Classic Poem

CANTO VIII.

Argument.

Ascent into the third heaven, that of Venus; where dwell the souls of those who have lived on earth in friendship and sinless love. — Charles Martel, King of Hungary.

T HE world believed, in her old perilous days,
That, turn'd in the third epicycle, aye
The beauteous Cypriote shed down her rays
On earthly love: and thus, with votive cry
And sacrifice, to her much honour brought
The ancient people, in their ancient lie.
Nor only unto her: but still they sought
To worship Cupid and Dioni; one,
As mother, one, as son: and oft, they taught,
He sat in Dido's lap. Whence is begun
My song but now, this planet had its name,
Now poursuivant, now herald of the sun.
I know not how I soar'd unto that flame,
But I perceived it now did me enclose,
Since my fair Lady lovelier became.
And, as a fire the sparks within it shows,
And as in voices ye a voice discern,
When one is still, another comes and goes;
Thus, lights within this light appear'd to burn,
And circled round with slow or swifter gleam,
I think, as they descried the truth etern
And never winds from out the storm-clouds dim,
Or visible or not, so quickly run,
That they should not seem slow and dull to him
Who there had seen those lights divine speed on,
Leaving the circling motion of the sphere,
At first 'mid the high Seraphim begun.
And then those souls who foremost did appear
" Hosanna " sang, so sweetly that for aye
I long'd again its melody to hear.
And now, as one of them to us drew nigh,
" We wait thy bidding, " he began alone,
" And to thine every wish will make reply.
We 'mong the princes of each heavenly throne
Turn in one sphere and motion and desire
With those to whom thou saidst, in days now gone,
" Ye who do govern the third heavenly fire;"
Such love is ours, that, for thy full content,
Rest shall be sweet from this our circling gyre. "
After my glance I reverently had bent,
Towards my Lady, and, with answering gaze,
Unto my wish she signified assent,
I turn'd again unto the light whose rays
So much had promisid, and thus I spake;
" Ah! who art thou? " I said; and tenderness
Trembled within my voice. What gladness brake
Forth from its splendour in yet brighter glow,
As though my words did a new joyance wake!
He said: " I dwelt within the world below,
But little time; if it had longer been,
On earth there were a lesser meed of woe.
By thee my lineaments remain unseen;
For my glad radiance me from sight bereaves,
As silkworm wound in its own web, I ween.
Thou lov'dst me much: and, sooth, my heart perceives
Thou well hadst cause; for I had shown to thee
More of my love than the first early leaves,
If I had lived. The left bank, where ye see
The Rhone when it is mix'd with Sorga's flow,
Did wait me for its lord, when it should be
Due time: and where Ausonia's land doth show
Crotona, Bari, Gaeta; and down,
Tronto and Verdi to the ocean go.
Already glitter'd on my brow the crown
Of all the land which mighty Danube bathes
After it from the Teuton shores hath gone.
And fair Trinacria, (whose smoky wreaths,
Between Pachinus and Pelorus' shore,
High o'er the gulf where Eurus fiercest breathes,
Not from Typhaeus spring, but sulphur's store,)
Had waited still its sovereign lords, whom I
Should get, of Charles' and Rudolph's race, if sore
Oppression of an evil tyranny,
Aye fretting to the conquer'd, had not been
Cause that Palermo cried aloud: " Die, die!"
And, sooth, if this my brother had foreseen,
He from the Catalonian greed had fled,
Lest it should work sore evil. For, I ween,
It had been well if he or others made
Such fit provision, that his bark no more
Should bear, than safely might therein be laid.
His nature, which, from liberal sires of yore,
Descended mean and vile, in sooth, had need
Of ministers who sought no hoarded store. "
" Since I believe the joy thy words do speed
Deep in my inmost soul is seen by thee
(Even as I see it) where each worthy deed
Begins and terminates, it thus to me
The more is pleasing: and this too is dear,
That thou, beholding God, this thing dost see.
My heart thou hast made glad; now vision clear
Impart: because thy words a doubt do wake,
How sweetest seed a bitter fruit may bear. "
This I to him; again to me he spake:
" If I can show thee truth, to thy demand
Thou'lt turn thy face as now thou turn'st thy back.
The Highest Good, which all things in this land
Wherein thou art doth govern and make blest,
Gifts with the power of his all-guiding hand
The influence of each sphere. Nor only rest
Existences in His all-perfect light,
But these with their salvation are imprest
Therein: thus whatsoe'er this dart would smite,
Fitly ordain'd doth reach its proper end,
As arrow from the bow sent forth aright.
Were it not so, the heaven where thou dost bend
Thy steps, would do its work in such a wise
That all its labours should in ruin blend
This cannot be, unless the power where lies
The motion of these several stars should fail,
And fail the First who made them in such guise
Imperfect. Wouldst thou I should now unveil
Further this truth? " And thus I answer'd: " Nay;
For well I see that Nature must prevail,
Nor faint in needful work. " He spake: " Then say,
If it were worse that man should not be bound
By civil ties? " Then I made answer: " Yea;
Nor need I seek the cause. " " If there be found
No divers manners of your life below,
Can it be thus? No, sooth, if rightly sound
Your ancient master's words " His speech did flow,
Deducing thus; then ended: " Here is shown
That from divergent roots your actions grow.
For one is born a Solon; Xerxes one;
Another, a Melchisedec; and some,
Like him who lost in airy flight his son.
The nature of the spheres, which doth become
A seal to mortal wax, does well its art;
But yet doth not distinguish what doth come
From one or other household. This doth part
Esau in soul from Jacob: and so vile
He who did to Quirinus life impart,
That Mars, as sire, is claim'd. By Nature's toil,
The creature born were like to that which bore,
If Providence no work had wrought, the while.
What once was hid, now plainly lies before
Thine eyes: but yet to show I love thee well,
Receive from me one corollary more.
Nature doth ever, if a discord dwell
Within the lot it finds, like other seed
Out of its proper region, wholly fail.
And if the world below, in very deed,
Nature's foundations deep would lay to heart,
Men would be good and wise. But ye, instead,
Turn to religion's work the man whose part
Were best to wear a sword; the kingly crown
Ye give to one more skill'd in preaching's art:
And thus from the true path your footsteps far have gone. "