Produced by David Widger
THE VISION
OF
HELL, PURGATORY, AND PARADISE
OR THE INFERNO
BY
DANTE ALIGHIERI
TRANSLATED BY
THE REV. H. F. CARY, M.A.
HELL
Part 3
Cantos 5 – 6
CANTO V
FROM the first circle I descended thus Down to the second, which, a lesser space Embracing, so much more of grief contains Provoking bitter moans. There, Minos stands Grinning with ghastly feature: he, of all Who enter, strict examining the crimes,
Gives sentence, and dismisses them beneath, According as he foldeth him around:
For when before him comes th’ ill fated soul, It all confesses; and that judge severe
Of sins, considering what place in hell Suits the transgression, with his tail so oft Himself encircles, as degrees beneath
He dooms it to descend. Before him stand Always a num’rous throng; and in his turn Each one to judgment passing, speaks, and hears His fate, thence downward to his dwelling hurl’d.
“O thou! who to this residence of woe Approachest?” when he saw me coming, cried Minos, relinquishing his dread employ,
“Look how thou enter here; beware in whom Thou place thy trust; let not the entrance broad Deceive thee to thy harm.” To him my guide: “Wherefore exclaimest? Hinder not his way By destiny appointed; so ’tis will’d
Where will and power are one. Ask thou no more.”
Now ‘gin the rueful wailings to be heard. Now am I come where many a plaining voice Smites on mine ear. Into a place I came
Where light was silent all. Bellowing there groan’d A noise as of a sea in tempest torn
By warring winds. The stormy blast of hell With restless fury drives the spirits on Whirl’d round and dash’d amain with sore annoy.
When they arrive before the ruinous sweep, There shrieks are heard, there lamentations, moans, And blasphemies ‘gainst the good Power in heaven.
I understood that to this torment sad The carnal sinners are condemn’d, in whom Reason by lust is sway’d. As in large troops And multitudinous, when winter reigns,
The starlings on their wings are borne abroad; So bears the tyrannous gust those evil souls. On this side and on that, above, below,
It drives them: hope of rest to solace them Is none, nor e’en of milder pang. As cranes, Chanting their dol’rous notes, traverse the sky, Stretch’d out in long array: so I beheld Spirits, who came loud wailing, hurried on By their dire doom. Then I: “Instructor! who Are these, by the black air so scourg’d?”–“The first ‘Mong those, of whom thou question’st,” he replied, “O’er many tongues was empress. She in vice Of luxury was so shameless, that she made Liking be lawful by promulg’d decree,
To clear the blame she had herself incurr’d. This is Semiramis, of whom ’tis writ,
That she succeeded Ninus her espous’d; And held the land, which now the Soldan rules. The next in amorous fury slew herself,
And to Sicheus’ ashes broke her faith: Then follows Cleopatra, lustful queen.”
There mark’d I Helen, for whose sake so long The time was fraught with evil; there the great Achilles, who with love fought to the end. Paris I saw, and Tristan; and beside
A thousand more he show’d me, and by name Pointed them out, whom love bereav’d of life.
When I had heard my sage instructor name Those dames and knights of antique days, o’erpower’d By pity, well-nigh in amaze my mind
Was lost; and I began: “Bard! willingly I would address those two together coming, Which seem so light before the wind.” He thus: “Note thou, when nearer they to us approach.”
“Then by that love which carries them along, Entreat; and they will come.” Soon as the wind Sway’d them toward us, I thus fram’d my speech: “O wearied spirits! come, and hold discourse With us, if by none else restrain’d.” As doves By fond desire invited, on wide wings
And firm, to their sweet nest returning home, Cleave the air, wafted by their will along; Thus issu’d from that troop, where Dido ranks, They through the ill air speeding; with such force My cry prevail’d by strong affection urg’d.
“O gracious creature and benign! who go’st Visiting, through this element obscure,
Us, who the world with bloody stain imbru’d; If for a friend the King of all we own’d, Our pray’r to him should for thy peace arise, Since thou hast pity on our evil plight. ()f whatsoe’er to hear or to discourse
It pleases thee, that will we hear, of that Freely with thee discourse, while e’er the wind, As now, is mute. The land, that gave me birth, Is situate on the coast, where Po descends To rest in ocean with his sequent streams.
“Love, that in gentle heart is quickly learnt, Entangled him by that fair form, from me Ta’en in such cruel sort, as grieves me still: Love, that denial takes from none belov’d, Caught me with pleasing him so passing well, That, as thou see’st, he yet deserts me not.
“Love brought us to one death: Caina waits The soul, who spilt our life.” Such were their words; At hearing which downward I bent my looks, And held them there so long, that the bard cried: “What art thou pond’ring?” I in answer thus: “Alas! by what sweet thoughts, what fond desire Must they at length to that ill pass have reach’d!”
Then turning, I to them my speech address’d. And thus began: “Francesca! your sad fate Even to tears my grief and pity moves.
But tell me; in the time of your sweet sighs, By what, and how love granted, that ye knew Your yet uncertain wishes?” She replied: “No greater grief than to remember days
Of joy, when mis’ry is at hand! That kens Thy learn’d instructor. Yet so eagerly
If thou art bent to know the primal root, From whence our love gat being, I will do, As one, who weeps and tells his tale. One day For our delight we read of Lancelot,
How him love thrall’d. Alone we were, and no Suspicion near us. Ofttimes by that reading Our eyes were drawn together, and the hue Fled from our alter’d cheek. But at one point Alone we fell. When of that smile we read, The wished smile, rapturously kiss’d
By one so deep in love, then he, who ne’er From me shall separate, at once my lips
All trembling kiss’d. The book and writer both Were love’s purveyors. In its leaves that day We read no more.” While thus one spirit spake, The other wail’d so sorely, that heartstruck I through compassion fainting, seem’d not far From death, and like a corpse fell to the ground.
CANTO VI
MY sense reviving, that erewhile had droop’d With pity for the kindred shades, whence grief O’ercame me wholly, straight around I see New torments, new tormented souls, which way Soe’er I move, or turn, or bend my sight. In the third circle I arrive, of show’rs Ceaseless, accursed, heavy, and cold, unchang’d For ever, both in kind and in degree.
Large hail, discolour’d water, sleety flaw Through the dun midnight air stream’d down amain: Stank all the land whereon that tempest fell.
Cerberus, cruel monster, fierce and strange, Through his wide threefold throat barks as a dog Over the multitude immers’d beneath.
His eyes glare crimson, black his unctuous beard, His belly large, and claw’d the hands, with which He tears the spirits, flays them, and their limbs Piecemeal disparts. Howling there spread, as curs, Under the rainy deluge, with one side
The other screening, oft they roll them round, A wretched, godless crew. When that great worm Descried us, savage Cerberus, he op’d
His jaws, and the fangs show’d us; not a limb Of him but trembled. Then my guide, his palms Expanding on the ground, thence filled with earth Rais’d them, and cast it in his ravenous maw.
E’en as a dog, that yelling bays for food His keeper, when the morsel comes, lets fall His fury, bent alone with eager haste
To swallow it; so dropp’d the loathsome cheeks Of demon Cerberus, who thund’ring stuns
The spirits, that they for deafness wish in vain.
We, o’er the shades thrown prostrate by the brunt Of the heavy tempest passing, set our feet Upon their emptiness, that substance seem’d.
They all along the earth extended lay Save one, that sudden rais’d himself to sit, Soon as that way he saw us pass. “O thou!” He cried, “who through the infernal shades art led, Own, if again thou know’st me. Thou wast fram’d Or ere my frame was broken.” I replied:
“The anguish thou endur’st perchance so takes Thy form from my remembrance, that it seems As if I saw thee never. But inform
Me who thou art, that in a place so sad Art set, and in such torment, that although Other be greater, more disgustful none
Can be imagin’d.” He in answer thus:
“Thy city heap’d with envy to the brim, Ay that the measure overflows its bounds, Held me in brighter days. Ye citizens
Were wont to name me Ciacco. For the sin Of glutt’ny, damned vice, beneath this rain, E’en as thou see’st, I with fatigue am worn; Nor I sole spirit in this woe: all these Have by like crime incurr’d like punishment.”
No more he said, and I my speech resum’d: “Ciacco! thy dire affliction grieves me much, Even to tears. But tell me, if thou know’st, What shall at length befall the citizens Of the divided city; whether any just one Inhabit there: and tell me of the cause, Whence jarring discord hath assail’d it thus?”
He then: “After long striving they will come To blood; and the wild party from the woods Will chase the other with much injury forth. Then it behoves, that this must fall, within Three solar circles; and the other rise
By borrow’d force of one, who under shore Now rests. It shall a long space hold aloof Its forehead, keeping under heavy weight The other oppress’d, indignant at the load, And grieving sore. The just are two in number, But they neglected. Av’rice, envy, pride, Three fatal sparks, have set the hearts of all On fire.” Here ceas’d the lamentable sound; And I continu’d thus: “Still would I learn More from thee, farther parley still entreat. Of Farinata and Tegghiaio say,
They who so well deserv’d, of Giacopo, Arrigo, Mosca, and the rest, who bent
Their minds on working good. Oh! tell me where They bide, and to their knowledge let me come. For I am press’d with keen desire to hear, If heaven’s sweet cup or poisonous drug of hell Be to their lip assign’d.” He answer’d straight: “These are yet blacker spirits. Various crimes Have sunk them deeper in the dark abyss. If thou so far descendest, thou mayst see them. But to the pleasant world when thou return’st, Of me make mention, I entreat thee, there. No more I tell thee, answer thee no more.”
This said, his fixed eyes he turn’d askance, A little ey’d me, then bent down his head, And ‘midst his blind companions with it fell.
When thus my guide: “No more his bed he leaves, Ere the last angel-trumpet blow. The Power Adverse to these shall then in glory come, Each one forthwith to his sad tomb repair, Resume his fleshly vesture and his form, And hear the eternal doom re-echoing rend The vault.” So pass’d we through that mixture foul Of spirits and rain, with tardy steps; meanwhile Touching, though slightly, on the life to come. For thus I question’d: “Shall these tortures, Sir! When the great sentence passes, be increas’d, Or mitigated, or as now severe?”
He then: “Consult thy knowledge; that decides That as each thing to more perfection grows, It feels more sensibly both good and pain. Though ne’er to true perfection may arrive This race accurs’d, yet nearer then than now They shall approach it.” Compassing that path Circuitous we journeyed, and discourse
Much more than I relate between us pass’d: Till at the point, where the steps led below, Arriv’d, there Plutus, the great foe, we found.
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