Canto 33

“Deus, venerunt gentes,”⁴⁹⁶ the ladies began, alternating, now three now four, a sweet psalmody, and weeping. And Beatrice, sighing and compassionate, was listening to them so moved that scarce more changed was Mary at the cross. But when the other virgins gave place to her to speak, risen upright upon her feet, she answered, colored like fire: “Modicum, et non videbitis me, et iterum, my beloved Sisters, Modicum, et vos videbitis me.”⁴⁹⁷ Then she set all the seven in front of her; and behind her, by a sign only, she placed me, and the Lady, and the Sage who had stayed.⁴⁹⁸ So she moved on; and I do not think her tenth step had been set upon the ground, when with her eyes my eyes she smote, and with tranquil aspect said to me, “Come more quickly, so that if I speak with thee, to listen to me thou mayst be well placed.” So soon as I was with her as I should be, she said to me, “Brother, why dost thou not venture to ask of me, now thou art coming with me?”

“Deus, venerunt gentes,”⁴⁹⁶ the ladies began to sing, weeping as they chanted a sweet psalm. Three sang, then four answered. Beatrice listened to them, sighing with compassion. She was so moved that Mary at the cross was hardly more affected. But when the other virgins made way for her to speak, Beatrice stood upright and answered, her face red as fire: “Modicum, et non videbitis me, et iterum, my beloved Sisters, Modicum, et vos videbitis me.”⁴⁹⁷ Then she placed all seven in front of her. With only a gesture, she placed me, the Lady, and the Sage who had stayed behind her.⁴⁹⁸ She moved on. I do not think she had taken ten steps when she fixed her eyes on mine. With a calm expression, she said to me, “Come closer, so that if I speak to you, you will be near enough to listen.” As soon as I was beside her, she said to me, “Brother, why do you not dare to ask me anything, now that you are walking with me?”

Even as befalls those who with excess of reverence are speaking in presence of their superiors, and drag not their voice living to the teeth,⁴⁹⁹ it befell me that without perfect sound I began, “My Lady, you know my need, and that which is good for it.” And site to me, “From fear and from shame I wish that thou henceforth divest thyself, so that thou speak no more like a man who dreams. Know thou, that the vessel which the serpent⁵⁰⁰ broke was, and is not;⁵⁰¹ but let him who is to blame therefor believe that the vengeance of God fears not sops.⁵⁰² Not for all time shall be without an heir the eagle that left its feathers on the car, whereby it became a monster, and then a prey.⁵⁰³ For I see surely, and therefore I tell it, stars already close at hand, secure from every obstacle and from every hindrance, to give to us a time in which a Five hundred, Ten, and Five sent by God⁵⁰⁴ shall slay the thievish woman⁵⁰⁵ and that giant who with her is delinquent. And perchance my narration, dark as Themis and the Sphinx,⁵⁰⁶ less persuades thee, because after their fashion it clouds the understanding. But soon the facts will be the Naiades⁵⁰⁷ that shall solve this difficult enigma, without harm of flocks or of harvest. Do thou note; and even as they are borne from me, do thou so report these words to those alive with that life which is a running unto death; and have in mind when thou writest them, not to conceal what thou hast seen the plant, which now has been twice plundered here. Whoso robs that, or breaks it,⁵⁰⁸ with blasphemy in act offends God, who only for His own use created it holy. For biting that, the first soul, in pain and in desire, five thousand years and more, longed for Him who punished on Himself the bite. Thy wit sleeps, if it deem not that for a special reason it is so high and so inverted at its top. And if thy vain thoughts had not been as water of Elsa⁵⁰⁹ round about thy mind, and their pleasantness as Pyramus to the mulberry,⁵¹⁰ by so many circumstances only thou hadst recognized morally the justice of God in the interdict upon the tree. But since I see thee in thy understanding made of stone, and thus stony, dark, so that the light of my speech dazzles thee, I would yet that thou bear it hence within thee,—and if not written, at least depicted,—for the reason that the pilgrim’s staff is carried wreathed with palm.”⁵¹¹ And I, “Even as by a seal wax which alters not the imprinted figure, is my brain now stamped by you. But why does your desired word fly so far above my sight, that the more it strives the more it loses it?” “In order that thou mayst know,” she said, “that school which thou hast followed, and mayst see how its doctrine can follow my word⁵¹² and mayst see your path distant so far from the divine, as the heaven which highest hastens is remote from earth.” Whereon I replied to her, “I do not remember that I ever estranged myself from you, nor have I conscience of it that may sting me.” “And if thou canst not remember it,” smiling she replied, “now bethink thee how this day thou hast drunk of Lethe. And if from smoke fire be inferred, such oblivion clearly proves fault in thy will elsewhere intent.⁵¹³ Truly my words shall henceforth be naked so far as it shall be befitting to uncover them to thy rude sight.”

People sometimes speak with excessive reverence before their superiors, unable to bring their voices fully to their lips.⁴⁹⁹ The same thing happened to me. I began, barely making a sound, “My Lady, you know what I need and what is good for me.” And she said to me, “I want you to put aside fear and shame from now on, so that you no longer speak like a man dreaming. Know that the vessel the serpent⁵⁰⁰ broke once was, and is no more.⁵⁰¹ But let the one to blame believe that God’s vengeance is not deterred by sops.⁵⁰² The eagle that left its feathers on the car will not be without an heir forever. Those feathers made the car a monster and then a prize for its captor.⁵⁰³ I see this clearly, and so I tell you: stars are already near, safe from every obstacle and hindrance. They will bring us a time when a Five hundred, Ten, and Five sent by God⁵⁰⁴ will slay the thievish woman⁵⁰⁵ and the giant who shares her guilt. “And perhaps my account persuades you less because it is as obscure as Themis and the Sphinx,⁵⁰⁶ and clouds your understanding as their riddles did. But soon the facts will be the Naiades⁵⁰⁷ who solve this difficult riddle without harm to flocks or harvests. Take note, and report my words just as I speak them to those whose lives are a race toward death. And when you write, remember not to conceal what you have seen of the plant, which has now been plundered twice here. “Whoever robs or breaks that plant⁵⁰⁸ offends God through an act of blasphemy. He created it holy for his use alone. For biting it, the first soul longed in pain and desire for more than five thousand years for him who bore the punishment for that bite. Your understanding is asleep if you do not think there is a special reason why the plant is so tall and so inverted at its top. And if your vain thoughts had not hardened around your mind like the water of Elsa,⁵⁰⁹ and their pleasure had not stained it as Pyramus stained the mulberry,⁵¹⁰ these circumstances alone would have taught you the moral lesson of God’s justice in forbidding the tree. “But I see that your understanding has turned to stone. Being stony, it is dark, so that the light of my words dazzles you. Even so, I want you to carry my words away within you, if not written, then at least pictured in your mind. For the same reason, a pilgrim’s staff is carried wreathed with palm.”⁵¹¹ And I said, “As a seal stamps wax that holds its impression, so you have now stamped my mind. But why do your words, which I long to hear, fly so far above my sight? The harder my sight strives to follow them, the more it loses them.” “So that you may know,” she said, “the school you have followed, and see how well its teaching can follow my words.⁵¹² And so that you may see how far your path lies from the divine, as far as the fastest-moving heaven is from earth.” Then I replied, “I do not remember ever turning away from you, and my conscience does not trouble me about it.” “And if you cannot remember,” she replied with a smile, “think how you drank from Lethe today. Just as smoke points to fire, that loss of memory clearly proves that your will was at fault, being set on something else.⁵¹³ Truly, from now on my words will be plain, as far as it is fitting to make them clear to your untrained sight.”

And more coruscant, and with slower steps, the sun was holding the circle of the meridian, which is set here or there according to the aspect,⁵¹⁴ when even as he, who goes before a troop as guide, stops if he find some strange thing on his track, the seven ladies stopped at the edge of a pale shade, such as beneath green leaves and black boughs the Alp casts over its cold streams. In front of them, it seemed to me I saw Euphrates and Tigris issue from one fountain, and, like friends, part slow from one another.

The sun was shining more brightly and moving more slowly along the meridian, whose position depends on where one stands.⁵¹⁴ The seven ladies stopped at the edge of a pale shade. They stopped like a guide leading a group who finds something strange in his path. The shade was like that cast by the Alp over its cold streams, beneath green leaves and dark branches. In front of the ladies, I thought I saw the Euphrates and Tigris flow from one spring. They slowly parted from each other like friends.

“O light, O glory of the human race, what water is this which here spreads from one source, and from itself withdraws itself?” To this prayer it was said to me, “Pray Matilda⁵¹⁵ that she tell it to thee;” and here the beautiful Lady answered, as one does who frees himself from blame, “This and other things have been told him by me; and I am sure that the water of Lethe has not hidden them from him.” And Beatrice, “Perhaps a greater care which oftentimes deprives the memory has darkened the eyes of his mind. But see Eunoe,⁵¹⁶ which flows forth yonder, lead him to it, and, as thou art accustomed, revive his extinct power.” As a gentle soul which makes not excuse, but makes its own will of another’s will, soon as by a sign it is outwardly disclosed, even so, when I was taken by her, the beautiful Lady moved on, and to Statius said, with manner of a lady, “Come with him.”

“O light, O glory of the human race, what is this water that divides from one source and flows away from itself?” In answer to my question, I was told, “Ask Matilda⁵¹⁵ to tell you.” The beautiful Lady replied, as someone defending herself from blame, “I have told him this and other things. And I am sure that the water of Lethe has not made him forget them.” And Beatrice said, “Perhaps a greater concern, which often weakens the memory, has clouded his mind’s eye. But see Eunoe,⁵¹⁶, which flows over there. Lead him to it and, as you usually do, restore his lost power.” Just as a gentle soul makes no excuse, but adopts another’s will as its own as soon as it is made known, so the beautiful Lady took me and led me onward. And with the grace of a lady, she said to Statius, “Come with him.”

If I had, Reader, longer space for writing I would yet partly sing the sweet draught which never would have sated me. But, because all the leaves destined for this second canticle are full, the curb of my art lets me go no further. I returned from the most holy wave, renovated as new plants renewed with new foliage, pure and disposed to mount unto the stars.

Reader, if I had more room to write, I would sing more of that sweet drink, which could never have satisfied me. But all the pages allotted to this second canticle are full. So the limits of my art let me go no further. I returned from the most holy waters renewed, like new plants with fresh leaves, pure and ready to climb to the stars.