| 1 |
Breaking the deep sleep within my head, a heavy thunder-clap made me shake myselflike one forcibly awakened; |
| 4 |
and I turned my rested eye about, standing erect, and gazed fixedly, to know the place where I might be. |
| 7 |
In truth, I found myself on the brink of the sorrowful valley of the abyss, which gathers in the thundering of infinite woes. |
| 10 |
Dark and deep it was, and so clouded that though I probed with my sight to the bottom I discerned nothing there. |
| 13 |
“Now let us descend down here into the blind world”, began the poet, all pale. “I will be first, and you will be second”. |
| 16 |
And I, who had perceived his color, said: “How can I come, if you are afraid, who when I have fears have ever brought me strength?” |
| 19 |
And he to me: “The suffering of the peoples who are here below, paints on my face that pity which you perceive as fear. |
| 22 |
Let us go, for the long way urges us”. So he put himself, and so he made me enter, into the first circle girding the abyss. |
| 25 |
Here, as far as could be heard, there was no weeping except of sighs which caused the eternal air to tremble; |
| 28 |
these resulted from grief without torture, felt by the crowds, which were many and large, of infants and of women and of men. |
| 31 |
My good master to me: “You do not ask what spirits are these you see? Now I wish you to know, before you walk further, |
| 34 |
that they did not sin; and if they have merits, it is not enough, because they did not receive baptism, which is the gateway to the faith that you believe. |
| 37 |
And if they lived before Christianity, they did not adore God as was needful: and of this kind am I myself. |
| 40 |
Because of such defects, not for any other wickedness, we are lost, and only so far harmed that without hope we live in desire”. |
| 43 |
Great sorrow seized my heart when I understood him, because I knew that people of great worth were suspended in that limbo. |
| 46 |
“Tell me, my master, tell me, lord”, I began, wishing to be assured of that faith which overcomes all error: |
| 49 |
“has anyone ever gone forth from here, either through his own merit or through another, so as to become blessed?” And he, who understood my veiled speech, |
| 52 |
replied: “I was still new in this condition, when I saw a powerful one come, crowned with a sign of victory. |
| 55 |
He led forth from here the shade of our first parent, of Abel his son, and that of Noah, of Moses, lawgiver and obedient, |
| 58 |
Abraham the patriarch and David the king, Israel with his father, and his children, and Rachel, for whom he did so much, |
| 61 |
and many others, and he made them blessed. And I would have you know that before them no human spirits were saved”. |
| 64 |
We did not cease walking because he spoke, but kept on passing through the wood, the wood, I say, of crowding spirits. |
| 67 |
Our way had not led far from where I had slept, when I saw a fire that overcame a hemisphere of shadows. |
| 70 |
We were still some distance from it, but not so far as to keep me from discerning in part that people worthy to be honored possessed that place. |
| 73 |
“O you who honor knowledge and art, who are these who receive so much privilege as to be separated from the manner of the others?” |
| 76 |
And he to me: “The honor with which their names resound up in your life, wins grace in Heaven that thus advances them”. |
| 79 |
Meantime a voice was heard by me: “Honor the highest poet: his shade returns, that had departed”. |
| 82 |
When the voice had ceased and was silent, I saw four great shades coming toward us: their expression was neither sad nor happy. |
| 85 |
My good master began to speak: “Behold the one with that sword in his hand, coming in front of the other three as if their lord: |
| 88 |
that is Homer, the supreme poet; the next is Horace the satirist; Ovid is the third, and the last, Lucan. |
| 91 |
Because they all share with me that name which the single voice pronounced, they do me honor, and in this they do well”. |
| 94 |
So saw I come together the lovely school of that lord of highest song, who soars above the others like an eagle. |
| 97 |
When they had spoken together for a time they turned to me with sign of greeting, and my master smiled at that; |
| 100 |
and they did me an even greater honor, for they made me one of their band, so that I was sixth among so much wisdom. |
| 103 |
Thus we went as far as the light, speaking things of which it is good to be silent now, as it was good to speak them there where I was. |
| 106 |
We came to the foot of a noble castle, seven times encircled by high walls, defended all around by a lovely little stream. |
| 109 |
This we passed over like solid ground; through seven gates I entered with these sages; we came into a meadow of fresh green. |
| 112 |
Here were people with slow, grave eyes and great authority in their countenances: they spoke seldom, and with soft voices. |
| 115 |
Therefore we drew to one side, to a place open, bright, and high, whence all of them could be seen. |
| 118 |
There opposite, on the bright green grass, all the great spirits were shown to me, so that I am still exalted within myself at the sight. |
| 121 |
I saw Electra with many companions, among whom I recognized Hector and Aeneas, Caesar in armor with hawklike eyes. |
| 124 |
I saw Camilla and Penthesilea; on the other side I saw King Latinus, who was sitting with Lavinia his daughter. |
| 127 |
I saw the Brutus who drove Tarquin out, Lucretia, Julia, Marcia, and Cornelia; and alone, to the side, Saladdin. |
| 130 |
When I lifted my brow a little higher, I saw the master of those who know, sitting among a philosophical company. |
| 133 |
All gaze at him, all do him honor: there I saw Socrates and Plato, standing closer to him, in front of the others, |
| 136 |
Democritus, who assigns the world to chance, Diogenes, Anaxagoras, and Thales, Empedocles, Heraclitus, and Zeno; |
| 139 |
and I saw the good gatherer of qualities, Dioscorides I mean; and I saw Orpheus, Tullius and Linus, and Seneca the moralist, |
| 142 |
Euclid the geometer and Ptolemy, Hippocrates, Avicenna and Galen, Averroes who made the great commentary. |
| 145 |
I cannot describe them all in full, because my long theme so drives me that often the word falls short of the fact. |
