And one his limb transpierced, and one lopped off, With the disgusting mode of the ninth Bolgia. A cask by losing centre-piece or cant Was never shattered so, as I saw one Rent from the chin to where one breaketh wind. Between his legs were hanging down his entrails; His heart was visible, and the dismal sack While I was all absorbed in seeing him, 20 25 He looked at me, and opened with his hands His bosom, saying: "See now how I rend me; 30 How mutilated, see, is Mahomet; In front of me doth Ali weeping go, Cleft in the face from forelock unto chin; And all the others whom thou here beholdest, Disseminators of scandal and of schism While living were, and therefore are cleft thus. A devil is behind here, who doth cleave us Thus cruelly, unto the falchion's edge Putting again each one of all this ream, When we have gone around the doleful road; By reason that our wounds are closed again Ere any one in front of him repass. 35 40 But who art thou, that musest on the crag, That is adjudged upon thine accusations?" 45 "Nor death hath reached him yet, nor guilt doth bring him," My Master made reply, "to be tormented; But to procure him full experience, Me, who am dead, behoves it to conduct him Down here through Hell, from circle unto circle; 50 And this is true as that I speak to thee." More than a hundred were there when they heard him, Who in the moat stood still to look at me, Through wonderment oblivious of their torture. "Now say to Fra Dolcino, then, to arm him, Thou, who perhaps wilt shortly see the sun, So with provisions, that no stress of snow After one foot to go away he lifted, This word did Mahomet say unto me, Then to depart upon the ground he stretched it. Another one, who had his throat pierced through, And nose cut off close underneath the brows, And had no longer but a single ear, 55 60 65 Staying to look in wonder with the others, Before the others did his gullet open, Which outwardly was red in every part, And said: "O thou, whom guilt doth not condemn, Call to remembrance Pier da Medicina, If e'er thou see again the lovely plain To Messer Guido and Angiolello likewise, Between the isles of Cyprus and Majorca Neptune ne'er yet beheld so great a crime, That traitor, who sees only with one eye, And holds the land, which some one here with me Would fain be fasting from the vision of, Will make them come unto a parley with him; Then will do so, that to Focara's wind They will not stand in need of vow or prayer.” 70 75 80 85 90 And I to him: "Show to me and declare, If thou wouldst have me bear up news of thee, Of one of his companions, and his mouth Oped, crying: "This is he, and he speaks not. With tongue asunder in his windpipe slit, The stumps uplifting through the murky air, Whence he, accumulating woe on woe, But I remained to look upon the crowd; If it were not that conscience reassures me, That good companion which emboldens man I truly saw, and still I seem to see it, A trunk without a head walk in like manner Hung from the hand in fashion of a lantern, It of itself made to itself a lamp, And they were two in one, and one in two; When it was come close to the bridge's foot, It lifted high its arm with all the head, To bring more closely unto us its words, Which were: "Behold now the sore penalty, Thou, who dost breathing go the dead beholding; Behold if any be as great as this. And so that thou may carry news of me, 115 120 125 130 Know that Bertram de Born am I, the same Who gave to the Young King the evil comfort. 135 I made the father and the son rebellious; Achitophel not more with Absalom And David did with his accursed goadings. |