Dante opens this Canto by observing a sense of anticipation in Beatrice whose face shines with indescribable beauty. Soon, she announces the arrival of an immense host of triumphant souls coming down from the heavens, including Jesus and his mother, Mary. For the second time in the Paradiso, Dante sees Christ, and he is so overcome that can barely endure such a vision. Unable to fully comprehend what has happened to him, Beatrice tells Dante that he now has the strength to look directly into her face without danger. He does so, and he is so overcome by the power of her beauty that he tells us there are no words to express such an experience, and he asks the Reader to take pity on him because the burden of his poem is getting harder to bear. Beatrice then directs Dante’s eyes to the Virgin Mary and the Apostles. An angel, most likely the angel Gabriel, descends from the heavens like a flaming torch that circles around Mary as he sings her praises. Then Christ and his mother rise slowly out of Dante’s sight as the rest of the flaming souls follow them singing.
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Like a bird sitting on the nest of her young among the leaves at night, anxious to feed and care for them – a task she does with love – watching the sunrise at the beginning of a new day: this was Beatrice, waiting and vigilant as she scanned that high part of the heavens beneath which the sun seems to move so slowly. On her face was a look of great longing, like one filled with desire and hope, feeding on anticipation. But these moments passed quickly as the heavens grew brighter with the arrival of a new day. Then she said to me: “Look there! Behold the glorious legions of Christ triumphant. They are the rich harvest gathered from these heavenly spheres.”[1]This canto opens with one of the longest similes in the Poem in which Beatrice is likened to a mother bird anxious to be feeding and caring for her young as a new day, sure to be filled with amazing … Continue reading
At that moment, her face was so filled with light and her eyes so bright with happiness – I have to leave it as something undescribed. But as on a clear night when Trivia, goddess of the Moon, shines full and the stars like countless nymphs light the eternal depths of Heaven, I saw above those numberless lights one Sun that enflamed them all, just as our sun lights the stars of his own realm. And through His living light there came forth upon me such a vision of His essence that my poor eyes could not endure it. O my sweet, loving Beatrice! And turning to me she said: “You are overcome by something so grand there is no defense against it. Within it is He who re-opened the way between Heaven and earth which mankind waited so long for.”[2]All things considered, one could imagine that this is the end of the Poem. Happily, there are ten more cantos. Nevertheless, we have here one of the most audacious and daring parts of the entire … Continue reading
As when a bolt of lightning explodes within a cloud and crashes down to earth, so the power of this vision seemed to burst my mind asunder which could not contain it. I do not know what happened except there was Beatrice: “Open your eyes now,” she said, “look straight into my face and see me as I am! The things you have witnessed have now empowered you to see my smile without danger to yourself.”[3]Having seen Christ in all His glory, and having been warned by Beatrice that there is no defense against such an experience, Dante feels as though he has been struck by lightning and his mind … Continue reading
Like one awakened from a powerful dream which he has forgotten, much as he may strive to recall it, so was I as I listened to her sweet words – they were an invitation that will never be erased from the book of my life! If at that moment every line of poetry inspired by Polyhymnia and her sister Muses sang out at once to help me describe it, none of those words would amount to a thousandth part of the beauty of her sacred smile, or how it made her face glow with such resplendence! So, at this point in my sacred poem about Paradise, I find it necessary to make a leap over this part because the road is blocked. But you will forgive me, I hope, if I falter for a moment here because it is difficult for these mortal shoulders to carry the weight of my poem’s theme. This part of my voyage cannot be made by a small ship, nor by a captain who would think first of saving himself.[4]Reeling from so much sensory input, and finding it impossible to describe what has happened to him, Dante steps out of his “sacred Poem” for a moment to explain his predicament to the Reader. Not … Continue reading
“Why are you so enraptured by my face that you fail to look upon this magnificent garden of holy ones blooming in the light of Christ our Sun?” said Beatrice. “Look there and see the wondrous Rose within whose womb the Word of God became flesh. And see there those lilies who left all to follow him and showed the rest of mankind how to do the same.”[5]Once again, we need to take into account that this is an extraordinary moment in the Poem. Led by Christ, all the Saints in Heaven have come out to meet Dante! It is no wonder, then, that Beatrice … Continue reading
And once again, happy to do anything she wished, I struggled to set my poor eyes upon the vision that overpowered me moments before. It happens once in a while that a ray of sunlight will break through on a cloudy day and light up a field of flowers. What I saw now was like that: countless legions of souls were set aflame by the rays of a great love from above, but I could not see the source of that light. O gracious Power that fills them with such light! You raised Yourself to such heights so that my poor eyes, powerless before You, might yet receive the lasting imprint of Your love.[6]In his lifetime, Dante actually suffered from problems with his eyesight, so he knows what he’s writing about as he struggles to return his poor eyes to the scene that, moments before, had … Continue reading
And now the sound of that sweet Rose’s name, she to whom I always pray, summoned the depths of my soul into that flaming vision. As I looked upon the splendor of that living star who reigns both in Heaven and on Earth, a great flaming torch came down from the heavens shaped like a crown and spun again and again around her beautiful light. The loveliest music we might hope to make here on earth might sound like a clap of thunder compared to the rapturous tones that flowed from that circling lyre crowning the blessed Sapphire whose love turns all of heaven into a precious gem. “I am angelic love,” it sang, “and I circle round that exalted Joy who breathed out from her womb, the place where dwelt all we could ever hope for. I will circle round you, O Lady of Heaven, as you follow your Son into the highest realm of heaven, made even more divine by your presence there.”[7]Christ, who appeared at the head of the Triumphant Pageant, has re-ascended into the Empyrean, and it is his Mother, Mary, who now takes the lead. With a glimpse into his own spiritual life, … Continue reading
So ended the song sung by that circling angel, and then all the other glowing lights within that sphere sang out the name of Mary, their Queen. The great royal mantle that encompasses all the spheres in the heavens, turning the fastest because it is closest to the very breath of God, curved around us – but still at such a great distance I had no indication that it was there. As a result, I could not follow that crowned flame to her destination as she rose into the heights of Heaven following her Son.[8]As Mary and her singing courtier rise back into the Empyrean, all the Saints who had joined her and her Son are still present before Dante and Beatrice. As they join in singing Mary’s name, a … Continue reading
A happy child, contented after it has nursed, will lift up its arms in search of its mother. In the same way, I watched as all those glowing souls, showing how deeply they loved her, stretched their flaming splendors upward toward Mary. Suspended in glory, they sang Regina Coeli with such divine affection that the beauty of it will resound forever in my mind.[9]The great apparition of Christ with the Church Triumphant (all the Saints) comes to a close in a scene made tender by the love of all the Saints who now follow Jesus and then Mary – their/our … Continue reading
O how great are the golden coffers of grace to be found up here, filled by those who, when they lived on earth, went about doing good! Here in Heaven they truly live and enjoy the reward their labors won for them while they lived in exile below, spurning all wealth. And victorious here, with all the rest, beneath the very Son of God and his holy Mother, surrounded by all those saved by the two Testaments, stands that triumphant one to whom the Lord entrusted the keys to such glory![10]As a final tribute to the magnificence of the Triumph depicted in this canto, Dante again waxes eloquent on the rewards awaiting those who spend their lives in doing good. Their good works are … Continue reading
Excursus[11]EXCURSUS ON THE RE-OPENING OF HEAVEN: In the first three chapters of the Book of Genesis, we read the story of creation culminating with the creation of Adam and Eve who then inhabit the Garden of … Continue reading
Notes & Commentary
| ↑1 | This canto opens with one of the longest similes in the Poem in which Beatrice is likened to a mother bird anxious to be feeding and caring for her young as a new day, sure to be filled with amazing wonders, brightens across the heavens. And here we have to pay careful attention. Very subtly, what’s happening is this: though Beatrice appears to be expecting the sunrise, she’s not looking at the horizon, she’s looking directly up to the zenith of the cosmos. Her lovely face, which is most often the place where Dante reads signals in her eyes or smile, is now filled with longing and hope. Before moving on, however, we must not fail to see in the imagery here how Beatrice is (and has been) a kind of mother to Dante. With her first appearance in the Earthly Paradise she brought him to repentance with “tough love,” and freed him from those things that weighed him down and prevented him from enjoying the ultimate Truth, Beauty, and Goodness. And here in Paradise, as one of the blessèd in Heaven, she has watched over him (like a mother bird through the night) and will continue to feed him and guide him as she continues in her role of Revelation, showing him the wonders of Paradise. Then, like a quick preview, she focuses Dante’s own anxious attention on what will be a series of spectacular events unmatched in the Poem to this point: nothing less than the arrival of Christ (symbolized by the rising sun), his mother, and virtually everyone in Heaven! About this last point, commentators through the ages have argued about just how many “glorious legions of Christ triumphant” (will) actually appear. Some suggest that this includes all the souls in the Empyrean, the Abode of God. Others suggest that it was only those from highest realms beyond the planetary influences whom Dante has not met yet – thus excluding those who appeared to him in the seven planetary spheres. But, when Beatrice proclaims in verses 19f: “Ecco le schiere / del trïunfo di Cristo e tutto ‘l frutto / ricolto del girar di queste spere!” (“Behold the hosts of Christ’s triumph, and all the harvest gathered from the turning of these spheres!”), I prefer the interpretation that takes Dante’s text to mean all the souls in Heaven. |
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| ↑2 | All things considered, one could imagine that this is the end of the Poem. Happily, there are ten more cantos. Nevertheless, we have here one of the most audacious and daring parts of the entire Commedia. It is a stunning prelude to the final part of the Poem, an event unmatched by anything Dante has seen (or written) so far. This is not only a procession of all the triumphant souls in the Empyrean coming down from above him (recall that this is the “sunrise” Beatrice was anticipating while earlier she was looking up at the heavens’ zenith). This procession is led by Christ himself! Is it any wonder that Dante is stunned. What was he thinking when he wrote these words? Is it any wonder that the Italian poet Boccaccio added the word Divina to the title. At times like this, it’s important to keep in mind that we cannot fully appreciate the Poem unless we’re willing to engage in what the 19th century English poet William Taylor Coleridge called “the willing suspension of disbelief,” that leads to what he called “poetic faith.” After Beatrice announced to Dante the arrival of this procession, he tells us her face became so astonishingly beautiful that he could not begin to describe it. This is one (there will be more) of those moments where he almost loses control of the Poem. Of course, this is what Beatrice intends. In the mean time, we can conjure up before us an immense operatic stage on which Dante creates a wonderful backdrop depicting in dramatic relief the clearest of nights on which the full moon shines so brightly that all the stars illuminate the very depths of the heavens with their light. While Diana is the ancient goddess of the Moon, Dante purposely names her with her epithet, Trivia, because both Diana and Trivia are associated, among other things, with crossroads, boundaries, and transitions. And it goes without saying that this is a major crossing point in the Poem. Above all the stars Dante sees a great Sun that makes the stars here even brighter. Earlier, Dante was able to look directly at the sun without any ill effects. This Sun is Christ, and his living Light shines on the Poet with such a vision of His very essence that he cannot endure looking at it. Overcome with a mixture of pain and rapture, Dante cries out, “O my sweet, loving Beatrice!” He has never addressed her like this, but we cannot deny that, given all that has happened between them, these sentiments have been growing in him since before he crossed the River Lethe in the Earthly Paradise at the top of Purgatory. As the vision of Christ has burst upon him, so his deep feelings for Beatrice burst forth in his words. One can imagine her standing next to him, touching his arm gently, and telling him in her role as the Revealer, “All is well, Dante. There is no defense against the power that now overcomes you. What you’re seeing is truly the Christ, the Redeemer, our salvation, who has re-opened the way to Heaven for us.” (See the Excursus at the end of this canto on the closing and re-opening of Heaven.) Recall that in Canto 14 (103ff), we read similar words as Dante saw a vision of Christ flash forth upon the great Cross of Souls which contained his great-great-grandfather, Cacciaguida: “…but here my memory defeats my art: I see that cross as it flames forth with Christ, yet cannot find the words that will describe it.” That flash of vision (accompanied, as we saw, by nine hapaxes) lasted only a short while. This one, as we will soon see, lasts considerably longer, and with greater effect. |
| ↑3 | Having seen Christ in all His glory, and having been warned by Beatrice that there is no defense against such an experience, Dante feels as though he has been struck by lightning and his mind literally blown apart. But here we begin to understand that everything Dante has experienced in the Comedy has been preparing him for this moment. And this vision is really just an anticipation of what is yet to come. The Poem is definitely not over yet! Just as the upward movement from the planetary spheres to the Heaven of the Fixed Stars was a major transition, now here, among those same stars, is an even greater moment of transition. The vision of Christ, which shattered the limited boundaries of Dante’s mind, has also prepared him for another unexpected experience: the invitation by Beatrice to look at her smile without the danger of burning to ash (recall that she had previously warned him about this at the beginning of Canto 22). And this is another transition. Because Beatrice represents Divine Revelation in the Poem, to look into her face, to see her eyes and especially her smile, is to see there the ongoing image of Christ he just saw, because that is what she (along with all those Dante has met in Paradise) really sees all the time. In his commentary here, Robert Hollander remarks: “Beatrice’s ‘offer’ to let Dante see her face-to-face, as she truly is, that is, blessed in the company of the elect, is the greatest gift she has ever bestowed on Dante. Among other things, it promises his own blessedness to come, for how would God sanction such a vision to a mortal bound to perdition?” |
| ↑4 | Reeling from so much sensory input, and finding it impossible to describe what has happened to him, Dante steps out of his “sacred Poem” for a moment to explain his predicament to the Reader. Not only has he seen Christ in Triumph, a vision that was virtually mind-shattering, but that was followed by seeing Beatrice’s smile, the beauty of which he now finds it impossible to describe. It is as though he has awakened from a powerful dream and cannot bring it back into his memory no matter how hard he tries. The words of her invitation, “Open your eyes now, look straight into my face and see me as I am!” are like the visions, they are imprinted on him permanently. One is reminded here of St. Paul’s statement in his First Letter to the Corinthians (13:12): “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” And his hyperbole here is evidence of the profound impact this moment has had on him. He tells us that, if every line of poetry ever inspired by the Muses were miraculously available to help him describe the sight of Beatrice when she smiled, they would not even come close. In other words, words cannot describe it…and so he doesn’t. Polyhymnia is one of the Nine Muses, specifically the Muse of sacred poetry and hymns. Ironically, the richness of this set of experiences has robbed him of the ability of describe it and he is left poetically impoverished. So, unable to overcome this challenge, he begs our indulgence if he simply skips over it and takes up his Poem on the other side. This is an unusual moment in the Poem, for sure. On the one hand, everything Dante is saying here, including his begging our indulgence for his lack of ability, has been carefully planned and executed flawlessly as a part of his poetic creation. He knows exactly what he is doing. When he tells us that he is going to skip to the other side of this challenge, where will that be? Will we know we are there? Most likely not because this is simply a literary artifice. At the same time, because we must continue to willingly suspend our disbelief in order to enjoy the effect of his work to its fullest extent, he insists that we must empathize with the pain he experiences at having to carry the weight of his creation. He’s literally asking us to help him carry it! On several occasions, he has used the image of a voyage to describe his Poem which, he implies here, as he’s done elsewhere, is like a large ship. And to reassure us as to his competence to guide this ship to its final destination (the end of Canto 33), he proudly asserts that, in spite of these rough waters, he’s not about to jump ship in order to save himself. |
| ↑5 | Once again, we need to take into account that this is an extraordinary moment in the Poem. Led by Christ, all the Saints in Heaven have come out to meet Dante! It is no wonder, then, that Beatrice rightly cautions Dante here that, while there may be Heaven in her face, he should really be looking at the triumphal pageant that’s taking place “over there,” as it were. (As a matter of fact, this is the fourth time Beatrice has re-directed Dante away from her, as it were, to the main action.) She likens the scene of the Triumph to a garden of Saints, blooming in the same light of Christ that blinded him moments before. More than that, she points out the figure of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, whom she calls a “wondrous Rose.” And, finally, the Apostles (and, perhaps, all the rest of the Saints) whom she calls lilies. By the fragrance of their good example, figuratively speaking, they have brought others to this great garden. The appearance of Mary here is quite significant because she is the one whom we might well say instigated the entire Poem – and Dante’s salvation. This takes us back to Canto 2 of the Inferno, where we find Virgil explaining to Dante how Beatrice appeared to him and commissioned him to be his guide. She told Virgil that it was the Virgin Mary herself who saw that Dante was in danger of losing his soul. Referring to Mary, she told Virgil: “Her compassion is so powerful that it can break Heaven’s rules.” So Mary, intent on Dante’s salvation, told St. Lucy, St. Lucy went to Beatrice, and Beatrice went to Virgil. Now, for a moment, think of the space between that first encounter between Beatrice and Virgil, and how much has happened in the Poem to bring us to where we are now in the Heaven of the Fixed Stars. It’s breath-taking! It’s definitely more than, but not unlike Beatrice telling Dante to look down through the Cosmos when they first reached this Heaven of the Fixed Stars. Here, though, Beatrice, originally sent by Mary, now points her out to Dante so he can see with his own eyes the woman who laid out the path of his salvation. And not only his. In her womb the Word of God, Jesus, became flesh in order to save everyone. |
| ↑6 | In his lifetime, Dante actually suffered from problems with his eyesight, so he knows what he’s writing about as he struggles to return his poor eyes to the scene that, moments before, had already-overpowered them. But without realizing it, that first overpowering vision actually strengthened him to take in a scene of glory, until now, beyond compare. Great shafts of light stream down from the eternal heights of Heaven, and in them countless souls pour down through that living light of Love. It is like that scene in the Book of Revelation (21:2): “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from God.” The whole Holy City of the Empyrean has come to meet Dante! Ever the captain of his great “ship,” he prays to God, the source of this sacred light, that he might be guided and imprinted with it forever. As John Ciardi notes: “Only the spirit that will risk all may dare the glories of Heaven.” |
| ↑7 | Christ, who appeared at the head of the Triumphant Pageant, has re-ascended into the Empyrean, and it is his Mother, Mary, who now takes the lead. With a glimpse into his own spiritual life, Dante’s deep devotion to the Mother of God is seen here as he refers to her as “that sweet Rose,” a title that he takes from the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, a Catholic devotional prayer in which she is addressed as the “Mystical Rose.” At the same time, Dante refers to her as “that living star,” another image from the Litany, where she is called both the “Morning Star” and “Star of the Sea.” This calls to mind again the great “ship” of this Poem, here guided by that Star. And it is now she, the highest of the Saints, the great intercessor and Queen of Heaven, who calls him deeper into the vision that unfolds before him. The Reader will note the contrast between the gentle scene that ensues and the earlier overpowering apparition of Christ in triumph. As he looks on, Dante sees the Archangel Gabriel descend like a flaming torch from the Empyrean. He circles above the Virgin Mary so fast that the trail of his great torch becomes a crown of light above her. This is the same angel who appeared to her as a young woman and announced to her that she would be the mother of Jesus (cf. Gospel of Luke 1:26-38). In Christian theology, that announcement is of paramount importance because her acceptance of this great privilege marks the beginning of the Incarnation, that moment when God becomes human in the person of Jesus who will, at his death, re-open the gates of Heaven, as noted in the Excursus at the end of this canto. The Church solemnly celebrates this event every year on March 25 on what is called the Feast of the Annunciation. It has been a while since Dante heard heavenly music. Now, it accompanies this great celestial parade, and though he hears it, he tells us that the greatest earthly music would sound like the roar of thunder compared to the music that accompanied the angel Gabriel’s circling above Mary. Following the musical theme, he then uses mixed imagery comparing Gabriel’s torch/crown to a lyre. More imagery follows as he compares Mary to a “blessed Sapphire” who “ensapphires” (Dante’s word) the whole of Heaven. In Christian iconography, Mary is often depicted wearing a blue gown or cape. The symbolism here connects her with the blue sky and heaven itself. Sapphires are among the most highly prized and valued of precious gems, thus an appropriate image for her virtue and status as Queen of Heaven. This closing paean of the Archangel Gabriel honoring the Blessed Virgin is, like the sapphire, equally precious. Note how the eloquence of Dante’s words here is heightened to match the angelic words of his lovely song. There is an obvious bond of eternal affection between Gabriel and Mary as he sings praises to her who “breathed” the Word of God (Jesus the Christ) out of her womb where He dwelt for a time, He as “all we could ever hope for,” He the source of our lives and our salvation. And as Mary prepares to follow her divine Son back to the Empyrean, heightening its glory by her own presence there, Gabriel will continue to encircle her with his singing crown of light. |
| ↑8 | As Mary and her singing courtier rise back into the Empyrean, all the Saints who had joined her and her Son are still present before Dante and Beatrice. As they join in singing Mary’s name, a heavenly Ave Maria, Dante senses the presence of the Primum Mobile, the outermost sphere of the cosmos, royal because it is the sphere closest to God and the fastest moving. But it is so vast and so distant he cannot see it yet. At the same time, he loses sight of Mary and Gabriel as they pass through it and into the Empyrean (Heaven proper) beyond it. Here we have a poetic re-enactment of the Assumption (so-called because, at her death, Mary was taken up (assumed) into Heaven body and soul as the culminating privilege of her being the Mother of Jesus). |
| ↑9 | The great apparition of Christ with the Church Triumphant (all the Saints) comes to a close in a scene made tender by the love of all the Saints who now follow Jesus and then Mary – their/our mother – back to the Empyrean. Dante likens them to babes lifting up their arms, satisfied after nursing at their mothers’ breasts. He may have had in mind Psalm 8:2:, “Out of the mouths of babes and infants, you have fashioned praise.” Each glowing soul is a flame, and as they rise upward, they appear to elongate, suspended for a moment as they reach toward their mother and sing the hymn to her known as the Regina Coeli, Queen of Heaven. This is a short hymn to Mary used at the end of the Church’s evening prayer during the season of Easter (from Easter Sunday until Pentecost). Remember that the Paradiso takes place during the days following Easter Sunday. Dante would have known this hymn well. “Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia. The Son you merited to bear, alleluia, Has risen as He said, alleluia. Pray to God for us, alleluia.” He will never forget this heavenly rendering of it. |
| ↑10 | As a final tribute to the magnificence of the Triumph depicted in this canto, Dante again waxes eloquent on the rewards awaiting those who spend their lives in doing good. Their good works are likened to the gold in heavenly storehouses, credited and awarded to those who labored for it while rejecting the “fool’s gold” of earthly things. Interestingly, Dante ends this canto with an extended reference to St. Peter who was entrusted with the “keys” to the Kingdom of Heaven by Jesus in St. Matthew’s Gospel (16:13-20). This ending acts as a segue to the following canto where Peter will be the central character. Although this comment belongs to Robert Hollander’s commentary at the beginning of the vision of Christ in Triumph, I’ve saved it for now as we come to the conclusion of this amazing canto, not only as a summary of what we’ve already seen, but as a reminder of what’s to come. “While a great deal of preparation has led up to this moment (and it should now be clear that it is this moment that necessitated the invocation in the last canto [‘O glorious Gemini! O stars filled with holy power, O source of my genius, etc. …I humbly pray that you will fill me with some of your power that I might have the strength to travel through this hardest phase of my journey and reach its destined end.’]), it is nonetheless a vast surprise, once we realize that what has just occurred is a ‘visit’ by the entire Church Triumphant to the second of the heavenly spheres beneath the placeless, timeless Empyrean. There the object of their ‘visit’ is no other and no more than Dante Alighieri, ‘a Florentine by birth but not in his behaviors.’ There are few moments in the poem, not even the final vision of the triune God, that come close to reaching the level of daring found here.” |
| ↑11 | EXCURSUS ON THE RE-OPENING OF HEAVEN:
In the first three chapters of the Book of Genesis, we read the story of creation culminating with the creation of Adam and Eve who then inhabit the Garden of Eden. Living in this paradisial place in a state of perfect moral innocence, these original humans were told by God that they could eat from any tree in the Garden except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If they ate from this tree, they would die. But Eve is tricked by the serpent into eating fruit from this mysterious tree, and she gives some to her husband. Immediately, they realize they are naked and make coverings for themselves. Later in the day, when God comes looking for them, they hide. When He finds them, they admit that they hid because they were naked. Recognizing from their response that they had eaten the “forbidden fruit,” God expels them from the Garden. Their perfectly innocent and simple (naked) existence will now be replaced with hardship and toil. Thus, we have the story of (the) Original Sin, sometimes referred to as the story of The Fall. |