The Portable Dante (72 page)

Your cry of words will do as does the wind striking the hardest at the highest peaks, and this will be for honor no small grounds;

and so you have been shown, here in these spheres, down on the Mount and in the pain-filled valley only those souls whose names are known to fame,

because the listener’s mind will never trust or have faith in the kind of illustration based on the unfamiliar and obscure—

or demonstration that is not outstanding. ”

That holy mirror was rejoicing now in his own thoughts, and I was left to taste and temper mine, the bitter with the sweet.

Then she who was my guide to God said: “Stop, think other thoughts. Think that I dwell with Him Who lifts the weight of every wrong man suffers. ”

Those loving words made me turn round to face my Solace. What love within her holy eyes I saw just then—too much to be retold;

not only do I fear my words may fail, but to such heights my mind cannot return unless Another guides it from above.

I can recall just this about that moment: as I was gazing at her there, I know my heart was freed of every other longing,

for the Eternal Joy was shining straight into my Beatrice’s face, and back came its reflection filling me with joy;

then, with a smile whose radiance dazzled me, she said: “Now turn around and listen well, not in my eyes alone is Paradise. ”

As here on earth the eyes sometimes reveal their deepest wish, if it is wished with force enough to captivate all of the soul,

so, in the flaring of the sacred fire to which I turned, I recognized his wish: I saw that he had something more to say.

He spoke: “Upon the fifth tier of the tree whose life comes from its crown and which bears fruit in every season, never shedding leaves,

blest spirits dwell whose fame below on earth, before they came to Heaven, was so widespread that any poet would be enriched by them.

Now look up and observe the cross’s arms, each soul that I shall name there you will see flash quick as lightning flashes through a cloud. ”

I saw, as he pronounced the name of Joshua, a streak of light flashing across the cross— no sooner was it said than it was done.

And at the name of the great Maccabees I saw another whirling light flash through— the cord that spun that top was its own joy!

Then came the names Roland and Charlemagne, and eagerly I followed these two lights, as hunters watch their falcons on the wing.

William of Orange, then, and Renouard and the Duke Godfrey drew my sight with them along the cross; then came Robert Guiscard.

The light who spoke to me now moved away to mix with other lights and let me hear the artist that he was in Heaven’s choir.

I turned to Beatrice at my right to learn from her by word or by a sign what she thought I should do, and I beheld

new brilliance in her eyes, such purity, such ecstasy, her countenance was now more beautiful than it had ever been.

And as a man feeling from day to day more joy in doing good, becomes aware thereby that virtue grows in him, just so,

seeing that miracle grow lovelier, I noticed that my circling with the heavens had taken on a greater arc of space.

And such a transformation as is seen upon a fair-skinned lady’s face when shame recedes, and blushes vanish instantly,

I saw when I turned round: before my eyes there was the pure white of the temperate star, the sixth, that had received me in its glow;

I saw within that Jovial torch the light of all the sparkling love rejoicing there and forming words of speech before my eyes.

As birds just risen from the water’s edge, as if in celebration for their food, flock now in circles, now in drawn-out lines,

so there, within those lights the blessed beings were circling as they sang, turning themselves first to a
D
, then
I
, then into
L
.

They first flew, singing, to their music’s rhythm, then having made a letter of themselves, they held their form and stopped their song a while.

O sacred Muse of Pegasus who gives glory to men of genius and long life, as they, through you, give it to realms and towns—

let your light shine on me that I may show these letter-shapes of souls fixed in my mind; let your power show through these few lines of mine!

They showed themselves to me in five times seven vowels and consonants, and I was able to understand the written words they formed.

The first words of the message, verb and noun: DILIGITE IUSTITIAM; then came QUI IUDICATIS TERRAM after them.

And in the final letter, in the M of the fifth word they stayed aligned—and Jove’s silver became the background of their gold.

I saw more lights descend, and they alighted upon the M, and from its peak they sang, I think, about the Good that summons them.

Just as one sees innumerable sparks go flying up when smoldering logs are poked (which once encouraged fools to prophesy),

so, there I seemed to see more than a thousand lights rising up, mounting to different heights, as chosen by the Sun that kindles them;

and once each spark had found its place of rest, I saw the crest and neck of a great eagle now patterned in the fire of those sparks.

(The One who paints there has no one to guide his hand. He guides Himself. It is from Him that skill in birds to build their nests is born.)

The other blessèd ones who seemed at first content to lilify themselves into the M with a slight shift completed the design.

O lovely star, how many and what jewels shone there declaring that justice on earth comes from that Heaven which you yourself begem.

Therefore, I pray the Mind—for there begins your movement and your power—to examine the place whence comes the smoke that dims your rays,

so that its wrath descend upon, once more, all those who buy and sell within the temple whose walls were built with miracles and martyrs.

O Heaven’s army to whom my mind returns, pray for those souls on earth who are misled by bad example and have gone astray.

It used to be that wars were waged with swords, but now one fights withholding here and there the bread our Father’s love denies to none.

And you who write only to nullify, remember that Peter and Paul, who died to save the vineyard you despoil, still live.

But you will answer: “I, who have my heart so set on him who chose to live alone and for a martyr’s crown was danced away,

know nothing of your Fisherman or Paul. ”

And there before my eyes with wings spread wide that splendid image shone, shaped by the souls rejoicing in their interwoven joy.

They were set there like splendid rubies lit each of them by a gleaming ray of sun which was reflected straight into my eyes.

And what I have to tell you here and now no tongue has told or ink has written down, nor any fantasy imagined it,

for I could hear the beak and see it move; I heard its voice use words like
I
and
Mine
when in conception it was
We
and
Ours.

“Because of my justice and piety, ” it said, “I have been raised up to this glory, the highest our desires can conceive,

and I have left on earth a memory which even wicked men are wont to praise, though they refuse to follow in my course. ”

Just as from many burning coals will come one glow of heat, so from that image came a single sound composed of many loves.

And I exclaimed: “O everlasting flowers of the eternal bliss who concentrate all of your many fragrances in one,

breathe forth your words now, breaking at long last the fasting that has kept me hungering for food that I could never find on earth.

I know that though God’s justice is beheld within some other mirror in these spheres, your kingdom apprehends its light unveiled.

You know my eagerness to hear you speak, you also know the nature of the question whose answer I have hungered for so long. ”

Then as the falcon, now freed from its hood, stretches its neck and starts to beat its wings, and preens itself—to show its eagerness—

so moved the ensign made of woven voices in exaltation of God’s grace with song known only to the souls who dwell in bliss.

Then it said: “He Who with His compass drew the limits of the world and out of chaos brought order to things hidden and revealed,