CANTO VIMy sense reviving, that erewhile had droop’dWith pity for the kindred shades, whence griefO’ercame me wholly, straight around I seeNew torments, new tormented souls, which waySoe’er I move, or turn, or bend my sight.In the third circle I arrive, of show’rsCeaseless, accursed, heavy, and cold, unchang’dFor ever, both in kind and in degree.Large hail, discolour’d water, sleety flawThrough 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 dogOver the multitude immers’d beneath.His eyes glare crimson, black his unctuous beard,His belly large, and claw’d the hands, with whichHe tears the spirits, flays them, and their limbsPiecemeal disparts. Howling there spread, as curs,Under the rainy deluge, with one sideThe other screening, oft they roll them round,A wretched, godless crew. When that great wormDescried us, savage Cerberus, he op’dHis jaws, and the fangs show’d us; not a limbOf him but trembled. Then my guide, his palmsExpanding on the ground, thence filled with earthRais’d them, and cast it in his ravenous maw.E’en as a dog, that yelling bays for foodHis keeper, when the morsel comes, lets fallHis fury, bent alone with eager hasteTo swallow it; so dropp’d the loathsome cheeksOf demon Cerberus, who thund’ring stunsThe spirits, that they for deafness wish in vain.We, o’er the shades thrown prostrate by the bruntOf the heavy tempest passing, set our feetUpon their emptiness, that substance seem’d.They all along the earth extended laySave 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’dOr ere my frame was broken.” I replied:“The anguish thou endur’st perchance so takesThy form from my remembrance, that it seemsAs if I saw thee never. But informMe who thou art, that in a place so sadArt set, and in such torment, that althoughOther be greater, more disgustful noneCan 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 citizensWere wont to name me Ciacco. For the sinOf 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 theseHave 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 citizensOf the divided city; whether any just oneInhabit there: and tell me of the cause,Whence jarring discord hath assail’d it thus?”He then: “After long striving they will comeTo blood; and the wild party from the woodsWill chase the other with much injury forth.Then it behoves, that this must fall, withinThree solar circles; and the other riseBy borrow’d force of one, who under shoreNow rests. It shall a long space hold aloofIts forehead, keeping under heavy weightThe 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 allOn fire.” Here ceas’d the lamentable sound;And I continu’d thus: “Still would I learnMore 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 bentTheir minds on working good. Oh! tell me whereThey 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 hellBe to their lip assign’d.” He answer’d straight:“These are yet blacker spirits. Various crimesHave 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 PowerAdverse 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 rendThe vault.” So pass’d we through that mixture foulOf spirits and rain, with tardy steps; meanwhileTouching, 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 decidesThat as each thing to more perfection grows,It feels more sensibly both good and pain.Though ne’er to true perfection may arriveThis race accurs’d, yet nearer then than nowThey shall approach it.” Compassing that pathCircuitous we journeyed, and discourseMuch 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.
My sense reviving, that erewhile had droop’dWith pity for the kindred shades, whence griefO’ercame me wholly, straight around I seeNew torments, new tormented souls, which waySoe’er I move, or turn, or bend my sight.In the third circle I arrive, of show’rsCeaseless, accursed, heavy, and cold, unchang’dFor ever, both in kind and in degree.Large hail, discolour’d water, sleety flawThrough 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 dogOver the multitude immers’d beneath.His eyes glare crimson, black his unctuous beard,His belly large, and claw’d the hands, with whichHe tears the spirits, flays them, and their limbsPiecemeal disparts. Howling there spread, as curs,Under the rainy deluge, with one sideThe other screening, oft they roll them round,A wretched, godless crew. When that great wormDescried us, savage Cerberus, he op’dHis jaws, and the fangs show’d us; not a limbOf him but trembled. Then my guide, his palmsExpanding on the ground, thence filled with earthRais’d them, and cast it in his ravenous maw.
E’en as a dog, that yelling bays for foodHis keeper, when the morsel comes, lets fallHis fury, bent alone with eager hasteTo swallow it; so dropp’d the loathsome cheeksOf demon Cerberus, who thund’ring stunsThe spirits, that they for deafness wish in vain.We, o’er the shades thrown prostrate by the bruntOf the heavy tempest passing, set our feetUpon their emptiness, that substance seem’d.They all along the earth extended laySave 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’dOr ere my frame was broken.” I replied:“The anguish thou endur’st perchance so takesThy form from my remembrance, that it seemsAs if I saw thee never. But informMe who thou art, that in a place so sadArt set, and in such torment, that althoughOther be greater, more disgustful noneCan 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 citizensWere wont to name me Ciacco. For the sinOf 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 theseHave 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 citizensOf the divided city; whether any just oneInhabit there: and tell me of the cause,Whence jarring discord hath assail’d it thus?”He then: “After long striving they will comeTo blood; and the wild party from the woodsWill chase the other with much injury forth.Then it behoves, that this must fall, withinThree solar circles; and the other riseBy borrow’d force of one, who under shoreNow rests. It shall a long space hold aloofIts forehead, keeping under heavy weightThe 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 allOn fire.” Here ceas’d the lamentable sound;And I continu’d thus: “Still would I learnMore 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 bentTheir minds on working good. Oh! tell me whereThey 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 hellBe to their lip assign’d.” He answer’d straight:“These are yet blacker spirits. Various crimesHave 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 PowerAdverse 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 rendThe vault.” So pass’d we through that mixture foulOf spirits and rain, with tardy steps; meanwhileTouching, 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 decidesThat as each thing to more perfection grows,It feels more sensibly both good and pain.Though ne’er to true perfection may arriveThis race accurs’d, yet nearer then than nowThey shall approach it.” Compassing that pathCircuitous we journeyed, and discourseMuch 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.