Paradiso (The Divine Comedy series Book 3)

by Dante Alighieri

The glory of Him who moves all things → → pervades the universe and shines → 3 in one part more and in another less. I was in that heaven which receives → → → more of His light. He who comes down from there → 6 can neither know nor tell what he has seen, for, drawing near to its desire, → so deeply is our intellect immersed 9 that memory cannot follow after it. →

Great fire leaps from the smallest spark.

To soar beyond the human cannot be described → → in words. Let the example be enough to one 72 for whom grace holds this experience in store. Whether I was there in that part only which you → → created last is known to you alone, O Love who rule → 75 the heavens and drew me up there with your light. → When the heavens you made eternal, → wheeling in desire, caught my attention 78 with the harmony you temper and attune, → then so much of the sky seemed set on fire → by the flaming sun that neither rain nor river 81 ever fed a lake so vast.

‘All things created have an order → → in themselves, and this begets the form 105 that lets the universe resemble God.

You other few who craned your necks in time → → to reach for angels’ bread, which gives us life on earth, → 12 yet never leaves us satisfied,

The innate and never-ending thirst for God → in His own kingdom drew us up, 21 almost as swiftly as you know the heavens turn.

If I was there in flesh—on earth we can’t conceive → how matter may admit another matter to it, 39 when body flows into, becomes another body— → that, all the more, should kindle our desire to see the very One who lets us see 42 the way our nature was conjoined with God. What now we take on faith will then be seen, not demonstrated but made manifest, 45 like a priori truths, which we accept.

dependent 57 on the senses, reason’s wings fall short.

‘Brother, the power of love subdues our will → so that we long for only what we have 72 and thirst for nothing else. ‘If we desired to be more exalted, → our desires would be discordant 75 with His will, which assigns us to this place.

‘No, it is the very essence of this blessèd state → that we remain within the will of God, 81 so that our wills combine in unity. ‘Therefore our rank, from height to height, throughout this kingdom pleases all the kingdom, 84 as it delights the King who wills us to His will. ‘And in His will is our peace. → It is to that sea all things move, → 87 both what His will creates and that which nature makes.’ Then it was clear to me that everywhere in heaven → is Paradise, even if the grace of the highest Good 90 does not rain down in equal measure.

Between two foods, equally near at hand and tempting, → → left free to choose, a man would die of hunger 3 before he could bring either to his teeth

‘For divine justice to appear unjust → in mortal eyes is evidence of faith, 69 not of heretical iniquity.

‘An absolute will consents not to the wrong, → but the will does consent to the extent it fears, 111 if it draws back, to fall into still greater harm.

‘I now see clearly that our intellect cannot be satisfied until that truth enlighten it 126 beyond whose boundary no further truth extends.

‘Like a shoot, doubt springs → from the root of truth, and its nature 132 urges us toward the summit, from ridge to ridge.

‘The greatest gift that God in His largesse → gave to creation, the most attuned 21 to His goodness and that He accounts most dear, ‘was the freedom of the will:

to hear 42 and not remember does not lead to knowledge.

There I saw my lady so radiant with joy → as she passed into that heaven’s brightness 96 that the planet shone the brighter for it. And if even that star then changed and smiled, what did I become who by my very nature 99 am subject to each and every kind of change?

‘By not enduring, for his own good, a rein → upon his will, that man who was not born, → 27 damning himself, damned all his offspring. ‘As a result, for centuries the human race → lay sick in an abyss of error → 30 until the Word of God chose to descend, → ‘uniting human nature, estranged now → from its Maker, with Himself in His own person 33 by a single act of His eternal Love.

The holy ardor that irradiates all things 75 shines brightest in what most resembles it.

‘Sin alone is what enslaves him, making him unlike the highest good 81 so that he is illumined by its light but little, ‘never returning to his privilege unless he fills the void created by his fault 84 with penalties fit for his sinful pleasure. ‘Your nature, when it sinned in toto → in its seed, was separated 87 from these privileges and from its Eden. ‘Nor could they be recovered— if you consider closely—by any other recourse 90 except to ford one of these crossings: ‘either that God, in His own clemency, had pardoned, or that man, of himself, 93 had given satisfaction for his foolish pride. ‘Now fix your eyes deep in the abyss of the everlasting will of God 96 and give your strict attention to my words. ‘With his limitations, man could never offer → satisfaction, for he could not descend as deep 99 into humility, by latter-day obedience, ‘as, by disobeying, he had thought to rise. And this is the reason for which he was denied 102 the power of giving satisfaction on his own. ‘Thus it was necessary that God in His own ways → restore man to the fullness of his life— 105 by the one way, that is, or by both of them. ‘...

‘But supreme goodness breathes life in you, unmediated, and He so enamors your soul 144 of Himself that it desires Him forever after.

‘Circling nature, which sets its seal → → on mortal wax, plies its craft with skill, 129 but does not distinguish one house from another.

‘Always, if nature meets a fate → unsuited to it, like any kind of seed 141 out of its native soil, it comes to a bad end, ‘and if the world below paid more attention → to the foundation nature lays 144 and built on that, it would be peopled well. ‘But no, you force into religion one born → to wear the sword, and make a king of one more fit for sermons, 148 so that your path departs from the true way.’

Ah, souls beguiled, creatures without reverence, → who wrench your hearts away from so much good 12 and set your minds on emptiness! →

Consider, then, should a man not strive to excel → 42 so that his first life leave behind a better?

He gained with both of His two palms, → ‘because she aided Joshua when he gained → his first triumph in the Holy Land—a place 126 that hardly touches the memory of the pope. ‘Your city, which was planted by him, → the first to turn his back upon his Maker 129 and from whose envy comes such great distress, ‘puts forth and spreads the accursèd flower → that has led astray both sheep and lambs, 132 for it has made a wolf out of its shepherd. ‘For it the Gospels and the lofty doctors → are neglected and the Decretals alone are studied, 135 as is readily apparent from their margins. ‘To it the pope and his cardinals devote themselves, → without a single thought for Nazareth, → 138 where Gabriel spread out his wings. ‘But Vatican hill and other chosen Roman places that became the burial-ground for the solidiery that followed Peter 142 will soon be free of this adultery.

Gazing on His Son with the Love → → the One and the Other eternally breathe forth, 3 the inexpressible and primal Power made with such order all things that revolve → that he who studies it, in mind and in space, 6 cannot but taste of Him. →

gaze in rapture → at the Master’s work. He so loves it in Himself 12 that never does His eye depart from it. See how from there the oblique circle that bears the planets on it branches off 15 to satisfy the world that calls for them. And if their pathway were not thus deflected, → many powers in the heavens would be vain 18 and quite dead almost every potency on earth. And, if it slanted farther or less far in the upper or the lower hemisphere, 21 much would be lacking in the order of the world.

‘I was a lamb among the holy flock led by Dominic along the road 96 where sheep are fattened if they do not stray. ‘He that is nearest to me on the right → was both my brother and my teacher— 99 he, Albert of Cologne, I, Thomas of Aquino. →

Then, like a clock that calls us at the hour → when the bride of God gets up to sing 141 matins to her bridegroom, that he should love her still, when a cog pulls one wheel and drives another, chiming its ting-ting with notes so sweet 144 that the willing spirit swells with love, → thus I saw that glorious wheel in motion, matching voice to voice in harmony and with sweetness that cannot be known 148 except where joy becomes eternal.

O foolish cares of mortals, how flawed → → are all the arguments that make you flap → 3 your wings in downward flight!

‘You believe that, into the side from which → → the rib was drawn to form the lovely features 39 of her whose palate costs the world so dear, ‘and into His, pierced by the spear, which gave → such satisfaction for sins, both done or yet to be, 42 as outweighs any fault found in the balance, ‘all the light that is allowed to human nature → was infused by the very Power 45 which made the one and made the other.

Whoever here on earth laments that we must die → to find our life above knows not the fresh relief 27 found there in these eternal showers.

That ever-living One and Two and Three → who reigns forever in Three and Two and One, 30 uncircumscribed and circumscribing all, → was sung three times by each and every one → of these spirits, and with such melody 33 as would be fit reward for any merit.

Here my memory outstrips my skill, → → for that cross so flamed forth Christ 105 that I can find no fit comparison. But he who takes his cross and follows Christ → shall yet forgive me what I leave untold, 108 for shining in that dawn I did see Christ. → From arm to arm, and between the head → → and foot, moved brilliant lights → 111 that scintillated as they met and passed. Just so we see on earth, straight and slanting, swift and slow, changing in appearance, 114 tiny motes of matter, long and short, → move through the beam of light that sometimes streaks the shades that men devise for their protection 117 both with cunning and with skill. → And as viol and harp strung with many strings → → in their harmony will sound sweet 120 even to one who fails to catch their tune, so from the lights that there appeared to me a melody gathered and came from the cross, 123 enchanting me, though I could not make out the hymn. I could tell that it contained high praise, for the words ‘Arise’ and ‘Conquer’ came to me 126 as to one who hears but does not understand. I was moved to such great love by this → that up until that moment I had not been boun...

It is well that endless be his grief who, for love of things that do not last, 12 casts off a love that never dies. →

‘But for mortals, as you well know, the will to act and the power to carry through 81 have wings that are not feathered equally, →

for the arrow one expects comes slower.

And I then answered: ‘O everlasting blossoms → of eternal bliss, you make all odors 24 blend into what seems a single fragrance, ‘breathe forth and free me from this endless fast → → that ever keeps me famished, 27 since I can find no food for it on earth.

‘But observe that many shout out “Christ, O Christ!” → who shall be farther off from Him, 108 on Judgment Day, than such as know not Christ.

‘Regnum celorum suffers violence → from fervent love and living hope. 96 These conquer the very will of God, ‘not as man may master man, but conquer it → because it would be conquered, and, → 99 once conquered, itself conquers by its goodness.

‘O predestination, how distant is your root → from the gaze of those who cannot grasp 132 the Primal Cause in its entirety! ‘And you mortals, find some restraint in making judgments, for we, who gaze on God, → 135 have yet to know all those who are elect. ‘And to us this very lack is sweet, because in this good is our good perfected, 138 for that which God wills we will too.

O patience, what a heavy load you bear!

‘The sword of Heaven never cuts in haste → nor in delay, but to the one who waits 18 in longing or in fear, it well may seem so.

‘For whatever the Church has in its keeping is reserved for those who ask it in God’s name, 84 and not for kindred or more vile relations.

90 while Francis with humility established his. ‘

154 Then

I saw, above the many thousand lamps, a Sun that kindled each and every one 30 as ours lights up the sights we see above us, and through that living light poured down → a shining substance. It blazed so bright 33 into my eyes that I could not sustain it. O Beatrice, my sweet belovèd guide! → To me she said: ‘What overwhelms you → 36 is a force against which there is no defense. ‘Here is the Wisdom and the Power that repaired → the roads connecting Heaven and the earth 39 that had so long been yearned for and desired.’ →

‘Why does my face arouse you so to love → you do not turn to see the lovely garden → 72 now blossoming beneath the rays of Christ? ‘There is the rose in which the Word of God → was turned to flesh. There are the lilies 75 for whose fragrance the right way was chosen.’ Beatrice said these words. And I, all eager to follow her instruction, again resumed 78 the struggle, despite my feeble power of sight. →