And when in both mine eyes depicted were

The glory and greatness of the living star Which there excelleth, as it here excelled, Athwart the heavens a little torch descended

Formed in a circle like a coronal,

And cinctured it, and whirled itself about it. Whatever melody most sweetly soundeth

On earth, and to itself most draws the soul, Would seem a cloud that, rent asunder, thunders, Compared unto the sounding of that lyre.

Wherewith was crowned the sapphire beautiful,

Which gives the clearest heaven its sapphire hue. "I am Angelic Love, that circle round

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The joy sublime which breathes from out the womb
That was the hostelry of our Desire;

And I shall circle, Lady of Heaven, while

Thou followest thy Son, and mak'st diviner

The sphere supreme, because thou enterest there."

Thus did the circulated melody

Seal itself up; and all the other lights

Were making to resound the name of Mary.

The regal mantle of the volumes all

Of that world, which most fervid is and living
With breath of God and with his works and ways,

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Extended over us its inner border,

So very distant, that the semblance of it

There where I was not yet appeared to me. Therefore mine eyes did not possess the power

Of following the incoronated flame,

Which mounted upward near to its own seed. And as a little child, that towards its mother

Stretches its arms, when it the milk has taken,
Through impulse kindled into outward flame,
Each of those gleams of whiteness upward reached
So with its summit, that the deep affection
They had for Mary was revealed to me.
Thereafter they remained there in my sight,

Regina cæli singing with such sweetness,
That ne'er from me has the delight departed.

O, what exuberance is garnered up

Within those richest coffers, which had been

Good husbandmen for sowing here below!

There they enjoy and live upon the treasure
Which was acquired while weeping in the exile
Of Babylon, wherein the gold was left.
There triumpheth, beneath the exalted Son

Of God and Mary, in his victory,

Both with the ancient council and the new, He who doth keep the keys of such a glory.

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CANTO XXIV.

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"O COMPANY elect to the great supper

Of the Lamb benedight, who feedeth you
So that forever full is your desire,

If by the

grace of God this man foretaste Something of that which falleth from

your table, s

Or ever death prescribe to him the time, Direct your mind to his immense desire,

And him somewhat bedew; ye drinking are Forever at the fount whence comes his thought." Thus Beatrice; and those souls beatified

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Transformed themselves to spheres on steadfast poles,
Flaming intensely in the guise of comets.
And as the wheels in works of horologes
Revolve so that the first to the beholder
Motionless seems, and the last one to fly,

So in like manner did those carols, dancing
In different measure, of their affluence
Give me the gauge, as they were swift or slow.

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From that one which I noted of most beauty
Beheld I issue forth a fire so happy

That none it left there of a greater brightness;

And around Beatrice three several times

It whirled itself with so divine a song, My fantasy repeats it not to me; Therefore the pen skips, and I write it not,

Since our imagination for such folds,

Much more our speech, is of a tint too glaring.

"O holy sister mine, who us implorest

With such devotion, by thine ardent love

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Thou dost unbind me from that beautiful sphere!" 30 Thereafter, having stopped, the blessed fire

Unto my Lady did direct its breath,

Which spake in fashion as I here have said. And she: "O light eterne of the great man

the keys

To whom our Lord delivered up
He carried down of this miraculous joy,

This one examine on points light and grave,

As good beseemeth thee, about the Faith

By means of which thou on the sea didst walk.

If he love well, and hope well, and believe,

From thee 't is hid not; for thou hast thy sight
There where depicted everything is seen.

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But since this kingdom has made citizens

By means of the true Faith, to glorify it

'Tis well he have the chance to speak thereof." 45 As baccalaureate arms himself, and speaks not

Until the master doth propose the question,

To argue it, and not to terminate it,

So did I arm myself with every reason,

While she was speaking, that I might be ready
For such a questioner and such profession.
"Say, thou good Christian; manifest thyself;

What is the Faith?" Whereat I raised my brow
Unto that light wherefrom was this breathed forth.

Then turned I round to Beatrice, and she

Prompt signals made to me that I should

pour

The water forth from my internal fountain. "May grace, that suffers me to make confession,"

Began I, "to the great centurion,

Cause my conceptions all to be explicit!"
"As the truthful pen,

And I continued: "As the truthful

Father, of thy dear brother wrote of it,
Who put with thee Rome into the good way,
Faith is the substance of the things we hope for,

And evidence of those that are not seen;
And this appears to me its quiddity.”

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