The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
CANTO XXVIII. The poets reach the ninth TsUey, in which the promoters of schisms are punished, being hewed by a fiend with a sword in frightful wounds. Amongst these Dante converses with Mahomet, Pier da Sedicinai Mosca de' Uberti, and Bertram dal Bomio.
Cahto XXVIII. HELL. 105 Whob'bb with words, untrammelled even by rhyme, The blood and fearful wounds could wholly tell Which now I saw, narrating many a time ? Each tongue would certes in the venture fail, Through weakness of our speech and mind that could * Scarce comprehend the whole of such a tale. If there were heaped together all the crowd Already on Apulia's fertile soil, Whose wretched blood has e'er in torrents flowed Through Trojans, or throughout that lengthened broil, ^° Described by Livy, who aye painteth true. Which of the rings made such a lofty spoil ; With those, whom with his fearful blows o'erthrew Robert Guiscardo, whom they dared oppose, And the rest, whose bones are still heaped up in view '* Near Ceperan, where each Apulian rose A traitor, or where less to arms than him, The old Alardo, Charles his victory owes ; And if each maimed and lacerated limb Were shown, it could not rival in its scene ^ Of that ninth prison-house the fashion grim. A barrel by the loss of stave between Was never yet so pierced as one I saw Cleft from the anus upwards to the chin. Betwixt his legs hung down his entrails raw ; ^ The milt appeared, and the ugly sack where glide. Changed into dung, things swaUowed by the maw. Whilst wholly gazing on him me he eyed, And with his hands his breast he widely bared, Saying, " Now see how I myself divide. Behold how Mahomet is maimed and sheared ; Before me Ali goes with wailing drear. Cleft in the face, from the topknot to the beard ; And all the rest, whom thou beholdest here, The sowers erst of schism, and of scandal, Were when alive ; hence thus are cleft ashear.
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Line 10. The war of Hannibal in Italy, described by liivy, who states that after ^the> battle of Cannae three bushels and a half of rings were sent to Cartha^, taken from the fingers of the dead Roman knights. Line 14. Brother of the Duke of Normandy, a founder of a Neapolitan race of Norman kings. Line 15. The army of Manf redi, who by the treachery of the Apulian troops was utterly routed near Ceperano by Charles of Ai^ou. Line 18. The victory of Tagliacozzo, gained for the same Charles by the generalship of the Sieur de Yaleri, the Alardo in the text. Line 32. Ali, the disciple and successor of Mahomet.
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CANTO XXVIII. The poets reach the ninth TsUey, in which the promoters of schisms are punished, being hewed by a fiend with a sword in frightful wounds. Amongst these Dante converses with Mahomet, Pier da Sedicinai Mosca de' Uberti, and Bertram dal Bomio.
Cahto XXVIII. HELL. 105 Whob'bb with words, untrammelled even by rhyme, The blood and fearful wounds could wholly tell Which now I saw, narrating many a time ? Each tongue would certes in the venture fail, Through weakness of our speech and mind that could * Scarce comprehend the whole of such a tale. If there were heaped together all the crowd Already on Apulia's fertile soil, Whose wretched blood has e'er in torrents flowed Through Trojans, or throughout that lengthened broil, ^° Described by Livy, who aye paints true. Which of the rings made such a lofty spoil ; With those, whom with his fearful blows o'erthrew Robert Guiscardo, whom they dared oppose, And the rest, whose bones are still heaped up in view '* Near Ceperan, where each Apulian rose A traitor, or where less to arms than him, The old Alardo, Charles his victory owes ; And if each maimed and lacerated limb Were shown, it could not rival in its scene ^ Of that ninth prison-house the fashion grim. A barrel by the loss of stave between Was never yet so pierced as one I saw Cleft from the anus upwards to the chin. Betwixt his legs hung down his entrails raw ; ^ The milt appeared, and the ugly sack where glide. Changed into dung, things swaUowed by the maw. Whilst wholly gazing on him me he eyed, And with his hands his breast he widely bared, Saying, " Now see how I myself divide. Behold how Mahomet is maimed and sheared ; Before me Ali goes with wailing drear. Cleft in the face, from the topknot to the beard ; And all the rest, whom you behold here, The sowers erst of schism, and of scandal, Were when alive ; hence thus are cleft ashear.
p. 90
p. 35
Line 10. The war of Hannibal in Italy, described by liivy, who states that after ^the> battle of Cannae three bushels and a half of rings were sent to Cartha^, taken from the fingers of the dead Roman knights. Line 14. Brother of the Duke of Normandy, a founder of a Neapolitan race of Norman kings. Line 15. The army of Manf redi, who by the treachery of the Apulian troops was utterly routed near Ceperano by Charles of Ai^ou. Line 18. The victory of Tagliacozzo, gained for the same Charles by the generalship of the Sieur de Yaleri, the Alardo in the text. Line 32. Ali, the disciple and successor of Mahomet.
p. 40
p. 50
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