Читать книгу PARADISE - Alasdair Gray - Страница 10

5: Free Will and Mercury

“Don’t wonder that in loving warmth I shine 1

more vividly than mortal eyes can bear.

The light of truth now growing in your mind

mirrors the highest good and so is bound 4

to kindle greater love in me, though since

you loved me as a child you’ve been beguiled

by many gleams of truth in lesser things. 7

You ask me now if souls can be redeemed

by good works when they break a holy vow.”

Having begun this chapter with the words 10

of Beatrice, here follows her reply,

her answer to the things I wished to know:

“The greatest gift God gave when He made men 13

was what is greatest glory in Himself:

free will, a function of intelligence.

Only humanity possesses that. 16

We are the only beasts who worship Him

with rights of sacrifice, with priests and nuns

who promise they will do God’s will alone 19

by sacrificing all their will to Him.

A given sacrifice that’s taken back

22 is ill-got gain, like any other gift

lawlessly repossessed. Can thieves use well

what they have stolen? They are robbers still.

25 Remember that chief point. Though Holy Church

sometimes releases priests and nuns from vows

which seems to contradict the truth I’ve told,

28 regard that as a mouthful of tough meat

to carefully chew over as I speak.

Think hard and you will come to understand

31 a sacrifice has two parts. There is first

promise of gift, and then the given thing.

A promise is not cancelled if not kept.

34 Only the keeping of one wipes it out,

but Jewish law said promises stayed good

if witnesses and parties to the deed

37 agreed upon a substituted gift

of greater value than the promised one.

Our church accepts this law of substitute,

40 but lets no single person use that law

till a just judge, weighing with equal scales,

can demonstrate no fraud or force prevails.

43 We Christians should be slow to swear an oath

and having sworn should strive to keep our word,

but not like Jephtha, Agamemnon too,

46 who slaughtered daughters rather than revoke

the hasty, cruel vows that proved them fools.

O Christians, learn to be a steadier folk.

We have both Testaments, the Old and New, 49

and further guidance, for our Holy Church

has shepherds known to every one of you.

These should be all we need to save our souls. 52

Don’t leave your mothers’ milk like silly lambs

who think the world is made for fretful play.

Do not be led astray by wicked greed 55

so any Jew who keeps his rabbi’s laws

can point to you in scornful mockery.”

I write these words as Beatrice spoke them 58

before she looked up longingly to where

the universe was sending down most light.

Her silence and her ardent face imposed 61

a quietness upon my eager will

as, like an arrow striking the bull’s eye

before the string impelling it is still, 64

we sped up to the second sphere, and here

her bliss increased and Heaven brightened too.

What did this greater brightness do to me 67

who am so liable to change? New bliss

left me no words to say more than I saw.

As in a calm clear pool the fishes come 70

expecting food from one upon the rim

I saw a thousand splendours drawing near

and heard from each, “Here’s one who brings more love!” 73

As these souls neared us they appeared more full,

more radiant with shining happiness.

76 Dear reader, if my story ended here,

how eagerly you’d want to know the rest.

I say so to make plain how much I wished

79 to hear about the state these souls possessed.

This happened when a voice addressed me straight.

“O you who, born for virtue, travel here

82 before the warfare of your life is done,

since it is given you to view the thrones

which the eternally triumphant won,

85 ask what you wish and I will answer you.”

“Ask anything you want,” Beatrice cried,

“and trust the answers as if gods replied.”

88 The speaker nestled finely in a glow

that shone from his serenely smiling eyes.

I thanked him for his courtesy then said,

91 “Please tell me of yourself and Mercury,

smallest of spheres between the moon and sun,

planet least known because the rays least strong.”

94 Then, like the sun seen through dissolving mist

joy made him brighten till excess of light

prevented seeing him. I heard his words

97 which sound in the next chapter of my song.