Explore "Beatrice" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Purgatorio XXX. 13-33, 85-99, XXXI. 13-21.
Even as the Blessed, at the final summons, / Shall rise up quickened, each one from his grave, / Wearing again the garments of the flesh, / So, upon that celestial chariot, / A hundred rose ad vocem tanti senis, / Ministers and messengers of life eternal. / They all were saying, "Benedictus qui venis," / And scattering flowers above and round about, / "Manibus o date lilia plenis. " / Oft have I seen, at the approach of day, / The orient sky all stained with roseate hues, / And the other heaven with light serene adorned, / And the sun's face uprising, overshadowed, / So that, by temperate influence of vapors, / The eye sustained his aspect for long while; / Thus in the bosom of a cloud of flowers, / Which from those hands angelic were thrown up, / And down descended inside and without, / With crown of olive o'er a snow-white veil, / Appeared a lady, under a green mantle, / Vested in colors of the living flame. / . / Even as the snow, among the living rafters / Upon the back of Italy, congeals, / Blown on and beaten by Sclavonian winds, / And then, dissolving, filters through itself, / Whene'er the land, that loses shadow, breathes, / Like as a taper melts before a fire, / Even such I was, without a sigh or tear, / Before the song of those who chime forever / After the chiming of the eternal spheres; / But, when I heard in those sweet melodies / Compassion for me, more than had they said, / "O wherefore, lady, dost thou thus consume him? " / The ice, that was about my heart congealed, / To air and water changed, and, in my anguish, / Through lips and eyes came gushing from my breast. / . / Confusion and dismay, together mingled, / Forced such a feeble "Yes! " out of my mouth, / To understand it one had need of sight. / Even as a cross-bow breaks, when 't is discharged, / Too tensely drawn the bow-string and the bow, / And with less force the arrow hits the mark; / So I gave way beneath this heavy burden, / Gushing forth into bitter tears and sighs, / And the voice, fainting, flagged upon its passage.