When, disappearing from our hemisphere, the world's enlightener vanishes, and day on all sides wastes, suddenly the sky, erewhile irradiate only with his beam, is yet again unfolded, putting forth innumerable lights wherein one shines. Of such vicissitude in heaven Dante thinks, as the great sign that marshals the world and the world's leaders, in the blessed beak, is silent, for that all those living lights, waxing in splendour, burst forth into songs such as from memory glide and fall away. Sweet love, that does array thee with a smile: how glowing in those sparks wast thou to him, that had the breath of holy thought alone. After the precious and bright-gemmed rays have ceased, those lights of the sixth sphere are hushed, and he hears a murmur like a river that descends clear from its mountain height, from rock to rock, showing the fulness of its highland spring. And as the tone does from the cittern's neck receive its fitting shape, and wind from pipe its fashion, so, ascending without stay, up through the neck of that great eagle rose the murmur, and took voice, and issued forth in words, whereat his eager heart rejoiced.
That part in me, from which the eagle-eye looks forth and bears the sun, must thou gaze on, it says, for of the fires wherewith I figure me, those who compose the eye are highest in their grade. He who does glitter most within the pupil was he who bore the ark from town to town, the singer of the Holy Ghost, and now he knows, in measure as his song's own worth was his own merit's fruit, how far it rose above the compass of his own conceiving. Of those five who do form the eyebrow's arch, he nearest to the beak, the widow's cause did comfort, hence he comes, and now he knows how dear the following of Christ must cost, by opposite experience, for he learns what he who treads not in his steps must pay. The next upon the arch, delaying death by earnest prayer, moved God to lengthen out his span of years, and now he knows how long the eternal love endures beyond the change which his true prayer and God's mercy brought. Then he who, with good will but issue ill, to follow Christ, transferred the see to East, and transferred himself: he now knows well the harm his good act brought was not his own. Ripheus, the fifth upon this arc of light, whom Virgil mentions as most just of Troy, most pious of the Trojans, shines herein, and now he knows full much of grace divine that human sight, below, could never plumb, although his eye could see not to its root.
Like as a lark that soars into the air first singing, then falls silent, sated quite with that last sweetness that does fill it full, such seemed to Dante the impress of that seal of the Eternal Pleasure, at whose will all things become the thing they must become. And though his doubt were clear to those bright eyes as glass is clear to sight, he held his peace, not waiting, for good will brooks not delay. Then from within the great sign thus it spoke. Thou seest these two, and marvellest. Their ways hence came: Ripheus and the Emperor Trajan, both now in Christ believed, one ere, one after, the crucifying, but as thou hast noted, they tarried not in error. For the one, by Gregory's great prayers, was called again to living flesh, and from that second life chose the true faith, and hence came to this grace. For the other, by an outpoured gift from on high, that celestial treasury unlocking, saw the love of righteousness, and long before the Trojans fell, he looked upon the faith of Christ that was to come, and God who all things sees revealed to him the way of righteousness, and so believing, he kept himself from those same sins which sow the sea with grief, and others followed on. Both these were baptised with that Spirit's fire which fills the place of faith, for past and future. O predestination, how remote thy root from those whose sight reaches not to the first cause. Ye sons of earth, be slow to judge of those who sit in judgement-seats: for we who see God's face know not as yet all those he elects, and such defect is pleasant to us here, because our good is perfected in this, that what God willeth we likewise do will.
