Our Faith Is What?—Canto XXIV of Dante’s Paradise, Translated by Stephen Binns

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Our Faith Is What?—
Canto XXIV of Paradise

by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
translated by Stephen Binns

“O fellowship elected to the feast  ____Beatrice says to those amid the fixed stars
__of our blessed Lamb, who ever keeps you fed,
__so that your every want has ever ceased:
Since by God’s grace this man has here been led
__to taste of orts that fall from your repast,
__of, as it were, the crumbs of sacred bread,
before his prescribed time on earth has passed,
__look on desire immense, and with your bowls
__bedew him from the fount; he’s come at last.” ____fount of truth, John 4:14
Thus Beatrice, and all those sanguine souls,
__like comets blazing, flashing dazzlingly,
__grew spherical, revolving on fixed poles.
And as wheels in a clock, in harmony,
__will whirl so that the largest, to our eyes,
__seems static, and the smallest flying free,
so those bright spheres had made me realize,
__in their revolving dance, all variously
__rapid or slow, the richness they comprise.
From one of greater beauty, I could see, ____spirit of St. Peter
__there issued forth a fire. It left behind
__all other lights; none glowed so gladsomely.
Round Beatrice three times it did then wind,
__and meanwhile sang a canto so divine
__that my imagination cannot find
the speech for it. I cannot pen a line.
__To paint such folds and shades, my words, I fear, ____the subtly painted folds of a gown
__must needs use colors that too boldly shine.
“O sacred sister, your devoted prayer, ____says St. Peter
__inspired by affection so intense,
__now separates me from that lovely sphere.”
At rest, the blessèd fire did commence
__to breathe his loving breath toward Beatrice,
__and said those words that I’ve related. Hence
she spoke: “Great man who lives in light of bliss,
__to whom our Lord below bequeathed the keys
__to what He’s brought, this blazing happiness,
test him on points, by light or grave degrees, ____test Dante
__of faith, by which you walked upon the sea, ____Sea of Galilee, Matthew 14:28–31
__as it seems right to do, and as you please:
his love, his hope, his faith, all you can see,
__here where all happenings are within ken,
__how weak or strong these qualities may be.
But since this realm appoints each citizen
__by his true faith, to hear it glorified
__it’s well that he discuss this. Speak again.” ____to Dante
Just as a bachelor must go tongue-tied ____candidate for a degree
__until the master has proposed the question
__that he must argue over, not decide,
I took up arms of reason for the lesson
__while she was speaking, ready for the test
__from such a questioner, for such profession.
“Good Christian, tell, and make this manifest: ____says St. Peter
__Our faith is what?” he asked. I raised my face
__toward that bright light through which this was expressed.
I turned to Beatrice, and her own gaze
__was sign enough that I should then address
__the waters held inside, the source of praise.
“Now may the grace that grants what I confess ____says Dante
__in presence of the high centurion ____leader of the Church Militant
__allow that I leave nothing to a guess.
As he of that true style,” I carried on,
__“wrote to us, Father—I mean your brother dear—____ St. Paul
__he who, with you, the right, straight way had shown
to Rome: the substance of our hope, the clear
__self-evidence of things unseen: that’s faith. ____Hebrews 11:1
__That is its quiddity, it would appear.” ____essence
And then he said: “This is, in fact, the pith. ____says Peter
__But do you know why he so classifies ____Paul
__it first with substance, subsequently with
evidence?” I said: “Profundities disguise
__themselves below, but up here they are shown,
__all that is hidden from all mortal eyes.
Where our existence lives by faith alone,
__the faith that highest hope must undergird—
__faith is this substance hope is based upon. ____in the sense of sub-standing
And from this faith, without a proven word,
__we syllogize, and of each argument
__a necessary part is what’s assured.”
And then I heard: “If all intelligent ____says Peter
__students on earth could so well intimate
__there’d be no need for sophists to be sent.”
That kindled love, that keeper of the gate,
__had breathed this out, and then: “You now have tried
__the alloy of this money and its weight,
but have it in your purse?” And I replied:
__“Oh yes, I have, and it’s so round and bright
__it could not but be true, be bona fide.”
Next from the depth of that rejoicing light,
__these splendid words: “Now, tell me, this bijou, ____faith
__foundation for all virtues and all right,
where is it from?” And I: “The heavy dew
__shed by the Holy Spirit, absolute
__throughout the Testaments, both Old and New,
presents a syllogism so acute ____deductive argument
__the matter in my mind it must conclude.
__All other demonstrations seem dilute.”
I heard: “These premises you’ve understood
__in Old and New, which led to certainty:
__Why do you think they are the word of God?”
Then I: “The proof that brings the truth to me
__lies in the works that followed them; for those
__nature ne’er beat on heated iron, I see.” ____cannot have natural causes
And then he said: “And yet, for that, you chose
__belief in these things, when attested by
__the book whose truth is what you must disclose.”
“The world had turned to faith,” was my reply,
__“in Christ, not needing miracles. That is
__the greatest miracle. That is my how and why.
For you yourself, in hunger, wretchedness,
__came to the field to sow the blessèd plant
__which grew to life, however now amiss.” ____grew into the Church, now often corrupt
This done, the high and holiest chorus
__began a prayer that only they can chant
__throughout the spheres: “Te Deum laudamus.” ____“We praise God”
And then that baron who, from branch to branch, ____Peter
__had led me through the tests so rigorous
__until we climbed upon the highest rung,
began again: “The grace whose loving good
__has loosed your mind—now it has loosened tongue
__to help you speak, and speak just as you should,
so I approve of all you’ve passed along.
__But now explain where your belief has stood
__and how it was you finally believed.”
“O Holy Father, spirit who had come ____says Dante
__to see at last what you had once perceived,
__outracing younger feet to reach the tomb,” ____Luke 24:12
I so began, “you ask how I achieved
__my firm belief, and where this faith came from,
__its origin and what its essence is.
I say that I believe in one true Lord
__who made the heavens in love, and also this
__unmoving Maker moves of His accord.
For this I have my eyes for witnesses,
__and physics, metaphysics. Both afford
__the proof, and like a falling rain: the truth
through Moses, Psalms, the prophecies, and most
__of all the Gospels, and you who went forth ____the Apostles
__when you were quickened by the Holy Ghost. ____at the Pentecost
Three persons, I believe, of equal worth
__and selfsame essence, are in one. The Host
__is written truly both as ‘is’ and ‘are.’
And many times, concerning this profound,__
__mysterious state, the Gospels took me far
__toward that of which I speak but cannot sound.
This is the principle, this is the star
__that burst into a flame and, skyward bound,__
__became a sun to make the darkness bright.”
And like a master moving to embrace
__a messenger with news that brings delight
__the moment it’s delivered, so, apace,
he blessed me and he sang and his dear light ____Peter
__myself thrice circled when I’d made my case,
__the light by which my every thought was led.
He was so greatly pleased by what I’d said.

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Original Italian

“O sodalizio eletto a la gran cena
del benedetto Agnello, il qual vi ciba
sì, che la vostra voglia è sempre piena,
se per grazia di Dio questi preliba
di quel che cade de la vostra mensa,
prima che morte tempo li prescriba,
ponete mente a l’affezione immensa
e roratelo alquanto: voi bevete
sempre del fonte onde vien quel ch’ei pensa,”
Così Beatrice; e quelle anime liete
si fero spere sopra fissi poli,
fiammando, a volte, a guisa di comete.
E come cerchi in tempra d’orïuoli
si giran sì, che ’l primo a chi pon mente
quïeto pare, e l’ultimo che voli;
così quelle carole, differente-
mente danzando, de la sua ricchezza
mi facieno stimar, veloci e lente.
Di quella ch’io notai di più carezza
0vid’ ïo uscire un foco sì felice,
che nullo vi lasciò di più chiarezza;
e tre fïate intorno di Beatrice
si volse con un canto tanto divo,
che la mia fantasia nol mi ridice.
Però salta la penna e non lo scrivo:
ché l’imagine nostra a cotai pieghe,
non che ’l parlare, è troppo color vivo.
“O santa suora mia che sì ne prieghe
divota, per lo tuo ardente affetto
da quella bella spera mi disleghe.”
Poscia fermato, il foco benedetto
a la mia donna dirizzò lo spiro,
che favellò così com’ i’ ho detto.
Ed ella: “O luce etterna del gran viro
a cui Nostro Segnor lasciò le chiavi,
ch’ei portò giù, di questo gaudio miro,
tenta costui di punti lievi e gravi,
come ti piace, intorno de la fede,
per la qual tu su per lo mare andavi.
S’elli ama bene e bene spera e crede,
non t’è occulto, perché ’l viso hai quivi
dov’ ogne cosa dipinta si vede;
ma perché questo regno ha fatto civi
per la verace fede, a glorïarla,
di lei parlare è ben ch’a lui arrivi».
Sì come il baccialier s’arma e non parla
fin che ’l maestro la question propone,
per approvarla, non per terminarla,
così m’armava io d’ogne ragione
mentre ch’ella dicea, per esser presto
a tal querente e a tal professione.
“Dì, buon Cristiano, fatti manifesto:
fede che è?” Ond’ io levai la fronte
in quella luce onde spirava questo;
poi mi volsi a Beatrice, ed essa pronte
sembianze femmi perch’ ïo spandessi
l’acqua di fuor del mio interno fonte.
“La Grazia che mi dà ch’io mi confessi,”
comincia’ io, “da l’alto primipilo,
faccia li miei concetti bene espressi.”
E seguitai: “Come ’l verace stilo
ne scrisse, padre, del tuo caro frate
che mise teco Roma nel buon filo,
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.”
E io appresso: “Le profonde cose
che mi largiscon qui la lor parvenza,
a li occhi di là giù son sì ascose,
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.”
Allora udi’: “Se quantunque s’acquista
giù per dottrina, fosse così ’nteso,
non lì avria loco ingegno di sofista.”
Così spirò di quello amore acceso;
indi soggiunse: “Assai bene è trascorsa
d’esta moneta già la lega e ’l peso;
ma dimmi se tu l’hai ne la tua borsa».
Ond’ io: “Sì ho, sì lucida e sì tonda,
che nel suo conio nulla mi s’inforsa.”
Appresso uscì de la luce profonda
che lì splendeva: “Questa cara gioia
sopra la quale ogne virtù si fonda,
onde ti venne?”E io: “La larga ploia
de lo Spirito Santo, ch’è diffusa
in su le vecchie e ’n su le nuove cuoia,
è silogismo che la m’ha conchiusa
acutamente sì, che ’nverso d’ella
ogne dimostrazion mi pare ottusa.”
Io udi’ poi: “L’antica e la novella
proposizion che così ti conchiude,
perché l’hai tu per divina favella?”
E io: “La prova che ’l ver mi dischiude,
son l’opere seguite, a che natura
non scalda ferro mai né batte incude.”
Risposto fummi: “Dì, chi t’assicura
che quell’ opere fosser? Quel medesmo
che vuol provarsi, non altri, il ti giura.”
“Se ’l mondo si rivolse al cristianesmo,”
diss’ io, “sanza miracoli, quest’ uno
è tal, che li altri non sono il centesmo:
ché tu intrasti povero e digiuno
in campo, a seminar la buona pianta
che fu già vite e ora è fatta pruno.”
Finito questo, l’alta corte santa
risonò per le spere un ‘Dio laudamo’
ne la melode che là sù si canta.
E quel baron che sì di ramo in ramo,
essaminando, già tratto m’avea,
che a l’ultime fronde appressavamo,
ricominciò: “La Grazia, che donnea
con la tua mente, la bocca t’aperse
infino a qui come aprir si dovea,
sì ch’io approvo ciò che fuori emerse;
ma or convien espremer quel che credi,
e onde a la credenza tua s’offerse.”
“O santo padre, e spirito che vedi
ciò che credesti sì, che tu vincesti
ver’ lo sepulcro più giovani piedi,”
comincia’ io, “tu vuo’ ch’io manifesti
la forma qui del pronto creder mio,
e anche la cagion di lui chiedesti.”
E io rispondo: “Io credo in uno Dio
solo ed etterno, che tutto ’l ciel move,
non moto, con amore e con disio;
e a tal creder non ho io pur prove
fisice e metafisice, ma dalmi
anche la verità che quinci piove
per Moïsè, per profeti e per salmi,
per l’Evangelio e per voi che scriveste
poi che l’ardente Spirto vi fé almi;
e credo in tre persone etterne, e queste
credo una essenza sì una e sì trina,
che soffera congiunto ‘sono’ ed ‘este.’
De la profonda condizion divina
ch’io tocco mo, la mente mi sigilla
più volte l’evangelica dottrina.
Quest’ è ’l principio, quest’ è la favilla
che si dilata in fiamma poi vivace,
e come stella in cielo in me scintilla.”
Come ’l segnor ch’ascolta quel che i piace,
da indi abbraccia il servo, gratulando
per la novella, tosto ch’el si tace;
così, benedicendomi cantando,
tre volte cinse me, sì com’ io tacqui,
l’appostolico lume al cui comando
io avea detto: sì nel dir li piacqui!

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Stephen Binns is an editor at the Smithsonian (the institution, not the magazine). His most recently published poetry appeared in the January 2023 issue of First Things.

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