Princeton Dante Project: Main Poem Browser (2.0)

per vedere in Beatrice il mio dovere,

from Beatrice what I ought to do,

o per parlare o per atto, segnato;

whether signaled by some word or gesture,

e vidi le sue luci tanto mere,

and I saw her eyes so clear, so joyful,

tanto gioconde, che la sua sembianza

that her aspect in its radiance outshone

vinceva li altri e l'ultimo solere.

her former glory, even that most recent.

E come, per sentir più dilettanza

And as, from feeling more delight in doing good,

bene operando, l'uom di giorno in giorno

a man becomes aware from day to day

s'accorge che la sua virtute avanza,

of his increasing virtue,

sì m'accors' io che 'l mio girare intorno

seeing that miracle adorned with greater brightness,

col cielo insieme avea cresciuto l'arco,

I became aware my wheeling circles

veggendo quel miracol più addorno.

through the heavens had grown wider in their arc.

E qual è 'l trasmutare in picciol varco

And such a change as passes in a moment

di tempo in bianca donna, quando 'l volto

from the blushing face of a fair-skinned lady,

suo si discarchi di vergogna il carco,

unburdened of the reason for her shame,

tal fu ne li occhi miei, quando fui vòlto,

greeted my eyes once I had turned around,

per lo candor de la temprata stella

because of the white radiance of the temperate

sesta, che dentro a sé m'avea ricolto.

sixth star, which had gathered me into itself.

Io vidi in quella giovïal facella

In that torch of Jupiter I watched

lo sfavillar de l'amor che lì era

the sparkling of the love resplendent there

segnare a li occhi miei nostra favella.

make signs, before my eyes, of our speech.

E come augelli surti di rivera,

And as birds risen from the river's edge,

quasi congratulando a lor pasture,

seeming to celebrate their pleasure in their food,

fanno di sé or tonda or altra schiera,

form now a rounded arc, and now another shape,

sì dentro ai lumi sante creature

so, radiant within their lights, the holy creatures

volitando cantavano, e faciensi

sang as they flew and shaped themselves

or D, or I, or L in sue figure.

in figures, now D, now I, now L.

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