Cantos From Dante's Paradiso Poem Rhyme Scheme

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Canto XXIII	A
	-
Even as a bird 'mid the beloved leaves	A
Quiet upon the nest of her sweet brood	B
Throughout the night that hideth all things from us	A
Who that she may behold their longed for looks	A
And find the nourishment wherewith to feed them	C
In which to her grave labors grateful are	D
Anticipates the time on open spray	E
And with an ardent longing waits the sun	F
Gazing intent as soon as breaks the dawn	G
Even thus my Lady standing was erect	H
And vigilant turned round towards the zone	I
Underneath which the sun displays least haste	J
So that beholding her distraught and eager	K
Such I became as he is who desiring	L
For something yearns and hoping is appeased	M
But brief the space from one When to the other	K
From my awaiting say I to the seeing	L
The welkin grow resplendent more and more	N
And Beatrice exclaimed 'Behold the hosts	A
Of the triumphant Christ and all the fruit	O
Harvested by the rolling of these spheres '	-
It seemed to me her face was all on flame	P
And eyes she had so full of ecstasy	A
That I must needs pass on without describing	L
As when in nights serene of the full moon	Q
Smiles Trivia among the nymphs eternal	R
Who paint the heaven through all its hollow cope	S
Saw I above the myriads of lamps	A
A sun that one and all of them enkindled	O
E'en as our own does the supernal stars	A
And through the living light transparent shone	I
The lucent substance so intensely clear	T
Into my sight that I could not sustain it	O
O Beatrice my gentle guide and dear	T
She said to me 'That which o'ermasters thee	A
A virtue is which no one can resist	O
There are the wisdom and omnipotence	A
That oped the thoroughfares 'twixt heaven and earth	U
For which there erst had been so long a yearning '	-
As fire from out a cloud itself discharges	A
Dilating so it finds not room therein	V
And down against its nature falls to earth	U
So did my mind among those aliments	A
Becoming larger issue from itself	W
And what became of it cannot remember	K
'Open thine eyes and look at what I am	X
Thou hast beheld such things that strong enough	Y
Hast thou become to tolerate my smile '	-
I was as one who still retains the feeling	L
Of a forgotten dream and who endeavors	A
In vain to bring it back into his mind	O
When I this invitation heard deserving	L
Of so much gratitude it never fades	A
Out of the book that chronicles the past	O
It at this moment sounded all the tongues	A
That Polyhymnia and her sisters made	O
Most lubrical with their delicious milk	Z
To aid me to a thousandth of the truth	A2
It would not reach singing the holy smile	B2
And how the holy aspect it illumed	O
And therefore representing Paradise	A
The sacred poem must perforce leap over	K
Even as a man who finds his way cut off	C2
But whoso thinketh of the ponderous theme	D2
And of the mortal shoulder that sustains it	O
Should blame it not if under this it trembles	A
It is no passage for a little boat	O
This which goes cleaving the audacious prow	E2
Nor for a pilot who would spare himself	W
'Why does my face so much enamor thee	A
That to the garden fair thou turnest not	O
Which under the rays of Christ is blossoming	L
There is the rose in which the Word Divine	F2
Became incarnate there the lilies are	D
By whose perfume the good way was selected '	-
Thus Beatrice and I who to her counsels	A
Was wholly ready once again betook me	A
Unto the battle of the feeble brows	A
As in a sunbeam that unbroken passes	A
Through fractured cloud ere now a meadow of flowers	A
Mine eyes with shadow covered have beheld	O
So I beheld the multitudinous splendors	A
Refulgent from above with burning rays	A
Beholding not the source of the effulgence	A
O thou benignant power that so imprint'st them	C
Thou didst exalt thyself to give more scope	S
There to the eyes that were not strong enough	Y
The name of that fair flower I e'er invoke	G2
Morning and evening utterly enthralled	O
My soul to gaze upon the greater fire	K
And when in both mine eyes depicted were	K
The glory and greatness of the living star	D
Which conquers there and here below it conquered	O
Athwart the heavens descended a bright sheen	H2
Formed in a circle like a coronal	B2
And cinctured it and whirled itself about it	O
Whatever melody most sweetly soundeth	A
On earth and to itself most draws the soul	B2
Would seem a cloud that rent asunder thunders	A
Compared unto the sounding of that lyre	I2
Wherewith was crowned the sapphire beautiful	B2
Which gives the clearest heaven its sapphire hue	J2
'I am Angelic Love that circle round	O
The joy sublime which breathes from out the bosom	K2
That was the hostelry of our Desire	K
And I shall circle Lady of Heaven while	B2
Thou followest thy Son and mak'st diviner	K
The sphere supreme because thou enterest it '	-
Thus did the circulated melody	O
Seal itself up and all the other lights	A
Were making resonant the name of Mary	O
The regal mantle of the volumes all	B2
Of that world which most fervid is and living	L
With breath of God and with his works and ways	A
Extended over us its inner curve	L2
So very distant that its outward show	M2
There where I was not yet appeared to me	O
Therefore mine eyes did not possess the power	K
Of following the incoronated flame	P
Which had ascended near to its own seed	O
And as a little child that toward its mother	K
Extends its arms when it the milk has taken	F
Through impulse kindled into outward flame	P
Each of those gleams of white did upward stretch	N2
So with its summit that the deep affection	F
They had for Mary was revealed to me	O
Thereafter they remained there in my sight	O
Regina coeli singing with such sweetness	A
That ne'er from me has the delight departed	O
Oh what exuberance is garnered up	O2
In those resplendent coffers which had been	V
For sowing here below good husbandmen	V
There they enjoy and live upon the treasure	K
Which was acquired while weeping in the exile	B2
Of Babylon wherein the gold was left	O
There triumpheth beneath the exalted Son	V
Of God and Mary in his victory	O
Both with the ancient council and the new	V
He who doth keep the keys of such a glory	O
	-
	-
Canto XXIV	L2
	-
'O company elect to the great supper	K
Of the Lamb benedight who feedeth you	V
So that for ever full is your desire	K
If by the grace of God this man foretaste	O
Something of that which falleth from your table	B2
Or ever death prescribe to him the time	P2
Direct your mind to his immense desire	K
And him somewhat bedew ye drinking are	K
For ever at the fount whence comes his thought '	-
Thus Beatrice and those souls beatified	O
Transformed themselves to spheres on steadfast poles	A
Flaming intensely in the guise of comets	A
And as the wheels in works of horologes	A
Revolve so that the first to the beholder	K
Motionless seems and the last one to fly	B2
So in like manner did those carols dancing	L
In different measure of their affluence	A
Give me the gauge as they were swift or slow	M2
From that one which I noted of most beauty	O
Beheld I issue forth a fire so happy	O
That none it left there of a greater brightness	A
And around Beatrice three several times	A
It whirled itself with so divine a song	Q2
My fantasy repeats it not to me	O
Therefore the pen skips and I write it not	O
Since our imagination for such folds	A
Much more our speech is of a tint too glaring	L
'O holy sister mine who us implorest	O
With such devotion by thine ardent love	L2
Thou dost unbind me from that beautiful sphere '	-
Thereafter having stopped the blessed fire	K
Unto my Lady did direct its breath	A
Which spake in fashion as I here have said	O
And she 'O light eterne of the great man	V
To whom our Lord delivered up the keys	A
He carried down of this miraculous joy	R2
This one examine on points light and grave	L2
As good beseemeth thee about the Faith	A
By means of which thou on the sea didst walk	S2
If he love well and hope well and believe	L2
From thee 'tis hid not for thou hast thy sight	O
There where depicted everything is seen	V
But since this kingdom has made citizens	A
By means of the true Faith to glorify it	O
'Tis well he have the	A

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Cantos From Dante's Paradiso Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis

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