To them I turned me, and, "O people, certain," Upon your consciences, that limpidly And 'twill perchance be good for him I learn it." "O brother mine, each one is citizen Of one true city; but thy meaning is, Who may have lived in Italy a pilgrim." By way of answer this I seemed to hear A little farther on than where I stood, Whereat I made myself still nearer heard. Among the rest I saw a shade that waited In aspect, and should any one ask how, Its chin it lifted upward like a blind man. Spirit," I said, "who stoopest to ascend, If thou art he who did reply to me, The others here recleanse my guilty life, Sapient I was not, although I Sapìa Was called, and I was at another's harm More happy far than at my own good fortune. My fellow-citizens near unto Colle Were joined in battle with their adversaries, Passes of flight; and I, the chase beholding, Crying to God, 'Henceforth I fear thee not,' Of my existence, and as yet would not But who art thou, that into our conditions Questioning goest, and hast thine eyes unbound My soul is, of the torment underneath, For even now the load down there weighs on me." Up here, if to return below thou thinkest?" And living am I; therefore ask of me, Spirit elect, if thou wouldst have me move 130 135 140 "O, this is such a novel thing to hear, 145 She answered," that great sign it is God loves thee ; And I implore, by what thou most desirest, Who hope in Talamone, and will lose there CANTO XIV "WHO is this one that goes about our mountain, Ask him thyself, for thou art nearer to him, And gently, so that he may speak, accost him." Thus did two spirits, leaning tow'rds each other, Discourse about me there on the right hand; Within the body, tow'rds the heaven art going, Whence comest and who art thou; for thou mak'st us As must a thing that never yet has been." And I "Through midst of Tuscany there wanders And not a hundred miles of course suffice it; To tell you who I am were speech in vain, Because my name as yet makes no great noise." "If well thy meaning I can penetrate With intellect of mine," then answered me Of what the heaven doth of the sea dry up, Virtue is like an enemy avoided By all, as is a serpent, through misfortune Of place, or through bad habit that impels them; On which account have so transformed their nature The dwellers in that miserable valley, It seems that Circe had them in her pasture. 'Mid ugly swine, of acorns worthier Than other food for human use created, It first directeth its impoverished way. Curs findeth it thereafter, coming downward, More snarling than their puissance demands, The more it finds the dogs becoming wolves, And well 'twill be for him, if still he mind him Thy grandson I behold, who doth become Of the wild stream, and terrifies them all. He sells their flesh, it being yet alive; Thereafter slaughters them like ancient beeves. He leaves it such, a thousand years from now The face of him who listens is disturbed, Turned round to listen, grow disturbed and sad, Had me desirous made to know their names, Began again: "Thou wishest I should bring me Such grace of his, I'll not be chary with thee; My blood was so with envy set on fire, That if I had beheld a man make merry, Thou wouldst have seen me sprinkled o'er with pallor. From my own sowing such the straw I reap! O human race! why dost thou set thy heart This is Renier; this is the boast and honour And not alone his blood is made devoid, 'Twixt Po and mount, and sea-shore and the Reno, For all within these boundaries is full Of venomous roots, so that too tardily By cultivation now would they diminish. Where is good Lizio, and Arrigo Manardi, Pier Traversaro, and Guido di Carpigna, When in Faenza a Bernardin di Fosco, When I remember, with Guido da Prata, Frederick Tignoso and his company, The house of Traversara, and th' Anastagi, That filled our souls with love and courtesy, O Brettinoro! why dost thou not flee, Seeing that all thy family is gone, And many people, not to be corrupted? Bagnacaval does well in not begetting And ill does Castrocaro, and Conio worse, Shall have departed; but not therefore pure O Ugolin de' Fantoli, secure Thy name is, since no longer is awaited But go now, Tuscan, for it now delights me To weep far better than it does to speak, So much has our discourse my mind distressed." We were aware that those beloved souls Heard us depart; therefore, by keeping silent, When we became alone by going onward, Thunder, when it doth cleave the air, appeared And fled as the reverberation dies Behold another, with so great a crash, "I am Aglaurus, who became a stone !" And then, to press myself close to the Poet, Already on all sides the air was quiet; But And said he to me : "That was the hard curb you take in the bait so that the hook Of the old Adversary draws you to him, And hence availeth little curb or call. The heavens are calling you, and wheel around you, And still your eye is looking on the ground; Whence He, who all discerns, chastises you." |