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第54节

the divine comedy(神曲)-第54节

小说: the divine comedy(神曲) 字数: 每页4000字

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  Sleep fled away; and pallid I became;
  As doth the man who freezes with affright。

Only my Comforter was at my side;
  And now the sun was more than two hours high;
  And turned towards the sea…shore was my face。

〃Be not intimidated;〃 said my Lord;
  〃Be reassured; for all is well with us;
  Do not restrain; but put forth all thy strength。

Thou hast at length arrived at Purgatory;
  See there the cliff that closes it around;
  See there the entrance; where it seems disjoined。

Whilom at dawn; which doth precede the day;
  When inwardly thy spirit was asleep
  Upon the flowers that deck the land below;

There came a Lady and said: 'I am Lucia;
  Let me take this one up; who is asleep;
  So will I make his journey easier for him。'

Sordello and the other noble shapes
  Remained; she took thee; and; as day grew bright;
  Upward she came; and I upon her footsteps。

She laid thee here; and first her beauteous eyes
  That open entrance pointed out to me;
  Then she and sleep together went away。〃

In guise of one whose doubts are reassured;
  And who to confidence his fear doth change;
  After the truth has been discovered to him;

So did I change; and when without disquiet
  My Leader saw me; up along the cliff
  He moved; and I behind him; tow'rd the height。

Reader; thou seest well how I exalt
  My theme; and therefore if with greater art
  I fortify it; marvel not thereat。

Nearer approached we; and were in such place;
  That there; where first appeared to me a rift
  Like to a crevice that disparts a wall;

I saw a portal; and three stairs beneath;
  Diverse in colour; to go up to it;
  And a gate…keeper; who yet spake no word。

And as I opened more and more mine eyes;
  I saw him seated on the highest stair;
  Such in the face that I endured it not。

And in his hand he had a naked sword;
  Which so reflected back the sunbeams tow'rds us;
  That oft in vain I lifted up mine eyes。

〃Tell it from where you are; what is't you wish?〃
  Began he to exclaim; 〃where is the escort?
  Take heed your coming hither harm you not!〃

〃A Lady of Heaven; with these things conversant;〃
  My Master answered him; 〃but even now
  Said to us; 'Thither go; there is the portal。'〃

〃And may she speed your footsteps in all good;〃
  Again began the courteous janitor;
  〃Come forward then unto these stairs of ours。〃

Thither did we approach; and the first stair
  Was marble white; so polished and so smooth;
  I mirrored myself therein as I appear。

The second; tinct of deeper hue than perse;
  Was of a calcined and uneven stone;
  Cracked all asunder lengthwise and across。

The third; that uppermost rests massively;
  Porphyry seemed to me; as flaming red
  As blood that from a vein is spirting forth。

Both of his feet was holding upon this
  The Angel of God; upon the threshold seated;
  Which seemed to me a stone of diamond。

Along the three stairs upward with good will
  Did my Conductor draw me; saying: 〃Ask
  Humbly that he the fastening may undo。〃

Devoutly at the holy feet I cast me;
  For mercy's sake besought that he would open;
  But first upon my breast three times I smote。

Seven P's upon my forehead he described
  With the sword's point; and; 〃Take heed that thou wash
  These wounds; when thou shalt be within;〃 he said。

Ashes; or earth that dry is excavated;
  Of the same colour were with his attire;
  And from beneath it he drew forth two keys。

One was of gold; and the other was of silver;
  First with the white; and after with the yellow;
  Plied he the door; so that I was content。

〃Whenever faileth either of these keys
  So that it turn not rightly in the lock;〃
  He said to us; 〃this entrance doth not open。

More precious one is; but the other needs
  More art and intellect ere it unlock;
  For it is that which doth the knot unloose。

From Peter I have them; and he bade me err
  Rather in opening than in keeping shut;
  If people but fall down before my feet。〃

Then pushed the portals of the sacred door;
  Exclaiming: 〃Enter; but I give you warning
  That forth returns whoever looks behind。〃

And when upon their hinges were turned round
  The swivels of that consecrated gate;
  Which are of metal; massive and sonorous;

Roared not so loud; nor so discordant seemed
  Tarpeia; when was ta'en from it the good
  Metellus; wherefore meagre it remained。

At the first thunder…peal I turned attentive;
  And 〃Te Deum laudamus〃 seemed to hear
  In voices mingled with sweet melody。

Exactly such an image rendered me
  That which I heard; as we are wont to catch;
  When people singing with the organ stand;

For now we hear; and now hear not; the words。



Purgatorio: Canto X


When we had crossed the threshold of the door
  Which the perverted love of souls disuses;
  Because it makes the crooked way seem straight;

Re…echoing I heard it closed again;
  And if I had turned back mine eyes upon it;
  What for my failing had been fit excuse?

We mounted upward through a rifted rock;
  Which undulated to this side and that;
  Even as a wave receding and advancing。

〃Here it behoves us use a little art;〃
  Began my Leader; 〃to adapt ourselves
  Now here; now there; to the receding side。〃

And this our footsteps so infrequent made;
  That sooner had the moon's decreasing disk
  Regained its bed to sink again to rest;

Than we were forth from out that needle's eye;
  But when we free and in the open were;
  There where the mountain backward piles itself;

I wearied out; and both of us uncertain
  About our way; we stopped upon a plain
  More desolate than roads across the deserts。

From where its margin borders on the void;
  To foot of the high bank that ever rises;
  A human body three times told would measure;

And far as eye of mine could wing its flight;
  Now on the left; and on the right flank now;
  The same this cornice did appear to me。

Thereon our feet had not been moved as yet;
  When I perceived the embankment round about;
  Which all right of ascent had interdicted;

To be of marble white; and so adorned
  With sculptures; that not only Polycletus;
  But Nature's self; had there been put to shame。

The Angel; who came down to earth with tidings
  Of peace; that had been wept for many a year;
  And opened Heaven from its long interdict;

In front of us appeared so truthfully
  There sculptured in a gracious attitude;
  He did not seem an image that is silent。

One would have sworn that he was saying; 〃Ave;〃
  For she was there in effigy portrayed
  Who turned the key to ope the exalted love;

And in her mien this language had impressed;
  〃Ecce ancilla Dei;〃 as distinctly
  As any figure stamps itself in wax。

〃Keep not thy mind upon one place alone;〃
  The gentle Master said; who had me standing
  Upon that side where people have their hearts;

Whereat I moved mine eyes; and I beheld
  In rear of Mary; and upon that side
  Where he was standing who conducted me;

Another story on the rock imposed;
  Wherefore I passed Virgilius and drew near;
  So that before mine eyes it might be set。

There sculptured in the self…same marble were
  The cart and oxen; drawing the holy ark;
  Wherefore one dreads an office not appointed。

People appeared in front; and all of them
  In seven choirs divided; of two senses
  Made one say 〃No;〃 the other; 〃Yes; they sing。〃

Likewise unto the smoke of the frankincense;
  Which there was imaged forth; the eyes and nose
  Were in the yes and no discordant made。

Preceded there the vessel benedight;
  Dancing with girded loins; the humble Psalmist;
  And more and less than King was he in this。

Opposite; represented at the window
  Of a great palace; Michal looked upon him;
  Even as a woman scornful and afflicted。

I moved my feet from where I had been standing;
  To examine near at hand another story;
  Which after Michal glimmered white upon me。

There the high glory of the Roman Prince
  Was chronicled; whose great beneficence
  Moved Gregory to his great victory;

'Tis of the Emperor Trajan I am speaking;
  And a poor widow at his bridle stood;
  In attitude of weeping and of grief。

Around about him seemed it thronged and full
  Of cavaliers; and the eagles in the gold
  Above them visibly in the wind were moving。

The wretched woman in the midst of these
  Seemed to be saying: 〃Give me vengeance; Lord;
  For my dead son; for whom my heart is breaking。〃

And he to answer her: 〃Now wait until
  I shall return。〃  And she: 〃My Lord;〃 like one
  In whom grief is impatient; 〃shouldst thou not

Return?〃  And he: 〃Who shall be where I am
  Will give it thee。〃  And she: 〃Good deed of others
  What boots it thee; if thou neglect thine own?〃

Whence he: 〃Now comfort thee; for it behoves me
  That I discharge my duty ere I move;
  Justice so wills; and pity doth retain me。〃

He who on no new thing has ever looked
  Was the creator of this visible language;
  Novel to us; for here it is not found。

While I delighted me in contemplating
  The images of such humility;
  And dear to look on for their Maker's sake;

〃Behold; upon this side; but rare they mak

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