the divine comedy(神曲)-第58节
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〃Shall slay me whosoever findeth me!〃
And fled as the reverberation dies
If suddenly the cloud asunder bursts。
As soon as hearing had a truce from this;
Behold another; with so great a crash;
That it resembled thunderings following fast:
〃I am Aglaurus; who became a stone!〃
And then; to press myself close to the Poet;
I backward; and not forward; took a step。
Already on all sides the air was quiet;
And said he to me: 〃That was the hard curb
That ought to hold a man within his bounds;
But you take in the bait so that the hook
Of the old Adversary draws you to him;
And hence availeth little curb or call。
The heavens are calling you; and wheel around you;
Displaying to you their eternal beauties;
And still your eye is looking on the ground;
Whence He; who all discerns; chastises you。〃
Purgatorio: Canto XV
As much as 'twixt the close of the third hour
And dawn of day appeareth of that sphere
Which aye in fashion of a child is playing;
So much it now appeared; towards the night;
Was of his course remaining to the sun;
There it was evening; and 'twas midnight here;
And the rays smote the middle of our faces;
Because by us the mount was so encircled;
That straight towards the west we now were going
When I perceived my forehead overpowered
Beneath the splendour far more than at first;
And stupor were to me the things unknown;
Whereat towards the summit of my brow
I raised my hands; and made myself the visor
Which the excessive glare diminishes。
As when from off the water; or a mirror;
The sunbeam leaps unto the opposite side;
Ascending upward in the selfsame measure
That it descends; and deviates as far
From falling of a stone in line direct;
(As demonstrate experiment and art;)
So it appeared to me that by a light
Refracted there before me I was smitten;
On which account my sight was swift to flee。
〃What is that; Father sweet; from which I cannot
So fully screen my sight that it avail me;〃
Said I; 〃and seems towards us to be moving?〃
〃Marvel thou not; if dazzle thee as yet
The family of heaven;〃 he answered me;
〃An angel 'tis; who comes to invite us upward。
Soon will it be; that to behold these things
Shall not be grievous; but delightful to thee
As much as nature fashioned thee to feel。〃
When we had reached the Angel benedight;
With joyful voice he said: 〃Here enter in
To stairway far less steep than are the others。〃
We mounting were; already thence departed;
And 〃Beati misericordes〃 was
Behind us sung; 〃Rejoice; thou that o'ercomest!〃
My Master and myself; we two alone
Were going upward; and I thought; in going;
Some profit to acquire from words of his;
And I to him directed me; thus asking:
〃What did the spirit of Romagna mean;
Mentioning interdict and partnership?〃
Whence he to me: 〃Of his own greatest failing
He knows the harm; and therefore wonder not
If he reprove us; that we less may rue it。
Because are thither pointed your desires
Where by companionship each share is lessened;
Envy doth ply the bellows to your sighs。
But if the love of the supernal sphere
Should upwardly direct your aspiration;
There would not be that fear within your breast;
For there; as much the more as one says 'Our;'
So much the more of good each one possesses;
And more of charity in that cloister burns。〃
〃I am more hungering to be satisfied;〃
I said; 〃than if I had before been silent;
And more of doubt within my mind I gather。
How can it be; that boon distributed
The more possessors can more wealthy make
Therein; than if by few it be possessed?〃
And he to me: 〃Because thou fixest still
Thy mind entirely upon earthly things;
Thou pluckest darkness from the very light。
That goodness infinite and ineffable
Which is above there; runneth unto love;
As to a lucid body comes the sunbeam。
So much it gives itself as it finds ardour;
So that as far as charity extends;
O'er it increases the eternal valour。
And the more people thitherward aspire;
More are there to love well; and more they love there;
And; as a mirror; one reflects the other。
And if my reasoning appease thee not;
Thou shalt see Beatrice; and she will fully
Take from thee this and every other longing。
Endeavour; then; that soon may be extinct;
As are the two already; the five wounds
That close themselves again by being painful。〃
Even as I wished to say; 〃Thou dost appease me;〃
I saw that I had reached another circle;
So that my eager eyes made me keep silence。
There it appeared to me that in a vision
Ecstatic on a sudden I was rapt;
And in a temple many persons saw;
And at the door a woman; with the sweet
Behaviour of a mother; saying: 〃Son;
Why in this manner hast thou dealt with us?
Lo; sorrowing; thy father and myself
Were seeking for thee;〃and as here she ceased;
That which appeared at first had disappeared。
Then I beheld another with those waters
Adown her cheeks which grief distils whenever
From great disdain of others it is born;
And saying: 〃If of that city thou art lord;
For whose name was such strife among the gods;
And whence doth every science scintillate;
Avenge thyself on those audacious arms
That clasped our daughter; O Pisistratus;〃
And the lord seemed to me benign and mild
To answer her with aspect temperate:
〃What shall we do to those who wish us ill;
If he who loves us be by us condemned?〃
Then saw I people hot in fire of wrath;
With stones a young man slaying; clamorously
Still crying to each other; 〃Kill him! kill him!〃
And him I saw bow down; because of death
That weighed already on him; to the earth;
But of his eyes made ever gates to heaven;
Imploring the high Lord; in so great strife;
That he would pardon those his persecutors;
With such an aspect as unlocks compassion。
Soon as my soul had outwardly returned
To things external to it which are true;
Did I my not false errors recognize。
My Leader; who could see me bear myself
Like to a man that rouses him from sleep;
Exclaimed: 〃What ails thee; that thou canst not stand?
But hast been coming more than half a league
Veiling thine eyes; and with thy legs entangled;
In guise of one whom wine or sleep subdues?〃
〃O my sweet Father; if thou listen to me;
I'll tell thee;〃 said I; 〃what appeared to me;
When thus from me my legs were ta'en away。〃
And he: 〃If thou shouldst have a hundred masks
Upon thy face; from me would not be shut
Thy cogitations; howsoever small。
What thou hast seen was that thou mayst not fail
To ope thy heart unto the waters of peace;
Which from the eternal fountain are diffused。
I did not ask; 'What ails thee?' as he does
Who only looketh with the eyes that see not
When of the soul bereft the body lies;
But asked it to give vigour to thy feet;
Thus must we needs urge on the sluggards; slow
To use their wakefulness when it returns。〃
We passed along; athwart the twilight peering
Forward as far as ever eye could stretch
Against the sunbeams serotine and lucent;
And lo! by slow degrees a smoke approached
In our direction; sombre as the night;
Nor was there place to hide one's self therefrom。
This of our eyes and the pure air bereft us。
Purgatorio: Canto XVI
Darkness of hell; and of a night deprived
Of every planet under a poor sky;
As much as may be tenebrous with cloud;
Ne'er made unto my sight so thick a veil;
As did that smoke which there enveloped us;
Nor to the feeling of so rough a texture;
For not an eye it suffered to stay open;
Whereat mine escort; faithful and sagacious;
Drew near to me and offered me his shoulder。
E'en as a blind man goes behind his guide;
Lest he should wander; or should strike against
Aught that may harm or peradventure kill him;
So went I through the bitter and foul air;
Listening unto my Leader; who said only;
〃Look that from me thou be not separated。〃
Voices I heard; and every one appeared
To supplicate for peace and misericord
The Lamb of God who takes away our sins。
Still 〃Agnus Dei〃 their exordium was;
One word there was in all; and metre one;
So that all harmony appeared among them。
〃Master;〃 I said; 〃are spirits those I hear?〃
And he to me: 〃Thou apprehendest truly;
And they the knot of anger go unloosing。〃
〃Now who art thou; that cleavest through our smoke
And art discoursing of us even as though
Thou didst by calends still divide the time?〃
After this manner by a voice was spoken;
Whereon my Master said: 〃Do thou reply;
And ask if on this side the way go upward。〃
And I: 〃O creature that dost cleanse thyself
To return beautiful to Him who made thee;
Thou shalt hear marvels if thou follow me。〃
〃Thee will I follow far as is allowed me;〃
He answered; 〃and if smoke prevent our seeing;
Hearing shall keep us joined instead thereof。〃
Thereon began I: 〃With that swathing band
Which death unwindeth am I going upward;
And hither came I through the infernal anguish。
And if God in his