Now was the hour that hath no time of rest:
For noon had shone, and the fierce solar ray
Had Taurus left; and night the Scorpion pass'd.
And therefore, as the man who doth not stay,
But journeys on, whate'er he chance to see,
Such needful haste impels him on his way;
Not with less ardent longing then did we,
Each following each, the upward path begin,
Parted, because so near its ramparts be.
As the young bird that in the air would spring,
Eager for flight, and yet is not content
To leave the nest, but folds again its wing;
Even so was I, with wish lit up and spent,
Ere I could frame the question; and, at last,
I seem'd as one who on discourse is bent.
My gentle father, though in eager haste,
Stay'd not his words, but said: " Now mayst thou speed
The dart which thou upon the cord dost rest. "
Then gladly was my prison'd longing freed;
I spake: " How may they be so wan and lean,
Here, where of nourishment they have no need? "
If Meleager thou of old hadst seen,
Consuming with the burning of a brand, "
He said, " this unto thee more plain had been.
And if within thee thou couldst understand
How in the mirror thine own form doth glide,
Less hard should be the manner of this land.
But, that by thee this may be well descried,
Lo! here is Statius; I to him will pray
That he be thy physician and thy guide. "
" If I eternal truth before him lay, "
Thus Statius spake, " may my request be heard
For pardon that I cannot say thee nay. "
Then he continued: " If my every word,
My son, within thy memory thou wilt keep,
That shall be light which darkness erst appear'd.
Know, the most perfect life, which doth not creep
Along each artery, but still remains
As food uneaten, in the heart doth reap
Virtue informative, as through the veins,
Still flowing in its destined stream, the rest
Its pristine strength and purity regains.
Then of its onward course perchance 'twere best
That I were silent; yet I surely deem
The breath of God on earthly life hath pass'd.
A spirit sheds forth its creative beam
On leaves and flowers of every diverse hue,
This by the wayside, that along the stream:
Even so, it doth each living thing imbue,
First with the duller life that on the shore
Through the sea-fungus creeps; and then anew,
Organic force developes. Here once more,
My son, the hidden strength thou well mayst know,
Whence nature doth produce her ample store.
But whence the spring of nobler life may flow
Thou dost not yet behold: this is the point
Which hath bewilder'd wiser men than thou.
And in their doctrine they have oft disjoin'd
The soul from possible intellect, because
It seems no outward organ to appoint.
Now ope thy mind unto the eternal laws
Of truth; and know, that, when the infant brain
Unto its full articulation grows,
Then the great Mover turns to it, and fain,
Breathes over Nature's work the living mind,
The spirit which such virtue doth contain,
Whereby, when it in substance is combined,
It forms a conscious, individual soul,
A sentient life, of that which it doth find.
And lest too marvellous to thee be all
My words, behold the sun, which turns to wine
The juice that from the ripen'd grape doth fall.
When Lachesis hath wholly spun her line,
The spirit then is freed from fleshly root,
And with it bears the human and divine.
Each sensual power remains inert and mute;
But memory, intellect, and will are now
In act, much more than at the first, acute.
It tarrieth not, but of itself doth go
To one or other of the streams of death;
Then knows if it shall rise or sink below.
Soon as the soul its destined dwelling hath,
Again shines forth the strength from which it drew
Its life, when in the land of mortal breath.
And as ye see, when watery mists imbue
Our atmosphere, the sunny rays appear
Therein reflected, in each diverse hue;
Thus doth the soul an airy semblance wear,
Which is in outward limbs and shape the same
Impression, which the inward seal doth bear.
And as the fire is follow'd by the flame,
So its new form the spirit must pursue,
And this airial body hath its name
Of Shade, because its movements ever show
The soul within; and thus may we, the while,
Each feeling prove which on the earth we knew.
Therefore we speak, and therefore do we smile;
And from this source the tears and plaints arise,
Which thou hast heard along thy path of toil.
By that whereon the strong affection lies,
The outward shape is fashion'd; thus ye see
The cause of what ye look'd on with surprise. "
Now to the last abode of torture, we
Had come; and to the right hand then we turn'd,
And bent on other cares our thoughts must be:
For here, with fiercest flames the rampart burn'd,
And from the ledge a whistling wind is sent,
That blows them back; whence I a path discern'd.
Thus, one by one, along the verge we went;
And there the fire did sorely me affray,
And here I dreaded the unveil'd descent.
My Leader said to me: " Upon this way,
Needs must ye keep the bridle on your eyes;
Because, in sooth, ye easily may stray. "
" O God, in whom all grace and mercy lies, "
From out the bosom of the fiery glow
Was sung; whereat I turn'd me, in surprise.
For Shades amid the flame pass'd to and fro;
Then on my steps and theirs I fix'd my gaze,
Now here, now there, alternating. And lo!
When they had sung what there the Psalmist says,
They, " Virum non cognosco , " cried aloud;
Then, in low voice, repeat the hymn of praise.
And, ending, they went on: " Within the wood
Diana dwelt, and chased the nymph away,
Of old, who Venus' power had not withstood. "
Then they again resumed the sacred lay;
And told of those who during life were pure,
In nuptial bonds. And, in this manner, they
Discourse and sing, the while their pains endure;
Till they this zone of burning flame have past:
For with such discipline they needs must cure
The wound of sin, that shall be fully heal'd at last.