The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
14i HELL. Cavto IY. Obscure, profound it was, and clouded o'er, ^" That though into its depths mj gaze inclined, I could discern with clearness nothing more. " Now we descend into the regions blind," Began the poet, yery wan and pale, " I will be first, and thou shalt be behind." ^^ And I, who had remarked his colour fail. Exclaimed, '' How can I come, if thou hast dread Who only 'gainst mj doubtings canst prevail ?
And he to me : '* The anguish of the dead Who are below has painted on my face ^ That pity which thou takest to be dread. But onwards, for the way is long to trace. So he advanced and made me enter there, In the first circle which girds round Hell's space. Here, in as far as hearing is aware, ^ Was no loud weeping, but a sound of sighs.
Which ever trembled in the eternal air, And these from sorrow without torments rise, Sorrow that holds the crowds both many and great, Men, women, children, of all age and size. ^ Turned my good master to me : " Dost thou wait To ask what souls are these thou seest here P I will that thou shouldst know at once their state.
These have not sinned, and if their acts were fedr, 'Twas not sufficient, since they baptism lacked, The gateway of the Faith which thou dost share. And if they lived ere Christ's law was a fact. They did not in fit fashion God adore ; And I myself amongst these last am wreckt. For such deficiencies, and nothing more. Our penalty is fixed, the lost among, To yearn for ever on this hopeless shore. Lino 28.
" And these from sorrow witliout torments rise. Seeing that Dante's creed compelled him to exclude from Paradise all who had not been baptised in modem times, or circnmcised under the Jewish dispensation, the sensitive reader will be grateful to him for having made one circle of Hell tree from pain.
There is indeed no diiferenoe between the doom of those in Limbo and the blessed in Paradise, the joy of the latter consisting solely in the presence and love of Grod. « Line 38. " They did not in fit fashion God adore. Previous to Christianity the only persons who coidd be saved were the Jews, who worshipped God lawfully according to their dispensation.
In the Paradise Dante makes the numbers of the saved equal of the two dispensations, and in line 52 and what follows YirgU. describes now Christ triumphant entered Hell, and bore away with Him the spirits of those who under the old law had looked for His coming.
Canto IV. HELL. 15 On hearing that great grief my heartstrings wrung. To think that people of such worth should be. As those I knew, within that Limbo hung. ** Tell, O my master and my lord, to me," Began I, with the wish to solve all doubt About that faith, from every error free, ** Have none by their own merit issued out, Or through another, who were after blest ? And he, who understood my speech of doubt.
Answered : '* I was but recent in this rest. When I beheld a power our haunt invade, Triumphant with the victor's crown confest.
He drew from 'mongst us our first parent's shade, Abel, his son, and Noah following ; Moses the lawgiver, who aye obeyed ; The patriarch Abraham, and David, king ; Israel with his sons and with his sire, And Eachel, who on him such toil did bring, And many others who in bliss respire ; And thou must know that previously to these No human spirits had been saved from ire.
Whilst thus he spake our progress did not cease, But ever upwards through the wood we drew, I call a wood those souls' thick companies. As yet the way we did not far pursue Beyond the boundary, when I saw a light That in the hemisphere of darkness grew. We still were somewhat distant from its site, '* But not so far but that I saw in part For honoured people was the place bedight. "O thou who honourest every liberal art.
What men are these possessed of so much fame, That from the others makes them thus apart ?" ^^ And he to me : '' The honourable name That in thy upper life to these is paid. In Heaven to advance them doth like favour claim. In the meanwhile I heard a voice that said, *' Unto the chiefest poet honour due ! ^ But lat« departed, now returns his shade. After the voice was hushed all silent grew, And towards us came four lofty shadows grave.
With faces neither sad nor gay to view. Then there began to speak my master suave, ®* " Behold the one who leadeth all the rest. Their father, in whose hand is held the glaive.
p. 65
16 HELL. Cauto^V. 'Tis Homer, sovran poet of the past ; Then cometh Horace, satirist of fame, Ovid the third, and Lucian is the last. ^^ Since each as much as I can fairly claim That title, which their voice, like one, did bear, They show their worth in giving me the fame." So did I see approach the troop so fair
Of that old master of divinest song,
p. 95
14i HELL. Cavto IY. Obscure, profound it was, and clouded o'er, ^" That though into its depths mj gaze inclined, I could discern with clearness nothing more. " Now we descend into the regions blind," Began the poet, yery wan and pale, " I will be first, and you shall be behind." ^^ And I, who had remarked his colour fail. Exclaimed, '' How can I come, if you have dread Who only 'gainst mj doubtings can prevail ?" And he to me : '* The anguish of the dead Who are below has painted on my face ^ That pity which you takest to be dread. But onwards, for the way is long to trace." So he advanced and made me enter there, In the first circle which girds round Hell's space. Here, in as far as hearing is aware, ^ Was no loud weeping, but a sound of sighs. Which ever trembled in the eternal air, And these from sorrow without torments rise, Sorrow that holds the crowds both many and great, Men, women, children, of all age and size. ^ Turned my good master to me : " Dost you wait To ask what souls are these you seest here P I will that you should know at once their state. These have not sinned, and if their acts were fedr, 'Twas not sufficient, since they baptism lacked, The gateway of the Faith which you do share. And if they lived ere Christ's law was a fact. They did not in fit fashion God adore ; And I myself amongst these last am wreckt. For such deficiencies, and nothing more. Our penalty is fixed, the lost among, To yearn for ever on this hopeless shore." Lino 28. " And these from sorrow witliout torments rise." Seeing that Dante's creed compelled him to exclude from Paradise all who had not been baptised in modem times, or circnmcised under the Jewish dispensation, the sensitive reader will be grateful to him for having made one circle of Hell tree from pain. There is indeed no diiferenoe between the doom of those in Limbo and the blessed in Paradise, the joy of the latter consisting solely in the presence and love of Grod. « Line 38. " They did not in fit fashion God adore." Previous to Christianity the only persons who coidd be saved were the Jews, who worshipped God lawfully according to their dispensation. In the Paradise Dante makes the numbers of the saved equal of the two dispensations, and in line 52 and what follows YirgU. describes now Christ triumphant entered Hell, and bore away with Him the spirits of those who under the old law had looked for His coming.
Canto IV. HELL. 15 On hearing that great grief my heartstrings wrung. To think that people of such worth should be. As those I knew, within that Limbo hung. ** Tell, O my master and my lord, to me," Began I, with the wish to solve all doubt About that faith, from every error free, ** Have none by their own merit issued out, Or through another, who were after blest ?" And he, who understood my speech of doubt. Answered : '* I was but recent in this rest. When I beheld a power our haunt invade, Triumphant with the victor's crown confest. He drew from 'mongst us our first parent's shade, Abel, his son, and Noah following ; Moses the lawgiver, who aye obeyed ; The patriarch Abraham, and David, king ; Israel with his sons and with his sire, And Eachel, who on him such toil did bring, And many others who in bliss respire ; And you must know that previously to these No human spirits had been saved from ire." Whilst thus he spake our progress did not cease, But ever upwards through the wood we drew, I call a wood those souls' thick companies. As yet the way we did not far pursue Beyond the boundary, when I saw a light That in the hemisphere of darkness grew. We still were somewhat distant from its site, '* But not so far but that I saw in part For honoured people was the place bedight. "O you who honourest every liberal art. What men are these possessed of so much fame, That from the others makes them thus apart ?" ^^ And he to me : '' The honourable name That in your upper life to these is paid. In Heaven to advance them does like favour claim." In the meanwhile I heard a voice that said, *' Unto the chiefest poet honour due ! ^ But lat« departed, now returns his shade." After the voice was hushed all silent grew, And towards us came four lofty shadows grave. With faces neither sad nor gay to view. Then there began to speak my master suave, ®* " Behold the one who leads all the rest. Their father, in whose hand is held the glaive.
p. 65
16 HELL. Cauto^V. 'Tis Homer, sovran poet of the past ; Then comes Horace, satirist of fame, Ovid the third, and Lucian is the last. ^^ Since each as much as I can fairly claim That title, which their voice, like one, did bear, They show their worth in giving me the fame." So did I see approach the troop so fair
Of that old master of divinest song,
p. 95
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