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128. “Regina celi “is a Church hymn sung at Easter in praise of the virgin Mary, the “Queen of Heaven. ”
135. “Babylonian exile” is a reference from the Old Testament that came to signify the earthly life.
And here, victorious, beneath the Son of God and Mary and amid the good souls of the Old and the New Covenant
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triumphs the one who holds the keys to glory.
CANTO XXIV
BEATRICE SOLEMNLY REQUESTS that the Pilgrim be allowed to partake in some way of the Divine Knowledge of the souls in this sphere. From the brightest group of spinning lights the brightest light of St. Peter comes forth in answer to Beatrice’s request and circles her three times. Beatrice asks St. Peter to test her ward on his faith, not that there is any question about it but rather so that he may have the opportunity to glorify it here in this heaven. St. Peter first asks the Pilgrim to define Faith, then he asks him if he possesses it, and finally he inquires about the source of his faith and how he knows that the source is valid. As a sign of their approval of his answers, all the souls there sing out “Te Deum laudamus. ” Then the great saint asks the Pilgrim to confess to him what he personally believes and to tell how it was made known to him. Because the Pilgrim has answered so well, St. Peter joyfully blesses him, and singing, he circles him three times.
“O fellowship of those chosen to feast at the great supper of the Lamb of God Who feeds you, satisfying all your needs,
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if by the grace of God this man foretaste of what falls from the table of the Blest before the hour death prescribes for him,
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consider his immeasurable thirst; bedew him with a few drops, for you drink forever from the Source of this man’s thoughts. ”
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Thus Beatrice. Then those blissful souls started to spin in circles on fixed poles, each looking like a comet flaming bright.
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As wheels in clocks are synchronized to move, one slowly, looked at closely, almost still— the other seems to fly compared to it,
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just so those whirling wheels by different ly dancing, through their movement, fast or slow, revealed to me the measure of their bliss.
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From one that spun the richest light I saw emerge a flame so radiant with joy, no greater brightness danced within the sphere;
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three times it circled Beatrice’s soul accompanied by music so divine my memory cannot recapture it,
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and so, my pen skips over such detail— not fantasy nor words are good enough to paint the subtle folds of Heaven’s light.
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“O holy sister mine, the burning love that glows within your earnest prayer to us releases me to you from my bright sphere. ”
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That sacred fire, once it stopped circling her, breathed forth his words directly to my lady, saying precisely what I said above.
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And she: “Eternal light of the great man to whom Our Lord brought down and did bequeath the keys to this, our paradise of joy,
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now test this man on questions grave or light, as pleases you, pertaining to that faith by means of which you once walked on the sea.
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If love and hope and faith he truly has, you will know, for your eyes are fixed upon the place where everything that is is seen.
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But since this realm was won by citizens of the true faith, fitting it is for him to glorify it by discussing it. ”
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42. The “place” is God. Just as a bachelor arms his mind with thought in silence till his master sets the question to be discussed but not decided on,
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so did I arm myself with arguments while she was speaking, that I be prepared for such a questioner and such a creed.
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“Speak up, good Christian, and declare yourself! Faith, what is Faith?” At which I raised my eyes to look upon the light that breathed these words;
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and then I turned to look at Beatrice whose glance was urging me to let pour forth the waters welling up within my soul.
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“May the same Grace that grants me to profess my faith before the great centurion, ” I said, “grant that my thoughts be well expressed.
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And I went on: “As the veracious pen, father, of your dear brother, who with you set Rome upon the path of true faith, wrote:
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Faith is the substance of those hoped-for things and argument for things we have not seen. And this I take to be its quiddity. ”
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Next I heard: “You are right but only if you understand why Faith is classified as substance first and then as argument.” 69 I answered: “The deep mysteries of Heaven that generously reveal themselves to me are so concealed from man’s eyes down on earth
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that they exist there only in belief; on such a base is high hope built—it is substant by its own nature, one could say.
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And since from this belief we must construct logical proofs for what cannot be seen, by nature, this partakes of argument. “
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62. The “dear brother” is St. Paul.
Then I heard: “If, on earth, all that is learned by mortal minds is so well understood, there would be no place for the sophist’s wit. ”
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That burning love breathed forth these words, and then he added: “Now that you have thoroughly examined both this coin’s alloy and weight,
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tell me, do you have such coin in your purse?” I answered: “Yes I do, so bright and round, I have no doubt as to its quality. ”
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Then from the depths of that light’s radiance poured the words: “This inestimable gem upon which every other virtue sets,
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where did you get it?” I: “The bountiful rain of the Holy Spirit showering the parchments, Old and New, is to my mind
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unquestionable certainty of Faith, so accurate that any other proof compared to it would sound most unconvincing. ”
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I heard: “These premises, the Old and New, which you believe to be conclusive proof, how do you know they are God’s holy word?”
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And I: “The proof that what I read is true is in the works that followed: Nature’s hand could never heat or forge that kind of iron. ”
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Then the reply: “Tell me, how do you know that these works ever were? You use as proof, and nothing more, what still needs to be proved. ”
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“If the world turned to Christ without the help of miracles, ” I said, “then that would be a miracle far greater than them all,
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for you, hungry and poor, entered the field to sow the good plant of the faith that once grew as a vine and now is but a thorn. ”
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89. The “inestimable gem” is Faith.
I said this, and the high and holy choir let ring “Te Deum laudamus “through the spheres in strains of music heard only in Heaven.
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That Baron who had led me branch by branch, examining my faith, to where we now were getting closer to the topmost leaves,
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spoke out again: “The Grace that lovingly speaks with your mind, parting your lips, till now has let them speak the way they should, and I
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approve of what I heard come from your mouth. But now you must declare your creed to me, and then tell me the source of your belief. ”
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“O holy father, spirit who now sees that faith confirmed that led him to the tomb, though younger feet than his arrived there first, ”
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I answered him, “you want me to reveal the form of my unhesitating faith, and you have asked the reason for its being.
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I tell you: I believe in one, sole God eternal Who, unmoved, moves all the heavens that spin in His love and in His desire;
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and for such faith as mine I have the proofs not only of physics and metaphysics, but of that truth which rains down from this realm
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through Moses, through the Prophets, through the Psalms, and through the Gospel and through you who wrote once kindled by the Holy Spirit’s tongue;
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and I believe in three eternal Beings, an Essence that is One as well as Three where is and are describe it equally.
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Concerning this profound and holy state of which I speak, the teachings of the Gospel, in many places, has made up my mind.
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This is the source, this is the very spark which then ignites into a living flame and like a star in Heaven lights my mind. ”
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Then, as a lord delighted with the message delivered by his page embraces him, rejoicing in the happy news he bears,
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thus, singing benedictions over me, the apostolic light that bid me speak, when I was silent, circled me three times,
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so much delight my words had given him.
CANTO XXV
THE CANTO OPENS with an expression of the Poet’s hope to be able to return by means of his poetic endeavors to Florence, and there at the site of his baptism into the faith receive the poet’s crown. Then Beatrice points out St. James, who has just approached and greeted St. Peter. Beatrice initiates the second examination by asking St. James to make Hope heard in this sphere. Encouragingly, the saint tells the Pilgrim to look up and have confidence, and then poses the following questions: What is Hope? What is its source? What does it promise? When he answers the questions correctly, all the souls from above sing, “Sperent in te. ” Then a third light, whom Beatrice identifies as St. John, joins Peter and James in their dance. Intent on seeing with his own eyes if the legend concerning St. John’s body being taken to Heaven with his soul was true, the Pilgrim stares fixedly at the glowing saint, who perceives the Pilgrim’s curiosity and replies that his body has turned to dust on earth and that until the Day of Judgment only Christ and the Virgin Mary possess both body and soul. As the Pilgrim listens and looks at the light of St. John he loses his sight and is troubled that he can no longer see his guide, Beatrice.
If ever it happen that this sacred poem to which both Heaven and Earth have set their hand, and made me lean from laboring so long,
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wins over those cruel hearts that exile me from my sweet fold where I grew up a lamb, foe to the wolves that war upon it now,
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with a changed voice and with another fleece, I shall return, a poet, and at my own baptismal font assume the laurel wreath,
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for it was there I entered in the faith that counts God’s souls for Him, the faith for which Peter just turned himself into my crown.
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And then a light began to move toward us out of the sphere which had produced that rare first fruit of Christ’s own vicarage on earth;
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whereat, my lady, radiant with joy, said to me: “Look, look there! You see the Baron who draws souls to Galicia down on earth. ”
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As when a dove alights beside its mate, and it begins to coo and circle round the other in expression of its love,
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even so did I behold one glorious and great lord greet the other as the two sang praises for the feast that Heaven serves.
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Then, once the joyful greetings were exchanged they stopped and stood in silence coram me — their brilliance was too powerful for sight.
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17-18. The Baron is St. James the Apostle (the same term is applied to St. Peter in Canto XXIV, 115). James was the son of the fisherman Zebedee and Salome, and the brother of John the Apostle and Evangelist.
23. The “two” are St. Peter and St. James.
26. Coram me is Latin, meaning “in front of me. ”
And then my Beatrice, smiling, said: “Illustrious life, the one chosen to write of the largesse of our celestial Court,
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make hope resound throughout this heaven’s height: you can, you were its symbol all those times Jesus bestowed more light upon His three. ”
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“Lift up your head and reassure yourself, for all that rises from the mortal world must ripen here in our own radiance. ”
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These words of strength came from the second flame, whereby, up to those hills I raised my eyes, which had been lowered by excessive brilliance,
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“Since of His grace our Emperor has willed that you before your death come face to face with His own Counts in His most secret hall,
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that, having seen the truth of our Court here, you, in yourself and others, may give strength to Hope which makes men love the good on earth,
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now tell me what is Hope, how much of it thrives in your mind, and where your Hope comes from. ” So spoke the second light a second time.
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And that devout one who on my high flight had guided every feather of my wings anticipated my reply, and said:
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“There is no son of the Church Militant with greater hope than his, as you can read in Him whose radiance lights all our host;
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and this is why he is allowed to come from Egypt to behold Jerusalem before his fighting days on earth are done.
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42. The “Counts” are the saints (cf. feudal terminology in 17 and 40); the “most secret hall” is the Empyrean.
56. Egypt represents life on earth (see Psalm 113:1), and it makes allusion to the slavery of the Jews in Egypt (see Purgatory II, 46), while Jerusalem stands for the City of God (see Hebrews 12:22).
The two remaining questions you have asked not for your sake, but that he may report to men on earth how much you cherish Hope—
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I leave to him: they are not difficult nor is self-praise involved. So let him speak, and may he answer with the grace of God. ”
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As pupil answering his teacher would, ready and willing to display his worth, so well-versed in his subject, I said, “Hope
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is sure expectancy of future bliss to be inherited—the holy fruit of God’s own grace and man’s precedent worth.
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From many stars this light comes to my mind, but he who first instilled it in my heart was highest singer of the Highest Lord.
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’Let them have hope in Thee who know Thy name, ’ so sings his sacred song. And who does not know of That Name if he has faith like mine?
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And in your own epistle you instilled me with his dew, till now I overflow and pour again your shower upon others. ”
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While I was saying this, within that living bosom of luminescence flashed a flame, repeating quick and bright as lightning strikes.
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It breathed: “The love that always burns in me for Hope, that followed me even to the palm and the departure from the battlefield,
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moves me to speak again to you who loves this virtue: give me joy by telling me what promise does your Hope make to your soul. ”
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And I: “The Old and the New Testaments define the goal—which points me to the promise— of those souls that Our Lord has made His friends.
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71-72. He “who first instilled” is David, the Psalmist.
Isaiah testifies that every man in his homeland shall wear a double raiment, and his homeland is this sweet life of bliss.
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There is also your brother, where he writes about the white robes—he makes manifest this revelation more explicitly. ”
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And, on the sound of
my last word I heard ring out “Sperent in te “above my head, and all the dancing spheres gave their response,
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Then, one among those lights became so bright that if the Crab possessed just one such star, winter would have one month of one long day.
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As a young girl rises and in her joy rushes to dance in honor of the bride without a thought of showing off herself,
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so did I see that brilliant splendor rush to reach the two circles that whirled in dance whose rhythm was in tune with their great love.
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It joined them in their dance and in their song; and all the while my lady, like a bride, stood gazing at them, motionless and quiet.
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“This is the one who lay upon the breast of our own Pelican; he is the one who from the Cross assumed the great bequest. ”
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These were the words my lady said to me, but no more after than before she spoke did she once take her eyes away from them.
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As one who squints and strains his eyes to see a little of the sun in its eclipse, and who through looking can no longer look,
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91-93. The “double raiment” is the union of body and soul in Heaven. (See Isaiah 61:7.)
so did I stare at that last blaze of light until I heard the words: “Why blind yourself by looking for what has no place up here?”
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My body is in earth as earth, and there it lies with others till our number is the predetermined total set by God.
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Two Lights and no more, were allowed to rise straight to our cloister clad in double robes— explain this to your world when you go back. ”
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His voice had stopped the flaming circle’s dance, and with it stopped the mingling of sweet sound breathed by that triune breath in harmony,
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as oars, driven through water at a pace, stop all together when a whistle blows, to signal danger or prevent fatigue.
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Ah, the strange feeling running through my mind when I turned then to look at Beatrice only to find I could not see, and she
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so close to me, and we in Paradise!
CANTO XXVI
ST. JOHN BEGINS the third and final examination on Love by asking the Pilgrim what the final goal of his love is, assuring him in the meantime that Beatrice has the power to restore his sight. The Pilgrim answers that the beginning and end of his love is God. Having satisfactorily answered this question, the Pilgrim is required to tell precisely how and why he is drawn to right love. When he answers correctly, the whole assembly together with Beatrice sings “Holy, Holy, Holy “and the Pil-grim regains his sight. He is surprised to see that another light has joined the three there beside him. It is Adam, who immediately discerns the Pilgrim’s questions in the mind of God and tells the Pilgrim so. He has four questions for Adam: how long ago was he created, how much time did he spend in the Earthly Paradise, what did he do to provoke God’s wrath, and what language did he speak.