The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri

" What are these voices, father ?" did I crave, And while I asked a third had filled their place. Saying, '* Love those from whom ye evil have. My master then : " The sin of envy base This circle scourgeth, so with love divine The lashes of the whip are plied in grace. The curb must be of contrary design : And for myself I think thou*lt hear it, ere Unto the place of pardon thou dost join.

But fix thine eyes intently through the air, A group that sit before us will be known, And each one seated 'gainst the hillside there. Then more than erst my gaze was forward thrown. With watchful eyes, and shadows I descry With garb, in hue not different to the stone. And after we had reached a little nigh, I heard them cry, O Mary, for us pray ; On Michael, Peter, all the saints they cry.

I do not think there goes on earth to-day A man so hardened, but at what I saw He would be touched beneath compassion's sway : For when so near to them my steps did draw, That all their semblances were clearly seen. That sight the anguish from my eyes did draw. Covered they seemed to me, with haircloth mean. Each on his shoulder did the other bear. And all of them against the bank did lean. Just so the blind, who want their daily fare.

Stand at the church's gates to beg their needs, And one upon the other layeth there His head, whence in the heart compassion breeds. Not only by the sound of words resigned. But at the spectacle which no less pleads. And as the sun ne'er comforteth the blind. So to the shades of whom I spake just now The light of heaven in boon is not assigned.

For to them all, an iron wire doth sew ^® Their eyelids pierced, as a wild falcon's eyes Are treated, who in quiet will not bow. Walking, it seemed with insult to despise Gazing on others, I myself unseen, Wherefore I turned me to my counsel wise : Line 39.

Virgil explains that the shades of the envions are scourged towards purification by the voices exhorting to charity, and also resixained from envy by the curb of other voices, threatening with examples of that vice, whi(m Dante will hereafter hear.

Cahto XIII. PURGATORY. 181 Well knew he what my silent look did mean ; And yet he did not sanction my demand, But told me : " Speak, and be thou brief and keen.** Virgil came with me on the outer hand Of the cornice, where no balustrade was set ^ To guard from falling down the cliff beyond. On the other side the pious shadows met, Who by the horrible seam in dim obscure Were suffering so that all their cheeks were wet.

I turned me towards them, " O thou people sure," Thus I began, " to see the lofty light To which alone aspire your wishes pure : So may grace speedily remove the blight From off your conscience, so that hence descend Into your mind, the stream of knowledge bright, Tell me (for that to me delight will lend) Is any Latin soul here denizen, My knowledge haply to his good will tend.'* " brother mine, each one is citizen Of one true city, but thou wouldest say, ^* Who pilgrim lived in Italy's demesne.

This answer did I seem to hear some way More forward than the place where I was based. On which to look still further I essay. Amongst the rest I saw a shade who gazed ^^ In aspect : How ? if any should exclaim, Like to the blind, the mind it upwards raised.

" Spirit," I said, " who to ascend dost tame Thyself, if thou'rt the one who answered me, Make me to know thy country or thy name.'* ^^* " A lady from Siena," answered she, *' With these I purify a life of spite. Weeping to Him, that He should come to me. Sapient I was not, though Sapia hight. In former days, and others' loss and cares, "^ More than my gain, were ever my delight. That thou shouldst think not I deceive thy ears.

Hear if I was not, as I say, insane ; Already going down the slope of years, Line 109. The play of words in the original has been preserved, as a translation should exhibit flaws as faithfully as the whole body of the work, at least when the flaw is intentional, as in this instance.

Sapia tells her own story : while living in banishment at Golle she witnessed the defeat of her (Countrymen by the Florentines, and prayed for immediate death, as there was nothing further for her to hope or fear.

p. 182Cahto XIII. My fellow-citizens on Colle's plain ^^* Were joined in battle with their foemen old: And G-od willed that for which my prayers were vain. There were they routed, and their ranks were rolled In bitter flight, I witnessing the chase Eeceived such joy, whose like cannot be told : ^^ So that I raised aloft my daring face, Crying to Q-od : * I fear thee now no more :' As sings the merle at the first spring-like space.

My peace I sought with God upon the shore Of human life, nor even yet would be ^^* My debt, through penitence in part paid o'er, Had he not kept me in his memory, Pier Pettinagno, in his holy prayer, Who gave me pity in his charity. But who art thou, who goest questioning here ^^ Of our conditions, and the eyes hast free As I believe, and speaking breath'st the air ?

" The eyes," I said, " will yet be sown for me, But as I thus erred little, not for long. Since they from envy have been almost free. ^^ Par greater is the fear in which lies hung My spirit for the torment underneath. Now with the weight I feel my shoulders wrung.

And she to me : " Who then has led thy path Amongst us, if thou thinkest to retreat ?" ^*° And I, " My comrade here, who nothing sayeth, I am alive, so ask me as 'tis meet Elected spirit, if thou wouldst that there Should hurry still for thee our mortal feet. " this is such a novel thing to hear," "* She answered, " that Q-od loves thee 'tis a sign : Therefore at times assist me with thy prayer.

And by the thing for which thou most dost pine I pray thee, if thou tread' st the Tuscan plain, Mid my relations clear this fame of mine. ^^ Thou wilt behold them 'mongst the people vain Line 123. The merle, aGOording to the scory, escaped from confinement at the first gleam of fine weather, and had soon to lament the return of winter. Line 128. Pier Pettinagno, a hermit of Florence. Line 136.

Dante feels that his besetting sin is Pride, and fears the punishment of the lower cornice far more than that for Envy. Line 151. In "Hell/' Canto XXIX.,Dante has already vented his satire on the folly of the Siennese.

He here alludes to their idle schemes of becoming a great naval power through possession of Talamon, a port on the confines of the Mt^remma, which turned out as chimeri<»l as their former attempt to discover a subterranean stream in their city, which for some unknown reason was called Diana.