però che 'l ben, ch'è del volere obietto,
tutto s'accoglie in lei...

Because the good, object of the will,
is here gathered...

Beauty is knowable
Good can be experienced 
Truth teases, tantalizes, tempts

A quella luce cotal si diventa,
che volgersi da lei per altro aspetto
è impossibil che mai si consenta;

In that light we are emerging
so that diverting to another aspect
we cannot possibly consent

We are made for more than
socio-biological achievement
breeding, eating, competing

We sense beauty
as clues to goodness
on the way to truth

 però che 'l ben, ch'è del volere obietto,
 tutto s'accoglie in lei,

Così la mente mia, tutta sospesa,
mirava fissa, immobile e attenta,
e sempre di mirar faceasi accesa.

So was my mind fully suspended,
steadfast, still and gazing;
and ever more enraptured in watching

We are fulfilled 
in finding that for 
which we were formed
.

sustanze e accidenti e lor costume,
quasi conflati insieme, per tal modo
che ciò ch'i' dico è un semplice lume.

La forma universal di questo nodo
credo ch'i' vidi, perché più di largo,
dicendo questo, mi sento ch'i' godo.

substances, accidents, and dispositions
as if conjoined so that what
I tell can cast only a simple light.

The universal form of this node
I believe I saw, because more fully
saying this I feel the same joy.

In the unity of experience
good, bad, and worse
we can know

the grace of God

Nel suo profondo vidi che s'interna
legato con amore in un volume,
ciò che per l'universo si squaderna:

In its profundity I saw ingathered
and bound by love into a single volume
what, in the universe, seems scattered

Division is deadly delusion
we share a common creation
we depend on a shared destiny

E io ch'al fine di tutt'i disii
appropinquava, sì com'io dovea,
l'ardor del desiderio in me finii.

And I nearing the end of all desires
approached,  even as I ought,
the ardor within me ended.

Wholeness emerges
as fear and fierce wanting
give way to love and thanks.

La tua benignità non pur soccorre
a chi domanda, ma molte fiate
liberamente al dimandar precorre.

Your loving-kindness does not only answer
the one who asks, but is often ready
to answer freely long before the asking.

In asking 
we affirm
our need

In thanking 
we confirm
a source beyond ourselves.

(Note: Dante is describing Mary.  Today is the feast day of the Queen of Heaven.)

Di tal fiumana uscian faville vive,
e d'ogne parte si mettìen ne' fiori,
quasi rubin che oro circunscrive;

poi, come inebriate da li odori,
riprofondavan sé nel miro gurge;
e s'una intrava, un'altra n'uscia fori.

Out of that stream there issued living sparks,
settling on flowers all about,
as rubies set in gold;

and then intoxicated with the odors, they
plunged into the amazing flood:
as one spark sank, another spark emerged.

Reality flows fast
setting fires as it 
claims us as kindling

e vidi lume in forma di rivera
fulvido di fulgore, intra due rive
dipinte di mirabil primavera.

and I saw light that took a river's form
light flashing, reddish-gold, between two banks
painted with wonderful spring flowerings.

Seek the maker of Pleiades and Orion
that turns deep darkness into morning
that darkens  the day into night

that calls for the water of the sea
and pours them upon the face of the earth

(Amos 5:8)

Come sùbito lampo che discetti
li spiriti visivi, sì che priva
da l'atto l'occhio di più forti obietti,

così mi circunfulse luce viva,
e lasciommi fasciato di tal velo
del suo fulgor, che nulla m'appariva.

Like sudden lightning scatters
the spirits of sight, so the eye is too weak
to act on what else it might see,

such was the living light encircling me,
leaving me so enveloped by its veil
of radiance I could see no thing.

Radiance blinds
so too darkness
obscures 

But reality persists 
seen or not 

«Noi siamo usciti fore
del maggior corpo al ciel ch'è pura luce:

luce intellettual, piena d'amore;
amor di vero ben, pien di letizia;
letizia che trascende ogne dolzore.

Now we have arrived from
densest matter to the heaven of pure light,

light of the intellect, light filled with love
love of true good, filled with happiness,
happiness surpassing every sweetness.

Love can emerge
from darkness,
even deep sadness

but wherever love begins
it travels toward light
bright with what is good, true, and beautiful

if what you call love
does not bend toward beauty
beware, it is not love

Vedi l'eccelso omai e la larghezza
de l'etterno valor, poscia che tanti
speculi fatti s'ha in che si spezza,

uno manendo in sé come davanti».

By now you see the height, you see the breadth,
of eternal goodness: It has made
so many mirrors dividing its light,

Yet one remains wholly itself

Reality is whole
even when perception
is fractured

pura potenza tenne la parte ima;
nel mezzo strinse potenza con atto
tal vime, che già mai non si divima.

pure potential kept to the deepest part
pressing into the middle potential joined with action
so tight, they will never part.

Potential is the bulb
unseen buried deep 
Action is sun and rain

Calling forth 
beauty
from the muck

Concreato fu ordine e costrutto
a le sustanze; e quelle furon cima
nel mondo in che puro atto fu produtto;

Co-created was order and expressed
as essentials, and the summit
of experience is pure action leading forth

Chaos is potential
To act is to shape
To create is to order

E come in vetro, in ambra o in cristallo
raggio resplende sì, che dal venire
a l'esser tutto non è intervallo,

così 'l triforme effetto del suo sire
ne l'esser suo raggiò insieme tutto
sanza distinzione in essordire.

And as in glass, amber, or crystal,
a ray flashes without interval
between its coming and lighting all

so did the three form matter,
being shining forth altogether
without distinction, all at once.

Creation came complete
from no thing
suddenly all things

Being becoming

Quinci si può veder come si fonda
l'essere beato ne l'atto che vede,
non in quel ch'ama, che poscia seconda;

e del vedere è misura mercede,
che grazia partorisce e buona voglia:
così di grado in grado si procede.

From this it is seen the foundation
of blessedness is the act of vision
not of love which is a consequence;

and seeing merit is the measure
produced by grace and good will
and so step by step unfolds.

What do I imagine
What do I see
What do I believe to be true

On this basis
For this purpose
I will choose

che la fortuna che tanto s'aspetta,
le poppe volgerà u' son le prore,
sì che la classe correrà diretta;

e vero frutto verrà dopo 'l fiore».

the tempest so long waited
will turn the sterns where are the prows
so the fleet runs straight;

and fine fruit follows the flower.

Distracted
I lost the way
choosing exactly wrong

Attracted
I can't yet say
this turn is any better

Ben fiorisce ne li uomini il volere;
ma la pioggia continua converte
in bozzacchioni le sosine vere.

Fairly blossoms the will in humankind;
but continual rain converts
sound plums into rotten, empty skins.

The deluge of life
a deficit of light
may reduce our zest

but our roots remain
and another season
beckons

e come il tempo tegna in cotal testo
le sue radici e ne li altri le fronde,
omai a te può esser manifesto.

and here time has been potted
its roots and all its leaves
now to you made manifest

Time too is measured by
light and love 
Soft shadows

Bright beings
dancing
through long days

Non è suo moto per altro distinto,
ma li altri son mensurati da questo,
sì come diece da mezzo e da quinto;

No other heaven measures this sphere's range,
but it serves as the measure for the rest,
even as half of ten and five make ten;

Light and love
measure what matters
the rest are but shadows

Luce e amor d'un cerchio lui comprende,
sì come questo li altri; e quel precinto
colui che 'l cinge solamente intende.

Light and love encircle and enclose,
even as the circle surrounds all, and that place
where the one who encircles is alone.

Cycle within cycle
path crossing path
merging diverging

Colliding subsiding
unfolding and holding
me you she he becoming...

e questo cielo non ha altro dove
che la mente divina, in che s'accende
l'amor che 'l volge e la virtù ch'ei piove

This heaven has no other where than this:
the mind of God, in which are kindled both
the love that turns it and the virtue it rains.

God's reign
is as near
and needed

as summer rain

Oh gioia! oh ineffabile allegrezza!
oh vita intègra d'amore e di pace!
oh sanza brama sicura ricchezza!

O joy! O gladness words cannot say!
O life fulfilled by love and peace!
O richness assured day by day!

We daydream of  ecstatic
dramatic change
bestowed not built

Thy kingdom comes
minute by minute
with each choice 


God's choice 
is love
Ours often not

Ciò ch'io vedeva mi sembiava un riso
de l'universo; per che mia ebbrezza
intrava per l'udire e per lo viso.

What I saw seemed to be a smile
the universe had smiled; my rapture had
entered by way of hearing and of sight.

Smiling bright
as we rose above 
sea and city 

Lightness of being
in this moment
full of delight

Le fronde onde s'infronda tutto l'orto
de l'ortolano etterno, am'io cotanto
quanto da lui a lor di bene è porto»

The leaves enleaving the garden of
the eternal gardener, I love so much
the good source they share

Open the door
to find 
what more

the gardener
intends
for our care

con la predetta conoscenza viva,
tratto m'hanno del mar de l'amor torto,
e del diritto m'han posto a la riva.

with the promised living knowledge
I was drawn from the sea of twisted love
and straightened set on the shore.

What I know of love
is half wrong
even more

Loving
is worth more
than knowing

Dunque a l'essenza ov'è tanto avvantaggio,
che ciascun ben che fuor di lei si trova
altro non è ch'un lume di suo raggio,

più che in altra convien che si mova
la mente, amando, di ciascun che cerne
il vero in che si fonda questa prova.

So where is the essence of such advantage
from which every good unfolds
what is the lumen of its radius

through our needs it moves
the mind to loving, who discerns
the truth in which its source is proven

Recognizing ourselves
in our enemies
as in our beloved

We discern our
common creation
and shared purpose

E io: «Per filosofici argomenti
e per autorità che quinci scende
cotale amor convien che in me si 'mprenti:

ché 'l bene, in quanto ben, come s'intende,
così accende amore, e tanto maggio
quanto più di bontate in sé comprende.

And I: By philosophic arguments
and by authority whose source is here,
such love must be in me imprinted;

for the good, once it is understood as such,
enkindles love; and greater
goodness comes of greater love.

Faith hope and love
are verbs
responding to objects

Goodness truth and beauty
are objects
prompting action

«Spene», diss'io, «è uno attender certo
de la gloria futura, il qual produce
grazia divina e precedente merto.

I said: Hope is the certain expectation
of future glory; it is the result
of God's grace and of prior merit.

Hope is an uncertainty
seen, tasted, felt
often a companion of failure

but always welcome

Quest'è 'l principio, quest'è la favilla
che si dilata in fiamma poi vivace,
e come stella in cielo in me scintilla».

This is the origin, this is the spark
that extends into a living flame
and, like a star in heaven, glows in me.

Ego or opposite
I sense being
beyond me

in relationship to me

E io rispondo: Io credo in uno Dio
solo ed etterno, che tutto 'l ciel move,
non moto, con amore e con disio;

I answer: I believe in one God,
singular, eternal, who all the heavens move,
without moving, with love and love for Him;

Absence prompts desire
What I have not, I want
Hole made whole

che l'esser loro v'è in sola credenza,
sopra la qual si fonda l'alta spene;
e però di sustanza prende intenza.

E da questa credenza ci convene
silogizzar, sanz'avere altra vista:
però intenza d'argomento tene».

and on faith alone
is the highest hope founded;
and so faith is called a substance.

And from this faith we must
deduce what we can from syllogisms,
and so faith is also called evidence.

Premise, premise, conclusion
Accepted, accepted, proposed
Yes, yes, Oh!

E io appresso: «Le profonde cose
che mi largiscon qui la lor parvenza,
a li occhi di là giù son sì ascose,

And I said: The deep things
residing here are hid from sight below,
their being known by faith alone,

Can love be seen
measured, predicted
Does love exist

fede è sustanza di cose sperate
e argomento de le non parventi;
e questa pare a me sua quiditate».

Allora udi' : «Dirittamente senti,
se bene intendi perché la ripuose
tra le sustanze, e poi tra li argomenti»

Faith is the substance of the things hoped for
and the evidence of things not seen;
and this I take as its being.

And then I heard: You understand precisely,
if it is clear to you why he placed
it among the substances and as evidence.

Faith is relationship
being with being
ground of ultimate being

Our relationship 
is as being of one
substance with the Father

By whom all things were made

«Perché la faccia mia sì t'innamora,
che tu non ti rivolgi al bel giardino
che sotto i raggi di Cristo s'infiora?

Why are you so enraptured by my face
as to miss that fair garden
blossoming beneath Christ's rays?

Like a raven hiding treasures
in his nest among the spires
I do not know the cathedral 

in which I have made my home.

«Apri li occhi e riguarda qual son io;
tu hai vedute cose, che possente
se' fatto a sostener lo riso mio».

Open your eyes and see what I am;
what you have witnessed has made you strong
enough to bear the power of my smile.

What eye can see
what mind can know
the smile of God

Come foco di nube si diserra
per dilatarsi sì che non vi cape,
e fuor di sua natura in giù s'atterra,

la mente mia così, tra quelle dape
fatta più grande, di sé stessa uscìo,
e che si fesse rimembrar non sape.

Even as lightning breaking from a cloud,
expands so it cannot be pent
against its nature, down to earth descends,

so did my mind, confronted by that feast,
expand; and was carried past itself
becoming, I cannot recall.

Becoming is 
to move
beyond

to the other side

Quivi è la sapienza e la possanza
ch'aprì le strade tra 'l cielo e la terra,
onde fu già sì lunga disianza».

This is the wisdom and the potency
that opened roads between the earth and Heaven,
a way long yearned for

wisdom's way
unfolds as a wave
emerging from deep to shore

e tutti e sette mi si dimostraro
quanto son grandi e quanto son veloci
e come sono in distante riparo.

L'aiuola che ci fa tanto feroci,
volgendom'io con li etterni Gemelli,
tutta m'apparve da' colli a le foci;

poscia rivolsi li occhi a li occhi belli.

And all seven heavens showed to me
their magnitudes, their speeds,
the distances of each from each

This flower garden that makes us so fierce
while I turned with the eternal twins
was revealed to me from hills to river mouths

My eyes then turned again to the fair eyes.

Gentle generosity 
emerges from 
broad perspective

perché non è in loco e non s'impola;
e nostra scala infino ad essa varca,
onde così dal viso ti s'invola.

Because it is not in space and has no poles;
our ladder reaches up to it, and that
is why it now steals from your sight.

The beauty I seek
cannot be kept
but can be known

Ivi è perfetta, matura e intera
ciascuna disianza; in quella sola
è ogne parte là ove sempr'era,

There, each desire is perfect, ripe, intact;
and only there, within that final sphere,
is every part where it has always been.

May my desires ripen
may my desires transcend 
the hard sour nub of self

becoming full, fragrant
sweet with thanks, praise
and love

E come a buon cantor buon citarista
fa seguitar lo guizzo de la corda,
in che più di piacer lo canto acquista,

And as a fine singer, a fine harpist
pursue the twist of chord,
by which song acquires sweetest savor,

Twists and a certain tension
are at the core of more
than one kind of beauty

ed ènne dolce così fatto scemo,
perché il ben nostro in questo ben s'affina,
che quel che vole Iddio, e noi volemo».

We can be fooled by sweetness
because our good  is well refined.
God wills and we fly

God does not mislead
but I have mistaken
my pride for God's will

non a guisa che l'omo a l'om sobranza,
ma vince lei perché vuole esser vinta,
e, vinta, vince con sua beninanza.

not as man over man conquers:
it is won because it will be won
and won, won through benevolence.

God does not seek 
or offer conquest
God loves

Regnum celorum violenza pate
da caldo amore e da viva speranza
che vince la divina volontate:

Regnum celorum suffers violence
from ardent love and living hope,
these can conqueror Heaven's Will;

Heaven's reign unfolds
while I am distracted
by craving, complaining, and conspiring 

E avvegna ch'io fossi al dubbiar mio
lì quasi vetro a lo color ch'el veste,
tempo aspettar tacendo non patio,

ma de la bocca, «Che cose son queste?»,
mi pinse con la forza del suo peso:
per ch'io di coruscar vidi gran feste.

And notwithstanding my doubt
was as glass is to the color about it
I could not endure the time in silence

"What are these things?"
I exhorted with particular force
which in reply the lights glittered

I reflect
my place, my experience, 
the beliefs - and doubts - of others

Can I turn
to reflect the sky, sun
the stars glistening

Quale allodetta che 'n aere si spazia
prima cantando, e poi tace contenta
de l'ultima dolcezza che la sazia,

tal mi sembiò l'imago de la 'mprenta
de l'etterno piacere, al cui disio
ciascuna cosa qual ell'è diventa.

As a lark transposes air,
first singing then silent, contented
with a final sweetness that fulfills,

such seemed to me the image of the seal
of that eternal pleasure through whose will
each thing becoming what it is.

We each sing
our specific part
in a chorale of eternal pleasure

The excellence of each
is needed to fulfill
the composers will.

Ora conosce assai di quel che 'l mondo
veder non può de la divina grazia,
ben che sua vista non discerna il fondo»

Now he has learned the world
cannot perceive God's own grace,
nor discern its deepest source.

Yet we depend on the water
flowing from that source
breaking through the rock

of our fear and doubt

Assai t'è mo aperta la latebra
che t'ascondeva la giustizia viva,
di che facei question cotanto crebra;

Now is the hiding place laid open
that had concealed the living justice
which you so insistently questioned

What I seek
is hidden in plain sight
waiting recognition.

Però ne la giustizia sempiterna
la vista che riceve il vostro mondo,
com'occhio per lo mare, entro s'interna;

therefore, the vision of eternal justice
your world receives can fully see
no more than an eye can penetrate the sea;

Yet I can swim
descending
deeper

Dunque vostra veduta, che convene
esser alcun de' raggi de la mente
di che tutte le cose son ripiene,

non pò da sua natura esser possente
tanto, che suo principio discerna
molto di là da quel che l'è parvente.

In consequence our vision, which
must be some ray of the mind
with which all things are fulfilled,

cannot of its own nature be so potent,
to discern its own origin
beyond what is merely apparent.

I discern connections
that I cannot map
or prove

Is this pride greed
faith hope love
or a subtle empiricism

e quinci appar ch'ogne minor natura
è corto recettacolo a quel bene
che non ha fine e sé con sé misura.

Thus it is clear every lesser nature
is a scant receptacle for the Good
which is its own sole measure.

At my best
I cannot receive
the fullness of Good

nor can I fail
to taste
of its abundance

sì m'accors'io che 'l mio girare intorno
col cielo insieme avea cresciuto l'arco,
veggendo quel miracol più addorno.

So I became aware that my dancing
with heaven had increased its arc,
that miracle becoming more brilliant.

To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning
we come 'round right

E come, per sentir più dilettanza
bene operando, l'uom di giorno in giorno
s'accorge che la sua virtute avanza,

And as, by tasting the delectable
in doing good, a man day by day
becomes aware his virtue is advancing,

Goodness is an acquired taste
subtle complex
sometimes bitter

another time sweet
each taste causing
the tongue to notice more

and want less

non perché nostra conoscenza cresca
per tuo parlare, ma perché t'ausi
a dir la sete, sì che l'uom ti mesca».

not so that our knowing might grow
from your speaking, but because
by claiming your thirst, you may know.

What I hide from others
I cannot fully know

Per che mia donna «Manda fuor la vampa
del tuo disio», mi disse, «sì ch'ella esca
segnata bene de la interna stampa;

Therefore my lady said to me: Display
the flame of your desire, that it may
be seen well-stamped with your internal seal

How is my flame maintained
is its fuel plenteous
is its draft clean

If I display my flame
will it roar brighter
or extinguish in a breeze

Ben supplico io a te, vivo topazio
che questa gioia preziosa ingemmi,
perché mi facci del tuo nome sazio».

Indeed I do beseech you, living topaz,
set in this precious jewel as a gem:
fulfill my longing-let me know your name.

What is the essence of beauty
What is the source of goodness
What is the character of truth

How can I know?

 né per elezion mi si nascose,
ma per necessità, ché 'l suo concetto
al segno d'i mortal si soprapuose.

Not that he chose to hide from me;
necessity compelled him; he conceived
beyond the mark a mortal mind can reach.

Hidden in plain site
the wisdom and love of God
patiently awaits our notice

Indi, a udire e a veder giocondo,
giunse lo spirto al suo principio cose,
ch'io non lo 'ntesi, sì parlò profondo;

Then to hear and see joy
that spirit joined to his first words things
that were too deep to for my understanding.

Joy is not understood
Joy is experienced
Joy unfolds

Come, da più letizia pinti e tratti,
a la fiata quei che vanno a rota
levan la voce e rallegrano li atti,

così, a l'orazion pronta e divota,
li santi cerchi mostrar nova gioia
nel torneare e ne la mira nota.

As dancers, when drawn and driven
by greater gladness, lift their voices
and dance their dance with more exuberance,

so, hearing that prompt, devout request,
the blessed circles showed new joy
in wheeling dance and amazing Song.

Too many questions are weapons
as many are used as traps
but these do not have the power
(or beauty )

of a real question: asked, pursued, considered.

Non sien le genti, ancor, troppo sicure
a giudicar, sì come quei che stima
le biade in campo pria che sien mature;

ch'i' ho veduto tutto 'l verno prima
lo prun mostrarsi rigido e feroce;
poscia portar la rosa in su la cima;

So let men not be too confident
in judging those who, in the field,
count the ears before the corn is ripe;

for I have seen, all winter through, the brier
display itself as stiff and fierce,
and later, on its summit, bear the rose;

Probabilities do not
preclude possibilities
the finest achievements

are always as roses in winter

perch'elli 'ncontra che più volte piega
l'oppinion corrente in falsa parte
e poi l'affetto l'intelletto lega.

hasty judgment often bends
the current toward false opinions
binding intellect and affection

impressions arise
do not let them set
without unfolding 

ché quelli è tra li stolti bene a basso,
che sanza distinzione afferma e nega
ne l'un così come ne l'altro passo;

He is surely foolish and base
who makes no distinction and denies
preferring one or the other

Why?  
can I answer
without blushing

E questo ti sia sempre piombo a' piedi,
per farti mover lento com'uom lasso
e al sì e al no che tu non vedi:

And let this leaden your steps,
to make you move as a weary man
to yes or no when you do not see clearly:

Where am I going
what is my destination
these two answers ought 

Influence every other answer

Ciò che non more e ciò che può morire
non è se non splendor di quella idea
che partorisce, amando, il nostro Sire;

What can die and what does not die
are nothing but the splendour of an idea
which by birthing and loving our Lord brings into being

Love is not a feeling
it is a creative choice
a courageous act.

e disse: «Quando l'una paglia è trita,
quando la sua semenza è già riposta,
a batter l'altra dolce amor m'invita

And said: Now that one straw is trodden out
Now that its seed is garnered up already,
Sweet love invites me to thresh out the other.

To live abundantly
the seed must die
be buried and rise

To be found
the seed must be threshed
broken and sifted

Compié 'l cantare e 'l volger sua misura;
e attesersi a noi quei santi lumi,
felicitando sé di cura in cura.

The singing and the dance fulfilled their measure;
and then those holy lights gave heed to us,
rejoicing as they turned from task to task.

Our body is an instrument of joy
we are to tune and play it
with all the beauty we can know

La provedenza, che governa il mondo
con quel consiglio nel quale ogne aspetto
creato è vinto pria che vada al fondo,

però che andasse ver' lo suo diletto
la sposa di colui ch'ad alte grida
disposò lei col sangue benedetto,

in sé sicura e anche a lui più fida,

The Providence that rules the world
is a wisdom which appears
fathomless to creatures vanquished before its depths.

so the beloved who would go
with loud cries, had wed her and
blessed her with his blood might know

less self-assurance and more faithfulness

In the other I find myself
in loving the other I am fulfilled

Tu dubbi, e hai voler che si ricerna
in sì aperta e 'n sì distesa lingua
lo dicer mio, ch'al tuo sentir si sterna,

You are in doubt; you want an explanation
in language open and easy,
But if I say it, you will only hear a bird

Reality is complex
Engaged bit by bit
It can be understood in part

But the whole is an opera 
in an ancient language
with an orchestra of unknowns

Chi dietro a iura, e chi ad amforismi
sen giva, e chi seguendo sacerdozio,
e chi regnar per forza o per sofismi,

e chi rubare, e chi civil negozio,
chi nel diletto de la carne involto
s'affaticava e chi si dava a l'ozio,

One studied law and one the aphorisms
of physicians; one was set on priesthood
and one would rule through force or sophistry;

one meant to plunder, one to politick;
one labored in delights of flesh,
and one was fully bent on indolence;

Have I heard my calling

When it whispers do I
bend break share strengthen
seek to hear more clearly
dismiss
give thanks

O insensata cura de' mortali,
quanto son difettivi silogismi
quei che ti fanno in basso batter l'ali!

O senseless cares of mortals,
how deceiving are your syllogisms
that your wings fly so low

To what purpose
is my reason applied
fine foul or foolish

Indi, come orologio che ne chiami
ne l'ora che la sposa di Dio surge
a mattinar lo sposo perché l'ami,

che l'una parte e l'altra tira e urge,
tin tin sonando con sì dolce nota,
che 'l ben disposto spirto d'amor turge;

Then, like a clock that calls us at the hour
the Bride of God, on waking, sings
matins to her Bridegroom, encouraging

His love (when each clock-part both drives and draws),
chimes the sounds with notes so sweet that those
with a well-disposed spirit swell with love

Dawn arrives
Shadows fade
I arise

Qui si rimira ne l'arte ch'addorna
cotanto affetto, e discernesi 'l bene
per che 'l mondo di sù quel di giù torna

For here we contemplate the art adorned
by such great love, and we discern the good
through which the world above forms that below

The kingdom of God shapes this world
as the moon pulls ocean tides
Am I sailing with or against the pull?

Non però qui si pente, ma si ride,
non de la colpa, ch'a mente non torna,
ma del valor ch'ordinò e provide.

Yet one does not repent here; here one smiles
not for the fault, which we do not recall,
but for the Power that fashioned and foresaw.

Redemption is not an outcome of my regret
It is the result of loving God
Allowing God to transform my failures

Per letiziar là sù fulgor s'acquista,
sì come riso qui; ma giù s'abbuia
l'ombra di fuor, come la mente è trista.

On high,joy is known by radiance,
as, here with a smile; but down below,
the shade grows darker when the mind feels sorrow.

The source of joy
is to give thanks,
to praise, and to smile

even, especially as darkness descends.

Ma voi torcete a la religione
tal che fia nato a cignersi la spada,
e fate re di tal ch'è da sermone;

onde la traccia vostra è fuor di strada»

But you twist to religion
one meant for the sword,
and make king one more fit for sermons

so that the track you take is off the road.

Hiking the deep woods
walking watching seeking a way through
can be transformative

but to speed off-road is 
little more than dirty, noisy, dangerous

E se 'l mondo là giù ponesse mente
al fondamento che natura pone,
seguendo lui, avria buona la gente.

But if the world below would set its mind
on the foundation Nature lays as base
to follow, it would have its people worthy.

What does nature pose for you,
for me?
What is the foundation
on which we are to build?

Sempre natura, se fortuna trova
discorde a sé, com'ogne altra semente
fuor di sua region, fa mala prova.

Where Nature, if fortune is
not with it, is as any other seed
outside its region, results go awry.

Context matters
what works wonderfully
in this time and place

Will not prosper always.

Creata fu la materia ch'elli hanno;
creata fu la virtù informante
in queste stelle che 'ntorno a lor vanno.

L'anima d'ogne bruto e de le piante
di complession potenziata tira
lo raggio e 'l moto de le luci sante;

Created was the matter
Created was the power to form
in the stars that wheel about them

The soul of every brute and plant
with its potential pulls
The rays and motion of the holy lights

Our origin is in the stars
we are made of the same stuff as suns
we are pulled by the same mysterious purpose

questa natura al suo fattore unita,
qual fu creata, fu sincera e buona;

ma per sé stessa pur fu ella sbandita
di paradiso, però che si torse
da via di verità e da sua vita.

This nature, united to its maker,
was good and pure, just as when created;

but in itself, this nature had been banished
from paradise, because it turned aside
from the path of truth and its own life.

I am - we are - by nature
meant for truth
goodness
beauty
apart 
from these
we are brittle
in these verdant and fine

Questa picciola stella si correda
di buoni spirti che son stati attivi
perché onore e fama li succeda:

e quando li disiri poggian quivi,
sì disviando, pur convien che i raggi
del vero amore in sù poggin men vivi.

This little planet is adorned with
righteous spirits, but who acted for
honor and fame that they would gain:

and when desires tend toward earthly ends,
then, so deflected, rays of the true love
mount toward the life above with lesser force.

Good is good, but...
motivation matters
intention directs
The Greatest Good
is motivated by love
good serving good

«S'io ti fiammeggio nel caldo d'amore
di là dal modo che 'n terra si vede,
sì che del viso tuo vinco il valore,

non ti maravigliar; ché ciò procede
da perfetto veder, che, come apprende,
così nel bene appreso move il piede.

If I seem to flame in the fire of love
beyond that seen on earth,
so that I overcome your vision's ability,

you need not wonder; I am so because
From perfected vision I grasp
So the Good is apprehended in mere movement.

Good opens as a flower in the morning sun
More often than descends in fire and storm

Nasce per quello, a guisa di rampollo,
a piè del vero il dubbio; ed è natura
ch'al sommo pinge noi di collo in collo

Therefore, our doubting blossoms like a shoot
out from the root of truth; this natural
urge spurs us toward the peak, from height to height.

Doubt is the friend of faith 
Doubt suppresses pride, faith's great adversary 
Doubt is freedom's twin and great helper

Io veggio ben che già mai non si sazia
nostro intelletto, se 'l ver non lo illustra
di fuor dal qual nessun vero si spazia.

Posasi in esso, come fera in lustra,
tosto che giunto l'ha; e giugner puollo:
se non, ciascun disio sarebbe frustra.

I now see well: we cannot satisfy
our mind unless it is enlightened by
the truth beyond whose boundary no truth lies.

Mind, reaching that truth, rests within it
quickly, fully; mind can attain
that truth if not, each desire will frustrate.

Alone the mind is an insatiable master
Pledged to love, the mind is domesticated
Fulfilled in serving what is loved

E 'n la sua volontade è nostra pace:
ell'è quel mare al qual tutto si move
ciò ch'ella cria o che natura face».

Chiaro mi fu allor come ogne dove
in cielo è paradiso, etsi la grazia
del sommo ben d'un modo non vi piove.

And in his will is our peace:
the sea in which all beings move
source of nature's making.

Then it was clear to me how every place
in heaven is paradise, though grace
of the Highest Good does not rain in any.

The kingdom of heaven is close at hand
Here, now, within our reach
Offer your hand.

...s'essere in carità è qui necesse,
e se la sua natura ben rimiri.

Anzi è formale ad esto beato esse
tenersi dentro a la divina voglia,
per ch'una fansi nostre voglie stesse;

...to live in love is essential to our being,
if you think carefully on love's nature.

The essence of this blessed life consists
in keeping to the boundaries of God's will,
by which our wills become as one will;

At the core of being is self-giving
In healing the other
We are ourselves healed

In each loving act
A fractured world
is recalled to wholeness

Step by stumbling step

...la nostra volontà quieta
virtù di carità, che fa volerne
sol quel ch'avemo, e d'altro non ci asseta.

...the power of love appeases our
will so we only long for what we have;
we do not thirst for greater blessedness.

In this moment there is joy
This is the only place
Where joy abides

«Non ti maravigliar perch'io sorrida»,
mi disse, «appresso il tuo pueril coto,
poi sopra 'l vero ancor lo piè non fida,

ma te rivolve, come suole, a vòto:
vere sustanze son ciò che tu vedi,

There is no need to wonder if I smile,
she said, because you reason as a child;
you do not yet trust the steps to truth;

your mind misguides you into emptiness:
you are seeing are true substances...

The ascent is not smooth,
each step irregular.
I have failed and will fall,

But continue to climb.

tali vid'io più facce a parlar pronte;
per ch'io dentro a l'error contrario corsi
a quel ch'accese amor tra l'omo e 'l fonte.

Sùbito sì com'io di lor m'accorsi,
quelle stimando specchiati sembianti,
per veder di cui fosser, li occhi torsi;

e nulla vidi, e ritorsili avanti
dritti nel lume de la dolce guida,
che, sorridendo, ardea ne li occhi santi.

So faint, the many faces I saw keen
to speak; thus, my mistake was contrary
to that which led the man to love the fountain.

As soon as I had noticed them, thinking
that what I saw were merely mirrorings,
I turned around to see who they might be;

and I saw nothing; and I let my sight
turn back to meet the light of my dear guide,
who, as she smiled, glowed in her holy eyes.

Other realities persist
despite my insistence
awaiting my invitation.

Quali per vetri trasparenti e tersi,
o ver per acque nitide e tranquille,
non sì profonde che i fondi sien persi,

tornan d'i nostri visi le postille
debili sì, che perla in bianca fronte
non vien men forte a le nostre pupille;

Just as, returning through transparent, clean
glass, or through waters calm and crystalline
(so shallow that they scarcely can reflect),

the mirrored image of our faces meets
our eyes with no greater force than
a pearl when displayed on a white forehead

Realities blend, bend and emerge
Softly, subtly, barely perceived,
As I stubbornly insist on only one.

Quel sol che pria d'amor mi scaldò 'l petto,
di bella verità m'avea scoverto,
provando e riprovando, il dolce aspetto;

That sun which first warmed my breast with love,
a beautiful truth had uncovered
proving and reproving, its sweet aspect;

Light sharpens both beauty and its opposite.

Per la natura lieta onde deriva,
la virtù mista per lo corpo luce
come letizia per pupilla viva.

Da essa vien ciò che da luce a luce
ciò che non da denso e raro;
essa è formal principio che produce,

conforme a sua bontà, lo turbo e 'l chiaro»

From the glad nature of its source,
The mingled virtues through the body shine,
Even as gladness through the living pupil.

From this comes that which is light to light
That which is not dense and rare:
This is the creative principle that produces,

According to its goodness, dark and bright.

We are like God, creators.
Joy starts and ends creation.
Pleasure of purpose fulfilled

E come l'alma dentro a vostra polve
per differenti membra e conformate
a diverse potenze si risolve,

così l'intelligenza sua bontate
multiplicata per le stelle spiega,
girando sé sovra sua unitate.

Virtù diversa fa diversa lega
col prezioso corpo ch'ella avviva,
nel qual, sì come vita in voi, si lega.

And even as the soul - within your dust
Through members different and matched
To diverse potencies - expands itself,

So does this Mind unfold
and multiply its bounty among the stars.
Itself revolving on its unity.

Virtue diverse does a diverse alloy
Make with the precious body that it quickens,
In which, as life in you, it is combined.

We are each part 
of divine diversity
essential in unity
discarded in division

volta ver' me, sì lieta come bella,
Drizza la mente in Dio grata», mi disse,
«che n'ha congiunti con la prima stella».

Parev'a me che nube ne coprisse
lucida, spessa, solida e pulita,
quasi adamante che lo sol ferisse.

Per entro sé l'etterna margarita
ne ricevette, com'acqua recepe
raggio di luce permanendo unita.

Towards me turning, blithe as beautiful,
She said to me: Gratefully direct your mind
On God, he has brought us the first star.

It seemed to me a cloud encompassed us,
Luminous, dense, brilliant and bright
As a diamond on which the sun is striking.

Into itself the eternal pearl
Received us, even as water receives
A ray of light, yet remains unbroken.

We participate in various realities
Working hard to keep each separate
What would result from receiving all-at-once?

Vero è che, come forma non s'accorda
molte fiate a l'intenzion de l'arte,
perch'a risponder la materia è sorda,

così da questo corso si diparte
talor la creatura, c'ha podere
di piegar, così pinta, in altra parte;

e sì come veder si può cadere
foco di nube, sì l'impeto primo
l'atterra torto da falso piacere.

Non dei più ammirar, se bene stimo,
lo tuo salir, se non come d'un rivo
se d'alto monte scende giuso ad imo.

Maraviglia sarebbe in te se, privo
d'impedimento, giù ti fossi assiso,
com'a terra quiete in foco vivo»

It is truth, that as often the form
Accords not with the intention of the artist,
Because in response matter can be deaf,

So too from this course does sometimes deviate
The creature, who possesses the potential,
Once impelled, to bend some other way,

As one may see lighting
Fall from a cloud, so our first impulse can be
Wrested earthward by some false delight.

You should not - if I am right - wonder more,
At your ascent, than at a stream
From some high mount descending to the lowland.

It would be a greater marvel, if no longer hindered,
You would remain below,
Or on earth a living flame stood still.

Our being yearns for God
if we will but let go -
of fears and attachments that weigh us down -
we will ascend into God 
as easily as the dew ascends into the morning Sun.

e cominciò: «Le cose tutte quante
hanno ordine tra loro, e questo è forma
che l'universo a Dio fa simigliante.

Qui veggion l'alte creature l'orma
de l'etterno valore, il qual è fine
al quale è fatta la toccata norma.

Ne l'ordine ch'io dico sono accline
tutte nature, per diverse sorti,
più al principio loro e men vicine;

onde si muovono a diversi porti
per lo gran mar de l'essere, e ciascuna
con istinto a lei dato che la porti.

And she began: "All things, among themselves,
possess an order, and this order is
the form that makes the universe like God,

Here do the higher beings see the imprints
Of the Eternal Power, which is the end
to which they were first directed.

To this order our natures are inclined
All natures, different fates,
Each more or less near to their origin;

So they move into diverse ports
across the great sea of ​​being, each
given an impulse which propels them.

Our diverse natures express a common order
In opposition we may each be fulfilled
Thesis and antithesis become a more complete whole.

e cominciò: «Tu stesso ti fai grosso 
col falso imaginar, sì che non vedi 
ciò che vedresti se l'avessi scosso. 

And she began: "You make yourself thick
With false imagining, you do not see
What you would see if you had shaken it off.

Preconception imprisons experience
Reality is more than we allow 
Far more than we might imagine

The image is a detail from Paradiso by Tintoretto (1588)

S'i' era sol di me quel che creasti
novellamente, amor che 'l ciel governi,
tu 'l sai, che col tuo lume mi levasti.

Quando la rota che tu sempiterni
desiderato, a sé mi fece atteso
con l'armonia che temperi e discerni,

parvemi tanto allor del cielo acceso
de la fiamma del sol, che pioggia o fiume
lago non fece alcun tanto disteso.

La novità del suono e 'l grande lume
di lor cagion m'accesero un disio
mai non sentito di cotanto acume.

If only I was that which you newly
created, Love - who governs heaven -
your knowing did lift me with your light!

When the wheel you made eternal
desired you - prompting in me a longing for the
Harmony by which you modulate and measure -

Then it seemed  most of heaven is embraced
by the sun's flame, neither rain nor river
Ever made a lake so widely spread.

The newness of the sound and the great light
aroused in me a longing for their cause,
never before so acutely felt;

As originally conceived
Our being desires eternal harmonies.
Reminded of this reality, a deep longing is aroused.

La gloria di colui che tutto move
per l'universo penetra, e risplende
in una parte più e meno altrove.

Nel ciel che più de la sua luce prende
fu' io, e vidi cose che ridire
né sa né può chi di là sù discende;

perché appressando sé al suo disire,
nostro intelletto si profonda tanto,
che dietro la memoria non può ire.

The glory of Him who moves all things
Permeates the universe, and shines
In one part more and in another less.

Within that heaven which his light most receives
Was I, and beheld things that
Now descended, I cannot fully know nor tell;

Because in drawing near to its desire
Our mind so deeply goes,
That after it the memory fails to follow.

Experience overawes the intellect,
In the moment we know its wholeness,
Removed, we cannot discern its parts.