the divine comedy(神曲)-第50节
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And what the foremost does the others do;
Huddling themselves against her; if she stop;
Simple and quiet and the wherefore know not;
So moving to approach us thereupon
I saw the leader of that fortunate flock;
Modest in face and dignified in gait。
As soon as those in the advance saw broken
The light upon the ground at my right side;
So that from me the shadow reached the rock;
They stopped; and backward drew themselves somewhat;
And all the others; who came after them;
Not knowing why nor wherefore; did the same。
〃Without your asking; I confess to you
This is a human body which you see;
Whereby the sunshine on the ground is cleft。
Marvel ye not thereat; but be persuaded
That not without a power which comes from Heaven
Doth he endeavour to surmount this wall。〃
The Master thus; and said those worthy people:
〃Return ye then; and enter in before us;〃
Making a signal with the back o' the hand
And one of them began: 〃Whoe'er thou art;
Thus going turn thine eyes; consider well
If e'er thou saw me in the other world。〃
I turned me tow'rds him; and looked at him closely;
Blond was he; beautiful; and of noble aspect;
But one of his eyebrows had a blow divided。
When with humility I had disclaimed
E'er having seen him; 〃Now behold!〃 he said;
And showed me high upon his breast a wound。
Then said he with a smile: 〃I am Manfredi;
The grandson of the Empress Costanza;
Therefore; when thou returnest; I beseech thee
Go to my daughter beautiful; the mother
Of Sicily's honour and of Aragon's;
And the truth tell her; if aught else be told。
After I had my body lacerated
By these two mortal stabs; I gave myself
Weeping to Him; who willingly doth pardon。
Horrible my iniquities had been;
But Infinite Goodness hath such ample arms;
That it receives whatever turns to it。
Had but Cosenza's pastor; who in chase
Of me was sent by Clement at that time;
In God read understandingly this page;
The bones of my dead body still would be
At the bridge…head; near unto Benevento;
Under the safeguard of the heavy cairn。
Now the rain bathes and moveth them the wind;
Beyond the realm; almost beside the Verde;
Where he transported them with tapers quenched。
By malison of theirs is not so lost
Eternal Love; that it cannot return;
So long as hope has anything of green。
True is it; who in contumacy dies
Of Holy Church; though penitent at last;
Must wait upon the outside this bank
Thirty times told the time that he has been
In his presumption; unless such decree
Shorter by means of righteous prayers become。
See now if thou hast power to make me happy;
By making known unto my good Costanza
How thou hast seen me; and this ban beside;
For those on earth can much advance us here。〃
Purgatorio: Canto IV
Whenever by delight or else by pain;
That seizes any faculty of ours;
Wholly to that the soul collects itself;
It seemeth that no other power it heeds;
And this against that error is which thinks
One soul above another kindles in us。
And hence; whenever aught is heard or seen
Which keeps the soul intently bent upon it;
Time passes on; and we perceive it not;
Because one faculty is that which listens;
And other that which the soul keeps entire;
This is as if in bonds; and that is free。
Of this I had experience positive
In hearing and in gazing at that spirit;
For fifty full degrees uprisen was
The sun; and I had not perceived it; when
We came to where those souls with one accord
Cried out unto us: 〃Here is what you ask。〃
A greater opening ofttimes hedges up
With but a little forkful of his thorns
The villager; what time the grape imbrowns;
Than was the passage…way through which ascended
Only my Leader and myself behind him;
After that company departed from us。
One climbs Sanleo and descends in Noli;
And mounts the summit of Bismantova;
With feet alone; but here one needs must fly;
With the swift pinions and the plumes I say
Of great desire; conducted after him
Who gave me hope; and made a light for me。
We mounted upward through the rifted rock;
And on each side the border pressed upon us;
And feet and hands the ground beneath required。
When we were come upon the upper rim
Of the high bank; out on the open slope;
〃My Master;〃 said I; 〃what way shall we take?〃
And he to me: 〃No step of thine descend;
Still up the mount behind me win thy way;
Till some sage escort shall appear to us。〃
The summit was so high it vanquished sight;
And the hillside precipitous far more
Than line from middle quadrant to the centre。
Spent with fatigue was I; when I began:
〃O my sweet Father! turn thee and behold
How I remain alone; unless thou stay!〃
〃O son;〃 he said; 〃up yonder drag thyself;〃
Pointing me to a terrace somewhat higher;
Which on that side encircles all the hill。
These words of his so spurred me on; that I
Strained every nerve; behind him scrambling up;
Until the circle was beneath my feet。
Thereon ourselves we seated both of us
Turned to the East; from which we had ascended;
For all men are delighted to look back。
To the low shores mine eyes I first directed;
Then to the sun uplifted them; and wondered
That on the left hand we were smitten by it。
The Poet well perceived that I was wholly
Bewildered at the chariot of the light;
Where 'twixt us and the Aquilon it entered。
Whereon he said to me: 〃If Castor and Pollux
Were in the company of yonder mirror;
That up and down conducteth with its light;
Thou wouldst behold the zodiac's jagged wheel
Revolving still more near unto the Bears;
Unless it swerved aside from its old track。
How that may be wouldst thou have power to think;
Collected in thyself; imagine Zion
Together with this mount on earth to stand;
So that they both one sole horizon have;
And hemispheres diverse; whereby the road
Which Phaeton; alas! knew not to drive;
Thou'lt see how of necessity must pass
This on one side; when that upon the other;
If thine intelligence right clearly heed。〃
〃Truly; my Master;〃 said I; 〃never yet
Saw I so clearly as I now discern;
There where my wit appeared incompetent;
That the mid…circle of supernal motion;
Which in some art is the Equator called;
And aye remains between the Sun and Winter;
For reason which thou sayest; departeth hence
Tow'rds the Septentrion; what time the Hebrews
Beheld it tow'rds the region of the heat。
But; if it pleaseth thee; I fain would learn
How far we have to go; for the hill rises
Higher than eyes of mine have power to rise。〃
And he to me: 〃This mount is such; that ever
At the beginning down below 'tis tiresome;
And aye the more one climbs; the less it hurts。
Therefore; when it shall seem so pleasant to thee;
That going up shall be to thee as easy
As going down the current in a boat;
Then at this pathway's ending thou wilt be;
There to repose thy panting breath expect;
No more I answer; and this I know for true。〃
And as he finished uttering these words;
A voice close by us sounded: 〃Peradventure
Thou wilt have need of sitting down ere that。〃
At sound thereof each one of us turned round;
And saw upon the left hand a great rock;
Which neither I nor he before had noticed。
Thither we drew; and there were persons there
Who in the shadow stood behind the rock;
As one through indolence is wont to stand。
And one of them; who seemed to me fatigued;
Was sitting down; and both his knees embraced;
Holding his face low down between them bowed。
〃O my sweet Lord;〃 I said; 〃do turn thine eye
On him who shows himself more negligent
Then even Sloth herself his sister were。〃
Then he turned round to us; and he gave heed;
Just lifting up his eyes above his thigh;
And said: 〃Now go thou up; for thou art valiant。〃
Then knew I who he was; and the distress;
That still a little did my breathing quicken;
My going to him hindered not; and after
I came to him he hardly raised his head;
Saying: 〃Hast thou seen clearly how the sun
O'er thy left shoulder drives his chariot?〃
His sluggish attitude and his curt words
A little unto laughter moved my lips;
Then I began: 〃Belacqua; I grieve not
For thee henceforth; but tell me; wherefore seated
In this place art thou? Waitest thou an escort?
Or has thy usual habit seized upon thee?〃
And he: 〃O brother; what's the use of climbing?
Since to my torment would not let me go
The Angel of God; who sitteth at the gate。
First heaven must needs so long revolve me round
Outside thereof; as in my life it did;
Since the good sighs I to the end postponed;
Unless; e'er that; some prayer may bring me aid
Which rises from a heart that lives in grace;
What profit others that in heaven are heard not?〃
Meanwhile the Poet was before me mounting;
And saying: 〃Come now; see the sun has touched
Meridian; and from the shore the night
Covers already with her foot Morocco。〃
Purgatorio: Canto V
I had already from those shades departed