Dante's Divina Commedia Paradiso Author:Dante Alighieri Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CANTO II. The Lunar Sphere. — Discourse concerning the nature of the Spots on the Moon. O Ye who in a little bark would fain List to my words, and pass th... more »e surges o'er, Behind my ship that, singing, ploughs the main, Turn ye again to look upon the shore : Seek not the ocean ; for it well may be, 5 Losing my track, ye err in peril sore. The waves whereon I sail are, save by me, Unfurrow'd ; then let Pallas waft me far, Apollo guide me o'er the dangerous sea, And Muses nine point out the polar star. 10 Ye other few, who for the angels' bread Have early stretch'd your hands, (that food ye are Still nourish'd by, imsated,) ye may lead Your vessel through the high salt sea, and trace My course among the waves which swiftly speed, 15 Smoothing my path again. The glorious race Who pass'd by Colchis, when they did discern Jason's strange husbandry, yet marvell'd less Than ye at this my tale. The thirst, inborn And aye unquench'd, for God's own kingdom, raised 20 Us swiftly as the starry myriads turn. Still upward Beatrice intently gazed, And I on her: perchance, an arrow's flight No longer lasts than until I, amazed, Beheld myself where a most wondrous sight 25 Attracted me ; and she from whom my care Could not be hid, as beautiful as bright, Now turn'd, and said : " Most gratefully we are Bound to give thanks unto the grace divine, Which hath conjoin'd us thus to the first star." 30 Meseem'd a cloud did o'er our heads incline, Enfolding us, thick, solid, clear, and bright As diamond whereon the sun doth shine. The eternal pearl received us in its light, )th the sunny ray contain, 35 ;trates, but nought doth disunite. in the body still remain, re ye know not how one space doth bear vhich, if substance entrance gain ,...« less