Canto VIII of Paradise

Death, death to whom, by love, cures all sins!
Venus, this star who gives birth, in man, to sensual love.

 Solea creder lo mondo in suo periclo
che la bella Ciprigna il folle amore
raggiasse, volta nel terzo epiciclo;

  per che non pur a lei faceano onore
di sacrificio e di votivo grido
le genti antiche ne l'antico errore;

  ma Dione onoravano e Cupido,
quella per madre sua, questo per figlio,
e dicean ch'el sedette in grembo a Dido;

  e da costei ond'io principio piglio
pigliavano il vocabol de la stella
che 'l sol vagheggia or da coppa or da ciglio.

It is Venus, this star who gives birth, in man, to sensual love, 
this is why I felt in me a soft euphoria. 

I did not realize that I was going up into this star, but my Lady, that I saw becoming more beautiful, 
gave me the certitude of being entered there. I saw in this light, other gleams 
which ran in round, more or less quickly, according, it seemed to me, to their celestial visions.
 These divine lights came to us, as quickly as if they were attracted 
by the magnet, giving up their round started in the Empyree. 
And, among those who appeared more ahead, resounded a Hosanna so beautiful 
that never I did ceases whishing, since, to hear it again.

 Then one of them approached to us and  started talking alone: 
 
"All of us, we are ready to satisfy your desires, so that you pick in us 
the virtue of pleasure. We enjoy with the Princes of Heaven, from the same movement 
and the same thirst, as with that one to whom on earth, we where saying: 
"Come and pick in the secret drawers of our sensuality, all the intelligences 
which make the world drive. We are so full with love that, 
to please you, one moment of rest will not be less soft to us." 

After my eyes had risen filled of embarrassment towards my lady, 
and that she reassured me and released me from my fears, they turned towards the light 
which had made me such promises, and my words, full of great affection, were: 
"Tell me who you are, you who is full of tenderness for me?"


 Oh! how much larger and sharper became her splendour, transformed by my words, 
of a new light which transcended her immaterial body. Thus transformed, she says to me: 
"We were impassionned for so little time, and if I had lived more, many evils which came would have not happens. 
My joy which transforms me, make me clinched to your eyes, and dissimulates me to you like a worm 
wrapped in its own silk. You loved me so much, and you were right because, if I had remained on earth, 
I would have, of my love,shown more  than the secret drawers of my beautiful body, if a bad government, 
who always exasperate its citizens by forcing them to  subjected to him, had not shouted: 
"Death, dead to whom, by love, cures all sins!"

"You filled me with joyfulness, but teach me still, since your words 
threw me in the doubt, how love can generate fear?"


The Good which does  drive and satisfies the kingdom where you go, does, that Providence 
is an active virtue there; all natures are foreseened also their conservation in the perfection of 
His Thought; everything that is conceived, is laid out with a foreseen end, as a thing who goes right 
to the goal. If that were not so, Heaven where you go to, would only be ruins rather than a work of art. 
That is possible only if all the Intelligences which make the stars and the planets be driven,
are perfect, as well as the Thought which had conceived them so. 
Do you want to be better informed on this Truth which appears obscure to you?" 


In my doubt I answered:  
"I see how what, any desire which is necessary, as are my desires, must be in its perfection." 

Then She continued as follows:
 "Tell me if it would be worse for you to be on earth, citizen and differentiated, 
to live according to your own way, different from that of others, or to be conceived 
such to dispose of a common and equal way of being and of doing?"


 "Between the two I conceive the first option, although it is sad for me to state
 that between the two options, man let himself easily convince to adopt the last, 
and in that, would he be predestined, in the supreme Thought, to become a sheep?" 

 "It is necessary that the roots of your acts are diversified, it is why, one is born king,
 the other plebeian, one will be beautiful, the other will be ugly; the Providence opposed 
that you follow the traces of your father, and He makes that you seek, without respite, 
the sweetheart in Me. You understand now what you were unaware of before, 
but in order that you know that I am pleased with you, I want to feed you still, with My science. 
Your nature succeeds badly, confronted to an adverse fortune, as a seed out of a ground 
inappropriate for it. If the world still down there, would worried about the fondation
of its own nature and conformed to it, it would enjoy a better life. 
But you turn yourself, like blind men, to the religions of the moment, and you crown king, 
some idiots who sing falsely, this is why you are away from the good course."