Divine Comedy: Paradise | Page 5

change the leaves. The first,
If it were true, had through the sun's
eclipse
Been manifested, by transparency
Of light, as through aught
rare beside effus'd.
But this is not. Therefore remains to see
The
other cause: and if the other fall,
Erroneous so must prove what
seem'd to thee.
If not from side to side this rarity
Pass through,
there needs must be a limit, whence
Its contrary no further lets it pass.

And hence the beam, that from without proceeds,
Must be pour'd
back, as colour comes, through glass
Reflected, which behind it lead
conceals.
Now wilt thou say, that there of murkier hue
Than in the
other part the ray is shown,
By being thence refracted farther back.

From this perplexity will free thee soon
Experience, if thereof thou
trial make,
The fountain whence your arts derive their streame.

Three mirrors shalt thou take, and two remove
From thee alike, and
more remote the third.
Betwixt the former pair, shall meet thine eyes;


Then turn'd toward them, cause behind thy back
A light to stand,
that on the three shall shine,
And thus reflected come to thee from all.

Though that beheld most distant do not stretch
A space so ample,
yet in brightness thou
Will own it equaling the rest. But now,
As
under snow the ground, if the warm ray
Smites it, remains dismantled

of the hue
And cold, that cover'd it before, so thee,
Dismantled in
thy mind, I will inform
With light so lively, that the tremulous beam

Shall quiver where it falls. Within the heaven,
Where peace divine
inhabits, circles round
A body, in whose virtue dies the being
Of all
that it contains. The following heaven,
That hath so many lights, this
being divides,
Through different essences, from it distinct,
And yet
contain'd within it. The other orbs
Their separate distinctions
variously
Dispose, for their own seed and produce apt.
Thus do
these organs of the world proceed,
As thou beholdest now, from step
to step,
Their influences from above deriving,
And thence
transmitting downwards. Mark me well,
How through this passage to
the truth I ford,
The truth thou lov'st, that thou henceforth alone,

May'st know to keep the shallows, safe, untold.
"The virtue and motion of the sacred orbs,
As mallet by the
workman's hand, must needs
By blessed movers be inspir'd. This
heaven,
Made beauteous by so many luminaries,
From the deep
spirit, that moves its circling sphere,
Its image takes an impress as a
seal:
And as the soul, that dwells within your dust,
Through
members different, yet together form'd,
In different pow'rs resolves
itself; e'en so
The intellectual efficacy unfolds
Its goodness
multiplied throughout the stars;
On its own unity revolving still.

Different virtue compact different
Makes with the precious body it
enlivens,
With which it knits, as life in you is knit.
From its original
nature full of joy,
The virtue mingled through the body shines,
As
joy through pupil of the living eye.
From hence proceeds, that which
from light to light
Seems different, and not from dense or rare.
This
is the formal cause, that generates
Proportion'd to its power, the dusk
or clear."
CANTO III
That sun, which erst with love my bosom warm'd
Had of fair truth
unveil'd the sweet aspect,
By proof of right, and of the false reproof;


And I, to own myself convinc'd and free
Of doubt, as much as
needed, rais'd my head
Erect for speech. But soon a sight appear'd,

Which, so intent to mark it, held me fix'd,
That of confession I no
longer thought.
As through translucent and smooth glass, or wave
Clear and unmov'd,
and flowing not so deep
As that its bed is dark, the shape returns
So
faint of our impictur'd lineaments,
That on white forehead set a pearl
as strong
Comes to the eye: such saw I many a face,
All stretch'd to
speak, from whence I straight conceiv'd
Delusion opposite to that,
which rais'd
Between the man and fountain, amorous flame.
Sudden, as I perceiv'd them, deeming these
Reflected semblances to
see of whom
They were, I turn'd mine eyes, and nothing saw;
Then
turn'd them back, directed on the light
Of my sweet guide, who
smiling shot forth beams
From her celestial eyes. "Wonder not thou,"

She cry'd, "at this my smiling, when I see
Thy childish judgment;
since not yet on truth
It rests the foot, but, as it still is wont,
Makes
thee fall back in unsound vacancy.
True substances are these, which
thou behold'st,
Hither through failure of their vow exil'd.
But speak
thou with them; listen, and believe,
That the true light, which fills
them with desire,
Permits not from its beams their feet to stray."
Straight to the shadow which for converse seem'd
Most earnest, I
addressed me, and began,
As one by over-eagerness perplex'd:
"O
spirit, born for joy! who in the rays
Of life eternal, of that sweetness
know'st
The flavour, which, not tasted, passes far
All apprehension,
me it well would please,
If thou wouldst tell me of thy name, and this

Your station here." Whence she, with kindness prompt,
And eyes
glist'ning with smiles: "Our charity,
To any wish by justice introduc'd,

Bars not the door, no more than she above,
Who would have all her
court be like herself.
I was a virgin sister in the earth;
And if thy
mind observe me well, this form,
With such addition grac'd of
loveliness,
Will