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Transcript

DANTE
DRAMATISED
3
IL PARADISO
DANTE
DRAMMATIZZATO
1. CONTENTS
p. 1
p. 2
p. 3
p. 6
p. 9
p. 12
p. 15
p. 28
p. 214
p. 218
⁪ 1. CONTENTS
⁪ 2. TITLE PAGE
⁪ 3. THE DIVINE COMEDY
⁪ 4. STAGING
⁪ 5. CAST & DURATION
⁪ 6. CHARACTERS
⁪ 7. MUSIC & ACTION
⁪8. IL PARADISO
⁪ 9. PICTURES
⁪ 10. PROGRAMME
2
2. TITLE PAGE
DANTE
DRAMATISED
DANTE
DRAMMATIZZATO
1 L’Inferno
2 Il Purgatorio
3 Il Paradiso
G. P. KENNEDY
For Elzio Bini, my teacher.
SUMMARY
Dante’s great work is introduced to a wider audience with music and humour.
Dante Dramatised combines much of the DIVINE COMEDY’s poetry with English prose. Prose in any language or
dialect, including those of Italy, could be substituted for English with little or no alteration of the poetry or action.
Very many people know of Dante but not so many non-Italians know his works beyond a few quotes.
The dramatisation shows Dante, the man, in his world and in the act of composition. The poetry gets into the head
as verbal music and as words with meaning attached. Some heads will turn to the original poem for more.
The dramatisation gets non-Italian speakers closer to Dante, and allows Italians (in Italy and overseas) who have a
dialect or another language to connect with their heritage in a new way.
Ask a poet to translate a well-known English poem into an English poem and you will be told that the poem is
unique, no other words will do etc. Ask him/her to translate from another language – less possible one would think
– and he/she will not be so inhibited. As Dante knew, poetry can never be more than part-translated. The best verse
translation of the DIVINE COMEDY can contain very few of Dante’s words. It is accepted because it tells the story,
has its own literary excellences, and leaves the body of the poem intact.
Lettor…Reader…You must decide how well the story is told.
An old Christian drama in a new form.
Boccaccio brought La Divina Commedia to Florence’s church of San Stefano in 1373. DANTE DRAMATISED might
be presented over a few days around Easter.
Requirements
A choir (15?) and a few instrumentalists (wind - perhaps not string).
A composer. An arranger of mostly ecclesiastical music.
Actors: some Italian-speaking, most playing multiple roles.
© G.P.Kennedy © A.S.Kline © G Petrocchi
3
3. THE DIVINE COMEDY
Only when I saw LA DIVINA COMMEDIA in prose translation did it begin to work on me, first on the level of the literary
device: As…so figures occur constantly, not always using those words.
The As and the so are very far apart in some instances but they are not extended metaphors in the usual sense.
I went through the COMMEDIA, colouring frequent figures and other recurrences – THE BOAT, THE BOW/ARROW,
FOOD/EATING, LIGHT, FLAME
etc.
Purgatory is in the Southern Hemisphere. Dante might be presented as a notable visitor to modern Australia, in
company with Beatrice and Virgil. They could move in public, quoting in Italian and English from Dante’s great
works. Think how many places Abandon all hope… could be used.
Dante and Beatrice could lecture on physics at a University and present a defence of the Monarchy at the National
Press Club in Canberra. They could give prepared answers to questions asked by guests, including the Italian
Ambassador.
A living Dante would bring his world to life in a way that no reading could. The idea could still be realised in
conjunction with the dramatisation of the entire DIVINA COMMEDIA, which it suddenly occurred to me was possible. I
removed the colours.
DIFFICULTIES:
Impenetrable politics & theology without action; action & actors too monstrous or sublime to show.
No clear progression: Dante called it a Comedy as it begins among the damned & ends among the blessed, but he
damns Pope Boniface in Canto 97 of the 100.
The poem may be picked up and put down at intervals. Its dramatisation may be altogether too much of an often
grim thing.
SOLUTIONS: Music…Muse…Amuse
Music (much of it listed by Dante). Muses to leaven the masculine mass, to support & subvert: the feminine roles.
Counterpoise of poetry & prose, Italian & English.
Conventional devices: cutting, stylising, humanising of the main characters through humour.
Gifts:
(1) The unconscious humour of Beatrice as Dante’s mouthpiece & chastiser in the tradition of courtly love.
(Who would not have wished to meet the woman in the flesh?)
(2) I gave Dante a book & everybody wanted one.
As a character in the drama, Dante is reduced to a man. but his work, the 14,233 hendecasyllable tower, still stands
magnificent. The vision of Heaven and Hell I once experienced is a few monosyllables high.
DRAMATISATION & TRANSLATION
This dramatisation is for English speakers but will serve for a mixed English-Italian audience.
As much Dante is included as possible because his poetry has no substitute. It introduces and signs off sections. (See
7 below). It occurs where the passage is particularly well-known; where the action gives the meaning to English-only
speakers; where the meaning is not apparent to English-only speakers but can be done without. (A little magic is no
bad thing – one reason why film-dubbers omit bits.)
In many cases it is desirable to provide both Dante’s Italian and the English prose. This can be done in various ways,
not exclusive of each other:
1. INTERPRETING / TRANSLATING (very common): by the original speaker or another character.
Action between the 2 deliveries makes it more natural. Where the audience is addressed, the character
feigns that the Italian-speakers are in one section, the English-speakers in another.
2. REDUNDANT (common): using one language for a passage and the other for a passage near it in the
poem and near it in content.
3. ECHOING / QUESTIONING / CONFIRMING (rare): repeating a passage by another character.
4. ELLIPTICAL (common): delivering in one language with key words in the other.
5. (NEAR-)SIMULTANEOUS: delivering in English and Italian at (almost) the same time.
6. SPEAKING - WRITING/READING: speaking one language & writing/reading the other, or vice versa.
7. SECTIONING (common): beginning and (particularly) ending sections - Cantos etc.- with Italian as a
kind of homage to the original work. This ceremony may strike the drama director as artificial.
8. DANTE VERSIFIES or NOTES (common): following prose delivered by another character, Dante sometimes
thinks aloud or addresses the audience. All DANTE VERSIFIES is optional (but not noted as such). Dante’s
versification naturally enriches or alters the prose. The note or versification occasionally even anticipates
what a character says.
9. DESCRIBING SEPARATELY: 2 characters describing the same scene, in Italian and English.
10. PRESENT & PAST (occasional): A character, usually Dante, describes a scene in English as it happens, then
Dante versifies it as having happened.
4
Greyed words interpret/translate for the benefit of the actors but are not spoken. They also show sections of the LA
DIVINA COMMEDIA – English-only for reasons of space – which are omitted from the dramatisation. Future versions of
the dramatisation might omit included passages/characters and restore greyed ones.
There are many passages included which a director might cut, starting with those which are shown this way.
The dramatisation presents Dante’s lines in his order (with very few exceptions.). A handful of them are spoken by a
person other than the one nominated by Dante.
Only about 2,100 lines of Dante’s 14,233 lines are not quoted or used for the scene, music and action. Approximately
2575 of the spoken lines or part-lines are Italian.
LA DIVINA COMMEDIA is the Giorgio Petrocchi edition. (Permission may need to be obtained.)
The English prose used is mostly from the translation by A.S.Kline. In some places it is abridged, or, for the sake of
natural speech, freed from his adherence to Dante’s phrasing. Underlined words replace Kline’s. Underlining also
marks words based on Notes, and works not by Dante. Longer segments not by Dante are not underlined. There are
approximately 700 lines or part –lines added to Dante’s in the dramatisations.
Most of the Notes are by Kline.
DIALECTS
The characters should be individualised with accents or an occasional word or phrase appropriate to to their region,
time and status; firstly because regionality was very marked in Dante’s time and work; secondly because modern
Italians viewing the dramatisation would feel a closer connection to it.
See L’INFERNO SCHEME: CHARACTERS BY PLACE.
Other characters may contribute Italian words, phrases or lines to the dramatisation, but not completed verses, the only
exceptions being Beatrice (who knows everything), and Guinicelli [PUR C26 73].
Consequently, most of the non-English is spoken by Dante and Beatrice. Some words of the other characters could be
composed in prose – Dantean Italian or dialect – for versification by Dante and interpretation into English.
STAGES & SETS
The motif of each dramatisation is 3 sets of 3 steps: 3 for its beginning, middle & end; 3 for the Trinity; 3 for Faith,
Hope & Love; 3 for the groups of planetary orbits; 3 for the Hierarchies of Angels; 3 for the orders within each hiera
rchy; 3 for musica mundana, humana & instrumentalis; 3 for the Graces; 3 for 1/3 or √ of 9, Beatrice’s number; 3 for
terza rima; 3 for the canticles of the DIVINE COMEDY and their 33 Cantos (+ 1 Canto introduction for L’INFERNO) etc.
IL PARADISO has a triptych as well.
Three steps means the lower level, 1 step and the upper level, as shown in the introduction to each canticle. Each step
is identified by a rectangle above it.
Characters speaking terza rima may sometimes fit it to their passage up or down steps. For example, one line or one
verse per step.
CHARACTERS AND DRESS
The spirits of L’INFERNO and IL PURGATORIO are prisoners, and dressed anonymously. Those in IL PARADISO are free
and have been given back their clothes.
Dante is dressed as in the familiar pictures. He has a very long, tasselled cord wrapped round his waist most of the
time, but he does not get his laurel wreath until the end of the COMMEDIA.
He carries a book, not his DIVINE COMEDY but a workbook for it, probably composed of wax tablets or slates. The
stylus is kept in the spine.
Virgil is also dressed as in the pictures, including the laurel, and his book is the Aeneid and other works.
Beatrice’s book is a Bible. Her small role in L’INFERNO expands in the later canticles. Beatrice’s smile devastates
Dante. He and the audience should not be exposed to it (i.e. .shown it in full face) unecessarily.
All characters with books have a holder on their chests and/or backs to free their hands if necessary.
We are so used to pictures of the grand Dante we forget that he was not quite 35 years old when the action of the
Commedia took place, in 1300.
See L’INFERNO SCHEME: CHARACTERS BY PLACE.
THE MUSES See SCHEME: PROGRAMME mock-ups for Muse table.
Different accounts of the Muses assign them different symbols, domain & dress (including crowns).
The audience does not hear their domains named in the dramatisation so there is no problem with who is who.
Each Muse carries a white book with her symbol on it. The masks may be found by research or designed. Naturally,
they are not the Tragedy / Comedy clichés of so many playbills. The Muses are dressed identically, in white, to let
them serve in both pagan and Christian capacities. Calliope, the eldest sister, may be distinguished by her height
and/or a gold band on her head. Terpsichore is the smallest Muse and Euterpe, perhaps, the 2nd smallest. Polyhymnia
(nearly?) always wears her pensive look and has a finger at the mouth. When the Muses sing Christian music on stage
they show the back of their books.
All the Muses’ props (bows, arrows, boats etc.) are imaginary – of course. The only exceptions are the books they
carry and and Euterpe’s flute in L’INFERNO.
5
MUSIC
See SCHEME: MUSIC AND ACTION for each Canticle’s music summary.
(The symbol ♫ on the Programmes is, presumably, an anachronism and needs substituting)
It is natural for spirits to have voices and in a shorter work the music could be entirely a cappella. Here, a few wind
instruments are required. Strings might be avoided. The only non-vocal notes to issue from the stage should come
from Euterpe’s flute [INF C32 12].
Offstage singers may be joined by those on stage. The Muses must be good actresses first and may only mime singing.
ALREADY WRITTEN
The ecclesiastical music has been programmed by Dante and should be in period. Because there is sometimes
confusion about the names of pieces – for example with Beatitude and Psalm Nos. - I have supplied actual words
where I could find them.
TO BE COMPOSED
Some music needs composing, mostly based on Dante’s description. I have described what I hear in my limited
mind’s-ear. The composer/arranger might hear it very differently.
Motifs or themes which may be used in all three Canticles are
Invocation Response (by Muses)
Be-a-tri-ce
Prophecy
Dream
Some music is beyond mortal voices.
6
4. STAGING
W
I
N
D
O
W
STEP MARKERS
FLOOR
STAGE
SIDE VIEW
SAN DAMIANO
REMOVABLE WINDOW DIVIDERS
CENTRE WINDOW
LEFT
WINDOW
STEPS
STEPS
THE TRIPTYCH
STAGE FRONT
PLAN VIEW
W
I
N
D
STEPS
O
W
RIGHT
WINDOW
7
SAN DAMIANO
VIEW FROM AUDIENCE
STAGE & LIGHTING:
A triptych is the only scene. The panels of the triptych are windows onto the blessed souls in Paradise.
They are raised on 3 sets of 3 steps, the sets being angled as in an amphitheatre.
The 3 windows may reach higher than the audience can see, suggesting that they extend to the Empyrean.
Alternatively, the top members of the wooden window frames may be just in view, or only 4 or 5 metres
above the stage.
The ends of the triptych and the walls separating the centre window from the others may be of wood.
The windows may be open, or glazed with a a very thin, almost transparent material – some kind of silk?
– that would add a slight shimmer to the blessed souls manifestations as lights or figures and a soft filter
or flutter to their speech.
The glazing may extend above the top members of the window frames, or only begin there.
Above the heads of the players is a large stylised rose (the Rose – Love and Desire). It may be drawn at
the back of the stage, or appear as a kind of watermark in the glazing. In either case it is colourless. The
heavenward gaze is much higher – towards the real, but invisible, coloured rose.
In the poem, Dante enters Heaven at midday and it remains that time throughout. The dramatisation gives
variety by mixing darkness and various colours coming from overhead and through the windows.
Some of the overhead colours represent the spheres into which the characters rise. Dante nominates
sphere colours for the Moon (pearl), Mars (red), Jupiter (white) and Saturn (gold) and I have
provisionally assigned the other 5. Ptolemy, the source of Dante’s cosmology, did not, apparently, name
the colours and the lighting designer will decide which are appropriate.
The ‘Empyrean’ means ‘flaming’ or ‘luminous’. Since it cannot be represented as that, it appears as its
negation.
There may be a single tone for a few seconds before the end of the action in a sphere (unless other music
ends that action). When the colour changes, the note rises and stops. The sphere colour may begin as a
single pulse of light, followed by a faint glow in that colour, or a return to a neutral colour.
SAN DAMIANO & CLARE PICTURES:
A stylised representation of San Damiano (SCHEME: PARADISO PICTURES 14, 13, 15), restored by St
Francis and occupied by the Poor Clares, sits behind the windows. The building appears to be an
embroidery or tapestry of Clare’s manufacture. Actually, like the Clare Pictures, it is painted on cloth.
Clare Pictures appear at intervals on the left, centre and right of San Damiano. They may have curved
tops and leave very little of the building showing. After Clare is seen ‘spinning’, the centre third of Sannd
Damiano is always covered with a Picture if the centre window is not dark, until Clare is seen for the 2
and last time. The large Clare Pictures backdrop various Souls/Souls and episodes, avoiding most other
props.
The Clare Pictures are (apparently) embroideries, tapestries or silk collages – clever-naïve, humoroussombre. Her style is of the age but owes nothing to its masters. The life of St Francis is the subject of
many of her pieces, based on history and the Fioretti (The Little Flowers of St Francis) first published in
1476.
8
CHARACTERS & ACTION:
The Blessed Souls/Souls are confined behind the triptych. Dante and the Muses move only in front of it.
Beatrice appears in both areas.
The Souls/Souls communicate only with Dante and Beatrice outside the windows, not with the Muses.
The preponderance of words in the Paradiso means the Muses must work harder to supply action in its
dramatisation. They begin with 3 of Dante’s favourite figures: THE BOW/ARROW, THE BOAT and FOOD.
Unfortunately, the Muses have grown complacent and facetious. They are, I am forced to say it, out of their
depth in Heaven.
At [C12 7-9] their singing is casually slurred by Dante and they attempt to destroy him from that point.
Beatrice is their real rival but she is too high in heaven to be attacked directly.
The Muses’ actions still leave tracts of words. In the dramatisations of the earlier Canticles, variety is given
by the verbal interaction of Dante, Virgil and other characters. Il Paradiso’s Blessed Ones are barely
engaged that way: Dante represents them as whirling lights which sometimes stop to speak. To make the
words live, the dramatisation needs the Blessed at times to appear as human figures, acting much as they
might have done on earth. (This curiously inverts the dramatisation procedure sometimes used in the first 2
Canticles.)
Each Blessed Soul (except Beatrice) first appears as a light in one of the windows. The light may change its
quality to reveal the figure. Or, the light may flash through the window and the figure step into place while
the audience is recovering its vision. Again, the light may shine brightly from behind a figure moving
towards the front of the window. The light may also come from above the window.
The colour of the light which a Blessed Soul manifests itself is the same as the colour of its sphere.
Each Blessed Soul manifests itself first as a light, then as a person. It becomes a light again only when
disappearing for the last time. In between it appears and disappears as a man or woman.
The CHARACTER AGE of the Blessed Souls/Souls is often less than the age at which the persons died. They
are justly restored to the most active/important time of their lives.
MONASTIC CLOTHING:
Benedictine monks (Black Monks): tunic & surcoat – black + hood.
Other description: Middle Ages: wool shirt, hooded pelerine
tapering in front and behind (the scapular), over
these a habit or frock , lastly a cowl (cuculla). By 13th c cowl had become a narrow frock left free on both sides
to reveal garments under it.
Camaldolese monks: tunic & hood & scapular ( outer garment – strips of cloth hanging down front and back, joined
across shoulders (formerly monastic working dress)
Cistercian monks (White Monks): tunic & surcoat – white + hood
Augustinian canons: tunic & surcoat – white + hood
Dominican friars (Order of Preachers, Dominicani): white tunic (& hood), black surcoat
Franciscan friars (Franciscani, Friars Minor, Frati Minori, Greyfriars, Cordeliers): tunic, surcoat and hood of
unbleached dark wool – brown cord with 3 knots (Largest of all religious orders)
Poor Clares (2nd Order of St Francis): dark brown habit, Franciscan cord girdle, no scapular, (black veil), cloth sandals
on bare feet
9
5. CAST & DURATION
Male characters requiring their own actors are 15: DANTE, JUSTINIAN, CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU,
FOLCO, AQUINAS, ALBERTUS MAGNUS, PETER LOMBARD, SOLOMON, OROSIUS, BOËTHIUS, ST ISIDORE,
BEDE, SIGIER, BONAVENTURA & CACCIAGUIDA. The rest – PETER DAMIAN, BENEDICT , PETER, JAMES, JOHN &
VIRGIL – can be played by some of the above actors.
***************Those in the first group………………………..
Females are 15: BEATRICE, 9 MUSES, PICCARDA, CUNIZZA, CLARE, CONSTANCE and RAHAB.
DURATION
177 mins.
****************Add Ch / Ch nos.
SECTION
DURATION
Inc. Music
INTRODUCTION
9.30
C1 1
- C2 45
THE SHADOWS ON THE MOON
5.30
C2 46-148
PICCARDA, ST CLARE, CONSTANCE
5.30
C3 1-120
DOUBTS, ERRORS ETC.
11.15
C4 1
- C5 84
JUSTINIAN
8.00
C5 91
- C7 3
VARIOUS
7.45
C7 10-147
CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU
5.30
C18 13-148
CUNIZZA
1.45
C19 19-63
FOLCO
3.45
C9 73-142
CELESTIAL 1
2.30
C10 1-54
AQUINAS 1
5.30
C10 37-138
CELESTIAL 2
1.00
C10 145
JUSTINIAN
CUNIZZA
FOLCO
RAHAB
AQUINAS
ALBERTUS MAGNUS
PETER LOMBARD
SOLOMON
OROSIUS
BOËTHIUS
ST ISIDORE
BEDE
SIGIER
10
- C11 12
AQUINAS 2
CHESS / CHANSON DE ROLAND 1
8.15
C10 139
- C11 28
AQUINAS 3
4.35
C11 28-117
AQUINAS 4
3.45
C11 118-120
CELESTIAL 3
2.00
C12 1-21
ST BONAVENTURA
4.20
C12 22-145
CELESTIAL 4
1.20
C13 1-27
AQUINAS 5
2.20
C13 34-51
AQUINAS 6
2.10
C13 52-90
2.40
C13 90
AQUINAS 7
2.15
C13 91
- C14 9
CELESTIAL 5
2.00
C14 19-62
CELESTIAL 6
4.15
C4 104
- C15 27
CACCIAGUIDA 1
18.40
C15 28
- C17 135
ST BONAVENTURA
CACCIAGUIDA
ST PETER DAMIAN
CELESTIAL 7
.05
C18 1-21
CELESTIAL 8
1.45
C18 58-87
2.10
C18 87
CELESTIAL 9
.40
C18 88-99
CELESTIAL 10
1.30
C21 5-42
ST PETER DAMIAN
6.00
C21 34-135
11
CACCIAGUIDA 2
.05
C21 135
CELESTIAL 11
.50
C22 7-21
ST BENEDICT
1.05
C22 1-69
LOOKING DOWN 1
1.15
C22 109
CELESTIAL 12
1.50
C23 1-60
1.15
C23 60-61
CELESTIAL 13
4.45
C23 61
ST PETER
4.20
C24 28
- C25 18
ST JAMES
2.15
C25 34-93
ST JOHN
2.00
C25 103
- C26 66
CELESTIAL 14
1.00
C26 66
LOOKING DOWN 2
.55
C27 77-96
THE PRIMUM MOBILE
7.30
C27 106
- C30 30
CELESTIAL 15
2.15
C30 8-81
CELESTIAL 16
3.45
C30 97
- C31 64
THE FINAL VISION
1.45
C33 55-145
FINALE
2.00
C33 145
ST BENEDICT
ST PETER
ST JAMES
ST JOHN
12
6. CHARACTERS
NAME
SEEN
FIRST
SEEN
LAST
HEARD
FIRST
HEARD
LAST
Italian
English
?
Total
V Voice only
♫
♫
?
DANTE
BEATRICE
Not DANTE, BEATRICE
C1 1
C33 145 C1 1
C33 145
566
284
50
886
396
1247
43
19
8
886
699
1305
MUSES ALL
Invocation? & response
look / shoot up
prepare to sing
singing with BEATRICE
alter D’s book
finale: laurel
ERATO
arrows – 2
arrow: shoots
Mirrors
arrow: straightens
looking for feather
hunts eagle
 forms
 flees
EUTERPE
little boat
little boat food
little boat
CALLIOPE
little boat
little boat food
CLIO slapped
POLYHYMNIA slapped
C1 1
C2 9
C2 15
C11 111
C12 1
C30 36
C33 145
C33 145
C2 9
C2 63
C11 111
C12 1
C30 36
C33 145
C2 12
C2 12
C12 1
C33 145
C33 145
C2 ?
C12 1
C33 145
?
-
?
-
?
-
?
?
-
C1 114
C2 21
C2 97
C4 63
C5 37
C6 1
C13 100
C15 27
C1 123
C2 105
C2 105
C4 114
C5 84
C6 93
C13 100
C15 27
-
-
-
-
-
-
C1 135
C2 9
C8 76
C1 142
C2 9
C8 76
-
-
-
-
-
-
C1 135
C2 9
C15 27
C23 55
C30 45
C1 142
C2 9
C15 27
C23 55
C30 45
-
-
-
-
-
-
C15 27
C30 45
C15 27
C30 45
-
-
-
-
-
-
C13 100 C13 100
C15 27 C15 27
C30 45 C30 45
-
-
-
-
-
-
C2 97
C4 1
C5 37
C13 100
C15 27
C23 55
C30 45
C2 105
C4 1
C5 84
C13 100
C15 27
C23 55
C30 45
-
-
-
-
-
-
C4 1
C5 69
C8 51
C30 45
C33 145
C4 1
C5 84
C8 81
C30 45
C33 145
-
-
-
-
-
-
C2 97
C30 45
C2 105
C30 45
-
-
-
-
-
-
C2 97
C4 1
C5 88
C8 51
C9 1
C10 6
C17 25
C18 82
C2 105
C4 1
C5 88
C8 81
C9 1
C10
C17 25
C18 82
-
-
-
-
-
-
Amends D’s book all?
CLIO
slapped by CALLIOPE
alters D’s book all?
MELPOMENE
 forms
 flees
D’s book no joke
POLYHYMNIA
Mirrors
lamb food
looking for feather
 forms
 flees
slapped by CALLIOPE
D’s book uninterested all?
TERPSICHORE
food lamb
looking for feather
boat: steadies takes off
skips: takes D’s book all?
finale – laurel
THALIA
Mirrors
joke in D’s book all?
URANIA
Mirrors
food lamb
bow: shoots up
boat steadies takes off
MUSE prophecy?
MUSE astronomy?
arrow in advance, D’s exile
invoked: breaks arrows
13
NAME
♫
BEATRICE.
spotlit?
stagelight? Universal order
bow: ERATO boat: EUTERPE+
food: CALLIOPE
shadows on moon – mirrors
bow: ERATO POLYHYMN.
URANIA
SEEN
FIRST
CHARLES MARTEL
sings MUSES outraged
AQUINAS
Change your thoughts…
Were I to smile…
do you not know? (ST BENED)
you are so near…
See the procession…way
taken
the Primum Mobile
Heaven & all Nature…
I do not ask, I say…
Empyrean: kisses D’s book
Finale BEATRICE spotlight
♫
PICCARDA
/ FRANK
ST CLARE
CONSTANCE
/ QUEEN BRAMIMOUND
ST BERNARD
JUSTINIAN
Appears
Empire ERATO hunts eagle
Guelphs etc
This little planet… Romeo
/ CHARLEMAGNE
AQUINAS
appears, speaks, stands
Bio Heredity & Heavens
♫
boat: EUTERPE TERP URANIA
/ K. MARSILIES VALDABRUN
CUNIZZA
/ FRANK
FOLCO biog etc Florence
/ ROLAND
RAHAB
/ FRANK
ALBERTUS MAGNUS
/ GUENELON
AQUINAS
GRATIANUS
/ CH/CH
PETER LOMBARD
/ BLANCANDRINS
HEARD
LAST
Italian
English
?
Total
284
396
19
699
?
?
-
?
1
-
67
4
5
1
-
68
4
5
1
3
94
15
31
26
-
3
94
15
31
26
1
-
1
41
-
41
60
67
4
26
240
92
37
-
60
67
4
26
244
92
37
C33 145 C1 88
C1 64
-
C30 81
-
C1 88
C1 141
C1 88
C1 142
C2 49
C2 147
C2 49
C2 147
C4 114
C4 16
C4 114
C5 84
C5 1
C5 84
URANIA; TERPSICHORE skips
♫
HEARD
FIRST
C1 60
C1 46
the spirits Plato’s error
C4 16
arrow: BEATRICE strips
ERATO straightens
free will vows dispensations
C5 1
feather : ERATO POLYHYMNIA
The Fall Crucifixion
Redemption Incarnation
Creation resurrection
Venus: more beautiful
SEEN
LAST
C7 19
C7 55
C7 121
C8 1
C12 1
C14 1
C18 4
C21 4
C22 7
C22 124
C23 19
C27 106
C28 40
C29 10
C30 81
C33 145
C7 54
C7 120
C7 147
C7 19
C7 55
C7 121
C7 54
C7 120
C7 147
C12 ?
C14 ?
C18
C21 18
C22 21
C22 132
C23 75
C27 148
C28 129
C29 126
C30 81
C33 145
C14 1
C18 4
C21 4
C22 7
C22 124
C23 19
C27 106
C28 40
C29 10
-
C?
C18
C21 18
C22 21
C22 132
C23 75
C27 148
C28 129
C29 126
-
C3 1
C3 121
C3 43
C3 121
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 5
Ch/Ch 5
C3 98
C3 118
C3 120
C3 120
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 2
Ch/Ch 5
C3 121
C3 121
C3 121
C3 121
C5 102
C6 1
C6 73
C6 112
C5 139
C6 93
C6 111
C6 142
C6 1
C6 73
C6 112
C6 93
C6 111
C6 142
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 5
-
C5 102
C8 21
C5 102
C5 102
-
C8 31
C8 31
C8 148
C8 148
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch X
C9 25
C9 72
C9 25
C9 63
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
C9 72
C9 142
C9 82
C9 142
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
C9 115
C9 118
-
-
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 5
C10 99
C10 129
-
-
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 5
4
-
-
-
C10 99 C13 120 C10 82
C10 103 C10 129
-
C13 120
-
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 7
C10 106 C10 129
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
Ch/Ch 1
-
-
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 5
14
NAME
SOLOMON
/ FRANK
OROSIUS
/ MARSILIES’ NEPHEW
BOËTHIUS
/ OLIVER
ST ISIDORE
/ ARCHBISHOP TURPIN
BEDE
/ CLIMORINS TURGIS OF TURT.
RICHARD OF ST VICTOR
/ FRANK
SIGIER
/ CH/CH
ST FRANCIS
ST DOMINIC
ST BONAVENTURA
/ ADMIRAL OF BALAGUET
? V MODEST VOICE:
♫ V SOULS Amen!
CACCIAGUIDA
Biog Ancestry
Florence growth, families
Prophecy: D’s exile URANIA
PETER DAMIAN
ST BENEDICT
♫ V GABRIEL
HEAVENLY VOICES
ST PETER
ST JAMES
ST JOHN
♫
ST FRANCIS
ST DOMINIC
Lines of IL PARADISO not quoted,
or used for scene / music / action
Lines added to Dante’s
SEEN
FIRST
SEEN
LAST
C10 109 C10 129
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
C10 118 C10 129
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
C10 124 C10 129
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
C10 130 C10 129
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
C10 131 C10 129
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
C10 131 C10 129
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
C10 136 C10 129
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 7
HEARD HEARD
FIRST
LAST
-
-
Ch/Ch 5
Ch/Ch 5
-
-
Ch/Ch 4
Ch/Ch 5
-
-
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 5
-
-
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 5
-
-
Ch/Ch 2
Ch/Ch 5
-
-
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 5
-
-
Ch/Ch 1
Ch/Ch 5
C28 93 C28 93
C28 93 C28 93
C12 127 C
C27 148 C28 93
-
Ch/Ch 4
Ch/Ch 4
Ch/Ch 5
-
Ch/Ch 7
-
C14 37
C14 62
C14 60
C14 62
C15 ?
C16 34
C16 155
C21 82
C22 40
C24 33
C25 18
C26 8
C28 93
C28 93
C15 45
C16 154
C17 135
C21 135
C22 105
C26 66
C26 66
C26 66
C28 93
C28 93
C15 45
C16 34
C17 37
C21 61
C22 37
C23 103
C23 111
C24 28
C25 37
C26 8
C27 148
-
C15 45
C16 154
C17 135
C21 135
C22 69
C23 110
C23 111
C24 123
C25 87
C26 51
C28 93
-
Italian
English
?
Total
-
4
3
4
3
8
33
-
27
9
5
3
27
-
-
27
9
5
3
35
33
-
3
4
226
-
4
229
1
33
-
52
21
23
18
11
-
7
1
-
52
21
7
2
23
18
11
33
-
-
1376
468
15
7. MUSIC & ACTION
MALE
*
*
*
FEMALE
-
-■
TRIPTYCH: [S. DAM.] [CL P]
MUSIC
TO COMPOSE
(RIGHT WINDOW DARK)
ACTION
OVERTURE ?
INTRODUCTION
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF
MUSES ALL in background
 SUN spotlight DANTE: looks up: The glory of Him…2nd sun
 SUN spotlight BEATRICE:
C1 1-63
C1 60
B: You make yourself stupid with false imaginings and do not see…
C1 88-
BOATS & ARROWS
 SUN yellow pale
C1 88C1 89
C1 91
■-■-■
SEE L’INFERNO
BASED ON THE 4 SYLLABLES OF HER NAME,
PERHAPS CORRESPONDING
TO THE PITCH OF THEIR
VOWELS:
----
THE MOTIF MAY BE
DEVELOPED IN LATER
SEGMENTS.
*
B: …You are no longer on earth…
ERATO 2 arrows EUTERPE little boat
…would be marvellous, on earth in a living flame
D: O you in your little boat…Muses…You other few…as much as
you will.
MUSES little boat EUTERPE food from CALLIOPE
MUSES ALL
RESPONSE TO
C2 1-141
C2 1-18
C2 12
INVOCATION
APOLLONIAN HYMN?
SEE L’INFERNO
*
NOTE?
A SHORT SINGLE TONE BEFORE
ERATO shoots upward
stage black for an instant
C2 18
THE END OF THE ACTION IN A
SPHERE (UNLESS OTHER MUSIC
ENDS THAT ACTION). WHEN
THE SPHERE COLOUR
CHANGES, THE NOTE RISES
AND STOPS. THE COLOUR MAY
BE A SINGLE PULSE
(FOLLOWED BY A FAINT GLOW
IN THAT COLOUR?)
THE 7 PLANETARY SPHERES
▀
THE MOON pearl (colour nominated by Dante)
C2 25-
16
D: BEA:…what are those dark marks?...senses cannot unlock it.
MUSES ALL look & shoot up
D: BEA:…arrows of amazement…argument I will make against it
POLYHYMNIA, URANIA, ERATO stay, other Muses go
BEA: The 8th sphere…take 3 mirrrors…between the other two.
POLYHYMNIA, URANIA, ERATO carry mirrors.
BEA: Now, I wish to illuminate you…from that forms the seal.
[S. DAM.] [PEARL ☼ ☼ ☼] [S. DAM.]
1st Blessed Souls in triptych
BEA: And as the soul…not from density or rarity.
-
-
C2 46-148
C2 49-54
C2 54
C2 55-63
C2 63
C2 64
C2 97-105
C2 106-132
C2 132
C2 133-148
P: Our love no more closes the gate…know me..as Piccarda.
[S. DAM.] [PEARL ☼ ☼ P] [S. DAM.]
☼ → woman PICCARDA.
P: …who am blessed…St Clare,higher in heaven
[S. DAM.] [PEARL ☼ CL P] [S. DAM.] ☼ → ST CLARE.
P: …and there are those…the great Constance…Costanza
[S. DAM.] [CO CL P S. DAM.] [S. DAM.] ☼ → CONSTANCE.
P: …who by Henry…stormwind of Suabia…final power
[CP 1] [CP 2]
1st 2 CLARE Pictures at San Damiano.
CLARE Pictures 1: Francis the blade
CLARE Pictures 2: Francis to battle
[CP 1] [CP 2] [WHITE ☼ ]
[CP 1] [CP 2] [BE]
ST BERNARD gazes up: I am her loyal Bernard.
[CP 1] [CP 2]
[CP 1] [CP 2] [CP 3]
CLARE Pictures 3: Francis in prison
-
AVE MARIA
sample from
SOCIETÀ DANTESCA:
http://www.danteonline.it/
english/risorse.htm
-
-
-
-■
-
-■
-
■-■-■
C3 43-49
C3 49
C3 50-98
C3 98
C3 99-118
C3 118
C3 119-120
C3 121
DOUBTS, ERRORS ETC.
BEA: D: D paces and debates: Death from starvation…
TERPSICHORE skips after him…then squeezes between URANIA &
POLYHYMNIA and nuzzles… suspended between doubts.
[CP 4]
[CP 5]
CLARE Pictures 4: St Bernard’s white dog
CLARE Pictures 5: Clare’s cat
BEA: I can see…throws arrow…ERATO starts straightening
it…speak the truth.
D: Such was the flow, from that holy stream…short on your scales
BEA: If I flame at you…lamb…sporting…for pleasure.
ERATO; POLYHYMNIA, URANIA search for feather
TERPSICHORE skips again – silly lamb
URANIA shoots arrow up
-■-
*
C4 1-9
C4 16 114
C4 115-138
C5 1-84
C5 37-84
■-■-■
C5 88
MERCURY silver
C5 91-
NOTE
▀
JUSTINIAN
-
-
[SILVER ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼] [CP 7] [CP 6]
CP 6: Francis preaches to brigands
CP 7: Francis, cloak stolen, in snow
BLESSED SOULS: Behold someone who will increase our love.
[SILVER ☼] [CP 7] [CP 6]
JU: O fortunately-born one…BEA: D: …in the sun’s rays
[JU] [CP 7] [CP 6]
JU: The Empire: …the imperial eagle… afterwards, under Titus.
-
-
-
-
C5 105
C5 115-131
C6 1-93
17
■-[CP 7]- [CP 6]
C6 3
- ■-■-■
C6 142
ERATO hunts eagle, shoots it, begins fletching arrow.
*
SOARING EAGLE /
IMPERIAL ROMAN
JU: Guelphs, Ghibellines etc
JU: This little planet…Romeo of Villeneuve…praise him more.
ERATO departs.
[CP 8] [CP 7] [CP 6]
CP 8: Francis home, pelted with mud
HOSANNA
See IL PURGATORIO
sample from
SOCIETÀ DANTESCA:
C6 97-111
C6 112-142
english/risorse.htm
VARIOUS
-
*
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF?
DEVELOPED?
-
[CP 10] [CP 9] [CP 11]
CLARE Pictures 9: Francis begs loaves
CLARE Picture 10: Francis rebuilds San Damiano
CLARE Pictures 11: Francis works on Porziuncola
D: Speak to her I said…her smile…would make a man happy in the C7 10-18
flames
BEA: According to my unerring perception…revenge was taken by C7 19-51
the court of justice.
■-■-■
*
DREAM
*
DREAM?
HOSANNA
*
NOTE?
BEA: But now I see your mind tangled in knots…to become
incarnate…satisfaction for his foolishness.
[CP 12] [CP 12] [CP 12] (windows undivided)
CLARE Pictures 12: Francis dreams of Bethlehem
BEA: Now fix your eyes…to become incarnate.
BEA: Now to answer all your longings…were first made.
-
-
■-■-■
▀
C7 51
C7 52-93
C7 93
C7 94-120
C7 121-147
C7 147
VENUS rose
HOSANNA CONTD.
-
HOSANNA
MUSIC ?
-
[CP 13] [ROSE ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼] [CP 14]
CLARE Pictures 13: Francis recruits ‘oxen’
CLARE Pictures 14: Francis & recruits go to Rome
D: I had no sense of rising…I saw her grow more beautiful.
CM: We are all…Voi che ’ntendendo il terzo ciel movete (D:’s
canzone) D: Say who you are.
[CP 13] [ROSE ☼] [CP 14]
…The world held me…Charles Martel d’Anjou….
[CM]
…below…(bodies of water)…already laden boat.
EUTERPE, TERPSICHORE, URANIA set up boat figure
CM: His nature…born from the sweet.
[CP 15] [CM] [CP 16]
CLARE Pictures 15: Francis puts case to Pope
CLARE Pictures 16: Pope listens to Francis
If I can show you….so that your path cuts across the road.
■-
-
-■
-
*
DREAM
-
-
■
-■-■
[CP 17]-■-[CP 18]
CLARE Pictures 17: Francis dreams of Porziuncola
CLARE Pictures 18: Pope dreams of Basilica
■-■-■
C8 13-15
C8 32-45
C8 45-81
C8 81
C8 82-93
C8 93
C8 93
C8 94-148
C8 148
18
CUNIZZA
*
-
SINGING?
*
-
[CP 19] [ROSE ☼ ☼ ☼] [CP 20]
light whirls, steadies, sings.
CLARE Pictures 19: Clare hears Francis preach
CLARE Pictures 20: Clare gets her palm
CU: In that region of Italy…Cunizza I am called.
[CP 19] [ROSE ☼ ☼ CUNIZZA] [CP 20] light whirls, steadies, sings.
CU: I shine here…our Heaven, Folco of Marseilles
[CP 19] [ROSE ☼ FOLCO CUNIZZA] [CP 20]
CU: …my nearest neighbour remains.
CU: and before it dies…
MUSIC?
PROPHECY MOTIF
-
-
C9 25-31
C9 32-38
C9 38-39
C9 39
See L’Inferno.
MAY OCCUR WHEN A
CHARACTER TALKS OF THE
SUPPOSED FUTURE.
SHOULD BE SHORT, PERHAPS A
SINGLE CHORD OR ARPEGGIO,
AND SOFT ENOUGH TO AVOID
THE BAD FILM-MUSIC DOOM
CLICHÉ.
…these words prove good to us
[CP 19] [ROSE ☼ FOLCO CUNIZZA disappears?] [CP 20].
-
FOLCO
-
-
-
[CP 19] [ROSE ☼ FOLCO] [CP 20]
D : God sees it all…for your request till now.
FO: The Mediterranean…heart enclosed Iole.
FO pauses wistfully: But this is not a place of repentance…sun’s
rays in pure water. know now that Rahab…
[CP 19] [RAHAB FOLCO] [CP 20]
or [CP 19] [RAHAB FO (VOICE)] [CP 20]
…the prostitute finds peace there… Before any other soul…Joshua
…scarcely touches this Pope’s memory
FO: Florence…made a wolf of the shepherd…freed from the bond
of adultery.
[CP 19]
[CP 20]
[CP 19] [CP 21] [CP 20]
CLARE Pictures 21: Clare’s hair
-
*
*
PROPHECY MOTIF
*
NOTE
*
-
-
▀
CELESTIAL CONTD.
C9 73-81
C9 82-102
C9 103-114
-
-■-
CELESTIAL
C9 61
C9 115-126
C9 127-142
C9 142
SUN orange
CELESTIAL 1
■-■-■
C9 142
D: …Reader, raise your eyes…URANIA
…stay on your bench…the Sun…Beatrice Heaven’s lights
BEA: Give thanks…to…Sun of the Angels…raised to this visible
sun.
C10 7-21
C10 22-51
C10 52-54
AQUINAS 1
*
CELESTIAL – SOFT?
D: …E Beatrice…veder si brami.
[ORANGE ☼ ☼ ☼] [ORANGE ☼ ☼ ☼] [ORANGE ☼ ☼ ☼ AQ VOICE]
-
(windows undivided)
-
AQ: Since the light of grace…if we do not stray.
AQ introduces BLESSED SOULS – all with books – starting with
ALBERTUS MAGNUS and finishing with himself.
[ORANGE ☼☼] [AM etc ORANGE ☼☼] [ORANGE ☼☼ AQ VOICE]
GRATIANUS, PETER LOMBARD, OROSIUS, BOËTHIUS, ISIDORE
OF SEVILLE, BEDE, SIGIER OF BRABANT
OPTIONAL RICHARD OF ST VICTOR, SOLOMON
AQ:…and I, Thomas Aquinas
[BS] [BS] [BS] or
[AQ]
-
- -
(C10 37-45)
C10 54
C10 83-96
C10 97-138
-
■-■-
(C10 99)
19
D: BEA: AQ: straw and chaff …there starts the song, exultation of
the mind bursting forth in the voice.
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 2
*
CELESTIAL
CONTINUES
D: I see the glorious wheel revolve…am received, with Beatrice, so C10 145
gloriously in Heaven
- C11 12
AQUINAS 2
 CHESS / CHANSON DE ROLAND 1
1-404
[CP 22 / crowned BS] [CP 23 / table BS] [CP 24 / library BS]
BLESSED SOULS (windows undivided)
CLARE Pictures 22: Castle Roccasecca
CLARE Pictures 23: Jerusalem
CLARE Pictures 24: Castle Hohenstaufen
GRATIANUS & SIGIER begin setting up game of chess.
-
PLAYER
KING/EMPEROR
WHITE
○FRANKS
BLACK
●PAGANS
GRATIANUS
JUSTINIAN
CHARLEMAGNE CARLUN ETC.
SIGIER
KING MARSILIES -LIE ETC
VALDABRON -BRUN
CONSTANCE
QUEEN BRAMIMOUND
PETER LOMBARD
BLANCANDRINS
BONAVENTURA FROM C12 127
ADMIRAL OF BALAGUET
QUEEN/EMPRESS RAHAB
BISHOPS
KNIGHTS
OTHERS
OPTIONAL
CHANSON MUSIC ?
-
FOLCO
(AND ROLAND)
ISIDORE OF SEVILLE
ARCHBISHOP TURPIN
FOLCO
ROLAND -LLANT -LLANZ
BOËTHIUS
OLIVER
CACCIAGUIDA FROM C18 84
ALBERTUS MAGNUS / GUENELON GUENES ETC.
CUNIZZA
BEDE
CLIMORINS
TURGIS OF TURTELOSE
OROSIUS
MARSILIES’S NEPHEW
PICCARDA
SOLOMON
RICHARD OF ST VICTOR
○●
AQ continues to study in the library throughout.
Carles li reis, nostre emperere magnes…
And sought a plan, how Rollant might be slain.
[AQ]
■-■-
C11 12
CH/CH 1
CH/CH 404
20
AQUINAS 3
*?
ST FRANCIS MUSIC
BIRDS?
AQ stands up.
AQ: The Providence…sun was born into this world.
AQ: So that whoever…by humbling himself.
MUSES cross stage and sit on steps in front of window
AQ: …he commended his Lady…no other deathbed for his body
AQ exits.
C11 28-50
C11 52-111
C11 109
C11 112-114
■-■-■
AQUINAS 4
-
428-694
-
[CP 25 / BS] [CP 26 / table BS] [CP 27 / library BS]
CLARE Pictures 25: Cat takes figurine to Porziuncola
CLARE Pictures 26: Francis finds figurine in nest
CLARE Pictures 27: Franciscans around Christmas crib
May God preserve you safe…
He’ll follow you to France, to your Empire.
AQ re-enters:
N ow think what he must be, who was a worthy colleague to
maintain the course of Peter’s boat in the right direction. Such was
our founder, Dominic…freights himself with good cargoes.
C11 118
CH/CH 428
CH/CH 694
C11 118-120
■-■-■?
CELESTIAL 3
*
CELESTIAL:
2-VOICED POLYPHONY
OR SILENCE
THE TURNING OF THE MUSES
[BEA]-■
■M-USES
sing, BEATRICE obscured by Calliope.
D: …The sacred mill begins to turn… song which is as far beyond
our Muses…as the first glory in its reflection.
MUSES outraged (B revealed) and leave to plot D’s destruction
B goes on singing D goes on describing: As 2 rainbows …the
outer answered the inner.
B goes backstage or comes through window onto stage. (see end)
■-■-■
C12 1
C12 1
C12 3-9
C12 9
C12 9
C12 10-21
■-[CP 28]-[CP 29]
ST BONAVENTURA
CLARE Pictures 28: Birds take off
CLARE Pictures 29: Francis & cat pursue
[ORANGE ☼ ] [CP 28] [CP 29]
Bo: Sono la vita di Bonaventura
[BO] [CP 28] [CP 29]
Biographer of St Francis, looks at the other windows.
Bo: The Love that adorns me, brings me to speak of the other
leader, on whose behalf such noble words are spoken. It is
right that…they shine together.
[BO]
Bo: Christ’s army…Dominic he was named.
[BO] [CP 30] [CP 31]
CLARE Pictures 30: St Dominic
CLARE Pictures 31: St Dominic’s dog
Bo: He showed himself truly a companion and messenger of
Christ…It was for this I came .
[BO]
Bo: Illuminato and…Pietro Mangiadore…company with me.
-
-
-■-■
-
MUSIC: DOMINICAN?
MILITANT?
MUSIC ?
-■-■
■-■-■
-
(C12 127)
C12 31-36
C12 37-69
C12 73-78
C12 133
C12 145
21
CELESTIAL 4
MUSIC ?
-
-
[CP 32] [CP 30] [CP 31]
CLARE Pictures 32: Clare follows cat & Francis
BEA: Fifteen…stars...Ursa Major
D: Imagini…nostra usanza Bea: …in one Person.
■-■-■
AQUINAS 5
706-838
[CP 33 / BS] [CP 34 / table BS Aquinas] [CP 35 / library BS]
CLARE Pictures 33: Gubbio in fear
CLARE Pictures 34: Giant Wolf faces Francis
CLARE Pictures 35: Giant Wolf submits to Francis
AQ stands in front of table. Chansonniers are silent.
AQ: Since the one sheaf has been threshed…Solomon never had an
equal…centre of a target.
The game is well under way.
Towards Douce France that Emperour…
Great fear I have, since Rollant must remain.
-
*
MUSIC ?
C13 1-27
C13 4-9
C13 1-27
-
■-■-■
C13 34-51
CH/CH 706
CH/CH 838
AQUINAS 6 (VOICE)
-
-
[CP 36] [CP 37] [CP 38]
CLARE Pictures 36: Francis preaches to silent swallows
CLARE Pictures 37, 38: Francis preaches to many birds
AQ: That which does not die…would still be your first words.
Interpreted / versified by D and B.
■-■-■
-
851-1336
C13 52-90
C13 90
-
CLARE Pictures 39: Francis sets off in boat to Egypt
CLARE Pictures 40: Francis preaches to Sultan
CLARE Pictures 41: Francis returns to Italy
Within three days come hundreds thousands four… CH/CH 851
CH/CH 1336
From Mahumet your help will not come soon.
*
MUSIC ?
■-■-■
■-[AQ]-■
AQUINAS 7
AQ: But so that you now see…think who Solomon was…nor
whether a  without a right angle in it can be constructed in
a semicircle…
ERATO, MELPOMENE, POLYHYMNIA form  round D.
AQ: So, if you note…our Delight, Christ…entangles the intellect.
6 OTHER MUSES gather with boat to assault D.
AQ: …and before now I have seen, a ship…sink in the end,
entering the harbour mouth…AQ leaves? 6 MUSES disappear.
D: The water in a rounded dish…that sprang from his discourse.
POLYHYMNIA spills it.
*
MUSIC ?
*
CELESTIAL
SONG:
■-■-■
C13 91-102
C13 103-120
C13 120
C13 136-138
C14 1-9
CELESTIAL 5
D:…As if pierced, and drawn out circle in the dance…
MODEST VOICE
C14 19-33
C14 37-42
SOULS/SOULS (CHORUS) Amen!
C14 62
LOVE, BRIGHTNESS…
AMEN
BEA leaves stage until C18 3.
22
▀
MARS red (colour nominated by Dante)
■-■-■
C14 67-
CELESTIAL 6
*
CELESTIAL
*
CELESTIAL /
BE-A-TRI-CE
D: Look around! A shining dawn…my eyes cannot withstand
it…Christ on the cross…Here my memory outruns my
ability…con tutto ‘l core…Qui vince la memoria …Cristo…
Cristo…Cristo…
C4 104
C14 67-108
C14 108
D: Perhaps it may be too bold to say so, as if it slighted the joy of
C14 130-135
those lovely eyes…but he who recognises how those lovely seals
of all beauty have ever greater effect the higher the region…
[RED ☼]
CACCIAGUIDA’S light begins to glow?
C15 1-27
D: The Benign Will…fire shining through alabaster…if our
greatest Muse is to be believed.
CALLIOPE walks menacingly towards D. CLIO passes her.
C15 27
CALLIOPE slaps her and punches D.
 POLYHYMNIA ERATO MELPOMENE vanish at CALLIOPE’s glare.
■-
-■
CACCIAGUIDA 1
CA: O sanguis meus, o superinfusa…I was your root…while only
anticipating you: Cacciaguida.
[CP 42] [CP 43 / CACCIAGUIDA] [CP 44]
CLARE Pictures 42: Francis pursues B & W dog
CLARE Pictures 43: White dog & bees pursue Crusad er
CLARE Pictures 44: Crusader pursues Saracen
D: He, the first Aligieri…from martyrdom to this peace.
D: Tell me then, dear source of me…the lily dyed red by division.
D: Dear ground of myself…you see contingent things…my
future…though I feel well set to resist Fortune’s blows.
URANIA (Prophecy) enters.
D: …my mind would be content to hear what fate comes to me,
since the arrow seen in advance arrives less suddenly
CA: You must be exiled from Florence… D transfixed… that is the
arrow that Exile’s bow will fire.
URANIA transfixes D again, with arrow & leaves. D falls to knees.
CA: You will prove how bitter the taste… …the wind strikes the
highest summits hardest…no small cause of honour.
-
*
PROPHECY MOTIF:
*
PROPHECY MOTIF
*
*
SOFT
-
■-■-■
MUSIC?
NOTE
C15 91-148
C16 16-154
C17 13-24
C17 24
C17 25-27
C17 45
C17 46-57
C17 57
C17 58-135
CELESTIAL 7
BEA enters (from C14 135). D overjoyed, rises and gazes.
BEA: Change your thoughts…Turn now and listen, for not only in
my eyes is Paradise.
*
C15 28-90
C18 1
C18 5-21
NOTE
▀
JUPITER white (colour nominated by Dante)
■-■-■
C18 21-
CELESTIAL 8
D looks & listens: As a man…as birds rising…letters…stay silent.
D: O Muse, Goddess of…illuminate me…brief words.
URANIA, invoked, finds D alive, breaks arrows and departs.
C18 58-81
C18 82-87
C18 87
23
1526-1760
CLARE Pictures 45: Francis on horseback
CLARE Pictures 46: Leper flees Francis
CLARE Pictures 47: Francis embraces leper
A Sarrazin was there of Sarraguce…
That were a lie, in any other mouth.
-
-
■-■-■
■-■-■
CH/CH 1526
CH/CH 1760
CELESTIAL 9
*
MUSIC?
CELESTIAL?
*
NOTE
D: Then they showed themselves in 35 vowels…towards Himself
▀
SATURN gold (colour nominated by Dante) par.16
C18 88-99
C21-
CELESTIAL 10
SILENCE
[CP 48]-[CP 49]-[CP 50] 6 CP s in 3 windows.
[CP 51]-[CP 53]-[CP 52]
CLARE PICTURES: THE PICNIC
CLARE Pictures 48: Clare writes note, cat waits
CLARE Pictures 49: Cat carries note to Porziuncola
CLARE Pictures 50: Francis writes reply – cat & wolf
CLARE Pictures 51: Clare and sisters to glade
CLARE Pictures 52: Francis and brothers to glade
CLARE Pictures 53: Sisters and brothers picnic – cat & wolf
Unregarded by D and BEA.
BEA: Were I to smile, you would be turned to ashes…Saturn…in
this mirror.
D: Whoever knows…my sight is fed by her blessed aspect…joy of
obedience.
■-■-■
D: I see a ladder…splendours descending…rooks…particular
rung...glittering of spirits.
C21 5-18
C21 19-24
C21 29-42
ST PETER DAMIAN
 CHESS / CHANSON DE ROLAND 6 NO LINES
-
-
[CP 54] [GOLD ☼] [CP 55]
CLARE Pictures 54: Francis in snow with hamper
CLARE Pictures 55: Starving brigands
D: O come, per lo…why…silent…so devotedly.
PD: You have mortal hearing…I, Peter Damian…does not smile.
[CP 54] [PD] [CP 55]
…have descended…wisdom…assigns me here, as you see.
[PD]
D: Yes I see ..PD: Heaven takes it to itself.
[CP 56 / BS] [PD] [CP 57 / library BS]
CLARE Pictures 56, 57: Crusaders watch chess
PD is flanked by silent chansonniers as he speaks.
PD: Between Italy’s two coasts…. O patience that endures so
much!
CACCIAGUIDA looks and departs.
[CP 56 / BS]
[CP 57 / library BS]
- ■- -■
- -
■-■-■
-■-
C21 34
C21 55-60
C21 61-63
C21 64-72
C21 73-102
C21 106-135
C21 135
24
CACCIAGUIDA 2
-
C21 135
-
[CP 56] [CA CP 58] [CP 57]
CLARE Pictures 58: Chess board
CACCIAGUIDA hangs from his horse’s neck to study chess board.
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 11
*
CELESTIAL
DEEP FLAME SOUND
D startled.
BEA: …You are in Heaven?...Do you not know…l’aspetto redui
■
-■-■ and stage dark?
[CP 59]-■-[CP 60]
ST BENEDICT
*
CELESTIAL
C22 7-21
C22 1
CLARE Pictures 59, 60: Ravens & bread
[CP 59] [GOLD ☼] [CP 60]
BE: That mountain…Pagan gods. And I am Benedict
[CP 59] [BE] [CP 60]
who first carried…and I vanishing out of sight.
[BE]
and stage dark?
- ■- -■
■-■-■
C22 37-40
C22 40-69
THE FIXED STARS
 GEMINI brighter sun, from above par.16
C22 106-
LOOKING DOWN 1 + . into faces of audience
■-■-■
D: You would not…to see the sign of Gemini…and to be inside it…
B: You are so near the highest blessedness…look down…
D: moon…Helios…Jupiter…Mars…
*
C22 109-111
C22 124-132
C22 133-154
NOTE
CELESTIAL 12
B: See the procession of Christ’s triumph… B: D: ……
B: Open your eyes…made you strong enough to endure my smile
D: That gift…If all of those tongues that Polyhymnia and her sister
Muses, enriched with their sweetest milk, sounded, the sound
would not reach…her sacred face.
Offstage slap. POLYHYMNIA crosses the stage, still with finger at
mouth, holding her other hand to the other side of her face.
CALLIOPE , the slapper, watches her go.
C22 154
C23 1-10
C23 19-20
C23 49-60
C23-60
■-■-■
1913-2396 + 1406-1411
C23 60
[CP 61 / BS] [CP 62 / table BS] [ CP 63 / library BS]
CLARE Pictures 61: Clare, ciborium & armed devils
CLARE Pictures 62: Devils rising out of blackness
CLARE Pictures 63: Porziuncola besieged by devils
CH/CH 1913
Although fled be Marsilies…
Were hanged, a thing they never did expect. Final CH/CH 1411
-
*
*
HORN TRIUMPHANT
NOTE
■-■-■
-
25
CELESTIAL 13
-
*
I AM GABRIEL
-
[CP 64] [CP 65] [CP 66]
CLARE Pictures 64: Francis’s halo of swallows
CLARE Pictures 65, 66: Birds fly as cross
D: And so the sacred poem must take a leap…it is not a path for a
little boat that my bold keel cuts as it goes…
BEA: Why does my face so entrance you that you do not turn to
the lovely Garden that flowers below the rays of Christ…the
good way was taken.
D: As I have seen, before now, a meadow…I saw many crowds of
splendours…the brightest Heaven.
GABRIEL: (Spoken or sung): I am Gabriel…by entering it.
CH/CH 1411
■-[BE]-■
C23 102
C23 120
C24 1-9
C24 10-27
C23 61
C23 61-69
C23 70-75
C23 79-102
C23 103
CIRCLING MELODY
REGINA COELI
sample from
SOCIETÀ DANTESCA:
english/risorse.htm
D: She climbs after her own child.
ST BERNARD (2) watches.
BEA: O company, elected…on which his thought is fixed.
D: …those joyful spheres…my pen passes on, and I do not write…
[WHIRLING YELLOW? ☼ ☼ ☼]
■-
-■
■-[STEADY YELLOW? ☼]-■
ST PETER Faith
PE: O my holy sister…you free me from this lovely sphere
C24 28-51
BEA: ST PETER!
[SEA PE & bow of boat]
or [SEA] [ SEA PE & bow of boat] [SEA] windows undivided
ST PETER in rowing boat on Sea of Galilee:
PE: Speak, good Christian…what is Faith? PE: D:.hundredth of it. C24 52-108
■-
-■
-
-
DIO LAUDAMO
P: D: Say what you believe…One essence,and Threefold.
*
*
CELESTIAL
PROPHECY MOTIF
C24 108
C24 108-140
C2 140
BEA faces boat, hiding it.
D: If it should ever come to pass, that the sacred poem, to which
C25 1-9
Heaven and Earth have set their hand, so that it has made me
lean through many a year…I will return a poet…and assume the
wreath at my baptismal font…
BEA: See! See! Behold James… D: BEA: …..
C25 17-18
■-[[SEA]JA[ & stern of boat to audience]-■
ST JAMES Hope
or
SEA SEA JA & stern of boat to audience] [SEA]
JA: Lift your head…say what Hope is… D: B: …in its own land,
and its own land is this sweet life.
-
*
-
CELESTIAL?
THEY HOPE IN YOU?
C25 34-93
C25 93
ST JOHN Love
Light flashes D: come surge e lo schiarato splendore D: blinded
[SEA] [JA, JO, PE boat at right angles] [SEA] windows undivided
BEA: This is John…Mary to his care…
JO: …your vision is…not destroyed JO: D: …offered… by Him.
-
-
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 14
*
CELESTIAL
ENDS HOLY! HOLY!
HOLY!
GLORY TO THE FATHER
-
-
[CP 67] [CP 68] [CP 69]
CLARE Pictures 67, 68, 69: Francis in tree at Porziuncola
C25 103-106
C25 112 114
C26 8-66
C26 66
26
LOOKING DOWN (2) . into faces of audience
BEA: leads D: to stagefront, restores his sight. BEA: Look down…
D: …Ulysses…nothing compared to the divine delight…when I
turned towards her smiling face.

? CANTICLE OF THE
CREATURES
CANTICLE OF THE
C27 77
C27 78-96
THE PRIMUM MOBILE
BEA gazes up. The nature of the universe…its leaves in the rest.
ST FRANCIS sings as if from a long way off:
PART 1: Altissimu, onnipotente bon signore…fior et herba.
BEA: …before January is…un-wintered…ripe fruit will follow the
flower.
PART 2: Laudati si’, mi signore…incoronati.
C27 106-120
C27 120
BEA: D: Heaven and all Nature hangs…pierced by.
D: The truth is seen…chessboard at every square.
PART 3: Laudato s’ mi Signore…cum grande humilitate.
C28 42-45
C28 86-93
C28 93
C27 142-148
? CREATURES
? CANTICLE OF THE
CREATURES
■
-■-■
[CP 73]-[ CP 74]-[CP 75]
CLARE Pictures 73, 74, 75: Dove above Assisi
■
■
-■
[CP 76]-[ CP 77]-[CP 78]
CLARE Pictures 76, 77, 78: Dove above Umbria, or in Heaven
■
■
-■
[CP 79]-[CL]-[CP 80]
[CP 70] [ CP 71] [CP 72]
CLARE Pictures 70, 71, 72: Dove rises from Porziuncola
HOSANNA
CLARE Pictures 79: Francis’s hand with stigma
CLARE Pictures 80: Francis’s dead face
ST CLARE veiled outside San Damiano.
The song ceases. ST CLARE turns.
almost immediately to:
[SUN] [CL,18, in plaits & dress, with FRANCIS ] [SUN]
■-■-■
■-■-■
*
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF
/ CELESTIAL ?
-
BEA: I have seen the point of Creation… a separate beginning
D focuses on BEA, interpolates BEA: Concreato…l’è aperto.
D: If that which is said of her…artist must at his furthest reach.
C29 11-30
C29 31-66
(C30 16-30)
 THE EMPYREAN near-darkness
CELESTIAL 15
*
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF
D B gaze up.
D: Heaven quenches star after star…transcends every sweetness
TERPSICHORE takes D’s book from his back. MUSES ALL alter,
return it.
D: B: …..… B kisses D’s book, removing the alterations.
C30 8-42
C30 42
C30 42-81
CELESTIAL 16
*
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF
AVE MARIA
THE ROSE .D: O splendour of God…eternal Spring.
C30 97-128
D: The sacred army… the whiteness of snow.
C31 1-27
D raises his eyes a little & looks for B’s face. Where is she?
C31 64
He sees her crowned.
D raises his eyes as high as he can and is transfixed.
The music fades to nothing. D continues to watch for an eternity –
1 minute of ordinary time? – then turns to audience and opens book.
27
THE FINAL VISION
C33 55-69
D: My vision then…O Supreme Light…lend to my mind again a
little of what you seemed then...
 SUN yellow spotlight from above, returns
C33 69
D: …give my tongue such power…Love that moves the Sun and the C33 70-145
other stars.
◘
FINALE
Singers, director, musical director etc. join D on stage.
[BS] [BS] [BS]
(windows undivided)
The BLESSED SOULS crowd to bless the audience. The MUSES trot
on stage, alarmingly, and push TERPSICHORE forward, a ‘shy
child’ holding something behind her back. D prepares to defend
himself. TERPSICHORE whips out a laurel wreath.
[BS] [BEA] [BS]
(windows undivided)
B appears in a window, blesses the audience and smiles.
Demanifestation of BS in whirl of colours.
- -
*
ANTHEM
-
C33 145
28
DANTE DRAMATISED
DANTE DRAMMATIZZATO
8. IL PARADISO
-1321 + = -1321 or later 1283↔1300 = between 1283 and 1300 ?? = a guess
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC given when the character is first seen or heard by the audience
CHARACTER
MALE
FEMALE FEMALE
optional
words added to Dante’s & Kline’s
INTRODUCTION
♫
OVERTURE
**********
CANTO 1
Triptych dark
■-■-■

yellow SUN spotlight
THE SPOTLIGHT, REPRESENTING THE SUN, PICKS OUT DANTE. HE STANDS NEAR THE FRONT OF THE STAGE,
HOLDING HIS BOOK. HE LOOKS UPWARD.
29
DANTE ALIGHIERI 1265 - 1321 AGE : 34 (ABOUT 2 MONTHS SHORT OF 35)
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
AS HE IS ORDINARILY SHOWN BUT WITHOUT THE LAUREL WREATH, WHICH HE EARNS AT THE END OF THE
COMMEDIA. HIS GARMENT IS WRAPPED MANY TIMES AROUND WITH A THIN, TASSELLED WAIST-CORD, WHICH HE
USED IN DANTE DRAMATISED: L’INFERNO.
HE CARRIES A BOOK, NOT HIS DIVINE COMEDY BUT A WORKBOOK FOR IT, PROBABLY COMPOSED OF WAX TABLETS
OR SLATES WITH THE STYLUS KEPT IN THE SPINE. ON HIS CHEST IS A BOOKHOLDER WHICH HE USES AT HIS
CONVENIENCE THROUGHOUT THE DRAMATISATION. THERE IS A SIMILAR ONE ON HIS BACK. OTHER MAJOR
CHARACTERS WITH BOOKS HAVE SIMILAR HOLDERS.
THE MUSES SIT STILL ON THE SHALLOW STEPS LEADING UP ONE OF THE WINDOWS. EACH HOLDS A BOOK
INSCRIBED WITH THE SYMBOL OF THEIR DOMAIN:
THE MUSES MYTHICAL AGE : YOUNG
LE MUSE
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
THE 9 GODDESSES WHO INSPIRE HUMANITY, AND MAIM, DESTROY OR TRANSFORM INTO BIRDS ANY HUMAN WHO
CHALLENGES THEIR SUPREMACY.
EACH MUSE CARRIES A WHITE BOOK WITH HER SYMBOL ON IT. THE MUSES ARE DRESSED IDENTICALLY, IN WHITE,
TO LET THEM SERVE IN BOTH PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN CAPACITIES. CALLIOPE, THE ELDEST SISTER, MAY BE
DISTINGUISHED BY HER HEIGHT AND/OR A GOLD BAND ON HER HEAD. TERPSICHORE IS THE SMALLEST MUSE AND
EUTERPE, PERHAPS, THE 2ND SMALLEST. POLYHYMNIA (NEARLY?) ALWAYS WEARS HER PENSIVE LOOK AND HAS A
FINGER AT THE MOUTH. WHEN THE MUSES SING CHRISTIAN MUSIC ON STAGE THEY SHOW THE BACK OF THEIR
BOOKS. ALL THE MUSES’ PROPS ARE IMAGINARY EXCEPT FOR THEIR BOOKS AND EUTERPE’S FLUTE IN DANTE
DRAMATISED:L’INFERNO.
NAME
CALLIOPE (CALLIOPEIA)
CLIO
ERATO
EUTERPE
MELPOMENE
POLY(HY)MNIA
TERPSICHORE
THALIA (THALEIA)
URANIA (OURANIA)
SYMBOL
DOMAIN
INTEREST
Writing tablet
Scroll
Lyre
Double flute
Tragic mask
Pensive mask; finger at mouth
Dancing figure
Comic mask
[Staff points to] globe or stars
Epic Poetry
History
Love Poetry
Music
Tragedy
Sacred Poetry
Dancing
Comedy
Astronomy
Philosophy
the Alphabet
Chanting
Geometry
Prophecy
DANTE OPENS HIS BOOK, RAISES HIS ARM AND PROCLAIMS [PUR C1 1-12] IN ITALIAN TO ONE SIDE OF THE
AUDIENCE. HE HAS BEEN IN PARADISE.
DANTE:
PAR C1 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C1 1-12 / KLINE
La gloria di colui che tutto move
per l'universo penetra, e risplende
in una parte più e meno altrove.
The glory of Him, who moves all things,
penetrates the universe, and glows
in one region more, in another less.
PAR C1 4-6 / DANTE
Nel ciel che più de la sua luce prende
fu' io, e vidi cose che ridire
né sa né può chi di là sù discende;
I have been in that Heaven that knows his light most,
and have seen things, which whoever descends from
there has neither power, nor knowledge, to relate:
PAR C1 7-9 / DANTE
perché appressando sé al suo disire,
nostro intelletto si profonda tanto,
che dietro la memoria non può ire.
because as our intellect draws near to its desire,
it reaches such depths that memory
cannot go back along the track.
30
PAR C1 10-12 / DANTE
Veramente quant' io del regno santo
ne la mia mente potei far tesoro,
sarà ora materia del mio canto.
Nevertheless, whatever, of the sacred regions,
I had power to treasure in my mind,
will now be the subject of my labour.
DANTE TURNS TO THE OTHER SIDE AND REPEATS THE LINES IN ENGLISH.
DANTE:
PAR C1 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C1 1-12 / KLINE
La gloria di colui che tutto move
per l'universo penetra, e risplende
in una parte più e meno altrove.
The glory of Him, who moves all things,
penetrates the universe, and glows
in one region more, in another less.
PAR C1 4-6 / DANTE
Nel ciel che più de la sua luce prende
fu' io, e vidi cose che ridire
né sa né può chi di là sù discende;
I have been in that Heaven that knows his light most,
and have seen things, which whoever descends from
there has neither power, nor knowledge, to relate:
PAR C1 7-9 / DANTE
perché appressando sé al suo disire,
nostro intelletto si profonda tanto,
che dietro la memoria non può ire.
because as our intellect draws near to its desire,
it reaches such depths that memory
cannot go back along the track.
Veramente quant' io del regno santo
ne la mia mente potei far tesoro,
sarà ora materia del mio canto.
Nevertheless, whatever, of the sacred regions,
I had power to treasure in my mind,
will now be the subject of my labour.
PAR C1 13-15 / KLINE
O buono Appollo, a l'ultimo lavoro
fammi del tuo valor sì fatto vaso,
come dimandi a dar l'amato alloro.
O good Apollo for the final effort,
make me such a vessel of your genius,
as you demand for the gift of your beloved laurel.
APOLLO, GOD OF THE SUN ETC. IS EQUATED TO CHRIST, GOD.
Infino a qui l'un giogo di Parnaso
assai mi fu; ma or con amendue
m'è uopo intrar ne l'aringo rimaso.
Till now, one peak of Parnassus was enough,
but now inspired by both
I must enter this remaining ring.
Entra nel petto mio, e spira tue
sì come quando Marsïa traesti
de la vagina de le membra sue.
Enter my chest, and breathe.
as you did when you drew Marsyas out
of the sheath that covered his limbs.
DANTE:
PAR C1 19 / DANTE
PAR C1 19 / KLINE
Entra nel petto mio, e spira tue
Enter my chest, and breathe.
DANTE:
O divina virtù, se mi ti presti
tanto che l'ombra del beato regno
segnata nel mio capo io manifesti,
O Divine Virtue if you lend me your help, so
that I can reveal that shadow of the kingdom
of the Blessed, stamped on my brain,
vedra'mi al piè del tuo diletto legno
venire, e coronarmi de le foglie
che la materia e tu mi farai degno.
you will see me come to your chosen bough,
and there crown myself with the leaves, that
you, and the subject, will make me worthy of.
31
Sì rade volte, padre, se ne coglie
per trïunfare o cesare o poeta,
colpa e vergogna de l'umane voglie,
Father, they are gathered, infrequently from it,
for a Caesar’s or a Poet’s Triumph, through
the fault, and to the shame, of human will:
DANTE TRIES ON AN IMAGINED LAUREL WREATH…
DANTE:
che parturir letizia in su la lieta
delfica deïtà dovria la fronda
peneia, quando alcun di sé asseta.
so the leaves of Daphne’s tree, the Peneian
frond, should light joy in the joyful Delphic
god, when it makes someone long for them.
DAPHNE:
DAUGHTER OF THE RIVER-GOD, PENEUS, PURSUED BY APOLLO AND CHANGED TO THE LAUREL.
Poca favilla gran fiamma seconda:
forse di retro a me con miglior voci
si pregherà perché Cirra risponda.
A great flame follows a tiny spark:
perhaps, after me, better voices
will pray, and Parnassus will respond.
…AND VERSIFIES.
DANTE:
che parturir letizia in su la lieta
delfica deïtà dovria la fronda
peneia, quando alcun di sé asseta.
so the leaves of Daphne’s tree,
the Peneian frond, should light joy in the joyful
Delphic god, when it makes someone long for them.
Poca favilla gran fiamma seconda:
forse di retro a me con miglior voci
si pregherà perché Cirra risponda.
A great flame follows a tiny spark:
perhaps, after me, better voices
will pray, and Parnassus will respond.
DANTE HAS RETURNED TO THE BEGINNING OF HIS VISIT TO PARADISE. HE GAZES UP.
DANTE:
Surge ai mortali per diverse foci
la lucerna del mondo; ma da quella
che quattro cerchi giugne con tre croci,
The Light of the World rises, for mortals,
through different gates: but he issues
on a happier course, and is joined
con miglior corso e con migliore stella
esce congiunta, e la mondana cera
più a suo modo tempera e suggella.
to happier stars, and moulds and stamps the earthly
wax more in his manner, when his rising
joins four circles in three crosses.
AT THE EQUINOX, AT SUNRISE, THE CELESTIAL CIRCLES OF THE ECLIPTIC & THE EQUINOCTIAL & EQUATORIAL COLURES, CROSS
THE CELESTIAL CIRCLE OF THE HORIZON AT THE SAME POINT. EACH OF THE 3 THEN FORMS A CROSS WITH THE HORIZON.
ALLEGORICALLY, GOD MOST INFLUENCES THE WORLD THROUGH THE 4 CARDINAL VIRTUES (TEMPERANCE, FORTITUDE, JUSTICE
& PRUDENCE) WHEN THEY ARE JOINED TO FORM THE 3 THEOLOGICAL VIRTUES (FAITH, HOPE & CHARITY). THE HAPPIEST
CONSTELLATION IS ARIES, THE SIGN IN WHICH THE SUN WAS AT THE CREATION.
It had made it morning there, when it was evening here: and now that hemisphere was all bright, at noon, and this one
dark, when I saw Beatrice, turned towards her left, gazing at the sun. No eagle ever fixed its eyes on it so intently. And
even as the reflected ray always issues from the first, and rises back upwards, like a pilgrim wishing to return,
DANTE, UNABLE TO ENDURE THE LIGHT, LOWERS HIS GAZE AND ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE.
32
so my stance took its form from hers, infused through the eyes into my imagination, and I fixed my eyes on the sun,
beyond our custom.
DANTE
or DANTE:
Molto è licito là, che qui non lece
a le nostre virtù, mercé del loco
fatto per proprio de l'umana spece.
Much is allowed to our powers there, which is not
allowed, through the gift of that place,
made to fit the human species.
Io nol soffersi molto, né sì poco,
ch'io nol vedessi sfavillar dintorno,
com' ferro che bogliente esce del foco;
A SUN SPOTLIGHT  FROM
DANTE TURNS TOWARDS HER.
I could not endure it long, but enough to see
him sparkle all round, like iron poured,
molten, from the furnace.
THE SAME SOURCE PICKS OUT
BEATRICE,
GAZING UPWARD.
BEATRICE (BICE DI FOLCO PORTINARI) 1266 - 1290 AGE : 24
BORN IN FLORENCE, BICE DI FOLCO PORTINARI (BEATRICE) WAS FIRST SEEN BY DANTE WHEN SHE WAS 8 YEARS OLD &
HE WAS 9. HIS LOVE FOR HER INSPIRED THE VITA NUOVA & THE DIVINE COMEDY, IN WHICH SHE REPRESENTS DIVINE
PHILOSOPHY.
DESCRIPTION
HER DRESS IS APPROPRIATE FOR HER ERA. SHE HOLDS A BIBLE.
♫
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF
DEVELOPED?
**********
PAR C1 60
See L’Inferno.
Four notes, representing the syllables of the name in Italian: Be – a – tri – ce.
In some segments the motif may be developed.
DANTE:
e di sùbito parve giorno a giorno
essere aggiunto, come quei che puote
avesse il ciel d'un altro sole addorno.
And suddenly, it seemed that day was Day is
added to day, as though He who has the power,
had has equipped Heaven with a second sun.
Beatrice was standing, with her gaze fixed on the eternal spheres, and I, removing my sight from above, fixed it on her.
In that aspect I became, inwardly, like Glaucus eating the grass that made him one with the gods of the sea. To go
beyond Humanity is not to be told in words: so let the analogy serve for those to whom grace, alone, may allow the
experience.
DANTE LOOKS AT BEATRICE, THEN ABOVE.
DANTE:
S'i' era sol di me quel che creasti
novellamente, amor che 'l ciel governi,
tu 'l sai, che col tuo lume mi levasti.
Love, who rules the Heavens, you know,
who lifted me upwards, with your light, whether
I was only that which you created, new in me.
CORINTHIANS 12 2. THE SOUL IS A NEW CREATION OF GOD’S, NOT GENERATED BY NATURE.
33
DANTE:
S'i' era sol di me quel che creasti
novellamente, amor che 'l ciel governi,
tu 'l sai, che col tuo lume mi levasti.
Love, who rules the Heavens, you know,
who lifted me upwards, with your light, whether
I was only that which you created, new in me.
Quando la rota che tu sempiterni
desiderato, a sé mi fece atteso
con l'armonia che temperi e discerni,
When the sphere, which you make eternal through
the world’s longing, drew my mind towards itself
with that harmony which you tune and modulate,
ARISTOTLE: GOD CAUSES THE ETERNAL MOVEMENT OF THE CELESTIAL SPHERES THROUGH THE LOVE & LONGING HE INSPIRES IN
THE UNIVERSE.
parvemi tanto allor del cielo acceso
de la fiamma del sol, che pioggia o fiume
lago non fece alcun tanto disteso.
so much of the Heavens seemed seems to me then
lit by the sun’s flame, that no rainfall or river’s flow
ever made so wide an expanse of lake.
La novità del suono e 'l grande lume
di lor cagion m'accesero un disio
mai non sentito di cotanto acume.
The novelty of the sound, and the great light,
lit ignite a greater longing in me than I had have
ever felt., desiring to know their cause.
7 PLANETARY SPHERES PRODUCE DIVINE HARMONIES LIKE THE SEVEN STRINGS OF A LYRE (EXPRESSLY REJECTED BY ARISTOTLE).
So that She, who saw me as I see myself, opened her lips, to still my troubled mind, before I could open mine to ask,
BEATRICE:
e cominciò: Tu stesso ti fai grosso
col falso imaginar, sì che non vedi
ciò che vedresti se l'avessi scosso.
and said You make yourself stupid with false
imaginings, and so you do not see., what
you would see, if you discarded them.
THE
SPOTLIGHT BROADENS AND LOSES ITS INTENSITY.
SUNLIGHT.
THE
STAGE IS NOW LIT IN PALEISH
BEATRICE:
Tu non se' in terra, sì come tu credi;
ma folgore, fuggendo il proprio sito,
non corse come tu ch'ad esso riedi.
You are no longer on earth, as you think,
but lightning leaving its proper home, never flew
as quickly as you, who are returning there.
If my first perplexity was answered by the brief smiling words, I was more entangled by a second,
DANTE:
e dissi: Già contento requïevi
di grande ammirazion; ma ora ammiro
com' io trascenda questi corpi levi.
and I said: Content, and already free of one
great wonder, now I am startled as to how
How do I lift above lighter matter?
THE SPHERE OF FIRE SURROUNDS THE SPHERE OF AIR WITH ‘A SECOND ATMOSPHERE’. AIR IS RELATIVELY LIGHT & FIRE
ABSOLUTELY LIGHT.
At that, after a sigh of pity, she turned her eyes towards me, with that look a mother gives to her fevered child,
BEATRICE SIGHS WITH PITY AND GIVES DANTE THE ‘LOOK A MOTHER GIVES TO HER FEVERED
CHILD’ [PAR C1 100-102] AS SHE EXPLAINS UNIVERSAL ORDER.
34
BEATRICE:
e cominciò: Le cose tutte quante
hanno ordine tra loro, e questo è forma
che l'universo a Dio fa simigliante.
and began: All things observe a mutual order
among themselves, and this is the structure
that makes the universe resemble God.
Qui veggion l'alte creature l'orma
de l'etterno valore, il qual è fine
al quale è fatta la toccata norma.
In it the higher creatures find the signature
of Eternal Value, which is the end for which
these laws were made, that I speak of.
Ne l'ordine ch'io dico sono accline
tutte nature, per diverse sorti,
più al principio loro e men vicine;
In that order, I say, all things are graduated,
in diverse allocations, nearer to,
or further from, their source,
onde si muovono a diversi porti
per lo gran mar de l'essere, e ciascuna
con istinto a lei dato che la porti.
so that they move towards diverse harbours,
over the great sea of being, each one with
its given instincts that carry it onwards.
THE MUSE ERATO STANDS AND TAKES AN ARROW FROM A QUIVER ON HER BACK.
IT ON HER BOW, AIMING IT AT A TARGET OFF STAGE TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT.
N.B. THE PARAPHERNALIA OF ALL THE MUSES IS IMAGINARY.
SHE DRAWS
THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE FIGURES (BOW & ARROW, BOAT & EATING/FOOD) WITH WHICH THE
MUSES SUPPLY DANTE IN DANTE DRAMATISED: IL PARADISO.
BEATRICE:
Questi ne porta il foco inver' la luna;
questi ne' cor mortali è permotore;
questi la terra in sé stringe e aduna;
This instinct carries the fire towards the moon;
that one is the mover in the mortal heart;
this other pulls the earth together and unifies it.
ERATO RELEASES HER IMAGINARY ARROW.
BEATRICE:
né pur le creature che son fore
d'intelligenza quest' arco saetta,
ma quelle c'hanno intelletto e amore.
And this bow does not only fire fires creatures
that are lacking in intelligence, but also
and those that have intellect and love.
ERATO OR ANOTHER MUSE, DRAWS AND AIMS A SECOND ARROW AS
NEXT VERSE AND LOOKS AT DANTE.
BEATRICE
SPEAKS THE
BEATRICE:
La provedenza, che cotanto assetta,
del suo lume fa 'l ciel sempre quïeto
nel qual si volge quel c'ha maggior fretta;
The Providence that orders it so, makes
the Empyrean, in which the ninth sphere whirls
with the greatest speed, quiet, with its light:
THE EMPYREAN WHICH IS NOT SPATIAL DOES NOT MOVE & HAS NO POLES, IT SURROUNDS THE PRIMUM MOBILE, THE 9TH
HEAVEN, THE OUTERMOST & SWIFTEST OF THE SPHERES, WITH LIGHT & LOVE.
THE SECOND ARROW IS RELEASED.
35
BEATRICE:
e ora lì, come a sito decreto,
cen porta la virtù di quella corda
che ciò che scocca drizza in segno lieto.
and the power of the bowstring, that directs
whatever it fires towards a joyful target, carries us
towards it now, as if to the appointed place.
Vero è che, come forma non s'accorda
molte fïate a l'intenzion de l'arte,
perch' a risponder la materia è sorda,
It is true that, as form is sometimes
inadequate to the artist’s intention,
because the material fails to answer,
così da questo corso si diparte
talor la creatura, c'ha podere
di piegar, così pinta, in altra parte;
so the creature, that has power, so impelled,
to swerve towards some other place,
sometimes deserts the track
e sì come veder si può cadere
foco di nube, sì l'impeto primo
l'atterra torto da falso piacere.
(just as fire can be seen, darting down from a cloud)
if its first impulse is deflected
towards earth by false pleasures.
AS BEATRICE SPEAKS, THE MUSES BEHIND HER HOLD STEADY A ‘LITTLE BOAT’ INTO WHICH
EUTERPE STEPS AND SITS.
BEATRICE:
Non dei più ammirar, se bene stimo,
lo tuo salir, se non come d'un rivo
se d'alto monte scende giuso ad imo.
You should not wonder more at your ascent,
if I judge rightly, than at rivers falling,
from mountains to their foot.
Maraviglia sarebbe in te se, privo
d'impedimento, giù ti fossi assiso,
com' a terra quïete in foco vivo.
It would be a marvellous thing, in you, if without any
obstruction, you had settled below; just as stillness
would be marvellous, on earth, in a living flame.
PAR C1 142 / DANTE
Quinci rivolse inver' lo cielo il viso.
At that She turned her gaze back towards Heaven.
BEATRICE TURNS HER GAZE BACK TO HEAVEN [PAR C1 142].
CANTO 2
DANTE COMES TO THE FRONT OF THE STAGE AND ADDRESSES THE LOWER PART OF THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
PAR C2 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C2 1-3 / KLINE
O voi che siete in piccioletta barca,
desiderosi d'ascoltar, seguiti
dietro al mio legno che cantando varca,
O you, in your little boat, who, longing to hear,
have followed my keel, singing on its way,
turn to regain your own shores:
PAR C2 4-6 / DANTE
tornate a riveder li vostri liti:
non vi mettete in pelago, ché forse,
perdendo me, rimarreste smarriti.
do not commit to the open sea,
since, losing me, perhaps,
you would be left adrift.
36
PAR C2 7-9 / DANTE
L'acqua ch'io prendo già mai non si corse;
Minerva spira, e conducemi Appollo,
e nove Muse mi dimostran l'Orse.
The water I cut was never sailed before:
Minerva breathes, Apollo guides,
and the nine Muses point me toward the Bears.
(SEE [PAR C23 67-69] FOR A SIMILAR LITTLE BOAT FIGURE.)
THE MUSES SPRING INTO ACTION. CALLIOPE REACHES HER HAND DOWN TO HELP EUTERPE OUT OF HER
LITTLE BOAT. EUTERPE PRETENDS TO TAKE FOOD FROM CALLIOPE’S HAND WITH HER HAND OR MOUTH. THE
OTHER MUSES STEADY EUTERPE’S BOAT FOR HER TO GET OUT.
EUTERPE PICKS UP HER LITTLE BOAT AND PUTS IT SOMEWHERE OUT OF THE WAY. (SHE RETURNS TO IT FOR
THE NEXT BOAT FIGURE [PAR C8 51].) THE MUSES FORM UP AS 1 OR 2 CHORUS LINES.
MEANWHILE, DANTE VERSIFIES TO THE LOW PART OF HIS AUDIENCE, THEN ADDRESSES THE HIGHER ONES.
DANTE:
PAR C2 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C2 1-3 / KLINE
O voi che siete in piccioletta barca,
desiderosi d'ascoltar, seguiti
dietro al mio legno che cantando varca,
O you, in your little boat, who, longing to hear,
have followed my keel, singing on its way,
turn to regain your own shores:
PAR C2 4-6 / DANTE
tornate a riveder li vostri liti:
non vi mettete in pelago, ché forse,
perdendo me, rimarreste smarriti.
do not commit to the open sea,
since, losing me, perhaps,
you would be left adrift.
PAR C2 7-9 / DANTE
L'acqua ch'io prendo già mai non si corse;
Minerva spira, e conducemi Appollo,
e nove Muse mi dimostran l'Orse.
The water I cut was never sailed before:
Minerva breathes, Apollo guides,
and the nine Muses point me toward the Bears.
DANTE:
♫
Voialtri pochi che drizzaste il collo
per tempo al pan de li angeli, del quale
vivesi qui ma non sen vien satollo,
You other few, who have lifted your mouths, in
time, towards the bread of Angels, by which life up
here is nourished, and from which none of them
come away sated…,
RESPONSE TO INVOCATION
**********
PAR C2 12
DANTE ADDRESSES THE HIGHER PART OF HIS AUDIENCE AGAIN.
DANTE:
&
DANTE:
PAR C2 10 / DANTE
PAR C2 10 / KLINE
Voialtri pochi che drizzaste il collo
You other few, who have lifted your mouths, in
time,
DANTE:
metter potete ben per l'alto sale
vostro navigio, servando mio solco
dinanzi a l'acqua che ritorna equale.
you may truly set your ship to the deep
saltwater,following my furrow, in front
of the water falling back to its level.
DANTE BEGINS LOOKING AT BEATRICE AS HE SPEAKS.
TOO.
SHE IS STILL LOOKING UP. ALL THE MUSES LOOK UP,
37
DANTE:
Que' glorïosi che passaro al Colco
non s'ammiraron come voi farete,
quando Iasón vider fatto bifolco.
The glorious Argonauts who sailed to Colchis,
who marvelled when they saw Jason turned
ploughman, did not marvel as much as you will.
COLCHIS: PR. kol’kis.
JASON: TO WIN THE GOLDEN FLEECE HE HAD TO YOKE THE BRONZE-FOOTED FIRE-BREATHING BULLS, PLOUGH THE FIELD OF ARES
& SOW THE SERPENT’S TEETH. OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 7 1 ET SEQ.
THE 7 PLANETARY SPHERES
PLANETARY SPHERE 1: MOON
pearl (colour nominated by Dante; would not print, so this colour substituted)
▀
ERATO RAPIDLY DRAWS AN ARROW AND SHOOTS STRAIGHT UP. THE OVERHEAD LIGHT FLASHES PEARL,
THEN MAY SETTLE TO A FAINT PEARL. DANTE, BEATRICE AND THE MUSES HAVE RISEN TO THE SPHERE OF
THE MOON.
DANTE WRITES AND READS.
DANTE:
La concreata e perpetüa sete
del deïforme regno cen portava
veloci quasi come 'l ciel vedete.
The inborn, perpetual thirst for the divine
regions lifted us, almost as swiftly as
you see the Heavens move.
Beatrice in suso, e io in lei guardava;
e forse in tanto in quanto un quadrel posa
e vola e da la noce si dischiava,
Beatrice was gazing upwards, and I at her: and I saw
myself arriving, in the space of time perhaps it takes
an arrow to be drawn, released, and leave the notch,
DANTE LOOKS AROUND.
DANTE:
giunto mi vidi ove mirabil cosa
mi torse il viso a sé; e però quella
cui non potea mia cura essere ascosa,
there, where a A marvellous thing engaged
engages my sight: and therefore She, from
whom nothing I did was hidden,
BEATRICE DROPS HER GAZE AT LAST.
BEATRICE:
volta ver' me, sì lieta come bella,
Drizza la mente in Dio grata, mi disse,
che n'ha congiunti con la prima stella.
turning towards me, as joyful as she was lovely,
Said Turn your mind towards God in gratitude,
who has joined us with the first planet, the moon.
THE MUSES LOOK AND POINT UP AND AROUND. DANTE MAKES NOTES THEN VERSIFIES.
38
DANTE:
Parev' a me che nube ne coprisse
lucida, spessa, solida e pulita,
quasi adamante che lo sol ferisse.
It seemed to me that a A cloud covered
covers us, dense, lucid, firm, and polished.,
like diamond struck by sunlight.
Per entro sé l'etterna margarita
ne ricevette, com' acqua recepe
raggio di luce permanendo unita.
The eternal pearl accepted accepts us into
it, as water accepts a ray of light.,
though still, itself, unbroken.
DANTE:
Per entro sé l'etterna margarita
ne ricevette, com' acqua recepe
raggio di luce permanendo unita.
The eternal pearl accepted us into
it, as water accepts a ray of light,
though still, itself, unbroken.
S'io era corpo, e qui non si concepe
com' una dimensione altra patio,
ch'esser convien se corpo in corpo repe,
If we cannot conceive, here, how one dimension
could absorb another, which must be the case, if
one body enters another, and if I were then a body,
accender ne dovria più il disio
di veder quella essenza in che si vede
come nostra natura e Dio s'unio.
the greater should be our longing to see
that Essence, where we see how our own nature,
and God’s, were once unified.
Lì si vedrà ciò che tenem per fede,
non dimostrato, ma fia per sé noto
a guisa del ver primo che l'uom crede.
There, what we take, on trust, will be shown us,
not demonstrated, but realised in ourselves,
like a self-evident truth in which we believe.
DANTE TO BEATRICE.
DANTE:
Io rispuosi: Madonna, sì devoto
com' esser posso più, ringrazio lui
lo qual dal mortal mondo m'ha remoto.
I replied to her: Lady, I thank Him
who has raised me from the mortal
world, as devoutly as I can,
Ma ditemi: che son li segni bui
di questo corpo, che là giuso in terra
fan di Cain favoleggiare altrui?
but tell me what are those dark marks…
li segni bui…on this planet, that make the people
down there on earth make tell fables about Cain.
THE MAN IN THE MOON IN POPULAR SUPERSTITION, WAS CAIN CARRYING A BUNDLE OF THORNS AS HE WENT TO SACRIFICE.
BEATRICE ‘SMILES A MOMENT’ [PAR C2 52]. THE MUSES HAVE DECIDED WHAT TO DO. THEY ALL TAKE AIM
UPWARDS WITH THEIR IMAGINARY BOWS.
BEATRICE:
Ella sorrise alquanto, e poi : S'elli erra
l'oppinïon, mi disse, d'i mortali
dove chiave di senso non diserra,
She smiled a moment, and then said:
If human opinion errs, where the key of
the senses cannot unlock it,
39
THE MUSES SHOOT THEIR ARROWS UP.
BEATRICE:
certo non ti dovrien punger li strali
d'ammirazione omai, poi dietro ai sensi
vedi che la ragione ha corte l'ali.
the The arrows of amazement should certainly not
pierce you, since you see that Reason’s wings are
too short, even when the senses can take the lead.
PAR C2 58 / DANTE
PAR C2 58 / KLINE
Ma dimmi quel che tu da te ne pensi.
Ma dimmi…But tell me…what you yourself think
about it.
DANTE:
E io: Ciò che n'appar qua sù diverso
credo che fanno i corpi rari e densi.
And I: I think what appears variegated to us
up here, is caused by dense and rare bodies.
Ed ella: Certo assai vedrai sommerso
nel falso il creder tuo, se bene ascolti
l'argomentar ch'io li farò avverso.
And she: You will see that your thought is truly
submerged in error., if you listen Listen attentively
to the argument I will make against it.
BEATRICE:
DANTE OPENS HIS BOOK AND PREPARES TO MAKE NOTES.
SIX OF THE MUSES GO OFFSTAGE, LEAVING POLYHYMNIA, URANIA AND ERATO, WHO APPEARS TO BE WAITING
FOR SOMETHING TO SHOOT AT ABOVE.
POLYHYMNIA (THE PENSIVE ONE, WITH SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR GEOMETRY) AND URANIA (ASTRONOMY
AND PHILOSOPHY) PAY ATTENTION TO BEATRICE.
BEATRICE:
La spera ottava vi dimostra molti
lumi, li quali e nel quale e nel quanto
notar si posson di diversi volti.
The eighth sphere, the Stellar Heaven, shows many
lights to you, which can be seen to have
diverse appearance, in quantity and quality.
Se raro e denso ciò facesser tanto,
una sola virtù sarebbe in tutti,
più e men distributa e altrettanto.
If rarity and density alone produced that effect,
there would be one quality in all of them,
more or less equally distributed.
Virtù diverse esser convegnon frutti
di princìpi formali, e quei, for ch'uno,
seguiterieno a tua ragion distrutti.
Different qualities must be the result of
different formal principles, and on your
reasoning, only one could exist.
Ancor, se raro fosse di quel bruno
cagion che tu dimandi, o d'oltre in parte
fora di sua materia sì digiuno
Again, if rarity were the cause of those dark
non-reflecting patches you ask about,
this planet would be short of matter in one part,
BEATRICE ILLUSTRATES BODY LAYERS WITH HER HAND.
BEATRICE:
or BEATRICE
esto pianeto, o, sì come comparte
lo grasso e 'l magro un corpo, così questo
nel suo volume cangerebbe carte.
right through: or, as a body layers
fat and lean, it would have
alternate pages in its volume.
40
BEATRICE
Se 'l primo fosse, fora manifesto
ne l'eclissi del sol, per trasparere
lo lume come in altro raro ingesto.
If the first were true, it would be revealed by solar
eclipses, when the light would shine, through the
less dense parts, as it does when falling on anything
else that is translucent.
Questo non è: però è da vedere
de l'altro; e s'elli avvien ch'io l'altro cassi,
falsificato fia lo tuo parere.
That is not so: non è , so we must consider
the second case, and if I can show this is false also,
your idea will have been refuted.
S'elli è che questo raro non trapassi,
esser conviene un termine da onde
lo suo contrario più passar non lassi;
If this less dense matter does not go right through,
there must be a boundary, beyond which its denser
opposite must prevent light travelling on,
e indi l'altrui raggio si rifonde
così come color torna per vetro
lo qual di retro a sé piombo nasconde.
and from that boundary the rays would be
reflected, as coloured light returns
from glass that hides lead behind it.
Or dirai tu ch'el si dimostra tetro
ivi lo raggio più che in altre parti,
per esser lì refratto più a retro.
Now, you will say that the ray is darker
here than elsewhere because
it is reflected from further back.
Da questa instanza può deliberarti
esperïenza, se già mai la provi,
ch'esser suol fonte ai rivi di vostr' arti.
Experiment can untangle you from that suggestion,
if you will try it, which is always the spring
that feeds the rivers of your science.
Tre specchi prenderai; e i due rimovi
da te d'un modo, e l'altro, più rimosso,
tr'ambo li primi li occhi tuoi ritrovi.
Take three mirrors, and set two equidistant
from you, and let the third, further away, be visible
to your eyes, between the other two.
POLYHYMNIA AND URANIA, WHOSE USUAL ROLE IS TO INSPIRE, ARE INSPIRED. THEY CARRY IMAGINARY
MIRRORS AROUND THE STAGE, CALLING ON ERATO TO HELP. SHE LAYS DOWN HER BOW RELUCTANTLY.
BEATRICE DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE PRESENCE OF THE MUSES. SHE MAY TURN DANTE WITH HER
HANDS.
BEATRICE
Rivolto ad essi, fa che dopo il dosso
ti stea un lume che i tre specchi accenda
e torni a te da tutti ripercosso.
Turn towards them, and have a light
behind you, reflected from the
three mirrors, back towards you.
Ben che nel quanto tanto non si stenda
la vista più lontana, lì vedrai
come convien ch'igualmente risplenda.
Though the more distant has a
smaller area, you will see it shine as brightly
as the others.
BRIGHTNESS IS THE RATIO OF THE QUANTITY OF LIGHT REACHING THE EYES TO THE APPARENT SIZE OF THE OBJECT. THESE BOTH
DIMINISH AS THE SQUARE OF THE DISTANCE, SO THE BRIGHTNESS REMAINS CONSTANT. THIS IGNORES ABSORPTION BY THE
MEDIUM & THE REFLECTIVE CAPABILITY OF A COARSE SURFACE LIKE THE MOON.
THE 3 MUSES SIT DOWN ON THE ROOD SCREEN STEPS. ERATO RESUMES LOOKING UP.
URANIA AND PENSIVE POLYHYMNIA HAVE A SMALL PLACE BETWEEN THEM.
BEATRICE EXPLAINS THE DIFFUSION OF THE DIVINE SPIRIT FROM THE EMPYREAN WHERE ALL SPACE IS HERE & TIME IS NOW &
WHERE GOD IS, & THE ANGELS & BLESSED SPIRITS TRULY ARE (AS OPPOSED TO MERELY MANIFESTING THEMSELVES) DOWN TO
THE LOWEST SPHERE OF THE MOON. THE PRIMUM MOBILE, OR NINTH HEAVEN, WHERE THE ANGELS MANIFEST THEMSELVES (IN
SYMBOLIC MEETING) CONTAINS ALL NATURE. IT RECEIVES THE DIVINE INFLUENCE & COMMUNICATES IT DOWNWARDS TO THE
EIGHTH SPHERE OF THE STELLAR HEAVENS, WHERE THE BLESSED SOULS ARE ALL MANIFEST. THE STELLAR HEAVEN DIVIDES IT
AMONG THE STARS. EACH OF THE SEVEN LOWER HEAVENS (SATURN, JUPITER, MARS, SUN, VENUS, MERCURY & MOON, IN THE
41
PTOLEMAIC SYSTEM) LIKEWISE RECEIVES THE INFLUENCE FROM THE SPHERE ABOVE & PASSES IT TO THE SPHERE BELOW (AS IN
THE EMANATIONS OF MEDIEVAL MYSTICISM)
IN EACH OF THE LOWER SPHERES VIRTUE & MOTION DERIVES FROM AN ANGELIC PRESENCE, WHICH IS MELDED TO EACH
PLANETARY BODY & THE MINGLED VIRTUE OF ANGEL & PLANET SHINES THROUGHOUT THAT SPHERE. THE STELLAR HEAVEN IS,
LIKEWISE, ANIMATED BY THE DEEP SPIRIT OF THE CHERUBIM. EACH ANGEL IS CONNECTED WITH ITS SPHERE, BUT STILL DISTINCT
WITHIN IT. THE COMBINATION IS AN ALLOY, A UNION, A MINGLING, A MELDING. THE VIRTUE THAT SHINES THERE IS LIKEWISE THE
PERSONALITY OF THE ANGEL MINGLED WITH THE CREATIVE & INSPIRATIONAL POWER OF GOD.
BEATRICE
Or, come ai colpi de li caldi rai
de la neve riman nudo il suggetto
e dal colore e dal freddo primai,
Now, I wish to illuminate you, who are
stripped in mind, as the surface of the snow
is stripped of colour and coldness
così rimaso te ne l'intelletto
voglio informar di luce sì vivace,
che ti tremolerà nel suo aspetto.
by the stroke of the sun’s warm
rays, with light so living it
will tremble, as you gaze at it.
DANTE INTERPRETS BEATRICE. THEY ARE NOT FACING THE WINDOWS.
BEATRICE:
&
DANTE:
Dentro dal ciel de la divina pace
si gira un corpo ne la cui virtute
l'esser di tutto suo contento giace.
In the Empyrean, the heaven of divine peace, a
body whirls, the Primum Mobile, in whose virtue
rests the existence of everythimg it contains.
Lo ciel seguente, c'ha tante vedute,
quell' esser parte per diverse essenze,
da lui distratte e da lui contenute.
The Stellar Heaven that follows next, within and
below it, which shows many lights, divides this
existence among diverse essences, which it separates
out, and contains.
Li altri giron per varie differenze
le distinzion che dentro da sé hanno
dispongono a lor fini e lor semenze.
The other seven, lower Heavens circling, dispose
the distinct powers they have, in themselves, by
various differentiations, to their own seeds and ends.
Questi organi del mondo così vanno,
come tu vedi omai, di grado in grado,
che di sù prendono e di sotto fanno.
These organs of the universe fall, as you
can see, from grade to grade, since they receive
from above, and work downwards.
Riguarda bene omai sì com' io vado
per questo loco al vero che disiri,
sì che poi sappi sol tener lo guado.
Now, note well how I thread this pass,
to the truth you long for, so that afterwards
you may know how to keep the ford alone.
Lo moto e la virtù d'i santi giri,
come dal fabbro l'arte del martello,
da' beati motor convien che spiri;
The motion and power, of the sacred lower gyres,
must be derived from the Angels, who are their
movers and are blessed, as the hammer’s art derives
from the blacksmith.
e 'l ciel cui tanti lumi fanno bello,
de la mente profonda che lui volve
prende l'image e fassene suggello.
from beginning
■-■-■
And the Stellar Heaven, that so many lights
beautify,takes its imprint from the profound mind,
of the Cherubim, that turn it, and from that forms
the seal.
42
[SAN DAMIANO]
- [PEARL ☼ ☼ ☼] - [SAN DAMIANO]
UNNOTICED BY DANTE AND BEATRICE, THREE PEARL LIGHTS WHIRL IN THE CENTRE WINDOW OF THE
TRIPTYCH AND THE OTHER WINDOWS LIGHT UP WITH THE WALLS OF SAN DAMIANO. SEE SCHEME:
INTRODUCTION: IL PARADISO AND PARADISO PICTURES: 14
BEATRICE:
or BEATRICE:
E come l'alma dentro a vostra polve
per differenti membra e conformate
a diverse potenze si risolve,
And as the soul, in your dust, diffuses
itself through your different members,
and melds to diverse powers,
così l'intelligenza sua bontate
multiplicata per le stelle spiega,
girando sé sovra sua unitate.
so the Divine Intelligence deploys its
goodness, multiplied throughout the stars,
still turning round its own unity.
Virtù diversa fa diversa lega
col prezïoso corpo ch'ella avviva,
nel qual, sì come vita in voi, si lega.
Each separate Angelic virtue makes a separate
alloy with the precious body it vivifies, in
which it is bound, as life is bound in you.
Per la natura lieta onde deriva,
la virtù mista per lo corpo luce
come letizia per pupilla viva.
Because of the joyful nature it flows from, the
Angelic virtue, mingled with the body, shines
through it, as joy shines through the living eye.
BEATRICE:
Da essa vien ciò che da luce a luce
par differente, non da denso e raro;
essa è formal principio che produce,
From this, come the differences, between light
and light, not from density or rarity:
this is the formal principle that, according to
PAR C2 148 / DANTE
conforme a sua bontà, lo turbo e 'l chiaro.
its own excellence, produces the turbid and the clear.
CANTO 3
DANTE GOES ON WRITING, CATCHING UP WITH BEATRICE’S WORDS. THE LIGHTS OF THE 3 BLESSED SOULS
ARE STEADY IN THE CENTRE WINDOW.
DANTE:
PAR C3 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C3 1-3 / KLINE
Quel sol che pria d'amor mi scaldò 'l petto,
di bella verità m'avea scoverto,
provando e riprovando, il dolce aspetto;
That sun, which first warmed my heart with love,
had unveiled lovely truth’s sweet
aspect to me, by proof and refutation:
DANTE RAISES HIS HEAD TO SPEAK TO BEATRICE AND NOTICES THAT THE OUTER WINDOWS ARE NO LOMGER
DARK. HE GOES TO ONE OF THEM.
DANTE:
San Damiano! Which the Blessed Francis
rebuilt with his own hands.
43
HE IS ABOUT TO WALK AWAY WHEN HE NOTICES THE LIGHTS IN THE CENTRE WINDOW. HE PEERS CLOSELY
AT ONE.
PAR C3 4-9 / DANTE
and I lifted up my head to speak, to confess myself corrected and believing, as was needed. But something appeared,
that forced me to look at it, so that I stopped thinking of my confession.
DANTE:
Quali per vetri trasparenti e tersi,
o ver per acque nitide e tranquille,
non sì profonde che i fondi sien persi,
As the outlines of our faces are reflected,
from transparent, polished glass, or
from clear, tranquil water
tornan d'i nostri visi le postille
debili sì, che perla in bianca fronte
non vien men forte a le nostre pupille;
that is not deep enough for the bottom to be darkened,
and are so faint that a pearl on a white forehead
is not distinguished more slowly by our eyes,
so I saw many faces, eager to speak: at which I fell into the opposite error to that which sparked love between Narcissus
and the pool. I was no sooner aware of them, than, thinking they were reflected images, I turned my eyes round to see
whose they were: and I saw nothing, and turned them back again, straight to the light of my sweet guide whose holy
eyes glowed, as she smiled.
DANTE TURNS AROUND AND BACKS, AS IF LOOKING FOR THE SOURCE OF A REFLECTION, THEN TURNS TO
BEATRICE.
BEATRICE:
Non ti maravigliar perch' io sorrida,
mi disse, appresso il tuo püeril coto,
poi sopra 'l vero ancor lo piè non fida,
She said: Do not wonder if I smile, in the presence of
your childish thought, since it does not trust itself with
the truth, but turns, as it usually does, to emptiness.
ma te rivolve, come suole, a vòto:
vere sustanze son ciò che tu vedi,
qui rilegate per manco di voto.
Those you behold are truly
substantial., consigned here
for failing in their vows.
Però parla con esse e odi e credi;
ché la verace luce che le appaga
da sé non lascia lor torcer li piedi.
Parla con esse…So speak Speak to them., and listen,
Listen and believe, since the true light that satisfies
them, does not allow them to turn their steps away
from itself.
And I turned to the shadow who seemed to long to speak to me most, and, like someone whom too great a desire seizes,
DANTE ADDRESSES ONE OF THE LIGHTS IN THE CENTRE WINDOW.
DANTE:
O ben creato spirito, che a' rai
di vita etterna la dolcezza senti
che, non gustata, non s'intende mai,
I began: O spirit, happily created, who feels, in
the rays of the eternal life, that sweetness,
never understood till it is tasted,
grazïoso mi fia se mi contenti
del nome tuo e de la vostra sorte.
Ond' ella, pronta e con occhi ridenti:
it would please me, if you would grace me with
your name and your story. At which she replied,
eagerly, with smiling eyes:
44
THE LIGHT SPEAKS.
PICCARDA (VOICE):
La nostra carità non serra porte
a giusta voglia, se non come quella
che vuol simile a sé tutta sua corte.
Our love no more closes the gate on a
valid request, than does that Love which
would make all its courts like itself.
PICCARDA DONATI 1265?? - 1290? AGE : 25?? CHARACTER AGE : 25?
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
POOR CLARE: DARK BROWN HABIT, A CORD GIRDLE WITH 3 KNOTS (AS FRANCISCAN), WITHOUT A SCAPULAR, AND
CLOTH SANDALS ON BARE FEET. THE BLACK VEIL MAY BE VISIBLE SOMEWHERE ON HER PERSON BUT SHE DOES NOT
WEAR IT.
PICCARDA: SISTER OF FORESE DONATI, DANTE’S FRIEND, & OF CORSO DONATI. SHE IS PLACED IN THE SPHERE OF THE MOON FOR
NEGLECT OF HER VOWS. SHE HAD TAKEN THE HABIT OF THE POOR CLARES IN THE CONVENT AT FLORENCE & WAS FORCIBLY
ABDUCTED FROM THERE BY CORSO HER BROTHER IN 1288 OR THEREABOUTS & COMPELLED TO MARRY ROSSELINO DELLA TOSA,
A TURBULENT NOBLE OF THE BLACK FACTION. SHE DIED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS.
PICCARDA (VOICE):
I' fui nel mondo vergine sorella;
e se la mente tua ben sé riguarda,
non mi ti celerà l'esser più bella,
I was a virgin sister in the world,
and if your memory is searched deeply, my
greater beauty, now, will not hide me from you,
ma riconoscerai ch'i' son Piccarda,
che, posta qui con questi altri beati,
beata sono in la spera più tarda.
[SAN DAMIANO]
- [PEARL ☼ ☼
PICCARDA]
but you will know me again, as Piccarda, who am
blessed in this sphere that moves the slowest,
placed here with these others, who are blessed.
- [SAN DAMIANO]
PICCARDA MANIFESTS HERSELF AS A WOMAN WHEN SHE NAMES HERSELF. THE BACKGROUND IS OBSCURE.
PICCARDA:
KLINE C3 50-51 / KLINE
che, posta qui con questi altri beati,
beata sono in la spera più tarda.
who am blessed in this sphere that moves the
slowest, placed here with these others, who are
blessed.
Li nostri affetti, che solo infiammati
son nel piacer de lo Spirito Santo,
letizian del suo ordine formati.
Our affections that are only inflamed by
the pleasure of the Holy Spirit, delight
to be informed under his guidance.
E questa sorte che par giù cotanto,
però n'è data, perché fuor negletti
li nostri voti, e vòti in alcun canto.
And this fate, which seems so humble,
is given us because our vows were
neglected and missing certain cantos.
DANTE:
Ond' io a lei: «Ne' mirabili aspetti
vostri risplende non so che divino
che vi trasmuta da' primi concetti:
At that I said to her: In your marvellous aspect,
something divine shines out again, that transmutes
you from my previous concept of you.
però non fui a rimembrar festino;
ma or m'aiuta ciò che tu mi dici,
sì che raffigurar m'è più latino.
That is why I was slow to recall you to mind:
now what you tell me gives me such
assistance, that I remember you more clearly.
45
Ma dimmi: voi che siete qui felici,
disiderate voi più alto loco
per più vedere e per più farvi amici?
But tell me, you who are happy here,
do you wish for a higher place,
to see further, or to make yourself dearer?
She smiled with the other shadows first, a little, then replied to me so joyously she seemed to be burning with the first
fire of love:
PICCARDA SMILES AND ‘REPLIES JOYOUSLY’ [PAR C3 68].
PICCARDA:
Frate, la nostra volontà quïeta
virtù di carità, che fa volerne
sol quel ch'avemo, e d'altro non ci asseta.
Frate… Brother… the power of love quiets
our will, and makes us only long for what
we have, and gives us no other thirst.
Se disïassimo esser più superne,
foran discordi li nostri disiri
dal voler di colui che qui ne cerne;
If we desired to be higher up, our
wishes would be at odds with
his will, who assigns us here,
che vedrai non capere in questi giri,
s'essere in carità è qui necesse,
e se la sua natura ben rimiri.
and there is no room for that discord in these
circles, if you think again about love’s nature,
and that we of necessity have our being in Love.
Anzi è formale ad esto beato esse
tenersi dentro a la divina voglia,
per ch'una fansi nostre voglie stesse;
No, it is the essence of this being blessed
to keep ourselves to the Divine Will,
through which our own wills are unified.
sì che, come noi sem di soglia in soglia
per questo regno, a tutto il regno piace
com' a lo re che 'n suo voler ne 'nvoglia.
PICCARDA:
So that our being as we are, from step to step,
throughout the kingdom, is a joy to all
the kingdom, as it is to the king, who draws our wills
towards what he wills.:
&
PICCARDA:
E 'n la sua volontade è nostra pace:
ell' è quel mare al qual tutto si move
ciò ch'ella crïa o che natura face.
and in In his will is our peace,
it is the sea, to which all things flow,
that it creates, and nature forms.’
Chiaro mi fu allor come ogne dove
in cielo è paradiso, etsi la grazia
del sommo ben d'un modo non vi piove.
It was clear to me then how every Every part of
Heaven is Paradise, even though the grace of the
Highest Good does not pour down to it in only one
way.
Ma sì com' elli avvien, s'un cibo sazia
e d'un altro rimane ancor la gola,
che quel si chere e di quel si ringrazia,
But even as it happens that, if one kind of food
satisfies us, while the appetite for another kind
persists, and giving thanks for that one, we ask for
this one,
PICCARDA POINTS TO THE NEXT LIGHT IN THE CENTRE WINDOW.
46
PICCARDA
così fec' io con atto e con parola,
per apprender da lei qual fu la tela
onde non trasse infino a co la spuola.
so by word and gesture I learned from her
what that warp was, through which
she had not drawn the shuttle, to its end.
«Perfetta vita e alto merto inciela
donna più sù», mi disse, «a la cui norma
She said: A life perfected, and great merit, set a
lady, Saint Clare, Santa Chiara, higher in Heaven,
[SAN DAMIANO]
- [PEARL ☼
ST CLARE PICCARDA]
- [SAN DAMIANO]
ST CLARE MANIFESTS HERSELF AS A WOMAN.
ST CLARE 1194 - 1253 AGE : 59 CHARACTER AGE : 18 FINALLY, OLDER UNTIL THEN
SANTA CHIARA
BORN AT ASSISI, UMBRIA, THE ELDEST DAUGHTER OF FAVORINO SCIFI, COUNT OF SASSO-ROSSO. SHE HEARD (ST)
FRANCIS, IL POVERELLO, PREACH IN THE CHURCH OF SAN GIORGIO IN 1210. ON 20TH MARCH, 1212, SHE MET
FRANCIS (AGED ABOUT 30) AND HIS DISCIPLES IN THE CHAPEL OF THE PORZIUNCULA. CLARE LAID ASIDE HER RICH
DRESS AND ST FRANCIS CUT OFF HER HAIR (SAID TO BE GOLDEN) AND CLOTHED HER IN A ROUGH TUNIC AND THICK
VEIL. CLARE LATER CO-FOUNDED THE ORDER OF POOR LADIES (POOR CLARES), DEPENDING SOLELY ON ALMS AND
LIVING IN PRAYER AND SILENCE WITH MANUAL LABOUR, ESTABLISHED AT SAN DAMIANO (WHICH SHE NEVER LEFT
ALIVE) , OUTSIDE ASSISI. SHE WAS MADE ABBESS OF SAN DAMIANO IN 1253 AGAINST HER WILL. THE LIFELONG
FRIEND AND DISCIPLE (‘EFFICACIOUS COADJUTRIX’) OF ST FRANCIS, CLARE ‘THREW AROUND POVERTY THAT
IRRESISTIBLE CHARM WHICH ONLY WOMEN CAN COMMUNICATE TO RELIGIOUS OR CIVIC HEROISM’. SHE HAD TO BE
RESTRAINED FROM GOING TO MOROCCO WHEN FRANCISCANS WERE MARTYRED THERE IN 1221. SHE REPELLED
THE ARMY OF FREDERICK II FROM SAN DAMIANO IN 1234 BY HOLDING UP THE CIBORIUM (THE HOST,
MONSTRANCE).
CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF DEATH: ‘BRAVE AND CHEERFUL TO THE LAST SHE SPUN THE FINEST THREAD FOR
THE PURPOSE OF HAVING IT WOVEN INTO THE MOST DELICATE MATERIAL FROM WHICH SHE AFTERWARDS MADE
MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED CORPORAL(E)S (LINEN CLOTHS ON WHICH ELEMENTS ARE PLACED DURING THE
CELEBRATION OF THE EUCHARIST), AND, ENCLOSING THEM IN A SILKEN BURSE, ORDERED THEM TO BE GIVEN TO
THE CHURCHES IN THE PLAIN AND ON THE MOUNTAINS OF ASSISI. CANONISED 1255.
PATRONESS OF SPINNERS, EMBROIDERERS. SHE IS SOMETIMES DEPICTED WITH A CAT BECAUSE THE CAT WHO LIVED
IN HER CONVENT WOULD BRING THINGS TO HER AT HER COMMAND WHEN SHE WAS TOO SICK TO GET OUT OF BED.
NOTES: CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA & THE FRANCISCAN EXPERIENCE. (FRANCISCAN INSTITUTE OUTREACH – MALTA) &
OTHERS.
DESCRIPTION
SEEN ONLY. POOR CLARES (FRANCISCAN SECOND ORDER): DARK BROWN HABIT, A CORD GIRDLE WITH 3 KNOTS –
LIKE FRANCISCANS, WITHOUT A SCAPULAR, AND CLOTH SANDALS ON BARE FEET. THE BLACK VEIL IS VISIBLE
SOMEWHERE ON HER PERSON BUT SHE WEARS IT ONLY IN C28.
PARADISO PICTURES
5, 10, 11, 12
ST CLARE SITS SPINNING INSIDE THE CONVENT (PARADISO PICTURES 13, 15). A GLOWING FIBRE
HANGS FROM HIGHER IN HEAVEN TO HER FINGERS AND TO A SPINDLE WHICH SHE HOLDS IN HER HAND.
SHE MAY HAVE A WEAVER’S SHUTTLE OR IMPLEMENTS FOR EMBROIDERY IN HER GIRDLE.
PICCARDA
PAR C3 99 / DANTE
PAR C3 99 / KLINE
nel vostro mondo giù si veste e vela,
and there are those, in your world, who dress and veil
themselves,
perché fino al morir si vegghi e dorma
con quello sposo ch'ogne voto accetta
che caritate a suo piacer conforma.
according to her rule, so that they might sleep and
wake, till death, with the Spouse who accepts every
vow, which Love has made conformable with his
pleasure.
47
Dal mondo, per seguirla, giovinetta
fuggi'mi, e nel suo abito mi chiusi
e promisi la via de la sua setta.
I fled from the world, while still a girl,
to follow her, and shut myself in her habit,
and promised to pursue the way of her company.
Uomini poi, a mal più ch'a bene usi,
fuor mi rapiron de la dolce chiostra:
Iddio si sa qual poi mia vita fusi.
After that, men, who were more used to evil
than good, tore me away from that sweet cloister,
and God knows what my life became then.
PICCARDA POINTS TO THE OTHER LIGHT.
PICCARDA:
E quest' altro splendor che ti si mostra
da la mia destra parte e che s'accende
di tutto il lume de la spera nostra,
And this other splendour, who shows herself to you,
on my right side, and who burns
with all the light of our sphere,
ciò ch'io dico di me, di sé intende;
sorella fu, e così le fu tolta
di capo l'ombra de le sacre bende.
says what I say, of myself, about herself.
She was a sister, and, in a similar way, the shadow
of the holy veil was snatched from her head.
Ma poi che pur al mondo fu rivolta
contra suo grado e contra buona usanza,
non fu dal vel del cor già mai disciolta.
But, turned back towards the world as she was,
against her will, and against right dealings,
she was never torn from her heart’s veil.
Quest' è la luce de la gran Costanza
che del secondo vento di Soave
generò 'l terzo e l'ultima possanza.
[SAN DAMIANO]
- [CONSTANCE
This is the light of the great Constance…Costanza…
who by Henry the Sixth, the second stormwind of
Suabia, conceived Frederick, the third and final
power.
ST CLARE PICCARDA]
- [S.DAMIANO]
CONSTANCE MANIFESTS HERSELF AS A WOMAN.
CONSTANCE (COSTANZA) 1152 - 1198 AGE : 46 CHARACTER AGE : *--?
SICILIAN.
DESCRIPTION
EMPRESS, CROWNED, DRESSED IN BLACK.
CONSTANCE: DAUGHTER OF ROGER II OF SICILY. IN 1186, COSTANZA HAD MARRIED HENRY, SON OF FREDERICK BARBAROSSA,
WHO WAS AFTERWARDS EMPEROR HENRY VI & BORE HIM FREDERICK, LATER EMPEROR FREDERICK II. FREDERICK
BARBAROSSA, HENRY & FREDERICK II WERE THE THREE STORMWINDS OF SUABIA. SHE ASSUMED THE REGENCY FOR HER SON
AFTER HENRY’S DEATH AT THE EARLY AGE OF 32. DANTE FOLLOWS THE TRADITION THAT SHE HAD BEEN A NUN & HAD BEEN
FORCED TO MAKE A POLITICAL MARRIAGE AGAINST HER WILL
PICCARDA:
che del secondo vento di Soave
generò 'l terzo e l'ultima possanza.
who by Henry the Sixth, the second stormwind of
Suabia, conceived Frederick, the third and final
power.
HENRY VI, EMPEROR: SON OF FREDERICK BARBAROSSA. HE MARRIED CO NSTANCE, THE DAUGHTER OF ROGER II IN 1186 &
INHERITED THE NORMAN KINGDOM IN 1194. HE WAS EMPEROR FROM 1190 TO 1197 & CROWNED, BY POPE CELESTINE IN 1191,
DURING HIS FIRST ITALIAN CAMPAIGN. HE UNITED GERMANY & SICILY AFTER HIS SECOND ITALIAN CAMPAIGN IN 1194-5, ‘UNIO
REGNI AD IMPERIUM’ BUT DIED AT THE AGE OF 32.
48
FREDERICK (1194-1250), ‘STUPOR MUNDI’, THE WONDER OF THE WORLD, BECAME KING OF SICILY & NAPLES IN 1197 &
EMPEROR IN 1212. HE WAS CROWNED EMPEROR IN ROME IN 1220. HE AGREED TO LEAD A CRUSADE IN 1227 BUT WAS TURNED
BACK BY AN EPIDEMIC & AS A RESULT WAS EXCOMMUNICATED BY POPE GREGORY IX DESPITE CONTINUING WITH THE CRUSADE
IN 1228-9. HE WAS GRANTED ABSOLUTION IN 1230, BUT WAS EXCOMMUNICATED AGAIN IN 1239 & DECLARED A HERETIC AT THE
FIRST COUNCIL OF LYON & DEPOSED. HE STRUGGLED AGAINST HENRY VII OF GERMANY & DIED IN APULIA IN 1250. HE WAS BY
REPUTATION AN EPICUREAN & A SENSUALIST.
So she spoke to me, and then began singing: Ave Maria and, singing, vanished like a heavy weight through deep water.
THE CHORUS BEGINS SINGING, PERHAPS BEGUN BY PICCARDA.
♫
AVE MARIA
**********
PAR C3 120 from PAR C3 121-123
LUKE 1 28
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum…
LUKE 1 28
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee…
■-■-■
CLARE’S ART REPRESENTS HER. SHE IS NOT SEEN AGAIN IN PERSON UNTIL [C27 96].
[CP 1]
- [CP 2] - ■
THE FIRST 2 CLARE PICTURES APPEAR ON THE WALLS OF SAN DAMIANO. SEE INTRODUCTION: IL
PARADISO.
Clare Pictures 1: Francis the blade
Francis of Assisi’s first step towards sainthood was to remove the rich garments supplied by his
cloth-merchant father, Pietro Bernardone. Here, Bernardone’s (‘Big Bernard’s’) hand is palm up,
one third of the way from the top of the picture. The sleeve is of rich cloth. Bernardone’s face
(resembling Francis’s) may be visible at the edge of the picture. Above the hand are little white
clouds of sheep and silk cocoons. Threads go from these between Bernardone’s fingers and down to
Francis, richly-dressed on a horse. Francis is playing a stringed instrument and enjoying the
attention of richly-dressed girls in Assisi. (All cities in Clare Pictures are represented
emblematically.) PARADISO PICTURES: 4, 6
Clare Pictures 2: Francis to battle
Assisi is on one side of the picture, Perugia on the other. Francis sets off with other richly-dressed
blades to do battle with the Perugians emerging from their city (1202). The hand and threads persist
from Clare Pictures 1. Girls wave the warriors goodbye.
My vision, which followed her as far as it could, turned, when it lost her, to the mark of a greater longing, and fastened
its look wholly on Beatrice: but she flashed into my gaze so brightly, that my sight could not at first endure it, and this
made me slower with my questioning.
[CP 1]
[CP 1]
- [CP 2] - [WHITE ☼]
- [CP 2] - [ST BERNARD]
49
A WHITE LIGHT WHIRLS AND STEADIES IN THE RIGHT WINDOW, THEN BECOMES A MAN.
ST BERNARD STANDS GAZING UPWARD. HE HAS COME IN RESPONSE TO THE MUSIC, RATHER THAN BEING
OR BEA KNOWS LIGHT.
NAMED, UNLIKE ALL THE OTHER BLESSED SOULS./.SOULS.
ST BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX 1090 - 1153 AGE : 63? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
BERNARDO
BORN AT FONTAINES, NEAR DIJON, FRANCE, OF FRENCH NOBILITY. CISTERCIAN MONK AND THEOLOGIAN, WHO
FOUNDED THE GREAT MONASTERY AT CLAIRVAUX IN FRANCE AND WAS ABBOT TILL HIS DEATH. HE HAD A
PARTICULAR DEVOTION TO THE VIRGIN, EXPRESSED IN HIS DE LAUDIBUS VIRGINIS MATRIS AND HIS NINE SERMONS
FOR THE FEASTS OF THE PURIFICATION, ASSUMPTION, NATIVITY ETC. HE DEDICATED ALL THE MONASTERIES OF
THE CISTERCIAN ORDER TO HER, BUT OPPOSED THE CELEBRATION OF HER IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. HE
ND
INSPIRED THE DISASTROUS 2 CRUSADE OF 1147.
DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH, KNOWN AS DOCTOR MELLIFLUUS FOR HIS PREACHING AND HENCE REPRESENTED BY A
HIVE OR SWARM OF BEES.
DESCRIPTION
CISTERCIAN (WHITE) MONK: UNBLEACHED RAW WOOL HABIT.
PARADISO PICTURES
25, 26
ST BERNARD:
from PAR C31 100-102 / DANTE
PAR C31 100-102 / KLINE
E la regina del cielo, ond' ïo ardo
tutto d'amor, ne farà ogne grazia,
però ch'i' sono il suo fedel Bernardo.
And the Queen of Heaven, for whom I burn
wholly with love, will grant us all grace,
because I am her loyal Bernard.
THE MUSIC FADES AND ST BERNARD IS REPLACED BY ANOTHER CLARE PICTURE.
[CP 1]
[CP 1]
- [CP 2] - ■
- [CP 2] - [CP 3]
Clare Pictures 3: Francis in prison
Night has fallen on Clare Pictures 2. Assisi has lost the war and Francis, lamplit, sits in a Perugian
prison, head in hands.
■-■-■
CANTO 4
DOUBTS, ERRORS ETC.
■-■-■
DANTE PACES AND DEBATES HIMSELF. THE SMALLEST MUSE, TERPSICHORE, DANCES./.SKIPS LAMBLIKE
ONTO THE STAGE AND FOLLOWS HIM IN PARODY.
SHE DROPS ONTO THE STEP, SQUEEZING BETWEEN URANIA AND POLYHYMNIA. THEY IGNORE HER.
TERPSICHORE LOOKS LEFT AND RIGHT AT HER SISTERS’ BOSOMS THEN BUTTS AND NUZZLES AT ONE FOR A
SECOND OR TWO BEFORE LEAPING UP, AMUSED AT THEIR ANGER, AND SKIPPING OFF STAGE.
50
DANTE:
PAR C4 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C4 1-3 / KLINE
Intra due cibi, distanti e moventi
d'un modo, prima si morria di fame,
che liber' omo l'un recasse ai denti;
Death from starvation would come to a man,
between two foods, equally distant and equally
appetising, before a free man set his teeth in either.
PAR C4 4-6 / DANTE
sì si starebbe un agno intra due brame
di fieri lupi, igualmente temendo;
sì si starebbe un cane intra due dame:
So a lamb would stand, equally fearful,
between the appetites of two fierce wolves.,
or a dog stand still between two hinds.
PAR C4 7-9 / DANTE
per che, s'i' mi tacea, me non riprendo,
da li miei dubbi d'un modo sospinto,
poi ch'era necessario, né commendo.
So I do not blame or commend myself for keeping
quiet, caught in the same way, suspended between
doubts, because I was forced to.
I kept quiet, but my longing was pictured on my face, and my questioning also, in far warmer colours than speech could
show. And Beatrice took the part that Daniel took, when he lifted Nebuchadnezzar’s cloud of anger that had made him
cruel, unjustly,
BEATRICE ADDRESSES DANTE, WHO INTERPRETS HER TO THE AUDIENCE.
BEATRICE:
&
DANTE:
e disse: «Io veggio ben come ti tira
uno e altro disio, sì che tua cura
sé stessa lega sì che fuor non spira.
and she said: I can see clearly how this desire
and that one stirs you, so that your anxiety
constricts itself, and cannot breathe itself out.
Tu argomenti: "Se 'l buon voler dura,
la vïolenza altrui per qual ragione
di meritar mi scema la misura?".
You argue: ‘If the right intent is still there,
how can another’s violence
lessen my measure of worth?’
Ancor di dubitar ti dà cagione
parer tornarsi l'anime a le stelle,
secondo la sentenza di Platone.
And you are given further cause for perplexity,
by the souls returning to the stars,
in Plato’s doctrine.
PLATO’S DOCTRINE: THE TIMAEUS, AVAILABLE TO DANTE IN CHALCIDIUS’S LATIN PARAPHRASE. THE DOCTRINE HE REPEATS, AS
UNDERSTOOD BY DANTE, GIVES EXCESSIVE POWER TO THE STARS, FATAL TO FREEWILL.
[CP 4]
- ■ - [CP 5]
Clare Pictures 4: St Bernard’s white dog
A white dog gazes up in the same spot that St Bernard did when Ave Maria was sung.
This animal symbolises Bernard, whose mother dreamed that she would give birth to a white dog
who would frighten off God’s enemies.
NOT A ST BERNARD DOG, NAMED FOR BREED DEVELOPED AT THE ST BERNARD HOSPICE, SWITZERLAND IN THE 1600 S.
Clare Pictures 5: Clare’s cat
Clare’s cat, reputed to fetch things for her when she was sick, looks at St Bernard’s dog, from a
vantage point – perhaps the roof of the convent.
The cat is probably of watered silk, a tabby (from Tabi, near Baghdad, famous for that material).
COMPARE WITH DOMINIC [C12 72]
DANTE:
The white dog of St Bernard. His mother
dreamed her child would frighten off God’s
enemies.
51
BEATRICE:
Queste son le question che nel tuo velle
pontano igualmente; e però pria
tratterò quella che più ha di felle.
These are the two questions that weigh equally
on your will, so I will take that first
which contains the most dangerous error.
D'i Serafin colui che più s'india,
Moïsè, Samuel, e quel Giovanni
che prender vuoli, io dico, non Maria,
He of the Seraphim nearest to God,
Moses, Samuel, John,
either one, you may choose, and Mary.,
DANTE’S ASIDE.
DANTE:
Clare’s cat, who fetched her
what the saint required.
DANTE’S ASIDES IN IL PARADISO ARE SOMETIMES EXCLAMATIONS, SOMETIMES EXPLANATIONS TO THE
AUDIENCE, SOMETIMES BOTH.
DANTE:
D'i Serafin colui che più s'india,
Moïsè, Samuel, e quel Giovanni
che prender vuoli, io dico, non Maria,
He of the Seraphim nearest to God,
Moses, Samuel, John,
either one, you may choose, and Mary.,
BEATRICE:
&
DANTE:
non hanno in altro cielo i loro scanni
che questi spirti che mo t'appariro,
né hanno a l'esser lor più o meno anni;
none None of them take their places in any different
Heaven than the spirits who appeared to you just
now, nor do they have more years or less of existence.
ma tutti fanno bello il primo giro,
e differentemente han dolce vita
per sentir più e men l'etterno spiro.
But all beautify the first sphere, the Empyrean,
and share sweet life, but differently,
by feeling the eternal spirit more, or less.
Qui si mostraro, non perché sortita
sia questa spera lor, ma per far segno
de la celestïal c'ha men salita.
They have shown themselves here,
not because this sphere is theirs,
but to signify the least steep celestial ascent for you.
Così parlar conviensi al vostro ingegno,
però che solo da sensato apprende
ciò che fa poscia d'intelletto degno.
Such speech needs to match your faculties
that can only make fit matter, for your intellect,
from what is apprehended by your senses.
Per questo la Scrittura condescende
a vostra facultate, e piedi e mano
attribuisce a Dio e altro intende;
So the Scriptures also bend
to your capacity, attributing hands and feet
to God, symbolically,
e Santa Chiesa con aspetto umano
Gabrïel e Michel vi rappresenta,
e l'altro che Tobia rifece sano.
and Holy Church represents Gabriel and
Michael, and Raphael,
who made Tobit complete again, in human form.
Quel che Timeo de l'anime argomenta
non è simile a ciò che qui si vede,
però che, come dice, par che senta.
What Timaeus argues concerning spirits,
is not what can be seen here,
since he seems to believe what he says,
52
Dice che l'alma a la sua stella riede,
credendo quella quindi esser decisa
quando natura per forma la diede;
and says the soul returns to its star,
thinking it was split from it,
when nature gave it form,
e forse sua sentenza è d'altra guisa
che la voce non suona, ed esser puote
con intenzion da non esser derisa.
though perhaps his meaning is different
than the words say, and may have an intention
that should not be derided.
AS BEATRICE WALKS, HER EYE LIGHTS ON ONE OF THE MUSE’S ARROWS LYING ON THE FLOOR. SHE
GLANCES UP TO WHERE IT MIGHT HAVE DROPPED FROM, THEN EXPERTLY ASSESSES ITS STRAIGHTNESS BY
LOOKING DOWN THE SHAFT AND ROTATING IT BETWEEN HER HANDS. IT IS BENT.
BEATRICE:
S'elli intende tornare a queste ruote
l'onor de la influenza e 'l biasmo, forse
in alcun vero suo arco percuote.
If he means that the honour and the blame,
ascribed to their influence, returns to these spheres,
perhaps his arrow hits some mark of truth.
BEATRICE STRIPS THE 3 FEATHER FLETCHES FROM THE ARROW, PUTS THEM IN HER ‘POCKET’ AND TOSSES THE
SHAFT BEHIND HER.
ERATO GOES TO THE SHAFT, BRINGS IT BACK TO THE STEP AND TESTS IT FOR STRAIGHTNESS. SHE TAKES A
SHORT STICK FROM HER QUIVER, UNSTRINGS THE BOW AND WRAPS THE BOWSTRING ONCE ROUND THE STICK
BEFORE RESTRINGING THE BOW. SHE HOLDS THE STICK VERTICAL WITH ITS POINT ON THE FLOOR AND
PUSHES HER BOW BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS TO ROTATE THE STICK AND CREATE FRICTION ON ITS END.
BEATRICE:
Questo principio, male inteso, torse
già tutto il mondo quasi, sì che Giove,
Mercurio e Marte a nominar trascorse.
This principle, badly understood, almost wrenched
the whole world awry, so that it rushed to call upon
the names of Jupiter, Mars and Mercury – Giove,
Mercurio, Marte.
L'altra dubitazion che ti commove
ha men velen, però che sua malizia
non ti poria menar da me altrove.
The other source of doubt which troubles you,
is less venomous, because its evil influence
could not lead you away from me, elsewhere.
Parere ingiusta la nostra giustizia
ne li occhi d'i mortali, è argomento
di fede e non d'eretica nequizia.
That our justice appears an injustice
to mortal eyes, is a question for faith,
not for heretical error.
Ma perché puote vostro accorgimento
ben penetrare a questa veritate,
come disiri, ti farò contento.
But since your intellect has the power
to penetrate easily to this truth,
I will satisfy you, as you desire.
Se vïolenza è quando quel che pate
nïente conferisce a quel che sforza,
non fuor quest' alme per essa scusate:
If violence occurs when those who suffer it do
nothing to contribute, to what displays force towards
them, well then, these souls did have that excuse:
ERATO LEANS FORWARD TO BLOW ON THE FRICTION SPOT AND ADDS A LITTLE FLAMMABLE MATERIAL FROM
THE QUIVER. THE FIRE LIGHTS.
ERATO PICKS UP THE BENT ARROW AND ROTATES IT IN THE FLAME.
53
BEATRICE:
ché volontà, se non vuol, non s'ammorza,
ma fa come natura face in foco,
se mille volte vïolenza il torza.
since, the The will cannot be overcome if it does not
will to be, but behaves like nature in the flames,
though a thousand times wrenched away by violence.
Per che, s'ella si piega assai o poco,
segue la forza; e così queste fero
possendo rifuggir nel santo loco.
But if it wavers, more or less, it helps the force
against it: and they wavered, since they had
the power to return later to the sacred place.
Se fosse stato lor volere intero,
come tenne Lorenzo in su la grada,
e fece Muzio a la sua man severo,
If their will had remained entire, like that which held
St Lawrence…Lorenzo…on the grid, and made
Mucius Scaevola treat his right hand with severity,
ST LAWRENCE, LORENZO: CHRISTIAN MARTYR OF SPANISH BIRTH, ROASTED ON A GRIDIRON OVER A FIRE, IN ROME, IN 258 AD.
ORDAINED DEACON BY POPE SIXTUS II & MET HIS DEATH SHORTLY AFTER THE POPE’S OWN MARTYRDOM. HE WAS SAID TO HAVE
DISPLAYED THE POOR & SICK AROUND HIM AS ‘THE TREASURES OF THE CHURCH’ WHEN THOSE TREASURES WERE DEMANDED OF
HIM. HE WAS ONE OF THE PATRON SAINTS OF FLORENCE, WITH JOHN THE BAPTIST.
CAIUS MUCIUS SCAEVOLA, AN EARLY ROMAN WHO DEMONSTRATED THE STRENGTH OF WILL OF THE ROMAN PEOPLE & THEIR
DISREGARD FOR THEIR OWN LIVES, TO HIS ENEMIES, BY SETTING HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE COALS. HE HAD PENETRATED THE ENEMY
LINES TO KILL LARS PORSENA, KING OF CLUSIUM, BUT KILLED THE KING’S SECRETARY SITTING BESIDE HIM INSTEAD. HE WAS
AFTERWARDS CALLED SCAEVOLA, ‘LEFT-HANDED’.
BEATRICE THRUSTS HER RIGHT HAND ‘INTO A FIRE’.
BEATRICE:
così l'avria ripinte per la strada
ond' eran tratte, come fuoro sciolte;
ma così salda voglia è troppo rada.
it would have pushed them back towards the path,
from which they were taken, as soon as they were
free: but such strong will is all too rare.
ERATO GRIPS THE HEATED ARROW IN HER TEETH AND GENTLY BENDS IT. SHE TESTS ITS STRAIGHTNESS AND
HEATS IT AGAIN.
DANTE AGAIN INTERPRETS BEATRICE.
BEATRICE:
&
DANTE:
E per queste parole, se ricolte
l'hai come dei, è l'argomento casso
che t'avria fatto noia ancor più volte.
Now, if you have gleaned what you should have
from these words, the difficulty that would have
troubled you, many more times, has been resolved.
Ma or ti s'attraversa un altro passo
dinanzi a li occhi, tal che per te stesso
non usciresti: pria saresti lasso.
But now another gulf across your track,
meets your eyes, which would make
you weary, before you crossed it, alone.
Io t'ho per certo ne la mente messo
ch'alma beata non poria mentire,
però ch'è sempre al primo vero appresso;
I have surely instilled in your mind that spirits
who are blessed cannot tell a lie,
because they live close to the First Truth,
e poi potesti da Piccarda udire
che l'affezion del vel Costanza tenne;
sì ch'ella par qui meco contradire.
and also you might have understood, from
Piccarda,that Constance maintained her devotion to
the veil, so that Piccarda appears to contradict me.
Molte fïate già, frate, addivenne
che, per fuggir periglio, contra grato
si fé di quel che far non si convenne;
Brother, many times before, things have
been done to escape danger, that were against
the grain, and not fitting:
54
come Almeone, che, di ciò pregato
dal padre suo, la propria madre spense,
per non perder pietà si fé spietato.
so Alcmeon, moved by his
father’s prayer, killed his own mother,
and to be pious, rendered himself impious.
ALCMEON: SON OF AMPHIARÄUS & ERIPHYLE. SHE WAS BRIBED WITH THE NECKLACE OF HARMONIA TO BETRAY THE HIDING
PLACE OF HER HUSBAND, WHO WAS COMPELLED TO GO TO THE THEBAN WAR WHERE HE WAS KILLED. AT THE FATHER’S REQUEST
THE SON ALCMAEON KILLED HIS MOTHER, WAS PURSUED BY THE FURIES & EVENTUALLY KILLED HIMSELF.
A questo punto voglio che tu pense
che la forza al voler si mischia, e fanno
sì che scusar non si posson l'offense.
At this point, I want you to remember that violence
is allowed by the will, and they work together,
so that the offence cannot be excused.
Voglia assoluta non consente al danno;
ma consentevi in tanto in quanto teme,
se si ritrae, cadere in più affanno.
The absolute will does not consent to evil,
but it does consent, in as much as it fears that,
if it does not, it will encounter worse.
Però, quando Piccarda quello spreme,
de la voglia assoluta intende, e io
de l'altra; sì che ver diciamo insieme.
So, when Piccarda expresses this, she is speaking
of the absolute will, and I of the practical will,
so that, together, we both speak the truth.
ABSOLUTE WILL: DANTE FOLLOWS ARISTOTLE’S THEORY OF THE DUAL WILL (ETHICS 3), AN ABSOLUTE WILL THAT DOES NOT
CONSENT TO EVIL COUPLED WITH A PRACTICAL WILL THAT CHOOSES THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS. THE FORMER MAY REMAIN
INTENT ON ITS GOAL, WHILE THE LATTER COMPROMISES & THAT IS A FAILING.
DANTE FINISHES WRITING IN HIS BOOK AND CLOSES IT.
DANTE:
Cotal fu l'ondeggiar del santo rio
ch'uscì del fonte ond' ogne ver deriva;
tal puose in pace uno e altro disio.
Such was the flow, from that holy stream, that rose
from the fountain from which all truth derives:
and was such that it brought peace to both my desires.
DANTE:
&
DANTE:
O amanza del primo amante, o diva,
diss' io appresso, «il cui parlar m'inonda
e scalda sì, che più e più m'avviva,
Then I said: O divine lady, loved by the First Lover,
you whose speech floods through me, and warms me,
so that it makes me more and more alive,
DANTE:
non è l'affezion mia tanto profonda,
che basti a render voi grazia per grazia;
ma quei che vede e puote a ciò risponda.
my affections have not the depth to be able
to return grace for grace but may He who sees it,
and has the power, respond to it.
Io veggio ben che già mai non si sazia
nostro intelletto, se 'l ver non lo illustra
di fuor dal qual nessun vero si spazia.
Now I see that our intellect can never be satisfied
unless the Truth, which no truth
goes beyond, shines on it.
Posasi in esso, come fera in lustra,
tosto che giunto l'ha; e giugner puollo:
se non, ciascun disio sarebbe frustra.
It rests there, like a wild creature in its lair,
as soon as it has reached it: and it can,
otherwise all longing would be in vain.
Nasce per quello, a guisa di rampollo,
a piè del vero il dubbio; ed è natura
ch'al sommo pinge noi di collo in collo.
so So inquiry grows, like a new shoot
at the base of truth, a natural thing that rises
towards the summit, from ridge to ridge.
55
Questo m'invita, questo m'assicura
con reverenza, donna, a dimandarvi
d'un'altra verità che m'è oscura.
That invites me, and gives me confidence,
to question you lady, reverentially,
about another truth hidden from me.
Io vo' saper se l'uom può sodisfarvi
ai voti manchi sì con altri beni,
ch'a la vostra statera non sien parvi.
I wish to know if Man can give you such,
satisfaction by other good intentions, for his
broken vows, as not to weigh short on your scales.
Beatrice looked at me, with eyes so filled with divine sparks of love, that my faculties turned away, overcome, and I felt
lost, with downcast eyes.
CANTO 5
BEATRICE LOOKS AT DANTE, HER EYES ‘FILLED WITH DIVINE SPARKS OF LOVE’.
DOWNCAST [PAR C4 139-142].
BEATRICE:
&
DANTE’S EYES ARE
BEATRICE:
PAR C5 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C5 1-3 / KLINE
S'io ti fiammeggio nel caldo d'amore
di là dal modo che 'n terra si vede,
sì che del viso tuo vinco il valore,
If I flame at you, in the heat of love,
beyond the degree of it seen on earth, and,
in so doing, overcome the power of your eyes,
BEATRICE:
PAR C5 4-6 / DANTE
PAR C5 4-6 / KLINE
non ti maravigliar, ché ciò procede
da perfetto veder, che, come apprende,
così nel bene appreso move il piede.
do not wonder, since it arises from perfect
vision, that, as it understands,
advances in the good it understands.
PAR C5 7-9 / DANTE
Io veggio ben sì come già resplende
ne l'intelletto tuo l'etterna luce,
che, vista, sola e sempre amore accende;
I note clearly how the eternal light, already,
shines back from your intellect, that,
which, once seen, always sets love alight,
e s'altra cosa vostro amor seduce,
non è se non di quella alcun vestigio,
mal conosciuto, che quivi traluce.
and if anything else seduces your love,
it is nothing but a trace of this light,
wrongly comprehended, that shines through in it.
Tu vuo' saper se con altro servigio,
per manco voto, si può render tanto
che l'anima sicuri di letigio.
You wish to know whether reparation may be
made, for broken vows, by means of some other
service, great enough as to render the soul secure
from disputation.
So Beatrice began this canto, and like someone who does not pause, continued the sacred progress, like this:
Lo maggior don che Dio per sua larghezza
fesse creando, e a la sua bontate
più conformato, e quel ch'e' più apprezza,
The greatest gift that God made at the Creation,
out of his munificence, the one that most fitted
his supreme goodness, and which he values most,
DANTE notes:
PAR C5 19 / DANTE
PAR C5 19 / KLINE
Lo maggior don che Dio per sua larghezza
The greatest gift that God made at the Creation,
56
BEATRICE:
fu de la volontà la libertate;
di che le creature intelligenti,
e tutte e sole, fuoro e son dotate.
is Free Will, with which intelligent
creatures, all and sundry,
were, and are, endowed.
DANTE notes:
PAR C5 22 / DANTE
PAR C5 22 / KLINE
fu de la volontà la libertate;
is Free Will, with which intelligent
BEATRICE:
Or ti parrà, se tu quinci argomenti,
l'alto valor del voto, s'è sì fatto
che Dio consenta quando tu consenti;
Now the high value placed on vows
will be clear to you, if they are made such
that God consents, when you consent:
ché, nel fermar tra Dio e l'omo il patto,
vittima fassi di questo tesoro,
tal quale io dico; e fassi col suo atto.
since, in confirming the pact between God and
Man, the guilty party is rendered such by this
treasure of Free Will, just as I say, and by their own
act.
Dunque che render puossi per ristoro?
Se credi bene usar quel c'hai offerto,
di maltolletto vuo' far buon lavoro.
What can be done then, in recompense?
If you thought to make good use of what you once
consecrated, you would be doing good with stolen
evil.
Tu se' omai del maggior punto certo;
ma perché Santa Chiesa in ciò dispensa,
che par contra lo ver ch'i' t'ho scoverto,
You are now clear on the major point.
But since Holy Church grants dispensations that
seem to run counter to the truth I have revealed,
ERATO, THE ARROW IN HER TEETH, SHOWS POLYHYMNIA AND URANIA THAT THE ARROW HAS NO FLETCHES.
SHE INDICATES THE SKY, FROM WHICH A FEATHER MIGHT HAVE FALLEN. POLYHYMNIA AND URANIA BEGIN
QUARTERING THE STAGE, LOOKING FOR A FEATHER.
DANTE VERSIFIES A LITTLE BEHIND BEATRICE.
DANTE:
&
BEATRICE:
convienti ancor sedere un poco a mensa,
però che 'l cibo rigido c'hai preso,
richiede ancora aiuto a tua dispensa.
you must still sit at table for a while,
as the tough fibres, you have eaten,
require further help to aid digestion.
Apri la mente a quel ch'io ti paleso
e fermalvi entro; ché non fa scïenza,
sanza lo ritenere, avere inteso.
Open your mind to what I unfold for you,
and fix it inwardly, since to understand
and not retain, is not knowledge.
Due cose si convegnono a l'essenza
di questo sacrificio: l'una è quella
di che si fa; l'altr' è la convenenza.
Two things appertain to the essence of this
self-sacrifice: the first is its content:
the second is the vow itself.
Quest' ultima già mai non si cancella
se non servata; e intorno di lei
sì preciso di sopra si favella:
The latter can never be cancelled, except
by being kept: and it is about this that
my previous discourse is so precise:
però necessitato fu a li Ebrei
pur l'offerere, ancor ch'alcuna offerta
sì permutasse, come saver dei.
so it was necessary, always, for the Hebrews
to make sacrifice, though, as you ought to know,
the thing sacrificed might sometimes be altered.
57
L'altra, che per materia t'è aperta,
puote ben esser tal, che non si falla
se con altra materia si converta.
The content, the other aspect of the matter being
explained to you, may indeed be such that there
is no offence if it is substituted by other content.
Ma non trasmuti carco a la sua spalla
per suo arbitrio alcun, sanza la volta
e de la chiave bianca e de la gialla;
But let no one shift the burden from his shoulder
at his own discretion, without a turn of the gold
and silver keys (of knowledge and authority).
e ogne permutanza credi stolta,
se la cosa dimessa in la sorpresa
come 'l quattro nel sei non è raccolta.
And let him consider any change as foolish, unless
the thing that is lapsed from bears a proportion
of four to six, to the thing replacing it??
Però qualunque cosa tanto pesa
per suo valor che tragga ogne bilancia,
sodisfar non si può con altra spesa.
And so whatever weighs so heavily in respect of its
value, that it exceeds every scale,
can never be replaced by any other means.
Non prendan li mortali il voto a ciancia;
siate fedeli, e a ciò far non bieci,
come Ieptè a la sua prima mancia;
Human beings should never take vows lightly.:
be faithful, and not perverse, as Jepthath
was perverse in his first vow,
JEPTHATH: THE GILEADITE WHO SACRIFICED HIS DAUGHTER, AFTER VOWING TO OFFER WHATEVER CAME OUT OF HIS GATES TO
MEET HIM, WHEN HE RETURNED FROM FIGHTING THE CHILDREN OF AMMON. (JUDGES 11).
whom it would have been more fitting to have said: ‘Mal feci: I did wrong,’ than keep the vow and do worse: and you
may accuse the great leader of the Greeks, Agamemnon, of the same foolishness, that made Iphigenia weep that her
face was lovely, and made the wise and foolish weep for her, hearing tell of such a rite.
AGAMEMNON: KING OF MYCENAE, HUSBAND OF CLYTEMNESTRA, FATHER OF IPHIGENIA, ELECTRA & ORESTES. THE
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE GREEK FORCES AT TROY. HE WAS TOLD BY AN ORACLE TO SACRIFICE HIS DAUGHTER, IPHIGENIA
& VOWED TO DO SO, IN ORDER TO GAIN FAVOURABLE WINDS, WHEN THE GREEK FLEET WAS WAITING AT AULIS, TO SAIL TO TROY.
HE DID SO & BROUGHT DOWN DESTRUCTION ON HIS HOUSE.
TERPSICHORE RETURNS TO THE STAGE AND BEGINS SEARCHING WITH URANIA AND POLYHYMNIA. SOON SHE
BEGINS SKIPPING BETWEEN THE TWO.
BEATRICE:
Siate, Cristiani, a muovervi più gravi:
non siate come penna ad ogne vento,
e non crediate ch'ogne acqua vi lavi.
Be more cautious in action, you Christians,
not like a feather blown by every wind:
and do not think that all water purifies.
Avete il novo e 'l vecchio Testamento,
e 'l pastor de la Chiesa che vi guida;
questo vi basti a vostro salvamento.
You have the Old and New Testaments,
and the shepherd of the Church to guide you:
let that be enough for your salvation.
Se mala cupidigia altro vi grida,
uomini siate, e non pecore matte,
sì che 'l Giudeo di voi tra voi non rida!
If evil greed declares otherwise, be men
not mindless sheep, so that the Jews
among you do not deride you.
Non fate com' agnel che lascia il latte
de la sua madre, e semplice e lascivo
seco medesmo a suo piacer combatte!
Do not do as the lamb does that leaves
its mother’s milk, capricious and silly,
sporting with itself for pleasure.
So Beatrice spoke to me, as I write it: then she turned, all in longing, to that region where the universe is most alive. Her
silence, and her changed aspect, demanded reticence from my eager intellect that already had new questions to ask.
58
DANTE READS./.WRITES TO THE AUDIENCE. POLYHYMNIA STOPS LOOKING.
URANIA, STRAIGHTENING HER BACK, NOTICES SOMETHING OVERHEAD. SHE WHIPS OUT AN ARROW AND
SHOOTS AT IT.
■-■-■
PLANETARY SPHERE 2: MERCURY
silver
▀
JUSTINIAN
DANTE:
e sì come saetta che nel segno
percuote pria che sia la corda queta,
così corremmo nel secondo regno.
And like Like an arrow, that hits the target,
before the bowstring is still,
we rose rise to the second sphere, Mercury.
There I saw my Lady, so delighted, at committing herself to the light of this heaven, that the planet itself grew brighter.
And if the star was altered, and smiled, what did I, who am, by my very nature, changeable in every way! As the fish in
a still, clear pool swim towards whatever falls from above that they consider something to feed on,
[SILVER ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼]
- [CP 7] - [CP 6]
Clare Pictures 6: Francis preaches to brigands
Francis, dressed in a humble cloak, preaches to brigands in the hills.
Clare Pictures 7: Francis, cloak stolen, in snow
Francis is stuck in a snowdrift as the brigands go off with his cloak.
BLESSED SOULS (VOICES):
&
BLESSED SOULS (VOICES):
sì vid' io ben più di mille splendori
trarsi ver' noi, e in ciascun s'udia:
Ecco chi crescerà li nostri amori.
so I saw more than a thousand radiances
draw towards us, and in each one was heard:
Behold someone who will increase our love.
And as each one came to us, the shadow seemed filled with delight, judging by the bright glow that came from it.
Reader, think how you would feel an anguished craving, to know more, if what I start now did not continue, and you
will see yourself how I longed to hear from them about their state, as soon as they were manifested to my sight.
[SILVER ☼]
- [CP 7] - [CP 6]
THE LIGHTS FADE, EXCEPT FOR ONE WHICH SPEAKS.
JUSTINIAN (VOICE):
O bene nato a cui veder li troni
del trïunfo etternal concede grazia
prima che la milizia s'abbandoni,
O fortunately-born one, you, to whom grace
concedes the right to see the thrones of eternal
triumph, before you abandon the place of militancy,
59
JUSTINIAN (IUSTINIANO) 482 - 565 AGE : 83 CHARACTER AGE : 53?
BORN SERBIA, OF ROMANIZED ILLYRIAN STOCK. NATIVE LANGUAGE: LATIN.
BYZANTINE EMPEROR, WHO ENDED THE DRAINING EFFECTS OF THE WAR WITH THE SASSANID PERSIANS,
ENABLING HIM TO CONCENTRATE ON REGAINING THE WESTERN EMPIRE (N.AFRICA 535, ITALY 553, SOUTHERN
SPAIN 554) THROUGH HIS GENERALS BELISARIUS & NARSES. HE CODIFIED THE ROMAN LAW (CORPUS JURIS
CIVILIS). HOWEVER ITALY WAS LOST TO THE LANGOBARDS IN 568. DANTE LOOKS BACK TO HIM AS PROVIDING
LEGAL & IMPERIAL CONTINUITY WITH ANCIENT ROME.
DESCRIPTION
CARRIES BOOK: CORPUS JURIS CIVILIS. IMPERIAL ROBES: WHITE WITH PURPLE TOUCHES.
PARADISO PICTURES
37
del lume che per tutto il ciel si spazia
noi semo accesi; e però, se disii
di noi chiarirti, a tuo piacer ti sazia.
we are fired by the light that burns through
all the heavens, and therefore if you want to be lit
by us, satisfy yourself at pleasure.
BEATRICE:
Così da un di quelli spirti pii
detto mi fu; e da Beatrice: Dì, dì
sicuramente, e credi come a dii.
So one of the spirits said to me, and
Beatrice said: Dì, dì…Speak, speak in safety,
and believe, as you would gods.
DANTE:
«Io veggio ben sì come tu t'annidi
nel proprio lume, e che de li occhi il traggi,
perch' e' corusca sì come tu ridi;
Turned to the light that had spoken to me first,
I said: Truly, I see how you are nested in your
own light, and that you draw it
ma non so chi tu se', né perché aggi,
anima degna, il grado de la spera
che si vela a' mortai con altrui raggi.
through your eyes, since they sparkle
as you smile, but I do not know
who you are, noble spirit, or why you are
Questo diss' io diritto a la lumera
che pria m'avea parlato; ond' ella fessi
lucente più assai di quel ch'ell' era.
graded in this sphere, that is veiled, for mortals,
in the sun’s rays., at which it glowed
more brightly even than before.
THE SPIRIT LIGHT GLOWS MORE BRIGHTLY [PAR C5 132].
Like the sun, which hides itself in excess light when heat has eaten away the moderating effect of the thick clouds, so
the sacred figure, through greater delight, hid himself in his own rays, and so, enclosed, enclosed [sic], replied to me, as
the following canto declares.
CANTO 6
♫
SOARING EAGLE - IMPERIAL ROMAN
PAR C5 130
**********
60
JUSTINIAN (VOICE):
PAR C6 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C6 1-3 / KLINE
Poscia che Costantin l'aquila volse
contr' al corso del ciel, ch'ella seguio
dietro a l'antico che Lavina tolse,
When Constantine had turned the Imperial eagle
eastwards, against the sky’s course which it had
followed in the wake of Aeneas, who took Lavinia
from her father,
CONSTANTINE: RULER OF THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE (LIVED C 280-337) AFTER HIS VICTORY OVER MAXENTIUS AT THE
MILVIAN BRIDGE ON THE TIBER IN 312 AD. HE DEFEATED LICINIUS AT ADRIANOPLE & CHRYSOPOLIS IN 324, BECOMING SOLE
RULER OF THE EASTERN & WESTERN EMPIRE (TOTIUS ORBIS IMPERATOR).BYZANTIUM WAS RENAMED CONSTANTINOPLE IN 330 &
MADE THE SECOND ROME & THE CHRISTIAN CAPITAL AS HE HAD EMBRACED CHRISTIANITY. HE DIED IN 337 AFTER RECEIVING
BAPTISM ON HIS DEATHBED. HE CONSOLIDATED DIOCLETIAN’S STRUCTURE OF THE ABSOLUTE STATE, TO EMPHASISE THE DIVINE
NATURE OF THE EMPEROR.
ERATO HEARS ‘EAGLE’. SHE GLANCES AT THE FLETCH END OF HER ARROW, THEN UP, TO WHERE SHE MIGHT
GET A FEATHER.
SHE TAKES AN ARROW FROM URANIA’S QUIVER. FROM HER OWN QUIVER OR URANIA’S SHE TAKES A LENGTH
OF SINEW THREAD FOR ATTACHING FLETCHES TO ARROWS, AND PUTS IT IN HER MOUTH TO SOFTEN.
FOLLOWING JUSTINIAN’S DIRECTIONS, SHE GOES AROUND THE STAGE, LOOKING UP AND READY TO SHOOT.
JUSTINIAN (VOICE):
PAR C6 4-6 / DANTE
PAR C6 4-6 / KLINE
cento e cent' anni e più l'uccel di Dio
ne lo stremo d'Europa si ritenne,
vicino a' monti de' quai prima uscìo;
the Bird of God held court at the extremity
of Europe, for two hundred years and more, near to
the mountains of Troy that he had first issued from:
PAR C6 7-9 / DANTE
e sotto l'ombra de le sacre penne
governò 'l mondo lì di mano in mano,
e, sì cangiando, in su la mia pervenne.
and there he ruled the world, under the shadow
of his sacred wings, from reign to reign,
until by the passage of time, rule fell to me.
Cesare fui e son Iustinïano,
che, per voler del primo amor ch'i' sento,
d'entro le leggi trassi il troppo e 'l vano.
[JUSTINIAN]
Caesar I was, Justinian I am, who pared
excess and ineffectiveness from the Law,
at the wish of the First Love I now feel:
- [CP 7] - [CP 6]
JUSTINIAN MANIFESTS HIMSELF AS A MAN. THE BACKGROUND IS DARK.
JUSTINIAN:
PAR C6 10 / KLINE
che, per voler del primo amor ch'i' sento,
d'entro le leggi trassi il troppo e 'l vano.
excess and ineffectiveness from the Law,
at the wish of the First Love I now feel:
BEATRICE:
Corpus juris civilis.
DANTE notes:
PAR C6 10 / DANTE
PAR C6 10 / KLINE
JUSTINIAN:
E prima ch'io a l'ovra fossi attento,
una natura in Cristo esser, non piùe,
credea, e di tal fede era contento;
and when I first fixed my mind on that labour,
I held that Christ had one nature, and no more,
and I was content in that belief:
61
ma 'l benedetto Agapito, che fue
sommo pastore, a la fede sincera
mi dirizzò con le parole sue.
but Agapetus, the blessed,
who was Pope, pointed me to
the true faith, by his words.
AGAPETUS: POPE 535-536 AD. HE INDUCED JUSTINIAN TO DEPOSE ANTHIMUS, BISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE, BECAUSE OF
ANTHIMUS’S MONOPHYSITE LEANINGS & THE OTHER HEADS OF THE SECT WERE LIKEWISE EXCOMMUNICATED. THE
MONOPHYSITE’S ACCEPTED ONLY THE DIVINE & NOT THE HUMAN NATURE OF CHRIST.
Io li credetti; e ciò che 'n sua fede era,
vegg' io or chiaro sì, come tu vedi
ogni contradizione e falsa e vera.
I believed him, and now I see the content of his
faith, as clearly as you see that in every contradictory
pair, if one statement is false, the other is true.
CONTRADICTORY PAIR: ARISTOTELIAN LOGIC, WHERE THE PROPOSITIONS THAT THIS IS SO & THIS IS NOT SO, CANNOT BOTH BE
TRUE IN THE SAME SENSE AT THE SAME TIME. RELATED PROPOSITIONS ARE TERMED CONTRADICTORIES E.G. IF ‘SOME SWANS ARE
NOT WHITE’ IS TRUE, THEN ‘ALL SWANS ARE WHITE’ IS FALSE, SINCE A BLACK SWAN WOULD BE WHITE & NOT WHITE, IF BOTH
STATEMENTS WERE TRUE SIMULTANEOUSLY.
Tosto che con la Chiesa mossi i piedi,
a Dio per grazia piacque di spirarmi
l'alto lavoro, e tutto 'n lui mi diedi;
as soon as I was in step with the Church, it pleased
God, in his grace, to inspire me to that
high task, and I gave it my all,
e al mio Belisar commendai l'armi,
cui la destra del ciel fu sì congiunta,
che segno fu ch'i' dovessi posarmi.
and committed my weapons to Belisarius,
whom Heaven’s right hand was so wedded
to, it was a sign that I should rest from them.
DANTE notes:
PAR C6 25 / DANTE
PAR C6 25 / KLINE
e al mio Belisar commendai l'armi,
and committed my weapons to Belisarius,
JUSTINIAN:
Or qui a la question prima s'appunta
la mia risposta; ma sua condizione
mi stringe a seguitare alcuna giunta,
Now here is the end, already, of my answer
to your first question: who I am: but its context
forces me to follow with some additions.
perché tu veggi con quanta ragione
si move contr' al sacrosanto segno
e chi 'l s'appropria e chi a lui s'oppone.
So you may know how much reason is on the side
of those who oppose the sacred banner of Empire,
as well as those who embrace it,
Vedi quanta virtù l'ha fatto degno
di reverenza; e cominciò da l'ora
che Pallante morì per darli regno.
see how great a nobility has made it worthy
of reverence, beginning from the time
when Evander’s son, Pallas, died to ensure its rule.
AENEAS, COMING FROM TROY, LANDED IN ITALY, TOOK LAVINIA AS HIS BRIDE & FOUGHT TURNUS. AENEAS WAS ALLIED WITH
EVANDER, WHOSE KINGDOM WAS BASED ON THE SEVEN HILLS OF THE SITE OF ROME. EVANDER’S SON & HEIR PALLAS LED THESE
ALLIES & WAS KILLED BY TURNUS & AVENGED BY AENEAS. AENEAS FOUNDED HIS KINGDOM AT LAVINIUM & IT WAS
TRANSFERRED BY HIS SON ASCANIUS (IULUS) TO ALBA LONGA WHERE IT REMAINED FOR MORE THAN 3 HUNDRED YEARS TILL IN
THE REIGN OF TULLUS HOSTILIUS (670-638 BC) ALBA FELL TO ROME, WHEN THE 3 CURIATII, THE ALBAN CHAMPIONS, WERE
DEFEATED BY THE SURVIVOR OF THE 3 HORATII, THE ROMAN CHAMPIONS. ROME HAD BEEN FOUNDED BY ROMULUS, AN ALBAN
OUTCAST, ON THE PALATINE, ONE OF THE SEVEN HILLS, & THE ROMANS MADE WIVES OF THE SABINE WOMEN.
DANTE VERSIFIES A LITTLE BEHIND JUSTINIAN.
DANTE:
&
JUSTINIAN:
Tu sai ch'el fece in Alba sua dimora
per trecento anni e oltre, infino al fine
che i tre a' tre pugnar per lui ancora.
You know it rested in Alba Longa for more
than three hundred years, until the end, when the
three Horatii and the three Curiati fought for it.
62
E sai ch'el fé dal mal de le Sabine
al dolor di Lucrezia in sette regi,
vincendo intorno le genti vicine.
And you know what it enacted, from the wrong
to the Sabine women , to Lucretia’s grief through
the reigns of seven kings who conquered the
neighbouring peoples.
LUCRETIA, LUCREZIA: WIFE OF THE ROMAN COLLATINE, RAPED BY TARQUIN, SON OF TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS.
Sai quel ch'el fé portato da li egregi
You know what it did, carried against Brennus
Romani incontro a Brenno, incontro a Pirro, the Gaul, against Greek Pyrrhus, and
incontro a li altri principi e collegi;
against the other princes and powers,
BRENNUS: CHIEF OF THE SENNONIAN GAULS WHO SACKED ROME IN 390 BC.
PYRRHUS: KING OF EPIRUS (318-272 BC) WHO CAMPAIGNED AGAINST THE CARTHAGINIANS IN SICILY & AGAINST THE ROMANS
(HIS COSTLY VICTORY AT ASCULUM LED TO THE EXPRESSION ‘A PYRRHIC VICTORY’) WAS DEFEATED BY THE ROMANS UNDER
CURIUS DENTATUS AT BENEVENTUM IN 275 BC.
onde Torquato e Quinzio, che dal cirro
negletto fu nomato, i Deci e ' Fabi
ebber la fama che volontier mirro.
from which Torquatus, and Cincinnatus,
named for his curling hair, the Decii, and the Fabii,
earned the fame that I delight in remembering.
TORQUATUS: TITUS MANLIUS TORQUATUS, DICTATOR & CONSUL 353-340 BC.
LUCIUS QUINTIUS CINCINNATUS, DICTATOR 458 & 439 BC. HIS NAME: FROM THE WORD CINCINNUS, A CURL OF HAIR. HE
CONQUERED THE AEQUIANS.
THE DECII, THREE GENERATIONS, DIED FIGHTING AGAINST THE LATINS IN 340 BC, THE SAMNITES IN 295 BC & PYRRHUS THE
GREEK INVADER IN 280 BC. THE GREATEST OF THE FABII, QUINTUS FABIUS MAXIMUS CUNCTATOR, DEFEATED HANNIBAL, WHO
CROSSED THE ALPS IN 218 BC & SCIPIO AFRICANUS THE ELDER, A BOY OF 17, SAVED HIS FATHER’S LIFE, AT THE DEFEAT OF
TICINUS. HE FORCED HANNIBAL’S WITHDRAWAL FROM ITALY.
Esso atterrò l'orgoglio de li Aràbi
che di retro ad Anibale passaro
l'alpestre rocce, Po, di che tu labi.
It threw down the Arab pride that
followed Hannibal over the Alps,
from which the River Po rises.
ARAB: NORTH AFRICAN
Sott' esso giovanetti trïunfaro
Scipïone e Pompeo; e a quel colle
sotto 'l qual tu nascesti parve amaro.
Scipio and Pompey triumphed beneath it,
while still young, and it was bitter to Fiesole,
in those hills, under which you were born.
POMPEY: CONQUERED THE EAST & DEFEATED MARIUS, CELEBRATED A TRIUMPH, WHEN NOT YET 25, IN 81 BC. THE ROMANS
REDUCED FIESOLE, WHICH OVERHANGS FLORENCE & WAS THE REFUGE OF CATILINE.
RUBICON: JULIUS CAESAR CAMPAIGNED IN GAUL (58-50 BC), CROSSED THE RUBICON, BETWEEN RAVENNA & RIMINI, IN 49 BC,
LEAVING HIS PROVINCE, WITHOUT THE SENATE’S PERMISSION & PRECIPITATING A CIVIL WAR. HE OVERCAME OPPOSITION IN
SPAIN & BESIEGED POMPEY AT DYRRACHIUM, DEFEATING HIM AT PHARSALIA IN THESSALY. POMPEY ESCAPED TO EGYPT,
WHERE HE WAS MURDERED BY PTOLEMY. CAESAR CROSSED THE HELLESPONT, TOOK EGYPT FROM PTOLEMY XII IN 47 BC.&
GAVE IT TO CLEOPATRA, SUBDUED JUBA, KING OF NUMIDIA, WHO HAD PROTECTED HIS OPPONENTS AFTER PHARSALIA &
RETURNED TO SPAIN IN 45 BC TO FIGHT POMPEY’S SONS.
Poi, presso al tempo che tutto 'l ciel volle
redur lo mondo a suo modo sereno,
Cesare per voler di Roma il tolle.
Then, near the time when Heaven wished to lead
the world to its own peaceful mode, Caesar
laid hands on it, at Rome’s wish,
E quel che fé da Varo infino a Reno,
Isara vide ed Era e vide Senna
e ogne valle onde Rodano è pieno.
and the Isère and Arar, the Seine, and
every valley filled by the Rhone, know what it
achieved, then, from Var to Rhine.
Quel che fé poi ch'elli uscì di Ravenna
e saltò Rubicon, fu di tal volo,
che nol seguiteria lingua né penna.
What it did then, when he left Ravenna
and crossed the Rubicon, was so
great that tongue and pen could not describe it.
JULIUS CAESAR CAMPAIGNED IN GAUL (58-50 BC), CROSSED THE RUBICON, BETWEEN RAVENNA & RIMINI, IN 49 BC, LEAVING
HIS PROVINCE, WITHOUT THE SENATE’S PERMISSION & PRECIPITATING A CIVIL WAR. HE OVERCAME OPPOSITION IN SPAIN &
BESIEGED POMPEY AT DYRRACHIUM, DEFEATING HIM AT PHARSALIA IN THESSALY. POMPEY ESCAPED TO EGYPT, WHERE HE WAS
MURDERED BY PTOLEMY. CAESAR CROSSED THE HELLESPONT, TOOK EGYPT FROM PTOLEMY XII IN 47 BC.& GAVE IT TO
CLEOPATRA, SUBDUED JUBA, KING OF NUMIDIA, WHO HAD PROTECTED HIS OPPONENTS AFTER PHARSALIA & RETURNED TO
SPAIN IN 45 BC TO FIGHT POMPEY’S SONS.
63
Inver' la Spagna rivolse lo stuolo,
poi ver' Durazzo, e Farsalia percosse
sì ch'al Nil caldo si sentì del duolo.
It wheeled the armies towards Spain and then
Durazzo, and struck Pharsalia fiercely that the pain
was felt as far as the hot Nile.
ERATO APPARENTLY SEES THE EAGLE COMING IN LOW AND IS ABOUT TO SHOOT WHEN IT RISES.
DANTE:
&
JUSTINIAN:
Antandro e Simeonta, onde si mosse,
rivide e là dov' Ettore si cuba;
e mal per Tolomeo poscia si scosse.
It saw Trojan Antandros and Simois again, from
which it first came, and saw the place where Hector
lies, and then, alas for Ptolemy, soared again,
HECTOR: TROJAN PRINCE, SON OF PRIAM & HECABE (HECUBA), A HERO OF THE ILIAD, WHO WAS KILLED BY ACHILLES IN
REVENGE FOR THE DEATH OF PATROCLUS.
Da indi scese folgorando a Iuba;
onde si volse nel vostro occidente,
ove sentia la pompeana tuba.
and afterwards swooped on Juba in a lightning
flash, then wheeled to the west where it
heard the Pompeian trumpets.
ERATO TURNS AND SHOOTS LOW THEN FOLLOWS THE DESCENT OF A FEATHER AND MOVES TO CATCH IT IN
THE AIR. SHE FLETCHES THE ARROW SHAFT AS JUSTINIAN SPEAKS:
TAKING A KNIFE FROM HER QUIVER, AND USING THE FLOOR AS A CUTTING BOARD, SHE REMOVES THE THICK
BOTTOM OF THE QUILL, WHERE IT WAS STUCK IN THE EAGLE, THEN SPLITS THE QUILL LENGTHWISE. (SHE MAY
SPLIT THE QUILL, INSTEAD, BY HOLDING THE FEATHER VERTICAL WITH HER LEFT HAND, SEPARATING IT AT THE
TIP AND PULLING DOWN WITH HER RIGHT HAND.) SHE PUTS ONE HALF OF THE FEATHER INTO HER QUIVER FOR
LATER, THINS THE QUILL OF THE REMAINING HALF AND CUTS IT INTO THREE FLETCHES. SHE PULLS THE END OF
THE SINEW THREAD FROM HER MOUTH AND WRAPS IT ONCE AROUND THE SHAFT OF THE ARROW, NEAR THE
BUTT END, PRESSES THE FRONT OF ONE FLETCH AGAINST IT AND WRAPS THE SINEW ONCE OR TWICE OVER THE
FRONT PIECE OF THE FLETCH. SHE ATTACHES THE OTHER TWO FLETCHES AT 120 O FROM THE FIRST ONE, THEN
WRAPS THE REMAINDER OF THE SINEW THREAD AROUND THE SHAFT, COVERING THE FRONT EDGES OF
FLETCHING. SHE LOOKS DOWN THE ARROW FROM THE BUTT END AND PUSHES ON ONE FLETCH TO ADJUST IT
BEFORE PUTTING THE ARROW IN HER QUIVER.
DANTE:
&
JUSTINIAN:
Di quel che fé col baiulo seguente,
Bruto con Cassio ne l'inferno latra,
e Modena e Perugia fu dolente.
Brutus and Cassius howl in Hell because of
its support for Augustus who followed,
and it made Modena and Perugia mourn.
MODENA AND PERUGIA: CAESAR WAS ASSASSINATED & OCTAVIAN (LATER AUGUSTUS) HIS ADOPTED SON DEFEATED MARK
ANTONY AT MODENA IN 43 BC. HE THEN DEFEATED BRUTUS & CASSIUS, THE LEADERS OF THE ASSASSINATION PLOT WITH
ANTONY’S HELP, AT PHILIPPI IN 42 BC, & LUCIUS, ANTONY’S BROTHER AT PERUGIA IN 41 BC.
Piangene ancor la trista Cleopatra,
che, fuggendoli innanzi, dal colubro
la morte prese subitana e atra.
Miserable Cleopatra still suffers because of it,
who, as she fled from the eagle,
took dark sudden death from the viper.
Con costui corse infino al lito rubro;
con costui puose il mondo in tanta pace,
che fu serrato a Giano il suo delubro.
It ran with Augustus to the Red Sea coast,
and with him brought the world to such a peace
that Janus saw his temple gates closed.
RED SEA: AUGUSTUS WAS MASTER OF THE EMPIRE TO THE REMOTEST ENDS OF EGYPT
WERE CLOSED FOR THE 3RD TIME IN ROMAN HISTORY TO SIGNAL THE EMPIRE AT PEACE.
& THE GATES OF THE TEMPLE OF JANUS
JUSTINIAN:
Ma ciò che 'l segno che parlar mi face
fatto avea prima e poi era fatturo
per lo regno mortal ch'a lui soggiace,
But what the Eagle, that I speak of,
did before, what it was yet to do
throughout the subject mortal world,
64
diventa in apparenza poco e scuro,
se in mano al terzo Cesare si mira
con occhio chiaro e con affetto puro;
becomes a dull and insignificant thing to see, if
the standard is viewed, with clear eye and
pure heart, in Tiberius’s, the third Caesar’s, hand,
TIBERIUS: CAESAR (14-37 AD), IN WHOSE REIGN CHRIST WAS CRUCIFIED. JERUSALEM LATER FELL TO TITUS.
ché la viva giustizia che mi spira,
li concedette, in mano a quel ch'i' dico,
gloria di far vendetta a la sua ira.
since the living Justice, that was my inspiration,
granted it the glory of taking vengeance
for his anger, in the hands of which I speak.
Or qui t'ammira in ciò ch'io ti replìco:
poscia con Tito a far vendetta corse
de la vendetta del peccato antico.
Now see the wonder in the twofold thing I tell you!
It rushed to wreak vengeance, on that vengeance
for the ancient sin, afterwards, under Titus.
■ - [CP 7] - [CP 6]
And much later when the Lombard tooth gnawed at the Holy Church, Charlemagne, victorious, sheltered her under its
wings.
JUSTINIAN (VOICE):
Omai puoi giudicar di quei cotali
ch'io accusai di sopra e di lor falli,
che son cagion di tutti vostri mali.
Now you may judge those I accused just now,
and their sins, which are
the cause of all your troubles.
L'uno al pubblico segno i gigli gialli
oppone, e l'altro appropria quello a parte,
sì ch'è forte a veder chi più si falli.
One faction, the Guelphs, oppose the golden lilies
of France to the people’s Eagle, and the other, the
Ghibellines, appropriate it to their party, so that it is
difficult to see which one offends the most.
Faccian li Ghibellin, faccian lor arte
sott' altro segno, ché mal segue quello
sempre chi la giustizia e lui diparte;
Let the Ghibellines deploy their skills under some
other banner, since he who divorces it
from justice always follows it to disaster.
e non l'abbatta esto Carlo novello
coi Guelfi suoi, ma tema de li artigli
ch'a più alto leon trasser lo vello.
And do not let that new Charles, of Naples, beat it
down, with his Guelphs, but let him fear the talons
that have torn the hide from greater lions than him.
CHARLES: CARLO ZOPPO, CHARLES THE LAME, SON OF CHARLES I OF ANJOU. KING OF NAPLES (APULIA) & COUNT OF ANJOU &
PROVENCE (1243-1309). ALIVE AT THE TIME OF THE VISION. TITULAR KING OF JERUSALEM & HEAD OF THE ITALIAN GUELPHS IN
1300.
Molte fïate già pianser li figli
per la colpa del padre, e non si creda
che Dio trasmuti l'armi per suoi gigli!
Many a time, before now, the children have grieved
for the father’s sin, and do not let Charles imagine
that God will change his coat of arms for royal lilies.
JUSTINIAN (VOICE):
Questa picciola stella si correda
d'i buoni spirti che son stati attivi
perché onore e fama li succeda:
This little planet adorns herself
with good souls, who actively
searched for honour and fame,
DANTE notes:
PAR C6 112 / DANTE
PAR C6 112 / KLINE
Questa picciola stella si correda
This little planet adorns herself
65
JUSTINIAN (VOICE):
e quando li disiri poggian quivi,
sì disvïando, pur convien che i raggi
del vero amore in sù poggin men vivi.
and when desire, swerving, tends
towards that, the rays of true love
shine upwards with less life.
Ma nel commensurar d'i nostri gaggi
col merto è parte di nostra letizia,
perché non li vedem minor né maggi.
But part of our delight is in the matching
of our reward to our merit, because we see
them neither magnified nor lessened.
Quindi addolcisce la viva giustizia
in noi l'affetto sì, che non si puote
torcer già mai ad alcuna nequizia.
By this, the living Justice so sweetens
our affections, that they may
never be twisted to any malice.
Diverse voci fanno dolci note;
così diversi scanni in nostra vita
rendon dolce armonia tra queste rote.
On earth a diversity of voices creates sweet
harmony, and in the same way the different degrees
in this life make sweet harmony among the spheres.
E dentro a la presente margarita
luce la luce di Romeo, di cui
fu l'ovra grande e bella mal gradita.
And, here Here, in this pearl, the light of
Romeo of Villeneuve shines, whose fine, and
extensive efforts were so badly rewarded.
ROMEO OF VILLENEUVE (1170-1250) WAS THE SENESCHAL, OR CHAMBERLAIN OF COUNT RAYMOND BERENGER IV OF
PROVENCE, WHO DIED IN 1245 LEAVING HIS LANDS TO HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER BEATRICE, WHOM HE HAD MADE HEIRESS
UNDER ROMEO’S GUARDIANSHIP. ACCORDING TO LEGEND, ROMEO (‘PILGRIM’) CAME TO RAYMOND’S COURT, MANAGED HIS
BUSINESS & ARRANGED THE MARRIAGES OF RAYMOND’S FOUR DAUGHTERS. THE PROVENÇAL BARONS PERSUADED RAYMOND
TO DEMAND ACCOUNT OF ROMEO, AT WHICH HE ASKED FOR HIS MULE, STAFF & SCRIP & VANISHED, AS POOR AS HE HAD COME.
Ma i Provenzai che fecer contra lui
non hanno riso; e però mal cammina
qual si fa danno del ben fare altrui.
But the Provençals who harmed him, cannot smile,
and he who makes his own ruin
out of another’s goodness, takes a bad road.
Quattro figlie ebbe, e ciascuna reina,
Ramondo Beringhiere, e ciò li fece
Romeo, persona umìle e peregrina.
Raymond Berenger had four daughters, and every
one a queen, and this was achieved, on his behalf, by
Romeo of Villeneuve, a humble pilgrim wanderer:
E poi il mosser le parole biece
a dimandar ragione a questo giusto,
che li assegnò sette e cinque per diece,
then muttered words made Raymond demand
account from this just man,
who gave him twelve for every ten:
indi partissi povero e vetusto;
e se 'l mondo sapesse il cor ch'elli ebbe
mendicando sua vita a frusto a frusto,
and Romeo went his way again, old and poor:
and if the world knew the heart he had in him,
who begged, crust after crust, to stay alive,
PAR C6 142 / DANTE
assai lo loda, e più lo loderebbe.
[CP 8]
much as it praises him, it would praise him more.
- [CP 7] - [CP 6]
Clare Pictures 8: Francis home, pelted with mud
Francis arrives back in Assisi, dressed only in a loincloth, and is pelted with mud by the rabble.
DANTE notes:
PAR C6 142 / DANTE
PAR C6 142 / KLINE
assai lo loda, e più lo loderebbe.
much as it praises him, it would praise him more.
66
THE CANTO CLOSES. ERATO GOES OFF STAGE.
CANTO 7
♫
PAR C7 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C7 1-3 / KLINE
«Osanna, sanctus Deus sabaòth,
superillustrans claritate tua
felices ignes horum malacòth!».
Hosanna, Holy God of Sabaoth, illuminating
the blessed fires of these kingdoms,
with your brightness from above!
HOSANNA
**********
From LATIN MASS
Osanna Sanctus Deus Sabaoth, superillustrans claritate tua felices ignes horum malachoth!
LATIN MASS PAR C7 1-3
Hosanna, Holy God of Sabaoth, illuminating the blessed fires of these kingdoms, with
your brightness from above!
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt caeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini
Hosanna in excelsis.
■-■-■
DURING THE MUSIC, DANTE GAZES ABOVE THE WINDOW WHERE JUSTINIAN HAD BEEN AND GLANCES AT
BEATRICE AS IF WISHING TO SPEAK. BEATRICE SMILES (PROFILE TO THE AUDIENCE) AT DANTE FOR A
MOMENT.
DANTE SPEAKS./.READS.
PAR C7 4-9 / KLINE
So I saw him, singing, to whom the double lustre, of Law and Empire, adds itself, revolving to his own note, and he and
the others moved in dance, and like the swiftest of sparks, suddenly veiled themselves from me, in the distance.
DANTE CLOSES HIS BOOK.
VARIOUS
DANTE:
Io dubitava e dicea `Dille, dille!'
fra me, `dille' dicea, à la mia donna
che mi diseta con le dolci stille'.
Dille, dille!…Speak to her. I said, hesitating:
in myself, ‘Speak to my Lady who
quenches my thirst, with the sweetest drops.’
67
Ma quella reverenza che s'indonna
di tutto me, pur per Be e per ice,
mi richinava come l'uom ch'assonna.
♫
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF ?
DEVELOPED?
But that reverence that completely overcomes me,
even at the sound of Be or ice,
bowed bows me again., like a man who slumbers.
**********
PAR C7 15
[CP 10]
- [CP 9] - [CP 11]
CLARE PICTURES: FRANCIS THE BUILDER
Clare Pictures 9: Francis begs loaves
Francis begs what appears to be loaves of bread from the people of Assisi.
Clare Pictures 10: Francis rebuilds San Damiano
Francis rebuilds San Damiano (1206), using the loaves of bread. Or are they loaf-shaped stones? Is
this an inverted miracle? The picture reproduces the wall on which it is placed. In other words,
Francis in the picture lays a stone where there is now a stone underneath the picture.
Clare Pictures 11: Francis works on the Porziuncola
Francis does repair work on the Porziuncola, the chapel of St Mary of the Angels given to the
Franciscans by the Benedictines, 1211. A tree stands outside it. PARADISO PICTURES: 2, 3.
BEATRICE LOOKS AT DANTE AGAIN.
DANTE:
Poco sofferse me cotal Beatrice
e cominciò, raggiandomi d'un riso
tal, che nel foco faria l'uom felice:
Beatrice only let me be like that for a moment, and
began to direct the rays of her Her smile towards
me, that would make a man happy in the flames.:
DANTE:
e cominciò, raggiandomi d'un riso
tal, che nel foco faria l'uom felice:
and began to direct the rays of her smile towards
me, that would make a man happy in the flames:
BEATRICE:
Secondo mio infallibile avviso,
come giusta vendetta giustamente
punita fosse, t'ha in pensier miso;
According to my unerring perception,
those words about how just vengeance
was revenged, with justice, have set you thinking:
ma io ti solverò tosto la mente;
e tu ascolta, ché le mie parole
di gran sentenza ti faran presente.
but I will quickly relieve your thoughts:
and listen closely since my words will grant you
the gift of a noble statement.
DANTE notes:
PAR C7 24 / DANTE
PAR C7 24 / KLINE
di gran sentenza ti faran presente.
the gift of a noble statement.
68
BEATRICE:
Per non soffrire a la virtù che vole / freno
a suo prode, quell' uom che non nacque,
dannando sé, dannò tutta sua prole;
Adam, that man who was not born, condemned
his whole race because he would not
suffer a rein on his will, for his own good.
onde l'umana specie inferma giacque
giù per secoli molti in grande errore,
fin ch'al Verbo di Dio discender piacque
Therefore Humanity lay in sickness down there,
and in great error, for many ages, until
it pleased God’s Word to descend,
u' la natura, che dal suo fattore
s'era allungata, unì a sé in persona
con l'atto sol del suo etterno amore.
when he joined that nature that had wandered
from its Creator, to his own person,
solely by an act of his eternal Love.
Or drizza il viso a quel ch'or si ragiona:
questa natura al suo fattore unita,
qual fu creata, fu sincera e buona;
Now turn you vision to what I now say:
this nature, joined to its maker, was pure
and good, as it was when first created,
ma per sé stessa pur fu ella sbandita
di paradiso, però che si torse
da via di verità e da sua vita.
but it had been exiled from Paradise,
by its own action, by turning from
the way of truth, and its own life.
La pena dunque che la croce porse
s'a la natura assunta si misura,
nulla già mai sì giustamente morse;
Measured by the nature assumed,
no penalty was ever exacted so justly,
as that one, inflicted on the Cross,
e così nulla fu di tanta ingiura,
guardando a la persona che sofferse,
in che era contratta tal natura.
and if we gaze at the Person who endured it,
in whom that nature was incarnate, by the same
measure no punishment was ever so unjust.
Però d'un atto uscir cose diverse:
ch'a Dio e a' Giudei piacque una morte;
per lei tremò la terra e 'l ciel s'aperse.
So contrary effects came from one cause:
God and the Jews were satisfied by the same death:
and Earth shook, and Heaven opened at it.
Non ti dee oramai parer più forte,
quando si dice che giusta vendetta
poscia vengiata fu da giusta corte.
Now, it should not seem a difficulty to you,
to hear it said that just revenge
was taken by the Court of Justice.
■-■-■
DANTE INTERPRETS BEATRICE TO THE AUDIENCE.
BEATRICE:
&
DANTE:
Ma io veggi' or la tua mente ristretta
di pensiero in pensier dentro ad un nodo,
del qual con gran disio solver s'aspetta.
But now I see your mind tangled in knots,
from thought to thought,
which it greatly longs for release from.
Tu dici: "Ben discerno ciò ch'i' odo;
ma perché Dio volesse, m'è occulto,
a nostra redenzion pur questo modo".
You are saying to yourself: Yes, I understand
what I hear, but why God only willed this method
of our redemption, is hidden from me.
69
Questo decreto, frate, sta sepulto
a li occhi di ciascuno il cui ingegno
ne la fiamma d'amor non è adulto.
Brother, this decree is buried from the sight
of everyone whose intellect
is not ripened in Love’s flame.
Veramente, però ch'a questo segno
molto si mira e poco si discerne,
dirò perché tal modo fu più degno.
But I will reveal why this method was
the most valuable, since it is knowledge
often aimed at, but little understood.
La divina bontà, che da sé sperne
ogne livore, ardendo in sé, sfavilla
sì che dispiega le bellezze etterne.
The Divine Good, that rejects all envy,
fires out such sparks from its inner fire
as to show forth the eternal beauty.
Ciò che da lei sanza mezzo distilla
non ha poi fine, perché non si move
la sua imprenta quand' ella sigilla.
What distills from it, without mediation,
is eternal, because the print cannot be removed,
once it has stamped the seal.
Ciò che da essa sanza mezzo piove
libero è tutto, perché non soggiace
a la virtute de le cose nove.
What rains down from it, without mediation,
is total freedom, since it is not subject
to the power of transient things.
Più l'è conforme, e però più le piace;
ché l'ardor santo ch'ogne cosa raggia,
ne la più somigliante è più vivace.
It conforms more closely to the Good, and is
therefore more pleasing to it: since the sacred flame
that lights everything, is most alive in what most
resembles it.
Di tutte queste dote s'avvantaggia
l'umana creatura, e s'una manca,
di sua nobilità convien che caggia.
The human creature has all these advantages,
and if one fails, then that creature
falls from nobility.
Solo il peccato è quel che la disfranca
e falla dissimìle al sommo bene,
per che del lume suo poco s'imbianca;
Sin is the only thing that disenfranchises it,
and makes it dissimilar to the Highest Good,
so that its light irradiates it less,
FROM ANSELM: CUR DEUS HOMO. ADAM’S DISOBEDIENCE INJURED HIMSELF, NOT GOD, & WHAT WAS DEMANDED WAS NOT A
PROPITIATION, BUT RESTORATION. MAN WAS REQUIRED TO GIVE BACK WHAT HE OWED, TO MATCH WHAT HE HAD TAKEN THAT HE
DID NOT OWN, BUT COULD NOT SINCE HE OWES EVERYTHING & OWNS NOTHING. THEREFORE GOD WHO OWES NOTHING & OWNS
EVERYTHING HAD TO BECOME MAN TO ACHIEVE RESTORATION.
e in sua dignità mai non rivene,
se non rïempie, dove colpa vòta,
contra mal dilettar con giuste pene.
and the creature may never return to dignity,
unless it fills the place where guilt has made
a void, with just punishment for sinful delight.
Vostra natura, quando peccò tota
nel seme suo, da queste dignitadi,
come di paradiso, fu remota;
When your nature sinned in totality
in the first seed, it was parted
from dignity, as it was from Paradise:
né ricovrar potiensi, se tu badi
ben sottilmente, per alcuna via,
sanza passar per un di questi guadi:
and they could not be regained, however
subtly you search, except by
crossing over one of these two fords:
o che Dio solo per sua cortesia
dimesso avesse, o che l'uom per sé isso
avesse sodisfatto a sua follia.
either that God out of his grace
remitted the debt, or Man gave
satisfaction for his foolishness.
70
[CP 12]
- [CP 12] - [CP 12]
Clare Pictures 12: Francis dreams of Bethlehem
Francis dreams he is standing in his loincloth with one hand on a recumbent ox, looking at the baby
Jesus in Bethlehem.
BEATRICE:
&
DANTE:
Ficca mo l'occhio per entro l'abisso
de l'etterno consiglio, quanto puoi
al mio parlar distrettamente fisso.
Now fix your eyes on the abyss
of Eternal Wisdom, following
my speech as closely as you can.
Non potea l'uomo ne' termini suoi
mai sodisfar, per non potere ir giuso
con umiltate obedïendo poi,
Man had no power ever to be able to give
satisfaction, in his own being, since he could
not humble himself, by new obedience,
quanto disobediendo intese ir suso;
e questa è la cagion per che l'uom fue
da poter sodisfar per sé dischiuso.
as deeply, as he had aimed, so highly, to exalt
himself, through disobedience. This was the reason
why man was shut out from the power to give
satisfaction by himself.
Dunque a Dio convenia con le vie sue
riparar l'omo a sua intera vita,
dico con l'una, o ver con amendue.
Therefore God had to return Man to his perfect life
in his own way: that is, through
mercy or through justice, or both.
Ma perché l'ovra tanto è più gradita
da l'operante, quanto più appresenta
de la bontà del core ond' ell' è uscita,
And since what is done by the doer is more
gracious the more it shows us
the goodness of the heart it comes from,
la divina bontà che 'l mondo imprenta,
di proceder per tutte le sue vie,
a rilevarvi suso, fu contenta.
the Divine Goodness, that imprints
the world, was content to act
in both ways, to raise you up again.
Né tra l'ultima notte e 'l primo die
sì alto o sì magnifico processo,
o per l'una o per l'altra, fu o fie:
Between the first day and the last, there never was,
nor ever will be again again, so high and
magnificent a progress on either of those roads,
ché più largo fu Dio a dar sé stesso
per far l'uom sufficiente a rilevarsi,
che s'elli avesse sol da sé dimesso;
since God was more generous in giving of himself
to make Man capable of rising again, than if
he had only granted remission, from himself:
e tutti li altri modi erano scarsi
a la giustizia, se 'l Figliuol di Dio
non fosse umilïato ad incarnarsi.
♫
DREAM ?
**********
PAR C7 120
BEATRICE : CREATION AND RESURRECTION.
and every other way fell short of justice,
except that by which the Son of God
humbled himself, to become incarnate.
71
BEATRICE:
Or per empierti bene ogne disio,
ritorno a dichiararti in alcun loco,
perché tu veggi lì così com' io.
Now to answer all your longings,
I go back to explain a certain passage,
so that you can understand it as I do.
Tu dici: "Io veggio l'acqua, io veggio il foco, You are saying to yourself: I see the water,
l'aere e la terra e tutte lor misture
fire, earth, and air: and all their mixtures come
venire a corruzione, e durar poco;
to corruption, and do not last for long,
e queste cose pur furon creature;
per che, se ciò ch'è detto è stato vero,
esser dovrien da corruzion sicure".
and yet these things were creatures, and ought
to be secure from corruption,
if what I have said to you is true.
Li angeli, frate, e 'l paese sincero
nel qual tu se', dir si posson creati,
sì come sono, in loro essere intero;
Brother, the Angels, and the pure region
where you are, may be said to be created
as they are, in their total being,
ma li alimenti che tu hai nomati
e quelle cose che di lor si fanno
da creata virtù sono informati.
but the elements you have named
and all the compounds of them have been
inwardly formed by a created power.
Creata fu la materia ch'elli hanno;
creata fu la virtù informante
in queste stelle che 'ntorno a lor vanno.
The matter that they hold was created:
the formative power in those stars
which circle round them was created.
L'anima d'ogne bruto e de le piante
di complession potenzïata tira
lo raggio e 'l moto de le luci sante;
The life of every wild creature and every plant
is drawn from compounds gaining power
by the rays and motion of the sacred lights.
ma vostra vita sanza mezzo spira
la somma beninanza, e la innamora
di sé sì che poi sempre la disira.
But your life is breathed into you without
mediation, by the supreme beneficence that
makes life love it, so that it always longs for it.
E quinci puoi argomentare ancora
vostra resurrezion, se tu ripensi
come l'umana carne fessi allora
And from this you can deduce your
resurrection in the flesh, if you again consider
how human bodies were first made,
FROM ANSELM: SINCE GOD MADE ADAM & EVE’S FLESH DIRECTLY, MAN’S BODY WILL BE RESTORED AT THE LAST JUDGEMENT
WHEN REDEMPTION IS COMPLETE FOR THE SAVED.
PAR C7 148 / DANTE
che li primi parenti intrambo fensi.
■-■-■
CANTO 8
when your first parents were both made.
72
♫
HOSANNA
**********
See DANTE DRAMATISED: L’Inferno.
PAR C8 1-12 / KLINE
In its Pagan days the world used to believe that lovely Cyprian Venus used to beam down fond love, turning in the third
epicycle, so that those ancient peoples, in ancient error, not only did her the honour of sacrifice and the votive cry, but
honoured Dione as well, and Cupid, one as her mother, the other as her son, and told how Cupid sat in Dido’s lap: and
from her, from whom I take my start, they took the name of the planet, that courts the Sun, now setting in front, and
now behind.
PLANETARY SPHERE 3: VENUS
rose
▀
[CP 13]
- [ROSE ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼] - [CP 14]
Clare Pictures 13: Francis recruits ‘oxen’
St Francis walks through grass uplands in his new habit, whose colour he took from the oxen of his
dream. Franciscans move towards him like companionable beasts.
Clare Pictures 14: Francis and recruits go to Rome
Francis and his few followers walk in the uplands towards Rome (as it appeared at the time, 1209) to
seek the approval of the Holy See for the ‘Penitents of Assisi’.
DANTE HAS BEEN LOOKING OFFSTAGE. NOW HE READS TO THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
♫
Io non m'accorsi del salire in ella;
ma d'esservi entro mi fé assai fede
la donna mia ch'i' vidi far più bella.
I had no sense of rising into her Venus’s sphere,
but my Lady’s aspect gave me faith that I was there,
because I saw her grow more beautiful.
HOSANNA
**********
PAR C8 15 from PAR C8 29
And as we see a spark in a flame, and as a voice can be distinguished from a voice, if one remains fixed and the other
comes and goes, so, in that light itself, I saw other lamps, moving in circles, faster or slower, in accord, I believe, with
the nature of their eternal vision. Blasts never blew from a chill cold, visibly or invisibly, so rapidly that that they would
not seem slow and hindered, to whoever had seen those divine lights coming towards us, leaving the sphere that has its
first conception in the exalted Seraphim. And among those who appeared most in advance, Hosanna sounded, in such a
manner that ever since I have not been free of the desire to hear it again.
73
A ROSE LIGHT SPEAKS.
CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU (VOICE):
Indi si fece l'un più presso a noi
e solo incominciò: «Tutti sem presti
al tuo piacer, perché di noi ti gioi.
Then one came nearer to us, and began alone:
We are all at your pleasure,
so that you may have joy of us.
CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU 1271 - 1295 AGE : 24 CHARACTER AGE : 24
CHARLES I MARTEL, CARLO MARTELLO
NOT CHARLES MARTEL, THE FAMOUS FRANKISH RULER WHO STOPPED THE SARACENS AT POITIERS IN 732.
FRENCH? NEAPOLITAN ITALIAN? KING OF HUNGARY 1290-1295 BUT NEVER WENT THERE.
SON OF CHARLES II (CARLO ZOPPO, CHARLES THE LAME - KING OF NAPLES) AND GRANDSON OF CHARLES I OF
ANJOU (KING OF NAPLES & COUNT OF ANJOU & PROVENCE)
DESCRIPTION
HE WEARS A CROWN, IS DRESSED IN BLACK AND HAS A SWORD AT HIS BELT.
DANTE PROBABLY MET HIM IN MARCH 1295 WHEN HE VISITED FLORENCE & WAS POPULAR. HE DIED IN THE AUGUST. HIS LINE
MIGHT HAVE RECONCILED THE GUELPH & GHIBELLINE FACTIONS, BUT HIS EARLY DEATH QUENCHED DANTE’S HOPES. HIS
BROTHER WAS ROBERT DUKE OF CALABRIA. HIS DAUGHTER CLEMENZA MARRIED LOUIS X OF FRANCE. HIS WIFE CLEMENZ DIED
IN 1296. HIS SON CAROBERTO BECAME HEIR TO NAPLES BUT WAS OUSTED BY ROBERT, HIS UNCLE. HE DESCRIBES THE REGIONS
OVER WHICH HE WOULD HAVE HELD POWER INCLUDING PROVENCE, OF WHICH THE ANGEVIN KINGS OF NAPLES WERE COUNTS;
HUNGARY OF WHICH HE HAD ALREADY BEEN CROWNED KING IN 1290 AT NAPLES, HOLDING IT FROM HIS MOTHER; & SICILY,
WHICH WOULD ALREADY HAVE BEEN HIS HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE SICILIAN VESPERS, IN 1282, THE RISING IN PALERMO
AGAINST THE FRENCH THAT LED TO RULE BY THE HOUSE OF ARAGON.
Noi ci volgiam coi principi celesti
d'un giro e d'un girare e d'una sete,
ai quali tu del mondo già dicesti:
We orbit with those celestial Princes in one circle,
and one circling, and with one thirst, we,
to whom you, from the world below, once said:
PAR C8 37-39 / DANTE CON CANZ 1 STANZA 1 LINE 2 / DANTE / KLINE
`Voi che 'ntendendo il terzo ciel movete';
e sem sì pien d'amor, che, per piacerti,
non fia men dolce un poco di quïete.
You who by understanding move the third circle:
and we are so filled with love, that a moment of
rest, to give you pleasure, will be no less sweet to
us.
DANTE:
CON CANZ 1 STANZA 1 LINE 1 / DANTE
CON CANZ 1 STANZA 1 LINE 1 / KLINE
Voi che intendendo il terzo ciel movete
You who by understanding move the third circle:
CON CANZ 1 STANZA 1 LINE 2 / DANTE
udite il ragionar ch'è nel mio core,
CON CANZ 1 STANZA 1 LINE 2 / LANSING
Now listen to the speech within my heart.,
e sem sì pien d'amor, che, per piacerti,
non fia men dolce un poco di quïete.
and we We are so filled with love, that a moment of
rest, to give you pleasure, will be no less sweet to
us.
DANTE LOOKS TO BEATRICE.
KLINE].
SHE NODS. HE SPEAKS TO THE SPIRIT ‘WITH GREAT AFFECTION’ [PAR C8 44-45 /
When my eyes had been lifted in reverence to my Lady, and she had herself given them satisfaction and assurance,
74
DANTE:
rivolsersi a la luce che promessa
tanto s'avea, e «Deh, chi siete?» fue
la voce mia di grande affetto impressa.
they turned back to the light that had offered itself
so generously, and: Deh, chi siete?...Say who you
are.’were my words, stamped with great affection.
[CP 13]
- [ROSE ☼] - [CP 14]
THE OTHER LIGHTS VANISH.
Oh, how I saw it grow in size and splendour, at the new joy, added to its joys, when I spoke!
Così fatta, mi disse: «Il mondo m'ebbe
giù poco tempo; e se più fosse stato,
Altered in that way, it said to me:
The world held me, held Charles Martel d’Anjou,
CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU MANIFESTS HIMSELF AS A PERSON.
CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU:
Così fatta, mi disse: «Il mondo m'ebbe
giù poco tempo; e se più fosse stato,
molto sarà di mal, che non sarebbe.
Altered in that way, it said to me: The world
held me, held Charles Martel, below for only
a little while: if it had been longer, much of the evil
that will happen would not happen.
My joy, shining round me, keeps me hidden from you, concealing me like a silkworm cocooned in its own silk.
THE MUSE EUTERPE HEARS THE NAME OF THE SPIRIT AND HURRIES TO SET UP THE NEXT FIGURE. SHE
FETCHES THE BOAT ON HER HEAD FROM WHERE SHE LEFT IT IN [PAR C2 12], PLACING IT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE STAGE. SHE BECKONS TO TERPSICHORE (THE LAMB) AND URANIA. THEY STEADY THE BOAT WHILE SHE
GETS IN, THEN CLIMB IN THEMSELVES AS CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU NAMES BODIES OF WATER.
DANTE VERSIFIES A LITTLE BEHIND HIM.
DANTE:
&
Assai m'amasti, e avesti ben onde;
che s'io fossi giù stato, io ti mostrava
di mio amor più oltre che le fronde.
You loved me greatly, and with good cause,
since if I had stayed below I would have shown
you greater love than the mere shoots of it.
Quella sinistra riva che si lava
di Rodano poi ch'è misto con Sorga,
per suo segnore a tempo m'aspettava,
That left bank, Provence, that the Rhone washes
after its meeting with the Sorgue,
waited for me to be its lord in time,
e quel corno d'Ausonia che s'imborga
di Bari e di Gaeta e di Catona,
da ove Tronto e Verde in mare sgorga.
so did Naples, that stretch of Ausonia, with its
cities of Bari, Gaeta, and Catona, down from
where Tronto and Verde discharge into the sea.
Fulgeami già in fronte la corona
di quella terra che 'l Danubio riga
poi che le ripe tedesche abbandona.
The Crown of Hungary, that the Danube waters,
when it has left its German banks,
already shone on my forehead:
75
E la bella Trinacria, che caliga
tra Pachino e Peloro, sopra 'l golfo
che riceve da Euro maggior briga,
and beautiful Sicily, Trinacria, over the gulf
the east wind torments most,
that is darkened between Pachynus and Pelorus,
non per Tifeo ma per nascente solfo,
attesi avrebbe li suoi regi ancora,
nati per me di Carlo e di Ridolfo,
not by Typhon, but by the sulphurous clouds,
would still have looked for its kings born of the line
through me from Charles II and the Emperor Rudolph,
TYPHON: A GIANT, HURLED INTO TARTARUS BENEATH MOUNT ETNA, BY JUPITER.
CHARLES II: CHARLES THE LAME.
EMPEROR RUDOLPH (1273-1291): WHO SERVED UNDER OTTOCAR II, KING OF BOHEMIA (1253-1278), BUT ASSERTED HIS
SUPREMACY, WHEN ELECTED EMPEROR.
OTTOCAR’S SON WENCESLAS II (1278-1305) (NOT THE EARLIER KING & SAINT) WAS ALLOWED TO RETAIN BOHEMIA &
MORAVIA, BUT HAD TO GIVE UP AUSTRIA & STYRIA (RUDOLPH’S SONS ALBERT & RUDOLPH WERE INVESTED WITH THESE),
CARINTHIA & CARNIOLA. HIS DAUGHTER CLEMENZ MARRIED CHARLES MARTEL.
se mala segnoria, che sempre accora
li popoli suggetti, non avesse
mosso Palermo a gridar: "Mora, mora!".
if bad governance, that stirs the hearts
of subject peoples, had not caused
Palermo to cry out: “Death, Death!”
E se mio frate questo antivedesse,
l'avara povertà di Catalogna
già fuggeria, perché non li offendesse;
And if Robert of Calabria, my brother had seen it
in good time, he would already have avoided
the greedy adventurers of Catalonia, before they do
him wrong,
ROBERT OF CALABRIA: DUKE OF CALABRIA, AFTERWARDS KING OF NAPLES. ROBERT OUSTED THE SON CAROBERTO FROM THE
THRONE OF NAPLES, IN 1309 AFTER THE DATE OF THE VISION. ROBERT & HIS BROTHERS LOUIS & JOHN WERE HOSTAGES IN SPAIN
AFTER THE RELEASE OF THEIR FATHER CHARLES II IN 1288. ROBERT WAS ACCOMPANIED BACK TO ITALY BY CERTAIN GREEDY
CATALONIAN ADVENTURERS WHO HE GAVE OFFICES TO WHEN HE SUCCEEDED TO THE THRONE OF NAPLES & THEIR GREED MADE
THEM & HIM DETESTED IN APULIA. HE WAS SHIPWRECKED IN 1301.
ché veramente proveder bisogna
per lui, o per altrui, sì ch'a sua barca
carcata più d'incarco non si pogna.
and indeed he or another needs to make
provision that a heavier load is not laid
on his already laden boat.
EUTERPE, TERPSICHORE AND URANIA TAKE THE BOAT OFFSTAGE.
♫
MUSIC ?
**********
PAR C8 81
■ - [CM] - ■
La sua natura, che di larga parca
discese, avria mestier di tal milizia
che non curasse di mettere in arca».
His nature, meanness descended from
generosity, needs soldiers who do not care
about stuffing their purses.
DANTE:
Però ch'i' credo che l'alta letizia
che 'l tuo parlar m'infonde, segnor mio,
là 've ogne ben si termina e s'inizia,
I said: Sir, because I believe you see the great joy
your conversation floods me with, as I see it,
there where every good has its beginning and end,
76
per te si veggia come la vegg' io,
grata m'è più; e anco quest' ho caro
perché 'l discerni rimirando in Dio.
it is more gratifying to me:
and also I value that
you see it by gazing on God.
Fatto m'hai lieto, e così mi fa chiaro,
poi che, parlando, a dubitar m'hai mosso
com' esser può, di dolce seme, amaro.
[CP 15]
You have given me delight, now enlighten me,
since in speaking you have stirred me to question
how bitter seed can be born from the sweet.
- [CM] - [CP 16]
Clare Pictures 15: Francis puts his case to Pope Innocent
Gesturing, Francis puts his case for recognition of the Franciscan Order. The centre window separates
him, like the nave of a great church, from…
Clare Pictures 16: Pope Innocent listens to St Francis
…Pope Innocent III, who listens.
Questo io a lui; ed elli a me: «S'io posso
mostrarti un vero, a quel che tu dimandi
terrai lo viso come tien lo dosso.
And he to me: If I can show you a truth,
you will have the thing you ask,
that is behind your back, in front of your eyes.
Lo ben che tutto il regno che tu scandi
volge e contenta, fa esser virtute
sua provedenza in questi corpi grandi.
The Good, which turns, and makes content,
the whole kingdom, that you climb, makes its
providence a power in these great celestial bodies,
E non pur le nature provedute
sono in la mente ch'è da sé perfetta,
ma esse insieme con la lor salute:
and provision is not only made for the nature
of things but for their welfare too,
by that Mind that is perfection in itself.
So whatever this bow fires moves towards its destined end, like an arrow fired at the mark.
Se ciò non fosse, il ciel che tu cammine
producerebbe sì li suoi effetti,
che non sarebbero arti, ma ruine;
If that were not so, the Heaven you are crossing
would bring its effects into being
so that they would be chaos and not art,
e ciò esser non può, se li 'ntelletti
che muovon queste stelle non son manchi,
e manco il primo, che non li ha perfetti.
and that cannot be unless the intellects
that move these planets are defective,
and the First Mover too, who failed to perfect them.
Do you wish this truth to be clarified more?’ I said: ‘No, since I know it is impossible for Nature to fall short of what is
needed.’ And he again: ‘Now, say, would it be worse for man if he were not a citizen, on earth, but left to his own
sufficiency?’ ‘Yes,’ I replied, ‘and I do not need to ask the reason.’ ‘And can that be, unless men live various lives
below, and with various tasks? Not if your master, Aristotle, wrote truly for you.’ He reached this point, deducing, and
then gave the conclusion: ‘Therefore the roots of your qualities must be diverse, so that one is born Solon the lawgiver,
and another Xerxes, the soldier, one Melchizedek, the priest, and another Daedalus, the inventor, who lost his son,
soaring through the sky.
La circular natura, ch'è suggello
a la cera mortal, fa ben sua arte,
ma non distingue l'un da l'altro ostello.
Circling Nature, the seal on the mortal wax,
is a good maker, and does not
distinguish between one house and another.
77
Quinci addivien ch'Esaù si diparte
per seme da Iacòb; e vien Quirino
da sì vil padre, che si rende a Marte.
So that Esau differs from Jacob in the seed, and
Romulus worshipped as Quirinus, comes from
so lowly a father he is assigned to Mars instead.
ESAU: JACOB’S BROTHER, THE SON OF ISAAC & REBECCAH, A HUNTER, A MAN OF THE FIELDS. THE BROTHERS’ RIVALRY WAS
SEEN AS AN ANALOGY OF CHURCH & SYNAGOGUE. (GENESIS 25 19-34)
ROMULUS: FOUNDER & FIRST KING OF ROME. HE WAS RECEIVED INTO THE COMPANY OF THE GODS, AS QUIRINUS & WORSHIPPED
BY THE ROMANS.
DANTE notes:
Quinci addivien ch'Esaù si diparte
per seme da Iacòb; e vien Quirino
da sì vil padre, che si rende a Marte.
So that Esau differs from Jacob in the seed, and
Romulus worshipped as Quirinus, comes from
so lowly a father he is assigned to Mars instead.
Natura generata il suo cammino
simil farebbe sempre a' generanti,
se non vincesse il proveder divino.
The nature at birth would always
be like its parent, if Divine Providence
did not overrule it.
Or quel che t'era dietro t'è davanti:
ma perché sappi che di te mi giova,
un corollario voglio che t'ammanti.
Now what was hidden behind you is in front of
you, but so you may know I am delighted
with you, I will wrap you round with a corollary.
DANTE notes:
PAR C8 138 / DANTE
PAR C8 138 / KLINE
un corollario voglio che t'ammanti.
with you, I will wrap you round with a corollary.
Sempre natura, se fortuna trova
discorde a sé, com' ogne altra semente
fuor di sua regïon, fa mala prova.
Nature makes a poor fist of things, if she finds
events out of harmony with herself,
like any other seed out of its proper soil.
E se 'l mondo là giù ponesse mente
al fondamento che natura pone,
seguendo lui, avria buona la gente.
If the world below paid attention to the foundation
Nature lays, and followed that,
it would be satisfied with its citizens,
Ma voi torcete a la religïone
tal che fia nato a cignersi la spada,
e fate re di tal ch'è da sermone;
but you drag him born to the sword
into a religious order, and make a king
of him who should be an orator,
PAR C8 148 / DANTE
onde la traccia vostra è fuor di strada.
so that your path cuts across the road.
■-■-■
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
Ma voi torcete a la religïone
tal che fia nato a cignersi la spada,
e fate re di tal ch'è da sermone;
but you drag him born to the sword
into a religious order, and make a king
of him who should be an orator,
PAR C8 148 / DANTE
onde la traccia vostra è fuor di strada.
so that your path cuts across the road.
78
CANTO 9
PAR C9 1-18 / KLINE
Lovely Clemence, when your Charles had clarified things for me, he told me about the wrongs his seed was fated to
encounter, but added: ‘Be silent, and let the years turn,’ so that I can say nothing except that well-justified grief will
follow those wrongs. And already the life of that holy light had turned towards the Sun that illuminates it, as towards
the Good which is sufficient to everything. O impious creatures! O deceived spirits who twist your hearts away from
that Good, turning your minds to vanities! And see, another of those splendours came towards me, and signified its
desire to satisfy me, by an outer brightening. Beatrice’s eyes, gazing at me, as before, assured me of happy assent to my
wish.
♫
DREAM
**********
PAR C8 148
[CP 17]
- ■ - [CP 18]
Clare Pictures 17: Francis dreams of the Porziuncola
Still in Rome, Francis dreams of the Porziuncola. PARADISO PICTURES: 2, 3
Clare Pictures 18: Pope Innocent dreams of a basilica
Pope Innocent III dreams of a great basilica. (The present-day one?)
■-■-■
CUNIZZA
[CP 19]
- [ROSE ☼ ☼ ☼] - [CP 20]
Clare Pictures 19: Clare hears Francis preach
Assisi (1210). Francis preaches. Clare, distinguished by her long golden hair, is conspicuous among
the listeners.
Clare Pictures 20: Clare gets her palm
Clare at Mass on Palm Sunday (1212), in her finest dress. She stays in her place, not going to the altarrail. The Bishop himself has brought her a palm.
LIGHTS WHIRL AND STEADY IN THE LEFT WINDOW. DANTE AGAIN LOOKS TO BEATRICE FOR APPROVAL TO
SPEAK, THEN ADDRESSES IT.
DANTE:
«Deh, metti al mio voler tosto compenso,
I said: Ah, give quick satisfaction to my will,
beato spirto», dissi, «e fammi prova
spirit who are blessed, and show proof
ch'i' possa in te refletter quel ch'io penso!». that I can reflect what I think from you.’
79
At which the light which was still a stranger to me, from the depths, where it was, at first singing, continued by
speaking, like one happy to do good:
CUNIZZA (VOICE):
In quella parte de la terra prava
italica che siede tra Rïalto
e le fontane di Brenta e di Piava,
In that region of Italy, the depraved country,
which lies between Venice
and the sources of the Brenta and Piave,
CUNIZZA DA ROMANO 1198? - 1280? AGE : 82? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
BORN IN THE CASTLE OF ROMANO, BETWEEN VENICE AND THE SOURCES OF THE BRENTA AND PIAVE.
DESCRIPTION
DRESSED AS A NOBLEWOMAN IN LIGHT-COLOURED CLOTHING.
SISTER OF EZZOLINO THE TYRANT. SHE WAS FAMOUS FOR HER LOVE AFFAIRS, HAD FOUR HUSBANDS & MANY PARAMOURS, OF
WHOM SORDELLO WAS ONE. IN 1265 (WHEN SHE WAS ABOUT 67 YEARS OLD) & THE LAST SURVIVOR OF HER FATHER’S FAMILY, IN
THE HOUSE OF CAVALCANTE DE’ CAVALCANTI, SHE EXECUTED A DEED OF MANUMISSION LIBERATING HER FATHER’S SERFS. SHE
DIED IN FLORENCE IN 1279 OR 1280. DANTE SUGGESTS SHE WAS A PENITENT.
CUNIZZA (VOICE):
si leva un colle, e non surge molt' alto,
là onde scese già una facella
che fece a la contrada un grande assalto.
rises a hill raised to no great height, from which
Ezzelino da Romano, the burning brand, descended.
who made a vicious assault on that land.
EZZELINO/AZZOLINO III DA ROMANO: THE TYRANT (1194-1259), LORD OF VERONA, VICENZA & PADUA, CALLED ‘THE SON OF
THE DEVIL’, IMPERIAL VICAR UNDER FREDERICK II. POPE ALEXANDER IV DECLARED A CRUSADE AGAINST HIM & HE WAS
DEFEATED AT CASSANO ON THE ADDA & SUBSEQUENTLY DIED. HE WAS THE HEAD OF THE GHIBELLINES IN NORTHERN ITALY.
HIS MOTHER DREAMED SHE HAD GIVEN BIRTH TO A FIREBRAND THAT SCORCHED THE LAND.
D'una radice nacqui e io ed ella:
Cunizza fui chiamata, e qui refulgo
perché mi vinse il lume d'esta stella;
[CP 19]
- [ROSE ☼ ☼
CUNIZZA]
I sprang with him out of the same root:
Cunizza I am called., and I shine here
because the light of this star conquered me.
- [CP 20]
CUNIZZA APPEARS AS A WOMAN AND POINTS TO THE LIGHT NEXT TO HER.
CUNIZZA:
D'una radice nacqui e io ed ella:
Cunizza fui chiamata, e qui refulgo
perché mi vinse il lume d'esta stella;
I sprang with him out of the same root:
Cunizza I am called, and I shine here
because the light of this star conquered me.
ma lietamente a me medesma indulgo
la cagion di mia sorte, e non mi noia;
che parria forse forte al vostro vulgo.
But I grant myself indulgence for my fate,
and it does not grieve me, which perhaps
would seem strange to the common man.
Di questa luculenta e cara gioia
del nostro cielo che più m'è propinqua,
grande fama rimase; e pria che moia,
[CP 19]
- [ROSE ☼
FOLCO CUNIZZA]
The great fame of this dear shining jewel
in our Heaven, Folco of Marseilles, who
is my nearest neighbour, remains, and before it dies
- [CP 20]
FOLCO MANIFESTS HIMSELF AS A MAN AND STANDS WAITING FOR HIS TURN TO SPEAK.
80
FOLCO (FOLCETTO, FOULQUET ETC.) 1159? - 1231 AGE : 72? CHARACTER AGE : 35?
OF GENOESE ORIGIN, BORN IN MARSEILLES (MARSELH, MARSEILLA). HE WAS A FAMOUS LOVER AND TROUBADOR
WHO BECAME A MONK AND WAS MADE BISHOP OF TOULOUSE IN 1205. HE WAS A FRIEND OF ST DOMINIC AND
PERSECUTED THE ALBIGENSIAN HERETICS.
LANGUAGE: FRENCH? PROVENÇAL?
DESCRIPTION
DRESSED AS A BISHOP? WHITE CISTERCIAN ROBE.
DANTE or BEATRICE?:
‘A verse without music is a mill without water’.
A SAYING OF FOLCO.
CUNIZZA:
PAR C9 39 / DANTE
PAR C9 39 / KLINE
grande fama rimase; e pria che moia,
who is my nearest neighbour, remains, and
before it dies
BEATRICE:
Bishop of Toulouse, Friend of St Dominic.
Scourge of the Albigensians.
♫
PROPHECY MOTIF
**********
PAR C9 39
DANTE INTERPRETS CUNIZZA A VERSE OR TWO BEHIND.
DANTE:
&
CUNIZZA:
questo centesimo anno ancor s'incinqua:
vedi se far si dee l'omo eccellente,
sì ch'altra vita la prima relinqua.
this centenary year will be repeated five times.
See how another life follows
the first if a man achieves excellence!
E ciò non pensa la turba presente
che Tagliamento e Adice richiude,
né per esser battuta ancor si pente;
The present crew in the March of Treviso,
enclosed by the Tagliamento and the Adige,
do not think of that, beaten but still unrepentant.
ma tosto fia che Padova al palude
cangerà l'acqua che Vincenza bagna,
per essere al dover le genti crude;
But it will soon come to pass that Paduan blood
will stain the water that bathes Vicenza,
because the people rebel against their duty.
e dove Sile e Cagnan s'accompagna,
tal signoreggia e va con la testa alta,
che già per lui carpir si fa la ragna.
And at Treviso, where the Sile meets the Cagnano,
Riccardo da Camino holds sway, and goes with
head held high, for whom the net to catch him is
already woven.
RICCARDO DA CAMINO: BROTHER OF GAIA & HUSBAND OF GIOVANNA VISCONTI, WHO WAS TREACHEROUSLY MURDERED AT
TREVISO WHERE THE RIVERS SILE & CAGNANO MEET, IN 1312. HIS DEATH IS PROPHESIED.
Piangerà Feltro ancora la difalta
de l'empio suo pastor, che sarà sconcia
sì, che per simil non s'entrò in malta.
From Feltro a wail of grief will rise yet, because of
the sins of its impious pastor, so foul, that no-one
ever entered the prison of Malta for their equal.
ALESSANDRO NOVELLO: BISHOP OF FELTRE, WHO IN 1314 SURRENDERED CERTAIN GENTLEMEN OF FERRARA, IN HIS PROTECTION,
TO PINO DELLA TOSA WHO THEN GOVERNED FERRARA AS VICAR OF KING ROBERT, BY WHOM THEY WERE KILLED. MALTA WAS A
81
TOWER NEAR PADUA WHERE EZZELINO HELD HIS PRISONERS, OR A PAPAL PRISON FOR CRIMINAL PRIESTS EITHER AT VITERBO, OR
ON THE LAKE OF BOLSENA.
Troppo sarebbe larga la bigoncia
che ricevesse il sangue ferrarese,
e stanco chi 'l pesasse a oncia a oncia,
The dish that would be needed to receive
Ferrara’s blood, which this obliging priest will
give up to show himself loyal, would be too large,
che donerà questo prete cortese
per mostrarsi di parte; e cotai doni
conformi fieno al viver del paese.
and weary whoever had to weigh it
ounce by ounce: and such are the gifts
that suit this country’s way of life.
Sù sono specchi, voi dicete Troni,
onde refulge a noi Dio giudicante;
sì che questi parlar ne paion buoni».
There are mirrors above, you call them Thrones,
from which God shines in judgement on us,
so that these words prove good to us.
Here she fell silent, and to me she seemed like one who turns to other things, giving herself to the wheel, so that she was
as before. The other joyful light, which I had already noted as being distinguished, shone to my sight like a fine ruby,
illuminated by the sun. Brightness comes from joy up there, as a smile does here on earth, while down below the spirits
are dark outside, just as the mind is saddened.
[CP 19]
- [ROSE ☼
FOLCO]
- [CP 20]
CUNIZZA VANISHES.
FOLCO
DANTE ADDRESSES THE MANIFESTATION OF FOLCO.
DANTE:
«Dio vede tutto, e tuo veder s'inluia»,
diss' io, «beato spirto, sì che nulla
voglia di sé a te puot' esser fuia.
I said: God sees it all, and your vision is in him,
spirit of the blessed, so that
no desire is hidden from you.
Dunque la voce tua, che 'l ciel trastulla
sempre col canto di quei fuochi pii
che di sei ali facen la coculla,
Why then does your voice, which, with the singing
of those devoted fires, the Seraphim,
who make a cowl, with six wings, of themselves,
perché non satisface a' miei disii?
Già non attendere' io tua dimanda,
s'io m'intuassi, come tu t'inmii».
gladdens Heaven endlessly, not satisfy my wishes?
If I were in you, as you are in me,
I would not have waited for your request till now.
DANTE VERSIFIES A LITTLE BEHIND FOLCO.
DANTE:
&
FOLCO:
«La maggior valle in che l'acqua si spanda», Then he began to speak: The Mediterranean,
incominciaro allor le sue parole,
that greatest valley, into which water flows,
«fuor di quel mar che la terra inghirlanda, from the ocean round the earth,
82
tra ' discordanti liti contra 'l sole
tanto sen va, che fa meridïano
là dove l'orizzonte pria far suole.
extends so far between its opposite shores,
eastwards, that its zenith
is formed of what was horizon.
Di quella valle fu' io litorano
tra Ebro e Macra, che per cammin corto
parte lo Genovese dal Toscano.
I was an inhabitant of Marseilles’s shore, half way
between the Ebro and the Macra, which, with its
short course, separates the Genoese and the Tuscans.
Ad un occaso quasi e ad un orto
Buggea siede e la terra ond' io fui,
che fé del sangue suo già caldo il porto.
The site of Bougia in Algeria is almost alike in
sunrises and sunsets to the place I come from, whose
harbour Caesar once warmed with that place’s blood.
MARSEILLES IS ON THE SAME MERIDIAN AS BOUGIA IN ALGERIA. AT GIBRALTAR, WHERE THE MEDITERRANEAN RUNS OUT OF
THE ATLANTIC, THE SUN IS ON THE HORIZON WHEN IT IS NOON IN THE LEVANT, SO THE MEDITERRANEAN MAKES ZENITH AT ITS
EASTERN END OF WHAT WAS HORIZON AT ITS WESTERN END. I.E. IT EXTENDS OVER A QUADRANT.
FOLCO:
Folco mi disse quella gente a cui
fu noto il nome mio; e questo cielo
di me s'imprenta, com' io fe' di lui;
Those who knew me, called me Folco,
and I imprint this Heaven
as it imprinted me,
ché più non arse la figlia di Belo,
noiando e a Sicheo e a Creusa,
di me, infin che si convenne al pelo;
since Dido, Belus’s daughter, wronging
Sichaeus and Aeneas’s Creüsa, burned no
hotter than I, as long as it suited my youthfulness:
DIDO: SEE DANTE DRAMATISED: L’INFERNO.
SICHAEUS: HUSBAND OF DIDO & A PHOENICIAN OF SIDON, WHOM HIS BROTHER, PYGMALION KING OF TYRE, KILLED, OUT OF
GREED FOR GOLD. ROUSED BY A VISION OF THE DEAD SYCHAEUS, DIDO FLED FROM SIDON & FOUNDED CARTHAGE IN NORTH
AFRICA. DIDO’S LOVE FOR AENEAS WRONGS THE MEMORY OF SYCHAEUS.
CREÜSA: WIFE OF AENEAS, LOST AT TROY. AENEID 2 735. DIDO’S LOVE FOR AENEAS WRONGS HER MEMORY
DANTE:
Troubador, lover.
FOLCO:
né quella Rodopëa che delusa
fu da Demofoonte, né Alcide
quando Iole nel core ebbe rinchiusa.
nor did Phyllis, the girl from Rhodope,
who was deceived by Demophoön,
nor Hercules when his heart enclosed Iole.
PHYLLIS: DAUGHTER OF THRACIAN KING SITHON (LIVING NEAR MOUNT RHODOPE) WHO WAS LOVED BY DEMOPHOÖN, KING OF
MELOS, SON OF THESEUS & PHAEDRA. HE FAILED TO KEEP HIS PROMISE TO RETURN TO HER & WHEN HE DID EVENTUALLY
RETURN TO FIND HER SHE HAD COMMITTED SUICIDE, BUT HAD BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO AN ALMOND TREE BY ATHENE.
IOLE: DAUGHTER OF EURYTUS, KING OF OECHALIA.
FOLCO PAUSES WITH A WISTFUL LOOK.
FOLCO:
Non però qui si pente, ma si ride,
non de la colpa, ch'a mente non torna,
ma del valor ch'ordinò e provide.
But this is not a place of repentance, here we smile:
not at the sin, which the mind does not dwell on,
but the Power that ordained and provided.
Qui si rimira ne l'arte ch'addorna
cotanto affetto, e discernesi 'l bene
per che 'l mondo di sù quel di giù torna.
Here we gaze at the Art, which beautified
so great a creation, and discern the Good,
which returns the world below to the world above.
Ma perché tutte le tue voglie piene
ten porti che son nate in questa spera,
proceder ancor oltre mi convene.
But so that you might fully
satisfy all the longings born
in this sphere, I must continue.
83
Tu vuo' saper chi è in questa lumera
che qui appresso me così scintilla
come raggio di sole in acqua mera.
You will wish to know who is inside
that light that gleams next to me,
like the sun’s rays in pure water.
FOLCO POINTS TO THE LIGHT.
FOLCO:
Or sappi che là entro si tranquilla
Raab; e a nostr' ordine congiunta,
di lei nel sommo grado si sigilla.
Know, now, that Rahab, the prostitute, finds peace
there, and when she joined our order,
it sealed itself, in the highest rank, with her.
RAHAB (IT. RAAB) CHARACTER AGE : 20?
BORN JERICHO (PRE ISRAEL).
DESCRIPTION
WHITE ROBE. A SCARLET THREAD, PERHAPS HANGING BELOW HER BREAST. SHE WEARS A SIMPLE CROWN, UNLESS
SOLOMON APPEARS LATER AMONG THE BLESSED.
RAHAB: PROSTITUTE OF JERICHO WHO HELPED JOSHUA’S SPIES. THEY IN TURN SWORE TO SAVE HER & HER FAMILY (‘OUR LIFE
FOR YOURS’). SHE WAS TOLD TO FASTEN A SCARLET THREAD TO HER WINDOW SO THAT SHE & HER FAMILY COULD BE IDENTIFIED
AT THE TAKING OF THE CITY. SHE WAS CONVERTED TO THE ISRAELITE CAUSE & BECAME A SYMBOL OF THE CHURCH, THE
SCARLET CORD SIGNIFYING THE BLOOD OF CHRIST, & THE TWO SPIES THE TWO TESTAMENTS. JOSHUA 2 & 6 23-25.
[CP 19]
- [RAHAB
FOLCO]
- [CP 20]
RAHAB APPEARS AS A WOMAN. FOLCO REMAINS ON STAGE, OR VANISHES. HIS VOICE CONTINUES.
FOLCO (VOICE?):
Or sappi che là entro si tranquilla
Raab; e a nostr' ordine congiunta,
di lei nel sommo grado si sigilla.
Know, now, that Rahab, the prostitute, finds peace
there, and when she joined our order,
it sealed itself, in the highest rank, with her.
Da questo cielo, in cui l'ombra s'appunta
che 'l vostro mondo face, pria ch'altr' alma
del trïunfo di Cristo fu assunta.
Before any other soul, she was uplifted at Christ’s
triumph, by this sphere, which is touched
by the shadow your Earth casts into space.
Ben si convenne lei lasciar per palma
in alcun cielo de l'alta vittoria
che s'acquistò con l'una e l'altra palma,
It was truly fitting to leave her in one
of the Heavens as a symbol of the great victory
achieved by those two nailed hands:
perch' ella favorò la prima gloria
di Iosüè in su la Terra Santa,
che poco tocca al papa la memoria.
because she favoured Joshua’s first glorious
campaign in the Holy Land, that land that
scarcely touches this Pope’s memory.
THIS POPE: BONIFACE VIII, BENEDETTO GAETANI WHO SUCCEEDED CELESTINE V IN 1294 & IMPRISONED HIM AFTER HIS
ABDICATION UNTIL HIS DEATH. HIS POLITICAL MANOEUVRES ARE THE BACKGROUND TO THE CRITICAL THREE YEARS OF DANTE’S
POLITICAL LIFE, LEADING TO HIS EXILE FROM FLORENCE & DESCRIBED IN CIACCO’S PROPHECY. FOR DANTE, HE REPRESENTED
THE CORRUPT PAPACY, PLACED IN HELL FOR HIS VINDICTIVENESS; FALSITY; PROFLIGATE SIMONY; AN ULTRAMONTANE
SACERDOTALISM, THAT SAW THE EMPIRE AS SUBORDINATE TO THE CHURCH, WITH ONLY A DERIVED AUTHORITY; & HIS
DESTRUCTIVE POLICIES THAT LED TO FRENCH CONTROL OF FLORENCE. BONIFACE DIED IN OCTOBER 1303 & WAS SUCCEEDED BY
BENEDICT XI. BONIFACE IS THEREFORE THE POPE AT THE TIME OF THE VISION IN 1300.
DANTE or BEATRICE:
The scarlet thread from her window
marked her as Joshua’s friend.
84
FOLCO (VOICE?):
La tua città, che di colui è pianta
che pria volse le spalle al suo fattore
e di cui è la 'nvidia tanto pianta,
Florence, the city founded by Mars, that Satan
who first turned his back on his Maker,
and from whose envy such great grief has come,
produce e spande il maladetto fiore
c'ha disvïate le pecore e li agni,
però che fatto ha lupo del pastore.
coins and spreads that accursed lily flower,
that has sent the sheep and lambs astray,
since it has made a wolf of the shepherd.
Per questo l'Evangelio e i dottor magni
son derelitti, e solo ai Decretali
si studia, sì che pare a' lor vivagni.
So the Gospels and the Great Doctors are neglected,
and only the Decretals, the law-books are studied,
as can be seen by their margins.
A questo intende il papa e ' cardinali;
non vanno i lor pensieri a Nazarette,
là dove Gabrïello aperse l'ali.
On that, the Pope and Cardinals are intent:
their thoughts do not stray to Nazareth,
where Gabriel’s wings unfolded,
Ma Vaticano e l'altre parti elette
di Roma che son state cimitero
a la milizia che Pietro seguette,
But the Vatican and the other sacred parts
of Rome, that cemetery for the soldiers
who followed Peter, will
PAR C9 142 / DANTE
tosto libere fien de l'avoltero».
[CP 19]
[CP 19]
soon be freed from the bond of adultery.
- ■ - [CP 20]
- [CP 21] - [CP 20]
Clare Pictures 21: Clare’s hair
The Porziuncola by lamplight, 1212. Clare’s fine dress has been cast off. She wears a homespun,
brown habit as Francis cuts off her hair. Fellow-Franciscans attend. PARADISO PICTURES: 2, 3, 5, 16.
CANTO 10
PLANETARY SPHERE 4: SUN
orange
▀
CELESTIAL 1
♫
CELESTIAL
PAR C9 142
**********
85
DANTE:
PAR C10 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C10 1-3 / KLINE
Guardando nel suo Figlio con l'Amore
che l'uno e l'altro etternalmente spira,
lo primo e ineffabile Valore
The primal and unutterable Power, gazing at
his Son, with the Love that both breathe out
eternally, made whatever circles
PAR C10 4-6 / DANTE
quanto per mente e per loco si gira
con tant' ordine fé, ch'esser non puote
sanza gustar di lui chi ciò rimira.
through mind and space with such order,
that whoever knows them
is not without some sense of Him.
PAR C10 7-9 / DANTE
Leva dunque, lettore, a l'alte rote
meco la vista, dritto a quella parte
dove l'un moto e l'altro si percuote;
Then, Reader, raise your eyes with me
to the distant wheels, directed to that point where
the Celestial Equator and the Ecliptic meet,
THAT POINT: THE EQUATORIAL CIRCLE, A CIRCLE PROJECTED FROM THE EARTH’S EQUATOR ONTO THE HEAVENS & THE ECLIPTIC
(ZODIAC), THE PATH OF THE SUN AGAINST THE ‘FIXED’ STARS, CROSS AT THE EQUINOCTIAL POINTS (THE FIRST POINT OF ARIES &
THE FIRST POINT OF LIBRA, AT THE CREATION, WITH PRECESSION, THE ‘WOBBLE’ OF THE EARTH ON ITS AXIS, IGNORED. THE
SPRING EQUINOX IN FACT NOW FALLS IN PISCES DUE TO PRECESSION & WILL MOVE INTO AQUARIUS. THE EQUINOXES, OF EQUAL
DAY & NIGHT, FALL IN SPRING & AUTUMN, AT LATITUDES AWAY FROM THE EQUATOR & POLES. THE DAILY APPARENT
MOVEMENT OF THE SUN & THE PLANETS IS PARALLEL TO THE EQUATOR (I.E. AT NINETY DEGREES TO THE PLANE OF THE EARTH’S
AXIS) & THE APPARENT ANNUAL MOVEMENT AGAINST THE STARS IS ALONG THE ECLIPTIC. FROM MID-WINTER TO MID-SUMMER
THE SUN RISES A LITTLE EARLIER & FURTHER TO THE NORTH THAN THE DAY BEFORE & FROM MID-SUMMER TO MID-WINTER A
LITTLE LATER &D FURTHER SOUTH, SO TRAVELLING A PROGRESSIVE SPIRAL. DANTE DESCRIBES THE MOVEMENT TO REACH THE
SPRING EQUINOX IN ARIES, ROUND WHICH THE DIVINE COMEDY IS CONSTRUCTED.
URANIA, THE MUSE OF ASTRONOMY, ENTERS AND LOOKS UP.
DANTE:
e lì comincia a vagheggiar ne l'arte
di quel maestro che dentro a sé l'ama,
tanto che mai da lei l'occhio non parte.
and begin to view the art of that Master
who loves it so much, within himself,
that he never lets his eyes leave it.
Vedi come da indi si dirama
l'oblico cerchio che i pianeti porta,
per sodisfare al mondo che li chiama.
See how the Ecliptic, the oblique circle that carries
the planets, slants from that Equinoctial point,
to satisfy the world’s call for them:
Che se la strada lor non fosse torta,
molta virtù nel ciel sarebbe in vano,
e quasi ogne potenza qua giù morta;
and if their path were not inclined, much of
the power of the Heavens would be useless,
and every potential dead on Earth:
e se dal dritto più o men lontano
fosse 'l partire, assai sarebbe manco
e giù e sù de l'ordine mondano.
and if the slope from the level was greater
or smaller, much would be lacking
in Cosmic order below and above.
DANTE…
■-■-■
DANTE:
Or ti riman, lettor, sovra 'l tuo banco,
dietro pensando a ciò che si preliba,
s'esser vuoi lieto assai prima che stanco.
Now, Reader, stay on your bench,
thinking back on this preamble,
if you would delight in it before you weary.
I have put the food in front of you, now feed yourself, since the matter I have set myself to write of, now draws my
complete attention to itself.
86
Lo ministro maggior de la natura,
che del valor del ciel lo mondo imprenta
e col suo lume il tempo ne misura,
The Sun, the greatest minister of Nature,
who stamps the world with the power of Heaven,
and measures time for us by his light,
con quella parte che sù si rammenta
congiunto, si girava per le spire
in che più tosto ognora s'appresenta;
was circling on the spiral where he shows himself
earlier every day, joined
to that Equinoctial point I recalled.
e io era con lui; ma del salire
And I was with him: but I was no more aware
non m'accors' io, se non com' uom s'accorge, of my ascent than a man is aware
anzi 'l primo pensier, del suo venire.
of his first thoughts approaching.
È Bëatrice quella che sì scorge
di bene in meglio, sì subitamente
che l'atto suo per tempo non si sporge.
It is Beatrice who leads me from good to better,
so suddenly that her action
requires no time.
Quant' esser convenia da sé lucente
quel ch'era dentro al sol dov' io entra'mi,
non per color, ma per lume parvente!
How bright, in itself, must that be,
that shows itself in the Sun, which I had entered,
not by colour, but by light!
Perch' io lo 'ngegno e l'arte e l'uso chiami,
sì nol direi che mai s'imaginasse;
ma creder puossi e di veder si brami.
Though I might call on intellect, art and knowledge,
I could never express it so as to make it imaginable,
but it may be believed, and desired to be seen.
And if our imaginations are too base for such exaltation, it is no surprise, since no eye could ever transcend the Sun.
Such was the fourth House of the supreme Father, who always contents it, by showing how he breathes and engenders.
BEATRICE:
or BEATRICE:
E Bëatrice cominciò: Ringrazia,
ringrazia il Sol de li angeli, ch'a questo
sensibil t'ha levato per sua grazia.
And Beatrice began to speak: Give thanks,
Give thanks to the Sun of the Angels, who,
in his grace, has raised you to this visible sun.
The heart of man was never so disposed to devotion, and so eager to give itself to God with all its will, as I was at those
words: and my love was committed to Him so completely, it eclipsed Beatrice from memory. That did not displease her:
but she smiled at it so that the splendour, of her laughing eyes, scattered my mind’s coherence amongst many things.
Then I saw many lights, living and victorious, make a central point of us, and a coronet, even sweeter in voice than
shining in appearance, of themselves. So we sometimes see the Moon, Diana, Latona’s daughter, haloed when the air is
so damp as to retain the rainbow thread that weaves her zone. There are many jewels so dear and lovely, in the courts of
Heaven I have returned from, that they cannot be moved from that region, and such was the song of these lights: he who
does not wing himself to fly up to them, may as well look for news of them from the speechless. When those burning
suns, so singing, had circled round us three times, like stars near the fixed poles, they seemed as ladies do, not released
from the dance, but resting, silent, listening, until they hear the notes again.
AQUINAS 1
♫
CELESTIAL
PAR C10 54
**********
87
DANTE VERSIFIES AS THE LIGHTS OF BLESSED SOULS WHIRL THEN STEADY IN THE WINDOWS.
DANTE:
È Bëatrice quella che sì scorge
di bene in meglio, sì subitamente
che l'atto suo per tempo non si sporge.
It is Beatrice who leads me from good to better,
so suddenly that her action
requires no time.
Quant' esser convenia da sé lucente
quel ch'era dentro al sol dov' io entra'mi,
non per color, ma per lume parvente!
How bright, in itself, must that be,
that shows itself in the Sun, which I had entered,
not by colour, but by light!
Perch' io lo 'ngegno e l'arte e l'uso chiami,
sì nol direi che mai s'imaginasse;
ma creder puossi e di veder si brami.
♫
CELESTIAL
SOFT?
Though I might call on intellect, art and knowledge,
I could never express it so as to make it imaginable,
but it may be believed, and desired to be seen.
**********
PAR C10 54
[ORANGE ☼ ☼ ☼]
- [ORANGE ☼ ☼ ☼] - [ORANGE ☼ ☼ ☼]
A LIGHT IN THE CENTRE OR RIGHT WINDOW, AQUINAS, NAMES HIS FELLOWS ONE BY ONE AND THEY
MANIFEST THEMSELVES AS MEN, STANDING AGAINST AN OBSCURE BACKGROUND. EACH BLESSED SOUL
MAY CONTINUE TO STAND WHEN HE IS NAMED, OR WALK AWAY TO LEAVE ROOM FOR THE NEXT. AQUINAS
MANIFESTS HIMSELF AS A MAN LAST OF ALL.
AS EACH SOUL IS INTRODUCED, DANTE AND BEATRICE FURTHER IDENTIFIES HIM AND GIVES HIS IMPORTANT
WORKS. DANTE AND BEATRICE ARE SOMETIMES THINKING ALOUD, SOMETIMES DELIBERATELY INFORMING
THE AUDIENCE.
EACH BLESSED SOUL CARRIES A BOOK, THE EARLIER ONES OF SLATES OR TABLETS.
THOMAS AQUINAS (VOICE):
E dentro a l'un senti' cominciar: Quando
lo raggio de la grazia, onde s'accende
verace amore e che poi cresce amando,
And in one I heard a voice begin to say:
Since the light of grace glows in you,
at which true love is lit,
ST THOMAS AQUINAS 1225? - 1274 AGE : 48 CHARACTER AGE : *--?
TOMMASO D’AQUINO
BORN AT THE CASTLE OF ROCCASECCA, NEAR THE ABBEY OF MONTECASSINO (MONTE CASSINO), BETWEEN ROME
AND NAPLES, THE SON OF THE COUNT OF AQUINO (LORD OF LORETO). HE BECAME A DOMINICAN NOVICE AT THE
AGE OF 19. HE WALKED OVER THE ALPS IN MIDWINTER TO PARIS, THEN COLOGNE, TO STUDY UNDER ALBERTUS
MAGNUS. KNOWN BY FELLOW-STUDENTS AS THE ‘DUMB (SICILIAN) OX’. BACK LATER IN COLOGNE HE
DELIVERED SERMONS IN THE GERMAN VERNACULAR TO ENORMOUS CONGREGATIONS. HE SOUGHT TO ACHIEVE A
SYNTHESIS BETWEEN ARISTOTELIAN PHILOSOPHY AND CHRISTIAN THOUGHT. HE WAS AN INTIMATE FRIEND OF ST
BONAVENTURA.
DESCRIPTION
DOMINICAN. DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH. ‘A MAN OF IMPOSING STATURE, MASSIVE BUILD (PORTLY) AND FAIR
COMPLEXION, HE APPEARED MORE OF A NORSEMAN THAN A SOUTH ITALIAN’. HE CARRIES NO BOOK.
PARADISO PICTURES
40, 41
88
multiplicato in te tanto resplende,
che ti conduce su per quella scala
u' sanza risalir nessun discende;
and then by loving is multiplied,
so as to lead you on that stair,
that no one descends except to climb again,
qual ti negasse il vin de la sua fiala
per la tua sete, in libertà non for a
se non com' acqua ch'al mar non si cala.
whoever denied you the wine from his glass,
to quench your thirst, would be as little at
liberty to do so, as water to refuse to flow to the sea.
Tu vuo' saper di quai piante s'infiora
questa ghirlanda che 'ntorno vagheggia
la bella donna ch'al ciel t'avvalora.
You wish to know with what flowers this garland
is decorated that circles the lovely lady
who strengthens your resolve for Heaven.
Io fui de li agni de la santa greggia
che Domenico mena per cammino
u' ben s'impingua se non si vaneggia.
I was one of the lambs, of the sacred flock,
that Dominic leads on the path
where there is good pasture, if we do not stray.
Questi che m'è a destra più vicino,
frate e maestro fummi, ed esso Alberto
è di Cologna, e io Thomas d'Aquino.
He, who is nearest to me on the right, was my
master and my brother: he was Albert of Cologne,
and I, Thomas Aquinas.
[ORANGE ☼ ☼ ☼]
- [ORANGE ☼ ☼ AM] - [ORANGE ☼ ☼ ☼]
ALBERTUS APPEARS IN HUMAN FORM. ABOVE…. NOT SHOWN FOR OTHER BLESSED SOULS.
ALBERTUS MAGNUS 1205? - 1280 AGE : 75? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
ALBERTO MAGNO, ALBERT THE GREAT, ALBERT OF COLOGNE
BORN LAUINGEN, SWABIA, ELDEST SON OF THE COUNT OF BOLLSTÄDT. STUDIED AT UNIVERSITY OF PADUA,
LATER IN BOLOGNA, PARIS OR COLOGNE AND TAUGHT IN COLOGNE. ONE OF THE TWO GREAT LIGHTS OF THE
DOMINICAN ORDER (WITH HIS PUPIL, THOMAS AQUINAS), HE CHRISTIANISED ARISTOTLE BY ADOPTING HIS
PHILOSOPHY & MAKING HIM A TREASURY OF PAGAN LEARNING. HE WAS AN AUTHORITY ON PHYSICS (INCLUDING
OPTICS), GEOGRAPHY, ASTRONOMY, MINERALOGY CHEMISTRY, ZOOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY. HE GAVE AN
ELABORATE DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPHERICITY OF THE EARTH AND HYPOTHESISED THAT THE SPEED OF LIGHT
WAS FINITE, THOUGH EXTREMELY FAST.
DESCRIPTION
IN A BLACK-AND-WHITE DOMINICAN HABIT WITH A DOCTOR’S CAP. HE CARRIES A BOOK.
PARADISO PICTURES
18, 19, 20
89
DANTE:
Saint Albertus Magnus, Alberto Magno
Doctor Universalis…the Universal Doctor
Provincial of the Dominican Order
in Germany from 1254
BEATRICE:
Physicorum, De Coelo et Mundo, Mineralium, De
Natura locorum, De vegetabilibus et plantis, De
Anima, De unitate intellectus, De sacramento
Eucharistiae, Quindecim problemata contra
Averroistas.
Vir in omni scientia adeo divinus…ut stupor et
miraculum congrue vocari possit The wonder and
miracle of his age..
Non tetigit quod non ornavit.
BEATRICE:
&/or BEATRICE:
(Ital:)………………..…………………
He proved the earth is spherical [round?] and
(Ital:)………………..…………………
ventured that the speed of light is finite, though
extremely fast.
or THOMAS AQUINAS (VOICE):
PAR C10 100-102 / DANTE
PAR C10 100-102 / KLINE
Se sì di tutti li altri esser vuo' certo,
di retro al mio parlar ten vien col viso
girando su per lo beato serto.
If you wish to know the rest as well,
circling above around the garland, blessed,
direct your sight according to my words.
PAR C10 103-105 / DANTE
Quell' altro fiammeggiare esce del riso
di Grazïan, che l'uno e l'altro foro
aiutò sì che piace in paradiso.
This next flamelet is issues from Gratian’s
smile, he who gave such help to the ecclesiastical
and civil spheres as is acceptable in Paradise.
GRATIANUS APPEARS.
GRATIANUS, JOHANNES OR FRANCISCUS *---? - 1160↔79 AGE : *--? CHARACTER AGE:
--
*
GRATIAN, GRAZIAN
BORN CHIUSI, TUSCANY?
DESCRIPTION
CAMALDOLESE MONK IN A WHITE HABIT. HE CARRIES A BOOK.
PARADISO PICTURES
35
AN ITALIAN CAMALDOLESE (OR BENEDICTINE) MONK, BROUGHT ECCLESIASTICAL & CIVIL LAW INTO HARMONY WITH EACH
OTHER. HIS DECRETUM (C 1140) WAS THE FIRST SYSTEMATIC TREATISE ON CANON LAW. NOT A BISHOP, AS WAS CLAIMED.
PAR C10 104-105 / DANTE
PAR C10 104-105 / KLINE
di Grazïan, che l'uno e l'altro foro
aiutò sì che piace in paradiso.
he who gave such help to the ecclesiastical
and civil spheres as is acceptable in Paradise.
DANTE:
Gratianus; Grazian
BEATRICE:
Decretum Gratiani
90
PAR C10 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C10 106-108 / KLINE
L'altro ch'appresso addorna il nostro coro,
quel Pietro fu che con la poverella
offerse a Santa Chiesa suo tesoro.
The fourth, that adorns our choir next, was that
Next is Peter Lombard, who, like the poor widow,
offered his wealth to Holy Church.
PETER LOMBARD APPEARS.
PETER LOMBARD 1100? - 1160-4 AGE : *62? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
PIETRO LOMBARDO
BORN NOVARA OR LUMELLO, PIEDMONT. SPENT MUCH TIME IN PARIS.
WROTE HIS FOUR BOOKS ON GOD, THE CREATION, REDEMPTION & THE SACRAMENTS & LAST THINGS, AS THE CHIEF SUMMARY
OF MEDIEVAL THEOLOGY BEFORE AQUINAS, WHO COMMENTED ON IT. IN THE PROLOGUE HE SPEAKS OF HIMSELF AS ‘DESIRING
WITH THE POOR WIDOW (LUKE 21 1-4) TO CAST SOMETHING OUT OF OUR POVERTY INTO THE TREASURY OF THE LORD.’
DESCRIPTION
AUGUSTINIAN THEOLOGIAN. DRESSED IN WHITE. HE CARRIES A BOOK.
PARADISO PICTURES
39
PAR C10 107-108 / DANTE
PAR C10 107-108 / KLINE
quel Pietro fu che con la poverella
offerse a Santa Chiesa suo tesoro.
Next is Peter Lombard, who, like the poor widow,
offered his wealth to Holy Church.
DANTE:
Pietro Lombardo, Archbishop of Paris
Magister Sententiarum Master of the Sentences
BEATRICE:
Quatuor libri Sententiarum.
PAR C10 109-111 / DANTE
PAR C10 109-111 / KLINE
La quinta luce, ch'è tra noi più bella,
spira di tale amor, che tutto 'l mondo
là giù ne gola di saper novella:
The fifth light, which is most beautiful among us,
breathes from such a love, that all
the world below, thirsts to have news of it.
PAR C10 112-114 / DANTE
entro v'è l'alta mente u' sì profondo
saver fu messo, che, se 'l vero è vero,
a veder tanto non surse il secondo.
In there is the noble mind of Solomon, to which
was granted a wisdom so profound, that if truth be
known, no other ever achieved so complete a
vision.
SOLOMON PLAYS A MINOR ROLE IN CHESS./.CHANSON DE ROLAND AND MAY BE OMITTED TO SAVE ON
PLAYERS.
SOLOMON (SALOMON) 970 - 928 BC AGE : *42? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
HEBREW.
DESCRIPTION
ROYAL PURPLE AND BLUE ROBES. GOLD AND JEWELLED CROWN.
HE CARRIES A BOOK AND WEARS A SWORD (FOR NOT BISECTING BABIES).
SOLOMON: KING OF ISRAEL, SO WISE, BEFORE CHRISTIANITY, THAT THERE WAS A DEBATE, HERE RESOLVED, AS TO WHETHER AS A
JEW HE WAS DAMNED OR SAVED.
91
PAR C10 112-114 / DANTE
PAR C10 112-114 / KLINE
entro v'è l'alta mente u' sì profondo
saver fu messo, che, se 'l vero è vero,
a veder tanto non surse il secondo.
In there is the noble mind of Solomon, to which
was granted a wisdom so profound, that if truth be
known, no other ever achieved so complete a
vision.
DANTE:
Salomon, re d’Israèl
BEATRICE or DANTE:
&/or BEATRICE
(Ital:)……………………………………
Psalms, Proverbs, the Song of Songs
possibly several psalms, part of the Book of Proverbs, some elements of the Song of Songs.
PAR C10 115-117 / KLINE
Next look at that taper’s light, Dionysius, who in the flesh down there, saw deepest into the Angelic nature and its
ministry.
DIONYSIUS, THE AREOPAGITE SEE ACTS 7, TO WHOM WERE ASCRIBED CERTAIN MYSTICAL WRITINGS, ESPECIALLY ONE ON THE
CELESTIAL HIERARCHY, WHICH WERE POSSIBLY COMPOSED IN THE FIFTH OR SIXTH CENTURY.
AQUINAS POINTS.
PAR C10 118-120 / DANTE
PAR C10 118-120 / KLINE
Ne l'altra piccioletta luce ride
quello avvocato de' tempi cristiani
del cui latino Augustin si provide.
In the seventh little light, Orosius,
that pleader for the Christian Age,
whose works Augustine made use of.
AQUINAS POINTS. OROSIUS MANIFESTS HIMSELF.
OROSIUS (PAULUS OROSIUS) 380↔390 – 418 + AGE : * ? CHARACTER AGE : * ?
PROBABLY BORN BRACARA (NOW BRAGA, PORTUGAL).
DESCRIPTION
HISTORIAN AND CHRISTIAN APOLOGIST. VISITED ST AUGUSTINE AT HIPPO. WENT TO PALESTINE. WEARS BLACK
(ARBITRARILY) TO SERVE IN THE CHANSON DE ROLAND SEGMENTS. HE CARRIES A BOOK.
--
--
PAR C10 118-120 / DANTE
PAR C10 118-120 / KLINE
Ne l'altra piccioletta luce ride
quello avvocato de' tempi cristiani
del cui latino Augustin si provide.
In the seventh little light, Orosius,
that pleader for the Christian Age,
whose works Augustine made use of.
BEATRICE:
Commonitorium de errore Priscillianistarum et
Origenistarum.
Liber apologeticus contra Pelagium de Arbitrii
libertate.
Historia adversus paganos.
DANTE:
Paulus Orosius
PAR C10 121-123 / KLINE
Now if you run your mind’s eye from light to light, following my praise, you are already thirsting for the eighth.
AQUINAS POINTS AGAIN AND BOËTHIUS APPEARS, LOOKING CHEERFUL.
92
PAR C10 124-126 / DANTE
PAR C10 124-126 / KLINE
Per vedere ogne ben dentro vi gode
l'anima santa che 'l mondo fallace
fa manifesto a chi di lei ben ode.
In there, seeing every good, Boëthius., the sainted
soul rejoices, who unmasked the deceitful world
to those who give him a careful hearing.
BOËTHIUS 480? - 525? AGE : *45? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
BORN ROME, DIED PAVIA. A CHRISTIAN, OR PAGAN WITH CHRISTIAN CONNECTIONS. HE WAS EXECUTED BY KING
THEODORIC AND CLAIMED AS A CATHOLIC MARTYR.
DESCRIPTION
DRESSED IN A WHITE TOGA? HE CARRIES A BOOK.
PARADISO PICTURES
27, 34
PAR C10 124-126 / DANTE
PAR C10 124-126 / KLINE
Per vedere ogne ben dentro vi gode
l'anima santa che 'l mondo fallace
fa manifesto a chi di lei ben ode.
In there, seeing every good, Boëthius, The the
sainted soul rejoices, who unmasked the deceitful
world to those who give him a careful hearing.
DANTE:
Anicius Manlius Torquatus Severinus Boëthius,
executed by King Theodoric.
BEATRICE:
The Consolations of Philosophy De Consolatione
Philosophiae.
De Institutione Arithmetica Libri II.
De Institutione Musica Libri V.
PAR C10 127-129 / DANTE
PAR C10 127-129 / KLINE
Lo corpo ond' ella fu cacciata giace
giuso in Cieldauro; ed essa da martiro
e da essilio venne a questa pace.
The body from which it was chased out,
lies down below in Cieldauro, and it
came from exile and martyrdom to this peace.
PAR C10 130-132 / DANTE
PAR C10 130-132 / KLINE
Vedi oltre fiammeggiar l'ardente spiro
d'Isidoro, di Beda e di Riccardo,
che a considerar fu più che viro.
Next, see the glowing breath of Isidore of Seville
flame out, of Bede, and Richard of Saint Victor,
who in contemplation exceeded Man.
ISIDORE APPEARS AS A MAN.
93
ST ISIDORE OF SEVILLE 560? - 636 AGE : 76? CHARACTER AGE : 40? (AGE OF BECOMING
ARCHBISHOP)
ISIDORO (SP. AND IT.)
BORN SEVILLE. LATIN / GREEK / HEBREW. NOT CLASSICAL LATIN: GOTHS HAD CONTROLLED SPAIN FOR NEARLY 2
CENTURIES.
ARCHBISHOP OF SEVILLE FROM C 600. IT IS NOT KNOWN WHETHER HE EVER BECAME A MONK, BUT HE ESTEEMED
AND PROTECTED RELIGIOUS ORDERS. THE ETYMOLOGIAE IS ‘A VAST STOREHOUSE IN WHICH IS GATHERED,
SYSTEMATISED AND CONDENSED, ALL THE LEARNING POSSESSED BY HIS TIME’. THROUGHOUT THE GREATER PART
OF THE MIDDLE AGES IT WAS THE TEXTBOOK MOST IN USE IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
DESCRIPTION
AS ARCHBISHOP OF SEVILLE. HE CARRIES A BOOK.
PARADISO PICTURES
36
DANTE:
PAR C10 130-131 / DANTE
PAR C10 130-131 / KLINE
Vedi oltre fiammeggiar l'ardente spiro
Next, see the glowing breath of St Isidore of Seville
BEATRICE:
The Etymologiae or Origines:
all the learning of his time.
DANTE:
an apprentice to a farmer, by others was accused
of neglecting his work….
His master, John of Varges, found him praying
while two angels ploughed the field.
PAR C10 131 / DANTE
PAR C10 131 / KLINE
BEDE APPEARS AS A MAN.
BEDE (BEDA, BAEDA) 673? - 735 AGE : 62? CHARACTER AGE: 62?
THE VENERABLE BEDE
ENGLAND. ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORIAN, DIED JARROW.
ANGLO-SAXON?
DESCRIPTION
HE IS DRESSED IN BLACK AS A BENEDICTINE AND WEARS HIS DOCTOR’S CAP. HE CARRIES A BOOK.
PARADISO PICTURES
21, 22
DANTE:
PAR C10 131 / DANTE
PAR C10 131 / KLINE
flame out, of The Venerable Bede, and Richard of
Saint Victor,
BEATRICE:
Historia Ecclesiastica Gentis Anglorum
DANTE:
Doctor Ecclesiae; venerabilis et modernis
temporibus doctor admirabilis
called this by Council of Aachen, 835
94
PAR C10 131 / DANTE
PAR C10 131 / KLINE
RICHARD OF SAINT-VICTOR APPEARS AS A MAN. (OPTIONAL CHARACTER.)
RICHARD OF SAINT VICTOR *----? - 1173 AGE : *--? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
RICCARDO
SCOTTISH, PRIOR OF ABBEY OF ST VICTOR, PARIS. LATIN. FRENCH?
CLOISTERED BUT CONCERNED WITH EDUCATION. AT ST VICTOR HE FOLLOWED THE STRICTER RULE LAID DOWN BY
HIS FRIEND, ST BERNARD. BENJAMIN MAJOR & BENJAMIN MINOR DEFINE THE STAGES OF MYSTICAL CONTEMPLATION.
DESCRIPTION
AUGUSTINIAN CANON REGULAR – WHITE HABIT. HE CARRIES A BOOK.
DANTE:
PAR C10 131-132 / DANTE
PAR C10 131-132 / KLINE
che a considerar fu più che viro.
who in contemplation exceeded Man.
Scottish prior of the great Abbey in Paris.
BEATRICE:
Benjamin Major, Benjamin Minor.
They define the stages of mystical contemplation.
PAR C10 133-135 / DANTE
PAR C10 133-135 / KLINE
Questi onde a me ritorna il tuo riguardo,
è 'l lume d'uno spirto che 'n pensieri
gravi a morir li parve venir tardo:
The one from whom your glance returns to me,
is the light of a spirit, who, of profound thought,
seemed to himself to reach death too slowly.:
PAR C10 136-138 / DANTE
essa è la luce etterna di Sigieri,
che, leggendo nel Vico de li Strami,
silogizzò invidïosi veri».
it It is the eternal light of Sigier, who, lecturing
in the Rue du Fouarre, syllogised truths
that brought him hatred,
SIGIER APPEARS.
SIGIER (SIGER) OF BRABANT_ *----? – 1283? AGE : *--? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
BRABANT. FRENCH.
A PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS, WHERE THE ‘STRAW-LITTERED’ RUE DU FOUARRE RAN CLOSE TO THE
RIVER IN THE LATIN QUARTER, AND WAS THE CENTRE OF THE ARTS SCHOOLS AT PARIS. HE DISPUTED WITH THE
MENDICANT ORDERS, AND AQUINAS WAS ONE OF HIS OPPONENTS (DE UNITATE INTELLECTUS CONTRA AVERROISTAS).
IT IS NOT KNOWN WHY DANTE HAD AQUINAS SPEAK WELL OF HIM. HE WAS DRIVEN FROM HIS UNIVERSITY CHAIR
AND ASSASSINATED, OR EXECUTED, AT THE PAPAL COURT AT ORVIETO.
DESCRIPTION
HE WEARS BLACK AND CARRIES A BOOK.
PAR C10 136-138 / DANTE
PAR C10 136-138 / KLINE
essa è la luce etterna di Sigieri,
che, leggendo nel Vico de li Strami,
silogizzò invidïosi veri».
it It is the eternal light of Sigier, who, lecturing
in the Rue du Fouarre, syllogised truths
that brought him hatred,
DANTE:
Sigier of Brabant, Professor in Paris;
executed or assassinated at the papal Court.
95
BEATRICE:
De anima intellectiva, De aeternitate mundi,
Quaestiones logicales, Impossibilia
PAR C10 97-99 / DANTE from earlier
Questi che m'è a destra più vicino,
frate e maestro fummi, ed esso Alberto
è di Cologna, e io Thomas d'Aquino.
He, who is nearest to me on the right, was my
master and my brother: he was Albert of Cologne,
and I, Thomas Aquinas.
- [BLESSED SOULS] - [BLESSED SOULS
■ - ■ - [AQ]
[BLESSED SOULS]
or
INC AQUINAS]
THOMAS AQUINAS FINALLY MANIFESTS HIMSELF AS A MAN.
DANTE:
Saint Thomas Aquinas, Doctor Angelicus
BEATRICE:
Summa Theologica or Summa Theologiae…
BEATRICE WOULD GO ON BUT AQUINAS HOLDS UP HIS EMPTY HANDS.
THOMAS AQUINAS:
Omnia que scripsi videntur michi palee
respectu eorumque vidi et revelata sunt
michi.
All that I have written seems to me like straw
compared with what has now been revealed
to me.
DANTE INTERPRETS TO THE AUDIENCE…
Omnia que scripsi videntur michi palee
respectu eorumque vidi et revelata sunt
michi.
DANTE:
All that I have written seems to me like straw
compared with what has now been revealed
to me.
…AND BEATRICE CORRECTS HIM.
BEATRICE:
Paleae is chaff, fit for burning only, while
straw serves for fodder, mattresses and thatching.
PALEAE IS PLURAL
MARJORIE O’ROURKE BOYLE
HAS POINTED OUT THAT THE WORD IS ALMOST UNIVERSALLY MISTRANSLATED. DANTE’S
TRANSLATION OF LATIN IN THE DIVINE COMEDY IS NOT PERFECT. FRANK HALSEMA SUPPLIED THE QUOTE ON THE FORUM PAGE OF
THE THOMAS INSTITUUT TE UTRECHT WITH REFERENCES TO CAUTIONS AGAINST INTERPRETING PALEE IN A TOO DEPRECATORY
SENSE.
AQUINAS AND DANTE BOW TO BEATRICE.
96
THOMAS AQUINAS:
PSALM PROLOG. comment
Where the word stops there starts the song,
exultation of the mind bursting forth in the voice.
[BLESSED SOULS?]
■-■-■
- [BLESSED SOULS?] - [BLESSED SOULS? INC AQUINAS]
CELESTIAL 2
♫
CELESTIAL
CONTD.
**********
before PAR C10 145
PAR C10 145-147 / KLINE
Then, as the clock, that strikes the hour, when the bride of God rises, to sing her Matins, to the Bridegroom, so that he
might love her, where one part pulls and pushes another, making a chiming sound, of such sweet notes, that the welldisposed spirit fills with love,
DANTE GAZES ABOVE HIM.
DANTE:
PAR C10 145-147 / DANTE
PAR C10 145-147 / KLINE
così vid' ïo la gloriosa rota
muoversi e render voce a voce in tempra
e in dolcezza ch'esser non pò nota
so I saw see the glorious wheel revolve,
and answer voice to voice, in harmony,
and with a sweetness that cannot be known
PAR C10 148 / DANTE
se non colà dove gioir s'insempra.
except where joy renders itself eternal.
CANTO 11
PAR C11 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C11 1-3 / KLINE
O insensata cura de' mortali,
quanto son difettivi silogismi
quei che ti fanno in basso batter l'ali!
O mindless mortal cares! How defective
the reasoning that makes you beat
your wings towards the earth!
PAR C11 4-6 / DANTE
Chi dietro a iura e chi ad amforismi
sen giva, e chi seguendo sacerdozio,
e chi regnar per forza o per sofismi,
One person was is chasing law, another medicine;
one following the priesthood,
another rule, by force or sophistry;
PAR C11 7-9 / DANTE
e chi rubare e chi civil negozio,
chi nel diletto de la carne involto
s'affaticava e chi si dava a l'ozio,
one robbery, another civic business;
one was is involved in bodily pleasure,
and another taking their ease:
quando, da tutte queste cose sciolto,
con Bëatrice m'era suso in cielo
cotanto glorïosamente accolto.
while I, free of all these things,
was am received, with Beatrice,
so gloriously in Heaven.
97
■-■-■
AQUINAS 2
[CP 22 / CROWNED BS]
1 - 404
- [CP 23 / TABLE BS] - [CP 24 / BS LIBRARY]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
CLARE PICTURES: CASTLES (SEE CHESS BELOW.)
Clare Pictures 22: Castle: Roccasecca
Birthplace of Thomas Aquinas, near the Abbey of Montecassino.
Clare Pictures 23: Jerusalem
Find a picture.
Clare Pictures 24: Castle: Hohenstaufen
Based on the tower in PARADISO PICTURES: 47. This postdates Cacciaguida’s time, but there was
something simpler earlier.
BELOW, AS THE MUSIC CONTINUES, THE 3 WINDOWS LIGHT UP WITH NO DIVIDERS BETWEEN THEM. IN THE
LEFT WINDOW, SOLOMON & CONSTANCE CHAT COMFORTABLY (INAUDIBLY) AS CROWNED HEADS. RAHAB, IF
UNCROWNED, STANDS AWKWARDLY NEARBY UNTIL SOLOMON BOWS OR GENUFLECTS TO HER AND PUTS HIS
OWN CROWN ON HER HEAD. IF SOLOMON IS OMITTED AND RAHAB COMES CROWNED, SHE GREETS THE
EMPRESS CONSTANCE AS A SISTER. CUNIZZA, AS NOBILITY, HOVERS.
IN THE RIGHT PART OF THE RIGHT WINDOW ARE THE STALLS OF A MONASTIC LIBRARY WHICH ONLY PARTLY
OBSCURES THIS AND FUTURE CLARE PICTURES. BOOK AND SCROLL STACKS REACH TO THE TOP OF THE
WINDOW, OR ABOVE IT. OUT OF REACH ABOVE A BOOK-LADDER IS AN OLIFANT, AN IVORY HORN – A SMALL
ELEPHANT TUSK. OTHER RECENTLY-MANIFESTED BLESSED SOULS./.SOULS MOVE IN AND OUT OF THE
STALLS.
ALBERTUS MAGNUS READS AND MAKES NOTES AT A TABLE WHICH OCCUPIES A LARGE PART OF THE CENTRE
WINDOW. AQUINAS EMERGES FROM A STALL AND THEY EMBRACE AS BELOVED TEACHER AND PUPIL,
FELLOW-DOMINICANS. AS THEY STUDY, THE VENERABLE BEDE COMES FROM ANOTHER STALL. THE 3
EMBRACE AS DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH.
DANTE VERSIFIES AND CLOSES CANTO 10.
DANTE:
PAR C10 139-141 / DANTE from before
PAR C10 139-141 / KLINE
Indi, come orologio che ne chiami
ne l'ora che la sposa di Dio surge
a mattinar lo sposo perché l'ami,
Then, as the clock, that strikes the hour,
when the bride of God rises, to sing her Matins,
to the Bridegroom, so that he might love her,
PAR C10 142-144 / DANTE
che l'una parte e l'altra tira e urge,
tin tin sonando con sì dolce nota,
che 'l ben disposto spirto d'amor turge;
where one part pulls and pushes another,
making a chiming sound, of such sweet notes,
that the well-disposed spirit fills with love,
PAR C10 145-147 / DANTE
così vid' ïo la gloriosa rota
muoversi e render voce a voce in tempra
e in dolcezza ch'esser non pò nota
so I saw the glorious wheel revolve,
and answer voice to voice, in harmony,
and with a sweetness that cannot be known
PAR C10 148 / DANTE
se non colà dove gioir s'insempra.
except where joy renders itself eternal.
98
When each spirit had returned to the place in the circle where he was before, he rested, like a candle in its holder. And I
saw a smile begin inside the light that had first spoken, as it grew brighter, and Thomas said: Just as I glow with its rays,
so as I gaze into the Eternal Light I know the reason for your thoughts. You question, and wish to understand my words,
in such open and extended speech as will match your comprehension, the words I spoke just now, where there is good
pasture, and, no other ever achieved, and here we need to draw careful distinctions.
GRATIANUS AND SIGIER (ONE CARRYING A LARGE VOLUME), WHO HAVE BEEN HANGING AROUND NEAR THE
TABLE, SIT DOWN AT EITHER END. THEY OPEN THE HOLLOW TABLETOP ALONG ITS CENTRE LINE. ONE PANEL
HANGS FROM THE EDGE OF THE TABLE NEAREST THE AUDIENCE. THE TABLETOP IS REVEALED AS A LARGE
CHESSBOARD. THERE ARE A FEW PIECES ON THE BOARD, SHOWING THE ‘CHECKMATE IN THE CORNER’:
CHECKMATE IN THE CORNER: MUCH VALUED BY THE CHESS PLAYERS OF THE MIDDLE AGES, IT WAS CONSIDERED OF
PARTICULAR BEAUTY BOTH DUE TO THE DIFFICULTY OF ITS REALISATION AND TO THE SIMPLICITY OF ITS ASPECT. DEATH
DEFEATS THE KNIGHT WITH IT IN BERGMAN’S SEVENTH SEAL. (FROM ALESSANDRO SANVITO, L’ITALIA SCHACCHISTICA).
CHESS
CHESS’S SYMBOLIC, LITERARY & ALLEGORICAL STRENGTH PROVED IRRESISTIBLE WHEN IT CAME TO EUROPE IN THE 11TH
C. KNOWING THE GAME & ITS MEANING BECAME ONE OF THE 7 PROBITATES (ACCOMPLISHMENTS) OF THE KNIGHT.
ALMOST ALL THE EARLY REFERENCES TO CHESS, OFTEN CONDEMNATIONS, ORIGINATE FROM MONASTIC CENTRES. IN
1061, PETER DAMIAN URGED POPE-ELECT ALEXANDER III TO PUNISH THE BISHOP OF FLORENCE, THE FUTURE POPE
NICHOLAS II FOR PLAYING CHESS. LIBER DE MORIBUS HOMINUM ET OFFICIIS NOBILIUM (C 1280, J. DE CESSOLIS), A CHESS
ALLEGORY & MORALITY, BEGAN AS A SERMON & ENDED UP RIVALLING THE BIBLE IN POPULARITY & NO. OF PRINTINGS.
QUEEN’S CHESS OR MAD QUEEN’S CHESS, WHERE THAT PIECE COULD MOVE MORE THAN ONE SQUARE AT A TIME,
TH
DEVELOPED IN LATE 15 C SPAIN.
THERE ARE VERY CHESS PIECES EXTANT FROM THE PERIOD. THE SO-CALLED CHARLEMAGNE SET (PARADISO
PICTURES: 52) WAS MADE OF ELEPHANT IVORY IN SALERNO, NEAR NAPLES. THE OWNER WAS PROBABLY ROBERT
GUISCARD (D. 1085), FOUNDER OF THE NORMAN DYNASTY IN SOUTHERN ITALY AND SICILY. DANTE MENTIONS HIM IN
L’INFERNO AND IL PARADISO.
THE RULES IN 1300 VARIED FROM PLACE TO PLACE, BEING CLOSER TO THE MODERN GAME IN SPAIN AND ITALY THAN IN
FRANCE AND ENGLAND. GRATIANUS AND SIGIER MIGHT PLAY ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING:
PIECES ARE SET UP AS IN MODERN CHESS.
KING, KNIGHT, ROOK AND PAWN MOVE AND CAPTURE AS IN MODERN CHESS, EXCEPT THAT THE PAWN MAY MOVE 2
SQUARES ON THEIR FIRST MOVE ONLY UNTIL A CAPTURE IS PLAYED AND THERE IS NO EN PASSANT RULE FOR PAWNS.
AS A FIRST MOVE THE QUEEN & KING MAY LEAP OVER 1 SQUARE WITHOUT CAPTURING ANY PIECE ON IT.
STALEMATE IS A DRAW, AS IN MODERN CHESS.
KING AND QUEEN CAN MOVE SIMULTANEOUSLY IF IT IS THE FIRST MOVE FOR BOTH.
NO CASTLING.
A PAWN MAY ONLY PROMOTE TO A QUEEN.
IN PRACTICE, THE PIECES AND MOST MOVES WILL NOT BE CLEARLY VISIBLE.
THE BLESSED SOULS REPRESENT THE KINGS, QUEENS, BISHOPS AND KNIGHTS ATTENDANT ON THE GAME. THE CASTLES
ARE SUGGESTED BY CLARE PICTURES 22, 23, 24 AND THE SHIELD OF CASTILE (PARADISO PICTURES: 51), MENTIONED
IN [PAR C12 52-54], HUNG ON THE WALL. WHEN CACCIAGUIDA ARRIVES HE ADDS THE HOHENSTAUFEN SHIELD AND
BANNER.
IN FACT, THE CHESS SET MAY NOT HAVE CASTLES (WHICH WERE ORIGINALLY THE HOWDAHS OF ELEPHANTS, THOUGH THE
ELEPHANTS IN THE ‘CHARLEMAGNE’ SET ARE BISHOPS).
LA CHANSON DE ROLAND THE SONG OF ROLAND
THE ROLAND STORY HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AS A NORMAN 12TH C MANUSCRIPT OF AN 11TH CENTURY TEXT ABOUT AN 8TH
C CAROLINGIAN EVENT (JULIA BOLTON HOLLOWAY). IT IS FIRST MENTIONED AS BEING SUNG AT THE BATTLE OF
HASTINGS (1066). ITALIAN VERSIONS CAME LATER. DANTE REFERS TO THE CHANSON IN L’INFERNO AND IN THIS
CANTICLE.
Così per Carlo Magno e per Orlando
due ne seguì lo mio attento sguardo,
com' occhio segue suo falcon volando.
So for Charlemagne and Roland, two more,
followed by my keen gaze,
as the eye follows a hawk in flight.
Poscia trasse Guiglielmo e Rinoardo
e 'l duca Gottifredi la mia vista
per quella croce, e Ruberto Guiscardo.
Then William of Orange, Renard,
his brother-in-law, Duke Godfrey
of Bouillon, and Robert Guiscard.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE BATTLE OF AUGUST 15TH, 778, WRITTEN BETWEEN 817 AND 830 (VITA KAROLI, EGINHARD):
BASQUES, OR GASCONS, EXTERMINATED THE REAR-GUARD OF CHARLEMAGNE’S ARMY, INCLUDING THE GOVERNOR
OF THE MARCH OF BRITTANY – ROLAND - AS IT WITHDREW FROM SPAIN. THE EMPEROR HAD BEEN CAMPAIGNING
THERE AT THE REQUEST OF THE ‘SARACENS’.
99
LA CHANSON DE ROLAND: http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/ La Chanson de Roland
THE SONG OF ROLAND: TR. CHARLES MONCRIEF (1919) ONLINE MEDIEVAL & CLASSICAL LIBRARY RELEASE #12
WHERE LINE NOS. DO NOT CORRESPOND BETWEEN THE TWO VERSIONS (AFTER VERSE 113), THE ORIGINAL PREVAILS.
● = BLACK / PAGAN
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
○ = WHITE / FRANK
SIGIER:
●
Carles li reis, nostre emper[er]e magnes
Set anz tuz pleins ad estet en Espaigne:
Tresqu'en la mer cunquist la tere altaigne.
N'i ad castel ki devant lui remaigne;
Mur ne citet n'i est remes a fraindre,
Fors Sarraguce, ki est en une muntaigne.
Li reis Marsilie la tient, ki Deu nen aimet;
Mahumet sert e Apollin recleimet:
Charles the King, our Lord and Sovereign,
Now no fortress against him doth remain,
Full seven years hath sojourned in Spain,
Conquered the land, and won the western main,
No city walls are left for him to gain,
Save Sarraguce, that sits on high mountain.
Marsile its King, who feareth not God's name,
Mahumet's man, he invokes Apollin's aid,
FREE PRONUNCIATION SAMPLE: WWW.TECLA.COM/CATALOG/0055.HTM
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
13
14
Carles li reis, nostre emper[er]e magnes
Set anz tuz pleins ad estet en Espaigne:
Tresqu'en la mer cunquist la tere altaigne.
N'i ad castel ki devant lui remaigne;
Mur ne citet n'i est remes a fraindre,
Fors Sarraguce, ki est en une muntaigne.
Li reis Marsilie la tient, ki Deu nen aimet;
Mahumet sert e Apollin recleimet:
Li reis Marsilie esteit en Sarraguce.
Envirun lui plus de vint milie humes.
Il en apelet e ses dux e ses cuntes:
○
GRATIANUS:
Charlemagne, our Lord and Sovereign,
Now no fortress against him doth remain,
Full seven years hath sojourned in Spain,
Conquered the land, and won the western main,
No city walls are left for him to gain,
Save Sarraguce, that sits on high mountain.
Marsile its King, who feareth not God's name,
Mahumet's man, he invokes Apollin's aid,
King Marsilies he lay at Sarraguce,
Round him his men, full twenty thousand, stood.
Called he forth then his counts, also his dukes:
THE BLESSED SOULS PLAY THE CHANSON CHARACTERS AT FIRST WITHOUT APPROACHING THE
TABLE. AS THE GAME PROGRESSES THEY TEND TO GROUP ON ONE SIDE OF THE OTHER,
THOSE WHO LIVED BEFORE ITS
DEPENDING ON THE COLOUR OF THEIR CLOTHES.
COMPOSITION - JUSTINIAN, RAHAB, ISIDORE OF SEVILLE, BOËTHIUS, SOLOMON, BEDE,
OROSIUS – MAY BE PROMPTED AND./.OR GIVEN A COPY OF THE WORK BY SIGIER OR
GRATIANUS WHEN THEY FIRST COME TO SPEAK. AQUINAS IGNORES THE ACTION AND
CONTINUES TO STUDY IN THE RIGHT WINDOW.
SIGIER AND GRATIANUS OPEN THE LARGE VOLUME./.CHESS PIECE CONTAINER AND SLOWLY
SET UP THE PIECES ON THE BOARD. (THEY FINISH THIS AT LINE 694 - BEFORE C11 112.)
●
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
MARSILIES / CHARLES M. D’ANJOU:
«Oëz, seignurs, quel pecchet nus encumbret:My Lords, give ear to our impending doom:
Li emper[er]es Carles de France dulce
That Emperour, Charles of France the Douce,
En cest païs nos est venuz cunfundre.
Into this land is come, us to confuse.
Jo nen ai ost qui bataille li dunne,
I have no host in battle him to prove,
Ne n'ai tel gent ki la sue derumpet.
Nor have I strength his forces to undo.
Cunseilez mei cume mi savie hume,
Counsel me then, ye that are wise and true;
Si m(e) guarisez e de mort et de hunte.»
Can ye ward off this present death and dule?
22
23
24
25
26
N'i ad paien ki un sul mot respundet,
Fors Blancandrins de Castel de Valfunde.
Blancandrins fut des plus saives paiens:
De vasselage fut asez chevaler,
Prozdom i out pur sun seignur aider;
●
SIGIER:
What word to say no pagan of them knew,
Save Blancandrin, of th' Castle of Val Funde.
Blancandrins was a pagan very wise,
In vassalage he was a gallant knight,
First in prowess, he stood his lord beside.
100
●
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
E dist al rei: «Ore ne vus esmaiez!
Mandez Carlun a l'orguillus, (e) al fier,
Fedeilz servises e mult granz amistez.
Vos li durrez urs e leons e chens,
Set cenz camelz e mil hosturs muers,
D'or e d'argent .IIII.C. muls cargez,
Cinquante carre, qu'en ferat carier:
Ben en purrat luer ses soldeiers.
En ceste tere ad asez osteiet;
En France, ad Ais, s'en deit ben repairer.
Vos le sivrez a la feste seint Michel:
Si recevrez la lei de chrestiens,
Serez ses hom par honur e par ben.
S'en volt ostages, e vos l'en enveiez,
U dis u vint pur lui afiancer.
Enveiu[n]s i les filz de noz muillers:
Par nun d'ocire i enveierai le men.
Asez est melz qu'il i perdent le chefs,
Que nus perduns l'onur ne la deintet,
Ne nus seiuns cunduiz a mendeier.».
BLANCANDRINS / PETER LOMBARD:
And thus he spoke: Do not yourself affright!
Yield to Carlun, that is so big with pride,
Faithful service; his friend and his ally,
Lions and bears and hounds for him provide,
Thousand mewed hawks, sev'n hundred camelry;
Silver and gold, four hundred mules load high;
Fifty wagons his wrights will need supply,
Till with that wealth he pays his soldiery.
War hath he waged in Spain too long a time,
To Aix, in France, homeward he will him hie.
Follow him there before Saint Michael's tide,
You shall receive and hold the Christian rite;
Stand honour bound, and do him fealty.
Send hostages, should he demand surety,
Ten or a score, our loyal oath to bind;
Send him our sons, the first-born of our wives;
An he be slain, I'll surely furnish mine.
Better by far they go, though doomed to die,
Than that we lose honour and dignity,
And be ourselves brought down to beggary.
70
71
72
73
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
«Seignurs baruns, a Carlemagnes irez;
Il est al siege a Cordres la citet.
Branches d'olives en voz mains porterez,
Ço senefiet pais e humilitet.
Si me direz a Carlemagne, le rei,
Pur le soen Deu qu'il ait m(er)ercit de mei.
Ja einz ne verrat passer cest premer meis,
Que jel sivrai od mil de mes fedeilz,
Si recevrai la chrestiene lei,
[S]erai ses hom par amur e par feid;
S'il voelt ostages, il en avrat par veir.»
Gentle Barons, to Charlemagne go ye;
He is in siege of Cordres the city.
In your right hands bear olive-branches green
Which signify Peace and Humility.
Bid ye for me that Charlemagne, the King,
In his God's name to shew me his mercy;
Ere this new moon wanes, I shall be with him;
One thousand men shall be my following;
I will receive the rite of christening,
Will be his man, my love and faith swearing;
Hostages too, he'll have, if so he will.
88
Dist Blancandrins: «Mult bon plait en avreiz.»Says Blancandrins: Much good will come of this.
96
97
98
99
Li empereres se fait e balz e liez,
Cordres ad prise e les murs peceiez,
Od ses cadables les turs en abatied.
Mult grant eschech en unt si chevaler
100
101
102
109
110
D'or e d argent e de guarnemenz chers.
En la citet nen ad remes paien,
Ne seit ocis, u devient chrestien.
De dulce france i ad quinze milliers.
Sur palies blancs siedent cil cevaler,
●
●
111 As tables juent pur els esbaneier
○
GRATIANUS:
Merry and bold is now that Emperour,
Cordres he holds, the walls are tumbled down,
His catapults have battered town and tow'r.
Great good treasure his knights have placed in
pound,
Silver and gold and many a jewelled gown.
In that city there is no pagan now
But he been slain, or takes the Christian vow.
Fifteen thousand, come out of France the Douce.
On white carpets those knights have sate them
down,
At the game-boards to pass an idle hour;
BLANCANDRINS / PETER LOMBARD ADDRESSES CHARLEMAGNE./.JUSTINIAN.
123
125
133
134
135
E dist al rei: «Salvez seiez de Deu
Iço vus mandet reis Marsilies, li bers:
Dunt bien purrez voz soldeiers luer.
En cest païs avez estet asez;
En France, ad Ais, devez bien repairer;
●
And to the King: May God preserve you safe.,
Proud Marsilies this message bids me say:
Wherewith full tale your soldiers you can pay.
Now in this land you've been too long a day
Hie you to France, return again to Aix;
CHARLEMAGNE./.JUSTINIAN BOWS HIS HEAD BEFORE SPEAKING.
NEVER WAS, BUT SLOW.’)
(143 ‘HASTY IN SPEECH HE
101
○
144 Li reis Marsilies est mult mis enemis.
145 De cez paroles que vos avez ci dit,
146 En quel mesure en purrai estre fiz?»
CHARLEMAGNE / JUSTINIAN:
King Marsilies hath ever been my foe.
These very words you have before me told,
In what measure of faith am I to hold?
147
148
149
150
151
That Sarrazin says, Hostages he'll show;
Ten shall you take, or fifteen or a score.
Though he be slain, a son of mine shall go,
Any there be you'll have more nobly born.
To your palace seigneurial when you go,
«Voet par hostages,» ço dist li Sarrazins,
«Dunt vos avrez ú dis ú quinze ú vint.
Pa[r] num de ocire i metrai un mien filz,
E sin avrez, ço quid, de plus gentilz.
Quant vus serez el palais seignurill,
●
○
FRANKS:
192 Dient Franceis:«Il nus i cuvent guarde!». Then say the Franks: Beseems us act with
caution!
GRATIANUS LOOKS INDIGNANT.
○
GRATIANUS:
The Count Rollanz he never will agree.
194 Li quens Rollant, ki ne l’otriet mie».
ROLAND./.FOLCO SPRINGS TO HIS FEET AND ADDRESSES
HAUGHTILY.
196
202
203
204
205
206
Il dist al rei: «Ja mar crerez Marsilie.
De ses pai[ens il vus] enveiat quinze,
Cha(n)cuns portout une branche d'olive;
Nuncerent vos cez paroles meïsme.
A vos Franceis un cunseill en presistes:
Loerent vos alques de legerie.
207 Dous de voz cuntes al paien tramesistes,
208 L'un fut Basan e li altres Basilies;
209 Les chef en prist es puis desuz Haltilie.
SIGIER LOOKS TO ALBERTUS
PUTS HIM IN BOTH CAMPS.
MAGNUS,
CHARLEMAGNE / JUSTINIAN
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
And to the King, Believe not Marsilie.
Of his pagans he sent you then fifteen,
Bearing in hand their olive-branches green:
Who, ev'n as now, these very words did speak.
You of your Franks a Council did decree,
Praised they your words that foolish were in
deed.
Two of your Counts did to the pagan speed,
Basan was one, and the other Basilie:
Their heads he took on th' hill by Haltilie.
WHOSE
DOMINICAN
HABIT OF BLACK-AND-WHITE
●
SIGIER:
217 Franceis se taisent ne mais que Guenelun, Franks hold their peace, but only Guenelun.
GUENELON (GUENELUN, GUENES ETC)./.ALBERTUS
AND SPEAKS HAUGHTILY.
○●
GUENELON / ALBERTUS MAGNUS:
And to the King: Believe not any one,
My word nor theirs, save whence your good
shall come.
E tute Espaigne tendrat par vostre dun, Throughout all Spain your writ alone shall run
Puis recevrat la lei que nus tenum,
Next he'll receive our rule of Christendom
Cunseill d orguill n'est dreiz que a plus munt,Counsel of pride is wrong: we've fought enough.
Laissun les fols, as sages nus tenuns.».
Leave we the fools, and with the wise be one.
220 E dist al rei: «Ja mar crerez bricun,
221 Ne mei ne altre, se de vostre prod nun.
224
225
228
229
MAGNUS ALSO SPRINGS FROM HIS CHAIR
102
252 «Seignurs baruns, qui i purruns enveier
253 Al Sarrazin ki Sarraguce tient?»
○
My lords barons, say whom now can we send
To th' Sarrazin that Sarraguce defends?
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
254 Respunt Rollant: «Jo i puis aler mult ben!» Answers Rollanz: I might go very well.
255 «Nu ferez certes!» dist li quens Oliver;
○
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
Certes, you'll not., says Oliver his friend,
DANTE SPEAKS IN A STAGE-WHISPER.
255 «Nu ferez certes!» dist li quens Oliver;
DANTE:
Certes, you'll not, says Oliver, his friend,
256 «Vostre curages est mult pesmes e fiers;
257 Jo me crendreie, que vos vos meslisez.
258 Se li reis voelt, jo i puis aler ben.»
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
For your courage is fierce unto the end,
I am afraid you would misapprehend.
If the King wills it I might go there well.
259 Respunt li reis: «Ambdui vos en taisez!
260 Ne vos ne il n'i porterez les piez.
Answers the King: Be silent both. on bench;
Your feet nor his, I say, shall that way wend.
264 Turpins de Reins en est levet del renc,
GRATIANUS:
Turpins of Reins is risen from his rank,
266 En cest païs avez estet set anz;
269 E jo irai al Sarazin en Espaigne,
270 Sin vois vedeir alques de sun semblant.»
ARCHBISHOP TURPIN / ST ISIDORE:
For seven years you've lingered in this land
I will seek out the Spanish Sarazand,
For I believe his thoughts I understand.
○
○
○
○
ARCHBISHOP TURPIN./.ST ISIDORE WOULD KNOW SPAIN, BEING SPANISH.
272 «Alez sedeir desur cel palie blanc!
273 N'en parlez mais, se jo nel vos cumant!».
○
Go, sit you down on yonder silken mat;
And speak no more, until that I command.
○
274 «Francs chevalers,» dist li emperere Carles,Franks, chevaliers, says the Emperour then,
Charles,
275 «Car m'eslisez un barun de ma marche, Choose ye me out a baron from my marches,
276 Qu'a Marsiliun me portast mun message.» To Marsilie shall carry back my answer.
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
277 Ço dist Rollant:«Ço ert Guenes, mis parastre.»Then says Rollanz: There's Guenes, my
goodfather.
286
287
288
289
290
291
○●
Dist a Rollant: «Tut fol, pur quei t'esrages? Says to Rollant: Fool, wherefore art so wrathful?
Ço set hom ben que jo sui tis parastres;
All men know well that I am thy goodfather;
Si as juget qu'a Marsiliun en alge!
Thou hast decreed, to Marsiliun I travel.
Se Deus ço dunet que jo de la repaire,
Then if God grant that I return hereafter,
Jo t'en muvra[i] un si grant contr[a]ire
I'll follow thee with such a force of passion
Ki durerat a trestut tun edage.»
That will endure so long as life may last thee.
292 Respunt Rollant: «Orgoill ói e folage.
ROLAND / FOLCO:
○Answers
Rollanz: Thou'rt full of pride and
293 Ço set hom ben, n'ai cure de manace;
madness.
All men know well, I take no thought for slander;
103
294 Mai[s] saives hom, il deit faire message:
295 Si li reis voelt, prez sui por vus le face.»
But some wise man, surely, should bear the
answer;
If the King will, I'm ready to go rather.
296
297
298
299
Answers him Guene: Thou shalt not go for me.
Thou'rt not my man, nor am I lord of thee.
Charles commands that I do his decree,
To Sarraguce going to Marsilie;
Guenes respunt: «Pur mei n'iras tu mie!.
Tu n'ies mes hom ne jo ne sui tis sire.
Carles comandet que face sun servise:
En Sarraguce en irai a Marsilie;
○●
GUENELON / ALBERTUS MAGNUS’S ASIDE.
300 Einz i f[e]rai un poi de [le]gerie,
301 Que jo n'esclair ceste meie grant ire.»
○●
There I will work a little trickery,
This mighty wrath of mine I'll thus let free.
●
378 Mult grant mal funt e [cil] duc e cil cunte Yet A great wrong these dukes do and
these counts
379 A lur seignur, ki tel cunseill li dunent:
Unto their lord, being in counsel proud;
380 Lui e altrui travaillent, e cunfundent.»
Him and themselves they harry and confound.
○●
381 Guenes respunt: «Jo ne sai veirs nul hume, Guenes replies: There is none such, without
382 Ne mes Rollant, ki uncore en avrat hunte. Only Rollanz, whom shame will yet find out.
391 Seit, ki l'ociet, tute pais puis avriúmes.». When he be slain, shall peace once more abound.
●
SIGIER:
402 Tant chevalcherent Guenes e Blancandrins,Cantered so far then Blancandrins and Guene
403 Que l'un a l'altre la sue feit plevit,
Till each by each a covenant had made
404 Que il querreient, que Rollant fust ocis.
And sought a plan, how Rollant might be slain.
♫
CHANSON MUSIC ?
**********
CH/CH 404 before C11 28
AQUINAS 3
■ - ■ - [AQ]
AQUINAS, THE ONLY BLESSED SOUL IN THE RIGHT WINDOW, AND THE ONLY ONE NOW VISIBLE, SITS SILENT
THROUGHOUT THE MUSIC.
THOMAS AQUINAS:
La provedenza, che governa il mondo
con quel consiglio nel quale ogne aspetto
creato è vinto pria che vada al fondo,
The Providence that governs the world,
that defeats every creature’s understanding,
before that creature can plumb its depths,
però che andasse ver' lo suo diletto
la sposa di colui ch'ad alte grida
disposò lei col sangue benedetto,
ordained two Princes, to be guides, over there
and over here, on behalf of the Church, the spouse
of Him, who wedded Her, with great cries,
104
in sé sicura e anche a lui più fida,
due principi ordinò in suo favore,
che quinci e quindi le fosser per guida.
in blessed blood, in order that She might go
to Christ,her delight, secure in Herself,
and more faithful to Him.
L'un fu tutto serafico in ardore;
l'altro per sapïenza in terra fue
di cherubica luce uno splendore.
The one Prince, Saint Francis, was all
Seraphic in his ardour, the other, Dominic,
was a splendour of Cherubic Light, on earth.
De l'un dirò, però che d'amendue
si dice l'un pregiando, qual ch'om prende,
perch' ad un fine fur l'opere sue.
I will speak of the first., because whoever praises
either, whichever he chooses, talks of both,
since both their efforts were to the same end.
Intra Tupino e l'acqua che discende
del colle eletto dal beato Ubaldo,
fertile costa d'alto monte pende,
A fertile slope falls from a high mountain, between
the Tupino and the Chiascio, the stream that
drops from the hill chosen by the blessed Ubaldo.
SAINT UBALDO, BISHOP OF GUBBIO 1160, SELECTED A HERMITAGE SITE ON THE MOUNTAIN NEARBY, BUT WAS UNABLE EVER TO
RETIRE THERE.
DANTE notes:
del colle eletto dal beato Ubaldo,
fertile costa d'alto monte pende,
between the Tupino and the Chiascio, the stream
that drops from the hill chosen by the blessed Ubaldo.
THOMAS AQUINAS:
onde Perugia sente freddo e caldo
da Porta Sole; e di rietro le piange
per grave giogo Nocera con Gualdo.
a A slope from which Perugia feels the cold and
heat, through the eastern gate of Porta Sole, and
behind it the towns of Nocera and Gualdo bemoan
the Angevin’s heavy yoke.
Di questa costa, là dov' ella frange
più sua rattezza, nacque al mondo un sole,
come fa questo talvolta di Gange.
From this slope, where it becomes least steep,
a Sun was born into this world,
even as our sun rises from the Ganges.
DANTE notes:
♫
PAR C11 50 / DANTE
PAR C11 50 / KLINE
più sua rattezza, nacque al mondo un sole,
a Sun was born into this world.
ST FRANCIS MUSIC: BIRDS?
**********
PAR C11 51
THOMAS AQUINAS:
Però chi d'esso loco fa parole,
non dica Ascesi, ché direbbe corto,
ma Orïente, se proprio dir vuole.
So that whoever speaks of that place, let him not
say Ascesi, I have ascended, which is inadequate,
but Oriente, if he wants to name it correctly.
ASCESI: ‘I HAVE ASCENDED’ AND AN OLD NAME FOR ASSISI
BEATRICE
Assisi was known by that word.
105
THOMAS AQUINAS:
Però chi d'esso loco fa parole,
non dica Ascesi, ché direbbe corto,
ma Orïente, se proprio dir vuole.
So that whoever speaks of that place, let him not
say Ascesi, I have ascended, which is inadequate,
but Oriente, if he wants to name it correctly.
Non era ancor molto lontan da l'orto,
ch'el cominciò a far sentir la terra
de la sua gran virtute alcun conforto;
He was not far from rising when he began
to make the earth feel a certain
comfort from his great virtue,
ché per tal donna, giovinetto, in guerra
del padre corse, a cui, come a la morte,
la porta del piacer nessun diserra;
since in his youth, he rushed to oppose his father,
for such a Lady, to whom, like Death,
no one opens the gate of his pleasure,
e dinanzi a la sua spirital corte
et coram patre le si fece unito;
poscia di dì in dì l'amò più forte.
and he was united to her in the spiritual court that
had jurisdiction over him, and in his father’s presence,
and then loved her more deeply, from day to day.
Questa, privata del primo marito,
millecent' anni e più dispetta e scura
fino a costui si stette sanza invito;
She, deprived of her first husband for eleven
hundred years and more, was obscure,
despised, until he stood in front of her, uninvited.
And the tale that she was found safe with Amyclas, the fisherman, when Caesar’s voice sounded to terrify the world,
had not helped her, nor to have been so faithful and unafraid that She mounted the Cross with Christ, when Mary
remained below.
AQUINAS PAUSES, SMILES AND PROCEEDS. DANTE NOTES OR INTERPRETS.
DANTE:
&
THOMAS AQUINAS:
Ma perch' io non proceda troppo chiuso,
Francesco e Povertà per questi amanti
prendi oramai nel mio parlar diffuso.
But lest I proceed too darkly, accept,
in plain speech, that Francis
and Poverty were these two lovers.
La lor concordia e i lor lieti sembianti,
amore e maraviglia e dolce sguardo
facieno esser cagion di pensier santi;
Their harmony and their delighted appearance
made love, wonder, and tender looks,
the cause of sacred thought,
tanto che 'l venerabile Bernardo
si scalzò prima, e dietro a tanta pace
corse e, correndo, li parve esser tardo.
so that the venerable Bernard first cast off his sandals,
and ran to chase after so great a peacefulness,
and thought himself all too slow, while he ran.
ST BERNARD: FOLLOWED SAINT FRANCIS & BECAME HIS FIRST DISCIPLE.
Oh ignota ricchezza! oh ben ferace!
Scalzasi Egidio, scalzasi Silvestro
dietro a lo sposo, sì la sposa piace.
O unnoted riches, O fertile Good! Egidius
casts off his sandals, and Sylvester, following
the Bridegroom, as the Bride delights to do.
EGIDIUS: THE THIRD COMPANION OF SAINT FRANCIS. HIS SAYINGS WERE COLLECTED IN THE VERBA AUREA. HE DIED IN 1261.
SYLVESTER: PRIEST OF ASSISI, A KINSMAN OF SAINT CLARE & THE ONLY ECCLESIASTIC AMONG THE FIRST FRANCISCANS. HE IS
SUPPOSED TO HAVE TRIED TO CHEAT FRANCIS OVER SOME STONE FOR HIS CHURCH & WAS OVERCOME BY HIS UNWORLDLY
GENEROSITY.
Indi sen va quel padre e quel maestro
con la sua donna e con quella famiglia
che già legava l'umile capestro.
This Master and this Father went his way,
together with his Lady, and with that family
already wearing the humble cord,
106
Né li gravò viltà di cuor le ciglia
per esser fi' di Pietro Bernardone,
né per parer dispetto a maraviglia;
nor did lowliness of heart weigh down his forehead,
because he was Pietro Bernardino’s son,
nor that he seemed to be so greatly despised.
ma regalmente sua dura intenzione
ad Innocenzio aperse, e da lui ebbe
primo sigillo a sua religïone.
But he revealed his serious intention
to Pope Innocent, and took
the seal of his Order from him.
INNOCENT III, POPE 1198-1216. HE CALLED HIMSELF CHRIST’S VICAR, FROM WHOM WORLDLY RULERS RECEIVED THEIR
KINGDOMS AS FIEFS. SEE FRANCIS.
Poi che la gente poverella crebbe
dietro a costui, la cui mirabil vita
meglio in gloria del ciel si canterebbe,
When the people of poverty, who followed his path,
increased, his miraculous life sung
more sweetly in Heaven’s glory,
di seconda corona redimita
fu per Onorio da l'Etterno Spiro
la santa voglia d'esto archimandrita.
then was this master shepherd’s sacred will encircled
with a second crown, from Honorius’s
hands, by the Eternal Spirit.
POPE HONORIUS III: RE-CONFIRMED FRANCISCAN ORDER, 1223.
PAR C11 100-102 / DANTE
E poi che, per la sete del martiro,
ne la presenza del Soldan superba
predicò Cristo e li altri che 'l seguiro,
And when, thirsting for martyrdom,
he had preached Christ and his followers’ message,
in the proud Soldan’s presence;
PAR C11 103-105 / DANTE
e per trovare a conversione acerba
troppo la gente e per non stare indarno,
redissi al frutto de l'italica erba,
and, finding the people bitterly against
conversion, had returned, to avoid a useless stay,
to gather fruit from the Italian branches;
PAR C11 106-108 / DANTE
nel crudo sasso intra Tevero e Arno
da Cristo prese l'ultimo sigillo,
che le sue membra due anni portarno.
then, on the harsh rock, between the Tiber
and the Arno, he received the final wounds,
from Christ, that his limbs showed for two years.
PAR C11 109-111 / DANTE
Quando a colui ch'a tanto ben sortillo
piacque di trarlo suso a la mercede
ch'el meritò nel suo farsi pusillo,
When it pleased Him, who ordained him
to such good effect, to raise him to the reward,
which he had earned by humbling himself,
AS AQUINAS CONTINUES SPEAKING, A JOLLY GROUP OF 7 MUSES CROSSES THE STAGE. EUTERPE AND
TERPSICHORE COME A LITTLE BEHIND, CARRYING THE BOAT. CALLIOPE SIGNALS TO THEM. WITH GREAT
GOOD HUMOUR THEY TAKE IT BACK OFFSTAGE AND LINE UP WITH THEIR SISTERS. ALTERNATIVELY, THE
BOAT IS NOT CARRIED AT ALL. THE MUSES SIT DOWN ON THE STEPS AND WAIT TO SING.
THOMAS AQUINAS:
PAR C11 112-114 / DANTE
PAR C11 112-114 / KLINE
a' frati suoi, sì com' a giuste rede,
raccomandò la donna sua più cara,
e comandò che l'amassero a fede;
he commended his Lady to his brotherhood,
his rightful heirs, and asked
that they should love her faithfully,
PAR C11 115-117 / DANTE
e del suo grembo l'anima preclara
mover si volle, tornando al suo regno,
e al suo corpo non volle altra bara.
and the illustrious spirit willed himself
to leave her breast, turning to his own kingdom,
yet wished for no other deathbed for his body.
THE FRANCISCAN MUSIC CEASES. AQUINAS LEAVES THE STAGE.
107
AQUINAS 4
[CP 25 / BS]
- [CP 26 / TABLE
BS]
428 - 694
- [CP 27 / BS
LIBRARY]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
CLARE PICTURES: THE CRIB (1ST CHRISTMAS CRIB, 1223)
Clare Pictures 25: Cat carries Madonna and Child to Porziuncola
Clare’s cat carries a Madonna and Child figurine in its mouth towards the Porziuncola with its tree
outside. PARADISO PICTURES: 2
Clare Pictures 26: Francis finds figurine in nest
Francis stands and looks at a strawy bird’s nest in the tree outside the Porziuncola. The top of the
Madonna and Child figurine sticks out of it.
Clare Pictures 27: Franciscans around Christmas crib.
The Franciscans stand around the first Christmas crib (Greccio, 1223): straw, the Madonna and
Child figurine, model ox, donkey, star etc. Francis has modelled it on his dream of Bethlehem.
GUENELON / ALBERTUS MAGNUS ADDRESSES MARSILIES / CHARLES M. D’ANJOU.
○●
428
430
431
432
433
434
435
479
480
481
482
E dist al rei: «Salvez seiez de Deu
Iço vus mandet Carlemagnes, li ber,
Que recevez seinte chrestientet;
Demi Espaigne vos voelt en fiu duner.
Se cest acorde ne vulez otrier,
Pris e liez serez par poested;
Al siege ad Ais en serez amenet,
Vus n'i avrez palefreid ne destrer,
Ne mul ne mule que puissez chevalcher;
Getet serez sur un malvais sumer.
Par jugement iloec perdrez le chef.
And to the King: May God preserve you safe,
Proud Charlemagne this message bids me say:
You must receive the holy Christian Faith,
And yield in fee one half the lands of Spain.
If to accord this tribute you disdain,
Taken by force and bound in iron chain
You will be brought before his throne at Aix;
You will not then on palfrey nor on steed,
Jennet nor mule, come cantering in your speed;
Flung you will be on a vile sumpter-beast;
Tried there and judged, your head you will not keep.
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
Dist li paiens: «Mult me puis merveiller
De Carlemagne, ki est canuz e vielz!
Men escientre dous cenz anz ad e mielz.
Par tantes teres ad sun cors traveillet,
Tanz colz ad pris de lances e d'espiet,
Tanz riches reis cunduiz a mendistiet:
Quant ert il mais recreanz d'osteier?»
The pagan says: You make me marvel sore
At Charlemagne, who is so old and hoar;
Two hundred years, they say, he's lived and more.
So many lands he's led his armies o'er,
So many blows from spears and lances borne,
And so rich kings brought down to beg and sorn,
When will time come that he draws back from war?
●
○●
544 «Ço n'iert,» dist Guenes: «tant cum
vivet sis niés:
Never, says Guenes, so long as lives his nephew;
545 N'at tel vassal suz la cape del ciel.
No such vassal goes neath the dome of heaven;
546 Mult par est proz sis cumpainz Oliver.
And proof also is Oliver his henchman;
547 Les .XII. pers, que Carles ad tant chers, The dozen peers, whom Charl'es holds so precious,
●
563 «Bel sire Guenes» dist marsilies li reis,
Fair Master Guenes, says Marsilies the King,
565 Quarte cenz milie chevalers puis aveir.
Of knights I can four hundred thousand bring
566 Puis m'en cumbatre a Carlles e a Franceis?»So I may fight with Franks and with their King.
108
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
Guenes respunt: «Ne vus a ceste feiz!
De voz paiens mult grant perte i avreiz.
Lessez (la) folie, tenez vos al saveir.
L'empereür tant li dunez aveir,
N'i ait Franceis ki tot ne s'en merveilt.
Par .XX. hostages que li enveiereiz
En dulce France s'en repairerat li reis;
Sa rereguarde lerrat derere sei:
Iert i sis nies, li quens Rollant, (...) ço crei,
E Oliver, li proz e li curteis.
Mort sunt li cunte, se est ki mei en creit.
○●
Answers him Guenes: Not on this journeying
Save of pagans a great loss suffering.
Leave you the fools, wise counsel following;
To the Emperour such wealth of treasure give
That every Frank at once is marvelling.
For twenty men that you shall now send in
To France the Douce he will repair, that King;
In the rereward will follow after him
Both his nephew, count Rollant, as I think,
And Oliver, that courteous paladin;
Dead are the counts, believe me if you will.
REREWARD: PRONOUNCED ‘REARWARD’
●
580 «Bel sire Guenes,[» ço dist li reis Marsilies,] Fair Master Guene, says then King Marsilie,
581 «Cum faitement purrai Rollant ocire?»
Shew the device, how Rollant slain may be.
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
594
595
Guenes respont: «Ço vos sai jo ben dire.
Li reis serat as meillors porz de Sizer;
Sa rereguarde avrat detres sei mise;
Iert i sis nies, li quens Rollant, li riches,
E Oliver, en qui il tant se fiet;
.XX. milie Francs unt en lur cumpaignie.
De voz paiens lur enveiez .C. milie:
Une bataille lur i rendent cil primes;
Dunc avrez faite gente chevalerie;
N'avrez mais guere en tute vostre vie.».
○●
Answers him Guenes: That will I soon make clear
The King will cross by the good pass of Size,
A guard he'll set behind him, in the rear;
His nephew there, count Rollant, that rich peer,
And Oliver, in whom he well believes;
Twenty thousand Franks in their company
Five score thousand pagans upon them lead,
Franks unawares in battle you shall meet,
You will have wrought a high chivalrous deed,
Nor all your life know war again, but peace.
SMILING PAGANS GIVE PRESENTS TO GUENELON./.ALBERTUS MAGNUS.
VALDABRON./.CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU UNBUCKLES HIS SWORD
GUENELON./.ALBERTUS MAGNUS.
AND HANDS IT TO
●
VALDABRON / CHARLES M. D’ANJOU:
620 «Tenez m'espee, meillur n'en at nuls hom; Take now this sword, and better sword has none;
621 Entre les helz ad plus de mil manguns.
Into the hilt a thousand coins are run.
BEDE GIVES HIS DOCTOR’S CAP TO GUENELON./.ALBERTUS MAGNUS, WHO PUTS IT ON TOP OF
HIS OWN DOCTOR’S CAP.
629 «Tenez mun helme, unches meillor ne vi.
●
CLIMORINS / BEDE:
Take now my helm, better is none than this;
QUEEN BRAMIMOUND./.CONSTANCE TAKES ORNAMENTS OFF HER OWN BOSOM.
635
636
637
638
639
640
●
QUEEN BRAMIMOUND / CONSTANCE:
«Jo vos aim mult, sire,» dist ele al cunte, I love you well, sir, said she to the count,
«Car mult vos priset mi sire e tuit si hume. For prize you dear my lord and all around;
A vostre femme enveierai dous nusches; Here for your wife I have two brooches found,
Bien i ad or, matices e jacunces:
Amethysts and jacynths in golden mount;
Eles valent mielz que tut l'aveir de Rume, More worth are they than all the wealth of Roum;
Vostre emperere si bones n'en out unches.» Your Emperour has none such, I'll be bound.
GUENELON./.ALBERTUS
AIR.
MAGNUS
SPEAKS TO
CHARLEMAGNE / JUSTINIAN WITH A CUNNING
109
676
677
678
680
681
682
688
689
690
693
694
E dist al rei: «Salvez seiez de Deu!
De Sarraguce ci vos aport les clefs;
Mult grant aveir vos en faz amener,
E si vos mandet reis Marsilies li ber,
De l'algalifes nel devez pas blasmer,
Kar a mes oilz vi .IIII.C. milie armez,
Einz qu'il oüssent .IIII. liues siglet,
Sis aquillit e tempeste e ored:
La sunt neiez, jamais nes en verrez;
Ja ne verrez cest premer meis passet
Qu'il vos sivrat en France le regnet,
○●
Says to the King: God keep you, Sire, I swear!
Of Sarraguce the keys to you I bear,
Tribute I bring you, very great and rare,
Proud Marsilies bade me this word declare
That alcaliph, his uncle, you must spare.
My own eyes saw four hundred thousand there,
But the fourth league they had not compassed, ere
Brake from the North tempest and storm in the air;
Then were they drowned, they will no more appear.
Ere you have seen one month pass of this year
He'll follow you to France, to your Empire,
SIGIER PUTS THE LAST BLACK PIECE ON THE BOARD AND CLOSES THE VOLUME / CHESS PIECE CONTAINER.
AQUINAS RE-ENTERS FROM THE WINGS.
THOMAS AQUINAS:
PAR C11 118-120 / DANTE
PAR C11 118-120 / KLINE
Pensa oramai qual fu colui che degno
collega fu a mantener la barca
di Pietro in alto mar per dritto segno;
Now think what he must be, who was
a worthy colleague, to maintain the course
of Peter’s boat in the right direction!
PAR C11 121-123 / DANTE
e questo fu il nostro patrïarca;
per che qual segue lui, com' el comanda,
discerner puoi che buone merce carca.
Such was our founder, Dominic, so that whoever
follows his commands, as you can see,
freights himself with good cargoes.
PAR C11 124-139 / KLINE
But his flock has grown so greedy for new food, it cannot do other than stray through strange pastures, and the more his
distant, wandering sheep stray from him, the emptier of milk they return, to the fold. Indeed there are some of them who
fear the loss, and keep close to the shepherd, but they are so few it needs little cloth to make cowls for them. Now, if my
words have not been weak, if you have listened closely, and if you recall what I have said, your wish must now be
partly satisfied, since you can see the stem they whittle away, and can see the rebuke intended in the words: where there
is good pasture, if we do not stray.
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 3
■ - [BEATRICE behind CALLIOPE] - ■
CANTO 12
THE MUSES, FORMED UP ON THE STEPS, SING WITH THE GREATEST ENTHUSIASM.
♫
CELESTIAL 2 – VOICED POLYPHONY
OR
SILENCE
**********
PAR C12 1-3
MUSES & BEATRICE:
The sacred mill begins to turn…a second mill circles, clasps it and harmonises movement with
movement and song with song.
110
DANTE LOOKS UP AND DESCRIBES.
DANTE:
PAR C12 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C12 1-3 / KLINE
Sì tosto come l'ultima parola
la benedetta fiamma per dir tolse,
a rotar cominciò la santa mola;
As soon as the flame of the spirit
that was blessed had spoken the last word,
the The sacred mill began begins to turn,
DANTE PAUSES.
PAR C12 4-6 / DANTE
e nel suo giro tutta non si volse
prima ch'un'altra di cerchio la chiuse,
e moto a moto e canto a canto colse;
and had not fully revolved before a second mill,
circling circles, clasped clasps it, and harmonised
harmonises movement with movement and song with
song:
PAR C12 7-9 / DANTE
canto che tanto vince nostre muse,
nostre serene in quelle dolci tube,
quanto primo splendor quel ch'e' refuse.
song which is as far beyond our Muses
and our Sirens, in those sweet pipings,
as the first glory its reflection.
THE MUSES ARE OUTRAGED. THEY STOP SINGING AND MILL AROUND, REVEALING BEATRICE SINGING IN THE
CENTRE WINDOW. SHE HAS BEEN HIDDEN BEHIND CALLIOPE, THE TALLEST MUSE.
THE MUSES TURN THEIR BOOKS AROUND AND THREATEN BEATRICE BUT THEY CANNOT ENTER THE WINDOW.
THEY LOOK BALEFULLY AT DANTE, BEATRICE’S PROTÉGÉ, AND GO OFFSTAGE TO PLOT HIS DESTRUCTION.
DANTE VERSIFIES.
DANTE:
PAR C12 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C12 1-3 / KLINE
Sì tosto come l'ultima parola
la benedetta fiamma per dir tolse,
a rotar cominciò la santa mola;
As soon as the flame of the spirit
that was blessed had spoken the last word,
the sacred mill began to turn,
PAR C12 4-6 / DANTE
e nel suo giro tutta non si volse
prima ch'un'altra di cerchio la chiuse,
e moto a moto e canto a canto colse;
and had not fully revolved before a second mill,
circling, clasped it, and harmonised
movement with movement and song with song:
PAR C12 7-9 / DANTE
BEATRICE GOES ON SINGING, WITH THE HELP OF THE REST OF THE CHORUS. DANTE VERSIFIES.
DANTE:
PAR C12 7-9 / DANTE
PAR C12 7-9 / KLINE
111
Come si volgon per tenera nube
due archi paralelli e concolori,
quando Iunone a sua ancella iube,
As two rainbows, parallel and identical in colour,
arch through the thin mist,
when Juno commands Iris her servant,
nascendo di quel d'entro quel di fori,
a guisa del parlar di quella vaga
ch'amor consunse come sol vapori,
the outer one born from the inner one,
like the speech of Echo, that wandering nymph,
whom Love consumed as the sun the vapour,
e fanno qui la gente esser presaga,
per lo patto che Dio con Noè puose,
del mondo che già mai più non s'allaga:
making people here on earth aware, that,
through the covenant God made with Noah,
the world should never be drowned again:
così di quelle sempiterne rose
volgiensi circa noi le due ghirlande,
e sì l'estrema a l'intima rispuose.
so the two garlands of those everlasting
roses circled round us,
and so the outer answered the inner.
As soon as the dance, and the great high-festival of song and radiance, of light with light, joyful and gentle, joined in
point of time and will, had stilled them, like eyes which must close and open together to the pleasure that stirs them, a
voice came from the heart of one of the fresh lights that made me seem like the compass needle to the pole star, turning
me towards it,
BEATRICE COMES THROUGH THE WINDOW. (IF IT IS GLAZED, THIS WILL HAVE TO BE DONE BY MISDIRECTION.)
OR, SHE GOES BACKSTAGE AND REAPPEARS NEXT SCENE IN FRONT OF THE TRIPTYCH.
■-■-■
ST BONAVENTURA
[ORANGE ☼]
- [CP 28] - [CP 29]
Clare Pictures 28: Birds take off
A flock of birds take off.
Clare Pictures 29: Francis and cat
Francis and Clare’s cat pursue the birds, for different reasons.
BONAVENTURA’S LIGHT APPEARS.
BONAVENTURA (VOICE):
PAR C12 127-129 / DANTE out of order
PAR C12 127-129 / KLINE
Io son la vita di Bonaventura
da Bagnoregio, che ne' grandi offici
sempre pospuosi la sinistra cura.
I am the life of Bonaventura of Bagnoregio,
who in the great offices always
placed temporal cares behind.
ST BONAVENTURA (BONAVENTURE) 1221 - 1274 AGE : *53? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
BORN BAGNOREA (BAGNOREGIO), NEAR VITERBO, LAZIO. DIED LYONS, FRANCE.
A FRIEND AND COLLEAGUE OF THOMAS AQUINAS. MINISTER-GENERAL OF THE FRANCISCAN ORDER FROM 1256.
HE WROTE AN OFFICIAL LIFE OF ST FRANCIS. HE WAS MADE A CARDINAL AND BISHOP OF ALBANO SHORTLY
BEFORE HIS DEATH. THE COLLATIONES HAD A PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON FRANCISCAN THEOLOGY FOR 800 YEARS.
112
“THE HIGHER A MONKEY CLIMBS, THE MORE YOU SEE OF ITS BEHIND” (ATTRIBUTED TO ST BONAVENTURA) WARNS
WHAT THOSE WHO ATTAIN POWER MAY DISPLAY OF THEIR CHARACTER.
DESCRIPTION
FRANCISCAN CARDINAL. BROWN ROBES.
PARADISO PICTURES
28
[ST BONAVENTURA]
- [CP 28] - [CP 29]
BONAVENTURA APPEARS AS A PERSON IN THE LEFT WINDOW. HE IS TURNED SIDEWAYS, LOOKING AT THE
OTHER WINDOWS WHICH ARE DIVIDED FROM HIS. HE HOLDS A PEN AND A SCROLL (A BIT DIFFERENT FROM
PETER DAMIAN’S, LATER.)
DANTE:
St Bonaventure of Bagnoregio
Doctor Seraphicus!
Master of Paris
BEATRICE:
Collationes de Septem Donis S. Sancti
Legenda S. [or San?] Francisci…
DANTE:
…The Life of St Francis
BONAVENTURA:
e cominciò: «L'amor che mi fa bella
mi tragge a ragionar de l'altro duca
per cui del mio sì ben ci si favella.
and Bonaventura began: The Love that adorns me,
brings me to speak of the other leader., on whose
account such noble words are spoken. of my leader.
Degno è che, dov' è l'un, l'altro s'induca:
sì che, com' elli ad una militaro,
così la gloria loro insieme luca.
[ST BONAVENTURA]
It is right that wherever Wherever the one is,
the other should be presented., so that, just as They
fought side by side, so their glory might should
shine together.
-■-■
BONAVENTURA:
L'essercito di Cristo, che sì caro
costò a rïarmar, dietro a la 'nsegna
si movea tardo, sospeccioso e raro,
Christ’s army, whose re-arming cost
so dear, followed the standard
slowly, fearfully and sparsely,
quando lo 'mperador che sempre regna
provide a la milizia, ch'era in forse,
per sola grazia, non per esser degna;
when the Emperor, who reigns forever, of his own
grace, and not because of that army’s worth, made
provision for the soldiers who were in danger,
e, come è detto, a sua sposa soccorse
con due campioni, al cui fare, al cui dire
lo popol disvïato si raccorse.
and, as has been said, He came to the aid
of his Bride, with two champions, at whose works
and words, the scattered ranks re-grouped.
113
DANTE:
Minister General of the Friars Minor
Cardinal Bishop of Albano
Father of the Council of Lyons
BEATRICE INTERPRETS BONAVENTURA.
BEATRICE:
BONAVENTURA:
In quella parte ove surge ad aprire
Zefiro dolce le novelle fronde
di che si vede Europa rivestire,
In Spain, towards that region, where sweet Zephyr
rises, to unfold the new leaves Europe sees herself
re-clothed with, not far from the crash of the waves,
non molto lungi al percuoter de l’onde
dietro a le quali, per la lunga foga,
lo sol talvolta ad ogne uom si nasconde,
behind which because of their vast reaches,
the sun sometimes conceals himself from
all people, Calahorra, the fortunate, lies
siede la fortunata Calaroga
sotto la protezion del grande scudo
in che soggiace il leone e soggioga:
under the protection of the noble shield of
Castile, on whose arms, in the left quarters,
the lion is below the castle, and on the right above.
dentro vi nacque l'amoroso drudo
de la fede cristiana, il santo atleta
benigno a' suoi e a' nemici crudo;
There the loving servant of the Christian faith
was born, the holy wrestler, kind to his followers
and cruel to his enemies:
e come fu creata, fu repleta
sì la sua mente di viva vertute
che, ne la madre, lei fece profeta.
and as soon as he was created his mind was so full
of living virtue that in the womb
it sent his mother a prophetic dream.
Poi che le sponsalizie fuor compiute
al sacro fonte intra lui e la Fede,
u' si dotar di mutüa salute,
When the marriage between him and the faith
was completed at the holy font, where they
dowered each other with mutual salvation,
la donna che per lui l'assenso diede,
vide nel sonno il mirabile frutto
ch'uscir dovea di lui e de le rede;
the lady, who gave the assent for him, saw,
in her sleep, the marvellous harvest
destined to issue from him and his heirs,
e perché fosse qual era in costrutto,
quinci si mosse spirito a nomarlo
del possessivo di cui era tutto.
and so that this might be known, in his very name,
a spirit from above moved them to call him
after the Lord, whose he was completely.
BONAVENTURA:
Domenico fu detto; e io ne parlo
sì come de l'agricola che Cristo
elesse a l'orto suo per aiutarlo.
Dominic he was named: and I talk of him
as I would of a labourer,
whom Christ chose to nurture his orchard.
[ST BONAVENTURA]
- [CP 30] - [CP 31]
Clare Pictures 30: St Dominic
PARADISO PICTURES: 29, 30, 31, 32, 33.
114
Clare Pictures 31: St Dominic’s dog
A black-and-white dog sits up in the other half and offers Dominic the torch. The dog with the torch
int its mouth is the symbol of St Dominic and the Dominicans.
DANTE:
His mother dreamed of a torch in the mouth
of a dog - the dog of God.
BEATRICE:
Domini canis
BONAVENTURA:
Ben parve messo e famigliar di Cristo:
che 'l primo amor che 'n lui fu manifesto,
fu al primo consiglio che diè Cristo.
He showed himself truly a companion and
messenger of Christ, since the first love he showed
was for the first counsel of Christ, that of Poverty
Spesse fïate fu tacito e desto
trovato in terra da la sua nutrice,
come dicesse: Ìo son venuto a questo'.
♫
MUSIC: DOMINICAN (MILITANT?)
Often his nurse found him, on the floor,
silent and wakeful, as if to say:
It was for this I came.
**********
PAR C12 78
Truly his father was Felice, favoured, and his mother, Giovanna, graced by the Lord, if the interpretation of their names
is valid! Soon, for love of the true manna, and not of the world, for whose sake men labour after Henry of Susa, Ostia’s
bishop, and Taddeo Alderotti’s doctrines, he became a powerful teacher, so that he set himself to a circuit of the
vineyard, which soon withers if the vine-dresser is at fault: and from the Apostolic See, that once was more generous to
the rightful poor, not because it has altered in itself, but because of the one who holds it, degenerately, he demanded not
a profit of a third or a half, not the grant of the next vacancy, not decimas quae sunt pauperum Dei, the tithe that
belongs to God’s poor, but leave to fight against the heretical world for that seed from which these twenty-four plants
en-leaf you. Then he went forward, teaching and will as one, with the blessing of the Apostolic Office, like a torrent
driven out of a deep fissure, and his force struck the roots of heresy most fiercely where the resistance was most
obstinate. Then many streams sprang from his, so that the Catholic garden is watered, and its shrubs achieve a fuller
growth.
PAR C12 106-126 / KLINE
If this was one wheel of the chariot in which Holy Church defended herself, and won her civil war in open battle, the
excellence of Francis, the other, should be clear to you, about whom Thomas was so courteous, before I came to you.
But the orbit, that touched the highest points of its circumference, is derelict, and now there is mould where there was
once bread. His family, who walked directly in his footprints, have turned so that their toes strike his heel-prints, and
soon the harvest of poor cultivation will be seen, when the tares will bemoan that the barn is closed to them. I accept in
truth that those who search page after page of our book, might still find one page, reading: I am as I was, but it will not
be one of Ubertino da Casale’s or Matteo d’Acquasparta’s, from whom men come to our discipline, by relaxing it, or
making it more severe.
BONAVENTURA POINTS BEHIND HIM. THE BLESSED SOULS HE POINTS TO DON’T MANIFEST THEMSELVES
WHEN NAMED.
PAR C12 127-129 / DANTE used earlier
Io son la vita di Bonaventura
da Bagnoregio, che ne' grandi offici
sempre pospuosi la sinistra cura.
I am the life of Bonaventura of Bagnoregio,
who in the great offices always
placed temporal cares behind.
PAR C12 130-132 / DANTE
Illuminato e Augustin son quici,
che fuor de' primi scalzi poverelli
che nel capestro a Dio si fero amici.
Illuminato and Agostino are here, who were
Francis’s first poor shoeless brothers, who made
themselves friends of God by the cord.
115
BONAVENTURA:
PAR C12 133-135 / DANTE
PAR C12 133-135 / KLINE
Ugo da San Vittore è qui con elli,
e Pietro Mangiadore e Pietro Spano,
lo qual giù luce in dodici libelli;
Hugh of Saint Victor is here with them,
Pietro Mangiadore, and Pietro Ispano, who gave
Logic light, below there, in his twelve books;
PIETRO MANGADORE: PETRUS COMESTOR, ‘PETER THE EATER OF BOOKS’ (D 1179) WHO WROTE THE HISTORIA SCHOLASTICA, A
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH FROM GENESIS TO ACTS, PARAPHRASING THE SCRIPTURES. HE BELONGED TO THE ABBEY OF SAINT
VICTOR IN PARIS AND BECAME CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PARIS IN 1164.
DANTE:
The Eater of Books.
BEATRICE:
Petrus Comestor.
BONAVENTURA:
PAR C12 133-135 / DANTE
PAR C12 133-135 / KLINE
Ugo da San Vittore è qui con elli,
e Pietro Mangiadore e Pietro Spano,
lo qual giù luce in dodici libelli;
Hugh of Saint Victor is here with them,
Pietro Mangiadore, and Pietro Ispano, who gave
Logic light, below there, in his twelve books;
PAR C12 136-138 / DANTE
Natàn profeta e 'l metropolitano
Crisostomo e Anselmo e quel Donato
ch'a la prim' arte degnò porre mano.
Nathan the Prophet, the metropolitan Chrysostom,
Anselm, and that Donatus who deigned
to set his hand to the first art of Grammar.
PAR C12 139-141 / DANTE
Rabano è qui, e lucemi dallato
il calavrese abate Giovacchino
di spirito profetico dotato.
Rabanus is here, and Joachim of Flora,
the Calabrian abbot, imbued with
prophetic spirit., shines by my side,
PAR C12 142-144 / DANTE
Ad inveggiar cotanto paladino
mi mosse l'infiammata cortesia
di fra Tommaso e 'l discreto latino;
The bright courtesy of brother Thomas
and his well-judged speech, stirred me
to praise of Dominic, of so great a knight,
PAR C12 145 / DANTE
e mosse meco questa compagnia».
and stirred this company with me.
■-■-■
♫
MUSIC ?
**********
PAR C12 145
[CP 32]
- [CP 30] - [CP 31]
Clare Pictures 32: Clare follows cat and Francis
Clare pursues her cat and Francis (who are pursuing the birds).
CELESTIAL 4
CANTO 13
116
DANTE AND BEATRICE GAZE UP. BEATRICE POINTS OUT 2 FEATURES.
BEATRICE:
PAR C13 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C13 1-3 / KLINE
Imagini, chi bene intender cupe
quel ch'i' or vidi--e ritegna l'image,
mentre ch'io dico, come ferma rupe--,
Let him, who would grasp correctly what I now saw
(and let him retain the image while I speak,
as he holds a piece of rock)
PAR C13 4-6 / DANTE
quindici stelle che 'n diverse plage
lo ciel avvivan di tanto sereno
che soperchia de l'aere ogne compage;
imagine fifteen Fifteen of those stars, which,
in various regions, vivify the Heavens.,
with such brightness as to pierce the interwoven air;
PAR C13 7-9 / DANTE
imagini quel carro a cu' il seno
basta del nostro cielo e notte e giorno,
sì ch'al volger del temo non vien meno;
let him also imagine Ursa Major., that rests
on the breast of our sky, night and day,
so that it is never absent from the polar circle;
DANTE VERSIFIES.
DANTE:
PAR C13 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C13 1-3 / KLINE
Imagini, chi bene intender cupe
quel ch'i' or vidi--e ritegna l'image,
mentre ch'io dico, come ferma rupe--,
Let him, who would grasp correctly what I now
saw (and let him retain the image while I speak,
as he holds a piece of rock)
PAR C13 4-6 / DANTE
quindici stelle che 'n diverse plage
lo ciel avvivan di tanto sereno
che soperchia de l'aere ogne compage;
imagine fifteen of those stars, which, in
various regions, vivify the Heavens, with
such brightness as to pierce the interwoven air;
PAR C13 7-9 / DANTE
imagini quel carro a cu' il seno
basta del nostro cielo e notte e giorno,
sì ch'al volger del temo non vien meno;
let him also imagine Ursa Major, that rests
on the breast of our sky, night and day,
so that it is never absent from the polar circle;
imagini la bocca di quel corno
che si comincia in punta de lo stelo
a cui la prima rota va dintorno,
and let him imagine the mouth of that horn,
Ursa Minor, that starts from the axle
of the primal circling, all
aver fatto di sé due segni in cielo,
qual fece la figliuola di Minoi
allora che sentì di morte il gelo;
making two wreaths in Heaven such as Ariadne,
Minos’s daughter made,
when she felt the cold of death;
e l'un ne l'altro aver li raggi suoi,
e amendue girarsi per maniera
che l'uno andasse al primo e l'altro al poi;
and one ring of light, to lie inside the other,
and both to revolve, in such a way
that one leads and the other follows,
e avrà quasi l'ombra de la vera
costellazione e de la doppia danza
che circulava il punto dov' io era:
and he will have only the shadow of
the real constellation, and the twofold dance,
that circled round the point where I was,
poi ch'è tanto di là da nostra usanza,
quanto di là dal mover de la Chiana
si move il ciel che tutti li altri avanza.
since it goes as far beyond what we know,
as the movement of the quickest sphere,
exceeds our sluggish Chiana.
117
BEATRICE, CONSIDERING THAT DANTE HAS GONE ON LONG ENOUGH, JUMPS IN.
BEATRICE:
Lì si cantò non Bacco, non Peana,
ma tre persone in divina natura,
e in una persona essa e l'umana.
There they sang, not Bacchus and the Paean,
but three Persons in one Divine Nature,
and It, and Human Nature, in one Person.
The singing and circling had completed their measure, and those sacred flames turned their attention to us, rejoicing as
they turned, from one care to another. Then amongst the harmonious divinities, the silence was broken by that light, in
which the wonderful life, of the poor man of God, had been described to me, saying:
■-■-■
AQUINAS 5
[CP 33 / BS]
- [CP 34 / TABLE
BS AQ]
706 - 838
- [CP 35 / BS
LIBRARY]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
CLARE PICTURES: THE GIANT WOLF
Fioretto 21
Clare Pictures 33: The people of Gubbio point or run
The people of Gubbio point to the mountains or run from them in fear.
Clare Pictures 34: The Giant Wolf confronts Francis
The snarling giant wolf stands facing Francis, as tall as his shoulder.
Clare Pictures 35: The Giant Wolf surrenders
Francis’s arm is raised and the wolf has sunk to the ground, its paw in Francis’s other hand.
AQUINAS STANDS IN FRONT OF THE CHESS TABLE OR NEAR IT. THE CHESS PLAYERS./.CHANSONNIERS ARE
SILENT AS GRATIANUS CONTEMPLATES A MOVE.
DANTE:
The Giant Wolf of Gubbio!
THOMAS AQUINAS:
e disse: «Quando l'una paglia è trita,
quando la sua semenza è già riposta,
a batter l'altra dolce amor m'invita.
Since the one sheaf has been threshed,
and its seed already stored,
sweet love invites me to thresh the other.
Tu credi che nel petto onde la costa
si trasse per formar la bella guancia
il cui palato a tutto 'l mondo costa,
You know that whatever light human nature
can receive was all infused,
into that chest from which the rib was taken,
e in quel che, forato da la lancia,
e prima e poscia tanto sodisfece,
che d'ogne colpa vince la bilancia,
to form the lovely face, for whose taste
of the forbidden fruit all the world pays,
and into that which, pierced by the lance,
118
quantunque a la natura umana lece
aver di lume, tutto fosse infuso
da quel valor che l'uno e l'altro fece;
gave satisfaction for the Past and the Future,
so as to weigh the scales against all Sin,
by that same Power that made them both.
e però miri a ciò ch'io dissi suso,
quando narrai che non ebbe 'l secondo
lo ben che ne la quinta luce è chiuso.
And so you wonder at what I said before,
when I said the good that was enclosed
in the fifth light, Solomon, never had an equal.
Or apri li occhi a quel ch'io ti rispondo,
e vedräi il tuo credere e 'l mio dire
nel vero farsi come centro in tondo.
Now open your eyes to my answer,
and you will see your belief and my words,
hit the truth, like the centre of a target.
AQUINAS IS INTERRUPTED BY THE CHANSONNIERS.
THE GAME IS WELL UNDER WAY. GRATIANUS ADVANCES THE WHITE KING.
713
714
715
717
○
GRATIANUS:
Towards Douce France that Emperour has hasted.
Upon a lance Rollant his ensign raised,
Cantered pagans, through those wide valleys raced,
Hauberks they wore and sarks with iron plated,
Swords to their sides were girt, their helms
were laced,
Escuz as cols e lances adubees.
Lances made sharp, escutcheons newly painted:
En un bruill par sum les puis remestrent, There in the mists beyond the peaks remained
.IIII.C. milie atendent l'ajurnee.
The day of doom. Four hundred thousand waited.
Deus! quel dulur que li Franceis nel sevent!. God! what a grief. Franks know not what is
fated.
706 Vers dulce France chevalchet l'emperere.
707 Li quens Rollant ad l'enseigne fermee
710 Paien chevalchent par cez greignurs valees,
711 Halbercs vestuz e tres bien fermeez
712 Healmes lacez e ceintes lur espees,
○
740 «Seignurs barons,» dist li emperere Carles, My lords barons, at length doth Charles say,
741 «Veez les porz e les destreiz passages:
Ye see the pass along these valleys strait,
742 Kar me jugez, ki ert en la rereguarde.»
Judge for me now, who shall in rereward wait.
○●
743 Guenes respunt: «Rollant cist miens fillastre: There's my good-son, Rollanz, then answers
Guenes,
744 N'avez baron de si grant vasselage.»
You've no baron whose valour is as great.
746 Si li ad dit: «Vos estes vifs diables.
747 El cors vos est entree mortel rage.
○
And says to him: You devil incarnate;
Into your heart is come a mortal hate.
ROLAND / FOLCO RESPONDS TO ALBERTUS MAGNUS / GUENELON WITH FURY.
○
763 «Ahi! culvert, malvais hom de put aire,
ROLAND / FOLCO:
Aha! culvert; begotten of a bastard.
814
815
816
820
821
822
SIGIER:
High are the peaks, the valleys shadowful,
Swarthy the rocks, the narrows wonderful.
Franks passed that day all very sorrowful,
Remembering their fiefs and their honours,
Their little maids, their gentle wives and true;
There was not one that shed not tears for rue.
Halt sunt li pui e li val tenebrus,
Les roches bises, les destreiz merveillus.
Le jur passerent Franceis a grant dulur;
Dunc le remembret des fius e des honurs,
E des pulcele e des gentilz oixurs:
Cel nen i ad ki de pitet ne plurt.
●
119
835
836
837
838
○
Par Guenelun serat destruite France,
France is destroyed, by the device of Guene:
Enoit m'avint un avisiun d'angele,
This night I saw, by an angel's vision plain,
Que entre mes puinz me depeçout ma hanste,Between my hands he brake my spear in twain;
Chi ad juget mis nes a (la) rereguarde.
Great fear I have, since Rollant must remain:
■-■-■
♫
MUSIC ?
**********
CH/CH 838 PAR C13 52
AQUINAS 6 (VOICE)
[CP X]
- [CP X] - [CP X]
CLARE PICTURES: PREACHING TO THE BIRDS
Fioretto 16
CLARE Pictures 36: Francis preaches to silent swallows
Swallows perch in the Porziuncola tree with their wings folded across their beaks to indicate
silence.
CLARE Pictures 37, 38: Francis preaches to many birds
Francis preaches to masses of birds perched in the Porziuncola tree. Other birds – storks etc. may
perch on the Porziuncola.
DANTE & BEATRICE INTERPRET A LITTLE BEHIND AQUINAS.
DANTE:
&
Ciò che non more e ciò che può morire
non è se non splendor di quella idea
che partorisce, amando, il nostro Sire;
That which does not die, and that which can
perish, is nothing but the glow of that Idea,
which our Father engenders by Loving,
ché quella viva luce che sì mea
dal suo lucente, che non si disuna
da lui né da l'amor ch'a lor s'intrea,
since that living Light, which goes out
from its source, in such a way that it does not
separate from it, nor from the Love
per sua bontate il suo raggiare aduna,
quasi specchiato, in nove sussistenze,
etternalmente rimanendosi una.
which makes Trinity with those two, through its
own goodness, focuses its rays, as though reflected
in nine emanations, eternally remaining One.
Quindi discende a l'ultime potenze
giù d'atto in atto, tanto divenendo,
che più non fa che brevi contingenze;
So it descends to the lowest powers,
down from act to act, becoming what forms
the briefest of contingencies,
e queste contingenze essere intendo
le cose generate, che produce
con seme e sanza seme il ciel movendo.
by which I mean the things
generated from seed, or seedlessly,
by the moving Heavens.
120
La cera di costoro e chi la duce
non sta d'un modo; e però sotto 'l segno
idëale poi più e men traluce.
The wax, there, and what moulds it,
is not in only one state, and so is more,
or less, transparent, under the ideal seal,
BEATRICE:
Ond' elli avvien ch'un medesimo legno,
secondo specie, meglio e peggio frutta;
e voi nascete con diverso ingegno.
so that it happens that the same kind of tree
fruits better or worse,
and you are all born with varying genius.
Se fosse a punto la cera dedutta
e fosse il cielo in sua virtù supprema,
la luce del suggel parrebbe tutta;
If the wax was moulded precisely, and
the Heaven at its supreme point of Power, the
light of the seal would be completely apparent:
ma la natura la dà sempre scema,
similemente operando a l'artista
ch'a l'abito de l'arte ha man che trema.
but nature always makes it imperfectly,
acting in a similar manner to the artist,
who has the skill of his art, but a trembling hand.
Però se 'l caldo amor la chiara vista
de la prima virtù dispone e segna,
tutta la perfezion quivi s'acquista.
Then, if warm Love places, and stamps,
a clear vision of the primal Power,
complete perfection is attained there.
Così fu fatta già la terra degna
di tutta l'animal perfezïone;
così fu fatta la Vergine pregna;
So your clay was once made worthy
of utter physical perfection,
and so the Virgin was made pregnant.
sì ch'io commendo tua oppinïone,
che l'umana natura mai non fue
né fia qual fu in quelle due persone.
From this I sanction your opinion
that human nature never was, or will be,
equal to those two persons.
Or s'i' non procedesse avanti piùe,
`Dunque, come costui fu sanza pare?'
comincerebber le parole tue.
Now if I went no further
‘How then was he without equal?’
would still be your first words.’
■-■-■
 CHESS / CHANSON DE ROLAND
[CP 39 / BS]
- [CP 40 / TABLE
BS]
4
851 - 1336
- [CP 41 / BS
LIBRARY]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
CLARE PICTURES: TO THE SULTAN
Fioretto 24
Clare Pictures 39: Francis sets off in boat to Egypt
Francis sets off in a boat from the Porziuncola (1219) to convert the Sultan. He holds a large cross.
Crusaders are besieging Damietta, the port of Cairo. PARADISO PICTURES: 8, 9.
Clare Pictures 40: Francis preaches to the Sultan
Francis holds the large cross before the Sultan on his throne and points to Heaven.
Clare Pictures 41: Francis returns to Italy
Francis returns to Italy in the boat.
121
ACCOUNT 1: FIORETTO 24
ST FRANCIS, URGED BY ZEAL FOR
THE FAITH OF CHRIST AND BY A WISH TO SUFFER MARTYRDOM, TOOK WITH HIM ONE DAY
TWELVE OF HIS MOST HOLY BRETHREN, AND WENT BEYOND THE SEA WITH THE INTENTION OF GOING STRAIGHT TO THE SULTAN OF
BABYLON. THEY ARRIVED IN A PROVINCE BELONGING TO THE SARACENS, WHERE ALL THE PASSES WERE GUARDED BY MEN SO
CRUEL, THAT NO CHRISTIAN WHO PASSED THAT WAY COULD ESCAPE BEING PUT TO DEATH. NOW IT PLEASED GOD THAT ST
FRANCIS AND HIS COMPANIONS SHOULD NOT MEET WITH THE SAME FATE; BUT THEY WERE TAKEN PRISONERS, AND AFTER BEING
BOUND AND ILL-TREATED, WERE LED BEFORE THE SULTAN. THEN ST FRANCIS STANDING BEFORE HIM, INSPIRED BY THE HOLY
SPIRIT, PREACHED MOST DIVINELY THE FAITH OF CHRIST; AND TO PROVE THE TRUTH OF WHAT HE SAID, PROFESSED HIMSELF
READY TO ENTER INTO THE FIRE. NOW THE SULTAN BEGAN TO FEEL A GREAT DEVOTION TOWARDS HIM, BOTH BECAUSE OF THE
CONSTANCY OF HIS FAITH, AND BECAUSE HE DESPISED THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD…AND ALSO BECAUSE OF HIS ARDENT WISH TO
SUFFER MARTYRDOM. FROM THAT MOMENT HE LISTENED TO HIM WILLINGLY, AND BEGGED HIM TO COME BACK OFTEN, GIVING
BOTH HIM AND HIS COMPANIONS LEAVE TO PREACH WHERESOEVER THEY PLEASED; HE LIKEWISE GAVE THEM A TOKEN OF HIS
PROTECTION, WHICH WOULD PRESERVE THEM FROM ALL MOLESTATION.
AT LENGTH ST FRANCIS, SEEING HE COULD DO NO MORE GOOD IN THOSE PARTS, WAS WARNED BY GOD TO RETURN WITH HIS
BRETHREN TO THE LAND OF THE FAITHFUL. HAVING ASSEMBLED HIS COMPANIONS, THEY WENT TOGETHER TO THE SULTAN TO
TAKE LEAVE OF HIM. THE SULTAN SAID TO HIM: "BROTHER FRANCIS, MOST WILLINGLY WOULD I BE CONVERTED TO THE FAITH OF
CHRIST; BUT I FEAR TO DO SO NOW, FOR IF THE PEOPLE KNEW IT, THEY WOULD KILL BOTH ME AND THEE AND ALL THY
COMPANIONS…BUT TEACH ME HOW I CAN BE SAVED, AND I AM READY TO DO AS THOU SHALT ORDER." ON THIS ST FRANCIS
MADE ANSWER: "MY LORD, I WILL TAKE LEAVE OF THEE FOR THE PRESENT; BUT AFTER I HAVE RETURNED TO MY OWN COUNTRY,
WHEN I SHALL BE DEAD AND GONE TO HEAVEN, BY THE GRACE OF GOD, I WILL SEND THEE TWO OF MY FRIARS, WHO WILL
ADMINISTER TO THEE THE HOLY BAPTISM OF CHRIST, AND THOU SHALT BE SAVED…” THEN ST FRANCIS RETURNED WITH HIS
COMPANY OF VENERABLE AND SAINTLY BRETHREN, AND AFTER A FEW YEARS ENDING HIS MORTAL LIFE, HE GAVE UP HIS SOUL TO
GOD. THE SULTAN, HAVING FALLEN ILL, AWAITED THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROMISE OF ST FRANCIS, AND PLACED GUARDS IN
ALL THE PASSES, ORDERING THEM IF THEY MET TWO BROTHERS IN THE HABIT OF ST FRANCIS TO CONDUCT THEM IMMEDIATELY
TO HIM. AT THE SAME TIME ST FRANCIS APPEARED TO TWO OF HIS FRIARS, AND ORDERED THEM WITHOUT DELAY TO GO TO THE
SULTAN AND SAVE HIS SOUL, ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE HE HAD MADE HIM. THE TWO SET OUT, AND HAVING CROSSED THE SEA,
WERE CONDUCTED TO THE SULTAN BY THE GUARDS HE HAD SENT OUT TO MEET THEM. THE SULTAN, WHEN HE SAW THEM
ARRIVE, REJOICED GREATLY, AND EXCLAIMED: "NOW I KNOW OF A TRUTH THAT GOD HAS SENT HIS SERVANTS TO SAVE MY SOUL,
ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE WHICH ST FRANCIS MADE ME THROUGH DIVINE REVELATION." HAVING RECEIVED THE FAITH OF
CHRIST AND HOLY BAPTISM FROM THE SAID FRIARS, HE WAS REGENERATED IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST; AND HAVING DIED OF HIS
DISEASE, HIS SOUL WAS SAVED, THROUGH THE MERITS AND PRAYERS OF ST FRANCIS.
TO THE PRAISE AND GLORY OF JESUS CHRIST AND HIS POOR SERVANT FRANCIS. AMEN.
ACCOUNT 2: J DUNN
WWW.TOUREGYPT.NET
DURING THE FIRST CRUSADE, JERUSALEM HAD BEEN TAKEN FROM THE MUSLIMS BY THE CHRISTIANS, AND IT WAS SALADIN WHO
TOOK IT BACK IN 1187. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT UPON THE FALL OF JERUSALEM, THE CHRISTIANS EXPECTED THE SAME HARSH
TREATMENT THEY THEMSELVES HAD GIVEN TO THE JEWS AND MUSLIMS WHEN THE CRUSADERS HAD CONQUERED THE CITY.
HOWEVER, THEY WERE ALLOWED TO RANSOM THEIR LIVES, AND THE PENNILESS WERE ALLOWED TO GO FREE AS WELL.
UPON SALADIN'S DEATH, HIS BROTHER RULED FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, BUT IT WOULD BE HIS NEPHEW, EL KAMIL, WHO
WOULD BECOME THE NEXT MAJOR RULER OF EGYPT. IT WAS HE WHO FINISHED THE SALADIN’S CITADEL. AN INTERESTING STORY
IS TOLD THAT KAMIL WAS ACTUALLY KNIGHTED BY RICHARD COEUR DE LION IN WHAT HITTI CALLS "THE ROMANTIC EXCESSES
OF THE TIME". YET HE WAS AN ABLE DEFENDER OF EGYPT, AND IT WAS HE WHO FINALLY DROVE THE CRUSADERS FROM THE
COUNTRY.
THE CRUSADERS CAME BACK IN 1218 WITH A FORCE MOSTLY MADE UP OF GERMANS WHO BRIEFLY TOOK THE PORT AT
DAMIETTA. THEY HELD THE CITY FOR THREE YEARS, BUT FAILED TO RESIST THE ATTACK OF KAMIL AND WERE FORCED TO
RETREAT. HOWEVER, IT WAS HERE THAT ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI, SEEING THAT THE ATTACK WAS GOING BADLY, COURAGEOUSLY
CROSSED THE ENEMY LINES TO CONFRONT KAMIL. HIS INTENTIONS WERE TO CONVERT THE MUSLIM RULER TO CHRISTIANITY,
APPARENTLY UNAWARE THAT KAMIL WAS SURROUNDED WITH COPTIC ADVISERS AND FULLY FAMILIAR WITH THE CHRISTIAN
FAITH. ST. FRANCIS OFFERED TO ENTER A FIERY FURNACE ON THE CONDITION THAT SHOULD HE COME OUT ALIVE, KAMIL AND HIS
PEOPLE WOULD EMBRACE CHRISTIANITY. THE SULTAN REPLIED TO THE SAINT WITH A LESSON IN HUMANITY AND COMMON SENSE,
SAYING THAT GAMBLING WITH ONE'S LIFE WAS NOT A VALID PROOF OF ONE'S GOD, AND THEN SAW ST FRANCIS ON HIS WAY WITH
COURTESY AND LAVISH GIFTS.
THE
WHITE KNIGHTS ARE TOGETHER ON THE BOARD.
CHANSONNIERS. AQUINAS IS ABSENT.
851
852
853
854
.IIII.C. milie en ajustet en .III. jurz.
En Sarraguce fait suner ses taburs;
Mahumet levent en la plus halte tur.
N'i ad paien nel prit e nel aort.
ST BONAVENTURA
HAS JOINED THE
○
GRATIANUS:
Within three days come hundreds thousands four.
In Sarraguce they sound the drums of war;
Mahum they raise upon their highest tow'r,
Pagan is none, that does not him adore.
SIGIER MOVES A BLACK KNIGHT TOWARDS THE 2 WHITE KNIGHTS.
866
867
868
869
Dunez m'un feu, ço est le colp de Rollant;
Jo l'ocirai a mun espiet trenchant.
Se Mahumet me voelt estre guarant,
De tute Espaigne aquiterai les pans
●
MARSILIES NEPHEW / OROSIUS:
Give me a fee: the right to smite Rollanz!
I'll slay him clean with my good trenchant lance,
If Mahumet will be my sure warrant;
Spain I'll set free, deliver all her land
122
GRATIANUS INTERPOSES A WHITE PAWN. SIGIER LOOKS AT A BLACK BISHOP.
●
894 Uns amurafles i ad de Balaguez:
895 Cors ad mult gent e le vis fier e cler;
899 Fust chrestiens, asez oüst barnet.
SIGIER:
An admiral is there of Balaguet;
Clear face and proud, and body nobly bred;
Christian were he, he'd shewn good baronhead.
901 «En Rencesvals irai mun cors juer!
AD. OF BALAGUET / BONAVENTURA:
To Rencesvals! my body shall be led;
●
SIGIER MOVES THE BLACK BISHOP SEVERAL SQUARES TOWARDS THE KNIGHTS.
●
TURGIS OF TURTELOSE / BEDE:
921 Plus valt Mahum que seint Perre de Rume!Mahum's more worth than Saint Peter of Rome;
923 En Rencesvals a Rollant irai juindre,
To Rencesvals, to meet Rollanz I'll go,
OLIVER./.BOËTHIUS CALLS ROLAND./.FOLCO TO THE BOARD.
1006 Dist Oliver: «Sire cumpainz, ce crei,
1007 De Sarrazins purum bataille aveir.»
○
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
Says Oliver: Companion, I believe,
Sarrazins now in battle must we meet.
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
1111 Respont Rollant: «E! Deus la nus otreit! Answers Rollanz :God grant us then the fee!
1112 Ben devuns ci estre pur nostre rei:
For our King's sake well must we quit us here;
1013 Or guart chascuns que granz colps li' empleit,Now must we each lay on most hardily,
1014 Que malvaise cançun de nus chantet ne seit!So evil songs neer sung of us shall be.
1015 Paien unt tort e chrestiens unt dreit;
Pagans are wrong: Christians are right indeed.
OLIVER./.BOËTHIUS LOOKS UP AT THE HORN.
○
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
1051 Cumpaign Rollant, kar sunez vostre corn: Comrade Rollanz, your horn I pray you sound!
1052 Si l'orrat Carles, si returnerat l'ost.»
If Charles hear, he'll turn his armies round.
○
1062 Respunt Rollant: «Jo fereie que fols!
1054 En dulce France en perdreie mun los.
ROLAND / FOLCO:
Answers Rollanz: A fool I should be found;
In France the Douce would perish my renown.
1070 «Cumpainz Rollant, sunez vostre olifan:
1071 Si l'orrat Carles, ki est as porz passant.
1072 Je vos plevis, ja returnerunt Franc.»
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
Comrade Rollanz, once sound your olifant!
If Charles hear, where in the pass he stands,
I pledge you now, they'll turn again, the Franks.
1073 «Ne placet Deu,» ço li respunt Rollant,
1074 «Que ço seit dit de nul hume vivant,
1075 Ne pur paien, que ja seie cornant!
ROLAND / FOLCO:
Never, by God, then answers him Rollanz,
Never shall it be said by any living man,
That for pagans I took my horn in hand!
1093 Rollant est proz e Oliver est sage;
1094 Ambedui unt me[r]veillus vasselage.
1095 Puis que il sunt as chevals e as armes,
GRATIANUS:
Pride hath Rollanz, wisdom Olivier hath;
And both of them shew marvellous courage;
Once they are horsed, once they have donned
their arms,
Rather they'd die than from the battle pass.
1096 Ja pur murir n'eschiverunt bataille.
○
○
○
123
GRATIANUS MOVES A WHITE BISHOP (THE ARCHBISHOP) CLOSE TO THE WHITE KNIGHTS.
1127 «Seignurs baruns, Carles nus laissat ci;
1128 Pur nostre rei devum nus ben murir.
○
ARCHBISHOP TURPIN / ST ISIDORE:
My lords barons, Charles left us here for this;
He is our King, well may we die for him:
ARCHBISHOP TURPIN./.ST ISIDORE STEPS UP TO OLIVER./.BOËTHIUS AND ROLAND./.FOLCO.
SIGIER MOVES A BLACK KNIGHT.
1191 «Feluns Franceis, hoi justerez as noz,
1192 Traït vos ad ki a guarder vos out.
1193 Fols est li reis ki vos laissat as porz.
●
MARSILIES NEPHEW / OROSIUS:
Felons of France, so here on us you close!
Betrayed you has he that to guard you ought;
Mad is the King who left you in this post.
GRATIANUS POISES HIS HAND OVER THE BOARD WHILE HE THINKS, BUT ROLAND./.FOLCO
MOVES HIS WHITE KNIGHT AND KNOCKS OVER THE MARSILIES NEPHEW KNIGHT.
1207 «Ultre culvert! Carles n'est mie fol,
1208 Ne traïsun unkes amer ne volt.
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
Avaunt, culvert! A madman Charles is not,
No treachery was ever in his thought.
GRATIANUS SETS UP THE BLACK KNIGHT AGAIN, BUT
KNIGHT TO KNOCK IT OVER AGAIN.
OLIVER./.BOËTHIUS MOVES HIS WHITE
○
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
1233 Ferez i, Francs, kar tres ben les veincrum!» Strike on, the Franks! Right well we'll overcome.
1234 «Munjoie!» escriet, ço est l'enseigne Carlun..Monjoie!, he shouts, 'twas the ensign of Carlun.
MONJOIE: APPARENTLY MOUNT JOY, NOT MY JOY
○
FRANKS:
Monjoie!
1335 Apres li dist: «Culvert, mar i moüstes!
1336 De Mahumet ja n'i avrez aiude.
■-■-■
♫
MUSIC ?
**********
CH/CH 1336 before PAR C13 91
AQUINAS 7
■ - [AQ] - ■
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
After he said Culvert, false step you moved,
From Mahumet your help will not come soon.
124
THOMAS AQUINAS:
Ma perché paia ben ciò che non pare,
pensa chi era, e la cagion che 'l mosse,
quando fu detto ``Chiedi", a dimandare.
But so that you now see, what is not obvious, think
who Solomon was, and what the motivation was,
when he was told: ‘Choose’, to make his request.
Non ho parlato sì, che tu non posse
ben veder ch'el fu re, che chiese senno
acciò che re sufficïente fosse;
I have spoken so that you may see he was a king,
who chose such wisdom
as would make him an adequate king,
non per sapere il numero in che enno
li motor di qua sù, o se necesse
con contingente mai necesse fenno;
not knowledge of the number of moving spirits
here above; nor if a necessary premise, and a
contingent premise, can ever give a necessary
conclusion;
PAR C13 100-102 / DANTE
non si est dare primum motum esse,
o se del mezzo cerchio far si puote
trïangol sì ch'un retto non avesse.
nor whether we must accept a first movement, a
primum motum; nor whether a triangle without a
right angle in it can be constructed in a semicircle.
FROM EUCLID’S ELEMENTS; (G.K. CONSTRUCTED, PRESUMABLY WITH COMPASS AND STRAIGHTEDGE.)
THE MUSES ERATO AND MELPOMENE EMERGE TOGETHER AT LEFT BACK-STAGE. POLYHYMNIA, THE PENSIVE
ONE, THE GEOMETER, EMERGES AT RIGHT FRONT STAGE, GOES TO FRONT CENTRE-STAGE, POINTS HER RIGHT
ARM STIFFLY AT DANTE WHO IS STANDING WITH HIS BACK TO HER AT BACK CENTRE-STAGE. THE ARM IS THE
FIXED ARM OF A DRAWING-COMPASS. SHE SWEEPS HER STIFF LEFT ARM UP AND OVER FROM LEFT TO RIGHT,
SCRIBING A CIRCLE AROUND DANTE. POLYHYMNIA’S LEFT-ARM MOVEMENT ALSO DIRECTS ERATO ACROSS
THE STAGE. DANTE IS NOW CIRCUMSCRIBED AND AT THE CENTRE OF A TRIANGLE OF HOSTILE MUSES. EACH
DRAWS AN ARROW, THEN SETTLES DOWN TO SAVOUR THE SITUATION.
THOMAS AQUINAS:
PAR C13 103-105 / DANTE
PAR C13 103-105 / KLINE
Onde, se ciò ch'io dissi e questo note,
regal prudenza è quel vedere impari
in che lo stral di mia intenzion percuote;
So, if you note this, and everything I have said, it
is royal prudence, worldly wisdom, that is the
unequalled insight that the arrow of my intent strikes.
PAR C13 106-108 / DANTE
e se al ``surse" drizzi li occhi chiari,
vedrai aver solamente respetto
ai regi, che son molti, e ' buon son rari.
And if you turn your clear eyes to achieved,
you will see it only applies to kings,
of whom there are many, and the good ones rare.
PAR C13 109-111 / DANTE
Con questa distinzion prendi 'l mio detto;
e così puote star con quel che credi
del primo padre e del nostro Diletto.
Take my words, according to these distinctions, and
then they will agree with what you hold concerning
the first Father, and our Delight, Christ.
PAR C13 112-114 / DANTE
E questo ti sia sempre piombo a' piedi,
per farti mover lento com' uom lasso
e al sì e al no che tu non vedi:
And let this always weight your feet down with
lead, and make you go slowly, like a tired man,
approaching the yes or no you do not grasp,
PAR C13 115-117 / DANTE
ché quelli è tra li stolti bene a basso,
che sanza distinzione afferma e nega
ne l'un così come ne l'altro passo;
since he is truly down there among
the fools, who affirms or denies
without distinguishing between cases,
PAR C13 118-120 / DANTE
perch' elli 'ncontra che più volte piega
l'oppinïon corrente in falsa parte,
e poi l'affetto l'intelletto lega.
so that it often happens that a quick
opinion leans to the wrong side,
and then Pride entangles the intellect.
125
THE 6 OTHER MUSES GATHER WITH THE SMALL BOAT AT THE EDGE OF THE STAGE. THEY TRY OUT SWORDS,
PIKES ETC. IN READINESS FOR AN ASSAULT ON DANTE.
THOMAS AQUINAS:
PAR C13 121-123 / DANTE
PAR C13 121-123 / KLINE
Vie più che 'ndarno da riva si parte,
perché non torna tal qual e' si move,
chi pesca per lo vero e non ha l'arte.
He leaves the shore less than uselessly,
since he does not even return as he went,
fishing for truth without the angler’s skill,
PAR C13 124-126 / DANTE
E di ciò sono al mondo aperte prove
Parmenide, Melisso e Brisso e molti,
li quali andaro e non sapëan dove;
and open proof of this in the world, are Parmenides,
Melissus, Bryson, and the crowd
who still went on, without knowing where.
PARMENIDES, MELISSUS, BRYSO(N): GREEK PHILOSOPHERS, CONSIDERED BY ARISTOTLE EXAMPLES OF THE POWERS OF FALSEREASONING.
PAR C13 127-129 / DANTE
sì fé Sabellio e Arrio e quelli stolti
che furon come spade a le Scritture
in render torti li diritti volti.
So did Sabellius and Arius, and those fools who
were like gleaming swords applied to Scripture,
in making straight faces crooked.
SABELLIUS (3RD C: THE SABELLIAN HERESY (LATER CALLED PATRIPASSIANISM & MODALISM) IDENTIFIED THE SON WITH THE
FATHER AS ONE PERSON DIFFERING ONLY IN NAME.
ARIUS: PRESBYTER OF BISHOP ALEXANDER OF ALEXANDRIA (EARLY 4TH CENTURY). THE ARIAN HERESY DENIES THAT THE
INCARNATE SON IS ONE SUBSTANCE WITH THE TRANSCENDENT FIRST CAUSE OF CREATION, THOUGH DIFFERING IN PERSON. THE
HERESY CREATED DISSENSION UNTIL THE END OF THE FOURTH CENTURY.
PAR C13 130-132 / DANTE
Non sien le genti, ancor, troppo sicure
a giudicar, sì come quei che stima
le biade in campo pria che sien mature;
Do not let people be too secure in their
judgements, like those who count the ears of corn
in the field before the crop ripens,
PAR C13 133-135 / DANTE
ch'i' ho veduto tutto 'l verno prima
lo prun mostrarsi rigido e feroce,
poscia portar la rosa in su la cima;
since I have seen, all winter long, the thorn
display itself, sharp and forbidding,
and then on its summit bear the rose;
PAR C13 136-138 / DANTE
e legno vidi già dritto e veloce
correr lo mar per tutto suo cammino,
perire al fine a l'intrar de la foce.
and before now I have seen a ship run straight
and sure over the sea for her entire course,
and sink in the end, entering the harbour mouth.
THE MUSES DISAPPEAR.
THOMAS AQUINAS:
PAR C13 139-141 / DANTE
PAR C13 139-141 / KLINE
Non creda donna Berta e ser Martino,
per vedere un furare, altro offerere,
vederli dentro al consiglio divino;
Do not let Jack and Jill think, that if they see
someone steal or another make offering they
therefore see them as Divine Wisdom does.,
PAR C13 142 / DANTE
ché quel può surgere, e quel può cadere.
since the one may still rise, and the other fall.
CANTO 14
DANTE HOLDS A ‘ROUNDED DISH’ IN ONE HAND AND STRIKES IT ON THE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE.
126
DANTE:
PAR C14 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C14 1-3 / KLINE
Dal centro al cerchio, e sì dal cerchio
al centro
movesi l'acqua in un ritondo vaso,
secondo ch'è percosso fuori o dentro:
The water in a rounded dish vibrates from the
centre to the rim, or from the rim to the centre,
depending on how it is struck, from inside or out.
PAR C14 4-6 / DANTE
ne la mia mente fé sùbito caso
questo ch'io dico, sì come si tacque
la glorïosa vita di Tommaso,
Just as the glorious spirit of Thomas
fell silent, this thought
suddenly came into my mind,
PAR C14 7-9 / DANTE
per la similitudine che nacque
del suo parlare e di quel di Beatrice,
a cui sì cominciar, dopo lui, piacque:
because of the analogy that sprang from
his discourse., and Beatrice’s, whom it pleased
to begin speaking, after him:
DANTE:
PAR C14 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C14 1-3 / KLINE
Dal centro al cerchio, e sì dal cerchio
al centro
movesi l'acqua in un ritondo vaso,
secondo ch'è percosso fuori o… dentro:
The water in a rounded dish vibrates from the
centre to the rim, or from the rim to the centre,
depending on how it is struck, from inside or out.
POLYHYMNIA MIMES PUSHING DANTE’S HAND UP. DANTE FUMBLES AND DROPS THE DISH.
This man has a need he has not told you, with voice or thought, namely to track another truth to its source. Say if the light,
with which your substance blossoms, will remain yours as it is now, and if it will, say whether, when you are visible again,
at the last day, it will not cloud your vision.
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 5
■-■-■
♫
CELESTIAL
**********
PAR C14 8
DANTE:
Come, da più letizia pinti e tratti,
a la fïata quei che vanno a rota
levan la voce e rallegrano li atti,
As if pierced, Pierced and drawn out by excess
joy, those who circle in the dance, immediately
lift up their voices., and gladden their aspect,
così, a l'orazion pronta e divota,
li santi cerchi mostrar nova gioia
nel torneare e ne la mira nota.
so, at this eager and devout request, the The sacred
circles revealed new joy anew in their whirling,
and their marvellous sound.
127
Qual si lamenta perché qui si moia
per viver colà sù, non vide quive
lo refrigerio de l'etterna ploia.
Whoever grieves that we must die here in order
to live there, does not see, here,
the refreshment from the eternal rain.
Quell' uno e due e tre che sempre vive
e regna sempre in tre e 'n due e 'n uno,
non circunscritto, e tutto circunscrive,
Three times, each of those spirits spirit sings sang
that One and Two and Three who lives forever,
and reigns in Three and Two and One,
tre volte era cantato da ciascuno
di quelli spirti con tal melodia,
ch'ad ogne merto saria giusto muno.
not circumscribed but circumscribing all things.,
sang with such melody as is
a just reward for every kind of merit.
DANTE:
Come, da più letizia pinti e tratti,
a la fïata quei che vanno a rota
levan la voce e rallegrano li atti,
As if pierced, and drawn out by excess joy, those
who circle in the dance, immediately
lift up their voices, and gladden their aspect,
così, a l'orazion pronta e divota,
li santi cerchi mostrar nova gioia
nel torneare e ne la mira nota.
so, at this eager and devout request, the sacred
circles revealed new joy in their whirling,
and their marvellous sound.
Qual si lamenta perché qui la? si moia
per viver colà sù giù?, non vide quive
lo refrigerio de l'etterna ploia.
Whoever grieves that we must die here in order
to live there, does not see, here,
the refreshment from the eternal rain.
Quell' uno e due e tre che sempre vive
e regna sempre in tre e 'n due e 'n uno,
non circunscritto, e tutto circunscrive,
Three times, each of those spirits sang
that One and Two and Three who lives forever,
and reigns in Three and Two and One,
tre volte era cantato da ciascuno
di quelli spirti con tal melodia,
ch'ad ogne merto saria giusto muno.
not circumscribed but circumscribing all things,
sang with such melody as is
a just reward for every kind of merit.
And I heard a modest voice, in the most divine light of the smaller circle, perhaps like Gabriel’s voice to Mary,
MODEST VOICE
A MODEST VOICE SPEAKS [PAR C14 34-36]…
MODEST VOICE
risponder: «Quanto fia lunga la festa
di paradiso, tanto il nostro amore
si raggerà dintorno cotal vesta.
replying: Our Love will cast casts the rays
of such a veil around us, as long
as the festival of Paradise exists.
La sua chiarezza séguita l'ardore;
l'ardor la visïone, e quella è tanta,
quant' ha di grazia sovra suo valore.
Its brightness will to match our ardour,
our ardour our vision, as great
as the grace of it exceeds our true worth.
128
When the cloak of the glorious and holy flesh shall be taken on again, our person will be more pleasing by being fully
complete. So that the undeserved brightness which the Supreme Good gives us, that light which allows us to see him,
will grow: and then the vision must grow, and the ardour, also, which is lit by it, and the rays that leave it. But like the
coal that gives out flame, and, by its own lively glow, shines through it, so that its own identity is maintained, so this
glow which already veils us, will be penetrated by the glow of the flesh, which now the earth covers: and such intensity
of light will not have strength to overpower us, since the body’s faculties will be strong enough to withstand everything
that delights us.
…OR SINGS A SONG BASED ON THOSE WORDS.
♫
MODEST VOICE: LOVE, BRIGHTNESS, ARDOUR, VISION, GRACE
**********
♫
PAR C14 8
CELESTIAL AMEN!* * * * * * * * * *
PAR C14 8
SOULS/SOULS
SOULS / SOULS:
SOULS / SOULS:
Tanto mi parver sùbiti e accorti
e l'uno e l'altro coro a dicer Amme!,
che ben mostrar disio d'i corpi morti:
The inner and outer choirs seemed so eager and
quick to shout Amme!…Amen! , that they indeed
revealed desire for their dead bodies.
not only for themselves, perhaps, but for their fathers, mothers, and others dear to them, before they became eternal
flames.
BEATRICE EXITS.
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 6
♫
CELESTIAL
**********
PAR C14 62 from C14 125
Rise and conquer see Rejoice you who conquer [PUR C15 111]
DANTE GAZES UP.
DANTE:
Ed ecco intorno, di chiarezza pari,
nascere un lustro sopra quel che v'era,
per guisa d'orizzonte che rischiari.
Look around! A shining dawn,
of equal brightness, beyond what was there,
like a whitening horizon, the sphere of Mars.
MARS IS IDENTIFIED WITH THE CONSTELLATION LEO, THOUGH NOT ITS ASTROLOGICAL RULER, BECAUSE OF DANTE’S CLUSTER OF
ASSOCIATIONS, AROUND THE IDEA OF COURAGE & FORTITUDE, AMONG THEM THE ANIMAL & THE PLANET.
129
E sì come al salir di prima sera
comincian per lo ciel nove parvenze,
sì che la vista pare e non par vera,
And, as at twilight new things to see
begin to appear, in the heavens,
so that the vision seems real, and unreal,
parvemi lì novelle sussistenze
cominciare a vedere, e fare un giro
di fuor da l'altre due circunferenze.
so, there, I began begin to see newly arrived beings,
making a third circle,
out beyond the other two rims.
Oh vero sfavillar del Santo Spiro!
come si fece sùbito e candente
a li occhi miei che, vinti, nol soffriro!
O true sparks of the sacred exhalation,
how sudden and glowing:, in front of my eyes,
which, overcome, could cannot withstand it!
PAR C14 79-81 / KLINE before C14 130
But Beatrice showed herself so lovely and smiling to me, it must be left among those sights that my memory cannot
follow.
From that my eyes recovered their power to raise themselves, and I saw myself carried, along with my Lady, to a higher
fortune. I saw clearly that I was lifted higher, by the burning smile of that planet, which seemed to me redder than usual.
PAR C14 103-105 / DANTE
out of place
Qui vince la memoria mia lo 'ngegno;
ché quella croce lampeggiava Cristo,
sì ch'io non so trovare essempro degno;
♫
CELESTIAL
PAR C14 103-105 / KLINE
Here my memory outruns my ability,
since Christ flashed out so on that the Cross!,
that I can find no fitting comparison.
**********
PAR C14 104 before PAR C14 88
DANTE STANDS OR WANDERS.
DANTE:
Con tutto 'l core e con quella favella
ch'è una in tutti, a Dio feci olocausto,
qual conveniesi a la grazia novella.
I made sacrifice to God, of my heart,
and in that speech which is the same for all of us,
as fitted this newly given grace:
E non er' anco del mio petto essausto
l'ardor del sacrificio, ch'io conobbi
esso litare stato accetto e fausto;
and the ardour of the sacrifice
was not yet gone from my chest,
before I knew the prayer had been accepted,
and with favour, since splendours appeared to me, inside two rays, so radiant and red, that I exclaimed: ‘O Helios, who
glorifies them so!’
HELIOS: THE SUN-GOD, THE SON OF EURYPHESSA OR THEIA & THE TITAN HYPERION. IDENTICAL FOR DANTE WITH APOLLOCHRIST.
As the Milky Way gleams between the poles of the Universe, decked with greater and lesser lights, so white as to set
the very sages questioning, so those constellated rays made the ancient sign, in the depth of Mars, that crossing
quadrants make in a circle.
DANTE OPENS HIS BOOK TO WRITE.
130
DANTE:
Con tutto 'l core e con quella favella
ch'è una in tutti, a Dio feci olocausto,
qual conveniesi a la grazia novella.
I made sacrifice to God, of my heart,
and in that speech which is the same for all of us,
as fitted this newly given grace:
E non er' anco del mio petto essausto
l'ardor del sacrificio, ch'io conobbi
esso litare stato accetto e fausto;
and the ardour of the sacrifice
was not yet gone from my chest,
before I knew the prayer had been accepted,
DANTE PAUSES FOR SOME TIME.
DANTE:
PAR C14 103-105 / DANTE
PAR C14 103-105 / KLINE
since Christ flashed out so on that Cross,
DANTE:
PAR C14 103 / DANTE
PAR C14 103 / KLINE
DANTE PAUSES AGAIN.
DANTE:
PAR C14 103-104 / DANTE
PAR C14 103-104 / KLINE
since Christ flashed out so on that Cross,
DANTE:
PAR C14 105 / DANTE
PAR C14 105 / KLINE
DANTE PAUSES AGAIN, LENGTHILY.
DANTE:
PAR C14 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C14 106-108 / KLINE
ma chi prende sua croce e segue Cristo,
ancor mi scuserà di quel ch'io lasso,
vedendo in quell' albor balenar Cristo.
But whoever takes up his cross and follows Christ,
will forgive me for what I leave unspoken…,
when he sees Christ white within that glow.
DANTE:
PAR C14 106-107 / DANTE
will forgive me for what I leave unspoken,
DANTE PAUSES AGAIN THEN RUSHES AT THE TERCET, PAUSING AGAIN BEFORE THE FINAL WORD.
DANTE:
PAR C14 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C14 106-108 / KLINE
vedendo in quell' albor balenar…Cristo.
will forgive me for what I leave unspoken,
when he sees Christ white within that glow.
131
DANTE:
PAR C14 108 / DANTE
PAR C14 108 / KLINE
vedendo in quell' albor balenar…Cristo.
…when he sees Christ white within that glow.
PAR C14 109-126 / KLINE
From cusp to cusp, from summit to base, there were lights moving, that sparkled intensely, in meeting one another, and
passing. So we see, here, motes moving through a ray, that sometimes penetrates the shadow people contrive, with art
and ingenuity, against the sunlight, straight, curved, fast or slow, long or short, changing in appearance. And as harp
and viol, tuned in many-chorded harmony, make a sweet chime, to one who cannot separate the notes, so a melody
enraptured me, from the lights that appeared, gathered along the Cross, though I could not follow the hymn. I clearly
knew it was of high praise, since there came to me the words: ‘Rise and conquer,’ as to one who hears but does not
understand. And I was so enamoured of it, there, that there had been nothing, till then, that tied me in such sweet chains.
♫
CELESTIAL / BE-A-TRI-CE * * * * * * * * * *
PAR C14 108
DANTE, LOOKING TO WHERE BEATRICE HAS WALKED OFF, SPEAKS CONFIDENTIALLY TO THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
PAR C14 79-81 / DANTE out of place
Ma Bëatrice sì bella e ridente
mi si mostrò, che tra quelle vedute
si vuol lasciar che non seguir la mente.
But Beatrice showed herself so lovely and
smiling to me, it must be left among those
sights that my memory cannot follow.
PAR C14 130-132 / DANTE
PAR C14 130-132 / KLINE
Forse la mia parola par troppo osa,
posponendo il piacer de li occhi belli,
ne' quai mirando mio disio ha posa;
Perhaps it may be too bold to say so,
as if it slighted the joy of those lovely eyes,
gazing into which my longing finds rest,
PAR C14 133-135 / DANTE
ma chi s'avvede che i vivi suggelli
d'ogne bellezza più fanno più suso,
e ch'io non m'era lì rivolto a quelli,
but he who recognises how those living seals
of all beauty have ever greater
effect the higher the region
PAR C14 136-138 / DANTE
escusar puommi di quel ch'io m'accuso
per escusarmi, e vedermi dir vero:
ché 'l piacer santo non è qui dischiuso,
and that I had not yet turned towards them,
may excuse me from my self-accusation, and
can see I speak the truth: for that sacred joy is
PAR C14 136-138 / DANTE
perché si fa, montando, più sincero.
not excluded here, that as it climbs grows purer.
CANTO 15
■ - [RED ☼] - ■
CACCIAGUIDA’S LIGHT WHIRLS INTO THE CENTRE WINDOW.
DANTE:
PAR C15 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C15 1-3 / KLINE
Benigna volontade in che si liqua
sempre l'amor che drittamente spira,
come cupidità fa ne la iniqua,
The Benign Will, in which the Love
that truly perfumes always distils itself,
as greed does in the envious will,
132
PAR C15 4-6 / DANTE
silenzio puose a quella dolce lira,
e fece quïetar le sante corde
che la destra del cielo allenta e tira.
imposed silence on that sweet lyre,
and stilled the sacred strings,
that the right hand of Heaven plucks and loosens.
PAR C15 7-9 / DANTE
Come saranno a' giusti preghi sorde
quelle sustanze che, per darmi voglia
ch'io le pregassi, a tacer fur concorde?
How can those beings be deaf to just prayers,
who agreed to silence,
so as to give me the will to pray?
Bene è che sanza termine si doglia
chi, per amor di cosa che non duri
etternalmente, quello amor si spoglia.
It is right that they should mourn endlessly
who deprive themselves of this love,
eternally, for the love of what does not endure.
DANTE:
Quale per li seren tranquilli e puri
discorre ad ora ad or sùbito foco,
movendo li occhi che stavan sicuri,
As a meteoric flame flashes through the pure
and tranquil sky, from time to time,
disturbing steady vision,
e pare stella che tramuti loco,
se non che da la parte ond' e' s'accende
nulla sen perde, ed esso dura poco:
and seems like a star changing place,
except that no star is lost from where it flamed,
and it itself does not last,
tale dal corno che 'n destro si stende
a piè di quella croce corse un astro
de la costellazion che lì resplende;
so, from the horn stretching to the right,
a star of the constellation that shines there
darted to the foot of the cross,
né si partì la gemma dal suo nastro,
ma per la lista radïal trascorse,
che parve foco dietro ad alabastro.
and did not leave the arc but coursed
along the radial line,
like fire shining through alabaster.
Sì pïa l'ombra d'Anchise si porse,
se fede merta nostra maggior musa,
quando in Eliso del figlio s'accorse.
With such tenderness Anchises shade came
forward when he saw his son Aeneas in Elysium,
if our greatest Muse is to be believed.
‘OUR GREATEST MUSE’ IS THE CUE FOR CALLIOPE. SHE STEPS GRANDLY ON STAGE AND WALKS
MENACINGLY TOWARDS DANTE. CLIO COMES QUICKLY FROM OFFSTAGE AND IS ABOUT TO PUNCH DANTE IN
THE HEAD WHEN CALLIOPE SLAPS HER HARD, THEN TURNS ROUND AND PUNCHES DANTE. HE APPEARS
STUNNED FOR A MOMENT BUT, OF COURSE, DOES NOT KNOW WHAT HIT HIM.
CLIO FLEES, AND SO DO THE 3 TRIANGLE-VERTICES, POLYHYMNIA, ERATO AND MELPOMENE WHEN CALLIOPE
GLARES AT THEM.
CACCIAGUIDA 1
■ - [RED ☼] - ■
CACCIAGUIDA SPEAKS.
----
--?
CACCIAGUIDA *
? - 1147? AGE : ? CHARACTER AGE : *
FLORENCE.
133
DESCRIPTION
DANTE’S GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER, A KNIGHT WITH CONRAD III AND KILLED IN ST BERNARD OF
CLAIRVAUX’S DISASTROUS CRUSADE OF 1147. CACCIAGUIDA SOON MANIFESTS HIMSELF AS A REAL, FIGHTING
MAN. WHILE TALKING TO DANTE HE DRESSES AND ARMS HIMSELF AS HE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR BATTLE. CHAIN
MAIL WAS VERY FAR FROM TOURNAMENT ARMOUR: CACCIAGUIDA CAN GET ON HIS HORSE UNAIDED.
CONRAD III: MEMBER OF HOHENSTAUFEN DYNASTY, SON OF RUDOLPH II OF BURGUNDY. LEADER OF THE SECOND CRUSADE
(1147-1149) WITH LOUIS VII OF FRANCE . EMPEROR FROM 1137-1152.
PARADISO PICTURES
42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50
UNDERGARMENTS
Bottom: chausses (hose)
Top: cloth coat
Head: cloth hood
CHAIN MAIL chausses
CHAIN MAIL coif (head protector)
CHAIN MAIL COAT
SURCOAT Cloth. There were many different types and colours of crosses. There may be information
somewhere on the Hohenstaufen cross.
GLOVES (GAUNTLETS)
HELMET (steel?): various styles)
SWORD
HORSE A vaulting-horse i.e. used by knights to practice mounting in armour, particularly without using the
stirrup. It doubles as a clothes-horse for what Cacciaguida’s real horse wore. It may simply have a
saddle and bridle or a caparison. The horse should slide, rather than be on wheels, for steadiness
and so as not to look too much like a giant toy. The horse’s caparison and devices on the shield and
banner may be obtainable for Conrad III.
SHIELD
STANDARD, BANNER
CACCIAGUIDA (VOICE):
O sanguis meus, o superinfusa
gratïa Deï, sicut tibi cui
bis unquam celi ianüa reclusa?
O blood of mine,
O grace of God poured into you,
to whom was Heaven’s Gate ever opened twice, as to
you?
DANTE INTERPETS CACCIAGUIDA’S (ORIGINALLY DANTE’S) LATIN.
DANTE:
O sanguis meus, o superinfusa
gratïa Deï, sicut tibi cui
bis unquam celi ianüa reclusa?
O blood of mine,
O grace of God poured into you, to whom
was Heaven’s Gate ever opened twice, as to you?
So the light spoke, at which I directed my attention to him. Then I turned my face towards my Lady, and on this side
and on that was stunned, since such a smile was blazing in her eyes, I thought with mine I had reached the end, of my
grace, and my Paradiso. Then, gladdening sight and hearing, the spirit added words to his commencement that I did not
understand, his speech was so profound: he hid himself from me, not out of choice, but of necessity, since his thought
took place beyond the power of mortals. And when the bow of ardent love was so tuned that his speech descended
towards the power of our intellect,
la prima cosa che per me s'intese,
«Benedetto sia tu», fu, «trino e uno,
che nel mio seme se' tanto cortese!».
the first words I understood were:
‘Blessed be thou, Three and One,
who are so noble in my seed,’
E seguì: «Grato e lontano digiuno,
tratto leggendo del magno volume
du' non si muta mai bianco né bruno,
and continued: ‘My son, in this light
where I now speak to you, you have assuaged
a dear, long-cherished hunger,
134
solvuto hai, figlio, dentro a questo lume
in ch'io ti parlo, mercè di colei
ch'a l'alto volo ti vestì le piume.
induced by the reading of that great volume where
black and white never change: thanks be to her
who clothed you with wings for this high ascent.
You believe that your thought finds its way to me, from the Primal Thought, as the numbers five and six issue from one,
if seen correctly, and so you do not ask who I am, or why I seem to you more joyful than others in this festive crowd.
You believe rightly, since in this life great and lesser spirits, gaze in the mirror, where, before you think, your thought is
seen. But so that the sacred love, in which I watch with uninterrupted vision, setting me thirsting with sweet longing,
can be better fulfilled,
la voce tua sicura, balda e lieta
suoni la volontà, suoni 'l disio,
a che la mia risposta è già decreta!
let your voice sound out your will, your longing,
safely, boldly, and delightedly,
to which my answer is already given.’
I turned to Beatrice, and she heard me, before I spoke, and granted a sign to me that increased the wings of my desire.
Then I began: Love and intelligence became equal in weight to you, as soon as the Primal equality was visible to you,
because the Sun, which warmed and lit you, with its heat and brightness, has in it such equality that all comparisons fall
short. But for mortals, for reasons obvious to you, will and execution are unequally feathered wings. So that I, a mortal,
feel the stress of this imbalance, and therefore only gave thanks with my heart, for your paternal greeting.
DANTE:
Ben supplico io a te, vivo topazio
che questa gioia prezïosa ingemmi,
perché mi facci del tuo nome sazio.
But I can and do, beg you, living topaz,
who are a gem of this precious jewel,
to satisfy me with your name.
«O fronda mia in che io compiacemmi
pur aspettando, io fui la tua radice»:
cotal principio, rispondendo, femmi.
Oh, I was your root, my leaf, whom I delighted
in, while only anticipating you’: Cacciaguida.
such were the opening words of his reply.
or Cacciaguida …Oh, I was your root, my leaf,
whom I delighted in, while only anticipating you.’
such were the opening words of his reply.
[CP 42]
- [CP 43 / CACCIAGUIDA] - [CP 44]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
CLARE PICTURES: HOLY PURSUIT
Clare Pictures 42: Francis pursues B & W dog.
Francis pursues a black-and-white dog with a torch in its mouth, the symbol of the Dominicans. The
dog pursues…
Clare Pictures 43: White dog and bees pursue Crusader
…a white dog and a swarm of bees, both symbols of St Bernard, which are at the heels and rump of
a Crusader’s horse. The Crusader is pursuing…
Clare Pictures 44: Crusader pursues Saracen
…a mounted Saracen.
CACCIAGUIDA APPEARS AS A PERSON. HE IS LYING ROUGHLY PARALLEL TO THE STAGE, APPARENTLY A
TOMB FIGURE IN HIS STILLNESS, WITH ONE LEG CROSSING THE OTHER AS KNIGHT FIGURES WERE OFTEN
SHOWN. HIS SWORD LIES NEXT TO HIM. HIS SHIELD, BANNER, WEAPONS AND HELMET ARE ON THE WALL.
HIS RESTING ATTIRE IS UNDERGARMENTS: CHAUSSES, TOP AND HOOD.
CACCIAGUIDA PAUSES FOR SOME TIME, REINFORCING THE ‘TOMB FIGURE’ IMPRESSION.
135
CACCIAGUIDA:
Poscia mi disse: «Quel da cui si dice
tua cognazione e che cent' anni e piùe
girato ha 'l monte in la prima cornice,
Then he said: ‘He, the first Aligieri, from whom
your family takes it name, and who has circled the
Mount on the first terrace, for more than a hundred
years,
mio figlio fu e tuo bisavol fue:
ben si convien che la lunga fatica
tu li raccorci con l'opere tue.
was my son, and your great-grandfather.
It is fitting that you should lessen the long
drawn-out labour, for him, with your works.
DANTE WAITS RESPECTFULLY, EVENTUALLY MAKING A NOTE.
DANTE:
PAR C15 94 / DANTE
CACCIAGUIDA RISES TO ONE KNEE, PERHAPS IMITATING ANOTHER STONE FIGURE OF A STRICKEN KNIGHT.
CACCIAGUIDA:
Fiorenza dentro da la cerchia antica,
ond' ella toglie ancora e terza e nona,
si stava in pace, sobria e pudica.
Florence, lived in peace, sober and chaste,
behind the ancient circle of wall, from which
she still hears the Badia’s tierce and nones.
THE BADIA, THE BELLTOWER, FROM WHICH THE ANCIENT CANONICAL HOURS WERE RUNG (TIERCE AT NINE, NONES AT TWELVE)
WAS CLOSE TO THE ENCLOSING WALLS.
PAR C15 100-102 / DANTE
Non avea catenella, non corona,
non gonne contigiate, non cintura
che fosse a veder più che la persona.
There were no wreaths and gold-chains,
no dressed-up women, no sash that set
people staring at it, more than at she who wore it.
PAR C15 103-105 / DANTE
Non faceva, nascendo, ancor paura
la figlia al padre, che 'l tempo e la dote
non fuggien quinci e quindi la misura.
The birth of a daughter did not yet dismay
fathers, since dowry and bride’s age were fitting,
the one not too high, the other not too low.
PAR C15 106-108 / DANTE
Non avea case di famiglia vòte;
non v'era giunto ancor Sardanapalo
a mostrar ciò che 'n camera si puote.
There were no empty mansions. Sardanapalus
had not yet arrived to show what might
be done to make a room luxurious.
SARDANAPALUS: KING OF ASSYRIA, THE TYPE OF LUXURY
PAR C15 109-111 / DANTE
Non era vinto ancora Montemalo
dal vostro Uccellatoio, che, com' è vinto
nel montar sù, così sarà nel calo.
The first sight of Florence, from Ucellatoio, did
not yet surpass Rome’s from Montemalo, which
will be surpassed in the fall, as well as the rising.
PAR C15 112-114 / DANTE
Bellincion Berti vid' io andar cinto
di cuoio e d'osso, e venir da lo specchio
la donna sua sanza 'l viso dipinto;
I have seen Bellincion Berti dressed in leather,
clasped with bone, and have seen his lady
come from her mirror with her face unpainted.
BELLINCION, BERTI DE’ RAVIGNANI: FATHER OF ‘ THE GOOD GUALDRADA’ & ONE OF THE HONOURED KNIGHTS OF ANCIENT
FLORENCE. THE CONTI GUIDI WERE DESCENDED FROM HIM THROUGH GUALDRADA. MENTIONED AS MARRYING ONE OF HIS
DAUGHTERS TO ONE OF THE ADIMARI.
136
PAR C15 115-117 / DANTE
e vidi quel d'i Nerli e quel del Vecchio
esser contenti a la pelle scoperta,
e le sue donne al fuso e al pennecchio.
I have seen men of the Nerlo and Vecchio families,
content with only clothing of skins, and their
ladies themselves handling flax and spindle.
NERLO, VECCHIO (VECCHIETTI): ANCIENT GUELPH FAMILIES.
PAR C15 118-120 / DANTE
Oh fortunate! ciascuna era certa
de la sua sepultura, e ancor nulla
era per Francia nel letto diserta.
Oh fortunate women! Each one certain
of her burial place, and none deserted
in their beds because of France.
PAR C15 121-123 / DANTE
L'una vegghiava a studio de la culla,
e, consolando, usava l'idïoma
che prima i padri e le madri trastulla;
One kept watch over the cradle,
and spoke in that soothing way,
that is the first delight of fathers and mothers:
PAR C15 124-126 / DANTE
l'altra, traendo a la rocca la chioma,
favoleggiava con la sua famiglia
d'i Troiani, di Fiesole e di Roma.
another as she drew thread from
the distaff, would tell her family about
Troy, Rome, and Fiesole.
CACCIAGUIDA STANDS AND WALKS INTO THE WINGS. DANTE NOTES AND BEGINS VERSIFYING.
DANTE:
Poscia mi disse: «Quel da cui si dice
tua cognazione e che cent' anni e piùe
girato ha 'l monte in la prima cornice,
Then he said: ‘He, the first Aligieri, from whom
your family takes it name, and who has circled the
Mount on the first terrace, for more than a hundred
years,
ben si convien che la lunga fatica
tu li raccorci con l'opere tue.
It is fitting that you should lessen the long
drawn-out labour, for him, with your works.
Fiorenza dentro da la cerchia antica,
ond' ella toglie ancora e terza e nona,
si stava in pace, sobria e pudica.
Florence, lived in peace, sober and chaste,
behind the ancient circle of wall, from which
she still hears the Badia’s tierce and nones.
PAR C15 100-102 / DANTE
Non avea catenella, non corona,
non gonne contigiate, non cintura
che fosse a veder più che la persona.
There were no wreaths and gold-chains,
no dressed-up women, no sash that set
people staring at it, more than at she who wore it.
PAR C15 103-105 / DANTE
Non faceva, nascendo, ancor paura
la figlia al padre, che 'l tempo e la dote
non fuggien quinci e quindi la misura.
The birth of a daughter did not yet dismay fathers.
since dowry and bride’s age were fitting,
the one not too high, the other not too low.
PAR C15 106-108 / DANTE
Non avea case di famiglia vòte;
non v'era giunto ancor Sardanapalo
a mostrar ciò che 'n camera si puote.
There were no empty mansions. Sardanapalus
had not yet arrived to show what might
be done to make a room luxurious.
PAR C15 109-111 / DANTE
Non era vinto ancora Montemalo
dal vostro Uccellatoio, che, com' è vinto
nel montar sù, così sarà nel calo.
The first sight of Florence, from Ucellatoio, did
not yet surpass Rome’s from Montemalo, which
will be surpassed in the fall, as well as the rising.
DANTE PAUSES TO LOOK AT THE SWARM OF BEES IN CLARE PICTURES 43.
137
DANTE:
St Bernard…Doctor Mellifluus.
PAR C15 112-114 / DANTE
Bellincion Berti vid' io andar cinto
di cuoio e d'osso, e venir da lo specchio
la donna sua sanza 'l viso dipinto;
I have seen Bellincion Berti dressed in leather,
clasped with bone, and have seen his lady
come from her mirror with her face unpainted.
PAR C15 115-117 / DANTE
e vidi quel d'i Nerli e quel del Vecchio
esser contenti a la pelle scoperta,
e le sue donne al fuso e al pennecchio.
I have seen men of the Nerlo and Vecchio families,
content with only clothing of skins, and their
ladies themselves handling flax and spindle.
PAR C15 118-120 / DANTE
Oh fortunate! ciascuna era certa
de la sua sepultura, e ancor nulla
era per Francia nel letto diserta.
Oh fortunate women! Each one certain
of her burial place, and none deserted
in their beds because of France.
PAR C15 121-123 / DANTE
L'una vegghiava a studio de la culla,
e, consolando, usava l'idïoma
che prima i padri e le madri trastulla;
One kept watch over the cradle,
and spoke in that soothing way,
that is the first delight of fathers and mothers:
PAR C15 124-126 / DANTE
l'altra, traendo a la rocca la chioma,
favoleggiava con la sua famiglia
d'i Troiani, di Fiesole e di Roma.
another as she drew thread from
the distaff, would tell her family about
Troy, Rome, and Fiesole.
CACCIAGUIDA RETURNS FROM THE WINGS WITH A WOODEN CLOTHES STAND IN THE FORM OF A SQUIRE.
CACCIAGUIDA:
PAR C15 127-129 / DANTE
PAR C15 127-129 / KLINE
Saria tenuta allor tal maraviglia
una Cianghella, un Lapo Salterello,
qual or saria Cincinnato e Corniglia.
Then a shrew like Cianghella, or a corrupt lawyer
like Lapo Salterello, would have been as amazing
then as a Cornelia or a Cincinnatus now.
CORNELIA: DAUGHTER OF SCIPIO AFRICANUS & WIFE OF TIBERIUS SEMPRONIUS GRACCHUS & MOTHER OF TIBERIUS & CAIUS
THE TWO FAMOUS TRIBUNES, THE GRACCHI. TYPE OF THE NOBLE ROMAN WOMAN. SHE CLAIMED THAT ‘HER SONS WERE HER
JEWELS’.
PAR C15 130-132 / DANTE
A così riposato, a così bello
viver di cittadini, a così fida
cittadinanza, a così dolce ostello,
Mary, called on, with deep moans,
gave me to such a restful, lovely life
among the citizens,
PAR C15 133-135 / DANTE
Maria mi diè, chiamata in alte grida;
e ne l'antico vostro Batisteo
insieme fui cristiano e Cacciaguida.
to such faithful citizenship, such sweet being,
and in your ancient Baptistery, I became,
in the one moment, Cacciaguida and a Christian.
PAR C15 136-138 / DANTE
Moronto fu mio frate ed Eliseo;
mia donna venne a me di val di Pado,
e quindi il sopranome tuo si feo.
Moronto and Eliseo were my brothers: my wife
came to me from the valley of the River Po, and
your surname was derived from hers, Alighiera
ALIGHIERA: DANTE’S GREAT-GRANDFATHER. HIS MOTHER WAS CACCIAGUIDA’S WIFE, ALIGHIERA OF THE ALDIGHIERI FAMILY
OF FERRARA.
PAR C15 139-141 / DANTE
Poi seguitai lo 'mperador Currado;
ed el mi cinse de la sua milizia,
tanto per bene ovrar li venni in grado.
Then I followed the Emperor Conrad the Third,
who made me a knight,
since I advanced myself so greatly in his grace.
138
PAR C15 142-144 / DANTE
Dietro li andai incontro a la nequizia
di quella legge il cui popolo usurpa,
per colpa d'i pastor, vostra giustizia.
I marched in his ranks, against the infamy of that
religion whose infidel people usurp, shame on
your pastors, that which is yours by right.
PAR C15 145-147 / DANTE
Quivi fu' io da quella gente turpa
disviluppato dal mondo fallace,
lo cui amor molt' anime deturpa;
There, by those wretched folk,
I was disrobed of that deceitful world,
whose love corrupts many a spirit,
PAR C15 148 / DANTE
e venni dal martiro a questa pace.
and came, from martyrdom, to this peace.
CACCIAGUIDA BEGINS DRESSING AS DANTE WATCHES AND VERSIFIES, INCIDENTALLY CLOSING THE CANTO.
CACCIAGUIDA FIRST PUTS ON THE MAIL CHAUSSES, ATTACHING THEM TO THE WAIST BELT.
DANTE:
PAR C15 127-129 / DANTE
PAR C15 127-129 / KLINE
Saria tenuta allor tal maraviglia
una Cianghella, un Lapo Salterello,
qual or saria Cincinnato e Corniglia.
Then a shrew like Cianghella, or a corrupt lawyer
like Lapo Salterello, would have been as amazing
then as a Cornelia or a Cincinnatus now.
PAR C15 130-132 / DANTE
A così riposato, a così bello
viver di cittadini, a così fida
cittadinanza, a così dolce ostello,
Mary, called on, with deep moans,
gave me to such a restful, lovely life
among the citizens,
PAR C15 133-135 / DANTE
Maria mi diè, chiamata in alte grida;
e ne l'antico vostro Batisteo
insieme fui cristiano e Cacciaguida.
to such faithful citizenship, such sweet being,
and in your ancient Baptistery, I became,
in the one moment, Cacciaguida and a Christian.
PAR C15 136-138 / DANTE
Moronto fu mio frate ed Eliseo;
mia donna venne a me di val di Pado,
e quindi il sopranome tuo si feo.
Moronto and Eliseo were my brothers: my wife
came to me from the valley of the River Po, and
your surname was derived from hers, Alighiera.
ALIGHIERA: DANTE’S GREAT-GRANDFATHER. HIS MOTHER WAS CACCIAGUIDA’S WIFE, ALIGHIERA OF THE ALDIGHIERI FAMILY
OF FERRARA.
PAR C15 139-141 / DANTE
Poi seguitai lo 'mperador Currado;
ed el mi cinse de la sua milizia,
tanto per bene ovrar li venni in grado.
Then I followed the Emperor Conrad the Third,
who made me a knight,
since I advanced myself so greatly in his grace.
PAR C15 142-144 / DANTE
Dietro li andai incontro a la nequizia
di quella legge il cui popolo usurpa,
per colpa d'i pastor, vostra giustizia.
I marched in his ranks, against the infamy
of that religion whose infidel people usurp,
shame on your pastors, that which is yours by right.
PAR C15 145-147 / DANTE
Quivi fu' io da quella gente turpa
disviluppato dal mondo fallace,
lo cui amor molt' anime deturpa;
There, by those wretched folk,
I was disrobed of that deceitful world,
whose love corrupts many a spirit,
PAR C15 148 / DANTE
e venni dal martiro a questa pace.
CANTO 16
and came, from martyrdom, to this peace.
139
O our little nobility of the blood! If you make people glory in you down here, where our affection languishes, it will
never make me wonder again, since I gloried in it there where appetite is uncorrupted, I mean in Heaven. Yet, you are
indeed a cloak that shrinks, so that if nothing is added, day by day, time circles it with its shears. I began again with that
voi, for you, that Rome first allowed for Julius [VOI FOR YOU: HE WAS, ACCORDING TO LEGEND, ADDRESSED IN THE PLURAL AS
VOI INSTEAD OF TU WHEN HE ACHIEVED PRE-EMINENCE. A ROMAN CUSTOM, DISUSED THERE IN DANTE’S TIME], which her
families persevere with least, at which Beatrice, who was a little apart from us, smiled and seemed like the Lady of
Malehaut who coughed at Guinevere’s first indiscretion, as it is written. I began: You are my father, you give me full
authority to speak, you lift me so that I am greater than myself. My Mind is filled with joy from so many springs, it
delights in itself that it can suffer it and not be destroyed.
DANTE:
Ditemi dunque, cara mia primizia,
Tell me then, dear source of me,
quai fuor li vostri antichi e quai fuor li anni what was your ancestry, and what
che si segnaro in vostra püerizia;
did the years record recorded in your youth.
ditemi de l'ovil di San Giovanni
quanto era allora, e chi eran le genti
tra esso degne di più alti scanni.
Tell me about the sheepfold of Saint John,
how great Florence was then, and who
were the people worthy of highest places there.
As a coal bursts into flame at a breath of wind, so I saw that light shine out at my flattering words, and even as it grew
more beautiful to my sight, so, in a voice sweeter and gentler, but not in this current dialect of ours,
CACCIAGUIDA SPEAKS IN A ‘VOICE SWEETER AND GENTLER, BUT NOT IN THIS CURRENT DIALECT’.
he said: From the day that Ave was first spoken, to the day of my birth, when my mother, now a saint, unburdened
herself of my weight, this burning planet, [Mars], returned to his own constellation of the Lion, five hundred and eighty
times, to relight itself under his feet. My predecessors and I were born in the place where he who runs in the Corso,
your annual race, first encounters the last sesto of Saint Peter. Let that be enough about my ancestors, silence about who
they were and where they came from is more fitting than speech.’
CACCIAGUIDA: THE GROWTH OF FLORENCE.
CACCIAGUIDA:
Tutti color ch'a quel tempo eran ivi
da poter arme tra Marte e 'l Batista,
eran il quinto di quei ch'or son vivi.
At that time, between the statue of Mars, at the
Ponte Vecchio, and the Baptistery, all who were
capable of of bearing arms were only a fifth of
those living now.
THE STATUE OF MARS STOOD BY THE NORTHERN END OF THE PONTE VECCHIO, IN THE SOUTH OF THE CITY BY THE ARNO & THE
BAPTISTERY IN THE NORTH, MARKING THE OLD BOUNDARIES.
SIMIFONTI WAS A FORTRESS IN THE VALDELSA DESTROYED BY THE FLORENTINES IN 1202. THE CONTI GUIDI SOLD THEIR CASTLE
AT MONTEMURLO, BETWEEN PISTOIA & PRATO, TO FLORENCE IN 1254 BEING UNABLE TO DEFEND IT FROM THE PISTOIANS.
ACONE WAS PROBABLY IN THE VAL DE SIEVE. LUNI WAS ON THE MACRA, THE NORTHERN BOUNDARY OF TUSCANY. URBISAGLIA
WAS IN THE MARCH OF ANCONA. CHIUSI, IS ANCIENT CLUSIUM, IN THE MALARIAL VAL DI CHIANA. SINAGLIA IS ON THE
SEASHORE NORTH OF ANCONA.
Ma la cittadinanza, ch'è or mista
di Campi, di Certaldo e di Fegghine,
pura vediesi ne l'ultimo artista.
But the citizenship saw itself as pure in blood,
down to the humblest worker, that is now
contaminated by the blood of Campi, Certaldo and
Fighine, the towns of the Contado.
Oh quanto fora meglio esser vicine
quelle genti ch'io dico, e al Galluzzo
e a Trespiano aver vostro confine,
TH
IN THE 11 C, GALUZZO & TRESPIANO WERE THE SOUTHERN
INCLUDE AGUGLIONE OR SIGNA.
O how much better it would be to have these
people as your neighbours, and your boundary
south at Galuzzo, and north at Trespiano,
& NORTHERN LIMITS OF FLORENTINE TERRITORY, WHICH DID NOT
140
DANTE notes:
O how much better it would be to have these
people as your neighbours, and your boundary
CACCIAGUIDA:
che averle dentro e sostener lo puzzo
del villan d'Aguglion, di quel da Signa,
che già per barattare ha l'occhio aguzzo!
than to have them inside, and bear the foulness of
that villain Baldo from Aguglion, or him of Signa,
Fazio, whose eye is keen for abuse of office!
BALDO DA AGUGLIONE A LAWYER WHO DESERTED THE WHITES FROM THE BLACKS IN 1302. BALDO WAS A PRIOR IN 1298 AND
1311, IN WHICH YEAR HE DREW UP THE DECREE RECALLING THE EXILES, BUT EXPRESSLY EXCLUDING DANTE. IN 1299 HE HAD
BEEN CONVICTED OF TAMPERING WITH THE PUBLIC RECORDS OF THE COURTS.
FAZIO DE’ MORI UBALDINI DA SIGNA, A GUELPH, HELD SEVERAL FLORENTINE OFFICES FROM 1310 ONWARDS. HE WAS A FIERCE
OPPONENT OF THE WHITES.
Had that race, the most degenerate on earth, been benign, like a mother to her son, and not been a hostile stepmother to
Caesar, one of those who is a Florentine now, merchant and moneychanger, would have been sent back to Simifonte,
where his grandfather was a beggar. Montemurlo would still house the Conti, the Cerchi would still be in Acone’s
parish, and the Buondelmonti perhaps still in Val di Greve.
CACCIAGUIDA NOW HAS ON HIS MAIL CHAUSSES AND MAIL COIF. HE PUTS ON HIS MAIL COAT.
CACCIAGUIDA:
Sempre la confusion de le persone
principio fu del mal de la cittade,
come del vostro il cibo che s'appone;
Confusion of people was always
the source of the city’s sorrows,
as mixed food is of the body’s.
e cieco toro più avaccio cade
che cieco agnello; e molte volte taglia
più e meglio una che le cinque spade.
And a blind bull falls more heavily
than a blind lamb, and one sword often cuts
keener, and deeper, than five.
Se tu riguardi Luni e Orbisaglia
come sono ite, e come se ne vanno
di retro ad esse Chiusi e Sinigaglia,
If you look how the cities of Luni and Sinaglia
are done for, and Chiusi
and Sinaglia following them,
udir come le schiatte si disfanno
non ti parrà nova cosa né forte,
poscia che le cittadi termine hanno.
it will not seem strange or difficult to understand
how families destroy themselves,
since even cities have an end.
Le vostre cose tutte hanno lor morte,
sì come voi; ma celasi in alcuna
che dura molto, e le vite son corte.
Everything of yours comes to an end, as you will,
but in things which last a while,
it is not noticed, because your lives are short.
E come 'l volger del ciel de la luna
cuopre e discuopre i liti sanza posa,
così fa di Fiorenza la Fortuna:
And as the turning of the lunar sphere
covers and uncovers the shoreline, endlessly,
So Fortune handles Florence,
per che non dee parer mirabil cosa
ciò ch'io dirò de li alti Fiorentini
onde è la fama nel tempo nascosa.
so that it should not seem remarkable
when I speak of the noble Florentines,
whose fame is buried by time.
CACCIAGUIDA GOES OUT OF SIGHT AGAIN AND DANTE VERSIFIES.
141
DANTE:
Tutti color ch'a quel tempo eran ivi
da poter arme tra Marte e 'l Batista,
eran il quinto di quei ch'or son vivi.
At that time, between the statue of Mars, at the Ponte
Vecchio, and the Baptistery, all who were capable of
of bearing arms were only a fifth of those living now.
Ma la cittadinanza, ch'è or mista
di Campi, di Certaldo e di Fegghine,
pura vediesi ne l'ultimo artista.
But the citizenship saw itself as pure in blood,
down to the humblest worker, that is now
contaminated by the blood of Campi, Certaldo and
Fighine, the towns of the Contado.
O how much better it would be to have these people
as your neighbours, and your boundary
che averle dentro e sostener lo puzzo
del villan d'Aguglion, di quel da Signa,
che già per barattare ha l'occhio aguzzo!
than to have them inside, and bear the foulness of
that villain Baldo from Aguglion, or him of Signa,
Fazio, whose eye is keen for abuse of office!
Had that race, the most degenerate on earth, been benign, like a mother to her son, and not been a hostile stepmother to
Caesar, one of those who is a Florentine now, merchant and moneychanger, would have been sent back to Simifonte,
where his grandfather was a beggar. Montemurlo would still house the Conti, the Cerchi would still be in Acone’s
parish, and the Buondelmonti perhaps still in Val di Greve.
Sempre la confusion de le persone
principio fu del mal de la cittade,
come del vostro il cibo che s'appone;
Confusion of people was always
the source of the city’s sorrows,
as mixed food is of the body’s.
e cieco toro più avaccio cade
che cieco agnello; e molte volte taglia
più e meglio una che le cinque spade.
And a blind bull falls more heavily
than a blind lamb, and one sword often cuts
keener, and deeper, than five.
Se tu riguardi Luni e Orbisaglia
come sono ite, e come se ne vanno
di retro ad esse Chiusi e Sinigaglia,
If you look how the cities of Luni and Sinaglia
are done for, and Chiusi
and Sinaglia following them,
udir come le schiatte si disfanno
non ti parrà nova cosa né forte,
poscia che le cittadi termine hanno.
it will not seem strange or difficult to understand
how families destroy themselves,
since even cities have an end.
Le vostre cose tutte hanno lor morte,
sì come voi; ma celasi in alcuna
che dura molto, e le vite son corte.
Everything of yours comes to an end, as you will,
but in things which last a while,
it is not noticed, because your lives are short.
E come 'l volger del ciel de la luna
cuopre e discuopre i liti sanza posa,
così fa di Fiorenza la Fortuna:
And as the turning of the lunar sphere
covers and uncovers the shoreline, endlessly,
So Fortune handles Florence,
per che non dee parer mirabil cosa
ciò ch'io dirò de li alti Fiorentini
onde è la fama nel tempo nascosa.
so that it should not seem remarkable
when I speak of the noble Florentines,
whose fame is buried by time.
CACCIAGUIDA RETURNS, PULLING HIS VAULTING-HORSE BY THE REINS.
142
CACCIAGUIDA
Io vidi li Ughi e vidi i Catellini,
Filippi, Greci, Ormanni e Alberichi,
già nel calare, illustri cittadini;
I have seen the Ughi, seen the Catellini,
the Filippi, Grechi, Ormanni and Alberichi,
illustrious families already on the wane.
e vidi così grandi come antichi,
con quel de la Sannella, quel de l'Arca,
e Soldanieri e Ardinghi e Bostichi.
And with Sannella, as great as ancient,
I have seen Arca,
Soldanieri, Ardinghi and Bostichi.
GIANNI DE’SOLDANIERI, A GHIBELLINE WHO NEVERTHELESS BECAME LEADER OF THE GUELPH COMMONS OF FLORENCE, WHEN
THEY REBELLED AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT OF GUIDO NOVELLO & THE GHIBELLINE NOBLES AFTER MANFRED’S DEFEAT AT
BENEVENTO IN 1265.
Sovra la porta ch'al presente è carca
di nova fellonia di tanto peso
che tosto fia iattura de la barca,
Over the gate of Porta San Piero,
which is now heavy with the Cerchi’s new crimes,
that will soon lead to shipwreck,
erano i Ravignani, ond' è disceso
il conte Guido e qualunque del nome
de l'alto Bellincione ha poscia preso.
the Ravignani lived, from whom
the Conti Guidi are descended, and those
who have since taken noble Bellincioni’s name.
PAR C16 100-102 / DANTE
Quel de la Pressa sapeva già come
regger si vuole, e avea Galigaio
dorata in casa sua già l'elsa e 'l pome.
The Della Pressa already knew how to govern,
and Galigaio in his house, already had
the gilded hilt and pommel of knighthood.
PAR C16 103-105 / DANTE
Grand' era già la colonna del Vaio,
Sacchetti, Giuochi, Fifanti e Barucci
e Galli e quei ch'arrossan per lo staio.
The vair column of the Pigli was already great,
the Sacchetti, Giuochi, Fifanti and the Barucci,
the Galli, and the Chiaramontesi who blush for
falsifying the measure.
PAR C16 106-108 / DANTE
Lo ceppo di che nacquero i Calfucci
era già grande, e già eran tratti
a le curule Sizii e Arrigucci.
The stock the Calfucci sprang from
was great already, and the Sizi
and Arrigucci were already civic dignitaries.
PAR C16 109-111 / DANTE
Oh quali io vidi quei che son disfatti
per lor superbia! e le palle de l'oro
fiorian Fiorenza in tutt' i suoi gran fatti.
Oh how great I have seen them, those Uberti, now
destroyed by pride! And the Lamberti’s device
of the golden balls adorned Florence in all her great
actions.
PAR C16 112-114 / DANTE
Così facieno i padri di coloro
che, sempre che la vostra chiesa vaca,
si fanno grassi stando a consistoro.
So did their fathers, who, now,
whenever the Bishop’s See is vacant
stand guzzling in the consistory.
CACCIAGUIDA TAKES HIS GAUNTLETS FROM THE WOODEN SQUIRE, PUTS ON HIS HELMET AND VAULTS INTO
THE SADDLE OF HIS HORSE.
CACCIAGUIDA
PAR C16 115-117 / DANTE
PAR C16 115-117 / KLINE
L'oltracotata schiatta che s'indraca
dietro a chi fugge, e a chi mostra 'l dente
o ver la borsa, com' agnel si placa,
The outrageous race, the house of Adimari,
that is a dragon to those who flee it, and is as quiet
as a lamb to those who show their teeth, or purse,
ADIMARI: AN ANCIENT FLORENTINE FAMILY. FILIPPO ARGENTI BELONGED TO ONE BRANCH OF THE FAMILY. UBERTINO DONATI,
THE ANCESTOR OF DANTE’S WIFE GEMMA, HAD MARRIED ONE OF THE DAUGHTERS OF BELLINCION BERTI, A SISTER OF
GUALDRADA & STRONGLY OBJECTED TO HIS FATHER-IN-LAW GIVING THE HAND OF A THIRD DAUGHTER TO ONE OF THE ADIMARI.
A FOURTH DAUGHTER MAY HAVE BEEN THE WIFE OF DANTE’S GREAT-GRANDFATHER ALIGHIERO I.
143
PAR C16 118-120 / DANTE
già venìa sù, ma di picciola gente;
sì che non piacque ad Ubertin Donato
che poï il suocero il fé lor parente.
was rising already, but from humble people, so that
Ubertino Donati was not pleased when Bellincion
his father-in-law made him a relative of them by
marriage.
PAR C16 121-123 / DANTE
Già era 'l Caponsacco nel mercato
disceso giù da Fiesole, e già era
buon cittadino Giuda e Infangato.
Caponsacco had already come down from Fiesole
to the marketplace, and Guida
and Infangato were already good citizens.
PAR C16 124-126 / DANTE
Io dirò cosa incredibile e vera:
nel picciol cerchio s'entrava per porta
che si nomava da quei de la Pera.
I will tell you something unbelievable but true,
the little circle of walls was entered by a gate,
named after the Della Pera.
PAR C16 127-129 / DANTE
Ciascun che de la bella insegna porta
del gran barone il cui nome e 'l cui pregio
la festa di Tommaso riconforta,
Everyone who carries any of the fair device of the
great Baron, Hugo of Brandenburg, whose name
and worth is kept alive by the festival of Saint
Thomas,
HUGO OF BRANDENBURG, IMPERIAL VICAR OF TUSCANY FOR OTHO III, DIED ON SAINT THOMAS’S DAY.
PAR C16 130-132 / DANTE
da esso ebbe milizia e privilegio;
avvegna che con popol si rauni
oggi colui che la fascia col fregio.
though the Della Bella who fringes it
with gold, has now joined
the party of the people.
PAR C16 133-135 / DANTE
Già eran Gualterotti e Importuni;
e ancor saria Borgo più quïeto,
se di novi vicin fosser digiuni.
There were Gualterotti and Importuni already, and
the Borgo Santi Apostoli would be a quieter place
if they did not have the Buondelmonti for new
neighbours.
PAR C16 136-138 / DANTE
La casa di che nacque il vostro fleto,
per lo giusto disdegno che v'ha morti
e puose fine al vostro viver lieto,
The house, the Amedei, from which, O
Buondelmonte, your grief sprang, because of
righteous anger which murdered you and put an
end to your joyful life,
BUONDELMONTI, BUONDELMONTE DE’ WAS BETROTHED TO A DAUGHTER OF THE AMIDEI, BUT BROKE FAITH AT THE INSTIGATION
OF GUALDRADA DONATI. IN THE DEBATE AS TO WHETHER HE SHOULD BE KILLED MOSCA SAID THE EVIL WORD, ‘A THING DONE
HAS AN END.’ BUONDELMONTE WAS MURDERED, AT THE FOOT OF THE STATUE OF MARS, ON THE PONTE VECCHIO, IN 1215. THE
FAMILY DIVISIONS CREATED THE GUELPH & GHIBELLINE FACTIONAL CONFLICTS.
PAR C16 139-141 / DANTE
era onorata, essa e suoi consorti:
o Buondelmonte, quanto mal fuggisti
le nozze süe per li altrui conforti!
was honoured, it, and its associates.
How wrong you were to reject
its marriage-rite at another’s prompting!
PAR C16 142-144 / DANTE
Molti sarebber lieti, che son tristi,
se Dio t'avesse conceduto ad Ema
la prima volta ch'a città venisti.
Many would have been happy who are now
saddened,if God had committed you to the small
stream, the Ema, the first time you crossed it to
reach the city.
PAR C16 145-147 / DANTE
Ma conveniesi a quella pietra scema
che guarda 'l ponte, che Fiorenza fesse
vittima ne la sua pace postrema.
But it was fitting that Florence should sacrifice
a victim to that mutilated stone of Mars,
that guards the bridge, in her last time of peace.
PAR C16 148-150 / DANTE
Con queste genti, e con altre con esse,
vid' io Fiorenza in sì fatto riposo,
che non avea cagione onde piangesse.
I saw Florence in such calm repose,
with these men and others like them,
that she had no reason for grief.
144
PAR C16 151-153 / DANTE
Con queste genti vid'io glorïoso
e giusto il popol suo, tanto che 'l giglio
non era ad asta mai posto a ritroso,
I saw her people, so glorious and just, with these
men to serve them, that her arms of the white
lily were never reversed on the standard,
PAR C16 154 / DANTE
né per divisïon fatto vermiglio.
nor the lily dyed red by division.
DANTE VERSIFIES POINTEDLY AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
PAR C16 151-153 / DANTE
PAR C16 151-153 / KLINE
Con queste genti vid'io glorïoso
e giusto il popol suo, tanto che 'l giglio
non era ad asta mai posto a ritroso,
I saw her people, so glorious and just, with these
men to serve them, that her arms of the white lily
were never reversed on the standard,
PAR C16 154 / DANTE
né per divisïon fatto vermiglio.
nor the lily dyed red by division.
CANTO 17
As Phaethon, he who still makes father’s give grudgingly to their sons, came to his mother, Clymene, to receive
reassurance, of what he had heard thrown back at him, so I: and so did I seem to Beatrice, and that sacred flame, who
had already changed his position for my sake. At which my Lady said: Emit the heat of your desire, so that it may flow,
truly stamped with the internal seal, not so that our knowledge increases by your speaking, but so that you may learn
how to speak of your thirst, so that men may quench it.
DANTE:
O cara piota mia che sì t'insusi,
che, come veggion le terrene menti
non capere in trïangol due ottusi,
Dear ground of myself, in which I am rooted,
who are lifted up so high, that,
gazing on that point, to which all time is present,
così vedi le cose contingenti
anzi che sieno in sé, mirando il punto
a cui tutti li tempi son presenti;
you see contingent things, before they themselves
exist, as earthbound minds see that two obtuse
angles cannot exist in one triangle,
mentre ch'io era a Virgilio congiunto
su per lo monte che l'anime cura
e discendendo nel mondo defunto,
heavy words were said to me, about my future,
while Virgil accompanied me,
descending through the dead world,
dette mi fuor di mia vita futura
parole gravi, avvegna ch'io mi senta
ben tetragono ai colpi di ventura;
♫
PROPHECY MOTIF: SOFT
PAR C17 24
and around the Mount
that purifies souls: though I feel well set
to resist Fortune’s blows,
**********
145
URANIA, THE MUSE OF PROPHECY, ENTERS TO WITNESS AND SHARPEN DANTE’S PAIN.
SHE IS BEHIND HIM, WITH HER BACK TO THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
per che la voglia mia saria contenta
d'intender qual fortuna mi s'appressa:
ché saetta previsa vien più lenta.
so that my mind would be content to hear
what fate comes towards to me, since the arrow
seen in advance arrives less suddenly.
So I spoke, to that same light who had addressed me previously, and confessed my wish, as Beatrice wanted. That
paternal love, revealed or hidden by its own smile, did not reply in dark prophecies that misled the foolish ancients,
before the Lamb of God who takes away sin, was killed, but in clear words, and with precise statements:
CACCIAGUIDA:
La contingenza, che fuor del quaderno
de la vostra matera non si stende,
tutta è dipinta nel cospetto etterno;
Contingent things, which do not extend
beyond your world of matter,
are all outlined in the eternal gaze,
necessità però quindi non prende
se non come dal viso in che si specchia
nave che per torrente giù discende.
though pre-determination does not follow from
this; no more than a boat slipping downstream
is driven by the eye in which it is reflected.
Da indi, sì come viene ad orecchia
dolce armonia da organo, mi viene
a vista il tempo che ti s'apparecchia.
♫
PROPHECY MOTIF: LOUD
From that, what is in store for you
is visible to me, as a sweet harmony
comes from an organ.
**********
PAR C17 45
CACCIAGUIDA:
Qual si partio Ipolito d'Atene
per la spietata e perfida noverca,
tal di Fiorenza partir ti convene.
You must be exiled from Florence., as
Hippolytus was exiled from Athens, through the
spite and lies of Phaedra, his stepmother.
CACCIAGUIDA:
PAR C17 48 / DANTE
PAR C17 48 / KLINE
tal di Fiorenza partir ti convene.
You must be exiled from Florence,
DANTE IS TRANSFIXED.
GRIEF.
AFTER A LONG MOMENT HE TURNS TO THE AUDIENCE, ATTEMPTING TO CONTROL HIS
CACCIAGUIDA:
Questo si vuole e questo già si cerca,
e tosto verrà fatto a chi ciò pensa
là dove Cristo tutto dì si merca.
It is already willed so, and already planned, and
will be accomplished soon, by Boniface who
ponders it, in that place where, every day Christ is
sold.
La colpa seguirà la parte offensa
in grido, come suol; ma la vendetta
fia testimonio al ver che la dispensa.
The cry will put the blame on the injured party,
as is usual, but truth will bear witness
to itself, by the revenge it takes.
146
Tu lascerai ogne cosa diletta
più caramente; e questo è quello strale
che l'arco de lo essilio pria saetta.
You will lose everything
you love most dearly:
that is the arrow that Exile’s bow will fire.
URANIA, THE ASSASSIN, STEPS UP TO DANTE AND TRANSFIXES HIM AGAIN - WITH AN ARROW.
DANTE CLUTCHES HIS HEART, SWAYS AND SINKS TO HIS KNEES. URANIA EXITS JAUNTILY.
CACCIAGUIDA:
Tu proverai sì come sa di sale
lo pane altrui, e come è duro calle
lo scendere e 'l salir per l'altrui scale.
You will prove how bitter the taste
of another man’s bread is, and how hard
it is to descend, and climb, another man’s stair.
DANTE MURMURS.
DANTE:
Tu proverai sì come sa di sale
lo pane altrui, e come è duro calle
lo scendere e 'l salir per l'altrui scale.
You will prove how bitter the taste
of another man’s bread is, and how hard
it is to descend, and climb, another man’s stair.
CACCIAGUIDA:
E quel che più ti graverà le spalle,
sarà la compagnia malvagia e scempia
con la qual tu cadrai in questa valle;
And what will bow your shoulders down
will be the vicious and worthless company
with whom you will fall into. this abyss,
che tutta ingrata, tutta matta ed empia
si farà contr' a te; ma, poco appresso,
ella, non tu, n'avrà rossa la tempia.
since they They will all be ungrateful, fierce
and disrespectful to you: but not long after,
their cheeks, not yours will blush for it.
Di sua bestialitate il suo processo
farà la prova; sì ch'a te fia bello
averti fatta parte per te stesso.
Their fate will demonstrate their brutishness,
so that it will be to your credit
to have formed a party of one.
CACCIAGUIDA REVEALS DANTE’S FAST APPROACHING EXILE FROM FLORENCE, ENGINEERED BY ROME. DANTE WAS SENTENCED
WITH 4 OTHERS TO FINE & BANISHMENT ON JANUARY 27TH 1302. WITH 15 OTHERS, HE WAS SENTENCED TO DEATH BY BURNING,
ON MARCH 10TH. THE WHITES WERE EXPELLED FROM FLORENCE ON APRIL 4TH, BETWEEN JUNE 8TH 1302 & JUNE 18TH 1303 HE
BROKE AWAY FROM THEM (BECOMING ‘A PARTY OF ONE’) IN DISGUST & TOOK REFUGE WITH BARTOLOMMEO DELLA SCALA AT
VERONA.
Lo primo tuo refugio e 'l primo ostello
sarà la cortesia del gran Lombardo
che 'n su la scala porta il santo uccello;
Your first refuge and first lodging will be by
courtesy of the great Lombard, Bartolomeo della
Scala, whose arms are the sacred eagle atop a ladder.,
ch'in te avrà sì benigno riguardo,
che del fare e del chieder, tra voi due,
fia primo quel che tra li altri è più tardo.
since he He will cast such a friendly gaze on you,
that, between you, in request and fulfilment,
that will be first., which between others comes last.
147
Con lui vedrai colui che 'mpresso fue,
nascendo, sì da questa stella forte,
che notabili fier l'opere sue.
With him will be Can Grande, the one
who was so marked at birth by this potent planet
that his actions will be notable.
FRANCESCO CAN GRANDE DELLA SCALA: (1291-1329), PROBABLY THE ‘GREYHOUND’ OF CANTO I, DANTE’S PATRON AT
VERONA TO WHOM THE PARADISO WAS DEDICATED & WHO SHELTERED HIM FROM 1316. HE RECEIVED THE LAST THIRTEEN
CANTOS OF THE PARADISO, LEFT UNFINISHED AT DANTE’S DEATH, FROM DANTE’S SON JACOPO. HE BECAME LORD OF VERONA IN
1311, WAS AN IMPERIAL VICAR & IN 1318 THE HEAD OF THE GHIBELLINE PARTY. HE WAS AN ART PATRON & KEPT A CIVILISED &
STATELY COURT. CAN GRANDE WAS ONE OF THE GREAT MILITARY MEN OF HIS AGE. IN 1311 HE SHOWED HIS METTLE BY
RECOVERING BRESCIA & TAKING VICENZA. HE IS MENTIONED AS BEING NINE YEARS OLD (NINE YEARS & ONE MONTH IN APRIL
1300).
People have not yet taken due regard of him, because of his age, since these spheres have only revolved round him for
nine years. But before Pope Clement the Fifth, the Gascon, has deceived the Emperor, Henry the Seventh, the gleam his
virtue will be apparent in his indifference to money or to hard labour. His generous actions will eventually be known, so
that even his enemies will not be able to stay silent about them. Look to him and to his gifts. Many people will be
changed by him, their conditions altered, the wealthy and the poor: and you will carry it inscribed in your memory of
him, but will not speak it’: and he told me many things incredible even to those who shall see them.
CACCIAGUIDA:
Poi giunse: «Figlio, queste son le chiose
di quel che ti fu detto; ecco le 'nsidie
che dietro a pochi giri son nascose.
Then he added: My son, these are my comments
on what has been said to you,:
see the difficulties hidden by a few rotations.
Non vo' però ch'a' tuoi vicini invidie,
poscia che s'infutura la tua vita
vie più là che 'l punir di lor perfidie».
But I would not want you to be envious
of your neighbours, since you will live far beyond
the punishment that will fall on their infamies.
PAR C17 100-105 / KLINE
When the sacred soul, by his silence, showed that he had finished passing the weft through the warp I had stretched out
ready for him, I began, like a man who, doubting, longs for advice from one who sees straight, wills the right, and
loves:
DANTE BEGINS ‘LIKE A MAN WHO, DOUBTING, LONGS FOR ADVICE FROM ONE WHO SEES STRAIGHT, WILLS
THE RIGHT, AND LOVES’.
DANTE:
PAR C17 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C17 106-108 / KLINE
«Ben veggio, padre mio, sì come sprona
lo tempo verso me, per colpo darmi
tal, ch'è più grave a chi più s'abbandona;
My father, I see clearly how time comes spurring
at me, to give me such a blow,
one heaviest to those who lose themselves,
PAR C17 109-111 / DANTE
per che di provedenza è buon ch'io m'armi, so that it is best for me to arm myself with foresight,
sì che, se loco m'è tolto più caro,
so that if the dearest place is denied me,
io non perdessi li altri per miei carmi.
I do not lose all other refuge because of my writings.
PAR C17 112-114 / DANTE
Giù per lo mondo sanza fine amaro,
e per lo monte del cui bel cacume
li occhi de la mia donna mi levaro,
Down in the world, endlessly bitter,
and around the Mount from whose summit
my Lady’s eyes raised me,
PAR C17 115-117 / DANTE
e poscia per lo ciel, di lume in lume,
ho io appreso quel che s'io ridico,
a molti fia sapor di forte agrume;
and, afterwards, through the Heavens from light
to light, I have learnt things, that if I tell them
again, will savour of acrid pungency to many:
PAR C17 118-120 / DANTE
e s'io al vero son timido amico,
temo di perder viver tra coloro
che questo tempo chiameranno antico».
and if I am a shrinking friend to truth,
I fear to lose life among those
who will call this time ancient.
148
PAR C17 121-123 / KLINE
That light, in which my treasure, that I had found there, was smiling, first coruscated like a golden mirror in the sun’s
rays,
CACCIAGUIDA:
PAR C17 124-126 / DANTE
PAR C17 124-126 / KLINE
indi rispuose: «Coscïenza fusca
o de la propria o de l'altrui vergogna
pur sentirà la tua parola brusca.
then answered: A conscience darkened
by its own shame, or another’s,
will truly find your words harsh,
PAR C17 127-129 / DANTE
Ma nondimen, rimossa ogne menzogna,
tutta tua visïon fa manifesta;
e lascia pur grattar dov' è la rogna.
but reveal all your Vision, nonetheless,
avoid all lies, and
let them scratch if they find a scab,
PAR C17 130-132 / DANTE
Ché se la voce tua sarà molesta
nel primo gusto, vital nodrimento
lascerà poi, quando sarà digesta.
since though your words may be bitter
at first tasting, they will still be vital food
afterwards when they digest them.
PAR C17 133-135 / DANTE
Questo tuo grido farà come vento,
che le più alte cime più percuote;
e ciò non fa d'onor poco argomento.
This outcry of yours, will do as the wind does,
that strikes the highest summits hardest,
and that will be no small cause of honour.
PAR C17 136-142 / KLINE
So, only spirits known for their fame have been shown to you, in these spheres, along the Mount, and in the sad depths,
since the souls of those who hear will not be content with, or truly believe in, examples that have unknown and hidden
roots, nor any other obscure argument.
■-■-■
♫
MUSIC
**********
PAR C17 135
CELESTIAL 7
■-■-■
CANTO 18
PAR C18 1-3 / KLINE
That mirror of the blessed was already joying only in his own discourse, and I was tasting mine, tempering the sweet
with the bitter:
BEATRICE ENTERS. DANTE GAZES AT HER JOYFULLY AND RISES FROM HIS KNEES.
149
BEATRICE:
PAR C18 4-6 / DANTE
PAR C18 4-6 / KLINE
e quella donna ch'a Dio mi menava
disse: Muta pensier; pensa ch'i' sono
presso a colui ch'ogne torto disgrava.
and that Lady who was leading me to God said:
Change your thoughts, remember that I am
near to Him, who disburdens us of every wrong.
I turned to the beloved voice of my comfort, and I forgo speaking here of what love I saw, in those sacred eyes: not
merely because I am diffident about my words, but because of my memory which cannot climb again, so far beyond
itself, unless another guides it. I can only say this much, about that moment, that as I gazed at her, my affections were
free of any other desire, while the eternal joy that shone directly on to Beatrice, contented me with its reflection from
her lovely face.
BEATRICE:
Vincendo me col lume d'un sorriso,
ella mi disse: Volgiti e ascolta;
ché non pur ne' miei occhi è paradiso.
Overcoming me with the light of her smile,
she said to me: Turn now, and listen… non pur
ne' miei occhi…for not only in my eyes is Paradise.
Just as we sometimes read affection, here, in a face, if it is so great that the whole mind is seized by it, so in the flaming
of his sacred glow to which I turned, I knew the desire in him to speak to me still. He started: In this fifth canopy of the
tree, which takes life from its crown, and is always in fruit, never shedding leaves, are spirits, who are blessed, who had
great names below, before they came to Heaven, so that every Muse would be made richer by them. So look at the
horns of the cross, and he whom I will name, will there enact the lightning in a cloud. I saw a light traced along the
cross, as Joshua was named, and the word was not complete for me before the action. And at the name of the great
Maccabeus, I saw another light move, revolving, and delight was like the whip to the spinning-top.
So for Charlemagne and Roland, two more, followed by my keen gaze, as the eye follows a hawk in flight. Then
William of Orange, Renard, his brother-in-law, Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, and Robert Guiscard.
■-■-■
PLANETARY SPHERE 6: JUPITER
white (colour nominated by Dante)
CELESTIAL 8
■-■-■
DANTE LOOKS AT HEAVEN THEN WRITES AND READS.
E come, per sentir più dilettanza
bene operando, l'uom di giorno in giorno
s'accorge che la sua virtute avanza,
As a man sees that, day by day,
by feeling more delight in achieving good things,
his virtue increases,
sì m'accors' io che 'l mio girare intorno
col cielo insieme avea cresciuto l'arco,
veggendo quel miracol più addorno.
so I saw that my circling, with the Heavens,
had increased its orbit, while I watched
the miraculous vision becoming more adorned.
DANTE:
E qual è 'l trasmutare in picciol varco
di tempo in bianca donna, quando 'l volto
suo si discarchi di vergogna il carco,
And the The change that quickly crosses
a lady’s white face, when she throws
off a weight of shame,
150
tal fu ne li occhi miei, quando fui vòlto,
per lo candor de la temprata stella
sesta, che dentro a sé m'avea ricolto.
was offered to my eyes, when I turned,
because of the white radiance of Jupiter, the
sixth, temperate planet, that had received me.
Io vidi in quella giovïal facella
lo sfavillar de l'amor che lì era
segnare a li occhi miei nostra favella.
In that joyous torch I saw the sparkle
of the love inside it, signing letters,
of our language, to my eyes.
E come augelli surti di rivera,
quasi congratulando a lor pasture,
fanno di sé or tonda or altra schiera,
And, as birds, rising from the river-bank,
make flock in wheeling or extended shapes,
as if they were delighted by their pastures,
sì dentro ai lumi sante creature
volitando cantavano, e faciensi
or D, or I, or L in sue figure.
so the sacred beings
in the lights sang, flying,
and formed now d or i or l.
Prima, cantando, a sua nota moviensi;
poi, diventando l'un di questi segni,
un poco s'arrestavano e taciensi.
First they moved to the note they were singing,
then, as they shaped one of these letters,
would stop for a moment and stay silent.
O diva Pegasëa che li 'ngegni
fai glorïosi e rendili longevi,
ed essi teco le cittadi e ' regni,
O diva Pegasëa O Muse, Goddess of the fount of
Pegasus, who makes intellect glorious, and gives it
enduring life, as it, with your help, does cities and
countries,
illustrami di te, sì ch'io rilevi
le lor figure com' io l'ho concette:
paia tua possa in questi versi brevi!
illuminate me with yourself, so that I can show
their figures in relief, as I hold them in mind:
let your power be shown in these brief words.
URANIA ENTERS AT DANTE’S INVOCATION AND SEES HIM ALIVE AND JOYFUL. HER ENTRY, UNSEEN BY
DANTE, INSPIRES HIM, BUT SHE IS NOT HAPPY. AS DANTE SPEAKS./.READS, SHE TAKES THE ARROWS FROM
HER QUIVER, ONE BY ONE. SHE PLACES THEM TOGETHER CAREFULLY AND BREAKS THEM OVER HER KNEE.
THIS DEMONSTRATES HER SUPERNATURAL STRENGTH AND AVOIDS THE DESTROYING-ONES-WEAPONS (GOLF
CLUBS?)-ONE-BY-ONE-CLICHÉ. EXIT URANIA.
DANTE:
E come augelli surti di rivera,
quasi congratulando a lor pasture,
fanno di sé or tonda or altra schiera,
And, as birds, rising from the river-bank,
make flock in wheeling or extended shapes,
as if they were delighted by their pastures,
sì dentro ai lumi sante creature
volitando cantavano, e faciensi
or D, or I, or L in sue figure.
so the sacred beings
in the lights sang, flying,
and formed now d or i or l.
Prima, cantando, a sua nota moviensi;
poi, diventando l'un di questi segni,
un poco s'arrestavano e taciensi.
■-■-■
First they moved to the note they were singing,
then, as they shaped one of these letters,
would stop for a moment and stay silent.
151
[CP 45 / BS]
- [CP 46 / TABLE
BS]
5
1526 - 1760
- [CP 47 / BS
LIBRARY]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
FRANCIS AND THE LEPER
(This equestrian episode dates from before he founded the Franciscans but fits the Chess /
Chanson.)
Clare Pictures 45: Francis rides across the plain
Francis rides across the Umbrian plain…
Clare Pictures 46: A leper feebly flees Francis
…after a leper, who appears to be feebly fleeing from him.
Clare Pictures 47: Francis rides across the plain
Francis has dismounted and is embracing the leper.
THE BLACK PIECES PREDOMINATE.
1526 Un Sarrazin i out de Sarraguce,
1527 De la citet l'une meitet est sue:
1528 Ço est Climborins, ki pas ne fut produme.
1534 Siet el ceval qu'il cleimet Barbamusche,
●
SIGIER:
A Sarrazin was there, of Sarraguce,
Of that city one half was his by use,
Twas Climborins, a man was nothing proof;
He sate his horse, which he called Barbamusche,
SIGIER MOVES A BLACK PIECE AND TAKES A WHITE ONE.
3298 Paien escrient, «Precieuse» l’apelent.
●
PAGANS:
Pagans cry out, by Preciuse! they swear.
LINE OUT OF ORDER
PRECIEUSE: BALIGANT’S SWORD.
○
FRANKS:
1544 Dient Franceis: «Deus quel doel de prodome!».God! say the Franks, Grief, such a man to lose!
CACCIAGUIDA ENTERS WITH HIS SWORD, SHIELD AND HOHENSTAUFEN BANNER. HE PLACES
THEM ON THE WALL AND JOINS THE FRANKS.
GRATIANUS MOVES A WHITE PAWN.
1562 D'altre part est un paien, Valdabrun:
1563 Celoi levat le rei Marsiliun,
1564 Sire est par mer de .IIII.C. drodmunz;
1565 N'i ad eschipre quis cleim se par loi nun.
1566 Jerusalem prist ja par traïsun,
1567 Si violat le temple Salomon,
1568 Le patriarche ocist devant les funz.
1571 Siet el cheval qu'il cleimet Gramimund,
1574 Si vait ferir li riche duc Sansun,
○
GRATIANUS:
From the other part a pagan Valdabron.
Warden he'd been to king Marsilion,
And lord, by sea, of four hundred dromonds;
No sailor was but called his name upon;
Jerusalem he'd taken by treason,
Violated the Temple of Salomon,
The Patriarch had slain before the fonts.
He sate his horse, which he called Gramimond,
Going to strike e'en that rich Duke, Sanson;
SIGIER TAKES THE WHITE PAWN WITH THE VALDABRON PIECE.
152
○
FRANKS:
1579 Dient Franceis: «Deus quel doel de baron!». God! say the Franks, Grief for a brave baron!
WITH THE WHITE KNIGHT (ROLAND), GRATIANUS REMOVES THE VALDABRON BLACK PIECE
WHICH HAS JUST REMOVED THE WHITE PAWN.
●
PAGANS:
1590 Dient paien(t) «Cist colp nus est mult fort!»The pagans say: 'Twas hard on us, that blow.
1591 Respont Rollant: «Ne pois amer les voz;
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
Answers Rollanz: Nay, love you I can not,
SIGIER MOVES A BLACK PIECE CLOSE TO THE WHITE KNIGHTS.
1653 La bataille est e merveillose e grant.
●
SIGIER:
Marvellous is the battle now and grand,
ROLAND / FOLCO CALLS TO OLIVER / BOËTHIUS.
○
1702 Ço dist Rollant: «Cornerai l'olifant,
1703 Si l'orrat Carles, ki est as porz passant.
1704 Jo vos plevis ja returnerunt Franc.»
ROLAND / FOLCO:
Then says Rollanz: I'll wind this olifant,
If Charles hear, where in the pass he stands,
I pledge you now they will return, the Franks.
1705 Dist Oliver: «Vergoigne sereit grant
1706 E reprover a trestuz voz parenz;
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
Says Oliver: Great shame would come of that
And a reproach on every one, your clan,
1713 Ço dit Rollant: «Forz est nostre bataille;
1714 Jo cornerai, si l'orrat li reis Karles.»
ROLAND / FOLCO:
Then says Rollant: Strong it is now, our battle;
I'll wind my horn, so the King hears it., Charles.
○
○
○
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
1715 Dist Oliver: «Ne sereit vasselage!
Says Oliver: That act were not a vassal's.
1716 Quant jel vos dis, cumpainz, vos ne deignastes.When I implored you, comrade, you were wrathful.
1719 Dist Oliver: «Par ceste meie barbe,
Says Oliver: Now by my beard, Hereafter
1720 Se puis veeir ma gente sorur Alde,
If I may see my gentle sister Alde,
1721 Ne jerrei(e)z ja mais entre sa brace!».
She in her arms, I swear, shall never clasp you.
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
1722 Ço dist Rollant: «Por quei me portez ire?» Then says Rollanz: Wherefore so wroth with me?
○
OLIVER / BOËTHIUS:
1723 (E cil) E il respont: «Cumpainz, vos le feïstes,He answers him: Comrade, it was your deed:
1724 Kar vasselage par sens nen est folie;
Vassalage comes by sense, and not folly;
1725 Mielz valt mesure que ne fait estultie.
Prudence more worth is than stupidity.
CHARLEMAGNE./.JUSTINIAN STANDS UP SUDDENLY AND LISTENS HARD.
1753 Rollant ad mis l'olifan a sa buche,
1754 Empeint le ben, par grant vertut le sunet.
1755 Halt sunt li pui e la voiz est mult lunge,
1756 Granz .XXX. liwes l'oïrent il respundre.
1757 Karles l'oït e ses cumpaignes tutes.
○
GRATIANUS:
Rollant hath set the olifant to his mouth,
He grasps it well, and with great virtue sounds.
High are those peaks, afar it rings and loud,
Thirty great leagues they hear its echoes mount.
So Charles heard, and all his comrades round;
153
○
1758 Ço dit li reis: «Bataille funt nostre hume!» Then said that King: Battle they do, our counts!
○●
1760 «S'altre le desist, ja semblast grant
mençunge! ».That were a lie, in any other mouth.
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 9
DANTE STOPS GAZING UPWARDS AND REPORTS.
DANTE:
or DANTE:
Mostrarsi dunque in cinque volte sette
vocali e consonanti; e io notai
le parti sì, come mi parver dette.
Then they showed themselves in thirty-five vowels
and consonants, and I took note of the letters,
as they appeared one by one to me:
'DILIGITE IUSTITIAM', primai
fur verbo e nome di tutto 'l dipinto;
'QUI IUDICATIS TERRAM', fur sezzai.
diligite justitiam: love righteousness, was the first
verb and noun, of the whole vision: qui judicatis
terram: you judges over earth, was the last.
Poscia ne l'emme del vocabol quinto
rimasero ordinate; sì che Giove
pareva argento lì d'oro distinto.
Then they remained, ordered, in the m
of the fifth word, so that Jupiter seemed silver
in that region, pricked out with gold:
E vidi scendere altre luci dove
era il colmo de l'emme, e lì quetarsi
cantando, credo, il ben ch'a sé le move.
and I saw other lights descending where the summit
of the m was, and come to rest there, singing,
I think, of the good that moves them towards
Himself.
PAR C18 100-108 / KLINE
Then, as innumerable sparks rise from a blow to a burning log, from which foolish people make auguries, more than a
thousand lights rose, it seemed to me, and some ascended steeply, some a little, just as the Sun, that lit them, ordained:
and when each one had come to rest in place, I saw an eagle’s neck and head outlined by that pricked out fire.
PAR C18 109-117 / KLINE
He who depicts it, has no one to guide him, but he himself guides, and from him that power flows into the mind, that
builds the eagle’s nest: the other beatitudes, who seemed at first content to entwine the m with lilies, by a slight motion,
in-filled the outline. O sweet planet, how great the quality and quantity of jewels, which made clear to me, that our
justice is an effect, of that Heaven you bejewel!
PAR C18 118-136 / KLINE
So that I beg the Mind in which your motion and your power has source, to gaze at the place from which smoke rises to
vitiate your light: and that the anger be roused once more, against the buying and selling, in the Temple, whose walls
were built by miracle and martyrdom. O soldiers of Heaven, whom I see, pray for those who have gone awry on earth,
following bad examples. It was custom once to war with the sword, now it is done by holding back spiritual bread, here
and there, that the tender Father denies to no one: but you, Boniface, who only write in order to cancel out the lines,
think that Paul and Peter are living still, who died for the vineyard you destroy. Though indeed, you may say: ‘I have so
fixed my desires on him, en-coined, the Baptist, who lived a solitary life, and was dragged to martyrdom to serve
Salome’s dance, that I do not know Paul or the Fisherman.’
CANTO 19
154
DIVINE JUSTICE
The marvellous image, which those entwined spirits made, joying in their sweet fruition, appeared in front of me, with
outstretched wings. Each soul appeared like a ruby, in which the sun’s rays burn, so lit as to refract light to my eyes.
And what I must tell now, pen never wrote, voice never spoke, nor was it ever known by imagination, since I saw and
heard the eagle’s beak speaking, saying in its voice, I and Mine, when, in its form, it was We and Ours.
And it began: I am exalted here to this glory, which does not allow itself to be overcome by longing, through being just
and pious, and I have left a memory on Earth, so constituted that even the evil approve it, though they do not follow its
path.’ as we feel one glow from many coals, so there came a single sound, out of the image, from those many points of
love. At which I said quickly: ‘O perpetual flowers of eternal delight, you who make all your perfumes seem like a
single one to me, relieve, as you breathe, the great fast which has held me hungering, for a long time, because I found
no food to eat on Earth. I know, in truth, that whatever other realm, of Heaven, Divine Justice takes as its mirror, your
realm comprehends it without a veil. You know how eagerly I ready myself to listen: you know what the question is,
which has caused my fast to be so enduring.’
As the hawk divested of its hood shakes itself and claps its wings, demonstrating its will and beautifying itself, so I saw
that symbolic eagle, woven from the praise of Divine Grace, with the songs that are known to whoever rejoices there.
Then it began: He who drew the compass round the edges of the Universe, and marked out, inside it, so much that is
shown and hidden, could not impress his greatness on all the Universe without his Word being infinitely beyond us.
And this is attested by Lucifer, that first proud being, who was a pinnacle of creation, falling abortive, because he could
not wait for enlightenment: and so it appears that every minor nature is too small a vessel to hold that Good which is
endless, and measures itself by itself.
So our vision which must be one of the rays of that Mind by which all things are filled, cannot have such great power,
without its origin seeing far beyond that which it itself can see. Therefore such perception as your world has, is lost with
depth as our vision is in the ocean, since though it sees the seafloor by the shore, it cannot reach it in the open water,
even though it is there, and the depth has hidden it. There is no light unless it comes from that Serenity which is never
troubled: the rest is darkness, or the shadow of the flesh, or its poison.
Now the labyrinth is open enough for you, that labyrinth that hid the living justice from you, which you have questioned
so incessantly: since you said: “A man is born, on the banks of the Indus, and there is no one to speak to him about
Christ, or read or write of Him, and all that man’s will and action are good, as far as human reason can tell, without sin
in speech or life. He dies un-baptised, and without the faith. Where is the justice, in condemning him? Why is it his
fault, that he is void of faith?”
Now, who are you, to sit on the judge’s seat, a thousand miles away, with sight that sees a short span? Certainly, to him
who trades subtleties with me, it would be wonderful if there were no doubts, if the Scriptures were not set above them.
O earthly creatures, O coarse minds! The Primal Will, which is goodness itself, never abandons its own self, which is
the supreme good. All that is in harmony with it is Just: no created goodness draws It, to itself, but It, by shining out,
gives rise to it.
As the stork sweeps over her nest when she has fed her chicks, and as the ones she fed look up at her, so did that eagleform of the blessed, which moved its wings powered by so much wisdom, and so I raised my forehead. Wheeling it
cried, and said: As my cries are to you, who do not understand them, such is eternal judgement to you mortals. When
those glowing lights of the Holy Spirit were still, though still in the form of that insignia which gained the Romans the
world’s reverence, it began again: No one ever rose to this region, who did not believe in Christ, not before he was
nailed to the tree, nor after. But see, many call out: “Christ, Christ” who shall be further from Him at the Judgement,
than those who do not know of Christ: and the Ethiopians will condemn such Christians when the two crowds part, the
one rich in eternity, the other naked. What would the Persians say to your kings, when they see that volume opened in
which all their ill deeds are recorded?
PAR C19 115-129 / KLINE
Amongst the actions of the Emperor Albert, that one will soon set the pen in motion, that will make Prague’s kingdom
of Bohemia a desert. There will be read the sorrow that Philip the Fair is bringing to the Seine, by falsifying the
coinage, he who will die by a wild boar’s wound. There the pride will be seen that parches, and makes the Scots and
Edward’s English mad, so that they cannot keep the proper borders. The lechery and effeminate life of Ferdinand of
Spain, will be seen, and that of Wenceslaus of Bohemia, who never knew or willed anything of worth. For Charles the
Second, ‘the Cripple’, King of Jerusalem will be seen marked with a ‘One: I’ against virtue, whereas a ‘Thousand: M’
sins will score the contrary charge.
PAR C19 130-138 / KLINE
The baseness and avarice of Frederick who holds Sicily, the Isle of Fire, where Anchises ended his long life, will be
visible, and in order to understand the magnitude of his baseness, his record will be kept in tiny writing, to fit a great
deal in a little space. And the foul deeds of his uncle, James of the Balearic Isles, and his brother, James of Aragon, will
be shown clearly to all, who have bastardised a great nation and two crowns.
PAR C19 139-148 / KLINE
And Dionysius of Portugal, and Hakon of Norway, shall be recorded there, and Stephen of Serbia, who sadly saw the
coin of Venice only to counterfeit it. O happy Hungary if she no longer allows Andrew to maul her! And happy
Navarre, if she could protect herself, with the Pyrenees, that border her! And all should now, as a warning to her, that
Nicosia and Famagusta already moan, and cry, by reason of their beast, Henry of Lusignan, who cannot be separated
from the rest.
155
CANTO 20
When the Sun, that illumines all the world, descends so far below our hemisphere that day vanishes on every side, the
sky, that was only lit by him before, now reappears in many lights, in which the one light shines. And this effect in
Heaven came to mind when the insignia of the world and its leaders, closed its eagle’s beak: because all those living
lights, shining far brighter, began to sing things which must slip and fall from my memory. O sweet Love, mantled in a
smile, how ardent you seemed in those flutings, breathed out only in sacred thoughts! When the dear, lucid stones with
which I saw the sixth Heaven gemmed, had rendered silent those angelic chimes, I seemed to hear the murmuring of a
river which falls from rock to rock, and reveals the copiousness of its source.
And as the sound takes form from the lute’s neck, or the wind that enters from the unstopped pipe, so, the delay of
anticipation over, the eagle’s murmur rose through its neck, as if it were hollow. There it became a voice and issued out
of its beak, in the form of words, that the heart waited for, on which I wrote them. It began to speak to me: That part of
me that sees and in mortal eagles endures the sun, must now be gazed at intensely, since the fires with which the eye in
my head sparkles, are the most important, of all the crowd of those from which I construct my shape. He who shines in
the middle, as the pupil does in the eye, was David, the singer of the Holy Spirit, who carried the ark from city to city.
Now he knows the value of his song, in as much as it was produced by his own judgement, through the reward that
matches it.
Of the five who make the arch of the profiled eyebrow, he who is closest to the beak is Trajan who consoled the widow
for her son. Now he knows how dearly it costs not to follow Christ, from his experience of this sweet life and its
opposite. And he who follows on the arch I speak of, on its upper arc, is Hezekiah who delayed death by his true
penitence. Now he knows that the eternal judgement is not altered, when a pious prayer seems to delay today’s event
until tomorrow. Constantine, the next who follows, with a good intention that produced evil consequences, made
himself, the laws, and my Imperial self, Greek, in order to give way to the Shepherd. Now he knows that the evil
flowing from his good action does not harm him, even though the world is destroyed by it.
And him you see on the downward slope of the arc, is William, of Sicily and Naples, which countries deplore his loss,
while grieving that Charles and Frederick are alive. Now he knows how Heaven loves a righteous king, and he makes it
visible still, by the appearance of his radiance. Who would believe, down in the world of error, that the Trojan Ripheus
is in this sphere, fifth of these holy lights? Now he knows much about the Divine Grace, that the world cannot see,
although his sight does not reach the end of it.
Like to the lark ascending, in the air, first singing and then silent, content with the final sweetness that sates her, so that
image of the imprint of eternal pleasure, seemed to me, by which, in longing for it, each thing becomes what it is. And
though I was to my doubt, like the transparent glass is to the colour it surrounds, it would still not wait and bide its time
in silence, but it thrust ‘What are these things?’ from my mouth by its own pressure, at which I saw great sparkles of
joy. Then immediately, the insignia, blessed and with its kindling eye, replied to me, so that it would not keep me in
amazed suspense: ‘I see you believe in these things because I tell you, but do not see the how, so that they are obscure,
though still believed in. You are like him who knows the thing by name, but cannot see its quiddity, its whatness, unless
someone else brings it to light.
Regnum Coelorum, the Kingdom of Heaven, suffers the force of hot love and living hope, which overcomes the Divine
Will, not in the sense in which man overcomes man, but overcomes that Will, because it wishes to be overcome, and
once overcome, in turn overcomes, with its own kindness. The lives of the first and fifth lights, along the eyebrow,
cause you to marvel, because you see them decking this region of the Angels. They did not leave their bodies, as
Gentiles, but as Christians, with firm belief in those pierced feet, that to the first would suffer, and to the other had
already suffered. Since the first, Trajan, came back to his bones from Hell, where no one ever returns to the frue will,
and this was the reward for living Hope: the living Hope which added power to Gregory’s prayers to raise him, so that
His will might have the power to be moved. That glorious soul, of which we speak, returning to the flesh where it lived
a while, believed in Him who had the power to help, and, believing, kindled so great a flame of true Love, that it was
worthy of coming here, to this rejoicing, on its second death.
PAR C20 118-129 / KLINE
Ripheus, the fifth light, set all his Love below on righteousness, by that grace which wells from so deep a fount that no
creature ever set eyes on its last depth, so that God, going from grace to grace, opened his eyes to our redemption yet to
come: and he believed in that, and from that time did not suffer the mire of Paganism, and reproved the stubborn
peoples. Those three ladies, the Virtues, whom you saw at the right wheel, of the chariot, stood as sponsors at his
baptising, more than a thousand years before baptism.
PAR C20 130-148 / KLINE
O Predestination, how remote your roots are from our vision that cannot see the First Cause totally! And you mortal
creatures, keep yourselves from judging, since we who see God do not yet know all those who will be elected, and such
defective sight is sweet for us, because our good is refined by this good, that what God wills we also will.’ So sweet
medicine was given me, by this divine image, to correct my short sight. And as a good harpist matches the quivering
chord to a good singer, so that the song gives added pleasure, so, while he spoke, I remember that I saw those two
sacred lights, make their fires quiver at the words, just as two eyes blink, together.
■-■-■
156
CANTO 21
PLANETARY SPHERE 7: SATURN C21 1 –
gold (colour nominated by Dante)
▀
♫
SILENCE
**********
CELESTIAL 10
- [CP 49] - [CP 50]
[CP 51] - [CP 53] - [CP 52] T
[CP 48]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED (FROM EACH OTHER)
HERE ARE 2 PICTURES TO EACH WINDOW.
THE PICNIC
Fioretto 15
Clare Pictures 48: Clare writes note, cat waits
Clare writes a note (an invitation) as her cat sits waiting.
Clare Pictures 49: Cat carries note to Porziuncola
Clare’s cat carries the invitation towards the Porziuncola.
Clare Pictures 50: Francis writes reply – cat & wolf
Francis sits writing a reply to Clare as her cat sits waiting. Francis’s giant wolf lies in the corner of
the room, trying not to be noticed by the cat; or its frightened face is seen through a door left
slightly ajar.
Clare Pictures 51: Clare & sisters to glade
Clare leads a group (file?) of veiled Poor Clares, two of whom are carrying a hamper, towards a
glade just showing on the right of the picture.
Clare Pictures 52: Francis & brothers to glade
Francis leads a group (file?) of Franciscan brothers towards the glade just showing on the left of the
picture.
Clare Pictures 53: Brothers and sisters picnic in glade
The brothers and sisters sit in the glade. The food may be chiefly bread.
PAR C21 1-3 / KLINE
My eyes were already fixed on my Lady’s face once more, and my mind with them, free of every other intent,
THE CLARE PICTURES ARE UNREGARDED BY DANTE AND BEATRICE. DANTE LOOKS AT BEATRICE AGAIN.
BEATRICE:
PAR C21 4-6 / DANTE
PAR C21 4-6 / KLINE
E quella non ridea; ma «S'io ridessi»,
mi cominciò, «tu ti faresti quale
fu Semelè quando di cener fessi:
and she did not smile, but said:
Were I to smile, you would be
like Semele, turned to ashes,
157
PAR C21 7-9 / DANTE
ché la bellezza mia, che per le scale
de l'etterno palazzo più s'accende,
com' hai veduto, quanto più si sale,
since my beauty which burns more brightly,
as you have seen, on the steps
of the eternal palace, the higher we climb,
se non si temperasse, tanto splende,
che 'l tuo mortal podere, al suo fulgore,
sarebbe fronda che trono scoscende.
BEATRICE:
if it were not moderated, glows so much,
that your human powers, at its lightning flash,
would be like the leaves the thunder shatters.
&
BEATRICE:
Noi sem levati al settimo splendore,
che sotto 'l petto del Leone ardente
raggia mo misto giù del suo valore.
We have risen to Saturn, the seventh planet,
which beams downwards, in the breast of Leo,
the fiery Lion, mingling with its power.
DANTE POINTS UPWARDS.
BEATRICE:
Ficca di retro a li occhi tuoi la mente,
e fa di quelli specchi a la figura
che 'n questo specchio ti sarà parvente».
Fix your mind in your eyes, and make
them mirrors, to the figure that will be shown
to you, in this mirror.
DANTE:
Qual savesse qual era la pastura
del viso mio ne l'aspetto beato
quand' io mi trasmutai ad altra cura,
Whoever knows how my sight was is fed
by her blessed aspect when
I changed to a different concern,
conoscerebbe quanto m'era a grato
ubidire a la mia celeste scorta,
contrapesando l'un con l'altro lato.
would know how great a joy it was is to me to obey
my heavenly guide, weighing contemplation’s joy
against the joy of obedience.
■-■-■
Inside the crystal planet, coloured like gold that reflects the ray, which, as it circles the world, carries the name of
Saturn, its illustrious ruler,
DANTE:
di color d'oro in che raggio traluce
vid' io uno scaleo eretto in suso
tanto, che nol seguiva la mia luce.
in whose Age every wickedness died,
I see a ladder erected so far upward
my sight could can not follow it.
Vidi anche per li gradi scender giuso
tanti splendor, ch'io pensai ch'ogne lume
che par nel ciel, quindi fosse diffuso.
And I saw see so many splendours descending
the rungs that I thought as though every light that
shines in Heaven had been poured is pouring
downwards. there.
E come, per lo natural costume,
le pole insieme, al cominciar del giorno,
si movono a scaldar le fredde piume;
And as , according to their nature,
the As rooks set out in a flock,
at dawn, to warm their cold feathers,
poi altre vanno via sanza ritorno,
altre rivolgon sé onde son mosse,
e altre roteando fan soggiorno;
and then some flap away, without returning,
others come back to where they started,
and the rest wheel in flight,
158
tal modo parve me che quivi fosse
in quello sfavillar che 'nsieme venne,
sì come in certo grado si percosse.
ST PETER DAMIAN
[CP 54]
so it seemed to me that was also the way
among that glittering of spirits., that came in
a crowd as soon as they reached a particular rung,
NO LINES
- [GOLD ☼] - [CP 55]
FRANCIS FEEDS THE BRIGANDS AT MONTE CASALE.
Clare Pictures 54: Francis in snow with hamper
Francis, carrying the hamper seen in Clare Pictures 51, 53 on his head, and followed by a fellowFranciscan, trudges through the snow towards…
Clare Pictures 55: Starving brigands
…a small circle of starving brigands, last seen in Clare Pictures 6, 7. They sit in the snow in the
forest at Monte Casale. Their leader is dressed in Francis’s stolen cloak.
DANTE VERSIFIES AS A LIGHT WHIRLS AND THEN GLOWS IN THE CENTRE WINDOW.
DANTE:
E come, per lo natural costume,
le pole insieme, al cominciar del giorno,
si movono a scaldar le fredde piume;
And as, according to their nature,
the rooks set out in a flock,
at dawn, to warm their cold feathers,
poi altre vanno via sanza ritorno,
altre rivolgon sé onde son mosse,
e altre roteando fan soggiorno;
and then some flap away, without returning,
others come back to where they started,
and the rest wheel in flight,
tal modo parve me che quivi fosse
in quello sfavillar che 'nsieme venne,
sì come in certo grado si percosse.
it seemed to me that was also the way
among that glittering of spirits, that came in
a crowd, as soon as they reached a particular rung,
…AND TURNS TO LOOK AT THE LIGHT.
DANTE:
E quel che presso più ci si ritenne,
si fé sì chiaro, ch'io dicea pensando:
Ìo veggio ben l'amor che tu m'accenne.
and the spirit that landed nearest to me,
became so bright in my thoughts, that I said:
I clearly see the love you signal to me.
But She from whom I wait for the how, and when, of speech and silence, pauses, and therefore I ask no questions,
counter to my own wishes.’ At which She who sees everything, saw my silence in his look, and said: ‘Let free your
burning desire.’
DANTE TURNS TO BEATRICE AND SHE NODS HER ASSENT.
159
And I began: My lack of worth does not make me worthy of a reply, except for her sake who allows me to make the
request:
DANTE:
vita beata che ti stai nascosta
dentro a la tua letizia, fammi nota
la cagion che sì presso mi t'ha posta;
O blessed life, blessed, who live,
hidden in gladness, tell me the reason why
I am placed near you,
e dì perché si tace in questa rota
la dolce sinfonia di paradiso,
che giù per l'altre suona sì divota».
and say why the sweet symphony of Paradise is
silent here, when it sounded below
through the other spheres, so devotedly.’
PETER DAMIAN (VOICE):
«Tu hai l'udir mortal sì come il viso»,
rispuose a me; «onde qui non si canta
per quel che Bëatrice non ha riso.
He replied: You have mortal hearing,
you have mortal sight: there is no song here
for the same reason that Beatrice does not smile.
ST PETER DAMIAN 1007 - 1072 AGE : 65 CHARACTER AGE : 27? (BECAME PRIOR OF FONTE
AVELLANA)
PIETRO DAMIANO
BORN IN RAVENNA. HIS PARENTS’ POVERTY LEAD TO HIM BEING EXPOSED AS AN INFANT, BUT HE WAS RESCUED &
EDUCATED BY HIS BROTHER DAMIAN, TAKING THE NAME DAMIANI, ‘DAMIAN’S PETER’. HE WAS WELL EDUCATED
IN FIENZA AND PARMA AND BECAME A PROFESSOR, WRITING POETRY ETC, INCLUDING SOME OF THE BEST LATIN OF
HIS TIME. HE BECAME A BENEDICTINE MONK AND ABBOT OF THE MONASTERY OF SANTA CROCE DI FONTEAVELLANA IN THE APENNINES, BENEATH MONTE CATRIA, NEAR GUBBIO. HE WAS MADE CARDINAL-BISHOP OF
OSTIA IN 1058. HE STYLED HIMSELF PETER THE SINNER, PETRUS PECCATOR AND LIVED A LIFE OF STRICT
AUSTERITY. HE WAS DECLARED DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH IN 1823. HE WAS AN ARDENT REFORMER OF CHURCH
DISCIPLINE & ONE OF THE CHIEF ECCLESIASTICAL WRITERS OF THE 11TH C. HE WAS NEVER FORMALLY
CANONISED.
IN 1061 HE URGED POPE-ELECT ALEXANDER III TO PUNISH THE BISHOP OF FLORENCE, THE FUTURE POPE
NICHOLAS II FOR PLAYING CHESS.
DESCRIPTION
HE HAS BARE FEET AND WEARS A WHITE HABIT FROM FONTE-AVELLANA. THE PAPAL BULL IN HIS HAND MAY BE
ONE ISSUED AGAINST CHESS-PLAYING.
PARADISO PICTURES
38
PETER DAMIAN (VOICE):
Giù per li gradi de la scala santa
discesi tanto sol per farti festa
col dire e con la luce che mi ammanta;
I, Peter Damian, have descended so far, on
the steps of the sacred ladder, only to give you joy.
with words, and with the light, which mantles me:
[CP 54]
- [PD] - [CP 55]
THE SAINT MANIFESTS HIMSELF AS A MAN. HE HAS A DARK BACKGROUND.
PETER DAMIAN:
Giù per li gradi de la scala santa
discesi tanto sol per farti festa
col dire e con la luce che mi ammanta;
I, Peter Damian, have descended so far, on
the steps of the sacred ladder, only to give you joy.
with words, and with the light, which mantles me:
né più amor mi fece esser più presta,
ché più e tanto amor quinci sù ferve,
sì come il fiammeggiar ti manifesta.
nor did greater love make me swifter:
since more and greater love burns higher there,
as the flaming made clear to you,
160
Ma l'alta carità, che ci fa serve
pronte al consiglio che 'l mondo governa,
sorteggia qui sì come tu osserve».
but the deep love, that keeps us, as ready servants
to the wisdom that controls the world,
assigns me here, as you see.
■ - [PD] - ■
DANTE:
Io veggio ben, diss' io, sacra lucerna,
come libero amore in questa corte
basta a seguir la provedenza etterna;
I said: ‘Yes I see how love, freely,
in this court, is sufficient to make
you follow the eternal providence,
ma questo è quel ch'a cerner mi par forte,
perché predestinata fosti sola
a questo officio tra le tue consorte.
but it is this which seems hard to me to understand:
why were you alone among your peers
was predestined to this role.
I had not reached the last word before the light made a centre of its mid-point, and whirled itself around like a rapid
millstone.
PETER DAMIAN:
poi rispuose l'amor che v'era dentro:
Luce divina sopra me s'appunta,
penetrando per questa in ch'io m'inventro,
Then the love that was inside it answered:
Divine Light focuses itself on me,
from above, penetrating that in which I am involved:
poi rispuose l'amor che v'era dentro:
Luce divina sopra me s'appunta,
penetrando per questa in ch'io m'inventro,
Then the love that was inside it answered:
Divine Light focuses itself on me,
from above, penetrating that in which I am involved:
la cui virtù, col mio veder congiunta,
mi leva sopra me tanto, ch'i' veggio
la somma essenza de la quale è munta.
which power, joined to my vision, lifts me
so far beyond myself, that I see
the supreme essence from which it is extracted.
Quinci vien l'allegrezza ond' io fiammeggio; From there comes the joy I flame with,
per ch'a la vista mia, quant' ella è chiara,
equalling the clarity of my sight
la chiarità de la fiamma pareggio.
with the brightness of my flame.
Ma quell' alma nel ciel che più si schiara,
But neither the most illuminated soul in Heaven,
quel serafin che 'n Dio più l'occhio ha fisso, nor the Seraph with eyes most fixed on God,
a la dimanda tua non satisfara,
can satisfy you as to answer your question,
però che sì s'innoltra ne lo abisso
de l'etterno statuto quel che chiedi,
che da ogne creata vista è scisso.
because the thing what you ask lies so deep
in the abyss of the eternal law,
that it is hidden from created sight.
E al mondo mortal, quando tu riedi,
questo rapporta, sì che non presumma
a tanto segno più mover li piedi.
And, when you return to the mortal world,
report this: that it should no longer presume
to set its feet towards so great a goal.
PAR C21 100-102 / DANTE
La mente, che qui luce, in terra fumma;
onde riguarda come può là giùe
quel che non pote perché 'l ciel l'assumma.
The Mind, that shines here, on earth is clouded,
so think if it could have that power there, below,
if it does not when Heaven takes it to itself.
161
[CP 56 / BS]
- [PD] - [CP 57 / BS
LIBRARY]
Clare Pictures 56, 57: Crusaders and chess
Adapted from PARADISO PICTURES: 53. The pictured players and the board are obscured by Peter
Damian, as the living players are.
THE SANDWICHING OF THE HAMMER OF CHESS IS MEANT TO DEMONSTRATE THE EXTENT OF HEAVEN, NOT
MOCK HIM [PUR C26 61-63].
THE CHANSONNIERS, INCLUDING CACCIAGUIDA, ARE SILENT, INTENT ON THE GAME, AS SIGIER AND
GRATIANUS STUDY THE POSITION ON THE BOARD. WE DO NOT SEE THE TABLE (OR VERY MUCH, IF ANY, OF
SIGIER AND GRATIANUS), BECAUSE PETER DAMIAN AND HIS DARK BACKGROUND TAKES UP THE CENTRE
WINDOW.
PAR C21 103-105 / KLINE
His words put such constraint on me I left the question, and restricted myself to asking, humbly, who he was himself.
PETER DAMIAN:
PAR C21 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C21 106-108 / KLINE
Tra ' due liti d'Italia surgon sassi,
e non molto distanti a la tua patria,
tanto che ' troni assai suonan più bassi,
Between Italy’s two coasts, the Apennine
mountains rise, not far from your native place, and
so high that the thunder sounds far lower down,
PAR C21 109-111 / DANTE
e fanno un gibbo che si chiama Catria,
di sotto al quale è consecrato un ermo,
che suole esser disposto a sola latria.
and make a hump called Catria,
beneath which a monastery was consecrated,
which used only to be given over to prayer.
PAR C21 112-114 / DANTE
Così ricominciommi il terzo sermo;
e poi, continüando, disse: «Quivi
al servigio di Dio mi fe' sì fermo,
So he began his third speech to me, and then
continued: There I became so rooted in God’s
service that I treated heat and cold lightly,
PAR C21 115-117 / DANTE
che pur con cibi di liquor d'ulivi
lievemente passava caldi e geli,
contento ne' pensier contemplativi.
ate Lenten-fare cooked with
olive-oil, was satisfied
with contemplative thought.
PAR C21 118-120 / DANTE
Render solea quel chiostro a questi cieli
fertilemente; e ora è fatto vano,
sì che tosto convien che si riveli.
That hermitage once yielded fruitfully to
Heaven, and now is barren,
so that before long it must be exposed.
PAR C21 121-123 / DANTE
In quel loco fu' io Pietro Damiano,
e Pietro Peccator fu' ne la casa
di Nostra Donna in sul lito adriano.
I was Peter Damian in that place,
and was Peter the Sinner,
in the house of Our Lady on the Adriatic shore.
PAR C21 124-126 / DANTE
Poca vita mortal m'era rimasa,
quando fui chiesto e tratto a quel cappello,
che pur di male in peggio si travasa.
Little of mortal life was left to me,
when I was called and drawn to the cardinal’s hat,
which passes now from bad wearer to worse.
PAR C21 127-129 / DANTE
Venne Cefàs e venne il gran vasello
de lo Spirito Santo, magri e scalzi,
prendendo il cibo da qualunque ostello.
Saint Peter, Cephas, came, and St Paul,
the great vessel of the Holy Spirit, lean and
unshod, taking took their food from any place.
162
PAR C21 130-132 / DANTE
Or voglion quinci e quindi chi rincalzi
li moderni pastori e chi li meni,
tanto son gravi, e chi di rietro li alzi.
Now the modern shepherds have to be buttressed on
both sides, and have with someone to lead them,
they are so fat and heavy, and someone to support
them from behind.
PAR C21 133-135 / DANTE
Cuopron d'i manti loro i palafreni,
sì che due bestie van sott' una pelle:
oh pazïenza che tanto sostieni!
They cover their ponies with cloaks,
so that two creatures go under one hide:
O patience that endures so much!
CACCIAGUIDA GOES BACKSTAGE.
PAR C21 136-142 / KLINE
At his voice, I saw more flames descend, gyring, from rung to rung, and every gyration made them more beautiful.
They came and rested, and made a sound so deep, that there is nothing here to compare it to, and I did not understand its
meaning: its thunder overcame me so.
■-■-■
♫
MUSIC ?
**********
PAR C21 135
DANTE INTERPRETS PETER DAMIAN, PERHAPS CONTINUING INTO THE NEXT SEGMENT.
DANTE:
E al mondo mortal, quando tu riedi,
questo rapporta, sì che non presumma
a tanto segno più mover li piedi.
And, when you return to the mortal world,
report this: that it should no longer presume
to set its feet towards so great a goal.
PAR C21 100-102 / DANTE
La mente, che qui luce, in terra fumma;
onde riguarda come può là giùe
quel che non pote perché 'l ciel l'assumma.
The Mind, that shines here, on earth is clouded,
so think if it could have that power there, below,
if it does not when Heaven takes it to itself.
PAR C21 106-108 / DANTE
Tra ' due liti d'Italia surgon sassi,
e non molto distanti a la tua patria,
tanto che ' troni assai suonan più bassi,
Between Italy’s two coasts, the Apennine
mountains rise, not far from your native place, and
so high that the thunder sounds far lower down,
PAR C21 109-111 / DANTE
e fanno un gibbo che si chiama Catria,
di sotto al quale è consecrato un ermo,
che suole esser disposto a sola latria.
and make a hump called Catria,
beneath which a monastery was consecrated,
which used only to be given over to prayer.
PAR C21 112-114 / DANTE
Così ricominciommi il terzo sermo;
e poi, continüando, disse: «Quivi
al servigio di Dio mi fe' sì fermo,
So he began his third speech to me, and then
continued: There I became so rooted in God’s
service that I treated heat and cold lightly,
PAR C21 115-117 / DANTE
che pur con cibi di liquor d'ulivi
lievemente passava caldi e geli,
contento ne' pensier contemplativi.
ate Lenten-fare cooked with
olive-oil, was satisfied
with contemplative thought.
163
PAR C21 118-120 / DANTE
Render solea quel chiostro a questi cieli
fertilemente; e ora è fatto vano,
sì che tosto convien che si riveli.
That hermitage once yielded fruitfully to
Heaven, and now is barren,
so that before long it must be exposed.
PAR C21 121-123 / DANTE
In quel loco fu' io Pietro Damiano,
e Pietro Peccator fu' ne la casa
di Nostra Donna in sul lito adriano.
I was Peter Damian in that place,
and was Peter the Sinner,
in the house of Our Lady on the Adriatic shore.
PAR C21 124-126 / DANTE
Poca vita mortal m'era rimasa,
quando fui chiesto e tratto a quel cappello,
che pur di male in peggio si travasa.
Little of mortal life was left to me, when I
was called and drawn to the cardinal’s hat,
which passes now from bad wearer to worse.
PAR C21 127-129 / DANTE
Venne Cefàs e venne il gran vasello
de lo Spirito Santo, magri e scalzi,
prendendo il cibo da qualunque ostello.
Saint Peter, Cephas, came, and St Paul,
the great vessel of the Holy Spirit, lean and
unshod, taking took their food from any place.
PAR C21 130-132 / DANTE
Or voglion quinci e quindi chi rincalzi
li moderni pastori e chi li meni,
tanto son gravi, e chi di rietro li alzi.
Now the modern shepherds have to be buttressed
on both sides, and have with someone to lead them,
they are so fat and heavy, and someone to support
them from behind.
PAR C21 133-135 / DANTE
Cuopron d'i manti loro i palafreni,
sì che due bestie van sott' una pelle:
oh pazïenza che tanto sostieni!
- ■ - [CP 57 / BS
■-■-■
[CP 56 / BS]
♫
They cover their ponies with cloaks,
so that two creatures go under one hide:
O patience that endures so much!
LIBRARY]
MUSIC ? SILENCE ? * * * * * * * * * *
PAR C21 135
CACCIAGUIDA 2
[CP 56]
- [CP 58 /
CACCIAGUIDA]
- [CP 57]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
Clare Pictures 58: Chess board
Based on PARADISO PICTURES: 53. Adjusted for time of 2nd Crusade and having more squares and
pieces.
THE CRUSADER CHESS PICTURE IS COMPLETED BY ITS CENTRE PANEL.
CACCIAGUIDA IS BACK IN HIS ROOM./.TOMB, ON HIS HORSE WHICH STANDS NEAR THE PICTURE. HE HANGS
FROM ITS NECK TO STUDY THE BOARD AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PICTURE.
■-■-■
164
CELESTIAL 11
[CP 59]
- ■ - [CP 60]
Clare Pictures 59: Raven flies with bread
A raven flies away (upward) with a piece of (consecrated) bread in its beak.
Clare Pictures 60: Raven flies with bread
A raven flies away (upward) with a piece of (consecrated) bread in its beak.
♫
DEEP SOUND:
FLAMES DESCENDING & RESTING
**********
PAR C21 135 from PAR C21 136-142
[The descending flames] came and rested, and made a sound so deep, that there is nothing here to
compare it to, and I did not understand its meaning: its thunder overcame me so.
CANTO 22
PAR C22 1-6 / KLINE
I turned, oppressed by stupor, to my guide, like a little child who always goes for help where he has most confidence,
and She, like a mother who, with her voice, which sets him right, quickly aids her pale and breathless child,
DANTE IS STARTLED.
BEATRICE:
&
BEATRICE:
PAR C22 7-9 / DANTE
PAR C22 7-9 / KLINE
mi disse: Non sai tu che tu se' in cielo?
e non sai tu che 'l cielo è tutto santo,
e ciò che ci si fa vien da buon zelo?
said, to me: Do you not know you You are in
Heaven.? And do Do you not know that Heaven it is
wholly sacred, and that which is done here is done
from righteous zeal?
BEATRICE:
Come t'avrebbe trasmutato il canto,
e io ridendo, mo pensar lo puoi,
poscia che 'l grido t'ha mosso cotanto;
Now you can understand how the song,
and my smiling, have transmuted you,
since, that cry has so moved you,
nel qual, se 'nteso avessi i prieghi suoi,
già ti sarebbe nota la vendetta
che tu vedrai innanzi che tu muoi.
in which the vengeance you shall see taken,
before you die, would already be known to you,
had you understood their prayers.
BEATRICE:
La spada di qua sù non taglia in fretta
né tardo, ma' ch'al parer di colui
che disïando o temendo l'aspetta.
The sword from above does not strike hastily,
or reluctantly, except to his perception,
who waits for it with longing, or in fear.
165
Ma rivolgiti omai inverso altrui;
ch'assai illustri spiriti vedrai,
se com' io dico l'aspetto redui».
But turn now to the others: since you will see
many renowned spirits, if you
direct your look according to my words.
I turned my eyes, as her wish commanded, and saw a hundred smaller spheres, which were made more beautiful by
their collective rays. I stood, like someone who represses the stirrings of desire in himself, who does not presume to ask,
because he fears to exceed due bounds. And the greatest and most lustrous of these pearls came forward, to satisfy my
wish about him, Then I heard, inside there: If you could see, as I can, the love which burns among us, your thought
would have been spoken, but so that you do not miss the goal, by delay, I will answer only the thought which you were
so cautious about.
ST BENEDICT
[CP 59]
- [GOLD ☼] - [CP 60]
BEATRICE POINTS TO THE LIGHT. IT SPEAKS.
ST BENEDICT (VOICE):
Quel monte a cui Cassino è ne la costa
fu frequentato già in su la cima
da la gente ingannata e mal disposta;
That mountain, Monte Cairo, on whose slopes lies
Monte Cassino, was once thronged by deceived
and wrongly-directed worshippers of the Pagan gods.
e quel son io che sù vi portai prima
lo nome di colui che 'n terra addusse
la verità che tanto ci soblima;
[CP 59]
And I am Benedict, who first carried
His name up there, He who brought that Truth,
which raises us up so high,
- [ST BENEDICT] - [CP 60]
ST BENEDICT HOLDS HIS ARMS OUT HORIZONTALLY OR RAISED, EMBRACING THE (UNSEEN) MOUNTAIN AND
DISPENSING THE TRUTH. THE FINGERS OF EACH HAND HAVE JUST RELEASED THE BREAD IN THE RAVENS’
BEAKS.
ST BENEDICT 480? - 543? AGE : *63? CHARACTER AGE : 30? (AS A HERMIT IN SUBIACO)
BENEDETTO DA NORCIA
BORN IN NURSIA (MODERN NORCIA), NEAR SPOLETO, UMBRIA. HE STUDIED IN ROME TO STUDY, THEN WAS A
HERMIT FOR SOME TIME IN THE DISTRICT OF SUBIACO. IT IS SAID THAT WHEN MONKS TRIED TO POISON HIM HIS PET
RAVEN FLEW AWAY WITH THE BREAD. (LATER IN LIFE HE FED A RAVEN WHICH CAME TO HIM.) HE FOUNDED THE
FAMOUS MONASTERY AT MONTE CASSINO ON A MOUNTAIN BETWEEN ROME & NAPLES, A FEW MILES FROM
AQUINO IN THE NORTH OF CAMPANIA. THE MOUNTAIN WAS ONCE CROWNED BY ALTARS TO APOLLO & VENUSAPHRODITE. THE RULE OF HIS ORDER DEMANDED POVERTY, CHASTITY AND OBEDIENCE, MANUAL LABOUR &
IRREVOCABLE VOWS. HE WAS REMEMBERED FOR HIS MANY ACTS OF HEALING. THE BENEDICTINE IDEA OF
POVERTY IS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM ST FRANCIS’S VOW, THE INDIVIDUAL IS RESTRICTED TO WHAT IS NECESSARY.
AROUND 543 HE HAD A VISION IN WHICH HE CAME CLOSE TO SEEING GOD AND SO SEEING THE WHOLE WORLD. HE
WAS A QUIET, GENTLE, DIGNIFIED, STRONG, PEACE-LOVING, SYMPATHETIC MAN. HE DIED AT MONTE CASSINO.
DESCRIPTION
HE MAY HAVE A BEARD. HE WAS NOT A BENEDICTINE (BLACK MONK). THE ORDER WAS NAMED FOR BENEDICT,
NOT FOUNDED BY HIM.
PARADISO PICTURES
23, 24
166
ST BENEDICT:
e quel son io che sù vi portai prima
lo nome di colui che 'n terra addusse
la verità che tanto ci soblima;
And I am Benedict, who first carried
His name up there, He who brought that Truth,
which raises us up so high,
e tanta grazia sopra me relusse,
ch'io ritrassi le ville circunstanti
da l'empio cólto che 'l mondo sedusse.
and such great grace shone over me,
that I weaned the surrounding villages
from the impious cults that seduced the world.
These other flames were all contemplatives, lit by the warmth that bears sacred fruits and flowers. Here is Maccarius,
here is Romoaldus, here are the brothers who stayed inside the cloisters and kept their hearts intact. And I to him: ‘The
love you show, by speaking with me, and the benign aspect I see, and note, in all your fires, has increased my
confidence as the Sun expands the rose, when it opens as far as is within its power,
DANTE:
Però ti priego, e tu, padre, m'accerta
s'io posso prender tanta grazia, ch'io
ti veggia con imagine scoverta.
so that I beg to know, assure me father,
as to whether I might receive such grace.
as to see your unveiled form.’
ST BENEDICT:
Ond' elli: Frate, il tuo alto disio
s'adempierà in su l'ultima spera,
ove s'adempion tutti li altri e 'l mio.
At which he said: Brother, your noble desire,
will be fulfilled in the last sphere, the Empyrean,
where I, and all the rest, find fulfilment.
Ivi è perfetta, matura e intera
ciascuna disïanza; in quella sola
è ogne parte là ove sempr' era,
There every desire is perfect,
full and ripe: in it alone every part
is where it always was,
perché non è in loco e non s'impola;
e nostra scala infino ad essa varca,
onde così dal viso ti s'invola.
since it is not in space, and has no poles,
and our ladder reaches it at last,
vanishing out of sight.
The patriarch Jacob saw its upper rungs stretch up there, when he saw it filled with Angels. But no one leaves Earth to
climb it now, and my rule, down there, remains a waste of parchment. The walls, that used to be a House of Prayer, are
dens, and the cowls are sacks full of mouldy grain. But even gross usury is not as contrary to God’s wishes as the fruit,
which maddens the monks’ hearts. Since what the Church holds, in its keeping, belongs to the people who pray to God,
not to kin, or to other viler uses. The flesh of mortals is so easily seduced, that down there, a good beginning does not
last the time from the oaks sprouting to the acorn harvest. Peter began his flock, without gold or silver, I mine with
prayers and fasting, and Francis his with humility. And if you gaze at the start of each order, and look again at where it
has failed, you will see the white darken. But Jordan being rolled back, and the Red Sea separating when God willed,
would be a less marvellous sight than alteration here.’ So he spoke to me, and then returned to his companions, and the
companions drew close together, then were all gathered upwards in a whirlwind.
PAR C22 100-105 / KLINE
The sweet Lady drove me, behind them, up the ladder, merely with a gesture, her power so conquered my nature: and
motion was never so quick down here, where we climb and fall by nature’s law, as to match my flight.
■ - [ST BENEDICT] - ■
■-■-■
THE FIXED STARS
167

brighter yellow SUN
LOOKING DOWN 1
■-■-■
PAR C22 106-108 / KLINE
O Reader, I swear by my hopes of ever returning to that sacred triumph, for which I, many a time, regret my sins, and
beat my breast,
DANTE LOOKS UP, THEN AT THE AUDIENCE AND SPEAKS WITH LOUD CONFIDENCE.
DANTE:
PAR C22 109-111 / DANTE
PAR C22 109-111 / KLINE
tu non avresti in tanto tratto e messo
nel foco il dito, in quant' io vidi 'l segno
che segue il Tauro e fui dentro da esso.
you You would not have put your finger in the fire,
and drawn it back, in so short a time as it took me to
see the sign of Gemini, that follows Taurus, and to be
inside it.
PAR C22 112-114 / DANTE
O glorïose stelle, o lume pregno
di gran virtù, dal quale io riconosco
tutto, qual che si sia, il mio ingegno,
O glorious stars, O light pregnant with great power,
from which I derive all my genius.,
whatever of it there is,
HE REMEMBERS THAT THIS IS NOT THE PLACE FOR BOASTING, AND GENTLES HIS VOICE.
DANTE:
PAR C22 114 / DANTE
PAR C22 114 / KLINE
tutto, qual che si sia, il mio ingegno,
whatever Whatever of it there is.,
PAR C22 115-117 / DANTE
con voi nasceva e s'ascondeva vosco
quelli ch'è padre d'ogne mortal vita,
quand' io senti' di prima l'aere tosco;
He who is father of every human life,
was rising and setting in your sign,
when I first felt the air of Tuscany: and then,
PAR C22 118-120 / DANTE
e poi, quando mi fu grazia largita
d'entrar ne l'alta rota che vi gira,
la vostra regïon mi fu sortita.
when grace was granted me, to enter
the distant sphere where you revolve,
your region was assigned to me.
PAR C22 121-123 / DANTE
A voi divotamente ora sospira
l'anima mia, per acquistar virtute
al passo forte che a sé la tira.
To you my soul breathes, devoutly,
to gain the strength for the difficult passage,
which draws her towards itself.
BEATRICE:
PAR C22 124-126 / DANTE
PAR C22 124-126 / KLINE
«Tu se' sì presso a l'ultima salute»,
cominciò Bëatrice, «che tu dei
aver le luci tue chiare e acute;
Beatrice began to say: You are so near
the highest blessedness,
that your eyes should be sharp and clear.
168
PAR C22 127-129 / DANTE
e però, prima che tu più t'inlei,
rimira in giù, e vedi quanto mondo
sotto li piedi già esser ti fei;
So, before you make your way deeper into it,
look down, and see See how great a world
I have placed under your feet:
PAR C22 130-132 / DANTE
sì che 'l tuo cor, quantunque può, giocondo
s'appresenti a la turba trïunfante
che lieta vien per questo etera tondo».
in order so that your heart may be presented, as
joyfully as it can to the triumphant crowd which
comes, delightedly, through this ethereal sphere.
BEATRICE LEADS DANTE TO THE FRONT OF THE STAGE AS HE WRITES.
DANTE:
PAR C22 124-126 / DANTE
PAR C22 124-126 / KLINE
«Tu se' sì presso a l'ultima salute»,
cominciò Bëatrice, «che tu dei
aver le luci tue chiare e acute;
Beatrice began to say: You are so near
the highest blessedness,
that your eyes should be sharp and clear.
PAR C22 127-129 / DANTE
e però, prima che tu più t'inlei,
rimira in giù, e vedi quanto mondo
sotto li piedi già esser ti fei;
So, before you make your way deeper into it,
look down, and see how great a world
I have placed under your feet:
PAR C22 130-132 / DANTE
sì che 'l tuo cor, quantunque può, giocondo
s'appresenti a la turba trïunfante
che lieta vien per questo etera tondo».
in order that your heart may be presented, as
joyfully as it can to the triumphant crowd which
comes, delightedly, through this ethereal sphere.
THEY LOOK DOWN.
DANTE:
PAR C22 133-135 / DANTE
PAR C22 133-135 / KLINE
Col viso ritornai per tutte quante
le sette spere, e vidi questo globo
tal, ch'io sorrisi del suo vil sembiante;
I turned turn my gaze back through each and every
one of the seven spheres, and saw see this globe the
earth, so that I smiled smiling at its pitiful semblance.,
PAR C22 136-138 / DANTE
e quel consiglio per migliore approbo
che l'ha per meno; e chi ad altro pensa
chiamar si puote veramente probo.
and I approve rate that wisdom greatest which
considers it least: since he whose thoughts are
directed elsewhere may be called truly noble.
PAR C22 139-141 / DANTE
Vidi la figlia di Latona incensa
sanza quell' ombra che mi fu cagione
per che già la credetti rara e densa.
I saw see the Moon, Artemis, daughter of Latona,
lit without that shadow which gave me reason
before to consider her rare or dense.
PAR C22 142-144 / DANTE
L'aspetto del tuo nato, Iperïone,
quivi sostenni, e vidi com' si move
circa e vicino a lui Maia e Dïone.
I endured endure the face of Helios, your son
Hyperion, and saw see how Mercury, son of Maia,
and Venus, daughter of Dione, move around and near
him.
HELIOS: IDENTICAL FOR DANTE WITH APOLLO-CHRIST.
HYPERION: THE TITAN OF THE SUN.
DIONE: DAUGHTER OF OCEANUS & TETHYS, OR EARTH & AIR, MOTHER OF VENUS-APHRODITE. ORIGINALLY AN OAK-GODDESS
AT DODONA.
PAR C22 145-147 / DANTE
Quindi m'apparve il temperar di Giove
tra 'l padre e 'l figlio; e quindi mi fu chiaro
il varïar che fanno di lor dove;
Next, Jupiter appeared appears, moderate between
Saturn his father’s cold, and Mars his son’s heat, and
the changes in their position were are clear to me.
169
PAR C22 148-150 / DANTE
e tutti e sette mi si dimostraro
quanto son grandi e quanto son veloci
e come sono in distante riparo.
And all the All seven were are revealed to me,
how large, how fast they are,
and how distant from each other in orbit.
PAR C22 151-153 / DANTE
L'aiuola che ci fa tanto feroci,
volgendom' io con li etterni Gemelli,
tutta m'apparve da' colli a le foci;
The threshing-floor that makes us so fierce,
appeared appears to me from mountains to rivermouth, as I revolved revolve with the eternal Twins:
DANTE:
PAR C22 154 / DANTE
poscia rivolsi li occhi a li occhi belli.
then I turned turn my eyes to the lovely eyes again.
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 12
GEMINI LIGHT AGAIN…
CANTO 23
■-■-■
DANTE WATCHES BEATRICE, MURMURING.
DANTE:
PAR C23 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C23 1-3 / KLINE
Come l'augello, intra l'amate fronde,
posato al nido de' suoi dolci nati
la notte che le cose ci nasconde,
Like a bird among the beloved leaves,
who has brooded over the nest of her sweet chicks,
in the night that hides all things from us,
PAR C23 4-6 / DANTE
che, per veder li aspetti disïati
e per trovar lo cibo onde li pasca,
in che gravi labor li sono aggrati,
and who, prematurely, takes to the open branch,
eager to see their longed-for aspect,
and to find food to feed them,
PAR C23 7-9 / DANTE
previene il tempo in su aperta frasca,
e con ardente affetto il sole aspetta,
fiso guardando pur che l'alba nasca;
waiting the sun with ardent love,
watching fixedly
for the dawn to break,
così la donna mïa stava eretta
e attenta, rivolta inver' la plaga
sotto la quale il sol mostra men fretta:
so was is my Lady., standing, erect and ready,
turned towards the region of the south
where the sun moves slowest,
DANTE TURNS AND VERSIFIES IN A MURMURING AND LOVING TONE.
170
DANTE:
PAR C23 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C23 1-3 / KLINE
Come l'augello, intra l'amate fronde,
posato al nido de' suoi dolci nati
la notte che le cose ci nasconde,
Like a bird among the beloved leaves,
who has brooded over the nest of her sweet chicks,
in the night that hides all things from us,
PAR C23 4-6 / DANTE
che, per veder li aspetti disïati
e per trovar lo cibo onde li pasca,
in che gravi labor li sono aggrati,
and who, prematurely, takes to the open branch,
eager to see their longed-for aspect,
and to find food to feed them,
PAR C23 7-9 / DANTE
previene il tempo in su aperta frasca,
e con ardente affetto il sole aspetta,
fiso guardando pur che l'alba nasca;
waiting the sun with ardent love,
watching fixedly
for the dawn to break,
PAR C23 10 / DANTE
così la donna mïa stava eretta
so was my Lady., standing, erect and ready,
so that as I looked at her in her anticipation and longing, I became like him, desiring, who wishes something new, and
delights in hope. But the time between one when and the next, for fixing my attention I mean, and for seeing the
Heavens grow brighter and brighter, was short.
BEATRICE:
or BEATRICE:
e Bëatrice disse: «Ecco le schiere
del trïunfo di Cristo e tutto 'l frutto
ricolto del girar di queste spere!».
And Beatrice said: See the procession
of Christ’s triumph, and all the fruits
gathered by the wheeling of these spheres.
Her face seemed alight, and her eyes so full of joy, that I have to pass it by, without description. As Diana Trivia in the
calm of full moons, smiles among the eternal nymphs who clothe the Heavens in every space, I saw one Sun, above a
thousands lights, firing each and all, as our own sun does the things we see above: and the glowing substance shone so
brightly through the living light that my vision could not endure it.
DANTE GAZES UP WITH BEATRICE THEN CLOSES OR COVERS HIS EYES AND LOOKS DOWN.
DANTE:
or DANTE:
PAR C23 34 / DANTE
PAR C23 34 / KLINE
Oh Bëatrice, dolce guida e cara!
O Beatrice, sweet, dear guide!
BEATRICE:
or BEATRICE:
Ella mi disse: Quel che ti sobranza
è virtù da cui nulla si ripara.
She said to me: Nothing has defence
against what overpowers you.
Inside are the wisdom and the power that opened the path between Heaven and Earth, for which there had been such
great desire before. Even as fire is released from cloud, because it expands so that there is no space inside, and rushes
down to earth against its nature, so my mind, expanded by these feasts, issued out of itself, and cannot remember what it
became.
BEATRICE:
Apri li occhi e riguarda qual son io;
tu hai vedute cose, che possente
se' fatto a sostener lo riso mio.
Open your eyes, and look at what I am:
you have seen things that have made
you strong enough to endure my smile.
DANTE WRITES.
171
DANTE:
Io era come quei che si risente
di visïone oblita e che s'ingegna
indarno di ridurlasi a la mente,
When I heard that That gift, worthy
of great thanks, that can never be erased. from
the book that records the past,
quand' io udi' questa proferta, degna
di tanto grato, che mai non si stingue
del libro che 'l preterito rassegna.
I was am like someone who returns returning
to himself, from an unremembered a dream,
and tries vainly to he cannot recall. it to mind.
Se mo sonasser tutte quelle lingue
che Polimnïa con le suore fero
del latte lor dolcissimo più pingue,
If all of those tongues that of Polyhymnia, and her
sister Muses, enriched with their sweetest milk,
sounded, the sound they would not reach,
per aiutarmi, al millesmo del vero
non si verria, cantando il santo riso
e quanto il santo aspetto facea mero;
to a thousandth part of the truth, in helping
my singing of the sacred smile,
and how it brightened brightens her sacred face.
THERE IS A SHARP SOUND OFFSTAGE. CALLIOPE HAS SLAPPED POLYHYMNIA FOR BEING THE MUSE
MENTIONED AND APPEARS FOR A MOMENT AT THE EDGE OF THE STAGE.
POLYHYMNIA CROSSES THE STAGE, STILL WITH HER FINGER AT HER MOUTH, WHILE HOLDING HER OTHER
HAND TO THE OTHER SIDE OF HER FACE.
■-■-■
[CP 62 / BS]
- [CP 61 /
TABLE
BS]
7
1913 – 2396 + 1406 - 1411
- [CP 63 / BS
LIBRARY]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
THE DEVILS
Fioretto 23
Clare Pictures 61: Devils rise
Devils rise from below and spread to the right and left.
Clare Pictures 62: Ciborium and armed Devils
The devils, representing the forces of Frederick II (1234), are arming themselves with shields and
weapons. Clare holds her ciborium out of the window and this has stopped the leading rank of
armed devils so suddenly that the army has piled up on it.
Clare Pictures 63: Devils at Porziuncola
Unarmed devils beset the Convent of the Porziuncola, containing peaceful monks including St
Francis.
The devils
climb the walls.
climb on the tree, eat its leaves and baby birds
climb on each other’s shoulders to reach the roof.
prance on the roof; push or kick others from the roof.
hang from the gutters, by hands or tails.
peer down the chimney or try pushing one devil down it.
eat a bird and a nest.
look through chinks and parody prayer of monks.
172
○
GRATIANUS:
1913 De ço qui calt? Se fuit s'en est Marsilies, But what avail? Though fled be Marsilies,
1914 Remes i est sis uncles, Marganices,
He's left behind his uncle, the alcaliph
1915 Ki tint Kartagene, Alfrere, Garmalie
Who holds Alferne, Kartagene, Garmalie,
1916 E Ethiope, une tere maldite.
And Ethiope, a cursed land indeed;
1917 La neire gent en ad en sa baillie;
The blackamoors from there are in his keep,
1918 Granz unt les nes e lees les oreilles,
Broad in the nose they are and flat in the ear,
1919 E sunt ensemble plus de cinquante milie. Fifty thousand and more in company.
1932 Quan Rollant veit la contredite gent
When Rollant sees those misbegotten men,
1933 Ki plus sunt neirs que nen est arrement, Who are more black than ink is on the pen
1934 Ne n'unt de blanc ne mais que sul les denz,With no part white, only their teeth except,
1935 Ço dist li quens: «Or sai jo veirement
1936 Que hoi murrum par le mien escient.
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
Then says that count: I know now very well
That here to die we're bound, as I can tell.
SIGIER MOVES A BLACK PIECE TO KNOCK OVER THE
TAKES THE PIECE INTO ONE HAND.
OLIVER
WHITE KNIGHT.
GRATIANUS
○
GRATIANUS:
2012 L'oíe pert e la veüe tute;
Nothing he sees; he hears not any sound;
2014 Durement en halt si recleimet sa culpe, Proclaims his sins both firmly and aloud,
2017 E beneïst Karlun e France dulce,
Blessings on Charles and on Douce France he vows,
2018 Sun cumpaignun Rollant sur tuz humes.And his comrade, Rollanz, to whom he's bound.
2021 Morz est li quens, que plus ne se demuret.And he is dead, may stay no more, that count.
GRATIANUS TAKES THE BLACK PIECE WITH THE WHITE BISHOP (ARCHBISHOP TURPIN) AND
SIGIER TAKES THE ARCHBISHOP WITH ANOTHER PIECE. GRATIANUS TAKES THE FELLED PIECE
INTO HIS OTHER HAND.
○
GRATIANUS:
2238 Ço est l'arcevesque, que Deus mist en
sun num. 'Tis the Archbishop, whom in His name
wrought God;
2239 Cleimet sa culpe, si reguardet amunt,
There he proclaims his sins, and looks above;
2243 Par granz batailles e par mult bels sermons,In battles great and very rare sermons
2244 Cuntre paiens fut tuz tens campiuns.
Against pagans ever a champion.
2245 Deus li otreit (la sue) seinte beneïçun!.
God grant him now His Benediction!
GRATIANUS ADVANCES THE ROLAND./.FOLCO PIECE BOLDLY. SIGIER LOOKS SHARPLY AT
GRATIANUS, IN WHAT THE FRANKS TAKE TO BE SHOCK AT A MASTER MOVE. IT IS SHOCK, BUT
AT GRATIANUS’S BLUNDER. SIGIER EXAMINES ALL THE POSSIBILITIES, SHAKING HIS HEAD,
AND KNOCKS OVER THE ROLAND./.FOLCO KNIGHT WITH A SMALL PIECE OF HIS OWN.
COLLAPSE OF FRANK PARTY.
ROLAND./.FOLCO TAKES CACCIAGUIDA’S SWORD (FROM THE WALL), OR THE ONE WHICH
CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU AS VALDABRON GAVE TO GUENELON./.ALBERTUS MAGNUS.
HE GOES TO THE FOOT OF THE LADDER AND LOOKS UP.
2303«E!» dist li quens, «sainte Marie, aiue!
HE CLIMBS SLOWLY, RECITING AS HE GOES.
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
And the count says: Saint Mary, be my guide.
173
○
ROLAND / FOLCO:
2304 E! Durendal, bone, si mare fustes!
Good Durendal, unlucky is your plight!
2305 Quant jo mei perd, de vos n'en ai mais cure.I've need of you no more; spent is my pride!
2318 Carles esteit es vals de Moriane,
In Moriane was Charles, in the vale,
2319 Quant Deus del cel li mandat par sun a[n]gle,When from heaven God by His angel bade
2320 Qu'il te dunast a un cunte cataignie:
Him give thee to a count and capitain;
2321 Dunc la me ceinst li gentilz reis, li magnes. Girt thee on me that noble King and great.
2322 Jo l'en cunquis Namon e Bretaigne,
I won for him with thee Anjou, Bretaigne,
2323 Si l'en cunquis e Peitou e le Maine;
And won for him with thee Peitou, the Maine,
2324 Jo l'en cunquis Normendie la franche,
And Normandy the free for him I gained,
2325 Si l'en cunquis Provence e Equitaigne
Also with thee Provence and Equitaigne,
2326 E Lumbardie e trestute (r)Romaine;
And Lumbardie and all the whole Romaigne,
2327 Jo l'en cunquis Baiver e tute Flandres,
I won Baivere, all Flanders in the plain,
2328 E Burguigne e trestute Puillanie,
Also Burguigne and all the whole Puillane,
2329 Costentinnoble, dunt il out la fiance,
Costentinnople, that homage to him pays;
2330 E en Saisonie fait il ço, qu'il demandet;
In Saisonie all is as he ordains;
2331 Jo l'en cunquis e Escoce e Vales Islonde, With thee I won him Scotland, Ireland, Wales,
2332 E Engletere, que il teneit sa cambre;
England also, where he his chamber makes;
2344 «E! Durendal, cum es bele e seintisme!
Ah! Durendal, most holy, fair indeed!
2345 En l'oriet punt asez i ad reliques:
Relics enough thy golden hilt conceals:
2346 La dent seint Perre e del sanc seint Basilie, Saint Peter's Tooth, the Blood of Saint Basile,
2347 E des chevels mun seignor seint Denise,
Some of the Hairs of my Lord, Saint Denis,
2348 Del vestement i ad seinte Marie.
Some of the Robe, was worn by Saint Mary.
2349 Il nen est dreiz que paiens te baillisent;
It is not right that pagans should thee seize,
2350 De chrestiens devrez estre servie.
For Christian men your use shall ever be.
ROLAND./.FOLCO PLACES THE SWORD ON THE WALL AS HIGH AS HE CAN REACH, BELOW THE OLIFANT.
SIGIER PUTS THE ROLAND WHITE KNIGHT INTO THE VOLUME./.CHESS PIECE CONTAINER WITH
THE OTHER REMAINING PIECES AND BEGINS CLOSING THE CHESS TABLE.
2389 Sun destre guant a Deu en puroffrit;
2390 Seint Gabriel de sa main l'ad pris
2391 Desur sun braz teneit le chef enclin;
2392 Juntes ses mains est alet a sa fin.
2393 Deus tramist sun angle Cherubin,
2394 E seint Michel del Peril;
2395 Ensembl'od els sent Gabriel i vint.
2396 L'anme del cunte portent en pareïs.
♫
HORN TRIUMPHANT
○
GRATIANUS:
His right-hand glove, to God he offers it
Saint Gabriel from's hand hath taken it.
Over his arm his head bows down and slips,
He joins his hands: and so is life finish'd.
God sent him down His angel cherubim,
And Saint Michael, we worship in peril;
And by their side Saint Gabriel alit;
So the count's soul they bare to Paradis.
**********
PAR C22 130 CH/CH 2396
THE BLESSED SOULS
RETURN TO THEIR STUDY.
BETWEEN HORN PASSAGES.
GRATIANUS
WRAPS UP THE CHANSON
○
1406 Malvais servis[e] le jur li rendit Guenes,
1407 Qu'en Sarraguce sa maisnee alat vendre;
1408 Puis en perdit e sa vie e ses membres;
1409 El plait ad Ais en fut juget a prendre,
1410 De ses parenz ensembl'od lui tels trente
1411 Ki de murir nen ourent esperance.
GRATIANUS:
Evil service, that day, Guenes rendered them,
To Sarraguce going, his own to sell.
After, he lost his members and his head,
In court, at Aix, to gallows-tree condemned;
And thirty more with him, of his kindred,
Were hanged, a thing they never did expect.
SIGIER murmurs:
●
1411 Ki de murir nen ourent esperance.
Were hanged, a thing they never did expect.
174
GRATIANUS CLOSES THE BOOK OF THE CHANSON DE ROLAND AND RETURNS IT TO THE SHELF.
■-■-■
CELESTIAL 13
[CP 64]
- [CP 65] - [CP 66]
CLARE Pictures 64: Francis’s halo of swallows
Francis gestures to swallows circling (like a large halo) and chattering above Francis’s head.
CLARE Pictures 65, 66: Birds fly, forming a cross
The birds fly off in four companies – north, south, east and west – forming a cross.
AS HE DID IN C2 1- , DANTE ADDRESSES THE LOWER PART OF THE AUDIENCE - WITH KINDNESS, NOT
HAUTEUR - AND THE HIGHER. (NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER.)
DANTE:
e così, figurando il paradiso,
convien saltar lo sacrato poema,
come chi trova suo cammin riciso.
And so the sacred Poem must take a leap,
in describing Paradise, like
someone finding his way obstructed.
Ma chi pensasse il ponderoso tema
e l'omero mortal che se ne carca,
nol biasmerebbe se sott' esso trema:
But whoever thinks about the weighty theme,
and the human shoulder that has burdened itself with
it, will not cast blame if the shoulder trembles beneath
it.
SEE C2 1-
non è pareggio da picciola barca
quel che fendendo va l'ardita prora,
né da nocchier ch'a sé medesmo parca.
It is not a path for a little boat,
that my bold keel cuts as it goes,
nor a pilot who spares himself.
DANTE:
e così, figurando il paradiso,
convien saltar lo sacrato poema,
come chi trova suo cammin riciso.
And so the sacred Poem must take a leap,
in describing Paradise, like
someone finding his way obstructed.
Ma chi pensasse il ponderoso tema
e l'omero mortal che se ne carca,
nol biasmerebbe se sott' esso trema:
But whoever thinks about the weighty theme, and
the human shoulder that has burdened itself with it,
will not cast blame if the shoulder trembles beneath it.
SEE C2 1-
non è pareggio da picciola barca
quel che fendendo va l'ardita prora,
né da nocchier ch'a sé medesmo parca.
It is not a path for a little boat,
that my bold keel cuts as it goes,
nor a pilot who spares himself.
BEATRICE:
Perché la faccia mia sì t'innamora,
che tu non ti rivolgi al bel giardino
che sotto i raggi di Cristo s'infiora?
Beatrice spoke: Why does my face so entrance you
that you do not turn to the lovely Garden
that flowers below the rays of Christ?
175
Quivi è la rosa in che 'l verbo divino
carne si fece; quivi son li gigli
al cui odor si prese il buon cammino.
There is the Rose, in which the Divine Word
made itself flesh: there are the Lilies
within whose perfume the good way was taken.
And I, who was eager for her wisdom, surrendered again to the struggle of my weak vision.
DANTE READS: THE VIRGIN AND THE APOSTLES.
DANTE:
Come a raggio di sol, che puro mei
per fratta nube, già prato di fiori
vider, coverti d'ombra, li occhi miei;
As I have seen, before now, a meadow filled with
flowers, under the sun’s rays, shining pure through
broken cloud, themselves covered in shadow,
vid' io così più turbe di splendori,
folgorate di sù da raggi ardenti,
sanza veder principio di folgóri.
so I saw see many crowds of splendours,
shone on from above by ardent rays, not seeing
the source from which the glow came comes.
O benigna vertù che sì li 'mprenti,
sù t'essaltasti, per largirmi loco
a li occhi lì che non t'eran possenti.
O benign Power that so forms them! You had have
risen yourself, to make space
for my vision that lacked lacks strength.
Il nome del bel fior ch'io sempre invoco
e mane e sera, tutto mi ristrinse
l'animo ad avvisar lo maggior foco;
The name of that lovely flower which I invoke,
always, morning and night,
drew draws my mind to gaze at the greatest flame,
e come ambo le luci mi dipinse
il quale e il quanto de la viva stella
che là sù vince come qua giù vinse,
And when the quality and might of the living star,
that overcomes there as it did down here,
had been is pictured in both my eyes,
per entro il cielo scese una facella,
formata in cerchio a guisa di corona,
e cinsela e girossi intorno ad ella.
an encircled flame, formed like a coronet,
fell falls from the Heavens
and clothed her, and surrounded surrounds her.
Qualunque melodia più dolce suona
qua giù e più a sé l'anima tira,
parrebbe nube che squarciata tona,
Whatever melody sounds sweetest here,
and draws the spirit most towards itself,
would seem the thunder from a torn cloud,
PAR C23 100-102 / DANTE
comparata al sonar di quella lira
onde si coronava il bel zaffiro
del quale il ciel più chiaro s'inzaffira.
compared to that lyre, to whose sound
the lovely sapphire was is crowned,
who en-sapphires the brightest Heaven.
■-■-■
GABRIEL SPEAKS THE WORDS BELOW, OR SINGS WORDS BASED ON THEM.
ARCHANGEL GABRIEL, GABRIELE, GABRIELLO
176
GABRIEL:
or GABRIEL:
PAR C23 103-105 / DANTE
PAR C23 103-105 / KLINE
«Io sono amore angelico, che giro
l'alta letizia che spira del ventre
che fu albergo del nostro disiro;
The circling melody named itself: ‘I am Gabriel.,
the Angelic Love, who circles the noble joy,
that takes breaths from the womb,
PAR C23 106-108 / DANTE
e girerommi, donna del ciel, mentre
che seguirai tuo figlio, e farai dia
più la spera suprema perché lì entre».
that was the Inn of our Longing:
and Lady of Heaven, I will circle, until
you follow your Son, and render
PAR C23 109-111 / DANTE
Così la circulata melodia
si sigillava, e tutti li altri lumi
facean sonare il nome di Maria.
♫
I AM GABRIEL…
the Highest Sphere more divine,
by entering it.’ Then all the other lights rang
out with the name of Mary.
**********
PAR C23 102 from PAR C23 103-105
A circling melody:
HEAVENLY VOICES:
♫
or HEAVENLY VOICES:
PAR C23 109-111 / DANTE
PAR C23 109-111 / KLINE
Così la circulata melodia
si sigillava, e tutti li altri lumi
facean sonare il nome di Maria!.
the Highest Sphere more divine,
by entering it.’ Then all the other lights rang
out with the name of Mary!.
REGINA COELI QUEEN OF HEAVEN* * * * * * * * * *
The opening words of the Eastertide anthem of the Blessed Virgin.
Regina coeli laetare,
Alleluia,
Quia quem meruisti portare.
Alleluia,
Resurrexit,
Sicut dixit,
Alleluia.
Ora pro nobis Deum.
Alleluia.
In the first two verses ("Regina" and "Quia") the accent falls on the second, fourth, and seventh syllables (the
word quia being counted as a single syllable); in the second two verses ("Resurrexit", "Sicut dixit"), on the
first and third syllables. The Alleluia serves as a refrain. Of unknown authorship, the anthem has been traced
back to the twelfth century. It was in Franciscan use, after Compline, in the first half of the following
century. Together with the other Marian anthems, it was incorporated in the Minorite-Roman Curia Office,
which, by the activity of the Franciscans, was soon popularized everywhere, and which, by the order of
Nicholas III (1277-80), replaced all the older Office-books in all the churches of Rome. Batiffol ("History of
the Roman Breviary", tr., London, 1898, pp. 158-228) admits that "we owe a just debt of gratitude to those
who gave us the antiphons of the Blessed Virgin" (p. 225), which he considers "four exquisite compositions,
though in a style enfeebled by sentimentality" (p. 218). The anthems are indeed exquisite, although (as may
appropriately be noted in the connection) they run through the gamut of medieval literary style, from the
classical hexameters of the "Alma Redemptoris Mater" through the richly-rhymed accentual rhythm and
regular strophes of the "Ave Regina Coelorum", the irregular syntonic strophe of the "Regina Coeli", down to
the sonorous prose rhythms (with rhyming closes) of the Salve Regina.
177
The beautiful plainsong melodies (a simple and an ornate form) are variously given in the Ratisbon
antiphonary and in the Solesmes "Liber Usualis" of 1908, the ornate form in the latter work, with rhythmical
signs added, being very attractive. The official or "typical" melody will be found (p. 126) in the Vatican
Antiphonary (1911). Only one form of melody is given. The different syllabic lengths of the lines make the
anthem difficult to translate with fidelity into English verse. The anthem has often been treated musically by
both polyphonic and modern composers.
from The Catholic Encyclopedia
PAR C23 112-117 / KLINE
The Primum Mobile, that royal mantle of all the folds of the Universe, that burns brightest, and is most alive, with the
breath and manner of God, had its inner shore so far above us that its appearance was not yet visible to me.
DANTE VERSIFIES AND WRITES. (THE ITALIAN COULD BE PUT INTO THE PRESENT TENSE.)
DANTE:
Il nome del bel fior ch'io sempre invoco
e mane e sera, tutto mi ristrinse
l'animo ad avvisar lo maggior foco;
The name of that lovely flower which I invoke,
always, morning and night,
drew my mind to gaze at the greatest flame,
e come ambo le luci mi dipinse
il quale e il quanto de la viva stella
che là sù vince come qua giù vinse,
And when the quality and might of the living star,
that overcomes there as it did down here,
had been pictured in both my eyes,
per entro il cielo scese una facella,
formata in cerchio a guisa di corona,
e cinsela e girossi intorno ad ella.
an encircled flame, formed like a coronet,
fell from the Heavens
and clothed her, and surrounded her.
Qualunque melodia più dolce suona
qua giù e più a sé l'anima tira,
parrebbe nube che squarciata tona,
Whatever melody sounds sweetest here,
and draws the spirit most towards itself,
would seem the thunder from a torn cloud,
PAR C23 100-102 / DANTE
comparata al sonar di quella lira
onde si coronava il bel zaffiro
del quale il ciel più chiaro s'inzaffira.
compared to that lyre, to whose sound
the lovely sapphire was crowned,
who en-sapphires the brightest Heaven.
DANTE POINTS UPWARDS.
DANTE:
PAR C23 118-120 / DANTE
PAR C23 118-120 / KLINE
però non ebber li occhi miei potenza
di seguitar la coronata fiamma
che si levò appresso sua semenza.
So my eyes had not the power to follow
the crowned flame as she
She climbed climbs after her own Child.
■ - ■ - [ST BERNARD]
RESPONDING TO THE VIRGIN’S MUSIC, AS HE DID AT THE END OF CANTO 3, ST BERNARD APPEARS IN A
WINDOW AND LOOKS UPWARDS.
PAR C23 121-139 / KLINE
And like the babe, who stretches his arms up towards his mother, when he has suckled, because his mind flames out in
external gesture, so each of those fires tapered its flame, so that the deep love they had for Mary was made clear to me.
Then they rested there, in my sight, singing Regina Coeli: Queen of Heaven, so sweetly, that the delight has never left
me. O how great the wealth is, filling those rich coffers, spirits, which, on earth, were good sowers of its seed! Here
they have life and joy, even from that treasure that was earned, weeping, in Exile, in Babylon, where gold was rejected.
Here he triumphs, with the ancient and the new synod, under the noble Son of God, and Mary, that Peter who holds the
keys to such great glory.
178
■-■-■
CANTO 24
■-■-■
BEATRICE:
PAR C24 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C24 1-3 / KLINE
O sodalizio eletto a la gran cena
del benedetto Agnello, il qual vi ciba
sì, che la vostra voglia è sempre piena,
O company, elected to the great feast
of the Blessed Lamb, who feeds you in such manner
that your hunger is always sated,
PAR C24 4-6 / DANTE
se per grazia di Dio questi preliba
di quel che cade de la vostra mensa,
prima che morte tempo li prescriba,
if, by the grace of God,
this man tastes what falls from your table
before death has determined his time,
PAR C24 7-9 / DANTE
ponete mente a l'affezione immensa
take heed of his immeasurable yearning, and sprinkle
e roratelo alquanto: voi bevete
him a little, you who always drink at the fountain,
sempre del fonte onde vien quel ch'ei pensa. from which flows that on which his thought is fixed.
DANTE VERSIFIES, LOOKS, WRITES AND READS.
DANTE:
PAR C24 7-9 / DANTE
PAR C24 7-9 / KLINE
ponete mente a l'affezione immensa
take heed of his immeasurable yearning, and sprinkle
e roratelo alquanto: voi bevete
him a little, you who always drink at the fountain,
sempre del fonte onde vien quel ch'ei pensa. from which flows that on which his thought is fixed.
Così Beatrice; e quelle anime liete
si fero spere sopra fissi poli,
fiammando, a volte, a guisa di comete.
So Beatrice spoke: and those joyful souls,
made spheres, of themselves, with fixed axes,
flaming out like comets.
E come cerchi in tempra d'orïuoli
si giran sì, che 'l primo a chi pon mente
quïeto pare, e l'ultimo che voli;
And as wheels, in harmonious clockwork,
turn so that the first seems still,
to whoever inspects it, but the last to fly,
così quelle carole, differentemente danzando, de la sua ricchezza
mi facieno stimar, veloci e lente.
so these dancers with their various gyres,
fast or slow,
made me consider their riches.
I saw a blissful flame shoot from the one I thought most beautiful, such that none brighter remained: and it swept three
times round Beatrice, with a song so divine that my imagination cannot repeat it,
DANTE STOPS AND PUTS HIS STYLUS BACK IN HIS BOOK.
■ - [YELLOW ☼ ☼ ☼] - ■
179
ST PETER
DANTE:
Però salta la penna e non lo scrivo:
ché l'imagine nostra a cotai pieghe,
non che 'l parlare, è troppo color vivo.
and my pen passes on, and I do not write,
since our thought, and speech,
is too grossly coloured to trace such folds.
■ - [YELLOW ☼] - ■
TWO OF THE LIGHTS SWING BEHIND THE THIRD, WHICH STEADIES AND SPEAKS.
ST PETER (VOICE):
O santa suora mia che sì ne prieghe
divota, per lo tuo ardente affetto
da quella bella spera mi disleghe.
O my holy sister, who begs us, so devotedly,
you free me from this lovely sphere
by your glowing love.
as soon as the blessed flame had rested, the breath that spoke the words I wrote, turned to my Lady.
BEATRICE:
St Peter!
■ - [SEA
or
[SEA]
- [SEA
-■
SEA]
BOAT BOW: ST PETER SEA]
BOAT BOW: ST PETER
- [SEA]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
ST PETER MANIFESTS HIMSELF IN A WOODEN ROWING BOAT ON THE BLUE SEA OF GALILEE. THE SUN IS
BRILLIANT, HENCE THE HAT. ST PETER SITS IN THE BOW OF THE BOAT WHICH IS POINTED DIRECTLY AT THE
AUDIENCE. HE AND HIS HAT HIDE ANY OTHERS IN THE BOAT, THOUGH THE AUDIENCE MAY SEE THE OARS
BEING HELD BY THE OARSMAN ON THE CENTRE SEAT. THE OARS MAY BE FEATHERED, JUST ABOVE THE
WATER OR RAISED LIKE WINGS.
ST PETER *----? - 64 OR 69? AGE : 65? CHARACTER AGE : 30? (WHEN WITH CHRIST)
PIETRO, CEPHEAS
180
BORN AT BETHSAIDA ON THE SEA OF GALILEE, HE MOVED TO CAPERNAUM, NEARBY. ARAMAIC, GREEK.
HEBREW? PROBABLY ARAMAIC WITH GREEK TOUCHES.
DESCRIPTION
WELL-BUILT WITH A SHORT, BUSHY BEARD? HE WEARS A SENSIBLY-LARGE, FLOPPY? HAT, PERHAPS TILTED TO
RESEMBLE A HALO.
(IN THE PROGRAMME)
FISH THICKENED THE SEA (FRESHWATER LAKE) OF GALILEE IN BIBLICAL TIMES & MANY FISHING VILLAGES
SURROUNDED IT. PETER, JAMES & JOHN FISHED FROM OR NEAR BETHSAIDA (GK. ‘HOUSE OF FISHING’ OR
‘TEMPLE OF THE FISH-GOD’). MARY MAGDALENE BECAME THE ONLY PRODUCT OF MAGDALA (GK.
TARICHAEAE ‘PROCESSED-FISHVILLE’) BETTER KNOWN IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE THAN DRIED FISH. FISH WERE
CAUGHT WITH A FISH-HOOK, MORE FISH WITH A FISH-NET CAST FROM SHORE OR A FISHING BOAT, & EVEN
MORE FISH WITH A FISH-NET SET BY A FISHING BOAT & DRAGGED ASHORE AT BOTH ENDS. NIGHT & DAY,
AWAKE & ASLEEP, GALILEAN FISHERMAN FISHED, COUNTED FISH (FEW OF WHICH HAD A COIN IN THE MOUTH
FOR THE FISH TAX 1); CLEANED CLEAN FISH, FETCHED FISH TO THE JERUSALEM FISH-GATE & TO SHELLFISHPURPLE TYRE 2; MADE FISHNETS; REPAIRED, WASHED & DRIED FISHNETS; BUILT & REPAIRED FISHING BOATS;
& SMELLED, IN THE AIR WHICH UNMIRRORED THE SEA, AS IN THE MOUNTAIN TEMPEST WHICH MADE
MOUNTAINS OF IT, FISH. THERE ARE NO FISH IN PARADISE.
1 GO THOU TO THE SEA, AND CAST AN HOOK, AND TAKE UP THE FISH THAT FIRST COMETH UP; AND WHEN THOU
HAST OPENED HIS MOUTH, THOU SHALT FIND A PIECE OF MONEY: THAT TAKE, AND GIVE UNTO THEM FOR ME
AND THEE. MATT 17-27 (AUTH.VERS.).
THE MUSHT - ST PETER’S FISH - PICKS UP PEBBLES TO PREVENT ITS HATCHLINGS, KEPT AS EGGS IN THE
MOUTH, RETURNING. COINS WERE SOMETIMES PICKED UP WITH THE PEBBLES.
2 SHELLFISH: MUREX
THE BOAT MIGHT BE A SMALL VERSION OF THE 1ST C FISHING-VESSEL DISCOVERED IN 1986 ON THE SHORE OF
THE SEA (LAKE) AND PUT ON DISPLAY AT EN GOV. IT IS MAINLY CEDAR AND OAK AND CARPENTERED WITH
MORTISE AND TENON JOINTS.
BEATRICE:
Ed ella: O luce etterna del gran viro
a cui Nostro Segnor lasciò le chiavi,
ch'ei portò giù, di questo gaudio miro,
And she replied: O eternal light of that great man to
whom our Lord left the keys of this marvellous joy,
which he brought to earth,
tenta costui di punti lievi e gravi,
come ti piace, intorno de la fede,
per la qual tu su per lo mare andavi.
test this man here on the points of faith,
lesser or greater, as you choose.,
the faith that enabled you to walk the waves.
Whether he loves well, and hopes truly, and believes, is not hidden from you, since you have sight of that place where
everything is brought to light. But since this kingdom has made its citizens from those of true faith, it is fitting that he
should be allowed to speak of it, to give it glory. Even as the student equips himself, but does not speak until the master
sets out the question, to sanction it, and not decide it, so I armed myself with every thought, while she spoke, so that I
might be ready for such questioning and response.
ST PETER:
Dì, buon Cristiano, fatti manifesto:
fede che è? Ond' io levai la fronte
in quella luce onde spirava questo;
Speak, good Christian, reveal yourself:
what is Faith? At which I raised my forehead
to the light that breathed those words:
then turned to Beatrice, and she eagerly signed to me to pour out the water of my inner fountain. I began: May the grace
that allows me to confess myself to the noble fore-runner, make my thought achieve expression!
DANTE:
E seguitai: «Come 'l verace stilo
ne scrisse, padre, del tuo caro frate
che mise teco Roma nel buon filo,
And I went on: ‘As the true pen of your
dear brother, Paul, who with you set Rome
on the better path, wrote for us:
fede è sustanza di cose sperate
e argomento de le non parventi;
e questa pare a me sua quiditate».
Faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.:
and this I take to be its essence.’
181
ST PETER:
Allora udi': Dirittamente senti,
se bene intendi perché la ripuose
tra le sustanze, e poi tra li argomenti.
Then I heard: You understand it truly,
if you understand why he placed it among
the substances, and then cited it as evidence.
DANTE:
E io appresso: Le profonde cose
che mi largiscon qui la lor parvenza,
a li occhi di là giù son sì ascose,
And I to that: The deep things which grant me
the privilege me by of appearing, in front of me,
here, are hidden from the sight of those below,
che l'esser loro v'è in sola credenza,
sopra la qual si fonda l'alta spene;
e però di sustanza prende intenza.
so that their existence is only a belief, down there,
on which is built a high hope: and so hence it
justifies the meaning of substance.
E da questa credenza ci convene
silogizzar, sanz' avere altra vista:
però intenza d'argomento tene.
And from From this belief we need to reason,
without any further insight:
so it satisfies the meaning of evidence.
ST PETER:
Allora udi': Se quantunque s'acquista
giù per dottrina, fosse così 'nteso,
non lì avria loco ingegno di sofista.
Then I heard: If everything that is learnt
down there by teaching, were understood so
clearly, there would be no room left for sophistry.
Così spirò di quello amore acceso;
indi soggiunse: Assai bene è trascorsa
d'esta moneta già la lega e 'l peso;
So it breathed out from that burning love:
then it added: This coin’s weight
and alloy has been well tried:
PAR C24 85 / DANTE
ma dimmi se tu l'hai ne la tua borsa.
but tell me if you have it in your purse.
DANTE:
Ond' io: Sì ho, sì lucida e sì tonda,
che nel suo conio nulla mi s'inforsa.
At which I said: Yes, I have it there, so bright and
round, that there is no perhaps for me in its stamp.
ST PETER:
Appresso uscì de la luce profonda
che lì splendeva: Questa cara gioia
sopra la quale ogne virtù si fonda,
Then this issued from the deep light that was
burning there: From where did that dear gem thing,
on which all virtue is founded, come to you?
DANTE:
onde ti venne?. E io: «La larga ploia
de lo Spirito Santo, ch'è diffusa
in su le vecchie e 'n su le nuove cuoia,
And I: The profuse rain of the Holy Spirit
which is poured over
the Old and the New pages.,
is the reasoning that brought it to so clear a conclusion for me, so that compared with it, all argument seems coarse to
me.
ST PETER:
Io udi' poi: L'antica e la novella
proposizion che così ti conchiude,
perché l'hai tu per divina favella?
Then I heard: That Old and New proposition,
which leads to your conclusion,
why do you take it for Divine discourse?’
182
DANTE:
PAR C24 100-102 / DANTE
PAR C24 100-102 / KLINE
E io: La prova che 'l ver mi dischiude,
son l'opere seguite, a che natura
non scalda ferro mai né batte incude».
And I: The proof which reveals the truth to me,
is in the miracles that followed, which nature
never heated the iron for, or nor struck the anvil.
ST PETER:
PAR C24 103-105 / DANTE
PAR C24 103-105 / KLINE
Risposto fummi: Dì, chi t'assicura
che quell' opere fosser? Quel medesmo
che vuol provarsi, non altri, il ti giura.
The answer was: Tell me, who assures you that
these miracles took place? The writing, that seeks
to be the proof of itself, no other, attests to them.
DANTE:
PAR C24 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C24 106-108 / KLINE
Se 'l mondo si rivolse al cristianesmo,
diss' io, sanza miracoli, quest' uno
è tal, che li altri non sono il centesmo:
I answered: If the world turned to Christianity,
without miracles, that would be such a miracle
that the others would not rate a hundredth of it,
PAR C24 109-114 / KLINE
since you entered, poor and hungry, on the field, to sow the plant that was once a vine, and is now a thorn. So ending,
the high sacred court rang out a Dio laudamo: We praise God, through the spheres, with that melody that is sung up
there.
♫
DIO LAUDAMO
**********
PAR C24 115-120 / KLINE
That spirit, who had drawn me from branch to branch with his questioning, now we were near to the topmost leaves,
began again: The grace, which holds loving speech with your mind, has opened your mouth, till now, as was
appropriate,
ST PETER:
PAR C24 121-123 / DANTE
PAR C24 121-123 / KLINE
sì ch'io approvo ciò che fuori emerse;
ma or convien espremer quel che credi,
e onde a la credenza tua s'offerse.
so that I sanction what emerged: but now you
must say Say what you believe, and how it was
offered to your belief.
PAR C24 124-129 / KLINE
I began: O holy father, you spirit, who see now, what you once so believed, that you outstripped younger feet in
entering the sepulchre, you would have me declare the form of my eager faith, and also ask the source of it:
DANTE:
PAR C24 130-132 / DANTE
PAR C24 130-132 / KLINE
E io rispondo: Io credo in uno Dio
solo ed etterno, che tutto 'l ciel move,
non moto, con amore e con disio;
to which I answer: I believe in one God, sole and
eternal, who moves all the Heavens with love
and desire, Himself unmoving.
PAR C24 133-138 / KLINE
And I do not merely have physical and metaphysical proofs for such belief, but it is shown me also by the truth that
flows from it, through Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms, through the Gospel, and through you, who wrote, when the
ardent Spirit had made you holy.
PAR C24 139-141 / DANTE
e credo in tre persone etterne, e queste
credo una essenza sì una e sì trina,
che soffera congiunto `sono' ed èste'.
And I believe in three Persons, eternal,
and I believe they are One essence, and Threefold.,
in such a way as to allow are and is to be joined.
PAR C24 142-157 / KLINE
My mind is stamped more than once, by the evangelic teaching, with the profound Divine condition of which I speak.
This is the Source: this is the spark which then expands to living flame, and shines in me like a star in Heaven.’ Like the
Master who hears what please him, and so clasps the servant, thanking him for his news, when he falls silent: So the
183
apostolic light at whose command I had spoken circled me three times, blessing me as it sang, as soon as I had ceased, I
pleased him so with my words.
♫
CELESTIAL
**********
PAR C24 140
CANTO 25
DANTE ADDRESSES PART OF THE AUDIENCE AT STAGE-FRONT.
CLOSE THAT THE AUDIENCE CANNOT SEE IT.
BEATRICE REMAINS FACING THE BOAT, SO
DANTE:
PAR C25 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C25 1-3 / KLINE
Se mai continga che 'l poema sacro
al quale ha posto mano e cielo e terra,
sì che m'ha fatto per molti anni macro,
If it should ever come to pass, that the sacred poem,
to which Heaven and Earth have set their hand,
so that it has made me lean through many a year,
PAR C25 4-6 / DANTE
vinca la crudeltà che fuor mi serra
del bello ovile ov' io dormi' agnello,
nimico ai lupi che li danno guerra;
conquers the cruelty that bars me from
the lovely fold, where I used to sleep as a lamb,
enemy of the wolves that war on it,
PAR C25 7-9 / DANTE
con altra voce omai, con altro vello
ritornerò poeta, e in sul fonte
del mio battesmo prenderò 'l cappello;
I will return a poet, now, with altered voice
and fleece, and will assume the wreath
at my baptismal font,
DANTE REFUSED A LAUREL CROWN AT BOLOGNA IN 1318, HOPING STILL TO RETURN TO FLORENCE AND BE CROWNED THERE.
però che ne la fede, che fa conte
l'anime a Dio, quivi intra' io, e poi
Pietro per lei sì mi girò la fronte.
since it was there I entered the faith which makes
souls visible to God., and afterwards Peter,
for its sake, so encircled my brow.
DANTE TURNS TO ANOTHER PART OF THE AUDIENCE AND VERSIFIES UNTIL BEATRICE INTERRUPTS.
DANTE:
PAR C25 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C25 1-3 / KLINE
Se mai continga che 'l poema sacro
al quale ha posto mano e cielo e terra,
sì che m'ha fatto per molti anni macro,
If it should ever come to pass, that the sacred poem,
to which Heaven and Earth have set their hand,
so that it has made me lean through many a year,
PAR C25 4-6 / DANTE
vinca la crudeltà che fuor mi serra
del bello ovile ov' io dormi' agnello,
nimico ai lupi che li danno guerra;
conquers the cruelty that bars me from
the lovely fold, where I used to sleep as a lamb,
enemy of the wolves that war on it,
PAR C25 7-9 / DANTE
con altra voce omai, con altro vello
ritornerò poeta, e in sul fonte
del mio battesmo prenderò 'l cappello;
I will return a poet, now, with altered voice
and fleece, and will assume the wreath
at my baptismal font,
184
ST JAMES
BEATRICE TURNS AROUND IN GREAT EXCITEMENT.
After which a light moved towards us, from the sphere out of which the first fruits of the vicars left by Christ on earth
came.
BEATRICE:
&
BEATRICE:
e la mia donna, piena di letizia,
mi disse: Mira, mira: ecco il barone
per cui là giù si vicita Galizia».
And my Lady, full of joy, said to me:
See! See! Behold James, the Saint for whose sake,
down there, they search out Galicia.
■ - [SEA
or [SEA]
- [SEA
-■
SEA]
BOAT STERN: ST JAMES SEA]
BOAT STERN: ST JAMES
- [SEA]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
THE BOAT HAS TURNED AROUND. ST JAMES SITS IN THE STERN, FACING THE AUDIENCE. DANTE LOWERS HIS
HEAD.
ST JAMES (THE GREATER) *----? - 40↔44 AGE : 35? CHARACTER AGE : *--?
GIACOMO, JACOPO, SANTIAGO
BORN AT CAPERNAUM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE, THE ELDER BROTHER OF JOHN. HE WAS KNOWN FOR HIS FIERY
TEMPERAMENT - CHRIST CALLED HIM AND JOHN BOANERGES – THUNDERERS.
ARAMAIC, GREEK. HEBREW? PROBABLY ARAMAIC WITH GREEK TOUCHES.
DESCRIPTION
LIKE PETER, HE WEARS A SENSIBLY-LARGE, FLOPPY? HAT, WHICH MAY BE TILTED TO RESEMBLE A HALO. HE IS
SOMETIMES REPRESENTED AS A PILGRIM WITH A HAT LIKE THAT. WE ALREADY KNOW THAT PETER IS IN THE BOW
OF THE BOAT, BUT JAMES AND HIS HAT HIDE ANY OTHERS.
As a dove, taking his perch next to his companion, pours out his love for the other, billing and cooing, so I saw one
great and glorious prince received by the other, praising the food that feasts them there. But when the greeting was over,
each one rested, silently, coram me: in my presence, so fiery, that they overcame my gaze.
BEATRICE:
Ridendo allora Bëatrice disse:
Inclita vita per cui la larghezza
de la nostra basilica si scrisse,
Then Beatrice, smiling, said:
Noble life, by whom the generous
gifts of our court were recorded,
fa risonar la spene in questa altezza:
tu sai, che tante fiate la figuri,
quante Iesù ai tre fé più carezza.
let Hope be sounded in this altitude.:
you know it, who described it all those times,
when Jesus gave greater light to you three
DANTE APPROACHES THE BOAT.
ST JAMES:
«Leva la testa e fa che t'assicuri:
che ciò che vien qua sù del mortal mondo,
convien ch'ai nostri raggi si maturi».
Lift your head, and reassure yourself,
since whatever comes here
from the mortal world must ripen in our rays.
Such comfort came to me from the second flame, at which I lifted up ‘mine eyes unto the hills’, which had been bowed
before with excessive weight.
185
DANTE RAISES HIS HEAD [PAR C25 37-39].
ST JAMES:
Poi che per grazia vuol che tu t'affronti
lo nostro Imperadore, anzi la morte,
ne l'aula più secreta co' suoi conti,
The second light continued: Since our Emperor,
by his grace, wishes you to be confronted with
his Saints, in his most secret court, before you die,
sì che, veduto il ver di questa corte,
la spene, che là giù bene innamora,
in te e in altrui di ciò conforte,
so that having seen its truth, you might increase
the hope in yourself and others,
which makes people on earth love the good,
di' quel ch'ell' è, di' come se ne 'nfiora
la mente tua, e dì onde a te venne.
Così seguì 'l secondo lume ancora.
say what Hope is, and how your mind
is en-flowered by it,
and say from where it comes to you.
And that gentle one, Beatrice, who guided my feathered wings to so high a soaring, anticipated me in speaking, saying:
BEATRICE:
La Chiesa militante alcun figliuolo
non ha con più speranza, com' è scritto
nel Sol che raggia tutto nostro stuolo:
The Church militant does not have a child
more full of hope, as it is written in the Sun
who shines on all our host,
però li è conceduto che d'Egitto
vegna in Ierusalemme per vedere,
anzi che 'l militar li sia prescritto.
so it was granted to him to come out of Egypt
to Jerusalem, to gaze on her,
before the proper end of his struggle.
Those two points, of hope and love, asked about not so that you might learn anything, but so that he can take back word
of how much they give pleasure to you, I leave to him, since they will not be difficult for him, or a matter of boast: so
let him answer to them, and may God’s grace allow him this. Like a pupil following after his teacher, in what he is
expert in, pleased and eager, for his knowledge to be shown,
DANTE:
Spene, diss' io, è uno attender certo
de la gloria futura, il qual produce
grazia divina e precedente merto.
I said: Hope is the certain expectation
of future glory, the product of Divine Grace
and previous worth.
Da molte stelle mi vien questa luce;
ma quei la distillò nel mio cor pria
che fu sommo cantor del sommo duce.
This light comes to me from many stars:
but David, the highest singer of the highest leader,
first distilled it in my heart.
'Sperino in te', ne la sua tëodia
dice, 'color che sanno il nome tuo':
e chi nol sa, s'elli ha la fede mia?
Let those who know your name, hope in you,
he says in his divine song,
and who does not know it, if they have my faith?
You then rained it on me, with his rain, in your Epistle, so that I am drenched and pour your shower again over others.
YOUR EPISTLE: DANTE ASCRIBES TO JAMES THE AUTHORSHIP OF THE EPISTLE MORE USUALLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE APOSTLE
JAMES THE LESS, THE ‘BROTHER OF THE LORD’, WHICH TALKS OF GOD GIVING LIBERALLY IN JAMES 1 5.
While I was speaking, a sudden flash like lightning trembled in the living heart of that flame.
186
ST JAMES:
Indi spirò: «L'amore ond' ïo avvampo
ancor ver' la virtù che mi seguette
infin la palma e a l'uscir del campo,
Then it breathed out: The love, with which I am
still on fire for virtue, that followed me to the palm
of martyrdom and the leaving of the field of life,
vuol ch'io respiri a te che ti dilette
di lei; ed emmi a grato che tu diche
quello che la speranza ti 'mpromette».
wills me to breathe on you who delight in her.,
and it is my further wish that you tell Tell me
of what it is hope promises to you.
DANTE:
E io: «Le nove e le scritture antiche
pongon lo segno, ed esso lo mi addita,
de l'anime che Dio s'ha fatte amiche.
And I: ‘The Old and the New scriptures display the
sign that points me once more to the thing itself.
Isaiah says that, of the souls that God
Dice Isaia che ciascuna vestita
ne la sua terra fia di doppia vesta:
e la sua terra è questa dolce vita;
has made his friends, each one will be robed
with double robes, in its own land,
and its own land is this sweet life.
And your brother John sets out this revelation for us, more clearly worked through, where he treats of the white robes.
And not long after the ending of these words, ‘They hope in you’ rang out above us, to which all the singers responded:
♫
CELESTIAL? THEY HOPE IN YOU ?
**********
ST JOHN
[SEA & LIGHT]
- [SEA & LIGHT] - [SEA & LIGHT]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
LIGHT FLASHES FROM THE WINDOWS, SUN OFF THE WATER.
PAR C25 100-102 / KLINE
then a light flashed out, from among them, so that if Cancer, the sign of the Crab, contained a star like it, winter would
have one month with unbroken daylight.
DANTE:
PAR C25 103-105 / KLINE
E come surge e va ed entra in ballo
vergine lieta, sol per fare onore
a la novizia, non per alcun fallo,
And as a joyful virgin rises, and goes
to join the dance, not from wrong motives,
but only to honour the bride,
PAR C25 106-108 / DANTE
così vid' io lo schiarato splendore
venire a' due che si volgieno a nota
qual conveniesi al loro ardente amore.
so I saw see that illumined splendour join
the other two, who were turning in a ring,
in such a manner as fitted their ardent love.
PAR C25 109-111 / KLINE
There it entered their song and its words, and my Lady fixed her gaze on them like a bride, silent and motionless, and
my Lady said:
THE LIGHT BECOMES DAZZLING.
187
BEATRICE:
PAR C25 112-114 / DANTE
PAR C25 112-114 / KLINE
Questi è colui che giacque sopra 'l petto
del nostro pellicano, e questi fue
di su la croce al grande officio eletto.
This is John, who at the last supper leaned on
the breast of Christ, the Pelican, who chose him
from the cross, and committed Mary to his care.
THE PELICAN: SUPPOSED TO FEED ITS YOUNG WITH ITS OWN BLOOD.
PAR C25 115-135 / KLINE
So she spoke, but no more moved her eyes, from their fixed intent, afterwards than before. Like one who strains and
gazes at the sun’s brief eclipse, who loses his sight by looking, so was I at this last flame, until a word came: Why does
it dazzle you to see that which has no place here? My body is earth in the earth, and there it will be with the others, until
our time suits the eternal purpose. Only the two lights which rose, Christ and the Virgin, wear both robes in this blessed
cloister, and this you can take back to your world. The inflamed circle quieted itself at this voice, together with the
sweet harmony made by the sound of that triple breath, as oars, striking the water until then, all pause at the whistle’s
sound, so as to stave off weariness or danger.
CANTO 26
PAR C26 1-6 / KLINE
While I was doubtful of my darkened sight, I was made attentive by a breath that came from the glowing flame that had
darkened it, saying: Until you regain the sense of sight you have spent on me, it would be well to compensate for it by
speaking.
[SEA]
- [SEA
BOAT ACROSS: STS PETER, JOHN, JAMES
SEA]
- [SEA]
WINDOWS UNDIVIDED
THE DAZZLE REDUCES TO SHOW THE BOAT AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THE SHORE. STS. JAMES, JOHN AND PETER
FACE THE AUDIENCE. ST JOHN HOLDS THE OARS FEATHERED. DANTE IS HOLDING HIS HANDS TO HIS EYES.
HE TAKES HIS HANDS AWAY BUT CANNOT SEE.
ST JOHN:
PAR C26 7-9 / DANTE
PAR C26 7-9 / KLINE
Comincia dunque; e dì ove s'appunta
l'anima tua, e fa ragion che sia
la vista in te smarrita e non defunta:
Begin then, and say on what your mind is focused,
and be Be assured that your vision is dazzled,
and not destroyed:
ST JOHN (GIOVANNI) *----? - 55+ AGE : *--? CHARACTER AGE : 20?
BORN AT CAPERNAUM ON THE SEA OF GALILEE, THE YOUNGER BROTHER OF JAMES AND KNOWN LIKE HIM FOR A
FIERY TEMPERAMENT.
ARAMAIC, GREEK, HEBREW? PROBABLY ARAMAIC WITH GREEK TOUCHES.
DESCRIPTION
A BEAUTIFUL YOUTH. LIKE JAMES AND PETER, HE WEARS A SENSIBLY-LARGE, PERHAPS FLOPPY, HAT, WHICH MAY
BE TILTED TO RESEMBLE A HALO.
ST JOHN:
perché la donna che per questa dia
regïon ti conduce, ha ne lo sguardo
la virtù ch'ebbe la man d'Anania.
since the Lady who leads you through this
divine region has the power
to heal it, in her gaze., that Ananias had in his hands.
DANTE:
Io dissi: Al suo piacere e tosto e tardo
vegna remedio a li occhi, che fuor porte
quand' ella entrò col foco ond' io sempr'
ardo.
I said: ‘Let help come sooner or later, at her wish,
to these eyes, that were the gates where she
entered with the fire I always burn with.
188
Lo ben che fa contenta questa corte,
Alfa e O è di quanta scrittura
mi legge Amore o lievemente o forte.
Love, the The good, that satisfies this court,
is the Alpha and Omega of all the scriptures
which Amor Love reads to me., shallowly or deeply.
That same voice which had erased my fear at the sudden dazzling, set my mind again to speech, and said: Truly, you
must strain through a finer sieve: you must tell me what it was that aimed your bow at such a target. And I replied: Such
love must stamp itself on me, by philosophical arguments, and by authority that descends from them, since good, as
good, in my understanding, lights the fire of love, and the more so, the more excellence it finds in itself. So the mind, of
whoever sees the truth, on which this proof depends, must move, in love, towards that Essence, which has such
advantage, that whatever is found good outside it, is nothing but a ray of its own light. And this same truth is made
known, to my intellect, by Aristotle, who shows me the primal love, of all eternal beings. It is made known to me by the
voice of that true Author who says to Moses, speaking of himself: ‘I will cause thee to see all worth. It is made known
to me by you as well, where you open’ the noble Revelation, that cries out the secrets of this place, to Earth, beyond all
other speech.
ST JOHN:
E io udi': Per intelletto umano
e per autoritadi a lui concorde
d'i tuoi amori a Dio guarda il sovrano.
And I heard: Keep the highest of your loves
for God, as urged by human reason,
and by the authorities that concur with it,
Ma dì ancor se tu senti altre corde
tirarti verso lui, sì che tu suone
con quanti denti questo amor ti morde.
but tell me if you feel other strings
drawing you towards Him,
and say how many teeth this love grips you with.
The sacred purpose of Christ’s eagle was not hidden but rather I saw in which direction he wished to lead my
statements.
DANTE:
Però ricominciai: Tutti quei morsi
che posson far lo cor volgere a Dio,
a la mia caritate son concorsi:
So that I began again: All those bitings that have
power to make the heart turn towards God,
work together on my love,
ché l'essere del mondo e l'esser mio,
la morte ch'el sostenne perch' io viva,
e quel che spera ogne fedel com' io,
since the world’s being and my own being,
the death that He suffered so that I might live,
and what each believer hopes,
con la predetta conoscenza viva,
tratto m'hanno del mar de l'amor torto,
e del diritto m'han posto a la riva.
as do I, together with the living consciousness
I spoke of, have drawn me out of the sea of the
perverse, and set me on the shore of true love.
Le fronde onde s'infronda tutto l'orto
de l'ortolano etterno, am' io cotanto
quanto da lui a lor di bene è porto.
I love the leaves with which the whole Garden
of the eternal Gardener is leafed, as greatly
as good has been offered to them, by Him.
Sì com' io tacqui, un dolcissimo canto
risonò per lo cielo, e la mia donna
dicea con li altri: «Santo, santo, santo!».
CELESTIAL 14
[CP 67]
- [CP 68] - [CP 69]
As soon as I fell silent, the sweetest song
resounded through the Heavens, and my lady
Cried ‘Holy, Holy, Holy with them all.
189
Clare Pictures 67, 68, 69: Francis in tree with dove’s nest crown.
Fioretto 22
Francis sits in the tree outside the Porziuncola with his eyes closed and his outstretched arms
holding onto branches, the palms of his hands turned frontwards. On his head is a dove’s nest
crown. A dove is sitting in the nest.
(This was written a mo nth before I saw St Francis climbing a tree with a nest crown on his head in
an Italian film of 2001.)
♫
CELESTIAL?
FINISHING SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS
HOLY HOLY HOLY
*****
And as a man wakes from sleep at a bright light, because his spirit of sight runs to meet the glow, that pierces veil after
veil of the eye, and he, waking, confuses what he sees, his sudden vision being so clouded, until thought comes to its
aid, so Beatrice made the scales fall from my eyes, with the rays from hers, that would cast their glow a thousand miles,
so that I saw more clearly afterwards than before, and, almost stupefied, I questioned as to a fourth light that I saw with
us. And my Lady said: In those rays, Adam, the first soul that the primal Power ever made, holds loving converse with
his Maker. As the branch bows its head when the wind passes over it, and then lifts itself by its own strength that holds
it up, so I did, all dazed, while she was speaking, and then was re-collected by a desire to speak, with which I burned,
and I began:
O ancient Father, who has a daughter and a daughter-in-law in every bride, you, the only fruit of the harvest created
fully mature, I beg you, devoutly as I can, to speak to me: you see my wish, and I do not say it, so that I can hear you
sooner. Sometimes a creature struggles under a cloth, so that its intent is visible, because what covers it follows its
movement: and similarly that primal soul made the joy, with which it came to serve my pleasure, apparent through its
surface. And from it breathed: ‘Though you do not say it, I see your will, more clearly than you see what you are most
certain of, because I view it in the true Glass, who makes Himself the Mirror of all things, and makes nothing which
completely reflects Him.
PAR C26 109-123 / KLINE
You wish to know how much time has passed since God set me in the exalted Garden in which She prepared you for
this long stairway, and for how long its delights endured my presence, and the true cause of the great wrath, and about
the language that I used, and made myself. Know my son that it was not the eating of the Tree that was the cause, in
itself, of such harsh exile, but solely the going beyond the bounds set. In that place, Limbo, from which your Lady sent
Virgil to you, my longing for these courts lasted four thousand three hundred and two revolutions of the sun, and I had
seen him pass through all the stars along his track nine hundred and thirty times, while I was on Earth.
PAR C26 124-142 / KLINE
The language, I spoke, was spent, long before the tower, that was never completed, was built, by Nimrod’s people:
since the products of Reason never last forever, because of human taste, that alters with the movement of the skies. It is
nature’s doing that Man should speak, but nature allows you to do it this way or that, as seems best to you. Before I
went down to infernal anguish, Jah was the name on earth of that Supreme Good, from which the delight comes, that
clothes me: He was called El thereafter, and that is fitting, since mortal usage is like the leaf on the twig, that falls, and
another opens. In life, pure, and then disgraced, I was on the Mount, rising furthest from the sea, from the first hour to
that which follows the sixth hour, when the sun changes quadrant.
■-■-■
IN THE SILENCE, THE SUNLIGHT FLASHES & VANISHES WITH THE SEA FROM THE WINDOWS. THE DAZZLED
DANTE CONTINUES GAZING AS MUSIC RINGS OUT.
CANTO 27
PAR C27 1-6 / KLINE
‘Glory, to the Father, to the Son, to the Holy Spirit,’ began through all of Paradise, so that the sweet song intoxicated
me. I seemed to see the Universe’s smile: so that my drunkenness entered sight and hearing.
190
♫
GLORY, TO THE FATHER, TO THE SON, TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
**********
O joy! O ineffable happiness! O life of love and peace combined! O safest riches that are beyond longing! The four
torches stood burning in front of my eyes, and the first one, that had neared me, began to grow more intense: and
became like Jupiter, if he and Mars were birds, and exchanged plumage, his silver-white for Mars’s warlike red. The
Providence which assigns roles and offices there, had imposed silence on the choir of the blessed, on every side, when I
heard: Do not wonder if I transform the colour of my light, since you will see all these others do the same, as I speak.
He who, on Earth, usurps my place, my place, my place, vacant in the presence of the Son of God, has made my burialground a sewer for that blood and filth whereby the perverse Angel who fell from above, is placated down there.’
Then I saw Heaven tinged with that colour which paints the clouds at dawn or evening, from the opposing sun, and like
a modest woman, who is certain of herself, but feels fear only at the hearing of another’s fault, so Beatrice changed in
appearance, and such, I take it, was the eclipse in Heaven, when the Supreme Power suffered. Then his speech
continued, in a voice so far altered from itself, that even his appearance had not altered more greatly, saying: ‘The
Church, the spouse of Christ, was not fed on my blood, and that of Saints Linus and Cletus, so that she might be used to
acquire gold: but it was to gain this joyful life that Sixtus, Pius, Calixtus and Urban gave their blood after many tears.
It was not our purpose for one part of Christianity to sit on the right side, and the other on the left of our successors; or
that the keys given in trust to me should become the insignia on a banner making war on the baptised; or that I should
become the head on that seal which stamps false and mercenary privileges, at which I often blush and shoot out flames.
From above, here, the ravening wolves are seen, dressed as shepherds, in all the pastures. O Help to God, why are you
down? Gascons and Cahorsines prepare to drink our blood. O good beginning, what evil end must you fall to! But the
high Providence, that defended the glory of the world for Rome, in Scipio, will soon bring aid, I think. And you, my
son, who will return below, because of your mortal heaviness, open your mouth, and do not hide the things I do not
hide.’
LOOKING DOWN 2
■-■-■
BEATRICE LEADS DANTE TO THE STAGE-FRONT FOR HIS SECOND VIEW OF EARTH. AS BEFORE, THE LIGHT IS
DIRECTED DOWNWARDS FROM BEHIND THEM, INTO THE FACES OF THE AUDIENCE. SHE TOUCHES HIS EYES TO
RESTORE HIS SIGHT.
As our air snows down frozen moisture in flakes when the horn of Capricorn, the heavenly Goat, is touched by the sun,
so I saw the ether clothe itself and snow the flakes, of the triumphant lights that had rested with us, upwards. My vision
was tracing their form, and followed them, until excess of space inhibited its power to see further.
BEATRICE:
or BEATRICE:
Onde la donna, che mi vide assolto
de l'attendere in sù, mi disse: Adima
il viso e guarda come tu se' vòlto.
At which the Lady who saw me free now
of straining upwards, said to me:
Look down, and see how you have orbited.
DANTE:
Da l'ora ch'ïo avea guardato prima
i' vidi mosso me per tutto l'arco
che fa dal mezzo al fine il primo clima;
I saw that, since Since the hour when I had first
looked down, I had have moved through the whole
quadrant, which Gemini, in the upper part of the first
clima, or division of latitude, makes from noon to
evening,
191
sì ch'io vedea di là da Gade il varco
folle d'Ulisse, e di qua presso il lito
nel qual si fece Europa dolce carco.
so that I could and can see beyond Cadiz that
foolish track Ulysses took, and, on this side, at
evening, the near shore where Europa became the
bull’s sweet burden.
E più mi fora discoverto il sito
di questa aiuola; ma 'l sol procedea
sotto i mie' piedi un segno e più partito.
And the The site of the threshing-floor would have
been be unfolded further to me, except that the sun
was is in advance under my feet., separated by a sign,
Taurus, and more from me.
DANTE PAUSES.
THAT.
THERE IS NOTHING WORTH LOOKING AT, EXCEPT BEATRICE, AND HE DOES NOT DARE DO
DANTE:
La mente innamorata, che donnea
con la mia donna sempre, di ridure
ad essa li occhi più che mai ardea;
My enamoured mind, which always held
loving speech with my Lady, burned, burns
more than ever, to bring my eyes back to her.,
e se natura o arte fé pasture
da pigliare occhi, per aver la mente,
in carne umana o ne le sue pitture,
and whatever Whatever food art, or nature, makes,
to captivate the eyes, and so possess the mind,
whether in human form, or in paintings,
tutte adunate, parrebber nïente
ver' lo piacer divin che mi refulse,
quando mi volsi al suo viso ridente.
all brought together would seem are nothing,
compared to the divine delight which shone shines
on me, when I turned turn towards her smiling face.
And the power which that look gifted me with, plucked me out of Leda’s fair nest, of the Twins, and thrust me into the
swiftest Heaven. Its regions, highest and most alive, are so alike, that I cannot say in which one Beatrice chose to place
me. But She, who saw my longing, began to speak, smiling, so delightedly that God seemed shining in her face:
THE LIGHT BEHIND DANTE AND BEATRICE FADES.
THE PRIMUM MOBILE

colour?
■-■-■
BEATRICE GAZES UPWARDS.
or BEATRICE:
PAR C27 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C27 106-108 / KLINE
La natura del mondo, che quïeta
il mezzo e tutto l'altro intorno move,
quinci comincia come da sua meta;
The nature of the The universe which keeps
the centre fixed and moves the rest around it,
begins here, as if from its goal.
192
PAR C27 109-111 / DANTE
e questo cielo non ha altro dove
che la mente divina, in che s'accende
l'amor che 'l volge e la virtù ch'ei piove.
And this This heaven has no other place
than in the Divine Mind., in which the Love that
moves it is fired, and the Power that it disperses.
PAR C27 112-114 / DANTE
Luce e amor d'un cerchio lui comprende,
sì come questo li altri; e quel precinto
colui che 'l cinge solamente intende.
Light and Love clasp it in one circle.,
as it does all the other spheres, and only He
who embraces it, understands this embrace.
PAR C27 115-117 / KLINE
Its movement is not measured by any other: but all the rest are measured by it, as ten by halves and fifths.
PAR C27 118-120 / DANTE
e come il tempo tegna in cotal testo
le sue radici e ne li altri le fronde,
omai a te può esser manifesto.
And it may now be clear to you
how Time has its roots in this same sphere,
and its leaves in the rest.
DANTE:
PAR C27 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C27 106-108 / KLINE
La natura del mondo, che quïeta
il mezzo e tutto l'altro intorno move,
quinci comincia come da sua meta;
The nature of the universe which keeps
the centre fixed and moves the rest around it,
begins here, as if from its goal.
PAR C27 109-111 / DANTE
e questo cielo non ha altro dove
che la mente divina, in che s'accende
l'amor che 'l volge e la virtù ch'ei piove.
And this heaven has no other place than
in the Divine Mind, in which the Love that
moves it is fired, and the Power that it disperses.
PAR C27 112-114 / DANTE
Luce e amor d'un cerchio lui comprende,
sì come questo li altri; e quel precinto
colui che 'l cinge solamente intende.
Light and Love clasp it in one circle,
as it does all the other spheres, and only He
who embraces it, understands this embrace.
PAR C27 121-129 KLINE
O Greed, that so corrupts mortals below, that not one of them has strength enough to draw his eyes away from your
depths! It is true that human will is still strong:but the continuous rain turns ripe plums to cancerous growths. Faith and
innocence are only found in little children: then both vanish before the cheeks are downy.
PAR C27 130-138 KLINE
Many a lisping babe keeps the fast, who when his tongue is free, afterwards, eats any food, in any month: and many a
lisping babe loves and listens to its mother, who when his speech is entire, afterwards, longs to see her buried. So, at the
first appearance, the white skin blackens of the lovely daughter of Him who brings the dawn, and leaves us evening.
And you, lest you wonder at it, consider:there is no one governing on earth,so the human household wanders from the
path.
DANTE IS INTERRUPTED BY A VOICE SINGING AS IF FROM A LONG WAY OFF – ST FRANCIS IN THE
PORZIUNCOLA ON THE NIGHT HE DIED.
ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI 1182 - 1226 AGE : 44 CHARACTER AGE : 30?
FRANCESCO, IL POVERELLO
BORN ASSISI, UMBRIA. FRANCIS WAS OFTEN COMPARED TO THE RISING SUN. THE FRANCISCAN RULE WAS
APPROVED BY POPE INNOCENT III IN 1210 & CONFIRMED BY HONORIUS III IN 1223. IN 1219 HE WENT TO THE EAST
TO TRY CONVERTING THE SULTAN. CHRIST GAVE HIM THE THIRD CONFIRMATION OF HIS WORK IN 1224 ON THE
‘HARD ROCK’ OF LA VERNA WHERE HE RECEIVED THE STIGMATA, THE FIVE WOUNDS OF THE PASSION. HE DIED AT
ASSISI ON OCTOBER 4TH 1226, STRETCHED NAKED ON THE GROUND IN THE ARMS OF ‘HIS DEAREST LADY’
POVERTY. HE WAS SINGING ON THE NIGHT HE DIED. THE SERAPHIM ARE ASSOCIATED WITH LOVE & THEREFORE
FRANCIS IS THE SERAPHICAL SAINT. (SAINT DOMINIC WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CHERUBIM & WISDOM.)
ST FRANCIS FOUNDED THE FRANCISCANS: (GREYFRIARS, FRIARS MINOR, IT: FRANCISCANI, FRATI MINORI; FR.
CORDELIERS), LARGEST OF ALL RELIGIOUS ORDERS.
193
DESCRIPTION
OF LESS THAN MIDDLE HEIGHT AND FRAIL IN FORM. A LONG, YET CHEERFUL, FACE AND SOFT BUT STRONG VOICE,
SMALL BRILLIANT BLACK EYES, DARK BROWN HAIR, AND A SPARSE BEARD.
BROWN HOMESPUN HABIT, 3-KNOTTED CORD (FOR POVERTY, CHASTITY & OBEDIENCE); SANDALS.
PARADISO PICTURES
1, 5, 7
♫
CANTICLE OF THE CREATURES
**********
PAR C27 112
CANTICO DELLE CREATURE / SAN FRANCESCO UMBRIAN
CANTICLE OF THE CREATURES / tr. COMPOSITE
PART 1 COMPOSED WHEN FRANCIS WAS ILL AT SAN DAMIANO, 1225
ST FRANCIS (VOICE):
Altissimu, onnipotente bon Signore,
Tue so' le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione.
Ad Te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,
et nullu homo ène dignu te mentovare.
Most High Almighty Good Lord, Yours are praise, glory, honour and all blessings; To You
alone! Most High, do they belong, and no man is worthy of speaking Your name!
Laudato sie, mi' Signore cum tucte le Tue creature,
spetialmente messor lo frate Sole,
lo qual è iorno, et allumini noi per lui.
Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore:
de Te, Altissimo, porta significatione.
Be praised, Lord, with all Your creatures, and above all our Brother Sun, who gives us the day
by which You light our way, and who is beautiful, radiant and with his great splendour is a
symbol to us of you, O Most High!
Laudato si', mi Signore, per sora Luna e le stelle:
in celu l'ài formate clarite et pretiose et belle.
And be praised, Lord, for our Sister Moon and the Stars. You created them in the heavens,
bright, precious and beautiful!
Laudato si', mi' Signore, per frate Vento
et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,
per lo quale, a le Tue creature dài sustentamento.
And be praised, Lord, for our Brother the Wind and for the air and the clouds and for fair
weather and for all other through which You sustain your Creatures.
Laudato si', mi Signore, per sor'Acqua.
la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.
And be praised, Lord, for our Sister Water, so useful, and humble, and chaste!
Laudato si', mi Signore, per frate Focu,
per lo quale ennallumini la nocte:
ed ello è bello et iocundo et robustoso et forte.
And be praised, my Lord, for our Brother Fire, through whom you light up the night and who is
handsome, joyful, robust, and strong!
Laudato si', mi Signore, per sora nostra matre Terra,
la quale ne sustenta et governa,
et produce diversi fructi con coloriti fior et herba.
And be praised, my Lord for our Sister, Mother Earth, who supports and carries us and produces
the diverse fruits and colourful flowers and trees!
194
BEATRICE:
PAR C27 142-144 / DANTE
PAR C27 142-144 / KLINE
Ma prima che gennaio tutto si sverni
per la centesma ch'è là giù negletta,
raggeran sì questi cerchi superni,
But before Before January is all un-wintered, by
that hundredth of a day in the calendar year,
ignored on earth, these upper spheres shall roar,
THE JULIAN CALENDAR (RECTIFIED IN 1752) MADE THE YEAR 11 MINUTES 14 SECONDS TOO LONG, ROUGHLY A HUNDREDTH OF A
DAY. IN DANTE’S TIME JANUARY BEGAN A LITTLE LATER IN THE REAL YEAR EACH TIME & SO EVENTUALLY IT WOULD FALL
OUTSIDE WINTER ALTOGETHER.
PAR C27 145-147 / DANTE
che la fortuna che tanto s'aspetta,
le poppe volgerà u' son le prore,
sì che la classe correrà diretta;
so that the fated season, long awaited,
will reverse stem to stern,
so that the fleet can sail true:
PAR C27 148 / DANTE
e vero frutto verrà dopo 'l fiore.
♫
And ripe fruit will follow the flower.
**********
PAR C27 148
CANTICO DELLE CREATURE / SAN FRANCESCO
PART 2 COMPOSED WHEN FRANCIS RECONCILED THE BISHOP AND PODESTÀ OF ASSISI, AFTER SENDING HIS FRIARS TO SING
THE FIRST PART OF THE CANTICLE IN FRONT OF THEM.
ST FRANCIS (VOICE):
Laudato si', mi Signore, per quelli che perdonano per lo Tuo amore
et sostengono infirmitate et tribulatione.
And be praised, my Lord, through those who grant pardon for love of You and through those
who endure sickness and trial.
Beati quelli ke 'l sosterranno in pace,
ka da Te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.
Blessed be those who endure in peace, by You, Most High, they will be crowned.
CANTO 28
When the truth had been revealed, by her who emparadises my mind, a truth in opposition to the present life of
miserable humanity, my memory recalls that, gazing on the lovely eyes, from which Love made the noose to capture
me, I saw, as a candle flame lit behind a man, is seen by him in a mirror, before it is, itself, in his vision or thought, so
that he turns round, to see if the glass spoke true, and sees them agreeing, as song-words to their metre: and when I
turned, and my own eyes were struck by what appears in that space, whenever the eyes are correctly fixed on its
orbiting, I saw a point that beamed out a light so intense, that the eye it blazes on, must be closed to its fierce brightness,
and whatever star seems smallest from down here, would be a moon if it were placed alongside it, as star is placed
alongside star. Perhaps as near as a halo appears to be to the light that generates it, when the vapour in which it glows is
thickest, at such a distance as that, round that point, a circle of fire revolved so quickly, it exceeded the speed of the
fastest sphere, that surrounds the universe, and this circle was surrounded by another, that by a third, the third by a
fourth, the fourth a fifth, the fifth a sixth. After it the seventh followed, already so broad in its reach that if Juno’s
rainbow messenger were complete it would be too small to contain it. And so the eighth and ninth, and each one moved
more slowly as its number was further from unity: and the one from which the pure light source was least distant, had
the clearest flame, because, I believe, it is more embedded in the light’s truth.
THE ANGELIC CIRCLES. BEATRICE RAISES HER ARM.
195
BEATRICE:
La donna mia, che mi vedëa in cura
forte sospeso, disse: Da quel punto
depende il cielo e tutta la natura.
My Lady, who saw me labouring
in profound anticipation, said;
Heaven and all Nature hangs from that point.
Mira quel cerchio che più li è congiunto;
e sappi che 'l suo muovere è sì tosto
per l'affocato amore ond' elli è punto.
Look at the circle which is most nearly joined to it,
and learn that its movement is so fast because
of the burning love which it is pierced by.
And I to her: If the universe was ordered in the sequence I see in these circlings, then I would be content with what I see
in front of me. But, in the universe of the senses, we see the spheres as more divine the further they are distant from
Earth, the centre. So, if my desire is to find its goal in this marvellous, angelic Temple, that only has love and light as its
limits, I must hear why the copy and the pattern are not identical in form, since, myself, I cannot see it. And if your
fingers are not skilled in untying such a knot, it is no wonder, it has become so difficult to achieve, from never being
tried. So my Lady spoke, and said: If you wish to be satisfied on this, take what I tell you, and wrap your mind around
it.
The earth-centred circles are wide or narrow, according to how much virtue spreads through their region. Greater
excellence has power to work greater benefit: and greater benefit is conferred, by the largest sphere, if all parts of it are
equally perfect. So the sphere, that sweeps with it all the rest of the universe, corresponds to the circle that loves and
knows most. Therefore, if you take your measure from the virtue, not the appearance, of the substances which appear to
you in these circles, you will see a marvellous correspondence between greater and more, smaller and less, between
every Heaven and its angelic Intelligence. As the hemisphere of air, shines serenely when Boreas blows a northeasterly, from his gentler cheek, so that the layer that covered it is purged and dissolved, and the sky laughs with the
beauties of all its regions,
DANTE:
così fec'ïo, poi che mi provide
la donna mia del suo risponder chiaro,
e come stella in cielo il ver si vide.
so I, when my Lady had replied to me
with her clear answer, and the The truth
was is seen as a star is in the sky.
E poi che le parole sue restaro,
non altrimenti ferro disfavilla
che bolle, come i cerchi sfavillaro.
And when her words ceased, the The circles
glittered as iron shoots shoot out sparks
like iron when it is poured,
L'incendio suo seguiva ogne scintilla;
ed eran tante, che 'l numero loro
più che 'l doppiar de li scacchi s'inmilla.
and every scintillation followed their fire, and the
quantity of sparks were thousands more than
the doubling of the chessboard at every square.
DOUBLING OF THE CHESSBOARD: THE OLD TALE HAS A REWARD BEING DEMANDED OF AN AMOUNT OF CORN EQUAL TO THAT
OBTAINED BY PLACING ONE EAR ON THE FIRST OF THE SIXTY-FOUR SQUARES OF THE CHESSBOARD & THEN DOUBLING THE
AMOUNT OF THE PREVIOUS SQUARE, AT EACH NEW SQUARE, ABOUT 18.5 MILLION MILLION MILLION.
I heard Hosanna sung from choir to choir, towards the fixed point, which holds, and will hold them forever, to the
where, in which they have ever been:
DANTE VERSIFIES.
DANTE:
così fec'ïo, poi che mi provide
la donna mia del suo risponder chiaro,
e come stella in cielo il ver si vide.
so I, when my Lady had replied to me
with her clear answer, and the truth
was seen as a star is in the sky.
E poi che le parole sue restaro,
non altrimenti ferro disfavilla
che bolle, come i cerchi sfavillaro.
And when her words ceased, the circles
glittered as iron shoots
outs sparks when it is poured,
196
L'incendio suo seguiva ogne scintilla;
ed eran tante, che 'l numero loro
più che 'l doppiar de li scacchi s'inmilla.
and every scintillation followed their fire, and the
quantity of sparks were thousands more
than the doubling of the chessboard at every square.
and She who saw the questions in my mind, said: The first circles have shown you the Seraphs and the Cherubs. They
follow their loops so fast so that they can identify themselves as closely with the point as possible, and they succeed
according to their sublimity of vision. Those other Loves which circle round them are called Thrones of the Divine
Aspect, becausethey bring the first triplet of circles to completion. And you must know that they all take
delight,according as their vision sinks more deeply into the truth where every mind is stilled. So you can see how being
blessed is founded on the act of seeing, not of loving, which follows from it: and the extent of vision is measured,by the
merit that grace, and the right will, create: and so it goes from rank to rank.
PAR C28 115-129 / KLINE
The second triplet which flowers like this, in thiseternal Spring, that Aries, by night, does notdespoil, as it does in our
autumnal and wintry skies, perpetually sing Spring’s Hosannas,with three melodies that sound in the three ranksof joy,
by which it is triply formed. In that hierarchy are the three divinities,the Dominions & Virtues,and the third order,
Powers. Then in the two penultimate dance-circles the Principalities and Archangels whirl:and the last consists all of
Angelic play. These orders all gaze upwards, and have such all-conquering power downwards,that all are drawn
towards God, and in turn draw.
PAR C28 130-139 / KLINE
And Dionysius set himself to contemplate these orders with such longing, that he named them and separated them as I
do. But Gregory afterwards differed from him, such that when he opened his eyes in this Heaven, he smiled at himself.
And if such hidden truth was uttered by a man, on Earth, do not wonder at it, since Paul, who saw it here, revealed it to
him, with other truths about these circles.
♫
**********
PAR C28 93
CANTICO DELLE CREATURE / SAN FRANCESCO
PART 3
ST FRANCIS (VOICE):
Laudato s' mi Signore, per sora nostra Morte corporale,
da la quale nullu homo vivente pò skappare:
Be praised, my Lord, for our Sister, bodily Death from whom no living man can escape!
guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali;
beati quelli ke trovarà ne le Tue sanctissime voluntati,
ka la morte secunda no 'l farrà male.
Woe only to those who die in mortal sin; but blessed are those who have done Your most holy
will; for the second death can cause them no harm!
Laudate et benedicete mi Signore et rengratiate
e serviateli cum grande humilitate.
Praise and bless the Lord and give thanks. Serve Him with great humility.
[CP 70]
- [CP 71] - [CP 72]
Clare Pictures 70, 71, 72: Dove rises from Porziuncola
The dove, the soul, last seen on Francis’s head, flies up from the Porziuncola.
■-■-■
[CP 73] - [CP 74] - [CP 75]
197
Clare Pictures 73, 74, 75: Dove above Assisi
The dove is higher. The whole of Assisi is below.
■-■-■
[CP 76] - [CP 77] - [CP 78]
Clare Pictures 76, 77, 78: Dove above Umbria, or in Heaven
The dove is high, a spot of white above Umbria, or disappeared in the blue Heaven.
♫
HOSANNA
**********
■-■-■
[CP 79]
- [ST CLARE] - [CP 80]
CLARE PICTURES: FRANCIS DEAD (NIGHT OF October 4th, 1226)
These pictures are a dark close-up of Clare Pictures 67, 68, 69. St Clare hides the other hand and
arm.
Clare Pictures 79: Francis’s hand with stigma
The stigmata were described as ‘black nails of flesh, the points of which were bent backward’.
Clare Pictures 80: Francis’s dead face
St Francis’s eyes are closed in death.
ST CLARE SITS BETWEEN THE 2 PICTURES, WEARING THE POOR CLARE’S BLACK VEIL FOR THE FIRST TIME.
SHE IS SITTING WHERE WE LAST SAW HER BUT THE GOLDEN FIBRE DOES NOT HANG DOWN AND HER HANDS
ARE STILL. SHE GETS UP AND TURNS.
THE SUN RISES ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY WITHIN THE TRIPTYCH. SAN DAMIANO HAS DISAPPEARED. ST
CLARE IS 18 AGAIN, IN HER BEAUTIFUL DRESS. HER GOLDEN HAIR IS PLAITED IN 3 THICK ROPES AND SHE
WALKS INTO THE SUN ARM-IN-ARM WITH THE RISEN ST FRANCIS. (ANOTHER ACTRESS MAY PLAY THE
VEILED ST CLARE OUTSIDE, TO LET THE REAL ST CLARE BE DRESSED IN READINESS, OR THE DRESS MAY BE
UNDER THE HABIT.) ST DOMINIC COMES FROM THE WINGS AND ST CLARE GIVES HIM HER OTHER ARM.
ST DOMINIC (GUZMAN) 1170? - 1221 AGE : 51? CHARACTER AGE : *-DOMENICO
BORN AT CALAROGA (CALARUEGA? CALAHORRA?), OLD CASTILE, OF NOBLE PARENTAGE.
HE BECAME A CANON AS A YOUNG MAN AND PREACHED AGAINST HERESY. HE FOUNDED THE ORDER OF
PREACHERS (DOMINICAN ORDER, DOMINICANI, BLACK FRIARS ). TO OBTAIN MONEY FOR CAPTIVES OF THE
MOORS, HE TWICE TRIED TO SELL HIMSELF INTO SLAVERY. HE WAS A FRIEND OF ST FRANCIS. HE TRIED
CONVERTING ALBIGENSIANS AS SIMON DE MONTFORT WAS MASSACRING THEM.
OFTEN SHOWN WITH A DOG BEARING A TORCH (THE SYMBOL OF THE DOMINICAN ORDER: DOMINI CANIS.)
DESCRIPTION
SEEN ONLY. BLACK COPE OR MANTLE OVER WHITE ROBES.
PARADISO PICTURES
29, 30, 31, 32, 33
198
■-■-■
♫
HOSANNA
**********
PAR C28 93 from C28 94-96
CANTO 29
PAR C29 1-9 / KLINE
When Apollo and Artemis, the Sun and Moon, the children of Latona, one in Aries the Ram, the other in Libra the
Scales, make the horizon their circle, and the zenith is the point from which both hang, till one rises, the other sets,
removing themselves from that zone’s scales, both changing hemispheres, so long as that did Beatrice keep silent, with
a smile pictured on her face, gazing intensely at the point whose light overcame me.
BEATRICE: THE CREATION OF THE ANGELS.
BEATRICE:
Poi cominciò: Io dico, e non dimando,
quel che tu vuoli udir, perch' io l'ho visto
là 've s'appunta ogne ubi e ogne quando.
Then she began to speak: I do not ask, I say, what
you wish to hear of, since I have seen the point of
Creation, on which every where and when is focused.
Non per aver a sé di bene acquisto,
ch'esser non può, ma perché suo splendore
potesse, risplendendo, dir "Subsisto",
as he desired: not to gain any good for Himself,
since that cannot be, but so that his
reflected light, shining, might say: I am.
in sua etternità di tempo fore,
fuor d'ogne altro comprender, come,
i piacque
s'aperse in nuovi amor l'etterno amore.
In his Eternity beyond time, past all others’
understanding, the eternal Love
showed himself, in new love,
Né prima quasi torpente si giacque;
ché né prima né poscia procedette
lo discorrer di Dio sovra quest' acque.
He did not lie there, as if sleeping, before Creation:
God’s movement over these waters
was not a process of before or after.
Forma e materia, congiunte e purette,
usciro ad esser che non avia fallo,
come d'arco tricordo tre saette.
Form and matter, pure and conjoined,
issued into being without flaw,
like three arrows from a triple-strung bow,
E come in vetro, in ambra o in cristallo
raggio resplende sì, che dal venire
a l'esser tutto non è intervallo,
and as a ray of light shines in glass, amber
or crystal, so that no time passes between
its entry and the illumination,
così 'l triforme effetto del suo sire
ne l'esser suo raggiò insieme tutto
sanza distinzïone in essordire.
so the triple effect of the Lord shone out
instantly into being,
without a separate beginning.
BEATRICE CONTINUES TO EXPOUND. DANTE FOCUSES ON HER. (VERSES ARE INTERPOLATED
FROM CANTO 30.)
199
♫
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF DEVELOPED / CELESTIAL?
**********
INF C29 31
BEATRICE:
Concreato fu ordine e costrutto
a le sustanze; e quelle furon cima
nel mondo in che puro atto fu produtto;
Order was co-created, and interwoven
with substance: and they were the crown of the
universe, in whom pure act was produced:
pura potenza tenne la parte ima;
nel mezzo strinse potenza con atto
tal vime, che già mai non si divima.
potentiality held the lowest place:
in the middle potentiality formed such a knot
with act, as can never be untied.
Ieronimo vi scrisse lungo tratto
di secoli de li angeli creati
anzi che l'altro mondo fosse fatto;
Jerome wrote for you about the vast stretch of time
in which the created Angels existed,
before the rest of the Universe was formed:
ma questo vero è scritto in molti lati
da li scrittor de lo Spirito Santo,
e tu te n'avvedrai se bene agguati;
but the contrary truth I speak is written on
many pages of the writers of the Holy Spirit,
and you will become aware of it if you look closely:
e anche la ragione il vede alquanto,
che non concederebbe che ' motori
sanza sua perfezion fosser cotanto.
and Reason also sees it in some degree,
which cannot allow that the movers of the spheres
should exist so long without their spheres’ perfection.
DANTE:
Se quanto infino a qui di lei si dice
fosse conchiuso tutto in una loda,
poca sarebbe a fornir questa vice.
If that which is said of her, above, were all
condensed into one act of praise, it would be
too little.to answer to this case.
BEATRICE:
Or sai tu dove e quando questi amori
furon creati e come: sì che spenti
nel tuo disïo già son tre ardori.
Now you know where and when these Loves were
elected, and how, so that three flames
of your longing are quenched already.
Né giugneriesi, numerando, al venti
sì tosto, come de li angeli parte
turbò il suggetto d'i vostri alimenti.
Before one could count twenty,
some of the Angels fell,
stirring the foundation of your elements.
DANTE:
La bellezza ch'io vidi si trasmoda
non pur di là da noi, ma certo io credo
che solo il suo fattor tutta la goda.
The beauty I saw see is beyond measure.,
not only past our reach, but I truly believe that only
Only He, who made it, joys in it completely.
BEATRICE:
L'altra rimase, e cominciò quest' arte
che tu discerni, con tanto diletto,
che mai da circüir non si diparte.
The rest remained, and began the art you see,
with such delight, that
they never leave their circling.
200
Principio del cader fu il maladetto
superbir di colui che tu vedesti
da tutti i pesi del mondo costretto.
The source of the fall was the cursed pride of Satan,
him you saw imprisoned by
the whole weight of the universe.
DANTE:
Da questo passo vinto mi concedo
più che già mai da punto di suo tema
soprato fosse comico o tragedo:
At this time, I hold myself am more utterly
vanquished, than ever his theme’s
weight overcame overcome than a comic, or, tragic
poet ever was by the weight of his theme.
BEATRICE:
Quelli che vedi qui furon modesti
a riconoscer sé da la bontate
che li avea fatti a tanto intender presti:
Those you see here were humble, recognising
themselves as being from that same excellence
that made them so quick in understanding:
per che le viste lor furo essaltate
con grazia illuminante e con lor merto,
si c'hanno ferma e piena volontate;
so that their vision was exalted by
illuminating grace, and their own virtue,
so that they have their will free and entire.
DANTE:
Dal primo giorno ch'i' vidi il suo viso
in questa vita, infino a questa vista,
non m'è il seguire al mio cantar preciso;
From the first day, in this life,
when I saw her face, until this sight,
my song has never failed to follow,
ma or convien che mio seguir desista
più dietro a sua bellezza, poetando,
come a l'ultimo suo ciascuno artista.
but now my way must cease the tracking
of her beauty through poetry,
as every artist must at his furthest reach.
BEATRICE:
e non voglio che dubbi, ma sia certo,
che ricever la grazia è meritorio
secondo che l'affetto l'è aperto.
And I want you to be certain, and not doubtful,
that it is a virtue to receive grace,
by opening the affections to it.
Now, if my words have been absorbed, you can contemplate much of this court without further help. But I will go on,
because, in your schools, it is taught, that the Angelic nature is such as understands, remembers and wills, and I wish
you to see, in its purity, the truth that is confused down there, by the equivocations in such lectures. These Angelic
substances, since they first gathered joy from God’s face, have never turned their eyes from that, from which nothing is
hidden, so that their vision is never disturbed by any new object and there no need to recall anything to memory,
because of divided thoughts. So humans dream, down there, when not asleep: certain that they speak the truth, or
uncertain: and there is greater error and shame in the latter.
You do not follow a single track when you philosophise down there: love of display,and the thought it produces,
delights you so. But even this is tolerated here with less indignation than when Divine Scripture is twisted or discarded.
They forget how great the cost was in blood to sow its seed in the world, and how much he pleases, who keeps it by
him, in humility. Everyone strains his wits to make a display and show his inventiveness: the priests discuss these
things, and the scriptures are left silent. One says the moon reversed when Christ suffered, and blocked the sun’s light
from shining below, and others that the light vanished by itself:so that the same eclipse occurred for Spain and India, as
it did for the Jews.
PAR C29 103-126 / KLINE
Florence does not have as many Tom, Dick, and Harry’s as this sort of story, proclaimed,each year, from the pulpits
here and there: so that the sheep, knowing nothing,return from the pasture fed on air,and not to know their loss is no
excuse. Christ did not say: ‘Go and preach nonsense to the world,’ to his first gathering, but gave them the true
foundation: that, and only that, was on their lips: so that they made the Gospels lance and shield in their fight to light the
faith. Now a man goes to preach with jokes and grimaces, and if there is loud laughter, his cowl swells, and nothing else
is needed. But such a devil is nesting in the hood, that if the crowd could see it, they would know what remission they
were trusting in: and from this the foolishness has increased so much, on earth, that people would go with any promise,
without proof of evidence. So that the pigs of Saint Anthony, and others more swinish than they, are fattened, by the
gains of this false coinage.
ST ANTHONY: PATRON OF THE PIGS THAT INFESTED FLORENCE & ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD, BELONGING TO THE MONKS. THEY WERE
FED ON THE FRAUDULENT GAIN MADE FROM SELLING REMISSIONS (INDULGENCES).
201
PAR C29 127-145 / KLINE
But, since we have wandered enough, turn your eyes back, now, to the true path, so that our time and journey may
shorten.This Angelic nature has such deep-numbered ranks, that mortal speech and thought have never extended so far:
and if you look at what Daniel reveals, you will see that determinate number is lost among his thousands. The primal
light that shines, above it all, is received by it in as many ways as the reflected splendours, with which it pairs.And since
affection follows the act of conception, the sweetness of Love is warm, or hotter in them, in various ways. See, now, the
breadth and height of Eternal Value, since it has made so many mirrors of itself, in which it is reflected, remaining itself
One, as it was before.
CANTO 30
DANTE LOOKS UPWARD. THE LIGHT OF GEMINI FADES AS DANTE SPEAKS, UNTIL THE STAGE IS IN NEARDARKNESS.
THE EMPYREAN

near darkness
■-■-■
PAR C30 1-6 / KLINE
Noon blazes, perhaps six thousand miles from us, and this world’s shadows already slope to a level field, when the
centre of Heaven, high above, begins to alter, so that, here and there, a star lacks the power to shine to this depth:
CELESTIAL 15
■-■-■
DANTE:
PAR C30 7-9 / DANTE
PAR C30 7-9 / KLINE
e come vien la chiarissima ancella
del sol più oltre, così 'l ciel si chiude
di vista in vista infino a la più bella.
and as the brightest handmaiden of the sun
advances, so Heaven quenches star after star,
till even the loveliest are gone.
In the same way, that Triumph, which always plays around the point that overcame me, appearing to be embraced by
that which it embraces, faded, little by little, from my vision: so that my seeing nothing, and my love, forced me to turn
my eyes towards Beatrice.
PAR C30 16-36 / KLINE used after C29 31
If that which is said of her, above, were all condensed into one act of praise, it would be too little to answer to this case.
The beauty I saw see is beyond measure, not only past our reach, but I truly believe that only He, who made it, joys in it
completely. At this time, I hold myself more utterly vanquished, than ever his theme’s weight overcame comic, or,
tragic poet. Since, like the sun, in trembling vision, so the memory of the sweet smile, cuts off my memory, from my
deepest self. From the first day, in this life, when I saw her face, until this sight, my song has never failed to follow, but
now my way must cease the tracking of her beauty through poetry, as every artist must at his furthest reach. So, as I
leave her, to a greater fanfare than my sounding brass, which sounds the close of its arduous subject, she began again to
speak,
BEATRICE:
con atto e voce di spedito duce
ricominciò: Noi siamo usciti fore
del maggior corpo al ciel ch'è pura luce:
with a leader’s alert gestures and voice, saying:
We have issued from the largest sphere,
into the Heaven that is pure Light.,
202
DANTE:
The Empyrean.
BEATRICE:
luce intellettüal, piena d'amore;
amor di vero ben, pien di letizia;
letizia che trascende ogne dolzore.
intellectual Intellectual Light, filled with Love,
Love of true Goodness, filled with Joy,
Joy that transcends every Sweetness.
Qui vederai l'una e l'altra milizia
di paradiso, e l'una in quelli aspetti
che tu vedrai a l'ultima giustizia.
Here you will see the Redeemed, and the Angelic,
soldiers of Paradise, and the former in their forms
that you will see at the Last Judgement.
Here you will see the Redeemed,
as they will appear at the Last Judgement,
and the Angelic soldiers of Paradise.
DANTE ABSORBS THE EMPYREAN.
DANTE:
luce intellettüal, piena d'amore;
amor di vero ben, pien di letizia;
letizia che trascende ogne dolzore.
intellectual Light, filled with Love,
Love of true Goodness, filled with Joy,
Joy that transcends every Sweetness.
EIGHT OF THE MUSES GROUP AT THE FRONT AND SIDE OF THE STAGE. TERPSICHORE , THE 9TH, SKIPS ACROSS
THE STAGE BEHIND DANTE AND BEATRICE, LIFTING DANTE’S BOOK FROM HIS BACK AND REAPPEARING AT
THE GROUP.
CALLIOPE SEIZES THE BOOK AND MAKES RAPID, ANGRY AMENDMENTS THROUGH IT WITH HER FINGER. CLIO
TAKES THE BOOK FROM HER AND ALTERS A COUPLE OF THINGS.
THALIA (COMEDY) IS BEGGING FOR THE BOOK. SHE WRITES SOMETHING COMIC AND SHOWS IT TO
MELPOMENE (TRAGEDY), WHO DOESN’T GET THE JOKE. PENSIVE POLYHYMNIA AND THE OTHERS LOOK
WITHOUT WRITING. TERPSICHORE, OR ANOTHER, RETURNS THE BOOK TO DANTE’S BACK. THE MUSES
WITHDRAW.
DANTE:
Come sùbito lampo che discetti
li spiriti visivi, sì che priva
da l'atto l'occhio di più forti obietti,
As a sudden flash of lightning destroys
the visual powers, so as to rob robs the eye
of strength to realise even the clearest objects,
così mi circunfulse luce viva,
e lasciommi fasciato di tal velo
del suo fulgor, che nulla m'appariva.
so a living light shone round me, leaving me
bathed in such a veil of its veils me with
brightness., that nothing was visible to me.
Sempre l'amor che queta questo cielo
accoglie in sé con sì fatta salute,
per far disposto a sua fiamma il candelo.
‘The Love, that stills Heaven, always accepts
spirits, into itself, with such a greeting, to fit
fits the candle for to its flame.’
QUOTE BY?
As soon as these few words entered me, I felt I surmounted my normal powers, and blazed with such new-created sight
that there is no unalloyed light that my eyes could not hold their own with.
203
e vidi lume in forma di rivera
fulvido di fulgore, intra due rive
dipinte di mirabil primavera.
And I saw brightness, in the form of a river,
shining, amber, between banks
pricked out with miraculous Spring.
A river of amber brightness, between banks of
miraculous spring…
Di tal fiumana uscian faville vive,
e d'ogne parte si mettien ne' fiori,
quasi rubin che oro circunscrive;
Living sparks flashed from this river it,
and fell fall into the blossoms on all sides,
like gold-set rubies,
poi, come inebrïate da li odori,
riprofondavan sé nel miro gurge,
e s'una intrava, un'altra n'uscia fori.
Then they plunged themselves, again, into the
the marvellous vortex, as if drunk with the
perfumes, and as one entered, another issued out.
then, drunk with the perfumes, plunge back into the
river.
BEATRICE:
L'alto disio che mo t'infiamma e urge,
d'aver notizia di ciò che tu vei,
tanto mi piace più quanto più turge;
The high desire that burns and urges you now
to acquire knowledge of the things you see,
pleases me more the more it intensifies.
ma di quest' acqua convien che tu bei
prima che tanta sete in te si sazi:
così mi disse il sol de li occhi miei.
But you must first drink of this water,
before so great a thirst in you can be satisfied.
So my eyes’ sun spoke to me,
Anche soggiunse: Il fiume e li topazi
ch'entrano ed escono e 'l rider de l'erbe
son di lor vero umbriferi prefazi.
then added: The river and the topazes rubies
that enter it and exit, and the smile of the grasses,
are the shadowy preface to their reality.
Non che da sé sian queste cose acerbe;
ma è difetto da la parte tua,
che non hai viste ancor tanto superbe.
Not because the things are crude in themselves,
but the defect is in you,
because you You do not have such exalted vision yet.
Never did infant turn so quickly towards the milk, waking much later than usual, as I did then, bending to the waters
that are formed so that we may better ourselves, to make still truer mirrors of my eyes. And my eyelids’ rims no sooner
felt it, than their length seemed to alter into roundness. Then the flowers and the sparks changed in front of me into a
fuller joyousness, as people, masked, seem other than before if they remove the image that hid them, not their own, and
I saw both courts of Heaven, made manifest.
BEATRICE TAKES DANTE’S BOOK FROM HIS HANDS AND KISSES IT, REMOVING THE MUSE’S MALICIOUS
ALTERATIONS. TO MAKE THE MEANING CLEAR, SHE MAY FLIP THROUGH THE PAGES AND KISS AWAY EACH
ALTERATION MADE BY THE MUSES.
♫
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF
PAR C30 81
■-■-■
**********
204
BEATRICE HANDS THE BOOK BACK TO DANTE AND ENTERS THE DARK CENTRE WINDOW.
DANTE LOOKS AT IT FOR SOME TIME THEN GAZES UPWARD.
♫
CELESTIAL
**********
PAR C30 81
CELESTIAL 16
■-■-■
DANTE:
O isplendor di Dio, per cu' io vidi
l'alto trïunfo del regno verace,
dammi virtù a dir com' ïo il vidi!
O splendour of God, through which I saw
the high Triumph of the kingdom of truth:
give me the power to say what I saw see.
PAR C30 100-102 / DANTE
Lume è là sù che visibile face
lo creatore a quella creatura
che solo in lui vedere ha la sua pace.
There is a A light, up there, that makes the Creator
visible to the creature,
who only in seeing him finds its peace.:
PAR C30 103-108 / KLINE
and it extends so far in a circle, that its rim would loosely contain the sun’s light. Its whole appearance is formed of rays
reflected from the surface of the Primum Mobile, which draws its life and power from them.
PAR C30 109-111 / DANTE
E come clivo in acqua di suo imo
si specchia, quasi per vedersi addorno,
quando è nel verde e ne' fioretti opimo,
And as As a hillside reflects itself in the water
at its foot, as if to view its own beauty,
rich in grass and flowers,
PAR C30 112-114 / DANTE
sì, soprastando al lume intorno intorno,
vidi specchiarsi in più di mille soglie
quanto di noi là sù fatto ha ritorno.
DANTE:
so, rising above the light, around, around, I saw
see all of us who have won their way back
up there, casting their reflection in more than a
thousand ranks.
&/or DANTE:
PAR C30 115-117 / DANTE
PAR C30 115-117 / KLINE
E se l'infimo grado in sé raccoglie
sì grande lume, quanta è la larghezza
di questa rosa ne l'estreme foglie!
And if the lowest level attracts so great
a light inside it, what of the intensity
of the rose’s outer petals?
DANTE:
PAR C30 118-120 / DANTE
PAR C30 118-120 / KLINE
La vista mia ne l'ampio e ne l'altezza
non si smarriva, ma tutto prendeva
il quanto e 'l quale di quella allegrezza.
My sight was is not lost itself in the height
and breadth, but grasped grasps
the quality and quantity of joy.
PAR C30 121-123 / KLINE
Near and far do not add or subtract there, since where God rules without mediation the laws of nature have no
relevance.
DANTE TURNS ONE WAY.
205
DANTE:
PAR C30 124-126 / DANTE
PAR C30 124-126 / KLINE
Nel giallo de la rosa sempiterna,
che si digrada e dilata e redole
odor di lode al sol che sempre verna,
Beatrice drew draws me, a man silent,
who would speak, into the yellow glow
of the eternal Rose, that rises layer on layer,
PAR C30 127-129 / DANTE
qual è colui che tace e dicer vole,
mi trasse Bëatrice, e disse: «Mira
quanto è 'l convento de le bianche stole!
and exudes the perfume of praise, towards
the Sun, that makes eternal Spring., saying:
Marvel at the vastness of the white-robed gathering!
PAR C30 130-148 / KLINE
Our City, see how wide its circle! See our thrones, filled, so that few spirits are still awaited there. The soul, an imperial
one on earth, of Henry the Seventh, shall sit on that high seat, that you fix your eyes on because of the crown you
already see placed over it, before you yourself dine at this wedding feast: he, who will come to set Italy straight before
she is ready for it. Blind greed that mazes you has made you like a little child that chases away its nurse while dying of
hunger: and he, Clement, who will be Pope then in the court of divine things, will be such as will not tread the same
path as him, openly or in secret. But God will not suffer him long in that sacred office, since he will be forced down
where Simon Magus is, for his reward, and push Boniface, him of Anagna lower still.
♫
CELESTIAL
OR
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF DEVELOPED * * * * * * * * * *
PAR C30 128
DANTE:
PAR C30 124-126 / DANTE
Nel giallo de la rosa sempiterna,
che si digrada e dilata e redole
odor di lode al sol che sempre verna,
Beatrice drew draws me, a man silent,
who would speak, into the yellow glow
of the eternal Rose, that rises layer on layer,
PAR C30 127-129 / DANTE
qual è colui che tace e dicer vole,
mi trasse Bëatrice, e disse: «Mira
quanto è 'l convento de le bianche stole!
and exudes the perfume of praise,
towards the Sun, that makes eternal Spring, saying:
Marvel at the vastness of the white-robed gathering!
CANTO 31
PRESUMABLY THIS IS THE SAME ROSE AS THE ONE ABOVE. IF NOT, DANTE MAY TURN TO SEE IT.
DANTE:
PAR C31 1-3 / DANTE
PAR C31 1-3 / KLINE
In forma dunque di candida rosa
mi si mostrava la milizia santa
che nel suo sangue Cristo fece sposa;
That The sacred army, that Christ espoused
espouses with his blood, displayed displays
itself in the form of as a white rose,
PAR C31 4-6 / DANTE
ma l'altra, che volando vede e canta
la gloria di colui che la 'nnamora
e la bontà che la fece cotanta,
but the Angel other, that sees and sings the glory,
of him who inspires it with love, as it flies,
and sings the excellence that has made it as it is,
PAR C31 7-9 / DANTE
sì come schiera d'ape che s'infiora
una fïata e una si ritorna
là dove suo laboro s'insapora,
descended descends continually into the
great flower, lovely with so many petals, and
climbed climbs again to where its love lives ever,
206
nel gran fior discendeva che s'addorna
di tante foglie, e quindi risaliva
là dove 'l süo amor sempre soggiorna.
like a swarm of bees, that now plunges
into the flowers, and now returns,
to where their its labour is turned to sweetness.
Le facce tutte avean di fiamma viva
e l'ali d'oro, e l'altro tanto bianco,
che nulla neve a quel termine arriva.
Their faces were are all of living flame, their wings
of gold, and the rest of them so white that past the
whiteness of snow. never reached that limit.
When they dropped into the flower, they offered, to tier on tier, the peace and ardour that they acquired with beating
wings: and the presence of such a vast flying swarm between the flower and what was beyond it, did not dilute the
vision or the splendour: because the Divine Light so penetrates the Universe, to the measure of its Value, that nothing
has the power to prevent it. This kingdom, safe and happy, crowded with ancient peoples and the new, had sight and
Love all turned towards one point.
♫
CELESTIAL
**********
PAR C31 15
DANTE:
nel gran fior discendeva che s'addorna
di tante foglie, e quindi risaliva
là dove 'l süo amor sempre soggiorna.
like a swarm of bees, that now plunges
into the flowers, and now returns,
to where their its labour is turned to sweetness.
Le facce tutte avean di fiamma viva
e l'ali d'oro, e l'altro tanto bianco,
che nulla neve a quel termine arriva.
Their faces were are all of living flame, their wings
of gold, and the rest of them so white that past the
whiteness of snow. never reached that limit.
DANTE BEGINS LOOKING FOR THE FACE OF BEATRICE. HE RAISES HIS EYES A LITTLE.
O triple Light that glitters in their sight, a single star, and so contents them: look down on our tempest! If the
Barbarians, coming from those countries that Callisto, the Bear, spans every day, orbiting with her son, Arcas, the little
Bear, whom she longs for, if they were stupefied on seeing Rome and her great works, at the time when her palaces
exceeded mortal things, what then of me, who had gone to the divine, from the human, to the eternal, from time, and
from Florence to a true and just people? With what stupor must I be filled! Truly, what with it, and with my joy, my
wish was to hear nothing, and be dumb.
Like a pilgrim who renews himself, by gazing, in the Temple of his vows, and already hopes to retell how it looks, so I
led my eyes, crossing the living light, along the levels, up and down, and then around them, circling. I saw faces
persuasive of Love, graced by another’s light and their own smile, and with gestures adorned with all honour. My gaze
had already taken in the general form of Paradise in its completeness, and my sight had not rested on any one part, and I
turned, with re-illumined will, to ask my Lady about things with which my mind was concerned. I intended that, but
another sight answered mine: I thought that I would see Beatrice, but I saw an old man dressed like the glorious folk.
His eyes and cheeks were full of gentle joy, with kindly gestures as fits a tender father.
DANTE:
&
DANTE:
E Ov' è ella?, sùbito diss' io.
Ond' elli: A terminar lo tuo disiro
mosse Beatrice me del loco mio;
And I suddenly said: Where is She?
At which he replied: Beatrice brought me
from my place to lead your desire to its goal:
and if you look up at the third circle from the highest level, you will see her again, on that throne her merit has marked
out for her. I raised my eyes without answering, and saw her, making a crown for herself, by reflecting the eternal light
207
from her person. No human eye is further from the highest vaults of the thunder, though plunged to the sea’s depths, as
my sight was from Beatrice, but that did not affect me, since her image came to me undiluted by any medium.
DANTE SEES BEATRICE ON HIGH.
O donna in cui la mia speranza vige,
e che soffristi per la mia salute
in inferno lasciar le tue vestige,
O Lady, in whom my hope has life,
and who, for my salvation,
suffered to leave your footprints in Hell,
di tante cose quant' i' ho vedute,
dal tuo podere e da la tua bontate
riconosco la grazia e la virtute.
I recognise the grace and virtue of all
I have seen, through your
power and your goodness.
Tu m'hai di servo tratto a libertate
per tutte quelle vie, per tutt' i modi
che di ciò fare avei la potestate.
You have brought me from slavery to freedom,
by all those paths, by all those ways
that you had power over.
La tua magnificenza in me custodi,
sì che l'anima mia, che fatt' hai sana,
piacente a te dal corpo si disnodi.
Guard your grace, in me, so that my spirit,
which you have made whole, may be
acceptable to you when it leaves my body.
So I prayed: and she, far off though she appeared, smiled, and gazed at me, then turned towards the Eternal Fountain.
And the holy man said: ‘Let your eyes fly around this Garden, so as to consummate your journey perfectly, the mission
for which prayer and sacred love sent me: since gazing at it will better fit your sight to climb through the divine light.
And the Queen of Heaven, for whom I burn wholly with love, will grant us all grace, because I am her loyal Bernard.
Like one who comes from Croatia perhaps to see our cloth of Veronica, and is not sated with looking because of its
ancient fame, but, as long as it is visible, says, in thought: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, true God, was this then your face?’ such
was I gazing at the living love of him, who in this world tasted of that peace in contemplation.
PAR C31 112-132 / KLINE
He began: Son of grace, this joyful being will not become known to you, merely by keeping your gaze down here at the
foot, but look at the circles, to the very farthest, until you see the enthroned Queen of Heaven, to whom this kingdom is
subject, and devoted. I lifted my eyes, and as, at dawn, the eastern space of the horizon conquers that space where the
sun declines, so, as if raising my eyes, from a valley to the mountain, I saw a space, at the edge, exceed all the rest of
the ridge in light. And as down here that place where we expect the chariot, that Phaeton failed to guide, is most
glowing, and the light is cut away on either side, so was She, that flame of peace, quickened in the centre, tempering the
blaze on all sides. And at the mid-point I saw more than a thousand Angels, joying, with outstretched wings, each Angel
distinct, in glow and function.
PAR C31 133-142 / KLINE
I saw there, a Beauty that was delight, in the eyes of all the other saints, smiling at their dances and their songs. And if I
had words as rich as my imagination, I would still not dare to attempt the smallest part of her delightfulness. Bernard
turned his eyes to her, with so much love, when he saw my eyes fixed and attentive gazing towards the source of his
own light, that he made mine more eager to gaze again.
CANTO 32
He, the contemplative, with his Love fixed on his Delight, freely assumed the office of a teacher, and began these
sacred words: The wound, that Mary sealed and anointed, is that which Eve, who is so lovely, at her feet, opened and
pierced. In the order, made by the third level, Rachel with Beatrice, sits below her, as you see. Even as I go down the
rose, petal by petal, naming their proper names, you can see, descending from level to level, Sarah, Rebecca, Judith, and
Ruth, her from whom came David the singer, third in descent, who cried out, from grief at his sin: “Miserere mei: Pity
me.’ And down from the seventh, and beyond, again the Hebrew women, separating the flower’s tresses, since they are
the wall, that parts the sacred stairway, according to how faith in Christ was realised.
On this side, where the flower is full-blown, in all its petals, those, who believed in Christ to come, are sitting. On the
other side, where there are empty seats among them, are the semi-circles of those whose eyes were turned towards the
Christ who had come. And as the glorious throne of Heaven’s Lady, and the seats below her, make such a partition, so,
next to her, does that of the great Baptist, John, who, ever holy, suffered the desert and a martyr’s death, and then
208
Limbo, for two years space, until Christ came there: and, below him, the separating line, assigned to Francis, Benedict,
Augustine and the others from circle to circle, down to here.
Now marvel at the depth of Divine provision, since both aspects of the faith will fill this Garden equally. And know
that, down from the level that cuts across the two divisions, the spirits have their places not because of their own merit,
but another’s, given certain conditions, since these are all souls freed before they had exercised true choice. You can see
it by their faces, and their voices, those of children, if you look carefully and listen. Now you doubt, and are silent in
your doubting: but I will untie the difficult knot for you, in which your subtle thoughts are entangling you. No chance
point has place in all this kingdom, no more than sadness, thirst, or hunger do, because what you see is established by
Eternal Law, so that the ring corresponds exactly to the finger.
The ordering of these children, swiftly come to the true life, according to greater or lesser excellence, is not sina causa:
without reason. The King, by whom this kingdom rests in such great love, such great delight that the will dares nothing
more, when he creates minds, in his joyous sight, of his grace and at his pleasure, grants them diversity: and let the
effect suffice, as proof. And this is marked, clearly and expressly, in Holy Writ, concerning those twins who struggled
in anger in Rebeccah’s womb.
So the Supreme Light must wreathe them worthily, according to the colour of the tresses of such grace. Therefore they
are placed at different levels, without regard for the externals, differentiated only by their primal keenness in seeing
Him. So, in ancient times, the parents’ faith alone, combined with innocence, was enough to reach salvation. When
those first ages were complete, males needed to gain power in their innocent wings, through the rite of circumcision.
But when the time of grace came, then, lacking Christ’s perfect baptism, such innocence was held, there below. Now
see the face that is most like Christ’s, since its brightness, and no other, has the power to equip you to see Christ.
DANTE RAISES HIS EYES EVEN HIGHER AND IS TRANSFIXED.
♫
AVE, MARIA, GRATIA PLENA: HAIL, MARY, FULL OF GRACE
**********
PUR C31 90 from C32 95
I saw such gladness, borne in the sacred Angelic minds created to fly through that altitude, rain down on that face that
nothing, I had seen before, seized me with such dumb admiration, or so revealed the semblance of God. And that Love
which first came down to Her, singing: ‘Ave, Maria, gratia plena: Hail, Mary, full of grace,’ now spread his wings in
front of her. The Divine Canticle was responded to on every side by the court of the blest, so that every face found
peace in it. O holy Father, you who accept being here below for my sake, leaving that sweet place, where you sit by
eternal sanction, who is that Angel who looks our Queen in the eyes with such joy, so enamoured he seems all on fire?
So I turned again to his teaching, he who gathered beauty from Mary, as the morning star does from the sun. And he to
me: ‘The greatest exultation and chivalry that exists in Angel or in spirit, is all in him: and we would wish it so, since it
is Gabriel who brought the palm down to Mary, when the Son of God willed that He should take on our burden.’
PAR C32 115-132 / KLINE
But now let your eyes come travel, even as I speak, and note the great noble souls, of this most just and pious empire.
Those two who sit up there, most blest by being nearest to the Empress, are like two roots of this Rose. Her neighbour
on the left is Adam, that father, through whose audacity in tasting the fruit, the human race tastes such bitterness. On the
right is Peter, that ancient father of Holy Church to whom Christ entrusted the keys of this beloved flower. And John
sits by his side, who, before he died, saw all the dark prophetic seasons of that fair Bride, who was won with lance and
nails: and by Adam’s side, Moses, that leader, rests, under whom the ungrateful, fickle, and mutinous people were fed
with manna.
PAR C32 133-151 / KLINE
See Saint Anne, sitting opposite Peter, so content to look at her daughter, that she does not remove her gaze to sing
Hosanna. And opposite Adam, the greatest father of our family, sits Lucy, who stirred your Lady, when you were
bending your brow downwards to ruin. But since the time of your vision flees, here let us stop, like the careful tailor
who cuts the garment according to the cloth, and let us turn our eyes towards the Primal Love, so that gazing at Him,
you might penetrate as far as possible into his brightness. Truly grace needs to be acquired by prayer (so that you do not
by chance fall back as you beat your wings), grace from Her who has power to help you: and follow me with such
affection that your heart is not separated from my words.’ And he began this sacred prayer.
CANTO 33
209
Virgin mother, daughter of your Son, humbled, and exalted, more than any other creature, fixed goal of the Eternal
Wisdom; you are She who made human nature so noble, that its own Maker did not scorn to become of its making. The
Love, beneath whose warmth this flower has grown, in eternal peace, flamed again in your womb. Here you are the
noonday torch of Love to us, and down there, among mortal beings, you are a living spring of hope. Lady you are so
great, and of such value, that if any who wishes for grace fails to resort to you, his longing tries to fly without wings.
Your kindness not only helps those who ask it, it often freely anticipates the request. In you is tenderness: in you is pity:
in you is generosity: in you whatever excellences exist in the creature, combined together.
Now he, who has seen the lives of souls, one by one, from the deepest pool of the universe, even to here, begs you, of
your grace, for enough strength to lift his eyes, higher, towards the final bliss: and I, who was never so on fire for my
own vision, as I am for his, offer you all my prayers, and pray they may not be wanting, asking that, for him, you might
scatter every cloud of his mortality, with your prayers, so that supreme joy might be revealed to him.
And more I beg you, Queen, who can do the things you will: after he has seen so deeply, keep his affections sound. Let
your protection overcome human weakness: see Beatrice, with so many saints, folding her hands to pray with me. Those
eyes, loved by God, and venerated, fixed on the speaker, showed us how greatly devout prayers please her. Then they
turned themselves towards the Eternal Light, into which, we must believe, no other creature’s eye finds its way so
clearly. And I, who was drawing near the goal of all my longing, quenched as was fitting the ardour of my desire, inside
me.
THE MUSIC FADES TO NOTHING.
DANTE CONTINUES WATCHING FOR AN ETERNITY – PERHAPS 30 SECONDS OR A MINUTE OF ORDINARY TIME –
THEN TURNS TO THE AUDIENCE AND OPENS HIS BOOK.
THE FINAL VISION
Bernard made a sign to me, and smiled, telling me to look higher, but I was already doing as he asked me, because my
sight, as it was purged, was penetrating deeper and deeper, into the beam of the Highest Light, that in itself is Truth.
DANTE:
or DANTE:
Da quinci innanzi il mio veder fu maggio
che 'l parlar mostra, ch'a tal vista cede,
e cede la memoria a tanto oltraggio.
My vision then was greater than our speech,
which fails at such a sight,
and memory fails at such an assault.
Qual è colüi che sognando vede,
che dopo 'l sogno la passione impressa
rimane, e l'altro a la mente non riede,
I am like one, who sees in dream, and when
the dream is gone an impression, set there,
remains, but nothing else comes to mind again,
cotal son io, ché quasi tutta cessa
mia visïone, e ancor mi distilla
nel core il dolce che nacque da essa.
since my vision almost entirely fails me,
but the sweetness born from it
still distils inside my heart.
So the snow loses its impress to the sun: so the Sibyl’s prophecies were lost, on light leaves, in the wind.
DANTE:

O somma luce che tanto ti levi
da' concetti mortali, a la mia mente
ripresta un poco di quel che parevi,
O Supreme Light, who lifts so far above mortal
thought, lend to my mind again
a little of what you seemed then,
yellow SUN spotlight
THE SUN SPOTLIGHT, WHICH SHONE AT THE BEGINNING OF IL PARADISO, RETURNS.
210
DANTE:
e fa la lingua mia tanto possente,
ch'una favilla sol de la tua gloria
possa lasciare a la futura gente;
and give my tongue such power,
that it might leave even a single spark
of your glory, to those to come:
ché, per tornare alquanto a mia memoria
e per sonare un poco in questi versi,
più si conceperà di tua vittoria.
since by returning to my memory, in part,
and by sounding in these verses,
more of your triumph can be conceived.
DANTE:
Io credo, per l'acume ch'io soffersi
del vivo raggio, ch'i' sarei smarrito,
se li occhi miei da lui fossero aversi.
I think that I would have been lost,
through the keenness of the living ray
that I suffered, if my eyes had turned away from it.
E' mi ricorda ch'io fui più ardito
per questo a sostener, tanto ch'i' giunsi
l'aspetto mio col valore infinito.
And so, I remember, I dared to endure it longer,
that my gaze might be joined
with the Infinite Value.
Oh abbondante grazia ond' io presunsi
ficcar lo viso per la luce etterna,
tanto che la veduta vi consunsi!
O abundant grace, where I presumed to fix
my sight on the Eternal Light,
so long, that my sight was wearied!
DANTE:
Nel suo profondo vidi che s'interna,
legato con amore in un volume,
ciò che per l'universo si squaderna:
In its depths I saw in-gathered, and bound
by Love into one volume,
all things that are scattered through the universe,
sustanze e accidenti e lor costume
quasi conflati insieme, per tal modo
che ciò ch'i' dico è un semplice lume.
substance and accident and their relations,
as if joined in such a manner that what
I speak of is One simplicity of Light.
La forma universal di questo nodo
credo ch'i' vidi, perché più di largo,
dicendo questo, mi sento ch'i' godo.
I think I saw the universal form, of that bond,
because, in saying it, I feel my heart leap,
in greater intensity of joy.
A single moment plunged me into deeper stillness, than twenty-five centuries have the enterprise, that made Neptune
wonder at Argo’s shadow.
DANTE:
Così la mente mia, tutta sospesa,
mirava fissa, immobile e attenta,
e sempre di mirar faceasi accesa.
So my mind gazed, fixed, wholly stilled,
immoveable, intent, and
continually inflamed, by its gazing.
PAR C33 100-102 / DANTE
A quella luce cotal si diventa,
che volgersi da lei per altro aspetto
è impossibil che mai si consenta;
Man becomes such in that Light,
that to turn away to any other sight
is beyond the bounds of possibility.
PAR C33 103-105 / DANTE
però che 'l ben, ch'è del volere obietto,
tutto s'accoglie in lei, e fuor di quella
è defettivo ciò ch'è lì perfetto.
Because the Good, which is the object of the will,
is wholly concentrated there, and outside it,
what is perfect within it, is defective.
211
DANTE:
PAR C33 106-108 / DANTE
PAR C33 106-108 / KLINE
Omai sarà più corta mia favella,
pur a quel ch'io ricordo, che d'un fante
che bagni ancor la lingua a la mammella.
Now my speech will fall further short,
of what I remember, than a babe’s,
who still moistens his tongue at the breast.
PAR C33 109-111 / DANTE
Non perché più ch'un semplice sembiante
fosse nel vivo lume ch'io mirava,
che tal è sempre qual s'era davante;
Not that there was more than a single form
in the Living Light where I gazed,
that is always such as it was before,
PAR C33 112-114 / DANTE
ma per la vista che s'avvalorava
in me guardando, una sola parvenza,
mutandom' io, a me si travagliava.
but by means of the faculty of sight
that gained strength in me, even as it altered,
one sole image quickened to my gaze.
PAR C33 115-117 / DANTE
Ne la profonda e chiara sussistenza
de l'alto lume parvermi tre giri
di tre colori e d'una contenenza;
In the profound and shining Being
of the deep Light, three circles appeared,
of three colours, and one magnitude:
PAR C33 118-120 / DANTE
e l'un da l'altro come iri da iri
parea reflesso, e 'l terzo parea foco
che quinci e quindi igualmente si spiri.
one seemed refracted by the other,
like Iris’s rainbows, and the third
seemed fire breathed equally from both.
PAR C33 121-123 / DANTE
Oh quanto è corto il dire e come fioco
al mio concetto! e questo, a quel ch'i' vidi,
è tanto, che non basta a dicer `poco'.
O how the words fall short, and how feeble
compared with my conceiving! And they are such,
compared to what I saw, that it is inadequate to call
them merely feeble.
DANTE:
PAR C33 124-126 / DANTE
PAR C33 124-126 / KLINE
O luce etterna che sola in te sidi,
sola t'intendi, e da te intelletta
e intendente te ami e arridi!
O Eternal Light, who only rest in yourself,
and know only yourself, who, understood by yourself
and knowing yourself, love and smile!
PAR C33 127-129 / DANTE
Quella circulazion che sì concetta
pareva in te come lume reflesso,
da li occhi miei alquanto circunspetta,
Those circles that seemed to be
conceived in you as reflected light,
when traversed by my eyes a little,
PAR C33 130-132 / DANTE
dentro da sé, del suo colore stesso,
mi parve pinta de la nostra effige:
per che 'l mio viso in lei tutto era messo.
seemed to be adorned inside themselves
with our image, in its proper colours,
and to that my sight was wholly committed.
PAR C33 133-135 / DANTE
Qual è 'l geomètra che tutto s'affige
per misurar lo cerchio, e non ritrova,
pensando, quel principio ond' elli indige,
Like a geometer, who sets himself to measure, in
radii, the exact circumference of the circle, and
who cannot find, by thought, the principle he lacks,
PAR C33 136-138 / DANTE
tal era io a quella vista nova:
veder voleva come si convenne
l'imago al cerchio e come vi s'indova;
so was I, at this new sight: I wished to
see how the image fitted the circle,
and how it was set in place,
PAR C33 139-141 / DANTE
ma non eran da ciò le proprie penne:
se non che la mia mente fu percossa
da un fulgore in che sua voglia venne.
but my true wings had not been made for this,
if it were not that my mind was struck
by lightning, from which its will emerged.
212
DANTE:
PAR C33 142-144 / DANTE
PAR C33 142-145 / KLINE
A l'alta fantasia qui mancò possa;
ma già volgeva il mio disio e 'l velle,
sì come rota ch'igualmente è mossa,
Power, here, failed the deep imagining:
but already my desire and will were rolled,
like a wheel that is turned, equally, by
PAR C33 145 / DANTE
l'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle.
the Love that moves the Sun and the other stars.
DANTE:
PAR C33 142-144 / DANTE
PAR C33 142-144 / KLINE
A l'alta fantasia qui mancò possa;
ma già volgeva il mio disio e 'l velle,
sì come rota ch'igualmente è mossa,
Power, here, failed the deep imagining:
but already my desire and will were rolled,
like a wheel that is turned, equally, by
PAR C33 145 / DANTE
l'amor che move il sole e l'altre stelle.
the Love that moves the Sun and the other stars.
FINALE
THE SUN SPOTLIGHT FADES IN THE RISING OF THE GENERAL STAGE LIGHT. OFFSTAGE SINGERS, THE SPOKEN
VOICES, THE DIRECTOR, THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR ETC. COME ON STAGE TO RECEIVE THEIR PLAUDITS. THEY
ALL STAY.
THERE IS A SUDDEN STILLNESS AS THE MUSES COME ON STAGE AT A TROT. THEY ARE NOW VISIBLE TO
DANTE BECAUSE HIS GREAT WORK IS FINISHED. TERPSICHORE – ACTING THE SHY CHILD - IS HOLDING
SOMETHING BEHIND HER BACK. THE OTHERS PUSH HER FORWARD, GRIMLY, AND DANTE PREPARES TO
DEFEND HIMSELF. TERPSICHORE WHIPS OUT A LAUREL WREATH.
THE LAST ARRIVAL - HE HAD THE FURTHEST TO COME - IS VIRGIL. HE PLAYED SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART IN
L’INFERNO AND IL PURGATORIO THAT IT IS ONLY JUST FOR HIM TO GET A PASS TO THE PARADISO PARTY.
♫
ANTHEM POSTLUDE
**********
INF C33 145
Instruments include the olifant or trumpet.
AS THE MUSIC SOUNDS, THE BLESSED SOULS MANIFEST THEMSELVES AS LIGHTS, THEN PERSONS.
IS THE LAST. THEY BLESS THE AUDIENCE AND DE-MANIFEST.
BEATRICE
LIGHTS ☼
BEATRICE: □ WHITE ?
BEDE: ORANGE
BOËTHIUS: ORANGE
CACCIAGUIDA: RED
CONSTANCE: PEARL
CUNIZZA: ROSE
FOLCO: ROSE
GRATIANUS : ORANGE
JUSTINIAN: SILVER
OROSIUS: ORANGE
PETER LOMBARD: ORANGE
PICCARDA: PEARL
ROSE
SOLOMON: ORANGE
ST ALBERTUS MAGNUS: ORANGE
ST BENEDICT: GOLD
ST BERNARD: □ WHITE
ST BONAVENTURA: ORANGE
ST CLARE: PEARL
ST DOMINIC: □ WHITE
ST FRANCIS: □ WHITE
ST ISIDORE: ORANGE
ST JAMES: YELLOW
ST JOHN: YELLOW
ST PETER: YELLOW
ST PETER DAMIAN: GOLD
213
RAHAB: ROSE
RICHARD OF SAINT-VICTOR:
ST THOMAS AQUINAS:
ORANGE
ORANGE
STS JAMES, JOHN & PETER REMAIN IN THEIR BOAT, WHICH IS MUCH FARTHER FROM THE SHORE.
IT IS NOT CLEAR FROM DANTE’S TEXT WHAT COLOUR BEATRICE’S LIGHT SHOULD BE. AS SAID IN
INTRODUCTION: THE DIVINE COMEDY, THE LIGHT COULD BE OF THE SAME COLOUR AND QUALITY AS HER
SPOTLIGHT.. ..IN L’INFERNO AND IL PURGATORIO.
◙
214
PICTURES
PICTURES
page no.
Some
Some of
of these
these pictures
pictures are
are useful
useful for
for the
the dramatisation,
dramatisation, others
others are
are just
just interesting.
interesting.
PAGE 2
11
22
33
44
55
66
77
88
99
10
10
11
11
12
12
13
13
14
14
15
15
16
16
17
17
SSTT FFRANCIS
VARIOUS
RANCIS
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
T
HE
P
ORZIUNCOLA
VARIOUS
THE PORZIUNCOLA:: CHAPEL
CHAPEL?? EXTERIOR
EXTERIOR Altered
Altered since
since Francis’s
Francis’s day
day
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
T
HE
P
ORZIUNCOLA
:
INTERIOR
C7
15
:
CP
11
C23
60
:
CP
63
THE PORZIUNCOLA: INTERIOR
C7 15 : CP 11
C23 60 : CP 63
SSCENE
C3
CENE FROM
FROM M
MALTESE
ALTESE PLAY
PLAY (I
(INT
NT FEJN
FEJN SEJJER
SEJJER?):
?): FFRANCIS
RANCIS AS
AS BLADE
BLADE
C3 120
120 :: CP
CP 11
SSCENE
FROM
M
ALTESE
PLAY
:
F
RANCIS
CUTTING
C
LARE
’
S
HAIR
C9
142
:
CP
21
CENE FROM MALTESE PLAY: FRANCIS CUTTING CLARE’S HAIR
C9 142 : CP 21
SSCENE
C3
CENE FROM
FROM M
MALTESE
ALTESE PLAY
PLAY:: B
BERNARDONE
ERNARDONE
C3 120
120 :: CP
CP 11
SSCENE
CENE FROM
FROM M
MALTESE
ALTESE PLAY
PLAY:: D
DEATH
EATH OF
OF F
FRANCIS
RANCIS
AMIETTA
WALLS
C13
90
:
CP
39,
40,
D
C13 90 : CP 39, 40, 41
41
DAMIETTA WALLS
D
C13
DAMIETTA
AMIETTA BESIEGED
BESIEGED BY
BY CRUSADERS
CRUSADERS
C13 90
90 :: CP
CP 39,
39, 40,
40, 41
41
SSTT C
LARE
WITH
MONSTRANCE
(
CIBORIUM
)
C23
60
:
CP
CLARE WITH MONSTRANCE (CIBORIUM)
C23 60 : CP 61
61
SSTT C
VARIOUS
CLARE
LARE
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
SSTT C
LARE
VARIOUS
CLARE
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
SSAN
C3
AN D
DAMIANO
AMIANO:: CHAPEL
CHAPEL
C3 121
121 C29
C29 11
11
SSAN
D
AMIANO
:
EXTERIOR
Altered
since
AN DAMIANO: EXTERIOR
Altered since Clare’s
Clare’s day?
day? VARIOUS
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
SSAN
D
AMIANO
:
REFECTORY
C3
121
C29
11
AN DAMIANO: REFECTORY
C3 121
C29 11
SSTT C
CLARE
LARE’’SS HAIR
HAIR
ABITS
H
OF F
FRANCIS
RANCIS &
&C
CLARE
LARE;; DRESS
DRESS MADE
MADE BY
BY C
CLARE
LARE preserved
preserved at
at Assisi
Assisi VARIOUS
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
HABITS OF
PAGE 3
18
VARIOUS
18 –– 20
20 SSTT A
ALBERTUS
LBERTUS M
MAGNUS
AGNUS
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
21
22B
EDE
VARIOUS
PLACES
21 - 22BEDE
VARIOUS PLACES
23
C22
23 –– 24
24 SSTT B
BENEDICT
ENEDICT
C22 40
40
25
–
26
S
T
B
ERNARD
VARIOUS
25 – 26 ST BERNARD
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
27
B
VARIOUS
27
BOOËËTHIUS
THIUS
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
28
SSTT B
VARIOUS
28
BONAVENTURA
ONAVENTURA
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
29
–
32
S
T
D
OMINIC
VARIOUS
29 – 32 ST DOMINIC
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
33
SSTT D
VARIOUS
33
DOMINIC
OMINIC &
& SSTT FFRANCIS
RANCIS
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES..
34
B
O
Ë
THIUS
VARIOUS
PLACES
34
BOËTHIUS
VARIOUS PLACES
35
G
VARIOUS
35
GRATIANUS
RATIANUS
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
36
S
T
I
SIDORE
VARIOUS
36
ST ISIDORE
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
37
JJUSTINIAN
VARIOUS
37
USTINIAN
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
38
S
T
P
ETER
D
AMIAN
C21
38
ST PETER DAMIAN
C21 64
64
39
PPETER
VARIOUS
39
ETER L
LOMBARD
OMBARD
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
40
VARIOUS
40 -- 41S
41STT T
THOMAS
HOMAS A
AQUINAS
QUINAS
VARIOUS PLACES
PLACES
PAGE 4
42
42
43
43
44
44
45
45
46
46
47
47
48
48
49
49
50
50
51
51
52
52
53
53
U
C15
UNDERWEAR
NDERWEAR
C15 27
27
T
OMB
EFFIGY
WITH
C15
TOMB EFFIGY WITH CROSSED
CROSSED LEGS
LEGS
C15 27
27
C
RUSADERS
C15
27
CRUSADERS
C15 27
H
C15
HELMETS
ELMETS
C15 27
27
H
OHENSTAUFEN
C15
HOHENSTAUFEN SHIELD
SHIELD
C15 27
27
H
OHENSTAUFEN
CASTLE
C11
HOHENSTAUFEN CASTLE
C11 12
12 :: CP
CP 24
24
C
RUSADERS
C15
27
CRUSADERS
C15 27
C
C15
CRUSADER
RUSADER
C15 27
27
TH
TH C
K
NIGHT
:
12
C15
KNIGHT: 12 C
C15 27
27
SSHIELD
OF
C
ASTILE
mentioned
HIELD OF CASTILE
mentioned C12
C12 52
52
‘C
HARLEMAGNE
’
CHESS
PIECES
C10
‘CHARLEMAGNE’ CHESS PIECES
C10 148
148
C
C
CRUSADERS
RUSADERS PLAYING
PLAYING CHESS
CHESS
C 21
21 102
102 :: CP
CP 56,
56, 57,
57, 58
58
2
1
3
4
9
8
10
6
5
11
7
12
13
15
14
16
17
18
23
19
24
20
22
21
27
26
25
28
29
30
34
35
31
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50
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PARADISO
ON
SUN
AQUINAS introduces BLESSED SOULS
♫ Music MUSES & BEATRICE!!
ST BONAVENTURA
 POLYHYMNIA, ERATO, MELPOMENE
MUSES boat sinks POLYHYMNIA spills dish
MARS
MUSE , CALLIOPE, CLIO
CACCIAGUIDA: Florence
URANIA arrow in advance, exile
JUPITER
URANIA invoked
SATURN
ST PETER DAMIAN ST BENEDICT
ce
L
L
ERATO arrow
little boat look up
LANETARY SPHERES
N
L look & shoot up
OWS ON THE MOON
MNIA, URANIA, ERATO mirrors
ST CLARE CONSTANCE
MIANO
PICTURES 1
Maria ST BERNARD
RRORS ETC.
its Plato’s Error
ERATO, TERPSICHORE lamb
traightens arrow
l Vows Dispensations
POLYHYMNIA, URANIA feather
HORE skips again – silly lamb
shoots up
Y
ire ERATO hunts eagle
Ghibellines etc. ♫ Hosanna
Crucifixion Redemption
ion Creation Resurrection
a
MARTEL D’ANJOU
’ntendendo
E, TERPSICHORE, URANIA boat
& the Heavens
orence: Usury ♫ Prophecy
THE FIXED STARS
 GEMINI
LOOKING DOWN (1)
POLYHYMNIA & CALLIOPE
♫ Regina Coeli ST PETER Faith
ST JAMES Hope ST JOHN Love
♫ Holy! Holy! Holy! ♫ Glory to the Father
LOOKING DOWN (2)
 THE PRIMUM MOBILE
CLARE PICTURES X
ST FRANCIS ST DOMINIC
 THE EMPYREAN
WHERE ALL SPACE IS HERE & TIME IS NOW – WHERE
GOD, THE ANGELS & BLESSED SPIRITS TRULY ARE (NOT
MANIFESTED). THE DIVINE SPIRIT DIFFUSES DOWN
FROM HERE. EACH STELLAR HEAVEN IS ALSO ANIMATED BY, MELDED WITH, AN ANGEL. THE VIRTUE SHINING
THERE MINGLES WITH GOD’S CREATIVE & INSPIRATIONAL POWER.

MUSES ALL ♫ Ave Maria
SUN
FINALE: MUSES ALL ♫ Anthem
PROGRAM
IL PROGRAM
THIS MOCK-UP IS PRINTED ON
IENCE. TO MAKE IT MORE L
ITALIAN FLAG (PERHAPS NOT
WIDTH.:.HEIGHT RATIO SHOU
FLAG’S COLOURS DO NOT DER
OURS OF THE 3 HOLY VIRTUES
DANT
D RAMAT
IL
PARAD
DANT
DRAMMATI
FEDE
HOPE
FAITH
THE CAST:
SYMBOL
Writing tablet
Scroll
Lyre
INTEREST
Philosophy
the Alphabet
THE MUSES
DOMAIN
Epic Poetry
History
Love Poetry
EPITHET
The Fair-Voiced
The Proclaimer
The Lovely
name of player
The 9 goddesses who inspire humanity & maim, destroy or transform into birds any human who challenges their supremacy.
NAME
CALLIOPE
CLIO
ERATO
DANTE DURANTE ALIGHIERI (1265-1321) WAS BORN IN FLORENCE OF A PRO-PAPACY GUELPH FAMILY. THE DISHONESTY &
CORRUPTION OF POPE BONIFACE VIII ALIGNED HIM WITH THE
GHIBELLINE PRO-IMPERIALS. THE CENTURIES-LONG, EUROPEAN
GUELPH./.GHIBELLINE SCHISM ORIGINATED IN GERMANY, SUPPOSEDLY WHEN ONE PRINCE DISPARAGED THE HUNTING-DOG OF
ANOTHER.
FLORENTINE FAMILIES WERE SPLIT, ALSO, INTO
BLACKS & WHITES, ORIGINALLY BECAUSE OF A PRETTY PISTOIAN. IN 1302, FRENCH INTERVENTION LED TO THE EXILE OF
DANTE & 14 OTHERS UNDER SENTENCE OF DEATH. DANTE NEVER RETURNED.
BEATRICE BICE
DI FOLCO PORTINARI WAS FIRST SEEN BY
WHEN SHE WAS 8 & HE WAS 9. HIS LOVE FOR HER INSPIRED THE VITA NUOVA & THE DIVINE COMEDY, WHERE SHE
REPRESENTS DIVINE PHILOSOPHY. SHE DIED IN 1290, AGED 24.
DANTE
THE ACTION
OF THE DIVINE COMEDY BEGINS ON THE THURSDAY BEFORE EASTER FRIDAY, 1300, & FINISHES A WEEK LATER.
DANTE WAS THEN IN HIS 35TH YEAR. THE POEM WAS WRITTEN
OVER MANY YEARS - WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE ACCURACY OF
ITS PROPHECIES – & DISTRIBUTED PIECEMEAL. IN 1373-4, BOCCACCIO, A FRIEND OF DANTE’S DAUGHTER, PRESENTED READINGS OF LA DIVINA COMMEDIA IN CHURCH.
CHESS ’S
SYMBOLIC, LITERARY & ALLEGORICAL STRENGTH
TH
PROVED IRRESISTIBLE WHEN IT CAME TO EUROPE IN THE 11 C.
KNOWING THE GAME & ITS MEANING BECAME ONE OF THE 7
PROBITATES (ACCOMPLISHMENTS) OF THE KNIGHT. ALMOST ALL
EARLY REFERENCES TO CHESS, OFTEN CONDEMNATIONS, ORIGINATE FROM MONASTIC CENTRES. IN 1061, PETER DAMIAN
URGED POPE-ELECT ALEXANDER III TO PUNISH THE FUTURE
POPE NICHOLAS II, FOR CHESS-PLAYING. LIBER DE MORIBUS
HOMINUM ET OFFICIIS NOBILIUM (C 1280, DE CESSOLIS), A CHESS
ALLEGORY-MORALITY & SERMON, ENDED UP RIVALLING THE
BIBLE IN POPULARITY & PRINTINGS. (MAD) QUEEN’S CHESS,
WHERE SHE CAN MOVE MORE THAN ONE SQUARE AT A TIME,
TH
DEVELOPED IN LATE 15 C SPAIN.
TH
THE CHANSON DE ROLAND
HAS BEEN CALLED A NORMAN 12
CENTURY MS OF AN 11TH C TEXT ABOUT AN 8TH C EVENT.
FISH
THICKENED THE SEA (FRESHWATER LAKE) OF GALILEE IN
BIBLICAL TIMES & MANY FISHING VILLAGES SURROUNDED IT.
PETER, JAMES & JOHN FISHED FROM OR NEAR BETHSAIDA (GK.
‘HOUSE OF FISHING’ OR ‘TEMPLE OF THE FISH-GOD’). MARY
MAGDALENE BECAME THE ONLY PRODUCT OF MAGDALA (GK.
TARICHAEAE ‘PROCESSED-FISHVILLE’) BETTER KNOWN IN THE
ROMAN EMPIRE THAN DRIED FISH. FISH WERE CAUGHT WITH A
FISH-HOOK, MORE FISH WITH A FISH-NET CAST FROM SHORE OR
A FISHING BOAT, & EVEN MORE FISH WITH A FISH-NET SET BY A
FISHING BOAT & DRAGGED ASHORE AT BOTH ENDS. NIGHT &
DAY, AWAKE & ASLEEP, GALILEAN FISHERMAN FISHED, COUNTED FISH (FEW OF WHICH HAD A COIN IN THE MOUTH FOR THE
FISH TAX); CLEANED CLEAN FISH, FETCHED FISH TO THE JERUSALEM FISH-GATE & TO SHELLFISH-PURPLE TYRE; MADE FISHNETS; REPAIRED, WASHED & DRIED FISHNETS; BUILT & REPAIRED FISHING BOATS; & SMELLED, IN THE AIR WHICH UNMIRRORED THE SEA, AS IN THE MOUNTAIN TEMPEST WHICH MADE
MOUNTAINS OF IT, FISH. THERE ARE NO FISH IN PARADISE.
AMOR
MUSIC & DESIGN
THE MOTIF OF EACH DRAMATISAT
3 FOR ITS BEGINNING, MIDDLE & E
FOR FAITH, HOPE & LOVE; 3 FO
TARY ORBITS; 3 FOR THE HIERAR
THE ORDERS WITHIN EACH HIERA
DANA, HUMANA & INSTRUMENTALI
FOR 1/3 OR √ OF 9, BEATRICE’S N
3 FOR THE CANTICLES OF THE DIV
CANTOS (+ 1 CANTO INTRODUCTIO
PARADISO HAS A TRIPTYCH AS WEL
DRAMATISATION OF THE D
Difficulties:
IMPENETRABLE POLITICS & THE
ACTION & ACTORS TOO MONSTROU
NO CLEAR PROGRESSION: DANTE
IT BEGINS AMONG THE DAMNE
BLESSED, BUT HE DAMNS POPE B
THE 100.
Solutions:
MUSIC (MUCH OF IT LISTED BY DA
THE MASCULINE MASS, TO SUPPO
NINE ROLES.
COUNTERPOISE OF POETRY & PRO
CONVENTIONAL DEVICES: CUTTIN
OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS THROU
GIFTS:
(1) THE UNCONSCIOUS HUMOUR
MOUTHPIECE & CHASTISER IN
COURTLY LOVE.
(2) I GAVE DANTE A BOOK & EV
VARIOUS
THE PROSE. © A.S. KLINE
LA COMMEDIA SECONDO L’ANTICA
Petrocchi Edizione Nazionale a cura
iana [Milano]: Arnoldo Mondador
domain? electronic edition by Willia
Sonnet Tanto gentile tr. Mark Musa 1
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS FOR THE ENG
ANOTHER LANGUAGE:

celestial - PardoePardoe.com

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