Dante for Latin lovers
Dantis Divina Comœdia
in linguam Latinam versa
| cujus interpres Latinus — e lingua Italica — est |
With an English translation * — from the Italian — by |
| Abbas Gaetano Dalla Piazza (1768 - 1844) |
Allen Mandelbaum, Ph.D. (1926 - 2011) |
| INFERNA | PURGATORIUM | PARADISUS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| I N F E R N A | ||
| INFERNORUM I {1} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Vitæ emensus iter medium nostræ in loca sensi Luco obscura nigro delapsus ; nam via recta Exciderat mente. Heu ! quam res est dura referre, Qualis erat silva ista, carens cultu, aspera, densa, |
When I had journeyed half of our life’s way, I found myself within a shadowed forest, for I had lost the path that does not stray. Ah, it is hard to speak of what it was that savage forest, dense and difficult, |
| 5 | Admonitu cujus renovat mens icta pavorem. Tam mihi amara venit, paulo ut plus afforet ipse Aspectus mortis ; verum ut, quæ plurima legi Optima ibi, enarrem, quæ vidi altissima, pangam. Dicere nescirem, qualis me huc intulit error, |
which even in recall renews my fear: so bitter — death is hardly more severe! But to retell the good discovered there, I’ll also tell the other things I saw. I cannot clearly say how I had entered |
| 10 | Tanto ego victus eram somno, quo tempore veram Deserui ipse viam. Sed postquam collis ad ima Veni claudentis vallem, quæ corda timore Foderat, ad Superos attollens lumina, vidi Jam terga istius radiis induta planetæ, |
the wood; I was so full of sleep just at the point where I abandoned the true path. But when I’d reached the bottom of a hill — it rose along the boundary of the valley that had harassed my heart with so much fear — I looked on high and saw its shoulders clothed already by the rays of that same planet |
| 15 | Qui pede inoffenso callem docet ire per omnem. Sic mihi tunc aliqua formido ex parte quievit, In cordis durata lacu, qua nocte tot ægrum Curæ externarunt. Et ceu qui lassus anhelans A pelago ad ripam evasit, vada plena pericli |
which serves to lead men straight along all roads. At this my fear was somewhat quieted; for through the night of sorrow I had spent, the lake within my heart felt terror present. And just as he who, with exhausted breath, having escaped from sea to shore, turns back |
| 20 | Respicit, horrisonamque oculis obit Amphitriten : Sic mea, quæ fugiebat adhuc, mens versa retrorsum est, Erratum relegens flexum, unde emergere nulli Vivo unquam licuit. Postquam prolapsa labore Membra instauravi, me per deserta viarum |
to watch the dangerous waters he has quit, so did my spirit, still a fugitive, turn back to look intently at the pass that never has let any man survive. I let my tired body rest awhile. |
| 25 | Immisi rursus sic, ut pes firmior esset Inferior semper. Tunc pæne in limine primo Ascensus, panthera levis rapidissima cursu Ecce mihi occurrit, maculoso tegmine fulgens. Et nunquam ante meos oculos discedere visa est, |
Moving again, I tried the lonely slope — my firm foot always was the one below. And almost where the hillside starts to rise — look there! — A leopard, very quick and lithe, a leopard covered with a spotted hide. He did not disappear from sight, but stayed; |
| 30 | Immo meum impediebat iter sic, ut pede verso Sæpe mihi gressus fuerit mens certa referre. Tempus erat, quum mane novo lux dissipat umbras, Solque ascendebat stellis circumdatus illis, Quas habuit secum, divi quum dextera amoris |
Indeed, he so impeded my ascent that I had often to turn back again. The time was the beginning of the morning; the sun was rising now in fellowship with the same stars that had escorted it |
| 35 | Illa effingebat primum pulcherrima rerum ; Ut spe sat fausta suaderet temporis hora, Anni et temperies dulcis, me posse potiri Blandam pelle feram. At non sic, ut membra pavore Haud mihi contremerent, violenti ubi sæva leonis |
When Divine Love first moved those things of beauty; so that the hour and the gentle season gave me good cause for hopefulness on seeing that beast before me with his speckled skin; but hope was hardly able to prevent the fear I felt when I beheld a lion. |
| 40 | Inspecta est facies. Atque hic me tendere contra Cervice elata, rabie stimulatus edendi, Ut mihi sit visas trepidare atque infremere aër. Et lupa cunctarum mihi visa cupidine rerum Ire gravata, suis quanquam vix ossibus hærens, |
His head held high and ravenous with hunger — even the air around him seemed to shudder — this lion seemed to make his way against me. And then a she-wolf showed herself; she seemed to carry every craving in her leanness; |
| 45 | Quæ multas gentes vita jam afflixit amara. Tam gravis ista mihi fuerat, tam odiosa timore, Quem vidi ex oculis, totoque ex ore micantem, Ut spe deciderem potiundi verticis alti. Et qualis, qui quærit opes cumulatque libenter, |
she had already brought despair to many. The very sight of her so weighted me with fearfulness that I abandoned hope of ever climbing up that mountain slope. Even as he who glories while he gains |
| 50 | Donec tempus adest, quod parta amittere cogit, Tota anima infelix et mente et pectore toto Fletque doletque simul : talem me belua fecit Irrequieta adversa ruens, jam jamque repulsum Illuc detrudebat, ubi tacet ætherius Sol. |
will, when the time has come to tally loss, lament with every thought and turn despondent, so was I when I faced that restless beast, which, even as she stalked me, step by step had thrust me back to where the sun is speechless. |
| 55 | At dum præcipitem me collis ad ima ferebam, Occurrit quidam, cui longa silentia vocis, Quas habuit quondam, vires fregisse putasses Hunc simulac vidi vastæ inter devia silvæ, « O miserere mei », clamavi totus in illo, |
While I retreated down to lower ground, before my eyes there suddenly appeared one who seemed faint because of the long silence. When I saw him in that vast wilderness, “Have pity on me,” were the words I cried, |
| 60 | « Quisquis es, aut corpus mortale, aut corporis umbra. » « Non corpus mortale, fui hoc jam olim, » incipit ille, « Me citra Eridani ripam genuere parentes. AUSONIDUM genus his, quos Mantua protulit ambos. CÆSARE sub PHRYGIO, sed nondum principe, primas |
“Whatever you may be — a shade, a man.” He answered me: “Not man; I once was man. Both of my parents came from Lombardy, and both claimed Mantua as native city. And I was born, though late, sub Julio, |
| 65 | Editus hausi auras. Romæ dein vita peracta est Sub miti imperio AUGUSTI, quo tempore falsos Mendacesque Deos hominum mens vana colebat. Atque illum vates cecini, justissimus unus Qui fuit Anchisa natus, qui regna petivit |
and lived in Rome under the good Augustus — the season of the false and lying gods. I was a poet, and I sang the righteous son of Anchises who had come from Troy |
| 70 | Itala, ubi Trojæ fastum consumpserat ignis. At tu cur tantum vis rursus adire laborem ? Cur animus refugit jucundum scandere montem, Qui caput et causa est, cur omnia gaudia gliscant ? » Huic ego confessus demissa fronte pudorem : |
when flames destroyed the pride of Ilium. But why do you return to wretchedness? Why not climb up the mountain of delight, the origin and cause of every joy?” |
| 75 | « Tune es VIRGILIUS, tune es fons ille sophiæ, Unde fluit flumen tantum ? O mihi gloria vatum, O splendor ! Studium mihi longum prosit amorque Magnus, quo impellente, tuum quæsisse volumen Me fateor. Mihi tu es præceptor, et auctor, et unus, |
“And are you then that Virgil, you the fountain that freely pours so rich a stream of speech?” I answered him with shame on my brow. “O light and honor of all other poets, may my long study and the intense love that made me search your volume serve me now. You are my master and my author, you — |
| 80 | Unde stilum sumpsi pulchrum, quo est gloria parta. Contemplare feram, qua propulsante refugi ; Hanc contra det opem, Sapiens, tua cognita virtus, Nam facit ista mihi, ut venæ pulsusque tremiscant. » Tunc ubi me vidit lacrimantem, hæc edidit ille : |
the only one from whom my writing drew the noble style for which I have been honored. You see the beast that made me turn aside; help me, o famous sage, to stand against her, for she has made my blood and pulses shudder.” “It is another path that you must take,” |
| 85 | « Longe diversum tibi oportet carpere callem, Si vita incolumi vis saltu emergere ab isto ; Namque fera immanis, quam contra supplice clamas. Voce, obsidit iter, nec fert erumpere quemquam, Tamque diu obsistit, quoad sternat corpora leto : |
he answered when he saw my tearfulness “if you would leave this savage wilderness; the beast that is the cause of your outcry allows no man to pass along her track, but blocks him even to the point of death; |
| 90 | Atque ea naturæ vis est violenta malignæ, Ut rabiem ventris nunquam satiarit, at acri Post pastum ingluvie furiosius appetat escam. Conjugio illa quidem sibi multa animalia jungit, Plura etiam junget, donec canis irruat atque hanc |
her nature is so squalid, so malicious that she can never sate her greedy will; when she has fed, she’s hungrier than ever. She mates with many living souls and shall yet mate with many more, until the Greyhound |
| 95 | Angore absumat. Non isti terra, nec æris Massa alimenta dabit, verum sapientia, virtus Atque amor. Idem intra fines, quos utraque signat FELTRIA, nascetur, populum et dicione tenebit. Illi humili Italiæ, pro qua confossa CAMILLA |
arrives, inflicting painful death on her. That Hound will never feed on land or pewter, but find his fare in wisdom, love and virtue; his place of birth shall be between two felts. He will restore low-lying Italy for which the maid Camilla died of wounds, |
| 100 | NISUSque EURYALUSque et TURNUS vulnere cæsi Procubuere, erit ille salus pestemque fugabit Rura per et campos, donec sub tartara rursus Miserit, unde prius dira hæc infesta trahente Invidia evulsa est. Quare res optima visa |
and Nisus, Turnus, and Euryalus. And he will hunt that beast through every city until he thrusts her back again to Hell, from which she was first sent above by envy. |
| 105 | Hortari, ut, quod monstrat iter mea forma, sequaris. Dux ero, et æternæ loca per tæterrima noctis Hinc te diripiam : atque istic mugire videbis Devotas animas, frustra sua damna dolentes, Antiquasque umbras lugentum, ubi quisque secundam, |
Therefore, I think and judge it best for you to follow me, and I shall guide you, taking you from this place through an eternal place, where you shall hear the howls of desperation and see the ancient spirits in their pain, |
| 110 | Horrendum frendens, compellat nomine mortem : Atque alias simul aspicies flammam inter et ignem Conflagrare sua contentas sorte, beatæ, Adveniente die, sperantes præmia gentis. At si fert animus cœtum conscendere ad istum, |
as each of them laments his second death; and you shall see those souls who are content within the fire, for they hope to reach — whenever that may be — the blessed people. If you would then ascend as high as these, |
| 115 | Invenies animam meritis melioribus auctam, Cui te committam nostras rediturus ad oras. Namque ille excelsi magnus regnator Olympi Me legi adversum et contra sua jussa rebellem Urbe sua prohibet. Partes dominatur in omnes |
a soul more worthy than I am will guide you; I’ll leave you in her care when I depart, because that Emperor who reigns above, since I have been rebellious to His law, will not allow me entry to His city. |
| 120 | Ille, sed hic regit imperiis ; urbs illius hic stat, Hic alta est sedes : O terque quaterque beatum, Quem legit ille ! » — At ego : « Per numen, te precor, istud, Quod tu non nosti, vates, da evadere tale Deteriusque malum. Mihi nec dux esse recusa, |
He governs everywhere, but rules from there; there is His city, His high capital: o happy those He chooses to be there!” And I replied: “O poet — by that God whom you had never come to know — I beg you, that I may flee this evil and worse evils, |
| 125 | Quo modo dixisti, sic ut PETRI ostia cernam, Et quos ipse facis tanto mærore dolentes. » Tum præit hic, ego pone sequens vestigia servo. |
to lead me to the place of which you spoke, that I may see the gateway of Saint Peter and those whom you describe as sorrowful.” Then he set out, and I moved on behind him. |
| INFERNORUM II {2} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Inclinata dies cedebat, et umbrifer aër Mole operum in terris animalia cuncta levabat : Atque ego tantum unus veniebam, ferre paratus, Quid via, quid pietas mihi belli triste cieret, |
The day was now departing; the dark air released the living beings of the earth from work and weariness; and I myself alone prepared to undergo the battle both of the journeying and of the pity, |
| 5 | Quod mens aggreditur non errans pingere versu. O Musæ, o vis ingenii sublimis, adeste, Nunc opus auxilio est. O mens, quæ visa notasti, Hic tua nobilitas, hic jam manifesta patescet. Tum prior, « o vates, » dixi, « o dux, quid mea possit |
which memory, mistaking not, shall show. O Muses, o high genius, help me now; o memory that set down what I saw, here shall your excellence reveal itself! |
| 10 | Virtus, explora, num sit par ipsa, priusquam Tantum iter ingrediar, cui me committere tendis. Tu narras, ut, adhuc mortali corpore onustus Ille parens SILVI sæclum immortale petivit, Idque fuit sensu. Sed si tamen omnigenarum |
I started: “Poet, you who are my guide, see if the force in me is strong enough before you let me face that rugged pass. You say that he who fathered Sylvius, while he was still corruptible, had journeyed into the deathless world with his live body. |
| 15 | Nequitiarum osor fuit indulgentior isti Altum animo effectum meditans, qui exsurgeret inde, Et quis vir qualisve foret prognatus ab ipso, Hæc homini sano res haud indigna videtur. Namque almæ ROMÆ, imperium quæ terminet astris, |
For, if the Enemy of every evil was courteous to him, considering all he would cause and who and what he was, that does not seem incomprehensible, since in he empyrean heaven he was chosen to father honored Rome and her empire; |
| 20 | Legerat hunc patrem domus omnipotentis Olympi, Quæ urbs, quæ regna urbis fuerunt, ut vera loquamur, Pro sancto stabiilita loco, qua sede sederet Majoris PETRI successor. Propter eundem, Quem numeris celebras, initum multa auribus hausit, |
and if the truth be told, Rome and her realm were destined to become the sacred place, the seat of the successor of great Peter. And through the journey you ascribe to him, he came to learn of things that were to bring |
| 25 | Unde illi est posthac victoria parta, simulque Pontificale decus. Post multo se intulit illuc Vas lectum, sancti repletum flaminis igne, Vir, per quem illa FIDES dux prima et vera salutis In mediis curarum undis solamen haberet. |
his victory and, too, the papal mantle. Later the Chosen Vessel traveled there, to bring us back assurance of that faith with which the way to our salvation starts. |
| 30 | Ast ego cur veniam ? Quis dat ? Non TROJUS heros, Non ego sum PAULUS, neque ego hoc me munere dignum, Nec quisquam credit. Quare si audacia certa est Ire, nimis vereor, ne sit dementis ; acuto Tu vir es ingenio, et prævertis dicta loquentis. » |
But why should I go there? Who sanctions it? For I am not Æneas, am not Paul; nor I nor others think myself so worthy. Therefore, if I consent to start this journey, I fear my venture may be wild and empty. You’re wise; you know far more than what I say.” |
| 35 | Et qualis, qui post renuit, si qua ante volebat, Propositisque novis permutat prima, retroque Tota mente abiens absistit : sic ego in illo Restiteram obscurus saltu, atque hic multa volutans Consilia inceptu tam festinata reliqui. |
And just as he who unwills what he wills and shifts what he intends to seek new ends so that he’s drawn from what he had begun, so was I in the midst of that dark land, because, with all my thinking I annulled the task I had so quickly undertaken. |
| 40 | Magnanimi tunc illa viri sic umbra locuta est : « Si bene te audivi, excordi mens læsa timore Est tua, sæpe hominem qui ludit imagine inani Sic, ut honorato trepidum deflectat ab auso, Ceu fallax quum visus equum formidine terret. |
“If I have understood what you have said,” replied the shade of that great-hearted one, “your soul has been assailed by cowardice, which often weighs so heavily on a man — distracting him from honorable trials — as phantoms frighten beasts when shadows fall. |
| 45 | Hac animum ut solvas cura, nunc dicere aperte, Quæ sit causa viæ, incipiam, quæque auribus ipse Audierim, tua quum miserans discrimina novi. Stabam suspensos inter, mulierque beata Pulchraque me accivit verbis, talique ferebat |
That you may be delivered from this fear, I’ll tell you why I came and what I heard when I first felt compassion for your pain. I was among those souls who are suspended; a lady called to me, so blessed, so lovely |
| 50 | Se vultu, ut sponte hortarer sua promere jussa. Fulgebant oculi majore ardentius astro, Angelicoque suas clare dedit ore loquelas, Suave sonans : ‹ O tu, quo gaudet MANTUA mater Corde, anima, humano, tu, cujus fama per omnes |
that I implored to serve at her command. Her eyes surpassed the splendor of the star’s; and she began to speak to me — so gently and softly — with angelic voice. She said: ‘O spirit of the courteous Mantuan, |
| 55 | Durat adhuc terras, perduratura, diurnas Nocturnasque vices dum dividet orbita solis : Quem mihi junxit amor, mea non fortuna, locorum Deserta impediunt sic, ut formidine victus Terga det. Ac timeo, ne hunc haud vitabilis error |
whose fame is still a presence in the world and shall endure as long as the world lasts my friend, who has not been the friend of fortune, is hindered in his path along that lonely hillside; he has been turned aside by terror. |
| 60 | Depulerit cursu, ac sero post temporis horam Mota loco properem, auxilium latura labanti, Ut modo ego audivi in cælo. Quare ocius illuc Nunc perge, eloquioque tuo, quaque arte salutis Huic poteris monstrare vias, hac utere, opemque |
From all that I have heard of him in Heaven, he is, I fear, already so astray that I have come to help him much too late. Go now; with your persuasive word, with all that is required to see that he escapes, |
| 65 | Affer, ut in tantis capiam solamina curis. En, quæ te mitto, sum istuc delapsa BEATRIX ; Ipsa loco exivi, quo est ardor ferre regressum : Cor mihi movit amor, qui talia verba ministrat. Coram rege meo, quum sit data copia, de te |
bring help to him, that I may be consoled. For I am Beatrice who send you on; I come from where I most long to return; Love prompted me, that Love which makes me speak. When once again I stand before my Lord, |
| 70 | Plurima sæpe loquar laudans. › — At ubi ora repressit, Sic cœpi : ‹ O mulier præstans, o unica, › dixi, ‹ Per quam progenies hominum supereminet omne, Quicquid habet cælum, minimo quod vertitur axe, Tam jucunda meis tua sunt jussa auribus, ut si |
then I shall often let Him hear your praises.’ Now Beatrice was silent. I began: ‘O Lady of virtue, the sole reason why the human race surpasses all that lies beneath the heaven with the smallest spheres, so welcome is your wish, that even if |
| 75 | Ista exhausissem, tarde parere viderer ; Nec labor ulterius tibi sit aperire, quod optas. Verum age dic, quare haud refugis descendere in istud Centrum urbe ex ampla, quam tu ardes rursus inire. › Respondit : ‹ Dicam breviter, cur absque timore |
it were already done, it would seem tardy; all you need do is let me know your will. But tell me why you have not been more prudent — descending to this center, moving from that spacious place where you long to return?’ ‘Because you want to fathom things so deeply, |
| 80 | Huc intus veniam, rerum cognoscere causas Si tibi tantus amor. Solum sunt illa timenda, Queis natura subest mala, visque parata nocere ; Cetera non, in eis quia nulla est causa pavoris. Gratia summa Deo, qui me tam pectore forti |
I now shall tell you promptly,’ she replied, ‘why I am not afraid to enter here. One ought to be afraid of nothing other than things possessed of power to do us harm, but things innocuous need not be feared. God, in His graciousness, has made me so |
| 85 | Fecerit, ut nullo vestrorum angore malorum Tangar, nec lacus hic flammarum lædere possit. Stat super astra poli, ingenio veneranda benigno, Femina, quæ miserata vicem dolet indupediti, Ad quem te mitto, Superum ut durissima frangat |
that this, your misery, cannot touch me; I can withstand the fires flaming here. In Heaven there’s a gentle lady — one who weeps for the distress toward which I send you, so that stern judgement up above is shattered. |
| 90 | Judicia ; atque hæc LUCIAM adit, sat multa rogando, Atque ait : « Ille tibi fidissimus indigus errat Nunc opis auxiliique tui, quem supplice voce En tibi commendo. » At tristis, genus omne perosa LUCIA sævitiæ, mota est, atque intima venit |
And it was she who called upon Lucia, requesting of her: “Now your faithful one has need of you, and I commend him to you.” Lucia, enemy of every cruelty, arose and made her way to where I was, |
| 95 | In loca, ubi antiquæ RACHAËLI juncta sedebam, Et sic est affata : « Dei laus vera, BEATRIX, Cur non ipsa juvas tanto hunc tibi amore propinquum, Nobilis ut per te incedat vulgaria spernens ? Non te hominis miseret sua tristia fata dolentis ? |
sitting beside the venerable Rachel. She said: “You, Beatrice, true praise of God, why have you not helped him who loved you so that — for your sake — he’s left the vulgar crowd? Do you not hear the anguish in his cry? |
| 100 | Nonne vides medio luctantem in turbine mortis Juxta amnem Oceani spernentem jura superba ? » Nemo unquam sua lucra sequi, aut vitare paratus Sic fuit in terris manifesti incommoda damni, Sicut ego, has postquam percepi pectore voces. |
Do you not see the death he wars against upon that river ruthless as the sea?” No one within this world has ever been so quick to seek his good or flee his harm as I — when she had finished speaking thus — |
| 105 | Atque huc descendi, cælesti sede relicta, Eloquio confisa tuo, quo splendida fama Parta tibi atque his, qui cupide tua dicta biberunt.’ Hæc ubi fata fuit, lacrimans fulgentia vertit Lumina, ut incensus studio properantius irem, |
to come below, down from my blessed station; I trusted in your honest utterance, which honors you and those who’ve listened to you. › When she had finished with her words to me, she turned aside her gleaming, tearful eyes, which only made me hurry all the more. |
| 110 | Teque, jubente illa, petii docuique cruentam Declinare feram, jucundi quæ breve montis Contendebat iter tibi. Quæ ergo causa morandi ? Quid stas ? Cur tantum servas sub corde timorem ? Quo tibi nunc animus, quo nunc vis libera cessit ? |
And, just as she had wished, I came to you: I snatched you from the path of the fierce beast that barred the shortest way up the fair mountain. What is it then? Why, why do you resist? Why does your heart host so much cowardice? Where are your daring and your openness |
| 115 | Quum tres hoc splendore pares meritisque beatæ Matronæ tibi prospiciant ex æthere summo ? Quum tibi promittant tantum mea dicta bonorum ? » Ceu flos, qui gelido per noctem umore gravatum Demisit caput occlusus, ubi candidus illum |
as long as there are three such blessed women concerned for you within the court of Heaven and my words promise you so great a good?” As little flowers, which the chill of night has bent and huddled, when the white sun strikes, |
| 120 | Sol pingit jubare, erigitur totusque patescit : Sic ego convalui, virtus ubi lassa refecta est, Atque ea tunc animum tenuit fiducia nostrum, Liber ut has traherem pacato corde loquelas : « O pia, quæ auxilio mihi venit, tuque, benigne |
grow straight and open fully on their stems so did I, too, with my exhausted force; and such warm daring rushed into my heart that I — as one who has been freed — began: “O she, compassionate, who has helped me! And you who, courteous, obeyed so quickly |
| 125 | MINCIADE, qui haud indocilis parere fuisti, Tecum veridico simul hæc est ore locuta : Tu desiderio veniendi pectora tanto Nostra cies fando hæc, ut prima incepta reposcam. Nunc perge, amborum namque una et certa voluntas ; |
the true words that she had addressed to you! You, with your words, have so disposed my heart to longing for this journey — I return to what I was first prepared to do Now go; a single will fills both of us: |
| 130 | Tu dux, tu dominus, tu doctor. » Sic ego dixi, Utque ille incessit, silvestria et alta petivi. |
you are my guide, my governor, my master.” These were my words to him; when he advanced, I entered on the steep and savage path. |
| INFERNORUM III {3} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Per me externatam mæroribus itur in urbem ; Per me itur dolitura æternum in regna dolorem ; Per me itur deploratæ inter sæcula gentis. Justa ira artificem supremum moverat, unde |
THROUGH ME THE WAY INTO THE SUFFERING CITY, THROUGH ME THE WAY TO THE ETERNAL PAIN, THROUGH ME THE WAY THAT RUNS AMONG THE LOST. JUSTICE URGED ON MY HIGH ARTIFICER; |
| 5 | Principium mihi. Me fecit divina potestas, Et sapientia summa, et primi flamen amoris. Nulla prior me res, præterquam æterna, creata est, Æternumque mihi est status immutabilis. Omnem, O vos, qui intratis, spem ponite. » Talia nigris |
MY MAKER WAS DIVINE AUTHORITY, THE HIGHEST WISDOM, AND THE PRIMAL LOVE. BEFORE ME NOTHING BUT ETERNAL THINGS WERE MADE, AND I ENDURE ETERNALLY. ABANDON EVERY HOPE, WHO ENTER HERE. These words — their aspect was obscure — I read |
| 10 | Vidi scripta notis, quas janua fronte gerebat. Quare ego : « Præceptor, visus mihi durior horum Est sensus », dixi ; ast ille, ut vir mente sagaci, « Hic » ait, « est opus ancipitis genus omne timoris Subjecisse tuis pedibus. Devenimus illas, |
inscribed above a gateway, and I said: “Master, their meaning is difficult for me.” And he to me, as one who comprehends: “Here one must leave behind all hesitation; here every cowardice must meet its death. |
| 15 | Quas dixi, sedes, ubi erit spectare dolentes, Queis animas et cordis summa est amissa voluptas. » Sic ille, implicuitque manum, vultuque sereno Solatus comitem penetralia ad abdita duxit. Hic flentum gemitus audivi, pectore ab imo |
For we have reached the place of which I spoke, where you will see the miserable people, those who have lost the good of the intellect.” And when, with gladness in his face, he placed his hand upon my own, to comfort me, he drew me in among the hidden things. Here sighs and lamentations and loud cries |
| 20 | Singultus ducti resonare per aëra cæcum A stellis, fluerem ut lacrimis in limine primo. Multiplices linguæ, horribili stridore loquelæ, Luctifici questus, ululatus ore frementum, Voces altisonæ, at fractæ, mistæque fragore |
were echoing across the starless air, so that, as soon as I set out, I wept. Strange utterances, horrible pronouncements, accents of anger, words of suffering, and voices shrill and faint, and beating hands — |
| 25 | Pectora plangentum palmarum murmure circum Assiduo aëra pulsabant sine tempore nigrum, Ut spirante solent agitatæ turbine arenæ. Ast ego, cui caput erroris caligine stabat Cinctum, quæsivi : « Quidnam hoc, quod verberat aures ? |
all went to make a tumult that will whirl forever through that turbid, timeless air, like sand that eddies when a whirlwind swirls. And I-my head oppressed by horror — said: Master, what is it that I hear? Who are |
| 30 | Quidve hic est gentis, quæ tanto victa videtur Mærorum fluctu ? » Tunc ille : « Miserrima fata Ista manent animas nequam, quæ pectore inerti Opprobrio expertem atque expertem laude trahebant In terris vitam. Aligerum sunt agmine pravo |
those people so defeated by their pain?” And he to me: "This miserable way is taken by the sorry souls of those who lived without disgrace and without praise. They now commingle with the coward angels, |
| 35 | Immixtæ, a summo quæ haud descivere tonante, Non satis huic fidæ, at pro se. Has dejecit Olympus, Propter eas ne pulchra minus cæli aula maneret ; Non illas Orci claustra accepere profunda, Ne qua malæ ex ipsis manaret gloria turbæ. » |
the company of those who were not rebels nor faithful to their God, but stood apart. The heavens, that their beauty not be lessened, have cast them out, nor will deep Hell receive them — even the wicked cannot glory in them.” |
| 40 | Atque ego : « Præceptor, quid tam grave cogit amaras Hos ire in lacrimas, tamque altos edere fletus ? » Ille : « Brevi dicam. Haud spes his se posse dolorem Per mortem finire datur, tenebrosaque vita Horum adeo abjecta est vilisque, ut cuilibet ipsi |
And I: "What is it, master, that oppresses these souls, compelling them to wail so loud?” He answered: “I shall tell you in few words. Those who are here can place no hope in death, and their blind life is so abject that they |
| 45 | Alterius sorti invideant. Non nomina mundus His superesse sinit, non hos clementia, non hos Justitia indignans curat. Me mitte negantem Plura loqui super his, sed raptim prospice et ultra Fer gressus. » Oculis lustranti currere signum |
are envious of every other fate. The world will let no fame of theirs endure; both justice and compassion must disdain them; let us not talk of them, but look and pass.” And I, looking more closely, saw a banner |
| 50 | Visum est, tamque cito converti, ut nulla quietem Causa videretur suasisse. Exercitus ingens Pone sequebatur tam densus, tam ordine longo, Ut via milia tot mortem absumpsisse putassem. Noscenti quosdam speculantique illius umbra, |
that, as it wheeled about, raced on — so quick that any respite seemed unsuited to it. Behind that banner trailed so long a file of people —I should never have believed that death could have unmade so many souls. After I had identified a few, I saw and recognized the shade of him |
| 55 | Grande ministerium qui detrectaverat excors, Objecta est. Subito patuit, manifestaque visa Res fuit, illorum hoc hominum genus esse probrosum, Quorum est pertæsum Superis atque hostibus horum. Hæc misera, haud ullo quæ unquam gens tempore vixit, |
who made, through cowardice, the great refusal. At once I understood with certainty: this company contained the cowardly, hateful to God and to His enemies. These wretched ones, who never were alive, |
| 60 | Nuda erat et valde prægrandibus exstimulata Muscis, vesparumque acubus, queis carcer abundat. Illæ signabant his ore cruore cadente Ante pedes, mixtum lacrimis quem examine denso Infesti vermes, fœdissima turba, legebant. |
went naked and were stung again, again by horseflies and by wasps that circled them. The insects streaked their faces with their blood, which, mingled with their tears, fell at their feet, where it was gathered up by sickening worms. |
| 65 | Quumque ultra aspicerem, magni prope fluminis undam In ripa stantis vidi multa agmina vulgi. Quare ego : « Præceptor, nunc id concede roganti, Ut discam, qui sint, quæ lex, quive efficit usus, Ut sese ostendant tam avidos transmittere cursum, |
And then, looking beyond them, I could see a crowd along the bank of a great river; at which I said: “Allow me now to know who are these people — master — and what law has made them seem so eager for the crossing, |
| 70 | Quoad mihi per tenuem datur internoscere lucem ? » « Omnia cognosces, dabitur quum sistere gressum, » Dixit, « cænosi tristes Acherontis ad oras. » Tunc ego, luminibus demissis, ora pudore Suffudi, metuens ne hunc ulteriora gravarent, |
as I can see despite the feeble light.” And he to me: “When we have stopped along the melancholy shore of Acheron, then all these matters will be plain to you.” At that, with eyes ashamed, downcast, and fearing |
| 75 | Et nigri ad usque amnis ripam ora silentia pressi. Atque ecce antiquo nos contra tendere canus Crine Senex vectus cumba, et procul increpitare : « Væ vobis, animæ pravæ. Spem ponite, cælum Visuras vos esse unquam. En ducturus ad oram |
that what I said had given him offense, I did not speak until we reached the river. And here, advancing toward us, in a boat, an aged man — his hair was white with years — was shouting: “Woe to you, corrupted souls! Forget your hope of ever seeing Heaven: |
| 80 | Oppositam venio atque æternæ noctis ad umbras, Æstum inter glaciemque. Et tu, quæ vesceris aura, O anima, abscede hinc atque istos morte peremptos Desere. » At ut vidit me stantem, talibus infit : « Ire vias alias, alios tibi quærere portus |
I come to lead you to the other shore, to the eternal dark, to fire and frost. And you approaching there, you living soul, keep well away from these — they are the dead.” But when he saw I made no move to go, |
| 85 | Est opus, ut ripam tangas ; hinc ire facultas Nulla datur ; levior pinus te vectet oportet. » Cui dux pauca : « CHARON, ne sævi. Nam illa potestas Vult ita, cui facere est, quod vult, et plura rogare Desine. » Lanosas liventis navita stagni, |
he said: “Another way and other harbors — not here — will bring you passage to your shore: a lighter craft will have to carry you.” My guide then: “Charon, don’t torment yourself: our passage has been willed above, where One can do what He has willed; and ask no more.” |
| 90 | Talibus auditis, jussit requiescere malas, Cui circumfusis ardebant lumina flammis. Tum vero illæ animæ lassæ nudæque colores Mutavere suos, ac dentibus infremuere, Hæc simulac feriere aures crudelia dicta. |
Now silence fell upon the wooly cheeks of Charon, pilot of the livid marsh, whose eyes were ringed about with wheels of flame. But all those spirits, naked and exhausted, had lost their color, and they gnashed their teeth as soon as they heard Charon's cruel words; |
| 95 | Atque Deo pariterque suis maledicere et omni Humano generi, tempusque locumque suosque Detestari ortus et semen seminis, unde Ipsis vita fuit. Deinde omnes agmine junctæ Venere ad tristem magnis ululatibus oram, |
they execrated God and their own parents and humankind, and then the place and time of their conception's seed and of their birth. Then they forgathered, huddled in one throng, weeping aloud along that wretched shore |
| 100 | Quæ scelerata manet, spernentia pectora numen. His oculo flammante CHARON nigri arbiter amnis Innuit, atque animas examen cogit in unum ; Si qua stetit cessans, hanc remi verbere pulsat. Ac veluti frondes autumni frigore primo |
which waits for all who have no fear of God. The demon Charon, with his eyes like embers, by signaling to them, has all embark; his oar strikes anyone who stretches out. As, in the autumn, leaves detach themselves, |
| 105 | Juxta alias aliæ propria gravitate feruntur Decussæ, donec telluri reddidit omnes Divitias spoliata arbor : sic semen ADAMI Perversum ; ex ripa ruit una atque altera, et una Post aliam ad nutum, ut revocantum ad signa volucres. |
first one and then the other, till the bough sees all its fallen garments on the ground, similarly, the evil seed of Adam descended from the shoreline one by one, when signaled, as a falcon — called — will come. |
| 110 | Atque ita conscendunt stagni vada livida, et ante Quam primæ egressæ glauca exponantur in alga, Hinc ex opposita rursus nova copia parte Contrahitur. Mihi tum ductor comisque magister : « Fili, si qua inimica Deo haud placaverit iram |
So do they move across the darkened waters; even before they reach the farther shore, new ranks already gather on this bank. “My son,” the gracious master said to me, “those who have died beneath the wrath of God, |
| 115 | Illius, intereaque ipsam mors occupet, una — Quæque anima ex omni terrarum huc convenit ora, Et properat transire amnis vada lenta, premente Ultore, ut desiderii huic timor induat alas. Nulla anima hinc transit sceleris pura, integra vitæ ; |
all these assemble here from every country; and they are eager for the river crossing because celestial justice spurs them on, so that their fear is turned into desire. No good soul ever takes its passage here; |
| 120 | Quare si qua tibi est audita querela CHARONTIS, Per te scire potes, hujus quid verba sonarent. » Hæc ubi dicta dedit, nigra caligine tincta Tam graviter tremuit regio, ut perculsa timore Mens sudore riget revocanti talia vultum. |
therefore, if Charon has complained of you, by now you can be sure what his words mean.” And after this was said, the darkened plain quaked so tremendously — the memory of terror then, bathes me in sweat again. |
| 125 | Ventosum efflavit tellus lacrimosa fragorem, Atque coruscavit rubicundo lumine fulgur, Quo sensus omnis mihi copia victa recessit, Procubuique viro par, cui sopor occupat artus. |
A whirlwind burst out of the tear — drenched earth, a wind that crackled with a bloodred light, a light that overcame all of my senses; and like a man whom sleep has seized, I fell. |
| INFERNORUM IV {4} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Altum terrifico tonitrus mihi murmure somnum In capite abrupit, commoto, ut quem excitat ictu Vis improviso, cessataque lumina circum Stans movi, intentaque acie omnia collustravi, |
The heavy sleep within my head was smashed by an enormous thunderclap, so that I started up as one whom force awakens; I stood erect and turned my rested eyes from side to side, and I stared steadily |
| 5 | Quæ loca me acciperent, vestigans. Vera fatebor. Tartareæ vallis me tristis ripa tenebat, Horrendum resonans ululatibus infinitis. Tætra, alta ac densa nebularum obsessa caterva Sic erat, ut, quamvis defixum immittere visum |
to learn what place it was surrounding me. In truth I found myself upon the brink of an abyss, the melancholy valley containing thundering, unending wailings. That valley, dark and deep and filled with mist, |
| 10 | Viscera in ima loci conarer, nulla facultas Cernere mi dederit quicquam. Tum talia toto Vultu pallescens cœpit mihi dicere vates : « Hic nos obscuri in cæcum descendimus antrum. Incedam primus, mihi tu comes ito secundus. » |
is such that, though I gazed into its pit, I was unable to discern a thing. “Let us descend into the blind world now,” the poet, who was deathly pale, began; “I shall go first and you will follow me.” |
| 15 | Atque ego, mutati qui legi signa coloris, Dixi : « Qui veniam, si tu formidine palles, Tu dux, tu hortator dubitanti ? » Talia contra Ille mihi : « Istorum hac extrema in parte jacentum Angor sic illam pietatem pingit in ore, |
But I, who’d seen the change in his complexion, said: “How shall I go on if you are frightened, you who have always helped dispel my doubts?” And he to me: “The anguish of the people whose place is here below, has touched my face |
| 20 | Quam tu pro metu habes. Pergamus, nam via longa Cogit. » Ita immisit sese et me prima subire Claustra orbis jussit, barathro qui cingitur illo. Quantum illic audire fuit, pro murmure flentum Nescio quid gemebundi inerat, quo æterna sonabat |
with the compassion you mistake for fear. Let us go on, the way that waits is long.” So he set out, and so he had me enter on that first circle girdling the abyss. Here, for as much as hearing could discover, there was no outcry louder than the sighs |
| 25 | Aura tremens. Hoc cura ciet cruciatibus expers Cordi hærens turbæ, quæ multa et nomine clara Infantumque aderat matronarumque virumque. At mihi præceptor : « Tu nondum nosse laboras Umbrarum genus hoc, quas est spectare facultas ? |
that caused the everlasting air to tremble. The sighs arose from sorrow without torments, out of the crowds — the many multitudes — of infants and of women and of men. The kindly master said: “Do you not ask who are these spirits whom you see before you? |
| 30 | Ante volo discas, quam tendas gressibus ultra, Has esse immunes culpæ. Quod si qua merentes Evexit virtus, non sat fecisse putanda est ; Namque isti haud fuerunt sacro de fonte renati, Per quem porta patet Fidei, quam pectore servas. |
I'd have you know, before you go ahead, they did not sin; and yet, though they have merits, that's not enough, because they lacked baptism, the portal of the faith that you embrace. |
| 35 | Quod si præcessere ævo, quod fœdere Christi Religio sanxit, nondum coluere supremum, Ut decuit, numen, quos inter versor et ipse. Has propter maculas, ullo sine crimine vitæ, Hic plebs deplorata sumus, nulloque dolore |
And if they lived before Christianity, they did not worship God in fitting ways; and of such spirits I myself am one. For these defects, and for no other evil, we now are lost and punished just with this: |
| 40 | Læsa, nisi optatis quod tandem posse potiri Nos spes nulla manet. » — Quum talia verba loquentem Audivi, ingens pervasit dolor intima cordis : Namque ego præstantes fama, et virtutibus altis Novi homines ora suspensos degere in illa. |
we have no hope and yet we live in longing.” Great sorrow seized my heart on hearing him, for I had seen some estimable men among the souls suspended in that limbo. |
| 45 | « Dic mihi, præceptor, rerum tutela mearum, » Tunc cœpi, « si quem tulerit sincera voluntas, Nosse Fidem, genus erroris qua vincitur omne, Nunquid fas isti fuit evasisse vel ullo Ipsius alteriusve hominis merito, inque beatis |
“Tell me, my master, tell me, lord.” I then began because I wanted to be certain of that belief which vanquishes all errors, “did any ever go — by his own merit or others’ — from this place toward blessedness?” |
| 50 | Postea conciliis sedit ? » — Tunc ille, loquelam Obscuram ut sensit, placido sic ore profatur : « Incola adhuc novus hic aderam, quum intrare potentem Aspexi quendam gestantem signa triumphi. Hinc umbram primi is traxit genitoris, et ABEL |
And he, who understood my covert speech, replied: “I was new — entered on this state when I beheld a Great Lord enter here; the crown he wore, a sign of victory. He carried off the shade of our first father, |
| 55 | Isto prognatum, dein cum LAMECHIDE MOSEM, Et populo dare jura suo et parere paratum ; ABRAHAMUMque patrem, et DAVIDEM sceptra gerentem ; ISRAËL, illiusque patrem, natosque RACHELEMque Uxorem, pro qua longos tulit ille labores ; |
of his son Abel, and the shade of Noah, of Moses, the obedient legislator, of father Abraham, David the king, of Israel, his father, and his sons, and Rachel, she for whom he worked so long, |
| 60 | Atque alios numero multos, fecitque beatos. Nec non id moneo te, æternam evadere mortem Nulli unquam ante illos licuisse, fruique salute. » Nec tamen ire pedes cessabant, fante poëta, Et Silvam ingredimur, Silvam tot milibus, inquam, |
and many others — and He made them blessed; and I should have you know that, before them, there were no human souls that had been saved.” We did not stay our steps although he spoke; we still continued onward through the wood — |
| 65 | Umbris confertam. Hinc a summo culmine ripæ Non tam aberat gressus, quum vidi albescere flammam, Quæ cæci valuit semiorbis vincere noctem. Nec tantum intererat spatii, ut non discere possem, Saltem ex parte aliqua, gentem, quæ possidet illas |
the wood, I say, where many spirits thronged. Our path had not gone far beyond the point where I had slept, when I beheld a fire win out against a hemisphere of shadows. We still were at a little distance from it, but not so far I could not see in part |
| 70 | Sedes, conspicuis clarescere honoribus auctam. « O tu, unde omnigenis doctrinis venit honestas, Artibus omne decus, quænam hæc gens splendida tanta Nobilitate, aliis cui fas præstare fruique Condicione alia ? » — Tum sic ille ora resolvit : |
that honorable men possessed that place. “O you who honor art and science both, who are these souls whose dignity has kept their way of being, separate from the rest?” |
| 75 | « Grande horum nomen, quod vestrum personat orbem, Efficit, ut Superi hos tali dignentur honore. » Interea subito unanimis mihi fertur ad aures Vox ea : « In obsequium summo consurgite vati, Illius umbra redit, quæ se his subduxerat oris. » |
And he to me: “The honor of their name, which echoes up above within your life, gains Heaven's grace, and that advances them.” Meanwhile there was a voice that I could hear: “Pay honor to the estimable poet; his shadow, which had left us, now returns.” |
| 80 | Ut vox conticuit, vidi tunc tendere contra Quattuor aspectuque et forma corporis umbras Augustas, illis nec erat frons læta, nec ulla Tristitiæ signata nota. At dux optimus inquit : « Ille, viden’ ? illo ense insignis, qui tribus anteit, |
After that voice was done, when there was silence, I saw four giant shades approaching us; in aspect, they were neither sad nor joyous. My kindly master then began by saying: “Look well at him who holds that sword in hand who moves before the other three as lord. |
| 85 | Incedens ut rex, Epicorum maximus ille est MÆONIDES ; FLACCUS saturarum conditor alter, Tertius it NASO, LUCANUS pone propinquat. Nomine quisque uno nam mecum convenit una, Quod vox concrepuit ; certant mihi solvere honorem |
That shade is Homer, the consummate poet; the other one is Horace, satirist; the third is Ovid, and the last is Lucan. Because each of these spirits shares with me the name called out before by the lone voice, |
| 90 | Invidia vacui, et laudem pro laude reportant. » Sic ego præclarum vidi concurrere cœtum, Quem docuit princeps divini carminis ille, Supra quemque volans, veluti Jovis armiger ales. Atque ubi multa simul tenui dixere susurro, |
they welcome me — and, doing that, do well.” And so I saw that splendid school assembled led by the lord of song incomparable, who like an eagle soars above the rest. Soon after they had talked a while together, |
| 95 | Me circumfusi nutu salvere jubebant. Gratus ad hæc illis surrisit signa magister. Plus quoque me ornarunt, dignati includere eodem Me numero, ut sextus tantis cum vatibus irem. Atque ita progressi, lampas qua lucida monstrat, |
they turned to me, saluting cordially; and having witnessed this, my master smiled; and even greater honor then was mine, for they invited me to join their ranks — I was the sixth among such intellects. So did we move along and toward the light, |
| 100 | Plura loquebamur, quæ nunc reticere decorum est, Non secus atque ubi tunc aderam sermonibus uti. Nobilis ad turris radices venimus imas, Quæ septemgemino stabat circumdata muro Alte assurgente. Hunc ambit pellucidus amnis, |
talking of things about which silence here is just as seemly as our speech was there. We reached the base of an exalted castle, encircled seven times by towering walls, defended all around by a fair stream. |
| 105 | Accessu prohibens. Ausis transmittere cursum Unda viam stravit, duro ut terra arida tergo, Hisque sophis mixtus septena per ostia gressum Intuleram, et multis in prata recentia rivis Devenisse fuit. — Tarde graviterque tuenti |
We forded this as if upon hard ground; I entered seven portals with these sages; we reached a meadow of green flowering plants. The people here had eyes both grave and slow; |
| 110 | Gens oculo hic aderat, quæ magnam se ore ferebat, Raros suaviloqua sermones voce locuta. Exstantem cepi secessum in parte reducta, Campus ubi immisso prospectum lumine apertum Præbet, ut adversos legerem cunctosque notarem. |
their features carried great authority; they spoke infrequently, with gentle voices. We drew aside to one part of the meadow, an open place both high and filled with light, and we could see all those who were assembled. |
| 115 | Hic mihi, dum arrectus viridanti in gramine stabam, Magnæ sunt animæ ostensæ, quas semper habere Ante oculos mihi erit justissima causa triumphi. Vidi ire ELECTRAM, magna comitante caterva, HECTORA quos inter novi ANCHISAque creatum, |
Facing me there, on the enameled green, great-hearted souls were shown to me and I still glory in my having witnessed them. I saw Electra with her many comrades, among whom I knew Hector and Aeneas, |
| 120 | CÆSAREM et armatum, suffusum vulturis instar Igne oculos. METABI natam cum PENTHESILEA In parte opposita vidi, solioque LATINUM Regem insidentem ; lateri LAVINIA adhæret. Vidi illum BRUTUM, qui depulit urbe Superbum ; |
and Caesar, in his armor, falcon-eyed. I saw Camilla and Penthesilea and, on the other side, saw King Latinus, who sat beside Lavinia, his daughter. I saw that Brutus who drove Tarquin out, |
| 135 | Non oculis sese LUCRETIA, JULIA nostris, MARTIAve abscondunt ; præsens CORNELIA. Solum Vidi seposita SALADINUM in parte sedentem. Altius attollens oculos considere vidi Philosophos inter, qui cunctos maximus auctor |
Lucretia, Julia, Marcia, and Cornelia, and, solitary, set apart, Saladin. When I had raised my eyes a little higher, I saw the master of the men who know |
| 130 | Imbuit edocuitque sophos, qui scire putantur. Hunc et suspiciunt omnes et laudibus omnes Hunc onerant magnis ; sed SOCRATEM itemque PLATONEM Ante alios istum propius consistere vidi. DEMOCRITUM, casu qui vult exsistere mundum, |
seated in philosophic family. There all look up to him, all do him honor: there I beheld both Socrates and Plato, closest to him, in front of all the rest; |
| 135 | DIOGENEMque et ANAXAGORAM vidique THALETEM, EMPEDOCLEM atque HERACLITUM, ZENONIS et umbram, Atque DIOSCORIDEM, quo non præstantior alter, Inspicere in rerum naturas. ORPHEA vidi Et MARCUM, vatemque LINUM, SENECAMque magistrum |
Democritus, who ascribes the world to chance, Diogenes, Empedocles, and Zeno, and Thales, Anaxagoras, Heraclitus; I saw the good collector of medicinals, I mean Dioscorides; and I saw Orpheus, and Tully, Linus, moral Seneca; |
| 140 | Morum ; tum terræ numeroque carentis arenæ Mensorem EUCLIDEM, PTOLEMÆUMque, HIPPOCRATEMque. Non AVICENNÆ, non defuit umbra GALENI, Non AVERROIS magno conamine functi. Haud ego cunctorum percurrere nomina possem, |
and Euclid the geometer, and Ptolemy, Hippocrates and Galen, Avicenna, Averroës, of the great Commentary. I cannot here describe them all in full; |
| 145 | Namque operis longi series sic urget, ut acta Sæpe minus valeam multis comprendere verbis. Hic sextum in geminas partes se dividit agmen, Atque aliud per iter sapiens me ductor agebat, Extra sepositæ tranquilla silentia silvæ, |
my ample theme impels me onward so: what's told is often less than the event. The company of six divides in two; my knowing guide leads me another way, beyond the quiet, into trembling air. |
| 150 | In loca, ubi aura tremit, regionem luce carentem. | And I have reached a part where no thing gleams. |
| INFERNORUM V {5} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Sic orbe ex primo descendimus, inque secundum Venimus, ampla minus loca complexum, atque doloris Plus tanto, afflictas animas cogentis acute More canum ingemere. Hic MINOS stat, et horridus ore |
So I descended from the first enclosure down to the second circle, that which girdles less space but grief more great, that goads to weeping. There dreadful Minos stands, gnashing his teeth; |
| 5 | Ringitur ; hic culpas venientum discit, eosque Judicat, et prensos mittit, prout ipse revinxit. Nam male nata anima ut coram stetit, ipsa fatetur Omne genus vitæ. Tunc is, qui crimina novit, Quæ loca tartareis sit digna habitare sub antris |
examining the sins of those who enter, he judges and assigns as his tail twines. mean that when the spirit born to evil appears before him, it confesses all; and he, the connoisseur of sin, can tell the depth in Hell appropriate to it; |
| 10 | Inspicit, ac toties sese glomeramine caudæ Cingit, quot gradibus demersam degere jussit. Semper circumstant hunc multæ adeuntque vicissim Judicium, causas orant, sententia coram Auditur ; tum præcipites sub Tartara aguntur. |
as many times as Minos wraps his tail around himself, that marks the sinner’s level. Always there is a crowd that stands before him ; each soul in turn advances toward that judgment ; they speak and hear, then they are cast below. |
| 15 | « O tu, qui hospitium lugentum intrare laboras, (His, ubi me vidit, verbis est GNOSSIUS usus, Grande ministerium abrumpens) cave, et aspice, quali Fretus ope huc venias, aditus nec te ampla profundi Ostia decipiant. » — Dux contra talibus infit : |
Arresting his extraordinary task, Minos, as soon as he had seen me, said; “O you who reach this house of suffering, be careful how you enter, whom you trust; the gate is wide, but do not be deceived!” To which my guide replied: “But why protest? |
| 20 | « Quid tandem inclamas ? Fatali desine, MINOS, Velle istum prohibere via ; namque illa potestas Vult ita, cui facere est quod vult, et mitte rogare Ulteriora. » Modo auditu miserabile carmen Incipit, inque locum modo veni, ubi plurimus aures |
Do not attempt to block his fated path; our passage has been willed above, where One can do what He has willed; and ask no more.” Now notes of desperation have begun to overtake my hearing; now I come |
| 25 | Percellit plangor. Stant omni a lumine mutæ, Quas sumus ingressi, valles mugitibus ictæ, Ceu mare turbatum, simul in contraria versi Bacchantur venti. Qui miscet Tartara, turbo Tempore nunquam ullo consistit agitque rapina | where mighty lamentation beats against me. I reached a place where every light is muted, which bellows like the sea beneath a tempest, when it is battered by opposing winds. The hellish hurricane, which never rests, |
| 30 | Correptas animas, torquetque icitque molestus. Ut ventum ante oras altæ immanisque ruinæ est, Hic stridor, fletusque simul tristisque querela ; Hic exsecrari terræ cælique potentem. Tum didici, hic cruciari animas, quas dira cupido |
drives on the spirits with its violence; wheeling and pounding, it harasses them. When they come up against the ruined slope, then there are cries and wailing and lament, and there they curse the force of the divine. I learned that those who undergo this torment |
| 35 | Imperio turpi rationem subdere suasit. Ac veluti propriæ brumali tempore pennæ In gyrum lato glomeratos agmine sturnos, Sic animas pravas agitatæ spiritus auræ Hac illac abigit, volvens sursum atque deorsum : |
are damned because they sinned within the flesh, subjecting reason to the rule of lust. And as, in the cold season, starlings’ wings bear them along in broad and crowded ranks so does that blast bear on the guilty spirits; now here, now there, now down, now up, it drives them. |
| 40 | Nunquam solatur lassas spes ulla quietis, Nedum pœnarum minus acri angore prementum. Utque grues dare signa solent, et lugubre carmen Edere voce sua, dum tranant æthera longos Signantes tractus : tum sic accedere vidi |
There is no hope that ever comforts them — no hope for rest and none for lesser pain. And just as cranes in flight will chant their lays, arraying their long file across the air, so did the shades I saw approaching, borne |
| 45 | Clamores tristes imo de corde trahentes, Viribus abreptas dicti mihi turbinis umbras. Quare ego tum dixi : « Quænam gens ista, magister, Quam tanto exagitat caligans aura labore ? » « Quæ prior ante alios, quos tu dignoscere gestis, |
by that assailing wind, lament and moan; so that I asked him: “Master, who are those who suffer punishment in this dark air?” “The first of those about whose history you want to know,” my master then told me |
| 50 | Evolat, hæc multas gentes atque usa loquelis Multis regna habuit. Tam præceps ista nefandam In Venerem ruit, ut, quicquid libet, omne licere Jusserit, id sperans, » inquit, « sibi demere lege Hac posse opprobrium : quo est tacta, SEMIRAMIS illi |
“once ruled as empress over many nations. Her vice of lust became so customary that she made license licit in her laws to free her from the scandal she had caused. She is Semiramis, of whom we read |
| 55 | Nomen inest, et successisse NINO, atque fuisse Dicitur huic conjux, terram dominataque in illam, Quæ nunc ODRYSIO servit subjecta tyranno. Hæc est, quæ egit amans sua per præcordia ferrum. Unde est prima fides cineri violata SICHÆI. |
that she was Ninus’ wife and his successor; she held the land the Sultan now commands. That other spirit killed herself for love, and she betrayed the ashes of Sychaeus; |
| 60 | Dein CLEOPATRA venit, meretrix regina Canopi. Vidi HELENAM, per quam tot tristia tempora cælum Verterat, et magnum prospexi incedere ACHILLEM, Cui tandem persuasit amor decernere dextra. Conspexi PARIDEM et TRISTANUM » ; milia plura |
the wanton Cleopatra follows next. See Helen, for whose sake so many years of evil had to pass ; see great Achilles, who finally met love — in his last battle. See Paris, Tristan …” — and he pointed out |
| 65 | Umbrarum ostendit, digitoque et nomine multas Signavit, quas dirus amor demerserat Orco. Ut veterum audivi matrumque virumque loquentem Nomina doctorem, pietas me vicit et omnis Me quasi destituit sensus. — Tandem ora resolvens |
and named to me more than a thousand shades departed from our life because of love. No sooner had I heard my teacher name the ancient ladies and the knights, than pity seized me, and I was like a man astray. |
| 70 | Sic cœpi : « O vates, ferret me grata cupido Compellare illos, mihi qui duo passibus æquis Ire una, atque leves adeo ad ventum esse videntur. » Isque mihi : « Quum aderunt propius, spectabis, et ipso Temporis in puncto per amorem, qui movet illos, |
My first words: “Poet, I should willingly speak with those two who go together there and seem so lightly carried by the wind.” And he to me: “You'll see when they draw closer to us, and then you may appeal to them by that love which impels them. They will come.” |
| 75 | Orabis. Venient ad nos, simul impetus auræ Flectet eos. » Movi vocem : « O mala dura ferentes, Adventate, animæ, et nisi vis adversa negabit, Ne pigeat missas audire, ac reddere voces. » Ut, desiderio si quando vocante, columbæ |
No sooner had the wind bent them toward us than I urged on my voice: “O battered souls if One does not forbid it, speak with us.” Even as doves when summoned by desire, borne forward by their will, move through the air |
| 80 | Aëra findentes dulci illabuntur apertis Immotisque alis nido : sic sponte ruebant Ad nos illæ animæ, digressæ ex agmine ELISÆ, Aëra per dirum suffusum horrore maligno ; Flexanima usque adeo valuit vox cum prece blanda. |
with wings uplifted, still, to their sweet nest, those spirits left the ranks where Dido suffers approaching us through the malignant air; so powerful had been my loving cry. |
| 85 | « O animans comis, dicunt, et mente benigna, Aëra per fuscum qui nos visurus adisti, Purpureo vestrum qui sanguine tinximus orbem ; Si rex, imperio dominatus in omnia, amice Annueret nobis, hunc pro te poscere pacem |
"O living being, gracious and benign, who through the darkened air have come to visit our souls that stained the world with blood, if He who rules the universe were friend to us then we should pray to Him to give you peace |
| 90 | Nobis cura foret ; quoniam miseraris amaram Amborum sortem. Si quid te audire juvabit, Si qua loqui fert mens, edissere ; dum aura silescit, Ut facit, haud te audire et respondere pigebit. Quæ me progenuit tellus, maris insidet oræ. |
for you have pitied our atrocious state. Whatever pleases you to hear and speak will please us, too, to hear and speak with you, now while the wind is silent, in this place. The land where I was born lies on that shore |
| 95 | Quo cupiens fluvios componere pace sequaces, Eridanus se immittit. Amor tenero ilicet hærens Cordi, hunc sat pulchræ devinxit imagine formæ, Quæ mihi sublata est, et me modus ipse nocendi Nunc quoque lædit. Amor, qui nulli parcit amato |
to which the Po together with the waters that follow it descends to final rest. Love, that can quickly seize the gentle heart, took hold of him because of the fair body taken from me — how that was done still wounds me. Love, that releases no beloved from loving, |
| 100 | Igne carere, animum tanta dulcedine cepit, Isti quod placeam, hæc ut adhuc non linquat amantem, Ipse ut cernis. Amor nos funus duxit ad unum ; At CAINA manet, qui lumen ademit utrique. » Hæc animæ. Utque illas audivi dicere læsas, |
took hold of me so strongly through his beauty that, as you see, it has not left me yet. Love led the two of us unto one death. Caina waits for him who took our life.” These words were borne across from them to us. When I had listened to those injured souls, |
| 105 | Demisi vultum, et tenui tam lumina terræ Fixa diu, dum inquit vates : « Quid mente revolvis ? » Huic ego, ubi potui, contra : « Heu ! quot dulcia sensa, Quot desiderii fluctus duxere dolorum In tantum has barathrum ! » Tandem conversus ad ipsas |
I bent my head and held it low until the poet asked of me: “What are you thinking?” When I replied, my words began: “Alas, how many gentle thoughts, how deep a longing, had led them to the agonizing pass!” Then I addressed my speech again to them, |
| 110 | Os solvi, cœpique : « Tui, FRANCISCA, dolores Me tristem atque pium faciunt, et fundere largos Compellunt fletus. Sed dic : Quo tempore dulcis Expressit tacito suspiria pectore cura, Tunc amor unde dedit, et quomodo noscere vota |
and I began: “Francesca, your afflictions move me to tears of sorrow and of pity. But tell me, in the time of gentle sighs, with what and in what way did Love allow you |
| 115 | Cordis in ambiguo trepidantis ? » At illa : « Doloris Vis nulla est major, quam, mole premente malorum, Commemorare dies olim feliciter actos, Idque tuus doctor non ignorare videtur. At si tanta tuo primam cognoscere amoris |
to recognize your still uncertain longings?” And she to me: “There is no greater sorrow than thinking back upon a happy time in misery — and this your teacher knows. Yet if you long so much to understand |
| 120 | Radicem nostri sedit sub corde cupido, Id more efficiam flentis, pariterque loquentis. Forte legebamus, curantes solvere mentem, Ut LANCELLOTUM violentia vinxit amoris : Soli securique metus stabamus. Utrumque |
the first root of our love, then I shall tell my tale to you as one who weeps and speaks. One day, to pass the time away, we read of Lancelot — how love had overcome him. We were alone, and we suspected nothing. |
| 125 | Ille liber lectus persæpe attollere adegit Lumina in alterius vultum, mutatque colorem ; At subito punctum nos vicit temporis unum. Nam simul optati ridentia legimus oris Labra virum tantum labro pressisse tenaci |
And time and time again that reading led our eyes to meet, and made our faces pale, and yet one point alone defeated us. When we had read how the desired smile was kissed by one who was so true a lover, |
| 130 | Oscula figentem, hic, quem a me nemo abstrahet unquam, Oscula corripuit, nostroque pependit ab ore Usque tremens. Fuit ille liber GALEOTUS, et ipse Scriptor. Post illam ulterius non legimus horam. Altera tum dabat has voces umbra, altera flebat. » |
this one, who never shall be parted from me, while all his body trembled, kissed my mouth. A Gallehault indeed, that book and he who wrote it, too ; that day we read no more.” And while one spirit said these words to me, |
| 135 | Mi pietas motu concussit pectora tanto, Ut, quasi jam morerer, virtus vitalis abiret, Et cecidi, ut corpus vitæ procumbit inane. |
the other wept, so that — because of pity — I fainted, as if I had met my death. And then I fell as a dead body falls. |
| INFERNORUM VI {6} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ut mihi mens rediit, quæ sese obstruxerat ante Cognatorum umbras geminas, quia plurima sensus Tristitia pietas mihi perturbaverat omnes ; En nova pœnarum facies, nova forma luentum |
Upon my mind’s reviving — it had closed on hearing the lament of those two kindred, since sorrow had confounded me completely — I see new sufferings, new sufferers |
| 5 | Pœnas, quocunque incessum, quocunque studerem Vertere me, quocunque oculorum lumina ferre. Devenioque locos, ubi sævit tertius orbis Vi pluviæ æterna, sacra, gelidaque gravique, Cui modus usque suus, novitas cui nulla. Ruebat |
surrounding me on every side, wherever I move or turn about or set my eyes. I am in the third circle, filled with cold, unending, heavy, and accursed rain ; its measure and its kind are never changed. |
| 10 | Agmen aquæ tinctæ, et solida nix grandine mixta Aëra per densum nigra formidine cæcum. Exhalat sævam tellus imbuta mephitin. Belua crudelis diversaque, CERBERUS, ore Tergemino latrat furibundi more molossi, |
Gross hailstones, water gray with filth, and snow come streaking down across the shadowed air; Over the souls of those submerged beneath that mess, is an outlandish, vicious beast, his three throats barking, doglike: Cerberus. |
| 15 | Damnatis instans, quos mergit vasta vorago. Sanguinei huic oculi, stat barba huic uncta, colore Fœda atro, venter latus, manus hispida, adunco Ungue umbras lacerat, glubensque in frusta resolvit. Has imber cogit questu exululare canino: |
His eyes are bloodred; greasy, black, his beard; his belly bulges, and his hands are claws; his talons tear and flay and rend the shades. That downpour makes the sinners howl like dogs; |
| 20 | Nunc lateris lævi defendunt objice dextrum, Nunc dextri lævum. Volvunt sic se usque profani. Nos ubi prospexit magnus draco CERBERUS, ora Pandit, et ostendit stantes denso agmine dentes. Nullum quod sineret membrum consistere, habebat. |
they use one of their sides to screen the other — those miserable wretches turn and turn. When Cerberus, the great worm, noticed us, he opened wide his mouths, showed us his fangs; there was no part of him that did not twitch. |
| 25 | Tum dux extendit palmas terramque prehendit, Et manibus plenis inhiantis misit in ora. Utque canis, quem dira fames latrare coëgit, Dum mordet pastum correptum dente, quiescit, Id tantum spectans pugnansque, ut devoret escam : |
My guide opened his hands to their full span, plucked up some earth, and with his fists filled full he hurled it straight into those famished jaws. Just as a dog that barks with greedy hunger will then fall quiet when he gnaws his food, intent and straining hard to cram it in, |
| 30 | Lurida sic monstro est facies mutata trifauci Obtundenti animas ita, ut obsurdescere malint. Imbre gravi domitas nos præterlabimur umbras, Et vanas hominis vivi sub imagine formas Calcamus. Stabant hic omnes undique stratæ, |
so were the filthy faces of the demon Cerberus transformed — after he'd stunned the spirits so, they wished that they were deaf. We walked across the shades on whom there thuds that heavy rain, and set our soles upon their empty images that seem like persons. And all those spirits lay upon the ground, |
| 35 | Tantum una excepta, quæ mox se arrexerat atque, Ut nos intrantes vidit, se in sede locavit. « Tu, qui per valles Plutonis duceris istas, Me internosce, » inquit, « si scis. Tibi vita, priusquam Me mors destrueret, superas fuit edita in oras. » |
except for one who sat erect as soon as he caught sight of us in front of him. “O you who are conducted through this Hell,” he said to me, “recall me, if you can; for you, before I was unmade, were made.” |
| 40 | Huic ego respondi : « Qui, te sic conficit angor, Sic a mente mihi te forte abducit, ut unquam Haud te oculis videar vidisse. At fare vicissim, Qui sis, tantorum qui in tristia lustra malorum Missus es, ac jussus tam diram pendere pœnam, |
And I to him: “It is perhaps your anguish that snatches you out of my memory, so that it seems that I have never seen you. But tell me who you are, you who are set in such a dismal place, such punishment — |
| 45 | Ut, si quid majus, nil sit odiosius ista ? » Atque hæc conversus contra, « Me floridus ARNUS, » Ille refert, « genuit tuaque urbs repleta veneno Invidiæ tanto, ut superans pleno effluat alveo, Me tenuit secum, dum arrisit vita serena. |
if other pains are more, none’s more disgusting.” And he to me: “Your city — one so full of envy that its sack has always spilled — that city held me in the sunlit life. |
| 50 | Vos appellastis cives me nomine PORCUM, Quod dederat damnosa gulæ mihi culpa ; sub imbre Frangor, ut ipse vides. Sed non ego solus in isto Supplicio, at similem ob noxam mugire videbis Hos omnes. » Sic is, non ultra. Ego talibus illum |
The name you citizens gave me was Ciacco; and for the damning sin of gluttony, as you can see, I languish in the rain. And I, a wretched soul, am not alone, for all of these have this same penalty for this same sin.” And he said nothing more. |
| 55 | Aggredior : « Dolor iste tuus me ita prægravat, ut me Lugere hortetur. Sed dic, si est scire potestas : Quo cives urbis studia in contraria scissæ Devenient ? Num quis justus ? Da discere causam, Cur hanc dissidio invasit discordia tanto. » |
I answered him: “Ciacco, your suffering so weights on me that I am forced to weep; but tell me, if you know, what end awaits the citizens of that divided city; is any just man there? Tell me the reason why it has been assailed by so much schism.” |
| 60 | Is mihi : « Defuncti longo certamine ad arma Concurrent, cædemque, et pars silvatica partem Adversam male mulcatam compellet abire. Ante sed occiduus quam trinum expleverit orbem Sol, opus est, ut et ipsa cadat, pars altera præstet |
And he to me: “After long controversy, they’ll come to blood; the party of the woods will chase the other out with much offense. But then, within three suns, they too must fall; at which the other party will prevail, |
| 65 | Unius auxilio, qui nunc se fingit amicum ; Attolletque diu frontes, et pondere duro Victricem premet, hæc quanquam indoleatque frematque. Justi sunt bini, at nemo est, qui commodet aures Istorum monitis. Fastus, livorque, sitisque |
using the power of one who tacks his sails. This party will hold high its head for long and heap great weights upon its enemies, however much they weep indignantly. Two men are just, but no one listens to them. |
| 70 | Auri scintillæ sunt tres, quæ corda perurunt. » Hic interrupit lacrimabile carmen. Ego illi : « Id quoque me doceas, cupio, et ne discere aventi Ulteriora neges. TEJAJUS et FERINATA, Illi ita præstantes meritis, et RUSTICULORUM |
Three sparks that set on fire every heart
are envy, pride, and avariciousness.” |
| 75 | Progenies JACOB, HENRICUS, MUSCA, cohorsque Cetera, tam ardentes bene per benefacta mereri, Dic, ubi sunt ? Horum fac des mihi noscere vultus ; Namque ingens animum mihi stringit scire cupido, Utrum illos cælum beet, an Styx atra venenet. » |
Arrigo, Mosca, Jacopo Rusticucci, and all the rest whose minds bent toward the good, do tell me where they are and let me meet them; for my great longing drives me on to learn if Heaven sweetens or Hell poisons them.” |
| 80 | Isque : « Animas inter mage nigras. Nec genus unum Noxarum, at varium smiles dejecit in ima. Hos tu, si inferiora queas penetrare, videbis. At tibi quum dabitur dulces evadere ad auras, Fac jubeas, quæso, nostri meminisse sodales ; |
And he: “They are among the blackest souls; a different sin has dragged them to the bottom; if you descend so low, there you can see them. But when you have returned to the sweet world, I pray, recall me to men’s memory; |
| 85 | Nullum ultra verbum tibi, nec responsa remitto. » Tum rectos oculorum orbes distorsit acerbe, Me inspexit paulum atque exin caput inclinavit, Atque simul cecidit reliquorum examine mixtus Cæcorum. — Tunc MINCIADES mihi talia ductor : |
I say no more to you, answer no more.” Then his straight gaze grew twisted and awry; he looked at me awhile, then bent his head; he fell as low as all his blind companions. And my guide said to me: “He'll rise no more |
| 90 | « Non huic præterea secedet pectore somnus, Ante tuba angelico quam personet omnia signo, Tempore quo adveniet pravis inimica potestas. Exin quisque suum inveniet sibi triste sepulcrum, Induet atque sibi carnem propriamque figuram ; |
until the blast of the angelic trumpet upon the coming of the hostile Judge; each one shall see his sorry tomb again and once again take on his flesh and form, |
| 95 | Quæ semel intonuit sententia, tundet et aures Æternum. — Sic tardigradi loca per nigra, mixta Colluvie umbrarum et pluviæ, processimus ultra, Tangentes vitam, haud longo sermone, futuram. Hic ego : « Præceptor, » dixi, « anne hæc ipsa tenore |
and hear what shall resound eternally.” So did we pass across that squalid mixture of shadows and of rain, our steps slowed down, talking awhile about the life to come. At which I said: “And after the great sentence — |
| 100 | Supplicia augescent aliquo post magna Tonantis Judicia æterni ? Nunquid mitescere pœnæ Incipient forte, an miseros sic acriter urent ? » Ille mihi : « Quæ olim didicisti, mente revolve ; Singula plus tanto vim gaudii vimque doloris |
o master — will these torments grow, or else be less, or will they be just as intense?” And he to me: “Remember now your science, which says that when a thing has more perfection, so much the greater is its pain or pleasure. |
| 105 | Sentire, hæc quanto sunt perfectissima tota. Quamvis id nunquam gens hæc devota futurum Speret, ut ex vero perfecta exsurgere possit, Illinc plus, quam istinc tamen hoc exspectat et ipsa. » Sic nos progressi in gyrum confecimus orbem, |
Though these accursed sinners never shall attain the true perfection, yet they can expect to be more perfect then than now.” We took the circling way traced by that road; |
| 110 | Multa simul fantes, iterum quæ dicere parcam, Inque locum ventum est, qui dat descendere ad ima. Hic nos PLUTONEM, magnum illum invenimus hostem. |
we said much more than I can here recount; we reached the point that marks the downward slope. Here we found Plutus, the great enemy. |
| INFERNORUM VII {7} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Hau SATANA, hau SATANA, umbrarum suprema potestas ! » Rauca voce fremens cœpit PLUTO. At sophus ille Comis, quem nihil effugit : « Tibi ne timor obsit Iste tuus, » dixit me solaturus ; « ut ille |
“Pape Satan, Pape Satan aleppe!” so Plutus, with his grating voice, began. The gentle sage, aware of everything, said reassuringly, “Don't let your fear |
| 5 | Possit, non tamen hac descendere rupe vetabit. Conversisque oculis in spumea labra tumentem His infit contra : « Cohibe, lupe pessime, vocem, Cumque tua rabie interius tu confice. Nostræ Non deest causa viæ, per quam nigra regna subimus. |
defeat you; for whatever power he has, he cannot stop our climbing down this crag.” Then he turned back to Plutus’ swollen face and said to him: “Be quiet, cursed wolf! Let your vindictiveness feed on yourself. His is no random journey to the deep; |
| 10 | Sic placitum est alto, MICHAËL stuprum unde superbum Ultor dejecit. » — Veluti turgentia vento Vela plicata cadunt, ubi tandem frangitur arbor : Haud aliter pressit crudelis belua terram. Sic simul in quartum lapsi descendimus antrum, |
it has been willed on high, where Michael took revenge upon the arrogant rebellion.” As sails inflated by the wind collapse, entangled in a heap, when the mast cracks, so that ferocious beast fell to the ground. |
| 15 | Et loca metimur ripæ interiora dolentis, Tot mala, quot fuerunt totum grassata per orbem, Condentis. Proh juste ultor, quis congerit unquam Tot nova supplicia et pœnas, quas fervere vidi ? Et quisnam noster sic nos male dissipat error ? |
Thus we made our way down to the fourth ditch, to take in more of that despondent shore where all the universe’s ill is stored. Justice of God! Who has amassed as many strange tortures and travails as I have seen? Why do we let our guilt consume us so? |
| 20 | Ut supra pelagus Siculum, quod vasta CHARYBDIS Obsidet, incurrente unda, quæ frangitur unda : Haud aliter nostræ vulgus simulacra ciere Cogitur hic riddæ. Haud alibi mihi copia visa est Tanta magisve frequens. Magnis ululatibus illi, |
Even as waves that break above Charybdis, each shattering the other when they meet, so must the spirits here dance their round dance. Here, more than elsewhere, I saw multitudes to every side of me; their howls were loud |
| 25 | Hinc inde obnixi volventes pectore moles, Sese cædebant adversi, atque huc ubi ventum est, Quisque pedem referens clamabat pectore toto : « Quare parta tenes ? » « Quare tu projicis ? » et sic Undique ad oppositam partem se quisque ferebat |
They struck against each other; at that point, each turned around and, wheeling back those weights, cried out: “Why do you hoard?” "Why do you squander?” So did they move around the sorry circle from left and right to the opposing point; |
| 30 | Tætrum orbem repetens, solito et convicia versu Ingeminans. At ubi medium confecerat orbem Altera, conversus certamina inire parabat. Atque ego perculsus quodam quasi vulnere mentem : « Præceptor, » dixi, « mihi nunc ostende, quid istud |
again, again they cried their chant of scorn; and so, when each of them had changed positions, he circled halfway back to his next joust. And I, who felt my heart almost pierced through, requested: “Master, show me now what shades |
| 35 | Sit gentis ? quos nudus apex, detonsaque in orbem Insignit cutis, anne omnes ex ordine sacro Hi lævi ? » « Dum vita fuit, transversa tuentes Hos mala mens rapuit cunctos, dispendia quorum Haud novere modum », dixit ; « quod carmine claro |
are these and tell me if they all were clerics — those tonsured ones who circle on our left.” were so squint-eyed of mind in the first life — no spending that they did was done with measure. Their voices bark this out with clarity |
| 40 | Vita sonat, quum puncta duo tetigere nigrantis Orbis, ubi disjungit eos contraria culpa. Queis nudat tonsura caput, hi, dum alma manebat Vita, sacerdotes fuerunt, et cardine in alto Fulgentes astro patres, primaque tiara, |
when they have reached the two points of the circle where their opposing guilts divide their ranks. These to the left — their heads bereft of hair — were clergymen, and popes and cardinals, |
| 45 | In quibus est bacchatus amor vesanus habendi. » Rursus ego : « Hos inter tamen et mihi nosse licebit Quosdam, qui fuerunt immundi hac labe malorum. » Is mihi : « Vana tuo nequicquam pectore volvis. Quæ turpavit eos, male cognita, sordida vita |
within whom avarice works its excess.” And I to him: “Master, among this kind I certainly might hope to recognize some who have been bespattered by these crimes.” And he to me: “That thought of yours is empty; the undiscerning life that made them filthy |
| 50 | Omnem notitiam involvit caligine cæca. Æternum opposita duo prœlia fronte ciebunt. Hos palma adducta tumulis exire videbis, Hos tonsos. Male sueta dare, et male sueta tenere Dextera eos pulchri fraudavit lumine mundi, |
now renders them unrecognizable. For all eternity they’ll come to blows; these here will rise up from their sepulchers with fists clenched tight; and these, with hair cropped close. Ill giving and ill keeping have robbed both of the fair world and set them to this fracas — |
| 55 | Misit et in talem luctam : quæ quantaque gliscat, Nunc neque ego ornatis, neque multis versibus edam. Fili, nosse brevem quam ludant hæc bona ludum Fortunæ commissa potes, mortalia tanto Pectora quæ miscent motu ; nam divitis auri |
what that is like, my words need not embellish. Now you can see, my son, how brief’s the sport of all those goods that are in Fortune’s care, for which the tribe of men contend and brawl; for all the gold that is or ever was |
| 80 | Quicquid inesse potest lunæ sub lumine, quicquid Aut fuit, ex istis unam, quæ lassa labore Umbra gemit, minima haud posset donare quiete. » Tum sic aggredior : « Mihi dic quoque, care magister, Dic mihi : FORTUNA hæc, cujus meminisse videris, |
beneath the moon could never offer rest to even one of these exhausted spirits.” “Master,” I asked of him, “now tell me too; this Fortune whom you’ve touched upon just now — |
| 65 | Quidnam est, quæ omne bonum mundi sic possidet una ? » « O mentes hominum stultas ! » sic incipit ille, « Quanta premit læditque animos inscitia rerum ! Nunc avide arripias vellem, quæ pectore fundo. Is, cujus transit cunctos sapientia fines, |
what’s she, who clutches so all the world’s goods?” And he to me: “O unenlightened creatures, how deep — the ignorance that hampers you! I want you to digest my word on this. Who made the heavens and who gave them guides |
| 70 | Effinxit cælos, ductores et dedit illis, Ut pars quæque horum splendorem effundat ubique, Distribuens æque radiantis semina lucis. Non secus humanis splendoribus ille ministram, Atque ducem instituit generatim cuncta moventem, |
was He whose wisdom transcends everything; that every part may shine unto the other, He had the light apportioned equally; similarly, for wordly splendors, He ordained a general minister and guide |
| 75 | Quæ, quum tempus erit, bona inania permutaret A gente ad gentem, atque ab origine sanguinis una Deductura alio, prudentum vana virorum Conata eludens. Quare nunc imperat ista, Altera gens languet, prout stat sententia tanti |
to shift, from time to time, those empty goods from nation unto nation, clan to clan, in ways that human reason can't prevent; just so, one people rules, one languishes, obeying the decision she has given, |
| 80 | Judicii, quod cuique latet, velut anguis in herba. Nequicquam obniti contra sapientia vestra Contendit ; namque invigilans ea providet, atque Judicat, imperiumque suum et sibi credita regna Persequitur secura aliorum, more Deorum |
which, like a serpent in the grass, is hidden. Your knowledge cannot stand against her force; for she foresees and judges and maintains her kingdom as the other gods do theirs. |
| 85 | Non hæc mutandis dat pausam sortibus ullam : Ordinis æterni lex hanc jubet ire citato Cursu. Ita sæpe venit, nova qui festinat apisci. Hæc illa est, multi quam adeo torquentque premuntque, Criminibusque probrisque onerant nil tale merentem, |
The changes that she brings are without respite; it is necessity that makes her swift; and for this reason, men change state so often. She is the one so frequently maligned even by those who should give praise to her — |
| 90 | Queis potius laudanda foret. Verum illa beata Nil audit : reliquo mixta agmine Cælicolarum, Læta suam volvit sphæram, gaudetque beata. Tempus inire aliud mage lamentabile regnum Jam venit, jam præcipitant, quæ sidera cælum, |
they blame her wrongfully with words of scorn. But she is blessed and does not hear these things; for with the other primal beings, happy, she turns her sphere and glories in her bliss. But now let us descend to greater sorrow, for every star that rose when I first moved |
| 95 | Primum ubi sum molitus iter, conscendere vidi ; Nec mora longa datur. » — Sic nos rescindimus orbem, Oppositamque oram petimus, quæ prominet amplum In fontem, qui fervet aqua, seseque refundens In fossam irrumpit, quæ umorem sumit ab illo. |
is setting now; we cannot stay too long.” We crossed the circle to the other shore; we reached a foaming watercourse that spills into a trench formed by its overflow. |
| 100 | Plus multo obscuri referebat lympha coloris, Quam rubri. Tunc nos, gilvis comitantibus undis, Præruptum per iter successimus. Alta paludis Stagna, STYGA appellant, triste effecere fluentum, Unda ubi nigrantum est claustris illapsa malignis |
That stream was even darker than deep purple; and we, together with those shadowed waves, moved downward and along a strange pathway. When it has reached the foot of those malign gray slopes, that melancholy stream descends, forming a swamp that bears the name of Styx. |
| 105 | Riparum. Tum qui cupide speculatus acutos Contendebam oculos, vulgus miserabile vidi, Nudum membra, fimo demersum turpiter illo, Et vultu offenso. Illi inter se prœlia miscent, Nec manibus tantum, sed vertice, pectore, plantis. |
And I, who was intent on watching it, could make out muddied people in that slime, all naked and their faces furious. These struck each other not with hands alone, but with their heads and chests and with their feet, |
| 110 | Cædebant sese obtruncantes dentibus artus. Tum mihi præceptor : « Fili, nunc aspice », dixit, »Illorum hic animas, quas vicerat impetus iræ, Idque simul jubeo te certo credere, turbam Hisce subesse vadis suspiria corde trahentem, |
and tore each other piecemeal with their teeth. The kindly master told me: “Son, now see the souls of those whom anger has defeated; and I should also have you know for certain that underneath the water there are souls |
| 115 | Quæ spumarum æstus in summa suscitat unda, Ut tibi testatur visus, quocunque pererret. Defixi limo dicunt : ‹ Super aëra dulci Sole hilarem fuimus tristes, qui pectore lentum Impacati odii fumum compressimus, at nunc |
who sigh and make this plain of water bubble, as your eye, looking anywhere, can tell. Wedged in the slime, they say: ‘We had been sullen in the sweet air that’s gladdened by the sun; we bore the mist of sluggishness in us: |
| 120 | Mæremur sub fæce nigra. › Hoc in gutture carmen Quisque sibi mussat, neque enim est potis edere totum. » Sic stagni immundi magnum peragravimus arcum Ripam inter siccam fœdamque putredine fossam, Conversi ad turbam sordes haurire coactam. |
now we are bitter in the blackened mud.’ This hymn they have to gurgle in their gullets, because they cannot speak it in full words.” And so, between the dry shore and the swamp, we circled much of that disgusting pond, our eyes upon the swallowers of slime. |
| 125 | Tandem ad radices turris devenimus altæ. | We came at last upon a tower’s base. |
| INFERNORUM VIII {8} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Dico ego, quo cœpi pergens, multo ante præaltæ Quam murum turris vestigia nostra subirent, Ad summum nostros oculos ivisse cacumen Ob faculas geminas, quas poni vidimus, atque |
I say, continuing, that long before we two had reached the foot of that tall tower, our eyes had risen upward, toward its summit, because of two small flames that flickered there, |
| 5 | Respondentem aliam longinqua in parte locatam, Indicium, quod vix acie usurpare dabatur. Quare illum aggressus, cujus sapientia abundat Ceu pelagus, dixi : « Quid vult flamma ista ? quid illa Respondet ? quinam accendere ? » — Loquelas |
while still another flame returned their signal, so far off it was scarcely visible. And I turned toward the sea of all good sense ; I said: “What does this mean? And what reply comes from that other fire? Who kindled it?” |
| 10 | Ille dedit tales : « Per flumina lurida cæno Jam tibi cernenda est res exspectata, modo illam Non celet limi surgans vapor ater in altum. » Haud unquam reppulit tanta vi corda sagittam, Quæ levis oppositas currendo raderet auras, |
And he to me: “Above the filthy waters you can already see what waits for us, if it’s not hid by vapors from the marsh.” Bowstring has not thrust from itself an arrow that ever rushed as swiftly through the air |
| 15 | Ut parvum vidi per aquas nos tendere contra Navigium, imperiis unus quod nauta regebat, Qui sic clamabat : « Venisti, anima improba, tandem ? » — « O PHLEGYAS, PHLEGYAS, nequiquam hoc tempore clamas, Respondit mihi qui stabat dominusque comesque, |
as did the little bark that at that moment I saw as it skimmed toward us on the water, a solitary boatman at its helm. I heard him howl: “Now you are caught, foul soul!” “O Phlegyas, Phlegyas, such a shout is useless |
| 20 | Tu nos tantisper, dum cæno eximus, habebis. » Qualis ubi audita damnum gravitate molestum Deceptus discit, paulo post indolet illi : Talis erat PHLEGYAS collecta turbidus ira. Dux cumbam ingressus me juxta accedere jussit, |
this time,” my master said; “we’re yours no longer than it will take to cross the muddy sluice.” And just as one who hears some great deception was done to him, and then resents it, so was Phlegyas when he had to store his anger. My guide preceded me into the boat. |
| 25 | Atque ea visa fuit me tantum onerata recepto. Sed simulac pressi pandam cum vate carinam, Prora antiqua secans plus fluminis ibat aquosi, Quam solet ea quo homines transportat tætra fluenta. Mortua dum nigri stagni vada currimus, ecce, |
Once he was in, he had me follow him; there seemed to be no weight until I boarded. No sooner were my guide and I embarked than off that ancient prow went, cutting water more deeply than it does when bearing others. And while we steered across the stagnant channel, |
| 30 | Occurrit quidam coopertus sorde, fimoque, Atque ait : « O quis es, ante diem qui huc advenis ? » Illi Sic ego : « Si advenio, haud maneo : at quem, ita turpiter ora Membraque fœdatus, te dicis ? » Talibus ille : « Cernis ut ipse, unum de flentibus. » Huic ego contra : |
before me stood a sinner thick with mud, saying: “Who are you, come before your time?” And I to him: “I've come, but I don’t stay; but who are you, who have become so ugly?” He answered: “You can see —I'm one who weeps.” |
| 35 | « O anima exsecranda, tuo fletu atque dolore Hic maneas ; ego te novi, licet horrida totam Te tegat illuvies. » Tunc ambas ille tetendit Ad puppim palmas, quod ubi videt, impete magno Illum dejecit præceptor, talia fatus : |
And I to him: “In weeping and in grieving, accursed spirit, may you long remain; though you're disguised by filth, I know your name.” Then he stretched both his hands out toward the boat, at which my master quickly shoved him back, |
| 40 | « I procul hinc, reliquoque canum te examine misce ! » Exinde ipse suis cinxit mihi colla lacertis, Osque ori jungens : « O indignate protervos, Illi, inquit, bene sit, quæ te talem tulit alvo. Ille fuit, vestro dum vixit in orbe, superbus : |
saying: “Be off there with the other dogs!” That done, he threw his arms around my neck and kissed my face and said: “Indignant soul, blessed is she who bore you in her womb! When in the world, he was presumptuous; |
| 45 | Nil virtutis inest, aliqua quod laude rependat Opprobrium ; quare furiosa hic infremit umbra. Quot modo apud vestros sublimes se esse putabunt Reges, qui veluti porci hac sub valle jacebunt Obducti limo, post mortem horrenda suorum |
there is no good to gild his memory, and so his shade down here is hot with fury. How many up above now count themselves great kings, who’ll wallow here like pigs in slime, |
| 50 | Sibila vertentes in se, populique cachinnos ! » Hic ego : « Præceptor, modo fert me dira cupido Hunc mersum liquido cæni spectare sub illo, Stagna prius quam sint nobis superata paludis. » « Lumina pascendo », dixit, « satiabere, erisque, |
leaving behind foul memories of their crimes!” And I: “O master, I am very eager to see that spirit soused within this broth before we’ve made our way across the lake.” And he to me: “Before the other shore |
| 55 | Ante tibi siccum quam detur tangere litus, Mox compos voti, et referes hæc gaudia tecum. » Post paulo aspexi cænosæ, illa agmina plebis Talibus hunc contra, tantisque insurgere probris, Ut superos laudem, nec parcam his solvere grates. |
comes into view, you shall be satisfied; to gratify so fine a wish is right.” Soon after I had heard these words, I saw the muddy sinners so dismember him that even now I praise and thank God for it. |
| 60 | Clamore horrisono cuncti insultare PHILIPPO ARGENTI. Stolidus FLORENTINÆ furor umbræ In se conversis sibi rodere dentibus artus. Liquimus hic illum, nec carmine compellabo Amplius. At mihi tum quidam dolor impulit aures, |
They all were shouting: “At Filippo Argenti!” At this, the Florentine, gone wild with spleen, began to turn his teeth against himself. We left him there; I tell no more of him. But in my ears so loud a wailing pounded |
| 65 | Quare aciem intendo, protentaque lumina pando. Præceptorque bonus : « Fili, se proxima sistit Urbs, inquit, manes quam dicunt nomine DITEM, Cui numero immensum est gravibus cum civibus agmen. » Huic ego : « Præceptor, jam turres, altaque tecta |
that I lean forward, all intent to see. The kindly master said: “My son, the city that bears the name of Dis is drawing near, with its grave citizens, its great battalions.” I said: “I can already see distinctly — |
| 70 | Illic vallem intra videor mihi cernere certo. His rutilus color est, lucem et velut ignea mittunt. » Isque mihi : « Æternus, qui has turres excoquit, ignis Ostendit rubras, ut in ima hac valle videre est. Fas fuit et nobis fossas intrare profundas |
master — the mosques that gleam within the valley, as crimson as if they had just been drawn out of the fire.” He told me: “The eternal flame burning there appears to make them red, as you can see, within this lower Hell.” So we arrived inside the deep-cut trenches |
| 75 | Tristem vallantes terram. » Mihi mœnia visa Ferrea. Circuitu cum longo, cumque recursu Venimus in partes, ubi clamans navita fortis : « Exite, infremuit, patet hic ingressus in urbem. » Tum vero multa, immo plus quam milia vidi |
that are the moats of this despondent land; the ramparts seemed to me to be of iron. But not before we'd ranged in a wide circuit did we approach a place where that shrill pilot shouted: “Get out; the entrance way is here.” About the gates I saw more than a thousand — |
| 80 | Cælo lapsorum, corde indignante, rogantum : « Hic quidnam est hominis, cui vivo contigit ire Regna per absumptæ ferali funere gentis ? » Sed tunc præceptor sapiens stans annuit illis, Nescio quid, se velle loqui ac demittere in aures. |
who once had rained from Heaven — and they cried in anger: “Who is this who, without death, can journey through the kingdom of the dead?” And my wise master made a sign that said he wanted to speak secretly to them. |
| 85 | Tum vero gravis ira stetit compressa parumper Fantibus : « Huc venias tu solus, et ille recedat, Hæc regna ingressus tanto temerarius auso. Ille insana retro repetat vestigia solus : Experiatur iter, si scit, nam hic ipse manebis. » |
Then they suppressed — somewhat — their great disdain and said: “You come alone; let him be gone — for he was reckless, entering this realm. Let him return alone on his mad road — or try to, if he can, since you, his guide across so dark a land, you are to stay.” |
| 90 | Volve animo, lector, quali mens nostra pavore Conciderit, simulatque hæc me sententia diris Percussit verbis, ut nunquam posse putarem Inde referre pedem. « O mihi dux carissime, » dixi, « Plus vice septena mihi reddite sponsor, et obses |
Consider, reader, my dismay before the sound of those abominable words; returning here seemed so impossible. “O my dear guide, who more than seven times has given back to me my confidence |
| 95 | Cognite in immani vitæ discrimine, quum me Contra obsistentem docuisti evadere pestem, Ne me sic linquas desertum, atque omnium egenum. Quod si iter ulterius nobis tentare negatur, Nos raptim pariter vestigia nostra petamus. » |
and snatched me from deep danger that had menaced, do not desert me when I’m so undone; and if they will not let us pass beyond, let us retrace our steps together, quickly.” |
| 100 | Tum vero ille potens, qui me perduxerat illuc : « Pone metum », dixit. « Nulli est concessa potestas Nos prohibere via, quam nunc contendimus ire : Usque adeo dantis supereminet omnia virtus. Sed fac me hic maneas, prostratamque erige mentem |
These were my words; the lord who’d led me there replied: “Forget your fear, no one can hinder our passage; One so great has granted it. But you wait here for me, and feed and comfort your tired spirit with good hope, for I |
| 105 | Et spe pasce bona ; haud te ima in tellure relinquam. » Sic dulcis pater it, meque istic deserit. Ipse Pendeo in ambiguo. Menti pugna aspera surgit, Spemque metumque inter trepido, maneatne, reduxne Se mihi restituat. Quid dixerit ille, nequivi |
will not abandon you in this low world.” So he goes on his way; that gentle father has left me there to wait and hesitate, for yes and no contend within my head. I could not hear what he was telling them; |
| 110 | Audire. At non ipse diu permanserat illic Hos juxta, namque inde cito pede quisque recurrit ; Inque mei pectus clauserunt ostia vatis Isti hostes nobis. Stetit ille exclusus, et ad me Se pede convertit lento. Defixa tenebat |
but he had not been long with them when each ran back into the city, scrambling fast. And these, our adversaries, slammed the gates in my lord’s face; and he remained outside, then, with slow steps, turned back again to me. |
| 115 | Lumina humi, atque supercilii fiducia rasa Omnis erat, tum corde ciens suspiria ab imo : « Quis mihi », dicebat, « mærentia lustra negavit ? » At mihi : « Parce metu, si me turbaverat ira ; Namque ego ero melior tanto in certamine, quicquid |
His eyes turned to the ground, his brows deprived of every confidence, he said with sighs; “See who has kept me from the house of sorrow!” To me he added: “You — though I am vexed — must not be daunted; I shall win this contest, |
| 120 | Cogitet adversans, urbem quæ turba tuetur. Nec nova mi surgit devotæ audacia gentis ; Hac est usa minus secretæ in limine portæ, Quæ sera adhuc expers manet. Hæc est scilicet illa, Scripta ubi legisti ferali fusca colore. |
whoever tries — within — to block our way. This insolence of theirs is nothing new; they used it once before and at a gate less secret — it is still without its bolts — the place where you made out the fatal text; |
| 125 | Et jam citra illam clivo delabitur alto Transiliens orbes, nullis ducentibus, unus, Quem propter nobis pandetur janua Ditis. » |
and now, already well within that gate, across the circles — and alone — descends the one who will unlock this realm for us.” |
| INFERNORUM IX {9} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Is color, exterius quem mi socordia pinxit Terga ducem his dantem cernenti, effecit, ut ipse, Quem subito induerat, citius compresserit intus. Constitit intentus sonitum captantis ad instar ; |
The color cowardice displayed in me when I saw that my guide was driven back, made him more quickly mask his own new pallor. He stood alert, like an attentive listener, |
| 5 | Namque aër fuseus nubesque obducta tuenti Longius ire oculos prohibet. Tum talia fatur : « Hæc vincenda tamen nobis est pugna : nisi si …. Talis erat, quæ ostendit opem … Sed quam mihi lentum It tempus, dum se his quem demoror applicet oris ? » |
because his eye could hardly journey far across the black air and the heavy fog. “We have to win this battle,” he began, “if not… But one so great had offered help. How slow that someone’s coming to see me!” |
| 10 | Illum ego sat sensi extremis texisse priora ; Ultima nam fuerunt non respondentia primis. Sed tamen incussit fandi ratio illa timorem, Quum detorsissem, quæ tum imperfecta reliquit. Verba in deterius forsan, quam est ille locutus. |
But I saw well enough how he had covered his first words with the words that followed after — so different from what he had said before ; nevertheless, his speech made me afraid, because I drew out from his broken phrase a meaning worse — perhaps — than he'd intended. |
| 15 | « Tristis in hunc fundum conchæ num quis ruit unquam Incola primi orbis, cui sola est pœna, salutem Haud sperare ultra ? » Quæsivi. Talibus ille : « Accidit id raro, ut quisquam nostri ordinis istud Tentet iter, quod sum molitus ; at ipse fatebor |
“Does anyone from the first circle, one whose only punishment is crippled hope, ever descend so deep in this sad hollow?” That was my question. And he answered so ; “It is quite rare for one of us to go along the way that I have taken now. |
| 20 | Huc me devenisse olim, quum dira coëgit, Ad sua quæ manes revocabat corpora, ERICHTHO. Carne exutus eram pridem, quum Thessala jussit Murum intrare illum, JUDÆque ex orbe reductam Protrahere ad Superos umbram. Locus infimus ille est |
But I, in truth, have been here once before ; that savage witch Erichtho, she who called the shades back to their bodies, summoned me. My flesh had not been long stripped off when she had me descend through all the rings of Hell, to draw a spirit back from Judas’ circle. |
| 25 | Maxime, et offusus nigra formidine, abestque Maxime ab ætherea, in gyrum quæ corripit omne Inclusum, sphæra. Bene novi signa viarum. Aude ergo. Ista palus, sævum quæ spirat odorem, Ambit tristem urbem, quo jam penetrare sine ira |
That is the deepest and the darkest place, the farthest from the heaven that girds all ; so rest assured, I know the pathway well. This swamp that breeds and breathes the giant stench surrounds the city of the sorrowing, which now we cannot enter without anger.” |
| 30 | Non erit. » — Hæc et multa super fuit ille locutus, Quæ mens oblita est ; nam me mea lumina totum Traxere ad celsæ candentia culmina turris. Ilicet hic vidi pariter tres pectore recto Contra insurgentes suffuses sanguine DIRAS, |
And he said more, but I cannot remember because my eyes had wholly taken me to that high tower with the glowing summit where, at one single point, there suddenly stood three infernal Furies flecked with blood, |
| 35 | Femineos artus gestumque habitumque ferentes. Illas cæruleæ sinuosis orbibus hydræ Cingebant, et pro crine anguiculi atque cerastæ Exstabant, quibus horrebant fera tempora vincta. Atque is, qui famulas, quibus est stipata ministris |
who had the limbs of women and their ways but wore, as girdles, snakes of deepest green ; small serpents and horned vipers formed their hairs, and these were used to bind their bestial temples. And he, who knew these handmaids well — they served |
| 40 | Regina æterni luctus, bene noverat, inquit : « EUMENIDES specta, fera corda. Est dira MEGÆRA Hæc latere in lævo ; ALECTO, quæ dextera luget ; TISIPHONE media est. » Hic facta silentia linguæ. Quæque sibi ungue sinum pariter laniabat et ora. |
the Queen of never-ending lamentation — said: “Look at the ferocious Erinyes! That is Megaera on the left, and she who weeps upon the right, that is Allecto ; Tisiphone’s between them.” He was done. |
| 45 | Palmis percussæ clamoribus assiluere Talibus, ut premere ad pectus mihi suaserit ingens Terror ductorem. — Simul omnis turba sororum : « Adveniat GORGON, sic, sic immobile saxum Hunc faciemus », ait despectans infima claustra. |
Each Fury tore her breast with taloned nails ; each, with her palms, beat on herself and wailed so loud that I, in fear, drew near the poet. “Just let Medusa come ; then we shall turn him into stone,” they all cried, looking down ; |
| 50 | « THESEA pugnantem contra male non sumus ultæ Pro facto. » — « Averte os, et fac, tua lumina clausa Contineas ; sua nam si ostenderit ora MEDUSA, Ac tu spectaris, Superos tibi nulla petendi Copia in æternum dabitur. » Verba ista magister |
“we should have punished Theseus’ assault.” “Turn round and keep your eyes shut fast, for should the Gorgon show herself and you behold her, never again would you return above,” |
| 55 | Edere, et ipse mihi visus avertere, nec sat Confidisse mea, propria ni conderet ipse Lumina nostra manu. Vos o, queis sana vigensque Mens est, accipite hæc animis discenda pudenter, Quæ veniunt velo numerorum obtecta novorum. |
my master said ; and he himself turned me around and, not content with just my hands, used his as well to cover up my eyes. O you possessed of sturdy intellects, observe the teaching that is hidden here beneath the veil of verses so obscure. |
| 60 | Jamque propinquabat per caligantia stagna Horrisonus fragor, a quo late atque eminus ambæ Contremuere oræ ; veluti si unquam ingruit æstu Ventus ab adverso, qui præceps impete magno Irruit, atque ferit silvam ramosque revellit, |
And now, across the turbid waves, there passed a reboantic fracas — horrid sound, enough to make both of the shorelines quake ; a sound not other than a wind’s when, wild because it must contend with warmer currents, it strikes against the forest without let, |
| 65 | Projicit abreptos, ac dissipat, itque superbus Pulveream nubem volvens, gentesque ferarum Pastoresque gregesque fuga dispergit agitque. Tum mi oculos solvit dixitque : « Huc dirige robur Visus, qua cernis spumis canescere fluctus |
shattering, beating down, bearing off branches, as it moves proudly, clouds of dust before it, and puts to flight both animals and shepherds. He freed my eyes and said: “Now let your optic nerve turn directly toward that ancient foam, |
| 70 | Illuc, fumus ubi densatus acerbius urget. » Ceu ante infestum chelydrum longo agmine ranæ Vanescunt per aquas cunctæ, dum quæque reperta Stipat se terra : sic plus quam milia vidi Umbrarum extremis mæroribus eversarum |
there where the mist is thickest and most acrid.” As frogs confronted by their enemy, the snake, will scatter underwater till each hunches in a heap along the bottom, so did the thousand ruined souls I saw |
| 75 | Diffugere ante virum, sicco pede qui ostia propter Flumen transibat STYGIUM. Removebat ab ore Aëra concretum, prætendens sæpe sinistram ; Qui tum visus erat tantum lassatus ab æstu. Tum bene mi patuit demissus ab æthere summo |
take flight before a figure crossing Styx who walked as if on land and with dry soles. He thrust away the thick air from his face, waving his left hand frequently before him ; that seemed the only task that wearied him. |
| 80 | Nuntius, atque oculis cœpi spectare magistrum, Qui nutu jussit me sistere poplite flexo. Oh, quantum irarum est mihi visus prodere vultu ! Portam adit et virga, nullo obsistente, reclusit. « O cælo pulsi, gens despectissima, in atro |
I knew well he was Heaven’s messenger, and I turned toward my master ; and he made a sign that I be still and bow before him. How full of high disdain he seemed to me! He came up to the gate, and with a wand, he opened it, for there was no resistance. |
| 85 | Limine dicebat, quo hæc tanta audacia crevit ? Quid contra arbitrium mentis pugnate supernæ, Cui vis nulla valet, quem vult, abrumpere finem, Et quæ vos pœna sæpe asperiore gravavit ? Quid prodest urgere haud eluctabile fatum ? |
“O you cast out of Heaven, hated crowd,” were his first words upon that horrid threshold, “why do you harbor this presumptuousness? Why are you so reluctant to endure that Will whose aim can never be cut short, and which so often added to your hurts? What good is it to thrust against the fates? |
| 90 | Cerberus hic vester, jam vos meminisse potestis, Gestat adhuc mentum et tria guttura vellere nuda. » Deinde viam ad fœdam gressus deflexit et ultra Haud ullum nobis signum ; sed talis abibat, Qualis, cui pectus longe diversa remordet, |
Your Cerberus, if you remember well, for that, had both his throat and chin stripped clean.” At that he turned and took the filthy road, and did not speak to us, but had the look of one who is obsessed by other cares |
| 95 | Quam quæ cura premit, sua quos videt ora tuentes. Nos, simulac sanctas emisit pectore voces, Terram securi petimus, nulloque vetante Intulimus gressus. Ego, qui cognoscere avebam, Quænam condicio vallo includatur in illo, |
than those that press and gnaw at those before him ; and we moved forward, on into the city, in safety, having heard his holy words. We made our way inside without a struggle ; and I, who wanted so much to observe the state of things that such a fortress guarded, |
| 100 | Huc simul intravi, stans omnia circumspexi. Planitiem vidi longe lateque patentem, Et luctu et diris cruciatibus omnia plena. Sicut apud ARELAM RHODANI stagnantis in ora, Sicut apud POLAM, sinus unde Liburnicus æquor |
as soon as I had entered, looked about. I saw, on every side, a spreading plain of lamentation and atrocious pain. Just as at Arles, where Rhone becomes a marsh, just as at Pola, near Quarnero’s gulf, |
| 105 | Prospicit, ITALIAM quod claudit, et alluit undis Illius fines, tota est variata sepulcris Tellus ; hic talem faciem locus undique habebat ; Excipe quod luctus hic plus erat atque doloris. Namque arcīs suberat flammæ vis torrida passim, |
that closes Italy and bathes its borders, the sepulchers make all the plain uneven, so they did here on every side, except that here the sepulchers were much more harsh; for flames were scattered through the tombs, and these |
| 110 | Quam propter tanto candebant marmora ab æstu, Ut nulla ars cogat sic ferri ignescere massam. Cuncta impendebant suspensa his tegmina, et inde Alti erumpebant gemitus, duræque querelæ Testantes miseræ ac domitæ fata aspera gentis. |
had kindled all of them to glowing heat; no artisan could ask for hotter iron. The lid of every tomb was lifted up, and from each tomb such sorry cries arose as could come only from the sad and hurt. |
| 115 | Hic ego : « Præceptor, gens hæc, quæ inclusa profundo Illorum sese tumulorum ex carcere prodit, Nomine quo nota est ? » Ille autem : « Hic hæresiarchæ, Cum grege quisque suo, stant, quorum copia abundat, Hasque onerant arcas plus quam te credere dignum est. |
And I: “Master, who can these people be who, buried in great chests of stone like these, must speak by way of sighs in agony?” And he to me: “Here are arch-heretics and those who followed them, from every sect ; those tombs are much more crowded than you think. |
| 120 | Parque pari hic junctus tegitur, monumentaque ab igne Plusve minusve calent. » Hic postquam lævus abire Is cœpit, tormenta inter transimus et alta In gyrum erecto mæniana exstantia muro. |
Here, like has been ensepulchered with like ; some monuments are heated more, some less.” And then he turned around and to his right ; we passed between the torments and high walls. |
| INFERNORUM X {10} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Angustum per iter, murum inter DITIS et inter Supplicia, incedit doctor meus, atque ego juxta Post terga, incipioque : « O virtus summa, nefandos Quæ me per circos, quo visum est, arbitra ducis, |
Now, by a narrow path that ran between those torments and the ramparts of the city, my master moves ahead, I following. “O highest virtue, you who lead me through these circles of transgression, at your will, |
| 5 | Effare, atque meis indulgens annue votis : Fasne est per tumulos populum spectare jacentem ? Omnes namque patent, nec custos assidet ullus. » « Omnes claudentur », dixit, « quum quisque redibit JOSAPHAT a valle, et supera ossa relicta sub aura |
do speak to me, and satisfy my longings. Can those who lie within the sepulchers be seen? The lids — in fact — have all been lifted ; no guardian is watching over them.” And he to me: “They'll all be shuttered up when they return here from Jehosaphat together with the flesh they left above. |
| 10 | Sumpserit. Hic proprio loca designata sepulcro Cum doctore tenent EPICURI de grege alumni, Qui statuunt animam cum corpore morte resolvi. Quare hic cuncta cito fient manifesta roganti, Et desiderio pariter, quod dicere mussas. » |
Within this region is the cemetery of Epicurus and his followers, all those who say the soul dies with the body. And so the question you have asked of me will soon find satisfaction while we’re here, as will the longing you have hid from me.” |
| 15 | Huic ego respondi : « Bone dux, quæ corde voluto, Haud celo, nisi pauca licet quia verba profari, Quod vice non una, te præcipiente, paravi. » « O THUSCE, igniferam qui præterlaberis urbem Vivus adhuc ita honesta loquens, tibi sistere gressum |
And I: “Good guide, the only reason I have hid my heart was that I might speak briefly, and you, long since, encouraged me in this.” “O Tuscan, you who pass alive across the fiery city with such seemly words, be kind enough to stay your journey here. |
| 20 | Hic placeat : tua nam te prodidit ipsa loquela Illa gente satum, quam patria nobilis edit, Cui fortasse fui nimium nimiumque molestus. » Hunc subito sonitum ex arcis emiserat una. Quare ductorem propius, suadente pavore, |
Your accent makes it clear that you belong among the natives of the noble city I may have dealt with too vindictively.” This sound had burst so unexpectedly out of one sepulcher that, trembling, I then drew a little closer to my guide. |
| 25 | Accessi. Ille autem mihi : « Respice ; quid facis ? » inquit. « Cerne FARINATAM, qui sese arrexit, et astat, Pube tenus totum videas. » Jam fixa manebat Hujus in os acies oculi, quum pectus et amplam Sustulit is frontem, veluti si Erebumque Chaosque |
But he told me: “Turn round! What are you doing? That’s Farinata who has risen there — you will see all of him from the waist up.” My eyes already were intent on his ; and up he rose — his forehead and his chest — as if he had tremendous scorn for Hell. |
| 30 | Temneret indignans : tum vero animosa levisque Dextra ducis tumulos contra me impellit, ad ipsum, Sic fando : « Tua sint numerata ac libera verba. » Utque steti ante arcam, paulum me lumine lustrat ; Deinde quasi iratus : « Quibus es majoribus ortus ? » |
My guide — his hands encouraging and quick — thrust me between the sepulchers toward him, saying: “Your words must be appropriate.” When I'd drawn closer to his sepulcher, he glanced at me, and as if in disdain, he asked of me: “Who were your ancestors?” |
| 35 | Dixit. Ego, qui aderam cupide parere paratus, Id non celavi, nitide sed cuncta retexi. Triste supercilium tum sustulit ille parumper, Atque inquit : « Gens vestra mihi primisque meorum Atque meæ genti fuit acriter aversata ; |
Because I wanted so to be compliant, I hid no thing from him: I told him all. At this he lifted up his brows a bit, then said: “They were ferocious enemies of mine and of my parents and my party, |
| 40 | Bis ideo hanc fudi. » Huic contra : « Si fusa profugit, Bis tamen huc rursus reditum tulit undique ; at istam Non bene noverunt vestri artem. » Hic umbra recluso Busto alia assurgens, mento tenus exserit ora Hunc propter. Genubus se, credo, innixa levarat. |
so that I had to scatter them twice over.” “If they were driven out,” I answered him, “they still returned, both times, from every quarter ; but yours were never quick to learn that art.” At this there rose another shade alongside, uncovered to my sight down to his chin ; I think that he had risen on his knees. |
| 45 | Huc illuc volvens oculos, totumque pererrans Visu me tacito, stetit, ut qui noscere averet, Num quis venisset mecum. Ut frustrata tuentem Spes est, illacrimans : « Si hoc cæcum carceris antrum Sublimi ingenio fretus perlaberis, » inquit, |
He looked around me, just as if he longed to see if I had come with someone else ; but then, his expectation spent, he said in tears: “If it is your high intellect that lets you journey here, through this blind prison, |
| 50 | « Natus ubi meus est ? Quianam non astat et ipse Tecum ? » Ego tunc illi : « Non per me hæc regna subivi ; Est mihi dux, illic qui præstolatur, et ille est, Cujus fors vester despexit carmina GUIDUS. » Et verba et ratio pœnæ mihi nomen aperte |
where is my son? Why is he not with you?” I answered: “My own powers have not brought me ; he who awaits me there, leads me through here perhaps to one your Guido did disdain.” His words, the nature of his punishment — |
| 55 | Hujus prodiderant ; quare sic plena remisi Responsa. Isque statim totum se arrexit et inquit : « Heu, quid ais, vester ‹ despexit › ? An ille superstes Non est ? Illi oculos non icit amabile lumen ? » Nonnihil ut sensit me respondere moratum, |
these had already let me read his name ; therefore, my answer was so fully made. Then suddenly erect, he cried: “What’s that ; He ‘did disdain’? He is not still alive? The sweet light does not strike against his eyes?” And when he noticed how I hesitated |
| 60 | Recidit inversus, nec protulit amplius ora. At vero ille alter spectandus pectore celso, Pro quo constiteram, vultum haud mutare, nec hilum Cervicem indomitam motare aut flectere corpus. « Si male » (in incepto perstans) « didicisse feruntur |
a moment in my answer, he fell back — supine — and did not show himself again. But that great-hearted one, the other shade at whose request I’d stayed, did not change aspect or turn aside his head or lean or bend ; and taking up his words where — he’d left off, |
| 65 | Hanc artem nostri, id vero me sævius urit Quam meus hic lectus, sed quinquaginta regressam Haud videas vicibus dominam loca nostra regentem, » Ille inquit, « quum per te disces ipse vicissim, Quam gravis ars ea sit. Superas elapsus in oras |
“If they were slow,” he said, “to learn that art, that is more torment to me than this bed. And yet the Lady who is ruler here will not have her face kindled fifty times before you learn how heavy is that art. |
| 70 | Sic aliis præstare queas, da noscere causam, Cur in quaque sua sit gens illa impia lege Sic nostris. » — Ego ad hæc : « Strages et magna ruina, ARBIA quam volvit rubro saturata colore, Has resonare preces nostrum jubet undique templum. » |
And so may you return to the sweet world, tell me: why are those citizens so cruel against my kin in all of their decrees?” To which I said: “The carnage, the great bloodshed that stained the waters of the Arbia red have led us to such prayers in our temple.” |
| 75 | Isque ubi quassavit caput, imo pectore ducens Singultum, dixit : « Sed non ego solus in illa, Nec me certe aliis socium, nisi causa fuisset, Junxissem. Verum ipse fui, qui solus ibidem, Quum FLORENTINAM pateretur cetera turba |
He sighed and shook his head, then said: “In that, I did not act alone, but certainly I'd not have joined the others without cause. But where I was alone was there where all the rest would have annihilated Florence, |
| 80 | Urbem deleri, sum ausus defendere coram. » « At tu, sic olim tuto gens vestra quiescat, » Orans quæsivi, « ne istum mihi solvere nodum Abnue, quo nunc implicita est sententia nostra. Si bene ego audivi, visa est mens vestra videre |
had I not interceded forcefully.” “Ah, as I hope your seed may yet find peace,” I asked, “so may you help me to undo the knot that here has snarled my course of thought. It seems, if I hear right, that you can see |
| 85 | Ante, quod adducant labentia tempora posthac, Ast aliter quod adest. » « Nos, læsi lumine ad instar, Quæ procul a nobis distant, ventura tuemur ; Dux supremus adhuc hoc nobis lumine splendet, » Inquit, « sed quicquid propius succurrit adestve, |
beforehand that which time is carrying, but you're denied the sight of present things.” “We see, even as men who are farsighted, those things,” he said, “that are remote from us; the Highest Lord allots us that much light. But when events draw near or are, our minds |
| 90 | Fallit continuo mentem præsentium inanem ; Et nisi quis doceat, res vestras scire nequimus. Conjicere hinc tibi erit, nobis ut tota peribit Vis cognoscendi, postquam sit clausa futuri Janua. » — Tum veluti percussus corda dolore |
are useless; were we not informed by others, we should know nothing of your human state. So you can understand how our awareness will die completely at the moment when the portal of the future has been shut.” Then, as if penitent for my omission, |
| 95 | Ob culpam, dixi : « Lapso illi tu ista reporta Dicta, suum natum vivis conjunctum agere ævum. Quod si muta illi mea tunc responsa fuere, Effice, ut ille sciat, me jam secus esse putasse, Mentis ob errorem nuper te fante solutum. » |
I said: “Will you now tell that fallen man his son is still among the living ones; and if, a while ago, I held my tongue before his question, let him know it was because I had in mind the doubt you've answered.” |
| 100 | Alloquio me jam ductor revocabat ab illo : Quare ipsum oravi multo properantius, ut me, Altera si qua sibi conjuncta sit umbra, doceret. « Plus quam mille jacent hic mecum », ait ille ; « secundus Hic intus FRIDERICUS, et ostro splendidus olim |
And now my master was recalling me; so that, more hurriedly, I asked the spirit to name the others who were there with him. He said: “More than a thousand lie with me; the second Frederick is but one among them, |
| 105 | Ille jacet positus princeps in cardine celso, Et reliquos sileo. » Dein totum se abdidit arca. Ast ego ad antiquum verti vestigia vatem, Evolvens quæ verba mihi sunt hostica dicta. Ille pedem ante tulit, dein pergens talia fatur : |
as is the Cardinal; I name no others.” With that, he hid himself; and pondering the speech that seemed to me so menacing, I turned my steps to meet the ancient poet. He moved ahead, and as we made our way, |
| 110 | « Quare sic trepidus ? » Dixi explevique rogantem. « Cuncta audita, tibi contraria, mente reposta Stent solida, » jussit sophus ille, « modo arrige ad ista Consiliumque animumque tuum, » digitumque levavit. « Quum dabitur prædulce jubar tibi cernere coram |
he said to me: “Why are you so dismayed?” I satisfied him, answering him fully. And then that sage exhorted me: “Remember the words that have been spoken here against you. Now pay attention,” and he raised his finger; “when you shall stand before the gentle splendor |
| 115 | Illius, pulchra quæ oculorum luce tuetur Cuncta, tuæ vitæ cursum tibi scire per ipsum Fas erit. » Hæc vates, pedibus dein læva petivit. Sic nos deserimus murum, mediumque tenemus Urbis iter valli respondens, unde mephitis |
of one whose gracious eyes see everything, then you shall learn — from her — your lifetime’s journey.” Following that, his steps turned to the left, leaving the wall and moving toward the middle along a path that strikes into a valley |
| 120 | Invisum usque illuc mittebat virus in ora. | whose stench, as it rose up, disgusted us. |
| INFERNORUM XI {11} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Præcelsæ extremam ripæ conscendimus oram, In gyrum quam rupta dabant ingentia saxa, Institimusque magis diras stipantibus arcis Pœnas. Atque hic horribili superante putoris |
Along the upper rim of a high bank formed by a ring of massive broken boulders, we came above a crowd more cruelly pent. And here, because of the outrageous stench |
| 5 | Afflatu, barathri quem eructant claustra profundi, Ad superimpendens immani accessimus urnæ Tegmen, ubi legere est : « Hic Papam ANASTASIUM intus Servo, PHOTINUS quem avertit tramite recto. » « Nunc descendendum est tarde, ut modicum ante mephiti |
thrown up in excess by that deep abyss, we drew back till we were behind the lid of a great tomb, on which I made out this, inscribed: “I hold Pope Anastasius, enticed to leave the true path by Photinus.” “It would be better to delay descent |
| 10 | Triste exhalanti sensus assuescere possint ; Dein pergamus iter securi. » Hæc ore magister. Tunc ego : « Quære aliquid », dixi, « quod damna rependat ; Incassum ne tempus eat. » « En scilicet istud Volvebam, » ille inquit, verbis et talibus infit : |
so that our senses may grow somewhat used to this foul stench; and then we can ignore it.” So said my master, and I answered him; “Do find some compensation, lest this time be lost.” And he: “You see, I’ve thought of that.” |
| 15 | « Fili, tergeminos intra saxa ista minores Esse orbes scito, decrescentesque gradatim, Ut quos nunc linquis. Sunt omnia plena scelestis Hæc loca damnatis ; verum ut cognoscere aventi Sit tibi sat spectare semel, nunc accipe, quare |
“My son, within this ring of broken rocks,” he then began, “there are three smaller circles; like those that you are leaving, they range down. Those circles are all full of cursed spirits; so that your seeing of them may suffice, |
| 20 | Quoque modo hi pressi jaceant. Injuria finis Nequitiæ omnigenæ est, Superorum quæ excitat iram. Hujus et omne genus finis contristat amara, Seu vis seu fraus est, læsorum pectora sensu. Sed quia fraus propria est hominis, plus tædet acerbe |
learn now the how and why of their confinement. Of every malice that earns hate in Heaven, injustice is the end; and each such end by force or fraud brings harm to other men. However, fraud is man’s peculiar vice; |
| 25 | Numen. Propterea labuntur in ima dolosi Tartara, pœnarumque illis crudelior imber Ingruit. At primus violentos distinet orbis Totus ; sed quia forte potest illata referri Vis ad tres, ternos in circos sæptus et apte |
God finds it more displeasing — and therefore, the fraudulent are lower, suffering more. The violent take all of the first circle; but since one uses force against three persons, that circle’s built of three divided rings. |
| 30 | Exstructus fuit. In regem omnipotentis Olympi, In se ipsum, inque sibi similes insurgere posset Vi quisquam, dico in caput horum, resque domumque, Ut te, si advertas, ratio manifesta docebit. Mors solet inferri per vim, per vulnera sæva |
To God and to one’s self and to one’s neighbor — I mean, to them or what is theirs — one can do violence, as you shall now hear clearly. Violent death and painful wounds may be |
| 35 | Vitæ ; fortunis per cladem, incendia, raptus Damna infligentes. Quare qui corpora mactat, Quique ferox cædit, populator, onustus abacta Qui exsultat præda, cuncti torquentur in orbe Primo, digesti in classes, et habent sua sæpta. |
inflicted on one’s neighbor; his possessions may suffer ruin, fire, and extortion; thus, murderers and those who strike in malice, as well as plunderers and robbers — these, in separated ranks, the first ring racks. |
| 40 | Fit quoque, ut in se aliquis violentus sæviat, aut res In proprias ; quare est par, sæpti ut in orbe secundi Frustra pæniteat, qui vestris se expulit oris, Qui indulget ludo atque æs fortunasque profundit, Fletque, ubi jucundam posset producere vitam. |
A man can set violent hands against himself or his belongings; so within the second ring repents, though uselessly, whoever would deny himself your world, gambling away, wasting his patrimony, and weeping where he should instead be happy. |
| 45 | Est inferre Deo vim, si quis corde negaret, Hunc esse in cælo, et maledicta atque impia verba Hunc contra effundat, naturam spernat et hujus ingenium, auctifica bonitate juvare paratum. Sæptum ideo minimum SODOMÆ imprimit atque CAORSÆ |
One can be violent against the Godhead, one’s heart denying and blaspheming Him and scorning nature and the good in her; so, with its sign, the smallest ring has sealed both Sodom and Cahors and all of those |
| 50 | Signum, spernentique Deum corde, ore fatenti. Fraudem, cuncta suo quæ rodit conscia morsu Pectora, tendit homo, quum hos et quum decipit illos Credentes nimis, atque ipsum, qui nomina scripta Non jacit in loculos. Ratio hæc postrema videtur |
who speak in passionate contempt of God. Now fraud, that eats away at every conscience, is practiced by a man against another who trusts in him, or one who has no trust. This latter way seems only to cut off |
| 55 | Altera mors homini, ob vinclum, quod provida nectit Natura. Hinc nidum sibi ponit in orbe secundo Religio simulata, loquens mellita, nocensque Arte maga, tum falsa serens, furtisve potitus, Qui sacra mercatur SIMONIS more profani, |
the bond of love that nature forges; thus, nestled within the second circle are; hypocrisy and flattery, sorcerers, and falsifiers, simony, and theft, |
| 60 | Leno, deceptor, similisque his sordida labes. Ast aliud fraudis genus illum spernit amorem, Quem natura creat, tum qui super additur, unde Priva fides manat. Quapropter in orbe minore, Est ubi terrestris compagis seque rotantum |
and barrators and panders and like trash. But in the former way of fraud, not only the love that nature forges is forgotten, but added love that builds a special trust; thus, in the tightest circle, where there is |
| 65 | Sphærarum centrum, cui Dis super insidet ingens, Consumptus jacet æternum, quicunque malignus Prodit. » Ego vero dixi : « Sat clara, magister, Hæc tua fit ratio, et recte distinguere visa est Hoc barathrum et populum, qui possidet ; at mihi solve |
the universe’s center, seat of Dis, all traitors are consumed eternally.” “Master, your reasoning is clear indeed,” I said; “it has made plain for me the nature of this pit and the population in it. |
| 70 | Hunc nodum : Illæ animæ, quas pinguia stagna paludis Claudunt, quasque agitant venti, et quas verberat imber, Quæque sibi occurrunt tam acri certamine linguæ, Cur non candenti potius torquentur in urbe, Si Deus has odit ? Sin contra est, tam aspera pœna |
But tell me: those the dense marsh holds, or those driven before the wind, or those on whom rain falls, or those who clash with such harsh tongues, why are they not all punished in the city of flaming red if God is angry with them? |
| 75 | Cur ipsas vexat ? » — Tunc is mihi talia reddit : « Cur præter solitum deliras pectore toto ? Mens quo abiit ? Num te fugiunt, tua quæ ethica tractat, Verbaque, ubi signat triplex genus ingeniorum, Quæ cælum haud patitur : suadentum inhonesta, ruentum |
And if He’s not, why then are they tormented?” And then to me, “Why does your reason wander so far from its accustomed course?” he said. “Or of what other things are you now thinking? Have you forgotten, then, the words with which your Ethics treats of those three dispositions that strike at Heaven’s will: incontinence |
| 80 | In Venerem aut in nequitiam, insanumque furorem More feræ ? Utque Deo minus est injuria præceps In Venerem rabies, speciem acquiritque minorem Opprobrii ? Illa tibi si hæret sententia, et illam Si bene perpendis ; memori et si mente recenses, |
and malice and mad bestiality? And how the fault that is the least condemned and least offends God is incontinence? If you consider carefully this judgment and call to mind the souls of upper Hell, |
| 85 | Respondit, qui sint extra urbem solvere jussi Pœnas, tum bene cognosces, quæ separet illas Causa grege a pravo istorum, et cur lenius illam Excruciet gentem judex regnator Olympi. » « O sol, qui morbum turbati luminis omnem |
who bear their penalties outside this city, you'll see why they have been set off from these unrighteous ones, and why, when heaven’s vengeance hammers at them, it carries lesser anger.” “O sun that heals all sight that is perplexed, |
| 90 | Sanas, sic animum comple, quæsita resolvens, Ut mihi non secus ambigere, ac dignoscere per me Sit volupe. At retro quoque nunc te verte parumper, » Dixi, « illuc rediens, ubi dicis fenus amorem Lædere divinum, nodumque resolve. » Poëta |
when I ask you, your answer so contents that doubting pleases me as much as knowing. Go back a little to that point,” I said, “where you told me that usury offends divine goodness; unravel now that knot.” |
| 95 | Sic : « Attendentem sophiæ doctrina docebit Passim a mente suum naturam ducere cursum Divina, tum et ab arte sua. Bene sique notabis, Quæ tibi Aristotelis physicis traduntur, et ista Si bene perspicias, multas evolvere chartas |
“Philosophy, for one who understands, points out, and not in just one place,” he said, “how nature follows — as she takes her course — the Divine Intellect and Divine Art; and if you read your Physics carefully, |
| 100 | Non erit, inveniesque, omnes contendere vires Vestram artem, ut sese naturæ accommodet, illam Usque sequi, a vetere ut discentis cura magistro Nunquam digreditur. Quare est ars vestra putanda Pæne Dei neptis. Porro per utramque necesse est |
not many pages from the start, you'll see that when it can, your art would follow nature, just as a pupil imitates his master; so that your art is almost God’s grandchild. From these two, art and nature, it is fitting, |
| 105 | (Usque a principio Genesin si mente revolvis), Ævum agere atque opibus vestram ditescere gentem. Et quia qui crescit positis in fenore nummis, Diversum molitus iter, præpostera captat, Per se naturam spernit, perque ejus alumnam, |
if you recall how Genesis begins, for men to make their way, to gain their living; and since the usurer prefers another pathway, he scorns both nature in herself |
| 110 | Spes sibi proponens alias, ac totus in illis. Sed jam carpe viam mecum ; juvat ire, micantes Jam cælum ascendunt pisces currusque Boötis impendet Cauro totus ; tum lenius illic Ardua præruptæ descendit semita rupis. » |
and art, her follower; his hope is elsewhere. But follow me, for it is time to move; the Fishes glitter now on the horizon all the Wain is spread out over Caurus; only beyond, can one climb down the cliff.” |
| INFERNORUM XII {12} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ille locus, quo nos lapsuri ex margine ripæ Venimus, asper erat, tum ab eo, qui insederat illic, Talis, ut aspectu quivis horresceret audax. Non secus ac rupes illa convulsa ruina, |
The place that we had reached for our descent along the bank was alpine; what reclined upon that bank would, too, repel all eyes. Just like the toppled mass of rock that struck — because of earthquake or eroded props — |
| 5 | Ob quam ATHESIM, citra fines illapsa TRIDENTI, Impulit in latus, aut quia vi succussa resedit Terra tremens, aut quod deerat fultura labanti ; Vertice enim a celso montis, qua ex parte recessit Mota, ad planitiem cautes sic nuda rigebat, |
the Adige on its flank, this side of Trent, where from the mountain top from which it thrust down to the plain, the rock is shattered so that it permits a path for those above; |
| 10 | Tantum aliquam ut daret illa viam loca summa tenenti. Hæc erat ex illo descensus copia saxo, Inque apice abruptæ ripai infamia CRETÆ Strata erat, in falsa quondam generata juvenca : Atque ubi nos vidit, rabido se dente momordit, |
such was the passage down to that ravine. And at the edge above the cracked abyss, there lay outstretched the infamy of Crete, conceived within the counterfeited cow; and, catching sight of us, he bit himself |
| 15 | Ut quos interius frangit furor improbus iræ. Hanc meus inclamans contra sophus : « Anne putabas, CECROPIUM huc venisse ducem, qui stipite cæsum Stravit apud superos ? Istinc jam comprime gressum, Belua ! Namque haud iste tuæ præcepta sororis |
like one whom fury devastates within. Turning to him, my sage cried out: “Perhaps you think this is the Duke of Athens here, who, in the world above, brought you your death. Be off, you beast; this man who comes has not been tutored by your sister; all he wants |
| 20 | Advenit edoctus, sed pœnas cernere vestras Fert animus. » Qualis, mortali ubi percitus ictu Se expediat vinclis, quo evadat, nescit, et istuc Emicat atque illuc taurus : sic ipse furentem Vidi semihominem discurrere MINOTAURUM. |
in coming here is to observe your torments.” Just as the bull that breaks loose from its halter the moment it receives the fatal stroke, and cannot run but plunges back and forth, so did I see the Minotaur respond; |
| 25 | Atque id ut advertit sapiens : « Aditum arripe », dixit ; « Nunc te, dum furiatus abit, descendere oportet. » Sic sumus aggressi, quod iter dabat ima petenti Congeries ea saxorum, quæ sæpe moveri Sub pedibus sensi, haud consueto pondere pressa. |
and my alert guide cried: “Run toward the pass; it’s better to descend while he’s berserk.” And so we made our way across that heap of stones, which often moved beneath my feet because my weight was somewhat strange for them. |
| 30 | Ibam multa putans, atque is : « Tibi mente reposta Forte ruina manet, cui custos illa ferina Ira sedet, modo quam exstinxi. Nunc impulit ultro Mens, ut te id doceam. Quo huc olim tempore veni, Nondum etiam ruerat commota hæc diruta rupes ; |
While climbing down, I thought. He said: “You wonder, perhaps, about that fallen mass, watched over by the inhuman rage I have just quenched. Now I would have you know: the other time that I descended into lower Hell, this mass of boulders had not yet collapsed; |
| 35 | At certe paulo ante, nisi me decipit error, Quam huc adventaret, magnam qui ex orbe superno Extorsit Diti prædam, jam alto undique fœda Vallis ita intremuit, raptum ut dulcedine amoris In Chaos antiquum mihi sit considere visum |
but if I reason rightly, it was just before the coming of the One who took from Dis the highest circle’s splendid spoils that, on all sides, the steep and filthy valley had trembled so, I thought the universe felt love (by which, as some believe, the world |
| 40 | Funditus omne, aliqui quoniam id venisse putarunt Sæpe ; atque ista vetus cautes in temporis illo Puncto hic atque alibi tali est revoluta ruina. Sed tu nunc oculos defige. Est proxima nigro Unda cruore fluens, ubi vasto ebullit in æstu, |
has often been converted into chaos); and at that moment, here as well as elsewhere, these ancient boulders toppled, in this way. But fix your eyes below, upon the valley, for now we near the stream of blood, where those |
| 45 | Vi quicunque aliis noceat. » Oh cæca cupido, Oh rabies vesana, brevi quæ hoc tempore vitæ Nos adeo exstimulas, male sic mersura per ævum Æternum ! — Hic amplam, quæ se sinuabat in arcum, Fossam cernere erat, veluti quam dixerat omnem |
who injure others violently, boil.” O blind cupidity and insane anger, which goad us on so much in our short life, then steep us in such grief eternally! I saw a broad ditch bent into an arc |
| 50 | Planitiem amplecti ductor prius. Inter et imas Radices ripæ et fossam agmine circumfusi CENTAURI huc illuc gestantes tela ruebant, Ut mos his fuerat venari lustra ferarum. Nosque ubi viderunt labentas vertice, quisque |
so that it could embrace all of that plain, precisely as my guide had said before; between it and the base of the embankment raced files of Centaurs who were armed with arrows, as, in the world above, they used to hunt. On seeing us descend, they all reined in; |
| 55 | Constitit, atque acie ex illa tres ilicet arcu Atque hastis prius electis excedere, et unus Inclamare procul : « Vos, qui descenditis, ad quam Venistis pœnam ? Istinc dicite, sin minus, arcu Ejaculor tenso. » Præceptor talia contra : |
and, after they had chosen bows and shafts, three of their number moved out from their ranks; and still far off, one cried: “What punishment do you approach as you descend the slope? But speak from there; if not, I draw my bow.” |
| 60 | « CHIRONI hæc istinc propius responsa dabuntur : In tua damna nimis semper tam prompta libido Ista fuit. » Tum me fodiens : « Hæc illius umbra est NESSI, inquit, qui olim pro ÆTOLIDE DEIANIRA Occubuit, cavitque idem, ne ita inultus obiret. |
My master told him: “We shall make reply only to Chiron, when we reach his side; your hasty will has never served you well.” Then he nudged me and said: “That one is Nessus, who died because of lovely Deianira and of himself wrought vengeance for himself. |
| 65 | Atque hic, qui medius demisso ad pectus inhæret Obtutu, sese inspiciens, est magnus alumnus Pelidis, CHIRON. Alter PHOLUS ille, sub acri Irarum fluctus tantos qui pectore volvit. Stant circum fossam innumeri, quascunque parati |
And in the middle, gazing at his chest, is mighty Chiron, tutor of Achilles; the third is Pholus, he who was so frenzied. And many thousands wheel around the moat, their arrows aimed at any soul that thrusts |
| 70 | Figere telo animas emersas sanguine plus, quam Sorte illis sua noxa dedit. » Nos illa ferarum Agmina, veloci cursu pollentia, adimus. Arma capit CHIRON, et posteriore sagittæ Crena usus, retro ad malas barbæ sibi silvam |
above the blood more than its guilt allots.” By now we had drawn near those agile beasts; Chiron drew out an arrow; with the notch, he parted his beard back upon his jaws. |
| 75 | Dimovit ; sed ubi os magno detexit hiatu, Edidit hæc sociis : « Nunquid sensistis, ut ille Pone sequens moveat quicquid pede tangit ? at istud Haud solet accidere a pedibus jam luce carentum. » Sed bonus huic contra dux, qui prope pectora stabat, |
When he’d uncovered his enormous mouth, he said to his companions: “Have you noticed how he who walks behind moves what he touches? Dead soles are not accustomed to do that.” And my good guide — now near the Centaur’s chest, |
| 80 | Qua duplex jungit natura hominemque feramque, Tunc ait : « Iste quidem vivit sic solus inopsque, Atque meus labor est huic tætram ostendere vallem. Nec jam sponte venit, Superum sed lege coactus. Talis mota loco est, ubi concinit alleluja, |
the place where his two natures met — replied; “He is indeed alive, and so alone it falls to me to show him the dark valley. Necessity has brought him here, not pleasure. For she who gave me this new task was one |
| 85 | Hoc dignata novum nobis committere munus. Non hic prædator, neque ego sum crimine vitæ Fœda anima impuræ. Quare nunc te oro per illam Virtutem, per quam fas est mihi tendere gressus Tam durum per iter, de vestra cede cohorte |
who had just come from singing halleluiah; he is no robber; I am not a thief. But by the Power that permits my steps to journey on so wild a path, give us one of your band, to serve as our companion; |
| 90 | Notum aliquem, cujus vestigia certa sequamur, Quique vadum monstret, detque huic insidere tergo, Huic, qui non umbra est assueta per aëra ferri. » Tum latus in dextrum convertit lumina CHIRON, Et NESSUM appellans dixit : « Vestigia retro |
and let him show us where to ford the ditch, and let him bear this man upon his back, for he’s no spirit who can fly through air.” Then Chiron wheeled about and right and said to Nessus: “Then, return and be their guide; |
| 95 | Tu relege, et sic hos duc, ut, si qua altera sistat Contra adversa acies, nulla obstet causa morandi. » Hoc duce sub fido fumantem legimus æstu Oram puniceo, plebes ubi cocta ciebat Immanes gemitus. Oculis tenus undique mersam |
if other troops disturb you, fend them off.” Now, with our faithful escort, we advanced along the bloodred, boiling ditch’s banks, beside the piercing cries of those who boiled. I saw some who were sunk up to their brows, |
| 100 | Aspexi gentem ; atque ingens hæc edidit ore Centaurus : « Sunt hi bacchati in cæde tyranni, Inque latrocinio. Hic veniunt lugenda feroci Damna illata manu. Manet hic PELLÆUS, et ille, Qui Siculis tristes tribuit, DIONYSIUS, annos ; |
and that huge Centaur said: “These are the tyrants who plunged their hands in blood and plundering. Here they lament their ruthless crimes; here are both Alexander and the fierce Dionysius, who brought such years of grief to Sicily. |
| 105 | Atque hic, sic nigris cui frons est horrida sætis, AZZOLINUS habet nomen, qui vertice flavam Alter cæsariem diffundit, OBICCIUS ille est Patria ATESTINUS, quem (assit reverentia vero) Mactatum superis privignus depulit oris. » |
That brow with hair so black is Ezzelino; that other there, the blonde one, is Obizzo of Este, he who was indeed undone, within the world above, by his fierce son.” |
| 110 | Tunc ego respexi vatem, atque ille ora resolvit : « Hic tibi nunc ductor sit primus, me adde secundum. » At paulo ulterius CENTAURUS lumina fixit In gentem, scatebris quæ exire vomentibus æstum Visa tenus colli est. Hic solam in parte reducta |
Then I turned to the poet, and he said; “Now let him be your first guide, me your second.” A little farther on, the Centaur stopped above a group that seemed to rise above the boiling blood as far up as their throats. |
| 115 | Ostendit nobis umbram, atque hæc insuper addit : « Numinis in gremio cor discidit ille, quod isto Tempore adhuc TAMESIS multo veneratur honore. » Præterea plures rubicundo in gurgite fossæ Aspexi capite exstantes et pectore toto ; |
He pointed out one shade, alone, apart, and said: “Within God’s bosom, he impaled the heart that still drips blood upon the Thames.” Then I caught sight of some who kept their heads and even their full chests above the tide; |
| 120 | Atque nimis multos istorum ex ordine novi. Sic magis atque magis subsidens sanguinis ille Fons ibat, plantas ut vix obduceret humor : Jamque hic fossa viam ostendit transire paratis. « Quanto ex parte vides hac plus decrescere semper », |
among them — many whom I recognized. And so the blood grew always shallower until it only scorched the feet; and here we found a place where we could ford the ditch. “Just as you see that, on this side, the brook |
| 125 | NESSUS ait, « scatebram, tanto te credere oportet Et magis atque magis deorsum fundi premere ima Ex alio, donec sese conjunxerit undæ, Sub qua mersatur lugere coacta tyrannis. Hic justa spreti cruciantur numinis ira |
continually thins,” the Centaur said, “so I should have you know the rivulet, along the other side, will slowly deepen its bed, until it reaches once again the depth where tyranny must make lament. |
| 130 | ATTILA, qui fuit in terris fatale flagellum, PYRRHUSque et SEXTUS, lacrimasque emungit in ævum Æternum dolor, undanti quas fundit in æstu, CORNETI crimen patriæ, RAINERIUS; astat PACCIA progenies, alter RAINERIUS ; ambo |
And there divine justice torments Attila he who was such a scourge upon the earth, and Pyrrhus, Sextus; to eternity it milks the tears that boiling brook unlocks from Rinier of Corneto, Rinier Pazzo, |
| 135 | Tanto infestantes bello insidiosa viarum. » Tergo deinde dato, remeat vada nota bimembris. |
those two who waged such war upon the highroads.” Then he turned round and crossed the ford again. |
| INFERNORUM XIII {13} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Nondum etiam NESSUS ripæ ulteriora tenebat, Quum sumus ingressi nullo tritam pede silvam. Non frondes virides, fusca at ferrugine tinctæ ; Non rami leves, at nodosi inque plicati ; |
Nessus had not yet reached the other bank when we began to make our way across a wood on which no path had left its mark. No green leaves in that forest, only black; no branches straight and smooth, but knotted, gnarled; |
| 5 | Non pomi stabant, spineta at plena veneno. Non ita habent rigidas stirpes, passimque frequentes, Quæ fugiunt odio silvestria sæcla ferarum, Inter CÆCINAM et CORNETUM culta locorum. Hic nidum obscenæ, strophadum quæ litore Teucros |
no fruits were there, but briers bearing poison. Even those savage beasts that roam between Cecina and Corneto, beasts that hate tilled lands, do not have holts so harsh and dense. This is the nesting place of the foul Harpies, |
| 10 | Omine terrifco damni pepulere futuri, HARPYIÆ ponunt. Latæ alæ, collaque et ora Humana, atque pedes unci, plumosaque magni Ventris erat moles, abnormibus insidentes Plantis dant questus. Tum doctor talia fundit : |
who chased the Trojans from the Strophades with sad foretelling of their future trials. Their wings are wide, their necks and faces human; their feet are taloned, their great bellies feathered; they utter their laments on the strange trees. |
| 15 | « Interiora priusquam tu penetralia silvæ Istius subeas, te devenisse secundum Circum, erraturumque istic jam scito, tremendæ Ad cumulos donec via te deducat arenæ. Propterea inspecta penitus ; namque ipse videbis |
And my kind master then instructed me; “Before you enter farther know that now you are within the second ring and shall be here until you reach the horrid sand; therefore look carefully; you'll see such things |
| 20 | His factura fidem, quæ sum sermone locutus. » Undique ploratus veniebant, undique fletus, Nec mihi cernere erat quemquam tam triste dolentem : Quare constiteram totus formidine torpens. Credo ego, MINCIADEM tum me venisse putasse |
as would deprive my speech of all belief.” From every side I heard the sound of cries, but I could not see any source for them, so that, in my bewilderment, I stopped. I think that he was thinking that I thought |
| 25 | Mentis in hunc sensum, ut tot rerer fundere voces Gentem, quæ hos inter ramos obtecta lateret Nos propter. Quare verbis est talibus usus : « Unam si obtrunces quavis ex arbore virgam, Quæ tu nunc animo reputas, mutilata labescent. » |
so many voices moaned among those trunks from people who had been concealed from us. Therefore my master said: “If you would tear a little twig from any of these plants, the thoughts you have will also be cut off.” |
| 30 | Tum paulum extendi dextram, magnoque revulsi Ex pruno exiguum ramum, et lacrimabile truncus Clamavit : « Cur me vellis ? » Sed sanguine ubi ater Factus erat, rursus : « Cur me decerpere gestis ? Nulla tuum pietas docuit miserescere pectus ? |
Then I stretched out my hand a little way and from a great thornbush snapped off a branch, at which its trunk cried out: “Why do you tear me?” And then, when it had grown more dark with blood, it asked again: “Why do you break me off? Are you without all sentiment of pity? |
| 35 | Quondam homines fuimus, qui nunc sub cortice stamus Mutati in stirpes. Certe exspectanda fuisset Hæc tua dextra magis flecti pietate parata, Anguigenas animas si nos gestare putasses. » At veluti in ramo viridi, cui flammeus ardor |
We once were men and now are arid stumps; your hand might well have shown us greater mercy had we been nothing more than souls of serpents.” As from a sapling log that catches fire |
| 40 | Summa urat capitis, tum pars extrema gementi Sibilat assimilis, vento exspiranteque stridet : Sic simul ex illo erumpebant fragmine verba, Et sanguis. Quare labentem vertice prono Demisi virgam, atque steti, ut qui territus hæret. |
along one of its ends, while at the other it drips and hisses with escaping vapor, so from that broken stump issued together both words and blood; at which I let the branch fall, and I stood like one who is afraid. |
| 45 | Si prius ex nostris potuisset credere verbis, Respondit sapiens, quæ oculis hic aspicit ipsis, « Læsa anima, haud unquam foret ausus tendere dextram In te. Incredibilis sed res me adducere suasit Hunc in opus, quod me pariter gravat. Ast age fare ; |
My sage said: “Wounded soul, if, earlier, he had been able to believe what he had only glimpsed within my poetry, then he would not have set his hand against you; but its incredibility made me urge him to do a deed that grieves me deeply. |
| 50 | Qui sis huic memora, ut pro, quo tua damna rependat, Munere, apud superos, ad quos remeare facultas Huic datur, ipse tuam jubeat revirescere famam. » Et truncus : « Tam dulce mihi sonat ista loquela, Ut tacitus nequeam vos mittere. Nec grave vobis |
But tell him who you were, so that he may, to make amends, refresh your fame within the world above, where he can still return.” To which the trunk: “Your sweet speech draws me so that I cannot be still; and may it not |
| 55 | Sit, si qua alliciat me, dicere pauca, cupido. Ille ego sum, claves qui quondam nactus utrasque, Queis FRIDRICI animum noram me posse potiri, Nunc claudens, modo recludens ita suaviter ambas Verti, ut summorim cunctos, cui sensa solebat |
oppress you, if I linger now in talk. I am the one who guarded both the keys of Frederick’s heart and turned them, locking and unlocking them with such dexterity that none but I could share his confidence; |
| 65 | Credere ; et explevi tam fidus nobile munus, Ut me deficerent somni, et vis vivida pulsus. At meretrix, oculos avertere visa protervos Cæsaris hospitio nunquam, commune sepulcrum, Et vitia aularum, flammis ardentibus omnes |
and I was faithful to my splendid office, so faithful that I lost both sleep and strength. The whore who never turned her harlot’s eyes away from Caesar’s dwelling, she who is the death of all and vice of every court, |
| 65 | Accendit mentes in me, queis pectora flammis Incensa Augustum sic incendere, beatos Ut mihi conversos in tristia tempora honores Flerem. Animusque avidus vesanam ulciscier iram, Atque hunc posse ratus prævertere morte furorem, |
inflamed the minds of everyone against me; and those inflamed, then so inflamed Augustus that my delighted honors turned to sadness. My mind, because of its disdainful temper, believing it could flee disdain through death, |
| 70 | Contra me justum me injuste surgere jussit. Per ligni istius radices juro novellas, Me nunquam violasse fidem præclara merenti Præmia tot laudum domino. Atque evadere ad auras Si cui fas vestrum est superas, det surgere nomen, |
made me unjust against my own just self. I swear to you by the peculiar roots of this thornbush, I never broke my faith with him who was so worthy — with my lord. If one of you returns into the world, |
| 75 | Atque meam famam quoque nunc post illa jacentem Vulnera, quæ inflixit meritis turba invida nostris. » Paulisper stetit attendens, deinde ora resolvit Sic doctor : « Quoniam tacet is, ne labier horam Incassum sine, sed loquere et, quæ scire laboras, |
then let him help my memory, which still lies prone beneath the battering of envy.” The poet waited briefly, then he said to me: “Since he is silent, do not lose this chance, but speak and ask what you would know.” |
| 80 | Ipse roga. » Sed ego hunc contra sum talibus orsus : « Tu quoque fac rogites, si quid mihi posse putabis Sat facere ; ipse etenim impedior, sic opprimit angor Cor miserans. » Iterum hic cœpit : « Sic iste capessat Ingenue, quæ verba orant tua, carcere in arcto |
And I: “Do you continue; ask of him whatever you believe I should request; I cannot, so much pity takes my heart.” Then he began again: “Imprisoned spirit, so may this man do freely what you ask, |
| 85 | O anima inclusa, haud quærenti tædeat unum Hoc pariter monstrare mihi, qui fiat, ut istis Vincta anima in nodis habitet, vel, si qua facultas Est tibi, dic mihi, num ex membris sese ulla resolvat Talibus » : Interea magno conamine truncus |
may it please you to tell us something more of how the soul is bound into these knots; and tell us, if you can, if any one can ever find his freedom from these limbs.” At this the trunk breathed violently, then |
| 90 | Exspirare animam venti se vertere in istas Voces : « Hæc breviter vobis responsa dabuntur. Ut primum membris animæ effera vita recedit Corporis, unde suis se avulsit viribus usa, Tartarei hanc barathri Minos in septima sæpta |
that wind became this voice: “You shall be answered promptly. When the savage spirit quits the body from which it has torn itself, then Minos sends it to the seventh maw. |
| 95 | Mittit, et hæc cadit in silvam, nec certa parata est Sedes ; et quocunque illam sors projicit, illic Permanet, utque zeæ granum sua germina trudit. Deinde in virgultum plantamque assurgit agrestem. Pascunt HARPYIÆ frondes, acremque dolorem |
It falls into the wood, and there’s no place to which it is allotted, but wherever fortune has flung that soul, that is the space where, even as a grain of spelt, it sprouts. It rises as a sapling, a wild plant; and then the Harpies, feeding on its leaves, |
| 100 | Ingeminant, latam huic dantes simul ore fenestram. Corporis exuvias nostri, ceu cetera turba, Nos quoque sumpturi pariter veniemus ; at illas Induere haud dabitur ; neque enim est res æqua tenere Quemquam, sponte sibi quæ adimit. Raptabimus ipsas |
cause pain and for that pain provide a vent. Like other souls, we shall seek out the flesh that we have left, but none of us shall wear it; it is not right for any man to have what he himself has cast aside. We'll drag |
| 105 | Huc, et per mæstam pendebunt corpora silvam. Unumquodque illi pruno appendetur, ubi umbræ Cogitur indoluisse suæ. » — Nos ora tenentes Intenti stabamus adhuc, utrique putantes Plura locuturum truncum, quum murmur ad aures |
our bodies here; they’ll hang in this sad wood, each on the stump of its vindictive shade.” And we were still intent upon the trunk — believing it had wanted to say more — when we were overtaken by a roar, |
| 110 | Attonitis venit, velut illi, qui impete magno In se conversum nemorosis vallibus aprum Erupisse audit, strepitumque exterritus haurit Latrantumque canum turbatæque undique silvæ. Atque ecce, ecce duo lævo descendere clivo, |
just as the hunter is aware of chase and boar as they draw near his post — he hears the beasts and then the branches as they crack. And there upon the left were two who, scratched |
| 115 | Ambo nudati, fœdatique unguibus artus, Tam celeri elapsi cursu, ut ramalia silvæ Obvia dejicerent. Tum qui prior incitus ibat : « Mors, occurre mini, mihi mors, occurre ! » fremebat ; Atque alter nimium lente sibi currere visus : |
and naked, fled so violently that they tore away each forest bough they passed. The one in front: “Now come, death, quickly come!” The other shade, who thought himself too slow, |
| 120 | « Non ita pernices plantæ tibi, LANE, fuerunt, Quum te in TOPPIACIS agitarunt prœlia campis. » Et quia forte, anima jam deficiente, fefellit Hunc vigor ; ipse sui tum cæspitis objice nodum Implicuit. Post hos resonabat plena nigrarum |
was shouting after him: “Lano, your legs were not so nimble at the jousts of Toppo!” And then, perhaps because he’d lost his breath, he fell into one tangle with a bush. Behind these two, black bitches filled the wood, |
| 125 | Ore inhiante canum cupido, rapideque ruentum Silva. Illæ, veluti demptis venatica vinclis Turba furens, dentes misere latentis in artus, Quumque in frusta ipsum solvissent morsibus aspris, Mox illos secum simul arripuere dolentes |
and they were just as eager and as swift as greyhounds that have been let off their leash. They set their teeth in him where he had crouched; and, piece by piece, those dogs dismembered him and carried off his miserable limbs. |
| 130 | Artus. — At dextra prensum me protinus egit Dux, ubi mittebat cæspes per rupta cruentis Vimina vulneribus gemitus lamentaque vana. « O JACOB, toto dicebat pectore clamans, De Sancto Andrea, quid te quæsisse salutem |
Then he who was my escort took my hand; he led me to the lacerated thorn that wept in vain where it was bleeding, broken. “O Jacopo,” it said, “da Santo Andrea, what have you gained by using me as screen? |
| 135 | Juvit me opposito ? Tibi si turpissima vita Acta fuit, quodnam tantum mihi crimen in illa est ? » Ipsum ubi præceptor super astitit, ora resolvit : « Qui fueris, memora, o qui tot per vulnera fissus Exspiras lugubre gemens cum sanguine carmen. » |
Am I to blame for your indecent life?” When my good master stood beside that bush, he said: “Who were you, who through many wounds must breathe with blood your melancholy words?” |
| 140 | Ille autem : « O animæ, quæ istas venistis in oras, Visuræ nostras tam inhonestis undique sparsas Excidiis frondes, vos illas cogite in unum Cæspitis ante pedes tristis. Prognatus in illa Urbe fui, domino quæ suffecisse priori |
And he to us: “O spirits who have come to witness the outrageous laceration that leaves so many of my branches torn, collect them at the foot of this sad thorn. My home was in the city whose first patron gave way to John the Baptist; for this reason, |
| 145 | Baptistam fertur. Quare ipsam tempus in omne Efficiet tristem arte sua, et nisi signa manerent Nunc aliqua ex illo glaucus qua profluit Arnus, Qui supra cineres olim, quos Attila liquit, Hanc struxere iterum, vidissent ire labores |
he’ll always use his art to make it sorrow; and if — along the crossing of the Arno — some effigy of Mars had not remained, those citizens who afterward rebuilt their city on the ashes that Attila had left to them, would have travailed in vain. |
| 150 | Incassum. Ipse meis pro furca sum ædibus usus. » | I made — of my own house — my gallows place.” |
| INFERNORUM XIV {14} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Patria me postquam pietas distrinxit, in unum Dispersas mihi cura fuit conjungere frondes, Reddere et huic jam tum fracto. Devenimus inde Ad finem, unde orbis discindit sæpta secundi, |
Love of our native city overcame me; I gathered up the scattered boughs and gave them back to him whose voice was spent already. From there we reached the boundary that divides the second from the third ring — and the sight |
| 5 | Horribiles justi qui ostendit vindicis artes Tertius. At nova sat claris ut pandere verbis Copia sit, dicam nos descendisse patentem In campum, cui cuncta suo plantaria strato Amovet. Hunc tristi præcingit silva corona, |
of a dread work that justice had devised. To make these strange things clear, I must explain that we had come upon an open plain that banishes all green things from its bed. The wood of sorrow is a garland round it, |
| 10 | Ut funesta palus ipsam, pesque unus et alter Ægre hæsit stringens nemus. Arida spissaque arena Stratum erat, haud aliter quam quæ pede pressa CATONIS. Ultrix ira Dei, quam es formidanda legenti Hæc oculis manifesta meis, quæ mente notavi ! |
just as that wood is ringed by a sad channel; here, at the very edge, we stayed our steps. The ground was made of sand, dry and compact, a sand not different in kind from that on which the feet of Cato had once tramped. O vengeance of the Lord, how you should be dreaded by everyone who now can read whatever was made manifest to me! |
| 15 | Multos stare greges animarum veste videbam Nudos, atque omnes valde miserabile flentes ; Qui mihi sunt visi diversa lege teneri. Nam resupina solo gens quædam strata jacebat ; Quædam sede sedens, arcte contractaque stabat ; |
I saw so many flocks of naked souls, all weeping miserably, and it seemed that they were ruled by different decrees. Some lay upon the ground, flat on their backs; some huddled in a crouch, and there they sat; |
| 20 | Altera continuo gens ibat concita motu. Quæ circumit, major multo, minor altera pœnæ Subdita : at ista magis solvebat frena dolori Allapsu lento flammarum expansa pluebant Vellera, arenosus campus quacunque patescit, |
and others moved about incessantly. The largest group was those who walked about, the smallest, those supine in punishment; but these had looser tongues to tell their torment. Above that plain of sand, distended flakes of fire showered down; their fall was slow — |
| 25 | Nix alpina velut, nullis spirantibus auris. Quales, assiduo qua torrida fervet ab æstu India, militibus Pellæis incidere ignes Vidit ALEXANDER, solidosque incumbere terræ ; Quare provisens, juncto simul agmine, jussit |
as snow descends on alps when no wind blows. Just like the flames that Alexander saw in India’s hot zones, when fires fell, intact and to the ground, on his battalions, for which — wisely — he had his soldiers tramp |
| 30 | Conculcare solum pedibus, nam posse vaporem Noverat exstingui melius, dum solus adurit : Talis erat sine more furens delapsus ab alto Æternus calor, unde omnis flagrabat arena, Supposita ut silici excussæ succenditur esca, |
the soil to see that every fire was spent before new flames were added to the old; so did the never-ending heat descend; with this, the sand was kindled just as tinder on meeting flint will flame — doubling the pain. |
| 35 | Duplice ut excruciet pœna. Pax nulla dabatur, Nulla quies misere compulsis ludere ludum Continuum manibus, nunc hinc nunc inde repulsa Ut vis usque recens ardoris longius iret. Tunc ego : « Præceptor, cui fas est vincere cuncta, |
The dance of wretched hands was never done; now here, now there, they tried to beat aside the fresh flames as they fell. And I began to speak: “My master, you who can defeat |
| 40 | Præter durorum præcordia Dæmoniorum, Surgere quæ vidi nos contra in limine portæ, Quisnam est ille ingens, qui non curare videtur Flammas, et jacet insultans, transversa tuendo, Ut mihi sit visus nondum mitescere ab imbre ? » |
all things except for those tenacious demons who tried to block us at the entryway, who is that giant there, who does not seem to heed the singeing — he who lies and scorns and scowls, he whom the rains can’t seem to soften?” |
| 45 | Isque, ubi me sensit scitantem nomen, et ausa A doctore sua, exclamans hæc pectore fudit : « Qualis ego vixi, talis post funera persto. Si fabrum ipse suum delasset JUPPITER, a quo Ira excandescens accepit fulmen acutum, |
And he himself, on noticing that I was querying my guide about him, cried; “That which I was in life, I am in death. Though Jove wear out the smith from whom he took, in wrath, the keen-edged thunderbolt with which |
| 50 | Quo me percussit postremo tempore vitæ ; Perque vicem in nigris reliquos fornacibus Ætnæ Ipse fatigaret, ‹ fer opem, faber optime, opem fer, VULCANE ›, exclamans, veluti in certamine Phlegræ, Inque caput totis jaculetur viribus ignes, |
on my last day I was to be transfixed; or if he tire the others, one by one, in Mongibello, at the sooty forge, while bellowing: ‘O help, good Vulcan, help!’ — just as he did when there was war at Phlegra — and casts his shafts at me with all his force, |
| 55 | Post pœnas ultor sane non lætus abiret. » Tales flammato tum rupit pectore voces Dux meus, ut nunquam verbis sic acribus usum Audierim : « Quoniam mentis furor iste superbæ Non deflagrat adhuc, ideo majore gravaris, |
not even then would he have happy vengeance.” Then did my guide speak with such vehemence as I had never heard him use before; “O Capaneus, for your arrogance that is not quenched, you're punished all the more; |
| 60 | O CAPANEU, pœna. Pœnarum copia nulla Tanta, tuam præter rabiem, foret apta dolorem Incussisse, tuo qui det completa furori Vulnera. » Dein placide vultu meliore loquelam In me convertens dixit : « Fuit ille tyrannis |
no torture other than your own madness could offer pain enough to match your wrath.” But then, with gentler face he turned to me and said: “That man was one of seven kings |
| 65 | Unus de septem Thebas obsidere adortis, Atque odio hic habuit Superos, et habere videtur, Et curare parum. Verum ut me dicere dudum Audieras, isti, quos nunc fovet ipse, furores Ornamenta animæ nimium sunt debita atroci. |
besieging Thebes; he held — and still, it seems, holds — God in great disdain, disprizing Him; but as I told him now, his maledictions sit well as ornaments upon his chest. |
| 70 | Nunc sequere, atque cave arenti vestigia arenæ Defigas, sed stringe nemus. » — Devenimus illuc, Parvus ubi silva decurrens labitur amnis, Cujus adhuc horret mea mens meminisse ruborem. Qualis de scatebra Viterbi rivulus exit, |
Now follow me and — take care — do not set your feet upon the sand that’s burning hot, but always keep them back, close to the forest.” In silence we had reached a place where flowed a slender watercourse out of the wood — a stream whose redness makes me shudder still. As from the Bulicame pours a brook |
| 75 | Quem sibi scorta solent partiri ; talis arena Hac unda emergens ibat. Sinus illius imus, Tum geminæ ripæ, tum marginis utraque labra Naturam induerant lapidis ; quare esse putavi Hac iter. « Ex cunctis, quæ ostendi plurima, postquam |
whose waters then are shared by prostitutes, so did this stream run down across the sand. Its bed and both its banks were made of stone, together with the slopes along its shores, so that I saw our passageway lay there. “Among all other things that I have shown you |
| 80 | Nos sumus ingressi portam, quæ limina nulli Obserat, haud ulla est unquam sic digna notari Res oculis inspecta tuis, ut rivulus iste, Qui super allapsas quascunque exstinguere flammas Est potis. » Ista meus fundebat ab ore magister. |
since we first made our way across the gate whose threshold is forbidden to no one, no thing has yet been witnessed by your eyes as notable as this red rivulet, which quenches every flame that burns above it.” These words were spoken by my guide; at this, |
| 85 | Tum prece persuasi largiri pabula, amorem Qui largitus erat. Dedit hæc response rogatus : « In medio vastata mari sedet insula, CRETAM Appellant, cujus sub rege fuisse pudicus Narratur mundus. Vi quondam lætus aquarum, |
I begged him to bestow the food for which he had already given me the craving. “A devastated land lies in midsea, a land that is called Crete,” he answered me. “Under its king the world once lived chastely. |
| 90 | Frondibus et patulis mons surgit, et IDALOS isti Nomen erat, nunc stat, ceu res corrupta senecta, Desertus, quem RHEA sibi cunabula nati Fida sui legit. Melius rata condere furtum Posse ibi, quum flebat, cava tympana, et æra jubebat |
Within that land there was a mountain blessed with leaves and waters, and they called it Ida; but it is withered now like some old thing. It once was chosen as a trusted cradle by Rhea for her son; to hide him better, when he cried out, she had her servants clamor. |
| 95 | Edere tinnitus. Manet intra viscera montis Ingens, arrectus, DAMIATÆ immania tollens Terga adversa senex, prospectans mœnia Romæ, Ut speculum. Vertex ex auro divite, pectus Bracchiaque argento ex puro, deinde ære rigenti |
Within the mountain is a huge Old Man, who stands erect — his back turned toward Damietta — and looks at Rome as if it were his mirror. The Old Man’s head is fashioned of fine gold, the purest silver forms his arms and chest, |
| 100 | Cuncta ipsi constant tenus inguinis ; omnia ferro Electo inferius, præter pedis infima dextri, Qui terra conflatus erat, quam coxerat ignis. Plus huic insistit, quam lævo erectus, et ejus Pars quævis, auro excepto, disrupta fatiscit |
but he is made of brass down to the cleft; below that point he is of choicest iron except for his right foot, made of baked clay; and he rests more on this than on the left. Each part of him, except the gold, is cracked; |
| 105 | Rima, quæ exstillat lacrimis. Junguntur in unum Hæ guttæ, atque illud vis harum perfodit antrum. Quarum decursus vallem se immittit in illam, Unde ACHERON, PHLEGETHONque oritur, STYGIÆque paludis Lenta vada, atque eadem hoc arcto ruit unda canali |
and down that fissure there are tears that drip; when gathered, they pierce through that cavern’s floor and, crossing rocks into this valley, form the Acheron and Styx and Phlegethon; and then they make their way down this tight channel, |
| 110 | Usque illuc, unde ulterius descendere non est ; COCYTUM et facit, et quæ sint ea stagna videbis ; Propterea ulteriora tibi nunc dicere parco. » Illi ego : « Si, modicis qui nunc it rivulus undis, Nostro ita ab orbe oritur, cur solum apparet in ista, |
and at the point past which there’s no descent, they form Cocytus ; since you are to see what that pool is, I’ll not describe it here.” And I asked him: “But if the rivulet must follow such a course down from our world, |
| 115 | Quam sumus aggressi, ripa ? » Is mihi talia reddit : « Tu scis hoc spatium gyro constare rotundo, Et quamvis longo processeris intervallo Semper descendens lævus, loca quum infima adimus, Nondum circuitum totum pes noster obivit ; |
why can we see it only at this boundary?” And he to me: “You know this place is round; and though the way that you have come is long, and always toward the left and toward the bottom, you still have not completed all the circle; |
| 120 | Hinc ; si qua apparet novitas, absiste moveri. » Rursum ego : « Ubi flumen PHLEGETHON, ubi sunt vada LETHÆ ? Unum namque taces, illumque hoc crescere ab imbre Dixisti. » « Tua cuncta quidem quæsita fuere, Suntque mihi jucunda, » inquit ; « tamen æstus aquarum |
so that, if something new appears to us, it need not bring such wonder to your face.” And I again: “Master, where’s Phlegethon and where is Lethe? You omit the second and say this rain of tears has formed the first.” “I’m pleased indeed,” he said, “with all your questions; |
| 125 | Rubrarum poterat quæsitum solvere primum. Aspicies LETHEN simul atque evadere ab ista Fas fuerit fossa, quo fit concursus ad undas, Postquam corda terens dolor imus rite removit Culpas, approperantque animæ veniuntque lavatum. |
yet one of them might well have found its answer already — when you saw the red stream boiling. You shall see Lethe, but past this abyss, there where the spirits go to cleanse themselves when their repented guilt is set aside.” |
| 130 | Sed jam tempus erit silva discedere », dixit ; « Tu fac nostra retro veniens vestigia serves. Dant non usta viam tibi ripæ labra, superque Postremas oras omnis restinguitur ardor. » |
Then he declared: “The time has come to quit this wood; see that you follow close behind me; these margins form a path that does not scorch, and over them, all flaming vapor is quenched.” |
| INFERNORUM XV {15} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Nunc de marginibus duris nos prendimus unum, Caligansque amnis fumus sic desuper umbrat, Ut defendat aquis, et claustris aggeris ignem. Qualia, ab undarum metuentes impete, Belgæ |
Now one of the hard borders bears us forward; the river mist forms shadows overhead and shields the shores and water from the fire. Just as between Wissant and Bruges, the Flemings, in terror of the tide that floods toward them, |
| 5 | Munimenta struunt inter Guzzanta Brugasque, Objice quo incurrens fluctus maris inde recedat ; Qualia Trojano prognati Antenore cives, Distenti studio rura et castella tuendi, Medoacum propter, solaria tela priusquam |
have built a wall of dykes to daunt the sea; and as the Paduans, along the Brenta, build bulwarks to defend their towns and castles before the dog days fall on Carentana; |
| 10 | Alpes sentire incipiant : sub imagine tali Illa assurgebant, quamvis minus alta minusque Ample esset moles ; quisquis sit, qui arte magister Hoc exegit opus. — Silva jamque ipse relicta Cum duce, tantum aberam, ut nequaquam nosse daretur, |
just so were these embankments, even though they were not built so high and not so broad, whoever was the artisan who made them. By now we were so distant from the wood that I should not have made out where it was — |
| 15 | Quo devenissem, licet observata retrorsum Signa requisissem, veniens quum offendimus agmen Umbrarum propter lapidosas aggeris oras, Nos oculis lustrans, veluti sub luce novellæ Lunæ se alterni, post facta crepuscula noctis, |
not even if I’d turned around to look — when we came on a company of spirits who made their way along the bank; and each stared steadily at us, as in the dusk, beneath the new moon, men look at each other. |
| 20 | Obscuri inspiciunt ; aciem et figebat utramque Quisque, senex ut sutor acus in tenue foramen. Haud aliter tali nos vestigante caterva, Me quidam adveniens novit, limboque prehendit Vestis et : « Oh, monstri quid tu ? » clamavit. Ubi ille |
They knit their brows and squinted at us — just as an old tailor at his needle’s eye. And when that family looked harder, I was recognized by one, who took me by the hem and cried out: “This is marvelous!” |
| 25 | Bracchia me contra protendit, figere cœpi Intentos oculos hominem coctum igne pererrans, Ustus ut aspectus minus hunc defendere quisset, Quin internorit nostræ vis conscia mentis : Declinansque manum ad vultum illius, ora resolvi : |
That spirit having stretched his arm toward me, I fixed my eyes upon his baked, brown features, so that the scorching of his face could not prevent my mind from recognizing him; and lowering my face to meet his face, |
| 30 | « Hic te, BRUNETTE, invenio ? » Tunc ille : « Molestum Ne tibi sit, fili, paulum vestigia retro Si tecum fert BRUNETTUS, quem vestra LATINI Terra vocat, reliquamque sinit procedere turbam. » Illi ego : « Te vero id precibus majoribus oro. |
I answered him: “Are you here, Ser Brunetto?” And he: “My son, do not mind if Brunetto Latino lingers for a while with you and lets the file he’s with pass on ahead.” I said: “With all my strength I pray you, stay; |
| 35 | Quod si forte cupis me tecum hac sidere ripa, Id faciam, dum isti placeat, quocum ire necesse est. » « O fili, quisquis subsistit de grege nostro Vel minimum », dixit, « centenos procubat annos, Quin queat obnitens manibus prohibere favillas. |
and if you'd have me rest awhile with you, I shall, if that please him with whom I go.” “O son,” he said, “whoever of this flock stops but a moment, stays a hundred years and cannot shield himself when fire strikes. |
| 40 | Quare i præ ; ipse latus stringens sequar, atque catervam Deinde meam repetam cursu, sua damna dolentem Æterna. » Haud me animus descendere calle sinebat, Ut pariter graderer ; cervice at cernuus ibam, Atque observanti similis. Tum talibus infit : |
Therefore move on; below — but close —I'll follow; and then I shall rejoin my company, who go lamenting their eternal sorrows.” I did not dare to leave my path for his own level; but I walked with head bent low |
| 45 | « Quæ sors aut fatum ante extremam funeris horam Te tulit huc ? Quisnam iste, viam qui monstrat eunti ? » Huic ego : « Apud Superos fruerer quum luce serena, » Respondi, « vallem deveni devius, ante Quam cursum vitæ plenum confecerit ætas. |
as does a man who goes in reverence. And he began: “What destiny or chance has led you here below before your last day came, and who is he who shows the way?” “There, in the sunlit life above,” I answered, “before my years were full, I went astray within a valley. Only yesterday |
| 50 | Huic mane hesterno solus dare terga studebam. Quumque redire illuc cœpissem, hic tempore in illo Affuit, atque domum per callem hunc me ipse reducit. » Is mihi : « Ubi, quod iter monstrat tua stella, sequaris, Nobilis haud poterit te famæ fallere portus, |
at dawn I turned my back upon it — but when I was newly lost, he here appeared, to guide me home again along this path.” And he to me: “If you pursue your star, you cannot fail to reach a splendid harbor, |
| 55 | Si bene id agnovi jucundæ tempore vitæ. Et nisi tam subito clausissem lumina morte, Quum tibi vidissem cælum sic esse benignum, Incepti hortator quoque consiliumque fuissem. Ast ille ingratus populus mentisque malignæ, |
if in fair life, I judged you properly; and if I had not died too soon for this, on seeing Heaven was so kind to you, I should have helped sustain you in your work. But that malicious, that ungrateful people |
| 60 | Editus antiqua FÆSULA qui ab origine venit Hactenus atque tenet montana et saxea corda, Sæpe tibi infestus propter benefacta redibit, Exercens odio ; ac merito, neque enim aspera ficum Inter sorba decet dulci ditescere fructu. |
came down, in ancient times, from Fiesole — still keeping something of the rock and mountain — for your good deeds, will be your enemy; and there is cause — among the sour sorbs, the sweet fig is not meant to bear its fruit. |
| 65 | Fama vetus cæcum hunc vocat. Invida, avara, superba Gens est ; fac præstes te purum moribus horum. Sed tantum fortuna tibi tua servat honorem, Esurie ut superante tui pars utraque sit te Optatura ; sed a rostro fiet procul herba. |
The world has long since called them blind, a people presumptuous, avaricious, envious; be sure to cleanse yourself of their foul ways. Your fortune holds in store such honor for you, one party and the other will be hungry for you — but keep the grass far from the goat. |
| 70 | Ipsa sibi de se FÆSULANA animalia stramen Efficiant, et si qua sua inter stercora planta Surgit adhuc, illam parcant contingere, ubi almum Semen Romulidum reliquum, cunabula postquam Nequitiæ tantæ fuerunt fabricata, revivat. » |
For let the beasts of Fiesole find forage among themselves, and leave the plant alone — if still, among their dung, it rises up — in which there lives again the sacred seed of those few Romans who remained in Florence when such a nest of wickedness was built.” |
| 75 | « Totum, » huic respondi, « si plane habitura fuissent Vota mea eventum, nondum natura fuisset Jussa tua exilio mortalia linquere sæcla. Nam subit, atque mihi cor imum affligit imago Cara paterna tui, crebro præclara docentis, |
“If my desire were answered totally,” I said to Ser Brunetto, “you'd still be among, not banished from, humanity. Within my memory is fixed — and now moves me — your dear, your kind paternal image |
| 80 | Dum vesci in terra licuit vitalibus auris, Ut scirem, quo quisque modo sua nomina in ævum Æternum extendat. Quare quam grata voluntas Me tibi conjungat, dum stat mihi vita, necesse est, Per nostram ut possit quivis id noscere linguam. |
when, in the world above, from time to time you taught me how man makes himself eternal; and while I live, my gratitude for that must always be apparent in my words. |
| 85 | Quæ cursu narras de nostro, hæc tradere scriptis Appropero, atque alio libro illustranda relinquo Cuncta meæ Dominæ ; si coram astare licebit, Hæc sciet. Id tantum cupio tibi pandere aperte : Dum mihi non latret verbis mens conscia amaris, |
What you have told me of my course, I write; I keep it with another text, for comment by one who’ll understand, if I may reach her. One thing alone I’d have you plainly see; so long as I am not rebuked by conscience, |
| 90 | Insistam, quodcunque velit fortuna, paratus Carpere iter ; neque enim novus auribus arrabo nostris Surgit. At ipsa suns orbes fortuna, bubulcus Pro libito verset rastros. » — Tum vertere malam Præceptor dextram retro, et me respicere, atque hos |
I stand prepared for Fortune, come what may. My ears find no new pledge in that prediction; therefore, let Fortune turn her wheel as she may please, and let the peasant turn his mattock.” At this, my master turned his head around |
| 95 | Reddere deinde sonos : « Bene is audit, qui notat aure Percepta. » Haud tamen interea sermone rogare BRUNETTUM absisto socios hoc carcere clausos, Quorum fama magis micet, et tollatur in altum. Is mihi : « Scire bonum est aliquos ; laudabile lingua |
and toward the right, and looked at me and said; “He who takes note of this has listened well.” But nonetheless, my talk with Ser Brunetto continues, and I ask of him who are his comrades of repute and excellence. And he to me: “To know of some is good; |
| 100 | Præteriisse alios ; tot enim me nomina fantem Tempus deficeret. Scito, esse ex ordine cunctos, Cui nudata pilis capitis cutis explicat orbem, Multos doctrina insignes, magnoque decore, Turpiter in terris maculatos crimine eodem. |
but for the rest, silence is to be praised; the time we have is short for so much talk. In brief, know that my company has clerics and men of letters and of fame — and all were stained by one same sin upon the earth. |
| 105 | Illa PRISCIANUS cum turba incedit, in illa est Editus ACCURSI FRANCISCUS. Cernere quissem, Si mihi cura hujus porriginis ulla fuisset, Illum, quem Servus servorum jusserat Arnum Permutare oris Retronis, ubi male tensos |
That sorry crowd holds Priscian and Francesco d’Accorso; and among them you can see, if you have any longing for such scurf, the one the Servant of His Servants sent from the Arno to the Bacchiglione’s banks, |
| 110 | Is liquit nervos. Memorarem plura ; at eundi Longius et fandi ulterius me copia fugit. Namque novum video fumum consurgere arena, Et gens adventat, quacum simul esse vetamur. Thesauri tibi cura mei sit sedula, in illo |
and there he left his tendons strained by sin. I would say more; but both my walk and words must not be longer, for — beyond —I see new smoke emerging from the sandy bed. Now people come with whom I must not be. Let my Tesoro, in which I still live, |
| 115 | Vivus adhuc spiro, neque te orans plura morabor. » Tergo deinde dato, vestigia flammea flexit, Ut qui Veronæ tendunt celeri pede cursum Per campum, viridis certantes vincere panni Præmia, et ex istis, cui dat victoria laudem |
be precious to you; and I ask no more.” And then he turned and seemed like one of those who race across the fields to win the green cloth at Verona; of those runners, he |
| 120 | Visus erat similis, non cui pes cessat in auso. | appeared to be the winner, not the loser. |
| INFERNORUM XVI {16} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ventum erat in partes, ubi aquæ labentis in orbem Suppositum strepitus nostras ita perculit aures, Ut, quod plena solent alvearia mittere, murmur ; Quum simulacra simul vidi tria devia cursu |
No sooner had I reached the place where one could hear a murmur, like a beehive’s hum, of waters as they fell to the next circle, when, setting out together, three shades ran, |
| 5 | Deseruisse agmen sub diro evadere nimbo Supplicii properans, et nobis obvia ferri. Singula clamabant : « Siste, o, quem prodit amictus Nostratem, pravæ prognatum semine terræ. » Hei mihi, quæ nova, quæ vetera illis vulnera inusta |
leaving another company that passed beneath the rain of bitter punishment. They came toward us, and each of them cried out; “Stop, you who by your clothing seem to be someone who comes from our indecent country!” Ah me, what wounds I saw upon their limbs, |
| 10 | Artubus aspexi jaculante incendia flamma ! Nunc quoque mens renovat revocanti talia luctum. Substitit, auditis horum clamoribus, et me Respiciens doctor : « Maneas et comiter istos Fac », ait, « accipias. Et ni fera spicula flammæ |
wounds new and old, wounds that the flames seared in! It pains me still as I remember it. When they cried out, my master paid attention; he turned his face toward me and then he said; “Now wait: to these one must show courtesy. And were it not the nature of this place |
| 15 | Naturam feriant regionis, te æquius esse Dixissem, quam illos, properante accedere passu. » Ut stetimus, vetus illi iterarunt flebile carmen ; Atque ubi nos propter trina hæc simulacra fuere, Trina rotam de se simul implicuere. Virorum |
for shafts of fire to fall, I’d say that haste was seemlier for you than for those three.” As soon as we stood still, they started up their ancient wail again; and when they reached us, they formed a wheel, all three of them together. |
| 20 | Ut mos est, ubi nudi unctique astare solebant Signantes oculis, quo vertant aptius arma, Ante ictus quam inter se et vulnera acute cierent ; Singula non aliter, dum se rotat, umbra tenebat In me versam aciem sic, ut contraria collo |
As champions, naked, oiled, will always do, each studying the grip that serves him best before the blows and wounds begin to fall, while wheeling so, each one made sure his face was turned to me, so that their necks opposed |
| 25 | Planta iter assidue faceret. — Tunc incipit unus : « Si locus hic miser instabili substratus arena, Tinctus et aspectus, tristisque odisse monebit Nos nostrasque preces, at saltem flectere nostra Fama tuam valeat mentem, et da discere, qui sis, |
their feet in one uninterrupted flow. And, “If the squalor of this shifting sand, together with our baked and barren features, makes us and our requests contemptible,” one said, “then may our fame incline your mind |
| 30 | Cur vivas ita fas tuto est fricuisse cavernis Tartareis plantas. Hic vir, vestigia cujus Me calcare vides, quanquam sic veste pilisque Captus, de majore gradu est, quam forte putabas. GUIDOGUERRA habuit nomen, GUALDRADA nepotem |
to tell us who you are, whose living feet can make their way through Hell with such assurance. He in whose steps you see me tread, although he now must wheel about both peeled and naked, was higher in degree than you believe; he was a grandson of the good Gualdrada, and Guido Guerra was his name; in life |
| 35 | Quem bona fassa suum est. Dum movit spiritus artus, Plurima consiliis hic gessit, plurima ferro. Alter, qui prope me terram terit, ALDOBRANDI TEJAJUS, cujus gratissima habenda loquela Esset apud vestros. Ego, qui una torqueor istic, |
his sword and his good sense accomplished much. The other who, behind me, tramples sand — Tegghiaio Aldobrandi, one whose voice should have been heeded in the world above. And I, who share this punishment with them, |
| 40 | RUSTICULUS JACOB ; et certe rustica conjux Plus mihi, quam quicquam pejus, nocuisse putanda est. » Si tecto flammæ licuisset tela subire, Ire sub amplexus horum fuit impetus ingens, Idque meus doctor, ni fallor, forte tulisset ; |
was Jacopo Rusticucci; certainly, more than all else, my savage wife destroyed me.” If I’d had shield and shelter from the fire, I should have thrown myself down there among them — I think my master would have sanctioned that; |
| 45 | Sed quia mi torrens coxisset flamma medullas, Me bona destituit, superante pavore, voluntas, Quæ cupidum urebat. Dein talia pectore fudi : « Vestræ condicio sortis mihi corde dolorem, Non odium, infixit sic, ut jam serius illo |
but since that would have left me burned and baked, my fear won out against the good intention that made me so impatient to embrace them. Then I began: “Your present state had fixed not scorn but sorrow in me — and so deeply that it will only disappear slowly — |
| 50 | Omnino exspolier, simulac comes ore loquelas Effudit tales, claros ut adesse doceret Nobilitate viros, quales vos usque fuistis. Vestra fuit mihi terra parens, et tempus in omne, Non sine honore pio, decora alta et nomina magna |
as soon as my lord spoke to me with words that made me understand what kind of men were coming toward us, men of worth like yours. For I am of your city; and with fondness, I’ve always told and heard the others tell |
| 55 | Vestra ego descripsi, studiosisque auribus hausi. Triste ego fel linquo, et quæsitum dulcia poma Appropero, mihi quæ promittit idoneus auctor ; Sed primum jubeor centrum descendere in imum. » « Sic tua felici deducat spiritus aura |
of both your actions and your honored names. I leave the gall and go for the sweet apples that I was promised by my truthful guide; but first I must descend into the center.” “So may your soul long lead your limbs and may |
| 60 | Membra diu, » dixit ; « sic post te fulgida fama Sit tua ; dic, an adhuc nostra remorentur in urbe Humani mores, animorum et mascula virtus, Ut solet, an contra prorsus fugisse ferantur ? Namque GUILELMUS BORSERIUS, incola arenæ |
your fame shine after you,” he answered then, “tell us if courtesy and valor still abide within our city as they did when we were there, or have they disappeared completely; for Guiglielmo Borsiere, |
| 65 | Urentis novus, et turbam comitatus euntem, Dum permulta refert, nostras valde asperat aures. » « Gens nova, tum subitis congesta pecunia lucris, Et fastum et luxum immodicum, Florentia, in urbe Sic genuere tua, ut jam tristia tempora plores. » |
who only recently has come to share our torments, and goes there with our companions, has caused us much affliction with his words.” “Newcomers to the city and quick gains have brought excess and arrogance to you, o Florence, and you weep for it already!” |
| 70 | Hæc ego sublato clamavi turbidus ore : Tresque, his auditis, umbræ vertere vicissim Lumina in alterius vultum, ut qui vera tuentur. « Si fuit unquam alias tibi respondere facultas Tantillo constans, tamque apta explere rogantem, |
So I cried out with face upraised; the three looked at each other when they heard my answer as men will stare when they have heard the truth. “If you can always offer a reply so readily to others,” said all three, |
| 75 | O te felicem, cui mens ea verba ministrat ! Quare si has valles tibi fas evadere nigras, Sitque tibi rursus jucundas cernere stellas : ‹ Illic ipse fui ›, quam te dixisse juvabit ! Fac, nostra ut memores viventi nomina vulgo. » |
“then happy you who speak, at will, so clearly. So, if you can escape these lands of darkness and see the lovely stars on your return, when you repeat with pleasure, ‘I was there,’ be sure that you remember us to men.” |
| 80 | Dein rupere rotam, alarumque fuisse putasses Remigium plantas. Quam prosiluere fugaces, Non « amen » citius potuisset dicere quisquam : Tam celeres oculo se subduxere sequenti ; Quare doctori visum est discedere nostro. |
At this they broke their wheel; and as they fled, their swift legs seemed to be no less than wings. The time it took for them to disappear — more brief than time it takes to say “amen”; and so, my master thought it right to leave. |
| 85 | Ibam post ipsum, isque parum processerat ultra Gressu, quum insonuit sic nos prope rumor aquarum, Ut vix ulla esset fantes audire potestas. Qualis, iter proprium qui primum corripit amnis Prosiliens ex rupe Vesi, quæ prospicit ortum |
I followed him. We’d only walked a little when roaring water grew so near to us we hardly could have heard each other speak. And even as the river that is first to take its own course eastward from Mount Viso, |
| 90 | Ex qua parte latus lævum explicat Apenninus, Quique appellari solet Unda quieta, priusquam Sese præcipitem fundum demittat in imum, Atque foro Livi sonat expers nominis hujus, Illic supra ædes, quibus est a nomine Sancti |
along the left flank of the Apennines (which up above is called the Acquacheta, before it spills into its valley bed and flows without that name beyond Forli), reverberates above San Benedetto |
| 95 | Deductum nomen Benedicti, vi incitus amnis Obstrepit, e scopulo pronum ruiturus in agrum, Quem jam mille viri insolerent, fors si qua tulisset : Sic nos labentes præruptæ ex aggere ripæ Vidimus hanc tanto resonantem murmure aquarum |
dell’Alpe as it cascades in one leap, where there is space enough to house a thousand; so did we hear that blackened water roar as it plunged down a steep and craggy bank, |
| 100 | Diluviem tinctam, ut mox nobis læserit aures. Funis erat circa lumbos mihi cinctus, et isto Rebar pantheram capere olim pelle decoram. Hoc me dissolvi, sic præcipiente magistro, Porrexique ipsi nodis nexum inque plicatum. |
enough to deafen us in a few hours. Around my waist I had a cord as girdle, and with it once I thought I should be able to catch the leopard with the painted hide. And after I had loosened it completely, just as my guide commanded me to do, I handed it to him, knotted and coiled. |
| 105 | In latus is dextrum versus, paulumque recedens A sponda, hunc barathri demisit in ima profundi. Et mecum : « At certe nova res succedat oportet », Dicebam, « huic nutus novitati, ubi ductor utroque Istum sic oculo sequitur. » Quam mente sagaci |
At this, he wheeled around upon his right and cast it, at some distance from the edge, straight down into the depth of the ravine. “And surely something strange must here reply,” I said within myself, “to this strange sign — the sign my master follows with his eye.” |
| 110 | Est opus et cauta his coram, quos non modo facta, Intima sed cordis moneat prudentia præsens ! Ille mihi dixit : « Quam primum exire videbis, Quod cupide maneo ; et quod nunc tua somnia versant, Quam primum, ut par est, claro se lumine prodet. » |
Ah, how much care men ought to exercise with those whose penetrating intellect can see our thoughts — not just our outer act! He said to me: “Now there will soon emerge what I await and what your thought has conjured; it soon must be discovered to your sight.” |
| 115 | Quod verum falsi faciem induit, usque tacendum est, Dum liceat, namque insontis tegit ora pudore. At vocem hic nequeo retinere, notasque per istas Juro, quas doctis comœdia nostra propinat, Sic ea non redeat diuturni vana favoris, |
Faced with that truth which seems a lie, a man should always close his lips as long as he can — to tell it shames him, even though he’s blameless; but here I can’t be still; and by the lines of this my Comedy, reader, I swear — and may my verse find favor for long years — |
| 120 | Lector, me his oculis vidisse per aëra crassum Et nigrum quiddam monstri emersisse natando, Cuilibet horrendum gestanti ferrea corda ; Ut redit is, salsum qui se dejecit in æquor, Navem exempturus ferrato dente retentam, |
that through the dense and darkened air I saw a figure swimming, rising up, enough to bring amazement to the firmest heart, like one returning from the waves where he went down to loose an anchor snagged upon |
| 125 | Qui scopulum, aut aliud prensat, quod clauditur undis, Atque, ut consurgat, se extendit parte superna, Dum pedibus nitens membra inferiora coarctat. |
a reef or something else hid in the sea, who stretches upward and draws in his feet. |
| INFERNORUM XVII {17} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « En fera caudæ acie pollens, quæ transfodit Alpes, Et rumpit muros atque arma ; en belua, tristi Quæ cunctas mundi terras infestat odore ! » — Dux meus his infit verbis, atque annuit ipsi, |
“Behold the beast who bears the pointed tail, who crosses mountains, shatters weapons, walls! Behold the one whose stench fills all the world!” So did my guide begin to speak to me, and then he signaled him to come ashore |
| 5 | Ut teneat ripam, calcata ubi marmora finis Limitat. Illa autem fœdissima fraudis imago Astitit, atque caput truncunque admovit arenæ ; Sed non extraxit sinuosa volumina caudæ. Os erat huic hominis justi, usque adeo ipsa benignam |
close to the end of those stone passageways. And he came on, that filthy effigy of fraud, and landed with his head and torso but did not draw his tail onto the bank. The face he wore was that of a just man, |
| 10 | Induerat pellem exterius, sed cetera trunci Totius anguis erat. Villosus uterque lacertus A digitis ad utrasque axillas usque rigebat, Pinxerat et dorsum pectusque atque undique costas Nodis exiguisque rotis. Non Tauricus unquam |
so gracious was his features’ outer semblance; and all his trunk, the body of a serpent; he had two paws, with hair up to the armpits; his back and chest as well as both his flanks had been adorned with twining knots and circlets. |
| 15 | Turcave conjunxit supposta, impostaque fila Vestis tam vario discrimine tincta colorum, Non tales radio telas distinxit ARACHNE. Ut stant interdum pelagi prope litora cumbæ, Quarum pars undas tangit, pars altera terram, |
No Turks or Tartars ever fashioned fabrics more colorful in background and relief, nor had Arachne ever loomed such webs. As boats will sometimes lie along the shore, with part of them on land and part in water, |
| 20 | Utque illic inter lurcones Teutonas arma, Atque suam pugnam castor parat ; haud secus ista Pessima forma feræ lapidoso in margine stabat, Undique qui cumulos ustæ claudebat arenæ. Quanta erat, in spatio cauda vibrabat inani, |
and just as there, among the guzzling Germans, the beaver sets himself when he means war, so did that squalid beast lie on the margin of stone that serves as border for the sand. And all his tail was quivering in the void |
| 25 | Torta veneniferæ sustollens verbera furcæ, Quæ ritu scorpi mucronem armabat acutum. « Nunc declinandum est paulum, » dux inquit, « eoque Intendendum iter est, mala ubi se belua sternit. » Nos ideo latus ad dextrum descendimus, et bis |
while twisting upward its envenomed fork, which had a tip just like a scorpion’s. My guide said: “Now we'd better bend our path a little, till we reach as far as that malicious beast which crouches over there.” Thus we descended on the right hand side |
| 30 | Progredimur quinos extremo in limite passus, Curantes flammam et nubem defendere arenæ. Hanc prope ut est ventum, gentem considere arena Ulterius paulo vidi, quæ proxima inani Pendebat barathro. — Tum doctor ita ora resolvit : |
and moved ten paces on the stony brink in order to avoid the sand and fire. When we had reached the sprawling beast, I saw — a little farther on, upon the sand — some sinners sitting near the fissured rock. And here my master said to me: “So that |
| 35 | « Ut tibi sit cunctas hujus cognoscere circi Experto penitus partes, i, perspice stirpem Istorum ; at breviter loquere, haud ita multa rogando. Dum redis, ipse superveniens monstrum alloquar istud, Ne fortes umeros nobis præbere recuset. » |
you may experience this ring in full, go now, and see the state in which they are. But keep your conversation with them brief; till you return, I’ll parley with this beast, to see if he can lend us his strong shoulders.” |
| 40 | Sic quoque per caput extremum, quod septimus orbis Finit, eo solus, gens mæsta ubi fuse sedebat. Illorum ex oculis dolor intimus erumpebat : Hinc atque inde ipsi manibus succurrere tendunt Adversus flammas, telluremque igne perustam ; |
So I went on alone and even farther along the seventh circle’s outer margin, to where the melancholy people sat. Despondency was bursting from their eyes; this side, then that, their hands kept fending off, at times the flames, at times the burning soil; |
| 45 | Non secus atque æstate canes contendere contra Et rictu et pedibus nituntur, ubi aspera morsu Aut tafani, aut pulices, aut muscæ vulnera figunt. Atque ubi quorundam quæsivi lumine vultum, Quos supra cadit ignis atrox, ego noscere quemquam |
not otherwise do dogs in summer — now with muzzle, now with paw — when they are bitten by fleas or gnats or by the sharp gadfly. When I had set my eyes upon the faces of some on whom that painful fire falls, |
| 50 | Haud potui ; at peram e collo cujusque videbam Pendentem, atque inerant peræ rata signa colorque Certus, et hinc oculos sunt visi pascere hiantes. Utque ego perspiciens accessi, fulgere flavo In loculo vidi glastum, os habitumque leonis |
I recognized no one; but I did notice that from the neck of each a purse was hung that had a special color and an emblem, and their eyes seemed to feast upon these pouches. |
| 55 | Effingens ; oculisque meis quum longius irem, Altera visa fuit mihi pera rubentior ipso Sanguine, quam signat presso lacte albior anser. Ast unus, glaucæ et magnæ suis indice signo Albentem loculum sibi qui distinxerat, inquit : |
Looking about — when I had come among them — I saw a yellow purse with azure on it that had the face and manner of a lion. Then, as I let my eyes move farther on, I saw another purse that was bloodred, and it displayed a goose more white than butter. And one who had an azure, pregnant sow inscribed as emblem on his white pouch, said |
| 60 | « Hac tu quid facis in fossa ? Jam hinc proripe gressum, Et quoniam tu vivis adhuc, te scire jubebo, Ut VITALANUS mihi proximus usque sedebit Hic latere a lævo mecum. Cum civibus Arni Ipse ANTENORIDES maneo, mihi sæpe sonora |
to me: “What are you doing in this pit? Now you be off; and since you’re still alive, remember that my neighbor Vitaliano shall yet sit here, upon my left hand side. Among these Florentines, I’m Paduan; |
| 65 | Qui voce et magnis tundunt clamoribus aures, ‹ Summus eques veniat, dum dicunt, qui tria rostra Afferet in loculo. › » Atque hic os distorsit, et extra Produxit linguam, ut bos nitens lambere nasum. Tunc ego præmetuens, mora ne diuturnior illum |
I often hear them thunder in my ears, shouting, ‘Now let the sovereign cavalier, the one who’ll bring the purse with three goats, come!’” At this he slewed his mouth, and then he stuck his tongue out, like an ox that licks its nose. And I, afraid that any longer stay |
| 70 | Tæderet, brevibus qui me sermonibus uti Jusserat, a lassis retro vestigia flexi Umbris, invenique ducem, qui ascenderat atræ Terga feræ, dixitque : « Opus est jam pectore firmo, His etenim scalis nos nunc descendere oportet. |
might anger him who’d warned me to be brief, made my way back from those exhausted souls. I found my guide, who had already climbed upon the back of that brute animal, and he told me: “Be strong and daring now, |
| 75 | Ascendas præ me ; medius considere crevi, Verbere ne possit te monstri lædere cauda. » Ut stat, quartanæ cui frigidus imminet horror, Pallentes gestans ungues, quatiensque tremore Membra simul dentesque, cubat dum lentus in umbra ; |
for our descent is by this kind of stairs; you mount in front; I want to be between, so that the tail can’t do you any harm.” As one who feels the quartan fever near and shivers, with his nails already blue, the sight of shade enough to make him shudder, |
| 80 | Sic ego restiteram, dux hæc ubi protulit ore ; At verba, ipsiusque minæ incussere pudoris Sat mihi, quod famulo vires solet addere coram Lenis heri aspectu. Tunc illa in grandia terga Insilui, suasitque animus sic dicere, sed vox, |
so I became when I had heard these words; but then I felt the threat of shame, which makes a servant — in his kind lord’s presence — brave. I settled down on those enormous shoulders; I wished to say (and yet my voice did not |
| 85 | Ut volui, haud venit : « Fac des mihi bracchia circum. » Atque is, sæpe alias mihi qui succurrit, in altum Fortis, ut insilui, me sustulit atque lacertis Vinctum sustinuit ; mox has dedit ore loquelas : « GERYONEU, fac te moveas jam, at larga rotando |
come as I thought): “See that you hold me tight.” But he who — other times, in other dangers — sustained me, just as soon as I had mounted, clasped me within his arms and propped me up, and said: “Now, Geryon, move on; take care |
| 90 | Intervalla legas, nec multum accedito ad ima, Respectaque novum, quod gestas tergore, pondus. » Ut quum cumba loco se summovet, ista retrorsum Et magis atque magic cedit : sic inde recessit Paulatim abscedens ; sed quum via libera nanti |
to keep your circles wide, your landing slow; remember the new weight you're carrying.” Just like a boat that, starting from its moorings, moves backward, backward, so that beast took off; and when he felt himself completely clear, |
| 95 | Inventa est, ubi pectus erat, caudam ipse retorsit. Protentaque illa, ex anguillæ more natabat, Bracchiaque extendens ad se collegerat auras. Majorem haud credo terræ incubuisse pavorem Tempore, quo manibus Phaëthon emisit habenas, |
he turned his tail to where his chest had been and, having stretched it, moved it like an eel, and with his paws he gathered in the air. I do not think that there was greater fear in Phaethon when he let his reins go free — |
| 100 | Unde hujus quoque adhuc cæli pars cocta videtur ; Nec quo se pennis miser Icarus exspoliatum Sensit, ubi cera incaluit, clamante parente : « Est mala, qua pergis, via » ; quem mihi, quum undique totum Libratum vidi jam corpus in aëra, et omnem |
for which the sky, as one still sees, was scorched — nor in poor Icarus when he could feel, his sides unwinged because the wax was melting, his father shouting to him, “That way’s wrong!” than was in me when, on all sides, I saw that I was in the air, and everything |
| 105 | Aspectum exstinctum, præter monstri horrida membra. Interea ille natans magis et magis ire remisse In gyrum, ac sensim descendere, nec datur hilum Id sentire mihi, nisi qui mihi ventus in ora Spirat, et inferius sub plantis. Gurges aquarum |
had faded from my sight — except the beast. Slowly, slowly, swimming, he moves on; he wheels and he descends, but I feel only the wind upon my face and the wind rising. Already, on our right, I heard the torrent |
| 110 | Jam sonat horrendum ad dextram. Hic oculosque caputque Despectans flecto. Tunc major me occupat horror Ad strepitum ; nam ignes aspexi hausique ululatus. Quare ego contraxi coxas tremefactus utrasque, Summa vi nitens. Dein, quod non viderat ante, |
resounding, there beneath us, horribly, so that I stretched my neck and looked below. Then I was more afraid of falling off, for I saw fires and I heard laments, at which I tremble, crouching, and hold fast. And now I saw what I had missed before; |
| 115 | Visus ibi sensit, nos labi, et per mala multa Atque ex diversa magis adventantia parte Circumagi. Ut falco, postquam libratus in alas Erravit, neque avem, revocantis signave nota Vidit, cogit herum clamare : « Heu laberis ! » alto |
his wheeling and descent — because great torments were drawing closer to us on all sides. Just as a falcon long upon the wing — who, seeing neither lure nor bird, compels the falconer to cry, “Ah me, you fall!” — |
| 120 | Descendit lassus centumque per aëra gyros Molitur levis, atque animi tandem impos ob iram A ductore procul considit et infremit acer : Sic nos deposuit prope fundum GERYON illum Rupis ad exesæ radices, atque ibi utroque |
descends, exhausted, in a hundred circles, where he had once been swift, and sets himself, embittered and enraged, far from his master; such, at the bottom of the jagged rock, was Geryon, when he had set us down. And once our weight was lifted from his back, |
| 125 | Excusso evasit, ceu chorda missa sagitta. | he vanished like an arrow from a bow. |
| INFERNORUM XVIII {18} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Est locus, appellantque malas hunc nomine bulgas Manes, de saxo totus, ferrugine nigrans, Orbis ut est ripæ, spatium qui amplectitur omne. In media prorsus campi statione maligni |
There is a place in Hell called Malebolge, made all of stone the color of crude iron, as is the wall that makes its way around it. Right in the middle of this evil field |
| 5 | Stet puteus, barathrum qui labris cingit inane Latum, immane, imum, cujus narrabitur ordo, Tempus ubi adveniet. Reliqui ergo quod manet agri Altam inter ripam et rigidam, puteumque jacentem Magno intervallo præcingit forma rotunda, |
is an abyss, a broad and yawning pit, whose structure I shall tell in its due place. The belt, then, that extends between the pit and that hard, steep wall’s base is circular; |
| 10 | Et per valla decem distinguitur infima vallis. Sicut, ubi muros opus est defendere, qua se Castellis multæ, et multæ undique circumfusæ Fossæ protendunt, stat pars circumflua tuta : Sic non dissimilem referebant illa figuram. |
its bottom has been split into ten valleys. Just as, where moat on moat surrounds a castle in order to keep guard upon the walls, the ground they occupy will form a pattern, so did the valleys here form a design; |
| 15 | Atque ut ponticuli cujusque e limine turris Externam attingunt ripam : ex radicibus imis Rupis sic scopuli progressi valla recidunt Et fossas usque ad puteum, hos qui obtruncat, et una Colligit. — Hic, ubi nos excussit belua dorso, |
and as such fortresses have bridges running right from their thresholds toward the outer bank, so here, across the banks and ditches, ridges ran from the base of that rock wall until the pit that cuts them short and joins them all. This was the place in which we found ourselves when Geryon had put us down; the poet |
| 20 | Restitimus. Vates lævam legit ; ipse sequebar Hunc pone. A dextra nova sese forma doloris, Pœnarumque novum genus, atque novorum Arma ministrorum veniunt, queis bulga repleta est Anterior. Nudi fossa spectantur in illa |
held to the left, and I walked at his back. Upon the right I saw new misery, I saw new tortures and new torturers, filling the first of Malebolge’s moats. Along its bottom, naked sinners moved, |
| 25 | Damnati. Ex media hinc venientes ora ferebant Adversa, inde, ut nos, conversa, sed ocius ibant : Sicut, ubi exactis complentur mensibus anni, Romani ad stata sacra, quibus dant jubila nomen, Invenere viam, qua pontem plurima turba |
to our side of the middle, facing us; beyond that, they moved with us, but more quickly — as, in the year of Jubilee, the Romans, confronted by great crowds, contrived a plan that let the people pass across the bridge, |
| 30 | Hinc inde exundans transiret libera gressu ; Nam latere ex uno castello obversa, Petrique Sancti templa petens it pars una ; altera spondam Pars aliam tenet ad montem vestigia flectens. Hinc atque hinc saxum per tætrum Dæmonas ire |
for to one side went all who had their eyes upon the Castle, heading toward St. Peter’s, and to the other, those who faced the Mount. Both left and right, along the somber rock, |
| 35 | Cornibus armatos, immani et verbere vidi Vulneribus sævis illorum terga terentes. Heu mihi, quam propere hos adigebant tollere crura Ad primos crepitus plagarum ! Jamque secunda Verbera cædentum, vel tertia nemo manebat. |
I saw horned demons with enormous whips, who lashed those spirits cruelly from behind. Ah, how their first strokes made those sinners lift their heels! Indeed no sinner waited for a second stroke to fall — or for a third. |
| 40 | Quumque irem, offendere simul mea lumina quendam ; Atque cito dixi : « Haud ab ea est jejuna figura Nostra acies. » Ideoque pedes, ut noscere possem, Continui, ac dulcis mecum dux restitit atque Annuit, ut retro paulum vestigia ferrem. |
And as I moved ahead, my eyes met those of someone else, and suddenly I said; “I was not spared the sight of him before.” And so I stayed my steps, to study him; my gentle guide had stopped together with me and gave me leave to take a few steps back. |
| 45 | Ille autem cæsus me fallere posse putabat, Vultu demisso, parum at ipsi profuit astus ; Nam dixi : « O tu, qui defigis lumina terræ, Ni fallunt quæ signa geris, VENEDICUS ille es CACCIANIMICO. Ad cenas tam acri sale salsas |
That scourged soul thought that he could hide himself by lowering his face; it helped him little, for I said: “You, who cast your eyes upon the ground, if these your features are not false, must be Venedico Caccianemico; but what brings you to sauces so piquant?” |
| 50 | Quisnam te ducit ? » Tum is : « Non sponte ora resolvo ; Sed tua me cogit claro sermone loquela, Propter quam antiquum mea mens reminiscitur orbem. Ille idem ipse fui, qui vultu et corpore pulchro Præstantem suasi GHISOLAM dedere cuncta, |
And he to me: “I speak unwillingly; but your plain speech, that brings the memory of the old world to me, is what compels me; For it was I who led Ghisolabella |
| 55 | Marchio quæ voluit, quicquid mala fabula cantet. Sed neque ego hic solus de tot, quos FELSINA mittit, Lugeo, at iste locus tot jam completus abundat, Ut totidem linguæ nondum didicisse ferantur Inter Savenam ac Rhenum modo dicere sipa. |
to do as the Marquis would have her do — however they retell that filthy tale. I’m not the only Bolognese who weeps here; indeed, this place is so crammed full of us that not so many tongues have learned to say sipa between the Savena and Reno; |
| 60 | Quod si digna fide ac verum testantia quæras, Fac animo nostrum perpendas pectus avarum. » Hæc fanti Dæmon percussit terga flagello ; Atque : « Hinc, » dixit, « abi, leno, hic mercabilis ære Haud ulla est mulier. » Comitem ipse subinde petivi. |
if you want faith and testament of that, just call to mind our avaricious hearts.” And as he spoke, a demon cudgeled him with his horsewhip and cried: “Be off, you pimp, there are no women here for you to trick.” |
| 65 | Progressi paulum, conscendimus egredientem Ex ripa scopulum. Sed nos invenimus istum Ascensu facilem, præruptaque saxa prementes Abscessu, æternos anfractus liquimus illos, Ad dextram versi. Sed quum devenimus illuc, |
I joined my escort once again; and then with but few steps, we came upon a place where, from the bank, a rocky ridge ran out. We climbed quite easily along that height; and turning right upon its jagged back, we took our leave of those eternal circlings. |
| 70 | Dux, ubi pons vacuus manet infra, ne locus undis Cæsorum desit : « Gressum modo comprime, » dixit, « Fac male natorum feriant te lumina, et horum, Quorum tu nondum potuisti cernere vultum, Namque hi nobiscum venere. » — Ex ponte vetusto |
When we had reached the point where that ridge opens below to leave a passage for the lashed, my guide said: “Stay, and make sure that the sight of still more ill-born spirits strikes your eyes, for you have not yet seen their faces, since they have been moving in our own direction.” |
| 75 | Vidimus alterius speculantes agmine turbæ Ex alia raptim nos contra occurrere parte, Quos pariter fustis crepitanti verbere trudit. Tum bonus hæc addit, me non scitante, magister : « Aspice magnum illum venientem, pectore nullum |
From the old bridge we looked down at the ranks of those approaching from the other side; they too were driven onward by the lash. And my good master, though I had not asked, urged me: “Look at that mighty one who comes |
| 80 | Cui gemitum aut lacrimam dolor expressisse videtur. Quantum is adhuc retinet formæ regalis in ore ! Thessalus ÆSONIDES ille est, qui mente animoque Arietis aurato privavit vellere Colchos. Venerat is casu Lemnum, quum, cæde peracta, |
and does not seem to shed a tear of pain; how he still keeps the image of a king! That shade is Jason, who with heart and head deprived the men of Colchis of their ram. He made a landfall on the isle of Lemnos |
| 85 | Corpora cuncto virum per calles strata jacebant Femineæ turbæ dextra, et crudelibus ausis. Nutibus hic usus verbis et fallere doctis, Dicitur HYPSIPYLÆ fucum fecisse puellæ, Femineo fucum quæ fecerat ante furori. |
after its women, bold and pitiless, had given all their island males to death. With polished words and love signs he took in Hypsipyle, the girl whose own deception had earlier deceived the other women. |
| 90 | Hic gravidam et solam liquit. Damnatus ob istud Crimen, dat pœnas istas ; nec inultus obivit MEDEÆ deceptus amor. — Qui hac decipit arte, Hunc sequitur. Sed ita hanc primam cognoscere vallem Sit sat, quosque suo cruciatos carcere claudit. » |
And he abandoned her, alone and pregnant; such guilt condemns him to such punishment; and for Medea, too, revenge is taken. With him go those who cheated so: this is enough for you to know of that first valley and of the souls it clamps within its jaws.” |
| 95 | Jam ventum fuerat, via quo se angusta secundo Vallo decussat conjuncta et continet arcus Alterius partem. Hic stantes audivimus agmen In bulgæ alterius tenebris immane gementum, Rictu frendentum atque suis sibi pectora palmis |
We were already where the narrow path reaches and intersects the second bank and serves as shoulder for another bridge. We heard the people whine in the next pouch and heard them as they snorted with their snouts; we heard them use their palms to beat themselves. |
| 100 | Plangentum. Horrebat mucosis obsita crustis Ripa, etenim densus barathro effert se halitus illo, Oppugnans oculos ac robur naris odoræ : Atque ita cæcus erat sinus ille voraginis altæ, Ut locus, unde mei demisi lumina visus, |
And exhalations, rising from below, stuck to the banks, encrusting them with mold, and so waged war against both eyes and nose. The bottom is so deep, we found no spot |
| 105 | Non faceret satis. Ergo, qui supereminet, arcum Legimus ascensu, et demersam stercore eodem, Quod motum humanis credas exire latrinis, In fossa vidi gentem. — Mihi quærere aventi Qui suberant, quidam apparet, cui merda fluebat |
to see it from, except by climbing up the arch until the bridge’s highest point. This was the place we reached; the ditch beneath held people plunged in excrement that seemed as if it had been poured from human privies. And while my eyes searched that abysmal sight, |
| 110 | Sic capite ex toto at sic deturpaverat ora, Ut scire haud possem, num aliquem tonsura ministrum, Crinis an intonsus de nostris proderet unum. Hic ille increpitans dixit : « Quis te impulit ardor, Ut me plus cupide aspiceres, quam plurima turbæ |
I saw one with a head so smeared with shit, one could not see if he were lay or cleric. He howled: “Why do you stare more greedily at me than at the others who are filthy?” |
| 115 | Turpia ? » Respondi : « Quia te, ni faller, ALEXI, Crine olim sicco vidi, quem nomine clarat Gens INTERMINEI Lucensem. Quare ego visu Te præter cunctos quæro. » Hic caput ictibus, ambas In se convertens palmas, sibi tundere et ista |
And I: “Because, if I remember right, I have seen you before, with your hair dry; and so I eye you more than all: you are Alessio Interminei of Lucca.” Then he continued, pounding on his pate; |
| 120 | Mittere verba : « Istuc me deduxere loquelæ Blandisonæ, at nimium incautis palpantia verba, Queis satura haud unquam fuerat mea lingua. » — « Fac ultra Plus paulo inspicias », dux inquit, « et ora tuere Illius ancillæ fœdatæ et crinibus hirtis, |
“I am plunged here because of flatteries — of which my tongue had such sufficiency.” At which my guide advised me: “See you thrust your head a little farther to the front, so that your eyes can clearly glimpse the face |
| 125 | Quæ sibi cænosis misere secat unguibus artus. Et modo se in talos inclinat, nunc stat utroque In pede recta. Est hæc THAIS, lupa pessima, amanti Respondisse suo quæ fertur vocibus usa Talibus : ‹ Est ingens tecum mihi gratia ? ›, ‹ Quin est |
of that besmirched, bedraggled harridan who scratches at herself with shit-filled nails, and now she crouches, now she stands upright. That is Thais, the harlot who returned her lover’s question, ‘Are you very grateful to me?’ by saying, ‘Yes, enormously.’ |
| 130 | Mira. › — Atque hinc satiata acies sit nostra vicissim. » | And now our sight has had its fill of this.” |
| INFERNORUM XIX {19} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | O SIMON mage, et o miseri hujus castra secuti, Qui res divinas, summi quas ducere amoris Dignum esset sponsas, et vos, suadente rapace Ingluvie, ob lucrum audetis corrumpere, mœchi, |
O Simon Magus! O his sad disciples! Rapacious ones, who take the things of God, that ought to be the brides of Righteousness, and make them fornicate for gold and silver! |
| 5 | Vos propter claro sonitu tuba clangat, oportet ; Tertia nam vobis substruxit bulga sepulcrum. Jamque erat ascensu tumuli superata sequentis Rupes, directe qua scilicet imminet altæ In medio scopulus fossæ. O sapientia summa ! |
The time has come to let the trumpet sound for you; your place is here in this third pouch. We had already reached the tomb beyond and climbed onto the ridge, where its high point hangs just above the middle of the ditch. |
| 10 | Oh quantum in cælo terraque elucet, et illo Pessimo in orbe, artis ! Virtutis munera juste Dividis omnigenæ! — Per ripæ terga, per imi Strata soli vidi liventia marmora crebris Plena foraminibus, latis æqualiter : oris |
O Highest Wisdom, how much art you show in heaven, earth, and this sad world below, how just your power is when it allots! Along the sides and down along the bottom, I saw that livid rock was perforated; |
| 15 | Forma rotunda inerat cunctis. Minus ampla fuisse, Nec majora reor, quæ vidi, templa JOANNI Sacra meo ingressus pulcherrima, purus aquai Humor ubi stabat hominem renovare paratus. De quibus, haud ante hæc multo, mihi contigit unum |
the openings were all one width and round. They did not seem to me less broad or more than those that in my handsome San Giovanni were made to serve as basins for baptizing; and one of these, not many years ago, |
| 20 | Rumpere, ut extraherem quendam jam corpore mersum, Interclusa anima ; idque obsignet cetera, ut omnem Dissipet errorem. Cujusque foraminis ore Damnati exstabant pedibusque et cruribus usque Ad suram. Interius pars cetera tecta manebat. |
I broke for someone who was drowning in it; and let this be my seal to set men straight. Out from the mouth of each hole there emerged a sinner’s feet and so much of his legs up to the thigh; the rest remained within. |
| 25 | Omnibus igne incensus erat pes unus, et alter ; Quare convulsi jactabant impete tanto Membra, ut rupissent ex torto vimine vincla. Utque micare solent res unctæ, atque vagari Summam lambentes flamma tantummodo pellem : |
Both soles of every sinner were on fire; their joints were writhing with such violence, they would have severed withes and ropes of grass. As flame on oily things will only stir along the outer surface, so there, too, |
| 30 | Sic illic erat a talo usque ad pollicis unguem. Tunc ego : « Dic, doctor, quisnam is, qui sic furit, atque Sese contorquet plus quam sibi proxima turba Consors, et quem flamma magis rubra sugit adustum ? » At contra : « Si forte optas », ait ille, « sub istam |
that fire made its way from heels to toes. “Master,” I said, “who is that shade who suffers and quivers more than all his other comrades, that sinner who is licked by redder flames?” And he to me: “If you would have me lead |
| 35 | Ripam, quæ melius jacet, haud te ferre recusem. De se deque suis malefactis ipse loquetur. » « Res mihi sola placet, quæ te juvat, » huic ego dixi ; « Tu dominus mihi, tu scis me discedere nunquam Consilio optatisque tuia, scisque ipse, tacenda |
you down along the steepest of the banks, from him you'll learn about his self and sins.” And I: “What pleases you will please me too; you are my lord; you know I do not swerve from what you will, you know what is unspoken.” |
| 40 | Quæ reor esse mihi. » — Tum quarti culmina valli Scandimus et lævi descendimus, infima fossæ, Plena foraminibus loca nec non arcta legentes. Præceptorque bonus sublatum pondere toto Nondum me posuit, donec pervenit ad arcam |
At this we came upon the fourth embankment; we turned and, keeping to the left, descended into the narrow, perforated bottom. My good lord did not let me leave his side until he’d brought me to the hole that held |
| 45 | Ruptam sic misere, jactando crura, dolentis. « Quisquis es, heu, capite inverso qui membra superne Inferiora tenes, anima improba, more modoque, Quo in terra palus defigitur, » hæc ego fari Cœpi, « fac prodas, est si tibi copia, vocem. » |
that sinner who lamented with his legs. “Whoever you may be, dejected soul, whose head is downward, planted like a pole,” my words began, “do speak if you are able.” |
| 50 | Astabam ut frater, sua quum malefacta fatentem Latronem auscultat fictum, qui, ubi figitur, aurem Indulgentis adhuc poscit ; quæ causa morandæ Mortis sola subest. Ille autem corde profundo Clamorem ducens, inquit : « Tune in pede rectus |
I stood as does the friar who confesses the foul assassin who, fixed fast, head down, calls back the friar, and so delays his death; and he cried out: “Are you already standing, |
| 55 | Hic jam es, BONIFACI ? Tune hic es jam in pede rectus ? Me plures annos igitur mentita fefellit Pagina. Tam cito divitiis satiatus abisti, Quas propter non es veritus tibi jungere fraude Egregiam forma sponsam, quam deinde parabas |
already standing there, o Boniface? The book has lied to me by several years. Are you so quickly sated with the riches for which you did not fear to take by guile the Lovely Lady, then to violate her?” |
| 60 | Perdere ? » — Non secus ac qui stans accommodat aures, Non percepturus, sibi quæ responsa rogatus Reddit, ut illusus nescit, quæ verba remittat : Sic ego restiteram. « At vates sic ora resolvit : ‹ Ille ego, quem credis, non sum, › dic ilicet, ‹ ille |
And I became like those who stand as if they have been mocked, who cannot understand what has been said to them and can’t respond. But Virgil said: “Tell this to him at once; ‘I am not he — not whom you think I am.’” |
| 65 | Non sum. › » At ego, quæ jussus eram, tunc verba remisi. Hic plantas totis distorsit viribus ambas Illa anima atque trahens singultum flebile fatur : « Quid me igitur poscis ? Si te fert tanta cupido Noscere me, ut ripam idcirco percurreris, audi : |
And I replied as I was told to do. At this the spirit twisted both his feet, and sighing and with a despairing voice, he said: “What is it, then, you want of me? If you have crossed the bank and climbed so far to find out who I am, then know that I |
| 70 | Non me pontificale decus gestasse negabo ; Veraque causa fuit, cur crederer editus ursa, Tam cupidus catulos ad opes extollere summas, Ut nummis illic loculum, hic mihi deinde pararim. Sub capite at nostro, qui me anteiere, trahuntur |
was one of those who wore the mighty mantle, and surely was a son of the she-bear, so eager to advance the cubs that I pursed wealth above while here I purse myself. Below my head there is the place of those |
| 75 | SIMONIS comites, in marmoris abdita rima Membra coarctantes, pariterque ego labar in ima Hæc loca, ubi is veniet, quem te nunc esse putabam, Quum subito audisti scitantem. At longius, ex quo Hic coquor igne pedes, capite ex quo inversus ita angor, |
who took the way of simony before me; and they are stuffed within the clefts of stone. I, too, shall yield my place and fall below when he arrives, the one for whom I had mistaken you when I was quick to question. |
| 80 | Præteriisse reor mihi temporis intervallum, Quam quum candentes flammis defixus habebit Ille pedes. Sed enim qua Sol juga prospicit orbis Occidui mox adveniet mage turpia facta Ausurus pastor, non ulla lege retentus, |
But I have baked my feet a longer time, have stood like this, upon my head, than he is to stand planted here with scarlet feet; for after him, one uglier in deeds will come, a lawless shepherd from the west, |
| 85 | Qui me, ipsoque simul detruso, contegat ambos. Alter, quem memorant Machabæa volumina, JASON Hic surget novus, utque suus tunc mollior illi Rex fuit, haud magis asper erit rex Gallicus isti. » Nescio an hic amens fuerim, quum talia contra |
worthy to cover him and cover me. He'll be a second Jason, of whom we read in Maccabees; and just as Jason’s king was soft to him, so shall the king of France be soft to this one.” And I do not know if I was too rash here — I answered so: |
| 90 | Fudi : « Dic, quodnam pretium tam grande poposcit Petrum, ante arbitrio quam claves traderet hujus, Christus ? ‹ Me sequere ! › haud aliud certe ille petivit. Nec Petrus, aut Petri socii jussere Matthiam Afferre argentum, aut aurum, quum sorte trahebant, |
“Then tell me now, how much gold did our Lord ask that Saint Peter give to him before he placed the keys within his care? Surely the only thing he said was: ‘Follow me.’ And Peter and the others never asked for gold or silver when they chose Matthias |
| 95 | Quam Judas male perdiderat, qui sede sederet. Quare sic maneas, nam pœnis jure gravaris, Atque male ablati bene serva dona metalli, Per quæ sæpe tuos expertus CAROLUS ausus Dicitur ; et nisi quæ summas reverentia claves |
to take the place of the transgressing soul. Stay as you are, for you are rightly punished; and guard with care the money got by evil that made you so audacious against Charles. And were it not that I am still prevented by reverence for those exalted keys |
| 100 | Respicere hortatur, me fari plura vetaret, Audisses verbis etiam gravioribus usum ; Vestra enim avarities omnes contaminat oras. Per se quisque, bonos dum calcat, tollit iniquos. Vos ita pastores fore sensit Apostolus ille, |
that you had held within the happy life, I’d utter words much heavier than these, because your avarice afflicts the world; it tramples on the good, lifts up the wicked. You, shepherds, the Evangelist had noticed |
| 105 | Qui sibi visus erat meretricis cernere more Regibus utentem, quæ hinc atque hinc insidet undis, Quæ septingemino nata est cum vertice, quæque Cornibus ex denis duxit sua robora, donec Virtutem huic juncto fama est placuisse marito. |
when he saw her who sits upon the waters and realized she fornicates with kings, she who was born with seven heads and had the power and support of the ten horns, as long as virtue was her husband’s pleasure. |
| 110 | Ex auro, argentoque Deum effinxistis in usus Vestros. Ecquid enim jam vos discernit ab illo, Qui Divum coluit simulacra ? Id nempe, quod unum Præcipuum ille habuit, vos centum in vota vocatis. Eheu, quot genetrix, o Constantine, malorum |
You’ve made yourselves a god of gold and silver; how are you different from idolaters, save that they worship one and you a hundred? Ah, Constantine, what wickedness was born — |
| 115 | Inventa est, non jam quæ te sententia vertit, Sed dos, qua primum patrem cumulasse priorem Diceris ! » — Ast alter, jam dudum me ista canente, Sive furor stimulo seu mens hunc conscia agebat, Fortiter ambabus calces propellere plantis. |
and not from your conversion — from the dower that you bestowed upon the first rich father!” And while I sang such notes to him — whether it was his indignation or his conscience that bit him — he kicked hard with both his soles. |
| 120 | Id credo placuisse duci, sic astitit ore Semper contento attendens, quæ vera loquebar : Quare complexus medium me sustulit ulnis Ambabus, repetitque viam, quam legerat ante Descendens, præ se ipse sinu me haud stringere lassus, |
I do indeed believe it pleased my guide; he listened always with such satisfied expression to the sound of those true words. And then he gathered me in both his arms and, when he had me fast against his chest, where he climbed down before, climbed upward now; nor did he tire of clasping me until |
| 125 | Ad summi donec fastigia detulit arcus, Qua datur ex quarto ad quintum transcendere vallum. Suaviter hic pondus dimisit suave, præalti Ob durum scopuli dorsum, præruptaque saxa, Aspera quæ capreis fuerit via ; deinde tuenti |
he brought me to the summit of the arch that crosses from the fourth to the fifth rampart. And here he gently set his burden down — gently because the ridge was rough and steep, and would have been a rugged pass for goats. |
| 130 | Alterius vallis patuit tenebrosa vorago. | From there another valley lay before me. |
| INFERNORUM XX {20} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Nunc nova pœnarum species dicenda, meoque Materies, præter bis septem et quinque labores, Invenienda operi est, hujus primordia cantus Dum texo, memorans quos dicunt nomine mersos. |
I must make verses of new punishment and offer matter now for Canto Twenty of this first canticle — of the submerged. |
| 5 | Reclusum fossæ fundum speculabar, in illo Totus, solliciti qui fletus imbre madebat. Atque hic in gyrum per vallem incedere gressu, Quo bini ire solent, qui nomen voce canora Sanctorum repetunt, pagi dum compita lustrant, |
I was already well prepared to stare below, into the depth that was disclosed, where tears of anguished sorrow bathed the ground; and in the valley’s circle I saw souls advancing, mute and weeping, at the pace |
| 10 | Aspexi plebem tacitam lacrimasque cientem. Ut paulo inferius cœpit descendere visus, Miris ora modis cuivis inversa videbam A mento ad pectus, sinuosus ubi incipit ordo Costarum. Nam omnes ad renes ora retorta |
that, in our world, holy processions take. As I inclined my head still more, I saw that each, amazingly, appeared contorted between the chin and where the chest begins; they had their faces twisted toward their haunches |
| 15 | Gestabant, et erat pedibus via cuique terenda Retrogradis, neque enim posita ante videre dabatur. Vi morbi quidam, nervis fortasse solutis, Inversum se sic a pectore novit ; at istud Haud unquam vidi, et nunquam evenisse putarem. |
and found it necessary to walk backward, because they could not see ahead of them. Perhaps the force of palsy has so fully distorted some, but that I’ve yet to see, and I do not believe that that can be. |
| 20 | Si tibi dent Superi, mi lector, carpere fructum Hoc opere ex nostro, per te modo mente voluta, Quomodo ego ista genis potuissem cernere siccis, Quum prope nostra mihi sic torta occurrit imago, Ut quæ rima nates interfluit, usque maderet, |
May God so let you, reader, gather fruit from what you read; and now think for yourself how I could ever keep my own face dry when I beheld our image so nearby and so awry that tears, down from the eyes, bathed the buttocks, running down the cleft. |
| 25 | Guttarum emittens oculis lacrimantibus imbrem. Ipse quidem flebam, incumbens de cautibus uni, Quæ duro exstabat scopulo, quum farier infit Dux ita : « Te pariter stultorum de grege stultum Inveniam ? Hic pietas, ubi sit bene mortua, vivit. |
Of course I wept, leaning against a rock along that rugged ridge, so that my guide told me: “Are you as foolish as the rest? Here pity only lives when it is dead; |
| 30 | Ecquis habendus erit mortali nequior illo, Qui, quæ jussa Deo stant judice, sustinet ægre ? Arrige nunc caput, arrige et aspice, terra dehiscens Quem quondam absorpsit, Theba inspectante, suisque Omnibus horrendum clamantibus : ‹ Quo ruis, eheu ! |
for who can be more impious than he who links God’s judgment to passivity? Lift, lift your head and see the one for whom the earth was opened while the Thebans watched, so that they all cried: ‘Amphiaraus, |
| 35 | Quo ruis, AMPHIARÆ, quid hic infecta relinquis Bella ? › Sed ille tamen non destitit ire profunda In loca, ubi Minos delapsum quemque revincit. Aspice, ut ex tergo pectus sibi fecit ; ob illam Causam, qua voluit nimium res ante videre, |
where are you rushing? Have you quit the fight?’ Nor did he interrupt his downward plunge to Minos, who lays hands on every sinner. See how he’s made a chest out of his shoulders; and since he wanted so to see ahead, |
| 40 | Respicit, atque viam modo cogitur ire retrorsum. Aspice TIRESIAM, qui mutavisse figuram Fertur deque viro factus modo femina, dein vir, Cuncta sibi vertit membra : ast iterum ante bacillo Nexa simul duo serpentum huic cædenda fuerunt |
he looks behind and walks a backward path. And see Tiresias, who changed his mien when from a man he turned into a woman, so totally transforming all his limbs that then he had to strike once more upon the two entwining serpents with his wand |
| 45 | Corpora, quam plumas posset revocare viriles. Sed qui, pone legens hujus vestigia, tergo Ipsius sese ventri fert obvius, ille est ARUNS, qui quondam se in montibus abdidit altis Lunæ, ubi suppositus Carrarius accola runcat. |
before he had his manly plumes again. And Aruns is the one who backs against the belly of Tiresias — Aruns who, in Luni’s hills, tilled by the Carrarese, |
| 50 | Huic tectum spelunca fuit de marmore cano, Unde ingens patuit speculanti pontus et æther. Quæque tegit mammas, quas non est cernere nobis, Crinibus effusis, pars illinc quæque pilosa Cui patet, est MANTO, quæ plurima regna petivit, |
who live below, had as his home, a cave among white marbles, from which he could gaze at stars and sea with unimpeded view. And she who covers up her breasts — which you can’t see — with her disheveled locks, who keeps all of her hairy parts to the far side, was Manto, who had searched through many lands, |
| 55 | Dein, qua me genetrix peperit, se in sede locavit : Quare pauca libet, te aures præbente, referre. Hæc ubi persolvit defuncto justa parenti, Passaque servitium est quæ olim cunabula Baccho Urbs dedit, ipsa diu fuit errabunda per orbem. |
then settled in the place where I was born; on this, I’d have you hear me now a while. When Manto’s father took his leave of life, and Bacchus’ city found itself enslaved, she wandered through the world for many years. |
| 60 | Illic, Italiæ formosa ubi panditur ora, Infra Alpes lacus est, qui te, Germania, claudit Tirolum super, et Benacum nomine dicunt. Per mille et plures hunc credo crescere rivos, Gardam inter Camunosque et nubiferum Appenninum, |
High up, in lovely Italy, beneath the Alps that shut in Germany above Tirolo, lies a lake known as Benaco. A thousand springs and more, I think, must flow out of the waters of that lake to bathe Pennino, Garda, Val Camonica. |
| 65 | Atque undam intumuisse, lacu quæ stagnat in isto. In medio locus est, quem dux gregis, atque magister, Sive Tridentinus, seu qui te, Brixia, seu qui Te, Verona, colit patriam, describere posset, Hoc ubi iter tereret. Piscaria, pulchra potensque |
And at its middle is a place where three — the bishops of Verona, Brescia, Trento — may bless if they should chance to come that way. Peschiera, strong and handsome fortress, built to face the Brescians and the Bergamasques |
| 70 | Arx, opere egregio fortis, sedet, obvia genti Borgomeæ obsistens, et si quid forte moveret Brixia. Ubi circum plus ripa inclinat, oportet Ut tota unda cadat, quæ sese in gurgite vasto Benaci haud capit : hæc labens per pascua læta, |
stands where the circling shore is at its lowest. There, all the waters that cannot be held within the bosom of Benaco fall, to form a river running through green meadows. |
| 75 | Nomine Benaci posito, fit Mincius amnis, Donec Acroventum delabens exilit amplum Eridani in gremium. Spatii nec conficit unda Longum, nam lamam offendens, spatiatur in ista ; Inde palus oritur, quæ æstivo tempore sæpe |
No sooner has that stream begun to flow than it is called the Mincio, not Benaco — until Governolo, where it joins the Po. It’s not flowed far before it finds flat land; and there it stretches out to form a fen that in the summer can at times be fetid. |
| 80 | Offuit. Hinc ubi transgressa est illa aspera virgo, Atque oculis inter limum undique circumspexit Culturæ expertes agros, nudosque colonis ; Ut cuncta humanæ fugeret commercia vitæ, Illic cum turma servorum restitit, artes |
And when she passed that way, the savage virgin saw land along the middle of the swamp, untilled and stripped of its inhabitants. And there, to flee all human intercourse, she halted with her slaves to ply her arts; |
| 85 | Tractatura suas, vixitque et corpus inane Deseruit. Tunc turba virum dispersa per agros Convenere, locumque fimi munimine cinctum Elegere, urbemque his ossibus impendentem Construxere manu, cui MANTUA nomen ab illa, |
and there she lived, there left her empty body. And afterward, the people of those parts collected at that place, because the marsh — surrounding it on all sides — made it strong. They built a city over her dead bones; and after her who first had picked that spot, |
| 90 | Quæ tum prima locum legit, sine sorte remansit. Hanc olim major celebrabat copia vulgi, Ante nimis stolido quam subdola verba dedisset LAUDENSI ALBERTO PINNAMON ; quare ego vellem Hoc te præmonitum, ne, si quis forte paternæ |
they called it Mantua — they cast no lots. There once were far more people in its walls, before the foolishness of Casalodi was tricked by the deceit of Pinamonte. Therefore, I charge you, if you ever hear |
| 95 | Diversum genus esse urbis confingeret, ullum Commentum fraudet quæ vere dicta notasti. » Tunc ego : « Præceptor, » dixi, « sic certa locutum Te reor, atque fide sic res narrata potita est, Ut mihi restinctus foret altera fabula torris. |
a different tale of my town’s origin, do not let any falsehood gull the truth.” And I: “O master, that which you have spoken convinces me and so compels my trust that others’ words would only be spent coals. |
| 100 | At quæ procedunt, mihi narra examina gentis, Si qua tibi ante oculos occurrit digna notari Umbra, id namque unum nostra stat mente repostum. » Tum dux : « Ille, genis, inquit, cui prominet hirta Barba, nigris affusa umeris, fuit incola terræ |
But tell me if among the passing souls you see some spirits worthy of our notice, because my mind is bent on that alone.” Then he to me: “That shade who spreads his beard down from his cheeks across his swarthy shoulders — |
| 105 | Tempore, quo se tota viris sic Græcia vidit Nudam, ut per cunas vix corpora pauca manerent. Dicitur hic augur, socio CALCHANTE, fuisse Sortitus tempus, quo primum incidere funes Aulide fas esset ; quem nostra tragœdia cantu |
when Greece had been so emptied of its males that hardly any cradle held a son, he was an augur; and at Aulis, he and Calchas set the time to cut the cables. His name’s Eurypylus; a certain passage of my high tragedy has sung it so; |
| 110 | Sublimi vocat EURYPYLUM ; nec scire negabis ; Nam tibi, quanta fuit, lecta est ac tradita menti. Ille alter, laterum sic pauper, Scoticus ille est, Cui MICHAËL inerat nomen, qui ludere fraudes Vere doctus erat magicas. Agnosce BONATTI |
you know that well enough, who know the whole. That other there, his flanks extremely spare, was Michael Scot, a man who certainly knew how the game of magic fraud was played. See there Guido Bonatti; see Asdente, |
| 115 | GUIDUM atque ASDENSEM. Supero quam vellet in orbe Et corium tractasse et contortam pica stuppam ! At frustra hunc facti modo pænitet. Aspice pravas, Quæ digitis dicuntur acum radiumque columque Excussisse suis, et se voluisse vocari |
who now would wish he had attended to his cord and leather, but repents too late. See those sad women who had left their needle, shuttle, and spindle to become diviners; |
| 120 | Vates, carminibusque herbisque et imagine inani Usæ. Sed jam tempus erit discedere ; et ecce Cain ac spinæ bifidæ confinia sphæræ Ima tenent, undam et tetigere sub Hispalis ora. Et nocte hesterna jam pleno fulserat orbe |
they cast their spells with herbs and effigies But let us go; Cain with his thorns already is at the border of both hemispheres and there, below Seville, touches the sea. Last night the moon was at its full; you should |
| 125 | Luna ; etenim meminisse potes, tibi noxia quando Non fuit, ingresso silvæ loca nigra profundæ. » Hæc ille. Interea sic fantem ego pone segnebar. |
be well aware of this, for there were times when it did you no harm in the deep wood.” These were his words to me; meanwhile we journeyed. |
| INFERNORUM XXI {21} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Sic ponte ex alio atque alio, diversa locuti, Quæ mea non ducit comœdia digna relatu, Venimus ad culmen. Placuit tunc sistere gressum Visuris barathrum bulgarum immane malarum, |
We came along from one bridge to another, talking ef things my Comedy is not concerned to sing. We held fast to the summit, then stayed our steps to spy the other cleft |
| 5 | Quod remanet, vanoque alios conamine questus ; Et loca conspexi miro suffusa nigrore. Sicut apud Venetos, ubi stant navalia bruma Canente, ebullit pia nigrans, apta tenaci Glutine restaurare rates, queis membra fatiscunt, |
of Malebolge and other vain laments. I saw that it was wonderfully dark. As in the arsenal of the Venetians, all winter long a stew of sticky pitch boils up to patch their sick and tattered ships |
| 10 | Tempore, quo nequeunt pelagus tentare protervum ; Proque labore viæ navem struit iste novellam, Ille peragratæ longum vada cærula cumbæ Obturat costas, proram ille repercutit, ille Puppim, remos ille polit, tenet iste rudentes, |
that cannot sail (instead of voyaging, some build new keels, some tow and tar the ribs of hulls worn out by too much journeying; some hammer at the prow, some at the stern, and some make oars, and some braid ropes and cords; |
| 15 | Vela minora alius, majoraque carbasa sarcit : Sic, non vi flammæ, divina at numinis arte Illic fervebat pix densa atque undique ripam Conspergens visco. Hanc potui modo cernere, in illa Non potui, præter spumas, quum turgida ab æstu |
one mends the jib, another, the mainsail); so, not by fire but by the art of God, below there boiled a thick and tarry mass that covered all the banks with clamminess. I saw it, but I could not see within it; no thing was visible but boiling bubbles, |
| 20 | Tota insurgebat, donec compressa sederet. Hoc ego in obtutu quum lumina fixa tenerem, Dux : « Caveas, caveas ! » inquit, meque inde retraxit, Pes ubi constiterat. Tum verti lumina retro, Non secus ac sibi qui sero vidisse videtur |
the swelling of the pitch; and then it settled. And while I watched below attentively, my guide called out to me: “Take care! Take care!” And then, from where I stood, he drew me near. I turned around as one who is impatient |
| 25 | Quæ novit fugienda, timor cui protinus artus Debilitat, quem visa fugæ dare terga morantem Non faciunt ; et post aspexi Dæmona nigrum Summa ascendentem scopuli fastigia cursu Præpete. Et, heu, quantum feritatis in ore ferebat ! |
to see what he should shun but is dashed down beneath the terror he has undergone, who does not stop his flight and yet would look. And then in back of us I saw a black demon as he came racing up the crags. Ah, he was surely barbarous to see! |
| 30 | Quam mihi visus erat furiis agitatus acerbis, Expandens alas, et viz tangens pede terram ! Alte assurgentem huic umerum, qui erat asper, acutus, Damnatus quidam coxis onerabat utrisque, Isque pedum huic nervum violentius ungue tenebat. |
And how relentless seemed to me his acts! His wings were open and his feet were lithe; across his shoulder, which was sharp and high, he had slung a sinner, upward from the thighs; in front, the demon gripped him by the ankles. |
| 35 | Nostri custodes pontis, socii unguibus acres, Clamabat procul, « ecce hic e senioribus unus De SANCTA ZITA : sontem supponite, post hunc Prensurus reliquos mox ipse revertor ad illam Terram, his magnifice popularibus exornatam. |
Then from our bridge, he called: “O Malebranche, I’ve got an elder of Saint Zita for you! Shove this one under — I'll go back for more — his city is well furnished with such stores; |
| 40 | Quisque etenim, excepto BONTURO, est fallere doctus : Namque per hanc minime fit maxime, ubi imperet aurum. » Atque istuc projecit eum, perque ardua duri Flexit iter scopuli, nec dempto fune molossus Unquam tam rapido furis vestigia cursu |
there, everyone’s a grafter but Bonturo; and there — for cash — they’ll change a no to yes.” He threw the sinner down, then wheeled along The stony cliff: no mastiff’s ever been unleashed with so much haste to chase a thief. |
| 45 | Pressit. Is et mersit sese, atque umerum extulit inde ; Quique hostes nigri stabant sub rupe latentes, Clamarunt : « Nil hic Divæ facit incluta imago ; Hic aliter nandum est, quam ubi friget SÆCULUS unda : Et nisi vis nostris laniatos unguibus artus |
The sinner plunged, then surfaced, black with pitch; but now the demons, from beneath the bridge, shouted: “The Sacred Face has no place here; here we swim differently than in the Serchio; if you don’t want to feel our grappling hooks, |
| 50 | Ferre, superjecta pice desine velle levatus Plus æquo eduxisse caput. » Dein milibus uncis Arripuere simul miserum, sic ore locuti : « Hic te summersum in numerum jam ludere oportet, Læva ut furtive utaris, si copia detur. » |
don’t try to lift yourself above that ditch.” They pricked him with a hundred prongs and more, then taunted: “Here one dances under cover, so try to grab your secret graft below.” |
| 55 | Non aliter famulata coquis plebs uncta jubetur Uncis exstantes carnes demergere aëno. Optimus at ductor : « Ne quis te advertat adesse, Inquit, post scopulum, unde aliquid sperare latenti Præsidii possis, jaceas depressus, et unquam |
The demons did the same as any cook who has his urchins force the meat with hooks deep down into the pot, that it not float. Then my good master said to me: “Don't let those demons see that you are here; take care to crouch behind the cover of a crag. |
| 60 | Ne timeas, quicquid, mihi triste parare videbis Dæmonas ; hæc alias etenim mihi nota fuere Experto hanc pugnam. » Deinde ulteriora petivit Pontis, et ut sextæ tetigit confinia ripæ Labra, animis opus huic fuit uti, et fronte minarum |
No matter what offense they offer me, don’t be afraid; I know how these things go — I’ve had to face such fracases before.” When this was said, he moved beyond the bridgehead. And on the sixth embankment, he had need to show his imperturbability. |
| 65 | Secura. Quantus furor urget, quanta procella Irarum rabida ora canum rapit, agmine facto, Adversus stantem, subito quem poscere egestas Hortatur panem : tantus sub ponte latentes Impetus egressus custodes egit in illum, |
With the same frenzy, with the brouhaha of dogs, when they beset a poor wretch who then stops dead in his tracks as if to beg, so, from beneath the bridge, the demons rushed against my guide with all their prongs, but he |
| 70 | Undique circumsæptum armis, atque omnibus uncis ; Queis alt inclamans : « De vestris nemo sit acer, Atque prius nostros quam vester ceperit artus Uncus, de vestris coram sese efferat unus ; Ac si tantus amor cædendi est, tum rotet arma. » |
called out: “Can’t you forget your savagery! Before you try to maul me, just let one of all your troop step forward. Hear me out, and then decide if I am to be hooked.” |
| 75 | Clamavere simul cuncti : « Malacauda propinquet ! » Quare unus subiit, dum constitit altera turba, Minciademque adiens, « Quidnam velit ipse ? » rogavit. « Num, Malacauda, putas huc me venisse », — loquelas Has dedit ore sophus, — « securum, atque omnia contra |
At this they howled, “Let Malacoda go!” And one of them moved up — the others stayed — and as he came, he asked: “How can he win?” “O Malacoda, do you think I’ve come,” my master answered him, “already armed — |
| 80 | Tela tuæ turmæ tutum sine numine rerum Cunctarum domino, fatove juvante benigno ? Me sine tendere iter, nam vult suprema potestas, Ipse oculo alterius regna hæc tæterrima monstrem. » Tum sic huic animi cecidit fiducia, ut uncum |
as you can see — against your obstacles, without the will of God and helpful fate? Let us move on; it is the will of Heaven for me to show this wild way to another.” At this the pride of Malacoda fell; |
| 85 | Concidere ante pedes sineret, sociosque juberet Abstinuisse armis. Me vero hac voce vocavit Dux meus : « O tu, qui latitas sub rupe cavata Compressus, refer huc reditum formidine pulsa. » Quare mox veni egressus. Tunc astitit ante |
his prong dropped to his feet. He told his fellows; “Since that’s the way things stand, let us not wound him.” My guide then spoke to me: “O you, who crouch, bent low among the bridge’s splintered rocks, you can feel safe — and now return to me.” At this I moved and quickly came to him. |
| 90 | Tota inimica cohors sic, ut mens icta pavore Deficeret, metuens ne auderent frangere pactum. Sic pedites vidi pallentes ora timore, Quum pacti exirent Capronæ ex mœnibus arcis Et tot conspicerent armorum milibus hostes |
The devils had edged forward, all of them; I feared that they might fail to keep their word; just so, I saw the infantry when they marched out, under safe conduct, from Caprona; they trembled when they passed their enemies. |
| 95 | Contra se accinctos. — Accessi corpore toto Ductorem propius, nusquam mea lumina ab ore Detorquens horum, mihi non jucunda ferentum. Alternis uncum declinans quisque fremebat : « Vis uropygium huic tangam ? » cui cetera turba : |
My body huddled closer to my guide; I did not let the demons out of sight; the looks they cast at us were less than kind. They bent their hooks and shouted to each other; “And shall I give it to him on the rump?” |
| 100 | « Sane, » ait, « experiare, an sit penetrabile telum. » At qui ductorem interea sermone tenebat Dæmon prosiliens : « Absiste, absiste moveri, Scarmalio », dixit ; dein nobis edidit ista : « Hunc propter scopulum ulterius procedere non est ; |
And all of them replied, “Yes, let him have it!” But Malacoda, still in conversation with my good guide, turned quickly to his squadron and said: “Be still, Scarmiglione, still!” To us he said: “There is no use in going |
| 105 | Arcus enim sextus jacet a fundamine totus Excisus. Sed pergere iter si certa voluntas Vos fert, hoc antri summum superate cacumen : Hic prope prona viam vobis dabit altera rupes. Sub lucem hesternam, quinta paulo amplius hora |
much farther on this ridge, because the sixth bridge — at the bottom there — is smashed to bits. Yet if you two still want to go ahead, move up and walk along this rocky edge; nearby, another ridge will form a path. Five hours from this hour yesterday, |
| 110 | Post hanc, et bis sena prius quam sæcula cælum, Senosque undecies expletis orbibus annos Vertisset, rupta ista via est. Modo de grege nostro Hos mitto, ut videant, num quisquam emergat ad auras Furtim ; vos comites his addite, sed timor absit ; |
one thousand and two hundred sixty-six years passed since that roadway was shattered here. I’m sending ten of mine out there to see if any sinner lifts his head for air; |
| 115 | Non hi corda gerent in vos truculenta ministri. Calcabrina, assis, Cynisarpagos, Alicchine ; Cum Cynimega assit Ciriattus dente timendus, » Inquit, « bis quinos duc, Barbacrispe, sodales, Tuque, Draghignacci, simul, et Libicocche, propinqua ; |
go with my men — there is no malice in them.” “Step forward, Alichino and Calcabrina,” he then began to say, “and you, Cagnazzo; and Barbariccia, who can lead the ten. Let Libicocco go, and Draghignazzo and tusky Ciriatto and Graffiacane |
| 120 | Farfarulus se addat, Rubicusque furore protervus. Jam spectate simul picea ferventia spuma Stagna, hosque incolumes ripam mihi ducite ad illam, Quæ superimpendens aliis tota incubat antris. » « Heu mihi, quid video, præceptor ? » pectore vocem |
and Farfarello and mad Rubicante. Search all around the clammy stew of pitch; keep these two safe and sound till the next ridge that rises without break across the dens.” “Ah me! What is this, master, that I see?” |
| 125 | Hanc rupi, « quæso, nullis ducentibus, istud Suscipiamus iter soli, si semita nota est ; Namque duces mihi non posco. Si mente sagaci es, Ut prius ; anne vides, ut frendunt dentibus atris, Utque supercilio minitantur pessima nobis ? » |
I said. “Can’t we do without company? If you know how to go, I want no escort. If you are just as keen as usual, can’t you see how those demons grind their teeth? Their brows are menacing, they promise trouble.” |
| 130 | Is mihi respondens dixit : « Jam mitte timorem ; Hos sine pro libito ringi. Nam signa per ista Elixos pavitare jubent sua damna dolentes. » Illi iter ad ripam versi flexere sinistram ; Verum quisque prius linguam sibi dentibus arcte |
And he to me: “I do not want you frightened; just let them gnash away as they may wish; they do it for the wretches boiled in pitch.” They turned around along the left hand bank; but first each pressed his tongue between his teeth |
| 135 | Presserat, adversus ductorem his nutibus usus ; Atque erat huic tibicen, qui inflaret classica, podex. |
as signal for their leader, Barbariccia. And he had made a trumpet of his ass. |
| INFERNORUM XXII {22} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Jam vidi ipse equites discurrere, et ordine inire Certamen seseque pares ostendere in armis, Sæpe fugæ tergum nudare et quærere tuta. Vidi excursores in vestram irrumpere terram, |
Before this I’ve seen horsemen start to march and open the assault and muster ranks and seen them, too, at times beat their retreat; and on your land, o Aretines, I’ve seen |
| 5 | O ARETINI, et latronum more ruentes Ludere quosdam armis, pugnæ et simulacra cieri Nunc cornu, modo Campani tinnitibus æris ; Tympana pulsa aderant, castellis edita signa, Instrumenta domi inventa atque aliunde petita : |
rangers and raiding parties galloping, the clash of tournaments, the rush of jousts, now done with trumpets, now with bells, and now with drums, and now with signs from castle walls, with native things and with imported ware; |
| 10 | Nec mihi jam audita est adeo præpostera bombo Fistula, ubi pedites equitesque accedere vidi ; Talia non terram, aut stellam monuere carinas Indicia. — Interea sic agmine Dæmoniorum Bis quino cincti (heu comitatus effera turba !) |
but never yet have I seen horsemen or seen infantry or ship that sails by signal of land or star move to so strange a bugle! We made our way together with ten demons; ah, what ferocious company! And yet |
| 15 | Nos molimur iter nostrum. Sed « templa petenda Cum sancto veniunt, et cum lurcone tabernæ. » At mihi pix animum totum retinebat, ut hujus Bulgæ introspicerem penitus claustra omnia et omnem Circuitum, nec non gentes, quas æstus adurit. |
“in church with saints, with rotters in the tavern.” But I was all intent upon the pitch, to seek out every feature of the pouch and of the people who were burning in it. |
| 20 | Non secus ac signum delphines tergoris arcu Dant nautæ, ut caveat properetque reducere pinum : Sic quandoque aliquis, captans lenimina pœnæ, Dorsum ostendebat de sontibus, atque sub æstu Spumarum piceo celabat fulguris instar. |
Just as the dolphins do, when with arched back, they signal to the seamen to prepare for tempest, that their vessel may be spared, so here from time to time, to ease his torment, some sinner showed his back above the surface, then hid more quickly than a lightning flash. |
| 25 | Ac veluti ranæ stant fossæ in margine aquoso Ora objectantes, pedibusque et corporis omni Parte latent : haud dissimili ratione modoque Undique damnati stabant. Ut adesse videbant Jam Barbacrispum, retrahebant ilicet artus |
And just as on the margin of a ditch, frogs crouch, their snouts alone above the water, so as to hide their feet and their plump flesh, so here on every side these sinners crouched; but faster than a flash, when Barbariccia drew near, they plunged beneath the boiling pitch. |
| 30 | Sub spumam. Vidi, et me nunc quoque concutit horror, Cunctatum quendam, sic, ut forte accidit, una Quum rana effugiens elabitur, una moratur ; Quique aderat propius contra Cynisarpagos isti Glutine concretos crines convolvit, et ipsum |
I saw — my heart still shudders in recall — one who delayed, just as at times a frog is left behind while others dive below; and Graffiacane, who was closest to him, then hooked him by his pitch-entangled locks |
| 35 | More lutræ extraxit. Cunctorum ego mente tenebam Nomina, ubi lecti fuerunt, nam quemque notavi, Et qua quisque alium vocitasset voce, sciebam. « Injicito huic ungues, Rubicas, » simul ore fremebant Tristes, « donec eum glubas. » — Tum talia fudi : |
and hauled him up; he seemed to me an otter. By now I knew the names of all those demons — I’d paid attention when the fiends were chosen; I’d watched as they stepped forward one by one. “O Rubicante, see you set your talons right into him, so you can flay his flesh!” So did those cursed ones cry out together. |
| 40 | Si licet, « o sapiens, fac quæras, qualis et unde Sit miser hic, manibus quem sors objecit acerbis Hostilis turmæ. » Tum dux accessit et illum Scitatus, quis sit, tulit hæc responsa : « Parentes Me NAVARENSEM civem genuere, deditque |
And I: “My master, if you can, find out what is the name of that unfortunate who’s fallen victim to his enemies.” My guide, who then drew near that sinner’s side, asked him to tell his birthplace. He replied; “My homeland was the kingdom of Navarre. |
| 45 | Mater ero servum perverso me patre natum, Qui bona cuncta domumque suam male perdidit, et se. Deinde aulam accessi, regnum moderante benigno THEBALDO, atque istic studui me dedere technis, Pro quibus hoc pœnas cogor persolvere in æstu. » |
My mother, who had had me by a wastrel, destroyer of himself and his possessions, had placed me in the service of a lord. Then I was in the household of the worthy King Thibault; there I started taking graft; with this heat I pay reckoning for that.” |
| 50 | Sed qui ore exstantem parte ex utraque gerebat, Sicut aper, dentem, Ciriattus ungue rigenti Hunc docuit, quam artus laniaret vulnere acerbo. Inciderat feles inter, mala sæcula, sorex. Hunc Barbacrispus complexus utrisque lacertis : |
And Ciriatto, from whose mouth there bulged to right and left two tusks like a wild hog’s, then let him feel how one of them could mangle. The mouse had fallen in with evil cats; but Barbariccia clasped him in his arms |
| 55 | « Quisque », ait, « absistat, dum furca ipsum male mulco ! » Deinde ad doctorem conversus, talibus infit : « Si quid scire optas ultra, scitare, priusquam Hunc alius perdat. » — « Reliquos ergo incipe sontes Dicere », doctor ait ; « num quemquam sub pice nosti |
And turning toward my master then, he said; “Ask on, if you would learn some more from him before one of the others does him in.” At which my guide: “Now tell: among the sinners who hide beneath the pitch, are any others |
| 60 | Ex LATIO ? » Is contra respondit : « Nuper abivi A quodam, vestris qui non procul afuit oris ; Sic ego nunc una tegerer, nam haud cogerer unguem Horrere aut uncum. » At vero Libicoccus ad ista : « Hunc », dixit, « tulimus nimium » ; et furca arripit ulnam ; |
Italian?” And he: “I have just left one who was nearby there; and would I were still covered by the pitch as he is hidden, for then I’d have no fear of hook or talon.” And Libicocco said, “We've been too patient!” and, with his grapple, grabbed him by the arm |
| 65 | Quumque ita sæviret, fractum tulit inde lacertum. Aspra Draghignacci voluit manus infima crurum Prensare ; at circumspiciens stetit ore severo, Qui præerat. Postquam paulum repressa quievit Turba, moram abrumpens præceptor voce rogavit, |
and, ripping, carried off a hunk of flesh. But Draghignazzo also looked as if to grab his legs; at which, their captain wheeled and threatened all of them with raging looks. When they'd grown somewhat less tumultuous, without delay my guide asked of that one |
| 70 | Vulnera adhuc sua spectantem : « Quisnam ille vocatur, A quo digressum te dicis tempore tristi, Oras ut caperes ? » — « GOMITA est nomine, Frater Ille ex GALLURA, vas omni fraude refertum ; Præ manibus qui habuisse suis hostilia fertur |
who had his eyes still fixed upon his wound; “Who was the one you left to come ashore — unluckily — as you just said before?” He answered: “Fra Gomita of Gallura, who was a vessel fit for every fraud; |
| 75 | Arma parata suum in dominum, sed, qui illa gerebant, Hostes pro facto hunc laudant ; nam pondere captus Auri, ut et ipse inquit, passus fuit ire solutos. Non fuit hic humilis fraudator, at ordine princeps. Utitur hoc MICHAËL (Logodurum patria ZANCHEN |
he had his master’s enemies in hand, but handled them in ways that pleased them all. He took their gold and smoothly let them off, as he himself says; and in other matters, he was a sovereign, not a petty, swindler. His comrade there is Don Michele Zanche |
| 80 | Quem vocat), atque istis nec vox nec lingua loquendo De Sardis unquam lassa est. Ast heu mihi fesso ! Aspicite hunc alium frendentem. Dicere averem Ulteriora, sed hunc metuo, ne sæviat ungue. » Tum magnus princeps, ut vidit torva tuentem |
of Logodoro; and their tongues are never too tired to talk of their Sardinia. Ah me, see that one there who grinds his teeth! If I were not afraid, I’d speak some more, but he is getting set to scratch my scurf.” |
| 85 | Farfarulum, atque artus pavido laniare parantem : « Accede huc, mala avis », dixit. Tunc territus ille Sic fari pergit : « Si rursus corde cupido Fert fantes audire, et coram cernere vultus Tuscos, quosque PADI una atque altera ripa tenebat |
And their great marshal, facing Farfarello — who was so hot to strike he rolled his eyes, said: “Get away from there, you filthy bird!” “If you perhaps would like to see or hear,” that sinner, terrified, began again, “Lombards or Tuscans, I can fetch you some; |
| 90 | Cives, arcessam ; ast exercitus unguibus acer Cesset, ne ultores metuant. Hic ipse sedendo, Nomine pro unius, qui sum, hinc exire jubebo Septem, quum, sicut mos est caput emittentum, Sibila nota dabo. » Audito sermone, levavit |
but let the Malebranche stand aside so that my comrades need not fear their vengeance. Remaining in this very spot, I shall, although alone, make seven more appear when I have whistled, as has been our custom when one of us has managed to get out.” |
| 95 | Rictum quassavitque caput Cynimega locutus Sic : « Audi technam, quam secum versat, in ima Ut se dejiciat nostri securus. » — At ille, Multorum dives laqueorum, talia contra : « Egregiis vero technis instructus abundo, |
At that, Cagnazzo lifted up his snout and shook his head, and said: “Just listen to that trick by which he thinks he can dive back!” To this, he who was rich in artifice replied: “Then I must have too many tricks, |
| 100 | Respondit, majora meis quum damna procuro. » Sed non usque adeo mens perstitit Alicchini, Atque alios contra dixit : « Si stagna subibis, Non cursu incurram, alarum sed utrumque movebo Remigium, pice torrentes instans super undas. |
if I bring greater torment to my friends.” This was too much for Alichino and, despite the others, he cried out: “If you dive back, I shall not gallop after you but beat my wings above the pitch; we’ll leave |
| 105 | Linquamus collem, tibi sit tutamine ripa : Num tu plus valeas, an virtus nostra, videre est. » O tu, qui legis ista, novum nunc accipe ludum. Quisque oculos alio ex scopulo convertit, et ille Primus, qui hanc mentem est magis aversatus acerbe |
this height; with the embankment as a screen, we’ll see if you — alone — can handle us.” O you who read, hear now of this new sport; each turned his eyes upon the other shore, he first who’d been most hesitant before. |
| 110 | Tum Navarensis conamen tempore sumens Sat scite, pedibus terram pulsavit, et uno Ictu oculi assiliens, stagnum se injecit in imum, Ac se subduxit meditanti atrocia turbæ. Hoc casu confossi omnes ; verum acrius ille |
The Navarrese, in nick of time, had planted his feet upon the ground; then in an instant he jumped and freed himself from their commander. At this each demon felt the prick of guilt, |
| 115 | In primis, qui causa fuit : Quare ilicet urgens Clamavit : « Jam, jam teneo ! » At leve pondus habebant Voces, namque alis prævertere posse timorem Non licuit. Subit ille ; arrectus corpore toto, Iste supervolitans instabat. Ita obruit undis |
and most, he who had led his band to blunder; so he took off and shouted: “You are caught!” But this could help him little; wings were not more fast than fear; the sinner plunged right under; the other, flying up, lifted his chest; |
| 120 | Corpus anas, findente auras falcone propinquo, Isque furens ira, et fractus petit æthera rursus. Ludum indignatus mox Calcabrina volatu Hunc sequitur, tacite gaudens, quod fugerat alter, Jam cupidus conferre manus. At ubi improbus omnem |
not otherwise the wild duck when it plunges precipitously, when the falcon nears and then — exhausted, thwarted — flies back up. But Calcabrina, raging at the trick, flew after Alichino; he was keen to see the sinner free and have a brawl; and once the Navarrese had disappeared, |
| 125 | Evasit casum, socii petit unguibus ora, Arripuitque simul fossam super. At fuit ille Accipitri similis prædanti, unguesque rapaces Immisit contra, revolutusque unus et alter Decidit in medii ferventia glutina stagni. |
he turned his talons on his fellow demon and tangled with him just above the ditch. But Alichino clawed him well — he was indeed a full — grown kestrel; and both fell into the middle of the boiling pond. |
| 130 | Protinus hos æstus dirimens defendit, at inde Surgere nulla dabant conamina, ita hæserat alis Concreta viscum pice. Barbacrispus acuto Vulnere cum reliquis percussus, quattuor ad se Evocat ex alio clivo, simul omnibus armis |
The heat was quick to disentangle them, but still there was no way they could get out; their wings were stuck, enmeshed in glue-like pitch. And Barbariccia, grieving with the rest, sent four to fly out toward the other shore with all their forks, and speedily enough |
| 135 | Instructos, propereque. Ast illi hinc inde volando Lapsi, devenere locum, viscoque revinctos Appetiere uncis, nam coctos crusta tegebat. Hos sic implicitos est nobis linquere visum. |
on this side and on that they took their posts; and toward those two — stuck fast, already cooked beneath that crust — they stretched their grappling hooks. We left them still contending with that mess. |
| INFERNORUM XXIII {23} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Nos taciti, soli, ac nulla comitante caterva, Vadimus, et præeunte uno, pone ambulat alter, Quales, quos nostri Fratres dixere minores, Egressi incedunt. Animum mihi fabula movit |
Silent, alone, no one escorting us, we made our way — one went before, one after — as Friars Minor when they walk together. The present fracas made me think of Aesop — |
| 5 | Æsopi, historiam ranæ murisque canentis, Propter præsentem rixam, quæ convenit æque Ac « nunc » atque « modo ». Namque huc concurrit utrumque Exemplum, fixa si quis componere mente Principium et finem recte velit. Utque frequenter |
that fable where he tells about the mouse and frog; for “near” and “nigh” are not more close than are that fable and this incident, if you compare with care how each begins and then compare the endings that they share. |
| 10 | Res alia ex alia emergit, sic inde suborta Cura nova est animo, primam formidinis umbram Quæ duplicem ostendit. Namque hæc ego volvere mecum : « Isti nos propter decepti fraude, tulerunt Et damna et ludum, et sic, ut tædere furenter |
And even as one thought springs from another, so out of that was still another born, which made the fear I felt before redouble. I thought: “Because of us, they have been mocked, and this inflicted so much hurt and scorn that I am sure they feel deep indignation. |
| 15 | Hos credam. Si forte malis accesserit ira Ingeniis, in nos crudelius irruet hostis, Quam canis in leporem, quem primum contigit ore. » Tum sensi subito arrectos mihi stare capillos, Horrescens totus, tum pone secutus euntem |
If anger’s to be added to their malice, they’ll hunt us down with more ferocity than any hound whose teeth have trapped a hare.” I could already feel my hair curl up from fear, and I looked back attentively, |
| 20 | Intendebam aures, ac talia denique fudi : « Ni te meque cito celas, male ab unguibus acrem, Dux, turbam extimeo ; jam hostes post terga propinquant : Hos mihi sic fingo, ut videar jam audire tumultum. » — « Si speculum ipse forem, non ad me externa referrem |
while saying: “Master, if you don’t conceal yourself and me at once — they terrify me, those Malebranche; they are after us; I so imagine them, I hear them now.” And he to me: “Were I a leaded mirror, |
| 25 | Tam vultus simulacra tui, quam pectoris ima Sensa », ait, « insculpo ; perque hæc simul ipse vagabar Tecum, hunc ipse ferens gestum similemque figuram ; Quare unam feci mente ex utraque. Sed iste Dexter ubi jaceat sic mons, ut copia detur |
I could not gather in your outer image more quickly than I have received your inner. For even now your thoughts have joined my own; in both our acts and aspects we are kin — with both our minds I’ve come to one decision. If that right bank is not extremely steep, |
| 30 | Descendendi aliam in bulgam, quem fingimus, hostis Effugere incursum dabitur. » — Vix desiit istud, Reddere consilium, quum vidi accedere pansis, Haud procul hos, alis nos captum. Matris ad instar, Cui somnum excussit rumor, quum incendia cernit |
we can descend into the other moat and so escape from the imagined chase.” He’d hardly finished telling me his plan when I saw them approach with outstretched wings, not too far off, and keen on taking us. My guide snatched me up instantly, just as the mother who is wakened by a roar |
| 35 | Proxima, quæ, arrepto nato, fugit incita, nec stat, Plus isti metuens, dum uno se velat amictu, Quam sibi ; dux cito me prendit, ripæque rigentis Ex alta sese misit cervice supinum Erga impendentem scopulum, quo clauditur unum |
and catches sight of blazing flames beside her, will lift her son and run without a stop — she cares more for the child than for herself — not pausing even to throw on a shift; and down the hard embankment’s edge — his back lay flat along the sloping rock that closes |
| 40 | Alterius bulgæ latus. Haud unquam unda canali Ocius exsiliit, terrestris volvere jussa Orbem pistrini, propius illapsa batillis, Quam meus hic sapiens hujus per lubrica valli, Pectore me portans comitem non ut comes alter, |
one side of the adjacent moat — he slid. No water ever ran so fast along a sluice to turn the wheels of a land mill, not even when its flow approached the paddles, as did my master race down that embankment while bearing me with him upon his chest, |
| 45 | Sed veluti natum genitor. Vix intima fossæ Contigerant plantæ, quum jam super astitit hostis Insidens clivo, sed nil erat inde timoris ; Provida nam summi sapientia numinis istos Quintæ præfecit fossæ imposuitque ministros, |
just like a son, and not like a companion. His feet had scarcely reached the bed that lies along the deep below, than those ten demons were on the edge above us; but there was nothing to fear; for that High Providence that willed them ministers of the fifth ditch, |
| 50 | Sed non inde dedit vestigia posse movere. Illic inventa est gens infucata, graduque Tardo ægre reptans, quæ circum largiter imbre Rorabat fletus oculos, vultuque ferebat Se lassam ac victam. Demisso ante ora cucullo |
denies to all of them the power to leave it. Below that point we found a painted people, who moved about with lagging steps, in circles, weeping, with features tired and defeated. |
| 55 | Tegmina pendebant istis, quo more lacernas Consutas monaci suerunt adhibere Coloni, Exteriusque auro visum fallente micabant. At plumbo interius quacunque ex parte rigebant, Sic gravia, ut paleæ fuerint de stramine habendæ |
And they were dressed in cloaks with cowls so low they fell before their eyes, of that same cut that’s used to make the clothes for Cluny’s monks. Outside, these cloaks were gilded and they dazzled; but inside they were all of lead, so heavy |
| 60 | Vestes FRIDRICO miseros torquente repertæ O perpessu asprum tegmentum tempus in omne ! Nos pariter lævi passus defleximus una Conjuncti arrectique ad tristis murmura luctus. Pondere lassa suo sed gens ea lenta movebat |
that Frederick’s capes were straw compared to them. A tiring mantle for eternity! We turned again, as always, to the left, along with them, intent on their sad weeping; but with their weights that weary people paced so slowly that we found ourselves among |
| 65 | Sic raro passus, novus ut comes ire viderer, Unum ubi promoram femur. Hic, ego talibus orsus, Ductori dixi : « Fac cœpto, aut nomine notum Invenias quendam, atque oculo undique circumspecta, Dum sic incedis. » — Sed, qui cognovit Etruscum |
new company each time we took a step. At which I told my guide: “Please try to find someone whose name or deed I recognize; and while we walk, be watchful with your eyes.” And one who’d taken in my Tuscan speech |
| 70 | Sermonem, quidam post tergum tollere cœpit Exclamans vocem : « Plantas retinete, citatas Per caligantem cursu sic præpete ripam ! Forte a me disces, quæ poscis. » Lumina retro Dux, his auditis, vertit, sic ore locutus : |
cried out behind us: “Stay your steps, o you who hurry so along this darkened air! Perhaps you'll have from me that which you seek.” At which my guide turned to me, saying: “Wait, |
| 75 | « Fac maneas ac dein passu procede secundus. » Restiti, et ecce duos vidi præpandere vultu Magnum animi ardorem mecum properantis adesse ; Verum hos tardabant et pondus, et arcta viarum. Tandem ubi perventum est, valde me lumine torvo |
and then continue, following his pace.” I stopped, and I saw two whose faces showed their minds were keen to be with me; but both their load and the tight path forced them to slow. When they came up, they looked askance at me |
| 80 | Conspexere ambo muti, dein vertere vultus In se, et sic fari secum : « Hic spirare videtur, Guttur ubi aspicio. At si mors absumpsit utrumque, Quæ lex priva stolis gravibus dedit ire solutos ? » Deinde mihi : « O, qui, Tusce, potes collegia inire |
a long while, and they uttered not a word until they turned to one another, saying; “The throbbing of his throat makes this one seem alive; and if they're dead, what privilege lets them appear without the heavy mantle?” Then they addressed me: “Tuscan, you who come |
| 85 | Intima, ubi tales dat tristis hypocrita pœnas, Qui sis, effari ne dedignare rogatus. » His ego : « Jucundi prope ripam fluminis Arni Magna urbs me vidit prognatum crescere in annos Plures, quosque habui semper, gero corporis artus. |
to this assembly of sad hypocrites, do not disdain to tell us who you are.” I answered: “Where the lovely Arno flows, there I was born and raised, in the great city; I’m with the body I have always had. |
| 90 | Sed vos qui tandem, queis tanto lumina fletu Exstillant, quantum ex vestro patet ore doloris ? Quæ vos pœna premit sic fulgens ? » — Ora resolvens Ex istis unus, respondit : « Tegmina flavæ Vestis ita solido stant plumbo, ut pondera lances |
But who are you, upon whose cheeks I see such tears distilled by grief? And let me know what punishment it is that glitters so.” And one of them replied: “The yellow cloaks are of a lead so thick, their heaviness |
| 95 | Sic stridere suas cogant. Nos Felsina in auras Edidit, ac fuimus Gaudentum de grege Fratres, Isle LODERINGI, CATALANI ego nomine notus, Quos tua terra duos præfecit, ut ante solebat Unum, sic pacem sperans se posse tueri. |
makes us, the balances beneath them, creak. We both were Jovial Friars, and Bolognese; my name was Catalano, Loderingo was his, and we were chosen by your city together, for the post that’s usually |
| 100 | At fuimus tales, ut adhuc vestigia nostri Præferat imperii Gardingus. » Ego edere vocem Hanc cœpi : « O Fratres, mala vestra … » Haud plura locutus ; Namque mihi ante viam tendenti lumina quidam, Quem terræ fusum palorum trina tenebat |
one man’s, to keep the peace; and what we were is still to be observed around Gardingo.” I then began, “O Friars, your misdeeds …” but said no more, because my eyes had caught one crucified by three stakes on the ground. |
| 105 | Vis cruci inhærentem, fuit obvius. Undique totum, Me viso, se distorsit barbamque senilem Sufflabat, graviter suspiria pectore ducens. Quod quum sensisset CATALANUS, talia fando Commemorat : « Quem tu confixum conspicis istic, |
When he saw me, that sinner writhed all over, and he breathed hard into his beard with sighs; observing that, Fra Catalano said to me: “That one impaled there, whom you see, |
| 110 | Ipse PHARISÆIS consultus reddidit istud Verbum : Pro populo dare pœnas expedit unum : Perque viam positus transverse, ut cernis, et omni Nudus veste jacet, perpendere pondera jussus Huc intendentum passus præterque meantum. |
counseled the Pharisees that it was prudent to let one man — and not one nation — suffer. Naked, he has been stretched across the path, as you can see, and he must feel the weight of anyone who passes over him. |
| 115 | Nec socer huic aliter fossa cruciatur in ista, Turbaque, consilium quæ cetera inivit iniquum, Ex quo JUDÆIS sementis pessima venit. » Tunc ego MINCIADEM vidi pallescere vatem, Mirantem infami fixam trabe corporis umbram, |
Like torment, in this ditch, afflicts both his father-in-law and others in that council, which for the Jews has seeded so much evil.” Then I saw Virgil stand amazed above that one who lay stretched out upon a cross |
| 120 | Tam turpe opprobrium passuram tempus in omne. Tum sic Gaudenti : « Haud pigeat, ni forte vetaris, Dicere, an ad dextram jaceant aliqua ostia, per quæ Exitus ambobus sit pervius, ante ministros Quam nos cogamus nigros hinc tollere utrumque. » |
so squalidly in his eternal exile. And he addressed the friar in this way; “If it does not displease you — if you may — tell us if there’s some passage on the right that would allow the two of us to leave without our having to compel black angels to travel to this deep, to get us out.” |
| 125 | Ille autem : « Propius, quam speras, obvia rupes Circuitu ex magno prodit, vallesque per atras Ire dat, attingens omnes. Tamen excipe ruptam Istam, quæ bulgæ non contigit intervallum ; At per congeriem saxorum perque ruinam, |
He answered: “Closer than you hope, you'll find a rocky ridge that stretches from the great round wall and crosses all the savage valleys, except that here it’s broken — not a bridge. But where its ruins slope along the bank |
| 130 | Quæ jacet acclivis superansque assurgit in altum, Ascensus dabitur. » — Paulisper lumina doctor Fixa solo tenuit, dein sic est ore locutus : « In nostrum malus auctor opus fuit ille, recurvo Qui sontes illic damnatos corripit unco. » |
and heap up at the bottom, you can climb.” My leader stood a while with his head bent, then said: “He who hooks sinners over there gave us a false account of this affair.” |
| 135 | Atque iste : « Audivi jam, quum me FELSINA haberet, Plurima Dæmonii vitia, inque his, fallere doctum Cognovi et fictum, commentorumque parentem. » Exin dux properante gradu digressus abivit, Ora gerens ira paulum turbata. Gementem |
At which the Friar: “In Bologna, I once heard about the devil’s many vices — they said he was a liar and father of lies.” And then my guide moved on with giant strides, somewhat disturbed, with anger in his eyes; |
| 140 | Immani abscedens liqui sub pondere turbam, Carorumque pedum pedibus vestigia legi. |
at this I left those overburdened spirits, while following the prints of his dear feet. |
| INFERNORUM XXIV {24} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Illa ubi pars anni est parum adhuc ætate vigentis, Qua sol sub pluvio Ganymedis sidere crines Temperat, ad medium ac festinant jam ire diei Noctes, quum faciem delapsa pruina sororis |
In that part of the young year when the sun begins to warm its locks beneath Aquarius and nights grow shorter, equaling the days, when hoarfrost mimes the image of his white |
| 5 | Fingit canentis, sed non durabile acumen Est calamo istius ; re deficiente, colonus Corripit ex stratis membra, et prospectat et agrum Totum albere videt nivibus, quare femur icit : Deinde domum redit, ac replet loca cuncta querelis, |
sister upon the ground — but not for long, because the pen he uses is not sharp — the farmer who is short of fodder rises and looks and sees the fields all white, at which he slaps his thigh, turns back into the house, and here and there complains like some poor wretch |
| 10 | Ut miser, ignarus, quid agat ; mox rura regressus Lustrat, spemque iterum condit, mutata revisens Hora cuncta brevi, pecudesque ad pascua sumpta Compellit virga. Haud aliter mihi corda timore Concussit sapiens, turbata ubi fronte videbam |
who doesn't know what can be done, and then goes out again and gathers up new hope on seeing that the world has changed its face in so few hours, and he takes his staff and hurries out his flock of sheep to pasture. So did my master fill me with dismay when I saw how his brow was deeply troubled, |
| 15 | Ipsum, sed tribuit prompte mihi pharmaca læso. Qui, quum corrupti ventum est ad diruta pontis, Ipse oculos in me convertit dulce micantes, Qualls se obtulerat primum sub monte videndum. Quædam molitus secum, imprimisque ruinam |
yet then the plaster soothed the sore as quickly; for soon as we were on the broken bridge, my guide turned back to me with that sweet manner I first had seen along the mountain’s base. And he examined carefully the ruin; |
| 20 | Luminibus tacitis emensus, bracchia pandit, (Hæc etenim potior visa est sententia menti) Et me corripuit. Tunc qualis qui audet et ausum Æstimat, usque sibi qui prospexisse videtur : Sic me correptum saxi ad fastigia tollens, |
then having picked the way we would ascend, he opened up his arms and thrust me forward. And just as he who ponders as he labors, who’s always ready for the step ahead, so, as he lifted me up toward the summit |
| 25 | Quod pars exstabat non exiguissima rupis, Frustum aliud scopuli circumspectabat acuti, Sic fatus : « Manibus deinde hoc prensabis aduncis ; At prius, an valeat libratum ferre, retenta. » Ista lacernato via non tentanda veniret ; |
of one great crag, he’d see another spur, saying: “That is the one you will grip next, but try it first to see if it is firm.” That was no path for those with cloaks of lead, |
| 30 | Nam vix, ille levis, post tergum ego adactus, in altum Qua reptare dabat saxi angulus, unus et alter Quivimus ascensum petere, et ni forte fuisset Hac multo brevior sæpti altera ripa sequentis, Nescio ego hunc, ast ipse manus superante dedissem |
for he and I — he, light; I, with support — could hardly make it up from spur to spur. And were it not that, down from this enclosure, the slope was shorter than the bank before, I cannot speak for him, but I should surely |
| 35 | Asperitate viæ victus. Verum infima campi Quum puteus teneat, puteique impendeat oris Totum bulgarum spatium hoc immane malarum, Quisque situs vallis fert unum surgere sæptum Altius opposito. Nos ad fastigia summa |
have been defeated. But since Malebolge runs right into the mouth of its last well, the placement of each valley means it must have one bank high and have the other short; and so we reached, at length, the jutting where |
| 40 | Venimus, unde silex se extremo in vertice scindit. Sic pulmonis erat mihi vis emuncta micantis, Quum super evasi, ut gressum ultra ferre nequirem, Quin immo sedi quam primum. At talia doctor : « Sic est discutienda tibi socordia mollis ; |
the last stone of the ruined bridge breaks off. The breath within my lungs was so exhausted from climbing, I could not go on; in fact, as soon as I had reached that stone, I sat. “Now you must cast aside your laziness,” |
| 45 | Nam qui suffultus pluma tectusque torali Desidet, ad famam haud ascendit, qua sine vitam Qui peragit, de se vestigia talia linquit, Qualia in oceano spumæ, vel in aëre fumus. Quare fac surgas ; vincatur pectoris angor |
my master said, “for he who rests on down or under covers cannot come to fame; and he who spends his life without renown leaves such a vestige of himself on earth as smoke bequeaths to air or foam to water. Therefore, get up; defeat your breathlessness |
| 50 | Qualemcunque animo præsenti vincere pugnam ; Ni sese ipse gravi pariter cum corpore sternat. Jam nobis opus est mage longas scandere scalas : Nec satis abscessisse istinc ; si missa per aures Accipis æquo animo, tu ne sine inania abire. » — |
with spirit that can win all battles if the body’s heaviness does not deter it. A longer ladder still is to be climbed; it’s not enough to have left them behind; if you have understood, now profit from it.” |
| 55 | Tunc ego consurgo, et me vi majore paratum Jacto, at qua non ipse mihi pollere videbar ; Atque : « I præ, dixi, nam animo sum et robore firmo. » Sic nos per scopuli salebrosa, angusta, maligna Atque accliva magis, quam quæ fuit altera ripa |
Then I arose and showed myself far better equipped with breath than I had been before; “Go on, for I am strong and confident.” We took our upward way upon the ridge, with crags more jagged, narrow, difficult, and much more steep than we had crossed before. |
| 60 | Victa mihi, ascensum petimus. Neve ipse putarer Debilis, ore dabam, pede perrepente, loquelas. Quare vox alia ex fossa mihi venit ad aures, Verba edens hominis non convenientia linguæ. Nescio quid dixit, quanquam impendentia fossæ |
I spoke as we went on, not to seem weak; at this, a voice came from the ditch beyond — a voice that was not suited to form words. I know not what he said, although I was |
| 65 | Terga arcus premerem, qui dat transmittere cursum Illuc ; at visa est hominis vox illa furentis. Intendebam oculos pronus ; sed lumina viva Obscuræ haud poterant pervadere ad infima vallis ; Quare ego ductori : « Fac prendas altera ripæ |
already at the summit of the bridge that crosses there; and yet he seemed to move. I had bent downward, but my living eyes could not see to the bottom through that dark; at which I said: “O master, can we reach |
| 70 | Culmina, nec mecum pigeat descendere muro ; Namque, ut ego him sonitum accipio, nec percipit auris Quicquam, sic illic video, sed nulla facultas Noscere dat quemquam. » — « Ulla tibi haud responsa remitto, Præter », ait, « factum ; nam si quis poscit honesta, |
the other belt? Let us descend the wall, for as I hear and cannot understand, so I see down but can distinguish nothing.” “The only answer that I give to you is doing it,” he said. “A just request |
| 75 | Huic indulgendum tacite est factoque favendum. » Nos capite ex pontis, quo ripæ jungitur orbis Octavus, lapsi descendimus, et mihi bulga Tum manifesta fuit, stipatumque intus acervum Serpentum vidi horribilem, queis forma genusque |
is to be met in silence, by the act.” We then climbed down the bridge, just at the end where it runs right into the eighth embankment, and now the moat was plain enough to me; and there within I saw a dreadful swarm of serpents so extravagant in form — |
| 80 | Sic inerat varium, ut revocantem talia mente Sanguis adhuc fugiat. Non se, non jactet arenas Africa tota suas. Nam si jaculosque chelydrosque, Et phareas cenchresque hæc gignit et amphisbænam, Nec tot tamque malas pestes hæc edidit unquam |
remembering them still drains my blood from me. Let Libya boast no more about her sands; for if she breeds chelydri, jaculi, cenchres with amphisbaena, pareae, |
| 85 | Cum terra Æthiopum, cum Nilo flumine et omni Reptilium specie, rubrum quæ continet æquor. Monstrorum huic generi fœdo commista ruebant Corpora nudata, ac domitæ formidine gentes, Queis spem nulla dabat latitandi rima, nec illa |
she never showed — with all of Ethiopia or all the land that borders the Red Sea — so many, such malignant, pestilences. Among this cruel and depressing swarm, ran people who were naked, terrified, with no hope of a hole or heliotrope. |
| 90 | Mira Gygæ quondam in gemma sat cognita virtus. His post terga manus serpentum vincla ligabant, Qui se per renes cauda et capite insinuabant, Anteriora hominis complexi nexibus arctis. Atque ecce ex istis unum prope litora nostra |
Their hands were tied behind by serpents; these had thrust their head and tail right through the loins, and then were knotted on the other side. And — there! — a serpent sprang with force at one |
| 95 | Invasit serpens et acuto dente momordit, Qua cervix umeris vincitur juncta superne. Non o tam subito quisquam, aut i scribere quivit, Quam subito iste fuit flammis incensus et arsit, Et delabenti in terram considere toti |
who stood upon our shore, transfixing him just where the neck and shoulders form a knot. No o or i has ever been transcribed so quickly as that soul caught fire and burned and, as he fell, completely turned to ashes; |
| 100 | Huic opus in cinerem fuit. Utque absumpserat ignis Hunc ita humi fusum, sese collegit in unum Tum cinis, et per se mox formam sumpsit eandem, Quæ prius exstiterat. — Sic et phœnica fatentur Nobilitate sophi insignes occumbere morti, |
and when he lay, undone, upon the ground, the dust of him collected by itself and instantly returned to what it was; just so, it is asserted by great sages, that, when it reaches its five-hundredth year, |
| 105 | Deinde iterum nasci, quum explevit sæcula quina. Non isti gramen, non isti pabula præbent Fruges, sed turis lacrimæ, sed succus amomi ; Myrrhaque cum spica nardi dant ultima strata. Atque ut qui procumbit humi male conscius ipse |
the phoenix dies and then is born again; lifelong it never feeds on grass or grain, only on drops of incense and amomum; its final winding sheets are nard and myrrh. And just as he who falls, and knows not how — |
| 110 | Casus, atque sui (sive hunc vis Dæmonis atri Detrahat in terram, sive obstruat ostia mentis Morbus, membra ligans), ubi surgit, lumina circum Se volvit, totus cruciatibus exanimatus, Inspectansque oculis suspiria pectore ducit ; |
by demon’s force that drags him to the ground or by some other hindrance that binds man — who, when he rises, stares about him, all bewildered by the heavy anguish he has suffered, sighing as he looks around; |
| 115 | Talis, ut arrexit sese, fuit improbus ille. O justa ira Dei, quanta gravitate severa est, Quæ sic horrendis furit ictibus ulta dolorem ! Tum dux hortatur fari, quibus editus oris, Quis sit ; at ille inquit : « Defluxi ex æthere Etrusco |
so did this sinner stare when he arose. Oh, how severe it is, the power of God that, as its vengeance, showers down such blows! My guide then asked that sinner who he was; to this he answered: “Not long since, I rained |
| 120 | Nuper in hanc faucem diram. Mihi vivere vitam Non hominis placuit, pecudum sed more ferarum, Ut mulo, qui et eram. Sum VANNES FUCCIUS ille, Belua, cui dignum Pistori nota cubile Urbs fuit. » « Hunc », dixi, « ne nos ita linquat inanes |
from Tuscany into this savage maw. Mule that I was, the bestial life pleased me and not the human; I am Vanni Fucci, beast; and the den that suited me — Pistoia.” And I to Virgil: “Tell him not to slip |
| 125 | Rerum diffugiens, ora, dux atque magister, Atque roga, quæ causa istud detrusit in antrum ; Namque illum novi bacchatum in sanguine et ira. » Nec tamen, auditis istis, simulare, sed in me Osque animumque suum damnatum vertere vidi, |
away, and ask what sin has thrust him here; I knew him as a man of blood and anger.” The sinner heard and did not try to feign but turned his mind and face, intent, toward me; |
| 130 | Atque simul totum tristi erubuisse colore. « Quod me deprendis pœnarum vortice tanto Mersum, ut et ipse vides, gravior me cura remordet, » Inquit, « quam quum me superis mors abstulit oris. Quod petis, abnuere haud possum. Tam proxima centro |
and coloring with miserable shame, he said: “I suffer more because you’ve caught me in this, the misery you see, than I suffered when taken from the other life. I can’t refuse to answer what you ask; |
| 135 | Hæc me bulga tenet, quod furtim ex æde sacrata Surripui argentum, gemmisque rigentia vasa ; Quare alius nostrum in crimen sine crimine venit. Sed ne gaudenti liceat tibi nostra tueri Ora, ubi fas unquam tibi sit loca linquere nigra, |
I am set down so far because I robbed the sacristy of its fair ornaments, and someone else was falsely blamed for that. But lest this sight give you too much delight, if you can ever leave these lands of darkness, |
| 140 | Quæ modo prædico, reseratis auribus audi : Pistori primum macrescunt oppida NERIS, Dein renovat gentes, renovat Florentia mores : Atque ex valle vapor Macra, Mavorte trahente, Ingruit obsæptus nimbis et nubibus atris. |
open your ears to my announcement, hear; Pistoia first will strip herself of Blacks, then Florence will renew her men and manners. From Val di Magra, Mars will draw a vapor which turbid clouds will try to wrap; the clash |
| 145 | Tempestas violenta, acris prosternet in agro Piceno armatas acies sub turbine belli ; Quare improvisus nebulam ipse abrumpet, et ALBUS Quisque suum vulnus lacrimabitur. — Hæc ego dixi, Ut tibi sint misere noctesque diesque dolenda. » |
between them will be fierce, impetuous, a tempest, fought upon Campo Piceno, until that vapor, vigorous, shall crack the mist, and every White be struck by it. And I have told you this to make you grieve.” |
| INFERNORUM XXV {25} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Verba sub ista manus fur tollens, pollice utrimque Inserto in digitos : « Cape, » ait, « Deus ; hæc tibi pando. » Serpentes habui post illud tempus amicas, Namque una ex illis collum complexa cohæsit, |
When he had finished with his words, the thief raised high his fists with both figs cocked and cried; “Take that, o God; I square them off for you!” From that time on, those serpents were my friends, for one of them coiled then around his neck, |
| 5 | His veluti argueret : « Nolo, ulteriora loquare. » Bracchia corripiens ingentibus altera spiris Vinxit, sic sese parte anteriore retorquens, Ut vi quum gemina haud esset nutare potestas. Ah urbs Pistori, urbs Pistori ! Cur tibi nondum |
as if to say, “I’ll have you speak no more”; another wound about his arms and bound him again and wrapped itself in front so firmly, he could not even make them budge an inch Pistoia, ah, Pistoia, must you last; |
| 10 | Solvere te in tenues suadet mens certa favillas, Ulterius ne jam dures ? Nam pessima semen Omne tuum superas factis ausisque nefandis. Cunctos per circos nigri caligine Averni Nulla Deum contra sic vultu elata superbo |
why not decree your self-incineration, since you surpass your seed in wickedness? Throughout the shadowed circles of deep Hell, I saw no soul against God so rebel, |
| 15 | Umbra mihi visa est ; non illius umbra tyranni, Quem cecidisse ferunt Thebanæ ex mœnibus arcis. Is sic diffugit, verbum ut non adderet unum ; Atque ego centaurum stimulis furialibus actum Vidi occursantem, magno clamore rogantem : |
not even he who fell from Theban walls. He fled and could not say another word; and then I saw a Centaur full of anger, |
| 20 | « Quo, quo proripuit se, quo ille evasit acerbus ? » Nulla, reor, maris ora fuit tot plena colubris, Quam multa huic clunes serpentum turba tegebat, Quatenus humanæ conjuncta est forma ferina. Huic umeros supra, et post colla jacebat apertas |
shouting: “Where is he, where’s that bitter one?” I do not think Maremma has the number of snakes that Centaur carried on his haunch until the part that takes our human form. Upon his shoulders and behind his nape |
| 25 | Attollens alas draco, cuncta obvia adurens. « CACUS is est, » inquit sapiens, « qui sæpe cruentam Fecit Aventini montis sub rupe lacunam. Non iter insistit fratrum de more suorum, Ob furandi artem, qua armenta propinqua retraxit : |
there lay a dragon with its wings outstretched; it sets ablaze all those it intercepts. My master said: “That Centaur there is Cacus, who often made a lake of blood within a grotto underneath Mount Aventine. He does not ride the same road as his brothers because he stole — and most deceitfully — |
| 30 | Quare huic cessarunt fraudes et facta maligna Sub clava ALCIDIS, centenisque ictibus ictus Forte decem haud sensit. » — Memorat dum talia doctor Atque is præteriit : ripæ, quam prendimus, oram Tres subiere animæ, quæ me latuere ducemque, |
from the great herd nearby; his crooked deeds ended beneath the club of Hercules, who may have given him a hundred blows — but he was not alive to feel the tenth.” While he was talking so, Cacus ran by and, just beneath our ledge, three souls arrived; but neither I nor my guide noticed them |
| 35 | Donec clamarunt : « Qui vos ? » Tum fabula nostra Restitit, ac dictis nos harum admovimus aures. Hos ego non noram, sed tum forte accidit, ut fit Casu sæpe aliquo, ea umbris ut de tribus una Alterius nomen, studio hanc hortante, vocaret, |
until they had cried out: “And who are you?” At this the words we shared were interrupted, and we attended only to those spirits. I did not recognize them, but it happened, as chance will usually bring about, that one of them called out the other’s name, |
| 40 | Sic affata : « Ubinam censes mansisse CIAMPHAM ? » Quare ego compescens digito mihi labra, magistrum Admonui signis, intentus ut ora teneret. Si tua lenta fides, quæ dico, credere cessat, Lector, non mirer ; modo namque assentior ægre |
exclaiming: “Where was Cianfa left behind?” At this, so that my guide might be alert, I raised my finger up from chin to nose. If, reader, you are slow now to believe what I shall tell, that is no cause for wonder, |
| 45 | Ipse mihi, hæc oculis qui vidi et visa notavi. Hic dum sublatis palpebris lumina figo, En pedibus senis serpens irrumpit in unum, Totus et implicuit. Mediis circumligat alvum, Bracchia præcingit primis, dein dentibus ambas |
for I who saw it hardly can accept it. As I kept my eyes fixed upon those sinners, a serpent with six feet springs out against one of the three, and clutches him completely. It gripped his belly with its middle feet, and with its forefeet grappled his two arms; |
| 50 | Invadit malas. Pedibus, quos pone gerebat, Devinxit coxas, immisitque inter utrasque Caudam et post renes sinuatam ad terga retraxit. Non hederam videas sic ulmi intexere ramum, Ut fera terribilis proprios intexuit artus |
and then it sank its teeth in both his cheeks; it stretched its rear feet out along his thighs and ran its tail along between the two, then straightened it again behind his loins. No ivy ever gripped a tree so fast as when that horrifying monster clasped |
| 55 | Artubus alterius. Dein corpus inhæsit utrumque, Ut si naturam ceræ tepidæ igne subissent, Et color his permixtus erat, neutrumque videtur Quod fuerat. Veluti rapidos flammæ ante vapores Per chartam excurrit fuscus color, haud tamen ille |
and intertwined the other’s limbs with its. Then just as if their substance were warm wax, they stuck together and they mixed their colors, so neither seemed what he had been before; just as, when paper’s kindled, where it still has not caught flame in full, its color’s dark |
| 60 | Prorsus adhuc niger est, et candidus occidit. Umbræ, Quæ mansere, duo vertentes lumina retro, Clamabant : « Eheu, sic mutas, ANGELE, membra ? Aspice, nec duo jam, nec simplex esse videris. » Forma duplex capitis jam forma evaserat una, |
though not yet black, while white is dying off. The other two souls stared, and each one cried; “Ah me, Agnello, how you change! Just see, you are already neither two nor one!” Then two heads were already joined in one, |
| 65 | Bina figurarum quum coram mixta stetere Una sub facie, quæ jam prima ora duorum Perdiderat. Vidi geminos exire lacertos Quattuor in partes ; femora, et cum pectore ventrem, Et suras fieri quæ nunquam nota fuere |
when in one face where two had been dissolved, two intermingled shapes appeared to us. Two arms came into being from four lengths; the thighs and legs, the belly and the chest became such limbs as never had been seen. |
| 70 | Membra oculo humano : Delete ibi pristina forma Omnis erat ; perverse duos referebat imago, Atque unum et nullum ; et se ita passu lenta ferebat. Solis ut æstivi mutans sub verbere sæpem Si quando viridis per iter transverse lacerta |
And every former shape was canceled there; that perverse image seemed to share in both — and none; and so, and slowly, it moved on. Just as the lizard, when it darts from hedge to hedge, beneath the dog days’ giant lash, |
| 75 | Labitur, assimilis trananti nubile flammæ : Non aliter venit ad reliquos, facto impete in alvum, Exiguus coluber, candens livensque nigerque, Ut piperis granum ; atque ubi nos alimenta solemus Ducere nostra prius, morsu confixit acuto |
seems, if it cross one’s path, a lightning flash, so seemed a blazing little serpent moving against the bellies of the other two, as black and livid as a peppercorn. Attacking one of therm, it pierced right through the part where we first take our nourishment; |
| 80 | Ex geminis unum, dein fusus corpore toto Ipsius ante pedes cecidit, quem vulnere læsus Aspexit, sed ad hæc vocem non edidit ullam ; Quin stabat, ceu qui somno febrive laborans Oscitat. Hic colubrum, hunc coluber spectabat ; utrimque, |
and then it fell before him at full length. The one it had transfixed stared but said nothing; in fact he only stood his ground and yawned as one whom sleep or fever has undone. The serpent stared at him, he at the serpent; |
| 85 | Hic plaga, is patulo fumabat largiter ore, Seque sibi occurrens fumus jungebat in unum. Lucanus taceat, si qua is miracula tangit, Nassidii quum fata canit, miserique Sabelli ; Intentusque, brevi quæ vibro carmine, tradat |
one through his wound, the other through his mouth were smoking violently; their smoke met. Let Lucan now be silent, where he sings of sad Sabellus and Nasidius, and wait to hear what flies off from my bow. |
| 90 | Menti. Jam mittat Cadmum, atque Alpheida Naso ; Quod si illum in colubrum numeris, hanc vertit in amnem, Haud equidem invideo. Neque enim converterit unquam Naturas binas sic in contraria, ut harum Formæ materiem fuerint mutare paratæ. |
Let Ovid now be silent, where he tells of Cadmus, Arethusa; if his verse has made of one a serpent, one a fountain, I do not envy him; he never did transmute two natures, face to face, so that both forms were ready to exchange their matter. |
| 95 | Has illi ad normas sibi respondere vicissim : In furcam coluber caudam diffindit ; in unum Committit læsus vestigia. Crura simulque Coxæ ita inhæserunt, ut jam spectabile nullum Juncturæ exstaret signum. Partita figuram |
These were the ways they answered to each other; the serpent split its tail into a fork; the wounded sinner drew his steps together. The legs and then the thighs along with them so fastened to each other that the juncture soon left no sign that was discernible. |
| 100 | Sumit cauda, illi delapsam. Mollior hujus, Durior illius fit pellis. Bracchia vidi In geminas retro axillas sublapsa referri, Quosque pedes ambos est visus habere minores Anguis, plus tanto in longum subcrescere, quanto |
Meanwhile the cleft tail took upon itself the form the other gradually lost; its skin grew soft, the other’s skin grew hard. I saw the arms that drew in at his armpits and also saw the monster’s two short feet |
| 105 | Illa minus, spatium in brevius contracta, patebant. Postremi se deinde pedes glomeramine torti Vertunt in membrum, quod vir naturaque celat, Deque suo duo membra miser protenderat alter. Dumque novo fumus suffundit utrumque colore, |
grow long for just as much as those were shortened. The serpent’s hind feet, twisted up together, became the member that man hides; just as the wretch put out two hind paws from his member. And while the smoke veils each with a new color, |
| 110 | Ingeneratque pilos istinc, depascitur inde, Unus se erexit, tum pronus concidit alter In terram ; haud torquent tamen impia lumina, quorum Sub visu rictum mutabat uterque priorem. Qui rectus stetit in plantis, ad tempora traxit |
and now breeds hair upon the skin of one, just as it strips the hair from off the other, the one rose up, the other fell; and yet they never turned aside their impious eyelamps, beneath which each of them transformed his snout; he who stood up drew his back toward the temples, |
| 115 | Rostrum, et, materia superante, exilibus aures Emersere genis : quæ nondum lapsa retrorsum Pars superabat adhuc, in nasum versa recessit, Atque dedit modice, ut par erat, turgescere labris ; Quique jacebat humi, rictum protrudit et aures |
and from the excess matter growing there came ears upon the cheeks that had been bare; whatever had not been pulled back but kept, superfluous, then made his face a nose and thickened out his lips appropriately. He who was lying down thrust out his snout; |
| 120 | Per caput adducit, veluti sua cornua limax ; Et, quæ haud lenta loqui fuerat conjunctaque, lingua In partes est scissa duas, et lingua bisulca Clauditur alterius, statque ipso tempore fumus. Quique feram induerat, per vallem sibila lambens |
and even as the snail hauls in its horns, he drew his ears straight back into his head; his tongue, which had before been whole and fit for speech, now cleaves; the other’s tongue, which had been forked, now closes up; and the smoke stops. The soul that had become an animal, now hissing, hurried off along the valley; |
| 125 | Effugit ; at retro clamatque atque inspuit alter. Deinde illi nova terga dedit, simul ista locutus : « Sic volo, jam BUOSUS currat, velut ipse per istos Reptabam calles. » Ita bulgæ est visa saburra Septima mutare, et formas revocare priores. |
the other one, behind him, speaks and spits. And then he turned aside his new-made shoulders and told the third soul: “I'd have Buoso run on all fours down this road, as I have done.” And so I saw the seventh ballast change |
| 130 | Hic nova me excusent, si quid calamus mihi oberrat. Et quamvis multo hærerent defixa stupore Lumina, mensque mihi fugisset, non tamen illis Sic clausis licuit labi, quin ora notarem PUCCI DIPYGIS, quem vidi de tribus unum, |
and rechange; may the strangeness plead for me if there’s been some confusion in my pen. And though my eyes were somewhat blurred, my mind bewildered, those three sinners did not flee so secretly that I could not perceive Puccio Sciancato clearly, he who was |
| 135 | Qui venere prius, nondum mutasse figuram. Alter erat, tibi adhuc luctus qui est causa, GAVILLA. |
the only soul who’d not been changed among the three companions we had met at first; |
| INFERNORUM XXVI {26} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Gaude, tam magnum quod habes, FLORENTIA, nomen, Quo terram et mare pervolitas, ac Tartara comples. Namque tuos inter cives ego quinque latrones Inveni tales, ut mi pudor occupet ora, |
Be joyous, Florence, you are great indeed, for over sea and land you beat your wings; through every part of Hell your name extends! Among the thieves I found five citizens of yours — and such, that shame has taken me; |
| 5 | Per quos in grandem non est tibi surgere honorem. Quod si sub lucem veniunt insomnia vera, Non aberit tempus, quo tu patiere, quod optat PRATUM, nedum alii tibi. Quod si forte fuisset, Non maturatum rerer : sic illud adesset, |
with them, you can ascend to no high honor. But if the dreams dreamt close to dawn are true, then little time will pass before you feel what Prato and the others crave for you. Were that already come, it would not be |
| 10 | Quandoquidem certo eveniet ; mihi namque doloris Vulnus erit gravius, quo plus processerit ætas. Hinc nos digredimur, quaque ante exstantia saxa Descensum dederant, dux scalis usus iisdem Ascensum petiit, sed me tamen ante recepto ; |
too soon — and let it come, since it must be! As I grow older, it will be more heavy. We left that deep and, by protruding stones that served as stairs for our descent before, my guide climbed up again and drew me forward; |
| 15 | Desertamque viam pergens per fragmina, perque Exesas scopuli cautes, sine utroque nequisset Auxilio manuum subnixa evadere planta. Tunc dolui, rursusque subest modo causa dolendi, Ad quæ conspexi, quum tendo lumina mentis, |
and as we took our solitary path among the ridge’s jagged spurs and rocks, our feet could not make way without our hands. It grieved me then and now grieves me again when I direct my mind to what I saw; |
| 20 | Et plus, quam soleo, ingenium cohibere laboro, Ne mihi discurrat, quo non dat tendere virtus ; Ut, si stella favens aut hac majus quid abunde Dotibus ornatum me dimisere bonisque, Ista mihi minus invideam. Quot cultor agrorum, |
and more than usual, I curb my talent, that it not run where virtue does not guide; so that, if my kind star or something better has given me that gift, I not abuse it. As many as the fireflies the peasant |
| 25 | (Fusus ubi propter clivum dat membra quieti, Tempore, quo, cunctas qui lustrat lampade terras, Ora minus celat, simul importuna strepenti Musca locum cedit culici), lampyridas imam Per vallem spectat, fortasse ubi colligit uvas, |
(while resting on a hillside in the season when he who lights the world least hides his face), just when the fly gives way to the mosquito, sees glimmering below, down in the valley, there where perhaps he gathers grapes and tills — |
| 30 | Et findit sulcos : octava tot undique flammis Lucebat bulga, ut sensi, simul atque potitus Sum loco, ubi ima mihi patuit manifesta vorago. Atque ut, qui quondam est ursis ultoribus usus, Viderat ELIAN abeuntem præpete curru |
so many were the flames that glittered in the eighth abyss; I made this out as soon as I had come to where one sees the bottom. Even as he who was avenged by bears saw, as it left, Elijah’s chariot — |
| 35 | Tunc, quum quadrijugi arripuere per aëra callem, Quem non sic acies poterat servare sequentis, Ut præter flammam salientem, nubis ad instar, Haud quicquam aspiceret : sic singula flamma per amplas Fossæ ibat fauces, ut furtum haud proderet ulla ; |
its horses rearing, rising right to heaven — when he could not keep track of it except by watching one lone flame in its ascent, just like a little cloud that climbs on high; so, through the gullet of that ditch, each flame |
| 40 | Flammaque damnatum subducit quælibet unum. In digito arrectus, studio stimulante videndi, Sic ponti institeram, ut, ni cautem cura fuisset Prensare exesam, nullo pellente, ruinam Traxissem. At ductor, qui me sic ora tenentem |
must make its way; no flame displays its prey, though every flame has carried off a sinner. I stood upon the bridge and leaned straight out to see; and if I had not gripped a rock, I should have fallen off — without a push. My guide, who noted how intent I was, |
| 45 | Viderat intentum, dixit : « Versantur in illis Inclusæ flammis animæ ; quo incenditur, igne Singula sese amicit. » « Te talia fante, » loquelam Sic solvi : « O doctor, modo fit mihi certius istud, Quod prius adverti per me ; sic nam esse putabam, |
told me: “Within those fires there are souls; each one is swathed in that which scorches him.” “My master,” I replied, “on hearing you, I am more sure; but I’d already thought that it was so, and I had meant to ask; |
| 50 | Et dicturus eram : quænam illa in vertice flamma Sic bifida, adveniens, quæ surrexisse videtur Ex rogo, ubi impositum dicunt arsisse minorem Cum fratre ŒDIPODEN ? » — Dedit hæc responsa magister : « TYDIDES illic cruciatur et acer ULYSSES : |
Who is within the flame that comes so twinned above that it would seem to rise out of the pyre Eteocles shared with his brother?” He answered me: “Within that flame, Ulysses and Diomedes suffer; they, who went |
| 55 | Sic simul in pœnas excurrunt, sicut in iras. Inque ista flamma lugentur robore texti Insidiæ fallacis equi, per quem est data porta, Ex qua ROMULIDUM processit nobile semen. Hic ars flenda venit, per quam quoque mortua ACHILLEM |
as one to rage, now share one punishment. And there, together in their flame, they grieve over the horse’s fraud that caused a breach — the gate that let Rome’s noble seed escape. There they regret the guile that makes the dead |
| 60 | DEIDAMIA dolens suspirat, pœnaque sacro Palladio sat justa datur. » Tunc ora resolvens : « Præceptor, » dixi, « si ex illis forte favillis Mittere verba queunt isti, magis oro precorque, Atque hæc mille preces valeat prex : desine, quæso, |
Deidamia still lament Achilles; and there, for the Palladium, they pay.” “If they can speak within those sparks,” I said, “I pray you and repray and, master, may my prayer be worth a thousand pleas, do not |
| 65 | Hic me spectantem, adveniant dum cornua flammæ, Me prohibere mora. Ipse vides, ut corpore prono Totus ad illa feror. » — Tunc contra talibus ille : « Laudandas ego laudo preces et dignor ; at ore Edere verba tuo fac parcas, me sine linguam |
forbid my waiting here until the flame with horns approaches us; for you can see how, out of my desire, I bend toward it.” And he to me: “What you have asked is worthy of every praise; therefore, I favor it. I only ask you this: refrain from talking. |
| 70 | Solvere ; jam novi, cupido quid pectore verses : Nam fastidirent GRAJI te forte loquentem. » Ignis ut advenit, doctor tempusque locumque Arripit, audivitque istis hunc vocibus orsum : « O vos, qui gemini sub flamma inceditis una, |
Let me address them — I have understood what you desire of them. Since they were Greek, perhaps they'd be disdainful of your speech.” And when my guide adjudged the flame had reached a point where time and place were opportune, this was the form I heard his words assume; “You two who move as one within the flame, |
| 75 | Si quid de vobis merui, dum vita manebat, Carmina quum scripsi sublimia, sistite gressum, Et nobis, in qua occiderit deperditus ora, Alteruter memoret. » — Concusso vertice majus Antiquæ cornu flammæ nutare, sonumque, |
if I deserved of you while I still lived, if I deserved of you much or a little when in the world I wrote my noble lines, do not move on; let one of you retell where, having gone astray, he found his death.” The greater horn within that ancient flame began to sway and tremble, murmuring |
| 80 | More laborantis ventis afflantibus ignis, Mittere, deinde apicem hinc atque inde evolvere, tanquam Lingua esset fari nitens, ac denique vocem Ejicere his verbis usam : « Quo tempore abivi A CIRCE, multos quæ me remorata per annos |
just like a fire that struggles in the wind; and then he waved his flame-tip back and forth as if it were a tongue that tried to speak, and flung toward us a voice that answered: “When I sailed away from Circe, who’d beguiled me to stay more than a year there, near Gaeta — |
| 85 | CAJETÆ tenuit, cui nondum nomina terræ ÆNEAS dederat ; nec dulcia pignora nati, Nec patris antiqui pietas, nec debita cura, Nec qui justus amor me lætificare jubebat PENELOPEN, æstum potuerunt vincere cordis |
before Aeneas gave that place a name — neither my fondness for my son nor pity for my old father nor the love I owed Penelope, which would have gladdened her, was able to defeat in me the longing |
| 90 | Ardentis multos per terras cernere mores, Multorumque hominum virtutes pravaque facta : Perque patens altum solus me credere cumbæ Haud timui, parva comitum stipante caterva, Quæ me desertum nunquam malefida reliquit. |
I had to gain experience of the world and of the vices and the worth of men. Therefore, I set out on the open sea with but one ship and that small company of those who never had deserted me. |
| 95 | Hispanos usque ad populos ego litus utrumque Vidi. Non Afri, Sardoa nec insula nostros Effugere oculos, nec quos circumalluit undis Illius ora maris. Tardum me debilis ætas Fecerat, et comites tunc, quum freta tangimus illa. |
I saw as far as Spain, far as Morocco, along both shores; I saw Sardinia and saw the other islands that sea bathes. And I and my companions were already old and slow, when we approached the narrows |
| 100 | In quibus ALCIDES fertur posuisse columnas, Ultra ne quis eat. Dextra de parte reliqui Hispalin, at læva Sæptam ; tum talia dixi : ‹ O fratres, casus duros numeroque carentes Experti mecum, occiduas venistis ad oras. |
where Hercules set up his boundary stones that men might heed and never reach beyond; upon my right, I had gone past Seville, and on the left, already passed Ceuta. ‘Brothers,’ I said, ‘o you, who having crossed a hundred thousand dangers, reach the west, |
| 105 | Nemo ex tam parva vigilandi temporis hora, Quod superesse videt, dare sensibus experiundum Abneget, atque sequi solem, qui lumine mundum A populis nudum lustrat. Perpendite vestrum Semen : non vobis membra, et præcordia finxit |
to this brief waking-time that still is left unto your senses, you must not deny experience of that which lies beyond the sun, and of the world that is unpeopled. Consider well the seed that gave you birth; |
| 110 | Natura, ut deceat pecorum vos vivere vitam, At virtutis iter moliri, et plura doceri. › Hæc vox una meos stimulis ita suasit acutis Insuetam tentare viam, ut vix ulla fuisset Jam mihi sponte sua cupidos retinere potestas. |
you were not made to live your lives as brutes, but to be followers of worth and knowledge.’ I spurred my comrades with this brief address to meet the journey with such eagerness that I could hardly, then, have held them back; |
| 115 | Nec mora. Ad Eoos puppim convertimus INDOS, Tendimus et stultum studio properante volatum, Addidimusque alas remis, latus usque potiti Lævum. Jamque poli cunctas sub nocte videbam Alterius stellas, sic et descendere nostrum, |
and having turned our stern toward morning, we made wings out of our oars in a wild flight and always gained upon our left-hand side. At night I now could see the other pole and all its stars; the star of ours had fallen |
| 120 | Ut non ex plano se attolleret æquore ponti. At vicibus quinis jam luna accenderat orbem, Et totidem inferius defectum lumine vultum Celarat terris, postquam discrimina rerum Tanta ingressus eram ; quum subniger, intervallum |
and never rose above the plain of the ocean. Five times the light beneath the moon had been rekindled, and, as many times, was spent, since that hard passage faced our first attempt, when there before us rose a mountain, dark |
| 125 | Ob longum, procul ante oculos est visus adesse Mons, ita sublimi se tollens vertice ad æthram, Ut socii æqualem in terris vidisse negarent. Hic nos lætari pariter, sed gaudia nostra In luctus abiere cito ; nam turbinis atri |
because of distance, and it seemed to me the highest mountain I had ever seen. And we were glad, but this soon turned to sorrow, for out of that new land a whirlwind rose |
| 130 | Tellure orta nova vehemens violentia navem In primum feriit latus, et terna vice torsit Omnibus hanc undis, et quarta sustulit alte Puppim, ac depressit proram, ut placuisse videtur Arbitrio alterius, donec nos obruit æquor. » |
and hammered at our ship, against her bow. Three times it turned her round with all the waters; and at the fourth, it lifted up the stern so that our prow plunged deep, as pleased an Other, until the sea again closed — over us.” |
| INFERNORUM XXVII {27} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Arrectam se sustulerat jam flamma, quiete Composita, ulterius fandi finem ore datura, Atque ibat, dulci hanc missam faciente poëta : Altera flamma suum quum vertere lumina visus |
The flame already was erect and silent — it had no more to say. Now it had left us with the permission of the gentle poet, when, just behind it, came another flame |
| 5 | Ad cornu hortata est, abeuntem pone secuta, Confuso sonitu, qui funditus erumpebat : Ut Siculus taurus, qui luctu immugiit ante Illius (atque id jure fuit), qui hunc finxerat arte, Edebatque hominis mugitus voce dolentis, |
that drew our eyes to watch its tip because of the perplexing sound that it sent forth. Even as the Sicilian bull (that first had bellowed with the cry — and this was just — of him who shaped it with his instruments) would always bellow with its victim’s voice, |
| 10 | Ut, quamvis totus constaret corpore aëno, Ipse videretur cruciatu percitus acri : Sic fraudata via pariterque foramine, ab ignis Principio in flammæ murmur se tristia verba Mutabant. At ubi hæc apicis per mobile acumen |
so that, although that bull was only brass, it seemed as if it were pierced through by pain; so were the helpless words that, from the first, had found no path or exit from the flame, transformed into the language of the fire. But after they had found their way up toward |
| 15 | Invenere viam, motum vibrantia eundem, Quem prius emissis vibravit lingua locuti, Hæc vox audita est : « Te, verbis quem alloquor istis, Namque modo cum Ithaco te ANDEUM est fassa loquela, Quamvis adveniam serus fortasse, morari |
the tip, and given it that movement which the tongue had given them along their passage, we heard: “O you to whom I turn my voice, who only now were talking Lombard, saying, ‘Now you may leave — I’ll not provoke more speech,’ though I have come perhaps a little late, |
| 20 | Non pigeat, mecumque loqui. Potes ipse videre, Ut me non pigeat ; quanquam hic me flamma perurit. Si modo in hæc tu regna ruis caligine cæca, Ex illa dulci lapsus tellure Latina, Unde ego transactæ vitæ fero crimina cuncta ; |
may it not trouble you to stop and speak with me; see how I stay — and I am burning! If you have fallen into this blind world but recently, out of the sweet Italian country from which I carry all my guilt, |
| 25 | Dic mihi, num ÆMILIÆ populi modo commoda pacis, An bellum spectent. Fateor me in montibus ortum Urbini fines intra rupisque recessus, Unde fluit Tibris. » — Prono tum corpore stabam Intentus, quum me fodiens dux talibus infit : |
do tell me if the Romagnoles have peace or war; I was from there — the hills between Urbino and the ridge where Tiber springs.” I still was bent, attentive, over him, when my guide nudged me lightly at the side |
| 30 | « Tu loquere, ex Latio est. » Ego, respondere paratus Ilico, sic solvi celeres voces : « Anima, istis Abdita sub latebris, tua nullo tempore terra Aut caret, aut caruit bellis, quæ corde tyranni Vestri agitant ; sed ibi modo nulla patentia liqui. |
and said: “You speak; he is Italian.” And I, who had my answer set already, without delay began to speak to him; “O soul that is concealed below in flame, Romagna is not now and never was quite free of war inside its tyrants’ hearts; but when I left her, none had broken out. |
| 35 | Stat veluti multos stetit ante RAVENNA per annos ; Atque POLENTINUS pollens rostro ales adunco Sic fovet ora, suis PLYLOCLEN ut contegat alis. Quæque olim longo tellus exercita ludo Gallorum tumulis infecerat arva cruenta, |
Ravenna stands as it has stood for years; the eagle of Polenta shelters it and also covers Cervia with his wings. The city that already stood long trial and made a bloody heap out of the French, |
| 40 | Pace diu fruitur viridi secura sub ungue : At VERRUCCHINI, seniorque novusque, molossi, Sub quibus indigne jacuit MONTEGNA peremptus, In saltu pasti dentes de more terebrant. Quasque LAMON terras, quasque alluit unda VATERNI, |
now finds itself again beneath green paws. Both mastiffs of Verruchio, old and new, who dealt so badly with Montagna, use their teeth to bore where they have always gnawed. The cities on Lamone and Santerno |
| 45 | Nunc regit imperiis nido LEO parvus in albo, Qui, quas tutatur calido sub sidere, partes Sub bruma mutat : CÆSENAque proxima SAURO, Ut media est inter campum lapidosaque montis, Inter servitium libertatemque moratur. |
are led by the young lion of the white lair; from summer unto winter, he shifts factions. That city with its side bathed by the Savio, just as it lies between the plain and mountain, lives somewhere between tyranny and freedom. |
| 50 | Nunc mihi dic, oro, qui sis ; plus quam fuit alter Ne mihi sis durus, ut sit tua fama superstes. » Postquam more suo sat longum immugiit ignis, Verticis hac illac extremum movit acumen, Deinde sonum efflavit talem : « Si posse putarem |
And now, I pray you, tell me who you are; do not be harder than I’ve been with you, that in the world your name may still endure.” After the flame, in customary fashion, had roared awhile, it moved its pointed tip this side and that and then set free this breath; |
| 55 | Id fieri, ut rursus visuro lumina solis Nostra forent commissa viro responsa, maneret Hæc flamma haud agitata ultra : ast, ut credere dignum est, Quandoquidem revocare gradus hoc carcere ab atro Nulli unquam vivo licuit, responsa remittam, |
“If I thought my reply were meant for one who ever could return into the world, this flame would stir no more; and yet, since none — if what I hear is true — ever returned alive from this abyss, then without fear |
| 60 | Haud metuens famæ, quæ nostra opprobria prodat. Olim miles eram, dein lumbos fune retorto Cinxi, sic vitam ratus emendare priorem. Et certe ista fides veniebat mi integra tota, Si non ille potens ter magnus presbyter esset, |
of facing infamy, I answer you. I was a man of arms, then wore the cord, believing that, so girt, I made amends; and surely what I thought would have been true had not the Highest Priest — may he be damned! — |
| 65 | Cui male sit. Namque is me in crimina prima remisit. Qui quamque ob causam, ipse volens, adverte, docebo. Donec forma fui cum carne atque ossibus illis, Quæ dederat genitrix, non me mea facta leonem, Sed vulpem fecere. Astus quoscunque, peritus, |
made me fall back into my former sins; and how and why, I’d have you hear from me. While I still had the form of bones and flesh my mother gave to me, my deeds were not those of the lion but those of the fox. The wiles and secret ways — I knew them all |
| 70 | Secretasque vias novi, et sic omnia vafre Digessi, externas ut fama exiret in urbes. At simul ætatis me vidi limine in illo, In quo cuique foret satius deducere vela, Colligere et funes, tunc rerum, quæ ante placebant, |
and so employed their arts that my renown had reached the very boundaries of earth. But when I saw myself come to that part of life when it is fitting for all men to lower sails and gather in their ropes, |
| 75 | Est mihi pertæsum, confesso crimina vitæ Cuncta et testato me pænituisse malorum ; Atque hæc, me miserum ! juvisset versa voluntas. Princeps nostrorum novus iste Pharisæorum Tempore, quo juxta Lateranum bella gerebat, |
what once had been my joy was now dejection; repenting and confessing, I became a friar; and — poor me — it would have helped. The prince of the new Pharisees, who then was waging war so near the Lateran — |
| 80 | Non jam Judæis infensus, nec Saracenis ; Christiadum nam gente satos sibi duxerat hostes, Et numero ex illo nemo oppugnaverat Acrin, Nemo mercator Sultani intraverat urbes ; Nec summum imperii munus, nec chrismata sacra |
and not against the Jews or Saracens, for every enemy of his was Christian, and none of them had gone to conquer Acre or been a trader in the Sultan’s lands — took no care for the highest office or |
| 85 | In se respexit, nec quod tenuare capistrum Præcinctos solet, in me habuit duxitque verendum. Verum ut SILVESTRUM inclusum Soracte petivit CONSTANTINUS, ut a lepra se mitteret acri Sanum : ita ut et sibi præceptor febrim ipse superbam |
the holy orders that were his, or for my cord, which used to make its wearers leaner. But just as Constantine, on Mount Soracte, to cure his leprosy, sought out Sylvester, so this one sought me out as his instructor, to ease the fever of his arrogance. |
| 90 | Sanarem, me consuluit. Mihi faucibus hæsit Vox muto ; sic verba hominis sunt ebria visa. Deinde inquit : ‹ Nullo trepident tibi corda timore ; Hac te absolvo tenus ; Prænesten quomodo possim Vertere, tu tantum doceas. Mihi claudere cælum, |
He asked me to give counsel. I was silent — his words had seemed to me delirious. And then he said: ‘Your heart must not mistrust; I now absolve you in advance — teach me to batter Penestrino to the ground. |
| 95 | Et reserare datum, jam scis ; quare mihi claves Sunt geminæ, quas ille parum modo functus amavit. › Tum grave dictorum pondus me pressit, ut ultra Conticuisse mihi rerer magis affore damno. Atque ita respondi : ‹ Quoniam me, crimen in istud |
You surely know that I possess the power to lock and unlock Heaven; for the keys my predecessor did not prize are two.’ Then his grave arguments compelled me so, my silence seemed a worse offense than speech, and I said: ‘Since you cleanse me of the sin |
| 100 | Jam jam lapsurum, Pater, abluis, accipe : longum In promissa abeas, promissis addito curtam Ipse fidem ; et duces stans alta in sede triumphum.” Ast ubi Franciscus gelida me morte solutum Secum adducturus venit, niger obstitit unus |
that I must now fall into, Father, know; long promises and very brief fulfillments will bring a victory to your high throne. › Then Francis came, as soon as I was dead, for me; but one of the black cherubim |
| 105 | De Cherubin Stygiis : ‹ Absitque injuria »dixit, « Ne tolle. Hunc æquum est descendere in ima meorum Permixtum populo. Nam plenum fraudis ab isto Venit consilium, post quod crini ipsius hæsi. Namque haud ulla data est absolvere posse facultas, |
told him: ‘Don't bear him off; do not cheat me. He must come down among my menials; the counsel that he gave was fraudulent; since then, I’ve kept close track, to snatch his scalp; one can’t absolve a man who’s not repented, |
| 110 | Quem non pænituit ; sed culpam odisse, simulque Hanc velle, haud par est : quis enim pugnantia contra Jungat ? › Et, heu misere ! excusso mihi qui fuit æstus ! Quum me corripiens dixit : ‹ Num forte putabas, Me logicum non esse. › Atque ad Minoa retraxit, |
and no one can repent and will at once; the law of contradiction won’t allow it.’ O miserable me, for how I started when he took hold of me and said: ‘Perhaps you did not think that I was a logician!’ He carried me to Minos; and that monster |
| 115 | Isque quater geminos caudam sinuavit in orbes, Ad durum adducens dorsum, et simul ore momordit Acriter iratus, deinde has dedit ore loquelas : ‹ Istum flamma decet furax sontem › ; utque videre est, Perditus his lugens contectus vestibus erro. » |
twisted his tail eight times around his hide and then, when he had bit it in great anger, announced: ‘This one is for the thieving fire’; for which — and where, you see — I now am lost, and in this garb I move in bitterness.” |
| 120 | Flebile visa queri, contorto flamma refugit Quassatoque diu vibrantis acumine cornu. Dux et ego ulterius transimus, terga prementes. Rupis, ad usque aliam, quæ dat contendere ad arcum, Qui superimpendet fossæ, in qua stat sua pœna |
And when, with this, his words were at an end, the flame departed, sorrowing and writhing and tossing its sharp horn. We moved beyond; I went together with my guide, along the ridge until the other arch that bridges the ditch where payment is imposed on those |
| 125 | Illis, qui conjuncta simul sunt scindere adorti. | who, since they brought such discord, bear such loads. |
| INFERNORUM XXVIII {28} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Quis potis est, verbis vel quavis lege solutis, Dicere sanguineos rivos, an pandere plagas, Quas modo conspexi, repetendo sæpe relata ? Omnis lingua quidem minus, an minus utilis esset, |
Who, even with untrammeled words and many attempts at telling, ever could recount in full the blood and wounds that I now saw? Each tongue that tried would certainly fall short |
| 5 | Ob paupertatem nostri sermonis, et arctos Ob mentis fines, non aptæ cuncta tenere. Si quis congereret totius gentis acervos, Pro quibus infelix fertur terra Appula cædi Indoluisse suæ, Æneadum data vasta sub ense, |
because the shallowness of both our speech and intellect cannot contain so much. Were you to reassemble all the men who once, within Apulia’s fateful land, had mourned their blood, shed at the Trojans’ hands, as well as those who fell in the long war |
| 10 | Atque annellorum diuturni, ob tempora belli Magnas exuvias, memorat quas Livius auctor, Qui nunquam erravit ; simul et miserabile vulgus Ictus expertum tristes, dum arcere RUBERTUM GUISCARDUM patriis certabat finibus hostem, |
where massive mounds of rings were battle spoils — even as Livy writes, who does not err — and those who felt the thrust of painful blows when they fought hard against Robert Guiscard; with all the rest whose bones are still piled up |
| 15 | Et reliquum, cujus CEPERANUS nunc quoque campus Ossa tegit, mendax ubi erat nimium Appulus omnis, Et TALEACOTI trans arcem, ubi viribus usus Armorum nullis vicit longævus ALARDUS ; Atque hic perfossos truncos ostenderet, ille |
at Ceperano — each Apulian was a traitor there — and, too, at Tagliacozzo, where old Alardo conquered without weapons; and then, were one to show his limb pierced through |
| 20 | Artus : nil horum nonæ fœdissima bulgæ Supplicia æquaret. Non sic perfossa videntur Dolia, queis media est aut infima lamina subter Amissa, ut quidam a mento usque ad podicis orbem Scissus, qui mihi spectandum sese obtulit ultro. |
and one his limb hacked off, that would not match the hideousness of the ninth abyss. No barrel, even though it’s lost a hoop or end-piece, ever gapes as one whom I saw ripped right from his chin to where we fart; |
| 25 | Intestina inter crura huic pendentia stabant, Extaque cum tristi vertente in stercora sacco Quicquid quisque haurit, nobis manifesta patebant. Atque hic dum spectans hærebam totus in illo, Is me respiciens, manibus sibi pectora pandit, |
his bowels hung between his legs, one saw his vitals and the miserable sack that makes of what we swallow excrement. While I was all intent on watching him, he looked at me, and with his hands he spread |
| 30 | Sic fatus : « Cerne, ut lanier crudeliter artus ; Aspice, ut incedat mutilus MAOMETUS ; et ALYX Flens præ me repit, diffissus turpiter ora A mento ad frontem ; quosque illic conspicis, omnes Hi, dum vita fuit, seruerunt scandala, adorti |
his chest and said: “See how I split myself! See now how maimed Mohammed is! And he who walks and weeps before me is Ali, whose face is opened wide from chin to forelock. And all the others here whom you can see were, when alive, the sowers of dissension |
| 35 | Schismatis omne nefas. Quare sic scissa trahentes Membra illi occurrunt. Istic post terga moratur Dæmon, qui scindit nos tam crudeliter ense, Turba de nostra rursum sub vulnera mittens Quemquam, ubi triste viæ spatium revolutus obivit ; |
and scandal, and for this they now are split. Behind us here, a devil decks us out so cruelly, re-placing every one of this throng underneath the sword edge when we’ve made our way around the road of pain, |
| 40 | Vulnera namque prius cœunt, quam huic obvius alter Fiat regressu. At quis tu, qui in vertice rupis Hujus odorare ? An subeundæ ut sit mora pœnæ, Quæ tibi decreta est confesso crimina vitæ ? » — « Nec mors hunc deprendit adhuc, nec facta nefanda |
because our wounds have closed again before we have returned to meet his blade once more. But who are you who dawdle on this ridge, perhaps to slow your going to the verdict that was pronounced on your self-accusations?” “Death has not reached him yet,” my master answered, |
| 45 | Huc adduxerunt cruciandum, » talibus infit Præceptor ; « sed ego, absumptus jam funere, poscor, Hunc ut circumagam loca per tenebrosa, per omnes Orbes, hinc donec rerum experientia doctum Mittat et, ut nunc ipse loquor, res vera patescat. » |
“nor is it guilt that summons him to torment; but that he may gain full experience, I, who am dead, must guide him here below, to circle after circle, throughout Hell; this is as true as that I speak to you.” |
| 50 | Talibus auditis, plus quam centena virorum Turba stupens stetit in fossa ; nam mira cruentæ Res pœnæ immemores fecit. « Nunc ergo monebis, Tu fortasse brevi visurus lumina solis, Fratrem DULCINUM, validis ut se instruat armis, |
More than a hundred, when they heard him, stopped within the ditch and turned to look at me, forgetful of their torture, wondering. “Then you, who will perhaps soon see the sun, tell Fra Dolcino to provide himself |
| 55 | Ni mens certa illum tulerit, me pone subire Quam primum hanc fossam, ne sic tam angustia victus, Quam nivis aggestæ, victorem Guascona mittat ; Nam secus haud facinus fuerit leve castra potiri. » Ut pede suspenso hanc vocem MAOMETUS iturus |
with food, if he has no desire to join me here quickly, lest when snow besieges him, it bring the Novarese the victory that otherwise they would not find too easy.” When he had raised his heel, as if to go, Mohammed said these words to me, and then |
| 60 | Edidit, hinc abiens tellurem hoc pressit. At alter, Perfossum cui guttur erat, qui naribus ibat Ad frontem truncis, tantum aure notabilis una, Et steterat, mixtus reliquorum examine, mirans, Ut me lustraret, per aperta foramina cannæ |
he set it on the ground and off he went. Another sinner, with his throat slit through and with his nose hacked off up to his eyebrows, and no more than a single ear remaining, had — with the others — stayed his steps in wonder; he was the first, before the rest, to open |
| 65 | Undique cæde rubræ prior occupat, ista locutus : « O tu, quem nulla impurum facta impia damnant, Et quem jam vidi in Latio, nisi fallit imago Me similis, si forte iterum tibi cernere dulcem Tellurem dabitur, quæ a Vercellensibus agris |
his windpipe — on the outside, all bloodred — and said: “O you whom guilt does not condemn, and whom, unless too close resemblance cheats me, I’ve seen above upon Italian soil |
| 70 | Ad Marcobejum vergit, reminiscere PETRUM, Patria cui Medicina fuit ; duoque optima Fani Lumina viva modo, mox ista monere memento, GUIDUM atque ANGELULUM, nisi mens hic præscia vana est, Se vita iri depulsos, atque æquore mersos |
remember Pier da Medicina if you ever see again the gentle plain that from Vercelli slopes to Marcabo. And let the two best men of Fano know — I mean both Messer Guido and Angiolello — that, if the foresight we have here’s not vain, they will be cast out of their ship and drowned, |
| 75 | In saccum insutos, sub proditione tyranni Falsi, ad Crustumium ; nec, qua Majorica ad oras Usque patet Cyprias, vasti rex æquoris unquam Tale scelus vidit, nullo grassante pirata, Nulla acie Argolica. Qui oculo tantum aspicit uno |
weighed down with stones, near La Cattolica, because of a foul tyrant’s treachery. Between the isles of Cyprus and Majorca, Neptune has never seen so cruel a crime committed by the pirates or the Argives. That traitor who sees only with one eye |
| 80 | Proditor, atque tenet terram, quam, qui modo mecum Versatur, nunquam vellet vidisse, vocabit Hos in congressum, efficietque, ut vota precesve Non opus his vento sit mittere Phocarensi. » Huic ego : « Fac monstres, et da mihi discere posse, |
and rules the land which one who’s here with me would wish his sight had never seen, will call Guido and Angiolello to a parley, and then will so arrange it that they’ll need no vow or prayer to Focara’s wind!” And I to him: “If you would have me carry |
| 85 | Si me forte tuum vis nomen ferre sub auras ; Ecquis is est, adeo visum exsecratus amarum ? » Ille manu arripuit socii malam oraque pandit, Exclamans : « Hic est —; neque hiantem verba sequuntur. Cæsaris hic animo dubitanti frena resolvit, |
some news of you above, then tell and show me who so detests the sight of Rimini.” And then he set his hand upon the jaw of a companion, opening his mouth and shouting: “This is he, and he speaks not. A man cast out, he quenched the doubt in Caesar, |
| 90 | Sic fatus : Nocuit semper differre paratis. » Atque oh ! quam mihi visus erat formidine victus, In jugulo truncus linguam sic farier ausam, CURIO ! Tum manibus mutilatis alter utrisque, Aëra per fuscum tollens fœdantia vultum |
insisting that the one who is prepared can only suffer harm if he delays.” Oh, how dismayed and pained he seemed to me, his tongue slit in his gullet: Curio, who once was so audacious in his talk! And one who walked with both his hands hacked off, while lifting up his stumps through the dark air, |
| 95 | Ossa lacertorum, hanc eduxit pectore vocem : « MUSCA tua maneat pariter tibi mente repostus, Cui quondam, heu nimium misero ! vox excidit ista : ‹ Facta viam invenient, › quod genti semen Etruscæ Triste fuit. » « Generisque tui commune sepulcrum ! » |
so that his face was hideous with blood, cried out: “You will remember Mosca, too, who said — alas — ‘What’s done is at an end,’ which was the seed of evil for the Tuscans.” I added: “and brought death to your own kinsmen"; |
| 100 | Respondi. Quare ille, suo hunc etiam insuper addens Mærorem, flenti similis similisque furenti Fugit, et ipse steti cupidus spectare catervam. Et res oblata est, quam me narrare vetaret Ipse timor, nullo mecum testante ; sed ipsa |
then having heard me speak, grief heaped on grief, he went his way as one gone mad with sadness. But I stayed there to watch that company and saw a thing that I should be afraid to tell with no more proof than my own self — |
| 105 | Conscia mens veri, comes optima, sueta juvare Auxiliis hominem, cui pro thorace dedisset Nil conscire sibi non purum, mi omnia tuta Præstat. Ego vidi certe, videorque videre Nunc etiam, truncum per se capite ire revulso |
except that I am reassured by conscience, that good companion, heartening a man beneath the breastplate of its purity. I surely saw, and it still seems I see, a trunk without a head that walked just like |
| 110 | Cum reliquis grege de tristi ; arreptumque capillis Abscissum caput ipse manu pendente ferebat, Instar laternæ, nosque illud lumine utroque Spectans : « Me miserum ! » questu repetebat amaro. Ipse aderat lucerna sibi ; geminatus in uno, |
the others in that melancholy herd; it carried by the hair its severed head, which swayed within its hand just like a lantern; and that head looked at us and said: “Ah me!” Out of itself it made itself a lamp, and they were two in one and one in two; |
| 115 | In gemino simplex : qui fiat, noverit ille, Qui regit hæc. Postquam sub pontis constitit arcu Arrectus, dextram ac totum caput extulit alte, Verba admoturus nobis sua. Verba fuerunt Ista : « Modo nostræ durum genus aspice pœnæ, |
how that can be, He knows who so decrees. When it was just below the bridge, it lifted its arm together with its head, so that its words might be more near us, words that said; “Now you can see atrocious punishment, |
| 120 | Tu, qui vivus adhuc visurus morte peremptos Huc ades, atque vide, num sit crudelius ullum Supplicium ; utque aliquid nostri non inscius edas, BLANDERIONENSEM BELTRAMUM scito fuisse Me, illum, qui regi dederam perversa JOANNI |
you who, still breathing, go to view the dead; see if there’s any pain as great as this. And so that you may carry news of me, know that I am Bertran de Born, the one who gave bad counsel to the fledgling king. |
| 125 | Consilia, atque in se patrem natumque rebelles Armavi. Architophel non sic furialibus egit Maachiadem stimulis, nec tanto vulnere luctus Davidem oppressit. Quare, tam juncta duorum Divisi qui corda virum, sic nunc ego gesto |
I made the son and father enemies; Achitophel with his malicious urgings did not do worse with Absalom and David. Because I severed those so joined, I carry — |
| 130 | Divisum cerebrum, miser ! usque ab origine prima, Isto quæ in trunco est. Sic lex pro dente reposcens Dentem, haud absimiles jussit me pendere pœnas. » |
alas — my brain dissevered from its source, which is within my trunk. And thus, in me one sees the law of counter-penalty.” |
| INFERNORUM XXIX {29} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Sic mihi turba frequens, diversaque vulnera visum Abstulerant domitum, ut cuperent mea lumina longa Flere mora. At : « Quid adhuc », vates ait, « aspicis ultra ? Et quid adhuc, acie defixa, immobilis hæres, |
So many souls and such outlandish wounds had made my eyes inebriate — they longed to stay and weep. But Virgil said to me; “Why are you staring so insistently? |
| 5 | Carcere sub tristi speculando vulnere passim Multiplici laceras umbras ? Sic temporis horas Te flendo haud aliæ viderunt ducere bulgæ. Hæc vallis, bene si numeres, per milia ductos Bis patet undenos passus ; jamque aurea luna |
Why does your vision linger there below among the lost and mutilated shadows? You did not do so at the other moats. If you would count them all, consider: twenty- two miles make up the circuit of the valley. |
| 10 | Sub pedibus lucet nostris, jamque hora diei, Quæ datur, exigua est ; minime et quod rere, videnda Multa manent. » Ego respondi : « Si agnoscere causam Et tu quivisses, cur undique vestigarem, Cunctandi ulterius spatium breve forte dedisses. » |
The moon already is beneath our feet; the time alloted to us now is short, and there is more to see than you see here.” “Had you,” I answered him without a pause, “been able to consider why I looked, you might have granted me a longer stay.” |
| 15 | Ille ibat partim, gradientem ego pone sequebar, Inceptum evolvens responsum atque insuper addens : « Illam intra foveam, consulto ubi fixa tenebam Lumina, flere meo reor umbram sanguine cretam Crimina, apud manes adeo constantia magno. » |
Meanwhile my guide had moved ahead; I went behind him, answering as I walked on, and adding: “In that hollow upon which just now, I kept my eyes intent, I think a spirit born of my own blood laments the guilt which, down below, costs one so much.” |
| 20 | Tum doctor contra : « Ne posthac sensa tuamque Is frangat mentem ; atque alias sub pectore curas Jam versa ; hic per te liceat remanere sepulto. Namque illum vidi graviter sub ponte minantem, Ac te signantem digito, audivique vocatum |
At this my master said: “Don't let your thoughts about him interrupt you from here on; attend to other things, let him stay there; for I saw him below the little bridge, his finger pointing at you, threatening, |
| 25 | Hic intus GERIUM DEL BELLO nomine Etrusco. Sed qui ALTAFORTIS ; quondam possederat arcem, Sic tibi detinuit mentem, ut divertere visu Inde tibi haud fuerit ; quare jam evaserat ille. » « Mi dux, mors violens, ultorem nacta nec ullum, |
and heard him called by name — Geri del Bello. But at that moment you were occupied with him who once was lord of Hautefort; you did not notice Geri — he moved off.” “My guide, it was his death by violence, for which he still is not avenged,” I said, |
| 30 | Qui fuerit probri consors, ita abire frementem Compulerit, dixi ; quare ille, ut corde voluto, Excessit, nulla dignum qui voce vocarer Ducens ; idque magis miserantem indignaque flentem Hujus fata movet. » — Sermonum hac nos vice primum |
“by anyone who shares his shame, that made him so disdainful now; and — I suppose — for this he left without a word to me, and this has made me pity him the more.” And so we talked until we found the first |
| 35 | Venimus ad callem scopuli, qui ex vertice monstrat Alterius vallis spatium totum undique ab imo, Si major fuerit speculanti copia lucis. Ventum ubi bulgarum est postrema ad claustra malarum Sic, ut alumnorum mihi jam apparere figuræ |
point of the ridge that, if there were more light, would show the other valley to the bottom. When we had climbed above the final cloister of Malebolge, so that its lay brothers were able to appear before our eyes, |
| 40 | Possent, diverso ferierunt murmure questus Cor mihi, quos pietas telis armarat acutis : Quare aures manibus properavi claudere utrisque. Qualis, si spatio fossæ glomeretur in uno, Quicquid in ægrorum hospitiis pigra stagna Claninæ |
I felt the force of strange laments, like arrows whose shafts are barbed with pity; and at this, I had to place my hands across my ears. Just like the sufferings that all the sick |
| 45 | Vallis, quum arentes agros Leo tristis hiulcat, Aut cum Libra vices æquat, quicquid maris ora Importuna Senæ, quicquid Sardoa malorum Morbis feta gerit, dolor afforet ; undique talis Hic erat, ac talis se hinc halitus effundebat, |
of Val di Chiana’s hospitals, Maremma’s, Sardina’s, from July until September would muster if assembled in one ditch — so was it here, and such a stench rose up |
| 50 | Qualem membra halant diuturna putrida tabe. Nos longi extremam scopuli, lævam usque tenentes, Descensu petimus ripam, atque revivere visus Tunc cœpit propius fossæ ima, ubi rege sub alto Justa ira, haud patiens falli, cruciatibus angit |
as usually comes from festering limbs. And keeping always to the left, we climbed down to the final bank of the long ridge, and then my sight could see more vividly into the bottom, where unerring Justice, the minister of the High Lord, punishes |
| 55 | Falsificos ; atque hic mulcandos ipsa notavit. Tristius haud quidquam Æginæ vidisse putarem Confectum morbo communi vulgus, ubi aër Sic plenus vitio fuit, ut genus omne animantum, Ad minimum vermem, collapsum morte periret ; |
the falsifiers she had registered. I do not think that there was greater grief in seeing all Aegina’s people sick (then, when the air was so infected that all animals, down to the little worm, |
| 60 | Et genti antiquæ dein semina formicarum Suffecere novum populum, ut cecinere poëtæ ; Quam qui per tenebras illius vallis acervos Umbrarum varios languere ægrore videret. Iste superjectus ventri, tergo ille jacebat |
collapsed; and afterward, as poets hold to be the certain truth, those ancient peoples received their health again through seed of ants) than I felt when I saw, in that dark valley, the spirits languishing in scattered heaps. Some lay upon their bellies, some upon |
| 65 | Alterius, quidam reptando triste cubile Mutabat. — Taciti nos lento incedere passu, Circumferre oculos, ægrosque audire querentes, Tollere qui nullo sese conamine quibant. Ipse duos vidi nixos se mutuo, ceu vas |
the shoulders of another spirit, some crawled on all fours along that squalid road. We journeyed step by step without a word, watching and listening to those sick souls, who had not strength enough to lift themselves. I saw two sitting propped against each other — |
| 70 | Impositum vasi, calfiat ut esca vicissim, A capite ad plantas maculatos undique crustis. Haud unquam strigili propere percurrere vidi Tergus equi puerum, domino exspectante moratum, Aut quem pertædet vigilando ducere tempus : |
as pan is propped on pan to heat them up — and each, from head to foot, spotted with scabs; and I have never seen a stableboy whose master waits for him, or one who stays awake reluctantly, so ply a horse |
| 75 | Ut se quisque supra properantibus unguibus acres Hic illic iterum morsus geminabat, ob iram Indomitæ nimium proriginis omni ope captæ. Et conabantur scabiem sibi detrahere ungues, Sardoni ut culter squamas, aut cuilibet ulli |
with currycomb, as they assailed themselves with clawing nails — their itching had such force and fury, and there was no other help. And so their nails kept scraping off the scabs, just as a knife scrapes off the scales of carp |
| 80 | Largius instructo pisci. — Tum talibus unum De numero aggressus, dictis dux incipit ultro : « O, qui te lanias digitis, ut forcipe adunca Sæpe usus, dic, an quisquam ex tellure Latina His commixtus eat ; sic unguis tempus in omne |
or of another fish with scales more large. “O you who use your nails to strip yourself,” my guide began to say to one of them, “and sometimes have to turn them into pincers, tell us if there are some Italians among the sinners in this moat — so may |
| 85 | Sit tibi par operi. » — « Sumus ambo ex gente Latina, Quos ita corruptos cernis », tunc unus ad ista Respondit lacrimans ; « sed qui nos voce rogasti, Ecquis es ? » — At ductor : « Veni, descendere adortus Ex rupe in rupem, ducturus corpus habentem |
your nails hold out, eternal, at their work.” “We two whom you see so disfigured here, we are Italians,” one said, in tears. “But who are you who have inquired of us?” My guide replied: “From circle down to circle, together with this living man, I am |
| 90 | Vivum, Tartareas homini monstrare cavernas Certus. » Tum vero sese commune resolvit Fulcrum, et quisque fremens oculos atque ora tenebat In me, unaque alii, quibus hæc vox icerat aures. Optimus accessit demisso vertice, fatus |
one who descends; I mean to show him Hell.” At this their mutual support broke off; and, quivering, each spirit turned toward me with others who, by chance, had heard his words. Then my good master drew more close to me, |
| 95 | Sic mecum, sapiens : « Istis tu edissere, quicquid Vis. » Et ego cœpi, hanc veniam mihi dante magistro : « Sic nunquam vestrum primo vanescat in orbe Mentibus elabens nomen, sed vivat in ævum Multum. Non pigeat qui sitis dicere, et unde |
saying: “Now tell them what it is you want.” And I began to speak, just as he wished; “So that your memory may never fade within the first world from the minds of men, but still live on — and under many suns — |
| 100 | Sit genus ; haud vestræ species fœdissima pœnæ Impediat, veterem metuentes prodere famam. » « ARETINA mihi tellus est patria », tali Unus voce infit ; « damnatum me igne SENENSIS ALBARUS absumpsit ; sed, quod me morte peremit, |
do tell me who you are and from what city, and do not let your vile and filthy torment make you afraid to let me know your names.” One answered me: “My city was Arezzo and Albero of Siena had me burned; |
| 105 | Haud huc me adduxit. Quanquam, ut verum ordine pandam, Huic quondam dixi, per ludum multa locutus, Me callere artem, per quam sublimis in auras Tollerer. Hic plenus studiorum, et mentis inanis, Monstrare hanc jussit : sed, quod tranare volatu |
but what I died for does not bring me here. It’s true that I had told him — jestingly — ‘I’d know enough to fly through air’; and he, with curiosity, but little sense, wished me to show that art to him and, just |
| 110 | Aëra Dædaleo haud dederam, dedit ipse cremandum Me cuidam, cui carus erat, patri ut sua proles. Verum me ista decem de bulgis ultima claudit. Quod me, qui Alchimia sum usus, dum vita manebat, Minos, cui nunquam decepto errare licebit, |
because I had not made him Daedalus, had one who held him as a son burn me. But Minos, who cannot mistake, condemned my spirit to the final pouch of ten for alchemy I practiced in the world.” |
| 115 | Ista multavit pœna. » — Atque ego talia vati : « Vidistin’ gentem captanti vana Senensi Æqualem ? Huic certe haud multum gens Gallica cedit. » Alter ubi audivit scabiosus talia fantem.: « Excipe », respondit, « STRICCAM rescindere doctum |
And then I asked the poet: “Was there ever so vain a people as the Sienese? Even the French can’t match such vanity.” At this, the other leper, who had heard me, replied to what I’d said: “Except for Stricca, |
| 120 | Impensas, simul atque auctorem divitis illum NICOLEUM moris, primum qui invenerit hortum, Cui caryophylli beneolentia semina adhærent ; Excipe conventus, ubi consita vitibus arva ASCIANONENSIS dispersit CACCIA, et ingens |
for he knew how to spend most frugally; and Niccolo, the first to make men see that cloves can serve as luxury (such seed, in gardens where it suits, can take fast root); and, too, Caccia d’Asciano’s company, |
| 125 | Frondiferum nemus, et qui effudit, prodigus auri, Quicquid consilii prius ABBALIARDUS habebat. Utque scias, qui te spectantem mente Senenses Adversa sic auxilio juvet, inspice, et ora Fac bene responsent tibi nostra, et disce CAPOCCI |
with whom he squandered vineyards and tilled fields, while Abbagliato showed such subtlety. But if you want to know who joins you so against the Sienese, look hard at me — that way, my face can also answer rightly — and see that I’m the shade of that Capocchio. |
| 130 | Umbram arte Alchimiæ docti vitiare metalla ; Et meminisse potes, si te bene lumine lustro, Quam bene naturæ simulator simius essem. » |
whose alchemy could counterfeit fine metals. And you, if I correctly take your measure, recall how apt I was at aping nature.” |
| INFERNORUM XXX {30} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Quum Juno ob Semelen odio indulgebat acerbo Gentis in omne genus Thebano sanguine cretæ, Quod semel, atque iterum ostendit ; furialibus actus Est adeo stimulis Athamas, ut conjuge visa, |
When Juno was incensed with Semele and, thus, against the Theban family had shown her fury time and time again, then Athamas was driven so insane |
| 5 | Quæ natos, utrasque manus onerata, trahebat, Exclamarit : « Io, tendamus retia silvis, Ut post insidias gemina cum prole leænam Prendam. » Deinde feros ungues protendit, et unum, Nomine quem proprio compellavere Learchum, |
that, seeing both his wife and their two sons, as she bore one upon each arm, he cried; “Let’s spread the nets, to take the lioness together with her cubs along the pass”; and he stretched out his talons, pitiless, and snatched the son who bore the name Learchus, |
| 10 | Corripuit, circaque caput bis terque rotatum Ad saxum allisit : reliquo et cum pondere sese Obruit illa mari. Et cuncta ausa, ausisque potita Quum fortuna Phrygum cœpit sublapsa referri, Ut regnum et regem deleverit una ruina ; |
whirled him around and dashed him on a rock; she, with her other burden, drowned herself. And after fortune turned against the pride of Troy, which had dared all, so that the king together with his kingdom, was destroyed, |
| 15 | Tristis, inops, prædæ mala sors Cisseis, ubi aras Cæde Polyxenia respersas vidit, et ictu Telorum exanimis Polydori in litore corpus, Acta furore dedit latratus ore caninos Pro verbis ; tantus mentem distorserat angor. |
then Hecuba was wretched, sad, a captive; and after she had seen Polyxena dead and, in misery, had recognized her Polydorus lying on the shore, she barked, out of her senses, like a dog — her agony had so deformed her mind. |
| 20 | Sed neque Thebanæ, neque Troicæ Erinnyes unquam Visæ sunt adeo in quemquam sævire, vel ungue Figere, nedum hominum, rabidarum membra ferarum, Sicut ibi umbrarum vidi simulacra duarum Arida, nuda artus se alterno incessere morsu, |
But neither fury — Theban, Trojan — ever was seen to be so cruel against another, in rending beasts and even human limbs, as were two shades I saw, both pale and naked, |
| 25 | Tamque cito ferri cursu, quanto impete porcus, Quum se solvit hara. Petit artus una CAPOCCI, Et colli nodum compressit dente tenaci Sic, ut raptato venter tellure fricandus Huic esset solida. Tum, qui stetit ore trementi, |
who, biting, ran berserk in just the way a hog does when it’s let loose from its sty. The one came at Capocchio and sank his tusks into his neck so that, by dragging, he made the hard ground scrape against his belly. And he who stayed behind, the Aretine, |
| 30 | ARETINUS ait : « Furiosam cerne JOANNIS STICCHI umbram cunctos sic depectentis. » — At isti Dixi : « O sic parcat te figere dentibus alter ; Ne grave sit fari ; dic, quisnam est ille, priusquam Istinc erumpat. » « MYRRHÆ vetus illa scelestæ |
trembled and said: “That phantom’s Gianni Schicchi, and he goes raging, rending others so.” And, “Oh,” I said to him, “so may the other not sink its teeth in you, please tell me who it is before it hurries off from here.” And he to me: “That is the ancient soul of the indecent Myrrha, she who loved |
| 35 | Est anima, in patrem fas ultra perdite amica ; Crimea in incestus quem traxit fraude sub ista : Alterius formam falso mentita, parenti Sese supposuit ; velut alter, qui inde recedit, Fingi se BUOSUM DONATI passus, equarum |
her father past the limits of just love. She came to sin with him by falsely taking another’s shape upon herself, just as the other phantom who goes there had done, that he might gain the lady of the herd, when he disguised himself as Buoso Donati, |
| 40 | Ut grege de toto reginam acquireret, ausus Testari hunc simulans, simul et tabulis dare normam. » Postquam abiere duo rabido obvia dente petentes, In quos obtutum figebam, lumina verti Inspectura alios male natos. Se obtulit alter |
making a will as if most properly.” And when the pair of raging ones had passed, those two on whom my eyes were fixed, I turned around to see the rest of the ill—born. |
| 45 | Spectandus litui forma, quam totus habebat, Non aliter factus, si demas inguina parti, Qua vir sit bifidus. Gravis hydrops, dispare norma Sic membra afficiens congestæ copia aquai, Quam male convertit, minime ut respondeat alvo |
I saw one who’d be fashioned like a lute if he had only had his groin cut off from that part of his body where it forks. The heavy dropsy, which so disproportions the limbs with unassimilated humors that there’s no match between the face and belly, |
| 50 | Os, hunc continuo labris inhiare reclusis Cogit, more viri, quem tabida febris adurit, Qui, stimulante siti quum flagrat, deprimit imum Ad mentum, invertitque ad nares usque supernum. « O vos, qui pœnæ immunes (nec cognita causa) |
had made him part his lips like a consumptive, who will, because of thirst, let one lip drop down to his chin and lift the other up. “O you exempt from every punishment |
| 55 | Triste pererratis regnum, circumspicite, » inquit, « Intentique gravem perpendite mente magistri ADAMI luctum. Mihi vivo haud defuit ulla Copia poscenti ; heu ! nunc lymphæ gutta vel una, Una est in votis. Rivi, qui montibus agri |
in this grim world, and I do not know why,” he said to us, “look now and pay attention to this, the misery of Master Adam; alive, I had enough of all I wanted; alas, I now long for one drop of water. |
| 60 | Clusini argento similes labuntur in Arnum, Quaque iter intendunt, saturant loca cuncta liquore Frigidulo, ante oculos, nec frustra, errare videntur ; Nam me dulce fluens horum plus siccat imago, Quam, qui sic macie vultum depascitur, ægror. |
The rivulets that fall into the Arno down from the green hills of the Casentino with channels cool and moist, are constantly before me; I am racked by memory — the image of their flow parches me more than the disease that robs my face of flesh. |
| 65 | Quæ me justitiæ sic contudit ira severæ, Inde loci, infamem turpi quem crimine feci, Deduxit causam, qua plus mihi corde frequentes Exprimat ex mæsto gemitus. ROMENIA terra est Hæc, ubi corrupto nummos cudi ære notatos |
The rigid Justice that would torment me uses, as most appropriate, the place where I had sinned, to draw swift sighs from me. There is Romena, there I counterfeited the currency that bears the Baptist’s seal; |
| 70 | Baptistæ effigie ; quare membra usta reliqui. At mihi si coram prava umbra videnda daretur, Vel GUIDI, vel ALEXANDRI, vel fratris utrique, Inspicere hanc mallem satius, quam fonte potiri Branda. Jamque una intus adest, si vera loquuntur |
for this I left my body, burned, above. But could I see the miserable souls of Guido, Alessandro, or their brother, I’d not give up the sight for Fonte Branda. And one of them is in this moat already, |
| 75 | Umbræ actæ rabie : at quid mi, si vincior artus ? Si saltem mihi corpus adhuc levitatis haberet Tantum, ut, dum vertunt labentia tempora sæclum, Unum vel digitum pedibus procedere possem, Hoc essem jam ingressus iter, vestigia quærens |
if what the angry shades report is true. What use is that to me whose limbs are tied? Were I so light that, in a hundred years, I could advance an inch, I should already be well upon the road to search for him |
| 80 | Illius has inter vulgi sordes ; licet ista latrina In longum undenos passus per milia ductos, Et plus quam passus quingentos lata patescat. Colluviem hanc inter mihi tempus in omne jacendum est Hos propter. Namque hi suaserunt cudere nummos, |
among the mutilated ones, although this circuit measures some eleven miles and is at least a half a mile across. Because of them I’m in this family; it was those three who had incited me |
| 85 | Queis tantum suberat mixti purgaminis, ut tres Pondere adæquaret siliquas. » — Tum talibus orsus Quæsivi rursum : « Quæ sunt miseranda duorum Spectra hæc, quæ fumant veluti sub frigore brumæ Fonte extracta manus, tibi dextrum qui latus urgent |
to coin the florins with three carats’ dross.” And I to him: “Who are those two poor sinners who give off smoke like wet hands in the winter and lie so close to you upon the right?” |
| 90 | Prostrati, junctique simul ? » — « Quo tempore in istud Antrum », inquit, « pluvi, illos me invenisse recordor Sic positos ; nunquam digressos amplius inde, Æternumque reor mansuros. Femina mendax Una est, quæ nomen JOSEPHI crimine falso |
“I found them here,” he answered, “when I rained down to this rocky slope; they’ve not stirred since and will not move, I think, eternally. One is the lying woman who blamed Joseph; |
| 95 | Detulit ; hæc umbra est DANAI perjura SINONIS Ex urbe Iliaca, quorum de pectore febris Tantum nidoris graveolentis torrida mittit. » Unus at ex illis, piguit quem forte vocatum Nomine ita obscuro, pugnum huic impegit in ampli |
the other, lying Sinon, Greek from Troy; because of raging fever they reek so.” And one of them, who seemed to take offense, perhaps at being named so squalidly, struck with his fist at Adam’s rigid belly. |
| 100 | Duritiem ventris. Veluti Cybeleia ab ictu Tympana, is insonuit. — Contra subita ira magistri ADAM vibrato graviter ferit ora lacerto, Nec minus hic fuerat durus ; dein talia fatur : « Quamvis membrorum gravitas vetet ire, lacertus |
It sounded as if it had been a drum; and Master Adam struck him in the face, using his arm, which did not seem less hard, saying to him: “Although I cannot move my limbs because they are too heavy, I |
| 105 | It mihi liber, ubi sit opus. » Tunc edidit alter Hæc verba : « Ardentem ad flammam quo tempore tractus Ibas, haud fuerat tam alacer tibi ; at hunc tamen æra Cudere sic norunt, et plus fortasse paratum. » Hydropicus contra : « Nunc tandem dicere verum |
still have an arm that’s free to serve that need.” And he replied: “But when you went to burning, your arm was not as quick as it was now; though when you coined, it was as quick and more.” To which the dropsied one: “Here you speak true; |
| 110 | Cœpisti ; at Trojæ tu pandere vera rogatus, Non ita testis eras verax. » « Verum assimulavi, Tu cuneum », DANAUS dixit ; « sed criminis una Istic me labes damnat, te plurima, totque Crimina, quot quisquam haud potuit committere Dæmon. » |
but you were not so true a witness there, when you were asked to tell the truth at Troy.” “If I spoke false, you falsified the coin,” said Sinon; “I am here for just one crime — but you’ve committed more than any demon.” |
| 115 | « Insidias fallacis equi, perjure, revolve, » Illi respondit, qui inflatum abdomen habebat, « Arguat et sontem totus jam conscius orbis. » « At tibi sit crimen sitis arida, » dixit ACHIVUS, « Quæ tibi disrumpit linguam ; sit marcidus humor |
“Do not forget the horse, you perjurer,” replied the one who had the bloated belly, “may you be plagued because the whole world knows it.” The Greek: “And you be plagued by thirst that cracks your tongue, and putrid water that has made |
| 120 | Crimen, qui anterius ventrem tibi sæpit. » — At æris Cusor : « Ita, ut quondam, magno se scindit hiatu Os tibi nunc, ubi fert animus maledicere suetus. Quod si me exsiccat sitis, et me lympha refercit, Ardor te male habet, male habet caput usque laborans ; |
your belly such a hedge before your eyes.” And then the coiner: “So, as usual, your mouth, because of racking fever, gapes; for if I thirst and if my humor bloats me, you have both dryness and a head that aches; |
| 125 | Et dum Narcissi speculum tibi lambere detur, Hortantem haud velles te longa ambage moratum. » Hos ego defixa sermones aure bibebam, Quum mihi præceptor subtristis : « Prospice, » dixit ; « Namque parum modo abest, quin tecum in jurgia surgam. » |
few words would be sufficient invitation to have you lick the mirror of Narcissus.” I was intent on listening to them when this was what my master said: “If you insist on looking more, I’ll quarrel with you!” |
| 130 | Quem simul iratum audivi verba ista loquentem, Accessi, puduitque adeo, ut pudor intima mentis Nunc quoque pervadat, repeto dum talia mecum. Ac veluti in somnis sua qui sibi damna figurat, Somnia dum ludunt, ludant modo somnia mavult |
And when I heard him speak so angrily, I turned around to him with shame so great that it still stirs within my memory. Even as one who dreams that he is harmed and, dreaming, wishes he were dreaming, thus |
| 135 | Sic, ut quicquid adest, omnino exoptat abesse : Talis ego astiteram, quum deessent verba studenti Errori causam nostro prætexere ; at istud Fecerat aspectus, quod me haud fecisse putarem. « Culpa tua major tanto purganda pudore |
desiring that which is, as if it were not, so I became within my speechlessness; I wanted to excuse myself and did excuse myself, although I knew it not. “Less shame would wash away a greater fault than was your fault,” my master said to me; |
| 140 | Non esset ; quare hic omni te labe levavit », Doctor ait, « meque usque puta te cernere coram Astantem, si forte pari certamine gentem Infensam offendas : id velle audire pusilli est. » |
“therefore release yourself from all remorse and see that I am always at your side, should it so happen — once again — that fortune brings you where men would quarrel in this fashion; to want to hear such bickering is base.” |
| INFERNORUM XXXI {31} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Una eademque prius me lingua momordit, utrasque Tinxerit ut malas, medicataque postea juvit. Talis, ut audivi, fatalis lancea Achillis, Ac Pelei patris primo causa esse solebat |
The very tongue that first had wounded me, sending the color up in both my cheeks, was then to cure me with its medicine — as did Achilles’ and his father’s lance, even as I have heard, when it dispensed |
| 5 | Tristis, deinde bonæ strenæ. Nos vertere terga Valli infelici, præcingentemque tenere Cœpimus ascensu ripam, transversa legentes Muti. Nescio quid minus hic quam noctis opacæ, Atque minus quam lucis erat. Nec longius ire |
a sad stroke first and then a healing one. We turned our backs upon that dismal valley by climbing up the bank that girdles it; we made our way across without a word. Here it was less than night and less than day, |
| 10 | Vestigando oculus quibat ; verum impulit aures Stridore altisono cornu, quod et omne tonitru Obruerit strepitu horribili, propriumque secutum Oppositum sibi iter, me figere adegit in unum Lumen utrumque locum. Post flendæ funera cladis, |
so that my sight could only move ahead slightly, but then I heard a bugle blast so strong, it would have made a thunder clap seem faint; at this, my eyes — which doubled back upon their path — turned fully toward one place. Not even Roland’s horn, which followed on |
| 15 | Carolus a sancto Magnus quum decidit auso, Tam perterricrepo non perculit aëra bombo Rolandus. — Caput inde ausus paulisper in altum Tollere, sum multas visus spectare præaltas Turres. Quare ego : « Dic, quænam est terra ista, magister ? » |
the sad defeat when Charlemagne had lost his holy army, was as dread as this. I’d only turned my head there briefly when I seemed to make out many high towers; then I asked him: “Master, tell me, what’s this city?” |
| 20 | Isque mihi : « Quoniam multis stipata tenebris Per loca transcurris nimium procul, hinc fit, ut erres Propter opinatus animi ; at, probe, tu quoque disces, Illuc si accedas, quam, quæ longinqua videntur, Decipiant sensus : quare properantius ito. » |
And he to me: “It is because you try to penetrate from far into these shadows that you have formed such faulty images. When you have reached that place, you shall see clearly how much the distance has deceived your sense; and, therefore, let this spur you on your way.” |
| 25 | Apprenditque manum peramanter, et insuper addit : « Ante iter ulterius quam pergas carpere mecum, Scito, non illas turres, verum esse gigantas, Stantque, tenus ventris quanti sunt, undique fixi Circum oram putei. » Veluti, caligine pulsa, |
Then lovingly he took me by the hand and said: “Before we have moved farther on, so that the fact may seem less strange to you, I’d have you know they are not towers, but giants, and from the navel downward, all of them are in the central pit, at the embankment.” Just as, whenever mists begin to thin, |
| 30 | Paulatim incipiunt oculi internoscere, quicquid, Aëra qui stipat, vapor abdidit ; aëra crassum Sic me, dum fodio, magis et magis usque propinquans Oræ, error fugit et pavor ingens occupat artus. Namque ut, ubi vallo sedet area sæpta rotundo, |
when, gradually, vision finds the form that in the vapor-thickened air was hidden, so I pierced through the dense and darkened fog; as I drew always nearer to the shore, my error fled from me, my terror grew; |
| 35 | Monstregio surgit redimitus turribus altis : Sic exornabant, puteus qua cingitur, oram Terribiles media non plus quam parte gigantes Supra impendentes, queis Juppiter æthere ab alto, Dum crepitat, minitatur adhuc. — Mihi jamque videbar |
for as, on its round wall, Montereggioni is crowned with towers, so there towered here, above the bank that runs around the pit, with half their bulk, the terrifying giants, whom Jove still menaces from Heaven when he sends his bolts of thunder down upon them. |
| 40 | Cernere cujusdam faciemque umerosque sinumque Et magnam ventris partem, distentaque utrimque Bracchia sub costis. Recte natura reliquit Artem, quæ tales homines in luminis auras Ederet, his similis Marti ereptura ministros. |
And I could now make out the face of one, his shoulders and his chest, much of his belly, and both his arms that hung along his sides. Surely when she gave up the art of making such creatures, Nature acted well indeed, depriving Mars of instruments like these. |
| 45 | Quod si cetorum aut elephantum haud pænitet illam, Res inspectanti penitus censenda videtur Plus justa ac prudens. Nam si sollertia mentis Nequitiam jungat cum vi, jam nulla juvaret Contra obnitentis virtus. Prælonga patebat |
And if she still produces elephants and whales, whoever sees with subtlety holds her — for this — to be more just and prudent; for where the mind’s acutest reasoning is joined to evil will and evil power, there human beings can’t defend themselves. |
| 50 | Atque ampla huic facies, veluti pinna ardua molis Romæ, Petre, tibi sacræ ; modus ossibus idem : Ut pars inferior, cui facta est subligar ora, Sat bene demonstret tantum superesse staturæ, Ut male præsumant se his tangere posse capillos |
His face appeared to me as broad and long as Rome can claim for its St. Peter’s pine cone; his other bones shared in that same proportion; so that the bank, which served him as an apron down from his middle, showed so much of him |
| 55 | Tres Phryges impositi. Non paucos namque videbam Triginta magnos in longum tendere palmos Inde, ubi demissam subnectit fibula vestem. « Rafel, mai, amech ! » cœpit clamare ferinum Os, quod non hymni carmen mage dulce decebat. |
above, that three Frieslanders would in vain have boasted of their reaching to his hair; for downward from the place where one would buckle a mantle, I saw thirty spans of him. “Raphel mai amecche zabi almi,” began to bellow that brute mouth, for which no sweeter psalms would be appropriate. |
| 60 | Dux meus hunc contra : « Stolidissima belua, » dixit, « Ære tona cornuque tuos effunde dolores, Ira furorve alius simulac præcordia tangit. Collum pertenta ; invenies, confuse, ligamen Funis, qui vinctum tenet ; atque hunc aspice magnum, |
And my guide turned to him: “O stupid soul, keep to your horn and use that as an outlet when rage or other passion touches you! Look at your neck, and you will find the strap that holds it fast; and see, bewildered spirit, |
| 65 | Qui tibi præcingit pectus. » — Dein talibus infit Mecum : « Idem scelus ipse suum nunc arguit ; iste est NEMBROTTUS, cujus mala mens effecit, ut una Tantum haud utantur mortalia sæcla loquela. Islam mittamus, nec ventis irrita verba |
how it lies straight across your massive chest.” And then to me: “He is his own accuser; for this is Nimrod, through whose wicked thought one single language cannot serve the world. Leave him alone — let’s not waste time in talk; |
| 70 | Spargamus vanis ; nam sermo est quilibet ipsi Talis, ut et nobis idem hic, non cognitus ulli. » Longius ire igitur juvit, lævam usque tenentes, Atque intra jactum teli stetit obvius alter Sævior, ac major. Qui hunc cinxerit arte, magistrum |
for every language is to him the same as his to others — no one knows his tongue.” So, turning to the left, we journeyed on and, at the distance of a bow-shot, found another giant, far more huge and fierce. |
| 75 | Dicere nescirem ; at præ se lævum ipse tenebat, Et post se dextrum religatum fune lacertum, Qui sic hunc infra collum undique præpediebat, Ut partem exstantem vel quino involveret orbe. « Iste tumens fastu voluit tentare quid ipse |
Who was the master who had tied him so, I cannot say, but his left arm was bent behind him and his right was bent in front, both pinioned by a chain that held him tight down from the neck; and round the part of him that was exposed, it had been wound five times. “This giant in his arrogance had tested |
| 80 | Contra supremum terræ cælique potentem Pugnando posset », ductor mihi dixit, « et inde Hæc ipsi merces. EPHIALTES nomen habebat, Extremumque dedit specimen virtutis in illa Pugna, qua Superis tantum injecere gigantes |
his force against the force of highest Jove,” my guide said, “so he merits this reward. His name is Ephialtes; and he showed tremendous power when the giants frightened |
| 85 | Terrorem : haud unquam movet is, quæ bracchia torsit. » Illi ego tum : « Vellem, fieri si posse putares, Immensum his oculis BRIAREA videre. » Sed ille : « ANTÆUM haud procul invenies dantem ore loquelas, Quem non vincla tenent, qui nos deponere in ima |
the gods; the arms he moved now move no more.” And I to him: “If it is possible, I’d like my eyes to have experience of the enormous one, Briareus.” At which he answered: “You shall see Antaeus nearby. He is unfettered and can speak; he’ll take us to the bottom of all evil. |
| 90 | Valle, ubi cunctorum stant pectora pessima sontum, Possit. Quem velles, is multo longius isthac Distat, et est vinclis vinctus, nec dispare forma, Si vultum excipias, qui sævior esse videtur. » Nec jam sic validus terræ tremor ingruit unquam, |
The one you wish to see lies far beyond and is bound up and just as huge as this one, and even more ferocious in his gaze.” No earthquake ever was so violent |
| 95 | Mole sua stantem quateret qui fortius arcem, Ut cito se excussit dirum genus IPHIMEDIÆ. Tunc mihi mors, nunquam pejus metuenda, recurrit, Ad quam formido sat erat, nisi vincula torta Vidissem. Quare gressu processimus ultra, |
when called to shake a tower so robust, as Ephialtes quick to shake himself. Then I was more afraid of death than ever; that fear would have been quite enough to kill me, had I not seen how he was held by chains. And we continued on until we reached |
| 100 | ANTÆUM et petimus, qui ulnas, sine vertice, denas Spelunca exstabat, solvitque hæc ore magister : « O fortunatæ nimium vetus incola vallis, Quæ decora eximii quondam dedit ampla triumphi Scipiadi, Hannibalem, turba cedente suorum, |
Antaeus, who, not reckoning his head, stood out out above the rock wall full five ells. “O you, who lived within the famous valley (where Scipio became the heir of glory when Hannibal retreated with his men), |
| 105 | Vidit ubi dare terga fugæ, o cui mille leonum Sacrasti exuvias ; o tu, qui si agmina fratrum Juvisses alto in bello, jam credere dignum est Cessuros regnum natis tellure fuisse Cælicolas victos ; ne nos deponere in oris |
who took a thousand lions as your prey — and had you been together with your brothers in their high war, it seems some still believe the sons of earth would have become the victors — do set us down below, where cold shuts in |
| 110 | Cocyti grave sit, glacies quem frigida vincit. Ne mitte orantes TITYO, ne mitte TYPHŒO : Largiter hic præbere potest, quæ munera cuncti Hic vestri cupiunt. Oneri supponere tergus Ne pigeat nostro, et naso suspendere parce. |
Cocytus, and do not disdain that task. Don’t send us on to Tityus or Typhon; this man can give you what is longed for here; therefore bend down and do not curl your lip. |
| 115 | Iste et apud superos poterit tibi reddere famam Nunc quoque ; vivit enim, et diuturnam ducere vitam Sperat, ubi ante diem non ipsum gratia major Ad sese revocet. » — Sic doctor. At ille tetendit Approperans dextram et, queis pressit ad incita adactum |
He still can bring you fame within the world, for he’s alive and still expects long life, unless grace summon him before his time.” So said my master; and in haste Antaeus stretched out his hands, whose massive grip had once |
| 120 | Alcidem quondam, ductorem sustulit ulnis. Ut sese prensum sensit, mihi talia fatur Minciades : « Istuc accede, ut te quoque prendam » : Dein sic effecit, fasci ut glomeraverit uni, Sese, meque. Velut sub parte, ubi prona videtur |
been felt by Hercules, and grasped my guide. And Virgil, when he felt himself caught up, called out to me: “Come here, so l can hold you,” then made one bundle of himself and me. |
| 125 | Carisenda oculis, si quando ex æthere in ipsam Incumbat nubes, ut contra pendeat illa ; ANTÆUS mihi talis erat, dum multa morabar, Clinantem spectans tanta se mole gigantem. Nec semel evenit, diversum ut quærere callem |
Just as the Garisenda seems when seen beneath the leaning side, when clouds run past and it hangs down as if about to crash, so did Antaeus seem to me as I watched him bend over me — a moment when I’d have preferred to take some other road. |
| 130 | Optarim ; sed nos imum prope fluminis alveum Deposuit leviter, Cocyti ubi stagna profundi Luciferum Judamque vorant. Hic nulla manendi Ipsi causa fuit sic curvo, ast arboris instar Veliferæ, immani se arrexit corpora in altum. |
But gently — on the deep that swallows up both Lucifer and Judas — he placed us; nor did he, so bent over, stay there long, but, like a mast above a ship, he rose. |
| INFERNORUM XXXII {32} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Si mihi sic asprum raucumque sonantibus uti Fas esset numeris, ut convenientia tristi Carmina concreperent barathro, in quod pondere rupes Cunctæ aliæ tendunt, vena magis ubere succum |
Had I the crude and scrannel rhymes to suit the melancholy hole upon which all the other circling crags converge and rest, the juice of my conception would be pressed |
| 5 | Exprimerem mentis ; sed ubi est mihi copia nulla, Fari haud absque metu aggredior : nec parva videtur, Dignave res risus, aut nomina balba parentum Fingentis linguæ, medium, in quod nititur omne, Designare. Sed hunc doctissima turba sororum |
more fully; but because I feel their lack, I bring myself to speak, yet speak in fear; for it is not a task to take in jest, to show the base of all the universe — nor for a tongue that cries out, “mama,” “papa.” But may those ladies now sustain my verse |
| 10 | Ipsa juvet versum, quæ Amphiona claudere Thebas Molitum auxilio juvit, ne carmina rebus Discordent. — O plebs humanæ pessima gentis, Quæ sedes habitas, quas est describere durum, Profuerit melius vobis pecudum atque caprarum |
who helped Amphion when he walled up Thebes, so that my tale not differ from the fact. O rabble, miscreated past all others, there in the place of which it’s hard to speak, better if here you had been goats or sheep! |
| 15 | Istic sorte datas animas sumpsisse repostis. Postquam demissi in puteum devenimus atrum, Sub pedibus Lybici, in multo inferiora locorum Lapsi, et adhuc murum direxi lumina ad altum : « Prospice, ut incedis », subito hæc vox venit ad aures, |
When we were down below in the dark well, beneath the giant’s feet and lower yet, with my eyes still upon the steep embankment, I heard this said to me: “Watch how you pass; |
| 20 | « Neve caput fratrum miserorum protere plantis. » Quare ego respexi, atque oculos sese obtulit ante, Sub pedibusque lacus glacie concretus inerti, Durus ita, ut vitri potius, quam mollis imago Esset aquæ. Non sic denso velamine cursum |
walk so that you not trample with your soles the heads of your exhausted, wretched brothers.” At this I turned and saw in front of me, beneath my feet, a lake that, frozen fast, had lost the look of water and seemed glass. |
| 25 | Ister contexit, qui præterlabitur agrum Austriacum, aut Tanais rigidi sub sidere cæli, Ut lacus hic stabat. Quod si collapsa ruinam Vasta Tabernicci, aut Petrapanæ pondere toto Traxisset moles, haud ullum sponda dedisset |
The Danube where it flows in Austria, the Don beneath its frozen sky, have never made for their course so thick a veil in winter as there was here; for had Mount Tambernic or Pietrapana’s mountain crashed upon it, |
| 30 | Sub casu crepitum. Ac veluti stat rana coaxans Rictu extra stagnum, quum Virgo rustica sæpe Somniat in sulcis se spicas ire legentem, Stabant liventes, illac tenus, unde pudoris Apparent signa, in gelidis stringoribus amnis |
not even at the edge would it have creaked. And as the croaking frog sits with its muzzle above the water, in the season when the peasant woman often dreams of gleaning, so, livid in the ice, up to the place where shame can show itself, were those sad shades, |
| 35 | Umbræ externatæ luctu, dentesque ciebant Conflictu in numerum, ut peregrina ciconia rostrum. Vultum quæque suum figebat versa deorsum : Angorem os, cor triste oculi testantur. At omnia Ut circumspexi, demisi lumina quærens |
whose teeth were chattering with notes like storks’. Each kept his face bent downward steadily; their mouths bore witness to the cold they felt, just as their eyes proclaimed their sorry hearts. When I had looked around a while, my eyes |
| 40 | lnferiora meis plantis, simulacraque vidi Stare duo sic juncta sibi, connexaque ita arcte, Ut simul immixtus capitis pilus esset utrique. « O vos, qui premitis sic pectora mutuo, » dixi, « Qui vos, et quodnam genus ? » — Illi flectere colla |
turned toward my feet and saw two locked so close, the hair upon their heads had intermingled. “Do tell me, you whose chests are pressed so tight,” I said, “who are you?” They bent back their necks, and when they’d lifted up their faces toward me, |
| 45 | In me sublatis oculis. Tum mollia primum A lacrimis intus, fluxerunt lumina guttis Labra supra, at glacies illas oculum inter utrumque Frigore concretas astrinxit, at ostia visus Occlusit. Nunquam sic ligno annectere lignum |
their eyes, which wept upon the ground before, shed tears down on their lips until the cold held fast the tears and locked their lids still more. No clamp has ever fastened plank to plank |
| 50 | Vi subscus valuit. Quare hi se fronte petebant Adversa alternis, hircorum more duorum, Tanta ira hos vicit. Tum unus, cui frigus utrasque Aures depastum fuit, haud minus usque deorsum Defixis oculis, dixit : « Cur tanta cupido |
so tightly; and because of this, they butted each other like two rams, such was their fury. And one from whom the cold had taken both his ears, who kept his face bent low, then said; |
| 55 | Sic nos lustrandi ? Si istos tu scire laboras, Possedere ambo vallem, Byzantius amnis Unde fluit : pater his ALBERTUS ; et unica mater Ipso ventre satos in luminis edidit auras. Vestigare potes totius lustra Cainæ, |
“Why do you keep on staring so at us? If you would like to know who these two are; that valley where Bisenzio descends, belonged to them and to their father Alberto. They came out of one body; and you can search all Caina, you will never find |
| 60 | Non tamen invenies culpis insignibus auctam Umbram marmoreo mage dignam in frigore figi ; Non illam, mantis ARTUDIS cui pectus et umbram Uno ictu rupit. Non his PHOCACCIA, non his Iste est deterior, modo qui me sic capite umbrat, |
a shade more fit to sit within this ice — not him who, at one blow, had chest and shadow shattered by Arthur’s hand; and not Focaccia; and not this sinner here who so impedes |
| 85 | Cernere ut ulterius nequeam ; quem nomine dicunt SASOLUM MASCHERONI. Si es sanguis etruscus, Tu quoque quis fuerit jam scis. Et multa profari Ne me forte adigas, ego sum, inquit, CAMMISIONUS De PAZZIS et, qui purget mea turpia facta, |
my vision with his head, I can’t see past him; his name was Sassol Mascheroni; if you’re Tuscan, now you know who he has been. And lest you keep me talking any longer, know that I was Camiscion de’ Pazzi; |
| 70 | CARLINUM maneo. » — Dein vidi mille caninos Frigore deformes vultus. Quare horreo totus, Semper et horrebo, gelida vada saxea crusta Quum relegam mente. At medium, quo cuncta trahuntur, Queis aliquid gravitatis inest, dum planta petebat, |
I’m waiting for Carlino to absolve me.” And after that I saw a thousand faces made doglike by the cold; for which I shudder — and always will — when I face frozen fords. And while we were advancing toward the center to which all weight is drawn — I, shivering |
| 75 | Et mihi in æterno trepidabant frigore membra ; An mens sic tulerit, seu fatum sorsve, referre Nescirem ; sed, dum capitum inter strata movebam Plantas, cujusdam offendi pede fortiter ora. Ille hanc me contra flens vocem pectore rupit : |
in that eternally cold shadow — I know not if it was will or destiny or chance, but as I walked among the heads, I struck my foot hard in the face of one. Weeping, he chided then: “Why trample me? |
| 80 | « Quare me tundis ? Nisi multam MONTISAPERTI Advenis aucturus, quid me, furiose, lacessis ? » Atque ego : « Fac maneas hic me, præceptor, ab isto Dum mihi solvantur, dubia quæ mente revolvo ; Et me pro arbitrio posthac properare jubebis. » |
If you’ve not come to add to the revenge of Montaperti, why do you molest me?” And I: “My master, now wait here for me, that I may clear up just one doubt about him; then you can make me hurry as you will.” |
| 85 | Dux stetit ; atque ego adhuc dure maledicta vomenti Dixi : « Quis tu, alios audax incessere probris ? » « Ecquis es, o, qui aliis, quos hæc ANTENORA claudit, Percellens malas spatiaris, ut, integer ævum Si quoque nunc ageres, tamen id nimium foret ? » inquit. |
My guide stood fast, and I went on to ask of him who still was cursing bitterly; “Who are you that rebukes another so?” “And who are you who go through Antenora, striking the cheeks of others,” he replied, “too roughly — even if you were alive?” |
| 90 | Tunc ego respondi : « Superest mihi vita, tibique Dulce erit id scitu, si poscis munera famæ, Cetera quæ inscribat vestrum inter carmina nomen. » « Quin etiam cupio », dixit, « contraria : abito, Proripe te hinc, causamque ultra ne intersere questus ; |
“I am alive, and can be precious to you if you want fame,” was my reply, “for I can set your name among my other notes.” And he to me: “I want the contrary; so go away and do not harass me — |
| 95 | Namque per hanc vallem male nosti pellicere umbras. » Tunc illum, colli cute posteriore potitus, Arripui, ac dixi : « Aut pandas mihi nomen oportet, Aut pilus in toto nullus tibi vertice restet. » Isque mihi : « Ut cunctos studeas mihi vellere crines, |
your flattery is useless in this valley.” At that I grabbed him by the scruff and said; “You'll have to name yourself to me or else you won’t have even one hair left up here.” And he to me: “Though you should strip me bald, |
| 100 | Nec dicam, qui sim, nec per me discere quicquam Te patiar ; non, si centenis calcibus isti Insultes capiti. » Manibus jam utrisque prehensum Irrueram in vellus, cirris et pluribus illud Exspoliaram, ipso multum latrante deorsum, |
I shall not tell you who I am or show it, not if you pound my head a thousand times.” His hairs were wound around my hand already, and I had plucked from him more than one tuft |
| 105 | lnversis oculis ; quum quidam his vocibus orsus Clamavit : « Quid, BOCCA, tibi est ? Non esse putabas Sat tibi sic sonitum crepitantibus edere malis, Ni latras etiam ? Quidnam te Dæmonis urget ? » Tunc ego : « Jam verbum », dixi, « nolo amplius addas, |
while he was barking and his eyes stared down, when someone else cried out: “What is it, Bocca? Isn't the music of your jaws enough for you without your bark? What devil’s at you?” |
| 110 | Proditor infamis ; nam, te obnitente, per omnes Effundam terras, de te quæ vera notavi. » Ille autem respondit : « Abi, et quæ ferre sub auras Vis, narra, ac si unquam nostris evadere lustris Detur, ne taceas illum, cui lingua parata |
“And now,” I said, “you traitor bent on evil, I do not need your talk, for I shall carry true news of you, and that will bring you shame.” “Be off,” he answered; “tell them what you like, but don’t be silent, if you make it back, about the one whose tongue was now so quick. |
| 115 | Sic fuit. Argentum Gallorum is luget et aurum : ‹ Ipse DUERENSEM ›, poteris jam dicere, ‹ vidi, Pessima congeries ubi sontum frigora captat. › Si quis forte roget, num quisquam accesserit ultra, Hærentem ad latus huic est cernere BECCHERIAM, |
Here he laments the silver of the Frenchmen; ‘I saw,’ you then can say, ‘him of Duera, down there, where all the sinners are kept cool.’ And if you’re asked who else was there in ice, one of the Beccheria is beside you — |
| 120 | Cui quondam ferro secuit Florentia guttur. Cum GANO, atque TRIBALDELLO simul inde JOANNEM SOLDANERO ortum non tam procul esse putarem, Per quem est questa suam, dominante FAVENTIA somno, Irrupisse hostes portis bipatentibus arcem. » |
he had his gullet sliced right through by Florence. Gianni de’ Soldanieri, I believe, lies there with Ganelon and Tebaldello, he who unlocked Faenza while it slept.” |
| 125 | Hinc nos digressi non longe aberamus ab illo, Quum durata gelu fovea duo spectra sub una Sic conjuncta simul vidi, ut caput unius esset Pileus alterius capiti ; ac veluti improba ventris Esuries cogit durum convellere panem : |
We had already taken leave of him, when I saw two shades frozen in one hole, so that one’s head served as the other’s cap; and just as he who’s hungry chews his bread, |
| 130 | Sic sibi suppositum prendebat dente supernus, Stabat ubi molli cervix adjuncta cerebro. Non aliter Tydeus Menalippo tempora rosit, Exsuperante ira, ut caput hic, et cetera circum. « O qui crudelem ostendis sic more ferino, |
one sinner dug his teeth into the other right at the place where brain is joined to nape; no differently had Tydeus gnawed the temples of Menalippus, out of indignation, than this one chewed the skull and other parts. “O you who show, with such a bestial sign, |
| 135 | In quem stas supra, rabiem, quemque ore voraci Manducas », dixi, « hac causam mihi dicito lege. Hunc contra tantos si exerces jure furores, Dum vos ipsiusque scelus cognoscere detur, Ipse quoque ad Superos remeans tibi grata rependam, |
your hatred for the one on whom you feed, tell me the cause,” I said ; “we can agree that if your quarrel with him is justified, then knowing who you are and what’s his sin, I shall repay you yet on earth above, |
| 140 | Ni prius arescat, quæ dat mihi talia fari. » | if that with which I speak does not dry up.” |
| INFERNORUM XXXIII {33} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Sustulit os diro a pastu malus ille, comisque Abstersit capitis, quod retro morsibus acer Fœdarat, cœpitque : « Jubes renovare dolorem Insanum, admonitu jam corda premente, priusquam |
That sinner raised his mouth from his fierce meal, then used the head that he had ripped apart in back: he wiped his lips upon its hair. Then he began: “You want me to renew despairing pain that presses at my heart even as I think back, before I speak. |
| 5 | Dicam. At si quæ verba loquor, sint semina iniquo, Quem rodo, opprobrii infames reddentia fructus, Narrantem simul aspicies, lacrimasque cientem. Ignoro, qui sis, et qua ratione sub istas Veneris huc sedes ; at quum tua sensa loquentem |
But if my words are seed from which the fruit is infamy for this betrayer whom I gnaw, you’ll see me speak and weep at once. I don’t know who you are or in what way you’ve come down here; and yet you surely seem — |
| 10 | Audio, Florentinum te lingua indicat ipsa. Jam me UGOLINUM comitem ignorare negabis, Atque hunc RUGGERIUM ornatum majore tiara ; Nunc dicam, huic tali quæ me det causa propinquum. Quomodo consiliis atque ipsius arte maligna, |
from what I hear — to be a Florentine. You are to know I was Count Ugolino, and this one here, Archbishop Ruggieri; and now I’ll tell you why I am his neighbor. There is no need to tell you that, because of his malicious tricks, I first was taken |
| 15 | Cui me credebam, sim captus, deinde peremptus, Dicere non opus est. Sed quæ tibi cognita forsan Haud patuere unquam fando, quam scilicet atrox Supplicium mortis fuerit mihi, jam ipse videbis, Et, num sim læsus, tu disces crimine ab isto. |
and then was killed — since I had trusted him; however, that which you cannot have heard — that is, the cruel death devised for me — you now shall hear and know if he has wronged me. |
| 20 | Rima adaperta brevis tenebroso in carceris antro, Cui titulus per me famis est, ubi clausus oportet Ultimus haud fuerim, mihi jam per tenue foramen Monstrarat plures lunas, mala somnia quum me Ceperunt, per quæ velamina scissa futuri |
A narrow window in the Eagles’ Tower, which now, through me, is called the Hunger Tower, a cage in which still others will be locked, had, through its opening, already showed me several moons, when I dreamed that bad dream which rent the curtain of the future for me. |
| 25 | Sunt mihi. Is hortator dominusque est visus adesse, Atque lupum et catulos ad montis trudere saltus, Quo Pisæ opposito prohibentur cernere Luccam. Cum canibus macris, studiosis, atque notatis, Præ se GUILANDOS, et cum agmine SISMUNDORUM |
This man appeared to me as lord and master; he hunted down the wolf and its young whelps upon the mountain that prevents the Pisans from seeing Lucca; and with lean and keen and practiced hounds, he’d sent up front, before him, Gualandi and Sismondi and Lanfranchi. |
| 30 | Una LANFRANCOS in prima fronte locarat. Jam parvo elapsos spatio natosque patremque Cernere erat lassos, et acutis dentibus artus Findi his. Quum evigilans totus, nondum jubare orto, Natos ecce meos, aderant qui in carcere mecum, |
But after a brief course, it seemed to me that both the father and the sons were weary; I seemed to see their flanks torn by sharp fangs. When I awoke at daybreak, I could hear my sons, who were together with me there, |
| 35 | Lugere in somnis audivi, ac poscere panem. Vere es crudelis, si jam prohibere dolorem Scis, reputans tecum, quod cor me triste monebat ; Et si non luges, quænam te causa videbit Lugentem ? Elapso stabat jam quisque sopore, |
weeping within their sleep, asking for bread. You would be cruel indeed if, thinking what my heart foresaw, you don’t already grieve; and if you don’t weep now, when would you weep? They were awake by now; the hour drew near |
| 40 | Atque prope hora aderat, qua nobis esca solebat Adduci ; at dubitans sua somnia quisque timere ; Quum subito audivi claudentes stridere claves Turre sub horribili. Quare simul ora meorum Quæsivi haud hiscens. Non flebam, ita saxeus intus |
at which our food was usually brought, and each, because of what he’d dreamed, was anxious; below, I heard them nailing up the door of that appalling tower; without a word, I looked into the faces of my sons. I did not weep; within, I turned to stone. |
| 45 | Factus eram. Illi flere, meusque ANSELMULUS inquit : ‹ Sic hæres, pater, obtutu, quid mente volutas ? › Lacrima nulla mihi tamen, et vox edita nulla est Tota illa labente die, vel nocte sequente, Donec mane nova sol luce impleverat orbem. |
‘Father, you look so … What is wrong with you?’ At that I shed no tears and — all day long and through the night that followed — did not answer until another sun had touched the world. |
| 50 | Utque parum irrepsit jubaris claustra intima acerbi Carceris, inspiciensque meum per quattuor ora Legi ipse os, ambas, superante dolore, momordi Dente manus : illi, id suadente cupidine edendi Me fecisse rati, in pedibus subito ante stetere, |
As soon as a thin ray had made its way into that sorry prison, and I saw, reflected in four faces, my own gaze, out of my grief, I bit at both my hands; and they, who thought I’d done that out of hunger, immediately rose and told me: ‘Father, |
| 55 | Hæc fati : O genitor, multo minus aspera nobis Pœna foret, nobis si vescere : carnibus artus Hos tu vestisti miseros, tu hos exue. Motus Tunc ego composui, ne urgerem tristius ipsos : Illa aliaque die muti omnes. O mihi dura |
it would be far less painful for us if you ate of us; for you clothed us in this sad flesh — it is for you to strip it off.’ Then I grew calm, to keep them from more sadness; through that day and the next, we all were silent; |
| 60 | Terra nimis ! cur non patefactis faucibus imum Pandisti barathrum ? Quarta redeunte diei Luce, mihi ante pedes protenso corpore GADDUS Procubuit, dixitque : ‹ Pater mi, cur tua cessant Auxilia ? › Effuditque animam hic ; et, ut ipse videre |
O hard earth, why did you not open up? But after we had reached the fourth day, Gaddo, throwing himself, outstretched, down at my feet, implored me: ‘Father, why do you not help me?’ And there he died; and just as you see me, |
| 65 | Me potes, hic vidi casu tria singula eodem Quintam intra sextamque diem cecidisse meorum Corpora natorum exspirantia. Quare ego cæcus Quemque supra incubui reptans, et quemque vocavi Binos usque dies totos post funera. Tandem |
I saw the other three fall one by one between the fifth day and the sixth; at which, now blind, I started groping over each; and after they were dead, I called them for |
| 70 | Plus potuit jejuna fames, quam patrius angor. » Hæc ubi dicta dedit, contorquens lumina, rursus Corripuit miserum caput, hærens dentibus ossis Contra vim validis, velut escam inhiante molosso. O Pisæ, o ingens populorum infamia, quotquot |
two days; then fasting had more force than grief.” When he had spoken this, with eyes awry, again he gripped the sad skull in his teeth, which, like a dog’s, were strong down to the bone. Ah, Pisa, you the scandal of the peoples |
| 75 | Pulchra alit, ac recipit tellus, ubi cuncta per ora Si resonat ; quoniam tam lenti poscere pœnas Vicini cessant, ruptis Capraria vinclis, Atque Urgo irrumpant, quaque undans profluit Arnus, Objiciant sæpem, exspatiatus ut obruat omnes. |
of that fair land where si is heard, because your neighbors are so slow to punish you, may, then, Caprara and Gorgona move and build a hedge across the Arno’s mouth, so that it may drown every soul in you! |
| 80 | Quod si UGOLINUM comitem tum fama ferebat Arcibus esse tuis sub proditione potitum, Sævire in natos quænam te causa jubebat ? Quid tantum meruere UGUNCULUS, atque BRIGATA, Quosque alios cecini ? Insontes nova fecerat ætas, |
For if Count Ugolino was reputed to have betrayed your fortresses, there was no need to have his sons endure such torment. O Thebes renewed, their years were innocent and young — Brigata, Uguiccione, and the other two my song has named above! |
| 85 | Theba nova. — Interea progressi venimus illuc, Stringor ubi gelidus concretæ frigore aquai Comprimit alterius, velut aspera fascia, gentis Sæcula, non inversa solo, sed ventre supina. Fusus ibi fletus in fletus non sinit ire, |
We passed beyond, where frozen water wraps — a rugged covering — still other sinners, who were not bent, but flat upon their backs. Their very weeping there won’t let them weep, |
| 90 | Inque oculis dolor offendens obstantia, retro Vertitur, interiora petens, duplicatque dolorem. Namque ori agglomerant stagnantes frigore guttæ, Cassidis atque instar vitreæ loca concava replent Palpebris subjecta. Licet mihi frigore sensus |
and grief that finds a barrier in their eyes turns inward to increase their agony; because their first tears freeze into a cluster, and, like a crystal visor, fill up all the hollow that is underneath the eyebrow. |
| 95 | Torperent omnes, velut obdurescere callo Mos est, nec quicquam in visu jam sedis haberent, Nescio quid venti tamen usurpare videbar Auribus, atque meo doctori : « Quis movet istum ? Nonne hic exstinctum vidi genus omne vaporis ? » |
And though, because of cold, my every sense had left its dwelling in my face, just as a callus has no feeling, nonetheless, I seemed to feel some wind now, and I said; “My master, who has set this gust in motion? For isn't every vapor quenched down here?” |
| 100 | Is mihi : « mox illuc venies, ubi visus ad ista, Quæ quæris, responsa dabit, quum causa patebit Inspicienti oculis, agitatas quæ pluit auras. » Atque malorum unus, quos frigida crusta premebat, Ad nos : « O animæ, clamabat, corde ferino |
And he to me: “You soon shall be where your own eye will answer that, when you shall see the reason why this wind blasts from above.” And one of those sad sinners in the cold crust, cried to us: “O souls who are so cruel |
| 105 | Sic, ut vos pœnæ sedes postrema reservet, Demite dura oculis velamina, ut exitus altæ Tristitiæ, qua corda gero prægnantia, detur Mi paulo ante, gelu lacrimas quam duret in ore. » « Ut sit opis nostræ », dixi, « tibi copia, qui sis |
that this last place has been assigned to you, take off the hard veils from my face so that I can release the suffering that fills my heart before lament freezes again.” To which I answered: “If you'd have me help you, then tell me who you are; if I don’t free you, |
| 110 | Effare ; at, nisi te solvam, sub fluminis imam Ire mihi glaciem sit opus. » Tunc talia fudit : « ALBERICUS ego, male nati a fructibus horti Ille ego sum frater, caryotam qui hoc lego in arvo Pro fico. » — « Oh, » dixi, « anne dies te jam abstulit atra ? » |
may I go to the bottom of the ice.” He answered then: “I am Fra Alberigo, the one who tended fruits in a bad garden, and here my figs have been repaid with dates.” “But then,” I said, “are you already dead?” |
| 115 | At contra ille : « Meo quidnam de corpore fiat, Aut ubi terrarum maneat, mihi scire facultas Nulla datur. Tantum fert hæc PTOLOMÆIA lucri, Ut non raro anima in præceps huc decidat, ante Hanc ex carceribus quam mittat Parca reclusis. |
And he to me: “I have no knowledge of my body’s fate within the world above. For Ptolomea has this privilege; quite frequently the soul falls here before it has been thrust away by Atropos. |
| 120 | Quoque magis vitro compressas radere ab ore Sponte velis lærimas, hæc discito : Quælibet usa Proditione anima est, ut et hoc scelus ipse patravi ; Illi aufert corpus Dæmon, qui hoc deinde gubernat, Dum totum excurrit spatium revolubilis ævi. |
And that you may with much more willingness scrape these glazed tears from off my face, know this; as soon as any soul becomes a traitor, as I was, then a demon takes its body away — and keeps that body in his power until its years have run their course completely. |
| 125 | Hanc in cisternam ruit illa, et forte videtur Vos inter nunc corpus adhuc versarier umbræ, Quam mersam hinc retro perstringit frigidus horror. Id te scire puto, nigra si modo regna subisti Nuperus : isque est BRANCA, suum cui patria habere |
The soul falls headlong, down into this cistern; and up above, perhaps, there still appears the body of the shade that winters here behind me; you must know him, if you’ve just come down; he is Ser Branca Doria; |
| 130 | URIA dat nomen. Tamen illo ex tempore plures Præteriere dies, glacie quum est clausus in ista. » Hic : « Mihi mentitum tu suspicor, » huic ego dixi ; « Nunquam etenim BRANCAM sublatum funere vidi, URIAque hunc, salvum testatur patria ; vivit, |
for many years he has been thus pent up.” I said to him: “I think that you deceive me, for Branca Doria is not yet dead; |
| 135 | Atque edit, atque bibit, dormitque, atque integra pannis membra tegit. » — Contra is : « Nondum nigrantia in antra Ille ingressus erat, fervens ubi nigra tenaci Unda pice exspumat, MICHAËL cognomine ZANCHE, Ex quo suffecit dominantem Dæmona in artus |
he eats and drinks and sleeps and puts on clothes.” “There in the Malebranche’s ditch above, where sticky pitch boils up, Michele Zanche had still not come,” he said to me, “when this one — together with a kinsman, who had done |
| 140 | Ipse suos, pariterque affinis, qui fuit una Proditor. Ast huc tende manus, mihi denique solve, Pande oculos » ; sed ego huic oculos aperire negavi, Atque fuisse hominis credo, sine corde videri Humano. — O Ligures, contraria pectora legi |
the treachery together with him — left a devil in his stead inside his body. But now reach out your hand; open my eyes.” And yet I did not open them for him; and it was courtesy to show him rudeness. Ah, Genoese, a people strange to every |
| 145 | Omnigenæ, atque omni vitiorum labe referta ! Cur hinc justa Dei vos nondum sustulit ira ? Namque ubi cunctorum stet pessimus Æmilianus Proditor, inveni ea vestris, qui ob tristia facta Jam stagno abluitur Cocyti, in corpora visus |
constraint of custom, full of all corruption, why have you not been driven from the world? For with the foulest spirit of Romagna, I found one of you such that, for his acts, in soul he bathes already in Cocytus |
| 150 | Nunc quoque apud Superos vitali vescier aura. | and up above appears alive, in body. |
| INFERNORUM XXXIV {34} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Obvia Tartarei regis vexilla propinquant ; Quare intende aciem, » dixit præceptor, « an illa Prospicias. » Veluti quum spirat pinguis opacæ Caligo nebulæ, aut nostris nox incubat agris : |
“Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni toward us; and therefore keep your eyes ahead,” my master said, “to see if you can spy him.” Just as, when night falls on our hemisphere or when a heavy fog is blowing thick, |
| 5 | Tunc e longinquo sum visus cernere molem, Orbi pistrini similem, quem flamine ventus Vertit agens circum : dein, me impellentibus auris, Ductorem traxi retro ; neque enim ulla latebram Antra dabant. Ego eram (nec jam formidinis expers |
a windmill seems to wheel when seen far off, so then I seemed to see that sort of structure. And next, because the wind was strong, I shrank behind my guide; there was no other shelter. And now — with fear I set it down in meter — |
| 10 | Hæc trado numeris), ubi stabant undique totæ Circumtectæ umbræ, ac sicut festuca nitenti Clausa vitro, illarum sic translucebat imago. Stant aliæ multæque jacent, hæ in vertice, et illæ In pedibus rectæ ; ad talos invertere, ut arcus, |
I was where all the shades were fully covered but visible as wisps of straw in glass. There some lie flat and others stand erect, one on his head, and one upon his soles; and some bend face to feet, just like a bow. |
| 15 | Vidi alias vultus. — Ubi sic processimus ultra, Ut mihi monstraret, quem dextera summa creatrix Fecerat eximium forma facieque micante, Se mihi subduxit summoto, ac sistere jussit : « Ecce tibi DIS, ecce locus, ubi pectore firmo |
But after we had made our way ahead, my master felt he now should have me see that creature who was once a handsome presence; he stepped aside and made me stop, and said; “Look! Here is Dis, and this the place where you |
| 20 | Atque animis opus est », fatus. — Tu conjice, lector, Quam tunc horruerint mihi membra, ac faucibus hærens Vox steterit. Mitto id modo scribere, namque loquentis Lingua foret quævis impar. Situs inter inane Sanguinis atque animæ corpus, vivumque manebam : |
will have to arm yourself with fortitude.” O reader, do not ask of me how I grew faint and frozen then — I cannot write it; all words would fall far short of what it was. I did not die, and I was not alive; |
| 25 | Jam tecum reputa, si quid tibi mentis acutæ est, Qualis eram factus, defectus munere utroque. Pectore dimidio regni induperator acerbi Exstabat glacie ; atque magis mea forma giganti Conveniat, formæ corpus quam immane gigantum |
think for yourself, if you have any wit, what I became, deprived of life and death. The emperor of the despondent kingdom so towered from the ice, up from midchest, that I match better with a giant’s breadth than giants match the measure of his arms; |
| 30 | Istius : jam tu ipse vide modo, quanta putanda Sit moles tantæ respondens congrua parti. Si tam pulcher erat, quam nunc deformis, et ausus Acriter ore suum est auctorem surgere contra, Omne genus luctus æquum est descendere ab illo. |
now you can gauge the size of all of him if it is in proportion to such parts. If he was once as handsome as he now is ugly and, despite that, raised his brows against his Maker, one can understand how every sorrow has its source in him! |
| 35 | O mihi quid monstri est visum, quum in vertice trinas Aspexi facies ! Unam, quam in fronte gerebat, Sanguineam vidi : ast reliquas, quæ duplice forma Constabant, isti superaddi umerum inter utrumque, Quæ concurrebant, quo cristæ surgit acumen. |
I marveled when I saw that, on his head, he had three faces: one — in front — bloodred; and then another two that, just above the midpoint of each shoulder, joined the first; and at the crown, all three were reattached; |
| 40 | Dextra videbatur pallentem neutra colorem Inter et albentem, faciesque sinistra tuenti Talis erat, quales, quos primos alluit undis Nilus, cernere erat. Geminæ sub qualibet alæ Magnæ, quæque pares moli tanti alitis essent : |
the right looked somewhat yellow, somewhat white; the left in its appearance was like those who come from where the Nile, descending, flows. Beneath each face of his, two wings spread out, as broad as suited so immense a bird; |
| 45 | Per mare velivolum non vidi carbasa tanta. Haud plumæ his inerant ullæ, sed tegmina quædam, Qualia habent volucres, nomen quæ a vespere ducunt ; Hasque ita quassabat, triplex ut spiritus inde Exiret venti. Atque hinc Cocyti omnia stagna |
I’ve never seen a ship with sails so wide. They had no feathers, but were fashioned like a bat’s; and he was agitating them, so that three winds made their way out from him — and all Cocytus froze before those winds. |
| 50 | Frigore durabant. Per senos ora rigabat Flens oculos, lacrimæque fluebant triplice mento, Sanguinea mixtæ spuma ; atque, ut malleus hirtam Contundens stupam, tria singula morsibus ora Unum ex damnatis rumpebant, tresque dolentes |
He wept out of six eyes; and down three chins, tears gushed together with a bloody froth. Within each mouth — he used it like a grinder — with gnashing teeth he tore to bits a sinner, so that he brought much pain to three at once. |
| 55 | Sic emittebat. Verum quæ vulnera dente Os dabat anterius, nihili pensanda fuissent, Si non certassent cædem geminare cruenta Asperitate ungues, qui dorsum pelle frequenter Nudabant. — « Quam urget cunctarum maxima pœna, |
The forward sinner found that biting nothing when matched against the clawing, for at times his back was stripped completely of its hide. “That soul up there who has to suffer most,” |
| 60 | Illa anima est JUDÆ, qui dicitur ISCARIOTES. Intus habet caput et jaculatur crura superne Exterius porrecta, inquit præceptor ; et umbris Ex aliis geminis, quarum utraque habet caput infra, Quæ pendet nigro a rictu, est BRUTI : aspice, ut iste |
my master said: “Judas Iscariot — his head inside, he jerks his legs without. Of those two others, with their heads beneath, the one who hangs from that black snout is Brutus — |
| 65 | Sese convolvat, nec vocem erumpat in ullam ; Robore membrorum qui præstat, CASSIUS ille est. Sed nox præcipitat, jamque est discedere tempus, Quando luminibus lustravimus omnia nostris. » Ut placitum est illi, devinxi colla lacertis. |
see how he writhes and does not say a word! That other, who seems so robust, is Cassius. But night is come again, and it is time for us to leave; we have seen everything.” Just as he asked, I clasped him round the neck; |
| 70 | Is tempusque locumque observans, quum satis alas Expansas vidit, villosi corporis hæsit Costis, inque aliud vellus de vellere lapsus, Inter sætarum silvam, glacieque rigentes Postea descendit crustas. Quum venimus illuc, |
and he watched for the chance of time and place, and when the wings were open wide enough, he took fast hold upon the shaggy flanks and then descended, down from tuft to tuft, between the tangled hair and icy crusts. |
| 75 | Coxæ ubi se jungit summæ femur, anxius, æger, Conatu multo, quo crura pedesque tenebat, Invertit caput, et sætas prensavit, ut ille, Qui petit ascensum. Hinc iterum me in Tartara rebar Deferri. — Dux, more viri, qui lassus anhelat : |
When we had reached the point at which the thigh revolves, just at the swelling of the hip, my guide, with heavy strain and rugged work, reversed his head to where his legs had been and grappled on the hair, as one who climbs — I thought that we were going back to Hell. “Hold tight,” my master said — he panted like |
| 80 | « Fige animo hac, » inquit, « discedere peste malorum Tanta opus esse istas per scalas. » Deinde forato Emersit saxo, posuitque in margine primo Hic me sessurum. Mihi post hæc sat pede cauto Obvius advenit. Visus ego tollere in altum |
a man exhausted — “it is by such stairs that we must take our leave of so much evil.” Then he slipped through a crevice in a rock and placed me on the edge of it, to sit; that done, he climbed toward me with steady steps. I raised my eyes, believing I should see |
| 85 | Cœpi, et Luciferum rebar, qualem ante reliqui, Cernere. At adverti sublata hunc crura tenentem. An me sollicitum tunc ceperit anxius horror, Curet id ignarum vulgus, cui noscere non est, Quale mihi dederit punctum transire poëta. |
the half of Lucifer that I had left; instead I saw him with his legs turned up; and if I then became perplexed, do let the ignorant be judges — those who can not understand what point I had just crossed. |
| 90 | Atque is : « Surge ! » inquit ; « longa est via, trames iniquus, Et jam confecit spatii medium ora diei Tertia. » Non erat illud iter per vermiculata Atria, quo fessus deveni, at carcer ab ipsa Natura exstructus, cui strata maligna, caverna |
“Get up,” my master said, “be on your feet; the way is long, the path is difficult; the sun’s already back to middle tierce.” It was no palace hall, the place in which we found ourselves, but with its rough-hewn floor and scanty light, a dungeon built by nature. |
| 95 | Lucis inops. « Simul arrexi me corpore, » dixi : « Doctor mi, ante antro quam vellam corpus ab isto, Ut mihi dissolvas errorem, fare parumper. Dic, ubinam est glacies ? Et quomodo figitur iste Corpore ita inverso ? Cur sol tam præpete cursu |
“Before I free myself from this abyss, master,” I said when I had stood up straight, “tell me enough to see I don’t mistake; Where is the ice? And how is he so placed head downward? Tell me, too, how has the sun |
| 100 | Vesperis a primo primum pervenit ad ortum Lucis ? » — Et ille mihi : « Te mens illusa morantem Trans centrum telluris adhuc facit ; atque ubi inhæsi Sætis infesti vermis, qui perforat orbem, Ipse diu tam illic mansisti, quam mihi visum |
in so few hours gone from night to morning?” And he to me: “You still believe you are north of the center, where I grasped the hair of the damned worm who pierces through the world. And you were there as long as I descended; |
| 105 | Descensum petere est. Inverti ubi corpus, ibi illud Est tibi trajectum medium, quo cuncta trahuntur Pondera. Jamque oculis bifidæ convexa tueris Sphæræ, quæ bifidam contra est, unde arida magna Magnum tegmen habet, summo et sub culmine cujus |
but when I turned, that’s when you passed the point to which, from every part, all weights are drawn. And now you stand beneath the hemisphere opposing that which cloaks the great dry lands and underneath whose zenith died the Man |
| 110 | Est consumptus homo, qui vixit et occidit insons Culpæ ; atque exiguo plantis insistis utrisque, Frontem JUDECCÆ posticam qui efficit, orbi. Hic mane est, ubi sol illic descendit in æquor. Atque hic, pro scalis qui vellus præbuit hirtum, |
whose birth and life were sinless in this world. Your feet are placed upon a little sphere that forms the other face of the Judecca. Here it is morning when it’s evening there; and he whose hair has served us as a ladder |
| 115 | Fixus adhuc remanet, fixum velut ante videbas. Decidit hac cælo : et, quæ primum emerserat istac, Icta metu tellus ponto, ut velamine, vultum Texit, et ad nostrum semiorbem venit ; et istum, Ut fugeret fortasse, locum tum liquit inanem |
is still fixed, even as he was before. This was the side on which he fell from Heaven; for fear of him, the land that once loomed here made of the sea a veil and rose into our hemisphere; and that land which appears upon this side — perhaps to flee from him — left here this hollow space and hurried upward.” |
| 120 | Istinc quæ apparet, sursum et conversa recurrit. » Est illic, nec tam procul est a Belzebub, antrum, Quam puteus patet in longum : hoc haud noscere visa, Sed rivi a sonitu est. Fluit iste foramine saxi Arrosi, cursu qua circum labitur unda, |
There is a place below, the limit of that cave, its farthest point from Beelzebub, a place one cannot see: it is discovered by ear — there is a sounding stream that flows along the hollow of a rock eroded by winding waters, and the slope is easy. |
| 125 | Exigue pendens. — Dux atque ego (nam data membris Haud fuit ulla quies) fruituri luce novelli Mundi, iter ingressi, contectum ascendimus : ille Primus, ego propius post terga, et plurima pulchra, Quæ gerit arx cæli, per spiramenta rotundæ |
My guide and I came on that hidden road to make our way back into the bright world; and with no care for any rest, we climbed — he first, I following — until I saw, through a round opening, some of those things of beauty Heaven bears. It was from there |
| 130 | Aspexi rimæ ; egressique revisimus astra. | that we emerged, to see — once more — the stars. |
| P U R G A T O R I U M | ||
| PURGATORII I {1} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ut jam currat aquam meliorem, carbasa tollit Navicula ingenii nostri, post terga relicto Tam diro pelago ; veniuntque secunda canenda Regna, ubi concretæ sordis veterumque malorum |
To course across more kindly waters now my talent’s little vessel lifts her sails, leaving behind herself a sea so cruel; and what I sing will be that second kingdom, |
| 5 | Stant hominum purgandæ animæ, et conscendere cælum Emergunt dignæ. — Verum hic exstincta resurgat Ars nostra, o sanctæ Musæ ; me namque ministrum Legistis. Nunc Calliope det surgere vati Altius atque illo sonitu deducere carmen, |
in which the human soul is cleansed of sin, becoming worthy of ascent to Heaven. But here, since I am yours, o holy Muses, may this poem rise again from Hell’s dead realm; and may Calliope rise somewhat here, accompanying my singing with that music |
| 10 | Qui sic percussit miseris præcordia picis, Ut non sint ullam in venia spem ponere visæ. Dulcis ab Eoa sapphiro color, undique circum Aëris aspectum puri sine nube serenum Primam usque ad sphæram perfundens, gaudia rursus |
whose power struck the poor Pierides so forcefully that they despaired of pardon. The gentle hue of oriental sapphire in which the sky’s serenity was steeped — its aspect pure as far as the horizon — |
| 15 | Jussit habere oculos, simul ac me mortua passa est Aura exire suis antris, quæ oculosque meumque Vexarat pectus. Qui pulcher amare planeta Hortatur, radiis juga subdita matutinis Spargebat risu, cingens velamine pisces, |
brought back my joy in seeing just as soon as I had left behind the air of death that had afflicted both my sight and breast. The lovely planet that is patroness of love made all the eastern heavens glad, veiling the Pisces in the train she led. |
| 20 | Qui sibi ductores aderant. Dextram ipse petivi, Alteriusque poli vestigans lumina mente Quattuor intenta suspexi sidera nunquam Cognita, primigenæ nisi genti, atque ignibus horum Ipse videbatur gaudens hilarescere Olympus. |
Then I turned to the right, setting my mind upon the other pole, and saw four stars not seen before except by the first people. Heaven appeared to revel in their flames; |
| 25 | O vidua extremam quæ tellus vergis ad Arcton, Cur tibi subducta est illos spectare potestas ? Quum detorsissem visum, oppositumque parumper Axem quæsissem cæli, piger unde Boötes Cesserat ; ecce senex, nullo comitante ministro, |
o northern hemisphere, because you were denied that sight, you are a widower! After my eyes took leave of those four stars, turning a little toward the other pole, from which the Wain had disappeared by now, I saw a solitary patriarch |
| 30 | Qui tanto dignum cultu sese ore ferebat, Majorem ut patri natus non debeat ullus, Astitit. In pectus longa illi barba cadebat Cano mixta pilo, et simili coma sparse colore Hinc inde in partes geminas divisa fluebat. |
near me — his aspect worthy of such reverence that even son to father owes no more. His beard was long and mixed with white, as were the hairs upon his head; and his hair spread down to his chest in a divided tress. |
| 35 | Quattuor hæ sanctæ radiabant lumine tanto In faciem huic laces, veluti mihi si qua fuisset Flammiferum coram spectandi copia solem. « Quinam vos estis, qui contra flumine cæca Ex imo æterni fugistis carceris antro ? » |
The rays of the four holy stars so framed his face with light that in my sight he seemed like one who is confronted by the sun. “Who are you — who, against the hidden river, were able to escape the eternal prison?” |
| 40 | Talia concutiens plumas est fatus honestas. « Quis vos adduxit ? Vel quis præferre lucernam Vobis est ausus noctis per opaca profundæ, Infernæ quibus usque solent nigrescere valles ? Sic quas tartareæ subierunt funera leges |
he said, moving those venerable plumes. “Who was your guide? What served you both as lantern when, from the deep night that will always keep the hellish valley dark, you were set free? The laws of the abyss — have they been broken? |
| 45 | Franguntur ? vel sic cælestia numina mentem Mutavere novam, ut vos, o damnata, cavernas Pectora, adiretis nostras ? » — Dux atque magister Tunc me corripiens, verbis nutuque manuque Jussit in obsequium componere genua oculosque. |
Or has a new, a changed decree in Heaven let you, though damned, approach my rocky slopes?” My guide took hold of me decisively; by way of words and hands and other signs, he made my knees and brow show reverence. |
| 50 | Talia deinde illi contra : « Non ista petivi Regna meis opibus fretus. Descendit ab alto Femina, qua implorante, comes ductorque juvare Hunc ego decrevi, et quoniam tua certa voluntas Postulat, ut mage nostra tibi, utque est vera patescat |
Then he replied: “I do not come through my own self. There was a lady sent from Heaven; her pleas led me to help and guide this man. But since your will would have a far more full and accurate account of our condition, |
| 55 | Condicio, hoc equidem me haud posse negare fatebor. Nunquam hic supremum sibi vidit funeris horam ; Stultitia at ducenti, fuit sic proximus, ut jam Temporis haud multum afuerit, quin protinus atro Conciderit leto. Ut dixi, me miserat illa, |
my will cannot withhold what you request. This man had yet to see his final evening; but, through his folly, little time was left before he did — he was so close to it. As I have told you, I was sent to him |
| 60 | Hunc ut surriperem. Effugii at via vera dabatur Nulla alia, excepta, quam sum molitus inire. Huic ego monstravi devotæ examina gentis, Nunc fert mens illos animarum ostendere cœtus, A quibus abluitur macularum funditus omnis, |
for his deliverance; the only road I could have taken was the road I took. I showed him all the people of perdition; now I intend to show to him those spirits who, in your care, are bent on expiation. |
| 65 | Te jus dante, lues. Longum esset dicere, ut illum Traxerim. At ex alto virtus descendit opemque Dat mihi, ut adducam fruiturum lumine vultus, Atque oris sermone tui. Ne tædeat hujus Adventus. Illi libertas quæritur omni |
To tell you how I led him would take long; it is a power descending from above that helps me guide him here, to see and hear you. Now may it please you to approve his coming; he goes in search of liberty — so precious, |
| 70 | Cara viro, ut novit, pro libertate cruorem Qui dedit et vitam ; tuque id nescire negabis, Pro qua dulce UTICÆ duxisti occumbere, ubi ipse Liquisti vestem, quæ multa luce micabit, Magna dies quum aderit. Nec per nos læsa videbis |
as he who gives his life for it must know. You know it — who, in Utica, found death for freedom was not bitter, when you left the garb that will be bright on the great day. |
| 75 | Edicta æternæ legis ; nam vescitur iste Aura vitali, nec Minos arbiter Orci Me ligat ; at me ille orbis habet, tua MARTIA casto Lumine quem lustrat, faciemque habitumque precantis Nunc quoque habens, sanctum pectus, pro fœdere primi |
Eternal edicts are not broken for us; this man’s alive, and I’m not bound by Minos; but I am from the circle where the chaste eyes of your Marcia are; and she still prays to you, o holy breast, to keep her as your own: for her love, then, incline to us. |
| 80 | Conjugii, utque tuam sese patiare vocari. Flecte igitur mentem per, qui hanc tibi jungit, amorem. Nos septemgemini vales sine visere regni. Huic de te grates referam, si fama feratur Via tua per sedes illas. » — « Mihi MARTIA », dixit, |
Allow our journey through your seven realms. I shall thank her for kindness you bestow — if you would let your name be named below.” “While I was there, within the other world, |
| 85 | « Tantum cara fuit, vestro quum sole fruebar, Ut sim largitus, dum vixi, quicquid habebat In votis. At nunc quum trans mala fluminis atri Stet vada, tempus abit, quo possit nostra movere Consilia, ob legem, quæ egressum jusserat istis |
Marcia so pleased my eyes,” he then replied, “each kindness she required, I satisfied. Now that she dwells beyond the evil river, she has no power to move me any longer, such was the law decreed when I was freed. |
| 90 | Imperitare locis. Sed si te femina cœtu De supero movet, atque regit, prout ipse fateris, Haud opus est precibus, tibi nam satis esse putandum est, Hanc quod me poscis veniam, exorasque per istam. Ergo i, et fac cingas huic crinem simplice junco, |
But if a lady come from Heaven speeds and helps you, as you say, there is no need of flattery; it is enough, indeed, to ask me for her sake. Go then; but first wind a smooth rush around his waist and bathe |
| 95 | Osque laves ipsi, ut sordes eluta recedat Omnis, namque aliqua nebulæ caligine læsos Dedeceat primo visus offerre ministro Aulæ cælestis. Perparva hæc insula in imo Fundo, ubi se illidunt undæ, fert sponte palustrem |
his face, to wash away all of Hell’s stains; for it would not be seemly to approach with eyes still dimmed by any mists, the first custodian angel, one from Paradise. This solitary island, all around its very base, there where the breakers pound, |
| 100 | Per limum juncos. At quævis altera planta Seu frondens, solido seu stans in stipite, habere Hic vitam haud possit, namque harum nulla secundat Plagarum impulsus. Ne postea ferre regressum Hinc sit. Sol jam oriens clara vos luce docebit |
bears rushes on its soft and muddy ground. There is no other plant that lives below; no plant with leaves or plant that, as it grows, hardens — and breaks beneath the waves’ harsh blows. That done, do not return by this same pass; the sun, which rises now, will show you how |
| 105 | Carpere iter levius, qua sit minus ardua rupes. » Hæc ubi dicta dedit, nostris evanuit ille Ex oculis. Ego humo haud hiscens mea membra levavi, Totus et accessi ductori, ac lumina in illum Verti ; atque is cœpit : « Fili, vestigia nostra |
this hillside can be climbed more easily.” With that he vanished; and without a word, I rose and drew in closer to my guide, and it was on him that I set my eyes. And he began: “Son, follow in my steps; |
| 110 | Tu sequere, inque viam retro tendamus euntes ; Namque hinc planities fines descendit ad imos. » Eos vincebat modo facta crepuscula terris Præmeditata fugam, nec jam procul inde videbam Æquor crispato tremulum fervescere fluctu. |
let us go back; this is the point at which the plain slopes down to reach its lowest bounds.” Daybreak was vanquishing the dark’s last hour, which fled before it; in the distance, I could recognize the trembling of the sea. |
| 115 | Per vacui non culta soli nos vertere gressus. Qualis qui excessit recta regione viarum, Et redit, effusus cui tum labor ire videtur, Donec eo veniat. Postquam pervenimus illuc, Ros ubi cum radiis pugnat solaribus, atque |
We made our way across the lonely plain, like one returning to a lost pathway, who, till he finds it, seems to move in vain. When we had reached the point where dew contends with sun and, under sea winds, in the shade, |
| 120 | Sedibus insistens, quas mulcet frigidus aër, Rarescit lente ; super herbam utrasque tetendit Suaviter ille manus. Ego tunc haud nescius artis, Quam doctor molitus erat, huic ora, genasque Protendi lacrimis rorantes. Ille colorem |
wins out because it won’t evaporate, my master gently placed both of his hands — outspread — upon the grass; therefore, aware of what his gesture and intention were, I reached and offered him my tear-stained cheeks; and on my cheeks, he totally revealed |
| 125 | Omnem detexit, mihi quem celaverat Orcus. Exin desertam pelagi devenimus oram, Quæ sua mortales nunquam vada findere remis Viderat expertos reditum. Hic mea tempora cinxit Pro libitu alterius. Verum o mirabile visu ! |
the color that Inferno had concealed. Then we arrived at the deserted shore, which never yet had seen its waters coursed by any man who journeyed back again. There, just as pleased another, he girt me. |
| 130 | Nam qualisque et quanta fuit, quam legerat ille, Planta humilis, talisque et tanta est visa renasci Ilicet, inque loco pariter posita, unde revulsa est. |
O wonder! Where he plucked the humble plant that he had chosen, there that plant sprang up again, identical, immediately. |
| PURGATORII II {2} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Jam Sole albebat, qui in plano terminat æthræ Prospectum circlus, cui qui super imminet æque Hinc, inde in medio, qua sese altissimus effert, Urbem operit Solymam ; atque viæ, quæ conficit orbem |
By now the sun was crossing the horizon of the meridian whose highest point covers Jerusalem; and from the Ganges, |
| 5 | Parte sub opposita, nox assurgebat ab undis Gangis, præportans æquato pondere lances Dextra elapsuras, simul ac properare laboret : Quare candidulo roseoque aspersa colore Pulchra Aurora genas, in qua regione morabar, |
night, circling opposite the sun, was moving together with the Scales that, when the length of dark defeats the day, desert night’s hands; so that, above the shore that I had reached, the fair Aurora’s white and scarlet cheeks |
| 10 | Lutea fiebat nimio jam languida ab ævo. Cum duce adhuc ibam propter vada cærula ponti, Ut gens, quæ meditatur iter, sibi corde volare Visa, suoque moram non rumpit corpore ; et ecce Qualia jam exoriente die splendentia Martis |
were, as Aurora aged, becoming orange. We still were by the sea, like those who think about the journey they will undertake, who go in heart but in the body stay. And just as Mars, when it is overcome |
| 15 | Igne rubent inter densatos ora vapores Axe sub Hesperio liquidi super æquora ponti ; Tale mihi lumen (sic hoc spectare facultas Sit rursus !) visum est ascendere per mare cursu Tam cito, ut alarum non ullum æquare volando |
by the invading mists of dawn, glows red above the waters’ plain, low in the west, so there appeared to me — and may I see it again — a light that crossed the sea: so swift, there is no flight of bird to equal it. |
| 20 | Remigium valeat. Quum visus inde parumper Flexissem, donec doctorem pauca rogarem, Hoc fulgere magis vidi, increbrescere majus : Dein stetit ante oculos, jubare undique circumfuso, Albi ignotum aliquid, sensimque exire videbam |
When, for a moment, I’d withdrawn my eyes that I might ask a question of my guide, I saw that light again, larger, more bright. Then, to each side of it, I saw a whiteness, though I did not know what that whiteness was; |
| 25 | Huic quiddam simile inferius. — Dux hactenus ore Conticuit, donec nobis prima alba videndas Ostendere alas ; sed ubi bene navita cursus Arbiter huic patuit, clamans est talia fatus : « Fac, fac utrumque genu flectas, ac jungito utrasque |
below, another whiteness slowly showed. My master did not say a word before the whitenesses first seen appeared as wings; but then, when he had recognized the helmsman, he cried: “Bend, bend your knees: behold the angel |
| 30 | Palmas ; ecce tibi cælestis nuntius aulæ ; Jam tibi continget tales spectare ministros. Cerne, ut spernat opes humanas, nec velit ullum Velum, nec remum præter, quibus emicat, alas Per tam longinquis distantia litora terris. |
of God, and join your hands; from this point on, this is the kind of minister you’ll meet. See how much scorn he has for human means; he’d have no other sail than his own wings and use no oar between such distant shores. |
| 35 | Aspice, ut arrectas ad cælum hic aëra tranans Explicet æternas pennas, quas cernere non est Tempore mutatas mortalis more capilli. » Dein, quanto propius propiusque accesserat ales Divinus, tanto manifestior ille micabat |
See how he holds his wings, pointing to Heaven, piercing the air with his eternal pinions, which do not change as mortal plumage does.” Then he — that bird divine — as he drew closer and closer to us, seemed to gain in brightness, |
| 40 | Clare, ut nostra acies aspectum ferre nequiret Comminus ; ast in humum defixi lumina visus. Atgue hic applicuit ripis agilissima cumbæ Texta levis, sic ut pini nihil hauserit unda. In puppi stabat cælestis navita, talis |
so that my eyes could not endure his nearness, and I was forced to lower them; and he came on to shore with boat so light, so quick that nowhere did the water swallow it. The helmsman sent from Heaven, at the stern, |
| 45 | In fronte, ut legeres hanc omni ex parte beatum ; Et turba umbrarum plus quam centena sedebant Cantantes intus, quæ vates carmina David Edidit, « Ægypti de finibus egredientes » Judæos memorans, ac tandem exuta catenis |
seemed to have blessedness inscribed upon him; more than a hundred spirits sat within. “In exitu Israel de Aegypto,” with what is written after of that psalm, |
| 50 | Bracchia barbaricis ; et erat vox omnibus una. Ut cruce signavit cunctas, tulit impetus illas In terram. Iste cito, quo cursu venerat, inde Ex oculis abiit. Sed, quæ illic turba remansit, Ire videbatur rudis, atque ignara locorum, |
all of those spirits sang as with one voice. Then over them he made the holy cross as sign; they flung themselves down on the shore, and he moved off as he had come — swiftly. The crowd that he had left along the beach seemed not to know the place; they looked about |
| 55 | Circumspectando haud aliter, quam qui nova tentat. Omni ex parte diem telis urgebat acutis Sol, qui cornigerum expulerat medio æthere caprum ; Quum nova gens ad nos sublata fronte locuta est : « Si nota est vobis, quæ ad montem semita ducit, |
like those whose eyes try out things new to them. Upon all sides the sun shot forth the day; and from mid-heaven its incisive arrows already had chased Capricorn away, when those who’d just arrived lifted their heads toward us and said: “Do show us, if you know, the way by which we can ascend this slope.” |
| 60 | Hanc nobis monstrate. » — Illis dux talia contra : « Nos hunc haud nescire locum vos forte putatis, Attamen hac, ut vos, peregrini erramus in ora. Huc aliud per iter nos paulo venimus ante, Asperitasque viæ nos talis tantaque fregit, |
And Virgil answered: “You may be convinced that we are quite familiar with this shore; but we are strangers here, just as you are; we came but now, a little while before you, |
| 65 | Ut jam pro ludo veniat labor omnis habendus, Quæcunque ascensu via sit superanda maligno. » Quæ sensere animæ me per spiracula vitam Ducere, mirantes vultu pallente stetere. Atque ut gestantem ramos pacalis olivæ |
though by another path, so difficult and dense that this ascent seems sport to us.” The souls who, noticing my breathing, sensed that I was still a living being, then, out of astonishment, turned pale; and just as people crowd around a messenger |
| 70 | Circumfusa ruit turba auditura loquentem Legatum, et quemquam haud refugit calcare premendo ; Sic hæ felices animæ intendere frequentes In me aciem pariter certantes cernere coram, Pæne iter oblitæ, quod puras mittit et alma |
who bears an olive branch, to hear his news, and no one hesitates to join that crush, so here those happy spirits — all of them — stared hard at my face, just as if they had forgotten to proceed to their perfection. |
| 75 | Indutas forma. — Vidi præcedere quandam Me complecti avidam, ac tanto hæc ardebat amore, Ut me compulerit simili quoque munere fungi. O umbræ, humani præter speciem oris, inanes ! Ter vincire manus post hanc tulit impetus, et ter |
I saw one of those spirits moving forward in order to embrace me — his affection so great that I was moved to mime his welcome. O shades — in all except appearance — empty! Three times I clasped my hands behind him and |
| 80 | Ad pectus rediere mihi : Reor ora stupore Me pinxisse ; etenim risit, seseque retraxit Umbra ; at ego ulterius processi hanc pone secutus. Suaviter hæc jussit pedibus me parcere ; at ipsa Tunc mihi cuja esset patuit, precibusque rogavi, |
as often brought them back against my chest. Dismay, I think, was painted on my face; at this, that shadow smiled as he withdrew; and I, still seeking him, again advanced. Gently, he said that I could now stand back; then I knew who he was, and I beseeched |
| 85 | Sisteret ut gressum, ne fandi copia deesset. Illa mihi : « Qualis mortali corpore vinctam Me tibi junxit amor, talis me morte solutam Jungit adhuc. Quare sto. At quæ te causa coëgit Has penetrare domos ? » « O mi CASELLA, per istud |
him to remain awhile and talk with me. He answered: “As I loved you when I was within my mortal flesh, so, freed, I love you; therefore I stay. But you, why do you journey?” “My own Casella, to return again |
| 90 | Veni iter, ut me alio reducem illuc tempore sistam. At quis præripuit tantam tibi temporis horam ? » Iste autem : « A quoquam mihi nulla injuria venit, Si mihi, qui imponit quo visum est tempore, quosque Vult, cursum ad ripas optatas sæpe negavit. |
to where I am, I journey thus; but why,” I said, “were you deprived of so much time?” And he: “No injury is done to me if he who takes up whom — and when — he pleases has kept me from this crossing many times, |
| 95 | Namque illi alterius sua fit bene justa voluntas : Quanquam, ex quo trinos verterunt sidera menses, Pace bona, quemcunque animus intrare ferebat, Accepit patiens. Ego, qui mare prospiciebam, Tibris ubi spumante salo se immiscet, ab illo |
for his own will derives from a just will. And yet, for three months now, he has accepted, most tranquilly, all those who would embark. Therefore, I, who had turned then to the shore at which the Tiber’s waters mix with salt, |
| 100 | Comiter exceptus sedi, qua versa tenebat Remigia alarum : nam semper convenit istuc, Erga Tartareas quicunque haud labitur undas. » « At tibi nota olim nova ni lex abstulit, aut te Usus expertem fecit, quo sæpe canebas |
was gathered in by his benevolence. Straight to that river mouth, he set his wings; that always is the place of gathering for those who do not sink to Acheron.” And I: “If there’s no new law that denies you memory or practice of the songs |
| 105 | Carmen amatorum, cupidique et multa moventis Pectus eras solitus plena donare quiete, Ne pigeat te aliquo mentem solamine, » dixi, « Hanc recreare ægram, tanta quam mole laborum, Dum venio, via pressit. » — « Amor qui mente repostus |
of love that used to quiet all my longings, then may it please you with those songs to solace my soul somewhat; for — having journeyed here together with my body — it is weary.” |
| 110 | Alta intus loquitur mecum » ; sic ille resolvit Tam dulci ora sono, ut pertentet pectoris ima Nunc quoque suave melos. — Præceptor et ipse, cohorsque Hunc juxta usque adeo visa est contenta, suique Jam compos voti, veluti si nemo moveret |
“Love that discourses to me in my mind” he then began to sing — and sang so sweetly that I still hear that sweetness sound in me. My master, I, and all that company around the singer seemed so satisfied, as if no other thing might touch our minds. |
| 115 | Corde alias curas. Ita nos consistere hiantes Intentique notis ; verum en longævus honestus Advenit, increpitatque : « Quid hoc est, pectora lenta ? Qualis neglectus ? Quid statis ? Quærite cursu Montem, quæque Dei prohibent vos ora tueri, |
We all were motionless and fixed upon the notes, when all at once the grave old man cried out: “What have we here, you laggard spirits? What negligence, what lingering is this? Quick, to the mountain to cast off the slough that will not let you see God show Himself!” |
| 120 | Ponite ibi exuvias. » Ut far loliumve columbi Si quando carpunt, simul inter pabula stantes, Nec præportantes fastum de more superbum, Si quicquam apparet formidinis, ilicet escam Deseruere omnes, cura majore premente : |
Even as doves, assembled where they feed, quietly gathering their grain or weeds, forgetful of their customary strut, will, if some thing appears that makes them fear, immediately leave their food behind because they are assailed by greater care; |
| 125 | Sic ego deseruisse melos turbæ illa novellæ Agmina, et ad montem pariter contendere vidi, Ut qui carpit iter, nec novit, qua sit eundum Quærenti metam ; nec nos minus incitus ardor Ex illis propere ripis discedere adegit. |
so did I see that new-come company — they left the song behind, turned toward the slope, like those who go and yet do not know where. And we were no less hasty in departure. |
| PURGATORII III {3} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Improvisa licet disperderet undique latos Hos fuga per campos, gressuque animoque petentes Montem, quo impellit ratio, mihi stringere fidi Cura fuit comitis latus. Et quo tendere cursum |
But while their sudden flight was scattering those souls across the plain and toward the mountain where we are racked by rightful punishments, I drew in closer to my true companion. |
| 5 | Hoc sine quivissem ? Quis me per saxa rigentis Traxisset rupis ? Percussus pectora morsu Ire videbatur proprio. O mens conscia, digna Puraque, ut exigui species erroris amaro Te pungit stimulo ! — Postquam pedis impetus illum |
For how could I have run ahead without him? Who could have helped me as I climbed the mountain? He seemed like one who’s stung by self-reproof; o pure and noble conscience, you in whom each petty fault becomes a harsh rebuke! |
| 10 | Destituit, quemvis gestum qui invertit honestum, Mens mea, quæ primo stabat contracta, resumens Propositum, expandit se, ut quæ cupiebat, et ora Converti ad clivum, qui sese effundit et alto Fit propior cælo. — Solis post terga rubentis |
And when his feet had left off hurrying — for haste denies all acts their dignity — my mind, which was — before — too focused, grew more curious and widened its attention; I set my vision toward the slope that rises most steeply, up to heaven from the sea. |
| 15 | Flamma, meo densum offendens in corpore fulcrum, Fracta meam fuerat describere visa figuram Ante pedes. Ego tum metuens, ne linquerer illic Solus, me verti ; sed tum mihi cernere terram Contigit obscuram ante meam tantummodo formam. |
Behind my back the sun was flaming red; but there, ahead of me, its light was shattered because its rays were resting on my body. And when I saw the ground was dark in front of me and me alone, afraid that I had been abandoned, I turned to my side; |
| 20 | At mihi, qui solamen erat, sic ore profatur Totus in occursum : « Quæ diffidentia mentem Cepit ? Me tecum esse, et me te ducere nescis ? Hesperus est, ubi membra jacent, queis clausus opacam Protendebam umbram. Hæc Calabri rapuere, tenet nunc |
and he, my only comfort, as he turned around, began: “Why must you still mistrust? Don't you believe that I am with — and guide — you? The body from within which I cast shadows is buried where it now is evening: taken from Brindisi, it now belongs to Naples. |
| 25 | Parthenope ; quod si præ me haud effunditur umbra, Ne mirere magis, quam quum non excipit ignem Alterius radiis cælestis quilibet orbis. Hæc parat apta pati cruciatum æstumque geluque Corpora, quæ virtus nobis aperire recusat |
Thus, if no shadow falls in front of me, do not be more amazed than when you see the heavens not impede each other’s rays. The Power has disposed such bodiless bodies to suffer torments, heat and cold; how this is done, He would not have us know. |
| 30 | Quod facit. Insanit, qui spe sibi spondet inani Immensam se posse viam pexcurrere mente, Quam tenet una Dei natura, triplexque potestas Unius et trini. Proles humana, doceri Non ultra fines contenta, absiste moveri. |
Foolish is he who hopes our intellect can reach the end of that unending road only one Substance in three Persons follows. Confine yourselves, o humans, to the quia; |
| 35 | Nam si vi propria potuisses discere cuncta, Virginis intactæ haud eguissent tempora partu : Et desiderio multos pallescere vano Vidistis, queis plena quies concessa fuisset. Nunc datur his luctu urgeri, pœnaque perenni : |
had you been able to see all, there would have been no need for Mary to give birth. You saw the fruitless longing of those men who would — if reason could — have been content, those whose desire eternally laments: |
| 40 | Illum NICOMACHO natum divumque PLATONA, Permultosque alios dico » ; et capite inclinato Hic os compressit turbatus. — Ad infima montis Venimus, atque istic ita visa est ardua rupes, Ut levitas crurum hanc suaderet scandere frustra. |
I speak of Aristotle and of Plato — and many others.” Here he bent his head and said no more, remaining with his sorrow. By this time we had reached the mountain’s base, discovering a wall of rock so sheer that even agile legs are useless there. |
| 45 | Inter Turbiam atque Ericem mage vasta magisque Sola via, ad nostram, est lenissima scala patensque. « Quisnam, ubi in acclivi rupes jacet ista, docebit ? » Doctor suspenso dixit pede, « ut ire sine alis, Qui caret his, possit ? » Sed figens lumina terræ |
The loneliest, most jagged promontory that lies between Turbia and Lerici, compared with it, provides stairs wide and easy. “Now who knows where, along this mountainside,” my master, halting, asked, “one finds a rise where even he who has no wings can climb?” |
| 50 | Dum mentem ille suam, quæ sit via eunda, rogabat ; Atque ego lustrabam suspectans undique saxum : Affuit accurrens animarum exercitus ingens Nos contra ad lævam, nec visa est turba moveri ; Tam tardo illa gradu peragrabat devia rupis. |
While he, his eyes upon the ground, consulted his mind, considering what road to take, and I looked up around the wall of rock, along the left a band of souls appeared to me to be approaching us — but so unhurriedly, their movements did not show |
| 55 | « Tolle tuos oculos, » comiti dixi atque magistro ; « Ecce hinc, consilium unde petas, si pectore pendes. » Tunc me respexit, vultu et lætante solutus Sic ait : « Ergo illuc vestigia nostra feramus ; Nam lente incedunt, et tu, dulcissime fili, |
“Lift up your eyes.” I told my master; “here are those who can advise us how to go, if you can find no counsel in yourself.” At this, he looked at them and, less distressed, replied: “Let us go there; their steps are slow; and you, my gentle son, hold fast to hope.” |
| 60 | Spem firma. » Sed adhuc tanto procul intervallo Illæ aberant, dico post passus cum duce mille Perreptos, quanto a longe jaculante recedit Missa silex dextra, quum altæ saxa aspera rupis Strinxerunt cunctæ constipatæque stetere ; |
The distance from that company to us — I mean when we had gone a thousand paces — was still as far as a fine hurler’s toss, when they all huddled toward the hard rock wall and, once they'd crowded there, refused to budge, |
| 65 | Ut qui mente manet dubia, et circumspicit hærens. « O bene defunctæ, o animarum lecta corona, » Virgilius cœpit, « per pacem vos precor illam, Quam reor ex vestris ardentem quamque manere, Dicite, ubi jaceat mons sic, ut scandere in altum |
even as men, when apprehensive, halt. “O chosen souls, you who have ended well,” Virgil began, “by virtue of that peace which I believe awaits you all, please tell us where the slope inclines and can be climbed; |
| 70 | Sit nobis ; nam quo plus quis sapit, hunc terere horas Frustra plus tædet. » — Veluti sua sæpta relinquunt Singulæ oves, binæ, trinæ, et stat cetera turba Subtimida, affigens oculos simul oraque terræ ; Quodque facit prior, et faciunt uno ordine cunctæ, |
for he who best discerns the worth of time is most distressed whenever time is lost.” Even as sheep that move, first one, then two, then three, out of the fold — the others also stand, eyes and muzzles lowered, timidly; and what the first sheep does, the others do, |
| 75 | Densæ umeris huic ad dorsum, si forte moratur, Simplicitate pari dociles, pariterque quietæ, Atque id qui ignorant : ego tunc accedere vidi, Qui caput illius gregis ibat sorte beati Gestantis pariter decus incessu, ore pudorem. |
and if it halts, they huddle close behind, simple and quiet and not knowing why: so, then, I saw those spirits in the front of that flock favored by good fortune move — their looks were modest; seemly, slow, their walk. |
| 80 | Verum ut humi lucem præ se videre retractam, Me dextrum objiciente umerum, qui extenderat umbram A me ad speluncam : gens omnis restitit, ac se Paulum retraxit, reliquæque hanc pone secutæ, Ignaræ, quare id fieret, cessere vicissim |
As soon as these souls saw, upon my right, along the ground, a gap in the sun’s light, where shadow stretched from me to the rock wall, they stopped and then drew back somewhat; and all who came behind them — though they did not know why those ahead had halted — also slowed. |
| 85 | Retro. — « De vestris quanquam me nemo rogavit, Hunc, quem suspicitis, terreno corpore opacum Esse ego confiteor, per quem modo fissa videtur Lux solaris humi. Mirari absistite, et ipsum Non sine demissa cæli virtute putate |
“Without your asking, I shall tell you plainly that you are looking at a human body; that’s why the sunlight on the ground is broken. Don’t be astonished; rest assured that he would not attempt to cross this wall without |
| 90 | Quærere, qua superet munimen parietis hujus. » Talia præceptor. Dignusque exercitus ille : « Ferte igitur gressus retro nobisque præite », Respondit, dorso manuum velut indice tanto. Unus at ex illis cœpit : « Quicunque vocaris |
a force that Heaven sent him as support.” These were my master’s words. That worthy band replied: “Come back, and move in our direction,” and gestured — with backhanded motions — right. And one of them began: “Whoever you |
| 95 | Tu sic incedens, oculos converte tuoque Volve animo, an vultus illic perspexeris unquam Nostros ? » Respexi figens mea lumina in illum. Flavus erat, pulcher, forma spectandus honesta, Deque superciliis unum diviserat ensis. |
may be, as you move forward, turn and see: consider if — beyond — you've ever seen me.” I turned to look at him attentively: he was fair-haired and handsome and his aspect was noble — but one eyebrow had been cleft |
| 100 | Vultu ubi demisso me unquam vidisse negavi : « Illum », inquit, « cerne ! » atque in summo pectore vulnus Ostendit ridensque : Ego sum MANFREDIUS, addit, Induperatrix quem Constantia fassa nepotem est. Quare oro ut, vestras simul ac remearis ad urbes, |
by a swordstroke. When I had humbly noted that I had never seen him, he said: “Look now” — showing me a wound high on his chest. Then, as he smiled, he told me: “I am Manfred, the grandson of the Empress Constance; thus, I pray that, when you reach the world again, |
| 105 | Pulchram adeas natam, quæ in luminis edidit auras Hispanæ et Siculæ gentis lumenque decusque, Illi ut vera canas, si quis contraria narrat. Postquam me geminæ letali vulnere plagæ Ruperunt, flentem victas dare supplice voce |
you may go to my lovely daughter, mother of kings of Sicily and Aragon — tell her the truth, lest she’s heard something other. After my body had been shattered by two fatal blows, in tears, I then consigned |
| 110 | Viderat ille manus, qui parcit corde libenti. Ausa atque acta mihi perverse horrenda fuere ; Divina et bonitas tam late bracchia porgit, Ut prendat, quicquid conversam suspicit illam. At si Clusinus pastor, venatus in agro |
myself to Him who willingly forgives. My sins were ghastly, but the Infinite Goodness has arms so wide that It accepts who ever would return, imploring It. And if Cosenza’s pastor, who was sent |
| 115 | Me per CLEMENTEM, tunc saltem volvere librum Cœpisset, dictante Deo qui scriptus habetur, Corporis ossa mei post pontem condita starent Sub molis statione gravis propter Beneventum. Nunc illa allidunt imbres et flumina vexant |
to hunt me down — alive or dead — by Clement, had understood this facet of God’s mercy, my body’s bones would still be there — beneath the custody of the great heap of stones — near Benevento, at the bridgehead; now rain bathes my bones, the wind has driven them |
| 120 | Regni extra fines, Verdim quasi propter aquosum, In quo jactatur restincta luce cadaver. Sed quos devovit verborum formula, non sic Perdit, ut æterni non possit vivida amoris Flamma redire viam, dum aliqua spe prædita vita est. |
beyond the Kingdom, near the Verde’s banks, where he transported them with tapers spent. Despite the Church’s curse, there is no one so lost that the eternal love cannot return — as long as hope shows something green. |
| 125 | Haud equidem infitior præreptum morte, priusquam Demisse orarit, quam sancta ecclesia pacem Subjecto indulgere solet male facta fatenti, Quamvis pæniteat, prohiberi hoc litore in omnem Annum, ex quo durus jussis parere refugit, |
But it is true that anyone who dies in contumacy of the Holy Church, though he repented at the end, must wait along this shore for thirty times the span |
| 130 | Triginta magnis volvendis orbibus annos, Vota, bonæque preces isti compendia legi Ni faciant. Ergo jam prospice, si potes ullis Tu me hilarare modis, uxori et nuntius ito, Ut bona cognoscat per te CONSTANTIA, qualem |
he spent in his presumptuousness, unless that edict is abridged through fitting prayers. Now see if you, by making known to my kind Constance where you saw my soul and why delay’s decreed for me, can make me happy; |
| 135 | Hic me vidisti, quam hæc interdicta docebis ; Namque hic per vestros lucrari multa solemus. » |
those here — through those beyond — advance more quickly.” For those on earth can much advance us here.” |
| PURGATORII IV {4} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Quum propter sensum seu gaudi sive doloris, Qui quandam ex nostris virtutem apprendat, in illam Se bene mens animi figit, non ista videtur Amplius ad reliquas alias se intendere vires. |
When any of our faculties retains a strong impression of delight or pain, the soul will wholly concentrate on that, neglecting any other power it has |
| 5 | Quapropter longe diversi errare putantur, Qui credunt aliam atque aliam insuper inflammari In nobis animam. Nam si quid fertur ad aures Aut oculos rerum, valido quod distrahat ictu, It tempus, neque homo sentit. Namque illa potestas, |
(and this refutes the error that maintains that — one above the other — several souls can flame in us); and thus, when something seen or heard secures the soul in stringent grip, time moves and yet we do not notice it. |
| 10 | Quæ sensu hæret in hoc, alia est atque integra nostræ Tota animæ. Hæc quasi devincta est, manet illa soluta. Id verum experto patuit, quum fantis ab ore Umbræ pendebam et mirabar plurima, donec Quinquaginta gradus superaverat æthereus Sol. |
The power that perceives the course of time is not the power that captures all the mind; the former has no force — the latter binds. And I confirmed this by experience, hearing that spirit in my wonderment; for though the sun had fully climbed fifty |
| 15 | Nec sensi, nisi tunc, quum illarum venit ad aures Umbrarum clamor nostras : « Quod poscitis, hic est ! » Majorem objicibus sæpis vallavit hiatum Villicus exiguo spinarum sæpe maniplo Usus, ubi nigro suffunditur uva colore, |
degrees, I had not noticed it, when we came to the point at which in unison those souls cried out to us: “Here’s what you want.” The farmer, when the grape is darkening, will often stuff a wider opening with just a little forkful of his thorns, |
| 20 | Quam fuit ille aditus, per quem contendere solis Ductori atque mihi est visum, post terga caterva Discedente alia. Sanlæum est repere plantis, Naulo delabi, atque tuum, Bismantua, dorsum Exsuperare datur ; verum hic opus esse volatu |
than was the gap through which my guide and I, who followed after, climbed, we two alone, after that company of souls had gone. San Leo can be climbed, one can descend to Noli and ascend Cacume and Bismantova with feet alone, but here |
| 25 | Res docet alarum levitateque : scilicet ingens Me desiderium pennis ducebat adortum, Illum pone sequi, qui spem dabat, atque ferebat Præ se meque facem. Nos inter fragmina saxi Venimus ascensu, stringebatque undique corpus |
I had to fly: I mean with rapid wings and pinions of immense desire, behind the guide who gave me hope and was my light. We made our upward way through rifted rock; along each side the edges pressed on us; |
| 30 | Summa ; pedes pariterque manus pars infima semper Poscebat. — Postquam supremo in margine rupis Alterius stetimus, ripæ nacti æquor apertum, « O mi præceptor, » dixi, « quem carpere callem Fert animus ? » Tunc ille mihi : « Descendere passu |
the ground beneath required feet and hands. When we had reached the upper rim of that steep bank, emerging on the open slope, I said: “My master, what way shall we take?” And he to me: “Don't squander any steps; |
| 35 | Parce ullo, ac post me teneas saxa ardua montis Scandendo, sapiens dum nobis obvius assit Monstrator. » Sed apex summus distabat ab ima Radice usque adeo, ut visum longinqua tuentem Falleret, atque assurgebat magis ille superbe |
keep climbing up the mountain after me until we find some expert company.” The summit was so high, my sight fell short; the slope was far more steep than the line drawn |
| 40 | Clivus, quam ex medio ad centrum demissa quadrante Linea. Lassus eram, quum cœpi : « Respice, dulcis Mi pater, atque vide, ut maneo jam solus, ubi ultra Contendas. » « Fili, » respondit, « repere perge Atque accede istuc », ostendens proxima rupis |
from middle-quadrant to the center point. I was exhausted when I made this plea: “O gentle father, turn around and see — I will be left alone unless you halt.” “My son,” he said, “draw yourself up to there,” while pointing to a somewhat higher terrace, |
| 45 | Terga impendentis, quæ ex illa parte rigentem Undique montem ambit. Tales mihi verba magistri Admorunt stimulos, ut juxta hunc niterer ipse Reptando usque adeo, donec saxi orbita duri Sub pede pressa meo est, et ibi consedimus ambo |
which circles all the slope along that side. His words incited me; my body tried; on hands and knees I scrambled after him until the terrace lay beneath my feet. There we sat down together, facing east, |
| 50 | Ortum spectantes, qua ex parte ascendimus ante ; Nam juvat emensos oculis lustrare viarum Difflciles flexus ; subjectaque litora primum Legi, deinde oculos ego cœpi tollere in altum, Ad solem, at læva hunc mirabar spicula lucis |
in the direction from which we had come: what joy — to look back at a path we've climbed! My eyes were first set on the shores below, and then I raised them toward the sun; I was amazed to find it fall upon our left. |
| 55 | Mittere. Me vates suspensum hærere stupore Sat sensit, dum lucis iter solisque tuebar, Hunc ubi nos inter Boreamque intrare videbam. Is mihi : « Si gemini, lucentia sidera, fratres Cum speculo ducente jubar sursum atque deorsum |
And when the poet saw that I was struck with wonder as I watched the chariot of light passing between the north and us, he said to me: “Suppose Castor and Pollux were in conjunction with that mirror there, which takes the light and guides it north and south, |
| 60 | Una irent, ibi in obliquo curvamine sectum Rubrum iter aspiceres propius, dum se rotat, ursas Stringere adhuc curru, nisi forte id tramite abiret Antiquo. At cur id fiat, si cernere posse Optas, fac mente attendas ac finge Sionem |
then you would see the reddish zodiac still closer to the Bears as it revolves — unless it has abandoned its old track. If you would realize how that should be, then concentrate, imagining this mountain so placed upon this earth that both Mount Zion |
| 65 | Tantum, atque hunc montem terrarum exsistere in orbe Sic, ut, qui in plano prospectum terminat æthræ Circlus, utrisque unus pateat, diversaque sphæræ Puncta utrique habeant bifidæ, tunc ipse videbis, Ut sit, per quod iter Phaēthon male decidit ausis, |
and it, although in different hemispheres, share one horizon; therefore, you can see, putting your mind to it attentively, how that same path which Phaethon drove so poorly |
| 70 | Huic latere ex alio sol conspiciendus, et illi Ex alio, clare si advertas lumine mentis. » « Haud unquam certe res æque est clara, magister, Visa mihi, atque modo, dixi, hanc dignoscere fas est : Quod prius ingenium mihi erat minus utile visum. |
must pass this mountain on the north, whereas it skirts Mount Zion on the southern side.” I said: “My master, surely I have never — since my intelligence seemed lacking — seen as clearly as I now can comprehend, |
| 75 | Namque orbis medius, quem circa sidera motu Labuntur supero, quique appellatur in arte “Æquator”, quique usque inter solemque hiememque Est situs, ob causas illas, quas dicis, ad Arcton Hinc discedit ; ubi contra hunc Judæa videbat |
that the mid-circle of the heavens’ motion (one of the sciences calls it Equator), which always lies between the sun and winter, as you explained, lies as far north of here as it lies southward of the site from which the Hebrews, looking toward the tropics, saw it. |
| 80 | Gens rutilā ad calidas tendentem lampade partes. At, nisi te tædet, me valde scire juvaret, Quanta terenda via est nobis ; namque altus ad astra Mons scandit plus quam mea lumina scandere possint. » Virgilius mihi : « Is est clivus, respondit, ut usque |
But if it please you, I should willingly learn just how far it is we still must journey: the slope climbs higher than my eyes can follow.” And he to me: “This mountain’s of such sort |
| 85 | Sit gravis ad summum nitenti evadere ab imo. At quanto magis ille viam vir pergit, eundem Tanto urget minus atque minus labor omnia vinceus. Quare ubi suavis erit tibi sic, ut vadere in altum Res tibi habenda levis veniat, velut ire secundo |
that climbing it is hardest at the start; but as we rise, the slope grows less unkind. Therefore, when this slope seems to you so gentle that climbing farther up will be as restful |
| 90 | Flumine navigiis deorsum ; tum hæc semita habebit Finem, et securæ dabitur dare membra quieti : Nullum ultra verbum, namque hæc verissima novi. » Vix hæc fatus erat, subito quum venit ad aures Proxima vox : « Fortasse prius tibi copia deerit |
as traveling downstream by boat, you will be where this pathway ends, and there you can expect to put your weariness to rest. I say no more, and this I know as truth.” And when his words were done, another voice nearby was heard to say: “Perhaps you will |
| 95 | Sidendi » ; ad sonitum cujus convertimus ambo Lumina, et a læva saxum conspeximus ingens, Cui neque ego, neque dux oculos adverterat ante. Repimus huc, multæque istic sub tegmine stabant Umbræ post saxum, ut queis mollis inertia suadet |
have need to sit before you reach that point!” Hearing that voice, both of us turned around, and to the left we saw a massive boulder, which neither he nor I — before — had noticed. We made our way toward it and toward the people who lounged behind that boulder in the shade, as men beset by listlessness will rest. |
| 100 | Stare, atque ex illis unus languescere visus In sede hærebat complexus genua tenensque Hæc inter vultum demissum. — « O blande magister, Hunc lustra », dixi, « qui sese prodit inertem Sat plus, quam si pigrities soror afforet ipsi. » |
And one of them, who seemed to me exhausted, was sitting with his arms around his knees; between his knees, he kept his head bent down. “O my sweet lord.” I said, “look carefully at one who shows himself more languid than he would have been were laziness his sister!” |
| 105 | Tunc inspecturo venientes hæc prior illi Cura fuit, visus aciem supponere coxæ Hæc fando : « Tibi præstanti conscendere par sit. » Tunc mihi nosse hominem licuit, nec plurimus angor, Qui cogebat adhuc animam, celerare parumper, |
Then that shade turned toward us attentively, lifting his eyes, but just above his thigh, and said: “Climb, then, if you're so vigorous!” Then I knew who he was, and the distress that still was quickening my breath somewhat, |
| 110 | Illuc ferre aditum vetuit. — Postquam obvius isti Restiteram, is tollens caput ægre ita voce profatur : « Jam bene novisti, qui fiat, ut aureus axem Sol umero a lævo ducat ? » — Pigrum osque brevisque Sermo mihi ad risum solverunt labra parumper. |
did not prevent my going to him; and when I had reached him, scarcely lifting up his head, he said: “And have you fathomed how the sun can drive his chariot on your left?” The slowness of his movements, his brief words had stirred my lips a little toward a smile; |
| 115 | Dein cœpi : « BELACQUA, tuum jam parco dolere Casum ; at me doceas, cur hic in sede moreris Immotus. Num forte manes, quem pone sequaris, Ductorem, an potius te mos vetus ille revinxit ? » Ille mihi : « Frater, quid me ascendisse juvaret, |
then I began: “From this time on, Belacqua, I need not grieve for you; but tell me, why do you sit here? Do you expect a guide? Or have you fallen into your old ways?” And he: “O brother, what’s the use of climbing? |
| 120 | Si, quam præfecit numen, custodia portæ Me loca, ubi pœnas luerem, prohiberet inire ? Est opus ut primum mihi vertant astra tot annos Excluso, quot adhuc vixi ; nisi vota precesque Corde erumpentes, cui gratia donat habere |
God’s angel, he who guards the gate, would not let me pass through to meet my punishment. Outside that gate the skies must circle round as many times as they did when I lived — since I delayed good sighs until the end — unless, before then, I am helped by prayer |
| 125 | Vitam, consurgant ad quem mittuntur : at illæ, Quas fundunt alii, quæ non cælestia tangunt Pectora, quid prosunt ? » — Et jam sublime petebat Præ me ac dicebat vates : « Jam perge, viden’, ut Axe diem medium Sol hinc contingit, et inde |
that rises from a heart that lives in grace; what use are other prayers — ignored by Heaven?” And now the poet climbed ahead, before me, and said: “It's time; see the meridian touched by the sun; elsewhere, along the Ocean, |
| 130 | Nox pedibus tegit Hesperii jam regna Marochi ? » | night now has set its foot upon Morocco.” |
| PURGATORII V {5} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Jam procul umbrarum cœtu digressus ab illo Ibam, ductoris vestigia pone secutus, Quum digitum intendens post me talem edidit una Exclamans vocem : « En si non fulgere videtur |
I had already left those shades behind and followed in the footsteps of my guide when, there beneath me, pointing at me, one shade shouted: “See the second climber climb: |
| 5 | A læva jubar huic subeunti, et planta moveri Non secus ac vivo. » — Ad rumorem ego lumina verti, Atque illas vidi me unum lustrare stupentes, Et retro fracti cedentia lumina solis. « Cur in tot curas animum tibi dividis, » inquit |
the sun seems not to shine on his left side and when he walks, he walks like one alive!” When I had heard these words, I turned my eyes and saw the shades astonished as they stared at me — at me, and at the broken light. “Why have you let your mind get so entwined,” |
| 10 | Doctor, « ita ut gressus cessarint ? Cur tibi curæ est, Quid mussitent illi strepitantes ? Pergito mecum, Et sine, quod libeat, post tergus dicere vulgus. Sta veluti turris, quæ immoto vertice nunquam, Quid possit Boreas, didicit. Nam semper, ubi una, |
my master said, “that you have slowed your walk? Why should you care about what’s whispered here? Come, follow me, and let these people talk: stand like a sturdy tower that does not shake its summit though the winds may blast; always |
| 15 | Atque alia atque alia invadit præcordia cura, Longe a proposito fertur, quia, ubi altera gliscit, Altera lentescit. » — Potui nil dicere contra, Hoc uno excepto : « Venio ! » Id dixi, ora colore Valde conspersus, quo vir quandoque repertus |
the man in whom thought thrusts ahead of thought allows the goal he’s set to move far off — the force of one thought saps the other’s force.” Could my reply be other than “I come”? And — somewhat colored by the hue that makes one sometimes merit grace — I spoke those words. |
| 20 | Est dignus venia. — Interea transversa legentes Clivi, præ nobis paulum longo ordine gentes Ibant, pro versu versum Miserere canendo Reddentes. At ubi sensit me turba vetantem Per corpus transire meum, quæ spicula mittit |
Meanwhile, along the slope, crossing our road slightly ahead of us, people approached, singing the Miserere verse by verse. When they became aware that I allowed no path for rays of light to cross my body, |
| 25 | Sol, interruptum mutarunt carmen in unum « Oh ! » longum raucumque sonans. Ast agmine bini Ex illo, qui se legatos ore ferebant, Occurrere simul nobis et voce rogarunt : « Quæ sit condicio vobis decreta, docete. » |
they changed their song into a long, hoarse “Oh!” And two of them, serving as messengers, hurried to meet us, and those two inquired: “Please tell us something more of what you are.” |
| 30 | Atque meus doctor : « Jam vobis ire licebit, Atque his, qui mittunt, eadem hæc responsa referre : Hujus adhuc corpus vera coalescere carne ; Cujus ut inspiciant umbram, si forte stetere, Ut reor, hæc satis est illis responsa dedisse ; |
My master answered them: “You can return and carry this report to those who sent you: in truth, the body of this man is flesh. If, as I think, they stopped to see his shadow, that answer is sufficient: let them welcome |
| 35 | Ipsi habeatur honor, quod eas fortasse juvabit. » Accensos nunquam, nocte incumbente, vapores Tam cito ego vidi sudum diffindere cælum, Aut mense Augusti nubes, jam sole cadente, Quam citius reditum hi tulerint alti ad juga montis ; |
him graciously, and that may profit them.” Never did I see kindled vapors rend clear skies at nightfall or the setting sun cleave August clouds with a rapidity that matched the time it took those two to speed |
| 40 | Atque ubi perventum est illuc, comitante caterva Advenere sua regressi, ut fusa sine ullo Turba ruit freno. Quæ se agglomeratque premitque, « Ad nos festinans, numero gens plurima abundat, Et venit oratum, » vates dicebat ; « at ipse |
above; and, there arrived, they with the others wheeled back, like ranks that run without a rein. “These people pressing in on us are many; they come beseeching you,” the poet said; |
| 45 | Ne tamen ire viam desiste audique rogantes, Non interrupto cursu. » « Tu, quæ artubus illis, Cum quibus existi primas in luminis auras. O anima, incedis vestita, initura beatas Sedes, » clamabant venientes, « ito parumper |
“don’t stop, but listen as you move ahead.” “O soul who make your way to gladness with the limbs you had at birth, do stay your steps awhile,” they clamored as they came, “to see |
| 50 | Lenius atque vide, num quem tibi noscere nostrum Forte datum fuerit, cujus narrata reportes Ad vestros. At cur properas ? Cur stare recusas ? Nos vis hostilis jam cunctos funere mersit. Assueti sceleri extremum duravimus usque |
if there is any of us whom you knew, that you may carry word of him beyond. Why do you hurry on? Why don’t you stop? We all were done to death by violence, and we all sinned until our final hour; |
| 55 | Ad tempus, donec lumen cæleste refulsit Mentibus, ac docuit sic, ut malefacta perosus Cum fletu ac certus veniam indulgere nocenti, Quisque sua exivit, placato numine, vita, Visendi quod amore sui præcordia adurit. » |
then light from Heaven granted understanding, so that, repenting and forgiving, we came forth from life at peace with God, and He instilled in us the longing to see Him.” |
| 60 | His ego : « Ut in vestros ego figam lumina vultus, Haud ullum inspiciens nosco. At vos si qua juvabit Res penes arbitrium nostrum, o bene nata animarum Turba, loqui haud pudeat. Nam pacem juro per illam, Quam jubeor tantum ductorem pone secutus, |
And I: “Although I scrutinize your faces, I recognize no one; but, spirits born to goodness, if there’s anything within my power that might please you, then — by that same peace which in the steps of such a guide |
| 65 | Nunc hoc, nunc illo properans, mihi quærere in orbe, Id me facturum. » — Tum contra talibus unus Infit : « Quisque tuo benefacto fideret, ullo Quanquam haud jurasses verbo, prodesse studenti, Ni tibi propositum virtus male fida recidat. » |
I seek from world to world — I shall perform it.” And one began: “We all have faith in your good offices without your oath, as long as lack of power does not curb your will. |
| 70 | Quare ego, præ reliquis unus qui te alloquor, oro, Ut, si forte unquam terram conspexeris illam, Æmiliæ fines inter, quæque Appulus arva Exercet, positam, Fani tu largus abundes Supplicibus verbis, quisque ut bene numen adoret |
Thus I, who speak alone — before the others — beseech you, if you ever see the land that lies between Romagna and the realm of Charles, that you be courteous to me, entreating those in Fano to bestow fair prayers to purge me of my heavy sins. |
| 75 | Pro me, ut purgando gravium delere malorum Sit mihi fas labem. Namque est mihi patria Fanum. Verum Antenoreos inter mihi plura profunda, Unde cruor fluxit, nostra in quo vita sedebat, Vulnera venerunt, ubi tutius ipse latere |
My home was Fano; but the piercing wounds from which there poured the blood where my life lived — those I received among Antenor’s sons, there where I thought that I was most secure; |
| 80 | Rebar. ATESTINUS vehementi percitus ira In me plus æquo patrati est criminis auctor. Quod si, dum fugi, Miræ loca lata petissem, Quum juxta Oriacum me primum oppresserat hostis, Nunc quoque, vitalis ubi ducitur aura, manerem. |
for he of Este, hating me far more But had I fled instead toward Mira when they overtook me at Oriaco, then I should still be beyond, where men draw breath. |
| 85 | Currenti est quæsita palus, cannæque fimusque Impediere adeo trepidantem, ut corpore prono Conciderim ; atque meis vidi manare cruentum In tellure lacum venis. » — Deinde incipit alter : « O quæ vota trahunt te celsi ad culmina montis, |
I hurried to the marsh. The mud, the reeds entangled me; I fell. And there I saw a pool, poured from my veins, form on the ground.” Another shade then said: “Ah, so may that desire which draws you up the lofty mountain |
| 90 | Sic rata sint : succurre meis, miserescere præsens Corde bono atque pio. Primas MONSFELTRIUS auras Ducere me vidit. BUONCONTEM agnosce ; JOANNÆ Non est cura mei ; nec respicit altera egentem Turba. Ideo hos inter demissa fronte vagari |
be granted, with kind pity help my longing! I was from Montefeltro, I’m Buonconte; Giovanna and the rest — they all neglect me; therefore, among these shades, I go in sadness.” |
| 95 | Cogor. » — Ego huic : « Quæ vis, fortunave CAMPALDINO Te sic avertit procul, ut se scire sepulcrum Nemo tuum dicat ? » — Tunc is mihi talia reddit : « Infra Clusinos agros delapsus Eremo, Tollit ubi culmen pater Āpenninus ad astra. |
And I to him: “What violence or chance so dragged you from the field of Campaldino that we know nothing of your burial place?” “Oh,” he replied, “across the Casentino there runs a stream called Archiano — born |
| 100 | Fons ruit oblique, Archianus qui dicitur illic. Jamque ego perveni, quo fertur nominis expers Unda, meum diro transfossus vulnere guttur, Diffugiens pedes, atque irrorans sanguine campum. Hic me defecere oculi, pariterque loquela |
in the Apennines above the Hermitage. There, at the place where that stream’s name is lost, I came — my throat was pierced — fleeing on foot and bloodying the plain; and there it was that I lost sight and speech; and there, as I |
| 105 | Clamantem extremum, lingua frigente, Mariam ; Et corpus mansit solum. Nec vera pigebit Dicere, tuque refer vivis. Demissus ab alto Ales me prendit cælestis nuntius aulæ ; Tartareus contra clamare : ‹ O tu, incola cæli, |
had finished uttering the name of Mary, I fell; and there my flesh alone remained. I’ll speak the truth — do you, among the living, retell it: I was taken by God’s angel, but he from Hell cried: ‘You from Heaven — why |
| 110 | Cur me dimittis vacuum ? Tu æterna reportas Istius spolia ob miseram, mihi quæ eripit istum, Lacrimulam. At reliqui quod me manet, ipse repexum Longe aliter mittam. › Scis jam, ut se tollit in altum Collectus vapor humidus atque recedit in imbrem, |
do you deny me him? For just one tear you carry off his deathless part; but I shall treat his other part in other wise.’ You are aware how, in the air, moist vapor will gather and again revert to rain |
| 115 | In loca quum surgit, gelidis ubi stringitur auris. Huc venit malus ille animus, qui mille nocendi Usque artes poscit sollertis acumine mentis, Et fumum et ventum ingenita virtute repente Movit. — Ubi est exstincta dies, caligine vallem |
as soon as it has climbed where cold enfolds. His evil will, which only seeks out evil, conjoined with intellect; and with the power his nature grants, he stirred up wind and vapor. And then, when day was done, he filled the valley |
| 120 | A Prato Magno in cælum sublime minantis Montis ad usque jugum texit. Dein desuper æthram Admonuit, fetusque in aquam dissolvitur aër. Præcipitant imbres, et quos jam terra nequibat Accipere, in fossas tulit impetus, utque fluentis |
from Pratomagno far as the great ridge with mist; the sky above was saturated. The dense air was converted into water; rain fell, and then the gullies had to carry whatever water earth could not receive; |
| 125 | Mos solet esse amplis, undæ traxere ruinam Tam rapide in flumen regale, ut nulla valeret Vis prohibere malum. Mea frigore membra soluta Indomiti Archiani furor aufert improbus inque Arnum conjecit, solvitque a pectore nexam, |
and when that rain was gathered into torrents, it rushed so swiftly toward the royal river that nothing could contain its turbulence. The angry Archiano — at its mouth — had found my frozen body; and it thrust it in the Arno and set loose the cross |
| 130 | Quam fecere crucem mihi bracchia, quum dolor ingens Me vicit domitum, et per ripas volvit et imum Per fundum ; deinde ipse sua cinctum atque revinctum Advolvit præda. » « O patrias quum rursus adire Fas tibi erit terras, dabiturque quiescere longo |
that, on my chest, my arms, in pain, had formed. It rolled me on the banks and river bed, then covered, girded me with its debris.” “Pray, after your returning to the world, when, after your long journeying, you've rested,” |
| 135 | A cursu atque labore viæ » (sic fata secundam Tertia post animam est), « haud obliviscere nostri ! Sum PIA, me genuit Sena confecitque Maremma, Scitque hæc ille, prius mihi qui donarat habere Annellum, sociamque tori uxoremque vocarat. » |
the third soul, following the second, said, “may you remember me, who am La Pia; Siena made — Maremma unmade — me: he who, when we were wed, gave me his pledge and then, as nuptial ring, his gem, knows that.” |
| PURGATORII VI {6} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ludere ubi talis cessatum est, corde dolenti Stat victus repetitque vices, ac denique tristis Discit. Victorem sequitur gens tota, præitque Unus, eumque alter prendit post tergus, it alter |
When dicing’s done and players separate, the loser’s left alone, disconsolate — rehearsing what he'd thrown, he sadly learns; all of the crowd surrounds the one who won — |
| 5 | Ad latus atque jubet meminisse. Haud ille remittit Ire, at nunc aures isti, nunc admovet illi, Cuique manum porgit, mens importune recedit Instandi ulterius ; removet sic ipse sequentem Turbam. Non secus hoc versabar in agmine vulgi, |
one goes in front, and one tugs at his back, and at his side one asks to be remembered; he does not halt but listens to them all; and when he gives them something, they desist; and so he can fend off the pressing throng. And I, in that persistent pack, was such: |
| 10 | Quemque tuens oculis atque undique circumspectans, Multaque promittens a cunctis liber abibam. Hic ARETINUM, qui sub fera bracchia GHINI De TACCO occubuit, vidi, quique impete cæco Hostes dum insequitur, subjectum lapsus in amnem |
this way and that, I turned my face to them and, making promises, escaped their clutch. There was the Aretine who met his death beneath Ghino di Tacco’s bestial hands, and one who drowned when, in pursuit, he ran. |
| 15 | Interclusa anima periit. Hic cum prece blanda Attollens palmas FRIDRICUS utrasque NOVELLUS, Nec non PIRANUS testatus, pectore forti MARZUCCUM eminuisse bonum, tardabat ; et URSI Vidi animam comitis ; disjunctaque corpore ob iram |
There, with his outstretched hands, was Federigo Novello, praying, and the Pisan who made good Marzucco show his fortitude. I saw Count Orso, and I saw the soul |
| 20 | Atque acrem invidiam, sicut dicebat, at ulla Absque sua culpa, nobis anima altera venit Obvia. Ego PETRUM BRACCENSEM hunc esse monebo. Atque hic præcaveat, superest dum vita, BRABANTA Regina, ac videat, ne pejor se maneat grex. |
cleft from its body out of spite and envy — not, so it said, because it had been guilty — I mean Pier de la Brosse (and may the Lady of Brabant, while she’s still in this world, watch her ways — or end among a sadder flock) |
| 25 | Omni me postquam dissolvi exercitu earum Umbrarum orantum, ut requiem sibi supplice voce Orarent alii, ob quam sanctis esse liceret Ocius, hic cœpi : « O mea lux, docuisse videtur Omnino tua Musa loco non posse precando |
As soon as I was free from all those shades who always pray for others’ prayers for them, so as to reach their blessed state more quickly, I started: “O my light, it seems to me that in one passage you deny expressly that prayer can bend the rule of Heaven, yet |
| 30 | Fata Dei flecti ; tamen id gens ista rogabat. Frustra ergo hi sperent ? An non bene scripta patescunt Mi tua ? » — At is contra : « Si contemplabere sana Rem penitus mente, est facilis planusque meorum Scriptorum sensus, neque eos spes ludit inanis. |
these people pray precisely for that end. Is their hope, therefore, only emptiness, or have I not read clearly what you said?” And he to me: “My text is plain enough, and yet their hope is not delusive if one scrutinizes it with sober wit; |
| 35 | Namque haud descendit majestas summa superni Judicii, dum corda urens vis ignea amoris Uno ictu absolvat, quod jussus solvere debet, Quicunque hic stabulat. Sed ut est sententia, nemo Vitæ emendabat veteris malefacta precando ; |
the peak of justice is not lowered when the fire of love accomplishes in one instant the expiation owed by all who dwell here; for where I asserted this — that prayers could not mend their fault — I spoke |
| 40 | Namque Deo immensum sejunxerat intervallum Orantem. At vero tantis obducta tenebris Dicta arcana mihi ne offirma certa putare, Ni prius id doceat, quæ lux micat inter utramque Veri animique facem nostri. Atque hic nescio, an istud |
of prayers without a passageway to God. But in a quandary so deep, do not conclude with me, but wait for word that she, the light between your mind and truth, will speak — |
| 45 | Perspicias etiam. Mihi designanda BEATRIX Verba per ista fuit, tibi quæ manifesta videndam Se dabit istius sublimem in vertice montis, Pax ubi perpetuo diffundit gaudia visu. » Cui : « Bone dux, » dixi, « hanc gressu properante petamus ; |
lest you misunderstand, the she I mean is Beatrice; upon this mountain’s peak, there you shall see her smiling joyously.” And I: “Lord, let us move ahead more quickly, |
| 50 | Me namque haud labor iste gravat, velut ante solebat, Jamque vide, ut major de clivo decidat umbra. » « Isto progrediamur iter cum lumine, donec Sol dabit ire », inquit. « Verum id secus esse putabis, Ac tu rere modo. Nam tu ipse redire, priusquam |
for now I am less weary than before; and — you can see — the slope now casts a shadow.” “As long as it is day, we'll make as much headway as possible,” he answered; “but our climb won't be as rapid as you thought. |
| 55 | Illuc pervenias, iterum miraberis illum, Qui sic opposita montis sese abdidit umbra, Ipsius ut radios non sit tibi rumpere. At ecce, Cerne illic animam figentem lumina visus Omnino solam, quæ nostrum utrumque tuetur ; |
You will not reach the peak before you see the sun returning: now he hides behind the hills — you cannot interrupt his light. But see — beyond — a soul who is completely apart, and seated, looking toward us; he |
| 60 | Hæc nos, quæ melior ducat via, forte docebit. » Venimus : O anima, italico sata sanguine citra Eridanum, corde humano, quam te ore ferebas Celsam ac majestate gravem ! O ut honesta moventi Tarde oculos acies ibat. Nihil illa profari, |
will show us where to climb most speedily.” We came to him. O Lombard soul, what pride and what disdain were in your stance! Your eyes moved with such dignity, such gravity! He said no thing to us but let us pass, |
| 65 | Sed sinere ire viam venientes, more leonis Compositi requie nos contemplata, nec ulla Vox fuit. — Huic tamen accessit, paucisque rogavit Virgilius, monstraret iter, quod scandit in altum Lenius. Illa nihil, sed quæ sit patria nobis, |
his eyes intent upon us only as a lion watches when it is at rest. Yet Virgil made his way to him, appealing to him to show us how we'd best ascend; and he did not reply to that request, but asked us what our country was and who |
| 70 | Quæ vita, exquirit. Dulcis dux : « Mantua », cœpit : — Umbraque sola loco in solo, qua sede sedebat. Obvia surrexit, vati sic ore locuta : « Urbs tua, Minciade, est pariter mihi patria. Dicor SORDELLUS », collo et complexus uterque pependit. |
we were, at which my gentle guide began “Mantua” — and that spirit, who had been so solitary, rose from his position, saying:“O Mantuan, I am Sordello, from your own land.” And each embraced the other. |
| 75 | O serva Italia, angoris lustrum, orba magistro Pinus, ubique gravis stridente furore procellæ, Non jam terrarum domina, ast præsæpe luparum ! Nobilis huic animus tam mox assurgere suasit, Audito dulci patriæ modo nomine terræ, |
Ah, abject Italy, you inn of sorrows, you ship without a helmsman in harsh seas, no queen of provinces but of bordellos! That noble soul had such enthusiasm: his city’s sweet name was enough for him |
| 80 | Officiosa suo ut præberet pignora civi ; At nunc ex vestris nemo, qui lumine solis Gaudeat, a bello vacat, alternisque furentes Se rodunt, unus quos claudit murus et una Fossa. O infelix, quære et circumspice ab oris |
to welcome — there — his fellow-citizen; But those who are alive within you now can’t live without their warring — even those whom one same wall and one same moat enclose gnaw at each other. Squalid Italy, |
| 85 | Æquoris omne tui spatium, deinde inspice pectus, Si qua tui saltem pars in te pace fruatur. Quid prodest vobis, si Justinianus habenas Restituit, quum sella vacet ? Sors vestra sine illis Forte pudenda minus foret. O gens, jussa deceret |
search round your shores and then look inland — see if any part of you delight in peace. What use was there in a Justinian’s mending your bridle, when the saddle’s empty? Indeed, were there no reins, your shame were less. |
| 90 | Te facere, et sinere Augustum considere sella, Si vobis mandata Dei bene nota fuere. Aspice, ut hæc facta est nequam fera, dum sinis ire Immunem stimuli, postquam tua dextera lorum Arripuit. Te jam, te, proles Teutona, princeps |
Ah you — who if you understood what God ordained, would then attend to things devout and in the saddle surely would allow Caesar to sit — see how this beast turns fierce because there are no spurs that would correct it, since you have laid your hands upon the bit! |
| 95 | ALBERTE, hanc lentus qui negligis atque relinquis, Quæ facta indomita est, similisque ferocibus ursis, Istius decuit bene presso insidere dorso. Justum judicium de cælo decidat alto In genus omne tuum, horrendum novitate, patensque, |
O German Albert, you who have abandoned that steed become recalcitrant and savage, you who should ride astride its saddlebows — upon your blood may the just judgment of the stars descend with signs so strange and plain |
| 100 | Ut successori metus anxius occupet ossa. Tu namque atque tuus pater, ambitione jubente, Istinc distracti passi estis amœna vireta Imperii vestri fieri deserta locorum. Fac reditum huc referas, et prospice CAPPELLETTOS |
that your successor has to feel its terror! For both you and your father, in your greed for lands that lay more close at hand, allowed the garden of the Empire to be gutted. Come — you who pay no heed — do come and see |
| 105 | MONTICULOSque, PHILIPPENSESque, et cerne MONALDOS, Illos jam tristes, trepida hos formidine plenos. Huc ades, o crudelis ! ades ; circumspice pressos, Quos tibi conjunctos noras, et vulnera cura ; Et sanctam inspecta Floram, ut secura quiescit. |
Montecchi, Cappelletti, sad already, and, filled with fear, Monaldi, Filippeschi. Come, cruel one, come see the tribulation of your nobility and heal their hurts; see how disconsolate is Santafior! |
| 110 | Cerne tuam Romam flentem viduamque relictam, Ac solam id tantum noctesque diesque querentem : « Heu ! cur, mi Cæsar, mecum comes ire recusas ? » Cerne, ut amentur, ament gentes ; sin pectora vestra Nulla movet nostri pietas, huc te adjice, famæ |
Come, see your Rome who, widowed and alone, weeps bitterly; both day and night, she moans: “My Caesar, why are you not at my side?” Come, see how much your people love each other! And if no pity for us moves you, may |
| 115 | Ut puduisse tuæ discas. Et si mihi detur, Proh tu, Summe ! crucem in terris contente subire Pro nobis, alias avertis lumina justa ? An sunt consilii in barathro arcanisque parata Ista tui, suadente boni melioris amore, |
shame for your own repute move you to act. And if I am allowed, o highest Jove, to ask: You who on earth were crucified for us — have You turned elsewhere Your just eyes? Or are You, in Your judgment’s depth, devising a good that we cannot foresee, completely dissevered from our way of understanding? |
| 120 | Quod latet omnino, ut rura Itala plena tyrannis Sint cuncta, et novus exsurgat Marcellus in agris Quisquis rumpebat glæbas, dum sponte sequatur, Quam malit, partem ? — O mea tu, Florentia, certe Hic me proposito deerrantem, atque ista canentem |
For all the towns of Italy are full of tyrants, and each townsman who becomes a partisan is soon a new Marcellus. My Florence, you indeed may be content |
| 125 | Sat fecisse tibi duces ; neque te movet illud, Quod dixi, ob meritum populi sic vestra tuentis. Justitia est cordi multis, sed missile tarde Solvitur, imprudens ne dextera liberet arcum ; At summo vestri populi versatur in ore. |
that this digression would leave you exempt: your people’s strivings spare you this lament. Others have justice in their hearts, and thought is slow to let it fly off from their bow; but your folk keep it ready — on their lips. |
| 130 | Pondera permulti detrectant publica, at ista Plebs tua respondet, nullis suadentibus ; « ecce Meme ; assum », clamans ; « umeris onus ipse subibo ! » Nunc gaude, nam causa subest. Tu dives opum vi, Tu pacis, tu consilii plenissima : nec res, |
Others refuse the weight of public service; whereas your people — eagerly — respond, even unasked, and shout: “I'll take it on.” You might be happy now, for you have cause! You with your riches, peace, judiciousness! |
| 135 | Num verum dicam, quemquam inspectare vetabit. Cecropis urbs, nec non Sparte, queis condere leges Cura fuit veteres, tanto et florescere cultu, Perleviter bene vivendi tetigisse feruntur Exemplar, præ te, quæ tam subtilibus usa es |
If I speak truly, facts won't prove me wrong. Compared to you, Athens and Lacedaemon, though civil cities, with their ancient laws, had merely sketched the life of righteousness; for you devise provisions so ingenious — |
| 140 | Consiliis. Nam quæ tu Octobri fila dedisti, Non ultra fines medii venere Novembris. Temporis, ah, quoties ! cujus meminisse dat ætas, Jus, morem, nummos et munera permutasti, Suppositisque novis posuisti membra priora ? |
whatever threads October sees you spin, when mid-November comes, will be unspun. How often, in the time you can remember, have you changed laws and coinage, offices and customs, and revised your citizens! |
| 145 | Et bene si memori mente uteris, et bene lumen Aspicis, illi ægræ assimilandam te esse videbis, Quæ frustra in plumis studeat reperire quietem Mutandoque latus morbum non pellat acutum. |
And if your memory has some clarity, then you will see yourself like that sick woman who finds no rest upon her feather-bed, but, turning, tossing, tries to ease her pain. |
| PURGATORII VII {7} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Alternis ubi dicta salus est, terque quaterque Officiis sat uterque fuit lætatus honestis, Restitit atque inquit SORDELLUS: « Fare doceque, Qui vos ? » — « Ante animæ inciperent quam advolvere monti |
When glad and gracious welcomings had been repeated three and four times, then Sordello drew himself back and asked: “But who are you?” “Before the spirits worthy of ascent to God had been directed to this mountain, |
| 5 | Sese isti, Superum dignæ conscendere sedes, Ossa per Augustum mea sunt tumulata, vocorque VIRGILIUS, nec quicquam aliud me amittere jussit Cælum, hoc excepto, fidei quod luce carebam. » Sic iste. Ut subito, si cui res obvia fiat, |
my bones were buried by Octavian. I am Virgil, and I am deprived of Heaven for no fault other than my lack of faith.” This was the answer given by my guide. Even like one who, suddenly, has seen |
| 10 | Quam stupet, hic stat in ambiguo, credatne negetne Id verum : « Est, nihil est ! » dicens ; ita se ore ferebat Ille, ac deinde supercilium demisit et omne Pronus in obsequium hunc rursus properavit adire, Complexuque hæsit, qua mos solet esse minoris. |
something before him and then, marveling, does and does not believe, saying, “It is… is not,” so did Sordello seem, and then he bent his brow, returned to Virgil humbly, and clasped him where the lesser presence clasps. |
| 15 | « O lux Ausonidum, quotquot peperisse Latina Se jactat tellus, per quem », inquit, « nostra loquela, Quid posset, docuit, decus æternum illius urbis, Unde fui : quodnam meritum, quæ gratia monstrat Te mihi ? Si dignor tua verba audire loquentem, |
He said: “O glory of the Latins, you through whom our tongue revealed its power, you, eternal honor of my native city, what merit or what grace shows you to me? If I deserve to hear your word, then answer: |
| 20 | Dicito, an ex Orco quove huc emerseris orbe ? » « Omnes per circos regni sua damna dolentis Huc veni », sapiens dixit. « Me movit ab alto Descendens virtus, et ea ducente profectus Assum. Non ob facta, sed ob non facta tueri |
tell me if you're from Hell and from what cloister.” “Through every circle of the sorry kingdom,” he answered him, “I journeyed here; a power from Heaven moved me, and with that, I come. Not for the having — but not having — done, |
| 25 | Altum sum vetitus solem, quem tu expetis, et quem Ipse nimis sero novi. In barathro est locus illo Non a tormentis tristis, sed nocte profunda Tantum, ubi non resonant questus de more ululantum, Sed suspirantum ; et pueris immixtus oberro, |
I lost the sight that you desire, the Sun — that high Sun I was late in recognizing. There is a place below that only shadows — not torments — have assigned to sadness; there, lament is not an outcry, but a sigh. There I am with the infant innocents, |
| 30 | Quos propera insontes mors dentibus ante momordit, Quam labe humana licuisset abire solutis. Hic illos inter sedeo, qui sancta feruntur Virtutum ornamenta trium sibi tempore nullo Assumpsisse, licet reliquas novere sorores |
those whom the teeth of death had seized before they were set free from human sinfulness; there I am with those souls who were not clothed in the three holy virtues — but who knew |
| 35 | Immunes vitii, et cunctas sunt rite secuti. Verum si scis atque potes, quoddam exsere nobis Indicium, ut detur conscendere Purgatori Ad primum citius magis apto tramite limen. » « Nulli certa domus, » respondit, « et ire facultas |
and followed after all the other virtues. But if you know and you are able to, would you point out the path that leads more quickly to the true entry point of Purgatory?” He answered: “No fixed place has been assigned |
| 40 | Est data mi sursum ac circa, ductorque paratus, Qua possum, accedo. Sed jam circumspice, ut umbræ, Inclinante die, incumbant, nec scandere noctu est. Quare fit bona suadentis consistere belle Consilii ratio. Stant dextra in parte remotæ |
to us; I’m free to range about and climb; as far as I may go, I’ll be your guide. But see now how the day declines; by night we cannot climb; and therefore it is best to find some pleasant place where we can rest. Here to the right are spirits set apart; |
| 45 | Hinc animæ, ad quarum statui te adducere cælum, Si sinis, atque istas haud te novisse pigebit. » « Qui fit ? » responsum est. « Ergo conscendere aventem Noctu vis aliqua impediet ? Vel fiet, ut iste Non queat ? » — Et digito fricuit bonus indice terram |
if you allow me, I shall lead you to them; and not without delight, you’ll come to know them.” “How is that?” he was asked. “Is it that he who tried to climb by night would be impeded by others, or by his own lack of power?” And good Sordello, as his finger traced |
| 50 | SORDELLUS. Dein sic : « Adverte, hæc linea sola haud tibi post obitum solis superabilis esset ; Non quia quicquam aliud mora sit odiosa parato Scandere, quam nigror densæ caligine noctis ; Hæc frustra annixo contra studium implicat omne. |
along the ground, said: “Once the sun has set, then — look — even this line cannot be crossed. And not that anything except the dark of night prevents your climbing up; it is the night itself that implicates your will. |
| 55 | Ipse quidem, stipante ista, descendere quires Circum et supposito spatiari in colle vagando, Dum vesper claudit solem. » Miratus ad ista Tum dux : « Ergo illuc duc nos, » respondit, « et illic Stantibus occurrent, quæ nos vidisse juvabit. » |
Once darkness falls, one can indeed retreat below and wander aimlessly about the slopes, while the horizon has enclosed the day.” At which my lord, as if in wonder, said: “Lead us then to there where, as you say, we may derive delight from this night’s stay.” |
| 60 | Nec procul inde aberam comites post terga secutus, Quum mihi mons minui est visus, quo more residunt Hic valles. « Illuc », ait illa anima, « ibimus, amplum Clivus ubi gremium summittit, ibique novellum Proderit exspectare diem. » Situs inter utrumque, |
We had not gone far off, when I perceived that, just as valleys hollow mountains here in our world, so that mountain there was hollowed. That shade said: “It is there that we shall go — to where the slope forms, of itself, a lap; at that place we'll await the new day’s coming.” |
| 65 | Difficilem et planum, nos duxit ad ardua ripæ In latus obliquus trames, qua deficit istum Plus quam dimidium limbi. Massa aurea, puri Argenti nitor et coccum cerussaque, quodque India fert lignum pretiosum luce serena, |
There was a slanting path, now steep, now flat; it led us to a point beside the valley, just where its bordering edge had dropped by half. Gold and fine silver, cochineal, white lead, and Indian lychnite, highly polished, bright, |
| 70 | A plāgāque recens, fabro tundente, smaragdus, Cuncta hæc victa forent herbæ florumque colore, Quos habet ille sinus positos, ut visa minorem Res major vincit. Neque ibi natura crearat Picta modo ; ast etiam centum variarat odorum |
fresh emerald at the moment it is dampened, if placed within that valley, all would be defeated by the grass and flowers’ colors, just as the lesser gives way to the greater. And nature there not only was a painter, but from the sweetness of a thousand odors, |
| 75 | Nescio quid mixtum, quod non distinguere possis. Cæspitibus vivis ac floribus insidentes Hinc animas vidi, quas vallis panda videndas Non concedebat. « Salve, Regina ! » sonabant Cantu harum pulsatæ auræ. Lux parva priusquam |
she had derived an unknown, mingled scent. Upon the green grass and the flowers, I saw seated spirits singing “Salve, Regina”; they were not visible from the outside. |
| 80 | « Jam cubet occidui Solis » (sic ore profari Cœpit SORDELLUS, qui nos huc vertere gressum Suaserat), « hortari, ut vos deducam agmen ad istud, Desinite. Hac melior fuerit de rupe facultas Cujuscunque procul vultum gestumque tuendi, |
“Before the meager sun seeks out its nest,” began the Mantuan who led us here, “do not ask me to guide you down among them. From this bank, you’ll be better able to make out the acts and features of them all |
| 85 | Quam si commistos illis vos campus haberet. Altior is, qui sede sedet, nutuque videtur Significare suo, se neglexisse, quod æquum Parque ipsi fecisse fuit, mediusque canente Turba alia haud hiscens mutit, fuit Induperator |
than if you were to join them in the hollow. He who is seated highest, with the look of one too lax in what he undertook — whose mouth, although the rest sing, does not move |
| 90 | RUDOLPHUS, bene cui patuit sanare potestas Vulnera, quæ Italiam communi cæde necarunt ; Quare ope ab alterius sero solamina ducit. Alter, qui afflictum nutu recreare videtur, Possedit terram, unde oritur, quæ vectat in Albin |
was Emperor Rudolph, one who could have healed the wounds that were the death of Italy, so that another, later, must restore her. His neighbor, whose appearance comforts him, governed the land in which are born the waters |
| 95 | Unda fluens Moldam, atque Albin transportat in æquor. Huic fuit OCTOCARUS nomen, quem lactis egentem In cunis stratum meliorem est fama fuisse, Quam WENCESLAUM pubentem hoc patre creatum, Quem mala luxuries et mollis inertia pascunt. |
the Elbe to the sea: named Ottokar — in swaddling-bands he was more valiant than his son, the bearded Wenceslaus, who feeds on wantonness and ease. That small-nosed man, |
| 100 | Atque is NASETTUS, qui consultare videtur Illum secreto, qui fulget fronte serena, Nudans terga fugæ ac deflorans lilia obivit. Cernite, ut iste illic pectus sibi tundat, et alter Frontem suspirans palma sibi fulciat ; unus |
who seems so close in counsel with his kindly friend, died in flight, deflowering the lily: see how he beats his breast there! And you see the other shade, who, as he sighs, would rest his cheek upon his palm as on a bed. |
| 105 | Est genitor socer ille mali, quo Gallia tota Tabuit ; haud latet hos vitiis deperdita vita, Atque hinc ille dolor, quo sic agitatur uterque. Ille adeo ingenti spectandus imagine, quique Concinit hunc fusus juxta, cui nasus abundat |
Father and father-in-law of the pest of France, they know his life — its filth, its vice; out of that knowledge grows the grief that has pierced them. That other, who seems so robust and sings in time with him who has a nose |
| 110 | Masculus, omnigena fertur virtute micasse Præcinctus. Quod si post illum regna potitus Ille foret, qui pone sedet puer, omine fausto Natorum in natos transisset patria virtus ; Quod non de reliqua quisquam ausit dicere gente. |
so manly, wore the cord of every virtue; and if the young man seated there behind him had only followed him as king, then valor might have been poured from vessel unto vessel; one cannot say this of his other heirs; |
| 115 | JACOB, ac pariter FRIDERICUS regna gubernant, Neuter præcipui patrimoni creditus heres. Raro per ramos probitas humana resurgit, Omnia dante illo, qui vult accepta referri Cuncta sibi. Quæ verba loquor, præcordia tangent |
his kingdoms now belong to James and Frederick — but they do not possess his best bequest. How seldom human worth ascends from branch to branch, and this is willed by Him who grants that gift, that one may pray to Him for it! My words suggest the large-nosed one no less |
| 120 | NASUTO atque PETRO, qui cantum voce secundat, Per quos jam luget Narbona atque Appulus omnis. Semine planta suo tanto minor esse putatur, Quanto plus etiam CONSTANTIA conjuge lætam Se jactat, quam cum consorte sorore BEATRIX. |
than they refer to Peter, singing with him, whose heir brings Puglia and Provence distress: the plant is lesser than its seed, just as the man whom Beatrice and Margaret wed is lesser than the husband Constance has. |
| 125 | Aspicite HENRICUM gaudentem simplice vita, Anglorum regem, semota in parte sedentem. Huic rami minus atque minus pejora tulerunt. Hos inter qui se inferius prosternit, in altum Suspiciens, habuit nomen GUILIELMUS, et ipse est |
You see the king who led the simple life seated alone: Henry of England — he has better fortune with his progeny. He who is seated lowest on the ground, and looking up, is William the Marquis — |
| 130 | Marchio. Alexandria atque hujus bella per ipsum Montem Ferratum et Canobejum luctibus implent. » |
for him, both Alexandria and its war make Monferrato and Canavese mourn.” |
| PURGATORII VIII {8} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Jam prope tempus erat, quod aventes ire per altum Immutat mollitque animos sæpe hora recursans, Dulcis amicorum quum jussa est turba valere, Exstimulatque novi peregrini pectus amore, |
It was the hour that turns seafarers’ longings homeward — the hour that makes their hearts grow tender upon the day they bid sweet friends farewell; the hour that pierces the new traveler |
| 5 | Si missum ære cavo sonitum procul accipit ille, Quod jam labentis videatur flere diei Occasum ; mihi quum cœpi frustrarier aures Inspiciens quandam, quæ consurrexerat, umbram, Atque manus gestu astantes audire jubebat. |
with love when he has heard, far off, the bell that seems to mourn the dying of the day; when I began to let my hearing fade and watched one of those souls who, having risen, had signaled with his hand for our attention. |
| 10 | Ut venit, palmas ad cælum sustulit ambas, Fixo prospectans orientem lumine utroque, Hæc fanti similis : « Mihi sunt, Deus, omnia tecum ; Nil ultra. » Huic hymnus « Te lucis » in ore sonabat Voce pia, usque adeo dulci modulamine cantus, |
He joined his palms and, lifting them, he fixed all his attention on the east, as if to say to God: “I care for nothing else.” “Te lucis ante” issued from his lips with such devotion and with notes so sweet |
| 15 | Ut mente ipse mihi exciderim. Dein cetera turba Dulciter atque pie totam est absolvere adorta Legem hymni simul ad sphæram conversa supernam. Hic bene fac acuas ad verum lumina visus, Lector ; tam bene nunc velum subtile paratur, |
that I was moved to move beyond my mind. And then the other spirits followed him — devoutly, gently — through all of that hymn, their eyes intent on the supernal spheres. Here, reader, let your eyes look sharp at truth, for now the veil has grown so very thin — |
| 20 | Ut leve sit certe cursim, quod clauditur intus, Inspexisse semel. Dein vidi hoc agmen honestum Suspicere haud hiscens, more exspectantis, in ore Pallens et fastu vacuum : tum ex æthere labi Aligeros geminos, bini quos igne micantes |
it is not difficult to pass within. I saw that company of noble spirits, silent and looking upward, pale and humble, as if in expectation; and I saw, emerging and descending from above, two angels bearing flaming swords, of which |
| 25 | Armabant enses trunci et mucrone carentes. Non secus ac frondes modo natæ, vestis amictu Fulgebant viridis, viridi quam pone per auras Remigio alarum percussam quisque trahebat. Unus paullisper supra caput astitit, alter |
the blades were broken off, without their tips. Their garments, just as green as newborn leaves, were agitated, fanned by their green wings, and trailed behind them; and one angel came and stood somewhat above us, while the other |
| 30 | Oppositam in spondam descendit. Turba tenebat Se mediam. Potui flavos ego cernere crines ; At vultum aspiciens oculus mihi hebescere cœpit, Ceu vis, quam nimiæ confundit copia lucis. « Virginis e gremio », dixit SORDELLUS « utrique |
descended on the opposite embankment, flanking that company of souls between them. My eyes made out their blond heads clearly, but my sight was dazzled by their faces — just like any sense bewildered by excess. “Both come from Mary’s bosom,” said Sordello, |
| 35 | Venerunt vallis custodes, propter hiantem Anguem, qui jam aderit. » Quare, qui scire nequibam, Quo properaret iter, me circumvertere et arte, Jam totus frigens, umeris hærescere fidis. SORDELLUSque simul : « Nunc jam descendere tempus |
“to serve as the custodians of the valley against the serpent that will soon appear.” At this, not knowing where its path might be, frozen with fear, I turned around, pressing close to the trusty shoulders. And Sordello |
| 40 | Inter magnanimas umbras farique vicissim, Quas non perleviter vos hic spectare juvabit. » Tres tantum passus me descendisse putarem, Quum subii ac vidi quendam me lumine utroque Lustrantem, similem cupide me noscere aventi. |
continued: “Let us now descend among the great shades in the valley; we shall speak with them; and seeing you, they will be pleased.” I think that I had taken but three steps to go below, when I saw one who watched attentively, trying to recognize me. |
| 45 | Tempus erat, quo aër nigrabat, nec tamen ater Usque adeo, ut visus non declararet utrique, Quæ latuere prius. Mihi venerat obvius, illi Obvius ipse fui. NINE, judex optime rerum, Quam lætus pravo semotum te agmine vidi ! |
The hour had now arrived when air grows dark, but not so dark that it deprived my eyes and his of what — before — they were denied. He moved toward me, and I advanced toward him. Noble Judge Nino — what delight was mine when I saw you were not among the damned! |
| 50 | Nulla salutandi ratio bellissima nobis Præterita est. — Deinde hac cœpit me voce rogare : « Quampridem gressus te montem duxit ad istum Longinquas transgressum undas ? » — « Oh, » sic ego contra, « Hoc mane adveni per tristia regna vagatus, |
There was no gracious greeting we neglected before he asked me: “When did you arrive, across long seas, beneath this mountainside?” I told him, “Oh, by way of the sad regions, I came this morning; I am still within |
| 55 | Quamque habui, me vita manet, licet ipse per istos Nunc aliam acquiram cursus. » Ubi perculit aures Hæc vox, SORDELLUS simul et simul iste retrorsum Repressere pedes, ut queis timor ossa repente Occupat. Alter adit vatem, petit umbra sedentem |
the first life — although, by this journeying, I earn the other.” When they heard my answer, Sordello and Judge Nino, just behind him, drew back like people suddenly astonished. One turned to Virgil, and the other turned |
| 60 | Se propter, clamans : « CURRADE, exsurgito adesque Visurus, donante Deo, quid gratia possit. » Deinde mihi : « Per quæ tu tanta et maxima debes Illi, qui primam causam sic corde recondit, Ut penetrare vadum non sit, trans æquora lata |
and called to one who sat there: “Up, Currado! Come see what God, out of His grace, has willed!” Then, when he turned to me: “By that especial gratitude you owe to Him who hides his primal aim so that no human mind may find the ford to it, when you return |
| 65 | Quum primum venies, mihi natam hortare JOANNAM, Ut, quæ respondent insontibus, ostia pulset Pro me. Namque hujus mater delevit amorem, Primi oblita viri, ut credo, quo ex tempore velum Album mutavit, quod adhuc optare necesse |
across the wide waves, ask my own Giovanna — there where the pleas of innocents are answered — to pray for me. I do not think her mother still loves me: she gave up her white veils — surely, poor woman, she will wish them back again. |
| 70 | Nunc habet infelix. Valde est leve nosse per istam, Æstus quam cito feminei exstinguatur amoris, Ni renovent flammas oculi tactusque frequentes. Non illi tumulum tam pulchrum vipera condet, Quam Mediolanum sub pugnam pandit in auras, |
Through her, one understands so easily how brief, in woman, is love’s fire — when not rekindled frequently by eye or touch. The serpent that assigns the Milanese their camping place will not provide for her |
| 75 | Ut GALLURENSIS gallus. » Sic ille colore Suffusus faciem, qui justum prodit amorem Recti, intra certas urentem pectora leges. Ast avide cæli suspectum nostra petebat Usque acies illac, ubi sidera tardius ibant, |
a tomb as fair as would Gallura’s rooster.” So Nino spoke; his bearing bore the seal of that unswerving zeal which, though it flames within the heart, maintains a sense of measure. My avid eyes were steadfast, staring at that portion of the sky where stars are slower, |
| 80 | Ceu rota, quæ propius radiatum vertitur axem. Duxque meus : « Fili, quidnam sic suspicis », inquit ? Huic ego : « Tres illas faculas, quibus iste micando In flammas polus it totus. » Contra ille vicissim : « Jam cecidere, illinc primo quas mane videbas, |
even as spokes when they approach the axle. And my guide: “Son, what are you staring at?” And I replied: “I'm watching those three torches with which this southern pole is all aflame.” Then he to me: “The four bright stars you saw this morning now are low, beyond the pole, |
| 85 | Bis geminæ stellæ, inque locum ascendere vacantem Hæ tres. » Sic vates. — Hic fantem talia traxit Ad se SORDELLUS dixitque : « En belua nobis Adversa » ; ac digitum intendens simul annuit ipsi, Inde loci visus aciem contenderet, unde |
and where those four stars were, these three now are.” Even as Virgil spoke, Sordello drew him to himself: “See there — our adversary!” he said; and then he pointed with his finger. |
| 90 | Parva patet vallis, nulla munita latebra. Hac serpens ibat, qui forsan pāvit amara Esca Evam. Flores inter veniebat et herbas Reptile perversum, nunc istac, nunc caput illac Vertens ac lambens dorsum, ut fera sueta polire |
At the unguarded edge of that small valley, there was a serpent — similar, perhaps, to that which offered Eve the bitter food. Through grass and flowers the evil streak advanced; from time to time it turned its head and licked its back, like any beast that preens and sleeks. |
| 95 | Pellem incompositam. Mihi tunc haud contigit istud Aspicere, atque ideo non est mihi copia fandi, Impete in hoc quanto irruerit cælestis uterque Accipiter ; tamen hos memini vidisse ruentes. Ut virides sensit findentes aëra pennas, |
I did not see — and therefore cannot say — just how the hawks of heaven made their move, but I indeed saw both of them in motion. Hearing the green wings cleave the air, the serpent |
| 100 | Effugit serpens, ac retro terga dedere Aligeri, æquali repetentes astra volatu. At, quæ juncta NINO steterat, quum me ille vocarat, Umbra, quoad toto pugnata hæc tempore pugna est, A me nusquam oculos, et ait : « Sic tanta lucernæ, |
fled, and the angels wheeled around as each of them flew upward, back to his high station. The shade who, when the judge had called, had drawn closer to him, through all of that attack, had not removed his eyes from me one moment. |
| 105 | Quæ te sublimem ducit, sit copia ceræ Arbitrio commissa tuo, quanta est opus, hortum Ad summum ut venias ; si qua unquam digna relatu, Seu de VALLE MACRA, seu de tellure propinqua, Fors vera attulerit, magnum mihi nomen habenti |
“So may the lantern that leads you on high discover in your will the wax one needs — enough for reaching the enameled peak,” that shade began, “if you have heard true tidings of Val di Magra or the lands nearby, tell them to me — for there I once was mighty. |
| 110 | Illic, hæc narra. CURRADUS nominor, ortus Stirpe MALASPINA ; non jam vetus ille, sed ipso Ex genere, atque meos illo devinctus amore Fovi, quem jubeor pœna hic urente piare. » « Oh, » dixi, « vestras nunquam mihi tangere terras |
Currado Malaspina was my name; I’m not the old Currado, but I am descended from him: to my own I bore the love that here is purified.” I answered: “I never visited your lands; but can |
| 115 | Contigit : at quænam Europæ est gens dissita vestri Nescia, quos clamant proceres, vicinia clamat Cum plausu, ut norit, qui nunquam hoc litus adivit ? Atque ego, si liceat superas evadere ad auras, Vestrum illustre genus non dedecorare priores |
there be a place in all of Europe where they are not celebrated? Such renown honors your house, acclaims your lords and lands — even if one has yet to journey there. And so may I complete my climb, I swear to you: your honored house still claims the prize — |
| 120 | Juro, seu loculum, seu res expostulet ensem. Natura atque usus sic dant excellere genti, Ut, quamvis torta mundus cervice recedat Perversus, tamen hæc una est, quæ tramite recto Incedit florens, iter indignata malignum. » |
the glory of the purse and of the sword. Custom and nature privilege it so that, though the evil head contorts the world, your kin alone walk straight and shun the path of wickedness.” And he: “Be sure of that. |
| 125 | Isque : « I nunc, nam vice septena haud se straverit aureo Sol iterum lĕcto, pedibus quem portitor Helles Bis geminis tegit insĭdens, quum infixa manebit In caput ista benigna tuum sententia clavo Majore, alterius quam sermo immissus in aures, |
The sun will not have rested seven times within the bed that’s covered and held fast by all the Ram’s four feet before this gracious opinion’s squarely nailed into your mind with stouter nails than others’ talk provides — |
| 130 | Dum currat, quem summa dedit sapientia, cursus. » | if the divine decree has not been stayed.” |
| PURGATORII IX {9} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Jam sĕnis albebat Tithoni succuba, Gangis Prospectans oras, complexu et dulcis amici Exibat, cui frons ardebat lucida gemmis Sic positis, ut signa feræ, quæ frigore torpet, |
Now she who shares the bed of old Tithonus, abandoning the arms of her sweet lover, grew white along the eastern balcony ; the heavens facing her were glittering with gems set in the semblance of the chill |
| 5 | Atque sua cauda percellit quemque, referret. Et nox de gradibus, per quos contendit in altum, Atque unum, atque unum ascensu superarat, ut inde Cernere erat tollenti aciem, et jam tertius alis Deorsum ibat flexis, quum me, qui quicquid Adami est |
animal that assails men with its tail ; while night within the valley where we were had moved across two of the steps it climbs, and now the third step made night’s wings incline ; when I, who bore something of Adam with me, |
| 10 | Attuleram mecum, devicit somnus in herba Compositum, locus unus ubi jam quinque sedentes Nos conjungebat. Tristes quo tempore questus Ordītur, primum quum mane rubescit, hirundo, Fors memori antiquos servans sub corde dolores, |
feeling the need for sleep, lay down upon the grass where now all five of us were seated. At that hour close to morning when the swallow begins her melancholy songs, perhaps in memory of her ancient sufferings, |
| 15 | Et quo nostra magis mens carne soluta minusque Indupedīta gravi variarum pondere rerum, Dum sua visa legit, quasi numen habere putatur ; In somnis aquila est mihi visa ex æthere pendens, Suspensa, auratis plumis, alisque parata |
when, free to wander farther from the flesh and less held fast by cares, our intellect’s envisionings become almost divine — in dream I seemed to see an eagle poised, with golden pinions, in the sky : its wings |
| 20 | Delabi expansis, et ibi mihi adesse videbar, Agmen ubi comitum Ganymēdem fama suorum Deseruisse refert, Divum quo tempore raptus Est ad concilium. Volvebam talia mecum : « Fortasse hīc rapiat de more, et forsitan unco |
were open ; it was ready to swoop down. And I seemed to be there where Ganymede deserted his own family when he was snatched up for the high consistory. Within myself I thought : “This eagle may be used to hunting only here ; its claws |
| 25 | Dedignata pede est aliunde abducere prædam » : Deinde videbatur paulo magis ire rotando, Terribilisque velut fulgur descendere, meque Corripere, atque ignem me attollere ad usque supernum, Atque ibi cum volucri simul ipse ardere videbar |
refuse to carry upward any prey found elsewhere.” Then it seemed to me that, wheeling slightly and terrible as lightning, it swooped, snatching me up to the fire’s orbit. And there it seemed that he and I were burning ; |
| 30 | Jam mihi et incendi. Usque adeo me coxit imago, Fugerit ut somnus, sua rumpere vincla coactus. Non aliter, somno expulso, vertebat Achilles Evigilans oculos circum, quas tangeret oras Nescius, hunc mater postquam asportaverat antro |
and this imagined conflagration scorched me so — I was compelled to break my sleep. Just like the waking of Achilles when he started up, casting his eyes about him, not knowing where he was (after his mother |
| 35 | Philyridæ, et somno demersum advexerat ulnis Ipsa suis Scyrum, unde exin dicuntur Achivi Abduxisse virum ; quam turbida lumina pandi Excussus subito fugiens, ubi membra reliquit Somnus, et expallens hæsi, ut qui territus alget. |
had stolen him, asleep, away from Chiron and in her arms had carried him to Skyros, the isle the Greeks would — later — make him leave); such was my starting up, as soon as sleep had left my eyes, and I went pale, as will a man who, terrified, turns cold as ice. |
| 40 | Quique mihi solamen erat, tantummodo solus Hærebat latere, et Sol jam processerat horas Plures quam binas, et ego mare prospectabam. « Parce metu », dixit qui dux dominusque præibat, « Spemque fove, in tuto nam res est nostra, jubeque |
The only one beside me was my comfort ; by now the sun was more than two hours high ; it was the sea to which I turned my eyes. My lord said : “Have no fear ; be confident, for we are well along our way ; do not |
| 45 | Non premere, at cunctas animum diffundere vires. Jam tibi perventum est sub limina Purgatori. En illic scopulus, quo clauditur undique clivus ; En illic aditus, rupes ubi scissa videtur. Ante, sub Auroram solitam præcedere Solem, |
restrain, but give free rein to, all your strength. You have already come to Purgatory ; see there the rampart wall enclosing it ; see, where that wall is breached, the point of entry. Before, at dawn that ushers in the day, |
| 50 | Quum tibi vis animæ interius sopita jaceret, Per flores fuso, quibus illic vallis abundat, Ornata advenit mulier, sic ore locuta : ‹ En ego LUCIA sum, vos istinc surripere istum Me sinite evinctum somno. Sic tramite sistam |
when soul was sleeping in your body, on the flowers that adorn the ground below, a lady came ; she said : ‘ I am Lucia ; let me take hold of him who is asleep, that I may help to speed him on his way. ’ |
| 55 | Hunc facili. › Mansit retro SORDELLUS et umbræ Binæ. Hæc apprendit te, et prima luce micante, Clarius ascendit, me illam post terga secuto. Hic te deposuit, mihi sed prius annuit ipsa Luminibus pulchris aditumque ostendit apertum ; |
Sordello and the other noble spirits stayed there ; and she took you, and once the day was bright, she climbed — I following behind. And here she set you down, but first her lovely eyes showed that open entryway to me ; |
| 60 | Dein pariter tua membra sopor, nosque illa reliquit. » Ac veluti dubius qui pendet, singula tactu Atque oculis sibi certa facit, vertitque timorem Dulce in solamen, simulac sibi vera patescunt : Sic ego mutabar. Sed ubi mea corda soluta |
then she and sleep together took their leave.” Just like a man in doubt who then grows sure, exchanging fear for confidence, once truth has been revealed to him, so was I changed ; and when my guide had seen that I was free |
| 65 | Curis cognovit doctor, petit ardua montis, Atque ego pone altum properabam vincere culmen. Lector, jam sentis, me audacibus altius alis Tendere iter : quare mirari desine, si quid Artis majoris, quæ sunt dicenda, requirunt |
from hesitation, then he moved, with me behind him, up the rocks and toward the heights. Reader, you can see clearly how I lift my matter ; do not wonder, therefore, if I have to call on more art to sustain it. |
| 70 | Materiæ fulcrum. Haud illuc accedere nobis Est visum, atque loco placuit considere in illo, Unde aliquid rupti sum primum cernere visus Rimæ instar, murum quæ partes findit in ambas. Tum portam, inferiusque gradus vidi ordine trinos, |
Now we were drawing closer ; we had reached the part from which — where first I’d seen a breach, precisely like a gap that cleaves a wall — I now made out a gate and, there below it, three steps — their colors different — leading to it, |
| 75 | Per quos huc itur, diverso saxa colore Suffusa, et custos etiamnum haud hiscere adortus Hic erat ; utque magisque magisque ego lumina visus Contendi, hunc vidi saxo insedisse superno, Conspectu talem, qualem sufferre nequivi ; |
and a custodian who had not yet spoken. As I looked more and more directly at him, I saw him seated on the upper step — his face so radiant, I could not bear it ; |
| 80 | Inque manu ensis erat nudus, qui fulgida Solis Tela remittebat nos contra, ut sæpe tuentem Luserit inspectus. Tunc ille : « Hinc dicite stantes, Quæ vobis est mens ? Ubi dux ? Ne multa dolenda Afferat hic vobis ascensus damna, cavete. » |
and in his hand he held a naked sword, which so reflected rays toward us that I, time and again, tried to sustain that sight in vain. “Speak out from there ; what are you seeking?” so he began to speak. “Where is your escort? Take care lest you be harmed by climbing here.” |
| 85 | « Cælestis mulier, non harum nescia rerum, » Contra respondit sapiens, « modo dixerat : ‹ Illuc Scandite, ubi porta est. › » « At fauste dirigat illa Sic vobis gressus », pacato janitor ore Addidit. « Ante gradus ergo procedite nostros. » |
My master answered him : “But just before, a lady came from Heaven and, familiar with these things, told us : ‘That’s the gate ; go there.’” “And may she speed you on your path of goodness!” the gracious guardian of the gate began again. “Come forward, therefore, to our stairs.” |
| 90 | Venimus huc, primusque gradus de marmore cano Tamque politus erat tersusque, ut, qualis imago Conspicienda mea est, mihi tota legenda pateret, Ceu contra speculum. Color inter utrumque secundo, Et rubrum, et fuscum fusco superante. Lapillus, |
There we approached, and the first step was white marble, so polished and so clear that I was mirrored there as I appear in life. The second step, made out of crumbling rock, rough-textured, scorched, with cracks that ran across |
| 95 | Unde gradus constat, scaber et semiustus, ubique Fissus ; at inferius positis qui tertius hæret Insistens gradibus, referebat ab igne nitentem Porphyridem, veluti venis spectare micantem Sanguineum est rivum. Super istum stabat utrisque |
its length and width, was darker than deep purple. The third, resting above more massively, appeared to me to be of porphyry, as flaming red as blood that spurts from veins. And on this upper step, God’s angel — seated |
| 100 | Cælestis custos pedibus, prope limina sidens, Quæ solido ex adamante mihi sunt fulgere visa. Per tres sponte gradus me ductor traxit, et inquit : « Tu fac, demisse hunc ores, ut clave recludat Portam. » Me sanctos advolvi, poplite flexo, |
upon the threshold, which appeared to me to be of adamant — kept his feet planted. My guide, with much good will, had me ascend by way of these three steps, enjoining me ; “Do ask him humbly to unbolt the gate.” I threw myself devoutly at his holy |
| 105 | Ante pedes pius ac dixi : Miserere, foresque Pandito ; terque prius planxi mihi pectora palmis. P mihi septenos descripsit cuspide ferri In fronte et : « Fac ista laves tibi vulnera, ubi intus Ipse aderis », dixit. Cinis exsiccatave terra, |
feet, asking him to open out of mercy ; but first I beat three times upon my breast. Upon my forehead, he traced seven P’s with his sword’s point and said : “When you have entered within, take care to wash away these wounds.” Ashes, or dry earth that has just been quarried, |
| 110 | Fossa modo, visa est vestis simulare colorem, Ex qua tum geminas cælestis protulit ales Claves. Ex auro fuit altera, et altera puro Argento fulgens. Alba prius usus, et exin Flava sic tetigit portam, ut satis esset aventi |
would share one color with his robe, and from beneath that robe he drew two keys ; the one was made of gold, the other was of silver ; first with the white, then with the yellow key, he plied the gate so as to satisfy me. |
| 115 | Intus ferre pedem. « Quoties ex clavibus istis Una redit fallax, quia non se verterit apte, Haud aditus patet. Est pretiosior una, sed una Artis et ingenii plus poscit, clausa priusquam Pandat, et hæc illa est, quæ nodum solvere possit. |
“Whenever one of these keys fails, not turning appropriately in the lock,” he said to us, “this gate of entry does not open. One is more precious, but the other needs much art and skill before it will unlock — that is the key that must undo the knot. |
| 120 | A PETRO has habui, qui inquit, se malle, potitum His, me errore animi potius reserare paratum, Quam clausas nimium parcentem tangere valvas, Ante meos dum fusa pedes gens pectora pulset. » Deinde fores portæ sacratas impulit, usus |
These I received from Peter ; and he taught me rather to err in opening than in keeping this portal shut — whenever souls pray humbly.” Then he pushed back the panels of the holy |
| 125 | His verbis : « Hac ite, sed hæc advertite mente, Hinc egressurum, quem ferret forte voluntas Respicere. » At vero ut distortæ in cardine utrimque Robustæ fuerunt valvæ solido ære sonantes, Queis sacra munitur domus : haud ita mugiit acre, |
gate, saying : “Enter ; but I warn you — he who would look back, returns — again — outside.” And when the panels of that sacred portal, which are of massive and resounding metal, turned in their hinges, then even Tarpeia |
| 130 | Nec tam Tarpeja infremuit, virtute Metelli Ablata penitus, quo decedente macendum Emunctæ fuit. — Ad primum se arrexerat auris Cantum, « te »que « Deum laudamus ! » voce videbar Dulcisonisque modis permiste audire canentes, |
(when good Metellus was removed from it, for which that rock was left impoverished) did not roar so nor show itself so stubborn. Hearing that gate resound, I turned, attentive ; I seemed to hear, inside, in words that mingled with gentle music, “Te Deum laudamus.” |
| 135 | Parque erat auditæ cantus et vocis imago, Quam sæpe in templo cantantibus organa reddunt, Quæ modo verba sinunt captare, modo illa retundunt. |
And what I heard gave me the very same impression one is used to getting when one hears a song accompanied by organ, and now the words are clear and now are lost. |
| PURGATORII X {10} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ut porta intrata est, quam animarum prava cupido Efficit insuetam, quia rectum tortile fingit, Post tergum sensi hanc immani murmure claudi ; Et qualem errori quissem prætexere causam, |
When I had crossed the threshold of the gate that — since the soul’s aberrant love would make the crooked way seem straight — is seldom used, I heard the gate resound and, hearing, knew that it had shut ; and if I’d turned toward it, |
| 5 | Si respexissem ? Per scissum ascendere saxum Cura fuit, quod se parte ex utraque movebat Haud aliter, quam quæ sese fugit unda petitque. « Hic accedenti nunc hinc, nunc inde recedens Ad latus, utendum est aliqua arte » : hæc ore magister. |
how could my fault have found a fit excuse? Our upward pathway ran between cracked rocks ; they seemed to sway in one, then the other part, just like a wave that flees, then doubles back. “Here we shall need some ingenuity,” my guide warned me, “as both of us draw near this side or that side where the rock wall veers.” |
| 10 | Atque hæc causa fuit, quæ passu repere jussit Sic raro, ut prius attigerit pars manca recurvæ Lunæ jam proprium mox ingressura cubile, Quam fas esset acus exire foramine nobis Ex illo. Utque sumus loca libera apertaque nacti, |
This made our steps so slow and hesitant that the declining moon had reached its bed to sink back into rest, before we had made our way through that needle’s eye ; but when we were released from it, in open space |
| 15 | Clivus ubi cedit retro, seseque coarctat, Lassus eram, dubiique ambo, quo tendere gressus, Quamque tenere viam esset opus. Nos campus habebat Plus multo solus, quam sint per inhospita calles. Istius a sponda, quam circumscribit inane, |
above, a place at which the slope retreats, I was exhausted ; with the two of us uncertain of our way, we halted on a plateau lonelier than desert paths. The distance from its edge, which rims the void, |
| 20 | Usque ad radices altæ, qua est scandere, ripæ Corporis humani triplex mensura pateret : Et quoad a læva dextrave extendere quibat Nostra acies alas, talis mihi visa corona Est hæc. Nostra illic nondum promoverat unum |
in to the base of the steep slope, which climbs and climbs, would measure three times one man’s body ; and for as far as my sight took its flight, now to the left, now to the right-hand side, that terrace seemed to me equally wide. There we had yet to let our feet advance |
| 25 | Planta gradum, circumspiciens quum hanc undique rupem, Quæ minus ascensum concedere juris habebat, Cognovi hanc totam canenti ex marmore, formis Celatam sic, ut non jam Polycletus, at ipsa Natura hic pendens hæsisset victa pudore. |
when I discovered that the bordering bank — less sheer than banks of other terraces — was of white marble and adorned with carvings so accurate — not only Polycletus but even Nature, there, would feel defeated. |
| 30 | Angelus in terram missus, qui fœdera pacis Firmaret, multos quæ complorata per annos Post interdictum longum palefecit Olympum, Ante oculos aderat, tam verus imagine, tamque Suavi compositus gestu, ut mutum esse negares ; |
The angel who reached earth with the decree of that peace which, for many years, had been invoked with tears, the peace that opened Heaven after long interdict, appeared before us, his gracious action carved with such precision — he did not seem to be a silent image. |
| 35 | Jurares hunc dicere : « Ave ! » nam proxima stabat, Quæ reclusuram supremi pignus amoris Convertit clavem, effigies operosa magistro, Tamque habitu proprio, tamque ore simillima fanti : « Ecce ancilla Dei », quam signo impressa figura |
One would have sworn that he was saying, “Ave”; for in that scene there was the effigy of one who turned the key that had unlocked the highest love ; and in her stance there were impressed these words, “Ecce ancilla Dei,” precisely like a figure stamped in wax. |
| 40 | In cera. — « Haud oculos partem defigito in unam », Dulcis ait sapiens, qui me sibi pone sinistrum Stringentem latus aspexit. Tum lumina movi, Atque hic post MARIÆ signum qua ex parte manebat Hortator dexter, series rerum altera rupi |
“Your mind must not attend to just one part,” the gentle master said — he had me on the side of him where people have their heart. At this, I turned my face and saw beyond the form of Mary — on the side where stood the one who guided me — another story |
| 45 | Imposita occurrit, quare simul ipse poëtam Transgressus propius veni, ut magis apta tuenti Esset. Et hic stabat saxo celatus in ipso, Cum bobus sanctam qui currus vexerat arcam, Per quam haud commissum refugit vir tangere munus. |
engraved upon the rock ; therefore I moved past Virgil and drew close to it, so that the scene before my eyes was more distinct. There, carved in that same marble, were the cart and oxen as they drew the sacred ark, which makes men now fear tasks not in their charge. |
| 50 | Turba videbatur præcedere tota gradique In septem partita choros, dubiosque tenebat Sensus mi binos, quorum unus fundere ab ore Hanc melos ajebat, nullam alter mittere vocem. Fumus item turis ficta sub imagine nares |
People were shown in front ; and all that group, divided into seven choirs, made two of my senses speak — one sense said, “No,” the other said, “Yes, they do sing"; just so, about the incense smoke shown there, my nose |
| 55 | Atque oculos, sensum discordes inter utrumque, Fecerat ambiguos. Sacrum vas ipse præibat Vultum dejectus DAVID, pulsans pede terram Sublato in numerum, et minus et plus tempore in illo Quam rex hic fuerat. Contra est descripta palati |
and eyes contended, too, with yes and no. And there the humble psalmist went before the sacred vessel, dancing, lifting up his robe — he was both less and more than king. Facing that scene, and shown as at the window |
| 60 | E specula ingentis MICHOL mirata, superbæ Matronæ quod sæpe solent, cor triste gerentes. Inde, ubi constiteram, excessi, quum cernere averem Historiam hic aliam propius, quam albere videbam Sepositam a tergo MICHOL. Hic gloria summa |
of a great palace, Michal watched as would a woman full of scorn and suffering. To look more closely at another carving, which I saw gleaming white beyond Michal, my feet moved past the point where I had stood. |
| 65 | Stat descripta ducis Romani, maxima cujus Virtus te allexit magna cum laude, GREGORI, Tartari ut ex victa peteres sibi lege triumphum. Induperatorem TRAJANUM hoc nomine dico, Cui quædam occurrens mulier viduata marito |
And there the noble action of a Roman prince was presented — he whose worth had urged on Gregory to his great victory — I mean the Emperor Trajan ; and a poor widow was near his bridle, and she stood |
| 70 | Frena manu retinebat equi, osque habitumque gerebat Effusæ in lacrimas, externatæque dolore Hunc acies equitum stant circum, auroque nitentes Vidisses aquilas et venti flamine motas. Has inter permixta acies, sic ore misella |
even as one in tears and sadness would. Around him, horsemen seemed to press and crowd ; above their heads, on golden banners, eagles were represented, moving in the wind. Among that crowd, the miserable woman |
| 75 | Visa loqui est : « Princeps, mihi cæsum ulciscere natum, Quem doleo amissum. » Dux respondere : « Maneto, Dum reditum huc referam. » Verum illa, dolore premente Sollicitam, justas quam primum poscere pœnas : « Quid, si non referas ? » Atque is : « Qui sede sedebit |
seemed to be saying : “Lord, avenge me for the slaying of my son — my heart is broken.” And he was answering : “Wait now until I have returned.” And she, as one in whom grief presses urgently : “And, lord, if you do not return?” And he : “The one who’ll be |
| 80 | Nostra, ipse expediet. » « Quid te benefacta juvabunt Alterius, tua jam oblitum ? » hæc respondit. At ille : « Nunc animo esto bono. Mea munera obire, priusquam Hinc abeam, decet. Id me jus rogat, atque moratur Me pietas. » Nova qui nunquam vidisse putatur, |
in my place will perform it for you.” She : “What good can others’ goodness do for you if you neglect your own?” He : “Be consoled ; my duty shall be done before I go ; so justice asks, so mercy makes me stay.” This was the speech made visible by One |
| 85 | Expressit tales, oculo testante, loquelas ; Hasque novas nobis. Nam fantem talia nunquam Hic hominem inveni. Dum tot fert corde voluntas Pascere imaginibus visum, quæ plurima moris Humani documenta dabant, sentire monentis |
within whose sight no thing is new — but we, who lack its likeness here, find novelty. While I took much delight in witnessing these effigies of true humility — |
| 90 | De se quam minimum et non fastidire minores, Propter et artificem suberant jucunda tuenti. « Ecce hac », mussabat vates, « procedere multos Aspicio, raris sed passibus incedentes ; Hæc nos turba gradus altos intrare docebit. » |
dear, too, to see because He was their Maker — the poet murmured : “See the multitude advancing, though with slow steps, on this side ; they will direct us to the higher stairs.” |
| 95 | Quamvis hæreret cupidus nova cernere visus More suo, non iste mihi cessavit, ut illum Audivi, inque ipsum non lentus lumina verti. Non ego te patiar, lector, discedere, recto Proposito abstractum, certus tibi dicere, qualem, |
My eyes, which had been satisfied in seeking new sights — a thing for which they long — did not delay in turning toward him. But I would not have you, reader, be deflected from your good resolve by hearing from me now |
| 100 | Qui debent, Superi jubeant persolvere pœnam. Non tibi supplicii forma attendenda, revolve Successum et tecum reputa, haud res esse futuras Deteriore loco ulterius post tempora magni Judicii. — « O sapiens, » cœpi, « quod repere contra |
how God would have us pay the debt we owe. Don‘t dwell upon the form of punishment ; consider what comes after that ; at worst it cannot last beyond the final Judgment. “Master,” I said, “what I see moving toward us |
| 105 | Nostra acies videt, haud agmen reor esse virorum, Verum nescio quid sic decipit ista tuentem. » Is mihi : « Condicio gravis et ratio aspera pœnæ Hos infigit humi contractos omnia membra, Ut prius haud oculi hanc quissent mihi sistere litem. |
does not appear to me like people, but I can’t tell what is there — my sight’s bewildered.” And he to me : “Whatever makes them suffer their heavy torment bends them to the ground ; at first I was unsure of what they were. |
| 110 | Ast aciem contende illuc oculisque revolve Extricaque illum, qui saxis ægra sub illis Membra trahit ; disces, ut quisque urgetur ab ipso. » Christiadæ miseri, lassum genus atque superbum, Quos male confisos infirmæ robore menti |
But look intently there, and let your eyes unravel what’s beneath those stones : you can already see what penalty strikes each.” O Christians, arrogant, exhausted, wretched, whose intellects are sick and cannot see, |
| 115 | Ire per inversos suadet fiducia calles ; Non venit in mentem, nos vermes degere natos Angelici nobis formam edere papilionis, Qui volat ad justum, nullo tutante, tribunal ? Quæ vobis animos dat res attollere in altum, |
who place your confidence in backward steps, do you not know that we are worms and born to form the angelic butterfly that soars, without defenses, to confront His judgment? Why does your mind presume to flight when you |
| 120 | O miseri, quoniam vos deficientia manca Insecta, ut vermis, natura errante, creatus Pæne estis ? — Veluti, quum opus est supponere tecto Fulcrum, pro mutilo interdum est spectare figuram Incurvam, adductoque ad pectus poplite utroque, |
are still like the imperfect grub, the worm before it has attained its final form? Just as one sees at times — as corbel for support of ceiling or of roof — a figure with knees drawn up into its chest (and this |
| 125 | Quæ facit ex vero, spectantem haud vera, dolentem : Sic hos compositos, postquam bene lumina visus Intendi, mihi cernere erat. Sed non tamen omnes Contractos æque. At prout unusquisque gravatus Plusve minusve ibat. Quem plus patienter euntem |
oppressiveness, unreal, gives rise to real distress in him who watches it): such was the state of those I saw when I looked hard. They were indeed bent down — some less, some more — according to the weights their backs now bore ; |
| 130 | Arguerant gestus, hunc flentem mittere tales Voces : « Haud valeo ulterius durare », videbam. |
and even he whose aspect showed most patience, in tears, appeared to say : “I can no more.” |
| PURGATORII XI {11} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Summe Pater noster, cælorum qui incolis arcem, Non circumscriptus, sed quod, quæ prima creasti Illic, devinxere magis tibi pectus amore, Edita cuncta tuam virtutem et nomen adorent, |
“Our Father, You who dwell within the heavens — but are not circumscribed by them — out of Your greater love for Your first works above, praised be Your name and Your omnipotence, |
| 5 | Effusa in laudes, ut dignum est solvere grates Atque referre tuo spiranti dulce vapori : Adveniant tua regna. Tuo nutu omnia fiant, Æthere et in summo et terrarum in qualibet ora. Ipse dies omnes nostram, qua vivimus, escam |
by every creature, just as it is seemly to offer thanks to Your sweet effluence. Your kingdom’s peace come unto us, for if it does not come, then though we summon all our force, we cannot reach it of our selves. Just as Your angels, as they sing Hosanna, offer their wills to You as sacrifice, so may men offer up their wills to You. Give unto us this day the daily manna |
| 10 | Da nobis hodie. Quicquid debemus, id omne Nobis dimitte, ut nostris dimittimus ultro. Et grave ne adducas nos in certamen, et idem Da nobis prohibere malum victoribus. Amen. Hac prece postrema haud nobis, neque enim indiget usus, |
without which he who labors most to move ahead through this harsh wilderness falls back. Even as we forgive all who have done us injury, may You, benevolent, forgive, and do not judge us by our worth. Try not our strength, so easily subdued, against the ancient foe, but set it free from him who goads it to perversity. This last request we now address to You, dear Lord, not for ourselves — who have no need — |
| 15 | Imploramus opem, ast illis, carissime, quorum est Vita superstes adhuc post nos. » Sic illa caterva Umbrarum sibi iter felix nobisque rogantes, Pondere non aliter pressæ, ac quandoque gravatur In somnis æger, reptantes membra trahebant |
but for the ones whom we have left behind.” Beseeching, thus, good penitence for us and for themselves, those shades moved on beneath their weights, like those we sometimes bear in dreams — each in his own degree of suffering |
| 20 | Omnes in gyrum, cruciatæ dispare pœna, Et lassæ, primæ scandentes saxa coronæ, Sese abstergentes mundi caligine tactas. Si nobis illinc nunquam benedicere cessant, Quæ possunt ipsis et dicta et reddere facta |
but all, exhausted, circling the first terrace, purging themselves of this world’s scoriae. If there they pray on our behalf, what can be said and done here on this earth for them |
| 25 | Isti, queis radice bona est donata voluntas ? Hic decet et justum atque pium est, succurrere justis, Eluere advectas sordes, ut pura levisque Quæque anima æthereos evadere possit ad orbes. « Justitia ac pietas sic dent levioribus ire |
by those whose wills are rooted in true worth? Indeed we should help them to wash away the stains they carried from this world, so that, made pure and light, they reach the starry wheels. “Ah, so may justice and compassion soon |
| 30 | Quam primum vobis, alamque agitare solutis, Quæ vos attollat, quo fert immensa cupido ; Qua datur ad scalas breviore accedere cursu, Dicite ; sin plures aditus fortasse parantur, Qui minus acclivis descendat ad ima, docete ; |
unburden you, so that your wings may move as you desire them to, and uplift you, show us on which hand lies the shortest path to reach the stairs ; if there is more than one passage, then show us that which is less steep ; |
| 35 | Nam comes ob pondus carnis, qua indutus ab Adam Huc venit, invitus passu est ascendere parcus. » Pectore quo exierint, non sat dignoscere quivi, Quæ fanti responsa duci sunt reddita ab illis ; At dictum est : « Dextri nobiscum hanc ite per oram, |
for he who comes with me, because he wears the weight of Adam’s flesh as dress, despite his ready will, is slow in his ascent.” These words, which had been spoken by my guide, were answered by still other words we heard ; for though it was not clear who had replied, an answer came : “Come with us to the right |
| 40 | Invenietis iter, quod vivus carpere possit. Et superimpositi ni obstarent pondera saxi, Quo premitur cervix, fastu olim elata superbo, Quem propter prona mihi oportet verrere fronte Terram : hunc suspicerem vivum, qui nomina celat, |
along the wall of rock, and you will find a pass where even one alive can climb. And were I not impeded by the stone that, since it has subdued my haughty neck, compels my eyes to look below, then I should look at this man who is still alive |
| 45 | An mihi nosse ipsum liceat, precibusque movere, Ut mole oppressi tanta miserescere discat. Mi genus ex Latio est, magnique ex semine Etrusci Ipse GUILELMO exivi genitore creatus ALDOBRANDISCO; an vestras hoc nomen ad aures |
and nameless, to see if I recognize him — and to move his pity for my burden. I was Italian, son of a great Tuscan ; my father was Guiglielmo Aldobrandesco ; I do not know if you have heard his name. |
| 50 | Venerit, haud scirem. Priscus me sanguis, et alta Majorum decora usque adeo fecere tumentem, Immemor ut matris communis quemque solerem Fastidire, atque hic adeo increbrescere morbus Cœpit, ut occiderem, quod sat novere Senenses |
The ancient blood and splendid deeds of my forefathers made me so presumptuous that, without thinking on our common mother, I scorned all men past measure, and that scorn brought me my death — the Sienese know how, |
| 55 | Et de plebe omnes, qui Compagnatica rura Concelebrant. Nam OMBERTUS ego, et mens turgida fastu Non modo me, at cunctos consortes in mala mecum Traxit, et hic umeris hæc cogor pondera ferre Ob fastum, donec supremo debita regi, |
as does each child in Campagnatico. I am Omberto ; and my arrogance has not harmed me alone, for it has drawn all of my kin into calamity. Until God has been satisfied, I bear this burden here among the dead because |
| 60 | Quando id neglexi, in terris dum vita manebat, Solvam defunctos inter. » Sic ore loquentem Ibam auditurus, demissa ad pectora fronte, Cernuus atque ex his unus, non iste locutus, Pondere sub proprio graviter sua terga premente, |
I did not bear this load among the living.” My face was lowered as I listened ; and one of those souls — not he who’d spoken — twisted himself beneath the weight that burdened them ; |
| 65 | Se distorsit meque inspectum agnovit, at ægre Lumina fixa tenens me nomine compellavit, Corpore qui toto incurvus comitabar euntes. Dixi : « Tune es, ODERISI, tu gloria prima Gugubii, artis honor, cui ductum a lumine nomen |
he saw and knew me and called out to me, fixing his eyes on me laboriously as I, completely hunched, walked on with them. “Oh,” I cried out, “are you not Oderisi, glory of Gubbio, glory of that art they call illumination now in Paris?” |
| 70 | Gallia donavit ? » — « Frater, » contra incipit ille, « Plus rident chartæ, quas pinxit dextera FRANCI FELSINEI. Nunc totus honor servabitur ipsi, Quamvis et pars ipse fui. Haud tamen ipse fuissem Tam largus vivos inter. Me tanta cupido |
“Brother,” he said, “the pages painted by the brush of Franco Bolognese smile more brightly : all the glory now is his ; mine, but a part. In truth I would have been less gracious when I lived — so great was that |
| 75 | Ad summas artis stimulabat tendere laudes, Quas prospectabam. Verum ista superbia pœnas Hic dat, et immo forem procul hinc, ni tempore in illo, Quo poteram esse nocens, conversus pectore toto Cælum exorassem. Oh humanæ gloria vana |
desire for eminence which drove my heart. For such pride, here one pays the penalty ; and I’d not be here yet, had it not been that, while I still could sin, I turned to Him. O empty glory of the powers of humans! |
| 80 | Virtutis, quam flos est tantulus ille caducus, Ni premat ætates venturas crassior aër ! Nulli se CIMABOS cessurum castra putavit Picturæ, sed nunc it cuncta per ora GHIOTTUS, Illius ut famam obscuret : sic alter honorem |
How briefly green endures upon the peak — unless an age of dullness follows it. In painting Cimabue thought he held the field, and now it’s Giotto they acclaim — the former only keeps a shadowed fame. |
| 85 | Linguæ narratur GUIDUS rapuisse priori, Forsque supervenit, qui nido expellat utrumque. Nil aliud mundi rumor, quam flatus euntis Nunc huc, nunc illuc venti est, qui nomina mutat, Quod solet immutare latus. Quæ fama manebit |
So did one Guido, from the other, wrest the glory of our tongue — and he perhaps is born who will chase both out of the nest. Worldly renown is nothing other than a breath of wind that blows now here, now there, and changes name when it has changed its course. |
| 90 | Te major, si unquam scindas ætate vetustam Carnem, quam si olim prius immaturus obisses, Quam tu desineres balba pappare loquela, Ante anni quam mille fluant ? — Quæ temporis ætas Ad spatium æternum est brevior, quam nutus ad illam |
Before a thousand years have passed — a span that, for eternity, is less space than an eyeblink for the slowest sphere in heaven — would you find greater glory if you left your flesh when it was old than if your death had come before your infant words were spent? |
| 95 | Est sphæram, quæ tarda magis per inane rotat se. Tantillum qui carpit iter præ me, oppida Etrusca Ruraque cuncta sono implevit : modo tenue Senenses Vix mittunt murmur, quorum fuit arbiter ille Tempore, quo domita et magna convulsa ruina |
All Tuscany acclaimed his name — the man who moves so slowly on the path before me, and now they scarcely whisper of him even in Siena, where he lorded it when they |
| 100 | Florentina fuit rabies, quæ fronte superba, Ut modo perfricta est, incesserat. Est color herbæ Nomen apud vestros pulchrum, qui prodit abitque, Quique illam dudum tellure emisit acerbam, Ipse colorem adimit.” — Respondi : “Hæc vera locutus, |
destroyed the raging mob of Florence — then as arrogant as now it’s prostitute. Your glory wears the color of the grass that comes and goes ; the sun that makes it wither first drew it from the ground, still green and tender.” And I to him : “Your truthful speech has filled |
| 105 | Virtutem instillas, quæ me sentire modeste Ingentemque docet me complanare tumorem. At quinam hic, quæso, est, tua quem modo verba notabant ? » « Provenzanus is est SILVANI », talia reddit, « Atque hīc iste manet, quia sic sibi fidit, ut actus |
my soul with sound humility, abating my overswollen pride ; but who is he of whom you spoke now?” “Provenzan Salvani,” he answered, “here because — presumptuously — |
| 110 | Ambitione Senam totam subjecerit, unus Arbiter imperii. Sic irrequietus et ivit, Atque it post mortem. Pretium istic tale rependit, Qui nimis est illic ausus. » Cui talia contra : « Si, qui extrema manet vitæ momenta, priusquam |
he thought his grip could master all Siena. So he has gone, and so he goes, with no rest since his death ; this is the penalty exacted from those who — there — overreached.” And I: “But if a spirit who awaits the edge of life before repenting must — |
| 115 | Sese pæniteat, statione moratur in ima, Nec sese huc scandens infert, nisi quis prece pura, Ante fluant quam tot, quot pugnax vixerat annos, Afferat auxilium : quonam indulgente recepit Huc se ? » — Respondit : « Quo vitam tempore agebat |
unless good prayers help him — stay below and not ascend here for as long a time as he had spent alive, do tell me how Salvani’s entry here has been allowed.” “When he was living in his greatest glory” |
| 120 | Splendore illustri ac summo spectandus honore, Nil se respiciens hic castra Senensia inivit. Fusus in obsequium supplex positoque pudore Constitit, ut pœnæ dilecti corpus amici Eriperet, vinctum quem tristis carcer habebat |
said he, “then of his own free will he set aside all shame and took his place upon the Campo of Siena ; there, to free his friend from suffering in Charles’s prison, |
| 125 | CAROLI ; is haud cunctis venis horrere refugit. Ulteriora tibi haud addam ; me involvere vera Obscuris scio, sed parum abest ea temporis hora, Quum, qui te attingunt propius de gente propinqua, Efficient, ut et ipse queas his demere velum |
humbling himself, he trembled in each vein. I say no more ; I know I speak obscurely ; but soon enough you’ll find your neighbor’s acts are such that what I say can be explained. |
| 130 | Tale virum facinus subtraxit finibus illis. » | This deed delivered him from those confines.” |
| PURGATORII XII {12} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Non secus atque jugo nexi bos unus et alter, Hanc pariter vadens umbram comitabar onustam, Dulcis dum ductor tulit. Ast ubi farier infit : « Mitte hunc et trana ; namque est res optima remis |
As oxen, yoked, proceed abreast, so I moved with that burdened soul as long as my kind pedagogue allowed me to ; but when he said : “Leave him behind, and go ahead for here it’s fitting that with wings and oars |
| 5 | Et velis istinc vi summa impellere cumbam », Mole mea stantem, ceu qui studet ire, paravi Me rursus, quanquam demissa et manca maneret Mens mihi. Ego institeram vestigia corde libenti Pone ducem, et pes, quid levitate valeret, utrisque |
each urge his boat along with all his force,” I drew my body up again, erect — the stance most suitable to man — and yet the thoughts I thought were still submissive, bent. Now I was on my way, and willingly I followed in my teacher’s steps, and we together showed what speed we could command. |
| 10 | Ostendit. Quum sic dux fari : « Verte deorsum Lumina, erit, dum carpis iter, tibi dulce levamen Strata videre soli, quæ dant incedere plantis. » Terreni ut tumuli præportant fronte sepulti Effigiem, ut discant hujus meminisse nepotes |
He said to me : “Look downward, for the way will offer you some solace if you pay attention to the pavement at your feet.” As, on the lids of pavement tombs, there are stone effigies of what the buried were before, so that the dead may be remembered ; |
| 15 | (Quare sæpe illic fletur, pungente dolore Corda recordantum ; namque hæc tantummodo tangit Cura pios), æque, sed multo plenius artis Ad normam expressa et variis distincta figuris Vidi strata viæ, quæ montem exstantia cingunt. |
and there, when memory — inciting only the pious — has renewed their mourning, men are often led to shed their tears again ; so did I see, but carved more skillfully, with greater sense of likeness, effigies on all the path protruding from the mountain. |
| 20 | Conspiciebam illum, quem nobilitate creator Fecerat eximium, cæli una ex parte ruentem, Fulgure correptum rutilo ; vidi BRIAREA Ex alia, exanimum cælestis vulnere teli, Prægrave onus terræ ob frigus mortale jacentem ; |
I saw, to one side of the path, one who had been created nobler than all other beings, falling lightning-like from Heaven. I saw, upon the other side, Briareus transfixed by the celestial shaft : he lay, ponderous, on the ground, in fatal cold. |
| 25 | Vidi THYMBRÆUM MARTEMque et PALLADA in armis Fervere adhuc juxta patrem, et dispersa GIGANTUM Membra inspectantes. NEMBROTUM pæne timore Torpentem prope opus magnum, gentesque videbam Respicere una omnes ; quæ tanto Sennaar una |
I saw Thymbraeus, I saw Mars and Pallas, still armed, as they surrounded Jove, their father, gazing upon the Giants’ scattered limbs. I saw bewildered Nimrod at the foot of his great labor ; watching him were those of Shinar who had shared his arrogance. |
| 30 | Miscuerant fastu. Quam oculos dejecta dolentes, Inter his septem prostratos funere natos, In media spectanda via sub imagine ficta, O NIOBE, stabas ! O quam similem ense necati Sub proprio vidi te, SAUL, super edita montis |
O Niobe, what tears afflicted me when, on that path, I saw your effigy among your slaughtered children, seven and seven! O Saul, you were portrayed there as one who had died on his own sword, upon Gilboa, |
| 35 | GELBOÆ, quem exin cælum nec rore nec imbre Juvit ! Ut insano te fastu, perdita ARACHNE, Dimidiam in vermem jam defluxisse, tuique Tristem fragmentis operis, tibi quod male cessit, Incubuisse ! Neque hic tua jam vexilla videntur |
which never after knew the rain, the dew! O mad Arachne, I saw you already half spider, wretched on the ragged remnants of work that you had wrought to your own hurt! |
| 40 | Explicuisse minas, ROBOAM, sed plena timoris, Ante ea quam pellant hostes, vehit incita habenis Immissis levitas currus. Et erat quoque duris Inspicere in stratis ALCMÆONA, qui pretiosum Persuasit matri infelix venisse monile. |
O Rehoboam, you whose effigy seems not to menace there, and yet you flee by chariot, terrified, though none pursues! It also showed — that pavement of hard stone — how much Alcmaeon made his mother pay ; the cost of the ill-omened ornament. |
| 45 | Nec non ut nati templum irrupere ruentes SENNACHERIBUM contra, lacerumque cadaver Deseruere illic, doctus monstraverat auctor ; Et quantum intulerit CYRO regina THAMYRIS Cladis sanguineæ, « Satia te sanguine », dicens, |
It showed the children of Sennacherib as they assailed their father in the temple, then left him, dead, behind them as they fled. It showed the slaughter and the devastation wrought by Thamyris when she taunted Cyrus ; “You thirsted after blood ; with blood I fill you.” |
| 50 | « Cujus eras sitiens ! » — Hic, HOLOPHERNE perempto, Terga fugæ Assyrios dantes, pariterque ruinæ Tristes reliquias spectabam et corporum acervos. Conversum in cineres tunc Ilion inque cavernas Cernebam, utque humilem ac vilem te, Troja, ferebas, |
It showed the rout of the Assyrians, sent reeling after Holofernes’ death, and also showed his body — what was left. I saw Troy turned to caverns and to ashes ; O Ilium, your effigy in stone — |
| 55 | Signum ostendebat, quod parte exstabat in illa. Quemnam peniculi atque stili rear esse magistrum, Umbras qui valeat tractusque effingere, quales Stant ibi, miranda ingenio portenta vel acri ? Exstincta exstinctis et viva simillima vivis |
it showed you there so squalid, so cast down! What master of the brush or of the stylus had there portrayed such masses, such outlines as would astonish all discerning minds? The dead seemed dead and the alive, alive : |
| 60 | Corpora dixisses. Nemo verissima vidit, Quam quæ ego calcavi pedibus, dum cernuus ibam. Eja ite, o Eva geniti, nunc ite superbi Visu sublato, ne vobis cernere detur Quam pravum teneatis iter. — Jam maxima nobis |
I saw, head bent, treading those effigies, as well as those who’d seen those scenes directly. Now, sons of Eve, persist in arrogance, in haughty stance, do not let your eyes bend, lest you be forced to see your evil path! |
| 65 | Pars circum peragrata jugi, multoque diurni Plus erat impensum cursus, quam mente putaram Non vacua ; quum, qui semper vigilante præibat Sollicitus cura, cœpit : « Caput arrige ; non est Tempus præterea suspenso incedere passu, |
We now had circled round more of the mountain and much more of the sun’s course had been crossed than I, my mind absorbed, had gauged, when he who always looked ahead insistently, as he advanced, began : “Lift up your eyes ; it’s time to set these images aside. |
| 70 | Ut modo. Cerne illic superis de sedibus unum Aligerum huc adventantem cito adesse paratum ; Aspice, sexta redit famulata ancilla diei. Fac tibi compositum exornet reverentia vultum Et gestum, ut juvet hunc nos montem mittere in altum : |
See there an angel hurrying to meet us, and also see the sixth of the handmaidens returning from her service to the day. Adorn your face and acts with reverence, that he be pleased to send us higher. Remember — |
| 75 | Volve animo hanc non posse diem lucescere rursus. » Sæpe assuetus eram monitis, queis ducere tempus Me doctor vetuit ; quare mihi rebus in istis Non potuit docuisse nova aut perplexa profari. Egregius forma, niveo spectandus amictu, |
today will never know another dawn.” I was so used to his insistent warnings against the loss of time ; concerning that, his words to me could hardly be obscure. That handsome creature came toward us ; his clothes |
| 80 | Ultro occurrebat venientibus obvius ales ; Matutini instar tremulo fulgore micantis Sideris, huic facies radiabat. Bracchia pandit Primum et mox alas simul : « Huc accedite, » dixit, « Hic prope sunt aditus facilisque evadere in altum |
were white, and in his aspect he seemed like the trembling star that rises in the morning. He opened wide his arms, then spread his wings ; he said : “Approach : the steps are close at hand ; from this point on one can climb easily. |
| 85 | Dat gradus. Hæc suadent gressum huc hortamina ferre Raros. Progenies hominum, super astra volare Enata, ah, quianam te tantula dejicit aura ? » Is nos deduxit, quo rupes cæsa patebat : Hic mihi percussit frontem vibrantibus alis, |
This invitation’s answered by so few ; o humankind, born for the upward flight, why are you driven back by wind so slight?” He led us to a cleft within the rock, and then he struck my forehead with his wing ; |
| 90 | Dein tutum promisit iter mihi. Qualis, ubi altum A dextra montem conscendis, quo insĭdet ædes, Quæ bene moratam, Rubiconem desuper, urbem Subjicit, ascensus rapidi interrumpitur audax Conatus, gradibus positis quo tempore norma |
that done, he promised me safe journeying. As on the right, when one ascends the hill where — over Rubaconte’s bridge — there stands the church that dominates the well-ruled city, the daring slope of the ascent is broken by steps that were constructed in an age |
| 95 | Mensuræ, et codex erat in tuto ; haud secus ista Ripa remittebat, male quæ aspra huc decidit orbe Ex alio ; at saxi hinc illinc latera ardua radit. Dum nos huc versi properamus scandere in illum, Hoc multæ voces carmen cecinere : « Beati |
when record books and measures could be trusted, so was the slope that plummets there so steeply down from the other ring made easier ; but on this side and that, high rock encroaches. While we began to move in that direction, |
| 100 | Ter, quibus humanæ stat pauper spiritus auræ », Dulcisonis adeo numeris, ut dicere non sit. Oh quam Tartareis differre a faucibus istas Vidimus ! Huc etenim per cantus itur, at illuc Per nunquam auditos questus fremitusque feroces. |
“Beati pauperes spiritu” was sung so sweetly — it can not be told in words. How different were these entryways from those of Hell! For here it is with song one enters ; down there, it is with savage lamentations. |
| 105 | Jam sanctos superare gradus nos ardor agebat, Et mihi plus multo levior prodire videbar, Quam prius in plano. Quare : « Dic, quæso, magister, » Tali voce rogo ; « quonam graviore levatum Pondere me censes ? Nam pars quasi nulla laboris |
Now we ascended by the sacred stairs, but I seemed to be much more light than I had been, before, along the level terrace. At this I asked : “Master, tell me, what heavy weight has been lifted from me, so that I, |
| 110 | Jam mihi sentitur, pedibus conscendere aventi. » — « Quum tibi ‹ P › reliqui, positi qui in fronte leguntur, Nunc etiam pæne exstincti, velut unus ademptus, Abrasi penitus fuerint, tunc utraque planta, Sponte levată suā, usque adeo superabitur, » inquit, |
in going, notice almost no fatigue?” He answered : “When the P’s that still remain upon your brow — now almost all are faint — have been completely, like this P, erased, your feet will be so mastered by good will |
| 115 | « Ut sit nitenti, ne dum grave, dulce, futurum Impelli sursum. » Veluti qui portat in ore Signa suo imprudens, nisi si quod suspicet ipsi, Afferat alterius nutus, namque utitur apto Tunc manus auxilio, quæritque atque invenit, isto |
that they not only will not feel travail but will delight when they are urged uphill.” Then I behaved like those who make their way with something on their head of which they're not aware, till others’ signs make them suspicious, at which, the hand helps them to ascertain ; it seeks and finds and touches and provides |
| 120 | Officio fungens, quod visu absolvere non est ; Sic digitos dextræ intendi frontem undique circum, Invenique notas senas, quas tempora supra Clavibus armatus mihi primum inciderat ales ; Quod quum vidisset, surrisit dulce magister. |
the services that sight cannot supply ; so, with my right hand’s outspread fingers, I found just six of the letters once inscribed by him who holds the keys, upon my forehead ; and as he watched me do this, my guide smiled. |
| PURGATORII XIII {13} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ventum erat ad summum scalarum, ubi scabra secundo Dat resecata viam rupes, depellere præsens Scandendo morbos. Ibi circumducta corona Altera non aliter clivum, ac prior illa revincit, |
We now had reached the summit of the stairs where once again the mountain whose ascent delivers man from sin has been indented. There, just as in the case of the first terrace, a second terrace runs around the slope, |
| 5 | Si non falcatus citius se inflecteret arcus. Haud ullam hic umbram, haud ullum hic est cernere signum, Sed ripa est, et iter simplex, scopulique colorem Liventem referens. At vates talia mecum : « Si nos mansuri gentem, quam voce rogemus, |
except that it describes a sharper arc. No effigy is there and no outline ; the bank is visible, the naked path — only the livid color of raw rock. “If we wait here in order to inquire of those who pass,” the poet said, “I fear |
| 10 | Hic stamus, vereor ne nostrum forte moremur Plus satis electum. » In solem dein lumina figens, Dextro usus latere, ut centro, circumegit in orbem Se lævamque sui partem conamine torsit. « Jucundum lumen, quo fidens istud inivi |
our choice of path may be delayed too long.” And then he fixed his eyes upon the sun ; letting his right side serve to guide his movement, he wheeled his left around and changed direction. “O gentle light, through trust in which I enter |
| 15 | Insuetum mihi iter, sic nos duc, » inquit, « ut æquum est Te nos huc intus deducere. Tu face mundum Calfacis ignifera tuque ipsum lampade lustras ; Si non obsistat contraria causa, necesse est Pro duce habere tuum splendorem tempus in omne. » |
on this new path, may you conduct us here,” he said, “for men need guidance in this place. You warm the world and you illumine it ; unless a higher Power urge us elsewhere, your rays must always be the guides that lead.” |
| 20 | Quantum istic spatii passus per mille putatur, Tantum nos illic, studio inflammante, viai Confecisse brevi credo, quum sensimus umbras, Cernere quas acie haud fuerat, prodire loquaces Nos contra, hortantes ad mensam accedere amoris |
We had already journeyed there as far as we should reckon here to be a mile, and done it in brief time — our will was eager — when we heard spirits as they flew toward us, though they could not be seen — spirits pronouncing courteous invitations to love’s table. |
| 25 | Comiter, et quæ transivit vox prima volando, Alto est fata sono : « Non est his copia vini », Carmen, et hoc iterum post nos iterumque locuta est. Et prius ob longum abscessum quam tota periret, Altera præteriens ; « Ego sum », clamabat, « ORESTES. » |
The first voice that flew by called out aloud ; “Vinum non habent,” and behind us that same voice reiterated its example. And as that voice drew farther off, before it faded finally, another cried ; “I am Orestes.” It, too, did not stop. |
| 30 | Nec tamen hæc mansit. Quare : « O pater optime, » dixi, « Quæ sunt hæ voces ? » Vix talia verba locuto, Ecce ! supervenit vox tertia et inquit : « Amate, Quos scitis nocuos vobis. » — « Hĭc verberat orbis », Dux ait, « invidiam. Hinc ferulæ, qua cæditur umbra, |
“What voices are these, father?” were my words ; and as I asked him this, I heard a third voice say : “Love those by whom you have been hurt.” And my good master said : “The sin of envy is scourged within this circle ; thus, the cords |
| 35 | Traxit amor cordas. Sonet ut contraria frenum, Est opus. Id te auditurum reor esse, priusquam Sit tibi inire locum veniæ. Sed in aëra visum Intende, et cernes turbam nos ante sedentem ; Namque solum propter speluncæ quisque resedit. » |
that form the scourging lash are plied by love. The sounds of punished envy, envy curbed, are different ; if I judge right, you’ll hear those sounds before we reach the pass of pardon. But let your eyes be fixed attentively and, through the air, you will see people seated before us, all of them on the stone terrace.” |
| 40 | Tunc magis atque magis patefeci lumina visus. Et præ me inspiciens, indutas vestibus umbras Vidi, queis inerat saxi color, atque ubi paulo Accessi propius, simul una voce : « Maria ! Ora pro nobis », audivi, et nomine Michel, |
I opened — wider than before — my eyes ; I looked ahead of me, and I saw shades with cloaks that shared their color with the rocks. And once we'd moved a little farther on, I heard the cry of, “Mary, pray for us,” |
| 45 | Et Petrum atque alios divos divasque vocari ; Demum compellari omnes. Haud tempore nostro Hanc terram peragrare reor tam pectore duro Quemquam, quem pietas haud vulnere figeret acri, Si, quæ dein vidi, aspiceret. Nam ubi sic prope ventum est, |
and then heard, “Michael,” “Peter,” and “All saints.” I think no man now walks upon the earth who is so hard that he would not have been pierced by compassion for what I saw next ; for when I had drawn close enough to see |
| 50 | Ut certos horum possem dignoscere vultus, Mi gravis emunxit oculos dolor. Hos ego vili Indutos cilicum texto sum cernere visus, Alterum et alterius umeris insistere fultum, Illaque fulcimen nixis dabat omnibus ora. |
clearly the way they paid their penalty, the force of grief pressed tears out of my eyes. another’s shoulder served each shade as prop, and all of them were bolstered by the rocks ; |
| 55 | Sic, quos res fallit, prope templa frequentia cæci Stant oraturi, quod quemque hortatur egestas. Alter ubi alterius supra caput inclinato Stat capite, ut citius pietas præcordia tangat, Non modo verborum ob sonitum, at miserabile propter |
so do the blind who have to beg appear on pardon days to plead for what they need, each bending his head back and toward the other, that all who watch feel — quickly — pity’s touch not only through the words that would entreat |
| 60 | Spectaclum, quod non secus adjuvat, atque rogantum Aspiret votis. Atque ut Sol lumine captos Non adit, haud aliter cæli lux abnegat umbris In regione illa, mea tunc ubi sensa loquebar, Sese largiri. Nam ferrea fila ligabant |
but through the sight, which can — no less — beseech. And just as, to the blind, no sun appears, so to the shades — of whom I now speak — here, the light of heaven would not give itself ; for iron wire pierces and sews up |
| 65 | Palpebras illis sutas, quo more feroci Accipitri nunquam docili servare quietem. At mihi tunc illis injurius esse videbar, Quos ego spectabam, si non inspectus abirem. Quare ego respexi, quem scitum propter habebam |
the lids of all those shades, as untamed hawks are handled, lest, too restless, they fly off. It seemed to me a gross discourtesy for me, going, to see and not be seen ; therefore, I turned to my wise counselor. |
| 70 | Consilii auctorem ; neque eum quæ mutus averet Dicere, fugerunt ; quare exspectare rogantem Noluit, ast inquit : « Non multis utere verbis, Sed tamen argutis. » Vates ex parte coronæ Illa ibat, quæ tota patens circumdata nulla |
He knew quite well what I, though mute, had meant ; and thus he did not wait for my request, but said : “Speak, and be brief and to the point.” Virgil was to my right, along the outside, nearer the terrace-edge — no parapet |
| 75 | Sponda, pandit iter præceps. Pars altera sanctis Umbris strata dabat, quæ sic præ angore premebant Suturam horribilem, ut lymphis genæ utræque maderent. Stans super has cœpi : « O gens altum cernere certa Lumen, quod solum suspirat vestra cupido ; |
was there to keep a man from falling off ; and to my other side were the devout shades ; through their eyes, sewn so atrociously, those spirits forced the tears that bathed their cheeks. I turned to them ; and “You who can be certain,” I then began, “of seeing that high light which is the only object of your longing, |
| 80 | Sic, quas vos scitis, quam primum gratis spumas Dissipet, ut menti clarum illabatur ab astris Flumen ope ipsius, mihi dicite, namque erit istud Gratum et jucundum ; num qua hic ex gente Latina Inter vos anima est ? Atque illam forte juvabit |
may, in your conscience, all impurity soon be dissolved by grace, so that the stream of memory flow through it limpidly ; tell me, for I shall welcome such dear words, if any soul among you is Italian ; if I know that, then I — perhaps — can help him.” |
| 85 | Istic inventam. » — « Mi frater, quælibet urbis Est civis veræ : tua sed sententia quærit, Num qua hic consīdat, quæ degerit hospes in oris Italiæ. » Hæc responsa mihi venisse per auras, Et multo inde puto ulterius, quam ubi talia fatus |
“My brother, each of us is citizen of one true city : what you meant to say was ‘one who lived in Italy as pilgrim.’” My hearing placed the point from which this answer had come somewhat ahead of me ; therefore, |
| 90 | Constiteram. Quare gressum vocemque propinquans Illuc admovi et quandam vidi agmine in illo Umbram exspectanti similem. Si forte requiras : « Quomodo ? » Uti cæcus, visa est attollere mentum. « O anima », huic dixi, « quæ regnum initura supernum |
I made myself heard farther on ; moving, I saw one shade among the rest who looked expectant ; and if any should ask how — its chin was lifted as a blind man’s is. “Spirit,” I said, “who have subdued yourself |
| 95 | Te crucias, tu eadem mihi si responsa dedisti, Effice, ut ex patrio aut proprio te nomine noscam. » « Est Sena mi natale solum, » respondit, « et istis Hic ego mista, pio perversæ crimina vitæ, Illacrimans illi, ut nobis præbere fruendum |
that you may climb, if it is you who answered, then let me know you by your place or name.” “I was a Sienese,” she answered, “and with others here I mend my wicked life, weeping to Him that He grant us Himself. |
| 100 | Se velit. Haud Sapii, licet appellare SAPIAM Me genitor voluit, majoraque gaudia cepi Ex damno alterius, quam si essem qualibet usa Fortuna : ac ne falsa putes me farier, audi, An fuerim demens, ut te monuisse volebam. |
I was not sapient, though I was called Sapia ; and I rejoiced far more at others’ hurts than at my own good fortune. And lest you should think I have deceived you, hear and judge if I was not, as I have told you, mad |
| 105 | Quum mihi jam annorum propere descenderet arcus, Tum cives nostri prope Collem castra locarant, Contulerantque manus, aggressi fortiter hostes, Atque ego vota Deo faciebam, eadem ipsa precata, Quæ voluit. Nam omnes fusi versique fuere |
when my years’ arc had reached its downward part. My fellow citizens were close to Colle, where they’d joined battle with their enemies, and I prayed God for that which He had willed. There they were routed, beaten ; they were reeling |
| 110 | In mala amara fugæ, et victorem terga prementem Spectando haud ullum percepi pectore sensum Lætitiæ huic similem ; et vultu, temeraria, in altum Sublato, ad Numen clamavi : ‹ Haud amplius iræ Arma tuæ timeo ›, ut, placidi ridente parumper |
along the bitter paths of flight ; and seeing that chase, I felt incomparable joy, so that I lifted up my daring face and cried to God : ‘Now I fear you no more!’ — as did the blackbird after brief fair weather. |
| 115 | Temperie cæli, merulus. Prope tempora vitæ Jam suprema, Deum veniam pacemque rogavi ; Et multa nondum minuissem debita pœna, Ni PECTIGNANUS PETRUS, dum supplice tollit Voce preces sanctas, nostri meminisset, ubi illum |
I looked for peace with God at my life’s end ; the penalty I owe for sin would not be lessened now by penitence had not one who was sorrowing for me because of charity in him — Pier Pettinaio — |
| 120 | Et dolor, et pietas monuit miserescere nostri. At tu quis tandem, quem nostram inquirere sortem Fert studium ? qui oculos affers, ut credo, solutos, Atque animam ducens loqueris ? » — « Hic lumina », dixi, « Mi quoque dementur, sed non in longius ævum, |
remembered me in his devout petitions. But who are you, who question our condition as you move on, whose eyes — if I judge right — have not been sewn, who uses breath to speak?” “My eyes,” I said, “will be denied me here, but only briefly ; the offense of envy |
| 125 | Nam culpa exigua est, quod livor torva tueri Me docuit, stringorque magis formidine pœnæ, Quam vidi inferius ; namque illo membra gravatus Pondere mi videor. » — Tum sic os illa resolvit : « Quisnam te huc igitur duxit, si ferre regressum |
was not committed often by their gaze. I fear much more the punishment below ; my soul is anxious, in suspense ; already I feel the heavy weights of the first terrace.” And she : “Who, then, led you up here among us, if you believe you will return below?” |
| 130 | Deorsum posse putas ? » — « Qui mecum est, nec tamen hiscit, Respondi, et vivo ; quare, umbra electa, rogare Ne parcas, si me pedibus mortalibus uti Et pro te vivos inter tua certa voluntas Hortatur. » — « Tua sic », inquit, « mihi dicta videntur |
And I: “He who is with me and is silent. I am alive ; and therefore, chosen spirit, if you would have me move my mortal steps on your behalf, beyond, ask me for that.” “Oh, this,” she answered, “is so strange a thing |
| 135 | Insolita auditu, ut pateat, quam numine amico Incedas ; quare precibus quandoque juvare Me dignare tuis, et per, quæ ardentius optas, Oro : si Etruscum liceat tibi litus adire, Me penes affines fama in meliore repone, |
to hear : the sign is clear — you have God’s love. Thus, help me sometimes with your prayers. I ask of you, by that which you desire most, if you should ever tread the Tuscan earth, to see my name restored among my kin. |
| 140 | Quos illo vanæ mistos examine gentis Cernes, quam Talamon multa spe lactat ; at illos Plus hæc spes ludet, quam quum reperire Dianam Ardebant ; rerum navarchis plus emunctis. » |
You will see them among those vain ones who have put their trust in Talamone (their loss in hope will be more than Diana cost); but there the admirals will lose the most.” |
| PURGATORII XIV {14} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Ecquis is est, montis qui nostri circumit orbem, Ante ipsi volucres quam mors aptaverit alas, Atque aperit clauditque oculos, ut sponte libido est ? » « Qui sit, scire mihi non est, tamen arbitror istum |
“Who is this man who, although death has yet to grant him flight, can circle round our mountain, and can, at will, open and shut his eyes?” “I don’t know who he is, but I do know |
| 5 | Non solum hos intrasse locos. Qui proximus astas, Comiter acceptum scitare, ut voce loquatur. » Hæc duæ, utræque umero alterius super impendentes, Umbræ ibi dextrorsum de me sermone serebant ; Deinde locuturæ visus fecere supinos, |
he’s not alone ; you’re closer ; question him and greet him gently, so that he replies.” So were two spirits, leaning toward each other, discussing me, along my right-hand side ; then they bent back their heads to speak to me, |
| 10 | Atque una : « O anima », inquit, « adhuc quæ corpori inhærens Cælum conscendis, quæso, solare rogantes Atque, unde et qui sis, humane edissere nobis. Namque stupore tenet tanto tua gratia mentem Nobis defixam, ut quæ nunquam nota fuere. » |
and one began : “O soul who — still enclosed within the body — make your way toward Heaven, may you, through love, console us ; tell us who you are, from where you come ; the grace that you’ve received — a thing that’s never come to pass before — has caused us much astonishment.” |
| 15 | « Exspatiatur, agrum lambens medium, inter Etruscos Amniculus, » dixi, « cui Falterona dat ortum, Nec satis est isti percurrere milia centum. Inde supra hos artus deporto, et vana requiris Hortando fari, qui sim, namque hactenus auras |
And I: “Through central Tuscany there spreads a little stream first born in Falterona ; one hundred miles can’t fill the course it needs. I bring this body from that river’s banks ; to tell you who I am would be to speak |
| 20 | Haud mea personuit sat claro murmure fama. » « Si bene percipio penitus tua pectore sensa, » Respondit, qui fatus erat prior, « innuis Arnum. » Atque ait hic alter : « Cur iste vocabula terræ Illius modo nos celat, velut horrida dictu ? » |
in vain — my name has not yet gained much fame.” “If, with my understanding, I have seized your meaning properly,” replied to me the one who’d spoken first, “you mean the Arno.” The other said to him : “Why did he hide that river’s name, even as one would do in hiding something horrible from view?” |
| 25 | Quæque rogata fuit, proprio sic munere functa est Umbra : « Haud ista scio, verum hujus nomina vallis Sunt digna, ut pereant : nam prima ab origine, ubi amnis Sic tumet, ut rigidus, qui obtruncat saxa Pelori, Mons pæne haud usquam hunc superet, mare ad usque profundum, |
The shade to whom this question was addressed repaid with this : “I do not know ; but it is right for such a valley’s name to perish, for from its source (at which the rugged chain — from which Pelorus was cut off — surpasses most other places with its mass of mountains) |
| 30 | Quo venit, ut reddat, quod siccat flammeus æther, Damna repensurus, cui debent flumina, quicquid Advolvunt secum, sic pellitur hostis ad instar A cunctis virtus, velut anguis, sive maligna Condicione 1oci, pravo seu more premente. |
until its end point (where it offers back those waters that evaporating skies drew from the sea, that streams may be supplied), virtue is seen as serpent, and all flee from it as if it were an enemy, either because the site is ill-starred or their evil custom goads them so ; therefore, |
| 35 | Quapropter miseræ quicunque est incola vallis, Naturam usque adeo jam commutasse videtur, Non secus atque omnes Circe inter pascua haberet. Obscenos inter porcos it pauper aquarum Primum, hosque offendit mage dignos pascere glandes, |
the nature of that squalid valley’s people has changed, as if they were in Circe’s pasture. That river starts its miserable course among foul hogs, more fit for acorns than |
| 40 | Quam quoscunque cibos alios consumere, in usum Humanum lectos. Exin revoluta deorsum, Occurrit catulis sat plus ringentibus unda, Quam præstent vires, quos dedignata, retorquet Rictum. It delabens, et quo magis ista redundat, |
for food devised to serve the needs of man. Then, as that stream descends, it comes on curs that, though their force is feeble, snap and snarl ; scornful of them, it swerves its snout away. And, downward, it flows on ; and when that ditch, ill-fated and accursed, grows wider, it |
| 45 | Tanto plus catulos versos in membra luporum Invenit acta malo fato devotaque fossa. Deinde viam arripiens per plurima stagna profunda, Offendit vulpes sic plenas fraude dolisque, Nullam ut nequitiam formident, quæ occupet ipsas. |
finds, more and more, the dogs becoming wolves. Descending then through many dark ravines, it comes on foxes so full of deceit — there is no trap that they cannot defeat. |
| 50 | Dicere nec parcam, licet hic mihi præbeat aures, Atque isti bene erit, memori si hæc mente recondat, Quæ mihi defunctæ mortali corpore, verax Spiritus enodat. Tuus ecce ante ora videtur Concursare nepos factus venator, et illos |
Nor will I keep from speech because my comrade hears me (and it will serve you, too, to keep in mind what prophecy reveals to me). I see your grandson : he’s become a hunter |
| 55 | Exagitare lupos in diri fluminis ora, Et terrere omnes, istorum vendere carnem, Nec satis est ipsi, vivam, sed deinde necatos Abjicit, ut senio confecta animalia, inerti Defraudat multos vita, se nomine honesto. |
of wolves along the banks of the fierce river, and he strikes every one of them with terror. He sells their flesh while they are still alive ; then, like an ancient beast, he turns to slaughter, depriving many of life, himself of honor. |
| 60 | Tristi exit silva fœdatus cæde ; relinquit Talem, ut mille exin volvendis orbibus anni Nequicquam studeant primum reparare decorem. » Sicut, ubi accipiat venturi nuntia damni Verba, os auditor turbat, quacunque periclum |
Bloody, he comes out from the wood he’s plundered, leaving it such that in a thousand years it will not be the forest that it was.” Just as the face of one who has heard word of pain and injury becomes perturbed, |
| 65 | Ex parte huic animum feriat, sic altera visa est Conturbari anima, hæc fantis dum pendet ab ore, Surgere et aspectu tristi hæc simul auribus hausit. Alterius sermo, alterius conspectus aventem Suadebant horum me inquirere nomina, et illos, |
no matter from what side that menace stirs, so did I see that other soul, who’d turned to listen, growing anxious and dejected when he had taken in his comrade’s words. The speech of one, the aspect of the other had made me need to know their names, and I |
| 70 | Multis immiscens precibus mea dicta, rogavi. Quare, quæ fuerat mecum prius umbra locuta, Sic iterum : « Id tibi me hortaris præstare, quod ipse Abnuis ; at quoniam Superum manifesta voluntas Efficit, ut tanta te donet gratia luce, |
both queried and beseeched at the same time, at which the spirit who had spoken first to me began again : “You'd have me do for you that which, to me, you have refused. But since God would, in you, have His grace glow |
| 75 | Non tibi parcus ero. Quapropter me esse fatebor GUIDUM DEL DUCA. Fuerat mihi sanguis adustus Invidia tanta, ut, testantem gaudia vultu Si quem vidissem, sparsum livore maligno Me quoque vidisses. Ex isto semine talem |
so brightly, I shall not be miserly ; know, therefore, that I was Guido del Duca. My blood was so afire with envy that, when I had seen a man becoming happy, the lividness in me was plain to see. |
| 80 | Demĕto nunc paleam. O suboles humana, quid omnes Impendis curas, inhians quæ jura vetandi Poscunt et quemvis consortem a finibus arcent ? Quem prope me stantem cernis, REINERIUS hic est, Calbolidum decus ac lumen, quem nemo secutus |
From what I’ve sown, this is the straw I reap ; o humankind, why do you set your hearts there where our sharing cannot have a part? This is Rinieri, this is he — the glory, the honor of the house of Calboli ; |
| 85 | Hactenus est heres tanta virtute potitus. Nec solum circa Eridanum montemque fretumque Et circa Renum jam defecisse videtur Illius sanguis rebus, queis vera paratur Copia opum, atque quibus coalescunt gaudia vitæ ; |
but no one has inherited his worth. It’s not his kin alone, between the Po and mountains, and the Reno and the coast, who've lost the truth’s grave good and lost the good of gentle living, too ; those lands are full |
| 90 | Verum intra hos fines sunt sentibus oppida cuncta Plena veneniferis, et frustra cura laboret, Ut cultu meliore minus silvescere discant. Nunc ubinam est LICIUS bonus HENRICUSque MENARDI, Et TRAVERSARUS PETRUS et CARPINIUS ille |
of poisoned stumps ; by now, however much one were to cultivate, it is too late. Where is good Lizio? Arrigo Mainardi? Pier Traversaro? Guido di Carpigna? |
| 95 | GUIDUS ? — Proh genti gens Æmiliana priori Degenerata ! Novas quum vidit Felsina fabrum Mittere radices, parvo atque ex gramine factum Nobile virgultum succrescere BERNARDINUM Progenitum FUSCO jam tota Faventia narrat. |
O Romagnoles returned to bastardy! When will a Fabbro flourish in Bologna? When, in Faenza, a Bernadin di Fosco, the noble offshoot of a humble plant? |
| 100 | Desine mirari flentem, sate sanguine Etrusco, Quum memori GUIDUM DE PRATA atque HUGOLINUM Mente colam ACTIACUM, nostris qui degit in oris ; Et quum FRIDRICUM TIGNOSUM mente recordar Atque hujus socios ; quum TRAVERSARA recursat |
Don‘t wonder, Tuscan, if I weep when I remember Ugolino d'Azzo, one who lived among us, and Guido da Prata, the house of Traversara, of Anastagi |
| 105 | Clara domus menti, quum nomen ANASTASIORUM, Utraque gens quorum facta est modo nominis heres, Matronæ atque equites, studia horum sedula, centum Commoda, sollicitante virum præcordia amore, Et sensu humano, quæ contra versa nefandos |
(both houses without heirs), and Federigo Tignoso and his gracious company, the ladies and the knights, labors and leisure to which we once were urged by courtesy and love, where hearts now host perversity. |
| 110 | Inducunt mores. Quid, BERTINORE, moraris, Gente tua egressa, multis ex urbe secutis, Improba ne fiat ? Sed erit bene BAGNACAVALLO, Haud genuisse novam prolem, male CASTROCARO, Et pejus CONIO, ulterius qui gignere curant |
O Bretinoro, why do you not flee — when you’ve already lost your family and many men who've fled iniquity? Bagnacaval does well : it breeds no more — and Castrocuro ill, and Conio worse, |
| 115 | Tale genus Comitum. Si quanto Dæmon abibit, Paganis bene erit, sed non vitæ integer, omni Labe carens, horum nascetur sanguine testis. O FANTOLINÆ genus decus, UGOLINE, Luce tuum nomen tuta fulgebit in omne |
for it insists on breeding counts so cursed. Once freed of their own demon, the Pagani will do quite well, but not so well that any will testify that they are pure and worthy. Your name, o Ugolin de’Fantolini, is safe, since one no longer waits for heirs |
| 120 | Ævum, ex quo prolis tibi spes amissa futuræ est, Quæ tibi degenerans obducat labe nitorem. Verum, Tusce, abeas jam, nam mage fundere fletus Interea, quam verba juvat ; sic pectora pressit, Vestra mihi ratio. » Neque erat mens nescia nobis |
to blacken it with their degeneracy. But, Tuscan, go your way ; I am more pleased to weep now than to speak : for that which we have spoken presses heavily on me!” We knew those gentle souls had heard us move |
| 125 | Auditu instructas abeundo haud fallere posse Dilectas animas ; quare vocem ore premendo, Addiderant animum haud nota regione viarum Confisis. — Postquam est nobis data copia eundi Solis, visa fuit vox aëra findere ad instar |
away ; therefore, their silence made us feel more confident about the path we took. When we, who’d gone ahead, were left alone, a voice that seemed like lightning as it splits |
| 130 | Fulguris, incursans adversa ac talia fata : « Dedet me leto quisquis me offendit ! » et uno Tempore ceu tonitrus, qui, scissa nube, repente Diffugit, in tenues dispersa evanuit auras. Auribus ut nostris requies fuit, ecce fragore |
the air encountered us, a voice that said : “Whoever captures me will slaughter me”; and then it fled like thunder when it fades after the cloud is suddenly ripped through. As soon as that first voice had granted us a truce, another voice cried out with such |
| 135 | Altera sic resono, ut subito sit visa tonare Post fulgur : « Sum AGLAUROS ego, nunc saxea facta ! » Ast ego, sollicite properans mage stringere vatem, Retrorsum, non ante pedem vestigia traxi. Jamque quiescenti similis cessaverat aura |
uproar — like thunder quick to follow thunder ; “I am Aglauros, who was turned to stone”; and then, to draw more near the poet, I moved to my right instead of moving forward. By now the air on every side was quiet ; |
| 140 | Undique, et ille inquit : « Fuit hæc vis aspera freni. Apta suos intra fines cohibere protervos Terrigenas ; sed vos sic escam inhiatis, ut hostis Vos fraus antiqui necopinos occupet hamo. Quare frena parum prosunt, aut signa vocantum. |
and he told me : “That is the sturdy bit that should hold every man within his limits. But you would take the bait, so that the hook of the old adversary draws you to him ; thus, neither spur nor curb can serve to save you. |
| 145 | Retrorsum vos templa vocant cælestia, vestrum Dum gyros ducunt supra caput, atque decorem Æternum pandunt : sed terræ fixa tenetis Lumina adhuc ; ita vos, qui perspicit omnia, pulsat. » |
Heaven would call — and it encircles — you ; it lets you see its never-ending beauties ; and yet your eyes would only see the ground ; thus, He who sees all things would strike you down.” |
| PURGATORII XV {15} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Quantum inter spatium, quod tertia conficit hora, A jubare exorto sphæra indicat intervalli, Sueta suum semper pueri instar ludere ludum : Hesperiam tantum properanti tangere soli |
As many as the hours in which the sphere that’s always playing like a child appears from daybreak to the end of the third hour, so many were the hours of light still left |
| 5 | Restabat cursus. Erat illic ultima lucis, Atque istic mediæ pars obscurissima noctis ; Et vultum medium telum solare petebat ; Namque ita montis erat nobis peragrata corona, Ut plantæ Hesperias directo tramite partes |
before the course of day had reached sunset ; vespers was there ; and where we are, midnight. When sunlight struck directly at our faces, for we had circled so much of the mountain that now we headed straight into the west, |
| 10 | Calcarent. Mihi quum sensi splendore gravatum, Sat plus quam ante caput, quæ res me cognita nondum Fecerat attonitum. Quare fuit impetus ambas Hinc atque hinc palmas palpebræ opponere utrique, Luminibusque jubar defendi, ut spicula lucis |
then I could feel my vision overcome by radiance greater than I’d sensed before, and unaccounted things left me amazed ; at which, that they might serve me as a shade, I lifted up my hands above my brow, |
| 15 | Parcius afficerent oculos, limata, tuentes. Sicut aqua aut speculo solis lux fracta, retrorsum Ad partem oppositam saliendo, pervolat ipso Impete, quo primum descenderat, atque recedit A saxi lapsu multo velocius, æquum, |
to limit some of that excessive splendor. As when a ray of light, from water or a mirror, leaps in the opposed direction and rises at an angle equal to its angle of descent, and to each side the distance from the vertical is equal, |
| 20 | Si numeres, spatium, quod et experientia et artis Doctrina ostendit ; sic præ me luce videbar Ictus refracta. Quare mea lumina promptæ Consuluere fugæ. « Quid id est, pater optime, » dixi, « Quod prohibere oculis non me sinit ulla facultas |
as science and experiment have shown ; so did it seem to me that I had been struck there by light reflected, facing me, at which my eyes turned elsewhere rapidly. “Kind father, what is that against which I have tried in vain,” I said, “to screen my eyes? |
| 25 | Nitentem, et contra nos festinare videtur Occursu usque magis ? » — « Non te stupor occupet, » inquit, « Si tibi stringit adhuc aciem gens æthere missa : Angelus est, hominem qui hortatur scandere in altum. Nec longe jam tempus abest, quum hæc cernere propter |
It seems to move toward us.” And he replied ; “Don't wonder if you are still dazzled by the family of Heaven : a messenger has come, and he invites us to ascend. Soon, in the sight of such things, there will be |
| 30 | Non grave erit, sed dulce tibi, quoad tendere sensum Naturæ dederint vires. » — Ut venimus almo Aligero coram, sic læta is voce profatur : « Hac intrate gradus, per quos minus ardua ducet Vos via. » — Digressi inde ascendimus, atque : « Beati |
no difficulty for you, but delight — as much as nature fashioned you to feel.” No sooner had we reached the blessed angel than with glad voice he told us : “Enter here ; these are less steep than were the other stairs.” We climbed, already past that point ; behind us, |
| 35 | Illi corde bono, qui sunt miserescere sueti » Insonuit retro, et, « gaude qui vincis. » Utrique Soli una scalas ascendere. At utile duxi, Illius ex verbis si quicquam discere possem, Dum mecum ire viam pedibus pergebat, et ipsum |
we heard “Beati misericordes” sung and then “Rejoice, you who have overcome.” I and my master journeyed on alone, we two together, upward ; as we walked, I thought I’d gather profit from his words ; |
| 40 | Aggressus rogito : « Quidnam innuit Æmilianis Orta anima in terris, consortem et jura vetandi Commemorans ? » Tunc ille mihi : « Quæ quantaque damna In se congessit labes sua maxima, novit. Quare ne stupeat quisquam, si voce reprendit |
and even as I turned toward him, I asked ; “What did the spirit of Romagna mean when he said, ‘Sharing cannot have a part’?” And his reply : “He knows the harm that lies in his worst vice ; if he chastises it, |
| 45 | Hoc vitium in vestros, luctu ut majore leventur. Quod mens vestra aciem viresque intendit in illa, Quorum pars minui, socio accedente, videtur, Propterea cogit suspiria ducere livor Folle suo. At cæli sphæram si vestra cupido |
to ease its expiation — do not wonder. For when your longings center on things such that sharing them apportions less to each, then envy stirs the bellows of your sighs. But if the love within the Highest Sphere should turn your longings heavenward, the fear |
| 50 | Suspiciat, timor hic a vestro pectore abesset. Namque illic quanto plus fas est dicere ‹ nostrum ›, Tanto plus vir quisque tenet, plusque ardet amore Cælesti in patria. » « Mens haud expleta magisque Mi », dixi, « jejuna manet, quam si ista tacendo |
inhabiting your breast would disappear ; for there, the more there are who would say ‘ours,’ so much the greater is the good possessed by each — so much more love burns in that cloister.” “I am more hungry now for satisfaction” I said, “than if I’d held my tongue before ; |
| 55 | Misisses ; nam incerta magis suspensaque pendet. Qui poterit fieri, ut multis divisa bonorum Pars magis hos cumulet, quam si illam pauculi haberent ? » Is mihi : « Propterea, quod tu terrena volutas Nunc quoque mente tua, vera de luce tenebras |
I host a deeper doubt within my mind. How can a good that’s shared by more possessors enable each to be more rich in it than if that good had been possessed by few?” And he to me : “But if you still persist in letting your mind fix on earthly things, then even from true light you gather darkness. |
| 60 | Ducis. Namque bonum non enarrabile, summum Hoc, quod corda beat superorum, occurrit amori, Corporibus veluti lucentibus ignea solis Spicula. Cælestis tantum conceditur æstus, Quantum hic inventum est. Quare quo latius ignis |
That Good, ineffable and infinite, which is above, directs Itself toward love as light directs itself to polished bodies. Where ardor is, that Good gives of Itself ; and where more love is, there that Good confers |
| 65 | Exit, eo flamma virtus æterna redundat Majore, et quanto plures ex gentibus illis Illuc intendunt animos, et amore feruntur ; Tanto plus ipsis bene amandi copia abundat, Diligiturque mage. Ut speculum, quod lumina reddit |
a greater measure of eternal worth. And when there are more souls above who love, there’s more to love well there, and they love more, and, mirror-like, each soul reflects the other. |
| 70 | Alterius speculi vitro ; et simulacra refundit. Quod si non explet ratio te nostra, BEATRIX Adveniet spectanda tibi, quæ plenius istam, Et quamvis aliam vellet de pectore curam. Fac tibi quam primum exstinguantur vulnera quinque, |
And if my speech has not appeased your hunger, you will see Beatrice — she will fulfill this and all other longings that you feel Now only strive, so that the other five wounds may be canceled quickly, as the two |
| 75 | Sicut jam illa duo, quæ est claudere corde dolendo. » Jam dicturus eram satis hæc fecisse roganti, Quum sensi alterius flexus me tangere spondam, Quare oculus cupiens suasit compescere vocem. Atque ibi mente abii raptus, subitoque videbar |
already are — the wounds contrition heals.” But wanting then to say, “You have appeased me,” I saw that I had reached another circle, and my desiring eyes made me keep still. There I seemed, suddenly, to be caught up |
| 80 | Collectam in templo multam mihi cernere turbam, Et quandam tecto subeuntem matris habentem Dulce os atque habitum atque edentem has corde loquelas : « Quid sic fecisti nobis, fili ? Ecce dolentes Et pater, et tua ego mater tu quærere nunquam |
in an ecstatic vision and to see some people in a temple ; and a woman just at the threshold, in the gentle manner that mothers use, was saying : “O my son, why have you done this to us? You can see how we have sought you — sorrowing, your father |
| 85 | Destitimus. » — Post hæc quum voce effugit imago, Quæ mihi visa prius fuerat. Deinde altera coram Occurrit, perfusa genas umore cadente Illo, quo dolor exstillat, qui gignitur ira ; Atque hæc sic fari : « Si tu dominaris in urbe, |
and I.” And at this point, as she fell still, what had appeared at first now disappeared. Then there appeared to me another woman ; upon her cheeks — the tears that grief distills when it is born of much scorn for another. She said : “If you are ruler of that city |
| 90 | Pro qua certatum est studio inter numina tanto, Ex qua doctrinæ atque artis decus omne refulget, Ne mora sit pœnis illos punire lacertos Ausos amplecti natam, O PISISTRATE, nostram » ; Cui tum visus erat sic respondere benignus, |
to name which even goddesses once vied — where every science had its source of light — revenge yourself on the presumptuous arms that embraced our daughter, o Pisistratus.” And her lord seemed to me benign and mild, |
| 95 | Composito placide, princeps mitissimus, ore : « Quid faciemus adhuc, si quis male fausta precetur Nobis, si pœna nostri afficiamus amantem ? » Deinde aliam vidi flammato pectore gentem Aggressam saxis juvenem dare funeri acerbo, |
his aspect temperate, as he replied ; “What shall we do to one who’d injure us if one who loves us earns our condemnation?” Next I saw people whom the fire of wrath had kindled, as they stoned a youth and kept |
| 100 | Murmure quæ magno clamabat : « Percute, cæde ! » Isque videbatur succumbere, morte gravatus, Pronus humi, semperque oculos contendere apertos In cælum fixos ac summum poscere regem In tanto pacem bello, veniamque feroci |
on shouting loudly to each other : “Kill!” “Kill!" "Kill!" I saw him now, weighed down by death, sink to the ground, although his eyes were bent always on Heaven — they were Heaven’s gates — praying to his high Lord, despite the torture, to pardon those who were his persecutors ; |
| 105 | Turbæ, quo mitis pietas diffunditur, ore. Quum rediit mihi mens externaque vera revisit Extra se posita, haud falsus tum cognitus error Est mihi. Me similem rumpenti vincula somni Cernere qui potuit : « Quæ », inquit, « consistere posse |
his look was such that it unlocked compassion. And when my soul returned outside itself and met the things outside it that are real, I then could recognize my not false errors. My guide, on seeing me behave as if I were a man who’s freed himself from sleep, said : “What is wrong with you? You can’t walk straight ; |
| 110 | Causa vetat ? » doctor. « Sed jam tu milia vidi Plus quasi quam duo progressum tibi lumina palmis Velantem atque ægre vestigia torta trahentem, Ut vir, cui somnus vel vinum præpedit artus ? » « O dulcis pater, » huic dixi, « si porrigis aures, |
for more than half a league now you have moved with clouded eyes and lurching legs, as if you were a man whom wine or sleep has gripped!” “Oh, my kind father, if you hear me out, |
| 115 | Dicam visa mihi, per quæ vis concidit omnis Crurum. » Atque is contra : « Tibi si velamine vultum Larvæ texissent centum, quæ cogitat intus Mens tua, parva licet, non me sic clausa laterent. Hæc ideo sunt visa tibi, ne forte recuses |
I’ll tell you what appeared to me,” I said, “when I had lost the right use of my legs.” And he : “Although you had a hundred masks upon your face, that still would not conceal from me the thoughts you thought, however slight. What you have seen was shown lest you refuse |
| 120 | Pacificis cor pandere aquis, quæ fonte redundant Æterno. Neque ego studui cognoscere causam, Ut qui oculis posita ante videt tantummodo, et ultra Non videt exanimi simulac calor ossa reliquit ; At percontabar, quia plantis addere vires |
to open up your heart unto the waters of peace that pour from the eternal fountain. I did not ask 'What’s wrong with you?' as one who only sees with earthly eyes, which — once the body, stripped of soul, lies dead — can’t see ; I asked so that your feet might find more force ; |
| 125 | Consilium fuerat. Sic pigros pungere oportet, Ut, quas evigilare datur, redeuntibus horis Solliciti utantur. » Nos ire crepuscula noctis Spectantes ultra, quantum procedere quibat Nostra acies, contra lucem sub vespere missam. |
so must one urge the indolent, too slow to use their waking time when it returns.” We made our way until the end of vespers, peering, as far ahead as sight could stretch, at rays of light that, although late, were bright. |
| 130 | Ecce autem nobis paullatim occurrere fumus Ut nox obscurus, neque erat ratio ulla locusque Vitandi, isque oculos simul et purum aëra ademit. |
But, gradually, smoke as black as night began to overtake us ; and there was no place where we could have avoided it. |
| PURGATORII XVI {16} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Tartareus nigror et vacuæ quocunque planeta Paupere sub cælo noctis, caligine densa Quantum unquam potuit, sic crasso lumina velo Haud mihi compressit, vis illa ut lurida fumi, |
Darkness of Hell and of a night deprived of every planet, under meager skies, as overcast by clouds as sky can be, had never served to veil my eyes so thickly |
| 5 | Quæ nos texit ibi, neque texto sensibus aspro Usque adeo, ut mea ferre acies reclusa nequiret. Quare, qui mihi ductor erat fidusque catusque, Affuit apposuitque umerum. Ut vir captus utroque Lumine ducentem sequitur, ne forsan aberret, |
nor covered them with such rough-textured stuff as smoke that wrapped us there in Purgatory ; my eyes could not endure remaining open ; so that my faithful, knowledgeable escort drew closer as he offered me his shoulder. Just as a blind man moves behind his guide, |
| 10 | Aut quicquam offendat damno exitiove futurum : Sic per amaritiem ac per sordes aëris ibam, Aure ducis vocem accipiens mihi talia fantis : « Fac caveas, nostris ne quid te separet ulnis ! » Me percellebant voces, pacemque rogare |
that he not stray or strike against some thing that may do damage to — or even kill — him, so I moved through the bitter, filthy air, while listening to my guide, who kept repeating ; “Take care that you are not cut off from me.” But I heard voices, and each seemed to pray |
| 15 | Verba videbantur, miserantem corde precata Agnum divinum, qui tollit crimina mundi. Primi « Agnus » clamare « Dei. » Hæc deinde omnibus una Vox erat, atque uno reddebant missa tenore, Omnis ut hos inter concordia amica pateret. |
unto the Lamb of God, who takes away our sins, for peace and mercy. “Agnus Dei” was sung repeatedly as their exordium, words sung in such a way — in unison — that fullest concord seemed to be among them. |
| 20 | « Quorum verba sonant, an sunt simulacra, magister ? » Dixi ; ast ille mihi : « Tu verum percipis, » inquit ; « Illi, quem plicuit nodum iracundia, solvunt. » « Quisnam tu, nostrum properas qui findere fumum, Et nunc verba facis de nobis more modoque, |
“Master, are those whom I hear, spirits?” I asked him. "You have grasped rightly,” he replied, “and as they go they loose the knot of anger.” “Then who are you whose body pierces through our smoke, who speak of us exactly like |
| 25 | Tempora quo numerat quisquam digesta per annos ? » Hæc vox audita est. At dux : « Huic dicta vicissim Redde simulque roga, num istinc sit scandere in altum. » « O anima, » huic dixi, « quæ te hoc in carcere purgas, Pulchra ut ad auctorem redeas, si me ipsa secundas, |
a man who uses months to measure time?” A voice said this. On hearing it, my master turned round to me : “Reply to him, then ask if this way leads us to the upward path.” And I: “O creature who — that you return fair unto Him who made you — cleanse yourself, |
| 30 | Mira quidem accipies. » « Quoad est data copia, » dixit, « Te sequar et, quanquam haud patitur res cernere fumus, Aurĭs erit visus instar junctosque tenebit. » Sic cœpi : « Illā usus, quam solvunt funera, veste Ascendo atque inter gemitus elapsus Averni |
you shall hear wonders if you follow me.” “I'll follow you as far as I’m allowed,” he answered, “and if smoke won’t let us see, hearing will serve instead to keep us linked.” Then I began : “With those same swaddling-bands that death unwinds I take my upward path ; I have come here by way of Hell’s exactions ; |
| 35 | Huc veni ; et quoniam tam large æterna potestas Mi favet, ut libeat propriam me admittere ad aulam Extra omnem penitus legem, quam noverit usus, Ne cela, quisnam fueris, mors atra priusquam Te mersum abstulerit ; sed profer, num bene pergam, |
since God’s so gathered me into His grace that He would have me, in a manner most unusual for moderns, see His court, do not conceal from me who you once were, before your death, and tell me if I go |
| 40 | Quo transire datur. Quæ respondebis, habebo Pro ducibus. » — Tunc is : « Genere et cognomine dicor MARCUS LOMBARDUS. Me juvit discere mundum, Atque ea præcipuo me virtus vinxit amore, Ad quam quisque sui jam fert lentescere robur |
straight to the pass ; your words will be our escort.” “I was a Lombard and I was called Marco ; I knew the world’s ways, and I loved those goods for which the bows of all men now grow slack. |
| 45 | Arcus. Directe, quo dat via scandere, pergis. » Sic ille atque addit : « Superum si quando licebit Intrare ad sedes, pro me quoque numen adores. » Atque ego : « In his tibi nostra fides obstricta manebit, Et quod poscis, erit ; verum in contraria cura |
The way you’ve taken leads directly upward.” So he replied, and then he added : “I pray you to pray for me when you’re above.” And I to him : “I pledge my faith to you to do what you have asked ; and yet a doubt |
| 50 | Rumpor, quæ male habet dubium, ni pectore solvam. Hæc fuerat simplex, tua nunc sententia duplam Fecit, quæ offirmat mentem, jam credere certam Hic audita mihi atque alibi, tunc quum utraque mecum Compono. Anne igitur sic virtus exulat omnis |
will burst in me if it finds no way out. Before, my doubt was simple ; but your statement has doubled it and made me sure that I am right to couple your words with another’s. The world indeed has been stripped utterly |
| 55 | A mundo, ut narras ? Sic feta obductaque terra est Nequitia ? Ast, oro, sic da mihi noscere causam, Ut pateat cernenda oculis monstrandaque vulgo ; Namque alter cælo, terris hanc asserit alter. » Ille autem duxit gemitum, quem vertit in unum |
of every virtue ; as you said to me, it cloaks — and is cloaked by — perversity. Some place the cause in heaven, some, below ; but I beseech you to define the cause, that, seeing it, I may show it to others.” A sigh, from which his sorrow formed an “Oh,” |
| 60 | Triste « eheu ! » dolor astringens, dein talibus infit : « Mundus cæcūtit, tuaque inde emanat origo, Frater. Vos vivi, vos derivatis in astra Et cælum causam quamvis, ut si omnia cælum Secum ageret motu fatali et fœdere certo. |
was his beginning ; then he answered : “Brother, the world is blind, and you come from the world. You living ones continue to assign to heaven every cause, as if it were the necessary source of every motion. |
| 65 | At si id forte putas, periit vis libera vestri Arbitrii, haud usquam aspiceres, quæ facta rependat, Justitiam, at lugere bonos, gaudere scelestos. A cælo primi veniunt in pectora motus : Non omnes, inquam ; quamvis, si hoc asserere ausim, |
If this were so, then your free will would be destroyed, and there would be no equity in joy for doing good, in grief for evil. The heavens set your appetites in motion — not all your appetites, but even if |
| 70 | Pro vobis recti ac pravi justissima judex Stat ratio et nulla expugnabilis arte voluntas Libera ; et hæc, primo durata in turbine pugnæ Contra vim cæli, pugna discedet ab omni, Si bene pectus alat, parto laudanda triumpho. |
that were the case, you have received both light on good and evil, and free will, which though it struggle in its first wars with the heavens, then conquers all, if it has been well nurtured. |
| 75 | Virtus vos major, melior natura subactos Temperat, incolumi arbitrio ; atque hæc ipsa creavit In vobis mentem, quæ cæli haud tradita curæ est. Quare, si præsens mundus vos tramite recto Abducit, primum vos intus quærite causam ; |
On greater power and a better nature you, who are free, depend ; that Force engenders the mind in you, outside the heavens’ sway. Thus, if the present world has gone astray, in you is the cause, in you it’s to be sought ; |
| 80 | Atque meis verbis hæc omnia vera probabo. Illius hæc anima e manibus, qui suspicit ipsam, Ante frui quam det vita, devinctus amore, Infanti similem lacrimas lususque cientem More puellari, simplex ignaraque rerum |
and now I’ll serve as your true exegete. Issuing from His hands, the soul — on which He thought with love before creating it — is like a child who weeps and laughs in sport ; that soul is simple, unaware ; but since |
| 85 | Prosilit ; excipito, auctoris quod mota sui vi Lætificante libens, quo se oblectare solebat, Regreditur. Parvusque boni sapor allicit illum Principio ; istic decipitur, tamen incita in istum Fertur, ni frenum vel dux deflectat amantem. |
a joyful Maker gave it motion, it turns willingly to things that bring delight. At first it savors trivial goods ; these would beguile the soul, and it runs after them, unless there’s guide or rein to rule its love. |
| 90 | Quare est ad legem ventum, quæ utatur habenis ; Majestas quærenda simul summi arbitra regis, Qui saltem turrim veræ dignosceret urbis. Non desunt leges ; sed cui stat, legibus uti ? Nulli ! Nam pastor præcedens ruminat ore, |
Therefore, one needed law to serve as curb ; a ruler, too, was needed, one who could discern at least the tower of the true city. The laws exist, but who applies them now? No one — the shepherd who precedes his flock |
| 95 | Quanquam fissa deest huic ungula, turbaque cernens Ductorem bona venantem, quæ pectore hiante Quisque petit, pascit se his, ulterioraque mittit. Hic patet, ut ratio vitæ mala causa malorum est, Quæ mundum infecere tuum ; non insita vestræ |
can chew the cud but does not have cleft hooves ; and thus the people, who can see their guide snatch only at that good for which they feel some greed, would feed on that and seek no further. Misrule, you see, has caused the world to be malevolent ; the cause is clearly not celestial forces — they do not corrupt. |
| 100 | Naturæ labes. Quæ castos Roma vocavit Ad mores mundum, gemino pollere solebat Sole, utramque viam mundi monstrante Deique ; Alter at alterius restinxit lumen, et ensis Juncta pĕdo est acies ; quapropter oportet utrumque |
For Rome, which made the world good, used to have two suns ; and they made visible two paths — the world’s path and the pathway that is God’s. Each has eclipsed the other ; now the sword has joined the shepherd’s crook ; the two together |
| 105 | Jam pariter ruat in pejus. Nam ubi juncta simul vis Conjurat gemina alternis, unam altera spernit. Si dubitas, spicam reputa ; nam a semine nosci Omne potest gramen. Quæ crescit terra, rigante Eridano atque Athesi, pinguis, virtute solebat |
must of necessity result in evil, because, so joined, one need not fear the other ; and if you doubt me, watch the fruit and flower, for every plant is known by what it seeds. Within the territory watered by the Adige and Po, one used to find |
| 110 | Et more urbano increbrescere læta, priusquam Causa laboraret FRIDERICI : sed modo tutus Ire redire viam poterit, quicunque pudore Nomine compellare bonos vel adire vetatur. At vero longæva virum tria pectora restant |
valor and courtesy — that is, before Frederick was met by strife ; now anyone ashamed of talking with the righteous or of meeting them can journey there, secure. True, three old men are there, in whom old times |
| 115 | Nunc etiam, per quos antiqua hanc arguit ætas, Queis cessare Deus nimium nimiumque videtur, Quin sese vitæ fata in meliora reponat : CURRADUS, claro quo Brixia gaudet alumno ; GHERARDUSque bonus ; Reggensisque incola GUIDUS, |
reprove the new ; and they find God is slow in summoning them to a better life ; Currado da Palazzo, good Gherardo, and Guido da Castel, whom it is better |
| 120 | Simplice Lombardi notus sub nomine Gallis. Dic jam Pontificum sedem, quæ ecclesia Romæ est, Dum studet imperii duplicis confundere vires, In cænum labi et se dedecorare suumque Pondus. » Ego : « Mi Marco, » inquam, « bene colligis, et mi |
to call, as do the French, the candid Lombard. You can conclude : the Church of Rome confounds two powers in itself ; into the filth, it falls and fouls itself and its new burden.” “Good Marco,” I replied, “you reason well ; |
| 125 | Sat bene causa patet, quare Levitica proles Parte exempta fuit. Sed quem tu nomine dicis GHERARDUM exstinctæ exemplum superesse prioris Gentis, ut objiciat male culto dedecus ævo, Fac doceas. » — « Aut me ludunt tua verba, vel ipse |
and now I understand why Levi’s sons were not allowed to share in legacies. But what Gherardo is this whom you mention as an example of the vanished people whose presence would reproach this savage age?” “Either your speech deceives me or would tempt me,” |
| 130 | Me tentas, » inquit, « qui, sermone usus Etrusco, Justum GHERARDUM penitus nescire videris. — Hunc non ex alio novi cognomine, quam si Ex Caja sumam, quo patre hæc edita fertur. Salvete, haud ultra est mihi fas contendere gressu ; |
he answered then, “for you, whose speech is Tuscan, seem to know nothing of the good Gherardo. There is no other name by which I know him, unless I speak of him as Gaia’s father. God be with you ; I come with you no farther. |
| 135 | Prospecta, ut circum radiantur nubila fumi Luce nova immissa, et jam me discedere oportet ; Angelus est illic, ne me occupet. » Ista locutus Non ultra ad nostros sermones aure vacavit. |
You see the rays that penetrate the smoke already whitening ; I must take leave — the angel has arrived — before he sees me.” So he turned back and would not hear me more. |
| PURGATORII XVII {17} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Mente tibi memora, si quando, lector, in Alpe Te nebula offendit, per quam sic ipse videres, Sicut per pellem talpæ ; ut, simulac vapor umens Ac densus cœpit rarescere, spicula solis |
Remember, reader, if you’ve ever been caught in the mountains by a mist through which you only saw as moles see through their skin, how, when the thick, damp vapors once begin to thin, the sun’s sphere passes feebly through them, |
| 5 | Debiliter penetrant ; levis hæc tibi surget imago, Ex qua conjicias, quo sensu lumina primum Vidi iterum solis, qui præcipitabat in æquor. Sic duce progressus quum fido passibus æquis, Exivi tenebris ad jam intermortua in imis |
then your imagination will be quick to reach the point where it can see how I first came to see the sun again — when it was almost at the point at which it sets. So, my steps matched my master’s trusty steps ; out of that cloud I came, reaching the rays that, on the shores below, by now were spent. |
| 10 | Lumina agris. O mens, quæ nos ita imagine rerum Sæpius abductos a sensibus imprudentes Aufers, mille licet dent circum cornua bombos : Quæ te causa movet, non suppeditante ministro Sensu ? Te lux alma movet, quæ manat ab alto |
O fantasy, you that at times would snatch us so from outward things — we notice nothing although a thousand trumpets sound around us — who moves you when the senses do not spur you? A light that finds its form in Heaven moves you — |
| 15 | Sponte sua aut ducente Deo, qui donat habere Terrigenis. Non ampla magis, quam forma volucrem Mutatæ in parvam, quam plus juvat edere ab ore Cantus, nescio quæ, species animo obvia venit ; Quæ mihi sic intus mentem perstrinxit, ut extra, |
directly or led downward by God’s will. Within my fantasy I saw impressed the savagery of one who then, transformed, became the bird that most delights in song ; at this, my mind withdrew to the within, to what imagining might bring ; no thing |
| 20 | Quæ res apparent hujus penetralia inire, Prorsus desierint. Menti deinde impluit altæ De cruce vir pendens, fixus fronte, ore superbus Ac ferus, et talis claudebat lumina morte. Hunc circa magni majestas ASSUERI, |
that came from the without could enter in. Then into my deep fantasy there rained one who was crucified ; and as he died, he showed his savagery and his disdain. Around him were great Ahasuerus and |
| 25 | Atque ESTHER conjux, et servantissimus æqui MARDOCHÆUS erat, tam verbis integer, ut re. Atque hæc se postquam per sese rupit imago, Bullæ instar, si, quo fit turgida, deficit umor, Cernere visus eram simulacrum triste puellæ |
Esther his wife, and the just Mordecai, whose saying and whose doing were so upright. And when this image shattered of itself, just like a bubble that has lost the water beneath which it was formed, there then rose up in my envisioning a girl who wept |
| 30 | Altos edentis gemitus, ac talia fantis : « Cur, suadente ira, voluisti rumpere vitam, O regina, tuam ? Te exstinxti, perdere natam Dum fugis. En modo sum, mater, tibi perdita, et ipsa Alterius præ morte tuam LAVINIA ploro. » |
most bitterly and said : “O queen, why did you, in your wrath, desire to be no more? So as to keep Lavinia, you killed yourself ; now you have lost me! I am she, mother, who mourns your fall before another’s.” |
| 35 | Ut solet abrumpi somnus, si clausa repente Lumina percellat nova lux, atque ante renatat Fractus, quam occĭderit totus : sic decidit audax Fingere vis mentis, simulac lux perculit ora, Candida plus nostro quam more. Ego volvere visus, |
Even as sleep is shattered when new light strikes suddenly against closed eyes and, once it’s shattered, gleams before it dies completely, so my imagination fell away as soon as light — more powerful than light we are accustomed to — beat on my eyes. |
| 40 | Quas devenissem, cupidus cognoscere sedes, Quum vox audita est : « Hic est ascendere », fata, Quæ genus omne aliud curarum a corde removit : Tamque alacrem me cepit amor, verba ista locutum Respicere ac scire, at nunquam consistere discat, |
I looked about to see where I might be ; but when a voice said : “Here one can ascend,” then I abandoned every other intent. That voice made my will keen to see the one who’d spoken — with the eagerness that cannot be still until it faces what it wants. |
| 46 | Donec eum offendat. Sed sicut, sole gravante Nostram aciem nimis effuso qui lumine celat Os sibi : non secus hic virtus me tota reliquit. « Hic est de Superis, qui sponte, precante neque ullo, Monstrat iter rectum, si quis vult scandere, » dixit, |
But even as the sun, become too strong, defeats our vision, veiling its own form, so there my power of sight was overcome. “This spirit is divine ; and though unasked, he would conduct us to the upward path ; |
| 50 | « Lumine seque suo abscondit. More utitur illo Nobiscum, quo quisque sibi servire laborat. Nam si quis manet orantem, qui novit egentem Hunc opis esse suæ, stat corde negare maligno Certus. Nunc tanto aptemus suadente ministro |
he hides himself with that same light he sheds. He does with us as men do with themselves ; for he who sees a need but waits to be asked is already set on cruel refusal. Now let our steps accept his invitation, |
| 55 | Plantas, et nos ardor agat superare, priusquam Incumbant tenebræ ; nam posthac nulla daretur Copia scandendi, donec redeunte diei Luce nova. » Sic doctor. — Ego vestigia servans Scalas corripui, atque gradus me primus habebat. |
and let us try to climb before dark falls — then, until day returns, we’ll have to halt.” So said my guide ; and toward a stairway, he and I, together, turned ; and just as soon as I was at the first step, I sensed something |
| 60 | Hic alæ sensi quasi quodam præpete motu Percussus propius vultum, audivique : « Beati Pacifici, mala queis pectus non incitat ira. » Jam jubar extremum tenebræ, quæ pone sequuntur, Supra assurgebant sic, ut stellæ undique adessent. |
much like the motion of a wing, and wind that beat against my face, and words : “Beati pacifici, those free of evil anger!” Above us now the final rays before ; the fall of night were raised to such a height that we could see the stars on every side. |
| 65 | « O mea vis, mihi cur tu ita surripis ? » Hæc ego mecum, Robur ubi crurum sensi cessare coactum. Ventum erat ad summas scalas. Nos sistere ad instar Navis, quæ tandem tutis allabitur oris ; Intendique aures paulum, si forte novellum |
“O why, my strength, do you so melt away?” I said within myself, because I felt the force within my legs compelled to halt. We’d reached a point at which the upward stairs no longer climbed, and we were halted there just like a ship when it has touched the shore. I listened for a while, hoping to hear |
| 70 | Per stratum audirem quicquam ; dein voce magistrum Sic rogo : « Dic, dulcis pater, ecqua injuria in isto Eluitur circlo ? Non stet, pede stante, loquela Hic tua. » At ille : « Boni haud integra cupido politur Hic ; hic nimirum male tardis vapulat usus |
whatever there might be in this new circle ; then I turned toward my master, asking him ; “Tell me, my gentle father : what offense is purged within the circle we have reached? Although our feet must stop, your words need not.” And he to me : “Precisely here, the love of good that is too tepidly pursued |
| 75 | Vir remis. Ast ut tibi detur apertius ista Percipere, adverte, atque aliquid tibi forte parabit Nostra boni fructus mora. Nec sine amore creator, Nec res ipsa creata fuit, sic incipit ille, Aut natura, aut sponte sua, quod tu quoque nosti. |
is mended ; here the lazy oar plies harder. But so that you may understand more clearly, now turn your mind to me, and you will gather some useful fruit from our delaying here. My son, there’s no Creator and no creature who ever was without love — natural or mental ; and you know that,” he began. |
| 80 | « Ingeneratus amor nullo unquam tempore falsus Est animi ; ast alter se posse errare frequenter Sensit, seu mala quum species, seu dira libido, Segnities seu lenta adamet. Bona prima petenti Recte servantique modum, si forte secunda |
“The natural is always without error, but mental love may choose an evil object or err through too much or too little vigor. As long as it’s directed toward the First Good and tends toward secondary goods with measure, |
| 85 | Appetat, haud amor iste potest mala gaudia ferre. Ac simulac ruit in vetitum, majorve minorve Cura ultro bona sectari persuadet, in ipsum Artificem convertit opus. Jam hinc discere quibis, Cuilibet ut det amor virtuti semen et omni |
it cannot be the cause of evil pleasure ; but when it twists toward evil, or attends to good with more or less care than it should, those whom He made have worked against their Maker. From this you see that — of necessity — love is the seed in you of every virtue |
| 90 | Vestro auso, quod pœna manet. Sed sensus amoris Privi quum nequeat non prospectare salutem, Res odii proprii semper secura manebit. Sed quia nec scissus, nec per se stare sine illo Primo ullus posset, sic et præscinditur omnis |
and of all acts deserving punishment. Now, since love never turns aside its eyes from the well-being of its subject, things are surely free from hatred of themselves ; and since no being can be seen as self- existing and divorced from the First Being, each creature is cut off from hating Him. |
| 95 | Causa odii in primum. Superest, si recta mihi mens Hæc discernenti est, ut, quæ mala quispiam amaret, In similem ista sui caderent ; atque æstus amoris Iste fimo in vestro natura triplice constat. Est qui, vicino afflicto, se excellere posse |
Thus, if I have distinguished properly, ill love must mean to wish one’s neighbor ill ; and this love’s born in three ways in your clay. There’s he who, through abasement of another, |
| 100 | Sperat ; et idcirco tantum de culmine in imum Hunc cupit ejectum. Est qui rem famamque veretur, Et decus, atque auram vulgi ne amittat, ubi alter Emineat ; quare tantus dolor occupat istum, Ut contraria amet. Sunt quos injuria suevit |
hopes for supremacy ; he only longs to see his neighbor’s excellence cast down. Then there is one who, when he is outdone, fears his own loss of fame, power, honor, favor ; his sadness loves misfortune for his neighbor. |
| 105 | Exagitare ira, cupidosque ulciscier hostem Efficere ; et genus hoc hominum sibi figat oportet Mente malum alterius. Venit infra amor iste triformis Orbe sub hoc flendus. Volo nunc, sat lumine claro Concipias alium bona captantem ordine pravo. |
And there is he who, over injury received, resentful, for revenge grows greedy and, angrily, seeks out another’s harm. This threefold love is expiated here below ; now I would have you understand the love that seeks the good distortedly. |
| 110 | Quisquis confuse apprendit, quod posse juvare Se putat, unde quies animo illabatur, et optat : Nam quisquis mētam cupide contendit ad istam. Si vos, cessantes cognoscere sive potiri Talia, lentus amor trahit, hæc, ubi rite dolendo |
Each apprehends confusedly a Good in which the mind may rest, and longs for It ; and, thus, all strive to reach that Good ; but if the love that urges you to know It or to reach that Good is lax, this terrace, after |
| 115 | Pænituisse prius vos constet, sumere pœnas Jussa corona fuit. Quæ non sinit esse beatos, Altera imago boni est, felicem ducere vitam Non donat ; non ista quidem natura benigna Cujuscunque boni fructus radixve putanda est. |
a just repentance, punishes for that. There is a different good, which does not make men glad ; it is not happiness, is not true essence, fruit and root of every good. |
| 120 | Qui sibi amor nimis indulsit, seque et sua amavit, Per tres nos supra circos est flebilis ; ast hic Quare tergeminus dicatur, mitto docere, Tecum animo ut reputes, studeasque inquirere causam. » |
The love that — profligately — yields to that is wept on in three terraces above us ; but I’ll not say what three shapes that loves takes — may you seek those distinctions for yourself.” |
| PURGATORII XVIII {18} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Summus desierat sapiens oculosque tenebat In me defixos, an præferrem ore quietem Expletus ; sed ego, nova quem sitis exstimulabat, Præterea, tacui lingua, mecum ista locutus : |
The subtle teacher had completed his discourse to me ; attentively he watched my eyes to see if I seemed satisfied. And I, still goaded by new thirst, was silent |
| 5 | « Quæ sine more illum rogito, fortasse gravabunt. » Verum instar patris veracis, ubi ille timentem Dicere me cupidum sensit, quæ corde premebam, Fando animum mihi restituit, sic farier auso : « Tale meis oculis tua lux dat lumen habere, |
without, although within I said : “Perhaps I have displeased him with too many questions.” But that true father, who had recognized the timid want I would not tell aloud, by speaking, gave me courage to speak out. At which I said : “Master, my sight is so |
| 10 | Ut nitide cernam, quicquid tua proferat et mi Describat ratio. Quare, pater optime, amorem, Quæso, demonstra, factorum quem esse bonorum Cunctorum semen dicebas atque malorum. » « In me fige oculos mentis », respondit, « acutos, |
illumined by your light — I recognize all that your words declare or analyze. Therefore, I pray you, gentle father dear, to teach me what love is : you have reduced to love both each good and its opposite.” He said : “Direct your intellect’s sharp eyes |
| 15 | Cæcorumque error, ductorum qui vice fungi Audent, sat tibi apertus erit. Qui promptus amare Est natura animus, versatur mobilis omnem Ad rem, quæ placeat, simulatque hunc blanda voluptas Excitat atque agere hortatur ; neque imagine inani |
toward me, and let the error of the blind who’d serve as guides be evident to you. The soul, which is created quick to love, responds to everything that pleases, just as soon as beauty wakens it to act. |
| 20 | Se falli sensus testatur, et efficit, ut mens Huic sese intendat, vobisque hanc explicat intus Sic, ut ad hanc animum attrahat. Hic si inclinat ad ipsam Conversus, fit amor, potius natura vocandus, Quæ vos jucunda rursus dulcedine vinctos |
Your apprehension draws an image from a real object and expands upon that object until soul has turned toward it ; and if, so turned, the soul tends steadfastly, then that propensity is love — it’s nature that joins the soul in you, anew, through beauty. |
| 25 | Occupat insinuans. Exin ut tendit in altum Flamma suam ob formam, quæ illuc ascendere nata est, Plus ubi materies, sub qua est durare, putatur ; Sic desiderii, quod vis movet intima, captus Intrat claustra animus, nec tempore desinit ullo, |
Then, just as flames ascend because the form of fire was fashioned to fly upward, toward the stuff of its own sphere, where it lasts longest, so does the soul, when seized, move into longing, a motion of the spirit, never resting |
| 30 | Nec requiem patitur, donec potiatur amato. Nunc tu, quam vera longe a ratione ferantur, Qui genus omne æstus in se laudabile dicunt, Nosse potes ; nam forsan amor bonus esse videtur In se ; at cera licet bona sit, non omnia signa |
till the beloved thing has made it joyous. Now you can plainly see how deeply hidden truth is from scrutinists who would insist that every love is, in itself, praiseworthy ; and they are led to error by the matter of love, because it may seem — always — good ; but not each seal is fine, although the wax is.” |
| 35 | Esse tamen bona jurabis. » — « Tua verba meumque Ingenium non unquam abiens docuere rogantem, Quid sit amor », dixi. « Verum tua dicta relinquunt Me magis incertum ; quoniam si extraria amorem Objiciunt nobis animusque alio pede nescit |
“Your speech and my own wit that followed it,” I answered him, “have shown me what love is ; but that has filled me with still greater doubt ; for if love’s offered to us from without and is the only foot with which soul walks, |
| 40 | Pergere, seu dextra incedat sive ille sinistra, Et culpa vacat et merito. » — Tunc insuper ille : « Quæ videt hic ratio, possum tibi dicere, et exin Quære BEATRICEM, fidei quæ dogmata callet. Quævis forma, sua quæ stat re prædita, quæque |
soul — going straight or crooked — has no merit.” And he to me : “What reason can see here, I can impart ; past that, for truth of faith, it’s Beatrice alone you must await. Every substantial form, at once distinct |
| 45 | Secta a materia est, atque huic se jungit et hæret, Virtutem amplexa est propriam, quæ contigit uni Ingenerata sibi, quæ si non exit in actum, Non quit sentiri et, nisi per quæ facta patescunt, Non demonstratur, veluti se vivere planta |
from matter and conjoined to it, ingathers the force that is distinctively its own, a force unknown to us until it acts — it’s never shown except in its effects, |
| 50 | Non nisi per virides frondes ostendere posset. Quare mortalis nescit, qua ab origine menti Primæ notitiæ occursent, nec qua illa cupido Blanda petens, quæ prima animo exoptanda recursant, Quæque insunt nobis, sicut flaventia mella |
just as green boughs display the life in plants. And thus man does not know the source of his intelligence of primal notions and his tending toward desire’s primal objects ; both are in you just as in bees there is |
| 55 | Stipandi studium est apibus ; verum illa libido Prima caret merito, nec nobis dedecus infert. Nunc vis innata est homini, cui quilibet alter Sese amor adveniens accommodat, et datur ipsi Consulere atque tenere assensūs limina prima. |
the honey-making urge ; such primal will deserves no praise, and it deserves no blame. Now, that all other longings may conform to this first will, there is in you, inborn, the power that counsels, keeper of the threshold |
| 60 | Ex hoc principio procedit causa merendi, Prout bene, vel male progenitos admittit amores Et cernit. Virtus hæc libera, et insita nobis Natura, patuit doctis, qui inquirere amarunt, Quæ sit norma boni moris, quid poscat honestas. |
of your assent : this is the principle on which your merit may be judged, for it garners and winnows good and evil longings. Those reasoners who reached the roots of things learned of this inborn freedom ; the bequest that, thus, they left unto the world is ethics. |
| 65 | Quare demus, amore homines non posse carere, Intus qui exsurgit, veluti sit amare necesse, Semper inest vobis illum retinere potestas. Ista BEATRICI virtus præclara videtur Vis esse arbitrii sibi libera, nescia vinci |
Even if we allow necessity as source for every love that flames in you, the power to curb that love is still your own. This noble power is what Beatrice means by free will ; therefore, remember it, |
| 70 | Fac mente id teneas, ubi sit memorare libido. » Ferme concubiam sub noctem luna morata Suadebat nobis stellas minus esse frequentes, ingenti similis situlæ, quæ tota flagraret : Et contra cælum visa est extendere cursum |
if she should ever speak of it to you.” The moon, with midnight now behind us, made the stars seem scarcer to us ; it was shaped just like a copper basin, gleaming, new ; |
| 75 | Illuc per colles, quos sol flammantibus urit Telis, Romanus quum prospicit accola flammas Sardoos inter Corsosque illabier undis. Comis at, Andæo quæ dat clarescere pago Umbra adeo, ut cunctis hoc Mantua præferat unum, |
and countercourse, it crossed those paths the sun ignites when those in Rome can see it set between the Corsicans and the Sardinians. That gracious shade for whom Pietola won more renown than any Mantuan town, |
| 80 | Ponderibus positis, quibus illum sæpe gravaram, Ibat. Ego, cui jam rerum manifesta patebat Scitanti ratio, collecta messe, quietus, Ut qui desipiunt summo torpore premente, Ibam, ast ista mihi est nubes ablata veterni |
had freed me from the weight of doubt I bore ; so that I, having harvested his clear and open answers to my questions, stood like one who, nearing sleep, has random visions. But readiness for sleep was suddenly |
| 85 | Ilico, ubi advenit populus post nostra volutus Terga occursurus. Qualemque Ismenus et amnis Asopus noctu vidit matrumque virumque Effusam cursu turbam numeroque frequentem Dummodo Thebani Lenæi patris egerent ; |
taken from me by people who, behind our backs, already turned in our direction. Just as — of old — Ismenus and Asopus, at night, along their banks, saw crowds and clamor whenever Thebans had to summon Bacchus, |
| 90 | Talia falcato lustrabant agmina circlum Hunc passu, quæ, prout vidi venientium in ore, Mens bona, justus amor cursum celerare jubebant. Advenere cito, namque ingens illa caterva Ibat præcipitante gradu, binæque præibant |
such was the arching crowd that curved around that circle, driven on, as I made out, by righteous will as well as by just love. Soon all that mighty throng drew near us, for they ran and ran ; and two, in front of them, |
| 95 | Effusæ in lacrimas clamantes altius umbræ : « Et Maria ad montem studio properante cucurrit, Et Cæsar cupiens urbem sibi subdere Ilerdam, Massiliam pupugit, dein cursu irrupit in oram Hispanam. » « Actutum, actutum, nec abire sinamus |
who wept, were crying : “In her journey, Mary made haste to reach the mountain, and, in order to conquer Lerida, first Caesar thrust against Marseilles, and then to Spain he rushed.” Following them, the others cried : “Quick, quick, |
| 100 | Punctum horæ incassum culpa frigentis amoris », Retro clamabant alii, « ut revirescere posse Gratia det studio bene, per benefacta, merendi. » « O gens, quam forsan nunc urget fervor acutus, Corrigere hortatus torporis damna moræque, |
lest time be lost through insufficient love ; where urge for good is keen, grace finds new green.” “O people in whom eager fervor now may compensate for sloth and negligence |
| 105 | Quæ vos detinuit minus ad pia facta calentes : Hic, qui vivit adhuc (et certe fallere lingua Non ego vos ausim), vult ultra scandere, dum sol Lucescat nobis. Quapropter dicite, quorsum Est aditus propior. » Sic dux est ore locutus. |
you showed in doing good half-heartedly, he — who’s alive, and surely I don’t lie to you — would climb above as soon as he has seen the sun shed light on us again ; then, tell us where the passage lies at hand.” My guide said this. One of the souls replied : |
| 110 | Atque una ex illis umbris : « Vestigia », dixit, « Nostra lĕge inveniesque cavum. Nos tanta voluntas Incitat ad cursum, ut non sit cessare facultas. Quare da veniam, si injurius esse videbor, Munere dum fungor justo. Mihi vita peracta est |
“Come, follow us, and you will find the gap. We are so fully anxious to advance — we cannot halt ; and do forgive us, should you take our penance for discourtesy. |
| 115 | Veronæ, et divi ZENONIS in ædibus abbas Degi, BARBAROSSA bonus quum regna tenebat, Quem Mediolanum memorat multo haud sine fletu. Atque oram fossæ quidam pede jam subit uno, Illud cœnobium cito defleturus, et ipsum |
I was St. Zeno’s abbot in Verona under the rule of valiant Barbarossa, of whom Milan still speaks with so much sorrow. And there is one with one foot in the grave, who soon will weep over that monastery, |
| 120 | Pænituisse sui regni mors sera docebit. Namque suam is prolem integram male corpore, mente Pejus, quæ mala nata fuit, pastore repulso Vero, supposuit. » Non ausim dicere, an ultra Sit fatus, vocemne hic presserit ; inde volarat |
lamenting that he once had power there, because, in place of its true shepherd, he put one who was unsound of body and, still more, of mind, and born in sin — his son.” I don’t know if he said more or was silent — |
| 125 | Tam citus a nobis. Sed ego hæc eadem auribus hausi, Et placuit retinere mihi. At dux : « Respice et illic Contemplare duos, qui incessant morsibus illos, Quos norunt tepidos. » Cunctos post terga secuti Dicebant : « Rubri patuit queis æquoris unda, |
he had already raced so far beyond us ; but I heard this much and was pleased to hear it. And he who was my help in every need said : “Turn around : see those two coming — they whose words mock sloth.” And I heard those two say behind all of the rest : “The ones for whom |
| 130 | Cunctos exstinxit mors præcipitata, priusquam Heredes proprios Jordanis ripa videret. Et longo Æneæ defungi turba labore Indocilis, vitam in tenebris sine nomine traxit. » Ast ubi tam procul a nobis tulit impetus illa |
the sea parted were dead before the Jordan saw those who had inherited its lands ; and those who did not suffer trials until the end together with Anchises’ son gave themselves up to life without renown.” Then, when those shades were so far off from us |
| 135 | Agmina, ut haud oculi possent servare sequentes, Cura meæ menti occurrit nova, deinde recurrit Altera, deinde aliæ varia sub imagine rerum ; Tamque diu nunc sum huc, nunc illuc mente vagatus, Lumina ut in somnum mihi declinare voluntas |
that seeing them became impossible, a new thought rose inside of me and, from that thought, still others — many and diverse — were born : I was so drawn from random thought to thought that, wandering in mind, I shut |
| 140 | Suaserit et tales mutare in somnia curas. | my eyes, transforming thought on thought to dream. |
| PURGATORII XIX {19} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Tempus erat, quum frigus adhuc lunare diurna Aura fovere nequit, terra vel sidere sæpe Saturni victa, et Geomantes surgere ab oris Majorem Eois fortunam, aurora priusquam |
In that hour when the heat of day, defeated by Earth and, sometimes, Saturn, can no longer warm up the moon — sent cold, when geomancers can, in the east, see their Fortuna major |
| 5 | Exierit thalamo, prospectant calle potitam Indocili nigrare diu ; quum femina balba Affuit in somnis, oculos transversa tuentes Visa movere, supraque pedes distorta manusque Trunca ambas, atque os ceræ suffusa colore. |
rising before the dawn along a path that will be darkened for it only briefly — a stammering woman came to me in dream ; her eyes askew, and crooked on her feet, her hands were crippled, her complexion sallow. |
| 10 | Hanc ego spectabam, ac veluti sol frigida membra Nocte gravata solet recreare : ita solvere linguæ Nodos hinc dederam obtutu, et mox corpore toto Tollere se arrectam atque expertia sanguinis ora Fœda colorabam, ut dominæ voluisset amator. |
I looked at her ; and just as sun revives cold limbs that night made numb, so did my gaze loosen her tongue and then, in little time, set her contorted limbs in perfect order ; and, with the coloring that love prefers, my eyes transformed the wanness of her features. |
| 15 | Atque ubi sic lingua potuit garrire soluta, Tales illa sonos modulari cœpit, ut ægre Inde aures mentemque intentam flectere quissem. « En ego sum, » cantabat, « ego, dulcissima Siren, Quæ pelago in medio possum deducere cursu |
And when her speech had been set free, then she began to sing so, that it would have been most difficult for me to turn aside. “I am,” she sang, “I am the pleasing siren, who in midsea leads mariners astray — |
| 20 | Nautas ; tanta meo manans ex ore voluptas Sensibus insinuat. Traxi modulamine Ulyxem Errore e longo, et, mecum qui convenit usu, Raro abit, usque adeo plenus manet. » Ore profari Nondum desierat, cum femina sancta citato |
there is so much delight in hearing me. I turned aside Ulysses, although he had longed to journey ; who grows used to me seldom departs — I satisfy him so.” Her lips were not yet done when, there beside me, a woman showed herself, alert and saintly, |
| 25 | Me propter venit gressu, ut demitteret illam Confusam. « Andæe, o Andæe, ecqua ista ? » feroci Clamabat vultu, isque aderat, qui fixa tenebat Lumina in alterīus vultum, quæ incedere honesta Visa erat. Hæc illam comprendere, scindere apertæ |
to cast the siren into much confusion. “O Virgil, Virgil, tell me : who is this?” she asked most scornfully ; and he came forward, his eyes intent upon that honest one. He seized the other, baring her in front, |
| 30 | Anterius pannos monstrique ostendere ventrem. Atque hic fœtenti, quem circum halabat, odore Mi somnum excussit. Quum lumina circumferrem, En bonus Andæus : « Te », dixit, « voce vocavi Ter saltem, surge atque veni ; invenienda petiti |
tearing her clothes, and showing me her belly ; the stench that came from there awakened me. I moved my eyes, and my good master cried ; “At least three times I’ve called you. Rise and come ; let’s find the opening where you may enter.” |
| 35 | Est porta ingressus. » Tunc nītens membra levavi. Alta dies cunctos complerat lumine sacri Montis circuitus, et erat sub sole recenti Ad renes iter amborum. Hunc ego pone secutus Fronte incedebam, qualis qui pondere pressam |
I rose ; the daylight had already filled the circles of the sacred mountain — we were journeying with new sun at our back. I followed him, bearing my brow like one whose thoughts have weighed him down, who bends as if |
| 40 | Curarum hanc gestat, pontis falcatus in arcum Dimidium, mihi quum vox exaudita : « Venite, Transitus est istic », — ita dulce et come locuta, Qualem hac mortali nemo unquam audivit in ora. Expansis cigni candorem imitantibus alis, |
he were the semiarch that forms a bridge, and then I heard : “Draw near ; the pass is here,” said in a manner so benign and gentle as, in our mortal land, one cannot hear. He who addressed us so had open wings, |
| 45 | Ad se nos vertit, qui sic est ore profatus, Stans supra summum defensæ pariete utrimque Marmoreæ scalæ, dein plumas movit, et aura Ambos afflavit, « Qui lugent esse beatos », Testatus ; nam animos jam libertate fruentes |
white as a swan’s ; and he directed us upward, between two walls of the hard rock. And then he moved his plumes and, fanning us, affirmed that those “Qui lugent” would be blessed — their souls would be possessed of consolation. |
| 50 | Copia solandi his dabitur. — Dux talibus infit : « Quid tibi, adhuc immota solo qui lumina figis, Quum procul haud absit, qui nos super imminet ales ? » Huic ego : « Tanta animum suspendit cura novello Percussum ostento, quod me flectitque trahitque |
“What makes you keep your eyes upon the ground?” my guide began to say to me when both of us had climbed a little, past the angel. And I: “What makes me move with such misgiving is a new vision : it has so beguiled me |
| 55 | Ad se, ut non usquam hunc possim deflectere ab isto. » « Illius antiquæ lamiæ an tibi contigit ora Cernere, » ait, « quæ sola dolet jam nos super astans ? Vidistin’, ut vir sese dissolvat ab ista ? Sit satis, acceleraque gradus et suspice signum, |
that I cannot relinquish thoughts of it.” “The one you saw,” he said, “that ancient witch — for her alone one must atone above ; you saw how man can free himself from her. Let that suffice, and hurry on your way ; fasten your eyes upon the lure that’s spun |
| 60 | Quod rex æternus magno circum rotat orbe. » Qualis qui falco prius insistebat, utrisque Innixus pedibus, qua clamor venit ad aures, Vertit se arrectum et protendit corpore toto, Tantus amor dapis est, trahit istum tanta cupido : |
by the eternal King with His great spheres.” Just like a falcon, who at first looks down, then, when the falconer has called, bends forward, craving the food that’s ready for him there, |
| 65 | Talis factus eram et talis, quoad finditur alta, Quæ dat iter rupes scandentibus, ire studebam, Usque ad quam potui manibus prensare coronam. In quintum ut data porta fuit venientibus orbem, Hinc illinc vidi fusam lacrimasque cientem, |
so I became — and so remained until, through the cleft rock that lets one climb above, I reached the point at which the circle starts. When I was in the clearing, the fifth level, my eyes discovered people there who wept, |
| 70 | Impressam ora solo plebem. Hæc vox omnibus una : « Hæsi anima in terra », singultibus interrupta Sic, ut vix possem flentum captare querelas. « O animæ electæ, queis dant lenire dolores Justitia et spes juncta simul, sublimia montis |
lying upon the ground, all turned face down. “Adhaesit pavimento anima mea,” I heard them say with sighs so deep that it was hard to comprehend the words they spoke. “O God’s elect, whose sufferings both hope and justice make less difficult, direct |
| 75 | Unde sit ascensu nobis superare, docete ! » « Huc si venistis, securus uterque jacendi, Et vos fert animus breviorem carpere callem, Dextra legat vobis extremas marginis oras. » Prex fuerat vatis, paulo nos ante fuere |
us to the stairway meant for our ascent.” “If you come here but do not need to be prostrate, and you would find the path most quickly, then keep your right hand always to the outside.” So did the poet ask, so did reply |
| 80 | Reddita responsa hæc. Quare verba ista locutum, Quid reliqui lateat, plane ignorare putavi : Atque hic luminibus quæsivi lumina nostri Et ducis et domini. Lætus tunc annuit ille, Ut desiderium explerem, quod in ore ferebam. |
come from a little way ahead ; hence I thought the speaker of those words did not at all know that nothing else could be seen. I turned my eyes to find my master’s eyes ; at this, with a glad sign, he ratified what I had asked for with my eager eyes. |
| 85 | Libertas mihi quum patuit, fuit ardor adire Illum, quem voces prius effecere notandum. « O cujus lacrimæ id dant maturare, » rogavi, « Quo sine supremum patrem reperire potestas Non est, majorem me propter siste parumper |
When, free to do as I had wanted to, I moved ahead and bent over that soul whose words — before — had made me notice him, saying : “Spirit, within whom weeping ripens that without which there’s no return to God, suspend awhile — for me — your greater care. |
| 90 | Curam. Quis fueris, narra, et cur dorsa feratis Conversa ad cælum, et si me impetrare rogando Illius inde loci quicquam tibi forte præoptas, Unde huc vivus adhuc vero cum corpore veni. » Isque mihi : « Disces, cur ad se vertat Olympus, |
Tell me : Who were you? And why are your backs turned up? And there — where I, alive, set out — would you have me beseech some good for you?” And he to me : “Why Heaven turns our backs |
| 95 | Quod post nos gerimus, sed primum id scito, fuisse Me successorem Petri. Se immittit in agros Sestrim Claveriumque inter pulchrum agmen aquarum, Atque sibi titulam mea gens a nomine ducit Hujus, quod titulis nostris est culminis instar. |
against itself, you are to know ; but first scias quod ego fui successor Petri. Between Sestri and Chiavari descends a handsome river ; and its name is set upon the upper portion of my crest. |
| 100 | Unus iter mensis confecerat, et nova luna Vix bene prodierat, quum sensi, quam gravet illum Pontificale decus, qui limi immune tueri Hoc studet, et præ isto quantumvis pondus habendum Pro pluma. Doleo, me pænituisse meorum |
For one month and a little more I learned how the great mantle weighs on him who’d keep it out of the mire — all other weights seem feathers. Alas, how tardy my conversion was! |
| 105 | Serius — heu ! — morum. At simulac mihi contigit uti Munere Romani Pastoris, cœpit inanis Vita patere mihi : didici non posse quiete Illic corda frui, non ultra tendere cursum Esse datum vestræ conclusis limite vitæ ; |
But when I had been named the Roman shepherd, then I discovered the deceit of life. I saw that there the heart was not at rest, nor could I, in that life, ascend more high ; |
| 110 | Quare hujus me cepit amor. Hic terminus hæsit, Huc usque infelix superis semota Deoque Hæc anima erravit misere, rerum omnium avara ; Nunc, ut et ipse vides, hic cogor pendĕre pœnam. Hic quid avarities faciat, pœna indicat illas |
so that, in me, love for this life was kindled. Until that point I was a squalid soul, from God divided, wholly avaricious ; now, as you see, I’m punished here for that. What avarice enacts is here declared |
| 115 | Expurgans animas, quas pænituisse dolendo Constat, nec totus tormentum atrocius isto Mons habet ; et sicut non sese arrexit in altum Nostra acies, defixa solo, sic numinis ira Justa hanc in terra mersit. Quo more bonorum |
in the purgation of converted souls ; the mountain has no punishment more bitter. Just as we did not lift our eyes on high but set our sight on earthly things instead, so justice here impels our eyes toward earth. |
| 120 | Auri dira fames cunctorum exstinxit amorem, Unde labor fusus frustra perit, hoc tenet æquus Judex captivos plantasque manusque revinctos Nos hic ; quamque diu fert regem justa libido, Tam nos immoti ac protensi stare jubemur. » |
As avarice annulled in us the love of any other good, and thus we lost our chance for righteous works, so justice here fetters our hands and feet and holds us captive ; and for as long as it may please our just Lord, here we’ll be outstretched and motionless.” |
| 125 | Poplite constiteram flexo farique paratus ; At simulac cœpi, atque is tantum senserat aure A me hoc obsequium : « Quæ », inquit, « te causa volutum Affixit terræ ? » — « Majestas vestra gradusque Supremus mentem, quæ recti est conscia, morsu |
I’d kneeled, wishing to speak : but just as I began — and through my voice alone — he sensed that I had meant to do him reverence. “What reason makes you bend your body so?” he said. And I to him : “Your dignity made conscience sting me as I stood erect.” |
| 130 | Impulerant », dixi. — « Crura erige, surgito, frater ! » Respondit. « Ne erra, tecum conservus et ipse Sum mistusque aliis, quibus imperat una potestas, Matthæi si unquam sententia venit ad aures Sancta tuas : ‹ Quæ nec nubent ›, » ait, « ipse videbis |
“Brother, straighten your legs ; rise up!" he answered. “Don't be mistaken ; I, with you and others, am but a fellow-servant of one Power. If you have ever understood the holy sound of the Gospel that says ‘Neque nubent,’ |
| 135 | Sat nitide, cur ista loquar. Modo perge, morantem Non ego te ulterius patiar, me namque morando Turbas fundentem lacrimas, quibus illa laboro Ut mihi mutarem, quæ ego te dixisse recordor. Inde nepos est nata mihi. Huic ALAIA nomen, |
then you will see why I have spoken so. Now go your way : I’d not have you stop longer ; your staying here disturbs my lamentations, the tears that help me ripen what you mentioned. Beyond, I have a niece whose name’s Alagia ; |
| 140 | Quæ bona natura est, dum ipsam corrumpere vitent Turpibus exemplis prognati sanguine nostro. Hæc mihi apud vestros post mortem est sola superstes. » |
she in herself is good, as long as our house, by example, brings her not to evil ; and she alone is left to me beyond.” |
| PURGATORII XX {20} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Optanti melius curæ male cura repugnat ; Nostra ideo ingratis huic gratificata voluptas Spongiam aqua haud saturam extraxit. Sic inde recessi, Incessuque meus ductor loca libera legit, |
Against a better will, the will fights weakly ; therefore, to please him, though against my pleasure, I drew my unquenched sponge out of the water. I moved on, and my guide moved through the un- |
| 5 | Usque oram stringens, angusta ut mœnia obire est Radendo pinnas ; nam guttas turba refundens Ora per atque oculos labis, quæ distinet orbem Totum, parte alia stratis nimis artubus exstat. O antiqua, tibi male sit, lupa, quæ acrius instas |
encumbered space, hugging the rock, as one walks on a wall, close to the battlements ; for those whose eyes would melt down, drop by drop, the evil that possesses all the world, were too close to the edge, on the far side. May you be damned, o ancient wolf, whose power |
| 10 | Prædæ, quam quævis aliarum turba ferarum, Indomiti ob rabiem ventris sine fine profundam ! O cælum, cujus mutari turbine sortes Hic dicunt, quando adveniet, quem propter abire Hæc properet ? — Nos interea procedere lentis |
can claim more prey than all the other beasts — your hungering is deep and never-ending! O heavens, through whose revolutions many think things on earth are changed, when will he come — the one whose works will drive that wolf away? Our steps were short and slow as we moved on ; |
| 15 | Passibus ac parcis, et ego circumspicere umbras, Quas lugere pie audieram atque effundere questus ; Et forte audivi clamari : « O alma Maria ! » Præ me cum gemitu multo, quo femina prolem Enixura novam solet, atque hæc insuper addi : |
I was attentive to the shades ; I heard the sorrow in their tears and lamentations. Then I, by chance, heard one ahead of us crying in his lament, “Sweet Mary,” as a woman would outcry in labor pains. |
| 20 | « Tantum pauper eras, quantum esset discere in illo Hospitio, divina tui posita est ubi sarcina ventris. » « FABRICII o mens casta boni, » vox altera dixit, « Tu paupertatem voluisti fœdere junctam Virtuti, potius quam turpi crimine habere |
And he continued : “In that hostel where you had set down your holy burden, there one can discover just how poor you were.” Following this I heard : “O good Fabricius, you chose, as your possessions, indigence with virtue rather than much wealth with vice.” |
| 25 | Divitias multas. » — Sic mi placuere loquelæ Istæ, ut progrederer passu, ne nescius essem Illius, unde sonum vocis venisse putabam. Ast ea præterea celebrabat, fundere largam NICOLEI dextram teneris servasse pudorem |
These words had been so pleasing to me — I moved forward, so that I might come to know the spirit from whom they had seemed to come. He kept on speaking, telling the largesse of Nicholas — the gifts he gave the maidens |
| 30 | Virginibus, vitam suadentis vivere honestam. « O quæ tam pulchris sermonibus uteris, » inquam, « Dic mihi, quæ fueris, dic, cur tu sola retexas Tam dignas laudes ; neque enim fraudata manebis Mercede, hæc fando, reduci si explere licebit |
so that they might be honorably wed. “O soul who speaks of so much righteousness, do tell me who you were,” I said, “and why just you alone renew these seemly praises. Your speaking to me will not go unthanked |
| 35 | Hujus mi breve iter vitæ, quæ ad funeris horam Præcipitans volat extremam. » — Hæc mihi talia contra : « Non quod ego quicquam maneam solaminis inde, Dicam, at quod tanta donat te gratia luce, Ante extrema tibi quam vitam abscinderet ætas. |
when I return to finish the short span of that life which now hurries toward its end.” And he : “I'll tell you — not because I hope for solace from your world, but for such grace as shines in you before your death’s arrived. |
| 40 | Radices male nata meo de stipite planta Traxit, Christiadum quæ cunctis officit umbra Terris, ut raro lætum sit carpere fructum. At si quid Liloa Brugæque ac cetera possent Oppida capta manu hostili, mox afforet ultor ; |
I was the root of the obnoxious plant that overshadows all the Christian lands, so that fine fruit can rarely rise from them. But if Douai and Lille and Bruges and Ghent had power, they would soon take vengeance on it ; |
| 45 | Quod regem posco, qui cunctos judicat æquus. Nomen apud vestros HUGO CAPETUS habebam ; Ex me sunt orti, qui regnavere, PHILIPPI, Et qui nuper ALOYSII sub nomine regnant. Ipse Parisiaco lanio prognatus in auras |
and this I beg of Him who judges all. The name I bore beyond was Hugh Capet ; of me were born the Louises and Philips by whom France has been ruled most recently. I was the son of a Parisian butcher. |
| 50 | Luminis exivi, antiqui quo tempore reges Defluxere omnes, excepto qui induit artus Obscurum cineris panno referente colorem, Inque mea bene firma manu me frena tenentem Imperii vidi, ac tanta me mole potitum |
When all the line of ancient kings was done and only one — a monk in gray — survived, I found the reins that ruled the kingdom tight within my hands, and I held so much new — |
| 55 | Partarum nuper rerum, et, quod præstat, amicis, Ut capiti nati viduatum principe sertum Impositum fuerit nostri, atque ex ossibus hujus Principium traxere suum istorum ossa sacrata. Sanguinis opprobrium donec non abstulit ingens |
gained power and possessed so many friends that, to the widowed crown, my own son’s head was elevated, and from him began the consecrated bones of all those kings. Until the giant dowry of Provence removed all sense of shame within my house, |
| 60 | Dos Narbonensis nostri, minus ille valebat ; Sed nec erat tamen ille nocens. Vi fraudeque prædam Inde est ille suam aggressus ; dein, tristia facta Emendaturus, Pontes Normanaque cepit Oppida, quosque colunt peregrini Vascones agros. |
my line was not worth much, but did no wrong. There its rapine began with lies and force ; and then it seized — that it might make amends — Ponthieu and Normandy and Gascony. |
| 65 | CAROLUS Italiam irrupit nece CONRADINI Emendaturus, dein THOMAM ad astra retrusit, Emendaturus. Non multum tempus abesse Post istud video, quum emerget CAROLUS alter Ex Gallis, melius testatus seque suosque. |
Charles came to Italy and, for amends, made Conradin a victim, and then thrust back Thomas into Heaven, for amends. I see a time — not too far off — in which another Charles advances out of France to make himself and his descendants famous. |
| 70 | Absque armis exit solus, tela illa reportans, Queis depugnavit Judas, mucrone potitus, Quo Florentinæ ventrem disrumperet urbi. Hic sibi non terram lucrabitur, at male factum, Et probrum : istud eo gravius, quo infamia damnis |
He does not carry weapons when he comes, only the lance that Judas tilted ; this he couches so — he twists the paunch of Florence. From this he’ll gain not land, just shame and sin, which will be all the heavier for him |
| 75 | Illi pensatur levior. Mihi cernere frontem Alterīus videor, qui captus navibus exit, Deinde suam vendit natam pretiumque pacisci Non fugit, abductas quo prædo more puellas Mancipat. — O auri dira, exsecranda cupido, |
as he would reckon lightly such disgrace. The other, who once left his ship as prisoner — I see him sell his daughter, bargaining as pirates haggle over female slaves. O avarice, my house is now your captive ; |
| 80 | Quid tibi jam restat conandum, ubi sanguine nostro Ad te traxisti genitos sic acriter actos, Ut jam nulla suæ carnis sit cura tuendæ ? Utque minus male facta futuraque pensitet ætas, Lilium Anagninas video pervadere ad Arces |
it traffics in the flesh of its own children — what more is left for you to do to us? That past and future evil may seem less, I see the fleur-de-lis enter Anagni |
| 85 | Inque illo, hic Christi qui munere fungitur, ipsum Comprendi Christum, derisum rursus, acetum Et fel huic video renovatum, interque latrones Viventes hunc occisum. — Novus ecce Pilatus Tam ferus, ut nondum abscedat satiatus, et absque |
and, in His vicar, Christ made prisoner. I see Him mocked a second time ; I see the vinegar and gall renewed — and He is slain between two thieves who're still alive. And I see the new Pilate, one so cruel |
| 90 | Decreto desiderii jam carbasa in ædes Infert sacratas. O cæli æterna potestas, Quando erit, ut detur læto mihi cernere vultu Ultam justitiam, quæ, quo est magis abdita, tanto Dulcius ulcisci reputat, quod pectore condit. |
that, still not sated, he, without decree, carries his greedy sails into the Temple. O You, my Lord, when will You let me be happy on seeing vengeance that, concealed, makes sweet Your anger in Your secrecy? |
| 95 | Quod mihi suadebat modo fari illa unica sponsa Flaminis æterni, et quod tu quæsisse rogantem Sensi, nunc pandam, detracta nube, videndum. Tam dudum nostris precibus conceditur uti Cunctis, quam dudum lucet ; sed nocte cadente, |
What I have said about the only bride the Holy Ghost has known, the words that made you turn to me for commentary — these words serve as answer to our prayers as long as it is day ; but when night falls, then we |
| 100 | Tum vice mutata vox huic contraria voci Usurpanda venit. Tunc PYGMALIONA citamus, Qui fuit, argenti stimulante cupidine et auri, Proditor et prædo et cognati cæde cruentus. Et MIDÆ avaritiem miseram, sua damna secutam |
recite examples that are contrary. Then we tell over how Pygmalion, out of his greedy lust for gold, became a thief and traitor and a parricide ; the wretchedness of avaricious Midas, |
| 105 | Ingluviem ob diram, quæ risus usque futura Materia est multis. Tum quisquis nomen ACHANI Insani memorat, furtim spolia ampla potiti, Ut quoque nunc contra videatur percitus ira JOSUE bacchari. Dein cum consorte SAPHIRA |
resulting from his ravenous request, the consequence that always makes men laugh ; and each of us recalls the foolish Achan — how he had robbed the spoils, so that the anger of Joshua still seems to sting him here. Then we accuse Sapphira and her husband ; |
| 110 | Arguitur. Canimus sub calcibus HELIODORUM Semianimum. Hunc totum circa POLYNESTORIS implet Opprobrium montem, per quem POLYDORUS ad umbras Descendit. Tandem compellant nomine CRASSUM : ‹ Dic nobis, quoniam meministi, quid sapit aurum ? › |
we praise the kicks Heliodorus suffered ; and Polymnestor, who killed Polydorus, resounds, in infamy, round all this mountain ; and finally, what we cry here is : ‘Crassus, tell us, because you know : How does gold taste?’ |
| 115 | Elata interdum, pressa modo voce solemus Hæc fari, ut stimulis hortatur quemque libido, Nunc celerare magis, nunc lentis passibus uti. Quare per lucem, mihi quæ bene dicere fas est, Non usurpabam solus ; verum hæc loca propter |
At times one speaks aloud, another low, according to the sentiment that goads us now to be more swift and now more slow ; thus, I was not alone in speaking of the good we cite by day, but here nearby |
| 120 | Nemo alius fuerat, qui mallet tollere vocem. » Nos hinc digressos ardor superare jubebat, Ut vires animusque dabant, iter. Hic mihi visus Intremere est totus, quadam ceu mole ruente, Mons, et diriguere gelu mihi pallida membra, |
no other spirit raised his voice as high.” We had already taken leave of him and were already struggling to advance along that road as far as we were able, when I could feel the mountain tremble like a falling thing ; at which a chill seized me |
| 125 | Ut quem mors subeunda manet tortore trahente. Haud certe est tanto concussa tremore, priusquam Latonæ nidum præberet candida Delos, Ederet illa uno ut partu duo lumina cæli. Dein exaudiri sonus undique circumfusus |
as cold grips one who goes to meet his death. Delos had surely not been buffeted so hard before Latona planted there the nest in which to bear the sky’s two eyes. Then such a shout rose up on every side |
| 130 | Tantus, ut accedens lateri sit talia fatus Doctor : « Me ductore tui, timor omnis abesto. » « Gloria in excelsis », cuncti una voce canentes Concrepuere, « Deo ! » quoad stans prope verba notavi. At nos immoti suspensique ora tenere, |
that, drawing near to me, my master said ; “Don't be afraid, as long as I’m your guide.” “Gloria in excelsis Deo,” they all cried — so did I understand from those nearby, whose shouted words were able to be heard. |
| 135 | Sicut pastores quum primum perculit aures Hic cantus, donec cantu tremor ille peracto Destitit. Hic pariter nostrum nos rursus inimus Sanctum iter atque solo fusas aspeximus umbras, In fletus iterum versas. Inscitia nulla |
Just like the shepherds who first heard that song, we stood, but did not move, in expectation, until the trembling stopped, the song was done. Then we took up again our holy path, watching the shades who lay along the ground, who had resumed their customary tears. My ignorance has never struggled so, |
| 140 | Me tanto afflixit cupidum rem discere bello, Ni memorans erro, quanto tunc sum mihi visus Frangi volventi ; duce quod properante rogare Nequaquam ausus eram, nec per me noscere quibam. Sic ibam timidus, mentisque exercitus æstu. |
has never made me long so much to know — if memory does not mislead me now — as it seemed then to long within my thoughts ; nor did I dare to ask — we were so rushed ; nor, by myself, could I discern the cause. So, timid, pensive, I pursued my way. |
| PURGATORII XXI {21} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ingenerata sĭtis, nunquam satiata recedens, Si fraudetur aqua, qualem Samaritis avebat Hoc orans donum, me istinc cruciabat, et illinc Me festinandi studium stimulabat euntem, |
The natural thirst that never can be quenched except by water that gives grace — the draught the simple woman of Samaria sought — tormented me ; haste spurred me on the path |
| 5 | lmplicitum per iter ductorem pone secutum, Et juste ultarum miserebat corde dolentem. Atque ecce, ut Lucas redivivum fauce sepulcri Egressum scribit sese ostendisse videndum, Inque via sese comitem junxisse duobus |
crowded with souls, behind my guide ; and I felt pity, though their pain was justified. And here — even as Luke records for us that Christ, new-risen from his burial cave, appeared to two along his way — a shade |
| 10 | Discipulis Christum, post terga advenerat umbra, Sub pedibus turbam stans contemplata jacentem ; Sed neuter sensit, quæ sic prior ora resolvit : « Sic vos, dante Deo, faciat pax alma beatos, O fratres ! » — Oculis subito respeximus ambo, |
appeared ; and he advanced behind our backs while we were careful not to trample on the outstretched crowd. We did not notice him until he had addressed us with : “God give you, o my brothers, peace!” We turned at once ; |
| 15 | Inque vicem, ut decuit, vates hoc annuit illi. Dein sic : « Te ad pacem verax trahat aula supernam, Quæ procul exilio me tempus in omne relēgat. » Quæ dixit : « Cur ardor agit vos præpete passu, Umbræ quum sitis, quas dedignatus Olympus |
then, after offering suitable response, Virgil began : “And may that just tribunal which has consigned me to eternal exile place you in peace within the blessed assembly!” “What!” he exclaimed, as we moved forward quickly. “If God’s not deemed you worthy of ascent, |
| 20 | Urbe sua prohibet ? Quis dux conscendere scalas Huc usque in cælum docuit ? » Cui talia doctor : « Si tu, quas gerit iste, notas, quasque eximit ales De Superis, spectes, hunc arcessura videbis Regna parata bonis. Sed quum haud deduxerit illi |
who’s guided you so far along His stairs?” “If you observe the signs the angel traced upon this man,” my teacher said, “you'll see plainly — he’s meant to reign with all the righteous ; |
| 25 | Omne colo pensum, quæ net noctesque diesque, Quod Clotho imponit cuique et disponere curat, Hujus vita animæ, mihi quam scis esse sororem Atque tibi, minus ascensu huc accedere quibat Sola, haud apta oculis umbrarum more tueri. |
but since she who spins night and day had not yet spun the spool that Clotho sets upon the distaff and adjusts for everyone, his soul, the sister of your soul and mine, in its ascent, could not — alone — have climbed here, for it does not see the way we see. |
| 30 | Idcirco magnis excitus faucibus Orci Huc veni, jussus monstrare, quod ipse paratus Illi monstrabo, prout dat schola ducere nostra. At dic, si nosti, quianam paulo ante tremore Mons est concussus tanto, ut, quas alluit æquor, |
Therefore, I was brought forth from Hell’s broad jaws to guide him in his going ; I shall lead him just as far as where I teach can reach. But tell me, if you can, why, just before, the mountain shook and shouted, all of it — |
| 35 | Usque ad radices hic voce immugiat una ? » Dux desiderii rimam, simul ista rogavit, Vestigasse mei sic est mihi visus, ut unda Facta minus defecta sĭtis contenta maneret Spe tantum. Is cœpit : « Nil, quod non postulet ordo, |
for so it seemed — down to its sea-bathed shore.” His question threaded so the needle’s eye of my desire that just the hope alone of knowing left my thirst more satisfied. That other shade began : “The sanctity |
| 40 | Sentit religio montis, vel non ferat usus. Cuncta hic perpetuo novitatis nescia motu, Libera volvuntur, nec quicquam accedere causæ Hic aliud possit, præter quam magnus Olympus In se a se recipit. Quare non imber aquosus, |
of these slopes does not suffer anything that’s without order or uncustomary. This place is free from every perturbation ; what heaven from itself and in itself receives may serve as cause here — no thing else. |
| 45 | Non grando, non nix, non ros, non cana pruina Plus fertur sursum, quam surgere scala det illa, Triplice quæ est finita gradu : nec nubila densa Rarave, nec fulgur, nec picta coloribus Iris, Quæ solita est vestro sedem mutare sub axe, |
Therefore, no rain, no hail, no snow, no dew, no hoarfrost falls here any higher than the stairs of entry with their three brief steps ; neither thick clouds nor thin appear, nor flash of lightning ; Thaumas’ daughter, who so often shifts places in your world, is absent here. |
| 50 | Non siccus vapor ulterius, quam linea surgit De gradibus suprema tribus, quos ante loquebar, Cui vicibus fungens Petri super insidet ales. Inferius modicum aut valde fortasse tremiscit ; At propter ventum, quem tellus ima recondit, |
Dry vapor cannot climb up any higher than to the top of the three steps of which I spoke — where Peter’s vicar plants his feet. Below that point, there may be small or ample tremors ; but here above, I know not why, |
| 55 | Nescio quo pacto, hic nunquam tremefacta remugit Tellus. Hic tremor est, si quando aliqua eluit omnem Labem anima, atque sibi quando evasisse videtur Sic pura, ut surgat vel motu tendat in altum, Mugitumque istum clamoremque ipsa secundat. |
no wind concealed in earth has ever caused a tremor ; for it only trembles here when some soul feels it’s cleansed, so that it rises or stirs to climb on high ; and that shout follows. |
| 60 | Munditiæ testis monet istud sole voluntas, Libertate fruens quæ plena, quærere certa Diversas sedes, animam occupat et juvat ipsam, Ut velit. Ante quidem hæc vult ; sed non exuit illam Mentem, quam justus judex huic induit æque, |
The will alone is proof of purity and, fully free, surprises soul into a change of dwelling place — effectively. Soul had the will to climb before, but that will was opposed by longing to do penance |
| 65 | Ut delinquere, ita et fugienti haud pendĕre pœnas. Sic mihi, qui jacui tanto mærore gravatus Plus quam quingentos annos, modo nata voluntas Libera persuasit melius conquirere limen. Hinc exauditus tremor est, animæque piorum |
(as once, to sin), instilled by divine justice. And I, who have lain in this suffering five hundred years and more, just now have felt my free will for a better threshold : thus, you heard the earthquake and the pious spirits |
| 70 | Undique per montem justas expendere laudes Rerum illi domino, qui mox det scandere ad astra. » Sic ait ; et quoniam quanto plus unda sititur, Potanti tanto jucundius allevat æstum, Dicere nescirem, quantum hoc me juverit in re. |
throughout the mountain as they praised the Lord — and may He send them speedily upward.” So did he speak to us ; and just as joy is greater when we quench a greater thirst, the joy he brought cannot be told in words. |
| 75 | At doctor sophus : « Hic rursus jam retia disco, Quæ vos hic capiunt, quaque hinc elabier arte Mos est, unde tremor, quid congaudere soletis. Nunc tu ne pigeat, qui sis, mihi dicere, quaque Causa istic fueris jussus jacuisse tot annos, |
And my wise guide : “I now can see the net impeding you, how one slips through, and why it quakes here, and what makes you all rejoice. And now may it please you to tell me who you were, and in your words may I find why you’ve lain here for so many centuries.” |
| 80 | Me tua verba tuum faciant. » — « Quo tempore mitis », Incipit ille, « Titus, supremo rege juvante, Est ultus sacro manantes sanguine plāgas, Quem pretio est pactus Judas, ego nomine clarus, Quod mage perdurat, majore et ditat honore, |
“In that age when the worthy Titus, with help from the Highest King, avenged the wounds from which the blood that Judas sold had flowed, I had sufficient fame beyond,” that spirit replied ; "I bore the name that lasts the longest |
| 85 | Vixi illic, fidei sed nondum lumine claro. Sic mihi respondit vocalis spiritus auræ Dulce TOLOSANO, ut me Roma arcesserit, et mi Tempora promerito haud dubitarit cingere myrto. Gens illinc STATIUM quoque nunc me nomine dicit : |
and honors most — but faith was not yet mine. So gentle was the spirit of my verse that Rome drew me, son of Toulouse, to her, and there my brow deserved a crown of myrtle. On earth my name is still remembered — Statius ; |
| 90 | Cantavi Thebas et magni pectus Achillis ; Verum iter ingressus, me mole premente secunda, Succubui. Fuerunt ardori semina nostro Scintillæ urentes sacra mea pectora flamma, Quæ mille et plures luce illustrasse ferenda est ; |
I sang of Thebes and then of great Achilles ; I fell along the way of that last labor. The sparks that warmed me, the seeds of my ardor, were from the holy fire — the same that gave more than a thousand poets light and flame. |
| 95 | Dico opus Æneidos, teneræ mihi matris ad instar Quod fuit, et nutrix valde officiosa pœtæ ; Quo sine nil cœpi, cui quicquam ponderis esset. Et dum inter vestros potuissem vescier aura, VIRGILIO quum vita fuit, non ipse recusem |
I speak of the Aeneid ; when I wrote verse, it was mother to me, it was nurse ; my work, without it, would not weigh an ounce. And to have lived on earth when Virgil lived — for that I would extend by one more year |
| 100 | Unum, ultra quam est par, solem producere pœnam. » Verba sub ista meus convertit lumina vates In me cum risu tacite dicente : « Sileto ! » At virtus, quæ vult, non omnia posse putanda est. Risus enim et fletus pulsantem corda secuti |
the time I owe before my exile’s end.” These words made Virgil turn to me, and as he turned, his face, through silence, said : “Be still” (and yet the power of will cannot do all, for tears and smiles are both so faithful to |
| 105 | Motum, ex quo quisque erumpit, minus ac minus illis Sunt dociles, magis ingenue qui vera loquuntur. Namque ego surrisi pariter, nictantis ad instar ; Quapropter subito vocem compescuit umbra, Et mea respiciens quæsivit lumina, ubi alta |
the feelings that have prompted them that true feeling escapes the will that would subdue). But I smiled like a man whose eyes would signal ; at this, the shade was silent, and he stared |
| 110 | Cordis sensa magis lucent manifesta tuenti ; Atque inquit : « Sic te tanto feliciter auso Defunctum referas, tua cur sic ora notavit, Qui nuper micuit, risus ? » — Nunc luctor utrimque : Hic reticere jubet pars una, inde altera fari |
where sentiment is clearest — at my eyes — and said : “So may your trying labor end successfully, do tell me why — just now — your face showed me the flashing of a smile.” Now I am held by one side and the other ; one keeps me still, the other conjures me |
| 115 | Hortatur precibus. Tacite quem pectore duxi, Sat dedit indicii gemitus. « Jam fare », magister, « Et ne formides, » ait ; « at loquere, illaque dices, Quæ tam sollicita adjurans hic voce rogavit. » Quare ego : « Tu fortasse vetus miraberis umbra, |
to speak ; but when, therefore, I sigh, my master knows why and tells me : “Do not be afraid to speak, but speak and answer what he has asked you to tell him with such earnestness.” At this, I answered : “Ancient spirit, you perhaps are wondering at the smile I smiled ; |
| 120 | Quem non continui, risum ; at majora stupentem Te reddam. Iste, meos oculos qui ducit in altum, Iste est VIRGILIUS, quo tu ductore sonorus Carmine grandiloquo cecinisti hommesque Deosque. Et si forte putas, me aliam prætexere causam |
but I would have you feel still more surprise. He who is guide, who leads my eyes on high, is that same Virgil from whom you derived the power to sing of men and of the gods. Do not suppose my smile had any source |
| 125 | Risus, hanc mitte ut falsam, sed crede fuisse Quæ tu fatus eras de nostro magna poëta. » Jam se flectebat, plantam amplexurus utramque, Ductorem ante meum ; verum : « Istud ne effice, frater ! Nam tu umbra es mecum, » dixit, « neuterque tenendus. » |
beyond the speech you spoke ; be sure — it was those words you said of him that were the cause.” Now he had bent to kiss my teacher’s feet, but Virgil told him : “Brother, there’s no need — you are a shade, a shade is what you see.” |
| 130 | Ille inquit surgens : « Nunc parcam dicere, quanto Urar amore tui, qui nostrum oblitus inane, Umbras tractabam, solido ut quæ corpora constant. » |
And, rising, he : “Now you can understand how much love burns in me for you, when I forget our insubstantiality, treating the shades as one treats solid things.” |
| PURGATORII XXII {22} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Jam post nos steterat cælestis nuntius ales Angelus, ad sextum qui nos adverterat orbem, Unius abradens ictūs vestigia fronte ; Et qui justitiam esuriunt, dixere : « Beati », |
The angel now was left behind us, he who had directed us to the sixth terrace, having erased one ‹ P › that scarred my face ; he had declared that those who longed for justice are blessed, and his voice concluded that |
| 5 | Ad nos voce sua et : « sitio », non plura locuti. Ast ego, plus quam alias per fauces, summa petebam Jam levis usque adeo, ut dispendia nulla laboris Passus, veloces sequerer sine corpore vates. Tum sic VIRGILIUS: « Virtutis tutus honesta |
message with “sitiunt,” without the rest. And while I climbed behind the two swift spirits, not laboring at all, for I was lighter than I had been along the other stairs, Virgil began : “Love that is kindled by |
| 10 | Flamma amor, alterius tangit præcordia semper, Dummodo is hanc prodat. Sic, ex quo tempore sedes Infernas subiit nostrum JUVENALIS in orbem, Testatus crebro, qui te mihi junxit, amorem ; In te tale fuit studium mihi, tantaque cura, |
virtue, will, in another, find reply, as long as that love’s flame appears without ; so, from the time when Juvenal, descending among us, in Hell’s Limbo, had made plain the fondness that you felt for me, my own benevolence toward you has been much richer |
| 15 | Ut nulli ignoto quisquam devinctior esset, Quam tibi deinde fui. Quare brevius mini scalæ Hujus erit spatium. Sed dic, et qualis amicus Parce mihi, fidenti animo si frena remitto, Jamque ut amicitia junctus mihi fare vicissim : |
than any ever given to a person one has not seen ; thus, now these stairs seem short. But tell me (and, as friend, forgive me if excessive candor lets my reins relax, and, as a friend, exchange your words with me): |
| 20 | Quomodo avaritiæ sedem tua corda dedere ? Inter doctrinæ vim tantam, quanta redundat Cura parta tua ? » STATIUM verba ista parumper Risu excusserunt ; deinde illi talia contra Is responsa dedit : « Quæ singula dicis, amoris |
how was it that you found within your breast a place for avarice, when you possessed the wisdom you had nurtured with such care?” These words at first brought something of a smile to Statius ; then he answered : “Every word |
| 25 | Dulcia signa mihi reputo. Persæpe videntur Plurima, quæ soleant dubitandi inducere falsas Causas, quum veræ lateant. Quæ prima rogasti, Sat mihi declarant te errorem mentis in istum Venisse, ut credas me arsisse cupidine habendi, |
you speak, to me is a dear sign of love. Indeed, because true causes are concealed, we often face deceptive reasoning and things provoke perplexity in us. Your question makes me sure that you’re convinced — |
| 30 | Dum mihi vita fuit ; circlum fortassis ob illum, Pronus ubi jacui. At discas volo, corde fuisse Disjunctum nimis a nostro, qui congerere aurum Hortatur furor. At ratio huic præpostera mille Punita est menses, et ni mea cura putasset, |
perhaps because my circle was the fifth — that, in the life I once lived, avarice had been my sin. Know then that I was far from avarice — it was my lack of measure thousands of months have punished. And if I had not corrected my assessment by |
| 35 | Quæ tu in naturas hominum, quasi percitus ira, Clamasti : ‹ Quid non mortalia pectora cogis, Auri sacra fames ? › misero in certamine et ipse Versarer. Didici nimium me effundere posse Luxuriante manu. Tunc hujus et ante malorum |
my understanding what your verses meant when you, as if enraged by human nature, exclaimed : ‘Why cannot you, o holy hunger for gold, restrain the appetite of mortals?’ — I’d now, while rolling weights, know sorry jousts. Then I became aware that hands might open too wide, like wings, in spending ; and of this, |
| 40 | Factorum me pænituit. Quot crine resurgent Tonso, quos hujus lugenda inscitia morbi Viventes, et ad usque extremæ tempora vitæ Emittet, cura expertes studioque dolendi ? Et scito culpam, opposita quæ fronte repellit |
as of my other sins, I did repent. How many are to rise again with heads cropped close, whom ignorance prevents from reaching repentance in — and at the end of — life! And know that when a sin is countered by |
| 45 | Directe culpam, simul hic siccare virendi Virtutem huic. Quare si turbæ immistus acervo Flentis avaritiem jacui, dum crimina vitæ Abluerim, evenit, quia res contraria pœnis His me damnavit. » — « Verum quum tu arma canebas |
another fault — directly opposite to it — then, here, both sins see their green wither. Thus, I join those who pay for avarice in my purgation, though what brought me here was prodigality — its opposite.” “Now, when you sang the savage wars of those |
| 50 | Impia, nequitia gemina bacchante Jocastæ, » Dixit, bucolico qui quondam carmine lusit, « Ex his, quæ tecum tangit tua Musa, videris Hic caruisse fide, sine qua benefacta sine ullo Pondere spreta cadunt. Si res hæc vera patescit, |
twin sorrows of Jocasta,” said the singer of the bucolic poems, “it does not seem — from those notes struck by you and Clio there — that you had yet turned faithful to the faith without which righteous works do not suffice. |
| 55 | Qui sol, quæve faces tibi disjecere tenebras, Tempore ut ex illo dederis tua vela secunda Post piscatorem ? » Statius cui talia reddit : « Tu mihi Parnassi suasisti primus adire Speluncam, et fontis puros haurire liquores, |
If that is so, then what sun or what candles drew you from darkness so that, in their wake, you set your sails behind the fisherman?” And he to him : “You were the first to send me to drink within Parnassus’ caves and you, |
| 60 | Tuque Deum primus docuisti mente tueri, Illius officio functus, qui nocte vagatur, Qui fert pone facem, et se non juvat, attamen ipse Lumine sat doctos ducit sua terga sequentes. ‹ Magnus ab integro ›, quum dixti, ‹ nascitur ordo |
the first who, after God, enlightened me. You did as he who goes by night and carries the lamp behind him — he is of no help to his own self but teaches those who follow — when you declared : ‘The ages are renewed ; |
| 65 | Sæclorum, redeunt virgo et Saturnia regna, Jam nova progenies cælo demittitur alto. › Te propter cecini, vates, te propter eundem Sum Christum amplexus. Verum ut manifestius ista Cernas, quæ informo, aggrediar conferre colores. |
justice and man’s first time on earth return ; from Heaven a new progeny descends.’ Through you I was a poet and, through you, a Christian ; but that you may see more plainly, I’ll set my hand to color what I sketch. |
| 70 | Vera fides, totum penitus quæ impleverat orbem, Sparsa ministrorum studio, quos summa potestas Miserat, æterni regni, et quæ plurima fando Tu prior attigeras, jam consonuisse novellæ Præconum turbæ vidi. Quare ilicet uti |
Disseminated by the messengers of the eternal kingdom, the true faith by then had penetrated all the world, and the new preachers preached in such accord with what you’d said (and I have just repeated), |
| 75 | Illis cura fuit, quorum sic integra visa est Vita, ut, Christicolas calvo insectante Nerone, Illorum fletus pariter mihi flebilis esset. Hos ope, qua potui, dum mansit vita superstes, Juvi. Horum mores recti justique tenaces |
that I was drawn into frequenting them. Then they appeared to me to be so saintly that, when Domitian persecuted them, my own laments accompanied their grief ; and while I could — as long as I had life — I helped them, and their honest practices |
| 80 | Suaserunt omnes alias mihi spernere sectas. At Thebana priusquam agerem prope flumina Grajos Cantando, ablutus sacrato a fonte redivi Clam populo celans cultum formidine victus. Meque diu exterius simulavi de grege cæco |
made me disdainful of all other sects. Before — within my poem — I’d led the Greeks unto the streams of Thebes, I was baptized ; but out of fear, I was a secret Christian and, for a long time, showed myself as pagan ; |
| 85 | Mendaces venerante Deos ; atque ista tepentis Mollities animi me quartum cingere adegit Usque orbem cursu, plus quam per sæcla quaterna. Ergo qui tegmen, sub quo bona tanta latebant, Quæ dico, primus dempsisti, dum via longa |
for this halfheartedness, for more than four centuries, I circled the fourth circle. And now may you, who lifted up the lid that hid from me the good of which I speak, |
| 90 | Scansuris nimium superest, dic : umbra TERENTI, CÆCILII, PLAUTI, VARRI qua in parte moratur ? Dic mihi, an æternus, si scis, hos carcer in Orco Damnet, quive orbis teneat. » — Tum doctor ad ista : « Isti et ego pariter, nec non et PERSIUS una, |
while time is left us as we climb, tell me where is our ancient Terence, and Caecilius and Plautus, where is Varius, if you know ; tell me if they are damned, and in what quarter.” “All these and Persius, I, and many others,” |
| 95 | Et plures alii cum GRAJO incedimus illo, Aonides quem præ reliquis lactasse feruntur. Nos sæpe in primo tenebrosi carceris orbe Commemorare juvat montem, qui tempus in omne Nutrices nostras propria secum allicit umbra. |
my guide replied, “are with that Greek to whom the Muses gave their gifts in greatest measure. Our place is the blind prison, its first circle ; and there we often talk about the mountain where those who were our nurses always dwell. |
| 100 | Nobiscum EURIPIDES, nobiscum it lusor amorum TEÏUS antiquus, CEUSque AGATHOque poëtæ, Atque alii, lauro queis vinxit Achaja frontem. Hic de gente tua ANTIGONEN est, cernere, et una DEIPHILEN, atque ARGIAM, ŒDIPODUMque, sororem |
Euripides is with us, Antiphon, Simonides, and Agathon, as well as many other Greeks who once wore laurel upon their brow ; and there — of your own people — one sees Antigone, Deiphyle, |
| 105 | ISMENEN tristem ut quondam. Spectabilis astat, LANGIÆ puras quæ demonstraverat undas, Nataque TIRESIA, nec non NEREIS aquosa, Nec non DEIDAMIA choro stipata sororum. » Jamque duo vates dederant finem ore loquendi, |
Ismene, sad still, Argia as she was. There one can see the woman who showed Langia, and there, Tiresias’ daughter ; there is Thetis ; and, with her sisters, there, Deidamia.” Both poets now were silent, once again |
| 110 | Intentis oculis simul omnia collustrantes, Scandendi immunes ac nullo pariete clausi. Quattuor at famulæ, quæ solis jussa capessunt, Restiterant, quum jam temonem quinta teneret, Altius assurgens ardentis lumine cornu, |
intent on their surroundings — they were free of stairs and walls ; with day’s first four handmaidens already left behind, and with the fifth guiding the chariot — pole and lifting it, so that its horn of flame rose always higher, |
| 115 | Quum ductor : « Vertenda reor jam dextera terga Ad spondam extremam et circum orbem montis eundum, Ut mos est nobis. » — Sic mos fuit indicis instar ; Suspectumque minus nos juvit carpere callem, Assensum illā animā digni præbente poëtæ. |
my master said : “I think it’s time that we turn our right shoulders toward the terrace edge, circling the mountain in the way we’re used to.” In this way habit served us as a banner ; and when we chose that path, our fear was less because that worthy soul gave his assent. |
| 120 | Illi incedebant primi, quos pone sequebar Solus ; at illorum sermones aure bibebam, Qui mihi Apollineā ditabant pectora messe. At cito colloquium jucundum abruperat arbor In media comperta via, fragrantia odore |
Those two were in the lead ; I walked alone, behind them, listening to their colloquy, which taught me much concerning poetry. But their delightful conversation soon was interrupted by a tree that blocked our path ; its fruits were fine, their scent was sweet, |
| 125 | Poma gerens suavi, bene nata. Atque abietis instar, Quæ, quo plus tollit se, plus decrescere ramos Fert sibi, non secus hæc quo plus pertingit ad ima ; Ne quis conscendat, credo. Qua in parte negabat Mons iter, ex alto vis multa cadebat aquarum |
and even as a fir tree tapers upward from branch to branch, that tree there tapered downward, so as — I think — to ward off any climber. Upon our left, where wall enclosed our path, bright running water fell from the high rock |
| 130 | Lucentum scopulo, summas aspergine frondes Allambens. Plantæ vates accessit uterque, Et subito frondes inter sic insonuit vox Clamans : « Hæc vobis venibit carius esca ! » Deinde inquit : « Major stimulavit cura Mariam, |
and spread itself upon the leaves above. When the two poets had approached the tree, a voice emerging from within the leaves cried out : “This food shall be denied to you.” Then it cried : “Mary’s care was for the marriage- |
| 135 | Ut magis atque magis splenderet cena marita Integra, quam ut proprio serviret largius ori, Quo jam pro vobis orat : Quasque edidit ævum Priscum Romanæ, sitis æstum flumine puro Contentæ explebant. DANIEL dum despicit escam, |
feast’s being seemly and complete, not for her mouth (which now would intercede for you). And when they drank, of old, the Roman women were satisfied with water ; and young Daniel, |
| 140 | Huic mentem largis ditat sapientia donis. Non secus atque aurum prima ætas pulchra fuisse Fertur, quum jejuna fames ex glande saporem Ducebat gratum, et sitienti quilibet amnis Nectar erat. Dederant BAPTISTÆ alimenta locustæ |
through his disdain of food, acquired wisdom. The first age was as fair as gold : when hungry, men found the taste of acorns good ; when thirsty, they found that every little stream was nectar. When he was in the wilderness, the Baptist |
| 145 | Mellaque. Propterea hunc ornavit gloria tanta, Ut nemo hoc major nostra sit origine natus, Quod patet ex libris, qui Christi oracula tradunt. » |
had fed on nothing more than honey, locusts ; for this he was made great, as glorious as, in the Gospel, is made plain to you.” |
| PURGATORII XXIII {23} ⇑ | ||
| 1 |
Per viridem frondem dum lumina fixa tenebam, Qualis qui volucrem vestigans corpore parvam Insumit vitam, qui aderat, plus quam pater, inquit : Fili, jam molire viam, nam tempora jussa |
While I was peering so intently through the green boughs, like a hunter who, so used, would waste his life in chasing after birds, my more than father said to me: “Now come, son, for the time our journey can permit |
| 5 | Æquum est partiri melius. Non segnior ora, Atque pedem verti stringens utrumque poëtam, Sic fantem, ut properans dispendia nulla laboris Sentirem. Ecce autem singultibus interruptum Carmen : Labra mea, o Domine ! atque hoc voce sonoque, |
is to be used more fruitfully than this.” I turned my eyes, and I was no less quick to turn my steps; I followed those two sages, whose talk was such, my going brought no loss. And — there! — “Labia mea, Domine” was wept and sung and heard in such a manner |
| 10 | Qui gratum simul et simul instillabat acerbum Sensum. « Care pater, » cœpi, « quod venit ad aures, Quidnam est ? » Isque mihi : « Simulacra errantia circum, Forsitan ut solvant, quæ se debere fatentur. » Ut, qui haud expertes curarum per loca vadunt |
that it gave birth to both delight and sorrow. “O gentle father, what is this I hear?” I asked. And he : “Perhaps they're shades who go loosening the knot of what they owe.” Even as pensive pilgrims do, who when |
| 15 | Extera, sunt soliti, haud nota adventante caterva, Qui, dum prætereunt, transversis quemque tuentur Luminibus, nec stant ; sic ad nos ocius illa Adveniens abiensque animarum turba stupebat Haud hiscens habituque pia. His cava lumina tætra, |
they’ve overtaken folk unknown to them along the way, will turn but will not stop, so, overtaking us — they had come from behind but were more swift — a crowd of souls, devout and silent, looked at us in wonder. |
| 20 | Pallida erat facies, macie attenuataque tanta, Ut cutis a rigidis desumeret arida formam Ossibus. Haud credo tam extrema pelle minutum, Quum magis urgeret victus penuria egentem, Tabe ustum tanta traxisse ERYSICHTHONA corpus. |
Each shade had dark and hollow eyes ; their faces were pale and so emaciated that their taut skin took its shape from bones beneath. I don’t believe that even Erysichthon had been so dried, down to his very hide, |
| 25 | Tum mecum hæc reputans : « En, quæ devicta recessit Gens, Solyma amissa, postquam sua viscera natum Dente Maria avido, esurie superante, petivit. » Namque ubi erant oculis sedes, utrimque patebat Forma annellorum, quos gemma reliquit inanes. |
by hunger, when his fast made him fear most. Thinking, I told myself : “I see the people who lost Jerusalem, when Mary plunged her beak into her son.” The orbits of their eyes seemed like a ring that’s lost its gems ; |
30 | Utque hominum in vultu mutilata parte legendus Esset ‹ omo ›, media apparebat litteræ imago Duodecimæ. — Quisnam hoc credat, spirantis odorem Aspectum pomi, rabie dum torquet edendi, Labentemque undam (ignarus, quanam accidat arte) |
and he who, in the face of man, would read ‹ OMO › would here have recognized the ‹ M ›. Who — if he knew not how — would have believed that longing born from odor of a tree, odor of water, could reduce souls so? |
| 35 | Hos dare ita affectus ? Stabam defixus in isto Portento, quidnam in venis jejunia spargat Talia. Namque hujus tabis, tristisque latebat Squamæ causa mihi. En capitis quædam umbra profunda Ex cavea in me oculos vertit, totumque pererrat. |
I was already wondering what had so famished them (for I had not yet learned the reason for their leanness and sad scurf), when — there! — a shade, his eyes deep in his head, turned toward me, staring steadily ; and then |
| 40 | Dein voce inclamat : « Quæ te mihi gratia reddit ? » Nunquam istum exterius potuissem nosse tuendo ; At voce id patuit, quod deletum ille ferebat. Hac face cognitio penitus mihi tota revixit Mutati aspectus, agnovique ora FORESIS. |
he cried aloud : “What grace is granted me!” I never would have recognized him by his face ; and yet his voice made plain to me what his appearance had obliterated. This spark rekindled in me everything I knew about those altered features ; thus, I realized it was Forese’s face. |
| 45 | « Parce, ah parce tuam dubitando obtundere mentem, Quod scabies pellis mihi turpat adusta colorem, Et mihi deficiunt artus ; at vera fatere De te », dicebat. « Da, quæso, discere, quæ sint Illæ animæ geminæ, comitesque ducesque viarum : |
“Ah, don’t reproach me for the dried-out scabs that stain my skin,” he begged, “nor for the lack of flesh on me ; but do tell me the truth about yourself, do tell me who those two souls there are, those who are escorting you ; |
| 50 | Ne taceas. » « Tua mi facies expresserat olim, Pallida morte tua, lacrimas, modo fundere fletus Non minus hortatur ; sic te dat torta videndum. Quare per Superos oro, quid dissecet artus Sic tibi, tu narra ; ulterius neque coge profari |
may you not keep yourself from speaking to me!” “Your face, which I once wept on when you died,” I answered him, “now gives me no less cause for sad lament, seeing you so deformed But tell me, for God’s sake, what has unleaved |
| 55 | Attonitum, nam me male respondere paratum Efficiunt aliæ curæ, quæ corde redundant. » Isque mihi : « Æterna virtus ex mente cadenti Se insinuat lymphæ et plantæ post terga relictæ, Per quam sic tenuor. Quam cernis, tota caterva, |
you so ; don’t make me speak while I’m amazed — he who’s distracted answers clumsily.” And he to me : “From the eternal counsel, the water and the tree you left behind receive the power that makes me waste away. |
| 60 | Quæ canit illacrimans, quoniam sine more voraci Indulgere gulæ studuit venata sapores, Usta fame atque siti hic iterum fit tempore sancta. Dulcis odor pomi, simul et labentis aquai Splendor, qui rorat virides aspergine frondes, |
All of these souls who, grieving, sing because their appetite was gluttonous, in thirst and hunger here resanctify themselves. The fragrance of the fruit and of the water that’s sprayed through that green tree kindles in us |
| 65 | Potandi ardorem rabiemque incendit edendi. Nec tantum semel emenso renovatur in orbe, Pœna ; ego dicebam pœnam, at foret ista vocanda Solamen nobis ; nam nos trahit ista cupido Ad lignum, quo ductus erat, qui diceret ‹ Eli › |
craving for food and drink ; and not once only, as we go round this space, our pain’s renewed — I speak of pain but I should speak of solace, for we are guided to those trees by that same longing that had guided Christ when He |
| 70 | Vultu alacri, Christus, quum prodiga vena cruoris Persolvit pretium atque hominum genus omne redemit. » Huic ego tum dixi : « Quo ex tempore vita, FORESIS, In melius conversa tua est, mundumque reliquit, Tempus ad usque istud nondum sol quinque reduxit |
had come to free us through the blood He shed and, in His joyousness, called out : ‘Eli.’” And I to him : “Forese, from that day when you exchanged the world for better life until now, less than five years have revolved ; |
| 75 | Annos. At tibi si peccandi copia finem Ante habuit, fausti quam accesserit hora doloris, Quis dat posse Deum complecti rursus amicum ? Quomodo tam subito potuisti ascendere ad istum Orbem ? Nam rebar multo inferiora tenentem |
and if you waited for the moment when the power to sin was gone before you found the hour of the good grief that succors us and weds us once again to God, how have you come so quickly here? I thought to find |
| 80 | Me te offensurum, atque ubi tempore tempora pensant. » Isque mihi : « Tam mox absinthia dulcia pœnæ Potatum adduxit lacrimis mea NELLA profusis Absque modo, precibusque suis suspiria miscens Carcere me abstraxit, qui absumit tarda manentes |
you down below, where time must pay for time.” And he to me : “It is my Nella who, with her abundant tears, has guided me to drink the sweet wormwood of torments : she, with sighs and prayers devout has set me free |
| 85 | Tempora, nec reliquos passa est me tangere flexus. Hæc peramata mihi, nunc me viduata puella Tanto plus est cara Deo dilectaque, quanto Plus sola est, sanctos quæ præferat integra mores. Nam quæ Sardois Barbajæ in montibus exstant, |
of that slope where one waits and has freed me from circles underneath this circle. She — my gentle widow, whom I loved most dearly — was all the more beloved and prized by God as she is more alone in her good works. For even the Barbagia of Sardinia |
| 90 | Plus in femineo sexu sese esse pudicas Ostendunt, quam nunc Barbajæ, ubi nostra relicta est. Quid dicam, o dulcis frater ? Procul hora futura Non est, quum ex cathedris templi interdicta tonabunt, Queis Florentinæ perfricta fronte puellæ |
is far more modest in its women than is that Barbagia where I left her. O sweet brother, what would you have had me say? A future time’s already visible to me — a time not too far — off from now — when, from the pulpit, it shall be forbidden to those immodest ones — Florentine women — |
| 95 | Pectora cum mammis nuda ostentare vetentur. Quænam Barbarico aut Pangæo in litore nata, Ut corpus tegeret, monitis cogenda minisque Censuræ fuerit ? Si oblitæ frena pudoris Certe compererint, quid velox cogitet ipsis |
to go displaying bosoms with bare paps. What ordinances — spiritual, civil — were ever needed by barbarian or Saracen women to make them go covered? But if those shameless ones had certain knowledge of what swift Heaven’s readying for them, |
| 100 | Funesti cælum, jam ululatibus ora paterent. Quod si mens præsaga mihi haud hic falsa volutat, Tristities ægras absumet dira, priusquam Induat ora pilis, somnum a solamine cantus Qui capit in cunis. Sed nunc, oro, effice, frater, |
then they would have mouths open now to howl ; for if our foresight here does not deceive me, they will be sad before the cheeks of those whom lullabies can now appease grow beards. Ah, brother, do not hide things any longer! |
| 105 | Ne me suspensum teneas ; da discere, qui sis ; Aspice, non modo ego, sed gens hæc omnis in uno Defixa obtutu est, ubi solis lumina velas Unus. » — Ego contra : « Memori si mente putabis, Quis fueris mecum, quo tecum cognitus usu |
You see that I am not alone, for all these people stare at where you veil the sun.” At this I said to him : “If you should call to mind what you have been with me and I |
| 110 | Ipse tibi fuerim, in præsens meminisse pigebit Nunc quoque. Me nuper victu deduxit ab illo, Qui me præcedit, quum vobis visa rotunda est Illius soror », atque altum digito indice solem Monstravi. « Hic noctis per lurida regent profundæ, |
with you, remembering now will still be heavy. He who precedes me turned me from that life some days ago, when she who is the sister of him” — I pointed to the sun — “was showing her roundness to you. It is he who’s led |
| 115 | perque animas vera defunctas morte reduxit Corpore me hoc vero constantem, istumque secutum. Hic me consiliis scandentem hujusque meantem Circum orbes montis, qui passu incedere recto Vos docet insani male tortos turbine mundi, |
me through the deep night of the truly dead with this true flesh that follows after him. His help has drawn me up from there, climbing and circling round this mountain, which makes straight you whom the world made crooked. And he says |
| 120 | Traxit, et is comitem spondet mihi se esse futurum, Donec deveniam loca, ubi invenienda BEATRIX Est mihi : et hic isto comite et doctore carendum est. Atque is, qui mecum promissis utitur istis Hic, est VIRGILIUS », libuitque ostendere turbæ |
that he will bear me company until I reach the place where Beatrice is ; there I must remain without him. It is Virgil who speaks to me in this way,” and I pointed |
| 125 | VIRGILIUM ; sed quæ nos propter obambulat umbra, Illa eadem est, per quam tremefacta remugiit omnis Regni hujus rupes, quæ illam sua jussit habere. |
to him ; "this other is the shade for whom, just now, your kingdom caused its every slope to tremble as it freed him from itself.” |
| PURGATORII XXIV {24} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Nec pes sermonem, nec lentius ire jubebat Sermo pedem ; sed nos fantes properare vicissim, Ut vento ratis acta bono. Et quæ functa secunda Morte videbantur simulacra carentia succo, |
Our talking did not slow our pace, our pace not slow our talking ; but conversing, we moved quickly, like a boat a fair wind drives. And recognizing that I was alive, the shades — they seemed to be things twice dead — drew |
| 5 | Per caveas cujusque oculi traxere stuporem, Ut sensere, auras me ducere corpore vivo. Atque ego sermonem insistens : « Hæc serius, inquam, Forsitan alterius causa conscendit Olympum. At dic, si notum est, ubinam PICCARDA moratur ? |
amazement from the hollows of their eyes. And I, continuing my telling, added ; “Perhaps he is more slow in his ascent than he would be had he not met the other. But tell me, if you can : where is Piccarda? |
| 10 | Dic, num quem videam, quem dignum rere notatu ? » Isque : « Soror mea, quæ sita erat pulchram inter et inter Sanctum, ut nescirem, qua primum hanc laude notarem, Læta inter Superos serto jam cincta triumphat. » Talia voce prius reddit ; dein : « Nemo vetatur |
And tell me if, among those staring at me, I can see any person I should note.” “My sister — and I know not whether she was greater in her goodness or her beauty — on high Olympus is in triumph ; she rejoices in her crown already,” he began, then added : “It is not forbidden |
| 15 | Nomine quemque suo, quoniam jejunia vultus Emuncti macie jam delevere figuram, Signare. Hic » (digitum et tendit) « BONAJUNCTA vocatur LUCCENSIS. Sed quæ reliquis magis arida pallet, Illius est facies, cui sancta ecclesia quondam |
to name each shade here — abstinence has eaten away our faces.” And he pointed : “This is Bonagiunta, Bonagiunta da Lucca ; the one beyond him, even more emaciated than the rest, had clasped |
| 20 | Sponsa fuit, quique est retro : Fuit ille TURONIS, Anguillas qui Volsinienses purgat in albo Exstinctas vino ; ventrem modo luget inanem. » Et multos alios ostendit, nomine quemque Appellans proprio, non dedignantibus illis, |
the Holy Church ; he was from Tours ; his fast purges Bolsena’s eels, Vernaccia’s wine.” And he named many others, one by one, and, at their naming, they all seemed content ; |
| 25 | Sic ut me obscuro nemo signaverit actu. Vidi UBALDINUM PILENSEM dentibus aspris Incassum utentem, superante cupidine edendi ; Et te, BONIFACI, quem multæ examina gentis Narrabant pavisse pedo ; et te, MARCHIO, vidi, |
so that — for this — no face was overcast. I saw — their teeth were biting emptiness — both Ubaldin da la Pila and Boniface, who shepherded so many with his staff. I saw Messer Marchese, who once had |
| 30 | Cui quondam urbs Livii spatium indulsisse bibendi Fauce minus sicca fertur, licet aridus esses Usque adeo, ut nunquam vino satiatus abires. Utque aliis qui alium præfert, sic nostra morata est Mens in LUCCENSI solo, quem nosse putabam |
more ease, less dryness, drinking at Forli and yet could never satisfy his thirst. But just as he who looks and then esteems one more than others, so did I prize him of Lucca, for he seemed to know me better. |
| 35 | Me melius ; sed nescio, quid secum ille fremebat Audieramque illic « GENTUCAM », ubi vulnus inhæsit Ultoris, quod sic miseros depascitur artus. « O anima », huic dixi, « quæ tam studiosa videris Colloquii nostri, fac, quæso, ut plenius aure |
He murmured ; something like “Gentucca” was what I heard from the place where he could feel the wound of justice that denudes them so. “O soul,” I said, “who seems so eager to converse with me, do speak so that I hear you, |
| 40 | Dicta tua accipiam, teque exple meque loquendo. » « Femina jam nata est, atque hæc velamine nondum Utitur, » ille infit, « per quam tibi dulce manere Urbe erit in nostra, hanc plures utcunque reprendant. Perges id monitus : si, quem misi ore, susurrus |
for speech may satisfy both you and me.” He answered : “Although men condemn my city, there is a woman born — she wears no veil as yet — because of whom you’ll find it pleasing. You are to journey with this prophecy ; and if there’s something in my murmuring |
| 45 | Attulit errorem, id pariter te vera docebunt. Sed dic, num videam hic illum, qui carmina primum Intulerit nova, et altisono sic incipit ore : ‹ O, quæ, quid sit amor, sentitis mente, puellæ ›. » « Ille ego sum », dixi, « qui, quod vis spirat amoris, |
you doubt, events themselves will bear me out. But tell me if the man whom I see here is he who brought the new rhymes forth, beginning ; ‘Ladies who have intelligence of love.’” I answered : “I am one who, when Love breathes |
| 50 | Signo, et quo ille modo sensus in pectore dictat, Sæpius hoc scribo. » « O frater, nunc cernere nodum Fas est, qui scribam, GUITTONEM, meque repressit. Nunc didici, cur vos dictantem pone secuti, Stringitis hunc vestris pennis, nec contigit unquam |
in me, takes note ; what he, within, dictates, I, in that way, without, would speak and shape.” “O brother, now I see,” he said, “the knot that kept the Notary, Guittone, and me short of the sweet new manner that I hear. I clearly see how your pens follow closely |
| 55 | Ausis id nostris. Et qui mage finibus illis Prosilit, ut placeat, quam longe differat unus Atque alius stilus, ille minus vidisse putatur. » Hæc quasi contentus factoque hic fine quievit. Ut genus alituum propter Nili ora sonantis |
behind him who dictates, and certainly that did not happen with our pens ; and he who sets himself to ferreting profoundly can find no other difference between the two styles.” He fell still, contentedly. Even as birds that winter on the Nile |
| 60 | Hibernans, sese interdum simul agmine stipat, Deinde magis propere nubes longo ordine tranat : Sic, quæ gens aderat, verso properantius ibat In me ore, ob maciem studiumque levissima cursu. Utque vir a multo succussu lassus, abire |
at times will slow and form a flock in air, then speed their flight and form a file, so all the people who were mere moved much more swiftly, turning away their faces, hurrying their pace because of leanness and desire. And just as he who’s tired of running lets |
| 65 | Fert patiens comites, jam lentis passibus usus. Donec se effundat pectus quatientis anhelum Vis follis : sic est passus transire FORESES Sanctum agmen ; verum ille retro post terga secutus : « Quando erit, ut rursus mecum tua sensa loquentem |
his comrades go ahead and slows his steps until he’s eased the panting of his chest, so did Forese let the holy flock pass by and move, behind, with me, saying ; “How long before I shall see you again?” |
| 70 | Te videam ? », ajebat. — Scitanti ego talia contra : « Quid mihi adhuc superet vitæ, haud est scire potestas ; Sed mihi tam cito non fuerit loca in ista reverti, Quin prius ad ripas me adducat justa cupido. Nam magis inque dies, quam sum sortitus habendam |
“I do not know,” I said, “how long I’ll live ; and yet, however quick is my return, my longing for these shores would have me here sooner — because the place where I was set to live is day by day deprived of good |
| 75 | Pro patria, tellus se quavis dote bonorum Nudat, et excidium sibi triste parare videtur. » « Nunc i, » respondit ; « namque ausum plura nefanda, Et magis infamem mihi cauda est cernere equina Raptatum ad valles, ubi non est copia culpæ |
and seems along the way to wretched ruin.” “Do not be vexed,” he said, “for I can see the guiltiest of all dragged by a beast’s tail to the valley where no sin is purged. |
| 80 | Unquam delendæ ; nam quo plus belua passus ingeminat, tanto velocius incita fertur, Donec eum cædit corpusque exsangue relinquit Disruptum fœde. Non multis orbibus illa Volventur » (vultumque oculosque ad sidera vertit), |
At every step the beast moves faster, always gaining momentum, till it smashes him and leaves his body squalidly undone. Those wheels” — and here he looked up at the sky — “do not have long to turn before you see |
| 85 | « Quum manifesta tibi venient, quæ plurima fari Nunc vetor. At maneas ; nam magno hic tempora constant, Quæc nimis insumo, dum sic simul ire cupido est. » Qualis eques socios equitantes præpete cursu Prævertit, primumque petit, stimulo actus honoris, |
plainly what I can’t tell more openly. Now you remain behind, for time is costly here in this kingdom ; I should lose too much by moving with you thus, at equal pace.” Just as a horseman sometimes gallops out, leaving behind his troop of riders, so that he may gain the honor of the first |
| 90 | Certamen : talis multo majoribus ille Saltibus excessit. Sic inter utrumque poëtam, Quos tota eximios suspexit terra magistros, Jam super unus eram. Ast ubi nostra evaserat ante Ora ita, ut hunc oculi possent captare sequaces, |
clash — so, with longer strides, did he leave us ; and I remained along my path with those two who were such great marshals of the world. And when he’d gone so far ahead of us that my eyes strained to follow him, just as |
| 95 | Ut mens verba prius, gravidos quum cernere visus Alterius pomi ramos, plenosque vigoris Quæ non longe aberat, nam tunc modo temporis illuc Lumina transtuleram. Prospexi utrasque sub ipsa Tollentem palmas populum, cupido ore frementem |
my mind was straining after what he’d said, the branches of another tree, heavy with fruit, alive with green, appeared to me nearby, just past a curve where I had turned. Beneath the tree I saw shades lifting hands, |
| 100 | Nescio quid frondes adversus, more modoque Infantum desiderio luctantium inani, Qui rogitant, et queis non dat responsa rogatus, Quoque magis stimulis inhiantes pungat acutis, Alte suspensum certat retinere, quod optant, |
crying I know not what up toward the branches, like little eager, empty-headed children, who beg — but he of whom they beg does not reply, but to provoke their longing, he holds high, and does not hide, the thing they want. |
| 105 | Nec tamen abscondit. Dein tota caterva recessit, Ut quæ falsa animi est ; et nos devenimus illam Sub plantam, quæ tot lacrimasque precesque refutat. « Ferte gradum ulterius, neve isti accedite plantæ ; Lignum est hinc supra, quod dentibus Eva momordit, |
Then they departed as if disabused ; and we — immediately — reached that great tree, which turns aside so many prayers and tears. “Continue on, but don’t draw close to it ; there is a tree above from which Eve ate, |
| 110 | Hæc illa sata planta fuit. » Sic nescio, quiddam Insonuit frondes inter. Quare agmine juncto VIRGILIUS STATIUSque et ego discessimus inde, Radentes latus ad cælum se vertice tollens. « Volvite quisque animo devotæ robora pubis |
and from that tree above, this plant was raised.” Among the boughs, a voice — I know not whose — spoke so ; thus, drawing closer, Virgil, Statius, and I edged on, along the side that rises. It said : “Remember those with double chests, |
| 115 | Prognatæ nebula, quæ vino expleta epulisque Pectoribus geminis », dicebat, « THESEA duro Bello oppugnarunt ; et Judæ sanguine cretos Tam molle ad potum fassos se pectus habere, Quare istis. GEDEON non est comitantibus usus, |
the miserable ones, born of the clouds, whom Theseus battled when they’d gorged themselves ; and those whom Gideon refused as comrades — those Hebrews who had drunk too avidly — |
| 120 | Collibus ex Midian quum se conjecit in hostes. » Sic prætergressi ex geminis nos legimus unam Oram, et multa gulæ venerunt crimina ad aures, Queis miserum accessit lucrum. Dein calle potiti Et lato et solo nos plus quam mille vagati |
when he came down the hills to Midian.” So, keeping close to one of that road’s margins, we moved ahead, hearing of gluttony — its sins repaid by sorry penalties. Then, with more space along the lonely path, a thousand steps and more had brought us forward, |
| 125 | Passus defixis animis contendimus ultra Muti omnes. — « Quid vos curarum, o pectora trina, Sic versat ? » subito necopinus venit ad aures Hic sonitus. Quare, ceu belua territa et excors, Excutior tolloque caput, quum cernere averem |
each of us meditating wordlessly. “What are you thinking of, you three who walk alone?” a sudden voice called out ; at which I started — like a scared young animal. I raised my head to see who it might be ; |
| 130 | Hæc fantem ; et nunquam vidi igne rubescere tanto Seu liquidum vitrum, sive in fornacibus æra, Ut quendam aspexi dicentem : « Scandite in altum, Si vos fert animus, nam opus est huc flectere gressum ; Hac iter est illis, qui exoptant pace potiri. » |
no glass or metal ever seen within a furnace was so glowing or so red as one I saw, who said : “If you’d ascend, then you must turn at this point ; for whoever would journey unto peace must pass this way.” |
| 135 | Illius aspectus mihi ademit lumina visus ; Quare doctores respexi, ut qui pede vocem Demonstrantis iter sequitur ; qualisque, propinqui Nuntia Luciferi, sub Maji tempora spirans Tota halat prægnans herbis et floribus aura ; |
But his appearance had deprived me of my sight, so that — as one who uses hearing as guide — I turned and followed my two teachers. And like the breeze of May that — heralding the dawning of the day — when it is steeped in flowers and in grass, stirs fragrantly, |
| 140 | Tali percussam venti mihi flamine frontem In medio sensi, et jactatæ verbere plumæ, Quæ simul ambrosiæ jucundum afflavit odorem ; Atque hausi has voces : « O terque quaterque beati, Gratia queis tantum dat luminis, ut malus ardor |
so did I feel the wind that blew against the center of my brow, and clearly sensed the movement of his wings, the air’s ambrosia. And then I heard : “Blessed are those whom grace illumines so, that, in their breasts, the love |
| 145 | Suavia captandi, haud nimia hos fuligine lædat, Esuriem justo semper moderamine passos. » |
of taste does not awake too much desire — whose hungering is always in just measure.” |
| PURGATORII XXV {25} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Hora minus patiens depugem tendere in altum Ascensu, instabat ; medii namque orbe diei Confecto, hunc Tauro atque Nepæ sol cesserat umbras. Quare ceu vir, qui indocilis consistere cursum |
The hour when climbers cannot pause had come ; the sun had left to Taurus the meridian, and night had left it to the Scorpion. Therefore, like one who will not stop but moves |
| 5 | Insistit, quæcunque sibi res obvia fiat, Si quid eum stimulo pungat ; sic ostium inimus, Prendimus et scalam præeuntis terga premendo ; Nam nimis arcta vetat pariter conscendere binos. Qualis, ubi pastum est egressa ciconia, pullus |
along his path, no matter what he sees, if he is goaded by necessity, we made our way into the narrow gap and, one behind the other, took the stairs so strait that climbers there must separate. And as the fledgling stork will lift its wing |
| 10 | Alas attollit, studio stimulante volandi, Linquere sed nidum haud ausus, dimittit utrasque : Talis ego accensam simul exstinctamque rogandi Gestabam curam, quæ nutum erumpit in illum, Quem primum prodit, qui nititur ore profari. |
because it wants to fly, but dares not try to leave the nest, and lets its wing drop back, so I, with my desire to question kindled then spent, arrived as far as making ready to speak. But my dear father, though our steps |
| 15 | At quanquam celeri peteret scalæ ardua passu, Haud pater ille meus dulcis cessavit et infit : « Solve arcum fandi, adductum curvamine ad usque Ferreum utrimque caput. » Tunc tuto labra resolvens Cœpi : « Qui possit quisquam macrescere, ubi esca |
were hurrying, did not stop talking, for he said : “The iron of the arrow’s touched the longbow ; let the shaft of speech fly off.” Then I had confidence enough to open my mouth and ask him : “How can one grow lean |
| 20 | Membra alere haud opus est ? » — « Memori si mente volutas, Ut quondam Ænides, consumpto stipite, et ipse Consumptus fuerit, non te sic acriter », inquit, « Hæc res afficeret. Tum si tecum ipse putabis, Ut motum ad vestrum motu respondet eodem |
where there is never need for nourishment?” “If you recall how Meleager was consumed,” he said, “just when the firebrand was spent, this won’t be hard to understand ; and if you think how, though your body’s swift, |
| 25 | Vestra quoque in speculo effigies, tibi molle videbis, Quod visum est durum. Sed si fert ista cupido Hac magis inspecta penitus requiescere causa, Ecce tibi STATIUS, quem posco voce precorque, Sanabit plagas. » — « Si te præsente resolvo |
your image in the mirror captures it, then what perplexed will seem to you transparent. But that your will to know may be appeased, here’s Statius, and I call on him and ask that he now be the healer of your doubts.” |
| 30 | Huic nodum, æterni quem nectit judicis ira, » Respondit STATIUS, « fassus me posse negare Nil tibi, deposcam veniam. » Dein talibus infit : « Si quæ verba loquor, fili, tu mente volutas Ac recipis, causam quærenti lumina præbent. |
“If I explain eternal ways to him,” Statius replied, “while you are present here, let my excuse be : I cannot refuse you.” Then he began : “If, son, your mind receives and keeps my words, then what I say will serve as light upon the how that you have asked. |
| 35 | Sanguis perfectus, bibulæ quem haurire recusant Venæ, quique manet, patinis velut esca remotis, Imo in corde sibi vim sumit, quæ omnia membra Humana informat, ceu qui se effundit inanes Sanguis per venas, ut sese vertat in illa. |
The thirsty veins drink up the perfect blood — but not all of that blood : a portion’s left, like leavings that are taken from the table. Within the heart, that part acquires power to form all of another’s human limbs, as blood that flows through veins feeds one’s own limbs. |
| 40 | Dein digestus abit, quo non est dicere honeste, Atque hic deinde gemit, se alieno sanguine miscens, In vas injectus, natura quod indidit ante. Atque ibi sanguis uterque coit, facere iste paratus, Iste pati, loca sortitus perfecta receptus, |
Digested yet again, that part descends to what is best not named ; from there it drips into the natural receptacle, upon another’s blood ; the two bloods mix, one ready to be passive and one active because a perfect place, the heart, prepared them. |
| 45 | Unde simul premitur. Sic junctus viribus uti Incipit, in primis se cogens, idque vigore Firmat, cui propria dederat coalescere primum Materia, atque anima evadit, quæ proditur actu Virtus, qualis inest plantæ, nisi planta teneret |
The active, having reached the passive, starts to work : first it coagulates — and then quickens — the matter it has made more dense. Having become a soul (much like a plant, though with this difference — a plant’s complete, |
| 50 | Jam ripam, illa novos properaret tangere portus. Dein sic intus agit, motus ut jam explicet, et jam Expediat sensum, ceu spongia in æquore vivax, Atque hic aggreditur componere disposituras, Quas poscunt tali prognatæ semine vires. |
whereas a fetus still is journeying), the active virtue labors, so the fetus may move and feel, like a sea-sponge ; and then it starts to organize the powers it’s seeded. |
| 55 | Se modo dilatat, modo flectit vivida virtus, O fili, ipsius manans ex corde genentis, Ars ubi naturæ cunctos se intendit in artus. At qua qui est animans, mox fiat farier aptus, Nondum cognoscis. Tantis est sæpta tenebris |
At this point, son, the power that had come from the begetter’s heart unfolds and spreads, that nature may see every limb perfected. But how the animal becomes a speaking being, you’ve not yet seen ; this point’s so hard, |
| 60 | Hæc via, ut a vero jam longe abduxerit illum, Qui tibi doctrina mente et præstabat acuta ; Namque anima docuit sejunctam assistere mentem, In qua consilium est, quia nullam in corpore sedem Huic uni propriam vidit. Nunc pectore aperto |
it led one wiser than you are to err in separating from the possible intellect the soul, since he could see no organ for the mind — so did he teach. Open your heart to truth we now have reached |
| 65 | Fac verum accipias, quod prodo in luminis oras. Nam simulac fetus cœpit gaudere cerebro Perfecto, hunc Primus lætanti suspicit ore, Artis opus tantæ Motor miratus, et auræ Ipse novum flamen spirat virtute repletum, |
and know that, once the brain’s articulation within the fetus has attained perfection, then the First Mover turns toward it with joy on seeing so much art in nature and breathes into it new spirit — vigorous — |
| 70 | Quod, quicquid vires valet exercere per artus, Attrahit in sese, ac totum sibi jungit in unum. Hinc simplex anima exsurgit, quæ prædita vita, Et sensu pollens, in se sese ipsa reflectit. Quoque minus tecum me sic mirere locutum, |
which draws all that is active in the fetus into its substance and becomes one soul that lives and feels and has self-consciousness. That what I say may leave you less perplexed, |
| 75 | Aspice, ut in vinum mutetur, sole colorem Præbente, huic junctus, qui manat vitibus, umor. Et simulac Lachesis devolvit vellera fuso, Carnis se solvit vinclis, et quicquid habebat Immortalis et humani, virtute sua stans |
consider the sun’s heat that, when combined with sap that flows from vines, is then made wine. And when Lachesis lacks more thread, then soul’s divided from the flesh ; potentially, it bears with it the human and divine ; |
| 80 | Fert secum : ex reliquis quæcunque est muta facultas Insita, qua meminisse valet, qua judicat et vult, Acrior evadit, quam si esset corpore vincta. Nec mora ; præcipitans, mirum ! per se incidit oræ Alterutri. Hic primum cognoscit trita viarum, |
but with the human powers mute, the rest — intelligence and memory and will — are more acute in action than they were. With no delay, the soul falls of itself — astonishingly — on one of two shores ; there it learns — early — what way it will journey. |
| 85 | Quas tenuit quondam, simulatque in sedibus illis Circumscripta fuit, talisque et quanta per artus Serpebat vivos virtus formare parata, Præradiat circum. Ac veluti prænubilus aër Alterius radiis, quos ipse repercutit, ictus, |
There, once the soul is circumscribed by space, the power that gives form irradiates as — and as much as — once it formed live limbs. And even as the saturated air, since it reflects the rays the sun has sent, |
| 90 | Ostendit varios adverso sole colores : Sic prope qui aër adest, formam sibi sumit eandem, Quam sedes sortita suas anima imprimit illi Vi propria, ut stetit. Ac veluti ignis consequa flamma Forma novella animum sequitur, quocunque vagatur. |
takes rainbow colors as its ornament, so there, where the soul stopped, the nearby air takes on the form that soul impressed on it, a shape that is, potentially, real body ; and then, just as a flame will follow after the fire whenever fire moves, so that new form becomes the spirit’s follower. |
| 95 | Et quoniam ex illa trahit informata figuram, Umbra solet dici. Atque hinc, queis erat ante potita, Disponit sensus omnes ad lumina visus. Hinc vox elicitur, lacrimæ, suspiria, risus, Quæque audire fuit montis tibi sæpta petenti. |
Since from that airy body it takes on its semblance, that soul is called ‘shade’: that shape forms organs for each sense, even for sight. This airy body lets us speak and laugh ; with it we form the tears and sigh the sighs that you, perhaps, have heard around this mountain. |
| 100 | Ut desiderio tabescit quisque, vel illa Aut alia cura, vultum sic induit umbra ; Atque hæc est, tantum quæ affert tibi causa stuporis. » Jamque ubi torquendos postremus distinet orbis, Ventum erat. Ad dextram nos versi intendere mentem |
Just as we are held fast by longings and by other sentiments, our shade takes form ; this is the cause of your astonishment.” By now we'd reached the final turning we would meet and took the pathway right, at which |
| 105 | In curas alias. Hic ejaculata favillas It ripa in flammas, flatumque extrema corona Altius exspirans, procul a se tela repellit Ignis et amandat. Quare singlariter uni Cuique legenda fuit reclusi marginis ora. |
we were preoccupied with other cares. There, from the wall, the mountain hurls its flames ; but, from the terrace side, there whirls a wind that pushes back the fire and limits it ; thus, on the open side, proceeding one |
| 110 | At mihi utrimque metus : A flamma hinc, inde propinquo A lapsu. — « Hic opus est oculos compescere duro Freno », dux inquit ; « nam te res tantula posset Trudere in errorem. » Medio vastissimi in æstu Incendii audivi carmen, quo summa Parentis |
by one, we went ; I feared the fire on the left and, on the right, the precipice. My guide said : “On this terrace, it is best to curb your eyes : the least distraction — left or right — can mean a step you will regret.” Then, from the heart of that great conflagration, |
| 115 | Poscitur æterni clementia, ut impetus ingens Me minus efficeret metuentem vertere visum. Aspexique animas illic flammam inter euntes, Quare illas passusque meos speculatus, utramque Alternis aciem nunc huc, nunc dividere illuc |
I heard “Summae Deus clementiae” sung — and was not less keen to turn my eyes ; and I saw spirits walking in the flames, so that I looked at them and at my steps, sharing the time I had to look at each. |
| 120 | Curabam. — Ast hymni jam tota lege peracta, Vox effata « Virum non cognosco » impulit aures ; Deinde hymni numeros iterum absolvere remisse, Cujus sub finem clamavit tota caterva : « Phœbe iniit cursu silvas, Helicenque removit, |
After they’d reached that hymn’s end, “Virum non cognosco” were the words they cried aloud ; then they began the hymn in a low voice again, and, done again, they cried : “Diana kept to the woods and banished Helice |
| 125 | Quæ virus passa est Veneris. » Dein corpore castos Clamavere viros matresque, ut jura marita Poscunt. Idque sat esse illis puto tempus in omne, Quo flamma uruntur : curam hanc, hæc pabula poscit Vulnus, ut huic tandem claudantur hiantia labra. |
after she'd felt the force of Venus’ poison.” Then they returned to singing ; and they praised aloud those wives and husbands who were chaste, as virtue and as matrimony mandate. This is — I think — the way these spirits act as long as they are burned by fire : this is the care and this the nourishment with which one has to heal the final wound of all. |
| PURGATORII XXVI {26} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Alter post unum dum sic per marginis oram Ibamus, « caveas, » mihi dulcis sæpe magister Dicebat ; « studiosa juvet te cura monentis. » Sol mihi dextrum umerum feriebat lumine et omnem |
While we moved at the edge, one first, one after, and I could often hear my gentle master saying : “Take care — and do not waste my warning,” the sun, its rays already altering the coloring of all the west from azure |
| 5 | Occasum clarans mutabat cærula cæli Candidus ; et mage candentes ego corporis umbra Fingebam flammas ; atque hic quoque milia vidi Umbrarum, indicium tantum quæ mente notabant. —: Atque hæc causa fuit, cur cœpit quisque rogare, |
to white, was striking me on my right shoulder. And where my shadow fell, it made the flames seem more inflamed ; and I saw many shades walking, intent upon a sight so strange. This was the reason that first prompted them |
| 10 | Quis sim, atque alternis : « Non iste est, dicere, corpus — Fictum. » Dein propius, prout est data copia, versi, Usque magis certam sunt rem cognoscere adorti, Deseruisse locum veriti, quem possidet ignis. « O tu, qui extremus, non quod pigra membra retardant, |
to speak to me. Among themselves they said ; “He does not seem to have a fictive body.” Then certain of them came as close to me as they were able to while, cautiously, they never left the boundaries of their burning. “O you who move behind the others not |
| 15 | Incedis, sed quod te fors reverentia vincit, Da mihi responsum flammisque sitique perusto, Nec mihi duntaxat ; namque id sitit ista caterva, Plus quam Indi, Æthiopesque algentis munera rivi. Dic nobis, quæ causa subest, cur parietis instar |
because of sloth but reverence perhaps, give me who burn in thirst and fire your answer. I’m not alone in needing your response ; for all these shades thirst so for it — more than an Indian or Ethiopian thirsts for cool water. Tell us how you can — |
| 20 | Solem defendis, veluti si in retia mortis Nondum etiam intrasses ? » — Quædam sic umbra locuta est ; Et dicturus eram, quis sim, nisi visa repente Res alia ac necopina sua novitate stupentem Me defixisset. Medio nam in calle vomente |
as if you’re not yet caught within death’s net — make of yourself a wall against the sun.” Thus one of them had spoken to me ; I should now have answered clearly, had I not been fixed on something strangely evident ; for in the middle of the burning path, |
| 25 | Flammas, huic genti gens obvia fronte ruebat, Quæ me suspensum tenuit. Video undique quamque Umbram ibi festine venienti occurrere et unam — Quamque sibi alternis partirier oscula raptim, Nec remanere, brevi contentam pignore amoris. |
came people moving opposite to these — and I, since they moved left, stared in suspense. There, on all sides, I can see every shade move quickly to embrace another shade, content — they did not pause — with their brief greeting, |
| 30 | Non aliter nigrum in campis formica per agmen Os ori alterius jungit, quum forte cupido Fert iter et casus comitum novisse suarum. Et simulac visum est congressum solvere amicum, Ante prior passus quam illac transmittat euntes, |
as ants, in their dark company, will touch their muzzles, each to each, perhaps to seek news of their fortunes and their journeyings. No sooner is their friendly greeting done than each shade tries to outcry all the rest |
| 35 | Singula quæque novam per se superare laborat Gentem, clamando elate « Sodomam atque Gomorram » ; Et nova gens contra clamabat pectore toto : « Pasiphae vaccam ingressa est, ut taurus in iram Lascivæ irrueret. » Dein pennis alta secantum |
even before he starts to move ahead, the new group shouting : “Sodom and Gomorrah"; the other : “That the bull may hurry toward her lust, Pasiphae hides in the cow.” Then, just like cranes, of whom a part, to flee |
| 40 | More gruum, dum pars montes petit una Riphæos, Altera arenosas terras, ea frigus, et ista Effugiens solem ; pergit gens altera, adestque Altera ; deinde iterum in lacrimas cantusque priores Ibat clamoresque, prout plus quamque decebat. |
the sun, fly north to Riphean mountains, while the rest, to flee the frost, fly toward the sands, one group moves with — the other opposite — us ; and they return with tears to their first chants and to the shout appropriate to each. |
| 45 | Deinde mihi accessere iterum, velut ante, rogantes Quæ prius astiterant, intentæque ora tenebant. Tum qui bis vidi studium, quod gratius esset, Sic cœpi : « O animæ secura pace potiri, Adveniente die, certæ ; nec acerba, nec ævo |
And those who had entreated me came close again, in the same way they’d done before ; their faces showed how keen they were to listen. I, seeing their desire once again, began : “O souls who can be sure of gaining the state of peace, whenever that may be, |
| 50 | Plena remanserunt illic mea membra, sed ipse Mecum hæc portavi cum sanguine et ossibus istuc. Hinc ego conscendo, ne cæcus me implicet error Præterea. Mulier superis in sedibus astat, Hanc mihi quæ exorat veniam, et mortale per orbem |
my limbs — mature or green — have not been left within the world beyond ; they're here with me, together with their blood and with their bones. That I be blind no longer, through this place I pass ; above, a lady has gained grace for me ; therefore, I bear my mortal body |
| 55 | Ipse fero vestrum. Sed major vestra cupido Sic fiat saturata cito, ut domus hospita cælum Sit vobis, ubi abundat amor, multoque patescit Amplius huic spatium, qui sitis, dicite, ut ultra Progrediar scriptis ; et quænam est illa caterva, |
across your world. So may your deepest longing soon be appeased and you be lodged within the heaven that’s most full of love, most spacious, please tell me, so that I may yet transcribe it upon my pages, who you are, and what |
| 60 | Quæ sic post vestrum fertur pede præpete tergum ? » Non aliter montanus homo stupet inscius ore Turbato mutusque hæret spectaculo, ubi urbem Et rudis et ferus ingreditur, quam quælibet umbra Portento excussa est. Sed postquam exempta stuporis |
crowd moves in the direction opposite.” Each shade displayed no less astonishment or less confusion than a mountaineer, who, even as he stares about, falls silent when, rough and rustic, he comes to the city ; but when they’d set aside astonishment — |
| 65 | Sarcina, qui subito generoso in corde virorum Intepet : « O te », inquit, « felicem, quæ umbra rogarat Me prior, ex nostro quæ exportas litore vitæ Notitiam, ut vivas melius. Vestigia nostra Quæ gens non sequitur, malefacto offendit in illo, |
that’s soon subdued in noble hearts — he who had questioned me before, began again ; “Blessed are you who would, in order to die better, store experience of our lands! The people moving opposite us shared |
| 70 | Per quod se audivit ‹ reginam › a plebe vocari Cæsar, in opprobrium, curru victore triumphans. Quare clamantes ‹ Sodomam › dant terga citato Cursu, quodque audire fuit, sibi quisque fatendo Exprobrat, atque rubore suo flammam adjuvat ignis. |
the sin for which once, while in triumph, Caesar heard 'Queen' called out against him ; that is why, as they move off from us, they cry out ‘Sodom,’ reproaching their own selves, as you have heard, and through their shame abet the fire’s work. |
| 75 | Semina sunt labis nostræ ex capite Hermaphroditi Orta ; ast humanæ quod nos præpostera legi Prætulimus, nostrum sectantes more ferino Ingenium, legitur nobis abeuntibus in nos Illius nomen, quo infamia nostra notatur, |
Our sin was with the other sex ; but since we did not keep the bounds of human law, but served our appetites like beasts, when we part from the other ranks, we then repeat, to our disgrace, the name of one who, in |
| 80 | Belua quæ inventa est referentibus ora juvencæ In textis. — Nunc scis, quæ nobis acta fuerunt, Et quæ noxa egit sontes. Si forte requiras, Qui simus, nomenque simul cujusque reposcis, Non vacat id fari, nec scirem. Ast ista cupido |
the bestial planks, became herself a beast. You now know why we act so, and you know what our sins were ; if you would know our names, time is too short, and I don’t know them all. |
| 85 | Per me manca tibi fiet. Nam nomine Guinus GUINICELLUS ego dicor, jamque abluo sordes, Quod prius indolui, potius quam extrema manerem. » Quales, tristitia orbatum exagitante Lycurgum, Prosiluere duo visa genetrice gemelli : |
But with regard to me, I’ll satisfy your wish to know : I’m Guido Guinizzelli, purged here because I grieved before my end.” As, after the sad raging of Lycurgus, two sons, finding their mother, had embraced her, |
| 90 | Talis ego, at tantum non ausim, nomine nostri Audito patris et reliquorum, quos tulit ætas Eximios vates, qui dulci carmine amores Tam culti cecinere suos. Ego mutus, et absque Auditus sensu steteram defixus in isto |
so I desired to do — but dared not to — when I heard him declare his name : the father of me and of the others — those, my betters — who ever used sweet, gracious rhymes of love. And without hearing, speaking, pensive, I |
| 95 | Uno hæsique diu pendens, nec, cautus ab igne, Accessi propius. Postquam saturata videndo Nostra acies fuerat, quæ vellet, cuncta spopondi Hæc me facturum, confirmans plurima verbis, Cuique animo factura fidem. » — At sic incipit ille : |
walked on, still gazing at him, a long time, prevented by the fire from drawing closer. When I had fed my sight on him, I offered myself — with such a pledge that others must believe — completely ready for his service. |
| 100 | « Ut didici auditu, post te vestigia linquis Talia et usque adeo clara, ut nec flumina Lethes Hæc abolere queant, aut offuscare nigrore. At tua si verum juravit fida loquela, Dic mihi, cur tua dicta oculique et gestus amorem |
And he to me : “Because of what I hear, you leave a trace within me — one so clear, Lethe itself can’t blur or cancel it. But if your words have now sworn truthfully, do tell me why it is that you have shown |
| 105 | In me præportant tantum ? — Huic ego talia contra : « Dulcia, quæ quondam cecinisti, carmine, quæque Tam sunt duratura diu, quam lege recenti Musa diu utetur, pretiosa et cara futuris Scripta tua efficient. » « O frater, quem tibi monstro, » |
in speech and gaze that I am dear to you.” And I to him : “It’s your sweet lines that, for as long as modern usage lasts, will still make dear their very inks.” “Brother,” he said, “he there, whom I point out to you” — he showed |
| 110 | (Et digito præ se stantem mi ostenderat umbram) « Maternæ fuit hic linguæ faber optimus », inquit. « Præstitit hic cunctis, teneros seu lusit amores, Tradidit aut scriptis romantica lege solutis ; Et sine sponte loqui stultos, qui anteire putarunt |
us one who walked ahead — “he was a better artisan of the mother tongue, surpassing all those who wrote their poems of love or prose romances — let the stupid ones contend, who think that from Limoges there came the best. |
| 115 | LEMOVICANUM. Mos est his tollere vultum Plus ad rumorem, quam mente expendere verum ; Sic prius offirmant animum, quam audire laborent, Quid ratio quidve ars poscant. Sic multa vetusto Ex ævo stupuit GUITTONEM turba, secuta |
They credit rumor rather than the truth, allowing their opinion to be set before they hear what art or reason says. So, many of our fathers once persisted, voice after voice, in giving to Guittone |
| 120 | Vulgata, inque diem crescentia murmura famæ, Illum laudando ; verum certamine in isto Plures de nostris illum ostendere minorem. Quod si tanta patet privo tibi gratia, ut intres Claustrum, ubi Christus adest collegi maximus abbas, |
the prize — but then, with most, the truth prevailed. Now if you are so amply privileged that you will be admitted to the cloister where Christ is abbot of the college, then |
| 125 | Dic Pater, huic, noster pro me, quoad indiget usus Pro nobis mundo hoc in nostro, qui abstulit omne Peccandi arbitrium nobis. » Dein, forte daturus Ipse locum astanti, per flammæ incendia fugit, Assimilis pisci per aquas fundi ima petenti. |
pray say, for me, to Him, a Paternoster — that is, as much of it as those in this place need, since we have lost the power to sin.” Then, to make place, perhaps, for those behind him, he disappeared into the fire, just as a fish, through water, plunges toward the bottom. |
| 130 | Paulum ego monstrato accessi, me discere aventem Illius nomen testatus corde parasse Huic gratam in nostro sedem. — Tunc liber ita infit : « Tam mihi dulce venit, quod comi voce rogasti, Ut neque ego possim, nec sit celare voluntas, |
Saying that my desire was making ready a place of welcome for his name, I moved ahead a little, toward the one who had been pointed out to me. And he spoke freely ; “So does your courteous request please me — |
| 135 | Quod petis. ARNALDUS dicor, qui ploro modisque Cantito flebilibus, simulatque ego mente recordor, Quo me præteritæ duxit dementia vitæ. Jamque dies mihi tam sperata videtur adesse. Nunc per Virtutem te oro, quæ scandere scalas |
from you. I am Arnaut, who, going, weep and sing ; with grief, I see my former folly ; with joy, I see the hoped-for day draw near. Now, by the Power that conducts you to the summit of the stairway, I pray you ; |
| 140 | Dat tibi supremas, ut fausto tempore nostri Sis memor angoris. » Dein purum se abdit in ignem. |
remember, at time opportune, my pain!” Then, in the fire that refines, he hid. |
| PURGATORII XXVII {27} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ut quum prima vibrat radiorum spicula in urbem, Auctor ubi suus effudit cum sanguine vitam, Altius invectum sub Libræ sidus Ibero Labente, atque horam sub sextam rursus adustis |
Just as, there where its Maker shed His blood, the sun shed its first rays, and Ebro lay beneath high Libra, and the ninth hour’s rays |
| 5 | Undis in Gangem : haud aliter sol stabat eratque Ultima pars lucis, læto quum se obtulit ore Angelus. Extra ignis flammas ripam ipse tenebat, Et majore sono, quam hominis vox viva tulisset, Cantabat : « Mundo qui incedunt corde, beatos ! » |
were scorching Ganges’ waves ; so here, the sun stood at the point of day’s departure when God’s angel — happy — showed himself to us. He stood along the edge, beyond the flames, singing “Beati mundo corde” in a voice that had more life than ours can claim. |
| 10 | Exinde : « O animæ sanctæ, nisi mordeat æstu Flamma prius, non est ultra contendere gressu ; Intrate hanc, nec sint aures ad carmina surdæ Inde emissa loci. » — Sic quum prope venimus, inquit ; Quare, his auditis, tali sub imagine factus |
Then : “Holy souls, you cannot move ahead unless the fire has stung you first : enter the flames, and don’t be deaf to song you’ll hear beyond,” he said when we were close to him ; and when I heard him say this, I became |
| 15 | Restiteram, quale est post funera corpus humandum. Et stratus digitis intra se pectine junctis, Inspexi ardores, revocans, quæ corpora quondam Viva hominum vidi flamma crepitante cremari. Ductores versi me respexere benigne, |
like one who has been laid within the grave. I joined my hands and stretched them out to fend the flames, watching the fire, imagining clearly the human bodies I’d once seen burning. My gentle escorts turned to me, |
| 20 | VIRGILIUSque inquit : « Dolor hic fortasse subesse, O fili, queat, at non qui det corpora leto. Id memora, id memora. Et si te salvum ipse reduxi GERYONI impositum, queis pro te viribus utar, Jam propiore Deo ? Maneat tibi mente reposta |
and Virgil said : “My son, though there may be suffering here, there is no death. Remember, remember! If I guided you to safety even upon the back of Geryon, then now, closer to God, what shall I do? |
| 25 | Hæc non vana fides, medio si tu ignis in alvo Mille annos jaceas, hunc non tibi posse capillum Deprædari ullum. Quod si tu forte putabis Me dare verba tibi, mox te objice, et ipsa periclum Dextera veste tua faciat. Jam pone timorem, |
Be sure : although you were to spend a full one thousand years within this fire’s center, your head would not be balder by one hair. And if you think I am deceiving you, draw closer to the flames, let your own hands try out, within the fire, your clothing’s hem — |
| 30 | Atque metus omnes ; ades huc, accedito tutus. » Ast ego et offirmare animum atque insistere contra Mentis consilium auctori parere jubentis. Ut me proposito hærentem atque obsistere certum Vidit, turbatus paulum : « Nunc aspice, fili ; |
put down, by now put down, your every fear ; turn toward the fire, and enter, confident!” But I was stubborn, set against my conscience. When he saw me still halting, obstinate, he said, somewhat perplexed : “Now see, son : this |
| 35 | Teque BEATRICEMque inter jam ponitur », inquit, « Hic paries. » Veluti clausurus lumina morte, Ad nomen Thisbes ea sustulit oraque amantis Pyramus extremum aspexit, quum mora cruentas Induerant maculas : sic, quæ mihi pectora primum |
wall stands between you and your Beatrice.” As, at the name of Thisbe, Pyramus, about to die, opened his eyes, and saw her (when then the mulberry became bloodred), so, when my stubbornness had softened, I, |
| 40 | Duruerant, mihi tum subito mitescere sensi ; Nomine et audito, quod mi usque renascitur intus, Quæsivi cupide sapientem corde magistrum. Ille caput quassans : « Quid nobis ? Ergone standum Hic erit ? » Et post hæc risit, quod sæpe puello |
hearing the name that’s always flowering within my mind, turned to my knowing guide. At which he shook his head and said : “And would you have us stay along this side?” — then smiled |
| 45 | Fit balbo, pomi qui victus imagine cedit. Inque ignes medios præ me se immisit et ipsum Oravit STATIUM, legeret vestigia retro, Qui primum longo se abduxerat intervallo. Ut flammam intravi, me saltu in stagna dedissem |
as one smiles at a child fruit has beguiled. Then he, ahead of me, entered the fire ; and he asked Statius, who had walked between us before, dividing us, to go behind. No sooner was I in that fire than I’d |
| 50 | Ferventis vitri, ut mihi membra perusta levarem ; Usque adeo sine more atrox ea flamma furebat. At pater ille mihi dulcis lenire dolorem Solando cupiens, vario sermone serebat Multa BEATRICEM memorans. sic ore locutus : |
have thrown myself in molten glass to find coolness — because those flames were so intense. My gentle father, who would comfort me, kept talking, as we walked, of Beatrice, |
| 55 | « Hujus jam videor faciem mihi cernere. » — Nobis Pro duce vox aderat, quæ ultra nos missa canebat. Nos huic intenti partem devenimus illam, Unde erat ascensus. « Patris o dilecta, venite, Pectora fida mei », vox ex ardente micantis |
saying : “I seem to see her eyes already.” A voice that sang beyond us was our guide ; and we, attentive to that voice, emerged just at the point where it began to climb. “Venite, benedicti Patris mei,” |
| 60 | Luminis insonuit centro, quod luce replebat Tanta illas oras, acies ut nostra requirat Illum victa pati, nec erat spectare potestas. « Sol abit, » ajebat, « veniuntque crepuscula noctis ; Ne state, at passus cursu celerate citato, |
it sang within a light that overcame me ; I could not look at such intensity. “The sun departs,” it added ; "evening comes ; don’t stay your steps, but hurry on before |
| 65 | Donec vesper adhuc minus atras induit umbras. » Recte ascendebat per saxi concava callis, Tramite sic vergens, ut jam mihi lumina solis Præ me interciperem, quæ languida facta cadebant ; Atque gradus paucos fuerat superare facultas, |
the west grows dark.” The path we took climbed straight within the rock, and its direction was such that, in front of me, my body blocked the rays of sun, already low behind us. And we had only tried a few steps when |
| 70 | Quum solis cubitum ex illa, quæ evanuit, umbra Sensimus a tergo. Atque prius quam, qui patet ingens Orbis finitor, per cunctas undique partes Unam vestiret formam, et sua cuncta teneret Nox sibi, quisque gradum pro lecto presserat unum. |
I and my sages sensed the sun had set because the shadow I had cast was spent. Before one color came to occupy that sky in all of its immensity and night was free to summon all its darkness, each of us made one of those stairs his bed ; |
| 75 | Sic dantes ultra nobis contendere vires, Plus quam solamen, montis natura refregit. Ut grex caprarum, qui præceps atque protervus Per saxa impastus, per culmina summa ruebat, Fit mansus folia, atque esas dum ruminat herbas, |
the nature of the mountain had so weakened our power and desire to climb ahead. Like goats that, when they grazed, were swift and tameless along the mountain peaks, but now are sated, and rest and ruminate — while the sun blazes — untroubled, in the shadows, silently, |
| 80 | Quem prope pastoris custodia fida bacillo Stat nixa, inque illis tota est ; et more modoque Opilionis oves juxta dare membra quieti Sub dio soliti, qui longas ducere noctes Sustinet evigilans, fera ne disperdat ovile : |
watched over by the herdsman as he leans upon his staff and oversees their peace ; or like the herdsman in the open fields, spending the night beside his quiet flock, watching to see that no beast drives them off ; |
| 85 | Tales tunc pariter fuimus nos copia triplex, Instar ego capræ, similes pastoribus illi, Præcincti hinc atque inde specu. Hic extraria cæli Se dare lustranti poterat pars parva videndam : At parva ex illa spectabam sidera parte |
such were all three of us at that point — they were like the herdsmen, I was like the goat ; upon each side of us, high rock walls rose. From there, one saw but little of the sky, but in that little, I could see the stars |
| 90 | Clara magis solito, majore ac prædita forma. Hæc ego dum miror mecumque hæc mente voluto, Me cepit somnus, somnus res sæpe novellas Ante diem discens. — Quo primum tempore, credo, Ortum præcurrens montem radiaverit illum |
brighter and larger than they usually are. But while I watched the stars, in reverie, sleep overcame me — sleep, which often sees, before it happens, what is yet to be. It was the hour, I think, when Cytherea, |
| 95 | Clara Venus, flammas præportans semper amoris, Mi præstans mulier forma integraque juventa Visa est sopito per campos ire patentes, Decerpens fibres hæc ore locuta canoro : « Nomine quo dicar, si quis fortasse requirat, |
who always seems aflame with fires of love, first shines upon the mountains from the east, that, in my dream, I seemed to see a woman both young and fair ; along a plain she gathered flowers, and even as she sang, she said ; “Whoever asks my name, know that I’m Leah, |
| 100 | Me sciat esse LEAM et manibus non parcere pulchris Errantem circum, ut serto mea tempora cingam. Dum speculo referente meam mirata figuram Ipsa isti placeam, hic me ornatus cura moratur ; At germana mihi nullo unquam tempore RACHEL |
and I apply my lovely hands to fashion a garland of the flowers I have gathered. To find delight within this mirror I adorn myself ; whereas my sister Rachel |
| 105 | Fixa suo speculo declinat lumina, et hæret Sede dies totos. Cupit hæc sua lumina pulchra Aspicere, ut me sollicitam fert cura parandi Ornamenta manu. Huic speculandi, mi ardor agendi. » Et jam per lumen suffuscum, signa diei |
never deserts her mirror ; there she sits all day ; she longs to see her fair eyes gazing, as I, to see my hands adorning, long ; she is content with seeing, I with labor.” And now, with the reflected lights that glow |
| 110 | Præportans, tanto peregrinis gratius omen, Quanto illos brevior patrias via ducet ad oras, Undique depulsa fugiebant nocte tenebræ, Atque simul somnus. Quare tunc membra levavi, Et magnos vidi consurrexisse magistros. |
before the dawn and, rising, are most welcome to pilgrims as, returning, they near home, the shadows fled upon all sides ; my sleep fled with them ; and at this, I woke and saw that the great teachers had already risen. |
| 115 | « Dulce illud pomum, per tot quod quærere ramos Ingenti certant mortalia pectora cura, Omnem hodie esuriem plena tibi pace domabit. » Talia Minciades ; et nunquam tanta fuere Munera strenarum, quæ sic mihi grata venirent. |
“Today your hungerings will find their peace through that sweet fruit the care of mortals seeks among so many branches.” This, the speech, the solemn words, that Virgil spoke to me ; and there were never tidings to compare, in offering delight to me, with these. |
| 120 | Visque voluntati tanta est super addita summum Scandere suadenti montem, ut, quocunque moverem Passus, sentirem pedibus succrescere pennas. Postquam suppositæ percurrimus ardua scalæ, Supremumque gradum attigimus, sua lumina fixit |
My will on will to climb above was such that at each step I took I felt the force within my wings was growing for the flight. When all the staircase lay beneath us and we'd reached the highest step, then Virgil set |
| 125 | In me VIRGILIUS fuditque has pectore voces : Arsura æternum atque habitura incendia finem « Vidisti, o fili, atque aditum loca in illa tulisti, In quibus haud licet ulterius mihi cernere quicquam. Huc usque ingenio te traxi fretus et arte ; |
his eyes insistently on me and said ; “My son, you’ve seen the temporary fire and the eternal fire ; you have reached the place past which my powers cannot see. I’ve brought you here through intellect and art ; |
| 130 | Nunc tibi pro duce sit, sit pro ductore voluptas ; Ardua vicisti, vicisti obscura viarum. Cerne illic solem in media tibi fronte micantem, Graminaque et flores, frondosasque aspice plantas, Quas fert sponte sua nullo terra ista colente. |
from now on, let your pleasure be your guide ; you’re past the steep and past the narrow paths. Look at the sun that shines upon your brow ; look at the grasses, flowers, and the shrubs born here, spontaneously, of the earth. |
| 135 | Dum pulchro advenient oculi fulgore nitentes Lætifici, ob lacrimas quorum te jussus adivi, Jam cessare potes, perque illa vireta vagari ; Nec mea tu dicta ulterius nutusque manebis. Incolumi arbitrio, recta sanaque potitus |
Among them, you can rest or walk until the coming of the glad and lovely eyes — those eyes that, weeping, sent me to your side. Await no further word or sign from me ; your will is free, erect, and whole — to act |
| 140 | Libertate, vales, gravis et te falleret error, Si te ex arbitrio prohiberet ducere vitam ; Nam tete supra cingo sertoque mitraque. » |
against that will would be to err : therefore I crown and miter you over yourself.” |
| PURGATORII XXVIII {28} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Jam cupidus lustrare intus circaque recessus Divini nemoris densos vivosque, novelli Frangentes oculis fulgentia tela diei ; Haud mora, deserui ripam, campumque patentem |
Now keen to search within, to search around that forest — dense, alive with green, divine — which tempered the new day before my eyes, without delay, I left behind the rise |
| 5 | Exiguo ingressus passu, per lene ferebar Lente iter ambrosios exspirans undique odores. Dulce strepens, ulla mutari nescia causa, Aura mihi frontem majore haud flaminis ictu Tangebat, quam si afflaret vis blanda Favoni ; |
and took the plain, advancing slowly, slowly across the ground where every part was fragrant. A gentle breeze, which did not seem to vary within itself, was striking at my brow but with no greater force than a kind wind’s, |
| 10 | Quam propter tremulæ ac dociles levitate secunda, Quotquot erant, parili nutabant ordine frondes, In partem versæ, quam contra projicit umbram Mons sanctus primam ; haud tamen hæ vertigine sparsæ Sic, ut desinerent fastigia summa tenentes |
a wind that made the trembling boughs — they all bent eagerly — incline in the direction of morning shadows from the holy mountain ; but they were not deflected with such force as to disturb the little birds upon |
| 15 | Arte sua volucres uti, solitosque ciere Cantus ; quæ pleno fundentes gaudia corde, Excipere omnigenis certabant cantibus horas Primas sub foliis, quæ edebant consona murmur, Quale audire melos facile est prope litora Classis |
the branches in the practice of their arts ; for to the leaves, with song, birds welcomed those first hours of the morning joyously, and leaves supplied the burden to their rhymes — just like the wind that sounds from branch to branch |
| 20 | Conflatum hinc inde in ramis pineta per alta, Auster ubi Æolio lenis se carcere solvit. Jamque per antiquæ intuleram me devia silvæ, Tarde progrediens adeo, ut jam scire nequirem, Qua veni, quum me vetuit procedere rivus, |
along the shore of Classe, through the pines when Aeolus has set Sirocco loose. Now, though my steps were slow, I’d gone so far into the ancient forest that I could no longer see where I had made my entry ; and there I came upon a stream that blocked |
| 25 | Ad lævam modicis inflectens gramina lymphis In ripas egressa suas. Pellucida quævis Fontibus ex nostris aliquid concludere mixti Unda videretur præ illa, quæ illimis in imo Nil celat fundo ; quamvis suffusca sub umbra |
the path of my advance ; its little waves bent to the left the grass along its banks. All of the purest waters here on earth, when matched against that stream, would seem to be touched by impurity ; it hides no thing — that stream — although it moves, dark, dark, beneath |
| 30 | Perpetua excurrat, quæ Solis lumina nunquam Nec Lunæ patitur nemoris per opaca vagari. Adductis pedibusque oculisque ego fluminis alveum Transsilui parvum, visurus læta vireta Florida, tam vario discrimine picta colorum : |
the never-ending shadows, which allow no ray of sun or moon to reach those waters. I halted, and I set my eyes upon the farther bank, to look at the abundant variety of newly-flowered boughs ; |
| 35 | Atque huc mi occurrit, fieri ut quandoque videmus Quiddam improviso, quod cunctas pectore curas Attonito avertit. Nullis comitantibus ibat Ore canens mulier floresque a floribus ipsa Secernens, pede tacta hujus queis tota nitebat |
and there, just like a thing that, in appearing most suddenly, repels all other thoughts, so great is the astonishment it brings, I saw a solitary woman moving, singing, and gathering up flower on flower — the flowers that colored all of her pathway. |
| 40 | Semita. Cui dixi : « O mulier pulcherrima, amoris Quæ facibus calefis, fronti si credere dignum est Cordis testanti sensus, ne huc abnue, quæso, Ferre aditum propius ripam, ut, quæ carmina cantas, Figere mente queam. Per te subit insula, per te, |
“I pray you, lovely lady, you who warm yourself with rays of love, if I may trust your looks — which often evidence the heart — may it please you,” I asked of her, “to move ahead and closer to this river, so that I may understand what you are singing. |
| 45 | Qualis erat spectanda, subit Proserpina in ipso Tempore, quum genitrix illam, ver illa serenum Amisit. » — Veluti adductis vestigia plantis Collecta in choream vertit matrona retrorsum, Vixque pede ante pedem posito accessisse videtur : |
You have reminded me of where and what — just when her mother was deprived of her and she deprived of spring — Proserpina was.” As, when she turns, a woman, dancing, keeps her soles close to the ground and to each other and scarcely lets one foot precede the other, |
| 50 | Sic inter flores ostroque auroque micantes Ad me conversa est, ut, quæ defigit honeste Lumina humi, virgo, voluitque explere rogantem ; Nam sic accessit, dulce ut modulamen iniret Aures, atque omnes dederit cognoscere voces. |
so did she turn, upon the little red and yellow flowers, to me, no differently than would a virgin, lowering chaste eyes. I had besought, and I was satisfied, for she approached so close that the sweet sound that reached me then became intelligible. |
| 55 | At simulac venit, jucundi ubi fluminis undæ Irrorant herbas, dignata est tollere vultum. Haud oculos credo Veneri micuisse nitore Tanto, quum præter solitum hæc se vulnere nati Districtam sensit. Dextra ridebat in ora |
No sooner had she reached the point where that fair river’s waves could barely bathe the grass, than she gave me this gift : lifting her eyes. I do not think a light so bright had shone beneath the lids of Venus when her son pierced her in extraordinary fashion. |
| 60 | Opposita, manibus decerpens multa colorum Milia, quos alma emittit sine semine tellus. Tres circa passus sejunxerat omnes utrosque ; Nec mare, quod mersa titulos deduxit ab Helle, Trajectum Xerxi, frenum cuicunque superbo |
Erect, along the farther bank, she smiled, her hands entwining varicolored flowers, which that high land, needing no seed, engenders. The river kept us just three steps apart ; but even Hellespont, where Xerxes crossed — a case that still curbs all men’s arrogance — |
| 65 | Nunc quoque, tantum odii est passum, ulterioris amore Ripæ, a Leandro Seston spectante et Abydon, Quantum hic a me amnis, quod non patefacta dedisset Tunc iter unda mihi. — « Vos hic nova pectora adestis, » Illa ait, « et forsan, quod me hac vidistis in ora, |
did not provoke more hatred in Leander when rough seas ran from Abydos to Sestos, than hatred I bestowed upon that river when it refused to open. She began ; “You are new here and may — because I smile |
| 70 | Quæ prius humanæ naturæ electa patebat Sedes, ridentem, mirantibus insidet anceps Cura aliqua ; at veniunt a carmine ‹ Delectasti › Lumina, quæ nebulas possunt depellere mente. O tu, qui cunctis anteis, scitarier orsus, |
in this place, chosen to be mankind’s nest — wonder, perplexed, unable to detect the cause ; but light to clear your intellect is in the psalm beginning ‘Delectasti.’ And you, who have stepped forward, who besought me, |
| 75 | Fare age, si quid vis aliud ; nam solvere præsens Veni, quoad satis esse reor, quæcunque rogabis. » « Lympha », inquam, « nemorisque sonus mihi pectora pugna Exagitant minuuntque fidem, quæ increverat ante ; Nam secus audieram fieri, ac quod vera monet res. » |
tell me if you’d hear more ; I have come ready for all your questions till you’re satisfied.” I said : “The water and the murmuring forest contend, in me, against the recent credence I gave to words denying their existence.” |
| 80 | Illa mihi : « Dicam, quo pacto haud evenit istud Absque sua causa, quod tanto corda stupore Nunc tibi sollicitat, et quæ tibi plurima nubes Officit, hanc tergam. Superorum hominumque voluptas Summa, illa ipsa placens per se sibi sola, creavit |
At this, she said : “I'll tell you how the source of your amazement has its special cause ; I’ll clear the cloud that’s left you so distraught. The Highest Good, whose sole joy is Himself, |
| 85 | Primum hominem dederatque bonis excellere factis, Atque istas sedes, æternæ ut pignora pacis. Ipsius ob vitium haud illi mora longa receptum Hic dedit ; ob vitium in luctum mæstumque laborem Et dulcem ludum et risum mutavit honestum. |
made man to be — and to enact — good ; He gave man this place as pledge of endless peace. Man’s fault made brief his stay here ; and man’s fault made him exchange frank laughter and sweet sport for lamentation and for anxiousness. |
| 90 | Ne, quos progenerant isto sub monte, vapores Terræ et aquæ, soliti solis sectarier æstum, Quoad licet, humanæ conflictu bella cierent Naturæ, idcirco mons hic conscendit in altum Huc usque : at parte ex illa, quam janua claudit, |
Below this mountain, land and water vapors, which follow heat as far as they are able, produce their perturbations ; to prevent them from molesting man placed here, this mountain rose up this close to Heaven ; from the point |
| 95 | Liber ubique manet. Sed nunc, quia totus in orbem Cum prima cæli sphæra convolvitur aër, (Ni latere ex aliquo huic proprium interruperit obiex Circuitum) hoc alto in spatio, quod in aëre vivo Immune et vacuum est, icitque et personat omnem |
where its gate locks, it’s free of such disturbance. Now, since all of the atmosphere revolves within a circle, moved by the first circling, unless its round is broken at some point, against this height, which stands completely free within the living air, that motion strikes ; |
| 100 | Hic motus silvam, quia plantis densa superbit : Et tantum planta icta potest, ut repleat auram Virtute ipsa sua ; et gyros deinde ipsa retexens, Hanc quatit. Altera humus, prout per se est digna, suive Naturam ob cæli, fit prægnans sæclaque gignit |
and since these woods are dense, they echo it. And when a plant is struck, its power is such that it impregnates air with seeding force ; the air, revolving, casts this seed abroad ; the other hemisphere, depending on the nature of its land and sky, conceives |
| 105 | Plantarum varia et varias prodentia vires. Nec vero posset vestris res mira videri, Si quando audierint aliquam hic sine semine noto Mittere radices plantam. Et tibi scire licebit, Ut sacer hic campus, quem calcas, semine abundat |
and bears, from diverse powers, diverse trees. If what I’ve said were known, you would not need to be amazed on earth when growing things take root but have no seed that can be seen. And you must know : the holy plain on which |
| 110 | Omnigeno, talemque solet concludere fructum, Qualem illic manibus non est convellere vestris. Nec quas cernis aquas, manant ex paupere vena, Quam vapor instauret glacie solvente rigorem, Ut fluvium, qui acquirit opes viresque remittit ; |
you find yourself is full of every seed ; and it has fruit that — there — cannot be gathered. The water that you see does not spring from a vein that vapor — cold — condensed — restores, like rivers that acquire or lose their force ; |
| 115 | Sed fonte ex solido certoque erumpere pergunt, Et tantum accipiunt a Summi numine Regis, Quantum profundunt ex duplice parte reclusæ. Ex una erumpit fluvius virtute repletus, Qui male factorum cunctorum oblivia spargit ; |
it issues from a pure and changeless fountain, which by the will of God regains as much as, on two sides, it pours and it divides. On this side it descends with power to end one’s memory of sin ; and on the other, |
| 120 | Ex alia, qui dat revocare et cernere mente Omnia facta pie et caste. Qui hinc, nomine Lethes Dicitur ; Eunœs, qui illinc : neuterque suam vim Exercet, nisi si ante aliquis degustet utrumque. Et sapor istius superat genus omne saporum ; |
it can restore recall of each good deed. To one side, it is Lethe ; on the other, Eunoe ; neither stream is efficacious unless the other’s waters have been tasted ; their savor is above all other sweetness. |
| 125 | Et quamvis saturata satis tua cedere possit Jam sitis, haud ultra me nil retegente recentis, Id tibi præstabo gratis, quod consequa rerum Mi suadet ratio ; tibi nec fore dicta putabis Jam mea cara minus, si hæc exspatientur aperte |
Although your thirst might well be satisfied even if I revealed no more to you, I’ll give you freely, too, a corollary ; nor do I think my words will be less welcome to you if they extend beyond my promise. |
| 130 | Ultra promissum. Veteres, qui sæcula vates Aurea cantarunt, victumque statumque beatum Forte in Parnasso, sunt somnia vana secuti. Humana hic radix semper fuit integra, semper Hic ver, hic quivis fructus, quæque ire fluenta |
Those ancients who in poetry presented the golden age, who sang its happy state, perhaps, in their Parnassus, dreamt this place. Here, mankind’s root was innocent ; and here were every fruit and never-ending spring ; |
| 135 | Nectaris et vestri dicunt. » Tunc ipse poëtas Respexi comites, et læto non sine risu Accepisse illos cognovi hæc ultima dicta. Deinde oculis redii ad præstantem corpore Divam. |
these streams — the nectar of which poets sing.” Then I turned round completely, and I faced my poets ; I could see that they had heard with smiles this final corollary spoken ; that done, my eyes returned to the fair woman. |
| PURGATORII XXIX {29} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | At canere insistens, ceu percita amore puella, Hymni sub finem numeros modulata : « Beati », Addebat, « quorum sunt vitæ crimina tecta. » Ac veluti nymphæ, quæ solæ umbrosa vagantur |
Her words were done, but without interruption she sang — like an enamored woman — thus ; “Beati quorum tecta sunt peccata!” And just as nymphs who used to walk alone |
| 5 | Per nemora, hæ cupidæ solem vitare, tueri Illæ ; tunc amnem contra vestigia movit Per ripam. Brevibus gradientem ego passibus æque Passibus hanc brevibus propius sectabar ; et inter Ipsius atque meos centeni vix hanc passus |
among the woodland shadows, some desiring to see and some to flee the sun, so she moved countercurrent as she walked along the riverbank ; and following her short footsteps with my own steps, I matched her pace. Her steps and mine together did not sum |
| 10 | Intererant, quum sic sese ripa utraque torsit, Rursus ut Eoæ mihi sit plaga reddita lucis. Nec multum progressus eram, quum hæc arbitra nostri Ad me oculos vertit : « Frater, nunc aspice et audi, » Inquit, et ecce cito percurrens omnia splendor |
one hundred when the banks, still parallel, so curved about that I was facing east. Nor had we gone much farther on that path when she turned fully round toward me and said ; “My brother, look and listen"; and I saw a sudden radiance that swept across |
| 15 | In silva ingenti illuxit, ut mente manerem Ambigua, an fulgur cælo vibraret ab alto. Sed quoniam fulgur subito pervadit abitque, Isque diu durans magis et magis igne micabat : « Quidnam hoc ? » dicebam versans sub pectore multa. |
the mighty forest on all sides — and I was wondering if lightning had not struck. But since, when lightning strikes, it stops at once, while that light, lingering, increased its force, within my mind I asked : “What thing is this?” |
| 20 | Perque coruscantem gratum melos aëra fundi Audieram. Quare sanctæ tulit impetus iræ Audax me facinus primæ incusare parentis. Namque ubi parebant tellus cælumque profundum, Femina sola, modo vitales edita in auras, |
And through the incandescent air there ran sweet melody ; at which, just indignation made me rebuke the arrogance of Eve because, where earth and heaven were obedient, a solitary woman, just created, |
| 25 | Haud remanere diu velamine passa sub ullo est, Sub quo stare pia atque æqua si mente tulisset, Illa ego, quæ fando nulla æquat gaudia lingua, Multo ante hausissem optatisque diutius essem Functus. — At æternæ dum tot dulcedinis ibam |
found any veil at all beyond endurance ; if she had been devout beneath her veil, I should have savored those ineffable delights before, and for a longer time. While I moved on, completely rapt, among |
| 30 | Inter primitias animo suspensus et hærens, Proptereaque magis perfundi pectus avebam Lætitia, ante oculos aër, velut excita flamma, Sub viridi micuit ramorum tegmine, et aure Teste sonum dulcem ceu cantum audire videbar. |
so many first fruits of eternal pleasure, and longing for still greater joys, the air before us altered underneath the green branches, becoming like an ardent fire, and now the sweet sound was distinctly song. |
| 35 | Aonides castæ, si insomnes ducere noctes Unquam sustinui per vos et frigora et aspram Esuriem, me vera monet vos causa vocandi. Hic opus, ut totis Helicon in me influat undis, Atque choro Uranie det opem stipata sororum, |
O Virgins, sacrosanct, if I have ever, for your sake, suffered vigils, cold, and hunger, great need makes me entreat my recompense. Now Helicon must pour its fountains for me, Urania must help me with her choir |
| 40 | Includam ut numeris meditanti maxima rerum. Ulterius paulo fallebat, imagine fingens Quattuor arboreas ex auri divite massa Plantas, quod multum spatii nos inter et ipsas Æquor erat medium. Sed quum fuit ire cupido |
to put in verses things hard to conceive. Not far beyond, we made out seven trees of gold, though the long stretch of air between those trees and us had falsified their semblance ; but when I’d drawn so close that things perceived |
| 45 | Sic illas contra, ut, quod inest commune, fideles Eludens sensus, ob longius intervallum Vi non deficeret propria, hæc vis intima causas Inquirens veras me candelabra tuentem Falsum animi admonuit, vocesque « Hosanna ! » canentum |
through mingled senses, which delude, did not, now they were nearer, lose their real features, the power that offers reason matter judged those trees to be — what they were — candelabra, and what those voices sang to be “Hosanna.” |
| 50 | Personuisse nemus. Pulchrum decus undique flammis Desuper ardebat melius, quam luna sereno Cælo sub noctem mediam pleno orbe coruscans. At mente attonitus tota cari ora petivi VIRGILII et vidi mihi respondere stuporis |
The upper part of those fair candles flamed more radiantly than the midmonth moon shines at midnight in an untroubled sky. Full of astonishment, I turned to my good Virgil ; but he only answered me |
| 55 | Non minus hunc oculis fassum fulgore gravatis. Deinde iterum quæsivi acie miracula rerum, Nos circa usque adeo tardo pede visa moveri, Ut minus incessu nova nupta videnda veniret Tardo. Ast increpitans mulier sic ore locuta est : |
with eyes that were no less amazed than mine. Then I looked at the extraordinary things that were moving toward us — but so slowly that even brides just wed would move more quickly. The woman chided me : “Why are you only |
| 60 | « Cur ardes inhians in vivas pascere luces Victus amore oculos uno, et quæ pone sequuntur, Negligis ? » — Huc multam tum vidi accedere turbam, Non secus atque duces, indutam vestibus albis ; Talis et hinc candor nunquam fuit. Unda micabat |
so eager to behold the living lights and not in seeing what comes after them?” Then I saw people following those candles, as if behind their guides, and they wore white — whiteness that, in this world, has never been. |
| 65 | Læva ex parte repercutiens, lævam mihi costam Defigenti oculos, si consultare tulisset Mens speculum. Utque meam potui sic stringere ripam, Ut me interjectus tantum disjungeret amnis, Substiti, ut inspicerem melius, præterque meantes |
The water, to my left, reflected flames, and it reflected, too, my left-hand side if I gazed into it, as in a mirror. When I was at a point along my shore where all that sundered me from them was water, I stayed my steps in order to see better, |
| 70 | Ire faces vidi, linquentes aëra pictum. Post se, peniculis similes deducere tractus Edoctis varios. Per quas in parte superna Hunc distinguebat septemplice sparsa colore Fascia septemplex, veluti sol candidus arcum, |
and I could see the candle flames move forward, leaving the air behind them colored like the strokes a painter’s brush might have described, so that the air above that retinue was streaked with seven bands in every hue of which the rainbow’s made and Delia’s girdle. |
| 75 | Et Phœbe zonam. Hæc retro vexilla micabant Ultra oculi vires, et, quantum cernere quivi, Distabant bis quinque gradus extraria signa. Sub tanta cæli specie, quam carmine dico, Deinde quater seni seniores pergere bini |
These pennants stretched far back, beyond my vision ; as for the width they filled, I judged the distance between the outer ones to be ten paces. Beneath the handsome sky I have described, twenty-four elders moved on, two by two, |
| 80 | Sunt visi. His rutilos cingebant lilia crines ; Et simul ore omnes : « O tu bene nata, » canebant, « Adam inter natas ! Bene nataque tempus in omne, Ornamenta animæ, queis tu, pulcherrima, præstas. » Ast ubi me contra flores et gramina liquit |
and they had wreaths of lilies on their heads. And all were singing : “You, among the daughters of Adam, benedicta are ; and may your beauties blessed be eternally.” After the flowers and the other fresh plants facing me, along the farther shore, |
| 85 | Libera, seque aliam immisit gens tota per oram, Ut lux in cælo lucem comitata secundat, Bis duo post turbam venere animalia, fronde Cincta caput viridi. Bis trinas singula tergo Gestabant alas, et erant per corpora plumæ |
had seen those chosen people disappear, then — as in heaven, star will follow star — the elders gone, four animals came on ; and each of them had green leaves as his crown ; each had six wings as plumage, and those plumes |
| 90 | Plenæ oculis, quales, si viveret, Argus haberet. Non vacat istorum formam describere versu, Lector ; cura premit major, nec largius isti Indulgere queo ; hasque feras depingere doctus Ezechiel adeundus erit, qui vidit ab Arcto |
were full of eyes ; they would be very like the eyes of Argus, were his eyes alive. Reader, I am not squandering more rhymes in order to describe their forms ; since I must spend elsewhere, I can’t be lavish here ; but read Ezekiel, for he has drawn |
| 95 | Nubibus has ventisque atque igne irrumpere adactas, Quales invenies illic, hic cernere tales Fas erit, excipias, quas se vidisse Joannes Alas testatur mecum, non consonus illi. Quattuor has inter quod restitit intervalli, |
those animals approaching from the north ; with wings and cloud and fire, he painted them. And just as you will find them in his pages, such were they here, except that John’s with me as to their wings ; with him, John disagrees. The space between the four of them contained |
| 100 | Hoc geminis instructa rotis quadriga tenebat More triumphali ; hanc gryphus cervice trahebat ; Sublatasque alas gryphus tendebat utrimque Inter lemniscum medium bisque ordine trinos, Læderet ut neutros, dum finderet aëra pennis. |
a chariot — triumphal — on two wheels, tied to a griffin’s neck and drawn by him. His wings, stretched upward, framed the middle band with three bands on each outer side, so that, though he cleaved air, he left the bands intact. |
| 105 | Tantum ascendebant, oculi ut servare nequirent Sublati. Quoad ales erat, membra aurea habebat, Cetera lucebant albentia murice mixta. Non quem Scipiades, non quem Induperator agebat Augustus, tanto currus te, Roma, decore |
His wings — so high that they were lost to sight ; his limbs were gold as far as he was bird ; the rest of him was white mixed with bloodred. Not only did no chariot so handsome gladden Rome’s Africanus or Augustus |
| 110 | Dimisit lætam ; sed currus Solis ad istum Esset opum pauper ; toto qui tramite aberrans, Supplicibus votis terra implorante salutem, Arsit ab igne Jovis, quem altæ vis egerat iræ Justa satis. Dextramque rotam tres, agmine facto, |
himself — even the Sun’s own cannot match it ; the Sun’s — which, gone astray, was burnt to cinders because Earth offered up her pious prayers, when Jove, in ways not known to us, was just. Three circling women, then advancing, danced |
| 115 | Cingebant Divæ atque in gyrum membra movebant, Nectentes choreas : quarum una colore rubebat Tanto, ut vix possis ipsam internoscere ab igne ; Altera par viridi carnes atque ossa smaragdo Fulgebat ; nivibus non tactis tertia habebat |
at the right wheel : the first of them, so red that even in a flame she'd not be noted ; the second seemed as if her flesh and bone were fashioned out of emerald ; the third seemed to be newly fallen snow. And now |
| 120 | Par decus : atque modo nivea ducente choream, Et modo punicea, sum visus cernere adactum Istius ad numeros citius vel tardius agmen. Bis geminæ a læva vestitæ murice ovantes Plaudebant, monstrante illa, cui lumina trina |
the white one seemed to lead them, now the red ; and from the way in which the leader chanted, the others took their pace, now slow, now rapid. Upon the left, four other women, dressed in crimson, danced, depending on the cadence of one of them, with three eyes in her head. |
| 125 | Munivere caput. — Prope totum nexibus orbem Tractatum, vidi binos sub dispare veste, Spectandos pariter gestu et gravitate decora, Longævos ; unusque horum sese ore ferebat Hippocratis socium, cui, quæ carissima ducit, |
Behind all of the group I have described I saw two elders, different in their dress but like in manner — grave and decorous. The first seemed to be one of the disciples of great Hippocrates, whom nature made |
| 130 | Tradiderat quondam curanda animalia mater Natura ; ast alium contraria cura notabat. Hic ensem rutilum crispabat cuspide acuta, Ut mihi cis rivum quateret formidine membra. Exin bis geminos humili sub imagine vidi. |
for those who are her dearest living beings ; the other showed an opposite concern — his sword was bright and sharp, and even on this near side of the river, I felt fear. Then I saw four of humble aspect ; and, |
| 135 | Solus post omnes ibat vir maximus ævo Dormitans facie arguta. Hæc capita incluta septem Gestabant vestes ut primæ turba cohortis ; Non tamen his sacram cingebant lilia frontem, Verum et purpurei flores et mixta rosarum |
when all the rest had passed, a lone old man, his features keen, advanced, as if in sleep. The clothes these seven wore were like the elders’ in the first file, except that these had no garlands of lilies round their brow ; instead, roses and other red flowers wreathed their heads ; |
| 140 | Gratia : quique oculus modice distasset ab ipsis, Igne supercilium cunctis ardere putasset Juratus. Sed ubi me contra advenerat axis, Auditum est tonitru ; dignusque exercitus ille, Qualis qui ulterius prohibetur tendere gressu, |
one seeing them less closely would have sworn that all of them had flames above their eyebrows. And when the chariot stood facing me, I heard a bolt of thunder ; and it seemed to block the path of that good company, |
| 145 | Cum primis pariter signis pede substitit illic. | which halted there, its emblems in the lead. |
| PURGATORII XXX {30} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Septem- ubi primoris cæli -trio nescius ortus, Atque obitus, minimæ et nebulæ, velum excipe culpæ, Omnes qui monuit fungi sua munera nautas Ad portum jussos clavo convertere navem, |
When the first heaven’s Seven-Stars had halted (those stars that never rise or set, that are not veiled except when sin beclouds our vision ; those stars that, there, made everyone aware of what his duty was, just as the Bear |
| 5 | Ut facit hic imus, stetit atque immobilis hæsit ; Tunc populus verax, qui primus venerat inter Gryphum interque ipsum, circumspectare quadrigam, Non secus atque suam pacem. Et, ceu missus ab alto, Unus : « Sponsa, veni ex Libano ! » ter tinnulus ore |
below brings helmsmen home to harbor), then the truthful band that had come first between the griffin and the Seven-Stars turned toward that chariot as toward their peace, and one of them, as if sent down from Heaven, hymned aloud, “Veni, sponsa, de Libano,” |
| 10 | Concinuit, totusque chorus clamore secundo. Quales supremo exciti clangore beati Carcere quisque suo surgent properanter, et artus Atque iterum indutam relevabunt pondere carnem ; Tales divino in curru arrexere ministri |
three times, and all the others echoed him. Just as the blessed, at the Final Summons, will rise up — ready — each out of his grave, singing, with new-clothed voices, Alleluia, so, from the godly chariot, eternal |
| 15 | Centeni æternæ cum turba interprete vitæ Aures ad vocem tanti senioris ; et omnes Spargentes flores : « Benedictus », voce fremebant, « Qui venis ! » unanimi, et : « Manibus date lilia plenis ! » Sæpe oriente die partem, quæ prospicit Indos, |
life’s messengers and ministers arose ; one hundred stood ad vocem tanti senis. All of them cried : “Benedictus qui venis,” and, scattering flowers upward and around, “Manibus, oh, date lilia plenis.” I have at times seen all the eastern sky |
| 20 | Undique purpuream vidi, pulchreque serenum, Quicquid restabat cæli, atque os solis oriri Umbris præcinctum sic, ut, mihi dante vaporum Temperie, hunc perferre diu mea lumina possent. Sic intra nubem salientum ad sidera florum, |
becoming rose as day began and seen, adorned in lovely blue, the rest of heaven ; and seen the sun’s face rise so veiled that it was tempered by the mist and could permit the eye to look at length upon it ; so, within a cloud of flowers that were cast |
| 25 | Angelica spargente manu, atque iterum intus et extra Labentum, præcincta olea velum super album Astitit ante oculos viridem referente colorem In tunica mulier. Sed quæ consistere sueta Mens mihi, tamque diu præsens, dum hanc cernere coram |
by the angelic hands and then rose up and then fell back, outside and in the chariot, a woman showed herself to me ; above a white veil, she was crowned with olive boughs ; her cape was green ; her dress beneath, flame-red. Within her presence, I had once been used |
| 30 | Contigit, haud ullo trepidabat fracta stupore ; Virtutem propter, quæ occulta exibat ab ista, Ilicet antiqui vim magnam sensit amoris. Alta simul virtus percussit lumina visus, Vulnere quæ pectus mihi jam confixerat, ante- |
to feeling — trembling — wonder, dissolution ; but that was long ago. Still, though my soul, now she was veiled, could not see her directly, by way of hidden force that she could move, I felt the mighty power of old love. As soon as that deep force had struck my vision (the power that, when I had not yet left |
| 35 | Quam primo me flore excedere jusserit ætas ; Quo puer ad matrem vultu contendit anhelans, Si quis forte timor subitusve accesserit ægror, Anxius ad lævam me verti, hæc verba paratus Dicere VIRGILIO : « Non restat sanguinis ulla |
my boyhood, had already transfixed me), I turned around and to my left — just as a little child, afraid or in distress, will hurry to his mother — anxiously, to say to Virgil : “I am left with less |
| 40 | Pars mihi vel minima integra, quam non occupet horror ; Agnosco, agnosco veteris vestigia flammæ. » At se VIRGILIUS nobis subduxerat, ille Vates, cui me credideram propriamque salutem : Nec quicquid genitrix amisit prima, juvarat |
than one drop of my blood that does not tremble ; I recognize the signs of the old flame.” But Virgil had deprived us of himself, Virgil, the gentlest father, Virgil, he to whom I gave my self for my salvation ; and even all our ancient mother lost |
| 45 | Sic puras a rore genas, ut fletibus istæ Atræ non fierent. « O Dante, abeunte poëta, Ne lacrima, nondum lacrima. Tibi flere necesse est, Quum tibi cor alius trajecerit acrior ensis. » Qualis navarchus proræ puppique recurvæ |
was not enough to keep my cheeks, though washed with dew, from darkening again with tears. “Dante, though Virgil’s leaving you, do not yet weep, do not weep yet ; you’ll need your tears for what another sword must yet inflict.” Just like an admiral who goes to stern |
| 50 | Turbam insistentem invisit passimque ministros Per naves alias, animo et jubet esse parato ; In sponda currus læva, quum lumina verti Nominis ad sonitum proprii, quod tradere scriptis Nunc me res cogit, visa est, quæ apparuit ante, |
and prow to see the officers who guide the other ships, encouraging their tasks ; so, on the left side of the chariot (I’d turned around when I had heard my name — which, of necessity, I transcribe here), |
| 55 | Femina adesse mihi angelico velata sub imbre, Atque acies in me trans rivum figere utrasque. Hanc quamvis velum præcinctum fronde Minervæ, Semper vivaci capitis de vertice labens, Non sineret plane manifesta in luce patere ; |
I saw the lady who had first appeared to me beneath the veils of the angelic flowers look at me across the stream. Although the veil she wore — down from her head, which was encircled by Minerva’s leaves — did not allow her to be seen distinctly, |
| 60 | Tunc quoque regali vultu gestuque proterva Infit, more viri sub finem asperrima fando Verba reservantis : « Converte huc lumina visus ; Inspice me ; namque illa ego sum, sum eadem ipsa BEATRIX : Quomodo es ascensu montem dignatus ? An ipse |
her stance still regal and disdainful, she continued, just as one who speaks but keeps until the end the fiercest parts of speech ; “Look here! For I am Beatrice, I am! How were you able to ascend the mountain? |
| 65 | Forte ignorabas homines hic esse beatos ? » At mihi tunc oculi in nitidos cecidere liquores Fontis ; et, ut vidi, aspectu divertere ad herbam Profuit ; is pudor ora mihi frontemque gravarat. Talis, ut hæc, nato mater quandoque superbam |
Did you not know that man is happy here?” My lowered eyes caught sight of the clear stream, but when I saw myself reflected there, such shame weighed on my brow, my eyes drew back and toward the grass ; just as a mother seems |
| 70 | Se fingit ; namque ille sapor pietatis acerbæ Sentit amaroris quiddam. Sic fata quievit. Tum vero angelicæ subito cecinere cohortes : « In te speravi, Domine ! » et sub carmine finem Fecerunt decimo. Ut viva inter tigna trabesque |
harsh to her child, so did she seem to me — how bitter is the savor of stern pity! Her words were done. The angels — suddenly — sang, “In te, Domine, speravi”; but their singing did not go past “pedes meos.” |
| 75 | Per dorsum Italiæ glacie nix aspera durat, Flamina quum perflant stringuntque ex asse Boreo ; Dein liquefacta fluit seque in sese ipsa resolvit, Dum spiret tellus, quæ aliquam desiderat umbram, Et similis flammæ est candelam fundere adortæ ; |
Even as snow among the sap-filled trees along the spine of Italy will freeze when gripped by gusts of the Slavonian winds, then, as it melts, will trickle through itself — that is, if winds breathe north from shade-less lands — just as, beneath the flame, the candle melts ; |
| 80 | Sic gena sicca fuit, pectus singultibus expers Ante harum cantus, quibus est mos tempus in omne Æternæ ad numeros sphæræ componere voces. At postquam in dulci plus has modulamine sensi Indulsisse mihi, quam si essent farier orsæ : |
so I, before I’d heard the song of those whose notes always accompany the notes of the eternal spheres, was without tears and sighs ; but when I heard the sympathy for me within their gentle harmonies, |
| 85 | « Ah, cur tot dictis, mulier, sic conficis istum ? » Qui mihi cor circum gelidus duraverat umor, In ventos et aquas abiit valideque premendo Perque os perque oculos erupit pectore ab imo. Illa hærens plaustri in dicta mihi parte, coronam |
as if they’d said : “Lady, why shame him so?” — then did the ice that had restrained my heart become water and breath ; and from my breast and through my lips and eyes they issued — anguished. Still standing motionless upon the left side of the chariot, she then addressed |
| 90 | Sic affata piam est : « Vobis vigilare diei Contigit in jubare æterni, nocturna nec umbra, Nec somnus passum vobis intercipit ullum, Tramite quem proprio labentia sæcula signant. Quare cura mihi est major responsa referre, |
the angels who had been compassionate ; “You are awake in never-ending day, and neither night nor sleep can steal from you one step the world would take along its way ; therefore, I’m more concerned that my reply |
| 95 | Quæ pulchre iste animo accipiat, qui fletibus ora Inde loci rigat, ut parili sit culpa dolorque Pondere. Magnarum haud solum virtute rotarum, Quæ cuncta ad certos convertunt semina fines Pro vi stellarum comitantum ; at munere largo |
be understood by him who weeps beyond, so that his sorrow’s measure match his sin. Not only through the work of the great spheres — which guide each seed to a determined end, depending on what stars are its companions — |
| 100 | Numinis æterni sic altos flante vapores, Imber ut istorum mortalia lumina fallat, Hunc sua vita dedit talem nova, ut ipse suæ vi Naturæ dextros longa assuetudine mores Induere et miras virtutes edere quisset. |
but through the bounty of the godly graces, which shower down from clouds so high that we cannot approach them with our vision, he, when young, was such — potentially — that any propensity innate in him would have prodigiously succeeded, had he acted. |
| 105 | At tanto male fida magis silvosaque tellus Cum tristi evadit non culto semine, quanto Est mage dives opis terrestris et aucta vigore. Hic quondam stetit ore meo, ridentia honeste Lumina miratus juvenilia, et hunc ego mecum |
But where the soil has finer vigor, there precisely — when untilled or badly seeded — will that terrain grow wilder and more noxious. My countenance sustained him for a while ; showing my youthful eyes to him, I led |
| 110 | Rectum ducebam per iter. Simul ipsa secundæ Ætatis tetigi limen, mutataque vita est, Se mihi is eripere atque alio traducere amores. Quum positis novus exuviis mortalibus astra Spiritus hic petiit ; postquam mihi forma decusque |
him with me toward the way of righteousness. As soon as I, upon the threshold of my second age, had changed my life, he took himself away from me and followed after another ; when, from flesh to spirit, I had risen, and my goodness and my beauty |
| 115 | Creverat et virtus, minus et minus huic ego cara Atque accepta fui. Per flexus ire viarum Non veros statuit, simulacra dolosa bonorum Venatus, nunquam promissis sueta manere. Nec mihi vitales divini flaminis auras |
had grown, I was less dear to him, less welcome ; he turned his footsteps toward an untrue path ; he followed counterfeits of goodness, which will never pay in full what they have promised. Nor did the inspirations I received — |
| 120 | Profuit impetrare isti, ut per somnia perque Mille artes alias revocarem. Huic tantula nostri Cura fuit, ceciditque adeo mage præpete casu, Ut, quicquid remanebat opis, servare studenti Jam mancum fuerit, præter monstranda maligna |
with which, in dream and otherwise, I called him back — help me ; he paid so little heed! He fell so far there were no other means to lead him to salvation, except this ; |
| 125 | Regna, atque æterna damnatas morte catervas. Ergo harum invisi portam precibusque rogavi Admiscens lacrimas, qui dudum huc duxerat istum. Rupta forent fata alta Dei, secura vadari Si posset Lethe, et daps hæc gustanda veniret, |
to let him see the people who were lost. For this I visited the gateway of the dead ; to him who guided him above my prayers were offered even as I wept. The deep design of God would have been broken if Lethe had been crossed and he had drunk |
| 130 | Symbola ubi deesset lacrimarum, quas dolor imus Effundat, fassus se pænituisse malorum. » |
such waters but had not discharged the debt of penitence that’s paid when tears are shed.” |
| PURGATORII XXXI {31} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « O tu, qui in sacri ripa ulteriore moraris Fluminis ! » — obverso punctim, cæsim ante rotato Alloquio, quod erat visum tamen auribus acre, Nil cunctata iterum cœpit : — « num vera locuta |
“O you upon the holy stream’s far shore,” so she, turning her speech’s point against me — even its edge had seemed too sharp — began again, without allowing interruption, |
| 5 | Sim modo, dic, age dic ; tanto cum crimine oportet Verba fatentis eant pariter. » — Confusa facultas Sic me torpuerat, ut quæ vox hiscerat, ante Quam lingua emitti posset, restincta maneret. Non tulit illa diu, sed ait : « Quid pectore volvis ? |
“tell, tell if this is true; for your confession must be entwined with such self-accusation.” My power of speech was so confounded that my voice would move and yet was spent before its organs had released it. She forbore a moment, then she said : “What are you thinking? |
| 10 | Jam mihi responde, quoniam tibi gurgitis unda Lethæi nondum memorantem tristia mentem Ausa tibi læsit. » — Mihi tum pudor ac timor istam Vocem ore excussit : « Verum ! » quod lumina visus Pro auditu poscebat opem, ne verba perirent. |
Reply to me, the water has not yet obliterated your sad memories.” Confusion mixed with fear compelled a Yes out of my mouth, and yet that Yes was such — one needed eyes to make out what it was. |
| 15 | Ut ballista manus nimio conamine tensa Chordam arcumque simul frangit, telumque minore Impete contingit signum : sub pondere tanto Sic ego disruptus lacrimas gemitusque profudi Largos, præclusaque via vox faucibus hæsit. |
Just as a crossbow that is drawn too taut snaps both its cord and bow when it is shot, and arrow meets its mark with feeble force, so, caught beneath that heavy weight, I burst ; and I let tears and sighs pour forth ; my voice had lost its life along its passage out. |
| 20 | Illa iterum : « Mea cura boni quum incendere amore Te studuit summi, quod tendere non datur ultra, In quibus offensum est fossis tibi, quave catena, Prorsus ut exuta, quæ dat transcendere posse, Spe sic deficeres ? Quænam compendia, quosve |
At this she said : “In the desire for me that was directing you to love the Good beyond which there’s no thing to draw our longing, what chains were strung, what ditches dug across your path that, once you’d come upon them, caused your loss of any hope of moving forward? What benefits and what allurements were |
| 25 | Vidisti quæstus aliorum in fronte paratos, Ut circumcursans illos venatus obires ? » Denique post gemitum, quem duxi ex pectore, amarum Vix fuit apta mihi vox respondere, sonumque Ægre effinxerunt mea labra, rigantibus ora |
so evident upon the brow of others that you had need to promenade before them?” After I had withheld a bitter sigh, I scarcely had the voice for my reply, but, laboring, my lips gave my words form. |
| 30 | Fletibus, et dixi : « Præsens mihi copia rerum Avertit ludens falsa dulcedine passus, Me simulatque tui latuit præsentia vultus. » Illa mihi : « Quamvis tacuisses, sive negasses Quæ nunc es fassus, non essent crimina vitæ |
Weeping, I answered : “Mere appearances turned me aside with their false loveliness, as soon as I had lost your countenance.” And she : “Had you been silent or denied what you confess, your guilt would not be less |
| 35 | Nota futura minus ; sub tali hæc judice fiunt. Sed simulac proprio erumpit vox ore genaque Sese incusantis, tum se rota vertit acutam Contra aciem regno in nostro. Tamen, ut pudor urat Te melius, validaque magis virtute repugnes |
in evidence : it’s known by such a Judge! But when the charge of sinfulness has burst from one’s own cheek, then in our court the whet- stone turns and blunts our blade’s own cutting edge. Nevertheless, that you may feel more shame for your mistake, and that — in time to come — |
| 40 | Sirenum voci, lacrimarum semina pone ; Audi, et sic disces, quo te in contraria pacto Ducere debuerat cum carne hæc forma sepulta. Haud unquam oblata est naturæ munere et artis Tanta voluptatis tibi copia, quanta refulsit |
hearing the Sirens, you may be more strong, have done with all the tears you sowed, and listen ; so shall you hear how, unto other ends, my buried flesh should have directed you. Nature or art had never showed you any beauty that matched the lovely limbs in which |
| 45 | Pulchris ex membris, quæ me inclusere, jacentque Condita sub terra. Quod si te summa fefellit Tanta voluptatis pariter cum funere nostro, Quæ res mortalis tibi jam exoptanda fuisset ? Jam tibi par fuerat, postquam bona falsa priore |
I was enclosed — limbs scattered now in dust ; and if the highest beauty failed you through my death, what mortal thing could then induce you to desire it? For when the first arrow of things deceptive struck you, then |
| 50 | Conciderant telo, consurrexisse sequique Me pone haud talem posthac. Neque forma puellæ, Aut aliquid vani minimo durabilis ævo Debuerant pennas tantorum mole laborum Depressisse tibi, plures ut sponte maneres |
you surely should have lifted up your wings to follow me, no longer such a thing. No green young girl or other novelty — such brief delight — should have weighed down your wings, |
| 55 | Ictus. Hos avis exspectat nova terve quaterve ; At queis silvescunt plumæ, qui retia ponit, Aut arcum intendit coram, discedet inanis. » Quales, quos puduit, pueros haud hiscere quicquam, Defixisque oculis terræ auscultare videmus, |
awaiting further shafts. The fledgling bird must meet two or three blows before he learns, but any full-fledged bird is proof against the net that has been spread or arrow, aimed.” As children, when ashamed, will stand, their eyes upon the ground — they listen, silently |
| 60 | Conscia ubi facti mens pænituisse coëgit : Me quoque vidisses talem. Atque ea talibus infit : « Quando ex auditis mæres, attollito barbam, Atque, ubi respicias, major te pœna peruret. » Vento evellenti cerrus robusta resistit |
acknowledging their fault repentantly — so did I stand ; and she enjoined me : “Since hearing alone makes you grieve so, lift up your beard, and sight will bring you greater tears.” There’s less resistance in the sturdy oak |
| 65 | Ægrius, hic nostris seu debacchetur ab oris, Sive a Gætulis agris, quam ego jussus in altum Sustuleram mentum ; sed ubi me poscere vultum Per « barbam » voluit, sat novi, quale lateret Virus in hoc dicto. Postquam sublata figuram |
to its uprooting by a wind from lands of ours or lands of Iarbas than I showed in lifting up my chin at her command ; I knew quite well — when she said “beard” but meant my face — the poison in her argument. |
| 70 | Expandit facies, pulcherrima turba volantum Jam mihi quærenti sese præbere videndam Destitit, et parum adhuc tuto est inspecta BEATRIX A me oculo. — Illa feram, natura duplice, et unam Versa tuebatur. Nivei sub tegmine veli, |
When I had raised my face upright, my eyes were able to perceive that the first creatures had paused and were no longer scattering flowers ; and still uncertain of itself, my vision saw Beatrice turned toward the animal that is, with its two natures, but one person. |
| 75 | Transque oram viridem, plus se ipsam vincere priscam Ipsa videbatur, quam alias, quum erat incola terræ. Hic mihi subjecit stimulos vis tanta doloris, Ut, quæ cunctarum rerum me maxime amore Torsit, cunctarum foret invisissima rerum |
Beneath her veil, beyond the stream, she seemed so to surpass her former self in beauty as, here on earth, she had surpassed all others. The nettle of remorse so stung me then, that those — among all other — things that once most lured my love, became most hateful to me. |
| 80 | Conscia tam dirus mihi pressit pectora morsus, Ut victus caderem ; et, qualem me fecerit, ipsa, Quæ dederat causam, novit. — Quum in pectora virtus Mi rediit, super astantem, quæ prima reperta est Sola mihi mulier, vidi, quæ ajebat : « Inhære, |
Such self-indictment seized my heart that I collapsed, my senses slack ; what I became is known to her who was the cause of it. Then, when my heart restored my outer sense, I saw the woman whom I’d found alone, standing above me, saying : “Hold, hold me!” |
| 85 | Meque tene » ; tenus atque gulæ me in fluminis undam Traxerat, et raptans post se, levis et levis ibat Innans ut radius. Sed ubi prope ripa beata Affuit : « Asperges me ! » ita dulce audita sonare Est vox, ut memorare mihi vel scribere non sit. |
She’d plunged me, up to my throat, in the river, and, drawing me behind her, she now crossed, light as a gondola, along the surface. When I was near the blessed shore, I heard “Asperges me” so sweetly sung that I cannot remember or, much less, transcribe it. |
| 90 | Expandit geminos mulier formosa lacertos Atque meum est complexa caput, mersitque quod undam Sorbendam fuerat jussum demittere plenis Faucibus : atque inde ereptum totumque madentem Duxit, ubi choreas agitabant quattuor ore |
The lovely woman opened wide her arms ; she clasped my head, and then she thrust me under to that point where I had to swallow water. That done, she drew me out and led me, bathed, into the dance of the four lovely women ; |
| 95 | Pulchro matronæ, quæ me texere lacertis. « Nos sumus hic nymphæ, » dicebant, « sidera in alto. Jam prius in terras quam esset delapsa BEATRIX, Nos illi famulas dederat regnator Olympi. Illius ante oculos nos te ducemus acutos ; |
and each one placed her arm above my head. “Here we are nymphs ; in heaven, stars ; before she had descended to the world, we were assigned, as her handmaids, to Beatrice ; we’ll be your guides unto her eyes ; but it |
| 100 | Sed tibi jam reddent visus, ut, quod latet intus, Jucundum aspicias lumen, tres, quæ inde propinquæ Altius interiora vident. » Sic voce canentes Cœperunt. Exin me secum ad pectora gryphi Duxerunt, ubi constiterat conversa BEATRIX |
will be the three beyond, who see more deeply, who’ll help you penetrate her joyous light.” So, singing, they began ; then, leading me together with them to the griffin’s breast, where Beatrice, turned toward us, stood, they said ; |
| 105 | Ad me, sic fatæ : « Ne oculos intendere parce ; Nos te lucentes juvat ante locasse smaragdos, Unde tibi est jaculatus Amor sua cognita tela. » Milia me ardorum quavis magis incita flamma Compulerant oculis oculos spectare micantes, |
“See that you are not sparing of your gaze ; before you we have set those emeralds from which Love once had aimed his shafts at you.” A thousand longings burning more than flames compelled my eyes to watch the radiant eyes |
| 110 | Qui tamen in gryphum defixo lumine stabant. Ut sol in speculum, pariter radiabat in illam Natura duplex animans, ratione modoque Multiplici. — Ut me res hæc admiranda stupentem Fecerit, o lector, reputa, tunc quum ipse videbam |
that, motionless, were still fixed on the griffin. Just like the sun within a mirror, so the double-natured creature gleamed within, now showing one, and now the other guise. Consider, reader, if I did not wonder |
| 115 | Hunc stare, inque oculis varium apparere tuentis. Dum mens gustabat mihi læta et plena stuporis Illam, quæ, quo plus saturat, plus esca sititur, Tunc mihi, de solio testatæ se esse supremo, Occurrere aliæ coram tres ordine Divæ, |
when I saw something that displayed no movement though its reflected image kept on changing. And while, full of astonishment and gladness, my soul tasted that food which, even as it quenches hunger, spurs the appetite, the other three, whose stance showed them to be |
| 120 | Carminibusque suis simul adjuvere choreas Angelicis. « Converte tuos, converte, BEATRIX », Cantabant, « oculos sanctos fidumque tuere, Qui te visurus tot passibus ardua vicit. Da nobis veniam hanc, tuaque huic fac ora reveles, |
the members of a higher troop, advanced — and, to their chant, they danced angelically. “Turn, Beatrice, o turn your holy eyes upon your faithful one,” their song besought, “who, that he might see you, has come so far. Out of your grace, do us this grace ; unveil your lips to him, so that he may discern |
| 125 | Quæ celas. O æternæ vis vivida lucis ! » Ecquisnam usque adeo sub Pindi expalluit umbra, Aut Aganippei potavit fluminis undam, Qui non mente hebeti, ingenio videatur inepto, Si te, qualis eras, studeat, describere, in illa |
the second beauty you have kept concealed.” O splendor of eternal living light, who’s ever grown so pale beneath Parnassus’ shade or has drunk so deeply from its fountain, that he’d not seem to have his mind confounded, trying to render you as you appeared |
| 130 | Ora, ubi te resonans concentibus æther obumbrat, Quum tua se facies dissolvit in aëra apertum ? |
where heaven’s harmony was your pale likeness — your face, seen through the air, unveiled completely? |
| PURGATORII XXXII {32} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Usque adeo hærebant intenti avidique, decennem Exsaturare sitim visus, ut sensibus omnis Mortua vis esset reliquis ; et clauserat illos Hinc atque hinc paries mittentis cetera curæ : |
My eyes were so insistent, so intent on finding satisfaction for their ten- year thirst that every other sense was spent. And to each side, my eyes were walled in by |
| 5 | Sic ad se attonitos lux risus alma trahebat Retibus antiquis ; quum me divertere vultum Compulerant nymphæ ad lævam ; nam has obstrepere auri : « Hæsisti nimis ! » audieram. Et qua lege solemus Cernere, percussi modo visum a lumine solis, |
indifference to all else (with its old net, the holy smile so drew them to itself), when I was forced to turn my eyes leftward by those three goddesses because I heard them warning me : “You stare too fixedly.” And the condition that afflicts the sight when eyes have just been struck by the sun’s force |
| 10 | Ipse diu carui lace. Ast ubi pauca tuendo (Pauca quidem ad multum, quod sensus icerat, unde Abscessi ingratis) acies recreate redivit, Tum latus in dextrum vidi procedere turbam Insignem decore atque pedem cum sole referre, |
left me without my vision for a time. But when my sight became accustomed to lesser sensations (that is, lesser than the mighty force that made my eyes retreat), I saw the glorious army : it had wheeled around and to the right ; it had turned east ; |
| 15 | Et septemgeminis adversa petentibus ora Flammis. Ac veluti tutando pectora scutis Vertit sese acies in gyrum signa secuta, Tota priusquam in se mutarier ordine possit ; Non secus illa cohors regnum cæleste colentum, |
it faced the seven flames and faced the sun. Just as, protected by its shields, a squadron will wheel, to save itself, around its standard until all of its men have changed direction ; so here all troops of the celestial kingdom |
| 20 | Quæ procedebat, pertransiit agmine longo, Ante suum anterior quam temo flecteret axem. Inde iterum nymphæ ad radios rediere rotarum, Et sanctum gryphus currum sic movit, ut una Alarum pluma haud fuerit tamen icta tremore. |
within the vanguard passed in front of us before the chariot swung around the pole-shaft. Back to the wheels the ladies then returned ; and though the griffin moved the blessed burden, when he did that, none of his feathers stirred. |
| 25 | At quæ ad Lethæum mulier me traxerat amnem, Et STATIUS mecum ipse rotam, quæ perficit orbem Arcum intra minimum, sumus una pone secuti. Sic altum unusquisque nemus vacuumque pererrans, Illius culpa, quæ falso credidit angui, |
The lovely lady who’d helped me ford Lethe, and I and Statius, following the wheel that turned right, round the inner, smaller arc, were slowly passing through the tall woods — empty because of one who had believed the serpent ; |
| 30 | Angelicum ad numerum gaudebat fingere passus. Et quantum trino resoluta sagitta volatu Conficiat spatii, forsan, tantum ipse videbar Progressus, donec curru est delapsa BEATRIX. Nescio, quid cunctos mussantes innuere « Adam ! » |
our pace was measured by angelic song. The space we covered could be matched perhaps by three flights of an unleashed arrow’s shafts, when Beatrice descended from the chariot. “Adam,” I heard all of them murmuring, |
| 35 | Sensi, qui quandam sunt plantam cingere adorti Floribus, atque omni spoliatam frondis honore. Huic coma plus tanto spatiosa patere videtur, Quanto hæc plus tollit sese ; et mirabilis Indis Alto esset capite, huic similem si ea silva tulisset. |
and then they drew around a tree whose every branch had been stripped of flowers and of leaves. As it grows higher, so its branches spread wider ; it reached a height that even in their forests would amaze the Indians. |
| 40 | « Vita beata tibi est, qui rostro scindere lignum Dulce hoc gustanti fugis, o gryps ; nam male tortus Hinc abiit venter ! » Sic circa robora plantæ Clamabant alii. Tum animans vice duplice natus ; « Sic fas est semen justi cujusque tueri. » |
“Blessed are you, whose beak does not, o griffin, pluck the sweet-tasting fruit that is forbidden and then afflicts the belly that has eaten!” So, round the robust tree, the others shouted ; and the two-natured animal : “Thus is the seed of every righteous man preserved.” |
| 45 | Atque ad temonem versus, quem traxerat alis, Arboris ante pedes viduæ raptavit, et illum Istius trunco religatum liquit in ista. Utque solent istic plantæ, quum decidit alto Lux ingens, magno lucis permixta nitore, |
And turning to the pole-shaft he had pulled, he drew it to the foot of the stripped tree and, with a branch of that tree, tied the two. Just like our plants that, when the great light falls on earth, mixed with the light that shines behind |
| 50 | Quem post cælestem piscem radiare videmus, Turgere, ac dein quæque novo vestita colore Lætari, ante suos quam alio sub sidere Titan Quadrupedes jungat : violis hæc rubrius arbor, Languidiusque rosis late decus expandebat |
the stars of the celestial Fishes, swell with buds — each plant renews its coloring before the sun has yoked its steeds beneath another constellation : so the tree, whose boughs — before — had been so solitary, was now renewed, showing a tint that was |
| 55 | Vitam ingressa novam, quum ramos ante soleret Tendere sic nudos. Mente haud comprendere quivi, Nec numeros omnes licuit, nec verba notare. Fingere si possem, ut somno fera lumina victus Paulatim ad calami sonitum demiserit Argus, |
less than the rose, more than the violet. I did not understand the hymn that they then sang — it is not sung here on this earth — nor, drowsy, did I listen to the end. Could I describe just how the ruthless eyes |
| 60 | Lumina, queis tanti steterat vigilasse diurnas Nocturnasque horas ; ceu qui exemplaria spectat Pictor, et ipse modum scribendo imitarier ausim, Quo me devinxit somnus. Sed quilibet istud Artifices curent docti. Quare hæc ego mitto, |
(eyes whose long wakefulness cost them so dear), hearing the tale of Syrinx, fell asleep, then like a painter painting from a model, I’d draw the way in which I fell asleep ; but I refrain — let one more skillful paint. I move, therefore, straight to my waking time ; |
| 65 | Dicturus velum somni ut mihi lux scidit, et vox Clamantis : « Surge, o quid agis ? » Quo corde JOANNES, PETRUS, JACOBUS spectatum milia florum Ducti, queis malus fulgebat læta, suoque Angelicas turbas pomo alliciebat hiantes, |
I say that radiance rent the veil of sleep, as did a voice : “Rise up : what are you doing?” Even as Peter, John, and James, when brought to see the blossoms of the apple tree — whose fruit abets the angels’ hungering, |
| 70 | Perpetuisque epulis sponsalia in æthere agebat, Atque ad se victi verbum rediere sub illud, Per quod majores sunt pulsi pectore somni, Videruntque scholæ jam defecisse sodales, MOSEN ELIAMque, immutatamque magistri |
providing endless wedding-feasts in Heaven — were overwhelmed by what they saw, but then, hearing the word that shattered deeper sleeps, arose and saw their fellowship was smaller — since Moses and Elijah now had left — and saw a difference in their Teacher’s dress ; |
| 75 | Esse stolam ; hoc redii, et super astantem ilicet ipsam Vidi, quæ fuerat pia dux ad fluminis undam, Cui dixi totus trepidans : « Quo est versa BEATRIX ? » Ast illa : « Ecce hanc cerne nova sub fronde sedentem Plantæ ad radicem. Comitantum cerne catervam : |
so I awoke and saw, standing above me, she who before — compassionate — had guided my steps along the riverbank. Completely bewildered, I asked : “Where is Beatrice?” And she : “Beneath the boughs that were renewed, she’s seated on the root of that tree ; see the company surrounding her ; the rest |
| 80 | Cetera post gryphum conscendit turba canendo Dulcius ac gravius carmen. » Nec dicere scirem, Fusior an fando fuerit ; mihi nam illa tenebat intentos oculos, mihi quæ præcluserat omnes Jam sensus : nudoque solo sola illa sedebat, |
have left ; behind the griffin they have climbed on high with song that is more sweet, more deep.” I do not know if she said more than that, because,by now, I had in sight one who excluded all things other from my view. She sat alone upon the simple ground, |
| 85 | Qualis quæ posita est illic custodia plaustri, Quod prius ad truncum gemina fera prædita forma Vinxerat. Hanc septemgeminæ cinxere corona Nymphæ, præ manibus portantes lampadas illas, Quæ Boreæ atque Austri securæ flamina spernunt. |
left there as guardian of the chariot I’d seen the two-form animal tie fast. The seven nymphs encircled her as garland, and in their hands they held the lamps that can not be extinguished by the north or south winds. |
| 90 | « Incola eris silvæ hic modicum, sine fine futurus Mecum urbis Romæ civis, qua Christus ab urbe Romanus dici voluit. Quare aspice currum, Ut prosis mundo, cujus sunt pessima facta, Atque redux illuc fac scribas omnia visa. » |
“Here you shall be — awhile — a visitor ; but you shall be with me — and without end — Rome’s citizen, the Rome in which Christ is Roman ; and thus, to profit that world which lives badly, watch the chariot steadfastly and, when you have returned beyond, transcribe |
| 95 | Dixit ; ego totus dominæ mandata paratus Fungier, et mentem atque oculos, quo jusserat illa, Contendi. Nunquam motu tam præpete venit Ignis condensæ nebulæ, quum decidit illa Ex regione imber, quæ plus distare putatur ; |
what you have seen.” Thus, Beatrice ; and I, devoutly, at the feet of her commandments, set mind and eyes where she had wished me to. Never has lightning fallen with such swift motion from a thick cloud, when it descends from the most distant limit in the heavens, |
| 100 | Ut vidi in plantam volucrem Jovis æthere lapsum, Flores rumpentem atque novas cum cortice frondes, Qui pariter toto percussit robore currum. Quare hic nutavit, ceu tempestatibus acta A dextra lævaque ratis superantibus undis. |
as did the bird of Jove that I saw swoop down through the tree, tearing the bark as well as the new leaves and the new flowering. It struck the chariot with all its force ; the chariot twisted, like a ship that’s crossed by seas that now storm starboard and now port. |
| 105 | Deinde triumphalis vidi se immittere cunis Quadrigæ vulpem, membris testantibus ipsam Pastu omni caruisse bono. Sed turpia centum Huic ausa objiciens mulier facta arbitra nostri, Egit præcipitem, fugientemque impete tanto, |
I then saw, as it leaped into the body of that triumphal chariot, a fox that seemed to lack all honest nourishment ; but, as she railed against its squalid sins, my lady forced that fox to flight as quick |
| 110 | Quantum ferre unquam sine carnibus ossa valebant. Dein qua ex parte prius volucris devenerat, ipsum Vidi secretam currus descendere in arcam, Corporis atque sui vestitam linquere pennis. Et qualis corde erumpens lugubre dolenti, |
as, stripped of flesh, its bones permitted it. Then I could see the eagle plunge — again down through the tree — into the chariot and leave it feathered with its plumage ; and, just like a voice from an embittered heart, |
| 115 | Hæc vox exivit cælo : « Mea cumbula, quanam Merce onerata male es ! » — Mihi deinde dehiscere visa est Terra rotas ambas inter, vidique draconem Exire et fixam per currum attollere caudam, Qui, retrahentis acum vespæ de more, malignam |
a voice issued from Heaven, saying this ; “O my small bark, your freight is wickedness!” Then did the ground between the two wheels seem to me to open ; from the earth, a dragon emerged ; it drove its tail up through the chariot ; and like a wasp when it retracts its sting, |
| 120 | Caudam ad se traxit, currus partemque revulsam Corripuit secum, hac illac sine lege vagatus. Quodque fuit reliquum, ceu vivax gramine tellus, Se texit plumis, casta fors mente bonaque Oblatis. Et utræque rotæ se tegmine eodem, |
drawing its venomed tail back to itself, it dragged part of the bottom off, and went its way, undulating. And what was left was covered with the eagle’s plumes — perhaps offered with sound and kind intent — much as grass covers fertile ground ; and the pole-shaft |
| 125 | Et temo induerant, citius, quam ut poscat apertum Os gemitus. — Versa sic moles sancta figura Partibus ipsa suis capita est emittere visa. Trina superstabant temonem et singula currus Unumquodque latus. Surgebant cornua primis, |
and both wheels were re-covered in less time than mouth must be kept open when one sighs. Transfigured so, the saintly instrument grew heads, which sprouted from its parts ; three grew upon the pole-shaft, and one at each corner. |
| 130 | Ut tauris ; unum sed cornu in fronte gerebant Quattuor. Haud unquam in terris par cernere monstrum Contigit. Hoc supra, velut arx in vertice montis, Sublimi meretrix habitu secura sedebat Liberius, præsensque oculos agitare protervos. |
The three were horned like oxen, but the four had just a single horn upon their foreheads ; such monsters never have been seen before. Just like a fortress set on a steep slope, securely seated there, ungirt, a whore, whose eyes were quick to rove, appeared to me ; |
| 135 | At similem verito, ne quis potiatur adempta, Juxta illam vidi arrectum pede stare gigantem, Inque vicem interdum conjungere basia labris. Et quoniam cupidos in me semperque vagantes Verterat illa oculos, stricto ferus ille flagello |
and I saw at her side, erect, a giant, who seemed to serve as her custodian ; and they — again, again — embraced each other. But when she turned her wandering, wanton eyes to me, then that ferocious amador |
| 140 | A capite ad plantas totam decidit amator, Et gelidis plenus furiis, et pessimus ira Dissolvit monstrum, traxitque per avia silvæ Usque adeo, ut contra meretricis cœpta novamque Ista mihi una feram fuerit pro tegmine scuti. |
beat her from head to foot ; then, swollen with suspicion, fierce with anger, he untied the chariot-made-monster, dragging it into the wood, so that I could not see either the whore or the strange chariot-beast. |
| PURGATORII XXXIII {33} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Advenere, Deus, gentes », sunt dulciter orsæ, Nunc alternantes ternæ, nunc voce quaternæ Carmen lugentes nymphæ. Et pia corde BEATRIX Verba sub ista gemens talem sese ore ferebat, |
Weeping, the women then began — now three, now four, alternately — to psalm gently, “Deus venerunt gentes”; and at this, sighing and full of pity, Beatrice |
| 5 | Ut paulo fuerit plus immutata Maria Ante crucem. At postquam fandi est data copia, stante Virgineo cantu, surgens suffusa colore Flammæ respondit : « Modicum, et me cernere vobis Non erit ; atque iterum modicum, vobisque videndam |
was changed ; she listened, grieving little less than Mary when, beneath the Cross, she wept. But when the seven virgins had completed their psalm, and she was free to speak, erect, her coloring like ardent fire, she answered ; “Modicum, et non videbitis me et iterum sisters delightful to me, |
| 10 | Me dabo, dilectæ ! » Dein præ se incedere jussit Septemplex agmen totum. Tantummodo nutu Meque ducemque egit post se, STATIUMque manentem. Sic ibat ; sed humum decimo haud pressisse putarem Hanc passu, quum oculos oculis mihi perculit, osque |
modicum, et vos videbitis me.” Then she set all the seven nymphs in front of her and signaled me, the lady, and the sage who had remained, to move behind her. So she advanced ; and I do not believe that she had taken her tenth step upon the ground before her eyes had struck my eyes ; |
| 15 | Tranquillo solvens vultu : « Huc », ait, « ocior esto, Ut bene composito accipias mea pectore dicta ! » At simul accessi, ut decuit, sic ore locuta est : « Cur mecum veniens nihil audes dicere, frater ? » Quales, quos nimium procerum præsentia tangit, |
and gazing tranquilly, “Pray come more quickly,” she said to me, “so that you are more ready to listen to me should I speak to you.” As soon as I, responding to my duty, had joined her, she said : “Brother, why not try, since now you’re at my side, to query me?” Like those who, speaking to superiors |
| 20 | Ante illos fari mussant et dentibus edunt Vocem non vivam ; talis responsa remisi Imperfecta sono : « Fas est tibi noscere, Diva, Quid mea res poscat, quidve huic magis utile cedat. » Illa mihi : « Jam corda metu vultumque pudore |
too reverently do not speak distinctly, not drawing their clear voice up to their teeth — so did I speak with sound too incomplete when I began : “Lady, you know my need to know, and know how it can be appeased.” And she to me : “I'd have you disentangle |
| 25 | Solvere te jubeo, ne, somnia vana videntis More viri, posthac mittas e pectore vocem. Disce, fuisse neque esse usquam, quod reptile rupit Vas ; at qui læsit, non deterrerier offa Intrita vino supremi vindicis iram |
yourself, from this point on, from fear and shame, that you no longer speak like one who dreams. Know that the vessel which the serpent broke was and is not ; but he whose fault it is may rest assured — God’s vengeance fears no hindrance. |
| 30 | Credat. Nec longum viduata herede manebit Quæ volucris pennas ad currum liquerat ; unde Evasit monstrum, labente ac tempore præda. Nam video certe, idque adeo narrasse juvabit, Non adeo longe ducentia tempus abesse |
The eagle that had left its plumes within the chariot, which then became a monster and then a prey, will not forever be without an heir ; for I can plainly see, and thus I tell it : stars already close |
| 35 | Sidera, ab offensu quovis atque objice tuta ; Quo, quæ quingentos numerant et quinque decemque, Signa, Deo mittente, dabunt, qui cæde necabit Impuram audentemque simul non fanda gigantem. At meus hic sermo, ut Themidis Sphingisque loquela, |
at hand, which can’t be blocked or checked, will bring a time in which, dispatched by God, a Five Hundred and Ten and Five will slay the whore together with that giant who sins with her. And what I tell, as dark as Sphinx and Themis, |
| 40 | Abditus, id tibi forte minus suadere valebit, Qui more illarum mentes ambagibus umbrat. At pro Najadibus mox facta ænigma resolvent Hoc durum, nulla pecudum frugumque ruina. Tu signa, et quales nunc mitto ex pectore voces, |
may leave you less convinced because — like these — it tires the intellect with quandaries ; but soon events themselves will be the Naiads that clarify this obstinate enigma — but without injury to grain or herds. Take note ; and even as I speak these words, |
| 45 | Tales fac doceas qui gaudent munere vitæ, Quæ cursu ruit in funus. Tibi mente repostum Id maneat, simul incipies hæc tradere scriptis, Nec taceas, qualem vidisti surgere plantam, Quæ nunc est illic duplici expilata rapina. |
do you transmit them in your turn to those who live the life that is a race to death. And when you write them, keep in mind that you must not conceal what you’ve seen of the tree that now has been despoiled twice over here. |
| 50 | Quicunque hanc ausit spoliare, aut scindere plantam, Iste Deum lædit, ceu re maledixerit illi ; Namque ille hanc sanctam sibi soli rite creavit. Hanc quia polluerat morsu, mærore peresa Ac desiderio, per milia pluraque lustra, |
Whoever robs or rends that tree offends, with his blaspheming action, God ; for He created it for His sole use — holy. For tasting of that tree, the first soul waited five thousand years and more in grief and longing |
| 55 | Quæ prior humanos anima est infusa per artus, Optavit proprio qui est ultus sanguine morsum. Mens tua dormitat, si non putat esse fatendum, Præcipua fieri causa, ut se tollat in altum, Et tam diverso se effundat vertice planta. |
for Him who on Himself avenged that taste. Your intellect’s asleep if it can’t see how singular’s the cause that makes that tree so tall and makes it grow invertedly. |
| 60 | Et tibi, quæ vanæ cingebant pectora curæ, Si minus umores Elsa de fonte fuissent, Et quæ spectabas hinc gaudia Pyramus album Ad morum, res ob tantas, tot tempora rerum Saltem quid valeat Deus ultor, ab arbore quisses |
And if, like waters of the Elsa, your vain thoughts did not encrust your mind ; if your delight in them were not like Pyramus staining the mulberry, you’d recognize in that tree’s form and height the moral sense |
| 65 | Discere mente tua ; et propriis succurrere rebus. Sed quoniam video te saxea corda gerentem, Et culpis contincta, mei ut tibi lumina dicti Perstringant oculos, te, si minus edita scriptis, Pectore ferre tamen jubeo hæc tibi inusta profundo, |
God’s justice had when He forbade trespass. But since I see your intellect is made of stone and, petrified, grown so opaque — the light of what I say has left you dazed — I’d also have you bear my words within you — |
| 70 | More viri palma præcinctum hastile gerentis. » Tunc ego : « Ut impressam formam cera apta sigillo Haud unquam immutat, mihi stant infixa cerebro, Quæ modo signasti. At quianam sublime volatu Usque adeo tua verba petunt optata, sequacis |
if not inscribed, at least outlined — just as the pilgrim’s staff is brought back wreathed with palm.” And I: “Even as wax the seal’s impressed, where there’s no alteration in the form, so does my brain now bear what you have stamped. But why does your desired word ascend so high above my understanding that |
| 75 | Ut lumen visus tanto minus utile reddant ? » Illa mihi : « Ut discas, queis sis auctoribus usus Atque schola, ac videas, qui possit talia fantem Illius doctrina sequi ; ac tibi noscere detur Vestrum divino distare a tramite tantum, |
the more I try, the more am I denied?” “That you may recognize,” she said, “the school that you have followed and may see if what it taught can comprehend what I have said — and see that, as the earth is distant from |
| 80 | Quantum discordat terræ pars infima sphæræ Cæli, quæ fertur properanti altissima cursu. » Hic ego respondi : « Haud memini me longius unquam A te unum abscessisse pedem, nec conscia morsu Cor mihi mens tangit.« — « Si te id meminisse potestas |
the highest and the swiftest of the heavens, so distant is your way from the divine.” And I replied to her : “I don’t remember making myself a stranger to you, nor does conscience gnaw at me because of that.” |
| 85 | Deficit, » illa inquit ridens, « nunc ipse memento, Ut tu Lethæos hodie gustaveris haustus. Si ex fumo arguitur flamma, hæc oblivia culpam Includunt animi longe diversa secuti. Jam vero mea verba, rudes quoad convenit ista |
“And if you can’t remember that,” she answered, smiling, “then call to mind how you — today — have drunk of Lethe ; and if smoke is proof of fire, then it is clear : we can conclude from this forgetfulness, that in your will there was a fault — your will had turned elsewhere. But from now on the words I speak will be naked ; that is appropriate if they |
| 90 | Contendenti oculos recludere, nuda resolvam. » Et magis effulgens et cursu lentior orbem Sol usurpabat medium cæli atque diei, Qui, pro prospectu vario, mutatur et ipse ; Quum subito, veluti mos est ducentibus agmen |
would be laid bare before your still-crude sight.” More incandescent now, with slower steps, the sun was pacing the meridian, which alters with the place from which it’s seen, when, just as one who serves as escort for a group will halt if he has come upon |
| 95 | Præmissis, si qua est novitas comperta, stetere Septenæ nymphæ, languens ubi decidit umbra, Qualem sub foliis viridantibus, atque nigrante Ramorum spatio rivis algentibus Alpes Distribuunt. Ante has vena delabier una |
things strange or even traces of strangeness, the seven ladies halted at the edge of a dense shadow such as mountains cast, beneath green leaves and black boughs, on cold banks. In front of them I seemed to see Euphrates |
| 100 | Euphratem et Tigrim fueram mihi cernere visus, Et, quasi amicitia junctos, discedere pigros. « O lux, o ingens humanæ gloria gentis ! Quod genus istud aquæ est, una quæ ab origine sese Explicat huc veniens, seseque petitque fugitque ? » |
and Tigris issuing from one same spring and then, as friends do, separating slowly. “O light, o glory of the human race, what water is this, flowing from one source and then becoming distant from itself?” |
| 105 | Dixi. — « Hoc », respondit, « tibi erit rogitanda MATELLA, Ut dicat causam. » Huic mulier pulcherrima contra, Ut facit a culpæ qui sese crimine solvit : « Has res, atque alias monitum mea cura remisit ; Nec timeo, a Lethe ne dicta absconderit amnis. » |
Her answer to what I had asked was : “Ask Matilda to explain this"; and the lovely lady, as one who frees herself from blame, replied : “He’s heard of this and other matters from me ; and I am sure that Lethe’s waters have not obscured his memory of this.” |
| 110 | Olli sedato respondit corde BEATRIX : « Cura illi major, per quam rerum immemor ipse Redditur, offudit mentem fortasse tenebris. Atque ecce Eunoës, qui præterlabitur oram. Nec mora ; tu prensum propera deducere ad amnem |
And Beatrice : “Perhaps some greater care, which often weakens memory, has made his mind, in things regarding sight, grow dark. But see Eunoe as it flows from there ; lead him to it and, as you’re used to doing, |
| 115 | More tuo, ut virtus ipsi collapsa revivat. » Qualis corde anima humano, quæ innectere nescit Causam excusandi, et cui, quæ est manifesta voluntas, Nutibus alterius sua fit ; sic ilicet ista Mi dextram arripiens STATIO muliebriter inquit : |
revive the power that is faint in him.” As would the noble soul, which offers no excuse, but makes another’s will its own as soon as signs reveal that will ; just so, when she had taken me, the lovely lady moved forward ; and she said with womanly courtesy to Statius : “Come with him.” |
| 120 | « Fac comes huic venias. » — Spatium si longius esset Scribendi, aggrederer cantare ex parte beantes Haustus, o lector, qui nunquam me ire sinebant Expletum : at quoniam, quas poscunt ista secunda Carmina, complevi cunctas ex ordine chartas, |
If, reader, I had ampler space in which to write, I’d sing — though incompletely — that sweet draught for which my thirst was limitless ; but since all of the pages pre-disposed for this, the second canticle, are full, |
| 125 | Artis me frenum prohibet jam longius ire. Deinde gradum a sancta revocavi fluminis unda Sic instauratus, qualis nova planta novata Fronde nova, purus, conscendere ad astra paratus. |
the curb of art will not let me continue. From that most holy wave I now returned to Beatrice ; remade, as new trees are renewed when they bring forth new boughs, I was pure and prepared to climb unto the stars. |
| P A R A D I S U S | ||
| PARADISI I {1} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Illius, qui cuncta movet, quocunque penetrat Gloria, plusque illi parti cedit, minus illi De splendore suo. Quod plus deducit ab ipsa Lucis, ego cælum deveni ac talia vidi, |
The glory of the One who moves all things permeates the universe and glows in one part more and in another less. I was within the heaven that receives more of His light ; and I saw things that he |
| 5 | Qualia nec scit, nec potis est unquam inde reversus Dicere. Namque animus desiderii prope summam Accedens, totum tunc sese immittit in istud, Ut mens nostra sequi repetens non possit euntem. Verum, quæ potui de sancto condere regno |
who from that height descends, forgets or can not speak ; for nearing its desired end, our intellect sinks into an abyss so deep that memory fails to follow it. Nevertheless, as much as I, within |
| 10 | Mente, hæc materiam præbebunt carminis ausis. Postremum hunc, bone Apollo, mihi concede laborem, Effice meque tua vas sic virtute repletum, Ut petis, ex lauro mihi amata serta daturus. Sat nobis tentasse jugum fuit hactenus unum |
my mind, could treasure of the holy kingdom shall now become the matter of my song. O good Apollo, for this final task make me the vessel of your excellence, what you, to merit your loved laurel, ask. Until this point, one of Parnassus’ peaks |
| 15 | Parnassi ; reliquum ast opus est modo inire per ambo Campum. Fac intres mea pectora, tuque poëtæ Aspira, qualis, quum te tulit impetus olim, Audacis Satyri vagina diripere artus. O virtus divina, meæ si tu annuis arti |
sufficed for me ; but now I face the test the agon that is left ; I need both crests. Enter into my breast ; within me breathe the very power you made manifest when you drew Marsyas out from his limbs’ sheath. O godly force, if you so lend yourself |
| 20 | Usque adeo, ut per me, quæ stat signata beati in capite umbra meo regni, manifesta patescat ; Ad tibi dilectos ramos properare videbis, Frondibus atque tuis me tum præcingere frontem. Queis et materia et tu me dignum esse putabis. |
to me, that I might show the shadow of the blessed realm inscribed within my mind, then you would see me underneath the tree you love ; there I shall take as crown the leaves of which my theme and you shall make me worthy. |
| 25 | Namque adeo, pater, hæc raro ornamenta leguntur, Ducat ut insignem Cæsar vatesve triumphum, (Proh culpa humanæ opprobriumque cupidinis !) ut jam Gignere Delphifica deberet gaudia Divo, Si quem ardore sitis stimulet Peneia planta. |
So seldom, father, are those garlands gathered for triumph of a ruler or a poet — a sign of fault or shame in human wills — that when Peneian branches can incite someone to long and thirst for them, delight must fill the happy Delphic deity. |
| 30 | Ingentem, flammam perpauca favilla secundat. Fors aliquis post me cantu meliore precetur, Ut Cyrrhæa domus votis responsa remittat. Diversis generi mortali surgit ab oris Lampas, quæ mundum lustrat ; sed surgit ab illa, |
Great fire can follow a small spark : there may be better voices after me to pray to Cyrrha’s god for aid — that he may answer. The lantern of the world approaches mortals by varied paths ; but on that way which links |
| 35 | Cyclos bis geminos quæ jungit cum cruce trina, Percussura viam meliorem, junctaque stella Exit cum meliore, et ceram temperat orbis Terrarum plus sponte sua obsignatque sua vi. Talem ingressa locum, quasi prima crepuscula noctis |
four circles with three crosses, it emerges joined to a better constellation and along a better course, and it can temper and stamp the world’s wax more in its own manner. Its entry from that point of the horizon |
| 40 | Hic et mane illic effecerat, albidus ille Semiorbis stabat totus, pars altera nigra, Quum latus in lævum se vertere visa BEATRIX Est mihi et inspicere in solem. Sic figere soli Nunquam aquila ausa suos est visus. Utque priore |
brought morning there and evening here ; almost all of that hemisphere was white — while ours was dark — when I saw Beatrice turn round and left, that she might see the sun ; no eagle has ever stared so steadily at it. |
| 45 | Misso exit, sursumque solet resilire secundus Fulgor, more peregrini remeare studentis : Sic et ego hunc actum, qui nostris insinuavit Sese luminibus, percussus imagine mentem, Desumpsi, atque oculos infixi in lampada solis |
And as a second ray will issue from the first and reascend, much like a pilgrim who seeks his home again, so on her action, fed by my eyes to my imagination, my action drew, and on the sun I set |
| 50 | Nostrum ultra morem. — Humanis virtutibus illic Multa licent ratione loci, quem condidit auctor Humano generi proprium, quæ hic posse facultas Non est. Hunc nec ferre diu, nec temporis horam Sic tamen exiguam potui, ut candentis ab igne |
my sight more than we usually do. More is permitted to our powers there than is permitted here, by virtue of that place, made for mankind as its true home. I did not bear it long, but not so briefly as not to see it sparkling round about, |
| 55 | Hunc instar ferri haud circum fulgere viderem. Qui duplicare diem subito est mihi visus, ut ille Si sole omnipotens alio decorasset Olympum. Stabat in æternas sphæras immota BEATRIX Tota, oculos figens, et ego mea lumina in ipsam |
like molten iron emerging from the fire ; and suddenly it seemed that day had been added to day, as if the One who can had graced the heavens with a second sun. The eyes of Beatrice were all intent on the eternal circles ; from the sun, |
| 60 | Inde amota mihi. Interius sum factus ob hujus Aspectum talis, qualem se vidit ob herbam Gustatam æquoreis consortem assidere Divis Glaucus. Sic hominem superum virtute potiri Res est, quæ vetat ostendi per verba ; sed istud |
I turned aside ; I set my eyes on her. In watching her, within me I was changed as Glaucus changed, tasting the herb that made him a companion of the other sea gods. Passing beyond the human cannot be worded ; let Glaucus serve as simile — |
| 65 | Est satis exemplum, queis servat gratia donum Tale experturis. — O æterni ignis amoris ! Si tantum illud ego mei eram, quod lucis in auras Duxisti ex nihilo primum, tu qui astra gubernas, Nosti. Nam tua lux me ad cæli sustulit aulam. |
until grace grant you the experience. Whether I only was the part of me that You created last, You — governing the heavens — know ; it was Your light that raised me. |
| 70 | Ut rota, quam æternas, o summa optata voluptas, Harmoniæ illa vi, quam tu moderaris et apte Digeris, intentum attraxit, tum solis ab igne Vidi oculis tantum cæli excandescere, ut imber Vel flumen nunquam tam vasto quiverit alveo |
When that wheel which You make eternal through the heavens’ longing for You drew me with the harmony You temper and distinguish, the fire of the sun then seemed to me to kindle so much of the sky, that rain or river never formed so broad a lake. |
| 75 | Immanem peperisse lacum. Modulaminis ille Insueto sonus auditus mihi, lumen et ingens Mi desiderio incenderunt pectora tanto Causarum, ut nunquam sim tale expertus acumen. Quapropter, quæ me haud aliter, quam me ipse, videbat, |
The newness of the sound and the great light incited me to learn their cause — I was more keen than I had ever been before. And she who read me as I read myself, |
| 80 | Commoti cupiens animi componere fluctus, Ante ego quam loquerer quicquam, sic ora resolvit Atque ait : « Ipse facis te crassæ mentis, inanem Effingens speciem rerum, ut tibi cernere non sit, Quod tu, hac excussa, aspiceres. Terram haud pede tangis, |
to quiet the commotion in my mind, opened her lips before I opened mine to ask, and she began : “You make yourself obtuse with false imagining ; you can not see what you would see if you dispelled it. You are not on the earth as you believe ; |
| 85 | Ut rere ; at non sic nativam præpete cursu Effugiens sedem fulgur ruit, ut citus istam Tu repetis reditu. » — Mihi si brevia edita dulcem Verba inter risum suaserunt exuere unum Confusæ mentis dubium, irretire secundum |
but lightning, flying from its own abode, is less swift than you are, returning home.” While I was freed from my first doubt by these brief words she smiled to me, I was yet caught in new perplexity. I said : “I was |
| 90 | Me cœpit, dixique : « Ego jam me animo esse quieto Jussi, contentus sat magni a mole stuporis. Sed qui prævertam ista levissima corpora cursu, Id nunc admiror. » Quare tunc pectore ducens Illa pio gemitum, tali in me lumina vultu |
content already ; after such great wonder, I rested. But again I wonder how my body rises past these lighter bodies.” At which, after a sigh of pity, she settled her eyes on me with the same look |
| 95 | Vertit, quo nati deliri mater in ora, Et cœpit : « Quicquid rerum est, has digerit ordo Inter sese omnes. Isque ordo forma vocatur, Quæ facit omne Deo simile. Hic cuncta alta creata Æternæ cernunt virtutis signa notasque, |
a mother casts upon a raving child, and she began : “All things, among themselves, possess an order ; and this order is the form that makes the universe like God. Here do the higher beings see the imprint of the Eternal Worth, which is the end |
| 100 | Quæ meta est, ad quam mihi dicta ea norma refertur. Ordinis in leges, quas diximus, omnia prona Sunt per diversas sortes, quæ plusque minusque Principio accedunt. Ita per mare cuncta moventur Naturæ immensum diversa ad litora, et una |
to which the pattern I have mentioned tends. Within that order, every nature has its bent, according to a different station, nearer or less near to its origin. Therefore, these natures move to different ports across the mighty sea of being, each |
| 105 | Res quæque infuso instinctu, quo singula fertur. Hic ignem fert ad lunam, mortalia corda Hic icit motu, hic terram cogitque premitque. Nec modo quæ ratione carent, hic appetit arcus, At quæ mente valent ac versant libera amorem. |
given the impulse that will bear it on. This impulse carries fire to the moon ; this is the motive force in mortal creatures ; this binds the earth together, makes it one. Not only does the shaft shot from this bow strike creatures lacking intellect, but those who have intelligence, and who can love. |
| 110 | Quæ tot disponit propria sapientia luce, Stare jubet semper cælum, in quo se rotat illud, Quod mage festinum est. Atque huc, veluti ad loca certa, Nunc illius agit nos virtus incita chorda, Quæ, quicquid jacit, hoc ad signum dirigit aptum. |
The Providence that has arrayed all this forever quiets — with Its light — that heaven in which the swiftest of the spheres revolves ; to there, as toward a destined place, we now are carried by the power of the bow that always aims its shaft at a glad mark. |
| 115 | Verum ut ab artificis discordat mente frequenter Forma, ubi materies huic respondere recuset Surda ; ita et hoc abeunt a cursu sæpe creata, Quæ sic acta suo divertere tramite possunt (Utque videre potes delabi nubibus ignem), |
Yet it is true that, even as a shape may, often, not accord with art’s intent, since matter may be unresponsive, deaf, so, from this course, the creature strays at times because he has the power, once impelled, to swerve elsewhere ; as lightning from a cloud |
| 120 | Dummodo flectatur falsa dulcedine primus Impetus in terram. Non plus tibi mira putanda est Res, bene si reputo, quod scandis, quam exiguus fons Alto monte ruens si fundum irrumpat in imum. In te res miranda foret, si, te objice nullo |
is seen to fall, so does the first impulse, when man has been diverted by false pleasure, turn him toward earth. You should — if I am right — not feel more marvel at your climbing than you would were you considering a stream that from a mountain’s height falls to its base. It would be cause for wonder in you if, |
| 125 | Impediente, jacens in terris ipse sederes, Sicut humi vivax vis flammæ strata quiete. » — Hinc illa ad summum vertit sua lumina Olympum. |
no longer hindered, you remained below, as if, on earth, a living flame stood still.” Then she again turned her gaze heavenward. |
| PARADISI II {2} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Vos, rate qui vecti parva venistis, aventes Audire, usque meam sectati pone carinam, Quæ mare cantando verrit, jam litora vestra Respicite, et pelagus ne ultra tentate profundum ; |
O you who are within your little bark, eager to listen, following behind my ship that, singing, crosses to deep seas, turn back to see your shores again : do not attempt to sail the seas I sail ; you may, |
| 5 | Nam vos, me amisso, loca devia forte petetis Errantes. Nemo, quod arandum prendimus, æquor Unquam percurrit. Tritonia Diva labori Aspirat nostro, nos dexter ducit Apollo, Atque novem Musæ monstrant Erimantidas ursas. |
by losing sight of me, be left astray. The waves I take were never sailed before ; Minerva breathes, Apollo pilots me, and the nine Muses show to me the Bears. |
| 10 | Pauci, mature qui prospectastis hiantes Angelicum panem, quo vita hic vivitur, at non Exsaturata manet, dimittere salsa per alta Navigium vobis licet observantibus undam, Quam sulco, prius æqualis quam strata residat. |
You other few who turned your minds in time unto the bread of angels, which provides men here with life — but hungering for more — you may indeed commit your vessel to the deep salt-sea, keeping your course within my wake, ahead of where waves smooth again. |
| 15 | Præstantes illi, qui adierunt Colchica regna, Obstupuere minus tunc, quum videre bubulcum Æsonidem factum, quam vos, mea vela secuti. Ingenita et jugis sitis in, quod imagine ridet Divina, regnum celeri nos impete agebat, |
Those men of glory, those who crossed to Colchis, when they saw Jason turn into a ploughman were less amazed than you will be amazed. The thirst that is innate and everlasting — thirst for the godly realm — bore us away |
| 20 | Ferme quo aspicitis cælum. Spectare BEATRIX Sursum, et ego hanc. Tam forte diu, dum cessat arundo, Et volat atque fugit resolutam libera chordam, Sensi delatus, quo me divertere suasit Res mira ad se oculis. Illa autem, quam ulla nequibat |
as swiftly as the heavens that you see. Beatrice gazed upward. I watched her. But in a span perhaps no longer than an arrow takes to strike, to fly, to leave the bow, I reached a place where I could see that something wonderful drew me ; and she |
| 25 | Cura latere mei cordis, convertit utramque Ad me aciem pariter læta, ut pulcherrima forma : « Mente Deum », dixit, « bene grata suspice, qui nos Primæ conjunxit stellæ. » Mihi lucida visa est Ac densa ac solida ac nitido stans corpore nubes |
from whom my need could not be hidden, turned to me (her gladness matched her loveliness): “Direct your mind to God in gratefulness,” she said ; “He has brought us to the first star.” It seemed to me that we were covered by a brilliant, solid, dense, and stainless cloud, |
| 30 | Nos tegere, haud secus atque adamas solis jubare ictus. Ingressos intus nos bacca æterna recepit, Ut recipit lucem fluvialis gutta cohærens. Si tum corpus eram, si non comprendere mente est, Qui rem, quæ triplex spatium occupat, insinuare |
much like a diamond that the sun has struck. Into itself, the everlasting pearl received us, just as water will accept a ray of light and yet remain intact. If I was body (and on earth we can not see how things material can share |
| 35 | Altera passa sibi res sit, quod fiat oportet, Corpus ubi in corpus repat, multo acrius esset Ardendum nobis mirarier illius esse, Qui sibi conjunxit naturam hominisque deique. Tunc ibi cernere erit, quod demonstrare nequibit |
one space — the case, when body enters body), then should our longing be still more inflamed to see that Essence in which we discern how God and human nature were made one. What we hold here by faith, shall there be seen, |
| 40 | Hic quisquam atque fides jubet omnes credere certo, Ut quæ vera patent per se notissima, primo Credenda intuitu mentis. — Tunc ora resolvens Dixi : « Ego, Diva, pio, quoad possum, huic pectore grates Solvo, mortali qui me sejunxit ab orbe. |
not demonstrated but directly known, even as the first truth that man believes. I answered : “With the most devotion I can summon, I thank Him who has brought me far from the mortal world. But now tell me ; |
| 45 | At quid, dic quæso, quid sunt nigra corporis hujus Signa ea, quæ in terris de Cain fingere suadent Fabellam ? » Illa diu surrisit ; deinde loquelam Solvens : « Si mortalis », ait, « sententia aberrat, Clavis ubi sensus nescit recludere verum, |
what are the dark marks on this planet’s body that there below, on earth, have made men tell the tale of Cain?” She smiled somewhat, and then she said : “If the opinion mortals hold falls into error when the senses’ key cannot unlock the truth, you should not be |
| 50 | Certe haud deberent jam pungere tela stuporis Cor tibi ; nam ratio, quæ sensus pone sequatur, Cernere ut ipse potes, brevioribus utitur alis. At da, quid tecum reputes. » Tunc huic ego contra : « Ex raro ac denso, quæ sic diversa videntur, |
struck by the arrows of amazement once you recognize that reason, even when supported by the senses, has short wings. But tell me what you think of it yourself.” And I: “What seems to us diverse up here is caused — I think — by matter dense and rare.” |
| 55 | Esse reor. » — « Multo hæc in vortice mersa videbis Falsi, quæ modo credis », ait, « si rite tenebis, Quæ dicam contra. Demonstrat lumina vobis Multa orbis sphæræ octavæ, diversa notanda Mole sua ac lucis natura. Hic collige primo. |
And she : “You certainly will see that your belief is deeply sunk in error if you listen carefully as I rebut it. The eighth sphere offers many lights to you, and you can tell that they, in quality and size, are stars with different visages. |
| 60 | Si rara ac densa efficerent ea, qualia constant Quantaque, flammivomo cuivis vis unica inesset, Plusque minusque tributa globo, atque æqualiter uni- Cuique. At multiplices virtutes ex elementis Primis, quæ formam statuunt cujusque, necesse est |
If rarity and density alone caused this, then all the stars would share one power distributed in lesser, greater, or in equal force. But different powers must be fruits of different formal principles ; |
| 65 | Nasci, quæ deleta forent, te judice, cuncta, Hoc uno excepto. Adde etiam : si causa nigroris Rarum esset, quod tu vocitas ; aut iste planeta Partim ex materia jejunus forte laboret, Aut, ut opima adipe et mixtim minus uncta per artus |
were you correct, one only would be left, the rest, destroyed. And more, were rarity the cause of the dim spots you question, then in part this planet would lack matter through and through, or else as, in a body, lean and fat can alternate, so would this planet |
| 70 | Corporis unius caro diditur, haud secus iste In proprio chartam mutet versa vice libro. Quæ mihi dicta prior causa est, in Solis aperta Esset defectu, nam translucere videres Lumen ut ingestum rei, quæ corpore raro |
alternate the pages in its volume. To validate the first case, in the sun’s eclipse, the light would have to show through, just as when it crosses matter that is slender. |
| 75 | Constet. At id non fit. Quare inspectare secundam Est operæ pretium. At tibi si dabo funditus istam Eversam, tunc ista tuæ sententia mentis Falsa erit. Hoc rarum si haud est penetrabile, oportet Sint certi fines, quos tendere non sinat ultra |
This is not so ; therefore we must consider the latter case — if I annul that too, then your opinion surely is confuted. If rarity does not run through and through the moon, then there must be a limit where thickness does not allow the light to pass ; |
| 80 | Rem sibi pugnantem, seseque retro inde refundat Alterius jubar, ut per vitrum, ubi bractea plumbi Texerit huic tergum, resilit color. At modo dices, Hic magis atque alibi jubar apparere retusum, Quod vi rejectum magis interiore recessit. |
from there, the rays of sun would be thrown back, just as, from glass that hides lead at its back, a ray of colored light returns, reflected. Now you will say that where a ray has been reflected from a section farther back, that ray will show itself to be more dim. |
| 85 | Hunc tibi poscenti nodum experientia solvet, Si forte hanc tentes, quæ vestræ, fontis ad instar, Dat rivos artis. Speculorum lumina bina Accipe, et his medius fac sistas. Inter utrumque Pone aliud speculum, quod distet longius a te, |
Yet an experiment, were you to try it, could free you from your cavil — and the source of your arts’ course springs from experiment. Taking three mirrors, place a pair of them at equal distance from you ; set the third midway between those two, but farther back. |
| 90 | Inveniatque tuos oculos. Conversus ad illa Fac tibi post tergum stet vivida flamma lucernæ, Quæ triplex vitrum speculorum accendat, et ipsa Ad te se referat rejecta vitri objice trino. Quantulacunque licet discrimina cernere lucis |
Then, turning toward them, at your back have placed a light that kindles those three mirrors and returns to you, reflected by them all. Although the image in the farthest glass will be of lesser size, there you will see |
| 95 | Non sit rejectæ, facies prout singula vitri A te dissimili posita est procul intervallo, Cernes, ut speculo huic æque splendere necesse est. Nunc ut, quæ nivibus subsunt, sole icta repente, Exspoliata colore manent, et frigore primo ; |
that it must match the brightness of the rest. Now, just as the sub-matter of the snow, beneath the blows of the warm rays, is stripped of both its former color and its cold, |
| 100 | Sic, hac mente tibi exuta, stat certa voluntas Informare adeo vivaci lumine, ut, in te Illud ubi incurrat, pleno fulgore coruscet. Includit cælum divina pace quietum Corpus, perpetuo quod circum turbine fertur, |
so is your mind left bare of error ; I would offer now to you a new form, light so living that it trembles in your sight. Within the heaven of the godly peace revolves a body in whose power lies |
| 105 | In cujus virtute jacet summæ esse capaci Conclusæ spatio. Quod tot spectabile signis Succedit cælum, accepta hinc partitur in omnes Naturas alias passim, quas continet a se Distinctas. Orbes reliqui, discrimine stellas |
the being of all things that it enfolds. The sphere that follows, where so much is shown, to varied essences bestows that being, to stars distinct and yet contained in it. The other spheres, in ways diverse, direct |
| 110 | Distinctas vario amplexi, has componere fines Ad proprios, pariterque ad semina propria pergunt. Non secus ac jam cernis, eunt hæc organa mundi ; Prout inde accipiunt, ita agunt in corpora quæque. Nunc tu per quod iter propero contingere, ut optas, |
the diverse powers they possess, so that these forces can bear fruit, attain their aims. So do these organs of the universe proceed, as you now see, from stage to stage, receiving from above and acting downward. Now do attend to how I pass by way |
| 115 | Verum, fac videas, ut posthac ipse tenere Hæc vada tu solus possis. Hic motus et illa Sanctorum virtus gyrorum, non secus atque ars Tundentis scalpri a fabro, Sic spiret oportet A superis, commissa sibi quibus astra movere |
of reason to the truth you want that — then — you may learn how to cross the ford alone. The force and motion of the holy spheres must be inspired by the blessed movers, just as the smith imparts the hammer’s art ; and so, from the deep Mind that makes it wheel, |
| 120 | Contigit. Ac cælum, quod tot fulgentia pandunt Lumina, distinctum lætatur imagine pulchra, Quam trahit a celsa volventis mente ministri, Et consignatam reliquis consignat in astris. Utque anima, in vestro dum degit pulvere, multa |
the sphere that many lights adorn receives that stamp of which it then becomes the seal. And as the soul within your dust is shared |
| 125 | Per membra, atque artus varios ac dispare forma, Sese ad diversas vires dominata resolvit : Sic sua multiplicans per stellas explicat intus, Quæ mens has agitat, bona, et una atque integra fertur. Sese diverse pretioso corpore, cui dat |
by different organs, each most suited to a different potency, so does that Mind unfold and multiply its bounty through the varied heavens, though that Intellect itself revolves upon its unity. With the dear body that it quickens and as gladness, through the living pupil, shines. |
| 130 | Vitales vires, virtus infusa remiscet, In quo, ceu vita in vobis, consistit et hæret. Naturam ob lætam, qua manat origine, mixta Virtus per corpus lucet, quo more modoque Se per pupillas diffundunt gaudia vivas. |
with which, as life in you, it too is bound, each different power forms a different compound. Because of the glad nature of its source, the power mingled with a sphere shines forth, |
| 135 | Effluit ex illa quicquid differre videtur Lucem inter lucemque, haud texto ex raro et opaco, Proque sua bonitate ea turbida claraque gignit. » |
From this, and not from matter rare or dense, derive the differences from light to light ; this is the forming principle, producing, conforming with its worth, the dark, the bright.” |
| PARADISI III {3} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Qui mihi sol pectus prius inflammavit amore, Monstrarat pulchri, dempto velamine, veri, Dum sua confirmat, nostra argumenta refutat, Aspectum dulcem. Jamque, ut mentem ipse faterer |
That sun which first had warmed my breast with love had now revealed to me, confuting, proving, the gentle face of truth, its loveliness ; and I, in order to declare myself |
| 5 | Purgatam et certam, extuleram, ut magis arduus ore Farer, quoad decuit, caput. Ast objecta repente Est oculis visi species, quæ inspecta revinxit Me totum usque adeo, ut præsentem errata fateri Fixerit immemorem. Ceu per pellucida, tersa |
corrected and convinced, lifted my head as high as my confessional required. But a new vision showed itself to me ; the grip in which it held me was so fast that I did not remember to confess. |
| 10 | Vitrea vasa, aut per, nullo turbante, nitentes Lymphas haud altas sic, at fundi ima nigrescant, Tenuia tam redeunt nostræ exteriora figuræ, Quam baccæ candor, nivea qui in fronte locetur ; Sic mihi se obtulerant fari plura ora parata ; |
Just as, returning through transparent, clean glass, or through waters calm and crystalline (so shallow that they scarcely can reflect), the mirrored image of our faces meets our pupils with no greater force than that a pearl has when displayed on a white forehead — so faint, the many faces I saw keen |
| 15 | Quare me errori cepit contrarius error, Quo vir amore arsit captus fontisque suique. Quod simulac sensi, ratus hæc simulacra repulsa A speculis, ut cuja essent cognoscere possem, Conversis respexi oculis ; sed nulla videre |
to speak ; thus, my mistake was contrary to that which led the man to love the fountain. As soon as I had noticed them, thinking that what I saw were merely mirrorings, I turned around to see who they might be ; |
| 20 | Contigit, hisque actis præ me, ducis ora petivi Dulcis, ab his pendens, quæ ardebant lumine sancto. At mihi surridens : « Noli admirarier », inquit, « Ridentem, postquam ipsa tuum puerile notavi Judicium, quoniam tua planta insistere vero |
and I saw nothing ; and I let my sight turn back to meet the light of my dear guide, who, as she smiled, glowed in her holy eyes. “There is no need to wonder if I smile,” she said, “because you reason like a child ; your steps do not yet rest upon the truth ; |
| 25 | Non credit, sed more suo te ducit inani Conatu. Quas tu cernis sub imagine, veræ Sunt animæ, huc missæ, quia, quæ vovere, fatentur Se votis mansisse minus. Quare alloquere illas, Audi, atque adde fidem dictis. Nam vivida veri |
your mind misguides you into emptiness : what you are seeing are true substances, placed here because their vows were not fulfilled. Thus, speak and listen ; trust what they will say ; |
| 30 | Lux, satis his faciens, a se has deflectere passum Ullum non patitur. » — Tum unam, quæ visa loquendi Plus cupida est, umbram fuit ingens ardor adire ; Et cœpi, quasi quem studium nimis acre fatigat Mussantem : « O anima egregie fausta edita sorte, |
the truthful light in which they find their peace will not allow their steps to turn astray.” Then I turned to the shade that seemed most anxious to speak, and I began as would a man bewildered by desire too intense ; “O spirit born to goodness, you who feel, |
| 35 | Quæ vitæ ad jubar æternæ dulcedine abundas, Quam qui non gustat, nunquam cognoscere possit : Pergratum fuerit, si des mihi discere nomen Ipsa tuum ac sortem vestram. » — Quare illa parata, Nec remorata diu, hæc oculis ridentibus infit : |
beneath the rays of the eternal life, that sweetness which cannot be known unless it is experienced, it would be gracious of you to let me know your name and fate.” At this, unhesitant, with smiling eyes ; |
| 40 | « Nunquam noster amor portam poscentibus æquum Claudit, non secus ac similem sibi qui jubet esse Quemque sua ex aula. Quo me tunc tempore habebat Mundus, virgo Deo sacrarum rite sororum Augebam numerum ; et, bene si scrutabere mente, |
“Our charity will never lock its gates against just will ; our love is like the Love that would have all Its court be like Itself. Within the world I was a nun, a virgin ; and if your mind attends and recollects, |
| 45 | Non tibi celabor forma magis aucta decora, Ac me PICCARDAM nosces, quæ immixta beatis Ipsa beata choris, ubi quam lentissima sphæra Est lunæ, locor hic. Quæ nobis pectora solum Exhilarata ardent Divini Flaminis igne, |
my greater beauty here will not conceal me, and you will recognize me as Piccarda, who, placed here with the other blessed ones, am blessed within the slowest of the spheres. Our sentiments, which only serve the flame that is the pleasure of the Holy Ghost, |
| 50 | Se duxisse Hujus lætantur ab ordine formam ; Et nobis sors ista data est, quæ tam ima videtur, Quod curasse parum arguimur sollemnia vota, Et partim solvisse minus. » — Tunc occupo et inquam : « Nescio quid vobis divini fulget in ore |
delight in their conforming to His order. And we are to be found within a sphere this low, because we have neglected vows, so that in some respect we were deficient.” And I to her : “Within your wonderful semblance there is something divine that glows, |
| 55 | Mirifico, prima quod vos ab imagine mutat. Inde fuit nobis revocandi tarda facultas. At quod tu narras, dat opem, ut cognoscere vultum Sit mihi res levior. Sed ne hoc mihi dicere parce : Vos, quæ felices in sphæra degitis ista, |
transforming the appearance you once showed ; therefore, my recognizing you was slow ; but what you now have told me is of help ; I can identify you much more clearly. But tell me : though you’re happy here, do you |
| 60 | Unquam fert animus magis altas quærere sedes, Plura ut mirari majoraque fœdera vobis Multiplicare illic detur. — Prius illa parumper, Cum qua tunc umbra stabat, surrisit et exin Vultu adeo læto respondit, ut igne caloris |
desire a higher place in order to see more and to be still more close to Him?” Together with her fellow shades she smiled at first ; then she replied to me with such gladness, like one who burns with love’s first flame ; |
| 65 | Icta videretur primi : « Quæ dissita nostrum est Per pectus, frater, sancti vis plurima amoris, Dat desiderio tranquilla pace potiri, Et facit, ut simul illa velit, quæ possidet, ultra Nil sitiens. Etenim si ferret nostra cupido, |
“Brother, the power of love appeases our will so — we only long for what we have ; we do not thirst for greater blessedness. Should we desire a higher sphere than ours, |
| 70 | Aspirare ultra atque magis sublimia inire, Nostra forent vota Illius pugnantia menti, Qui nos sejunctas habet hic ; quod et ipse videbis Non cadere in sphæras istas, ubi amare necesse Dicas, si bene naturam perspexeris hujus |
then our desires would be discordant with the will of Him who has assigned us here, but you’ll see no such discord in these spheres ; to live in love is — here — necessity, if you think on love’s nature carefully. |
| 75 | Æstus. Quin immo stat in hoc vitæ esse beatæ : Stare intra fines, quos dat divina voluntas, Cum qua de nostris quoque fit mens mentibus una. Quare qualescunque sumus per multa gradatim Limina, id et regno placet omni, non secus ipsi |
The essence of this blessed life consists in keeping to the boundaries of God’s will, through which our wills become one single will ; so that, as we are ranged from step to step throughout this kingdom, all this kingdom wills |
| 80 | Regi, qui nos sponte sua trahit, atque voluntas Hujus pax nostra est. Ipsa est illud mare magnum, Quo, quicquid creat illa, atque edit lucis in auras Natura, assiduo motus conamine tendit. » Tum patuit mihi, ut in cælo Paradisus ubique est : |
that which will please the King whose will is rule. And in His will there is our peace : that sea to which all beings move — the beings He creates or nature makes — such is His will.” Then it was clear to me how every place in Heaven is in Paradise, though grace |
| 85 | Etsi cuncta beans supremi gratia amoris Impluat haud æque. Hic illorum more virorum, Quos daps una dedit saturos, at ubi altera restat Esca gulam alliciens, illi hanc spectare videntur, Gratiaque est aliis de prima, ego nutibus usus |
does not rain equally from the High Good. But just as, when our hunger has been sated with one food, we still long to taste the other — while thankful for the first, we crave the latter — so was I in my words and in my gestures, |
| 90 | Et verbis egi, totam ut cognoscere telam Possem, unde hæc radium nondum ad capita ultima traxit. « Perfectæ ob cursum vitæ, meritumque profundum Altius in cælo », dixit, « stat femina, cujus Ad normam in terris vos inter membra teguntur, |
asking to learn from her what was the web of which her shuttle had not reached the end. “A perfect life,” she said, “and her high merit enheaven, up above, a woman whose rule governs those who, in your world, would wear |
| 95 | Velaturque caput. Dulci dare corpora somno, Et vigilare illo cum Sponso tempus ad usque Postremum cupiens, cui fiunt omnia cara Et rata, quæ pietas et amor conformat ad æquam Illius mentem. Primævo flore juventæ, |
nuns’ dress and veil, so that, until their death, they wake and sleep with that Spouse who accepts all vows that love conforms unto His pleasure. Still young, I fled the world to follow her ; |
| 100 | Illam ut subsequerer, terræ bona fluxa valere Jussi, quoque illa usa fuit, me vestis amictu Inclusi, sectamque sequi sectæque magistram Certa, palam vovi. At gens plus male sueta nocere, Quam merita, avulsit dulcis me limine claustri. |
and, in her order’s habit, I enclosed myself and promised my life to her rule. Then men more used to malice than to good took me — violently — from my sweet cloister ; |
| 105 | Testor ego Superos, qualis post illa dolenda Vita mihi fuerit. Quæ se lux altera monstrat Dextra mihi fulgens, quæque ardet lumine nostri Toto orbis, quicquid de me sum farier orsa, Vult de se accipias, seseque fuisse sororem |
God knows what, after that, my life became. This other radiance that shows itself to you at my right hand, a brightness kindled by all the light that fills our heaven — she has understood what I have said : she was |
| 110 | Dicit, cui capitis sacratum est tegmen ademptum. Sed quoniam ad vestros fluctus invita reducta est Jus contra moremque bonum, nunquam illa solutum Cor habuit velo. Lux hæc CONSTANTIA magna est, Quæ se ex Suevorum vento genuisse secundo |
a sister, and from her head, too, by force, the shadow of the sacred veil was taken. But though she had been turned back to the world against her will, against all honest practice, the veil upon her heart was never loosed. This is the splendor of the great Costanza, who from the Swabians’ second gust engendered |
| 115 | Progeniem narrat, quæ tertia et ultima lapsi Vis fuit imperii. » — Sic illa, et voce canora Cœpit : « Ave Maria ! » atque canens evanuit auras In tenues, veluti grave per vada turbida corpus Atque hanc, quoad potuit, cedentem nostra secuta |
the one who was their third and final power.” This said, she then began to sing “Ave Maria” and, while singing, vanished as a weighty thing will vanish in deep water. My sight, which followed her as long as it |
| 120 | Est acies : ubi deflexit, quo me egerat æstus Major, quæsivit signum et conversa petivit Tota BEATRICEM. Illa oculos mihi perculit instar Fulguris, ut primos ictus ego ferre nequirem : Quæ mihi causa fuit, cur tardior ipse rogarem. |
was able to, once she was out of view, returned to where its greater longing lay, and it was wholly bent on Beatrice ; but she then struck my eyes with so much brightness that I, at first, could not withstand her force ; and that made me delay my questioning. |
| PARADISI IV {4} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Binos pone cibos distantes atque moventes Cor pari utrosque modo ; vacuum prius ardor edendi Conficiet quemvis, qui liber sponte sua sit, Quam denti alterutrum admoveat. Sic agna luporum |
Before a man bit into one of two foods equally removed and tempting, he would die of hunger if his choice were free ; so would a lamb stand motionless between |
| 5 | Iram inter geminam pariter perterrita staret ; Sic duo dammaram canis inter corpora restet. Quare, si tacui dubiis exercitus æque, Nec me reprendam, quoniam res ipsa necessum Hoc habuit, nec me laudo. Labia ipse premebam ; |
the cravings of two savage wolves, in fear of both ; so would a dog between two deer ; thus, I need neither blame nor praise myself when both my doubts compelled me equally ; what kept me silent was necessity. I did not speak, but in my face were seen |
| 10 | At desiderium liquide apparebat in ore, Solaque prex vultus plus, quam distincta loquela, Posse videbatur. — Danielis more BEATRIX Usa est, qui regis sceptro Babylona tenentis Iram dissolvit, violenta et iniqua jubentis. |
longing and questioning, more ardent than if spoken words had made them evident. Then Beatrice did just as Daniel did, when he appeased Nebuchadnezzar’s anger, the rage that made the king unjustly fierce. |
| 15 | Atque ait : « Haud me jam fallit te hinc inde retorquens Cura duplex pressa intus, ut extra nulla patescat. Tu sic concludis : ‹ Bona si durare voluntas Certa est, cur unquam alterius violentia possit Imminuisse modum meritis ? › Tibi et altera cura |
She said : “I see how both desires draw you, so that your anxiousness to know is self- entangled and cannot express itself. You reason : ‘If my will to good persists, why should the violence of others cause the measure of my merit to be less?’ |
| 20 | Subjecit stimulos ; ita enim remeare videntur Ad stellas animæ, ut sententia prisca Platonis Innuit. Ista gravant æquali pondere mentem Hinc atque inde tibi. Quare, quæ extrema labori Sunt tibi, queisque subest plus fellis, prima resolvam. |
And you are also led to doubt because the doctrine Plato taught would find support by souls’ appearing to return to the stars. These are the questions that, within your will, press equally for answers ; therefore, I shall treat the most insidious question first. |
| 25 | Qui plus ex Seraphim sese transformat eandem In speciem, a vera quam ducit imagine patris Supremi, Moses, Samuel atque ille Joannes, Non Maria excepta, tu utrum velis, elige, dico, Nemo aliis, animæ quam illæ, quarum ora videnda |
Neither the Seraph closest unto God, nor Moses, Samuel, nor either John — whichever one you will — nor Mary has, I say, their place in any other heaven than that which houses those souls you just saw, |
| 30 | Huc occurrerunt, scamnis considit, et ævo Nemo minor fuerit, nec grandior ; omnibus unus Est locus, atque simul primo dant fulgere cælo, Quod decorant, cuncti. Sed quisquis dispare norma Dulcem ibi agit vitam, prout tangit plusque minusque |
nor will their blessedness last any longer. But all those souls grace the Empyrean ; and each of them has gentle life — though some sense the Eternal Spirit more, some less. |
| 35 | Æternum hos Flamen. Se hic exhibuere videndas Illæ animæ, non quod sphæra hæc sorte obtigit ipsis, Ast ut quærentem cælestia scamna docerent, Quæ minus ascendunt. Namque hæc sola apta loquela Est vestro ingenio, quod tantum a sensibus haurit, |
They showed themselves to you here not because this is their sphere, but as a sign for you that in the Empyrean their place is lowest. Such signs are suited to your mind, since from the senses only can it apprehend |
| 40 | Quæ posthac menti committi digna putantur ; Quo magis indulget vestro Scriptura vigori, Datque pedesque manusque Deo, et contraria vero Accipit hæc aliter. Sic Sancta Ecclesia pingit Sub vultu humano Gabriëlem, membra Michaëli |
what then becomes fit for the intellect. And this is why the Bible condescends to human powers, assigning feet and hands to God, but meaning something else instead. And Gabriel and Michael and the angel who healed the eyes of Tobit are portrayed |
| 45 | Appingit, sic et jusso sanare Tobiam. Non hanc ille viam voluit calcare Timæus, Humanas animas quum dicit ad astra redire ; Nam suasisse sibi, quæ dixerat, ipse videtur, Istas inde ratus decisas tempore ab illo, |
by Holy Church with human visages. That which Timaeus said in reasoning of souls does not describe what you have seen, since it would seem that as he speaks he thinks. He says the soul returns to that same star from which — so he believes — it had been taken |
| 50 | Quo humanos artus informavere, vocante Natura. Ast aliter fortasse is senserit, atque Vox sonat ac posset fieri, ut, quæ intellegit ille, Deridenda minus fuerint. Nam si ille putasset Ad sphæras istas laudem probrumque venire |
when nature sent that soul as form to body ; but his opinion is, perhaps, to be taken in other guise than his words speak, intending something not to be derided. If to these spheres he wanted to attribute |
| 55 | Virtutum, quæ nostra valent in semina, forsan Nonnihil in veri signum hic offenderit arcus. Hoc secus acceptum, jam recto tramite totum Avertit mundum sic, ut persuaserit error Compellare Jovis Martisque et nomen inane |
honor and blame for what they influence, perhaps his arrow reaches something true. This principle, ill-understood, misled almost all of the world once, so that Jove and Mercury and Mars gave names to stars. |
| 60 | Mercurii. Sed quæ mentem cura altera torquet, Est minus illa nocens ; nam te haud abducere quiret Illius improbitas a me. Si nostra videtur Justitia æqua minus mortalibus, hæc via vobis Vestiganda, fidem exercet, non sparsa latenti est |
The other doubt that agitates you is less poisonous ; for its insidiousness is not such as to lead you far from me. To mortal eyes our justice seems unjust ; that this is so, should serve as evidence for faith — not heresy’s depravity. |
| 65 | Hæreseos viro. At quoniam bene inire potestis Ingenio freti vestro hæc penetralia veri, Te mittam, ut cupis, expletum. Si, judice te, sit Vis, ubi, qui patitur, cogenti nil dare perstet, Vis genus hoc animas non excusaverit illas. |
But that your intellect may penetrate more carefully into your other query, I shall — as you desire — explain it clearly. If violence means that the one who suffers has not abetted force in any way, then there is no excuse these souls can claim ; |
| 70 | Namque haud deficiet, si nolit, vestra voluntas ; Sed facit, in flamma quod vos facere usque videtis Naturam, si quis millennis ictibus ignem Torqueat assidue. Si flecti plusque minusque Se sinat, illatam dubio procul ipsa secundat |
for will, if it resists, is never spent, but acts as nature acts when fire ascends, though force — a thousand times — tries to compel. So that, when will has yielded much or little, it has abetted force — as these souls did ; |
| 75 | Vim. Non absimili inveniens has mente fuisse, Quum fuerit gressum ad sua claustra referre potestas. Si mens firma illis haud cedere certa fuisset, Quæ te, Laurenti, flammata in crate manere Passa est assatum ; qua Scaevola maluit asper |
they could have fled back to their holy shelter. Had their will been as whole as that which held Lawrence fast to the grate and that which made of Mucius one who judged his own hand, then |
| 80 | Esse suæ dextræ, vis unde avulserat illas, Huc retraxisset tandem sua quamque voluntas, Ut primum est data libertas. At pectora mente Tam solida sunt rara nimis. Jam verba per ista, Si bene, uti decuit, tu ista accipienda putasti, |
once freed, they would have willed to find the faith from which they had been dragged ; but it is all too seldom that a will is so intact. And through these words, if you have grasped their bent, |
| 85 | Quæ sæpe ancipitem torsisset cura recursans, Cassa cadit. Sed nunc alium tua lumina flexum Offendunt, mente unde tua haud evadere posses ; Lassarere prius. Tu me docuisse tenebis Id te : nunquam animam mentiri posse beatam ; |
you can eliminate the argument that would have troubled you again — and often. But now another obstacle obstructs your sight ; you cannot overcome it by yourself — it is too wearying to try. I’ve set it in your mind as something certain that souls in blessedness can never lie, |
| 90 | Quod primo coram vero stat tempus in omne : At dein, PICCARDA, audisti diversa locuta. Quod meminisse potes, animo CONSTANTIAM amasse Usque sacrum velum. Frater, sæpe accidit istud, Ut quisquam, luctans præsenti exire periclo, |
since they are always near the Primal Truth. But from Piccarda you were also able to hear how Constance kept her love of the veil ; and here Piccarda seems to contradict me. Before this — brother — it has often happened that, to flee menace, men unwillingly |
| 95 | Fecerit invitus, quod non fecisse decebat. Non secus Alcmæon, qui, patre rogante, parentem Ipse suam exstinxit, quum maluit impius ultor, Quam minus ipse tenax patriæ pietatis haberi. Hæc equidem tecum vellem tu mente volutes : |
did what should not be done ; so did Alcmaeon, to meet the wishes of his father, kill his mother — not to fail in filial piety, he acted ruthlessly. At that point — I would have you see — the force |
| 100 | Suesse voluntati quoque vim concurrere mixtam Sic, ut purgari nequeant injuria facta. Libera vis animi per se vitare parata est Omne malum ; ast istuc tunc inclinare videtur, Major ubi metus hanc moveat, si certa resistat. |
to which one yielded mingles with one’s will ; and no excuse can pardon their joint act. Absolute will does not concur in wrong ; but the contingent will, through fear that its resistance might bring greater harm, consents. |
| 105 | Quare quæ exprimitur, PICCARDA fante, voluntas, Libera sponte sua est ; aliter, quam hoc nomine dico, Accipe. Sic disces pariter nos vera locutas. » Haud aliter sancta decurrit rivulus unda Fonte illo egrediens, quo verum profluit omne. |
Therefore, Piccarda means the absolute will when she speaks, and I the relative ; so that the two of us have spoken truth.” Such was the rippling of the holy stream issuing from the fountain from which springs |
| 110 | Pace ita composita, mihi tum utraque cura quievit. « Dulcis amantis amor primi, diva incluta, » dixi Post paulo, « sermo cujus mihi pectora inundat, Inflammatque adeo, ut magis ac magis aucta vigore Succrescant ! Non tanta mihi est data copia cordis |
all truth : it set to rest both of my longings. Then I said : “O beloved of the First Lover, o you — divine — whose speech so floods and warms me that I feel more and more life, however deep my gratefulness, it can |
| 115 | Prodere sensa mei, dignas ut solvere grates Pro meritis valeat ; sed qui videt ima potestque, Ille tibi has referat. Jam sensi, ut nostra cupido Discendi haud unquam satura est, nisi quum unica veri Lux illa æterni, quam extra spatiarier ullum |
not match your grace with grace enough ; but He who sees and can — may He grant recompense. I now see well : we cannot satisfy our mind unless it is enlightened by the truth beyond whose boundary no truth lies. |
| 120 | Haud possit verum, tenebras disperserit omnes. Tunc ibi, ut in lustris fera, parta pace quiescit, Hoc simul attigerit, quod apisci est apta facultas. Nam secus omnis amor rerum cognoscere causas Insitus incassum foret. Istum propter amorem, |
Mind, reaching that truth, rests within it as a beast within its lair ; mind can attain that truth — if not, all our desires were vain. |
| 125 | Ut scatebra, ante pedes veri sententia menti Utrimque ambiguæ emergit ; naturaque mater Illa est, extremum quæ trudit ad usque cacumen Ex colle in collem. Hic amor est, qui impellit, et hic est, Hoc quoque qui suadet te, Diva, rogare scienter ; |
Therefore, our doubting blossoms like a shoot out from the root of truth ; this natural urge spurs us toward the peak, from height to height. Lady, my knowing why we doubt, invites, sustains, my reverent asking you about |
| 130 | Nam res est obscura mihi. — Fert scire cupido, Num, si quis voti fuerit reus, et tamen istam Plusve minusve fidem tandem læsisse feratur. Sat facere is vobis possit sua per bene facta Alterius generis, vestra quæ lance probentur |
another truth that is obscure to me. I want to know if, in your eyes, one can amend for unkept vows with other acts — good works your balance will not find too scant.” |
| 135 | Non minimum. » — Tunc me visa est spectare BEATRIX, Plena utrosque oculos flamma cælestis amoris Divinum usque adeo in morem, ut, mihi robore visus Victo, terga darem, perstrictaque declinarim Lumina, restiterimque, quasi minus utilis essem. |
Then Beatrice looked at me with eyes so full of sparks of love, eyes so divine that my own force of sight was overcome, took flight, and, eyes downcast, I almost lost my senses. |
| PARADISI V {5} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Si præter quem terra modum cognoscit, in æstu Cordis amore usti tanta tibi fulguro luce, Ut tibi jam virtus oculorum victa residat, Noli admirari ; namque hoc ex robore visus |
“If in the fire of love I seem to flame beyond the measure visible on earth, so that I overcome your vision’s force, you need not wonder ; I am so because |
| 5 | Perfecti venit, isque cito ; sua prout bona noscit, Cognita venatur. Video jam, ut limpida veri Æterni tibi fax splendet, quæ sola tuentis, Visa semel, mentem succendit amore perenni. Quodsi forte aliud vestrum seducit amorem, |
of my perfected vision — as I grasp the good, so I approach the good in act. Indeed I see that in your intellect now shines the never-ending light ; once seen, that light, alone and always, kindles love ; and if a lesser thing allure your love, |
| 10 | Id nihil est, quam hujus signum, male cognitus index Hic interlucens. Modo te fert scire cupido, An, qui vota minus persolverit, ipse repensis Muneribus aliis tantundem reddere possit, Omni a lite animam ut tutetur. » — Talia dixit |
it is a vestige of that light which — though imperfectly — gleams through that lesser thing. You wish to know if, through a righteous act, one can repair a promise unfulfilled, so that the soul and God are reconciled.” |
| 15 | Hujus principium cantus initura BEATRIX ; Atque, ut qui cœptum haud sermonem obtruncat, ita illa Propositum tenuit sanctum. « Quæ maxima dos est, Largius indulgente Deo, qui cuncta creavit, Inventa, apta magis bonitatem ostendere Patris, |
So Beatrice began this canto, and as one who does not interrupt her speech, so did her holy reasoning proceed : “The greatest gift the magnanimity of God, as He created, gave, the gift most suited to His goodness, gift that He |
| 20 | Quamque Is plurimi habet, fuit hæc vis libera vestri Arbitrii in terris, qua cuncta et sola creata, Queis lumen rationis inest, ditata fuerunt, Et sunt. Nunc, si conjicias, voti alta patebit Virtus, si quis fit reus, ac Deus annuat ipsi |
most prizes, was the freedom of the will ; those beings that have intellect — all these and none but these — received and do receive this gift : thus you may draw, as consequence, the high worth of a vow, when what is pledged with your consent encounters God’s consent ; |
| 25 | Ultro paciscenti. Nam inter hominemque Deumque Facta fides ubi sit, thesauri victima tanti, Quem dico, evadit, proprioque obstringitur actu. Quid tanti est, quæso, pretii, quo tu ista rependas ? Nam tibi si oblatis uti bene posse videris, |
for when a pact is drawn between a man and God, then through free will, a man gives up what I have called his treasure, his free will. What, then, can be a fitting compensation? To use again what you had offered, would |
| 30 | Ex male sublatis igitur vis crescere belle. Jam quod plus refert, manifesto in lumine cernis ; Sed quia dat veniam indulgens Ecclesia Sancta, Quod penitus contra, quæ dixi, vera videtur, Nunc te paulum etiam ad mensam consistere oportet ; |
mean seeking to do good with ill-got gains. By now you understand the major point ; but since the Holy Church gives dispensations — which seems in contrast with the truth I stated — you need to sit at table somewhat longer ; |
| 35 | Namque cibum rigidum, qualem te sumere jussi, Ut bene distribuas, aliquam tibi poscere debes Rursus opem. Tibi consilium nunc pandito mentis, Et mea dicta tene ; nam quid tibi discere prodest, Copia ubi desit retinendi intenta tenaxque ? |
the food that you have taken was tough food — it still needs help, if you are to digest it. Open your mind to what I shall disclose, and hold it fast within you ; he who hears, but does not hold what he has heard, learns nothing. |
| 40 | Istius natura sacri res convenit intra, Binas, quarum una est, qua constat victima, et una, Quam debet promissa fides. Delere potestas Postremam nulla est, nisi sis hanc solvere certus ; Quod sic præcise supra mea lingua monebat. |
Two things are of the essence when one vows a sacrifice : the matter of the pledge and then the formal compact one accepts. This last can never be annulled until the compact is fulfilled : it is of this that I have spoken to you so precisely. |
| 45 | Quare etiam fuit Hebræis offerre necesse, Quanquam his mutandi nonnulla piaminis esset Copia, quod nosti. Nam quæ est tibi prorsus aperta Altera, materiam dico, virtute valere Illa potest tanta, ut dolus omnis abesse putetur, |
Therefore, the Hebrews found it necessary to bring their offerings, although — as you must know — some of their offerings might be altered. As for the matter of the vow — discussed above — it may be such that if one shifts |
| 50 | Si quis materiam diversam subdere averet. At non permutet pondus, quo forte gravatur, Pro arbitrio sibi quisque suo, ni argentea clavis Flavaque se vertant ; et quævis stulta putanda est Mutandi ratio, nisi res dimissa vicissim |
to other matter, one commits no sin. But let none shift the burden on his shoulder through his own judgment, without waiting for the turning of the white and yellow keys ; and let him see that any change is senseless, unless the thing one sets aside can be |
| 55 | Contineat sumptam, veluti in bis triplice summa Bis duplicem invenies. Quare quodcunque suæ vi Naturæ usque adeo grave sit, ut pondere lancis Detrahat omne genus, nulla hoc impensa rependet. Discite, mortales, votum non pendere nauci ; |
contained in one’s new weight, as four in six. Thus, when the matter of a vow has so much weight and worth that it tips every scale, no other weight can serve as substitute. Let mortals never take a vow in jest ; |
| 60 | Sed servate fidem, nec agat vis cæca furoris, Ut Jephten, ubi prima illi solvenda reperta Strena est ; cujus erat potius, se egisse fateri Prave, quam præstare fidem pejora patrando. Sic mente est visus stolida dux magnus Achivum ; |
be faithful and yet circumspect, not rash as Jephthah was, in offering his first gift ; he should have said, ‘I did amiss,’ and not done worse by keeping faith. And you can find that same stupidity in the Greeks’ chief — |
| 65 | Quare flere sui decus Iphigenia coacta est Vultus, prudentesque simul stultosque nefandi Admonitu cultus lacrimas effundere adegit. At vos, Christiadæ, graviore incedite motu, Neve instar pennæ vos quævis efferat aura, |
when her fair face made Iphigenia grieve and made the wise and made the foolish weep for her when they heard tell of such a rite. Christians, proceed with greater gravity ; do not be like a feather at each wind, |
| 70 | Et ne credatis vos posse in qualibet unda Sordes abluere. Antiqui Scriptura novique Stat Testamenti ; stat Sancti ductor Ovilis Supremus pastor : sat vobis ista salutis Sit via. Quodsi quicquam aliud perversa libido |
nor think that all immersions wash you clean. You have both Testaments, the Old and New, you have the shepherd of the Church to guide you ; you need no more than this for your salvation. If evil greed would summon you elsewhere, |
| 75 | Clamat, vos homines esse, haud expertia mentis Armenta, admoneat ratio, ne, qui incola vestræ Judæus terræ est, vobis illudere discat. Ne vos ardor agat lascivi more bidentis Agni, maternum qui lac contemnit et ipse |
be men, and not like sheep gone mad, so that the Jew who lives among you not deride you! Do not act like the foolish, wanton lamb that leaves its mother’s milk and, heedless, wants |
| 80 | Pro libito simplex miscet sua prœlia secum. » Hæc mihi, quæ placuit scriptis mandare, BEATRIX. Dein cupida, et sanctis exardens tota favillis Illa oculis partem mundi quæsivit, ubi ora Plus fulget vivax. Hujus reticentia, vultus |
to war against — and harm — its very self!” These words of Beatrice I here transcribe ; and then she turned — her longing at the full — to where the world is more alive with light. Her silence and the change in her appearance |
| 85 | Mutatus, nova volventi ardentique rogare Ingenio abrupit sermones ; utque sagitta, Quo missa est, stat fixa prius, quam chorda quiescat, Sic sensi regnum nos irrupisse secundum. Hic præportantem tam læta gaudia fronte |
imposed a silence on my avid mind, which now was ready to address new questions ; and even as an arrow that has struck the mark before the bow-cord comes to rest, so did we race to reach the second realm. When she had passed into that heaven’s light, |
| 90 | Tunc vidi Dominam, postquam se in luce locavit Illius cæli, ut radiaverit ipse planeta Uberius. Quodsi sese immutavit, et aureo Igne astrum risit, quid ego mutabile nostra Natura omnimodis animal ? Ceu squamea clari |
I saw my lady filled with so much gladness that, at her joy, the planet grew more bright. And if the planet changed and smiled, what then did I — who by my very nature am given to every sort of change — become? |
| 95 | In lymphis stagni, quicquid super innat, hianti Ore armenta petunt, escam rata : sic ego vidi Milia splendorum lateri agglomerantia nostro, Singulaque ajebant : « Ecce illam, quæ auget amores Nostros » ; quoque magis propter se quæque ferebat |
As in a fish-pool that is calm and clear, the fish draw close to anything that nears from outside, if it seems to be their fare, such were the far more than a thousand splendors I saw approaching us, and each declared ; “Here now is one who will increase our loves.” And even as each shade approached, one saw, |
| 100 | Umbra, videbatur dare gaudia plena vibrante Fulgore emisso. — Id, lector, fac mente volutes : Si quæ hic incipio, mox imperfecta relinquam, Nullum addens verbum, qualis cruciaret egestas Te scire ulteriora avidum ? Et cognoscere quibis |
because of the bright radiance it sent forth, the joyousness with which that shade was filled. Consider, reader, what your misery and need to know still more would be if, at this point, what I began did not go on ; |
| 105 | Per te, quæ fuerit, simulac patuere, cupido Audire hos, fantes quæ sit data cuique locato Istic condicio. « O animans bene nate, triumphi Æterni sedes cui cernere gratia donat, Ante a militia quam jusserit ista vacare, |
and you will — unassisted — feel how I longed so to hear those shades narrate their state as soon as they appeared before my eyes. “O you born unto gladness, whom God’s grace allows to see the thrones of the eternal triumph before your war of life is ended, |
| 110 | Lumine cælorum totam spatiante per aulam Nos sumus incensi ; quare si forte voluntas Hortatur clare rationem discere nostram, Sponte tua hanc exple. » — Sic de cœtu una piorum Vita illo dixit ; pariterque est fata BEATRIX : |
the light that kindles us is that same light which spreads through all of heaven ; thus, if you would know us, sate yourself as you may please.” So did one of those pious spirits speak to me. And Beatrice then urged : “Speak, speak |
| 115 | « Dic age, dic tuto et crede, hæc fore dicta Deorum. » « Sat bene percipio, propria qui in luce moreris, Atque hanc ex oculis ducas ; nam flamma coruscat, Prout tu diffuso pandis tua gaudia risu, Digna anima ; at non scire mihi est, quo nomine nota : |
confidently ; trust them as you trust gods.” “I see — plainly — how you have nested in your own light ; see — you draw it from your eyes — because it glistens even as you smile ; but I do not know who you are or why, |
| 120 | In terris fueris, nec quæ dedit istius astri Causa gradum tibi, quod celat mortalibus ora Alterius propter radios. » — Hæc pectore fudi, Defixis oculis in lucem talia fatam. Quare hæc lucidius multo, quam fulserat ante, |
good soul, your rank is in a sphere concealed from mortals by another planet’s rays.” I said this as I stood turned toward the light that first addressed me ; and at this, it glowed more radiantly than it had before. |
| 125 | Exarsit, veluti sol, qui splendore micanti Uberius, postquam corrosit flamma vapores Æstum mulcentes, oculis se subtrahit ipsum. Lætitia superante magis mihi facta serena Illa anima, involvit proprio se lumine, et almam |
Just as the sun, when heat has worn away thick mists that moderate its rays, conceals itself from sight through an excess of light, so did that holy form, through excess gladness, conceal himself from me within his rays ; |
| 130 | Mi celans penitus penitusque inclusa figuram, Hæc responsa dedit cantu referenda sequenti. |
and so concealed, concealed, he answered me even as the next canto is to sing. |
| PARADISI VI {6} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Ex quo aquilam a cæli cursu, quem est illa secuta Juncta duci antiquo thalamum Laviniæ adepto, Compulit, aversam discedere Constantinus, Centum annos centumque et plures nobilis ales |
“After Constantine had turned the Eagle counter to heaven’s course, the course it took behind the ancient one who wed Lavinia, one hundred and one hundred years and more, |
| 5 | Grata Deo, Europæ extremis consedit in oris, Ad montes, unde illa prius digressa volatum Flexerat ; alarumque sacra tutata sub umbra Mundum ibi, non interrupto rerum ordine, rexit, Mutandoque vices eadem ad me denique venit. |
the bird of God remained near Europe’s borders, close to the peaks from which it first emerged ; beneath the shadow of the sacred wings, it ruled the world, from hand to hand, until that governing — changing — became my task. |
| 10 | Cæsar et ipse fui, quem nomine JUSTINIANUM Dicunt, atque volente illo, qui me icit, amore Primo, quod superans leges et inane jubebant, Delevi ; atque prius tanto quam accingerer auso, Unam, non binas naturas rebar inesse |
Caesar I was and am Justinian, who, through the will of Primal Love I feel, removed the vain and needless from the laws. Before I grew attentive to this labor, I held that but one nature — and no more — |
| 15 | Christo, istaque fide vitam contentus agebam. At me pastoris supremi vox Agapeti Sinceræ docuit fidei sanctissima normam. Credita res illi est ; et clara in luce videnda Nunc mihi dicta patent hujus, ratione modoque, |
was Christ’s — and in that faith, I was content ; but then the blessed Agapetus, he who was chief shepherd, with his words turned me to that faith which has truth and purity. I did believe him, and now clearly see |
| 20 | Quo, si quando aliquis quicquam simul asserit atque Ipse simul negat, et falsum et verum esse videbis. Ut primum movi vestigia cum grege sancto, Inceptum sublime, Deo aspirante benigno, Deduxi, incumbens totus, dum justa movebat, |
his faith, as you with contradictories can see that one is true and one is false. As soon as my steps shared the Church’s path, God, of His grace, inspired my high task as pleased Him. I was fully drawn to that. |
| 25 | Imperium me dante, meus Belisarius arma : Cui sic juncta fuit cælestis dextera regis, Ut mihi suaderet studio requiescere in isto. Ad quæ prima rogas, jam sat fecisse putarem Hoc tibi responsum ; at me cogit longius ire |
Entrusting to my Belisarius my arms, I found a sign for me to rest from war : Heaven’s right hand so favored him. My answer to the question you first asked ends here, and yet the nature of this answer |
| 30 | Ejus condicio, atque aliud quicquam addere dictis. Ut bene perspicias, justo quo jure verendum Atque sacrum signum contra certamina tanta Permulti moveant, et qui sibi vindicet, et qui Abnuet adverse nitens ; nunc accipe, quanta |
leads me to add a sequel, so that you may see with how much reason they attack the sacred standard — those who seem to act on its behalf and those opposing it. |
| 35 | Fecerit hoc signum cunctis venerabile virtus, Ceperit ex illoque die, quum lumina noctem Clausit in æternam Pallas, huic tradere regnum Dum studet. Hæc volucris per trina ut sederit Albæ Sæcula et ulterius, nosti, sua corpora donec |
See what great virtue made that Eagle worthy of reverence, beginning from that hour when Pallas died that it might gain a kingdom. You know that for three hundred years and more, it lived in Alba, until, at the end, |
| 40 | Pubes tergemina haud dubitavit propter eandem Objecisse neci ; nostique, quid egerit ista, Triste Sabinarum tempus si mente revolvas, Atque inde usque illud repetas, quum pectora ferro Ulta suum admovit Lucretia prisca dolorem, |
three still fought three, contending for that standard. You know how, under seven kings, it conquered its neighbors — in the era reaching from wronged Sabine women to Lucrece’s grief — |
| 45 | Per septem victrix reges, dominata propinquos Imperio in populos : nosti, quid gesserit ipsa, In Brennum, in Pyrrhum a claris illata maniplis Romulidum, inque alios reges socialiaque arma. Quare Torquatus, tum Quinctius a neglecto |
and what it did when carried by courageous Romans, who hurried to encounter Brian Regan, Pyrrhus, and other principates and cities. Through this, Torquatus, Quinctius (who is named |
| 50 | Cincinno dictus, Decii Fabiique decora Fulserunt fama, quam myrrha aspergo libenter. Hæc Arabum stravit fastum vexilla sequentum Hannibalis, gelidas illis rumpentibus Alpes, Ex quibus, Eridane, Italicis illaberis agris. |
for his disheveled hair), the Decii, and Fabii gained the fame I gladly honor. That standard brought the pride of Arabs low when they had followed Hannibal across those Alpine rocks from which, Po, you descend. |
| 55 | Hoc duce, adhuc pueri et juvenes, duxere triumphos Scipio Pompejusque, et colli est visa dolenda, Sub quo tu primas hausisti luminis auras. Deinde prope ætatem, qua totius una voluntas Cæli decrerat mundum componere pace, |
Beneath that standard, Scipio, Pompey — though young — triumphed ; and to that hill beneath which you were born, that standard seemed most harsh. Then, near the time when Heaven wished to bring all of the world to Heaven’s way — serene — |
| 60 | Ipsam corripuit Cæsar, Roma urbe rogante. Et quid, prætergressa Varum, ad vada fluminis usque Fecerit hæc Rheni, satis Isara vidit et Hera Sequanaque atque omnes valles, queis plenus abundat Elabens Rhodanus. Quid, ubi est egressa Ravenna |
Caesar, as Rome had willed, took up that standard. And what it did from Var to Rhine was seen by the Isere, Saone, and Seine and all the valley-floors whose rivers feed the Rhone. And what it did, once it had left Ravenna |
| 65 | Irrupitque amnem Rubiconem, hæc gessit, id alæ est Talis, ut hanc oculi haud possent servare sequentum, Nec scribæ calamus. Contra oppida Iberica vertit Agmen, dein propius Dyracchia mœnia, et urbem Pharsalon adeo percussit, ut usque vagatus |
and leaped the Rubicon, was such a flight as neither tongue nor writing can describe. That standard led the legions on to Spain, then toward Durazzo, and it struck Pharsalia |
| 70 | Ad Nili calidas luctus pervenerit undas. Hæc iterum Antandri terram Simoëntaque vidit, Unde olim exierat, bustumque ubi procubat Hector, Atque in perniciem Ptolemæi denique somnum. Exuit ; unde Jubam oppressura erupit ad instar |
so hard that the warm Nile could feel that hurt. It saw again its source, Antandros and Simois, and the place where Hector lies ; then roused itself — the worse for Ptolemy. From Egypt, lightning-like, it fell on Juba ; |
| 75 | Fulgoris : Hesperiam dein vestram ingressa, volavit Pompejanarum sonitu invitata tubarum. At quod signiferum gessit comitata secundum, In tætro latrant Brutusque et Cassius Orco, Idque dolet Mutina, atque obsessa Perugia luget. |
and then it hurried to the west of you, where it could hear the trumpet of Pompey. Because of what that standard did, with him who bore it next, Brutus and Cassius howl in Hell, and grief seized Modena, Perugia. |
| 80 | Nunc etiam tristis fundit Cleopatra querelas, Quæ instantem fugiens, subitam sibi traxit ab angue Atque atram mortem. Hoc fortes ducente catervas Litus ad usque Maris Rubri discurrit et, ipso Ductore, hæc potuit mundum componere pace |
Because of it, sad Cleopatra weeps still ; as she fled that standard, from the asp she drew a sudden and atrocious death. And, with that very bearer, it then reached the Red Sea shore : with him, that emblem brought |
| 85 | Tanta, ut sacratam Janus sibi viderit ædem Clausam. — At quod suasit vexillum talia fari, Fecerat ante et erat facturum pro imperii vi Mortali in terris, quod sub dicione gubernat, Fit leve et obscurum specie, si tertius heres |
the world such peace that Janus’ shrine was shut. But what the standard that has made me speak had done before or then was yet to do throughout the mortal realm where it holds rule, comes to seem faint and insignificant |
| 90 | Spectandus fuerit Cæsar, te judice acuto, Et studii puro. Nam justa, æterna potestas, Hanc mihi quæ inspirat mentem, concesserat illi. Quem dico, laudem, quam ultam duxisset ob iram Id dantis. — Nunc quæ huc veniunt referenda, stupebis. |
if one, with clear sight and pure sentiment, sees what it did in the third Caesar’s hand ; for the true Justice that inspires me granted to it — in that next Caesar’s hand — the glory of avenging His own wrath. Now marvel here at what I show to you ; |
| 95 | Dein, comitante Tito, pœnas sumptura volavit Antiquum ulta scelus. Tum vero, ubi Ovile momordit Dens Longobardus Sanctum, sese illius alis Tectum succurrisse isti, victo hoste, fatetur Carolus in terris Magnus. Jam tu ipse videbis, |
with Titus — afterward — it hurried toward avenging vengeance for the ancient sin. And when the Lombard tooth bit Holy Church, then Charlemagne, under the Eagle’s wings, through victories he gained, brought help to her. |
| 100 | Qui sint, quos supra accuso, et quæ hos crimina damnent, Unde venit vobis cunctorum causa malorum. Altera communi signo pars lilia flava Opponit, seorsim pars altera vindicat istud ; Mens est in dubio, quis major ceperit error |
Now you can judge those I condemned above, and judge how such men have offended, have become the origin of all your evils. For some oppose the universal emblem with yellow lilies ; others claim that emblem for party : it is hard to see who is worse. |
| 105 | Alterutrum. Utatur solita pro viribus arte Turba Ghibellini studio inflammata furoris ; Ast aliud signum quærat sibi ; non bene miles Hoc sequitur, qui a justitia sejunxerit ipsum. Neve hoc. Guelphorum turba stipante suorum, |
Let Ghibellines pursue their undertakings beneath another sign, for those who sever this sign and justice are bad followers. And let not this new Charles strike at it with |
| 110 | Carolus iste novus sternat, verum horreat ungues, Qui mage sublimi vellus vulsere leoni. Jam sæpe ob culpam nati flevere parentum ; Nec mutaturum propter sua lilia numen Signa putet. Parvi decus hujus sideris ornant, |
his Guelphs — but let him fear the claws that stripped a more courageous lion of its hide. The sons have often wept for a father’s fault ; and let this son not think that God will change the emblem of His force for Charles’s lilies. This little planet is adorned with spirits |
| 115 | Quæ nullos unquam detrectavere labores, Gnavæ animæ, æternum ut veniat post funera nomen. Namque ubi curæ istuc tendunt, et tramite oberrant Huc illuc vario, pariter veri ignis amoris Et minus atque minus vivax ascendat, oportet. |
whose acts were righteous, but who acted for the honor and the fame that they would gain ; and when desires tend toward earthly ends, then, so deflected, rays of the true love mount toward the life above with lesser force. |
| 120 | Ast hæc cum merito commensis pignora nostro Pars est lætitiæ, quia nec majora videmus, Nec minus ampla dari. Hinc judex ita temperat æquus In nobis pectus mulcendo, ut nulla cupido Nos unquam ad studium deducere possit iniquum. |
But part of our delight is measuring rewards against our merit, and we see that our rewards are neither less nor more. Thus does the Living Justice make so sweet the sentiments in us, that we are free of any turning toward iniquity. |
| 125 | Diversi vocum sonitus modulamine dulces Dant numeros ; pariter scamna hæc diversa potitos Hac vita, istarum harmonia resonante rotarum, Dulce beant. Hujusque inclusum lumine baccæ Romæi est lumen, cui grandia pulchraque facta |
Differing voices join to sound sweet music ; so do the different orders in our life render sweet harmony among these spheres. And in this very pearl there also shines the light of Romeo, of one whose acts, |
| 130 | Cesserunt male apud male gratos ; sed neque risit Adversans Narbo. Quare pede claudicat ille ; Qui nocitura sibi alterius benefacta putavit. Bis geminas habuit natas Ramundus, avito Nomine, quod dederat gens Berlingaria, notus, |
though great and noble, met ungratefulness. And yet those Provencals who schemed against him had little chance to laugh, for he who finds harm to himself in others’ righteous acts takes the wrong path. Of Raymond Berenger’s |
| 135 | Omnes reginas, ignobilis ac peregrini Cura Romæi. Deinde ore sat ille superbo Hunc justum totam rationem evolvere jussit, Bis ubi sena dedit, quæ res bis quina ferebat. Inde hic cessit inops et multis debilis annis |
four daughters, each became a queen — and this, poor and a stranger, Romeo accomplished. Then Berenger was moved by vicious tongues to ask this just man for accounting — one who, given ten, gave Raymond five and seven. And Romeo, the poor, the old, departed ; |
| 140 | At si magnanimi mundus cor nosset, in omne Mendicati ævum frustatim quamlibet escam, Laudatum valde magis hunc efferret ad astra. » |
and were the world to know the heart he had while begging, crust by crust, for his life-bread, it — though it praise him now — would praise him more.” |
| PARADISI VII {7} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Sis nobis tutela, Deus, ter sancta potestas Pugnas pugnantum ac virtutum, luce beatos Qui clara affulgens ignes hæc scamna tenentum Illustras totos. » Vocalem ita visus, ut ante, |
“Hosanna, sanctus Deus sabaoth, superillustrans claritate tua felices ignes horum malacoth!” Thus, even as he wheeled to his own music, |
| 5 | Ille mihi arripuisse notam est hosque edere cantus, Quem super expandit duplicatum flamma nitorem. Mox ipse, atque alii rursus duxere choream : Utque favillarum quam velocissimus imber, Sese improviso mihi velavere abeuntes. |
I saw that substance sing, that spirit-flame above whom double lights were twinned ; and he and his companions moved within their dance, and as if they were swiftest sparks, they sped out of my sight because of sudden distance. |
| 10 | In dubio hærebam et mecum : « dic, ipse loquebar, Dic Dominæ, guttis præsenti dulcibus omnem Exsaturare sitim. » — At toto pudor ille potitus Pectore, conantem depromere verba soluto Ore, BEATRICEM me compellare vetabat, |
I was perplexed, and to myself, I said ; “Tell her! Tell her! Tell her, the lady who can slake my thirst with her sweet drops"; and yet the reverence that possesses all of me, even on hearing only Be and ice, |
| 15 | Ut quem debilitat somnus. Nec passa BEATRIX Balbutire diu est, verbis et talibus infit, Illo mi radians risu, qui quemque bearet In medio igne hominem : « Te falso impervia fantem Jam video : quare, qui pœnam jure poposcit |
had bowed my head — I seemed a man asleep. But Beatrice soon ended that ; for she began to smile at me so brightly that, even in fire, a man would still feel glad. “According to my never-erring judgment, the question that perplexes you is how |
| 20 | Læsus, is ultores jure haud est passus inultos ? At tibi mox mentem expediam, tu figito dicta Hæc animo ; mea enim magni sententia doni Instar erit. — Qui vir non venit lucis in oras Prognatus, frena illa indignans apta volenti |
just vengeance can deserve just punishment ; but I shall quickly free your mind from doubt ; and listen carefully ; the words I speak will bring the gift of a great truth in reach. Since he could not endure the helpful curb on his willpower, the man who was not born, |
| 25 | Virtuti, sese damnatus perdidit, una Damnavit genus omne. Ideo per sæcula multa In magnis jacuit gens strata humana tenebris Ægra, Dei Verbo donec descendere visum est, Junxit ubi persona hujus sibi sponte rebellem |
damning himself, damned all his progeny. For this, mankind lay sick, in the abyss of a great error, for long centuries, until the Word of God willed to descend to where the nature that was sundered from |
| 30 | Naturam auctore a proprio longeque remotam, Æterno tendente arcum tantummodo Amore. Fac nunc advertas et, quæ dicam, accipe mente. Ex nihilo ista creata recens natura parenti Juncta suo, qualis ficta est, fait integra, justa ; |
its Maker was united to His person by the sole act of His eternal Love. Now set your sight on what derives from that. This nature, thus united to its Maker, was good and pure, even as when created ; |
| 35 | At propriam ob noxam regno est depulsa beato ; Nam sese a vero vertit vitaque priore. Pœna igitur, quam crux subeundam præbuit illi, Si commetiri est naturam, quam sibi sumpsit, Cum pœna, nullum tanto unquam jure momordit. |
but in itself, this nature had been banished from paradise, because it turned aside from its own path, from truth, from its own life. Thus, if the penalty the Cross inflicted is measured by the nature He assumed, no one has ever been so justly stung ; |
| 40 | At pariter nunquam ulla fuit tam injuria pœna, Si tu personam, quæ se compressit in istam Naturam, inspicias. Ex uno simplice facto Diversa exstiterunt. Placuit mors una Deoque Judæisque : ob eam tellus concussa tremore |
yet none was ever done so great a wrong, if we regard the Person made to suffer, He who had gathered in Himself that nature. Thus, from one action, issued differing things ; God and the Jews were pleased by one same death ; |
| 45 | Horruit, et portas patefecit regia cæli. Ne mirere ultra, si quem sic farier audis, Ultores iræ justæ justam esse cohortem Ultam. Ast implicitam tibi mentem hærescere nodo Districtam vario video, quo magna cupido |
earth trembled for that death and Heaven opened. You need no longer find it difficult to understand when it is said that just vengeance was then avenged by a just court. But I now see your understanding tangled by thought on thought into a knot, from which, |
| 50 | Hanc extricatam exspectat. Tu talia tecum : ‹ Hæc audita mihi facile est advertere mente ; Sed me causa latet, cur solum hac arte redemptos Nos Amor is vellet. › Frater, manet ista sepulta Lex oculis cujusque hominis, cur flamine sancti |
with much desire, your mind awaits release. You say : ‘What I have heard is clear to me ; but this is hidden from me — why God willed precisely this pathway for our redemption.’ Brother, this ordinance is buried from the eyes of everyone whose intellect |
| 55 | Nondum etiam ingenium flammis adolevit amoris. Ingenue ipsa quidem, nam huc spectant multa virorum Consilia, atque parum sunt internoscere verum Apta, loquar, quare fuerit ratio ista legenda Digna magis. Quæ omnem bonitas divina repellit |
has not matured within the flame of love. Nevertheless, since there is much attempting to find this point, but little understanding, I shall tell why that way was the most fitting. The Godly Goodness that has banished every |
| 60 | Livorem, proprii tota ardens ignibus ignis Flammat ita, æterni ut diffundat ubique decoris Divitias. Quicquid privum modo manat ab ipsa, Nunquam deletur. Neque enim hujus signa, moventur, Quæ semel impressit. Quicquid privum impluit ipsa, |
envy from Its own Self, burns in Itself ; and sparkling so, It shows eternal beauties. All that derives directly from this Goodness is everlasting, since the seal of Goodness impresses an imprint that never alters. Whatever rains from It immediately |
| 65 | Non comitante alia causa, manet omne solutum Servitio (neque enim a rerum virtute novarum Id pendet) plus huic sese conformat eoque Plus placet. Ardor enim Sanctus, luce omnia lustrans In quem plus similem sibi adit, vivacius igne |
is fully free, for it is not constrained by any influence of other things. Even as it conforms to that Goodness, so does it please It more ; the Sacred Ardor that gleams in all things is most bright within those things most like Itself. The human being |
| 70 | Fulgurat. Humanæ cuncta hæc dant crescere stirpi ; Deficiente uno, simul ipsa minuta necesse est Nobilitate cadat. Quæ libertate carentem Hanc facit, est culpæ labes ; hæc unica causa est, Diversam a summo quæ ipsam deformat Amore ; |
has all these gifts, but if it loses one, then its nobility has been undone. Only man’s sin annuls man’s liberty, makes him unlike the Highest Good, so that, |
| 75 | Namque parum istius lucis se luce colorat : Et nunquam in decus antiquum sese ipsa reponet, Ni plenum instauret, quod culpa reliquit inane, Accumulans justas contra mala gaudia pœnas. Vestra ubi se in proprio maculavit semine totam |
in him, the brightness of Its light is dimmed ; and man cannot regain his dignity unless, where sin left emptiness, man fills that void with just amends for evil pleasure. For when your nature sinned so totally |
| 80 | Natura, istorum est ornatu exuta decorum, Et pariter procul a Paradisi sede beata Pulsa ; nec amissam sortem reparare potestas Huic fuerat, bene si advertas, ratione modove Ullo, ni ipsa vadum ex istis transmitteret unum ; |
within its seed, then, from these dignities, just as from Paradise, that nature parted ; and they could never be regained — if you consider carefully — by any way that did not pass across one of these fords ; |
| 85 | Aut Deus indulgens culpam dimitteret istam Solus, vel natura suo medicata furori Vestra esset. Modo tu in barathrum defige profundum Consilii æterni visum, et mea collige dicta, Intentaque tuis pro viribus accipe mente. |
either through nothing other than His mercy, God had to pardon man, or of himself man had to proffer payment for his folly. Now fix your eyes on the profundity of the Eternal Counsel ; heed as closely as you are able to, my reasoning. |
| 90 | Limitibus finita suis humana propago, Sat facere haud unquam poterat, nam copia deerat Quam minimum inferius descendere, in omne futurum Tempus parendo, quando se tollere in altum Obsequiosa minus voluit. Nunc causa patebit, |
Man, in his limits, could not recompense ; for no obedience, no humility, he offered later could have been so deep that it could match the heights he meant to reach through disobedience ; man lacked the power |
| 95 | Cur generi humano noxæ via clausa piandæ est. Ergo vias aperire suas cæleste necesse Numen erat, lapsique hominis succurrere vitæ, Integra ut huic fieret ; via seu foret utilis una, Sive ambæ. At quoniam tanto jucundius esse |
to offer satisfaction by himself. Thus there was need for God, through His own ways, to bring man back to life intact — I mean by one way or by both. But since a deed pleases its doer more, the more it shows |
| 100 | Fertur agentis opus, quanto manifestius ampla Elucet bonitas cordis benefacta parantis, Primus Amor, propria qui signat imagine mundum, Ut vos erigeret, voluit percurrere cunctas Ipse vias. Nec quum veniet nos ultima terris, |
the goodness of the heart from which it springs, the Godly Goodness that imprints the world was happy to proceed through both Its ways to raise you up again. Nor has there been, nor will there be, between the final night |
| 105 | Nec quum sol primum emicuit, tam utrique profundum, Nec tam magnificum facinus fueritque foretque. Nam supremus Amor sese largitus, ut apta Progenies humana foret sese erigere, ultro Largior est, quam si solus dimitteret ipse. |
and the first day, a chain of actions so lofty and so magnificent as He enacted when He followed His two ways ; for God showed greater generosity in giving His own self that man might be able to rise, than if He simply pardoned ; |
| 110 | Nec sat justitiæ ratio quæcunque fuisset Altera, ni Deus ipse Deo generatus, Adami Indutus carnem ingenitum decus objecisset. Nunc curam expletura omnem, nonnulla revertor Ad loca declaranda, ut ibi tu cernere possis |
for every other means fell short of justice, except the way whereby the Son of God humbled Himself when He became incarnate. Now to give all your wishes full content, I go back to explain one point, so that |
| 115 | Non secus atque ego nunc. Hæc tu tecum : ‹ Aëra cerno, Humorem, terram atque ignem et mixta omnia eorum Semina corrumpi atque parum diuturna manere. Et tamen ex nihilo fuerunt hæc ipsa creata ; Quare, si verum dixi, corrupta resolvi |
you, too, may see it plainly, as I do. You say : ‘I see that water, see that fire and air and earth and all that they compose come to corruption, and endure so briefly ; and yet these, too, were things created ; if what has been said above is true, then these |
| 120 | Haud unquam possent. › — Frater, chorus ales Olympi, Sincera hæc regio, qua præsens ipse moraris, — Qualia nunc constant, — pura atque integra creata Hæc possunt vere dici ; at primordia rerum, Quæ modo dixisti, tum quæ nascuntur ab ipsis, |
things never should be subject to corruption.’ Brother, the angels and the pure country where you are now — these may be said to be created, as they are, in all their being ; whereas the elements that you have mentioned, as well as those things that are made from them, |
| 125 | Omnia deducunt formam a virtute creata. Materies, ex qua constant seorsim, ipsa creata est, Visque creata fuit per se apta inducere formam, Insita sideribus circum informanda rotatis Corpora. Sanctorum radius, motusque globorum |
receive their form from a created power. The matter they contain had been created, just as within the stars that wheel about them, the power to give form had been created. The rays and motion of the holy lights |
| 130 | Pro cujusque habitu, cui priva potentia juncta est, Attrahit alituum pecudumque gregisque marini Plantarumque animas. Bonitas at summa Parentis Hanc nostram spirat vitam non conciliatam Externis rebus, simul inspirans sui amorem, |
draw forth the soul of every animal and plant from matter able to take form ; but your life is breathed forth immediately by the Chief Good, who so enamors it |
| 135 | Ut desiderio dein Patrem semper anhelet. Hinc tibi colligere est, quare caro vestra resurget, Si bene perpendas, qui tum fuit edita, primos Quum Primus nobis genitores condidit Auctor. » |
of His own Self that it desires Him always. So reasoning, you also can deduce your resurrection ; you need but remember the way in which your human flesh was fashioned when both of the first parents were created.” |
| PARADISI VIII {8} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Olim haud absque suo credebat terra periclo Formosam Venerem, quam tertia sphæra rotantem Accipit, insanum radiis emittere amorem ; Quare ubicunque loci veteres errore vetusto |
The world, when still in peril, thought that, wheeling, in the third epicycle, Cyprian the fair sent down her rays of frenzied love, so that, in ancient error, ancient peoples |
| 5 | Huic struxere aras, cultam in sua vota vocantes, Cumque Cupidine iis fuit usque in honore Dione. Hanc etenim matrem dixere, illumque creatum, Qui quondam infixus gremio infelicis Elisæ Sederit. Hinc ipsi ducebant nomina stellæ, |
not only honored her with sacrifices and votive cries, but honored, too, Dione and Cupid, one as mother, one as son of Cyprian, and told how Cupid sat in Dido’s lap ; and gave the name of her |
| 10 | Cui modo cervicem est solis, modo cernere frontem, Unde mihi istius desumpsi exordia cantus. Ipsam ascensurus non sensi ; intrasse BEATRIX Admonuit ; namque illa magis mihi visa decora est. Ac veluti in flamma nitet inspicienda favilla, |
with whom I have begun this canto, to the planet that is courted by the sun, at times behind her and at times in front. I did not notice my ascent to it, yet I was sure I was in Venus when I saw my lady grow more beautiful. And just as, in a flame, a spark is seen, |
| 15 | Utque in voce licet vocem distinguere, ubi una Atque eadem manet, atque abit exspatiata, reditque Altera : sic alias vidi hac in lace moveri Lampadas in gyrum properanter plusque minusque, Æterno prout cuique frui splendore dabatur, |
and as, in plainsong, voice in voice is heard one holds the note, the other comes and goes I saw in that light other wheeling lamps, some more and some less swift, yet in accord, I think, with what their inner vision was. |
| 20 | Ut reor. Algenti nunquam de nube ruerunt Perspicui, aut cæci cursu tam præpete venti, Ut non impliciti lentique videntibus ista Lumina sint visi, divina mihi obvia ferri, Gyro interrupto, cujus primordia ab altis |
Winds, seen or unseen, never have descended so swiftly from cold clouds as not to seem impeded, slow, to any who had seen those godly lights approaching us, halting the circling dance those spirits had begun |
| 25 | Incepere prius Seraphim ; post obvia prima Auribus audivi « Hosanna ! » tam dulce canorum, Ut nunquam posthac repetitum audire cupido Desinat. — Interea propius nos astitit unus, Et solus dixit : « Cuncti indulgere parati |
within the heaven of high Seraphim ; and a “Hosanna” sounded from within their front ranks such that I have never been without desire to hear it sound again. Then one drew nearer us, and he began alone : “We all are ready at your pleasure, |
| 30 | Hic tibi nos sumus, ut nobis gaudere facultas Sit tibi. Nos cum principibus cælestibus unum Circumagi in gyrum cursumque sitimque solemus, Ad quos in terris fudisti hunc pectore cantum : Vos, monstrante Deo, queis tertia sphæra movenda |
so that you may receive delight from us. One circle and one circling and one thirst are ours as we revolve with the celestial Princes whom, from the world, you once invoked ; ‹ ‘You who, through understanding, move the third |
| 35 | Contigit › ; ac tanta nobis cor ardet amoris Flamma, ut non sit dulce minus cessare parumper, Dum tibi sat fiat. » Postquam pudibunda modeste Lumina converti ad Dominam, et simul ipsa benigne Annuit, atque fidem fecit, fuit impetus illam |
heaven.’ Our love is so complete to bring you joy, brief respite will not be less sweet.” After my eyes had turned with reverence to see my lady, after her consent had brought them reassurance and content, |
| 40 | Inspicere in lucem, quæ mi promittere tantum Audita est donum, et : « Dic, cuja es? » nostra locuta est Sensu vox impressa pio penitusque profundo. Et quanta et qualis plus est mihi visa refulgens Lætitia aucta nova, quum me sua gaudia fari |
they turned back to the light that promised me so much ; and, “Tell me, who are you,” I asked in a voice stamped with loving sentiment. And how much larger, brighter did I see that spirit grow when, as I spoke, it felt |
| 45 | Vidit suadentem ! Haud aliter verba edidit ista : « Non habuit me terra diu ; si vita fuisset Longa diu, mala multa forent, quæ nulla fuissent. Me tibi lætitia occultat mea, plurima circum Quæ radiat velatque tibi me animalis ad instar, |
new gladness added to its gladnesses! Thus changed, it then replied : “The world held me briefly below ; but had my stay been longer, much evil that will be, would not have been. My happiness, surrounding me with rays, keeps me concealed from you ; it hides me like |
| 50 | Serica fila sibi cui sunt sua fascia. Magno Junctus amore mihi, nec deerat causa, fuisti ; Nam si ibi mansissem, tibi veri ostendere amoris Me plus quam frondem vidisses usque paratum. Pars ea læva oræ, Rhodani quam perluit unda, |
a creature that is swathed in its own silk. You loved me much and had good cause for that ; for had I stayed below, I should have showed you more of my love than the leaves alone. The left bank that the Rhone bathes after it |
| 55 | Mixta ubi sit Sorga, me quondam tota manebat Regem, atque Ausoniæ quod cornu tecta frequentant Baris, Cajetæ, Crotonis, tibi unda Truenti Et Verdis pelago miscetur. Jam aurea crini Serta meo dederant, quas terras irrigat Ister, |
has mingled with the waters of the Sorgue, awaited me in due time as its lord, as did Ausonia’s horn, which south of where the Tronto and the Verde reach the sea Catona, Bari, and Gaeta border. Upon my brow a crown already shone the crown of that land where the Danube flows |
| 60 | Postquam Teutonicos parcit contingere fines ; Quæque Pachinum inter tellus, interque Pelorum Splendida caligat Trinacria, plusque laborat A vento supra Catanam (nec pœna Typhœi Causa est, sed nascens sulphur) proprios quoque reges |
when it has left behind its German shores. And fair Trinacria, whom ashes (these result from surging sulphur, not Typhoeus) cover between Pachynus and Pelorus, along the gulf that Eurus vexes most, |
| 65 | Vidisset. Nostro regnasset sanguine cretus Carolus, et natæ soboles generosa Rudolphus, Ni pravum imperium, quod semper corda dolore Subjecti torquet populi, clamare Panormi Vulgus adegisset : Percelle, interfice, cæde. |
would still await its rulers born through me from Charles and Rudolph, if ill sovereignty, which always hurts the heart of subject peoples, had not provoked Palermo to cry out ; ‘Die! Die!’ And if my brother could foresee |
| 70 | At si id prospiciat, mihi qui est germanus, avaram Pauperiem fugeret Catalaunam, ut damna futura Vitaret. Nam, ut vera loquar, sive ipse, necesse est, Sive sui caveant, ne major sarcina onustæ Navi imponatur. Cujus natura propinquis |
what ill-rule brings, he would already flee from Catalonia’s grasping poverty, aware that it may cause him injury ; for truly there is need for either him or others to prevent his loaded boat from having to take on still greater loads. |
| 75 | Edita munificis, descendit parca, ministrisque Orbata est implere minus curantibus arcam. » « Dum, quam tu fundis fando, haud secus atque ego cerno, Altam lætitiam credo te cernere, ubi omne Desinit, exoriturque bonum, mihi gratius istud |
His niggard nature is descended from one who was generous ; and he needs soldiers who are not bent on filling up their coffers.” “My lord, since I believe that you perceive completely where all good begins and ends |
| 80 | Contingit, simul et magni est ; namque ista patescunt, Te inspiciente Deum propius. Mea pectora comples Lætitia ; sed fac doceas, qui semine amarum Ex dulci manare queat ; nam, te ista locuto, Mens pendet magna dubitandi exercita causa. » |
the joy I see within myself on hearing your words to me, my joy is felt more freely ; and I joy, too, in knowing you are blessed, since you perceived this as you gazed at God. You made me glad ; so may you clear the doubt that rose in me when you before described how from a gentle seed, harsh fruit derives.” |
| 85 | Vix hæc fatus eram, subito quum talia reddit : « Si tibi, quod poscis, mihi verum ostendere fas sit, Ante oculos veniet, quod nunc post terga tenetur. Quæ totum bonitas, quod gestis scandere, regnum Volvit satque facit, qua temperat omnia, mente, |
These were my words to him, and he replied ; “If I can show one certain truth to you, you will confront what now is at your back. The Good that moves and makes content the realm through which you now ascend, makes providence |
| 90 | Virtute ingenita hæc ingentia corpora donat. Nec modo naturas omnes sapientia per se Optima disposuit, verum prospexerat ipsis Atque saluti horum. Nam quicquid percutit arcus Iste, ad propositum finem descendat oportet, |
act as a force in these great heavens’ bodies ; and in the Mind that, in itself, is perfect, not only are the natures of His creatures but their well-being, too, provided for ; and thus, whatever this bow shoots must fall according to a providential end, |
| 95 | Non secus ac telum jussum contingere signum. Ni faciat, cælum, quod obis, sic ederet omne Inceptum, ut possis hoc æquiparare ruinæ : Idque nequit fieri, ni mens hæc astra moventum Deficeret mensque illa prior minus apta jaceret. |
just like a shaft directed to its target. Were this not so, the heavens you traverse would bring about effects in such a way that they would not be things of art but shards. That cannot be unless the Minds that move these planets are defective and, defective, the First Mind, which had failed to make them perfect. |
| 100 | Visne magis nitide hoc per me cognoscere posse ? » Huic ego : « Nil ultra ; fieri non posse fatebor, Ut quod, opus fuerit, natura parare gravetur. » Ille autem : « Modo dic, numquid pejore futurum Condicione putes hominem, nisi civis is esset |
Would you have this truth still more clear to you?” I: “No. I see it is impossible for nature to fall short of what is needed.” He added : “Tell me, would a man on earth be worse if he were not a citizen?” |
| 105 | In terris ? » « Verum, » respondi ; « et nulla roganda Hic est mi ratio. » « Sed quomodo civis in urbe Esse potest ? Nam illic, nisi quis diversa sequatur Munera diverse, non vivitur. Hoc dabis ultro, Si bene præceptor vester scripsisse putetur. » |
“Yes,” I replied, “and here I need no proof.” “Can there be citizens if men below are not diverse, with diverse duties? No, if what your master writes is accurate.” |
| 110 | Sic is descendit pergens huc usque gradatim ; Postea conclusit : « Diversas ergo necesse est Vestrorum esse operum radices. Namque Solonis Unus habet pectus ; Xerxes hic nascitur ; ille Melchisedech ; alter, qui natum perdidit, alis |
Until this point that shade went on, deducing ; then he concluded : “Thus, the roots from which your tasks proceed must needs be different ; so, one is born a Solon, one a Xerxes, and one a Melchizedek, and another, |
| 115 | Aëra tranantem. Cæli quæ conficit orbes Natura, huic ceræ mortali facta sigillum, Utitur arte sua ; sed non præponere curat Illam illamve domum. Hinc est, ut semine eodem Esavus natus Jacobo a fratre recedat, |
he who flew through the air and lost his son. Revolving nature, serving as a seal for mortal wax, plies well its art, but it does not distinguish one house from another. Thus, even from the seed, Esau takes leave of Jacob ; and because he had a father |
| 120 | Nascaturque adeo vili genitore Quirinus, Quem Marti reddunt. Semper natura creata Iret iter, referens mores atque ora parentum, Si mens supremi non vinceret optima patris. Nunc tibi id ante oculos stat, quod post terga manebat. |
so base, they said Quirinus was Mars’ son. Engendered natures would forever take the path of those who had engendered them, did not Divine provision intervene. Now that which stood behind you, stands in front ; |
| 125 | Verum ut cognoscas, quam sis mihi carus, id addam, Quo te præcinctum cupio. — Natura per omnes Ætates, ubi fortunam sibi vidit iniquam, Ut quodvis aliud semen regione remotum A propria, evadit minus utilis et male cedit. |
but so that you may know the joy you give me, I now would cloak you with a corollary. Where Nature comes upon discrepant fortune, like any seed outside its proper region, Nature will always yield results awry. |
| 130 | Quodsi terrigenæ, quæ fundamenta locavit Natura ante oculos, non contemnenda putarent ; Ista secuti homines veris virtutibus irent Aucti. At vos in cœnobium detruditis illum, Qui fuerat natus præcingier ense cruento, |
But if the world below would set its mind on the foundation Nature lays as base to follow, it would have its people worthy. But you twist to religion one whose birth made him more fit to gird a sword, and make |
| 135 | Et regem facitis, qui est dignus dicere causas ; Quapropter legitis vestigia devia cursu. » |
a king of one more fit for sermoning, so that the track you take is off the road.” |
| PARADISI IX {9} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Posteaquam ille tuus, CLEMENTIA pulchra, resolvit CAROLUS ambagem mihi, cœpit deinde malignas Enarrare suum fraudes in semen ituras ; Atque ait : « Ista sile ac volucres sine labier annos. » |
Fair Clemence, after I had been enlightened by your dear Charles, he told me how his seed would be defrauded, but he said : “Be silent and let the years revolve.” All I can say |
| 5 | Quare nil aliud possum, nisi dicere justum Venturum luctum vobis post aspera damna. Et jam versa erat ad solem vita illius almi Luminis, explentem vota omnia, ut illa Voluptas, Sat cunctis quæ sola facit. O pectora falsa, |
is this : lament for vengeance well-deserved will follow on the wrongs you are to suffer. And now the life-soul of that holy light turned to the Sun that fills it even as the Goodness that suffices for all things. |
| 10 | Impiaque evasura, bono quæ avertere tanto Haud dubitatis iter, res et spectatis inanes ! Atque ecce ex illis lux altera, seque paratam Indulgere mihi, jaculando spicula flammæ, Monstrabat. Tum oculis, ut primum, fixa BEATRIX |
Ah, souls seduced and creatures without reverence, who twist your hearts away from such a Good, who let your brows be bent on emptiness! And here another of those splendors moved toward me ; and by its brightening without, it showed its wish to please me. Beatrice, |
| 15 | In me, sat monuit cupidum ; atque ego talia fudi : « O, quæso, mea vota exple, sortita beatam Vitam anima, ac certum facias me in te intima cordis Posse repercutere. » — Hæc nova mi lux hactenus, imo Ex centro, unde dabat cantus, talem edere vocem |
whose eyes were fixed on me, as they had been before, gave me the precious certainty that she consented to my need to speak. “Pray, blessed spirit, may you remedy quickly my wish to know,” I said. “Give me proof that you can reflect the thoughts I think.” At which that light, one still unknown to me, out of the depth from which it sang before, |
| 20 | Cœpit, more viri gaudentis amore juvandi : « Illa ubi prava Italæ regionis terra videnda Considet, urbem intra Venetam fontesque minantis Medoaci ac Plavis, tollit se vertice collis Non alto, unde olim fax est delapsa, ruina |
continued as if it rejoiced in kindness ; “In that part of indecent Italy that lies between Rialto and the springs from which the Brenta and the Piave stream, rises a hill of no great height from which a firebrand descended, and it brought |
| 25 | Aggressa ingenti vicinos. Protulit una Me radix istamque. Vocor CUMNITIA, et istic Fulgeo, quod placuit mihi splendor sideris hujus. At mihi causa meæ, qua lætor, maxima sortis Indulgenda venit, cujus non tæduit unquam ; |
much injury to all the land about. Both he and I were born of one same root ; Cunizza was my name, and I shine here because this planet’s radiance conquered me. But in myself I pardon happily the reason for my fate ; I do not grieve |
| 30 | Quod facile haud vestro fuerit fors credere vulgo. Lætitia hæc nostro præfulgens caraque in astro, Quæque propinqua mihi magis est, monumenta paravit Permulta in terris magnam celebrantia famam, Atque, priusquam abeat, hic jam centesimus annus |
and vulgar minds may find this hard to see. Of the resplendent, precious jewel that stands most close to me within our heaven, much fame still remains and will not die away before this hundredth year returns five times ; |
| 35 | Quintuplicatur adhuc. Nunc disces, quam utile cedat Viribus ingenii, pulchrisque excedere factis Mortali, ut primam vitam nova vita relinquat. Non hoc, quam majus Tilaventum Athesisque recentem Progeniem claudunt, meditatur pectore turba ; |
see then if man should not seek excellence that his first life bequeath another life. And this, the rabble that is now enclosed between the Adige and Tagliamento does not consider, nor does it repent |
| 40 | Nec, licet aspra premat clades, hanc pænitet acti. Sed non tempus abest, quo gens Patavina paludi Immutabit aquas, quæ præterlabitur agros Bergæ, jus contra populo in fera fata feroce. Atque ubi se Silis Cagnano flumine miscet, |
despite its scourgings ; and since it would shun its duty, at the marsh the Paduans will stain the river-course that bathes Vicenza ; and where the Sile and Cagnano flow |
| 45 | Imperio exsultans elata fronte superbus Incedit quidam, cui jam stat rete paratum Ipsum capturum. Flebit quoque Feltria iniquum Pastoris facinus, tali quæ labe probrosa Fiet, ut ob similem se quemquam Malta negarit. |
in company, one lords it, arrogant ; the net to catch him is already set. Feltre shall yet lament the treachery of her indecent shepherd act so filthy that for the like none ever entered prison. |
| 50 | Antra sua ingressum vidisse. Sed unius esset Ampla nimis mensura cadi, exceptura cruorem, Quem scis effudisse tuas, Ferraria, venas ; Et lassaretur, si cui forte uncia lance Singula collibranda foret, quem presbyter ille |
The vat to hold the blood of the Ferrarese would be too large indeed, and weary he who weighs it ounce by ounce the vat that he, |
| 55 | Largus donabit, studia ut sua comprobet illi Parti ; atque istius gentis bens congrua vitæ Talia dona forent. Cæli sublimibus astant In templis specula, ista thronos gens vestra vocavit, Judicis alma Dei lux nobis unde refulget |
fidelity to his Guelph party ; and such gifts will suit the customs of that land. Above are mirrors Thrones is what you call them and from them God in judgment shines on us ; |
| 60 | Sic, ut, quæ dixi, nos pondus habere putemus. » Hic tacuit similisque alias sub pectore curas Volventi visa est, ob, quam velut ante rotavit Centrum ingressa, rotam. Mihi jam notæ, altera forma Lætitiæ præclara oculis apparuit, instar |
and thus we think it right to say such things.” Here she was silent and appeared to me to turn toward other things, reentering the wheeling dance where she had been before. The other joy, already known to me as precious, then appeared before my eyes |
| 65 | Arte laborati nitido sub sole balassi. Lætantem domus alta Dei splendoribus auctat, Non secus ac risu tellus ; sed nigrior umbra Tartarea est tanto, quanto est mens tristior ipsi. « Cuncta Deus videt, inque illum penetrasse putanda es, |
like a pure ruby struck by the sun’s rays. On high, joy is made manifest by brightness, as, here on earth, by smiles ; but down below, the shade grows darker when the mind feels sorrow. “God can see all,” I said, “and, blessed spirit, |
| 70 | O felix anima, » huic dixi, « ut jam nulla cupido Suspirans ipsum tua lumina fallere possit. Ergo voce tua, quæ magnum oblectat Olympum Cantibus assiduis ardorum mixta piorum, Quorum alæ capiti senæ implicuere cucullum, |
your vision is contained in Him, so that no wish can ever hide itself from you. Your voice has always made the heavens glad as has the singing of the pious fires that make themselves a cowl of their six wings ; |
| 75 | Cur me non exples avidum ? Nec verba manerem Ipse tua, in te si inspicerem, in mea pectora ut ipse Tu penetras. » — « Major vallis, » tunc incipit ille, « Excepto pelago, quod mundum circumit omnem, In quam se effundant undæ, diversa pererrat |
why then do you not satisfy my longings? I would not have to wait for your request if I could enter you as you do me.” “The widest valley into which the waters spread from the sea that girds the world,” his words began, “between discrepant shores, extends |
| 80 | Litora, soli adversa adeo, ut medii ipsa diei Conficiat callem, quum illic, qui terminat æthram In plano medium, circlus spectetur, ubi ista Incipit. Illud ego litus, Macram inter et inter, Ebræum, incolui, exiguo quod tramite Tuscum |
eastward so far against the sun, that when those waters end at the meridian, that point when they began was the horizon. I lived along the shoreline of that valley between the Ebro and the Magra, whose brief course divides the Genoese and Tuscans. |
| 85 | Dividit a Ligurum populo. Ortum vergit ad unum Occasumque quasi unum Saldarum, ac mea tellus, Quæ quondam proprio tepefecit sanguine portum. Me haud ignara mei gens nominis appellavit FOLCUM. Signa mei cælum hoc præportat, ut olim |
Beneath the same sunset, the same sunrise, lie both Bougie and my own city, which once warmed its harbor with its very blood. Those men to whom my name was known, called me Folco ; and even as this sphere receives my imprint, so was I impressed with its ; |
| 90 | Hujus ego. Haud adeo exarsit Belo edita Dido, Sichæo pariter, pariterque odiosa Creusæ, Quantum ego, dum tulit id crinis. Non illa dolosum Demophoonta sibi Rhodope conquesta, nec imo Arsit ita Alcides inclusam pectore Iolen. |
for even Belus’ daughter, wronging both Sychaeus and Creusa, did not burn more than I did, as long as I was young ; nor did the Rhodopean woman whom Demophoon deceived, nor did Alcides when he enclosed Iole in his heart. |
| 95 | At non ista tamen cor nobis cura remordet, Verum hic ridetur, non quæ jam culpa redire In mentem haud posset, sed virtus, quæ ista paravit. Hic ars suspicitur, quæ astrum tanto ornat amore, Suspiciturque bonum, per quod mens prona deorsum |
Yet one does not repent here ; here one smiles not for the fault, which we do not recall, but for the Power that fashioned and foresaw. For here we contemplate the art adorned by such great love, and we discern the good through which the world above forms that below. |
| 100 | Fert reditum ad Superos. Verum, ut discedere curis Pacatis penitus possis, quas attulit ista Sphæra tibi, stat adhuc ultra procedere verbis. Scire cupis, cujum hoc lumen, quod fulget in illa Sic face me juxta, ut radius solaris in unda |
But so that all your longings born within this sphere may be completely satisfied when you bear them away, I must continue. You wish to know what spirit is within the light that here beside me sparkles so, as would a ray of sun in limpid water. |
| 105 | Pura. Nunc audi : hic intus sua gaudia RAHAB Expandit, nostroque choro conjuncta, sigillo, Illius est impressa, gradum sibi nacta supremum. Sidus in hoc, ubi apex postremus desinit umbræ, Quam tua terra parit, Christo ducente triumphum, |
Know then that Rahab lives serenely in that light, and since her presence joins our order, she seals that order in the highest rank. This heaven, where the shadow cast by earth comes to a point, had Rahab as the first soul to be taken up when Christ triumphed. |
| 110 | Hæc assumpta prior venit, meritoque decebat Hoc aliqua in cæli sphæra mansisse trophæum, Per quod clareret victoria tanta lucrati Utrisque hanc palmis. Hæc primo faverat auso, Josue ubi victor sancta est tellure potitus, |
And it was right to leave her in this heaven as trophy of the lofty victory that Christ won, palm on palm, upon the cross, for she had favored the initial glory of Joshua within the Holy Land |
| 115 | Quæ minime tangit vestri præcordia Papæ. Urbs tua, quæ illius planta est, qui vertere primus Terga suo auctori est ausus, cujusque dolendus Est adeo livor, progignit et undique fundit Florem illum tristem, pecudes qui avertit et agnos ; |
which seldom touches the Pope’s memory. Your city, which was planted by that one who was the first to turn against his Maker, the one whose envy cost us many tears produces and distributes the damned flower that turns both sheep and lambs from the true course, |
| 120 | Namque hic ex pastore lupum fecisse rapacem Arguitur. Quare Scripturæ verba ducesque Magni linquuntur. Pervolvere Decretales Unica cura est his, hæc his sibi priva supellex. Hoc est Pontificis studium, hoc, qui cardine celso |
for of the shepherd it has made a wolf. For this the Gospel and the great Church Fathers are set aside and only the Decretals are studied as their margins clearly show. On these the pope and cardinals are intent. |
| 125 | Effulgent positi, volvunt sub pectore Patres. Nazareth haud ipsis curæ est, ubi Gabriël alas Tendit. Sed Petri templum et sacra cetera Romæ, Bustaque militiæ Petri vexilla secutæ Turpi ab adulterio quamprimum libera cernes. » |
Their thoughts are never bent on Nazareth, where Gabriel’s open wings were reverent. And yet the hill of Vatican as well as other noble parts of Rome that were the cemetery for Peter’s soldiery will soon be freed from priests’ adultery.” |
| PARADISI X {10} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | In genitum inspiciens pariter cum flamine amoris, Sæclorum a serie æterna quem spirat uterque, Primus rerum opifex, una, infinita potestas, Quodcunque aut menti aut oculo obversatur, is omne |
Gazing upon His Son with that Love which One and the Other breathe eternally, the Power — first and inexpressible — made everything that wheels through mind and space |
| 5 | Ordine perfecit tanto, ut, qui viderit istud, Nemo carere queat potiundi illius amore. Ergo oculos attolle rotas, mi lector, ad altas, Recta illuc mecum suspectans, vis ubi motus Una aliam alternis icit rapido incita cursu ; |
so orderly that one who contemplates that harmony cannot but taste of Him. Then, reader, lift your eyes with me to see the high wheels ; gaze directly at that part where the one motion strikes against the other ; |
| 10 | Atque illic artem fac contemplere magistri Intus amantis opus proprium, ut sua lumina ab isto Haud unquam amoveat. Cerne, ut diffunditur inde Circulus obliquus præsens afferre planetas, Ut sat terrigenis fiat clamantibus illos. |
and there begin to look with longing at that Master’s art, which in Himself he loves so much that his eye never parts from it. See there the circle branching from that cross-point obliquely : zodiac to bear the planets that satisfy the world in need of them. |
| 15 | Quodsi non ipsis via torta obeunda daretur, Permulta in cælo virtus effusa periret, Omnis et inferius vis ferme mortua staret. Quodsi plusve minusve a tramite declinarent Recto cedentes, valde imperfectus ubique |
For if the planets’ path were not aslant, much of the heavens’ virtue would be wasted and almost every power on earth be dead ; and if the zodiac swerved more or less far from the straight course, then earth’s harmony |
| 20 | Ordo foret sursum ac deorsum, quo cuncta moventur. Tu modo sede tua sedeas, ea mente volutans, Quæ leviter libas, si gaudia plena, priusquam Deficias, o lector, amas. Tibi mensa parata est Per me ; fac dapibus per te vescaris opimis. |
would be defective in both hemispheres. Now, reader, do not leave your bench, but stay to think on that of which you have foretaste ; you will have much delight before you tire. |
| 25 | Namque ea materies, quam sum describere adortus, Omne meum ad sese ingenium curamque retorquet. Quem sibi majorem novit natura ministrum, Omnia qui signet cæli virtute superna, Lumine quique suo metitur temporis horas, |
I have prepared your fare ; now feed yourself, because that matter of which I am made the scribe calls all my care unto itself. The greatest minister of nature — he who imprints earth with heaven’s worth and, with his light, provides the measurement for time — |
| 30 | Illi, quam supra tibi paulo ostendimus ante, Parti conjunctus per spiras ipse rotabat, in quibus usque novum citius dat cernere mane ; Cumque eo eram, sed tam sensi me ascendere, quam qui Senserit illapsam, quæ motus prima ciendi |
since he was in conjunction with the part I noted, now was wheeling through the spirals where he appears more early every day. And I was with him, but no more aware of the ascent than one can be aware of any sudden thought before it starts. |
| 35 | Causa fuit, menti. Oh tu, mi divina BEATRIX ! Illa repente adeo magis et magis aucta decore Apparens, punctum ut prævertat temporis actu. Quantam debuerit per se diffundere lucem, Quæ species in sole inerat, quem corpore inivi, |
The one who guides me so from good to better is Beatrice, and on our path her acts have so much swiftness that they span no time. How bright within themselves must be the lights I saw on entering the Sun, for they |
| 40 | Haud distincta colore suo, sed flumine lucis, Ingenium quamvis artemque usumque vocarem, Non hanc exprimerem sic, ut vis cernere mentis Hanc possit ; sed credere erit, maneatque cupido Spectandi. Quodsi nostræ simulacra videmus |
were known to me by splendor, not by color! Though I should call on talent, craft, and practice, my telling cannot help them be imagined ; but you can trust — and may you long to see it. And if our fantasies fall short before |
| 45 | Mentis radere humum, nec tam se attollere posse, Nil mirum. Haud oculus noster solem iverit ultra. Illic talis erat domus alti quarta parentis, Cui semper sat is est monstratque, ut spiret, et uni Sit genitor genito. « Ne cessa solvere Soli |
such heights, there is no need to wonder ; for no eye has seen light brighter than the Sun’s. Such was the sphere of His fourth family, whom the High Father always satisfies, showing how He engenders and breathes forth. |
| 50 | Agminis angelici grates, » est fata BEATRIX, « Qui tibi gratificans voluit te attollere ad istum Sensibus humanis aptum. » Haud pietate profunda Quisquam composuit pectus mortale, Deoque Sic se subjecit totum, totaque paratum |
And Beatrice began : Give thanks, give thanks to Him, the angels’ Sun, who, through His grace, has lifted you to this embodied sun.” No mortal heart was ever so disposed to worship, or so quick to yield itself to God with all its gratefulness, as I |
| 55 | Gratus mente, anima, ut digessi, hac talia fante, Me totum ; et meus exardens se injecit in illum Totus amor sic, ut defectum passa BEATRIX Oblito exciderit : neque eam tamen ira momordit ; Sed sic surrisit, ridenti ut in ore renidens |
was when I heard those words, and all my love was so intent on Him that Beatrice was then eclipsed within forgetfulness. And she was not displeased, but smiled at this, so that the splendor of her smiling eyes |
| 60 | Limpida lux uni conjunctam in plurima mentem Sit partita meam. Plerosque ego cernere vivos, Vincentesque ignes sum visus, qui orbe coronæ Expanso medios nos circumiere rotati, Voce magis dulces, quam visum luce cientes. |
divided my rapt mind between two objects. And I saw many lights, alive, most bright ; we formed the center, they became a crown, their voices even sweeter than their splendor ; |
| 65 | Sic nos Latona genitam quandoque videmus Aëre tam gravido cinctam, ut tantum ora videnda Ultima sit zonæ. Cæli, unde revertor, in aula Copia gemmarum pretiosa et pulchra coruscat Talis, ut advectam haud liceat subducere regno ; |
just so, at times, we see Latona’s daughter circled when saturated air holds fast the thread that forms the girdle of her halo. In Heaven’s court, from which I have returned, one finds so many fair and precious gems that are not to be taken from that kingdom ; |
| 70 | Splendoresque illi resonabant cantibus illas : Qui non tranantes illuc sibi sumpserit alas, Notitiam hinc maneat, muto narrante, novellam. Postquam illi ardentes modulati hæc carmina soles Ter nos circumiere, velut quæ stantibus astra |
one of those gems, the song those splendors sang. He who does not take wings to reach that realm, may wait for tidings of it from the mute. After those ardent suns, while singing so, had wheeled three times around us, even as |
| 75 | Volvuntur vicina polis, mihi visus adesse Femineus chorus est, qui nondum lege solutus Sit choreæ, taciteque arrectis auribus astat, Usque novas captare notas dum copia detur. Inque uno ex ipsis, ut sensi, clara loquela |
stars that are close to the fixed poles, they seemed to me like women who, though not released from dancing, pause in silence, listening until new notes invite to new dancing. And from within one light I heard begin ; |
| 80 | Sic cœpit : « Quoniam cælesti gratia abundans Lumine, quod veri flammas accendit amoris, Et plus augescit, quo plus cor unit amantis, Multiplicata tibi arridet, ac tanta refulget, Ut te per scalas istuc adduxerit illas, |
“Because the ray of grace, from which true love is kindled first and then, in loving, grows, shines with such splendor, multiplied, in you, that it has led you up the stair that none |
| 85 | Queis sine regressu nemo descenderit unquam ; Qui tibi de propria phiala sua vina negaret Expletura sitim, sic liber, ut agmen aquarum, Esset, quod pronum maris haud se immittit in æquor. Scire cupis, quæ sint ornantes floribus orbem |
descends who will not climb that stair again, whoever would refuse to quench your thirst with wine from his flask, would be no more free than water that does not flow toward the sea. You want to know what plants bloom in this garland |
| 90 | Serti hujus plantæ gaudentis pulchra tueri Ora tuæ Dominæ virtute juvantis euntem In cælum. Unus eram ex agnis, quos sanctus habebat Grex ; cui monstrat iter Calagurris nobile lumen, Pinguis ubi crescit qui res non captat inanes. |
that, circling, contemplates with love the fair lady who strengthens your ascent to heaven. I was a lamb among the holy flock that Dominic leads on the path where one may fatten well if one does not stray off. |
| 95 | Qui mihi dexter adest propior, mihi frater et auctor Is fuit ALBERTUSque est ipse COLONUS ; AQUINAS THOMAS dicor ego. Reliquos si est scire cupido, Tu me oculis fantem sequere, ascendensque beatum Fac lente inspicias sertum. Qui fulgurat ignis |
He who is nearest on my right was both my brother and my teacher : from Cologne, Albert, and I am Thomas of Aquino. If you would know who all the others are, then even as I speak let your eyes follow, making their way around the holy wreath. |
| 100 | Alter, is ex risu CLUSINI erumpit, utrique Qui sic sat fecisse foro narratur, in alto Ut placeat regno. Nostrum qui propter honestat Concilium, hic PETRUS est, cum quo paupercula stabat, Thesauri ipse sui dum Sanctæ munera Matri |
That next flame issues from the smile of Gratian, who served one and the other court of law so well that his work pleases Paradise. That other, who adorns our choir next — he was that Peter who, like the poor widow, offered his treasure to the Holy Church. |
| 105 | Obtulit. At lampas fulgens pulcherrima serti Istius quinta est, tantum quæ spirat amoris, Ut tellus avide exspectet, qui vera reportent. Lux alta intus adest, adeo ditata profundo Consilii pelago, si verum vera loquuntur, |
The fifth light, and the fairest light among us, breathes forth such love that all the world below hungers for tidings of it ; in that flame there is the lofty mind where such profound wisdom was placed that, if the truth be true, |
| 110 | Ut vate a tanto non surrexisse secundum Constet. Quod juxta stat lumen, cereus ille est, Qui illic carne gravis melius vidisse putatur Naturam angelicam fungendaque munera Divis. Luce alia in tenui ridet, qui templa sacrata |
no other ever rose with so much vision. Next you can see the radiance of that candle which, in the flesh, below, beheld most deeply the angels’ nature and their ministry. Within the other little light there smiles |
| 115 | Christiadum orator pro vi defenderat artis, Ex cujus scriptis proprium convertit in usum Multa AUGUSTINUS. Nunc tu si lumina visus Ex luce in lucem laudantis verba secutus Tranes, octavæ tibi jam sitis altera restet. |
that champion of the Christian centuries whose narrative was used by Augustine. Now, if your mind’s eye, following my praising, was drawn from light to light, you must already be thirsting for the eighth : within that light, |
| 120 | Omnigenum spectare bonum sibi gaudet in ista Sancta anima illius, per quem pellacia mundi Insidiosa patet docilem huic præbentibus aurem. Corpus, quo expulsa est, sacra stat in æde Papiæ ; Ipsa hanc ad pacem ex pœna exilioque volavit. |
because he saw the Greatest Good, rejoices the blessed soul who makes the world’s deceit most plain to all who hear him carefully. The flesh from which his soul was banished lies below, within Cieldauro, and he came from martyrdom and exile to this peace. |
| 125 | Aspice præterea, fulgentes mittere flammas ISIDORI animam ardentem, BEDÆque, viroque Majoris, vasta dum agitat sublimia mente, RICHARDI. Iste est, unde tui ad me lumina visus Se referunt, animæ splendor, cui funeris hora |
Beyond, you see, flaming, the ardent spirits of Isidore and Bede and Richard — he whose meditation made him more than man. This light from whom your gaze returns to me contains a spirit whose oppressive thoughts |
| 130 | Tarda nimis visa est meditanti gaudia nostra. SIGERII æterna hæc lux est, quem stramine dictus Dicentem audivit vicus, vera aspra peritum Invidiosa homini concludere syllogismis. » Exin, ceu certam quæ machina nuntiat horam, |
made him see death as coming much too slowly ; it is the everlasting light of Siger, who when he lectured in the Street of Straw demonstrated truths that earned him envy.” Then, like a clock that calls us at the hour |
| 135 | Tunc quum sponsa Dei surgit sub mane novellum Sponso accantatura suo, sibi ut æquet amorem. Cujus pars unam trahit, et partem altera adurget, Edens tinnitus numero tam dulce sonanti, Ut bene compositum pectus turgescat amore ; |
in which the Bride of God, on waking, sings matins to her Bridegroom, encouraging His love (when each clock-part both drives and draws), chiming the sounds with notes so sweet that those with spirit well-disposed feel their love grow ; |
| 140 | Sic mihi præsignis decore est rota visa moveri, Et cantare melos, et respondere parata, Harmonia suavique modo, quem agnoscere non est, Ni sedes adeas, æterna ubi gaudia vivunt. |
so did I see the wheel that moved in glory go round and render voice to voice with such sweetness and such accord that they can not be known except where joy is everlasting. |
| PARADISI XI {11} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | O stultas hominum curas ! quam manca labascit Vanæ vis sophiæ, quæ pennis verrere terram Vos docet ! Hicce petebat jus, artemque medendi Alter, et ille sacros spectabat tonsus honores ; |
O senseless cares of mortals, how deceiving are syllogistic reasonings that bring your wings to flight so low, to earthly things! One studied law and one the Aphorisms of the physicians ; one was set on priesthood |
| 5 | Viribus hic, lingua hic regnum usurpare parabat ; Quidam furandi, quidam civilia agendi Ardebat studio, quosdam damnosa fatigat In Venerem rabies, quosdam tenet otium inertes. His ego tum penitus studiis, curisque solutus |
and one, through force or fraud, on rulership ; one meant to plunder, one to politick ; one labored, tangled in delights of flesh, and one was fully bent on indolence ; while I, delivered from our servitude |
| 10 | Omnibus in cælo tecum, o bene nata BEATRIX, Versabar. Venit mihi gloria tanta recepto. Postquam quisque locum rediens devenerat illum Circuli, ubi ante fuit, ceu cerea candelabro Fax imposta, stetit. Tunc ante locuta lucerna |
to all these things, was in the height of heaven with Beatrice, so gloriously welcomed. After each of those spirits had returned to that place in the ring where it had been, it halted, like a candle in its stand. And from within the splendor that had spoken |
| 15 | Est audita mihi surridens talia rursus Ordiri exardens fulgenti purius igne : « Sicut ego æternum speculatus lumine lumen Istius ad jubar incendor, sic cernere in ipso Mi datur, unde fluant, quæ agitant tua pectora, curæ. |
to me before, I heard him, as he smiled — become more radiant, more pure — begin ; “Even as I grow bright within Its rays, so, as I gaze at the Eternal Light, I can perceive your thoughts and see their cause. |
| 20 | Tu dubitas optasque, ut sic sermone patenti Atque explanato rursus mea verba reponam, Ut capiat tua mens. Jam scis hæc me ante locutum : Pinguis ubi crescit. — Non surrexisse secundum A tanto. — Hæc mea dicta satis distinguere oportet. |
You are in doubt ; you want an explanation in language that is open and expanded, so clear that it contents your understanding of two points : where I said, ‘They fatten well,’ and where I said, ‘No other ever rose’ — and here one has to make a clear distinction. |
| 25 | Quæ rerum summam sapientia sola gubernat Consilio tanto, ut mentis genus omne creatæ Inspicientis in hanc, ante imum tangere fundum Quam sit, deficeret, rationis lumine victo ; Ut sponsa illius, quam sacro sanguine fuso |
The Providence that rules the world with wisdom so fathomless that creatures’ intellects are vanquished and can never probe its depth, so that the Bride of Him who, with loud cries, had wed her with His blessed blood, might meet |
| 30 | Junxerit ipse sibi, clamorem ex pectore ducens Altum, sub dulcis complexus iret amantis Tutior ipsa sibi, et magis ipsi fida, duobus Principibus notis, gemino hanc solamine juvit, Ipsam ut ductores hinc inde utrique præirent : |
her Love with more fidelity and more assurance in herself, on her behalf commanded that there be two princes, one on this side, one on that side, as her guides. |
| 35 | Quorum unus Superûm totus spirabat amores ; Alter, cui vastam implerat sapientia mentem, In terris cæli referebat imagine lucem. Dicam unum ; quicunque unum laudaverit, ambos Dicit ; uterque etenim ad metam tendebat eandem. |
One prince was all seraphic in his ardor ; the other, for his wisdom, had possessed the splendor of cherubic light on earth. I shall devote my tale to one, because in praising either prince one praises both ; the labors of the two were toward one goal. |
| 40 | Intra Tubinum et, quæ collem elabitur, undam, Quam sibi narratur sedem legisse beatus UBALDUS, pendet clivus de monte præalto Fertilis, exercens Perusinos frigore, et æstu A Porta Solis, retroque jugum grave luget |
Between Topino’s stream and that which flows down from the hill the blessed Ubaldo chose, from a high peak there hangs a fertile slope ; from there Perugia feels both heat and cold at Porta Sole, while behind it sorrow |
| 45 | Nuceria et Gualdus. Qua plus huic ardua clivo Semita se frangit, sol terris fulsit obortus, Qualis nonnunquam surgens Gangetide ab ore. Quare si cui forte locum memorare placebit, Non ille ASCESI (nam verbis parcius esset |
Nocera and Gualdo under their hard yoke. From this hillside, where it abates its rise, a sun was born into the world, much like this sun when it is climbing from the Ganges. Therefore let him who names this site not say Ascesi, which would be to say too little, |
| 50 | Usus), sed proprio hunc Orientis nomine dicat. Nondum etiam adveniens multum distabat ab ortu, Quum terras aliquo recreare levamine cœpit Virtutis dives magnæ. Nam talis amore Vinxerat hunc mulier, pro qua bella aspra subivit |
but Orient, if he would name it rightly. That sun was not yet very distant from his rising, when he caused the earth to take some comfort from his mighty influence ; for even as a youth, he ran to war against his father, on behalf of her — |
| 55 | Junior a patre, et cui, ceu morti, ostia gaudii Haud quisquam pandit. Sed sacro antistite coram Atque patre hanc sibi conjunxit, quam semper amavit, Et magis, inque dies magis. Hæc sponso orba priore, Mille ultra et centum spreta atque obscura per annos, |
the lady unto whom, just as to death, none willingly unlocks the door ; before his spiritual court et coram patre, he wed her ; day by day he loved her more. She was bereft of her first husband ; scorned, obscure, for some eleven hundred years, |
| 60 | Ante istum sedit, nullo invitante marito. Nec juvit, quod fama refert, sub paupere Amycla Invenisse casa, qui securum egerat ævum Illius ad vocem, qui totum terruit orbem ; Et constans animo frustra fuit illa, feraxque |
until that sun came, she had had no suitor. Nor did it help her when men heard that he who made earth tremble found her unafraid — serene, with Amyclas — when he addressed her ; nor did her constancy and courage help |
| 65 | (Stante Maria infra) ausa crucem conscendere, Christo Indivisa comes. Sed ne ultra obscura revolvam, Disce his prolixe verbis me scribere amantes Jam Paupertatem et FRANCISCUM. Lætus utrique Vultus, mirus amor, mens concors, dulce tuentes |
when she, even when Mary stayed below, suffered with Christ upon the cross. But so that I not tell my tale too darkly, you may now take Francis and take Poverty to be the lovers meant in my recounting. Their harmony and their glad looks, their love |
| 70 | His oculi in sanctas rapiebant pectora curas. Tunc primum nudare pedes venerabilis ardet BERNARDUS, tantamque avidus contingere pacem Emicuit, cursu sibi visus tardior isse. O male cognitæ opes, o copia vera bonorum ! |
and wonder and their gentle contemplation, served others as a source of holy thoughts ; so much so, that the venerable Bernard went barefoot first ; he hurried toward such peace ; and though he ran, he thought his pace too slow. O wealth unknown! O good that is so fruitful! |
| 75 | Nudis ÆGIDIUS, nudis SILVESTER anhelat Sectari sponsum pedibus ; sic sponsa placebat. Conjuge cum sancta incedit pater atque magister, Quem proles humili sequitur circumdata fune. Non huic securam frontem cor vile gravavit, |
Egidius goes barefoot, and Sylvester, behind the groom — the bride delights them so. Then Francis — father, master — goes his way with both his lady and his family, the lowly cord already round their waists. Nor did he lower his eyes in shame because |
| 80 | Quod natus PETRO sit BERNARDOve parente, Quod spretus mire, at regali pectore celsus Durum propositum ostendit, quod dextera summi Pontificis sanxit ; quo mox præbente sigillum, Olli turba frequens mira paupercula vita, |
he was the son of Pietro Bernardone, nor for the scorn and wonder he aroused ; but like a sovereign, he disclosed in full — to Innocent — the sternness of his rule ; from him he had the first seal of his order. And after many of the poor had followed Francis, whose wondrous life were better sung |
| 85 | Quam melius caneret cælestis gloria cœtus, Creverat ; et serto est per HONORIUM adaucta secundo Flamine ab Æterno ductoris sancta cupido. Utque ardens propriam pro Christo effundere vitam Forti animo regis Babylonii ante ora superba |
by glory’s choir in the Empyrean, the sacred purpose of this chief of shepherds was then encircled with a second crown by the Eternal Spirit through Honorius. And after, in his thirst for martyrdom, within the presence of the haughty Sultan, |
| 90 | Oravit Christi causam, Christumque sequentum ; Quumque minus movit præcordia gentis acerba, Ne labor iret ibi nequicquam effusus, ad agros Italicos rediit, fecundaque gramina fructu. Antro marmoreo inclusus Tibrim inter et Arnum |
he preached of Christ and those who followed Him. But, finding hearers who were too unripe to be converted, he — not wasting time — returned to harvest the Italian fields ; there, on the naked crag between the Arno |
| 95 | A Christo accepit, postremi insigne sigilli, Stigmata, quæ membris binos is gessit in annos. Posteaquam est illi visum, qui dote bonorum Tanta hunc donarat, studioque et mente pusillum Attrahere assumptum promissa ad præmia cæli ; |
and Tiber, he received the final seal from Christ ; and this, his limbs bore for two years. When He who destined Francis to such goodness was pleased to draw him up to the reward that he had won through his humility, |
| 100 | Fratribus ille suam, ut justis heredibus, æque Cessit commendans, qua nil sibi carius unquam In vita fuerat, Dominam, hos hortatus, ut istam Constanter colerent, fido istam pectore amarent ; Hujus et e gremio emissus se tollere ad auras |
then to his brothers, as to rightful heirs, Francis commended his most precious lady, and he bade them to love her faithfully ; and when, returning to its kingdom, his |
| 105 | Spiritus egregius voluit redituque recepit In sua se regna, istam unam decus esse feretri Sat ducens posito. — Nunc tecum conjice mente, Qualis erat socius cumbam servare peritus Petri, atque explorare poli rata in æquore signa. |
bright soul wanted to set forth from her bosom, it, for its body, asked no other bier. Consider now that man who was a colleague worthy of Francis ; with him, in high seas, he kept the bark of Peter on true course. |
| 110 | Dux fuit hic noster. Quare tibi nosse licebit, Quam lectam messem ferat, hunc quæ turba sequatur, Ut jubet. At se implere nova grex istius esca Ardet hians adeo, ut non sit prohibere potestas, Quin per diversos saltus palatus aberret. |
Such was our patriarch ; thus you can see that those who follow him as he commands, as cargo carry worthy merchandise. But now his flock is grown so greedy for new nourishment that it must wander far, in search of strange and distant grazing lands ; |
| 115 | Quoque magis pecudes longe lateque vagantur, Tanta ad ovile magis referunt se lactis inanes. Nosco equidem ex istis aliquas, quæ damna timentes Pastorem stringunt ; verum hæc est tantula turba, Ut satis exigui ad vestes sit copia panni. |
and as his sheep, remote and vagabond, stray farther from his side, at their return into the fold, their lack of milk is greater. Though there are some indeed who, fearing harm, stay near the shepherd, they are few in number — to cowl them would require little cloth. |
| 120 | Nunc si nostra tibi non est obscura loquela, Si verba attentam tibi sunt immissa per aurem, Si, quæ fatus eram, revocas, contentus abibis Ex parte ; ipse etenim cernes plantam, unde secantur Rami, et præcinctum renes ita concludentem : |
Now if my words are not too dim and distant, if you have listened carefully to them, if you can call to mind what has been said, then part of what you wish to know is answered, for you will see the splinters on the plant and see what my correction meant : ‘Where one |
| 125 | Pinguis ubi crescit, qui res non captat inanes. » | may fatten well, if one does not stray off.’” |
| PARADISI XII {12} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Postremam simulatque suis lux alma loquelam Assumpsit labris fari ulteriora parata, Orsa rotare molam est sanctam : nec verterat ante Totum orbem, hanc alio quam incluserit altera circlo, |
No sooner had the blessed flame begun to speak its final word than the millstone of holy lights began to turn, but it was not yet done with one full revolution before another ring surrounded it, |
| 5 | Et motum motu, et cantum cantu ipsa secundans ; Cantu, qui vincit tanto Parnassidas illas Sirenes nostras, quanto lux prima repulsi Splendorem radii. Veluti per mollia nubis Æque distantes arcus similesque colorem |
and motion matched with motion, song with song — a song that, sung by those sweet instruments, surpasses so our Muses and our Sirens as firstlight does the light that is reflected. Just as, concentric, like in color, two rainbows will curve their way through a thin cloud |
| 10 | Volvuntur, quum Juno jubet mandata referre Ancillam, (exterior quoniam generatur ab arcu Interiore arcus, ut quæ fanti assonat Echo, Quam consumpsit amor, ceu solis flamma vapores) ; Et dant hic vulgo præsaga volvere mente, |
when Juno has commanded her handmaid, the outer rainbow echoing the inner, much like the voice of one — the wandering nymph — whom love consumed as sun consumes the mist (and those two bows let people here foretell, |
| 15 | Quæ pepigisse Deum cum Noade fœdera novit, Se non ulturum posthac mundum agmine aquarum : Sic duo serta rosis æternis læta moveri Nos circum, internæque ita respondere corona Extima visa fuit. Postquam explicuere choream |
by reason of the pact God made with Noah, that flood will never strike the world again): so the two garlands of those everlasting roses circled around us, and so did the outer circle mime the inner ring. |
| 20 | Lætitiamque aliam ingentem (tam voce canora, Quam luce in lucem alternis vibrante vicissim), Gaudia testatæ ac blandæ atque quiescere certæ Ad tempus simul, ut, specie quum est percita dulci, Uno ictu probibens aditum, reseransque necesse est |
When dance and jubilation, festival of song and flame that answered flame, of light with light, of gladness and benevolence, in one same instant, with one will, fell still (just as the eyes, when moved by their desire, can only close and open in accord), |
| 25 | Dupla oculi utatur virtus ; ex corde novellæ Lucis vox venit, quæ me partem egit in illam, Unde erat, instar acus stellam spectantis ; et infit : « Ille amor, unde mihi decus est, me dicere facta Alterius ducis hortatur, quem propter eundem |
then from the heart of one of the new lights there came a voice, and as I turned toward it, I seemed a needle turning to the polestar ; and it began : “The love that makes me fair draws me to speak about the other leader |
| 30 | Hac tanta est in laude meus. Res digna videtur, Ut, quam unus tenuit sedem, hanc simul occupet alter ; Utque hi militiæ pariter subiere labores, Sic his æqualem splendorem gloria fundat. Quam tanti fuerat Christo rursum instruere armis, |
because of whom my own was so praised here. Where one is, it is right to introduce the other : side by side, they fought, so may they share in glory and together gleam. Christ’s army, whose rearming cost so dearly, |
| 35 | Lecta acies gressus post signum tarda movebat, Raraque et addubitans. Quum Rex, qui tempus in omne Regnat, militiæ trepidæ similique labanti Consultum voluit, non quod quicquam ipsa mereret, Sed gratis tantum ; atque, ut paulo diximus ante, |
was slow, uncertain of itself, and scanty behind its ensign, when the Emperor who rules forever helped his ranks in danger — only out of His grace and not their merits. And, as was said, He then sustained His bride, |
| 40 | Heroas geminos jussit succurrere sponsæ, Quorum acta, ac voces populum sine more vagatum Veracem docuere viam, atque in calle stetere Recto. Qua reserata venit placidi aura Favonii Blanda aperire novas frondes, viridique colore |
providing her with two who could revive a straggling people : champions who would by doing and by preaching bring new life. In that part of the West where gentle zephyr rises to open those new leaves in which |
| 45 | Induere Europam rursum, haud procul æquoris undas Pulsantes litus, post quas sol, longius ire Jussus, sæpe homini cuivis sua lumina celat, Fortunata sedet Calagurris, tuta sub amplo Scuto, ubi succumbit simulatque simul Leo vincit. |
Europe appears reclothed, not far from where, behind the waves that beat upon the coast, the sun, grown weary from its lengthy course, at times conceals itself from all men’s eyes — there, Calaroga, blessed by fortune, sits under the aegis of the mighty shield on which the lion loses and prevails. |
| 50 | Ortus ibi est, veræ qui religionis amator Exstitit, humanusque suis, atque hostibus asper, Luctator sanctus, cui mens, vix edita, plena Sic virtute fuit viva, ut genitricis in alvo Fecerit hanc vatem. Postquam sponsalia sacri |
Within its walls was born the loving vassal of Christian faith, the holy athlete, one kind to his own and harsh to enemies ; no sooner was his mind created than it was so full of living force that it, still in his mother’s womb, made her prophetic. |
| 55 | Propter fontis aquas hunc conjunxere, fidemque, Mutua ubi alternis se dotavere salute ; Femina, quæ fuerat pro isto spondere parata, In somnis vidit signum mirabile fructus Inde egressuri, verisque heredibus æque. |
Then, at the sacred font, where Faith and he brought mutual salvation as their dowry, the rites of their espousal were complete. The lady who had given the assent for him saw, in a dream, astonishing fruit that would spring from him and from his heirs. |
| 60 | Utque foret, re qualis erat, sacer impetus illi A DOMINO ductum, qui usque est dominatus in ipsum, Imposuit nomen, quod tempus in omne remansit. Atque ego dico istum, veluti quem Christus in horto Agricolam posuit, suam opem laturus amice. |
And that his name might echo what he was, a spirit moved from here to have him called by the possessive of the One by whom he was possessed completely. Dominic became his name ; I speak of him as one whom Christ chose as the worker in His garden. |
| 65 | Nuntius iste quidem Christoque domesticus usu Visus erat ; nam primus amor, qui exarsit aperte, Consilium huic fuerat primum, quod voce rogatus. Ediderat Christus. Vigilantem hunc sæpe soloque Invenit stratum ac tacitum, ut qui diceret : Assum |
He seemed the fitting messenger and servant of Christ : the very first love that he showed was for the first injunction Christ had given. His nurse would often find him on the ground, alert and silent, in a way that said ; |
| 70 | ‹ Natus ad hoc, nutrix. › — O, quo est genitore creatus, Vere felicem ! Quam vere dicta Joanna est Mater, si in terris nota est vis nominis hujus ! Non is pro mundo, qui tot modo adire labores Cogit, Thaddæo vestigia pressa sequentes, |
‘It is for this that I have come.’ Truly, his father was Felice and his mother Giovanna if her name, interpreted, is in accord with what has been asserted. Not for the world, for which men now travail |
| 75 | Illius et flexus, cui dat magnum Ostia nomen ; At non fallacis manna compulsus amore, Mox vasto dives doctrinæ flumine magnus Emicuit doctor sic, ut studiosus obiret Vinetum facile expallescere, si malus illi |
along Taddeo’s way or Ostian’s, but through his love of the true manna, he became, in a brief time, so great a teacher that he began to oversee the vineyard that withers when neglected by its keeper. |
| 80 | Vinitor affuerit. Sedem, magis ante benignam Pauperibus justis, non quod culpanda sit illa, Sed quod culpandus, qui degener occupat ipsam, Non ut sectantem partiri, sive trientem Dimidia de parte sibi daret, iste rogavit, |
And from the seat that once was kinder to the righteous poor (and now has gone astray, not in itself, but in its occupant), he did not ask to offer two or three |
| 85 | Non sortem sedis pinguem, quæ prima vacaret, Non decimas, quas jure Dei paupercula turba Clamat ; at errantem contra sua bella ciere Ille sinat mundum, pro quo te semine cingunt Ter plantæ octonæ. Dein vi exundante profundæ |
for six, nor for a vacant benefice, nor decimas, quae sunt pauperum Dei — but pleaded for the right to fight against the erring world, to serve the seed from which there grew the four-and-twenty plants that ring you. |
| 90 | Doctrinæ simul, ac studii defungier orsus Munere Apostolico, quasi quem premit alta ruentem Vena amnem, in stirpes, quas severat hæresis, ictus Ingeminans, illic usus potioribus armis, Major ubi steterat vis ausa obsistere certa. |
Then he, with both his learning and his zeal, and with his apostolic office, like a torrent hurtled from a mountain source, coursed, and his impetus, with greatest force, struck where the thickets of the heretics offered the most resistance. And from him |
| 95 | Diversa ex isto deinde emersere fluenta, Queis riguis gaudet Christi pulcherrimus hortus, Ut magis atque magis ducant arbusta vigorem. Si talis bigæ una fuit rota, qua stetit alma Sponsa Dei victrix civilia prœlia contra, |
there sprang the streams with which the Catholic garden has found abundant watering, so that its saplings have more life, more green. If such was one wheel of the chariot in which the Holy Church, in her defense, taking the field, defeated enemies |
| 100 | Te decet alterius non ignorare magistri Virtutem egregiam, quem laudum prodigus ante Nostrum initum tanta THOMAS in luce locavit. At via, quam primam signaverat orbita, spreta est ; Quare, ubi crusta fuit, mucor dominatur amarus. |
within, then you must see the excellence of him — the other wheel — whom Thomas praised so graciously before I made my entry. And yet the track traced by the outer rim of that wheel is abandoned now — as in a cask of wine when crust gives way to mold. |
| 105 | Quæ non declinans unquam vestigia proles Legerat istius, gressu revoluta retrorsum Sic it, ut ad talos pedis anteriora ferantur. Sentiet ipsa quidem actutum sub tempora messis Culturam pravam, sibi quum clamabit ademptam |
His family, which once advanced with steps that followed his footprints, has now turned back ; its forward foot now seeks the foot that lags. And soon we are to see, at harvest time, the poor grain gathered, when the tares will be |
| 110 | Areolam lolium. Tamen hoc mihi dicere vere est : Si cui de nostro sit cura volumine chartas Attento scrutari oculo singlariter omnes, Nunc etiam hic aliquam dabitur reperire legendam, Scriptum ubi adhuc maneat : ‹ Sum nondum degener ›, ille |
denied a place within the bin — and weep. I do admit that, if one were to search our volume leaf by leaf, he might still read one page with, ‘I am as I always was’; |
| 115 | Qui soleo. At non hic Casali natus Aquæve Spartæ ; etenim noti est interpres uterque statuti, Alter ut hoc fugiat, hujus premat alter habenas. Hic BONAVENTURAM est tibi discere Balneoregi Natum, qui, quamvis sim grandia munera functus, |
but those of Acquasparta or Casale who read our Rule are either given to escaping it or making it too strict. I am the living light of Bonaventure of Bagnorea ; in high offices |
| 120 | Decrevi semper lævam postponere curam. Hic stat, qui ducit præclarum a lumine nomen ; AUGUSTINUS adest pariter, qui paupere primus Quum turba exuerat plantas, quæ fune revincta Renes gavisa est Regi placuisse superno. |
I always put the left-hand interests last. Illuminato and Augustine are here ; they were among the first unshod poor brothers to wear the cord, becoming friends of God. |
| 125 | Jungitur hic UGO sancti VICTORIS alumnus ; Stat simul et PETRUS HISPANUS, qui quinque libellis Et septem notus claret, PETRUSque COMESSOR, Atque propheta NATHAN, pariterque CHRYSOSTOMUS olim Metropolitanus, nec non ANSELMUS, et ille | Hugh of St. Victor, too, is here with them ; Peter of Spain, who, with his twelve books, glows on earth below ; and Peter Book-Devourer, Nathan the prophet, Anselm, and Chrysostom the Metropolitan, and that Donatus |
| 130 | DONATUS primæ dignatus porrigere arti Ipse manum. RHABAN est istic, Calaberque JOACHIM A latere effulget, sacro qui flamine plenus Ventura inspexit. Tanti viri ut æmulus essem, Fratris me hortata est comis sollertia THOMÆ, |
who deigned to deal with that art which comes first. Rabanus, too, is here ; and at my side shines the Calabrian Abbot Joachim, who had the gift of the prophetic spirit. To this — my praise of such a paladin — the glowing courtesy and the discerning language of Thomas urged me on and stirred, |
| 135 | Æquaque vox ; mecumque mei arrisere sodales. » | with me, the souls that form this company.” |
| PARADISI XIII {13} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Qui modo visa mihi plane dignoscere curat, Mente sua fingat sic, ut quam fingit imago, Dum dico, ante oculos solidæ stet rupis ad instar, Quindenas stellas, quæ per diversa plagarum |
Let him imagine, who would rightly seize what I saw now — and let him while I speak retain that image like a steadfast rock — in heaven’s different parts, those fifteen stars |
| 5 | Exhilarant cælum usque adeo splendore sereno, Ut superet cæci compages aëris omnes ; Et currum fingat, cui sat sinus esse videtur Nostratis cæli sub noctis tempus opacæ, Et sub mane novum, et nunquam temone voluto |
that quicken heaven with such radiance as to undo the air’s opacities ; let him imagine, too, that Wain which stays within our heaven’s bosom night and day, so that its turning never leaves our sight ; |
| 10 | Deficit. Os fingat cornu, quod prodit in axis Cuspide, quem circum rota prima volumine fertur, De se composuisse sibi duo signa sub arce Ætherea, quo more sibi Minois, ubi artus Ipsa suos sensit mortali frigore solvi ; |
let him imagine those two stars that form the mouth of that Horn which begins atop the axle round which the first wheel revolves ; then see these join to form two signs in heaven — just like the constellation that was shaped by Minos’ daughter when she felt death’s chill — |
| 15 | Alterum et in jubar alterius radiare vicissim, Et circumferri ambo, sic ut tenderet unum Ante, unumque retro ; atque fere sibi sideris umbram Veri mente sua teneat duplicisque choreæ Circum, ubi constiteram, punctum se sponte rotantis. |
two signs with corresponding radii, revolving so that one sign moves in one direction, and the other in a second ; and he will have a shadow — as it were — of the true constellation, the double dance that circled round the point where I was standing ; |
| 20 | Namque hoc est nostro tanto superantius usu, Quanto prævertit Clanium qui vertitur axis Axibus æthereis velocior. Haud ibi Bacchi Thebani nomen, nec ibi Pæana canebant ; Sed tres personas natura simplice, et una |
a shadow — since its truth exceeds our senses, just as the swiftest of all heavens is more swift than the Chiana’s sluggishness. They sang no Bacchus there, they sang no Paean, but sang three Persons in the divine nature, |
| 25 | Divinas ; ex his unam, quæ hominisque Deique Naturam jungit. Certo dein tempore cantus Desiit, et turbo pariterque ea lumina sancta Me coram steterunt æstu crescente beata. Inter concordes lux una silentia Divos |
and in one Person the divine and human. The singing and the dance fulfilled their measure ; and then those holy lights gave heed to us, rejoicing as they turned from task to task. The silence of the blessed fellowship |
| 30 | Rumpit, quæ primum mihi sancti pauperis acta Dixerat et vitam miram, sic voce locuta : « Postquam trita fuit paleæ pars una bonumque Semen jam positum, et reliquam fert læta cupido Tundere. Tu credis pectus, quo ex pectore costa est, |
was broken by the very light from which I heard the wondrous life of God’s poor man ; that light said : “Since one stalk is threshed, and since its grain is in the granary already, sweet love leads me to thresh the other stalk. You think that the one out of whose chest was drawn the rib |
| 35 | Unde gena illius prodivit pulchra, palatum Cujus terrigenis est tanti ; pectus et illud Hasta confossum, quod sat post fecit et ante, Sic ut cuncta sua noxarum pondera lance Exsuperet ; quicquid natura humana potiri |
from which was formed the lovely cheek whose palate was then to prove so costly to the world, and One Whose chest was transfixed by the lance, Who satisfied all past and future sins, outweighing them upon the scales of justice ; [and that] any light which human nature |
| 40 | Luminis est apta, infusum portasse per illam Virtutem, quæ utrumque in luminis edidit auras ; Atque ideo mihi dicta supra mirabere forsan, Quum tibi narrabam sibi non habuisse secundum Quem divam quinta conclusum in luce notavi. |
can rightfully possess was all infused by that Force which had shaped both of these two ; Therefore you wondered at my words when I — before — said that no other ever vied with that great soul enclosed in the fifth light. |
| 45 | Nunc tu pande oculos ad quæ responsa dabuntur. Et nitide aspicies tua quo sententia pacto, Quodque ego dicebam, in verum concurrat, in orbem Ceu centrum. Quod morte caret, quod victima leti est, Nil præter formæ splendorem est, quam parit altus |
Now let your eyes hold fast to my reply, and you will see : truth centers both my speech and your belief, just like a circle’s center. Both that which never dies and that which dies are only the reflected light of that |
| 50 | Regis amantis amor. Nam lucis vivida virtus, Quæ sic a lucente suo meat, ut procul ipso Nusquam abeat, neque amore illo, qui trinus in uno est, Large gratificans effuso lumine donat Naturis fulgere novem, quasi si ipsa resultet |
Idea which our Sire, with Love, begets ; because the living Light that pours out so from Its bright Source that It does not disjoin from It or from the Love intrined with them, through Its own goodness gathers up Its rays within nine essences, as in a mirror, |
| 55 | A speculo, æternumque in tempus permanet una. Exin inferiora petens, atque ultima rerum Sæcula, descendit magis et magis usque gradatim, Dum brevia efficiat, per quæ signare volebam Edita, quæ propria educit vertigine cælum, |
Itself eternally remaining One. From there, from act to act, light then descends down to the last potentialities, where it is such that it engenders nothing but brief contingent things, by which I mean the generated things the moving heavens |
| 60 | Seu sata, sive ullo fuerint sine semine nata. Cera horum, quique hanc ducit, ratione modoque Uno haud consistunt. Æterna ita mente creata Forma exin magis atque minus manifesta patescit Sub signo. Quare non raro contigit, ut, quæ |
bring into being, with or without seed. The wax of such things and what shapes that wax are not immutable ; and thus, beneath Idea’s stamp, light shines through more or less. Thus it can be that, in the selfsame species, |
| 65 | Planta eadem specie est, melius pejusque colono Reddat, et ingenio diverso prædita corda Sint vobis, simulac lucis venistis in oras. Quodsi quis ceram deducere posset ad unguem, Polleretque sua cælum virtute suprema, |
some trees bear better fruit and some bear worse, and men are born with different temperaments. For were the wax appropriately readied, and were the heaven’s power at its height, |
| 70 | Tota ea, quæ signo lux esset inusta, niteret. Ast illam semper mancam natura ministrat, Non secus atque opifex longa assuetudine nactus Artem, cui jam dextra tremit. Quodsi ardor amoris Disponat primæ claro in splendore videndam |
the brightness of the seal would show completely ; but Nature always works defectively — she passes on that light much like an artist who knows his craft but has a hand that trembles. Yet where the ardent Love prepares and stamps |
| 75 | Virtutis speciem, signetque ; huic optima inesse Cuncta operi deceat. Sic terra est digna creata Virtute omnigena, qua humanum excellere pectus Posset ; sic gravida incessit sanctissima Virgo. Quare mi laudanda tuæ est sententia mentis : |
the lucid Vision of the primal Power, a being then acquires complete perfection. In that way, earth was once made worthy of the full perfection of a living being ; thus was the Virgin made to be with child. So that I do approve of the opinion |
| 80 | Haud unquam ornatam virtutum dote fuisse Naturam humanam tanta, et non affore posthac, Quanta illas binas. Nunc si non persequar ultra, Tu sic incipies : ‹ Cur ergo credere dignum est, Hunc sibi non habuisse parem ? › Ast, ut clara patescat, |
you hold : that human nature never was nor shall be what it was in those two persons. Now if I said no more beyond this point, your words might well begin, ‘How is it, then, with your assertion of his matchless vision?’ |
| 85 | Quæ res obscura est, tu tecum pectore volve, Qualis erat ? quæ causa fuit, quæ suaserit illi Poscere, ubi dictum est : ‹ tibi poscito › ? Non ego dixi Tam tecte, ut nequeas id conjectare, fuisse Regem, cui fuit in summis sapientia votis, |
But so that the obscure can be made plain, consider who he was, what was the cause of his request when he was told, ‘Do ask.’ My words need not have blocked your seeing clearly that it was as a king that he had asked |
| 90 | Ut regere imperii sciret satis aptus habenas. Non ut, quot numero motores astra gubernant, Sciret, quasque scholæ tricas, et inania nectunt, Scite extricaret. Nunc, si mea dicta notasti, Quæ facit ad regem prudentia, provida mens est |
for wisdom that would serve his royal task — and not to know the number of the angels on high or, if combined with a contingent, necesse ever can produce necesse, or si est dare primum motum esse, or if, within a semicircle, one can draw a triangle with no right angle. Thus, if you note both what I said and say, by ‘matchless vision’ it is kingly prudence |
| 95 | Absque pari. Huc tendo. Nunc si sat lumine claro ‹ Surrexisse › vides cur dixi, rite videbis Hic reges tantum me designasse per orbem Tam multos, virtus regum quam rara bonorum est. Fac ita distinguas, quæ dixi ; sic quoque nosces, |
my arrow of intention means to strike ; and if you turn clear eyes to that word ‘arose,’ you’ll see that it referred to kings alone — kings, who are many, and the good are rare. Take what I said with this distinction then ; |
| 100 | Posse manere simul, quod ego fueram ante locutus, Et quod de primo tu credis patre, simulque De tibi Dilecto et nobis. Atque istud ad instar Plumbi sit plantis, ut lento incedere passu, More hominis lassi, assuescas, si forte negandum |
in that way it accords with what you thought of the first father and of our Beloved. And let this weigh as lead to slow your steps, to make you move as would a weary man |
| 105 | Aut affirmandum veniat, quod lumine nondum Perspicias claro. Stultorum maximus ille est, Qui quicquam utrimque affirmatve negatve, priusquam Distinguat. Quare fit sæpe, ut vergat iniquam Ad partem, quam corde tenet, sententia præsens, |
to yes or no when you do not see clearly ; whether he would affirm or would deny, he who decides without distinguishing must be among the most obtuse of men ; opinion — hasty — often can incline to the wrong side, and then affection for |
| 110 | Dein stadium obdurans innectat vincula menti. Pejus quam frustra discedit litore, quisquis Verum expiscari suadet sibi, nescius artis ; Namque iste haud talis, qualis fuit ante, redibit, Atque hæc, quæ dico, vobis testantur aperte |
one’s own opinion binds, confines the mind. Far worse than uselessly he leaves the shore (more full of error than he was before) who fishes for the truth but lacks the art. |
| 115 | PARMENIDES, BRIXUS, mensque offirmata MELISSI, Et multi, ignari, quo tendant, quove resistant. Hos inter fuerat, mihi crede, SABELLUS, ARIUS Atque illi stulti, gladiorum more secare Scripturas ausi, torta sub imagine rectos |
Of this, Parmenides, Melissus, Bryson, are clear proofs to the world, and many others who went their way but knew not where it went ; so did Sabellius and Arius and other fools — like concave blades that mirror — who rendered crooked the straight face of Scriptures. |
| 120 | Monstrantes vultus. Nimium secura minutæ Nondum etiam sit mens plebis, quum judicet, ut qui Æstimat in sulco segetes, ubi messis in herba est, Namque hiemem totam vidi rigidumque feroxque Stans prunum, quod deinde rosas in vertice habebat ; |
So, too, let men not be too confident in judging — witness those who, in the field, would count the ears before the corn is ripe ; for I have seen, all winter through, the brier display itself as stiff and obstinate, and later, on its summit, bear the rose ; |
| 125 | Et celerem rectaque via vada salsa secantem Cognovi pinum, quæ portus limine in ipso Disperiit. Quæ nata fuit, deducere lanam, Bertha, aut mercator Martinus, credere parcat, Si furem videt hunc, cumulantem altaria donis |
and once I saw a ship sail straight and swift through all its voyaging across the sea, then perish at the end, at harbor entry. Let not Dame Bertha or Master Martin think that they have shared God’s Counsel when they see |
| 130 | Illum, divini se posse intrare latebras Consilii. Possit fur surgere, labier iste. » |
one rob and see another who donates : the last may fall, the other may be saved.” |
| PARADISI XIV {14} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ex orbe ad centrum, atque ex centro fertur ad orbem Ære cavo teretique inclusæ motus aquæ, Sive hanc interior, seu causa extraria pulset. Hæc, ego quam dico, subito mihi venit imago, |
From rim to center, center out to rim, so does the water move in a round vessel, as it is struck without, or struck within. What I am saying fell most suddenly |
| 5 | Post ubi jam THOMAS finem dedit ore loquendi, Ob similem casum, quum fati dicta BEATRIX Excepit dictis, cui visum hæc edere voce est Post illum : « Huic opus est, quod non ipse indicat ore, Nec sensu interno monstrat, cognoscere veri |
into my mind, as soon as Thomas’s glorious living flame fell silent, since between his speech and that of Beatrice, a similarity was born. And she, when he was done, was pleased to start with this ; “He does not tell you of it — not with speech nor in his thoughts as yet — but this man needs |
| 10 | Radicem reliqui. Fac, per te discere possit, Num lux, naturæ quæ dat florescere vestræ, Qualis nunc fulget, vobiscum tempus in omne Sit mansura æque ; quodsi est mansura, docebis, Qui, postquam renovata dabunt vos membra videndos, |
to reach the root of still another truth. Do tell him if that light with which your soul blossoms will stay with you eternally even as it is now ; and if it stays, do tell him how, when you are once again |
| 15 | Fiat, ut haud obstet, quo vos minus ista vicissim Vestra inspectetis. » — Veluti superantibus actus Lætitiæ stimulis, choreæ qui circumit orbem, Gaudet et exhilarat gestus : sic sancta corona Utraque voce pia subitaque illecta rogantis, |
made visible, it will be possible for you to see such light and not be harmed.” As dancers in a ring, when drawn and driven by greater gladness, lift at times their voices and dance their dance with more exuberance, so, when they heard that prompt, devout request, the blessed circles showed new joyousness |
| 20 | Orbe rotæ, mirisque modis nova gaudia pandit. Qui queritur, certa nos hic in morte teneri, Queis datur in cælo vita gaudere secunda, Non videt æternæ pluviæ hoc sub sole levamen. Ille unus, binus, trinus, qui nescius ortus, |
in wheeling dance and in amazing song. Whoever weeps because on earth we die that we may live on high, has never seen eternal showers that bring refreshment there. That One and Two and Three who ever lives |
| 25 | Non circumscriptus, tamen omnia circumscribens Vivit, et æternum trinusque et binus at unus Regnat, — ter cujusque animæ resonarat in ore Tam dulce, ut justa mercede rependere posset Omne genus meriti. — Tum audivi in luce minoris |
and ever reigns in Three and Two and One, not circumscribed and circumscribing all, was sung three times by each and all those souls with such a melody that it would be appropriate reward for every merit. And I could hear within the smaller circle’s |
| 30 | Candidiore rotæ vocem sermone modestam, Qualis forte fuit GABRIELE affante Mariam, Quæ sic respondit : « Quam duratura beati est Festa dies regni, tam nostri vivida amoris Flamma diu sic hunc circum radiabit amictum. |
divinest light a modest voice (perhaps much like the angel’s voice in speech to Mary) reply : “As long as the festivity of Paradise shall be, so long shall our love radiate around us such a garment. |
| 35 | Lux hujus pariter cum æstu procedere pergit, Æstus cum intuitu, visque hujus tanta resultat, Quanta est, ipsius quæ gratia vincit acumen. Ut decore insignem ac sanctam vestire licebit Carnem iterum, si, ut quanta illa est, sic tota redibit, |
Its brightness takes its measure from our ardor, our ardor from our vision, which is measured by what grace each receives beyond his merit. When, glorified and sanctified, the flesh is once again our dress, our persons shall, in being all complete, please all the more ; |
| 40 | Gratior evadet cunctis persona beatis. Namque magis gliscet, quod lucis donat habere Summus amor gratis, lucis, quæ posse tueri Dat nobis illum. Intuitus sic gliscat oportet, Gliscat ab intuitu calor ardens, gliscat et almus |
therefore, whatever light gratuitous the Highest Good gives us will be enhanced — the light that will allow us to see Him ; that light will cause our vision to increase, the ardor vision kindles to increase, the brightness born of ardor to increase. |
| 45 | Inde fluens fulgor. Verum carbonis ad instar, Qui mittit flammam, et vivo candore renidens Sic illam superat, sese ut defendere perstet ; Haud aliter jubar hoc, nos undique circumfusum Quale est, a carne exterius vincetur, in imo |
Yet even as a coal engenders flame, but with intenser glow outshines it, so that in that flame the coal persists, it shows, so will the brightness that envelops us be then surpassed in visibility |
| 50 | Quam terra usque sinu celat ; nec copia lucis Tanta queat lassare oculos ; namque organa nostri Corporis accipient vires, ut ferre potestas Sit, quicquid dulci mentem percellere sensu Eximie valeat. » Jam alacres chorus unus et alter, |
by reborn flesh, which earth now covers up. Nor will we tire when faced with such bright light, for then the body’s organs will have force enough for all in which we can delight.” One and the other choir seemed to me |
| 55 | Intentique omnes sunt visi erumpere in Amen ! Ut desiderium defuncti morte pateret Corporis haud dubium ; nec tantum forte sibi ipsis, Verum et pro patris, pro caro corpore matris, Et reliquæ turbæ, quam dilexere, priusquam |
so quick and keen to say "Amen" that they showed clearly how they longed for their dead bodies — not only for themselves, perhaps, but for their mothers, fathers, and for others dear to them before they were eternal flames. |
| 60 | Æterni fierent ignes. Atque ecce repente Orta nitore pari superaddier altera primæ Lux circum, qualis finitor circulus aureo Sole vehente diem ; ac veluti sub vesperis horas Primas incipiunt nova signa ascendere in altum : |
And — look! — beyond the light already there, an added luster rose around those rings, even as a horizon brightening. And even as, at the approach of evening, new lights begin to show along the sky, |
| 65 | Sic, ut in ambiguo stet mens, credatne, negetne Testi oculo verum, nova circumvertier illic Hos extra geminos orbes sunt flammea visa Signa. — O lux verax, o lampas flaminis alti, Ut subita et candens me circumfulsit et icit |
so that the sight seems and does not seem real, it seemed to me that I began to see new spirits there, forming a ring beyond the choirs with their two circumferences. O the true sparkling of the Holy Ghost — how rapid and how radiant before |
| 70 | Lumina victa mihi non ultra passa nitorem ! At tam formoso ridentique ore BEATRIX Obvia facta mihi est, ut ego inter cetera linquam, Quæ mens nostra sequi haud valuit. Hic reddita nostro Est virtus oculo, et regna ad magis alta salutis |
my eyes that, overcome, could not sustain it! But, smiling, Beatrice then showed to me such loveliness — it must be left among the visions that take flight from memory. From this my eyes regained the strength to look above again ; I saw myself translated |
| 75 | Translatus sensi solus duce non sine Diva. Idque satis monuit risus majore coruscans Flamma, quo visa est sine more rubescere stella. Hic ego corde pio effusus, quoque omnibus uno Sermone est uti, Superumque hominumque parentem, |
to higher blessedness, alone with my lady ; and I was sure that I had risen because the smiling star was red as fire — beyond the customary red of Mars. With all my heart and in that language which is one for all, for this new grace I gave |
| 80 | Qua prece, adoravi, par est pensare novellum Hoc donum ; et mihi sacri in corde piaminis ardor Nondum exhaustus erat, quum sat placuisse litamen Oblatum fauste novi. Nam copia tanta Fulgoris, tantus splendorum luce rubentum |
to God my holocaust, appropriate. Though in my breast that burning sacrifice was not completed yet, I was aware that it had been accepted and auspicious ; for splendors, in two rays, appeared to me, so radiant and fiery that I said ; |
| 85 | Imber se effudit radiorum ex igne duorum, Impetus ut fuerit clamare : « O, qui Deus ornas Sic istos ! » Veluti, variante minusque magisque Lumine stellarum, distincta polum inter utrumque Albet ita, ut doctas agitet via lactea mentes ; |
“O Helios, you who adorn them thus!” As, graced with lesser and with larger lights between the poles of the world, the Galaxy gleams so that even sages are perplexed ; |
| 90 | Haud aliter stellis stipati in Marte profundo Bis gemini fulgor jubaris venerabile signum Nectebat, juncti quod descripsere quadrantes Explentes circlum. — Hic, memori quæ condita mente, Ingenium superant ; neque enim, qua fulgere Christum |
so, constellated in the depth of Mars, those rays described the venerable sign And here my memory defeats my wit ; Christ’s flaming from that cross was such that I |
| 95 | In cruce ego vidi, exemplum, quod imagine tanta Sit dignum, mihi adhuc patuit reperire potestas. At quicunque crucem sibi tollit pone secutus Christum, excusabit mihi prætermissa, micantem Postea ubi hoc videat candore nitescere Christum. |
can find no fit similitude for it. But he who takes his cross and follows Christ will pardon me again for my omission — my seeing Christ flash forth undid my force. |
| 100 | Ex uno, atque uno cornu summa inter et ima, Nescia stare, ibant circum ejaculantia flammas Lumina concursu pariter, pariterque recursu. Non secus hic cernes recta, obliqua, incita, tarda Multa minuta, modis miris sub lumine solis |
Lights moved along that cross from horn to horn and from the summit to the base, and as they met and passed, they sparkled, radiant ; so, straight and slant and quick and slow, one sees on earth the particles of bodies, long |
| 105 | Longa modo, modo parva suas renovantia formas, Corpora ludere per radium, qui sæpius umbra Miscetur repens, quam gens sibi gestit apisci Arte atque ingenio, defendens tela diei. Ut chelys atque fides, ubi vis bene tenta resultet |
and short, in shifting shapes, that move along the ray of light that sometimes streaks across the shade that men devise with skill and art to serve as their defense against the sun. And just as harp and viol, whose many chords |
| 110 | Plurima, chordarum dulci modulamine tangunt Ignaros numeri : sic crebro ex agmine lucum Illic fulgentum melos undique conveniebat Ante crucem, quod me rapuit, quin verba notarem. Mente quidem sensi carmen complectier altas |
are tempered, taut, produce sweet harmony although each single note is not distinct, so, from the lights that then appeared to me, out from that cross there spread a melody that held me rapt, although I could not tell |
| 115 | Laudes, namque audita mihi est vox ista : « Resurge Et vince », haud secus atque sonum captantibus aure Non perceptura, quæ sit sententia dicti. Illic hærebam tanto defixus amore, Hactenus at mihi res unquam non ulla catenis |
what hymn it was. I knew it sang high praise, since I heard “Rise” and “Conquer,” but I was as one who hears but cannot seize the sense. Yet I was so enchanted by the sound that until then no thing had ever bound |
| 120 | Tantum jucundis sensus devinxerit omnes. Ausus forte nimis videar sic ore locutus, Gaudia postponens oculis manantia pulchris, In quos inspiciens omnis mea cura quiescit. At si quis reputat, viva exemplaria pulchri |
me with such gentle bonds. My words may seem presumptuous, as though I dared to deem a lesser thing the lovely eyes that bring to my desire, as it gazes, peace. But he who notes that, in ascent, her eyes — |
| 125 | Eximii tanto magis affulgere decora, Quo plus contingat sedes conscendere ad altas, Nec me spectavisse illuc, indulgeat isti Culpæ, quam fateor, me purgaturus, et ipse Agnoscat, me vera loqui. Nam sancta voluptas |
all beauty’s living seals — gain force, and notes that I had not yet turned to them in Mars, can then excuse me — just as I accuse myself, thus to excuse myself — and see that I speak truly : here her holy beauty |
| 130 | Non hic dicta mihi est, quæ conscendentibus arces Sublimes magis atque magis sincera redundat. |
is not denied — ascent makes it more perfect. |
| PARADISI XV {15} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Mens bona, ubi semper, quæ recte spirat amoris Aura, liquet, veluti non æquo in corde cupido, Suavisonam jussit citharam interrumpere carmen, Et sanctas cessare fides, quas dextera cæli |
Generous will — in which is manifest always the love that breathes toward righteousness, as in contorted will is greediness — imposing silence on that gentle lyre, brought quiet to the consecrated chords |
| 5 | Et premit et lassat. Cur justis obstruat aures Hic populus precibus, qui, pauca rogare paratum Pæne illecturus, concordi mente animoque Conticuit ? Merito veniat sine fine dolenda Vita homini cupido, bona fluxa et vana potiri ; |
that Heaven’s right hand slackens and draws taut. Can souls who prompted me to pray to them, by falling silent all in unison, be deaf to men’s just prayers? Then he may grieve indeed and endlessly — the man who leaves behind such love and turns instead to seek |
| 10 | Pro quibus æternum se illo spoliavit amore. Sicut per noctis tranquilla et pura serenæ Interdum subito discurrere lumine flamma, Securosque solet visus necopina movere Mutantisque locum stellæ sub imagine fertur : |
things that do not endure eternally. As, through the pure and tranquil skies of night, at times a sudden fire shoots, and moves eyes that were motionless — a fire that seems a star that shifts its place, except that in |
| 15 | (Excipe, quod parte ex illa, unde accensa recessit, Nil fuit amissum ; ista brevi vanescit in auras :) Haud aliter cornu ex dextro, quod pertinet hujus Ad postrema crucis, stellarum ubi plurimus ordo Fulgebat junctus, multa cum luce cucurrit |
that portion of the heavens where it flared, nothing is lost, and its own course is short — so, from the horn that stretches on the right, down to the foot of that cross, a star ran out of the constellation glowing there ; |
| 20 | Astrum ; nec proprium lemniscum gemma reliquit, Sed propter tractum radiorum excurrit, et igni Assimile est visum, quem post alabastra locamus. Composita ore pio Anchisis sic restitit umbra, (Majori nostræ si dignum est credere Musæ) |
nor did that gem desert the cross’s track, but coursed along the radii, and seemed just like a flame that alabaster screens. With such affection did Anchises’ shade reach out (if we may trust our greatest muse) |
| 25 | In valle Elysia, natum quum sensit adesse. « O sanguis meus, o super omnem gratia morem ! Et cuinam, ut tibi, reclusa est bis janua cæli ? » Sic illud lumen : quare tum ego totus in illo ; Dein Dominæ quæsivi oculos : namque altus agebat |
when in Elysium he saw his son. O blood of mine — o the celestial grace bestowed beyond all measure — unto whom as unto you was Heaven’s gate twice opened?” That light said this ; at which, I stared at him. Then, looking back to see my lady, I, |
| 30 | Me stupor hinc atque hinc ; quia tali huic lumina risu Ardebant, ut et ipse meis mihi sorte datorum Donorum summam, Paradisi et habere viderer Jam partem. Dein vita oculis jucunda meisque Auribus, ad primas adjecit talia voces, |
on this side and on that, was stupefied ; for in the smile that glowed within her eyes, I thought that I — with mine — had touched the height of both my blessedness and paradise. Then — and he was a joy to hear and see — that spirit added to his first words things |
| 35 | Quæ non percepi ; sic sensu est fata profundo. Nec jam consulto, at quod erat celare necesse ; Nani sermo illius signum super astitit omni Præfinitum homini. — At postquam deferbuit arcus Ardentis studii sic, ut, quæ funderet ore, |
that were too deep to meet my understanding. Not that he chose to hide his sense from me ; necessity compelled him ; he conceived beyond the mark a mortal mind can reach. And when his bow of burning sympathy was slack enough to let his speech descend |
| 40 | Descensu peterent quod nostra est tangere mente, Hoc primum audivi : « Bene sit tibi, Trine, qui es Unus, Et nostrum es tanto dignatus munere semen. » Dein : « Grata et diuturna nimis jejunia, fili, Quæ sunt ducta mihi libro ex majore legenti, |
to meet the limit of our intellect, these were the first words where I caught the sense ; “Blessed be you, both Three and One, who show such favor to my seed.” And he continued ; “The long and happy hungering I drew from reading that great volume where both black |
| 45 | Pagina ubi alterne haud reddit mutata colorem, Solvisti, hunc intus splendorem luminis, unde Verba tibi emitto, hac plumas tibi dante, volatum Ausus sublimem. Quæ tu modo pectore versas, Ad me cuncta meare putas ex principe causa |
and white are never changed, you — son — have now appeased within this light in which I speak to you ; for this, I owe my gratitude to her who gave you wings for your high flight. You think your thoughts flow into me from Him who is the First — as from the number one, |
| 50 | Illa, non secus ac quintusque et sextus ab uno Exsurgit numerus, si quis satis addere novit. Quare quis fuerim, vel cur tibi lætior esse, Quam quisquam ex ista prodenti gaudia turba Nunc videar, non ulla fuit tibi causa rogandi. |
the five and six derive, if one is known — and so you do not ask me who I am and why I seem more joyous to you than all other spirits in this festive throng. |
| 55 | Quod credis, verum est ; nam plusque minusque beante Quæ fruitur vita turba omnis suspicit illud, In quo tu speculo pandis tua sensa, priusquam Hæc animo volvas. Verum ut sacri ignis amoris, Qui vigilare jubet pascentem lumina viso |
Your thought is true, for both the small and great of this life gaze into that mirror where, before you think, your thoughts have been displayed. But that the sacred love in which I keep my vigil with unending watchfulness, |
| 60 | Perpetuo et desiderio me suaviter urit, Plenius expletus maneat, vox libera, læta Et secura sonet, quæ vis aut corde volutas, Ad quæ mox decreta mihi responsa dabuntur. » Postquam respexi Dominam meque illa, priusquam |
the love that makes me thirst with sweet desire, be better satisfied, let your voice — bold, assured, and glad — proclaim your will and longing, to which my answer is decreed already.” I turned to Beatrice, but she heard me |
| 65 | Inciperem fari, audivit, vultuque sereno Annuit arridens, cupienti qui addidit alas. Tunc ego sic cœpi : « Sapientia et æstus amoris, Ex quo se vobis ostendit, quæ regit æque Cuncta, et pro meritis cuncta æquat, summa potestas, |
before I spoke ; her smile to me was signal that made the wings of my desire grow. Then I began : “As soon as you beheld the First Equality, both intellect and love weighed equally for each of you, |
| 70 | Uno respondent mensuræ pondere vobis : Nam solem propter, qui vos lustravit et ussit Luce sua atque æstu, sic unicuique facultas Utraque inest æque, nihil ut simile esse feratur. At studium, ac pariter mentis prudentia ob ipsam, |
because the Sun that brought you light and heat possesses heat and light so equally that no thing matches His equality ; whereas in mortals, word and sentiment — |
| 75 | Quam nostis, causam mortalia membra ferentum Alis diversas suerunt imponere pennas. Quare ego, qui vivo morti devotus, in ista Sortis inæqualis video me lege retentum ; Atque hæc causa fuit, cur parcam solvere grates |
to you, the cause of this is evident — are wings whose featherings are disparate. I — mortal — feel this inequality ; thus, it is only with my heart that I |
| 80 | Voce, ac lætitiæ plaudam modo corde paternæ. Te precor ipse quidem, o vivax mihi flamma topati, Hunc quæ thesaurum pretiosum gemma decoras, Per te explere tuo ut liceat mihi nomine mentem. » « O mea frons, per quam venit mihi tanta voluptas |
can offer thanks for your paternal greeting Indeed I do beseech you, living topaz, set in this precious jewel as a gem ; fulfill my longing — let me know your name.” “O you, my branch in whom I took delight |
| 85 | Solum exspectanti, en radix tua », talia contra Ille ; ac deinde inquit : « Qui primus nomina vestro Imposuit generi, et post centum atque amplius annos Certat adhuc primam montis superare coronam, Is meus est natus, bisavus tibi, cui decet ore |
even awaiting you, I am your root,” so he, in his reply to me, began, then said : “The man who gave your family its name, who for a century and more has circled the first ledge of Purgatory, was son to me and was your great-grandfather ; it is indeed appropriate for you |
| 90 | Et factis te jam longum resecare laborem. Antiquos intra fines Florentia stabat Pace fruens plena, parvo contenta pudensque. Non pictas acubus vestes, non illa corollas Cognorat, non, femellis quæ stringeret apte |
to shorten his long toil with your good works. Florence, within her ancient ring of walls — that ring from which she still draws tierce and nones — sober and chaste, lived in tranquillity. No necklace and no coronal were there, and no embroidered gowns ; there was no girdle |
| 95 | Crura, periscelidem ; nec quicquam, cingula præter, Formam fingebat. Nondum modo nata pavore Filia torquebat patrem ; nam tempora, dosque Hinc atque inde modum nunquam transire sinebant. Nulla domus, vacuam quam turba domestica morte |
that caught the eye more than the one who wore it. No daughter’s birth brought fear unto her father, for age and dowry then did not imbalance — to this side and to that — the proper measure. There were no families that bore no children ; |
| 100 | Deseruisset, erat. Nondum, qui in luminis oras ; Quicquid posset agi secreta in parte domorum, Ederet, ortus erat tristi alite Sardanapalus. Nondum Monsmarius monti, qui nomina primum Duxit ab aucupio, palmam cessisse priorem |
and Sardanapalus was still a stranger — not come as yet to teach in the bedchamber. Not yet had your Uccellatoio’s rise outdone the rise of Monte Mario, |
| 105 | Visus erat, qui, ut nunc superatur culmine in isto Ascensus, ita vincetur, dante urbe ruinam. His ego vidi oculis Bertin-Belincionem ossis Et corii ornatu vestitum incedere, et uxor Illius numquam a speculo fucata redibat. |
which, too, will be outdone in its decline. I saw Bellincione Berti girt with leather and with bone, and saw his wife come from her mirror with her face unpainted. |
| 110 | Del-Vecchium et Nerlum contentos simplice pelle Vidi, et matronas fusum pensumque trahentes. O fortunatas ! Tumuli secura paterni Singula erat. Necdum ulla toro deserta jacebat Gallorum ob gladios. Pueri cunabula propter |
I saw dei Nerli and del Vecchio content to wear their suits of unlined skins, and saw their wives at spindle and at spool. O happy wives! Each one was sure of her own burial place, and none — for France’s sake — as yet was left deserted in her bed. |
| 115 | Altera sidebat, verbis solata quietem, Quæ quondam patrum linguam matrumque juvabant. Atque colo mollem deducens altera crinem, Fallebat somnum, turba prope stante suorum, Iliacas memorans Fæsulasque urbemque Quirini. |
One woman watched with loving care the cradle and, as she soothed her infant, used the way of speech with which fathers and mothers play ; another, as she drew threads from the distaff, would tell, among her household, tales of Trojans, and tales of Fiesole, and tales of Rome. |
| 120 | Tum Cinguella, Lapus cognomine Saltarellus Nostro illi populo portentum tale fuissent, Quale foret vestro Cornelia, Cincinnatus. His ita tranquillis, ita pulchris moribus urbis, Tam fido populo, hospitio tam dulci et amico |
A Lapo Salterello, a Cianghella, would then have stirred as much dismay as now a Cincinnatus and Cornelia would. To such a life — so tranquil and so lovely — of citizens in true community, |
| 125 | Me dono dederat, genitrice vocante, Maria, Et veteri ex vestro sacrato fonte renatus CACCIAGUIDA fui, fratre et consorte Moronto Atque Elisæo. Prognata in fluminis ora Eridani conjux venit mihi. Nomen ab illa |
into so sweet a dwelling place did Mary, invoked in pains of birth, deliver me ; and I, within your ancient Baptistery, at once became Christian and Cacciaguida. Moronto was my brother, and Eliseo ; my wife came from the valley of the Po — |
| 130 | Filius is duxit, cujus tu nomine gaudes. Induperatoris dein sum vexilla secutus Conradi, ense latus qui mi præcinxit, honore Dignatus tanto propter benefacta merentem. Contra nequitiam sum illum comitatus euntem |
the surname that you bear was brought by her. In later years I served the Emperor Conrad — and my good works so gained his favor that he gave me the girdle of his knighthood. I followed him to war against the evil |
| 135 | Legis, qua populus tellurem usurpat et urbem, Pastoris culpa, quas vobis jura dederunt. Atque ita mi gentem fuit extricata per illam. Hæc anima ex mundo præsenti fallere, cujus Insidiosus amor multorum pectora turbat, |
of that law whose adherents have usurped — this, through your Pastors’ fault — your just possessions. There, by that execrable race, I was set free from fetters of the erring world, the love of which defiles so many souls. |
| 140 | Atque ea martyrio ad pacem fuit exitus hancce. » | From martyrdom I came unto this peace.” |
| PARADISI XVI {16} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | O curanda parum deducts a sanguine nostra Nobilitas, si humane doces jactare vetustum Pectora te propter decus hic, ubi languet amoris Flamma boni, nunquam fuerit mirabile visum |
If here below, where sentiment is far too weak to withstand error, I should see men glorying in you, nobility of blood — a meager thing! — I should not wonder, |
| 5 | Id mihi : quo nullo declinat calle cupido A vero, in cælo, si quid mihi gloria suasit. Ipsa quidem es vestis, quæ mox fit curta supellex, Ut, nisi quis student quicquam superaddere in horas, Te circum volitet tacitum cum forcipe tempus. |
for even where desire is not awry, I mean in Heaven, I too felt such pride. You are indeed a cloak that soon wears out, so that if, day by day, we add no patch, then circling time will trim you with its shears. |
| 10 | Vos, hac voce usus cœpi, quam passa loquelam est Roma prius, sed quam post non tenuere nepotes ; At quæ constiterat paulum semota BEATRIX Ridenti similis, quæ tunc tussivit, ubi error Primus, ut est scriptum, suasit peccare Ginevræ, |
My speech began again with you, the word that Rome was the first city to allow, although her people seldom speak it now ; at this word, Beatrice, somewhat apart, smiling, seemed like the woman who had coughed — so goes the tale — at Guinevere’s first fault. |
| 15 | « Vos estis pater, a vobis fiducia menti Plena meæ venit, vos sic me attollitis ultra Vires, ut major me sim. Tot fontibus haurit Mens mea lætitiam, ut per se sit facta beati Fons gaudii ; tamen in se se tenet unda, nec arctum |
So did my speech begin : “You are my father ; you hearten me to speak with confidence ; you raise me so that I am more than I. So many streams have filled my mind with gladness — so many, and such gladness, that mind must rejoice that it can bear this and not burst. |
| 20 | Effringit claustrum. Quare, carissima origo Prima meæ gentis, majores dicite vestros, Dicite, quæ primæ fuerint signata juventæ Tempora, nec pigeat vos dicere, ovile Joannis Quantum ibi tum fuerit, quique inter milia multa |
Then tell me, founder of my family, who were your ancestors and, in your boyhood, what were the years the records registered ; and tell me of the sheepfold of St. John — how numerous it was, who in that flock |
| 25 | Exstiterint digni magis altis sidere scamnis. » Flantibus ut ventis flamma in carbone resumit Vires, sic illam vidi splendescere lucem Has ad blanditias : atque ut mage pulchra refulsit Illa meis oculis, ita dulcius ore sonante, |
were worthy of the highest offices.” As at the breathing of the winds, a coal will quicken into flame, so I saw that light glow at words that were affectionate ; and as, before my eyes, it grew more fair, so, with a voice more gentle and more sweet — |
| 30 | Sed non, quo utuntur nostri, sermone locuta est : « Ex quo dixit ‹ Ave ! › cælo demissus ab alto Gabriël, ad tempus, quo in luminis edidit auras Me genitrix, quæ sancta modo est, repetisse Leonem Iste suum est visus quingentis orbibus ignis |
not in our modern speech — it said to me ; “Down from that day when Ave was pronounced, until my mother (blessed now), by giving birth, eased the burden borne in bearing me, this fire of Mars had come five-hundred-fifty and thirty more times to its Lion — there |
| 35 | Expletis, deciesque octonis, rursus ut ista Sub planta arderet. Patribus cunabula primis, Atque mihi dedit is locus, urbis ubi ultima sexta Est regio ex cursu, quem vobis ludus equorum Annuus absolvit. Nil de majoribus ultra. |
to be rekindled underneath its paw. My ancestors and I were born just where the runner in your yearly games first comes upon the boundary of the final ward. That is enough concerning my forebears ; |
| 40 | Qui fuerint, quæ causa illis hanc suaserit urbem Appetere, est tacuisse magis, quam dicere, honestum. Totus ibi populus, cui vis erat apta ferendis Armis, si incipias a Martis ad usque Joannis Cultum, quinta tuæ, quam scis modo vivere, gentis |
what were their names, from where they came — of that, silence, not speech, is more appropriate. All those who, at that time, between the Baptist and Mars, were capable of bearing arms, numbered one fifth of those who live there now. |
| 45 | Pars erat. Urbana at soboles, modo semine mixta Campi, Certaldi, Fighini, pura reperta est Infimum ad usque fabrum. Sed quanto optatius esset, Nunc quoque finitimis, quas dico, gentibus uti Sic, ut Tresplanus tantum et Galluppius urbi |
But then the citizens, now mixed with Campi, with the Certaldo, and with the Figline, were pure down to the humblest artisan. Oh, it would be far better if you had those whom I mention as your neighbors (and your boundaries at Galuzzo and Trespiano), |
| 50 | Terminus hæreret, quam has intra mœnia habere, Putoremque pati pago Agulione profecti Villici et alterius Signæ orti, jam nimis acris Ad fraudem. Nisi, quam plus degenensese videtis, In terris gens Augusto comperta noverca |
than to have them within, to bear the stench of Aguglione’s wretch and Signa’s wretch, whose sharp eyes now on barratry are set. If those who, in the world, go most astray had not seen Caesar with stepmothers’ eyes, |
| 55 | Esset, at ut proprio genitrix non rustica nato, Talis se jactat modo sanguine Florentinum, Mutat, mercatur, Semipontem qui ire cupisset, Patris ubi genitor parvæ stipis æs rogitabat. Montemurlus adhuc Comitum sub jure maneret |
but, like a mother to her son, been kind, then one who has become a Florentine trader and money changer would have stayed in Semifonte, where his fathers peddled, the Counts would still be lords of Montemurlo, |
| 60 | Contentus ; CERCHIque forent, ubi pastor Aconem Convocat ære cavo populum, et fortassis amarent, Nunc quoque Valdigravi tuta otia BONDELMONTES. Congeries confusa hominum fuit usque malorum Prima urbi labes, patinarum ut copia nostris |
the Cerchi would be in Acone’s parish, perhaps the Buondelmonti in Valdigreve. The mingling of the populations led to evil in the city, even as food piled on food destroys the body’s health ; |
| 65 | Corporibus ; citiusque cadit, qui luminis expers Taurus eat, quam agnus, pariter cui lumen ademptum est; Nec raro magis ac melius, quam quina, secabit Unica vis gladii. Si tecum fata revolvas Lunæ, Urbisaliæ, ut jam defluxere retroque |
the blind bull falls more quickly, more headlong, than does the blind lamb ; and the one blade can often cut more and better than five swords. Consider Luni, Urbisaglia, how they went to ruin (Sinigaglia follows, |
| 70 | Ut sublapsuræ sunt res Clusique Sinæque, Non tibi res nova erit gentes audire ruina Eversas, nec mira quidem, quando urbibus ipsis Finis adest. Ut vos, sunt vestra obnoxia morti Omnia, et hæc aliqua, quæ stat diuturna, latescit |
and Chiusi, too, will soon have vanished) ; then, if you should hear of families undone, you will find nothing strange or difficult in that — since even cities meet their end. All things that you possess, possess their death, just as you do ; but in some things that last |
| 75 | In re, at vestra brevis vita est. Atque orbis ad instar Lunam volventis, qui nudat litora et abdit, Nec datur ulla quies ; sic nunc fortuna vicissim Vestram urbem exercet. Quare haud mirare loquentem Me Florentinos, qui nunc capita alta ferebant, |
long, death can hide from you whose lives are short. And even as the heaven of the moon, revolving, respiteless, conceals and then reveals the shores, so Fortune does with Florence ; therefore, there is no cause for wonder in what I shall tell of noble Florentines, |
| 80 | Antiquam quorum celarunt tempora famam. Ugos, Osmanos vidi, Græcosque Philipposque, Atque Catellinos simul, et genus Alberichi, Jam claros titulis, sorte inclinante superbis, Et genere antiquo multos opibusque potentes. |
of those whose reputations time has hidden. I saw the Ughi, saw the Catellini, Filippi, Greci, Ormanni, Alberichi, famed citizens already in decline, and saw, as great as they were venerable, dell'Arca with della Sannella, and Ardinghi, Soldanieri, and Bostichi. |
| 85 | Portam ultra, nova perfidiæ quam pondera onustam Tam graviter vexant, ut jam jactura gementis Sit metuenda ratis, gens RAVIGNANA manebat, Unde comes GUIDUS, quique a BELLINCIONE alto Dein duxit nomen. Dominandi nulla latebat |
Nearby the gate that now is burdened with new treachery that weighs so heavily that it will bring the vessel to shipwreck, there were the Ravignani, from whose line Count Guido comes and all who — since — derive their name from the illustrious Bellincione. |
| 90 | Jam via PRESSENSEM, atque domi PALIGAIUS auro Ornarat capulum. Stabat jam magna columna, Quæ niveum et maculis distinctum insigne gerebat, Atque illi, admonitus modii quibus ora rubore Inficit. O quales vidi, quos turgida fastu |
And della Pressa knew already how to rule ; and Galigaio, in his house, already had the gilded hilt and pommel. The stripe of Vair had mightiness already, as did the Giuochi, Galli, and Barucci, Fifanti, and Sacchetti, and those who blush for the bushel ; and the stock from which spring the Calfucci was already mighty, and Sizzi and Arrigucci were already raised to high office. Oh, how great were those |
| 95 | Mens egit pessum ! atque globos prædivite ab auro, Per quos florebat cœpto Florentia in omni ! Haud secus illorum sese gessisse feruntur Patres, qui, quoties ecclesia vestra vacavit, Ipsi in concilio stantes sibi corpus obesum |
I saw — whom pride laid low! And the gold balls, in all of her great actions, flowered Florence. Such were the ancestors of those who now, whenever bishops’ sees are vacant, grow fat as they sit in church consistories. |
| 100 | Curarant. Inflata domus, quæ, — se ardua ut anguis Attollens contra fugientem suscitat iras, Nunc, si quis dentem ostendat loculumve sonantem, Mitescit velut agnus iners, — tum crescere primum Cœperat, at genere ex humili ; socerum Ubaldino |
The breed — so arrogant and dragonlike in chasing him who flees, but lamblike, meek to him who shows his teeth or else his purse — was on the rise already, but of stock so mean that Ubertin Donato, when |
| 105 | Incusante suum, hanc consanguinitate propinquam Quod sibi junxisset. Rem dicam haud credere dignam, Sed veram : Angustam populus veniebat in urbem Per portam, proprium cui gens PERUCCIA nomen Imposuit. Quicunque gerunt insigne Dynastæ |
his father-in-law made him kin to them, was scarcely pleased. Already Caponsacco had come from Fiesole down to the market ; already citizens of note were Giuda and Infangato. I shall tell a thing incredible and true : the gateway through the inner walls was named for the della Pera. All those whose arms bear part of the fair ensign |
| 110 | Magni perpulchrum, cujus nomenque decusque Solatur sacrata dies celeberrima Thomæ, Inde et militiam duxere et munera priva ; Quamvis conveniat vili cum furfure plebis Qui decus hoc hodie fulvo circumdedit auro. |
of the great baron — he whose memory and worth are honored on the feast of Thomas — received knighthood and privilege from him, though he whose coat of arms has fringed that ensign has taken sides now with the populace. |
| 115 | Jam GUADEROTTI domus et domus IMPORTUNI Stabat, et hic vicus multo pacatior esset, Si nova ab hoc longe vicinia prorsus abesset. Illa domus, vestri fletus fons primus, ob iram Justam, quæ tristi vos omnes funere mersit, |
The Gualterotti and the Importuni were there already ; were the Borgo spared new neighbors, it would still be tranquil there. The house of Amidei, with which your sorrows began — by reason of its just resentment, |
| 120 | Quam propter vobis perierunt gaudia vitæ, Cum sibi conjunctis multo florebat honore. Quam male, BONDELMONS, fugisti ducere sponsam, Consilio alterius captus ! Nam plurima tuba, Nunc tristis, tute lætanti incederet ore, |
which ruined you and ended years of gladness — was honored then, as were its close companions. O Buondelmonte, through another’s counsel, you fled your wedding pledge, and brought such evil! Many would now rejoice, who still lament, |
| 125 | Si Deus, ut primum portam nostræ urbis inisti, Teque tuosque Hæmæ tradendos ultro dedisset ! Scilicet id decuit lapidem, qui litore truncus Prospectat pontem, ut foret is, Florentia, vobis Victima postremæ pacis. Cum gentibus istis, |
if when you first approached the city, God had given you unto the river Ema! But Florence, in her final peace, was fated to offer up — unto that mutilated stone guardian upon her bridge — a victim. |
| 130 | Cumque aliis pariter, tanta est urbs pace potita, Ut nunquam luctus causa intercesserit ulla. Istas per gentes justum insignemque decore Usque adeo populum vidi, ut sua lilia nunquam Plorarit capite inverso pendentia ab hasta, |
These were the families, and others with them ; the Florence that I saw — in such repose that there was nothing to have caused her sorrow. These were the families : with them I saw her people so acclaimed and just, that on her staff the lily never was reversed, |
| 135 | Nec per dissidium rubro maculata colore. » | nor was it made bloodred by factious hatred.” |
| PARADISI XVII {17} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Qualis, ubi Clymenen adiit, sibi pignora certa Exposcens contra linguæ convicia acerbæ, Qui docuit natis minus indulgere parentes : Talis eram ac talem me senserat esse BEATRIX, |
Like Phaethon (one who still makes fathers wary of sons) when he had heard insinuations, and he, to be assured, came to Clymene, such was I and such was I seen to be |
| 5 | Ac sanctum lumen, quod pro me excesserat ultro Sede sua. Quare, quæ dux mihi et arbitra stabat : « Eructa flammam studii, quod pectore versas, » Dixit, « et erumpat signata impressaque clare Interiore typo ; non quod quicquam addere nostræ |
by Beatrice and by the holy lamp that — earlier — had shifted place for me. Therefore my lady said to me: “Display the flame of your desire, that it may be seen well-stamped with your internal seal, not that we need to know what you’d reveal, |
| 10 | Notitiæ per verba queas, at ut ipse suescas Enarrare sitim, donec quis misceat undam. » « O dilecta mihi, quæ sic extollere, planta, Ut, veluti mens nostra videt non posse triquetrum Binos accipere obtusos, ita cuncta, priusquam |
but that you learn the way that would disclose your thirst, and you be quenched by what we pour.” “O my dear root, who, since you rise so high, can see the Point in which all times are present — for just as earthly minds are able to see that two obtuse angles cannot be |
| 15 | Eveniant, venture vides, atque ordine cernis, In punctum inspiciens, quo tempora convenere ! Tunc cum VIRGILIO junctus vestigia traxi Per curantem animas montem ac per mortua regna, Multa mihi gravia audivi de sorte futuræ |
contained in a triangle, you can see contingent things before they come to be — while I was in the company of Virgil, both on the mountain that heals souls and when descending to the dead world, what I heard about my future life were grievous words — |
| 20 | Vitæ ; etsi invicto videar mihi robore sæptus Ictus fortunæ contra. Quare ista maneret Cura satis contenta mihi, si discere detur, Quæ mihi fata instent ; siquidem prævisa sagitta Fit violenta minus. » Luci sic ante locutæ |
although, against the blows of chance I feel myself as firmly planted as a cube. Thus my desire would be appeased if I might know what fortune is approaching me; the arrow one foresees arrives more gently.” |
| 25 | Dixi, confessus stadium prout ore BEATRIX Jusserat. Obscuris haud illa ambagibus usa est Assuetis animum vulgi captare, priusquam Insons indigna clausisset lumina morte Agnus divinus, qui tollit crimina mundi ; |
So did I speak to the same living light that spoke to me before; as Beatrice had wished, what was my wish was now confessed. Not with the maze of words that used to snare the fools upon this earth before the Lamb of God who takes away our sins was slain, |
| 30 | At claris usus verbis brevibusque paternus Ille amor inclusus proprio et sua gaudia risu Præportans infit : « Quicquid continget in horas Venturas, vestræ quod non se porrigit extra Materiæ tabulam, id totum sese explicat ante |
but with words plain and unambiguous, that loving father, hidden, yet revealed by his own smile, replied: “Contingency, while not extending past the book in which your world of matter has been writ, is yet |
| 35 | Conspectum æternum pictum : at non inde necessum More alio sumit, quam navis sponte secundo Flumine descendens, a spectatore sedente Pro speculo in ripa. Venit inde, ut fertur ad aures Dulcis ab organico sonitus, tibi sorte parata |
in the Eternal Vision all depicted (but this does not imply necessity, just as a ship that sails downstream is not determined by the eye that watches it). And from that Vision — just as from an organ the ear receives a gentle harmony — |
| 40 | Tempestas spectanda mihi. Ut discessit ab urbe Hippolytus patria crudelis fraude novercæ, Sic te proripias profugum Florentia oportet. Insidet hoc animis, agiturque, et mox bene cedet Volventi hoc, ubi stat semper mercabilis ære |
what time prepares for you appears to me. Hippolytus was forced to leave his Athens because of his stepmother, faithless, fierce; and so must you depart from Florence: this is willed already, sought for, soon to be accomplished by the one who plans and plots where — every day — Christ is both sold and bought. |
| 45 | Christus ; et offensam partem, ut fit, culpa sequetur, Judice vulgari fama ; sed proxima pœna Testis erit veri causam ulciscentis iniquam. Omnia, quæ fuerunt tibi pignora cara, relinques ; Atque hoc, exilii quod primum conjicit arcus, |
The blame, as usual, will be cried out against the injured party; but just vengeance will serve as witness to the truth that wields it. You shall leave everything you love most dearly; this is the arrow that the bow of exile |
| 50 | Est telum. Disces, ut sal sapit acre palato Alterius panis, quam sit via dura terenti Alterius scalas, sursum deorsumque meando. Quodque magis duro tua pondere terga gravabit, Improba erit comitum delabens turba tuorum, |
shoots first. You are to know the bitter taste of others’ bread, how salt it is, and know how hard a path it is for one who goes descending and ascending others’ stairs. And what will be most hard for you to bear will be the scheming, senseless company |
| 55 | Cum qua tu pariter vallem laberis in istam. Nam male grata tibi, et cæca deperdita mente, Impiaque adversans ruet in te tota ; sed ipsa Post paulo incedet tristi suffusa rubore. Exitus insani motus sic acta probabit, |
that is to share your fall into this valley; against you they will be insane, completely ungrateful and profane; and yet, soon after, not you but they will have their brows bloodred. Of their insensate acts, the proof will be |
| 60 | Ut pulchrum fuerit tibi consuluisse seorsim. Primum perfugium, hospitii spes prima quieti Veronensis erit magni natura benigna Portantis scalam, sancto super alite stante. Hic tu respiciet tam humanus, ut inter utrimque |
in the effects; and thus, your honor will be best kept if your party is your self. Your first refuge and your first inn shall be the courtesy of the great Lombard, he who on the ladder bears the sacred bird; and so benign will be his care for you |
| 65 | Dentem ac poscentem, qui alias solet esse secundus, Hic deprendatur primus. Deinde ipse videbis Hujus ita imbutum fortis virtute planetæ Natali a primo puerum, ut prælustria facta Exspectes. Nondum id gentes sensere, novellam |
that, with you two, in giving and in asking, that shall be first which is, with others, last. You shall — beside him — see one who, at birth, had so received the seal of this strong star that what he does will be remarkable. People have yet to notice him because |
| 70 | Ætatem propter, quem circum sidera tantum Explerunt novies orbem. Verum arte priusquam GUASCONIUS prava HENRICUM deceperit altum, Illius erumpet multas missura sagittas Virtus, aspernata aurum, aspernata laborem. |
he is a — for nine years and no more have these spheres wheeled around him — but before the Gascon gulls the noble Henry, some sparks will have marked the virtue of the Lombard; hard labor and his disregard for silver. |
| 75 | Magnificæ splendor vitæ quoque lumine claro Eminus, ac late sic effulgebit, ut hostes Haud possint tacitis hunc prætermittere linguis. Hunc tibi fac maneas, hujus benefactaque speres. Hunc propter faciem mutabit plurima turba, |
His generosity is yet to be so notable that even enemies will never hope to treat it silently. Put trust in him and in his benefits; his gifts will bring much metamorphosis — |
| 80 | Dives ubi ac pauper versa vice transiget ævum. Deque illo tibi corde feres hæc scripta sub imo, At non narrabis. » — Tum vero talia dixit Non habitura fidem coram cernentibus ista. Insuper hæc addit : « Sunt hæc, me interprete, fili, |
rich men and beggars will exchange their states. What I tell you about him you will bear inscribed within your mind — but hide it there”; and he told things beyond belief even for those who will yet see them. Then he added; |
| 85 | Quæ gravia audisti, perpessa, et facta dolosa Abdita, quæ emergent paucis labentibus annis. Non tamen invideas vicinis ; nam tibi vita Plus diuturna foret, quam tempus crimina tantæ Perfidiæ ulturum. » — Postquam subtegmina telæ, |
“Son, these are glosses of what you had heard; these are the snares that hide beneath brief years. Yet I’d not have you envying your neighbors; your life will long outlast the punishment that is to fall upon their treacheries.” After that holy soul had, with his silence, |
| 90 | Stamine quam intendit, se sat duxisse, silendo Sancta anima ostendit, cœpi, ut qui fluctuat anceps, Consilium poscens quem spectat, vultque seorsim, Atque amat. « Haud equidem, pater, ignoro, ut pede tempus Veloci properet me cædere vulnere, multo |
showed he was freed from putting in the woof across the web whose warp I set for him, I like a man who, doubting, craves for counsel from one who sees and rightly wills and loves, replied to him: “I clearly see, my father, how time is hurrying toward me in order |
| 95 | Asperiore homini, cui mens jam deficit æqua. Quare si caveam, bene erit, ne, patria adempta, Quod mihi plus carum est, alias mea carmina propter Amittam sedes. Loca per sine fine dolenda, Per montem, cujas jucundo a culmine Divæ |
to deal me such a blow as would be most grievous for him who is not set for it; thus, it is right to arm myself with foresight, that if I lose the place most dear, I may not lose the rest through what my poems say. Down in the world of endless bitterness, and on the mountain from whose lovely peak |
| 100 | Lumina pulchra meæ me deduxere, per astra Ex luce in lucem didici, quæ, vera referre Quum sim ausus, multis fuerint acri aspra sapore. Quod si subtimidus veri deprendar amicus, Inter eos timeo ne vitam amittere cogar, |
I was drawn upward by my lady’s eyes, and afterward, from light to light in Heaven, I learned that which, if I retell it, must for many have a taste too sharp, too harsh; yet if I am a timid friend of truth, I fear that I may lose my life among |
| 105 | Antiquum quibus est, quod præsens labitur, ævum. » Lux, sub qua risum pandebat copia tanti Thesauri mihi ibi inventi, primum ore corusco Fulsit, ut aurato in speculo flamma ignea solis. Exin respondit : « Tenebrosi conscia facti |
those who will call this present, ancient times.” The light in which there smiled the treasure I had found within it, first began to dazzle, as would a golden mirror in the sun, then it replied: “A conscience that is dark — |
| 110 | Sive suo sive alterius mens tacta pudore, Sentiet ista quidem verborum tela tuorum. Tu tamen, amota fingendi qualibet arte, Quicquid vidisti, manifesta luce locabis, Et sine, ubi prurit scabies, ibi scalpere quemque ; |
either through its or through another’s shame — indeed will find that what you speak is harsh. Nevertheless, all falsehood set aside, let all that you have seen be manifest, and let them scratch wherever it may itch. |
| 115 | Quodsi forte labris tenus invenietur amara Vox tua, vitalem succum concocta relinquet. Iste tuus mugitus erit, ceu flamina venti, Quæ majore ictu magis alta cacumina pulsant ; Idque hominis fuerit generosum pectus habentis. |
For if, at the first taste, your words molest, they will, when they have been digested, end as living nourishment. As does the wind, so shall your outcry do — the wind that sends its roughest blows against the highest peaks; that is no little cause for claiming honor. |
| 120 | Propterea sphæris licuit tibi cernere in istis, In monte, in diræ nigra formidine vallis Tantum animas, quarum sunt nomina cognita fama ; Nam mens illius, qui fanti accommodat aures, Nescit stare, fidem neque habet, si exempla sequantur, |
Therefore, within these spheres, upon the mountain, and in the dismal valley, you were shown only those souls that unto fame are known — because the mind of one who hears will not put doubt to rest, put trust in you, if given |
| 125 | Quorum sit radix plerisque ignota latensque, Aut si res minime claro se lumine prodat. » |
examples with their roots unknown and hidden, or arguments too dim, too unapparent.” |
| PARADISI XVIII {18} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Intus jam secum gaudebat vita beata Illa ; ego gustabam, quæ mecum corde movebam, Dulce acri miscens ; at, quæ me ad templa trahebat Alta Dei, mulier : Muta, quam pectore volvis, |
By now that blessed mirror was delighting in its own inner words; I, tasting mine, was tempering the bitter with the sweet. But she, the lady leading me to God, |
| 5 | « Curam », ait ; « id reputa, propius me astare levantem Omni animas onere injusto. » — Hæc pia verba profatum Solamen mihi suspexi ; at quo lumina amore Arderent sancto, minus aptus dicere mitto ; Non modo, quod verbis male fidam, sed quia mentis |
said: “Shift your thoughts: remember — I am close to Him who lightens every unjust hurt.” Hearing the loving sound my solace spoke, I turned. But here I have to leave untold what love I saw within her holy eyes, not just because I do not trust my speech, |
| 10 | Virtus haud posset, nullo ducente, regressum Per se ferre illuc. Id tantum dicere quirem, Me, dum nostra acies visum pascebat in illa, Omni alia cura pectus gessisse solutum. Dum recta in Dominam radians æterna voluptas |
but, too, because recall cannot retrieve that much, unless Another is its guide. This only — of that moment — can I tell; that even as I gazed at her, my soul was free from any other need as long as the Eternal Loveliness that shone on Beatrice directly, from her eyes, |
| 15 | Explebat suspectum oculi pulchro ore secundum, Illa ait unius domito mihi lumine visus : « Respice et ausculta ; neque enim modo cernere nostri Dant Paradisum oculi. » — Veluti hic quandoque videmus In vultu sensum mentis, si est tantus, ut omnes |
contented me with the reflected light. But, conquering my will with her smile’s splendor, she told me: “Turn to him and listen — for not only in my eyes is Paradise.” As, here on earth, at times our sentiment, if it be passionate enough to take |
| 20 | Auferat huic vires : sanctæ sic lucis in igne, In quem respexi, fuerat mihi lecta cupido Hortata hanc mecum ulterius non pauca profari : Hisque infit verbis : « In quinto hoc limine plantæ, Vivere cui vertex donat, quæ fructibus usque |
the soul entirely, shows in the face, so, in the flaming of the holy fire to which I turned, I saw that he desired some further words with me. And he began; “In this fifth resting place, upon the tree that grows down from its crown and endlessly |
| 25 | Luxuriat, nec fronde una spoliabitur unquam, Felices habitant animæ, quæ, regna priusquam Hæc devenerunt, magna sonuere per imum Fama orbem, ut quævis Musa exsultaret opima. Quare, si inspicias venerandi in cornua ligni, |
bears fruit and never loses any leaves, are blessed souls that, down below, before they came to heaven, were so notable that any poem would be enriched by them. Therefore look at the cross, along its horns; |
| 30 | Cujus ego nomen dicam, ille ibi fulguris instar Splendebit celeri findentis nubila flamma. » Per crucem ego aspexi jubar, unum, nomine tantum JOSUIS audito. Subito qui eruperit ignis, Nec dictum ante mihi, quam factum, nosse facultas |
those whom I name will race as swiftly as, within a cloud, its rapid lightnings flash.” Then, just as soon as Joshua was named, I saw a splendor thrust along the cross, nor did I note the name before the act. |
| 35 | Est data ; et excelsi MACCABÆI ad nomen, adactum Vidi alium magno circum sese orbe rotantem ; Vimque a lætitiæ ducebat verbere turbo. CAROLI ita est MAGNI pro nomine, ROLANDIque Nostra acies sectata duos, ceu suspicit auceps |
And at the name of noble Maccabaeus, I saw another flame wheel round itself, and gladness was the whip that spurred that top. So, too, for Charlemagne and Roland — my attentive eye held fast to that pair like |
| 40 | Falconem, rapidis qui sese sustulit alis. Deinde GUILELMUS simul et RINOARDUS et ille Sub Solyma ductor GODOFREDUS lumina ad istam Nostra crucem traxit, GUISCARDI et flamma ROBERTI. Deinde alias inter permota immixtaque luces, |
a falconer who tracks his falcon’s flight. The next to draw my eyes along that cross were William and Renouard and, too, Duke Godfrey and Robert Guiscard. Then, when he had left me and mingled with the other lights, the soul |
| 45 | Ipsius est monstrata mihi vita ante locuti, Cantores inter cælestes apta magistra. Tum latus in dextrum converti lumina, in ore Aut nutu Dominæ ut legerem, quid poscat honestas ; Illiusque oculos tam pura luce micantes, |
who had addressed me showed his artistry, singing among the singers in that sphere. I turned to my right side to see if I might see if Beatrice had signified by word or gesture what I was to do |
| 50 | Ac tam jucunda vidi, ut pulchrum decus horum Visa prius solitumque omnino vicerit usum. Atque ut, quem benefacta juvant, magis ille vir usque Se magis atque magis sentit virtutibus auctum : Sic mihi circuitu majore auxisse videbar |
and saw such purity within her eyes, such joy, that her appearance now surpassed its guise at other times, even the last. And as, by feeling greater joyousness in doing good, a man becomes aware that day by day his virtue is advancing, so I became aware that my revolving |
| 55 | Arcus et cæli tractum, quum pulchrius illud Portentum vidi : qualisque, pudore gravatum Si levet os mulier, versa vice candida tota est : Tale meos icit visus, ubi me rota vertit, Sextæ ob candorem stellæ, quæ lenius ardens |
with heaven had increased its arc — by seeing that miracle becoming still more brilliant. And like the rapid change that one can see in a pale woman’s face when it has freed itself from bearing bashful modesty, such change I, turning, saw: the red of Mars was gone — and now the temperate sixth star’s |
| 60 | Me ingressum accepit. Jovis illo in lumine vidi Fulgentem clare, qui est sideris incola, amorem, Signantemque meis oculis, quæ nostra loquela. Ac veluti volucres deserta pabula ripa, Gratantes sibi pæne, petunt, nunc agmine in orbem, |
white heaven welcomed me into itself. I saw within that torch of Jupiter the sparkling of the love that it contained design before my eyes the signs we speak. And just as birds that rise from riverbanks, as if rejoicing after feeding there, |
| 65 | Nunc structo in longum : sic intus lumina sanctæ Cantabant animæ volitantes, et modo signum D, nunc I, nunc Lque dabant in luce legendum. Cantantes prius in numerum se quæque movebant ; Mox versæ ex istis unam effecere figuram, |
will form a round flock or another shape, so, in their lights, the saintly beings sang and, in their flight, the figures that they spelled were now a D, now I, and now an L. First, they moved to the rhythm of their song; then, after they had finished forming one |
| 70 | Exin constiterunt et conticuere parumper. O divæ Aonides, quas propter gloria summa Contigit ingeniis, et longum vita per ævum, Illaque vobiscum populos fecere perennes, Sit vestro gaudere datum mihi lumine, ut harum |
letter, they halted for a while, in silence. O godly Pegasea, you who give to genius glory and long life, as it, through you, gives these to kingdoms and to cities, give me your light that I may emphasize |
| 75 | Signa legam, quo quamque modo mihi mente figuram Concepi ; ex istis pateat vestra incluta virtus Versiculis brevibus. Se monstravere per octo Terque novem mixtas vocales, con-que-sonantes ; Partesque, ut videor scriptas vidisse, notavi. |
these signs as I inscribed them in my mind; your power — may it appear in these brief lines! Those blessed spirits took the shape of eight plus three times nine vowels and consonants, and I noted the parts as they were spelled for me. |
| 80 | Diligite est primum visum signare, secundum Justitiam scriptum. Numeris tria claudere non est Ultima legitimis, qui judicatis terram. ᙢ dein in quinta scripturæ voce locatam Circumiere illi splendores ordine stantes |
DILIGITE JUSTITIAM were the verb and noun that first appeared in that depiction; QUI JUDICATIS TERRAM followed after. Then, having formed the ᙢ of the fifth word, those spirits kept their order; Jupiter’s |
| 85 | Sic, ut ibi argentum distinctum Juppiter auro Esse videretur. Reliquos descendere vidi, Litteræ ubi vertex exstabat, ibique manere Cantantes, credo, qui se ad se versat, amorem. Dein, ut percussis quos ignis torribus ussit |
silver, at that point, seemed embossed with gold. And I saw other lights descending on the apex of the ᙢ and, settling, singing — I think — the Good that draws them to Itself. Then, as innumerable sparks rise up |
| 90 | Innumeræ surgunt, oculo mirante, favillæ, Quas propter stultæ sibi captant omnia gentes, Milia splendorum sunt visa hinc surgere, et illa Altius attolli, illa minus, prout sorte parabat Sol illa accendens. Postquam sed singula sede |
when one strikes burning logs (and in those sparks fools have a way of reading auguries), from that ᙢ seemed to surge more than a thousand lights; and they climbed, some high, some low, just as the Sun that kindles them assigned positions. |
| 95 | Lux stetit in propria, tunc istam effingere vidi Eximiam flammam caput et collum alitis almi. Qui depingit ibi, ducentem haud consulit ullum, Sed cuncta is ducit, simul illi accepta refertur Virtus, quæ forma est nidis. Turba altera sancta, |
With each light settled quietly in place, I saw that the array of fire had shaped the image of an eagle’s head and neck. He who paints there has no one as His guide; He guides Himself; in Him we recognize the shaping force that flows from nest to nest. |
| 100 | Quæ contenta prius sua lilia circumferre ᙢ est visa mihi, modico venerabile signum Exegit motu. — O stellæ dulcissima flamma, O quæ et quanta oculis gemmarum copia nostris Ostendit, quicquid justi versatur in orbe |
The other lights, who were, it seemed, content at first to form a lily on the ᙢ, moving a little, formed the eagle’s frame. O gentle star, what — and how many — gems made plain to me that justice here on earth |
| 105 | Terrarum nostro, id totum descendere ab isto, Quod decoras, cælo ! Quare illi supplico menti, Unde oritur motus flammarum visque tuarum, Spectet eo, unde fluit vitians tua lumina fumus ; Ut plena iræ iterum jamjam male mulcat ementes, |
depends upon the heaven you engem! Therefore I pray the Mind in which begin your motion and your force, to watch that place which has produced the smoke that dims your rays, that once again His anger fall upon |
| 110 | Vendentesque intus sacri penetralia templi, Quondam ex martyriis et multis condita signis. O vos militiæ cæli, quarum agmina cerno, Vos precibus placate Deum pro gente profana, Quam pravum exemplum deduxit tramite recto. |
those who would buy and sell within that temple whose walls were built by miracles and martyrs. O hosts of Heaven whom I contemplate, for all who, led by bad example, stray within the life they live on earth, do pray! |
| 115 | Mos fuerat quondam gladiis bellare cruentis ; Nostri bella gerunt rapiendo hinc inde dolosi Panem, quem nulli patris pia dextera claudit. At tu, qui scribis tantum delere paratus, Id tecum reputa, qui profudere cruorem |
Men once were used to waging war with swords; now war means seizing here and there the bread the tender Father would deny to none. But you who only write to then erase, remember this: Peter and Paul, who died |
| 120 | Hoc pro vineto, quod tu vastare laboras, Et Petrum et Paulum quoque nunc protendere vitam, Quamvis hoc dicas : « Mihi jam stat certa voluntas, Illum sectari, cui visum est vivere soli, Et cujus solvit caput a cervice revulsum |
to save the vines you spoil, are still alive. Well may you say: “My longing is so bent on him who chose the solitary life |
| 125 | Pro saltu pretium fassi inter vulnera Christum, Nec Piscatoris, neque Pauli nomina novi. » |
and for a dance was dragged to martyrdom — I do not know the Fisherman or Paul.” |
| PARADISI XIX {19} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ante oculos aderat pansis pulcherrima imago Alis, exhilarans pleni in dulcedine gaudii Consertas animas, quarum mihi singula parvus Visa pyropus erat, sic flammans solis ab igne, |
The handsome image those united souls, happy within their blessedness, were shaping, appeared before me now with open wings. Each soul seemed like a ruby — one in which a ray of sun burned so, that in my eyes, |
| 5 | Ut mihi in adversos oculos refringeret illum. Et quod mox opus est mihi pingere, nulla referre Vox ausa est unquam, nulla unquam scribere dextra, Nec potuit virtus comprendere Dædala mentis. Conspexi audivique simul rostrum edere verba |
it was the total sun that seemed reflected. And what I now must tell has never been reported by a voice, inscribed by ink, never conceived by the imagination; for I did see the beak, did hear it speak |
| 10 | Ac resonare Meum simul, et Me guttura fantis, Nos ubi, vel Nostrum vere sententia poscit. Et cœpit : « Quod vita pie casteque peracta Est mihi, nunc istic splendorem tollor ad istum, Qui desiderio haud patitur se vincier ullo ; |
and utter with its voice both I and mine when we and ours were what, in thought, was meant. And it began: “Because I was both just and merciful, I am exalted here to glory no desire can surpass; |
| 15 | In terris ac tanta mei monumenta reliqui, Ut gentes adeo pravæ mea nomina laudent Et tamen exemplum fugiant. » Sic pluribus unus Sentitur calor ex prunis, veluti unus amorum Multorum sonus effigie veniebat ab ista. |
the memory I left on earth is such that even the malicious praise it there, although they do not follow its example.” Thus one sole warmth is felt from many embers, even as from a multitude of loves one voice alone rose from the Eagle’s image. |
| 20 | Quare ego tunc : « O æternum vernantis in ævum Lætitiæ flores, vestros mihi odore sub uno Mittentes cuncti singlariter undique odores, Solvite, spirantes, nostræ jejunia mentis, Quam fame torserunt longa, quia pabula nulla |
To which I said: “O everlasting flowers of the eternal gladness, who make all your fragrances appear to me as one, do let your breath deliver me from that great fast which kept me hungering so long, not finding any food for it on earth. |
| 25 | Inveni in terris. Equidem me scire fatebor Justum illum patrem, quamvis sese ipse videndum Ut speculum ostendat cæli per cetera scamna, Non huic sub velo sese præbere cohorti. Scitis, ut arrectus consistam audire paratus ; |
I know indeed that, though God’s Justice has another realm in Heaven as Its mirror, you here do not perceive it through a veil. You know how keenly I prepare myself |
| 30 | Non ignoratis quænam, male cura molesta, Ancipitem ex longo esuries collecta moretur. » Qualis ubi exsiluit sublato tegmine falco, Exagitat caput atque alis sibi plaudit apertis, Ostentatque inhians formoso in corpore robur : |
to listen, and you know what is that doubt which caused so old a hungering in me.” Just like a falcon set free from its hood, which moves its head and flaps its wings, displaying its eagerness and proud appearance, so |
| 35 | Tale illud signum contextum laudibus almi Flaminis aspexi, circum resonantibus hymnis, Quos didicere illic, qui æterna pace fruuntur. Dein : « Qui supremum normam circumtulit orbem, Totque ibi disposuit manifesta occultaque certo |
I saw that ensign do, that Eagle woven of praises of God’s grace, accompanied by songs whose sense those up above enjoy. Then it began: “The One who turned His compass to mark the world’s confines, and in them set so many things concealed and things revealed, |
| 40 | Ordine, non potuit propriam sic sculpere ubique Virtutem, sua quin spatium sapientia abesset Longe infinitum exsuperans. Res ipsa notavit ; Nam Tumidus primus, cui perfectissima forma Uni erat eximio, indocilis sibi poscere lumen, |
could not imprint His Power into all the universe without His Word remaining in infinite excess of such a vessel. In proof of this, the first proud being, he who was the highest of all creatures, fell — unripe because he did not wait for light. |
| 45 | Speque sua præceps, casu est delapsus acerbo. Atque hinc colligere est vobis, genus omne minoris Naturæ non esse Bono par fine carenti, Quod sibi mensura est soli et quod se capit unum. Ergo nostra acies, radio quæ oriatur oportet |
Thus it is clear that every lesser nature is — all the more — too meager a container for endless Good, which is Its own sole measure. In consequence of this, your vision — which must be a ray of that Intelligence |
| 50 | Ex aliquo mentis, cujus sunt omnia plena, Natura haud potis est tanta virtute valere, Ut non cognoscat se multo cernere primum Principium inferius re ; fitque, ut lumina, vestri Qualia sunt mundi, sese in penetralia mittant |
with which all beings are infused — cannot of its own nature find sufficient force to see into its origin beyond what God himself makes manifest to man; therefore, the vision that your world receives |
| 55 | Justitiæ æternæ, velut amplum per mare visus ; Qui, quanquam aspiciat riparum ex margine fundum, Non hunc inveniat, pelagus si ascendat in altum ; Est tamen ille, sed abscondunt vada cæca profundi. Lux nulla est, quæ non effulserit ore sereno, |
can penetrate into Eternal Justice no more than eye can penetrate the sea; for though, near shore, sight reaches the sea floor, you cannot reach it in the open sea; yet it is there, but hidden by the deep. Only the light that shines from the clear heaven |
| 60 | Quod nullum turbat tempus ; tenebræ omnia, carnis Umbra vel illius, dempta ista luce, venenum. Sat modo aperta patet clare latebra illa, vigentem Quæ tibi justitiam quondam celare solebat, Et tibi miranti suasit tam crebra rogare ; |
can never be obscured — all else is darkness or shadow of the flesh or fleshly poison. Now is the hiding place of living Justice laid open to you — where it had been hidden while you addressed it with insistent questions. |
| 65 | Quum tu dicebas : ‹ Quidam Gangetide in ora Nascitur, atque illic nemo est, qui nomine Christum Compellat, neque qui doceat scribatque legatque ; At recti huic mores, at nescia fallere vita, Omnia facta pie, semper casta, æqua voluntas, |
For you would say: ‘A man is born along the shoreline of the Indus River; none is there to speak or teach or write of Christ. And he, as far as human reason sees, in all he seeks and all he does is good; |
| 70 | Quoad ratio humanæ potuit pertingere mentis, Non facti aut verbi maculavit crimine vitam : Occidit, haud sacri ablutus baptismatis unda, Absque fide ; heu ubi justitia est, quæ damnat eundem ? Aut ubi culpa hujus, si nescit credere Christo ? › |
there is no sin within his life or speech. And that man dies unbaptized, without faith. Where is this justice then that would condemn him? Where is his sin if he does not believe?’ |
| 75 | Ecquis es, in cathedra qui vis considere judex, Ut rem discutias positam ultra milia centum, Vix aptus metiri oculo spatium unius ulnæ ? Certe illi, mecum qui percontatur acute, Ni Scriptura ausis vestris præcideret alas, |
Now who are you to sit upon the bench, to judge events a thousand miles away, when your own vision spans so brief a space? Of course, for him who would be subtle with me, were there no Scriptures to instruct you, then |
| 80 | Mira quidem, fateor, dubitandi causa fuisset. O curvæ in terras animæ, o caligine crassa Obductæ mentes ! Quæ per se prima voluntas Est bona perfectumque bonum, usque immota manebit : Id justum esse puta, quod totum congruit isti. |
there would be place for an array of questions. O earthly animals, o minds obtuse! The Primal Will, which of Itself is good, from the Supreme Good — Its Self — never moved. So much is just as does accord with It; |
| 85 | Nulla creata, licet per se optima, res trahit ipsam ; Quin immo hæc radians est istius unica origo. » Qualis, ubi saturam officiosa ciconia prolem Agnovit, sese nido secura volutat, Qualis et hæc, quæ matrem expleto ventre tuetur : |
and so, created good can draw It to itself — but It, rayed forth, causes such goods.” Just as, above the nest, the stork will circle when she has fed her fledglings, and as he whom she has fed looks up at her, so did |
| 90 | Tale fuit, me sic oculos utrosque tenente, Sacratum signum, coram tot mentibus alas Excutiens. Seque ultro rotans hæc voce canebat : « Quale tibi melos est istud, quod nulla facultas Est tibi discendi, tale est mortalibus illic |
the blessed image do, and so did I, the fledgling, while the Eagle moved its wings, spurred on by many wills in unison. Wheeling, the Eagle sang, then said: “Even as are my songs to you — past understanding — such is Eternal Judgment to you mortals.” |
| 95 | Consilium æternum. » Dein clara incendia sancti Flaminis in signo pariter composta quierunt, Per quod Romulidum est mundo venerabile nomen. Atque ipsum rursus : « Nemo regnum istud inivit, Qui non in solo statuit spem ponere Christo, |
After the Holy Ghost’s bright flames fell silent while still within the sign that made the Romans revered throughout the world, again the Eagle began: “No one without belief in Christ has ever risen to this kingdom — either |
| 100 | Aut prius, aut postquam clavis suspensus obivit. Ast en complures, qui, ‹ Christe, o Christe ! › frequentant, Quos multo minus hunc propter cum corpore vero Josaphat aspiciet vallis, quam nescia Christi Pectora queis fuerant ; ac talia Christicolarum |
before or after He was crucified. But there are many who now cry ‘Christ! Christ!’ who at the Final Judgment shall be far less close to Him than one who knows not Christ; |
| 105 | Sæcula Niliacæ niger arguet incola ripæ, Quum duo in aversas partes collegia abibunt : Unum in perpetuum locuples, unum omnium egenum. Dicere quid poterit vestris gens Persa tyrannis, Post ubi jam coram librum inspectabit apertum, |
the Ethiopian will shame such Christians when the two companies are separated, the one forever rich, the other poor. What shall the Persians, when they come to see that open volume in which they shall read |
| 110 | In quo cernere erit cuncta horum turpia facta ? Hic inter titulos Alberti quisque videbit Illum, quem calamus properabit tradere chartis, Quem propter Pragæ regnum invasere ruinæ ; Nec non mærorem, quo planget Sequana ripas, |
the misdeeds of your rulers, say to them? There one shall see, among the deeds of Albert, that which is soon to set the pen in motion, his making of a desert of Prague’s kingdom. There one shall see the grief inflicted on |
| 115 | Unius ob fraudem nummos corrumpere adorti, Quem fortis porcus fractum sub Tartara mittet. Nec non hic rabies stabit spectanda superbam Immissura sitim, Scotumque Anglumque furentes Quæ trahit, ut nequeant intra consistere metam ; |
the Seine by him who falsifies his coins, one who shall die beneath a wild boar’s blow. There one shall see the thirst of arrogance that drives the Scot and Englishman insane — unable to remain within their borders. |
| 120 | Nec non luxuries, et mollis vita Bohæmi, Regis et Hispani, queis nunquam cognita virtus, Nunquam accepta fuit. Claudi a Solyma hic probitatem Signum I declarat, contraria M notat ausa. Hic et avarities atque excors vita patebit |
That book will show the life of Lechery and ease the Spaniard led — and the Bohemian, who never knew and never wished for valor. That book will show the Cripple of Jerusalem — his good deeds labeled with an I [“1”] alone, whereas his evils will be under M [“1,000”] . That book will show the greed and cowardice |
| 125 | Illius, ignipotens quem detestata tyrannum est Insula, ubi Anchisis cecidit longæva senectus. Utque satis pateat, quam sit levis iste miserque, Truncabit Scriptura notas, quæ multa docebunt Exiguo in spatio. Et patrui fratrisque nefanda |
of him who oversees the Isle of Fire, on which Anchises ended his long life; and to make plain his paltriness, the letters that register his deeds will be contracted, to note much pettiness in little space. And all shall see the filthiness of both |
| 130 | Facta apparebunt, per quos tam strenua pubes, Atque corona duplex it cum grege currucarum. Quique Tago est rex, quique Danis dat jussa proterva, Quique typi Veneti simulavit fraude numisma Illyricus, noscentur ibi. Pannonia felix, |
his uncle and his brother, who dishonored a family so famous — and two crowns. And he of Portugal and he of Norway shall be known in that book, and he of Rascia, who saw — unluckily — the coin of Venice. O happy Hungary, if she would let |
| 135 | Si quando ulterius vexantem ferre recuset ! O felix, si, quo præcingitur undique, monte Sese Navarra armaret ! Sic credere dignum est ; Hoc etenim didicit jam Famaugusta, simulque Nicosia in regem pecudem queribunda susurrat, |
herself be wronged no more! Happy Navarre, if mountains that surround her served as armor! And if Navarre needs token of her future, now Nicosia and Famagosta offer — as men must see — lament and anger over |
| 140 | Qui, dum alias sequitur pecudes, excedere nescit. » | their own beast, with his place beside the others.” |
| PARADISI XX {20} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Quum, qui terrarum flammis opera omnia lustrat, Nostro præcipitat semiorbe, nitorque diei Undique conficitur, qui æther tantummodo ab ipso Ignescit primum, multarum lumine lucum, |
When he who graces all the world with light has sunk so far below our hemisphere that on all sides the day is spent, the sky, which had been lit before by him alone, immediately shows itself again |
| 5 | In quas una jubar fundit, renovata repente Ostendit decora ; atque mihi hæc succurrit imago Ætheris, ut mundi et ductorum insigne suorum In sancto tacuit rostro. Nam spicula viva Splendorum, magis atque magis flammantia, cantus |
with many lights reflecting one same source, and I remembered this celestial course when, in the blessed beak, the emblem of the world and of its guardians fell silent; for then all of those living lights grew more |
| 10 | Cœperunt mihi pro mentis virtute caducos. Dulcis Amor, dulci quem vestit gloria risu, Quantus eras illis medius fulgoribus ardens, Queis unus sanctos subdebat spiritus æstus ! Posteaquam cari lucentesque igne lapilli, |
resplendent, but the songs that they began were labile — they escape my memory. O gentle love that wears a smile as mantle, how ardent was your image in those torches filled only with the breath of holy thoughts! After the precious, gleaming jewels with which |
| 15 | Queis sextum vidi gemmatum fulgere lumen, Angelicis pariter fecere silentia linguis, Amnis ego sonitum vicini audire videbar, Qui lapides inter delabens, lucidus errat Nativum ostentans fecundum gramine culmen. |
the sixth of Heaven’s heavens was engemmed had ended their angelic song in silence, I seemed to hear the murmur of a torrent that, limpid, falls from rock to rock, whose flow shows the abundance of its mountain source. |
| 20 | Ac veluti a collo citharæ modulamina ducunt Formam, et ab ore cavo penetrabilis aura cicutæ, Non secus illud avis murmur, mora nec fuit ulla, Per collum ascendit, tanquam si hoc esset inane. Istic in vocem se vertit, et exiit istinc |
Even as sound takes shape at the lute’s neck, and even as the wind that penetrates the blow — hole of the bagpipe, so — with no delay — that murmur of the Eagle rose straight up, directly through its neck as if its neck were hollow; and that murmuring |
| 25 | Per rostrum ipsius, formam accepitque loquelæ, Qualem cor, in quo illa fuit mihi scripta, manebat. « Quæ mea pars visu pollet, propiusque tueri Dat vestris aquilis radiantis lumina solis, Attente inspicienda tibi est, » sic incipit illa ; |
became a voice that issued from its beak, taking the shape of words desired by my heart — and that is where they were transcribed. “Now you must watch — and steadily — that part of me that can, in mortal eagles, see and suffer the sun’s force,” it then began |
| 30 | « Namque ignes inter, quorum in me lucet imago, Qui in capite efficiunt oculos fulgore micantes, Illi præ reliquis summa ad fastigia scandunt. Pupulæ in orbe meæ medius qui fulgurat, ille est Flaminis æterni cantor, qui transtulit arcam |
to say to me, “because, of all the flames from which I shape my form, those six with which the eye in my head glows hold highest rank. He who gleams in the center, my eye’s pupil — he was the singer of the Holy Spirit, who bore the ark from one town to another; |
| 35 | Ex pago in pagum ; nunc discit carmina quanti Sint sua, propterea quod vero hæc pectore panxit, Quum videat sese pretio majore repensum. Deque supercilium quinis cingentibus, ille, Qui mihi stat propius rostrum, solatus amaras |
now he has learned the merit will can earn — his song had not been spurred by grace alone, but his own will, in part, had urged him on. Of those five flames that, arching, form my brow, he who is nearest to my beak is one |
| 40 | Est viduæ lacrimas natum lugentis ademptum : Nunc scit, quam magno constet contemnere Christum, Hanc dulcem expertus vitam, et contraria passus. Quique orbem sequitur, dictum mihi jam ante, sub arcu Qui supra est, vero confossus corda dolore |
who comforted the widow for her son; now he has learned the price one pays for not following Christ, through his experience of this sweet life and of its opposite. And he whose place is next on the circumference of which I speak, along the upward arc, |
| 45 | Tardavit mortem. Nunc scit non posse moveri Judicium æternum, quamvis in crastina verti Sæpe illic hodierna queant, dum vota precesque Huc veniant dignæ. Quique astat proximus alter, Codice cum legum, et genti se adscribere mecum, |
delayed his death through truthful penitence; now he has learned that the eternal judgment remains unchanged, though worthy prayer below makes what falls due today take place tomorrow. The next who follows — one whose good intention |
| 50 | Consilio suadente bono quod cessit amare, Decrevit Grajæ, Pastori cedere certus. Nunc discit, quare, quicquid deducitur æquo Atque bono incepto prave, non possit obesse Auctori, inde licet foret emersura ruina |
bore evil fruit — to give place to the Shepherd, with both the laws and me, made himself Greek; now he has learned that, even though the world be ruined by the evil that derives from his good act, that evil does not harm him. |
| 55 | Eversura orbem. Sed qui spectandus in arcu Est tibi declivi, nomen Guilelmus habebat, Quem pia deplorat tellus, cui CAROLUS atque FRIDRICUS vivi eliciunt ex pectore fletus. Nunc videt, ut justi regis cælum ardet amore ; |
He whom you see — along the downward arc — was William, and the land that mourns his death, for living Charles and Frederick, now laments; now he has learned how Heaven loves the just |
| 60 | Idque etiam ipse docet vultis fulgore coruscans. Quis, vestros inter priscis erroribus actos, Crederet Iliacum versari RIPHEA in isto Orbe oculi, et sanctis quintum sese addere flammis ? Nunc sat divinæ veniæ, quam cernere mundus |
ruler, and he would show this outwardly as well, so radiantly visible. Who in the erring world below would hold that he who was the fifth among the lights that formed this circle was the Trojan Ripheus? Now he has learned much that the world cannot |
| 65 | Non valet, iste videt, barathri licet ipse profundi Haud oculis possit propriis descendere in ima. » Qualis per liquidos tractus spatiatur alauda Primum voce canens, ac dein contenta silescit Extremum modulata melos, quo expletur abunde : |
discern of God’s own grace, although his sight cannot divine, not reach its deepest site.” As if it were a lark at large in air, a lark that sings at first and then falls still, content with final sweetness that fulfills, |
| 70 | Talis imago fuit mihi visa, impressa sigillo Æterni gaudii, quod, prout fert corde libido, Omne facit quale est. Et quum defixus et anceps Vitro essem similis referenti veste colorem, Quo fuit imbutum, non longum est passa morantem ; |
such seemed to me the image of the seal of that Eternal Pleasure through whose will each thing becomes the being that it is. And though the doubt I felt there was as plain as any colored surface cloaked by glass, it could not wait to voice itself, but with |
| 75 | Vique sibi propria : « Quidnam hoc ? » mi extorsit ab ore ; Quare lætitiam ingentem fulgore corusco Vidi exsultantem. Post hæc venerabile signum Luminibus magis accensis mihi talia reddit, Ne me suspensum post mire audita teneret : |
the thrust and weight of urgency it forced “Can such things be?” out from my lips, at which I saw lights flash — a vast festivity. And then the blessed sign — its eye grown still more bright — replied, that I might not be kept suspended in amazement: “I can see |
| 80 | « Ut novi, narrata mihi tu credere dignum Esse putas, quia testor ego ; at cognoscere non est, Qui possint fieri, et te, si sunt credita, fallunt. Stas homini similis, qui rem sat nomine novit ; Cernere at ipse nequit, quid sit, ni accesserit auctor, |
that, since you speak of them, you do believe these things but cannot see how they may be; and thus, though you believe them, they are hidden. You act as one who apprehends a thing by name but cannot see its quiddity unless another set it forth to him. |
| 85 | Qui doceat. Regnum cælorum a flamine amoris Vim patitur, vivaque a spe, cui victa voluntas Divina obsequitur, non, ut qui cedere victus Cogitur, at quia vult vinci, et sic victa benigno Ipsa animo vincit. Quæ prima, et quinta figurat |
Regnum cælorum suffers violence from ardent love and living hope, for these can be the conquerors of Heaven’s Will; yet not as man defeats another man; the Will of God is won because It would be won and, won, wins through benevolence. You were amazed to see the angels’ realm adorned with those who were the first and fifth |
| 90 | Vita supercilium, figit tibi corda stupore, Quod superum Alituum regionem cernis ab ipsis Ornatam. Haud isti, ut reris, sua corpora morte Deseruere obita venerati falsa Deorum Numina, sed Christum summa pietate colentes, |
among the living souls that form my eyebrow. When these souls left their bodies, they were not Gentiles — as you believe — but Christians, one |
| 95 | Unus passurum, passum alter. Nam unus ab Orco, Unde redit nemo ad frugem, remeavit ad ossa, Idque fuit merces spem vivam cordis habentis, Sperantis, se posse Deum prece flectere blanda, Illum morte obita ut superas revocaret ad auras. |
with firm faith in the Feet that suffered, one in Feet that were to suffer. One, from Hell, where there is no returning to right will, returned to his own bones, as the reward bestowed upon a living hope, the hope that gave force to the prayers offered God to resurrect him and convert his will. |
| 100 | Istaque, quam verbis compello, vita beata Regressa ad carnem, non longum ibi jussa morari, Illius est amplexa fidem, spes una salutis Qui fertur ; credens veri concepit amoris Ignem, ut post mortem fuerit dignata secundam |
Returning briefly to the flesh, that soul in glory — he of whom I speak — believed in Him whose power could help him and, believing, was kindled to such fire of true love that, when he died a second death, he was |
| 105 | Ista lætitia. Cælestis summa Parentis Gratia, sic alto dimanans flumine, ut unquam Nulla acies oculi in primam se immiserit undam, Alterius menti illuxit, quam propter amavit Is rectum, ac fuit in Teucris justissimus unus. |
worthy to join in this festivity. The other, through the grace that surges from a well so deep that no created one has ever thrust his eye to its first source, below, set all his love on righteousness, |
| 110 | Idcirco, aspirante Deo, multo ante futurum Is novit Christum redimentem sanguine mundum. Credere in hunc igitur statuit, cui deinde mephiti Vana superstitio haud potuit suffundere mentem, Immo is perversæ damnavit crimina gentis. |
so that, through grace on grace, God granted him the sight of our redemption in the future; thus he, believing that, no longer suffered the stench of paganism and rebuked those who persisted in that perverse way. |
| 115 | Huic tres pro sacro affuerunt baptismate Divæ, Quas orbe ex dextro licuit tibi cernere, mille Pluresque ante annos quam esset baptismate nasci. O virtus mentis, quæ homines prædestinat ante Ortum principium, quam te a radice remotam |
More than a thousand years before baptizing, to baptize him there were the same three women you saw along the chariot’s right-hand side. How distant, o predestination, is your root from those whose vision does not see |
| 120 | Aspiciunt illi, queis primam agnoscere causam Non est fas totam ! Vos, o mortalia corda, Discite judicium vestrum compescere habenis ; Nam nos ora Dei propius manifesta tuentes Ignoramus adhuc omnes, quos ille beandos |
the Primal Cause in Its entirety! And, mortals, do take care — judge prudently; for we, though we see God, do not yet know all those whom He has chosen; but within the incompleteness of our knowledge is |
| 125 | Legerit ; et dulce est pars hæc detracta levamen ; Nostrum namque bonum bonitate acquirit ab ista Perfectam summam, et quod vult divina Voluntas, Vult et nostra simul. » Sic hæc sanctissima imago, Ut daret obtusis oculis res cernere clare, |
a sweetness, for our good is then refined in this good, since what God wills, we too will.” So, from the image God Himself had drawn, what I received was gentle medicine; |
| 130 | Jucundam menti medicinam fecit egenæ. Utque bonum citharista bonus vibrantia fila Cantorem hortatur sectarier, unde per aures Gratior it cantus ; sic, dum est mihi talia fata, Splendores memini geminos vidisse beatos, |
and I saw my shortsightedness plainly. And as a lutanist accompanies — expert — with trembling strings, the expert singer, by which the song acquires sweeter savor, so, while the Eagle spoke — I can remember — I saw the pair of blessed lights together, |
| 135 | Non secus atque oculorum ictus concordat utrimque, Cum verbis pariter facularum summa movere. |
like eyes that wink in concord, move their flames in ways that were at one with what he said. |
| PARADISI XXI {21} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Jam defixa iterum Dominæ mea lumina ab ore Pendebant animusque simul, quacunque remotus Cura alia. Hæc autem risu parcebat, et inquit : « Si modo riderem, tu qualis filia Cadmi |
By now my eyes were set again upon my lady’s face, and with my eyes, my mind; from every other thought, it was withdrawn. She did not smile. Instead her speech to me began: “Were I to smile, then you would be |
| 5 | Ires in cinerem ; nam quo plus scandere templi Contigit æterni scalas, plus aucta decore Mi facies micat, ut nosti ; et ni temperet, ipsa Flammat ita, ut vis, qua polles, mortalis ad ignem Tantum frons esset, tonitru quæ scinditur uno. |
like Semele when she was turned to ashes, because, as you have seen, my loveliness — which, even as we climb the steps of this eternal palace, blazes with more brightness — were it not tempered here, would be so brilliant that, as it flashed, your mortal faculty would seem a branch a lightning bolt has cracked. |
| 10 | Sublatos nos stella tenet, quæ septima fulget Pectore sub Nemei flammas efflante Leonis, Quæ interius virtute hujus modo mixta coruscat. Attente vestiga oculis, atque utitor illis Ut speculo contra, quod se tibi sistit in isto |
We now are in the seventh splendor; this, beneath the burning Lion’s breast, transmits to earth its rays, with which his force is mixed. Let your mind follow where your eyes have led, and let your eyes be mirrors for the figure |
| 15 | Spectandum speculo, signum. » — Cuicunque daretur, Discere, qualis erat pendentis ab ore beato Esca mei visus, quum alio divertere jussus Mutavi curam ; facile esset fingere mente, Quam mihi jucundum fuerit parere magistræ |
that will appear to you within this mirror.” That man who knows just how my vision pastured upon her blessed face, might recognize the joy I found when my celestial guide had asked of me to turn my mind aside, |
| 20 | Cælicolæ, partem quum animus librasset utramque. Intra crystallum, quæ mundi circumit oras Nacta ducis nomen cari, quo rege jacebat Nequitiæ omne genus, scala aurea clara micante Sole mihi visa est se sic attollere in altum, |
were he to weigh my joy when I obeyed against my joy in contemplating her. Within the crystal that — as it revolves around the earth — bears as its name the name of that dear king whose rule undid all evil, I saw a ladder rising up so high |
| 25 | Ut non hanc oculo assequerer. Simul ipse videbam Per cunctos effusa gradus tot milia lucum Delabi, ut rerer, quicquid splendoris in æthra est, Istic diffusum. Ac veluti sub luce diei Prima cornices nativo more moventur |
that it could not be followed by my sight; I also saw so many flames descend those steps that I thought every light displayed in heaven had been poured out from that place. And just as jackdaws, at the break of day, together rise — such is their nature’s way — |
| 30 | Una, ut calfaciant torpentes frigore plumas : Deinde aliæ abscedunt, nec tangit cura regressus, Quaque abiere, aliæ redeunt, seseque rotantes Consistunt aliæ ; talis splendoribus esse Visa mihi est illis ratio ; namque undique cuncti |
to warm their feathers chilled by night; then some fly off and never do return, and some wheel back to that point where they started from, while others, though they wheel, remain at home; such were the ways I saw those splendors take as soon as they had struck a certain step, |
| 35 | Advenere simul, donec tetigere paratum Unicuique gradum, et qui proximus astitit ignis, Usque adeo fulsit clare, ut sim corde locutus : « Quem mihi præportas, facile est cognoscere amorem. Ast illa, unde mihi tempusque modumque manebam |
where they had thronged as one in radiance. The flame that halted nearest us became so bright that in my mind I said: “I see you clearly signaling to me your love. But she from whom I wait for word on how |
| 40 | Scitandi ac studium pariter cum voce premendi, Stat ; nec consultum male erit mihi, si qua rogare Ingratis mittam. » At quæ viderat ima tacentis Illius inspiciens in vultum, qui omnia cernit ; « Solve tuo », dixit, « ferventem in pectore curam. » |
and when to speak and to be silent, pauses; thus, though I would, I do well not to ask.” And she who, seeing Him who sees all things, had seen the reason for my silence, said to me: “Do satisfy your burning longing.” |
| 45 | Et cœpi : « Haud ego sum tanti, ut, cui verba remittas, Me dignum reputem ; sed te sine flectier hujus Promeritis, quæ dat mihi poscere, vita beata Lætitia occultata tua. Sit discere causam, Quæ mihi te admovit propius, nec dicere parce, |
And I began: “My merit does not make me worthy of reply, but for the sake of her who gives me leave to question you — a blessed living soul — who hide within your joy, do let me know the reason why you drew so near to me. And tell me, too, |
| 50 | Cur hoc dulce melos Paradisi cesset in orbe, Quod tam voce pia per sphæras diditur omnes Inferius ? » — Tunc illa mihi : « Mortalibus apta Aure vales veluti visu ; quare ista canorem Sphæra tenet, causas ob quas tenuisse BEATRIX |
why the sweet symphony of Paradise is silent in this heaven, while, below, it sounds devoutly through the other spheres.” “Your hearing is as mortal as your sight; thus, here there is no singing,” he replied, “and Beatrice, in like wise, did not smile. |
| 55 | Est tibi visa prius risum. Tantummodo lapsa Sum sanctæ gradibus scalæ, tibi ut obvia fiam Lætius accipiens verbis, ac, quo induor, igne. Nec mihi vis major præcurrere suasit amoris ; Tantus enim, majorque animas agit astra tenentes |
When, down the sacred staircase, I descended, I only came to welcome you with gladness — with words and with the light that mantles me. The love that prompted me is not supreme; above, is love that equals or exceeds |
| 60 | Æstus, ut ex fulgore patet cujusque micantis. At qui summus amor famulas nos esse paratas Consilio hortatur, quod digerit omnia solum, Dat sortes istic, quales tibi cernere fas est. » « Ipse quidem video, » respondi, « sacra lucerna, |
my own, as spirit-flames will let you see. But the deep charity, which makes us keen to serve the Providence that rules the world, allots our actions here, as you perceive.” “O holy lamp,” I said, “I do indeed |
| 65 | Quomodo liber amor satis ista regnet in aula, Ut legem æternæ rationis cuncta sequantur ; Ast istud mihi difficile est cognoscere, quare Te ratio ventura parans prædestinet unam Tot tibi consortes inter, quæ munere tali |
see how, within this court, it is your free love that fulfills eternal Providence; but this seems difficult for me to grasp; why you alone, of those who form these ranks, were he who was predestined to this task.” |
| 70 | Fungaris ? » — Nondum fueram postrema profatus, Quum parte usa sui pro centro illa ignea lampas, Ceu mola, veloci se circum turbine vertit. Exin, intus amor qui stabat, talia reddit : « Divinæ radius lucis super astat acute |
And I had yet to reach the final word when that light made a pivot of its midpoint and spun around as would a swift millstone. Then, from within its light, that love replied; “Light from the Deity descends on me; |
| 75 | Insinuans isti, cujus concludor in alvo. Via hujus conjuncta meæ, qua cetera cerno, Usque adeo super extollit me, ut numinis esse, Unde emuncta venit, videam. Hinc mea gaudia flammant ; Namque mihi visus acies, quoad clara, redundat |
it penetrates the light that enwombs me; its power, as it joins my power of sight, lifts me so far beyond myself that I see the High Source from which that light derives. From this there comes the joy with which I am aflame; I match the clearness of my light |
| 80 | Æquo splendorem flammæ. Sed da mihi quamvis In cælis animam, quæ plus clarescere digna est ; Da Seraphim, qui plus divini in spicula solis Obtutus teneat fixos, tibi me ista roganti Non satis is faciet. Nam sic se immittit in altum |
with equal measure of my clear insight. But even Heaven’s most enlightened soul, that Seraph with his eye most set on God, could not provide the why, not satisfy what you have asked; for deep in the abyss |
| 85 | Æternæ legis pelagus, quod discere averes, Ut sit discissum quavis a mente creata. Quumque feres reditum mundi ad mortalia sæcla, Hoc referes, ne quis nimium confident audax Ad tantum se posse pedes appellere signum. |
of the Eternal Ordinance, it is cut off from all created beings’ vision. And to the mortal world, when you return, tell this, lest men continue to trespass and set their steps toward such a reachless goal. |
| 90 | Quæ mens hic lucet, terrarum est fumida in orbe ; Quare fac reputes, qui illic præstare valebit, Quod non ipsa queant cælestibus addita Divis. » Sic mihi sermo hujus præscripsit. Quare ego misi Quærere, devenique illuc, ubi voce rogavi |
The mind, bright here, on earth is dulled and smoky. Think: how, below, can mind see that which hides even when mind is raised to Heaven’s height?” His words so curbed my query that I left behind my questioning; and I drew back |
| 95 | Demisse, quænam fuerit, dum membra gerebat. « Italiæ surgunt inter duo litora saxa, Non procul a vestræ distantia mœnibus urbis, Usque adeo, ut murmur tonitrus immugiat infra ; Gibbarem et efficiunt illum, cui Catria nomen, |
and humbly asked that spirit who he was. “Not far from your homeland, between two shores of Italy, the stony ridges rise so high that, far below them, thunder roars. These ridges form a hump called Catria; |
| 100 | Infra quam sacrata ædes deserta locorum Sola tenet, soli cultum exhibitura supremo Terræ ac Cælorum Domino. » — Sic tertius infit Sermo hujus ; deinde hæc pergens verba insuper addit : « Hic vixi servire Deo sic certus, ut esca |
a consecrated hermitage beneath that peak was once devoted just to worship.” So his third speech to me began; then he continued: “There, within that monastery, in serving God, I gained tenacity; |
| 105 | Solo aspersa oleo perferrem frigus et æstum Perleviter, curam contentus figere in unam Cor animumque, Deum meditans ac totus in illo. Ubertim his cælis jam suebat reddere claustrum Illud : inane modo factum est, ut oporteat omnes |
with food that only olive juice had seasoned, I could sustain with ease both heat and frost, content within my contemplative thoughts. That cloister used to offer souls to Heaven, a fertile harvest, but it now is barren — as Heaven’s punishment will soon make plain. |
| 110 | Mox esse admonitos. PETRUS DAMIANUS habebam : Nomen ibi : Hadriacum prope litus in æde Mariæ Olim PETRUS eram PECCATOR. Mi breve vitæ Mortalis restabat iter, quum sæpe rogatum, Quæsitumque diu ad rubrum traxere galerum, |
There I was known as Peter Damian and, on the Adriatic shore, was Peter the Sinner when I served Our Lady’s House. Not much of mortal life was left to me when I was sought for, dragged to take that hat |
| 115 | Qui ruit in pejus, quo hunc plus transfundere curant Advenere CEPHAS et sancto flamine plenum VAS MAGNUM, ambo illi pariter macri pede nudo, Orantes panem cujusque ad limina portæ. At nostræ ætatis pastores bracchia poscunt |
which always passes down from bad to worse. Once there were Cephas and the Holy Ghost’s great vessel: they were barefoot, they were lean, they took their food at any inn they found. But now the modern pastors are so plump |
| 120 | Queis fulti hinc atque hinc ascendant, bracchia poscunt, Quæ se deducant, membrorum mole gravantur Tanta, seque retro sustollant. Tegmine vestis Quadrupedem propriæ obvolvunt, ut pelle sub una Binæ ita beluæ eant. Eheu patientia, quæ tam |
that they have need of one to prop them up on this side, one on that, and one in front, and one to hoist them saddleward. Their cloaks cover their steeds, two beasts beneath one skin; o patience, you who must endure so much!” |
| 125 | Ista diu pateris ! » — Sed verba sub ista gradatim Complures vidi faculas descendere agique Circum, illisque decus renovabat singulus orbis. Circumiere istam ac steterunt tantoque susurro Clamavere omnes, ut nullum quiveris isti |
These words, I saw, had summoned many flames, descending step by step; I saw them wheel and, at each turn, become more beautiful. They joined around him, and they stopped, and raised a cry so deep that nothing here can be |
| 130 | Istinc assimilare sonum ; nec vent ad aures Verborum cantus, tanto superante tonitru. |
its likeness; but the words they cried I could not understand — their thunder overcame me. |
| PARADISI XXII {22} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Quum tota hæreret mihi mens oppressa stupore, Quæsivi Dominam, quæ me ducebat, ut infans Confugiens semper, quo plus confidit ; at illa Ilicet, ut mater præsens succurrere proli |
Amazement overwhelming me, I — like a child who always hurries back to find that place he trusts the most — turned to my guide; and like a mother quick to reassure |
| 5 | Pallidæ, anhelanti, qua animum solet addere, voce, Sic ait : « An nescis, te cæli templa tenere ? An nescis, sanctum cælorum, quicquid ubique est ? Quæque istic fiunt, studio fieri omnia recto ? Quomodo concentus te transmutasset et ore |
her pale and panting son with the same voice that she has often used to comfort him, she said: “Do you not know you are in Heaven, not know how holy all of Heaven is, how righteous zeal moves every action here? Now, since this cry has agitated you |
| 10 | In nostro risus, nunc est tibi fingere mente, Si tanto is clamor concussit pectora motu : In quo si audisses carmen commune precantum, Jam tibi nota foret, quam cernes, morte priusquam Occumbas, pœnam. Qui istinc stat pendulus ensis, |
so much, you can conceive how — had you seen me smile and heard song here — you would have been confounded; and if you had understood the prayer within that cry, by now you would know the revenge you’ll see before your death. The sword that strikes from Heaven’s height is neither |
| 15 | Non cito, nec tarde cædit, nec fallere quemquam Est solitus, præter properantum optata, metumque Pœnam exspectantum. — Ast alias jam suspice flammas ; Nam valde illustres animas, si lumina nostro, Ut dico, a vultu abducas, fulgere videbis. » |
hasty nor slow, except as it appears to him who waits for it — who longs or fears. But turn now toward the other spirits here; for if you set your sight as I suggest, you will see many who are notable.” |
| 20 | Ut visum est illi, reliqua omnia circumspexi, Et centum vidi globulos splendere, simulque Pulchris se alterius radiis ornare vicissim. Stabam more viri sub corde prementis acutum Mucronem desiderii, nec voce rogare |
As pleased my guide, I turned my eyes and saw a hundred little suns; as these together cast light, each made the other lovelier. I stood as one who curbs within himself the goad of longing and, in fear of being |
| 25 | Audentis : refugit fixos transire pudoris Fines urgendo nimis ; at quæ maxima, quæque Has inter baccas nitidissima luce micabat, Prodiit, ipsa satis per se factura studenti Discere ; et ex alvo interior vox promere verba |
too forward, does not dare to ask a question. At this, the largest and most radiant among those pearls moved forward that he might appease my need to hear who he might be. |
| 30 | Hæc audita fuit : « Si esset tibi cernere amorem, Ut mihi, qui hic ardet, timidus quæ discere mussas, Prompsisses ; at ne, dum exspectas, tardius altum Ad finem venias, propere responsa remittam, Ad quæ tu tanto fari prohibere rubore. |
Then, in that light, I heard: “Were you to see, even as I do see, the charity that burns in us, your thoughts would have been uttered. But lest, by waiting, you be slow to reach the high goal of your seeking, I shall answer what you were thinking when you curbed your speech. |
| 35 | Mons, ubi Cassinus divo super insidet, olim Gente fuit celebris multa, quæ culmen adibat, Quo malus hanc error mens et perversa trahebat. Isque ego sum, primus qui nomen ferre sub auras Hic studui illius, qui terris vera reclusit, |
That mountain on whose flank Cassino lies was once frequented on its summit by those who were still deluded, still awry; and I am he who was the first to carry up to that peak the name of Him who brought |
| 40 | Per quæ mortales adeo tolluntur in altum. Atque hic tanta meis respondit gratia votis, Ut mihi mox dederit cultu deducere iniquo, Qui mundum illexit, vicinos undique pagos. Præstantes animæ, quas contemplatio ad astra |
to earth the truth that lifts us to the heights. And such abundant grace had brought me light that, from corrupted worship that seduced the world, I won away the nearby sites. These other flames were all contemplatives, |
| 45 | Vexit, sunt ignes alii, quos ille perussit Æstus, qui flores ac sanctos edere fructus In terris solet. Hic MACCARIUS, hic ROMUALDUS, Hic assunt fratres, qui gressum in claustra tulere Constantes, ut ego. » — Tum : « Qui tibi talia », dixi, |
men who were kindled by that heat which brings to birth the blessed flowers and blessed fruits. Here is Macarius, here is Romualdus, here are my brothers, those who stayed their steps in cloistered walls, who kept their hearts steadfast.” I answered: “The affection that you show |
| 50 | « Fanti elucet amor, simul et præsentia comis, Quam video atque noto manifestam in quolibet igne, Sic mihi cor fidens expandit, ut ignea solis Virtus sæpe rosam, quæ, quanta est, crescit aperta. Quare quæso, pater, dic et da discere certo, |
in speech to me, and kindness that I see and note within the flaming of your lights, have given me so much more confidence, just like the sun that makes the rose expand and reach the fullest flowering it can. |
| 55 | An speranda mihi sit gratia tanta precanti, Ut modicum detur, posito velamine, formam Mi spectare tuam ? » Tunc is mihi : « Frater, abunde, Quæ sic alta cupis, venient potiunda recepto Extremam in sphæram, quæ cetera vota meumque |
Therefore I pray you, father — and may you assure me that I can receive such grace — to let me see, unveiled, your human face.” And he: “Brother, your high desire will be fulfilled within the final sphere, as all the other souls’ and my own longing will. |
| 60 | Explet. Ibi quævis perfecta, integra cupido Et matura fuat. Tenet in se quicquid ubique est Illa ibi sola, ubi semper erat : nam nullibi nixa est ; Non habet illa polos, sed scala hæc scandit ad ipsam, Quare sese oculo sic subtrahit alta tuenti. |
There, each desire is perfect, ripe, intact; and only there, within that final sphere, is every part where it has always been. That sphere is not in space and has no poles; our ladder reaches up to it, and that is why it now is hidden from your sight. |
| 65 | Usque illuc ipsam pertingere parte superna ISACIDES vidit, quum apparuit agmine pressa Alituum cæli tanto. At vestigia terris, Hanc ut conscendat, nemo divellere curat, Atque ibi chartarum damno composta remansit |
Up to that sphere, Jacob the patriarch could see that ladder’s topmost portion reach, when it appeared to him so thronged with angels. But no one now would lift his feet from earth to climb that ladder, and my Rule is left to waste the paper it was written on. |
| 70 | Regula, quam dederam. Muri, cœnobia quondam, Sunt modo speluncæ facti, nostrique cuculli Apparent sacci vitiato furfure pleni. At Deus haud odit tantum grave fenus, ut illum Fructum, quo monachi sic insanire videntur. |
What once were abbey walls are robbers’ dens; what once were cowls are sacks of rotten meal. But even heavy usury does not offend the will of God as grievously as the appropriation of that fruit which makes the hearts of monks go mad with greed; |
| 75 | Nam quicquid servat custos ecclesia, id omne Pauperis est poscentis opem sub imagine Christi, Non jam cognati, nec deterioris amici. Vestra adeo blanda est caro, ut haud satis esse putetur Inceptum felix illic a roboris ortu |
for all within the keeping of the Church belongs to those who ask it in God’s name, and not to relatives or concubines. The flesh of mortals yields so easily — on earth a good beginning does not run from when the oak is born until the acorn. |
| 80 | Ad glandes. Opus hoc PETRUS est aggressus inanis Argenti atque auri : jejunia nostra precesque FRANCISCI, ac pietas quam demississima claustri Fundarunt proprii murum ; et si cœpta revolvas Cujusque, ac repetas inde usque hoc temporis ævum, |
Peter began with neither gold nor silver, and I with prayer and fasting, and when Francis began his fellowship, he did it humbly; if you observe the starting point of each, and look again to see where it has strayed, |
| 85 | Candida nigrantem dices duxisse colorem. Vere versa retro Jordanis lympha recurrens Plus fuit, atque, volente Deo, rubri fuga fluctus, Mira oculis hominum, quam isti medicina dolori. » Hic ita ; et inde suos petiit. Dein turba coacta |
then you will see how white has gone to gray. And yet, the Jordan in retreat, the sea in flight when God had willed it so, were sights more wonderful than His help here will be.” So did he speak to me, and he drew back to join his company, which closed, compact; |
| 90 | Tota, velut turbo, sese in sublime recepit. Dulcis me mulier pone illos impulit uno Indicio, ut sanctæ superarem altissima scalæ ; Sic virtus hujus naturam vicerat ægram. Nec fuit hic unquam loca per sublimia et ima |
then, like a whirlwind, upward, all were swept. The gentle lady — simply with a sign — impelled me after them and up that ladder, so did her power overcome my nature; and never here below, where our ascent |
| 95 | Tam celer a nostræ naturæ robore motus, Ut rapido posset cursu me æquare volantem. Sic mihi fas fuerit. Rursus spectare triumphum Illum, mi lector, quem propter crimina vitæ Lugeo sæpe meæ et plango mihi pectora palmis ; |
and descent follow nature’s law, was there motion as swift as mine when I took wing. So, reader, may I once again return to those triumphant ranks — an end for which I often beat my breast, weep for my sins — |
| 100 | Ut tibi demissum tam raptim avertere pruna Non esset digitum, quam cernere contigit astrum Post Taurum veniens, sensique ingressus in ipsum. O luces almæ, o magna virtute repletum Lumen, cui, quotacunque esset, debere fatebor |
more quickly than your finger can withdraw from flame and be thrust into it, I saw, and was within, the sign that follows Taurus. O stars of glory, constellation steeped in mighty force, all of my genius — |
| 105 | Vim totem ingenii ! Vobiscum exibat, et oras Vobiscum occiduas repetebat præpete cursu Ille pater generans mortalia sæcula cuncta, Quum primum Etruscis ego cœpi vescier auris. Post ubi largita est tantum mihi gratia donum, |
whatever be its worth — has you as source; with you was born and under you was hidden he who is father of all mortal lives, when I first felt the air of Tuscany; |
| 110 | Ut præcelsa rotæ fastigia adire liceret, Quæ vos circumagit, regionem agnoscere vestram Est mihi sorte datum. Modo vestros suspicit ignes Suspirans anima ista pie, ut virtute potiri Durum iter aggressæ detur, quod me attrahit ad se. |
and then, when grace was granted me to enter To you my soul now sighs devotedly, that it may gain the force for this attempt, hard trial that now demands its every strength. |
| 115 | « Jam se summa Salus sistit sic proxima, » cœpit Dux mea, « ut et claris, et acutis lucibus uti Jam te posse rear. Quare consiste, priusquam Te mergas illuc, despectans. Aspice, quantum Sub pedibus mundum tibi subjecisse videbor. |
“You are so near the final blessedness,” so Beatrice began, “that you have need of vision clear and keen; and thus, before you enter farther, do look downward, see what I have set beneath your feet already; much of the world is there. If you see that, |
| 120 | Quare sensa tibi quam jucundissima prodat Pectus, ubi occurrat venienti turba triumphans, Per cæli convexa hujus quæ læta propinquat. » Septenos iterum cælos ego lumine totos Lustravi, talemque globum mihi cernere nostrum |
your heart may then present itself with all the joy it can to the triumphant throng that comes in gladness through this ether’s rounds.” My eyes returned through all the seven spheres and saw this globe in such a way that I |
| 125 | Contigit, ut vili aspectu decerpserit ore Invito risum ; ac melius sentire videtur Qui minimi hunc faciat, vereque est æquus habendus, Longe diversas qui agitat sub pectore curas. Natam Latona incensam vidi, atque sine umbra, |
smiled at its scrawny image: I approve that judgment as the best, which holds this earth to be the least; and he whose thoughts are set elsewhere, can truly be called virtuous. I saw Latona’s daughter radiant, |
| 130 | Quæ mihi causa fuit, cur olim mente putarim Hanc raram ac densam. Hic, Hyperione nate, tuorum Spicula sustinui splendorum, quoque rotentur Impete te circum natus Maja atque Dione, Miratus didici, ut moderetur Juppiter igni |
without the shadow that had made me once believe that she contained both rare and dense. And there, Hyperion, I could sustain the vision of your son, and saw Dione and Maia as they circled nearby him. The temperate Jupiter appeared to me |
| 135 | Nati, algoque patris. Stationes causa novandi Tunc patuit. Vidi septena hæc corpora, quanta, Qualia erant, qualique ibant velocia motu, Utque potita situ distanti singula cedant. Areola hæc, quæ nos adeo facit esse feroces, |
between his father and his son; and I saw clearly how they vary their positions. And all the seven heavens showed to me their magnitudes, their speeds, the distances of each from each. The little threshing floor that so incites our savagery was all — |
| 140 | Me simul æterna verti cum prole gemella, Tota mihi a summo se ostendit ad usque profundum : Exin pulchra meis quæsivi lumina rursus. |
from hills to river mouths — revealed to me while I wheeled with eternal Gemini. My eyes then turned again to the fair eyes. |
| PARADISI XXIII {23} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Ceu nido incumbens frondes avis inter amicas Dulcia natorum prope corpora, nocte tegente Omnia, ut optato aspectu potiatur et esca Hos alat inventa, duros solata labores. |
As does the bird, among beloved branches, when, through the night that hides things from us, she has rested near the nest of her sweet fledglings |
| 5 | Tempus prævertit, ramoque insistit aperto Et desiderio manet ardenti aurea solis Spicula, prospectans defixo lumine, donec Tandem Eos surgat ; mea sic arrecta tenebat Diva oculos speculata plagam, sub qua ire videtur |
and, on an open branch, anticipates the time when she can see their longed-for faces and find the food with which to feed them — chore that pleases her, however hard her labors — as she awaits the sun with warm affection, steadfastly watching for the dawn to break; so did my lady stand, erect, intent, |
| 10 | Sol properante minus cursu. At quum lumina circum Volventem aspicerem ac suspensam, ut qui optat, et idem Quiddam aliud vellet, spem et præcipiente quiescit Pectore contentus, sic ora oculosque ferebam. Sed breve præteriit tempus punctum inter utrumque ; |
turned toward that part of heaven under which the sun is given to less haste; so that, as I saw her in longing and suspense, I grew to be as one who, while he wants what is not his, is satisfied with hope. But time between one and the other when |
| 15 | Quo mansi, dico et vidi clarescere cælum Et magis ac magis ; et simul hæc est fata BEATRIX : « Ecce tibi ingentem Christi sectata triumphum Agmina, et has sphæras peragrantem qui manet omnis Te fructus. » Mihi visus erat flammescere totus |
was brief — I mean the whens of waiting and of seeing heaven grow more radiant. And Beatrice said: “There you see the troops of the triumphant Christ — and all the fruits ingathered from the turning of these spheres!” It seemed to me her face was all aflame, |
| 20 | Huic vultus, tantamque oculis diffundere plenis Lætitiam, ut cogar fructus id linquere inane. Qualis sub noctem ridet pleno orbe serenam Æthereas inter pulcherrima Delia nymphas, Omnia pingentes cæli loca ; milia supra |
and there was so much gladness in her eyes — I am compelled to leave it undescribed. Like Trivia — at the full moon in clear skies — smiling among the everlasting nymphs who decorate all reaches of the sky, |
| 25 | Splendorum astantem vidi, qui lumine cunctis Donabat splendere suo, solem, ut solet iste Omnia luce sua perfundere signa superna. Et jubare ex vivo caro fulgida translucebat In visus tam clara meos, ut ferre nequirem. |
I saw a sun above a thousand lamps; it kindled all of them as does our sun kindle the sights above us here on earth; and through its living light the glowing Substance appeared to me with such intensity — my vision lacked the power to sustain it. |
| 30 | O mihi dux dulcis, dux o mihi cara, BEATRIX ! Illa mihi : « Quæ te virtus domat, omnia frangit. Hic sapientia adest. pariterque potentia pandens Cælum inter terramque vias, quas plurima longum Jam vota optarunt. » — Ut ruptis nubibus ignis, |
O Beatrice, sweet guide and dear! She said to me: “What overwhelms you is a Power against which nothing can defend itself. This is the Wisdom and the Potency that opened roads between the earth and Heaven, the paths for which desire had long since waited.” Even as lightning breaking from a cloud, |
| 35 | Qui non se capit, expansus petit ima, rebellis Naturæ ; haud aliter, tanta inter pabula fines Exsuperans arctos, se ipsa mens major abivit, Nec, quæ tum fierent, nunc est meminisse facultas. « Pande oculos, qualisque ego sim modo, suspice, » dixit ; |
expanding so that it cannot be pent, against its nature, down to earth, descends, so did my mind, confronted by that feast, expand; and it was carried past itself — what it became, it cannot recollect. “Open your eyes and see what I now am; |
| 40 | « Talia vidisti, ut valeas jam ferre tuendo Risum impune meum. » Stabam, ut qui visa requirit Oblita excussus, frustra hæc revocare laborans, Tanta ubi promissa audivi, et tam digna favore Grati animi, et nunquam ex libro delenda docente |
the things you witnessed will have made you strong enough to bear the power of my smile.” I was as one who, waking from a dream he has forgotten, tries in vain to bring that vision back into his memory, when I heard what she offered me, deserving of so much gratitude that it can never be canceled from the book that tells the past. |
| 45 | Præterita. At vero si nunc cuncta ora sonarent, Jucundo quæ lacte magis pinguescere turbæ Aonidum dederunt, mihi opem latura canenti Risum almum, utque dabat clarescere purius ori Formoso hic risus, pars haud millesima veri |
If all the tongues that Polyhymnia together with her sisters made most rich with sweetest milk, should come now to assist my singing of the holy smile that lit the holy face of Beatrice, the truth would not be reached — not its one-thousandth part. |
| 50 | Huc subeat. Quare Paradisum pingere adortus, Sacratum saltu me transiluisse poëma Confiteor, qualis qui offendit forte recisum, Quod peragrabat, iter. Sed qui grave mente volutet Pondus materiæ ac tergum mortale gravatum, |
And thus, in representing Paradise, the sacred poem has to leap across, as does a man who finds his path cut off. But he who thinks upon the weighty theme, and on the mortal shoulder bearing it, |
| 55 | Haud iste arguerit tanta sub mole trementem. Non iter est parvæ cumbæ, quod tendit arandum Prora audax, non est navarchi, qui sibi parcat. « Cur mea te facies », inquit, « tanto ardet amore, Ut non aspicias pulchri decora alma vireti, |
will lay no blame if, burdened so, I tremble; this is no crossing for a little bark — the sea that my audacious prow now cleaves — nor for a helmsman who would spare himself. “Why are you so enraptured by my face as to deny your eyes the sight of that |
| 60 | Quod se sub Christi radiis florum ornat honore Omnigeno ? Hic rosa inest, in qua sibi sumere carnem Divinum voluit Verbum, hic se lilia tollunt, Quorum pandit odor callem, qui ad sidera duxit. » Sic mea Dux ; et ego totus parere paratus |
fair garden blossoming beneath Christ’s rays? The Rose in which the Word of God became flesh grows within that garden; there — the lilies whose fragrance let men find the righteous way.” Thus Beatrice, and I — completely ready |
| 65 | Hujus consiliis, ægre certamina inivi Pupillæ rursus. Ceu, puro sole micante Per nubem fractam, jam pictum floribus hortum Umbris tecta mei viderunt lumina visus ; Sic ego splendorum vidi plura agmina ab igne |
to do what she might counsel — once again took up the battle of my feeble brows. Under a ray of sun that, limpid, streams down from a broken cloud, my eyes have seen, while shade was shielding them, a flowered meadow; so I saw many troops of splendors here |
| 70 | Desuper ardenti fulgentum ; at cernere fontem Haud mihi posse datum est. O, quæ sic imprimis illos, Percomis virtus ! Voluisti scandere in altum, Illic largitura locum haud tua ferre valenti Spicula. Formosi floris, quem semper adoro |
lit from above by burning rays of light, but where those rays began was not in sight. O kindly Power that imprints them thus, you rose on high to leave space for my eyes — for where I was, they were too weak to see You! The name of that fair flower which I always |
| 75 | Et mane et sero, nomen majoris ad ignem Lucis tota anima, toto me pectore traxit ! Atque ubi, quæ vincit Superos, ut vicerat imos, Qualisque et quanta est, oculos mihi vivida pinxit Stella, intra cælum fax est descendere visa |
invoke, at morning and at evening, drew my mind completely to the greatest flame. And when, on both my eye-lights, were depicted the force and nature of the living star that conquers heaven as it conquered earth, descending through that sky there came a torch, |
| 80 | Sub forma annelli, quails solet esse coronæ, Præcinxitque illam, ac se circumfusa rotavit. Harmoniæ quodcunque genus, quod dulcius auri Hic sonat, atque animum magis attrahit, esset ad istam, Ut nubes quæ rupta tonat, citharam, unde coronam |
forming a ring that seemed as if a crown; wheeling around her — a revolving garland. Whatever melody most sweetly sounds on earth, and to itself most draws the soul, would seem a cloud that, torn by lightning, thunders, if likened to the music of that lyre which sounded from the crown of that fair sapphire, |
| 85 | Pulchra refert cælos Sapphirus clarius ornans. « En ego sum, sum Amor Angelicus, qui circumit altam Lætitiam puro spirantem e VIRGINIS alvo, Qui desiderii statio fuit hospita nostri. Atque ibo circum, o Dominatrix incluta cæli, |
the brightest light that has ensapphired heaven. “I am angelic love who wheel around that high gladness inspired by the womb that was the dwelling place of our Desire; so shall I circle, Lady of Heaven, until |
| 90 | Dum prolem ibis pone tuam, sphæramque supremam Plus diam efficies, illi quod es addita regno. » Ista melos circumductum sub carmina habebat Finem, unaque aliæ luces sonuere Mariam. Regia, quæ cingit cunctos vertigine gyros |
you, following your Son, have made that sphere supreme, still more divine by entering it.” So did the circulating melody, sealing itself, conclude; and all the other lights then resounded with the name of Mary. The royal cloak of all the wheeling spheres |
| 95 | Stelliferos, vestis mage fervida, cuique ministrant Plus vitæ Patris mores atque halitus almus, Nos super interius distantia concava habebat Sic, ut, ubi steteram, mihi se nondum illa videnda Præberent : quæ causa fuit, cur copia nulla |
within the universe, the heaven most intense, alive, most burning in the breath of God and in His laws and ordinance, was far above us at its inner shore, so distant that it still lay out of sight |
| 100 | Sit data luminibus nostris servare sequendo Posse coronatam flammam sublime petentem Ad genitum usque suum. — Velut infans, bracchia tendit Qui satur ad matrem, dum risu prodit amorem : Sic se protendit quisque ex candoribus illis |
from that point where I was; and thus my eyes possessed no power to follow that crowned flame, which mounted upward, following her Son. And like an infant who, when it has taken its milk, extends its arms out to its mother, its feeling kindling into outward flame, each of those blessed splendors stretched its peak |
| 105 | Vertice sublato, ut norim, quam corde Mariam Diligerent grato. Deinceps illi ante stetere Ora mihi, usque adeo dulci, « Regina », canendo, « Cæli ! » concentu, ut nunquam mihi mente voluptas Exciderit. Quanta est ubertas condita in illis |
upward, so that the deep affection each possessed for Mary was made plain to me. Then they remained within my sight, singing “Regina cæli” with such tenderness that my delight in that has never left me. Oh, in those richest coffers, what abundance |
| 110 | Arcis divitibus, terræ bona semina doctis Mandare ! Hic vita est, juvat hic gaudere reposto Thesauro, quem, qui exul erat Babylonis in urbe, Auro ibi neglecto, aggessit partum haud sine fletu. Hic sub progenie, cujus genus a Patre summo |
is garnered up for those who, while below, on earth, were faithful workers when they sowed! Here do they live, delighting in the treasure they earned with tears in Babylonian exile, where they had no concern for gold. Here, under the high Son of God and Mary, |
| 115 | Cunctorum Domino, et Maria sub matre triumphat Victor cum antiquis credentibus atque novellis, Qui claves servat, per quas regnum itur in istud. |
together with the ancient and the new councils, he triumphs in his victory — he who is keeper of the keys of glory. |
| PARADISI XXIV {24} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Juncta sodalicio sacra turba, electa beati Grandem agni ad cenam, te sic pascentis abunde, Ut desiderii usque tui sint gaudia plena ; Gratificante Deo, si est prælibare potestas |
“O fellowship that has been chosen for the Blessed Lamb’s great supper, where He feeds you so as always to fulfill your need, since by the grace of God, this man receives |
| 5 | Huic data, quod vestra cadit ex mensa, ante diei Horam postremam quam ipsi præscripserit ætas ; Stet posita ante oculos vobis immensa cupido Ipsius, ac paulum vestro hunc aspergite rore. Nam fons, unde fluunt, tacite quæ cogitat intus, |
foretaste of something fallen from your table before death has assigned his time its limit, direct your mind to his immense desire, quench him somewhat: you who forever drink from that Source which his thought and longing seek.” |
| 10 | Vobis usque patet. » Sic est affata BEATRIX. Tum vero illæ animæ lætæ se vertere in orbes Sphærarum sese circum, stante axe, rotantum, More cometarum flammantes. Utque videre est Usque in machinulis lapsas strepitantibus horas |
So Beatrice; and these delighted souls formed companies of spheres around fixed poles, flaming as they revolved, as comets glow. And just as, in a clock’s machinery, |
| 15 | Sic volvi circlos, si advertas, ut prior unus Sit similis stanti, extremusque volare putetur ; Sic illæ choreæ plaudentes dispare motu ; Prout rapidæ aut lentæ, cujusque expendere opum vim Visus edocuere meos. Quæ est visa notari |
to one who watches them, the wheels turn so that, while the first wheel seems to rest, the last wheel flies; so did those circling dancers — as they danced to different measures, swift and slow — make me a judge of what their riches were. |
| 20 | Dignior egregiam ob speciem, splendore refulsit Felici usque adeo, ut nullum mage fulgere lumen Ferret ; terque BEATRICEM circum igne voluta, Fudit ab ore melos tam divum, ut vivida mentis Vis mihi non revocet. Quare hoc mea littera saltu |
From that sphere which I noted as most precious, I saw a flame come forth with so much gladness that none it left behind had greater brightness; and that flame whirled three times round Beatrice while singing so divine a song that my imagination cannot shape it for me. |
| 25 | Præterit, ac mitto describere ; namque facultas Quælibet ingenii, nedum oris copia nostri, Quum studet hos similare sinus, utetur inepte Vivaci fuco. — « Alma soror, quæ supplice voce Sic pia stas coram flammata exercita cura, |
My pen leaps over it; I do not write; our fantasy and, all the more so, speech are far too gross for painting folds so deep. “O you who pray to us with such devotion — my holy sister — with your warm affection, |
| 30 | Tu sphæræ illius pulchræ mihi vincula solvis. » Deinde sacer cessans ignis sua flamina vertit In Dominam, hæc post dicta, meam ; et jam talibus infit : « Magni o lux æterna Viri, cui tradere claves Est nostro visum Domino, quas detulit alto |
you have released me from that lovely sphere.” So, after he had stopped his motion, did the blessed flame breathe forth unto my lady; and what he said I have reported here. She answered: “O eternal light of that great man to whom our Lord bequeathed the keys |
| 35 | Ex gaudii regno miri, haud tentare recusa Istum de levibus gravibusque, ut corde cupido Fert rogitare, tuæ fidei quæ dogmata poscunt, Per quam tu incolumis super undas æquoris ibas. An bene amet, speretne bene, et bene credat, apertum |
of this astonishing gladness — the keys He bore to earth — do test this man concerning the faith by which you walked upon the sea; ask him points light and grave, just as you please. That he loves well and hopes well and has faith |
| 40 | Est tibi, qui speculum figis tua lumina in illud, In quo picta vides quæcunque amplectitur omne. Sed quoniam ob veram regna hæc cælestia cives Accivere fidem, hanc jussos decorare triumphis ; Hanc tractaturum par est te accedere ad istum. » |
is not concealed from you: you see that Place where everything that happens is displayed. But since this realm has gained its citizens through the true faith, it rightly falls to him to speak of faith, that he may glorify it.” |
| 45 | Ac veluti sumptis stat baccalaureus armis, Nec mutit, donec, monitus scrutante magistro, Certet, sed litem non est componere certus : Sic argumenti mecum genus omne struebam, Fante illa, ut tanto me respondere paratum |
Just as the bachelor candidate must arm himself and does not speak until the master submits the question for discussion — not for settlement — so while she spoke I armed myself with all my arguments, preparing for such a questioner and such professing. |
| 50 | Quærenti offerrem, et mihi credita vera fateri. « O bone Christicola, hic jam nunc tua promito sensa, Fare : fides quidnam est ? » Frontem jubar extuli ad illud, Quod sic spirabat ; deinde est inspecta BEATRIX. Annuit illa, ut aquam fonte interiore reclusam |
On hearing that light breathe, “Good Christian, speak, show yourself clearly: what is faith?” I raised my brow, then turned to Beatrice, whose glance immediately signaled me to let the waters of my inner source pour forth. |
| 55 | Effundi sinerem. « Quæ dat mihi gratia coram Primipilo, qui sit mihi sensus, fari, » ego cœpi, « Det quoque sat claros educere pectore sensus. » Tum porro : « Ut tibi dilectus, Pater optime, frater, Qui tecum Romam meliore in calle locavit, |
Then I: “So may the Grace that grants to me to make confession to the Chief Centurion permit my thoughts to find their fit expression”; and followed, “Father, as the truthful pen of your dear brother wrote — that brother who, with you, set Rome upon the righteous road — |
| 60 | Jam scripsit : Rerum, quas nos sperare jubemur, Vera fides fulcrum est ; argumentumque latentum Mortales hominum visus : talis natura videtur Illius esse mihi. » — Dein hæc audita loquela est : « Tu recte sentis, si recte intellegis, illam |
faith is the substance of the things we hope for and is the evidence of things not seen; and this I take to be its quiddity.” And then I heard: “You understand precisely, if it is fully clear to you why he |
| 65 | Qui inter res simul interque argumenta reponat. » Mox ego : « Quæ sese mihi dent arcana colenda, Sic latitant falluntque imæ mortalia gentis Lumina, ut, hæc vere esse, fides pro teste sit una, Qua spes alta sedet, stante ut fundamine, nixa : |
has first placed faith among the substances and then defines it as an evidence.” I next: “The deep things that on me bestow their image here, are hid from sight below, so that their being lies in faith alone, and on that faith the highest hope is founded; |
| 70 | Inde rei solidæ ipsa fides sibi nomina sumit. Atque fide ex ista par est deducere robur Argumentorum, haud alia ducente lucerna ; Hanc etenim dico logicam. » — Tum audita loquela est : « Si, quicquid vobis doctrina discere fas est, |
and thus it is that faith is called a substance. And it is from this faith that we must reason, deducing what we can from syllogisms, without our being able to see more; thus faith is also called an evidence.” And then I heard: “If all one learns below |
| 75 | Sic animo quisque acciperet, locus esse sophistæ Ingenio haud posset. » Vox hæc ex flamine amoris Illius incenso venit ; dein talibus infit : « Tum nota, tum pondus pensi bene convenit æris. At fare, an proprio ex loculo deprompseris istud ? » |
as doctrine were so understood, there would be no place for the sophist’s cleverness.” This speech was breathed from that enkindled love. He added: “Now this coin is well-examined, and now we know its alloy and its weight. But tell me: do you have it in your purse?” |
| 80 | Huic ego : « Ita hoc servo tam fulgens tamque rotundum, Ut typus haud quicquam incerti mihi habere putetur. » Exin ex luce est vox hæc emissa profunda, Quæ splendebat ibi : « Gemma hæc carissima, qua stat Nixa omnis virtus, unde est tibi ? » Talibus illa. |
And I: “Indeed I do — so bright and round that nothing in its stamp leads me to doubt.” Next, from the deep light gleaming there, I heard; “What is the origin of the dear gem that comes to you, the gem on which all virtues |
| 85 | Ast ego : « Largifluus divini flaminis imber, Cujus in antiquis diffusa est copia chartis Inque novis, firma mihi pro ratione valebit Semper sic præsente, ut quælibet esset ad illam Vis demonstrandi evincens obtusa futura. » |
are founded?” I: “The Holy Ghost’s abundant rain poured upon the parchments old and new; that is the syllogism that has proved with such persuasiveness that faith has truth — when set beside that argument, all other demonstrations seem to me obtuse.” |
| 90 | Deinde hæc audivi : « Doctrina antiqua recensque, Quæ sic concludit, cur est tibi sacra loquela ? » Tunc ego : « Facta probant istam testantia veram, Ad quæ non ferro, non est incudibus usa Dædala naturæ virtus. » — Vox hæcce remisit : |
I heard: “The premises of old and new impelling your conclusion — why do you hold these to be the speech of God?” And I: “The proof revealing truth to me relies on acts that happened; for such miracles, nature can heat no iron, beat no anvil.” |
| 95 | « Quæ tibi cautio erit, quæso, hæc narrata fuisse ? Illud idem, quod adhuc manet argumenta probantis, Nemo tibi jurat. » « Si ostentis excita nullis Amplexa est tellus Christum, hæc mirabilis una Res facit, ut reliquis non sit centesima virtus, » |
“Say, who assures you that those works were real?” came the reply. “The very thing that needs proof — no thing else — attests these works to you.” I said: “If without miracles the world was turned to Christianity, that is so great a miracle that all the rest are not its hundredth part: for you were poor |
| 100 | Dixi ; « tu campum pauper, jejunus inisti, Egregiam ut sereres plantam, quæ fertilis uvis Jam fuit, at facta est modo sentis. » Verba sub ista Insonuere : Deum laudamus ! carmine in illo Concentuque, melos quod sunt cantare sueti |
and hungry when you found the field and sowed the good plant — once a vine and now a thorn.” This done, the high and holy court resounded throughout its spheres with “Te Deum laudamus,” sung with the melody they use on high. |
| 105 | In cælo Divi. — At majestas Principis illa, Quæ sic ex ramo ad ramum me traxerat usque Excutiens, donec jamjam ad folia ultima ventum est : « Quæ se mente tua delectat gratia, » dixit, « Hactenus, ut decuit, responsis ora resolvit ; |
Then he who had examined me, that baron who led me on from branch to branch so that we now were drawing close to the last leaves, began again: “That Grace which — lovingly — directs your mind, until this point has taught |
| 110 | Sic ut, quæ emersere, probem ; sed promere oportet, Quæ credenda putas, atque unde tibi obvia venit Ista fides. » — « Pater alme, o mens, cui cernere fas est, Quæ jam credideras sic, ut vicisse feraris, Qui pedibus melior properavit adire sepulcrum ; |
you how to find the seemly words for thought, so that I do approve what you brought forth; but now you must declare what you believe and what gave you the faith that you receive.” “O holy father, soul who now can see what you believed with such intensity that, to His tomb, you outran younger feet,” |
| 115 | Mi clarare jubes fidei, quæ credita prompte est, Hic formam ac pariter causam, qua insederit ista In me credulitas ; et respondere paratum Invenies », dixi. « Mihi creditur unicus, unus Æternusque Deus, qui totum haud motus olympum |
I then began, “you would have me tell plainly the form of my unhesitating faith, and also ask me to declare its source. I answer: I believe in one God — sole, eternal — He who, motionless, moves all |
| 120 | Ipse movet desiderio flammante et amore. Nec solum fecere fidem, subjecta fideli Quæ mihi sunt oculo, vel quæ scrutata profundum Mens humana refert, sed veri lucidus imber, Qui pluit hinc large, Mose fundente, Prophetisque |
the heavens with His love and love for Him; for this belief I have not only proofs both physical and metaphysical; I also have the truth that here rains down through Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms |
| 125 | Et Psalmis, Evangelio turbaque probante Vestrorum (nam vos illum scripsistis ob ignem, Qui vos inseruit Divis), certusque fateri Sum tres personas æternas, esseque eorum Sic unum trinumque, ut et es patiatur, et estis |
and through the Gospels and through you who wrote words given to you by the Holy Ghost. And I believe in three Eternal Persons, and these I do believe to be one essence, so single and threefold as to allow both is and are. Of this profound condition |
| 130 | Conjunctim. Verum alta Dei, quam sic modo tango, Condicio mihi inusta manet, renovante sigillum Sæpe Evangelio. Hic fons est, est illa favilla, Quæ vivum flammæ se deinde effundit in imbrem, Et, quale in cælo sidus, mihi lumine splendet. » |
of God that I have touched on, Gospel teaching has often set the imprint on my mind. This is the origin, this is the spark that then extends into a vivid flame and, like a star in heaven, glows in me.” |
| 135 | Sicut erus, jucunda sibi si quæ accipit aure, Dein servi petit amplexus gratatus ob illa, Quæ sibi læta tulit, simul hunc videt ore tacentem : Sic bona verba mihi dixit sub nomine trino Cantando ac ter me cinxit, simulatque quievi, |
Just as the lord who listens to his servant’s announcement, then, as soon as he is silent, embraces him, both glad with the good news, so did the apostolic light at whose command I had replied, while blessing me and singing, then encircle me three times; |
| 140 | Lumen Apostolicum, quod respondere jubebat ; Sic placuere illi, quæ sum verba ore locutus. |
the speech I spoke had brought him such delight. |
| PARADISI XXV {25} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Si quando fiat, sacrum ut fortasse poëma, Cujus ego in partem cælum terramque vocavi, Sic ut me macie plures tenuaverit annos, Vincat crudeles animos me excludere ovili |
If it should happen … If this sacred poem — this work so shared by heaven and by earth that it has made me lean through these long years — can ever overcome the cruelty |
| 5 | Pulchro juratos, ubi somno membra resolvi Agnus, corde lupos horrens sibi bella cientes ; Voce ego mutata, mutato vellere, vatem Me referam reditu, sancti et prope marmora fontis, Uncle abii ablutus, cingam mea tempora lauro. |
that bars me from the fair fold where I slept, a lamb opposed to wolves that war on it, by then with other voice, with other fleece, I shall return as poet and put on, at my baptismal font, the laurel crown; |
| 10 | Namque et ego ipse fidem, quæ animas rata signa ferentes Non sinit ignorare Deum, hunc ingressus adivi, Proque fide ipse mihi nutu Petrus annuit isto. Dein lux ex illo nobis fuit obvia cœtu, Unde prior venit, qui munere functus eorum est, |
for there I first found entry to that faith which makes souls welcome unto God, and then, for that faith, Peter garlanded my brow. Then did a light move toward us from that sphere from which emerged the first — the dear, the rare — |
| 15 | Quos sibi substituit Christus. Tum læta BEATRIX : « Tende oculos, » dixit, « specta ; venit, ecce, Dynastes, Ob quem Gallæciam properat gens visere terram. » Ut, quum sese addit socio Cythereius ales, Ambo trahunt gyros et amorem murmure produnt : |
of those whom Christ had left to be His vicars; and full of happiness, my lady said to me: “Look, look — and see the baron whom, below on earth, they visit in Galicia.” As when a dove alights near its companion, and each unto the other, murmuring and circling, offers its affection, so |
| 20 | Haud secus occurrere sibi simul unus et alter Dux magnus, decore insignis, cælestia laudans Prandia. Ubi alternis gratatus uterque quievit, Quisque stetit tacitus me coram, luce coruscans Tanta, ut mi obruerit vultum. Sed dulce BEATRIX |
did I see both those great and glorious princes give greeting to each other, praising the banquet that is offered them on high. But when their salutations were complete, each stopped in silence coram me, and each was so aflame, my vision felt defeat. |
| 25 | Ridens : « O quæ, inquit, scripsisti gaudia nostræ, Incluta vita, domus, doceas has ætheris altas Spem resonare plagas ; nosti, namque exprimis illam Tu toties, quoties Christi magis ora videnda Emicuere tribus. » « Caput arrige, pone timorem ; |
Then Beatrice said, smiling: “Famous life by whom the generosity of our basilica has been described, do let matters of hope reecho at this height; you can — for every time that Jesus favored you three above the rest, you were the figure of hope.” “Lift up your head, and be assured; |
| 30 | Quicquid enim ad Superos mortali surgit ab orbe, Sub nostris radiis id maturescat oportet. » Hoc mihi solamen pervenit ab igne secundo ; Quare ego ad astantes haud fugi tollere visum, Qui prius hunc nimio curvarunt pondere, montes. |
whatever comes here from the mortal world has to be ripened in our radiance.” The second fire offered me this comfort; at which my eyes were lifted to the mountains whose weight of light before had kept me bent. |
| 35 | « Quandoquidem tibi gratificans bonus Induperator Hunc dat congressum, ante obitum in penetrale recepto Interius, Comitum turba assidente suorum, Ut, simulac verum perspexeris istius aulæ, Spes ea, quæ in terris homines incendit amore, |
“Because our Emperor, out of His grace, has willed that you, before your death, may face His nobles in the inmost of His halls, so that, when you have seen this court in truth, hope — which, below, spurs love of the true good — |
| 40 | Hac tibi ope atque tuis solamina larga ministret, Dic age, quid sit spes, et qui sese instruat illa Mens tua, et unde tibi est ? » Sic porro flamma secunda. Jam pia, quæ monuit tam altum tentare volatum, Duxque meis fuerat pennis, sic occupat ultro : |
in you and others may be comforted, do tell what hope is, tell how it has blossomed within your mind, and from what source it came to you” — so did the second flame continue. And she, compassionate, who was the guide who led my feathered wings to such high flight, did thus anticipate my own reply; |
| 45 | « Munere militiæ defungi ecclesia nata Plenius haud quemquam sperantem possidet, ut stat Scriptum in sole illo totam hanc radiante per aulam ; Quare ex Ægypto datur huic Solyma incluta adire, Ante a militia quam sit requiescere jussus |
“There is no child of the Church Militant who has more hope than he has, as is written within the Sun whose rays reach all our ranks; thus it is granted him to come from Egypt into Jerusalem that he have vision of it, before his term of warring ends. |
| 50 | Hoc primum. Illa duo, quæ non scitanda videntur, Ut sciam, at ut referat, quam sit tibi amabilis ista Virtus, huic linquam ; quæ nec nimis ardua monti, Nec sint apta nimis dicentem inflare tumore ; Et det ad hæc idem responsa ; atque a Patre lumen |
The other two points of your question, which were not asked so that you may know, but that he may report how much you prize this virtue, I leave to him; he will not find them hard or cause for arrogance; as you have asked, let him reply, and God’s grace help his task.” |
| 55 | Afferat hoc ipsi. » — Ut doctoris verba secundans Corde alacri, atque lubens, ad quæ est expertus, alumnus, Ne sua via istum lateat, sic ora resolvi : « Spes stat in hoc : Vitam certo exspectare futuram ; Quod fit dante Deo et meritis simul ante paratis. |
As a disciple answering his master, prepared and willing in what he knows well, that his proficiency may be revealed, I said: “Hope is the certain expectation of future glory; it is the result of God’s grace and of merit we have earned. |
| 60 | Istud sat multis mihi venit lumen ab astris ; At prior ille, ducis summi qui summus habetur Cantor, spem mihi cordi hanc instillavit, ubi inquit, Laude Deum celebrans : ‹ In te cuncta edita sperent, Quæ nomen novere tuum ! › Quis nosse negabit, |
This light has come to me from many stars; but he who first instilled it in my heart was the chief singer of the Sovereign Guide. ‘May those’ — he says within his theody — ‘who know Your name, put hope in You’; and if |
| 65 | Dum fidem et ipse meam teneat ? Tua epistola cordi Hanc instillavit post hunc, ut copia abundem Inque alios vestram pluviam sponte ipse refundam. » Hæc me fante, nitor subitus creberque micabat Illius incendi ex vivo interiore recessu |
one has my faith, can he not know God’s name? And just as he instilled, you then instilled with your Epistle, so that I am full and rain again your rain on other souls.” While I was speaking, in the living heart |
| 70 | Vibrans, ut scissis erumpens nubibus ignis. Deinde hanc efflavit vocem : « Quæ pectus amore Ardet adhuc virtus mihi semper ad usque coronam Fida comes, donec functus certamine obivi, Me jubet aspirare tibi, qui suspicis illam ; |
of that soul-flame there came a trembling flash, sudden, repeated, just as lightning cracks. Then it breathed forth: “The love with which I still burn for the virtue that was mine until the palm and my departure from the field, would have me breathe again to you who take |
| 75 | Atque mihi est gratum, si tu, quid spondeat ipsa, Ipse mihi dicas. » — Ego tum : « Veteresque novæque Scripturæ statuunt signum, quod nuntiat horum Sortem, quos Pater hic noster sibi fecit amicos. Namque Isaias inquit : Se duplice veste |
such joy in hope; and I should welcome words that tell what hope has promised unto you.” And I: “The new and ancient Scriptures set the mark for souls whom God befriends; for me, that mark means what is promised us by hope. Isaiah says that all of the elect |
| 80 | Ornabunt animæ propria in tellure ; sed ista Vita hic tam dulcis sua cuique est propria tellus. Germanusque tuus multo distinctius istud, Alba ubi commemorat velamina, pandere nobis Arcanum admonitus potuit. » — Me talia fante, |
shall wear a double garment in their land; and their land is this sweet life of the blessed. And where your brother treats of those white robes, he has — with words direct and evident — made clear to us Isaiah’s revelation.” |
| 85 | Et quasi sub finem, cælorum ex parte superna Vox, « In te sperent », est exaudita, chorusque Omnis ad hanc vocem pariter responsa remisit. Exin has inter choreas lux una refulsit Sic, ut, si tali flammaret Cancer ab astro, |
At first, as soon as I had finished speaking, “Sperent in te” was heard above us, all the circling garlands answering this call. And then, among those souls, one light became so bright that, if the Crab had one such crystal, |
| 90 | Una dies hiemem totam æquatura fuisset. Ac veluti surgitque itque ingrediturque choream Virgo hilaris, modo dum sponsæ persolvat honorem, Non jactans sese : haud aliter procedere vidi Splendorem instructum ad binos se utrosque rotantes |
winter would have a month of one long day. And as a happy maiden rises and enters the dance to honor the new bride — and not through vanity or other failing — so did I see that splendor, brightening, approach those two flames dancing in a ring |
| 95 | In gyrum, alterno ut decuit flammantia amore Pectora, ibi simul et cantum et modulamina vocum Ingressum subito. Mea tunc hærebat in illos Defixa obtutu Domina, ut modo nupta puella Muta, immota manens. « Ecce hic Apostolus ille, |
to music suited to their burning love. And there it joined the singing and the circling, on which my lady kept her eyes intent, just like a bride, silent and motionless. “This soul is he who lay upon the breast |
| 100 | Qui jacuit supra Pelicani pectora nostri, Cui lecto magnum legavit de cruce munus. » Sic hæc ; non tamen idcirco divertere visum Postea, ut ante suas quam funderet ore loquelas. Ut stat, qui intentus prospectat, luce parumper |
of Christ our Pelican, and he was asked from on the Cross to serve in the great task.” So spoke my lady; but her gaze was not to be diverted from its steadfastness, not after or before her words were said. Even as he who squints and strains to see |
| 105 | Defectum solem jam certus cernere, et idem, Ut videat, visu manet orbus ; ita ante lucernam, Ultima quæ ardebat, steteram, quum perculit aures Hæc vox : « Cur aciem tibi sic obtundis aventi Vestigare, quod hic spatium non occupat usquam ? |
the sun somewhat eclipsed and, as he tries to see, becomes sightless, just so did I in my attempt to watch the latest flame, until these words were said: “Why do you daze yourself to see what here can have no place? |
| 110 | In terris est terra meum nunc corpus, eritque Hoc tam terra diu reliquis cum corporum acervis, Donec ab æterna numerum mente ante statutum Exæquet noster. Sunt hic duo lumina tantum Duplice pulchra stola, sic cælum ascendere digna ; |
earth my body now is earth and shall be there together with the rest until our number equals the eternal purpose. Only those two lights that ascended wear their double garment in this blessed cloister. |
| 115 | Idque tuis referes » ; factoque hic fine quievit. Ignitus vortex, blanda et discordia concors Vocum, edens sonitum conflatum flamine trino, Ut vitaturi casus maris, atque laborem, Ante repercussi rapido undarum impete, remi |
And carry this report back to your world.” When he began to speak, the flaming circle had stopped its dance; so, too, its song had ceased — that gentle mingling of their threefold breath — even as when, avoiding danger or simply to rest, the oars that strike the water, |
| 120 | Consistunt omnes, ubi sibilus insonet unus. Heu mihi ! quam violens turbavit pectora motus, Ora BEATRICIS quærenti, ubi nulla facultas Hanc spectare dabat, quamvis ego propter adessem, Felicemque agitans vitam me mundus haberet ! |
together halt when rowers hear a whistle. Ah, how disturbed I was within my mind, when I turned round to look at Beatrice, on finding that I could not see, though I was close to her, and in the world of gladness! |
| PARADISI XXVI {26} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Anceps dum stabam restincto lumine visus, Fulgenti ex flamma, mihi quæ restinxerat istum, Exiit aura jubens intentum me ora tenere ; Namque inquit : « Donec redeat tibi copia visus |
While I, with blinded eyes, was apprehensive, from that bright flame which had consumed my vision, there breathed a voice that centered my attention, saying: “Until you have retrieved the power |
| 5 | In me consumpti, bene erit, si damna rependas Sermoni indulgens. Ergo nunc incipe, quoque Mena tua prospectet, dic atque id volvito, lumen Defecisse tibi, non interiisse peremptum ; Nam quæ te hanc diam mulier deduxit in ædem, |
of sight, which you consumed in me, it would be best to compensate by colloquy. Then do begin; declare the aim on which your soul is set — and be assured of this; your vision, though confounded, is not dead, because the woman who conducts you through |
| 10 | Virtutem præfert oculis, qua nota valebat Dextera Ananiæ. » — Huic contra : « Ut fert corde libido, Tardius aut citius veniat medicamen ab illa Istis luminibus, per quæ est data porta ferenti Flammam, quæ totam penitus me incendit et urit. |
this godly region has, within her gaze, that force the hand of Ananias had.” I said: “As pleases her, may solace — sooner or later — reach these eyes, her gates when she brought me the fire with which I always burn. |
| 15 | Quæ vestrum hunc explet consessum, summa voluptas Principium ac finis scripti est cujusque legenti Aut minus, aut magis intensum dictantis amorem. » Quæ me vox eadem arrexit formidine stratum Defectus subiti, mi acuit sub pectore curam |
The good with which this court is satisfied is Alpha and Omega of all writings that Love has — loud or low — read out to me.” It was the very voice that had dispelled the fear I felt at sudden dazzlement, |
| 20 | Ulterius fandi. Et : « Tibi certe angustius, inquit, Tractandum est cribrum, ut recte res cernere possis, Dicendusque tibi est, qui signum vertit ad istud Arcus tela tui. » Cui tunc : « Ope philosophiæ, Per syllogismos, per, quæ Scriptura propinat, |
that now, with further words, made me concerned to speak again. He said: “You certainly must sift with a still finer sieve, must tell who led your bow to aim at such a target.” And I: “By philosophic arguments and by authority whose source is here, |
| 25 | Hic venit infigendus amor mihi corde sub imo ; Namque bonum, ut natura boni est, simulatque patescit Hoc inquirenti, succendit pectus amore, Qui tanto est major, bona quanto hoc plura receptat. Illius esse igitur superans genus omne bonorum |
that love must be imprinted in me; for the good, once it is understood as such, enkindles love; and in accord with more goodness comes greater love. And thus the mind |
| 30 | Sic, ut præterea, quicquid sit amabile ubique Mortali, nil sit quam ductum lumine ab isto Tenue jubar ; spectare oculis et mente necesse est, Cunctis posthabitis, et re in quacunque probanda Diligere id verum, quod clare elucet ab ipso. |
of anyone who can discern the truth on which this proof is founded must be moved to love, more than it loves all else, that Essence which is preeminent (since any good that lies outside of It is nothing but a ray reflected from Its radiance). |
| 35 | Tale meæ menti fuit, aptus sternere verum Ille idem, primum qui demonstravit amorem Vitæ cujusvis, æternum quam manet ævum. Hoc auctor sternit verax Mosi ista profatus. De se : ‹ Cuncta tibi ostendam bona. › Sternis et ipse |
My mind discerns this truth, made plain by him who demonstrates to me that the first love of the eternal beings is their Maker. The voice of the true Author states this, too, where He tells Moses, speaking of Himself; ‘I shall show you all goodness.’ You reveal |
| 40 | Altum exorditus carmen cælestia vulgans Arcana in terris, nullo præcone sonante Grandius. » — Audivique : « Igitur quæ discere mente Humana licuit, quæ te docuere magistri Sacri huic concordes, iterum te iterumque monebunt |
this, too, when you begin your high Evangel, which more than any other proclamation cries out to earth the mystery of Heaven.” I heard: “Through human reasoning and through authorities according with it, you |
| 45 | Observare Deum finemque caputque tuorum Ardorum. At quoque dic, an ad hunc te forte trahentes Experiare alias chordas, tot ut ipse remittas Voces, quot tacitum tibi dentibus iste momordit Pectus amor. » — Non me latuit mens sancta petentis |
conclude: your highest love is bent on God. But tell me, too, if you feel other cords draw you toward Him, so that you voice aloud all of the teeth by which this love grips you.” The holy intent of Christ’s Eagle was |
| 50 | Cælum aquilæ, quam Christus amat, quin immo videbam, Quo moliretur profitentem adducere, et inquam : « Ad summum quicunque valent cor vertere patrem, Morsus, certarunt istum mihi inurere amorem. Mundi natura atque mei mors, quam ipse subivit, |
not hidden; I indeed was made aware of what he would most have my words declare. Thus I began again: “My charity results from all those things whose bite can bring the heart to turn to God; the world’s existence and mine, the death that He sustained that I |
| 55 | Ut fruerer vita, et quod sperat nomine Christi Quisque, ut ego, fidens, et quæ cordi intus inhæret Cognitio mihi dicta, obliqui ex vortice amoris Me traxit rectique dedit contingere ripam. Nunc folia æterni toto frondentia in horto |
might live, and that which is the hope of all believers, as it is my hope, together with living knowledge I have spoken of — these drew me from the sea of twisted love and set me on the shore of the right love. The leaves enleaving all the garden of |
| 60 | Cultoris mihi amanda reor, prout largiter ista Is donat. » — Postquam tacui, dulcissima cælo Insonuere mele, et simul est modulata BEATRIX, Ter plaudens « Sancto ». Ac veluti sub lumine acuto Ilico somnus abit, mota virtute ciente |
the Everlasting Gardener, I love according to the good He gave to them.” As soon as I was still, a song most sweet resounded through that heaven, and my lady said with the others: “Holy, holy, holy!” And just as a sharp light will startle us |
| 65 | Visum, quæ rapide splendoris ad ostia currit Insinuans tunicis, et qui expergiscitur, horret Cuncta suis subjecta oculis, tam nescius ille est Evigilans subito, dum illi succurrere cessat Judicium mentis : nostrorum ita depulit omnem |
from sleep because the spirit of eyesight races to meet the brightness that proceeds from layer to layer in the eye, and he who wakens is confused by what he sees, awaking suddenly, and knows no thing until his judgment helps him; even so |
| 70 | Labem oculis dux diva suis radiantibus ultra Ingentem tractum. Hic melius mihi copia visus Quam prius affulsit. Tum victus pæne stupore, Quum prope nos quartum vidissem fulgere lumen, Illam scitabar, quæ sic est ore locuta : |
did Beatrice dispel, with her eyes’ rays, which shone more than a thousand miles, the chaff from my eyes: I saw better than I had before; and as if stupefied, I asked about the fourth light that I saw among us. |
| 75 | « Hac sub luce suum auctorem miratur et ardet, Quæ prior æthereas anima est emissa sub auras, Quam quemvis primæ virtutis dextra crearit. » Ut frons, quæ, vento præterlabente, reclinat Summum, dein propria vi surgit : sic ego, fantis |
My lady answered: “In those rays there gazes with love for his Creator the first soul ever created by the Primal Force.” As does a tree that bends its crown because of winds that gust, and then springs up, raised by its own sustaining power, so did I |
| 80 | Sub verba admirans ; dein me fiducia cepit Jam desiderio ardentem mea promere sensa ; Et cœpi : « O pomum, quod prima ab origine solum Stabas maturum, pater o antique, maritæ |
while she was speaking. I, bewildered, then restored to confidence by that desire to speak with which I was inflamed, began; “O fruit that was the only one to be brought forth already ripe, o ancient father |
| 85 | Et socer et genitor cujusque, id te oro piaque, Qua possum, tu mente precor, ne tædeat ore Edere verba tuo ; mecum quæ mente voluto Et taceo, tibi aperta patent, nec demoror ultra. » Belua sæpe micat sic, ut, qui amor impulit illam, |
to whom each bride is as a daughter and daughter-in-law, devoutly as I can, I do beseech you: speak with me. You see my wish; to hear you sooner, I do not declare it.” And the primal soul — much as an animal beneath a cover stirs, |
| 90 | Stare diu tectus non possit, veste sequente Quod natura jubet : sic ex velamine prima Illa anima ostendit, quam se indulgere parato Læta animo offerret. Dein vocem efflavit et inquit : « Vel te dissimulante, tuo quam pectore versas, |
so that its feelings are made evident when what enfolds it follows all its movements — showed me, through that which covered him, with what rejoicing he was coming to delight me. Then he breathed forth: “Though you do not declare |
| 95 | Curam, hanc inspicio melius, quam quicquid habebis Certum. Hæc in speculo nunquam fallente videnda Stat mihi, dupliciter quod res dat cernere, nilque, Quod se conduplicet, patitur. — Te audire voluntas Nunc fert, quam dudum posuit me numen in horto |
your wish, I can perceive it better than you can perceive the things you hold most certain; for I can see it in the Truthful Mirror that perfectly reflects all else, while no thing can reflect that Mirror perfectly. You wish to hear how long it is since I was placed by God in that high garden where |
| 100 | Alto, ad quem scalis tam longis reddidit aptos Hæc artus tibi ; quamque diu percepta voluptas Luminibus sit tanta meis, quæ propria magnam Causa iram accendit, tum queis sim vocibus usus, Quarum inventor eram. — Nunc, o mihi cara propago. |
this lady readied you to climb a stair so long, and just how long it pleased my eyes, and the true cause of the great anger, and what idiom I used and shaped. My son, |
| 105 | Non tanti per se fuerat gustata palato Illius esca meo ligni, ut mihi tanta pararit Exilia, ast intra fines consistere recti Indocile ingenium. Hinc ex sedibus, unde BEATRIX VIRGILIUM excivit, quater auctos milibus annos |
the cause of my long exile did not lie within the act of tasting of the tree, but solely in my trespass of the boundary. During four thousand three hundred and two |
| 110 | Et ter centenos, et bina volumina Solis Hoc ego concilium optavi ; atque ad lumina cuncta Orbibus hunc novies centum et triginta peractis, Dum me terra habuit profugum, flammescere vidi. Quæ mea lingua fuit, periit restincta, priusquam |
re-turnings of the sun, while I was in that place from which your Lady sent you Virgil, I longed for this assembly. While on earth, I saw the sun return to all the lights along its way, nine hundred thirty times. The tongue I spoke was all extinct before |
| 115 | Non profecturo Nimrod conamine grande Maturaret opus. Nam quæ ratione libido It duce, nulla homini vario, prout astra secundat, Duravit semper. Natura dat ipsa loquelam, Quæ sit cunque, homini ; vestris vos viribus uti |
the men of Nimrod set their minds upon the unaccomplishable task; for never has any thing produced by human reason been everlasting — following the heavens, men seek the new, they shift their predilections. That man should speak at all is nature’s act, but how you speak — in this tongue or in that — |
| 120 | Pro libito sinit. Ante Orco quam illaberer atro, El inter vestros nomen sibi summus habebat Tunc Amor, unde fluunt, quæ me istic gaudia cingunt. Deinde Eli est dictus, quod vestrum haud dedecet usum Consimilem in ramo frondi : dum lapsa putrescit, |
she leaves to you and to your preference. Before I was sent down to Hell’s torments, on earth, the Highest Good — from which derives the joy that now enfolds me — was called I; and then He was called El. Such change must be; the ways that mortals take are as the leaves upon a branch — one comes, another goes. |
| 125 | Altera succedit. — Qui mons altissimus undis Imminet, hic fuerat vitæ puræque pudendæque Hospitium, a prima milli lucis ad usque secundam Horam, ubi sub sextam sol a quadrante recedit. » |
On that peak rising highest from the sea, my life — first pure, then tainted — lasted from the first hour to the hour that follows on the sixth, when the sun shifts to a new quadrant.” |
| PARADISI XXVII {27} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Et Patri et Genito et Paracleto gloria sancto ! » Voce una cœpit Superorum exercitus omnis Sic, ut me abstulerit dulci mens ebria cantu. Quocunque aspicerem, mihi lætum expandere risum |
“Unto the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, glory!” — all Paradise began, so that the sweetness of the singing held me rapt. What I saw seemed to me to be a smile |
| 5 | Cuncta videbantur, nam aures ac lumina inibat Ista mihi ebrietas. O inenarrabile gaudii Atque voluptatis pelagus, o integra amoris Ætas ac pacis, securaque copia, nulla Exstimulante siti ! Ante oculos mihi quattuor ignes |
the universe had smiled; my rapture had entered by way of hearing and of sight. O joy! O gladness words can never speak! O life perfected by both love and peace! O richness so assured, that knows no longing! Before my eyes, there stood, aflame, the four |
| 10 | Incensi stabant ; ast increbrescere cœpit Qui prior astiterat, factus mihi imagine talis, Qualis stella Jovis, si Martis sidus et illa Jam volucres fiant et pennas mutet uterque. Quæ mens hic divina suo regit omnia nutu, |
torches, and that which had been first to come began to glow with greater radiance, and what its image then became was like what Jupiter’s would be if Mars and he were birds and had exchanged their plumages. After the Providence that there assigns |
| 15 | Partiturque vicem officiumque, silentia toto Fecerat in cælo, quum vox hæc venit ad aures : « Noli admirari, si me mutare colorem Cernis ; nam hos omnes, me nunc dicente, videbis Mutari pariter. Qui in terra est sede potitus, |
to every office its appointed time had, to those holy choirs, on every side, commanded silence, I then heard: “If I change color, do not be amazed, for as I speak, you will see change in all these flames. He who on earth usurps my place, my place, |
| 20 | Sede data mihi, sede data mihi, quæ vacat ante Ora Deo geniti, de nostro idem ille sepulcro Latrinam fecit manantem sanguine, odorem Tætrum exhalantem, qua infra deterrimus istinc Lapsus placatur. » — Quem, adverso sole, colorem |
my place that in the sight of God’s own Son is vacant now, has made my burial ground a sewer of blood, a sewer of stench, so that the perverse one who fell from Heaven, here above, can find contentment there below.” Then I saw all the heaven colored by |
| 25 | Indueret nubes sub prima crepuscula noctis Vel lucis, vidi totum conspergere cælum. Ac veluti secura sui stat femina honesta, Ac tantum timida est alienæ ob crimina culpæ, Sic mihi visa fuit vultum mutare BEATRIX, |
the hue that paints the clouds at morning and at evening, with the sun confronting them. And like a woman who, although secure in her own honesty, will pale on even hearing about another woman’s failing, just so did Beatrice change in appearance; |
| 30 | Atque fuisse reor talem splendoris in alto Defectum cælo, quum passa est summa potestas. Exin usque adeo mutata voce profari Institit, ut nunquam aspectum converterit oris : « Christi sponsa meo non est nutrita cruore, |
and I believe that such eclipse was in the sky when He, the Highest Power, suffered. Then his words followed with a voice so altered from what it was before — even his likeness did not display a greater change than that. “The Bride of Christ was never nurtured by |
| 35 | Atque LINI et CLETI, prolato ut veneat auro ; At vitam hanc pacti lætam SIXTUSque PIUSque, Et post CALIXTUM URBANUS, quum lumina fletu Rorassent multo, sacrum effudere cruorem. Non fuit iste animus nobis, ut dextra sederet |
my blood, and blood of Linus and of Cletus, to be employed in gaining greater riches; but to acquire this life of joyousness, Sixtus and Pius, Urban and Calixtus, after much lamentation, shed their blood. We did not want one portion of Christ’s people |
| 40 | Ad latus illorum, quibus est succedere nostram In sedem, altera Christiadum pars, altera læva Non ut concessæ claves mihi bellica versæ In signa urgerent sacrato fonte renatos ; Nostra nec effigies fieret gemma apta sigillo |
to sit at the right side of our successors, while, on the left, the other portion sat, nor did we want the keys that were consigned to me, to serve as an escutcheon on a banner that waged war against the baptized; nor did we want my form upon a seal |
| 45 | Ad privas leges, quas falsas vendere mos est, Quas propter rubeo, atque oculi exarsere frequenter. Hinc se mendaci pastorum veste tegentes Est spectare lupos per pascua cuncta rapaces. O tutela Dei, quianam hoc in tempore cessas ? |
for trafficking in lying privileges — for which I often blush and flash with anger. From here on high one sees rapacious wolves clothed in the cloaks of shepherds. You, the vengeance of God, oh, why do you still lie concealed? |
| 50 | Jamque Caorsini, jam nostro Vascones acrem Sanguine avent satiare sitim. O rudimenta secunda, Huccine deciditis ? Sed quæ Sapientia Romæ Scipiadis dextra mundi defendit honorem, Quam primum, ut video, rebus succurret acerbis. |
The Gascons and the Cahorsines — they both prepare to drink our blood: o good beginning, to what a miserable end you fall! But that high Providence which once preserved, with Scipio, the glory of the world for Rome, will soon bring help, as I conceive; |
| 55 | At tu, qui pondus propter mortale redibis, Fili, illuc, pande os, quæque haud celanda retexi, Ne cela. » — Veluti glacie concreta vaporum Copia per nostrum delabitur aëra, solem Cornigera tangente capra ; sic æthera vidi |
and you, my son, who through your mortal weight will yet return below, speak plainly there, and do not hide that which I do not hide.” As, when the horn of heaven’s Goat abuts the sun, our sky flakes frozen vapors downward, so did I see that ether there adorned; |
| 60 | Desuper ornari totum et quasi vellera lucum Ire triumphantum, quæ mecum sedibus illis Astiterant. Istas oculo servante sequebar, Atque secutus eram ripa tenus intervalli, Quod medium est, donec distantia non dedit ultra. |
for from that sphere, triumphant vapors now were flaking up to the Empyrean — returning after dwelling here with us. My sight was following their semblances — until the space between us grew so great as to deny my eyes all farther reach. |
| 65 | Quare ubi suspectu me vidit Diva solutum, « Dejice nunc oculos », mihi dixit, « et aspice, quo te Invenies versum. » — Qua primum ex temporis hora Despexi, vidi me percurrisse quadrantem, Quem plaga prima facit medium transgressa diei |
At this, my lady, seeing me set free from gazing upward, told me: “Let your eyes look down and see how far you have revolved.” I saw that, from the time when I looked down before, I had traversed all of the arc of the first clime, from its midpoint to end, |
| 70 | Extremum ad finem. Quare mihi cernere aratum Stulte trans Gades fuerat marls æquor Ulyxi, Et citra propius ripas, ubi Agenore nata Dulce stetit pondus. Plus et patuisset aperti Areola ex ista, sed sol processerat ultra, |
so that, beyond Cadiz, I saw Ulysses’ mad course and, to the east, could almost see that shoreline where Europa was sweet burden. I should have seen more of this threshing floor but for the motion of the sun beneath |
| 75 | Sub pedibus nostris, plus quam unum tramite signum. Quæ sese oblectat semper mens percita amore Cum Domina, magis atque magis tunc rursus ad illam Ardebat revocare oculos : ac si afferat omnes Ars simul et natura escas, quæ lumina captant, |
my feet: it was a sign and more away. My mind, enraptured, always longing for my lady gallantly, was burning more than ever for my eyes’ return to her; |
| 80 | In carne humana pictaque in imagine carnis Capturæ mentes, divina ad gaudia, nostris Quæ affulsere oculis vultum mirantibus illum Ridentem, una omnes junctas nihil esse faterer. Quæque mihi virtus oculorum indulserat usum, |
and if — by means of human, flesh or portraits — nature or art has fashioned lures to draw the eye so as to grip the mind, all these would seem nothing if set beside the godly beauty that shone upon me when I turned to see the smiling face of Beatrice. The powers that her gaze now granted me |
| 85 | Pulchro me nido Ledæ divulsit, et illam Impulit in sphæram, quæ velocissima fertur. Singula pars hujus quam vivacissima, et alta Convenit, et simili sunt cuncta ita prædita forma. Ut, quam Dux legit, non sit mihi dicere sedem. |
drew me out of the lovely nest of Leda and thrust me into heaven’s swiftest sphere. Its parts were all so equally alive and excellent, that I cannot say which place Beatrice selected for my entry. |
| 90 | At desiderium quæ noverat illa tacentis, Ridens tam læto tunc cœpit farier ore, Ut Deus exsultare mihi sit visus in illo : « Axem quæ medium motus natura quietum Postulat et rapida vertigine cetera torquet, |
But she, who saw what my desire was — her smile had so much gladness that within her face there seemed to be God’s joy — began; “The nature of the universe, which holds the center still and moves all else around it, begins here as if from its turning-post. |
| 95 | Prosilit hinc, ut fine suo ; nec continet ulla Res alia hoc cælum, quam mens divina gubernans, In qua ignescit amor vertens, et quæ pluit alto Virtus. Lux et amor cælum hoc præcingit, et ipsum Cælos præcingit reliquos, mensque unica cingens |
This heaven has no other where than this; the mind of God, in which are kindled both the love that turns it and the force it rains. As in a circle, light and love enclose it, as it surrounds the rest — and that enclosing, |
| 100 | Præcinctum, sola hoc intellegit. Haud ciet ipsi Extera vis motum, proprio sed turbine motus Cælorum reliquos ipsum metitur, ut audis Dimidium quinasque decem metirier ulnas. Jamjam per te nosse potes, ut tempus in ista |
only He who encloses understands. No other heaven measures this sphere’s motion, but it serves as the measure for the rest, even as half and fifth determine ten; and now it can be evident to you |
| 105 | Radices testa, inque aliis dicatur habere Frondes. — O, quæ mortales, malesuada cupido, Usque adeo mergis sub te, ut deducere ab undis Lumina nemo tuis valeat ! Bene vestra voluntas Floret ; at assiduo mutantur vera sub imbre |
how time has roots within this vessel and, within the other vessels, has its leaves. O greediness, you who — within your depths — cause mortals to sink so, that none is left able to lift his eyes above your waves! The will has a good blossoming in men; but then the never-ending downpours turn |
| 110 | Pruna, et degeneri vos ludunt vana sapore. Pura fides pietasque ac nescia fallere vita In teneris tantum pueris reperitur, et unus- Quisque prius fugit has, quam plumis mala tegatur. Est qui, dum balbutit adhuc, jejunia servat, |
the sound plums into rotten, empty skins. For innocence and trust are to be found only in little children; then they flee even before a full beard cloaks the cheeks. One, for as long as he still lisps, will fast, |
| 115 | Interea lingua pastus genus omne soluta Devorat audacter quovis sub lumine lunæ. Est qui, dum balbutit, amatque auditque parentem, Quam cupit, integro sermone, videre sepultam. Sic solita est nigro tingi cutis alba colore |
but when his tongue is free at last, he gorges, devouring any food through any month; and one, while he still lisps, will love and heed his mother, but when he acquires speech more fully, he will long to see her buried. Just so, white skin turns black when it is struck |
| 120 | In primo aspectu formosæ illo patre natæ, Qui, quum mane refert, abiens sibi surrogat umbras. At tu, ne ignarus stupeas, id pectore volve, In terris nullum esse ducem, qui regna gubernet ; Quare hominum soboles declinat tramite recto. |
by direct light — the lovely daughter of the one who brings us dawn and leaves us evening. That you not be amazed at what I say, consider this: on earth no king holds sway; therefore, the family of humans strays. |
| 125 | At prius hibernis totus quam excedere mensis Jani sortitus nomen cogatur, ob illam Neglectam a vestro, quæ est pars centesima, partem Cæsare, sic orbes superos rugire videbis. Nam exspectata diu puppes fortuna revolvet, |
But well before a thousand years have passed (and January is unwintered by day’s hundredth part, which they neglect below), this high sphere shall shine so, that Providence, long waited for, will turn the sterns to where |
| 130 | Stant ubi nunc proræ, et classis directa feretur ; Verus et erumpet post florem ex arbore fructus. » |
the prows now are, so that the fleet runs straight; and then fine fruit shall follow on the flower.” |
| PARADISI XXVIII {28} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Posteaquam ostendit manifesto lumine vere, Qualem nunc agitent mortalia pectora vitam, Quæ facit ex omni mulier me parte beatum ; Ut flammam videt incensam quadruplice lychno, |
After the lady who imparadises my mind disclosed the truth that is unlike the present life of miserable mortals, then, just as one who sees a mirrored flame — |
| 5 | Qui speculum inspiciat, post tergum luce micante, Ante hanc quam possit oculo vel mente tueri, Atque is, visurus, num vitrum vera reportet, Respicit atque utrimque videt sibi congrua cuncta, Ut metro numerum : memori sic mente repostus |
its double candle stands behind his back — even before he thought of it or gazed directly at it, and he turns to gauge if that glass tells the truth to him, and sees that it accords, like voice and instrument, so — does my memory recall — I did |
| 10 | Stat mihi suspectus pulchris in lucibus hærens, De quibus insidiatus amor mihi vincula fecit. Utque ego respexi, atque mei mihi lumina visus Attigerat species descripta volumine in illo, Sese acies oculi quoties intenderit illuc, |
after I looked into the lovely eyes of which Love made the noose that holds me tight. And when I turned and my own eyes were met by what appears within that sphere whenever one looks intently at its revolution, |
| 15 | Aspexi punctum radians ita lumine acuto, Ut sit claudere opus, vehementis acumine lucis Quos ardet, visus. Et quod nostræ incola terræ Cerneret hinc minimum sidus, pleno orbe refulgens Lunæ esset moles, si hoc propter forte locetur, |
I saw a point that sent forth so acute a light, that anyone who faced the force with which it blazed would have to shut his eyes, and any star that, seen from earth, would seem to be the smallest, set beside that point, as star conjoined with star, would seem a moon. |
| 20 | Ut sidus propter sidus. Non longius absens, Quam qui præcingit lucem, qua pingitur, halo, Quum vapor, unde oritur, fit crassior ; igneus illud Punctum se circum tanto impete circlus agebat, Omnia ut amplectens quam velocissimus orbis |
Around that point a ring of fire wheeled, a ring perhaps as far from that point as a halo from the star that colors it when mist that forms the halo is most thick. It wheeled so quickly that it would outstrip the motion that most swiftly girds the world. |
| 25 | Tardior esset ad hunc motu. Circumdabat ipsum Alter, tertius hunc ; dein quarto tertius, iste Quinto, tum sexto quintus circumdatus ibat. Desuper assurgens comitabat septimus illos Amplus ita, ut minus apta foret Thaumantias arcu |
That ring was circled by a second ring, the second by a third, third by a fourth, fourth by a fifth, and fifth ring by a sixth. Beyond, the seventh ring, which followed, was so wide that all of Juno’s messenger would be too narrow to contain that circle. |
| 30 | Hunc capere. Haud secus octavus nonusque patebant, Quorum quisque movebatur, prout visus abesse est, Si numerum relegas, a puncto longius uno, Tardior ; ardebatque illi sincerior ignis, Qui minus a puræ distabat luce favillæ, |
The eighth and ninth were wider still; and each, even as greater distance lay between it and the first ring, moved with lesser speed; and, I believe, the ring with clearest flame was that which lay least far from the pure spark |
| 35 | Quod plus naturæ veræ insinuarat, opinor. Quum me suspensum mulier vidisset ob altam Curam : « Pendet », ait, « cælum naturaque tota A puncto hoc uno. Nunc illum suspice circlum Huic mage conjunctum, et scito ferri ocius illum |
because it shares most deeply that point’s truth. My lady, who saw my perplexity — I was in such suspense — said: “On that Point depend the heavens and the whole of nature. Look at the circle that is nearest It, and know: its revolutions are so swift |
| 40 | Ob, qui ipsum penitus penitusque inflammat, amorem. » Huic ego : « Si mundum hic idem possederit ordo, Qualem his miror inesse rotis. satiata maneret Mens mihi spectanti tanta hæc miracula rerum ; Mundus at is, nostris qui sensibus obversatur, |
because of burning love that urges it.” And I to her: “If earth and the nine spheres were ordered like those rings, then I would be content with what you have set out before me, but in the world of sense, what one can see |
| 45 | Cernere dat sphæras tanto divinius auctas, Quanto illas magis a centro distare videmus. Quare, si desiderio meta ultimo nostro Debet in hoc miro Angelico consistere templo, Extremum cui lux et amor tantummodo finem |
are spheres becoming ever more divine as they are set more distant from the center. Thus, if my longing is to gain its end in this amazing and angelic temple that has, as boundaries, only love and light, |
| 50 | Constituunt, opus est, ut adhuc mihi discere detur, Qui fit, ut minus exemplum moveatur eadem, Qua lege exemplar. Nam frustra id pectore verso. » « Si talem ad nodum es digitis minus utilis aptis, Nil mirum ; usque adeo, nullo faciente periclum, |
then I still have to hear just how the model and copy do not share in one same plan — for by myself I think on this in vain.” “You need not wonder if your fingers are unable to undo that knot: no one |
| 55 | Obdurat solidus. » Sic illa atque insuper addit : « Accipe, quod dicam, si vis satiatus abire, Inque isto fac mentem acuas. Quæ corpora circum Volvuntur, vasta constant ea mole vel arcta, Prout plus aut minus est illis virtutis ubique |
has tried, and so that knot is tightened, taut!” my lady said, and then continued: “If you would be satisfied, take what I tell you — and let your mind be sharp as I explain. The size of spheres of matter — large or small — depends upon the power — more and less — |
| 60 | Sese extendentis. Bonitatis copia major Dat majore salute frui cumulumque salutis Majorem capiet majore volumine corpus, Illud ubi expletis constabit partibus æque. Hoc igitur nonum cælum, quod corripit omne |
that spreads throughout their parts. More excellence yields greater blessedness; more blessedness must comprehend a greater body when that body’s parts are equally complete. And thus this sphere, which sweeps along with it |
| 65 | Secum, respondet circlo, quem plurimus igne Ardet amor, nec non major sapientia ditat. Quod si virtutis mensuram attendere mavis, Quam speciem rerum, quæ apparent mole rotundæ ; Obvia succurret tibi convenientia mira, |
the rest of all the universe, must match the circle that loves most and knows the most, so that, if you but draw your measure round the power within — and not the semblance of — the angels that appear to you as circles, you will discern a wonderful accord |
| 70 | Si mens huic major, si huic maxima, si illa minore Virtute, hæc minima est, ubi singula sphæra notetur. » Ut, si forte gena Boreas, quæ lenius halat, Spiret, pura nitet vultu lætata sereno Aurarum regio, quia, quæ turbaverat ante, |
between each sphere and its Intelligence; greater accords with more, smaller with less.” Just as the hemisphere of air remains splendid, serene, when from his gentler cheek Boreas blows and clears the scoriae, |
| 75 | Scindit se nubes, et in æthera purgat apertum, Unde suo rident sublimia templa decore. Sic ego, ubi mea responso succurrere claro Dux mihi non renuit, verumque ego cernere quivi Ceu stellam in cælo. Postquam cessaverat illa, |
dissolves the mist that had defaced the sky, so that the heavens smile with loveliness in all their regions; even so did I become after my lady had supplied her clear response to me, and — like a star in heaven — truth was seen. And when her words |
| 80 | Non secus ac vibrat ferrum, quod fervet ab igne, Tunc omnes pariter circli emisere favillas. Quæque sequebatur scintilla incendia eorum, Totque inerant, ut, si numero quod duplice constat Sexaginta tibi vicibus duplicaveris, inde |
were done, even as incandescent iron will shower sparks, so did those circles sparkle; and each spark circled with its flaming ring — sparks that were more in number than the sum one reaches doubling in succession each |
| 85 | Non millenorum exsurgent tot milia dena. « Hosanna, hosanna ! » simul omnes voce frequenti Insonuere chori circum non mobile punctum, Quod stabili his dederat nunquam secedere nido, Æternumque ipsos retinebit, ubi usque fuere ; |
square of a chessboard, one to sixty-four. I heard “Hosanna” sung, from choir to choir to that fixed Point which holds and always shall hold them to where they have forever been. |
| 90 | Ast ea, quæ vidit, dubia quid mente moverem : « Ecce », inquit, « primæ SERAPHIM CHERUBIMque coronæ, Ostenduntque tibi, quanto sua vimina cursu Sectentur, cupidæ puncto assimilarier illi, Qua possunt, possuntque, prout qui altissima spectant ; |
And she who saw my mind’s perplexities said: “The first circles have displayed to you the Seraphim and Cherubim. They follow the ties of love with such rapidity because they are as like the Point as creatures can be, a power dependent on their vision. |
| 95 | Quique illos alii circum vertuntur amores, Esse THRONOS scito, divina in imagine semper Hærentes, per quos finitur de tribus unus Ordinibus sanctis. Verum id te advertere oportet, Tanto plus cunctos gaudii deducere, quanto |
Those other loves that circle round them are called Thrones of the divine aspect, because they terminated the first group of three; and know that all delight to the degree to which their vision sees — more or less deeply — |
| 100 | In verum penetrant illi, in quo tota quiescit Mens animi. Hic facile est jam nosse, ut vita beata Pendet ab intuitu, non cordis amantis ab æstu, Qui dein subsequitur. Merces mensura tuendi est, Gratia quam peperit simul et bene sana voluntas ; |
that truth in which all intellects find rest. From this you see that blessedness depends upon the act of vision, not upon the act of love — which is a consequence; the measure of their vision lies in merit, produced by grace and then by will to goodness; |
| 105 | Sic mos in regno est nostro prodire gradatim. Ordo alter trinus, qui æterno vere sub illo Germina tot generat, quæ dispoliare nequibit Aries nocturnus, sine fine ac tempore vernat ‹ Hosanna › triplici harmonia, quam gaudia terna |
and this is the progression, step by step. The second triad — blossoming in this eternal springtime that the nightly Ram does not despoil — perpetually sings ‘Hosanna’ with three melodies that sound |
| 110 | Effundunt sonitu ter tres testante coronas. Hanc hierarchiam trina ornat forma Dearum, Quæ veniunt primæ, a Dominatu nomina sumunt ; Dein sunt VIRTUTES; quæ nectit tertia gyros, Turba POTESTATUM est. Quo dein pænultima dantur |
in the three ranks of bliss that form this triad; within this hierarchy there are three kinds of divinities: first, the Dominions, and then the Virtues; and the final order contains the Powers. The two penultimate |
| 115 | Gaudia PRINCIPIBUS plaudenda, simulque ministris LEGATOS inter primis ; totusque cohortes Continet Angelicas ludentes ultimus orbis. Istis ordinibus suspectum figere in altum Mos est, atque infra sic vincere, ut usque trahantur |
groups of rejoicing ones within the next triad are wheeling Principalities and the Archangels; last, the playful Angels. These orders all direct — ecstatically — their eyes on high; and downward, they exert |
| 120 | Ad Dominum atque trahant. Quare DIONYSIUS acre Totus in his posuit studium speculatus, et horum Nomina signavit distinxitque ordine eodem. Ast alia est usus ratione GREGORIUS, illi Non concors. Quare, simulatque arrexit ad istud |
such force that all are drawn and draw to God. And Dionysius, with much longing, set himself to contemplate these orders: he named and distinguished them just as I do. Though, later, Gregory disputed him, when Gregory came here — when he could see |
| 125 | Cælum aciem visus, idem se risit aperte. Noli admirari secreta hæc tanta locutum In terris mortale genus ; namque ille retexit Ista, suo qui se vidisse hæc lumine dixit, Multaque præterea verissima de orbibus istis. » |
with opened eyes — he smiled at his mistake. You need not wonder if a mortal told such secret truth on earth: it was disclosed to him by one who saw it here above — both that and other truths about these circles.” |
| PARADISI XXIX {29} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Quum gemini fratres Latona matre creati, Arietis hic tergo velatus, et altera Libra, De circlo, medium sphæræ qui terminat orbem, Effecere sibi zonam, pars quantula it horæ, |
As long as both Latona’s children take (when, covered by the Ram and Scales, they make their belt of the horizon at the same moment) to pass from equilibrium — |
| 5 | Ex qua quod punctum supra caput astat, utrumque Librat utrimque æque, donec quisque exsilit illo, Semiorbem mutans, cinctu ; pars tantula lapsa est Horæ, quum tacuit risu suffusa BEATRIX, Inspiciens oculis contento lumine punctum, |
the zenith held in balance — to that state where, changing hemispheres, each leaves that belt, so long did Beatrice, a smile upon her face, keep silent, even as she gazed intently at the Point that overwhelmed me. |
| 10 | A quo victus eram ; verbis dein talibus infit : « Dico, nec scitor, quod aves ; namque omnia vidi, Prospectans, ubi adest locus omnis, tempus et omne. Non ut, quod nunquam fieri nos posse videmus, Auctet opes ; sed ut, a tanto quod lumine splendet, |
Then she began: “I tell — not ask — what you now want to hear, for I have seen it there where, in one point, all whens and ubis end. Not to acquire new goodness for Himself — which cannot be — but that his splendor might, |
| 15 | Dicere, ‹ Subsisto ›, possit, qui semper, et ullo Est sine principio : idcirco extra tempus et omnem Normam aliam exempli voluit se ostendere Amorem Æternum ipse novis in Amoribus ultro creatis. Nec, quasi torpuerit, prius est jacuisse putandus ; |
as it shines back to Him, declare ‘Subsisto,’ in His eternity outside of time, beyond all other borders, as pleased Him, Eternal Love opened into new loves. Nor did he lie, before this, as if languid; |
| 20 | Non processit enim prius aut post has super undas Aura Dei. Exsiluere actu junctæ, atque meræ res Forma ac materies, ubi nulla est menda reperta, Non secus ac triplici ex chorda tria spicula missa. Ac velut in vitro, electro, sive in crystallo |
there was no after, no before — they were not there until God moved upon these waters. Then form and matter, either separately or in mixed state, emerged as flawless being, as from a three-stringed bow, three arrows spring. And as a ray shines into amber, crystal, |
| 25 | Sic radius micat, ut tibi temporis intervallum, Quum venit ac simul est totus, dignoscere non sit : Haud secus effectus, sic Rege jubente, triformis Quantus erat simul emicuit, discrimine in ortu Nullo, jam totus. Rebus simul ordo creatus, |
or glass, so that there is no interval between its coming and its lighting all so did the three — form, matter, and their union — flash into being from the Lord with no distinction in beginning: all at once. Created with the substances were order |
| 30 | Constructusque fuit, quæque actu simplice constant In mundo formæ, summum tenuere cacumen, Puraque vis imum, medium actu prædita eoque Vimine constricta, ut nunquam sua vincula solvat. Hieronymus scripsit, multo ante in luminis oras |
and pure potentiality possessed the lowest part; and in the middle, act so joined potentiality that they never disjoin. For you, Jerome has written that the creation of the angels came |
| 35 | Exisse Aligeros, et sæcula lapsa, priusquam Hic mundus fieret. Sed verum hoc flamine Sancto Multi afflante viri passim scripsere legendum ; Et tu, si inspicias defixa mente, videbis. Id quoque paulisper ratio videt ipsa, negatque, |
long centuries before all else was made; but this, the truth I speak, is written by scribes of the Holy Ghost — as you can find if you look carefully — on many pages; and reason, too, can see in part this truth, |
| 40 | Tam cessasse diu motores vi sine plena. Scis modo, ubi fuerint, quoque isti tempore Amores Facti, quoque modo. Sic ardor, triplice flamma Qui desiderii stimulabat, adurere parcit. Vix unum numerans decies duplicaveris, ex quo |
for it would not admit that those who move the heavens could, for so long, be without their perfect task. Now you know where and when and how these loving spirits were created; with this, three flames of your desire are quenched. Then, sooner than it takes to count to twenty, |
| 45 | Pars magna Aligerum turbavit vestra ferentis Terræ elementa statum totum. Stetit altera et istis, Quas tu discernis, tam læta est artibus usa, Ut versabundo nunquam discedat ab orbe. Fastus, triste malum, illius, quem pondere summæ |
a portion of the angels violently disturbed the lowest of your elements. The rest remained; and they, with such rejoicing, began the office you can see, that they never desert their circling contemplation. The fall had its beginning in the cursed |
| 50 | Vidisti toto compressum, prima ruinæ Causa fuit. Quos hic est cernere, corde modesto De se senserunt, fassi, se cuncta referre Indulgenti accepta Deo bona tanta tuenda. Quare horum intuitus illustrans gratia pensis |
pride of the one you saw, held in constraint by all of the world’s weights. Those whom you see in Heaven here were modestly aware that they were ready for intelligence so vast, because of that Good which had made them; |
| 55 | Evexit meritis, quin ipsos firma voluntas Destituat. Nolo dubites, sed mente tenebis Certa, parenti stimulis, quos gratia subdit, Augeri meritum, prout cor expandit amorem. Jamque hoc de cœtu veniunt tibi multa videnda, |
through this, their vision was exalted with illuminating grace and with their merit, so that their will is constant and intact. I would not have you doubt, but have you know surely that there is merit in receiving grace, measured by the longing to receive it. |
| 60 | Si mea verba legis, nullo auxiliante magistro. At quoniam in terris vestræ docuere palæstræ Maturam Angelicam triplici virtute valere, Scilicet hanc intellegere et meminisse simulque Velle, ut germanum possis cognoscere verum, |
By now, if you have taken in my words, you need no other aid to contemplate much in regard to this consistory. But since on earth, throughout your schools, they teach that it is in the nature of the angels to understand, to recollect, to will, I shall say more, so that you may see clearly |
| 65 | Quod solet a vestris confundi, queis male cessit Iste liber lectus, juvat ulteriora profari. Ut semel has vitas proprio Deus ore beavit. Nusquam devertunt oculos in imagine fixos, Quæ nihil abscondit : quare intercidere earum |
the truth that, there below, has been confused by teaching that is so ambiguous. These beings, since they first were gladdened by the face of God, from which no thing is hidden, have never turned their vision from that face, so that their sight is never intercepted |
| 70 | Nulla potest novitas visum. Hinc concludere oportet, Non opus esse ipsis nunc has, nunc dividere illas In partes animum, et rerum meminisse seorsim. Sic vos, mortales, vigilantes somnia vana Captatis, seu vera rati, seu dicere falsa, |
by a new object, and they have no need to recollect an interrupted concept. So that, below, though not asleep, men dream, speaking in good faith or in bad — the last, |
| 75 | Quorum unum culpæ plus affert, plusque pudoris. Non vobis cura est per iter delabier unum Philosophi ; usque adeo vos versat imagine primæ Frontis amor studiumque, levi quod pascitur aura. Idque etiam cælo minus indignante feretur, |
however, merits greater blame and shame. Below, you do not follow one sole path as you philosophize — your love of show and thought of it so carry you astray! Yet even love of show is suffered here with less disdain than the subordination |
| 80 | Quam quum neglegitur Scripturæ littera sacræ, Vel detorquetur. Nemo est, qui expendere sumat. Sanguine stet quanto in terris hoc spargere semen, Quamque Deo placeat posito quicunque tumore Pronus in obsequium divino credere fonte |
or the perversion of the Holy Scripture. There, they devote no thought to how much blood it costs to sow it in the world, to how pleasing is he who — humbly — holds it fast. |
| 85 | Ardeat. At quisque ingenio, dum doctus haberi Vult, studioque omni sua dum commenta propinat ; Oratorque sacer populis hæc vendere curat, Et canit, atque Evangelii doctrina tacetur. Hic dicit, Lunam, Christo patiente, retrorsum |
Each one strives for display, elaborates his own inventions; preachers speak at length of these — meanwhile the Gospels do not speak. One says that, to prevent the sun from reaching below, the moon — when Christ was crucified — |
| 90 | Fugisse atque ingens interposuisse volumen, Quare non ultra indulsit sol lumina terris ; Ille, suum lucem per se celasse nitorem, Atque ideo Hispanos defectum luminis illum, Indos Judæosque simul turbasse colonos. |
moved back along the zodiac, so as to interpose itself; who says so, lies — for sunlight hid itself; not only Jews, but Spaniards, Indians, too, saw that eclipse. |
| 95 | Non tot habet Lapos, nec tot Florentia Bindos, Quot similes tricas resonant suggesta per annum. Interea redit a pastu saturatus inani Aura grex ovium ignarus, nec crimina purgat, Qui dicit, labem se non vidisse malorum. |
Such fables, shouted through the year from pulpits — some here, some there — outnumber even all the Lapos and the Bindos Florence has; so that the wretched sheep, in ignorance, return from pasture, having fed on wind — but to be blind to harm does not excuse them. |
| 100 | Non dixit Christus primis, quos fœdere junxit : ‹ Ite et per totam nugas diffundite terram › ; At dedit his verax fundamen ; et illud in ore Unum ejus sonuit, de quo sibi scutaque, et hastas Hi fecere sibi, luctati, accendere puram |
Christ did not say to his first company; ‘Go, and preach idle stories to the world’; but he gave them the teaching that is truth, and truth alone was sounded when they spoke; and thus, to battle to enkindle faith, the Gospels served them as both shield and lance. |
| 105 | Lucem Evangelii. Nostri scurrilia, lusus Verborum, male salsa crepant ; et dummodo abundent Risus, inflatur, sola hæc est cura, cucullus. Ast in fasciola talis cubat ales, ut, ipsum Si vulgus videat, gauderes cernere, qualem |
But now men go to preach with jests and jeers, and just as long as they can raise a laugh, the cowl puffs up, and nothing more is asked. But such a bird nests in that cowl, that if the people saw it, they would recognize |
| 110 | Exspectet veniam, cujus fiducia crevit. Ob quam stultitiæ tantum grassatur in orbe, Ut sine teste ullo cupiant quodcunque pacisci Promissum. Atque ideo porcum pinguescere sancti Vidimus Antoni, atque alios hoc de grege, porcis |
as lies the pardons in which they confide — pardons through which the world’s credulity increases so, that people throng to every indulgence backed by no authority; and this allows the Antonines to fatten their pigs, and others, too, more piggish still, |
| 115 | Pejores, solitos non cusos pendere nummos. At quoniam placuit longum divertere calle, Nunc jam respice iter rectum, ut via damna rependat Temporis. Ista gradus per cunctos crescit adauctu Natura immenso, ut percurrere nulla loquela, |
who pay with counterfeit, illegal tender. But since we have digressed enough, turn back your eyes now to the way that is direct; our time is short — so, too, must be our path. The number of these angels is so great that there has never been a mortal speech |
| 120 | Nec vis mortalis numerum subducere possit. Et si, quæ Daniel, cælo monstrante, revelat, Tecum animo reputes, ea milia millenorum Huic præfinitum numerum celare videbis. Quæ prima hanc omnem illustrat lux, dispare norma, |
or mortal thought that named a sum so steep; and if you look at that which is revealed by Daniel, you will see that, while he mentions thousands, he gives no number with precision. The First Light reaches them in ways as many |
| 125 | Totque modis variis proprio communicat ipsam Lumine, quot sunt splendores sibi fœdere juncti. Et quoniam affectus sequitur, qui concipit, actum, Isti dulcis amor varie fervetque tepetque. Nunc fac sublime aspicias pariterque profundum |
as are the angels to which It conjoins Itself, as It illumines all of them; and this is why (because affection follows the act of knowledge) the intensity of love’s sweetness appears unequally. By now you see the height, you see the breadth, |
| 130 | Virtutis pelagus summæ, quæ tot speculorum Perfecit millena sibi, in quæ frangitur, in se Dum manet una atque una æque subsistit, ut ante. » |
of the Eternal Goodness: It has made so many mirrors, which divide Its light, but, as before, Its own Self still is One.” |
| PARADISI XXX {30} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | Milia forte procul bis hinc tria milia fervet Sexta hora, atque umbras hic mundus ad usque cubile Inclinat plenum, quum sensim se arduus æther Altius assurgens nobis ostendere talem |
Perhaps six thousand miles away from us, the sixth hour burns, and now our world inclines its shadow to an almost level bed, so that the span of heaven high above |
| 5 | Incipit, ut stella ex minimis spectantis in isto Fundo aciem fugiat ; et prout clarissima solis Ancilla adventat, sic cælum clauditur uni- Cuique extra flammam, quæ agmen pulcherrima claudit ; Non secus hoc circum ludens sine fine triumphus, |
begins to alter so, that some stars are no longer to be seen from our deep earth; and as the brightest handmaid of the sun advances, heaven shuts off, one by one, its lights, until the loveliest is gone. So did the triumph that forever plays |
| 10 | A quo victus eram, punctum, simile ignibus illis Incluso, quos includit, vanescere sensim Visus et exstingui est. — Quare me, quærere rursus Os Dominæ rerum penuria amorque coëgit. Hac mihi dicta tenus si omnino includere in una |
around the Point that overcame me (Point that seems enclosed by that which It encloses) fade gradually from my sight, so that my seeing nothing else — and love — compelled my eyes to turn again to Beatrice. If that which has been said of her so far |
| 15 | Omnia laude velim, minus hac ego sim vice functus. Non modo, quam vidi, trans fines unica nostros Forma modum excedit, sed dignum est credere, solum Artificem ipsius toto hoc gaudere creatæ Formæ portento. Hic me victum sponte fatebor |
were all contained within a single praise, it would be much too scant to serve me now. The loveliness I saw surpassed not only our human measure — and I think that, surely, only its Maker can enjoy it fully. I yield: I am defeated at this passage |
| 20 | Plus, aliqua quam parte sui superatus et hærens Argumenti unquam steterit, qui comica tractat, Aut tragicos animos. Namque ut minus apta tuentis Lumina sol, mihi sic risus meminisse beantis Parte sui minuit mentem. Quo ex tempore primum |
more than a comic or a tragic poet has ever been by a barrier in his theme; for like the sun that strikes the frailest eyes, so does the memory of her sweet smile deprive me of the use of my own mind. |
| 25 | Illius in terris mihi cernere contigit ora, Hoc usque ad visum, non intercisa sequenti Hactenus ista fuit vati via ; sed modo oportet Præterlabentem ulterius desistere cura. Ut solet, ad summum quum venit, quisque peritus |
From that first day when, in this life, I saw her face, until I had this vision, no thing ever cut the sequence of my song, but now I must desist from this pursuit, in verses, of her loveliness, just as each artist who has reached his limit must. |
| 30 | Artis ; non aliter qualis nunc ipsa renidet Missa erit, utentique tuba hanc majore reservo, Quam nostra ista fuit, quæ altam deducere cantu Materiam properat, longo quasi functa labore. More ac voce ducis prompti rursum illa locuta est : |
So she, in beauty (as I leave her to a herald that is greater than my trumpet, which nears the end of its hard theme), with voice and bearing of a guide whose work is done, began again: “From matter’s largest sphere, |
| 35 | « Nos sumus egressi majore ex corpore ad illud, Quod mera lux cælum est ; lux mentis amore repleta, Optimi amore boni, cui gaudii copia abundat, Gaudii vincentis gustando dulcia cuncta. Militiam hic dabitur Paradisi cernere utramque, |
we now have reached the heaven of pure light, light of the intellect, light filled with love, love of true good, love filled with happiness, a happiness surpassing every sweetness. Here you will see both ranks of Paradise |
| 40 | Unamque ore illo, quod tu veniente videbis Tempore judicii extremi. » — Ceu nube repente Elisum fulgur, quo visus tota facultas Dejicitur sic, ut fraudetur imagine rerum Fortius irritantum oculos ; lux vivida talis |
and see one of them wearing that same aspect which you will see again at Judgment Day.” Like sudden lightning scattering the spirits of sight so that the eye is then too weak to act on other things it would perceive, such was the living light encircling me, |
| 45 | Me circumfulsit tali et velamine liquit Fulgoris cinctum, ut nihil internoscere quirem. « Semper Amor cælum hoc componens, colligit intus Vim talem, ut proprio candelam accommodet igni. » Vix brevis hic sermo, quem accepi, venit ad aures, |
leaving me so enveloped by its veil of radiance that I could see no thing. “The Love that calms this heaven always welcomes into Itself with such a salutation, to make the candle ready for its flame.” No sooner had these few words entered me |
| 50 | Quum sensi fines ultra virtute potitus, Incensusque nova sic vi, ut lux nulla niteret Tam mera, quam mea non defendere pupula posset. Et lumen fluvio vidi simile, inter utrasque Effulgens splendore oras, quas undique mirum |
than I became aware that I was rising beyond the power that was mine; and such new vision kindled me again, that even the purest light would not have been so bright as to defeat my eyes, deny my sight; and I saw light that took a river’s form — light flashing, reddish-gold, between two banks |
| 55 | Ver depingebat. Scintillæ ex flumine tali Vivæ erumpebant, florum et genus omne subibant, Ut circumscriptus nitido carbunculus auro. Exin, multiplici ut temulentæ copia odorum, Sese iterum miro mergebant gurgite, et, una |
painted with wonderful spring flowerings. Out of that stream there issued living sparks, which settled on the flowers on all sides, like rubies set in gold; and then, as if intoxicated with the odors, they again plunged into the amazing flood; |
| 60 | Ingressa, exibat mox altera. — « Summa cupido, Quæ nosse hæc tibi visa modo ardet pectus et urget, Quo plus turgescit, nisi eo plus grata probatur : At prius hæc potanda tibi unda est, quam sitis æstum Exsatures tantæ. » Sic sol, qui nubila ademit |
as one spark sank, another spark emerged. “The high desire that now inflames, incites, you to grasp mentally the things you see, pleases me more as it swells more; but first, that you may satisfy your mighty thirst, you must drink of these waters.” So did she |
| 65 | Cuncta meis oculis, ait atque hæc insuper addit : « Flumen et hæ gemmæ, ingressus semper repetentes. Risus et herbarum veri præludia et umbræ Sunt hujus gaudii ; non quod sint talia acerba Per se, verum oculi arcta tui est culpanda facultas. » |
who is the sun of my eyes speak to me. She added this: “The river and the gems of topaz entering and leaving, and the grasses’ laughter — these are shadowy prefaces of their truth; not that these things are lacking in themselves; the defect lies in you, whose sight is not yet that sublime.” |
| 70 | Nullus tam propero vultu in lac irruit infans, Cunctatus præter morem se solvere somno, Qualis ego, cupidus speculis melioribus uti, Cernuus inspiciens undam, quæ plurima circum Sese effundebat, visus meliore datura |
No infant who awakes long after his usual hour would turn his face toward milk as quickly as I hurried toward that stream; to make still finer mirrors of my eyes, I bent down toward the waters which flow there that we, in them, may find our betterment. |
| 75 | Condicione frui. Utque illam bibit utraque circa Palpebras suggrunda meas, sic illa rotunda Visa mihi est fieri species, quæ longa patebat. Deinde, instar gentis sub larva et tegmine falso Longe diversum vultumque habitumque ferentis |
But as my eyelids’ eaves drank of that wave, it seemed to me that it had changed its shape; no longer straight, that flow now formed a round. Then, just as maskers, when they set aside the borrowed likenesses in which they hide, |
| 80 | A primo, si aliena sibi hæc unquam exuat ora, In quibus evasit : sic flores, atque favillæ In majora mihi pompæ sunt gaudia versæ ; Quare ambos cæli potui lustrare cohortes. O lux alma Dei, per quam spectare triumphum |
seem to be other than they were before, so were the flowers and the sparks transformed, changing to such festivity before me that I saw — clearly — both of Heaven’s courts. O radiance of God, through which I saw |
| 85 | Regni mi licuit veri, vim tu ipsa ministra, Ut, qualem hunc vidi, talem describere verbis Nunc possim. In cælo est lumen, quod cernere donat Ora Creatoris cuicunque hoc patre creato, Qui modo, amore avidos inhians dum pascit in ipso |
the noble triumph of the true realm, give to me the power to speak of what I saw! Above, on high, there is a light that makes apparent the Creator to the creature whose only peace lies in his seeing Him. |
| 90 | Visus, pace sua fruitur ; quod crescit in orbis Formam sic ampli, Phœbea ut lampas ad istud Arcta foret. Quicquid nobis est cernere in ipso, Tantum uno constat radio, quem mobile primum Parte sui summa retrorsum flectit, et inde |
The shape which that light takes as it expands is circular, and its circumference would be too great a girdle for the sun. All that one sees of it derives from one light-ray reflected from the summit of the Primum Mobile, which from it draws |
| 95 | Vita sibi ac virtus venit ; et ceu clivus in imo Lympharum speculo sese inspicit, instar aventis Cernere se ornatum varie pulchreque virentem Luxuriæ ac florum ditem : sic luminis orbem Hunc circa superastantes affigere vultum |
power and life. And as a hill is mirrored in waters at its base, as if to see itself — when rich with grass and flowers — graced, |
| 100 | Huc, veluti in speculum, per plus quam milia vidi Limina digestos, de nostris quotquot ad illa Sese contulerant reduces cælestia scamna. Quod si splendoris tantum gradus infimus in se Collegit, foliis in cunctis quanta patebit |
so, in a thousand tiers that towered above the light, encircling it, I saw, mirrored, all of us who have won return above. And if the lowest rank ingathers such vast light, then what must be the measure of |
| 105 | Hæc rosa ? Nec visus me deficiebat in alto Atque amplo spatio, verum est mihi cognita tota, Quanta erat, et qualis gaudii hujus summa beantis. Hinc procul, et propius consistere nec juvat hilum, Nec nocet. Omne regente Deo nullius egeno, |
this Rose where it has reached its highest leaves! Within that breadth and height I did not find my vision gone astray, for it took in that joy in all its quality and kind. There, near and far do not subtract or add; for where God governs with no mediator, |
| 110 | Naturæ lex pro nihilo est. Flavente rosai In centro æternæ augescit, decrescit oletque Laudis odor varius vernanti tempos in omne Soli. — Non secus, ac mutum farique studentem, Me traxit secum surridens dulce BEATRIX |
no thing depends upon the laws of nature. Into the yellow of the eternal Rose that slopes and stretches and diffuses fragrance of praise unto the Sun of endless spring, now Beatrice drew me as one who, though he would speak out, is silent. And she said; |
| 115 | Atque ait : « En quanta est albarum turba stolarum Ornatu fulgens ! Cerne urbem, quam ampla patescit ! Nostraque scamna vide numero sic plena frequenti, Perpaucam ut gentem noster desideret orbis. Magno illo in solio, intenta quod mente tueris |
“See how great is this council of white robes! See how much space our city’s circuit spans! See how our seated ranks are now so full that little room is left for any more! And in that seat on which your eyes are fixed |
| 120 | Ob superimpositum solio sertum, ante novellam Quam sponsi hanc cenam delibes, vita sedebit Magni HENRICI, quæ in terris Augusta coletur, Erectum, prius huc quam sit migrare parata, Italiam veniet. Sed quæ vos cæca cupido |
because a crown already waits above it, before you join this wedding feast, shall sit the soul of noble Henry, he who is, on earth, to be imperial; he shall show Italy the righteous way — but when she is unready. The blind greediness |
| 125 | Fascinat, infanti similes jubet esse, premente Qui miser esurie perit altricemque repellit. Divinique fori Præfectus tunc erit unus, Qui occulte atque palam callem haud insistet eundem, Quem premet is rectum. Sed longum munere sancto |
bewitching you, has made you like the child who dies of hunger and drives off his nurse. And in the holy forum such shall be the Prefect then, that either openly or secretly he will not walk with Henry. But God will not endure him long within |
| 130 | Non sinet hunc fungi Deus, at detrudet in arcam, Simon ubi magus est merito ; inferiusque, daturus Huic locum, Anagninus pastor pelletur in antrum. » |
the holy ministry: he shall be cast down there, where Simon Magus pays; he shall force the Anagnine deeper in his hole.” |
| PARADISI XXXI {31} ⇑ | ||
| 1 |
Candidulæ ergo rosæ sub imagine tota videnda Militia alma mihi patuit, quam sanguine Christus Effuso sponsam sibi scripsit : at altera plaudens Alis, quæ decus inspectat celebratque canendo |
So, in the shape of that white Rose, the holy legion was shown to me — the host that Christ, with His own blood, had taken as His bride. The other host, which, flying, sees and sings |
| 5 | Illius, qui corda sibi succendit amore, Et qui se ad tantum bonitate evexit honorem ; Non secus atque examen apum, quod florida poscit Rura modo atque modo cellas, ubi dulce saporem Auget opus; florem in magnum, qui ornatus abundat |
the glory of the One who draws its love, and that goodness which granted it such glory, just like a swarm of bees that, at one moment, enters the flowers and, at another, turns back to that labor which yields such sweet savor, descended into that vast flower graced |
| 10 | Tot foliis, bloc descendebat, et inde redibat, Ascendens ubi semper Amor propriam incolit ædem. Fulgebat vivo facies his omnibus igne, Auro remigium alarum ; sic cetera candent, Ut nix nulla æque. In gremium dilapsa rosai |
with many petals, then again rose up to the eternal dwelling of its love. Their faces were all living flame; their wings were gold; and for the rest, their white was so intense, no snow can match the white they showed. When they climbed down into that flowering Rose, |
| 15 | Hanc per et hanc seriem candorum, quicquid adepta Pacis et ardoris fuerat, dum ventilat alas, Turba dabat. Nec jam volitantum exercitus, inter Florem quodque supra est positus, spatio undique pleno, Obstabat quicquam splendori, oculisque tuentum ; |
from rank to rank, they shared that peace and ardor which they had gained, with wings that fanned their sides. Nor did so vast a throng in flight, although it interposed between the candid Rose and light above, obstruct the sight or splendor, |
| 20 | Nam, prout est dignum, se lux divina per omnes Naturæ immittit partes, ut nulla potestas Huic obstare queat. Tuta illa beataque regna, Usque adeo antiquaque novaque frequentia gente, Visu et amore suo signum contendere ad unum |
because the light of God so penetrates the universe according to the worth of every part, that no thing can impede it. This confident and joyous kingdom, thronged with people of both new and ancient times, turned all its sight and ardor to one mark. |
| 25 | Gaudebat simul. O lux triplex, quæ unico in astro Flamine splendoris scintillans lumina cuncta Sic exples, nostros de cælo respice fluctus. Barbara si quondam gens ex regione profecta, Quam semper Tegeæa tegit pia mater amata |
O threefold Light that, in a single star sparkling into their eyes, contents them so, look down and see our tempest here below! If the Barbarians, when they came from a region that is covered every day |
| 30 | Se cum prole rotans, Romam mirata simulque Arduum opus stabat longum defixa stupensque, Quum res mortales Lateranum se extulit ultra ; Qui modo ab humano ad divinum, a tempore fluxo Veneram ad æternum, atque a te, Florentia, justum |
by Helice, who wheels with her loved son, were, seeing Rome and her vast works, struck dumb (when, of all mortal things, the Lateran was the most eminent), then what amazement must have filled me when I to the divine came from the human, to eternity from time, and to a people just and sane |
| 35 | Ad populum ac sanum, quo tunc hærere stupore Plenus debuerim ! Hunc inter et gaudia tanta Nil audire mihi linguaque silere libebat. Utque peregrinus, qua votum solvit, in æde Gaudet pascendo visum, ac se posse referre |
from Florence came! And certainly, between the wonder and the joy, it must have been welcome to me to hear and speak nothing. And as a pilgrim, in the temple he had vowed to reach, renews himself — he looks |
| 40 | Sperat quicquid in hoc vidit ; sic luce sub illa Viva iter intendens oculis per cuncta vagabar, Et sursum et deorsum mihi sæpius orbe remenso. Vidi compositos ad amorem fulgere vultus, Ornatos risuque suo alteriusque nitore, |
and hopes he can describe what it was like — so did I journey through the living light, guiding my eyes, from rank to rank, along a path now up, now down, now circling round. There I saw faces given up to love — graced with Another’s light and their own smile — |
| 45 | Et præportantes gestu decora omnia honesto. Jamque inspecta mihi generalis forma beati Regni tota oculis fuerat, quos nullibi fixos Detinui, et, desiderio inflammante, petebam Divæ oculos Dominæ, cupidus, quæ mente tenebant |
and movements graced with every dignity. By now my gaze had taken in the whole of Paradise — its form in general — but without looking hard at any part; and I, my will rekindled, turning toward my lady, was prepared to ask about those matters that inclined my mind to doubt. |
| 50 | Res me suspensum, scitarier. — Unus ad ista : Responditque alter. Tuna qui spectare putabam Ora BEATRICIS, seniorem tegmine vidi, Quo Superi, indutum, suffusum oculosque genasque Comi lætitia gestuque pium, ut decet esse |
Where I expected her, another answered; I thought I should see Beatrice, and saw an elder dressed like those who are in glory. His gracious gladness filled his eyes, suffused his cheeks; his manner had that kindliness |
| 55 | Corde patrem tenero. Ast ego mox : « Ubinam illa ? » Mihi iste : « Ut tibi sat fiat, me movit sede BEATRIX ; At si suspicias qui tertius ordine summum Circlus habet scamnum, rursus manifesta videndam Se dabit in solio, benefactis ante paratis |
which suits a tender father. “Where is she?” I asked him instantly. And he replied; “That all your longings may be satisfied, Beatrice urged me from my place. If you look up and to the circle that is third from that rank which is highest, you will see her on the throne her merits have assigned her.” |
| 60 | Quod sortita fuit. » — Visus sine voce levavi, Deque repercusso æterni splendore Parentis Hanc suo ego vidi capiti fecisse coronam. Quantus ab extrema regione, ubi flammeus aër Plus tonat, humanus tendit despectus, ad imum |
I, without answering, then looked on high and saw that round her now a crown took shape as she reflected the eternal rays. No mortal eye, not even one that plunged into deep seas, would be so distant from that region where the highest thunder forms, |
| 65 | Oceani magis extremum, mihi tantus ab ista Ad Dominam suspectus erat. Sed nulla nocebat Mi ratio spatii ; neque enim ad me forma meabat Mista interposito medio. « O mihi femina dia, In qua spes viget ista mihi, cui tanta salutis |
as — there — my sight was far from Beatrice; but distance was no hindrance, for her semblance reached me — undimmed by any thing between. “O lady, you in whom my hope gains strength, you who, for my salvation, have allowed |
| 70 | Cura meæ fuit, ut sineres claustra infima leti Signa tui portare pedis ! Quot quantaque novi, Hæc accepta tuæ virtuti cuncta, bonoque Ingenio refero ! Mihi servo posse dedisti Libertate frui, rationibus usa modisque, |
your footsteps to be left in Hell, in all the things that I have seen, I recognize the grace and benefit that I, depending upon your power and goodness, have received. You drew me out from slavery to freedom by all those paths, by all those means that were |
| 75 | Queis fieri id posset. Tua splendida dona tuere, Ut, quam tu sanasti, animam de corpore solvam Dignam, quæ placeat tibi ! » — Sic sum voce precatus. Ast ea, tam longe distans mihi visa, benigne Risit respexitque, æternum deinde petivit |
within your power. Do, in me, preserve your generosity, so that my soul, which you have healed, when it is set loose from my body, be a soul that you will welcome.” So did I pray. And she, however far away she seemed, smiled, and she looked at me. Then she turned back to the eternal fountain. |
| 80 | Fontem. Sed senior sanctus mihi dixit : « Ut istam Conficias omnino viam satiatus abunde, Quo me prex simul et sancti vis misit amoris, Fac properes acie hoc circumvolitare viretum ; Hujus enim aspectus divini luminis igni, |
And he, the holy elder, said: “That you may consummate your journey perfectly — for this, both prayer and holy love have sent me to help you — let your sight fly round this garden; by gazing so, your vision will be made |
| 85 | Plus ubi conscendas, oculorum aptabit acumen. Et Superum Regina, sui quæ me ardet amore Totum, quicquid opus fuerit, non nescia fidi BERNARDI, qui ego sum, præbebit larga favoris. » Qualis, qui venit ex populis fortasse Liburnis, |
more ready to ascend through God’s own ray. The Queen of Heaven, for whom I am all aflame with love, will grant us every grace; I am her faithful Bernard.” Just as one who, from Croatia perhaps, has come |
| 90 | Ut, quem nostra refert sacrum Veronica, vultum Inspiciat, nondum satiatus murmure priscæ Famæ ; ast hæc secum, pignus monstrante ministro : « Jesu Christe, Deus, vere fuit istane imago Hic tua ? » Talis eram mecum, miratus amorem |
to visit our Veronica — one whose old hunger is not sated, who, as long as it is shown, repeats these words in thought; “O my Lord Jesus Christ, true God, was then Your image like the image I see now?” — |
| 95 | Hujus vivacem, qui, dum isto degit in orbe, Contemplando illam pacem gustasse putatur. « Fili, gratificans, cui large gratia favit, Cognita erit nondum », dixit, « sors hæc tibi pulchra, Donec defixa hæc oculo miraberis ima ; |
such was I as I watched the living love of him who, in this world, in contemplation, tasted that peace. And he said: “Son of grace, you will not come to know this joyous state if your eyes only look down at the base; |
| 100 | Arrecta sed utraque acie circumspice circlos, Et circlum invenies, qui semotissimus alte Surgit, Reginam donec spectare sedentem Sit tibi, quam pietate colunt hæc subdita regna. » Sustuleram obtutūs, et sicut mane novello |
but look upon the circles, look at those that sit in a position more remote, until you see upon her seat the Queen to whom this realm is subject and devoted.” I lifted up my eyes; and as, at morning, |
| 105 | Quæ pars in plano plus vergit solis ad ortum, Exsuperat partem, qua lux festinat in æquor : Sic, pæne ad montem pergens ex valle profectus, Partem oræ extremæ reliquam fulgore videbam Vincere prospectum totum ; utque videmus in ora |
the eastern side of the horizon shows more splendor than the side where the sun sets, so, as if climbing with my eyes from valley to summit, I saw one part of the farthest rank of the Rose more bright than all the rest. And as, on earth, the point where we await |
| 110 | Exspectante axem, Phaëthonti qui male cessit, Hinc magis atque magis lumen clarescere, et inde Passim diminui, sic illius Aurisflammæ Pacificæ magis ac magis increbrescere fulgor In medio, similique modo lentescere ubique. |
the shaft that Phaëthon had misguided glows brightest, while, to each side, the light shades off, so did the peaceful oriflamme appear brightest at its midpoint, so did its flame, on each side, taper off at equal pace. |
| 115 | Inque illo medio plus quam millena volantum Agmina ego vidi passis plaudentia pennis, Singula splendoris distinctaque lumine et artis. Lusibus illorum, et concentibus arridentem Mirabar faciem, quæ oculos inspecta beabat |
I saw, around that midpoint, festive angels — more than a thousand — with their wings outspread; each was distinct in splendor and in skill. And there I saw a loveliness that when it smiled at the angelic songs and games |
| 120 | Cunctorum Superum. Quod si mihi copia tanta Esset dicendi, quanta est via vivida mantis, Hujus ego gaudii minimam tentare canendo Non ausim partem. Ut defixa intentaque in ignem Lumina nostra suum vidit BERNARDUS, ad illam |
made glad the eyes of all the other saints. And even if my speech were rich as my imagination is, I should not try to tell the very least of her delights. Bernard — when he had seen my eyes intent, fixed on the object of his burning fervor — |
| 125 | Mox sua convertit, tanto inflammatus amore, Ut mea in obtutu hærerent ardentius isto. |
turned his own eyes to her with such affection that he made mine gaze still more ardently. |
| PARADISI XXXII {32} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | At contemplator, sua quem trahit alma voluptas, Non dedignatus doctoris sponte subire Officium, has primnm sanctas dedit ore loquelas : « Quod vulnus Virgo genetrix occlusit et unxit, |
Though he had been absorbed in his delight, that contemplator freely undertook the task of teaching; and his holy words began: “The wound that Mary closed and then |
| 5 | Quæ stat sub plantis hujus tam pulchra, reclusit Ac pupugit, sub qua RACHEL juxtaque BEATRIX Considunt, ut et ipse vides, ubi tertius ordo Sedes designat. Dein SARA, REBECCA, JUDITHA, Et quæ illi proava est, qui errorem flevit amare |
anointed was the wound that Eve — so lovely at Mary’s feet — had opened and had pierced. Below her, in the seats of the third rank, Rachel and Beatrice, as you see, sit. Sarah, Rebecca, Judith, and the one who was the great-grandmother of the singer who, as he sorrowed for his sinfulness, |
| 10 | Clamando : ‹ Miserere mei ! › — Per limina cuncta Sic descendentes poteris spectare gradatim Has series, ut ego, proprio qui nomine cunctas Appello, unumquemque rosæ percurrere crinem Doctus. Postque gradum, qui est septimus ordine, ad usque |
cried, ‘Miserere mei’ — these you can see from rank to rank as I, in moving through the Rose, from petal unto petal, give to each her name. And from the seventh rank, just as they did within the ranks above, |
| 15 | Illum succedunt prognatæ a sanguine Judæ Heroinæ infra : cunctos in flore capillos Hæ dirimunt ; nam, prout sese dedit ipsa videndam In Christum conversa fides, ita parietis instar Sacras partiri scalas hæ rite jubentur. |
the Hebrew women follow — ranging downward — dividing all the tresses of the Rose. They are the wall by which the sacred stairs divide, depending on the view of Christ with which their faith aligned. Upon one side, |
| 20 | Hic, ubi multiplicis folium maturuit omne Floris, considunt queis spes stetit omnis in uno Christo venturo. Verum qua ex parte secantur Semiorbes spatio vacuo, stant pectora versa In Christum missum, hac una spe freta salutis. |
there where the Rose is ripe, with all its petals, are those whose faith was in the Christ to come; and on the other side — that semicircle whose space is broken up by vacant places — sit those whose sight was set upon the Christ who had already come. And just as on |
| 25 | Utque hinc Reginæ sedes præsignis, at hujus Sub pede dispositæ reliquæ distare videntur Tanto sejunctæ spatio, sic prima JOANNIS Magni stat sedes contra, qui solus in antro Vixit perpetue sanctus, dein colla securi |
this side, to serve as such a great partition, there is the throne in glory of the Lady of Heaven and the seats that range below it, so, opposite, the seat of the great John — who, always saintly, suffered both the desert |
| 30 | Pro Christo dedit, atque duos habitaverat annos Vallibus infernis. Atque infra contigit illa Partiri pariter loca FRANCISCO, BENEDICTO Atque AUGUSTINO, reliquisque, huc usque per omnes Qui sibi succedunt circos. Nunc aspice, quantum |
and martyrdom, and then two years of Hell — serves to divide; below him sit, assigned to this partition, Francis, Benedict, and Augustine, and others, rank on rank, down to this center of the Rose. Now see |
| 35 | Divini pateat sapientia summa Parentis ; Nam veræ fidei suspectus et unus et alter Æquali numero complebit scamna vireti. Idque volo discas, a prima sede superna Incipiens atque inde oculo descendere pergens |
how deep is God’s foresight: both aspects of the faith shall fill this garden equally. And know that there, below the transverse row |
| 40 | Ad medium spatii, duo quod discrimina finit, Sedem ibi habere suam, qui, nullis ante paratis Promeritis propriis, tamen hæc sunt gaudia adepti Ob meritum alterius sub condicione statuta. Istæ namque animæ sunt membris ante solutæ, |
that cuts across the two divisions, sit souls who are there for merits not their own, but — with certain conditions — others’ merits; for all of these are souls who left their bodies |
| 45 | Libera delectum quam sciret habere voluntas ; Tuque id nosse potes ex vultu et voce loquentum, Qua pueri soliti, si inspectes, et sonitum aure Accipias. — At tu dubitas, dubitansque silescis ; Verum ego dissolvam vinclum tibi forte tenaxque, |
before they had the power of true choice.
Indeed, you may perceive this by yourself — their faces, childlike voices, are enough, if you look well at them and hear them sing. But now you doubt and, doubting, do not speak; yet I shall loose that knot; I can release |
| 50 | Quo te judicium mentis subtile coërcet. Hoc amplo in regno data forte sedilia nunquam Apparent, ut nec dolor, esuriesve sitisve ; Nam quodcunque vides æterna est lege paratum ; Sic sese digito hic accommodat annulus æque. |
you from the bonds of subtle reasoning. Within the ample breadth of this domain, no point can find its place by chance, just as there is no place for sorrow, thirst, or hunger; whatever you may see has been ordained by everlasting law, so that the fit of ring and finger here must be exact; |
| 55 | Quare isti, ante diem vera qui pace fruuntur, Plusve minusve inter se excellunt non sine causa. Rex, per quem in tanto pausat regnum istud amore, Inque hac lætitia, qua majus nulla cupido Quicquam ausit, mentes, ut visum est, sponte creatas |
and thus these souls who have, precociously, reached the true life do not, among themselves, find places high or low without some cause. The King through whom this kingdom finds content in so much love and so much joyousness that no desire would dare to ask for more, creating every mind in His glad sight, |
| 60 | Omnes diversæ donavit munere dotis. Atque id scire sat est, quod clare sancta notavit Scriptura in fetu gemino, quem ventre parentis Inclusum alternis commoverat impetus iræ. Quare prout præfert ea gratia prima colorem |
bestows His grace diversely, at His pleasure — and here the fact alone must be enough. And this is clearly and expressly noted for you in Holy Scripture, in those twins who, in their mother’s womb, were moved to anger. Thus, it is just for the celestial light |
| 65 | Crinis, ita et dignum est, ut lux altissima sertum Det capiti. Non ulla igitur mercede suorum Morum stant ipsi diversa in sede gradatim, Nilque in iis differt, nisi primum gratiæ acumen. Cum vita culpæ immuni, satis esse saluti |
to grace their heads with a becoming crown, according to the color of their hair. Without, then, any merit in their works, these infants are assigned to different ranks — proclivity at birth, the only difference. In early centuries, their parents’ faith |
| 70 | Temporibus poterat primis in corde parentum Vera fides tantum. Sed postquam sæcula prima Explerunt certos revolutis orbibus annos, Ut plumis marium innocuis satis apta daretur Virtus, hos fuerat circumcidisse necesse. |
alone, and their own innocence, sufficed for the salvation of the children; when those early times had reached completion, then each male child had to find, through circumcision, the power needed by his innocent |
| 75 | Ast ubi corripuit decretum gratia cursum, Qui sine perfecto Christi baptismate obivit Culpæ insons propriæ, inferno stetit orbe retentus. Aspice jam faciem, quæ plus Christo esse videtur Assimilis ; nam sola dabit tibi cernere Christum |
member; but then the age of grace arrived, and without perfect baptism in Christ, such innocence was kept below, in Limbo. Look now upon the face that is most like the face of Christ, for only through its brightness |
| 80 | Quæ lux inde fluit. » — Super hanc descendere tantam Vim gaudii vidi, quæ mentibus insinuabat Discurrens sanctis regnum hoc sublime creatis Pervolitare ultro, ut guodcunque mihi ante tueri Fas fuerat, nunquam tanto mea corda stupore |
can you prepare your vision to see Him.” I saw such joy rain down upon her, joy carried by holy intellects created to fly at such a height, that all which I had seen before did not transfix me with amazement so intense, nor show to me |
| 85 | Fixerit, aut tantum divini ostenderit oris. Quique illuc descendit amor prior, ipse canendo Carmen : « Ave, Maria ! » et quæ quondam cetera jussus Dixerat, expansis ante illam restitit alis. Undique divinum ad carmen turba illa beata |
a semblance that was so akin to God. And the angelic love who had descended earlier, now spread his wings before her, singing “Ave Maria, gratia plena.” On every side, the blessed court replied, singing responses to his godly song, |
| 90 | Respondit sic, ut cuncti magis igne micarent. « O pater alme, isthic me propter posse morari, Dulci posthabito nido, qua sede sedere Æterna est tibi sorte datum, quisnam Angelus ille est Reginæ tanto suspectans lumina ludo |
so that each spirit there grew more serene. “O holy father — who, for me, endure your being here below, leaving the sweet place where eternal lot assigns your seat — who is that angel who with such delight looks into our Queen’s eyes — he who is so |
| 95 | Nostræ ? Ita amore ardens, ut possit et ipse videri Igneus. » — Hæc rursum visum est scitarier hujus Doctrinam, ornantem, solis de more Mariæ Matutinum astrum. Mihi contra is talia reddit : « Quanta unquam esse potest fiducia, quanta venustas |
enraptured that he seems to be a flame?” So, once again, I called upon the teaching of him who drew from Mary beauty, as the morning star draws beauty from the sun. And he to me: “All of the gallantry and confidence that there can be in angel |
| 100 | Angelico in vultu inque anima, tota ardet in illo ; Quod decet ac fiat volumus ; nam detulit ipse Ad Mariam in terris palmam, quo tempore Verbum Divinum nostra voluit se carne gravare. At jam sic oculis assis, ut verba sequantur |
or blessed soul are found in him, and we would have it so, for it was he who carried the palm below to Mary, when God’s Son wanted to bear our flesh as His own burden. But follow with your eyes even as I |
| 105 | Quæ dicam, magnosque notans circumspice patres, Imperii ista pii justissima regna colentes. Copia, cunctorum quæ felicissima in illo Stat sæpto, AUGUSTAM propius considere digna, Hæc duplex radix istius pæne putanda |
proceed to speak, and note the great patricians of this most just and merciful empire. Those two who, there above, are seated, most happy to be so near the Empress, may be likened to the two roots of this Rose; |
| 110 | Est floris. Lævus, qui sese accommodat illi, Antiquus pater est, qui gustu audacior omne Humanum genus usque adeo dape pavit amara. Stat dexter vetus ille pater, quo ecclesia sancta Usa duce est, claves quem Christus jussit habere |
the one who, on her left, sits closest, is the father whose presumptuous tasting caused humankind to taste such bitterness; and on the right, you see that ancient father of Holy Church, into whose care the keys of this fair flower were consigned by Christ. |
| 115 | Pulchri hujus floris. Dein qui omnia sæcla, priusquam Vitam exhalaret, vidit graviora decoræ Sponsæ, quæ teli et clavorum vulnere parta est, Assidet hunc propter ; juxtaque alium ille quiescit Dux, sub quo vulgus male gratum, mobile, duræ |
And he who saw, before he died, all of the troubled era of the lovely Bride — whom lance and nails had won — sits at his side; and at the side of Adam sits that guide under whose rule the people, thankless, fickle, |
| 120 | Cervicis vixit manna. ANNAM conspice stantem Adversus PETRUM, propria sic sorte beatam, Dum figit visus in natam, ut lumina nusquam Declinare alio hanc videas, dum cantat : Hosanna ! At contra sobolis genitorem LUCIA sidit |
and stubborn, lived on manna. Facing Peter, Anna is seated, so content to see her daughter that, as Anna sings hosannas, she does not move her eyes. And opposite the greatest father of a family, Lucia sits, she who urged on your lady |
| 125 | Illa, tuam quæ olim movit, quum prona ruinam Jamjam spectabant tua lumina territa monstro. Sed quia tempus abit somni, hic mihi denique finis Hæreat, experto ut sartori ducere certo Vestis opus, dum suppeditat sibi copia panni. |
when you bent your brows downward, to your ruin. But time, which brings you sleep, takes flight, and now we shall stop here — even as a good tailor who cuts the garment as his cloth allows — |
| 130 | Atque aciem ad primum nos convertemus Amorem Sic, ut suspiciens illum, ut fert vestra facultas, Lumen in ipsius penetres. Nec forte recuses, Dum pennas agitas, ratus ultra tendere cursu, Est opus, ut studeas tibi opem impetrare precando, |
and turn our vision to the Primal Love,
that, gazing at Him, you may penetrate — as far as that can be — His radiance. But lest you now fall back when, even as you move your wings, you think that you advance, imploring grace, through prayer you must beseech |
| 135 | Exorando illam, quæ te virtute juvare Larga potest, et corde tuo mea dicta sequaris Sic, ut nusquam abeas animo, dum talia pango ; » Atque precem hanc sanctam diffundere pectore cœpit. |
grace from that one who has the power to help you; and do you follow me with your affection — so may my words and your heart share one way.” And he began this holy supplication: |
| PARADISI XXXIII {33} ⇑ | ||
| 1 | « Virgo, tui simul et genitrix et filia nati, Corde humilis, simul alta super genus omne creatum, Consilii æterni stans termine ! Tu illa fuisti, In tantum naturam hominum quæ vexit honorem, |
“Virgin mother, daughter of your Son, more humble and sublime than any creature, fixed goal decreed from all eternity, you are the one who gave to human nature so much nobility that its Creator |
| 5 | Hujus ut ipse opifex non dedignatus ab ipsa Esse opus in terris fuerit. Vis arsit amoris Ventrem ingressa tuum, cujus calor edidit hujus Floris in æterna germen mirabile pace. Tu nobis istic medii pro luce diei |
did not disdain His being made its creature. That love whose warmth allowed this flower to bloom within the everlasting peace — was love rekindled in your womb; for us above, you are the noonday torch of charity, |
| 10 | Fax sanctæ es flammæ, deorsum mortalibus ægris Spes fonte ex vivo. Sic virgo es magna potensque, Ut, qui eget auxilii, in rebus nec confugit arctis Ad te, idem ipse velit sua vota volare sine alis. Non modo poscenti auxiliam tua cura, benigna |
and there below, on earth, among the mortals, you are a living spring of hope. Lady, you are so high, you can so intercede, that he who would have grace but does not seek your aid, may long to fly but has no wings. Your loving-kindness does not only answer |
| 15 | Succurrit, sed sæpe preces prior occupat ultro. In te cor miserans, in te pius ardor, et ample Magnificum ingenium concurrit, et una receptas Quicquid ubique boni est in re quacunque creata. Hic, qui ex valle ima, summarum quæ ultima summa est, |
the one who asks, but it is often ready to answer freely long before the asking. In you compassion is, in you is pity, in you is generosity, in you is every goodness found in any creature. This man — who from the deepest hollow in the universe, up to this height, has seen |
| 20 | Singula vestigans exutas corpore vitas Huc usque inspexit, sibi te indulgente, vigoris Implorat tantum, ut visus attollere possit Altius ad primæ auctoremque caputque salutis. En ego, non ardens tantum studio ipse videndi, |
the lives of spirits, one by one — now pleads with you, through grace, to grant him so much virtue that he may lift his vision higher still — may lift it toward the ultimate salvation. And I, who never burned for my own vision |
| 25 | Quantum hujus propter curam, te qua prece possum Oro omni supplex, ne sit prex ista minoris ; Ut, quæ nunc hebetant mortalis lumina visus, Omnes dissolvas huic nubes ipsa precando, Ne se ipsi celet Superum ac tua summa voluptas. |
more than I burn for his, do offer you all of my prayers — and pray that they may not fall short — that, with your prayers, you may disperse all of the clouds of his mortality so that the Highest Joy be his to see. |
| 30 | Idque etiam te oro, (tibi enim, Regina, quod optas Posse datum est), ut post, quæ tanta ac plurima vidit, Ipsi incorruptos serves in pectore sensus, Et vigil humanos vincas custodia motus. Cerne BEATRICEM circumstantesque beatos, |
This, too, o Queen, who can do what you would, I ask of you : that after such a vision, his sentiments preserve their perseverance. May your protection curb his mortal passions. See Beatrice — how many saints with her! |
| 35 | Conjunctis illi manibus mea vota secundant. » Tam dilecta Deo venerataque lumina in illos Defixa orantes nobis testata fuerunt, Quam grato illa animo accipiat pia verba rogantum. Exin æternum haud dubitarunt quærere lumen, |
They join my prayers! They clasp their hands to you!” The eyes that are revered and loved by God, now fixed upon the supplicant, showed us how welcome such devotions are to her; then her eyes turned to the Eternal Light — |
| 40 | Ad quod nulla foret natura creata putanda Clarius inspiciens aciei mittere robur. At qui cunctarum rerum, quas discere avebam, Jam prope eram finem, consumpsi, ut rite dabatur, Ardorem desiderii. BERNARDUS ad ista |
there, do not think that any creature’s eye can find its way as clearly as her sight. And I, who now was nearing Him who is the end of all desires, as I ought, lifted my longing to its ardent limit. |
| 45 | Annuere atque mihi arridere, ut suspicerem alte ; Sed jam talis eram per me, qualem esse volebat. Nam mihi facta acies sincera, magisque magisque Se radio insinuans lucem penetravit in altam, A se quæ vera est. Ex illo tempore major |
Bernard was signaling — he smiled — to me to turn my eyes on high; but I, already was doing what he wanted me to do, because my sight, becoming pure, was able to penetrate the ray of Light more deeply — that Light, sublime, which in Itself is true. From that point on, what I could see was greater |
| 50 | Vis oculi venit, quam possim dicere lingua. Nam cedit sermo, cedit meminisse facultas, Pressa ictu tanto. — Ut qui in somnis somnia vidit, Postque ea, quæ vidit, manet intus cura reposta, Nec res succurrit revocanti ; non secus ipse |
than speech can show: at such a sight, it fails — and memory fails when faced with such excess. As one who sees within a dream, and, later, the passion that had been imprinted stays, but nothing of the rest returns to mind, |
| 55 | Nunc maneo, quum visa mihi pæne omnia cessant, Et cor intus adhuc blanda inde exorta voluptas Mi liquat. Haud aliter dissolvi, sole tepente, Nix solet ; haud aliter foliis commissa Sibyllæ Carmina perturbata ibant ludibria ventis. |
such am I, for my vision almost fades completely, yet it still distills within my heart the sweetness that was born of it. So is the snow, beneath the sun, unsealed; and so, on the light leaves, beneath the wind, the oracles the Sibyl wrote were lost. |
| 60 | O lux summa, adeo exsuperans mortalia sensa, Suffice parva tui nostræ vestigia menti, Qualis eras tunc visa mihi, fantisque loquelæ Vim tantam, ut possim genti mandare futuræ Tantum ex divina, qua immense gloria abundas, |
O Highest Light, You, raised so far above the minds of mortals, to my memory give back something of Your epiphany, and make my tongue so powerful that I may leave to people of the future one gleam of the glory that is Yours, for by |
| 65 | Unam scintillam. Namque huc redeunte frequenter Mente, meique oris cantu resonante parumper, Forte magis populi discent, ut tu omnia vincas. Credo ego, ob ardentis jubaris quod lentus acumen Sustinui, passus defectum forte fuissem, |
returning somewhat to my memory and echoing awhile within these lines, Your victory will be more understood. The living ray that I endured was so acute that I believe I should have gone |
| 70 | Lumina si quando statuissem aversa tenere. Et memini hoc propter me contra audacius isse, Immensam donec virtutem tutus adivi. O mihi gratia opis dives, qua dante, meare Non timui æternam in lucem sic, ut, quod habebam |
astray had my eyes turned away from it. I can recall that I, because of this, was bolder in sustaining it until my vision reached the Infinite Goodness. O grace abounding, through which I presumed to set my eyes on the Eternal Light |
| 75 | Visus, consumptum fuerit ! Mihi, quicquid ubique est, Hoc alto centro demersum, et amore revinctum Cernere contigerat, simul omne, quod occupat orbem Terrarum studiis curisque, volumine in uno ; Rem per se atque modum, et quod privi est moris utrique, |
so long that I spent all my sight on it! In its profundity I saw — ingathered and bound by love into one single volume — what, in the universe, seems separate, scattered; substances, accidents, and dispositions |
| 80 | Sic conflata simul cuncta, ut quod dicere conor, Sit simplex lumen. Tunc me vidisse putarem Totam hujus formam nodi ; nam copia gaudii Largius irrorat mentem hæc mihi visa locuto. Unum horæ punctum mihi plus solet esse veterni, |
as if conjoined — in such a way that what I tell is only rudimentary. I think I saw the universal shape which that knot takes; for, speaking this, I feel a joy that is more ample. That one moment |
| 85 | Quam si sæcla decem bis sumpta et quina manenda Auso illi fuerint, per quod Neptunus in umbra Argus suspiciens stupuit. Sic tota morata est Mens animi suspense, hærens, immobilis, alte Intenta, inque suo obtutu magis usque flagrabat. |
brings more forgetfulness to me than twenty- five centuries have brought to the endeavor that startled Neptune with the Argo’s shadow! So was my mind — completely rapt, intent, steadfast, and motionless — gazing; and it grew ever more enkindled as it watched. |
| 90 | Istam qui aspiciat lucem, fit talis, ut inde Declinare oculum atque alio divertere nunquam Vera contentus possit ; nam cuique voluptas, Meta voluntati, tota huc concurrit et extra Hanc, quæcunque alibi sunt optima, manca labascunt. |
Whoever sees that Light is soon made such that it would be impossible for him to set that Light aside for other sight; because the good, the object of the will, is fully gathered in that Light; outside that Light, what there is perfect is defective. |
| 95 | Parcus ad hæc, quæ commemoro, jam verba profundam, Ut qui matris adhuc umectat ad ubera linguam. Non quia constaret plus simplice imagine vivum, Quod suspectabam, lumen ; nam tempus in omne Semper idem est, quod erat ; sed visus propter acumen, |
What little I recall is to be told, from this point on, in words more weak than those of one whose infant tongue still bathes at the breast. And not because more than one simple semblance was in the Living Light at which I gazed — for It is always what It was before — |
| 100 | Major ab intuitu cui vis veniebat, imago Una, mihi tantum mutato, est visa laborans. Hujus in excelso puncti claroque nitore Tres orbes triplicem referentes luce colorem Cernere sum visus triplicemque hunc ambitu in uno. |
but through my sight, which as I gazed grew stronger, that sole appearance, even as I altered, seemed to be changing. In the deep and bright essence of that exalted Light, three circles appeared to me; they had three different colors, but all of them were of the same dimension; |
| 105 | Unus de alterius dissultans lumine lumen Visus erat, veluti Iris de Iride ; tertius ignis Hinc atque hinc æque efflatus. Quam angusta loquela Hæc mea ineptaque iis est, quæ mens concipit intus ! Atque hæc tantula sunt, ad quæ illo tempore vidi, |
one circle seemed reflected by the second, as rainbow is by rainbow, and the third seemed fire breathed equally by those two circles. How incomplete is speech, how weak, when set against my thought! And this, to what I saw. |
| 110 | Ut non sufficiant conanti pauca referre. O, quæ sola super te sidis, lucida flamma Æterna, et quæ te solam una intellegis, a te Et percepta et percipiens te, huic annue curæ. Ille orbis visus, te ipsum generante, moveri |
is such — to call it little is too much. Eternal Light, You only dwell within Yourself, and only You know You; Self-knowing, Self-known, You love and smile upon Yourself! That circle — which, begotten so, appeared |
| 115 | More repercussi splendoris, fixa moratus Lumina nostra diu, ille idem intus imagine pictus Nostra erat, hanc proprio ipsius monstrante colore : Namque ego pendebam totus defixus in illum. More geometræ, qui totus inhæret in una |
in You as light reflected — when my eyes had watched it with attention for some time, within itself and colored like itself, to me seemed painted with our effigy, so that my sight was set on it completely. As the geometer intently seeks |
| 120 | Circli, mensura intentus, neque multa moventi Invenisse fuit, quod primum postulat usus ; Restiteram illius tactus novitate figuræ : Cura erat inspicere, ut circlo convenit imago, Atque ut se huic aptat ; sed non sat ad ista fuere, |
to square the circle, but he cannot reach, through thought on thought, the principle he needs, so I searched that strange sight: I wished to see the way in which our human effigy suited the circle and found place in it — and my own wings were far too weak for that. |
| 125 | Quas habui pennas ; at mens fuit icta nitore, Qui desiderium explevit. Me hic alta reliquit Phantasiæ virtus. Sed jam studium omne meæque Regna voluntatis, motæ æque more rotai, Circumagebat Amor, solem astraque cetera torquens. |
But then my mind was struck by light that flashed and, with this light, received what it had asked. Here force failed my high fantasy; but my desire and will were moved already — like a wheel revolving uniformly — by the Love that moves the sun and the other stars. |
| FINIS. |
| Lipsiæ, typis J. B. HIRSCHFELDII. |
| LIPSIÆ MDCCCXLVIII {1848} SUMTIBUS JOAN. AMBROS. BARTH. |
| * Other translations: |
| The currently best English translation (with footnotes) is The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri (3 Volumes: Inferno 1996, Purgatorio 2003, Paradiso 2011), by Robert M. Durling, Ronald L. Martinez and (Illustrations) Robert Turner (New York: Oxford University Press). |
| Die aktuell beste deutsche Übersetzung (mit Fussnoten) ist meines Erachtens Dante Alighieri: Commedia: In deutscher Prosa von Kurt Flasch, Fischer Verlag, 2013. |
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| Deus vult ! | — Brian Regan ( Inscriptio electronica: Brennus@brennus.bluedomino.com ) |
| Dies immutationis recentissimæ: die Solis, 2013 Julii 15 |