61r

BOOK TWO

Of you, Highest Lord, we spoke,
and of your heavens and their influence—
as much [of them] as you have shown us by your grace.
{Preamble} Now let your kind benevolence
show us the elements and their nature,
the seasons of the year and what they sow,
their qualities, and what they reap,
and the complexions of living bodies.^{*In medieval medical theory, a body's "complexion" was the combination of hot, cold, moist, and dry qualities that determined a person's temperament or personality.}

Elements

You combine the elements in good measure:
you have established limits for each,
and you separate them clearly, one from the other.
Fire is first, located in the highest position,
unreachable by those below;
rather, by its nature, it ascends as high as possible.
Its sphere is under the sphere of the moon
yet here they do not commingle.

Fire

It is not visible to human sight
because it is extremely pure—far more than air—
but someone who approaches it would
feel its burning and fiery heat.
Anything could pass through it easily,
without effort, because it is very thin.
Next, under it is the sphere of air,
which is extremely variable within its own boundaries.