| 1 |
Compelled by love of my birthplace, I gathered together the scattered leaves and returned them to him, who was already silent. |
| 4 |
Thence we came to the boundary where the second subcircle is divided from the third, and where one sees a horrible art of justice. |
| 7 |
To make the new things clearly manifest, I say that we arrived at a plain that removes every plant from its bed; |
| 10 |
the grieving wood is a garland around it, as the sad ditch is to the wood: we halted our steps at the very edge. |
| 13 |
The floor was coarse, dry sand, not made differently from that once trodden by the feet of Cato. |
| 16 |
O vengeance of God, how much must you be feared by everyone who reads what was made manifest to my eyes! |
| 19 |
Of naked souls I saw many flocks, all weeping wretchedly, and different laws seemed to govern them. |
| 22 |
Some were lying supine on the earth, some were sitting all huddled, and some were walking ceaselessly. |
| 25 |
The flock that was walking was largest by far, and fewest were those lying to be tortured, but their tongues were looser to cry out. |
| 28 |
Over all the sand there rained, with a slow falling, broad flakes of fire, like snow in the mountains without wind. |
| 31 |
Like the flames that Alexander saw, in those hot parts of India, falling down on his host, whole all the way to the ground, |
| 34 |
so that he provided for the earth to be trampled by his squadrons, since the burning was better extinguished while separated: |
| 37 |
so the eternal burning was coming down, and the sand caught fire, like tinder beneath the flint, to double the suffering. |
| 40 |
Without any rest ever was the dancing of their wretched hands, brushing away the fresh burning, now from there, now from here. |
| 43 |
I began: “Master, you who overcome all things, save the hard demons who came out against us at the gate, |
| 46 |
who is that great one who seems not to mind the fire, and lies there scornful and frowning, so that the rain does not seem to ripen him?” |
| 49 |
And he himself, when he perceived that I was questioning my leader about him, cried out: “As I was alive, so am I dead. |
| 52 |
Though Jove tire out his smith, from whom he wrathful took the sharp thunderbolt that struck me on the last day— |
| 55 |
and though he weary the others, turn after turn, at the black forge in Mongibello, calling, ’Good Vulcan, help, help!’ |
| 58 |
as he did at the battle of Phlegra—and strike me with all his force, he could not have happy vengeance thereby.” |
| 61 |
Then my leader spoke more forcefully than I had ever heard him: “O Capaneus, since your pride |
| 64 |
is not extinguished, you are punished more; no punishment, other than your rage, would be suffering of a measure with your fury.” |
| 67 |
Then he turned back to me with a better look, saying: “This was one of the seven kings who besieged Thebes; and he had, and seems still to have, |
| 70 |
God in disdain, and respects him little; but, as I said, his spite is the ornament his breast deserves. |
| 73 |
Now follow me, and beware that you not place your foot on the burning sand as yet, but keep your feet still close within the wood.” |
| 76 |
Silent we came to where a little stream spurts out of the wood; its red color still makes me shudder. |
| 79 |
As from Bulicame a river comes forth that the sinning women then divide among themselves, so this one flowed down across the sand. |
| 82 |
Its bed and both its banks were made of stone, and the margins on the sides, so that I perceived our path lay there. |
| 85 |
“Among all the other things I have shown you since we entered the gate whose threshold is denied to none, |
| 88 |
nothing has been perceived by your eyes as notable as the present river, which extinguishes all the flames above it.” |
| 91 |
These were my leader’s words, and I begged him to grant me the food, since he had granted me the hunger for it. |
| 94 |
“In the midst of the sea lies a ruined land,” he said then, “called Crete, under whose king the world once was chaste. |
| 97 |
A mountain is there that once was happy with water and foliage, called Ida; now it is desolate, like an outworn thing. |
| 100 |
Rhea chose it once to be the trusted cradle of her son, and, the better to hide him when he cried, ordered the shouting there. |
| 103 |
Within the mountain stands erect a great old man, with his back toward Damietta, looking toward Rome as to his mirror. |
| 106 |
His head is formed of fine gold, and pure silver are his arms and breast; then he is of brass as far as the fork; |
| 109 |
from there downward he is all refined iron, except that his right foot is baked clay; and on that one, more than on the other, he stands erect. |
| 112 |
Each part of him, except his golden head, is broken by a crack that drips tears, which, gathering, bore through that cave. |
| 115 |
Their course plunges into this valley; they become Acheron, Styx, and Phlegethon; then they go on down through this narrow duct, |
| 118 |
until, where there is no further descent, they become Cocytus; and what that pool is like you will see, so that I do not describe it here.” |
| 121 |
And I to him: “If the present stream flows down in this way from our world, why does it appear only at this border?” |
| 124 |
And he to me: “You know that the place is circular; and although you have come a long way, descending and turning always to the left, toward the bottom, |
| 127 |
you have not yet turned through the whole circle; so that if we see some new thing, it should not bring amazement to your face.” |
| 130 |
And I again: “Master, where are Phlegethon and Lethe? for you are silent about the one, and the other you say flows from this rain of tears.” |
| 133 |
”In all your questions, certainly, you please me,” he replied, “but the boiling of the red water ought to answer one of them. |
| 136 |
Lethe you will see, but outside this ditch, there where the souls go to be washed once their repented guilt has been removed.” |
| 139 |
Then he said: “Now it is time for us to leave the wood; see that you come behind me: the margins provide a path, for they are not burned, |
| 142 |
and above them every flame is extinguished.” |
