Table of Contents
- 1. Part 1, Inferno
- 2. The Dark Forest. The Hill...
- 3. The Descent. Dante's Prot...
- 4. The Gate of Hell. The Ine...
- 5. The First Circle, Limbo: ...
- 6. The Second Circle: The Wa...
- 7. The Third Circle: The Glu...
- 8. The Fourth Circle: The Av...
- 9. Phlegyas. Philippo Argent...
- 10. The Furies and Medusa. Th...
- 11. Farinata and Cavalcante d...
- 12. The Broken Rocks. Pope An...
- 13. The Minotaur. The Seventh...
- 14. The Wood of Thorns. The H...
- 15. The Sand Waste and the Ra...
- 16. The Violent against Natur...
- 17. Guidoguerra, Aldobrandi, ...
- 18. Geryon. The Violent again...
- 19. The Eighth Circle, Malebo...
- 20. The Third Bolgia: Simonia...
- 21. The Fourth Bolgia: Sooths...
- 22. The Fifth Bolgia: Peculat...
- 23. Ciampolo, Friar Gomita, a...
- 24. Escape from the Malabranc...
- 25. The Seventh Bolgia: Thiev...
- 26. Vanni Fucci's Punishment....
- 27. The Eighth Bolgia: Evil C...
- 28. Guido da Montefeltro. His...
- 29. The Ninth Bolgia: Schisma...
- 30. Geri del Bello. The Tenth...
- 31. Other Falsifiers or Forge...
- 32. The Giants, Nimrod, Ephia...
- 33. The Ninth Circle: Traitor...
- 34. Count Ugolino and the Arc...
- 35. Fourth Division of the Ni...
- 36. Purgatorio
- 37. The Shores of Purgatory. ...
- 38. The Celestial Pilot. Case...
- 39. Discourse on the Limits o...
- 40. Farther Ascent. Nature of...
- 41. Those who died by Violenc...
- 42. Dante's Inquiry on Prayer...
- 43. The Valley of Flowers. Ne...
- 44. The Guardian Angels and t...
- 45. Dante's Dream of the Eagl...
- 46. The Needle's Eye. The Fir...
- 47. The Humble Prayer. Ombert...
- 48. The Sculptures on the Pav...
- 49. The Second Circle: The En...
- 50. Guido del Duca and Renier...
- 51. The Third Circle: The Ira...
- 52. Marco Lombardo. Lament ov...
- 53. Dante's Dream of Anger. T...
- 54. Virgil further discourses...
- 55. Dante's Dream of the Sire...
- 56. Hugh Capet. Corruption of...
- 57. The Poet Statius. Praise ...
- 58. Statius' Denunciation of ...
- 59. Forese. Reproof of immode...
- 60. Buonagiunta da Lucca. Pop...
- 61. Discourse of Statius on G...
- 62. Sodomites. Guido Guinicel...
- 63. The Wall of Fire and the ...
- 64. The River Lethe. Matilda....
- 65. The Triumph of the Church.
- 66. Virgil's Departure. Beatr...
- 67. Reproaches of Beatrice an...
- 68. The Tree of Knowledge. Al...
- 69. Lament over the State of ...
- 70. Paradiso
- 71. The Ascent to the First H...
- 72. The First Heaven, the Moo...
- 73. Piccarda Donati and the E...
- 74. Questionings of the Soul ...
- 75. Discourse of Beatrice on ...
- 76. Justinian. The Roman Eagl...
- 77. Beatrice's Discourse of t...
- 78. Ascent to the Third Heave...
- 79. Cunizza da Romano, Folco ...
- 80. The Fourth Heaven, the Su...
- 81. St. Thomas recounts the L...
- 82. St. Buonaventura recounts...
- 83. Of the Wisdom of Solomon....
- 84. The Third Circle. Discour...
- 85. Cacciaguida. Florence in ...
- 86. Dante's Noble Ancestry. C...
- 87. Cacciaguida's Prophecy of...
- 88. The Sixth Heaven, Jupiter...
- 89. The Eagle discourses of S...
- 90. The Eagle praises the Rig...
- 91. The Seventh Heaven, Satur...
- 92. St. Benedict. His Lamenta...
- 93. The Triumph of Christ. Th...
- 94. The Radiant Wheel. St. Pe...
- 95. The Laurel Crown. St. Jam...
- 96. St. John examines Dante o...
- 97. St. Peter's reproof of ba...
- 98. God and the Angelic Hiera...
- 99. Beatrice's Discourse of t...
- 100. The Tenth Heaven, or Empy...
- 101. The Glory of Paradise. De...
- 102. St. Bernard points out th...
- 103. Prayer to the Virgin. The...
Discourse on the Limits of Reason. The Foot of the Mountain. Those who died in Contumacy of Holy Church. Manfredi.
Inasmuch as the instantaneous flight
Had scattered them asunder o'er the plain,
Turned to the mountain whither reason spurs us,
I pressed me close unto my faithful comrade,
And how without him had I kept my course?
Who would have led me up along the mountain?
He seemed to me within himself remorseful;
O noble conscience, and without a stain,
How sharp a sting is trivial fault to thee!
After his feet had laid aside the haste
Which mars the dignity of every act,
My mind, that hitherto had been restrained,
Let loose its faculties as if delighted,
And I my sight directed to the hill
That highest tow'rds the heaven uplifts itself.
The sun, that in our rear was flaming red,
Was broken in front of me into the figure
Which had in me the stoppage of its rays;
Unto one side I turned me, with the fear
Of being left alone, when I beheld
Only in front of me the ground obscured.
"Why dost thou still mistrust?" my Comforter
Began to say to me turned wholly round;
"Dost thou not think me with thee, and that I guide thee?
'Tis evening there already where is buried
The body within which I cast a shadow;
'Tis from Brundusium ta'en, and Naples has it.
Now if in front of me no shadow fall,
Marvel not at it more than at the heavens,
Because one ray impedeth not another
To suffer torments, both of cold and heat,
Bodies like this that Power provides, which wills
That how it works be not unveiled to us.
Insane is he who hopeth that our reason
Can traverse the illimitable way,
Which the one Substance in three Persons follows!
Mortals, remain contented at the 'Quia;'
For if ye had been able to see all,
No need there were for Mary to give birth;
And ye have seen desiring without fruit,
Those whose desire would have been quieted,
Which evermore is given them for a grief.
I speak of Aristotle and of Plato,
And many others;"—and here bowed his head,
And more he said not, and remained disturbed.
We came meanwhile unto the mountain's foot;
There so precipitate we found the rock,
That nimble legs would there have been in vain.
'Twixt Lerici and Turbia, the most desert,
The most secluded pathway is a stair
Easy and open, if compared with that.
"Who knoweth now upon which hand the hill
Slopes down," my Master said, his footsteps staying,
"So that who goeth without wings may mount?"
And while he held his eyes upon the ground
Examining the nature of the path,
And I was looking up around the rock,
On the left hand appeared to me a throng
Of souls, that moved their feet in our direction,
And did not seem to move, they came so slowly.
"Lift up thine eyes," I to the Master said;
"Behold, on this side, who will give us counsel,
If thou of thine own self can have it not."
Then he looked at me, and with frank expression
Replied: "Let us go there, for they come slowly,
And thou be steadfast in thy hope, sweet son."
Still was that people as far off from us,
After a thousand steps of ours I say,
As a good thrower with his hand would reach,
When they all crowded unto the hard masses
Of the high bank, and motionless stood and close,
As he stands still to look who goes in doubt.
"O happy dead! O spirits elect already!"
Virgilius made beginning, "by that peace
Which I believe is waiting for you all,
Tell us upon what side the mountain slopes,
So that the going up be possible,
For to lose time irks him most who most knows."
As sheep come issuing forth from out the fold
By ones and twos and threes, and the others stand
Timidly, holding down their eyes and nostrils,
And what the foremost does the others do,
Huddling themselves against her, if she stop,
Simple and quiet and the wherefore know not;
So moving to approach us thereupon
I saw the leader of that fortunate flock,
Modest in face and dignified in gait.
As soon as those in the advance saw broken
The light upon the ground at my right side,
So that from me the shadow reached the rock,
They stopped, and backward drew themselves somewhat;
And all the others, who came after them,
Not knowing why nor wherefore, did the same.
"Without your asking, I confess to you
This is a human body which you see,
Whereby the sunshine on the ground is cleft.
Marvel ye not thereat, but be persuaded
That not without a power which comes from Heaven
Doth he endeavour to surmount this wall."
The Master thus; and said those worthy people:
"Return ye then, and enter in before us,"
Making a signal with the back o' the hand
And one of them began: "Whoe'er thou art,
Thus going turn thine eyes, consider well
If e'er thou saw me in the other world."
I turned me tow'rds him, and looked at him closely;
Blond was he, beautiful, and of noble aspect,
But one of his eyebrows had a blow divided.
When with humility I had disclaimed
E'er having seen him, "Now behold!" he said,
And showed me high upon his breast a wound.
Then said he with a smile: "I am Manfredi,
The grandson of the Empress Costanza;
Therefore, when thou returnest, I beseech thee
Go to my daughter beautiful, the mother
Of Sicily's honour and of Aragon's,
And the truth tell her, if aught else be told.
After I had my body lacerated
By these two mortal stabs, I gave myself
Weeping to Him, who willingly doth pardon.
Horrible my iniquities had been;
But Infinite Goodness hath such ample arms,
That it receives whatever turns to it.
Had but Cosenza's pastor, who in chase
Of me was sent by Clement at that time,
In God read understandingly this page,
The bones of my dead body still would be
At the bridge-head, near unto Benevento,
Under the safeguard of the heavy cairn.
Now the rain bathes and moveth them the wind,
Beyond the realm, almost beside the Verde,
Where he transported them with tapers quenched.
By malison of theirs is not so lost
Eternal Love, that it cannot return,
So long as hope has anything of green.
True is it, who in contumacy dies
Of Holy Church, though penitent at last,
Must wait upon the outside this bank
Thirty times told the time that he has been
In his presumption, unless such decree
Shorter by means of righteous prayers become.
See now if thou hast power to make me happy,
By making known unto my good Costanza
How thou hast seen me, and this ban beside,
For those on earth can much advance us here."
