20 Thus did the Master fill me with alarm, When I beheld his forehead so disturbed, The Leader turned to me with that sweet look For aye it seems that he provides beforehand, Saying "To that one grapple afterwards, For hardly we, he light, and I pushed upward, Of the profoundest well is all inclining, Still we arrived at length upon the point My Master said; "for sitting upon down, Such vestige leaveth of himself on earth, A longer stairway it behoves thee mount; "Tis not enough from these to have departed; Then I uprose, showing myself provided Better with breath than I did feel myself, And said: "Go on, for I am strong and bold." Upward we took our way along the crag, Which jagged was, and narrow, and difficult, And more precipitous far than that before. Speaking I went, not to appear exhausted; Whereat a voice from the next moat came forth, 66 I know not what it said, though o'er the back But he seemed moved to anger who was speaking. I was bent downward, but my living eyes Could not attain the bottom, for the dark ; Except the doing; for the modest asking Where it connects itself with the eighth bank, Of serpents, and of such a monstrous kind, Let Libya boast no longer with her sand; For if Chelydri, Jaculi, and Phareæ She breeds, with Cenchri and with Amphisbæna, Nor with whatever on the Red Sea is! 70 75 85 90 Among this cruel and most dismal throng People were running naked and affrighted. Without the hope of hole or heliotrope. They had their hands with serpents bound behind them; And head, and were in front of them entwined. And lo! at one who was upon our side There darted forth a serpent, which transfixed him Nor O so quickly e'er, nor I was written, As he took fire, and burned; and ashes wholly And when he on the ground was thus destroyed, Even thus by the great sages 'tis confessed The phoenix dies, and then is born again, When it approaches its five-hundredth year; On herb or grain it feeds not in its life, But only on tears of incense and amomum, By force of demons who to earth down drag him, When he arises and around him looks, Wholly bewildered by the mighty anguish Such was that sinner after he had risen. Which he has suffered, and in looking sighs; Justice of God! O how severe it is, That blows like these in vengeance poureth down! The Guide thereafter asked him who he was; Whence he replied: "I rained from Tuscany Even as the mule I was; I'm Vanni Fucci, And ask what crime has thrust him here below, And I unto the Guide: "Tell him to stir not, And the sinner, who had heard, dissembled not, But unto me directed mind and face, And with a melancholy shame was painted. Then said: "It pains me more that thou hast caught me What thou demandest I cannot deny ; So low am I put down because I robbed But that thou mayst not such a sight enjoy, 110 115 120 125 130 135 140 Then Florence doth renew her men and manners; Mars draws a vapour up from Val di Magra, 145 Which is with turbid clouds enveloped round, Over Campo Picen shall be the battle; When it shall suddenly rend the mist asunder, So that each Bianco shall thereby be smitten. And this I've said that it may give thee pain." 150 CANTO XXV. Ar the conclusion of his words, the thief Lifted his hands aloft with both the figs, Crying: "Take that, God, for at thee I aim them." As if it said: "I will not thou speak more;" Pistoia, ah, Pistoia! why resolve not To burn thyself to ashes and so perish, Since in ill-doing thou thy seed excellest ? Through all the sombre circles of this Hell, Spirit I saw not against God so proud, 10 Not he who fell at Thebes down from the walls! 15 He fled away, and spake no further word; Come crying out: "Where is, where is the scoffer?" I do not think Maremma has so many Serpents as he had all along his back, With wings wide open was a dragon lying, The mace of Hercules, who peradventure 40 45 I did not know them; but it came to pass, As it is wont to happen by some chance, What I shall say, it will no marvel be, Behold! a serpent with six feet darts forth The hindermost it stretched upon his thighs, 55 And put its tail through in between the two, And up behind along the reins outspread it. Ivy was never fastened by its barbs Unto a tree so, as this horrible reptile бо Then they stuck close, as if of heated wax They had been made, and intermixed their colour; E'en as proceedeth on before the flame Upward along the paper a brown colour, 65 Which is not black as yet, and the white dies. The other two looked on, and each of them Cried out: "O me, Agnello, how thou changest! 20 Already the two heads had one become, When there appeared to us two figures mingled Two and yet none did the perverted image Of days canicular, exchanging hedge, Lightning appeareth if the road it cross; Thus did appear, coming towards the bellies Of the two others, a small fiery serpent, Livid and black as is a peppercorn. |