Aule
12-23-2005, 09:02 PM
Not sure if this belongs here.
Nine times the heaven of light had revolved in it's own movement since my birth and had almost returned to the same point when the woman whom my mind beholds in glory first appeared before my eyes. She was called Beatrice by many who did not know what it meant to call her this. She had lived in this world for the length of time in which the heaven of the fixed stars had circled one twelfth of a degree towards the east. Thus she had not long passed the beginning of her ninth year when she appeared to me and I was almost at the end of mine when I beheld her.
She was dressed in a very noble color, a decorous and delicate crimson, tied with a girdle and trimmed in a manner suited to her delicate age. The moment I saw her I say in all truth that the vital spirit, which dwells in the inmost depths of the heart, began to tremble so violently that I felt the vibrations alarmingly in all my pulses, even the weakest of them. As it trembled, it uttered these words: Ecce deus fortior me, qui veniens dominabitur mihi. At this point, the spirit which dwells on the high place to which all our sense perceptions are carried, was filled with amazement and, speaking especially to the spirits of vision made this pronouncement: Apparuit iam beatitudo vestra. Whereupon the natural spirit, which dwells where our nourishment is digested, began to weep and, weeping, said: Heu miser! quia frequenter impeditus ero dienceps.
From then on indeed love ruled over my soul, which was thus wedded to him early in life, and he began to acquire such assurance and mastery over me, owing to the power which my imagination gave him, that I was oblidged to fulfill all his wishes perfectly. He often commanded me to go where I might see this angelic child and so, while I was still a boy, I would often go in search of her; and I saw that in all her ways she was most praiseworthy and noble that indeed the words of the poet Homer might have been said of her: "She did not seem the daughter of a mortal man, but of a god." Though her image, which was always present in my mind, incited love to dominate me, its influence was so noble that it never allowed Love to guide me without the faithful counsel of reason, in everything in which such counsel was good to hear.
But, since to dwell on the feelings and actions of such early years might appear to some to be to fictitious, I will move on, omitting many things which might be copied from the master text from which the foregoing is derived, I come now to words inscribed in my memory under more important headings.
When exactly nine years had passed since this gracious being appeared to me, as I have described, it happened that on the last day of this intervening period this marvel appeared before me again, dressed in purest white, walking between to other women of distinguished bearing, both older than herself. As they walked down the street she turned her eyes towards me where I stood in fear and trembling, and with her ineffable courtesy, she greeted me; and such was the virtue of her greeting that I seemed to experience the height of bliss. It was exaclty the ninth hour of the day when she gave me her sweet greeting. As this was the first time she had ever spoken to me, I was filled with such joy that, my senses reeling, I had to withdraw from the sight of others.
So I returned to the loneliness of my room and began to think about this gracious person. As I thought of her I fell asleep and a marvellous vision appeared to me. In my room I seemed to see a cloud the color of fire, and in the cloud, a lordly figure, frightening to behold, yet in himself, it seemed to me, he was filled with a marvellous joy. He said many things, of which I understood only a few; among them were the words: Ego dominus tuus. In his arms I seemed to see a naked figure sleeping, wrapped lightly in a crimson cloth. Gazing intently I saw that it was she who had bestowed her greeting on me earlier that day. In one hand the standing figure held a fiery object, and he seemed to say, Vide cor tuum. After a little while I thought he wakened her who slept and prevailed on her to eat the glowing object in his hand.
Relectantly and hesitantly she did so. A few moments later his happiness had turned to bitter grief, and, weeping, he gathered the figure in his arms and together they seemed to ascend into heaven. I felt such anguish at their departure that my light sleep was broken and I awoke.
Barbara Reynolds, La Vita Nuova (London: Penguin Group Ltd. 1969, 2004) p. 3-5
Nine times the heaven of light had revolved in it's own movement since my birth and had almost returned to the same point when the woman whom my mind beholds in glory first appeared before my eyes. She was called Beatrice by many who did not know what it meant to call her this. She had lived in this world for the length of time in which the heaven of the fixed stars had circled one twelfth of a degree towards the east. Thus she had not long passed the beginning of her ninth year when she appeared to me and I was almost at the end of mine when I beheld her.
She was dressed in a very noble color, a decorous and delicate crimson, tied with a girdle and trimmed in a manner suited to her delicate age. The moment I saw her I say in all truth that the vital spirit, which dwells in the inmost depths of the heart, began to tremble so violently that I felt the vibrations alarmingly in all my pulses, even the weakest of them. As it trembled, it uttered these words: Ecce deus fortior me, qui veniens dominabitur mihi. At this point, the spirit which dwells on the high place to which all our sense perceptions are carried, was filled with amazement and, speaking especially to the spirits of vision made this pronouncement: Apparuit iam beatitudo vestra. Whereupon the natural spirit, which dwells where our nourishment is digested, began to weep and, weeping, said: Heu miser! quia frequenter impeditus ero dienceps.
From then on indeed love ruled over my soul, which was thus wedded to him early in life, and he began to acquire such assurance and mastery over me, owing to the power which my imagination gave him, that I was oblidged to fulfill all his wishes perfectly. He often commanded me to go where I might see this angelic child and so, while I was still a boy, I would often go in search of her; and I saw that in all her ways she was most praiseworthy and noble that indeed the words of the poet Homer might have been said of her: "She did not seem the daughter of a mortal man, but of a god." Though her image, which was always present in my mind, incited love to dominate me, its influence was so noble that it never allowed Love to guide me without the faithful counsel of reason, in everything in which such counsel was good to hear.
But, since to dwell on the feelings and actions of such early years might appear to some to be to fictitious, I will move on, omitting many things which might be copied from the master text from which the foregoing is derived, I come now to words inscribed in my memory under more important headings.
When exactly nine years had passed since this gracious being appeared to me, as I have described, it happened that on the last day of this intervening period this marvel appeared before me again, dressed in purest white, walking between to other women of distinguished bearing, both older than herself. As they walked down the street she turned her eyes towards me where I stood in fear and trembling, and with her ineffable courtesy, she greeted me; and such was the virtue of her greeting that I seemed to experience the height of bliss. It was exaclty the ninth hour of the day when she gave me her sweet greeting. As this was the first time she had ever spoken to me, I was filled with such joy that, my senses reeling, I had to withdraw from the sight of others.
So I returned to the loneliness of my room and began to think about this gracious person. As I thought of her I fell asleep and a marvellous vision appeared to me. In my room I seemed to see a cloud the color of fire, and in the cloud, a lordly figure, frightening to behold, yet in himself, it seemed to me, he was filled with a marvellous joy. He said many things, of which I understood only a few; among them were the words: Ego dominus tuus. In his arms I seemed to see a naked figure sleeping, wrapped lightly in a crimson cloth. Gazing intently I saw that it was she who had bestowed her greeting on me earlier that day. In one hand the standing figure held a fiery object, and he seemed to say, Vide cor tuum. After a little while I thought he wakened her who slept and prevailed on her to eat the glowing object in his hand.
Relectantly and hesitantly she did so. A few moments later his happiness had turned to bitter grief, and, weeping, he gathered the figure in his arms and together they seemed to ascend into heaven. I felt such anguish at their departure that my light sleep was broken and I awoke.
Barbara Reynolds, La Vita Nuova (London: Penguin Group Ltd. 1969, 2004) p. 3-5