The Divine Comedy, Volume 3, Paradise

Dante Alighieri · en
CANTO XX.
The Song of the Just.—Princes who have loved righteousness, in the eye
of the Eagle.—Spirits, once Pagans, in bliss.—Faith and
Salvation.—Predestination.

CANTO XXI.
Ascent to the Heaven of Saturn.—Spirits of those who had given
themselves to devout contemplation.—The Golden Stairway.—St. Peter
Damian.—Predestination.—The luxury of modern Prelates.

CANTO XXII.
Beatrice reassures Dante.—St. Benedict appears.—He tells of the
founding of his Order, and of the falling away of its brethren.
Beatrice and Dante ascend to the Starry Heaven.—The constellation of
the Twins.—Sight of the Earth.

CANTO XXIII.
The Triumph of Christ.

CANTO XXIV.
St. Peter examines Dante concerning Faith, and approves his answer.

CANTO XXV.
St. James examines Dante concerning Hope.—St. John appears,with a
brightness so dazzling as to deprive Dante, for the time, of sight.

CANTO XXVI.
St. John examines Dante concerning Love.—Dante's sight restored.—Adam
appears, and answers questions put to him by Dante.

CANTO XXVII.
Denunciation by St. Peter of his degenerate successors.—Dante gazes
upon the Earth.—Ascent of Beatrice and Dante to the Crystalline
Heaven.—Its nature.—Beatrice rebukes the covetousness of mortals.

CANTO XXVIII.
The Heavenly Hierarchy.

CANTO XXIX.
Discourse of Beatrice concerning the creation and nature of the
Angels.—She reproves the presumption and foolishness of preachers.

CANTO XXX.
Ascent to the Empyrean.—The River of Light.—The celestial Rose.—The
seat of Henry VII.—The last words of Beatrice.

CANTO XXXI.
The Rose of Paradise.—St. Bernard.—Prayer to Beatrice.—The glory of the
Blessed Virgin.

CANTO XXXII.
St. Bernard describes the order of the Rose, and points out many of the
Saints.—The children in Paradise.—The angelic festival.—The patricians
of the Court of Heaven.

CANTO XXXIII.
Prayer to the Virgin.—The Beatific Vision.—The Ultimate Salvation.




PARADISE




CANTO I.


Proem.—Invocation.—Beatrice and Dante ascend to the Sphere of
Fire.—Beatrice explains the cause of their ascent.


The glory of Him who moves everything penetrates through the universe,
and shines in one part more and in another less. In the heaven that
receives most of its light I have been, and have seen things which he
who descends from thereabove neither knows how nor is able to recount;
because, drawing near to its own desire,[1] our understanding enters so
deep, that the memory cannot follow. Truly whatever of the Holy Realm I
could treasure up in my mind shall now be the theme of my song.

[1] The innate desire of the soul is to attain the vision of God.