dantes - forgotten books
TRANSCRIPT
DANTES
I V‘
I NE
THE
WI TH
THE TEXT OF THE ORIGINAL COLLATED FROM THE BEST
EDITIONS, AND EXPLANATORY NOTES .
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J OHN A. CARLYL E,M .D .
0 degli altri poeti onore e lume,
Vagliami il lungo studio e il grande amore,Che m’
han fatto cercar lo tuo volume .
I nfi rn. I . 82-4.
LOND ON
CHAPMAN AND HALL, 1 86 STRAND .
MDCCCXL IX.
c 05114 Ef
INFERNO .
PREFACE .
THE obj ect ofthe follow ing Prose Translation is togive the real meaning ofDante as literallyand brieflyas possible . No single particle has been w ittinglyleft unrepresented in it, for w hich any equivalent
could be discovered ; and the few w ords that have
been added are marked in Italics . English readers,it is hoped
,w ill here find a closer , and therefore ,
w ith all its defects, a w armer version than any that
has hitherto been published for them .
The Italian Text, carefully collated from the
best editions, is printed beneath, in order to j ustifyand support the Translation
,which is p erhap s too
literal for standing alone ; and likew 1 se to enablethose w ho have anyknow ledge ofItalian to understand the Original itselfmore easily, and w ith less oh
struction enjoythe deep rhythmic force and beautyofit
,w hich cannot be transferred into any other
language .
New Arguments or explanatory introductions,intended to d iminish the number and burden ofin
dispensable notes, are prefixed to the Cantos . The
Notes themselves are either original,or taken directly,
and in no case w ithou t ac curate reference , from the
best Italian commentators and historians ; and,above
vi PREFACE .
all, from Dante’
s ow n w orks, wherever any thing
appropriate could be met w ith. Illustrative or p ar
allel passages are quoted in them, from the Bible,and from Virgil and other ancient au thors, to shew
the ivay in which Dante used his materials ; and
more sparingly from Chaucer and Milton,both of
whom had read the Divina Commedia w ith poetic
w armth and insight, before producing any oftheir
ow n great w orks . The endless passages which might
have been quoted from Italian w riters, are excludedfor the sake ofbrevity, and as being far less nearand less interesting to us .
Finally, the doubtful, difficult, or obsolete w ords
are explained betw een the notes and the original
text, or in the notes themselves . A brief account of
the most remarkable Editions, Comments, and Translations , is given at the commencement
,together w ith
a sketch ofDante’s Hell and his journeythrough it.And the volume concludes w ith a complete Index of
the Prop er Names that are mentioned or alluded to .
Now this simple statement w ill sufficientlyshewthat the present undertaking is upon a plan quitedifferent from that ofthe other English translations ;and therefore enters into no competition w ith themand requires no apology. I am persuaded that all
w ho know anything ofthe manifold significance of
the Original, or ofits old and recent history, w ill be‘
glad to see another faithful effort made to bring thetrue meaning ofit nearer to English readers . But,for several purposes, and -more especially for the
PRE FACE . vii
guidance ofyounger students , it maybe useful to
state also, in a few w ords, the reasons that have gra
duallyled to this new experiment, and the feelings
and convictions under which it w as begun . Theyare
as follow s :In the year 183 1 , being called to Italybyother
duties,I first studied the Divina Commedia, under
guidance ofthe most noted literaryDilettantiofRome
and other places . I heard them read it w ith w ondrous
gestures and declamation ,and talk ofit in the usual
superlatives ; learnt byheart the stories ofFrancesca,Ugolino, &c. ,
and could speak very fluently aboutthem . But, as a whole , it took little serious hold
ofme at that time . The long, burdensome, incoherent j umble ofcontending notes in the Paduan
edition of1822— recommended as the best— had
helped to darken and perplex every part ofit that
required anycomment.During the seven years which follow ed, I often“
studied it again, at leisure hours, along w ith the
other w orks ofDante ; and got intimatelyacquainted
w ith varlous Italians ofdifferent ranks, who, w ithoutmaking any pretensions to literature, or troublingthemselves w ith conflicting commentaries, knew all
the best passages, and w ould recite them in a plain,sober, quiet tone— now rapid
,now slow , but alw ays
w ith real w armth— like p eople w ho felt the mean
ing, and w ere sure ofits effect. To them the DivinaCommedia had become a kind ofBible
,and given
expression and expansion to w hat w as highest in
their minds . The difference betw een them and the
vfi i PREFACE .
Dilettanti seemed infinite, and w as all the more im
pressive from the gradual w ayin which it had beenremarked .
The contemporaryHistorians, or Chroniclers, ofFlorence and other parts ofItaly w ere afterw ards
studied, in connexion w ith Dante and his earliest
commentators ; and here the meaning ofthe great
Poem fi rst began to unfold itself in detail, and apart
from its mere literarymerits . I t became signifi cant
in proportion as it w as felt to be true— to be, in
fact, the sincerest, the strongest, and w armest utter
ance that had ever come from any human heart
since the time ofthe old Hebrew Prophets . Diligent readers ofthose contemporaryhistorians w ill
fi nd that the Poet, amongst other things, took the
real historical facts ofhis age , and took them w ith
surprising accuracyand transcendent impartiality, ex
tenuating nothing, exaggerating nothing, though oftenrising into veryhigh fervour and indignation. And
they w ill also find that there w as enough in thoseold times to
’
excite a great, earnest,far- seeing man
,
such as Dante ; and send him into the depths and
heights ofPrOphetic Song. Those times had alreadyproduced Sicilian Vespers, and tragedies enough ;and carried w ithin them the seeds of Bartholomew Massacres, ofThirty- Years Wars
,and French
Revolutions, and the state ofthings that w e now see
over the whole continent ofEurope and elsewhere .
They w ere times oftransition,like our ow n— the
commencement ofa New E ra, big w ith vast energies
and e lements ofchange ; and “the straight w ayw as
PRE FACE . ix
lost. I t is onlyt he phraseology, the ap paratus, and
outw ard circumstances that are remote and obsolete :all else is the same w ith u s as w ith Dante . Our
horiz on has grown w ider than . his : our circum
navigators do not find that Mount ofPurgatoryon the other side ofthe globe ; the Continents of
America stand revealed in his We stern Hemisphere
ofOcean ; the Earth is no longer the fixed and
stable ” Centre ofour Universe : but the great prin
cip les oftruth and j ustice remain unaltered . And to
those amongst ourselves, who, w ith good and gene
rous intentions,have sp oken lightly and unw isely
concerning Dante , one h as to say— not without
sadness : Studyhim better . His ideas ofMercy, and
Humanity, and Christian Freedom, and the means
ofattaining them,are not the same as yours : not
the same, but unspeakablylarger and sounder. He
felt the infinite distance betw een Right and Wrong,and had to take that feeling along w ith him . And
those gentle qualities ofhis, which you praise so
much, lie at t he root ofhis other heroic qualities, andare insep arable from them . All anger and indigna
tion, it may safelybe said, w ere much more painful
to him than theycan be to you . The Dante you have
criticised is not the real Dante,but a mere scare
crow— seen through the unhealthy mist ofyoursentimentalisms . Whydo you keep preaching yourimpracticable humanities
, and saying, Peace, peace ;when there is no peace ? I s there nothing w ithin
your own daily observation or experience to make
you seek for surer footing, and p revent you from
X PREFACE .
trying»to heal the foulest ulcers bymerelyhiding
them,and talking mildly about them ? Have you
not this veryyear beheld the whole ofa great nation,franticly, and
.w ith w orld - w ide re - echo, proclaim
ing universal Brotherhood, and Freedom,and Equal
ity, on hollow grounds and then , w ithin four short
months, as a natural and inevitable consequence ,
slaughtering each other bythousands ? The humanest
men ofall countries are beginning to grow sick and
Wearyofsuch expensive sham humanities .
But to return. Having thus acquired a clearer
idea ofthe Poem,and got fairlybeneath the thick
encumbrances ofDilettantism and other encum
brances, which hide its meaning, I began to be con
vinced that the quantity ofcommentary, necessaryto make the substance and texture ofit intelligible,might be compressed into a much smaller space than
had been anticipated ; and that conviction w as con
fi rmed bya minuter examination ofthe most celebrated modern commentators, such as Venturi, Lom
bardi,Biagioli, &c . ,
from whom those notes in the
Paduan edition ,above mentioned, are chieflytaken.
A practical commentator, whose main desire is to
saynothing superfluous,has got to studythem all in
the w ayofduty; and then feels it to be an equallyclear dutyto pass over the greater part ofwhat theyhave w ritten in perfect silence . All ofus w ant to
know some thing ofDante ; but not one in a thousand
could endure to read long discussions which generallyend in nothing
, and which surelyought to be allow ed
to die a natural death as rapidlyas possible .
PREFAC E . xi
I t w as under such impressions as these that Ifirst thought ofpublishing a correct edition ofthe
Original Text, w ith English Arguments, and Notes
explaining all the difficult passages , allusions , 8 5 0.
But this plan, I w as told by.
the best authorities Ihad an Op portunity ofconsulting, w ould make a
piebald, monstrous Book, such as has not been seen in
this country and therefore , not w ithout relu ctance
and misgiving, I resolved to attempt the Literal ProseTranslation at the same time
, and send forth this
first volume—comp lete in itself byw ayofexp eri
ment. The p rocess of‘ breaking in pieces the har -J
mony and quiet force ofthe Original, and having
to represent it so helplessly and inadequately in
another language, has been found as p ainful as w as
anticipated, and the notes as hard to comp ress bu t
from beginning to end , all the difficulties of the
task have at least been honestlyfronted ; and readers
who are already familiar w ith Dante and his com
mentators, w ill be able to estimate the quantity of
labour required for the p erformance ofit.
In conclusion,I have to acknow ledge the kindness
ofone highlyaccomplished friend, w hose name I amnot allow ed to mentionf z he read over the p roofs of
the first e ight Cantos, and suggested some useful ad
ditions and amendments .
I have also to thank myprinters for the patientdiligence and dexterity w ith which they have gonethrough their diffi cult and complicated task
, sub
mitting to numerous alterations and corrections in
the course ofit. Only tw o single lines ofthe Ori
‘ fi PREFACE .
g’
imal Text— the uppermost in pages 28th and 3 1 st
have been inadvertentlyplaced so as not to stand
on the same pages as their translation and I anri nu
able to find anyother errors Connected w ith it. The
common Italian punctuation, somewhat different. from
our ow n,has been purposelyretained .
In the Translation, line 3 , page 64, after punish
ment,”
add And more he said not and, at page 90,
line 13 , for slow steps, his brows,”
535 0. p ut sl ‘ow
steps . He had his eyes upon the ground, and his
brow s,’
&c . In line 13 , page 67, for spirits” read
shadow s again, in line 13 ,’page 3 12 , for punish
ments” read punishment and, in page 376, line 8 ,
for middle read navel . ’ These ;tw o omissions
and three errors in the Translation, are duez to
‘
myow n inadverten cy and may perhaps be excused,considering the number ofthings that demanded at
tention, and particularlythe w ay in which the Ori
ginal Text had to be determined as I w ent along.
One reading (canto xvii. though correct in'
it:
self, and adopted byFoscolo , does not correspond w iththe translation . instead of Non fer mai drappo
,
”
&c it ought to be Non fer mm m drappo .
J. A. C .
Chelsea, December 1 848 .
MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS .
THE Manuscripts ofthe Divina Commedia, found in diffe
rent parts ofItaly, and described byvarious Italian w riters
who had seen or examined them, w ere estimated byn o
Foscolo (Edition of1 842 - 3 , tom . iv.. p . as amounting
in all to some Tw o Hundred . Our British Museum, our
Oxford and other libraries public and private, also containseveral that are not mentioned bythose w riters ; and doubtless there are manymore in the libraries ofFrance, Germany, &c . The number ofthem is indeed veryremarkable,considering that printing was introduced into Italynearlyfour centuries ago . And valuable readings have ' been oh
tained from some ofthem ; but none‘
ofours have as yet
been thoroughlyexamined ; and the terms in which most
ofthe Italians speak oftheirs are extravagant, vague, andincredible, as Foscolo justlyobserves so that one is forcedto w ait for further evidence, before giving anyopinion on
the subject oftheir relative merits .
‘ The second volume
ofthe Bibliogr'
afi a Dantesca l ofM . de Batines, ifit equals
1 B IBL IOGRAFIA DANTESCA , ossia Cata logo delle E di z ioni , Traduz ioni , Cod ici Manoscritti e Comenti del la Div ina C ommedia e delleOpere Minori di Dante, seguito dalla serie de’ Biografi d i lui, com
pilata dal S ig . Viscon te Colomb de B atines . Tradu z ione Italiana,fatta su l Manoscritto Francese dell’ autore. Tom . i . pp . 769.
Prato, 1 845 - 6 . I have quoted the title ofthis very useful and meritorions work a t full length . The second volume is still unpublished .
The first, in two parts, contains an account ofthe E d itions, Translab
xiv MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS .
the fi rst, will furnish the sober and accurate account ofthem
which is still wanted .
The number of Editions hitherto published is up
w ards ofTwo Hundred and Fifty. Ofthese, at least fifteen
authentic editions, besides five ofdoubtful authenticity,w ere printed within the last thirtyyears ofthe fifteenth
century; forty- tw o in the sixteenth ; four in the seventeenth, or poorest century ofItalian literature ; fortyinthe eighteenth ; and, in the present century, more thanone hundred and fifty. Ample details, concerning all of
them that w ere published before the year 1 84 5 , will befound in the w ork ofM . de Batines . Onlya few ofthe
most remarkable can be mentioned here— in the order of
their dates .
1472 . The earliest edition is that ofIohanniNumeis
ter, printed at Fuligno in 1472, w ith verybriefarguments
and no comment. It is printed in clear type, and uponstrong paper ; not paged or numbered . There are almostno points ; and no capital letters, except at the commencement ofthe Terzine, and in a verysmall number ofthe
proper names . In the British Museum, there is an excellent copyofit, to which I have often referred, and not
always w ithout p rofi t, 1 when perplexed bydifferent read
tions, and Comments printed and unprinted ; and throughout thewhole ofit, the author carefully d istinguishes what he has himselfseen from what is reported by others .
1 Thus , in canto i . ver. 48, I found : Si che p area Che laere ne
TREMASSE , though Foscolo says all the printed copies” have TEMESSE ; and , in canto xvn . ver. 1 24 : E t a idi p oi che nolUEDEA
davanti, instead ofFoscolo’s UD IA davanti. I find TREMESSE also in
the very rare Neapolitan ed ition , printed about An exact reprint ofthe Fuligno ed ition, with the different readings ofthe other
MANUSCRIPTS AND EDIT IONS . XV
ings . All the Bibliographers speak ofit, and also oftwo
other editions that w ere printed later in the same year .
In particular, the account which M . de Batines gives of
it is very accurate . I shall content myselfwith quotingone or tw o passages, to shew the curious wayin
'
which the
w ords flow together, w ithout points or capitals, more espe
ciallywhen the line threatens to be long . Thus
Ferme siua nellacip ta dolentep erme sina neleterno dolorep erme siua tra lap erduta gente
I nferno, iii . 1 - 3.
Come dautunno seleuan lefoglie
luna apresso dellaltra fiu chel ramo
rendalla terra tutte lesue spoglieI bid . i ii . 1 1 2 - 4 .
Noi leggiauamo ungiorno p erdiletto
dilancialotto come amor lostrinse
sol i erauamo et senz alcun sospettoI bid . v. 1 27- 9.
1477 ,The next remarkable edition that I have had
opportunities ofexamining, also in the Museum, is thatofVendelin da Spira, printed at Venice in 1 477. M . de
Batines gives to it the title ofLa D I V INA Commedia, ap
p arentlythrough inadvertency, as he also does to editionsprinted in 1 473 , 1484, 1487, and 1 491 . The epithetDie A
occurs in no edition ofthe 1 5 th century; but at the end
ofthis ofVendelin, in some vehement helpless verses, w efind the expression , I NC L ITO et D IU O dame alleghieri Fio
fenlin p oem and later editions speak ofthe E XC E L S O , GLO
RI O SO , D I V INO , or VE NE RAB I L E p oem Fiorentino, l‘
ong
earliest ed itions, would be very acceptable ; and the Museum now
possesses good copies ofthem all.
xvi MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS .
before they begin to apply the title1 ofD IVINE to the
poem itself. The text is in general more accurate than
that ofNumeister ; and is accompanied by a long com
ment, which the title—falselyas w e shall see—attributes
to Benvenuto da Imola . I shall give one specimen . The
initial letters ofthe Terzine stand wide apart from the
lines, thus
mor chanullo amato amar perdonamip rese dicostui piacer siforteche come uedi ancor non mabandona
mor condusse noi aduna morte
chain attende che u ita cisp ense
queste parole dalor cifur porteachio intesi &c.
I nf. v. 103- 9.
1 In the Letter to Can Grande , Dante himself, speaking ofthe
Title, says, Libri titulus est : INC IPI T COM(ED IA B ANT IS ALLAGHERI I ,He then gives the derivationFLORENTINI NATI ONE
,NON MORI BUS.
ofthe terms Comedyand Tragedy thus : Comoedia dicitur a mi
ni) ,
villa , et «13875 , quod est oantus, unde Comoedia quasi villanus cantus .
Tragcedia a Tgoi'
yos , quci’d est hircus, et (5 5 13, quasi cantus hir
cmus, id est foetidus ad modum hirci . ” And after add ing that Tragedy
“speaks in a style elate and sublime, and at the beginning is
admirable and quiet, at the end or ex it fetid and horrible ;” whileComedy begins with the asperity ofa subject, and . end s prosperously
,
and speaks in a remiss and humble style he says it w ill be easy tosee
“ why the present work is called a Comedy . For ifwe considerthe subject thereof, at the beginning it is horrible and fetid , beingHell ; at the end prosperous, desirable, and grateful, being Parad ise .
And ifw e consider the style ofspeech, that style is remiss and hum
ble, being the vulgar speech,in which even the women talk with
one another. Wherefore it is evident why the work is called a
Comedy. ” See a lso Vu lg . B laq. i i. 4 , where Dante again says In
Tragedy w e assume the higher style, in C omedy the lower,” & c.
The earliest and most other ed itions ofthe fifteenth century trans
MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS .
1478. The Milanese edition of 1 477- 8, called Nidobeatine from the name ofits editor, is the best ofall the
earlyeditions . There are at least two copies ofit in the
Museum one beautifullyprinted on parchment, the other
on the strong paper ofthose times . A long commentary,generally attributed to Jacopo della Lana ofBologna, a
contemporaryofDante, accompanies the text, which runs
thusCostui non cibera terra me peltroma sapien z a amore euirtute
e sua nation sara tra feltro efeltro
Diquella humil italia fia salutep er cuimori lauergine camilla
eurialo eturno e niso diferuteQuesti lacaccera & c.
I nf. i . 103- 9.
148 1 . The earliest Florentine edition is that of1 48 1 ,
w ith the comment ofLandino . It is magnifi cent both insize and form ; but greatlyinferior to the Milan edition inpoint ofcorrectness . In the best copyofthe Museum I
fi nd no fewer than fifteen instances in which verses or wholeTerzine are left out, besides other errors . In all the copiesI have seen, there are at least Two Engravings, headingthe fi rst and second cantos ofthe poem, while large blankspaces are left above all the other cantos ; and in some
rare copies as manyas'Twentyare found, the last seventeen
or eighteen ofwhich seem to be glued upon those blankspaces . On the whole, this edition is a decided and veryexpensive failure ; but shew s the ideas which the Floren
late the title simply : COM INC IA LA COMED IA D I DANTE ALLEGH I ERI DIF IRENZE
,&c .
The Letter to Can Grande, as given in the London ed ition of
1 842 - 3 (tom . 1 1 1 . p . 269- 84) is miserabi
ly incorrect, and quite un~
intelligible . I quote from Frati cel l i’s ed ition .
xviii MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS .
tines had learnt to entertain oftheir great Poet. The com
ment of Landino, though reprinted more than fifteen
times at Venice and elsewhere, w as never again printed at
Florence . It is the last edition from which I shall quote
a specimen . The words, as w ill be seen, begin to stand
more regularlyapart from one another
Incontinente intesi et certo fuiche questera la secta de cap tiui
a dio spiacenti et animici suoiQuesti sciagurati che mai non fur uiui
erono ignud i et stimolati moltoda mosconi et da uesp e cheron ini
I n iii . 6 1 - 6.
1 5 02 . After these folio editions ofthe 1 5 th centurycomes the fi rst Aldine, printed in 1 5 02 ; and one is gladto see so perfect a little volume . It bears the simple title
ofLE TE RZ E RIME DI DANTE , in front ; and, on the
reverse, Lo’NFE RNO E
’L PURGATORI O E
’
L PARADI so
DI DANTE ALAGH I E RI . The text is said to have beentaken from a manuscript copyofCardinal Bembo, nowin the Vatican .
”
Batines, tom . 1 . p . 60.-The second Al
dine edition,DANTE COL Srro E T FORMA DE LL’ INFE RNO
TRATTA DALLA I STE S SA DE S CRI TT I ONE DE L PO E TA, printedin 1 5 1 5 , is ofthe same size and form in every respect,page for page ; and has w oodcuts at the end, representingthe position and shape ofthe Inferno . I have had thesetwo editions constantlyat hand, and have found the last ofthem even more correct than the other .
1 5 06. The second Florentine edition, COMME D IA DI
DANTE INS I EME C ON U N D IALOGO C IRCA E L S ITO FORMAE
'
r M I SURE DE LLO INFE RNO , published byPhilip p o diGiunta in 1 5 06, is ofthe same small octavo size as the
Aldine, and in similar type ; but is much rarer than either
XX MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS.
Commedia,in a somewhat shabbyand veryincorrect little
volume .
Two ofthe four incorrect editions published in the 1 7thcenturyhave the title LA VI S I ONE , Poema diDante, &c .
1 727 . The text given by the Cruscan Academyw as
fi rst thoroughlycorrected in 1 726- 7, byG . A . Volpi, p ro
fessor ofphilosophy at Padua ; and the edition ofthatdate, superintended by him, and printed at Padua by
Giuseppe Comino (hence called E diz ione Cominiana) , is
much and deservedlynoted for its accuracy, and has beenmore frequentlyreprinted than anyother .
1 7 5 7 . Zatta’
s large Venetian edition of1 75 7- 8, rathercelebrated in this country, takes the text ofVolpi withmore or less fi delity. It is gaudy, pretentious, and on the
whole decidedlyugly with abundant engravings .
”
1 791 . No edition ofthe Divina Commedia had beenpermitted at Rome, till Lombardi’s appeared in 1 791 , conlicenz a de
’
Sup eriori. It is in three volumes quarto, withlong comment ; and is a good, faithful, honest edition, the
result ofmanyyears’ labour. The text ofit is taken from
the Nidobeatine of1 477- 8 ; or rather, the Cruscan text,as given byVolpi in the E diz ione Cominiana, is altered onthe authority ofthe NidObeatine, and ofvarious M S S . to
which Lombardi had access in the Vatican and other libraries at Rome . The worthyFriar gives onlyhis initials,F. B . L . M . C . (Fra Baldassare Lombardi, minor conventuale)on the title-page .
1 795 . The magnifi cent folio edition ofBodoni, editedbyG . F . Dionisi— a learned, but perverse and quarrelsome, admirer ofDante —was printed at Parma in 1 795 .
1807 . The Leghorn edition byGaetano Poggiali (Livorno, TommasoMasi cl Ci
, 1807- 1 3 , 4 vols . is in con
s1derab1e esteem for its correctness . It gives various read
MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS . xxi
ings from a parchment M S .—ofthe year 1 330, as Poggiali
fondly believes and asserts— and has a commentary, or
paraphrase ofthe text, in separate volumes1 8 17 . La Divina Commedia con tavole in rame,
published at Florence, in four large folio volumes, and
dedicated to Canova, in 1 8 1 7- 19, is perhaps the most splendid edition ofDante, though the plates are not all in goodtaste . The last volume contains a veryjudicious and usefulselection ofbriefnotes, manyofthem taken from the old
manuscript commentaries which are not generally accessible. In truth, it is the best selection that has hitherto
been made ; and w ell deserves to be reprinted in a separateand more accessible form .
1 820-2 . The text and comment ofLombardi are givenin the Roman editions of 1 8 1 5 and 1 820- 1 , and in the
Paduan of1 822 , w ith numerous additional notes, readings,and illustrations” —forming a vast jungle, from which
the most experienced readers ofDante mayw ell fi nd ithard to extricate themselves . The two last ofthese edi
tions , how ever, are indispensablynecessaryfor any one
who undertakes to meet the difficul ties ofexplaining or
editing the Divina Commedia, though theyare probablythe w orst that could be recommended to anyserious stu
dent ofit.
1 842 . La Commedia di Dante Allighieri, illustrata(1a Ugo Foscolo, London, 1 842 - 3
, 4 vols . is the last
that I shall mention . It is veryvaluable on account Of
the number ofaccurate references that it contains . Foscolodied on the i4th ofSeptember 1 827, and lies buried in thelittle cemeteryat Chisw ick . He had made manyprepara
tions for a large and perfect edition ofDante ; and this
of 1 84 2 - 3 , superintended and corrected by An Italian”
w ell known in this country, is the result ofwhat w as found
xxii MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS .
in his manuscripts . The fi rst volume gives the long Dis
corso sul Testo del Poema di Dante enlarged and cor
rected, w ith a Preface bythe Editor, in which the merits
and defects ofFoscolo are briefly and candidly stated .
English readers will dislike the angry, disjointed, and acrid
style Ofthat‘Discourse and quiet students ofDante w ill
be able to point out various errors , exaggerations, and
anachronisms ; but it ought to be remembered that poor
Foscolo had to remove verylarge quantities ofdeep - settledrubbish, and deal w ith a class ofhis countrymen uponwhom any other style w ould have produced less effect.And though he never got fairlybeyond the morbid Letterecli J amp a Ortis, and had, as his Editor says , formed a most
incomplete idea ofDante, let us at least thank him for whathe did do so zealouslyand faithfully. Byaccurate citationofevery authorityw ithin his reach, he cleared the wayfor fi nally determining the text ofthe great Poem ; and
all the editions ofit, that have been published since theappearance ofhis, contain manyofthe readings and re
storations which he contended for .
1 848. The plan that has been adopted for fixing theText here given, may be stated verybriefly. The bestcommon edition , that ofFelice Le Monnier —printed at
Florence in 1 844 , and also published in London byRolandi, w ith the date of184 5 —w as taken and compar edw ith the Aldine, Giuntine, Cruscan, Roman,
Paduan a'
.3
other editions, besides that ofFoscolo, whose notes had
been all carefullystudied ; and onlysuch alterations weremade as seemed fullyw arranted . Those notes ofFoscolo,in various instances, failed to prove the propriety of
changes he had introduced ; and w ere sometimes founddefective in their citations . No reading has been adoptedw ithout good authority, as all mayascertain who choose
MANUSCRIPTS AND EDITIONS . xxiii
to make the same laborious comparisons ; and, on the
whole—after what has been done byFoscolo and othersthere seem suffi cient materials for determining the textofthe great Poem . Would that w e had as sure and p er
feet a text ofour own Shaksp eare !
COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
TH E number ofEssays, Dissertations , and partial or com
p lete Commentaries on the Divina Commedia, mentioned byM . de Batines (Bibl. Dani. tom . 1 . pp . 3 70- 766) amounts
to no few er than Tw elve Hundred and Forty; and severalmore have been published w ithin the last three years .
I refer to his w ork for an account ofthem, and shall herenotice onlya few ofthe most remarkable.
The earliest ofall comments seems to be that ofJ aCOp o,Dante’s son, w ritten in the year 1 328 . It extends no
farther than the Inferno, in the onlycomplete M S . ofit
known to exist—a parchment M S . ofthe 1 4th century,No . 7764 ofthe Royal or National Libraryat Paris . The
Proem begins thus : Per cio che delfratto universale, novellamente dalo al mondo p er lo illustro fi losqfo e p oem dante
allighieri fi orentino, con p in agevolez z a si p ossa conoscere
ia J aCOp o suo fi gliuolo dimos trare intendo p arte del
suo p rofondo et autentico intendimento, &c . And, in the
explanation ofCanto xxi. ver . 1 1 2 , this passage occurs,and fixes the date : E correvano gli anni dalla nativitade
del signore mcclxaaaviizj , e oggicorronomcccxaviii; p erodire
s ip note one m ayanni comp iuti sieno ch’
ellicomincioe questa
op era ,
1 &c . A certain learned advocate, Jacopo Ferrari of
1 To understand this quotation , w e must recollect that, in Dante’s
time , and for some centuries after, the year commenced on the 2 5 th
ofMarch , and that quesla op era probably means this task or mysti c
COMMENTS AND. TRANSLATIONS . XXV
Reggio, who has carefully examined the M S . and madethese extracts from it, M . de Batines says , is about topublish this old comment ; and it w ill certainlybe verywelcome to students ofDante.
J acop o della Lana, ofBologna, is the next commentatorin point ofdate . Little is known ofhim, though no few erthan fifty- two different M S S . , containing the whole or partofhis commentary, still exist. One ofthese, a Latin translation, dated 1 349, is in the Bodleian Library(MSS . Ca
nanici. Miscell. 449) and another, also a Latin translation,in the Royal LibraryofParis, dated 1 35 1 . Both thesetranslations are the same in the Purgatorio and Paradiso ;and the whole translation in the Parisian MS . is byAlbericoda Rosciate, while that ofthe Inferno in the Oxford MS .
is by“Don Guillielmus de Bernardis .
”
The remainingfiftyMSS . are mostlyin the original Italian ; and have beenfound to correspond with the comment which is printedin the Venetian edition ofVendelin -da Spira (see p .
and falselyattributed to Benvenuto da Imola. And, withthe exception ofa few alterations and additions, chieflyinthe fi rst canto ofthe Inferno, the comment in the Nidobeatine edition (see p . xvii.) is also the same. In cases of
difficulty, I have often consulted both, and got little or
nothing but what was to be had from other sources .
The Ottimo Comento—called also Anonimo, Buono, Antico, before it was rightlyknow n—is a mixed commentaryofsomewhat uncertain date. There are twenty-two mss .
ofthe whole or part ofit, several ofwhich belong to the1 4th century. I, the writer, have heard Dante say,
”
and such- like phrases occur in it. Giotto was, and‘
I s,
journey, begun at the very end ofthe old year 1299 (or in Marchofour year so that only 27 years were completed ” from
that time till anyearlier month ofthe year 1 328.
COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
amongst thep p ainters that men know, the highest (Purg.
xi. and Giotto died on the 8th ofJanuary 1 336- 7 .
Again (Inf. canto the bridge, on which stood the
ancient statue ofMars, fell in the night ofthe fourth dayofNovember one thousand three hundred and thirty-three,that is, LAST YEAR
”
(compare Villani, xi. and then,
apparently, some other hand adds The said statue,fallen into the said river Arno, remained in it for MANYYEARS .
” This commentwas fi rst printed at Pisa in 1 827-8,
edited byAlessandro Torri. It contains long discussions,verylearned for the time at which theyw ere written, but
now superfluous and extremelywearisome . In some places ,ow ing to defects ofthe M S . and other causes, it is hardlyintelligible . Here and there it is briefand appropriate,beyond anyother ofthe old comments, and in realityanOTT IMO Comento. The expression, amongst us, ” in the
note I have given at p . 349, shew s that at least one of
the writers w as a Florentine .
The Latin comment ofP ietro Allighieri, Dante’
s son,
w as fi rst published at the expense ofLord Vernon (Florence, in one thick volume, 1 edited by Vincenz oNannucci. It . is w ritten w ith a striking kind ofdignityand reserve ; and has more meaning than appears at fi rst
sight. It gives explanations ofthe mystic or allegoricalsense, some useful historical details, manyquotations of
parallel passages, occasional interpretations ofthe literalmeaning ; and yet w ithal is much briefer than the other
I t is said that copies ofthis ed ition were sent gra tis to all the
most noted publi c libraries ofEurope .
” Might a stranger suggestto Lord V ernon the additional benefit that would be conferred , byhaving some Copies ofthe other comments
,which he is about to
publ ish , printed on thinner and less costly paper, for the sake of
private students, who cannot always frequent such libraries
xxviii COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
Cardinal Legate of that time, the scandalous vices of
certain worms (professors) sprung from the ashes of
Sodom.
” He had also been at Rome in 1 3 5 0 (Infern.
xviii. and witnessed the second great Jubilee, and
the mode ofpassing the bridge ofSt. Angelo described byDante . He was one ofPetrarch’s familiar correspondents ,as maybe seen bythe letter, addressed B envenuto Imolensi,
Rhetori suo; and was author ofthe Libellas Aagustalis,
or List and briefHistory ofthe Emperors from JuliusCaesar toWenceslaus the emperor ofhis time
printed along with Petrarch’s Latin works, and bysomeattributed to him . The historical part ofhis commentaryw as published byMuratori (Antiq. I tal. tom . who fi rst
ascertained it to be quite different from that which hadbeen printed in the Vendeline edition of1477.
Francesco da Buti explained the Divina Commedia at
Pisa in 1 385 , and left a long commentary, which is still
unprinted ; but large extracts are given from it in the
Vocabolario della Crusca .
Messer Guiniforte delli Bargigi, a lawyer ofBergamo,who died about 1460, wrote a comment on Dante, byorderofFilippo Maria Visconte, Duke ofMilan . Onlythe partofit which relates to the Inferno has come down to us .
This w as fi rst published at Marseilles in 1 838—not en
tire,”
as M. de Batines says for the editor himselftellsus that he had left out certain tedious theological disquisitions . It is a good, w ell-arranged commentary, and,
amongst other things, explains the literal sense with muchdistinctness .
Christqforo Landino, the commentator ofVirgil, and
one ofthe successors ofBoccaccio, lectured on Dante at
Florence from the year 1 4 5 7, with increased annual salaryof300 gold florens . His comment on the Divina Com
COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
media, fi rst published in 1 48 1 , and often republished,shews what a
'
w eight ofspeech, in regard to the greatPoet, could be borne bymen in those days . It is verylearned, and often unspeakably tedious ; and has few or
none ofthose briefappropriate passages which are foundin the Ottimo Comento ; but contains manyauthentic andindispensable details respecting the manners, and customs,and families ofFlorence .
The briefer commentaryofVellutello was fi rst p rInted
in 1 5 44 at Venice ; and, like his commentaryon Petrarch,it is dull, and heavy, and generallyoflittle practical value .
The marginal Annotations, &c . ofDudovica Dolce, in
the Giolito edition of 1 5 5 5 (see p . have been veryfrequentlyreprinted . Theyare good, but far too short .
The Notes ofTorguato Tasso—chieflyrelating to w ords
and phrases- w ere fi rst published complete in the Op ere diTasso (tom . xxx . Pisa, edited byProf. Rosini.
The best commentary ofthe“
1 6th centuryis that of
Bernardino Daniella ofLucca, printed at Venice in 1 5 68 ;
and, greatlyto the discredit ofItalians, never again re
printed . It is brief, clear, and practical. so far as it goesand w ritten in a verygood style.
The three Indexes ofVolp i, in the celebrated Cominianedition of1 727, form a sort ofcommentary, and are as
accurate as they could be made at the time . They are
given in manysubsequent editions ; and at last, combinedin one general Index, theyoccupynearly300 pages ofthefourth volume ofFoscolo
’s edition, published in 1843 .
The comment ofFather “ Pomp eo Venturi della Com
p agnia di Gesn” came out in its complete form, at Verena,
in 1 749, and at Venice in 1 75 1 . It is w ritten in the trueSpirit ofa Jesuit, and with less than the usual learning ;and has been too frequentlyreproduced in later editions .
0 2
XXX COMMENTS AND TRANSLAT IONS .
It is impossible to mention all the other commentaries
ofthe 18th century. That ofLombardi, which appeared in
1 791 , is such as could be w ritten by the honest effort
ofa whole life, amid the dark w ood ofDilettantismproduced bya host ofidle w riters ; and one feels a real
respect for the w orthyFriar, though at times he is sur
p risinglynaive, or perhaps dull .
The comment ofBiagioli (Paris, 1 8 19) is full ofgrammatical discussions and far- sought niceties, superfluouspraises ofDante, and vituperation of Lombardi and
others but is in some respects reallyuseful, and evidentlyw ritten throughout w ith much zeal and fi delity. The
5 936 verses, noted as beautiful byAlfi eri in an autographM s . of1 776, which goes no farther than the 2 1 st cantoofthe Paradiso, are all dulyregistered byBiagioli. He
ought not to have spoken in such a w ay ofLombardino difference ofopinion can justifythe language he uses .
And whyshould poor Commentators hate and abuse eachother ? Would it not be farwiser to meet on some commonfooting ofrespect, or at lowest ofmutual silence ? Is therenot enough, and infinitelymore than enough, for them all
in the great Masters they seek to elucidate ? Only one
thing is unpardonable, and that is, when commentatorsbecome sham commentators, and merelyseek to elucidatethemselves .
This account concludes byrecommending the Paduanedition of 1 822 to all readers who desire to have fullspecimens ofdiscordant commentary: theywill there findabundant, and apparentlyaimless, quotations from more
than thirtydifferent authors . But for the sake ofyoungstudents ofDante, I shall repeat what w as written some
time ago, after a detailed examination ofmany old and
recent commentators
COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
The whole works ofDante, in prose and verse, ifseparated from the unwieldy commentaries and dissertations that have been accumulating round them ever sincehis death, might be comprised in two moderate volumes .
The mere language ofhis Italian w orks is not diffi cult
all the greatest ofhis countrymen, in their successivegenerations, from the commencement ofthe 1 4th century,have been familiar w ith its expressive forms , and contri
buted to keep them current in the veryheart ofItalian
literature . Some few words have become obsolete, somephrases require explanation ; but on the whole the speech
ofDante comes wonderfully entire across the five cen
turies ; and all the most beautiful passages are still quitefresh and clear . This is more especiallytrue in regard tothe great Poem, which stands as the mature representativeofhis genius, the essence and consummation ofall that
he had endeavoured and attained . His Minor Poems and
other w orks—in which w e find'
the germs ofthe DivineComedy, and many graceful noble preludes to it—are
w ritten in a statelier , less familiar style ; and have neverbeen s tudied with the same universal zeal .
The main obstruction, in reading Dante, arises fromour ignorance ofthe persons and things amidst which he
w rote . The whole time-basis ofhis mightysong has become dim and cold . The names and events, which oncestirred and inflamed the thoughts ofall readers, lie fardistant, and have little or no intrinsic interest for us .
Most ofthem have grown so dark and shadowy, that theycannot byanyeffort be made to dwell in our memories ;
and so, bydemanding constant notes and references, theyserve onlyto interrupt our reading, and prevent us from
rising to the full height and warmth ofthe subject. The
great Poem, w e soon feel, must have taken a more direct
XXXII COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
and earnest hold ofthe age fromwhich it comes , than any
other poem, ancient or modern ; and for that reason alone
it stands more in need ofexplanations . But it is likewisedistinguished for its intense brevity, its multiform siguifi cance and can have had no superfluous w ords even forthe nearest contemporaries . The language, throughoutthe whole poem, to those who are dulyprepared for it,has a tone ofplain familiaritywhich comes home to the
subject w ith marvellous sequency and effect. It is likethe language ofa brother, w hose position and feelings w eare understood to know in detail ; and who handles onlythe summits ofthings with us, leaving to us all the fi lling
up ofcircumstances, and the minuter shades and ramifi ca
tions ofmeaning .
Most ofthe old commentaries on Dante are w ritten
w ith a kind oflarge complacency, and genuine thoughlong-w inded enthusiasm , which makes them veryinteresting at fi rst sight ; but on closer inspection, theyare foundto contain a surprising quantityofworn- out rubbish, andextremely little real information . They may be lookedinto more or less extensivelyfrom curiosity,and consultedfor the sake ofminute details ofpersons and things whichare not to be found elsewhere ; but no man in a healthystate ofmind can now read them without being forced toit as a duty. In regard to all public events ofDante’s time,
the contemporary historians are much safer and betterguides .
l Benvenuto da Imola seems to have felt this, even
RICORDANO MALESPINI is the oldest chronicler ofFlorence . He
d ied in 1 28 1 , when Dante was only sixteen years ofage . His work(I storia Fiorentina ) begins with the current trad itions, which are givenin a somewhat loose and straggling way, as in the other early histories ; but what he writes ofhis own times, down to 128 1
, has a
simple unaffected air oflife and authenticity, and is almost wholly
COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
in the 14th century; for, as Muratori remarks, he madediligent use ofall the old local chronicles—manyofwhichare now lost—ih compiling his commentary.
The more modern commentaries and dissertations,w ith some few exceptions, are also remarkablydiffuse and
copied , with s light alteratlons ofstyle, by V illani, in the 5 th, 6th, and7th books ofhis Chronicle. The best editions ofMalesp ini are the
G iuntine of1 5 68 and 1 5 98. The other Florentine ed ition, of171 8,omits important passages relating to the Popes and their avari ce and
simony.GIOVANNI V I LLANI began his Cronica , as he himselftells us (l ib.
vi ii . cap . immed iately after the great Jubilee ofthe year 1 300, towhich he had gone as a pilgrim . The sight of the great and ancientthings ofthe holy city ofRome,” together w ith the immense con
course ofChristians, women as well as men, from distant and
strange countries, and from far and near,” had stirred up in him a
desire to record the events ofhis own city and time, as a memorialand example for those that are to come.
” His Chronicle begins withthe ancient traditions, and extends to the period ofhis death in 1 348.
I t is written in a most na’
ive, racy, hofiiest style. V illani is known tohave been ofthe Guelph party ; v isited France and the Netherlandsin 1 304 ; was one ofthe Priors ofFlorence in 1 328, and the Ambassador at Bologna in 1 329 and , at various other times, he filled highoffi ces in his native city. Ofthe Popes he says all the good he can
in honesty ; and sometimes p alliates, but never conceals their vi ces.
For the ir H igh Oflice his reverence is unlimited, but he has to recordwhatsoever is felt by him to be true, and has often to speak ofthe
Judgments ofGod” that come upon them for their crimes. Nextto Dante himself, he is the most impartial and trustworthy authorityw e have ; and looking from d ifferent points ofview , each with hisown pecul iar fidelity and earnestness, they mutually and uninten
tionallyconfirm one another. The best ed ition ofV illani is that of
Florence , published by Magheri in 1 823 (8 vols. 8vo) ; and from it
the quotations are all taken .
The ! storia Fiorentina di Dino Comp agni is also good , but veryfragmentary ; and has been oflittle use compared with those of
Malespini and V illani.
xxxiv COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
unsubstantial ; and in general theyhave a decidedlyemptytone, and a total want ofearnestness, which are much more
diffi cult to endure in connexion with the works ofDante
than the thin enthusiasm ofthe old commentators . In
truth, veryfew ofthe books that have been w ritten on
the subject seem to have cost their authors any serious
thought at all, or been honestlyintended for the purposeofillustrating Dante . Real diffi culties are passed over insilence, or increased bya pompous repetition ofall the
incoherencies that have been uttered respecting them .
The plainest passages, on the contrary, are overladen Withuseless discussions ; and fresh conceits are started, and
multiplied and pursued with an ostentatious and verycheap displayoflearning . Meanwhile the huge vacantbulk ofthe comment swells into more and more painfulcontrast with the piercing brevityand compactness ofthe
text ; the reader’
s patience, however obstinate, gets quiteexhausted ; and the conviction grow s strong, that ifDantebe unintelligible without such aids as these, he will for everremain unintelligible, and continue to be the preyofidlemen who have nothing serious about them. In the wholerange ofliterature, it might perhaps be diffi cult to find
anybooks so painfullyvoid ofall thought, and so loudlydiffuse, as the most part ofthose which modern Italianshave w ritten concerning the greatest man their countryhas produced . Every thing relating to him has beendarkened and entangled with doubts ; his character and
w orks are encumbered and overladen with mere rubbish,collected and heaped upon them without anyjust criticismor discrimination . But since the time ofLombardi, and
more especiallyofFoscolo—whose anger w ill be excused bythose who know what he had to deal with— a better spiritseems to have arisen among the countrymen ofDante.
”
xxxvi COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
“ maynoble ymas leal city, on the 2nd ofApril 1 5 1 5 .
A remarkable translation, and tolerablyliteral, consideringthe complicated verse and rhyme in which it is w ritten .
Nearly the whole comment ofLandino is also faithfullytranslated, w ith manyadditions explaining the exact literalsense ; so that the volume sw ells into a large folio . Pro
fessor C . Witte, in the preface mentioned above, gives thestoryofFrancesca from it ; and also from two Frenchtranslations ofnearlythe same date (M ss . in the librariesofTurin and Vienna), which seem wonderfullytrue and
literal .The fi rst published French translation is that ofGran
gier (3 vols . 1 2000, Paris, dedicated to Henri IV .
It is little esteemed, except byravenous collectors ofold
books . The more modern French translations - J—manyinnumber—are, as usual, the worst in Europe ; and some
serious Frenchmen (see Revue des Dear Mondes for 1 840,
&C.) are beginning to feel this . The long- established fatalplan ofcurtailing, diluting, and altering everything so as
to suit the current taste, is followed with Dante too. The
prose translation byAngelo Fiorentino, an Italian residingat Paris, is the onlyexception : it is in general veryfaithfuland literal ; but passes Over the difficulties too lightly, andfrequentlyomits the little words and phrases that are
hardest to translate. It was fi rst published in 1 840. The
latest translation (Paris, byA . Briz eur , in a kindofrhythmic prose, unhappilyreturns to the old methodabove described ; and is often veryfeeble and verywide of
the Original .The Germans have eight complete translations, some
ofthem in prose ; and all, so far as I have seen, remarkablyfaithful . That ofK. L . Kannegiesser, in the measureand rhyme ofthe Original, went through four editions
COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS . XXXV l l
from 1 8 14, when it w as fi rst published entire, to 1 843 .
But the best and w armest ofall translations, known to
me, is that of Philaletkes, or P rince J ofin ofS axony. It
is in blank verse—in good, racy, clear German ; and ex
actly ofthe same length as the Original . The fi rst Ten
Cantos ofit w ere privatelyprinted in 1 833 ; and then, in
1 839-40, the whole translation ofthe Inferno and Purgatorio published at Leipzig in tw o quarto volumes . The
Prince tells in his preface to the Inferno, how Dantehad long been one ofhis favourite authors,
’and how ,
amongst other things, . the high moral dignity ofthe3 ,Divine Comedyhad irresistiblyattracted him and finally
stirred up in him an indescribable impulse to reproduce
the great w ork in his mother tongue, and that w ith as
much literal fi delityas the genius ofthe German language(and not merelythe grammars ofit) w ould permit.
”
A
third volume, containing the Paradiso, w as announcedonly a few months ago as being
“
readyfor publication .
Another very remarkable translation (one vol ., Berlin,
1 842 ) is that ofA . Kop iscfi, a German artist and poet of
some celebrity, who spent several years in Italy. It is alsoin blank verse, printed line for line along with the ItalianText, and is the most literal translation h itherto published .
The German ofit might often be hard to understand w ithout the Italian, and the verse is ofnecessity somewhatflat and helpless ; but no such translation could have been
made or attempted in anyother modern language .
Ofour own Translations it is unnecessaryto saymuch,as theyare accessible to everyone . Boyd
’
s w as made in
the last century, under wants and circumstances whichno longer exist ; and it seems to have become obsolete .
Cary’
s is a most excellent translation ofits kind : perhapsthere is none better in our language . But the sort of
d
xxxviii COMMENTS AND TRANSLATIONS .
verse in which it is w ritten takes awaymuch ofthe fami
liar and direct tone ofthe Original ; and here and thereone fi nds evidence ofa somewhat imperfect acquaintancew ith Italian . Wright’s is in manyplaces very
'
spirited ;and even where the necessities ofverse hinder him from
giving the true sense, you mayfrequentlyremark that hehas thoroughlyunderstood it. The Americans have onlya translation ofthe fi rst ten cantos ofthe Inferno (Boston,
1 843 ) and that also is veryfaithful in its w ay, and oughtto be continued .
THE INFERNO OF DANTE .
IN this briefsketch ofthe Position and Form ofDante’s
Hell and his Journey through it, I avoid the usual con
jectures, and state nothing but what is w arranted byhis
own authority, quoting it for the sake ofall faithful students, as follow s
Our Earth rests forever fixed and stable in the
Centre ofDante’s .universe (Conv. Tr . iii. c . and the
Heavens 1 with their Planets and Stars go revolving round
These Heavens w ith their inhab itants form the proper subjectofthe Parad iso. But Dante also enumerates them in the secondTreatise and fourth chapter ofhis Convito, or Banquet ; and mentionsthe Order in which they come—following the Ancient Astronomi calSystem, which makes our Earth stand motionless in the Centre. The
Heavens, he tells us, are Ten in number. Ofthese, the first w ithregard to our Earth is the Heaven ofthe Moon, which has thesmallest circles ”
(Inf. ii. or includes the smallest space in itsrevolutions, and moves slowest ; the second , ofMercury ; the third , ofV enus the fourth, ofthe Sun which also is regarded as a P lanet ”
(Inf. i. 1 7) the fifth , ofMars ; the sixth , ofJupiter ; the seventh , ofSaturn ; the eighth , of the Stars proper ‘
: the ninth, or P rimum
M obile, is the C rystalline , that is, the d iaphanous, or quite transparent Heaven
,which is not discernible except by the motion it
gives ”to the other eight Heavens that it includes. Beyond , or
outside ofall these,” he adds, Catholi cs place the EmpyrealHeaven, that is to say, Heaven offlame
, or luminous Heaven ; andrepresent it as being immoveab le,” &c. I t is also the d ivinest
x1 THE INFERNO OF DANTE .
it. Onlya comparativelysmall portion ofit is known tobe inhabited in his time, and that he calls the uncoveredpart, ” or
“ the great dryland”
(I bid. and Infern . xxxiv .
and, follow ing the Bible, he places Jerusalem in
the centre ofit, or‘ in the midst ofthe nations .
’
Immediatelybelow the dry land lies his Hell, as a
kind ofsink into which all Sin and Miseryfalls . The
successive generations ofmen stand as it w ere on a thinearth- rind, w ith the HeavenlyStars above them, and the
Dark Valley”
(valle buia) ofHell beneath . And the'
Cross
on Mount Calvary, where the Divine Man was consumed”
(Inf. xxxiv . 1 14 ) for their transgressions, points from the
centre oftheir TemporaryDwelling-place to those same
“ beautiful Stars , ” wherein the blessed people ” dwellforever (Inf. i. and to the all-including Empyrean,which is the Cityand High Seat ofthat Emperor whoreigns above, and rules in every part throughout theuniverse . And the hollow Realm ofSorrow ” convergesbeneath (Inf. xxxu . towards its Emperor ” Satan,
who has his Seat (Inf. xi. 65 xxxiv . 28) at the verycentreofthe Earth or lowest point ofspace . And all light and
Heaven , the Heaven ofrest,”or peculiar abode ofthe Almighty
which our own Milton thus speaksUnder his burning wheels
The steadfast Empyrean shook throughout,All but the throne itself ofGod .
’
P ar . L ost, vi. 832 .
Now had the Almigh tyFather from above,From the pu’re Empyrean , w h ere he sits
High throned above all height, bent down his eye,’&c.
Abou t him all the Sanctities ofHeavenStood thick as stars ,
’85 0.
I b. iii. 5 6.
Beatri ce comes from it, from singing Alleluiah (I nf. xi1 . 88 1 1 . 5 3 ,
when she gives V irgil the mission to deliver Dante from the
savage beasts in the dark wood .
”
THE INFERNO OF DANTE . xli
heat, all wisdom, and love, and strength, comes from the
Stars or Heavens, and returns to them ; all cold and darkness , all ignorance, and hatred, and w eakness, comes fromthe Evil One, and also returns to him . He is planted at
the bottom ofHell, fixed in eternal Darkness and eternalIce (I nf. xxxiv . 4 , his head w ith its three emblema
tic faces pointing to Jerusalem, and his feet towards the
Mount ofPurgatory, which is the exact antipodes ofJerusalem . And Dante, not w ithout signifi cance, ends eachofthe three great divisions ofhis Poem with the WordStelle or Stars : a Blessed Spirit from above, sent byDivine Mercy, gives his Guide the power to rescue and
conduct him (I nf. 1 1 . 5 3 - 1 20) and he does not visit theDark Valley ofHell for sport,
”diletto (Inf. xii.
but from sore“necessity,
”
and because the road throughit leads to Heaven—leads to the Stars . The briefsim
p le w ords in which he alludes to all this at the bittereststages ofthe “
w oodyw ay”
(as in cantos x . 1 29 ; xii. 85
xv . 49- 5 5 ; xvi. 6 1 , 83 , &c .) will be found verysignifi cantbyreaders who rightlyunderstand them.
The Hell itselfis an ‘
immense, obscure, circular cavern,
becoming narrow er and narrower by successive degrees
(Inf. v . 2, &c . ) as it goes deeper . The general form is
that ofan inverted cone, which has its base towards the
great dryland,”
and its apex at the centre ofthe Earth .
The sides ofit, on which Dante’
s road lies, are occupied
bya series ofHorizontal Circles , or circular stages, mostlyseparated from one another byprecipitous descents, and
graduallydiminishing in size like the row s ofan amphi
theatre . These Circles are Nine in number, w ith varioussubdivisions in the lowest three ofthem ; all ofwhich are
fullydesci'ibed in their proper places .
The Souls ofthe lost people ”
are sent down to depths
d 2
xlii THE INFERNO OF DANTE .
corresponding to their guilt, the greatest sinners fallinginto the lowest and smallest circular spaces, nearest to
Lucifer or Satan . Their crimes, which are instantlycon
fessed when they come into the presence ofMinos the
Infernal Judge, take hold ofthem, and“w eigh them down
towards the bottom (I nf. v . 4 , &c . ; vi. 86) and also
inflict the inevitable and appropriate punishment, whichofitselfreveals the nature ofthose crimes .
Immediatelyw ithin the entrance comes a “Dark Plain
(iii. 22 which is as it w ere the Vestibule ofHell ;and lies like a broad ring all round its mouth . This spaceis occupied by the miserable caitiffs ”
or captives, ”
cattivi or cap tivi (see the verses from Landino’
s edition,
p . the worthless crew, who never w ere alive, ” and
passed their time on earth thinking only ofthemselves,and taking no part in anything either for good or for evil .The souls ofthis class are alike displeasing to God and
to his enemies and neither Heaven nor the deep Hellw ill admit them. Wasps and hornets sting them forever,and make them hurryround the brim ofHell, pursuingan aimless -giddyflag. Theyhave no hope ofdeath
,
”
or
even ofcondemnation and their blind existence is so
mean that theyare envious ofeveryother lot. ”
After leaving them and crossing the rest ofthe darkplain, Dante comes to the great r1ver Acheron, or StreamofSorrow ,
’which flows round the brink ofHell, and
afterwards descends (xiv. 1 1 3 - 1 24 ) from rock to rock, and
becomes the source ofall the other rivers and marshesthat are met w ith lower down . Crowds ofguiltysoulsare seen assembling, in rapid succession,
upon its shore,
and Charon is ferrying them over . This scene, as describedbyDante, Michelangelo has endeavoured to represent inthe Cappella Sistinaat Rome .
xliv THE INFERNO OF DANTE .
all eternity, so that not one ofthem can be recognised .
Canto vii.The descent to the next circle is made, along the edge
ofa second Stream (vii. 105 , in a dark ravine whichit has w orn out for itself. This stream, coming fromAcheron, forms the Stygian Marsh, or Fifth Circle . In
its putrid mud, theWrathful, the Sullen- sour or Gloomysluggish, and the Vainglorious, have their appropriate pu
nishment. Phlegyas conveys the Poets across the Marsh ;and here Dante fi rst discerns the red mosques ” ofthe
CityofDis, or Satan .
The Sixth Circle is the fi rst that lies within the City,and seems to be on a level w ith the fifth.
The Five circles, through which the Poets have now
passed, constitute the Upper Hell (viii. 75 xi. 1 6, in
which the different sins ofIncOntinence, such as Lust,Gluttony, Avarice, Prodigality, &c . are punished .
The Low Hell, or CityofDis, consists ofFour Circles,in the last three Ofwhich the different sins that indicateMalice, or Rebellion (xi. 1 6, &c .) against the decrees oftheAlmighty, are punished .
In the Sixth Circle, the Arch-heretics with their follow ers, who deny the immortality ofthe soul , havetheir cemetery.
”The souls ofthem lie buried in burning
sepulchres, which shall be all closed up (x . 10) after the
Great Judgment : and the lurid flames—emblems,here
and elsewhere (xxvi. 48, &c . ; xxvii. 1 3 , ofawakenedconsciousness—Shall then be hidden within the tombs .
This Sixth Circle is as it w ere a connecting link (see note,p . 1 27) between the circles ofIncontinence and those of
Malice, &c .
The Poets, on entering the City, turn to the right (ix.
and go through a portion ofthe circle (x. 2,
THE INFERNO OF DANTE . xlv
with the city-wall on their right hand, and the flamingtombs on their left ; and after having seen enough ofit,
theyturn to the left (x. and go across to the edgeofthe Seventh Circle . Perhaps theyhave taken a likesection or arc (vii. 1 28) Ofeach circle above, and thencros sed it in the same w ay—as manycommentators afl
firm v
but this I leave to conjecture ; for Dante himselfafl‘irmsno such thing.
The descent to the Seventh Circle is made on p recip i
tous shattered rocks ; to the Eighth, bymeans ofGeryon ;
and to the Ninth, byhelp OfAntaeus . The Argumentsand Notes, which relate to these circles , and to their sub
divisions, will make them plain to all attentive readers ;and for idle readers this book is quite unsuitable .
In conclusion I may remark, that the great leadingideas ofthis Hell ofDante are not borrow ed ideas ; butare the result ofall that he had learnt, and seen, and
known . Visions ofthe future w orld had indeed beencommon amongst Heathens and Christians before, and w erestill common in his own time, as w e know from manysources ; but those visions are generallyofthe most inco
herent, dim, and fragmentarydescription, and could sug
gest little or nothing, except that the minds ofseriousmen had long been exercised with such things . Dantewas familiar w ith all the materials ofthe Middle Ages, andalso w ith the w orth and w isdom Ofthe Ancients whomhe sees, face to face, in that Limbo ofhis and he Openly,nay purposely, takes every document w ithin his reach .
And it is not so much bywhat has been looselycalledInvention, as bytrue and clear recognition ofthe NatureofThings in that age ofhis , byunerring discriminationofwhat is signifi cant from what is insignifi cant, and by
xlvi THE INFERNO OF DANTE .
boundless diligence withal, that he constructs an originaland enduring w ork . In h1 s Inmost heart the scattered
incidents gradually cohere, and expand, and become a
living whole— fi t for utterance : the Sacred Poem formanyyears has made him lean (Parad. xxv . and it
is upon condition ofhis not being a timid friend to
Truth ”
(I bid . v. 1 18) that he expects to live amongstfuture generations . He has got infinitelybeyond all the
w retched factions ofGuelphs and Ghibellines ofhis time ;
and seen the very roots oftheir sin and misery. The
flaming Realities ofEternitystand visible on everyside of
him, and have taught him the StraightWay,”
and givenhim pow er to measure the dimensions ofall Popes and
Kaisers, and estimate them by a Standard which con
quers everyerror .
”And his earthlylife too, w ith all its
sadness, has therebybecome bright, and clear,”
and
unspeakablyprecious ; and even in Hell he recognises all
the good qualities ofthose that are condemned . There isnothing more touching in the whole Poem than the briefsimple wayin which he makes them allude to the clear”
and beautiful life, the bright world, the sweet air,
gladdened bythe Sun, the beauteous stars , &c .
ARGUMENT .
Dante finds himselfastray in a dark Wood, where he spends a night ofgreat m isery. He says that death is hardlymore b itter, than it is torecall what he'
suffered there ; but that he will tell the fearful thingshe saw , in order that he mayalso tell how he found guidance, andfirst began to discern the real
.
cau ses Ofall misery. He comes to a
H ill ; and seeing its summitxalready bright with the rays ofthe
Sun,he begins to ascend it. The wayto it looks quite deserted .
He is met by a beautiful Leopard, which keeps distracting his attention from the H ill, and makes him turn back several times. The
hour ofthe morn ing, the season, and the gay outward aspect of
that animal, give him good hopes at first ; but he is driven dOwnand terrified by a Lion and a She - wolf. V irgil comes to his aid
,
and tells him that the Wolflets none pass her way, but entanglesand slays every one that tries to get up the mountain by the road
on which she stands . He says a time will come when a swift andstrong Greyhound shall clear the earth ofher, and chase her intoHell. And he offers to conduct Dante by another road ; to shewhim the eternal roots ofm isery and Ofjoy, and leave him with a
higher gu ide that will lead him up to Heaven.
2 INFERNO . CANTO I .
CANTO I .
IN the middl e1 ofthe journeyofour life, I foundmyself in a dark w ood ;2 for the straight w ay w as
lost. Ah ! how hard a thing it is to tell w hat a
wild,and rough
,and stubborn w ood this w as, w hich
in mythought renew s the fear : so bitter is it, thatscarcely more is death . But to treat ofthe good
that I there found,I w ill relate the other things
that I discerned .
NE L mezzo del cammin di nostra vitaMi ritrovai p er una selva oscura,Che la diritta via era smarrita.
Ahi quanto a dir qual era é cosa duraQuesta selva selvaggia ed aspra e forte,
Che nel pensier rinnova la paura !Tanto e amara,che poco e p itI morteMa p er trattar del hen ch
’ivi trovai,
Diro dell’ altre cose, ch’io v’ ho scorte .
The action ofthe poem be
gins on Good Friday ofthe year1 300, as we learn from cantoxxi. 1 1 2 , &c . ; and Dante was at
that time 3 5 years ofage. The
Bible, with which he was wellacquainted, says : “ The days of
our years are threescore years andten
”
(Psalm xc . And Dantehimselfspeaks ofour life as an
arch, which we ascend and de
scend ; and in which the highest,
or middle point,
“ is at the 3 5 th
year in ~men ofperfect constitu
tion.
”Convito
,Tr. iv. 0. 23.
2 In “the erroneous wood of
this l ife” (I b. c . in the darkbattle ofthose who see not be
yond it. In the terrors ofthe
Shadow ofdeath’” (J ob xxiv.amongst .men who had lost “
the
Way, the truth, and the life .
”
J ohn xiv. 6.
4 INFERNO . crm o 1 .
And as he, who w ith panting breath has escaped
from the deep sea to the shore , turns to the dan
gerou s w ater and gazes ; so mymind,’
w hich still
w as fleeing, turned back to see the pass that no
one ever left alive .
After I had rested myw earied body, I took thew ay again along the desert strand , so that the fi rm
foot alw ays w as the low er .
1 And behold,almost at
the commen cement ofthe steep,a Leop ard,2 light
and verynimble, which w as covered w ith a spotted
E come quei, che con lena afl’
annata
Uscito fuor del pelago alla riva,Si volge all’ acqua perigliosa, e gu
'
ata
Cosi l’ animo mio, che ancor fug’
giva,Si volse indietro a rimirar lo passo,Che non lascio giammai persona viva .
Poi ch’ ebbi riposato il corpo lasso,Ripresivia p er la piaggia diserta,Si che il p iefermo sempre era 11 pm basso.
Ed ecco, quasi al cominciar dell’ erta,Una lonza leggiera e presta mOlto,Che di p el maculato era coverta .
I t is only when walking on
a level, that the foot resting on
the ground is always the lower ;but from verse 61 , it appears thatDante had afterwards begun to
ascend. If it p ie‘
fermo (fi rm,
strong) can be shewn to mean
“the right foot,
”as mano stanca
(weary, weak) means left' hand”
in canto xix. 4 1 ; then Dante, inascending the hill slantwise, with
its summit on his left, will havethe right (fermo) foot always towards the base , or lower than theother. V ide S tadii Inediti suDante
p . 1 66, &c.
2 Worldly Pleasure, with its fairoutside ; in what Spenser calls thegeneral intention .
”And Flo
rence in particular, that changedits factions with su ch levity and
rapidity. Parad . xvi . 84 .
CANTO I . INFERNO . 5
skin : and it ' w ent not from before myface ; nay, soimpeded my w ay, that I had Often turned to
'
go
back .
The time w as at the beginning ofthe morning ;and the Sun w as mounting up w ith the stars
,w hich
w ere w ith him when Divine Love first moved those
fair things : I so that the gay skin ofthat animal, the
hour oftime, and the sw eet season, w ere causes to
me ofgood hop e yet not so, but that I feared at thesight
, which ap peared to me,ofa Lion .
2 He seemed
coming up on me w ith head erect, and furious hun
E non mi si partia dinanzi al volto ;Anzi impediva tanto il mio cammino,Ch’ io fui p er ritornar piti volte vOlto .
Tempo era dal principio del mattinoE il Sol montava in su con quelle stelleCh
’
eran con lui, quando 1’Amor Divino
Mosse da prima quelle cosebelle'
;
Si che a bene sp erar m’eran cagione
Di quella fera la gaietta pelle,L’ ora del tempo, e la dolce stagioneMa non si, che paura non mi desseLa vista, che m
’apparve, d’ un leone .
Questi parea, che contra me venesseCon la testa alta, e con rabbiosa fame ;
1 The sun is in Aries ; the sea
son spring. And Dante believedthat the world had been createdand set in motion at that sea
son ; and l ikewise that mank indhad been redeemed by the deathofChrist. His holy Friday”
(venerdi santo) was the greatestand most sacred ofdays .
2 Amb ition or Pride ; and, in
particular, the King ofFrance,who shewed these qualities most,maintaining tyranny, bloodshed,and discord all over I taly.
6 INFERNO . CANTO I .
ger so that the air seemed to quake thereat. And
a She -w olf,
1 that looked full Ofall cravings in her
leanness and has ere now made many live in sor
row : She brought such heaviness upon me w ith the
terror Ofher aspect,that I lost the hope ofascend
ing .
2 And as one w ho is eager in gaining, and , when
the time arrives that makes him lose, w eeps and
afflicts himself in all his thoughts ; such that restless
beast made me,w hich coming against me
,by little
and little drove me back to where the Sun is silent.
3
Si che parea che l’ aer ne tremesse .
Ed una lupa, che di tutte brameSembiava carca nella sua magrezza,E molte gentife’ gia viver grame .
Questa mi porse tanto di gravezzaCon la paura, che uscia di sua vista,Ch
’
io perdei la speranza dell’ altezza .
E quale e quei, che volentieri acquista,E giugne il tempo che perder lo face,Che in tuttii suoi pensier piange e s
’
attrista ;
Tal mifece la bestia senza pace,Che, venendomi incontro, a poco a pocoMi ripingeva la dove 11 S01 tace .
Avarice, worship ofthis world’sgoods ; and the C ourt ofRome in
particular, where Christ is dailybought and sold .
”Par. xvii . 5 1 .
The image Ofthese three beastsseems to be taken from J eremiah
v . 6 A lion out ofthe forest
shall slay them, and a wolfoftheevenings shall spoil them
, a leo
pard shall watch over their cities.
”
2 Literally With the fear
which issued from her look, thatI lost the hope ofthe height.3 Into the valley where there
is no l ight ofthe Sun .
The Sun to me is dark ,
And silent as the Moon,
When she deserts the night,Hid in her vacant interlunar cave .
Milton, Samson Agon .
cxm o 1 . INFERNO . 7
Whilst I w as rushing dow nw ards, there appeared
before myeyes one w ho seemed hoarse1 from long
silence When I saw him in the great desert, Icried : “Have pityon me
,w hate’er thou be , whether
" 7Shade or veritable man
He answ ered me Not man,a man I Once
w as ; and my parents w ere Lombards, and both Of
Mantua by country. I w as born under Julius,
though late ;2 and lived at Rome beneath the goodAugustus, in the time Ofthe false and lying gods .
Mentre ch’ 10 rovinava in basso loco,Dinanzi agli occhi mi sifu Offerto
Chi p er lungo silenzio parea fi oco .
Quando vidi costui nel gran diserto,Miserere dime, gridai a lui,Qual che tu sie, od ombra, od uomo certo.
Risp osemi Non uomo, uomo giafui,
E 11 parentimieifuron Lombardi,E Mantovani p er patria ambedui.
Nacqui sub J ulio, ancorchefosse tardi,E vissi a Roma sotto il buono Augusto,Al tempo degliDei falsi e bugiardi.
l Allusion to the long neglectofV irgil’s works before Dante’stime. Fioco also means
“faint ofvoi ce .
” SO MiltonUnchanged
To hoarse or mute, though fallen on
evil days .
”
P aradise L ost, VII . 2 5 .
2 V irgil w as little more thantwenty years ofage at the time of
J ul ius Caesar’s death ; and there
fore too young (born too late) formaking himselfknown to the greatEmperor, whom Dante veneratedas the founder of the Roman
monarchy. S ee his treatise De
Monarchia, and Convito, Tr. iv‘. 0. 4
and 5 . V irgil “ lived,” in Dante’ssense, or applied himselfto hisgreat work as a poet, under Augustus .
8 INFERNO . CANTO r.
A Poet I w as ; and sang ofthe j ust1 son ofAh
chises, who came from Troyafter proud Ilium w as
burnt. But thou, w hy returnest thou to such dis
quiet ? why ascendest not the delectable mountain,w hich is the beginning and the cause ofall glad
ness
Art thou then that Virgil, and that fountainw hich pours abroad SO rich a stream ofspeech ? ” Iansw ered him, w ith bashful front.light ofother poets !and the great love , that made me search thyvolume .
Thou art mymaster and my author .
’ Thou alone
O glory, and
May the long zeal avail me ,
Poeta fui, e cantai di quel giustoFigliuol d’ Anchise, che venne da Troia,Poi che il superbo Ilion fu combusto .
Ma tu, perche ritorni a tanta noia ?
Perche nOn sali il dilettoso monte,
Ch’
e principio e cagion di tutta gioia ?Or se
’
tu quel Virgilio, e quella fonte,Che spande di parlar si largo fiume ?Risposi lui con vergognosa fronte .
O degli altrip oeti onore e lume,Vagliami il lungo studio e il grande amore,Che m
’han fatto cercar lo tuo volume .
Tu se’ lo mio maestro, e il mio autore
1 E neas , quo j ustior a lter nec together. And . in another sense,p ietatefuit, &c. IEneid. i. 5 44, 5 .
2 Dante says that, in one sense,
the term “Author is applied solelyto poets, who with musaic art
(art ofthe Muses) b ind words
Author signifies anyperson w orthyOfbeing bel ieved and obeyed .
And from this '
is derived the
word Authority.c . 6.
Conv. Tr. iv.
cxm o 1 . INFERNO . 9
art
\
he from whom I took the good style that hath
done me honour . Se e thebeast for which I turnedback . Help me from her, thou famous sage ; for
she makes myveins and p ul ses tremble .
”
Thou must take another road,
”he answ ered
,
when he saw me w eeping,“ ifthou desirest to es
cape from this w ild place ; because this beast, forw hich thou criest
,lets not men pass her w ay, but
SO entangles that she slays them ; and has a natur e
so perverse and viciou s, that she never satiates her
craving appetite ; and after feeding, she is hungrier
than before . The animals to which She w eds1 her
Tu se’ solo colui, da cui io tolsiLo bello stile, che m
’ha fatto onore .
Vedi la bestia, p er cui 10 mi volsiAiutami da lei, famoso saggio,Ch’ ella mifa tremar le vene e i polsi.
A te convieu tenere altro viaggio,Rispose, p oi che lagrimar mi vide,Se vuoi campar d’ esto loco selvaggio
Che questa bestia, p er la qual tu gride,Non lascia altrui passar per
'
la sua via,
Ma tanto lo impedisce, che l’ uccide
E ha natura simalvagia e ria,
Che mai non empie la bramosa voglia,E dopo il pasto ha piI
‘
I fame che pria .
Molti son gli animali, a cui s’
ammoglia,
1 Allusion to the Papal alli E vangel ist saw comm itting forniances ofhis time. In canto xix. cation w ith the kings the w o
106, &c . the Popes are said to man on the scarlet beast, “ w ithhave been foreshewn in her that seven heads and ten horns. Rev.
sitteth on the waters, whom the xvii. 3 , &c .
10 INFERNO . CANTO 1 .
self are many and w ill yet be more, until the Greyhound comes
,that w ill make her die w ith pain . He
w ill not feed on land or pelf, but on w isdom,and love ,
and manfulness and his nation Shall be betweenFeltro and Feltro .
1 He shall be the salvation Ofthat
low Italy,2 for w hich Camilla the virgin, Euryalus,
E p Iu‘
saranno ancora, infi n che il VeltroVerra, che la faramorIr di doglia .
Questi non cibera terra ne peltro,Ma sapienza, e amore, e virtute ;E sua naz ion sara tra Feltro e Feltro .
Di quell’ umile Italia fi a salute,
1 Feltro and Montefeltro ; oh
scure places, found by commen
tators in the north - eastern part of
Italy ; the former near Belluno,the latter west ofAncona . Be
tween them lay the country of
Can della Scala, Lord ofV erona,
a young friend and protector of
Dante’s, who certainly did not
set his heart on“ land or pelf;”
but,in some fair measure, on
“ wisdom , and love, and man
fulness .
” Troya, in his Veltro
A llegorico, considers Uguccionedella Faggiola— another eminentGhibelline leader, and known to
Dante, but ofmuch more ques
tionable character than Can—to
be the personage here alluded toand finds two Feltros—not towns
,
but mountain summ its—betweenwhich lay Uguccione’s country.One looks in vain for reasonableproofs ofmany things that Troyaasserts in his high sounding
book : whole volumes on sucha subject are ofnecessity some
what empty. The passage willremain obscure, as it was evento Dante’s contemporaries ; butwill sufficiently indicate to us the
mixture ofz eal and longing forsome del iverer, that must havebeen in his mind when he wroteit. The Old commentator, who
knew Dante personally, thinksSua na z ion sard trafeltro efeltrohis birth shall be between felt
and felt,” literally) , imports thatthis promised deliverer “
shall beborn ofa humble race, as feltis a humble and mean cloth(see Comento dell
’Ottimo, vol. i . ‘
p . Boccaccio also reads
feltro (felt) . And it is to be re
collected that the old MSS . and
ed itions ofthe Commedia have nocapital letters.
2 HumilemI taliam(E n. 1 1 1 . 5 22 )the region ofRome, the Empire ;
1 2 INFERNO . CANTO I .
w orthier than I to guide thee . With her w ill Ileave thee at my parting . For that Emperor who
reigns above , be cause I w as rebellious 1 to his law ,
w ills not that I come into his : city. In all parts he
rules ; and there he dw ell s . There is his city, and
his high seat. O happywhom he chooses for it !”
And I to him : Poet,I beseech thee by that
God whom thou knew est not : in order that I maye scape this ill and w orse
,lead me where thou now
hast said,so that I may see the Gate ofSt. Peter,
and those whom thou makest so sad .
” 2
Then he moved ; and I kept on behind him .
AnIma fi a a ciOdime p iu degnaCon lei ti lascierOnel mio partire
Che quello Imperador, che lassii regna,Perch’ io fui ribellante alla sua legge,Non vuol che in sua citta p er me sivegna .
In tutte parti impera, e quivi reggeQuivi e la sua cittade, e l
’alto seggio
O felice colui, cui ivi eleggeEd io a lui Poeta, io ti richieggioPer quello Iddio, che tu non conoscesti,A 016 ch
’10 fugga questo male e peggio,
Che tu mimeni la dov’
or dicesti,Si ch
’
10 vegga 1a porta di San Pietro,E color, che tu fai cotanto mesti.
Allor simosse ed io 11 tenni dietro .
1 V irgil foresaw the com ing Sa Christianity by the Fourth E c
viour ; but clung and trusted to logue.
his human w isdom, according to 2 Gate ofPurgatory. Those
Dante . See the passage, Purg . whom V irgil describes as so sad
xxii . 70- 72 , where Statius tells “ in the eternal place” are the
V irgil ofhis being converted to inhab itants ofHell.
ARGUMENT .
E nd ofthe first day. Briefinvocation. Dante is discouraged at the
outset, when he begins seriously to reflect upon what he has undertaken. That very day, his own strength has m iserably failed beforethe L ion and the She- wolf. He b ids V irgil consider well whetherthere be suffi cient virtue in him,
before comm itting him to so dread
ful a passage. He recalls the great errands ofAEneas and ofPaul ,and the great results ofthe ir going to the immortal world ; and,
comparing himselfwith them, he feels hisheart quail, and is readyto turn back . V irgil discerns the fear that has come over him ;
and in order to remove it, tells him how a blessed Spirit hasdescended from Heaven expressly to command the journey. On
hearing this, Dante immed iately casts offall pusillan im ity, and at
once accepts the Freedom and the Mission that are given him .
INFERNO .CANTO 1 1 .
CANTO II .
THE dayw as departing, and the brow n air taking
the animals, that a re on earth, from their toils ; and
I,one alone, w as preparing myself to bear the w ar
1
both ofthe journey and the pity, which memory,
that errs not, Shall relate .
O Muses, 0 high Genius, now help me ! 0
Memory, that hast inscribed what I saw ,here w ill
be shew n thynobleness .
I began : Poet, w ho guidest2 me, look ifthere
be w orth in me sufficient,3 before thou trust me to
LO giorno se n’andava, e l
’aer bruno
Toglieva gli animai, che sono in terra,
Dalle fatiche loro ed io sol uno
M’apparecchiava a sostener la guerraSi del cammino, e si della pietate,Che ritrarra la mente, che non erra .
O Muse, o alto ingegno, or m’aiutate
O mente, che scrivesti 015 ch’io vidi,
Qui si parra la tua nobilitate .
IO cominciai : Poeta che mi guidi,Guarda la mia virth, s
’ella e possente,
Prima che all’alto passo tu mi fi di.
1 . B runo, brown, dark, obscure.
1 2 . Alto, high, deep, or diffi cult ; as in v. 1 42 .
1 The battle with the painful road, 3 Literally Look at (exa
and with the pityfor those in Hell. mine) myvirtue (strength, worth)2 V irgil represents HumanWis whether it be able (adequate)” for
dom or Intelligence ; and w e shall such a journey. I t has alreadysee who sends him
,and gives him miserably failed before the Lion
power to be a guide to Dante. and the Wolf.
CANTO n . INFERNO . 1 5
the arduous passage . Thou sayest that the father1
ofSylvius,w hilst subject to corrup tion, w ent to the
immortal w orld,and w as there in body. But ifthe
Adversaryofall evil w as propitious, considering the
high effect,and who and what should come from him
it seems not unfi tting to an understanding mind .
For in the empyreal heaven, he w as chosen to be the
father ofgenerous Rome, and Ofher Emp ire . Both
these} to say the truth, w ere established for .the
holyplace, w here the Successor Ofgreat Peter sits .
By this journey, for w hich thou honourest him,he
learned things that w ere the causes ofhis victory,
Tu dici, che di Silvio lo parente,Corruttibile ancora, ad immortaleSecolo ando, e fu sensibilmente.
Pero se l’ Avversario d’ ognimaleCortese fu, pensando l
’
alto effetto,
Ch’ uscir dovea di lui, e il chi, e il quale ;
Non pare indegno ad uomo d’ intellettoCh’ cifu dell’ alma Roma e di suo imperoNell’ empireo Ciel p er padre eletto
La quale, e il quale, a voler dir lo vero,Fur stabiliti p er lo loco santo,
U’siede il successor del maggior Piero .
Per questa andata, onde gli dai tu vanto,Intese cose che furon cagioneDi sua Vittoria e del papale ammanto .
24 . U’
, ove : contraction ofLat. ubi.
1 IEneas . E t qui te nomine2 La quale,Rome ; and il qua le,
reddet, Sylvius E neas . IEn. vi. the Empire. Both ordained by768. God. Conv. Tr. iv. 0. 5 .
INFERNO . CANTO 1 1 .
CANTO II .
THE dayw as departing,and the brown air taking
the animals,that a re on earth, from their toils ; and
I, one alone, w as preparing myself to bear the w ar1
both ofthe journey and the pity, which memory,that errs not
, shall relate .
O Muses, O high Genius, now help me ! 0
Memory, that hast inscribed w hat I saw ,here w ill
be shew n thynobleness .
I began : Poet, w ho guidest2 me, look iftherebe w orth in me sufficient,3 before thou trust me to
LO giorno se n’
andava, e l’aer bruno
Toglieva gli animai, che sono in terra,
Dalle fatiche loro ed 10 sol uno
M’
apparecchiava a sostener la guerraSi del cammino, e si della pietate,Che ritrarra la mente, che non erra.
O Muse, o alto ingegno, or m’
aiutateO mente, che scrivesti ciO ch’ io vidi,Qui Si parra la tua nobilitate .
Io cominciai : Poeta che mi guidi,Guarda la mia virth, s
’ella e possente,
Prima che all’alto passo tu mifi di.
1 . B runo, brown , dark, obscure.
1 2 . A lto, high, deep, or difficult ; as in v. 142.
1 The battle with the painful road, 3 Literally Look at (exaand with the pityfor those in Hell. mine) myvirtue (strength, worth)2 V irgil represents HumanWis whether it be able (adequate)” for
dom or Intelligence ; and w e shall such a j ourney. I t has alreadysee who sends him
,and gives him miserably failed before the L ion
power to be a gu ide to Dante. and the Wolf.
CANTO IT. INFERNO . 1 5
the arduous passage . Thou sayest that the father1
ofSylvius, w hilst subject to corrup tion , w ent to the
immortal w orld, and w as there in body. But ifthe
Adversaryofall evil w as p ropitious, considering the
high effect,and who and w hat should come from him
it seems not unfi tting to an understanding mind .
For in the empyreal heaven, he w as chosen to be the
father ofgenerous Rome, and ofher Empire . Both
these} to say the truth, w ere established for .the
holyplace, w here the Successor ofgreat Peter sits .
By this journey, for w hich thou honourest him ,he
learned things that w ere the causes ofhis victory,
Tu dici, che di Silvio lo parente,Corruttibile ancora, ad immortaleSecolo andO, e fu sensibilmente.
Pero se l’ Avversario d’ ognimaleCortese fu, pensando l
’
alto effetto,
Ch’ uscir dovea di lui, e il Chi, e il quale ;
Non pare indegno ad uomo d’ intellettoCh’ eifu dell’ alma Roma e di suo impero
Nell’ empireo Ciel p er padre elettoLa quale, e il quale, a voler dir lo vero,Fur stabiliti p er lo loco santo,
U’siede il successor del maggior Piero .
Per questa andata, onde gli dai tu vanto,Intese cose che furon cagioneDi sua vittoria e del papale ammanto .
24 . U’
, ove : contraction ofLat. ubi.
1 IEneas . E t qui te nomine 2 La quale,Rome and itquale,
reddet, Sylvius E neas . IEn. vi. the Empire. Both ordained by768. God. Conv. Tr. iv. 0. 5 .
1 6 INFERNO . CANTO I I.
and ofthe Papal Mantle . Afterw ards, the ChosenVessel1 w ent thither, to bring confirmation ofthat
Faith which is the entrance to the w ayofsalvation .
But I, w hygo ? or w ho permits it ? I am not JEneas ,
am not Paul : neither myself nor others deem me
w orthyofit. Wherefore, ifI resign .myself to go, Ifear my going may prove foolish . Thou art w ise ,
and understandest better than I speak;And as one who unwills w hat he w illed, and
w ith new thoughts changes his p urpose , so that he
w holly quits the thing commenced,2 such I made
Andovvi p oi lo Vas d’elezione,
Per recarne conforto a quella Fede,Ch’ e, principio alla via di salvazione .
Ma 10, perche venirvi? 0 Chi’l concede ?
10 non Enea, 10 non Paolo sono
Me degno a d b h e 10, ne altri crede .
Per che se del venire io m’abbandono,
Temo che la venuta non sia folleSe
’
savio, e intendime’ ch’ io non ragiono .
E quale s quei, che disvuol ciO ch’ e’ volle,E p er novi pensier cangia proposta,Si che del cominciar tutto si tolle
39. Tolle, toglie (from tollere) : old form, nearer
to the Latin. Many examples ofthis sort occur ;which w e here notice
, Once for all.
1 Paul, called “ a chosen vessel 2 L iterally : Changes his pur(Acts ix. caught up to the pose, so that he takes himselfthird heaven ; and into Para wholly from the beginning” thatdise,where he
“heard unspeakable he has made .
words” (2 Cor. xii . 1 Thither,
i. e.
“to the immortal
.
world .
”
1 8 INFERNO .CANTO I I .
prayed her to command, called me . Her eyes
shone brighter than the Star ;1 and She began soft
and gentle to tell me w ith angelic voice, in her
language : O courteous Mantuan Spirit, w hose
fame still lasts in - the w orld , and w ill last as long
as Time 12 My friend,3
and not offortune, is so
Tal che di comandare 10 la richiesi.
Lucevan gli occhi suor p 1u che la StellaE Cominciommi a dir soave e piana
Con angelica voce, in sua favellaO anIma cortese Mantovana,Di cui la fama ancor nel mondo dura,E durera quanto il moto lontana
L’
amico mio, e non della ventura,
60. Lontana , used for lunga as in P ar . xv. 49.
towards Heaven. See the C an
z one : Voi che, intendendo, il ter z o
cielmovete, &c. and Dante’s beautiful comment on it, in which hespeaks ofhis Beatrice as a blessedspirit ; and tells how he wentaway as ifin rapture when he
thought ofher . Conv. Tr . ii. 0.
7, 8, &c .
l The Sun. La bella stella ch’
it temp o misura the beautifulstar that measures C an
z one xix. 1 . page 62 ofFraticelli’sedition, Flor. 1 834 . She (Wisdom) is more beautiful than the
sun,and above all the order of
stars ; being compared w ith light,she is found before it.” WisdomofSolomon vii. 29.
2 Literally : “ Motion. Tem
p us est numerus motas secundum
p rius etp osterius (Aristotle) quotedby Dante (Conv. Tr. iv. 0. and
translated : Time,according to
Aristotle in the fourth (book) ofhis Phys ics, is the number (summation) ofmotion with respect tofirst and after.
” Many editionsread mondo (creation) and p er
haps with equally good authority.3 Line 61 l ies open to severalinterpretations
,ofwhich the plain
est and best seems the followingMyfriend, and not thefriend of
fortune ;”he who is dear to me,
though sorely wounded (Conv. Trs i.
c . and driven about by fortune .
Alfi eri, who studied Dante with
great z eal, suggests another re
markable meaning by a passage inhis Filipp o,where Perez tells Carlothat he is the friend ofhis choice,
CANTO I I . INFERNO . 19
imp eded in his w ay up on‘
the desert shore , that
he has t urned back . for terror . And I fear he
may already be so far astray, that I have risen
too late for his relief, from w hat I heard of him
in Heaven . Now go, and w ith thy ornate spee ch,and w ith w hat is necessaryfor his escape
,help him
so,that I maybe consoled thereby. I am Beatrice
w ho send thee . I come from a place w here I desireto return . Love moved me
,that makes ; me speak .
When I Shall be before myLord, I oft w ill praise
thee to him .
’
“. She w as Silent then, and I began : ‘ 0 Lady,
single in w orth ; through whom mankind ex cels all
Nella diserta piaggia e impeditoSi nel cammin, che vOlto e p er pauraE temo che non sia gia si smarrito,
Ch’10 mi sia tardi al soccorso levata,
Per quel ch’ 10 ho di lui nel Cielo udito .
Or muovi, e con la tua parola ornata,
E con ciO, che ha mestieri al suo campare,L’
aiuta si, ch’10 ne sia consolata .
Io son Beatrice, che tifaccio andareVegno di loco , ove tornar disioAmor mi mosse, che mifa parlare .
Quando sarO dinanzi al Signor mio,Di te mi loderO sovente a lui.
Tacette allora, e p oi cominciai io0 Donna di virtu sola, p er cui
&c . Amico tuo. Non di ventura tators, adopting it, exp lam My
ia sono, &c . (Atto i . se . 4 ) . Scolari, friend, that ofmychoice, and notand other d istingu ished commen thatofchance,accidentor caprice .
”
20 INFERNO . CANTO 1 1 .
that is contained w ithin, the heaven which has the
smallest circles !1 So grateful to me is thy com
mand,that myobeying, w ere it done alr eady, seems
tardy. I t needs not that thou more explain to me
thy w ish . But tell me the cause, why thou for
bearest not to descend into this centre here belowfrom the spacious place} to which thou burnest to
return ? ’
‘ Since thou desirest to know thus far, I w ill
tell thee briefly,’
she replied, why I fear not to
come within this place . Those things alone are to be
feared that have the pow er ofhurting ; the others
not, which are not fearful . I am made such
‘
byGod ,
L’ umana spezie eccede ogni contentoDa quel ciel, che ha minori i cerchi suI
Tanto m’
aggrada il tuo comandamento,Che l’ ubbidir, se giafosse, m
’e tardi ;
Pih non t’e uopo aprirmi il tuo talento .
Ma dimmi la cagion, che non ti guardiDello scender quaggiii in questo centroDall’ ampio loco, ove tornar tu ardi.
Da che tu vuoi saper cotanto addentro,Dirotti brevemente, mi rispose,Perch’ io non temo di venir qua entro .
Temer si deve sol di quelle coseCh
’ hanno potenza difare altruimaleDell’ altre no, che non son paurose .
77. Contento, contenuto.
81 . Ta lento, inclination, desire.
1 The heaven ofthemoon which 2 The widest circle ofParadise ;goes round (contains) our earth, the Empyreal Heaven, which isand is the nearest toit and smallest. farthest from our earth.
CANTO I I. INFERNO . 2 1
in his grace,that your misery does not touch me ;
nor the flame ofthis burning assail me . There isa noble Lady1 in Heaven w ho has such p ity ofthis
hindrance, for '
w hich I send thee,that she breaks
the sharp j udgment there on high . She called
Lucia} in her request, and - said : Now t hyfaith
ful one has need ofthee '
; and I commend him to
thee .
’ Lucia,enemyofall cruelty, arose and came
to the place w here I w as sitting w ith the ancient
Rachel .3 She said : Beatrice,true p raise ofGod ;
w hy help est thou not him w ho loved thee so,that
10 son fatta da Dio, sua merce, tale,Che la vostra miseria non mi tange,Ne fi amma d’ esto incendio non m
’
assale .
Donna e gentil nel Ciel, che Si compiangeDi questo impedimento, ov
’
io timando,Si che duro giudicio lassiI frange .
Questa chiese Lucia in suo dimando,
E disse Or abbisogna il tuo fedeleDi te, ed 10 a te lo raccomando .
Lucia, nimica di ciascun crudele,Simosse, e venne al loco dov’ io era,
Che mi sedea con 1’
antica Rachele .
Disse Beatrice, loda di Dio vera,Che non soccorri quei che t’ amotanto,
1 Divine Mercy.2 Div ine enlightening Grace.
Lucia, the V irgin Martyr ; a realperson, transfi gured like Beatri ce .
Dante finds her in Paradise,canto
xxxii . 1 36, &c. V ide also Purg .
ix. 5 5 .
3 Contemplation. V ide P urg .
xxvn . 1 04 . C ontemplation ofGod
and his works,
“ which withoutany m ixture is the use ofour
highest faculty but cannot befully attained in this life .
”Conv.
Tr. iv. 0. 22 .
£ 22 INFERNO . OANTO n .
for thee he left the vulgar crow d ? Hearest thou
not the misery ofhis plaint ? Seest thou not the
death which combats him upon the river , that sw ell
eth not the sea None on earth w ere ever sw ift
to seek their good, or flee their hurt, as I to come ,after these w ords w ere uttered, from my blessedseat ; confiding in thynoble speech, w hich honours
thee, and them who have heard it.’
“After saying this to me , she turned aw ayher
bright eyes w eeping ; bywhich she made me hasten
more to come . And thus I came to thee, as she
desired ; took thee from before that savage beast,w hich bereft thee ofthe short w ayto the beautiful
Che uscio p er te della volgare schiera ?Non odi tu la pieta del suo pianto ?Non vedi
,tu la morte che il combatte
Su la fi umana, ove 11 mar non ha vantoAI mondo non fur mai persone ratteA far lor p ro, ne a fuggir lor danno,Com
’io
, dopo cotai parole fatte,Venni quaggiiI dal mio beato scanno,Fidandomi nel tuo parlare onesto,
Che onora te, e quei che udito l’ hanno .
Poscia che m’
ebbe ragionato questo,Gli occhi lucenti lagrimando volse ;Per che mifece del venir p iI
‘
I prestoE venni a te cosi, com" ella volseDinanzi a quella fi era ti levai
,
Che del bel monte il corto andar ti tolse .
1 Literally : Ofwhich the sea Hell do not fall into the sea.
has no boast. The rivers of V ide canto
CANTO I I. INFERNO . 23
mountain . What is it then ? Why, why haltestthou ? Why lodgest in thyheart such cow ard fear ?
Why art thou not bold and free, when thr ee such
blessed Ladies1 care for thee in the court ofHeaven,and myw ords promise thee so much good ?
”
As flow erets,by the nightly chillness bended
down and closed, erect themselves all. op en on
their stems when the sun w hitens them ;2 thus I
did, w ith myfainting courage . And so much good
daring ran into myheart,3 that I began as one set
free : O compassionate she, who succoured me !
Dunque che e? perche, perche ristai?Perche tanta vilta nel cuore allette ?
Perche ardire e franchezza non hai ?
Poscia che tai tre Donne benedetteCuran di te nella corte del Cielo,E il -mio parlar tanto ben t’ imprometteQuale i fi oretti dal notturno geloChinati e chiusi, p oi che 11 S01 gl
’
imbianca,Si driz z an tutti aperti in loro stelo
Tal mifec’
io, dimia virtute stanca
E tanto buono ardire al cuor mi corse,Ch’ 10 cominciai come persona franca
O pietosa colei che mi soccorse,
1 27. Quale, used l ike V irgil’s Quale sop orfessis,&c. E cl. v. 46.
1 Divine Mercy, Grace, and Redressen hem ayen the Sunne bright,Wisdom .
And spreden in her kind course byrow e, &c.
2 But right as 110111 6 3 1111 011 811 111 3 Chaucer, Troilus and Cresseide,b . n .
cold ofnigh t3
Yclosed , stoup en in her stalkesPer tma W OW ? ” 08861 IEneId.
Iowa, 1 1 . 1 20.
24 INFERNO“
. OANTO I I .
And courteous thou, w ho quickly didst Obey the
true w ords that She gave thee ! Thou h ast disposed myheart w ith such desire to go, by w hat
thou sayest, that I have returned to myfirst p ur
pose . Now go ; for both have one w ill : Thouguide
, thou lord and master .
”
Thus I spake to him ; and he moving, I entered
on the arduous and savage w ay.
E tu cortese, ch’ ubbidisti tosto
Alle vere parole che ti porse !Tu m’
hai con desiderio il cuor dispostoSi al venir, con le parole tue,Ch’ 10 son tornato nel primo proposto.
Or va, che un sol volere ad’ ambedueTu duca, tu signore, e tu maestro .
Cosi gli dissi ; e poichemosso fue,
Entrai p er lo cammino alto e silvestro .
INFERNO .CANTO 1 1 1 .
CANTO III .
THROUGH me is the w ayinto the doleful city;
through me the w ayinto the eternal pain ; through
me the w ayamong the people lost. Justice moved
myHigh Maker : Divine Pow er made me , Wisdom
Supreme , and Primal Love .
1 Before me w ere no
things created, but eternal ; and eternal I endure .
Leave all hope, ye that enter .
These w ords, ofcolour obscure, saw I w ritten
Whereat I : “Master , their meaning
to me is hard .
” 2
above a gate .
PE R me siva nella cittadolente
Per me siva nell’ eterno dolore
Per me siva tra la perduta gente .
Giustizia mosse il mio alto FattoreFecemi la divina Potestate,La somma Sapienza e il primo Amore .
Dinanzi a me non fur cose create,Se non eterne, ed 10 eterno duroLasciate ogni speranza, voi ch’ entrate .
Queste parole di colore oscuro
Vid’io scritte al sommo d
’una porta ;
Per ch’
10 Maestro, il senso lor m’e
1 E ternal Power and Wisdom,are poss ible without J ustice. To
and Love proceeding from them ,
appoint the place ofpunishment
for sin. Remark how Dante,un
der his old phraseology here and
elsewhere, always feels that no ihfinite Love, orWisdom, or Power,
him the great Trinity is not a
mere hearsay, but a liv ing real ity.2 B itter
,fearful to me. The
Hell ofDante comes upon him
as a very sad and painful thing,
withal. See v. 23 .
CANTO m . INFERNO . 27
And he to me, as one experienced : Here must
all distrust be left ; all cow ardice must here be dead .
We are come to the place w here I told thee thou
Shoul dst see the w retched p eop le, w ho have lost thegood ofthe intellect.
” 1 And placing his hand on
mine, w ith a cheerful countenance that comforted
me, he led me into the secret things . Here sighs,
p laints, and deep w ailings resounded through the
starless air : it made me w eep at first. Strange
tongues, horrible outcries, w ords ofpain, tones of
anger,voices deep and hoarse
,and sound ofhands
amongst them,made a tumult, w hich turns itself
Ed egli a me, come persona accorta
Qui si convieu lasciare ogni sospettoOgni vilta convien che qui sia morta .
Noi sem venuti al luogo ov’
io t’
ho detto
Che tu vedrai le genti dolorose,Ch
’ hanno perduto il ben dello intelletto .
E poiche la sua mano alla mia pose,Con lieto volto, ond
’
10 mi confortai,Mimise dentro alle segrete cose .
Quiv1 sospiri, pianti, e alti guaiRisonavan p er 1
’aer senza stelle,
Per ch’ 10 al cominciar ne lagrimai.Diverse lingue, orribili favelle,Parole di dolore, accenti d
’ira,
Voci alte e fi oche, e suon di man con elle,
1 6. Sem,siamo : Lat. sumus .
1 The knowledge ofGod, wh ness and eternal salvation . Conv.
in alone the intellec Tr. i i 0. 1 4 .
28 INFERNO . CANTO 1 1 1 .
unceasing in that air for ever dyed ,1as sand w hen
the whirlw ind breathes .
And I, myhead begirt w ith error ,2said : Mas
ter, what is this that I hear ? and who are these that
seem so overcome w ith pain ? ”
And he to me This miserable mode the drearysouls ofthose sustain
, who lived w ithout blame , and
w ithout praise . Theyare mingled w ith that abjectchoir ofangels, who w ere not rebellious, nor w ere
faithful to God ; but w ere for themselves . Heavenchased them forth to keep its beautyfrom impair ;3
and the deep Hell receives them not, for the w ickedw ould have some gloryover them .
”
Facevano un tumulto, il qual s’
aggiraSempre in quell’ aria senza tempo tinta,Come la rena quando il turbo spira .
Ed io, ch’
avea d’ error la testa cinta,Dissi : Maestro, che e quel ch
’i’Odo ?
E che gente e, che p ar nel duol Si vinta ?Ed egli a me : Questo misero modo
Tengon l’ anime triste di coloro,Che visser senza infamia e senza lodo .
Mischiate sono a quel cattivo coroDegli angeli che non furon ribelli,Nefur fedeli a Dio, ma p er Seforo .
Cacciarli i ciel p er non esser men belli,Ne 10 profondo inferno gli riceve,Che alcuna gloria i rei avrebber d’ elli.
1 “Without time, or eternally orror (horror) in l ine 3 1 , insteaddyed , or stained” with darkness . oferror .
3 Lit Who had my head 3 Lit. : “ in order to be not
begirt,” &c . Some editions read less beautiful . ”
CANTO 1 1 1 . INFERNO . 29
And I : Master, w hat is so grievous to them,
that makes them lament thus bitterly?”
He answ ered : I will tell it to thee verybriefly.
These have no hope ofdeath ; and their blind life isSO mean
,that they are envious ofevery other lot.
Report of them the w orld permits not to exist.
Mercy and Judgment disdains them . Let u s not
speak ofthem but look, and pass .
”
~And I,w ho looked
,saw an ensign, w hich w hirl
ing ran so quicklythat it seemed to scorn all pause .
1
And behind it came so long a train ofpeople , that
I should never have believed death had undone so
Ed io Maestro, che e tanto greveA lor, che lamentar glifa siforte ?
Rispose Dieeroltimolto breve .
Questi non hanno speranza di morte,
E la lor cieca vita e tanto bassa,Che invidiosi son d’ ognialtra sorte .
Fama di loro il mondo esser non lassa,Misericordia e Giustizia gli sdegnaNon ragioniam di lor, ma guarda e passa .
Ed io, che riguardai, vidi un’
insegna,Che girando correva tanto ratta,
Che d’ ogni posa mi pareva indegnaE dietro le venia si lunga trattaDi gente, ch’ 10 non averei creduto,Che morte tanta n
’avesse disfatta .
4 5 . Dieerolti, tel dirO : Lat. dicere.
O
1 Or, seemed unworthy ofall Hell , unworthy and unable topause.
” The long train is kept ter it, and the giddy flag is theirsweeping round the confines of only mark and guide .
D 2
30 INFERNO .CANTO 1 1 1 .
many. After I had recognised some amongst them ,
I looked and saw the Shadow ofhim 1w ho from
cow ardice made the great refusal . Forthw ith I un
d erstood and felt assured, that this w as the crew of
w retches , hateful to God and to his enemies . Those
unfortunate , w ho never were alive , w ere naked , and
sorelygoaded byw asps and hornets that w ere there
these made their faces stream w ith blood, w hich
mixed w ith tears w as gathered at their feet byloath
some w orms .
Poscia ch’ io v’ ebbi alcun riconosciuto,Guardai, e vidi l
’
ombra di coluiChe fece p er viltate il gran rifi uto .
Incontanente intesi, e certo fui,Che quest’ era la setta dei cattivi,A Dio spiacenti ed a
’
nemici sui.Questi sciaurati, che mai non fur vivi,Erano ignudi e stimolatimoltoDa mosconi e da vespe ch
’
eran ivi.
Elle rigavan lor di sangue il volto,Che mischiato di lagrime, a’ lor piedi
1 I t is uncertain to whom the
poet alludes in this place. C elestine V . resigned the papal powerin 1 294 , and was followed by Boniface V I I I . ; but he had firsttried it for more than five months(V illani, lib . v i ii. c . He had
l ived as a monk to the age of
seventy - two, and was suddenlyelected at Perugia, after the papalchair had been kept vacant formore than two years by the wildcontests ofthe cardinals . He d ied
soon after his resignation, and wascanonised in 1 3 1 3 , eight years before Dante’s death . The line often
quoted (I nferno, canto xxvii. 105 )proves nothing, except that Dante
knew about C elestine— a thingthat needed no proof. E ach com
mentator may continue to selectfor Dante the person most p rominent in his 0own imagination .
Pusillanim ity causes enough of
great refusals ” in all ages .
CANTO 1 1 1 . INFERNO . 3 1
And then, as I looked onwards,I saw people on
the Shore ofa great River . Whereat I said Mas
ter, now grant that I mayknow w ho these are ; and
w hat usage makes them seem so readyto p ass over,
as I discern bythe faint light .”
And he The things shall be told thee, w hen w e
stayour steps upon the joyless strand ofAcheron .
”
Then, w ith eyes ashamed and downcast, fearing
myw ords might have offended him ,I kep t myse lf
from speaking till w e reached the stream . And 10 !
an old man,w hite w ith ancient hair , comes tow ards u s
in a bark,shouting : Woe to you ,
depraved sp irits !
Hop e not ever to see Heaven . I come to lead you to
Da fastidiosi vermi era ricolto .
E p oi che a riguardare oltre mi diedi,Vidi gente alla riva d’ un gran fiume
Perch’ io dissi : Maestro, or mi concedi,Ch’ 10 sappia quali sono, e qual costume
Le fa parer di trapassar Si pronte,Com
’
io discerno p er lo fi oco lume .
Ed egli a me Le cose ti fi en conte,Quando noifermerem li nostri passiSulla trista riviera d’ Acheronte .
Allor con gli occhi vergognosi e bassi,Temendo no
’1 mio dir glifusse grave,
Infino al fiume dal parlar mi trassi.Ed ecco verso noi venir p er naveUn vecchio bianco p er antico pelo,Gridando Guai a voi, anime prave !
Non isp erate mai veder lo CieloI’ vegno p er
~menarvi all’
altra riva,
32 INFERNO .CANTO I I I .
the other shore ; into the eternal darkness ; into fi re
and ice . And thou, w ho art t here alive
,depart thee
from these that are dead But w hen he saw that
I departed not,he said : Byother w ays, byother
ferries ; not here shalt thou pass 1 over . A lighter 2
boat must carrythee .
”
And myguide to him : Charon,vex not thyself.
Thus it I s w flled there,
3w here w hat is w ill ed can be
done : and ask no more .
” Then the w oolly cheeksw ere quiet ofthe steersman on the livid marsh, w ho
round his eyes had w heels offlame . But those Spirits,
who w ere forew orn and naked, changed colour and
chattered w ith their teeth,soon as they heard the
Nelle tenebre eterne, in caldo e in gelo .
E tu che sei costi, anima viva,Partiti da cotesti, che son morti.
Ma p oi ch’
eivide, ch’
10 non mi partiva,Disse Per altre vie, p er altri portiVerrai a piaggia, non qui, p er passareP111 lieve legno convien che ti porti.E 11 Duca a lui : Caron, non ti crucciareVuolsi cosi cola, dove Si puoteCiO che si vuole ; e piti non dimandare .
Quincifur quete le lanose goteAl nocchier della livida palude,Che intorno agli occhi avea di fi amme rote .
Ma quell ’ anime, ch’
eran lasse e nude,Cangiar colore e dibattero i denti,Ratto che inteser le parole crude .
1 Lit shalt thou come to the 3 More buoyant. E n. vi. 4 1 2, &c .
shore, not here, in order to pass.
” 3 In Heaven.
INFERNO . CANTO 1 1 1 .
My son,
said the courteous Master,
those
w ho die under God’s w rath, all assemble here fromevery country. And they are prompt to pass the
river, for DivineJustice spurs them so,that fear is
changed into desire . Bythis w ayno good spirit ever
passes and hence,ifCharon complains Ofthee , thou
easilymayest know the import ofhis w ords .
When he had ended, the duskychampaign trem
bled So violently, that the remembran ce ofmyterror
bathes me still w ith sw eat. The tearful ground gaveout w ind
,and flashed w ith a crimson light
,w hich
conquered all my sens es : and I fell, like one w ho
is seized w ith sleep .
Figliuol mio, disse il Maestro cortese,Quelli, che muoion nell’ ira di Dio,Tutti convegnon qui d
’
ogni paeseE pronti sono a trap assar lo rio,
Che la divina Giustizia li spronaSi
, che la tema Si volge in disio .
Quinci non passa mai anima buonaE p erO Se Caron di te si lagna,Ben puoi saper omai, che il suo dir suona .
Finito questo, la buia campagnaTremO Siforte, che dello spaventoLa mente di sudore ancor mi bagna .
La terra lagrimosa diede vento,E balenb d’ una luce vermiglia,La qual mi vinse ciascun sentimento
E caddi, come 1’
uom, cui sonno piglia .
ARGUMENT .
Dante is roused by a heavy thunder, and finds himselfon the brink ofthe Abyss . Not in his own strength has he crossed the dismalriver. V irgil conducts him into L imbo, which is the First C ircleofHell , and contains the spirits ofthose who lived without Baptismor Christian ity. The only pain theysuffer is , that they live in thedesire and without the hope ofsee ing God . Their sighs cause theeternal air to tremble , and there is no other aud ible lamentationamongst them . As Dante and V irgil go on , they reach a hem isphere oflight amid the darkness, and are m et by Homer and otherPoets, and conducted into a Noble C astle, in which they see the
most d istingu ished ofthe Heathen women , statesmen,sages, and
warriors . Homer and the other Poets quit them ; and they go on
to a place oftotal darkness .
36 1 INFERNO . CANTO Iv.
CANTO IV .
A HE AVY thunder broke the deep Sleep in myhead ; so that I started like one who is aw aked byforce . And
,having ri sen erect
,I moved myrested
eyes around, and looked stedfastlyto know the place
in w hich I w as . True is it, that I found myself uponthe brink ofthe dolorous Valleyofthe Abyss, w hichgathers thunder ofendless w ailings .
1 I t w as so‘dark,
profound, and cloudy, that, w ith fixing mylook uponthe bottom
,I there discerned nothing .
Now let u s descend into the blind w orld here
below ,
” began the Poet all pale :“ I w ill be first
,
and thou shalt be second .
”
RU PP EM I l’ alto sonno nella testaUn greve tuono, Si ch’ 10 mi riscossi,Come persona che p er forza e destaE l’ occhio riposato intorno mossi,
Dritto levato, e fi so riguardaiPer conoscer lo loco dov’ iO fossi.
Verol
e, che in su la proda mi trovaiDella valle d’ abisso dolorosa,Che tuono accoglie d’ infi niti guai.
Oscura, profonda era, e nebulosa,Tanto che, p er fi ccar lo viso al fondo,
10 non vi discernea veruna cosa .
Or discendiam quaggiii nel cieco mondo,
Incomincib il Poeta tutto smorto :
Io sarOprimo, e tu sarai secondo .
1 Collects into one thunder the huge eternal trumpet, now thatmany sounds ofwoe. L ike a his ear is fully awakened to it.
CANTO Iv. INFERNO . 37
And I,w ho had remarked his colour, said How
shall I come, w hen thou fearest, w ho art w ont to be
mystrength in doubt ? ”
And he to me : The anguish ofthe people w ho
are here below ,on myface depaints that pity, w hich
thou takest for fear . Let u s go ; for the length Of
w ayimpels u s . Thus he entered ,1 and made me
enter,into the first circle that girds the abyss . Here
there w as no plaint, that could be heard} excep t of
sighs,w hich caused the eternal air to tremble . And
this arose from the sadness, w ithout torment, ofthe
crow ds that w ere manyand great, both ofchildren,and ofw omen and men .
Ed io, che del color mifui accorto,Dissi : Come verrO,
’
se tu paventiChe suoli al mio dubbiare esser confortoEd egli a me L’
angoscia delle genti,Che son quaggiii, nel viso mi dipingeQuella pieta, che tu p er tema senti.
Andiam, che la via lunga ne sospinge .
Cosi Simise, e cosimife’
entrare
Nel p rime cerchio che l’ abisso cinge .
Quivi, secondo che p er ascoltare,Non avea pianto, ma
’
che di Sosp irI ,
Che l’ aura eterna facevan tremareE 015 avvenia di duol senza martiri,Ch
’
avean le turbe, ch’ eran molte e grandi,E d’ infanti e difemmine e di viri.
26. Ma’che, more than : Lat. magis quam.
1 Lit. : put himself, and made 3 Lit. : Here, accord ing to myme enter, into”
&c. l istening, there was no plaint,” &c .
E
38 INFERNO . CANTO Iv.
The good Master to me : Thou askest not w hatspirits are these thou seest ? I w ish thee to know ,
before thou goest farther,that theysinned not. And
though theyhave merit, it suffices not for theyhad
t ich is the portal ofthe Faith that thou
believest. And seeing theyw ere before Christianity,theyw orshipped not God aright . And ofthese am
I myself. For such defects,1 and for no other fault,are w e lost ; and on lyin so far afflicted, that w ithout
hope w e live in desire .
” 2
Great sadness took me at the heart on hearingthis ; because I knew men ofmuch w orth , who in
LO buon Maestro a me Tu non dimandiChe spiriti son questi, che tu vedi ?
Or vo’
che sappi, innanz i’
che p iu andi,
Ch’ ci non p eccaro e s’eglihanno mercedi,
Non basta, perch’ ci non ebber battesmo,Ch’ e porta della Fede che tu crediE se furon dinanzi al Cristianesmo,
Non adorar debitamente Dio
E di questi cotai son io medesmo .
Per tai difetti, e non p er altro rio,
Semo perduti, e sol di tanto offesi,
Che senza speme vivemo in disio .
Gran duol mi prese al cuor, quando lo intesi,Perocche gente dimolto valore
40. Rio, reita.1 Dante says : Nemo, quantum
cumque mora libus et intellectua li
bus virtutibus, et secundum habitam
et secundum op erationem p erfectus ,absque fi de salvari p otest : dato,
Purg . vu . 7.
quod mmquam aliquz’
d de Christa
audiverit. Monarch . lib. 1 1 . p . 96.
2 And w ith desire to languishw ithout hope .
P ar . Lost,x. 995 .
CANTO iv. INFERNO . 39
that Limbol w ere suspense . Tell me,Master ; tell
me,Sir,
”
I began,desiring to be assured ofthat Faith
w hich conquers everyerror ; did ever any, byhisow n merit, or by others’
, go out from hence, that
afterw ards w as blessed 7”
And he , understanding my covert speech, re
plied : I w as new in this condition , w hen I saw a
MightyOne2 come to u s
,crow ned w ith sign ofvic
Parent, ofAbel his son,and that ofNoah ; ofMoses
the Legislator,and obedient Abraham the Patriarch ,
‘ M n m "V M L J ‘M QMu n-4m » nm g m vm m m w
David the King“,Israel w ith his father
,and his sons ,
Conobbi, che in quel limbo eran sospesi.Dimmi, Maestro mio,
‘dimmi, Signore,Cominmai io, p er voler esser certoDi quella fede che vmce ogni errore
Uscinne mai alcuno, o p er suo merto,
0 p er altrui, che p oifosse beato 7
E quei, che intese il m1o parlar coverto,Rispose Io era nuovo in questo stato,
Quando ci vidi venire nu PossenteCon segno di vittoria incoronato .
Trasseci l’ ombra del Primo Parente,D’
Abel suo figlio, e quella di Noe,Di Moise Legista, e ubbidiente
Abraam Patriarca, e David Re,I srael con suo padre, e co
’
suoi nati,
1 L imbo, from Lat. Limbus , whose name Dante, out ofre
border.verence, refrains from uttering in
2 The Mighty One is Christ, this place.
40 INFERNO . m m (v.
and Rachel , for w hom he did so much ;1 and manyothers, and made them blessed . And I w ish thee
to know, that, before these , no human souls w ere
saved .
”
We ceased not to go, though he w as speaking ;but passed the w ood meanw hile , the w ood
,
2 I say,
ofcrow ded spirits . Our w ayw as not yet far w ithin
the topmost part, w hen I saw a fi re,which conquered
a hemisphere ofthe darkness.
3 We w ere still a little
distant from it ; yet not so distant, that L did not in
E con Rachele, p er cui tanto fe’
,
Ed altrimolti ; e fecegli beatiE vo’
che sappi che, dinanzi ad essi,
Spiriti umani non eran salvati.Non lasciavam 1’ andar, perch
’
ci dicessi,Ma passavam la selva tuttavia,La selva dico di spiriti spessi.
Non era lungi ancor la nostra viaDi qua dal sommo, quand
’
io vidi nu foco,Ch
’
emisperio di tenebre vincia .
Di lungi v’ eravamo ancora nu poco,Ma non si, ch
’
io non discernessi in parte,
69. Vincia , vincea in prose, from Lat. vincere .
Served Laban 1 4 years.
2 The und istinguished multitudes , that crowd the dark outer
parts ofL imbo, are here called a
wood ”ofspirits ; and probably
not without some relation to the“ dark wood ”
ofthe first canto.
There Dante saw the mysti c Hill,
lighted by the Sun ; and here hefinds a Noble C astle
,lighted by
all that was highest amongst theHeathen .
3 Illuminated a hemisphere of
the darkness ; “ conquered” it,
around and above, with rays of
light.
42 INFERNO . CANTO IV .
who comes before the three as their lord . He is
Homer , the soverelgn Poet. The next that come s
is Horace the satirist. Ovid is the thir d ; and the
last is Lucan . Because each agrees w ith me in the
name,
1w hich the one voice sounded
,
2 they do me
honour and therein theydo w ell . ”
Thus I saw assemble the goodly school ofthat
lord ofhighest song , who, like an eagle , soars abovethe rest. After they had talked a space together ,they turned to me w ith sign ofsalutation ;3 and myMaster smiled thereat. And greatlymore besides
Che vien dinanzi a’ tre si come sire .
Quegli e Omero poeta sovranoL’
altro e Orazio satiro, che viene ;Ovidio e il terzo, e l
’ ultimo e Lucano .
PerO che ciascun meco si convieneNel nome, che sono 1a voce sola ;Fannomi onore, e di 010 fanno bene .
Cosi vidi adunar la bella scuolaDi quel signor dell’ altissimo canto,Che sovra gli altri, com
’
aquila, vola .
Da ch’
ebber ragionato insieme alquanto,Volsersi a me con salutevol cennoE il mio Maestro sorrise di tanto .
E p iu d’
onore ancora assaimifenno,
The name ofPoet, uttered by The crested cock , whose cla
the united voi ces ofthe four (v. rion soundsThe silent hours .
”
when they saw V irgil return.
I bid . v1 1 . 443 .
2 Sun sound h is praised { 4
In thyeternal course .
” Or, Wlth Slgn saluting hlm
P ar. L ost, v . 1 72 . too as a Poet.
cm ro 1v. INFERNO . 43
theyhonoured me ; for theymade me oftheir num
ber , so that I w as a sixth amid such intelligences .
l
Thus w e w ent onwards to the light,speaking
things w hich it is w ell to pass in silence,as it w as
w ell to speak there where I w as . We came to the
foot ofa Noble Castle, seven times circled w ith loftyWalls
,defended round bya fair Rivuletf” This w e
passed as solid land . Through‘
seven gates I entered
w ith those sages . We reached a meadow offresh
verdure . On it w ere p eople w ith eyes slow and
grave , ofgreat authorityin their appearance . They
Ch’ essi mifecer della loro schiera,Si ch
’
io fui sesto tra cotanto senno .
Cosi n’andammo infino alla lumiera
Parlando cose, che il tacere ahello,Si com
’
era il parlar cola dov’ era .
Venimmo al p ie d’
nu nobile castello,Sette volte cerchiato d’ alte mura
,
Difeso intorno d’ un bel fi umicello .
Questo passammo come terra dura ;Per sette porte intrai con questi saviGiugnemmo in prato difresca verdura .
G—enti v’
eran con occhi tardi e gravi,
Di grande autorita ne’ lor sembianti
1 Lit. : am id such sense ; suchstrength offaculty
,or wisdom .
“One ofthe six ; not the s ixth,or last.
2 This Rivulet is understood torepresent E loquence, or elocution ;and the seven loftyWalls , the V irtues ofjusti ce, temperance, mag
nanimity, &c . The stream is verybeautiful ; and hinders the name
less spirits ofL imbo from enter
ing. But the Poets find it smalland shallow ; and pass on, as ifitwere not there, to exam ine whatis contained on the green Heightsofthe interior.
44 INFERNO . CANTO w .
spoke seldom,w ith mild voices . We retired to
one ofthe sides into a place op en, luminous, and
high, so that theycould all be seen . There direct,1
upon the green enamel , w ere shew n to me the great
spirits w hom I gloryw ithin myself in having seen .
2
I saw Electra3 w ith manycompanions amongst w hom
I knew Hector and .ZEneas ; Caesar armed, w ith the
falcon eyes . I saw Camilla and Penthesilea . Onthe other hand I saw the Latian king, sitting w ith
Lavinia his daughter . I saw that Br‘
utus w ho ex
Parlavan rado, con voci soavi.Traemmoci cosi dall’ un de’ cantiIn luogo aperto, luminoso, e d alto,Si che veder si potean tutti quanti.Cola diritto, sopra il verde smalto,Mifur mostrati gli spiritimagni,Che di vederli in me stesso m
’
esalto .
Io vidi Elettra con molti compagni,Tra
’ quai conobbi ed Ettore, ed Enea,Cesare armato con gli occhi grifagni.
Vidi Cammilla e la Pentesilea .
Dall’ altra parte vidi il re Latino,Che con Lavinia sua fi glia sedea .
Vidi quel Bruto, che caccio Tarquino,
1 Direct in front, face to facebefore him .
2 Or : “ inwardly exalt myself,grow higher, for having seen .
”
3 E lectra, mother ofDardanusthe founder ofTroy. She is withher own descendants ; amongst
whom Dante reckons Cae sar, theHead ofhis ideal Monarchy. Thegreat Emperor has his harnesson ; and sees with his black andlively eyes” (oculis nigra
’
s vegetis
que) , ofwhich Suetonius speaks ,Vit. Caesar . c . 45 .
CANTO IV . INFERNO . 4 5
p elled the Tarquin Lucretia,Julia
,Martia
, and
Cornelia . And by himself apart, I saw the Sala
din .
1
When I raised '
my eyelids a little higher , I saw
the Master2 ofthose that know ,sitting amid a philo
sophic family. All regard him ; all do him honour .
Here I saw Socrates and Plato,w ho before the rest
stand nearest to him ; Democritus, w ho ascribes thew orld to chance ;3 Diogenes, Anaxagoras, and ThalesEmpedocles , Heraclitus , and Z eno . And I saw the
good collector ofthe qualities ,4 Dioscorides I mean ;
Lucrezia, Julia, Marzia e Corniglia,E solo in parte vidi il Saladino .
Poi che innalzai nu poco p iu le ciglia,Vidi il Maestro di color che sanno,
Seder tra fi losofi ca famiglia .
Tutti lo miran, tutti onor glifanno .
Quivivid’ io e Socrate e Platone,Che innanzi agli altri p 1u presso gli stanno .
Democrito, che il mondo a caso pone,Diogenes, Anassagora e Tale
,
Empedocles, Eraclito e Zenone
E vidi il buono accoglitor del quale,
1 39. Quale
The Saladin, renowned in theC rusades .
2 Aristotle : that glorious Philosopher,” as Dante elsewhere callshim ; to whom nature openedmost her secrets ; that Master
and Gu ide ofhuman reason.
”
Conv. Tr. iv. 0. 5 , 6.
for qual ita.
3 Democritus ofAbdera,who
attributed the origin ofthings tothe fortuitous concourse ofem
bryon atoms .
4 Dios corides, who collectedand made experiments on the virtues and qual ities ofherbs, &c .
46 INFERNO .CANTO IV .
and saw Orpheus, Tully, Livy, and Seneca the mo
ralist ; Euclid the geometer , and Ptolemaeus ; Hip
p ocrates, Avicenna, and Galen ; Averrhoes,1 w ho
made the great comment. I may not paint them
all in full ; for the long theme so chases me,that
manytimes the w ord comes short ofthe reality.
The company of six diminishes to tw o . Byanother road the sage guide leads me , out ofthe
quiet, into the trembling2 air ; and I come to a part
w here there is nought that shines .
Dioscoride dico e vidi Orfeo,Tullio, e Livio, e Seneca moraleEuclide geometra, e Tolommeo,Ippocrate, Avicenna e Galieno,Averrois che il gran comento feo .
Io non posso ritrar di tutti appienoPe‘
ro che simi caccia il lungo tema,Che molte volte al fatto il dir vien meno .
La sesta compagnia in duo si scema :
Per altra via mi mena il savio Duca,Enor della queta, nell
’
aura che trema ;
E vengo in parte, ove non e che luca .
Averrhoes translated the worksofAristotle into Arab ic, in the
1 2th century, and wrote a com
m ent on them.
2 Lit “out ofthe qu iet air ,
into the air that trembles.
” The
inhab itants ofthe noble castle are
neither sad nor joyful (v .and dwell apart, on their green
Heights , in bright serenity . In
all other parts ofL imbo, the air
trembles (v. 27) with s ighs of
sadness. When V irgil and Danteleave the other four poets, theyhave still some w ayto go, amongthe obscure spirits
, ere they reachthe storms and darkness ofthe
Second C ircle.
ARGUMENT.
The Second C ircle, or proper commencement ofHell ; and Minos,the Infernal J udge, at its entrance. I t contains the souls ofCar
nal sinners ; and their punishment consists in being driven aboutincessantly, in total darkness, by fierce winds . First amongst themcomes Sem iramis , the Babylonian queen. Dido, C leopatra, HelenaAchilles
,Paris
, and a great multitude ofothers, pass in su ccess ion .
Dante is overcome and bewildered with pity at the s ight ofthem ,
when his attention is suddenly attracted to two Spirits that keeptogether
,and seem strangely light upon the wind. He is unable
to speak for some time, after finding that it is Francesca ofRimini,
w ith her lover Paolo ; and falls to the ground, as ifdead, when hehas heard their painful story.
Francesca was the daughter ofGuido V ecchio da Polenta, lord of
Ravenna,and w as given in marriage to Gianciotto, or Giovann i
S ciancato (J ohn the lame, or hipshot) , eldest son ofMalatestaV ecchio, lord or tyrant ofRimini . Paolo
,her lover, was a younger
son ofMalatesta. They were surprised and slain together by thehusband , about the year 1 288 ; and buried in the same grave.
Gu ido Novello,the true and generous friend, with whom Dante
resided at Ravenna, w as the son ofFrancesca’s brother, Ostagio daPolenta.
INFERNO . CANTO v .
CANTO V .
THUS I descended from the fir st circle dow n into
the second, w hich encompasses less space ,1 and so
much greater pain, that it stings to w ailing . There
Minos sits horrific, and grins :2 examines the crimes
upon the entran ce ; j udges, and sends according as
he girds himself. I say, that w hen the ill -bornspirit comes before him ,
it confesses all ; and that
sin - discerner sees what place in hell is for it, and
w ith his tail makes as many circles round himself
as the degrees3 he w ill have it to descend .
Cosi discesi del cerchio primaioGinnel secondo, che men loco cinghia,E tanto p in dolor, che pugne a guaio .
StavviMinos orribilmente, e ringhiaEsamina le colpe nell’ entrata,Giudica e manda, secondo che avvinghia .
Dico, che quando 1’
anima mal nata
Li vien dinanzi, tutta si confessa ;E quel conoscitor delle peccata
Vede qual loco d’ inferno e da essa
Cignesi colla coda tante volteQuantunque gradi vuol che q sia messa .
4 . Ringhia from Lat. ringere.
E ach success ive cIrcle is urnam movet : ille silentdm Con~
smaller as w e descend . ciliumque vocat, vitasque et crimina2 Lit “
sits there horribly, discit. JEn . vi. 432 .
and shews his teeth,” like a dog3 Number ofgrades or circles .
ready to b ite. Quaesz'
tor Minos
5 0 INFERNO . CANTO v.
am I come w here much lamenting strikes m e . Iam come into a part1 void ofall light, w hich bellow slike the sea in tempest, when it is combated byw ar
ring2 w inds . The hellish storm
,w hich never rests,
leads the spirits w ith its sw eep w hirling , and smiting
it vexes them . When theyarrive before the ruin,3
there the shrieks,the moanings, and the lamenta
tion ; there theyblaspheme the divine p ow er .
I learnt that to such torment w ere doomed the
carnal sinners, w ho subj ect reason to lust. And as
their w ings bear along the starlings,
4at the cold
La dove molto pianto mi percuote .
IO venni in loco d’ ogni luce muto,Che mugghia, come fa mar p er tempesta,Se da contrari venti e combattuto .
La bufera infernal , che mai non resta,
Mena gli spirti con la sua rapina ;Voltando e p ercotendo li molesta .
Quando giungon davanti alla ruina,Quivi le strida, il compianto e il lamento
Bestemmian quivi la virtu divina .
Intesi, che a cosifatto tormentoEran dannati i p eccator carnali,Che la ragion sommettono al talento .
E come gli stornei ne portan l’
ali,
Lita Mute ofall l ight ;utterly and eternally dark. See in
canto i . 60, the want ofsunlightonly ; and in canto ii i. 75 , the“faint light” ofHell’s confines .
In Hell itselfthere is total darkness and bl indness .
2 Winds contrary to each other.
3 The precipitous , shatteredrocks which bound the circles .
4 The starl ings fly together ingreatflocks shooting up , and thenturning their outspread wings tothe w ind ; rising and falling tortuously, as ifopposite gusts weredrifting them.
CANTO v. INFERNO . 5 1
season, in large and crow ded troop so that blast,the evil spirits . Hither, thither , dow n , up , it leads
them . No hope ever comforts them,not ofrest but
even ofless pain . And as the cranes go chanting
their lays, making a long streak ofthemselves in
the air ; so I saw the shadow s come, uttermg w ails,
borne by that strife l ofw inds . Whereat I said'
Master, who are those people , w hom the black air
thus lashes ? ”
“ The first ofthese concerning w hom thou seek
est to know,he then replied
, w as Empress of
many tongues . With the vice of luxury she w as
Nel freddo tempo, a schiera larga e piena ;Cosi quel fi ato gli spiriti mali
Di qua, di la, di gin, di su glimena .
Nulla speranza gli conforta mai,
Non che di posa, ma.
di minor pena .
E come i gru van cantando lor lai,Facendo in aer di se lunga rigaCosivid’ io venir, traendo guai,
Ombre portate dalla detta brigaPer ch’ io dissi : Maestro, chi son quelleGenti, che 1
’
aer nero si gastiga?
La prima di color, di cui novelleTu vuoi saper, mi disse quegli allotta,Fu imperatrice dimolte favelle .
A vizio di lussuria fu si rotta,
5 3 . Allotta,allora.
l Wherewithal a man smneth,
The storm and darkness ; the pasby the same also shall he be pun s ions
, unrestrained by clouded reaished.
” Wisdom ofSolomon x i. 1 6. son.
5 2 INFERNO . CANTO v.
so broken, that she made lust and law alike in herdecree ,1 to take aw ay the blame she had incurred .
She is Semiramis, ofw hom w e read that she suc
ceeded Ninus,2 and w as his spouse . She held the
land w hich the Soldan rules . That other is she w ho
slew herself in love,3 and broke faith to the ashes of
Sichaeus . Next comes luxurious Cleopatra .
”
Helena I saw ,for w hom so long a time ofill
Che libito fe’ licito in sua leggePer torre il biasmo, in che era condotta .
Ell’ e Semiramis, di cui si legge,Che succedette a Nino, e fu sua sposaTenne la terra, che il Soldan corregge .
L’
altra é colei, che s’
ancise amorosa,
E ruppe fede al cener di Sicheo
Poi e Cleopatras lussuriosa .
Elena vidi, p er cui tanto reo
5 7. Torre, togliere.
Lit the thing liked she
made legal by her decree.
2 The reading : Che sugger dette a Nino, efu sua sp osa (
“who
gave suck to Ninns, and was his
though often suggested,is not justified by anyMS . or textofthe Commedia and does not ac
cord well with the hab its ofDante.
He has already described the licentiousness ofSemiram is (v. 5 5 - 7)with his usual brev ity and com
p leteness. And besides, both J ustin (lib . i . c . and Orosius(lib. i. c . 4 )
”whose works Dante
knew and followed (Monarch. lib .ii. p . mention that Semiramis“succeeded N inus, ” contrary to
the custom and laws ofthe As
syrians, by assum ing the dress of
a man, and passing for her son
Ninyas, whom she thought too
young and feeble for the government. Not until after manyheroic enterprises had shewn herpower, did she make her sex and
succession known.
3 Dido, E n. iv. Non servata
fi des cineri p romissa Sichwo. Ibid.
v. 5 5 2 .
5 4: INFERNO . CANTO v.
voice : O w earied souls ! come to speak w ith u s,
ifnouel denies it. ”
As doves called bydesire , w ith op en and steadyw ings flythrough the air to their loved nest, bornebytheir w ill ; so those spirits issued from the bandw here Dido2 is
,coming to u s through the malignan t
air . Such w as the force ofmyaffectuous cry.
0 living creature , gracious and benign ! thatgoest through the black3 air , visiting u s who stained
Muovo la voce O anime afl'
annate,
Venite a noi parlar, s’
altri nol niega .
Quali colombe, dal disio chiamate,Con l’ ali aperte e ferme al dolce nidoVolan p er 1
’aer dal voler portate
Cotali uscir della schiera ov’
e Dido,A noi venendo p er 1
’
aer maligno,Siforte fu l’ afi
'
ettuoso grido .
0 animal grazioso e benigno,Che visitando vai p er 1
’
aer persoNoi che tignemmo il mondo di sanguigno
Lit. : Ifother den ies it not.In the old Ital ian
,a ltri and a ltrui
frequently mean some superiorPower.
” As examples ofthis,
see canto xxvi. 1 4 1 ; and P urg .
Canto i . 1 33 .
2 From the band ofDido, who
broke faith,” &c. ; thus indicatingthe crime ofwhich they had beenguilty. Commentators and his
torians tell us ofthe deform itiesand hatefulness ofGianciotto, thegraceful qualities ofPaolo, and the
unfair means by which the mar
riage w as brought about. Dantefeels that he has to take the nakedfacts , stem and b itter as they areto him
, in all their simplicity.3 L it “ perse air.
” Dantehimselfdefines this vexed wordvery clearly : “ perse is a colourm ixed ofpurple .
and black, butthe black prevails .
”Conv. Tr. iv.
c . 20. I t is often used by him,
and also occurs in our own
Chaucer.
CANTO v. INFERNO . 5 5
the earth w ith blood . If the King ofthe Universe
w ere our friend, w e w oul d prayhim for thy peace ;seeing that thou hast pityofour perverse misfortune .
Of that which it pleases thee to hear and to speak,w e w ill hear and speak w ith you ,
w hilst“
the w ind,
as now ,is silent.
The tow n, l w here I w as born,sits on the shore ,
where P o descends to rest w ith his attendant streams .
Love , which is quickly caught in gentle heart, took
him w ith the fair bodyofw hich I w as bereft ;2 and
the manner still afflicts me . Love,w hich to no loved
one permits excuse from loving ,3 took me so strongly/
Se fosse amico il Re dell’ universo,Noi pregheremmo lui p er la tua pace,Poi che hai pieta del nostro mal perverso .
Di quel che udire e che parlar ti piaceNoi udiremo e parleremo a vui,
Mentreche il vento, come fa, si tace .
Siede la terra, dove nata fui,Su la marina dove 11 PO discendePer aver pace co
’
seguaci sui.Amor, che al cor gentil ratto s
’
apprende,Prese costui della bella personaChe mifu tolta, e il modo ancor m’
offende .
Amor, che a nullo amato amar perdona,Mi prese del costui piacer siforte,
97. Terra , town, city, fortress.
Ravenna ; on the coast of 2 Lit. : “Which was taken fromthat sea, to which the P0
, w ith me ; and in a way that continuesall his streams from Alps and to afflict me.
Apennines, descends to rest 3 Lit. : “ pardons or remits lovtherein. ing
” in return.
5 6 INFERNO ; CANTO v.
w ith delight in him ,
1 that,as thou seest, even now it
leaves me not. Lo ve led u s to one death . Ca'
l'
na2
w aits for him w ho quenched our life These w ords
from them w ere offered to us .
After I had heard those w ounded souls, I bow ed
myface, and held it low until the Poet said to me
What art thou thinking of
When I an sw ered , I began : Ah me ! w hat
sw eet thoughts, w hat longing led them to the w oful
pass
Then I turned again to them ; and I spoke , and
began : Fran cesca, thy torments make me w eep
w ith grief and pity. But tell me : In the time of
Che, come vedi, ancor non m’abbandona .
Amor condusse noi ad una morte
Caina attende chi vita ci spense .
Queste parole da lor cifur porte .
Da che io intesi quelle anime offense,
Chinai il viso, e tanto il tenni basso,Fincheil Poeta mi disse Che pense 7
Quando risposi, cominciai : O lasso !Quanti dolci pensier, quanto disioMeno costoro al doloroso passo !
Poimi rivolsi a loro, e parlai io,E cominciai : Francesca, i tuoimartiriA lagrimar mifanno tristo e p io .
Ma dimmi al tempo de’ dolci sospiri,
108. P orte, from p orgere.
1 Or : “with pleasmg him,
”85 0. lowest circle ofHell
, occupied by
Cama, C ain’
s place in the fratri cides, &c. Canto xxxii .
5 8 INFERNO . CANTO v .
urged our eyes to meet,and changed the colour
ofour faces . But one moment alone it w as that
overcame u s . When w e read how the fond smile
w as kissed by such a lover , he , who shall never bedivided from me
,kissed mymouth all trembling .
The book,and he w ho w rote it
, w as a Galeotto .
That dayw e read in it no farther ” 1
Whilst the one spirit thus spake , the other w ept
so, that I fainted w ith pity, as ifI had been dying ;
and fell, as a dead bodyfalls .
Quella lettura, e scolorocci il visoMa solo un punto fu quel che ci vinse .
Quando leggemmo il disiato riso
Esser baciato da cotanto amante,
Questi, che mai da me non fi a diviso,La bocca mi bacio tutto tremanteGaleotto fu il libro, e chi lo scrisseQuel giorno p iunon vi leggemmo avante .
Mentre che l’ uno spirto questo disse,L’
altro piangeva si, che di pietadeIo vennimen cosi com’
io morisse ;
E caddi, come corpo morto cade .
The facts ofFrancesca’s story venuto da Imola, and the otherare given byHieronymus Rubens in early C ommentators.
A later edihis Hist. Ravennat. V enetiis , 1 5 72 , tion(1 603) ofthe sameWork placesfol. lib . v i . p . 308, 9. The genea the death ofFrancesca and her loverlogy ofthe Guidos is given at the at the commencement ofthe yearend ; and completely agrees w ith, 1 289. In the first edition it is
and explains, all that is said re placed between 1 287 and 1 289.
specting them by Boccaccio, Ben See the Argument ofthis canto.
ARGUMENT .
On recovering his senses, Dante gaz es round, and finds himselfin the
m idst ofnew torments, and a new kind ofs inners . During hisswoon, (as at the river Acheron) , he has been transported, fromthe tempests and precipices ofthe second , into the Third C ircle.
I t is the place appointed for E picures and Gluttons, who set their
hearts upon the lowest species ofsensual gratification. An un
varying, eternal storm ofheavy hail , foul water, and snow,pours
down upon them . They are all lying prostrate on the ground ;and the three- headed monster C erberus keeps barking over them ,
and rending them . The shade ofa citi z en ofFloren ce, who hadbeen nicknamed C iacco (Pig), eagerly sits up as the Poets pass ;and from him Dante hears ofvarious events, that await the two
parties by which the city is d iv ided and d istracted . After leav ingC iacco, the Poets have still some wayto go in the disgusting cir
cle, but noti ce nothing more in it. They wade on slowly in the
m ixture ofthe Spirits and the rain,talking ofthe great J udgment
and E ternity, till they find Plutus at the next descent.
60 INFERNO . CANTO v1 .
CANTO VI .
ON sense returning,w hich closed itself before the
miseryofthe tw o relation s that stunned me all w ith
sadness , I discern new torments,and new tormented
souls , w hithersoever I move, and turn , and gaz e . Iam in the Third Circle , that oftheeternal, accursed ,cold
,and heavyrain . I ts course and qualityis never
new : large hail,and turbid w ater, and snow
,it pours
dow n through the darksome air . The ground , on
w hich it falls, emits a putrid smell . Cerberus,1 a
monster fier ce and strange,w ith three throats, barks
dog- like over those that are immersed in it. His
AL tornar della mente, che si chiuseDinanzi alla pieta de’ duo cognati,Che di tristizia tutto mi confuse,
Nuovi tormenti e ’
nuovi tormentati
Mi veggio intorno, come ch’ 10 mimuova,E come ch
’
io mi volga, e ch’
io mi guati.Io sono al terzo cerchio della piovaEterna, maledetta, fredda e greveRegola e qualitamai non 1’ enova .
Grandine grossa, e acqua tinta, e nevePer 1
’
aer tenebroso si riversaPute la terra che questo riceve .
Cerbero, fi era crudele e diversa,Con tre gole caninamente latraSovra la gente che quivi é sommersa .
Cerberus hwc ingens latrata recubans immanis in antro. fEn.
regna trifauci P ersonat, adverso vi. 4 1 7.
62 INFERNO . CANTO vi.
ravening gullets . As the dog, that barking craves,l
and grow s quiet when he bites his food, for he strains
and battles onlyto devour it ; so did those squalid
visages ofCerberus the Demon, w ho thunders on
the sp 1r1ts so,that theyw ould fain be deaf.
We passed over the shadow s whom the heavyrain subdues ; and placed our soles upon their emp
tiness,w hich seems a body. Theyall w ere lying on
the ground save one, w ho sat up forthw ith w hen he
saw u s pass before him . O thou , w ho through this
Hell art led ,”he said to me recognise me ifthou
mayest thou w ast made before I w as unmade .
’’2
La gittOdentro alle bramose canne .
Qual e quel cane che abbaiando agugna,
E si racqueta p oi che il pasto morde,
Che solo a divorarlo intende e pugnaCotai sifecer quelle facce lordeDello demonio Cerbero che introna
L’a nime si, ch’esser vorrebber sorde.
Noi passavam su p er 1’
ombre, che adonaLa greve pioggia, e p onevam le pianteSopra lor vanita, che par persona .
Elle giacean p er terra tutte quante,Fuor d
’
una che a seder si levO, ratto
Ch’ ella ci vide passarsi davante .
O tu, che se’
p er questo inferno tratto,Mi disse, riconoscimi, se sai
Tu fosti, prima ch’
io disfatto, fatto .
28. Agugna, agogna, craves, longs for.
Barks, craving for his food .
2 Wast born before I d ied.
CANTO vr. INFERNO . 63
And I to him The anguish w hich thou hast,perhaps w ithdraw s thee from mymemory, so that
it seems not as ifI ever saw thee . But tell me
w ho art thou,that art p ut in such a w oful place
,
and in such punishment ; that though other maybe greater , none is so displeasing .
And he to me : Thy city, w hich is so full of
envythat the sack already overflow s, contained me
in the clear1 life . You , citizens, called me Ciacco 2
the baneful crime ofgluttony, as thou seest, I
Ed 10 a lei : L’
angoscia che tu hai
Forse ti tira fuor della mia mente,
Si che non p ar ch’
io ti vedessi mai.Ma dimmi chi tu se
’
, che in si dolenteLuogo se
’messa, ed a sifatta pena,Che s
’
altra emaggior, nullae si spiacente .
Ed egli a me : La tua citta, ch’
e pienaD’
invidia si, che gia trabocca il sacco,Seco mi tenne in lavita serena .
Voi, cittadini, mi chiamaste CiaccoPer la dannosa colpa della gola,Come tu vedi, alla pioggia mi fi acco
1 Our earthly l ife seems clearto him , in that mud and darkness,though envy overflows in it.
2 This C iacco (Hog) was a kindofDiner - out in those old times .
“He d ied,” says the Ottimo Com
mentator,“ when Dante w as a
l ittle boy. He was a man
ofcourt, that is, a buffoon ; andvery famous for his love ofdaintymeats. And as a buffoon
,he had
elegant manners ; and made witty
j ests to people ofconsequence ;and had a great contempt for themeaner sort.
” Bargigi, anothervery old commentator, also tellshow C iacco w as fond ofdel icacies
,
and poor ; and how ,
“ in order to
have more enjoyment,he made a
bufl'
oon ofhimself and w as a verypleasant and excellent talkera man that always had news forconversation ; and used tofrequentthe houses ofthe ri ch ; where there
64 INFERNO. CANTO VI ,
languish in the rain . And I, w retched spirit, am
not alone ; since all these for like crime are in like
punishment.
”
I answ ered him : Ciacco,1 thysore distress w eighs
upon me so, that it bids me w eep . But tell me,if
thou canst, w hat the citiz ens ofthe divided cityshall
come to : ifany one in it be j ust. And tell me
the reason w hysuch discord has assailed it.
And he to me“ After long contention
,they
shall come to blood, and the savage2 partyshall expel
Ed io anima trista non son sola, 5 5
Che tutte queste a simil pena stanno
Per simil colpa e p Iu non fe’ parola .
Io gli risposi : Ciacco, il tuo affanno
Mi pesa si, ch’a lagrimar m’
invita'
Ma dimmi, se tu sai, a che verrannoLi cittadin della cittapartita :S’ alcun v’ e giusto e dimmi la cagione,Perche 1’ ha tanta discordia assalita.
Ed egli a me Dopo lunga tenzoneVerranno al sangue, e la parte selvaggiaCaccera l’ altra con molta offensione.
is commonly a great deal oftalk,more especially at table.
” I tmakesDante almost weep to see the poorgifted C iacco in such a plight.1 The name C iacco 1 3 said also
to have been a familiar abbreviation ofJ acopo (J ames) in Dante’stime .
2 Florence was divided by tw ofactions, the Neri and Bianchi, or
Blacks and Whites. The Whitesare called the “
savage party,” be
cause itwas headed by the Cerchi ,a rough, purse - proud family of
merchants (see Villani viii . 39,
and Boccaccio that had re«
centlyacqu ired great wealth and
influence in Florence. Or, partyof the woods,” (as it may be
translated ), because the C erchiwere from the woody V aldisieve,
or V al di Nievole . The Donati,comparatively poor, but possessing greater talents, proud oftheir
66 INFERNO .CANTO v1 .
the hearts of all on fi re . Here he ended the
lamentable 1 sound .
And I to him : Still I w 1 sh thee to instruct
me, and to bestow a little farther speech on me .
Farinata and the Tegghiaio, w ho w ere so w or
Jacop o Rusticucci, Arrigo and Mosca,2 and the rest
w ho set their minds on doing good : tell me w here
theyare,and give me to know them ; for great de
sire urges me to learn w hether Heaven soothes or
Hell empoisons them .
”
And he to me : Theyare amongst the blackestspirits . A different crime w eighs them dow nw ards
to the bottom . Shouldst thou descend so far, thou
Qui pose fine al lacrimabil suono .
Ed io a lui Ancor vo’ che m’insegni,
E che di p iuparlar mi facci dono.
Farinata e il Tegghiaio, che fur si degni,Jacop o Rusticucci, Arrigo e il Mosca,E gli altri, che a ben far poser gl
’
ingegni,Dimmi ove sono, e fa ch
’
10 li conosca ;Che gran desio m1 stringe di sapere,Se il Ciel gli addolcia o l
’ Inferno gli attosca .
E quegli : Ei son tra le anime p iunere
Diversa colpa giugli aggrava al fondo
l Lamentable enough to Dantein many ways. He b elonged toneither party and had the leadersofboth banished , when he was
chiefPrior,in J une 1 300, though
his relations and dearest friendswere amongst them. He onlyj oined theWhites in opposing the
coming ofCharles to’
Florence ;
and w as for that reason exileddeprived ofall his property ; and
condemned to be burnt alive;2 Noble Florentines, whose
names again occur, except Arrigo
’s . He is said to have been ‘
of
the Fifanti fam ily.
CANTO V I. INFERNO. 67
mayest see them. But ife ver thou return to the
sw eet w orld, I pray thee recall me to the memoryofmen . More I tell thee not
,and more I answ er
not.
” Therew ith he w rithed his straight eyes asquint ;1
,
looked at me a little ; then bent his head, and fe ll
dow n w ith it like his blind comp anions .
And myGuide said to me He w akes no more
until the angel’s trump et sounds . When the adversePower shall come
,each shall revisit his sad grave ;
shall resume his flesh and form ; shall hear that
w hich resounds to all eternity.
”
Thus passed w e through the filthymixture of
the spirits and the rain , w ith paces slow ,touching
a little on the future life .
Se tanto scendi, gli p otrai~vedere .
Ma se tu tornimai nel dolce mondo,Pregoti che alla
,mente altrui mi rechi
Piu non ti dico, e piunon ti rispondo .
Gli diritti occhi torse allora in biechiGuardommi un poco e p oi chinb la testa
Cadde con essa a p ar degli altri ciechl .E 11 Duca disse a me Piu non si destaDi qua dal suon dell
’
angelica trombaQuando verra la nimica podesta,Ciascun ritrovera la trista tomba,Ripigliera sua carne e sua figura,
Udira quel che in eterno rimbomba .
Si trapassammo p er sozza misturaDell’ ombre e della p loggla, a passi lenti,Toccando un poco la vita futura
His eyes, with which he had he “distorted into squinting .
” He
been looking straight” at me, grew blind again, l ike the others .
68 INFERNO . CANTO VI .
Wherefore I said : “Master,shall these torments
increase after the great Sentence, or grow less, or
remain‘
as burningAnd he to me : Return to thyscien ce
,
2 w hich
has it, that the more a thing is perfect, the more it
feels pleasure and likew ise pain . Though these
accursed people never attain to true perfection , yet
shall theybe nearer to it after than before .
” 3
We w ent round along that road, speaking muchmore than I repeat. We reached the point w here
the descent begin s . Here found w e Plutus,the great
enemy.
Perch’ io dissi : Maestro, esti tormenti
Cresceranno ci dopo la gran sentenza,O fi en minori, o saran si cocenti ?
Ed egli a me Ritorna a tua scienza,Che vuol, quanto la cosa e p 1u perfetta,Piu senta il bene, e cosi la; doglienza .
Tuttoche questa gente maledettaIn vera p erfez mn giammai non vada,Di la, p iu che di qua, essere aspetta .
Noi aggirammo a tondo quella strada,
Parlando pm assai ch’ io non ridicoVenimmo al punto dove si digradaQuivi trovammo Pluto il gran nemico .
1 1 4 . Si digrada, descends in degrees.
E qually burning, or b itter.
3 Lit beyond, than on this2 Thy Aristotelian Philosophy. side,” the great J udgment.
70 INFERNO . CANTO V I I .
CANTO VII .
PAFE Satan ! p ap é Satan ,alep p é !
” began Plutus, w ith clucking 1 voice . And that gentle Sage ,who knew all
, said, comforting me : Let not thyfear hurt thee ; for, w hatever pow er he have , heshall not hinder u s from descending this roc
Then he turned himself to that inflated visage ,and said : Peace
,cursed Wolf !2 Consume thyself
internallyw ith thygreedyrage . Not w ithout cause
is our journey to the deep . I t is w illed on high ;
PAPE Satan, pape Satan aleppe,CominciOPluto colla voce chiocciaE quel Savio gentil, che tutto seppe,Disse p er confortarmI Non ti nocciaLa tua paura, che, poder ch
’
egli abbia,Non ci terra lo scender questa roccia .
Poi si rivolse a quella enfi ata labbia,E disse : Taci, maledetto lupoConsuma dentro te con la tua rabbia .
Non e senza cagion l’
andare al cupo
1 . P ap e, Lat. p ap ae. Alepp o, alpha, prince, chief.L “Hah Satan ! hah Satan ! thou
Alpha or something ofthe sort,ifanyattempt is to be at transla
tion. Plutus probably continuesto regard Satan as his Alpha
,or
Prince ; and is surprised and en
raged when he sees the intruders .
But his ideas are net clear,and
his utterance ofthem is very im
perfect. Chioccia (subst. ) means
a brood , or d ucking, hen in I ta
l ian . Readers will recollect the“Pair ! P aix .
’Satan a llez ! Pair ! ”
ofthe Huissiers,which Benvenuto
C ellin i heard, when he “took his
dagger, and went to get justi cein the courts at Paris .
2 Wolf, symbol ofavarice.
CANTO VI I . INFERNO . 7 1
there, where,
Michael took vengeance ofthe proud1
adultery.
”
As sails, sw elled by the w ind, fall entangled
w hen the mast gives w ay; so fell that cruel mon
ster to the ground . Thus w e descended into the
fourth concavity,'
taking in more ofthe dismal bank,
which shuts up all the evil ofthe universe . Ah,Justice Divine ! Who shall tell in few 2 the manyfresh p ains and travail s that I saw ? And whydoes
guilt ofours thus mar u s ?
As does the surge , there above Charybdis, thatbreaks itself against the surge wherew ith it meets ;
Vuolsi cosi nell’ alto, ove MicheleFe
’la vendetta del superbo strupo.
Quali dal vento le gonfi ate veleCaggiono avvolte, poiche 1
’alber fi acca
Tal cadde a terra la fi era crudele .
Cosi scendemmo nella quarta lacca,Prendendo p iu della dolente ripa,Che il mal dell’ universo tutto insacca
'
.
Ahi giustizia diDio tante chi stipa
Nuove travaglie e pene, quante io viddi ?E perche nostra colpa si ne scipa ?
Come fa l’ onda la sovra Cariddi,Che sifrange con quella in cui s
’intoppa ;
1 2. Strup o, stupro. 2 1 . Scip a, wastes, mars .
1 Satan, or Lucifer, and his crowds together, so many new
pun ishment. Adultery, in the pains and travails as I saw ?”
scriptural sense, ofturning away This l iteral meaning ofthe wordsfrom the true God. w ill perhaps bear different exp la
2 Lit “Who compresses, or nations.
72 INFERNO. CANTO V I I .
so have the people here to counter- dance .
1 Here
saw I too manymore than elsew here ,2 both on the
one side and on the other, w ith loud how lings, roll
ing w eights byfor ce ofchest. They smote against
each other, and then all turned up on the spot,roll
ing tbern back, shouting,“Whyholdest thou ?
”and
Whythrow est thou aw ay Thus they returned
through the hideous circle, on either hand,to the
opposite point, shouting alw ays in their reproachful
measure . Then every one , w hen he had reached
it, turned through his semicir cle tow ards the other
joust .
Cosi convien che qui la gente riddi.Qui vidi gente piti che altrove troppa,E d’ una parte e d’ altra, con grandi urli,Voltando pesi p er forza di poppa
Percotevansi incontro, e poscia pur 11Si rivolgea ciascun, voltando a retro,
Gridando Perche tieni ? e perche burliCosi tornavan p er lo cerchio tetro,Da ognimano all
’
opposito punto,Gridando sempre in loro ontoso metro .
Poi sivolgea ciascun, quand’
era giunto,Per 10 suo mezzo cerchio, all
’
altra giostra .
24. Riddi, wheel round and meet again, as in
the ridda dance.
1 As the waves of Charybdis to Avarice Accurst be thou,meet and dash against the waves inveterate Wolf! that hast more
ofS cylla (E n. iii . 420, so prey than all the other beasts .
”
the spirits here, with their bur Purg . xx. 1 0. The avaricious anddens. prodigal are also placed together
2 Dante, in another place, says in Purgatory. I b.
74: INFERNO . CANTO V I I .
And I : Master , amongst such, I might surelyrecognise some that w ere defiled w ith these vices .
”
And he to me Thou gatherest vain thoughts
their undiscerning life, w hich made them vile, nowmakes them too obscure for any recognition . To
all eternitytheyshall continue butting one another .
1
These shall arise from their gravesw ith closed fists ;and these w ith w asted2 hair . Ill-giving, and ill
keep ing, has deprived them ofthe fair w orld ,3 and
p ut them to this conflict : w hat a conflict it is, Iadorn no w ords to tell .4 But thou . mySon ,
mayest
see the brief mockery ofthe goods that are com
Ed io : Maestro, tra questi cotaliDovrei io ben riconoscere alcuni,Che furo immondi di cotestimali.Ed egli a me Vani pensieri aduniLa sconoscente vita, che ife’ sozzi,Ad ogni conoscenza or iifa bruni.
In eterno verrannop
agli due cozziQuesti risurgeranno del sepulcroCol pugno chiuso, e questi co’ crin mozzi.
Mal dare, e mal tener lo mondo pulcroHa tolto loro, e posti a questa zuffaQual ella sia, parole non ci ap pulcro .
Or puoi, figliuol, veder la corta buffaDe’ ben, che son commessi alla Fortuna,
1 L 1 t they shall come to the 3 Their prodigal ity, or their avatwo huttings.
”ri ce, has deprived them ofHeaven.
2 The avaricious,w ith closed ‘1 Their case is clear enough ;
fists ; the prodigals , w ith their and needs no ornate words of
very hair shorn off,”
or wasted . mine to set it forth.
CANTO VII. INFERNO . 75
mitted unto Fortune for w hich the human kind
contend w ith one another .
1 For all the gold that
is beneath the moon, or ever’
w as, could not give
rest to a single one ofthese w earysouls ; ”
Master ,” I said to him ,
now te ll me also
this Fortune , ofw hich thou hintest to me w hat is
she,that has the good things ofthe w orld thus w ithin
her claw s ?”
And he to me : O foolish creatures, how great
is this ignorance that falls up on ye ! Now I w ish
thee to receive my j udgment2ofher . He w hose
w isdom is transcendant over all, made the heavens
and gave them guides ;3 so that everypart mayshine
Per che l’ umana gente si rabbuffa .
Che tutto l’ oro, ch’
e sotto la luna,E che giafu, di queste anime stancheNon poterebbe farne posar una .
Maestro, dissi lui, or mi di’anche
Questa Fortuna, di che tu mi tocche,Che e, che 1 ben del mondo ha si tra branche ?E quegli a me O creature sciocche,Quanta ignoranza e quella che vi offendeOr vo
’
che tu mia sentenza ne imbocche .
Colui, lo cui saver tutto trascende,Fece li cieli, e die
'
lor chi conduce,
72 . Imbocche, take into thymouth .
1 Or, more l iterally : scuffle 3 Gave to each ofthe celestialw ith one another.
”spheres, or “
nine moveable hea2 Lit. : “ I wish thee to take my vens,” an Angel ic Intelligence tojudgment ofher into thymouth ; ” gu ide its course. Conv. Tr. i i. 0. 2 ,
and speak it forth . &c. ; and Parad . xxviii. 77.
76 INFERNO . CANTO vn .
to every part,1equally distributing the light. In
like manner , for w orldly splendours,he ordained a
general minister and guide ;2 to change betimes thevain possession s, from people to people
,and from
one kindred to another,beyond the hindran ce of
human w isdom . Hen ce one p eople commands, an
other languishes obeying her senten ce , w hich is
hidden like the serpent in the grass . Your knowledge cannot w ithstand her . She provides, j udges ,and maintains her kingdom
, as the other gods3 do
Si ch’
ogni parte ad ogni parte splende,Distribuendo ugualmente la luceSimilemente agli splendor mondaniOrdinOgeneral ministra e duce,
Che permutasse a tempo li ben vani,Di gente in gente, e d’ uno in altro sangue,Oltre la difension de’ senni umani
Per ch’
una gente impera, e l’ altra langue,Seguendo lo giudicio di costei,Che eocculto, come in erba l’ angue .
Vostro saver non ha contrasto a lei
Ella provvede, giudica, e persegueSuo regno, come il loro gli altriDei.
1 That each ofthese spheresmaycome round in its due time
and,amongst other things
,shine
on every part ofour earth.
2 S t. Augustine says : Nos eas
causas , quce dicunturfortuitce (undeetiam Fortuna nomen accep it), nond icimus nullas, sed latentes , easque
tribuimus, nel veriDei, vel quorum
libet Sp irituum voluntati. De C ivitate Dei, lib . v. And DanteHerum (Py/rrhus) nocaba t Fortu
nam, quam causam melius et rectius
nos Divinam Providentiam app ella
nrus . Monarchia, lib . ii . p . 1 1 0.
3 “These C elestial IntelligencesPlato named Ideas, which is as
much as to sayForms . The Gen
78 INFERNO . CANTO V I I .
We crossed the circle,to the other bank ; near
a spring, that boils and pours down through a cleft,
w hich it has formed . The w ater w as d arker far than
perse .
1 And w e , accompanying the duskyw aves, en
tered dow n bya strange path . This drearystreamlet
makes a Marsh,that is named Styx , w hen it has
descended to the foot ofthe greymalignant shores .
2
And I,who stood intent on looking, saw muddyp eo
p le in that bog,‘
all naked and w ith a look ofanger .
Theyw ere smiting each other , not w ith hands onlybut w ith head
, and w ith chest, and w ith feet ; maim
ing one another with their teeth, p I ece byp iece .
Noi ricidemmo il cerchio all’
altra rivaSovr
’
una fonte, che bolle, e riversaPer nu fossato che da lei diriva .
L’
acqua era buia molto p iu che persaE noi, in compagnia dell’ onde bige,Entrammo ginp er una via diversa .
Una palude fa, che ha nome Stige,Questo tristo ruscel, quando e discesoAl pie delle maligne piagge grige .
Ed io, che a rImIrar mi stava inteso,Vidi gentifangose in quel pantano,Ignude tutte, e con sembiante offeso .
Questi si p ercotean non p ur con mano,
Ma con la testa, e col petto, e co’ piedi,
Troncandosi coi denti a brano a brano .
1 Perse is a purple - black co E stuat, atque omnem Cocyto cruc
lour. See note 3d, p . 5 4 . tat arenam. ZEn . vi. 295 . Cocyti
2 Hinc via Tartareifert Ache stagna a lta vides, S tygiamque p alu
rontis ad undas . Turbidus hic o’
em. Ib. 323 . Colles maligni.
coeno vastdque voragine gurges Georg. i i . 1 79.
CANTO VI I . INFERNO . 79
The kind Master‘
said : Spn,now see the souls
ofthose w hom anger overcame . And also I w ould
have thee to believe for certain ,
” that there are
people underneath the w ater,who sob
,and make
it bubble at the surface ; as thy eye maytell thee ,w hichever w ay it turns . Fixed in the slime , theysay: Sul len w ere w e in the sw eet air
,that is glad
dened by the Sun ,
1,
carrying lazy smoke w ithin our
hearts :2 now lie w e sullen here in the black mire .
’3
This hymn they gurgle in their throats, for theycannot speak it in full w ords .
Lo buon Maestro disse : Figlio, or vediL’
anime di color cui vinse l’ iraEd anche vo’ che tu p er certo credi,
Che sotto l’ acqua ha gente che sospira,E fanno pullular quest
’
acqua al summo,Come l’ occhio ti dice u’ che s
’
aggira .
Fitti nel limo dicon TristifummoNell’ aer dolce che dal Sol s
’
allegra,Portando dentro accidioso fummo
Or ci attristiam nella belletta negra .
Quest’ inno si gorgoglian nella strozza,Che dir nol posson con parola integra .
1 24 . Belletta , depos it, settlings ofmuddy water.
1 Some editions read : del Sol
3’a llegra , rejoices in the sun .
”
2 “Accid ie, or slouth, maketh aman hevy, thoughtful , and w rawe .
E nvie and ire m aken bitternesse
in herte,which bitternesse is
mother ofaccidie, and benimeth
him the love ofall goodnesse ;
than is accidie the anguish ofa
trouble herte.
’ Chaucer, P ersanes
goTa le.
n
0 He hath cast me into the
m ire. J ob xxx . 1 9. I sink indeep m ire. P s . lxix. 2 .
80 INFERNO . CANTO vu .
Thus,betw een the drybank and the putrid fen 1
w e compassed a large arc ofthat loathlyslough, w ith
eyes turned tow ards those that sw allow ofits filth .
We came to the foot ofa tow er at last.
Cosi girammo della lorda pozzaGrand’ arco, tra la ripa secca e 1 1 mezzo,Con gli occhi volti a chi del fango ingozza .
Venimmo al p ie d’
una torre al dassez z o .
1 M ez z o (with the e stretta, or and from that transferred to otherclose e) , a term applied to an ap things in the same state. See Lan
p le when it is beginning to rot ; dino, Vellutello, &c.
INFERNO . CANTO VI I I .
CANTO VIII .
I SAY continuing,
1 that, long before w e reached
the foot ofthe high tow er , our eyes w ent upw ards
to its summit, because oftw o flamelets,2 that w e saw
p ut there, and another from far give signal back so
far that the eye could scarcely catch it. And I ,turning to the Sea3 ofall know ledge , said : “What
says this ? and w hat replies yon other light ? And
w ho are theythat made it
And he to me : Upon the squalid w aves,already
Io dico seguitando, ch’ assai primaChe noifussimo al p ie dell
’
alta torre,Gli occhi nostri n’
andar suso alla cima,
Per due flammette che vedemmo porre,E nu
’
altra da lungi render cenno,Tanto, che a pena il potea l’ occhio torre .
Ed io, rivolto al mar di tutto il senno,
Dissi Questo che dice ? e che rispondeQuell’ altro foco ? e chi son quei che il fenno ?
Ed egli a me Su p er le sucide onde
1 C ontinuing the account oftheWrathful , &c. , begun in the p receding canto ; which is the firstthat ends without completing thesubj ect treated in it.
The two flames indi cate thattw o persons are come to be fer
ried over. The tower, w ith itssentinels
,is an outpost °
of the
city ofLucifer and is separatedfrom it bythe wide marsh.
3 V irgil , “who knew all” (cantoV1 I . 3 ) who “ did honour to everyart and science.
” Canto iv. 73 .
CANTO VI I I . INFE RNO . 83
thou mayest discern w hat is expected, 1 ifthe vap our
ofthe fen conceal it not from thee .
”
Never did Cord Imp el from itself an arrow , that
ran through the air so quickly, as a little bark w hichI saw come tow ards u s then, under the guidance of
a single steersman , who cried : Now art thou ar
rived,fell spirit ? ”
Phlegyas,2 Phlegyas, said myLord, this time
thou criest in vain . Thou shalt not have u s longer
than w hile w e pass the w ash .
”
And as one w ho hears some great deceit w hich
has been done to him, and then deeply grieves
Giapuoi scorgere quello che s’aspetta,
Se il fummo del pantan nol ti nasconde .
Corda non pinse mai da se saetta,
Che si corresse via p er 1’
aer snella,Com
’io vidi una nave piccioletta
Venir p er 1’acqua verso noi in quella,
Sotto il governo d’ un sol galeoto,Che gridava : Or se
’ giunta, anima fella 7Elegias, Elegias, tu gridi a v6to,Disse lo mio Signore, a questa voltaPiunon ci avrai, se non passando il loto .
Quale colui che grande inganno ascoltaChe gli sia fatto, e p oi se ne rammarca,
2 1 . I t loto, the wash .
1 What the signals have been temple ofApollo. Phlegyasque
made for. miserrimus omnes Admonet, ci
2 Phlegyas, the angry ferryman magna”
testatur voce p er umbras,
ofthe marsh, is he who burnt the &c. ZE n. v i. 61 8.
84: INFERNO . CANTO VI II .
thereat ; such grew Phlegyas in his gathered rage .
1
MyGuide descended into the skiff,and then made
me enter after him ; and not till I w as in,did it
seem laden .
2 Soon as myGuide and I w ere in the
boat,its ancient prow w ent on
, cutting more ofthe
w ater than it is w ont w ith others .
Whilst w e w ere running through the dead chann el
,there rose before me one full ofmud
,and said
Who art thou,that comest before thytime
And I to him ° “ If I come , I stay not. But
thou,w ho art thou , that hast become so fou l
He an sw ered Thou seest that I am one w ho
w eep .
” 3
Tal sife’
Fleglas nell’
ira accolta .
Lo Duca mio discese nella barca,E p oi mifece entrare appresso lui,E sol, quand
’
io fui dentro, parve carca .
Tosto che il Duca ed 10 nel legno fui,Segando se ne va l’ antica proraDell’ acqua p Iu che non
’
suol con altrui.
Mentre noi correvam la morta gora,Dinanzimi sifece nu p 1en difango,E disse Chi se
’
tu, che vieni anzi ora ?
Ed io a lui : S’ io vegno, io non rimangoMa tu chi sei, Che si seifatto brutto ?
Rispose Vedi che son nu che piango .
1 The eager rage that had come body. Gemuit sub p ondere cymba
upon Phlegyas in his expectation Sutilis , &c . fEn vi . 4 1 3 .
ofprey, is changed into b itter sad 3 Will not tell his name ; whichness when he hears that the Poets none but the basest spirits refuse
are not doomed to remain. to do : such as Bocca degli Ah2 By the weight ofhis l iving bati. C anto xxxii. 76- 1 1 2 .
86 INFERNO . CANTO VI I I .
shall lie here like sw ine in mire , leaving behindthem horrible contemnings
And I Master, I should be glad1 to see him
dipped in this lee,ere w e quit the lake .
And he to me :“ Before the shore comes to thy
view ,thou shalt be satisfied . I t is fitting that thou
shouldst be gratified in such a w ish . A little after
this,I saw the muddypeople make such rending of
him,that even now I praise and
‘
thank God for it .
All cried : To Filipp o Argenti !” 2 The w rathful
Che qui staranno come porci in brago,Di se lasciando orribili dispregi !Ed io : Maestro, molto sarei vago
y
Di vederlo attuffare in questa broda,Prima che noi uscissimo del lago .
Ed egli a me Avanti che la prodaTi si lasci veder, tu sarai sazioDi tal disio converra che tu goda .
Dopo ciOpoco, vidi quello strazioFar di costui alle fangose genti,Che Dio ancor ne lodo e ne ringrazio .
Tutti gridavano A Filippo Argenti.
Rea: est, qui p osuit metus , E t diri
ma la p ectoris , &e . Seneca, Thyestes, chorus, act ii .
1 Glad to see his brutal ragehave its due consummation iii thev ile mud, though infinitely abovecaring for him personally.
2 Filippo Argenti was ofthe
Cavicciuli fam ily— a branch of
the Adimari— and was so rich
that he had the horse, on which
he u sed to ride, shod with S ilver(Argento) ; and from this he derived his surname. He was a
man oflarge s i z e, dark and sin
ewy, and ofmarvellous strength ;and beyond all others choleric ,even on the slightest occasions .
And except this , there is no men
tion ofany thing that he d id .
”
B occaccio Com. See also Decam.
G . ix. Nov. 8.
CANTO V II I . INFERNO . 87
Florentine spirit turned w ith his teeth upon himself.
Here w e left him, so that ofhim I sp eak no more .
But in myears a lamentation smote me, Whereat
I bent my eyes1 intently forw ards . And the kind
,
Master said : Now , Son , the city2 that is named of
Dis draw s nigh,w ith the heavy citizens, w ith the
great company.
” 3
And I : Master,
'
alreadyI discern its mosques,distinctlythere w ithin the valley, red as iftheyhad
come ou t offi re .
”
And to me he s aid : “ The eternal fi re, that in
w ard burns them, shew s them red , as thou seest,in
this low 1 Hell . ”
Lo Fiorentino spirito bizzarroIn se medesmo sivolgea co
’
denti.
Quivi il lasciammo, che p Iu non ne narro
Ma negli Orecchimi percosse nu duolo,Per ch’ io avanti intento 1’ occhio sbarro .
E il buon Maestro disse Omai, figliuolo,S’ appressa la citta che ha nome Dite,Co
’ gravi cittadin, col grande stuolo .
Ed io Maestro, g1a le sue meschiteLa entro certo nella valle cernoVermiglie, come se difuoco uscite
Fossero . Ed cimi disse Il foco eterno,
Ch’ entro le affoca, le dimostra rosse,
Come tu vedi in questo basso inferno .
1 Lit. : I unbar myeye,” &c .
‘1 Low , or deep Hell ; called the2 Compare fEn. vi. 5 4 1 - 5 5 6, bottom ”
(canto vi. the
and v iii. “ bottom of the dismal shell. ”3 Heavy with guilt (canto vi. C anto ix. 1 6. The whole ofit
and very numerous. is occupied by the city to which
88 INFERNO . CANTO vm .
We now arrived in the deep fosses,w hich moat
that joyless city. The w alls seemed to me as if
theyw ere ofiron . Not before making a long cir
cuit,did w e come to a place w here the boatman
loudlycried to u s : GO out : here is the entran ce .
”
Above the gates I saw more than a thousand spirits,
rained from Heaven,
1w ho angrilyexclaimed : Who
is that, w ho, w ithout d eath, goes through the king
dom ofthe dead ? ”
And mysage Master made a sign ofw ishing to
speak w ith them in secret. Then they somew hat
hid2 their great disdain,and said Come thou
Noi pur giugnemmo dentro all’
alte fosse,Che vallan quella terra sconsolataLe mura mi parea, che ferro fosse .
Non senza prima far grande aggirata,Venimmo in parte, dove il nocchier, forte,Uscite, ci gridO; qui e l
’entrata .
Io vidi p 1u dimille in sulle porte
Dal ciel piovuti, che stiz zosamente
Dicean : Chi e costui, che senza morteVa p er lo regno della morta genteE il savio mio Maestro fece segnoDi voler lor parlar segretamente .
Allor chiusero nu poco il gran disdegno,E disser : Vien tu solo, e quei sen vada,
the Poets are now approaching. more fully explained by the PoetThe upper Hell consists ofthe himself.Five C ircles which they have al 1 Angels fallen from Heaven .
ready passed. In canto xi . 1 6, 2 Lit. : closed their great dis u
&c. this divis ion ofHell will be dain.
90 INFERNO . CANTO V I I I .
me : Fear not ; for our passage none can take from
u s : by Such has it been given to u s .
1 But thou ,w ait here for me ; and comfort and feed thyw earied
spirit w ith good hope ; for I w ill not forsake thee
in the low w orld .
Thus the gentle Father goes , and leaves me here .
And I remain in doubt ; for yes and no contend
w ithin my head . I could not hear that w hich he
offered to them . But he had not long stood w ith
them , w hen theyall, vying w ith one another , rushed
in again .
2 These '
our adversaries closed the gates on
the breast ofmyMaster , w ho remained w ithout and
turned tow ards me w ith slow step s,his brow s shorn
Mi disse Non temer, che il nostro passoNon ci p ub torre alcun da tal n
’
e dato .
Ma quim’
attendi e 10 spirito lassoConforta e ciba di speranza buona,Ch’ 10 non ti lascerOnel mondo basso .
Cosi sen va, e quivi m’
abbandonaLo dolce padre, ed io rimango in forseChe 11 Si, e il no nel capo mi tenzona .
Udir non potei quello che a lor porseMa ei non stette la con essi guari,Che ciascun dentro a pruova si ricorse .
Chiuser le porte quei nostri avversariNel petto al mio Signor, che fuor rimase,E rivolsesi a me con passi rari.
Gli occhi alla terra, e le ciglia avea rase
1 By such high authority,i. e.
2 A p ruova . Certatim.
”Or,
by C elestial Wisdom . Canto ii. trying who could get in first.p . 1 7, &c. Blind with rage.
CANTO vm . INFERNO . 91
ofall boldness , and said w ith sighs Who hath denied me the w oful houses And to me he said
Thou,be not discouraged at myanger ; for I shall
master the trial, w hatever be contrived w ithin for
hindrance . This insolence oftheirs is nothing new ;
fortheyshew ed it once at a less secret gate,that still
is found unbarred . Over it thou saw est the dead
inscription .
2 And already, on this side ofit,comes
dow n the steep , p assing the circles w ithout escort,One byw hom the cityshall be opened to u s .
D’
ogni baldanza, e dicea ne’
sospiriChim
’
ha negate le dolenti case ?Ed a me disse : Tu, perch
’
io m’adiri,
Non sbigottir, ch’ io vincerb la pruova,Qual ch’
alla difension dentro s’
aggiri.Questa lor tracotanza non e nuova,Che gia l
’
usaro a men segreta porta,La qual senza serrame ancor si trova .
Sovr’
essa vedestu la scritta morta
E gIa di qua da lei discende l’
erta,
Passando p er li cerchi senza scortaTal, che p er lui ne fi a la terra aperta .
1 27. Vedestu, vedesti tu .
1 Queis fortuna negarat
In p atriam reditus. E n. x. 435 .
2 The gate of entrance, overwhich is seen the dark inscrip ~
tion . V irgil tells Dante that thedemons Opposed the entrance of
Christ into Hell . In the servi ce
ofE aster eve (“sabbato santo
are these words : Hodie p ortas
mortis , et seras p ariter Salvator
noster disrup it.
3 Lit Such, that by himthe city shall be opened to us.
”
The Angel who is coming.
94 INFERNO . CANTO Ix.
CANTO IX .
THAT colour w hich cow ardice painted on myface
,w hen I saw my Guide turn back, repressed
in him more quicklyhis new colour .
1 He stopped
attentive, like one who listens ; for his eye could
not lead him far,through the black air and the
dense fog Yet it behoves u s to gain this bat
tle,
”he began .
“ If not . such help w as offered
to u s .
2 Oh ! how long to me it seems till some one3
come 1
QUE L color che vilta di fuor mi pinse,V eggendo il Duca mio tornare in volta,Piu tosto dentro il suo nuovo ristrinse .
Attento sifermO, com’
uom che ascolta ;Che l’ occhio nol potea menare a lungaPer 1
’
aer nero, e p er la nebbia folta .
Pure a noi converravincer la punga,CominciO ci : se tal ne
_
s’
offerse .
Oh quanto tarda a me ch’ altri qui giunga
7. Punga , pugna ; as venga , vegna, &c .
1 The paleness which cow
ardice painted outwardly on me,”
made my Gu ide, in order to re
store mycourage, more qu icklyrepress within him the new co
lour, ” which that repulse ofthe
Demons had given him . P inse
also means“thrust, or urged .
”
2 Lit. : Such (z e. Beatrice, orDivineWisdom ) offered herselftous .
” Ifw e are not to gain the
battle but that is impossible,considering the help that has beenpromised to us .
2 Altri, some higher Power.
See verse 81 ; and note 1 st, p . 5 4 .
CANTO 1x. INFERNO . 95
I saw w ell how he covered the beginning1 w iththe other that came after, w hich w ere w ords dif
fering from the first. But not the less his lan
guage gave me fear ; for perhap s I drew his brokenspeech to a w orse meaning than he held .
“ Intothis bottom ofthe dreary shell
,
2 does any ever de
scend from the first degree, w hose on lypunishment
is hope cut off?”
This question I made, and he replied to me
Rarelyit occurs that anyofu s makes this j ourneyon which I go . I t is true
,that once before I w as
IO vidi ben, si com’
ci ricoperseLo cominciar con 1
’
altro, che p oi venne,Che fur parole alle prime diverse .
Ma nondimen paura il suo dir dienne,Perch’ io traeva la parola troncaForse a peggior sentenzia, ch
’
ci non tenne .
In questo fondo della trista concaDiscende mai alcun del primo grado,Che sol p er pena ha la speranza cionca ?Questa question fec’ io e quei : Di radoIncontra, mi rispose, che di nuiFaccia il cammino alcun p er quale io vado .
Vero e che altra fi ata quaggiu fui
1 3 . Dienne, ne d iede. 20. Nui, noi.
1 The beginn ing : “ Ifnot below grows narrower.
” B occaccio
with the : Such help,
” 8130. Com. Dante,in his terror, puts2 “ Shell, from the resemblance this indirect question to ascertain
that some shells have to the es whether V irgil has been downsential form ofHell ; which , as from L imbo before
, and knowsw e have said
,is broad above, and the w ay.
96 INFERNO . CANTO Ix.
down here, conjured by fell E rictho,1who recalled
the shadow s to their bodies . Myflesh had beenbut short time divested ofme
, w hen she made me
enter w ithin that w all, to draw out a Spirit from
the Circle ofJudas .
2 That is the low est place,and
the most dark, and farthest from the Heaven,
3w hich
en circles all. Well do I know the w ay; so reassure
thyself. This marsh, w hich breathes the mightystench, all round begirds the doleful city, w here
w e cannot now enter w ithout anger .
”
And more he said : but I have it not in memory
Congiurato da quella Eriton cruda,Che richiamava l’ ombre a
’ corpi sui.
Di poco era dime la carne nuda,Ch
’
ella mifece entrar dentro a quel muro,Per trarne un spirto del cerchio di
'
Giuda .
Quell’ e il p iu basso loco, e il p iu oscuro,E 11 pin lontan dal Ciel che tutto giraBen so 11 cammin p erO tifa securo .
Questa palude, che il gran puzzo spira,Cinge d’ intorno la citta dolente,U’
non p otemo entrare omai senz’ ira .
Ed altro disse, ma non l’
ho a mente ;
1 E rictho, a sorceress , men
tioned by Lucan , vi. 5 08, &c .
And Ovid : I lluc mentis inop s , utquam furia lis E richtho Imp ulit.
E pist. Sapp ho P haani, v. 1 39.
Venefi ciisfamosafuit Thessa la mulier cuj us nomen hic p ro qud libet
venefi cd p onitur . Crispin. Com.
Ovid . Dante here uses the name
ofE rictho in the same generalsense ; and probably takes some
old trad ition ofthe m iddle agesrespectingV irgil, who was thoughtto have been a great magician.
2 The Giudecca , where the worstkind oftraitors are placed . V idecanto xxxiv. 1 1 7.
3 The Empyreal Heaven.
98 INFERNO . CANTO Ix.
Alecto . Tesiphone is in the middle . And there
w ith he w as silent.
With her claw s each w as rending her breast ;theyw ere smiting themselves w ith their palms, and
crying so loudly, that I pressed close to the Poet
for fear . Let Medusa come,that w e may change
him into stone, they all cried,looking downw ards .
Badlydid w e avenge the assault ofTheseus .
” 1
Turn thee backw ards,and keep thyeyes shut ;
for ifthe Gorgon shew herself, and thou shouldst
see her, there w oul d be no returning up again .
”
Thus said the Master, and he himself turned me ,
and trusted not to my hands, but closed me also
Tesifone e nel mezzo e tacque a tanto .
Coll’ unghie sifendea ciascuna il pettoBatteansi a palme, e gridavan si alto,Ch
’
io mi strinsi al Poeta p er sospetto .
Venga Medusa, si 11 farem di smaltoGridavan tutte riguardando in giusoMal noi vengiammo in Teseo l’ assalto .
Volgiti indietro, e tien lo Viso chiusoChe se il Gorgon simostra, e tu il vedessi,Nulla sarebbe del tornar mai Suso .
Cosi disse il Maestro ed egli stessiMi volse, e non si tenne alle mie mani,
Che con le sue ancor non mi chiudessi.
5 8. Stessi, stesso as ellifor ello, egli .
1 Allusion to the descent of ture down in consequence. The
Theseus and Pirithous into Hell Sed et, wternumque sedebit I nfelia:and the escape ofTheseus , by aid Theseus (iEn. vi. 61 7) does not
ofHercules. Other mortals ven seem vengeance sufficient.
CANTO IX ; INFERNO . 99
w ith his own . 0 ye , who have sane inte llects,mark
the doctrine, which conceals itself beneath the veil
ofthe strange verses !1
And now there came, up on the turbid w aves,a crash offearful sound
,at w hich the shores both
trembled : a sound as ofa wind, impetuous for the
adverse heats,
2w hich smites the forest w ithout any
stay; shatters offthe boughs, beats dow n, and sw eep s
O voi, che avete gl’
intelletti sani,Mirate la dottrina, che s
’
ascondeSotto il velame degli versi strani.E gia venia su p er le torbid
’
ondeUmfracasso d’ un suon pien di spavento,Per cui tremavano ambedue le sponde
Non altrimentifatto che d’
un ventoImpetuoso p er gli avversi ardori,Che fi er la selva senza alcun rattento
Li rami schianta, abbatte, e porta fuori
69. Fier, ferisce ; fi ere in canto x. 69.
1 The very sight ofhardenedrebellion against the Almightyagainst the Source ofall light,and peace, and joy—m and its eter
nal consequences, is too terrible ;is a thing not to be real ised or
endured without Divine assistance. Compare the fear thatcomes over Dante, before and
after entering the upper part of
Hell, in cantos 2d , 3d, and 4 th.
A careful perusal ofwhat theold and new commentators say
concerning this passage, leads to
the clear conv i ction that it is notworth repeating. Readers, who
choose to satisfy themselves , may
consult Boccaccio, the O ttimo
,
Landino, V elutello, &c . and ,
amongst the more modern, V olpi ,V enturi, Lombard i, &c . The Co
mentoAnalitico ofRossetti, thoughalways acute and ingenious, is fartoo wild and absurd for any se
rious reader ofDante.
2 Rushing tow ards the rarer,
heated air,as ifit were a great
antagonist.
1 00 INFERNO . CANTO Ix.
aw ay: dustyin front, it goes superb, and makes the
w ild beasts and the shepherds flee .
He loosed my eyes, and said : Now turn
nerve ofvision on that ancient foam,there where
the smoke is harshest.
As frogs, before their enemy the serpent,run
” 1
all asunder through the w ater,till each squats2 upon
the bottom ; so I saw more than a thousand ruined
spirits flee before one, who passed the Stygian ferryw ith dry feet. He w aved that gross air from his
countenance, often moving his left hand before himand only ofthat trouble seemed he w eary. Well
did I p erceive that he w as a Messenger ofHeaven ;
Dinanzi polveroso va superbo,E fa fuggir le fi ere e li pastori.
Gli occhimi sciolse, e disse : Or drizza il nerboDel viso su p er quella schiuma antica,Per indi ove quel fummo ep in acerbo .
Come le rane innanzi alla nimicaBiscia p er 1
’
acqua si dileguan tutte,Fin ch? alla terra ciascuna s
’
abbicaVid
’
io p iu dimille anime distrutteFuggir cosi dinanzi ad nu, che al passoPassava Stige colle piante asciutte.
Dal volto rimovea quell’ aer grasso,Menando la sinistrainnanzi spessoE sol di quell’ angoscia parea lasso .
Ben m’
accorsi ch’ egli era del Ciel messo,
1 Or densest : where the evil 2 “Makes a heap ofitself,” or
spirits are getting out ofsight. gathers itselfup , on the bottom.
1 02 INFERNO . CANTO Ix.
member, still bears his chin and his throat p eeled
for doing so .
” 1
Then he returned bythe filthyw ay, and spakeno w ord to u s ;
2 but looked lik e one w hom other
Care urges and incites than that ofthose w ho stand
before him . And w e moved our feet tow ards the
city, secure after the sacred w ords . We entered
into it w ithout any strife . And I, w ho w as de
sirous to behold the condition3 w hich such‘
a for
tress encloses, as spon as I w as in ,sent my eyes
around ; and saw ,on either hand, a spacious plain
full ofsorrow and ofevil torment.
Ne porta ancor pelato il mento e il gozzo .
Poi si rivolse p er la strada lorda,E non fe
’
motto a noi ma fe’
sembianteD’ uomo, cui altra cura stringa e morda,
Che quella di colui che gli e davante .
E noimovemmo i piedi in ver la terra,Sicuri appresso le parole sante .
Dentro v’ entrammo senza alcuna guerraEd io, ch
’avea di riguardar disio
La condiz ion che tal fortezza serra,
Com’
io fui dentro, l’
occhio intorno invioE veggio ad ogniman grande campagnaPiena di duolo e di tormento rio .
1 Alluding to the old fable of
Hercules, and his dragging C erberus with the threefold chain,which has left its mark : Tar
tareum ille (Hercules) manu cus
todem in vincla p etivit, Ip sius a
solio regis trar itque trementem.
JE n. vi. 395 . See also ZEn. V 1 1 1 .
296.
2 Come to execute what hasbeen willed in Heaven, and not
to parley with us.3 The condition ofthose that
are within it.
CANTO Ix. INFERNO . 103
As at Arles , w here the Rhone stagnates , as at
Pola near the Quarnaro gulf, w hich shuts up Italyand bathes its confines , the sepul chres1 make all the
place uneven ; so did theyhere on every side,only
the manner here w as bitterer . For amongst the
tombs w ere scattered flames; w hereby they w ere
made all over so glow ing -hot, that iron more hot
no craft requires . Their covers w ere all raised up ;and out ofthem proceeded moans so grievous
,that
they seemed indeed the moans ofsp irits sad and
w ounded .
And I Master,w hat are these people w ho
,
Si come ad Arli, ove il Rodano stagna,Si com
’
a Pola presso del Quarnaro,Che Italia chiude e i suoi termini bagna,
Fanno i sepolcri tutto il loco varoCosifacevan quivi d’ogni parte,Salvo che il modo v’ era p iu amaro
Che tra gli avelli fi amme erano sparte,Per le quali eran si del tutto
i
accesi,Che ferro p iunon chiede verun’
arte .
Tutti gli lor coperchi eran sospesi,E fuor 11 ’ uselvan si duri lamenti,Che ben parean di miseri e d’ offesi.Ed io Maestro, quai son quelle genti,
1 1 5 . Varo, vario, d iseguale.
1 At Arles, where the Rhone merous mounds, which are supstagnates before the sea ; and at posed to have been sepul chres .
Pola,a city ofI stria, near the The old legends respecting them
gulfofQuarnaro, there are nu are now qu ite obsolete.
104 INFERNO . CANTO IX.
buried w ithin those chests,
1 make themselves heard
bytheir painful sighs ?”
And he to me : These are the Arch-heretics
w ith their follow ers ofeverysect ; and much more ,than
.
thou thinkest, the tombs are laden . Like w ithlike is bur ied here ; and the monuments are more
and less hot.
”
Then,after turning to the right hand, w e passed
between the tortures and the high battlements .
Che seppellite dentro da quell’ archeSifan sentir coi sospiri dolenti?Ed egli a me Qui son gli eresiarche
Co’lor seguaci d’ ogni setta, e molto
Pi1‘
1 che non credi, son le tombe carche .
Simile qui con simile e sepoltoE imonimenti son p Iu, e men caldi.E p oi ch
’
alla man destra sifu vOlto,
Passammo tra i martiri e gli alti spaldi.
1 Arche, arks,chests
,coffers . which the bod ies are deposited
,
The term area is properly applied and which, with its lid, resemblesto the part ofa monument in a chest.
106 INFERNO . CANTO x.
CANTO X .
New by a narrow path, betw een the city-w all
and the torments, myMaster goes on, and I behind
him .
1 O Virtue supreme ! w ho through the im
pious circles thus w heelest me,as it pleases thee ,
”
I began ; speak to me, and satisfy my w ishes .
Might those people , w ho lie w ithin the sepulchres,be seen ? The covers all are raised, and none keepsguard .
”
And he to me : All shall be closed up,w hen
,
from Jehosaphat,2 they return here w ith the bodies
ORA sen va p er'
uno stretto calle,Tra il muro della terra e 11 martiri,
Lo mio Maestro, ed io dopo le spalle .
O virtu somma, che p er gli empi giriMi volvi, cominciai, come a te piace ;Parlami, e soddisfammi a
’
miei desiri.
La gente, che p er li sepolcri giace,Potrebbesi veder ? gia son levatiTutti i coperchi, e nessun guardia face .
Ed egli a me Tutti saran serrati,
Quando di Iosaphat qui torneranno
1 Lit. : Behind his shoulders .
2 From the valley ofJ ehosa
phat, where, according to the general opinion of that time, the
last judgment is to be held . Iw ill also gather all nations
,and
will bring them down into the
valley of J ehosaphat, and willpleachwith them thereLet the heathen be wakened, andcome up to the valley ofJ chosaphat for there will I sit to judgeall the heathen round about. ”J oel i ii. 2, 1 2 .
CANTO x. INFERNO . 1 07
which they have left above . In this part are en
tombed w ith Epicurus all his follow ers, w ho make
the soul die w ith the body. Therefore to the ques
tion, w hich thou askest me, thou shalt soon have
satisfaction here w ithin ; and also to the w ish1 w hich
thou holdest secret from me .
And I : Kind Guide,I do not keep myheart
concealed from thee, except for brevity ofspeech,to w hich thou hast ere now
2 disposed me .
”
O Tuscan ! who through the cityoffire goest
alive,sp eaking thu s de corously mayit please thee
Coi corpi, chelassu hanno lasciati.Suo cimitero da questa parte hanno
Con Epicuro tutti i suoi seguaci,Che l’ anima col corpo morta fanno .
PerOalla dimanda che mifaei
Quinci entro soddisfatto sarai tosto,
E al disio ancor, che tu mi tacI .
Ed io Buon Duca, non tegno nascostoA te mio cor, se non p er dicer poco ;E tu m’
hai non pur ora a ciOdisposto .
O Tosco, che p er la citta del focoVivo ten vai cOsi parlando onesto,
Piacciati di ristare in questo loco .
1 Probably the wish to see Fa
rinata. C anto vi. 79, &c. Dantehas now reached the “ bottom ,
”
where C iacco told him he m ightfind Farinata ; and is rem inded of
this by hearing V irgil speak of
E picurus. See note, p . 108.
2 Lit “Not only now ; not
only by thyexample and admoni
tions here (canto iii. 5 1 , 76, andix. but also by the old and
well - known brev ity ofthy style,
“hast thou disposed me to speaklittle.
1 08 INFERNO . CANTO x.
to stop in this place . Thyspeech clearlyshew s thee
a native ofthat noble country, which p erhaps Ivexed too much . Suddenlythis sound issued from
one ofthe chests, whereat in fear I drew a little closer
to myGuide .
And he said to me Turn thee round . What
art thou doing ? Lo there Farinata !1 who has raised
himself erect. From the girdl e upw ards thou shalt
see him all.”
Already I had fixed my look on his : and he
w as rising w ith a breast and countenance, as ifhe
La tua loquela tifa manifesto
Di quella nobil patria natio,Alla qual forse fui troppo molesto .
Subitamente questo suono uscioD’
una dell’ arche p erOm’
accostai,Temendo, un poco p iu al Duca mio.
Ed cimi disse : Volgiti che fai ?
Vedi laFarinata, che s’
e dritto
Dalla cintola in su tutto il vedrai.Io avea giail mio viso nel suo fi tto
Ed ci s’ ergea col petto e colla fronte,
1 Farinata degli Uberti, a fa
mous leader ofthe Ghibellines inthe time ofFrederick I I . and Of
Manfred. The family of the
Uberti was one ofthe oldest andmost powerful in Florence. In
the Chronicles ofMaleSp ini, V il
lani, &c . there is frequent men
tion made of Farinata and his
deeds and sayings. Daring, clear
sighted, prudent, magnanimous,
he stood above all the other Florentines ofhis time ; and the
name he left seems to have p roduced a deep impression uponDante: Boccaccio
,Landini, and
others, tell us that he denied theimmortality ofthe soul ; and be
longed to the “sect ofthe E p i
cureans .
”
1 10 INFERNO . CANTO x.
everyquarter , both times, I answ ered him .
yours have not rightlylearnt that art.”
Then, beside him ,there rose a shadow ,
A
visible
to the chin .
1 It had raised itself,I think, upon its
knees . I t looked around me, as ifit had a wish to
see w hether some one w ere w ith me . But w hen
all its expectation w as quenched , it said , w eeping :
If through this blind p rison thou goest byheightofgenius, w here is my son ? And w hy 1 s he not
w ith thee ? ”
And I to him : Of myself I come not. He ,
that w aits yonder, leads me through this place ;whom perhap s thyGuido
2 had in disdain .
Risposi io lui, l’ ‘
una e l’ altra fi ata ;Ma i vostri non ap p reser ben quell
’
arte .
Allor surse alla vista scoperchiataUn
’ombra lungo questa infino al mento
Credo che s’
era inginocchion levata .
D’
intorno mi guardO, come talentoAvesse di veder s
’
altri era mecoMa p oi che il sospicar fu tutto spento,Piangendo disse : Se p er questo ciecoCarcere vai p er altezza d’ ingegno,Mio figlio ov
’
e? e perche non e teco ?
Ed io a lui Da me stesso non vegno
Colui, che attende la, p er qui mimena,Forse cui Guido vostro ebbe a disdegno .
1 Lit. : Rose d iscovered to Guido. He was ofthe Guelphview, down to the chin.
” This is party. M a lesp . c . 1 05 , 1 68.
the shade ofC aval cante de’Caval 2 Guido Caval canti, celebratedcanti, the father ofDante’s friend as a poet and philosopher in those
CANTO x. INFERNO . 1 1 1
Alreadyhis w ords and the manner ofhis pun
ishment had read his name to me . Hence my an
sw er w as so ful l . Rising instantly erect,he cried
How saidst thou ? He had ?1 Lives he not still ?
Does not the sw eet light2 strike his eyes? ” When
he perceived that I made some delaybefore myan
sw er , he fell supine, and shew ed himself no more .
But that other, magnanimous, at w hose desire I
Le sue parole, e il modo della penaM’
avevan di costui gia letto il nome
PerOfu la risposta cosi piena .
Di subito drizzato gridO ComeDicesti egli ebbe ? non viv
’
egli ancora ?Non fi ere gli occhi sum 10 dolce lome ?
Quando s’accorse d’ alcuna dimora
Ch’
io faceva dinanzi alla risposta,Supin ricadde, e p 1u non parve fuora .
Ma quell’ altro magnanimo, a cui posta
69. Fiere, ferisce.
times, and now chiefly remarkablefor his intimate friendship withDante, which continued till thetime ofhis death , in December1 300. He married the daughterofFarinata in 1 266 (Villani, vii.
1 5 ) so that he must have beenmuch older than Dante, who was
born in 1 265 . He took a z ealousand violent share in the partysquabbles ofthe time, and w as
one ofthose that were banishedwhen Dante held the oflice of
chiefPrior in 1 300. Villani, v iii .4 1
,42 . In the Vita Nuova (p .
73 . Pasta, request.
334 ) Dante speaks ofGuido’saversion to the Latin tongue. I t
must have been either for thatreason, or for his fool ish party—v iolence
,w ith which Dante by no
means sympathised, that he is
here said to have held V irgil(Poet, or emblem ofWisdom) ind isdain . Several ofhis poems
are still extant.1 “He had as Ofa thing past.2 “ Truly the light is sweet,
and a pleasant thing it is for theeyes to behold the sun.
”E ccles .
xi. 7
1 12 INFERNO . CANTO II .
had stopped,changed not his aspect
,nor moved his
neck,nOr bent his side .
“And if,
” continuing his
former w ords,he said,
“they have learnt that art
badly, it more torments me than this bed . But the
face ofthe Queen ,
1w ho reigns here, shall not be
fiftytimes rekindled ere thou shalt know the hard
ness ofthat art.2 And so mayest thou return to
the sw eet w orld,
3 tell me w hythat people is so fierce
against mykindred in all its law s
Restato m’
era, non mutOaspetto,Nemosse collo, ne p iegO sua costa .
E se, continuando al primo detto,
Egli han quell’ arte, disse, male appresa,018) mi tormenta p in che questo letto .
Ma non cinquanta volte fi a raccesaLa faccia della donna, che qui regge,Che tu saprai quanto quell’ arte pesa .
E se tu mai nel dolce mondo regge,Dimmi, perche quel popolo e si empioIncontro a
’
miei in ciascuna sua legge ?
82 . Regge, rieda from an obsolete verb .
1 Tria Virginis ora Diance. fEn.
iv. 5 1 1 . Proserpine, Diana, or
the Moon.
2 Not fiftymonths shall pass before thou know the whole weight,or difliculty, ofthat art ofreturning from exile. The Cardinal daPrato, who had come to make a
last attempt at reconciling the twofactions, qu itted Florence on the
4th ofJ une, 1 304. Villani, v i ii.69. And, from that time
, the
party with which Dante had beenbanished lost all hope.
3 I adjure thee by thywish toreturn, tell me, &c. See alsov . 94 .
‘1 Whenever any law was
made for recalling the exiles, theUberti were always excepted .
”
B enn. da Imola , B accae. , &c. And
the bones of the family weretaken out of their tombs, and
cast into the Arno. Ibid .
'
1 14 INFERNO .CANTO x.
Ah ! so maythyseed have rest, I prayed him,
solve the knOt which has here involved myj udg
ment. I t seems that you see beforehand what timebrings w ith it, ifI rightlyhear ; and have a different
manner with the present.
Like one who has imperfect vision, w e see the
things,
”
he said,“w hich are remote from us : so
much light the Supreme Ruler still gives to u s .
1
When theydr aw nigh, or are,our intellect
gether void ;2 and except what others bring u s, w e
Deh se riposimai vostra semenza,Pregai io lui, solvetemi quel nodo,Che qui ha inviluppata mia sentenza.
E’ p ar che voiveggiate, se ben Odo,
Dinanzi quel, che il tempo seco adduc‘
e,
E nel presente tenete altro modo .
Noi veggiam come quei, che ha mala luce;Le cose, disse, che ne son lontano ;Cotanto ancor ne splende il sommo DuceQuando s
’
appressano, o son, tutto e vanoNostro intelletto e, s
’
altri nol ci apporta,
long as there w as l ife in his
body. ” The rest,
seeing the
man they had to deal with, and hisauthority, and followers, desisted .
And thus our city escaped fromsuch fury, by the valour ofone
c iti z en .
” Malesp . c. 1 70 ; Villani,vii i. 81 .
1 Lit. : So much does the
Supreme Ruler sti ll shine'
to us .
”
2 They see things d istant, whe
ther past or future but not thingsat hand
,or present. General
Opinion ofthe Fathers .
The d’
eparted spirits knowthings past and to come ; yet
are ignorant of things present.Agamemnon foretells what shouldhappen unto Ulysses, yet ignorautly inqu ires what is become
ofhis own son .
” Browne, Urne
B uria l, cap . iv.
CANTO x. INFERNO . 1 1 5
know nothing ofyour human state . Therefore thou
mayest understand that all our know ledge shall be
dead , from that moment w hen the p ortal ofthe Fu
ture shall be closed .
” 1
Then,as compunctious for my fault,
2 I said
Now w ill you therefore tell “ that fallen one, that
his child is still joined to the living .
3 And ifIw as mute before
,at the
‘
rep onse , let him know ,it
w as because mythoughts alreadyw ere in that error4
which you have resolved for m e .
And now myMaster w as .recalling me . Where
Nulla sap em di vostro stato umano .
PerO comprender puoi che tutta morta
Fia nostra conoscenza da quel punto,Che del futuro fi a chiusa la porta .
Allor, come dimia colpa compunto,Dissi \Or direte dunque a quel caduto,Che il suo nato e co
’
VIVI ancor congiunto .
E s’
10 fui dianzi alla risposta muto,Fat
’
ci saper che il fei, perche pensavaGia nell’ error che m
’
avete soluto .
E gia il Maestro mio mi richiamava
1 05 . Sap em, sapiamo. 1 1 3 . E i, a lui.
1 After the last judgment,when
“ there shall be time no longerwhen all
'
the tombs shall be sealedup . See v . 1 0, &c .
2 Fault ofnot having told C avalcante that his son was al ive ;and thereby hav ing given him
additional pain .
3 “ For to him that is joinedto all the l iving there is hope .
E ccles . ix. 4 .
1 E rror ofbelieving that thespirits in Hell, who could speakso clearly ofthings past and fu
ture, were likewise acquaintedw ith things present.
1 1 6 INFERNO . CANTO x.
fore I,in more haste
,besought the spirit to tell me
who w as w ith him .
He said to me With more than a thousand lie
I here . The second Frederick1 is here w ithin, and
the Cardinal ;2 and ofthe rest I speak not.
” There
w ith he hid himself.
And I tow ards the ancient Poet turned mystep s,
Per ch’
io pregai lo spirito pm avaccio,Che mi dicesse, chi con lui si stava .
Dissemi Qui con p Iu dimille giaccioQua entro e 10 secondo Federico,E 11 Cardinale, e degli altrimi taccio .
Indi s’ ascose ed io in vér l’ anticoPoeta volsi i passi, ripensando
1 The Emperor Frederi ck theSecond, who d ied on the 1 3th of
December, 1 2 5 0, in the fifty
sixth year ofhis age. As Em
p eror he reigned thirty years ,thirty- eight as King ofGermany,and fifty- two as King ofthe Two
Sicilies . One learns from the old
Chron i cles , &c. that he spent hisearly l ife in energetic stud ies, andmade his C ourt in S icily veryfamous by princely patronage of
literature and all that w as highestin those times . In his later yearshe seems to have moved in a
very turb id element, with armiesofSaracens, Papal excommunications
,and universal suspicion of
his nearest friends. The fabulous
book De Tribus Imp ostoribus wasimputed to him ; and he gavecause enough bes ides for the
charge ofheresy which Dantehere sanctions. In '
the treatiseDe Vulgari E loquio (lib. i . cap .
Dante speaks ofhis literaryinfluence, &c . in high terms.
2 Ottav iano degl i Ubaldini, a
Florentine, made Cardinal by Innocent IV . in 1 245 ; and d istinguished from other Cardinals byhis talents, his great influence,and vehement adherence to the
Ghibelline party. Ifthere beany soul, I have lost mine forthe Ghibellines,” is a profane ex
clamation ofhis, reported by allthe old commentators .
1 1 8 INFERNO . CANTO x .
We left the w all,and w ent tow ards the middle, by
a p ath that strikes into a valley, w hich even up there
annoyed u s w ith its fetor .
1
Lasciammo il muro, e gimmo in vér lo mezzoPer nu sentier, che ad una valle fi ede,
Che in fi n lassu facea spiacer suo lezzo
1 Lit. : Which made its fetor are still far from the lowest partdisplease even up there.
” They ofHell .
ARGUMENT .
After crossing the S ixth C ircle, the Poets come to a rocky precipicewhich separates it from the circles beneath . They find a largemonument, standing on the very edge ofthe precipice, with an
inscription indi cating that it contains a hereti cal Pop e ; and are
forced to take shelter behind it, on account ofthe fetid exhalationthat is rising from the abyss. V irgil explains what kind ofs innersare punished in the three circles which they have still to see ; and
why the carnal, the gluttonous, the avari cious and prodigal, thewrathful and gloomy- sluggish, are not punished within the cityofDis. Dante then inqu ires how usury offends God ; and V irgilhav ing answered him,
they go on, towards the place at which a
passage leads down to the Seventh C ircle.
1 20 INFERNO. CANTO 11 1 .
CANTO XI.
UPON the edge ofa high bank,formed by large
broken stones in a circle, w e came above a still
more cruel throng .
1 And here, because ofthe hor
rible excess ofsten ch2 w hich the deep abyss throw s
out, w e approached it under cover ofa great monu
ment,w hereon I saw a w riting that said : I hold
Pop e Anastasius, whom Photinus drew from the
straight w ay.
” 3
IN su 1’
estremita d’
nu’alta ripa,
Che facevan gran pietre rotte in cerchio,Venimmo sopra p iu crudele stipaE quivi p er 1
’
orribile soperchioDel puzzo, che il profondo abisso gitta,Ci raccostammo dietro ad nu coperchioD’
nu grande avello, ov’ io vidi una scritta
Che diceva : Anastasio papa guardo,Lo qual trasse '
Fotin della via dritta .
1 Crowd ofgreater s inners ingreater punishment, below the
precipice to which the Poets havecome.
2 Stench ofmurderers, &c. thatare below.Oh , myoffence is rank ; it smells to
heaven.
”
H amlet, act iii. scene 3 .
3 I t w as a current bel iefinDante’s time, and for two hun
dred years later,that a Pope An
astasius had been drawn from the
straight w ayby Photinus, the He
retie ofThessalonica ; and had
died a horrible death in cousequence. See the comments of
Boccaccio, Landino, V ellutello,Daniello, &c. The J esuits Bel_larmino, V enturi, &c. have em
deavoured to shew that there was
no such Pope in the time ofPho
1 22 INFERNO . CANTO x1 .
suffice thee, hearken how and w herefore they are
pent up . Of all malice, which gains hatred in Hea
ven,the end is injury; and every such end , either
by violence or by fraud, aggrieveth others . But
because fraud is a vice peculiar to man,it more
displeases God ; and therefore the fraudul ent are
placed beneath,1 and more pain assails them .
All the first circle is for the violent. But as
violence maybe done to three persons , it is formed
and distinguished into three rounds .
2 To God, to
one’s self,and to one’s neighbour , may violence be
done : I say to them and to their things, as thou
shalt hear with open demonstration .
“ By violence, death and p ainful w ounds
Intendi come, e perche son costretti.D’
ogni malizia ch’ odio in Cielo acquista,Ingiuria e il fine ed ogni fin cotale0 con forza, 0 con frode altrui contrista .
Ma perchefrode e dell’ nom proprio male,Pin spiace a Dio e p erO stan di suttoGlifrodolenti, e pm dolor gli assale .
De’ violenti il primo cerchio e tutto,Ma perche sifa forza a tre persone,In tre gironi e distinto e costrutto .
A Dio, a se, al prossimo si pnoneFar forza dico in loro, e in lor cose,Come udirai con aperta ragione .
Morte p er forza, e ferute dogliose
1 Quum autem duobus modis, id homine est ; sed fraus odio d igna
est, aut vi autfraude fi at inj uria maj ore. C icero, de Offi c. i. 1 3 .
utrumque alienissimum ab 2 Concentric spaces, or rings .
CANTO xr. INFERNO . 1 23
be brought upon1 one’s neighbour ; and upon his
substance , devastations , burnings, and injurious ex
tortious w herefore the first round torments all
homicides, every one who strikes maliciously, all
p lunderers and robbers,in different bands . A man
may layviolent hand up on himself, and upon his
property: and therefore in the second round must
every one repent in vain who deprives himself of
your w orld,
2 games aw ay and dissipates his w ealth,and w eeps there where he shoul d be joyous .
3 V io
lence maybe done against the Deity, in the heart1
Nel prossimo si danno, e nel suo avereRuine, incendi e tollette dannose
Onde omicidi, e ciascun che mal fi ere,
Guastatori e predon, tutti tormentaLo giron primo p er diverse schiere .
Puote uomo avere in seman violentaE ne
’suoi beni e p erOnel secondo
Giron Convien che senza p ro si pentaQualunque priva sedel vostro mondo,Biscazza e fonde la sua facultade,E piange la dove esser dee giocondo .
Puossifar forza nella Deitade,
1 L 1t Are given to the more clearness and intens ity. To
neighbour. Catervatim dat stra him moroseness seems a greatgem. Georg. i ii . 5 5 6. Ccecum crime .
dare vulnus . ZEn . x. 733.
‘1 “The fool hath said in his
2 C ommits self-murder. heart, There is no God.
” P sa lm
3 Dante has an earnestness that x iv. 1 ; liii . 1 . Out ofthe heartis deep, nay infinite but that ofmen proceed ev il thoughtsonly makes him feel the beauty blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
and bounty ofGod’s creation with Mark vii. 2 1 , 22.
1 24 INFERNO . CANTO x1 .
denying and blaspheming Him ; and insulting Nature
and her bounty: and hence the smallest1 round seals
w ith its mark2 both Sodom and Cahors,3 and all who
Speak w ith disparagement ofGod in their hearts .
Fraud,w hich gnaw s every conscien ce} a man
may pi'
actise upon those who confide in him ; and
upon those w ho lend no sp ecial confidence This
latter mode5 seems only to cu t offthe bon d oflove
w hich Nature makes : hence in the second circle
Col cor negando e bestemmiando quella,E spregiando Natura, e sua bontadeE p erOlo minor giron suggellaDel segno suo e Sodoma, e Caorsa,E chi, spregiando Dio, col cor favella .
La frode, ond’
ogni coscI enz a emorsa,
Pub 1’ uomo usare in quei, ch
’in lui Si fi da,
E in quei che fi danz a non imborsa.
Questo modo di retro p ar che uccida
Pur lo vincol d’amor che fa Natura
Onde nel cerchio secondo s’
annida
1 Included within the othertwo, and therefore smallest.
2 “ If any man worship the
beast and his image, and receivehis Mark in his forehead , or in
his hand, the same shall drink ofthe wine ofthe wrath ofGod .
”
Rev. xiv. 9, 1 0.
3 C ahors,~ a city ofGuienne ;
a nest ofusurers in Dante’s time.
Boccacc io says that in FlorenceCaorsino was synonymous withusuraio, usurer. See Ducange,
Glossar . art. Caorcini, for some
curious particulars respecting thenumbers and hateful work ofthoseUsu rers .
1 Gnaws every one consciousofhav ing practised it. Or : gnawsthe conscience ofevery one ; fromits being so common in those times .
5 Fraud in general,without
violation ofany special confi d
ence, breaks only the common
bond oflove that un ites man to
man .
1 26 INFERNO . CANTO x1 .
w hom the rain beats ; and those w ho meet w ith
tongues so sharp,— why are they not punished in
the red city, ifGod’s anger be upon them ? And
ifnot,w hyare theyin such plight ? ”
And he to me :“Wherefore errs thymind so
much beyond its w ont ? Or are thythoughts turned
somew here else ? Rememberest thou not the w ords
w herew ith thyEthics1 treat ofthe three dispositions
w hich Heaven w ills n ot,incontinence , malice , and
mad bestiality? And how incontinence less offends
God,and receives less blame ? If thou rightlycon
E che s’
incontran con si aspre lingue,Perché non dentro della citta roggiaSon ci puniti, se Dio gli ha in iraE se non gli ha, perche sono a tal foggia ?
Ed egli a me Perche tanto delira,Disse, lo ingegno tuo da quel ch’
ci suole ?
Ovver la mente dove altrove mira ?
Non ti rimembra di quelle parole,Con le quai 1a tua Etica pertrattaLe tre disp osiz ion, che il Ciel non vuole
Incontinenza, malizia e la matta
Bestialitade ? e come incontinenzaMen Dio offende, e men biasimo accatta ?
73 . Roggia , rossa, red with fi re.
Whom the rain beats, the
Gluttons and E picures. Canto vi.
Those with tongues so sharp,”the Prodigal and Avaricious.
C anto vii. They ofthe confines,who never were alive” (canto
are not taken into account.
1 The E thics of Aristotle,
which thou hast made thy own
by study. L ib. vii. cap . 1 . Re
specting morals, three things are
to be avoided : malice, incontinence, and h estiality.
” See alsoI bid . cap . 8, &c .
CANTO x1 . INFE RNO . 1 27
siderest this doctrine, and recallest to thymemoryw ho theyare that suffer punishment above , w ithout}thou easily w ilt see w hy they are separated from
these fell sp irits , and why, w ith less anger, DivineJustice strikes them .
”
C Sun !2 w ho healest all troubled vision, thoumakest so glad w hen thou resolvest me
,that to
doubt I s not less grateful than to know . Turn thee
yet a little back, to w here thou sayest that usuryoffends the Divine Goodness,3 and unravel the knot.
Se tu riguardi ben questa sentenz a,
E rechiti alla mente chi son quelli,Che su difuor sostengon penitenza,
Tu vedrai ben perche da questifelliSien dipartiti, e perchemen crucciataLa divina giustizia glimartelli.
0 SO1, che sani ogni vista turbata,Tu mi contenti si
,quando tu solvi,
Che, non men che saver, dubbiar m’
aggrata .
Ancora nu poco indietro ti rivolvi,Diss’ io, la dove di
’
che usura offendeLa divina bontade, e il groppo svolvi.
1 Incontinence is punished inthe five circles, which are above,without the city ofDis and ma
l ice and bestiality, in the threelowest circles within it. Heresyl ies between them in the S ixthC ircle, l ike a kind ofconnectinglink ; a preparation for the trans itiou from incontinence to ma
l ice and brutishness. That tomb
ofthe Pope is put on the vergeofthe precipice, and exposed to
the blast ofthe abyss , in order to
shew, amongst other things, whatcrimes heresy may lead to, especiallyin those ofhigh station.
2 “ L ight of other Poets.
C anto i. 82 .
3 S ee verses 46- 5 0, where thisis said in substance.
1 28 INFERNO . CANTO XI.
He said to me : Philosophy, to him w ho hears1
it,points out
,not in one place alone , how Nature
takes her course from the Divine Intellect, and fromAnd
,ifthou note w ell thy Physics , thou
w ilt find,not many pages from the first
,that your
art, as far as it can ,follow s her,2 as the scholar does
his master ; so that your art is,as it w ere , the grand
child3 ofthe Deity. Bythese tw o} ifthou recallest
to thymemoryGenesis5at the beginning , it behoves
its art.
Filosofi a, mi disse, a chi l’attende,
Nota non pure in una sola parte,Come Natura lo suo corso prende
Dal divino Intelletto e da sua arte
El
se tu ben la tua Fisica note,
Tu troverai non dopo molte carte,C he l’ arte vostra quella, quanto puote,Segue, come il maestro fa il discente,Si che vostr
’
arte a Dio quasi e nipote .
Da queste due, se tu ti rechi a mente
Lo Genesi dal principio, conviene
1 Lit. : Who attends to it ;
considers it rightly. Some edi
tions read : Chi la intende,“who
understands it but without goodauthority.
2 Nature . In the Physics of
Aristotle, i i. 2 : Ars imitatur na
turam in quantum p otest.3 Your art being the daughter
ofNature, and Nature the daugh
ter ofthe Deity.
‘1 By Nature and Art ; by realwork, agreeable to Nature and
Art,
“ it behoves,” &c .
5 Allusion to the labour ap
pointed for Adam and all his p os
terity:“And the Lord God took
the man, and put him into the
garden ofE den to dress it,and
to keep it. Genesis ii. 1 5 . In
the sweat ofthyface shalt thoueat bread.
” I bid . iii. 1 9.
ARGUMENT .
The waydown to the Seventh C ircle commences in a wild chasm of
shattered rocks. I ts entrance is occupied by the Minotaur, horrorofCrete, and emblem ofthe bloodthirsty v iolence and brutalitythat are punished below. The monster begins to gnaw himselfthreateningly ; but V irgil d irects emphatic words to him, whichin stantly make him plunge about in powerless fury, and leavethe passage free for some time. Dante is then led down amongstloose stones, which are lying so steep , that they give wayunder
the weight ofhis feet. The river ofB lood comes to View as theyapproach the bottom ofthe precipice . I t goes round the wholeofthe Seventh C ircle , and forms the First ofits three d ivisions .
All who have comm itted V iolence against others are tormented in
it some being immersed to the eyebrows, some to the throat, &c .,
ac cording to the d ifferent degrees ofguilt ; and troops ofC entaurs
are running along its outer bank, keeping each s inner at his p ro
p er depth . Nessus is appointed by Chiron, chiefofthe Centaurs ,to guide Dante to the shallowest part ofthe river, and carry himacross it. He names several ofthe tyrants, murderers, assassins ,&c. that appear as they go along ; and then repasses the river byhimselfto rejoin his companions.
1 32 INFERNO . CANTO xu .
CANTO XII .
THE place to which w e came, in order to descend
the bank, w as alpine, and such, from what w as there
besides, that every eye w ould shun1 it. A s is the
ruin,w hich struck the Adige in its flank
,on this
side Trent,2 caused by earthquake or by defectiveprop ; for from the summit ofthe mountain
,w hence
it moved, to the p lain, the rock is shattered so, that
it might give some passage to one that w ere abovesuch ofthat rocky steep w as the descent. And on
ERA lo loco, ove a scender la rivaVenimmo, alpestro ; e, p er quel ch
’
ivi anco,Tal, ch
’
ogni vista ne sarebbe schiva.
Qual e quella ruina, che nel fi ancoDi qua da Trento 1
’Adice percosse
0 p er.
tremuoto o p er sostegno mancoChe da cima del monte, onde simosse,
Al piano, C Si la roccia discoscesa,Ch
’
alcuna via darebbe a chi su fosse
Cotal di quel burrato era la scesa .
1 Such,from the Minotaur in 1 3 1 0
,when he was probably
which layspread over it (ver. 1 1 , staying with Bartolom . della Scala.
that every look would be See the Paduan edition ofDante.
shyofit. ” But the Adige is a rapid stream,
2 Dante had doubtless seen the and seems to have been thusfall of the mountain, which he “
struck in flank,
”or thrust out
here describes, as it could not ofits course, at various places ,have been far from V erona. One by the mountains it had under
such fall took place near Rivol i mined .
1 34 INFERNO . CANTO x1 1 .
plunges hither and thither ; so I saw the Minotaur
do . And myw aryGuide cried : Run to the p assage .
Whilst he is in fury, it is good that thou descend .
”
Thus w e took our w ay dow nw ards on the ruin1
of those stones, which often moved beneath my
feet, from the unusual w eight ? I w en t musing,and he said Perhap s thou art thinking ofthis
fal len mass, guarded by that bestial rage, w hich Iquelled j ust now . I w ould have thee know , that,w hen I w ent the other time, dow n here to the deepHell,3 this rock had not yet fallen . But certainly,ifI distinguish rightly, short while before He came,w ho took from Dis the great prey ofthe upmost
Vid’io 10 Minotauro far cotale .
E quegli accorto gridi) : Corri al varcoMentre ch
’
e in furia, e buon che tu ti cale .
Cosi prendemmo via giu p er lo scarcoDi quelle pietre, che spesso moviensi
Sotto i miei piedi p er lo nuovo carco.
Io gia pensando e quei disse Tu pensiForse a questa rovina, ch
’
e guardataDa quell’ ira bestia! , ch’ 10 ora spensi.
Or vo’
che sappi, che l’
altra fi ata
Ch’iodiscesi quaggiu nel basso Inferno,
Questa roccia non era ancor cascata .
Ma certo, poco pria, se ben dis’
cerno,Che venisse Colui, che la gran predaLevOa Dite del cerchio superno,
1 Lit. : “Discharge,” &c. Stones 2 Weight ofhis body ; on a waylying as steep as when they were frequented only by spirits.first shattered and fell . 3 See canto ix. 25 , &c.
CANTO x1 1 . INFERNO . 1 3 5
circle} on all sides the deep loathsome valley trem
bled so, that I thought the Universe felt love ,w hereby, as some believe , the w orld has oft- times
been converted into chaos ? And in that moment}here
,and elsew here} this ancient rock made such
dow nfal .
But fix thyeyes up on the valley;5 for the river
ofblood draw s nigh,in which boils everyone who
by violence mj ures others . 0 blind cup idity! O
foolish anger ! w hich so incites us in the short life ;and then, in the eternal, steep s us so bitterly.
”
Da tutte parti 1’ alta valle fedaTremO si, ch
’
io pensai che 1’ UniversoSentisse amor, p er lo quale e chi creda
Pinvolte il mondo in caos conversoE in quel punto questa vecchia roccia
Qui, e altrove, tal fece riverso .
Ma fi cca gli occhi a valle che s’app roccia
La riviera del sangue, in la qual bolleQual che p er violenza in altrui noccia.
O cieca cupidigia, o ira folle,Che si ci Sproni nella
’
vita corta,E nell’ eterna p oi simal c’ immolle !
1 Took the Patriarchs (“ greatprey” ofDis till then) from Limbo. Canto iv . 5 2 , &c.
2 Opinion ofEmp edocles . Arist.Metap hys . i. 4 ; Lucret. i. 71 7, &c.
3 When Christ d ied . And
the earth did quake,and the rocks
rent ; and the graves were opened :
and many bod ies of the saintswhich slept arose, and came out
oftheir graves, and went into theholy city.” M att. xxv ii. 5 1
, &c .
‘1 In the place ofthe Hypocrites. Canto xxi ii. 1 36, &c .
5 Look down ; fix thy eyes(a valle) valleywards.
1 36 INFERNO . CANTO'
x1 1 .
I saw a w ide foss bent arcw ise, as embracing all
the plain, according to what myGuide had told me .
And betw een it and the foot ofthe bank w ere Cen
taur e, running one behind the other , armed w ith
arrow s,as theyw ere w ont on earth to go in hunting .
Perceiving u s descend, theyall stood still ; and from
the band three came forth w ith bow s and javelinschosen first . And one ofthem cried from far
To what torment come ye, ye that descend '
the
coast ? Tell from thence ifnot, I draw the bow
MyMaster said : Our answ er w e w ill make toChiron, there near at hand . Unhappily
1 thy w ill
w as alw ays thus rash .
”
Io vidi nu’ampia fossa in arco torta,
Come quella che tutto il piano abbraccia,Secondo ch’ avea detto la mia scortaE tra il pie della ripa ed essa, in tracciaCorrean Centauri armati di saette,Come solean nel mondo andare a caccia .
Vedendoci calar ciascun ristette,
E della schiera tre si dipartiro
Con archi e asticciuole prima elette
E 1’ nu gridO da lungi : A qual martiro
Venite voi, che scendete la costa ?
Ditel costinci, se non, l’
arco tiro .
Lo mio Maestro disse : La rispostaFarem noi a Chiron costa di presso
Mal fu la voglia tua sempre si tosta .
1 Unhappily for thyself. Her V irgil will explain his errand onlycules slew thee for thyrashness. to Chiron, the sage physician.
1 38 INFERNO . CANTO XI I.
ceived that he behind moves w hat he touches ?
feet ofthe dead are not w ont to do so .
”
And my good Guide, who w as already at his
breast,w here the tw o natures join
,replied : In
deed he is alive, and solitary thus have I to shew
him the dark valley. Necessity brings him to it}
and not sport.
The
From singing Alleluiah, came She2
w ho gave me this new offi ce He is no robber ,But by that virtue3 through
which I move my step s on such a w oody w ay}
give us one ofthy comp anions w hom w e mayfol
nor I a thievish spirit.
Che quel di rietro move ciOch’
ci tocca ?Cosi non soglion fare i pie de
’morti.
E il mio buon Duca, che giagli era al petto,Ove le due nature son consorti,
Rispose Ben C vivo ; C Si solettoMostrarlimi convieu la valle buiaNecessita 11 c’ induce, e non diletto .
Tal si parti da cantare alleluia,Che mi commise quest’ ufi cio nuovo ;Non e ladron, ne io anima fuia.
Ma p er quella virtu, p er cui io muovoLi passimiei p er si selvaggia strada,
Danne un de’ tuoi, a cui noi siamo a pruovo,
93. A p ruova, from Lat. p rop e, near.
0
1 “ And there w as no otherw ay,
” 85 0. Purg . canto i . 62 .
2 Lit. : “Such (Beatrice, C elestial Wisdom ) came from singing Alleluiah ;” and “ gave me
(Human Wisdom) this new of
fi ce.
”See note 2d
,p. 1 7. See
also the Great voice ofmuchpeople in Heaven, saying Alleluiah as the voice ofmanywaters, and as the voi ce ofmanythunderings,” &c. Rev. xix. l , 6 .
3 That. high Celestial mission.
‘1 Or : wild,” obstructed way.
CANTO xI I . INFERNO . 1 39
low } that he may shew u s w here the ford is , and
carryover him upon his back, for he is not a spirit
to go through the air .
Chiron bent round on his right breast, and said
to Nessus Turn,and guide them so and if
another troop meet you , w ard it off.
We moved onw ards w ith the trustyguide , along
the border ofthe p urple seething, w herein the boiledsp irits gave loud yells . I saw p eop le , to the eye
brow s immersed in it ; and the large Centaur said
These are tyrants w ho took to blood and plunder .
Here theylament their merciless offences . Here is
Alexander ;2 and fierce Dionysius, w ho made Sicily
Che ne dimostri la ove si guada,E che porti costui in su la groppa,Chenon e spirto che p er l
’
aer vada.
ChirOn si volse in sulla destra poppa,E disse a Nesso Torna, e si li guida ;E fa cansar, s
’altra schiera v’ intoppa .
Noi cimovemmo colla scorta fi daLungo la proda del bollor vermiglio,Ove i bollitifaceano alte strida .
Io vidi gente sotto infino al ciglioE 11 gran Centauro disse Ei son tiranni,
Che dier nel sangue e nell’ aver di piglio .
Quivi si piangou li spietati daumQuivi eAlessandro, e Dionisio fero,
1 Lit. : To whom we maybe2 Alexander the Great, accord
near,” 85 0. Nessus adit, membris ing to the earl iest commentators ,
quevalens , scitusquevadorum. Ovid . P ietro (Dante’s son), Boccaccio,M et. ix. 108. Landino, &c. And their opinion
1 40 INFERNO . CANTO x1 1 .
have years ofw oe . And that brow w ith hair so
black is Az z olino ;1 and that other , who is blond, isObizzo2 ofEste, who in verityw as suffocated, up in
the w orld,byhis step - son .
”
Then I turned me to the Poet, and he said : Let
him be chief guide to thee now} and me second .
A little farther on, the Centaur p aused beside
Che fe’Cicilia aver dolorosi anni
E quella fronte che ha 11 p el cosi neroE Azzolino e quell’ altro, ch
’e biondo,
E Obizzo da Esti, il qual p er veroEu spento dal figliastro su nel mondo .
Allor mi volsi al Poeta e quei disseQuesti ti sia or primo, ed io secondo.
Poco p i1‘
1 oltre il Centauro s’
affi sse
is confirmed by the passage inLu can, beginning : I llic P e’lcei
p roles cesana P hilipp i, Felix p rcedo,
j acet, &c. Phars . x. 2 1,& c .
Alexander is praised, but for hisl iberality only, in the Convito,
Tr. iv. 0.
1 A z z olino, or E z z el ino di
Romano, L ieutenant ofthe Em u
petor Frederick I I . ; and after
wards Chiefofthe Ghibellines, inthe Marca Trevigiana and greatpart ofLombardy. He d ied in1 260 ; and was
“the most cruel
and formidable tyrant that everlived among Christians . Vil
lani, vi. 72 . No exaggerationhere in the Guelph historian.
2 Marqu is ofFerrara, “a fu
rions , cruel , rapacious tyrant.”
When weakened by d isease, in theyear 1 293 , he was smothered byhis own son A z z o, who is herecalled a step - son in consequence.
He was a Guelph, counterpart toE z z el ino the Ghibelline. Dante
had an equal hatred ofboth ° fac
tions . The Monarchy, for whichhe strove so z ealously, w as to
be a thing infinitely above both.A z z o is again alluded to in cantoxviii. 5 6 and in Purg. V. 77.
3 Lit. : “ Let him be first to
thee,” &c. Let him shew theethese tyrants, assass ins, and murderers . Phlegyas
,whom we saw
on the angry marsh, is Grandfather ofthe C entaurs, in the an
cient myths : and like him theyare emblems ofV iolence.
142 INFERNO . CANTO x1 1 .
seest the boiling stream,on this side
,continually
diminish,”said the Centaur , so I w ould have thee
to believe that,on this other} it low ers its bottom
more and more, till it comes again to w here tyrannyis doomed to mourn. Divine Justice here tormentsthat Attila
, who w as a scourge on earth ; and Pyr
rhus and Sextus ;2 and draw s eternal tears , w hich
w ith its boiling it unlocks,from Rinier ofCorneto
,
from Rinier Paz z o} w ho on the highw ays made so
much w ar .
”
Then he turned back, and by himself repassed
the ford .
Si come tu da questa parte vediLo bulicame che sempre si scema,Disse il Centauro, voglio che tu credi,
Che da quest’ altra a p in a p ingiupremaLo fondo suo, infi n che si raggiungeOve la tirannia convien che gema .
La divina giustizia di qua pungeQuell’ Attila che fu flagello in terra,
E Pirro, e Sesto ; ed in eterno mungeLe lagrime, che col bollor disserra,A Rinier da Corneto, a Rinier Pazzo,Che fecero alle strade tanta guerra .
Poi si rivolse, e rip assossi il guazzo .
1 Nessus keeps wading acrossthe broad ford, at the same time
that he is telling Dante how , on
bbth sides of them, the stream
deepens .
2 Pyrrhus, King of E pirus.
Sextus the Pirate, son ofPompey .
Sextus erat, magno p roles indigna
p arente, & c. Lucan, vi. 420.
3 Two noted robbers and assas
s ins, both on a great scale, in thetime ofFrederick I I . The latterbelonged to the noble family of
the Paz z i in Florence.
ARGUMENT.
The Second Round, or ring, ofthe Seventh C ircle ; the d ismal mysti cWood ofSelf-murderers . The souls ofthese have taken root in
the ground, and become stunted trees, with withered leaves and
branches ; instead offruit, producing poison. The obscene Har
pies, insatiable foreboders ofm isery and despair, sit wailing uponthem and devouring them. P ietro delle V igne, the great Chancellor ofFrederi ck I I . , is one ofthe su ic ides ; and he tells Dantewhat had made him destroy himself
, and also in what manner the
souls are converted into those uncouth trees . Their dis course isinterrupted by the noise oftwo spirits all naked and torn, who”
come rushing through the dense wood, pursued by eager femalehell - hounds. The first ofthem is Lano, a S iennese ; the second ,J acopo da Sant’ Andrea, a Paduan. Both had Violently wastedtheir substance, and thereby brought themselves to an untimelyend, and to this punishment. Dante finds a countryman
,who,
after squandering all his substance, had hanged himself; and hearshim speak superstitiously about the calamities ofFlorence.
1 44 INFERNO . CANTO xI I I.
CANTO XIII .
NE SSUS had not yet reached the other side} when
w e moved into a w ood, which byno path w as marked .
Not green the foliage , but brow n in colour not
smooth the branches, but gnarled and w arped ; ap
ples none w ere there , but w ithered sticks w ith poison .
No holts2 so rough or dense have those w ild b easts,that hate the cultivated tracts, betw een Cecina and
Corneto .
3
Here the unseemly Harpies make their nest,
w ho chased the Trojans from the Strophades w ith
dismal note offuture w oe .
4 Wide w ings theyhave ,
NON era ancor di 1aNesso arrivato,Quando noi cimettemmo p er nu bosco,Che da nessun sentiero era segnato .
Non frondi verdi, ma di color foscoNon rami schietti, ma nodosi e involtiNon pomi v’ eran, ma stecchi con tosco .
Non han si aspri sterpi ne sifoltiQuelle fi ere selvagge, che in odio hannoTra Cecina e Corneto i luoghi colti.Quivi le brutte Arpie lor nido fanno,Che cacciar delle Strofade i Troiani
Con tristo annunzio difuturo danno .
1 Ofthe river ofblood. Church. The d istrict between2 Lit. : No roots, trunks, or them is still wild, and entangled
shoots so rough ,” &c. with forests and marshes.
3 Cecina, a small river to the 1 See the prophecy ofCeleeno
south ofLeghor n ; Corneto, a the Harpy, &c . ; and its effect ontown in the Patrimony of the the Trojans. E n. iii. 245 - 262.
1 46 INFERNO . CANTO 111 1 1 .
I imagined so many voices came, amongst those
stumps,from people w ho hid themselves on our
account. Therefore the Master said If thoubreakest offany tw iglet from one ofthese p lants,the thoughts, which thou hast, will all become defective .
”
Then I stretched myhand a little forw ard, and
plucked a branchlet from a great thorn ; and the
trunk ofit cried : “Whydost thou rend me ?”
An d
w hen it had grow n dark w ith blood, it again beganto cry: Why tearest thou me ? Hast thou no
breath ofpity? Men w e w ere, and now are turned
to trees . Trulythyhand shoul d be more merciful,had w e been soul s ofserpents .
”
As a green brand, that is burning at one end, at
I’ credo ch’ ci credette ch’ io credesse,Che tante voci uscisser tra que
’ bronchiDa gente che '
p er noi si nascondesse .
PerOdisse il Maestro Se tu tronchiQualche fraschetta d’ una d’ este piante,Li pensier ch’
hai sifaran tuttimonchi.Allor porsi la mano nu poco avante,E colsi un ramuscel da nu gran pruno,E il tronco suo gridO Perchemi schiante ?
Da che fatto fu p oi di sangue bruno,RicomincIO a gridar Perchemi scerpi?Non hai tu spirto di pietate alcuno ?
Uominifummo, ed or Siam fatti sterp
Ben dovrebb’
esser la tua man pinp ia,
Se state fossimo anime di serpi.
Come d’ nu stizzo verde, che arso sia
CANTO XI II. INFERNO . 47
the other drops, and hisses with the w ind which is
escaping ; so from that rent, w ords and blood cameforth together : w hereat I let fall the top } and stood
like one who is afraid .
If he,0 w ounded sp irit l
”
my Sage rep lied ,coul d have believed before, w hat he has seen only
in myverse ,2 he w ou ld not have stretched forth his
hand against thee ; but the incredibilityofthe thing
made me p rompt him to do w hat grieves myself.
But tell him who thou w ast ; so that, to make theesome amends, he may refresh thy fame up in the
w orld,to which he is p ermitted to return .
”
And the trunk : Thou so allurest me w ith thy
Dall’ nu de’ capi, che dall’altro geme,
E cigola p er vento che va via
Si della scheggia rotta usciva insieme
Parole e sangue ond’
io lasciai la cimaCadere, e stetti come 1’ nom che teme .
S’ egli avesse potuto creder prima,Rispose il Savio mio, anima lesa,CiOche ha veduto pur con la mia rima,
Non averebbe in te la man distesa ;Ma la cosa incredibile mifeceIndurlo ad ovra, ch
’
a me stesso pesa .
Ma dilli chi tu fosti, si che, in veceD’
alcuna ammenda, tua fama rinfreschiNel mondo su, dove tornar gli lece .
E 11 tronco Si col dolce dir m’
adeschi,
1 Which he had broken off which he has already alluded . See
2 In the story ofPolydorus, to (p . 1 45 ) ver. 2 1 and note 4 .
1 48 INFERNO . CANTO 111 1 1 .
sw eet w ords, that I cannot keep silent ; and let it
not seem burdensome to you , ifI enlarge a littlein discourse .
1 I am he} w ho held both keys of
Frederick’s heart, and turned them, locking and
unlocking so softly, that from his secrets I excludedalmost every other man . So great fidelity bore Ito the glorious office, that I lost therebyboth sleepand life . The harlot} that never from Caesar’s dw ell
Oh’io non posso tacere e voi non gravi
Perch’ io nu poco a ragionar m’inveschi.
Io son colui, che tenni ambo le chiaviDel cor di Federigo, e che le volsiSerrando e disserrando si soavi,
Che dal segreto suo quasi ogni nom tolsI
Fede portai al glorioso ufi z io,
Tanto ch’io ne perdei lo sonno e i polsi.
La meretrice, che mai dall’ospizio
1 Lit IfI am enticed, or
caught in the lure, to d iscoursea while.
” Adescare and invescare
are both derived from esca, a baitor lure.
2 P ietro delleV igne (dc Vincis) ,secretary, protonotary, chancellor,& c. ofthe Emperor Frederick I I .He w as born ofvery poor parents,at Capua, towards the end ofthe
twelfth century ; begged his way
to Bologna, and stud ied there withgreat z eal and effect ; attractedthe notice ofthe Emperor, and
stood in the highest favour withhim for many years, transacting
all his greatest affairs. In his
prosperity, he remembered his
poor mother and sister ; and
seems to have been every way
a noble and brave- hearted man,
with whom Dante could deeplysympathise. I t was not till afterthe Council ofLyons, ih _
l 245 ,
when Frederick became entangledwith universal suspicion, that hewas accused oftreachery, and destroyed himselfin that b itter sor
row and d isdain.
” Six Books of
his Latin letters are stil l extant,and one Can z one in Italian.
3 E nvy. See ver. 78.
1 5 0 INFERNO. CANTO XII I.
Since he is silent, lose not the hour ;1 but speak,and ask him,
ifthou w ouldst know more .
Whereat I to him : Do thou ask him farther ,respecting what thou thinkest w ill satisfyme ; for
I could not, such pityis upon myheart.” 2
He therefore resumed : So may the man3 do
freelyfor thee w hat thyw ords entreat him,0 im
p risoned spirit, please thee tell us farther, how the
soul gets bound up in these knots . And tell us , if
thou mayest, w hether anyever frees itself fr om such
members .
” 4
Then the trunk blew strongly, and soon that
w ind w as changed into these w ords : “ Briefly shall
Disse il Poeta a me, non perder 1’ora ;
Ma parla, e chiedi a lui, se p iu ti piace.
Ond’io a lui : Dimandal tu ancora
Di quel che credi ch’ a me soddisfaccia ;Ch
’io non potrei tanta pietam’
accora .
PerOricominciO Se 1’
uom tifacciaLiberamente ciO che il tuo dir prega,Spirito incarcerato, ancor ti piaccia
Di dirne come 1’ anima si legaIn questi nocchi e dinne, se tu puoi,S’ alcuna mai da taimembra si spiega .
Allor soflic‘) lo tronco forte, e p oiSi converti quel vento in cotal voce
1 The moment, the occasion.3 The man, i. e. Dante.
2 Dante well knew the great 1 Lit. : Unfolds itselffromtask ofFrederick’s chiefman ; such members escapes fromand the wayin which he had en~ those knotty stunted forms, in
deavoured to perform it. which it is kept imprisoned.
CANTO xm . INFERNO . 1 5 1
you be an sw ered . When the fierce spirit quits thebody, from which it has torn itself, Minos sends it
to the seventh gulf. I t falls into the w ood, and no
place is chosen for it ; but w herever fortune flingsit, there it sp routs, like grain ofsp elt ; shoots up
to a sapling, and to a savage p lant. The Har pies,
feeding then up on its leaves, give p ain, and to the
p ain an outlet .1 Like the others, w e shall go for our
spoils } yet none shall thereby clothe himself w ith
them again : for it is not j ust that a man have what
he takes from himself. Hither shall w e drag them,
and through the mournful w ood our bodies shal l
Brevemente sararisposto a voi.
Quando si parte 1’ anima feroceDal corpo, ond
’
ella stessa s’
e disvelta,Minos la manda alla settima foce .
Cade in la selva, e non l’
e parte sceltaMa la dove fortuna la balestra,Quivi germoglia come gran di spelta ;
Surge in vermena ed in pianta silvestraLe Arpie, pascendo p oi delle sue foglie,Fanno dolore, ed al dolor finestra .
Come l’ altre, verrem p er nostre spoglie,Ma nonp ert) ch
’
al cuna sen rivestaChe non e giusto aver ciO ch
’nom si toglie .
Qui le strascineremo, e p er la mesta
Selva saranno i nostri corpi appesi,
1 Lit. : Give a window for the 2 L ike the other souls, at the
pain.
” Thus V irgil : Ingentem lato last judgment, we shall go for our
dedit orefenestram. ZEn. ii. 482 . bodies, &c.
1 5 2 INFERNO . CANTO XI I I .
be susp ended, each on the thorny tree ofits tor
mented shade .
” 1
We still w ere listening to the trunk, thinkingit w ould tell us more
, when by a noise w e w ere
surprised ; like one who feels the boar and chase
approaching to his stand ;2 who hears the beasts and
the branches crashing . And, 10 ! on‘
the left hand}tw o sp irits, naked and torn, fleeing so violently that
theybroke everyfan4ofthe w ood .
The foremost : Come now ,come, 0 death
And the other , w ho thought himself too slow,cried
Ciascuno al prun dell’ ombra sua molesta .
Noi eravamo ancora al tronco attesi,
Credendo ch’ altro ne volesse direQuando noifummo d’ uh romor sorpresi,
Similemente a colui, che venireSente il porco e la caccia alla sua posta,Ch
’
ode le bestie e le frasche stormire .
Ed ecco duo dalla sinistra costa,Nudi e grafliatifuggendo siforte,
Che della selva romp ieno ogni rosta .
Quel dinanzi : Ora accorri, accorri, morte .
E l’ altro, a cui pareva tardar troppo,
1 M olesta is here taken for motestata , affl icted, tormented,
”that
being the plainest construction .
Lombardi, and others before him,
make it mean hostile,injurious,
or homicidal . ”2 Boar and hounds
, &c . comingto the place where he is stationed .
3 On the w ay to the next div ision
, and to the greater s inners.4 Fan,
” for leaf or bough .
O thers take it to mean impediment.
” Milton, Par. Lost, V. 6Leaves and rills, Aurora’s fan .
5 Or : “Help now , help,” &c ,
Hasten to myrelief.
1 5 4 INFERNO . CANTO XI I I .
it cried,“w hat hast thou gained bymaking me thy
screen ? What blame have I ofthysinful life ? ”
When the Master had stopped beside it, he said
Who w ast thou, w ho, through so manyw ounds,
blow est forth w ith blood thydolorous speech ? ”
And he to u s : Ye spirits,who are come to
see the ignominious mangling which has thus dis
joined my leaves from me,O gather them to the
foot ofthe dismal shrub ! I w as ofthe City that
Changed its first patron for the Baptist} on
Che t’e giovato dime fare schermo
Che colpa ho io della tua vita rea ?
Quando il Maestro fu sovr’esso fermo,
Disse Chifusti, che p er tante punteSotfi col sangue doloroso sermo ?
E quegli a noi : O anime, che giunteSiete a veder lo strazio disonesto,Che le mie frondi ha si da me disgiunte,
Raccoglietele al p ie del tristo cestoIo fui della citta, che nel BattistaCangiO
’l primo padrone : ond
’
ei p er questo
sanest fashion. See Benv. da
Imola, Com. Lano and he re
present the class ofsmners who
have done v iolence to their sub
stance (canto xi . and the
hell -hounds are to them what theHarpies are to the selfmurderers .
1 Florence, according to the
old trad itions given by Malesp ini,
V illani, & c. was founded by theRomans
, who chose Mars for
their patron or protector ; was
destroyed by Attila, and then re
built by Charlemagne, with St.
J ohn the Baptist for its patron.
Hence the vengean ce ofMars,
“ with his art ;”
and the superstitious veneration (often men
tioned by the old chroniclers) forthe remnant ofhis statue, whichstood at the end ofthe bridgeover the Arno, and was at lastswept away by a flood in 1 333.
See Villani, xi. i.
CANTO X I I I . INFERNO . 1 5 5
account he w ith his art w ill alw ays make it sor
row ful . And w ere it not that at the p assage of
the Arno there yet remains some semblance ofhim,
those citizens, w ho afterw ards rebuilt it on the ashe s
left byAttila, w ould have laboured in vain .
I made a gibbet for myselfofmyown dw ell
Sempre con 1’arte sua la fara trista.
E se non fosse che in sul passo d’ ArnoRimane ancor di lui alcuna vistaQuei cittadin, che p oi la rifondarnoSovra il cener che d’ Attila rimase,Avrebber fatto lavorare indarno.
Io fei giubbetto a me delle mie case .
1 Who this w as, that hunghimselfin his own house, remainsunknown . Rocco de’ Moz z i andLotto degli Agli, both ofnoblefam ilies in Florence, are men
tioned by the Oldest commenta
tors, as having been driven bythe despair and poverty hell
hounds which they had broughtupon themselves, to seek death inthis way. Boccaccio says : “ In
those times, as ifit had been a
curse sent by God upon our city,many hanged themselves so thatevery one can apply the words towhomsoever he pleases.
1 5 8 INFERNO . CANTO m .
CANTO XIV .
THE love ofmy native place constraining me,
I gathered up the scattered leaves ; and gave them
back to him, who w as already hoarse . Then w e
came to the limit, w here the second round is sep a
rated from the third, and where is seen the fearful
art ofj ustice . To make the new things clear , Isay w e reached a plain w hich from its bed rep els
all plants . The dolorous w ood is a garland to it
round about,as to the w ood the dismal foss .
1 Here
w e stayed our feet Close to its very edge . The
ground w as a sand, dry and thick
,not different
POI CHE la carIta del natio locoMi strinse, raunai le fronde sparte,E rende’ le a colui, ch
’
era gia roco .
Indi venimmo al fi ne, ove si parteLo secondo giron dal terzo, e doveSi vede di giustizia orribil
’
arte .
A ben manifestar le cose nuove,Dico ch
’
arrivammo ad una landa,Che dal suo letto ogni pianta rimuove .
La dolorosa selva l’ e ghirlandaIntorno, come 11 fosso tristo ad essa
Quivifermammo i piedi a randa a randa .
Lo spazzo era una rena arida e spessa,
1 The wood ofthe sui cides goes the river ofblood goes round the
all round the burning plain, as wood . See canto xi. 30.
CANTO xxv. INFERNO . 1 5 9
in its fashion from that which once w as trodden bythe feet ofCato .
1
O vengeance ofGod ! how shouldst thou be
feared by every one who reads what w as revealed
tomy eyes ! I saw many herds ofnak ed souls,who w ere all lamenting verymiserably; and there
seemed imposed upon them a diverse law : Some
w ere lying sup ine upon the ground some sitting
all crouched up and others roaming incessantly.
Those that moved about w ere much more numerous
and those that w ere lying 1 11 the torment w ere few er,
but uttered louder cries ofpain ?
Non d’ altra foggia fatta che colei,Che da
’
p ie di Caton giafu soppressa .
O vendetta diDio, quanto tu deiEsser temuta da ciascun, che leggeCIO che fu manifesto agli occhimiei !D’
anime nude Vidimolte gregge,Che p iangean tutte assaimiseramente,E parea posta lor diversa legge .
Supin giaceva in term alcuna gente ;Alcuna si sedea tutta raccolta,Ed altra andava continuamente .
Quella che giva intorno era p iiI molta,E quella men, che giaceva al tormento,
Ma p iu al duolo avea la lingua sciolta .
1 The L ibyan desert, over which 2 Lit. : “Had the tongue more
C ato conducted the remains of let loose for the pain were inPompey’s army. See Lucan. ix. greater torment, and had to cry375 , &c. louder.
1 60 INFERNO . CANTO X IV.
Over all the great sand,falling slowly, rained
dilated flakes offi re, like those ofsnow in Alp s
w ithout a w ind . As the flames which Alexander,in the hot regions ofIndia
,saw fall upon his host
,
entire1 to .the ground ; Whereat he with his legions
took care to tramp the soil,for the fi re w as more
easily extinguished w hile alone : so fell the eternal
heat, by w hich the sand w as kindled,like tinder
beneath the flint and steel,redoubling the pain .
Ever restless w as the dance2 ofmiserable hands, nowhere , now there, shaking offthe fresh burning .
Sovra tutto il sabbion d’ un cader lentoPiovean difuoco dilatate falde,Come di neve in alpe senz a vento .
Quali Alessandro in quelle parti caldeD’ India vide sovra lo suo stuoloFiamme cadere infi no a terra salde ;
Per ch’ ei provvide a scalp itar lo suolo
Con le sue schiere, perciocche il vaporeMe
’si stingueva mentre ch
’
era soloTale scendeva l’ eternale ardore ;Onde l’ arena s
’
accendea, com’esca
Sotto il focile, a dopp iar lo dolore .
Senza riposo mai era la trescaDelle misere mani, or quindi or quinci
Iscotendo da SC 1’
arsura fresca .
1 Whole,” unchanged to the 2 The Tresca was a sort ofNea»
ground . This tradition about politan dance,consisting mainly
Alexander is said to be taken ofrapid complicated gestures, andfrom some supposed letter ofhis movements of the hands. See
to Aristotle. See Landino, Com. Benv. da Imola, Com.
1 62 INFERNO . CANTO XIV.
good Vulcan !’ as he did at the strife ofPhlegra ;and hurl at me w ith all his might, yet shoul d he
not therebyhave joyful vengeance .
” 1
Then my Guide spake w ith a force such as Ihad not heard before : O Cap aneu s l
2 in that thyp ride remains unquenched
,thou art punished more .
No torture , save thy ow n raging, w ould be pain
prop ortioned to thyfury.
”
Then to me he turned w ith gentler lip , saying
This w as one ofthe seven kings w ho laid siege
to Thebes ; and he held, and seems still to hold
God in defiance , and to prize him lightly. But,as
I told him,his revilings are ornaments that w ell
Si com’
cifece alla pugna di Flegra ;E me saetti di tutta sua forza,Non ne potrebbe aver vendetta allegra .
Allora il Duca mio p arlO di forzaTanto, ch
’
10 non l’avea siforte udito
O Capaneo, in ciOche non s’
ammorzaLa tua superbia, sei tu p iu punitoNullo martirio, fuor che la tua rabbia,Sarebbe al tuo furor dolor compito .
Poi si rivolse a me con miglior labbia,Dicendo Quel fu l’ nu de’ sette regiCh’ assiser Tebe ; ed ebbe, e par ch
’
egliDio in disdegno, e poco p ar che il pregiMa, come io dissi lui, li suoi dispetti
1 See Statius, Theb. ii i. 5 98, tive ofblasphemy and arrogance,& c . ; and x. 828 , &c . in the Canz one ofDante which
2 Capaneus is the representa begins : 0 p atria degna & c.
CANTO XI V . INFERNO . 1 63
befi t his breast. Now follow me, and see thou place
not yet thyfeet up on the burning sand but alw ays
keep them back close to the w ood .
”
In silence w e came to where there gushes forth
from the w ood a little rivul et, the redness ofw hich
still makes me shudder . As from the Bulicame 1
issues the streamlet, which the sinful w omen share
amongst themselves ; so this ran dow n across the
sand . I ts bottom and both its shelving banks w ere
petrified, and also the margins near it ; w hereby Idiscerned that our p assage laythere .
Amidst all the rest that I have shewn thee ,since w e entered by the gate w hose threshold is
Sono al suo petto assai debitifregi.Or mi vien dietro, e guarda che non metti
Ancor li piedi nell’ arena’
arsiccia ;
Ma sempre al bosco gli ritieni stretti.Tacendo divenimmo la ove spicciaFuor della selva nu p icciol fiumicello,Lo cui rossore ancor mi raccapriccia .
Quale del Bulicame esce il ruscello,Che parton poi tra lor le peccatrici ;Tal p er 1
’arena giu sen giva quello.
Lo fondo suo ed ambo le pendiciFatt’ eran pietra, e i margini da latoPer ch’ io m’
accorsi che il passo era lici.Tra tutto l’ altro ch’ 10 t’ ho dimostrato,
Poscia che noi entrammo p er la porta,Lo cui sogliare a nessuno e negato,
1 The Bulicame, here alluded Bocc . , Land , & c. speak of“ the
to,is a hot spring near V iterbo. sinful women”
that l ived near it.
1 64 INFERNO . CANTO X IV .
denied to none} thy eyes have discerned nothingso notable as the present stream , w hich quenches
all the flames above it These w ere w ords ofmyGuide . Wherefore I prayed him to bestow on me
the food} for which he had bestow ed the app etite .
In the middle ofthe sea lies a w aste country,”
he
then said , w hich is named Crete} under w hose Kingthe w orld once w as chaste 4 A mountain is there ,called I da, which on ce w as glad w ith w aters and w ith
foliage : now it is deserted like an antiquated
Cosa non fu dagli tuoi occhi scortaNotabile, com
’
e il presente rio,Che sopra se tutte fi ammelle ammorta .
Queste parole fur del Duca mioPer ch’ 10 pregai, che mi largisse il pasto,Di cui largito m’
aveva il disio .
In mezzo il mar siede nu paese guasto,Diss’ egli allora, che s
’
appella Creta,Sotto il cui Rege fu gIa il mondo casto .
Una montagna v’ e, che giafu lietaD’
acque e difronde, che si chiama Ida ;Ora e deserta come cosa vieta .
99. Vieta , grown old, or stale ; dim w ith age.
1 Gate, that still is found unbarred.
” See p . 91 , and note 2d .
2 To explain why that stream
is so notable.
3 Creta J dais magni media j acetinsula p anta, M ons I dceus ubi, et
gentis cunabula nostra . fEn. i ii.1 04 . Cradle” ofthe Trojans ;and ofRome and its Empire
, 81 0.
‘1 Dante, quoting the redit et
Virgo, redeunt Saturnia regna of
V irgil, says : Virgo aocabatur J ustitia
, quam et Astream cacabant.
Saturnia regna dicebantur op tima
temp ar a , quae et Aurea nuncup a
bant. J ustitia p otissima est sa
lum subManarcha. E rgo ad op ti
mum mundi d isp ositianem requiri
tur, esse M onarchiam, &c. Mon
arch . lib. i. p . 28.
1 66 1NFERNO . CANTO XIV.
more on this1 than on the other . Every part, ex
cept the gold, is broken w ith a fissure that drops
tears, which collected perforate that grotto ? Their
course descends from rock to rock into this val ley.
They3 form Acheron
,Styx, and Phlegethon ; then,
bythis narrow conduit, go dow n to w here there is
no more descent.4 They form Cocytus ; and thou
shalt see w hat kind oflake that is : here therefore
I describe it not.
”
And I to him If the present rill thus flow s
dow n from our w orld , w hydoes it appear to u s only5
on this bank
E sta in su quel, p iu che in su 1’
altro, eretto.
Ciascuna parte, fuor che l’ oro, erottaD’
una fessura che lagrime goccia,Le quali accolte foran quella grotta .
Lor corso in questa valle si dirocciaFanno Acheronte, Stige, e Flegetonta ;Poi sen van ginp er questa stretta doccia
Infin la, ove piiI non si dismonta
Fanno Cocito e qual sia quella stagno,Tu il vederai ; p erOqui'non si conta .
Ed io a lui : Se 11 presente rigagnoSi deriva cosi dal nostro mondo,Perche ci appar pure a questo vivagno ?
1 1 5 . Si diroccia , falls from rock to rock.
1 L1t Stands more erect on stands and then in Hell flowthis ” clay foot ; supports himself down from circle to circle.
more with it. 3 Those tears ofSin andMisery.2 Bore,
”or work through , ‘1 To the C entre ofthe E arth.
that cavern in which the Image 3 Ifit thus descends from circle
CANTO m . INFERNO . 67
And he to me : Thou know est that the place
is round : and though thou hast come far, alw ays to
the left, descending tow ards the bottom ; thou hastWhere
fore ifaught new appears to u s, it ought not to
not yet turned through the entire circle .
bring w onder on thycountenance .
”
Master, where is Phlegethon,and Lethe ; for thou sp eakest not ofthe one
,and
And I again
sayest that the other is formed bythis rain 7m
In all thy question s truly thou pleasest me,
he answ ered ;“ but the boiling ofthe red w ater
Lethemight w ell resolve one2ofthose thou askest.
Ed egli a me Tu sai che il luogo C tondo,E tutto Che tu s1 1 venuto molto
Pur a sinistra q calando al fondo,Non se
’ancor p er tutto il cerchio vOlto
Perché, se cosa n’apparisce nuova,
Non dee addur,maraviglia al tuo volto .
Ed io ancor : Maestro, ove Si trovaFlegetonte e Letéo, chedell
’
nu taci,E l’ altro di’ che sifa d’ esta piova ?
In tutte tue question certo mi piaci,Rispose ma il bollor dell’ acqua rossaDovea ben solver l’ una che tu faei.
to circle, why have w e not seen it
before ? Does not at first con
ceive that the river of blood(canto xii. 46, & c . ) can be Phlegethon ; V irgil himselfhaving des cribed it as a river offlame : Qua;
rap idus flammis ambit torrentibus
amnis , Tartareus Phlegethon. E n.
Vi . 5 5 0, &c.
1 The rain oftears.
1 1 3.
3 Thou mightest have know nthat the river ofblood was Phlegethon.
See ver.
1 68 INFERNO . CANTO XIV .
thou shalt see, but out ofthis abyss} there w here
the spirits go to w ash themselves, when their guiltis taken offbypenitence .
Then he said : Now it is time to quit the w ood .
See that thou follow me . The margins,w hich are
not burning,form a path ; and over them all fi re
is quen ched .
” 2
Letevedrai, ma fuor di questa fossa,La ove vanno l’ anime a lavarsi,Quando la colpa p entuta C rimossa .
Poi disse : Omai e tempo da scostarsi
Dal bosco fa che diretro a me vegne .
Li marginifan via, che non son arsi,
E sopra loro ogni vapor si spegne .
1 Not in Hell, but in Purga used in the Latin sense of“ heat,tory. Purg. canto xxviii. 2 5 - 1 30. or fi re.
”Semusta madescunt R0
2 See next canto, ver. 1 - 2 . Va bara restinctus donec vap or omnis ,
p ar, both here and at ver. 3 5 , is &c. JEn. V. 697.
1 70 INFERNO . CANTO xv.
CANTO XV .
Now one of the hard margins bears u s on,
and the smoke ofthe rivulet makes shade above,
so that from the fi re it shelters the w ater and the
banks .
1 As the Flemings betw een Bruges and Cad
sand,dreading the flood that rushes tow ards them
,
make their bulw ark2 to repel the sea ; and as the
Paduans, along the Brenta,to defend their tow ns
and villages, ere Chiarentana feels the heat :3 in lik efashion those banks w ere formed, though not so high
ORA cen porta l’ nu de’ durimargini,E 11 fummo del ruscel di sopra aduggia,Si Che dal fuoco salva l’ acqua e gli argini.Quale i Fiamminghi, tra Guz z ante e Bruggia,
Temendo il fi otto che in vér lor s’
avventa,Fanno lo schermo, perche 11 mar sifuggl a ;
E quale i Padovan , lungo la Brenta,Per difender lor ville e lor castelli,Anzi che Chiarentana il caldo senta ;
A tale imagine eran fatti quelli,Tutto che né si alti ne si grossi,
2 . Aduggia, from uggia , shade, or shadow .
1 The exhalation ofthe rivuletquenches all the flames above
it. ”'
C anto xiv . 90.
2 The dyke here alluded to issaid to be still kept up . C adsand
is some twenty miles north - east
from Bruges .
3 Before the snow begins to
melt on the Carinthian Alps, andswell the Brenta. I t flows be
tween strong embankments, on a
bed raised by its sediment abovethe level ofthe plain, l ike otherrivers in that part ofItaly.
CANTO xv . INFERNO . 1 7 1
nor so large, the master, whoever it might be, made
them .
Alreadyw e w ere so far removed from the w ood,
that I should not have seen where it w as,had I
turned back, w hen w e met a troop ofsp irits, w ho
w ere coming alongside the bank ; and each looked
at u s,as in the evening men are w ont to look at
one another under a new moon ;1 and tow ard u s
sharpened their vision} as an old tailor does at the
eye ofhis needle .
Thus eyed bythat family, I w as recognised byone who took me bythe skirt, and said : What a
w onder
Qual che sifosse, lo maestro felli.Gia cravam dalla selva rimossi
Tanto, ch’
10 non avrei visto dov’ era,Perch’ io indietro rivolto mifossi,Quando incontrammo d’ anime una schiera,Che venia lungo l’ argine, e ciascunaCi riguardava, come suol da sera
Guardar l’ un l’ altro sotto nuova lunaE sivér noi aguz z avan le ciglia,Come vecchio sartor fa nella cruna .
Cosi adocchiato da cotal famiglia,Fui conosciuto da nu, che mi presePer 10 lembo, e gridO: Qual maraviglia !
1 Lit. : “The one is wont to look 2 L1t Sharpened their eye
at the other under a new moon ; brows,” &c . ; pointed them,as if
which gives a feeble l ight, so as to frowning, at us .
make recognition difficult. 3 To see thee here in the body .
1 72 INFERNO . CANTO XV.
And I,when he stretched out his arm to me
,
fixed my eyes on his baked aspect,
so that the
scorching ofhis Visage hindered not mymind from
know ing him . And bending my face to his,I an
sw ered : Are you here , Ser Brunetto
And he “ O my son ! let it not displease thee,
Ed io, quando il suo braccio a me distese,
Ficcai gli occhi p er lo cotto aspetto
Si, che il viso abbruciato non difese
La conoscenza sua al mio intellettoE chinando la mia alla sua faccia,Risposi Siete voi qui, Ser Brunetto ?E quegli : O figliuol mio, non ti dispiaccia,
1 Brunetto Latini,ofthe Porta
del Duomo in Florence, Dante’steacher ; a man noted for his
learnmg In those times, and for
his pol iteness and manifold dexterity. The Florentine Guelphssent him as their ambassador toAlon z o X. ,
King of Spain,in
1 260 (M alasp ini, c . 1 62) and he
w as afterwards appointed secretaryand notary ofthe c ity. V illani(viii . 10) calls him “
a great philosopher, and supreme master of
rhetori c , as well in speaking as inwriting
,
”&c . ; but adds that he
w as a worldly man.
” The earlycommentators (Boccaccio, Benv.
da Imola, &c . ) mention that,having made an error in some
contract drawn up by him in his
capacity ofnotary, and being too
proud to acknowledge the possibility of it
,he w as accused of
fraud, and left Florence in high
d isdain . He d ied in Two
works ofhis still remain. One of
these is the Tesoretto (little Treasure), in short
,j ingling
, quaintrhymes—too feeble and empty forany serious perusal ; but curiousas a specimen ofold Italian
,and
as bearing a faint outward resem
blance in some phrases and ih
cidents to the Commedia . The
other, Le Trésor or Tesara, is a
kind ofencycloped ia, written in
the French ofthose times, or, as
Brunetto himselfsays , an romans,
selon le p atais de France . I t has
never been printed . There is a
manuscript copy ofit in the Bri
tish Museum.
1 74 INFERNO . CANTO xv .
w ho w alks in reverence . He began : What chance ,or destiny, brings thee, ere thylast day, dow n here ?
And w ho is this that shew s the w ay? ”
There above , up in the clear life , I lost myself, replied I
,
“ in a valley, before my age w as
full . 1 Onlyyester mom I turned my back to it.
He appeared to me,a s I w as returning into it
,and
guides me home again2 bythis p at
And he to me If thou follow thy star,thou
canst not fail ofglorious haven ,ifI discerned rightly
in the fair life .
3 And ifI had not died so early, seeing
Tenes , com’
uom che riverente vada .
Ei comincIO Qual fortuna, o destino,Anzi l’ ultimo di quaggiu timena ?
E chi e questi, che mostra il camminoLassu di sopra in la vita serena,
Risp os’
io lui, mi smarri’in una valle,
Avanti che l’ etamia fosse piena .
Pur ier mattina le volsi le spalleQuestim’
apparve, ritornando in quella,E riducemi a ca
’
p er questo calle .
Ed egli a me Se tu segui tua stella,Non puoifallire a glorioso porto,Se ben m
’
accorsi nella vita bella .
E s’
io no‘
n fossi si p er tempo morto,
1 Lost “the straight w ay” be
fore I had come to the full ma
rity, i. e. to the 3 5 th year ofmyage ; but did not till then feelthat I had lost it, or begin to see
the full m isery and darkness of
the valley” into which I had
fallen . Spent a long n ight of
sorrow, and did not awake fromit till yester morn. See canto i .
2 Or Brings me back to a
home.
”Ca
’ for casa .
3 Our earthly life ; beautifulto him in that eternal gloom.
CANTO xv . INFERNO . 1 75
heaven so kind to thee , I w ould have cheered thee
in the w ork . But that ungrateful, malignant people ,who ofold came down from Fies ole ,1 and still savours
ofthe mountain and the rock, w ill make itself an
enemy to thee for thy good deeds . And there is
cause : for amongst the tart sorb - trees, it befits not
the sw eet fig2 to fructify. Ancient report on earth
names them blind,
3a people avaricious, envious, and
V eggendo il cielo a te cosi benigno,Dato t’ avrei all’ opera conforto .
Ma quell’ ingrato popolo maligno,Che discese di Fiesole ab antico,E tiene ancor del monte e del macigno,
Ti sifara, p er tuo ben far, nimicoEd e ragion ; che tra gli lazzi sorbiSi disconvien fruttare al dolce fi co .
Vecchia fama nel mondo li chiama orbi,Gente avara, invidiosa, e superba
1 The old chroni cles say thatFlorence w as first founded byRomans, whose descendants, aftermany centuries ofperpetual contention w ith the city ofFiesole,made its inhab itants come downand mix with them . To this double origin ofthe Florentines V illan i frequently attributes all theirintestine wars .
2 Boccaccio and others saythatthe fam ily ofthe E lisei, ofw hichDante’s was a branch, had its origin from the Frangipani ofRome.
And the sweet fig” alludes to
the noble and v irtuousRomans ;the “
tart sorbs,” to the “rude
and harsh Fiesolans .
” These are
terms used by V illani in speakingofthe Romans and Fiesolans .
3 V illan i (1 1 . says the F10rentines were called blind everafter,
” from hav ing fool ishly opened their gates to Attila
,who put
many ofthem to death, and com
manded that the city should be
destroyed, burnt, and laid waste ;so that one stone m ight not beleft upon “
another, in the year
1 76 INFERNO . CANTO xv .
proud : look that thou cleanse thyself oftheir cu s
toms . Thy fortune reserves such honour for thee ,that both parties w ill have a hunger ofthee ; but
far from the beak shall be the grass .
1 Let the beastsofFiesole make litter ofthemselves, and not tou ch
the plant,ifanyyet springs up amid their rankne ss
,
in which the holyseed revives ofthose Romans w ho.
remained there w hen it became the nest ofso much
malice .
” 2
“Were my desire all fulfilled, I answ ered him,
you had not yet been banished from human na
ture for in mymemory is fixed , and now goes to
Dai lor costumifa che tu tiforbi.La tua fortuna tanto onor ti serba,Che l
’
una parte e l’ altra avranno fameDi te ; ma lungi fi a dal becco l’ erba .
Faccian le bestie Fiesolane strame
Di lor medesme, e non tocchin la pianta,S’ alcuna surge ancor nel lor letame,
In cui riviva la sementa santa
Di quei Roman, che vi rimaser quandoFu fatto il nido dimalizia tanta .
Se fosse pieno tutto il mio dimando,
Risposi lui, voi non sareste ancoraDell’ umana natura posto in bando
Che in la mente m’
e fi tta, ed or m’
accuora
The Neri and B ianchi (note as“beak : ” and the passage may
2d,p. 64) will both hunger after be translated : Far from the he
thee but neither w ill get thee to goat shall be the grass far from
take part with them . Thou shal t its poisonous teeth.
stand thyselfalone . P arad .xvii. 69.
2 When the Fiesolans came
B ecca means he- goat” as well down to dwell in it.
178 INFERNO . ce o xv.
Thereup on myMaster turned back on his right,
1
and looked at me,then said : He listens w ell who
marks in”
Not the less I go on speaking w ith Ser Brunetto,and ask w ho are the most noted and highest ofhis
comp anions .
And he to me It is good to know ofsome .
Of the rest it w ill be laudable that w e keep silence,
as the time w ould be too short for so much talk. Inbrief
,know that all w ere clerks, and great scholars
,
and ofgreat renow n ; by one same crime on earth
defiled . Priscian3 goes w ith that w retched crow d,
Lo mio Maestro allora in sulla gotaDestra si volse indietro, e riguardommi
Poi disse Bene ascolta chi la nota .
Nep er tanto dimen parlando vommiCon Ser Brunetto, e dimando chi sono
Li suoi compagni p iu noti e p iu sommi.
Ed egli a me Saper d’ alcuno e buonoDegli altri fi a laudabile il tacerei,Che il tempo saria corto a tanto suono .
In somma sappi, che tuttifur cherci,
E letterati grandi e di gran fama ;
D’nu medesmo peccato ai mondo lerci.
Priscian sen va con quella turba grama,
1 Lit On his right cheekturned himselfback,” & c . Delicately indicates that Brunetto ison the right hand and their wayon the right bank ofthe streamlet.See canto xvii. 3 1 .
2 Or Marks the saying .
V irgil alludes to his Quicquz’
d erz’
i,
sup eranda omnisfortunaferendo est
(ZEn. v. which Dante hasmarked with effect.
3 Priscian, the grammarian of
C aesarea, and teacher of grammar ; understood by Dante’s son
CANTO xv . INFERNO . 1 79
and Francesco d’ Accorso ;1 also, ifthou hadst had
anylonging for such scurf, thou mightest have seen
him2 there , w ho bythe Servant ofservants w as trans
lated from the Arno to the Bacchiglione, w here he
left his ill- strained nerves . I w ould saymore , but
my going and my speech must not be longer ; for
there I see new smoke arising from the great sand .
3
People are coming w ith whom I maynot be . Let
myTreasure ,4 in '
which I stil l live,be commended
to thee . And more I ask not.
E Francesco d’ Accorso anco vedervi,S’ avessi avuto di tal tigna brama,Colui potei, che dal Servo de
’
serviFu trasmutato d’ Arno in Bacchiglione,Ove lascio limal protesi nervi.
Di p 1u direi ma il venir , e il sermonePiu lungo esser non p ub, pero ch
’
io veggioLa surger nuovo fummo dal sabbione .
Gente vien con la quale esser non deggio .
Sieti raccomandato il mio TesoroNel quale io vivo ancora e p iu non cheggio .
1 1 1 . Tigna , Lat. tinea . 1 1 2 . P otei, potevi .
P ietro, and the other old com
mentators,to be put here as a re
presentative ofthe class, i. e. the
teachers ofyouth.
Francesco, son ofAccorso(Ac
curs z’
us ) the celebrated Florentineinterpreter ofRoman law ; and likehim
,professor at Bologna. See
the comment ofBenv. da Imolaand the account he there gives of
his v is it to Bologna in 1 375 .
2 Andrea de’Moz z i, ofthe ri chFlorentine family ofthat name
,
B ishop of Florence in Dante’stime and
,on account ofhis
scandalous hab its, translated bythe Pope Servant ofservants” )to V i cenz a, on the river Bacchigliome.
3 Smoke raised by a new crowdofspirits.
4 Le Tre’
sor, or Tesoro, men
1 80 INFERNO . cxm o xv .
Then he turned back,and seemed like one of
those w ho run for the green cloth at Verona through
the op en field ; and ofthem seemed he who gains,not he who loses .
l
Poi si rivolse, e parve di coloroChe corrono a Verona il drappo verdePer la campagna ; e parve di costoroQuegli che vince, e non colui che perde .
tioned in note, p . 1 72 . In the
Ital ian version (lib. vi. cap . 3 1 )ofthis work, Brunetto calls thesin, for which he is here punished,una delettaz z
'
one secolare.
” And
in the Tesoretto he says ofhimselfSa z
'
che s z’
am tenuti nu p oco mon
danette'
,
“thou knowest that w e
are held to be a little worldly.”Another work, called I l Patafi lo,
a collection ofprofane J ests and
Proverbs in ter z e rime, now hap
pily almost unintelligible, has longbeen attributed to him.
1 In Dante’s time, at V erona,
there was an annual race ofthe
k ind here alluded to. The run
ners were all stript ; and “none
but the qu ickest competed for thepri z e,” or p alio, as it was called .
1 82 INFERNO . CANTO xvr.
CANTO XVI .
ALRE ADY I w as in a p lace where the resoundingofthe w ater
,that fell into the other circle
,
lw as heard
like the hum which bee -hives make ; w hen threeshades together, running, quitted a troop that p assed
beneath the rain ofthe sharp torment. Theycametow ards u s, and each cried : Stay thee , thou w ho
by thy dress to u s ap p earest to be some one from
our p erverse city.
”
Ah me ! what w ounds I saw upon their limbs,
recent and old , kindled2 bythe flames . I t pains me
yet, w hen I but think thereof.To their cries myTeacher listened ; turned his
G1 3 era in loco, ove s’ udia il rimbombo
Dell’ acqua, che cadea nell’altro giro,
Simile a quel, che l’
arnie fanno, rombo ;Quando tre ombre insieme si partiro,Correndo, d
’una torma che passava
Sotto la pioggia dell’ aspro martiro .
V enien ver noi e ciascuna gridavaSostati tu, che all
’
abito ne sembriEssere alcun di nostra terra prava .
Aime, che piaghe vidi ne’ lor membriRecenti e vecchie dalle fi amme incese !Ancor men duol, pur ch
’io me ne rimembri.
Alle lor grida il mio Dottor s’attese,
Into the eighth circle ; place 2 Or By the flames burntofpunishmentfor the fraudulent. in, and scorched anew !
cm o xvr. INFERNO . 183
face tow ard me,and said : Now w ait : to these
courtesyis due . And w ere there not the fir e, w hich
the nature ofthe p lace darts I should saythe hastebefi tted thee more than them .
They recommenced, as w e stood still, their an
cient w ail ; and when theyhad reached u s, all the
thr ee made ofthemselves a w heel . 1 As champ ions,naked and anointed, w ere w ont to do
,spying their
grasp and vantage , ere they came to blows and
thrusts at one another ; thus, w heeling, each directed
his visage tow ard me,so that the neck kept trave l
ling in a direction contraryto the feet .2
Volse il viso ver me, e : Ora aspetta,Disse ; a costor si vuole esser corteseE se non fosse il fuoco che saetta
La natura del luogo, io dicerei,Che meglio stesse a -te, ch
’a lor, 1a fretta.
Ricominciar, come noi ristemmo, eiL’ antico verso ; e quando a noifur giunti,Fenno una ruota di se tutti e trei.Qual soleano i campion far nudi ed unti,Avvisando lor presa e lor vantaggio,Prima che sien tra lor battuti e puntiCosi, rotando, ciascuna il visaggioDrizzava a me, si che in contrario il colloFaceva a
’
pie continuo viaggio .
Began to wheel round, one
following the other. The nextcircle is so near, that they cannotturn back w ith Dante, as Brunettodid ; and they dare not stand still.See canto xv . 37- 39.
‘2 Lit. : “The neck made con
tinuous journey in contrary d irection (senso) to the feet.
” Theykept turning round in their circle,and looking w ith their faces con
stantlytowards Dante.
84 INFERNO . cxm o xvr.
And one ofthem began : “ If the miseryofthis
loose place,1 and our dreary and scorched aspect,
2
bring us and our prayers into contempt, let our fame
incline thymind to tell u s who thou art,that thus
securelymovest thy living feet3 through Hell . He
in w hose footstep s thou seest me tread,all naked
and p eeled though he be, w as higher in degree
than thou believest. Grandson ofthe good Gual
drada,4 his name w as Guidoguerra and . in his
E, se miseria d’
esto loco solloRende in dispetto noi e nostri preghi,Comincio l’ uno, e il tristo aspetto e brollo ;
La fama nostra il tuo animo pieghiA dirne chi tu se
’
, che i vivi piediCosi sicuro p er lo Inferno freghi.Questi, 1
’
orme di cui pestar mi vedi,Tutto che nudo e dip elato vada,Eu di grado maggior che tu non credi.
Nepote fu della buona GualdradaGuidoguerra ebbe nome, ed in sua vita
Loose, sandy plain, whichfrom its bed repels all plants .
”
2 Or : Sad and p eeled aspect.B rollo, or brullo, means naked ,or burnt naked.
”See also
canto xxxiv. 60.
3 Lit Rubbest thy liv ingfeet through Hell with louderstep than spirits .
4 Gualdrada, daughter ofBel
lincione Berti, “ the greatest andmost honoured caval ier ofFlorence,” long famous for her beauty,modesty, and noblefrankness. See
Villani, v. 37 Boccaccio, Landino,
&c. The incident connected withher marriage, related by them all,
will not bear the test ofdates, or
ofwhat Dante himselfsays elsewhere (Pamd . xv . and xvi. ) but it
at least shews her fame. Guidoguerra led the Guelphs ofFlorence, at the battle ofBenevento,on the last ofFebruary, 1 265 - 6,
and s ignally contributed to the
vi ctory ofCharles ofAnj ou overManfred . M a lesp ini, c . 1 80; Villani, vii. 8- 10.
1 86 INFERNO . cxm o xvr.
Then I began Not contempt, but sorrow , your
condition fixe d w ithin me, so deeplythat it w ill not
leave me soon ,
1,
w hen this myLord spake w ords to
me , bywhich I felt that such men as you are might
be coming . Of your cityam I,and alw ays w ith af
fection have I rehearsed and heard your deeds and
honoured names . I leave the gall,and go for the
sw eet apples? p romised me bymyveracious Guide .
But to the centre it behoves me first to fall .
” 3
So maythy spirit long animate thymembers,
Poi cominciai Non dispetto, ma dogliaLa vostra condiz ion dentro mi fi sse
Tanto, che tardi tutta si dispoglia,Tosto che questo mio Signor mi disseParole, p er le quali io mi pensai,Che, qual voi siete, tal gente venisse .
Divosti a terra sono e sempre mai
L’ ovra divoi e gli onorati nomiCon affez ion ritrassi ed ascoltai.
Lascio lo fele, e vo p ei dolci pomiPromessi a me p er lo verace DucaMa fi no al centro pria convien ch’ io tomi.
Se lungamente l’ anima conducaLe membra tue, rispose quegli allora,
l L it Fixed sorrow w ithinme so much
,to such a degree
,
that late, or slowly, it is all di
vested it will cl ing to me long.
Real and deep sadness.
2 “ Gall ofbitterness, and the
bond ofiniquity. ” Acts vi i i . 33 .
Sweet apples” ofFaith and everlasting Freedom ; fruits ofhea
venlyMercy, Grace, andWisdom.
See canto ii. p . 23 .
3 Must go down to the verycentre ofHell, before he can be
gin to ascend .
cxm o xvr. INFERNO . 1 87
he then replied, and so thyfame shine after thee
tell, ifcourtesyand valour abide w ithin our cityas
theyw ere w ont,or have gone quite out ofit ? For
Guglielmo Borsiere ,1 who has been short time in
pain w ith us , and yonder goes w ith our companions,
greatlytorments u s with his w ords .
”
The upstart p eople2 and the sudden gains, O
Florence , have engendered in thee pride and ex
cess,so that thou alreadyw eepest thereat . ”
Thus I cried w ith face uplifted ; and the three,
w ho understood this as an answ er,looked at one
another as men look w hen truth is told . If other
E se la fama tua dopo te luca,Cortesia e valor, di
’
, se dimora
Nella nostra citta si come suole,0 se del tutto se n’ egito fuora ?
Che Guglielmo Borsiere, il qual si duoleCon noi p er poco, e va la coi compagni,Assai ne cruccia con le sue parole .
La gente nuova, e i subiti guadagni,Orgoglio e dismisura han generata,Fiorenza, in te, si che tu gia ten piagui.Cosi gridai colla faccia levataE i tre, che ciointeser p er risposta,Guatar l’ um 1’ altro, come al ver si guata .
A Florentine, distinguished 2 Or : New people ;” peoplefor his courteous and elegant newly settled in Florence, such asmanners, and great readiness and the Cerchi , & c . Nearly all ofthewit in conversation .
” See Boc White p arty, the p artywhichDante
caccio, Com. and Decam. Giorn. i. j oined in resisting the coming of
Nov. 8. Charles. See canto vi. , p . 64, &c .
1 88 INFERNO . cxmo xvr.
w hile it costs thee so little to satisfyothers,” 1 they
all rep lied, happy thou , w ho thus speakest at thyw ill Therefore
,ifthou escape out ofthese gloomy
regions, and return to see again the beauteous stars
w hen thou shalt rejoice to say, I w as,
’2see that thou
speak ofu s to men .
”
P
Then theybroke their w heel ; and,as theyfled ,
their nimble legs seemed w ings . An Amen” could
not have been said so quickly as they vanished .
Wherefore it pleased myMaster to depart. I follow ed him ; and w e had gone but little, when the
sound ofthe w ater w as so near u s,that in speaking
w e should scarce have heard each other .
Se 1’
altre volte si poco ti costa,Risp oser tutti, il soddisfare altrui,Felice te, che si parli a tua postaPero, se campi d
’
esti luoghi bui,E torni a riveder le belle stelle,Quando ti giovera dicere IO fui,
Fa che di noi alla gente favelle .
Indi rupper 1a ruota, ed a fuggirsiAle sembiaron le lor gambe snelle.
Un amen non saria potuto dirsiTosto cosi, com
’eifuro spariti
Perche al Maestro parve di partirsi.10 lo seguiva, e poco cravam iti,Che il suon dell’ acqua n’
era si vicino,Che p er parlar saremmo appena uditi.
They hint at his freedom in gions. E t haec olim memz’
m’
sse
speaking the truth, and the exile j uvabit. iEn. i . 103 . Ut tristes
&c . which it is to cost him. sine sole domos, loca turbida, adires .
2 ‘ I was’ in those “ gloomy re Ibid. Vi. 5 34.
190 INFERNO . CANTO xvr.
I had a cord1 girt round me and w ith it I thoughtsome time to catch the Leopard ofthe painted skin .
After I had quite unloosed it from me,as myGuide
commanded me,I held it out to him coiled and w ound
Io aveva una corda intorno cinta,E con essa pensai alcuna voltaPrender la lonza alla pelle dipinta .
Poscia che 1’
ebbi tutta da me sciolta,Si come il Duca m’
avea comandato,Porsila a lui aggroppata e ravvolta.
many people ,” which was to havebeen built “ very near the placewhere this water falls . Booc.Com. Those who adopt this latter meaning read dovea, instead of
doeria, in line 1 02 .
In the B ible, the expressions,to
“ gird,” to have the loinsgirded about,” to gird withstrength,” &c. always denote p rep aration for some work ofa se
rions kind ; and Dante himself(P urg . vii. 1 1 4 ) speaks of one
who wore the cord of everyv irtue girded” round him . The
painted Leopard represents Florence, or Worldly Pleasure ; and
the cord , w ith which hehad oncehoped to catch her (in manysenses ), has become a thing thathe requires to get rid of. He qu iteunlooses it, and rolls it up in hisbriefway; and V irgil (Wisdom )casts it with energy and decis ioninto the deep abyss, as a fi t lurefor the monster that is to appear.The plain solution
,ifw e err not,
lies in taking the mysti c cord a san emblem ofthe mere human
righteousnesses ,” the semblancesof strength, with which he had
once girt himselfto do his l ifebattle. Readers, who desire to
fill up the details , will turn backto Canto First, and see how he at
tempts to ascend the bright H illunaided and alone ; how the sightofthe Leopard on the way to it
strongly attracts his attention,pleases and encourages him and
how he gets the first lesson ofhis
weakness from the L ion and the
Wolf. In the cantos that follow , he gets many lessons ofthe
same kind . The prophecies of
his separation from the Leopard(exile, poverty, &c .) thicken on
him. He sees Farinata, Brunetto,Guidoguerra, &c . The necessityofcasting ofall shams and sem
blances, and seek ing fi rm footingin the Infinitudes and E ternities,becomes more and more apparentand press ing.
cxm o xvr. INFERNO . 191
up . Then he bent himself tow ard the right side,1
and threw it,some distance from the edge , dow n
into that deep abyss .
Surely, said I w ithin myself, something new
must answ er this new signal, w hich myMaster so
follow s w ith his eye .
”
Ah ! how cautious ought men to be w ith those
who see not onlythe deed, but w ith their mind look
through into the thoughts ! He said to me : What
I exp ect w il l soon come up ; and w hat thy thought
dreams of, soon must be discovered to thyView .
”
Alw ays to that truth which has an air offalse
hood,a man shoul d close his lips, ifpossible ; for ,
though blameless, he incurs rep roach .
2 But here
Ond’ ei si volse inver lo destro lato,E alquanto di lungi dalla spondaLa gitto giuso in quell’ alto burrato .
E pur convieu-
che novita risponda,Dioca fra me medesmo, al nuovo cennoChe il Maestro con 1
’
occhio si seconda .
Ahi quanto cauti gli uomini esser dennoPresso a color, che non veggon p ur 1
’
opra,Ma p er entro i pensier miran col senno
Ei disse a me : Tosto verradi sopraCiO ch’ io attendo e che il tuo pensier sogna,Tosto convieu ch’ al tuo viso si scopra .
Sempre a quel ver, ch’
ha faccia di menzogna,De
’
1’
nom chiuder le labbra quant’ ci puote,Pero che senza colpa fa vergogna
1 Like one who is going to 2 “ Causes shame to himself,
throw with his right hand. by relating what seems unlikely.
1 92 INFERNO . CANTO v .
keep silent I cannot ; and , Reader, I sw ear to thee, bythe notes1 ofthis myComedy—so maytheynot be
void oflasting favour— that I saw ,through that air
gross and dark,come sw imming upw ards
,a figure
2
marvellous to everystedfast heart ;3 like as he returns ,who sometimes goes dow n to loose the anchor , w hich
grapples a rock or other thing that in the sea is hid
w ho spreads the arms and gathers up the feet.4
Ma qui tacer nol posso e p er le note
Di questa Commedia, lettor, ti giuro,S’ elle non sien di lunga grazia vote,Ch’ io vidi p er quell
’aer grosso e scuro
Venir notando una figura in suso,Meravigliosa ad ogni cor sicuro,
Si come torna colui che va giusoTalvolta a solver l’ ancora, ch
’
aggrappaO scoglio, od altro, che nel mare e chiuso,
Chein su si stende, e da pie si rattrappa .
With other Notes than to the 3 “The beast shall ascend,” &c . ,
Orphean lyreI sung of Chaos and eternal
and they that dwell onu
the earthNigh t.” shall wonder.
” Rev. xvn . 8 .
P ar . Lost, iii. 1 7.4 Lit. : “Who above” (in the
2 Forma tricorp orz’
s umbrae. JEn. upper part ofhis body) spreadsvi. 289.
“The beast that ascend himself, and at the feet draws himeth out ofthe bottomless p it.” selftogether,” as he is swimm ingRev. xi. 1 7 up from the anchor.
194 INFERNO . cxm o xvn.
CANTO XVII .
BEHOLD the savage beast w ith the pointed
tail, that passes mountains, and breaks through w alls
and w eapons ! Behold him that p ollutes the whole
w orld .
” 1 Thus began myGuide to speak to me ; and
beckoned him to come ashore , near the end ofour
rocky path .
2 And that uncleanly image ofFraud
came onw ard,and landed his head and bust, but
drew not his tail up on the bank .
His face w as the face ofa j ust man,so mild an
aspect had it outw ardly;3and the rest w as all a rep
tile’s body. He had tw o paw s,hairy to the arm
EC CO la fi era con la coda aguzza,Che passa imonti, e rompe mura ed armi ;
Ecco colei che tutto il mondo appuz zaSi comincio lo mio Duca a parlarmi ;Ed accennolle che venisse a proda,Vicino al fi n de
’ passeggiatimarmi
E quella sozza imagine difroda,Sen venne, ed arrivo la testa e il busto ;Ma in su la riva non trasse la coda .
La faccia sua era faccia d’ nom giusto,Tanto benigna avea difuor la pelleE d’ nu serpente tutto l’ altro fusto .
Duo branche avea pilose infin l’ ascelle
l “ Diseases all the world with marbles” (stony margins ofthe
stench fi lls itwith Shams ofevery streamlet) walked on” by us.
sort and their results . C anto xi . 3 Lit I t had the skin out
2 Lit. : “ Near the end ofthe wardlyso mild.
CANTO xvrr. INFERNO . 1 95
p its ; the neck, and the breast, and both the flanks,
w ere painted w ith knots and circlets . Never did
Tartars nor Turks w ith more colours make ground
or broidery1 in cloth ; nor byA rachne w ere such
w ebs laid on leer Zoom.
As at times the wherries lie on shore, that are
part in w ater and p art on land ; and as, amongst
the guzzling Germans, the beaver adjusts himself
to make his w ar ;2so laythat w orst ofsavage beasts
up on the brim’” w hich closes the great sand w ith
stone . In the void4 sw am all his tail,tw isting up
w ards the venomed fork, w hich, as in s corp ions,armed the point .
Lo dosso, e il petto, ed ambedue le costeDipinte avea di nodi e di rotelle .
Con p iu color, sommesse e s0p rap poste
Non fer mai drappo Tartari né Turchi,Nefur tai tele p er Aragne imposte .
Come tal volta stanno a riva i burchi,Che parte sono in acqua e parte in terra,E come la tra li Tedeschi lurchi
Lo bevero s’
assetta afar sua guerra ;Cosi 1a fi era pessima si stavaSu 1
’
orlo, che di pietra il sabbion serra.
Nel vano tutta sua coda guizzava,Torcendo in su la venenosa forcaChe, a guisa di scorpion, la punta armava .
Sommesse, the groundwork of 3 Ring of rock between the
the cloth ; and sop pmp oste, the sand and the deep central “ void .
”
raised work, or broidery. 4 The empty space over the
2z’
. e. to catch his prey. abyss.
1 96 INFERNO . CANTO xvn .
MyGuide said : Now must w e bend our w ay
a little, to that w icked brute w hich couches there .
Then w e descended on the right,
1and made ten
paces tow ards the edge ,2 that w e might quite avoid
the sand and flames .
And w hen w e came to him, I saw upon the
sand, a little farther onw ards, people sitting3 near
the empty space . Here my Master said to me
That thou mayest take full experience of this
round, go now and mark the mien ‘
Ofthese . Let
talk w ith them be brief. Till thou returnest,
Lo Duca disse Or convien che si torcaLa nostra via un poco, infino a quellaBestia malvagia, che cola si corca .
Pero scendemmo alla destra mammella,E dieci passifemmo in sullo stremo,
Per ben cessar la rena e la fi ammella
E quando noi a lei venuti semo,
Poco p iu Oltre veggio in su la rena
Gente seder propinqua al luogo scemo .
Quivi il Maestro Acciocche tutta pienaEsper
'
ienza d’ esto giron porti,Mi disse, or va, e vedi 1a lor mena .
Li tuoi ragionamenti sien 1a corti
33 . Cessar, evitare. P arad . xxv. l 33 .
1 “On the righte ast.” Down 3 Usurers , “ sitting all crouched
from the elevated margin ofthe up .
” Canto xiv. 23 . They are
streamlet. near the end ofthe sand ; close to2 E dge ofthe abyss. Went ten the rim ofstone, or inner boundpaces from the sand . aryofthe circle. V er. 24 .
198 INFERNO . CANTO xvn .
there hung a pouch,w hich had a certain ‘ colour and
a certain imp ress, and thereon it seems their eye still
feeds .
‘And as I came amongst them looking,on a yel
low purse I saw azure , that had the semblan ce and
gesture ofa lion .
1 Then,my look continuing its
course , I saw another ofthem,redder than blood ,
displaya goose more w hite than butter .
2 And one
w ho , w ith a sow azure and pregnant, had his argent
sacklet stamped ,3 said to me :“What dost thou in
this p it ? Get thee gone : and , because thou art still
Che dal collo a ciascun p endea una tasca,Ch
’
avea certo colore e certo segno,E quindi p ar che il loro occhio si pasca .
E com’io .riguardando tra lor vegno,
In una borsa gialla vidi azzurro,Che di lione avea faccia e contegno .
Poi procedendo di mio sguardo il curro,Vidine un’
altra p iu che sangue rossaMostrare uh ’
oca bianca p iii che burro .
Ed un, che d’
una scrofa azzurra e grossaSegnato avea lo suo sacchetto bianco,Mi disse Che fai tu in questa fossa ?
Or te ne va z e perche se’ vivo anco,
for being named . Have nothingleft for eternity but those pursesand emblems of nobil ity, on
which their eye seems to feed .
Animum p icture? p ascz‘
t inani,
largoque humectat flumz’
ne vultnm.
PEn . i . 4641 . Congestis undique
saccis , &c . Hor. Serm. i . 70, &c.
1 Arms of the Gianfigliaz z i,
Florentines ofthe Guelph party.Malesp . c . 1 68 .
2 Arms of the Ubbriachi , an
ancient family ofdistinction in
Florence, and ofthe Ghibellineparty. Malesp . c . 1 37, & c . ; Vil
Iam'
,vi . 33 , &c .
3 The arms of the S crovigni
(Scrofa ) OfPadua .
CANTO xvu . INFERNO . 1 99
alive,know that my neighbour Vitaliano 1 shall sit
here at myleft side . With these Florentines am I ,a Paduan . Many a time they din my ears , shout
ing : Let the sovereign cavalier2 come , w ho w ill
bring the p ouch w ith the three goats l’ ” Then hew rithed his mouth
,and thrust his tongue out,
3 like
an ox that licks his nose . And I , dreading lestlonger staymight anger him w ho had admonished
me to stayshort time , turned back from those fore
w earied souls .
I found my Guide , w ho had alreadymounted
Sappi che il mio vicin VitalianoSedera qui dal mio sinistro fi anco .
Con questi Fiorentin son PadovanoSpesse fiate In
’intruonan gli orecchi,
Gridando Vegna il cavalier sovrano,
Che rechera la tasca coi tre becchi.Quindi storse la bocca, e difuor trasseLa lingua, come bue che il naso lecchi.Ed io, temendo nol pm star crucciasseLui che di poco star m
’
avea ammonito,
Tornai indietro dall’ anime lasse .
Trovai lo Duca mio ch’ era salito
V ital iano del Dente, a ri chPaduan nob leman . Dante , beingstill al ive, can report what hehears about him, &c .
2 Messer Giovann i Buiamonte,
the most infamous usurer of
those times ,”a Florentine ofthe
B i c ci fam ily, whose arms werethree “ he- goats not
“ beaks,”as some have thought. I lle cum
tribus hirquis , & c . , is the expression ofPietro
,Dante’s son.
3 Mark ofthe heartiest, and the
meanest contempt ; indicating thereal rank ofthose noble usurers.
One sees it yet, with its old ac
comp animents,amongst the low
est classes in Italy ; and it comes
to them from the Romans. See
Pers. Sat. i . 5 8- 60.
200 INFERNO. CANTO xvn .
on the haunch ofthe dreadful animal ; and he said
to me : Now be stout and bold ! Now by such
stair s must w e descend . Mount thou in front ; for
I w ish to be in the middle,that the tail maynot
do hurt to thee.
”
A s one who has the shivering ofthe quartan so
near, that he has his nails already pale , and trem
bles all, still keeping the shade ;1 such I becamewhen these w ords w ere uttered .
2 But his threats3
excited shame, w hich makes the servant bold in
presence ofa w orthymaster .
Gia sulla groppa del fi ero animale,E disse a me : Or sie forte e ardito .
Omai si scende p er sifatte scaleMonta dinanzi, ch
’io voglio esser mezzo,
Si che la coda non possa far male .
Qual e colui, ch’
ha si presso il ribrezzoDella quartana, ch
’
ha gia 1’ unghie smorte,
E trema tutto, pur guardando il rezzoTal divenn
’io alle parole porte
Ma vergogna mifer le sue minacce,Che innanzi a buon signor fa servo forte .
1 Continuing,unnerved and discouraged, in the shade which iscold and hurtful to him. Witha frightful Ital ian ague comingupon him ; trembling all over, andw ithout heart to move till some
one force him.
2 Or, more lit. : At the wordsdirected” to me.
3 These threats” ofV irgil,
looks ofhighest calmness and
security (mere visible presenceofWisdom), which make Da nteashamed ofhis trembling, and
give him strength to mount, re
call the express ion (ZEn. iv.Mimeque .Murorum ingentes, so
much tortured by commentators.
The reading followed by Cary iswithout anygood authority.
202 INFERNO . CANTO xvu .
and when he felt himself quite loose,l there w here
his breast had been he turned his tail, and stretching
moved it,like an eel
,and w ith his paw s gathered
the air to him .
Greater fear there w as not, I believe, when Phaeton let fall the rein s
,
2w hereby the sky, as yet ap
pears,
3w as burnt ; nor w hen poor Icarus felt his
loins unfeather bythe heating ofthe w ax} his father
crying to him ,Perilous thyw ayl
” 5 than w as my
fear, when I saw myself in the air on all sides, and
saw extinguished every sight, save ofthe beast .6
E p oi ch’al tutto si senti a giuoco,
La ov’
era il petto, la coda rivolseE quella tesa, come anguilla, mosse
E con le branche 1’ acre a se raccolse.
Maggior paura non credo che fosse,
Quando Fetonte abbandono li freni,Per che il ciel, come appare ancor, si cosse ;
Ne quando Icaro misero le reniSenti sp ennar p er la scaldata cera,Gridando il padre a lui : Mala via tieni ;
Che fu la mia, quando vidi ch’
io era
Nell’ aer d’ ogni parte, e vidi spentaOgni veduta, fuor che della fi era .
Or : Quite at play ; atfullplay in the void.
2 Gelz'
ddformidz'
ne lora remisit.
Metam . i i . 200.
3 In the MilkyWay, accord ingto the Pythagoreans . CompareConvito, Tr. i i. cap . 1 5 ; and P a
rad . xiv. 99.
4 Rap idi vicinia solz'
s M ollit
odoratas , p ennarum vincula, ceras.
Tabuerant cerae : nudos quatit ille
la certos, &c. Metam. v iii. 225 .
5 Lit. : “ Ill w aythou keepest.5 Saw every s ight quenched,
except that of the beast saw
nothing but the beast.
CANTO xvrr. INFE RNO . 203
He goes on sw imming slow ly, slow ly; wheels and
descends ; but I perceive it not,otherw ise than by
a wind up on my face and from below ,
1 Al ready,on the right hand, I heard the w hirlp ool
2 make a
hideous roaring under u s ; Whereat I stretched myhead forth , looking dow nw ards .
3 Then w as I mq re
terror - struck at the descent ; for I saw fir es and
heard lamentings, so that I shrunk all trembling .
And then I saw—w hat I had not seen before—the
sinking and the w heeling,4 through the great evils
which drew near on diverse sides .
Ella sen va notando lenta lenta ;Ruota, e discende ; ma non me n’ accorgo,Se non ch’ al viso e disotto mi venta .
Io sentia gia dalla man destra il gorgoFar sotto noi un orribile stroscioPer che con gli occhi in giu 1a testa sporgo .
Allor fu ’
io piu timido allo scoscioPero ch’ io vidifuochi, e sentii pianti ;Ond
’io tremando tutto mi raccoscio .
E vidi p oi, che nol vedea davanti,Lo scendere e il girar, p er li gran maliChe s
’
appressavan da diversi canti.
1 1 8. Gorgo, Lat. gurges.1 2 1 . Scoscz
’
o, descent, precipice.
1 “ I t blows on his face,” from to the right, and keeps circlingthe circling ; and beneath,” or down w ith the rocky precip ice on
on his feet, from the sinking. that hand.
2 Into which the red stream is 3 Lit : “With eyes downwards,fall ing. On the right hand,” myhead I stretch .
indicating that Geryon had turned 4 The descending and circling,
204 INFERNO . CANTO xvn .
As the falcon, that has been long upon his w ingsthat, without seeing bird or lure, makes the fal
coner cry,“ Alas ! thou stoop est
—descends w eary;1
then sw iftlymoves himself w ith manya circle, and
far from his master sets himself disdainful and sullen
so at the bottom Geryon set u s,close to the foot of
the ragged rock and , from our w eight relieved, he
bounded Offlike an arrow from the string .
2
Come il falcon ch’ e stato assai su 1’ali,
Che, senza veder logoro o uccello,Fa dire al falconiere Oime tu cali !Discende lasso, onde simuove snelloPer cento ruote, e da lungi si poneDal suo maestro, disdegnoso e felloCosi ne pose al fondo GerioneA piede a p ie della s tagliata roccaE, discarcate le nostre persone,
Si dileguo, come da corda cocca .
1 343. A p iede a p ie, at foot at foot. ” Iterationl ike a randa a randa (canto xiv. vicin vicino, &c.
which only the wind on his face simple than the one we haveand feet had made him feel be adopted ; and rests on inferiorfore, he now sees by the succes authority.S ion Ofhorrors (gran ma li) that 1 Satan readynowpresent themselves. The reading To stoop with w earied w ings,” &c .
ofthis passage given in the (1 842) P ar LOW, i1 1 0 70
edition of Foscolo seems qu ite 2 As notch ofarrow from
unintelligible. E udi’ p oi, che cord. Geryon has been disap
non l’udia davante is the Cruscan pointed ofthe prey he expected ;
reading ofver. 1 24 . I t is less and is angry, like the fal con.
INFERNO . CANTO XVI I I .
CANTO XVIII .
THERE is a p lace in Hell called Malebolge ,1 all
ofstone , and ofan iron colour , like the barrier2 w hichw inds round it . Right in the middle yaw ns a w ell
exceeding w ide and deep , w hose structure its due
place shall tell . 3 The border4 therefore that remains,betw een the w ell and the foot ofthe high rockybank,is round ; and it has its bottom divided into ten val
LUO GO e in inferno, detto Malebolge,Tutto di pietra e di color ferrigno,Come la cerchia che d
’
intorno il volge.
Nel dritto mezzo del campo malignoVaneggia un pozzo assai largo e profondo,Di cui suo luogo contera l’ ordigno .
Quel cinghio, che rimane, adunque e tondo,Tra il pozzo e il p ie dell
’
alta ripa dura,E ha distinto in dieci valli il fondo .
Name given to this E ighthC ircle, on account of the ten
Evil” Bolg z’
e, or B olge, which itcontains. Bolg z
'
a (Lat. bulga), in
its original signification, a bag,
budget, val ise, or portmanteau ,”
came afterwards to mean any
dark hole, nest, repository, chasm ,
or gulf.” B ouge, its derivative inFrench , has something ofthe latter sense ; while its d iminutivebougette (budget) still retains theoriginalmeaning. P ietro diDante
says : P er bolg z'
as, id est, vestibula
porches or &c.
The place of Satan is gettingnear ; and all these meanings suggest ideas .
2 The “ high bank Ofrock(ver. 8) which divides it from the
Seventh C ircle.
3 Will be described in its place.
4 Ring of space, or“ belt,”
between the brim ofthe lower(central) well and the foot ofthehigh bank.
CANTO xvm . INFERNO . 207
leys . As is the form that ground presents,
1w here to
defend the w alls successive ditches begird a castle ;such image these made here . And as
,from the
thresholds ofthe fortress, there are bridges to the
outw ard bank ; so from the basis ofthe rock p ro
ceeded cliffs that crossed the embankments and the
ditches, dow n to the w ell w hich truncates and col
lects them .
2
In this place,shaken from the back ofGeryon,
3
w e found ourselves ; and the Poet kep t to the left,
and I moved behind . On the right hand I saw new
Quale, dove p er guardia delle muraPin e p infossi cingon li castelli,La parte dov’ ci son rende figura ;
Tale immagine quivifacean quelliE come a taifortezze da’ lor sogliAlla ripa di
'
fuor son ponticelli ;Cosi da imo della roccia scogliMovien, che ricidean gli argini e ifossi,Infino al pozzo che i tronca e raccogli.
In questo luogo, dalla schiena scossiDi Gerion, trovammoci e il PoetaTenne a sinistra, ed io dietro mimossi.
Alla man destra vidi nuova pieta ;
1 Qua le fignra la p arte rende,
&c. The whole round ofMalebolge presents the same aspectas
“the part” on which numerous
fosses are made for defence ofa
castle or fortress .
2 These flinty cliffs that rivetthe dark chasms together, and
give them communi cation withSatan and his emissaries, proceedfrom “ the basis ofthe rock ,” or
outer margin ofMalebolge ; and
converge as they descend towardsthe central well which terminatesand collects them in its ring.
3 Set down by him in anger.
208 INFERNO . CANTO XVI I I .
misery, new torments,and new tormentors
, w here
w ith the first chasm w as filled . In its bottom the
sinners w ere naked : from the middle, on our side
,
1
they came facing u s ; and , on the other side,along
w ith u s, but with larger steps .2 Thus the Romans
,
because ofthe great throng, in the year ofJubilee,
upon the bridge have taken means to pass the p eo
p le over ; so that, on the one side , all have their facestow ard the Castle, and go to St. Peter’s ; at the other
ledge, theygo tow ards the Mount.
3
On this side,on that, along the hideous stone
,
Nuovi tormenti e nuovifrustatori,Di che la prima bolgia era repleta .
Nel fondo erano ignudi i peccatoriDal mezzo in qua civenian verso il voltoDi la con noi, ma con passimaggioriCome i Roman, p er 1
’
esercito molto,L’
anno del Giubbileo, su p er lo ponteHanno a passar la gente modo tolto
Che dall’ un lato tuttihanno la fronteVerso il castello, e vanno a santo Pietro,Dall’ altra sponda vanno verso il monte .
Di qua, di la, su p er lo sasso tetro
In the halfofthe chasm nextto us . Taken lengthwise.
2 Larger steps than ours .
Chased by Demons, ver. 3 5 .
3 In the year 1 300(date ofthe
V ision ofDante) , when BonifaceV I II. proclaimed the first J ubilee, the concourse ofpilgrims
w as s o great that it became ne
cessary to d iv ide the bridge of
St. Angelo lengthwise, and makeall those who were going towardsthe
'
C astle (ofSt. Angelo) and
St. Peter’s keep on one side ; and
those who were returning from it,
on the other s ide. The mount”
is Monte Giordano, or more p ro
bably that part ofthe J aniculum
on which the church ofSt. P ietroin Montorio stands .
2 10 INFERNO . cm o xvm .
not false , thou art‘
V enedico Caccianimico .
1 But
w hat brings thee to such a biting pickleAnd he to me : Unw illinglyI tell it ; but thy
clear speech,
3 that makes me recolle ct the former
w orld, compels me . I t w as I who led the fair Ghisola to do the Marquis’ w ill
,how ever the unseemly
tale maysound .
4 And I am not the onlyBolognese
that w eeps here : nay,‘
this place is so filled w ith u s ,that as manytongues are not now taught to say
Venedico sei tu Caccianimico .
Ma che timena a si pungenti salse ?Ed egli a me Mal volentier lo dicoMa sforz ami la tua chiara favella,Che mifa sovvenir del mondo antico .
Io fui colui, che la Ghisola bellaCondussi a far la voglia del Marchese,Come che suoni la sconcia novella .
E non pur io qui piango Bolognese ;Anzi n’
e questo luogo tanto pieno,Che tante lingue non son ora apprese
1 A Bolognese (ifthose features ofhis be real) ofdistinguished family, who persuadedhis beautiful sister Ghisola, underfalse pretences, to do the will ofA z z o I I I . , Marqu is ofFerrara,that step - son
”ofcanto xi i . 1 1 2 .
See Ottimo Com. and that ofBenv.
da Imola,who w as at Bologna in
1 375 , and knew the family .2 Salse sauces,” seasoning of
the lash ) was also the name of a
very steep and hollow place near
Bologna, into which the bodies ofthose who were deemed unworthyof christian burial used to be
thrown. Benv. da Imola Com.
3 C lear” living voice, thatrem inds him of old things on
earth. The shadows have hoarse,faint voices . S ee canto i. 63 ; andother passages .
4 Whatever reports there maybe ofthe vile tale.
CANTO xvrn . INFERNO . 2 1 1
betw een Savena and the Reno} And ifthou desirest
assurance and testimonythereof, recall to thymemoryour avaricious heart.” 2
And as he thus spake,a Demon smote him w ith
his lash, and said “Aw ay! Ruffian
,there are no
w omen here for
I rejoined myEscort. Then, w ith a few step s
,
w e came to where a cliff p roceeded from the bank .
This w e very easily ascended ; and, turning to the
right upon its jagged ridge ,4 w e quitted those eternal
circles .
5
A dicer sip a tra Savena e il RenoE se di ciovuoifede o testimonio,
Rebati a mente il nostro avaro seno .
Cosi parlando il percosse un Demonio
Della sua scuriada, e disse : Via,
Ruffi an, qui non son femmine da conio .
10 mi raggiunsi con la Scorta miaPoscia con pochi passi divenimmo,Dove uno scoglio della ripa uscia .
Assai leggieramente quel salimmo,E volti a destra su p er la sua scheggia,Da quelle cerchie eterne ci partimmo .
Bologna l ies between the
rivers Savena and Reno. Sip a
(or si p o) is the cheerful yes,”
or“ truly, ” ofthe Bolognese to
the present time.
2 Dante had studied in Bologna.
3 Or “ to coin to makeinto money, as the Ottimo Com.
suggests.
4 Lit. : I ts splinter. Or “ its
splintered p art,” taking scheggia
for scheggiata .
5 C ircles ofthe v iolent &c ., or
those gu ilty ofdirect s ins . The
Poets take a d ifferent w ay, in thiscircle of the Fraudulent, fromwhat they have taken in the circlesabove. They “ held to the left”
2 1 2 INFERNO . CANTO xvm .
When w e reached the part where it yaw ns be
neathl to leave a passage for the scourged, myGuide
said : Stay, and let the look strike on thee2 ofthese
other ill -born sp irits , w hose faces thou hast not yet
seen,for theyhave gone along w ith
'
u s .
”
From the ancient bridge w e V Iew ed the train,w ho w ere coming tow ards u s, on the other side ,
The kind Master ,w ithout myasking, said to me : Look at that great
chased likew ise bythe scourge .
soul w ho comes, and seems to shed no tear for pain .
What a regal aspect he yet retains That is Jason,
Quando noifummo 1a, dov’ci vaneggia
Di sotto, p er dar passo agli sferzati,Lo Duca disse Attienti, e fa che feggia
LO viso in te di questi altrimal nati,A
’ quali ancor non vedesti la faccia,Perocche son con noi insieme andati.
Dal vecchio ponte guardavam la traccia,Che venia verso noi dall’ altra banda,E che 1a ferza similmente scaccia .
Il buon Maestro, senza mia dimanda,Mi disse : Guarda quel grande che viene,E p er dolor non p ar lagrima spanda .
Quanto aspetto reale ancor ritiene
75 . Feggia , from ficdere. C anto x. 1 3 5 .
(ver. 2 1 ) after Geryon qu ittedthem ; and now they turn
“ to
the right” . in going towards thecentre ofHell, instead ofturningto the left as heretofore. C om
pare cantos ix. 1 32 ; x. 1 33 ; xiii.1 1 5
, 1 30 ; xiv. 1 26, &c. We
shall also find that the way(likethat ofFraud or sham goodness)leads more d irectly to Satan .
1 Where the cliffforms a bridgeover the first chasm.
2 Take a d irect, and painful,v iew ofthem too. See ver. 27.
2 14 INFERNO . CANTO xvm .
We had alreadycome to w here the narrow path
w ay1 crosses the second bank, and makes ofit a
buttress for another arch . Here w e heard people
moaning in the other chasm,and puffing w ith mouth
and nostrils, and knocking on themselves w ith their
palms . The banks w ere crusted over w ith a mould
from the vapour below , which con cretes upon them,
w hich did battle2 w ith the eyes and w ith the nose .
The bottom is so deep,that w e could see it no
where w ithout mounting to the ridge ofthe arch,
w here the cliff stands highest.
3 We got upon it ; and
then, in the ditch beneath, I saw a people dipped
Gia cravam 1a ’ve lo stretto calle
Con 1’
argine secondo s’
incrocicchia,E fa di quello ad um altr’ arco spalle.
Quindi sentimmo gente che s’annicchia
Nell’ altra bolgia, e che col muso sbuffa,E 863 medesma con le palme picchia .
Le ripe eran grommate d’
una muffa,Per 1
’
alito di giu che vi si appasta,Che con gli occhi e col naso facea zuffa .
Lo-fondo e cupo si, che non ci bastaLuogo a veder senza montare al dossoDell’ arco, ove lo scoglio p iu sovrasta .
Quivi venimmo, e quindi giiI nel fossoVidi gente attuffata in uno stereo,
The flinty cliff” which goes 2 Made strife assailed withstraight down to the central well, pungent stench both the eyes and
and r ises into an arch at every the nostrils .
success ive chasm .
3 At the centre ofthe arch .
CANTO xvm . INFE RNO . 2 1 5
in excrement, that seemed as it bad flow ed from
human privies .
And w hilst I w as searching w ith my eyes, dow n
amongst it, I . beheld one w ith a head so smeared
in filth,that it did not appear w hether he w as lay
He baw led to me : Whyart thou
so eager in gazing at me , more than the others in
man or clerk .
1
their nastiness ? ”
And I to him :“ Because , ifI rightlyrecollect,
I have seen thee before w ith thyhair dry: and thouTherefore do Iart Al essio Interminei2 ofLucca .
eye thee more than all the rest.”
And he then,beating his pate :3 Down to this,
Che dagli uman privati parea mossoE mentre ch’ io 1agiu con 1
’
occhio cerco,Vidi un col capo si dimerda lordo,Che non parea s
’
era laico o cherco .
Queimi sgridO: Perche sei tu si ingordoDi riguardar p iume che gli altri brutti?Ed io
,a lui Perche, se ben ricordo,
Gia t’
ho veduto coi capelli asciutti,E sei Alessio Interminei da LuccaPero t’ adocchio pm che gli altri tutti.Ed egli allor, battendosi la zucca
tracani, w as oftheir fam ily. Vill.
ix. 68, &c . Aless io besmeared1 There was no seeing whether
he had the tonsure ofa priest ornot.
2 The Interminelli (in 1 301 )were at the head ofthe Ghibel
l ines and Whites in Lucca (Villani, vi ii. 46) and the greatGhibelline chief, Castrucc io Cas
every one w ith flattery, even the
meanest ofthe populace.
”Omnes
unguebat, omnes lingebat, etiam vi
Benv. da Imola Com.
3 Z ucca , gourd or pumpkin,
in its original meaning : still a
lissimos .
2 1 6 INFERNO . CANTO xvnt.
the flatteries w herew ith mytongue w as never w earyhave sunk me
Thereupon myGuide said to'
me : Stretch thyface a little forw ards
,that thyeyes mayfullyreach
the visage ofthat unclean, dishevelled strumpet,
1
who yonder w ith her filthy nails scratches herself,
now cow ering low ,now standing on her feet. I t is
Thais,the harlot, w ho answ ered her paramour
,w hen
he said : ‘ Dost thou thank me much ? ’ Nay, w on
drou sly.
’2 And herew ith let our view rest sated .
” 3
Quaggm m’ hanno sommerso le lusinghe,
Ond’io non ebbimai la lingua stucca .
Appresso ciO lo Duca Fa che pinghe,Mi disse, un poco il viso p iu avante
,
Si che la faccia ben con gli occhi attingheDi quella sozza scapigliata fante,Che la si graffi a con 1
’ unghie merdose,
Ed or s’
accoscia, ed ora e in piede stante .
Taida e, la puttana che risposeAl drudo suo, quando disse Ho io grazieGrandi appo te ? Anzimeravigliose .
E quinci sien le nostre viste sazie .
favourite name, amongst the I talians, for heads ofa certain description.
Omnis mulier , quce estfornicaria , quas i stercus in via, &c.
E ccles . (V ulgate) ix. 1 0.
2 In the E unuchus ofTerence
(act m . s cene it is Gnatho,and not Thais herself, who uses
the express ion alluded to. THE .
Magnas vero agere gratias Thais
mihi ? GN. I ngentes .
3 “And now, enough ofthisv ile place.
”
2 1 8 INFERNO . CANTO xxx.
CANTO XIX .
O SIMON MAGUS !1 O w retched follow ers ofhisand robbers ye,2 who for gold and silver prostitutethe things ofGod , that should be w edded untorighteousness ! Now must the trumpet3 sound for
you ; for ye are in the third chasm.
Alreadyw e had mounted to the follow ing grave,on that part ofthe cliffw hich hangs right4 over the
O S IMON mago, o miseri seguaci,Che le cose di Dio, che di bontateDeono essere spose, e voi rapaci
Per oro e p er argento adulterateOr convien che p er voi suoni la tromba,Perocchenella terza bolgia state .
Gia eravamo alla seguente tombaMontati, dello scoglio in quella parteChe appunto sovra mezzo il fosso piomba .
l And when S imon saw
he offered them money, saying,G ive me also this powerBut Peter said unto him, Thymoney perish w ith thee, becausethou hast thought the gift ofGodmay be purchased for money. ”
Acts v iii . 1 8.
2 “ And ye rapacious” fol
lowers. The e before voi (v. 3 )cannot well be left out. I t occursin too many ofthe best MSS . and
editions ; and, though it inter
rup ts the strict grammatical sense,it increases the force and fi re of
the passage. P ietro di Dante, byw ayofcomment, quotes J ohn x. l :He that entereth not by the
door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same
is a thiefand a robber.
”
3 Cry aloud , spare not : l iftup thyvoice like a trumpet,” &c.
I saiah lvii i 14 Lit Plumbs exactly,” or
hangs plumb, &c.
CANTO xxx. INFE RNO . 2 19
middle ofthe foss . O Wisdom Sup reme, w hat art
thou shew est in heaven,on earth and in the evil
w orld, and how j ustlythyGoodness d ispenses ll
I saw the livid stone,on the sides and on the
bottom,full ofholes
,all ofone breadth ; and each
w as round . Not less w ide they seemed to me,nor
larger, than those that are in my beauteous SanGiovanni made for stands2 to the baptizers ; one
0 Somma Sapienza, quanta e l’
arte
Che mostri in cielo, in terra e nel mal mondo,E quanto giusto tua Virtu comparte !
Io vidi, p er le coste e p er lo fondo,Piena la pietra livida diforiD’
nu largo tutti, e Ciascuno era tondo.
Non mi parean meno ampi ne.maggiori,
Che quei che son nel mio bel San Giovanni
Fatti p er luogo de’ battezzatori ;
Throughout the Universe,Dante finds that every one is re
warded and punished exactly aocording to his deserts, with an
infin ite Goodness, and infin iteJ usti ce inseparable from it. He
is now in v iew ofthe S imonists,and observes that their heads are
turned downwards and fixed in
the ground , as befits their avari ceand low desires. Compare P urg .
xix. 1 1 5 - 1 24 .
2 Round the old font in the
Bapistery of St. J ohn—wheregreat numbers ofthe Florentinesused to assemble on stated days forbaptism—Landino says, “ little
wells” (or narrow circular holes,called p oz z etti from their shape)“ were made for the priests to
stand in, when bapti z ing ; thattheymight be nearer to the water”of the font, and free from the
pressure of the crowd . Dantebroke one ofthese to save the
life ofa boy who had got intoit in sport, apparently with headdownwards, and could not be ex
tricated, but w as drowning” or
suffocating” in it ; and he wantsto set all men right in regard tohis real motive for break ing it.See Com. ofBenv. da Imola, V ellutello, Ottimo, &c. J udging by
220 INFERNO . CANTO m .
ofwhich, not manyyears ago, I broke to save one
that w as drow ning in it : and be this a seal to un
deceive all men . From the mouth ofeach emerged
a sinner’s feet, and legs to the calf ; and ‘ the rest
remained w ithin . The soles ofall w ere burningboth ; w herefore the joints quivered so strongly,that theyw ould have snap t in pie ces withes and
grass - ropes . As the flaming ofthings Oiled moves
on ly on their outer surface ; so w as it there, from
the heels to the toes .
Master ! w ho is that w ho w rithes himself,quivering more than all his fellow s
,
” I said, “and
sucked byruddier flame
L’un degli quali, ancor non emolt’ anni,Rupp’ io p er nu che dentro vi annegavaE questo sia suggel ch
’
ogni uomo sganni.Fuor della bocca a ciascun
“
sop erchiava
D’
nu p eccator li piedi, e delle gambeInfi no al grosso e l’ altro dentro stava.
Le piante erano accese a tutti intrambePerche siforte guizzavan le giunte,Che spezzate averian ritorte e strambe .
Qual suole il fi ammeggiar delle cose unteMuoversi p ur su p er 1
’
estrema buccia,Tal era li da
’ calcagni alle punte .
Chi e colui, Maestro, che si cruccia,Guizzando p iu che gli altri suoi consorti,Diss’ io, e cui p iii rossa fi amma succia ?
the old prints (edition of 1 “Whom a ruddier (stronger)these
i
p oz z etti must have been flame sucks,” or dries up , d i ckermade at the tops ofshort pillars . ing on the soles ofhim.
222 INFERNO . CANTO xxx.
thyupper part beneath, O unhap pyspirit, p lanted likea stake !” I began to say;
“ ifthou art able, sp eaI stood
,like the friar who is confessing a treach
erous assassin that,after being fixed, recalls him to
delay the death .
1 And he c ried : “Art thou there
alreadystanding, Boniface ?2 Art thou there alreadystanding ? Byseveral years the w rit3 has lied to me .
Art thou so quicklysated w ith that w ealth, for which
thou didst not fear to seize the comelyLady4 bydecelt, and then make havoc ofher
Anima trista, come pal commessa,Comincia’ io a dir, se puoi, fa motto .
Io stava come il frate che confessaLo p erfi do assassin che, p oi ch
’
e fi tto,
Richiama lui, perche 1a morte cessa.
Ed ei gridi) Sei tu gia costi ritto,Sei tu gia costi ritto, Bonifazio ?Di parecchi anni mi menti lo scritto .
Sei tu si tosto di quell’ aver sazio,Per 10 qual non temesti torre a ingannoLa bella Donna, e di p oifarne strazio 2
“ For he delays, or avoidsdeath” a few moments longer,
bypretending that he has some
thing more to confess. In Dante’stime assassins were put into a
deep hole in the ground, withtheir heads downwards, and buriedalive.
” This horrid kind ofpun
ishment was called p rop agginareor p rop aggine, from the manner
ofplanting vines .
2 Takes Dante for Boniface
V I I I. , who did not die till 1 303 ;and is surprised to find him“stand ing” erect, instead ofbeinginstantly planted (as a S imonist)w ith feet upwards in that holewhich he himselffills.
3 “Writ,” i. e. text or scriptureoffuture events, which the spiritsin Hell are permitted to read
with their “ imperfect v is ion.
”
Canto x. 100, &c.
4 The beautiful Lady is the
CANTO xxx. INFERNO . 223
I became like those who stand as ifbemocked, notcomprehending w hat is answ ered to them, and unableto reply. Then Virgil said : Sayto him quickly,I am not he , I am not he w hom thou believest.’
And I replied as w as enjoined me ; Whereat the
Spirit quite w renched his feet. Thereafter , sighing
and w ith voice ofw eeping, he said to me :“ Then
w hat askest thouofme 2 If to know who I am con
cerneth thee so much, that thou hast therefore p assed
the bank, learn that I w as clothed w ith the GreatMantle . And verilyI w as a son
1ofthe She-bear,
Tal mifec’
io, quai son color che stanno,Per non intender cio ch’ e lor risposto,Quasi scornati, e risponder non sanno .
Allor Virgilio disse : Dilli tosto,Non son colui, non son colui che credi.Ed io risposi come a me fu impostoPerche lo spirto tutti storse i piediPoi sospirando, e con voce di pianto,Mi disse : Dunque che a me richiedi?
Se di saper ch’ io sia ti cal cotanto,Che tu abbi p erOla ripa scorsa,Sappi ch’ io fui vestito del gran mantoE veramente fui figliuol dell
’ Orsa,
Church, which Boniface (in 1 294 ) N icholas I I I . ofthe Orsinihad dared to sei z e by fraud . He (Bears) family. He was made
first induced Celestine to resign, Pope in 1 277 and died in Auand got himselfelected by secret gust 1 281 , after hav ing enrichedagreement with Charles I I . of all his nephews (“ the cubs or
S icily ; then secured Celestine in whelps” ) by open S imony,
”and
prison, and began like a perfect every other means in his power.
hero in S imony. Vill. v iii. 6. Vill. vii. 5 4, &c. Malcap . c . 204 .
224: INFERNO . CANTO XIX.
so eager to advance theWhe lps, that I pursed w ealth
above , and here myself. 1 Beneath myhead; are drag
ged the others w ho preceded me in simony, cow ering
along the fissure ofthe stone .
2 I too shall fall down
thither, when he comes for whom I took thee when
I p ut the sudden question . But longer is the time
already, that I have baked my feet and stood in
verted thus, than he shall stand planted w ith glow
ing feet.
3 For after him,from w estw ard there shall
come a law less Shepherd} ofuglier deeds, fit to
Cupido si, p er avanzar gli Orsatti,
Che su 1’avere, e quime misi in borsa .
Di sotto al capo mio son gli altri tratti,Che precedetter me simoneggiando,Per la fessura della pietra piatti.
Laggm caschero io altresi, quandoVerra colui ch’ iO credea che tu fossi,
Allor ch’ io feci'
il subito dimando .
Ma p iu e ii tempo gia che i p iemi cossi,E ch’ lo son stato cosi sottosopra,Ch
’
ei non starapiantato coi p ie rossi
Che dopo lui verra, di piu laid’
opra,Divér ponente un Pastor senza legge,Tal che convieu che lui e me ricopra .
“Above (on earth) p utwealth,and here put myselfin purse.
”
2 Are dragged, or sucked in,
as it were through the neck of
that Hell - purse and lie squat”or cowering in it.
3 N icholas d ied in 1 281 , so thathe had “
already” (in 1 300) been
there 19 years : whereas Bonifacewould have to stand planted withhis feet red” only 1 1 years ; or
from his death in 1 303 to that ofC lement in 1 3 1 4 .
4 Bertrand deGotte,ArchbishopofBordeaux ; ~made Pope in 1 305 ,under very shameful conditions,
226 INFERNO . CANTO xrx.
when he w as chosen1 for the offi ce w hich the guiltysoul had lost. Therefore staythou here, for thou art
j ustly punished :2and keep w ell the ill-got money,3
which against Charles made thee be bold . And
w ere‘
it not that reverence for the Great Keys thou
heldest in the glad life yet4 hinders me , I should
u se still heavier w ords ; for your avarice grievesthe w orld, trampling on the good, and raising up
Nel luogo, che perde 1’ anima ria.
PerOti sta, che tu se’ben punito
E guarda ben la mal tolta monetaCh’ esser tifece contra Carlo ardito .
E se non fosse ch’ ancor 10 mi vieta.La riverenza delle somme Chiavi,Che tu tenesti nella vita lieta,
IO userei parole ancor p iu gravi ;Che la vostra avariz ia il mondo attrista,
Calcando i buoni e sollevando i pravi.
When chosen by lot, “ to takepart ofthe ministry and apostleship
,from which J udas” (Traitor
and blackest ofS imonists) “ bytransgress ion fell. ” Acts i. 25 .
2 P er?) ti sta , &c . may also berendered Therefore it befitsthee
,that thou art well punished. ”
3 Thy money perish withthee Acts viii. 20. V illan i(vii. 5 7) relates how J ohn of
Procida gave largely ofthe moneyof the Emperor Paleologus to
Nicholas and his nephew, and
thereby obtained his sanction forthe revolt against Charles I . of
S icily, which began (the yearafter Nicholas’s death) with the
S icilianV espers. Ill gotmoney”also before this had made him
bold against Charles, who con
temp tuouslyrefused all iance withhis fam ily. Villani, v iii. 5 4.
4 “Yet,
” i. e. though thou art
in Hell. Dante reverenced the
great keys , and detested the ava
rice and baseness ofthose who
abused them ; as he well migh t,considering what they represented.
Unhappily for itself, the Inqu isitiou of Spain prohib ited and
suppressed this whole passage.
CANTO xix. INFERNO . 227.
the w icked .
1 Shepherds such as ye the Evangelist
p erceived, when she, that sitteth on the w aters ,2
w as seen by him committing fornication w ith the
kings ; she that w as born w ith seven heads, and
in her ten horns had a w itness so long as virtue
p leased her spouse . Ye have made you a god Of
gold and silver ;3 and w herein do ye differ from
the idolater, save that he w orship s one, and ye a
hundred ? 4 Ah Constantine ! to how much ill gave .
Divoi pastor s’
accorse il Vangelista,Quando colei, che siede sovra l’ acque,Puttaneggiar co
’
regi a luifu vistaQuella che con le sette teste nacque,E dalle diece corna ebbe argomento,Fin che virtute al suo marito piacque .
Fatto v’ avete Dio d’ oro e d’ argentoE che altro e da voi all’ idolatre,Se non ch’ egli uno, e voi n’
orate cento 7
Ahi Costantin, di quanto mal fu matre,
1 Compare Convito, Tr. iv. o. 1 .
2 Or You Shepherds the
E vangel ist discerned ,” &c . , whenthe angel shewed him the greatwhore that sitteth upon manywaters : w ith whom the kings of
the earth have comm itted forn ication, and the inhab itants ofthe
earth have been drunk with thew ine of her forni cation,” &c.
Rev. xv ii. 1 . In P urg . xxxii.1 43 - 9, the
“Sacred E difi ce, transformed” by its profane alliance
w ith temporal things, is describedas putting forth seven heads and
ten horns and the Church of
Rome under Bon iface is spokenofas a loose harlot” gaz inground w ith wanton eyes.
3 Of the ir s ilver and theirgold have they made them idols.
”
Hos . vi ii. 4 . See also Ep hes. v. 5
and Coloss. i ii. 5 .
4 Ye make an idol ofeverypiece ofs ilver and gold, ofeveryspecies ofgain.
228 INFERNO . CANTO xIx.
birth, not thy conversion, but that dow er1 which
the first rich Father took from thee
And whilst I sung these notes to him, whether
it w as rage or conscience gnaw ed him, he violently
spraw led with both his feet. And indeed I thinkit pleased my Guide, with so satisfied a look did
he keep listening to the sound ofthe true w ords
uttered . Therefore w ith both his arms he took
me ; and,w hen he had me quite upon his breast,
remounted by the path w here he had descended .
Nor did he w eary in holding me clasped to him,
Non la tua conversion, ma quella doteChe da te prese il primo ricco patre !E mentre io gli cantava cotai note,0 ira o cosc
’
ienza che il mordesse,Forte spingava con ambo le piote.
Io credo ben ch’ al mio Duca piacesse,Con si contenta labbia sempre attese
Lo suon delle parole vere espresse.
PerO con ambo ls braccia mi prese,E p oi che tutto su mi 8
’
ebbe al petto,Rimonto p er la via onde discese ;
Ne si stanci) d’ avermi a se ristretto,
1 Dante again alludes to thispretended gift ofC onstantine inP urg . xxxii. 1 2 5 ; in Parad . xx.5 5 : and in his treatise De Mon
archia (lib . iii . ) he speaks ofit as
a thing that is doubtful, a giftthat the emperor could not law
fully make, ifhe ever did make Reform. book i.
it. Milton (Prose Works) hastranslated the passage in the text
Ah Constantine ! ofhow much ill
w as cause,
Not thyconversion, but those richdomains
That the fi rstwealthypop e receivedofthee !
”
ARGUMENT.
From the arch ofthe bridge, to which his Guide has carried him,
Dante now sees the Diviners, Augurs, Sorcerers, & c. comingslowly along the bottom ofthe Fourth Chasm . By help oftheirincantations and evil agents, they had endeavoured to pryinto theFuture which belongs to the Alm ighty alone, interfering w ith Hissecret decrees ; and now their faces are painfully tw isted the con
traryway; and, being unable to look before them, they are forcedto walk backwards. The first that V irgil names is Amphiaraiis ;
then T iresias the Theban prophet, Aruns the Tuscan. Nextcomes Manto, daughter ofTires ias ; on seeing whom , V irgil relates the origin ofMantua his native c ity. Afterwards he rapidlypoints out E urypylus, the Grecian augur ; Mi chael S cot, the greatmagician, with slender loins (probably from his northern dress) ;Gu ido Bonatti ofForl i ; Asdente, shoemaker ofParma, who lefthis leather and his awls to practise d ivination ; and the wretchedwomen who wrought malicious w itchcraft w ith their herbs and
waxen images . And now the Moon is setting in the westernsea time pres ses, and the Poets hasten to the next chasm.
32 INFERNO . CANTO xx.
CANTO XX .
OF new punishment I have to dictate verse, andto give matter for the tw entieth canto ofthe first Lay,w hich concerns the sunken .
1
I now w as all intent on looking into the depth
discovered to me,which w as bathed w ith tears of
anguish ; and through the cir cular valley I saw a
people coming, silent and w eeping, at the pace
w hich the litanies2 make in this w orld . When mysight descended low er on them,
3each seemed w on
drously distorted, from the chin to the commence
DI nuova pena mi convien far versi,E dar materia al ventesimo cantoDella prima canzon, ch
’e de
’sommersi.
Io era gia disposto tutto quantoA risguardar nello scoverto fondo,Che si bagnava d’ angoscioso piantoE vidi gente p er lo vallon tondoVenir, tacendo e lagrimando, al passoChe fanno le letanie in questo mondo .
Come il viso mi scese in lor piu basso,Mirabilmente apparve esser travoltoCiascun dal mento al p rincip lo del casso,
The spirits sunk in Hell. pace ofthem that in long p roCanz one here, and Cantica in cess ion chant the solemn litanies .
P urg .xxxi ii. 1 40, are the terms Vill. i i . 1 5 .
applied by Dante to the three 3 When they came nearer the
great Parts ofhis Poem.bridge, so that I saw farther down
2 At the slow and mournful amongst them.
234 INFERNO . CANTO xx.
Guide said to me :“ Art thou, too, like the other
fools ? Here pity lives when it is rightly dead .
1
Who more impious than he that sorrow s at God’sj udgment ? 2 Raise up thy head, raise up , and see
him for whom the earth opened herself before the
eyes ofthe Thebans, w hen theyall cried
,
‘Whither
rushest thou,Amphiaraiis
7 3 Whyleavest thou thew ar 7
’ And he ceased not rushing headlong down
Mi disse Ancor se’
tu degli altri sciocchi ?Qui vive la pieta quand’ e ben morta .
Chi e pm scellerato di colui,Ch’ al giudicio divin passion porta ?Drizza la testa, drizza, e vedi a cui
S’ aperse agli occhi de’ Teban la terra,Quando gridavan tutti : Dove rui,
Anfi ar ao ? perche lasci la guerra ?E non restOdi ruinare a valle
1 The Tires ias and Phineusprophets old
,
” & c . comes uponDante too, and makes him weepb itterly ; but his Bible, in manyplaces, speaks clearly of thosed iviners, sorcerers, “ wise men,
”
& c . , and he does not doubt of
their existence. P ieta means
‘ piety’ (Lat. p ietas ) as well as
pity’ in the old Italian.
4 Or perhap s, alluding to the
crime here punished Whomore wi cked than he that bearsa pass ionfor the decrees ofGod”—that seeks to look into the Future which be longs to Him alone ?
This meaning agrees best withthe comment ofPietro di Dante .
3 One ofthe seven kings thatbesieged Thebes . Qui p rcecep s
p er inane ruis ? Stat. Theb. vi ii .84 . Lydgate, in his Siege ofThebes, part iii. , calls him “Am
phiorax the Bishop,” and givesdetails ofhis fall into Hell :
This old bishop, with horse and
chare certain ,
Disappeared and no more w as
seen, &c .
And thu s the Devil for hiS ‘
old
outragesLiche his desert paid him his
w ages .
CANTO xx. INFERNO . 235
to Minos, who lays hold on every sinner . Mark
how he has made a breast ofhis shoulders : becausehe w ished to see too far before him, he now looksbehind and goes backw ard .
1
Behold!
Tiresias2 who changed his aspect, when
ofmale he w as made w oman, all his limbs transforming : and afterw ards he had again to strike the
two involved serpents w ith his rod,before he could
resume his manlyplumes .
That is Aruns3 coming back before him, who,
Fino a MinOs, che ciascheduno afferra .
Mira, ch’ ha fatto petto delle SpallePerche volle veder troppo davante,Dirietro guarda, e fa ritroso calle .
Vedi Tiresia, che muto sembiante,Quando dimaschio femmina divenne,Cangiandosi le membra tutte quanteE prima p oi ribatter le convenneLi duo serpenti avvolti con la verga,Che riavesse le maschili penne .
Aronta e quei ch’
al ventre gli s’
atterga,
Lit. : “Makes backward w ay.
Perhaps from I saiah xl iv. 2 5
That frustrateth the tokens of
the l iars (divinorum and
maketh d iv iners (ariolas) mad ;
that turneth wise men backward(retrorsum) , & c .
2 Tiresias, the prophet ofThebes,accord ing to the ancient mysticfable, w as changed into a woman
when he struck the two greatserpents ; and on seeing them
again, at the end ofseven years,
and striking them in the same
w ay, he recovered his originalsex and form. Nam duo mag
norum viridi coeuntia silva Corp ora
serp entam baculi violaverat ictu
Deque viro factus (mirabile) foemina, &c. Ov id . M et. i i i.’
324 .
3 An E truscan soothsayer, whopredicted to the Romans theirciv il wars and the v ictory ofCa:sar. Aruns incoluit deserta? mwnia
236 INFERNO . CANTO xx.
in the mountains ofLuni where hoes1 the Carraresethat dw ells beneath
,amongst white marbles had the
cave for his abode from w hich he could observe thestars and sea w ith unobstructed view .
And she that covers her bosom, which thou
seest not, w ith her flow ing tresses, and has all her
hair on the other side, w as Manto
,
2 who searched
through many lands, then settled there where Tw as
born : w hence it pleases me to have thee listen a
little to me . After her father departed out oflife,and the city ofBacchus became enslaved, she for
a long time roamed through the w orld . Up in fair
Che ne’
monti di Luni, dove roncaLo Carrarese che di sotto alberga,Ebbe tra bianchimarmi la speloncaPer sua dimora ; onde a guardar le stelleE il mar non gli era la veduta tronca .
E quella che ricopre le mammelle,Che tu non vedi, con le trecce sciolte,E ha di 1xogni pilosa pelle,
Manto fu, che cercOp er terre molte,Poscia si pose la dove nacqu
’
io
Onde un poco mi piace che m’ascolte .
Poscia che il padre suo di vita uscio,E venne serva la cittadi Baco,Questa gran tempo p er lo mondo gio.
Luna , &c. Lucan . i. 5 86. The 2 Manto, daughter ofTiresias,m ountains of Luni are above quitted Thebes (native city of
C arrara, still famous for marbles. Bacchus) , when it was enslav
Lit. : “Stubs” (Lat. runcare) . ed” by the tyrant Creon, uncleC leans and cultivates the soil . ofE teocles and Poly nices .
238 INFERNO . CANTO xx.
Benacus cannot stay, has to descend and make itself
a river,down through the green pastures . Soon as
the w ater sets head to run,it is no longer named
Benacus, but Min cio, to Governo, where it falls
into the Po . Not far has it flow ed, when it finds a
level,on which it spreads and makes a marsh thereof,
and is w ont in summer to be at times unw hole
some .
1 The cruel2 virgin ,passing that w ay, saw land
amidst the fen , un cultivated and naked ofinhabitants . There
,to shun all human intercourse, she
halted w ith her ministers to do her arts ; and there
CiO che in grembo a Benaco star non puO,
E fassi fiume gin p e’ verdi paschi.
Tosto che l’ acqua a correr mette co’
,
Non p 1u Benaco, ma Mincio si chiamaFino a Governo, dove cade in P0 .
Non molto ha corso, che trova una lama,Nella qual si distende e la impaluda,E suol di state talora esser grama .
Quindi passando la vergine crudaVide terra nel mezzo del pantano,Senza cultura, e d
’
abitanti nuda .
Li, p er fuggire ogni consorzio umano,Ristette co
’
suoi servi a far sue arti,
76. M ette co’
, mette capo sbocca.
Lit. : “Afflictive, or sorrow tions. Tune innuba M antha Ex
ful,”
on account ofthe malaria cep tum p ateris p rw libet sanguinem,
and fever it produces . et, omnes Ter circum acta pyras,2 “ Cruel” or fell, like E rictho sancti de more p arentis, Semineces
(canto ix. from the bloody fi bras, et adhuc sp irantia reddit
accompaniments ofher conjura Viscera, &c. Stat. Theb. iv. 463.
CANTO XX. INFERNO . 239
she lived and left her bodyvacant.1 Afterw ards the
men ,that w ere scattered round , gathered together
on that spot ; for it w as strong by reason of the
marsh it had on every side . They built the cityover those dead bones ; and for her w ho first chosethe
’
p lace, theycalled it Mantua2 w ithout other au
gury. Once the inhabitants w ere denser in it,be
fore the madness ofCasalodi w as cheated byPina
monte .
3 Therefore I charge thee, If thou ever hearest
E visse, e vi lasciO suo corpo vano .
Gli uomini p oi, che intorno erano sparti,S’ accolsero a quel luogo, ch’ era fortePer 10 pantan ch’ avea da tutte parti.
Fer la citta sovra quell’ ossa morte
E p er colei, che il luogo prima elesse,Mantova l’ app ellar senz’ altra sorte .
Giafur le genti sue dentro p iii spesse,Prima che la mattia di Casalodi,
Da Pinamonte inganno ricevesse .
PerOt’
assenno, che se tu mai odi
1 Left her body void oflife.
2 Compare ZEn . x. 1 99, & c .
Fatidicce Mantu’
s , et Tusci fi lius
amnis, Qui muros matrisque dedit
tibi,M antua , nomen Mantua dives
avis , sed non genus omnibus unum
Gens illi trip lex, & c .
3 Pinamonte de’ Buonacossi,
who (about 1 276) craftily p ersuaded Alberto de’ C asalodi, LordofMantua, and chiefofthe no
bility, that he m ight pacify thepeople by banishing the most
odious and powerful ofthe noblesfor a time to their own castles .
This being done, Pinamonte
himself sei z ed the government,
w ith great tumult and applauseof the people ; and forthwithcruelly exterminated nearly all
the noble and renowned famil ies,with sword and fi re laying wastetheir houses ,” & c . Benv. da
Imola Com. Other less sure de
tails are given in Muratori , Rer .
I ta l. tom. xx.
INFERNO . CANTO xx.
other origin given to my city, let no falsehood de
fraud the trut
And I : Master,thyw ords are to me so certain ,
and so take hold ofmybelief, that all others w ould
be to me like coals quen ched out.
1 But tell me of
the p eople that are passing,2 ifthou seest anyofthem
w orthyofnote for to that alon e mymind recurs .
” 3
Then he said to me :“He there, who from the
cheeks reaches forth the beard upon his duskyshoul
ders,w as an augur
, w hen Greece w as so empty of
males,that hardly they remained even in the cra
dles ;4and in Aulis he
,w ith Calchas
,gave the time
for cutting the first cable. Eurypylus his name ;
Originar la mia terra altrimenti,La veritanulla menzogna frodi.Ed io Maestro, i tuoi ragionamentiMi son si certi, e prendou simia fede,Che gli altrimi sarien carboni spenti.
Ma dimmi della gente che procede,Se tu ne vedi alcun degno di nota ;Ché solo a ciOla mia mente rifi ede .
Allor mi disse Quel, che dalla gotaPorge la barba in su le spalle brune,Fu, quando Grecia fu dimaschi vota
Si ch’ appena rimaser p er le cune,Augure, e diede il punto con Calcanta
In Aulide a tagliar la prima fune .
1 Would have neither light nor 3 Strikes back impetuouslyheat for me. returns . Compare canto xv iii. 75 ,2 Lit. : “That proceed, or go and Purg . xvi. 101 .
on l ike those processions ofthe 4 When Greece sent its “thoul itan ies. See note, p . 232 . sand ships ” to Troy.
242 INFERNO . CANTO xx.
w ould w ish he had attended to his leather and his
cord, but too late repents . See the w retched w omenw ho left the needle, the shuttle, and the spindle
,
and made themselves divineresses . They w rought
w itchcraft with herbs and images .
But now come ! for Cain and the thorn sl al
ready holds the confine ofboth hemispheres , and
under Seville touches the w ave ; and alreadyyester
night the Moon w as round : w ell must thou remem
ber for she did not hurt thee once in the deep
w ood .
” 2
Ch’ avere inteso al cuoio ed allo spagoOra vorrebbe, ma tardi si pente .
Vedi le triste che lasciaron 1’ ago,La spola e il fuso, e fecersi indovineFecer malie con erbe e con imago .
Ma vienne omai che gia tiene il confineD’
amenduo gli emisp eri, e tocca l’
ondaSotto Sibilia, Caino e le spine .
E giaiernotte fu la Luna tondaBen ten dee ricordar, che non ti nocqueAlcuna volta p er la selva fonda .
oppos ite to the sun—setting as
he rises. Now on the wane, andfarther east ; so that the time hereindicated by the Moon
’s being on
ifnobleness consisted merely inbeing much known and talkedof. ” Convito, Tr. iv . cap . 1 6.
1 TheMan i’theMoon ofItalianchildren in those old times : hereputfor theMoon itself. Round”
or full “ yesternight” (which inItaly and other C atholi c countriesstill means the n ight before yesterday) ; and consequently exactly
the confine ofbothhemispheres,”or touching the wave beyond Seville on the western hori z on, isabout an hour after sunrise on
the Saturday morning.
2 Somewhat helped thee once,
CANTO xx. INFERNO . 243
Thus he spake to me, and w e w ent on mean
w hile .
Simi parlava, ed andavamo introcque .
1 30. Introcque, frattanto ; Lat. inter hoc.
in the Dark Wood, before thou sense, or mere human Knowledge,sawest the Sunlit Hill . Canto i. pure but cold and feeble reflexThe Moon is the lesser ofthe Sun) , made to rule thel ight” (Philosophy in the mysti c N ight. ” Gen. i. 1 6.
246 INFERNO . CANTO xxi .
CANTO XXI .
THUS from bridge to bridge w e came, with other
talk w hich myComedycares not to recite and held
the summit,
1w hen w e stood still to see the other
cleft ofMalebolge and other vain lamentings : and
I found it marvellouslydark .
As in the arsenal2 ofthe Venetians boils the
clammypitch, to caulk their damaged ships, in w in
ter when theycannot navigate and , instead thereof,3
one builds his ship anew,On
‘
e p lugs the ribs ofthat
which hath made many voyages ; some hammer at
the prow ,some at the stern ; some make oars, and
Co si di ponte in ponte, altro parlandoChe la mia Commedia cantar non cura,Venimmo ; e tenevamo il colmo, quando
Ristemmo p er veder 1’altra fessura
DiMalebolge, e gli altri pianti vaniE vidila mirabilmente oscura.
Quale nell’ Arzanade’Viniz iani
Bolle l’ inverno la tenace peceA rimp almar li legni lor non sani,
Che navicar non ponno ; e in quella veceChifa suo legno nuovo, e chi ristoppaLe coste a quel ch
'
e p iu viaggifece ;Chi ribatte da proda, e chi da poppa ;
Ofthe fifth arch. SoMilton 2 Busiest ofA_rsenals in those“ The star that bids the shepherd times
,when Dante saw l t' Ar
fold , z ana I S the V enetian name.
Now the top oiHeaven doth hold . 3 Instead ofvoyaging.
CANTO xxi . INFERNO . 247
some tw ist ropes ; one mends the j ib, and . one the
mainsail : So, not byfi re but by art Divine, a dense
pitch boiled down there, and overglued the bankson everyside . I t I saw ; but saw nought therein,excep t the bubbles w hich the boiling raised, and
the heaving and compressed subsiding ofthe w hole .
1
Whilst I w as gazing fixtly down on it,my
Guide , saying, Take care, take care !” drew 2 me
to him from the place w here I w as standing . Then
I turned myself, like one who longs to see what he
must shun,and who is dashed w ith sudden fear, so
that he p uts not offhis flight to look ; and behind
Altrifa remi,’
ed altri volge sarte ;
Chi terzeruolo, ed artimon rintoppaTal, non p er fuoco, ma p er divina arte
Bollia laggiuso una pegola spessa,Che inviscava la ripa d’ ogni parte .
Io vedea lei, ma non vedeva in essa
Ma’
che ls bolle che il bollor levava,E gonfi ar tutta, e riseder compressa.
Mentr’io laggiu fi samente mirava,
Lo Duca mio dicendo Guarda, guarda !Mi trasse a Se del luogo dov’ io stava .
Allor mi volsi come 1’
nom, cui tardaDi veder quel che gli convien fuggire,E cui paura subita sgagliarda,
Che, p er veder, non indugia il partire
1 Lit. : “And saw the wholb one who is so daunted by a suddenswell, and subside compressed.
” fear that “he delays not his de
2 Drew me” with that cryof parting”
to look—runs first, andhis ; made me rush to him, l ike then looks.
248 INFERNO . CANTO XXI .
u s I saw a black Demon come running up the cliff.Ah
, how ferocious w as his aspect ! And how bitterhe seemed to me in gesture , w ith his w ings out
spread, and light offoot ! 1 His shoulders that w ere
sharp and high, a sinner w ith both haunches ladedand ofeach foot he held the sinew 2 grasped .
( CYe
Malebranche3 ofour bridge !” he said,
“ 10 ! one of
Santa Zita’s Elders .
4 Thrust him under,w hile I
return for others5 to that citywhich is w ell p ro
E vidi dietro a noi nu Diavol nero
Correndo su p er lo scoglio venire .
Ahi quanto egli era nell’ aspetto fi eroE quanto mi parea nell’ atto acerbo,Con l’ ale aperte, e sovra i pie leggiero
L’
omero suo, ch’
era acuto e superbo,Carcava nu p eccator con ambo l’ anche,Ed ci tenea de’ pie ghermito il nerbo .
Del nostro ponte, disse, o Malebranche,Ecco nu degli Anzian di Santa ZitaMettetel sotto, ch
’io torno p er anche
A quella terra che n’
e ben fornita .
1 Or Light upon his feet._
2 A sinner laded the gibbousshoulders ofhim ; and he heldthe s inew ”
(tendon ofAchillesthat lifts the heel) grasped in hisclutches .
3 M alebranche, i.e. E vil clutchesor talons. Name ofthe Fiendsin this chasm.
4 E lders or chiefmagistratesofLucca, where Santa Z ita isstill venerated. Tradition says
she was a S imple maid - servantofthe Fatinelli family, and for
her holy life canoni z ed in the
time ofDante. The E lder herem eant is probably one MartinoBottajo, who
“was in Offi ce at
that time and d ied sud
denly. ” Buti, and Ottimo Com.
3 O ther barterers . The adverbsanche, anco, are often u sed for
a ltri, a ltro. See Cinonio P arti
celle, xxv. 8.
2 5 0 INFERNO . CANTO xxx.
ye otherwise than in the Serchio.
1 Therefore , if
thou w ouldst not p rove the sharp ness ofour drags,
come not out above the pitch .
” Then they struck
him w ith more than a hundred prongs, and said :
Covered thou must dance thee here ; 2 so that,if
thou canst, thou mayest pilfer privately.
” Not other
w ise do the cooks make their vassal s dip the fleshinto the middle ofthe boiler w ith their hooks
,to
hinder it from floating .
The kind Master said to me : That it maynot
be seen that thou art here,cow er down behind a
jagg w hich has some screen for thee ; 3 and whateveroutrage may be done to me
,fear not thou , I
Qui si nuota altrimenti che nel SerchioPeri) se tu non vuoi de’ nostri graffi ,Non far sovra la pegola soverchio.
Poi l’ addentdr con p iu di cento raffi ,
Disser : Coverto convieu che qui balli,Si che, se puoi, nascosamente accaffi .
Non altrimenti i cuochi a’ lor vassalliFanno attuffare in mezzo la caldaiaLa carne cogli uncin, perche non galli.
LO buon Maestro : Acciocche non si paiaChe tu ci sii, mi disse, giu t
’acquatta
Dopo uno scheggio, che alcun schermo tE p er nulla offension, che a me sia fatta,
Non temer tu,ch’ io ho le cose conte,
1 River that passes near Lucca.
3 Or So that thou mayest2 Must have thy sport here have some screen for thyself. ”
under cover ofthe boiling pitch ; Tu p ost dopo” ) carecta latebas .
and barter in it ifthou canst. B olog. i ii. 20.
CANTO xxi . INFERNO . 2 5 1
know these matters, having once before been in the
like affray.
” 1 Then he passed beyond the head ofthebridge and w hen he arrived on the sixth bank
, it
w as needful for him to have a stedfast front. With
that fury and that storm, wherew ith the dogs rush
forth up on the p oor man w ho w here he stop s sud
denly seeks a lms, rushed those Demons from be
neath the bridge, and turned against him all their
hooks . But he cried : “ Be none ofye outrageous .
Before ye touch me w ith your forks, let one ofyou
come forth to hear me, and then take counsel abouthooking me .
”
All cried : Let Malacoda2 go . Thereat one
Perch’ altra volta fui a tal baratta .
Poscia passOdi 1xdal co’del ponte,
E com’
ci giunse in su la ripa sesta,
Mestier gli fu d’
aver sicura fronte .
Con quel furore, e con quella tempesta,Ch
’
escono i cani addosso al poverello,Che di subito chiede ove s
’
arresta ;
Usciron quei di sotto al ponticello,E volser contra lui tutti i roncigli ;Ma ci gridO Nessun divoi sia fello .
Innanzi che l’ uncin vostro mi pigli,Traggasi avanti l
’
un divoi che m’
oda,
E p oi di roncigliarmi Si consigli.Tutti gridaron Vada Malacoda ;
1 Once before I w as down 2 Or : “ E vil tail,” their Chief.here Well do I know the Smooth at first l ike Fraud (cantoway.
” See canto ix. 22 - 30. and ending badly.
2 5 2 INFERNO . CANTO xxr.
moved himself, the others standing fi rm, and came
to him,saying : What w ill this avail him ?”
Dost thou exp ect, Malacoda,”said myMaster,
to find I have come here, secure already against
all your w eapons,1 w ithout w ill Divine and fate p ro
p itious ? Let me pass on for it is w illed in Heaven
that I shew another this savage w ay.
” 2
Then w as his pride so fallen , that he let the
hook drop at his feet, and said : Now let him not
be struck !” And myGuide to me O thou that
sittest cow ering, cow ering amongst the great sp linters
ofthe bridge , securelynow return to me Whereat
I moved, and quicklycame to him ; and the Devils
Perch’ un simosse, e gli altri stetter fermi ;E venne a lui dicendo Che gli approda ?
Credi tu, Malacoda, qui vedermiEsser venuto, disse il mio Maestro,
Securo gia da tutti i vostri schermi,Senza voler divino e fato destro ?Lasciami andar, chenel Cielo e volutoCh’ io mostri altrui questo cammin silvestro.
Allor glifu l’
orgoglio si caduto,Che si lasciO cascar l’ uncino ai piedi,E disse agli altri : Omai non sia feruto.
E il Duca mio a me : O tu, che SiediTra gli scheggion del ponte quatto -quatto,Sicuramente omai a me ti riedi.Perch’ io mimossi, ed a lui venni ratto
1 Or : Against all your de 2 Or : “Woody” way; alwaysfences, hindrances. with allusion to the Dark Wood.
2 5 4 INFERNO . CANTO XX1 .
Guide,turned instant round
,and said : Quiet,
quiet,Scaramiglione
Then he said to u s To go farther bythis cliff
w ill not be possible for the sixth ar ch lies all in frag
ments at the bottom . And ifit please you still to go
onw ard, go along this cavern :2 near at hand is anothercliffwhich forms a path . Yesterday, five hours later
than this hour , a thousand tw o hundred and sixty- six
years w ere fulfilled sin ce the w ayhere w as broken .
3
Col Duca mio, Si volse tutto prestoE disse Posa, posa, Scarmiglione .
Poi disse a noi : Piii Oltre andar p er questoScoglio non si potra; perocche giaceTutto spezzato al fondo l’ arco sesto
E se l’ andare avanti pur vipiace,Andatevene su p er questa grottaPresso e un altro scoglio che via face.
Ier, p iu Oltre cinqu’
ore che quest’ otta,Mille dugento con sessanta seI
Anni comp iér, che qui la via fu rotta .
1 1 2. Otta for ora still used in Tuscany.
1 “GreatUnkempt, or Tow
z er (scarmig liare) ; shadowy re
presentative ofthe disorder and
foul practice ofbartery.
2 Grotto,
” chasm ofthe pitch .
3 This passage (l ike verse l st,canto i .) indicates the time of
Dante’s descent. The “wayhere
was broken”after the C rucifixion
(canto xii. when “the earth
did quake and the rocks rent.
To 1 266 add 34 (the number of
years from the Nativity to the
C rucifixion), and it gives 1 300.
Hell “ trembled in every partat the great event,whereby Deathw as swallowed up in V ictory ;but the shock was mos t felt inthe c ircles ofthe V iolent (cantoxii . ) and ofthe Hypocrites (cantoxxiii . )—hateful accusers and cru
cifi ers ofthe Meek and Spotless.
2 5 5CANTO XXI . INFERNO .
Thitherw ard1 I send some ofthese mymen, to look
ifanysinner be out airing himself. Go w ith them ;for theyw ia ot be treacherous .
Draw forw ard, Alichino2 and Calcabrina,he
then began to say,“and thou , Cagnaz zo and let
Barbariccia lead the ten . Let Libicocco come be
sides, and Draghignaz z o, tusked Ciriatto, and Graf
fi acane, and Farfarello , and furious Rubicante .
Io mando verso 1xdi questimieiA riguardar s
’
alcun se ne sciorinaGite con lor, ch
’
ci non saranno rei.
Tratti avanti, Alichino e Calcabrina,
CominciO egli a dire, e tu, Cagnazzo,E Barbariccia guidi la decina .
Libicocco vegna Oltre, e Draghignaz z o,Ciriatto sannuto, e Graffi acane,E Farfarello, e Rubicante pazzo .
1 Toward that other cliffwhichforms a path,” verse 1 1 1 .
2 In the names ofthese ten
Fiends thus mu stered by Malacoda
,Landino and others find
that Dante expresses the p ass ions, hab its , and deeds ofFeculators .
” The derivations are partlyfanciful ,yet notwithout some shadow ofreal S ignificance. ThusAli chino (a li china ) , “bends hiswings,” ready to st00p ,
”and
Calcabrina is “ Tramor Peculation doing
pounce.
p legrace,
its work ; C agnaz z o (cane,. cantoxxxii . Dogface.
” Barba
ri c cia (barba arricciata ) , C rispbeard ;” for, “
according to physiognomists, the crisped or curledbeard denotesfraudulency . ” Libicocco (Libia cocco) , “Blackred
”
or“ S carletmoor ;
” wearing the
livery of Hell. Draghignaz z o
(drago) ,“Dragonface ;
” C iriatto
(xoi’
pos, ciro still vulgarly u sed
for p orco) , Swiny Graffi acane,
Dogscratcher Farfarello (far
falla , butterfly, or farfarone),Hellbat” or
“Babbler Rub icante , Ruby or Blaz er
,
”
redhot and mad with bartery. See
them in action, canto xxii.
2 5 6 INFERNO . CANTO xxx.
Search around the boiling glue . Be these tw o
guided safe to the other crag, which all unbrokengoes across the dens .
” 1
Oh me Master , w hat is this that I see ? ” said IAh
,w ithout escort let u s go alone
,ifthou know est
the w ay; for as to me,I seek it not ! If thou beest
so w ary, as thou art w ont, dost thou not see how
theygrin their teeth, and w ith their brow s thr eaten
mischief to u s? ”
And he to me : I w ould not have thee be
afraid . Let them grin on at their w ill for theydo
it at the boiled w retches .
” 2
Cercate intorno le bollenti paneCostor sien salvi insino all
’
altro scheggio,Che tutto intero va sovra le tane .
0 me ! Maestro, che e quel che io veggio 7Diss’ io deh senza scorta andiamci soli,Se tu sa
’
ir, ch’
io p er me non la cheggio .
Se tu sei si accorto come suoli,Non vedi tu ch’ ci digrignan li denti,E con le ciglia ne minaccian duoli ?Ed egli a me Non vo’ che tu ~
p aventi
Lasciali digrignar pure a lor senno,
Ch’cifanno cit) p er li lessi dolenti.
1 24 . Pane, panie, b ird - lime, pitch .
1 Other cliff(verse 1 1 1 ) or line 2 Lit. : “They do this for '
theof bridges, which crosses the boiled doleful,” i.e. for the sinners“ dens” or chasms ; but is not boiled in the pitch . Some goodunbroken,” as lying Malacoda editions read lesi, instead oflessi,
asserts . See canto xxiii. 1 36. in verse 1 35 .
ARGUMENT .
The Demons, under their great Marsha Barbariccia , lead the way,along the edge ofthe boil ing P itch ; and Dante, who keeps look ingsharply
,relates how he saw the Barterers lying in it, l ike frogs in
d itch - water, with nothing but their mu z z les ” out, and instantlyvanishing at s ight ofBarbariccia ; and how Graffi acane hookedone ofthem and hauled him up like a fresh - speared otter
, all the
other Demons gathering round and setting on Rubicante to man~
gle the unlucky wretch . At Dante’s request, V irgil goes forward ,and asks him who he is and no sooner does the pitchy thiefmen
tion how he took to bartering in the serv ice ofworthy King Thibault ofNavarre, than he is made to feel the b itter force ofCiriatto
’s
tusks . Barbariccia now clasps him with both arms,and orders the
rest to be qu iet, till V irgil has done with questioning. But S carletmoor
” loses patience ; Dragonface”too will have a clutch at
the legs ; Farfarella, “wi cked Hell - b ird” that he is, glares readyto strike ; and their Decurion” has d ifficulty in keeping themoff At last the cunning barterer, though Cagnaz z o raises hisdog
-face in scornful opposition, plays offa trick by which he con
trives to escape. Thereupon Calcabrina and Al ichino fall to quart elling, sei z e each other l ike two mad vultures
,and drop into the
burning pitch ; and the whole troop is left in fitting disorder.
INFERNO . CANTO xxn .
CANTO XXII .
I HAVE ere now seen horsemen moving camp ,and commencing the assault
,and holding their mu s
ter,and at times retiring to escape : coursers have
I seen upon your land , O Aretines ! 1 and seen the
march offoragers, the shock oftournaments and
race ofjousts, now w ith trumpets,and now w ith
bells,2 w ith drums and castle - signals, and w ith na
10 vidi gia cavalier muover campo,E cominciare stormo, e far lor mostra,
E talvolta partir p er loro scampoCorridor vidi p er la terra vostra,O Aretini e vidi gir gualdane,Ferir torneamenti, e correr giostra,Quando con trombe, e quando con campane,Con tamburi e con cenni di castella,
1 The people ofAre z z o, chieflyGhibelline, were almost continually at war with the Florentines .
They and their allies were sorelydefeated in the memorable battleofC amp aldino, on Saturday, l stJ une, 1 289. Vill. vii. - 1 3 1 Dantew as there, as he says
,no child
in arms (nonfanciullo nell’armi) ;
and had much dread, and in the
end great joy, through the variouschanc es ofthat battle . See ex
tract from a Letter (written in hisexile) . L . Aretino, Vita di Dante.
2 Such as the Martinella,the bell “ to sound ofwhich the
Florentines used to march” in
Dante’s boyhood ; and which theyhaughtily rung day and nightbefore marching, in order “
to
give the enemy due warning to
prepare .
”See the curious descrip
tion oftheir old C arroccio, “all
painted verm il ion, and drawn bya large pair of oxen, destinedsolely for that purpose,” & c . M a
lesp ini, c. 1 64 ; copied by Vill.vi. 75 .
262 INFERNO . CANTO xxu .
punishment, some sinner shew ed his back and hid
in less time than it lightens . And as at the edge
ofthe w ater ofa ditch, the frogs stand onlyw ith
their noses out,and so conceal their feet and other
bulk ; thus stood on e very hand the sinners . But
as Barbariccia approached,so they retired beneath
the seething .
1 I saw , and my heart still shudders
thereat, one linger so,as it w ill happen that one
frog remains w hile the other spouts aw ay. And
Graffiacan e , w ho w as nearest to him,
2 hooked his
pitchy locks and haled him up , so that to me he
seemed an otter .
3
I alreadyknew the name ofevery one, so w ell
Mostrava alcun de’ peccatori il dosso,E nascondeva in men che non balena .
E come all’
orlo dell’ acqua d’ un fossoStan li ranocchi p ur col muso fuori,Si che celano i piedi e l’ altro grosso ;
Si stavan d’
ogni parte i peccatoriMa come s
’
appressava Barbariccia,Cosi si ritraean sotto i bollori.
Io vidi, ed anche il cuor mi s’ accap riccia,Uno aspettar cosi, com
’
egli incontraChe una rana rimane, e l
’
altra spiccia .
E Graffi acan, che gli era p iii di contra,Gli arroncigliO le impegolate chiome,
E trassel su, che mi parve una lontra .
Io sap ea gia di tutti quanti il nome,
1 Boilings” ofthe pitch.
3 Glittering with pitch, and
2 Lit. : “Was most opposite to writhing, like an otter newlyand therefore nearest. speared and dragged out ofwater.
CANTO xxxx. INFERNO . 263
I noted them as theyw ere chosen, and w hen theycalled each other
,listened how . O Rubicante,
see thou plant thy clutches on him,and flayhim !
”
shouted together all the accursed crew .
And I : Master,learn ifthou canst, who is
that piteous w ight,1 fallen into the hand ofhis ad
versaries .
” MyGuide drew close to him,and asked
him w hence he came ; and he replied : I w as bornin the kingdom ofNavarre . Mymother placed me
as servant ofa lord ; for she had bore me to a ribaldw aster ofhim selfand ofhis substan ce . Then I w as
domestic2 w ith the good king Thibault : 3 here I set
Si li notai quando furono eletti,E p oi che Si chiamaro, attesi come .
0 Rubicante, fa che tu glimetti
Gli unghioni addosso si che tu lo scuoi,Gridavan tutti InsIeme i maladetti.Ed io Maestro mio, fa, se tu puoi,Che tu sappi chi e 10 sciaguratoVenuto a man degli avversarj suoi.
Lo Duca mio gli s’
accostOa lato,Domandollo ond
’
eifosse e quei risposeIo fui del
'
regno di Navarra nato .
Mia madre a servo d’
un signor mi pose,Chem
’
avea generato d’ nu ribaldoDistruggitor di Se e di sue cose .
Poifuifamiglia del buon re Tebaldo
1 The commentators call this hold of. ” Famiglia means all the
barterer Ciamp olo or Giamp olo, servants ofa house, or one only.i. e. J ohn Paul . 3 Thibault I I . ofNavarre, born
2 Or : Servant in the house in 1 240,and made k ing at 1 3 years
264 INFERNO . CANTO xxrr
myself to bartering, ofw hich I render reckoning inthis heat.’
And Ciriatto, from w hose mouth on either side
came forth a tusk as from a sw ine,made him feel
how one ofthem did rip . Among w icked cats themouse had come ; but Barbariccia locked him in
his arms, and said Stand Offwhilst I enfork
him !” 1 And turning to my Master :
“ Ask on,
he said ,“ ifthou w ouldst learn more ofhim
,before
some other undo him .
”
The Guide therefore Now say, ofthe other
sinners know est thou anythat is a Latian,
2 beneaththe p itch ?
”
Quivi mimisi a far baratteria,Di che rendo ragione in questo caldo .
E Ciriatto, a cui di bocca usciaD’
ogni parte una sanna, come a porco,Glife
’
sentir come 1’ una sdrucia .
Tra male gatte era venuto il sorcoMa Barbariccia il chiuse con le braccia,E disse : State in la, mentr
’
io 10 inforco .
E al Maestro mio volse la facciaDimanda, disse, ancor, se p iu disnSaper da lui, prima ch
’
altri il disfaccia .
LO Duca dunque Or di’
, degli altri riiConosci tu alcun che sia Latino,
of age ; was at TTInis with St. 1 Hold him securely, clasp himLouis, and saw him die. Son of w ith arms and legs.
the Thibault whose verses Dante 2 An Ital ian, Latino being usedquotes in the Treatise De Vulg . by V irgil in this sense, as cantosE log. i . 9 ; ii. 5 , 6. xxv ii . 33 , xxix. 88, &c .
266 INFERNO . CANTO xxn .
And he answ ered : “ It w as Friar Gomita,he of
Grallura,
1 vessel ofeveryfraud, who had his master’
s
enemies in hand,and did so to them that they all
praise him for it. Money took he for himself, and
dismissed them smoothly,2as he says ; and in his
other offices besides, he w as no p ettybut a sovereign
barrator . With him keeps companyDon Miche l
Zanche ofLogodoro ;3and in speaking ofSardinia
the tongues ofthem do not feel w eary. Oh me !
see that other grinning I w ould say more but
fear he is preparing to claw myscurf. ”
And their great Marshal, turning to Farfarello
Ed ei rispose Eu frate Gomita,
Quel di Gallura, vasel d’
ognifroda,Ch
’
ebbe i nimici di suo donno in mano,
E fe’ lor si, che ciascun se ne loda
Denar si tolse, e lasciolli di piano,Si com
’ci dice e negli altri ufi cj anche
Barattier fu non p icciol, ma sovrano .
Usa con esso donno Michel ZancheDi Logodoro ; e a dir di SardignaLe lingue lor non si sentono stanche .
0 me ! vedete l’ altro che digrignaIo direi anche ; ma io temo ch’ ello
Non s’apparecchi a grattarmi la tigna .
E il gran proposto, volto a Farfarello
The government ofGallura , go. Di p iano, (Lat. de p lano,
one ofthe four J urisd ictions of Span . de llano) , then a legal, or
Sardinia, was given to this Gomita perhaps Sard inian phrase.
by N ino de’V isconti ofPisa.
3 Logodoro, another ofthe J u2 Took a bribe, and let them risdictions ofSardinia.
CANTO xxrr. INFERNO . 267
w ho rolled his eyes to strike , said : Get thee hence,
w icked bird !”
If you w ish to see or hear Tuscans or Lom
bards,the frightened sinner then resumed, I w ill
make them come . But let the Malebranche stand a
little back, that theymaynot fear their vengeance ;1
and I,sitting ln this same p lace , for one that I am ,
w ill make seven come, on w histling as is our w ont
to do w hen anyofu s gets out.
”
Cagnaz zo at these w ords raised his snout,shaking
his head,and said : “ Hear the malice
,w hich he
has contrived, to throw himself under.
”
Whereat he, who had artifi ces in great store ,
Che stralunava gli occhi p er ferire,Disse Fatti in costa, malvagio uccello .
Se voi volete vedere o udire,Ricomincio lo spaurato appresso,Toschi o Lombardi, io ne faro venire .
Ma stien le Malebranche un poco in cesso,Si che non teman delle lor vendette ;Ed io, seggendo in questo luogo stesso,
Per un ch’ io son, ne faro venir sette,Quando sufolero, com
’
e nostr’
uso
Difare allor che fuori alcun si mette .
Cagnazzo a cotal motto levo il muso,Crollando il capo, e disse : OdimaliziaCh
’
egli ha pensato p er gittarsi giuso .
Ond’
ei, ch’
avea lacciuoli a gran divizia,
1 Let the Demons with their that myfellows maynot fear theirev il clutches give waya l ittle,” vengeance.
268 INFERNO . CANTO xxu .
replied : Too malicious indeed ? when I contrivefor mycomp anions greater sorrow .
Alichino held in no longer , and in opposition
to the others said to him : If thou descend, I w illnot follow thee at gallop ,
1 but beat myw ings abovethe p itch . Let the height be left, and be the banka screen ;2 to see ifthou alone prevailest over u s .
”
0 Reader, thou shalt hear new sport. All turned
their eyes tow ard the other side, he first who had
been most unripe3 for doing it. The Navarrese chose
w ell his time ; p lanted his soles up on the ground,and in an instant leapt and from their purpose freed
Rispose Malizioso son io troppo,Quando procuro a
’
mieimaggior tristizia !Alichin non si tenne, e di rintoppoAgli altri, disse a lui : Se tu ti cali,Io non ti verro dietro di galoppo,
Ma battero sovra 1a pece 1’ aliLascisi il colle, e sia la ripa scudo,A veder se tu sol p iu d1 nol vali.
O tu, che leggi, udirai nuovo ludoCiascun dall’ altra costa gli occhi volseQuel prima, ch
’
a ciofare era piu crudo .
Lo Navarrese ben suo tempo colse ;Fermo le piante a terra, e in un puntoSalto, e dal proposto lor si sciolse
Will not run, but fly after 3 Cagnaz z o (verse who
thee have wings as well as feet. had been hardest to persuade,2 Banks high in the m iddle
,turned up his snout, smell ing the
and capable ofbeing a s creen or trick at once. Crudo from Lat.
shield ”to hide the demons. crudus.
270 INFERNO . CANTO xxu .
deed a sparrowhawk to claw him w ell ; and bothdropt dow n into the middle ofthe boiling marsh .
The heat at once unclutched1 them ; but rise theycould not, their w ings w ere so beglued . Barbariccia
w ith the rest lamenting, made four ofthem flyoverto the other coast w ith all their drags : and most
rapidly, on this side,on that, they descended to
the stand . They stretched their hooks tow ards the
limed p air , w ho w ere already scalded w ithin the
crust.
2 And w e left them thus embroiled .
3
Ma 1’altro fu bene sp arvier grifagno
Ad artigliar ben lui ; e ambedueCadder nel mezzo del bollente stagno .
Lo caldo sghermitor subito fueMa pero di levarsi era niente,Si aveano inviscate l’ ale sue .
Barbariccia con gli altri suoi dolente,Quattro ne fe
’ volar dall’ altra costaCon tutti i raffi e assai prestamente
Di qua di la discesero alla posta ;Porser gli uncini verso gl
’impaniati,
Ch’
eran gia cotti dentro dalla crosta .
E noi lasciammo lor cosi impacciati.
The word sghermitor (nu
clutcher,separator) comes from
ghermire, to gripe, clutch . Some
editions have schermitor , insteadofsghermitor , in verse
—
1 42 .
2 Of boiling pitch that was
clinging to them. V erses 1 4 1 - 4 .
3 The s imile ofthe frog and
mouse,in next canto, will be
Dante’s last parting stroke. He
himselfw as exiled, as w e k now,under a m iserable charge of bar
tery” which he never took the
trouble ofdenying .
ARGUMENT.
Dante keeps following his Guide in silence, with head bent down ,
meditating on the things he has had to witness in that chasm of
the pitch . The fable ofthe frog and the mouse comes into hism ind ; then fear that the ugly Demons may seek vengeance fortheir m isfortune. He sees them coming with outstretched wings ,when V irgil takes him in his arms
, and rapidly glides down withhim into the next chasm. Here they find the Hypocrites walkingalong the narrow bottom in slow procession, heavy - laden withcloaks oflead, which are gilded and ofdaz z ling brightness on
the outside. Dante speaks with Catalano and Loderingo, two
Friars ofBologna, who had been appointed chiefmagistrates of
Florence under trying circumstances, and brought memorabledisasters on that city by their hypocrisy and bartery; and has
just begun to tell them what he thinks oftheir evil deeds, whenhe ob serves C aiaphas stretched across the narrow road , and fixedto it, in such a w ay that all the other Hypocrites have to trampleon him as they pass . The sight ofthat H igh Priest and his ignom inious punishment is enough. Hypocrisy did its very utmostin him and “
the others ofthat C ouncil,” for which the J ews stillsuffer. The Poets hasten away to another class ofsinners .
272 INFERNO . crm o xxm .
‘
CANTO XXIII .
SILENT,apart
,and w ithout escort w e w ent on
,
the one before and the other after ; as the Minor
Friars1 go their w ay. My thought w as turned , bythe present strife, to E sop’s fable where he speaksofthe frog and mouse ;2 for Ay and Yea pair not
better,
3 than does the one case w ith the other,if
w ith attentive mind the beginning and end ofeach
be w ell accoup led .
4 And as one thought from the
TAC IT I , soli, e senza compagniaN
’
andavam l’un dinanzi e l’ altro dopo,Come ifratiMinor vanno p er via .
Volto era in su la favola d’ IsopoLo mio pensier p er la presente rissa,Dov
’
ei parlo della rana e del topoChe p iu non si pareggia mo ed issa,
Che 1’
nu coll’ altro fa, se ben s’
accoppiaPrincipio e fine con la mente fi ssa
E come 1’
un pensier dell’ altro scoppia,
1 S ilent and bent like humbleFriars ; thoughtful .2 In the fable (here attributed
to iE sop ), a countrymouse makesfriendship with a treacherous frog .
They spend some time pleasantlyand dine together, and the froggets the foot ofthe mou se tied tohis own : then, coming to a lakeand croaking joyfully
, he takesthe water with his friend ; but ak ite sees the mouse on the sur ‘
face, pounces on him,pulls out
the frog too, and devours both .
3 Or : are not more alike,& c . The words in the originalboth mean now
,
”and they often
occur in Dante. M o (Lat. modo)is still used in Lombardy, and
issa (bcie ip sa hard ) in Tuscany.4 Brought together and com
pared.
” The one Demon gladlyseeks to injure the other, and
both fall into the pitch .
274: INFERNO . CANTO xxru .
than I impressl that from w ithin . Even now thythoughts have entered among mine, w ith similar act
and similar face ; so that ofboth I have made one
resolve . In case the right coast so slopes,that w e
may descend into the other chasm,w e shall escape
the imagined chase .
He had not ended giving this resolve , w hen Isaw them come w ith w ings extended, not far off
,in
w ill to seize u s . MyGuide suddenlytook me ; as
a mother,that is aw akened by the noise , and near
her sees the burning flames, w ho takes her child
and flies, and caring more for him than for herself,pauses not so long as even to cast a shift about her .
Piu tosto a me, che quella dentro impetro .
Pur mo venieno i tuoi pensier tra imieiCon simile atto e con simile faccia,Si che d’ entrambi un sol consiglio fei.
S’ egli e, che si la destra costa giaccia,
Che noi p ossiam nell’ altra bolgia scendere,Noifuggirem l
’
immaginata caccia .
Gianon compio di tal consiglio rendere,Ch’ io gli vidi venir con 1
’
ale tese,
Non molto lungi, p er volerne prendere .
Lo Duca mio di subito mi prese,Come 1a madre ch
’al romore e desta,
E vede presso a sele fi amme accese,Che prende il figlio, e fugge, e non s
’arresta,
Avendo'
p iu di lui che di se cura,Tanto che solo una camicia vesta
1 Receive and imprint in me, thine which thou hast described .
as in stone, that inward image of See verse 2 1 , &c .
CANTO xxm . INFERNO . 275
And dow n from the ridge ofthe hard bank ,sup ine
he gave himself to the p endent rock, l w hich shuts
one side ofthe other chasm .
Never did w ater run so fast through spout to
turn a land -mill’s2 wheel, w hen it ap p roaches nearest
to the ladles, as myMaster dow n that bank, carrying me aw ayupon his breast, as his son and not as
his companion . Scarcely had his feet reached the
bed of the depth below , w hen they reached the
height above u s : but no fear it gave him ; for the
high Providence , that w illed to place them ministers
ofthe fifth ditch, takes the p ow er ofleaving it from all .
E giu dal collo della ripa dura
Supin si diede alla pendente roccia,Che l’ un de’ lati all’ altra bolgia tura .
Non corse mai si tosto acqua p er docciaA volger ruota dimulin terragno,Quand’ ella p iu verso le pale app roccia,
Come il Maestro mio p er quel vivagno,Portandosene me sovra il suo petto,Come suo figlio, e non come compagno .
Appena furo i p ie suoi giunti al lettoDel fondo giu, ch
’
ci giunsero in sul colleSovresso noi : ma non gli era sospetto
Che l’ alta Providenza, che lor vollePorre ministri della fossa quinta,Potere indi partirsi a tutti tolle .
Placed himself supine , and a trough or spout. Dante hereshot down the steep rock, or takes his image from the poorestouter boundary ofnext chasm . k ind ofm ills ; as he took that2 Mill on land ; where water is ofthe mother from some humble
scarce, and led to the wheel in Ital ian cottage on fi re.
276 INFERNO . CANTO xxm .
There beneath w e found a painted people , w ho
w ere going round w ith steps exceeding slow, w eep
ing, and in their look tired and overcome . Theyhad cloaks on
,w ith deep hoods before their eyes,
made in the shap e1 that theymake for the monks
at Cologne . Outw ard they are gilded,
2so that it
daz zles ; but w ithin all lead,and so heavy, that Fre
derick’s compared to them w ere straw .
3 O w earymantle for eternity'
We turned again to the left hand,4 along w ith
them, intent upon their drearyw eeping. But that
Laggiu trovammo una gente dipinta,Che giva intorno assai con lenti passi,Piangendo, e nel sembiante stanca e vinta .
Egli avean cappe con cappucci bassiDinanzi agli occhi, fatte della tagliaChe p er li monaci in Cologna fassi.
Difuor dorate son, si ch’egli abbaglia ;
Ma dentro tutte piombo, e gravi tanto,Che Federigo le mettea di paglia .
O in eterno faticoso manto !
Noi ci volgemmo ancor pure a man mancaC on loro insieme, intenti al tristo pianto
1 i. e. w ith large hoods or cowls.2 Woe unto you, S cribes and
Pharisees , hypocrites ! for ye are
like unto whited sepul chres, whichindeed appear beautiful outward,but are w ithin full ofdead men
’s
bones and all uncleanness . Matt.
xxiii. 27. God shall smite thee,thou whited wall. ” Acts xxii i . 3 .
3 L 1t That Frederick putthem of straw
,
” light as straw .
Frederick II . is said to have burntin leaden cloaks those who wereguilty ofhigh treason and some
ofthe Popes are said to have followed his example . SeeDucange,
Glos . v. Cap a or capp a p lumbea .
4 As before. Canto xxi. 1 37.
278 INFERNO . cu m xxm .
uttering a w ord . Then theyturned to one another ,and said betw een them :
“ That one seems alive bythe action ofhis throat ! And iftheyare dead
,by
what privilege go theydivested ofthe heavystole ? ”
Then they said to me : O Tuscan, that art come
to the college1 of the sad hypocrites ! to tell u s
w ho thou art disdain not. ”
And I to them : On Arno’
s beauteou s river,
in the great city2 I w as born and grew ; and I am
w ith the body that I have alw ays had . But you ,
w ho are ye from w hom distils such sorrow as I see,
down your cheeks ? And w hat pain is on ye that
glitters so 7”
Mi rimiraron senza far parola ;Poi si volsero in se, e dicean secoCostui par vivo all
’atto della gola .
E s’
ci son morti, p er qual privilegioVanno scoverti della grave
Poi dissermi : O Tosco, ch’
al collegioDegl’ ipocriti tristi se’ venuto,Dir chi tu se
’
non avere in dispregio .
Ed io a loro I’ fui nato e cresciutoSovra il bel fi ume d’ Arno alla gran villa,E son col corpo c i
’
ho sempre avuto .
Ma voi chi siete, a cui tanto distilla,Quant’ io veggio, dolor gin p er le guance ?E che pena e in voi, che si sfavilla ?
1 Congregation ofhypocrites . daughter ofRome, FlorenceJ ob xv. 34s. Hypocrites, ofa sad in which I w as born, and nourishedcountenance (hyp ocrite tristes even to the summ it ofmy l ife,”
M att. vi. 1 6. &c. See Convito (Tr. i. where2 “The fairest and most famous he speaks ofhis exile.
CANTO xxm. INFERNO . 279
And one ofthem rep lied to me : Our orangel
mantles are oflead so thick, that the w eights thus
cause their scales to creak . We w ere Jovial Friars,2
and Bolognese I named Catalano, and Loderingo heand bythycitychosen together, as usuallyone solitaryman is chosen
,to maintain its peace . And w e w ere
such, that it yet appears3round the Gardingo .
”
E l’ un rispose a me Le cappe ranceSon di piombo si grosso, che li pesiFan cosi cigolar le lor bilance .
Frati Godentifummo, e Bolognesi,Io Catalano, e costui LoderingoNomati ; e da tua terra msreme presi,Come suole esser tolto un uom solingoPer conservar sua pace e fummo tali,Ch
’
ancor si pare intorno dal Gardingo .
“ Gilded” (ver. and of
a weight to make us tremble likean overcharged balance.
2 Friars or Knights of St.
Mary,” instituted by Urban IV .
and allowed to reta in their worldlygoods, under a solemn vow ofbe
coming Peacemakers, defendersofall orphans and w idows ,” & c .
N i cknamed Frati Godenti (j ov ialfriars) from their actual l ife. See
Benv. da Imola Com.
In 1 266, the news ofthe defeat
and death ofManfred caused greatagitation in Florence and the
Ghibell ines (at that time masters
ofthe city), “ in order to satisfythe people,” chose both Catalanoand Loderingo (one a Guelph and
the other a Ghibelline) to be chiefmagistrates, instead of choosingin the usual way only one chiefmagistrate or Podesta—one stran
ger sol itary” or party-free), asthe law required . These two
friars under cover offalse hypocrisy w ere in concord, more for
their own gain than for the publi cgood .
” M a lesp ini, C . 1 83 ; Viilani, v1 1 . 1 3 .
3 I t yet appears w hat w e
w ere. Barterers and hypocritesat the same time, we took a bribefrom the Guelphs who burnt andlaid waste the houses of the
Uberti &c. in the street calledGardingo. Benv. da Imola, Com.
See also note, p . 1 08.
280 INFERNO . CANTO xxm .
I began : O Friars, your evi —But said no
more , for to my eyes came one, cross - fixed in the
ground w ith three stakes . When he saw me,he
w rithed all over, blow ing into his beard w ith sighs .
And Friar Catalano, who perceived this, said to me
That confix ed sp irit, on w hom thou lookest, coun
selled the Pharisees that it w as expedient to p ut
one man to tortures for the people .
1 Traverse and
nak ed he is up on the road, as thou seest ; and has
to feel the w eight ofeveryone that p asses .
2 And
after the like fashion his father - in - law 3 is racked in
Io cominciai O Frati, i vostrimaliMa p iu non dissi, ch
’agli occhimi corse
Un crocifi sso in terra con tre pali.Quando mi vide, tutto si distorse,Soffiando nella barba co
’sospiri.
E il frate Catalan, ch’a cios
’
accorse,Mi disse Quel confi tto, che tu miri,Consiglio i Farisei, che convenia
Porre un uom p er lo popolo a’
martiri.
Attraversato e nudo e p er la via,Come tu vedi ed emestier che senta,
Qualunque passa, corn’
ei pesa pria .
E a tal modo il suocero si stenta
1 2 1 . Si stenta is stretched or racked . Stentare
now means to toil, suffer, lack, be stinted of, & c.
1 C aiaphas, who said : I t is feel how whoever passes weighsexpedient for us that one man before” passing. The hypocrites,should die for the people.
”J ohn, with their heavy loads and short
xi . 5 0. steps, have all to trample on him.
2 Lit. : I t is necessary that he 3 Annas. J ohn xviii . 1 3 , 24 .
INFERNO . CANTO man .
byits ruins,which slope down the side, and on the
bottom make a heap .
” 1
The Guide stood still a while w ith head bentdown, then said : Falselydid he
2 tell the w ay, who
hooks the sinners yonder .
And the Friar At Bologna3 once I heard manyofthe Devil’s vices told ; amongst which, I heardthat he is a liar and the father oflies .
”
Then w ith large steps myGuide w ent on , some
w hat disturbed w ith anger in his look : Whereat Ifrom the laden sp irits dep arted, following the prints
ofhis beloved feet.
Montar potrete su p er la ruina,Che giace in costa, e nel fondo soperchia .
Lo Duca stette un poco a testa china,Poi disse Mal contava
'
la bisognaColui, che i p eccator di launcina .
E il Frate Io udi’
giadire a BolognaDel Diavol viz j assai, tra i quali udi
’
,
Ch’
egli e bugiardo e padre dimenzogna .
Appresso il Duca a gran passi sen gi,Turbato un poco d’ ira nel sembianteOnd
’
io dagl’
incarcatimi parti’
Dietro alle poste delle care piante.
Fragments of the bridge, 3 Bologna more noted for tellwhich still “ lie on the side, and ing the Dev il’s v ices than for
rise above the bottom”of the avoid ing them ? College” of
chasm, as when they fell . hypocrites (verse with their2 Lit. : Badly told he the mat scriptural phrases. Compare canto
ter.
” Malacoda, canto xxi. 106. Xvii. 5 8, &c.
ARGUMENT .
this canto, the vehement despair ofthe poor Ital ian peasant, whohas no food for his sheep
,and thinks he is going to lose them
,
gives a lively image ofDante’s dependence on his mystic Guide ;while the Sun with freshened hair (Crinitus Ap ollo, fEn. ix. 638)points to the real V irgil . Here too on the shattered bridge, as at
the foot ofthe H ill in canto first, help in many senses is necessary ;and Dante, p ut qu ite out ofbreath by climb ing from the den of
the Hypocrites, s its down exhausted. V irgil rem inds him oftheirMission—ofthe great things which lie beyond this painful j ourneythrough Hell—and he rises instantly ; and “ keeps speaking,” as
they go on,“that he maynot seem faint. ” In the Seventh Chasm,
which is very dark and filled w ith hideous serpents, they find theThieves ; and get Speech ofV ann i Fucci, who pillaged the sacristyofSt. J ames in P istoia, though another was hanged for it. He is
ashamed at being found amongst the Thieves, and recognised byDante, who had “
seen him a man ofblood and brutal passions ;and he foretels the disasters that will lead to the Poet’s exile.
284 INFERNO . CANTO XX IV.
CANTO XXIV .
IN that part ofthe youthful year,1when the Sun
tempers his locks beneath Aquarius , and the nights
alreadyw ane tow ards half the day; w hen the hoar
frost counterfeits his w hite sister’
s image , but short
w hile lasts the fashion ofhis plumes :2 the p easant,w hose stock offodder fails
,rises, and looks, and
sees the fields all white ; w hereat he smites his
thigh,
3 goes back into the house, and to and fro
laments like a poor w ight who know s not what to
IN quella parte del giovinetto anno,Che il Sole i crin sotto 1
’Aquario tempra,
E gia le notti al mezzo di sen vannoQuando la brina in su la terra assemp ra
L’ immagine di sua sorella bianca,Ma poco dura alla sua penna tempra ;
Lo villanello, a cui la roba manca,Si leva e guarda, e vede la campagnaBiancheggiar tutta, ond
’ci si batte 1’ anca ;
Ritorna a casa, e qua e la si lagna,Come il tapin che non sa che sifaccia
1 In February, when the Sun
freshens his hair” (gives warmer
rays) under the sign ofAquarius ;when the nights go away
,
” growshorter towards the equ inox and
the hoar-frosts look l ike snow,but are soon melted . In Italythe day is reckoned from sunset
to sunset ; so that the mez z o diis twelve hours after sunset.
2 Cut or make ofhis p en.
3 Cryand how! smitetherefore upon thythigh.
”E z ek .
xxi . 1 2 . At; ha 7 67’
gi
n e'
y r e
Ital 6) wank/ner o unpé . I liad .
xii. 1 62 .
286 INFERNO . cim a xxxv .
block, he view ed another splinter,saying : Now
clamber over that, but tryfirst ifit w ill carrythee .
”
I t w as no w ayfor one clad w ith cloak ofleadfor scar cely w e, he light and I pushed on , could
mount up from hold to hold . And w ere it not thaton that p recm ct1 the ascent Was shorter than on the
other, I know not about him, but I certainly hadbeen defeated . But as Malebolge all hangs tow ardsthe entrance - ofthe low est w ell, the site ofeveryvalleyimports that one side rises and the other descends ? We, how ever, came at length to the point
from which the last stone3 breaks ofl’
. The breath w as
D’
nu ronchione, avvisava un’altra scheggia,
Dicendo Sovra quella p oi t’aggrappa ;
Ma tenta pria s’
e tal ch’ ella ti reggia .
Non era via da vestito di cappa,Che noi a pena, ci lieve ed io sospinto,Potevam su montar di chiappa in chiappa .
E se non fosse, che da quel precinto,Pin che dall’ altro, era la costa corta,Non so di lui, ma io sarei ben vinto .
Ma percheMalebolge in vér la portaDel bassissimo pozzo tutta pende,Lo sito di ciascuna valle porta,
Che l’ una costa surge e l’ altra scendeNoi pur venimmo al fi ne in su la puntaOnde 1’ ultima pietra si scoscende .
That inner boundary. steep hanging ground, have the2 The whole place tends down outer s ide high and the inner low.
wards to Satan ; and the valleys, C ompare canto xvii i.lying like successive rings on the 3 Last stone ofthe ruin.
287CANTO xxrv. INFERNO .
so exhausted from my lungs,1when I w as up , that
I coul d no farther ; nay, seated me at my first ar
rival .
Now must thou free thee thus2 from sloth,said the Master ; for sitting on dow n
,or under
coverlet, men come not into fame ; w ithout which
whoso consumes his life, leaves such vestige ofhim
self on earth, as smoke in air or foam in w ater . And
therefore rise ! Conquer thypanting w ith the soul,
that conquers everybattle, ifw ith its heavybodyitsinks not down.
3 A longer ladder must be climbed ?
La lena m’era del p olmon simunta
Quando fui su, ch’io non potea p iu Oltre,
Anzim’assisi nella prima giunta .
Omai convien che tu cosi ti sp oltre,Disse il Maestro che, seggendo in piuma,In fama non si vien, né sotto coltre
Sanza la qual chi sua vita consuma,Cotal vestigio in terra di se lascia,Qual fummo in acre, 0 in acqua la schiumaE pero leva su, Vinci l
’
ambasciaCon l’ animo che vince ogni battaglia,Se col suo grave corpo non s
’
accascia .
Piu lunga scala convien che si saglia
1 Lit. : “ So m ilked from my also p oltrone, a do- nothing,lungs .
”
2 Thus, by this hard and toilsome j ourney, hast thou to rouse
thyself, to cast offall sloth and
all poltroonery for ever. Sp oltre
(sp oltrare or sp oltrire) from p ol
trire,“ to lie idle, inert. ” Hence
idler or poltroon.
”
3 The corruptible body presseth down the soul, and the earthly
’
tabernacle weigheth down the
m ind that museth upon manythings.
” Wisd . ix. 1 5 .
4 Compare canto i . 1 1 8, &c .
288 INFERNO . CANTO xxxv .
To have quitted these is not enough . If thou un
derstandest me, now act so that it mayprofit thee .
”
I then rose , shew ing myself better furnished w ithbreath than I felt, and said Go ; for I am strong
and confident. We took our w ayup the cliff, which
w as rugged, narrow , and difficult, and greatlysteeper
than the former . Speaking I w ent,
1 that I might notseem faint ; w hereat a voice came from the other foss,unsuitable for forming w ords ? I know not w hat it
said, though I alreadyw as on the ridge ofthe arch
which crosses there but he w ho spake seemed
moved to anger . I had turned myself downw ards ;but the living eyes could not reach the bottom for
Non basta da costoro esser partitoSe tu m
’intendi, or fa si che ti vaglia .
Levami allor, mostrandomifornitoMeglio di lena ch’ io non mi sentia ;
E dissi : Va, ch’
io son forte e ardito .
Su p er lo scoglio prendemmo la via,
Ch’era ronchioso, stretto e malagevole,
Ed erto p inassai che quel di pria .
Parlando andava p er non parer fi evole,Onde una voce uscio dall’ altro fosso,A parole formar disconvenevole .
Non so che disse, ancor che sovra il dossoFossi dell’ arco gia, che varca quiviMa chi parlava ad ira parea mosso.
Io era volto in gin ma gli occhi viviNon potean ire al fondo p er 1
’
oscuro
1 Spoke as I went on.
2 Confused with rage.
290 INFERNO . CANTO xxrv.
‘
phisbaena,l plagues so
'
numerous or so dire it nevershew ed , w ith all Ethiop ia, nor w ith the land that lies
bythe Red Sea?
Amid this cruel and most dismal sw arm w ere
p eople running,naked and terrified, w ithout hope
Oflurking hole or heliotrope .
3 Theyhad their handstied behind w ith serpents these through their loins
fixed the’
tail'
and the head,and w ere coiled in knotsbefore . And 10 ! at one
, w ho w as near our shore ,sprang up a serpent
,which transfixed him there
Produce, e Cencri con Anfesibena,Non tante pestilenze, né si ree
MostrOgiammai con tutta l’ Etiopia,Ne con cjoche di sopra il mar Rosso ec .
Tra questa cruda e tristissima 00p ia
Correvan genti nude-
e spaventate,
Senza sp erar pertugio o elitropia.
Con serpi le man dietro avean legateQuelle fi ccavan p er le ren la coda
E il capo, ed eran dinanzi aggroppate .
Ed ecco ad un, ch’era da nostra proda,
S’ avvento un serpente, che il trafi sse
Some ofLucan’s serpents.
P hars . ix. 71 1 , & c. Chelydras
a water snake, thatleaves a hideous smell on its
track . J aculas,dartz serp ent two
cub its in length ,” and so calledbecause it throws itselfon its preystretched out, l ike a dart: P areas
(wapefa s), copper snake, thatmarches on its tail or cobrade capello. Cenchris
stiffspeckled snake ; and Am
phisbaena d ire” (fir/up! and Ba iuw )which “ has a head at each end,and goes either way.
2 Lit “With that which is(ée for 6) on the
_Red Sea :
”the
land ofE gypt with its mud- riverand Serbonian bog.
”
3 A green stone or gem withred spots, “ said to render its bearerinv is ible.
”
CANTO xxiv . INFERNO . 291
w here the neck is bound up on the shoulders . Nei
ther 0’nor
‘ I’ w as ever w ritten so quickly as he
took fi re, and burnt, and dropt dow n all changed to
ashes .
1 And after he w as.thus dissolved upon the
ground, the ashes reunited, .and of themselves at
once resumed the former shape ? Thus by great
sages "tis confest the Phoenix dies, and is then
"
re
born,w hen it ap proaches the fi ve -hundredth year .
In its life it eats no herb or,grain
,but only tears
ofincense and ofspice : and nard and myrrh are its
last sw athings .
3
And as one w ho falls, and know s not how ,
through force ofDemon w hich drags him to the
La dove il collo alle spalle s’ annoda .
NC0 si tosto mai, né I si scrisse;Com
’ci s
’
accese, e arse, e cener tutto
Convenne che cascando divenisse .
E p oi che fu a terra'
si distrutto,La cener si raccolse, e p er se stessa
In quel medesmo ritorno di butto .
Cosi p er li gran savi si Confessa,Che 1a Fenice muore, e p oi r masce,Quando al cinquecentesimo anno
.
appressa .
Erba né biada in sua vita non pasce,Ma sol d’ incenso lagrime e d’ amomoE nardo e mirra son 1
’
u ltime fasce .
E quale e quei che cade, e non sa como,Per forza di Demon Ch’
a terra‘
il tira,
Lit. : And all ashes it be one (verse 97) at a blow, or in
hoved him falling to become. stantly. Butte for botto.
3 Lit. : “Returned to that same 3 C ompareMetam. xv. 392, &c.
292 INFERNO . CANTO xxrv.
ground, or ofother Op pilation1 that fetters men ;
w ho, w hen he rises , looks fixtlyround him,all be
w ildered by the great anguish he has undergone ,and looking sighs : such w as the sinner when he
rose . Justice ofGod ! 0 how severe, that show ers
such blow s ofvengeance !The Guide then asked him w ho he w as . Where
up on he answ ered : “ I rained from Tuscany, short
while ago, into this wild gullet. Bestial life,not
human, p leased me
,mule that I w as . I am Vanni
Fucci,
?savage beast ; and Pistoia w as a fitting den
for me .
”
0 d’ altra oppilaz ion che lega 1’ uomo,Quando si leva, che intorno simira,
Tutto smarrito dalla grande angosciaCh
’egli ha sofi
'
erta, e guardando sospira ;Tal era il p eccator levato poscia .
O Giustizia diDio, quant’e severa
Che cotai colpi p er vendetta croscia .
Lo Duca il dimandop oi chi egli era :Perch’ ci rispose : Io p iovvi di Toscana,Poco tempo e, in questa gola fera .
Vita bestial mi piacque, e non umana,Si come a mul ch’ io fui : son Vanni FucciBestia, e Pistoia mifu degna tana .
Obstru ction”of the vital
spirits, that b inds a man” in
fi ts, l ike those ofE pilepsy or
possess ion ofa dev il. ”3 V ann i (Giovanni) Fucci, bas
tard son ofM Fucci de’ Laz ariofPistoia. A most v illanous
man, says Benv. da Imola, and
most daring In every kind of
wickedness. And because he wasofnoble fam ily, he often com
mitted many excesses with impunity. And though frequentlybanished for enormous crimes,”
294 INFERNO . CANTO xxrv.
p uted to another .
1. But that thou mayest not joy
in this sight, ifever thou escap e the dark abodes;op en thy ears and hear w hat I announce . Pistoia
first is thinned ofNeri ;2 then Florence renovates
her people and her law s .
3 Mars brings from V al
dimagra a fieryvapour,4which is w rapt in turbid
Clouds, and on Piceno’
s field shall be assailed w ithangryand impetuous storm ; whence it suddenlyshallrend the mist, so that everyBianco shall be w oundedbyit. And I have said this
, that it mayafflict thee .
Ma perche di tal vista tu non godi,Se mai sarai difuor de
’ luoghi bui,Apri gli orecchi al mio annunzio, e odi
Pistoia m pria di Neri si dimagra,Poi Firenze rinnova genti e modi.
Tragge Marte vapor dival di Magra,Ch
’e di torbidi nuvoli involuto,
E con tempesta impetuosa ed agraSopra campo Picen fi a combattutoOnd
’
ci repente spezzera la nebbia,Si ch’ ogni Bianco me saraferuto
E detto l’ ho, perche doler ten debbia .
To Rampino who was put to
the torture, and to V anm dellaNona who was hanged for it.
3 “ In May 1 301 , the Bianchiparty ofPistoia, with aid and
favour ofthe Bianchi who ruledFlorence, drove out the Neri, anddestroyed their houses, palaces,”&c . Vill. vi ii. 45 .
3 The Bianchi will lose theirpower in Florence when Charles
de V alois comes (Nov.and be expelled in April 1 302 .
I bid . viii. 49.
4 The lightning- vapour whichMars brings, is Morello Malaspina, who shall come (in 1 304 )from his Magra valley, gathering the Neri (“ turbidand utterly defeat the angryB ianchi on Campo Pi ceno near
Pistoia.
ARGUMENT .
the end ofhis angry prophecy, Fucc i rises into a 'boundless palerage, such as is hardly known in northern countries ; and l ike thesacrilegious thiefand brute that he is, gives vent to it in the wildestblasphemy. The serpents instantly set upon him, and infl i ct suchpunishment, that Dante regards them as friends ever after. C acus ,too, with a load ofserpents on his haunch and a fiery dragon on
his shoulders, comes shouting in pursu it ofhim. Dante afterwardsfinds five ofhis own countrymen~—fi rst three in human shape, thentwo changed into reptiles—and by d int ofgreat attention learnsthe names ofthem all, and very accurately sees the unheard of
transformations they have to undergo. The reptiles are C ianfa
de’ Donati and Guercio de’ Cavalcanti ; the three in human shape
are Agnello de’ Brunelleschi, Buoso degli Abati, and Puccio de’Gal igai—all five ofvery noble k indred, and “ great thieves intheir time
”
(magnifares suo temp ore. Pietro) . Cianfa, and Ag
nello whom he attacks, are offamilies that sided with the Neri ;Guercio and Buoso, who exchange shapes, are offamilies that belonged to the Bianchi, or opposite party. Vill. v iii . 39. Our
Poet equally recognises the base materials ofboth factions . The
party ofPuc cio is unknown, and he is the only one ofthe threethat remains unchanged .
296 INFERNO . CANTO xxv.
CANTO XXV .
AT the conclusion ofhis w ords, the thief raised
up his hands w ith both the figs,1 shouting : Takethem,
God, for at thee I aim them !”
From that time forth the serpents w ere myfriends ; for one ofthem then coiled itself about hisneck, as ifsaying, Thou shalt speak no farther
and another about his arms and it tied him again,3
rivetting itself in front so firmly, that he could not
give a jog w ith them . Ah, Pistoia ! Pistoia why
AL fi ne delle sue parole il ladroLe mani alzo con ambeduo le fi che,Gridando : Togli, Dio,chea te le squadro .
Da indi in qua mifur le serpi amiche,Perch’ una gli s
’avvolse allora al 00110,
Come dicesse 10 non vo’che p iu diche ;
E nu’altra alle braccia, e rilegollo
Ribadendo se stessa si dinanzi,Che non potea con esse dare un crollo .
Ah Pistoia, Pistoia ! Chenon stanzi
1 Clenching both his fists, and with hands that made the figs at
thrusting the thumbs between the Florence .
” M alesp . c . 1 1 6 ; Vill.fore and m iddle fingers ; making vi. 5
the fig’ with both, like the filthysenseless mule that he was. His
townsmen (in 1 228) had “a tower
seventy cub its high, on the rockofCarmignano ; and at the top
ofit were two arms ofmarble
3 Lit. : I will not that thousaymore.
” Diche for dica .
3 With head and tail throughhis body, tied his arms again so
that he could not stir them. Com
pare canto xxiv. 94 .
298 INFERNO . CANrO xxv.
stretched w ings ; and it sets on fi re every one he
meets .
1 MyMaster said : That is Cacus, who, be
neath the rock ofMount Aventine,full often made
a lake ofblood . He goes not w ith his brethr en on
one same road,2 because ofthe cunning theft he
made from the great herd that laynear him : whence
his crooked actions ceased beneath the club ofHer
cul es , w ho gave him perhaps a hundred blow s with
it ; and he felt not thefi rst ten .
”
Whilst he thus spake , the Centaur ran past ; and
under u s there came three spirits, whom neither I
nor myGuide p erceived, until they cried :“Who
E quello afi'
uoca qualunque s’intoppa .
Lo mio Maestro disse Quegli e Caco,Che sotto il sasso dimonte AventinoDi sangue fece spesse volte laco .
Non va co’suoifratei p er un cammino,
Per 10 furar frodolente ch’
eifeceDel grande armento ch
’egli ebbe a vicino
Onde cessar le sue ope'
re biece‘
Sotto la mazza d’ Ercole, che forseGliene die cento, e non senti le diece .
Mentre che si parlava, ed ci trascorse,E tre spiriti venner sotto noi,
De’ quai né io, né il Duca mio s’accorse,
Se non quando gridar : Chi sietevoi?
3 1 . Biecafor b ieche Lat. obligate.
1 Lit. : “And. whoever is met, blood (canto xi1 . 5 5 ) with the
him (quella) it sets on fi re.
” See other C entaurs because, likeE n . vi ii. 199, & c. V ann i Fucci, he was a thiefbe
3 Goes not along the r iver of sides being what they were.
crm o xxv. INFERNO . 299
are ye Our story therefore p aused, and w e then
gave heed to them alone . I knew them not ; butit hap pened, as usuallyit happens by some chance
,
that one had to name another, saying : Where has
Cianfa1 stopt .
7” Whereat I,in order that myGuide
might stand attentive, p laced my finger upw ards
from the chin to the nose ?
If thou art now , 0 Reader, slow to credit w hat
I have to tell,it w ill be no
'
w onder for I who saw
it, scarce allow it to myself. Whilst I kept gaz mgon them
,10 13 a serpent w ith six
‘ feet darts up in
front ofone, and fastens itself all upon him .
Per che nostra novella si ristette,
E intendemmo pure ad essi p oi.
10 non gli conoscea ; ma ei seguette,
Come suol seguitar p er alcun caso,Che 1
’
un nomare all’
altro convenette,
Dicendo Cianfa dove fi a rimaso ?
Perch’ io, acciocche il Duca stesse attento,
Mi posi il dito su dal mento al naso .
Se tu sei or, Lettore, a creder lentoCio ch’ io diro, non saramaraviglia,Che io, che il vidi, appena il m1 consento .
Com’
io tenea levate in lor le ciglia,Ed nu serpente con se1 p ie si lanciaDinanzi all’ uno, e tutto a lui s
’
appiglia .
40. Seguette, segui. 42 . Convenette, convenne.
Cianfa de’ Donati, who has
'
3 Signal for silence.
been coming with the other th ree ; 3 Lit. : “ Kept my eyebrowsand is here transformed, as we ral sed at them, E d for ecco.
shall see, into a six-footed serpent. Cinon. Particelle.
300 INFERNO . CANTO xxv.
its middle feet it clasped his belly, w ith the anterior
it seized his arms ; then fixed its teeth in both hischeeks . The hinder feet it stretched along his
thighs ; and p ut its tail betw een the tw o, and bentit upw ards on his loins behind . Ivyw as never so
rooted to a tree, as round the other’s limbs the hid eous monster entwined its own . Then theystuck
together, as ifthey had been ofheated w ax, and
mingled their colours neither the one, nor the
other,1 now seemed w hat it w as a tfi rst as up , be
fore the flame, on paper goes a brown colour , whichis not yet black , and the w hite dies aw ay.
Co’
p ie di mezzo gli avvinse la pancia,E con gli anterior le braccia prese ;Poi gli addento e l
’
una e 1’altra guancia.
Gli diretani alle cosce distese,E miseli 1a coda tr’ amendue,E dietro p er le ren su la ritese .
Ellera abbarbicata mai non fueAd alber si, come 1
’orribil fi era
Per 1’
altruimembra avviticchio le sue.
Poi s’
ap piccar, come di calda ceraFossero stati, e mischiar lor colore ;NC 1’ un, né 1
’
altro giaparea quel ch’
era ;
Come procede innanzi dall’ ardorePer lo papiro suso un color bruno,Che non e nero ancora, e il bianco muore .
1 Neither the one colour (the white paper, the brown shade,man
’s) nor the other (the rep that goes before the flame, makes
tile’s) remained what it had been ; the white rapidly vanish in its
as when you kindle a piece of transition to black.
302 INFERNO . CANTO xxv .
a flash oflightning , ifit cross the w ay; so,coming
tow ards the bow els ofthe other tw o, appeared a lit
tle reptilel burning w ith rage, livid and black as p ep
p er corn . And it p ierced that part,3 in one ofthem,
at which w e first re ceive our nourishment then fell
dow n stretched out before him . The pierced thiefgazed on it
,but said nothing ; nay, w ith his feet mo
tionless, yaw ned onlyas ifsleep or fever had comeupon him . He eyed the reptile , the rep tile him
the one from his w ound, the other from its mouth
,
smoked violently, and their smoke met. Let Lucannow be silent
, where he tells ofpoor Sabellu s and
Folgore p ar, se la via attraversaCosi parea venendo verso l’ ep eDegli altri due un serpentello acceso,Livido e nero come gran di pepe .
E quella parte, donde prima e presoNostro alimento, all
’
un di lor trafi sse ;
Poi cadde giuso innanzi lui disteso .
Lo trafi tto il miro, ma nulla disseAnzi co’ p iefermati sbadigliava,Pur come sonno o febbre l’ assalisse .
Egli il serpente, e quei lui riguardava- l .
’1m “ a v ala niagm
ak e li altro p er la bocca
Fumavan forte, e il fumo s’
incontrava .
Taccia Lucano omai, la dove toccaDel misero Sabello e diNassidio,
ofthe sun in J uly and August. Guercio Cavalcante.
“ The l iv ing creatures ran and 3 The navel ; whi ch here getsreturned as the appearance ofa a mystic nourishment— “ poisonflash oflightning (fulguris co of conscious Theft, that makesruscantis E z ek. i . 1 4 . the man a serpent.
CANTO xxv. INFERNO . 303
Nasidius ;1and w ait to hear that w hich is now sent
forth . Of Cadmus and ofArethusa3 be Ovid silent ;for ifhe , poetiz ing, converts the one into a serpent
and the other into a fount, I envyhim not. For neverdid he so transmute tw o natures front to front
,that
both forms3 w ere readyto exchange their substance .
Theymutually responded in such a w ay,4 that the
reptile cleft its tail into a fork,and the w ounded
sp irit drew his steps together . The legs and the
thighs along w ith them so stuck to one another ,that soon their j uncture left no mark that w as dis
E attenda a udir quel ch’ or si scocca .
Taccia di Cadmo e d’ Aretusa OvidioChe se quello in serpente, e quella in fonteConverte poetando, io non l’ invidio
Che duo nature mai a fronte a fronte
Non trasmuto, si ch’
amendue le formeA cambiar lor materie fosser pronte .
Insieme si risposero a tai norme,
Che il serpente la coda in forca fesse,E il feruto ristrinse insieme l’ orme .
Le gambe con le cosce seco stesse
S’ app iccar si, che in poco la giunturaNon facea segno alcun che si paresse .
Sabellus, who melts away l ikesnow under a hot south - w ind
first cau se, which is God .
”
Conv.
Tr. i ii. 2 , &c . The human soul ,and Nasidius , who swells so as
to burst his armour, on beingstung by serpents in the L ibyandesert. P hars . ix. 763 , &c .
3 S ee Metam. iv . 5 62 ; v . 5 72 .
3 Orformative powers. E veryessential Form proceeds from its
which is the noblest ofall Forms
that are made under heaven .
”
I bid .
4 Lit. : They corresponded toeach other by su ch rules or mo
dels,
”that they exchanged their
parts as follows in verse 1 04 , & c .
304 INFERNO . orm e xxv.
cernible . The cloven tail assumed the figure that
w as lost in the other ; and its skin grew soft, the
other’s hard . I saw the arms enter at the armpits,and the tw o feet ofthe brute
, which w ere short,
lengthen themselves as much as those arms w ere
shortened . Then the two hinder feet, tw isted to
gether, became the member w hich man conceals
and the w retch from his had tw o1 thr ust forth .
Whilst the smoke w ith a new colour veils them
both,
3and generates on one part hair, and strips it
from another ; the one rose upright, and prostrate the
other fell, not therefore turning the impious lights,3
Togliea la coda fessa la figura,Che si perdeva la; e la sua pelleSifacea molle, e quella di 15. dura .
Io vidi entrar le braccia p er 1’
ascelle,E i duo p ie della fi era, ch
’eran corti,
Tanto allungar, quanto accorciavan quelle .
Poscia li p ie dirietro insieme attorti
Diventaron lo membro che l’ uom cela,E il misero del suo n
’
avea duo porti.Mentre che il fummo l’ uno e l’ altro velaDi color nuovo, e genera il p el susoPer l’ una parte, e dall
’altra il dip ela,
L’ un si levo, e l’ altro cadde giuso,Non torcendo pero le lucerne empie,
Two hinder feet. Porti from body is the eye.
” M att. vi. 22 .
p orgere, Lat. p orrecti. They did not shift their glaring3 The angry smoke speedily eyes— pregnant with thievishnessgives the man a reptile’s colour, from one another, for thatthe reptile a man
’s . change ofposture, till the trans
3 The light (lucerna) ofthe formation was completed .
306 INFERNO . CANTO xxv .
sputtering . Then he turned his novel shoulders
tow ards it, and said to the other “ I wish Buoso1
to run craw ling, as I have done, along this path.
”
Thus I beheld the seventh sink2 change and re
change ; and here let the novelty excuse me, ifmytongue goes aught astray.
3 And though my eyes
w ere somewhat perplexed, and mymind depressed,they could not flee so covertly, but that I w ell dis
tinguished Puccio4 Sciancato : and it w as he alone
,
ofthe three companions that first came, w ho w as not
changed . The other5 w as he whom thou, Gaville ,lamentest .
Poscia gli volse le novelle spalle,E disse all
’
altro'
1’
VO’che Buoso corra,
Com’
ho fatt’io, carpon p er questo calle .
Cosivid’ io la settima zavorraMutare e trasmutare ; e qui mi scusiLa novita, se fi or la lingua abborra .
E avvegnache gli occhi miei confusiFossero alquanto, e l
’
animo smagato,Non poter queifuggirsi tanto chiusi,
Ch’
io non scorgessi ben Puccio SciancatoEd era quei che sol, de
’
tre compagniChe venner prima, non era mutato
L’
altro era quel che tu, Gaville, piagui.
1 Buoso degli Abati.2 Lit. : “The seventh ballastperhaps meaning “
s ink ; ” or the
off- scourings, the despicable coilofthieves and serpents at the bot1011 1 .
3 Or goes into too great details .
Fior orfi ore, adverb ; abborra (Lat.aberrare), swerves
,deviates.
4 Puccio de’ Galigai .5 Guercio de’ C aval canti, k illed
at the village ofGaville in V aldarno
, which laments for the sore
vengeance that w as taken .
ARGUMENT .
Dante, after having seen and recognised the five noble thieves, ad
dresses his native city in b itter concentrated sorrow and shame,
m ingled with heart-felt longings and affection. The calamitieswhich misgovernment, faction, and crime had been preparing formany years before the date ofhis mysti c V ision, and which hehimselfas ChiefMagistrate in 1 300 had done his utmost to p re
vent,are notified in form ofprophecy. His own exile, though
not d irectly alluded to, and his hopes of“morning”—ofdel iverance for Florence and himself, and~ ofjustice on their enemieswere nearly connected with those calamities. And when he sees the
fate ofE vil C ounsellors in the E ighth Chasm, to which his Guidenow leads him, he curb s his genius, and deeply feels he has notto seek that del iverance and justi ce by fraud . The arts ofthe fox
,
on however great a scale, are extremely hateful to him . To em
ploy that superior wisdom,which is the good gift ofthe Almighty,
in deceiving others,for anypurpose, is a Spiritual Theft ofthe most
fearful kind ; and the s inners, who have been gu ilty ofit, are run
n ing along the narrow chasm, each “stolen”
from v iew , wrapt inthe Flame ofhis own Consciousness, and tormented by its burning. Ulysses and B iomed, who went together by n ight, cheatedand s lew Dolon
,and stole the mythic Palladium ofTroy, are also
here united in pun ishment. The former, speaking through the
Flame, relates the manner and place ofhis death .
308 INFERNO . CANTO xxvr.
CANTO XXVI .
J OY,Floren ce , since thou art so great that over
land and sea thou beatest thyw ings, and thyname
through Hell expands itself 11 Among the thieves Ifound five such, thy citiz ens ; Whereat shame comes
on me , and thou to great honour mountest not
thereby. But ifthe truth is dreamed ofnear the
morningf’
thou shalt feel ere long w hat Prato, not
to speak ofothers, craves for thee .
3 And ifit w ere
GOD I , Firenze, p oi che sei si grande,Che p er mare e p er terra batti 1
’
ali,
E p er lo Inferno il tuo nome si spande .
Tra li ladron trovai cinque cotaliTuoi cittadini, onde mi vien vergogna,E tu in grande onranza non ne sali.
Ma se presso al mattin del ver si sogna,Tu sentirai di qua da p icciol tempoDi quel che Prato, non ch
’altri, t
’
agogna .
1 True, thy energies, arts, and
wealth carry thee triumphant farand wide ; butmark the fame thouhast in Hell too !
2 Ifmorning dreams are true.
Namque sub Auroram, j am dormi
tante lucerna , Somm'
a qua cerm’
temp ore cera solent. Ov id. Heroid .
xix. The same ancient bel iefisspoken of, Purg . ix. 1 3 .
3 What, not only others, buteven Prato,
”the nearest town,
eagerly wishes thee.
” The Poet
here announces, with manifoldemotion and brevity, the ev il thatawaits his native city— due al
ready, as the inevitable conse
quence offolly and crime— and
wishes it were come, as Time willmake him less able to bear it thannow (in
“at the summit of
his l ife- arch.
” See note l st, p . 2 .
The d isasters of1 304, in some
ofwhich Prato w as concerned ,are more especially alluded to.
In February ofthat year, the long
3 10 INFERNO . CANTO xxvi .
I sorrow ed then,
1and sorrow now again when
I direct mymemory to what I saw ; and curb mygenius more than I am w ont
,lest it run where V ir
tue guides it not ; so that, ifkindlystar or something
better have given to me the good,I maynot grudge
myself that gift.
2
As manyfi re -flies3 as the p easant who is resting
on the hill, at the time that he who brightens thew orld least hides his face from u s , when as the fly
yields to the gnat— sees dow n along the valley,there perchance w here he gathers grapes and tills
Allor mi dolsi, e ora mi ridoglio,Quando drizzo la mente a cio ch’ io vidi ;E pin10 ingegno afi
'
reno ch’ iO non soglio,Perchenon corra, che virtu nol guidi ;Si che, se stella buona o miglior cosaM’
ha dato il ben, ch’
iO stesso nol m’invidi.
Quante il villan ch’al poggio si riposa,
Nel tempo che colui, che il mondo schiara,La faccia sua a noi tien meno ascosa,Come la mosca cede alla zanzara,Vede lucciole giu p er la vallea,Forse cola dove vendemmia ed ara
At sight ofthe E vil Counsellors and their fate.
2 Lit. : I maynot myselfenvyme it,
” may not env iously withhold from myselfthe good ofthatgenius or talent, which happy staror Prov idence has given me.
3 Lit How many fi re- flies
(quante luccz’
ole) the peasant sees,”
&c. The time when the sun keeps
his face least hidden from us is
summer. The Ital ian gnats swarmforth in the evenings with far more
v igour than our own ; and the
peasant “rests on the hill” —the
air ofhis valleys being dangerousafter sunset—and sees the fi re
flies down in the vineyards and
fields where he has been labouring.
CANTO xxvx. INFE RNO . 3 1 1
w ith flames thus numerous the eighth chasm w as all
gleaming, as I p erceived , so soon as I came to w herethe bottom shew ed itself. And as he,
1w ho w as
avenged bythe bears , saw Elijah’
s chariot at its de
parture , when the horses rose erect to heaven ; for
he could not so follow it w ith his eyes as to see
other than the flame alone , like a little cloud,as
cending up : thus moved each ofthose flames along
the gullet ofthe foss , for none of25726 777. shew s the
theft,
2and everyflame steals a sinner .
I stood upon the bridge, bas ing risen so3 to look,
that,ifI had not caught a rock
,I should have fal len
Di tante fi amme tutta risp lendeaL’
ottava bolgia, si com’
io m’
accorsi,Tosto che fui la
’
ve il fondo parea .
E qual colui, che si vengio con gli orsi,Vide il carro d’ Elia al dipartire
,
Quando i cavalli al Cielo erti levorsi ;
Che nol‘p otea si con gli occhi seguire,
Che vedesse altro che 1a fi amma sola,Si come nuvoletta, in su salire
Tal si movea ciascuna p er la golaDel fosso, che nessuna mostra il furto,Ed ogni fi amma um peccatore invola .
IO stava sovra il ponte a veder surto,Si che s
’
io non avessi nu ronchion preso,Caduto sarei glu senza esser urto .
36. Levorsz'
, si levoro, or levaronsi .
E lisha. 2 Kings 1 1 . 9- 24 . w ith both hands and feet (v .2 The s inner it steals. and now rises and eagerly leans3 Lit Stood so risen (surto forward to see from the bridge
,as
that, &c . Had scrambled up in verse 69.
3 12 INFERNO . CANTO xxvr.
dow n w ithout being pushed . And the Guide, w ho
saw me thus intent,said : Within those fires are
the spirits : each sw athes himself w ith that w hich
burns him .
Master, I replied,
“ from hearing thee I feelmore certain ; but had alreadydiscerned it to be so ,
and alreadyw ished to say to thee : Who is in that
fire , w hich comes so parted at the top , as ifit rose
from the p ile1w here Eteocles w as p ut w ith his bro
ther
He answ ered me :“Within it there, Ulysses is
tortured,and Diomed ; and thus they run together
in punishments, as erst in w rath . And in their flame
E ii Duca, che mi vide tanto atteso,
Disse : Dentro da’ fuochi son gli spirtiCiascun sifascia di quel ch’ egli e inceso .
Maestro ml o, risposi, p er udirtiSon io p iu certo ma giam
’
era avvisoChe cosifusse, e gia voleva dirti
Chi e in quel fuoco, che vien si divisoDi sopra, che p ar surger della pira,Ov
’ Eteocle col fratel fu miso ?Risp osemi : La entro simartira
Ulisse e Diomede, e cosi insiemeAlla vendetta corron, com
’
all’
ira
E dentro dalla lor fi amma si geme
5 0. Avviso, avvisto. 5 4 . Miso,messo.
The flame ofthe funeral pile, have divided itself in token of
on which E teocles was laid w ith their enm ity. Lucan. i . 1 4 5
his brother Polyni ces , is said to Stat. Theb. xii . 431 .
3 1 4 INFERNO . am mo xxvr.
frain thytongue . Let me speak,
‘
for’
I have con
ceived w hat thou w ishest ; and they, perhaps, be
cause theyw ere Greeks, might disdain thyw ords .
”
After the flame had come w here time and place
seemed fitting to my_Guide, I heard him speak - in
this manner O ye , tw o 1 11 one fire If Imeritedofyou w hilst I lived ,
'
ifI merited ofyou"
much or
little,w hen on earth I w rote the High Verses,2 move
ye'
not ; but let the one ofyou tell w here he w an
dering3 went to die.
’
The greater horn ofthe ancient flame began to
Ma fa che la tua lingua si sostegna .
Lascia parlare a me, ch’
iO ho concettoCioche tu vuoi ch
’
ci sarebbero schivi,Perch’ eifur Greci, forse del tuo detto .
Poiche la fi amma fu venuta quivi,Ove parve al mio Duca tempo e loco,In questa forma lui
'
p arlare audivi
O voi, che s1 ete duo dentro ad nu fuoco,S’ iOmeritai divoimentre ch
’
io vissi,S’ io meritai di voi assai o poco,Quandonel mondo gli alti versi scrissi,Non vi movete ma 1
’
un divoi dicaDove p er lui perduto a morir gissi.
LO maggior corno della fi amma anticaComin ‘cio
’
a crollarsi, mormorando,
1 Or: Might be shyofspeak 2 The fEneid (in which Ulyssesing to thee but why their hav ing and Diomed are often spoken of)been Greeks could make them so, written in the high or tragic style.
is not satisfactorily explained by C ompare note l st, p . 24 1 ,
anyofthe commentators. 3 Or : Having lost himself.
CANTO xxvr. INFE RNO . 3 1 5
shake itself,murmuring, j ust like a flame that strug
gles w ith the w ind .
1 Then carrying to and fro the
top ,as ifit w ere the tongue that spake} threw fortha voice
,and said : When I departed from Circe
,
w ho beyond a year detained me there3 near Gaeta,
ere JEneas thus,had named it
,neither fondness for
myjson , _no1'
reverence for,
my,
aged father , nor the
due love that shoul d have cheered Penelop e, could
conqu er'
in rme the ardour that I had to gain exp e
rience ofthe w orld, and ofhuman V 1 ce and w orth : Iventured into the
'
deep open sea,w ith“
but one ship,
Pur come quella cui vento afl'
atica .
Indi la cima qua e lamenando,Come fosse
'
la lingua chei
p arlasse,
Gitto voce'
difuori,'
e disse Quando
Mix
dip arti’ da Circe, che sottrasse
Me piu d’
nu anno la presso a Gaeta,
Prima che si Enealanommasse ;
Ne dolcezza diufiglio, ne la piéta
Del vecchio padre, ne il debito amore,
LO qual dovea Penelope.
far lieta,Vincer potero dentro a me 1
’ardore
Ch’
io ebbi adivenir '
del mondo esperto,E degliviz j uman1 , e del valore
Ma m1 s1 me p er 1’
alto mare aperto
Sol con nu legno, e con quella compagna
1 Lit Just l ike that flame ofiniqu ity it is set on fi re
which wind wearies , or lashes to ofhell. ” J ames ii i . 6.
and fro. The words have no out 3 AtMonte C ircello, or C irce’slet at first. Promontory : near Gaeta, which
2 “The tongue is a fi re, a world is named after 2‘Eneas’ nurse.
3 1 6 INFERNO . CANTO xxvx.
and w ith that small company, w hich had not deserted
me . Both the shores1 I saw as far as Spain, far as
Morocco and saw Sardinia and the other isles which
that sea bathes round .
I and mycompanions w ere old and slow , w hen
We came to that narrow pass} where Hercules as
signed his landmarks to hinder man from venturingfarther . On the right hand
,I left Seville ; . On the
other,had alreadyleft Ceuta . 0 brothers I’ I said
,
w ho through a hundred thousand dangers havereached the West
,deny not
, to this the brief vigil .ofyour senses that remains
,experience ofthe un
Picciola, dalla qual non fui deserto .
L’
un lito e l’ altro vidi infi n 1a Spagna,Fin nel Marrocco, e l
’
isola de’ Sardi,E l’ altre che quel mare intorno bagna .
Io e i compagni eravam vecchi e tardi,QuandO 'venimmo a quella foce stretta, J
Cv’ Ercole segno li suoi riguardi,
Acciocche 1’ uom piu Oltre non simetta
Dalla man destra mi lasciai Sibilia,Dall’ altra giam
’avea lasciata Setta .
O frati, dissi, che p er cento miliaPerigli siete giunti all’ Occidente,A questa tanto picciola vigilia
De’ vostri sensi, ch
’
edel rimanente,
Non vogliate negar l’ esper‘
ienza,
1 E uropean and African . venture beyond.
” In Romagna2 S trait OfGibraltar
,with its the landmarks and the road- poles
C olumns ofHercules : “Marks are still called riguardi. Here usedor warnings , that man may not in the sense ofSacred L imits.
3 18 INFERNO . CA'NTO xxvr:
entered on the arduous passage , when th ere appeared
to us a Mountain,
1 dim w ith distance ; and to me it
seemed the highest I had ever seen ? We joyed ,and soon our joyw as turned to grief ; for a tem
pest rose from the new land, and struck the fore ?
part ofour ship . Three times it made her w hirl
round w ith all the w aves ; at the fourth,made the
poop rise and the prow go dow n, as pleased Another,3
till the sea w as closed above u s .
”
Poi ch’ entrati eravam nell’ alto passo,Quando n
’apparve una montagna, bruna
Per la distanz a, e p arvemi alta tanto,Quanto veduta non n
’aveva alcuna .
Noi ci allegrammo, e tosto tom b in piantoChe dalla nuova terra un turbo nacque,E percosse del legno il primo canto .
Tre volte il fe’ girar con tutte 1’ acque,Alla quarta levar la poppa in suso,E la prora ire in giu, com
’
altrui piacque,Infi n che 11 mar fu sopra noi richiuso .
1 Mountain ofPurgatory : situ xxxiv . 1 2 5 ; and Purg . canto i .ated , according to Dante, on the 24 , &c .
other s ide ofthe globe , in the 2 Lit. : Seemed so high, as ISouthern Hemisphere, and exactly had not seen any.
”
opposite to J erusalem. Canto 3 God . Compare note, p . 5 4 .
ARGUMENT .
The Flame ofUlysses, having told its story, departs with permissionofV irgil ; and is immediately'
followed by another, which containsthe spirit ofCount Guido da Montefeltro, a Ghibelline ofhighfame in war and counsel . I t comes moaning at the top , ,
and sends
forth eager inqu iries about the p eople ofRomagna, Gu ido’s countrymen. Dante describes their condition, under various petty Ty:rants, in 1 300. His words are brief, precise, and beautiful ; and
have a tone oflarge and deep sadness. Gu ido, at his request, relates who he is, and why condemned to such torment ; after which ,the Poets pass onwards to the bridge ofthe N inth Chasm.
320 INFERNO . CANTO xxvrr.
CANTO XXVII .
THE flame w as now erect and quiet,1 having
ceased to speak, and now w ent aw ay from u s w ith
license ofthe sw eet Poet ; w hen another,that came
behind it, made u s turn our eyes to its top , for a
confused sound’
that issued therefrom . As the Si
ciliau bu112 (whichr
bellow ed first w ith the lament of
him—and that w as right—w ho had tuned it w ith
his fi le) kept bellow ing w ith the sufferer’s voice ; so
that, although it w as ofbrass,it seemed transfixed
G1 3. era dritta insu la fi amma, e quetaPer non dir p iu e gia da noi sen gia
Con‘
la'
licenz m del dolce PoetaQuando un
’
altra, che dietro a lei venia,Ne fece volger gli occhi alla sua cima,Per un confuso suon che fuor n
’nsein.
Come il bue Cicilian,che mugghio prima
Col pianto di colui, e ciOfu dritto,Che l’ avea temperato con sua lima,
Mugghiava con la voce dell’ afflitto,Si che, con tutto ch
’e’
fosse di rame,
No longerA
moved its sharppoint to and fro l ike a tongue.
C anto xxv i . 85 .
2 The braz en bull which Perillus invented for the S iciliantyrant Phalaris .
,I t w as con
stru cted with such art, that thecries ofthose burning within it
resembled the bellowing ofa realbull and Phalaris, very justly,made the first experiment on the
artist himself. The sinners heretoo are tortured within the flames
they have prepared for themselvesby applying the ir talents to wickedcounsels.
INFERNO . CANTO xxvu .
I bring all myguilt, tell me ifthe ROmagnuOls have
peace or w ar ; for I w as ofthemountains there,1 be
tw een Urbino and the chain from which the Tibersprings .
”
I still w as eager dow nw ards and bent, w hen myLeader touched me on the side , saying : Speakthou ; this is a Latian .
”
And I, w ho had my an sw er ready then
,began
w ithout delay to speak : 0 soul, that there belowart hidden ! ThyRomagna is not
,and never w as
,
w ithout w ar in the hearts ofher tyrants ; but open
w ar j ust now I there left none ? Ravenna stands, as
Latina, onde mia colpa tutta recoDimmi se iRomagnuoli han pace 0 guerra ;Ch
’
10 fui de’monti la intra Urbino
E il giogo di che Tever si disserra .
Io era ingiuso ancora attento e chino,Quando il mio Duca mi tento di costa,Dicendo Parla tu, questi e Latino .
Ed 10 ch’ avea giapronta la risposta,Senza indugio a parlare
'
incomincial
O anima, che sei laggiu nascosta,Romagna tua non e, e non fu mai
Senza guerra ne’ cuor de’ suoi tiranniMa palese nessuna or ven lasciai.
Ravenna sta, come stata emolti anni
OfMontefeltro, between U r year ofJ ub ilee and ofDante’sb ino and that part ofthe Apen v is ion, there was no open war in
n ine chain from which “Tiber un Romagna, but abundant materilocks himself. ” als for it in the hearts ofmany
2 In the spring‘
of1 300, the wretched Tyrants.
m m ) xxvu . INFERNO . 323
it has stood for'
manyyears .
‘ The Eagle1 ofPolentabroods Over it, so that
-
he Covers Cer via with his p inions. The tow n
,
2, which made erew hile the long p ro
bation and the bloodyheap'
ofFrenchmen, finds itself
againunder the Green Clutches. And the Old Mas
tiffOfV erruCchiO‘
and the young ,3 thatmarred Mon
tagna,’
therew here theyare w ont do p lytheir teeth .
L’ aquila da Polenta la si cova,Si che Cervia ricuop re co
’
suOI vanni.La terra che fe
’
gia la lunga prova,E di Franceschi sanguinoso mucchio,Sotto le branche verdi si ritrova .
E il Mastin vecchio, e il nuovo da V errucchio,Che fecer di Montagna il mal governo,La
, dove soglion,fan de’ denti succhio.
-1 Guido Novello da Polenta,Lord ofRavenna, and then of
C ervia too, who had an eagle on
his coat ofarms . He w as Dante’sbest friend, a Poet himself, and
Nephew ofFrancesca (see cantoand ruled his little territory
well and peacefully fori
many
years. As an eagle,
stirreth upher nest, fluttereth over her young,spreadeth abroad her wings,” &c.
Deut. xxxi i.2 Forli
,which stood a long
s iege in 1 282 . The Gu ido who
is here listening was at that time
its ruler ; and by means of a
stratagem, he made great slaughter ofthe bes ieging army, whichconsisted mainly ofFrenchmen .
Dante tells him that Forl i is nowagain under the green clutches
,
”
or the Ordelaffi fam ily , whose coatofarms w as a lion vert.3 Malatesta V ecchio
,and Mal
testino dell’O cch io (one - eyed) hisson ,
“mastiffs ofV errucchio” (a
castle oftheirs ) who imprisonedand then murdered Montagna de’Parcitati, leader ofthe Ghibell inesatRim ini, where they still exerciseferocious tyranny ; or lit. “ makea borer, auger, or gimlet oftheirteeth .
” Maltestino was the bro
ther ofGiovann i and Paolo (cantov. ) and is again alluded to in
canto xxv iii. 85 . See Benv. da
Imola Com. and Murat. Rer. I tal.
tom. xv.
324 INFERNO . CANTO xxvrr.
The cities ofLamone and Santernol guides the little
Lion ofthe argent den, who changes faction from the
summer to the w inter . And that city?w hose flank
the Savio bathes,
'
as it lie s betw een the plain and
mountain , so lives it betw een tyrannyandfreedom .
Now I pray thee , tell u s w ho thou art. Be
not more hard than one has been3 to thee : so maythyname on earth maintain its front.
”
After the flame had roared aw hile as usual,it
moved the sharp point to and fro,and then gave
forth this breath : 4 “ If I thought my answ er w ere
Le citta di Lamone e di SanternoConduce il leoncel dal nido bianco,Che muta parte dalla state al vernoE quella, a cui il Savio bagna il fi anco,Cosi com’
ella s’
e tra il piano e il monte,
Tra tirannia si vive e stato franco .
Ora chi sei ti prego che ne conte
Non esser duro p iu ch’altri sia stato,
Se 11 nome tuo nel mondo tegna fronte .
Poscia che il fuoco alquanto ebbe rugghiatoAI modo suo, l
’
aguta punta mosseDi qua, di la, e p oi die cotal fi ato
S’ 10 credessi che mia risposta fosse
Faen z a, near
—
the river Lamone, and Imola near the San
terno : under the ru le ofMachinardo Pagani, surnamed I lDia
volo,
” whose arms were a lioncelon a field argent, and who keptchanging party, facing bothways
,
”all his life.
2 C esena on the Sa m ; now
ruled by tyrants, now by the citiz ens themselves.
3 Lit. : Than other has been,meaning, than I have been to
thee.
” He speaks to Gu ido witha child - l ike kindness and pity.Found this utterance.
326 INFERNO . CANTO xxvu .
covert Ways I knew ; and used the art ofthem so
w ell, that to the ends ofthe earth the sound w ent
forth . When I saw myself come to that period of
my age at w hich everyone should low er sails and
gather in his ropes,l that which before had pleasedme
,grieved me then ; and w ith repentance and con
fession I yielded myself,2 ah w oe alas ! and it w ould
have availed me. The Prince ofthe new Pharisees3
Gli accorgimenti e le Coperte vieIO seppi tutte e simenai lor arte,
Ch’ al fine della terra il suono uscie .
Quando mi vidi giunto in quella parteDimia eta, dove ciascun dovrebbeCalar le vele e raccoglier ls sarte,
CiO che pria mi piaceva, allor m’
increbbeE pentuto e confesso mi rendei,Ahimiser lasso e giovato sarebbe .
Lo PrmCIp e de’
nuovi Farisei
In the Conv ito (Trat. iv. 28)Dante, speak ing ofOld Age, and
the “sea Ofthis l ife” on which
our Soul has its voyage oftrial ,says : “ Natural death is as it werea haven and a rest to us after longnavigation . And the noble Soulis like a good mariner ; for he,when he draws near the port,lowers his sails , and enters it
softly with feeble steerage : evenso ought w e to lower the sailsof our worldly operations, and
turn to God with all our under
standing and heart, that we may
reach this haven w ith all suavity
and with all peace. And hereinw e have from our own nature a
great lesson of suavity ; for insuch a death as this there is no
gr iefnor any b itterness : but as
a ripe apple is l ightly and withoutv iolence loosened from its branch,so our soul without griev ing departs from the body in which ithath been
,
” &c.
The rest ofthis passage is stillhigher. Guido is praised in it.
2 “Yield yourselves unto God,
as those that are alive from the
dead,” 81 C . Rom. vi. 1 3 .
3 Boniface V III . , at war with
CANTO xxvu . INFERNO . 327
—w aging w ar near to the Lateran, and not w ith
Saracens or Jew s ; for e very enemy ofhis w as a
Christian,and none had been to conquer Acre ,1 nor
been a merchant in the Soldan’s land—regarded not
the Highest Office nor HolyOrders in himself, nor
in me that Cord w hich used to make those w hom
it girded leaner ; but as Constantine called Silvestro
out ofSoracte2 to cure his leprosy, so this man called
me as an adept to cure the fever ofhis pride . He
Avendo guerra presso a Laterano,E non con Saracin, ne con Giudei ;
Che ciascun suo nemico era Cristiano,E nessuno era stato a vincer Acri,Nemercatante in terra di Soldano
Ne sommo ufi cio, ne ordini sacri
Guardo in se, 1163 in me quel capestroChe solea far li suoi cinti p iumacri.
Ma come Costantin chiese SilvestroDentro Siratti a guarir della lebbre,Cosimi chiese questi p er maestro
A guarir della sua superba febbre .
the Colonna fam ily in Rome, whohad opposed his election. He la idwaste their palaces near the La~
teran, in May 1 297 ; and then,in September 1 298, demol ishedtheir fortress ofPenestrino (Pa
lestrina) , which he had been um
able to take by force, and gainedpossession ofby
“promis ingmuchand performing nothing,” as Gu idoadvised . Vill. v iii. Benv.
da Imola Com.
1 Acre, the last stronghold of
the Christians after all their cru
sades, was in April 1 291 retakenby the Sultan, who received ad
v i ce and aid from the renegadesand Christian merchants here al
luded to. Vill. vii. 1 4 5 .
2 Called S ilvestrofrom w ithin”
the cave where he layhid inMount
Soracte, accord ing to the old tra
d ition ; and made him the “ firstrich Father.
” C anto xix. 1 1 7.
328 INFERNO . CANTO xavu .
demanded counsel ofme ; and I kept silent, for hisw ords seemed drunken .
1 And then he said to me
Let not thyheart misdoubt : even now I do absolvethee
,and do thou teach me so to act
,that I may
cast Penestrino to the ground . Heaven I can shut
and open, as thou know est ; for two are the keys thatmy predecessor
2 held not dear .
’ Then the w eightyarguments impelled me to think silence w orst ;
3and
I said : ‘ Father ! since thou cleansest me from that
guilt into w hich I now must fall, large promise , w ithsmall Observance Ofit
,w ill make thee triumph in thy
High Seat.’
Domandommi consiglio ed 10 tacetti,
Perchele sue parole parvero ebbre .
E p oi mi disse Tuo cor non sospettiFin or ti assolvo, e tu m
’insegna fare
Si come Penestrino in terra getti.LO Ciel poss’ io serrare e disserrare,
Come tu sai p erO son duo le chiavi,Che il mio antecessor non ebbe care .
Allor mi pinser gli argomenti graviLa
’ve il tacer mifu avvIso il peggio,
E dissi : Padre, da che tu mi laviDi quel peccato, ove mo cader deggio,Lunga promessa con 1
’attender corto
Tifara trionfar nell’ alto seggio .
1 With high rage and pride.
2 C elestine V . who resigned thekeeping silence seemed to me the
worst” plan ; i. e. by his drunkenKeys : which no threats or vio
lence could make Boniface himselfresign. V z
’
ll. v i ii. 63 .
3 Lit. : Drove me there where
words, haughty rage, and sudden
absolution,mademe think it safestto speak. Compare V z’ll. v iii. 23Benv. da Imola Com., &c.
330 INFERNO . cam e xxvu .
fi re .
’1 Therefore I, where thou seest, am lost ; and
going thus clothed, I burn myheart w ith pain .
”
When he his w ords had ended thus, the flame ,sorrowing, departed, w rithing and tossing its sharp
horn . We passed on ,I and myGuide, along the
cliffup to the other arch that covers the foss, w herein
a’ae fee is paid to those who, sow ing discord, gather
guilt.2
Per ch’ io la, dove vedi, son perduto ;E si vestito andando mi rancuro .
Quand’ egli ebbe il suO dir cosi compiuto,La fi amma dolorando si p artio,
Torcendo e dibattendo il corno aguto.
Noi passammo Oltre, ed io e il Duca mio,Su p er lo scoglio infino in su 1
’altr
’arco
Che copre il fosso, in che si paga il fi OA quei che, scommettendo, acquistan carco .
The fi re that steals the sin ties together with her “ bond of
ners . Canto xxvi . 42 . love (canto xi. accumu
2 Lit. : Who, byd isjoining or late a burden or load” ofguilt forunb ind ing” those whom Nature themselves .
ARGUMENT .
Our Pilgrim—more and more heavy- laden, yet rapid and unconquerable—is now with his Guide look ing down into the N inth Chasmand briefly describes the hideous condition ofthe sowers ofS candal and S chism ”
that are punished in it. First comes Mahometin Dante’s v iew, a mere Sectarian who had taken up Christianityand perverted its meaning. The shadow ofhim, rent asunder from
the chin downwards, d isplays the conscious vileness and corruptionofhis doctrines . He tells how Al i—his nephew, his earl iest andbravest dis ciple and son- in- law ; who, as Caliph, had battles withthe Prophet’s own faithful followers, in which more than seventythousand fell ; and who was himselfassassinated by one ofthemgoes weeping before him, cleft from chin to forelock. ” He
then asks what Dante is doing there ; and on learning his errand
and the likelihood ofhis return to earth, b ids him give due warningto Brother Dol cino,” a S chismatic and Communist, who is
stirring up strife in Piedmont and Lombardy. Next comes Pierda Med icina, who, with a fair face and shew offriendship, fomented d issensions amongst the small Princes ofRomagna ; Curio,who urged C aesar to cross the Rub i con and begin the civil war ;Mosca de’ Lamberti ofFlorence, who counselled and took part inthe murder ofBuondelmonti, by which the factions ofGuelphs andGhibellines were introduced ; and lastly, Bertrand de Born, whod ivided father and son. All ofthem have punishments representingtheir crimes.
332 INFERNO . CANTO xxvm .
CANTO XXVIII .
WHO,even w ith w ords set free,1 could ever fully
tell,byoft relating, the blood and the w ounds that I
now saw ? Every tongue assuredlyw ould fail , be
cause ofour speech and our memory2 that have small
cap acityto comprehend so much.
If all the people too w ere gathered, w ho ofOld
upon Ap ulia’
s fateful3 land w ailed for their blood,
CH I poria mai, pur con parole sciolte,Dicer del sangue e delle piaghe appieno,Ch
’1’
ora vidi, p er narrar piu volte 7
Ogni lingua p er certo verria menoPer 10 nostro sermone e p er la mente,Ch
’ hanno a tanto comprender poco seno .
Se 8’adunasse ancor tutta la gente,
Che giain su la fortunata terraDi Puglia fu del suo sangue dolente
Free from verse or rhyme.
Verso sciolto, blank verse ; p arolesciolte, prose.
2 Malta namque p er intellectum
videmus, quibus Signa Vocalz’
a de
sunt, &c. Intellectus humanus in
hac vita quando elevatur, in
tantum elevatur ut Memoria p ost
reditum defi ciat. Dante (Epist.vi. 28, 27) to C an Grande.
3 Lit. : Fortuned,” or eventful land : s cene ofmany changes.
The Poet first alludes to the thousands ofApul ians slain by the
Romans under P . Decius (Liv.x. 1 5 , then to the SecondPunic war, which lasted upwardsof1 5 years, and gave Hannibalthe booty of more than threebushels and a half” ofrings at
Cannae, in Apulia. See L iv. xxii i.1 2 ; and Convito (Tr. iv. 4 ,where this war is spoken of, as
well as the other sore trials whichthe “
sacred people,” who came
from Troy, had to gO through inestablishing their Monarchy.Ifwe read Traj am
’ with the
334 INFERNO . cam e xxvm .
one should shew his limbs transpierced, and another
his cut Off; it w ere nought to equal the hideous modeofthe ninth chasm .
Even a cask, through loss Ofmiddle - piece or
cant, yaw ns not so w ide 1 as one I saw , ripped from
the chin dow n to the part that utters vilest sound .
Betw een his legs the entrails hung ; the pluck ap
p eared , and the w retched sack that makes excrement
ofw hat is sw allow ed . Whilst I stood all intent2 on
seeing him, he looked at me,and w ith his hands
opened his breast,saying : Now see how I dila
cerate myself ! See how Mahomet3 is mangled !
E qual forato suo membro, e qual mozzoMostrasse, d
’
agguagliar sarebbe nullaIl modo della nona bolgia sozzo .
Gia veggia, p er mez z ul perdere o lulla,Com
’
io vidi un, cosi non si pertugia,Rotto dal mento insin dove si trulla .
Tra le gambe p endevan le minugia ;La corata pareva, e il tristo saccoChe merda fa di quel che si trangugia .
Mentre che tutto in lui veder m’attacco,
Guardommi, e con le man s’
aperse il petto,Dicendo Or vedi come io mi dilacco
Vedi come storpiato eMaometto .
Lit. : “ I s not so holed.
” The
staves ofa cask fall open whenit loses the m iddle or the sidepiece of its bottom .
Lulla perhaps from lunella, the
cant having the shape ofa halforl ittle moon.
”
2 Lit. Whilst I fix myselfall on seeing him.
”
3 Dante’s son Pietro tells howMahomet went with his mas
ter’s camels, always inquiring and
learning about the Old and the
New Testament,” &c.
cam-o xxvm . INFERNO . 335
Before me Ali w eeping goes, cleft in the face from
chin to forelock . And all the others , w hom thou
seest here , w ere in their lifetime sow ers ofscandal
and ofschism ; and therefore are they thus cleft.
A Devil is here behind, who splits u s thus cruelly,reapp lying each ofthis throng
'
to his sw ord’s edge
w hen w e have w andered round the dolorous road ;for our w ounds heal up ere any ofa s goes again
before him . But thou , w ho art thou that mu sest
on the cliff, perhap s in order to delaythygoing to
the p unishment, adj udged up on thyaccusations
No t yet has death come to him ; nor does guilt
Dinanzi a me sen va piangendo AliFesso nel volto dal mento al ciuffetto .
E tutti gli altri, che tu vedi qui,Seminator di scandalo e di scisma
Fur vivi ; e pero son fessi cosi,Un Diavolo e qua dietro, che n
’
accismaSi crudelmente, al taglio della spada
Rimettendo ciascun di questa risma,
Quando avem volta la dolente strada ;
Perocche le ferite son richiusePrima ch’ altri dinanzi li rivada .
Ma tu chi sei, che in su lo scoglio muse,Forse p er indugiar d
’ire alla pena,
Ch’ e giudicata in su le tue accuse ?Nemorte il giunse ancor, ne colpa il mena,
37. Accisma (scisma) spl its, divides.
1 I II presence ofMinos. C anto ments the s inners.
\Ut scz
’
rent
v . 7, &c. I t is their own gu ilt quia p er quce p eccat guts, p er bcec
that ac cuses, condemns , and tor et torquetur . Sapientiae x i. 1 7
336 INFERNO . CANTO xxvrrr.
to torment him .lead him,
But to give him full experience, I who am dead
have to conduct him through the Hell dow n here,from round to round : and this is true, as that I
replied myMaster,
speak to thee .
”
More than a hundred, w hen they heard him ,
stopped in the ditch to look at me , through w on
der forgetting their torment. Well, then, thou
w ho perhaps shalt see the Sun ere long, tell Fra
Dolcino,
1 ifhe w ish not speedilyto follow me down
Rispose il mio Maestro, a tormentarlo ;Ma p er dar lui esperienza piena,
A me, che morto son, convieu menarloPer lo Inferno quaggiu di giro in giroE questo ever cosi, com
’10 ti parlo .
Piufur di cento, che quando l’ udiro,
S’ arrestaron nel fosso a riguardarmi,Per maraviglia Obliando il martiro .
Or di’
a Fra Dolcin dunque che s’
armi,
Tu che forse vedrai il Sole in breve,S’ egli non vuol qui tosto seguitarmi,
1 Fra Dolcino (Ba leinas), a
man ofgreat talent, and learning , and singular eloquence,” whopreached Community ofgoods and(as is said ) ofwives, at the time
ofDante’s v ision ; and censuredthe Pope, Cardinals, and otherDignitaries ofthe Holy Church,for not doing their duty, nor leading the angeli c life,” & c . In 1 305
he had several thousands offol
lowers,
some of whom were
noble and wealthy ;” and, beingpursued and attacked by the Inquisition, stoutly defended himself, “
the women fighting too,
”
on Monte Sebello, near Novarain Piedmont ; and could not be
taken till his prov isions were cut
off(in 1 307) by a snow- storm.
He and S ister Margaret ” of
Trent,his wife, were mangled
with red - hot pincers, and thenburnt with what remains oflife
338 INFERNO . CANTO XXVI I I .
resemblance do mislead me ; remember Pier da Me
dicina,
1 ifever thou returnest to see the gentle plain2
that from Vercelli slopes to Marcabb ; and make
known to the w orthiest tw o3
ofFar m,to Messer
Guido and to Angiolello likew ise , that, unl ess our
foresight here be vain,theyshall be cast out Oftheir
ship , and drowned near the Cattolica, bya fell ty
Se troppa simiglianza non m’
inganna,Rimembriti di Pier da Medicina,Se mai torni a veder lo dolce piano,Che da Vercello a Marcabodichina ;
E fa saper a’
duo miglior di Fano,A messer Guido, e anche ad Angiolello,
Che, se l’
antiveder qui non e vano,Gittati saran fuor di lor vasello,E mazzerati presso alla Cattolica,
OfMed icina, a l ittle town between Bologna and Imola. Piero,amongst other things, hinderedGuido ofRavenna and MalatestaofRimini from “ contracting af
finityand all iance,” and set themat variance, by secretly and of
fi ciouslyinform ing each, that the
other was going to cheat him ;
and got large presents from bothfor his confidential falsehoods .
Dante is said to have been a
frequent visitor in the house of
the C apitani or Cattani at Medicina, and P iero m ight have seen
him there. Benv. da Imola Com.
2 Plain ofLombardy,gently
descending for more than 200
miles, from V ercelli to Marcabb,
a castle bu ilt by the V enetians onthe southmost bran ch ofthe PO,
near Ravenna, to obstruct its na
vigation ; and entirely demolishedafter their defeat at Ferrara, in1 308. I bid .
3 Gu ido del Cassero and An
giolello da C agnano, two noble
citi z ens ofFano : invited by Mal
testino, the One- eyed Traitor,to friendly parley or d inner withhim on an appointed day, at Cattol ica, a seaport between Fano and
Rimini ; and there, by his orders ,ma z z erati, or
“thrown into the
sea,in sacks and with stones tied
round their necks .
” I bid . and
V ellut. Com. Happily we have noword in English for ma z z erare.
CANTO xxvm . INFERNO . 339
rant’s treachery. Betw een the isles ofCyprus and
Majorca, Neptune never saw so great a trespass
done—not even byPirates, not byArgives . That
traitor w ho sees with but one eye, and holds the
land w hich one who is here w ith me w oul d w ish
that he had never seen, w ill make them come to
parleyw ith him ; then act so, that they shall need
no vow nor prayer against Focara’s1 w ind .
”
And I to him :“ Shew me and explain
,so thou
w ouldst have me carry tidings up ofthee, who he
is that rues that sight.” 2
Then he laid his hand upon the jaw ofone of
Per tradimento d’ nu tiranno fello .
Tra l’ isola di Cipri e di MaiolicaNon vide mai si gran fallo Nettuno,Non da Pirati, non da gente Argolica .
Quel traditor che vede p ur con 1’
11 11 0,
E tien la terra, che tal é qui mecoVorrebbe di vedere esser digiuno,
Faravenirli a parlamento secoPoifara si, che al vento di FocaraNon fara lor mestier voto né preco .
Ed io a lui : Dimostrami e dichiara,Se vuoi ch’ io porti su di te novella,Chi e colui dalla veduta amara .
Allor pose la mano alla mascella
Focara, a mountain near C at 2 Lit. : He ofthe b itter sight ;tol ica ; so noted for its perilous the one who w ishes that he weresqualls, that God keep thee from fasting (canto xviii . 42 ) fromthe w ind ofFocara’ became a p ro s ight of
,
”or had never seen, the
verb . Benv. da Imola Com. Young Mastiff’s land ofRim ini.
340 INFE RNO . CANTO XXVII I .
his comp anions ; and opened the mouth ofhim,say
ing : This is he, and he speaks not. This outcast1
quen ched the doubt in Caesar , affirming that to menprepared delay is alw ays hurtful .
” 2 Oh,how dis
mayed, w ith tongue slit in his gorge,seemed Curio
to me,who w as so daring in his speech !
And one w ho had both hands cut off,raising the
stump s through the dim air so that their blood defiled his face, said : Thou w ilt recollect the Mosca
3
D’nu suo compagno, e la bocca gli aperse,
Gridando Questi e desso, e non favellaQuesti scacciato il dubitar sommerse
In Cesare, affermando che il fornito
Sempre con danno l’ attender sofferse.
O quanto mi pareva sbigottito,Con la lingua tagliata nella strozza,Curio, ch
’a dicer fu cosi ardito !
Ed un, ch’avea l’ una e l’ altra man mozza,
Levando imoncherin p er 1’aura fosca,
Si che il sangue facea 1a faccia sozz a,Grido Ricorderaiti anche del Mosca,
Curio, banished from Rome
who found C aesar at Rimini (Arim inum) hes itating to pass the Rub icon, and daringly with venaltongue” incensed him to it. Lucan.
i . 269, &c .
2 Lit. : That the man preparedalways with injury endured delay. ”Semp er nocuz
’
t d zferre p aratis. Ih.
i . 281 .
3 In the year 1 2 1 5 , theBuondelmonte (Parad . xvi. 1 40
, &c. ) who
w as engaged to wed a lady oftheAmidei family, broke his promise,and betrothed himselfto one of
the Donati. The relations ofthe
former met to consult how theym ight avenge the affront ; and byadvice Ofthis Mosca, a noble and
famous Ghibelline ofthat time,who ass isted them with his own
hands,they dragged the young
bridegroomfrom his horse in openday, and slew him at the foot of
342 INFERNO . CANTO XXVII I .
trunk going w ithout a head, as the others ofthat
dismal herd w ere going . And it w as holding the
severed head,by the hair, sw inging like a lantern
in its hand ; and that looked at u s,and said : 0
me !” Of itself it made for itself a lamp : 1 and they
w ere tw o in one , and one in tw o . How this can be ,he know s w ho so ordains .
When it w as right beneath a s , at the bottom of
the bridge , it raised the arm high up,w ith all the
head,2 to bring near to u s its w ords, w hich w ere
Now see the grievous penalty, thou , who breathinggoest to view the dead : see ifany else be great as
this ! And that thou mayest carry tidings ofme,
Un busto senza capo andar, si comeAndavan gli altri della trista greggia .
E 11 capo tronco tenea p er le chiomePesol con mano, a guisa di lanterna ;E queimirava noi, e dicea 0 me !
Di se faceva a se stesso lucerna ;Ed eran due in uno, ed m min due
Com’
esser p ub, quei sa che si governa .
Quando diritto appie del ponte fue,Levb il braccio alto con tutta 1a testa
Per appressarne le parole sue,
Che furo :~ Or vedi la pena molesta
Tu che, spirando, vaiveggendo imorti
Vedi s’ alcuna e grande come questa .
E perche tu dime novella porti,
1 The eternal recognition ofhis 2 Or “And the head withalhideous crime. the head too. C inon. P art , 1 47.
CANTO XXVI I I . INFERNO . 343
know that I am Bertran1 d e Born , he w ho to the
Young King gave the evil counsels . I made the
father and the son rebels to each other . Ahithophel
did not do more w ith Absalom and David by his
malicious instigations . Because I p arted personsthus united, I carrymybrain, ah me ! p arted from
its source2w hich is in this trunk . Thus the
retribution3 is observed in me .
”
Sappi ch’ 10 son Bertram dal Bornio, quelliChe al Re Giovane diedi 1 mal conforti.
IO feci il padre e il fi glio in se ribelliAchitofel non fe
’
p iu d’
Absalone
E di David co’ malvagi pungelli.Perch’ iO partii cosi giunte persone,Partito porto il mio cerebro, lassoDal suo principio ch’ e in questo troncone .
Cosi s’ osserva in me 10 contrappasso .
1 Lord Bertrand de Born (“EnBertram,
”the great Trou
badour, turbulent statesman and
warrior, ofHautefort in Gu iennehe who made the Young King
el rei Prince Henry, rebel against his own father HenryII . , and lent his aid in that re
bell ion till the Prince w as killed .
See Raynouard , P oésies des Trou
badours, tom. v . 76, &c.
The old read ing ofline 1 3 5 isRe Giovanni, King J ohn ; and
certainly, after the murder of
Becket, all the sons ofHenrysuccessively rebel led against him,
J ohn among the rest. But evenV illan i himself (v . 4 looselywrites it re Giovane, so that theerror is easily accounted for : andDante, who knew the Poems of
Bertrand (see Vulg . E log. i i. 2 , 3 ,and is more accurate than
any ofthe historians, could not
make such a m istake. Foscoloreads Re Giovine for Giovane but
without anyauthority.2 O r from its root or germ , the
spinal cord, which is in this headless trunk or stock.
3 The &V7 11re'
1 r01/Gos (contra ~p as
sus) ofAristotle.
346 INFERNO . CANTO xxrx.
CANTO XXIX .
THE many people and the diverse w ounds had
made myeyes so drunken,1 that theylonged to stayand w eep . But Virgil said to me : Whyart thou
gazing still ? Wherefore does thy sight still rest,
dow n there , among the dismal mutilated shadow s ?
Thou hast not done so at the other chasms . Con
sider , ifthou thinkest to number them,that the val
leygoes round tw o and tw entymiles ;2and the Moon
LA molta gente e lo diverse piagheAvean le lucimie si inebriate,Che dello stare a piangere eran vaghe.
Ma Virgilio mi disse Che pur guatePerche la vista tua pur si soffolgeLaggiu tra l’ ombre triste smozzicate ?
Tu non haifatto si all’
altre bolgePensa, se tu annoverar le credi,Che miglia ventiduo la valle volge ;
1 And their land shall bedrunken (inebriabitur)with blood .
”
I saiah xxxiv . 7. Reader ! markthe true pathos, dignity, and justice ofthis scene, where the Poethas to speak ofa worthless relation ofhis own.
2 Dante here gives the measure
ment ofthis Ninth ring ofMalebolge—last but one, with shadowsnot to be numbered—and, in nextcanto, that ofthe innermost or
smallest ring, which is elevenm iles round ; and so leaves us toimagine the vast d imens ions and
population ofall the Hell above.
The ingenious Dialogo di AntonioM anetti(Giunta, Flor.
with curious plates and cal culations, now before me
,attempts
not very poetically or successfully—to reduce the S ite, Form, and
S i z e ofthe Hell ” to a kind of
architectural reality.
CANTO xxxx. INFERNO . 347
alreadyis beneath our feet. 1 The time is now short,that is conceded to us ; and far other things are to
be seen than thou dost see .
”
Hadst thou, I thereupon rep lied, attended
to the cau se for which I looked, p erhaps thou might
est have vouchsafed me yet to stay.
” 2 Meantime the
Guide w as going on ; and I w ent behind him,now
making myreply, and adding : Within that cavern
Where I kep t my eyes so fixedf’ I believe that a
sp irit, ofmy own blood laments the guilt which
costs so much down there .
Then the Master said Let not thy thought
henceforth distract itself on him .
4 Attend to some
E gia la Luna e sotto i nostri piediLo tempo e poco omai, che n
’
e concesso ;Ed altro e da veder, che tu non vedi.
Se tu avessi, risp os’
io appresso,Atteso alla cagion p er ch
’
io guardava,Forse m’
avresti ancor 10 star dimesso.
Parte sen gia, ed io retro gli andava,Lo Duca, giafacendo la risposta,E soggiungendo Dentro a quella cava,
Dov’io teneva gli occhi si a posta,
Credo ch’un spirto del mio sangue pianga
La colpa, che laggiu cotanto costa .
Allor disse il Maestro Non sifrangaLo tuo pensier da qui innanzi sovr
’
ello
I t is pastmid - day: six hours 3 Lit. So at stand so
later than the time given by the eagerly and painfully looking forMoon in canto xx. 1 24 , & c . one ofmyown k indred.
2 Or : To stay yet longer .
4 V irgil or mere Human Wis
INFERNO . CANTO xxxx.348
w hat else, and let him staythere ; for I saw him,at
the foot ofthe little bridge, p oint to thee , and ve
hementlythreaten w ith his finger ; and heard them
call him Geri del Bello .
1 Thou w ast then so totallyentangled upon him w ho on ce held Altafortef” that
thou didst not look that w ay; so he departed .
” 3
O myGuide ! his violent death, which is not
yet avenged for him,
’
said I, “ by any that is a
partner ofhis shame , made him indignant : there
Attendi ad altro, ed ei la si rimanga ;Ch
’io vidi lui a pie del ponticelloMostrarti, e minacciar forte col dito,Ed udil nominar Geri del Bello .
Tu eri allor si del tutto impeditoSovra colui che gia tenne Altaforte,Che non guardasti in la; sifu partito .
O Duca mio ! la violenta morte
Che non gli e vendicata ancor, diss’
io,
Per alcun che dell’ onta sia consorte,Fece lui disdegnoso onde sen gio
dom,not to speak ofDivine, b ids
Dante waste no farther thoughton that miserable kinsman ofhis
,
who even in Hell thinks ofnothingbut vengeance and bloodshed.
1 This Geri‘
was the son of
Dante’s granduncle (Allighieri ilBello, “ the and , being a
stirrer up ofstrife, was slain byone of the Sacchetti in some
wretched squabble. The Ottimo
Com. says he “w as a coiner too ;
but as his death w as caused bysowing oftares” (strife) , “ he is
placed in the N inth Budget ; andfor having been a forger, he isspoken ofin the present chapter,”&c . The forgery was probablya mere partial report, known to
Dante and this writer ; for we
fi nd no hint ofit in other com
ments .
2 Or So wholly occupiedwith him , i. c. with Bertrand of
Hautefort, or Altaforte.
”
3 Or perhaps Till he de
parted 32for sincké, as in cantoxix. 1 28 .
3 5 0 INFERNO . CANTO xxrx.
Such grief as there w ould be, ifthe diseases in
the hospitals ofV aldichiana,
l betw een Julyand Sep
tember , and ofMaremma and Sardinia, w ere all
together in one ditch : such w as there here ; and
such stench issued thence , as is w ont to issue from
putrid limbs .
We descended on the last bank ofthe long2 cliff,again to the left hand ; 3 and then mysight w as more
vivid,down tow ards the depth in w hich the Minister
ofthe Great Sire , infallible Justice, punishes the falsi
Qual dolor fora, se degli spedaliDi Valdichiana tra il luglio e il settembre,E diMaremma, e di Sardigna imali
Fossero in una fossa tutti insembre,Tal era quivi e tal puzzo n
’ usciva,Qual suole uscir dalle marcite membre .
Noi discendemmo in su 1’ ultima riva
Del lungo scoglio, pur da man sinistra,
Ed allor fu la mia vista p iu vivaGiuver lo fondo, dove la ministraDell ’ alto Sire, infallibil Giustizia,
49. Insembre (Fr. ensemble) , ins ieme.
1 In the V alley ofthe sluggishriver Chiana, near ‘
Arez z o, whichis now thoroughly drained, deadlymarsh -fevers were frequent, especially during the hot months of
J uly, August, and September.
The drainage ofthe Maremma,
or marshy sea- coast south ofthe
Arno,was also undertaken by the
Tuscan Government some twenty
years ago ; and much excellentland has already been gained forcultivation,
and rendered quitehealthy. Compare canto xxv . 19.
2 Long ,” for it crosses all thechasms ofMalebolge, from the
Great Barrier downwards . Canto
xv iii . 1 6, & c .
3 As in cantos xvm . 2 1 xix. 4 1 ,xxi. 1 36, &c .
CANTO xxrx. INFERNO . 3 5 1
fi ers that she here registers 1 I do not think it w as
a greater sorrow to see the people in JEgina all
infirm ; 2 when the air w as so malignant, that everyanimal, even to the little w orm, drop t down —andafterw ards, as Poets hold for sure
,the ancient p eo
ples w ere restored from seed ofants—than it w as
to see, through that dim valley, the sp irits languish
ing in diverse heaps . This upon the belly, and
that up on the shoulders of the other lay; and
some w ere craw ling ou3
along the dismal p ath .
Step by step w e w ent, w ithout sp eech, looking at
Punisce ifalsator che qui registra .
Non credo°
ch’
a veder maggior tristiziaFosse in Egina il popol tutto infermo,Quando fu l’ aer si pien dim aliz ia,
Che gli animali, infino al p icciol vermo,Cascaron tutti, e p oi le genti antiche,Secondo che i poeti hanno p er fermo,
Si ristorar di seme diformiche ;Ch’ era a veder p er quella oscura valleLanguir gli spirti p er diverse biche .
Qual sovra il ventre, e qual sovra le spalleL’ nu dell’ altro giacea ; e qual carponeSi trasmutava p er lo tristo calle .
Passo passo andavam senza sermone,
1 Here on earth registers . As ZEgina, and mythic re - peoplingin the hymn Dies z’rce, dies z
’
lla ofit by the ant- born Myrmidons .
Liber scrip tus p roferetnr, Ovid. M et. Vii. 5 23 - 65 7.
I n qua totum continetur , 3 Lit. : This, or some, crawlUnde mundus jud icelur . ing changed from p lace to p lace
2 Allusion to the pestilence of along the dismal p at
3 5 2 INFERNO . m m xxrx.
and listening to the sick who could not raise their
bodies .
I saw tw o sit leaning on each other, as p an is
leant on p an1 to w arm : from head to foot spotted
with scabs . And never did I see currycomb pliedbystable -boyfor whom his master w aits
,nor byone
w ho stays unw illinglyaw ake ; 2 as each ofthese pliedthick the claw ing ofhis nails upon himself, for the
great furyofthe itch, which has no other succour .
And so the nails drew down the scurf,as does a
Guardando ed ascoltando gli ammalati,Che non potean levar le lor persone .
Io vidi duo sedere a se appoggiati,Come a scaldar s
’appoggia tegghia a tegghia,
Dal capo ai p ie di schianze maculatiE non vidi giammaimenare stregghiaA ragazzo aspettato dal signorso,Ne a colui che mal volentier vegghia ;Come ciascun menava spesso il morsoDell’ unghie sovra se p er la gran rabbiaDel p iz z icor, che non ha p iu soccorsoE si traevan giu l
’ unghie la scabbia,
77 Signorso, signor suo : as in Boccac. Signorto
—tuo, mogliema—mia, fratelmo—mio, &c.
1 “ Pan or cover” for household would give a familiar homely iluses
,says the V ocab . della Crusca. lustration ofthe attitude, back to
The warm ing ofwhich, before back, ofthese two helpless sinnershearth fires without fenders or leaning against each other.other apparatus, in those Old days, 2 Who is eager for bed .
3 5 4: INFERNO . om raxxxx.
and each turned trembling tow ards me, w ith others
that byecho heard him .
The kind Master to me directed himself wholly,1
saying : Tell them w hat thou w ishest. ”
And I began,as he desired So mayyour
memory not fade2 aw ay from human minds in the
first w orld,but may it live for many circling suns
tell me w ho ye are , and ofw hat nation . Let not
your uglyand disgusting punishment fright ye from
revealing yourselves to me .
”
I w as ofArezzo,
” 3replied the one , and Al
E tremando ciascuno a me si volseCon altri, che l
’
udiron di rimbalzo .
Lo buon Maestro a me tutto s’
accolse,Dicendo Di’ a lor cio che tu vuoli.
Ed io incominciai, poscia ch’
ei volseSe la vostra memoria non s
’imboli
Nel primo mondo dall’ umane menti,
Ma s’
ella viva sotto molti Soli ;Ditemi chivoi siete, e di che gentiLa vostra sconcia e fastidiosa penaDi palesarvi a me non vi spaventi.
Io fui d’ Arezzo, e Albero da Siena,
lean on one another, and turnedto me, the l ivingman, trem
bl ing in their weakness and sur
prise : along w ith others, who ind irectly (“by rebound ” ) heard thewords ofV irgil .
1 Or Gathered himselfall
to me bent his head , arms, & c .
towards me as a kind Ital ianwould still do,
2 Lit. : Not steal itselfaway,&c . ; but live under many suns,or for many years. Soli (solaryears) as in canto vi. 68.
3 “MasterGriffolino ofArez z o,a great Al chemist,” &c. ,
who,
under pretence Ofteaching Albero—real or adopted son ofthe
B ishop or Inquis itor ofS ienathe art Offlying, got much money
CANTO xxrx. INFERNO . 3 5 5
bero da Siena got me burnt ; but that for which Idied , does not bring me here .
’Tis true
,I said to
him,speaking in jest : I could raise myself through
the air in flight .’ And he, who had a fond desire
and little w it, w illed that I should shew him the
art ; and only because I made him not a Daedalus ,he made me be burnt by one w ho had him for a
son . But to the last budget ofthe ten,for the al
chemy that I practised in the w orld, Minos, who
maynot err , condemned me .
And I said to the Poet : Now w ere there everpeop le vain as the Sienese ? Certainly the French1
are not so vain byfar .
”
Rispose l’un, mife’ mettere al fuocoMa quel, p er ch
’io mori
’
, qui non mimena .
Ver e, ch’io dissi a lui, parlando a giuoco
Io mi saprei levar p er 1’aere a volo
E quei che avea vaghezza e senno poco,Volle ch’ io glimostrassi l
’
arte e soloPerch’ io nol feciDedalo, mifeceArdere a ta! , che l
’avea p er figliuolo .
Ma nell’ ultima bolgia delle dieceMe p er alchimia, che nel mondo usai,Danno Minos, a cuifallir non lece .
Ed io dissi al Poeta Or fu giammai
Gente si vana come la Sanese ?Certo non la Francesca si d’ assai.
from the w itless youth ; and then ofthe Al chemists dared to pracwas denounced and burnt al ive as tise in their own country
, more
a dealer in the Black Art. Benv. especially in pub li c . ”da Imola, P ietro, &c . The Ottimo 1 Boccaccio, speaking ofthisb ids u s note , that “
almost none passage, says, “ The whole world
3 5 6 INFERNO . CANTO xxxx .
Whereat the other lep er,lwho heard me
,re
sp onded to my w ords Except the Stricca w ho
contrived to spend so moderately; and NiccolO, w ho
first discovered the costlyusage ofthe clove,in the
garden2 where such seed takes root ; and except thecompany in w hich Caccia ofAsciano3 squandered
his vineyard and his great forest, and the Abba
Onde l’ altro lebbroso, che m’
intese,
Rispose al detto mio Tranne lo Stricca,Che seppe far le temperate speseE NiccolO, che la costuma riccaDel garofano prima discoperseNell’ orto, dove tal seme s
’appicca ;
E tranne la brigata, in che disperseCaccia d’ Ascian la vigna e la gran fronda,
1 25 . Tranne, tra ne ne tra.
is aware that there is no vainerpeople than the French ,” &c. ;
and then goes on to shew thatthe S ienese are descended fromthem apparently confoundingS iena w ith Sena Ga llica or S inigaglia, which w as indeed foundedby the Gauls . The S ienese againcalled “
gente vana ,” Purg. xiii.
1 5 1 .
l The other scabbed leper isC apocchio, a Florentine who is
said to have studied natural philosophy along with Dante ; and
was burnt at S iena for Al chemy.He ironically b ids Dante exceptthe Stricca
,vainest of all the
S ienese , who spent his whole
fortune in follies ; and N iccolode
’ Bonsignori of S iena, who
invented the “ costly mode of
roasting pheasants and capons at
fires made with cloves” (Benv.
da Imola, and Pietro) ; and the
company or club , called brigata
sp endereccz'
a , or godereccz’
a, con
sisting oftwelve young noblemen
who squandered more than two
hundred thousand fi orens in ten
months. See Benv. da Imola ;Land ino, &c .
2 In S iena, where such folliestake root or fasten.
”
3 Caccia sold his vineyards and
forests ofAsciano, near S iena ;and spent them in his club .
ARGUMENT .
Still on the brim ofthe Tenth Chasm, in which new horrors awaitus . Here,” says the Ottimo Com ,
all the senses are assailedthe s ight, by murky air (se p in lame vifosse, the ear, bylamentations that ‘ have arrows shod with pity the smell
,by stench
of‘ putrid l imbs the touch , by hideous s curf, and by the sinnerslying on one another ; and the taste, by thirst that ‘ craves one
little drop ofwater,’ &c. Here Gianni S chicchi ofFlorence, and
Myrrha,who counterfeited the persons ofothers for wi cked pur
poses, represent the Falsifi ers in deeds S inon and Potiphar’sw ife, the Falsifi ers “ in words .
”The canto ends with a dialogue
between Master Adam ofBrescia and S inon, who strike and abuseeach other with a grim scorn and z eal . Dante gets a sharp and
memorable reprooffrom V irgil , for l istening too eagerly to theirbase conversation .
360 INFERNO . cxm o xxx.
CANTO XXX .
AT the time that Juno w as incensed for Semele
againstl
the Theban blood as she alreadymore than
once had shew n, Athamas grew so insane, that he,
seeing his w ife , w ith the tw o sons, come laden on
either hand, cried : Spread2 w e the nets,that I
may take the lioness and her young lions at the
pass ; and then stretched out his p itiless talons,grasping the one that had the name Learchus ; and
whirled him ,and dashed him on a rock : and she
NE L tempo che Giunone era crucciataPer Semele contra il sangue Tebano,Come mostrOgiauna ed altra fi ata,
Atamante divenne tanto insano,Che veggendo la moglie co
’
duo figli
Venir carcata di ciascuna mano,
GridO: Tendiam le reti, si ch’
iO pigliLa lionessa e i lioncini al varcoE p oi distese i dispietati artigli,Prendendo l’ un che avea nome Learco,E rotollo, e p ercosselo ad un sasso ;
Compare Ovid. Metam. iv. ridentem, et p arva Learchum B ra ~
4 1 6- 5 61 and note the brev ity of chia tendentem, rap ii, et bis terqae
Dante, and the fresh touches by p er auras More rotatfundce, rigiwhich he shews the very heart of doque infantia saxo Discutit ossa
the story, here as elsewhere. ferox, &c . And then Inc,the
2 His retia tendite silvis Hie mother : Segue sup er p ontam, nul
modo cum gemina visa est mihi lo tardata timore, M ittit, onusque
p role lecenw Deque sinu matris suum, &c. Ibid. iv. 5 1 2, &c .
62 INFERNO . cxm o xxx.
I saw tw o shadow s, p ale and naked, which ran bitingin the manner that a hungrysw ine1 does when he isthrust out from his sty. The one came to Capocchio, and fixed its tusks on his neck-joint, so that,dragging him,
it made the solid bottom claw his
belly. And the Aretine,
2who remained trembling ,
said to me That goblin is Gianni Schicchi ; 3 and ,
rabid, he goes thus mangling others .
Oh !”
said I to him, so may the other not
Quant’ io vidi due ombre smorte e nude,Che mordendo correvan di quel modoChe il porco, quando del p orcil si schiude .
L’
una giunse a Capocchio, ed in sul nodoDel 00110 1’ assannO, si che tirandoGrattar glifece il ventre al fondo sodo .
E l’ Aretin, che rimase tremando,
Mi disse Quel folletto e Gianni Schicchi,E va rabbioso altrui cosi conciando .
Oh, diss
’io lui, se l
’altro non ti fi cchi
saw them, the Furies, fierce or cruel
in tw o shadows ,” Thisreading is adopted by Foscolo,who does not mention that theAldine , C ruscan, Giunta, & c. are
against it.He compares those fierce un
clean spirits to swine, devil- p ossest on a memorable occasion.
2 Griffolino ofArez z o.
3 Gianni (J ohnny) S chicchi de’C avalcanti ofFlorence, a kinsman
ofDante’s friend Gu ido, and a
soldier. Simon Donati, havingprivately smothered his sick uncle
Buoso D onati, who meant to leavehis ill - got money for charitablepurposes ,” persuaded this Giannito put himselfin the uncle’s bed ,assume the voi ce and features of
a dying man,and d ictate a w ill
in due form . Gianni made overthe whole property to S imon, re
serving for himself the uncle’sbest mare Lady, or Queen of
the troop”—worth 1 000 gold florens. See Pietro di Dante, Benv.
da Imola, and Ottimo. The two
last do not mention the murder
ofBuoso.
cxm o xxx. INFERNO . 363
p lant its teeth on thee , grudge not to tell me who
it is,ere it snatch itself from hence .
”
And he to me That is the ancient spirit of
fi agitious Myrrha , w ho loved her father w ith more
than rightful love . She came to sin w ith him dis
guised in alien form ; 1 even as the other who there
is going aw ay, undertook,that he might gain the
Ladyofthe troop,to disguise himself as Buoso Do
nati,making a testament and giving to it legal form .
And w hen the furious tw o,2on w hom I had kept
myeye , w ere p assed, I turned it to observeu
the other
ill-born sp irits . I saw one shapen like a lute, ifhe
Li denti addosso, non ti sia faticaA dir chi e, pria che di qui si spicchi.Ed egli a me : Quell’ e l’ anima anticaDiMirra scellerata, che divenneAl padre fuor del dritto amore amica .
Questa a p eccar con esso cosi venne,Falsifi cando se in altruiforma,Come l’ altro, che in la sen va, sostenne,
Per guadagnar la donna della torma,Falsifi care in se Buoso Donati,Testando, e dando al testamento norma.
E p oi che i duo rabbiosifur passati,Sovra i quali io avea l’ occhio tenuto,Rivolsilo a guardar gli altrimal nati.
Io vidi un fatto a guisa di liuto,
Lit. : Fals ifying herselfinto himself to represent Buoso inother’s form ,
” into the form of his own person. Some say it is
a stranger (Aliena p otentior, & c . the same Buoso who is put amongMetam . iv. as Gianni un the thieves in canto xxv .dertook “
to falsify Buoso into 2 Gianni and Myrrha.
364 INFERNO . CANTO xxx .
had but had his groin cut short at the part w here
man is forked . The heavy drop sy, which w ith its
ill- digested humour so disproportions the limbs, thatthe visage corresponds not to the paunch, made him
hold his lip s apart, as does the hectic p atient, who
for thirst curls the one lip tow ards his chin, and
the other upw ards .
O ye w ho are exempt from everypunishment,and whyI know not
,in this grim w orld,
”
said he to
u s,“ look and attend to the miseryofMaster Adam .
l
When alive, I had enough ofw hat I w ished ; and
now ,alas ! I crave one little drop ofw ater . The
Pur ch’
egli avesse avuta l’ anguinaiaTronca dal lato che l’ uomo ha forcuto .
La grave idropisia, che si dispaiaLe membra con 1
’ umor, che mal converte,Che il viso non risponde alla ventraia,
Faceva lui tener le labbra aperte,Come l’ etico fa, che p er la sete
L’nu verso il mento, e l
’
altro in su riverte .
O voi, che senza alcuna pena siete,
E non so io perche, nel mondo gramo,Diss’ egli a noi, guardate e attendete
Al la miseria del maestro AdamoIo ebbi vivo assai di quel ch’ io volli,E ora, lasso ! un gocciol d’ acqua bramo .
Adam ofBrescia, a coiner Romena, he coined and made
and perfect master in his art ;” false florens ofgold ; for which
ri ch, and extremely greedy of crime he w as at last burnt in
gain,says Landino.
“ By desire Florence. In him is set forthofGuido, Alessandro, and Aghi covetousness and thirst ofmoney .nolfo
,brothers, and C ounts of Ottimo.
366 INFERNO . cxm o xxx.
for w hich on earth I left mybodyburnt . But ifIcould see the miserable soul ofGuido here , or of
Alessandro,or their brother , for Branda
’
s fount1 Iw oul d not give the sight. One is w ithin already, if
the mad shadow s that go around speak true . But
w hat avails it me w hose limbs are tied ? W ere Ionly still so light
,that I coul d move one inch in
a hundred years, I shoul d alreadyhave put myself
upon the road to seek him amid this disfigured2p eo
p le, though it w inds round eleven miles , and is not
less than half a mile across . Through them am Iin such a crew : theyinduced me to stamp the flo
rens that had three carats ofalloy.
”
Per ch’ io il corpo suso arso lasciai.Ma s
’
io vedessi qui 1’
anima trista
Di Guido, o d’
Alessandro, 0 di lor frate,Per fonte Branda non darei la vista .
Dentro ee l’ una gia, so 1’arrabbiate
Ombre, che vanno intorno, dicon veroMa che mival, ch
’ho le membra legate ?
S’ iO fossi p ur di tanto ancor leggiero,Ch
’io potessi in cent’ anni andare um
’
oncia,Io sareimesso gia p er lo sentiero,
Cercando lui tra questa gente sconcia,Con tutto ch’ ella volge undicimiglia,E men d’ un mezzo di traverso non ci ha .
10 son p er lor tra sifatta famigliaEi m
’
indussero a battere i fi orini,Ch’ avevan tre carati dimondiglia .
1 “ Thefountain towhichall Si 2 Disfigured by diseases. The
ena goes for water. Ottimo Com. crowd ofthem extends round the
CANTO xxx. INFERNO . 367
And I to him Who are the abj ect1 tw o,lying
close to thyright confines ,2 and smoking like a hand
bathed in winter - time
Here I found them,when I rained into this
riven p ot,”
he answ ered ; and since then theyhave not given a turn, and w ill not give , I think,to all eternity. One is the false w ife3 w ho ac cused
Joseph ; the other is fal se Sinon, the Greek from
Troy. Burning fever makes them reek so strongly.
” 4
And one ofthem,w ho took offence perhap s at
being named thus darkly,5 smote the rigid belly of
Ed io a lui : Chi son li duo tapini,Che fuman come man bagnata il verno,Giacendo stretti a
’
tuoi destri confini?
Qui li trovai, e p oi volta non dierno,
Rispose, quando piovvi in questo greppo,E non credo che dieno in sempiterno .
L’ una e la falsa, che accuso Giusep p oL’
altro e il falso Sinon Greco da TroiaPer febbre acuta gittan tanto leppo .
E l’ un di lor, che si reco a noia
Forse d’ esser nomato si oscuro,
94. B ierna, dettero, d iedero.
96. Dieno, deano, or d iano .
whole ofthis last chasm, whichis eleven m iles in circumference
,
and not less than halfa m ile inbreadth .
Or low , humble, Tama r/oi2 Right side : confines” ofhis
wide dropsy.3 Potiphar’s w ife, and the false
Trojan Greek, lie roasting together.
4 Lit. : “ Because Ofa‘
cute feverthey throw out such a smokingstench .
”Lepp o properly s ignifies
the stifl ing smoke ofgreasy mat
ter burning without flame.
5 Named so Obscurely and
368 INFERNO . cxxxo xxx.
him w ith his fi st : it sounded like a drum ; and Mas
ter Adam smote him in the face w ith his arm,that
did not seem less hard,1 saying to him : Though
I am kept from moving bymyw eighty limbs ,2 I
have an arm free for such necessity.
” Thereat heansw ered : “When thou w ast going to the fire , thou
hadst it not so ready; but as ready, and more , w hen
thou w ast coining .
” 3
And he ofthe dropsy: In this thou sayest
true ; but thou w ast not so true a w itness there,
when questioned ofthe truth at TroyIf I spoke false , thou too didst falsifythe
Col pugno gli percosse l’
ep a croia .
Quella sonO, come fosse un tamburoE mastro Adamo gli percosse il voltoCol braccio suo, che non parve men duro,Dicendo a lui : Ancor che mi sia toltoLo muover, p er le membra che son gravi,Ho io il braccio a tal mestier disciolto .
Ond’
ei rispose : Quando tu andaviAl fuoco, non l
’
avei tu cosi prestoMa si e p iiI l
’
avei quando coniavi.E l’ idropico Tu di’ ver di questo ;Ma tu non fosti siver testimonio,
La’ve del - ver fosti a Troia richiesto .
S’ io dissifalso, e tu falsasti il conio,
that, too, by such a despicable taken away from me, by the limbshirel ing coiner. that are heavy ,” & c .
Not less hard” and swollen 2 Thou hadst a ready arm for
than his rigid paunch . coining,indeed and wast
'
bound2 Lit. : Though to move is and burnt for it.
370 INFERNO . CANTO xxx.
I w as standing all intent to hear them,w hen the
Master said to me Now keep on looking l A
little longer,and I quarrel w ith thee l” When I
heard him speak to me in anger,I turned tow ards
him w ith such shame , that it comes over me again
as I but think ofit.
1
And as one w ho dreams ofsomething hurtful to
him, and dreaming w ishes it a dream,so that he
longs for that w hich is, as ifit w ere not ; such grew
I,w ho
,w ithout pow er to speak, w ished to excuse
myself and all the w hile excused, and never thoughtthat I w as doing it.
2
Ad ascoltarli er’ io del tutto fi sso,Quando il Maestro mi disse Or pur mira,
Che p er poco e che teco non mi risso
Quand’ io il senti’ a me parlar con ira,
Volsimi verso lui con tal vergogna,Ch
’
ancor p er la memoria mi si gira .
E quale e quei, che suo dannaggio sogna,Che sognando desidera sognare,Si che quel ch’ e, come non fosse, agogna ;
Tal mifec’
io, non potendo parlare,Che disiava scusarmi, e scusavaMe tuttavia, e nol mi credea fare .
and the headache ; and, ugly as
thou art, wouldst full eagerly apply thyselfto the clear mirrorfountain OfNarcissus.1 Or : Overspreads, encircles
me again, or even yet, when Ibut think ofit. ” Boccaccio hasS ’
egli vi ven isse, ella gli farebbesi fatta vergogna, che , sempre ch’
egli alcuna donna vedesse, gli sigirerebbe p er capo.
”
2 In another very beautiful p assage (Purg . v. 10 Dante,
blushing at a gentler reproofOf
the same sort,is again “
some
what tinged with the colour whichat times makes a man worthy ofpardon .
”
cxm o xxx. INFERNO . 37 1
Less shame w ashes offa greater fault than
thine has been,”
said the Master : “therefore unload
thee ofall sorrow . And count that 1 1 am alw ays at
thyside , should it again fall out that Fortune bringsthee w here people are in similar contest ; for the
w ish to hear it is a vulgar w ish .
”
Maggior difetto men vergogna lava,Disse il Maestro, che il tuo non e stato
PerOd’ ogni tristiz ia ti disgravaE fa ragion ch’ io ti sia sempre allato,Se p iii avvien che fortuna t’ accoglia,Dove sien genti in simigliante piato
Che voler ciOudire e bassa voglia .
I , the Poet V irgil and em & c . Canto i. 8 5 . Honor est ho
blem ofWisdom : to whom alike mini qui sep arat se a contentioni
such contest, such mean j angling, bus : omnes autem stulti miscentur
is foreign. Thou art mymaster contumeliis. Prov. xx. 3 . Quoted
and my author. Thou alone,” by Pietro di Dante.
4 INFERNO . CANTO xxxr.
CANTO XXXI .
ONE and the same tongue first w ounded me so that
it tinged w ith blushes both mycheeks, and then heldforth the medicine to me . Thus I have heard thatthe lance ofAchilles
,and ofhis father
,used to the
occasion first ofsad and then ofhealing gift.1
We turned our back to the w retched valley, upby the bank that girds it round, crossing w ithout
any speech . Here w as less than night and less
than day, so that my eye w ent little w ay beforeme ; but I heard a high2 horn sound so loudly, that
UNA medesma lingua pria mi morse,Si che mi tinse l’ una e l’ altra guancia,E p oi la medicina mi riporse.
Cosi od’ io che soleva la lanciaD’
Achille, e del suo padre, esser cagionePrima di trista e p oi di buona mancia .
Noi demmo il dosso al misero vallone,Su p er la ripa che il cinge dintorno,Attraversando senza alcun sermone .
Quivi era men che nottec'
e men che giorno,Si che il viso m’
andava innanzi poco :Ma io senti
’
sonare un alto corno
As the ru st ofAchilles’ spear Telephus the king,And ofAchillesalone could heal the wounds that for his queint spere ; For he couthweapon had infli cted, so V irgil’s w ith it both beale and dere.
” And
tongue in last canto, 1 3 1 , &c. Shaksp ear, 2 Hen. VI . act v. se . 1 .
Thus Chaucer in his Squ ier’s 2 H igh up ,” v. 19, & c. Or
Tale And fell in speech of large, mighty,” v. 75 .
cxxxo xxxr. INFERNO . 375
it w ould have made any thunder w eak : which,tow ards it followmg its w ay,
1 directed my eyes all
to one p lace . After the dolorous rout, when Charlemain had lost the holy emprise,2 Orlando did not
sound w ith his so terribly. Short while had I keptlooking up
3 in that direction, w hen I seemed to see
manyloftytow ers ; Whereat I : Master ! say, w hat
town is this ? ”
And he to me : Because thou traversest the4
darkness too far off,4 It follow s that thou errest in
Tanto, ch’
avrebbe ogni tuon fatto fi ocoChe, contra se la sua via seguitando,Diriz z Ogli occhimiei tutti ad un loco.
Dopo la dolorosa rotta, quandoCarlo Magno perde. la santa gesta,Non sonb si terribilmente Orlando.
Poco portai in la alta la testa,
Che mi parve veder molte alte torriOnd’ io : Maestro, di
’
, che terra e questa ?Ed egli a me PerO che tu trascorriPer le tenebre troppo dalla lungi,Avvien che p oi nel maginare aborri.
24 . Aborri, aberri, erri.
1 The sound made myeyes follow its course against or towardsitself,” or up meeting it.
2 Failed in the enterprise againstthe Saracens “whom Biserta sent
from Afric shore ,” at Roncesvalles : when Orlando, in despair,blew so terrible a b last that herent his horn and the veins and
sinews ofhis neck ; and Charles,
who heard it eight miles off, ac
cording to Turpin (Vita Caroli
Magni, c. w as hindered bythe traitor Ganellon from com ingto his assistance.
3 Lit. : Carried myhead highthitherward
,
” &c .
4 Thou art walking, or looking ,through the darkness at too greata d istance from them.
376 INFERNO . CANTO xxxr.
thy imagining . Thou shalt see indeed , when thou
arrivest there, how much the sense at distance is
deceived : therefore spur thee somewhat more .
”
Then lovingly1 he took me by the hand, and said
E re w e go farther, that the realitymay seem less
strange to thee , know ,they are not tow ers
,bu t
Giants ; and are in the p it,2around its bank, from
the middle dow nw ards all ofthem .
”
As w hen a mist is vanishing, the eye by little
and little reshapes3 that which the air - crow ding va
p our hides ; so whilst piercing through that gross and
darksome air, more and more approaching tow ards
Tu vedrai ben, se tu la ti congiungi,Quanto il senso s
’
inganna di lontanoPerOalquanto piu te stesso pungi.
Poi caramente mi prese p er mano,E disse : Pria che noi siam p ru avanti,Acciocche il fatto men ti paia strano,
Sappi che non son torri, ma giganti,E son nel pozzo, intorno dalla ripa,Dall’ ombelico in giuso tutti quanti.Come quando la nebbia si dissipa,Lo sguardo a poco a poco raffigura
CiO che cela il vapor, che l’
aere stipa ;Cosiforando l’ aura grossa e scura,Piu e piu appressando in vér la sponda,
1 Mindful ofhis sharp rebuke, Gigantes, et in p rofundis inferni
and its effect on me. convivce ej us . Prov. ix. 1 8. Gi
2 Pit or Well ofcanto xvi ii. 5 . gantes non resurgant, &c. I s . xxvi.
E t ap eruit p uteum abyssi et 1 4 .
obscura tus est sol et aer defama 3 Gradually gets the real outp utei. Rev. ix. 2 . Quad ibi sint lines ofthings from the vapour.
378 INFERNO . caxxo ,xxxr.
looks, therein regards her as more j ust and prudent;
for when the argument1 ofmind is joined to evil
w ill and pow er , men can make no defence against it.
His visage seemed to me long and large as the
pine2 ofSt. Peter’s at Rome , and his other bonesw ere in proportion to it ; so that the bank, whichw as an apron3 from his middle dow nw ards, shew ed
u s certainlyso much ofhim above , that three Friezelanders‘1 had vainlyboasted to have reached his hair
for dow nw ards from the place w here a man buckleson his mantle , I saw thirty large spans ofhim .
RAAFEL MAAE E AAME CH ZAABEE ALMEE,
” 5 began
Piu giusta e p iu discreta la ne tieneChe dove l’ argomento della mente
S’ aggiunge al mal volere ed alla possa,Nessun riparo vi pubfar la gente .
La faccia sua mi parea lunga e grossa,Come la pina di San Pietro a Roma ;
E a sua proporzione eran le altr’ ossa ;Si che la rip a, ch
’
era perizomaDal mezzo in giu, ne mostrava ben tantoDi sopra, che di giungere alla chioma
Tre Frison s’
averian dato mal vanto ;Perocch
’
io ne vedea trenta gran palmiDal luogo in gin, dov
’nom s
’aflibbia il manto .
Rafel mai amech zabi almi,
1 Force ofm ind : arma rationis . time it stood in front ofthe Old
See Aristotle, Polit. i. 2 . Church ofSt. Peter.
2 The colossal pine ofbron z e, 3 Consacrantfolia fi cus, etfece~
from the monument ofHadrian, rant sibi p eriz omata . Gen . i ii . 7.
which now stands in the garden 4 Standing one upon another.
of the Belvedere. In Dante’s 5 Shadowy words from his old
CANTO xxxI . INFERNO . 379
to shout the savage mouth, for w hich no sw eeter
p salmody is fi t. And tow ards him my Guide
Dull spirit ! keep to thy horn ; and vent thyself
w ith that, if rage or other passion touches thee .
Search on thy neck, and thou shalt find the beltthat holds it tied
,O spirit confused ; and see itself
that girdles1 thyhuge breast.
” Then he said to me
He accuses himself.2 This is Nimrod, through
w hose ill device one tongue is not now used in the
w orld . Let u s leave him standing, and not speak
Comincio a gridar la fi era bocca,Cui non si convenien piii dolci salmi.E il Duca mio vér lui : Anima sciocca,Tienti col corno, e con quel ti disfoga,Quand’ ira O altra passion ti tocca .
Cercati al 00110, e troverai 1a sogaChe il tien legato, O anima confusa,E vedi lui che il gran petto ti doga .
Poi~disse a me Egli stesso s’
accusa .
Questi eNembrotto, p er lo cuimal cotoPure un linguaggio nel mondo non s
’
usa .
Lasciamlo stare, e non parliamo a voto
Babel . See v. 76- 81 . E cce gi
gantes gemunt sub aguis, et qui
habitant cum eis . Nudus est in
fernas coram illo. J ob. xxv i . V ir
gil speaks “towards” not to him.
1 O r l ies across the whole of
thylarge breast. B oga ,“stave”
ofa cask , as in Purg . xii. 1 05 ;
then stripe” ofcolour, as doghe
bianche e bigie” in V ill . vn . 109.
Whence dogare, to gird, &c .
2 His own jargon tells his gu ilt.I t is the mighty N imrod ; and
the beginning ofhis k ingdom w as
Babel,
” &c . Gen. x. 10. Bru
netto Latini (Trésor , L iv. i. c . 22 )says : “Nembrot edifiia la tour
Babel en Babylonie, on advint lad iversité des lengaiges et la con
fusion des p arleures . Nembrot
mesmes mua sa langue Hebreuen Caldeu ,
”&c.
380 INFERNO . CANTO xxxi.
in vain ; for everylanguage is to him,as to others
his w hich no'
one understands .
”
We therefore journ eyed on,turning to the left ;
and at a crossbow - shotfrom him w e found another,much fi ercer and larger . What the artistfi t to gird
him could be , I cannot te ll ; but he had his right
arm pinioned dow n behind,and the other before
,
w ith a chain w hich held him clasped from the neckdow nw ards , and on the uncovered p art w ent round
to the fifth turn .
1 This proud sp irit w ill ed to
9tryhis pow er against high Jove ,
’said myGuide ;
w hence he has such rew ard . Ephialtes is his
name ; and he made the great endeavours,2 when
Checosi e a lui ciascun linguaggio,Come il suo ad altrui, ch
’
a nullo enoto .
Facemmo adunque p in lungo viaggioVolti a sinistra ; ed al trar d’ un balestroTrovammo l’ altro assai pm fi ero e maggio .
A cinger lui, qual che fosse il maestro,
Non so io dir ; ma ci tenea succintoDinanzi 1’ altro, e dietro il braccio destro,D’
una catena, che il teneva avvintoDal collo in giu, si che in su lo scopertoSi ravvolgeva infino al giro quinto .
Questo superbo voll’ essere espertoDi sua potenza contra il sommo Giove,Disse il mioDuca, ond
’
egli ha cotal merto .
Fialte ha nome e fece le gran prove,
1 Made five tur ns on the visible sum involvere Olymp um. Georg .
part ofhis body. i . 281 . The s i z e ofE phialtes cor2 Ter sunt conati imp onere P elio responds with that which Homer
Ossam Scilicet, atque Ossaefrondo~ gives him. Odyss. xi . 307, &c .
382 INFERNO. CANTO xxxr.
death ; and nothing else w as w anting for it but the
fear, had I not seen his bands .
We then proceeded farther on,and reached An
taeus,w ho full five ells
,besides the head, forth issued
from the cavern. O thou ! who in the fateful val
ley,1w hich made Scipio heir ofgloryw hen Hannibal
retreated w ith his hosts , didst take ofold a thousand
lions for thy prey; and through whom,
2 hadst thoubeen at the high w ar ofthy brethren, it seems yetto be believed that the sons ofearth had conquered
set u s down—and be not shyto do it—where the
E non v’ era mestier pin che la dotta,S’ io non avessi viste ls ritorte .
Noi procedemmo p iu avanti allotta,E
'
venimmo ad Anteo, che ben cinqu’alle,
Senza la testa, uscia fuor della grotta .
O tu, che nella fortunata valle,Che fece Scipion di gloria ereda,Quando Annibal co’ suoi diede le spalle,
Recasti giamille lion p er preda,E che se fossi stato all
’
alta guerraDe
’tuoifratelli, ancor p ar ch
’ei si creda,
Che avrebber vinto i figli della terra ;Mettine giuso, e non ten venga schifo,Dove Cocito la freddura serra.
1 Near Carthage, where “more l ions and combat with Hercules ;than C arthagin ians were qua se Bagrada lentas agit siccce
slain ; and the fate ofCarthage sulcator arenaz , &o. Lucan . iv. 5 88.
and Rome, and“all the world,” 2 Lit. And ifwho hadst
w as decided . Liv. xxx. 32 , &c. been,” &c . Coeloque p ep ercit,gubd
—V alley Ofthe Bagrada, where non Phlegrwis Antwum sustulit ar
Antaeus had his cave and prey of vis. Ibid . 5 96.
CANTO xxxr. INFERNO . 383
cold locks up Cocytus . Do not make us go to Ti
tyos nor Typhon :1 this man can give ofthat which
here is longed for . Therefore bend thee,and curl
not thy lip in scorn he can restore thy fame on
earth ; for he lives, and still aw aits long life,2 so
Grace before the time call him not unto herself.”
Thus sp ake the Master ; and he in haste stretched
forth the hands, whence Hercul es ofold did feel
great stress, and took myGuide . Virgil, w hen hefelt their grasp
,said to me : Come here, that I
maytake thee Then ofhimself and me he made
one bundle . Such as the Carisenda3 seems to view ,
Non cifar ire a Tizio, né a TifoQuesti puO dar di quel che qui si bramaPerOti china, e non torcer lo grifo .
Ancor ti pub nel mondo render fama
Ch’ ei vive, e lunga vita ancor aspetta,Se innanzi tempo grazia a se nol chiama .
Cosi disse il Maestro e quegli in frettaLe man distese, e prese il Duca mio,Ond
’ Ercole senti gia grande stretta.
Virgilio, quando prender si sentio,
Disse a me : Fatti in qua, si ch’
io ti prenda .
Poifece si, che nu fascio er’egli ed io .
Qual pare a riguardar la Carisenda
1 Two other giants, sons of when a cloud, against which itE arth, ” in Lucan . I bid . hangs, is passing over it. The
2 Still has to descend the whole other (Asinelli) tower is higher,arch Ofhis l ife.
” See note, p . 2 . but leans far less than the Cari3 The thick leaning tower Of senda, and not so strikingly withBologna ; which, to one who is corner foremost. The C arisenda
beneath, seems itself to stoop has its name from the Garisendi
INFERNO . CANTO xxxr.
beneath the leaning side, w hen a cloud is going over
it so, that it hangs opposed ; such Antaeus seemed
to me w ho stood attent to see him bend : and at the
time1 I should have w ished to go by other road .
But gently on the‘ deep , which sw allow s
’ Luciferw ith Judas
,he placed u s ; nor lingered there thus
bent,but raised himself as in a ship the mast.
Sotto il chinato, quando un nuvol vadaSovr
’
essa si, ch’ella in contrario penda ;
Tal parve Anteo a me che stava a badaDi vederlo chinare, e fu tal oraCh’ io avrei voluto ir p er altra strada
Ma lievemente al fondo, che divoraLucifero con Giuda, ci p osONe si chinato lifece dimora,E come albero in nave si levO.
family ; and was much higher 2 Neither let the deepin Dante
’s time than it is now . swallow me up , and let not the
Benv. da Imola. p it shut her mouth upon me.
”
1 Lit. : I t w as such hour, P s . lxix. 1 5 . Swallow them up
or moment then, that I should alive, as the grave ; and whole,have wished to get down bysome as those that go down into the
other way. p it. Prov. i. 1 2 .
386 I NFERNO . CANTO xxxir.
CANTO XXXII .
I F I had rhymes both rough and hoarse, as
w ould befi t the dismal hole,on which all the other
rocky steeps converge and w eigh,1 I should press
out the j uice Ofmy conception more fully: but
since I have them not, not w ithout fear I bringmyself to tell thereof, for to describe the bottomofall the Universe is not an enterprise for beingtaken up in sport, nor for a tongue that cries mamma
and pap a. But maythose Ladies2 help myverse , w hohelped Amphion w ith w alls to close in Thebes ; so
that myw ords maynot be diverse from the fact.
0 ye, beyond all others , miscreated rabble , that
S’ I O avessi le rime e aspre e chiocce,Come si converrebbe al tristo buco,Sovra il qual p ontan tutte l
’
altre rocce,IO premerei di mio concetto il suco
Piii pienamente ; ma perch’
iO non l’ abbo,Non senza tema a dicer mi conduco
Chenon e impresa da pigliare a gabbo,Descriver fondo a tutto l’ universo,Ne da lingua che chiamimamma e babbo .
Ma quelle Donne aiutino il mio verso,Ch’ aiutaro Anfi one a chinder Tebe,Si che dal fatto il dir non sia diverso .
Oh sovra tutte mal creata plebe,
1 Meeting as at the keystone of 2 Muses, by whose aid Amphiona bridge or vault. '
Roccefor roccie. reared the walls ofThebes.
cxxxo xxxu . INFERNO . 387
are in the place, to speak Ofwhich'
is hard,better
had ye here on earth been sheep or goats !
When w e w ere down in the dark p it, under
the Giant’s feet, much low er,1and I still w as gazing
at the high w all, I heard a voice sayto me : Lookhow thou p assest : take care that w ith thysoles thou
tread not on the heads ofthe w earyw retched bro
thers .
” 2 Whereat I turned myself, and saw beforeme and beneath myfeet a lake, which thr ough frosthad the semblance ofglass and not ofw ater . Neverdid the Danube in Austria make so thick a veil for
his course in w inter, nor the Don afar beneath thefrigid sky,
3as there w as here ; for ifTabernicch4
Che stai nel loco, onde parlare e duroMe
’foste state qui pecore o zebe .
Comenoifummo ginnel pozzo scuroSotto i p ie del Gigante, assai p iu bassi,Ed io mirava ancora all
’alto muro,
Dicere udimmi : Guarda come pass1 ;Fa si, che tu non calchi con le piante
Le teste de’
frateimiseri lassi.Per ch’ io mi volsi, e vidimi davanteE sotto i piedi nu lago, che p er gieloAvea di vetro, e non d
’
acqua sembiante .
Non fece al corso suo si grosso veloDi verno la Danoia in Austericch,Ne il Tanai la sotto il freddo cielo,
Com’era quivi : che se Tabernicch
1 This last circle, like Male 3 Hyp erboreas g lacies, Tanaim
bolge, slopes towards Satan. que nivalem. Georg. iv . 5 1 7.
2 TWO brothers Ofverse 5 5 , &c.
4 Probably the Frusta Gora, a
388 INFERNO . CANTO xxxrr.
had fallen on it, or Pietrap ana, it w ould not evenat the edge have given a creak. And as the frog
to croak, sits w ith his face out Ofthe w ater ,1when
the villager oft dreams that she is gleaning ; so, livid,up to where the hue ofshame appears
,
2 the dolefulshades w ere in the ice
, sounding w ith their teeth
like storks .
3 Each held his face turned - downw ards :bythe mouth their cold, and bythe ' eyes the sorrow
oftheir hearts is testified amongst them .
4
When I had looked round awhile, I turned
Vifosse su caduto, o P ietrapana,Non avria pur dall
’
orlo fatto cricch .
E come a gracidar si sta la rana
Col muso fuor dell’ acqua, quando sognaDi sp igolar sovente la villana ;
Livide insin 1a, dove appar vergogna,Eran 1’ ombre dolenti nella ghiaccia,Mettendo i denti in nota di cicogna .
Ognuna in giu tonea volta 1a facciaDa bocca il freddo, e dagli occhi il cor tristoTra lor testimonianza si procaccia .
Quand’ io ebbi d’ intorno alquanto visto,
solitary mountain, _the only one
in the d istrict ofTovarnich in
Sclavonia. P ietrapana is anotherhigh mountain near Lucca.
1 In the warm summer nightduring the Italian harvest, whenthe v illage gleaner dreams Ofher
day- work. Image ofheat, con
trasting w ith the eternal winterlike the peaceful touches in Ho
mer’s wildest battle- scenes.
2 Up to their necks in ice.
3 Lit. Putting their teethinto the note ofthe stork rat
tling with them, as the stork doeswith her b ill. Ip sa sibi p laudat
crep itante ciconia rostro. Metam.
vi. 97.
‘1 By their chattering teeth andeyes gla z ed with tears, “ testimonyis given”
oftheir cold and the sadness oftheir hearts.
390 INFERNO . CANTO xxxir
looking so much at us 71 If thou desirest to know
w ho are these tw o,2 the valleywhence the Bisenzio
descends w as their father Albert’s and theirs . Theyissued from one body; 3 and thou mayest search the
whole Caina, and shalt not find a shade more w orthyto be fixed in gelatine : 4 not him ,
5w hose breast and
shadow at one blow w ere pierced byArthur’
s hand
not Focaccia ; 6 not this, who so obstructs me w ith
Se vuoi saper chi son cotesti due,La valle, onde Bisenzio si dichina,
Del padre loro Alberto e di lor fue .
D’
nu corpo usciro e tutta la CainaPotrai cercare, e non troverai ombraDegna piii d
’
esser fi tta in gelatinaNon quelli a cuifu rotto il petto, e 1
’
ombraCon esso nu colpo p er la man d’Artu ;Non Focaccia ; non questi, che m’
ingombra
1 Or, staring over our icyforms,
as over a m irror.
2 Napoleone and Alessandro,sons ofC ount Alberto, whosepossess ions layin the upper valleyofthe B isen z io, a small riverthat flows into the Arno some
six m iles below Florence. Aftermany other acts
_
of treachery,they betrayed and murdered eachother.
3 They were sons Ofonemother.
4 Fixed in this froz en marsh.
5 Mordrec or Modred, bastardson OfKing Arthur. By histreachery many Kn ights ofthe
Round Table were slain. Arthurpierced the traitor with such a
stroke Ofhis lance, that the sun
shone through the wound ; and
afterwards d ied Of a blow thatModred gave him in falling, as
is related in the old Romance of
Lancelot d a Lac (Paris, 1 5 1 3 ;P. iii. fol . 1 97, E t dit
l’histoire qu
’ap res l’ouverture de
la lance passa parmi la plaie ung
rayde soleil,” &c.
6 Focaccia de’ Can cellieri Of
Pistoia, who, for a silly boyishOffence
,cut offhis young cousin’
s
hand , and murdered his unclethereby giving rise to the factionsofthe B ianchi and Neri in Pistoia and Florence. B env. da Imola
Vill. v iii . 38.
CANTO XXXI I. INFERNO . 391
his head that I see no farther, and who w as named
Sassol1 Mascheroni : ifthou beest a Tuscan, w ell
know est thou now who he w as . And that thou
mayest not put me to further sp eech, know that Iw as Camiccion2 de
’ Pazzi, and am w aiting for Car
lino to excuse me .
”
Afterw ards I saw a thousand visages, made doggish by the cold ; w hence shuddering comes overme , and alw ays w ill come, when I think ofthe
frozen fords .
3 And as w e w ere going tow ards the
Col capo si, ch’io non veggio Oltre p 1u,
E fu nomato Sassol MascheroniSe Tosco sei, ben sa
’
omai chifu .
E perche non m1 metti in p iiI sermoni,
Sappi ch’ io fu’
i1 Camicion de’ Pazzi,
Ed aspetto Carlin che mi scagroni .
Poscia vid’ io mille visi cagnazziFatti p er freddo onde mi vien ribrezzo,E verra sem re de
’
elati uaz z i.
E mentre ch’ andavamo in ver lo mezzo,
70. Cagna z z i, cagneschi, paonaz z i.
1 Sassol de’Toschi ofFlorence,
guardian ofhis brother’s only son,whom he murdered for the sake of
and w as noto
riously carried, nailed in a
cask” (clavatus in una vegete) ,through the whole city ; and thenbeheaded . B env. da Imola
, & c.
2 OfV aldarno : who treacherouslyslew his kinsman Ubertinode
’Pa z z i . He says, the treach
eries ofCarl ino de’Paz z i, who is
his inheritance
still living, will be great enoughto excuse,” or make his own
seem trifling. Carl ino (in 1 302 )betrayed the castle ofPiantre
v igne in V aldarno for money, tothe Florentines, after the exiledWhites and Ghibellines had defended it twenty nine days“ whence many, even ofthe bestexiles ofFlorence, were slain or
taken,” &c . Vill. v iii. 5 3 .
3 Those ice-fords ofthe Pit.
392 INFERNO. CANTO xxxn .
middle1 at which all w eight unites, and I w as shivering in the eternal shade, whether it w as w ill , or des
tiny or chance, I know not ; but, w alking amid the
heads, I hit myfoot violentlyagainst the face ofone .
Weep ing it cried out to me“Whytramp lest thou
on me ? If thou comest not to increase the ven
geance for Montaperti,2 w hydost thou molest me
And I ' MyMaster ! now w ait me here,that
I mayrid me ofa doubt respecting him : then shalt
thou,how ever much thou p leasest, make me haste .
The Master stood . And to that shade, w hich still
kept bitterlyreviling, I said : What art thou, who
thus reproachest others ? ”
Al quale ogni gravezza si rauna,Ed io tremava nell
’
eterno rezzo,Se voler fu, o destino, O fortuna,Non so ma passeggiando tra le teste,Forte percossi il p ie nel viso ad una .
Piangendo mi sgridO PerchemiSe tu non vieni a crescer la vendettaDiMont
’
Aperti, perchemimoleste ?
Ed io Maestro mio, or qui m’aspetta,
Si ch’io esca d’un dubbio p er costui
Poimifarai, quantunque vorrai, fretta .
Lo Duca Stette ; ed io dissi a colui,Che bestemmiava duramente ancoraQual sei tu, che cosi rampogni altrui?
1 “Middle” ofHell , and ofthe 2 ThegreatdefeatoftheGuelphs
E arth, and all the Un iverse : cen at Montaperti (see canto x. 86)tre of all grav ity, physical and was completed by the treacherymoral . Convito, Tr. ii. c . 3 , &c . ofBocca degli Abati, who here
394 INFERNO . CANTO xxxrr.
thee who I am ; nor shew it thee , though thou fall
foul upon myhead a thousand times .
” I alreadyhad his hair coiled on myhand , and had plucked
offmore than one tuft ofit, he barking and keepingdown his eyes , w hen another cried :
“What ails thee,Bocca ? I s it not enough for thee to chatter w ith
thyjaw s, but thou must bark too ? What Devil is
upon thee 7”
Now ,said I, accursed traitor ! I do not
w ant thee to speak ; for to thy shame I w ill beartrue tidings Ofthee .
”
GO aw ay!”he answ ered ; and tell what p leases
thee . But be not silent, ifthou gettest out from
hence, respecting him ,1 who now had his tongue so
Se mille fi ate in sul capo mi tomi.IO avea giai capelli in mano avvolti,E tratto glien avea p iiI d
’
una ciocca,Latrando lui con gli occhi in gin raccoltiQuando un altro gridO: Che hai tu
‘
, Bocca ?Non ti basta sonar con le mascelle,Se tu non latri ? qual Diavol ti
Omai, diss’io, non vo
’che tu favelle,
Malvagio traditor ; ch’alla tua onta
Io portero di te vere novelle .
Va via, rispose, e ciOche tu vuoi, conta ;Ma non tacer, se tu di qua entro eschi,Di quel ch’ ebbe or cosi la lingua pronta .
1 Buoso da Duera ofCremona, French army ofCharles ofAnjou,who for money betrayed the Ghi in 1 265 ; at which the people of
bellines, allowing Guy de Mont Cremona were so enraged, thatfort to pass the Oglio, with the they extirpated his whole race.
cxm o xxxrr. INFERNO . 395
ready. Here he laments the Frenchmen’s silver .
Him ofDuera,
’thou canst say, I saw there, w here
the sinners stand p inched in ice .
’1 Shouldst thou be
asked w ho else w as there , thou hast beside thee theBec caria2 w hose gorge w as slit byFlorence . Gianni
del Soldanier,3 I think, is farther on
, w ith Gauel
lone,
4and Tribaldello5 who oped Faen z a when it
slept.
Ei piange qui l’argento de’ Franceschi
IO vidi, potrai dir, quel da DueraLa, dove i peccatori stanno freschi.
Se fossi dimandato, altri chi v’ era ;Tu hai da lato quel di Beccaria,Di cui segOFiorenza la gorgiera .
Gianni del Soldanier credo che sia
Piu 1a con Ganellone, e TribaldelloCh’ apri Faenza quando si dormia .
Buoso himself carried offmuchmoney,” but died
,
at last in m iserable poverty and ex ile . B env. da
Imola ; Vill. vii. 4 ; Murat. Rer .
I ta l. t. ix. p . 709.
1 The phrase star fresco, “ to
be in a fix or pucker,” is said tobe derived from v. 1 1 7.
2 Tesauro Beccaria ofPavia,Abbot ofV allombrosa and LegateofPope Alexander IV . at Flo
rence, was ac cused oftreacherouslyplotting to bring back theexiled Ghibellines, and beheadedin 1 2 5 8. Benv. da Imola ; Vill.
vi. 65 .
3 This Giann i was ofGhibel
line family ; and in 1 266, after
the defeat ofManfred, p ut him
selfat the head ofthe populacein order to u se into power, not
regarding the issue, which was
to hurt the Ghibellines and ru inhimself,” & c. Vill. vii. 1 4 .
4 Ganellone or Gano,the trai
tor at Roncesvalles celebratedin the Old poets. 0 new Scariot
and new Ganillion, & c. Chaucer, Nonne
’s Prieste
’s Ta le.
5 Tribaldello de’ Manfred i Of
Faenz a, who for money openedhis native city at dead ofnightto the French in 1 282 ; and thatsame year was slain with them,
in the “bloody heap” (canto xxvii.44) at Forli. Vill. VI I. 80, 81 .
396 INFERNO . CANTO xxxn .
We had alreadyleft him,when I saw tw o frozen
in one hole so closely, that the one head w as a cap
to the other . And as bread is chew ed for hunger,so the uppermost put his teeth into the other
'
there
w here the brain joins with the nape . Not otherw ise
did Tydeus1 gnaw the temples ofMenalip pus for
rage , than he the skull and the other parts .
O thou ! w ho bysuch brutal token shew est thyhate on him w hom thou devourest, tell me why, Isaid : on this condition, that ifthou w ith reason
comp lainest ofhim ,I,know ing who ye are and his
offence,mayyet repay thee in the w orld above , if
that, wherew ith I speak, be not dried up .
Noi eravam partiti gia da ello,Ch’ io vidi duo ghiacciati in una bucaSi, che l
’
un capo all’
altro era cappello
E come il p an p er fame simanduca,Cosi il sovran li denti all’ altro poseLa,
’ve il cervel s
’
aggiunge con la nuca .
Non altrimenti Tideo si rose
Le tempie a Menalipp o p er disdegno,Che queifaceva il teschio e l’ altre cose .
O tu, che mostri p er si bestial segnoOdio sovra colui che tu timangi,Dimmi 11 perche, diss
’io : p er tal convegno,
Che se tu a ragion di lui ti piangi,Sap piendo chi voi siete, e la sua pecca,Nel mondo suso ancor io te ne cangi,
Se quella, con ch’
io parlo, non si secca .
1 See Statius, Theb. viii. 740, quis App ortet, Mena lipp e, tuum .’
&c. : Cap ut, o .
’cap ut, o ! mihi si nam volveris arvis ; &c .
398 INFERNO . CANTO xxxm .
CANTO XXXIII .
FROM the fell repast that sinner raised his mouth,
w iping it upon the hair ofthe head he had laid w aste
behind . Then he began : Thou w illest that I re
new desperate grief, which w rings myheart, even
at the very thought,before I tell thereof. But if
myw ords are to be a seed,that maybear fruit of
infamyto the traitor w hom I gnaw , thou shalt see
me sp eak and w eep at the same time . I know not
who thou mayest be, nor bywhat mode thou hast
come down here‘
but, when I hear thee, in truth
thou seemest to me a Florentine . Thou hast to
know that I w as Count Ugolino, and this the Arch
LA bocca sollevOdal fi ero pastoQuel p eccator, forbendola a
’ capelli
Del capo ch’egli avea diretro guasto .
Poi cominciO: Tu vuoi ch’ io rinnovelliDisperato dolor, che il cor mi preme,Giapur pensando, pria ch
’io ne favelli.
Ma se le mic parole esser den seme,
Che frutti infamia al traditor ch’io rodo,
Parlare e lagrimar vedrai insieme .
10 non so chi tu sie, né p er che modoVenuto sei quaggiu ; ma FiorentinoMi sembri veramente, quand
’io t
’
Odo .
Tu dei saper ch’ io fui il Conte Ugolino,E questi l’ Arcivescovo Ruggieri
CANTO xxx ur. INFERNO . 399
bishop Ruggieri now I w ill tell thee why I am
such a neighbour to him That by the effect of
his ill devices I, confiding in him, w as taken and
Or ti dirbperch’ io son tal vicino .
Che p er 1’
effetto de’
suoi mal pensieri,Fidandomi di lui, iO fossi preso
1 Count Ugolino de’ Gherardeschi
,chiefofthe Guelphs in
P isa ; and Archb ishop Ruggieridegli Ubaldini, chiefOfthe Ghibellines . In the year 1 284 , P isawas the only city OfTuscany thatadhered to the Ghibelline party ;and Ugolino himselfwas ofa Ghibelline family
, but quite unscru
pulous, and eager for power . In
that same year, after the d isastrous sea- fight with the Genoese,on Sunday, 6th August, in whichthe Pisans lost many Oftheir galleys, and
'
had oftheir bestmen killed or taken prisoners ,the Florentines (in September)formed a league w ith the Luc
chese, S ienese, &c. together withthe Genoese to make w ar on Pisa :the Florentines and other Tuscans by land, and the Genoeseby sea.
” Ugolino, who had fledfrom the battle before it was fullydecided, now by bribery and otherunfairmeans induced the Florentines to withdraw secretly fromthe league ; and by their aid ex
p elled the Ghibellines from P isa,and made himselfmaster ofit
w ith the Guelphs . Vill. vii. 92 ,
98. See also Annal. Genuens.
p. 5 87 ; Cronica di Pisa, in Tartin.
Supp . Rer. Ital . t. i . p . 5 643.
Again, in J uly 1 288, whenthree parties were competing forthe mastery in P isa, viz . N ino de’V isconti, J udge ofGallura, withcertain Guelphs ; Ugol ino, w iththe rest ofthe Guelphs ; and , in
opposition to both , ArchbishopRuggieri degli U baldini, with theLanfranchi, and Gualandi, and
Sismond i and other Ghibell inehouses : the said Count Ugolino,in order to make himselfmaster,
united with the Archb ishop and
his party, and betrayed JudgeNino, not considering that hewas his own grandson, son ofhis
own daughter ; and they arrangedthat he should be expelled fromP isa with his followers, or seiz edin person. Nino hearing this,and not finding himselfable to
make defence, left the city and
went to Cal ci, his castle ; and
leagued with the Florentines and
Lu cchese, to make w ar on the
P isans. The Count, before Ninowas gone, in order the better toconceal his treachery, when everything was arranged for the ex
pulsion ofthe Judge, went out of
400 INFERNO . CANTO xxxm.
thereafter put to death, it is not necessary to saybut that which thou canst not have learnt
, that is,how cruel w as mydeath, thou shalt hear—and knowifhe has offended me .
E poscia morto, dir non emestieri.
Pero quel che non puoi avere inteso,Cioe, come la morte mia fu cruda,Udirai e saprai se m’
ha offeso .
Pisa to a manor ofhis called Settimo. As soon as he was informedofN ino’s departure, he returned
to Pisa w ith great joy, and was
made Lord ofthe city amid greatrejoicing and festivity. But his
lordliness was ofbriefduration.
Fortune turned against him, as
it pleased God, because ofhis
treacheries and sins ; for w ithtruth it was said he had causedAnselmo da Capraia, his s ister’sson, to be poisoned, out ofenvyand fear, lest Anselmo, who was
much esteemed in P isa, m ighttake his place . The force of
the Guelphs being thus impaired,the Archb ishop took means to
betray Count Ugol ino, and causedhim to be suddenly attacked inhis palace by the fury ofthe p eop le, telling them that he had hetrayed P isa, and given up theirCastles to the Florentines and
Lucchese ; and the people havingcome upon him without anydefence, he surrendered . And in
this assault, a bastard son and a
grandson ofCount Ugolino’s were
killed ; and he himselftaken, with
two ofhis sons and three (or two ?as below) ofhis grandchildren,sons ofhis son, and put in pri
son.
” Vill. vii. 1 2 1 .
“ In the following March, theP isans, who had imprisoned CountUgolino with two ofhis sons, and
two sons ofhis son Count Guelfo(as we have mentioned above) , ina tower on the Piaz z a degli Anz iani, caused the door of thattower to be locked up , the keysto be thrown into the Arno, and
all food w ithheld from the saidprisoners, who died ofhunger ina few days. But the Count had
previously kept demanding penitence with loud cries, and yet theyperm itted nofriar or priest to confess him. All the five, when dead,were dragged together from the
tower and meanly interred ; and
from thenceforward the said prisonwas called the Tower ofFamine,and always will be. For thiscruelty the Pisans throughout thewhole world, wherever it became
known, were greatly blamed ; not
so much for the Count himself,who by reason ofhis crimes and
402 INFERNO . CANTO xxxm .
the father and his sons seemed to me w eary; and
methought I saw their flanks torn bythe sharp teeth .
When I aw oke before the daw n, I heard my sons
who w ere with me, w eeping amid their sleep , and
asking for bread . Thou art right cruel , ifthou dost
not grieve alreadyat the thought ofwhat myheart
foreboded and ifthou w eepest not,at w hat art
thou used to w eep ? Theyw ere now aw ake, and
the hour app roaching at which our food used to be
brought us,and each w as anxious from his dream,
and below I heard the outlet ofthe horrible tow er
locked up : Whereat I looked into the faces ofmy
sons, w ithout uttering a w ord . I did not w eep : so
stony grew I within . They w ept ; and my little
In picciol corso mi pareano stanchiLo padre e i figli, e con 1
’agute scane
Mi parea lor veder fender li fi anchi.Quando fui desto innanzi la dimane,Pianger senti
’fra ’
l sonno imiei figliuoli,
Ch’ erano meco, e dimandar del pane .
Ben sei crudel, se tu gianon ti duoli,Pensando cio ch’ il mio cor s
’
annunziavaE se non piangi, di che pianger
Gia eran desti, e 1’
ora s’appressava
Che il cibo ne soleva essere addotto,E p er suo sogno ciascun dubitava,Ed io sentii chiavar l’ uscio di sottoAll
’
orribile torre : ond’io guardai
Nel viso a’miei fighuoi senza far motto .
Io non piangeva, si dentro impietraiPiangevan elli ; e Anselmuccio mio
CANTO xxxm . INFERNO . 403
Anselm said : ‘ Thou lookest so ! Father, what ails
thee ?’ But I shed no tear, nor answ ered all that
day, nor the next night, till another Sun came forth
up on the w orld. When a small rayw as sent into
the doleful p rison, and I discerned in their four facesthe asp ect ofmyow n , I bit on both myhands forgrief ; and they, thinking that I did it from desire of
eating, ofa sudden rose up , and said : Father , it w ill
give us much less p ain, ifthou w ilt eat ofus : thou
didst put up on us this miserable flesh, and do thoustrip it off.
’ Then I calmed myself, in order not to
make them more unhap py. That dayand the nextw e all w ere mute . Ah, hard earth ! whydidst thou
not op en ? When w e had come to the fourth day,
Disse : Tu guardi si ! Padre, che hai ?Pero non lagrimai, né rispos
’
io
Tutto quel giorno, ne la notte appresso,Infin che l’ altro Sol nel m
'
ondo uscio .
Come un poco di raggio sifu messo
Nel doloroso carcere, ed io scorsiPer quattro visi il mio aspetto stesso,
Ambo le mani p er dolor mimorsi
E quei, pensando ch’io il fessi p er voglia
Dimanicar, di subito levorsi,E disser : Padre, assai cifia men doglia,Se tu mangi di noi : tu ne vestistiQueste misere carni, e tu le spoglia .
Quetaimi allor, p er non farli p iu tristiQuel di, e 1
’
altro stemmo tutti mutiAhi dura terra, perche non t
’
apristi?Poscia che fummo al quarto di venuti,
INFERNO . OAN'
ro xxxm .404
Gaddo threw himself stretched out at myfeet, saying :
‘ Myfather ! whydon’t you help me 7
’ Therehe died ; and even as thou seest me, saw I the threefall
’
one byone, betw een the fifth dayand the sixth,
w hence I betook me,alreadyblind, to groping over
each ; and for three days called them,after theyw ere
dead . Then fasting had more pow er than grief. ” 1
When he had spoken this , w ith eyes distorted
he seized the miserable skull again w ith his teeth,
which as a dog’s w ere strong upon the bone . Ah,
Pisa ! scandal to the p eop le ofthe beauteous landwhere “ Si
”is heard ! 2 Since thy neighbours are
Gaddo mi si gitto disteso a’ piedi,
Dicendo Padre mio, che non m’
aiuti?Quivimori e come tu mi vedi,Vid
’
iO cascar li tre ad uno ad uno,
Tra il quinto di e il sesto, ond’
iO mi diediGia cieco a brancolar sovra ciascuno ;E tre di li chiamai, p oi ch
’
eifur morti
Poscia, p in che il‘
dolor, poteil digiuno .
Quand’ ebbe detto cio, con gli occhi tortiRiprese il teschio misero co
’ denti,Che furo all
’
osso, come d’
un can, forti.
Ahi Pisa, vituperio delle gentiDel bel paese la dove il 3) suona ;
1 So that Ugol ino died on the
ninth day: and the Old Pisan com
mentator, Buti, says the tower wasopened after eight days, dop a
lz'
otto Many volumes
have been written about verse 75 .
Does the p i1z p oté (“ w as more
powerful” ) indicate only that hunger killed Ugolino ? Or thatfasting overcame his senses, and made
him die eating as his poor children had invited ? The words admit ofeither meaning.
2 Italy, where Si is the word
406 INFERNO . csm o xm n .
inw rap s another people, not bent forw ards, but all
reversed .
l The veryw eeping there allow s them not
to w eep ; and the grief, which finds impediment
up on their eyes, turns inw ard to increase the agony:
for their first tears form a knot,and
,like crystal
vizors, fill up all the cavitybeneath their eyebrow s .
And although, as from a callous, through the cold all
feeling had dep arted from my face,2 it now seemed
to me as ifI felt some w ind . Whereat I : Master,who moves this ? I s not all heat extinguished here
below ? ” Whence he to me : Soon shalt thou be
Ruvidamente un’altra gente fascia,
Non volta in gin, ma tutta riversata .
Lo pianto stesso Ii pianger non lascia,E il duol, che truova in su gli occhi rintoppo,Si volve in entro a far crescer l’ ambascia ;
Che le lacrime prime fanno groppo,E, si come visiere di cristallo,Riempion sotto il ciglio tutto il coppo .
E avvegna che, si come d’
umcallo,Per la freddura ciascun sentimentoCessato avesse del mio viso stallo,
Giami parea sentire alquanto ventoPer ch’ io Maestro mio, questo chi muove ?Non é quaggiuso ogni vapore Spento ?
Ond’ egli a me : Avaccio sarai dove
The Poets have now come to tenora. They shew no feeling of
the Third Ring, or Ptolomaea. shame, or desire to conceal themThe spirits in it have their heads selves all heat is extinguished”turned backwards, and not down, among them.
l ike those in the Caina and An 2 Left the abode ofmyface.
”
CANTO xxxm. INFERNO . 407
w here thine eye itself, seeing the cause'
which rains
the blast,1 shall answ er thee in this And one of
the w retched sliaclow s ofthe icy crust cried out to
u s : O souls, so cruel that the last p ost ofa ll is
given to you ! Remove the hard veils from myface,that I mayvent the grief, .
w hich stuffs myheart, a
little ere the w eep ing freeze again .
” Wherefore Ito him : If thou w ouldst have me aid thee
, tell
me w ho thou art ; and ifI do not extricate thee,mayI have to go to the bottom ofthe ice .
”
He answ ered : Then I am Friar Alberigo,2 I
Di ciotifara l’ occhio la risposta,Veggendo la cagion che il fi ato piove .
E un de’
tristi della fredda crostaGrido a noi O anime crudeliTanto, che data v
’e l’ ultima posta,
Levatemi dal viso i duri veli,Si ch’ io sfoghi il dolor che il cor m
’
impregna,Un poco pria che il pianto si raggeli.
Per ch’ io a lui : Se vuoi ch’ io ti sovvegna,Dimmi chi sei, e s
’io non ti disbrigo,
Al fondo della ghiaccia ir mi convegna .
Rispose : Adunque io son Frate Alberigo,
1 The wind here comes down .
See next canto, verses 8, 5 0, &c .
2 Old Alberigo de’ Manfred i ,another ofthe J ovial Friars (seetheir profession, canto xxi ii .His kindred were Guelphs and
Lords of Faenz a ; and one of
them, the young and fieryManfredo de
’Manfred i, in a fi t of
passion, gave him a slap on the
face. Alberi c dissembled and
qu ietly bore the affront for a
long time . And at last, whenhe thought the other might haveforgotten it, pretended that hewished to be reconciled . ThenManfred begged pardon for his
youthful heat ; and, the peace
408 INFERNO . CANTO XXXI I I .
am he ofthe fruits from the ill garden, who here
receive dates for myfigs .
” 1
Hah said I to him, then art thou dead too 7 ”
And he to me :“How mybody stands in the
w orld above, I have no know ledge . Such privilege
has this Ptolomaea, that oftentimes the soul falls down
hither, ere Atrop os impels it.
2 And that thou more
w illinglymayest rid the glazen tears from offmyface, know that forthw ith, when the soul betrays,
Io son quel delle frutte del mal orto,Che qui riprendo dattero p er figo .
Oh, dissi lui, or sei tu ancor morto ?Ed egli a me : Come il mio corpo stea
Nel mondo su, nulla scienz ia porto .
Cotal vantaggio ha questa Tolomea,Che spesse
'
volte l’ anima ci cadeInnanzi ch’ Atropos mossa le dea .
E perchetu p iuvolentier mi rade
Le invetriate lagrime dal volto,Sappi, che tosto che 1
’anima trade,
being made up between them,
Alberic gave a banquet, to whichManfred and his son (Alberghetto, or “ l ittle Alberic wereinv ited. The supper over, withgreat alacrity old Alberic cried,Now bring the fruit ! ’ And sud
denlyhis servants, who had beenconcealed behind a screen, rushedforth armed, and slew both the
father and the son, Alberi c mean
while looking On and rejoicing.
”
B env. da Imola . See also P ietrodi Dante. The “ Fruit ofFriar
Alberi c” thenceforth became a
proverb . The “ ill garden ” is
Faen z a, from which Tribaldello(canto xxxii. a Ghibellineofthe same Manfredi family, alsocame. I bid .
Or, get full repayment.
2 E re Atropos cuts the l ifethread, or gives signal tomove.
”
Veniat mars sup er illos : et de
scendant in Infernam viventes,“ let
them go down qu ick (or l iving)into Hell. ” Ps . liv. 1 6 ; IV. 1 5 .
Quoted by Pietro, &c .
4 10 INFERNO . CANTO xxxm .
Michel Zanche1 had not yet arrived,when this man
left a Devil in his stead in the bodyofhimself, and
ofone ofhis kindred who did the treacheryalong
w ith him . But reach hither thy hand : open myeyes . And I opened them not for him : and to
be rude to him w as courtesy.
2
Ah, Genoese ! men estranged from all morality,and full ofall corruption,3 w hy are ye not scattered
from the earth ? For w ith the w orst spirit4 ofRo
magna, found I one ofye, who for his deeds even
now in soul bathes in Cocytus, and above on earth
still seems alive in body
Non era giunto ancora Michel Zanche,Che questi lascioun Diavolo in sua veceNel corpo suo, e d
’
un suo prossimano,Che il tradimento insieme con luifece .
Ma distendi oramai in qua la mano,
Aprimi gli occhi ; ed io non gliele apersiE cortesia fu lui esser villano .
Ahi Genovesi, uomini diversiD’
ogni costume, e pien d’ ognimagagna,Perche non siete voi del mondo spersi?
Che col peggiore spirto di RomagnaTrovai un tal divoi, che p er sua opra
In amma m Cocito gia si bagna,E in corpo p ar vivo ancor di sopra .
1 The barterer ofcanto xxn . Rer. Ital . vi. 608)for 1 294, written2 SO Ariosto (Orl. Fur. xxvn . at the time by J acop o Doria (I a~
Gli é teco cortesia l’esser cobus de Auria ), in which qu ite
villano,’tis a charity to be rude as bad an account is given ofthe
to thee .
fi‘ Genoese.
3 C ompare Annal. Gen. (Murat. 4 With the Friar Alberigo.
ARGUMENT.
The J udecca, or Last C irclet OfCocytu s , takes its name from J udas
Iscariot, and contains the souls ofthos e who betrayed their mas
ters and benefactors .
’ The Arch Traitor Satan, Emperor Of
the Realm OfSorrow, stands fixed in the C entre ofit ; and heph ~ J A b e‘ s . - a m
too i__s_p unished bymhis ‘
own SAP ; All the streams OfGu ilt keepM W W w ur W W W W -5
"
u fl w h ‘
flowing back to him,as their source ; and from beneath
‘
his‘
thi‘
ee.o s
Fages (Sh issue forth the mighty wingswith whic to raise himself; and sends
out winds that swellingMarsh . Dante has to take a full View ofhim too ; and then is
carried through the Centre by his Mysti c Guide grappling on
the hair ofSatan,”
not without s ignificance ; and set down on
f‘ the other face ofthe J udecca .
” And now the b itter j ourney of
our P ilgrim is over ; and a tone ofgladness goes through the re
maining verses . Hell is now behind him, and the Stars ofHeavenabove he has got beyond the E verlasting NO ,
’and is sore tra
vailled,”
and the “way is long and d ifficult,” but it leads from
Darkness to the “ bright world .
” After some brief inquiries,“without caring for any repose,” by aid ofthe heaven- sent Wisdom he plu cks himselffrom the Abyss and follows climbing
,
till they see the Stars in the opposite hemisphere .
4 12 INFERNO . CANTO xxxrv.
CANTO XXXIV .
THE banners ofthe King1 ofHell now issueforth tow ards us : therefore look before,
”
said theMaster , look ifthou discern him .
”As
, when a
thick mist breathes, or when the night comes on
our hemisphere, a mill, turning w ith the w ind , ap
pears at distance : such an engine did I now seem
to see ; and,for the w ind,2 shrunk back behind my
Guide, because no other shed w as there . AlreadyI had come (and w ith fear I p ut it into verse) whereall the soul s w ere covered,3 and shone through like
VEXILLA Regis p rodeunt InferniVerso di noi : pero dinanzimira,Disse il Maestro mio, se tu il discerni.Come quando una grossa nebbia spira,O quando l’ emisperio nostro annotta
Par da lungi un mulin che al vento gira ;Veder mi parve nu tal difi cio allotta
Poi p er lo vento mi ristrinsi retroAl Duca mio chenon v’ era altra grotta .
Gia era (e con paura il metto in metro)La, dove 1
’
ombre tutte eran coverte,E trasp arean come festuca in vetro .
1 The Vexilla Regis p rodeunt, It is chanted in the serv i ce ofthe
which Dante here brings to bear Holy Week.upon the hateful banners ofSatan, 2 The w ind.
” See v. 5 1 , &c.
is the first verse ofa sacred hymn 3 In the last or central ring ofoftriumph, in praise ofthe C ross. Cocytus .
4 14 INFERNO . CANTO XXXIV .
grain Of. ingenuity, what I became, dep rived ofbothdeath and life. The Emperor ofthe dolorous realm,
from mid breast stood forth out ofthe ice ; and Iin siz e am liker to a giant
, than the giants are to
his arms .
1 Mark now how great that whole must
be, which corresponds to su ch a part.fi fhe w as
once as beautiful as he is uglynow , and lifted up
his brow s against his Maker, w ell mayall affliction
come from himw
l Oh how great a marvel seemed itto me, whenmw three faces2 on
/his head ! The
W / MJ /‘s
Qual io divenni, d’
uno e d’ altro privo .
LO Imperador del doloroso regnoDa mezzo il petto uscia fuor della ghiacciaE piu con un gigante iO mi convegno,
Che i giganti non fan con le sue bracciaVedi oggimai quant’ esser dee quel tutto,Ch’ a cosifatta parte si confaccia .
S’ cifu si bel, com’
egli e ora brutto,E contra il suo Fattore al le ciglia,Ben dee da lui procedere ogni lutto .
O quanto parve a me gran meraviglia,Quando vidi tre facce alla sua testa !
1 Or, I agree better, in s i z eand stature, with one ofthe giants,than they do with -
one ofSatan’s
arms.
His other parts besidesProne on the flood , extended long
and largeLayfloating manya mod .
Forthw ith upright he rears fromoffthe pool
His migh tystature .
Par . L ost, i'
. 194, &c .
2 The three faces are emblem
atical ofconscious Opposition to
the Power, and Wisdom, and
Love, in canto i ii. 5 , &c. : hopeless Impotence, glowing with rage,in the s carlet or vermilion ; darkest Ignorance in the black ; and
envious Hatred in the pale- yellowface. Hence Milton (Par. Lost,
iv. 1 1 4)E ach passion dimm’
a his
faceTh rice changed w ith pale, ire,
envy, and despair.
”
CANTO xxxrv. INFERNO . 4 1 5
one in front, and it w as fieryred : the others w ere
tw o, that w ere adjoined to this, above the verymiddle ofeach
‘
shoulder ; and they w ere joined up to
his crest ; 1 and the right seemed betw een white and
yellow ; the left w as such to look on, as theywho4
-m m w % .m a w w w m m m w fl w fi w w d ’w
come from where the Nile begins his valley.
2 Un
Of
size befitting such a bird : sea- sails I never saw so
broad .
3 NO p lumes had they; but,w ere in form and
that three w inds w ent forth‘
from him, wherebyCO
L’
una dinanzi, e quella era vermigliaL’ altre eran due, che s
’
aggiungeano a questaSovr
’
esso il mezzo di ciascuna spalla,E si giungeano al luogo della cresta .
E la destra parea tra bianca e gialla :La sinistra a vedere era tal, qualiVengon di ove il Nilo s
’avvalla .
Sotto ciascuna uscivan duo grand’ ali,Quanto si conveniva a tanto uccelloVele dimar non vid’ io mai cotali.
Non avean penne, ma divi sp 1strello
Era lor modo : e quelle svolazzava,Si, che tre venti simovean da ello .
1 Lit. : Up to the place ofhis
crest. ” The three faces unitetheir qual ities to form the Crest
ofhim, emblem ofhis Pride.
3 Under the E thiop lineByNilu s head .
P ar . L ost, iv. 2 82 .
At last his sail-broad vansHe spreads for fligh t.
I bid . 1 1 . 927.
Has wings l ike a huge vampire ;and, flapping them, sends forththe b lasts ofImpotency, Ignoran ce, and Hatred, which freez eall the Marsh OfSin—therebyfixing himself only the more
strongly in it.4 Lit. : But as a bat’s was
their mode,”or fashion.
4 16 INFERNO . ann o xxxiv.
cytus all w as frozen With six eyes he w ep t and
dow n three chins gushed tears and bloody foam.
In everymouth he champ ed a sinner w ith his teeth,like a brake; so that hethus kept three ofthem in
torment. To the one in front, the bitin w as nought,compared w ith the tearing for at ti back Of
him remained quite stript ofskin .
That soul up there , w hich suffers greatest p un~
ishment,
”
said the Master ,“ is Judas Iscariot
, he
w ho has his head Within,and outmm le s .
Of the other tw o, who have their heads beneath,that one
,w ho hangs from the black visage , is Bru
‘ N M —fltus : l 10 ! how he w rithes himself, and utters not a
Quindi Cocito tutto s’aggelava .
Con sei occhi piangeva, e p er tre mentiGocciava il pianto e sanguinosa bava.
Da ogni bocca diromp ea co’ denti
Un peccatore, a guisa dimaciulla ;Si che tre ne facea cosi dolenti.
A quel dinanzi il mordere era nullaVerso il grafiiar, che tal volta la schienaRimanea della pelle tutta brulla .
Quell’ anima lassu, ch’
ha maggior pena,Disse il Maestro, e Giuda Scariotto,Che il cap
—
o ha dentro, e fuor le gambe mena .
De gli altri duo, ch’ hanno il capo di sotto,
Quei, che pende dal nero ceffo, e BrutoVedi come si storce, e non fa motto ;
In theMonarchia and Convito, alludes to Caesar as the appointedand also in many passages ofthe Founder ofthat Universal Mon
Purgatorio and Paradiso, Dante archy by which the temporal go
4 1 8 INFERNO . CANTO xxxiv.
labour and w ith difficul ty turned his head where
he had had his feet before , and grappled on the
hair, as one who mounts so that I thought w e w ere
returning into Hell again . Hold thee fast ! for
bysu ch stairs ,”said myGuide, panting like a man
forespent, must w e depart from so much ill.”
Thereafter through the opening ofa rock he issued
forth, and p ut me on its brim to sit ; then tow ards
me he stretched his w arystep .
I raised myeyes, and thought to see Lucifer as
I had left him ; and saw him w ith the legw rxngd
upwards\ .
1 And the gross people, w ho see not w hat
a point2 it w as that I had passed, even they may
Lo Duca con fatica e con angosciaVolse la testa ov
’
egli avea le zanche,Ed aggrap p ossi al p el, come uom che sale,Si che in Inferno io credea tornar anche .
Attienti ben,che p er cotali scale,
Disse il Maestro, ansando com’
uom lasso,Conv1en s1 dip artir da tanto male.
Poi uscifuor p er lo foro d’
un sasso,
E p ose me in su 1’
orlo a sedere
Appresso porse a me 1’
accorto passo.
IO levai gli occhi, e credetti vedereLucifero,
‘
com’
i’ l’ avea lasciato,
E vidili le gambe in su tenere .
E s’
io divenni allora travagliato,La gente grossa il pensi, che non vedeQual era il punto ch
’
iO avea passato .
Lit. : “ Saw him holding the 2 C entre Ofthe Universe and
legs upwards,” as in verse 1 04 . ofall gravity.
CANTO xxxiv. INFE RNO . 4 19
j udge ifI grew toil-w orn then . Rise up said
the Master ,“ upon thy feet : the w ay is long, and
difficult the road ; 1 and now to middle tierce2 the
Sun returns .
”
I t w as no p alace - hall , there w here w e stood , but
native dungeon w ith an evil floor and w ant oflight.
Before I plu ck myself from the Abyss,”
said Iw hen risen up ,
0 Master ! speak to me a little,to draw me out oferror . Where is the ice ? And
this, how is he fixed thus up side down? And how
,“m s- ” W W W M
in so short a time, has the Sun from eve to mom
made transit ?”
Levati su, disse il Maestro, in piedeLa via e lunga, e il cammino emalvagio,E gia il Sole
.
a mezza terza riede .
Non era camminata di palagioLa ov
’
eravam, ma natural burellaCh
’
avea mal suolo, e di lume disagio .
Prima ch’ iO dell’ Abisso mi divella,Maestro mio, diss
’io quando fui dritto,
A trarmi d’ erro un poco mifavella .
Ov’ela ghiaccia ? e questi com’
e fi tto
Si sottosopra ? e come in si p oc’ora
Da sera a mane ha fatto il Sol tragitto ?
Long is th e w ayAnd hard, that out ofHell leads
up to light. ”P ar . L ost, 1 1 . 432 .
2 The mez z a Ter z a or m iddleTierce” ofDante, as explainedby himself(Convito, Tr . iv.means the time immediately be
fore the stroke ofthree, the Thirdmorning - hour : or w ith us n ineO’clock, at the season when days
and nights are ofequal length .
The Poets have now got into theOpposite hem isphere and left thenight (v. 68) on this side ofthe
centre.
420 INFERNO . CANTO xxxiv.
And he to me : Thou imaginest that thou art
still upon the other side ofthe centre where I caughthold ~ ’
Ou the hair ofthe w hich pierces
through the w orld . that side, so
long as I descended : when I turned myself, thouthen didst p ass w
th Oint2 to which allg ravitw esi rom—vm ‘ H“ ”a a w
everypart are draw n ; and now thou art arrived bev
,
neath the hemisphere opposed to that3 which cano“M m . W2 N
p ies the great dryland, and underneath whose sum
mit4 w as consumed the Man, who w ithout sin w as
0m m “ M m m v-C ‘ M fl
Ed egli a me : Tu immagini ancoraD’
esser di 12: dal centro, ov’io mi presi
Al p el del vermo reo che il mondo fora .
Di lafosti cotanto, quant’io scesi
Quando mi volsi, tu passasti il puntoAl qual si traggon d
’
ogni parte i pesiE sci or sotto l’ emisperio giunto,Che e opposto a quel, che la gran seccaCoverchia, e sotto il cui colmo consunto
Eu 1’
uom che nacque e visse senza pecca
1 The piercing Serpent, evenLeviathan that crooked Serpent. ”I saiah xxv ii. l . And he laidhold on the Dragon
,that Old Ser
pent, which is the Devil and Setan and cast him into thebottomless Pit. ” Rev. xx. 2 . Our
earth gnawed through by Satan,as an apple by a worm .
2 Lowest point ofthe Universe,C entre ofall Gravity.
2 The Poets are now in the
Hemisphere, placed Oppos ite to
our Northern Hemisphere whichcanopies the “dryland ” (Genesis i.9, or stands over thatnorthernpart Ofthe globe which, in Dante’stime, was supposed to be the onlypartuncovered by sea. The NorthPole is manifest to nearly all
the uncovered part ofthe E arth ;and the South Pole “ is hiddenfrom nearly all the uncoveredpart. ” Convito, Tr. iii. c. 5 .
4 The highest or culminatingpoint, above J erusalem where the
INFERNO . CANTO xxxiv .
but bythe sound ofa rivulet descending in it, along
the hollow ofa rock w hich it has eaten out w ith
tortuous course and slow declivity.
1 The Guide and
I entered by that hidden road,to return into the
bright w orld : and,w ithout caring for any rest, w e
mounted up , he first and I second , so far that I distinguished through a round opening the beauteousthings w hich Heaven bears ; and thence w e issued
out, again to see the Stars .
Che non p er vista, ma p er suono e notoD’
un ruscelletto, che quivi discendePer la buca d’ un sasso, ch
’
egli ha roso
Col corso ch’ egli avvolge e poco pende .
Lo Duca ed io p er quel cammino ascosoEntrammo a ritornar nel chiaro mondoE senza cura aver d’ alcun riposo
Salimmo su, ci primo ed io secondo,Tanto ch
’
io vidi delle cose belleChe porta il Ciel, p er nu pertugio tondoE quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.
v ils,” to the opposite surface of bends little,” or gently downwards.
the earth : or as far as his tomb I t flows in a spiral d irection and
ofHell goes on the other s ide. by slow degrees. It is the streamF M .
1 Lit Has gnawed out with let o
wm Purgdtdry, which
the course which it winds and also flo ack to Satan.
END OF THE INFERNO .
426 INDEX OF PROPER NAME S .
Aruns, xx . 46.
As ciano, C accia d’, xxix. 1 3 1 .
Asdente ofParma, xx. 1 1 8.
Athamas, xxx. 4 .
Athens, xii . 1 7.
Atropos, xxxiii. 1 26.
Attila, xi i . 1 34 ; xii i. 1 49.
Augustus, i . 7 1 .Aul is, xx. 1 1 1 .
Aventine, mount, xxv. 26.
Averrho'
é s, iv. 1 44 .
Av i cenna, iv . 1 43 .
A z z ol ino da E ste, xii. 1 10.
Bacchiglione, river, xv . 1 1 3 .
Bacchus, city of, xx. 5 9.
Beatrice, i i. 70 ; x. 1 3 1 ; xii. 88 ;xv. 90.
Beccaria, xxxii. 1 19.
Beel z ebub, xxxiv. 1 27.
Bello, Geri del, xxix. 27.
Benacus, lake, xx. 63 &c.
Benedict St.,Abbey of, xvi. 100.
Bergamese, xx. 71 .Bertrand de Born, xxviii. 1 34 .
Bianchi, xxiv. 1 5 0.
B isenz io, river, xxxii . 5 6.
Bocca degli Abati, xxxi i. 106.
Bologna, xxiii ; 1 42 .
Bolognese, xi. 83 xvii i. 5 8
xxi ii. 103 .
Bonatti,Gu ido, xx. 1 1 8.
Boniface V II I ., xix. 5 3 xxvn .
70, 85 .
Bors ieri, Guglielmo, xvi. 70.
Branca Doria, xxxii i . 1 37, 1 40.
Branda, Fount, xxx. 78.
Brenta, river, xv. 5 .
Brescia, xx. 68.
Brescians, xx. 71 .
Briareus, xxxi. 98.
Brigata, xxxiii. 89.
Bruges,xv. 4 .
Brunelleschi, Agnello, xxv. 63 .
Brunetto Latini, xv. 30, &c.
Brutus, Lucius J unius, iv . 1 27.
Marcus J unius, xxxiv. 65 .
Buiamonte, xvii. 72 .
Bul icame, xiv . 79.
Buonacossi, Pinamonte, xx. 96.
Buonturo de’ Dati, xxi. 4 1 .
Buoso da Duera, xxx n. 1 1 6.
degli Abati, xxv. 1 40.
de’ Donati, xxx. 44 .
C accia d’ Asciano, xxix. 1 31 .
Caccianemico, xv iii . 5 0.
Cacus, xxv. 2 5 .
Cadmus , xxv. 97.
Cadsand, xv. 4 .
C aesar, J ul ius, i. 70 ; iv. 1 23 ;
xxv ii i. 98.
C agnano, Angiolello, xxvn i . 77.
C ahors , xi. 5 0.
Caiaphas, xxii i. 1 1 5 .
Cain, xx. 1 26.
Caina, v . 107 ; xxxn . 5 8.
Calcabrina, xxi. 1 1 8 ; xxn . l 33 .
Cal chas, xx. 1 10.
Camiccion de’ Paz z i, xxxn . 68.
C amilla, i . 1 07 ; iv. 1 24 .
C amonica, V al, xx. 65 .
Cancellieri, xxxi i. 63 .
Capaneus, xiv. 62 ; xxv. 1 5 .
C apocchio, xxix. 1 36 xxx . 28.
Capraia, isle, xxxi ii. 82 .
C aprona, xxi . 95 .
Cardinal degl i Ubaldini,x. 1 20.
Carisenda, tower, xxxi. 1 36.
Carl ino de’ Paz z i, xxxn . 69.
Carrarese, xx. 48.
Casalodi, xx. 95 .
Casentino, valley, xxx. 65 .
Cassero, Gu ido del, xxviii. 77.
Cassius, xxxiv. 67.
Castel St. Angelo, xvn i. 32 .
Catalano, Friar, xxi i i . 1 04, 1 1 4 .
C ato, xiv. 1 5 .
INDEX OF PROPER NAME S . 427
Cattolica,xxviii. 80.
Caval canti de’, Caval cante, x. 60.
Francesco, xxv. 1 5 1 .
Gianni,xxx. 32 , 44 .
Guido, x. 63.
Caurus, xi. 1 1 4 .
C ecina, river, xii i. 9.
Celestine V . , i ii . 5 9 xxvn .
105 .
Centaurs, x1 1 . 5 6 &c . ; xxv . 1 7.
Cep erano, xxviii. 1 6.
Cerberus, vi. 1 3 ; ix. 98.
Cerv ia, xxv ii . 4 2 .
Cesena, xxvi i. 5 2 .
Ceuta, xxvi . 1 1 .
Chaos,xii. 43 .
Charlemain, xxxi. 1 7Charon , iii . 94 , 1 09, 1 28.
Charybd is, vii. 22 .
Chiana,V al di, xxix. 47.
Chiarentana, xv. 9.
Chiron , xii . 65 &c.
Christians , xxv i i. 88 .
C iacco, vi. 5 2 , 5 8, &c.
Ciamp olo, xx1 1 . 48.
Cianfa de’ Donati, xxv. 43 .
C irce, xxv i. 91 .
Ciriatto, xxi. 1 22 ; xxii . 5 5 .
C lement V . , xix. 83 .
C leopatra, v . 63 .
C ocytus,xiv . 1 19 xxxi. 1 23
xxxi ii . 1 5 6 ; xxxiv . 5 2 .
C olchis , xv ii i . 87Cologne, monks of, xxiii. 63 .
Colonna, fam ily, xxvii . 86.
Constantine, xix. 1 1 5 ; xxv i i . 94 .
C ornel ia, iv. 1 28 .
Corneto, city, xii i . 9.
Rinier da, xii. 1 37C rete, xi i. 1 2 ; xiv. 95 .
Curio, xxv iii . 93 , 1 02 .
Cyclopes, xiv. 5 5 .
Cyprus, xxvi ii. 82 .
Dmdalus, xvn . 1 1 1 ; xxix. 1 1 6.
Dam ietta, xiv . 104 .
Danube,xxxii. 27.
David, iv. 5 8 xxvn i . 1 38.
Deidamia, xxvi . 62 .
Dejanira, xii . 68 .
Democritus,iv. 1 36.
Dido, v . 6 1 , 8 5 .
Diogenes, iv . 1 37.
Diomede, xxvi . 5 6.
Dionys ius , tyrant, X1 1 . 1 07.
Dios corides, iv. 1 40.
Dis (Satan) , v ii i . 68 ; x. 65 xii.
39 ; xxxiv. 20.
Dol cino, Fra’, xxvn i. 5 5 .
Don, river, xxxii . 27.
Donati de’, Buoso, xxx. 44 .
Cianfa, xxv. 43 .
Doria, Branca. xxxiii 1 37, 1 40.
Duera, Buoso da, xxxn . 1 1 6.
E lectra, iv. 1 2 1 .E lijah, xxvi . 35 .
E lisha, xxvi . 34 .
Empedocles, iv. 1 38.
E phialtes, xxxi. 84 .
E pi curus, x . 1 4 .
E richtho, ix. 23 .
E rynnis , ix. 4 5 .
E ste, A z z olino da, x1 1 . 1 1 0.
Obi z z o, xii . 1 1 1 xviii . 5 6.
E teocles, xxvi . 5 4 .
E thiopia, xxiv. 89 ; xxxiv. 45 .
E uclid,iv. 1 42 .
E uryalus,i. 108.
E urypylus, xx. 1 1 2 .
Faen z a, xxvii. 49 ; xxxn . 1 23 .
Fano, xxv ii i. 76.
Farinata, vi. 79 ; x. 32 .
Feltro, i . 105 .
Fiesole, brutes Of, xv. 62 .
Filippo Argenti, viii. 6 1 .
Fishes, sign of, xi. 1 1 3 .
Flem ings, xxv. 4 .
428 INDEX OF PROPER NAME S .
Florence, x. 92 ; xiii. 1 43 ; xvi.75 ; xxiii. 95 ; xxiv . 1 44 ; xxvi.1 ; xxxii. 1 20.
Florentines, v iii. 62 ; xv. 61 xv i .73 ; xvii . 70 ; xxxiii . 1 2 .
Focacc ia C ancellieri, xxxii . 63 .
Focara, mount, xxviii. 89.
Forli , xvi. 99 ; xxvii . 43 .
Fortune, v ii . 78, & c.
France, xix. 87.
Francesca, v . 74 &c.
Francesco d’ Ac corso, xv. 1 10.
Francis, Saint, xxvii. 1 1 2 .
French, xxv ii . 44 xxix. 1 23
xxxfi . 1 1 5 .
Frederick Emperor, x. 1 2 1xiii. 5 9, 68 ; xxiii . 66.
Frieselanders, xxxi. 64 .
Fucci, V anni,xxiv. 1 25 .
Furies, ix. 38 & c.
Gaddo, xxxiii . 68.
Gaeta, xxv i. 92 .
Galen, iv. 1 43 .
Gallura, xxii. 82 .
Ganellone, xxxii. 1 22 .
Garda, lake, xx. 65 .
Gard ingo, xxi ii . 108.
Gaville, xxv. 1 5 1 .
Genoese, xxxiii. 1 5 1 .Geri del Bello, xxix. 27.
Germans, xv ii. 2 1 .
Geryon, xvii . 97 &c.
Ghisola, xv ii i. 5 5 .
Gianfigliaz z i, xv ii. 5 9.
Gianni del Soldanier, xxxu . 1 2 1 .
Gianni S chicchi, xxx. 32 , 44 .
Giovanni S t. , church, xix. 1 7.
Godenti, Frati, xxiii. 1 03 .
Gomita, Fra’, xxii. 8 1 .Gorgon, ix. 5 6.
Gorgona, is le, xxxiii . 82 .
Governo, xx. 78 .
Greece, xx. 88, 1 08.
Greeks, xxvi. 75 xxx. 98, 1 22 .
Griffolino, xxix. 109 ; xxx. 3 1 .
Gualandi, xxxii i. 32.
Gualdrada, xvi. 37.
Gu idi, Counts, xxx . 77.
Guido Bonatti, xx. 1 1 8.
Caval cante,x. 63 .
del Cassero, xxvi ii. 77.
de’ Guid i, xxx. 77 .
daMontefeltro, xxvu . 67 &c .
Guidoguerra, xvi. 38 .
Gugl ielmo Borsieri, xvi. 70.
Gu iscard, Robert, xxviii . 1 4 .
Hannibal,xxxi. 1 1 7.
Harpies, xiii. 10&c .
Hector, iv. 1 22 .
Hecuba, xxx. 1 6.
Helena, v. 64.
Heraclitus, iv. 1 38.
Hercules, xxv. 32 xxvi. 1 08
xxxi. 1 32 .
H ippocrates, iv. 1 43.
Homer, iv. 88.
Horace, iv. 89.
Hyp sipile, xv ii i. 92 .
J acob, Patriarch, iv. 5 9.
J aCOp o da St. Andrea, mm. 1 33 .
Rusticucci,vi. 80 ; xvi . 1 4 .
J ason, Argonaut, xviii . 86.
Hebrew, xix. 85 .
Icarus, xvii. 1 09.
I da, mount, xiv. 98.
J ehosaphat, valley of, x. 1 1 .
J erusalem, xxxiv. 1 1 4 .
J esus Christ alluded to, iv. 5 3 ;xxxiv. 1 1 5 .
J ews, xxiii . 1 23 xxvn . 87.
Ilium,i . 75 .
India, xiv. 32 .
Interminei, Alessio, xvui . 1 22 .
J ohn, E vangel ist, xix. 1 06.
Baptist,xiii. 1 43 ; xxx. 74 .
J oseph, xxx. 97.
430 INDEX OF PROPER NAME S .
Myrrha, xxx. 38.
Nap oleone degli Alberti, xxxii. 5 5 .
Narcissus, xxx. 1 28.
Nasidius, xxv . 95 .
Navarre, xxii. 48.
Neptune, xxv i ii. 83 .
Neri, xxiv . 1 43 .
Nessus, C entaur, x1 1 . 67 &c .
N i cholas II I . , Pope, xix. 3 1 &c .
Nile, xxx iv . 4 5 .
N imrod, xxxi. 77N inus, v. 5 9.
N isus, i. 1 08.
Novarese, xxviii . 5 9.
Ob i z z o d’ E ste, x ii. 1 1 7 ; xv iii . 5 6.
Ordelaffi , xxv i i . 4 5 .
Orlando, xxx i . 1 7.
Orpheus, iv. 1 40.
O rsini, x ix . 70.
Ovid, iv . 90 xxv. 97.
Paduans, xv. 7 ; xvi ii . 67.
Pagano, Machinardo, xxvn . 5 0.
Palladium, xxvi. 63 .
Paris, v. 67.
Pasiphae, x ii . 1 3 .
Paul, Apostle, ii . 32 .
Paz z i, x ii . 1 37 ; xxxu . 68.
Peleus, xxxi. 5 .
Penelope, xxvi . 96.
Penestrino, xxv i i. 102 .
Penthesilea, iv. 1 24 .
Perillus, xxvii . 7.
Peschiera, xx. 70.
Peter, Staint, i. 1 34 ; i i . 24 ; xix .91 , 94 .
Phaeton, xxvii. 107.
Phalaris, xxvu . 7.
Pharisees, xxiii. 1 1 6 xxvu . 85 .
Phil ip the Fair, x ix . 85 .
Phlegethon, xiv. 1 1 6.
Phlegyas,v iii . 19, 24.
Phoenix, xx iv. 1 07.
Pholus , C entaur, xii. 72 .
Photinus,ix. 8.
Piceno’s field,xxiv. 1 28.
P ier da Medi cina, xxvi ii . 73 .
delle V igne,,x i ii. 1 28.
P ietrapana, mount, xxx ii . 29.
Pinamonte, xx . 96.
Pisa,xxxiii. 79.
P isans, xxxii i . 30.
P istoia, xxiv. 1 26, 1 43 ; xxv. 10.
P lato,iv. 1 34 .
Plutus, vi. 1 1 5 ; V 1 1 . 2 .
PO, v. 98 xx . 78.
Pola, c ity, ix . 1 1 3 .
Polenta, v. 1 1 6 xxvu . 4 1 .
Polydorus, xxx. 1 7.
Polynices,xxv i. 5 4 .
Polyxena, xxx. 1 7.
Prato, town, xv i . 9.
Priam,xxx . 1 5 .
Priscian, xv. 1 09.
Proserpine, ix. 44 ; x . 80.
Ptolomaea, xxxiii . 1 24 .
Ptolomaeus, C laudius, iv. 1 42 .
Pyrrhus, x ii. 1 35 .
Q uarnaro,gulf, ix . 1 1 3 .
Rachel, i i. 102 ; iv. 60.
Ravenna, v. 97 xxvii . 40.
Red Sea, xxiv. 90.
Reno, r iver, xvi i i. 6 1 .
Rhea, x iv. 1 00.
Rhone, xxvi ii . 86.
Rinier da Corneto, xii. 1 37.
Paz z o, x ii. 1 37.
Robert Guiscard, xxvn i. 1 1 4 .
Romagna, xxvi i. 37 ; xxxii i. 1 5 4 .
Romagnuols, xxvii. 28.
Romans, xv. 77 ; xvi ii. 28 ; xxvi.60 ; xxv iii . 10.
Rome, i . 71 ; ii. 20 ; x iv. 1 05 ;xxxi . 5 9.
Romena, castle, xxx . 73 .
Ruggieri, Archbishop, X XX I II ., 14 .
Rusticucci, vi. 80 xvi. 44.
INDEX OF PROPER NAMES .
Sabellus, xxv . 95 .
Saladin, iv. 1 29.
Salimbeni, N iccolo, xxix . 1 27.
Santerno, river, xxvii. 49.
Saracens, xxvi i . 87 .
Sardinians , xx ii. 89 ; xxix. 48.
Sassol Mascheroni, xxxu . 65 .
Satan, vii. 1 . See Dis.
Saturn , xiv. 96.
Savena, river, xvii i . 5 1 .
Sav io, river, xxv ii . 5 2 .
S caramiglione, xx i . 1 03 .
S chicchi, Gianni, xxx . 32 , 44 .
Sc ip io, xxxi. 1 16.
S cot, Michael, xx . 1 1 6.
S emele, xxx . 2 .
Semiram is,v . 5 8.
Seneca, iv. 1 4 1 .
Serchio, river, xxi . 49.
Sev ille, xx. 1 26 ; xxvi . 1 10.
Sichaeus, V. 62 .
S icilian Bull, xxv1 1 . 7.
S icily,xii . 1 08.
S iena, xxix . 109, 1 29.
S ienese,xxix . 1 22 .
S ilvestro, Pope, xix . 1 1 7 ; xxvu .
94 .
Simon Magus, x ix . 1 .
S inon, xxx. 98 &c.
S ismondi, xxxiii . 32 .
Socrates,iv. 1 34 .
Sodom , x i . 5 0.
Soldanier, Giann i del, xxxu . 1 2 1 .
Soracte, mount, xxvii. 95 .
Stricca, xx ix. 1 2 5 .
Strophades, x iii. 1 1 .
Styx, vii . 106 ; ix . 81 ; x iv. 1 1 6.
Tabernicch,xxxi i. 28.
Tagliacoz z o, xxviii . 1 8.
Tarqu in,iv. 1 27.
Tartars,xv ii. 1 7.
Tegghiaio, vi. 79 xv i. 4 1 .
Thais, xxviii . 1 33 .
43 1
Thales, iv. 1 37.
Thames, x ii. 1 20.
Thebans, xx . 32 ; xxx . 2 .
Thebes , xiv. 69 xx . 5 9 xxv.
1 5 ; xxx . 22 ; xxxii. 1 1 ; xxxii i.89.
Theseus,ix. 5 4 .
Thibault, King, xx1 1 . 5 2 .
Tiber,xxv i i . 30.
Tires ias, xx. 40.
T is iphone, ix . 48.
Tityos, xxxi . 1 24 .
Toppo,j ousts of
,mm. 1 2 1 .
Trent, x ii. 5 xx . 67.
Tribaldello, xxxi i. 1 22 .
Tristan, v. 67.
Troy, i . 74 ; xxx. 98, &c.
Tully, iv. 1 4 1 .
Turks,xvi i. 1 7.
Turnus, i . 109.
Tuscan, xx ii . 99 ; xx1 11 . 76, 91 ;xxv iii. 108 xxxi i. 66.
Tus cany, xxiv . 1 22 .
Tydeus, xxx ii . 1 30.
Typhon, xxx i. 1 24 .
Tyrol, xx. 63 .
Ubaldini degli, O ttaviano, x. 1 20.
Ruggieri, xxxiii. 1 4 .
Ubbriachi, xv ii . 62 .
Uberti, xx1 1 1 . 108.
Farinata, vi. 79 x. 32 .
Ugolino, xxxii . 1 2 5 ; xxx . 1 &c .
Uguccione,xxxiii . 89.
U lysses, xxvi. 5 6, &c .
Urb ino, xxv1 1 . 29.
V al C amonica, xx . 65 .
V aldichiana, xxix. 47.
V aldimagra, xx iv . 1 4 5 .
V anni della Nona, xxiv . 1 39.
V anni Fucci,xx iv. 1 2 5 .
V enetians, xxi. 7.
V ercelli,xxvi ii. 75 .
V erona, xv. 1 22 .
432 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES .
V eronese, xx. 68. Z anche, Michele, xx1 1‘
. 88 ; xxxiii.V erucchio, castle, xxv1 1 . 46. 1 44 .
V iso, mount, xvi. 95 . Z eno, iv. 1 38.
V igne, Pier delle, x iii. 5 8. Z ita, Santa, xxi. 38.
THE E ND.
1LONDON
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