The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
CANTO XII. Descending the bank into the seventh circle, they find it gnarded by the Minotaur. Having reached the bottom of the cliff, Dante sees a river of blood, in which are punished those who have committed violence against their neighbour, being prevented from rising out of the boiling stream by a band of Centaurs, who gallop with bows and arrows along its bank.
Three of them advance to meet Virgil and Dante, and, at the former's request, one of them guides the poets along the bank, and finally carries Dante across the stream on his lMU)k. The place we stood on to descend the bank Precipitously fell, and there beside Was one from sight of whom all vision shrank. like to that landslip, which with 'whelming slide St^ck the Adige, above the town of Trent, * Through earthquake moved^ or action of the tide :
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Cahto XIL Which from the mountain's crest from whence it went Fell with such sheer incline into the plain That from above it ofEers no descent : So did that beetling cliff the valley gain : ^^ And o'er the broken hollow, on its brow, The Infamy of Crete was stretched amain Conceived within the fabricated cow : He bit himself when he beheld us near, As one in whom quick-roused angers glow. ^* My wise one shouted towards him : " Haply here Thou think' st that Athens' Duke again is bent.
Who of old slew thee in the upper sphere ? Off with the beast ! for this one is not sent Taught by thy sister how to make thee bleed, *" He Cometh but to see thy punishment. Like to a bull the very moment freed He has received the mortal stroke, in air Bounds here and there, unable on to speed, The Minotaur thus maddened saw I there : ^ My prudent guide cried out : '' JRun to the pass, Bunng his fiirious fit, descend with care.
So on we hurried through the scattered mass Of tumbled stones, that ofben moving slide Beneath the unwonted weight, as on I pass. ^ In thought I went : " Thou musest," said my guide, " Perchance about this precipice, watched o'er By the bestial anger which I now defied. I would that thou shouldst know, that when before Down to Hell's lowest deeps I turned my feet, ^ This rock had not yet toppled to the shore.
But very shortly ere (if well I weet) His coming, who such booty bore from Hell, Those prisoners of the outer circle's seat. In every portion, this deep valley fell ^ So trembled, that I thought the reeling sphere Had felt the Love, through which, there are who tell Lines 12 and 13. The Minotaur, offspring of Fasiphae and her unnatural passion. Line 17. " Thou think'st that Athens' Duke again is bent.
Theseus, who, instructed by Ariadne, the sister of the Minotaur, was enabled to slay the monster. Line 37. " But very shortly ere (if well I weet) His coming.'* The triumphant entry of Christ, described in Canto lY. Line 42. " Had felt the Love, through which, there are who tell That oft i' the world did Chaos reappear.
The idea that through Love the atoms of the Universe separate from the mass to join together like with like, and that in this manner Chaos has been
Cahio XU. hell. 45 That oft i' the world did Chaos reappear : And in that moment this old nx^k from high Down to its basement toppled here and there. *^ But gaze upon the valley : there draws nigh The river of red blood, where boil in fire All who with force do others injury." blind cupidity, O foolish ire, Which spurs us on so in our life's short day, *• And soaks us till Eternity expire ! 1 saw a broad stream bending far away. As though its wave did all the plain embrace. By the description which my guide did say ; And 'twixt it and the mountain's foot in race ^ Galloped a band of Centaurs, armed with bows. As in the world they erst were wont to chase. When our descent they saw, each one stood close, And three amongst them sallied from the band With bows and darts, our passage to oppose ; ^* And one from far cried out : " What pains demand Your sentence, that you thus descend the side ? I shoot unless you speak from where you stand." " Our answer," thus my master straight replied, " When we have reached his side, shall Chiron know ^* Badly for thee thy will could never bide." He touched me then, and said : " 'Tis Nessus> who Perished of old for Dejanira fair. And from himself made his own vengeance flow. He in the middle, with the musing air, ^^ Is the great Chiron, to Achilles bowed ; The other Folus, erst so ireful. There Along the stream in thousands do they crowd. Shooting whatever souls themselves upreared. Above the blood, more than their doom allowed.'* ^* Onwards, towards those active beasts we neared ; And Chiron with an arrow's feathered head Behind his jaws drew back his massy beard. When his great mouth was thus laid bare, he said To his companions, wondering : '^ Do ye weet How this one moveth all things with his tread P
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CANTO XII. Descending the bank into the seventh circle, they find it gnarded by the Minotaur. Having reached the bottom of the cliff, Dante sees a river of blood, in which are punished those who have committed violence against their neighbour, being prevented from rising out of the boiling stream by a band of Centaurs, who gallop with bows and arrows along its bank.
Three of them advance to meet Virgil and Dante, and, at the former's request, one of them guides the poets along the bank, and finally carries Dante across the stream on his lMU)k. The place we stood on to descend the bank Precipitously fell, and there beside Was one from sight of whom all vision shrank. like to that landslip, which with 'whelming slide St^ck the Adige, above the town of Trent, * Through earthquake moved^ or action of the tide :
44 BELL. Cahto XIL Which from the mountain's crest from whence it went Fell with such sheer incline into the plain That from above it ofEers no descent : So did that beetling cliff the valley gain : ^^ And o'er the broken hollow, on its brow, The Infamy of Crete was stretched amain Conceived within the fabricated cow : He bit himself when he beheld us near, As one in whom quick-roused angers glow. ^* My wise one shouted towards him : " Haply here You think' st that Athens' Duke again is bent. Who of old slew you in the upper sphere ? Off with the beast ! for this one is not sent Taught by your sister how to make you bleed, *" He Comes but to see your punishment." Like to a bull the very moment freed He has received the mortal stroke, in air Bounds here and there, unable on to speed, The Minotaur thus maddened saw I there : ^ My prudent guide cried out : '' JRun to the pass, Bunng his fiirious fit, descend with care." So on we hurried through the scattered mass Of tumbled stones, that ofben moving slide Beneath the unwonted weight, as on I pass. ^ In thought I went : " You musest," said my guide, " Perchance about this precipice, watched o'er By the bestial anger which I now defied. I would that you should know, that when before Down to Hell's lowest deeps I turned my feet, ^ This rock had not yet toppled to the shore. But very shortly ere (if well I weet) His coming, who such booty bore from Hell, Those prisoners of the outer circle's seat. In every portion, this deep valley fell ^ So trembled, that I thought the reeling sphere Had felt the Love, through which, there are who tell Lines 12 and 13. The Minotaur, offspring of Fasiphae and her unnatural passion. Line 17. " You think'st that Athens' Duke again is bent." Theseus, who, instructed by Ariadne, the sister of the Minotaur, was enabled to slay the monster. Line 37. " But very shortly ere (if well I weet) His coming.'* The triumphant entry of Christ, described in Canto lY. Line 42. " Had felt the Love, through which, there are who tell That oft i' the world did Chaos reappear." The idea that through Love the atoms of the Universe separate from the mass to join together like with like, and that in this manner Chaos has been
Cahio XU. hell. 45 That oft i' the world did Chaos reappear : And in that moment this old nx^k from high Down to its basement toppled here and there. *^ But gaze upon the valley : there draws nigh The river of red blood, where boil in fire All who with force do others injury." blind cupidity, O foolish ire, Which spurs us on so in our life's short day, *• And soaks us till Eternity expire ! 1 saw a broad stream bending far away. As though its wave did all the plain embrace. By the description which my guide did say ; And 'twixt it and the mountain's foot in race ^ Galloped a band of Centaurs, armed with bows. As in the world they erst were wont to chase. When our descent they saw, each one stood close, And three amongst them sallied from the band With bows and darts, our passage to oppose ; ^* And one from far cried out : " What pains demand Your sentence, that you thus descend the side ? I shoot unless you speak from where you stand." " Our answer," thus my master straight replied, " When we have reached his side, shall Chiron know ^* Badly for you your will could never bide." He touched me then, and said : " 'Tis Nessus> who Perished of old for Dejanira fair. And from himself made his own vengeance flow. He in the middle, with the musing air, ^^ Is the great Chiron, to Achilles bowed ; The other Folus, erst so ireful. There Along the stream in thousands do they crowd. Shooting whatever souls themselves upreared. Above the blood, more than their doom allowed.'* ^* Onwards, towards those active beasts we neared ; And Chiron with an arrow's feathered head Behind his jaws drew back his massy beard. When his great mouth was thus laid bare, he said To his companions, wondering : '^ Do you weet How this one moves all things with his tread P
p. 80
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