The Divine Comedy — Dante Alighieri
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112 HELL. Cakto XXX. 'Tis true that, jesting with him, I did claim That I the power to fly in air had won, And he, whose wish was great, nor sense the same, Asked me that art to show him, and alone, "* Because no DsBdalus I made him, made Me bum through one, who held him as a son. I in the last of the ten pits am laid Because on earth I practised alchemy. By Minos' doom, whose judgment never strayed/' ^^ Then said I to the bard, " Where could we see A race so prodigal as these Sanese P Sure not the French, though bad enough they be." On which the other leper, who did seize My meaning, added, " Stricca we must shrive, Wliom temperate expense alone could please. And Niccolb, the man who first did hive Cloves in his roasted pheasants, a rich mode, Sown in an orchard where such seed would thrive. We must except the band, on whom bestowed ^^® Caccia d'ABcian his vineyards and his groves, And his good sense the Abbagliato showed. But now, that thou mayst know who thus improves Thy speech 'gainst the Sanese, close looking, try My features to recall, as it behoves. And thou wilt see Capocchio's shade am I, With alchemy who changed each metal's shape. And thou shouldst know, if thee I right descry, How I of Nature was an excellent ape." Line 125. Stricca, Niocolo, Caccia d'Ascian, and Abbagliato, alluded to in the following lines, were members of a brotherhood called the "Brigata Grodereccia," who spent all they possessed in riotous living, and whose ex. ixavagance was a i>roverb of that place and time. Hie orchard in which such seed would thrive is Siena. Line 136. Capocchio of Siena is stated to have been a f eUow-student in natural philosophy of Dante, and hence they were well known to each other.
CANTO XXX. Two wild spirits rush by, tearing and haling the other plague-smitten victims. These are they who in life falsified their ovm persons. On their departure Dante listens to an altercation between Master Adam of Brescia, a coiner, and Simon of Troy. He is rebuked by Virgil for taking an interest in so base a dispute. In former times when Juno was enraged Through Semele against the Theban blood, As more than once her jealous war she waged,
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Canto '^yy, HELL. 113 King Atamas with such a madness glowed That when be saw his wife with infants twain ^ Bearing on either arm the darling load, He cried, " We've stretcht the nets and o'er the plain I sieize the lioness and both whelps too/' And then his talons fell he raught amain. And down the infant named Learcus threw, ' ^^ And dashed to pieces, breaking on a stone.
And she then drowned herself and infants too : Or what time later Portime hurled adown The Trojan grandeur all in flaming fear, So that the old king perished with his crown, ^^ Hecuba, captive miserably drear, After she saw her PoHsena dead, And grieving found her Polidorus' bier, Stretcht on the shore beside the deep sea bed, lake to a dog she barked in her despair ; ^' So far had grief her mind from reason led.
But neither Thebans wild nor Trojans e'er Were seen in any way so fierce to fly, Not only beasts but human limbs to tear. As I two pale and naked shades descry, ^^ Who in such fashion rushed about to bite As doth the boar-pig when escaped from sty.
One seized Capocchio and with tusks did smite His neck upon the nape and dragging frayed His belly 'gainst the bottom of the pit. ^ And then the Aretine who trembling stayed, Said to me : *^ Gianni Schicchi is the fiend Who rabid runs the others thus to aid." ** Oh," said I, " that the other may not send Her teeth into thee, be it no fatigue ^ To tell me who she be or ere she wend.
And he : '* That ancient spirit with intrigue, Mirra the scelerate, for her father nm-sed A passion not with lawful love in league. With him to sin she gained her end accurst ^ When in another's form she false appeared ; Just as the other who there wonneth durst liine 4. Atamas, King of Thebes, married to Ino, sister to Semele. liine 82. A Florentine of the Cavalcanti family, who possessed a wonderful power of imitation.
It is said that when Buoso Donati was dead, this man counterfeited his person, and, lying in his bed as if in his last sickness, dictated a will by which he left all the property of the dead Buoso to his distant relative Simon Donati, for which piece of acting he received from the latter a celebrated mare, called in line 43 the lady of the herd. I
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112 HELL. Cakto XXX. 'Tis true that, jesting with him, I did claim That I the power to fly in air had won, And he, whose wish was great, nor sense the same, Asked me that art to show him, and alone, "* Because no DsBdalus I made him, made Me bum through one, who held him as a son. I in the last of the ten pits am laid Because on earth I practised alchemy. By Minos' doom, whose judgment never strayed/' ^^ Then said I to the bard, " Where could we see A race so prodigal as these Sanese P Sure not the French, though bad enough they be." On which the other leper, who did seize My meaning, added, " Stricca we must shrive, Wliom temperate expense alone could please. And Niccolb, the man who first did hive Cloves in his roasted pheasants, a rich mode, Sown in an orchard where such seed would thrive. We must except the band, on whom bestowed ^^® Caccia d'ABcian his vineyards and his groves, And his good sense the Abbagliato showed. But now, that you mayst know who thus improves Your speech 'gainst the Sanese, close looking, try My features to recall, as it behoves. And you will see Capocchio's shade am I, With alchemy who changed each metal's shape. And you should know, if you I right descry, How I of Nature was an excellent ape." Line 125. Stricca, Niocolo, Caccia d'Ascian, and Abbagliato, alluded to in the following lines, were members of a brotherhood called the "Brigata Grodereccia," who spent all they possessed in riotous living, and whose ex. ixavagance was a i>roverb of that place and time. Hie orchard in which such seed would thrive is Siena. Line 136. Capocchio of Siena is stated to have been a f eUow-student in natural philosophy of Dante, and hence they were well known to each other.
CANTO XXX. Two wild spirits rush by, tearing and haling the other plague-smitten victims. These are they who in life falsified their ovm persons. On their departure Dante listens to an altercation between Master Adam of Brescia, a coiner, and Simon of Troy. He is rebuked by Virgil for taking an interest in so base a dispute. In former times when Juno was enraged Through Semele against the Theban blood, As more than once her jealous war she waged,
p. 135
Canto '^yy, HELL. 113 King Atamas with such a madness glowed That when be saw his wife with infants twain ^ Bearing on either arm the darling load, He cried, " We've stretcht the nets and o'er the plain I sieize the lioness and both whelps too/' And then his talons fell he raught amain. And down the infant named Learcus threw, ' ^^ And dashed to pieces, breaking on a stone. And she then drowned herself and infants too : Or what time later Portime hurled adown The Trojan grandeur all in flaming fear, So that the old king perished with his crown, ^^ Hecuba, captive miserably drear, After she saw her PoHsena dead, And grieving found her Polidorus' bier, Stretcht on the shore beside the deep sea bed, lake to a dog she barked in her despair ; ^' So far had grief her mind from reason led. But neither Thebans wild nor Trojans e'er Were seen in any way so fierce to fly, Not only beasts but human limbs to tear. As I two pale and naked shades descry, ^^ Who in such fashion rushed about to bite As does the boar-pig when escaped from sty. One seized Capocchio and with tusks did smite His neck upon the nape and dragging frayed His belly 'gainst the bottom of the pit. ^ And then the Aretine who trembling stayed, Said to me : *^ Gianni Schicchi is the fiend Who rabid runs the others thus to aid." ** Oh," said I, " that the other may not send Her teeth into you, be it no fatigue ^ To tell me who she be or ere she wend." And he : '* That ancient spirit with intrigue, Mirra the scelerate, for her father nm-sed A passion not with lawful love in league. With him to sin she gained her end accurst ^ When in another's form she false appeared ; Just as the other who there wonns durst liine 4. Atamas, King of Thebes, married to Ino, sister to Semele. liine 82. A Florentine of the Cavalcanti family, who possessed a wonderful power of imitation. It is said that when Buoso Donati was dead, this man counterfeited his person, and, lying in his bed as if in his last sickness, dictated a will by which he left all the property of the dead Buoso to his distant relative Simon Donati, for which piece of acting he received from the latter a celebrated mare, called in line 43 the lady of the herd. I
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