The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
Cahto XV, HELL. 57 But go thou on, I'll follow at thy side, ^ And afterwards my company regain, Who go bewailing sin's eternal gride. I dared not to descend into the plain To walk beside him, but with head bent low I went like one with reverential strain. ^ Then he began ; ** What destiny below Ere the last day thy footsteps thus doth guide ?
And who is this one who the path can show ?" *' Above, in life serene," I then replied, '' Bewildered in a valley did I roam, Ere I completed life's allotted tide, But yester morning hence I thither come. When he appeared to me retreating there. And by this pathway leads me to my home.
And he to me : ''In following up thy star Thou canst not fail to reach a glorious goal, If well I augured in my life most fair, And had I longer 'scaped from Death's control. Seeing the Heavens to thee were so benign, To this emprise I would have cheered thy soul. But that ungrateful populace malign, Who, in old times, came down from Eiesol^, And still hold somewhat of their granite line.
Will, for thy good, become thine enemy ; And rightly so, the crabtree and its kind Can never bear the sweet fig on its tree, r the world an old report has called them blind : A people avaricious, envious, proud ; From all their habits keep unstained thy mind. To thee such honour has thy Fortune vowed, For thee both factions shall with hunger yearn. But to the grass the beak must not be bowed.
Let beasts of Fiesol^ their own selves turn To litter, but of Boman plants take heed. If on their dunghill any yet upturn In whom there lives again the holy seed Of those great Bomans who remained there erst, When it was made the nest for hate to breed. Line 62. "Who, in old tunes, came down from Fiesol^.
The Florentine traditiona sappose that this city waa founded by some of the oolony of Sylla's soldiers planted b^ him at Fiesol^, together with some of the nativeB of that town. This explains the allasion in lines 73 to 78. Idne67. " T the world an old report has called them blind.
Yillani states that the Florentines were nicknamed blind on acoonnt of being deceived by the Pisans, who sent them two false colunms of porphyry, which trick was not discovered till the colunms were raised.
" K all my prayer by Heaven had been endorsed," I answered him, " you would not be as yet From human nature banished and accursed ; It grieves me, what I never can forget, Your mild paternal image, good and dear, When in the world before me you would set How man can grow eternal in his sphere ; And all my gratitude, while life remains, 'Tis fit that in my language it appear.
That which you tell me of my future pains With other texts I keep it, for a gloss By her whose knowledge everything attains. To you this fact alone I would engross, That since my conscience no rebuke has made, I am prepared for Fortune's gain or loss. Such eamest^money is not newly paid Unto my ears, let Fortune turn her sphere Just as she pleases, and the serf his spade.
My master Virgil backwards turned him here On his right hand my countenance to seek, And said, " Who noteth well, he well doth hear. But for such praise I did not cease to speak ^^ With Ser Brunetto and request to know Which of his comrades would most feone bespeak. And he to me : *' Of some 'tis good to know, But silence is the fittest for the rest. Time would be short so great a list to show. But know in brief that each one is a priest.
Or skilled in lettered lore, or of great &me, By one sin in the world all foul confest. Priscian goes thither with that crowd of shame. And Francis of Accorso thou might'st see (If thou hadst any wish to see such blame) Him whom the slave of slaves translated free From Amo's unto Bacchiglione's tide, Where all his rotten nerves he left in fee. I would say more, but cannot further bide.
Nor hold more converse with thee, for I see A new cloud rising on the desert wide. Line 109, et seqmtwr. It is a groundless slander to place Prisoian in sneh a company. Francis of Accorso was a celebrated Jnnsconsnlt at Bologna.
The third party mentioned is Andrea de Mozzi, a Bishop of Florence, who, to conceal his scandalous life, was translated by the Pope (the servant of servants) to the see of Yicenza, from the river of Arno to that of Bacchiglione, which runs through the latter province, where he died.
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Cavto XVI. HELL. 59 New people come, with whom I may not be : To my Tesoro only grant your care, In which I still survive : no more I pray." '** Then he turned back, and seemed like tiiose who bear The green cloth at Verona, in the race, Along the champaign, and had all the air Of the victor, not the laggard, in the chase. Line 122. "The green oloth at Verona, in the moe." There was an old coBtom to have a footrace for a green oloth at Yerona'on the first Sunday in Lent. Ser Bnmetto ran so fast to rejoin his company that he appeared uke the winner in that straggle.
Cahto XV, HELL. 57 But go you on, I'll follow at your side, ^ And afterwards my company regain, Who go bewailing sin's eternal gride." I dared not to descend into the plain To walk beside him, but with head bent low I went like one with reverential strain. ^ Then he began ; ** What destiny below Ere the last day your footsteps thus does guide ? And who is this one who the path can show ?" *' Above, in life serene," I then replied, '' Bewildered in a valley did I roam, Ere I completed life's allotted tide, But yester morning hence I thither come. When he appeared to me retreating there. And by this pathway leads me to my home." And he to me : ''In following up your star You can not fail to reach a glorious goal, If well I augured in my life most fair, And had I longer 'scaped from Death's control. Seeing the Heavens to you were so benign, To this emprise I would have cheered your soul. But that ungrateful populace malign, Who, in old times, came down from Eiesol^, And still hold somewhat of their granite line. Will, for your good, become your enemy ; And rightly so, the crabtree and its kind Can never bear the sweet fig on its tree, r the world an old report has called them blind : A people avaricious, envious, proud ; From all their habits keep unstained your mind. To you such honour has your Fortune vowed, For you both factions shall with hunger yearn. But to the grass the beak must not be bowed. Let beasts of Fiesol^ their own selves turn To litter, but of Boman plants take heed. If on their dunghill any yet upturn In whom there lives again the holy seed Of those great Bomans who remained there erst, When it was made the nest for hate to breed." Line 62. "Who, in old tunes, came down from Fiesol^." The Florentine traditiona sappose that this city waa founded by some of the oolony of Sylla's soldiers planted b^ him at Fiesol^, together with some of the nativeB of that town. This explains the allasion in lines 73 to 78. Idne67. " T the world an old report has called them blind." Yillani states that the Florentines were nicknamed blind on acoonnt of being deceived by the Pisans, who sent them two false colunms of porphyry, which trick was not discovered till the colunms were raised.
" K all my prayer by Heaven had been endorsed," I answered him, " you would not be as yet From human nature banished and accursed ; It grieves me, what I never can forget, Your mild paternal image, good and dear, When in the world before me you would set How man can grow eternal in his sphere ; And all my gratitude, while life remains, 'Tis fit that in my language it appear. That which you tell me of my future pains With other texts I keep it, for a gloss By her whose knowledge everything attains. To you this fact alone I would engross, That since my conscience no rebuke has made, I am prepared for Fortune's gain or loss. Such eamest^money is not newly paid Unto my ears, let Fortune turn her sphere Just as she pleases, and the serf his spade." My master Virgil backwards turned him here On his right hand my countenance to seek, And said, " Who notes well, he well does hear." But for such praise I did not cease to speak ^^ With Ser Brunetto and request to know Which of his comrades would most feone bespeak. And he to me : *' Of some 'tis good to know, But silence is the fittest for the rest. Time would be short so great a list to show. But know in brief that each one is a priest. Or skilled in lettered lore, or of great &me, By one sin in the world all foul confest. Priscian goes thither with that crowd of shame. And Francis of Accorso you might'st see (If you had any wish to see such blame) Him whom the slave of slaves translated free From Amo's unto Bacchiglione's tide, Where all his rotten nerves he left in fee. I would say more, but cannot further bide. Nor hold more converse with you, for I see A new cloud rising on the desert wide. Line 109, et seqmtwr. It is a groundless slander to place Prisoian in sneh a company. Francis of Accorso was a celebrated Jnnsconsnlt at Bologna. The third party mentioned is Andrea de Mozzi, a Bishop of Florence, who, to conceal his scandalous life, was translated by the Pope (the servant of servants) to the see of Yicenza, from the river of Arno to that of Bacchiglione, which runs through the latter province, where he died.
los ii»
ii»
Cavto XVI. HELL. 59 New people come, with whom I may not be : To my Tesoro only grant your care, In which I still survive : no more I pray." '** Then he turned back, and seemed like tiiose who bear The green cloth at Verona, in the race, Along the champaign, and had all the air Of the victor, not the laggard, in the chase. Line 122. "The green oloth at Verona, in the moe." There was an old coBtom to have a footrace for a green oloth at Yerona'on the first Sunday in Lent. Ser Bnmetto ran so fast to rejoin his company that he appeared uke the winner in that straggle.
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