The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
CANTO VII. Dante is oonfrontod b^ Pinto at the entrance of tbe fonrth circle. Conducted by Virgil be obtains a safe passage, and sees within the avaricious and the prodigal, condemned to a like punishment, rolling great weights against each other. Passing onwards to the fifth circle they come to the Stygian lake,^ which the souls of the wrathful are immersed.
Skirting the lake they reach at last the foot of a tower. ** Ah, marvel, Satan ! marvel, King of Hell ! Pluto began with his hoarse strident shout. And that kind wise one, who knew all things well. Said for mj comfort, " Do not let thy doubt Grieve thee, for all the power which he can wage * From this descent can never shut thee out. Then to that swollen lip turned round the sage. And shouted, " Be thou silent, wolf accurst !
Consume within thyself thy hellish rage. Not without reason he thy deeps has durst ; ^* 'Tis willed on high, where o'er the boastful mind Of rebel angels Michael's vengeance burst. As when the inflated sails before the wind Fall in a heap when topples down the mast, So fell to earth that beast of cruellest kind. ** So to that fourth descent we downwards past. Descending further in that grieving shore. Where all the evil of the world is cast.
Line 1. " Ah, marvel, Satan ! marvel, King of Hell ! '^Pape, Sataji ! pape, Satan aleppe ! The words pape and aleppe are neither of them Italian. Pape is supposed to be the Latin exclamation of surprise Papae, and aleppe to be Ah ! or Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Line 11. " Where o'er the boastful mind Of rebel angels Michael's vengeance burst. '' Lk dive Michele Fe la. vendetta del superbo strupo.
The ordinary meaning of strupo is adultery, and Gary has so translated it here, although he notices the rendering which I have preferred, where " strupo" is taken for a troop, and the " superbo strupo " becomes the troop of rebel angels.
26 HELL. Canto VII. Justice of God ! who heapetb up such store Of novel toils and pains which I have seen ! ^ And why doth sin in such profusion pour ? As o'er Charjbdis' rocks the waves careen, Which breaking one against the other churn, So here the people are compelled to spin.
Here greater crowd^ than elsewhere I discern, ^ From this side and from that with shoutings thick, Revolving weights by pressure of the stem ; I* the midst they clashed against each other, quick Each one turned round and shouted out uproarious, "Why dost thou grasp?" and "Wherefore dost thou trick? '30 So in that gloomy ring they turned laborious, From every point unto the opposite side. Shouting out yet again this shameful chorus.
Then each one turned again when he had plied Up to the centre for another joust. ^ Aid I, whose heart was touched with pity, cried, " O master mine, now show me what this host Of people are ; were all these clerical too ; Those shaven pates, who throng the left-hand coast ? And he to me : ** They had such squinting view, ^ In mental constitution, in their lives. In their expense no proper mean they knew.
Clearly enough from that their speech derives. When they have reached that portion of the ring, Where each against the opposite error drives. ** Ohurchmen were those whose hairy covering Is shorn, both Popes and Church lords of degrees, O'er whom fell avarice its sway did swing. And I : " O master, amongst such as these, I surely ought to recognise a few ^ Who were afflicted with such maladies.
And he to me : " A vain thought, dost thou mew The undistinguishing life which made them foul, From every recognition bars them too. Line 27. " Bpevolviog weights by pressure of the stem. " Yoltando pesi, per forza di poppa.'* Poppa is a woman's breast or the stern of a ship. In opposition to the usnal rendering I have here taken it in the latter acceptation.
The ludicrous nature of the punishment, the sinners pushing weights backwards at each other, does not militate against the correctness of my view, as many of the puoishmentef in the Hell are ludicrous. If the jousters met face to face there would be no need for them to turn round to address each other when they clashed in the midst.
CANTO VII. Dante is oonfrontod b^ Pinto at the entrance of tbe fonrth circle. Conducted by Virgil be obtains a safe passage, and sees within the avaricious and the prodigal, condemned to a like punishment, rolling great weights against each other. Passing onwards to the fifth circle they come to the Stygian lake,^ which the souls of the wrathful are immersed. Skirting the lake they reach at last the foot of a tower. ** Ah, marvel, Satan ! marvel, King of Hell !" Pluto began with his hoarse strident shout. And that kind wise one, who knew all things well. Said for mj comfort, " Do not let your doubt Grieve you, for all the power which he can wage * From this descent can never shut you out." Then to that swollen lip turned round the sage. And shouted, " Be you silent, wolf accurst ! Consume within yourself your hellish rage. Not without reason he your deeps has durst ; ^* 'Tis willed on high, where o'er the boastful mind Of rebel angels Michael's vengeance burst." As when the inflated sails before the wind Fall in a heap when topples down the mast, So fell to earth that beast of cruellest kind. ** So to that fourth descent we downwards past. Descending further in that grieving shore. Where all the evil of the world is cast.
Line 1. " Ah, marvel, Satan ! marvel, King of Hell ! '^Pape, Sataji ! pape, Satan aleppe ! The words pape and aleppe are neither of them Italian. Pape is supposed to be the Latin exclamation of surprise Papae, and aleppe to be Ah ! or Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Line 11. " Where o'er the boastful mind Of rebel angels Michael's vengeance burst. '' Lk dive Michele Fe la. vendetta del superbo strupo.
The ordinary meaning of strupo is adultery, and Gary has so translated it here, although he notices the rendering which I have preferred, where " strupo" is taken for a troop, and the " superbo strupo " becomes the troop of rebel angels.
26 HELL. Canto VII. Justice of God ! who heapetb up such store Of novel toils and pains which I have seen ! ^ And why does sin in such profusion pour ? As o'er Charjbdis' rocks the waves careen, Which breaking one against the other churn, So here the people are compelled to spin. Here greater crowd^ than elsewhere I discern, ^ From this side and from that with shoutings thick, Revolving weights by pressure of the stem ; I* the midst they clashed against each other, quick Each one turned round and shouted out uproarious, "Why do you grasp?" and "Wherefore do you trick?" '30 So in that gloomy ring they turned laborious, From every point unto the opposite side. Shouting out yet again this shameful chorus. Then each one turned again when he had plied Up to the centre for another joust. ^ Aid I, whose heart was touched with pity, cried, " O master mine, now show me what this host Of people are ; were all these clerical too ; Those shaven pates, who throng the left-hand coast ?" And he to me : ** They had such squinting view, ^ In mental constitution, in their lives. In their expense no proper mean they knew. Clearly enough from that their speech derives. When they have reached that portion of the ring, Where each against the opposite error drives. ** Ohurchmen were those whose hairy covering Is shorn, both Popes and Church lords of degrees, O'er whom fell avarice its sway did swing." And I : " O master, amongst such as these, I surely ought to recognise a few ^ Who were afflicted with such maladies." And he to me : " A vain thought, do you mew The undistinguishing life which made them foul, From every recognition bars them too. Line 27. " Bpevolviog weights by pressure of the stem." " Yoltando pesi, per forza di poppa.'* Poppa is a woman's breast or the stern of a ship. In opposition to the usnal rendering I have here taken it in the latter acceptation. The ludicrous nature of the punishment, the sinners pushing weights backwards at each other, does not militate against the correctness of my view, as many of the puoishmentef in the Hell are ludicrous. If the jousters met face to face there would be no need for them to turn round to address each other when they clashed in the midst.
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