The Online Library of Liberty

A project of Liberty Fund, Inc.

• The Peace of God
• Preface
• Purgatorio I
• Purgatorio Ii
• Purgatorio Iii
• Purgatorio Iv
• Purgatorio V
• Purgatorio Vi
• Purgatorio Vii
• Purgatorio Viii
• Purgatorio Ix
• Purgatorio X
• Purgatorio Xi
• Purgatorio Xii
• Purgatorio Xiii
• Purgatorio Xiv
• Purgatorio Xv
• Purgatorio Xvi
• Purgatorio Xvii
• Purgatorio Xviii
• Purgatorio Xix
• Purgatorio Xx
• Purgatorio Xxi
• Purgatorio Xxii
• Purgatorio Xxiii
• Purgatorio Xxiv
• Purgatorio Xxv
• Purgatorio Xxvi
• Purgatorio Xxvii
• Purgatorio Xxviii
• Purgatory Xxix
• Purgatorio Xxx
• Purgatorio Xxxi
• Purgatorio Xxxii
• Purgatorio Xxxiii

PURGATORIO XV

• Between the third hour’s close and day’s beginning
• as much as is apparent of the sphere,
• which like a child is ever given to play,
• so much now of its course toward evening seemed
• remaining to the sun; ’t was vespers there,
• and midnight here; and fully on the face
• its rays were striking us, because the Mount
• had so been circled by us, that we now
• were going on directly toward the West;
• when, far more blindingly than e’er before,
• I felt my forehead overcome by splendor,
• and was bewildered by these unknown things;
• over my eyebrows, hence, I raised my hands,
• and made myself the screen which, filing off,
• tempers excessive light in what is seen.

• As when from water, or a looking-glass,
• a ray leaps up in the opposite direction,
• and in the same way mounts that down it came,
• and from the falling of a stone departs
• at equal distance to the same extent,
• as both experiment and art reveal;

• even so it seemed to me that I was smitten
• as by a light, reflected there before me;
• because of which my sight was swift to flee.

• “Dear Father, what is that,” said I, “from which
• I cannot screen my face sufficiently
• to help me, and which toward us seems to come?”

• “Wonder thou not” he answered me, “if still
• Heaven’s family affect thy sight; an Angel
• is this, who comes to ask us to ascend.
• It soon will happen that to see such things
• will be no burden, but as great a joy,
• as Nature hath enabled thee to feel.”

• As soon as we had reached the blessèd Angel,
• with joyful voice he said: “Enter from hence
• a stairway far less steep than were the rest!”

• We were ascending, having thence departed,
• when “Blessèd are the Merciful!” was sung
• behind us, and “Rejoice, O thou that winnest!”

• My Teacher then, and I, we two alone,
• were going up; and, as we went, I thought
• of how I might get profit from his words;
• whereat I turned toward him, and asked: “What meant
• that spirit from Romagna, when he mentioned
• ‘forbidden,’ and ‘companionship’ in things?”

• Hence he: “Of his worst fault he knows the harm;
• hence let it not surprise, if he therefor
• rebuke men, that it be lamented less.

• Because your wishes aim at that, wherein
• each share is lessened through companionship,
• envy fain moves the bellows for your sighs.
• If love, though, for the highest sphere of all
• were upward turning your desires, that fear
• would not be in your breast; because the more
• there are up yonder by whom ‘Ours’ is said,
• so much more good doth each of them possess,
• and so much more love in that cloister burns.”

• “I fast much more from being satisfied,”
• said I, “than had I silent been at first;
• and more of doubt I gather in my mind.
• How can it be, then, that a good that’s shared
• should make more owners richer with itself,
• than if by but a few it be possessed?”

• And he to me: “Because thou fastenest
• thy mind exclusively on earthly things,
• thou drawest darkness out of very light.
• That Good, Ineffable and Infinite,
• which dwells up yonder, runs as fast to love,
• as to bright bodies comes a ray of light.
• So much It gives Itself, as is the warmth
• It findeth; hence, as is the extent of love,
• so much the Eternal Worth spreads over it.
• The more there are up there that love each other,
• the more there are to love, and more the love,
• and, mirror-like, the more of love each sheds

• on each. And if my talk sate not thy hunger,
• thou shalt see Beatrice, and she will fully
• free thee from this and every other want.
• Do thou, then, see to it that speedily
• thou have removed, as two already are,
• the five wounds which are closed by causing pain.”

• Wishing to say: “Thou satisfiest me,”
• I saw that I had reached the following ring;
• my fond eyes, therefore, caused me to keep still.

• There it appeared to me that I was wrapt
• in an ecstatic vision all at once,
• and that within a temple I perceived
• much people; and a Lady at the door,
• who with the sweet mien of a mother said:
• “Wherefore, my Son, hast thou thus dealt with us?
• Behold, thy father and I have sought for thee
• in sorrow!” Here, when she had ceased to speak,
• that disappeared which had before appeared.

• Then there appeared another, o’er whose cheeks
• those tears were streaming down, which grief distills,
• when born of great resentment toward another,
• saying: “If thou art master of the city,
• about whose name there was among the gods
• such strife, and whence all knowledge sparkles forth,
• avenge thyself on those audacious arms,
• Pisìstratus, which dared embrace our daughter!”
• Kindly and gently then that lord appeared

• to answer her with looks of self-control:
• “What shall we do to him who hateth us,
• if he who loves us is by us condemned?”

• Then folk I saw inflamed by anger’s fire
• who, bent on killing a young man with stones,
• cried to each other naught but: “Kill him, kill!”
• And him I saw, bowed to the ground in death
• which now oppressed him; of his eyes he e’er
• made gates of Heaven, and in that anguish prayed
• the Lord on high with looks which unlock pity,
• that He his persecutors would forgive.

• When once my mind returned outside again
• to those things which outside of it are true,
• I recognized my not untruthful errors.

• My Leader, who could see that I was acting
• like one who frees himself from slumber, said:
• “What aileth thee, that thou canst not stand up,
• but hast been coming more than half a league,
• veiling thine eyes, and reeling with thy legs,
• like one o’ercome by either wine or sleep?”

• “O my dear Father, if thou listen to me,
• I ’ll tell thee what it was appeared to me,”
• said I, “when I was thus deprived of legs.”

• And he: “If on thy face a hundred masks
• thou hadst, thy thoughts would not be hid from me,
• however small they were. What thou hast seen

• was lest thou free thyself from opening up
• thy heart unto those waters of thy peace,
• which from the Eternal Fountain are diffused.
• I did not ask ‘What ails thee?’ as would one,
• who looks but with the eye which seeth not,
• when once the body lies inanimate;
• but asked it to endow thy feet with strength;
• so must the indolent be spurred, when slow
• to use their waking time, when it returns.”

• On through the vesper hours we went along,
• forward intent, as far as e’er our eyes
• could reach, against the late and shining rays;
• when lo, a smoke in our direction came
• little by little, and as dark as night;
• nor was there any place of shelter from it;
• this of pure air deprived us and of eyes.