OS CANTO VII. SANNA sanctus Deus Sabaoth, Felices ignes horum malahoth!" This substance, upon which a double light Bowed me again like unto one who drowses. Short while did Beatrice endure me thus ; After what manner a just vengeance justly But I will speedily thy mind unloose; And do thou listen, for these words of mine 5 15 20 By not enduring on the power that wills Curb for his good, that man who ne'er was born, Damning himself damned all his progeny ; Whereby the human species down below Lay sick for many centuries in great error, Till to descend it pleased the Word of God To where the nature, which from its own Maker Estranged itself, he joined to him in person By the sole act of his eternal love. Now unto what is said direct thy sight; This nature when united to its Maker, Such as created, was sincere and good; But by itself alone was banished forth From Paradise, because it turned aside Out of the way of truth and of its life. Therefore the penalty the cross held out, 25 30 35 If measured by the nature thus assumed, None ever yet with so great justice stung, And none was ever of so great injustice, Considering who the Person was that suffered, Within whom such a nature was contracted. From one act therefore issued things diverse; To God and to the Jews one death was pleasing; Earth trembled at it and the Heaven was opened. It should no longer now seem difficult To thee, when it is said that a just vengeance By a just court was afterward avenged. But now do I behold thy mind entangled 45 50 From thought to thought within a knot, from which With great desire it waits to free itself. Thou sayest, 'Well discern I what I hear; Unto the eyes of every one whose nature One gazes long and little is discerned, Has afterwards no end, for ne'er removed 'T is sin alone which doth disfranchise him, 55 60 65 70 75 80 Your nature when it sinned so utterly In its own seed, out of these dignities Had pardon granted, or that man himself Of the eternal counsel, to my speech To satisfy, not having power to sink Far as he disobeying thought to rise; And for this reason man has been from power Therefore it God behoved in his own ways Man to restore unto his perfect life, I say in one, or else in both of them. But since the action of the doer is So much more grateful, as it more presents The goodness of the heart from which it issues, Goodness Divine, that doth imprint the world, Has been contented to proceed by each And all its ways to lift you up again; Nor 'twixt the first day and the final night Such high and such magnificent proceeding By one or by the other was or shall be; 85 90 95 100 105 110 For God more bounteous was himself to give Return I to elucidate one place, In order that thou there mayst see as I do. Thou sayst: 'I see the air, I see the fire, 115 120 The water, and the earth, and all their mixtures 125 In which thou art, created may be called But all the elements which thou hast named, 130 And all those things which out of them are made, By a created virtue are informed. Created was the matter which they have; Created was the informing influence Within these stars that round about them go. 135 140 |