Page:Divine Comedy (Longfellow 1867) v1.djvu/433

Rh all mid-earth, the sea-flood decked the earth's circumference, then the noble plain in all ways secure against the billowy course stood preserved, of the rough waves, happy, inviolate, through God's favor: it shall abide thus blooming, until the coming of the fire of the Lord's doom; when the death-houses, men's dark chambers, shall be opened. There is not in that land hateful enmity, nor wail nor vengeance, evil-token none, old age nor misery, nor the narrow death, nor loss of life, nor coming of enemy, nor sin nor strife, nor painful exile, nor poor one's toil, nor desire of wealth, nor care nor sleep, nor grievous sickness, nor winter's darts, nor dread of tempests rough under heaven, nor the hard frost with cold chill icicles striketh any. There nor hail nor rime on the land descend, nor windy cloud, nor there water falls agitated in air, but there liquid streams wonderously curious, wells spring forth with fair bubblings from earth; o'er the soil glide pleasant waters from the wood's midst; there each month from the turf of earth sea-cold they burst, all the grove pervade at times abundantly. It is God's behest, that twelve times the glorious land sports over the joy of water-floods. The groves are with produce hung, with beauteous fruits; there wane not holy under heaven the holt's decorations, nor fall there on earth the fallow blossoms, beauty of forest-trees, but there wonderously on the trees ever the laden branches, the renovated fruit, at all times on the grassy plain stand green, gloriously adorned through the Holy's might, brightest of groves! Not broken is the wood in aspect: there a holy fragrance rests o'er the pleasant land. That shall not be changed forever throughout ages, until shall end his wise work of yore he who at first created it.