its own path. As soon as it is confined to that place, its formative power radiates around it. It does so in the same way and to the same extent as in the living body.³⁹³ When the air is full of rain, rays from elsewhere are reflected in it and adorn it with various colors. In the same way, the surrounding air takes on the form that the power of the soul at rest imprints on it.³⁹⁴ And just as a little flame follows a fire wherever it moves, the spirit’s new form follows it. From then on, the spirit has its appearance from this form, which is called a shade. By means of the shade, the spirit forms an organ for every sense, including sight. By means of the shade, we speak and laugh. By it we also produce the tears and sighs you may have noticed on the mountain. The shade takes shape according to the desires and other feelings that affect us. This is the cause of what you wonder at.”

And now we had come to the last circuit,³⁹⁵ and turning to the right hand, we were intent upon another care. Here the bank shoots forth flame, and the ledge breathes a blast upward which drives it back, and sequesters a path from it.³⁹⁶ Wherefore it was needful to go one by one along the unenclosed side; and on the one hand I was afraid of the fire, and on the other I was afraid of falling off. My Leader said, “Through this place, one must keep tight the rein upon the eyes, because for little one might go astray.” “Summae Deus clementiae,”³⁹⁷ in the bosom of the great burning then I heard singing, which made me care not less to turn. And I saw spirits going through the flame; wherefore I looked at them and at my own steps, apportioning to each my sight from moment to moment. After the end of that hymn, they loudly cried: “Virum non cognosco;”³⁹⁸ then began again the hymn with low voice; this finished, they cried anew, “To the wood Diana kept herself, and drove therefrom Helice,³⁹⁹ who had felt the poison of Venus.” Then they turned to singing; then wives they cried out, and husbands who were chaste, as virtue and marriage enjoin upon us. And I believe this mode suffices them through all the time the fire burns them. With such cure it is needful, and with such food, that the last wound of all should be closed up.

We had now reached the last circuit,³⁹⁵ and we turned right, our attention fixed on a new concern. Here flames burst from the bank, while the ledge sends up a blast of air that drives them back, leaving a path clear of fire.³⁹⁶ So we had to walk single file along the open edge. On one side I feared the fire, and on the other I feared falling off. My Leader said, “Here you must keep a tight rein on your eyes, because even a small mistake could lead you astray.” Then I heard singing from deep within the great blaze: “Summae Deus clementiae,”³⁹⁷ and the sound made me no less careful as I turned. I saw spirits walking through the flames, so I looked from them to my own steps, watching each in turn. When the hymn ended, they cried aloud: “Virum non cognosco;”³⁹⁸ then they began the hymn again in low voices. When they finished, they cried out again, “Diana stayed in the woods and drove Helice³⁹⁹ from them, because she had felt the poison of Venus.” Then they returned to singing. Next they called out examples of wives and husbands who were chaste, as virtue and marriage require of us. I believe they follow this pattern for all the time the fire burns them. Such treatment and such nourishment are needed to close the last wound of all.