The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
Caitto VL hell. 21 And she to me : ** There is no greater grief Than to remember us of happy time In misery, and that thy bard's belief. But since of all our love to know the prime And early root thou hast such yearning strong, ^^ I will tell all, though weeping all the time. We read one day for pleasure, in the Pong Of Launcelot, how Love him captive made ; We were alone without one thought of wrong.
Many and many a time our eyes delayed ^^ The reading, and our faces paled apart ; One point alone it was that us betrayed. In reading of that worshipt smile o' the heart, Kissed by such lover on her lips' red core, This one, who never more from me must part, ^" Kissed me upon the mouth, trembling all o'er : For us our Quleotto was that book ; That day we did not read it any more. And all the while that thus one spirit spoke.
The other wailed so that in pity's thralls My senses failed as one whom death had strook, And I fell down as a dead body falls. Line 127* " We read one day for pleasure, in the song Of Launcelot.^' The " Bomanoe of the Bound Tahle" where the loves of Lannoelot and Qaeen Ghunevere are described. The same scene is alluded to by Dante in Canto 16 of the "Paradise. Line 137. '* For us our Gbleotto was that book.
Galeotto was the gobetween in the loves of Launcelot and the Queen. In t^e Middle ^ges me name appears to have been generally applied to persons of that profession, in Hne same way as our word pander is derived from the officious uncle of Cressida.
" If ever you prove fabe one to another, since I have taken such pains to bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called to the world's end a^r my name ; call them all Pandars ; let all constant men be Troiluses, all false women Gressids, and all brokers-between Pandars ! say amen."— Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida," Act III., sc. 2.
p. 140
CANTO VI. On returning to his senses Dante finds himself in the third circle, that of rain, in whi(3i gluttons are punished, under the guardianship of Cerberus. Amongst the condemned he finds a Florentine, nicknamed Hog, and converses with him on the dissensions of their town, Aptee my senses were restored, which closed With pity for that pair so near allied. That with the sorrow I was all confused.
21)
22 HELL. Cavto VI. New torments and new sufferers are descried Around me, wheresoe'er mj sight I strain, * Where'er I move or turn, on every side. I stand in the third circle, that of rain, Eternal cursed cold and grievous sore ; In force and volume one unvarying strain. Great hailstones, turbid rain, and snowy frore ^® Is ever poured out in the darkened air, Stinketh the land it falls on evermore.
Wild Cerberus, of twofold nature rare, With three throats hurleth out the doglike bark Upon the people that are cowering there. ^* His eyes are red, his greasy beard is dark, His belly large and fingers armed with nails ; He tears, and flays, and rends the spirits stark. They howl like hounds beneath the blinding hail. Striving to make one side the other guard, The Godless wretches ever turning waiL When Cerberus, the great worm, did us regard.
His tusks he showed us as he oped his jaws ; He had no limb that was not working hard. My leader stretches out his hand and draws A clod of earth, the which with forceful blow He drove right into his voracious maws. Like to a dog, that barking but to show Hi a longing, eats up food with quiet mien.
And only fought to fill his hunger, so Were quieted at once the jaws obscene Of the demon Cerberus, who so dins the souls That they would very gladly deaf have been. We past on o'er the shadows, o'er whom rolls The grievous rainstorm, and we placed our feet Over the nothingness of form-like souls. TTpon the earth they lay in mass complete. Save one, who when he saw us drawing nigh Eose to the sitting posture very fle^t.
" thou that through this Hell art passing by," *® He said, " remember if thou me dost know. For thou wast bom before that I did die. And I to him : " Thy anguish here below Perchance withdraws thy memory from my mind, So that it seems I've seen thee not till now. ** But tell me who thou art who art thus confined In such a grievous place, and to such pain, If worse, none can be of more hateful kind."
Caitto VL hell. 21 And she to me : ** There is no greater grief Than to remember us of happy time In misery, and that your bard's belief. But since of all our love to know the prime And early root you have such yearning strong, ^^ I will tell all, though weeping all the time. We read one day for pleasure, in the Pong Of Launcelot, how Love him captive made ; We were alone without one thought of wrong. Many and many a time our eyes delayed ^^ The reading, and our faces paled apart ; One point alone it was that us betrayed. In reading of that worshipt smile o' the heart, Kissed by such lover on her lips' red core, This one, who never more from me must part, ^" Kissed me upon the mouth, trembling all o'er : For us our Quleotto was that book ; That day we did not read it any more." And all the while that thus one spirit spoke. The other wailed so that in pity's thralls My senses failed as one whom death had strook, And I fell down as a dead body falls. Line 127* " We read one day for pleasure, in the song Of Launcelot.^' The " Bomanoe of the Bound Tahle" where the loves of Lannoelot and Qaeen Ghunevere are described. The same scene is alluded to by Dante in Canto 16 of the "Paradise." Line 137. '* For us our Gbleotto was that book." Galeotto was the gobetween in the loves of Launcelot and the Queen. In t^e Middle ^ges me name appears to have been generally applied to persons of that profession, in Hne same way as our word pander is derived from the officious uncle of Cressida. " If ever you prove fabe one to another, since I have taken such pains to bring you together, let all pitiful goers-between be called to the world's end a^r my name ; call them all Pandars ; let all constant men be Troiluses, all false women Gressids, and all brokers-between Pandars ! say amen."— Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida," Act III., sc. 2.
p. 140
CANTO VI. On returning to his senses Dante finds himself in the third circle, that of rain, in whi(3i gluttons are punished, under the guardianship of Cerberus. Amongst the condemned he finds a Florentine, nicknamed Hog, and converses with him on the dissensions of their town, Aptee my senses were restored, which closed With pity for that pair so near allied. That with the sorrow I was all confused.
21)
22 HELL. Cavto VI. New torments and new sufferers are descried Around me, wheresoe'er mj sight I strain, * Where'er I move or turn, on every side. I stand in the third circle, that of rain, Eternal cursed cold and grievous sore ; In force and volume one unvarying strain. Great hailstones, turbid rain, and snowy frore ^® Is ever poured out in the darkened air, Stinks the land it falls on evermore. Wild Cerberus, of twofold nature rare, With three throats hurls out the doglike bark Upon the people that are cowering there. ^* His eyes are red, his greasy beard is dark, His belly large and fingers armed with nails ; He tears, and flays, and rends the spirits stark. They howl like hounds beneath the blinding hail. Striving to make one side the other guard, The Godless wretches ever turning waiL When Cerberus, the great worm, did us regard. His tusks he showed us as he oped his jaws ; He had no limb that was not working hard. My leader stretches out his hand and draws A clod of earth, the which with forceful blow He drove right into his voracious maws. Like to a dog, that barking but to show Hi a longing, eats up food with quiet mien. And only fought to fill his hunger, so Were quieted at once the jaws obscene Of the demon Cerberus, who so dins the souls That they would very gladly deaf have been. We past on o'er the shadows, o'er whom rolls The grievous rainstorm, and we placed our feet Over the nothingness of form-like souls. TTpon the earth they lay in mass complete. Save one, who when he saw us drawing nigh Eose to the sitting posture very fle^t. " you that through this Hell art passing by," *® He said, " remember if you me do know. For you were bom before that I did die." And I to him : " Your anguish here below Perchance withdraws your memory from my mind, So that it seems I've seen you not till now. ** But tell me who you are who art thus confined In such a grievous place, and to such pain, If worse, none can be of more hateful kind."
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