Purgatorio, Canto 32
Dante Alighieri · Italian original · new English translation and commentary by Text Atlas
Overview
Dante's senses are absorbed by Beatrice's unveiled beauty until the theological virtues turn his gaze back to the procession. The pageant reverses through the Earthly Paradise, Beatrice descends, and the griffin binds the chariot's pole to the stripped tree of Adam's fall, which then blossoms with a new color while a hymn exceeds Dante's understanding. Dante sleeps and wakes beside Matelda, who shows him Beatrice sitting under the new foliage as guardian of the chariot. Beatrice promises his brief Edenic sojourn and future citizenship in Rome where Christ is Roman, then commands him to watch the chariot for the world's sake. He sees the chariot violently struck and corrupted through eagle, fox, eagle feathering, heavenly lament, dragon, feathered overgrowth, monstrous heads, harlot, and giant, until the monster is dragged away into the wood.
Narrative arc
- Dante's decade-long thirst fixes on Beatrice until the virtues interrupt his gaze
- The heavenly procession turns back and the griffin moves the chariot
- The company circles the stripped tree and blesses the griffin's obedience
- The chariot pole is bound to the tree, which renews in color while the hymn exceeds Dante
- Dante passes over the mystery of his sleep and wakes beside Matelda
- Beatrice sits beneath the new foliage and commands Dante to witness for the world
- The eagle strikes the chariot and the fox is driven from it
- The eagle feathers the chariot, Heaven laments, the dragon tears it, and feathers cover what remains
- The holy structure becomes a monster bearing the harlot and giant before being dragged through the wood
Central themes
- Beatrice
Dante's decade-long thirst fixes on Beatrice until the virtues interrupt his gaze XXXII.1–15
1Tant’ eran li occhi miei fissi e attenti
a disbramarsi la decenne sete,
che li altri sensi m’eran tutti spenti.
Ed essi quinci e quindi avien parete
5di non caler—così lo santo riso
a sé traéli con l’antica rete!—;
quando per forza mi fu vòlto il viso
ver’ la sinistra mia da quelle dee,
perch’ io udi’ da loro un «Troppo fiso!»;
10e la disposizion ch’a veder èe
ne li occhi pur testé dal sol percossi,
sanza la vista alquanto esser mi fée.
Ma poi ch’al poco il viso riformossi
(e dico ‘al poco’ per rispetto al molto
15sensibile onde a forza mi rimossi),
1So fixed and intent were my eyes
on satisfying their decade-long thirst,
that all my other senses were extinguished.
And they had, on this side and on that, a wall
5of not caring--so strongly the holy smile
drew them to itself with the ancient net!--
when by force my face was turned
toward my left by those goddesses,
for I heard from them, "Too fixedly!"
10and the condition made for seeing
in eyes just then struck by the sun
left me for a little while without sight.
But when my sight reshaped itself to the lesser thing
(and I say "lesser" in respect to the great
15visible object from which I was forced away),
Commentary
The passage gives the decade-long thirst after Beatrice, the theological virtues' interruption of Dante's too-fixed gaze, and the temporary failure of vision after the higher visible object has dazzled him.
XXXII.1–3 The decade reaches back to Beatrice's death and Dante's long deprivation of her living presence.
XXXII.1–3 The decade reaches back to Beatrice's death and Dante's long deprivation of her living presence. Line 2: The decade reaches back to Beatrice's death and Dante's long deprivation of her living presence.
XXXII.2 The decade reaches back to Beatrice's death and Dante's long deprivation of her living presence. The decade reaches back to Beatrice's death and Dante's long deprivation of her living presence.
XXXII.4–6 The love-net image keeps Beatrice's beauty compelling but not yet the whole of Dante's required attention.
XXXII.4–6 The love-net image keeps Beatrice's beauty compelling but not yet the whole of Dante's required attention. Line 6: The love-net image keeps Beatrice's beauty compelling but not yet the whole of Dante's required attention.
XXXII.6 The love-net image keeps Beatrice's beauty compelling but not yet the whole of Dante's required attention. The love-net image keeps Beatrice's beauty compelling but not yet the whole of Dante's required attention.
XXXII.7–9 The three theological virtues interrupt Dante's overfixed gaze so he can resume the commanded witness-work.
XXXII.7–9 The three theological virtues interrupt Dante's overfixed gaze so he can resume the commanded witness-work. Line 8: The three theological virtues interrupt Dante's overfixed gaze so he can resume the commanded witness-work.
XXXII.8 The three theological virtues interrupt Dante's overfixed gaze so he can resume the commanded witness-work. The three theological virtues interrupt Dante's overfixed gaze so he can resume the commanded witness-work.
XXXII.13–15 The 'great visible object' is Beatrice as seen after the unveiling, not a generic brightness.
XXXII.13–15 The 'great visible object' is Beatrice as seen after the unveiling, not a generic brightness. Line 15: The 'great visible object' is Beatrice as seen after the unveiling, not a generic brightness.
XXXII.15 The 'great visible object' is Beatrice as seen after the unveiling, not a generic brightness. The 'great visible object' is Beatrice as seen after the unveiling, not a generic brightness.
The heavenly procession turns back and the griffin moves the chariot XXXII.16–30
16vidi ’n sul braccio destro esser rivolto
lo glorïoso essercito, e tornarsi
col sole e con le sette fiamme al volto.
Come sotto li scudi per salvarsi
20volgesi schiera, e sé gira col segno,
prima che possa tutta in sé mutarsi;
quella milizia del celeste regno
che procedeva, tutta trapassonne
pria che piegasse il carro il primo legno.
25Indi a le rote si tornar le donne,
e ’l grifon mosse il benedetto carco
sì, che però nulla penna crollonne.
La bella donna che mi trasse al varco
e Stazio e io seguitavam la rota
30che fé l’orbita sua con minore arco.
16I saw, on its right flank, turned around
the glorious army, and returning
with the sun and the seven flames in its face.
As under shields, to save itself,
20a troop turns and wheels itself with the standard
before the whole can change its front;
so that soldiery of the heavenly kingdom
that had been leading passed wholly by us
before the chariot bent round its forward beam.
25Then the ladies returned to the wheels,
and the griffin moved the blessed burden
so that not one feather shook because of it.
The beautiful lady who drew me through the ford,
and Statius and I were following the wheel
30that made its track with the smaller arc.
Commentary
The procession makes a military turn: the chariot pole is the key turning element, the ladies return to the wheels, and the griffin moves the chariot without disturbing any feather.
XXXII.22–24 The first timber is the chariot pole or shaft, crucial for the later binding to the tree.
XXXII.22–24 The first timber is the chariot pole or shaft, crucial for the later binding to the tree. Line 24: The first timber is the chariot pole or shaft, crucial for the later binding to the tree.
XXXII.24 The first timber is the chariot pole or shaft, crucial for the later binding to the tree. The first timber is the chariot pole or shaft, crucial for the later binding to the tree.
XXXII.25–27 The blessed burden is the chariot, kept literal before its later deformation. The unshaken feathers preserve the griffin's stability while the Church-chariot is moved.
XXXII.25–27 The blessed burden is the chariot, kept literal before its later deformation. Line 26: The blessed burden is the chariot, kept literal before its later deformation. Line 27: The unshaken feathers preserve the griffin's stability while the Church-chariot is moved.
XXXII.26 The blessed burden is the chariot, kept literal before its later deformation. The blessed burden is the chariot, kept literal before its later deformation.
XXXII.27 The unshaken feathers preserve the griffin's stability while the Church-chariot is moved. The unshaken feathers preserve the griffin's stability while the Church-chariot is moved.
XXXII.28–30 Matelda remains unnamed in the Italian line; the translation keeps the descriptive phrase.
XXXII.28–30 Matelda remains unnamed in the Italian line; the translation keeps the descriptive phrase. Line 28: Matelda remains unnamed in the Italian line; the translation keeps the descriptive phrase.
XXXII.28 Matelda remains unnamed in the Italian line; the translation keeps the descriptive phrase. Matelda remains unnamed in the Italian line; the translation keeps the descriptive phrase.
The company circles the stripped tree and blesses the griffin's obedience XXXII.31–48
31Sì passeggiando l’alta selva vòta,
colpa di quella ch’al serpente crese,
temprava i passi un’angelica nota.
Forse in tre voli tanto spazio prese
35disfrenata saetta, quanto eramo
rimossi, quando Bëatrice scese.
Io senti’ mormorare a tutti «Adamo»;
poi cerchiaro una pianta dispogliata
di foglie e d’altra fronda in ciascun ramo.
40La coma sua, che tanto si dilata
più quanto più è sù, fora da l’Indi
ne’ boschi lor per altezza ammirata.
«Beato se’, grifon, che non discindi
col becco d’esto legno dolce al gusto,
45poscia che mal si torce il ventre quindi».
Così dintorno a l’albero robusto
gridaron li altri; e l’animal binato:
«Sì si conserva il seme d’ogne giusto».
31Thus pacing through the high, empty wood,
empty by fault of the one who trusted the serpent,
an angelic note tempered our steps.
Perhaps in three flights as much space was taken
35by an arrow released from the rein, as we
had moved on, when Beatrice descended.
I heard them all murmur "Adam";
then they circled a tree stripped
of leaves and every other green on each branch.
40Its crown, which spreads out so much
the more it is above, would be from the Indians
in their forests admired for height.
"Blessed are you, griffin, who do not split
with your beak this wood sweet to the taste,
45since from it the belly is twisted badly."
So around the sturdy tree
the others cried; and the twofold animal:
"So is preserved the seed of every just one."
Commentary
This passage covers the company circles the stripped tree and blesses the griffin's obedience.
XXXII.31–33 Eve is not named directly; the line keeps the fault and trust language.
XXXII.31–33 Eve is not named directly; the line keeps the fault and trust language. Line 32: Eve is not named directly; the line keeps the fault and trust language.
XXXII.32 Eve is not named directly; the line keeps the fault and trust language. Eve is not named directly; the line keeps the fault and trust language.
XXXII.34–36 Beatrice's descent from the chariot marks a new stage in the pageant.
XXXII.34–36 Beatrice's descent from the chariot marks a new stage in the pageant. Line 36: Beatrice's descent from the chariot marks a new stage in the pageant.
XXXII.36 Beatrice's descent from the chariot marks a new stage in the pageant. Beatrice's descent from the chariot marks a new stage in the pageant.
XXXII.37–39 The stripped tree holds the Edenic prohibition and the later cross/chariot-pole pressure without naming either in the line.
XXXII.37–39 The stripped tree holds the Edenic prohibition and the later cross/chariot-pole pressure without naming either in the line. Line 39: The stripped tree holds the Edenic prohibition and the later cross/chariot-pole pressure without naming either in the line.
XXXII.39 The stripped tree holds the Edenic prohibition and the later cross/chariot-pole pressure without naming either in the line. The stripped tree holds the Edenic prohibition and the later cross/chariot-pole pressure without naming either in the line.
XXXII.40–42 The inverted widening as the tree rises remains strange and visible.
XXXII.40–42 The inverted widening as the tree rises remains strange and visible. Line 42: The inverted widening as the tree rises remains strange and visible.
XXXII.42 The inverted widening as the tree rises remains strange and visible. The inverted widening as the tree rises remains strange and visible.
XXXII.43–45 The line keeps the bodily consequence of tasting the forbidden wood.
XXXII.43–45 The line keeps the bodily consequence of tasting the forbidden wood. Line 45: The line keeps the bodily consequence of tasting the forbidden wood.
XXXII.45 The line keeps the bodily consequence of tasting the forbidden wood. The line keeps the bodily consequence of tasting the forbidden wood.
XXXII.46–48 The griffin remains 'twofold' for the Christological pressure already made explicit in Purgatorio XXXI. Seme is kept as seed to preserve the generative justice and Adam/Christ pressure.
XXXII.46–48 The griffin remains 'twofold' for the Christological pressure already made explicit in Purgatorio XXXI. Line 47: The griffin remains 'twofold' for the Christological pressure already made explicit in Purgatorio XXXI. Line 48: Seme is kept as seed to preserve the generative justice and Adam/Christ pressure.
XXXII.47 The griffin remains 'twofold' for the Christological pressure already made explicit in Purgatorio XXXI. The griffin remains 'twofold' for the Christological pressure already made explicit in Purgatorio XXXI.
XXXII.48 Seme is kept as seed to preserve the generative justice and Adam/Christ pressure. Seme is kept as seed to preserve the generative justice and Adam/Christ pressure.
The chariot pole is bound to the tree, which renews in color while the hymn exceeds Dante XXXII.49–63
49E vòlto al temo ch’elli avea tirato,
50trasselo al piè de la vedova frasca,
e quel di lei a lei lasciò legato.
Come le nostre piante, quando casca
giù la gran luce mischiata con quella
che raggia dietro a la celeste lasca,
55turgide fansi, e poi si rinovella
di suo color ciascuna, pria che ’l sole
giunga li suoi corsier sotto altra stella;
men che di rose e più che di vïole
colore aprendo, s’innovò la pianta,
60che prima avea le ramora sì sole.
Io non lo ’ntesi, né qui non si canta
l’inno che quella gente allor cantaro,
né la nota soffersi tutta quanta.
49And turning to the pole he had drawn,
50he drew it to the foot of the widowed bough,
and what was from her he left bound to her.
As our plants, when there falls down
the great light mixed with that light
that beams behind the celestial Carp,
55grow swollen, and then each one renews
itself with its own color, before the sun
joins its steeds beneath another star;
less than roses and more than violets
in the color it opened, the tree renewed itself,
60which before had branches so bare.
I did not understand it, nor is sung here
the hymn that people sang then,
nor did I bear the whole of the melody.
Commentary
This passage covers the chariot pole is bound to the tree, which renews in color while the hymn exceeds Dante.
XXXII.49–51 The widowed bough is the stripped tree before its renewed fruitfulness. The syntax is deliberately concrete and compressed: the chariot's pole, made from the tree, is bound back to the tree.
XXXII.49–51 The widowed bough is the stripped tree before its renewed fruitfulness. Line 50: The widowed bough is the stripped tree before its renewed fruitfulness. Line 51: The syntax is deliberately concrete and compressed: the chariot's pole, made from the tree, is bound back to the tree.
XXXII.50 The widowed bough is the stripped tree before its renewed fruitfulness. The widowed bough is the stripped tree before its renewed fruitfulness.
XXXII.51 The syntax is deliberately concrete and compressed: the chariot's pole, made from the tree, is bound back to the tree. The syntax is deliberately concrete and compressed: the chariot's pole, made from the tree, is bound back to the tree.
XXXII.52–54 The celestial Carp is the Pisces/Aries springtime astronomical image; it is kept concrete rather than normalized.
XXXII.52–54 The celestial Carp is the Pisces/Aries springtime astronomical image; it is kept concrete rather than normalized. Line 54: The celestial Carp is the Pisces/Aries springtime astronomical image; it is kept concrete rather than normalized.
XXXII.54 The celestial Carp is the Pisces/Aries springtime astronomical image; it is kept concrete rather than normalized. The celestial Carp is the Pisces/Aries springtime astronomical image; it is kept concrete rather than normalized.
XXXII.61–63 The hymn remains beyond earthly recollection and beyond the poem's present singing.
XXXII.61–63 The hymn remains beyond earthly recollection and beyond the poem's present singing. Line 62: The hymn remains beyond earthly recollection and beyond the poem's present singing.
XXXII.62 The hymn remains beyond earthly recollection and beyond the poem's present singing. The hymn remains beyond earthly recollection and beyond the poem's present singing.
Dante passes over the mystery of his sleep and wakes beside Matelda XXXII.64–84
64S’io potessi ritrar come assonnaro
65li occhi spietati udendo di Siringa,
li occhi a cui pur vegghiar costò sì caro;
come pintor che con essempro pinga,
disegnerei com’ io m’addormentai;
ma qual vuol sia che l’assonnar ben finga.
70Però trascorro a quando mi svegliai,
e dico ch’un splendor mi squarciò ’l velo
del sonno, e un chiamar: «Surgi: che fai?».
Quali a veder de’ fioretti del melo
che del suo pome li angeli fa ghiotti
75e perpetüe nozze fa nel cielo,
Pietro e Giovanni e Iacopo condotti
e vinti, ritornaro a la parola
da la qual furon maggior sonni rotti,
e videro scemata loro scuola
80così di Moïsè come d’Elia,
e al maestro suo cangiata stola;
tal torna’ io, e vidi quella pia
sovra me starsi che conducitrice
fu de’ miei passi lungo ’l fiume pria.
64If I could portray how they were put to sleep,
65those pitiless eyes, hearing of Syrinx,
the eyes to whom mere watching cost so dear;
like a painter who paints from a model,
I would draw how I fell asleep;
but let whoever will feign sleep well.
70Therefore I pass on to when I awoke,
and say that a splendor tore the veil
of sleep from me, and a cry: "Rise: what are you doing?"
As, to see some little flowers of the apple tree
that makes the angels hungry for its fruit
75and makes perpetual weddings in Heaven,
Peter and John and James were led
and, overcome, returned at the word
by which greater sleeps had been broken,
and saw their company diminished
80as much by Moses as by Elijah,
and their master's robe changed;
so I returned to myself, and saw that compassionate one
standing above me who had been conductress
of my steps before, along the river.
Commentary
The passage gives the Argus/Syrinx allusion, Dante's inability to describe his sleep directly, and the Transfiguration simile that frames his waking beside Matelda after the griffin and procession have ascended.
XXXII.64–66 The allusion is to Argus, whose watchful eyes were lulled by Mercury's tale.
XXXII.64–66 The allusion is to Argus, whose watchful eyes were lulled by Mercury's tale. Line 65: The allusion is to Argus, whose watchful eyes were lulled by Mercury's tale.
XXXII.65 The allusion is to Argus, whose watchful eyes were lulled by Mercury's tale. The allusion is to Argus, whose watchful eyes were lulled by Mercury's tale.
XXXII.67–69 Dante openly passes over the representation of sleep rather than pretending full control of the mystery.
XXXII.67–69 Dante openly passes over the representation of sleep rather than pretending full control of the mystery. Line 69: Dante openly passes over the representation of sleep rather than pretending full control of the mystery.
XXXII.69 Dante openly passes over the representation of sleep rather than pretending full control of the mystery. Dante openly passes over the representation of sleep rather than pretending full control of the mystery.
XXXII.70–72 The Latin Surgi is rendered in English here; the Transfiguration simile immediately clarifies the biblical register.
XXXII.70–72 The Latin Surgi is rendered in English here; the Transfiguration simile immediately clarifies the biblical register. Line 72: The Latin Surgi is rendered in English here; the Transfiguration simile immediately clarifies the biblical register.
XXXII.72 The Latin Surgi is rendered in English here; the Transfiguration simile immediately clarifies the biblical register. The Latin Surgi is rendered in English here; the Transfiguration simile immediately clarifies the biblical register.
XXXII.73–75 The apple-tree image is handled through the Transfiguration and heavenly wedding field without replacing the image with its doctrinal gloss.
XXXII.73–75 The apple-tree image is handled through the Transfiguration and heavenly wedding field without replacing the image with its doctrinal gloss. Line 75: The apple-tree image is handled through the Transfiguration and heavenly wedding field without replacing the image with its doctrinal gloss.
XXXII.75 The apple-tree image is handled through the Transfiguration and heavenly wedding field without replacing the image with its doctrinal gloss. The apple-tree image is handled through the Transfiguration and heavenly wedding field without replacing the image with its doctrinal gloss.
XXXII.76–78 The greater sleeps point to Christ's power over death and deep sleep in the biblical frame.
XXXII.76–78 The greater sleeps point to Christ's power over death and deep sleep in the biblical frame. Line 78: The greater sleeps point to Christ's power over death and deep sleep in the biblical frame.
XXXII.78 The greater sleeps point to Christ's power over death and deep sleep in the biblical frame. The greater sleeps point to Christ's power over death and deep sleep in the biblical frame.
XXXII.82–84 The compassionate guide is Matelda, connecting the Lethe-side movement with the waking scene.
XXXII.82–84 The compassionate guide is Matelda, connecting the Lethe-side movement with the waking scene. Line 84: The compassionate guide is Matelda, connecting the Lethe-side movement with the waking scene.
XXXII.84 The compassionate guide is Matelda, connecting the Lethe-side movement with the waking scene. The compassionate guide is Matelda, connecting the Lethe-side movement with the waking scene.
Beatrice sits beneath the new foliage and commands Dante to witness for the world XXXII.85–105
85E tutto in dubbio dissi: «Ov’ è Beatrice?».
Ond’ ella: «Vedi lei sotto la fronda
nova sedere in su la sua radice.
Vedi la compagnia che la circonda:
li altri dopo ’l grifon sen vanno suso
90con più dolce canzone e più profonda».
E se più fu lo suo parlar diffuso,
non so, però che già ne li occhi m’era
quella ch’ad altro intender m’avea chiuso.
Sola sedeasi in su la terra vera,
95come guardia lasciata lì del plaustro
che legar vidi a la biforme fera.
In cerchio le facevan di sé claustro
le sette ninfe, con quei lumi in mano
che son sicuri d’Aquilone e d’Austro.
100«Qui sarai tu poco tempo silvano;
e sarai meco sanza fine cive
di quella Roma onde Cristo è romano.
Però, in pro del mondo che mal vive,
al carro tieni or li occhi, e quel che vedi,
105ritornato di là, fa che tu scrive».
85And wholly in doubt I said, "Where is Beatrice?"
Then she: "See her under the new foliage,
sitting upon its root.
See the company that circles her:
the others after the griffin are going upward
90with a sweeter and deeper song."
And if her speech was more spread out,
I do not know, because already in my eyes was she
who had closed me to attending to anything else.
Alone she sat upon the true earth,
95as a guard left there for the chariot
that I saw bound to the two-formed beast.
In a circle the seven nymphs made of themselves
an enclosure around her, with those lights in hand
that are secure from Aquilon and Auster.
100"Here you will be a wood-dweller for a little time;
and with me, without end, you will be a citizen
of that Rome where Christ is Roman.
Therefore, for the good of the world that lives badly,
keep your eyes now on the chariot, and what you see,
105when you have returned there, see that you write."
Commentary
The passage gives Beatrice's position as guardian by the chariot, the seven virtues as a wind-proof enclosure, the salvation promise in Rome where Christ is Roman, and the command that Dante look, remember, and write for the badly living world.
XXXII.91–93 Dante's absorption in Beatrice returns, now under the command to witness.
XXXII.91–93 Dante's absorption in Beatrice returns, now under the command to witness. Line 93: Dante's absorption in Beatrice returns, now under the command to witness.
XXXII.93 Dante's absorption in Beatrice returns, now under the command to witness. Dante's absorption in Beatrice returns, now under the command to witness.
XXXII.94–96 The true earth is the Earthly Paradise ground, uncorrupted by ordinary fallen terrain. The griffin's two-form nature remains literal in the line and symbolically active from the previous canto.
XXXII.94–96 The true earth is the Earthly Paradise ground, uncorrupted by ordinary fallen terrain. Line 94: The true earth is the Earthly Paradise ground, uncorrupted by ordinary fallen terrain. Line 96: The griffin's two-form nature remains literal in the line and symbolically active from the previous canto.
XXXII.94 The true earth is the Earthly Paradise ground, uncorrupted by ordinary fallen terrain. The true earth is the Earthly Paradise ground, uncorrupted by ordinary fallen terrain.
XXXII.96 The griffin's two-form nature remains literal in the line and symbolically active from the previous canto. The griffin's two-form nature remains literal in the line and symbolically active from the previous canto.
XXXII.97–99 The virtues' lights are safe from northern and southern winds, preserving their supernatural steadiness.
XXXII.97–99 The virtues' lights are safe from northern and southern winds, preserving their supernatural steadiness. Line 99: The virtues' lights are safe from northern and southern winds, preserving their supernatural steadiness.
XXXII.99 The virtues' lights are safe from northern and southern winds, preserving their supernatural steadiness. The virtues' lights are safe from northern and southern winds, preserving their supernatural steadiness.
XXXII.100–102 Beatrice gives an explicit promise of Dante's final salvation. The line keeps Dante's Roman heavenly-city language rather than replacing it with Jerusalem.
XXXII.100–102 Beatrice gives an explicit promise of Dante's final salvation. Line 101: Beatrice gives an explicit promise of Dante's final salvation. Line 102: The line keeps Dante's Roman heavenly-city language rather than replacing it with Jerusalem.
XXXII.101 Beatrice gives an explicit promise of Dante's final salvation. Beatrice gives an explicit promise of Dante's final salvation.
XXXII.102 The line keeps Dante's Roman heavenly-city language rather than replacing it with Jerusalem. The line keeps Dante's Roman heavenly-city language rather than replacing it with Jerusalem.
XXXII.103–105 Beatrice turns vision into public witness and written responsibility.
XXXII.103–105 Beatrice turns vision into public witness and written responsibility. Line 105: Beatrice turns vision into public witness and written responsibility.
XXXII.105 Beatrice turns vision into public witness and written responsibility. Beatrice turns vision into public witness and written responsibility.
The eagle strikes the chariot and the fox is driven from it XXXII.106–123
106Così Beatrice; e io, che tutto ai piedi
d’i suoi comandamenti era divoto,
la mente e li occhi ov’ ella volle diedi.
Non scese mai con sì veloce moto
110foco di spessa nube, quando piove
da quel confine che più va remoto,
com’ io vidi calar l’uccel di Giove
per l’alber giù, rompendo de la scorza,
non che d’i fiori e de le foglie nove;
115e ferì ’l carro di tutta sua forza;
ond’ el piegò come nave in fortuna,
vinta da l’onda, or da poggia, or da orza.
Poscia vidi avventarsi ne la cuna
del trïunfal veiculo una volpe
120che d’ogne pasto buon parea digiuna;
ma, riprendendo lei di laide colpe,
la donna mia la volse in tanta futa
quanto sofferser l’ossa sanza polpe.
106So Beatrice; and I, who wholly at the feet
of her commandments was devoted,
gave mind and eyes where she wished.
Never with such swift motion did fire descend
110from a dense cloud, when it rains
from that boundary that goes farthest off,
as I saw Jove's bird swoop down
through the tree, breaking the bark,
let alone the flowers and new leaves;
115and it struck the chariot with all its force;
so that it lurched like a ship in storm,
overcome by the wave, now to leeward, now to windward.
Then I saw hurl itself into the cradle
of the triumphal vehicle a fox
120that seemed fasting from every good food;
but, rebuking it for filthy faults,
my lady turned it into such flight
as the fleshless bones could bear.
Commentary
This passage covers the eagle strikes the chariot and the fox is driven from it.
XXXII.109–111 The storm simile introduces sudden violent descent before the eagle appears.
XXXII.109–111 The storm simile introduces sudden violent descent before the eagle appears. Line 111: The storm simile introduces sudden violent descent before the eagle appears.
XXXII.111 The storm simile introduces sudden violent descent before the eagle appears. The storm simile introduces sudden violent descent before the eagle appears.
XXXII.112–114 The eagle remains a literal emblem in the line, with imperial and Church-history pressure behind it.
XXXII.112–114 The eagle remains a literal emblem in the line, with imperial and Church-history pressure behind it. Line 112: The eagle remains a literal emblem in the line, with imperial and Church-history pressure behind it.
XXXII.112 The eagle remains a literal emblem in the line, with imperial and Church-history pressure behind it. The eagle remains a literal emblem in the line, with imperial and Church-history pressure behind it.
XXXII.115–117 Poggia and orza are nautical direction terms; the translation keeps the ship-handling pressure without overmodernizing.
XXXII.115–117 Poggia and orza are nautical direction terms; the translation keeps the ship-handling pressure without overmodernizing. Line 117: Poggia and orza are nautical direction terms; the translation keeps the ship-handling pressure without overmodernizing.
XXXII.117 Poggia and orza are nautical direction terms; the translation keeps the ship-handling pressure without overmodernizing. Poggia and orza are nautical direction terms; the translation keeps the ship-handling pressure without overmodernizing.
XXXII.118–120 The fox is kept literal; its allegorical identification is left unstated.
XXXII.118–120 The fox is kept literal; its allegorical identification is left unstated. Line 119: The fox is kept literal; its allegorical identification is left unstated.
XXXII.119 The fox is kept literal; its allegorical identification is left unstated. The fox is kept literal; its allegorical identification is left unstated.
The eagle feathers the chariot, Heaven laments, the dragon tears it, and feathers cover what remains XXXII.124–141
124Poscia per indi ond’ era pria venuta,
125l’aguglia vidi scender giù ne l’arca
del carro e lasciar lei di sé pennuta;
e qual esce di cuor che si rammarca,
tal voce uscì del cielo e cotal disse:
«O navicella mia, com’ mal se’ carca!».
130Poi parve a me che la terra s’aprisse
tr’ambo le ruote, e vidi uscirne un drago
che per lo carro sù la coda fisse;
e come vespa che ritragge l’ago,
a sé traendo la coda maligna,
135trasse del fondo, e gissen vago vago.
Quel che rimase, come da gramigna
vivace terra, da la piuma, offerta
forse con intenzion sana e benigna,
si ricoperse, e funne ricoperta
140e l’una e l’altra rota e ’l temo, in tanto
che più tiene un sospir la bocca aperta.
124Then by the way from which it first had come,
125I saw the eagle descend into the ark
of the chariot and leave it feathered from itself;
and, as comes from a heart that grieves,
such a voice came from Heaven, and it said this:
"O my little ship, how badly you are laden!"
130Then it seemed to me that the earth opened
between both wheels, and I saw a dragon come out
that fixed its tail up through the chariot;
and like a wasp that draws back its sting,
drawing its malignant tail to itself,
135it dragged off part of the floor, and went wandering away.
What remained, as living earth with couch grass
covers itself, with the feathering offered
perhaps with sound and kindly intention,
covered itself again, and with it were covered
140both one wheel and the other, and the pole, in less time
than a sigh keeps the mouth open.
Commentary
This passage covers the eagle feathers the chariot, Heaven laments, the dragon tears it, and feathers cover what remains.
XXXII.124–126 The feathering keeps the Donation/temporal-endowment pressure concrete without naming it in the line.
XXXII.124–126 The feathering keeps the Donation/temporal-endowment pressure concrete without naming it in the line. Line 126: The feathering keeps the Donation/temporal-endowment pressure concrete without naming it in the line.
XXXII.126 The feathering keeps the Donation/temporal-endowment pressure concrete without naming it in the line. The feathering keeps the Donation/temporal-endowment pressure concrete without naming it in the line.
XXXII.127–129 The chariot is momentarily figured as a little ship under a bad burden; the line anticipates the Church-history lament.
XXXII.127–129 The chariot is momentarily figured as a little ship under a bad burden; the line anticipates the Church-history lament. Line 129: The chariot is momentarily figured as a little ship under a bad burden; the line anticipates the Church-history lament.
XXXII.129 The chariot is momentarily figured as a little ship under a bad burden; the line anticipates the Church-history lament. The chariot is momentarily figured as a little ship under a bad burden; the line anticipates the Church-history lament.
XXXII.130–132 The dragon is kept literal and violent; it is read as internal rupture or schism.
XXXII.130–132 The dragon is kept literal and violent; it is read as internal rupture or schism. Line 132: The dragon is kept literal and violent; it is read as internal rupture or schism.
XXXII.132 The dragon is kept literal and violent; it is read as internal rupture or schism. The dragon is kept literal and violent; it is read as internal rupture or schism.
XXXII.133–135 Vago vago is kept as aimless wandering rather than confident triumph.
XXXII.133–135 Vago vago is kept as aimless wandering rather than confident triumph. Line 135: Vago vago is kept as aimless wandering rather than confident triumph.
XXXII.135 Vago vago is kept as aimless wandering rather than confident triumph. Vago vago is kept as aimless wandering rather than confident triumph.
XXXII.136–138 The line preserves Dante's cautious perhaps about apparently benign intention behind corrupting endowment.
XXXII.136–138 The line preserves Dante's cautious perhaps about apparently benign intention behind corrupting endowment. Line 138: The line preserves Dante's cautious perhaps about apparently benign intention behind corrupting endowment.
XXXII.138 The line preserves Dante's cautious perhaps about apparently benign intention behind corrupting endowment. The line preserves Dante's cautious perhaps about apparently benign intention behind corrupting endowment.
The holy structure becomes a monster bearing the harlot and giant before being dragged through the wood XXXII.142–160
142Trasformato così ’l dificio santo
mise fuor teste per le parti sue,
tre sovra ’l temo e una in ciascun canto.
145Le prime eran cornute come bue,
ma le quattro un sol corno avean per fronte:
simile mostro visto ancor non fue.
Sicura, quasi rocca in alto monte,
seder sovresso una puttana sciolta
150m’apparve con le ciglia intorno pronte;
e come perché non li fosse tolta,
vidi di costa a lei dritto un gigante;
e basciavansi insieme alcuna volta.
Ma perché l’occhio cupido e vagante
155a me rivolse, quel feroce drudo
la flagellò dal capo infin le piante;
poi, di sospetto pieno e d’ira crudo,
disciolse il mostro, e trassel per la selva,
tanto che sol di lei mi fece scudo
160a la puttana e a la nova belva.
142Transformed in this way, the holy structure
put forth heads from its parts,
three above the pole and one on each corner.
145The first ones were horned like an ox,
but the four had a single horn on each forehead:
a like monster had never yet been seen.
Secure, almost like a fortress on a high mountain,
seated upon it a loose harlot
150appeared to me, with her eyes alert all around;
and as if so that she would not be taken from him,
I saw a giant standing upright beside her;
and now and then they kissed together.
But because her greedy and wandering eye
155turned toward me, that fierce lover
scourged her from head all the way to her feet;
then, full of suspicion and raw with anger,
he untied the monster and dragged it through the wood,
so far that only the wood made a shield for me
160against the harlot and the new beast.
Commentary
The passage gives the Apocalypse pressure in the transformed chariot's heads and horns, the harlot and giant scene, and the final dragging of the monster into the wood. The translation keeps the register stark without expanding the allegory into paraphrase.
XXXII.142–144 The seven heads begin the monstrous apocalyptic deformation of the chariot.
XXXII.142–144 The seven heads begin the monstrous apocalyptic deformation of the chariot. Line 144: The seven heads begin the monstrous apocalyptic deformation of the chariot.
XXXII.144 The seven heads begin the monstrous apocalyptic deformation of the chariot. The seven heads begin the monstrous apocalyptic deformation of the chariot.
XXXII.148–150 The deliberately stark apocalyptic register is retained.
XXXII.148–150 The deliberately stark apocalyptic register is retained. Line 149: The deliberately stark apocalyptic register is retained.
XXXII.149 The deliberately stark apocalyptic register is retained. The deliberately stark apocalyptic register is retained.
XXXII.151–153 The giant and harlot remain literal in the translation; the French monarchy/papacy pressure is left unstated.
XXXII.151–153 The giant and harlot remain literal in the translation; the French monarchy/papacy pressure is left unstated. Line 152: The giant and harlot remain literal in the translation; the French monarchy/papacy pressure is left unstated.
XXXII.152 The giant and harlot remain literal in the translation; the French monarchy/papacy pressure is left unstated. The giant and harlot remain literal in the translation; the French monarchy/papacy pressure is left unstated.
XXXII.160 The canto closes with the chariot-monster hidden from Dante's sight, handing the unresolved vision into Purgatorio XXXIII. The canto closes with the chariot-monster hidden from Dante's sight, handing the unresolved vision into Purgatorio XXXIII.