Canto XXIX
CANTO XXIX
Moved by love, Matelda now sings, “Blessed are those whose sins are covered,” as she and Dante move upstream with short steps. After they have gone some fifty paces, the river turns at a right angle to the east, and the enamored lady exhorts the Pilgrim to look and listen (1–15). What seems to be a prolonged flash of lightning provokes Dante’s sense of wonder, and a dulcet melody moves him to lament the sin of Eve, which forfeited Eden for him. The sky now blazes like fire, and the sweet melody becomes intelligible as song (16–42). Then, first appearing as seven golden trees but soon revealed as lighted candlesticks representing the seven spirits of God, a procession slowly marches towards the Poet. As his attention is totally absorbed by the spectacle, Matelda rebukes him for concentrating too exclusively on the front of the pageant (43–63). Twenty-four white-clad elders wearing fleur-de-lis crowns and symbolizing the books of the Old Testament then advance behind the candlesticks, whose flames streak the sky with rainbow streamers; they move forth, singing a song reminiscent of the angel Gabriel’s words to Mary (64–87). Next, typifying the Gospels, four living creatures wreathed with green leaves follow, each with six wings studded with eyes (88–105). Within their midst, on the wheels of the Franciscan and Dominican orders, rolls the chariot of the Church, drawn by a griffin illustrating the divine and human natures of Christ. His wings rise up to span the middle streamer of color trailing the candlesticks (107–120). To the right dance three ladies colored white, green, and red to signify the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, while to the left spin four more garbed in purplish red to betoken the cardinal moral virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance (121–132). A figure of St. Luke, the “beloved physician,” follows and stands for the Acts of the Apostles, just as a figure of St. Paul, armed with the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, stands for the Major Epistles (133–141). Bringing up the rear are four elders of humble appearance corresponding to the Minor Epistles of James, Peter, John, and Jude, and then alone a somnambular but keen-faced elder suggesting the Book of Revelation of the visionary St. John. These last seven are also gowned in white, but wear laurels of roses. Finally, a thunderclap brings the procession to a halt (142–154).
1 Next, like a lady moved by love, she sang;
“Beati quorum” (her first words all done)
With “tecta sunt peccata” further rang.[493]
4 And as in times of old the nymphs would run
On solitary ways through sylvan shade,
One keen to see and one to flee the sun,
7 So, moving counter to the stream, she strayed[494]
Along the bank; abreast of her I paced
As little footsteps matching hers were made.
10 No hundred feet between us had been traced
When both our banks then made an equal veer
In such a way that towards the east I faced.
13 Nor had our path led very far when here
That lovely lady fully turned about
And said: “Behold, my brother, and give ear.”
16 And suddenly a brightness shot throughout
That mighty forest in its every part;
It seemed like lightning, though I was in doubt;
19 For lightnings end as quickly as they start,
But this one, lasting, yet increased its glare;
“What thing is this?” I thought within my heart.
22 A melody ran through the lustrous air,
And, being sweet, it caused me to upbraid
From righteous zeal the sin that Eve would dare.
25 For here, when earth and heaven had obeyed,
A single maid, our newly fashioned bale,[495]
Could not endure the cover on her laid.[496]
28 Had she remained devout beneath that veil,
I would have known untold delights before
And spent a longer time among them hale.
31 Mid such first fruits of endless pleasure’s store,
Which quite enraptured me, I strode along
While still desirous of those joys and more.
34 And there in front of us, now blazing strong,
The air beneath the verdant boughs became
Like fire, and those sweet sounds were heard as song.
37 O Virgins sacrosanct, if for your name[497]
I’ve suffered hunger, vigils, cold, or worse,
Spurred on by need, my recompense I claim.
40 And now its streams must Helicon disburse[498]
As must Uranïa’s own choir lend aid[499]
To put things difficult to think in verse.
43 Soon after, seven trees seemed overlaid
With gold, or so at least did it appear—
Between us lay a lengthy tract of glade.
46 But when I had approached to them so near
That now the common object, which deceived[500]
My senses, lost no traits to distance here,
49 The pow’r that readies reason’s stuff perceived[501]
That they were candlesticks (they were, all right)
And heard “Hosannas” singing voices weaved.
52 The fair array, above us, flamed alight;
Nor would the moon within a lucid sky
At midnight in mid-month shine yet so bright.
55 And filled with wonderment, I turned to eye
Good Virgil’s face, and, no less stupefied
In looks than I had been, he made reply.
58 I turned my gaze, and lofty things were spied
That came advancing towards us but so slow
They’d have been passed by any new-made bride.
61 The lady asked: “Why are you burning so
To see the living lights and don’t besides
Look also at what after them will show?”
64 I then saw some, as if behind their guides,
Come afterwards, and they were dressed in white—
And such a white as never here resides!
67 The waters on my left took in the light
And would have shown to me my left-hand side
—If I had looked there—as a mirror might.
70 When on the bank I found a place to bide,
Where I was just a river’s breadth away,
To get a better view, I stayed my stride.
73 I saw the flames advancing their display,
Which left the air behind themselves aglow;
As streaming pennons look, so too did they.
76 Above were streaks remaining from the flow
Of seven bands, which show forth every hue
Whence Delia makes her belt, the sun his bow.[502]
79 The banners went back farther than my view;
Between the outermost there had to be
Ten paces, if what I had judged was true.
82 Beneath the lovely sky described by me
Came four and twenty elders, two by two;
They all were wearing crowns of fleur-de-lis.
85 And each was singing: “Benedicta you[503]
Among the daughters of all Adam’s race,
And blest forever be your beauties too!”
88 When flowers and fresh herbage in the place
That faced me, on the other bank, nearby,
Were free from those elect for but a space,
91 As stars on stars will follow in the sky,
So now, each crowned with verdant fronds like kings,
Four living creatures after them came by.
94 And each of them was pinioned with six wings,
Their plumes all eyes; if living in his prime,
The eyes of Argus would be like such things.[504]
97 I cannot, Reader, waste another rhyme
Depicting them; constrained to spend henceforth
On other needs, I can’t give this more time.
100 But read Ezekiel who sets them forth
Amidst the winds and clouds and fires that rage;
He saw them coming from the frosty north.
103 And just as you shall find them on his page,
So were they also here, the wings aside,
Where John’s with me, departing from that sage.[505]
106 A chariot, triumphal, occupied
The space between those four as on two wheels,
Drawn at a griffin’s neck, it came in stride.[506]
109 His one and other pinion upward steals
To flank the middle band mid three and three,
Yet, cleaving, does no harm that any feels.
112 Those wings rose higher than the eye could see;
Where he was bird, his parts were golden there,
Red mixed with white in all the rest was he.
115 Rome never gladdened with a car so fair
An Africanus or Augustus, nay![507]
That of the sun but poorly would compare—
118 That of the sun, which, having gone astray,
Was once consumed at Earth’s devoutest prayer
When Jove was just in secrecy one day.[508]
121 Three ladies in a round came dancing where[509]
The right wheel was, with one so red in tone
She’d scarcely have been noticed in a flare.
124 The other was as if both flesh and bone
Were made of emerald; then, at the last,
Like newly-fallen snow, the third one shone.
127 It seemed that now the white one drew them past,
And now the ruddy one, whose singing led
The others in their movements, slow and fast.
130 And on the left, attired in purplish red,
Four more made festival, as one, their queen,
Supplied the lead; three eyes were in her head.[510]
133 Behind the group I have described were seen
Two elders, who, unlike in dress, drew near,
Though like in bearing, dignified, serene.
136 One showed that he was kindred by his gear
To great Hippocrates, whom Nature made
For all those creatures that she holds most dear.[511]
139 A counter-care the other one displayed;
His sword was sharpened and of such a sheen
That, though across the stream, I felt afraid.
142 I then beheld four more of humble mien;
Alone, an elder after them came round,
And though he was asleep, his face was keen.
145 The seven coming on were also gowned[512]
Just like the former group, except that now
Their heads with lily-garlands were not crowned
148 But with the rose and such red blooms; and how
One would have sworn, if not so near at hand,
That all were set aflame above the brow!
151 When, facing me, that car had come to stand,
A thunderclap was heard; it seemed indeed
Those worthy people’s further march was banned.
154 They halted there, the emblems in the lead.