Dante's Divine Comedy: Paradiso
Canto XV
In the Fifth Heaven, the souls of God's warriors, who are moving along the horizontal arms of the Cross, as well as from its tip down to its base, stop their singing so that one light may engage in conversation with Dante. The canto takes an intimate and poignant tone as this soul turns out to be Cacciaguida, his great-great-grandfather, who speaks to him about lineage, family history and the shock of imminent exile from Florence. Dante's ancestor looks back on the virtuous character of twelfth-century Florentines with nostalgia and laments their current moral decline.
A will benign, in which reveals itself
Ever the love that righteously inspires,
As in the iniquitous, cupidity,
Silence imposed upon that dulcet lyre,
And quieted the consecrated chords,
That Heaven's right hand doth tighten and relax.
How unto just entreaties shall be deaf
Those substances, which, to give me desire
Of praying them, with one accord grew silent?
'Tis well that without end he should lament,
Who for the love of thing that doth not last
Eternally despoils him of that love!
As through the pure and tranquil evening air
There shoots from time to time a sudden fire,
Moving the eyes that steadfast were before,
And seems to be a star that changeth place,
Except that in the part where it is kindled
Nothing is missed, and this endureth little;
So from the horn that to the right extends
Unto that cross's foot there ran a star
Out of the constellation shining there;
Nor was the gem dissevered from its ribbon,
But down the radiant fillet ran along,
So that fire seemed it behind alabaster.
Thus piteous did Anchises' shade reach forward,
If any faith our greatest Muse deserve,
When in Elysium he his son perceived.[1]
"O sanguis meus, O superinfusa
Gratia Dei, sicut tibi, cui
Bis unquam Coeli janua reclusa?"[2]
Thus that effulgence; whence I gave it heed;
Then round unto my Lady turned my sight,
And on this side and that was stupefied;
For in her eyes was burning such a smile
That with mine own methought I touched the bottom
Both of my grace and of my Paradise!
Then, pleasant to the hearing and the sight,
The spirit joined to its beginning things
I understood not, so profound it spake;
Nor did it hide itself from me by choice,
But by necessity; for its conception
Above the mark of mortals set itself.
And when the bow of burning sympathy
Was so far slackened, that its speech descended
Towards the mark of our intelligence,
The first thing that was understood by me
Was "Benedight be Thou, O Trine and One,
Who hast unto my seed so courteous been!"[3]
And it continued: "Hunger long and grateful,
Drawn from the reading of the mighty volume
Wherein is never changed the white nor dark,
Thou hast appeased, my son, within this light
In which I speak to thee, by grace of her
Who to this lofty flight with plumage clothed thee.
Thou thinkest that to me thy thought doth pass
From Him who is the first, as from the unit,
If that be known, ray out the five and six;
And therefore who I am thou askest not,
And why I seem more joyous unto thee
Than any other of this gladsome crowd.
Thou think'st the truth; because the small and great
Of this existence look into the mirror
Wherein, before thou think'st, thy thought thou showest.
But that the sacred love, in which I watch
With sight perpetual, and which makes me thirst
With sweet desire, may better be fulfilled,
Now let thy voice secure and frank and glad
Proclaim the wishes, the desire proclaim,
To which my answer is decreed already."
To Beatrice I turned me, and she heard
Before I spake, and smiled to me a sign,
That made the wings of my desire increase;
Then in this wise began I: "Love and knowledge,
When on you dawned the first Equality,
Of the same weight for each of you became;
For in the Sun, which lighted you and burned
With heat and radiance, they so equal are,
That all similitudes are insufficient.
But among mortals will and argument,
For reason that to you is manifest,
Diversely feathered in their pinions are.
Whence I, who mortal am, feel in myself
This inequality; so give not thanks,
Save in my heart, for this paternal welcome.
Truly do I entreat thee, living topaz!
Set in this precious jewel as a gem,
That thou wilt satisfy me with thy name."
"O leaf of mine, in whom I pleasure took
E'en while awaiting, I was thine own root!"
Such a beginning he in answer made me.
Then said to me: "That one from whom is named
Thy race, and who a hundred years and more
Has circled round the mount on the first cornice,
A son of mine and thy great-grandsire was;
Well it behooves thee that the long fatigue
Thou shouldst for him make shorter with thy works.
Florence, within the ancient boundary
From which she taketh still her tierce and nones,
Abode in quiet, temperate and chaste.
No golden chain she had, nor coronal,
Nor ladies shod with sandal shoon, nor girdle
That caught the eye more than the person did.
Not yet the daughter at her birth struck fear
Into the father, for the time and dower
Did not o'errun this side or that the measure.
No houses had she void of families,
Not yet had thither come Sardanapalus
To show what in a chamber can be done;[4]
Not yet surpassed had Montemalo been
By your Uccellato which surpassed
Shall in its downfall be as in its rise.[5]
Bellincion Berti saw I go begirt
With leather and with bone, and from the mirror
His dame depart without a painted face;[6]
And him of Nerli saw, and him of Vecchio,
Contented with their simple suits of buff
And with the spindle and the flax their dames.[7]
O fortunate women! and each one was certain
Of her own burial-place, and none as yet
For sake of France was in her bed deserted.
One o'er the cradle kept her studious watch,
And in her lullaby the language used
That first delights the fathers and the mothers;
Another, drawing tresses from her distaff,
Told o'er among her family the tales
Of Trojans and of Fesole and Rome.[8]
As great a marvel then would have been held
A Lapo Salterello, a Cianghella,
As Cincinnatus or Cornelia now.[9]
To such a quiet, such a beautiful
Life of the citizen, to such a safe
Community, and to so sweet an inn,
Did Mary give me, with loud cries invoked,
And in your ancient Baptistery at once
Christian and Cacciaguida I became.
Moronto was my brother, and Eliseo;
From Val di Pado came to me my wife,
And from that place thy surname was derived.
I followed afterward the Emperor Conrad,
And he begirt me of his chivalry,
So much I pleased him with my noble deeds.[10]
I followed in his train against that law's
Iniquity, whose people doth usurp
Your just possession, through your Pastor's fault.
There by that execrable race was I
Released from bonds of the fallacious world,
The love of which defileth many souls,
And came from martyrdom unto this peace."
Footnotes
1. Anchises was a member of the royal family of Troy. He was said to have been the son of King Capys of Dardania and Themiste, daughter of Ilus, who was son of Tros. He is most famous as the father of Aeneas and for his treatment in Virgil's Aeneid. Anchis es' brother was Acoetes, father of the priest Laocoön.
He was a mortal lover of the goddess Aphrodite (Venus). Zeus made her fall in love with Anchises while he was herding sheep at the foot of Mount Ida. One version is that Aphrodite pretended to be a Phrygian princess and seduced him, only to later reveal her self and inform him that they would have a son named Aeneas; Aphrodite had warned Anchises that if he told anyone about her being the mother of his child, Zeus would strike him down with his thunderbolt. He did not heed her warning and was struck with a thunderbolt, which in different versions either blinds him or kills him. The principal early narrative of Aphrodite's seduction of Anchises and the birth of Aeneas is the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite. According to the Bibliotheca, Anchises and Aphrodite had another son, Lyrus, who died childless. He later had a mortal wife named Eriopis, according to the scholiasts, and he is credited with other children beside Aeneas and Lyrus.
Elysium, also called Elysian Fields, Elysian Plains or Elysian Realm, is a conception of the afterlife that developed over time and was maintained by some Greek religious and philosophical sects and cults. It was initially separated from the Greek under world—the realm of Hades. Only mortals related to the gods and other heroes could be admitted past the river Styx. Later, the conception of who could enter was expanded to include those chosen by the gods, the righteous, and the heroic. They would remain a t the Elysian Fields after death, to live a blessed and happy afterlife, and indulge in whatever they had enjoyed in life.
2. "Oh my blood, oh super-infused
The grace of God, as it is to you, to whom
Has the door of Heaven ever been closed twice?"
Cacciaguida, like Virgil in the Inferno and Purgatory, represents Dante's link to both the literary and the political past. He addresses Dante first in Latin, the language of Virgil—and, specifically, the language of that other great epic of Italy, the Aeneid. Dante the poet is ennobled by participating in the same epic tradition as Virgil, who serves as his model for both artistic skill and personal virtue. Likewise, Dante the son of Florence is ennobled by his connection to Cacciaguida, who stands for a bygone era of dignified simplicity. Cognizant of his roots, Dante will begin Canto 16 by speaking to Cacciaguida in a deliberately old-fashioned variety of Italian.
Like many of the other characters in Paradise, Cacciaguida has an outlook on life that might be classed as deteriorationist. He believes things have gotten worse in Florence in the century and a half since he last walked Earth. This opinion is almost surely informed by Dante's own experiences of civil war, infighting, and eventual exile from his hometown. Cacciaguida, however, is quick to describe the entire two-century period between his own birth and the present (1300 AD) as one of decline. His main complaints are the greed of his fellow Florentines and the gradual takeover of Florence by ethnic outsiders (discussed in Canto 16). The corrosive effect of greed on Italian politics is a constant refrain in the Divine Comedy, appearing in the Inferno and Purgatory as well as Paradise. Like his ancestor, Dante repeatedly accuses both Church and state of succumbing to the desire for material wealth.
3. Trine, Latin, trīnus, thrice or triple. "Trine" refers to the Holy Trinity, emphasizing the Christian belief in one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. "One" signifies the unity of God, highlighting the concept that despite the three distinct persons, they are all part of a single divine essence.
Dante uses these concepts to explore the nature of divine love and the relationship between humanity and God. The interplay of "Trine" and "One" illustrates the balance between diversity and unity in the divine realm. The discussion of the Trinity in this canto serves to deepen the understanding of divine love, which is both multifaceted and singular. For Dante, recognizing the Trinity is essential for his spiritual journey. It represents the ultimate goal of understanding and experiencing God's love and presence. These themes are central to Dante's exploration of faith, spirituality, and the nature of the divine in his epic poem.
4. Sardanapalus was one of the last kings of Assyria. Ctesias' book Persica is lost, but we know of its contents by later compilations and from the work of Diodorus. In this account, Sardanapalus, supposed to have lived in the 7th century BC, is portrayed as a decadent figure who spends his life in self-indulgence and dies in an orgy of destruction. The legendary decadence of Sardanapalus later became a theme in literature and art, especially in the Romantic era.
The name Sardanapalus is probably a corruption of Ashurbanipal (Aššur-bāni-apli to Sar-dan-ápalos), an Assyrian emperor, but Sardanapalus as described by Diodorus bears little relationship with what is known of that king, who in fact was a militarily powerful, highly efficient and scholarly ruler, presiding over the largest empire the world had yet seen.
5. Montemalo is a reference to a mountain where it symbolizes the spiritual ascent and the connection to divine love. It serves as a backdrop for the discussion of right and wrong love, emphasizing the personal and historical aspects of the souls in the heaven of Mars.
Uccellatojo in Italian translates to "Birdhouse". "Uccellatojo" refers to a metaphorical "birdcage," symbolizing the constraints of earthly life and the souls' longing for divine freedom. It highlights the contrast between the limitations of human existence and the liberation found in the heavenly realm.
6. Bellincione Berti (1100s AD), belonging to the noble Florentine family of Ravignani , was the head of one of the most esteemed families of the 12th century. He is used as an example of the sobriety and simplicity of ancient Florence. The fact that Bellincione dressed in simple leather and bone attests to and underlines the sobriety for which he was famous. It seems he held the role of knight.
7. Nerli refers to a member of the ancient Guelph families, specifically the family of the poet's time. The Guelphs were supporters of the Pope, in contrast to the Ghibellines, who supported the Holy Roman Emperor. Nerli is recognized among these souls, re presenting the valor and noble lineage of the Guelphs. His presence highlights the themes of personal history and the significance of familial ties in the context of Dante's exploration of love and righteousness.
Vecchio refers to a contented spirit, dressed simply, representing the virtues of humility and peace in contrast to the materialism of the world. Vecchio is noted for his humble appearance, which contrasts with the more elaborate attire often associated with nobility. His presence highlights the theme of virtue over material wealth. The mention of Vecchio serves to illustrate the values of simplicity and contentment in the afterlife, emphasizing that true worth is not tied to social status or wealth. This aligns with the broader themes of Paradiso, where spiritual fulfillment is prioritized over earthly concerns.
8. Trojans relates to the legendary ancestry of the Romans, as they are said to descend from Aeneas, a Trojan hero. The mention of Fesole highlights its historical significance as a nearby Etruscan city, contrasting with the glory of Rome and emphasizing Dante's connection to his Florentine heritage.
Fiesole is a town of the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a scenic height above Florence, 5 km northeast of that city. It has structures dating to Etruscan and Roman times.
Founded in the seventh century BC as Vipsul, the city became one of the most important and earliest urban centers of the Etruscan civilization. Since the fourteenth century, the city has always been considered a getaway for members of the upper class of Florence and, up to this day, Fiesole remains noted for its very expensive residential properties, just as well as its centuries-old villas and their formal gardens.
9. Lapo Salterello is a ,person from Florence, noted for his reputation and compared to historical figures like Cincinnatus and Cornelia. He represents the ordinary citizens of Florence, highlighting the contrast between notable historical figures and everyday life in the city.
Cianghella della Tosa (died 1339 AD) is the historical figure behind the character of Cianghella. She was the daughter of Messer Arrigo della Tosa and cousin of Rosso della Tosa, leader of the Florentine faction of the black Guelphs . She married Lippo II Alidosi, lord of Imola, as her second wife. Proud, lascivious, and always ready for a fight, perhaps after separating from her husband, she returned to her hometown, where she lived in debauchery surrounded by several lovers. She represents a prototype of moral corruption.
Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus (519-430 BC) is a Roman statesman and military leader known for his civic virtue and selfless leadership in ancient Rome. He is celebrated for leaving his farming to lead Rome in a time of crisis and then returning to his simple life after achieving victory, embodying the ideals of humility and service to the greater good. Cincinnatus served as consul in 460 BC and held the position of dictator twice, in 458 BC and 439 BC.
Cornelia Scipionis Africana was the daughter of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, a prominent Roman general. She is celebrated for her role as a devoted mother and educator to her children, particularly her sons Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus, who were influential political figures. Cornelia is mentioned as an example of a good woman. She is placed in Limbo, which is the first circle of Hell, reserved for virtuous non-Christians. This reflects her moral standing despite not being a Christian.
Her character serves as a moral benchmark in Dante's work, illustrating the values of family and virtue in a historical context. Cornelia's presence highlights the importance of women in history and their contributions to society, even if they are not recognized within the Christian framework.
10. Conrad II (990–1039 AD), also known as Conrad the Elder and Conrad the Salic, was the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from 1027 until his death in 1039. The first of a succession of four Salian emperors, who reigned for one century until 1125, Conrad ruled the kingdoms of Germany (from 1024), Italy (from 1026) and Burgundy (from 1033).
The son of Franconian count Henry of Speyer (also Henry of Worms) and Adelaide of Metz of the Matfriding dynasty, that had ruled the Duchy of Lorraine from 959 until 972, Conrad inherited the titles of count of Speyer and Worms during childhood after his father had died around the year 990. He extended his influence beyond his inherited lands, as he came into favor of the princes of the kingdom. When the imperial dynastic line was left without a successor after Emperor Henry II's death in 1024, on 4 September an assembly of the imperial princes appointed the 34-year-old Conrad king (Rex romanorum).
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