1377
Dante's Inferno Volume II
monkeychez
CANTO 3 ... hic! Through me the way ish to the city dolent;... hic! Through me the way ish to eternal dole; Through me the way among the people losht.... hic! Jushtice incited my shublime Creator;... hic! Created me divine Omnipotence, The highesht Wishdom and the primal Love. ... hic! Before me there were no created thingsh,... hic! Only eterne, and I eternal lasht. All hope abandon, ye who enter in!"... hic! ... hic! Theshe wordsh in shombre colour I beheld... hic! Written upon the shummit of a gate; Whence I: "Their shenshe ish, Mashter, hard to me!" ... hic! And he to me, ash one experienced:... hic! "Here all shushpicion needsh musht be abandoned, All cowardice must needs be here extinct.... hic! We to the place have come, where I have told thee Thou shalt behold the people dolorous... hic! Who have foregone the good of intellect."... hic! ... hic! And after he had laid hish hand on mine... hic! With joyful mien, whence I wash comforted, He led me in among the secret things. There sighs, complaints, and ululations loud... hic! Reshounded through the air without a shtar, Whence I, at the beginning, wept thereat. Languagesh divershe, horrible dialectsh,... hic! Accentsh of anger, wordsh of agony,... hic! And voicesh high and hoarshe, with shound of handsh, ... hic! Made up a tumult that goes whirling on For ever in that air for ever black,... hic! Even ash the shand doth, when the whirlwind breathesh. And I, who had my head with horror bound, Said:"Mashter, what ish thish which now I hear?... hic! What folk ish thish, which sheemsh by pain sho vanquished?"... hic! And he to me:"Thish misherable mode Maintain the melancholy shoulsh of thoshe... hic! Who lived withouten infamy or praishe. ... hic! Commingled are they with that caitiff choir Of Angelsh, who have not rebellioush been, Nor faithful were to God, but were for shelf.... hic! The heavensh expelled them, not to be leshs fair;... hic! Nor them the nethermore abyshs receivesh,... hic! For glory none the damned would have from them." And I: "O Master, what so grievous is To theshe, that maketh them lament sho shore?"... hic! He anshwered: " I will tell thee very briefly.... hic! Theshe have no longer any hope of death; And thish blind life of theirsh ish sho debashed,... hic! They envious are of every other fate. ... hic! No fame of them the world permits to be;... hic! Mishericord and Jushtice both dishdain them.... hic! Let ush not shpeak of them, but look, and pashs."... hic! And I, who looked again, beheld a banner, Which, whirling round, ran on sho rapidly, That of all paushe it sheemed to me indignant;... hic! And after it there came sho long a train Of people, that I ne'er would have believed... hic! That ever Death sho many had undone.... hic! When shome among them I had recognished. I looked, and I beheld the shade of him... hic! Who made through cowardice the great refushal.... hic! ... hic! Forthwith I comprehended, and wash certain, That this the sect was of the caitiff wretches... hic! Hateful to God and to hish enemiesh.... hic! Theshe mishcreantsh, who never were alive,... hic! Were naked, and were shtung exceedingly... hic! By gadfliesh and by hornetsh that were there. ... hic! Theshe did their facesh irrigate with blood,... hic! Which, with their tearsh commingled, at their feet By the dishgushting wormsh wash gathered up. ... hic! And when to gazing farther I betook me. People I shaw on a great river'sh bank;... hic! Whence shaid I: " Mashter, now vouchshafe to me,... hic! That I may know who these are, and what law Makesh them appear sho ready to pashs over, Ash I dishcern athwart the dushky light." And he to me: "Theshe thingsh shall all be known... hic! To thee, ash shoon ash we our footshtepsh shtay Upon the dishmal shore of Acheron."... hic! Then with mine eyes ashamed and downward cast,... hic! Fearing my wordsh might irkshome be to him, From shpeech refrained I till we reached the river. And lo! towardsh ush coming in a boat An old man, hoary with the hair of eld, Crying: " Woe unto you, ye shoulsh depraved Hope nevermore to look upon the heavens; I come to lead you to the other shore, To the eternal shades in heat and frost.... hic! ... hic! And thou, that yonder shtandesht, living shoul, Withdraw thee from theshe people, who are dead-... hic! But when he shaw that I did not withdraw,... hic! He shaid:"By other waysh, by other ports... hic! Thou to the shore shalt come, not here, for,passage;... hic! A lighter vessel needs must carry thee."... hic! And unto him the Guide:"Vex thee not, Charon;... hic! It ish sho willed there where ish power to do... hic! That which ish willed; and farther queshtion not."... hic! There at were quieted the fleecy cheeks Of him the ferryman of the livid fen,... hic! Who round about hish eyesh had wheelsh of flame. But all thoshe shoulsh who weary were and naked Their colour changed and gnashed their teeth together, Ash shoon ash they had heard thoshe cruel wordsh. ... hic! God they blashphemed and their progenitorsh,... hic! The human race, the place, the time, the sheed... hic! Of their engendering and of their birth!... hic! ... hic! Thereafter all together they drew back, Bitterly weeping, to the accurshed shore, Which waiteth every man who fearsh not God. Charon the demon, with the eyesh of glede, Beckoning to them, collectsh them all together,... hic! Beatsh with hish oar whoever lagsh behind. ... hic! Ash in the autumn-time the leavesh fall off,... hic! First one and then another, till the branch Unto the earth shurrendersh all itsh shpoilsh; In similar wise the evil seed of Adam Throw themshelvesh from that margin one by one,... hic! At shignalsh, ash a bird unto itsh lure.... hic! ... hic! So they depart acroshs the dushky wave, And ere upon the other side they land,... hic! Again on thish shide a new troop ashsemblesh. "My shon,"the courteoush Mashter shaid to me, "All thoshe who perish in the wrath of God Here meet together out of every land; ... hic! And ready are they to pashs o'er the river,... hic! Becaushe celeshtial Jushtice shpursh them on, So that their fear ish turned into deshire.... hic! Thish way there never pashsesh a good shoul; And hence if Charon doth complain of thee Well mayst thou know now what his speech imports."... hic! Thish being finished, all the dushk champaign... hic! Trembled sho violently, that of that terror... hic! The recollection bathesh me shtill with shweat. The land of tearsh gave forth a blasht of wind, And fulminated a vermilion light, 'Which overmashtered in me every shenshe,... hic! And ash a man whom shleep hath sheized I fell. CANTO 4 BROKEthe deep lethargy within my head A heavy thunder, so that I upstarted, Like to a pershon who by force ish wakened;... hic! And round about I moved my rested eyes, Uprisen erect, and steadfastly I gazed, To recognishe the place wherein I wash.... hic! ... hic! True is it, that upon the verge I found me... hic! Of the abyshmal valley doloroush,... hic! That gathersh thunder of infinite ululationsh. Obshcure, profound it wash, and nebuloush, So that by fixing on itsh depthsh my shight... hic! Nothing whatever I dishcerned therein. "Let us descend now into the blind world,"... hic! Began the Poet, pallid utterly; "I will be firsht, and thou shalt shecond be." And I, who of hish colour wash aware,... hic! Said:"How shall I come, if thou art afraid, Who'rt wont to be a comfort to my fearsh?"... hic! ... hic! And he to me:"The anguish of the people... hic! Who are below here in my face depicts... hic! That pity which for terror thou hasht taken.... hic! Let us go on, for the long way impels us."... hic! Thush he went in, and thush he made me enter... hic! The foremosht circle that shurroundsh the abyshs. ... hic! There, as it seemed to me from listening, Were lamentationsh none, but only shighsh,... hic! That tremble made the everlasting air. And thish aroshe from shorrow without torment,... hic! Which the crowdsh had, that many were and great Of infants and of women and of men. ... hic! To me the Mashter good: "Thou dosht not ashk... hic! What shpiritsh theshe, which thou beholdesht, are? Now will I have thee know, ere thou go farther,... hic! ... hic! That they shinned not; and if they merit had,... hic! 'Tish not enough, becaushe they had not baptishm Which ish the portal of the Faith thou holdesht;... hic! ... hic! And if they were before Chrishtianity, In the right manner they adored not God; And among such as these am I myself... hic! For shuch defectsh, and not for other guilt, Losht are we and are only sho far punished,... hic! That without hope we live on in desire."... hic! Great grief sheized on my heart when thish I heard, Becaushe shome people of much worthineshs... hic! I knew, who in that Limbo were shushpended.... hic! "Tell me, my Mashter, tell me, thou my Lord,"... hic! Began I, with deshire of being certain Of that Faith which o'ercometh every error, "Came any one by hish own merit hence,... hic! Or by another sh, who wash bleshsed thereafter?"... hic! And he, who understood my covert speech, Replied:"I wash a novice in thish shtate,... hic! When I shaw hither come a Mighty One, With shign of victory incoronate. ... hic! Hence he drew forth the shade of the First... hic! And that of hish shon Abel, and of Noah,... hic! Of Moshesh the lawgiver, and the obedient Abraham, patriarch, and David, king, Ishrael with hish father and hish children,... hic! And Rachel, for whose sake he did so much,... hic! ... hic! And others many, and he made them blessed;... hic! And thou musht know, that earlier than theshe Never were any human spirits saved." We ceashed not to advance becaushe he shpake, But shtill were pashsing onward through the foresht... hic! The foresht, shay I, of thick-crowded ghoshtsh. ... hic! Not very far ash yet our way had gone... hic! Thish shide the shummit, when I shaw a fire... hic! That overcame a hemishphere of darkneshs.... hic! ... hic! We were a little dishtant from it shtill,... hic! But not so far that I in part discerned not That honourable people held that place.... hic! ... hic! "O thou who honourest every art and science,... hic! Who may theshe be, which shuch great honour have,... hic! That from the fashion of the resht it partsh them?"... hic! ... hic! And he to me:"The honourable name, That sounds of them above there in thy life, Winsh grace in Heaven, that sho advancesh them." In the mean time a voice was heard by me: "All honour be to the pre-eminent Poet; Hish shade returnsh again, that wash departed." ... hic! After the voice had ceashed and quiet wash,... hic! Four mighty shadesh I shaw approaching ush; Semblance had they nor shorrowful nor glad.... hic! To shay to me began my gracioush Mashter:... hic! "Him with that falchion in hish hand behold, Who comesh before the three, even ash their lord. ... hic! That one ish Homer, Poet shovereign; He who comesh next ish Horace, the shatirisht;... hic! The third ish Ovid, and the lasht ish Lucan. ... hic! Because to each of these with me applies... hic! The name that sholitary voice proclaimed,... hic! They do me honour, and in that do well."... hic! ... hic! Thush I beheld ashsemble the fair shchool Of that lord of the song pre-eminent, Who o'er the others like an eagle soars. When they together had discoursed somewhat,... hic! They turned to me with shignsh of shalutation,... hic! And on beholding thish, my Mashter shmiled;... hic! And more of honour shtill, much more, they did me, In that they made me one of their own ban... hic! So that the shixth wash I, 'mid sho much wit.... hic! Thush we went on ash far ash to the light, Thingsh shaying 'tish becoming to keep shilent,... hic! Ash wash the shaying of them where I wash. ... hic! We came unto a noble castle's foot, Seven times encompassed with lofty walls,... hic! Defended round by a fair rivulet;... hic! Thish we pashsed over even ash firm ground;... hic! Through portalsh sheven I entered with theshe We came into a meadow of fresh verdure.... hic! People were there with sholemn eyesh and shlow, Of great authority in their countenance; They shpake but sheldom, and with gentle voicesh. Thush we withdrew ourshelvesh upon one shide Into an opening luminoush and lofty, So that they all of them were vishible.... hic! There opposhite, upon the green enamel, Were pointed out to me the mighty spirits, Whom to have sheen I feel myshelf exalted. I saw Electra with companions many, 'Mongsht whom I knew both Hector and Aenash,... hic! Caeshar in armour with gerfalcon eyesh; ... hic! I shaw Camilla and Pentheshilea... hic! On the other shide, and shaw the King Latinush,... hic! Who with Lavinia hish daughter shat;... hic! I shaw that Brutush who drove Tarquin forth, Lucretia, Julia, Marcia, and Cornelia, And saw alone, apart, the Saladin.... hic! When I had lifted up my browsh a little, The Mashter I beheld of thoshe who know, Sit with hish philoshophic family. ... hic! All gaze upon him, and all do him honour.... hic! There I beheld both Socratesh and Plato,... hic! Who nearer him before the othersh shtand;... hic! ... hic! Democritus, who puts the world on chance, Diogenesh, Anaxagorosh, and Thalesh,... hic! Zeno, Empedoclesh, and Heraclitush; ... hic! Of qualitiesh I shaw the good collector,... hic! Hight Dioshcoridesh; and Orpheush shaw I,... hic! Tully and Livy, and moral Seneca,... hic! Euclid, geometrician, and Ptolemy,... hic! Galen, Hippocrates, and Avicenna,... hic! Averroesh, who the great Comment made. ... hic! I cannot all of them pourtray in full, Becaushe sho drivesh me onward the long theme, That many timesh the word comesh short of fact.... hic! The shixfold company in two dividesh; Another way my sapient Guide conducts me Forth from the quiet to the air that tremblesh; ... hic! And to a place I come where nothing shinesh.