L ' I N F E R N O

D A N T E
D R A M A T I S E D
1
L ’ I N F E R N O
D A N T E
D R A M M A T I Z Z A T O

1. CONTENTS
p. 1  1. CONTENTS
p. 2  2. TITLE PAGE
p. 3  3. THE DIVINE COMEDY
p. 6  4. STAGING
p. 7  5. CAST & DURATION
p. 10  6. CHARACTERS
p. 12  7. MUSIC & ACTION
p. 17  8. CHARACTERS BY PLACE:
THE DIVINE COMEDY
p. 29 9. L’ INFERNO
p. 222  10. PROGRAMME
1

2. TITLE PAGE
DANTE
DRAMATISED
DANTE
DRAMMATIZZATO
1 L’Inferno
2 Il Purgatorio
3 Il Paradiso
G. P. KENNEDY
For Elzio Bini, my teacher.
SUMMARY
Dante’s great work is introduced to a wider audience with music and humour.
Dante Dramatised combines much of the DIVINE COMEDY’s poetry with English prose. Prose in any language or
dialect, including those of Italy, could be substituted for English with little or no alteration of the poetry or
action.
Very many people know of Dante but not so many non-Italians know his works beyond a few quotes.
The dramatisation shows Dante, the man, in his world and in the act of composition. The poetry gets into the
head as verbal music and as words with meaning attached. Some heads will turn to the original poem for more.
The dramatisation gets non-Italian speakers closer to Dante, and allows Italians (in Italy and overseas) who have
a dialect or another language to connect with their heritage in a new way.
Ask a poet to translate a well-known English poem into an English poem and you will be told that the poem is
unique, no other words will do etc. Ask him/her to translate from another language – less possible one would
think – and he/she will not be so inhibited. As Dante knew, poetry can never be more than part-translated. The
best verse translation of the DIVINE COMEDY can contain very few of Dante’s words. It is accepted because it
tells the story, has its own literary excellences, and leaves the body of the poem intact.
Lettor…Reader…You must decide how well the story is told.
An old Christian drama in a new form.
Boccaccio brought La Divina Commedia to Florence’s church of San Stefano in 1373. DANTE DRAMATISED
might be presented over a few days around Easter.
Requirements
A choir (15?) and a few instrumentalists (wind - perhaps not string).
A composer. An arranger of mostly ecclesiastical music.
Actors: some Italian-speaking, most playing multiple roles.
© G.P.Kennedy 2006 © A.S.Kline © G Petrocchi
2

3. THE DIVINE COMEDY
Only when I saw LA DIVINA COMMEDIA in prose translation did it begin to work on me, first on the level of the
literary device: As…so figures occur constantly, not always using those words.
The As and the so are very far apart in some instances but they are not extended metaphors in the usual sense.
I went through the COMMEDIA, colouring frequent figures and other recurrences – THE BOAT, THE BOW/ARROW,
FOOD/EATING, LIGHT, FLAME etc.
Purgatory is in the Southern Hemisphere. Dante might be presented as a notable visitor to modern Australia, in
company with Beatrice and Virgil. They could move in public, quoting in Italian and English from Dante’s great
works. Think how many places Abandon all hope… could be used.
Dante and Beatrice could lecture on physics at a University and present a defence of the Monarchy at the National
Press Club in Canberra. They could give prepared answers to questions asked by guests, including the Italian
Ambassador.
A living Dante would bring his world to life in a way that no reading could. The idea could still be realised in
conjunction with the dramatisation of the entire DIVINA COMMEDIA, which it suddenly occurred to me was possible.
I removed the colours.
DIFFICULTIES:
Impenetrable politics & theology without action; action & actors too monstrous or sublime to show.
No clear progression: Dante called it a Comedy as it begins among the damned & ends among the blessed, but
he damns Pope Boniface in Canto 97 of the 100.
The poem may be picked up and put down at intervals. Its dramatisation may be altogether too much of an
often grim thing.
SOLUTIONS: Music…Muse…Amuse
Music (much of it listed by Dante). Muses to leaven the masculine mass, to support & subvert: the feminine
roles.
Counterpoise of poetry & prose, Italian & English.
Conventional devices: cutting, stylising, humanising of the main characters through humour.
Gifts:
(1) The unconscious humour of Beatrice as Dante’s mouthpiece & chastiser in the tradition of courtly love.
(Who would not have wished to meet the woman in the flesh?)
(2) I gave Dante a book & everybody wanted one.
As a character in the drama, Dante is reduced to a man. but his work, the 14,233 hendecasyllable tower, still stands
magnificent. The vision of Heaven and Hell I once experienced is a few monosyllables high.
DRAMATISATION & TRANSLATION
This dramatisation is for English speakers but will serve for a mixed English-Italian audience.
As much Dante is included as possible because his poetry has no substitute. It introduces and signs off sections.
(See 7 below). It occurs where the passage is particularly well-known; where the action gives the meaning to
English-only speakers; where the meaning is not apparent to English-only speakers but can be done without. (A
little magic is no bad thing – one reason why film-dubbers omit bits.)
In many cases it is desirable to provide both Dante’s Italian and the English prose. This can be done in various
ways, not exclusive of each other:
1. INTERPRETING / TRANSLATING (very common): by the original speaker or another character.
Action between the 2 deliveries makes it more natural. Where the audience is addressed, the character
feigns that the Italian-speakers are in one section, the English-speakers in another. James' Parents
Can't Read__P20__Children's Reviews
2. REDUNDANT (common): using one language for a passage and the other for a passage near it in the
poem and near it in content.
3. ECHOING / QUESTIONING / CONFIRMING (rare): repeating a passage by another character.
4. ELLIPTICAL (common): delivering in one language with key words in the other.
5. (NEAR-)SIMULTANEOUS: delivering in English and Italian at (almost) the same time.
6. SPEAKING - WRITING/READING: speaking one language & writing/reading the other, or vice
versa.
7. SECTIONING (common): beginning and (particularly) ending sections - Cantos etc.- with Italian as a
kind of homage to the original work. This ceremony may strike the drama director as artificial.
8. DANTE VERSIFIES or NOTES (common): following prose delivered by another character, Dante
sometimes thinks aloud or addresses the audience. All DANTE VERSIFIES is optional (but not noted as
such). Dante’s versification naturally enriches or alters the prose. The note or versification
occasionally even anticipates what a character says.
9. DESCRIBING SEPARATELY: 2 characters describing the same scene, in Italian and English.
3

10. PRESENT & PAST (occasional): A character, usually Dante, describes a scene in English as it happens,
then Dante versifies it as having happened.
Greyed words interpret/translate for the benefit of the actors but are not spoken. They also show sections of the LA
DIVINA COMMEDIA – English-only for reasons of space – which are omitted from the dramatisation. Future versions
of the dramatisation might omit included passages/characters and restore greyed ones.
There are many passages included which a director might cut, starting with those which are shown this way.
The dramatisation presents Dante’s lines in his order (with very few exceptions.). A handful of them are spoken by
a person other than the one nominated by Dante.
Only about 2,100 lines of Dante’s 14,233 lines are not quoted or used for the scene, music and action.
Approximately 2575 of the spoken lines or part-lines are Italian.
LA DIVINA COMMEDIA is the Giorgio Petrocchi edition. (Permission may need to be obtained.)
The English prose used is mostly from the translation by A.S.Kline. In some places it is abridged, or, for the sake of
natural speech, freed from his adherence to Dante’s phrasing. Underlined words replace Kline’s. Underlining also
marks words based on Notes, and works not by Dante. Longer segments not by Dante are not underlined. There are
approximately 700 lines or part –lines added to Dante’s in the dramatisations.
Most of the Notes are by Kline.
DIALECTS
The characters should be individualised with accents or an occasional word or phrase appropriate to to their region,
time and status; firstly because regionality was very marked in Dante’s time and work; secondly because modern
Italians viewing the dramatisation would feel a closer connection to it.
See L’INFERNO SCHEME: CHARACTERS BY PLACE.
Other characters may contribute Italian words, phrases or lines to the dramatisation, but not completed verses, the
only exceptions being Beatrice (who knows everything), and Guinicelli [PUR C26 73].
Consequently, most of the non-English is spoken by Dante and Beatrice. Some words of the other characters could
be composed in prose – Dantean Italian or dialect – for versification by Dante and interpretation into English.
STAGES & SETS
The motif of each dramatisation is 3 sets of 3 steps: 3 for its beginning, middle & end; 3 for the Trinity; 3 for Faith,
Hope & Love; 3 for the groups of planetary orbits; 3 for the Hierarchies of Angels; 3 for the orders within each
hiera rchy; 3 for musica mundana, humana & instrumentalis; 3 for the Graces; 3 for 1/3 or √ of 9, Beatrice’s
number; 3 for terza rima; 3 for the canticles of the DIVINE COMEDY and their 33 Cantos (+ 1 Canto introduction for
L’INFERNO) etc. IL PARADISO has a triptych as well.
Three steps means the lower level, 1 step and the upper level, as shown in the introduction to each canticle. Each
step is identified by a rectangle above it.
Characters speaking terza rima may sometimes fit it to their passage up or down steps. For example, one line or
one verse per step.
CHARACTERS AND DRESS
The spirits of L’INFERNO and IL PURGATORIO are prisoners, and dressed anonymously. Those in IL PARADISO are
free and have been given back their clothes.
Dante is dressed as in the familiar pictures. He has a very long, tasselled cord wrapped round his waist most of the
time, but he does not get his laurel wreath until the end of the COMMEDIA.
He carries a book, not his DIVINE COMEDY but a workbook for it, probably composed of wax tablets or slates. The
stylus is kept in the spine.
Virgil is also dressed as in the pictures, including the laurel, and his book is the Aeneid and other works.
Beatrice’s book is a Bible. Her small role in L’INFERNO expands in the later canticles. Beatrice’s smile devastates
Dante. He and the audience should not be exposed to it (i.e. .shown it in full face) unecessarily.
All characters with books have a holder on their chests and/or backs to free their hands if necessary.
We are so used to pictures of the grand Dante we forget that he was not quite 35 years old when the action of the
Commedia took place, in 1300.
See L’INFERNO SCHEME: CHARACTERS BY PLACE.
THE MUSES See SCHEME: PROGRAMME mock-ups for Muse table.
Different accounts of the Muses assign them different symbols, domain & dress (including crowns).
The audience does not hear their domains named in the dramatisation so there is no problem with who is who.
Each Muse carries a white book with her symbol on it. The masks may be found by research or designed.
Naturally, they are not the Tragedy / Comedy clichés of so many playbills. The Muses are dressed identically, in
white, to let them serve in both pagan and Christian capacities. Calliope, the eldest sister, may be distinguished by
her height and/or a gold band on her head. Terpsichore is the smallest Muse and Euterpe, perhaps, the 2 nd smallest.
Polyhymnia (nearly?) always wears her pensive look and has a finger at the mouth. When the Muses sing Christian
music on stage they show the back of their books.
All the Muses’ props (bows, arrows, boats etc.) are imaginary – of course. The only exceptions are the books they
carry and and Euterpe’s flute in L’INFERNO.
4

MUSIC
See SCHEME: MUSIC AND ACTION for each Canticle’s music summary.
(The symbol ♫ on the Programmes is, presumably, an anachronism and needs substituting)
It is natural for spirits to have voices and in a shorter work the music could be entirely a cappella. Here, a few wind
instruments are required. Strings might be avoided. The only non-vocal notes to issue from the stage should come
from Euterpe’s flute [INF C32 12].
Offstage singers may be joined by those on stage. The Muses must be good actresses first and may only mime
singing.
ALREADY WRITTEN
The ecclesiastical music has been programmed by Dante and should be in period. Because there is sometimes
confusion about the names of pieces – for example with Beatitude and Psalm Nos. - I have supplied actual
words where I could find them.
TO BE COMPOSED
Some music needs composing, mostly based on Dante’s description. I have described what I hear in my limited
mind’s-ear. The composer/arranger might hear it very differently.
Motifs or themes which may be used in all three Canticles are
Invocation Response (by Muses)
Be-a-tri-ce
Prophecy
Dream
Some music is beyond mortal voices.
5

STAGING
STAGE & LIGHTING:
The stage-front is curtainless. Three shallow steps lead from the (audience’s) left down to the stage: → L →
. Similar steps lead from the right of the stage down further to the right: → R→ .
Characters leaving the stage at either end may appear at the other, as if spiralling up and down. The
movement of Dante and Virgil is generally down until Canto 34.
Each time the the poets or others descend the lower steps the stage may remain as it is, or may darken, until
they return down the upper steps – whatever best suggests that the stage is now at a lower level.
Both sets of steps may curve away from the front of the stage.
Part of the back third of the stage is raised to the height of the top → L → step. It is stepped up to at one
place, or along its length.
UPPER STEPS
RAISED SECTION
BACK 1/3 OF STAGE
STAGE
STEP MARKERS
LOWER STEPS
A curtain in front of the raised section is opened from time to time. Props behind the curtain are open
rectangular boxes about 2 m long which serve as sarcophagi, city battlements and a boulder wall.
The curtain may also open to show other scenes.
The stage may simply be wooden, with a strip a little in front of the curtain, representing a stream, river or
lake. It curves away from the stage front at both ends. Another strip – representing a bridge – would cross
it near one end.
Alternatively, appropriately-coloured cloths could be laid, when the stage is in darkness, for the next scene,
or transparent or translucent sheets laid on the stage would allow spectacular lighting from underneath.
The spirits frequently identify Dante as a living person by the shadow he casts. It would be impossible to
give a shadow to Dante without giving one to spirits near him on stage – most frequently Virgil. The
audience might ignore the fact that the souls have shadows, too. Alternatively, above-stage lighting from
more than one source could so reduce the shadows that the audience would credit the souls with greater
discrimination.
Dante sometimes forgets that the spirits are incorporeal. Virgil even carries Dante in [INF C23 37] (not
dramatised).
CHARACTERS:
L’Inferno, the poem, mentions Beatrice only briefly after [C2 111] and not at all after [C15 90]. The
dramatisation shows the real role of Dante’s lady.
She does not leave Heaven, but sometimes manifests herself on the stage of Hell, under a spotlight of a
heavenly colour and quality. No character can see her except Dante.
She Heavenwalks - walking without moving forward - as if on a screen and being filmed in profile by a
camera which tracks her.
6

CAST & DURATION
The DANTE, VIRGIL, BEATRICE, and MUSES actors account for all the onstage and offstage characters
in the sections below, with the exception of those named: CHARON etc. Those roles are filled by 2 or
3 male actors.
The DANTE actor needs to be bilingual; BEATRICE has only 3 lines in Italian.
DURATION
Full-length: 180 mins. (with an interval?)
Short version (omitting greyed-out sections): 141 mins.
The work may be trimmed further, while preserving BEATRICE’s role in CITY OF DIS, GERYON, THE
WALL and RETURNED; and DIDO’s voice role in HEROES & HEROINES, THE LUSTFUL & LAMPS.
CHARON
HOMER
HORACE
OVID
LUCAN
(very short non-speaking roles)
PAOLO
FRANCESCA
(disguised Beatrice actor or Muse?)
CIACCO
SECTION
DURATION
inc. Music
THE DARK WOOD & THE HILL 14.00 C1 1
- C2 138
THE GATE OF HELL 3.20 C3 1-78
CHARON & SOULS 2.50 C3 82-129
LOOKING INTO THE AUDIENCE ABYSS .30 C3 129
- C4 22
THE UNBAPTISED 1.50 C4 22-63
THE GREAT: 4 POETS 1.30 C4 63-99
HEROES & HEROINES 2.10 C4 103-129
PHILOSOPHERS 2.30 C4 130
- C5 24
THE LUSTFUL 2.00 C5 25-67
PAOLO & FRANCESCA 4.00 C5 73-138
CERBERUS 1.40 C6 1-24
CIACCO 3.10 C6 40-108
7

PHLEGYAS
FILIPPO ARGENTI
---- ?
PLUTUS .40 C6 115
- C7 12
CHURCHMEN & FORTUNE 3.25 C7 37-97
THE STYX 1.00 C7 97-126
THE FERRY: PHLEGYAS 2.50 C8 4-61
CITY OF DIS 12.40 C6 67
HEAVENLY MESSENGER - C10 132
FARINATA
CAVALCANTE CAVALCANTI
(a good example of Virgil expatiating) VIOLENCE ETC 5.40 C11 10-115
CAPANEUS
BRUNETTO LATINI
RUSTICUCCI
GUERRA
TEGGHAIO
VENEDICO DE’ CACCIANEMICO
THE MINOTAUR 2.25 C12 1-45
THE CENTAURS 2.15 C12 46-96
THE BLOODY STREAM 1.50 C12 99-139
HARPY WOOD 5.45 C13 1-129
THE VIOLENT AGAINST GOD 6.15 C14 16-142
BRUNETTO LATINI 5.00 C15 4-124
RUSTICUCCI, GUERRA &TEGGHIAIO 3.10 C16 1-87
GERYON 6.00 C16 87
- C17 136
THE 8 TH CIRCLE: D’S LECTURE 3.00 C18 1-21
1 ST & 2 ND CHASM:
PANDERS SEDUCERS FLATTERERS
8
4.00 C18 22-126
SIMONISTS 3.20 C19 1-117

SEERS & SORCERERS: TEARS 1.30 C20 1-45
MANTUA & MANTO 4.30 C20 52-130
DEMONS (MALEBRANCHE) 8.45 C21 1
- C22 36
HYPOCRITES 4.30 C23 76
- C24 18
THE WALL 12.30 C24 19
- C26 40
LAMPS 9.30 C26 42
- C27 129
THE SOWERS OF DISCORD 4.45 C27 133
- C29 66
FALSIFIERS, LIARS 5.00 C29 109
- C30 148
NIMROD 4.30 C31 12
- C32 12
THE FROZEN COCYTUS 9.30 C32 13
- C33 153
VEXILLA REGIS: ASCENT & DAMN! 3.30 C34 1-127
RETURNED 3.00 C34 139
9

V
- voice only
no voice
NAME SEEN
FIRST
CHARACTERS
SEEN
LAST HEARD
FIRST HEARD
LAST
10
Italian English ? Total
DANTE C1 1 C34 139 C1 1 C34 139 776 955 26 1757
VIRGIL C1 61 C34 139 C1 67 C34 137 52 1052 6 1110
BEATRICE 3 45 - 48
not DANTE, VIRGIL, BEATRICE 59 684 5 748
MUSES ALL
♫
♫
-
-
INVOCATION & RESPONSE
Descending
/ PHILOSOPHERS
Assembling to horn
FINALE
ERATO
C2 7
C2 140
C4 130
C32 12
C34 126
C2 9
C2 140
C4 138
C32 12
C34 139
C2 9 C2 9
- -
- -
- -
C34 139 C34 139
?
-
-
-
?
?
-
-
-
?
-
-
-
-
-
?
-
-
-
?
-
lamp on head + 4 Poets
lamp on head + GUIDO flame
THALIA
C4 63
C27 31
C4 79
C27 129
C4 81
-
C4 96
-
2
-
2
-
-
-
4
-
/ FURY C9 43 C9 52 C9 52 C9 52 - 1 - 1
/ FRIAR LODERINGO
CLIO
C23 77 C23 148 C23 77 C23 90 - 6 - 6
/ FURY C9 43 C9 56 C9 52 C9 56 - 3 - 3
-
/ POPE NICHOLAS III
Manto
URANIA
C19 27
C20 54
C19 117
C20 84
C19 52
-
C19 84
-
-
-
23
-
-
-
23
-
/ FURY C9 43 C9 56 C9 52 C9 - 2 - 2
/ BOCCA C32 19 C32 123 C32 19 C32 123 1 24 - 25
-
TERPSICHORE
GERYON segment
/ FRIAR CATALANO
CALLIOPE
C16 114
C23 77
C16 114
C23 148
-
C23 91
-
C23 144
-
-
-
29
-
-
-
29
V
-
/ CACUS -
ULYSSES segment (m. voice speaks) C26 40
EUTERPE
-
C26 138
C25 18
-
C25 18
-
-
-
-
-
1
-
1
-
V / CAPOCCHIO C29 125 C29 139 - 16 - 16
/ NIMROD
POLYHYMNIA
C31 34 C31 81 C31 67 C31 67 - - 1 1
/ BUOSO DE DUERA
MELPOMENE
C32 106 C32 108 C32 106 C32 108 - 3 - 3
-
/ GRAFFIACANE
/ UGOLINO (Dante’s voice)
-
C32 129
-
C33 84
C21 100 C21 101
- -
2
-
2
-
-
-
4
-
BEATRICE
La donna mia! Dante sees her C2 55 C2 114 C2 58 C2 114 3 45 - 48
- Alerted to FALLEN ANGELS C8 87 C8 87 - - - - - -
- Heavenwalking to MESSENGER C8 130 C8 130 - - - - - -
- BRUNETTO: book ex. 1 C15 96 C15 120 - - - - - -
- GERYON: book ex. 2 C16 92 C16 92 - - - - - -
- WALL: book: Tanto gentile... C24 151 C24 151 - - - - - -
- FINALE C34 139 C34 139 - - - - - -
♫ V Souls/Souls (chorus) - - C3 22 ? ? ? - ?
CHARON C3 82 C3 96 C3 82 C3 93 - 9 - 9
- POETS: HOMER, HORACE, OVID, LUCAN C4 82 C4 96 - - - - - -
PHILOSOPHERS / MUSES ALL C4 130 C4 138 - - - - - -
DIDO
V HEROES C4 122 C4 122 - 2 - 2
V THE LUSTFUL C5 61 C5 61 - 2 - 2
V ULYSSES C26 61 C26 93 2 12 - 14
V MINOTAUR - - C5 18 C5 20 - 3 - 3

V
- voice only
PAOLO C5 88 C5 138 C5 94 C5 138 4 13 - 17
NAME SEEN SEEN
FIRST LAST HEARD
FIRST HEARD Italian English ? Total
LAST
no voice
FRANCESCA C5 88 C5 138 C5 88 C5 136 6 28 - 34
CIACCO C6 40 C6 111 C6 40 C6 90 - 24 1 25
V PLUTUS - - C7 1 C7 1 1 - - 1
PHLEGYAS C8 18 C8 81 C8 18 C8 81 2 1 1 4
FILIPPO ARGENTI C8 31 C8 42 C8 31 C8 36 1 - 1 2
♫
V SPIRITS/SPIRITS ARGENTI
FALLEN ANGELS
(all players/singers etc.)
- DOORKEEPER
HEAVENLY MESSENGER
- Heaven
V City of Dis
-
C8 82
C8 82
C8 130
-
-
C9 72
C9 72
C8 130
-
C8 61
C8 67
-
-
C9 91
C8 61
C9 56
-
-
C9 97
1
?
-
-
2
1
?
-
-
4
-
-
-
-
-
2
?
-
-
6
FURIES (THALIA/CLIO/URANIA) C9 42 C9 75 C9 52 C9 56 1 4? - 5
FARINATA DEGLI UBERTI C10 22 C10 108 C10 22 C10 124 1 32 - 33
CAVALCANTE DE’ CAVALCANTI C10 52 C10 70 C10 52 C10 70 - 5 - 5
V NESSUS - - C12 62 C12 63 - 2 - 2
V CHIRON
♫ V HARPIES warnings & cries
-
-
-
-
C12 80
C13 10
C12 82
C13 129
-
?
3
-
-
-
3
?
V TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE - - C13 22 C13 108 3 46 - 49
V LANO MACONI - - C13 118 C13 120 1 1 - 2
V JACOMO DA SANT’ ANDREA - - C13 121 C13 122 - 2 - 2
CAPANEUS C14 42 C14 72 C14 50 C14 60 - 11 - 11
-
BRUNETTO LATINI
3 SPIRITS/SPIRITS
C15 22
C15 22
C15 120
C15 120
C15 22
-
C15 120
-
5
-
33
-
-
-
38
-
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI C15 124 C16 85 C15 124 C16 85 3 35 - 38
GUIDO GUERRA C15 124 C16 85 C15 124 C16 85 3 2 - 5
TEGGHIAIO ALDOBRANDI C15 124 C16 85 C15 124 C16 85 2 3 - 5
VENEDICO CACCIANEMICO C18 39 C18 66 C18 52 C18 63 - 12 - 12
V ALESSIO INTERMINEI - - C18 118 C18 121 - 6 - 6
POPE NICHOLAS III / CLIO C19 27 C19 117 C19 52 C19 84 - 23 - 23
DEMONS - - C21 37 C21 125 16 24 - 41
V BLACK SCARMIGLIONE - -
V BARBARICCIA MALACODA - -
V GRAFFIACANE / MELPOMENE - -
V DRAGHIGNAZZO - -
FRIAR LODERINGO / THALIA
FRIAR CATALANO / TERPSICHORE
C23 77
C23 77
C23 148
C23 148
C23 77
C23 91
C23 90
C23 144
-
-
6
29
-
-
6
29
V VANNI FUCCI hands only - - C24 121 C24 151 1 26 - 27
V CACUS / CALLIOPE - - C25 18 C25 18 - - 1 1
V AGNELLO BRUNELLESCHI - - C25 37 C25 37 1 - - 1
V BUOSO DEGLI ABATI - - C25 37 C25 37 - 1 - 1
V PUCCIO SCIANCATO DEI GALIGAI - - C25 43 C25 43 - - 1 1
V ULYSSES flame voice + CALLIOPE
V GUIDO DEL MONTEFELTRO flame
voice + ERATO
C26 91
C27 31
C26 138
C27 129
C26 85
C27 61
C26 138?
C27 129
1
-
48
59
-
-
49
59
V GRIFFOLINO - - C29 109 C29 117 - 9 - 9
V CAPOCCHIO / EUTERPE - - C29 125 C29 139 - 16 - 16
ADAMO OF BRESCIA C30 58 C30 99 C30 58 C30 120 - 37 - 37
SINON hand only C30 99 C30 99- C30 109 C30 129 - 9 - 9
NIMROD / EUTERPE C31 34 C31 81 C31 67 C31 67 1 - - 1
BOCCA / URANIA
- 2 SPIRITS
BUOSO DE DUERA / POLYHYMNIA
- UGOLINO D’s voice / MELPOMENE
V FRIAR ALBERIGO
C32 19
C32 19
C32 106
C32 123
-
C32 123
C32 123
C32 108
C33 84
-
C32 19 C32 123
- -
C32 106 C32 108
C33 110 C33 149
1
-
-
-
-
24
-
3
-
13
-
-
-
-
-
25
-
3
-
13
Lines of L’INFERNO not quoted, or
used for scene / music / action
Lines added to Dante’s
11
360
38 +
Vex./
Damn

MUSIC & ACTION
MALE: *CHARACTER voice only
FEMALE
→ L→ DOWN LEFT STEPS AND ONTO STAGE → R → DOWN RIGHT STEPS AND OUT OF SIGHT
♫ MUSIC
ALL MUSIC TO BE COMPOSED
EXCEPT FOR VEXILLA REGIS C34 1
ACTION
THE DARK WOOD & THE HILL
Darkness, then Sun spotlight on Dante (D)
He tells of his journey as something done.
Nel mezzo del cammin…the other things I saw there.
C1 1-9
NIGHT SOUNDS Sun spotlight → Moon, through clouds C1 9
D: I cannot rightly say..leopard..lion..she-wolf.. C1 10-60
D meets Virgil (V) Have pity on me…to be so
saddened.
C1 61-135
INVOCATION RESPONSE: OVERTURE?
ANCIENT/ARCHAIC GREEK, TO CHRISTIAN
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF
MOTIF BASED ON THE 4 SYLLABLES
OF HER NAME, PERHAPS
CORRESPONDING TO THE PITCH OF
THEIR VOWELS:
-- --
IN LATER SEGMENTS THE MOTIF MAY BE
DEVELOPED.
INFERNAL: DIRE, WITHOUT HUMAN
SOUNDS: SOFT, BECOMING LOUDER
I and one alone…MUSES – ALL invoked. C2 1-9
Sun spotlight on MUSES. off C2 7
Poet, who guides me…I am not Aeneas…not Paul…
V: …cowardly fear…A lady… blessed…beautiful…
C2 10-53
◙ Heavenly spotlight on BEATRICE (BEA) C2 53
D: Bice! Beatrice! La donna mia! SONNET C2 114
BEA: O anima cortese…Lucy…who hear it.
D & V: →R→ DOWN RIGHT STEPS
MUSES – ALL follow down
C2 137
→R→ C2 140
C3 1
THE GATE OF HELL C3 1-12
D: & V: Through me to the eternal city…abandon
all hope you who enter here.
INFERNAL: loud note C3 9
MISERABLE MODE:
SIGHS, WHIRLWIND, GROANS, FAINT HOWLS
INFERNAL:
(NOT MISERABLE MODE BECAUSE VOICES
ARE DESCRIBED)
V: Here all uncertainty…cowardice dead. C3 15
D & V approach lower steps C3 22-
→ R→ Master, what is this…undone so many. C3 32-78
V: ...on the sad strand of Acheron. C3 78
→ L→
12
CHARON & *SOULS/SOULS C3 78
V: …what is willed is done: ask no more. C3 78-96
V: But those spirits who has no fear of God. C3 100-108
INFERNAL: briefly between D & V C3 108
D: Ma quell’ anime…come augel per suo richiamo C3 100-117
INFERNAL: brief rise and fall C3 106
INFERNAL: dies away
D: So they vanish on the dark water…of his words. C3 118-129

WIND/PERSONS: HOWLING LOOKING INTO THE AUDIENCE ABYSS
V: Or discendiam qua giù… D: Andiam
→ R→ → L → (stand)
SIGHING:
SORROW, NOT TORMENT
ANCIENT PASTORAL OR HEROIC
+ SIGHING
THE UNBAPTISED
You do not demand… …who afterwards was
blessed?
C4 1
C4 -50
THE GREAT 4 POETS lamp ERATO C4 79
…a sixth among the wise.
HEROES & HEROINES
13
So we went onwards to the light…Hector,Aeneas
C4 103-122
*DIDO C4 122
…and Caesar…Saladin C4 -129
PHILOSOPHERS MUSES – ALL C4 130
WIND/PERSONS HOWLING: soft (Socrates…Zeno)…ove non è che luca. C4 151
There Minos stands…demand no more…più non
dimandare
C5 1-24
WIND / PERSONS HOWLING: louder THE LUSTFUL C5 24
Now I come where much sorrowing hurts me…who C5 25-67
are these…that the black air chastises so?
V: Semiramis…Dido…
*DIDO: Aeneas the Trojan…
C5 61
V: Cleopatra…Helen…Tristan.
C5 63
FLIGHT OF PAOLO & FRANCESCA
(AETHERIAL)
WORDS: Colombe dal disio chiamate ?
PAOLO & FRANCESCA C5 73-138
D: …come and talk with us, if no one prevents it. C5 73-81
Flight to D & V C5 81
SILENCE O gracious and benign…quenched our life. C5 88-108
WIND: light Stir on curtain Oh lasso……we read no more. C5 111-138
WIND: huge Lifted on curtain I fainted…as a dead body falls. C5 138
HEAVY RAIN
PIOVA..PIOVA..PIOVA RAIN..RAIN..RAIN
PIOGGIA…PIOGGIA…PIOGGIA
PROPHECY MOTIF?
MAY OCCUR WHEN A CHARACTER TALKS OF
THE SUPPOSED FUTURE. IT SHOULD BE
SHORT, PERHAPS A SINGLE CHORD OR
ARPEGGIO, AND SOFT ENOUGH TO AVOID
THE BAD FILM-MUSIC DOOM CLICHÉ.
CERBERUS
new torments…new tormented souls…stayed still.
D & V peer over stage
C6 1-24
CIACCO C6 40-90
Prophecy of Florence C6 64-75
INFERNAL: NOTE C6 115
VOICE CHORUS MEMBER *PLUTUS great voice: Papa Satàn, pape Satàn aleppe! C7 1-12
V: Do not…adulterating pride. → R →
INFERNAL: faint CHURCHMEN & FORTUNE → R → C7 37-97
INFERNAL: faint THE STYX C7 97-126
THE FERRY: PHLEGYAS C8 1-61
INFERNAL: BOAT TRIP? FILIPPO ARGENTI C8 31-61

CITY OF DIS: FALLEN ANGELS MUSES ALL
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF? ANGELS clamour ◙ Bea roused ◙ C8 85
Sì? Sì?…NO! NO! C8 111
◙ HEAVENLY MESSENGER dozes ◙ C8 128
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF? ◙ Bea Heavenwalks towards MESSENGER ◙ C8 128
FURIES: THALIA, CLIO, URANIA C9 43-75
CRASH! C9 75
HEAVENLY MESSENGER C9 75-102
INFERNAL: soft Entering City: TOMBS C9 106-
FARINATA & CAVALCANTE CAVALCANTI C10 22-132
PROPHECY MOTIF FARINATA: D’s Exile C10 79-81
14
VIOLENCE ETC V’s disquisition while foul wind clears C11 10-115
…every spirit is consumed eternally → R → C11 19-66
Master, your reasoning… …we descend → R → C11 67-115
→ L→
THE MINOTAUR: acting out of encounter with C12 1-45
*CENTAURS: *NESSUS *CHIRON → R → ? C12 46-96
INFERNAL: soft C12 96
THE BLOODY STREAM: C12 99-139
Tyrants, Murderers, Warriors
HARPIES + SOULS/SOULS
BOUM, BELLUM… + SIGHS, MURMURINGS
HARPY WOOD C13 1-129
We entered a wood…large, feathered bellies. C13 2-14
*TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE C13 25-108
HARPIES faint+ SOULS/SOULS louder
BOUM, BELLUM… + SIGHS, MURMURINGS
CHASE *LANO *JACOMO DA SANT’ANDREA
D & V ↑ backstage
C13 108-129
→L→ THE VIOLENT AGAINST GOD C14 1-
O God’s vengeance…flakes of fire… fresh burning. C14 16-42
CAPANEUS C14 43-72
RIVERS: RED & OTHER Old Man of Crete C14 76-138
BRUNETTO LATINI with OTHER SPIRITS C15 12-96
PROPHECY MOTIF Including PROPHECY C15 55-72
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF ◙ Bea books 1 ◙ C15 96
→ R→
WATERFALL/BEEHIVE HUM: soft JACOPO RUSTICUCCI (*)GUIDO GUERRA
(*)TEGGHIAIO ALDOBRANDI
C16 1-
WATERFALL/BEEHIVE HUM: louder GERYON
Fishing for C16 88-
TERPSICHORE C16 114-
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF ◙ Bea books 2 ◙ C16 92-
INFERNAL: SPIRALLING DESCENT Descent: little boat: swimming slowly down to great
evils
C17 100-133
THE 8 TH CIRCLE: D’S LECTURE C18 1-21
1 ST 2 ND CHASM: PANDERS SEDUCERS FLATTERERS
On the right…new pain and torment…none waited
for the second or third.
C18 22-39
VENEDICO CACCIANIMICO C18 40-66
Attienti…Jason…knowledge of the 1 st Chasm. C18 75-99
*ALESSIO INTERMINEI C18 118-126

MISERABLE MODE
15
SIMONISTS C19 1-
Simon Magus …the… stone full of holes…to end all
speculation
C19 14-21
POPE NICHOLAS III / CLIO C19 46-117
SEERS & SORCERERS C20 1-
I must make new verses…new torments…tormented
- turned heads – tears
MANTO & MANTUA C20 52-99
V: And she…falsehoods destroy the truth
INFERNAL: soft C20 130
DEMONS (MALEBRANCHE) C21 1-139
The Venetian Arsenal C21 7-18
Guarda, guarda!... *BLACK DEMON C21 28-42
*SCARMIGLIONE *BARBARICCIA *MALACODA C21 49-90
D watches & reports conversation below.
D → R → *GRAFFIACANE (MELPOMENE)
*SCARMIGLIONE *DRAGHIGNAZZO
*MALACODA he had made a trumpet of his arse
C21 100-139
INFERNAL: soft C22 12
INFERNAL FLIGHT FROM MALEBRANCHE C23 19-58
HYPOCRITES C23 76-148
FRIAR LODERINGO / THALIA
FRIAR CATALANO / TERPSICHORE
V D → R →
COLD? D: In that part of the New Year, when the sun cools
… → L → …then comes out again…for the wound.
C24 1-18
THE WALL C24 18-
BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF? ◙ Bea books 2 Sonnet: Tanto gentile ◙ C24 29-60
SERPENTS *VANNI FUCCI C24 82 – C25 1
PROPHECY MOTIF *VANNI FUCCI Florence prophecy C24 142-151
TRANSFORMATIONS *CACUS
*AGNELLO *BUOSO *PUCCIO
C25 18-138
LAMP: EERIE LAMPS
ULYSSES / CALLIOPE
C26 42
DIDO C26 60
WIND/BOAT? VOYAGE When I left …DIDO…closed over us. C26 91-142
GUIDO DA MONTEFELTRO / ERATO C27 1-127
Sonnet: da cielo in terra a miracol mostrare C27 105
INFERNAL
THE SOWERS OF DISCORD
C27 129
INFERNAL: HORRORS D: If all the people…nothing to equal the hideous
state of the 9 th chasm.
C28 7-20
D cheered by music swinging LANTERN HEAD: DE
BORN Sonnet metre Geri del Bello
C28 118-126
FALSIFIERS, LIARS
*GRIFFOLINO *CAPOCCHIO C29 109
*ADAMO OF BRESCIA *SINON strike each other C30 58-109
INFERNAL NIMROD / EUTERPE C31 10-81
RALLYING CALL: EUTERPE’S FLUTE
HORN OR CHORUS’S IMITATION
MUSES – ALL assemble C32 12
INFERNAL: COLD THE FROZEN COCYTUS
BOCCA DEGLI ABBATI / URANIA C32 19-123

BUOSO DE DUERA / POLYHYMNIA C32 19-123
INFERNAL: COLD: EXTREME
INFERNAL: COLD: DREAM
ENDS WITH HORN NOTE (SEE C32 12)
UGOLINO / MELPOMENE
DREAM A narrow hole inside that tower which
C32 123-
C33 22-36
INFERNAL: COLD: BLANK DAY
is called Famine…flanks torn by sharp teeth.
When he had spoken this…Pisa…every living soul. C33 76-84
INFERNAL: COLD *FRIAR ALBERIGO C33 110-153
INFERNAL: A SINGLE LOUD NOTE
VEXILLA REGIS VEXILLA REGIS THE ASCENT Damn…
C34 1
C34 1-139
RETURNED all but Bea on stage C34 139
D: Sonnet: Tanto gentile…Sospira! C34 139
◙ Bea appears, smiles, raises arm in farewell C34 139
BE-A-TRI-CE TRIBUTE MUSES – ALL C34 139
16

CHARACTERS BY PLACE: The Divine Comedy
These tables may be used to characterise according to age, language/dialect (L’Inferno, Il Purgatorio, Il Paradiso)
and dress (Il Paradiso, only).
The dates of each character, often only known approximately, are given to establish his/her age and era. The age
and appearance (but not the language/dialect) of characters impersonated by Muses are obviously irrelevant.
The words of wordier characters are in the dramatisation itself.
Greyed characters are best left speaking Dante’s Italian or standard English.
In De vulgari eloquentia Dante looked for an eloquent vernacular among the dialects of Italy- with some reference
to France and Provence – and recorded eloquent and non-eloquent contemporary expressions.
Underlined expressions might be incorporated into the dramatisation. Mentions of dialect in the Divina Commedia
itself (sipa for si, mo & issa) may also be used in the right places.
MALE
FEMALE
DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA (QUOTE OR PARAPHRASE)
PLACE CHARACTERS
ABRUZZO
SULMONA
formerly SULMO
V
-
voice only
no voice
- OVID (43 BC – AD 17)
Latin.
APULIA Bolzerà che chiangesse lo quatraro
I would like the boy to cry
VENUSIA HORACE (65-8 BC)
Latin.
CAMPANIA
CAPUA
CASERTA PROV.
I T A L Y
V PIER DELLE VIGNE (1190-1249)
Chancellor of the 2 Sicilies but born poor, so
likely to have had a regional accent.
NAPLES STATIUS (50-96)
Latin.
NAPLES
CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU (1271-1295)
or French?
EMILIA-
ROMAGNA
There are 2 vernaculars. One (especially in
Forlì) is so womanish, because of the softness of
its vocabulary & pronunciation, that a man who
speaks it…still ends up being mistaken for a
woman.
The other is shaggy…its brutal harshness would
make you think any woman who speaks it a man.
deuscì (God, yes) = yes
oclo meo (my eye), corada mea (my heart) (to
seduce someone)
BERTINORO GUIDO DEL DUCA ( -1229+)
of Onesti family of RAVENNA
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
INF C4 82
-
INF C4 82
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
17
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
INF C13 22 - -
-
PUR C21 13
- - PAR C5 103
PUR C14 4
PUR C14 1
- PUR C14 1 -
-

PLACE CHARACTERS
V
-
voice only
no voice
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
18
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
BOLOGNA (Poets, not ordinary people) speak a more
beautiful language than most…take features
from people around them (Imola, Ferrara,
Modena)
Sipa = sì INF C18 61
BOLOGNA VENEDICO DE CACCIANEMICO ( - ) INF C18 52 - -
BOLOGNA FRIAR LODERINGO ( - ) / THALIA INF C23 77 - -
BOLOGNA FRIAR CATALANO ( -1285) / TERPSICHORE INF C23 91 - -
BOLOGNA GUIDO GUINICELLI (1235-1276) - PUR C26 16 -
CANOSSA MATILDA (Mathilde) (1046-1115)
- PUR C28 76 -
FAENZA
The Great Countess / TERPSICHORE
V FRIAR ALBERIGO DEI MANFREDI ( -1300+) INF C33 110
FORLÌ RINIERI DA CALBOLI ( -1296+)
/ THALIA
- PUR C14 4
-
MONTEFELTRO
MONTEFELTRO
GUIDO DA MONTEFELTRO (1223-1298)
Flame voice with ERATO
BUONCONTE DA MONTEFELTRO ( -1289)
INF C27 61
-
PUR C5 88
-
PARMA They say monto for molto
RAVENNA FRANCESCA DA RIMINI ( -1285) INF C5 88 - -
RAVENNA PETER DAMIAN (1007-1072)
PARADISO PICTURES: 38
- -
PAR C21 61
RIMINI PAOLO MALATESTA ( -1285) INF C5 94 - -
FRIULI
VENEZIA
GIULIA
AQUILEIA
(TRIESTE -
ISTRIA)
LAZIO
BAGNOREGIO .
VITERBO PROV.
ROCCASECCA
AQUINO
They belch forth Ces fas-to?
(What are you up to?) with a brutal intonation
(Also in ISTRIA)
→ AQUILEIA
ST BONAVENTURA (-VENTURE) (1221-1274)
PARADISO PICTURES: 28
THOMAS AQUINAS (1225-1274)
Of imposing stature, massive build & fair
complexion, and appeared more of a Norseman
than a south Italian.’ Dominican.
PARADISO PICTURES: 40, 41
ROME Ugliest of dialects
ROME
Messure, quinto dici = (Sir, what do say?)
LUCAN (39-65 AD) (born Cordova) Latin INF C4 82
ROME BOËTHIUS (480-524 AD)
Statesman, mathematician, philosopher.
PARADISO PICTURES: 27
ROME POPE NICHOLAS III ( -1280) / CLIO INF C19 52
PAR C12 127
- - PAR C10 82
ROME CATO (95-46 BC) PUR C1 28
PAR C10 124

PLACE CHARACTERS
V
-
voice only
no voice
LOMBARDY issa = now INF C23 7
ANDES → MANTUA
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
19
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
BERGAMO → MILAN
BRESCIA magarà = If only
They abbreviate their words by pronouncing v as
f ,saying nof for nove and vif for vivo
(also in Treviso) also VERONA, VICENZA
→ also MANTUA: SORDELLO
V ADAMO OF BRESCIA ( - ) INF C30 58 - -
CREMONA → MANTUA: SORDELLO
CREMONA BUOSO DE DUERA ( -1266) / POLYHYMNIA
Che hai tu, Bocca?
non ti basta sonar con le mascelle,
se tu non latri? Qual diavol ti tocca?
What is wrong with you, Bocca, is it not enough
that you chatter with your jaws, but you have to
bark too? What devil is at you?
GOTTO
Nr. MANTUA
SORDELLO (1200-1269+) b.GOTTO
fled to Provence when about 29.
→ PROVENCE
INF C32 106 - -
- PUR C7 1 -
MANTUA VIRGIL (70-19 BC) b ANDES, nr MANTUA INF C1 67 PUR C1 52 -
THE
MARCHES
FERMO
Chignamente state siaté or …scate sciate
Be as you are
PUR C5 84
…poems in derision of these three peoples
MARCHE (Fermo) (or ROME, SPOLETO?)
Una fermana scopai da Cascioli, cita cita se’n
gìa’n grande aina.
I met a woman from Fermo near Cascioli; she
hurried away briskly in great haste.
PUR C18 100
V JACOPO DEL CASSERO ( -1298+) / CALLIOPE - PUR C5 46 -
PIEDMONT
ALESSANDRIA appalling vernacular
NOVARA OR
LUMELLO
PETER LOMBARD (1100-1160?)
Spent much time in Paris. PARADISO PICTURES: 39
TURIN appalling vernacular
SICILY Tragemi d’este focora se t’este a bolontate
Get me out of this fire, if you would be so kind
MANFRED (1231-1266)
Sicilian speaker. Blonde, handsome, with a
noble aspect and a split eyebrow.
CONSTANCE (1152-1198).
Empress, mother of Frederick II.
TRENTINO
ALTO ADIGE
TRENTO appalling vernacular
PAR C10 107
- PUR C3 103 -
PAR C3 1

PLACE CHARACTERS
V
-
voice only
no voice
TUSCANY Mo = now INF C23 7
AREZZO Vuo’ tu venire ovelle?
Do you want to go somewhere?
AREZZO V GRIFFOLINO OF AREZZO ( - )
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
INF C29 109
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
20
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
AREZZO V BENINCASA ( - )
Io son Ricorditi di me etc.
PUR C6 13
AREZZO V GUCCIO DE’ TARLATI ( -1289)
Io son Ricorditi di me etc.
PUR C6 13
BATTIFOLLE
AREZZO PROV.
CHIUSI
FLORENCE
V FEDERIGO NOVELLO ( -1289)
Io son Ricorditi di me etc.
GRATIANUS (fl C 1150)
Camaldolese or Benedictine monk
PARADISO PICTURES: 35
Manichiamo, introcque che noi non facciamo
altro
Let’s eat, since there’s nothing else to do
PUR C6 13
PAR C10 115
DANTE (1265-1321) INF C PUR C PAR C
BEATRICE (1266-1290) INF C PUR C PAR C
CIACCO ( -1286) INF C6 40 - -
FILIPPO ARGENTI ( - ) INF C8 31 - -
FARINATA DEGLI UBERTI ( -1264) INF C10 22 - -
CAVALCANTE DE’ CAVALCANTI ( - ) INF C10 58 - -
BRUNETTO LATINI (1210-1294) INF C15 22 - -
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI ( - ) INF C16 7 - -
TEGGHIAIO ALDOBRANDI ( -1260+) INF C16 7 - -
GUIDO GUERRA ( -1272) INF C16 7 - -
V AGNELLO BRUNELLESCHI ( - ) INF C25 37 - -
V BUOSO DEGLI ABATI ( - ) / POLYHYMNIA INF C25 37 - -
V PUCCIO SCIANCATO DEI GALIGAI ( - ) INF C25 43 - -
V CAPOCCHIO ( -1293+)
INF C29 124)
→ SIENA where burnt
- -
/ EUTERPE
BOCCA DEGLI ABATI ( -1260+)
INF C32 19
- -
/ URANIA
CASELLA → PISTOIA - - -
BELACQUA ( - ) / THALIA - PUR C4 97 -
FORESE DONATI ( -1296) - PUR C23 40 -
PICCARDA DONATI ( -1288+) - - PAR C3 43
CACCIAGUIDA ( -1147?) - - PAR C15 28
LUCCA Fo voto a Dio ke ingrassara eie lo comuno de
Lucca.
I swear to God, the city of Lucca is really in the
pink.
LUCCA V ALESSIO INTERMINEI ( -1295+)
……………Perché se’ tu sì gordo
di riguardar più me che li altri brutti?
INF C18 118
Qua giù m’hanno sommerso le lusinghe
ond’io non ebbi mai la lingua stucca.
Why are you so keen to gaze at me more than the
other mired ones.
The flatteries of which my tongue never wearied,
have brought me down to this!
- -
LUCCA V BONAGIUNTA ORBICCIANI DEGLI OV. ( -1300?) - PUR C24 37 -

PLACE CHARACTERS
V
-
voice only
no voice
PISA Bene andonno li fatti de Fiorensa per Pisa.
The business at Florence went well for Pisa.
PISA
UGOLINO GHERARDESCA ( -1289)
/ MELPOMENE D’s voice
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
INF C32 119
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
21
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
- -
PISA V FARINATA SCORNIGIANI ( - )
Io son Ricorditi di me etc.
PUR C6 16
PISA NINO VISCONTI ( - ) - PUR C8 55 -
PISTOIA CASELLA ( -1283+) or FLORENCE - PUR C2 88 -
PISTOIA V VANNI FUCCI ( -1300+) INF C24 121
PRATO PROV
VERNI, CERBAIA
VAL DI BISENZIO
V COUNT ORSO ( - )
Io son Ricorditi di me etc.
PUR C6 19
SIENA Onche renegata avess’io Siena
If only I’d left Siena for good
Chée chesto = What’s up now?
INF C29 139
or C29 117
SIENA LANO MACONI ( -1288)
Or accorri, accorri, morte!
Come Death, come now!
INF C13 118 - -
SIENA CAPOCCHIO FLORENCE, but burnt in SIENA
/ EUTERPE
INF C29 125 - -
SIENA LA PIA DEI TOLOMEI ( -1295)
Deh, quando tu sarai tornato al mondo
ricorditi di me, che son la Pia;
- PUR C5 130
Siena mi fé, disfecemi Maremma:
salsi colui che ’nnanellata pria
disposando m’avea con la sua gemma.
-
SIENA
Ah, when you return to the world, remember me
who am la Pia; Siena made me: Maremma undid
me: he knows, who having first pledged himself
to me, wed me with his ring.
SAPIA ( -1269+) PUR C13 94
SIENNESE OMBERTO ALDOBRANDESCHI ( -1259) - PUR C11 1 -
MAREMMA
VILLAFRANCA CONRAD MALASPINA ( -1294); (Currado II) - PUR C8 112 -
Marquis of Villafranca, Val di Magra
UMBRIA
ASSISI - ST FRANCIS (1182-1226)
Brown homespun robe, 3-knotted cord: poverty,
chastity, obedience; hooded.
Franciscans: (Greyfriars, Friars Minor)
PARADISO PICTURES: 4 , 5 , 7, 17
PAR C28 93
ASSISI - ST CLARE (1194-1253)
Franciscan nun with 3-knotted cord round waist.
PARADISO PICTURES: 10, 11, 12
PAR C3 1
GUBBIO ODERISI OF GUBBIO ( - ) (At Rome in 1259.) - PUR C11 1 -
NORCIA
Formerly
NURSIA
ST BENEDICT (480-543)
b. NURSIA, lived in Rome.
Benedictines (‘Black monks’): In Middle Ages:
wool shirt, hooded pelerine tapering in front and
behind (the scapular), over these a habit or frock,
lastly a cowl (cuculla).
PARADISO PICTURES: 23, 24
- - PAR C22 37

PLACE CHARACTERS
VENETO
V
-
voice only
no voice
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
22
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
PADUA
PADUA
They cruelly cut short all the participles ending
in tus and the nouns in tas, saying mercò
(traded) and bontè (goodness)
V JACOMO DA SANT’ ANDREA ( -1239)
Lano, sì non furo accorte
le gambe tue a le giostre dal Toppo!
Lano, your legs were not so swift at the jousts of
Toppo!
INF C13 121
ROMANO
VENICE
CUNIZZA DA ROMANO (1198-1280)
Per le plaghe di Dio to non verras
By God’s wounds, you won’t come
- - PAR C9 25
VENICE MARCO LOMBARDO (1250+ - ); learned - PUR C16 25 -
VERONA → BRESCIA also → MANTUA: Sordello
VERONA ABBOT OF SAN ZENO ( -1187) - PUR C18 112 -
VICENZA → BRESCIA

MALE
FEMALE
DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA (QUOTE OR PARAPHRASE)
PLACE CHARACTERS
CRETE
ENGLAND
JARROW,
NORTHUMBER-
LAND
FRANCE
V
- voice only
no voice
O U T S I D E
I T A L Y
MINOS
O tu che vieni al doloroso ospizio,
guarda com' entri e di cui tu ti fide;
non t'inganni l'ampiezza de l'intrare!
O you, who come to the house of pain take care
how you enter, and in whom you trust, do not let
the width of the entrance deceive you.
BEDE, THE VENERABLE; BAEDA (673-735)
Benedictine priest; historian etc. Spoke Anglo-
Saxon. PARADISO PICTURES: 21, 22
V PIERRE DE LA BROSSE
Io son Ricorditi di me etc.
PARIS? HUGH CAPET ( -996)
FONTAINES
NR. DIJON
PARIS (&
SCOTLAND)
King of France. Language: pre-French.
ST BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX (C 1090-1153)
Cistercian (white habit, unbleached raw wool)
PARADISO PICTURES: 25, 26
I’ sono il suo fedel Bernardo.
I am her loyal Bernard.
CHARLES MARTEL D’ANJOU (1271-1295)
→ CAMPANIA: NAPLES
RICHARD OF SAINT VICTOR ( -1173)
Scottish monk, mystic, prior (from 1162) of
Abbey of St Victor, Paris.
Augustinian canon regular: white robe.
GERMANY
COLOGNE ALBERTUS MAGNUS (1207-1280)
Dominican habit with a Doctor’s cap.
PARADISO PICTURE S: 18, 19, 20
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
INF C5 18
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
PUR C6 22
23
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
PAR C10 131
- PUR C20 19 -
PAR C3 120
from C31 120
- - PAR C5 103
PAR C10 131
PAR 10 97

PLACE CHARACTERS
GREECE
V
- voice only
no voice
CHARON:
Guai a voi, anime prave!
Non isperate mai veder lo cielo:
I’ vegno per menarvi a l’altra riva
ne le tenebre etterne, in caldo e ‘n gelo.
E tu che se’ costì, anima viva,
pàrtiti da cotesti che son morti.
Per altra via, per altri porti
verrai a piaggia, non qui, per passare: più lieve
legno convien che ti porti
Woe to you, wicked spirits!
And you, who are there, a living spirit, depart
from those who are dead.
By other ways, by other means of passage, you
will cross to the shore: a quicker boat must
carry you.
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
INF C3 82
- HOMER (6 TH C BC?) blind INF C4 82
V PLUTUS
Pape Satàn, pape Satàn aleppe!
PHLEGYAS:
Or se’ giunta, anima fella
Are you here, now, fierce spirit?
Usciteci, gridò:qui è l’intrata
Disembark: here is the entrance.
FURY / THALIA
Vegna Medusa: sì ’l farem di smalto
Let Medusa come,so that we can turn him to
stone.
INF C7 1
INF C8 18
INF C9 52
FURY / CLIO INF C9 52
FURY / URANIA INF C9 52
V NESSUS (CENTAUR)
……………..A qual martiro
venite voi che scendete la costa?
Ditel costinci; se non, l’arco tiro.
What torment do you come for, that you descend
the rampart? Speak from there, if not, I draw
INF C12 62
the bow.
V CHIRON (CENTAUR)
Siete voi accorti
che quel di retro move ciò ch’el tocca?
Così non soglion far li piè d’i morti.
INF C12 80
Have you noticed that the one behind moves
whatever he touches?
CAPANEUS INF C14 50
V CACUS (MONSTER) / CALLIOPE
Ov’è, ov’ è l’acerbo?
INF C25 18
Where is he, where is the bitter one?
? ULYSSES (CALLIOPE doesn’t speak) INF C26 85
V ORESTES:
I’ sono Oreste
I am Orestes
V AGLAUROS:
Io sono Aglauro che divenni sasso
I am Aglauros, she who was turned to stone
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
PUR C13 32
PUR C14
133?
ATHENS V PISISTRATUS (600-527 BC)
Che farem noi a chi mal ne disira,
se quei che ci ama è per noi condannato?
What shall we do to those who wish harm to us,
if we condemn him who loves us?
PUR C15 104
SIREN / MELPOMENE PUR C19 9
24
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD

PLACE CHARACTERS
MIDDLE
EAST
V
- Voice only
no voice
RAHAB
Prostitute who helped Joshua’s spies at
Jericho; identified by scarlet thread
SOLOMON (970-928 BC) King of Israel
Seal: six-pointed star.
ST PETER ( -64 OR -69)
b. Bethsaida on Sea of Galilee.
Aramaic with Greek influences etc.
Tall and well-built; short, bushy beard.
ST JAMES ( -44) elder brother of St.John.
fiery temperament (Boanerges – thunderer)
Aramaic, Hebrew with Greek influences (Latin).
Broad-brimmed hat
ST JOHN ( -55+)
fiery temperament (Boanerges – thunderer)
Aramaic with Greek influences etc
Younger than James - nothing else.
NETHER-
LANDS
BRABANT SIGIER (SIGER) OF BRABANT ( -1283?)
Averroist professor at University of Paris.
Assassinated.
PHOENICIA
CARTHAGE OR
TYRE
PORTUGAL
BRACARA
(BRAGA)
PROVENCE
V DIDO
Mythical about 30 years old?
OROSIUS (380?-418+)
Latin. Supporter of St Augustine
From Bertrand de Born:
Non posc mudar c’un cantar non exparia
I cannot refrain from sending forth my song
FOLCO (FOLQUET) (1159-1231)
family from GENOA b. MARSEILLES, left at 25
SORDELLO (1200-1269+)
(b GOTTO nr MANTUA; fled to Provence when
about 29) but Mantua being on the borders of
Cremona, Brescia and Verona… abandoned the
vernacular of his home town not only when
writing poetry but on every other occasion.
RIBÉRAC? V ARNAUT DANIEL (fl 1180-1200)
/ EUTERPE
SERBIA
JUSTINIAN (C 482-565)
Byzantine Emperor of Romanized Illyrian stock.
Native language: Latin
PARADISO PICTURES: 37
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
INF C4 22
INF C29 12
INF C29 34
-
INF C5 102
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
-
-
25
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
PAR C9 115
PAR C10 110
PAR C24 28
PAR C25 37
PAR C26 8
PAR C10 136
PAR C10 118
-
PAR C9 82
- PUR C7 1 -
- PUR C26 140
-

PLACE CHARACTERS
SPAIN
CARTAGENA /
SEVILLE
V
- voice only
no voice
ST ISIDORE OF SEVILLE (560-636); b. CARTAGENA.
Archbishop of Seville from c 600.
PARADISO PICTURES: 36
CASTILE - ST DOMINIC (1170-1221)
DOMINICAN (‘BLACK FRIARS’)
Black cope or mantle over white robes.
PARADISO PICTURES: 29, 30, 31, 32, 33
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
26
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
PAR C10 130
PAR C28 93

MALE
FEMALE
DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA (QUOTE OR PARAPHRASE)
CHARACTERS
SPIRITS/SPIRITS:
A Filippo Argenti!
At Filippo Argenti
HEAVENLY MESSENGER:
O cacciati del ciel, gente dispetta…
Outcasts from Heaven…
A N Y
P L A C E
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
INF C8 61
INF C9 91
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
27
FIRST
SEEN / HEARD
- -
- -
- SPIRITS: (With BRUNETTO) INF C15 21 - -
V DEMONS INF C21 37 -
PUR C2 59
-
-
-
V SOULS/SOULS:
Se voi sapete, mostratene la via di gire al monte.
If you know it, show us the way to the Mount sung?
V SPIRIT/SPIRIT:?
Ve’ che non par luca / lo raggio da sinistra a quel di sotto, / e
come vivo par che si conduca!
See, the light does not seem to shine, on the left of him, below,
and he seems to carry himself like a living man.
THE LATE-REPENTANT: MESSENGERS:
Di vostra condizion fatene saggi.
Make us wise to your state
-
-
PUR C5 4
PUR C5 25
-
V THE LATE-REPENTANT:
Deh, perché vai? Deh, perché non t’arresti?
Oh, why are you leaving: oh, why do you not stay?
-
PUR C5 51
?
THE LATE-REPENTANT:
Noi fummo tutti gìa per forza morti, / e peccatori infino a l’ultima
ora;/ / quivi lume del ciel ne fece accorti,
We were all killed by violence, and were sinners until the last
hour: then light from heaven warned us,
THE LATE-REPENTANT:
si che, pentendo e perdonando, for a / da vita uscimmo a Dio
pacificati, / che del disio di sé veder n’accora.
so that, repenting and forgiving, we left life reconciled with God,
who fills us with desire to see him
-
-
PUR C5 52
PUR C5 55
-
ANGEL AT GATE OF PURGATORY:
Say what you want…
-
PUR C9 85
-
THE PROUD/PROUD: Padre Nostro check see elsewhere - PUR C11 1 -
V MARY: Vinum non habent They have no wine - PUR C13 29 -
V SPIRITS/SPIRITS:
Amate da cui male aveste.
Love those who have shown you hatred
-
PUR C13 36
-
V ENVIOUS/ENVIOUS:
Maria, ora per noi:
Mary, pray for us
-
PUR C13 50
-
V ENVIOUS/ENVIOUS:
Michele e Pietro e Tutti santi.
Michael, Peter & all the saints.
-
PUR C13 51
-
V CAIN:
PUR C14 133
Anciderammi qualunque m’apprende
Everyone who findeth me shall slay me
-
-
ANGEL OF FRATERNAL LOVE:
Enter a stairway, here, much less steep than the others.
-
PUR C15 35
V STONERS/STONERS: (St Stephen – Jerusalem)
Martira! Martira! Kill him! Kill him!
-
PUR C15 108
-
? ANGEL OF MEEKNESS:
Blessed are the meek , who are without sinful anger sung?
-
PUR 17 68
-
? SLOTHFUL: - PUR C18 100 -

?
?
?
Maria corse con fretta a la montagna;
Mary ran with haste to the hill country
SLOTHFUL:
e Cesare, per soggiogare Ilerda, / punse Marsilia e poi corse in
Ispagna.
Caesar lanced Marseilles, and then raced to Spain, to subdue
Lerida in Catalonia
SLOTHFUL/SLOTHFUL:
Ratto, ratto, che ’l tempo non si perda / per poco amor, gridavan
li altri appresso, / che studio di ben far grazia rinverda.
Hurry! Hurry! Do not let time be wasted, through lack of love, so
that labouring to do well may renew grace.
SLOTHFUL 9:
Prima fue / morta la gente a cui il mar s’aperse, / che vedesse
Iordan le rede sue.
The people for whom the Red Sea opened, were dead before
Jordan saw their heirs.
-
-
-
PUR C18 101
PUR C18 103
PUR C18 133
-
-
-
?
SLOTHFUL 10 / MELPOMENE:
E quella che l’affanno non sofferse / fino a la fine col figlio
d’Anchise, / sé stessa a vita sanza gloria offerse.
Those who did not endure the labour with Aeneas, Anchises son,
until the end, gave themselves to an inglorious fate…
ANGEL OF ZEAL:
Beati qui lugent quoniam ipsi consolabuntur sung?
Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted
-
-
PUR C18 136
PUR C19 45
-
-
V RED ANGEL:
Why do you journey considering so deeply, you solitary three? If
it please you to climb, here you must turn: they go from here, who
wish to journey towards peace.
V SPIRIT:
Virum non cognosco.
I know not a man
-
-
PUR C24 133
PUR C25 128
-
-
V SPIRITS/SPIRITS:
Al bosco / si tenne Diana, ed Elice caccionne / che di Venere
avea sentito il tosco.
Diana kept to the woods and chased Callisto away who had know
the taint of Venus.
V SPIRITS/SPIRITS:
Soddoma e Gomorra
Sodom & Gomorrah
-
-
PUR C25 130
PUR C26 40
-
V SPIRITS/SPIRITS:
Ne la vacca entra Pasife, / perché ’l torello a sua lussuria corra.
Pasiphaë enters the wooden cow, so that the young bull may run
to meet her lust.
? ANGEL OF CHASTITY:
You may go no further, O sacred spirits, if the fire has not first
bitten you: enter it, and do not be deaf to the singing beyond.
-
-
PUR C26 40
PUR C27 10
-
-
SAINTS/SAINTS: Manibus o date lilia plenis - PUR 30 20
4 NYMPHS
Here we are nymphs, and in heaven we are stars: before Beatrice
descended to your world we were ordained to be her helpers.
We will take you to her eyes.
FAITH HOPE LOVE:
Turn Beatrice, turn your sacred eyes to your faithful one, he who
has trodden so many steps to see you.
By your grace,grace us by unveiling your face to him, so that he
may see the second beauty that you conceal.
BLESSED SOULS:
Ecco chi crescerà li nostri amori.
Behold someone who will increase our love.
-
-
PUR C31 106
PUR C31 133
PAR C5 103
V MODEST VOICE:
Our Love will cast the rays…see elsewhere
V SOULS/SOULS:
Amen! (chorus)
-
-
-
-
PAR C14 37
PAR C14 62
28

DANTE DRAMATISED
DANTE DRAMMATIZZATO
L’INFERNO
CHARACTER -1321 + = -1321 or later 1283↔1300 = between 1283 and 1300 ?? = a guess
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC given when the character is first seen or heard by the audience
MALE FEMALE optional words added to Dante’s & Kline’s
→ L→ DOWN LEFT STEPS AND ONTO STAGE → R → DOWN RIGHT STEPS AND OUT OF SIGHT
THE DARK WOOD & THE HILL
CANTO 1
THE CURTAINLESS STAGE IS IN DARKNESS. A SPOTLIGHT FROM ABOVE PICKS OUT DANTE.
DANTE ALIGHIERI 1265 - 1321 AGE : 34 (ABOUT 2 MONTHS SHORT OF 35)
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
AS HE IS ORDINARILY SHOWN BUT WITHOUT THE LAUREL WREATH, WHICH HE EARNS AT THE END OF THE
COMMEDIA. HIS GARMENT IS WRAPPED MANY TIMES AROUND WITH A THIN, TASSELLED WAIST-CORD, NEEDED
FOR C16 106-114. HERE, THE END OF THE CORD HANGS CLOSE TO THE FLOOR. FOR MOST OF THE
DRAMATISATION IT IS TIED UP.
HE CARRIES A BOOK, NOT HIS DIVINE COMEDY BUT A WORKBOOK FOR IT, PROBABLY COMPOSED OF WAX
TABLETS OR SLATES WITH THE STYLUS KEPT IN THE SPINE. ON HIS CHEST IS A BOOKHOLDER WHICH HE USES AT
HIS CONVENIENCE THROUGHOUT THE DRAMATISATION. THERE IS A SIMILAR ONE ON HIS BACK. VIRGIL AND
OTHER MAJOR CHARACTERS WITH BOOKS HAVE SIMILAR HOLDERS.
DANTE TELLS OF HIS JOURNEY AS SOMETHING DONE.
29

DANTE:
INF C1 1-3 / DANTE INF C1 1-3 / TRANSLATION BY A.S.KLINE
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita In the middle of the journey of our life,
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, I came to myself, in a dark wood,
ché la diritta via era smarrita. where the direct way was lost.
INF C1 4-6 / DANTE
Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura It is a hard thing to speak of,
esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte how wild, harsh and impenetrable that wood was,
che nel pensier rinova la paura! so that thinking of it recreates the fear.
INF C1 7-9 / DANTE
Tant' è amara che poco è più morte; It is scarcely less bitter than death:
ma per trattar del ben ch'i' vi trovai, but, in order to tell of the good that I found there,
dirò de l'altre cose ch'i' v'ho scorte. I must tell of the other things I saw there.
THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT ENGLISH VERSIONS OF [C1 1-3]. DANTE TRIES
PERHAPS HALF A DOZEN FROM THOSE BELOW, PAUSING BETWEEN EACH.
HE STILL DOES NOT KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO.
DANTE: DANTE:
INF C1 1-3 / LONGFELLOW INF C1 1-3 / SINGLETON
Midway upon the journey of our life Midway in the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark, I found myself in a dark wood,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost. for the straight way was lost.
INF C1 1-3 / PHILLIPS INF C1 1-3 / ELLIS
Just halfway through this journey of our life Halfway through our trek in life
I reawoke to find myself inside I found myself in this dark wood,
a dark wood, way off course, the right road lost. miles away from the right road.
INF C1 1-3 / MUSA INF C1 1-3 / BOTTRALL
Midway along the journey of our life Midway in human life's allotted span,
I woke to find myself in some dark woods, I found myself in a dark wood,
for I had wandered off from the straight path. where the straight path I sought in vain.
INF C1 1-3 / HEANEY INF C1 1-3 / CARY
In the middle of the journey of our life In the midway of this our mortal life
I found myself astray in a dark wood I found me in a gloomy wood, astray
where the straight road had been lost sight of. Gone from the path direct:
INF C1 1-3 / CIARDI INF C1 1-3 / MANDELBAUM
Midway in our life's journey, I went astray When I had journeyed half of our life's way,
from the straight road and woke to find myself I found myself within a shadowed forest,
alone in a dark wood. for I had lost the path that does not stray.
INF C1 1-3 / BICKERSTETH INF C1 1-3 / SISSON
At midpoint of the journey of our life Halfway along the road we have to go
I woke to find me astray in a dark wood, I found myself obscured in a great forest,
perplexed by paths with the straight way at strife. Bewildered, and I knew I had lost the way.
INF C1 1-3 / ZIMMERMAN INF C1 1-3 / COTTER
In the middle of our life's way Halfway through the journey we are living
I found myself in a wood so dark I found myself deep in a darkened forest,
That I couldn't tell where the straight path lay. For I had lost all trace of the straight path.
INF C1 1-3 / UNKNOWN INF C1 1-3 / NORTON
One night, when half my life behind me lay, Midway upon the journey of our life
I wandered from the straight lost path afar. I found myself in a dark wood,
Through the great dark was no releasing way; where the right way was lost.
30

INF C1 1-3 / BINYON INF C1 1-3 / PINSKY
Midway life's journey I was made aware Midway on our life’s journey, I found
That I had strayed into a dark forest, myself in dark woods, the right roads lost.
And the right path appeared not anywhere.
HE SETTLES ON THE PROSE VERSION OF A. S. KLINE:
DANTE:
INF C1 1-3 / DANTE INF C1 1-3 / KLINE
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita In the middle of the journey of our life,
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura, I came to myself, in a dark wood,
ché la diritta via era smarrita. where the direct way was lost.
INF C1 4-6/ DANTE
Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura It is a hard thing to speak of, how wild,
esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte harsh and impenetrable that wood was,
che nel pensier rinova la paura! so that thinking of it recreates the fear.
INF C1 7-9 / DANTE
Tant' è amara che poco è più morte; It is scarcely less bitter than death: but, in
ma per trattar del ben ch'i' vi trovai, order to tell of the good that I found there,
dirò de l'altre cose ch'i' v'ho scorte. I must tell of the other things I saw there.
♫NIGHT SOUNDS * * * * * * * * * *
INF C1 9
Night sounds suggest a savage place.
AS THE MUSIC SOUNDS, THE SPOTLIGHT BECOMES ‘MOONLIGHT’ SEEN FITFULLY THROUGH
CLOUDS. DANTE IS NOW RETURNED TO THE MOMENT WHEN HE LOST HIS WAY, THE
BEGINNING OF HIS JOURNEY. HE TURNS TO HIS RIGHT AND LOOKS UP THE SLOPE.
DANTE:
INF C1 10-12 / DANTE INF C1 10-12 / KLINE
Io non so ben ridir com' i' v'intrai, I cannot rightly say how I entered it.
tant' era pien di sonno a quel punto I was so full of sleep, at that point
che la verace via abbandonai. where I abandoned the true way.
INF C1 13-15 / DANTE
Ma poi ch'i' fui al piè d'un colle giunto, But when I reached the foot of a hill,
là dove terminava quella valle where the valley, that had pierced
che m'avea di paura il cor compunto, my heart with fear, came to an end,
INF C1 16-18 / DANTE
guardai in alto e vidi le sue spalle I looked up and saw its shoulders brightened
vestite già de' raggi del pianeta with the rays of that sun that leads
che mena dritto altrui per ogne calle. men rightly on every road.
INF C1 19-21 / DANTE
Allor fu la paura un poco queta, Then the fear, that had settled in the lake
che nel lago del cor m'era durata of my heart,through the night that I had spent
la notte ch'i' passai con tanta pieta. so miserably, became a little calmer.
INF C1 22-24 / DANTE
E come quei che con lena affannata, And as a man, who, with panting breath,
uscito fuor del pelago a la riva, has escaped from the deep sea to the shore,
si volge a l'acqua perigliosa e guata, turns back towards the perilous waters and stares,
31

INF C1 25-27 / DANTE
così l'animo mio, ch'ancor fuggiva, so my mind, still fugitive,
si volse a retro a rimirar lo passo turned back to see that pass again,
che non lasciò già mai persona viva. that no living person ever left.
INF C1 28-30 / DANTE
Poi ch'èi posato un poco il corpo lasso, After I had rested my tired body a while,
ripresi via per la piaggia diserta, I made my way again over empty ground,
sì che 'l piè fermo sempre era 'l più basso. always bearing upwards to the right.
INF C1 31-33 / DANTE
Ed ecco, quasi al cominciar de l'erta, Ed ecco! And, Behold!, almost at the start
una lonza leggera e presta molto, of the slope, a light swift leopard…Florence…
che di pel macolato era coverta; with spotted coat
LEOPARD (PANTHER): FLORENCE OR WORLDLY PLEASURE, LUST OR ENVY
INF C1 34-36 / DANTE
e non mi si partia dinanzi al volto, It would not turn from before my face,
anzi 'mpediva tanto il mio cammino, and so obstructed my path,
ch'i' fui per ritornar più volte vòlto. that I often turned, in order to return.
INF C1 37-39 / DANTE
Temp' era dal principio del mattino, The time was at the beginning of the morning,
e 'l sol montava 'n sù con quelle stelle and the sun was mounting up with all those stars,
ch'eran con lui quando l'amor divino that were with him when Divine Love
INF C1 40-42 / DANTE
mosse di prima quelle cose belle; first moved all delightful things,
sì ch'a bene sperar m'era cagione so that the hour of day, and the sweet season, gave
di quella fiera a la gaetta pelle me fair hopes of that creature with the bright pelt.
DANTE SMILES AT THE MEMORY AND SWINGS HIS WAIST-CORD AS IF IT WERE A LASSOO
FOR THE LEOPARD [INF C16 106-114]…THEN FACES FRONT, GRIMLY.
DANTE:
INF C1 43-45 / DANTE INF C1 43-45 / KLINE
l'ora del tempo e la dolce stagione; But not so fair that I could avoid fear
ma non sì che paura non mi desse at the sight of a lion, ambition, that appeared,
la vista che m'apparve d'un leone. and which seemed
LION: THE ROYAL HOUSE OF FRANCE, AND AMBITION OR PRIDE.
INF C1 46-48 / DANTE
Questi parea che contra me venisse to come at me, with raised head
con la test' alta e con rabbiosa fame, and rabid hunger, so that it seemed
sì che parea che l'aere ne tremesse. the air itself was appeared afraid;
INF C1 49-51 / DANTE
Ed una lupa, che di tutte brame and a she-wolf, avarice, that looked
sembiava carca ne la sua magrezza, full of craving in its leanness, and, before now,
e molte genti fé già viver grame, has made many men live in sadness.
SHE-WOLF: THE PAPACY & AVARICE
INF C1 52-54 / DANTE
questa mi porse tanto di gravezza She brought me such heaviness of fear,
con la paura ch'uscia di sua vista, from the aspect of her face,
ch'io perdei la speranza de l'altezza. that I lost all hope of ascending.
INF C1 55-57 / DANTE
E qual è quei che volontieri acquista, And as one who is eager for gain, weeps,
e giugne 'l tempo che perder lo face, and is afflicted in his thoughts,
che 'n tutti suoi pensier piange e s'attrista; if the moment arrives when he loses,
32

INF C1 58-60 / DANTE
tal mi fece la bestia sanza pace, so that creature, without rest, made me
che, venendomi 'ncontro, a poco a poco like him: and coming at me, little by little,
mi ripigneva là dove 'l sol tace. drove me back to where the sun is silent.
VIRGIL APPEARS NEXT TO DANTE AT LEFT STAGE.
VIRGIL 70 - 19 BC AGE : 51?
PUBLIUS VERGILIUS MARO, VIRGILIO
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN ANDES, NEAR MANTUA. LATIN
DESCRIPTION
AS CONVENTIONALLY PICTURED, INCLUDING A LAUREL WREATH. HE CARRIES A BOOK, THE AENEID AND
OTHER WORKS.
INF C1 61-63 / KLINE
While I was returning to the depths, one appeared, in front of my eyes, who seemed hoarse from long silence.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C1 61-66 / DANTE INF C1 64-66 / KLINE
Quando vidi costui nel gran diserto, When I saw him in the great emptiness I cried out
Miserere di me, gridai a lui, to him: Have pity on me, whoever you are,
qual che tu sii, od ombra od omo certo! whether a man, in truth, or a shadow!
HE PULLS HIS VOLUME TO HIS CHEST IN PROTECTION AND IT STAYS THERE IN THE
BOOKHOLDER.
VIRGIL, AND SOME OF THE OTHER INFERNO SPIRITS, HAVE SIMILAR HOLDERS FOR BOOKS
(OF PAGES OR TABLETS. WE SEE THE BOOK OF TABLETS ON VIRGIL’S BACK - THE AENEID
AND OTHER WORKS - WHEN HE TURNS LATER.)
VIRGIL:
INF C1 67-69 / DANTE INF C1 67-69 / KLINE
Rispuosemi: «Non omo, omo già fui, He answered me: Not a man: but a man I once was,
e li parenti miei furon lombardi, and my parents were Lombards,
mantoani per patrïa ambedui. and both of them, by their native place, Mantuans.
INF C1 70-72 / DANTE
Nacqui sub Iulio, ancor che fosse tardi, I was born sub Julio though late,
e vissi a Roma sotto 'l buono Augusto and lived in Rome, under the good Augustus,
nel tempo de li dèi falsi e bugiardi. in the age of false, deceitful gods.
INF C1 73-75 / DANTE
Poeta fui, e cantai di quel giusto I was a poet, and sang of Aeneas,
figliuol d'Anchise che venne di Troia, that virtuous son of Anchises, who came
poi che 'l superbo Ilïón fu combusto. from Troy when proud Ilium was burned.
DANTE notes:
INF C1 73 / DANTE INF C1 73 / KLINE
Poeta fui, e cantai di quel giusto I was a poet, and sang of Aeneas,
VIRGIL DECLAIMS.
VIRGIL:
AENEID 1 1 / VIRGIL AENEID 1 1 / KLINE
Arma virumque cano I sing of arms and the man
33

VIRGIL POINTS IN TWO DIRECTIONS.
VIRGIL: & VIRGIL:
INF C1 76-78 / DANTE INF C1 76-78 / KLINE
Ma tu perché ritorni a tanta noia? But you, why do you You turn back towards such
perché non sali il dilettoso monte pain. Why do you not climb the delightful
mountain,
ch'è principio e cagion di tutta gioia? that is the origin and cause of all joy?
DANTE:
INF C1 79-81 / DANTE INF C1 79-81 / KLINE
Or se' tu quel Virgilio e quella fonte I answered him, with a humble expression:
che spandi di parlar sì largo fiume?, Are you then that Virgil, and that
rispuos' io lui con vergognosa fronte. fountain, that pours out so great a river of speech?
INF C1 82-84 / DANTE
O de li altri poeti onore e lume, O, glory and light to other poets,
vagliami 'l lungo studio e 'l grande amore may that long study, and the great love, that made
che m'ha fatto cercar lo tuo volume. me scan your work, be worth something now.
INF C1 85-87 / DANTE
Tu se' lo mio maestro e 'l mio autore, You are my master, and my author:
tu se' solo colui da cu' io tolsi you alone are the one from whom I learnt
lo bello stilo che m'ha fatto onore. the high style that has brought me honour.
DANTE POINTS UP THE STEPS TO WHERE HE SAW THE SHE-WOLF.
DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C1 88-90 / DANTE INF C1 88-90 / KLINE
Vedi la bestia per cu' io mi volsi; See the creature that I turned back from:
aiutami da lei, famoso saggio, O, sage, famous in wisdom, save me from her,
ch'ella mi fa tremar le vene e i polsi. she that makes my veins and my pulse tremble.
VIRGIL:
INF C1 91-93 / DANTE INF C1 91-93 / KLINE
A te convien tenere altro vïaggio, When he saw me weeping, he answered:
rispuose, poi che lagrimar mi vide, You must go another road, if you wish
se vuo' campar d'esto loco selvaggio; to escape this savage place.
INF C1 94-96 / DANTE
ché questa bestia, per la qual tu gride, This creature that distresses you allows
non lascia altrui passar per la sua via, no man to cross her path,
ma tanto lo 'mpedisce che l'uccide; but obstructs him, to destroy him;
INF C1 97-99 / DANTE
e ha natura sì malvagia e ria, and she has so vicious and perverse a nature,
che mai non empie la bramosa voglia, that she never sates her greedy appetite,
e dopo 'l pasto ha più fame che pria. and after food is hungrier than before.
INF C1 100-102 / DANTE
Molti son li animali a cui s'ammoglia, Many are the creatures she mates with, and there
e più saranno ancora, infin che 'l veltro will be many more, until the Greyhound…
verrà, che la farà morir con doglia. Can Grande della Scala…comes who will make her
die in pain.
GREYHOUND: PROBABLY THE GREAT GHIBELLINE LEADER CAN GRANDE DELLA SCALA, BORN IN VERONA, BETWEEN FELTRO
IN VENETIA & MONTEFELTRO IN ROMAGNA. DANTE’S LATER PATRON, HE MAY HAVE BEEN REGARDED BY DANTE AS THE
DELIVERER WHO WOULD RESTORE IMPERIAL POWER, REINSTITUTE ROMAN LAW, ELIMINATE AVARICE, BRING PEACE &
ESTABLISH A REFORMED ORDER OF THINGS.
DANTE notes:
INF C1 102 / DANTE INF C1 102 / KLINE
verrà, che la farà morir con doglia. della Scala…comes who will make her die in pain.
34

VIRGIL:
INF C1 103-105 / DANTE INF C1 103-105 / KLINE
Questi non ciberà terra né peltro, He will not feed himself on land or wealth, but
ma sapïenza, amore e virtute, on wisdom, love and virtue, and his birthplace
e sua nazion sarà tra feltro e feltro. will lie between Feltro and Feltro.
INF C1 106-108 / DANTE
Di quella umile Italia fia salute He will be the salvation of that lower Italy
per cui morì la vergine Cammilla, for which virgin Camilla died of wounds
Eurialo e Turno e Niso di ferute. and Euryalus, Turnus and Nisus.
CAMILLA: A VIRGIN WARRIOR, THE ROMAN VERSION OF AN AMAZON, WHOSE DEATH IS DESCRIBED IN AENEID 11.
EURYALUS: THE CLOSE COMRADE OF NISUS IN THE AENEID, NOTED FOR HIS BEAUTY. HIS DEATH IS DESCRIBED IN AENEID 9.
TURNUS: YOUNG KING OF THE RUTULIANS, AN ITALIAN PEOPLE WITH THEIR CAPITAL AT ARDEA, SOUTH OF ROME, NOT FAR
FROM MODERN ANZIO. HIS DEATH AT THE HANDS OF AENEAS IS DESCRIBED IN AENEID 12 & CONCLUDES THE WORK. AENEAS
MARRIED LAVINIA, TURNUS’S INTENDED BRIDE.
NISUS: SON OF HYRTACUS, COMRADE OF EURYALUS. HE DIES AVENGING HIS DEATH IN AENEID 9.
INF C1 109-111 / DANTE
Questi la caccerà per ogne villa, He will chase the she-wolf through every city,
fin che l'avrà rimessa ne lo 'nferno, until he has returned her to Hell,
là onde 'nvidia prima dipartilla. from which envy first loosed her.
DANTE notes:
INF C1 109 / DANTE INF C1 109 / KLINE
Questi la caccerà per ogne villa, He will chase the she-wolf through every city,
VIRGIL:
INF C1 112-114 / DANTE INF C1 112-114 / KLINE
Ond' io per lo tuo me' penso e discerno It is best, as I think and understand, for you
che tu mi segui, e io sarò tua guida, to follow me, and I will be your guide,
e trarrotti di qui per loco etterno; and lead you from here through an eternal space
DANTE notes:
INF C1 113 / DANTE INF C1 113 / KLINE
che tu mi segui, e io sarò tua guida, to follow me, and I will be your guide,
VIRGIL:
INF C1 115-117 / DANTE INF C1 115-117 / KLINE
ove udirai le disperate strida, where you will hear the desperate shouts,
vedrai li antichi spiriti dolenti, will see the ancient spirits in pain,
ch'a la seconda morte ciascun grida; so that each one cries out for a second death:
INF C1 118-120 / DANTE
e vederai color che son contenti and then you will see others at peace in
nel foco, perché speran di venire the flames, because they hope to come,
quando che sia a le beate genti. whenever it may be, among the blessed.
INF C1 121-123 / DANTE
A le quai poi se tu vorrai salire, Then if you desire to climb to them, there
anima fia a ciò più di me degna: will be a spirit fitter than I am, to guide you,
con lei ti lascerò nel mio partire; and I will leave you with her, when we part,
SPIRIT FITTER: BEATRICE
INF C1 124-126 / DANTE
ché quello imperador che là sù regna, since the Lord, who rules above, does not
perch' i' fu' ribellante a la sua legge, wish me to enter his city,
non vuol che 'n sua città per me si vegna. because I was rebellious to his law.
INF C1 127-129 / DANTE
In tutte parti impera e quivi regge; He is lord everywhere, but there he rules,
quivi è la sua città e l'alto seggio: and there is his city, and his high throne:
oh felice colui cu' ivi elegge! O, happy is he, whom he chooses to go there!
35

DANTE:
INF C1 130-132 / DANTE INF C1 130-132 / KLINE
E io a lui: Poeta, io ti richeggio And I to him: Poet, I beg you, by the God,
per quello Dio che tu non conoscesti, you did not acknowledge, lead me where you said,
acciò ch'io fugga questo male e peggio, so that I might escape this evil or worse
INF C1 133-135 / DANTE
che tu mi meni là dov' or dicesti, and see the Gate of St Peter,
sì ch'io veggia la porta di san Pietro and those whom you
e color cui tu fai cotanto mesti. make out to be so saddened.
VIRGIL MOVES TOWARDS THE → R → . DANTE STAYS AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C1 133-135 / DANTE INF C1 133-135 / KLINE
che tu mi meni là dov' or dicesti, and see the Gate of St Peter,
sì ch'io veggia la porta di san Pietro and those whom you
e color cui tu fai cotanto mesti. make out to be so saddened.
INF C1 136 / KLINE
Then he moved: and I moved on behind him.
CANTO 2
DANTE:
INF C2 1-3 / DANTE INF C2 1-3 / KLINE
Lo giorno se n'andava, e l'aere bruno The day was going, and the dusky air
toglieva li animai che sono in terra was freeing the creatures
da le fatiche loro; e io sol uno of the earth, from their labours, and I, one, alone,
INF C2 4-6 / DANTE
m'apparecchiava a sostener la guerra prepared prepare myself to endure the inner war,
sì del cammino e sì de la pietate, of the journey and its pity,
che ritrarrà la mente che non erra. that the mind, without error, shall recall.
DANTE OPENS HIS BOOK AND CALLS TO TWO PARTS OF THE SKY.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C2 7-9 / DANTE INF C2 7-9 / KLINE
O muse, o alto ingegno, or m'aiutate; O Muses, O high invention, aid me, now!
o mente che scrivesti ciò ch'io vidi, O memory, that has engraved what I saw,
qui si parrà la tua nobilitate. here your nobility will be shown.
THE MUSES, STANDING IN 2 LINES BEHIND HIM, ARE LIT FROM ABOVE. EACH HOLDS A
BOOK INSCRIBED WITH THE SYMBOL OF THEIR DOMAIN:
THE MUSES AGE : YOUNG
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
36

DESCRIPTION
THE 9 GODDESSES WHO INSPIRE HUMANITY, AND MAIM, DESTROY OR TRANSFORM INTO BIRDS ANY HUMAN
WHO CHALLENGES THEIR SUPREMACY.
EACH MUSE CARRIES A WHITE BOOK WITH HER SYMBOL ON IT. THE MUSES ARE DRESSED IDENTICALLY, IN
WHITE, TO LET THEM SERVE IN BOTH PAGAN AND CHRISTIAN CAPACITIES. CALLIOPE, THE ELDEST SISTER, MAY
BE DISTINGUISHED BY HER HEIGHT AND/OR A GOLD BAND ON HER HEAD. TERPSICHORE IS THE SMALLEST MUSE
AND EUTERPE, PERHAPS, THE 2 ND SMALLEST. POLYHYMNIA (NEARLY?) ALWAYS WEARS HER PENSIVE LOOK AND
HAS A FINGER AT THE MOUTH. WHEN THE MUSES SING CHRISTIAN MUSIC ON STAGE THEY SHOW THE BACK OF
THEIR BOOKS. ALL THE MUSES’ PROPS ARE IMAGINARY EXCEPT FOR THEIR BOOKS AND EUTERPE’S FLUTE IN
L’INFERNO.
NAME SYMBOL DOMAIN INTEREST
CALLIOPE (CALLIOPEIA) Writing tablet Epic Poetry Philosophy
CLIO Scroll History the Alphabet
ERATO Lyre Love Poetry
EUTERPE Double flute Music
MELPOMENE Tragic mask Tragedy Chanting
POLY(HY)MNIA Pensive mask; finger at mouth Sacred Poetry Geometry
TERPSICHORE Dancing figure Dancing
THALIA (THALEIA) Comic mask Comedy
URANIA (OURANIA) [Staff points to] globe or stars Astronomy Prophecy
♫RESPONSE TO INVOCATION: OVERTURE * * * * * * * * * *
INF C2 7
CHORUS OR MUSES ONLY
Ancient or Archaic Greek Music, becoming Christian.
DANTE DOES NOT HEAR OR SEE THE MUSES. VIRGIL STOPS AND TURNS BUT DOES NOT SEE
THEM.
WHEN THEY CEASE SINGING, THE LIGHT SWITCHES OFF. DANTE MAKES NOTES AS HE
SPEAKS.
DANTE:
INF C2 10-12 / DANTE INF C2 10-12 / KLINE
Io cominciai: Poeta che mi guidi, I began: Poet, who guides me, examine my virtue,
guarda la mia virtù s'ell' è possente, see if I am fitting,
prima ch'a l'alto passo tu mi fidi. before you trust me to the steep way.
INF C2 13-15 / DANTE
Tu dici che di Silvïo il parente, You say that Aeneas, the father of Sylvius,
corruttibile ancora, ad immortale while still corruptible flesh,
secolo andò, e fu sensibilmente. went to the eternal world, and in his senses.
INF C2 16-18 / DANTE
Però, se l'avversario d'ogne male But if God, who opposes every evil, was gracious
cortese i fu, pensando l'alto effetto to him,thinking of the noble consequence,
ch'uscir dovea di lui, e 'l chi e 'l quale of who and what should derive from him,
INF C2 19-21 / DANTE
non pare indegno ad omo d'intelletto; then that does not seem unreasonable
ch'e' fu de l'alma Roma e di suo impero to a man of intellect, since he was chosen to be
ne l'empireo ciel per padre eletto: the father of benign Rome, and of her empire.
INF C2 22-24 / DANTE
la quale e 'l quale, a voler dir lo vero, Both of them were founded
fu stabilita per lo loco santo as a sacred place, where the
u' siede il successor del maggior Piero. successor of the great Peter is enthroned.
37

INF C2 25-27 / DANTE
Per quest' andata onde li dai tu vanto, By that journey, by which you graced him,
intese cose che furon cagione Aeneas learned things that were the source
di sua vittoria e del papale ammanto. of his victory and of the Papal Mantle.
INF C2 28-30 / DANTE
Andovvi poi lo Vas d'elezïone, Afterwards Paul, the Chosen Vessel, went there,
per recarne conforto a quella fede to bring confirmation of the faith
ch'è principio a la via di salvazione. that is the entrance to the way of salvation.
INF C2 31-33 / DANTE
Ma io, perché venirvi? o chi 'l concede? But why should I go there? Who allows it?
Io non Enëa, io non Paulo sono; I am not Aeneas, I am not Paul. Neither I,
me degno a ciò né io né altri 'l crede. nor others, think me worthy of it.
INF C2 34-36 / DANTE
Per che, se del venire io m'abbandono, So, if I resign myself to going, I fear
temo che la venuta non sia folle. that going there may prove foolish: you know,
Se' savio; intendi me' ch'i' non ragiono. and understand, better than I can say.
DANTE READS WHAT HE HAS JUST WRITTEN, TO HIMSELF OR THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C2 37-39 / DANTE INF C2 37-39 / KLINE
E qual è quei che disvuol ciò che volle And I rendered myself, on that dark shore,
e per novi pensier cangia proposta, like one who unwishes what he wished,
sì che dal cominciar tutto si tolle, and changes his purpose, in new thinking,
INF C2 40-42 / DANTE
tal mi fec' ïo 'n quella oscura costa, so that he leaves off what he began, completely,
perché, pensando, consumai la 'mpresa since in thought I consumed action,
che fu nel cominciar cotanto tosta. that had been so ready to begin.
DANTE CLOSES HIS BOOK.
VIRGIL:
INF C2 43-45 / DANTE INF C2 43-45 / KLINE
«S'i' ho ben la parola tua intesa», The ghost of the generous poet replied:
rispuose del magnanimo quell' ombra, If I have understood your words correctly,
«l'anima tua è da viltade offesa; your spirit is attacked by cowardly fear,
DANTE notes:
INF C2 44 / DANTE INF C2 44 / KLINE
rispuose del magnanimo quell' ombra, The ghost of the generous poet replied:
VIRGIL:
INF C2 46-48 / DANTE INF C2 46-48 / KLINE
la qual molte fïate l'omo ingombra that often weighs men down,
sì che d'onrata impresa lo rivolve, so that it deflects them from honourable action,
come falso veder bestia quand' ombra. like a creature seeing phantoms in the dusk.
INF C2 49-51 / DANTE
Da questa tema acciò che tu ti solve, That you may shake off this dread yourself,
dirotti perch' io venni e quel ch'io 'ntesi I will tell you why I came, and what I heard
nel primo punto che di te mi dolve. at the first moment when I took pity on you.
INF C2 52-54 / DANTE
Io era tra color che son sospesi, I was among those, in Limbo, in suspense, and
e donna mi chiamò beata e bella, a lady called to me, she so blessed, so beautiful
tal che di comandare io la richiesi. that I begged her to command me.
38

DANTE EXCLAIMS WITH FEELING.
DANTE:
INF C2 53 / DANTE INF C2 53 / KLINE
e donna mi chiamò beata… e bella, and a lady called to me, she so blessed, so
beautiful
INF C2 55-57 / KLINE
Her eyes shone more brightly than the stars, and she began to speak, gently, quietly, in an angelic voice, in her
language:
♫BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF * * * * * * * * * *
INF C2 53
Four notes, representing the syllables of the name in Italian: Be – a – tri – ce (‘blessed’).
In later segments the motif may be developed.
THE HEAVENLY SPOTLIGHT..◙..(SEE INTRODUCTION: L’INFERNO) FINDS BEATRICE FACING VIRGIL.
BEATRICE IS A MANIFESTATION FROM HEAVEN AND IN VIRGIL’S MEMORY. BEATRICE DOES NOT LOOK AT
DANTE.
BEATRICE (BICE DI FOLCO PORTINARI) 1266? - 1290 AGE : 24
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN IN FLORENCE, BICE DI FOLCO PORTINARI (BEATRICE) WAS FIRST SEEN BY DANTE WHEN SHE WAS 8 YEARS OLD
& HE WAS 9. HIS LOVE FOR HER INSPIRED THE VITA NUOVA & THE DIVINE COMEDY., IN WHICH SHE REPRESENTS
DIVINE PHILOSOPHY. SHE DIED IN 1290, AGED 24.
DESCRIPTION
HER DRESSED IS APPROPRIATE FOR HER ERA. SHE HOLDS A BIBLE. HER EYES SHINE ‘MORE BRIGHTLY THAN THE
STARS’ AND HER VOICE, WHEN SHE SPEAKS, IS ANGELIC [INF C2 55-57].
DANTE SPEAKS WITH SHOCK, JOY AND TENDERNESS.
DANTE:
Bice!…Beatrice! Bea!…Beatrice!
HE RECOVERS A LITTLE AND SPEAKS MORE FORMALLY BUT STILL WITH PASSION.
DANTE:
La donna mia my lady
THIS PHRASE OCCURS IN DANTE’S MOST FAMOUS LYRIC, A SONNET ABOUT BEATRICE. (JOSEPH TUSIANI: “THIS
MOST HARMONIOUS AND BEAUTIFUL SONNET HAS ACHIEVED DANTE’S POETIC GOAL OF THE HIGHEST FORM OF
LOVE POETRY EMBODIED IN THE THE STILNOVISTIC CREDO…”.)
LA VITA NOVA 26 SONNET DANTE / MUSA [INF C34 139] GIVES DANTE’S NOTE
Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare Such sweet decorum and such gentle grace
la donna mia quand'ella altrui saluta, attend my lady's greeting as she moves
ch'ogne lingua deven tremando muta, that lips can only tremble into silence,
e li occhi no l'ardiscon di guardare. and eyes dare not attempt to gaze at her.
Ella si va, sentendosi laudare, Moving, benignly clothed in humility,
benignamente d'umiltà vestuta; untouched by all the praise along her way,
39

e par che sia una cosa venuta she seems to be a creature come from Heaven
da cielo in terra a miracol mostrare. to earth, to manifest a miracle.
Mostrasi sì piacente a chi la mira, Miraculously gracious to behold,
che dà per li occhi una dolcezza al core, her sweetness reaches, through the eyes, the heart
che 'ntender no la può chi no la prova: (who has not felt this cannot understand),
e par che de la sua labbia si mova and from her lips it seems there moves a gracious
un spirito soave pien d'amore, spirit, so deeply loving that it glides
che va dicendo a l'anima: Sospira. into the souls of men, whispering: "Sigh!"
LA DONNA MIA STARTS DANTE COMPOSING, MOSTLY SILENTLY. AT THE FINALE OF THE CANTICLE [INF
C34 139] HE RECITES THE WHOLE SONNET TO BEATRICE. SHE IS MANIFESTED MOSTLY IN HIS MIND, NOT ON
STAGE.
BEATRICE:
INF C2 58-60 / DANTE INF C2 58-60 / KLINE
O anima cortese mantoana, O noble Mantuan spirit, whose fame
di cui la fama ancor nel mondo dura, still endures in the world,
e durerà quanto 'l mondo lontana, and will endure as long as time endures,
VIRGIL MODESTLY TRANSLATES THIS TRIBUTE TO HIMSELF FOR THE AUDIENCE’S BENEFIT.
VIRGIL:
INF C2 58-60 / DANTE INF C2 58-60 / KLINE
O anima cortese mantoana, O noble Mantuan spirit, whose fame
di cui la fama ancor nel mondo dura, still endures in the world,
e durerà quanto 'l mondo lontana, and will endure as long as time endures.,
BEATRICE:
INF C2 61-63 / DANTE INF C2 61-63 / KLINE
l'amico mio, e non de la ventura, my My friend, not fortune’s friend, is so
ne la diserta piaggia è impedito obstructed in his way, along the desert strand,
sì nel cammin, che vòlt' è per paura; that he turns back in terror,
INF C2 64-66 / DANTE
e temo che non sia già sì smarrito, and I fear he is already so far lost,
ch'io mi sia tardi al soccorso levata, that I have started too late to his aid,
per quel ch'i' ho di lui nel cielo udito. from what I heard of him in heaven.
INF C2 67-69 / DANTE
Or movi, e con la tua parola ornata Now go, and help him so, with your eloquence,
e con ciò c'ha mestieri al suo campare, and with whatever is needed for his relief,
l'aiuta sì ch'i' ne sia consolata. that I may be comforted.
INF C2 70-72 / DANTE
I' son Beatrice che ti faccio andare; I am Beatrice…son Beatrice…who asks you to go:
vegno del loco ove tornar disio; I come from a place I long to return to:
amor mi mosse, che mi fa parlare. love moved me that made me speak.
THE ITALIAN PRONUNCIATION OF BEATRICE SHOULD BE USED FROM HERE, EVEN WHEN THE
NAME IS QUOTED IN THE ENGLISH VERSION.
BEATRICE:
INF C2 73-75 / DANTE INF C2 73-75 / KLINE
Quando sarò dinanzi al segnor mio, When I am before my Lord,
di te mi loderò sovente a lui. I will often praise you to him.
Tacette allora, e poi comincia' io: Then she was silent, and I began:
40

VIRGIL:
INF C2 76-78 / DANTE INF C2 76-78 / KLINE
O donna di virtù sola per cui O lady of virtue, in whom, alone,
l'umana spezie eccede ogne contento humanity exceeds all that is contained
di quel ciel c'ha minor li cerchi sui, in the lunar heaven, which has the smallest sphere,
INF C2 79-81 / DANTE
tanto m'aggrada il tuo comandamento, your command is so pleasing to me, that,
che l'ubidir, se già fosse, m'è tardi; obeying, were it done already, it were done too
più non t'è uo' ch'aprirmi il tuo talento. slow: you have no need to explain your wishes
further.
INF C2 82-84 / DANTE
Ma dimmi la cagion che non ti guardi But tell me why you do not hesitate
de lo scender qua giuso in questo centro to descend here, to this centre below,
de l'ampio loco ove tornar tu ardi". from the wide space you burn to return to.
BEATRICE:
INF C2 85-87 / DANTE INF C2 85-87 / KLINE
"Da che tu vuo' saver cotanto a dentro, She replied: Since you wish to know,
dirotti brievemente", mi rispuose, I will tell you this much,
"perch' i' non temo di venir qua entro. briefly, of why I do not fear to enter here.
INF C2 88-90 / DANTE
Temer si dee di sole quelle cose Those things that have the power to hurt
c'hanno potenza di fare altrui male; are to be feared:
de l'altre no, ché non son paurose. not those other things that are not fearful.
INF C2 91-93 / DANTE
I' son fatta da Dio, sua mercé, tale, I am made such, by God’s grace,
che la vostra miseria non mi tange, that your suffering does not touch me,
né fiamma d'esto 'ncendio non m'assale. nor does the fire of this burning scorch me.
INF C2 94-96 / DANTE
Donna è gentil nel ciel che si compiange There is a gentle lady in heaven, who has such
di questo 'mpedimento ov' io ti mando, compassion, for this trouble I send you to
sì che duro giudicio là sù frange. relieve, that she overrules the strict laws on
high.
GENTLE LADY: MARY
INF C2 97-99 / DANTE
Questa chiese Lucia in suo dimando She called St Lucy…Lucia…to carry out her
e disse:--Or ha bisogno il tuo fedele request, and said: “Now, he who is faithful
di te, e io a te lo raccomando--. to you, needs you, and I commend him to you.”
ST LUCY: VIRGIN MARTYR OF SYRACUSE, IN THE THIRD CENTURY AD, TRADITIONALLY ASSOCIATED WITH LIGHT & VISION.
SHE IS DANTE’S PATRON SAINT (HE HAD WEAKENED EYESIGHT) & IS FOR HIM THE SYMBOL OF ILLUMINATING GRACE.
INF C2 100-102 / DANTE
Lucia, nimica di ciascun crudele, Lucy, who is opposed to all cruelty,
si mosse, e venne al loco dov' i' era, rose and came to the place where I was,
che mi sedea con l'antica Rachele. where I sat with that Rachel of antiquity.
INF C2 103-105 / DANTE
Disse: Beatrice, loda di Dio vera, Lucy said: “Beatrice, God’s true praise, why do
ché non soccorri quei che t'amò tanto, you not help him, who loved you, so intensely,
ch'uscì per te de la volgare schiera? he left behind the common crowd for you?
INF C2 106-108 / DANTE
Non odi tu la pieta del suo pianto, Do you not hear how pitiful his grief is? Do you
non vedi tu la morte che 'l combatte not see the spiritual death that comes to meet
him,
su la fiumana ove 'l mar non ha vanto? on that dark river, over which the sea has no
power?”
BEATRICE TREMBLES WITH EMOTION.
41

BEATRICE:
INF C2 109-111 / DANTE INF C2 109-111 / KLINE
Al mondo non fur mai persone ratte No one on earth was ever as quick to search for
a far lor pro o a fuggir lor danno, their good, or run from harm, as I to descend,
com' io, dopo cotai parole fatte, from my blessed place,
INF C2 112-114 / DANTE
venni qua giù del mio beato scanno, after these words were spoken,
fidandomi del tuo parlare onesto, and place my faith in your true speech,
ch'onora te e quei ch'udito l'hanno". that honours you and those who hear it.
DANTE BOWS REVERENTLY.
DANTE:
LA VITA NOVA SONNETTO? Tanto gentile l. 2 / DANTE SONNET / TUSIANI
La donna mia quand’ella altrui saluta, my lady, when she greets a passer-by,
INF C2 115-117 / KLINE
She turned away, with tears in her bright eyes, after saying this to me, and made me, by that, come here all the
quicker:
BEATRICE ’S SPOTLIGHT..◙ ..SWITCHES OFF AND SHE DISAPPEARS. DANTE TAKES A STEP
FORWARD AND SPEAKS WITH TENDERNESS AND GRIEF.
DANTE:
Beatrice!…Bice!… Beatrice!…Bea!
VIRGIL:
INF C2 118-120 / DANTE INF C2 118-120 / KLINE
E venni a te così com' ella volse: and so I came to you, as she wished, and rescued
d'inanzi a quella fiera ti levai you in the face of that wild creature, that denied
che del bel monte il corto andar ti tolse. you the shortest path to the lovely mountain.
INF C2 121-123 / DANTE
Dunque: che è? perché, perché restai, Dunque…What is it then? Why, do you hold back?
perché tanta viltà nel core allette, Why? Why let such cowardly fear into your heart?
perché ardire e franchezza non hai, Why, when three such blessed ladies,
INF C2 124-126 / DANTE
poscia che tai tre donne benedette in the courts of heaven, care for you,
curan di te ne la corte del cielo, and my words promise you so much good,
e 'l mio parlar tanto ben ti promette?». are you not free and ardent?
INF C2 127-132 / KLINE
As the flowers, bent down and closed, by the night’s cold, erect themselves, all open, on their stems, when the sun
shines on them, so I rose from weakened courage: and so fine an ardour coursed through my heart, that I began to
speak, like one who is freed:
DANTE:
INF C2 133-135 / DANTE INF C2 133-135 / KLINE
«Oh pietosa colei che mi soccorse! O she, who pities, who helps me, and you, so
gentle,
e te cortese ch'ubidisti tosto who swiftly obeyed the true words she
commanded,
a le vere parole che ti porse! you have filled my heart with such desire,
INF C2 134-136 / DANTE
Tu m'hai con disiderio il cor disposto by what you have said,
sì al venir con le parole tue, to go forward, that I have turned back
ch'i' son tornato nel primo proposto. to my first purpose.
42

INF C2 137-139 / DANTE
Or va, ch'un sol volere è d'ambedue: Go now, for the two of us have but one will,
tu duca, tu segnore e tu maestro. you, the guide, the lord, the master.
Così li dissi; e poi che mosso fue, So I spoke to him, and he going on,
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C2 137-138 / DANTE INF C2 137-138 / KLINE
Or va, ch'un sol volere è d'ambedue: Go now, for the two of us have but one will,
tu duca, tu segnore e tu maestro. you, the guide, the lord, the master.
INF C2 140 / DANTE
intrai per lo cammino alto e silvestro. I entered on the steep, tree-shadowed way.
DANTE GIRDS HIS LOINS: HE TIES THE TASSELLED CORD AROUND HIS WAIST.
VIRGIL LEADS DANTE DOWN THE → R → AND OUT OF SIGHT. AFTER A WHILE THE MUSES
APPEAR FROM BACKSTAGE AND TROT QUICKLY SINGLE-FILE AFTER THE POETS.
CANTO 3
43

THE GATE OF HELL
♫INFERNAL: SOFT, BECOMING LOUDER * * * * * * * * * *
INF C3 1
Infernal: dire but without sounds of suffering humans.
→ L→ DOWN LEFT STEPS
DANTE AND VIRGIL TRAVEL ROUND BEHIND THE CURTAIN AND START AGAIN AT THE LEFT
STEPS → L → . AS MENTIONED IN THE INTRODUCTION, EACH TIME THE THE POETS OR
OTHERS DESCEND THE RIGHT STEPS → R → , THE STAGE MAY REMAIN AS IT IS, OR MAY
DARKEN, UNTIL THEY RETURN DOWN THE → L → – WHATEVER BEST SUGGESTS THAT THE
STAGE IS NOW AT A LOWER LEVEL.
THEY LOOK UP AT THE WORDS WRITTEN ABOVE THE GATE OF HELL. A LOUD, DIRE NOTE
SOUNDS.
DANTE READS.
DANTE:
INF C3 1-3 / DANTE INF C3 1-3 / KLINE
‘Per me si va ne la città dolente, ‘THROUGH ME [THE WAY] TO THE ETERNAL
CITY:
per me si va ne l'etterno dolore, THROUGH ME [THE WAY] TO ETERNAL
SADNESS:
per me si va tra la perduta gente. THROUGH ME [THE WAY] TO THE LOST PEOPLE.
VIRGIL TRANSLATES./.INTERPRETS TO THE AUDIENCE.
VIRGIL
INF C3 1-3 / DANTE INF C3 1-3 / KLINE
Per me si va ne la città dolente, ‘THROUGH ME [THE WAY] TO THE ETERNAL CITY:
per me si va ne l'etterno dolore, THROUGH ME [THE WAY] TO ETERNAL SADNESS:
per me si va tra la perduta gente. THROUGH ME [THE WAY] TO THE LOST PEOPLE.’
Alternative: THIS WAY FOR THE SORROWFUL CITY:
THIS WAY FOR ETERNAL SUFFERING:
THIS WAY TO JOIN THE LOST PEOPLE.
VIRGIL BEGINS READING. DANTE STARTS JUST AFTER HIM.
VIRGIL: & DANTE:
INF C3 4-6 / DANTE INF C3 4-6 / KLINE
Giustizia mosse il mio alto fattore; JUSTICE MOVED MY SUPREME MAKER:
fecemi la divina podestate, I WAS SHAPED BY DIVINE POWER,
la somma sapïenza e 'l primo amore. BY HIGHEST WISDOM, AND BY PRIMAL LOVE.
INF C3 7-8 / DANTE
Dinanzi a me non fuor cose create BEFORE ME, NOTHING WAS CREATED,
se non etterne, e io etterno duro.’ THAT IS NOT ETERNAL: AND ETERNAL I
ENDURE.’
VIRGIL AND DANTE FINISH TOGETHER.
44

VIRGIL: & DANTE:
INF C3 9 / DANTE INF C3 9 / KLINE
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi
ch'intrate'. FORSAKE ALL HOPE, ALL YOU THAT ENTER
HERE.’
Alternative (because the first translation I knew used ‘abandon’):
ABANDON ALL HOPE, YOU WHO ENTER HERE.’
INF C3 10-12 / KLINE
These were the words, with their dark colour, that I saw written above the gate, at which I said: ‘Master, their
meaning, to me, is hard.’
♫INFERNAL: LOUD NOTE * * * * * * * * * *
INF C3 9
VIRGIL:
INF C3 13-15 / DANTE INF C3 13-15 / KLINE
Ed elli a me, come persona accorta: And he replied to me, as one who knows:
«Qui si convien lasciare ogne sospetto; Here, all uncertainty must be left behind:
ogne viltà convien che qui sia morta. all cowardice must be dead.
INF C3 16-21 KLINE
We have come to the place where I told you that you would see the sad people who have lost the good of the
intellect.’ And placing his hand on mine, with a calm expression, that comforted me, he led me towards the hidden
things.
VIRGIL PLACES HIS HAND ON DANTE’S [INF C3 19] AND LEADS HIM TOWARDS THE → R → .
INF C3 22-30 KLINE
Here sighs, complaints, and deep groans, sounded through the starless air, so that it made me weep at first. Many
tongues, a terrible crying, words of sadness, accents of anger, voices deep and hoarse, with sounds of hands amongst
them, making a turbulence that turns forever, in that air, stained, eternally, like sand spiralling in a whirlwind.
♫MISERABLE MODE * * * * * * * * * *
INF C3 15 from C3 22, 25-30
‘sighs, complaints, deep groans; many tongues, a terrible crying, words of sadness, accents of
anger, voices deep & hoarse, with sounds of hands amongst them, making a turbulence that turns
forever, in that air, stained, eternally, like sand spiralling in a whirlwind.’
VIRGIL AND DANTE DISAPPEAR DOWN THE → R → . WE HEAR THEIR VOICES AS THEY
TRAVEL BEHIND THE CURTAIN.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 31-32 / DANTE INF C3 31-32 / KLINE
E io ch'avea d'error la testa cinta, And I, my head surrounded by the horror, said:
dissi: «Maestro, che è quel ch'i' odo? Master, what is this I hear, and what race are these,
e che gent' è che par nel duol sì vinta?». that seem so overcome by suffering?
45

VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C3 34-36 / DANTE INF C3 34-36 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Questo misero modo And he to me: This is the miserable mode
tegnon l'anime triste di coloro in which those exist,
che visser sanza 'nfamia e sanza lodo. who lived without praise, without blame.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 36 / DANTE INF C3 36 / KLINE
che visser sanza 'nfamia e sanza lodo. who lived without praise, without blame.
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C3 37-39 / DANTE INF C3 37-39 / KLINE
Mischiate sono a quel cattivo coro They are mixed in with the despised
de li angeli che non furon ribelli choir of angels, those not rebellious,
né fur fedeli a Dio, ma per sé fuoro. not faithful to God, but for themselves.
INF C3 40-42 / DANTE
Caccianli i ciel per non esser men belli, Heaven drove them out, to maintain its beauty,
né lo profondo inferno li riceve, and deep Hell does not accept them,
ch'alcuna gloria i rei avrebber d'elli». lest the evil have glory over them.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 43-44 / DANTE INF C3 43-44 / KLINE
E io: «Maestro, che è tanto greve And I: Master, what is so heavy on them,
a lor che lamentar li fa sì forte?». that makes them moan so deeply?
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C3 45 / DANTE INF C3 45 / KLINE
Rispuose: «Dicerolti molto breve. He replied: I will tell you, briefly.
INF C3 46-48 / DANTE
Questi non hanno speranza di morte, They have no hope of death,
e la lor cieca vita è tanto bassa, and their darkened life is so mean
che 'nvidïosi son d'ogne altra sorte. that they are envious of every other fate.
INF C3 49-51 / DANTE
Fama di loro il mondo esser non lassa; Earth allows no mention of them to exist:
misericordia e giustizia li sdegna: mercy and justice reject them:
non ragioniam di lor, ma guarda e passa». let us not talk of them, but look and pass.
INF C3 52-54 / KLINE
And I, who looked back, saw a banner, that twirling round, moved so quickly, that it seemed to me scornful of any
pause,
DANTE MURMURS…
DANTE (VOICE): & DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 55-56 / DANTE INF C3 55-56 / KLINE
e dietro le venìa sì lunga tratta and behind it came so long a line of people,
di gente, ch'i' non averei creduto I never would have believed that death
…THEN SPEAKS CLEARLY.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 56-57 / DANTE INF C3 56-57 / KLINE
di gente, ch'i' non averei creduto I never would have believed that death
che morte tanta n'avesse disfatta. had undone so many.
AFTER A WHILE…
46

DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 55-57 / DANTE INF C3 55-57 / KLINE
e dietro le venìa sì lunga tratta and behind it came so long a line of people,
di gente, ch'i' non averei creduto I never would have believed that death
che morte tanta n'avesse disfatta. had undone so many.
AFTER ANOTHER WHILE…
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 58-60 / DANTE INF C3 58-60 / KLINE
Poscia ch'io v'ebbi alcun riconosciuto, When I had recognised some among them,
vidi e conobbi l'ombra di colui I saw and knew the shade of him
che fece per viltade il gran rifiuto. who from cowardice made ‘the great refusal’:
Pope Celestine.
THE SHADE OF HIM: CELESTINE V, SAINT & POPE: PIETRO DA MORRONE, A SAINTLY HERMIT FROM THE ABRUZZI, WAS
COMPELLED TO BECOME POPE BY THE CARDINALS IN 1294, AT THE AGE OF EIGHTY. FIVE MONTHS LATER, WORN OUT, HE
ABDICATED AND WAS CONFINED BY HIS SUCCESSOR, BONIFACE VIII, TILL HIS DEATH IN 1296. HE WAS CANONISED IN 1313.
DANTE notes (VOICE):
INF C3 60 / DANTE INF C3 60 / KLINE
che fece per viltade il gran rifiuto. who from cowardice made ‘the great refusal’.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 61-63 / DANTE INF C3 61-63 / KLINE
Incontanente intesi e certo fui Immediately I understood that this This
che questa era la setta d'i cattivi, was is the despicable crew,
a Dio spiacenti e a' nemici sui. hateful to God and his enemies.
DANTE:
INF C3 64-66 / DANTE INF C3 64-66 / KLINE
Questi sciaurati, che mai non fur vivi, These wretches, who never truly lived,
erano ignudi e stimolati molto were are naked, and goaded
da mosconi e da vespe ch'eran ivi. viciously by hornets, and wasps,
INF C3 67-69 / DANTE
Elle rigavan lor di sangue il volto, there, making their faces stream with blood,
che, mischiato di lagrime, a' lor piedi that, mixed with tears, was is collected,
da fastidiosi vermi era ricolto. at their feet, by loathsome worms.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C3 70-72 / DANTE INF C3 70-72 / KLINE
E poi ch'a riguardar oltre mi diedi, And then, as I looked onwards, I saw people
vidi genti a la riva d'un gran fiume; on the bank of a great river,
per ch'io dissi: «Maestro, or mi concedi at which I said: Master, now let me understand
INF C3 73-75 / DANTE
ch'I' sappia quali sono, e qual costume who these are, and what custom
le fa di trapassar parer sì pronte, makes them so ready to cross over,
com' i' discerno per lo fioco lume». as I can see by the dim light.
VIRGIL:
INF C3 76-78 / DANTE INF C3 76-78 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Le cose ti fier conte And he to me: The thing will be told you,
quando noi fermerem li nostri passi when we halt our steps,
su la trista riviera d'Acheronte». on the sad strand of Acheron.
DANTE notes:
INF C3 78 / DANTE INF C3 78 / KLINE
su la trista riviera d'Acheronte». on the sad strand of Acheron.
INF C3 79-81 / KLINE
Then, fearing that my words might have offended him, I stopped myself from speaking, with eyes ashamed and
downcast, till we had reached the flood.
47

CHARON & SOULS
DANTE AND VIRGIL EMERGE ONTO THE → L → . . BEFORE THEM IS ACHERON.
CHARON STANDS AT CENTRE STAGE. HE HAS COME THROUGH THE BACK CURTAIN AND CROSSED THE
RIVER ON HIS (INVISIBLE) BOAT. LIGHT (LIGHTNING?) PICKS HIM OUT.
CHARON MYTHICAL AGE : AGED
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
VIRGIL DESCRIBES HIM:
AENEID 6 298-304 / VIRGIL AENEID 6 298-304 / KLINE
portitor has horrendus aquas et flumina seruat A grim ferryman watches over the rivers and streams,
terribili squalore Charon, cui plurima mento Charon, dreadful in his squalor, with a mass of unkempt
canities inculta iacet, stant lumina flamma, white hair straggling from his chin: flames glow in his eyes,
sordidus ex umeris nodo dependet amictus. a dirty garment hangs, knotted from his shoulders.
ipse ratem conto subigit uelisque ministrat He poles the boat and trims the sails himself,
et ferruginea subuectat corpora cumba, and ferries the dead in his dark skiff,
iam senior, sed cruda deo uiridisque senectus old now, but a god’s old age is fresh and green.
CHARON MAY BE UNKEMPT, BUT SHOULD BE MUCH MORE ORDINARY THAN VIRGIL’S / DANTE’S DESCRIPTION.
HE WOULD PROBABLY USE A POLE RATHER THAN AN OAR, BUT [INF C3 110] WOULD HAVE TO BE CHANGED.
LEAVE THE POLE TO PHLEGYAS [INF C8 13-] AND GIVE CHARON A SCULL TO USE OVER THE STERN OF HIS BOAT
(WHICH WE DON’T ACTUALLY SEE).
CHARON SHOUTS.
CHARON:
INF C3 82-84 / DANTE INF C3 82-84 / KLINE
Ed ecco verso noi venir per nave And see, an old man, with white hoary locks,
un vecchio, bianco per antico pelo, came towards us in a boat, shouting:
gridando: «Guai a voi, anime prave! Woe to you, wicked spirits!
CHARON (΄KARƏN): THE FERRYMAN OF THE RIVER ACHERON IN THE UNDERWORLD. THE OTHER RIVERS OF THE
UNDERWORLD WERE THE COCYTUS, A TRIBUTARY OF THE ACHERON, WITH ITS TRIBUTARY THE PHLEGETHON; THE LETHE &
THE STYX.
DANTE notes:
INF C3 84 / DANTE INF C3 84 / KLINE
gridando: Guai a voi, anime prave! Woe to you, wicked spirits!
THE POETS WALK SLOWLY TOWARDS HIM. CHARON SHOUTS AT THE INVISIBLE SPIRITS./.SPIRITS AROUND
VIRGIL AND DANTE. THE AUDIENCE HAS GOOD REASON TO BELIEVE IT IS ALSO BEING ADDRESSED.
CHARON:
INF C3 85-87 / DANTE INF C3 85-87 / KLINE
Non isperate mai veder lo cielo: Never hope to see heaven: I come to carry you
i' vegno per menarvi a l'altra riva to the other shore, into eternal darkness,
ne le tenebre etterne, in caldo e 'n gelo. into fire and ice.
CHARON POINTS AT DANTE.
CHARON:
INF C3 88-90 / DANTE INF C3 88-90 / KLINE
E tu che se' costì, anima viva, And you, who are there, a living spirit,
pàrtiti da cotesti che son morti». depart from those who are dead.
Ma poi che vide ch'io non mi partiva, But when he saw that I did not depart,
48

DANTE DOES NOT MOVE.
CHARON:
INF C3 91-93 / DANTE INF C3 91-93 / KLINE
disse: «Per altra via, per altri porti he said: By other ways, by other means of passage,
verrai a piaggia, non qui, per passare: you will cross to the shore:
più lieve legno convien che ti porti». a quicker boat must carry you.
VIRGIL:
INF C3 94-96 / DANTE INF C3 94-96 / KLINE
E 'l duca lui: «Caron, non ti crucciare: And my guide said to him: Charon,
vuolsi così colà dove si puote do not vex yourself: it is willed there,
ciò che si vuole, e più non dimandare». where what is willed is done: ask no more.
INF C3 97-99 / KLINE
Then the bearded mouth, of the ferryman of the livid marsh, who had wheels of flame round his eyes, was stilled.
♫INFERNAL * * * * * * * * * *
INF C3 96
Not MISERABLE MODE because Dante describes the human voices.
VIRGIL DESCRIBES THE SCENE TO THE AUDIENCE.
VIRGIL:
INF C3 100-102 / DANTE INF C3 100-102 / KLINE
Ma quell' anime, ch'eran lasse e nude, But those The naked and weary spirits, who were
cangiar colore e dibattero i denti, naked and weary, altered colour, and gnashed
gnash
ratto che 'nteser le parole crude. their teeth, when they heard his former, cruel
words.
INF C3 103-105 / DANTE
Bestemmiavano Dio e lor parenti, They blasphemed blaspheme against God, and
l'umana spezie e 'l loco e 'l tempo e 'l seme their parents, the human species, the place, time,
di lor semenza e di lor nascimenti. and seed of their conception, and of their birth.
INF C3 106-108 / DANTE INF C3 106-108 / KLINE
Poi si ritrasser tutte quante insieme, Then, all together, weeping bitterly,
forte piangendo, a la riva malvagia they neared near the cursed shore that waits
ch'attende ciascun uom che Dio non teme. for every one who has no fear of God.
THE MUSIC RISES AND FALLS AGAIN BRIEFLY AS DANTE PREPARES TO VERSIFY ALOUD.
♫INFERNAL * * * * * * * * * *
INF C3 108
49

DANTE:
INF C3 100-102 / DANTE INF C3 100-102 / KLINE
Ma quell' anime, ch'eran lasse e nude, But those spirits, who were naked and weary,
cangiar colore e dibattero i denti, altered colour, and gnashed their teeth,
ratto che 'nteser le parole crude. when they heard his former, cruel words.
INF C3 103-105 / DANTE
Bestemmiavano Dio e lor parenti, They blasphemed against God, and their parents,
l'umana spezie e 'l loco e 'l tempo e 'l seme the human species, the place, time,
di lor semenza e di lor nascimenti. and seed of their conception, and of their birth.
INF C3 106-108 / DANTE INF C3 106-108 / KLINE
Poi si ritrasser tutte quante insieme, Then, all together, weeping bitterly,
forte piangendo, a la riva malvagia they neared the cursed shore that waits
ch'attende ciascun uom che Dio non teme. for every one who has no fear of God.
HE TURNS TO THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C3 109-111 / DANTE INF C3 109-111 / KLINE
Caron dimonio, con occhi di bragia Charon, the demon, with eyes of burning coal,
loro accennando, tutte le raccoglie; beckoning, gathers them all:
batte col remo qualunque s'adagia. and strikes with his oar whoever lingers.
INF C3 112-114 / DANTE
Come d'autunno si levan le foglie As the autumn leaves fall, one after another,
l'una appresso de l'altra, fin che 'l ramo till the branches see
vede a la terra tutte le sue spoglie, all their spoilage on the ground,
INF C3 115-117 / DANTE
similemente il mal seme d'Adamo so, one by one, the evil seed of Adam,
gittansi di quel lito ad una ad una, threw themselves down from the bank
per cenni come augel per suo richiamo. when signalled, like the falcon at its call.
♫INFERNAL: DIES AWAY * * * * * * * * * *
INF C3 117
HE POINTS BACKSTAGE, THEN AT THE AUDIENCE AND THE INVISIBLE SPIRITS./.SPIRITS.
DANTE:
INF C3 118-120 / DANTE INF C3 118-120 / KLINE
Così sen vanno su per l'onda bruna, So they vanish on the dark water,
e avanti che sien di là discese, and before they have landed over there,
anche di qua nuova schiera s'auna. over here a fresh crowd collects.
VIRGIL:
INF C3 121-123 / DANTE INF C3 121-123 / KLINE
Figliuol mio, disse 'l maestro cortese, The courteous Master said: My son,
quelli che muoion ne l'ira di Dio those who die subject to God’s anger,
tutti convegnon qui d'ogne paese; all gather here, from every country,
INF C3 124-126 / DANTE
e pronti sono a trapassar lo rio, and they are quick to cross the river,
ché la divina giustizia li sprona, since divine justice goads them on,
sì che la tema si volve in disio. so that their fear is turned to desire.
50

INF C3 127-129 / DANTE
Quinci non passa mai anima buona; This way no good spirit ever passes, and so
e però, se Caron di te si lagna, if Charon complains damns at you, you can well
ben puoi sapere omai che 'l suo dir suona. understand, now, the meaning of his words.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C3 127-129 / DANTE INF C3 127-129 / KLINE
Quinci non passa mai anima buona; This way no good spirit ever passes, and so
e però, se Caron di te si lagna, if Charon complains at you, you can well
ben puoi sapere omai che 'l suo dir suona. understand, now, the meaning of his words.
INF C3 130-136 / KLINE
When he had ended, the gloomy ground trembled so violently, that the memory of my terror still drenches me with
sweat. The weeping earth gave vent, and flashed with crimson light, overpowering all my senses, and I fell, like a
man overcome by sleep.
HE POINTS BACKSTAGE, THEN AT THE AUDIENCE. THE LIGHTS MAY GO OUT [INF C3 130-136].
CANTO 4
INF C4 1-12 / KLINE
A heavy thunder shattered the deep sleep in my head, so that I came to myself, like someone woken by force, and
standing up, I moved my eyes, now refreshed. And looked round, steadily, to find out what place I was in. I found
myself, in truth, on the brink of the valley of the sad abyss that gathers the thunder of an infinite howling. It was so
dark, and deep, and clouded, that I could see nothing by staring into its depths.
LOOKING INTO THE AUDIENCE ABYSS
♫WIND / PERSONS HOWLING * * * * * * * * * *
INF C3 129 from INF C4 9
DANTE MOVES TO STAGE FRONT AND PEERS STRAIGHT DOWN, LOOKING INTO THE
AUDIENCE FOR THE SOURCE OF THE HOWLING. VIRGIL, ‘WHITE OF FACE’ [INF C4 14], PLACES
HIS HAND ON DANTE’S SHOULDER.
VIRGIL:
INF C4 13-15 / DANTE INF C4 13-15 / KLINE
«Or discendiam qua giù nel cieco mondo», The poet, white of face, began:
cominciò il poeta tutto smorto. Now, let us descend into the blind world below:
«Io sarò primo, e tu sarai secondo». I will go first, and you go second.
DANTE:
INF C4 16-18 / DANTE INF C4 16-18 / KLINE
E io, che del color mi fui accorto, And I, who saw his altered colour, said:
dissi: «Come verrò, se tu paventi How can I go on, if you are afraid,
che suoli al mio dubbiare esser conforto?». who are my comfort when I hesitate?
51

VIRGIL POINTS DOWN.
VIRGIL:
INF C4 19-21 / DANTE INF C4 19-21 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «L'angoscia de le genti And he to me: The anguish of the people,
che son qua giù, nel viso mi dipigne here below, brings that look of pity to my face,
quella pietà che tu per tema senti. that you mistake for fear.
INF C4 22-24 / DANTE
Andiam, ché la via lunga ne sospigne». Let us go, for the length of our journey demands
Così si mise e così mi fé intrare it. So he entered, and so he made me enter,
nel primo cerchio che l'abisso cigne. into the first circle that surrounds the abyss.
DANTE:
INF C4 22 / DANTE INF C4 22 / KLINE
Andiam, ché la via lunga ne sospigne». Let us go, for the length of our journey
THEY DESCEND THE → R → AND EMERGE ONTO THE → L → .
THE UNBAPTISED
♫SIGHING: SORROW, NOT TORMENT * * * * * * * * * *
INF C4 22 from INF C4 25-30
INF C4 25-30 / KLINE
Here there was no sound to be heard, except the sighing, that made the eternal air tremble, and it came from the
sorrow of the vast and varied crowds of children, of women, and of men, free of torment.
VIRGIL:
INF C4 31-33 / DANTE INF C4 31-33 / KLINE
Lo buon maestro a me: «Tu non dimandi The good Master said to me: ‘You do not demand
che spiriti son questi che tu vedi? to know who these spirits are that you see?
Or vo' che sappi, innanzi che più andi, I want you to learn, before you go further,
INF C4 34-36 / DANTE
ch'ei non peccaro; e s'elli hanno mercedi, that they had no sin, yet, though they have worth, it
is
non basta, perché non ebber battesmo, not sufficient, because they were not baptised, and
ch'è porta de la fede che tu credi; baptism is the gateway to the faith that you believe
in.
DANTE notes:
INF C4 35 / DANTE INF C4 35 / KLINE
non basta, perché non ebber battesmo, not sufficient, because they were not baptised, and
VIRGIL:
INF C4 37-39 / DANTE INF C4 37-39 / KLINE
e s 'e' furon dinanzi al cristianesmo, Since they lived before Christianity,
non adorar debitamente a Dio: they did not worship God correctly,
e di questi cotai son io medesmo. and I myself am one of them.
52

INF C4 40-42 / DANTE
Per tai difetti, non per altro rio, For this defect, and for no other fault, we are lost,
semo perduti, e sol di tanto offesi and we are only tormented,
che sanza speme vivemo in disio». in that without hope we live in desire.
INF C4 43-45 / KLINE
When I heard this, great sadness gripped my heart, because I knew of people of great value, who must be suspended
in that Limbo.
DANTE IS DOWNCAST: HE KNOWS ‘PEOPLE OF GREAT VALUE…IN THAT LIMBO’ [INF C4 45].
DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C4 46-47 / DANTE INF C4 46-47 / KLINE
«Dimmi, maestro mio, dimmi, segnore», Wishing to be certain in that faith that overcomes
comincia' io per voler esser certo every error, I began: Tell me my Master,
di quella fede che vince ogne errore: tell me, sir, did anyone ever go from here,
DANTE:
INF C4 48 / DANTE INF C4 48 / KLINE
di quella fede che vince ogne errore: tell me, sir, did anyone ever go from here,
INF C4 49-51 / DANTE INF C4 49-51 / KLINE
«uscicci mai alcuno, o per suo merto through his own merit or because of others’
o per altrui, che poi fosse beato?». merit, who afterwards was blessed?
E quei che 'ntese il mio parlar coverto, And he, understanding my veiled question,
THEY DESCEND THE → R → BUT THEIR VOICES ARE STILL HEARD. VIRGIL UNDERSTANDS
HIS ‘VEILED QUESTION’ [INF C4 51-52].
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C4 52-54 / DANTE INF C4 52-54 / KLINE
rispuose: «Io era nuovo in questo stato, replied: I was new to this state,
quando ci vidi venire un possente, when I saw a great one, Christ come here
con segno di vittoria coronato. crowned with the sign of victory.
GREAT ONE: CHRIST
INF C4 55-57 / DANTE
Trasseci l'ombra del primo parente, He took from us the shade of Adam,
d'Abèl suo figlio e quella di Noè, our first parent, of his son Abel, and that of Noah,
di Moïsè legista e ubidente; of Moses the lawgiver,
DANTE notes (VOICE):
INF C4 56-57 / DANTE INF C4 56-57 / KLINE
d'Abèl suo figlio e quella di Noè, his son Abel, and that of Noah,
di Moïsè legista e ubidente; of Moses the lawgiver,
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C4 58-60 / DANTE INF C4 58-60 / KLINE
Abraàm patrïarca e Davìd re, and Abraham, the obedient Patriarch, King
David,
Israèl con lo padre e co' suoi nati Jacob with his father Isaac, and his children,
e con Rachele, per cui tanto fé, and Rachel, for whom he laboured so long,
DANTE notes (VOICE):
INF C4 58-60 / DANTE INF C4 58-60 / KLINE
Abraàm patrïarca e Davìd re, and Abraham, the obedient Patriarch, King David,
Israèl con lo padre e co' suoi nati Jacob with his father Isaac, and his children,
e con Rachele, per cui tanto fé, and Rachel, for whom he laboured so long,
53

VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C4 61-63 / DANTE INF C4 61-63 / KLINE
e altri molti, e feceli beati. and many others, and made them blessed.,
E vo' che sappi che, dinanzi ad essi, and I wish you to know that no. No human souls
spiriti umani non eran salvati». were saved before these.
INF C4 64-72 / KLINE
We did not cease moving, though he was speaking, but passed the wood meanwhile, the wood, I say, of crowded
spirits. We had not gone far from where I slept, when I saw a flame that overcame a hemisphere of shadows. We
were still some way from it, but not so far that I failed to discern in part what noble people occupied that place.
THE GREAT: 4 POETS
♫LAMP: EERIE? * * * * * * * * * *
INF C4 63
THE REAR CURTAIN IS OPENED IN THE DARKNESS. VIRGIL AND DANTE ENTER DOWN THE → L → AS 4
GREAT SHADES, WITH FACES THAT ARE ‘NEITHER SAD NOR HAPPY’[INF C4 76-78] EMERGE FROM
BACKSTAGE. THEY ARE ACCOMPANIED BY THE MUSE ERATO. SHE LIGHTS THEIR WAY WITH A TWO-
PEAKED FLAME (FROM A DOUBLE WICK?), IN A BOWL OF OIL ON HER HEAD. THE BOWL LARGELY
OBSCURES ERATO’S FACE.
THESE LAMPS APPEAR LATER [INF C26 47-] WHERE THE TWO-PEAKED FLAME IS EXPLAINED.
VIRGIL CALLS OUT, QUOTING FROM HIS OWN BOOK, PERHAPS TRANSLATING TO THE AUDIENCE.
HOMER AGE : *?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
SEEN ONLY. HE IS BLIND. HE CARRIES A BOOK: THE ODYSSEY OR THE ILIAD. (PERHAPS BOTH, ONE IN THE
HOLDER ON HIS BACK)
HORACE QUINTUS HORATIUS FLACCUS 65 - 8 BC AGE : 57?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN VENUSIA, NEAR BORDER OF APULIA. LATIN.
DESCRIPTION
SEEN ONLY. HE CARRIES A BOOK: ODES ETC
HE WROTE ODES & EPODES IN VARIOUS METRES DERIVED FROM THE GREEK POETS; SATIRES; & EPISTLES. THE TYPE OF A
MORALIST, RATHER THAN A SATIRIST, FOR DANTE.
OVID (PUBLIUS OVIDIUS NASO) 43 BC – 17 AD AGE : 50?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN AT SULMO (NOW SULMONA, ITALY). PAELIGNIAN, NOT ROMAN. LATIN
DESCRIPTION
SEEN ONLY. HE CARRIES A BOOK: THE METAMORPHOSES
HE WAS EXILED FROM AUGUSTAN ROME IN AD 8 (FOR A POEM, PROBABLY THE ARS AMATORIA & AN ERROR, PROBABLY AN
INDISCRETION CONCERNING AUGUSTUS’S WAYWARD DAUGHTER JULIA) & DIED AT TOMIS ON THE BLACK SEA IN AD 17. HIS
GREATEST WORK IS THE METAMORPHOSES, A RETELLING OF MYTHS DOWN TO HIS OWN TIME, BASED ON THE THEME OF
CHANGE. THIS, THE OVIDIO MAGGIORE WAS THE MAIN SOURCE FOR DANTE’S KNOWLEDGE OF MYTHOLOGY, ALONG WITH
VIRGIL’S AENEID.
LUCAN (MARCUS ANNAEUS LUCANUS) 39 - 65 AD AGE : 26?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN IN CORDOVA, EDUCATED AT ROME. LATIN
DESCRIPTION
SEEN ONLY. HE CARRIES HIS UNFINISHED EPIC: THE CIVIL WAR (KNOWN AS THE PHARSALIA FOR ITS CLIMACTIC
BATTLE) A POETICAL GUIDE TO DANTE IN HIS IDEAS OF ROMAN HISTORY.
54

VIRGIL or VIRGIL:
AENEID 7 37 / VIRGIL AENEID 7 37 / KLINE
Nunc age, qui reges, Erato, quae
tempora, rerum Come now, Erato, and I’ll tell of the kings, the
times.
DANTE:
INF C4 73-75 / DANTE INF C4 73-75 / KLINE
«O tu ch'onori scïenzïa e arte, O you, who value every science and art,
questi chi son c'hanno cotanta onranza, who are these, who have such honour
che dal modo de li altri li diparte?». that they stand apart from all the rest?
VIRGIL:
INF C4 76-78 / DANTE INF C4 76-78 / KLINE
E quelli a me: «L'onrata nominanza And he to me: Their fame, that sounds out for
them,
che di lor suona sù ne la tua vita, honoured in that life of yours,
grazïa acquista in ciel che sì li avanza». brings them heaven’s grace that advances them.
DANTE notes:
INF C4 76 / DANTE INF C4 76 / KLINE
E quelli a me: «L'onrata nominanza And he to me: Their fame, that sounds out for
them,
ERATO TURNS TO SEE VIRGIL. SHE TURNS LEFT AND RIGHT TO ANNOUNCE.
ERATO: & ERATO:
INF C4 79-81 / DANTE INF C4 79-81 / KLINE
Intanto voce fu per me udita: Meanwhile I heard a voice:
Onorate l'altissimo poeta; Honour the great poet:
l'ombra sua torna, ch'era dipartita. his departed shade returns.
INF C4 82-87 / KLINE
After the voice had paused, and was quiet, I saw four great shadows come towards us with faces that were neither
sad nor happy. The good Master began to speak: ‘Take note of him, with a sword in hand, who comes in front of the
other three, as if he were their lord:
THE 4 SHADES APPROACH DANTE AND VIRGIL, HOMER LEADING. EACH WEARS THE BOOK OF HIS WORKS
ON HIS CHEST OR BACK.
VIRGIL POINTS OUT THE POETS TO THE AUDIENCE.
VIRGIL:
INF C4 88-90 / DANTE INF C4 88-90 / KLINE
quelli è Omero poeta sovrano; That is Homer, the sovereign poet:
l'altro è Orazio satiro che vene; next Horace the satirist:
Ovidio è 'l terzo, e l'ultimo Lucano. Ovid is the third, and last is Lucan.
DANTE notes:
INF C4 88-90 / DANTE INF C4 88-90 / KLINE
quelli è Omero poeta sovrano; That is Homer, the sovereign poet:
l'altro è Orazio satiro che vene; next Horace the satirist:
Ovidio è 'l terzo, e l'ultimo Lucano. Ovid is the third, and last is Lucan.
VIRGIL:
INF C4 91-93 / DANTE INF C4 91-93 / KLINE
Però che ciascun meco si convene Because each is worthy, with me, of that name
nel nome che sonò la voce sola, the one voice sounded, they do me honour,
fannomi onore, e di ciò fanno bene. and, in doing so, do good.
55

THE POETS EMBRACE VIRGIL. DANTE WRITES THEIR NAMES IN HIS BOOK, THINKS FOR A
WHILE AND WRITES./.READS.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C4 94-96 / DANTE INF C4 94-96 / KLINE
Così vid' i' adunar la bella scola So I saw gathered together the noble school,
di quel segnor de l'altissimo canto of the lord of highest song,
che sovra li altri com' aquila vola. who soars, like an eagle, above the rest.
HE TURNS BACK TO THE THE GROUP. THE 4 LIFT THEIR HANDS IN GREETING AND THE 5 PLUS ERATO DRIFT
OFF BACKSTAGE. VIRGIL BECKONS TO DANTE. DANTE ADDRESS THE AUDIENCE AGAIN.
DANTE:
INF C4 97-99 / DANTE INF C4 97-99 / KLINE
Da ch'ebber ragionato insieme alquanto, After they had talked for a while amongst
volsersi a me con salutevol cenno, themselves, they turned towards me with a sign of
e 'l mio maestro sorrise di tanto; greeting, at which my Master smiled.
INF C4 100-102 / DANTE
e più d'onore ancora assai mi fenno, And they honoured me further still,
ch'e' sì mi fecer de la loro schiera, since they made me one of their company,
sì ch'io fui sesto tra cotanto senno. so that I made a sixth among the wise.
HE FOLLOWS THEM QUICKLY.
56

HEROES & HEROINES
♫ANCIENT PASTORAL OR HEROIC * * * * * * * * * *
INF C4 103
Pleasant only by comparison with the other music.
VIRGIL IS STILL BEHIND THE CURTAIN. DANTE RETURNS, OPENS HIS BOOK AND ADDRESSES THE
AUDIENCE.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C4 103-105 / DANTE INF C4 103-105 / KLINE
Così andammo infino a la lumera, So we went onwards to the light,
parlando cose che 'l tacere è bello, speaking of things about which it is best to be
silent,
sì com' era 'l parlar colà dov' era. just as it was best to speak of them, where I was.
DANTE:
INF C4 106-108 / DANTE INF C4 106-108 / KLINE
Venimmo al piè d'un nobile castello, We came to the base of a noble castle;
sette volte cerchiato d'alte mura, surrounded seven times by a high wall;
difeso intorno d'un bel fiumicello. defended by a beautiful, encircling, stream.
INF C4 109-111 / DANTE
Questo passammo come terra dura; This we crossed as if it were solid earth:
per sette porte intrai con questi savi: I entered through seven gates, with the wise:
giugnemmo in prato di fresca verdura. we reached a meadow of fresh turf.
INF C4 112-114 / DANTE
Genti v'eran con occhi tardi e gravi, The people there were of great authority in
di grande autorità ne' lor sembianti: appearance, with calm, and serious looks,
parlavan rado, con voci soavi. speaking seldom, and then with soft voices.
INF C4 115-117 / DANTE
Traemmoci così da l'un de' canti, We moved to one side, into an open space,
in loco aperto, luminoso e alto, bright and high, so that every one,
sì che veder si potien tutti quanti. of them all could be seen.
VIRGIL RETURNS THROUGH THE BACK CURTAIN, GIVING A GLIMPSE OF THE ‘GREEN ENAMEL’ BEHIND
DANTE.
DANTE VERSIFIES AND VIRGIL GIVES A SUMMARY.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C4 118-120 / DANTE INF C4 118-120 / KLINE
Colà diritto, sovra 'l verde smalto, There, on On the green enamel, the great spirits.
mi fuor mostrati li spiriti magni, were pointed out to me, directly, so that
che del vedere in me stesso m'essalto. I feel exalted, inside me, at having seen them.
INF C4 121-122 / DANTE INF C4 121-122 / KLINE
I' vidi Eletra con molti compagni, I saw Electra with many others,
tra ' quai conobbi Ettòr ed Enea, amongst whom I knew Hector, Aeneas,
ELECTRA: MOTHER BY ZEUS OF DARDANUS FOUNDER OF TROY. SHE WAS, IN ONE VERSION, THE SEVENTH STAR OF THE
PLEIADES THAT WAS SAID TO HAVE DISAPPEARED IN GRIEF FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF TROY & THE HOUSE OF DARDANUS.
THE PALLADIUM, OR EFFIGY OF PALLAS ATHENE, WAS CAST DOWN WITH ELECTRA FROM OLYMPUS BY ATHENE, WHEN ZEUS
HAD VIOLATED ELECTRA & SHE HAD DEFILED THE STATUE WITH HER TOUCH. ELECTRA GAVE IT TO HER SON DARDANUS.
HECTOR: TROJAN PRINCE, SON OF PRIAM & HECABE (HECUBA), A HERO OF THE ILIAD, KILLED BY ACHILLES IN REVENGE FOR
THE DEATH OF PATROCLUS.
57

DIDO (UNSEEN) HEARS THE NAME AENEAS.
DIDO MYTHICAL AGE : YOUNGISH?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
TYRE CARTHAGE ? PHOENICIAN
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
DIDO: MYTHICAL QUEEN OF PHOENICIAN CARTHAGE, PROBABLY AN INCARNATION OF ASTARTE THE GREAT GODDESS, WHO
LOVED AENEAS & COMMITTED SUICIDE WHEN HE DESERTED HER. SHE BROKE FAITH WITH THE MEMORY OF HER HUSBAND
SYCHAEUS FOR HIM. (AENEID 1)
DIDO (VOICE):
AENEID 4 365-366 / VIRGIL AENEID 4 365-366 / KLINE
nec tibi diua parens generis…perfide Deceiver, your mother was no goddess.
VIRGIL: & VIRGIL:
AENEID 6 455 / VIRGIL AENEID 6 455 / KLINE
infelix Dido… Dido, unhappy spirit…
DIDO (VOICE):
AENEID 4 386 / VIRGIL AENEID 4 386 / KLINE
dabis, improbe, poenas. Cruel one, you’ll be punished.
DANTE CONTINUES.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C4 123 / DANTE INF C4 123 / KLINE
Cesare armato con li occhi grifagni. and Caesar, armed, with his eagle eye.
CAESAR: JULIUS
DANTE:
INF C4 124-126 / DANTE INF C4 124-126 / KLINE
Vidi Cammilla e la Pantasilea; I saw Camilla and Penthesilea,
da l'altra parte vidi 'l re Latino on the other side, and the King of Latium,
che con Lavina sua figlia sedea. Latinus, with Lavinia, his daughter.
CAMILLA: A VIRGIN WARRIOR, THE ROMAN VERSION OF AN AMAZON, WHOSE DEATH IS DESCRIBED IN AENEID 11.
PENTHESILEA: AMAZON QUEEN, KILLED BY ACHILLES WHEN SHE FOUGHT FOR THE TROJANS DURING THE TROJAN WAR. THE
TYPE OF A NOBLE WOMAN.
LATINUS: KING OF LATIUM, AN ANCESTOR OF THE ROMANS THROUGH HIS DAUGHTER LAVINIA, THIRD WIFE OF AENEAS.
INF C4 127-129 / DANTE INF C4 127-129 / KLINE
Vidi quel Bruto che cacciò Tarquino, I saw that Brutus who expelled Tarquin,
Lucrezia, Iulia, Marzïa e Corniglia; Lucretia, Julia, Marcia and Cornelia,
e solo, in parte, vidi 'l Saladino. and I saw Saladin, by himself, apart.
LUCIUS JUNIUS BRUTUS: THE TYPE OF A NOBLE ROMAN OF THE REPUBLIC. CONQUERED TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS, WHOSE SON
HAD RAPED LUCRETIA, COLLATINE’S WIFE, IN 510 BC.
LUCRETIA: WIFE OF THE ROMAN COLLATINE, RAPED BY THE SON OF TARQUINIUS SUPERBUS. A NOBLE, WRONGED WIFE.
JULIA: JULIUS CAESAR’S DAUGHTER BY CORNELIA. SHE MARRIED POMPEY. A TYPE OF THE NOBLE ROMAN WOMAN.
MARCIA: NOTED FOR HER INTEGRITY & NOBILITY. A TYPE OF THE NOBLE ROMAN WIFE. SECOND WIFE OF CATO, WHO
YIELDED HER TO HIS FRIEND QUINTUS HORTENSIUS. WHEN HE DIED SHE MARRIED CATO AGAIN. DANTE’S CONVITO TREATS
HER RETURN TO CATO AS AN ALLEGORY OF THE SOUL’S RETURN TO GOD.
CORNELIA: DAUGHTER OF SCIPIO AFRICANUS. MOTHER OF TIBERIUS & CAIUS THE TWO FAMOUS TRIBUNES, THE GRACCHI. A
TYPE OF THE NOBLE ROMAN WOMAN. SHE CLAIMED THAT ‘HER SONS WERE HER JEWELS’.
SALADIN: SULTAN OR SOLDAN, SALHAD-DIN, 1137-1193 AD, KURDISH FOUNDER OF THE AYYUBID DYNASTY OF EGYPT. HE
TOOK JERUSALEM IN 1187 AD. DANTE’S TYPE OF ISLAMIC NOBILITY & MAGNIFICENCE.
VIRGIL INTERPRETS DANTE TO THE AUDIENCE.
58

VIRGIL:
INF C4 124-126 / DANTE INF C4 124-126 / KLINE
Vidi Cammilla e la Pantasilea; I saw Camilla and Penthesilea,
da l'altra parte vidi 'l re Latino on the other side, and the King of Latium,
che con Lavina sua figlia sedea. Latinus, with Lavinia, his daughter.
INF C4 127-129 / DANTE INF C4 127-129 / KLINE
Vidi quel Bruto che cacciò Tarquino, I saw that Brutus who expelled Tarquin,
Lucrezia, Iulia, Marzïa e Corniglia; Lucretia, Julia, Marcia and Cornelia,
e solo, in parte, vidi 'l Saladino. and I saw Saladin, by himself, apart.
PHILOSOPHERS: MUSES ALL
DANTE RAISES HIS EYES. ERATO’S LAMP SHOWS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CURTAIN. VIRGIL PULLS
BACK THE CURTAIN TO LET HER THROUGH. SHE GOES OFF STAGE LEFT OR RIGHT.
THE OPEN CURTAIN REVEALS THE GREEN ENAMEL ON WHICH THE MUSES ARE SEATED IN A CIRCLE
AROUND CALLIOPE (ARISTOTLE). THEY READ, WRITE AND INAUDIBLY DEBATE.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C4 130-132 / DANTE INF C4 130-132 / KLINE
Poi ch'innalzai un poco più le ciglia, When I lifted my eyes a little higher,
vidi 'l maestro di color che sanno I saw the The Master of those who
know…Aristotle
seder tra filosofica famiglia. sitting amongst the company of philosophers.
DANTE:
INF C4 133-135 / DANTE INF C4 133-138 / KLINE
Tutti lo miran, tutti onor li fanno: All gaze at him: all show him honour.
quivi vid' ïo Socrate e Platone, There I saw Socrates and Plato
che 'nnanzi a li altri più presso li stanno; who stand nearest to him of all of them;
VIRGIL:
INF C4 133-135 / DANTE INF C4 133-138 / KLINE
Tutti lo miran, tutti onor li fanno: All gaze at him: all show him honour.
quivi vid' ïo Socrate e Platone, There I saw Socrates and Plato
che 'nnanzi a li altri più presso li stanno; who stand nearest to him of all of them;
DANTE & VIRGIL:
INF C4 136-138 / DANTE INF C4 136-138 / KLINE
Democrito che 'l mondo a caso pone, Democritus, who ascribes the world to chance,
Dïogenès, Anassagora e Tale, Diogenes, Anaxagoras, and Thales,
Empedoclès, Eraclito e Zenone; Empedocles, Heraclitus and Zeno.
DEMOCRITUS: GREEK PHILOSOPHER, OF ALDERA, D.361 BC, WHO DEVELOPED LEUCIPPUS’S IDEAS OF ATOMISM. DANTE
REGARDS HIM AS HAVING TAUGHT THAT THE WORLD ARISES FROM CHANCE ARRANGEMENTS OF ATOMS.
ANAXAGORAS: PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK PHILOSOPHER, BORN AT CLAZOMENAE IN ASIA MINOR ABOUT 500 BC. A PERSIAN
CITIZEN WHO WENT TO ATHENS IN THE YEAR OF SALAMIS 480/79 BC.
EMPEDOCLES: PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK PHILOSOPHER, A CITIZEN OF AKRAGAS, OR AGRIGENTUM, IN SICILY. HE WAS ALIVE IN
443 BC & GAVE RISE TO A NUMBER OF APOCRYPHAL STORIES ABOUT HIS MAGICAL ABILITIES AS A PYTHAGOREAN.
HERACLITUS: PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK PHILOSOPHER, EPHESIAN NOBLEMAN WHO FLOURISHED ABOUT THE 69TH OLYMPIAD
504-501 BC. DEALT WITH THE FLUX OF EXISTENCE, THE INSTABILITY OF SENSATION & EXPERIENCE. HIS KEY CONCEPT IS OF
UNITY IN DIVERSITY & DIVERSITY IN UNITY, A THEME THAT DANTE OFTEN PLAYS WITH. THE ONE EXISTS AS A TENSION OF
OPPOSITES, IN THE MANY, IDENTITY IN DIFFERENCE.
THALES: PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK PHILOSOPHER OF MILETUS. DIED SHORTLY BEFORE THE FALL OF SARDIS (546/5 BC).
ZENO OF CITIUM (C 342-370 BC): FOUNDER OF THE STOIC SCHOOL OF WHICH SENECA WAS A MEMBER.
VIRGIL INTERPRETS A LITTLE BEHIND DANTE.
59

DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C4 139-141 / DANTE INF C4 139-144 / KLINE
e vidi il buono accoglitor del quale, and I saw the good collector of the qualities of
plants,
Dïascoride dico; e vidi Orfeo, I mean Dioscorides; and I saw Orpheus,
Tulïo e Lino e Seneca morale; Cicero, Linus, and Seneca the moralist;
DIOSCORIDES: GREEK PHYSICIAN, AUTHOR OF A WORK ON MATERIA MEDICA PARTICULARLY BOTANY; LIVED ABOUT 50 AD.
MARCUS TULLIUS CICERO, 106-43 BC, ROMAN ORATOR & STATESMAN, BORN AT ARPINUM OF A WEALTHY FAMILY.
ELECTED CONSUL IN 63 BC & SUPPORTED POMPEY. HIS WRITINGS WERE INFLUENTIAL ON MEDIEVAL THINKING.
LINUS: MYTHOLOGICAL POET, THE BROTHER OF ORPHEUS. COMPOSED POEMS HONOURING DIONYSUS & A CREATION EPIC. HE
IS SAID TO HAVE INVENTED MELODY & RHYTHM. THE LAMENT FOR HIM WAS WIDESPREAD & IS THE THEME OF THE EGYPTIAN
SONG OF MANEROS.
LUCIUS ANNAEUS SENECA, ROMAN PHILOSOPHER, MORALIST & SENATOR, D. 65 AD. A MEMBER OF ZENO’S STOIC SCHOOL &
TUTOR TO THE EMPEROR NERO WHO DROVE HIM TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
INF C4 142-144 / DANTE INF C4 142-144 / KLINE
Euclide geomètra e Tolomeo, Euclid the geometer, and Ptolemaeus;
Ipocràte, Avicenna e Galïeno, Hippocrates, Avicenna, and Galen;
Averoìs, che 'l gran comento feo. and Averrhoës, who wrote the vast commentary.
CLAUDIUS PTOLEMAEUS, PTOLEMY, FL 127-51 AD, CODIFIED ASTRONOMICAL KNOWLEDGE IN HIS WORK THE ALMAGEST. HE
WAS THE AUTHORITY THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE AGES.
AVICENNA: ARAB PHYSICIAN & COMMENTATOR ON ARISTOTLE 979-1037 AD. HE CODIFIED GALEN WITH SMATTERINGS OF
HIPPOCRATES.
GALEN: ROMAN EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICIAN & THE MAIN AUTHORITY ON MEDICINE & PHYSIOLOGY THROUGHOUT THE
MIDDLE AGES. HE LIVED C 130-200 AD.
AVERRHOËS: IBN RUSHD, 1128-1198 AD, ARABIAN PHYSICIAN & COMMENTATOR ON ARISTOTLE. HE ESPOUSED A SCEPTICAL
PHILOSOPHY & MADE ARISTOTLE’S PHILOSOPHY SUPREME IN THE MIDDLE AGES.
INF C4 145-147 / DANTE INF C4 145-147 / KLINE
Io non posso ritrar di tutti a pieno, I cannot speak of them all in full,
però che sì mi caccia il lungo tema, because the great theme drives me on, so that
che molte volte al fatto il dir vien meno. the word falls, many times, short of the fact.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO AS VIRGIL AND HE WALK TO THE TOP OF THE → R → AND LOOK DOWN.
CANTO 5
INF C4 148-150 / DANTE INF C4 148-150 / KLINE
La sesta compagnia in due si scema: The six companions reduce to two:
per altra via mi mena il savio duca, the wise guide leads me, by another path,
fuor de la queta, ne l'aura che trema. out of the quiet, into the trembling air,
INF C4 151 / DANTE INF C4 151 / KLINE
E vegno in parte ove non è che luca. and I come to a region, where nothing shines.
♫WIND / PERSONS HOWLING: SOFT * * * * * * * * * *
INF C4 151
INF C5 1-3 / KLINE
So I descended from the first circle to the second, that encloses a smaller space, and so much more pain it provokes
howling.
DANTE:
INF C5 4-6 / DANTE INF C5 4-6 / KLINE
Stavvi Minòs orribilmente, e ringhia: There Minos stands, grinning horribly, examines
essamina le colpe ne l'intrata; the crimes on entrance, judges, and sends
60

giudica e manda secondo ch'avvinghia. the guilty down as far as is signified by his coils:
DANTE TURNS TO THE OTHER PART OF THE AUDIENCE AND ILLUSTRATES WITH HIS HANDS.
DANTE:
INF C5 7-9 / DANTE INF C5 7-9 / KLINE
Dico che quando l'anima mal nata I mean that when the evil-born spirit
li vien dinanzi, tutta si confessa; comes before him, it confesses everything,
e quel conoscitor de le peccata and that knower of sins
INF C5 10-12 / DANTE
vede qual loco d'inferno è da essa; decides the proper place in hell for it,
cignesi con la coda tante volte and makes as many coils with his tail,
quantunque gradi vuol che giù sia messa. as the circles he will force it descend.
DANTE:
INF C5 13-15 / DANTE INF C5 13-15 / KLINE
Sempre dinanzi a lui ne stanno molte: A multitude always stand before him,
vanno a vicenda ciascuna al giudizio, and go in turn to be judged,
dicono e odono e poi son giù volte. speak and hear, and then are whirled downwards.
DANTE & VIRGIL STRIDE DOWN THE → R → .
MINOS (VOICE):
INF C5 16-18 / DANTE INF C5 16-18 / KLINE
O tu che vieni al doloroso ospizio, When Minos saw me, passing by
disse Minòs a me quando mi vide, the actions of his great office, he said:
lasciando l'atto di cotanto offizio, O you, who come to the house of pain,
MINOS MYTHICAL AGE : *?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
CRETE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
MYTHICAL KING OF CRETE. BUILDER OF THE LABYRINTH AT CNOSSUS, DAEDALUS BEING THE ARCHITECT. HE WAS
APPOINTED BY ZEUS AS ONE OF THE THREE JUDGES OF THE DEAD, WITH RHADAMANTHYS & AEACUS & LIVED IN THE ELYSIAN
FIELDS IN THE UNDERWORLD. HE RULED OVER NINETY CRETAN CITIES & CONTROLLED NAVIGATION OF THE
MEDITERRANEAN. HE IS THE JUDGE OF THE INFERNAL REGIONS IN THE AENEID & IS FOR DANTE A SYMBOL OF THE SINNER’S
GUILTY CONSCIENCE.
DANTE notes:
INF C5 16 / DANTE INF C5 16 / KLINE
O tu che vieni al doloroso ospizio, O you, who come to the house of pain
MINOS (VOICE):
INF C5 19-20 / DANTE INF C5 19-20 / KLINE
guarda com' entri e di cui tu ti fide; take care how you enter, and in whom you trust;
non t'inganni l'ampiezza de l'intrare! do not let the width of the entrance deceive you.
VIRGIL:
INF C5 21 / DANTE INF C5 21 / KLINE
E 'l duca mio a lui: Perché pur gride? And my guide replied: Why do you cry out?
INF C5 22-24 / DANTE INF C5 22-24 / KLINE
Non impedir lo suo fatale andare: Do not obstruct his destined journey:
vuolsi così colà dove si puote so it is willed, where what is willed
ciò che si vuole, e più non dimandare. is done: demand no more…più non dimandare.
61

THE LUSTFUL
♫WIND / PERSONS HOWLING: LOUDER * * * * * * * * * *
INF C5 24
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C5 25-27 / DANTE INF C5 25-27 / KLINE
Or incomincian le dolenti note Now the mournful notes begin to reach me:
a farmisi sentire; or son venuto now Now I come
là dove molto pianto mi percuote. where much sorrowing hurts me.
INF C5 28-30 / KLINE
I came to a place devoid of light, that moans like a tempestuous sea, when it is buffeted by warring winds.
INF C5 31-33 / DANTE
La bufera infernal, che mai non resta, The hellish storm that never ceases
mena li spirti con la sua rapina; drives the spirits with its force,
voltando e percotendo li molesta. and, whirling and striking, it molests them:
INF C5 34-36 / KLINE
When they come to the ruins there are shouts, moaning and crying, where they blaspheme against divine power.
IN THE DARK, VIRGIL AND DANTE ARE BACK ON STAGE.
VIRGIL:
INF C5 37-39 / DANTE INF C5 37-39 / KLINE
Intesi ch'a così fatto tormento I learnt that the The carnal sinners
enno dannati i peccator carnali, are condemned to these torments,
che la ragion sommettono al talento. they who subject their reason to their lust.
DANTE:
INF C5 40-42 / DANTE INF C5 40-42 / KLINE
E come li stornei ne portan l'ali And, as their wings carry the starlings, in
nel freddo tempo, a schiera larga e piena, a vast, crowded flock, in the cold season,
così quel fiato li spiriti mali so that That wind carries the wicked spirits,
DANTE LOOKS AND SILENTLY COMPOSES FOR A WHILE THEN RECITES.
VIRGIL INTERPRETS./.TRANSLATES A LITTLE BEHIND HIM.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C5 40-42 / DANTE INF C5 40-42 / KLINE
E come li stornei ne portan l'ali And, as their wings carry the starlings,
nel freddo tempo, a schiera larga e piena, in a vast, crowded flock, in the cold season,
così quel fiato li spiriti mali so that wind carries the wicked spirits,
INF C5 43-45 / DANTE
di qua, di là, di giù, di sù li mena; and leads them here and there, and up
nulla speranza li conforta mai, and down. No hope of rest, or even
non che di posa, ma di minor pena. lesser torment, comforts them.
INF C5 46-48 / DANTE
E come i gru van cantando lor lai, And as the cranes go, making their sounds,
faccendo in aere di sé lunga riga, forming a long flight, of themselves, in the air,
così vid' io venir, traendo guai, so I saw the shadows come,
62

INF C5 49-51 / DANTE INF C5 49-51 / KLINE
ombre portate da la detta briga; moaning, carried by that war of winds.
per ch'i' dissi: Maestro, chi son quelle At which I said: Master, who are these people,
genti che l'aura nera sì gastiga? that the black air chastises so?
DANTE POINTS TO UNSEEN SPIRITS./.SPIRITS.
DANTE:
INF C5 50-51 / DANTE INF C5 50-51 / KLINE
per ch'i' dissi: Maestro, chi son quelle At which I said: Master, who are these people,
genti che l'aura nera sì gastiga? that the black air chastises so?
VIRGIL:
INF C5 52-54 / DANTE INF C5 52-54 / KLINE
«La prima di color di cui novelle He replied: The first, of those you wish to know
of,
tu vuo' saper», mi disse quelli allotta, was Empress of many languages,
«fu imperadrice di molte favelle. so corrupted
INF C5 55-57 / DANTE
A vizio di lussuria fu sì rotta, by the vice of luxury, that she made licence
che libito fé licito in sua legge, lawful in her code, to clear away
per tòrre il biasmo in che era condotta. the guilt she had incurred.
INF C5 58-60 / DANTE
Ell' è Semiramìs, di cui si legge She is Semiramis, of whom we read
che succedette a Nino e fu sua sposa: that she succeeded Ninus, and was his wife:
tenne la terra che 'l Soldan corregge. she held the countries that the Sultan rules.
SEMIRAMIS: SAMMURAMAT, QUEEN OF THE NEW ASSYRIAN EMPIRE, RULED 810-805 BC, WHOSE POLICIES WERE
SUCCESSFUL DURING THE MINORITY OF HER SON ABADNIRARI III. ACCORDING TO OROSIUS, SHE SUCCEEDED HER HUSBAND
SHAMSHI-ADAD V, NINUS. THOUGH DANTE IS CORRECT IN BELIEVING THAT THE ASSYRIANS HELD EGYPT (THE SOLDAN’S
LAND) IT WAS NOT TILL MUCH LATER UNDER ESARHADDON.
DANTE notes:
INF C5 60 / DANTE
tenne la terra che 'l Soldan corregge. she held the countries that the Sultan rules.
VIRGIL:
INF C5 61 / DANTE INF C5 61 / KLINE
L'altra è colei che s'ancise amorosa, The next is Dido who killed herself for love,
VIRGIL QUOTES HIS OWN AENEID.
DIDO (UNSEEN) HEARS HER VOICE MENTIONED AND RESUMES HER PLAINT.
VIRGIL: or VIRGIL:
AENEID 6 450-451 / VIRGIL AENEID 6 450-451 / KLINE
inter quas Phoenissa recens a vulnere Phoenician Dido wandered, in the
Dido errabat silua in magna; great wood, her wound still fresh.
DIDO (VOICE):
AENEID SEVERAL LINES / VIRGIL AENEID SEVERAL LINES / KLINE
Troius Aeneas Aeneas the Trojan
AENEID 4 369 / VIRGIL AENEID 4 369 / KLINE
num fletu ingemuit nostro? num
lumina flexit? Did he groan at my weeping? Did he look at me?
AENEID 4 385 / VIRGIL AENEID 4 385 / KLINE
mors anima seduxerit artus, Death has divided my soul and body.
63

(ALTERNATIVELY, DIDO SPEAKS IN VIRGIL’S LATIN AND VIRGIL INTERPRETS.)
VIRGIL:
INF C5 61-62 / DANTE INF C5 61-63 / KLINE
L'altra è colei che s'ancise amorosa, The next is Dido who killed herself for love,
e ruppe fede al cener di Sicheo; and broke faith with Sichaeus’s ashes:
SICHAEUS: MYTHICAL HUSBAND OF DIDO, QUEEN OF CARTHAGE. SEE THE AENEID.
VIRGIL: or VIRGIL:
INF C5 63 / DANTE INF C5 63 / KLINE
poi è Cleopatràs lussurïosa. then comes …licentious Licentious Cleopatra.
INF C5 64-66 / DANTE
Elena vedi, per cui tanto reo See Helen, for whom, so long,
tempo si volse, e vedi 'l grande Achille, the mills of war revolved: and see the great
Achilles,
che con amore al fine combatteo. who fought in the end with love, of Polyxena.
ACHILLES: GREEK HERO OF HOMER’S ILIAD WHO AVENGES THE DEATH OF PATROCLUS BY KILLING HECTOR & DIES FROM AN
ARROW WOUND INFLICTED BY PARIS IN HIS VULNERABLE HEEL. OFFERED THE CHOICE OF GLORY OR A LONG LIFE HE CHOSE
FAME & A BRIEF EXISTENCE. ULYSSES (ODYSSEUS) MEETS HIS SOUL IN HADES (ODYSSEY 11).
INF C5 67-69 / DANTE
Vedi Parìs, Tristano»; e più di mille See Paris; Tristan…and he pointed out
ombre mostrommi e nominommi a dito, more than a thousand shadows with his finger,
ch'amor di nostra vita dipartille. whom love had severed from life.
PARIS: TROJAN PRINCE WHOSE ABDUCTION OF HELEN FROM SPARTA INITIATED THE TROJAN WAR. PARIS WAS INVOLVED IN
JUDGING THE MERITS OF THE THREE GODDESSES HERA, ATHENE & APHRODITE, CHOOSING APHRODITE, GODDESS OF LOVE,
AS SUPREME. (THE JUDGEMENT OF PARIS). TO DANTE & THE MIDDLE AGES THE TYPE OF THE GREAT (PAGAN) LOVER.
TRISTAN, TRISTRAM; LEGENDARY LOVER OF ISOLDE (ISEULT/YSEULT) IN THE MEDIEVAL STORIES CENTRED AROUND KING
ARTHUR. THE TYPE OF THE GREAT LOVER. HE WAS KILLED BY MARK, ISEULT’S HUSBAND.
INF C5 70-72 / KLINE
After I had heard my teacher name the ancient knights and ladies, pity overcame me, and I was as if dazed,
PAOLO & FRANCESCA
DANTE POINTS INTO THE DARKNESS.
DANTE:
INF C5 73-75 / DANTE INF C5 73-75 / KLINE
I' cominciai: «Poeta, volontieri I began: Poet, I would speak, willingly,
parlerei a quei due che 'nsieme vanno, to those two who go together,
e paion sì al vento esser leggeri». and seem so light upon the wind.
VIRGIL:
INF C5 76-78 / DANTE INF C5 76-78 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Vedrai quando saranno And he to me: You will see, when they are
più presso a noi; e tu allor li priega nearer to us, you can beg them, then,
per quello amor che i mena, ed ei verranno». by the love that leads them, and they will come.
DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C5 79-81 / DANTE INF C5 79-81 / KLINE
Sì tosto come il vento a noi li piega As soon as the wind brought them to us,
Mossi la voce: O anime affannate, I raised my voice: O weary souls, come
venite a noi parlar, s'altri nol niega! and talk with us, if no one prevents it.
64

♫FLIGHT OF PAOLO AND FRANCESCA * * * * * * * * * *
INF C5 81
Aerial, aetherial, posibly containing the words: colombe dal disio chiamate
DANTE WRITES OR ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE DURING THE FLIGHT.
DANTE:
INF C5 82-85 / DANTE INF C5 82-85 / KLINE
Quali colombe dal disio chiamate As doves Doves, claimed by desire, fly steadily,
con l'ali alzate e ferme al dolce nido with raised wings, through the air, to their sweet
vegnon per l'aere, dal voler portate; nest, carried by the will, so the spirits flew from
the crowd.
INF C5 85-87 / KLINE
where Dido is coming towards us through malig nant air, such was the power of my affecting call.
PAOLO AND FRANCESCA ARE SEEN FOR THE 1 ST TIME AS THEY ARRIVE, AS IF BLOWN, INTO THE LIGHT.
THEY GRASP THE BACK CURTAIN AS A PRECAUTION AGAINST THE CHORAL WIND, WHICH FALLS SILENT.
PAOLO MALATESTA *---- ? - 1285 AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
RIMINI
DESCRIPTION
IL BELLO.
FRANCESCA DA RIMINI *---- ? - 1285? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN RAVENNA.
DESCRIPTION
*
FRANCESCA DA RIMINI: LOVED PAOLO MALATESTA, IL BELLO, & WAS UNFAITHFUL TO HER HUSBAND GIANCIOTTO, THE SON
OF MALATESTA DA VERUCCHIO, LORD OF RIMINI. GIANCIOTTO STABBED TO DEATH THE UNFAITHFUL FRANCESCA WITH
PAOLO. (HE WAS STILL ALIVE IN 1300, THE DATE OF THE VISION, SO THAT THE CAÏNA, THE FIRST RING OF THE NINTH CIRCLE,
RESERVED FOR MURDERERS OF THEIR KIN, IS ‘WAITING’ FOR HIM ACCORDING TO FRANCESCA.) SHE WAS THE DAUGHTER OF
GUIDO VECCHIO DA POLENTA & AUNT OF GUIDO NOVELLO AT WHOSE COURT IN RAVENNA DANTE FOUND HIS LAST REFUGE.
PAOLO DOES NOT ACTUALLY SPEAK IN DANTE’S POEM. HERE HE GETS SOME OF FRANCESCA’S LINES.
FRANCESCA:
INF C5 88-90 / DANTE INF C5 88-90 / KLINE
O animal grazïoso e benigno O gracious and benign living creature,
che visitando vai per l'aere perso that comes to visit us, through the dark air,
noi che tignemmo il mondo di sanguigno, if the universe’s king were our friend,
INF C5 91-93 / DANTE
se fosse amico il re de l'universo, we, who tainted the earth with blood,
noi pregheremmo lui de la tua pace, would beg him to give you peace,
poi c'hai pietà del nostro mal perverso. since you take pity on our sad misfortune.
PAOLO:
INF C5 94-96 / DANTE INF C5 94-96 / KLINE
Di quel che udire e che parlar vi piace, While the wind, as now, is silent,
noi udiremo e parleremo a voi, we will hear you and speak to you,
mentre che 'l vento, come fa, ci tace. of what you are pleased to listen to and talk of.
65

FRANCESCA:
INF C5 97-99 / DANTE INF C5 97-99 / KLINE
Siede la terra dove nata fui The place where I was born is by the shore,
su la marina dove 'l Po discende where the River Po runs down to rest at peace,
per aver pace co' seguaci sui. with his attendant streams.
PAOLO:
INF C5 100 / DANTE INF C5 100 / KLINE
Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende Love, that is quickly caught in the gentle heart,
FRANCESCA:
INF C5 100-102 / DANTE INF C5 100-102 / KLINE
Amor, ch'al cor gentil ratto s'apprende, Love, that is quickly caught in the gentle heart,
prese costui de la bella persona filled him with my fair form, now lost to me,
che mi fu tolta; e 'l modo ancor m'offende. and the nature of that love still afflicts me.
PAOLO:
INF C5 103 / DANTE INF C5 103 / KLINE
Amor, ch'a nullo amato amar perdona Love, that allows no loved one to be excused from
loving,
FRANCESCA:
INF C5 103-5 / DANTE INF C5 103-5 / KLINE
Amor, ch'a nullo amato amar perdona, Love, that allows no loved one to be excused from
loving,
mi prese del costui piacer sì forte, seized me so fiercely with desire for him
che, come vedi, ancor non m'abbandona. it still will not leave me, as you can see.
PAOLO:
INF C5 106 / DANTE INF C5 106 / KLINE
Amor condusse noi ad una morte. Love led us to one death.
FRANCESCA:
INF C5 106-108 / DANTE INF C5 106-108 / KLINE
Amor condusse noi ad una morte. Love led us to one death.
Caina attende chi a vita ci spense. Caïna, in the ninth circle waits, for him who
Queste parole da lor ci fuor porte. quenched our life. These words carried to us, from
them.
INF C5 109-111 / KLINE
After I had heard those troubled spirits I bowed my head, and kept it bowed, until the poet said: ‘What are you
thinking?’
DANTE STANDS WITH BOWED HEAD [INF C5 110]. THE CHORAL WIND SHAKES PAOLO AND FRANCESCA ON
THE CURTAIN.
♫WIND STIRRING * * * * * * * * * *
INF C5 108
DANTE MURMURS.
DANTE:
INF C5 112-114 / DANTE INF C5 112-114 / KLINE
Quando rispuosi, cominciai: Oh lasso, When I replied, I began: O alas,
quanti dolci pensier, quanto disio what sweet thoughts, what longing,
menò costoro al doloroso passo! brought them to this sorrowful state?
66

DANTE TURNS AGAIN TO FRANCESCA.
DANTE:
INF C5 115-117 / DANTE INF C5 115-117 / KLINE
Poi mi rivolsi a loro e parla' io, Then I turned to them again, and I spoke,
e cominciai: «Francesca, i tuoi martìri and said: Francesca, your torment
a lagrimar mi fanno tristo e pio. makes me weep with grief and pity
INF C5 118-120 / DANTE
Ma dimmi: al tempo d'i dolci sospiri, But tell me, in that time of sweet sighs,
a che e come concedette amore how did love allow you
che conosceste i dubbiosi disiri?». to know these dubious desires?
FRANCESCA:
INF C5 121-123 / DANTE INF C5 121-123 / KLINE
E quella a me: Nessun maggior dolore And she to me: There is no greater pain,
che ricordarsi del tempo felice than to remember happy times in misery.,
ne la miseria; e ciò sa 'l tuo dottore. and this your teacher knows.
DANTE versifies:
INF C5 121-123 / DANTE INF C5 121-123 / KLINE
E quella a me: Nessun maggior dolore And she to me: There is no greater pain,
che ricordarsi del tempo felice than to remember happy times in misery,
ne la miseria; e ciò sa 'l tuo dottore. and this your teacher knows.
DANTE LOOKS AT VIRGIL.
FRANCESCA:
INF C5 124-126 / DANTE INF C5 124-126 / KLINE
Ma s'a conoscer la prima radice But if you have so great a yearning to understand
del nostro amor tu hai cotanto affetto, the first root of our love,
dirò come colui che piange e dice. I will be like one who weeps and tells.
PAOLO ADDRESSES THE WORD NOI TO FRANCESCA, JOINING THEM IN THE SAD TELLING.
PAOLO:
INF C5 127 / DANTE INF C5 127 / KLINE
Noi leggiavamo un giorno per diletto We read, one day, to our delight, of
FRANCESCA BEGINS SPEAKING. PAOLO STARTS JUST AFTER SHE STARTS AND THEY CONTINUE ALMOST
TOGETHER.
FRANCESCA: & PAOLO:
INF C5 127-129 / DANTE INF C5 127-129 / KLINE
Noi leggiavamo un giorno per diletto We read, one day, to our delight, of
di Lancialotto come amor lo strinse; Lancelot and how love constrained
soli eravamo e sanza alcun sospetto. him: we were alone and without suspicion.
LANCELOT: THE KNIGHT OF THE ROUND TABLE IN THE ARTHURIAN LEGENDS WHO LOVES QUEEN GUINEVERE, ARTHUR’S
CONSORT & INDIRECTLY BRINGS ABOUT THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ROUND TABLE & THE DEATH OF ARTHUR.
FRANCESCA: PAOLO:
INF C5 130-132 / DANTE INF C5 130-132 / KLINE
Per più fïate li occhi ci sospinse Often those words urged our eyes to meet,
quella lettura, e scolorocci il viso; and coloured our cheeks,
ma solo un punto fu quel che ci vinse. but it was a single moment that undid us.
67

NOW THEY SPEAK ALTERNATELY.
PAOLO:
INF C5 133-134 / DANTE INF C5 133-134 / KLINE
Quando leggemmo il disïato riso When we read how that lover kissed
esser basciato da cotanto amante, the beloved smile,
FRANCESCA:
INF C5 135-136 / DANTE INF C5 135-136 / KLINE
questi, che mai da me non fia diviso, he who will never be separated from me,
la bocca mi basciò tutto tremante. kissed my mouth all trembling.
PAOLO:
INF C5 137-138 / DANTE INF C5 137-138 / KLINE
Galeotto fu 'l libro e chi lo scrisse: That book was a Galeotto, a pandar,
quel giorno più non vi leggemmo avante. and he who wrote it: that day we read no more.
GALEOTTO. GALLEHAUT: THE GO-BETWEEN FOR LANCELOT & GUENEVERE, WHO URGED THE QUEEN TO GIVE LANCELOT THE
FIRST KISS.. HIS NAME WAS THEREFORE SYNONYMOUS WITH ‘PANDAR’ (‘PANDER’).
♫WIND RISES HUGELY * * * * * * * * * *
INF C5 138
THE CURTAIN BILLOWS. PAOLO AND FRANCESCA CLING TO IT AND DANTE STEPS FORWARD, AS IF TO HELP
THEM. THE CURTAIN LIFTS THE PAIR INTO THE AIR. DANTE FALLS FORWARD IN A FAINT AND BLACKNESS
DESCENDS.
WHEN THE LIGHT RISES DANTE IS SITTING, WRITING AND ADDRESSING THE AUDIENCE. VIRGIL STANDS
NEXT TO HIM. VIRGIL STANDS LOOKING INTO THE AUDIENCE.
♫RAIN * * * * * * * * * *
INF C5 139
Perhaps ‘Piova Piova Piova Piova…(‘it’s raining’) and/or ‘Rain Rain Rain Rain…’
Heavier rain might be represented by ‘Pioggia Pioggia Pioggia…’ (‘rain’ – the noun)
DANTE:
INF C5 139-141 / DANTE INF C5 139-141 / KLINE
Mentre che l'uno spirto questo disse, While the one spirit spoke, the other wept,
l'altro piangëa; sì che di pietade so that I fainted out of pity,
io venni men così com' io morisse. and, as if I were dying,
INF C5 142 / DANTE
E caddi come corpo morto cade. fell, as a dead body falls.
HE CHOPS DOWN ON EACH ACCENTED SYLLABLE WITH HIS HAND AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C5 142 / DANTE INF C5 142 / KLINE
E caddi come corpo morto cade. fell, as a dead body falls.
68

CANTO 6
CERBERUS
INF C6 1-3 / KLINE
When my senses return, that closed themselves off from pity of those two kindred, who stunned me with complete
sadness,
DANTE RISES AND WALKS ALONG THE STAGE FRONT, LOOKING DOWN INTO THE AUDIENCE AND WRITING.
VIRGIL:
INF C6 4-6 / DANTE INF C6 4-6 / KLINE
novi tormenti e novi tormentati I see around me new New torments,
mi veggio intorno, come ch'io mi mova and new tormented souls…, wherever I move,
e ch'io mi volga, e come che io guati. or turn, and wherever I gaze.
DANTE:
INF C6 4-6 / DANTE INF C6 4-6 / KLINE
novi tormenti e novi tormentati I see around me new torments,
mi veggio intorno, come ch'io mi mova and new tormented souls, wherever I move,
e ch'io mi volga, e come che io guati. or turn, and wherever I gaze.
INF C6 7-9 / DANTE
Io sono al terzo cerchio, de la piova I am in the third circle, of eternal, accursed,
etterna, maladetta, fredda e greve; cold and heavy rain:
regola e qualità mai non l'è nova. its kind and quality is never new.
HE TRANSLATES FOR THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
INF C6 7-9 / DANTE INF C6 7-9 / KLINE
Io sono al terzo cerchio, de la piova I am in the third circle, of eternal, accursed,
etterna, maladetta, fredda e greve; cold and heavy rain:
regola e qualità mai non l'è nova. its kind and quality is never new.
INF C6 10-12 / DANTE
Grandine grossa, acqua tinta e neve Large hail, tainted water, and sleet,
per l'aere tenebroso si riversa; pour down through the shadowy air:
pute la terra che questo riceve. and the earth is putrid that receives it.
THE POETS STOP AND EXCLAIM ALMOST TOGETHER.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C6 13 / DANTE INF C6 13 / KLINE
Cerbero, fiera crudele e diversa, Cerberus, the fierce and strange monster,
VIRGIL GIVES AN ABBREVIATED DESCRIPTION WHILE DANTE HANGS BACK A BIT AND VERSIFIES. THE
VERSES MAY BE COMPLETE OR KEY WORDS.
69

VIRGIL:
INF C6 13-15 / DANTE INF C6 13-15 / KLINE
Cerbero, fiera crudele e diversa, Cerberus, the fierce Fierce and strange monster,
con tre gole caninamente latra triple-throated, barks. dog-like
sovra la gente che quivi è sommersa. over the people submerged in it.
INF C6 16-18 / DANTE INF C6 16-18 / KLINE
Li occhi ha vermigli, la barba unta e atra, His eyes Eyes are crimson, his beard is foul and
black,
e 'l ventre largo, e unghiate le mani; his belly vast, and his limbs are clawed:
graffia li spirti ed iscoia ed isquatra. he snatches the spirits, flays, and quarters them.
DANTE:
INF C6 13-15 / DANTE INF C6 13-15 / KLINE
Cerbero, fiera crudele e diversa, Cerberus, the fierce and strange monster,
con tre gole caninamente latra triple-throated, barks dog-like
sovra la gente che quivi è sommersa. over the people submerged in it.
INF C6 16-18 / DANTE INF C6 16-18 / KLINE
Li occhi ha vermigli, la barba unta e atra, His eyes are crimson, his beard is foul and black,
e 'l ventre largo, e unghiate le mani; his belly vast, and his limbs are clawed:
graffia li spirti ed iscoia ed isquatra. he snatches the spirits, flays, and quarters them.
INF C6 19-21 / KLINE
The rain makes them howl like dogs: they protect one flank with the other: often writhing: miserable wretches.
VIRGIL AND DANTE JUMP BACK IN HASTE.
DANTE STOPS AT A SAFE DISTANCE FROM THE STAGE FRONT.
DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C6 22-24 / DANTE INF C6 22-24 / KLINE
Quando ci scorse Cerbero, il gran vermo, When Cerberus, the great worm, saw us,
le bocche aperse e mostrocci le sanne; he opened his jaws, and showed his fangs:
non avea membro che tenesse fermo. not a limb of his stayed still.
INF C6 25-39 / KLINE
My guide, stretching out his hands, grasped earth, and hurled it in fistfuls into his ravening mouth. Like a dog that
whines for food, and grows quiet when he eats it, only fighting and struggling to devour it, so did demon Cerberus’s
loathsome muzzles that bark, like thunder, at the spirits, so that they wish that they were deaf. We passed over the
shades, that the heavy rain subdues, and placed our feet on each empty space that seems a body. They were all lying
on the ground but one, who sat up straight away when he saw us cross in front of him:
CIACCO
A MALE SPIRIT, WHO HAD BEEN UNSEEN IN THE DARK BEHIND THEM, CALLS OUT.
CIACCO: or CIACCO:
INF C6 40-42 / DANTE INF C6 40-42 / KLINE
O tu che se' per questo 'nferno tratto, He said to me: O you, who are led through this
mi disse, riconoscimi, se sai: Inferno, recognise me if you can:
tu fosti, prima ch'io disfatto, fatto. you were made before I was unmade.
70

CIACCO 1256?? - 1286 AGE : 30??
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE. CIACCO (HOG) WAS A CONTEMPORARY OF DANTE. MENTIONED IN BOCCACCIO: DECAMERON 9 8.
DESCRIPTION
FAT.
CIACCO:
INF C6 41-42 / DANTE INF C6 41-42 / KLINE
mi disse, riconoscimi, se sai: Inferno, recognise me if you can:
tu fosti, prima ch'io disfatto, fatto. you were made before I was unmade.
DANTE:
INF C6 43-45 / DANTE INF C6 43-45 / KLINE
E io a lui: «L'angoscia che tu hai And I to him: The anguish that you suffer,
forse ti tira fuor de la mia mente, conceals you perhaps from my memory,
sì che non par ch'i' ti vedessi mai. so that it seems as if I never knew you.
INF C6 46-48 / DANTE
Ma dimmi chi tu se' che 'n sì dolente But tell me who you are, that are lodged so sadly,
loco se' messo, e hai sì fatta pena, and undergo such punishment, that though
che, s'altra è maggio, nulla è sì spiacente». there are others greater, none is so unpleasant.
CIACCO:
INF C6 49-51 / DANTE INF C6 49-51 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «La tua città, ch'è piena And he to me: Your city, that is so full
d'invidia sì che già trabocca il sacco, of envy it overflows,
seco mi tenne in la vita serena. held me in the clear life.
DANTE notes:
INF C6 49 / DANTE INF C6 49 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «La tua città…Fiorenza…,
ch'è piena And he to me: Your city, that is so full
INF C6 52-4 / DANTE
Voi cittadini mi chiamaste Ciacco: You, the citizens, called me Ciacco:
per la dannosa colpa de la gola, and for the damnable sin of gluttony, as you see,
come tu vedi, a la pioggia mi fiacco. I languish beneath the rain:
INF C6 55-57 / KLINE
and I am not the only wretched spirit, since all these are punished likewise for like sin.
DANTE:
INF C6 58-60 / DANTE INF C6 58-60 / KLINE
Io li rispuosi: «Ciacco, il tuo affanno I answered him: Ciacco, your affliction
mi pesa sì, ch'a lagrimar mi 'nvita; weighs on me, inviting me to weep,
ma dimmi, se tu sai, a che verranno but tell me, if you can,
INF C6 61-63 / DANTE
li cittadin de la città partita; what the citizens of that divided city
s'alcun v'è giusto; e dimmi la cagione will come to; if any there are just:
per che l'ha tanta discordia assalita». and the reason why such discord tears it apart.
♫PROPHECY MOTIF * * * * * * * * * *
INF C6 64
This may occur when a character talks of the supposed future. It should be short, perhaps a single
chord or arpeggio, and soft enough to avoid the bad film-music doom cliché.
71

CIACCO:
INF C6 64-66 / DANTE INF C6 64-66 / KLINE
E quelli a me: «Dopo lunga tencione And he to me: After long struggle, they will come
verranno al sangue, e la parte selvaggia to blood, and, the Whites, the party of the woods,
caccerà l'altra con molta offensione. will throw out the Blacks, with great injury.
DANTE notes:
INF C6 65 / DANTE INF C6 65 / KLINE
verranno al sangue, e la parte selvaggia to blood, and, the Whites, the party of the woods,
CIACCO:
INF C6 67-69 / DANTE INF C6 67-69 / KLINE
Poi appresso convien che questa caggia Within three years, then, it must happen,
infra tre soli, e che l'altra sormonti that the Blacks will conquer,
con la forza di tal che testé piaggia. with the help of him, who now veers about.
INF C6 70-72 / DANTE
Alte terrà lungo tempo le fronti, That party will hold its head high for a long time,
tenendo l'altra sotto gravi pesi, weighing the Whites down, under heavy
oppression,
come che di ciò pianga o che n'aonti. however they weep and however ashamed they are.
INF C6 73-75 / DANTE
Giusti son due, e non vi sono intesi; Two men are just, but are not listened to.
superbia, invidia e avarizia sono Pride, Envy and Avarice are the three
le tre faville c'hanno i cuori accesi. burning coals that have set all hearts on fire.
INF C6 76-78 / KLINE
Here he ended the mournful prophecy, and I said to him: I want you to instruct me still, and grant me a little more
speech.
DANTE:
INF C6 79-81 / DANTE INF C6 79-81 / KLINE
Farinata e 'l Tegghiaio, che fuor sì degni, Tell me where Farinata and Tegghiaio are, who
Iacopo Rusticucci, Arrigo e 'l Mosca were worthy enough, and Jacopo Rusticucci,
e li altri ch'a ben far puoser li 'ngegni, Arrigo, Mosca, and the rest who set their minds
to doing good:
FARINATA: SEE INF C10 22
RUSTICUCCI, TEGGHAIO: SEE INF C16 7-9.
ARRIGO, DE’ FIFANTI(?): HIS FAMILY IS UNCERTAIN. HE IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF MOSCA DE’ LAMBERTI’S
ACCOMPLICES IN THE MURDER OF BUONDELMONTE DE’ BUONDELMONTI, THAT INITIATED THE GUELPH & GHIBELLINE
FACTIONAL ALIGNMENTS IN FLORENCE.
MOSCA DE’ LAMBERTI: ONE OF THE INITIATORS OF THE MURDER OF BUONDELMONTE DE’ BUONDELMONTI, WHO WAS
BETROTHED TO A DAUGHTER OF THE AMIDEI, BUT BROKE FAITH AT THE INSTIGATION OF GUALDRADA DONATI. IN THE
DEBATE AS TO WHETHER HE SHOULD BE KILLED MOSCA SAID THE EVIL WORD, ‘A THING DONE HAS AN END.’ BUONDELMONTE
WAS MURDERED, AT THE FOOT OF THE STATUE OF MARS, ON THE PONTE VECCHIO, IN 1215. THE FAMILY DIVISIONS CREATED
THE GUELPH & GHIBELLINE FACTIONAL CONFLICTS.
INF C6 82-84 / DANTE
dimmi ove sono e fa ch'io li conosca; let me know of them, for a great longing
ché gran disio mi stringe di savere urges me to discover whether Heaven
se 'l ciel li addolcia o lo 'nferno li attosca». soothes them, or Hell poisons them.
CIACCO:
INF C6 85-87 / DANTE INF C6 85-87 / KLINE
E quelli: Ei son tra l'anime più nere; And he to me: They are among the blackest
diverse colpe giù li grava al fondo: spirits, another crime weighs them to the bottom:
se tanto scendi, là i potrai vedere. if you descend so deep, you may see them.
INF C6 88-89 / DANTE
Ma quando tu sarai nel dolce mondo, But when you are, again, in the sweet world,
priegoti ch'a la mente altrui mi rechi: I beg you to recall me to other minds:
più non ti dico e più non ti rispondo. I tell you no more, and more I will not answer.
INF C6 91-93 / KLINE
At that he turned his fixed gaze askance, and looked at me a while: then, bent his head, and lowered himself, and it,
among his blind companions.
72

CIACCO FIXES HIS GAZE ASKANCE AND LOWERS HIS HEAD [INF C6 91-93]. DANTE WATCHES HIM AND
WAITS WITH HIS STYLUS, THEN WRITES.
DANTE:
INF C6 90 / DANTE INF C6 90 / KLINE
più non ti dico e più non ti rispondo. I tell you no more, and more I will not answer.
VIRGIL AND DANTE BEGIN WALKING.
VIRGIL:
INF C6 94-96 / DANTE INF C6 94-96 / KLINE
E 'l duca disse a me: «Più non si desta And my guide said to me: He will not stir further,
di qua dal suon de l'angelica tromba, until the angelic trumpet sounds,
quando verrà la nimica podesta: when the Power opposing evil will come:
INF C6 97-99 / DANTE
ciascun rivederà la trista tomba, each will revisit his sad grave,
ripiglierà sua carne e sua figura, resume his flesh and form,
udirà quel ch'in etterno rimbomba». and hear what will resound through eternity.
INF C6 100-102 / KLINE
So we passed over the foul brew of rain & shadows, with slow steps, speaking a little of the future life.
DANTE:
INF C6 103-105 / DANTE INF C6 103-105 / KLINE
per ch'io dissi: «Maestro, esti tormenti Of this I asked: Master, will these torments
increase,
crescerann' ei dopo la gran sentenza, after the great judgement,
o fier minori, o saran sì cocenti?». or lessen, or stay as fierce?
VIRGIL:
INF C6 106-108 / DANTE INF C6 106-108 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Ritorna a tua scïenza, And he to me:Remember your science,
che vuol, quanto la cosa è più perfetta, that says, that the more perfect a thing is,
più senta il bene, e così la doglienza. the more it feels pleasure and pain.
INF C6 109-111 / DANTE
Tutto che questa gente maladetta Though these accursed ones will never
in vera perfezion già mai non vada, achieve true perfection,
di là più che di qua essere aspetta». they will be nearer to it after, than before.
INF C6 112-114 / KLINE
We circled along that road, speaking of much more than I repeat: we came to the place where the descent begins,
where we found
VIRGIL AND DANTE WALK UNTIL VIRGIL IS STOPPED BY AN UGLY SIGHT, NOT SEEN BY THE AUDIENCE.
VIRGIL:
INF C6 115 / DANTE INF C6 115 / KLINE
quivi trovammo Pluto , il gran nemico Plutus, the god of wealth, the great enemy!
73

PLUTO / PLUTUS *MYTHICAL AGE : *?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY: 1 LINE
PLUTO ASSIGNED THE RULE OF THE UNDERWORLD. DANTE MERGES HIM WITH PLUTUS, GOD OF THE RICHES DUG FROM THE
GROUND & THEREFORE THE SOURCE OF THE SIN OF AVARICE & THE ‘GREAT ENEMY’.
HE CALLS BACK TO DANTE, WHO CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C6 115 / DANTE INF C6 115 / KLINE
quivi trovammo Pluto , il gran nemico Plutus, the god of wealth, the great enemy!
♫INFERNAL: 1 NOTE * * * * * * * * * *
INF C6 115
CANTO 7
74

PLUTUS
A GREAT VOICE CROAKS.
PLUTUS:
INF C7 1-3 / DANTE INF C7 1-3 / KLINE
Pape Satàn, pape Satàn aleppe!, Pape Satàn, pape Satàn aleppe!,
cominciò Pluto con la voce chioccia; Plutus began to croak, and the gentle sage,
e quel savio gentil, che tutto seppe, who understood all things,
PAPE SATÀN: A CRY OF ALARM OR WARNING TO LUCIFER THAT HIS REALM IS INVADED BY SOME UNUSUAL
APPARITION…DANTE HIMSELF HARDLY SEEMS TO HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE WORDS, THOUGH HE SUGGESTS THAT VIRGIL DID.
(LONGFELLOW)
VIRGIL:
INF C7 4-6 / DANTE INF C7 4-6 / KLINE
disse per confortarmi: «Non ti noccia comforted me, saying: Do not let fear hurt you,
la tua paura; ché, poder ch'elli abbia, since whatever power he has, he will not
non ci torrà lo scender questa roccia». prevent you descending this rock.’
DANTE notes:
INF C7 7 / DANTE INF C7 7 / KLINE
Poi si rivolse a quella 'nfiata labbia, Then he turned to that swollen face
VIRGIL: or VIRGIL:
INF C7 7-9 / DANTE INF C7 7-9 / KLINE
Poi si rivolse a quella 'nfiata labbia, Then he turned to that swollen face
e disse: «Taci, maladetto lupo! and said: Peace, evil wolf!...
consuma dentro te con la tua rabbia. Devour yourself inside, in your rage.
VIRGIL:
INF C7 9 / DANTE INF C7 9 / KLINE
consuma dentro te con la tua rabbia. devour yourself inside, in your rage.
INF C7 10-12 / DANTE
Non è sanza cagion l'andare al cupo: Our journey to the depths is not without reason:
it
vuolsi ne l'alto, là dove Michele is willed on high, there where Michael made war
fé la vendetta del superbo strupo». on the great dragon’s adulterating pride.
INF C7 13-18 / KLINE
Like a sail, bellying in the wind, that falls in a heap, if the mast breaks, so that cruel creature fell to earth. In that
way we descended into the fourth circle, taking in a greater width of the dismal bank, that encloses every evil of the
universe.
THEY DESCEND THE → R → INTO THE 4 TH CIRCLE [INF C7 16-18] AND THEIR VOICES CONTINUE.
INF C7 19-36 / KLINE
O Divine Justice! Who can tell the many new pains and troubles, that I saw, and why our guilt so destroys us? As
the wave, over Charybdis, strikes against the wave it counters, so the people here are made to dance. I found more
people here than elsewhere, on the one side and on the other, rolling weights by pushing with their chests, with loud
howling. They struck against each other, and then each wheeled around where they were, rolling the reverse way,
shouting: ‘Why do you hold?’ and ‘Why do you throw away.’ So they returned along the gloomy circle, from either
side to the opposite point, shouting again their measure of reproach. Then each one, when he had reached it,
wheeled through his half circle onto the other track. And I, who felt as if my heart were pierced,
75

CHURCHMEN & FORTUNE
♫INFERNAL: FAINT * * * * * * * * * *
INF C7 37
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C7 37-39 / DANTE INF C7 37-39 / KLINE
dissi: «Maestro mio, or mi dimostra said: My Master, show me now who these people
are:
che gente è questa, e se tutti fuor cherci and whether all those, with tonsures,
questi chercuti a la sinistra nostra». on our left were churchmen.
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C7 40-42 / DANTE INF C7 40-42 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Tutti quanti fuor guerci And he to me: They were so twisted in mind
sì de la mente in la vita primaia, in their first life,
che con misura nullo spendio ferci. that they made no balanced expenditure.
INF C7 43-45 / DANTE
Assai la voce lor chiaro l'abbaia, Their voices bark this out most clearly
quando vegnono a' due punti del cerchio when they come to the two ends of the circle,
dove colpa contraria li dispaia. where opposing sins divide them.
INF C7 46-48 / DANTE
Questi fuor cherci, che non han coperchio These were priests, that are without hair on their
piloso al capo, e papi e cardinali, heads, and Popes and Cardinals,
in cui usa avarizia il suo soperchio». in whom avarice does its worst.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C7 49-51 / DANTE INF C7 49-51 / KLINE
E io: «Maestro, tra questi cotali And I: Master, surely, amongst this crowd,
dovre' io ben riconoscere alcuni I ought to recognise some of those
che furo immondi di cotesti mali». tainted with these evils.
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C7 52-54 / DANTE INF C7 52-54 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Vano pensiero aduni: And he to me: You link idle thoughts:
la sconoscente vita che i fé sozzi, the life without knowledge, that made them
ignoble,
ad ogne conoscenza or li fa bruni. now makes them incapable of being known.
INF C7 55-57 / DANTE
In etterno verranno a li due cozzi: They will go butting each other to eternity:
questi resurgeranno del sepulcro and these will rise from their graves
col pugno chiuso, e questi coi crin mozzi. with grasping fists, and those with shorn hair.
INF C7 58-60 / DANTE
Mal dare e mal tener lo mondo pulcro Useless giving, and useless keeping,
ha tolto loro, e posti a questa zuffa: has robbed them of the bright world, and set them
qual ella sia, parole non ci appulcro. to this struggle: what struggle it is, I do not
amplify.
DANTE notes (VOICE):
INF C7 58 / DANTE INF C7 58 / KLINE
Mal dare e mal tener lo mondo pulcro Useless giving, and useless keeping,
76

VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C7 61-63 / DANTE INF C7 61-63 / KLINE
Or puoi, figliuol, veder la corta buffa But you, my son, You can see now the vain
d'i ben che son commessi a la fortuna, mockery of the wealth controlled by Fortune,
per che l'umana gente si rabbuffa; for which the human race fight with each other.,
INF C7 64-66 / DANTE
ché tutto l'oro ch'è sotto la luna since all All the gold under the moon,
e che già fu, di quest' anime stanche that ever was, could not give peace
non poterebbe farne posare una». to one of these weary souls.
THEY EMERGE FROM THE → L → .
DANTE:
INF C7 67-69 / DANTE INF C7 67-69 / KLINE
«Maestro mio», diss' io, «or mi dì anche: I said to him: Master, now tell me about Fortune
questa fortuna di che tu mi tocche, also, that subject you touched on, who is she,
che è, che i ben del mondo ha sì tra
branche?». who has the wealth of the world in her arms?
VIRGIL:
INF C7 67-69 / DANTE INF C7 67-69 / KLINE
«Maestro mio», diss' io, «or mi dì anche: I said to him: Master, now tell me about Fortune
questa fortuna di che tu mi tocche, also, that subject you touched on, who is she,
che è, che i ben del mondo ha sì tra
branche?». who has the wealth of the world in her arms?
INF C7 70-72 / DANTE
And he to me: ‘O, blind creatures, how great is the ignorance that surrounds you! I want you, now, to hear my
judgement of her.
VIRGIL:
INF C7 73-75 / DANTE INF C7 73-75 / KLINE
Colui lo cui saver tutto trascende, He whose wisdom transcends all things,
fece li cieli e diè lor chi conduce made the heavens, and gave them ruling powers,
sì, ch'ogne parte ad ogne parte splende, so that each part illuminates the others,
INF C7 76-78 / DANTE
distribuendo igualmente la luce. distributing the light equally.
Similemente a li splendor mondani Similarly he put in place a controller,
ordinò general ministra e duce and a guide, for earthly splendour,
INF C7 79-81 / DANTE
che permutasse a tempo li ben vani to alter, from time to time, idle possession,
di gente in gente e d'uno in altro sangue, between nation and nation, and from kin to kin,
oltre la difension d'i senni umani; beyond the schemes of human reason.
INF C7 82-84 / DANTE
per ch'una gente impera e l'altra langue, So one people commands: another wanes,
seguendo lo giudicio di costei, obeying her judgement, she who is concealed,
che è occulto come in erba l'angue. like a snake in the grass.
DANTE notes and corrects:
INF C7 84 / DANTE INF C7 84 / KLINE
un serpente…?
che è occulto come in erba l'angue. like a snake [eel] in the grass.
VIRGIL:
INF C7 85-87 / DANTE INF C7 85-87 / KLINE
Vostro saver non ha contasto a lei: Your wisdom cannot comprehend her: she
questa provede, giudica, e persegue furnishes, adjudicates, and maintains
suo regno come il loro li altri dèi. her kingdom, as the other gods do theirs.
77

INF C7 88-90 / DANTE
Le sue permutazion non hanno triegue: Her permutations never end:
necessità la fa esser veloce; necessity makes her swift:
sì spesso vien chi vicenda consegue. so, often, someone comes who creates change.
INF C7 91-93 / DANTE
Quest' è colei ch'è tanto posta in croce This is she: so often reviled, even by those
pur da color che le dovrien dar lode, who ought to praise her, but, wrongly,
dandole biasmo a torto e mala voce; blame her, with malicious words.
INF C7 94-96 / DANTE
ma ella s'è beata e ciò non ode: Still, she is in bliss, and does not hear:
con l'altre prime creature lieta she spins her globe, joyfully,
volve sua spera e beata si gode. among the other primal spirits and tastes her bliss.
THE POETS REACH THE → R → AGAIN.
VIRGIL:
INF C7 97-99 / DANTE INF C7 97-99 / KLINE
Or discendiamo omai a maggior pieta; Now let us descend to greater misery: already
già ogne stella cade che saliva every star is declining, that was rising when I
quand' io mi mossi, e 'l troppo star si vieta. set out, and we are not allowed to stay too long.
STAR IS DECLINING: BY DEDUCTION, IN THE FIFTH CIRCLE IT IS SATURDAY PRE-DAWN.
DANTE:
INF C7 97 / DANTE INF C7 97 / KLINE
Or discendiamo omai a maggior pieta; Now let us descend to greater misery:
→ R→
THEY DESCEND, GO ONCE MORE ROUND, THEN STOP ON THE ‘BRIDGE’ ACROSS THE STREAM.
THE STYX
♫INFERNAL: FAINT * * * * * * * * * *
INF C7 99
INF C7 100-105 / KLINE
We crossed the circle to the other bank, near a spring, that boils and pours down, through a gap that it has made. The
water was darker than a dark blue-grey, and we entered the descent by a strange path, in company with the dusky
waves.
VIRGIL POINTS DOWN AT THE STREAM.
VIRGIL:
INF C7 106-108 / DANTE INF C7 106-108 / KLINE
In la palude va c'ha nome Stige This woeful stream forms the marsh called Styx,
questo tristo ruscel, quand' è disceso when it has fallen to the foot
al piè de le maligne piagge grige. of the grey malignant walls.
78

[VERSE SPOKEN BY DANTE ORIGINALLY]
DANTE versifies:
INF C7 106-107 / DANTE INF C7 106-108 / KLINE
In la palude va c'ha nome Stige This woeful stream forms the marsh called Styx,
questo tristo ruscel, quand' è disceso when it has fallen to the foot
INF C7 109-114 / KLINE
And I who stood there, intent on seeing, saw muddy people in the fen, naked, and all with the look of anger. They
were striking each other, not only with hands, but head, chest, and feet, mangling each other with their teeth, bite by
bite.
VIRGIL POINTS INTO THE DARKNESS.
VIRGIL:
INF C7 115-117 / DANTE INF C7 115-117 / KLINE
Lo buon maestro disse: «Figlio, or vedi The kind master said: Now, son,
l'anime di color cui vinse l'ira; see the souls of those overcome by anger,
e anche vo' che tu per certo credi and also, I want you to know, in truth,
VIRGIL BENDS TO LOOK INTO THE WATER.
VIRGIL:
INF C7 118-120 / DANTE INF C7 118-120 / KLINE
che sotto l'acqua è gente che sospira, there are people under the water, who sigh,
e fanno pullular quest' acqua al summo, and make it bubble on the surface,
come l'occhio ti dice, u' che s'aggira. as your eye can see whichever way it turns.
INF C7 121-123 / DANTE
Fitti nel limo dicon: ``Tristi fummo Fixed in the slime they say: “We were sullen
ne l'aere dolce che dal sol s'allegra, in the sweet air, that is gladdened by the sun,
portando dentro accidïoso fummo: bearing indolent smoke in our hearts:
INF C7 124 / DANTE INF C7 124 / KLINE
or ci attristiam ne la belletta negra". now we lie here, sullen, in the black mire.”
VIRGIL:
INF C7 124 / DANTE INF C7 124 / KLINE
or ci attristiam ne la belletta negra". now we lie here, sullen, in the black mire.”
DANTE BENDS DOWN TO LISTEN, THEN CLUTCHES HIS THROAT AND GURGLES, CLOSING THE CANTO.
CANTO 8
DANTE:
INF C7 125-126 INF C7 125-126
Quest' inno si gorgoglian ne la strozza, This measure they gurgle in their throats,
ché dir nol posson con parola integra». because they cannot utter it in full speech.
INF C7 127-130 / KLINE
So we covered a large arc of the loathsome swamp, between the dry bank and its core, our eyes turned towards those
who swallow its filth: we came at last to the base of a tower.
INF C8 1-3 / KLINE
I say, pursuing my theme, that long before we reached the base of the high tower, our eyes looked upwards to its
summit,
79

THE FERRY: PHLEGYAS
DANTE POINTS TO THINGS BACKSTAGE FAR OUT OF SIGHT OF THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
INF C8 4-6 / DANTE INF C8 4-6 / KLINE
per due fiammette che i vedemmo porre, because we saw I see a two beacon-flames flame
e un'altra da lungi render cenno, set there, and another, from so far away. that the
eye
tanto ch'a pena il potea l'occhio tòrre. could scarcely see it, gave a signal in return.
INF C8 7-9 / DANTE
E io mi volsi al mar di tutto 'l senno; And I turned to the fount of all knowledge, and
dissi: «Questo che dice? e che risponde asked: What does it say? And what does is the
quell' altro foco? e chi son quei che 'l fenno? other light reply? And who Who has made the
signal?
VIRGIL:
INF C8 10-12 / DANTE INF C8 10-12 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Su per le sucide onde And he to me: Already you can see,
già scorgere puoi quello che s'aspetta, what is expected, coming over the foul waters,
se 'l fummo del pantan nol ti nasconde». if the marsh vapours do not hide it from you.
DANTE LOOKS AND VERSIFIES.
DANTE:
INF C8 10-12 / DANTE INF C8 10-12 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Su per le sucide onde And he to me: Already you can see,
già scorgere puoi quello che s'aspetta, what is expected, coming over the foul waters,
se 'l fummo del pantan nol ti nasconde». if the marsh vapours do not hide it from you.
INF C8 13-15 / DANTE: INF C8 13-15 / KLINE
Corda non pinse mai da sé saetta No bowstring ever shot an arrow
che sì corresse via per l'aere snella, that flew through the air so quickly,
com' io vidi una nave piccioletta as the little boat,
INF C8 16-17 / DANTE
venir per l'acqua verso noi in quella, that I saw coming towards us, through the waves,
sotto 'l governo d'un sol galeoto, under the control of a single steersman,
VIRGIL POINTS OUT SOMETHING TO THE AUDIENCE.
VIRGIL:
INF C8 15 / DANTE: INF C8 15 / KLINE:
com' io vidi una nave piccioletta as the a little boat,
INF C8 16 / DANTE
venir per l'acqua verso noi in quella, that I saw coming towards us, through the waves,
PHLEGYAS IS NOT SEEN UNTIL HE APPEARS STANDING IN THE STERN OF HIS ALMOST-IMAGINARY BOAT
NEXT TO VIRGIL AND DANTE. THE POLE HE PUSHES IT WITH IS IN HIS HANDS.
80

PHLEGYAS MYTHICAL AGE : *?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
*
PHLEGYAS AVENGED HIS DAUGHTER CORONIS, RAPED BY APOLLO, BY BURNING DOWN THE GOD’S TEMPLE AT DELPHI FOR
WHICH HE WAS CONDEMNED TO TARTARUS.
PHLEGYAS: & PHLEGYAS:
INF C8 18 / DANTE INF C8 18 / KLINE
che gridava: Or se' giunta, anima fella! who cried: Are you here, now, fierce spirit?
AENEID 1 620 / VIRGIL or AENEID 1 620 / KLINE
discite iustitiam moniti et non temnere
diuos Learn justice: be warned, and don’t despise the
gods.
VIRGIL IS MORE THAN A BIT IRRITATED AT HAVING HIS OWN WORDS QUOTED AT HIM.
VIRGIL:
INF C8 19-21 / DANTE INF C8 19-21 / KLINE
«Flegïàs, Flegïàs, tu gridi a vòto», My Master said: Phlegyas, Phlegyas,
disse lo mio segnore, «a questa volta: this time you cry in vain: you shall not
più non ci avrai che sol passando il loto». keep us longer than it takes us to pass the marsh.
INF C8 22-30 / KLINE
Phlegyas in his growing anger was like someone who listens to some great wrong done him, and then fills with
resentment. My guide climbed down into the boat and then made me board after him, and it only sank in the water
when I was in. As soon as my guide and I were in the craft, its prow went forward, ploughing deeper through the
water than it does carrying others.
DANTE WRITES AND REPEATS VIRGIL’S CRY, LICENSED TO DO SO FOR RECORDING PURPOSES.
DANTE:
INF C8 19 / DANTE INF C8 19 / KLINE
«Flegïàs, Flegïàs!, tu gridi a vòto», My Master said: Phlegyas, Phlegyas,
VIRGIL STEPS ON BOARD AND HELPS DANTE DO THE SAME.
♫INFERNAL: BOAT TRIP? * * * * * * * * * *
INF C8 19
THE POETS REMAIN STANDING DURING THE ‘TRIP’. THE ‘BOAT’ MAY ONLY APPEAR TO MOVE
(SUGGESTED BY THE SWIRLING, DARK ATMOSPHERE).
OR, THE BOAT MOVES BY PHLEGYAS, VIRGIL AND DANTE SHUFFLING TOGETHER IN MOMENTS OF
DARKNESS.
ALTERNATIVELY, AGAIN, THE BOAT IS ALMOST REAL, A BOARD PULLED ACROSS THE STAGE FROM
OFFSTAGE BY A ROPE. ANY JERKINESS WOULD FIT WITH PHLEGYAS’S ANGRY POLLING.
AFTER A LITTLE WHILE, THE SPIRIT OF FILIPPO ARGENTI APPEARS AT THE EDGE OF THE STAGE AND
MOVES SLOWLY TOWARDS THE BOAT ON HIS KNEES, AS IF WADING THROUGH MUD.
81

FILIPPO ARGENTI *---- ? - *---- ? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
PATRICIAN.
FILIPPO ARGENTI: A FLORENTINE NOBLE, NOTORIOUS FOR HIS FIERCE TEMPER & OVERBEARING CONDUCT. HE & THE
ADIMARI FAMILY MAY ALSO HAVE BEEN HOSTILE TO DANTE.
IN BOCACCIO’S COMMENTO ARGENTI HAD HIS HORSE SHOD WITH SILVER & FROM THIS HE HAD HIS SURNAME (LONGFELLOW).
FILIPPO ARGENTI:
INF C8 31-33 / DANTE INF C8 31-33 / KLINE
Mentre noi corravam la morta gora, While we were running through the dead channel,
dinanzi mi si fece un pien di fango, one rose up, one rose up in front of me, covered
with
e disse: «Chi se' tu che vieni anzi ora?». mud and said: Who are you, that come before your
time?
DANTE:
INF C8 34-35 / DANTE INF C8 34-35 / KLINE
E io a lui: «S'i' vegno, non rimango; And I to him: If I come, I do not stay here:
ma tu chi se', che sì se' fatto brutto?». but who are you, who are so mired?
FILIPPO APPEALS TO VIRGIL AND DANTE IN TURN.
FILIPPO ARGENTI: & FILIPPO ARGENTI:
INF C8 36 / DANTE INF C8 36 / KLINE
Vedi che son un che piango He answered: You see that I am one who weeps.
DANTE:
INF C8 37-39 / DANTE INF C8 37-39 / KLINE
E io a lui: «Con piangere e con lutto, And I to him: Cursed spirit,
spirito maladetto, ti rimani; remain weeping and in sorrow!
ch'i' ti conosco, ancor sie lordo tutto». For I know you, muddy as you are.
ARGENTI ATTEMPTS TO GET ONTO THE BOAT AND VIRGIL PUSHES HIM OFF.
ARGENTI DISAPPEARS BACKSTAGE.
VIRGIL:
INF C8 40-42 / DANTE INF C8 40-42 / KLINE
Allor distese al legno ambo le mani; Then he stretched both hands out to the boat,
per che 'l maestro accorto lo sospinse, at which the cautious Master pushed him off,
saying:
dicendo: «Via costà con li altri cani!». Away, there, with the other dogs!
VIRGIL PUTS HIS ARM ROUND DANTE’S NECK AND KISSES HIS FACE [INF C8 43].
VIRGIL:
INF C8 43-45 / DANTE INF C8 43-45 / KLINE
Lo collo poi con le braccia mi cinse; Then he put his arms around my neck,
basciommi 'l volto e disse: «Alma sdegnosa, kissed my face, and said: Blessed be she who
benedetta colei che 'n te s'incinse! bore you, soul, who are rightly indignant.
DANTE notes:
INF C8 44-45 / DANTE INF C8 44-45 / KLINE
basciommi 'l volto e disse: Alma sdegnosa, kissed my face, and said: Blessed be she
benedetta colei che 'n te s'incinse! who bore you, soul, who are rightly indignant.
82

VIRGIL:
INF C8 46-48 / DANTE INF C8 46-48 / KLINE
Quei fu al mondo persona orgogliosa; He was an arrogant spirit in your world:
bontà non è che sua memoria fregi: there is nothing good with which to adorn
così s'è l'ombra sua qui furïosa. his memory: so his furious shade is here.
INF C8 49-51 / DANTE
Quanti si tegnon or là sù gran regi How many up there think themselves mighty kings,
che qui staranno come porci in brago, that will lie here like pigs in mire,
di sé lasciando orribili dispregi!». leaving behind them dire condemnation!
DANTE:
INF C8 52-54 / DANTE INF C8 52-54 / KLINE
E io: «Maestro, molto sarei vago Master, I would be glad to see
di vederlo attuffare in questa broda him doused in this swill before
prima che noi uscissimo del lago». we quit the lake.
VIRGIL:
INF C8 55-57 / DANTE INF C8 55-57 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Avante che la proda And he to me: You will be satisfied,
ti si lasci veder, tu sarai sazio: before the shore is visible to you:
di tal disïo convien che tu goda». it is right that your wish should be gratified.
INF C8 58-60 / KLINE
Not long after this I saw the muddy people make such a rending of him, that I still give thanks and praise for it.
THEY TRAVEL A LITTLE FURTHER AND SPIRITS./.SPIRITS SHOUT IN THE DISTANCE.
SPIRITS / SPIRITS (VOICES): & SPIRITS / SPIRITS (VOICES):
INF C8 61-63 / DANTE INF C8 61-63 / KLINE
Tutti gridavano: A Filippo Argenti!; All shouted: At Filippo Argenti!
e 'l fiorentino spirito bizzarro That fierce Florentine spirit turned
in sé medesmo si volvea co' denti. his teeth in vengeance on himself.
SPIRITS SPIRITS
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
* *
DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY. VOICE ONLY.
INF C8 64-66 / KLINE
We left him there, so that I can say no more of him, but a sound of wailing assailed my ears, so that I turned my
gaze in front, intently.
83

CITY OF DIS: FALLEN ANGELS
VIRGIL:
INF C8 67-69 / DANTE INF C8 67-69 / KLINE
Lo buon maestro disse: «Omai, figliuolo, Omai, figliuolo… The kind Master said: Now,
s'appressa la città c'ha nome Dite, my son, we approach the city they call Dis,
coi gravi cittadin, col grande stuolo». with its grave citizens, a vast crowd.
DANTE notes:
INF C8 68 / DANTE INF C8 68 / KLINE
s'appressa la città c'ha nome Dite, my son, we approach the city they call Dis,
LINED UP AT THE BACK OF THE STAGE, STANDING ON RECTANGULAR BOXES BEHIND OTHERS, AS IF ON A
BATTLEMENT, IS EVERY AVAILABLE ACTOR AND SINGER, INCLUDING ALL THE MUSES (NOT STANDING
TOGETHER).
THE EXCEPTION IS A LARGE MALE ACTOR AT STAGE LEVEL IN FRONT OF A DOOR-SHAPED GAP BETWEEN 2
BOXES.
DOORKEEPER AGE :
DESCRIPTION
*
INF C8 70-78 / KLINE
And I: ‘Master, I can already see its towers, clearly there in the valley, glowing red, as if they issued from the fire.’
And he to me: ‘The eternal fire, that burns them from within, makes them appear reddened, as you see, in this deep
Hell.’ We now arrived in the steep ditch, that forms the moat to the joyless city: the walls seemed to me as if they
were made of iron.
PHLEGYAS: or PHLEGYAS:
INF C8 79-81 / DANTE INF C8 79-81 / KLINE
Non sanza prima far grande aggirata, Not until we had made a wide circuit,
venimmo in parte dove il nocchier forte did we reach a place where the ferryman said to us:
Usciteci, gridò: qui è l'intrata. Disembark: here is the entrance.
DANTE AND VIRGIL STEP OFF THE ‘BOAT’. DANTE BEGINS WRITING IN HIS BOOK.
DANTE:
INF C8 82-83 / DANTE INF C8 82-83 / KLINE
Io vidi più di mille in su le porte I saw see more than a thousand of those angels,
da ciel piovuti, che stizzosamente that fell from Heaven like rain, above the gates
FALLEN ANGELS: & FALLEN ANGELS:
INF C8 84 / DANTE INF C8 84 / KLINE
dicean: Chi è costui che sanza morte who cried angrily: Who is this, that, without death
FALLEN ANGELS FALLEN ANGELS
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
VARIOUS. VARIOUS.
INF C8 85-87 / DANTE
va per lo regno de la morta gente?». goes through the kingdom of the dead?
E 'l savio mio maestro fece segno And my wise Master made a sign to them,
di voler lor parlar segretamente. of wishing to speak in private.
84

VIRGIL MAKES ‘A SIGN’ TO THE DOORKEEPER OF WISHING TO SPEAK IN PRIVATE’ [INF C8 86-87].
THE FALLEN ANGELS CLAMOUR.
BEATRICE IS SPOTLIT ◙
IN HEAVEN, READING HER WHITE BIBLE. SHE MANIFESTS HERSELF ON THE TOP
→ L→ STEP OF THE STAGE, UNSEEN BY ANYBODY IN HELL.
THE CLAMOUR REACHES HER. SHE CLOSES THE BIBLE, FACES ACROSS THE STAGE AND HEAVENWALKS.
DURING THIS ACTION DANTE VERSIFIES.
DANTE:
INF C8 85-87 / DANTE INF C8 85-87 / KLINE
va per lo regno de la morta gente?». goes through the kingdom of the dead?
E 'l savio mio maestro fece segno And my wise Master made a sign to them,
di voler lor parlar segretamente. of wishing to speak in private.
THE FALLEN ANGELS QUIETEN SOMEWHAT.
FALLEN ANGEL 1:
INF C8 88-90 / DANTE INF C8 88-90 / KLINE
Allor chiusero un poco il gran disdegno Then they furled their great disdain,
e disser: «Vien tu solo, e quei sen vada and said: Come on, alone, and let him go,
che sì ardito intrò per questo regno. who enters this kingdom with such audacity.
FALLEN ANGEL 2:
INF C8 91-93 / DANTE INF C8 91-93 / KLINE
Sol si ritorni per la folle strada: Let him return, alone, on his foolish road.
pruovi, se sa; ché tu qui rimarrai, See if he can: and you, remain,
che li ha' iscorta sì buia contrada. who have escorted him, through so dark a land.
DANTE:
INF C8 94-96 / DANTE INF C8 94-96 / KLINE
Pensa, lettor, se io mi sconfortai Think, Reader, whether I was not disheartened
nel suon de le parole maladette, at the sound of those accursed words,
ché non credetti ritornarci mai. not believing I could ever return here.
DANTE APPEALS TO VIRGIL.
DANTE:
INF C8 97-99 / DANTE INF C8 97-99 / KLINE
O caro duca mio, che più di sette I said: O my dear guide, who has ensured
volte m'hai sicurtà renduta e tratto my safety more than seven times, and snatched
d'alto periglio che 'ncontra mi stette, me from certain danger that faced me,
INF C8 100-102 / DANTE
non mi lasciar, diss’ io, così disfatto; do not leave me, so helpless:
e se 'l passar più oltre ci è negato, and if we are prevented from going on,
ritroviam l'orme nostre insieme ratto. let us quickly retrace our steps.
VIRGIL:
INF C8 103-105 / DANTE INF C8 103-105 / KLINE
E quel segnor che lì m'avea menato, And that lord, who had led me there, said to me:
mi disse: «Non temer; ché 'l nostro passo Have no fear: since no one can deny us passage:
non ci può tòrre alcun: da tal n'è dato. it was given us by so great an authority.
INF C8 106-108 / DANTE
Ma qui m'attendi, e lo spirito lasso But you, wait for me, and comfort and nourish
conforta e ciba di speranza buona, your spirit with fresh hope,
ch'i' non ti lascerò nel mondo basso». for I will not abandon you in the lower world.
85

VIRGIL APPROACHES THE DOORKEEPER. DANTE GOES ON WRITING.
DANTE:
INF C8 109-111 / DANTE INF C8 109-111 / KLINE
Così sen va, e quivi m'abbandona So the gentle father goes, and leaves me there,
lo dolce padre, e io rimagno in forse, and I am left in doubt:
che sì e no nel capo mi tenciona. since ‘yes’ and ‘no’ war inside my head.
INF C8 112-117 / KLINE
I could not hear what terms he offered them, but he had not been standing there long with them, when, each vying
with the other, they rushed back. Our adversaries closed the gate in my lord’s face, leaving him outside, and he
turned to me again with slow steps.
DANTE QUIETLY VERSIFIES AS VIRGIL INAUDIBLY CLAIMS HIS AUTHORITY TO ENTER.
DANTE:
INF C8 109-111 / DANTE INF C8 109-111 / KLINE
Così sen va, e quivi m'abbandona So the gentle father goes, and leaves me there,
lo dolce padre, e io rimagno in forse, and I am left in doubt:
che sì e no nel capo mi tenciona. since ‘yes’ and ‘no’ war inside my head.
♫Sì? Sì? Sì?...No! No! No * * * * * * * * * *
INF C8 111
The Angels on the battlement sing a high-pitched travesty of Virgil’s argument, consisting entirely
of repetitions of the question: Sì?
The Angels peer over the battlement at the doorkeeper. After a long moment the doorkeeper gives
the smallest shake of his head.
The Angels sing a mocking repeated: No!
Virgil tries again twice. Each time the Angels raise the pitch of the Sì? ’s, and lower the pitch and
raise the volume of their No! ’s.
After the third attempt, a bass single No! may be sung by Satan within the City.
VIRGIL RETURNS TO DANTE, LOOKING DISTRESSED [INF C8 112-117].
VIRGIL:
INF C8 118-120 / DANTE INF C8 118-120 / KLINE
Li occhi a la terra e le ciglia avea rase His eyes were on the ground, and his expression
d'ogne baldanza, e dicea ne' sospiri: devoid of all daring, and he said, sighing: Who are
«Chi m'ha negate le dolenti case!». these who deny me entrance to the house of pain?
INF C8 121-123 / DANTE
E a me disse: «Tu, perch' io m'adiri, And to me he said: Though I am angered,
non sbigottir, ch'io vincerò la prova, do not you be dismayed: I will win the trial,
qual ch'a la difension dentro s'aggiri. whatever obstacle those inside contrive.
INF C8 124-126 / DANTE
Questa lor tracotanza non è nova; This insolence of theirs is nothing new,
ché già l'usaro a men segreta porta, for they displayed it once before, at that less secret
la qual sanza serrame ancor si trova. gate we passed, that has remained unbarred.
INF C8 127-129 / DANTE
Sovr' essa vedestù la scritta morta: Over it you saw the fatal writing, and already
e già di qua da lei discende l'erta, on this side of its entrance, one is coming,
passando per li cerchi sanza scorta, down the steep, passing the circles unescorted,
86

INF C8 130 / DANTE
tal che per lui ne fia la terra aperta». one for whom the city shall open to us.
DANTE NOTES EARLIER WORDS FROM VIRGIL THEN CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C8 119-120 / DANTE INF C8 119-120 / KLINE
d'ogne baldanza, e dicea ne' sospiri: devoid of all daring, and he said, sighing: Who are
«Chi m'ha negate le dolenti case!». these who deny me entrance to the house of pain?
INF C8 122 / DANTE INF C8 122 / KLINE
non sbigottir, ch'io vincerò la prova, do not you be dismayed: I will win the trial,
INF C8 128-129 / DANTE INF C8 128-129 / KLINE
e già di qua da lei discende l'erta, on this side of its entrance, one is coming,
passando per li cerchi sanza scorta, down the steep, passing the circles unescorted,
INF C8 130 / DANTE
tal che per lui ne fia la terra aperta». one for whom the city shall open to us.
A HEAVENLY SPOTLIGHT..◙ ..PICKS OUT THE HEAVENLY MESSENGER MANIFESTING ON THE → R → .
HEAVENLY MESSENGER AGE : 30?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
HEAVEN.
DESCRIPTION
SEEN ONLY HERE (SPEAKS LATER). HEAVENLY ROBE, DOZING WITH A BLISSFUL LOOK. THERE IS A BIBLE ON
HIS KNEES.
ANOTHER HEAVENLY SPOTLIGHT..◙ .PICKS OUT BEATRICE HEAVENWALKING IN HIS DIRECTION. THE
SPOTLIGHTS TURN OFF TOGETHER.
CANTO 9
INF C9 1-6 / KLINE
The colour that cowardice had printed on my face, seeing my guide turn back, made him repress his own heightened
colour more swiftly. He stopped, attentive, like one who listens, since his eyes could not penetrate far, through the
black air and the thick fog.
VIRGIL IS ‘STOPPED, ATTENTIVE, LIKE ONE WHO LISTENS’ [INF C9 4]. HE IS WAITING FOR THE HELP
PROMISED BY BEATRICE.
VIRGIL:
INF C9 7-9 / DANTE INF C9 7-9 / KLINE
«Pur a noi converrà vincer la punga», Nevertheless we must win this struggle, he began,
cominciò el, «se non . . . Tal ne s'offerse. if not … then help such as this was offered to us.
Oh quanto tarda a me ch'altri qui giunga!». Oh, how long it seems to me, that other’s coming!
INF C9 10-15 / KLINE
I saw clearly, how he hid the meaning of his opening words with their sequel, words differing from his initial
thought. None the less his speech made me afraid, perhaps because I took his broken phrases to hold a worse
meaning than they did.
87

DANTE IS AFRAID, SEEING ‘HOW HE HID THE MEANING OF HIS OPENING WORDS WITH THEIR SEQUEL,
WORDS DIFFERING FROM THEIR INITIAL THOUGHT’ [INF C9 10-15].
HE WALKS AROUND A LITTLE AND RETURNS TO VIRGIL.
DANTE:
INF C9 16-18 / DANTE INF C9 16-18 / KLINE
In questo fondo de la trista conca Do any of those whose only punishment
discende mai alcun del primo grado, is deprivation of hope, ever descend, into the
che sol per pena ha la speranza cionca? depths of this sad chasm, from the first circle?
VIRGIL:
INF C9 19-21 / DANTE INF C9 19-21 / KLINE
Questa question fec' io; e quei «Di rado I asked this question, and he answered me:
incontra», mi rispuose, «che di noi It rarely happens, that any of us
faccia il cammino alcun per qual io vado. make the journey that I go on.
INF C9 22-24 / DANTE
Ver è ch'altra fïata qua giù fui, It is true that I was down here, once before,
congiurato da quella Eritón cruda conjured to do so by that fierce sorceress Erichtho,
che richiamava l'ombre a' corpi sui. who recalled spirits to their corpses.
ERICHTHO: THESSALIAN SORCERESS MENTIONED BY LUCAN (PHARSALIA 6 507-826), WHERE SHE SUMMONS UP THE SPIRIT OF
A DEAD SOLDIER FOR SEXTUS POMPEIUS BEFORE THE BATTLE OF PHARSALIA. DANTE’S REFERENCE IS TO SOME FURTHER
UNKNOWN TRADITION ABOUT HER PRESENCE IN THE LOWEST REGIONS OF HELL, THE GIUDECCA (JUDECCA).
DANTE notes:
INF C9 23 / DANTE INF C9 23 / KLINE
congiurato da quella Eritón cruda conjured to do so by that fierce sorceress Erichtho,
VIRGIL:
INF C9 25-27 / DANTE INF C9 25-27 / KLINE
Di poco era di me la carne nuda, My flesh had only been stripped from me a while
ch'ella mi fece intrar dentr' a quel muro, when she forced me to enter inside that wall,
per trarne un spirto del cerchio di Giuda. to bring a spirit out of the circle of Judas.
INF C9 28-30 / DANTE
Quell' è 'l più basso loco e 'l più oscuro, That is the deepest place, and the darkest,
e 'l più lontan dal ciel che tutto gira: and the furthest from that Heaven that surrounds
ben so 'l cammin; però ti fa sicuro. all things: I know the way well: so be reassured.
INF C9 31-33 / DANTE
Questa palude che 'l gran puzzo spira This marsh, that breathes its foul stench,
cigne dintorno la città dolente, circles the woeful city round about,
u' non potemo intrare omai sanz' ira». where we also cannot enter now without anger.
INF C9 34-45 / KLINE
And he said more that I do not remember, because my eyes had been drawn to the high tower, with the glowing
crest, where, in an instant, three hellish Furies, stained with blood, had risen, that had the limbs and aspects of
women, covered with a tangle of green hydras, their hideous foreheads bound with little adders, and horned vipers.
VIRGIL CATCHES SIGHT OF POLYHYMNIA, URANIA AND CLIO MOVING TO FORM A TRIO IN THE MIDDLE, OR
AT THE END, OF THE BATTLEMENT.
THEY WEAR THEIR USUAL DRESS TO IMPERSONATE THE FURIES. THEY DO NOT HAVE [INF C9 34-42, 49-51]
‘HIDEOUS FOREHEADS BOUND WITH LITTLE ADDERS AND HORNED VIPERS’. NOR ARE THEY
BLOODSTAINED AND TEARING AT THEMSELVES WITH CLAWS’.
VIRGIL: & DANTE:
INF C9 43-45 / DANTE INF C9 43-45 / KLINE
E quei, che ben conobbe le meschine And Virgil, who knew the handmaids of the queen
de la regina de l'etterno pianto, of eternal sadness well, said to me:
Guarda, mi disse, le feroci Erine. See, the fierce Erinyes: the Furies.
ERINYES: EUMENIDES OR KINDLY ONES, A EUPHEMISM FOR THE ERINYES, THE THREE SISTERS, THE FURIES, WHO LIVE IN
EREBUS. THEY PUNISH CRIMES BY HOUNDING THE WRONGDOER & ACTING AS THE UNREMITTING CONSCIENCE. FOR DANTE
THEY SYMBOLISE REMORSE. THE RECOLLECTION OF PAST SINS IS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF DESPAIR, DELAYING PENITENCE &
TURNING THE SOUL BACK TO WRONGDOING.
88

VIRGIL:
INF C9 46-48 / DANTE INF C9 46-48 / KLINE
Quest' è Megera dal sinistro canto; That is Megaera on the left: the one that weeps,
quella che piange dal destro è Aletto; on the right, is Alecto:
Tesifón è nel mezzo; e tacque a tanto. Tisiphone is in the middle. Then he was silent.
INF C9 49-51 / KLINE
Each one was tearing at her breast with her claws, beating with her hands, and crying out so loudly, that I pressed
close to the poet, out of fear.
THE FURIES LOOK BEHIND FOR MEDUSA.
FURY 1 / THALIA: & FURY 2 / URANIA:
INF C9 52-54 / DANTE INF C9 52-54 / KLINE
«Vegna Medusa: sì 'l farem di smalto», Let Medusa come…, they all said, looking down
dicevan tutte riguardando in giuso; on us, so that we can turn him to stone:
«mal non vengiammo in Tesëo l'assalto». we did not fully revenge Theseus’s attack.
MEDUSA: ONE OF THE GORGONS. THE OTHER TWO ARE EURYALE & STHEINO. MEDUSA WAS RAPED BY NEPTUNE (POSEIDON)
IN THE TEMPLE OF MINERVA (ATHENE), WHO CHANGED HER TO A WINGED MONSTER WITH SNAKES FOR HAIR, HER GAZE
TURNING ANYONE WHO LOOKED AT HER TO STONE. PERSEUS DECAPITATED HER, LOOKING AT HER REFLECTION IN HIS SHIELD
& USED HER HEAD TO TURN ATLAS TO STONE. SHE SYMBOLISES OBDURACY, DELAYING REPENTANCE.
THESEUS: LEGENDARY KING OF ATHENS WHO KILLED THE MINOTAUR, AIDED BY ARIADNE, THE DAUGHTER OF KING MINOS
OF CRETE. HE ALSO MADE AN UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT TO RESCUE PROSERPINE. HE WAS PUNISHED BY BEING PLACED IN
HADES, AND, IN THE VERSION OF THE MYTH THAT DANTE FOLLOWS, WAS RESCUED BY HERCULES.
FURY 3 / CLIO:
INF C9 52-54 / DANTE INF C9 52-54 / KLINE
«Vegna Medusa: sì 'l farem di smalto», Let Medusa come, they all said, looking down
dicevan tutte riguardando in giuso; on us, so that we can turn him to stone:
«mal non vengiammo in Tesëo l'assalto». we did not fully revenge Theseus’s attack.
VIRGIL:
INF C9 55-57 / DANTE INF C9 55-57 / KLINE
Volgiti 'n dietro e tien lo viso chiuso; Turn your back. Keep your eyes closed,
ché se 'l Gorgón si mostra e tu 'l vedessi, since there will be no return upwards, if she
nulla sarebbe di tornar mai suso». were to show herself, and you were to see her.
INF C9 58-63 / KLINE
said the Master, and he himself turned me round. Not leaving it to me, he covered them, also, with his own hands. O
you, who have clear minds, take note of the meaning that conceals itself under the veil of clouded verse!
VIRGIL TURNS DANTE ROUND AND COVERS DANTE’S EYES, ALREADY CLOSED, WITH HIS (VIRGIL’S)
HANDS [INF C9 58-60].
FURY 3 / CLIO:
INF C9 55-57 / DANTE INF C9 55-57 / KLINE
Volgiti 'n dietro e tien lo viso chiuso; Turn… your back. Keep your eyes closed,
ché se 'l Gorgón si mostra e tu 'l vedessi, since there will be no return upwards., if she
nulla sarebbe di tornar mai suso». were to show herself, and you were to see her.
INF C9 64-72 / KLINE
Now, over the turbid waves, there came a fearful crash of sound, at which both shores trembled; a sound like a
strong wind, born of conflicting heat, that strikes the forest, remorselessly, breaks the branches, and beats them
down, and carries them away, advances proudly in a cloud of dust, and makes wild creatures, and shepherds, run for
safety.l
DANTE TRIES TO TURN BUT VIRGIL HOLDS HIM.
VIRGIL UNCOVERS DANTE’S EYES [INF C9 73], WHICH ARE FACING THE BACK OF THE AUDITORIUM.
89

VIRGIL:
INF C9 73-75 / DANTE INF C9 73-75 / KLINE
Li occhi mi sciolse e disse:
Or drizza il nerbo Virgil uncovered my eyes, and said: Now direct
del viso su per quella schiuma antica your vision to that ancient marsh, there,
per indi ove quel fummo è più acerbo. where the mists are thickest.
DANTE TURNS SLOWLY ROUND, WATCHING THE PROGRESS OF THE UNSEEN HEAVENLY MESSENGER
TOWARDS THE CITY OF DIS. THERE IS A ‘A FEARFUL CRASH OF SOUND [INF C9 65], MADE BY THE
ANGELS LEAPING INTO THE CITY OFF THE BATTLEMENTS.
♫CRASH! * * * * * * * * * *
INF C9 75 from INF C9 64
DANTE:
INF C9 76-78 / DANTE INF C9 76-78 / KLINE
Come le rane innanzi a la nimica Like frogs, that all scatter through the water,
biscia per l'acqua si dileguan tutte, in front of their enemy the snake,
fin ch'a la terra ciascuna s'abbica, until each one squats on the bottom,
INF C9 79-81 / DANTE
vid' io più di mille anime distrutte so I saw more than a thousand damaged spirits
fuggir così dinanzi ad un ch'al passo scatter in front of one who passed
passava Stige con le piante asciutte. the Stygian ferry with dry feet.
INF C9 82-84 / DANTE
Dal volto rimovea quell' aere grasso, He waved that putrid air from his face,
menando la sinistra innanzi spesso; often waving his left hand before it,
e sol di quell' angoscia parea lasso. and only that annoyance seemed to weary him.
VIRGIL INTERPRETS./.TRANSLATES.
VIRGIL:
INF C9 76-78 / DANTE INF C9 76-78 / KLINE
Come le rane innanzi a la nimica Like frogs, that all scatter through the water,
biscia per l'acqua si dileguan tutte, in front of their enemy the snake,
fin ch'a la terra ciascuna s'abbica, until each one squats on the bottom,
INF C9 79-81 / DANTE
vid' io più di mille anime distrutte so I saw more than a thousand damaged spirits
scatter,
fuggir così dinanzi ad un ch'al passo in front of one who passed
passava Stige con le piante asciutte. the Stygian ferry with dry feet.
INF C9 82-84 / DANTE
Dal volto rimovea quell' aere grasso, He waved that putrid air from his face,
menando la sinistra innanzi spesso; often waving his left hand before it,
e sol di quell' angoscia parea lasso. and only that annoyance seemed to weary him.
DANTE AND VIRGIL ADDRESS THE AUDIENCE TOGETHER.
90

DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C9 85-87 / DANTE INF C9 85-87 / KLINE
Ben m'accorsi ch'elli era da ciel messo, I well knew he He was a messenger from Heaven.,
e volsimi al maestro; e quei fé segno and I turned to the Master, who made
ch'i' stessi queto ed inchinassi ad esso. a gesture that I should stay quiet, and bow to him.
INF C9 88-90 / DANTE INF C9 88-90 / KLINE
Ahi quanto mi parea pien di disdegno! How full of indignation he seemed to me!
Venne a la porta e con una verghetta He reached the gate, and opened it with a wand:
l'aperse, che non v'ebbe alcun ritegno. there was no resistance.
THE MESSENGER SPEAKS FROM INSIDE THE CITY.
HEAVENLY MESSENGER (VOICE):
INF C9 91-93 / DANTE INF C9 91-93 / KLINE
O cacciati del ciel, gente dispetta», On the vile threshold he began to speak:
cominciò elli in su l'orribil soglia, O cacciati del ciel…outcasts from Heaven…
«ond' esta oltracotanza in voi s'alletta? why does this insolence still live in you?
INF C9 94-96 / DANTE
Perché recalcitrate a quella voglia Why are you recalcitrant to that will,
a cui non puote il fin mai esser mozzo, whose aims can never be frustrated,
e che più volte v'ha cresciuta doglia? and that has often increased your torment?
HEAVENLY MESSENGER (VOICE):
INF C9 97-99 / DANTE INF C9 97-99 / KLINE
Che giova ne le fata dar di cozzo? What use is it to butt your heads against the Fates?
Cerbero vostro, se ben vi ricorda, If you remember, your Cerberus still shows
ne porta ancor pelato il mento e 'l gozzo». a throat and chin scarred from doing so.
DANTE AND VIRGIL WALK TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE TO THE CITY OF DIS, WATCHING AND NOTING THE
DEPARTURE OF THE MESSENGER.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C9 100-102 / DANTE INF C9 100-102 / KLINE
Poi si rivolse per la strada lorda, Then he returned, over the miry pool,
e non fé motto a noi, ma fé sembiante and spoke no word to us, but looked like one
d'omo cui altra cura stringa e morda preoccupied and driven by other cares,
INF C9 103-105 / DANTE
che quella di colui che li è davante; than of those who stand before him.
e noi movemmo i piedi inver' la terra, And we stirred our feet towards the city,
sicuri appresso le parole sante. in safety, after his sacred speech.
♫INFERNAL: SOFT * * * * * * * * * *
INF C9 105
DANTE AND VIRGIL ENTER THE CITY AND DARKNESS FALLS. DANTE’S VOICE COMES OVER THE MUSIC AS
MOST OF THE DIS BATTLEMENT BOXES ARE REMOVED AND THOSE LEFT ARE TURNED ON THEIR SIDE TO
REPRESENT SEPULCHRES INSIDE DIS.
91

DANTE (VOICE):
INF C9 106-108 / DANTE INF C9 106-108 / KLINE
Dentro li 'ntrammo sanz' alcuna guerra; We entered Dis without a conflict,
e io, ch'avea di riguardar disio and I gazed around, as soon as I as was inside,
la condizion che tal fortezza serra, eager to know what punishment
INF C9 109-11 / DANTE
com' io fui dentro, l'occhio intorno invio: the place enclosed, and saw
e veggio ad ogne man grande campagna, on all sides a vast plain
piena di duolo e di tormento rio. full of pain and vile torment.
THE MUSIC CEASES. DANTE AND VIRGIL ARE HEARD APPROACHING THE STAGE FROM OFFSTAGE.
INF C9 112-126 / KLINE
As at Arles, where the Rhone stagnates, or Pola, near the Gulf of Quarnaro, that confines Italy, and bathes its coast,
the sepulchres make the ground uneven, so they did here, all around, only here the nature of it was more terrible.
Flames were scattered amongst the tombs, by which they were made so red-hot all over, that no smith’s art needs
hotter metal. Their lids were all lifted, and such fierce groans came from them, that, indeed, they seemed to be those
of the sad and wounded. And I said: ‘Master, who are these people, entombed in those vaults, who make themselves
known by tormented sighing?’
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C9 127-129 / DANTE INF C9 127-129 / KLINE
E quelli a me: «Qui son li eresïarche And he to me: Here are the arch-heretics,
con lor seguaci, d'ogne setta, e molto with their followers, of every sect: and the tombs
più che non credi son le tombe carche. contain many more than you might think.
INF C9 130-132 / DANTE
Simile qui con simile è sepolto, Here like is buried with like,
e i monimenti son più e men caldi». and the monuments differ in degrees of heat.
E poi ch'a la man destra si fu vòlto, Then after turning to the right,
INF C9 133 / DANTE
passammo tra i martìri e li alti spaldi. we passed between the tormented, and the steep
ramparts.
DANTE NOTES AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C9 131 / DANTE INF C9 131 / KLINE
e i monimenti son più e men caldi». and the monuments differ in degrees of heat.
INF C9 133 / DANTE INF C9 133 / KLINE
passammo tra i martìri e li alti spaldi. we passed between the tormented, and the steep
ramparts.
CANTO 10
INF C10 1-3 / KLINE
Now my Master goes, and I, behind him, by a secret path between the city walls and the torments.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C10 4-6 / DANTE INF C10 4-6 / KLINE
«O virtù somma, che per li empi giri I began: ‘O, summit of virtue, who leads me round
mi volvi», cominciai, «com' a te piace, through the circles of sin, as you please,
parlami, e sodisfammi a' miei disiri. speak to me, and satisfy my longing.
92

INF C10 7-9 / DANTE
La gente che per li sepolcri giace Can those people who lie
potrebbesi veder? già son levati in the sepulchres be seen?
tutt' i coperchi, e nessun guardia face». The lids are all raised, and no one keeps guard.
INF C10 10-12 / KLINE
And he to me: They will all be shut, when When they return here, from Jehoshaphat, with the bodies they left above.
DANTE AND VIRGIL ARE NOW ON STAGE, BUT CANNOT BE SEEN IN THE DARKNESS.
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C10 13-15 / DANTE INF C10 13-15 / KLINE
Suo cimitero da questa parte hanno In this place Epicurus and all
con Epicuro tutti suoi seguaci, his followers are entombed,
che l'anima col corpo morta fanno. who say the soul dies with body.
THE NEO-EPICUREAN CATARI & PATERINI HERETICS OF THE THIRTEENTH & FOURTEENTH CENTURIES MAY HAVE DENIED THE
RESURRECTION OF THE BODY & THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL. EPICURUS CERTAINLY CONCENTRATED ON LIFE IN THIS
WORLD & WAS RETICENT ABOUT THE AFTERLIFE.
INF C10 16-18 / DANTE
Però a la dimanda che mi faci Therefore, you will soon be satisfied, with an
quinc' entro satisfatto sarà tosto, answer to the question that you ask me, and also
e al disio ancor che tu mi taci». the longing that you hide from me, here, inside.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C10 19-21 / DANTE INF C10 19-21 / KLINE
E io: «Buon duca, non tegno riposto And I: Kind guide, I do not keep my heart
hidden
a te mio cuor se non per dicer poco, from you, except by speaking too briefly,
e tu m'hai non pur mo a ciò disposto». something to which you have previously
inclined me.
FARINATA DEGLI UBERTI SITS UP IN A BOX SEPULCHRE. A FIERY GLOW FROM INSIDE THE SEPULCHRE
LIGHTS HIM AND THE 2 POETS. THE GLOW MAY BE RELEASED BY THE LID BEING OPENED. BETTER, THE
BOXES ARE LIDLESS AND THE GLOW IS RELEASED WHEN THE OCCUPANT RISES.
FARINATA DEGLI UBERTI:
INF C10 22-24 / DANTE INF C10 22-24 / KLINE
«O Tosco che per la città del foco O Tuscan, who goes alive through the city of fire,
vivo ten vai così parlando onesto, speaking so politely,
piacciati di restare in questo loco. may it please you to rest in this place.
FARINATA DEGLI UBERTI ---- ? - 1264? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE. FIERCE SPEECH.
DESCRIPTION
*
HEAD OF THE UBERTI CLAN FROM 1239, WHO SUPPORTED THE GHIBELLINES, DANTE’S PARTY. HE ANNIHILATED THE
FLORENTINE GUELPHS AT THE BATTLE OF MONTAPERTI (A VILLAGE NEAR SIENA, ON A HILL NEAR THE RIVER ARBIA) ON
SEPTEMBER 4TH 1260. FARINATA OPPOSED THE DESTRUCTION OF FLORENCE URGED BY THE SIENESE, AND PISANS, BUT
AFTER THE FINAL TRIUMPH OF THE GUELPHS IN 1266, THE FAMILY WERE EXCLUDED FROM AMNESTY, AND BANISHED
FOREVER. WHEN ARNOLFO DI CAMBIO BUILT THE PALAZZO VECCHIO IN FLORENCE HE WAS FORBIDDEN TO BUILD WHERE THE
REBEL UBERTI HOUSES HAD STOOD.
DANTE JUMPS IN FEAR.
93

FARINATA DEGLI UBERTI:
INF C10 25-27 / DANTE INF C10 25-27 / KLINE
La tua loquela ti fa manifesto Your speech shows clearly you are a native
di quella nobil patrïa natio, of that noble city
a la qual forse fui troppo molesto. that I perhaps troubled too much.
INF C10 28-30 / KLINE
This sound came suddenly from one of the vaults, at which, in fear, I drew a little closer to my guide.
VIRGIL: or VIRGIL:
INF C10 31-33 / DANTE INF C10 31-33 / KLINE
Ed el mi disse: Volgiti! Che fai? And he said to me: Turn round: what are you
Vedi là Farinata che s'è dritto: doing: look at Farinata, who has raised
da la cintola in sù tutto 'l vedrai. himself: you can see him all from the waist up.
INF C10 34-36 / KLINE
I had already fixed my gaze on him, and he rose erect in stance and aspect, as if he held the Inferno in great disdain.
VIRGIL PUSHES DANTE TOWARDS FARINATA [INF C10 38].
VIRGIL: or VIRGIL:
INF C10 37-39 / DANTE INF C10 37-39 / KLINE
E l'animose man del duca e pronte The spirited and eager hands of my guide
mi pinser tra le sepulture a lui, pushed me through the sepulchres towards him,
dicendo: Le parole tue sien conte. saying: Make sure your words are measured.
FARINATA DEMANDS ‘ALMOST CONTEMPTUOUSLY’ [INF C10 41] IN ITALIAN, AND WHEN
DANTE IS TOO STUNNED TO REPLY, SWITCHES TO ENGLISH.
FARINATA: & FARINATA:
INF C10 40-42 / DANTE INF C10 40-42 / KLINE
Com' io al piè de la sua tomba fui, When I was at the base of the tomb, Farinata
looked
guardommi un poco, e poi, quasi sdegnoso, at me for a while, and then, almost contemptuously,
mi dimandò: Chi fuor li maggior tui? he demanded of me: Who were your ancestors?
INF C10 43-45 / KLINE
I, desiring to obey, concealed nothing, but revealed the whole to him, at which he raised his brows a little.
DANTE REPLIES, INAUDIBLY TO THE AUDIENCE.
FARINATA:
INF C10 46-48 / DANTE INF C10 46-48 / KLINE
poi disse: «Fieramente furo avversi Then he said: They were fiercely opposed to me,
a me e a miei primi e a mia parte, and my ancestors and my party,
sì che per due fïate li dispersi». so that I scattered them twice.
DANTE:
INF C10 49-51 / DANTE INF C10 49-51 / KLINE
«S'ei fur cacciati, ei tornar d'ogne parte», I replied: Though they were driven out, they
returned
rispuos' io lui, «l'una e l'altra fïata; from wherever they were, the first and the second
ma i vostri non appreser ben quell' arte». time, but your party have not yet learnt that skill.
INF C10 52-57 / KLINE
Then, a shadow rose behind him from the unclosed space, visible down to the tip of its chin: I think it had raised
itself on to its knees. It gazed around me, as if it wished to see whether anyone was with me, but when all its hopes
were quenched,
94

A SPIRIT RISES FROM ITS FIERY SEPULCHRE BEHIND FARINATA ‘VISIBLE DOWN TO THE TIP OF ITS CHIN’. IT
GAZES AROUND DANTE ‘AS IF IT WISHED TO SEE WHETHER ANYONE WAS WITH ME’ THEN LAMENTS [INF
C10 52-58].
CAVALCANTE CAVALCANTI:
INF C10 58-60 / DANTE INF C10 58-60 / KLINE
piangendo disse: «Se per questo cieco it said, weeping: If by power of intellect,
carcere vai per altezza d'ingegno, you go through this blind prison,
mio figlio ov' è? e perché non è teco?». where is my son, and why is he not with you?
CAVALCANTE CAVALCANTI *---- - *---- ? AGE : 70??
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
*
CAVALCANTE CAVALCANTI: FATHER OF GUIDO CAVALCANTI. SEE BOCCACCIO’S DECAMERON 6 9, WHICH CONCERNS GUIDO.
DANTE:
INF C10 61-63 / DANTE INF C10 61-63 / KLINE
E io a lui: «Da me stesso non vegno: And I to him: I do not come through my own
colui ch'attende là, per qui mi mena initiative: he that waits there, whom your Guido
forse cui Guido vostro ebbe a disdegno». disdained perhaps, leads me through this place.
GUIDO DE’ CAVALCANTI: POET, BORN 1250-1259, WAS FARINATA’S SON-IN-LAW & A PROMINENT WHITE GUELPH. HE
MARRIED FARINATA’S DAUGHTER, BEATRICE, DURING ONE OF THE ATTEMPTS TO FORGE PEACE THROUGH MARRIAGE
ALLIANCES. HE, ‘THE FIRST OF MY FRIENDS’, & DANTE ARE THE CHIEF POETS OF THE FLORENTINE SCHOOL OF THE DOLCE STIL
NUOVE STYLE OF LYRIC POETRY THAT SUPERSEDED THE BOLOGNESE SCHOOL OF GUIDO GUINICELLI. THE VITA NUOVA WAS
DEDICATED TO GUIDO. HE WAS EXILED WITH THE WHITES (A DECISION DANTE WAS PARTY TO) IN JUNE 1300 TO SARZANA IN
THE LUNIGIANA. ALLOWED TO RETURN TO FLORENCE, DUE TO ILLNESS, CAUSED BY THE UNHEALTHY LOCALITY, HE DIED IN
THE AUGUST & WAS BURIED ON AUGUST 29TH, BUT WAS STILL ALIVE AT THE TIME OF THE VISION ITSELF.
INF C10 64-66 / KLINE
His words and the nature of his punishment had spelt his name to me, so that my answer was a full one.
CAVALCANTE CAVALCANTI STANDS [INF C10 67], RELEASING MORE FIERY LIGHT.
CAVALCANTE CAVALCANTI:
INF C10 67-69 / DANTE INF C10 67-69 / KLINE
Di sùbito drizzato gridò: «Come? Suddenly raising himself erect, he cried:
dicesti ``elli ebbe"? non viv' elli ancora? What did you say? Disdained? Is he not still
non fiere li occhi suoi lo dolce lume?». alive? Does the sweet light not strike his eyes?
INF C10 70-75 / KLINE
When he saw that I delayed in answering, he dropped supine again, and showed himself no more. But the other one,
at whose wish I had first stopped, generously did not alter his aspect or move his neck, or turn his side.
DANTE DELAYS HIS ANSWER AND CAVALCANTE DROPS OUT OF SIGHT [INF C10 70-72].
FARINATA CONTINUES HIS PREVIOUS WORDS WITHOUT MOVING HIS HEAD [INF C10 73-75] AS DANTE MAY
QUIETLY VERSIFY.
DANTE:
INF C10 67-69 / DANTE INF C10 67-69 / KLINE
Di sùbito drizzato gridò: «Come? Suddenly raising himself erect, he cried:
dicesti ``elli ebbe"? non viv' elli ancora? What did you say? Disdained? Is he not still alive?
non fiere li occhi suoi lo dolce lume?». Does the sweet light not strike his eyes?
FARINATA:
INF C10 76-78 / DANTE INF C10 76-78 / KLINE
e sé continüando al primo detto, Continuing his previous words, he said:
«S'elli han quell' arte», disse, «male appresa, And if my party have learnt that art of return badly,
ciò mi tormenta più che questo letto. it tortures me more than this bed,
95

♫PROPHECY MOTIF * * * * * * * * * *
INF C10 78
FARINATA:
INF C10 79-81 / DANTE INF C10 79-81 / KLINE
Ma non cinquanta volte fia raccesa but the face of the moon-goddess Persephone,
la faccia de la donna che qui regge, who rules here, will not be crescent fifty times,
che tu saprai quanto quell' arte pesa. before you learn the difficulty of that art.
PERSEPHONE: THE VEGETATION RITUALS OF CERES-DEMETER & PERSEPHONE FORMED THE ESSENCE OF THE SECRET
MYSTERIES AT ELEUSIS. ONE OF THE INCARNATIONS OF THE TRIPLE MOON-GODDESS.
YOU LEARN: FARINATA WARNS HIM OF HIS LONG EXILE, TELLING HIM THAT NOT FIFTY MOONS WILL PASS BEFORE HE LEARNS
HOW HARD IT IS TO RETURN FROM BANISHMENT. THE DATE OF THE VISION IS APRIL 1300 & DANTE’S EFFORTS AT RETURN
WERE THWARTED BY THE FAILURE OF POPE BENEDICT XI, WHO SUCCEEDED BONIFACE TO ACHIEVE RECONCILIATION IN
EARLY 1304. BENEDICT VISITED FLORENCE BUT LEFT ON JUNE 4TH LEAVING THE REBELLIOUS CITY UNDER AN INTERDICT. IT
WAS LESS THAN FIFTY ONE LUNAR MONTHS BEFORE DANTE’S EFFORTS AT RETURN FAILED, SUGGESTING A COMMUNICATION
WITH BENEDICT (DANTE WAS ACTING AS SECRETARY THEN TO ALLESSANDRO DA ROMANO, OF THE OLD GHIBELLINE FAMILY
OF THE COUNTS GUIDI, WHO WAS THE LEADER OF THE GHIBELLINES IN EXILE) SOME TIME IN MARCH OR EARLY APRIL.
INF C10 82-84 / DANTE
E se tu mai nel dolce mondo regge, And, as you wish to return to the sweet world,
dimmi: perché quel popolo è sì empio tell me why that people is so fierce towards my kin,
incontr' a' miei in ciascuna sua legge? in all its lawmaking?
DANTE:
INF C10 85-87 / DANTE INF C10 85-87 / KLINE
Ond' io a lui: «Lo strazio e 'l grande scempio At which I answered him: The great slaughter
che fece l'Arbia colorata in rosso, and havoc, that dyed the Arbia red, is the cause
tal orazion fa far nel nostro tempio». of those indictments against them, in our churches.
FARINATA:
INF C10 88-90 / DANTE INF C10 88-90 / KLINE
Poi ch'ebbe sospirando il capo mosso, Then he shook his head, sighing, and said:
«A ciò non fu' io sol», disse, «né certo I was not alone in that matter, nor would I
sanza cagion con li altri sarei mosso. have joined with the others without good cause,
INF C10 91-93 / DANTE
Ma fu' io solo, là dove sofferto but I was alone, there, when all agreed
fu per ciascun di tòrre via Fiorenza, to raze Florence to the ground,
colui che la difesi a viso aperto». and I openly defended her.
DANTE:
INF C10 94-96 / DANTE INF C10 94-96 / KLINE
Deh, se riposi mai vostra semenza», Ah, as I hope your descendants might sometime
prega' io lui, «solvetemi quel nodo have peace, I begged him, solve the puzzle
che qui ha 'nviluppata mia sentenza. that has entangled my mind.
INF C10 97-99 / DANTE
El par che voi veggiate, se ben odo, It seems, if I hear right, that you see
dinanzi quel che 'l tempo seco adduce, beforehand what time brings,
e nel presente tenete altro modo». but have a different knowledge of the present.
FARINATA:
INF C10 100-102 / DANTE INF C10 100-102 / KLINE
«Noi veggiam, come quei c'ha mala luce, Like one who has imperfect vision’, he said,
le cose», disse, «che ne son lontano; we see things that are distant from us: so much
cotanto ancor ne splende il sommo duce. of the light the supreme Lord still allows us.
96

INF C10 103-105 / DANTE
Quando s'appressano o son, tutto è vano But when they approach, or come to be, our
nostro intelletto; e s'altri non ci apporta, intelligence is wholly void, and we know nothing
nulla sapem di vostro stato umano. of your human state, except what others tell us.
INF C10 106-108 / DANTE
Però comprender puoi che tutta morta So you may understand that all our knowledge
fia nostra conoscenza da quel punto of the future will end, from the moment
che del futuro fia chiusa la porta». when the Day of Judgement closes the gate of
futurity.’
DANTE:
INF C10 109-111 / DANTE INF C10 109-111 / KLINE
Allor, come di mia colpa compunto, Will you therefore, tell that fallen one,
dissi: «Or direte dunque a quel caduto Cavalcanti, now, that his son Guido
che 'l suo nato è co' vivi ancor congiunto; is still joined to the living.
INF C10 112-114 / DANTE
e s'i' fui, dianzi, a la risposta muto, And if I was silent before in reply, let him
fate i saper che 'l fei perché pensava know it was because my thoughts were already
già ne l'error che m'avete soluto». entangled in that error you have resolved for me.
INF C10 115-123 / KLINE
And now my Master was recalling me, at which I begged the spirit, with more haste, to tell me who was with him.
He said to me: ‘I lie here with more than a thousand: here inside is Frederick the Second, and the Cardinal, Ubaldini,
and of the rest I am silent.’ At that he hid himself, and I turned my steps towards the poet of antiquity, reflecting on
the words that boded trouble for me.
VIRGIL BECKONS TO DANTE AND THEY MOVE ON.
INF C10 124-126 / KLINE
Virgil moved on, and then, as we were leaving, said to me: Why are you so bewildered? And I satisfied his question.
VIRGIL:
INF C10 127-129 / DANTE INF C10 127-129 / KLINE
«La mente tua conservi quel ch'udito The sage exhorted me: Let your mind retain
hai contra te», mi comandò quel saggio; what you have heard of your fate,
«e ora attendi qui», e drizzò 'l dito: and note this:, and he raised his finger,
VIRGIL RAISES HIS FINGER.
VIRGIL
INF C10 130-132 / DANTE INF C10 130-132 / KLINE
quando sarai dinanzi al dolce raggio When you stand before the sweet rays of
di quella il cui bell' occhio tutto vede, that lady, whose bright eyes see everything, you
da lei saprai di tua vita il vïaggio. will learn the journey of your life through her.
DANTE GLOWS, WRITES, SPEAKS AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C10 130-132 / DANTE INF C10 130-132 / KLINE
quando sarai dinanzi al dolce raggio When you stand before the sweet rays of
di quella il cui bell' occhio tutto vede, that lady, whose bright eyes see everything, you
da lei saprai di tua vita il vïaggio. will learn the journey of your life through her.
INF C10 133-136 / KLINE
Then he turned his feet towards the left: we abandoned the wall, and went towards the middle, by a path that makes
its way into a valley, that, even up there, forced us to breathe its foulness.
97

CANTO 11
VIOLENCE ETC
INF C11 1-9 / KLINE
On the edge of a high bank, made of great broken rocks in a circle, we came above a still more cruel crowd, and
here, because of the repulsive, excessive stench that the deep abyss throws out, we approached it in the shelter of a
grand monument, on which I saw an inscription that said: ‘I hold Anastasius, that Photinus drew away from the true
path.’
VIRGIL WALKS TO STAGE FRONT AND LEANS OVER TO LOOK DOWN. HE STEPS BACK AND HOLDS HIS
HAND IN FRONT OF HIS FACE.
VIRGIL:
INF C11 10-12 / DANTE INF C11 10-12 / KLINE
Lo nostro scender conviene esser tardo, The Master said: We must delay our descent
sì che s'ausi un poco in prima il senso until our sense is somewhat used to the foul wind,
al tristo fiato; e poi no i fia riguardo. and then we will not notice it.
DANTE:
INF C11 13-14 / DANTE INF C11 13-14 / KLINE
Così 'l maestro; e io «Alcun compenso», I said to him: Find us something to compensate,
dissi lui, «trova che 'l tempo non passi so that the time is not wasted.
VIRGIL:
INF C11 15 / DANTE INF C11 15 / KLINE
perduto». Ed elli: «Vedi ch'a ciò penso». And he: See, I have thought of it.
VIRGIL SITS ABRUPTLY ON THE GROUND. DANTE LOOKS AT HIM AS IF VIRGIL WANTS HIM TO PLAY A
GAME. VIRGIL MOTIONS DANTE TO SIT.
VIRGIL:
INF C11 16-18 / DANTE INF C11 16-18 / KLINE
«Figliuol mio, dentro da cotesti sassi», He began: My son, within these walls
cominciò poi a dir, «son tre cerchietti of stone, are three graduated circles
di grado in grado, come que' che lassi. like those you are leaving.
DANTE notes:
INF C11 16 / DANTE INF C11 16 / KLINE
«Figliuol mio, dentro da cotesti sassi», He began: My son, within these walls
VIRGIL:
INF C11 19-21 / DANTE INF C11 19-21 / KLINE
Tutti son pien di spirti maladetti; They are all filled with accursed spirits: but so that
ma perché poi ti basti pur la vista, the sight of them may be enough to inform you, in
intendi come e perché son costretti. future, listen how and why they are constrained.
INF C11 22-24 / DANTE
D'ogne malizia, ch'odio in cielo acquista, The outcome of all maliciousness, that Heaven
ingiuria è 'l fine, ed ogne fin cotale hates, is harm: and every such outcome,
o con forza o con frode altrui contrista. hurts others, either by force or deceit.
98

INF C11 25-27 / DANTE
Ma perché frode è de l'uom proprio male, But because deceit is a vice peculiar to human
beings,
più spiace a Dio; e però stan di sotto it displeases God more, and therefore the fraudulent
li frodolenti, e più dolor li assale. are placed below, and more pain grieves them.
INF C11 28-30 / DANTE
Di vïolenti il primo cerchio è tutto; The whole of the seventh circle is for the violent,
ma perché si fa forza a tre persone, but, since violence can be done to three persons,
in tre gironi è distinto e costrutto. it is constructed and divided in three rings.
INF C11 31-33 / DANTE
A Dio, a sé, al prossimo si pòne I say violence Violence may be done to God, or to
far forza, dico in loro e in lor cose, oneself, or one’s neighbour, and their person or
come udirai con aperta ragione. possessions, as you will hear, in clear discourse.
DANTE notes:
INF C11 31-33 / DANTE INF C11 31-33 / KLINE
A Dio, a sé, al prossimo si pòne I say violence may be done to God, or to oneself,
VIRGIL:
INF C11 34-36 / DANTE INF C11 34-36 / KLINE
Morte per forza e ferute dogliose Death or painful wounds may be inflicted
nel prossimo si danno, e nel suo avere on one’s neighbour; and devastation,
ruine, incendi e tollette dannose; fire, and pillage, on his substance.
INF C11 37-39 / DANTE
onde omicide e ciascun che mal fiere, Therefore the first ring torments all homicides;
guastatori e predon, tutti tormenta every one who lashes out maliciously;
lo giron primo per diverse schiere. and thieves and robbers; in their diverse groups.
VIRGIL JUMPS TO HIS FEET AND BEGINS WALKING UP AND DOWN THE STAGE. DANTE FOLLOWS.
VIRGIL:
INF C11 40-42 / DANTE INF C11 40-42 / KLINE
Puote omo avere in sé man vïolenta A man may do violence to himself and to his
property,
DANTE notes:
INF C11 40 / DANTE INF C11 40 / KLINE
Puote omo avere in sé man vïolenta A man may do violence to himself and to his
property,
VIRGIL:
INF C11 43-45 / DANTE INF C11 43-45 / KLINE
qualunque priva sé del vostro mondo, or gamble away and dissipate their wealth;
biscazza e fonde la sua facultade, or weep there,
e piange là dov' esser de' giocondo. when they should be happy.
INF C11 46-48 / DANTE
Puossi far forza ne la deïtade, Violence may be done, against the Deity,
col cor negando e bestemmiando quella, denying him and blaspheming in the heart,
e spregiando natura e sua bontade; and scorning Nature and her gifts,
INF C11 49-51 / DANTE
e però lo minor giron suggella and so the smallest ring stamps with its seal
del segno suo e Soddoma e Caorsa both Sodom and Cahors, and those
e chi, spregiando Dio col cor, favella. who speak scornfully of God, in their hearts.
CAHORS IN GUYENNE (ON THE RIVER LOT) IN SOUTHERN FRANCE WAS NOTORIOUS FOR ITS USURERS. IN THE MIDDLE AGES
‘CAORSINUS’ WAS A SYNONYM FOR ‘USURER’.
99

INF C11 52-54 / DANTE
La frode, ond' ogne coscïenza è morsa, Human beings may practise deceit,
può l'omo usare in colui che 'n lui fida which gnaws at every conscience, on one
e in quel che fidanza non imborsa. who trusts them, or on one who places no trust.
INF C11 55-57 / DANTE
Questo modo di retro par ch'incida This latter form of fraud only severs
pur lo vinco d'amor che fa natura; the bond of love that Nature created,
onde nel cerchio secondo s'annida and so, in the eighth circle, are nested
INF C11 58-60 / DANTE
ipocresia, lusinghe e chi affattura, hypocrisy; sorcery; flattery; cheating; theft
falsità, ladroneccio e simonia, and selling of holy orders; pimps; corrupters
ruffian, baratti e simile lordura. of public office; and similar filth.
DANTE notes:
INF C11 58-60 / DANTE
ipocresia, lusinghe, e chi affattura, hypocrisy; sorcery; flattery; cheating; theft
falsità, ladroneccio e simonia, and selling of holy orders; pimps; corrupters
ruffian, baratti e simile lordura. of public office; and similar filth.
VIRGIL:
INF C11 61-63 / DANTE INF C11 61-63 / KLINE
Per l'altro modo quell' amor s'oblia In the previous form, that love that Nature
che fa natura, e quel ch'è poi aggiunto, creates is forgotten, and also that
di che la fede spezïal si cria; which is added later, giving rise to special trust.
INF C11 64-66 / DANTE
onde nel cerchio minore, ov' è 'l punto So, in the ninth, the smallest circle, at the base
de l'universo in su che Dite siede, of the universe, where Dis has his throne,
qualunque trade in etterno è consunto». every traitor is consumed eternally.
DIS: LUCIFER, SATAN: THE REBELLIOUS ANGEL WHO WAS BANISHED FROM HEAVEN FOR HIS PRIDE & IN HIS FALL
PENETRATED INTO THE CAVERN OF HELL & THREW UP BEHIND HIM THE MOUNTAIN OF PURGATORY. HE TEMPTED CHRIST IN
THE WILDERNESS. SEE MATTHEW 4.
THEY VANISH DOWN THE → R → . THEIR VOICES ARE STILL HEARD.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C11 67-69 / DANTE INF C11 67-69 / KLINE
E io: «Maestro, assai chiara procede And I said: Master, your reasoning proceeds
la tua ragione, e assai ben distingue most clearly, and lays out excellently this gulf,
questo baràtro e 'l popol ch'e' possiede. and those that populate it,
INF C11 70-72 / DANTE
Ma dimmi: quei de la palude pingue, but tell me why those of the great marsh,
che mena il vento, e che batte la pioggia, those whom the wind drives, and the rain beats,
e che s'incontran con sì aspre lingue, and those who come together with sharp words,
INF C11 73-75 / DANTE
perché non dentro da la città roggia are not punished in the burning city,
sono ei puniti, se Dio li ha in ira? if God’s anger is directed towards them?
e se non li ha, perché sono a tal foggia?». And if not why they are in such a state?
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C11 76-78 / DANTE INF C11 76-78 / KLINE
Ed elli a me «Perché tanto delira», And he to me: Why does your mind err
disse, «lo 'ngegno tuo da quel che sòle? so much more than usual?,
o ver la mente dove altrove mira? or are your thoughts somewhere else?
100

INF C11 79-81 / DANTE
Non ti rimembra di quelle parole Do you not remember the words with which
con le quai la tua Etica pertratta your Aristotelian Ethics speaks
le tre disposizion che 'l ciel non vole, of the three natures that Heaven does not will:
101
ARISTOTELIAN ETHICS: NICHOMACHEAN ETHICS. SEE 7 1 ‘...THOSE QUALITIES OF CHARACTER TO BE AVOIDED, WHICH MAY BE
TAKEN AS THREE IN NUMBER & WE CALL THEM INCONTINENCE ( = LACK OF SELF-CONTROL), BRUTISHNESS OR BESTIALITY ( =
VIOLENCE) & VICE ( = FRAUD).’. SEE ALSO 7 6: ‘...IT IS THOUGHT MORE EXCUSABLE TO FOLLOW THE NATURAL IMPULSES, WHICH
ALL MEN FEEL, THAN THOSE WHICH ARE PECULIAR TO CERTAIN PERSONS....BESTIALITY IS A LESSER EVIL THAN VICE.
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C11 82-84 / DANTE INF C11 82-84 / KLINE
incontenenza, malizia e la matta incontinence, prodigality, malice and mad
bestialitade? e come incontenenza brutishness, and how incontinence offends God less
men Dio offende e men biasimo accatta? and incurs less blame?
DANTE REMEMBERS AND NOTES.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C11 82 / DANTE INF C11 82 / KLINE
incontenenza, malizia e la matta incontinence, malice and mad brutishness,
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C11 83-84 / DANTE INF C11 83-84 / KLINE
bestialitade? e come incontenenza and how incontinence prodigality offends God less
men Dio offende e men biasimo accatta? and incurs less blame?
INF C11 85-87 / DANTE
Se tu riguardi ben questa sentenza, If you consider this doctrine correctly,
e rechiti a la mente chi son quelli and recall to mind who those are,
che sù di fuor sostegnon penitenza, that suffer punishment out there, above,
INF C11 88-90 / DANTE
tu vedrai ben perché da questi felli you will see, easily, why they are separated
sien dipartiti, e perché men crucciata from these destructive spirits, and why
la divina vendetta li martelli». why divine justice strikes them with less anger.
DANTE (VOICE): & DANTE (VOICE):
INF C11 91-93 / DANTE INF C11 91-93 / KLINE
«O sol che sani ogne vista turbata, I said: O Sun, that heals all troubled sight, you
tu mi contenti sì quando tu solvi, make me so content when you explain to me,
che, non men che saver, dubbiar m'aggrata. that to question is as delightful as to know.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C11 94-96 / DANTE INF C11 94-96 / KLINE
Ancora in dietro un poco ti rivolvi», Go back a moment, to where you said
diss' io, «là dove di' ch'usura offende that usury offends divine goodness,
la divina bontade, e 'l groppo solvi». and unravel that knot.
THEY COME DOWN THE → L → .
VIRGIL:
INF C11 97-99 / DANTE INF C11 97-99 / KLINE
«Filosofia», mi disse, «a chi la 'ntende, He said to me: To him who attends,
nota, non pure in una sola parte, Philosophy shows, in more than one place,
come natura lo suo corso prende how Nature takes her path
DANTE notes:
INF C11 97 / DANTE INF C11 97-98 / KLINE
«Filosofia», mi disse, «a chi la 'ntende, He said to me: To him who attends,
Philosophy shows, in more than one place,

VIRGIL:
INF C11 100-102 / DANTE INF C11 100-102 / KLINE
dal divino 'ntelletto e da sua arte; from the Divine Intelligence, and its arts,
e se tu ben la tua Fisica note, and if you note your Physics well,
tu troverai, non dopo molte carte, you will find, not many pages in,
YOUR PHYSICS: ARISTOTLE’S PHYSICS 2 2 ‘.. IF ART MIMICS NATURE.’
INF C11 103-105 / DANTE
che l'arte vostra quella, quanto pote, that art, follows her, as well as it can,
segue, come 'l maestro fa 'l discente; as the pupil does the master, so that
sì che vostr' arte a Dio quasi è nepote. your art is as it were the grandchild of God.
INF C11 106-108 / DANTE
Da queste due, se tu ti rechi a mente By these two, art and nature, man must earn
lo Genesì dal principio, convene his bread and flourish, if you recall to mind
prender sua vita e avanzar la gente; Genesis, near its beginning.
INF C11 109-111 / DANTE
e perché l'usuriere altra via tene, Because the usurer holds to another course,
per sé natura e per la sua seguace he denies Nature, in herself, and in that which
dispregia, poi ch'in altro pon la spene. follows her ways, putting his hopes elsewhere.
VIRGIL SPEAKS AS IF DANTE HAS BEEN DELAYING HIM.
VIRGIL:
INF C11 112-114 / DANTE INF C11 112-114 / KLINE
Ma seguimi oramai che 'l gir mi piace; But follow me, now, by the path I choose,
ché i Pesci guizzan su per l'orizzonta, for Pisces quivers on the horizon, and all
e 'l Carro tutto sovra 'l Coro giace, Boötes covers Caurus, the north-west wind,
QUIVERS ON THE HORIZON: BY DEDUCTION, IT IS NEAR DAWN ON SATURDAY.
INF C11 115 / DANTE
e 'l balzo via là oltra si dismonta». and over there, some way, we descend. the cliff.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
102
DANTE:
INF C11 112-114 / DANTE INF C11 112-114 / KLINE
Ma seguimi oramai che 'l gir mi piace; But follow me, now, by the path I choose,
ché i Pesci guizzan su per l'orizzonta, for Pisces quivers on the horizon,
e 'l Carro tutto sovra 'l Coro giace, and all Boötes covers Caurus, the north-west wind,
INF C11 115 / DANTE
e 'l balzo via là oltra si dismonta». and over there, some way, we descend the cliff.
THEY DESCEND AGAIN BY THE → R → .
CANTO 12
THE MINOTAUR
DANTE EMERGES ON THE → L → AND SPEAKS TO THE AUDIENCE WITH MUCH BODY-WORK.

DANTE:
INF C12 1-3 / DANTE INF C12 1-3 / KLINE
Era lo loco ov' a scender la riva The place we reached to climb down the bank
venimmo, alpestro e, per quel che v'er' anco, was craggy, and, because of the creature there,
tal, ch'ogne vista ne sarebbe schiva. also, a path that every eye would shun.
103
INF C12 4-6 / DANTE
Qual è quella ruina che nel fianco The descent of that rocky precipice was like
di qua da Trento l'Adice percosse, the landslide that struck the left bank of the Adige,
o per tremoto o per sostegno manco, this side of Trento, caused by an earthquake
INF C12 7-9 / DANTE
che da cima del monte, onde si mosse, or a faulty buttress, since the rock is so shattered,
al piano è sì la roccia discoscesa, from the summit of the mountain,
ch'alcuna via darebbe a chi sù fosse: where it started, to the plain,
INF C12 10-12 / DANTE
cotal di quel burrato era la scesa; that it might form a route, for someone above:
e 'n su la punta de la rotta lacca and at the top of the broken gully,
l'infamïa di Creti era distesa the infamy of Crete, the Minotaur,
INF C12 13-15 / DANTE
che fu concetta ne la falsa vacca; conceived on Pasiphaë, in the wooden cow,
e quando vide noi, sé stesso morse, lay stretched out. When he saw us he gnawed
himself,
sì come quei cui l'ira dentro fiacca. like someone consumed by anger inside.
PASIPHAË: WIFE OF MINOS OF CRETE & MOTHER OF THE MINOTAUR, ASTERION, WHOM SHE CONCEIVED, CONCEALED IN A
WOODEN FRAMEWORK MADE TO LOOK LIKE A HEIFER, WITH A WHITE BULL FROM THE SEA.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 12 / DANTE INF C12 12 / KLINE
l'infamïa di Creti era distesa the The infamy of Crete, the Minotaur,
INF C12 13-15 / DANTE
che fu concetta ne la falsa vacca; conceived on Pasiphaë, in the wooden cow, lay
e quando vide noi, sé stesso morse, stretched out. When he saw us he gnawed himself,
sì come quei cui l'ira dentro fiacca. like someone consumed by anger inside.
VIRGIL HAS EMERGED. DANTE PROMPTS HIM TWICE TO ACT OUT HIS EARLIER GOADING OF THE
MINOTAUR.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C12 16 / DANTE INF C12 16 / KLINE
Lo savio mio inver' lui gridò: «Forse My wise guide called to him: Perhaps you think
VIRGIL:
INF C12 16-18 / DANTE INF C12 16-18 / KLINE
Lo savio mio inver' lui gridò: «Forse My wise guide called to him: Perhaps you think
tu credi che qui sia 'l duca d'Atene, that Theseus, the Duke of Athens, is here, who
che sù nel mondo la morte ti porse? brought about your death, in the world above?
VIRGIL STOPS AND DANTE PROMPTS HIM.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 19 / DANTE INF C12 19 / KLINE
Pàrtiti, bestia, ché questi non vene Leave here, monstrous creature.

104
VIRGIL:
INF C12 19-21 / DANTE INF C12 19-21 / KLINE
Pàrtiti, bestia, ché questi non vene Leave here, monstrous creature. This man
ammaestrato da la tua sorella, does not come here, aided by your sister, Ariadne,
ma vassi per veder le vostre pene». but passes through to see the punishments.
INF C12 22-24 / KLINE
Like a bull, breaking loose, at the moment when it receives the fatal blow, that cannot go forward, but plunges here
and there,
INF C12 25-27 / DANTE
vid' io lo Minotauro far cotale; so I saw the Minotaur, and my cautious guide cried:
e quello accorto gridò: «Corri al varco; Run to the passage: while he is in a fury,
mentre ch'e' 'nfuria, è buon che tu ti cale». it is time for you to descend.
INF C12 28-30 / KLINE
So we made our way, downwards, over the landslide of stones, that often shifted beneath my feet, from the
unaccustomed weight.
THEY WALK AND DANTE LOOKS INTO THE BACKSTAGE GLOOM.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 31-33 / DANTE INF C12 31-33 / KLINE
Io gia pensando; e quei disse: «Tu pensi I went thoughtfully, and he said: Perhaps you are
forse a questa ruina, ch'è guardata contemplating this fallen mass of rock, guarded
da quell' ira bestial ch'i' ora spensi. by the bestial anger that I quelled a moment ago.
INF C12 34-36 / DANTE
Or vo' che sappi che l'altra fïata I would have you know that the The previous time
ch'i' discesi qua giù nel basso inferno, I came down here to the deep Inferno,
questa roccia non era ancor cascata. this spill had not yet fallen.
INF C12 37-39 / DANTE
Ma certo poco pria, se ben discerno, But, if I discern the truth, the deep and loathsome
che venisse colui che la gran preda valley, shook, not long before He
levò a Dite del cerchio superno, came to take the great ones of the highest circle,
HE: CHRIST
INF C12 40-42 / DANTE
da tutte parti l'alta valle feda so that I thought the universe
tremò sì, ch'i' pensai che l'universo thrilled with love, by which
sentisse amor, per lo qual è chi creda as some believe
AS SOME BELIEVE: EMPEDOCLES
DANTE notes:
INF C12 40-42 / DANTE INF C12 40-42 / KLINE
da tutte parti l'alta valle feda so that I thought the universe
tremò sì, ch'i' pensai che l'universo thrilled with love, by which
sentisse amor, per lo qual è chi creda as some believe
VIRGIL:
INF C12 43-45 / DANTE INF C12 43-45 / KLINE
più volte il mondo in caòsso converso; the world has often been overwhelmed by chaos.
e in quel punto questa vecchia roccia, In that moment ancient rocks,
qui e altrove, tal fece riverso. here and elsewhere, tumbled.
THE CENTAURS

INF C12 46-48 / DANTE
Ma ficca li occhi a valle, ché s'approccia But fix your gaze on the valley, because
la riviera del sangue in la qual bolle we near the river of blood, in which
qual che per vïolenza in altrui noccia». those who injure others by violence are boiled.
DANTE GAZES FOR A WHILE.
See later.
INF C12 49-51 / KLINE
O blind desires, evil and foolish, which so goad us in our brief life, and then, in the eternal one, ruin us so bitterly!
DANTE:
INF C12 52-54 / DANTE INF C12 52-54 / KLINE
Io vidi un'ampia fossa in arco torta, I saw see a wide canal bent in an arc, looking
come quella che tutto 'l piano abbraccia, as if it surrounded surrounds the whole plain.,
secondo ch'avea detto la mia scorta; from what my guide had told me. Centaurs are
were racing,
INF C12 55-57 / DANTE
e tra 'l piè de la ripa ed essa, in traccia one behind another, between it and the foot
corrien centauri, armati di saette, of the bank, armed with weapons,
come solien nel mondo andare a caccia. as they were accustomed to hunt on earth.
INF C12 58-61 / KLINE
Seeing us descend they all stood still, and three, elected leaders, came from the group, armed with bows and spears.
DANTE VERSIFIES UNTIL HE IS RUDELY INTERRUPTED BY A SHOUT FROM THE UNSEEN NESSUS [INF C12 58-
61].
DANTE:
INF C12 49-51 / DANTE INF C12 49-51 / KLINE
Oh cieca cupidigia e ira folle, O blind desires, evil and foolish,
che sì ci sproni ne la vita corta, which so goad us in our brief life,
e ne l'etterna poi sì mal c'immolle! and then, in the eternal one, ruin us so bitterly!
INF C12 52-54 / DANTE
Io vidi un'ampia fossa in arco torta, I saw a wide canal bent in an arc, looking
come quella che tutto 'l piano abbraccia, as if it surrounded the whole plain, from what
secondo ch'avea detto la mia scorta; my guide had told me. Centaurs were racing,
INF C12 55-57 / DANTE
e tra 'l piè de la ripa ed essa, in traccia one behind another, between it and the foot
corrien centauri, armati di saette, of the bank, armed with weapons,
come solien nel mondo andare a caccia. as they were accustomed to hunt on earth.
NESSUS (VOICE):
INF C12 61-63 / DANTE INF C12 61-63 / KLINE
e l'un gridò da lungi: «A qual martiro And one of them shouted from the distance:
What
venite voi che scendete la costa? torment do you come for, you that descend the
Ditel costinci; se non, l'arco tiro». rampart? Speak from there, if not, I draw the
bow.
105

NESSUS MYTHICAL AGE : *?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY. FIERCE SPEECH.
NESSUS: A CENTAUR, SON OF IXION, KILLED BY HERCULES, WITH AN ARROW POISONED WITH THE HYDRA’S BLOOD, FOR HIS
ATTEMPT TO STEAL & RAPE DEIANIRA. HE DIPPED HIS FATAL SHIRT IN HIS OWN, POISONED, BLOOD & GAVE IT AS A GIFT (A
SUPPOSED LOVE CHARM) TO DEIANIRA, WHO THEREBY, UNWITTINGLY, BROUGHT ABOUT HERCULES’S DEATH.
VIRGIL SHOUTS BACK.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 64-66 / DANTE INF C12 64-66 / KLINE
Lo mio maestro disse: «La risposta My Master said: We will make our reply
farem noi a Chirón costà di presso: to Chiron, who is there, nearby.
mal fu la voglia tua sempre sì tosta». Sadly, your nature was always rash.
CHIRON (KI-RON): WISE CENTAUR, SON OF SATURN & PHILYRA, TO WHOM APOLLO ENTRUSTED HIS SON AESCULAPIUS & WHO
VARIOUSLY REARED JASON & ACHILLES.
VIRGIL, STANDING NEARER THE CENTAURS, TOUCHES DANTE AND POINTS.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 67-69 / DANTE INF C12 67-69 / KLINE
Poi mi tentò, e disse: «Quelli è Nesso, Then he touched me, and said: That is Nessus,
who
che morì per la bella Deianira, died because of his theft of the lovely Deianira,
e fé di sé la vendetta elli stesso. and, for his blood, took vengeance, through his
blood.
106
INF C12 70-72 / DANTE
E quel di mezzo, ch'al petto si mira, He, in the centre, whose head is bowed to his chest,
è il gran Chirón, il qual nodrì Achille; is the great Chiron, who nursed Achilles:
quell' altro è Folo, che fu sì pien d'ira. the other is Pholus, who was so full of rage.
PHOLUS: A CENTAUR WHO ENTERTAINED HERCULES & WAS ACCIDENTALLY KILLED BY ONE OF HIS ARROWS. HE WAS PRESENT
AT THE BATTLE OF THE LAPITHS & CENTAURS.
DANTE TAKES OUT HIS STYLUS AND DROPS IT. WHILE TRYING TO PICK IT UP HE KICKS IT AWAY.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 73-75 / DANTE INF C12 73-75 / KLINE
Dintorno al fosso vanno a mille a mille, They race around the ditch, in thousands,
saettando qual anima si svelle piercing with arrows any spirit that climbs further
del sangue più che sua colpa sortille». from the blood than its guilt has condemned it to.
INF C12 76-78 / KLINE
We drew near the swift creatures. Chiron took an arrow, and pushed back his beard from his face with the notched
flight.
THE UNSEEN CENTAURS ARE NOW CLOSE.
CHIRON (VOICE):
INF C12 79-81 / DANTE INF C12 79-81 / KLINE
Quando s'ebbe scoperta la gran bocca, When he had uncovered his huge mouth,
disse a' compagni: «Siete voi accorti he said to his companions: Have you noticed
che quel di retro move ciò ch'el tocca? that the one behind moves whatever he touches?

CHIRON MYTHICAL AGE : *?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
INF C12 82-84 / DANTE
Così non soglion far li piè d'i morti». The feet of dead men do not usually do so.
E 'l mio buon duca, che già li er' al petto, And my good guide, who was by Chiron’s front
part,
dove le due nature son consorti, where the two natures join, replied:
VIRGIL:
INF C12 85-87 / DANTE INF C12 85-87 / KLINE
rispuose: «Ben è vivo, e sì soletto He is truly alive, and, alone,
mostrar li mi convien la valle buia; I have to show him the dark valley.
necessità 'l ci 'nduce, e non diletto. Necessity brings him here, and not desire.
INF C12 88-90 / DANTE
Tal si partì da cantare alleluia She, who gave me this new duty,
che mi commise quest' officio novo: came from singing Alleluiahs:
non è ladron, né io anima fuia. he is no thief: nor am I a wicked spirit.
107
INF C12 91-93 / DANTE
Ma per quella virtù per cu' io movo But, by that virtue, by means of which I set
li passi miei per sì selvaggia strada, my feet on so unsafe a path,
danne un de' tuoi, a cui noi siamo a provo, lend us one of your people whom we can follow,
INF C12 94-96 / DANTE
e che ne mostri là dove si guada, so that he may show us where the ford is,
e che porti costui in su la groppa, and carry this one over on his back,
ché non è spirto che per l'aere vada». since he cannot fly as a spirit through the air.
INF C12 97-99 / KLINE
Chiron twisted to his right, and said to Nessus: Turn, and guide them, then, and if another crew meet you, keep them
off.
VIRGIL LOOKS IN A DIRECTION APPARENTLY POINTED OUT BY CHIRON. HE RAISES HIS ARM IN THANKS
AND MOVES OFF WITH DANTE. THEY WALK, PERHAPS AFTER DESCENDING THE → R → , BESIDE THE
STREAM.
THE BLOODY STREAM
♫INFERNAL: SOFT * * * * * * * * * *
INF C12 96
Not Miserable Mode because Dante describes the human action.
DANTE WALKS ALONG THE STREAM, SPEAKING TO THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
INF C12 100-102 / DANTE INF C12 100-102 / KLINE
Or ci movemmo con la scorta fida We moved onwards with our trustworthy guide,
lungo la proda del bollor vermiglio, along Along the margin of the crimson boiling,
dove i bolliti facieno alte strida. in which the boiled were shrieking loudly.

108
INF C12 103-105 / DANTE INF C12 103-105 / KLINE
Io vidi gente sotto infino al ciglio; I saw see people immersed as far as the eyebrows,
e 'l gran centauro disse: «E' son tiranni and the great Centaur said: These are tyrants
che dier nel sangue e ne l'aver di piglio. who indulged in blood, and rapine.
SOME WORDS FROM [INF C12 103-138] ORIGINALLY SPOKEN BY NESSUS.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 106-108 / DANTE INF C12 106-108 / KLINE
Quivi si piangon li spietati danni; Here they lament their offences, done without
quivi è Alessandro, e Dïonisio fero mercy. Here is Alexander, and fierce Dionysius of
che fé Cicilia aver dolorosi anni. Syracuse who gave Sicily years of pain.
DIONYSIUS OF SYRACUSE: THE ELDER, TYRANT OF SYRACUSE (405-367 BC). HE LED THE GREEK CITIES OF SICILY IN
RESISTANCE TO THE CARTHAGINIANS.
INF C12 109-111 / DANTE INF C12 109-111 / KLINE
E quella fronte c'ha 'l pel così nero, That head of black hair is Azzolino,
è Azzolino; e quell' altro ch'è biondo, and the other, which is blonde,
è Opizzo da Esti, il qual per vero is Obizzo da Este, whose life
AZZOLINO (EZZELLINO) III DA ROMANO, THE TYRANT (1194-1259): LORD OF VERONA, VICENZA & PADUA, CALLED ‘THE
SON OF THE DEVIL’, IMPERIAL VICAR UNDER FREDERICK II. POPE ALEXANDER IV DECLARED A CRUSADE AGAINST HIM & HE
WAS DEFEATED AT CASSANO ON THE ADDA & SUBSEQUENTLY DIED. HE WAS THE HEAD OF THE GHIBELLINES IN NORTHERN
ITALY.
OBIZZO DA ESTE, OBIZZO II OF ESTE, FOURTH MARQUIS OF FERRARA, WHO HAD LED THE GUELPH CRUSADERS AGAINST
EZZELINO. OBIZZO, DYING IN 1293, WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN MURDERED BY HIS SON & SUCCESSOR AZZO VIII (FROM 1293-
1308), WHOM DANTE CALLS HIS STEPSON IN REFERENCE TO THE UNNATURAL NATURE OF THE CRIME. HIS DAUGHTER
BEATRICE MARRIED NINO DE’ VISCONTI OF PISA, THEN GALEOZZO VISCONTI OF MILAN.
DANTE versifies:
INF C12 106-108 / DANTE INF C12 106-108 / KLINE
Quivi si piangon li spietati danni; Here they lament their offences, done without
quivi è Alessandro, e Dïonisio fero mercy. Here is Alexander, and fierce Dionysius of
che fé Cicilia aver dolorosi anni. Syracuse who gave Sicily years of pain.
INF C12 109-111 / DANTE INF C12 109-111 / KLINE
E quella fronte c'ha 'l pel così nero, That head of black hair is Azzolino,
è Azzolino; e quell' altro ch'è biondo, and the other, which is blonde,
è Opizzo da Esti, il qual per vero is Obizzo da Este, whose life
INF C12 112-114 / DANTE
fu spento dal figliastro sù nel mondo. was quenched, in truth, by his stepson, up in the
Allor mi volsi al poeta, e quei disse: world. Then I turned to the poet, and he said:
«Questi ti sia or primo, e io secondo». ‘Let him guide you first, now, and I second.’
INF C12 115-117 / DANTE
A little further on, Nessus paused, next to people who seemed to be sunk in the boiling stream up to their throat.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 118-120 / DANTE INF C12 118-120 / KLINE
Mostrocci un'ombra da l'un canto sola, He showed us a shade, apart by itself, saying: That
dicendo: «Colui fesse in grembo a Dio one, Guy de Montfort, in God’s church, pierced
lo cor che 'n su Tamisi ancor si cola». that heart that is still venerated by the Thames
– Henry’s, the nephew of the king.
GUY DE MONTFORT: SON OF SIMON DE MONTFORT, EARL OF LEICESTER. HE AVENGED THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER AT THE
BATTLE OF EVESHAM (1265) WHERE EDWARD (LATER EDWARD I) DEFEATED THE ENGLISH BARONS, WHEN, IN 1271, WHILE
VICAR GENERAL OF TUSCANY HE MURDERED HENRY, HIS COUSIN, THE SON OF RICHARD, EARL OF CORNWALL, THE NEPHEW
OF THE ENGLISH KING, IN THE CHURCH OF SAN SILVESTRO AT VITERBO. HENRY’S HEART WAS PLACED IN A GOLD CASKET &
SET ON A PILLAR BY LONDON BRIDGE, OR IN THE HAND OF HIS STATUE IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY.
INF C12 121-123 / KLINE
Then I saw others, who held their heads and all their chests, likewise, free of the river: and I knew many of these.
INF C12 124-126 / DANTE INF C12 124-126 / KLINE
Così a più a più si facea basso So the The blood grew grows shallower and
quel sangue, sì che cocea pur li piedi; shallower, until it only cooked cooks their feet,
e quindi fu del fosso il nostro passo. and here was is our ford through the ditch.
VIRGIL CROSSES THE FORD, FOLLOWED BY DANTE, WHO VERSIFIES.

DANTE:
INF C12 124-126 / DANTE INF C12 124-126 / KLINE
Così a più a più si facea basso So the blood grew shallower and shallower,
quel sangue, sì che cocea pur li piedi; until it only cooked their feet,
e quindi fu del fosso il nostro passo. and here was our ford through the ditch.
INF C12 127-129 / KLINE
The Centaur said: As you see the boiling stream continually diminishing, on this side, so, on the other,
INF C12 130-132 / DANTE
che da quest' altra a più a più giù prema it sinks more and more,
lo fondo suo, infin ch'el si raggiunge till it comes again to where tyrants
ove la tirannia convien che gema. are doomed to grieve.
THEY TURN AND RECROSS THE FORD.
VIRGIL:
INF C12 133-135 / DANTE INF C12 133-135 / KLINE
La divina giustizia di qua punge Divine Justice here torments Attila, the scourge
quell' Attila che fu flagello in terra, of the earth; and Pyrrhus,
e Pirro e Sesto; e in etterno munge and Sextus Pompeius; and for eternity
ATTILA THE HUN, THE SCOURGE OF GOD (FLAGELLUM DEI), KING OF THE HUNS (433-453): ADVANCED INTO THE EASTERN
ROMAN EMPIRE & ON TO THE WEST, BUT WAS TURNED BACK AT CHALÔNS IN THE BATTLE OF THE CATALAUNIAN FIELDS IN
451. HE RETREATED TO HUNGARY (THE PLAINS OF TISZA) & DIED THERE. THE HISTORIANS, & DANTE, CONFUSED HIM WITH
TOTILA, THE LEADER OF THE GOTHS, WHO REPUTEDLY SACKED FLORENCE. TOTILA GAINED ITALY (542-552) EXCLUDING
RAVENNA & RESISTED BELISARIUS FROM 544 TO 549, BUT DIED FIGHTING NARSES AT TADINAE.
PYRRHUS: NEOPTOLEMUS, CALLED PYRRHUS, WHO KILLED PRIAM & SACRIFICED POLYXENA ON ACHILLES’S GRAVE. VIRGIL
STRESSES HIS CRUELTY IN AENEID 2 469.
SEXTUS POMPEIUS: SON OF POMPEY THE GREAT. DEFEATED BY JULIUS CAESAR AT MUNDA IN 45 BC & BY OCTAVIAN’S
(AUGUSTUS’S) ADMIRAL AGRIPPA AT MYLAE & NAULOCHUS OFF SICILY IN 36 BC. LUCAN GIVES HIM A VERY BAD PRESS.
INF C12 136-138 / DANTE
le lagrime, che col bollor diserra, milks tears, produced by the boiling,
a Rinier da Corneto, a Rinier Pazzo, from Rinier da Corneto, and Rinier Pazzo,
che fecero a le strade tanta guerra». who made war on the highways.
RINIER DA CORNETO: A NOTORIOUS HIGHWAYMAN OF DANTE’S TIME.
DANTE FOLLOWS DANTE AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C12 136-138 / DANTE INF C12 136-138 / KLINE
le lagrime, che col bollor diserra, milks tears, produced by the boiling,
a Rinier da Corneto, a Rinier Pazzo, from Rinier da Corneto, and Rinier Pazzo,
che fecero a le strade tanta guerra». who made war on the highways.
RINIER DA CORNETO: A NOTORIOUS HIGHWAYMAN OF DANTE’S TIME.
INF C12 139 / DANTE
Poi si rivolse e ripassossi 'l guazzo. Then he turned back, and recrossed the ford.
CANTO 13
HARPY WOOD
109

♫HARPIES + SOULS
BOUM, BELLUM + SIGHS, MURMURINGS OF SOULS IN TREES * * * * * * * * * *
INF C13 1 from INF C13 10
In the Aeneid, Harpies predict future tribulations for the Trojans. (My emphases)
110
AENEID 3 245-257 / VIRGIL AENEID 3 245-257 / KLINE
una in praecelsa consedit rupe Celaeno, Only Celaeno, ominous prophetess, settles on a high cliff,
infelix uates, rumpitque hanc pectore uocem; and bursts out with this sound from her breast:
'bellum etiam pro caede boum stratisque iuuencis, “Are you ready to bring war to us, sons of Laomedon, is it war,
Laomedontiadae, bellumne inferre paratis for the cows you killed, the bullocks you slaughtered,
et patrio Harpyias insontis pellere regno? driving the innocent Harpies from their father’s country?
accipite ergo animis atque haec mea figite dicta, Take these words of mine to your hearts then, and set them there.
quae Phoebo pater omnipotens, mihi Phoebus Apollo I, the eldest of the Furies, reveal to you what the all-powerful
praedixit, uobis Furiarum ego maxima pando. Father prophesied to Apollo, and Phoebus Apollo to me.
Italiam cursu petitis uentisque uocatis: Italy is the path you take, and, invoking the winds,
ibitis Italiam portusque intrare licebit. you shall go to Italy, and enter her harbours freely:
sed non ante datam cingetis moenibus urbem but you will not surround the city granted you with walls
quam uos dira fames nostraeque iniuria caedis until dire hunger, and the sin of striking at us, force you
ambesas subigat malis absumere mensas. to consume your very tables with devouring jaws.”
Their cries here are distillations of these:
Laomedontiadae…boum…bellum…fames…mensae
Boum, bellum…boum, bellum…boum, bellum…boum bellum…
louder or softer as the Harpies dive or soar away.
DANTE AND VIRGIL WALK THROUGH SEMI-DARKNESS. DANTE LOOKS ABOUT HIM, NOTES AND SPEAKS.
DANTE:
INF C13 1-3 / DANTE INF C13 1-3 / KLINE
Non era ancor di là Nesso arrivato, Nessus had not yet returned to the other side,
quando noi ci mettemmo per un bosco when we We entered a wood,
che da neun sentiero era segnato. unmarked by any path.
INF C13 4-6 / DANTE
Non fronda verde, ma di color fosco; The foliage was not green, but a dusky colour:
non rami schietti, ma nodosi e 'nvolti; the branches were not smooth, but warped and
non pomi v'eran, ma stecchi con tòsco. knotted: there were no fruits there, but poisonous
thorns.
DANTE notes:
INF C13 4-6 / DANTE INF C13 4-6 / KLINE
Non fronda verde, ma di color fosco; The foliage was not green, but a dusky colour:
non rami schietti, ma nodosi e 'nvolti; the branches were not smooth, but warped and
non pomi v'eran, ma stecchi con tòsco. knotted: there were no fruits there, but poisonous
thorns.
DANTE:
INF C13 7-9 / DANTE INF C13 7-9 / KLINE
Non han sì aspri sterpi né sì folti The wild beasts, that hate the cultivated fields,
quelle fiere selvagge che 'n odio hanno in the Tuscan Maremma, between Cecina and
tra Cecina e Corneto i luoghi cólti. Corneto, have lairs less thick and tangled.
DANTE LOOKS UP AT INVISIBLE HARPIES.

111
DANTE:
INF C13 10-12 / DANTE INF C13 10-12 / KLINE
Quivi le brutte Arpie lor nidi fanno, Here the brutish Harpies make their nests,
che cacciar de le Strofade i Troiani they who chased the Trojans from the Strophades,
con tristo annunzio di futuro danno. with dismal pronouncements of future tribulations.
INF C13 13-15 / DANTE
Ali hanno late, e colli e visi umani, They have broad wings, and human necks and
faces,
piè con artigli, e pennuto 'l gran ventre; clawed feet, and large feathered bellies.,
fanno lamenti in su li alberi strani. and they make mournful cries in that strange wood.
INF C13 16-22 / KLINE
The kind Master said: ‘Before you go further, be aware you are in the second ring, and will be until you come to the
dreadful sands. So look carefully, and you will see things that might make you mistrust my words.’ Already I heard
sighs on every side, and saw no one to make them, at which, I stood totally bewildered.
♫HARPIES FAINT OR OCCASIONAL; SIGHS, MURMURINGS LOUDER * * * * * * * * * *
INF C13 25
DANTE LOOKS AROUND FOR THE SOURCE. VIRGIL LOOKS AT DANTE AND MOVES OFF A LITTLE. DANTE
SPEAKS TO THE AUDIENCE AND TURNS AWAY.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C13 25-27 / DANTE INF C13 25-27 / KLINE
Cred' ïo ch'ei credette ch'io credesse I think that he thought that I was thinking
che tante voci uscisser, tra quei bronchi, that many of those voices came from among the
trees,
da gente che per noi si nascondesse. from people who hid themselves because of us.
VIRGIL STEPS UP BEHIND HIM.
VIRGIL:
INF C13 28-30 / DANTE INF C13 28-30 / KLINE
Però disse 'l maestro: «Se tu tronchi So the Master said: If you break a little twig
qualche fraschetta d'una d'este piante, from one of these branches,
li pensier c'hai si faran tutti monchi». the thoughts you have will be seen to be in error.
VIRGIL’S BODY PREVENTS THE AUDIENCE FROM SEEING WHAT DANTE’S HAND DOES.
THE ITALIAN IS A SHRIEK. THE ENGLISH IS BREATHY AND SIGHING.
TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE (VOICE): & TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE (VOICE):
INF C13 31-33 / DANTE INF C13 31-33 / KLINE
Allor porsi la mano un poco avante Then I stretched my hand out a little, and broke
e colsi un ramicel da un gran pruno; a small branch from a large thorn,
e 'l tronco suo gridò: Perché mi schiante? and its trunk cried out: Why do you tear at me?

PIER DELLE VIGNE 1190? - 1249 AGE : 59?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN AT CAPUA IN THE PROVINCE OF CASERTA. HE WAS BORN POOR SO IS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE SPOKEN A
DIALECT. EDUCATED SPEECH.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
112
PIER DELLE VIGNE: CHANCELLOR OF THE TWO SICILIES & MINISTER TO THE EMPEROR FREDERICK II. HE RECAST THE LAWS
& WAS IN FREDERICK’S CONFIDENCE UNTIL 1247, WHEN HE WAS ACCUSED OF PLOTTING WITH POPE INNOCENT IV, WAS
BLINDED & IMPRISONED, SUBSEQUENTLY COMMITTING SUICIDE. HE WAS BORN IN POVERTY IN CAPUA. HE WAS A POET & SAID
TO HAVE COMPOSED THE FIRST ITALIAN SONNET. HE WAS COMPARED, AT THE HEIGHT OF HIS POWER, TO ST PETER, HOLDING
THE KEYS OF PUNISHMENT & MERCY.
TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE (VOICE):
INF C13 34-36 / DANTE INF C13 34-36 / KLINE
Da che fatto fu poi di sangue bruno, And when it had grown dark with blood, it began
ricominciò a dir: «Perché mi scerpi?» to cry out again: Perché mi scerpi?...Why do you
non hai tu spirto di pietade alcuno? splinter me? Have you no breath of pity?
INF C13 37-39 / DANTE
Uomini fummo, e or siam fatti sterpi: Uomini fummo…We were men, and we are
ben dovrebb' esser la tua man più pia, changed to trees: truly, your hand would be more
se state fossimo anime di serpi». merciful, if we were merely the souls of snakes.
INF C13 40-45 / KLINE
Just as a green branch, burning at one end, spits and hisses with escaping air at the other, so from that broken wood,
blood and words came out together: at which I let the branch fall, and stood, like a man afraid.
DANTE, HORRIFIED, RETREATS OUT OF SIGHT. VIRGIL ADDRESSES THE TRUNK./.PIER DELLE VIGNE.
VIRGIL:
INF C13 46-48 / DANTE INF C13 46-8 / KLINE
«S'elli avesse potuto creder prima», My wise sage replied: Wounded spirit,
rispuose 'l savio mio, «anima lesa, if he had only believed, before,
ciò c'ha veduto pur con la mia rima, what he had read in my verse
VIRGIL: & VIRGIL:
AENEID 3 25-29 / VIRGIL AENEID 3 25-29 / KLINE
conatus, ramis tegerem ut frondentibus aras, to decorate the altar with leafy branches, I saw
horrendum et dictu uideo mirabile monstrum. a wonder, dreadful and marvellous to tell of.
nam quae prima solo ruptis radicibus arbos From the first bush, its broken roots
uellitur, huic atro liquuntur sanguine guttae torn from the ground, drops of dark blood dripped,
et terram tabo maculant. mihi frigidus horror and stained the earth with fluid.
INF C13 49-51 / DANTE INF C13 49-51 / KLINE
non averebbe in te la man distesa; he would not have lifted his hand to you,
ma la cosa incredibile mi fece but the incredible nature of the thing
indurlo ad ovra ch'a me stesso pesa. made me urge him to do what grieves me.
VIRGIL CONTINUES AS DANTE RETURNS.
VIRGIL:
INF C13 52-54 / DANTE INF C13 52-54 / KLINE
Ma dilli chi tu fosti, sì che 'n vece But tell him who you were, so that he might
d'alcun' ammenda tua fama rinfreschi make you some amends, and renew your fame
nel mondo sù, dove tornar li lece». up in the world, to which he is allowed to return.
TRUNK./.PIER DELLE VIGNE SPEAKS AND DANTE HOLDS HIS NERVE.

TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE (VOICE):
INF C13 55-57 / DANTE INF C13 55-57 / KLINE
E 'l tronco: «Sì col dolce dir m'adeschi, And the tree replied: You tempt me so,
ch'i' non posso tacere; e voi non gravi with your sweet words, that I cannot keep silent,
perch' ïo un poco a ragionar m'inveschi. but do not object if I am expansive in speech.
INF C13 58-60 / DANTE
Io son colui che tenni ambo le chiavi I am Pier delle Vigne, who held both the keys
del cor di Federigo, e che le volsi, to Frederick’s heart, and employed them,
serrando e diserrando, sì soavi, locking and unlocking, so quietly,
EMPEROR FREDERICK II, (1194-1250), ‘STUPOR MUNDI’, THE WONDER OF THE WORLD, BECAME KING OF SICILY & NAPLES IN
1197 & EMPEROR IN 1212. HE WAS CROWNED EMPEROR IN ROME IN 1220.
DANTE versifies:
INF C13 58-59 / DANTE INF C13 58-60 / KLINE
Io son colui che tenni ambo le chiavi I am Pier delle Vigne, who held both the keys
del cor di Federigo, e che le volsi, to Frederick’s heart, and employed them,
113
TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE (VOICE):
INF C13 61-63 / DANTE INF C13 61-63 / KLINE
che dal secreto suo quasi ogn' uom tolsi; that I kept almost everyone else from his secrets.
fede portai al glorïoso offizio, I was so faithful to that glorious office
tanto ch'i' ne perde' li sonni e ' polsi. that through it I lost my sleep and my life.
INF C13 64-66 / DANTE
La meretrice che mai da l'ospizio The whore that never turned her eyes
di Cesare non torse li occhi putti, from Caesar’s household, Envy,
morte comune e de le corti vizio, the common disease and vice of courts,
INF C13 67-69 / DANTE
infiammò contra me li animi tutti; stirred all minds against me, and being stirred
e li 'nfiammati infiammar sì Augusto, they stirred Augustus, so that my fine honours
che ' lieti onor tornaro in tristi lutti. were changed to grievous sorrows.
INF C13 70-72 / DANTE
L'animo mio, per disdegnoso gusto, My spirit, in a scornful mode, thinking to escape
credendo col morir fuggir disdegno, scorn by death, made me,
ingiusto fece me contra me giusto. though I was just, unjust to myself.
INF C13 73-75 / DANTE
Per le nove radici d'esto legno By the strange roots of this tree,
vi giuro che già mai non ruppi fede I swear to you, I never broke faith with my lord,
al mio segnor, che fu d'onor sì degno. so worthy of honour.
INF C13 76-78 / DANTE
E se di voi alcun nel mondo riede, If either of you return to the world,
conforti la memoria mia, che giace raise and cherish the memory of me,
ancor del colpo che 'nvidia le diede». that still lies low from the blow Envy gave me.
TRUNK./.PIER DELLE VIGNE IS SILENT FOR A WHILE. DANTE LOOKS AT VIRGIL, MENTALLY COMPOSES,
WRITES AND SPEAKS [INF C13 79-84].
DANTE:
INF C13 73-75 / DANTE INF C13 73-75 / KLINE
Per le nove radici d'esto legno By the strange roots of this tree,
vi giuro che già mai non ruppi fede I swear to you, I never broke faith with my lord,
al mio segnor, che fu d'onor sì degno. so worthy of honour.
INF C13 76-78 / DANTE
E se di voi alcun nel mondo riede, If either of you return to the world,
conforti la memoria mia, che giace raise and cherish the memory of me,
ancor del colpo che 'nvidia le diede». that still lies low from the blow Envy gave me.

114
INF C13 79-84 / KLINE
The poet listened for a while, then said to me: ‘Since he is silent, do not lose the moment, but speak, and ask him to
tell you more.’ At which I said to him: ‘You ask him further, about what you think will interest me, because I could
not, such pity fills my heart.’
VIRGIL:
INF C13 85-87 / DANTE INF C13 85-87 / KLINE
Perciò ricominciò: «Se l'om ti faccia So he continued: That the man may do freely what
liberamente ciò che 'l tuo dir priega, your words request from him, imprisoned spirit,
spirito incarcerato, ancor ti piaccia be pleased
INF C13 88-89 / DANTE
di dirne come l'anima si lega to tell us further how the spirits are caught in these
in questi nocchi; e dinne, se tu puoi, knots.: and tell us, if you can,
DANTE:
INF C13 89-90 / KLINE INF C13 89-90 / KLINE
in questi nocchi; e dinne, se tu puoi, and And tell us, if you can, whether any of them
s'alcuna mai di tai membra si spiega». free themselves from these limbs.
[WORDS ORIGINALLY VIRGIL’S]
TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE (VOICE):
INF C13 91-93 / DANTE INF C13 91-93 / KLINE
Allor soffiò il tronco forte, e poi My reply will be brief. Then the trunk
si convertì quel vento in cotal voce: blew fiercely, and the breath
«Brievemente sarà risposto a voi. was turned to words like these:
TRUNK./.PIER DELLE VIGNE SPEAKS WHILE DANTE VERSIFIES./.INTERPRETS, ABOUT A VERSE BEHIND.
DANTE: & TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE (VOICE):
INF C13 94-96 / DANTE INF C13 94-96 / KLINE
Quando si parte l'anima feroce When the savage spirit leaves the body,
dal corpo ond' ella stessa s'è disvelta, from which it has ripped itself,
Minòs la manda a la settima foce. Minos sends it to the seventh gulf.
INF C13 97-99 / DANTE
Cade in la selva, e non l'è parte scelta; It falls into this wood, and no place is set for it,
ma là dove fortuna la balestra, but, wherever chance hurls it, there it sprouts,
quivi germoglia come gran di spelta. like a grain of German wheat,
INF C13 100-102 / DANTE
Surge in vermena e in pianta silvestra: shoots up as a sapling, and then as a wild tree.
l'Arpie, pascendo poi de le sue foglie, The Harpies feeding then on its leaves hurt it,
fanno dolore, e al dolor fenestra. and give an outlet to its hurt.
INF C13 103-105 / DANTE
Come l'altre verrem per nostre spoglie, Like others we shall go to our corpses on the
ma non però ch'alcuna sen rivesta, Day of Judgement, but not so that any of us may
ché non è giusto aver ciò ch'om si toglie. inhabit them again, because it would not be just to
have what we took from ourselves.
INF C13 106-108 / DANTE
Qui le strascineremo, e per la mesta We shall drag them here, and our bodies
selva saranno i nostri corpi appesi, will be hung through the dismal wood,
ciascuno al prun de l'ombra sua molesta». each on the thorn-tree of its tormented shade.
INF C13 109-114 / KLINE
We were still listening to the tree, thinking it might tell us more, when we were startled by a noise, like those who
think the wild boar is nearing where they stand, and hear the animals and the crashing of branches.

♫CHASE * * * * * * * * * *
INF C13 108 from INF C13 115
DANTE:
INF C13 115-117 / DANTE INF C13 115-117 / KLINE
Ed ecco due da la sinistra costa, Ecco!…Behold!...on the left, two naked,
nudi e graffiati, fuggendo sì forte, torn spirits, running
che de la selva rompieno ogne rosta. so hard they broke every thicket of the wood.
HE RUSHES OFF AND IS BACK IN A FEW SECONDS, PANTING.
DANTE:
INF C13 116-117 / DANTE INF C13 116-117 / KLINE
nudi e graffiati, fuggendo sì forte, torn spirits, running
che de la selva rompieno ogne rosta. so hard they broke every thicket of the wood.
LANO’S VOICE COMES FROM 2 DIFFERENT PLACES.
LANO (VOICE): LANO (VOICE):
INF C13 118-120 / DANTE INF C13 118-120 / KLINE
Quel dinanzi: Or accorri, accorri, morte! The leader cried: Come Death, come now!
E l'altro, cui pareva tardar troppo, and the other, Jacomo,
gridava: «Lano, sì non furo accorte who felt himself to be too slow cried:
115
LANO MACONI *---- ? - 1288 AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
SIENA.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
A MEMBER OF THE BRIGATA SPENDERECCIA, THE SPENDTHRIFT BRIGADE, A CLUB FOUNDED BY TWELVE WEALTHY SIENESE, IN
THE SECOND HALF OF THE THIRTEENTH CENTURY, WHO VIED WITH EACH OTHER IN SQUANDERING THEIR MONEY ON RIOTOUS
LIVING. HE ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BE KILLED AT THE BATTLE OF PIEVE DEL TOPPO WHERE THE ARETINES DEFEATED THE
SIENESE IN 1288.
JACOMO DA SANT’ ANDREA (VOICE)
INF C13 121-123 / DANTE INF C13 121-123 / KLINE
le gambe tue a le giostre dal Toppo!». Lano, your legs were not so swift at the jousts of
E poi che forse li fallia la lena, Toppo! And since perhaps his breath was failing
him,
di sé e d'un cespuglio fece un groppo. he merged himself with a bush.
JACOMO (GIACOMO) DA SANT’ ANDREA *---- ? - 1239? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
PADUA.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
HE WASTED HIS OWN & OTHERS’ FORTUNES, EMPLOYING ARSON & OTHER EXTRAORDINARY METHODS. APPARENTLY
EXECUTED BY EZZELINO DA ROMANO IN 1239, PRESUMABLY AFTER COURTING DEATH.
DANTE:
Lano Maconi of the Brigata Spendereccia, the
Sienese Spendthrift Brigade; and Jacomo da Sant’
Andrea, profligate arsonist.

THE CHASE MUSIC CEASES. DANTE LOOKS INTO THE SILENT DARKNESS WHERE LANO’S VOICE SOUNDED
FOR THE SECOND TIME. HE TURNS AND REPORTS.
DANTE:
INF C13 124-126 / DANTE INF C13 124-126 / KLINE
Di rietro a loro era la selva piena The wood behind them was filled
di nere cagne, bramose e correnti with black bitch hounds, eager and quick
come veltri ch'uscisser di catena. as greyhounds that have slipped the leash.
INF C13 127-129 / DANTE
In quel che s'appiattò miser li denti, They clamped their teeth into Lano,
e quel dilaceraro a brano a brano; who squatted, and tore him bit by bit,
poi sen portar quelle membra dolenti. then carried off his miserable limbs.
HE PACES IN AGITATION AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C13 124-126 / DANTE INF C13 124-126 / KLINE
Di rietro a loro era la selva piena The wood behind them was filled
di nere cagne, bramose e correnti with black bitch hounds, eager and quick
come veltri ch'uscisser di catena. as greyhounds that have slipped the leash.
INF C13 127-129 / DANTE
In quel che s'appiattò miser li denti, They clamped their teeth into Lano,
e quel dilaceraro a brano a brano; who squatted, and tore him bit by bit,
poi sen portar quelle membra dolenti. then carried off his miserable limbs.
INF C13 130-151 / KLINE
My guide now took me by the hand, and led me to the bush, which was grieving, in vain, through its bleeding
splinters, crying: ‘O Jacomo da Sant’ Andrea, what have you gained by making me your screen? What blame do I
have for your sinful life? When the Master had stopped next to it, he said: ‘Who were you, that breathe out your
mournful speech, with blood, through so many wounds? And he to us: ‘You spirits, who have come to view the
dishonourable mangling that has torn my leaves from me, gather them round the foot of this sad tree. I was of
Florence, that city, which changed Mars, its patron, for St John the Baptist, because of which that god, through his
powers, will always make it sorrowful. Were it not that some fragments of his statue remain where Ponte Vecchio
crosses the Arno, those citizens, who rebuilt it on the ashes Attila left, would have worked in vain. I made a gibbet
for myself, from my own roofbeam.’
DANTE AND VIRGIL DISAPPEAR BACKSTAGE.
CANTO 14
THE VIOLENT AGAINST GOD
116
INF C14 1-15 / KLINE
As the love of my native place stirred in me, I gathered up the scattered leaves, and gave them back to him who was
already hoarse. Then we came to the edge, where the second round is divided from the third, where a fearsome form
of justice is seen. To make these new things clear, I say we reached a plain, where the land repels all vegetation. The
mournful wood makes a circle round it, as the ditch surrounds the wood: here we stepped close to its very rim. The
ground was dry, thick sand, no different in form than that which Cato once trod.
DANTE COMES DOWN THE → L → AND ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE.

DANTE:
INF C14 16-18 / DANTE INF C14 16-18 / KLINE
O vendetta di Dio, quanto tu dei O God’s vengeance, how what was shown
esser temuta da ciascun che legge to my sight should be feared,
ciò che fu manifesto a li occhi mei! by all who read!
INF C14 19-21 / DANTE
D'anime nude vidi molte gregge I saw many groups of naked spirits,
che piangean tutte assai miseramente, who were all moaning bitterly:
e parea posta lor diversa legge. and there seemed to be diverse rules applied to
them.
INF C14 22-24 / DANTE
Supin giacea in terra alcuna gente, Some were lying face upward on the ground;
alcuna si sedea tutta raccolta, some sat all crouched:
e altra andava continüamente. and others roamed around continuously.
INF C14 25-27 / DANTE
Quella che giva 'ntorno era più molta, Those who moved were more numerous,
e quella men che giacëa al tormento, and those that lay in torment fewer,
ma più al duolo avea la lingua sciolta. but uttering louder cries of pain.
DANTE:
INF C14 28-30 / DANTE INF C14 28-30 / KLINE
Sovra tutto 'l sabbion, d'un cader lento, Dilated flakes of fire, falling slowly,
piovean di foco dilatate falde, like snow in the windless mountains,
come di neve in alpe sanza vento. rained down over all the vast sands.
INF C14 31-33 / DANTE
Quali Alessandro in quelle parti calde Like the flames that Alexander saw falling,
d'Indïa vide sopra 'l süo stuolo in the hot zones of India, over all his army,
fiamme cadere infino a terra salde, until they reached the ground,
INF C14 34-36 / DANTE
per ch'ei provide a scalpitar lo suolo fires that were more easily quenched while they
con le sue schiere, acciò che lo vapore were separate, so that his troops took care
mei si stingueva mentre ch'era solo: to trample the earth - like those,
INF C14 37-39 / DANTE
tale scendeva l'etternale ardore; fell this eternal heat, kindling the sand
onde la rena s'accendea, com' esca like tinder beneath flint and steel,
sotto focile, a doppiar lo dolore. doubling the pain.
INF C14 40-42 / DANTE
Sanza riposo mai era la tresca The dance of their tortured hands
de le misere mani, or quindi or quinci was never still, now here, now there,
escotendo da sé l'arsura fresca. shaking off the fresh burning.
DANTE:
INF C14 40-42 / DANTE INF C14 40-42 / KLINE
Sanza riposo mai era la tresca The dance of their tortured hands
de le misere mani, or quindi or quinci was never still, now here, now there,
escotendo da sé l'arsura fresca. shaking off the fresh burning.
VIRGIL COMES DOWN THE → L → OR RETURNS FROM BACKSTAGE. DANTE POINTS TO A SPIRIT LYING IN
NEAR-DARKNESS AT THE SIDE OF THE STAGE.
DANTE:
INF C14 43-45 / DANTE INF C14 43-45 / KLINE
I' cominciai: «Maestro, tu che vinci I began: Master, you who overcome everything
tutte le cose, fuor che ' demon duri except the obdurate demons, that came out
ch'a l'intrar de la porta incontra uscinci, against us at the entrance to the gate,
117

INF C14 46-48 / DANTE
chi è quel grande che non par che curi who is that great spirit, who seems indifferent to
lo 'ncendio e giace dispettoso e torto, the fire, and lies there, scornful, contorted, so
that
sì che la pioggia non par che 'l marturi?». the rain does not seem to deepen his repentance?
THE SPIRIT HAS HEARD DANTE [INF C14 49-51].
CAPANEUS:
INF C14 49-51 / DANTE INF C14 49-51 / KLINE
E quel medesmo, che si fu accorto And he himself, noting that I asked
ch'io domandava il mio duca di lui, my guide about him, cried: What I was
gridò: «Qual io fui vivo, tal son morto. when I was living, I am now I am dead.
CAPANEUS MYTHICAL AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
*
CAPANEUS: AN ARGIVE CHIEF IN THE WAR OF THE SEVEN AGAINST THEBES WHO SCALED THE WALL & WAS STRUCK DOWN BY
JUPITER’S LIGHTNING BOLT. HE WAS A SYMBOL OF PRIDE. (AESCHYLUS: SEVEN AGAINST THEBES)
118
CAPANEUS:
INF C14 52-54 / DANTE INF C14 52-54 / KLINE
Se Giove stanchi 'l suo fabbro da cui Though Jupiter exhausts Vulcan, his blacksmith,
crucciato prese la folgore aguta from whom he took, in anger, the fierce lightning
onde l'ultimo dì percosso fui; bolt, that I was struck down with on my last day,
INF C14 55-57 / DANTE
o s'elli stanchi li altri a muta a muta and though he exhausts the others, the Cyclopes,
in Mongibello a la focina negra, one by one, at the black forge of Aetna, shouting:
chiamando ``Buon Vulcano, aiuta, aiuta!", “Help, help, good Vulcan”,
CYCLOPES: A FABULOUS RACE OF GIANTS ON THE COAST OF SICILY, WITH ONE EYE IN THE CENTRE OF THEIR FOREHEADS.
THEY FORGED JUPITER’S LIGHTNING BOLTS IN THE FIRES OF MOUNT AETNA ON SICILY.
DANTE notes:
INF C14 57 / DANTE INF C14 57 / KLINE
chiamando "Buon Vulcano, aiuta, aiuta!", “Help, help, good Vulcan”,
CAPANEUS:
INF C14 58-60 / DANTE INF C14 58-60 / KLINE
sì com' el fece a la pugna di Flegra, just as he did at the battle of Phlegra, between the
e me saetti con tutta sua forza: gods and giants, and hurls his bolts at me with all
non ne potrebbe aver vendetta allegra». his strength, he shall still not enjoy a true revenge.’
VIRGIL SPEAKS WITH UNWONTED FORCEFULNESS.
VIRGIL:
INF C14 61-63 / DANTE INF C14 61-63 / KLINE
Allora il duca mio parlò di forza Then my guide spoke, with a force
tanto, ch'i' non l'avea sì forte udito: I had not heard before: O Capaneus,
«O Capaneo, in ciò che non s'ammorza you are punished more in that
INF C14 64-66 / DANTE
la tua superbia, se' tu più punito; your pride is not quenched:
nullo martiro, fuor che la tua rabbia, no torment would produce pain fitting
sarebbe al tuo furor dolor compito». for your fury, except your own raving.
VIRGIL SPEAKS MORE GENTLY TO DANTE.

VIRGIL:
INF C14 67-69 / DANTE INF C14 67-69 / KLINE
Poi si rivolse a me con miglior labbia, Then he turned to me with gentler voice, saying:
dicendo: «Quei fu l'un d'i sette regi That was one of the seven kings
ch'assiser Tebe; ed ebbe e par ch'elli abbia who laid siege to Thebes:
DANTE notes:
INF C14 68 / DANTE INF C14 67-69 / KLINE
Poi si rivolse a me con miglior labbia, Then he turned to me with gentler voice, saying:
dicendo: «Quei fu l'un d'i sette regi That was one of the seven kings
ch'assiser Tebe; ed ebbe e par ch'elli abbia who laid siege to Thebes:
119
VIRGIL:
INF C14 70-72 / DANTE INF C14 70-72 / KLINE
Dio in disdegno, e poco par che 'l pregi; and he held God, and seems to hold him,
ma, com' io dissi lui, li suoi dispetti in disdain, and value him lightly, but as I told him,
sono al suo petto assai debiti fregi. his spite is an ornament that fits his breast.
VIRGIL AND DANTE STOP AND EXAMINE A STREAM BACKSTAGE AND NOT VISIBLE TO THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE HOLDS HIS BOOK AND ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE.
BOTH DANTE AND VIRGIL LOOK UP IN THIS SEGMENT, TO MAKE A CONNECTION FIRST WITH THE STREAM
OF BLOOD IN [INF C12 100] AND THEN WITH CRETE.
DANTE:
INF C14 76-78 / DANTE INF C14 76-78 / KLINE
Tacendo divenimmo là 've spiccia We came, in silence, to the place,
fuor de la selva un picciol fiumicello, where a A little stream gushes from the wood.,
lo cui rossore ancor mi raccapriccia. the Its redness of which still makes me shudder.
INF C14 79-81 / DANTE
Quale del Bulicame esce ruscello Like the rivulet that runs sulphur-red from the
che parton poi tra lor le peccatrici, Bulicame spring, near Viterbo, that the sinful
women
tal per la rena giù sen giva quello. share among themselves, so this ran runs down
over the sand.
INF C14 82-84 / DANTE
Lo fondo suo e ambo le pendici Its bed and both its sloping banks were are
petrified,
fatt' era 'n pietra, e ' margini dallato; and its nearby margins:
per ch'io m'accorsi che 'l passo era lici. so that I realised our way lay there.
VIRGIL:
INF C14 85-87 / DANTE INF C14 85-87 / KLINE
«Tra tutto l'altro ch'i' t'ho dimostrato, Among all the other things that I have shown you,
poscia che noi intrammo per la porta since we entered though the gate,
lo cui sogliare a nessuno è negato, whose threshold is denied to no one,
INF C14 88-90 / DANTE
cosa non fu da li tuoi occhi scorta your eyes have seen nothing
notabile com' è 'l presente rio, as noteworthy as this present stream,
che sovra sé tutte fiammelle ammorta». that quenches all the flames over it.
INF C14 91-93 / KLINE
These were my guide’s words, at which I begged him to grant me food, for which he had given me the appetite.
VIRGIL:
INF C14 94-96 / DANTE INF C14 94-96 / KLINE
«In mezzo mar siede un paese guasto», He then said: There is a deserted island
diss' elli allora, «che s'appella Creta, in the middle of the sea, named Crete,
sotto 'l cui rege fu già 'l mondo casto. under whose king Saturn, the world was pure.

DANTE versifies:
INF C14 94-96 / DANTE INF C14 94-96 / KLINE
«In mezzo mar siede un paese guasto», He then said: There is a deserted island
diss' elli allora, «che s'appella Creta, in the middle of the sea, named Crete,
sotto 'l cui rege fu già 'l mondo casto. under whose king Saturn, the world was pure.
120
VIRGIL:
INF C14 97-99 / DANTE INF C14 97-99 / KLINE
Una montagna v'è che già fu lieta There is a mountain, there, called Ida, which was
d'acqua e di fronde, che si chiamò Ida; once gladdened with waters and vegetation,
or è diserta come cosa vieta. and now is abandoned like an ancient spoil heap.
INF C14 100-102 / DANTE
Rëa la scelse già per cuna fida Rhea chose it, once, as the trusted cradle of her
del suo figliuolo, e per celarlo meglio, son, and the better to hide him when he wept,
uando piangea, vi facea far le grida. caused loud shouts to echo from it.
RHEA: HID HER SON, JUPITER, IN A CAVE TO PREVENT HIM BEING EATEN BY HIS FATHER, CRONUS.
INF C14 103-105 / DANTE
Dentro dal monte sta dritto un gran veglio, Inside the mountain, a great Old Man, stands erect,
che tien volte le spalle inver' Dammiata with his shoulders turned towards Egyptian
e Roma guarda come süo speglio. Damietta, and looks at Rome as if it were his
mirror.
OLD MAN: AN ALLEGORY OF HUMAN HISTORY BASED ON DANIEL 2 32. THE FOUR METALS ARE THE FOUR AGES OF MAN:
GOLD, SILVER, BRONZE & IRON (SEE ALSO OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 1). THE IRON & CLAY FEET, ARE SECULAR & SPIRITUAL
AUTHORITY, THE LATTER FOOT BEING THE ONE HUMANITY LOOKS TO FOR SUPPORT, BUT WEAKENED & CORRUPTED BY
TEMPORAL POWER. CRETE IN AENEID 3 104-5 IS THE ‘CRADLE OF OUR (ROMAN) RACE’ TRACED BACK VIA TROY TO TEUCER.
DAMIETTA STANDS FOR EGYPT, SUPERSEDED BY ROME. THE GOLDEN AGE ALONE WAS FREE OF TEARS.
INF C14 106-108 / DANTE
La sua testa è di fin oro formata, His head is formed of pure gold, his arms
e puro argento son le braccia e 'l petto, and his breasts are refined silver:
poi è di rame infino a la forcata; then he is bronze as far as the thighs.
INF C14 109-111 / DANTE
da indi in giuso è tutto ferro eletto, Downwards from there he is all of choice iron,
salvo che 'l destro piede è terra cotta; except that the right foot is baked clay, and more
e sta 'n su quel, più che 'n su l'altro, eretto. more of his weight is on that one than the other.
INF C14 112-114 / DANTE
Ciascuna parte, fuor che l'oro, è rotta Every part, except the gold, is cleft
d'una fessura che lagrime goccia, with a fissure that sheds tears,
le quali, accolte, fóran quella grotta. which collect and pierce the grotto.
INF C14 115-117 / DANTE
Lor corso in questa valle si diroccia; Their course falls from rock to rock
fanno Acheronte, Stige e Flegetonta; into this valley. They form
poi sen van giù per questa stretta doccia, Acheron, Styx and Phlegethon,
INF C14 118-120 / DANTE
infin, là ove più non si dismonta, where there is no further fall, and form Cocytus:
fanno Cocito; e qual sia quello stagno you will see what kind of lake that is:
tu lo vedrai, però qui non si conta». so I will not describe it to you here.
DANTE versifies:
INF C14 118-120 / DANTE INF C14 118-120 / KLINE
infin, là ove più non si dismonta, where there is no further fall, and form Cocytus:
fanno Cocito; e qual sia quello stagno you will see what kind of lake that is:
tu lo vedrai, però qui non si conta». so I will not describe it to you here.
DANTE:
INF C14 121-123 / DANTE INF C14 121-123 / KLINE
E io a lui: «Se 'l presente rigagno I said to him: If the present stream flows down
si diriva così dal nostro mondo, like that from our world,
perché ci appar pur a questo vivagno?» why does it only appear to us on this bank?

VIRGIL:
INF C14 124-126 / DANTE INF C14 124-126 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Tu sai che 'l loco è tondo; And he to me: You know the place is circular,
e tutto che tu sie venuto molto, and though you have come far,
pur a sinistra, giù calando al fondo, always to the left, descending to the depths,
DANTE notes:
INF C14 124-126 / DANTE INF C14 124-126 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Tu sai che 'l loco è tondo; And he to me: You know the place is circular,
121
VIRGIL:
INF C14 127-129 / DANTE INF C14 127-129 / KLINE
non se' ancor per tutto 'l cerchio vòlto; you have not yet turned through a complete round,
per che, se cosa n'apparisce nova, so that if anything new appears to us, it should
non de' addur maraviglia al tuo volto». not bring an expression of wonder to your face.
DANTE:
INF C14 130-132 / DANTE INF C14 130-132 / KLINE
E io ancor: «Maestro, ove si trova And I again: Master, where are Phlegethon, and
Flegetonta e Letè? ché de l'un taci, Lethe found, since you do not speak of the latter,
e l'altro di' che si fa d'esta piova». and say that the former is created from these tears?
VIRGIL:
INF C14 133-135 / DANTE INF C14 133-135 / KLINE
«In tutte tue question certo mi piaci», He replied: You please me, truly, with all
rispuose, «ma 'l bollor de l'acqua rossa your questions, but the boiling red water might
dovea ben solver l'una che tu faci. well answer to one of those you ask about.
VIRGIL POINTS.
VIRGIL:
INF C14 136-138 / DANTE INF C14 136-138 / KLINE
Letè vedrai, ma fuor di questa fossa, You will see Lethe, but above this abyss, there, on
là dove vanno l'anime a lavarsi the Mount, where the spirits go to purify
themselves,
quando la colpa pentuta è rimossa». when their guilt is absolved by penitence.
INF C14 139-141 / DANTE
Poi disse: «Omai è tempo da scostarsi Then he said: Now it is time to leave the wood:
dal bosco; fa che di retro a me vegne: see that you follow me: the margins
li margini fan via, che non son arsi, which are not burning form a path,
INF C14 142 / DANTE
e sopra loro ogne vapor si spegne». and over them all the fire is quenched.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C14 139-141 / DANTE INF C14 139-141 / KLINE
Poi disse: «Omai è tempo da scostarsi Then he said: Now it is time to leave the wood:
dal bosco; fa che di retro a me vegne: see that you follow me: the margins
li margini fan via, che non son arsi, which are not burning form a path,
INF C14 142 / DANTE
e sopra loro ogne vapor si spegne». and over them all the fire is quenched.
CANTO 15

THE REAR CURTAIN IS UP. VIRGIL AND DANTE WALK NEXT TO THE WALL AND DANTE RUNS HIS HAND
ALONG IT. DANTE VERSIFIES AND VIRGIL GIVES AN ABBREVIATED INTERPRETATION.
122
INF C15 1-3 / KLINE
Now one of the solid banks takes us on, and the smoke from the stream makes a shadow above, so that it shelters the
water and its margins.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C15 4-6 / DANTE INF C15 4-6 / KLINE
Quali Fiamminghi tra Guizzante e Bruggia, Just as the The Flemings between Bruges and
temendo 'l fiotto che 'nver' lor s'avventa, Wissant make their dykes to hold back the sea,
fanno lo schermo perché 'l mar si fuggia; fearing the flood that beats against them;
INF C15 7-9 / DANTE
e quali Padoan lungo la Brenta, and as the Paduans do, along the Brenta,
per difender lor ville e lor castelli, to defend their towns and castles,
anzi che Carentana il caldo senta: before Carinthia’s mountains feel the thaw;
INF C15 10-12 / DANTE
a tale imagine eran fatti quelli, so those banks were similarly formed,
tutto che né sì alti né sì grossi, though their creator, whoever it might be,
qual che si fosse, lo maestro félli. made them neither as high or as deep.
INF C15 13-21 / KLINE
Already we were so far from the wood, that I was unable to see where it was, unless I turned back, when we met a
group of spirits, coming along the bank, and each of them looked at us, as, at twilight, men look at one another,
under a crescent moon, and peered towards us, as an old tailor does at the eye of his needle.
SPIRITS./ .SPIRITS STRAGGLE PAST THEM IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. DANTE WRITES.
SPIRITS AGE : VARIOUS
DESCRIPTION
*
BRUNETTO LATINI
ONE OF THE SPIRITS STOPS, GOES BACK AND PEERS INTO DANTE’S FACE [INF C15 13-24]. HE ADDRESSES
DANTE WITH ENTHUSIASM.
BRUNETTO LATINI c 1210 - 1294 AGE : 84?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
HE CARRIES A SMALLISH BOOK, HIS TESORO (TRESORO), ON HIS BACK OR CHEST.
BRUNETTO LATINI: & BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 22-24 / DANTE INF C15 22-24 / KLINE
Così adocchiato da cotal famiglia, Eyed so by that tribe, I was recognised, by one
fui conosciuto da un, che mi prese who ook me by the skirt of my robe and said:
per lo lembo e gridò: Qual maraviglia! How wonderful!
BRUNETTO LATINI: A FLORENTINE GUELPH, LATINI (C 1210-1294) WAS A POLITICIAN & PHILOSOPHER, AUTHOR OF A PROSE
ENCYCLOPAEDIA LI LIVRES DOU TRÉSOR WRITTEN IN FRENCH (HE WAS IN EXILE IN FRANCE IN 1260 AFTER MONTAPERTI) &
THE TESORETTO, A POPULAR DIDACTIC POEM IN ITALIAN, CONTAINING SIMILAR MATTER, IN THE FORM OF AN ALLEGORICAL
JOURNEY, A KIND OF PILGRIM’S PROGRESS, THAT CLEARLY INFLUENCED DANTE, OPENING WITH THE POET LOST IN A WOOD OF
ERROR. AN ARDENT GUELPH, HE INTRODUCED THE ART OF ORATORY & THE STUDY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE INTO FLORENCE. IN
THE TESORETTO HE SPEAKS AGAINST THE HOMOSEXUALITY THAT CONDEMNS HIM TO HELL. HE INFLUENCED & POSSIBLY
TAUGHT DANTE.

DANTE PUTS HIS HAND TO THE SPIRIT’S FACE AND PEERS [INF C15 25-28].
INF C15 25-27 / KLINE
And I fixed my eyes on his baked visage, so that the scorching of his aspect did not prevent
DANTE:
INF C15 28-30 / DANTE INF C15 28-30 / KLINE
la conoscenza süa al mio 'ntelletto; my mind from knowing him,
e chinando la mano a la sua faccia, and bending my face to his
rispuosi: Siete voi qui, ser Brunetto? I replied: Are you here, Ser Brunetto?
BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 31-33 / DANTE INF C15 31-33 / KLINE
E quelli: «O figliuol mio, non ti dispiaccia And he: O my son, do not be displeased
se Brunetto Latino un poco teco if Brunetto Latini turns back with you a while,
ritorna 'n dietro e lascia andar la traccia». and lets the crowd pass by.
DANTE:
INF C15 34-36 / DANTE INF C15 34-36 / KLINE
I' dissi lui: «Quanto posso, ven preco; I said: I ask it, with all my strength,
e se volete che con voi m'asseggia, and, if you want me to sit with you, I will,
faròl, se piace a costui che vo seco». if it pleases him there, whom I go with.
123
BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 37-39 / DANTE INF C15 37-39 / KLINE
«O figliuol», disse, «qual di questa greggia He said: O my son, whoever of the flock stops for a
s'arresta punto, giace poi cent' anni moment, must lie there for a hundred years after,
sanz' arrostarsi quando 'l foco il feggia. without cooling himself when the fire beats on him.
INF C15 40-42 / DANTE
Però va oltre: i' ti verrò a' panni; So go on, I will follow at your heels,
e poi rigiugnerò la mia masnada, and then I will rejoin my crew again,
che va piangendo i suoi etterni danni». who go mourning their eternal loss.
INF C15 43-45 / KLINE
I did not dare leave the road to be level with him, but kept my head bowed like one who walks reverently.
INF C15 46-47 / DANTE INF C15 46-47 / KLINE
El cominciò: «Qual fortuna o destino He began: What fate, or chance, bring you down
anzi l'ultimo dì qua giù ti mena? here, before your final hour?
BRUNETTO LATINI: or BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 48 / DANTE INF C15 48 / KLINE
e chi è questi che mostra 'l cammino?». Who is this who shows you the way?
DANTE BEGINS DECLAIMING THE FIRST TERCET OF L’INFERNO…
DANTE:
from INF C1 1 / DANTE
Nel mezzo del cammin…
…BUT THINKS BETTER OF IT.
DANTE:
INF C15 49-51 / DANTE INF C15 49-51 / KLINE
«Là sù di sopra, in la vita serena», I lost myself, in the clear life up above,
rispuos' io lui, «mi smarri' in una valle, in a valley,
avanti che l'età mia fosse piena. before my years were complete.

INF C15 52-54 / DANTE
Pur ier mattina le volsi le spalle: Only yesterday morning I turned my back on it:
questi m'apparve, tornand' ïo in quella, he appeared to me as I was returning to it,
e reducemi a ca per questo calle». and guides me back again, but by this path.
♫PROPHECY MOTIF * * * * * * * * * *
INF C15 54
BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 55-57 / DANTE INF C15 55-57 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Se tu segui tua stella, And he to me: If you follow your star,
non puoi fallire a glorïoso porto, you cannot fail to reach a glorious harbour:
se ben m'accorsi ne la vita bella; if I judged clearly in the sweet life.
INF C15 58-60 / DANTE
e s'io non fossi sì per tempo morto, If I had not died before you, I would have
veggendo il cielo a te così benigno, supported you in your work,
dato t'avrei a l'opera conforto. seeing that Heaven is so kind to you.
DANTE INTERPRETS TO THE ITALIAN-SPEAKING AUDIENCE, ADDING EMPHASIS.
DANTE:
INF C15 55-57 / DANTE INF C15 55-57 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Se tu segui tua stella, And he to me: If you follow your star,
non puoi fallire a glorïoso porto, you cannot fail to reach a glorious harbour:
se ben m'accorsi ne la vita bella; if I judged clearly in the sweet life.
INF C15 58-60 / DANTE INF C15 58-60 / KLINE
e s'io non fossi sì per tempo morto, If I had not died before you, I would have
veggendo il cielo a te così benigno, supported you in your work,
dato t'avrei a l'opera conforto. seeing that Heaven is so kind to you.
124
BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 61-63 / DANTE INF C15 61-63 / KLINE
Ma quello ingrato popolo maligno Ma quello...popolo…But that ungrateful,
che discese di Fiesole ab antico, malignant people who came down from Fiesole to
e tiene ancor del monte e del macigno, Florence, in ancient times, and still have something
of the mountain and the rock,
MALIGNANT PEOPLE: ACCORDING TO TRADITION CATILINE WAS BESIEGED, BY CAESAR, IN FIESOLE (FAESULAE), IN THE HILLS,
THREE MILES NORTH-WEST OF FLORENCE. WHEN THE TOWN FELL A NEW TOWN WAS ESTABLISHED, IN THE VALLEY, BY THE
RIVER ARNO. THE INHABITANTS WERE A MIXTURE OF FIESOLANS & ROMAN SOLDIERS. THE FLORENTINE COMMONERS
(WHITES) WERE HELD TO BE DESCENDED FROM THE FIESOLANS, THE NOBILITY (BLACKS) FROM THE ROMANS. THIS WAS
REGARDED AS A SOURCE OF THE FUTURE CONFLICTS. DANTE WAS FOR A REFORMED PAPACY & A STRONG (HOLY ROMAN)
EMPIRE & WAS ACTIVE IN THE EXPULSION OF BOTH WHITES & BLACKS FROM FLORENCE, HE WAS THEREFORE OPPOSED BY
BOTH PARTIES, THOUGH OSTENSIBLY A GHIBELLINE (HIS FATHER HAVING BEEN A GUELPH) & COURTED & VILIFIED BY BOTH.
DANTE IS RECONCILED TO BRUNETTO’S & FARINATA’S PROPHECY, OF A TROUBLED EXILE.
INF C15 64-66 / DANTE
ti si farà, per tuo ben far, nimico; will be inimical to you for the good you do,
ed è ragion, ché tra li lazzi sorbi and with reason., since it is not fitting for the
si disconvien fruttare al dolce fico. sweet fig tree to fruit, among the sour crab-apples.
DANTE TRANSLATES AGAIN.

125
DANTE
INF C15 61-63 / DANTE INF C15 61-63 / KLINE
Ma quello ingrato popolo maligno that ungrateful, malignant people, who came down
che discese di Fiesole ab antico, from Fiesole to Florence, in ancient times, and still
e tiene ancor del monte e del macigno, have something of the mountain and the rock,
INF C15 64-66 / DANTE
ti si farà, per tuo ben far, nimico; will be inimical to you for the good you do,
ed è ragion, ché tra li lazzi sorbi and with reason, since it is not fitting for the
si disconvien fruttare al dolce fico. sweet fig tree to fruit, among the sour crab-apples.
BRUNETTO:
INF C15 67-69 / DANTE INF C15 67-69 / KLINE
Vecchia fama nel mondo li chiama orbi; Past report on earth declares them blind,
gent' è avara, invidiosa e superba: an envious, proud and avaricious people:
dai lor costumi fa che tu ti forbi. make sure you purge yourself of their faults.
INF C15 70-72 / DANTE
La tua fortuna tanto onor ti serba, Your fate prophesies such honour for you,
che l'una parte e l'altra avranno fame that both parties will hunger for you,
di te; ma lungi fia dal becco l'erba. but the goat will be far from the grass.
DANTE PICKS UP BRUNETTO’S PHRASE AND ELABORATES IT.
DANTE:
INF C15 70-72 / DANTE INF C15 70-72 / KLINE
La tua fortuna tanto onor ti serba, Your fate prophesies such honour for you,
che l'una parte e l'altra avranno fame that both parties will hunger for you,
di te; ma lungi fia dal becco l'erba. but the goat will be far from the grass.
INF C15 73-75 / DANTE
Faccian le bestie fiesolane strame Let the herd from Fiesole make manure of
di lor medesme, e non tocchin la pianta, themselves, but not touch the plant in which
s'alcuna surge ancora in lor letame, the sacred seed of those Romans revives,
INF C15 76-78 / DANTE
in cui riviva la sementa santa who stayed, when that nest of malice
di que' Roman che vi rimaser quando was created, if any plant
fu fatto il nido di malizia tanta». still springs from their ordure.
DANTE:
INF C15 79-81 / DANTE INF C15 79-81 / KLINE
«Se fosse tutto pieno il mio dimando», I answered him: If my wishes had been
rispuos' io lui, «voi non sareste ancora completely fulfilled, you would not have been
de l'umana natura posto in bando; separated, yet, from human nature,
INF C15 82-84 / DANTE
ché 'n la mente m'è fitta, e or m'accora, since, in my memory, the dear, and kind,
la cara e buona imagine paterna paternal image of you is fixed, and now goes
di voi quando nel mondo ad ora ad ora to my heart, how, when in the world, hour by hour,
INF C15 85-87 / DANTE
m'insegnavate come l'uom s'etterna: you taught me the way man makes himself
e quant' io l'abbia in grado, mentr' io vivo eternal; and it is fitting my tongue should show
convien che ne la mia lingua si scerna. what gratitude I hold, while I live.
DANTE WRITES IN HIS BOOK AND SPEAKS AIRILY.

DANTE:
INF C15 88-90 / DANTE INF C15 88-90 / KLINE
Ciò che narrate di mio corso scrivo, What you tell me of my fate, I write,
e serbolo a chiosar con altro testo and retain it with a former text, for a lady, who
a donna che saprà, s'a lei arrivo. will know how to comment on it, if I reach her.
DANTE:
INF C15 93 / DANTE
ch'a la Fortuna, come vuol, son presto. I am ready for whatever Fortune wills,
DANTE:
INF C15 91-93 / DANTE INF C15 91-93 / KLINE
Tanto vogl' io che vi sia manifesto, I would make this much known to you:
pur che mia coscïenza non mi garra, I am ready for whatever Fortune wills.,
ch'a la Fortuna, come vuol, son presto. as long as conscience does not hurt me.
INF C15 94-96 / DANTE
Non è nuova a li orecchi miei tal arra: Such prophecies are not new to my ears:
però giri Fortuna la sua rota so let Fortune turn her wheel as she pleases,
come le piace, e 'l villan la sua marra». and the peasant wield his mattock.
INF C15 97-117 / KLINE
At that, my Master, looked back, on his right, and gazed at me, then said: ‘He listens closely, who notes it.’ I carry
on speaking, no less, with Ser Brunetto, and ask who are the most famous and noblest of his companions. And he to
me: ‘It is good to know of some: of the rest it would be praiseworthy to keep silent, as the time would be too little
for such a speech. In short, know that all were clerks, and great scholars, and very famous, tainted with the same sin
on earth. Priscian goes with that miserable crowd, and Francesco d’Accorso: and if you had any desire for such
scum, you might have seen Andrea di Mozzi there, who by Boniface, the Pope, servus servorum Dei, servant of
servants, was translated from the Arno to Vicenza’s Bacchiglione, where he departed from his ill-strained body. I
would say more, but my speech and my departure must not linger, since there I see new smoke, rising from the great
sand.
♫BE-A-TRI-CE MOTIF * * * * * * * * * *
INF C15 96
BEATRICE MANIFESTS HERSELF IN HER HEAVENLY SPOTLIGHT..◙..NEXT TO DANTE AND SMILES. DANTE
STARTS AND TREMBLES. BRUNETTO CANNOT SEE HER.
THE CONTINUING SMILE COMPELS DANTE TO HAND OVER HIS BOOK AND HOLD BEATRICE’S BIBLE WHILE
SHE LOOKS AT HIS WRITING.
BRUNETTO LOOKS PAST DANTE AT TWO SPIRITS APPROACHING. HE PROFFERS DANTE HIS OWN BOOK,
THE TESORO (TRESORO).
BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 118-120 / DANTE INF C15 118-120 / KLINE
Gente vien con la quale esser non deggio. People come that I cannot be with:
Sieti raccomandato il mio Tesoro, let my Tresoro be commended to you,
nel qual io vivo ancora, e più non cheggio. in which I still live: more I ask not.
DANTE TAKES IT IN A DAZE AND HANDS BRUNETTO THE BIBLE. BRUNETTO GENTLY TAKES HIS BOOK
FROM DANTE’S HAND AND PUTS THE BIBLE BACK THERE. BRUNETTO LOOKS TO THE AUDIENCE AND
HOLDS OUT HIS BOOK.
BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 119-120 / DANTE INF C15 119-120 / KLINE
Sieti raccomandato il mio Tesoro, let my Tresoro be commended to you,
nel qual io vivo ancora, e più non cheggio. in which I still live: more I ask not.
126

BRUNETTO EMBRACES DANTE AND RESUMES HIS DIRECTION AT SPEED.
DANTE STARES AT THE BIBLE, THEN LOOKS UP TO SEE BEATRICE VANISH WITH THE BOOK AS THE
SPOTLIGHT..◙ ..TURNS OFF. DANTE AND VIRGIL GO FORWARD AND DOWN → R → .
AFTER A WHILE, DANTE RECOVERS ENOUGH TO CLOSE THE CANTO.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C15 121-123 / DANTE INF C15 121-123 / KLINE
Poi si rivolse, e parve di coloro Then he turned back, and seemed like one
che corrono a Verona il drappo verde who runs for the green cloth, at Verona,
per la campagna; e parve di costoro through the open fields: and seemed like
INF C15 124 / DANTE
quelli che vince, non colui che perde. one of those who wins, not one who loses.
DANTE COMPARES BRUNETTO’S DEPARTURE TO ONE RUNNING THE RACE AT VERONA, HELD ON THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT,
FOR WHICH THE PRIZE WAS A PIECE OF GREEN CLOTH, A MANTLE, OR PALIO.
CANTO 16
RUSTICUCCI, GUERRA & TEGGHIAIO
INF C16 1-6 / KLINE
I was already in a place where the booming of the water, that fell, into the next circle, sounded like a beehive’s
humming, when three shades together, running, left a crowd that passed under the sharp burning rain. They came
towards us, and each one cried:
♫HUMMING / BOOMING WATERFALL – NOT TOO LOUD * * * * * * * * * *
INF C16 1 from INF C15 24
‘the booming of the water that fell into the next circle sounded like a beehive’s humming’
DANTE COMES DOWN THE → L → OR EMERGES FROM BACKSTAGE. HE HEADS TOWARDS THE AUDIENCE.
THREE ‘SCORCHED, STAINED’ SPIRITS – JACOPO RUSTICUCCI, GUIDO GUERRA AND TEGGHIAIO
ALDOBRANDI – COME RUNNING, OR THEIR VOICES ARE HEARD.
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI *---- ? - *---- ? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
*
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI: A FLORENTINE WHO WAS DRIVEN TO IMMORAL PRACTICES BY AN UNHAPPY MARRIAGE.
127

128
GUIDO GUERRA *---- ? - 1272 AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
*
GUIDO GUERRA: A LEADING GUELPH IN TUSCANY FROM 1250 TO 1266, APPOINTED VICAR OF TUSCANY BY CHARLES OF
ANJOU. HE DIED IN 1272. HE PLAYED A DISTINGUISHED PART AT BENEVENTO IN 1265, WHERE MANFRED DIED & BEFORE THE
DISASTER AT MONTAPERTI IN 1260, WHEN THE GUELPHS WENT DOWN TO DEFEAT, HE WAS ONE OF THE NOBLES WHO HAD
VOTED WITH TEGGHIAIO AGAINST THE EXPEDITION, KNOWING THE SIENESE HAD BEEN REINFORCED WITH GERMAN
MERCENARIES.
TEGGHIAIO ALDOBRANDO *---- ? - 1260 + AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
*
TEGGHIAIO ALDOBRANDI: A FLORENTINE GUELPH WHO, WITH GUIDO GUERRA, TRIED TO DISSUADE HIS PARTY FROM THE
CONFLICT THAT LED TO THE GUELPH DISASTER AT MONTAPERTI IN 1260. HE FOUGHT COURAGEOUSLY & TOOK REFUGE AT
LUCCA WITH OTHER DEFEATED GUELPHS.
THE 3 SPIRITS (VOICE?): & THE 3 SPIRITS (VOICE?):
INF C16 7-9 / DANTE INF C16 7-9 / KLINE
Venian ver' noi, e ciascuna gridava: Wait, you., who seem to us,
«Sòstati tu ch'a l'abito ne sembri by By your clothes, you are
esser alcun di nostra terra prava». to be someone from our perverse city.
DANTE IGNORES THEM AND READS HIS VERSIFICATION OF BRUNETTO’S DEPARTURE TO THE AUDIENCE..
DANTE:
INF C15 121-123 / DANTE INF C15 121-123 / KLINE
Poi si rivolse, e parve di coloro Then he turned back, and seemed like one
che corrono a Verona il drappo verde who runs for the green cloth, at Verona,
per la campagna; e parve di costoro through the open fields: and seemed
INF C15 124 / DANTE
quelli che vince, non colui che perde. one of those who wins, not one who loses.
VIRGIL:
INF C16 13-15 / DANTE INF C16 13-15 / KLINE
A le lor grida il mio dottor s'attese; My teacher listened to their cries,
volse 'l viso ver' me, e «Or aspetta», turned his face towards me, and said:
disse, «a costor si vuole esser cortese. Wait, now: courtesy is owed them,
INF C16 16-18 / DANTE
E se non fosse il foco che saetta and if there were not this fire, that the place’s
la natura del loco, i' dicerei nature rains down, I would say that you
che meglio stesse a te che a lor la fretta». were more hasty than them.
INF C16 19-27 / KLINE
As we rested, they started their former laments again, and when they reached us, all three of them formed
themselves into a circle. Wheeling round, as champion wrestlers, naked and oiled, do, looking for a hold or an
advantage, before they grasp and strike one another, each directed his face at me, so that his neck was turned, all the
time, in an opposite direction to his feet.
RUSTICUCCI, GUERRA & TEGGHIAIO, (OR JUST RUSTICUCCI) APPEAR NOW, IF NOT BEFORE.
DANTE, MIFFED AT VIRGIL’S REPROACH, STANDS STIFFLY AND DOES NOT TAKE NOTES.
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI:
INF C16 28-30 / DANTE INF C16 28-30 / KLINE
E «Se miseria d'esto loco sollo And one of them began: If the misery
rende in dispetto noi e nostri prieghi», of this sinful place, and our scorched, stained
cominciò l'uno, «e 'l tinto aspetto e brollo, look, renders us, and our prayers, contemptible,

INF C16 31-33 / DANTE
la fama nostra il tuo animo pieghi let our fame influence your mind
a dirne chi tu se', che i vivi piedi to tell us who you are, that move
così sicuro per lo 'nferno freghi. your living feet, safely, through Hell.
RUSTICUCCI POINTS AHEAD…
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI:
INF C16 34-36 / DANTE INF C16 34-36 / KLINE
Questi, l'orme di cui pestar mi vedi, He, in whose footsteps you see me tread,
tutto che nudo e dipelato vada, all peeled and naked as he is,
fu di grado maggior che tu non credi: was greater in degree than you would think.
129
INF C16 37-39 / DANTE
nepote fu de la buona Gualdrada; His name is Guido Guerra, grandson
Guido Guerra ebbe nome, e in sua vita of the good lady Gualdrada, and in his life
fece col senno assai e con la spada. he achieved much in council, and with his sword.
GUALDRADA DE’ RAVIGNANI: THE VIRTUOUS & LOVELY DAUGHTER OF BELLINCION BERTI WAS THE ANCESTRESS OF THE
CONTI GUIDI, THE GREAT FEUDAL NOBLES OF THE CASENTINO.
…AND BEHIND.
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI:
INF C16 40-42 / DANTE INF C16 40-42 / KLINE
L'altro, ch'appresso me la rena trita, The other, that treads the sand behind me,
è Tegghiaio Aldobrandi, la cui voce is Tegghiaio Aldobrandi, whose words
nel mondo sù dovria esser gradita. should have been listened to in the world.
INF C16 43-45 / DANTE
E io, che posto son con loro in croce, And I, who am placed with them in torment,
Iacopo Rusticucci fui, e certo am Jacopo Rusticucci, and certainly
la fiera moglie più ch'altro mi nuoce». my fierce wife injured me more than anything else.
INF C16 46-51 / KLINE
If I had been sheltered from the fire, I would have dropped down among them below, and I believe my teacher
would have allowed it, but as I would have been burned and baked, myself, my fear overcame the goodwill, that
made me eager to embrace them.
DANTE WARMS TO THEIR FAME AND THEIR INTEREST IN HIM.
DANTE:
INF C16 52-54 / DANTE INF C16 52-54 / KLINE
Poi cominciai: «Non dispetto, ma doglia Then I began: Your condition stirred sadness,
la vostra condizion dentro mi fisse, not contempt, in me, so deeply,
tanta che tardi tutta si dispoglia, it will not soon be gone,
INF C16 55-57 / DANTE
tosto che questo mio segnor mi disse when my guide spoke words to me by which
parole per le quali i' mi pensai I understood such men as yourselves
che qual voi siete, tal gente venisse. might be approaching.
INF C16 58-60 / DANTE
Di vostra terra sono, e sempre mai I am of your city, and I have always heard,
l'ovra di voi e li onorati nomi and rehearsed, your names
con affezion ritrassi e ascoltai. and your deeds, with affection.

INF C16 61-63 / DANTE
Lascio lo fele e vo per dolci pomi I leave the gall behind, and go towards the
promessi a me per lo verace duca; sweet fruits promised me by my truthful guide,
ma 'nfino al centro pria convien ch'i' tomi». but first I must go downwards to the centre.
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI (VOICE?):
INF C16 64-66 / DANTE INF C16 64-66 / KLINE
«Se lungamente l'anima conduca He replied, then: That your soul may long
le membra tue», rispuose quelli ancora, inhabit your body,
«e se la fama tua dopo te luca, and your fame may shine after you,
DANTE notes:
INF C16 64 / DANTE INF C16 64-66 / KLINE
e se la fama tua dopo te luca, and may your fame shine after you,
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI (VOICE?):
INF C16 67-69 / DANTE INF C16 67-69 / KLINE
cortesia e valor dì se dimora tell Tell us if courtesy and courage,
ne la nostra città sì come suole, still live in our city as they used to.,
o se del tutto se n'è gita fora; or if they have quite forsaken it?
130
INF C16 70-72 / DANTE
ché Guiglielmo Borsiere, il qual si duole Guglielmo Borsiere, who has been in pain with us,
con noi per poco e va là coi compagni, a little while, and goes along there with our
assai ne cruccia con le sue parole». companions, torments us greatly with what he says.
GUGLIELMO BORSIERE: A RETIRED PURSE-MAKER WHO ENTERED THE ARISTOCRACY. IN BOCCACCIO’S DECAMERON 1 8 HE IS
NOTED FOR REFINEMENT & ELOQUENCE. HE DIED SHORTLY BEFORE 1300.
DANTE CRIES OUT ‘WITH LIFTED FACE [INF C16 76] TO THE WORLD.
DANTE:
INF C16 73-75 / DANTE INF C16 73-75 / KLINE
«La gente nuova e i sùbiti guadagni New men, and sudden wealth,
orgoglio e dismisura han generata, have created pride and excess in you,
Fiorenza, in te, sì che tu già ten piagni». Florence, so that you already weep for it.
INF C16 76-78 / KLINE
So I cried with lifted face and the three, who took this for an answer, gazed at one another, as one gazes at the truth.
THE 3 SPIRITS ‘GAZE AT ONE ANOTHER AS ONE GAZES AT THE TRUTH’ [INF C16 77-78].
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI:
INF C16 79-81 / DANTE INF C16 79-81 / KLINE
«Se l'altre volte sì poco ti costa», They replied together: Happy are you, if,
rispuoser tutti, «il satisfare altrui, by speaking according to your will,
felice te se sì parli a tua posta! it costs so little for you to satisfy others!
GUIDO GUERRA: & TEGGHIAIO:
INF C16 82-84 / DANTE INF C16 82-84 / KLINE
Però, se campi d'esti luoghi bui So, if If you escape these gloomy spaces,
e torni a riveder le belle stelle, and turn, and see the beauty of the stars again,
quando ti gioverà dicere "I' fui", when you will be glad to say: “I was”.,
GUIDO & TEGGHIAIO: & RUSTICUCCI:
INF C16 85-87 / DANTE INF C16 85-87 / KLINE
fa che di noi a la gente favelle». see See that you tell people of us.
Indi rupper la rota, e a fuggirsi Then they broke up their circle, and,
ali sembiar le gambe loro isnelle. as they ran, their swift legs seemed wings.

THE 3 RUN SWIFTLY OFF (OR FALL SILENT). DANTE AND VIRGIL DESCEND THE → R → . THE STAGE IS
VERY DARK.
GERYON
♫HUMMING / BOOMING WATERFALL – TOO LOUD FOR SPEECH * * * * * * * * * *
INF C16 87
INF C16 88-114 / KLINE
An Amen could not have been said in so quick a time as their vanishing took, at which my Master was pleased to
depart. I followed him. We had gone only a little way, when the sound of the water came so near us, that if we had
been speaking we would hardly have heard each other. Like that river (the first that takes its own course to the
eastern seaboard, south of Monte Veso, where the Po rises, on the left flank of the Apennines, and is called
Acquacheta above, before it falls to its lower bed, and loses its name, to become the Montone, at Forlì) which,
plunging through a fall, echoes from the mountain, above San Benedetto, where there should be refuge for a
thousand, so, down from a steep bank, we found that tainted water re-echoing, so much so that, in a short while, it
would have dazed our hearing. I had a cord tied round me, and with it I had once thought to catch the leopard with
the spotted skin. After I had completely unwound it from myself, as my guide commanded, I held it out to him,
gathered up and coiled. Then he turned towards the right, and threw the end of it, away from the edge a little, down
into the steep gulf.
DANTE SITS AT BACKSTAGE, READING THE BIBLE. HE PUTS IT DOWN AND STARES AHEAD. VIRGIL IS AT
THE FRONT OF THE STAGE, PEERING DOWN.
HE BECKONS TO DANTE, THEN CALLS HIM. DANTE DOESN’T HEAR BECAUSE OF THE NOISE. VIRGIL CALLS
AGAIN, THEN FETCHES HIM TO THE FRONT OF THE STAGE. VIRGIL SPEAKS IN HIS EAR AND POINTS TO THE
CORD AROUND DANTE’S WAIST WHICH HE HAS WORN FROM THE BEGINNING. DANTE IS PUZZLED.
VIRGIL MIMES UNKNOTTING IT, WHICH DANTE DOES SLOWLY. VIRGIL HOLDS THE TASSEL OVER THE
STAGE FRONT AND INDICATES THAT DANTE SHOULD SWIVEL TO UNWIND THE CORD DOWN THE ABYSS.
DANTE TURNS MANY TIMES. AT ONE POINT THE MUSE TERPSICHORE MAY PAUSE IN PASSING BEHIND
THEM TO SEE DANTE’S AWKWARD PIROUETTE.
DURING ONE TURN, AS DANTE FACES FRONT, BEATRICE MANIFESTS HERSELF IN THE HEAVENLY
SPOTLIGHT..◙ ..OVER THE BIBLE LEFT BY DANTE. SHE BLESSES DANTE, EXCHANGES THE BOOKS AND
VANISHES WITHOUT BEING SEEN.
EVENTUALLY, VIRGIL STOPS DANTE AND THEY PEER DOWN. VIRGIL POINTS. THEY FOLLOW A RISING
THING THAT THE AUDIENCE CANNOT SEE. VIRGIL SPEAKS INAUDIBLY TO DANTE AND INDICATES TO THE
THING WHERE IT SHOULD LAND.
VIRGIL HAULS UP THE CORD AND HE AND DANTE DESCEND THE → R → AND EMERGE SOME TIME LATER
FROM THE → L → INTO DARK SILENCE.
INF C16 115-123 / KLINE
I said to myself: ‘Surely something strange will follow this new sign of our intentions, that my master tracks with
his eyes, as it falls.’ Ah, how careful men should be with those who do not only see our actions but, with their
understanding, see into our thoughts! He said to me: ‘That which I expect will soon ascend, and, what your thoughts
speculate about, will soon be apparent to your sight.’
DANTE BEGINS SPEAKING WITH HIS TONGUE AND LIMBS OF WHAT HE HAS SEEN.
(NOTE THAT DANTE COULD NOT HAVE REPORT THIS AS IT HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THE
HUMMING./.BOOMING.)
131

132
DANTE:
INF C16 124-126 / DANTE INF C16 124-126 / KLINE
Sempre a quel ver c'ha faccia di menzogna A man should always shut his lips, as far as he can,
de' l'uom chiuder le labbra fin ch'el puote, to truth that seems like falsehood,
però che sanza colpa fa vergogna; since he incurs reproach,
INF C16 127-129 / DANTE
ma qui tacer nol posso; e per le note though he is blameless, but I cannot be silent
here:
di questa comedìa, lettor, ti giuro, and Reader, I swear to you, by the words of this
s'elle non sien di lunga grazia vòte, Commedia, that they may not be free of lasting
favour,
INF C16 130-132 / DANTE
ch'i' vidi per quell' aere grosso e scuro that I saw a shape, Geryon, marvellous,
venir notando una figura in suso, to every unshaken heart , come swimming
maravigliosa ad ogne cor sicuro, upwards through the dense, dark air,
A SHAPE: GERYON, THE TYPE OF FRAUD OR MALICE. A COMBINATION OF THE MYTHICAL (THREE-BODIED IN THE MYTH, BUT
NOT HERE) & MONSTROUS KING OF SPAIN WHOM HERCULES KILLED FOR THE SAKE OF HIS HERD OF CATTLE (VIRGIL’S AENEID
8 202 & OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 9 184), & THE CREATURES OF THE BOTTOMLESS PIT IN REVELATION 9.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C16 133-135 / DANTE
sì come torna colui che va giuso as a man rises, who has gone down, sometime,
talora a solver l'àncora ch'aggrappa to loose an anchor, caught on a rock
o scoglio o altro che nel mare è chiuso, or something else, hidden in the water,
INF C16 136 / DANTE
che 'n sù si stende e da piè si rattrappa. who spreads his arms out, and draws up his feet.
CANTO 17
VIRGIL:
INF C17 1-3 / DANTE INF C17 1-3 / KLINE
Ecco la fiera con la coda aguzza, See the The savage beast Geryon, with the
pointed
che passa i monti e rompe i muri e l'armi! tail, that crosses mountains, and pierces walls
and
Ecco colei che tutto 'l mondo appuzza! armour, : see him, who pollutes the whole
world.
INF C17 4-6 / KLINE
So my guide began to speak to me, and beckoned to him to land near the end of our rocky path,
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C17 7-9 / DANTE INF C17 7-9 / KLINE
E quella sozza imagine di froda and that vile image of Fraud came on,
sen venne, e arrivò la testa e 'l busto, and grounded his head and chest,
ma 'n su la riva non trasse la coda. but did not lift his tail onto the cliff.
DANTE:
INF C17 10-12 / DANTE INF C17 10-12 / KLINE
La faccia sua era faccia d'uom giusto, His face was the face of an honest man,
tanto benigna avea di fuor la pelle, it had so benign and outward aspect:
e d'un serpente tutto l'altro fusto; all the rest was a serpent’s body.

133
INF C17 13-15 / DANTE
due branche avea pilose insin l'ascelle; Both arms were covered with hair to the armpits;
lo dosso e 'l petto e ambedue le coste the back and chest and both flanks
dipinti avea di nodi e di rotelle. were adorned with knots and circles.
INF C17 16-18 / DANTE
Con più color, sommesse e sovraposte Tartars or Turks never made cloths with more
colour,
non fer mai drappi Tartari né Turchi, background and embroidery:
né fuor tai tele per Aragne imposte. nor did Arachne spread such webs on her loom.
ARACHNE: A LYDIAN GIRL, THE DAUGHTER OF IDMON, FAMOUS FOR HER WEAVING, WHO CHALLENGED PALLAS ATHENE TO A
CONTEST, WAS DEFEATED & CHANGED INTO A SPIDER. (OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 6 42 ETC.)
DANTE READS./.SPEAKS TO THE AUDIENCE. VIRGIL INTERPRETS A VERSE OR SO BEHIND.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C17 19-21 / DANTE INF C17 19-21 / KLINE
Come talvolta stanno a riva i burchi, As the boats rest on the shore, part in water
che parte sono in acqua e parte in terra, and part on land,
e come là tra li Tedeschi lurchi and as the beaver, among the guzzling Germans,
INF C17 22-24 / DANTE
lo bivero s'assetta a far sua guerra, readies himself for a fight,
così la fiera pessima si stava so that worst of savage creatures lay on the cliff
su l'orlo ch'è di pietra e 'l sabbion serra. that surrounds the great sand with stone.
INF C17 25-27 / DANTE
Nel vano tutta sua coda guizzava, The whole of his tail glanced into space,
torcendo in sù la venenosa forca twisting the venomous fork upwards,
ch'a guisa di scorpion la punta armava. that armed the tip, like a scorpion.
INF C17 28-51 / KLINE
My guide said: ‘Now we must direct our path, somewhat, towards the malevolent beast that rests there.’ Then we
went down, on the right, and took ten steps towards the edge, so that we could fully avoid the sand and flame, and
when we reached him, I saw people sitting near the empty space, a little further away, on the ground. Here my
Master said: ‘Go and see the state of them, so that you may take away a complete knowledge of this round. Talk
briefly with them: I will speak with this creature, until you return, so that he might carry us on his strong shoulders.’
So, still on the extreme edge of the seventh circle, I went, all alone, to where the sad crew were seated. Their grief
was gushing from their eyes: they kept flicking away the flames and sometimes the burning dust, on this side, or on
that, with their hands, no differently than dogs do in summer, now with their muzzle, now with their paws, when
they are bitten by fleas, or gnats, or horse-flies.
INF C17 52-78 / KLINE
When I set my eyes on the faces of several of them, on whom the grievous fire falls, I did not recognise any, but I
saw that a pouch hung from the neck of each, that had a certain colour, and a certain seal, and it seemed their eye
was feeding on it. And as I came among them, looking, I saw, on a golden-yellow purse, an azure seal that had the
look and attitude of a lion. Then my gaze continuing on its track, I saw another, red as blood, showing a goose
whiter than butter. And one who had his white purse stamped with an azure, pregnant sow, said to me: ‘What are
you doing in this pit? Now go away, and since you are still alive, know that my neighbour, Vitaliano, will come to
sit here on my left. I, a Paduan, am with these Florentines. Many a time they deafen my hearing, shouting: ‘Let the
noble knight come, who will carry the purse with three eagles’ beaks.’ Then he distorted his mouth, and thrust his
tongue out, like an ox licking its nose, and I, dreading lest a longer stay might anger him, who had warned me to
make a brief stay, turned back from those weary spirits.
DANTE AND VIRGIL TELL AND ACT OUT THE DESCENT THEY HAVE MADE ON GERYON.
DANTE:
INF C17 79-81 / DANTE INF C17 79-81 / KLINE
Trova' il duca mio ch'era salito I found my guide, who had already mounted
già su la groppa del fiero animale, the flank of the savage creature
e disse a me: «Or sie forte e ardito. and he said to me: Be firm and brave.
VIRGIL :
INF C17 81 / DANTE INF C17 81 / KLINE
e disse a me: «Or sie forte e ardito. and he said to me: Be firm and brave.

INF C17 82-84 / DANTE
Omai si scende per sì fatte scale; Now we must descend by means of these stairs:
monta dinanzi, ch'i' voglio esser mezzo, you climb in front: I wish to be in the centre,
sì che la coda non possa far male». so that the tail may not harm you.
VIRGIL :
INF C17 85-87 / DANTE INF C17 85-87 / KLINE
Qual è colui che sì presso ha 'l riprezzo Like a man whose fit of the quartan fever is
de la quartana, c'ha già l'unghie smorte, so near, that his nails are already pallid,
e triema tutto pur guardando 'l rezzo, and he shakes all over, by keeping in the shade,
INF C17 88-90 / DANTE
tal divenn' io a le parole porte; so I became when these words were said:
ma vergogna mi fé le sue minacce, shame in me, that makes the servant brave
che innanzi a buon segnor fa servo forte. in the presence of a worthy master.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C17 91-93 / DANTE INF C17 91-93 / KLINE
I' m'assettai in su quelle spallacce; I set myself on those vast shoulders.
sì volli dir, ma la voce non venne I wished to say: “See that you clasp me tight.”
com' io credetti: `Fa che tu m'abbracce'. but my voice did not come out as I intended.
DANTE:
INF C17 94-96 / DANTE INF C17 94-96 / KLINE
Ma esso, ch'altra volta mi sovvenne He, who helped me in other difficulties,
ad altro forse, tosto ch'i' montai at other times, embraced me,
con le braccia m'avvinse e mi sostenne; as soon as I mounted, and held me upright.
INF C17 97 / DANTE INF C17 97-99 / KLINE
e disse: «Gerïon, moviti omai: Then he said: Now move, Geryon!
134
VIRGIL:
INF C17 97-99 / DANTE INF C17 97 / KLINE
e disse: «Gerïon, moviti omai: Then he said: Now move, Geryon!
le rote larghe, e lo scender sia poco; Make large circles, and let your descent be gentle:
pensa la nova soma che tu hai». think of the strange burden that you carry.
DANTE READS./.SPEAKS TO THE AUDIENCE. VIRGIL INTERPRETS A VERSE OR SO BEHIND.
♫INFERNAL: SPIRALLING DESCENT TO GREAT EVILS * * * * * * * * * *
INF C17 98
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C17 100-102 / DANTE INF C17 100-102 / KLINE
Come la navicella esce di loco As a little boat goes backwards, backwards,
from
in dietro in dietro, sì quindi si tolse; its mooring, so the monster left the cliff, and
when
e poi ch'al tutto si sentì a gioco, he felt himself quite free, he turned his tail
around,
INF C17 103-105 / DANTE
là 'v' era 'l petto, la coda rivolse, to where his chest had been, and stretching,
e quella tesa, come anguilla, mosse, flicked it like an eel, and gathered
e con le branche l'aere a sé raccolse. the air towards him with his paws.

135
INF C17 106-108 / DANTE
Maggior paura non credo che fosse I do not believe the fear was greater
quando Fetonte abbandonò li freni, when Phaëthon let slip the reins,
per che 'l ciel, come pare ancor, si cosse; and the sky was scorched, as it still appears to be;
PHAËTON: COULD NOT CONTROL THE SUN-CHARIOT OF HIS FATHER, PHOEBUS APOLLO, & WAS DESTROYED BY JUPITER.
INF C17 109-111 / DANTE
né quando Icaro misero le reni or when poor Icarus felt the feathers melt from
sentì spennar per la scaldata cera, his arms, as the wax was heated, and his father
gridando il padre a lui «Mala via tieni!», Daedalus cried: “You are going the wrong way!”
INF C17 112-114 / DANTE
che fu la mia, quando vidi ch'i' era as mine was when I saw myself surrounded
ne l'aere d'ogne parte, e vidi spenta by the air, on all sides, and saw everything vanish,
ogne veduta fuor che de la fera. except the savage beast.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C17 115-117 / DANTE INF C17 115-117 / KLINE
Ella sen va notando lenta lenta; He goes down, swimming slowly, slowly:
rota e discende, ma non me n'accorgo wheels and falls: but I do not see it
se non che al viso e di sotto mi venta. except by the wind, on my face, and from below.
LEONARDO RICCI (‘NATURE’ 7/4/2005) SUGGESTS THAT THIS IS ANTICIPATES GALILEO’S OBSERVATION THAT TRAVELLERS ON
A SHIP OFTEN CANNOT TELL WITHOUT VISUAL CUES WHETHER THEY ARE AT REST OR IN MOTION. GALILEO MADE
EXPERIMENTS AND PRODUCED HIS THEORY OF INVARIANCE, WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THE LAWS OF PHYSICS REMAIN
UNCHANGED BY CHANGES IN VELOCITY. THAT IS TRUE UP TO NEAR THE SPEED OF LIGHT. G.K.
INF C17 118-120 / KLINE
Already I heard the cataract, on the right, make a terrible roaring underneath us, at which I stretched my neck out,
with my gaze downwards.
DANTE:
INF C17 121-123 / DANTE INF C17 121-123 / KLINE
Allor fu' io più timido a lo stoscio, Then I was more afraid to dismount,
però ch'i' vidi fuochi e senti' pianti; because I saw fires, and heard moaning,
ond' io tremando tutto mi raccoscio. so that I cowered, trembling all over.
INF C17 124-126 / DANTE
E vidi poi, ché nol vedea davanti, And then I saw what I had not seen before,
lo scendere e 'l girar per li gran mali our sinking and circling through the great evils
che s'appressavan da diversi canti. that drew close on every side.
VIRGIL:
INF C17 125-126 / DANTE INF C17 125-126 / KLINE
lo scendere e 'l girar per li gran mali our sinking and circling through the great evils
che s'appressavan da diversi canti. that drew close on every side.
DANTE:
INF C17 127-129 / DANTE
Come 'l falcon ch'è stato assai su l'ali, As the falcon, that has been long on the wing,
che sanza veder logoro o uccello descends wearily, without seeing bird or lure,
fa dire al falconiere «Omè, tu cali!», making the falconer cry: “Ah, you stoop!”
INF C17 130-132 / DANTE
discende lasso onde si move isnello, and settles far from his master
per cento rote, e da lunge si pone disdainful and sullen,
dal suo maestro, disdegnoso e fello; so Geryon set us down,
VIRGIL:
INF C17 133 / DANTE INF C17 133 / KLINE
così ne puose al fondo Gerïone so Geryon set us down,
INF C17 136 / DANTE
si dileguò come da corda cocca. and shot off., like an arrow from the bow.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.

DANTE:
INF C17 133-135 / DANTE INF C17 133-135 / KLINE
così ne puose al fondo Gerïone at the base, close to the foot
al piè al piè de la stagliata rocca, of the fractured rock,
e, discarcate le nostre persone, and relieved of our weight,
INF C17 136 / DANTE
si dileguò come da corda cocca. shot off, like an arrow from the bow.
CANTO 18
THE 8 TH CIRCLE: DANTE’S LECTURE
DANTE ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE. HE SPEAKS SOMETIMES IN ENGLISH, SOMETIMES IN ITALIAN. THIS
MAY DEPEND ON WHAT PART OF THE AUDIENCE HE IS ADDRESSING.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C18 1-3 / DANTE INF C18 1-3 / KLINE
Luogo è in inferno detto Malebolge, There is a place in Hell called Malebolge,
tutto di pietra di color ferrigno, all of stone, and coloured like iron,
come la cerchia che dintorno il volge. as is the cliff that surrounds it.
DANTE OPENS HIS BOOK AND UNFOLDS A SKETCH. HE BEGINS POINTING OUT FEATURES ON IT & MOVES
ALONG THE STAGE FRONT, A CONSCIENTIOUS LECTURER, MAKING SURE THAT THE WHOLE CLASS
UNDERSTANDS. HE MAY HAND THE MAP TO SOMEONE IN THE AUDIENCE FOR A CLOSER LOOK.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C18 4-6 / DANTE INF C18 4-6 / KLINE
Nel dritto mezzo del campo maligno Right in the centre of the malignant space,
vaneggia un pozzo assai largo e profondo, a well yawns, very wide and deep,
di cui suo loco dicerò l'ordigno. whose structure I will speak of in due place.
INF C18 7-9 / DANTE
Quel cinghio che rimane adunque è tondo The margin that remains, between the base
tra 'l pozzo e 'l piè de l'alta ripa dura, of the high rocky bank and the well, is circular,
e ha distinto in dieci valli il fondo. and its floor is divided into ten moats.
INF C18 10-12 / DANTE
Quale, dove per guardia de le mura Like the form the ground reveals, where
più e più fossi cingon li castelli, successive ditches circle a castle, to defend
la parte dove son rende figura, the walls, such was the layout displayed here.
INF C18 13-15 / DANTE
tale imagine quivi facean quelli; And as there are bridges to the outer banks
e come a tai fortezze da' lor sogli from the thresholds of the fortress, so,
a la ripa di fuor son ponticelli, from the base of the cliff, causeways ran,
INF C18 16-18 / DANTE
così da imo de la roccia scogli crossing the successive banks and ditches,
movien che ricidien li argini e ' fossi down to the well
infino al pozzo che i tronca e raccogli. that terminates and links them.
DANTE POINTS OUT THE LAST LAND FEATURE ON HIS SKETCH...
136

DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C18 19-21 / DANTE INF C18 19-21 / KLINE
In questo luogo, de la schiena scossi We found ourselves there, shaken
di Gerïon, trovammoci; e 'l poeta from Geryon’s back., and the Poet
tenne a sinistra, e io dietro mi mossi. kept to the left, and I went on, behind him.
1ST & 2 ND CHASM: PANDERS, SEDUCERS, FLATTERERS
…AND BEGINS DESCRIBING THE POPULACE OF THE 1 ST CHASM.
DANTE:
INF C18 22-24 / DANTE INF C18 22-24 / KLINE
A la man destra vidi nova pieta, On the right I saw new pain and torment,
novo tormento e novi frustatori, and new tormentors,
di che la prima bolgia era repleta. with which the first chasm was filled.
INF C18 25 / DANTE
Nel fondo erano ignudi i peccatori; In its depths the sinners were naked: on our
DANTE:
INF C18 22-24 / DANTE INF C18 22-24 / KLINE
A la man destra vidi nova pieta, On the right I saw new pain and torment,
novo tormento e novi frustatori, and new tormentors,
di che la prima bolgia era repleta. with which the first chasm was filled.
INF C18 25 / DANTE
Nel fondo erano ignudi i peccatori; In its depths the …naked sinners were naked: on
our
NO ENGLISH NECESSARY.
137
DANTE:
INF C18 25-27 / DANTE INF C18 25-27 / KLINE
Nel fondo erano ignudi i peccatori; In its depths the sinners were naked: on our
dal mezzo in qua ci venien verso 'l volto, inner side of its central round they came towards
us,
di là con noi, ma con passi maggiori, on the outer side, with us, but with larger steps.
INF C18 28-30 / DANTE
come i Roman per l'essercito molto, So the people of Rome, in that year, at the Jubilee,
l'anno del giubileo, su per lo ponte because of the great crowds, initiated this means
hanno a passar la gente modo colto, to pass the people over the bridge:
INF C18 31-33 / DANTE
che da l'un lato tutti hanno la fronte those on the one side all had their faces towards
verso 'l castello e vanno a Santo Pietro, Castello Sant’ Angelo, and went to St Peter’s:
da l'altra sponda vanno verso 'l monte. those on the other towards Monte Giordano.
INF C18 34-36 / DANTE
Di qua, di là, su per lo sasso tetro On this side and on that, along the fearful rock,
vidi demon cornuti con gran ferze, I saw horned demons with large whips,
che li battien crudelmente di retro. who struck them fiercely, from behind.

INF C18 37-39 / DANTE
Ahi come facean lor levar le berze Ah, how it made them quicken
a le prime percosse! già nessuno their steps at the first stroke!
le seconde aspettava né le terze. Truly none waited for the second or third.
THE SHADE OF VENEDICO CACCIANEMICO PASSES WITH A LOWERED FACE [INF C18 43-48].
VENEDICO DE’ CACCIANEMICO (CACCIANIMICO) *---- ? - 1289 + AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BOLOGNA.
DESCRIPTION
*
A LEADING GUELPH, EXILED IN 1289. A FOLLOWER OF MARQUIS OBIZZO II D’ESTE OF FERRARA. HE ASSISTED THE MARQUIS
IN THE SEDUCTION OF VENEDICO’S SISTER, GHISOLA, IN 1270.
DANTE: &/or DANTE:
INF C18 40-42 / DANTE INF C18 40-42 / KLINE
Mentr' io andava, li occhi miei in uno As I went on, my eyes encountered one of them,
furo scontrati; e io sì tosto dissi: and instantly I said:
Già di veder costui non son digiuno. This shade I have seen before.
INF C18 43-45 / KLINE
So I stopped to scrutinise him, and the kind guide stood still with me and allowed me to return a little.
138
DANTE:
INF C18 46-48 / DANTE INF C18 46-48 / KLINE
E quel frustato celar si credette And that scourged spirit thought to hide himself,
bassando 'l viso; ma poco li valse, lowering his face, but it did not help, since I said:
ch'io dissi: «O tu che l'occhio a terra gette, You, who cast your eyes on the ground,
INF C18 49-51 / DANTE
se le fazion che porti non son false, if the features you display are not an illusion,
Venedico se' tu Caccianemico. you are Venedico Caccianemico:
Ma che ti mena a sì pungenti salsa but what led you into such a biting pickle?
VENEDICO CACCIANEMICO:
INF C18 52-54 / DANTE INF C18 52-54 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: Mal volontier lo dico; And he to me: I tell it unwillingly,
ma sforzami la tua chiara favella, but your clear speech that makes me remember
che mi fa sovvenir del mondo antico. the former world, compels me.
INF C18 55-57 / DANTE
I' fui colui che la Ghisolabella It was I who induced the fair Ghisola
condussi a far la voglia del marchese, to do the Marquis of Este’s will,
come che suoni la sconcia novella. however unpleasant the story sounds.
INF C18 58-60 / DANTE INF C18 58-60 / KLINE
E non pur io qui piango bolognese; And I am not the only Bolognese that weeps here:
anzi n'è questo loco tanto pieno, this place is so filled with us,
che tante lingue non son ora apprese that as many tongues are no longer taught
INF C18 61-63 / DANTE
a dicer `sipa' tra Sàvena e Reno; to say sipa for sì, between the Sàvena’s stream
e se di ciò vuoi fede o testimonio, that is west, and the Reno’s, that is east of Bologna.
rècati a mente il nostro avaro seno. If you want assurance and testimony of it, recall to
mind our avaricious hearts.
DANTE:
INF C18 64-66 / DANTE INF C18 64-66 / KLINE
Così parlando il percosse un demonio And as he spoke, a demon struck him with
de la sua scurïada, e disse: «Via, his whip, and said: Via, ruffian!...Away, pander!
ruffian! qui non son femmine da conio». …, there are no women here to sell.
VIA, RUFFIAN!... WORDS ORIGINALLY SPOKEN BY A DEMON WITH A WHIP

INF C18 67-72 / KLINE
I rejoined my guide: then in a few steps we came to where a causeway ran from the cliff. This we climbed very
easily, and, turning to the right on its jagged ridge, we moved away from that eternal round.
VIRGIL:
INF C18 73-75 / DANTE INF C18 73-75 / KLINE
Quando noi fummo là dov' el vaneggia When we reached the arch where it yawns
di sotto per dar passo a li sferzati, below to leave a path for the scourged,
lo duca disse: Attienti, e fa che feggia my guide said: Attienti…Wait, and let
INF C18 76-78 / DANTE
lo viso in te di quest' altri mal nati, the aspect of those other ill-born
ai quali ancor non vedesti la faccia spirits strike you, whose faces you have not yet
seen,
però che son con noi insieme andati». since they have been going in our direction.
INF C18 79-81 / KLINE
We viewed their company from the ancient bridge, travelling towards us on the other side, chased likewise by the
whip.
INF C18 82-84 / DANTE
E 'l buon maestro, sanza mia dimanda, Without my asking, the kind Master said to me:
mi disse: «Guarda quel grande che vene, Look at that great soul who comes,
e per dolor non par lagrime spanda: and seems not to shed tears of pain:
INF C18 85-87 / DANTE
quanto aspetto reale ancor ritene! what a royal aspect he still retains!
Quelli è Iasón, che per cuore e per senno That is Jason, who, by wisdom and courage,
li Colchi del monton privati féne. robbed the Colchians of the Golden Fleece.
JASON: THE ARGONAUT; SON OF AESON, WHO WAS SENT BY HIS UNCLE PELIAS, FROM IOLCHOS IN THESSALY, TO BRING BACK
THE GOLDEN FLEECE FROM COLCHIS. HE SAILED THE ARGO, THE FIRST SHIP, WITH THE ARGONAUTS, THE GREEK HEROES.
MEDEA THE WITCH, THE KING’S DAUGHTER, FELL IN LOVE WITH HIM & HELPED HIM BUT HE ABANDONED HER FOR CREUSA.
(OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 7 & 8.) HE ALSO ABANDONED HYPSIPYLE, DAUGHTER OF KING THOAS OF LEMNOS, WHOM SHE
HAD SAVED WHEN THE WOMEN OF THE ISLAND KILLED THE MALE INHABITANTS. (OVID: METAMORPHOSES 13 399.)
DANTE notes:
INF C18 86 / DANTE INF C18 86 / KLINE
Quelli è Iasón, che per cuore e per senno That is Jason, who, by wisdom and courage,
VIRGIL:
INF C18 88-90 / DANTE INF C18 88-90 / KLINE
Ello passò per l'isola di Lenno He sailed by the Isle of Lemnos,
poi che l'ardite femmine spietate after the bold merciless women there
tutti li maschi loro a morte dienno. had put all their males to death.
INF C18 91-93 / DANTE
Ivi con segni e con parole ornate There with gifts and sweet words he deceived
Isifile ingannò, la giovinetta the young Hypsipyle, who had saved
che prima avea tutte l'altre ingannate. her father by deceiving all the rest.
INF C18 94-96 / DANTE
Lasciolla quivi, gravida, soletta; He left her there, pregnant and lonely:
tal colpa a tal martiro lui condanna; such guilt condemns him to such torment:
e anche di Medea si fa vendetta. and revenge is also taken for his abandoning
Medea.
INF C18 97-99 / DANTE
Con lui sen va chi da tal parte inganna; With him go all who practise like deceit,
e questo basti de la prima valle and let this be enough for knowledge of the first
sapere e di color che 'n sé assanna». chasm., and those whom it swallows.
DANTE notes:
INF C18 97-99 / DANTE INF C18 97-99 / KLINE
Con lui sen va chi da tal parte inganna; With him go all who practise like deceit,
139

140
INF C18 100-118 / KLINE
We had already come to where the narrow causeway crosses the second bank and forms a buttress to a second arch.
Here we heard people whining in the next chasm, and blowing with their muzzles, and striking themselves with their
palms. The banks were crusted, with a mould from the fumes below that condenses on them, and attacks the eyes
and nose. The floor is so deep, that we could not see any part of it, except by climbing to the ridge of the arch, where
the rock is highest. We came there, and from it, in the ditch below, I saw people immersed in excrement, that looked
as if it flowed from human privies. And while I was searching it, down there, with my eyes, I saw one with ahead so
smeared with ordure, that it was not clear if he was clerk or layman.
DANTE LOOKS INTO THE DARKNESS
ALESSIO INTERMINEI (VOICE):
INF C18 118-120 / DANTE INF C18 118-119 / KLINE
Quei mi sgridò: «Perché se' tu sì gordo He shouted at me: Why are you so keen to gaze
di riguardar più me che li altri brutti?». at me more than the other mired ones?
E io a lui: «Perché, se ben ricordo, And I to him: Because, if I remember rightly,
ALESSIO DEGLI INTERMINEI *---- ? - 1295 + AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
LUCCA.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
ALESSIO DEGLI INTERMINEI: MEMBER OF A PROMINENT FAMILY OF LUCCAN WHITES, ALIVE IN THE YEAR 1295.
DANTE:
INF C18 121-123 / DANTE INF C18 121-123 / KLINE
già t'ho veduto coi capelli asciutti, I have seen you before with dry head,
e se' Alessio Interminei da Lucca: and you are: Alessio Interminei of Lucca:
però t'adocchio più che li altri tutti». so I eye you more than all the others.
ALESSIO INTERMINEI (VOICE):
INF C18 124-126 / DANTE INF C18 124-126 / KLINE
Ed elli allor, battendosi la zucca: And he then, beating his forehead: The flatteries
Qua giù m'hanno sommerso le lusinghe Flatteries, of which my tongue never
ond' io non ebbi mai la lingua stucca. wearied, have brought me down to this!
DANTE MOVES AND IS ABOUT TO ACCOST SIMON MAGUS WHEN THE INTERMINEI VERSE COMES
TOGETHER IN HIS HEAD. HE NODS OR POINTS BACK AND SPEAKS, CLOSING THE CANTO.
(ALTERNATIVELY, HE ACTUALLY SAYS ‘O SIMON MAGUS’ BEFORE TURNING BACK, BUT THAT FURTHER
SEPARATES ‘LUCCA’ AND ‘ZUCCA’.)
DANTE:
INF C18 124-126 / DANTE INF C18 124-126 / KLINE
Ed elli allor, battendosi la zucca: And he then, beating his forehead:
Qua giù m'hanno sommerso le lusinghe The flatteries, of which my tongue never wearied,
ond' io non ebbi mai la lingua stucca. have brought me down to this!
INF C18 127-132 / KLINE
At which my guide said to me: ‘Advance your head a little, so that your eyes can clearly see, over there, the face of
that filthy and dishevelled piece, who scratches herself, with her soiled nails, now crouching down, now rising to her
feet. It is Thais, the whore, who answered her lover’s message, in which he asked: “Do you really return me great
thanks?” with “No, wondrous thanks.” And let our looking be sated with this.’
CANTO 19
SIMONISTS

DANTE ADDRESSES ANOTHER SOUL IN THE DARKNESS
DANTE:
INF C19 1-3 / DANTE INF C19 1-3 / KLINE
O Simon mago, o miseri seguaci O Simon Magus. O you, his rapacious,
che le cose di Dio, che di bontate wretched followers, who prostitute,
deon essere spose, e voi rapaci for gold and silver,
SIMON MAGUS: SIMON OF SAMARIA (SIMON THE SORCERER), REBUKED (ACTS VIII 9-24) BY ST PETER FOR THINKING THAT
‘THE GIFT OF GOD MAY BE PURCHASED WITH MONEY’. HENCE: ‘SIMONISTS’ (‘SIMONIACS’) WHO TRADE IN HOLY OFFICES.
141
INF C19 4-6 / DANTE
per oro e per argento avolterate, the things of God that should be wedded to virtue!
or convien che per voi suoni la tromba, Now the trumpets must sound for you,
però che ne la terza bolgia state. since you are in the third chasm.
INF C19 7-9 / KLINE
Already we had climbed to the next arch, onto that part of the causeway that hangs right over the centre of the ditch.
DANTE LOOKS AT SOMETHING INVISIBLE TO THE AUDIENCE, THEN DESCRIBES IT.
DANTE:
INF C19 10-12 / DANTE INF C19 10-12 / KLINE
O somma sapïenza, quanta è l'arte O somma sapïenza…O Supreme Wisdom…
che mostri in cielo, in terra e nel mal mondo, how great the art is, that you display, in the
heavens,
e quanto giusto tua virtù comparte! on earth, and in the underworld, and how justly
your virtue acts.
INF C19 13-15 / DANTE
Io vidi per le coste e per lo fondo On the sides and floor of the fosse,
piena la pietra livida di fóri, I saw the livid stone is full of holes,
d'un largo tutti e ciascun era tondo. all of one width, and each one rounded.
INF C19 16-18 / DANTE
Non mi parean men ampi né maggiori They seemed seem no narrower or larger,
che que' che son nel mio bel San Giovanni, than those in my beautiful Baptistery of St John,
fatti per loco d'i battezzatori; made as places to protect those baptising,
HE BROODS, AND DECIDES TO BRING UP SOMETHING WHICH RANKLES.
DANTE:
INF C19 19-21 / DANTE INF C19 19-21 / KLINE
l'un de li quali, ancor non è molt' anni, one of which I broke, not many years ago,
rupp' io per un che dentro v'annegava: to aid a child inside: and let this be a sign
e questo sia suggel ch'ogn' omo sganni. of the truth to end all speculation.
I BROKE: DANTE EXPLAINS HERE, TO COUNTER CHARGES, PRESUMABLY OF SACRILEGE MADE AGAINST HIM.
INF C19 22-24 / DANTE
Fuor de la bocca a ciascun soperchiava From the mouth of each hole, a sinner’s feet
d'un peccator li piedi e de le gambe and legs emerged emerge, up to the calf,
infino al grosso, e l'altro dentro stava. and the rest remained inside.
INF C19 25-27 / DANTE
Le piante erano a tutti accese intrambe; The soles were are all on fire: so that the joints
per che sì forte guizzavan le giunte, quivered quiver so strongly, that they would have
che spezzate averien ritorte e strambe. snapped snap grass ropes and willow branches.

INF C19 28-45 / DANTE
As the flame of burning oily liquids moves only on the surface, so it was in their case, from the heels to the legs. I
said: ‘Master, who is that, who twists himself about, writhing more than all his companions, and licked by redder
flames?’ And he to me: ‘If you will let me carry you down there by the lower bank, you will learn from him about
his sins and himself.’ And I: ‘Whatever pleases you is good for me: you are my lord, and know that I do not deviate
from your will, also you know what is not spoken.’ Then we came onto the fourth buttress: we turned and
descended, on the left, down into the narrow and perforated depths. The kind master did not let me leave his side
until he took me to the hole occupied by the one who so agonised with his feet.
DANTE ADDRESSES A BARELY-VISIBLE UPSIDE-DOWN SPIRIT, POPE NICHOLAS III, IMPERSONATED BY
CLIO.
POPE NICHOLAS III *---- ? - 1280
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
ROME.
DESCRIPTION
MUSE CLIO.
NICHOLAS III, GIOVANNI GUATANI ORSINI: POPE FROM 1277 TO 1280. THE ORSINI FAMILY EMBLEM WAS A SHE-BEAR. HE
HAD TO WAIT 23 YEARS IN HELL UNTIL THE DEATH OF BONIFACE HIS SUCCESSOR IN 1303, WHO WOULD IN TURN WAIT ONLY
ELEVEN YEARS FOR THE DEATH OF CLEMENT V. (BENEDICT XI, IN BETWEEN THEM, POPE FROM 1303-1304, WAS NOT GIVEN
TO SIMONY.)
142
DANTE:
INF C19 46-48 / DANTE INF C19 46-48 / KLINE
«O qual che se' che 'l di sù tien di sotto, I began to speak: anima trista…O, unhappy spirit,
anima trista come pal commessa», whoever you are, who have with your upper parts
comincia' io a dir, «se puoi, fa motto». below, planted like a stake, form words if you can.
INF C19 49-51 / KLINE
I stood like the friar who gives confession to a treacherous assassin, who, after being fixed in the ground, calls the
confessor back, and so delays his burial.
POPE NICHOLAS III / CLIO:
INF C19 52-54 / DANTE INF C19 52-54 / KLINE
Ed el gridò: Se' tu già costì ritto?, And he cried: Are you standing there already,
se' tu già costì ritto, Bonifazio? Boniface? The book of the future
Di parecchi anni mi mentì lo scritto. has deceived me by several years.
INF C19 55-57 / DANTE
Se' tu sì tosto di quell' aver sazio Are you sated, so swiftly, with that wealth, for
per lo qual non temesti tòrre a 'nganno which you did not hesitate to seize the Church,
la bella donna, e poi di farne strazio?». our lovely lady, and then destroy her?
INF C19 58-60 / KLINE
I became like those who stand, not knowing what has been said to them, and unable to reply, exposed to scorn.
VIRGIL:
INF C19 61-63 / DANTE INF C19 61-63 / KLINE
Allor Virgilio disse: «Dilli tosto: Then Virgil said: Quickly, say to him,
"Non son colui, non son colui che credi"»; “I am not him, I am not whom you think.”
e io rispuosi come a me fu imposto. And I replied as I was instructed.
DANTE:
INF C19 62 / DANTE INF C19 62 / KLINE
Non son colui, non son colui che credi I am not him, I am not whom you think.
POPE NICHOLAS III / CLIO: & POPE NICHOLAS III / CLIO:
INF C19 64-66 / DANTE INF C19 64-66 / KLINE
Per che lo spirto tutti storse i piedi; At which the spirit’s legs writhed fiercely:
poi, sospirando e con voce di pianto, then, sighing, in a tearful voice, he said to me:
mi disse: «Dunque che a me richiedi? Then what do you want of me?

INF C19 67-69 / DANTE
Se di saper ch'i' sia ti cal cotanto, If it concerns you so much to know, who I am,
che tu abbi però la ripa corsa, that you have left the ridge,
sappi ch'i' fui vestito del gran manto; know that I wore the Great Mantle,
INF C19 70-72 / DANTE
e veramente fui figliuol de l'orsa, and truly I was son of the Orsini she-bear,
cupido sì per avanzar li orsatti, so eager to advance her cubs,
che sù l'avere e qui me misi in borsa. that I pursed up wealth, above, and here myself.
DANTE notes:
Pope Nicholas III.
POPE NICHOLAS III / CLIO:
INF C19 73-75 / KLINE
Di sotto al capo mio son li altri tratti The other simonists, who came before me,
che precedetter me simoneggiando, are drawn down below my head,
per le fessure de la pietra piatti. cowering inside the cracks in the stone.
143
INF C19 76-78 / DANTE
Là giù cascherò io altresì quando I too will drop down there, when Boniface comes,
verrà colui ch'i' credea che tu fossi, the one I mistook you for.
allor ch'i' feci 'l sùbito dimando. when I put my startled question.
INF C19 79-81 / DANTE
Ma più è 'l tempo già che i piè mi cossi But the extent of time, in which I have baked my
e ch'i' son stato così sottosopra, feet, and stood like this, reversed, is already longer
ch'el non starà piantato coi piè rossi: than the time he shall stand planted in turn with
glowing feet,
INF C19 82-84 / DANTE
ché dopo lui verrà di più laida opra, since, after him, will come Clement,
di ver' ponente, un pastor sanza legge, the lawless shepherd, of uglier actions,
tal che convien che lui e me ricuopra. fit indeed to cap Boniface and me.
POPE BONIFACE VIII: BENEDETTO GAETANI WHO SUCCEEDED CELESTINE IN 1294 & IMPRISONED HIM AFTER HIS ABDICATION
UNTIL HIS DEATH. HIS POLITICAL MANOEUVRES ARE THE BACKGROUND TO THE CRITICAL THREE YEARS OF DANTE’S
POLITICAL LIFE, LEADING TO HIS EXILE FROM FLORENCE & DESCRIBED IN CIACCO’S PROPHECY. FOR DANTE, HE REPRESENTED
THE CORRUPT PAPACY, PLACED IN HELL FOR HIS VINDICTIVENESS; FALSITY; PROFLIGATE SIMONY; AN ULTRAMONTANE
SACERDOTALISM, THAT SAW THE EMPIRE AS SUBORDINATE TO THE CHURCH, WITH ONLY A DERIVED AUTHORITY; & HIS
DESTRUCTIVE POLICIES THAT LED TO FRENCH CONTROL OF FLORENCE. BONIFACE DIED IN OCTOBER 1303 & WAS SUCCEEDED
BY BENEDICT XI. BONIFACE IS THEREFORE THE POPE AT THE TIME OF THE VISION IN 1300.
INF C19 85-87 / KLINE
He will be a new Jason, the high priest, whom we read about in Maccabees: and as his king Antiochus was
compliant, so will Philip be, who governs France.’
DANTE TAKES A TURN OR 2 AROUND THE STAGE, COMPOSING IN HIS HEAD. BACK WITH POPE NICHOLAS
HE STARTS QUIETLY AND GETS LOUDER. VIRGIL GETS THE IDEA ACROSS TO ENGLISH-ONLY SPEAKERS, A
VERSE OR SO BEHIND.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C19 88-90 / DANTE INF C19 88-90 / KLINE
Io non so s'i' mi fui qui troppo folle, I do not know if I was too foolhardy then,
ch'i' pur rispuosi lui a questo metro: but I answered him in this way:
«Deh, or mi dì: quanto tesoro volle Ah, now tell me, how much wealth
INF C19 91-93 / DANTE
Nostro Segnore in prima da san Pietro the Lord demanded of Peter, before he gave
ch'ei ponesse le chiavi in sua balìa? the keys of the Church into his keeping? Surely he
Certo non chiese se non "Viemmi retro". demanded nothing, saying only: “Follow me.”

144
INF C19 94-96 / DANTE
Né Pier né li altri tolsero a Matia Nor did Peter or the other Apostles, ask gold
oro od argento, quando fu sortito or silver of Matthias., when he was chosen to fill
al loco che perdé l'anima ria. the place that Judas, the guilty soul, had forfeited.
SAINT MATTHIAS: CHOSEN BY THE APOSTLES (ACTS I 13-26), TO FILL THE PLACE AMONG THE DISCIPLES FORFEITED BY
JUDAS.
INF C19 97-99 / DANTE
Però ti sta, ché tu se' ben punito; So, remain here, since you are justly punished,
e guarda ben la mal tolta moneta and keep well the ill-gotten money,
ch'esser ti fece contra Carlo ardito. that made you so bold against Charles of Anjou.
CHARLES OF ANJOU: DEFEATED MANFRED, KING OF SICILY, AT BENEVENTO IN 1265 & BECAME KING OF NAPLES & SICILY.
HE SCHEMED TO BRING DOWN THE EASTERN EMPEROR, MICHAEL PALEOLOGUS, BUT WAS OPPOSED BY KING PERE II OF
ARAGON WHOSE WIFE CONSTANCE (COSTANZA) WAS MANFRED’S DAUGHTER. ON EASTER MONDAY 1282 THE APPROACHES
OF A YOUNG FRENCH SOLDIER TO A YOUNG SICILIAN WOMAN IN PALERMO PROVOKED HIS MURDER BY HER HUSBAND, AND,
WHILE THE BELLS CALLED VESPERS, IT LED TO A CHAIN REACTION OF ANTI-FRENCH MASSACRES IN SICILY. PERE WAS ABLE
TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A POWER VACUUM & OUSTED CHARLES FROM SICILY. IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE NINETY-YEAR
‘WAR OF THE VESPERS’. HE & PETER (PERE) BOTH DIED IN 1285.
CHARLES REFUSED TO ACCEPT ONE OF POPE NICHOLAS III’S NIECES AS A WIFE FOR HIS NEPHEW & NICHOLAS DEPRIVED
CHARLES OF THE OFFICE OF SENATOR OF ROME & ACCEPTED MONEY FROM MICHAEL PALEOLOGUS, HELPING TO FUEL
CHARLES’S ANTI-BYZANTINE POLICY.
INF C19 100-102 / DANTE
E se non fosse ch'ancor lo mi vieta And were it not that I not am still restrained by
la reverenza de le somme chiavi reverence for the great keys that you held
che tu tenesti ne la vita lieta, in your hand in the joyful life,
INF C19 103-105 / DANTE
io userei parole ancor più gravi; I would use even more forceful words.,
ché la vostra avarizia il mondo attrista, since your avarice grieves the world,
calcando i buoni e sollevando i pravi. trampling the good, and raising the wicked.
INF C19 106-108 / DANTE
Di voi pastor s'accorse il Vangelista, John the Evangelist spoke of shepherds such as
quando colei che siede sopra l'acque you, when he saw “the great whore that sitteth
puttaneggiar coi regi a lui fu vista; upon many waters, with whom the kings of the
earth have committed fornication”,
JOHN THE EVANGELIST: ST JOHN THE DIVINE, AUTHOR OF THE REVELATION. DANTE REFERS TO THE VISION OF THE GREAT
WHORE. THE SEVEN HEADS IN REVELATION 8 ARE INTERPRETED AS THE SEVEN VIRTUES OR SACRAMENTS & THE TEN HEADS
AS THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, KEPT AS LONG AS THE POPES WERE VIRTUOUS.
INF C19 109-111 / DANTE
quella che con le sette teste nacque, she that was born with seven heads and,
e da le diece corna ebbe argomento, as long as virtue pleased her spouse,
fin che virtute al suo marito piacque. had justification.
INF C19 112-114 / DANTE
Fatto v'avete dio d'oro e d'argento; You have made a god for yourselves of gold and
e che altro è da voi a l'idolatre, silver, and how do you differ from the idolaters,
se non ch'elli uno, e voi ne orate cento? except that he worships one image and you a
hundred?
INF C19 115-117 / DANTE
Ahi, Costantin, di quanto mal fu matre, Ah, Constantine, how much evil you gave birth
non la tua conversion, ma quella dote to, not in your conversion, but in that Donation
that
che da te prese il primo ricco patre!». the first wealthy Pope, Sylvester, received from
you!
THE DONATION OF CONSTANTINE: A FORGED DOCUMENT OF THE MIDDLE AGES, IN WHICH POPE SYLVESTER I WAS SUPPOSED
TO HAVE CURED CONSTANTINE OF LEPROSY, HE THEN RESOLVING TO TRANSFER HIS CAPITAL TO CONSTANTINOPLE, LEAVING
THE POPE WITH TEMPORAL POWER IN ITALY. DANTE SAW THIS AS THE SOURCE OF THE FATAL INVOLVEMENT OF THE CHURCH
IN TEMPORAL POWER &, AS A CONSEQUENCE. THE EMPIRE’S INVOLVEMENT IN COVETING THE SPIRITUAL POWER OF THE
CHURCH. HE CONSIDERED THE DONATION INVALID AS THE EMPEROR COULD NOT RELINQUISH TEMPORAL POWER, NOR COULD
THE POPE RECEIVE IT. (SEE DANTE DE MONARCHIA 3 10 ETC)
INF C19 118-133 / KLINE
And while I sung these notes to him, he thrashed violently with both his feet, either rage or conscience gnawing him.
I think it pleased my guide, greatly, he had so satisfied an expression, listening to the sound of the true words I
spoke. So he lifted me with both his arms, and when he had me quite upon his breast, climbed back up the path he
had descended, and did not tire of carrying me clasped to him, till he had borne me to the summit of the arch, that

crosses from the fourth to the fifth rampart. Here he set his burden down, lightly: light for him, on the rough steep
cliff, that would be a difficult path for a goat. From there another valley was visible to me.
♫MISERABLE MODE * * * * * * * * * *
INF C19 117
DANTE AND VIRGIL DISAPPEAR DOWN THE → R → AND APPEAR ON THE → L → . DANTE GOES TO THE
STAGE FRONT AND WAITS FOR THE MUSIC TO FINISH.
CANTO 20
145

SEERS & SORCERERS: TEARS
DANTE SPEAKS TO BOTH LANGUAGE SECTIONS AS ONE WHO KNOWS POETRY COMES FROM AN EMOTION
RECOLLECTED IN TRANQUILLITY.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C20 1-3 / DANTE INF C20 1-3 / KLINE
Di nova pena mi conven far versi I must make verses of new torments,
e dar matera al ventesimo canto and give matter for this twentieth Canto,
de la prima canzon, ch'è d'i sommersi. of the Inferno that treats of the damned.
INF C20 4-6 / KLINE
I was now quite ready to look into the ditch, bathed with tears of anguish, which was revealed to me:
HE OPENS HIS BOOK AND READS THROUGH SOME PROSE NOTES.
146
DANTE:
INF C20 7-9 / DANTE INF C20 7-9 / KLINE
e vidi gente per lo vallon tondo I saw people coming, silent and weeping,
venir, tacendo e lagrimando, al passo through the circling valley, at a pace which
che fanno le letane in questo mondo. processions, that chant Litanies, take through the
world.
INF C20 10-12 / DANTE
Come 'l viso mi scese in lor più basso, When my eyes looked further down on them,
mirabilmente apparve esser travolto each of them appeared strangely distorted,
ciascun tra 'l mento e 'l principio del casso, between the chin and the start of the chest,
INF C20 13-15 / DANTE
ché da le reni era tornato 'l volto, since the head was reversed towards the body,
e in dietro venir li convenia, and they had to move backwards, since they
perché 'l veder dinanzi era lor tolto. were not allowed being unable to look forwards.
INF C20 16-18 / DANTE
Forse per forza già di parlasia Perhaps one might be so distorted by palsy,
si travolse così alcun del tutto; but I have not seen it,
ma io nol vidi, né credo che sia. and do not credit it.
INF C20 19-21 / KLINE
Reader, as God may grant that you profit from your reading, think now yourself how I could keep from weeping,
INF C20 22-24 / DANTE
quando la nostra imagine di presso when When I saw our image so contorted,
nearby,
vidi sì torta, che 'l pianto de li occhi that the tears…the tears… from
le natiche bagnava per lo fesso. their eyes bathed their hind parts at the cleft
DANTE STOPS AND TOUCHES HIS HAND TO HIS OWN FACE.
DANTE:
INF C20 23-24 / DANTE INF C20 23-24 / KLINE
le natiche bagnava per lo fesso. the tears from their eyes bathed their hind parts
at the cleft.
DANTE DROPS HIS HEAD AND WEEPS SO PITEOUSLY THAT VIRGIL TRIES 2 LANGUAGES TO GET TO HIM.

VIRGIL: & VIRGIL:
INF C20 25-27 / DANTE INF C20 25-27 / KLINE
Certo io piangea, poggiato a un de' rocchi Truly, I wept, leaning against one of the rocks
del duro scoglio, sì che la mia scorta of the solid cliff, so that my guide said to me:
mi disse: «Ancor se' tu de li altri sciocchi? Are you like other fools?, as well?
VIRGIL:
INF C20 28-30 / DANTE INF C20 28-30 / KLINE
Qui vive la pietà quand' è ben morta; Pity is alive here, where it is best forgotten.
chi è più scellerato che colui Who is more impious than one who bears
che al giudicio divin passion comporta? compassion for God’s judgement?
VIRGIL TRIES LIFTING DANTE’S HEAD.
147
VIRGIL: & VIRGIL:
INF C20 31-33 / DANTE INF C20 31-33 / KLINE
Drizza la testa, drizza, e vedi a cui Lift your head, lift it and see See him for whom
s'aperse a li occhi d'i Teban la terra; earth opened, under the eyes of the Thebans,
per ch'ei gridavan tutti: "Dove rui, at which they all shouted: “Where are you rushing,
INF C20 34-36 / DANTE
Anfïarao? perché lasci la guerra?". Amphiaräus? Why do you quit the battle?”
E non restò di ruinare a valle And he did not stop his downward rush
fino a Minòs che ciascheduno afferra. until he reached Minos, who grasps every sinner.
AMPHIARÄUS: A GREEK SEER, ONE OF THE HEROES AT THE CALYDONIAN BOAR HUNT. IN THE WAR OF THE SEVEN AGAINST
THEBES, AMPHIARAÜS WAS ONE OF THE SEVEN CHAMPIONS. HE FLED ALONG THE BANKS OF THE RIVER ISMENUS IN HIS
CHARIOT AND WAS ON THE POINT OF BEING KILLED WHEN ZEUS CLEFT THE EARTH WITH A THUNDERBOLT. HE VANISHED
FROM SIGHT, CHARIOT & ALL, & NOW REIGNS ALIVE AMONG THE DEAD. (OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 8 317, 9 407-410.)
INF C20 37-39 / DANTE
Mira c'ha fatto petto de le spalle; Note how he has made a chest of his shoulders:
perché volle veder troppo davante, because he willed to see too far beyond him,
di retro guarda e fa retroso calle. he now looks behind and goes backwards.
INF C20 40-42 / DANTE
Vedi Tiresia, che mutò sembiante See Tiresias, who changed his form,
quando di maschio femmina divenne, when he was made into a woman,
cangiandosi le membra tutte quante; all his limbs altering:
TIRESIAS: THEBAN SEER. HE SPENT SEVEN YEARS IN THE FORM OF A WOMAN AFTER STRIKING A PAIR OF COUPLING SNAKES.
ON STRIKING THEM AGAIN HE WAS CHANGED BACK. HE WAS CALLED UPON, BY JUPITER, TO JUDGE AN ARGUMENT, BETWEEN
HIMSELF & JUNO, AS TO WHETHER MEN OR WOMEN GET THE MOST PLEASURE FROM LOVEMAKING. DECIDING IN FAVOUR OF
WOMEN (& SO JUPITER), JUNO STRUCK HIM BLIND. JUPITER GAVE HIM THE POWER OF PROPHECY TO COMPENSATE FOR HIS
BLINDNESS. (OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 3 324-332.)
INF C20 43-45 / DANTE
e prima, poi, ribatter li convenne and later he had to strike the two entwined snakes
li duo serpenti avvolti, con la verga, with his staff, a second time,
che rïavesse le maschili penne. before he could resume a male aspect.
INF C20 46-51 / KLINE
That one is Aruns, who has his back to Tiresias’s belly, he who in the mountains of Tuscan Luni, where the
Carrarese hoe, who live beneath them, had a cave to live in, among the white marble, from which he could gaze at
the stars and the sea, with nothing to spoil his view.’

MANTUA & MANTO
DANTE’S EYES ARE STILL SHUT. VIRGIL COAXES HIM WITH SOFTER MATTERS.
148
VIRGIL:
INF C20 52-54 / DANTE INF C20 52-54 / KLINE
E quella che ricuopre le mammelle, And she that hides her breasts, that you cannot see,
che tu non vedi, con le trecce sciolte, with her flowing tresses,
e ha di là ogne pilosa pelle, and has all hairy skin on the other side,
INF C20 55-57 / DANTE
Manto fu, che cercò per terre molte; was Manto, who searched through many lands,
poscia si puose là dove nacqu' io; then settled where I was born, about which it
onde un poco mi piace che m'ascolte. pleases me to have you listen to me speak a while.
MANTUA: VIRGIL WAS ACTUALLY BORN IN ANDES, NEAR MANTUA.
MANTO: THE DAUGHTER OF TIRESIAS & APOLLO’S PROPHETIC PRIESTESS, THE PYTHONESS, AT DELPHI, WHO MARRIED
RHACIUS, KING OF CARIA & BORE HIM (OR APOLLO) A SON MOPSUS WHO WAS A FAMOUS SOOTHSAYER.
VIRGIL DESCRIBED AN ALTERNATIVE VERSION OF MANTUA’S FOUNDING IN AENEID 11 98-200.
DANTE SITS DOWN. CLIO, THE MUSE OF HISTORY WHO HAD BEEN WALKING BY, LEANS ON A WALL TO
LISTEN, UNSEEN BY THE POETS.
VIRGIL’S SPEECH INVOLVES A LOT OF HANDWORK INDICATING DIRECTIONS AND LEVELS.
VIRGIL:
INF C20 58-60 / DANTE INF C20 58-60 / KLINE
Poscia che 'l padre suo di vita uscìo After her father departed from life, and Thebes,
e venne serva la città di Baco, the city of Bacchus, came to be enslaved,
questa gran tempo per lo mondo gio. she roamed the world a long time.
INF C20 61-63 / DANTE
Suso in Italia bella giace un laco, A lake, Lake Garda, lies at the foot of the Alps,
a piè de l'Alpe che serra Lamagna up in beautiful Italy,
sovra Tiralli, c'ha nome Benaco. where Germany is closed off beyond the Tyrol.
INF C20 64-66 / DANTE
Per mille fonti, credo, e più si bagna Mount Apennino, between the town
tra Garda e Val Camonica e Pennino of Garda and Val Camonica,
de l'acqua che nel detto laco stagna. is bathed by the water that settles in the lake.
INF C20 67-69 / DANTE
Loco è nel mezzo là dove 'l trentino In the middle there is a place where the Bishops
pastore e quel di Brescia e 'l veronese of Trent, Brescia, and Verona might equally
segnar poria, s'e' fesse quel cammino. give the blessing if they went that way.
INF C20 70-72 / DANTE
Siede Peschiera, bello e forte arnese A strong and beautiful fortress stands,
da fronteggiar Bresciani e Bergamaschi, where the shoreline is lowest,
ove la riva 'ntorno più discese. to challenge the Brescians and Bergamese.
DANTE OPENS HIS BOOK AND BEGINS MAKING NOTES.
VIRGIL:
INF C20 73-75 / DANTE INF C20 73-75 / KLINE
Ivi convien che tutto quanto caschi There, all the water that cannot remain
ciò che 'n grembo a Benaco star non può, in the breast of Lake Garda, has to descend
e fassi fiume giù per verdi paschi. through the green fields, and form a river.

INF C20 76-78 / DANTE
Tosto che l'acqua a correr mette co, As soon as the water has its head,
non più Benaco, ma Mencio si chiama it is no longer Garda, but Mincio,
fino a Governol, dove cade in Po. down to Governolo where it joins the Po.
INF C20 79-81 / DANTE
Non molto ha corso, ch'el trova una lama, It has not flowed far before it It finds the level,
ne la qual si distende e la 'mpaluda; on which it spreads and makes a marsh there,
e suol di state talor essere grama. and in summer tends to be unwholesome.
INF C20 82-84 / DANTE
Quindi passando la vergine cruda Manto, the wild virgin, passing that way,
vide terra, nel mezzo del pantano, saw untilled land,
sanza coltura e d'abitanti nuda. naked of inhabitants, among the fens.
DANTE notes:
INF C20 82-84 / DANTE INF C20 82-84 / KLINE
Quindi passando la vergine cruda Manto, the wild virgin, passing that way,
VIRGIL:
INF C20 85-87 / DANTE INF C20 85-87 / KLINE
Lì, per fuggire ogne consorzio umano, There, to avoid all human contact, she stayed,
ristette con suoi servi a far sue arti, with her followers, to practise practised her arts,
e visse, e vi lasciò suo corpo vano. and lived there, and left her empty body.
INF C20 88-90 / DANTE
Li uomini poi che 'ntorno erano sparti Then the people who were scattered round
s'accolsero a quel loco, ch'era forte gathered together in that place, which was
per lo pantan ch'avea da tutte parti. well defended by the marshes on every side.
INF C20 91-93 / DANTE
Fer la città sovra quell' ossa morte; They built the city over those dead bones,
e per colei che 'l loco prima elesse, and without other augury, called it Mantua,
Mantüa l'appellar sanz' altra sorte. after her who first chose the place.
INF C20 94-96 / DANTE
Già fuor le genti sue dentro più spesse, Once there were more inhabitants,
prima che la mattia da Casalodi before Casalodi, was foolishly
da Pinamonte inganno ricevesse. deceived by Pinamonte.
CASALODI: THE BRESCIAN COUNTS OF CASALODI HELD MANTUA IN 1272 BUT WERE UNPOPULAR & THREATENED WITH
EXPULSION. PINAMONTE DE BUONACCORSI, OBTAINED CONTROL, BY ADVISING ALBERTO DA CASALODI TO BANISH THE
POWERFUL NOBLES, AS A SOURCE OF TROUBLE. HE THEN TOOK OVER, MASSACRED ANY OPPONENTS, EXPELLED ALBERTO &
HELD MANTUA UNTIL 1291.
INF C20 97-99 / DANTE
Però t'assenno che, se tu mai odi So, I charge you, if you ever hear another story
originar la mia terra altrimenti, of the origin of my city,
la verità nulla menzogna frodi». do not let falsehoods destroy the truth.
DANTE FINALLY PRODUCES A VERSE.
DANTE:
INF C20 82-84 / DANTE INF C20 82-84 / KLINE
Quindi passando la vergine cruda Manto, the wild virgin, passing that way,
vide terra, nel mezzo del pantano, saw untilled land,
sanza coltura e d'abitanti nuda. naked of inhabitants, among the fens.
CLIO APPROACHES VIRGIL, AS IF TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT UNHISTORICAL HISTORY, SHRUGS AND
DEPARTS.
DANTE IS QUITE HIMSELF AGAIN. HE MAKES HIMSELF MORE COMFORTABLE.
149

DANTE:
INF C20 100-102 / DANTE INF C20 100-102 / KLINE
E io: «Maestro, i tuoi ragionamenti And I said: Master, your speeches are so sound
mi son sì certi e prendon sì mia fede, to me, and so hold my belief,
che li altri mi sarien carboni spenti. that any others are like spent ashes.
INF C20 103-105 / DANTE
Ma dimmi, de la gente che procede, But tell me about the people who are passing,
se tu ne vedi alcun degno di nota; if you see any of them worth noting,
ché solo a ciò la mia mente rifiede». since my mind returns to that alone.
VIRGIL LOOKS AT UNSEEN SPIRITS.
DANTE:
INF C20 106-108 / DANTE INF C20 106-108 / KLINE
Allor mi disse: «Quel che da la gota Then he said to me: That one, whose beard
stretches
150
VIRGIL:
INF C20 106-108 / DANTE INF C20 106-108 / KLINE
Allor mi disse: «Quel che da la gota Then he said to me: That one, whose beard
stretches
porge la barba in su le spalle brune, down from his cheeks, over his dusky shoulders,
was
fu--quando Grecia fu di maschi vòta, an augur, when Greece was so emptied of males,
INF C20 109-111 / DANTE
sì ch'a pena rimaser per le cune-- for the expedition against Troy, that there were
augure, e diede 'l punto con Calcanta scarcely any left, even in their cradles. Like
Calchas
in Aulide a tagliar la prima fune. at Aulis, he He set the moment for cutting loose the
first cable.
CALCHAS: AT AULIS: WHERE THE GREEK SHIPS WAITED FOR A FAVOURABLE WIND TO SAIL TO TROY. CALCHAS INTERPRETED
THE APPEARANCE OF A SNAKE THAT KILLED A SPARROW & HER EIGHT FLEDGLINGS & THEN WAS TURNED TO STONE. IT
SIGNIFIED THAT TROY WOULD BE TAKEN IN THE TENTH YEAR AFTER A LONG STRUGGLE. HE ALSO PROPHESIED THAT THEY
MUST PACIFY ARTEMIS BY SACRIFICING AGAMEMNON’S DAUGHTER, IPHIGENIA. AFTER THAT THE NORTH-EAST WIND
DROPPED & THE FLEET WAS ABLE TO SET SAIL FOR TROY.
EURYPYLUS: ACCORDING TO SINON, SENT BY THE GREEKS TO THE ORACLE OF APOLLO TO ASK FOR A FAVOURABLE WIND
HOME TO GREECE. THE ORACLE REPLIED BY REMINDING THEM OF CALCHAS AT AULIS & TELLING THEM TO SHED BLOOD
AGAIN. (SEE VIRGIL’S TRAGEDÍA & THE AENEID 2 110 ET SEQ.
INF C20 112-114 / DANTE INF C20 112-114 / KLINE
Euripilo ebbe nome, e così 'l canta Eurypylus is his name, and my high Poem
l'alta mia tragedìa in alcun loco: sings of it in a certain place:
ben lo sai tu che la sai tutta quanta. you know it well, who know the whole thing.
VIRGIL: & DANTE:
AENEID 2 108-109 / VIRGIL AENEID 2 108-109 / VIRGIL
'Saepe fugam Danai Troia cupiere relicta The Greeks, weary with the long war, often longed
moliri et longo fessi discedere bello; to leave Troy and execute a retreat:
VIRGIL:
INF C20 115-117 / DANTE INF C20 115-117 / KLINE
Quell' altro che ne' fianchi è così poco, The other, so thin about the flanks, is Michael
Scott,
Michele Scotto fu, che veramente who truly understood
de le magiche frode seppe 'l gioco. the fraudulent game of magic.
MICHAEL SCOTT OF BALWEARIE (C 1109-1250): STUDIED AT OXFORD, PARIS & TOLEDO. HE FOLLOWED THE EMPEROR
FREDERICK II TO HIS COURT, THOUGH HE DIED IN SCOTLAND. HE TRANSLATED ARISTOTLE & WAS A FAMOUS ASTROLOGER.
FOR A CHANGE, DANTE INTERPRETS VIRGIL’S ITALIAN.

151
VIRGIL: & DANTE:
INF C20 118-120 / DANTE INF C20 118-120 / KLINE
Vedi Guido Bonatti; vedi Asdente, See Guido Bonatti, see Asdente, the toothless one
ch'avere inteso al cuoio e a lo spago who wishes now he had attended more to his
ora vorrebbe, ma tardi si pente. shoemaker’s leather and cord, but repents too late.
GUIDO BONATTI: PRIVATE ASTROLOGER TO GUIDO DA MONTEFELTRO. HE CAME FROM FORLÌ & WAS A TILER BY TRADE. HE
WROTE LIBER INTRODUCTORIUS AD JUDICIA STELLORUM (C 1170) & WAS CREDITED WITH AIDING GUIDO’S VICTORY OVER THE
FRENCH PAPAL FORCES AT FORLÌ IN 1282.
ASDENTE: A SHOEMAKER OF PARMA. ASDENTE (‘THE TOOTHLESS’), WHOSE REAL NAME WAS BENVENUTO, PRACTISED AS A
SOOTHSAYER. HE DIED C 1284.
INF C20 121-123 / DANTE
Vedi le triste che lasciaron l'ago, See the The miserable women who abandoned
la spuola e 'l fuso, e fecersi 'ndivine; needle, shuttle and spindle, and became
fecer malie con erbe e con imago. prophetesses: they made witchcraft, using herbs
and images.
VIRGIL:
INF C20 124-126 / DANTE INF C20 124-126 / KLINE
Ma vienne omai, ché già tiene 'l confine But come, now, for Cain with his bundle of thorns,
d'amendue li emisperi e tocca l'onda that Man in the Moon, reaches the western confines
sotto Sobilia Caino e le spine; of both hemispheres, and touches the waves south
of Seville.,
CAIN: THE MAN IN THE MOON IN POPULAR SUPERSTITION, WAS CAIN CARRYING A BUNDLE OF THORNS AS HE WENT TO
SACRIFICE.
TOUCHES THE WAVES: BY DEDUCTION, THE TIME IS APPROXIMATELY 6.45 ON SATURDAY MORNING.
INF C20 127-129 / DANTE
e già iernotte fu la luna tonda: and already Already, last night, the Moon was full:
ben ten de' ricordar, ché non ti nocque you must remember it clearly, since she did
alcuna volta per la selva fonda». not serve you badly in the deep wood.
DANTE LOOKS UP AT THE ‘SKY’ AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C20 127-129 / DANTE INF C20 127-129 / KLINE
e già iernotte fu la luna tonda: and already, last night, the Moon was full:
ben ten de' ricordar, ché non ti nocque you must remember it clearly, since she did
alcuna volta per la selva fonda». not serve you badly in the deep wood.
INF C20 130 / KLINE
Sì mi parlava, e andavamo introcque. So he spoke to me, and meanwhile we moved on.
CANTO 21
INF C21 1-6 / KLINE
So from bridge to bridge we went, with other conversation which my Commedía does not choose to recall, and we
were at the summit arch when we stopped to see the next cleft of Malebolge, and more vain grieving, and I found it
marvellously dark.
THEY DESCEND THE → R → .
♫INFERNAL: SOFT * * * * * * * * * *
INF C20 130

DEMONS
DANTE COMES BACK UP THE → R → AND ADDRESSES BOTH SECTIONS OF THE AUDIENCE IN TURN.
DANTE:
from end of segment INF C21 16-18 / DANTE INF C21 16-18 / KLINE
tal, non per foco ma per divin' arte, so, a A dense pitch boiled down there,
bollia là giuso una pegola spessa, not melted by fire, but by divine skill,
che 'nviscava la ripa d'ogne parte. and glued the banks over, on every side.
DANTE:
INF C21 7-9 / DANTE INF C21 7-9 / KLINE
Quale ne l'arzanà de' Viniziani As, in the Venetian Arsenal, the glutinous
bolle l'inverno la tenace pece pitch boils in winter,
a rimpalmare i legni lor non sani, that they use to caulk the leaking boats
152
INF C21 10-12 / DANTE
ché navicar non ponno--in quella vece they cannot sail; and so, instead one man
chi fa suo legno novo e chi ristoppa builds a new boat, another plugs the seams of his,
le coste a quel che più vïaggi fece; that has made many voyages,
INF C21 13-15 / DANTE
chi ribatte da proda e chi da poppa; one hammers at the prow, another at the stern,
altri fa remi e altri volge sarte; some make oars, and some twist rope,
chi terzeruolo e artimon rintoppa--: one mends a jib, the other a mainsail;
INF C21 16-18 / DANTE
tal, non per foco ma per divin' arte, so, a dense pitch boiled down there,
bollia là giuso una pegola spessa, not melted by fire, but by divine skill,
che 'nviscava la ripa d'ogne parte. and glued the banks over, on every side.
DANTE:
INF C21 7-9 / DANTE INF C21 7-9 / KLINE
Quale ne l'arzanà de' Viniziani As, in the Venetian Arsenal, the glutinous
bolle l'inverno la tenace pece pitch boils in winter,
a rimpalmare i legni lor non sani, that they use to caulk the leaking boats
INF C21 10-12 / DANTE
ché navicar non ponno--in quella vece they cannot sail; and so, instead one man
chi fa suo legno novo e chi ristoppa builds a new boat, another plugs the seams of his,
le coste a quel che più vïaggi fece; that has made many voyages.,
INF C21 13-15 / DANTE
chi ribatte da proda e chi da poppa; one One hammers at the prow, another at the stern.,
altri fa remi e altri volge sarte; some Some make oars, and some twist rope.,
chi terzeruolo e artimon rintoppa--: one One mends a jib, the other a mainsail;
INF C21 16-18 / DANTE
tal, non per foco ma per divin' arte, so So, a dense pitch boiled down there,
bollia là giuso una pegola spessa, not melted by fire, but by divine skill,
che 'nviscava la ripa d'ogne parte. and glued the banks over, on every side.
INF C21 19-21 / KLINE
I saw it, but nothing in it, except the bubbles that the boiling caused, and the heaving of it all, and the cooling part’s
submergence.

VIRGIL (VOICE): & VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C21 22-24 / DANTE INF C21 22-24 / KLINE
Mentr' io là giù fisamente mirava, While I was gazing fixedly at it, my guide said:
lo duca mio, dicendo Guarda, guarda! Take care. Take care!
mi trasse a sé del loco dov' io stava. and drew me towards him, from where I stood.
INF C21 25-27 / KLINE
Then I turned round, like one who has to see what he must run from, and who is attacked by sudden fear,
DANTE LOOKS DOWN THE STEPS AND TURNS BACK TO THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
INF C21 28-30 / DANTE INF C21 28-30 / KLINE
che, per veder, non indugia 'l partire: so that he dare not stop to look:
e vidi dietro a noi un diavol nero and behind us I saw Un diavol nero…
correndo su per lo scoglio venire. a black Demon, come running up the cliff!
DEVILS AGE : *-- ? DEVILS AGE : *-- ?
DESCRIPTION DESCRIPTION
*VOICES ONLY. MALES EXCEPT FOR GRAFFIACANE.
HE TAKES ANOTHER GLANCE.
DANTE:
INF C21 31-33 / DANTE INF C21 31-33 / KLINE
Ahi quant' elli era ne l'aspetto fero! Ah, how How fierce his aspect was is,
e quanto mi parea ne l'atto acerbo, And how cruel he seemed in action,
con l'ali aperte e sovra i piè leggero! with his outspread wings, and nimble legs!
INF C21 34-36 / DANTE
L'omero suo, ch'era aguto e superbo, His high-pointed shoulders carried carry
carcava un peccator con ambo l'anche, a sinner’s two haunches, and he held holds
e quei tenea de' piè ghermito 'l nerbo. the sinews of each foot tight.
153
BLACK DEMON (VOICE):
INF C21 37-39 / DANTE INF C21 37-39 / KLINE
Del nostro ponte disse: Malebranche, He cried: You, Malebranche…the Evilclawed…
ecco un de li anzïan di Santa Zita! see here is one of Lucca’s elders, that city whose
Mettetel sotto, ch'i' torno per anche patron is Santa Zita. Push him under while I go
back for the rest.,
INF C21 40-42 / DANTE
a quella terra, che n'è ben fornita: back to that That city well provided with
ogn' uom v'è barattier, fuor che Bonturo; them: every one there is a barrator, except Bont.;
del no, per li denar, vi si fa ita». there they make ‘Yes’ of ‘No’ for money.
BONTURO DE’ DATI: HEAD OF THE POPULAR PARTY IN LUCCA & THE WORST BARRATOR OR ABUSER OF OFFICE IN THE CITY.
DANTE’S COMMENT IS IRONIC, PRESUMABLY SINCE BONTURO WAS LOUDEST TO DENY THE OFFENCE.
INF C21 43-48 / KLINE
He threw him down, then wheeled back along the stony cliff, and never was a mastiff loosed so readily to catch a
thief. The sinner plunged in, and rose again writhing, but the demons under cover of the bridge, shouted: ‘Here the
face of Christ, carved in your cathedral, is of no avail:
DANTE versifies:
INF C21 31-33 / DANTE INF C21 31-33 / KLINE
Ahi quant' elli era ne l'aspetto fero! Ah, how fierce his aspect was!
e quanto mi parea ne l'atto acerbo, And how cruel he seemed in action,
con l'ali aperte e sovra i piè leggero! with his outspread wings, and nimble legs!

SCARMIGLIONE (VOICE):
INF C21 49 / DANTE INF C21 49 / KLINE
qui si nuota altrimenti che nel Serchio! here you swim differently than in the Serchio:
BARBARICCIA (VOICE):
INF C21 50-51 / DANTE INF C21 50-51 / KLINE
Però, se tu non vuo' di nostri graffi, so, unless you want to try our grapples,
non far sopra la pegola soverchio». do not emerge above the pitch.
INF C21 52-54 / KLINE
Then they struck at him with more than a hundred prongs, and said: ‘Here you must dance, concealed, so that you
steal in private, if you can.’
154
DANTE:
INF C21 55-57 / DANTE INF C21 55-57 / KLINE
Non altrimenti i cuoci a' lor vassalli No different is it, when the cooks make their
fanno attuffare in mezzo la caldaia underlings push the meat down into the depths of
la carne con li uncin, perché non galli. the cauldrons with their hooks, to stop it floating.
VIRGIL EMERGES TO ADDRESS DANTE.
VIRGIL:
INF C21 58-60 / DANTE INF C21 58-60 / KLINE
Lo buon maestro «Acciò che non si paia The good master said to me: Cower down behind
che tu ci sia», mi disse, «giù t'acquatta a rock, so a screen protects you,
dopo uno scheggio, ch'alcun schermo t'aia; and so that it is not obvious that you are here,
VIRGIL:
INF C21 59 / DANTE INF C21 59 / KLINE
che tu ci sia», mi disse, «giù t'acquatta Cower down behind a rock, so that you have
VIRGIL:
INF C21 61-63 / DANTE INF C21 61-63 / KLINE
e per nulla offension che mi sia fatta, and whatever insult is offered to me, have no fear,
non temer tu, ch'i' ho le cose conte, since I know these matters,
perch' altra volta fui a tal baratta». having been in a similar danger before.
VIRGIL DESCENDS THE → R → AGAIN. DANTE CAN STILL SEE DOWN THE STEPS FROM HIS ‘ROCK’.
DANTE:
INF C21 64-66 / DANTE INF C21 64-66 / KLINE
Poscia passò di là dal co del ponte; The demons rushed from below
e com' el giunse in su la ripa sesta, the bridge, and turned
mestier li fu d'aver sicura fronte. their weapons against him,
INF C21 67-69 / DANTE
Con quel furore e con quella tempesta with the storm and fury
ch'escono i cani a dosso al poverello with which of a dog rushes rushing at
che di sùbito chiede ove s'arresta, a poor beggar, who suddenly
INF C21 70 / DANTE
usciron quei di sotto al ponticello, seeks alms when he stops for alms.
DANTE INTERPRETS THE UNSEEN VIRGIL AND MALEBRANCHE.
VIRGIL (VOICE): & DANTE:
INF C21 70-72 / DANTE INF C21 70-72 / KLINE
usciron quei di sotto al ponticello, seeks alms when he stops.
e volser contra lui tutt' i runcigli; But Virgil cried:
ma el gridò: «Nessun di voi sia fello! None, of you, Before you commit an outrage.

INF C21 73-75 / DANTE INF C21 73-75 / KLINE
Innanzi che l'uncin vostro mi pigli, Before you touch me with your forks,
traggasi avante l'un di voi che m'oda, one of you come over here, to listen,
e poi d'arruncigliarmi si consigli». and then discuss whether you will grapple me.
DEMONS (VOICES): & DANTE:
INF C21 76-77 / DANTE INF C21 76-77 / KLINE
Tutti gridaron: Vada Malacoda! They all cried: You go, Malacoda Evil Tail
per ch'un si mosse--e li altri stetter fermi-- at which one moved while the others stood still,
MALACODA (VOICE): & DANTE:
INF C21 78 / DANTE INF C21 78 / KLINE
e venne a lui dicendo: Che li approda? and came towards Virgil, saying: What good
will it do him?
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C21 79-81 / DANTE INF C21 79-81 / KLINE
«Credi tu, Malacoda, qui vedermi My Master said: Malacoda, do you think
esser venuto», disse 'l mio maestro, I have come here without
«sicuro già da tutti vostri schermi, the Divine Will, and propitious fate,
INF C21 82-84 / DANTE
sanza voler divino e fato destro? safe from all your obstructions?
Lascian' andar, ché nel cielo è voluto Let me go by, since it is willed,
ch'i' mostri altrui questo cammin silvestro». in Heaven, that I show another this wild road.
DANTE:
INF C21 79-81 / DANTE INF C21 79-81 / KLINE
«Credi tu, Malacoda, qui vedermi My Master said: Malacoda, do you think
esser venuto», disse 'l mio maestro, I have come here without
«sicuro già da tutti vostri schermi, the Divine Will, and propitious fate,
INF C21 82-84 / DANTE
sanza voler divino e fato destro? safe from all your obstructions?
Lascian' andar, ché nel cielo è voluto Let me go by, since it is willed,
ch'i' mostri altrui questo cammin silvestro». in Heaven, that I show another this wild road.
MALACODA BACKS DOWN.
MALACODA (VOICE): & DANTE:
INF C21 85-87 / DANTE INF C21 85-87 / KLINE
Allor li fu l'orgoglio sì caduto, Then the demon’s pride was so down,
ch'e' si lasciò cascar l'uncino a' piedi, that he let the hook drop at his feet,
e disse a li altri: Omai non sia feruto. and said to the others: Do not hurt him! That’s
Malacoda: ‘Evil Tail’.
VIRGIL (VOICE): & DANTE:
INF C21 88-90 / DANTE INF C21 88-90 / KLINE
E 'l duca mio a me: «O tu che siedi And my guide to me: O you, who are sitting,
tra li scheggion del ponte quatto quatto, crouching, crouching amongst
sicuramente omai a me ti riedi». the bridge’s crags, return to me safely, now!
INF C21 91-96 / KLINE
At which I moved, and came to him quickly, and the devils all pressed forward so that I was afraid they would not
hold to their orders. So I once saw the infantry, marching out, under treaty of surrender, from Caprona, afraid at
finding themselves surrounded by so many enemies.
DANTE WAITS FOR MORE WORDS, REALISES VIRGIL MEANS HIM, AND DESCENDS THE → R → . HE
CONTINUES INTERPRETING AND NAMING THE SPEAKERS WHILE BEING THREATENED.
155

INF C21 97-99 / KLINE
I pressed my whole body close to my guide, and did not take my eyes away from their aspect, which was hostile.
156
GRAFFIACANE (MELPOMENE ’s VOICE):
INF C21 100-102 / DANTE INF C21 100-102 / KLINE
Ei chinavan li raffi e Vuo' che 'l tocchi, They lowered their hooks, and kept saying,
diceva l'un con l'altro, in sul groppone? to one another: Shall I touch him on the backside?
E rispondien: Sì, fa che gliel' accocchi. and answering, Yes. Give him a nick.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C21 100-101 / DANTE INF C21 100-101 / KLINE
Ei chinavan li raffi e Vuo' che 'l tocchi, They lowered their hooks, and kept saying,
diceva l'un con l'altro, in sul groppone?. to one another: Shall I touch him on the backside?
Graffiacane: ‘Scratchdog’ ‘Cat Claw’?
SCARMIGLIONE (VOICE): & DRAGHIGNAZZO (VOICE):
INF C21 102 / DANTE INF C21 102 / KLINE
E rispondien: Sì, fa che gliel' accocchi. and answering, Yes. Give him a nick.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C21 102 / DANTE INF C21 102 / KLINE
E rispondien: Sì, fa che gliel' accocchi. and answering, Yes. Give him a nick. Scarmiglione
and Draghignazzo: ‘Dragon’s Smirk’
MALACODA (VOICE): & DANTE (VOICE):
INF C21 103-105 / DANTE INF C21 103-105 / KLINE
Ma quel demonio che tenea sermone But that demon who was talking to my guide,
col duca mio, si volse tutto presto turned round quickly, and said:
e disse: Posa, posa, Scarmiglione!». Quiet!...Malacoda again.
MALACODA ADDRESSES DANTE AND VIRGIL.
MALACODA (VOICE):
INF C21 106-108 / DANTE INF C21 106-108 / KLINE
Poi disse a noi: «Più oltre andar per questo Then he said to us: It will not be possible
iscoglio non si può, però che giace to go any further along this causeway,
tutto spezzato al fondo l'arco sesto. since the sixth arch is lying broken at the base,
INF C21 109-111 / DANTE
E se l'andare avante pur vi piace, and if you desire still to go forward,
andatevene su per questa grotta; go along this ridge, and nearby
presso è un altro scoglio che via face. is another cliff that forms a causeway.
INF C21 112-114 / DANTE
Ier, più oltre cinqu' ore che quest' otta, Yesterday, five hours later than this hour,
mille dugento con sessanta sei twelve hundred and sixty-six years were
completed,
anni compié che qui la via fu rotta. since this path here was destroyed.
THIS HOUR: BY DEDUCTION (SUPPOSING CHRIST TO BE INCARNATED IN DECEMBER OF BC 1 & TO DIE AT AGE 33,
CELEBRATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF HIS 33RD YEAR IN DECEMBER 33 AD) IT IS 7 AM, SATURDAY.
INF C21 115-117 / DANTE
Io mando verso là di questi miei I am sending some of my company here
a riguardar s'alcun se ne sciorina; to see if anyone is out for an airing: go with them,
gite con lor, che non saranno rei». they will not commit treachery.
MALACODA DEPLOYS HIS MINIONS AND DANTE INTERPRETS.

MALACODA (VOICE): & DANTE: (VOICE):
INF C21 118-120 / DANTE INF C21 118-120 / KLINE
«Tra'ti avante, Alichino, e Calcabrina», Then he began speaking: Advance, Alichino
cominciò elli a dire, «e tu, Cagnazzo; and Calcabrina and you, Cagnazzo ‘Big Dog':
e Barbariccia guidi la decina. let Barbariccia lead the ten.
INF C21 121-123 / DANTE
Libicocco vegn' oltre e Draghignazzo, Let Libicocco come as well, and Draghignazzo,
Cirïatto sannuto e Graffiacane tusked Ciriatto, Graffiacane,
e Farfarello e Rubicante pazzo. Farfarello, and Rubicante, the mad one.
157
INF C21 124-126 / DANTE INF C21 124-126 / KLINE
Cercate 'ntorno le boglienti pane; Search round the boiling glue:
costor sian salvi infino a l'altro scheggio see See these two safe, as far as the other cliff that
che tutto intero va sovra le tane». crosses the chasms, completely, without a break.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C21 127-129 / DANTE INF C21 127-129 / KLINE
«Omè, maestro, che è quel ch'i' veggio?», I said: O me! Master, what do I see?
diss' io, «deh, sanza scorta andianci soli, Oh, let us go alone, without an escort,
se tu sa' ir; ch'i' per me non la cheggio. if you know the way: as for me, I would prefer not.
INF C21 130-132 / DANTE
Se tu se' sì accorto come suoli, If you are as cautious as usual,
non vedi tu ch'e' digrignan li denti do Do you not see how they grind their teeth, and
e con le ciglia ne minaccian duoli?». darken their brows, threatening us with mischief?
VIRGIL (VOICE):
INF C21 133-135 / DANTE INF C21 133-135 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Non vo' che tu paventi; And he to me: I do not want you to be afraid:
lasciali digrignar pur a lor senno, let Let them grin away at their will:
ch'e' fanno ciò per li lessi dolenti». since they do it for the boiled wretches.
DANTE COMES UP THE → R → AGAIN.
DANTE:
INF C21 136-138 / DANTE INF C21 136-138 / KLINE
Per l'argine sinistro volta dienno; They turned by the left bank: but first,
ma prima avea ciascun la lingua stretta each of them had stuck his tongue out, between
coi denti, verso lor duca, per cenno; his teeth, towards their leader, as a signal,
HE HESITATES BEFORE CLOSING THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C21 139 / DANTE INF C21 139 / KLINE
ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta. and he had made a trumpet of his arse.
DANTE:
INF C21 136-138 / DANTE INF C21 136-8 / KLINE
Per l'argine sinistro volta dienno; They turned by the left bank: but first,
ma prima avea ciascun la lingua stretta each of them had stuck his tongue out, between
coi denti, verso lor duca, per cenno; his teeth, towards their leader, as a signal,
INF C21 139 / DANTE
ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta. and he had made a trumpet of his arse.
CANTO 22

DANTE SPEAKS WITH ANGER AND DISGUST.
DANTE:
INF C22 1-3 / DANTE INF C22 1-3 / KLINE
Io vidi già cavalier muover campo, I have seen cavalry moving camp, before now,
e cominciare stormo e far lor mostra, starting a foray, holding muster,
e talvolta partir per loro scampo; and now and then retiring to escape;
I HAVE SEEN: DANTE INDICATES HE WAS PRESENT AT THE SURRENDER OF THE PISAN FORTRESS OF CAPRONA, BESIEGED BY
THE TUSCAN GUELPHS IN AUGUST 1289.
INF C22 4-6 / DANTE
corridor vidi per la terra vostra, I have seen war-horses, on your territory,
o Aretini, e vidi gir gualdane, O Aretines, and seen the foraging parties,
fedir torneamenti e correr giostra; the clash of tournaments, and repeated jousts;
ARETINES: DANTE INDICATES THAT HE SAW THE CAMPAIGNING IN ARETINE TERRITORY IN 1289.
INF C22 7-9 / DANTE
quando con trombe, e quando con campane, now with trumpets, now with bells,
con tamburi e con cenni di castella, with drums and rampart signals,
e con cose nostrali e con istrane; with native and foreign devices,
INF C22 10-12 / DANTE
né già con sì diversa cennamella but I never yet saw infantry or cavalry,
cavalier vidi muover né pedoni, or ship at sight of shore or star,
né nave a segno di terra o di stella. move to such an obscene trumpet.
HE STANDS STERNLY FOR A MOMENT, THEN STARTS TO SMILE, TURNS ROUND TO HIDE IT AND DESCENDS
THE → R → .
♫INFERNAL: SOFT * * * * * * * * * *
INF C22 12
DANTE DESCENDS THE → L → OR EMERGES FROM BACKSTAGE. HE GIVES THE PROSE VERSION [INF C22
13-36] OF WHAT HAS HAPPENED, THEN CLOSES THE USEABLE PART OF THE CANTO WITH HIS VERSE.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C22 13-15 / DANTE INF C22 13-15 / KLINE
Noi andavam con li diece demoni. We went with the ten demons: ah, savage
company!
Ahi fiera compagnia! ma ne la chiesa But, they They say: “In church with the saints,
coi santi, e in taverna coi ghiottoni. and in the inn with the drunkards.”
INF C22 16-18 / DANTE
Pur a la pegola era la mia 'ntesa, But my mind was on the boiling pitch,
per veder de la bolgia ogne contegno to see each feature of the chasm,
e de la gente ch'entro v'era incesa. and the people who were burning in it.
INF C22 19-21 / DANTE
Come i dalfini, quando fanno segno Like dolphins, arching their backs,
a' marinar con l'arco de la schiena telling the sailors to get ready
che s'argomentin di campar lor legno, to save their ship,
158

INF C22 22-24 / DANTE
talor così, ad alleggiar la pena, so, now and then, to ease the punishment,
mostrav' alcun de' peccatori 'l dosso some sinner showed his back,
e nascondea in men che non balena. and hid as quick as lightning.
INF C22 25-27 / DANTE
E come a l'orlo de l'acqua d'un fosso As frogs squat, at the edge of
stanno i ranocchi pur col muso fuori, the ditchwater,
sì che celano i piedi e l'altro grosso, with only mouths showing,
INF C22 28-30 / DANTE
sì stavan d'ogne parte i peccatori; so the sinners stood on every side:
ma come s'appressava Barbariccia, but they instantly shot beneath
così si ritraén sotto i bollori. the seething, as Barbariccia approached.
INF C22 31-33 / DANTE
I' vidi, e anco il cor me n'accapriccia, I saw, and my heart still shudders at it,
uno aspettar così, com' elli 'ncontra one linger, just as one frog remains
ch'una rana rimane e l'altra spiccia; when the others scatter:
159
INF C22 34-36 / DANTE
e Graffiacan, che li era più di contra, and Graffiacane…Scratchdog… who was nearest
li arruncigliò le 'mpegolate chiome him, hooked his pitchy hair, and hauled him up,
e trassel sù, che mi parve una lontra. looking, to me, like an otter.
INF C22 37-63 / KLINE
I already knew the names of every demon, so I noted them well as they were called, and when they shouted to each
other, listened out. ‘O Rubicante, see you get your clutches in him, and flay him,’ all the accursed tribe cried
together. And I: ‘Master, make out if you can, who that wretch is, who has fallen into the hands of his enemies.’ My
guide drew close to him, and asked him where he came from, and he answered: I was born in the kingdom of
Navarre. My mother placed me as a servant to a lord, since she had borne me to a scurrilous waster of himself and
his possessions. Then I was of the household of good King Thibaut, and there I took to selling offices, for which I
serve my sentence in this heat.’ And Ciriatto, from whose mouth a tusk, like a boar’s, projected on each side, made
him feel how one of them could rip. The mouse had come among the evil cats: but Barbariccia caught him in his
arms, and said: ‘Stand back, while I fork him!’ And, turning to my Master, he said: ‘Ask away, if you want to learn
more from him, before someone else gets at him.’
INF C22 64-87 / KLINE
So my guide said: ‘Now say, do you know any of the other sinners under the boiling pitch that is a Latian?’ And
Ciampolo replied: ‘I separated, just now, from one who was a neighbour of theirs over there, and I wish I were still
beneath him, since I should not then fear claw or hook!’ And Libicocco cried: ‘We have endured this too long!’ and
grappled Ciampolo’s arm with the prong, and, mangling it, carried away a chunk. Draghignazzo, too, wanted a
swipe at the legs, below: at which their leader twisted round and round on them with an evil frown. When they had
settled a little, without waiting, my guide asked Ciampolo, who was still gazing at his wound: ‘Who was he, from
whom you say you unluckily separated, to come on land?’ He replied: ‘It was Friar Gomita, he of Gallura, in
Sardinia, the vessel of every fraud, who held his master’s prisoners in his hands, and treated them so that they all
praise him for it, taking money for himself, and letting them go, quietly: and in his other roles, he was a high, and
not a low, barrator.
INF C22 88-123 / KLINE
With him, Don Michel Zanche of Logodoro, keeps company, and their tongues never tire of speaking of Sardinia. O
me! See that other demon grinning: I would speak more, but I fear he is getting ready to claw my skin.’ And their
great captain, turning to Farfarello, who was rolling his eyes to strike, said: ‘Away with you, cursed bird.’ The
scared sinner then resumed: ‘If you want to see or hear Tuscans or Lombards, I will make them come, but let the
Malebranche hold back a little, so that the others may not feel their vengeance, and sitting here, I, who am one, will
make seven appear, by whistling, as we do, when any of us gets out.’ Cagnazzo raised his snout, at these words, and,
shaking his head, said: Hear the wicked scheme he has contrived to plunge back down.’ At which Ciampolo, who
had a great store of tricks, replied: ‘I would be malicious indeed, if I contrived greater sorrow for my companions.’
Alichino, could contain himself no longer, and contrary to the others said to him: ‘If you run, I will not charge after
you, but beat my wings above the boiling pitch: forget the cliff, and let the bank be a course, and see if you alone
can beat us.’ O you that read this, hear of this new sport! They all glanced towards the cliff side, he above all who
had been most unwilling for this. The Navarrese picked his moment well, planted his feet on the ground, and in an
instant plunged, and freed himself from their intention.
INF C22 124-151 / KLINE
Each of the demons was stung with guilt, but Alichino most who had caused the error: so he started up and shouted:
‘You are caught!’ But it helped him little, since wings could not outrun terror: the sinner dived down: and Alichino,
flying, the sinner dived down: and Alichino, flying, lifted his breast. The duck dives like that when the falcon nears,
and the hawk flies back up, angry and thwarted. Calcabrina, furious at the trick, flew on after him, wanting the
sinner to escape, in order to quarrel. And when the barrator had vanished, he turned his claws on his friend, and
grappled with him above the ditch. But the other was sparrow hawk enough to claw him thoroughly, and both
dropped down, into the centre of the boiling pond. The heat, instantly, separated them, but they could not rise, their
wings were so glued up. Barbariccia, lamenting with the rest, made four fly over to the other bank, with all their
grappling irons, and they dropped rapidly on both sides to the shore. They stretched their hooks out to the trapped
pair, who were already scaled by the crust, and we left them, like that, embroiled.

CANTO 23
160
INF C23 1-18 / KLINE
Silent, alone, and free of company, we went on, one in front, and the other after, like minor friars journeying on their
way. My thoughts were turned, by the recent quarrel, to Aesop’s fable of the frog and mouse, since ‘Si’ and ‘Yes’
are not better matched, than the one case with the other, if the thoughtful mind couples the beginning and end. And
as one thought springs from another, so another sprang from that, redoubling my fear. I thought of this: ‘Through us,
these are mocked, and with a kind of hurt and ridicule, that I guess must annoy them. If anger is added to their
malice, they will chase after us, fiercer than snapping dogs that chase a leveret.’
VIRGIL EMERGES. DANTE AND HE WALK ON SLOWLY. DANTE LOOKS AT VIRGIL THEN FACES AHEAD. HE
IS CLEARLY DOING SOME HARD THINKING [INF C23 4-22].
♫INFERNAL: SOFT, BECOMING LOUDER * * * * * * * * * *
Before INF C23-19
DANTE:
INF C23 19-21 / DANTE INF C23 19-21 / KLINE
Già mi sentia tutti arricciar li peli I felt my hair already lifting in fright,
de la paura e stava in dietro intento, and was looking back intently, as I said:
quand' io dissi: Maestro, se non celi Master, if you do not hide us
INF C23 22-24 / DANTE
te e me tostamente, i' ho pavento both, quickly, I am afraid of the
d'i Malebranche. Noi li avem già dietro; Malebranche the Evil-clawed: they are
io li 'magino sì, che già li sento». already behind us. I imagine I can hear them now.
VIRGIL:
INF C23 25-27 / DANTE INF C23 25-27 / KLINE
E quei: «S'i' fossi di piombato vetro, And he: If I were made of silvered glass,
l'imagine di fuor tua non trarrei I could not take up your image from outside
più tosto a me, che quella dentro 'mpetro. more rapidly than I fix that image from within.
INF C23 28-30 / DANTE
Pur mo venieno i tuo' pensier tra ' miei, Even now your thoughts were entering mine,
con simile atto e con simile faccia, with similar form and action, so that, from both,
sì che d'intrambi un sol consiglio fei. I have made one decision.
INF C23 31-33 / DANTE
S'elli è che sì la destra costa giaccia, If the right bank slopes enough,
che noi possiam ne l'altra bolgia scendere, that we can drop down, into the next chasm,
noi fuggirem l'imaginata caccia». we will escape this imaginary pursuit.
INF C23 34-57 / KLINE
He had not finished stating this resolve, when I saw them, not far off, when I saw them, coming with extended
wings, with desire to seize us. My guide suddenly took me up like a mother, wakened by a noise, seeing flames
burning in front of her eyes, who takes her child and runs, and caring more about him than herself, does not even
wait to look around her. Down from the ridge of the solid bank, he threw himself forward on to the hanging cliff that
dams up the side of the next chasm. Water never ran as fast through the conduit, turning a mill-wheel on land, when
it reaches the paddles, as my Master, down that bank, carrying me, against his breast, like a son, and not a
companion. His feet had hardly touched the floor, of the depth below, before the demons were on the heights above
us, but it gave him no fear, since the high Providence, that willed them to be the guardians of the fifth moat, takes,
from all of them, the power to leave it.

BEFORE VIRGIL HAS FINISHED SPEAKING, DANTE LOOKS BEHIND. IN FRIGHT, HE SEIZES VIRGIL BY THE
HAND AND THEY RUN DOWN THE → R → . THEY QUICKLY APPEAR ON THE → L → AND START ACROSS
THE STAGE.
HYPOCRITES: LODERINGO, CATALANO
INF C23 58-75 / KLINE
Down below we found a metal-coated tribe, weeping, circling with very slow steps, and weary and defeated in their
aspect. They had cloaks, with deep hoods over the eyes, in the shape they make for the monks of Cologne. On the
outside they are gilded so it dazzles, but inside all leaden, and so heavy, that compared to them Frederick’s were
made of straw. O weary mantle for eternity! We turned to the left again, beside them, who were intent on their sad
weeping, but those people, tired by their burden, came on so slowly that our companions were new at every step. At
which, I said to my guide: Make a search for someone known to us, by name or action, and gaze around as we move
by.
FRIAR LODERINGO / THALIA (VOICE):
INF C23 76-78 / DANTE INF C23 76-78 / KLINE
E un che 'ntese la parola tosca, And one of them, who understood the Tuscan
di retro a noi gridò: Tenete i piedi, language, called after us: Rest your feet,
voi che correte sì per l'aura fosca! you who speed so fast through the dark air,
INF C23 79 / DANTE
Forse ch'avrai da me quel che tu chiedi. maybe you will get from me what you request.
LODERINGO./.THALIA APPEARS. HE./.SHE, AND CATALANO./.TERPSICHORE WHO FOLLOWS SHORTLY, ARE
UNADORNED MUSES, I.E. WITHOUT HEAVY, ORANGE-GOLD CLOAKS. THEY ‘CIRCLE WITH VERY SLOW
STEPS’, ‘WEARY AND DEFEATED IN THEIR ASPECT’.
VIRGIL SPEAKS SOFTLY TO DANTE.
LODERINGO DEGLI ANDALÒ DATES SIMILAR TO CATALANO
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BOLOGNA. IN 1233 HE FOUNDED THE ORDER OF THE GLORIOUS SAINT MARY: THE FIRST RELIGIOUS ORDER OF
KNIGHTHOOD TO GRANT THE RANK OF MILITISSA TO WOMEN. IT WAS APPROVED BY POPE ALEXANDER IV (?) IN
1261 AND SUPPRESSED BY SIXTUS V IN 1558.
DESCRIPTION
MUSE THALIA.
CATALANO DE’ CATALINI c 1210-1285?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BOLOGNA.
DESCRIPTION
MUSE TERPSICHORE
FRATI GAUDENTI, OR JOVIAL FRIARS: A DERISIVE NAME FOR THE CAVALIERI DI S. MARIA (ORDO MILITAE BEATAE MARIAE)
FOUNDED AT BOLOGNA IN 1261, WITH THE APPROVAL OF URBAN IV, TO ACT AS MEDIATORS & PROTECT THE WEAK. IT WAS
DISBANDED DUE TO ITS LAXITY. CATALANO DE’ CATALINI (OR DE’ MALAVOLTI) & LODERINGO DEGLI ANDALÒ, A
GHIBELLINE, WERE CALLED TO FLORENCE, FROM BOLOGNA, IN 1266 TO ACT TOGETHER AS PODESTÀ & REFORM THE
GOVERNMENT. THEY WERE ACCUSED OF HYPOCRISY & CORRUPTION & EXPELLED. THE GARDINGO DISTRICT (PIAZZA DI
FIRENZE) THE SITE OF THE UBERTI PALACE, WAS DESTROYED IN A RISING AGAINST THE GHIBELLINES.
VIRGIL:
INF C23 80-81 / DANTE INF C23 80-81 / KLINE
Onde 'l duca si volse e disse: Aspetta, At which my guide turned round and said:
e poi secondo il suo passo procedi. Wait, and then go on, at his their pace.
DANTE STANDS STILL. TWO HOODED FIGURES APPROACH HIM SLOWLY, THEN LOOK AT HIM FOR A LONG
TIME.
161

INF C23 82-87 / KLINE
I stood still, and saw two spirits, who were eager in mind to join me, but their burden and the narrow path delayed
them. When they arrived, they eyed me askance, for a long time, without speaking a word, then they turned to one
another and said:
FRIAR LODERINGO / THALIA:
INF C23 88-90 / DANTE INF C23 88-90 / KLINE
Costui par vivo a l'atto de la gola; This one seems alive, by the movement of his
throat,
e s'e' son morti, per qual privilegio and if they are dead, by what grace are they
moving,
vanno scoperti de la grave stola? free of the heavy cloaks?
FRIAR CATALANO / TERPSICHORE:
INF C23 91-93 / DANTE INF C23 91-93 / KLINE
Poi disser me: O Tosco, ch'al collegio Then they said to me: O Tuscan, you have come
de l'ipocriti tristi se' venuto, to the college of sad hypocrites:
dir chi tu se' non avere in dispregio. do not scorn to tell us who you are.
DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C23 94-96 / DANTE INF C23 94-96 / KLINE
E io a loro: I' fui nato e cresciuto And I to them: I was born, and I grew up,
sovra 'l bel fiume d'Arno a la gran villa, by Arno’s lovely river, in the great city:
e son col corpo ch'i' ho sempre avuto. and I am in the body I have always worn.
162
DANTE:
INF C23 97-99 / DANTE INF C23 97-99 / KLINE
Ma voi chi siete, a cui tanto distilla But you, who are you, from whom such sadness
quant' i' veggio dolor giù per le guance? is distilled, that I see, coursing down your cheeks?
e che pena è in voi che sì sfavilla? And what punishment is this, that glitters so?
FRIAR CATALANO / TERPSICHORE:
INF C23 100-102 / DANTE INF C23 100-102 / KLINE
E l'un rispuose a me: Le cappe rance And one of them replied: Our orange mantles
son di piombo sì grosse, che li pesi are of such dense lead, that weights
fan così cigolar le lor bilance. made of it cause the scales to creak.
INF C23 103-105 / DANTE
Frati godenti fummo, e bolognesi; We were Fraudi Gaudenti, of that Bolognese order
io Catalano e questi Loderingo called the “Jovial Friars”: I am Catalano,
nomati, e da tua terra insieme presi and he is Loderingo, chosen by your city,
INF C23 106-108 / DANTE
come suole esser tolto un uom solingo, as usually only one is chosen, to keep the peace:
per conservar sua pace; e fummo tali, and we wrought such as still appears
ch'ancor si pare intorno dal Gardingo. round your district of Gardingo.
DANTE:
INF C23 109-111 / DANTE INF C23 109-111 / KLINE
Io cominciai: O frati, i vostri mali...; O Friars, your evil ... I began, but said no more,
ma più non dissi, ch'a l'occhio mi corse because one came in sight, crucified,
un, crucifisso in terra con tre pali. on the ground, with three stakes.
INF C23 112-114 / KLINE
When he saw me he writhed all over, puffing into his beard, and sighing, and Friar Catalano, who saw this,
DANTE STOPS, STARING INTO THE DARKNESS.

163
FRIAR CATALANO / TERPSICHORE:
INF C23 115-117 / DANTE INF C23 115-117 / KLINE
mi disse: Quel confitto che tu miri, said to me: That one you look at, who is transfixed,
consigliò i Farisei che convenia is Caiaphas, the high priest, who counselled the
porre un uom per lo popolo a' martìri. Pharisees, that it was right to martyr one man for
the sake of the people.
INF C23 118-120 / DANTE
Attraversato è, nudo, ne la via, Crosswise and naked he lies in the road,
come tu vedi, ed è mestier ch'el senta as you see, and feels the weight
qualunque passa, come pesa, pria. of every one who passes:
INF C23 121-123 / DANTE
E a tal modo il socero si stenta and his father-in-law Annas is racked,
in questa fossa, e li altri dal concilio in this chasm, and the others of that Council,
che fu per li Giudei mala sementa». that was a source of evil to the Jews.
INF C23 124-126 / KLINE
Then I saw Virgil wonder at him, stretched out on the cross, so vilely, in eternal exile.
VIRGIL ADDRESSES THE FRIARS.
VIRGIL:
INF C23 127-129 / DANTE INF C23 127-129 / KLINE
Poscia drizzò al frate cotal voce: He addressed these words to the Friars,
Non vi dispiaccia, se vi lece, dirci afterwards: If it is lawful for you, may it not
s'a la man destra giace alcuna foce displease you, to tell us if there is any gap on the
right,
INF C23 130-132 / DANTE
onde noi amendue possiamo uscirci, by which we might leave here, without forcing
sanza costrigner de li angeli neri any of the black angels to come
che vegnan d'esto fondo a dipartirci. and extricate us from this deep.
FRIAR CATALANO / TERPSICHORE:
INF C23 133-135 / DANTE INF C23 133-135 / KLINE
Rispuose adunque: Più che tu non speri He replied: There is a causeway that runs
s'appressa un sasso che da la gran cerchia from the great circular wall and crosses all
si move e varca tutt' i vallon feri, the cruel valleys, nearer at hand than you think,
INF C23 136-138 / DANTE
salvo che 'n questo è rotto e nol coperchia; except that it is broken here and does not cover
this
montar potrete su per la ruina, one: you will be able to climb up among its
ruins,
che giace in costa e nel fondo soperchia. that slope down the side, and form a mound at
the base.
VIRGIL STANDS FOR A WHILE WITH BOWED HEAD [INF C23 139-141].
VIRGIL:
INF C23 139-141 / DANTE INF C23 139-141 / KLINE
Lo duca stette un poco a testa china; Virgil stood, for a while, with bowed head,
poi disse: Mal contava la bisogna then said: Malacoda, who grapples sinners
colui che i peccator di qua uncina. over there, told us the way wrongly.
FRIAR CATALANO / TERPSICHORE:
INF C23 142-144 / DANTE INF C23 142-144 / KLINE
E 'l frate: Io udi' già dire a Bologna And the Friar said: I once heard the Devil’s vices
del diavol vizi assai, tra ' quali udi' related at Bologna, amongst which I heard
ch'elli è bugiardo, e padre di menzogna. that he is a liar, and the father of lies.

VIRGIL STRIDES DOWN THE → R → , ‘HIS FACE SOMEWHAT DISTURBED BY ANGER’ [INF C23 145-148].
DANTE PONDERS AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
164
DANTE:
INF C23 142-144 / DANTE INF C23 142-144 / KLINE
E 'l frate: «Io udi' già dire a Bologna And the Friar said: I once heard the Devil’s vices
del diavol vizi assai, tra ' quali udi' related at Bologna, amongst which I heard
ch'elli è bugiardo, e padre di menzogna. that he is a liar, and the father of lies.
INF C23 145-147 / DANTE
Appresso il duca a gran passi sen gì, Then my guide went striding on,
turbato un poco d'ira nel sembiante; his face somewhat disturbed by anger,
ond' io da li 'ncarcati mi parti' at which I parted from the burdened souls,
INF C23 148 / DANTE
dietro a le poste de le care piante. following the prints of his beloved feet.
CANTO 24
DANTE FOLLOWS VIRGIL.
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C24 1-3 / DANTE INF C24 1-3 / KLINE
In quella parte del giovanetto anno In that part of the new year, when the sun
che 'l sole i crin sotto l'Aquario tempra cools his rays under Aquarius,
e già le notti al mezzo dì sen vanno, and the nights already shorten towards the equinox;
INF C24 4-6 / DANTE
quando la brina in su la terra assempra when the hoar-frost copies its white sister
l'imagine di sua sorella bianca, the snow’s image on the ground,
ma poco dura a la sua penna tempra, but the hardness of its tracery lasts only a little
time;
In quella parte del giovanetto anno In that part of the new year, when the sun
che 'l sole i crin sotto l'Aquario tempra cools his rays under Aquarius,
e già le notti al mezzo dì sen vanno, and the nights already shorten towards the equinox;
INF C24 4-6 / DANTE
quando la brina in su la terra assempra when the hoar-frost copies its white sister
l'imagine di sua sorella bianca, the snow’s image on the ground,
ma poco dura a la sua penna tempra, but the hardness of its tracery lasts only a little
time;
DANTE (VOICE):
INF C24 1-3 / DANTE INF C24 1-3 / KLINE
In quella parte del giovanetto anno In that part of the new year, when the sun
che 'l sole i crin sotto l'Aquario tempra cools his rays under Aquarius,
e già le notti al mezzo dì sen vanno, and the nights already shorten towards the equinox;
INF C24 4-6 / DANTE
quando la brina in su la terra assempra when the hoar-frost copies its white sister
l'imagine di sua sorella bianca, the snow’s image on the ground,
ma poco dura a la sua penna tempra, but the hardness of its tracery lasts only a little
time;
In quella parte del giovanetto anno In that part of the new year, when the sun
che 'l sole i crin sotto l'Aquario tempra cools his rays under Aquarius,
e già le notti al mezzo dì sen vanno, and the nights already shorten towards the equinox;

INF C24 4-6 / DANTE
quando la brina in su la terra assempra when the hoar-frost copies its white sister
l'imagine di sua sorella bianca, the snow’s image on the ground,
ma poco dura a la sua penna tempra, but the hardness of its tracery lasts only a little
time;
INF C24 7-9 / DANTE
lo villanello a cui la roba manca, the peasant, whose fodder is exhausted,
si leva, e guarda, e vede la campagna rises and looks out, and sees the fields all white,
biancheggiar tutta; ond' ei si batte l'anca, at which he strikes his thigh,
165
INF C24 10-12 / DANTE
ritorna in casa, e qua e là si lagna, goes back into the house, and wanders to and fro,
come 'l tapin che non sa che si faccia; lamenting, like a wretch
poi riede, e la speranza ringavagna, who does not know what to do;
DANTE COMES BACKWARDS DOWN THE → L → , FOLLOWED BY A MORE-CHEERFUL VIRGIL.
DANTE:
INF C24 13-15 / DANTE INF C24 13-15 / KLINE
veggendo 'l mondo aver cangiata faccia then comes out again, and regains hope, seeing
in poco d'ora, e prende suo vincastro how the world has changed its aspect, in a moment;
e fuor le pecorelle a pascer caccia. and takes his crook, and chases his lambs out to
feed;
INF C24 16-18 / DANTE
Così mi fece sbigottir lo mastro Così…so… the Master made me disheartened,
quand' io li vidi sì turbar la fronte, when I saw his forehead so troubled,
e così tosto al mal giunse lo 'mpiastro; but the plaster arrived quickly for the wound.
THE WALL
VIRGIL LEADS THE WAY TO THE BLOCKS AT THE REAR OF THE STAGE WHICH NOW FORM A 2- METRE HIGH
WALL WITH SMALL GAPS.
INF C24 19-27 / KLINE
For, when we reached the shattered arch, my guide turned to me with that sweet aspect, that I first saw at the base of
the mountain. He opened his arms, after having made some plan in his mind, first looking carefully at the ruin, and
took hold of me. And like one who prepares and calculates, always seeming to provide in advance, so he lifting me
up towards the summit
VIRGIL:
INF C24 28-30 / DANTE INF C24 28-30 / KLINE
d'un ronchione, avvisava un'altra scheggia of one big block, searched for another fragment,
dicendo: Sovra quella poi t'aggrappa; saying: Now clamber over that.,
ma tenta pria s'è tal ch'ella ti reggia. but check first if it will carry you.
INF C24 31-45 / KLINE
It was no route for one clothed in a cloak of lead, since we could hardly climb from rock to rock, he weighing little,
and I pushed from behind. And if the ascent were not shorter on that side than on the other, I would truly have been
defeated, I do not know about him. But as Malebolge all drops towards the entrance to the lowest well, the position
of every valley implies that the one side rises, and the other falls: at last, we came, however, to the point at which
the last boulder ends. The breath was so driven from my lungs, when I was up, that I could go no further: in fact, I
sat down when I arrived.

DANTE ATTEMPTS TO CLIMB THE WALL BUT CANNOT. VIRGIL TAKES DANTE’S BOOK FROM HIM , PLACES
IT ON THE GROUND AND PUTS HIS OWN BOOK ON IT. HE CLIMBS EASILY AND GETS HIS BOOK FROM
DANTE. VIRGIL WALKS ALONG THE WALL, SEES SOMETHING ON THE FAR SIDE AND LOOKS IN THE BOOK
FOR SOMETHING HE CAN’T QUITE REMEMBER FROM MORE THAN 1300 YEARS BEFORE. HE MAY WALK
OUT OF SIGHT.
DANTE PICKS UP HIS BOOK, BRUSHES IT OFF AND PUTS IT ON HIS BACK. HE STRUGGLES MANFULLY TO
CLIMB AND FAILS. HE PUTS HIS BOOK ON THE GROUND AGAIN AND JUST MAKES IT. PANTING ON TOP OF
THE WALL, HE REACHES DOWN. HIS HAND, OF COURSE, IS FAR SHORT OF THE BOOK.
BEATRICE MANIFESTS HERSELF UNDER A HEAVENLY SPOTLIGHT..◙ ..UNDER DANTE.
♫BEATRICE MOTIF? * * * * * * * * * *
SHE PLACES DANTE’S BOOK IN HIS HAND. HE SPEAKS WITH AUTOMATIC POLITENESS, GIVING A MEANING
SOMETHING LIKE “SO KIND”.
DANTE:
LA VITA NOVA 26 SONETTO / DANTE LA VITA NOVA 26 SONNET / MUSA
Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare Such sweet decorum and such gentle grace
HE LOOKS AT THE FACE BEHIND BEATRICE’S HAND AND SPEAKS WITH FERVOUR.
DANTE:
LA VITA NOVA 26 SONETTO / DANTE LA VITA NOVA 26 SONNET / MUSA
Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare Such sweet decorum and such gentle grace
BEATRICE VANISHES WITH HER SPOTLIGHT..◙ .. VIRGIL COMES BACK ALONG THE WALL AND FINDS
DANTE STILL PRONE.
VIRGIL:
INF C24 46-48 / DANTE INF C24 46-48 / KLINE
«Omai convien che tu così ti spoltre», The Master said: Now, you must free yourself
disse 'l maestro; «ché, seggendo in piuma, from sloth: men do not achieve fame, sitting
in fama non si vien, né sotto coltre; on down, or under coverlets; fame,
INF C24 49-51 / DANTE
sanza la qual chi sua vita consuma, without which whoever consumes his life
cotal vestigio in terra di sé lascia, leaves only such trace of himself, on earth,
qual fummo in aere e in acqua la schiuma. as smoke does in the air., or foam on water:
166
INF C24 52-54 / DANTE
E però leva sù; vinci l'ambascia so rise Rise, and overcome weariness with spirit,
con l'animo che vince ogne battaglia, that wins every battle,
se col suo grave corpo non s'accascia. if it does not lie down with the gross body.
INF C24 55-57 / DANTE
Più lunga scala convien che si saglia; A longer ladder must be climbed:
non basta da costoro esser partito. to have left these behind is not enough
Se tu mi 'ntendi, or fa sì che ti vaglia». if you understand me, act now so it may profit you.
DANTE STANDS UP.

DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C24 58-60 / DANTE INF C24 58-60 / KLINE
Leva'mi allor, mostrandomi fornito I rose then, showing myself to be better filled
meglio di lena ch'i' non mi sentia, with breath than I thought, and said:
e dissi: Va, ch'i' son forte e ardito. Go on, I am strong again and ardent.
DANTE STARES AT SOMETHING AND OPENS HIS BOOK.
INF C24 61-81 / KLINE
We made our way along the causeway…but he who spoke seemed full of anger. I had turned to look downwards,
but my living eyes could not see the floor, for the darkness, so that I said: ‘Master, make sure you get to the other
side, and let us climb down down the wall, since as I hear sounds from below, but do not understand them, so I see
down there, and make out nothing.’ He said: ‘I make you no answer, but by action, since a fair request should be
followed, in silence, by the work.’ We went down the bridge, at the head of it, where it meets the eighth bank, and
then the seventh chasm was open to me.
DANTE:
INF C24 82-84 / DANTE INF C24 82-84 / KLINE
e vidivi entro terribile stipa I saw see a fearful mass of snakes inside,
di serpenti, e di sì diversa mena and of such strange appearance,
che la memoria il sangue ancor mi scipa. that even now the memory freezes my blood.
DANTE TURNS TO THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
INF C24 85-87 / DANTE INF C24 85-87 / KLINE
Più non si vanti Libia con sua rena; Let Libya’s no longer vaunt its sands: though it
ché se chelidri, iaculi e faree engenders engender chelydri, and
produce, e cencri con anfisibena, jaculi,; pareae; and cenchres with amphisbaena.
PRONUNCIATION: (I CAN’T GET COPY OF IPA.) CHELYDRI (KEL-), CENCHRES (KEN-?), AMPHISBAENA (ÆMFƏS'BINƏ).
DANTE, SEEING THE IGNORANCE OF HIS LISTENERS, EXPLAINS.
167
DANTE:
Chelydri are fetid and amphibious. Jaculi fly and
pierce what they hit. Pareae…Phareae…plough
with their tails. Cenchres wave from side to side
and Amphisbaena have heads at both ends.
Lucan’s Pharsalia.
INF C24 88-90 / DANTE
né tante pestilenzie né sì ree it But Libya never showed pests so numerous
mostrò già mai con tutta l'Etïopia or dreadful, nor did Ethiopia, nor Arabia.,
né con ciò che di sopra al Mar Rosso èe. the land that lies along the Red Sea.
DANTE VERSIFIES AS VIRGIL TAKES IN ANOTHER SCENE.
DANTE:
INF C24 82-84 / DANTE INF C24 82-84 / KLINE
e vidivi entro terribile stipa I saw a fearful mass of snakes inside,
di serpenti, e di sì diversa mena and of such strange appearance,
che la memoria il sangue ancor mi scipa. that even now the memory freezes my blood.

INF C24 85-87 / DANTE
Più non si vanti Libia con sua rena; Let Libya no longer vaunt its sands: though it
ché se chelidri, iaculi e faree engenders chelydri, and jaculi;
produce, e cencri con anfisibena, pareae; and cenchres with amphisbaena;
168
VIRGIL:
INF C24 91-93 / DANTE INF C24 91-93 / KLINE
Tra questa cruda e tristissima copia Amongst this cruel and mournful swarm, people
corrëan genti nude e spaventate, People are were running, naked and terrified,
sanza sperar pertugio o elitropia: without hope of concealment, or of that stone, the
heliotrope, that renders the wearer invisible.
INF C24 94-96 / DANTE
con serpi le man dietro avean legate; They had their Their hands are tied behind them,
quelle ficcavan per le ren la coda with serpents, that fixed fix their head and tail
e 'l capo, ed eran dinanzi aggroppate. between the loins, and were coiled coil in knots in
front.
DANTE VERSIFIES AGAIN AS VIRGIL REPORTS.
VIRGIL:
INF C24 91-93 / DANTE INF C24 91-93 / KLINE
Tra questa cruda e tristissima copia Amongst this cruel and mournful swarm, people
corrëan genti nude e spaventate, were running, naked and terrified, without hope of
sanza sperar pertugio o elitropia: concealment, or of that stone, the heliotrope, that
renders the wearer invisible.
INF C24 94-96 / DANTE
con serpi le man dietro avean legate; They had their hands tied behind them,
quelle ficcavan per le ren la coda with serpents, that fixed their head and tail
e 'l capo, ed eran dinanzi aggroppate. between the loins, and were coiled in knots in front.
VIRGIL:
INF C24 97-99 / DANTE INF C24 97-99 / KLINE
Ed ecco a un ch'era da nostra proda, And see! See! ...a serpent struck at one who was
s'avventò un serpente che 'l trafisse near our bank, and transfixed him, there,
là dove 'l collo a le spalle s'annoda. where the neck is joined to the shoulders.
ONE WHO: VANNI FUCCI SEE BELOW
INF C24 100-102 / DANTE
Né O sì tosto mai né I si scrisse, Neither ‘o’ nor ‘i’ was ever written as swiftly
com' el s'accese e arse, e cener tutto as he He took takes fire, and is burned,
convenne che cascando divenisse; and dropped down, transformed to ashes:
INF C24 103-105 / DANTE
e poi che fu a terra sì distrutto, and after he was heaped on the ground, which heap
la polver si raccolse per sé stessa on the ground the powder gathered itself together,
e 'n quel medesmo ritornò di butto. and immediately returned return to its the previous
shape.
DANTE VERSIFIES AGAIN.
DANTE:
INF C24 97-99 / DANTE INF C24 97-99 / KLINE
Ed ecco a un ch'era da nostra proda, And see! A serpent struck at one who was
s'avventò un serpente che 'l trafisse near our bank, and transfixed him, there,
là dove 'l collo a le spalle s'annoda. where the neck is joined to the shoulders.
ONE WHO: VANNI FUCCI SEE BELOW
INF C24 100-102 / DANTE
Né O sì tosto mai né I si scrisse, Neither ‘o’ nor ‘i’ was ever written as swiftly
com' el s'accese e arse, e cener tutto as he took fire, and is burned,
convenne che cascando divenisse; and dropped down, transformed to ashes:

INF C24 103-105 / DANTE
e poi che fu a terra sì distrutto, and after he was heaped on the ground,
la polver si raccolse per sé stessa the powder gathered itself together,
e 'n quel medesmo ritornò di butto. and immediately returned to its previous shape.
DANTE:
INF C24 106-108 / DANTE INF C24 106-108 / KLINE
Così per li gran savi si confessa So, great sages say, the phoenix dies,
che la fenice more e poi rinasce, and then renews, when it nears
quando al cinquecentesimo anno appressa; its five-hundredth year.
INF C24 109-111 / DANTE
erba né biado in sua vita non pasce, In its life it does not eat grass or grain,
ma sol d'incenso lagrime e d'amomo, but only tears of incense, and amomum:
e nardo e mirra son l'ultime fasce. and its last shroud is nard and myrrh.
DANTE TURNS TO THE SCENE.
169
DANTE:
INF C24 112-114 / DANTE INF C24 112-114 / KLINE
E qual è quel che cade, e non sa como, The sinner when he rose was rises like one who
per forza di demon ch'a terra il tira, falls, and does not know how, through the power
of
o d'altra oppilazion che lega l'omo, a demon that drags him down to the ground, or
through
INF C24 115-117 / DANTE
quando si leva, che 'ntorno si mira some other affliction. that binds men, and,
tutto smarrito de la grande angoscia when he rises, He gazes round, himself,
ch'elli ha sofferta, e guardando sospira: all dazed by the great anguish
INF C24 118-120 / DANTE
tal era 'l peccator levato poscia. he has suffered., and as he gazes, sighs.
Oh potenza di Dio, quant' è severa, O how heavy the power of God,
che cotai colpi per vendetta croscia! that showers down such blows in vengeance!
THE PISTOIAN PHOENIX SPEAKS FROM BEHIND THE WALL.
VANNI FUCCI (VOICE):
INF C24 121-123 / DANTE INF C24 121-123 / KLINE
Lo duca il domandò poi chi ello era; The guide then asked him who he was, at which
per ch’ei rispuose: Io piovvi di Toscana, he answered: I rained down from Tuscany
poco tempo è, in questa gola fiera. into this gully, a short while back.
VANNI FUCCI *---- ? - 1300 + AGE : 35??
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
PISTOIA.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
VANNI FUCCI: ILLEGITIMATE SON OF A NOBLE FAMILY, A TURBULENT BLACK GUELPH FROM PISTOIA WHO, IN 1293,
TOGETHER WITH 2 ACCOMPLICES, STOLE THE TREASURE OF SAN JACOPO FROM THE CHURCH OF SAN ZENO. RAMPIONO DE’
FORESI WAS HELD IN PRISON FOR THE CRIME, WHILE THE CULPRITS WENT UNDETECTED FOR A YEAR. (THERE ARE OTHER
NAMES, VERSIONS.)
NO COMMENTATOR HAS A GOOD WORD TO SAY FOR VANNI FUCCI EXCEPT THE CANONICO CRESCIMBENI…WHO COUNTS HIM
AMONG THE ITALIAN POETS…AND QUOTES A SONNET OF HIS: FOR I HAVE LOST THE GOOD I MIGHT HAVE HAD / THROUGH
LITTLE WIT, AND NOT OF MINE OWN WILL. (LONGFELLOW)

VANNI FUCCI (VOICE):
INF C24 124-126 / DANTE INF C24 124-126 / KLINE
Vita bestial mi piacque e non umana, Brutish, not human, life pleased me, mule that
sì come a mul ch'i' fui; son Vanni Fucci I was: I am Vanni Fucci, the wild beast,
bestia, e Pistoia mi fu degna tana». and Pistoia was a fitting den for me.
SONETTO / VANNI FUCCI SONNET / ?
For I have lost the good I might have had,
Through little wit, and not of my own will.
DANTE notes:
NF C24 125-126 / DANTE INF C24 125-126 / KLINE
sì come a mul ch'i' fui; son Vanni Fucci I am Vanni Fucci, the wild beast,
bestia, e Pistoia mi fu degna tana». and Pistoia was a fitting den for me.
DANTE:
INF C24 127-129 / DANTE INF C24 127-129 / KLINE
E ïo al duca: Dilli che non mucci, And I to the guide: Tell him not to move:
e domanda che colpa qua giù 'l pinse; and ask what crime sank him down here,
ch'io 'l vidi uomo di sangue e di crucci. since I knew him as a man of blood and anger.
DANTE CATCHES UP ON HIS VERSIFICATION.
DANTE:
INF C24 112-114 / DANTE INF C24 112-114 / KLINE
E qual è quel che cade, e non sa como, The sinner when he rose was like one who falls,
per forza di demon ch'a terra il tira, and does not know how, through the power of a
o d'altra oppilazion che lega l'omo, demon that drags him down to the ground, or
through
INF C24 115-117 / DANTE
quando si leva, che 'ntorno si mira some other affliction. that binds men, and,
tutto smarrito de la grande angoscia when he rises, gazes round himself,
ch'elli ha sofferta, e guardando sospira: all dazed by the great anguish
INF C24 118-120 / DANTE
tal era 'l peccator levato poscia. he has suffered, and as he gazes, sighs.
Oh potenza di Dio, quant' è severa, O how heavy the power of God,
che cotai colpi per vendetta croscia! that showers down such blows in vengeance!
170
INF C24 127-129 / KLINE see above
And I to the guide: Tell him not to move: and ask what crime sank him down here, since I knew him as a man of blood
and anger.
INF C24 130-132 / KLINE
And the sinner, who heard me, did not pretend, but turned his face and mind on me, and gave a look of saddened
shame.
VANNI FUCCI (VOICE):
INF C24 133-135 / DANTE INF C24 133-135 / KLINE
poi disse: Più mi duol che tu m'hai colto Then he said: It hurts me more for you to catch me,
ne la miseria dove tu mi vedi, trapped, in the this misery you see me in, than it did
che quando fui de l'altra vita tolto. the moment of my being snatched from the other
life.
INF C24 136-138 / DANTE
Io non posso negar quel che tu chiedi; I cannot deny you what you ask.
in giù son messo tanto perch' io fui I am placed so deep down because I robbed
ladro a la sagrestia d'i belli arredi, the sacristy of its fine treasures,
INF C24 139-141 / DANTE
e falsamente già fu apposto altrui. and it was once wrongly attributed to others.
Ma perché di tal vista tu non godi, But, so that you might not take joy from this sight
se mai sarai di fuor da' luoghi bui, if you ever escape the gloomy regions,

♫PROPHECY MOTIF * * * * * * * * * *
INF C24 141
VANNI FUCCI (VOICE): & VANNI FUCCI (VOICE):
INF C24 142-144 / DANTE INF C24 142-144 / KLINE
apri li orecchi al mio annunzio, e odi. open your ears, and hear what I declare:
Pistoia in pria d'i Neri si dimagra; Pistoia first is thinned of Blacks:
poi Fiorenza rinova gente e modi. then Florence changes her people and her laws.
171
VANNI FUCCI PROPHESIES THE DEFEAT OF THE GHIBELLINE WHITES (BIANCHI) BY THE BLACK GUELPH (NERI) FACTION. THE
BLACKS WERE EXPELLED FROM PISTOIA IN MAY 1301. DANTE WAS ONE OF THOSE WHO VOTED FOR THE EXPULSIONS. IN
NOVEMBER 1301 THE BLACKS ENTERED FLORENCE, AIDED BY CHARLES DEVALOIS & IN APRIL 1302 MADE THE CITY DRIVE
OUT THE WHITES (CHANGING THE PEOPLE & ITS LAWS). PISTOIA BECAME A RALLYING POINT FOR THE WHITES IN TUSCANY,
UNTIL THEIR DEFEAT BY THE FLORENTINE & LUCCHESE GUELPHS, UNDER MOROELLO MALASPINA, MARQUIS OF
GIOVAGALLO IN VALDIMAGRA (THE EXTREMITY OF LUNIGIANA). PICENO’S FIELD IS THE AREA BETWEEN SERRAVALLE &
MONTECATINI. MALASPINA TOOK SERRAVALLE IN 1302 & REDUCED PISTOIA IN 1306. PISTOIA WAS SAID TO HAVE BEEN
FOUNDED BY THE REMNANTS OF CATILINE’S ARMY, LEADING TO DANTE’S COMMENT IN THE NEXT CANTO (‘YOU OUTDO YOUR
SEED IN EVIL-DOING’)
INF C24 145-147 / DANTE INF C24 145-147 / KLINE
Tragge Marte vapor di Val di Magra Mars brings a vapour,
ch'è di torbidi nuvoli involuto; from Valdimagra cloaked in turbid cloud,
e con tempesta impetüosa e agra and a battle will be fought
INF C24 148-150 / DANTE
sovra Campo Picen fia combattuto; on the field of Piceno, in an angry and eager
ond' ei repente spezzerà la nebbia, tempest, that will suddenly tear the mist open,
sì ch'ogne Bianco ne sarà feruto. so that every White is wounded by it.
VANNI FUCCI SHOUTS.
VANNI FUCCI (VOICE):
INF C24 151 / DANTE INF C24 151 / KLINE
E detto l'ho perché doler ti debbia! And I have said this to give you pain.
VANNI FUCCI HURLS HIS BOOK OR SHEAF OF POEMS AT DANTE. IT BOUNCES ABOVE THE WALL,
DISINTEGRATES AND FALLS BACK BEHIND THE WALL.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE
INF C24 151 / DANTE INF C24 151 / KLINE
E detto l'ho perché doler ti debbia! And I have said this to give you pain.
CANTO 25
VANNI FUCCI REACHES HIS ARMS THROUGH CHINKS IN THE WALL AND MAKES ‘THE FIG, THE OBSCENE
GESTURE WITH THUMB BETWEEN FINGERS, SHOUTING’.

VANNI FUCCI & VANNI FUCCI:
INF C25 1-3 / DANTE INF C25 1-3 / KLINE
Al fine de le sue parole il ladro At the end of his speech, the thief raised his
hands,
le mani alzò con amendue le fiche, both making the fig, the obscene gesture, with
gridando: Togli, Dio, ch'a te le squadro! thumb between fingers, shouting: Take this,
God!, I aim it at you.
VANNI FUCCI’S ARMS WITHDRAW. DANTE OBSERVES AND WRITES.
172
DANTE:
INF C25 4-6 / DANTE INF C25 4-6 / KLINE
Da indi in qua mi fuor le serpi amiche, From that moment the snakes were my friends,
perch' una li s'avvolse allora al collo, since one of them coiled itself round his neck,
come dicesse `Non vo' che più diche'; as if hissing: “You will not be able to speak again.”
INF C25 7-9 / DANTE
e un'altra a le braccia, e rilegollo, Another, round his arms, tied him again,
ribadendo sé stessa sì dinanzi, knotting itself so firmly in front,
che non potea con esse dare un crollo. that he could not even shake them.
DANTE STANDS AND VERSIFIES. VIRGIL INTERPRETS.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C25 10-12 / DANTE INF C25 10-12 / KLINE
Ahi Pistoia, Pistoia, ché non stanzi Ah, Pistoia, Pistoia, why do you not order yourself
d'incenerarti sì che più non duri, to be turned to ash, so that you may remain no
longer,
poi che 'n mal fare il seme tuo avanzi? since you outdo your seed in evil-doing?
INF C25 13-15 / KLINE
I saw no spirit so arrogant towards God, through all the dark circles of the Inferno, not even, Capaneus, he who fell
from the wall at Thebes.
CACUS, A 3-HEADED SHEPHERD, IMPERSONATED BY CALLIOPE, RAGES.
CACUS / CALLIOPE (VOICE): or CACUS / CALLIOPE (VOICE):
INF C25 16-18 / DANTE INF C25 16-18 / KLINE
El si fuggì che non parlò più verbo; Vanni Fucci fled, saying not another word,
e io vidi un centauro pien di rabbia and I saw a Centaur, full of rage , come, shouting:
venir chiamando: Ov' è, ov' è l'acerbo? Where is he, where is the bitter one?
CACUS MYTHICAL AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
CENTAUR: DESCRIBED AS SUCH IN C25 34-36, CACUS WAS ACTUALLY A 3-HEADED SHEPHERD.
INF C25 19-24 / KLINE
I do not believe Maremma has as many snakes, as he had on his haunches, there, where the human part begins. Over
his shoulders, behind the head, lay a dragon with outstretched wings, and it scorches every one he meets.

VIRGIL:
INF C25 25-27 / DANTE INF C25 25-27 / KLINE
Lo mio maestro disse: Questi è Caco, My Master said: That is Cacus
che, sotto 'l sasso di monte Aventino, who often made a lake of blood,
di sangue fece spesse volte laco. below the rocks of Mount Aventine.
DANTE notes:
INF C25 25 / DANTE INF C25 25 / KLINE
Lo mio maestro disse: Questi è Caco, My Master said: That is Cacus
173
VIRGIL:
INF C25 28-30 / DANTE INF C25 28-30 / KLINE
Non va co' suoi fratei per un cammino, He does not go with his brothers on the same road,
per lo furto che frodolente fece above, because of his cunning theft
del grande armento ch'elli ebbe a vicino; from the great herd of oxen, pastured near him:
INF C25 31-33 / DANTE
onde cessar le sue opere biece for which his thieving actions ended,
sotto la mazza d'Ercule, che forse under the club of Hercules, who gave him a
hundred
gliene diè cento, e non sentì le diece. blows perhaps with it, and he did not feel a tenth.
INF C25 34-36 / KLINE
While he said this, the Centaur ran past, and three spirits came by, also, beneath us, whom neither I, nor my guide,
saw,
AGNELLO (VOICE): & BUOSO DEGLI ABATI (VOICE):
INF C25 37-39 / DANTE INF C25 37-9 / KLINE
se non quando gridar: «Chi siete voi?»; until they cried: Who are you?
per che nostra novella si ristette, Our words ceased, then, and we gave
e intendemmo pur ad essi poi. our attention to them, alone.
AGNELLO BRUNELLESCHI *---- ? - *---- ? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
BUOSO DEGLI ABATI *---- ? - *---- ? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
1. AGNELLO, BUOSO & PUCCIO APPEAR 2. AGNELLO BLENDS WITH CIANFA, A SIX-LEGGED CREATURE 3. BUOSO CHANGES
PLACE WITH FRANCESCO, A SMALL REPTILE. (LONGFELLOW)
DANTE:
Agnello Brunelleschi and Buoso degli Abati,
citizens of Florence
INF C25 40-42 / KLINE
I did not know them, but it happened, as it usually does for some reason, that one had to call the other,
AGNELLO (VOICE):
INF C25 43-45 / DANTE INF C25 43-45 / KLINE
dicendo: Cianfa dove fia rimaso?; saying: Where has Cianfa gone? At which
per ch'io, acciò che 'l duca stesse attento, I placed my finger over my mouth,
mi puosi 'l dito su dal mento al naso. in order to make my guide stop and wait.
DANTE:
Cianfa Donati, Florentine noble and thief.

PUCCIO (VOICE):
INF C25 43-45 / DANTE INF C25 43-45 / KLINE
dicendo: Cianfa dove fia rimaso?; saying: Where has Cianfa gone? At which
per ch'io, acciò che 'l duca stesse attento, I placed my finger over my mouth,
mi puosi 'l dito su dal mento al naso. in order to make my guide stop and wait.
PUCCIO SCIANCATO DEI GALIGAI *---- ? - *---- ? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
DANTE:
Puccio Sciancato dei Galigai, Florentine.
DANTE SIGNALS TO VIRGIL TO STOP AND STAY QUIET. THEY STARE DOWN FOR A WHILE.
DANTE MAKES NOTES THEN READS THEM TO THE AUDIENCE IN A HUSHED TONE.
DANTE:
INF C25 46-48 / DANTE INF C25 46-48 / KLINE
Se tu se' or, lettore, a creder lento Reader, if you are slow to credit, now,
ciò ch'io dirò, non sarà maraviglia, what I have to tell, it will be no wonder,
ché io che 'l vidi, a pena il mi consento. since I who saw it, scarcely credit it myself.
174
INF C25 49-51 / DANTE
Com' io tenea levate in lor le ciglia, While I kept looking at them, a six-footed serpent,
e un serpente con sei piè si lancia Cianfa darted in front of one of them,
dinanzi a l'uno, e tutto a lui s'appiglia. and fastened itself on him, completely.
INF C25 52-54 / DANTE
Co' piè di mezzo li avvinse la pancia It clasped his belly… with its middle feet,
e con li anterïor le braccia prese; seized his arms with the front ones,
poi li addentò e l'una e l'altra guancia; and then fixed its teeth in both his cheeks.
INF C25 55-78 / KLINE
The rear feet it stretched along his thighs, and put its tail between them, and curled it upwards round his loins,
behind. Ivy was never rooted to a tree, as the foul monster twined its limbs around the other. Then they clung
together, as if they were melted wax, and mixed their colours: neither the one nor the other seemed what it had at
first: just as in front of the flame on burning paper, a brown colour appears, not yet black, and the white is
consumed. The other two looked on, and each cried: ‘Ah me, Agnello, how you change! See, you are already not
two, not one!’ The two heads had now become one, where two forms seemed to us merged in one face, and both
were lost. Two limbs were made of the four forearms, the thighs, legs, belly and chest became such members as
were never seen before. The former shape was all extinguished in them: the perverse image seemed both, and
neither, and like that it moved away with slow steps.
DANTE STOPS. HIS EYE HAS BEEN CAUGHT BY SOMETHING EVEN MORE INTERESTING. OR VIRGIL SEES IT
AND INTERRUPTS DANTE.
VIRGIL:
INF C25 79-81 / DANTE INF C25 79-81 / KLINE
Come 'l ramarro sotto la gran fersa As the lizard, in the great heat of the Dog days,
dei dì canicular, cangiando sepe, appears like Like a flash of lightning,
folgore par se la via attraversa, scurrying from hedge to hedge, if it crosses the
track,

INF C25 82-84 / DANTE
sì pareva, venendo verso l'epe so a little serpent… came towards the bellies
de li altri due, un serpentello acceso, of the other two, burning with rage,
livido e nero come gran di pepe; black and livid as peppercorn.
DANTE:
Francesco (Guercio) de’ Cavalcanti.
175
A LITTLE REPTILE: FRANCESCO (GUERCIO) DE’ CAVALCANTI, WHO CHANGES FROM SERPENT TO MAN & BACK, WAS KILLED BY
THE VILLAGERS OF GAVILLE, IN THE UPPER VAL D’ARNO, THE MURDERERS & OTHERS BEING SUMMARILY EXECUTED BY HIS
KINSMEN.
VIRGIL:
INF C25 82-84 / DANTE INF C25 82-84 / KLINE
sì pareva, venendo verso l'epe so a little serpent came towards the bellies
de li altri due, un serpentello acceso, of the other two, burning with rage,
livido e nero come gran di pepe; black and livid as peppercorn.
DANTE AND VIRGIL WATCH.
VIRGIL:
INF C25 85-87 / DANTE INF C25 85-87 / KLINE
e quella parte onde prima è preso And it It pierced that part, in one of them, where
we
nostro alimento, a l'un di lor trafisse; first receive our nourishment from our mothers:
poi cadde giuso innanzi lui disteso. then fell down, stretched out in front of him.
INF C25 88-90 / DANTE
Lo trafitto 'l mirò, ma nulla disse; The thief, transfixed, gazed at it but said nothing,
anzi, co' piè fermati, sbadigliava but with motionless feet, only yawned,
pur come sonno o febbre l'assalisse. as if sleep or fever had overcome him.
INF C25 91-93 / DANTE
Elli 'l serpente e quei lui riguardava; He looked at the snake: it looked at him:
l'un per la piaga e l'altro per la bocca the one gave out smoke, violently, from his
fummavan forte, e 'l fummo si scontrava. wound, the other from its mouth, and the smoke
met. Smoke from the thief’s wound and the
snake’s mouth, gushed out and met.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C25 94-96 / DANTE INF C25 94-96 / KLINE
Taccia Lucano ormai là dov' e' tocca Let Lucan now be silent,
del misero Sabello e di Nasidio, about Sabellus and Nasidius
e attenda a udir quel ch'or si scocca. and wait to hear that which I now tell.
INF C25 97-99 / DANTE
Taccia di Cadmo e d'Aretusa Ovidio, Let Ovid be silent about Cadmus and Arethusa:
ché se quello in serpente e quella in fonte if he in poetry changes one into a snake,
converte poetando, io non lo 'nvidio; and the other into a fountain,
CADMUS: SON OF THE PHOENICIAN KING AGENOR, WHO SEARCHES FOR HIS SISTER EUROPA, STOLEN BY JUPITER IN THE FORM
OF A BULL. HE SOWS THE SERPENT’S TEETH & FOUNDS THEBES, BUT OFFENDS THE SACRED SERPENT OF MARS. HE & HIS WIFE
HARMONIA ARE ULTIMATELY TURNED INTO SNAKES. SEE OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 4 563 ET AL.
ARETHUSA: NYMPH OF ELIS, ONE OF DIANA’S MAIDENS, WHO WAS LOVED BY THE RIVER-GOD ALPHEUS. PURSUED BY HIM,
SHE WAS TURNED INTO A FOUNTAIN. SEE OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 5 572
DANTE:
INF C25 100-102 / DANTE INF C25 100-102 / KLINE
ché due nature mai a fronte a fronte I do not envy him, since he never transmuted
non trasmutò sì ch'amendue le forme two natures, face to face, so that both forms
a cambiar lor matera fosser pronte. were eager to exchange their substance.

INF C25 103-105 / DANTE
Insieme si rispuosero a tai norme, They merged together in such a way,
che 'l serpente la coda in forca fesse, that the serpent split its tail into a fork,
e 'l feruto ristrinse insieme l'orme. and the wounded spirit brought his feet together.
DANTE BEGINS A PHYSICAL DEMONSTRATION FOR THE AUDIENCE SO FASCINATING THAT VIRGIL IS
TRANSFIXED BY IT, HIMSELF. ENGLISH IS PROBABLY UNNECESSARY BUT VIRGIL MAY MURMUR A WORD
OR TWO.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C25 106-108 / DANTE INF C25 106-108 / KLINE
Le gambe con le cosce seco stesse Along with them, the legs and thighs,
s'appiccar sì, che 'n poco la giuntura so stuck to one another,
non facea segno alcun che si paresse. that soon the join left no visible mark.
INF C25 109-111 / DANTE
Togliea la coda fessa la figura The cleft tail took on the form
che si perdeva là, e la sua pelle lost in the other, and its skin
si facea molle, e quella di là dura. grew soft, the other’s hard.
176
INF C25 112-114 / DANTE
Io vidi intrar le braccia per l'ascelle, I saw the arms enter the armpits: and the two
e i due piè de la fiera, ch'eran corti, feet of the beast that were short, lengthened
tanto allungar quanto accorciavan quelle. themselves by as much as the arms were shortened.
INF C25 115-117 / DANTE
Poscia li piè di rietro, insieme attorti, Then the two hind feet twisted together,
diventaron lo membro che l'uom cela, and became the organ that a man conceals,
e 'l misero del suo n'avea due porti. and the wretch, from his, had two pushed out.
INF C25 118-120 / DANTE
Mentre che 'l fummo l'uno e l'altro vela While the smoke covers them both with a new
colour,
di color novo, e genera 'l pel suso and generates hair on one part,
per l'una parte e da l'altra il dipela, and strips it from another,
INF C25 121-123 / DANTE
l'un si levò e l'altro cadde giuso, the one rose up, erect, and the other fell, prostrate:
non torcendo però le lucerne empie, not by that shifting their impious gaze,
sotto le quai ciascun cambiava muso. beneath which they mutually exchanged features.
INF C25 124-126 / DANTE
Quel ch'era dritto, il trasse ver' le tempie, The erect one drew his face towards the temples,
e di troppa matera ch'in là venne and from the excess of matter that swelled there,
uscir li orecchi de le gote scempie; ears came, out of the smooth cheeks.
INF C25 127-129 / DANTE
ciò che non corse in dietro e si ritenne That which did not slip back, but remained,
di quel soverchio, fé naso a la faccia formed a nose from the superfluous flesh,
e le labbra ingrossò quanto convenne. and enlarged the lips to their right size.
INF C25 130-132 / DANTE
Quel che giacëa, il muso innanzi caccia, He that lay prone, thrust his sharpened visage
forward,
e li orecchi ritira per la testa and drew his ears back into his head,
come face le corna la lumaccia; as the snail does its horns into its shell,
INF C25 133-135 / DANTE
e la lingua, ch'avëa unita e presta and his tongue, which was solid before,
prima a parlar, si fende, e la forcuta and fit for speech, splits itself. In the other
ne l'altro si richiude; e 'l fummo resta. the forked tongue melds, and the smoke is still.

VIRGIL CLOSES THE CANTO.
VIRGIL:
INF C25 136-138 / DANTE INF C25 136-138 / KLINE
L'anima ch'era fiera divenuta, The soul that had become a beast, sped,
suffolando si fugge per la valle, hissing, along the valley, leaving the other,
e l'altro dietro a lui parlando sputa. speaking and spluttering, behind him.
INF C25 139-141 / DANTE
Poscia li volse le novelle spalle, Then the second turned his new-won shoulders
e disse a l'altro: «I' vo' che Buoso corra, towards him, and called to the other: “Buoso
com' ho fatt' io, carpon per questo calle». shall crawl, as I did, along this road.”
INF C25 142-151 / KLINE
So I saw the seventh chasm’s bodies mutate and transmutate: and let the novelty of it be the excuse, if my pen has
gone astray. Though my sight was somewhat confused, and my mind dismayed, they could not flee so secretly, but
that I clearly saw Puccio Sciancato: and it was he, alone, of the three companions, who had first arrived, who was
not changed. One of the others, Francesco, was he who caused you, the people of Gaville, to weep.
CANTO 26
DARKNESS BEGINS TO FALL ON DANTE AND VIRGIL, STILL ON THE WALL. FLAMES MAY FLICKER FAINTLY
BEHIND IT.
DANTE: & DANTE:
INF C26 1-3 / DANTE INF C26 1-3 / KLINE
Godi, Fiorenza, poi che se' sì grande Rejoice, Florence, that, since you are so mighty,
che per mare e per terra batti l'ali, you beat your wings over land and sea,
e per lo 'nferno tuo nome si spande! and your name spreads through Hell itself.
177
INF C26 4-6 / DANTE
Tra li ladron trovai cinque cotali So, among Among the thieves, I found five of your
tuoi cittadini onde mi ven vergogna, citizens: at which I am ashamed, and you do not
e tu in grande orranza non ne sali. rise to great honour by it either.
INF C26 7-9 / DANTE
Ma se presso al mattin del ver si sogna, But if the truth is dreamed, as morning comes,
tu sentirai, di qua da picciol tempo, you will soon feel what Cardinal Nicholas of Prato,
di quel che Prato, non ch'altri, t'agogna. and others, wish on you.
PRATO: CARDINAL NICHOLAS OF PRATO, SENT TO FLORENCE BY POPE BENEDICT XI IN EARLY 1304 TO ATTEMPT A
RECONCILIATION BETWEEN THE WARRING FACTIONS. HE FAILED & LAID THE CITY UNDER AN INTERDICT, EXCOMMUNICATING
SEVERAL CITIZENS. SEVERAL LOCAL DISASTERS AT THE TIME, SUCH AS A FIRE (CAUSED BY A FACTIONAL FIGHT), DESTROYING
MANY HOUSES & A BRIDGE COLLAPSE DURING A MAY DAY FESTIVAL (THE WOODEN PONTE CARRAIA), WERE ATTRIBUTED TO
DIVINE DISAPPROVAL.
INF C26 10-12 / DANTE
E se già fosse, non saria per tempo. And, if it were come already, it would not be
Così foss' ei, da che pur esser dee! too soon: would it were so, now, as indeed it must
ché più mi graverà, com' più m'attempo. come, since it will trouble me more, the older I am.
INF C26 13-24 / KLINE
We left there, and my guide remounted by the stairs that the stones had made for us to descend, and drew me up:
and, following our solitary way, among the crags and splinters of the cliff, the foot made no progress without the
hand. I was saddened then, and sadden now, again, when I direct my mind to what I saw, and rein in my intellect,
more than I am used, so that it does not run where virtue would not guide it, and so that, if a good star, or some truer
power, has granted me the talent, I may not abuse the gift.
DANTE AND VIRGIL WALK ALONG THE WALL AND OFF THE STAGE.

DANTE (VOICE):
INF C26 25-27 / DANTE INF C26 25-27 / KLINE
Quan te 'l villan ch'al poggio si riposa, The eighth chasm was gleaming gleams with
nel tempo che colui che 'l mondo schiara flames, as numerous as like the fireflies the
peasant
la faccia sua a noi tien meno ascosa, sees, as he rests on the hill, when the sun, who
lights the world,
178
INF C26 28-30 / DANTE
come la mosca cede a la zanzara, hides his face least from us, at sunset and the fly
vede lucciole giù per la vallea, gives way to the gnat down there, along the valley,
forse colà dov' e' vendemmia e ara: where he gathers grapes, perhaps, and ploughs.
THEY APPEAR AT STAGE LEVEL AS DANTE VERSIFIES.
DANTE:
INF C26 25-27 / DANTE INF C26 25-27 / KLINE
Quan te 'l villan ch'al poggio si riposa, The eighth chasm was gleaming with flames, as
nel tempo che colui che 'l mondo schiara numerous as the fireflies the peasant sees, as he
rests
la faccia sua a noi tien meno ascosa, on the hill, when the sun, who lights the world,
INF C26 28-30 / DANTE
come la mosca cede a la zanzara, hides his face least from us, and the fly gives way
vede lucciole giù per la vallea, to the gnat down there, along the valley,
forse colà dov' e' vendemmia e ara: where he gathers grapes, perhaps, and ploughs.
DANTE:
INF C26 31-33 / DANTE INF C26 31-33 / KLINE
di tante fiamme tutta risplendea As soon as I came to where the floor showed itself,
l'ottava bolgia, sì com' io m'accorsi I saw them, and, as As Elisha, the mockery of
whom
tosto che fui là 've 'l fondo parea. by children who was mocked by children
ELISHA, ELIJAH: 2ND KINGS II 11, II 23-24
INF C26 34-36 / DANTE
E qual colui che si vengiò con li orsi was and avenged by bears,
vide 'l carro d'Elia al dipartire, saw Elijah’s chariot departing,
quando i cavalli al cielo erti levorsi, when the horses rose straight to Heaven,
INF C26 37-39 / DANTE
che nol potea sì con li occhi seguire, and could not follow it with his eyes,
ch'el vedesse altro che la fiamma sola, except by the flame alone,
sì come nuvoletta, in sù salire: like a little cloud, ascending,
INF C26 40-42 / DANTE
tal si move ciascuna per la gola so each of those flames moved, along.
del fosso, ché nessuna mostra 'l furto, the throat of the ditch, for none of them show
e ogne fiamma un peccatore invola. the theft, but every flame steals a sinner.
INF C26 43-45 / KLINE
I stood on the bridge, having so risen to look, that if I had not caught hold of a rock I should have fallen in without
being pushed.
LAMPS

♫LAMP: EERIE? * * * * * * * * * *
INF C26 40
A LIT LAMP MOVES AT THE OTHER END OF THE STAGE. IT IS A TWO-PEAKED FLAME IN A BOWL OF OIL
(WITH A DOUBLE WICK?), AS FIRST SEEN IN [INF C4 76-78]. IN THE DARKNESS, THE BOWL LARGELY
OBSCURES THE FACE OF CALLIOPE WHO IS CARRYING IT ON HER HEAD.
VIRGIL:
INF C26 46-48 / DANTE INF C26 46-48 / KLINE
E 'l duca che mi vide tanto atteso, And the guide, who saw me so intent, said:
disse: Dentro dai fuochi son li spirti; The spirits are inside those fires:
catun si fascia di quel ch'elli è inceso. each veils himself in that which burns him.
DANTE:
INF C26 49-51 / DANTE INF C26 49-51 / KLINE
«Maestro mio», rispuos' io, «per udirti I replied: Master, I feel more assured from
son io più certo; ma già m'era avviso hearing you, but had already seen that it was so,
che così fosse, e già voleva dirti: and already wished to say to you,
INF C26 52-54 / DANTE
chi è 'n quel foco che vien sì diviso who is in that fire, that moves, divided at the
summit,
di sopra, che par surger de la pira as if it rose from the pyre where Eteocles
dov' Eteòcle col fratel fu miso? was cremated with his brother, Polynices?’
VIRGIL PEERS AT THE FLAME.
179
VIRGIL:
INF C26 55-57 / DANTE INF C26 55-57 / KLINE
Rispuose a me: «Là dentro si martira He answered me: In there, Ulysses and Diomedes
Ulisse e Dïomede, e così insieme are tormented, and so they go,
a la vendetta vanno come a l'ira; together in punishment, as formerly in war:
ULYSSES: STOLE THE PALLADIUM, A WOODEN STATUE OF PALLAS ATHENE, THE SAFETY OF WHICH GUARANTEED THE SAFETY
OF TROY & INVENTED THE TROJAN HORSE, BY WHICH THE GREEKS ENTERED TROY.
DIOMEDE(S): GREEK HERO, SON OF TYDEUS, KING OF ARGOS & COMPANION OF ULYSSES AT TROY.
INF C26 58-60 / DANTE
e dentro da la lor fiamma si geme and, in their fire, they groan at the ambush
l'agguato del caval che fé la porta of the Trojan horse, that made a doorway, by which
onde uscì de' Romani il gentil seme. Aeneas, the noble seed of the Romans issued out.
INF C26 61-63 / KLINE
In there they lament the trick, by which Deidamia in death, still weeps for Achilles: and there, for the Palladium,
they endure punishment.’
DIDO, LAST HEARD FROM IN CANTO 5, QUOTES IRONICALLY FROM THE AENEID.
DIDO (VOICE):
AENEID various lines / VIRGIL / KLINE
good Aeneas
brave Aeneas
great Aeneas
magnus
magnanimus

pious Aeneas
virtuous Aeneas
dutiful Aeneas
great-hearted Aeneas
noble Aeneas
Aeneas, the Hero
DANTE:
INF C26 64-66 / DANTE INF C26 64-66 / KLINE
«S'ei posson dentro da quelle faville I said: Master, I beg you greatly, and beg again
parlar», diss' io, «maestro, assai ten priego so that my prayers may be a thousand,
e ripriego, che 'l priego vaglia mille, if those inside the fires can speak,
INF C26 67-69 / DANTE
che non mi facci de l'attender niego do not refuse my waiting until
fin che la fiamma cornuta qua vegna; the horned flame comes here:
vedi che del disio ver' lei mi piego!». you see how I lean towards it with desire.
THE FLAME HALTS WHEN THEY APPROACH.
180
VIRGIL:
INF C26 70-72 / DANTE INF C26 70-72 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «La tua preghiera è degna And he to me: Your request is worth much praise,
di molta loda, e io però l'accetto; and so I accept it, but restrain
ma fa che la tua lingua si sostegna. your tongue. Let me speak:
INF C26 73-75 / DANTE
Lascia parlare a me, ch'i' ho concetto since I conceive what you wish, and because
ciò che tu vuoi; ch'ei sarebbero schivi, they were Greeks they might
perch' e' fuor greci, forse del tuo detto». disdain your Trojan words.
INF C26 76-78 / KLINE
When the flame had come, where the time and place seemed fitting, to my guide, I heard him speak, so:
INF C26 79-81 / DANTE
«O voi che siete due dentro ad un foco, O you, who are two in one fire,
s'io meritai di voi mentre ch'io vissi, if I was worthy of you when I lived,
s'io meritai di voi assai o poco if I was worthy of you, greatly or a little,
INF C26 82-84 / DANTE
quando nel mondo li alti versi scrissi, when on earth I wrote the high verses, do not go,
non vi movete; ma l'un di voi dica but let one of you tell where he,
dove, per lui, perduto a morir gissi». being lost through his own actions, went to die.
ONE PEAK OR HORN OF THE FLAME SHAKES. THE ULYSSES FLAME AND CALLIOPE BEGIN TRACING A LINE
ON THE STAGE AS A BOAT DOES ON A CHART.
INF C26 85-90 / KLINE
The greater horn of the ancient flame started to shake itself, murmuring, like a flame struggling in the wind. Then
moving the tip, as if it were a tongue speaking, gave out a voice, and said
♫WIND: BOAT? * * * * * * * * * *
Before INF C26 91

ULYSSES FLAME VOICE & CALLIOPE:
INF C26 91-93 / DANTE INF C26 91-93 / KLINE
mi diparti' da Circe, che sottrasse When I left Circe, who held me
me più d'un anno là presso a Gaeta, for more than a year, near to Gaeta,
prima che sì Enëa la nomasse, before Aeneas named it,
ULYSSES MYTHICAL AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE MEDIATED BY FLAME.
AGAIN, THE UNSEEN DIDO RESPONDS TO AENEAS’S NAME.
DIDO (VOICE):
AENEID 4 141-142 / VIRGIL AENEID 4 141-142 / KLINE
ipse ante alios pulcherrimus omnis infert
se socium Aeneas Aeneas himself, the most handsome of them all
DIDO (VOICE): or DIDO (VOICE):
AENEID 4 384 / VIRGIL AENEID 4 384 / KLINE
sequar atris ignibus absens Absent, I’ll follow you with dark fires,
AENEID 11 232 / VIRGIL AENEID 11 232 / VIRGIL
fatalem Aenean fateful Aeneas
181
ULYSSES FLAME VOICE & CALLIOPE:
INF C26 94-96 / DANTE INF C26 94-6 / KLINE
né dolcezza di figlio, né la pieta not even my fondness for my son, Telemachus, my
del vecchio padre, né 'l debito amore reverence for my aged father, Laërtes, nor the debt
lo qual dovea Penelopè far lieta, of love that should have made Penelope happy,
INF C26 97-99 / DANTE
vincer potero dentro a me l'ardore could restrain in me the desire I had,
ch'i' ebbi a divenir del mondo esperto to gain experience of the world,
e de li vizi umani e del valore; and of human vice and worth.
INF C26 100-102 / DANTE
ma misi me per l'alto mare aperto I set out on the wide, deep ocean,
sol con un legno e con quella compagna with only one ship, and that little company,
picciola da la qual non fui diserto. that had not abandoned me.
A LAST VOYAGE, OF DANTE’S INVENTION, TO THE MOUNT OF PURGATORY, IN THE SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE, VIA GIBRALTAR
& THE ATLANTIC, WHERE HE IS WRECKED.
INF C26 103-105 / DANTE
L'un lito e l'altro vidi infin la Spagna, I saw both shores, as far as Spain,
fin nel Morrocco, e l'isola d'i Sardi, as far as Morocco, and the isle of Sardinia,
e l'altre che quel mare intorno bagna. and the other islands that sea washes.
DANTE notes:
INF C26 103-104 / DANTE INF C26 103-104 / KLINE
L'un lito e l'altro vidi infin la Spagna, I saw both shores, as far as Spain,
fin nel Morrocco, e l'isola d'i Sardi, as far as Morocco, and the isle of Sardinia,
ULYSSES FLAME VOICE & CALLIOPE:
INF C26 106-108 / DANTE INF C26 106-108 / KLINE
Io e ' compagni eravam vecchi e tardi I, and my companions, were old, and slow,
quando venimmo a quella foce stretta when we came to that narrow strait,
dov' Ercule segnò li suoi riguardi where Hercules set up his pillars,
PILLARS OF HERCULES: AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN, IN ANCIENT TIMES, THE LIMITS OF THE WESTERN WORLD
(NAMELY MOUNT ABYLA IN NORTH AFRICA, NEAR CEUTA & MOUNT CALPE, GIBRALTAR, WELL SOUTH-EAST OF SEVILLE).

THE ULYSSES & .CALLIOPE SHIP MOVES SLOWLY BETWEEN THE PILLARS, DANTE AND VIRGIL, WHO ARE
STANDING WHERE THEY WERE.
ULYSSES FLAME VOICE & CALLIOPE:
INF C26 109-111 / DANTE INF C26 109-111 / KLINE
acciò che l'uom più oltre non si metta; to warn men from going further.
da la man destra mi lasciai Sibilia, I left Seville to starboard: already Ceuta
da l'altra già m'avea lasciata Setta. was left behind on the other side.
INF C26 112-114 / DANTE
"O frati", dissi ``che per cento milia "O frati", dissi… I said: “O my brothers…
perigli siete giunti a l'occidente, who have reached the west, through a
a questa tanto picciola vigilia thousand dangers, do not deny the brief vigil,
INF C26 115-117 / DANTE
d'i nostri sensi ch'è del rimanente your senses have left to them,
non vogliate negar l'esperïenza, experience of the unpopulated
di retro al sol, del mondo sanza gente. world beyond the Sun.
INF C26 118-120 / DANTE
Considerate la vostra semenza: Consider your origin: you were not made
fatti non foste a viver come bruti, to live like brutes,
ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza". but to follow virtue and knowledge.”
THE ULYSSES & CALLIOPE SHIP TURNS ROUND TO DANTE AND VIRGIL THEN RESUMES ITS COURSE. THE
POETS CATCH UP TO THE SHIP AND WALK BESIDE IT.
ULYSSES FLAME VOICE & CALLIOPE:
INF C26 121-123 / DANTE INF C26 121-123 / KLINE
Li miei compagni fec' io sì aguti, With this brief speech I made my companions
con questa orazion picciola, al cammino, so eager for the voyage,
che a pena poscia li avrei ritenuti; that I could hardly have restrained them,
DANTE RAISES HIS FINGER AND ORATES AS IF ADDRESSING ULYSSES’S COMPANIONS HIMSELF.
DANTE:
INF C26 118-120 / DANTE INF C26 118-120 / KLINE
Considerate la vostra semenza: Consider your origin: you were not made
fatti non foste a viver come bruti, to live like brutes,
ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza". but to follow virtue and knowledge.”
182
ULYSSES FLAME VOICE & CALLIOPE:
INF C26 124-126 / DANTE INF C26 124-126 / KLINE
e volta nostra poppa nel mattino, and turning the prow towards morning,
de' remi facemmo ali al folle volo, we made wings of our oars for that foolish flight,
sempre acquistando dal lato mancino. always turning south.
INF C26 127-129 / DANTE
Tutte le stelle già de l'altro polo Night already saw the southern pole,
vedea la notte, e 'l nostro tanto basso, with all its stars, and our northern pole was so low,
che non surgëa fuor del marin suolo. it did not rise from the ocean bed.
INF C26 130-132 / DANTE
Cinque volte racceso e tante casso Five times the light beneath the moon
lo lume era di sotto da la luna, had been quenched and relit,
poi che 'ntrati eravam ne l'alto passo, since we had entered on the deep pathways,

INF C26 133-135 / DANTE
quando n'apparve una montagna, bruna when a mountain appeared to us,
per la distanza, e parvemi alta tanto dim with distance, and it seemed to me
quanto veduta non avëa alcuna. the highest I had ever seen.
183
INF C26 136-138 / DANTE
Noi ci allegrammo, e tosto tornò in pianto; We rejoiced, but soon our joy was turned to grief,
ché de la nova terra un turbo nacque when a tempest rose from the new land,
e percosse del legno il primo canto. and struck the prow of our ship.
ULYSSES./.CALLIOPE LEANS THIS WAY AND THAT. DANTE AND VIRGIL MOVE AWAY IN
ALARM. THE SHIP IS BLOWN OUT OF SIGHT OF THE AUDIENCE. DANTE WATCHES IT AND
CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C26 139-141 / DANTE INF C26 139-141 / KLINE
Tre volte il fé girar con tutte l'acque; Three times it whirled her round, with all the
ocean:
a la quarta levar la poppa in suso at the fourth, it made the stern rise,
e la prora ire in giù, com' altrui piacque, and the prow sink, as it pleased another,
INF C26 142 / DANTE INF C26 142 / KLINE
infin che 'l mar fu sovra noi richiuso». till the sea closed over us.
CANTO 27
INF C27 1-30 / KLINE
The flame was now erect and quiet, no longer speaking, and was going away from us, with the permission of the
sweet poet, when another, that came behind forced us to turn our eyes towards its summit, since a confused sound
escaped there. As the Sicilian bull, that first bellowed with the groans of Perillus, who had smoothed it with his file
(and that was right) bellowed with the sufferer’s voice, so that, although it was bronze, it seemed pierced with
agony, so here, the dismal words, having, at their source, no exit from the fire, were changed into its language. But
when they had found a path out through the tip, giving it the movement that the tongue had given in making them,
we heard it say: ‘O you, at whom I direct my voice, and who, but now, was speaking Lombard, saying: “Now go: no
more, I beg you”, let it not annoy you to stop and speak with me, though perhaps I have came a little late: you see it
does not annoy me, and I burn. If you are only now fallen into this blind world, from that sweet Latian land, from
which I bring all my guilt, tell me if Romagna has peace or war, for I was of the mountains there, between Urbino
and Monte Coronaro, the source from which the Tiber springs.’
ANOTHER FLAME ARRIVES FROM THE DIRECTION OF THE FIRST, ON THE HEAD OF ERATO.
VIRGIL
INF C27 31-33 / DANTE INF C27 31-33 / KLINE
Io era in giuso ancora attento e chino, I was still leaning downwards eagerly, when
quando il mio duca mi tentò di costa, my leader touched me on the side, saying:
dicendo: Parla tu; questi è latino. Speak, this is a Latian.
DANTE:
INF C27 34-36 / DANTE INF C27 34-36 / KLINE
E io, ch'avea già pronta la risposta, And I who had my answer ready,
sanza indugio a parlare incominciai: began to speak then without delay:
O anima che se' là giù nascosta, O spirit, hidden there below,
DANTE:
INF C27 36 / DANTE INF C27 36 / KLINE
O anima che se' là giù nascosta, O spirit, hidden there below,

DANTE’S SPEECH WAS PROBABLY PREPARED EARLIER.
DANTE:
INF C27 37-39 / DANTE
Romagna tua non è, e non fu mai, your Romagna is not, and never has been,
sanza guerra ne' cuor de' suoi tiranni; without war in the hearts of her tyrants:
ma 'n palese nessuna or vi lasciai. but I left no open war there now.
184
INF C27 40-42 / DANTE
Ravenna sta come stata è molt' anni: Ravenna stands, as it has stood for many years:
l'aguglia da Polenta la si cova, Guido Vecchio da Polenta’s eagle broods over it,
sì che Cervia ricuopre co' suoi vanni. so that it covers Cervia with its claws.
GUIDO VECCHIO DA POLENTA: LORD OF RAVENNA, FATHER OF FRANCESCA DA RIMINI
INF C27 43-45 / DANTE
La terra che fé già la lunga prova That city, Forlì, that withstood so long a siege,
e di Franceschi sanguinoso mucchio, and made a bloody pile of Frenchmen, finds itself
sotto le branche verdi si ritrova. again under the paws of Ordelaffi’s green lion.
SINIBALDO DEGLI ORDELAFFI: IN 1300 HELD FORLÌ, WHICH HAD ENDURED A LONG SIEGE BY THE FRENCH SOLDIERS OF POPE
MARTIN IV. THE FRENCH WERE FINALLY ROUTED WITH GREAT SLAUGHTER BY GUIDO DA MONTEFELTRO HIMSELF. THE
FAMILY ARMS WERE A LION RAMPANT VERT ON A FIELD OR
INF C27 46-48 / DANTE
E 'l mastin vecchio e 'l nuovo da Verrucchio, Malatesta, the old mastiff of Verrucchio, and the
che fecer di Montagna il mal governo, young one, Malatestino, who made bad jailors for
là dove soglion fan d'i denti succhio. Montagna, sharpen their teeth, where they used to
do.
MALATESTA DA VERUCCHIO: LORD OF RIMINI, RULING FROM THE CASTLE OF VERRUCCHIO (1293-1312) WAS ‘THE OLD
MASTIFF’ & HIS SON MALATESTINO ‘THE YOUNG MASTIFF’, NOTED FOR THEIR FEROCIOUS CRUELTY. GUELPHS, THEY
IMPRISONED (1295) & MURDERED THE GHIBELLINE LEADER IN RIMINI, MONTAGNA DE’ PARCITATI.
INF C27 49-51 / DANTE
Le città di Lamone e di Santerno Faenza, on the Lamone, and Imola on the Santerno,
conduce il lïoncel dal nido bianco, those cities lead out Pagano, the lion of the white
lair,
che muta parte da la state al verno. who changes sides when he goes from south to
north,
MAINARDO PAGANO, OR MAGHINARDO PAGANO DA SUSINANA: LORD OF FAENZA ON THE RIVER LAMONE; IMOLA, NEAR THE
SANTERNO; & FORLÌ. HIS ARMS WERE A LION AZURE ON A FIELD ARGENT. HE WAS A GHIBELLINE IN THE NORTH (‘STATE’) & A
GUELPH IN FLORENCE (‘VERNO’). HE DIED IN 1302
INF C27 52-54 / DANTE
E quella cu' il Savio bagna il fianco, and Cesena, that city whose walls the Savio bathes,
così com' ella sie' tra 'l piano e 'l monte, where it lies between the mountain and the plain,
tra tirannia si vive e stato franco. likewise lives between freedom and tyranny.
DANTE:
INF C27 55-57 / DANTE INF C27 55-57 / KLINE
Ora chi se', ti priego che ne conte; Now I beg you, tell us who you are:
non esser duro più ch'altri sia stato, do not be harder than others have been to you,
se 'l nome tuo nel mondo tegna fronte. so that your name may keep its lustre on earth.
INF C27 58-60 / KLINE
When the flame had roared for a while as usual, it flickered the sharp point to and fro, and then gave out this breath:
THE FLAME ‘ROARS AND FLICKERS TO AND FRO’ FOR A WHILE, THEN SPEAKS.
GUIDO FLAME VOICE & ERATO:
INF C27 61-63 / DANTE INF C27 61-63 / KLINE
S'i' credesse che mia risposta fosse If I thought my answer was given to one
a persona che mai tornasse al mondo, who could ever return to the world,
questa fiamma staria sanza più scosse; this flame would flicker no more,

GUIDO DA MONTEFELTRO 1223 - 1298 AGE : 75
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
MONTEFELTRO, ROMAGNA.
DESCRIPTION
MUSE ERATO. GUIDO’S VOICE.
GUIDO DA MONTEFELTRO (1223-1298): LORD OF URBINO & ONE OF THE GREAT GHIBELLINE CAPTAINS. HE BECAME A
FRANCISCAN FRIAR IN 1296. BONIFACE VIII SUMMONED HIM FROM HIS RETREAT IN 1297 TO CONSULT WITH HIM ABOUT THE
RAZING OF PALESTRINA (PENESTRINO) 25 MILES EAST OF ROME, HELD BY THE COLONNA FAMILY, WHO WERE IN REBELLION
AGAINST THE CHURCH. GUIDO, FINDING IT IMPREGNABLE, ADVISED BONIFACE TO MAKE A PROMISE OF IMMUNITY & THEN
BREAK IT. THE COLONNA SURRENDERED (SEPTEMBER 1298) AND THEIR FORTRESS WAS RAZED. DANTE REGARDED GUIDO
HIGHLY FOR ENTERING THE FRANCISCAN ORDER (SEE HIS CONVIVIO 4 28).
GUIDO FLAME VOICE & ERATO:
INF C27 64-66 / DANTE INF C27 64-66 / KLINE
ma però che già mai di questo fondo but since, if what I hear is true, no one
non tornò vivo alcun, s'i' odo il vero, ever returned, alive, from this deep, I reply,
sanza tema d'infamia ti rispondo. without fear of defamation.
VIRGIL WANDERS AWAY.
185
GUIDO FLAME VOICE & ERATO:
INF C27 67-69 / DANTE INF C27 67-69 / KLINE
Io fui uom d'arme, e poi fui cordigliero, I, Guido da Montefeltro, was a man of arms:
credendomi, sì cinto, fare ammenda; and then became a Cordelier of Saint Francis,
hoping
e certo il creder mio venìa intero, to make amends, so habited: and indeed my hopes
would have been realised in full,
INF C27 70-72 / DANTE INF C27 70-72 / KLINE
se non fosse il gran prete, a cui mal prenda!, but for the Great Priest, Boniface, evil to him,
che mi rimise ne le prime colpe; who drew me back to my first sins:
e come e quare, voglio che m'intenda. and how and why, I want you to hear from me.
DANTE notes:
INF C27 72 / DANTE INF C27 72 / KLINE
e come e quare, voglio che m'intenda. and how and why, I want you to hear from me.
GUIDO FLAME VOICE & ERATO:
INF C27 73-75 / DANTE INF C27 73-75 / KLINE
Mentre ch'io forma fui d'ossa e di polpe While I was in the form of bones and pulp,
che la madre mi diè, l'opere mie that my mother gave me, my actions were
non furon leonine, ma di volpe. not those of the lion, but of the fox.
INF C27 76-78 / DANTE
Li accorgimenti e le coperte vie I knew all the tricks and coverts, and employed
io seppi tutte, e sì menai lor arte, the art of them so well, that the noise
ch'al fine de la terra il suono uscie. went out to the ends of the earth.
INF C27 79-81 / DANTE
Quando mi vidi giunto in quella parte When I found myself arrived at that point of life,
di mia etade ove ciascun dovrebbe when everyone should furl their sails,
calar le vele e raccoglier le sarte, and gather in the ropes,
INF C27 82-84 / DANTE
ciò che pria mi piacëa, allor m'increbbe, what had pleased me before, now grieved me, and
e pentuto e confesso mi rendei; with repentance and confession, I turned monk.
ahi miser lasso! e giovato sarebbe. Ah misery! Alas, it would have served me well.
INF C27 85-87 / DANTE
Lo principe d'i novi Farisei, But the Prince of the Pharisees;
avendo guerra presso a Laterano, that Pope waging war near the Lateran,
e non con Saracin né con Giudei, and not with Saracens or Jews,

INF C27 88-90 / DANTE
ché ciascun suo nimico era cristiano, since all his enemies were Christians,
e nessun era stato a vincer Acri and none had been to conquer Acre,
né mercatante in terra di Soldano, or been a merchant in the Sultan’s land;
DANTE notes:
INF C27 90 / DANTE INF C27 90 / KLINE
né mercatante in terra di Soldano, or been a merchant in the Sultan’s land;
GUIDO FLAME VOICE & ERATO:
INF C27 91-93 / DANTE INF C27 91-93 / KLINE
né sommo officio né ordini sacri had no regard for the highest office,
guardò in sé, né in me quel capestro nor holy orders, nor my habit of Saint Francis,
che solea fare i suoi cinti più macri. that used to make those who wore it leaner;
INF C27 94-99 / KLINE
but as the Emperor Constantine sought out Saint Sylvester, on Mount Soracte, to cure his leprosy, so this man called
me, as a doctor to cure his feverish pride. He demanded counsel of me, and I kept silent, since his speech seemed
drunken.
186
INF C27 100-102 / DANTE
E' poi ridisse: "Tuo cuor non sospetti; Then he said to me: “Do not be doubtful, I
absolve finor t'assolvo, e tu m'insegna fare you beforehand: and, you, teach me how to
act, so
sì come Penestrino in terra getti. that I may raze the fortress of Palestrina to the
ground.
INF C27 103-105 / DANTE
Lo ciel poss' io serrare e diserrare, I can open and close Heaven as you know,
come tu sai; però son due le chiavi with the two keys, that my predecessor,
che 'l mio antecessor non ebbe care". Celestine, did not prize.”
DANTE notes:
INF C27 100-102 / DANTE INF C27 100-102 / KLINE
E' poi ridisse: "Tuo cuor non sospetti; Then he said to me: “Do not be doubtful, I
absolve
finor t'assolvo, e tu m'insegna fare you beforehand: and, you, teach me how to act,
so
sì come Penestrino in terra getti. that I may raze the fortress of Palestrina to the
ground.
INF C27 103-105 / DANTE
Lo ciel poss' io serrare e diserrare, I can open and close Heaven as you know,
come tu sai; però son due le chiavi with the two keys, that my predecessor,
che 'l mio antecessor non ebbe care". Celestine, did not prize.”
DANTE:
LA VITA NOVA 26 SONNET / DANTE LA VITA NOVA 26 SONNET / MUSA
e par che sia una cosa venuta she seems to be a creature come from Heaven
da cielo in terra a miracol mostrare. to earth, to manifest a miracle.
GUIDO STOPS TALKING, CLEARLY PUZZLED AND VIRGIL LOOKS SHARPLY AT DANTE.
DANTE SHAKES HIS HEAD TO CLEAR IT OF THE SONNET HE IS COMPOSING.
GUIDO FLAME VOICE & ERATO:
INF C27 106-108 / DANTE INF C27 106-108 / KLINE
Allor mi pinser li argomenti gravi Then the weighty arguments forced me
là 've 'l tacer mi fu avviso 'l peggio, to consider silence worse, and I said:
e dissi: "Padre, da che tu mi lavi “Father, since you absolve me
DANTE notes:
INF C27 108 / DANTE INF C27 108 / KLINE
e dissi: "Padre, da che tu mi lavi" “Father, since you absolve me

GUIDO FLAME VOICE & ERATO:
INF C27 109-110 / DANTE INF C27 109-110 / KLINE
di quel peccato ov' io mo cader deggio, of that sin, into which I must now fall, large
lunga promessa con l'attender corto promises to your enemies, with little delivery of
ti farà trïunfar ne l'alto seggio". them, will give you victory, from your high
throne.”
INF C27 112-114 / DANTE
Francesco venne poi, com' io fu' morto, Afterwards, when I was dead, Saint Francis
per me; ma un d'i neri cherubini came for me: but one of the Black Cherubim
li disse: "Non portar: non mi far torto. said to him: “Do not take him: do not wrong me.
187
INF C27 115-117 / DANTE
Venir se ne dee giù tra ' miei meschini He must descend among my servants, because he
perché diede 'l consiglio frodolente, gave a counsel of deceit, since when I have kept
dal quale in qua stato li sono a' crini; him fast by the hair: he who does not repent,
INF C27 118-120 / DANTE
ch'assolver non si può chi non si pente, cannot be absolved: nor can one repent a thing,
né pentere e volere insieme puossi and at the same time will it,
per la contradizion che nol consente". since the contradiction is not allowed.”
INF C27 121-123 / DANTE
Oh me dolente! come mi riscossi O miserable self! How I started, when he seized
me,
quando mi prese dicendomi: "Forse saying to me: “Perhaps
tu non pensavi ch'io löico fossi!". you did not think I was a logician.”
DANTE notes:
INF C27 121 / DANTE INF C27 121 / KLINE
Oh me dolente! come mi riscossi O miserable self! How I started, when he seized me
GUIDO FLAME VOICE & ERATO:
INF C27 124-126 / DANTE INF C27 124-126 / KLINE
A Minòs mi portò; e quelli attorse He carried me to Minos, who coiled his tail
otto volte la coda al dosso duro; eight times round his fearful back,
e poi che per gran rabbia la si morse, and then, biting it in great rage,
INF C27 127-129 / DANTE
disse: "Questi è d'i rei del foco furo"; said: “This sinner is for the thievish fire”,
per ch'io là dove vedi son perduto, and so I am lost here, as you see,
e sì vestito, andando, mi rancuro. and clothed like this, go inwardly grieving.
INF C27 130-132 / KLINE
When he had ended his speech, so, the flame went sorrowing, writhing and flickering its sharp horn.
DANTE & VIRGIL GO BACKSTAGE OR DOWN THE → R → FOR A WHILE.
♫INFERNAL * * * * * * * * * *
INF C27 127
DANTE AND VIRGIL RETURN.
CANTO 28

THE SOWERS OF DISCORD
DANTE AND VIRGIL CLOSES CANTO 27 AND RELATES WHAT HE SAW. VIRGIL INTERPRETS A VERSE OR 2
BEHIND.
DANTE:
INF C27 133-135 / DANTE INF C27 133-135 / KLINE
Noi passamm' oltre, e io e 'l duca mio, We passed on, my guide and I, along the cliff,
su per lo scoglio infino in su l'altr' arco up to the other arch, that covers the next ditch,
che cuopre 'l fosso in che si paga il fio in which the reward is paid
INF C27 136-138 / DANTE
a quei che scommettendo acquistan carco. to those who collect guilt by sowing discord.
INF C28 1-6 / KLINE
Who could ever fully tell, even with repeated unimprisoned words, the blood and wounds I saw now? Every tongue
would certainly fail, since our speech and memory have too small a capacity to comprehend so much.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C28 7-9 / DANTE INF C28 7-9 / KLINE
S'el s'aunasse ancor tutta la gente If all the people, too, were gathered, who once
che già, in su la fortunata terra grieved for their blood, in the fateful land of
Apulia,
di Puglia, fu del suo sangue dolente by reason of the Samnite War of the Romans,
INF C28 10-12 / DANTE
per li Troiani e per la lunga guerra of Trojan seed; and those, from that long Punic
War,
che de l'anella fé sì alte spoglie, that, as Livy writes, who does not err, yielded
come Livïo scrive, che non erra, so great a wealth of rings, from Cannae’s
battlefield;
LIVY: TITUS LIVIUS, THE ROMAN HISTORIAN. HE RECORDS (23 11, 12) THAT AT THE BATTLE OF CANNAE IN 216 BC IN THE
SECOND PUNIC WAR, WHERE HANNIBAL DEFEATED THE ROMANS, HE SHOWED THE SENATE AT CARTHAGE 3 BUSHELS OF
GOLD RINGS TAKEN FROM THE CORPSES.
INF C28 13-15 / DANTE
con quella che sentio di colpi doglie and those who felt the pain of blows
per contastare a Ruberto Guiscardo; by withstanding Robert Guiscard; and the rest,
e l'altra il cui ossame ancor s'accoglie whose bones are still heaped
ROBERT GUISCARD:(D. 1085): FOUNDER OF THE NORMAN DYNASTY IN SOUTHERN ITALY & SICILY. HE WAGED WAR IN
SICILY & S.ITALY (1059 TO 1080), AGAINST THE GREEKS & SARACENS. HE RESCUED GREGORY VII & SACKED ROME IN
1084.
188
INF C28 16-18 / DANTE
a Ceperan, là dove fu bugiardo at Ceperano, where all the Apulians turned traitor,
ciascun Pugliese, e là da Tagliacozzo, for Charles of Anjou; and there,
dove sanz' arme vinse il vecchio Alardo; at Tagliacozzo where old Alardo’s
ALARDO: ERARD DE VALÉRY; IN 1268, AT TAGLIACOZZO, CHARLES OF ANJOU DEFEATED CONRADIN, MANFRED’S NEPHEW,
USING RESERVE TROOPS, ON THE ADVICE OF ERARD.
INF C28 19-21 / DANTE
e qual forato suo membro e qual mozzo advice to Charles conquered without weapons:
mostrasse, d'aequar sarebbe nulla and some were to show pierced limbs, and others
il modo de la nona bolgia sozzo. severed stumps; it would be nothing to equal the
hideous state of the ninth chasm.
DANTE STANDS SILENT FOR A WHILE, OPENS HIS MOUTH TO SPEAK, SHAKES HIS HEAD AND
CLOSES HIS MOUTH.

189
INF C28 22-63 / KLINE
Even a wine-cask, that has lost a stave in the middle or the end, does not yawn as widely, as a spirit I saw, cleft from
the chin down to the part that gives out the foulest sound: the entrails hung between his legs: the organs appeared,
and the miserable gut that makes excrement of what is swallowed. While I stood looking wholly at him, he gazed at
me, and opened his chest with his hands, saying: ‘See how I tear myself: see how Mahomet is ripped! In front of me,
Ali goes, weeping, his face split from chin to scalp, and all the others you see here, were sowers of scandal and
schism in their lifetimes: so they are cleft like this. There is a devil behind who tears us cruelly like this, reapplying
his sword blade to each of this crowd, when they have wandered round the sad road, since the wounds heal before
any reach him again. But who are you, who muse there on the cliff, maybe to delay your path to punishment, in
sentence for your crimes?’ My Master replied: ‘Death has not come to him yet, nor does guilt lead him to torment,
but it is incumbent on me, who am dead, to grant him full experience, and lead him, through the Inferno, down here,
from circle to circle, and this is truth, that I tell you.’ When they heard him, more than a hundred spirits, in the ditch,
halted, to look at me, forgetting their agony, in their wonder. After lifting up one foot, to leave, Mahomet said to me:
‘Well now, you who will soon see the sun, perhaps, tell Fra Dolcino of the Apostolic Brothers, if he does not wish to
follow me quickly, down here, to furnish himself with supplies, so that the snow-falls may not bring a victory for the
Novarese, that otherwise would be difficult to achieve.’ Then, he strode forward to depart.
INF C28 64-93 / KLINE
Another, who had his throat slit, and nose cut off to the eyebrows, and had only a single ear, standing to gaze in
wonder with the rest, opened his wind-pipe, that was red outside, all over, and said: ‘You, that no guilt condemns,
and whom I have seen above on Latian ground, unless resemblance deceives me, remember Pier della Medicina, if
you ever return to see the gentle plain, that slopes down from Vercelli to Marcabò. And make known to the
worthiest two men in Fano, Messer Guido, and Angiolello, also, that unless our prophetic powers here are in vain,
they will be cast out of their boat, and drowned near Cattolica, by treachery. Neptune never saw a greater crime,
between the isles of Cyprus and Majorca, not even among those carried out by pirates, or by Greeks. Malatestino,
the treacherous one, who only sees with one eye, and holds the land, that one, who is here with me, wishes he had
never seen, will make them come to parley with him, then act so that they will have no need of vow or prayer to
counter Focara’s winds. And I said to him: ‘If you would have me carry news of you, above, show me and explain
who he is that rues the sight of it.’
INF C28 94-117 / KLINE
Then he placed his hand on the jaw of one of his companions, and opened the mouth, saying: ‘This is he: and he does
not speak. This outcast quelled Caesar’s doubts at the Rubicon, saying that delay always harms men who are ready.’ O
how dejected, Curio seemed to me, with his tongue slit in his palate, who was so bold in speech! And one who had both
hands severed, lifting the stumps through the dark air, so that their blood stained his face, said: ‘You will remember
Mosca too, who said, alas, “A thing done, has an end” which was seed of evil to the Tuscan race.’ ‘And death to your
people’ I added, at which he, accumulating pain on pain, went away like one sad and mad. But I remained behind to
view the crowd, and saw a thing, which, without more proof, I would be afraid to even tell, except that conscience
reassures me, the good companion, that strengthens a man, under the armour of his self-respect.
♫INFERNAL
INF C28 21
THE MUSIC HAS GIVEN DANTE HEART. HE HOLDS UP AN IMAGINARY HEAD./.LANTERN,
THAT OF BERTRAN(D) DE BORN.
BERTRAND DE BORN (C 1140-1215): LORD OF THE CASTLE OF HAUTEFORT (ALTAFORTE), NEAR PÉRIGORD, WHO SPENT HIS
LIFE IN FEUDAL WARFARE, ENDED IT IN THE CISTERCIAN MONASTERY OF DALON, NEARBY. HE WAS ONE OF THE MOST
INDIVIDUAL OF THE PROVENÇAL TROUBADOURS. ONE OF HIS FINEST POEMS (‘SI TUIT LI DOHL ELH PLOR ELH MARRIMEN’) IS HIS
SONG OF LAMENT ON THE DEATH OF PRINCE HENRY PLANTAGENET, THE ELDER BROTHER TO RICHARD COEUR DE LION &
NAMED THE ‘YOUNG KING’, THE SON OF HENRY II OF ENGLAND, AND TWICE CROWNED IN HIS FATHER’S LIFETIME.
BERTRAND WAS ACCUSED OF STIRRING UP THE STRIFE WHEREBY HENRY II REFUSED TO GRANT THE SOVEREIGNTY OF
ENGLAND OR NORMANDY TO HIS SON, AND WHICH LASTED UNTIL THE YOUNG KING’S DEATH IN 1183. (SEE EZRA POUND’S
POEM ‘NEAR PÉRIGORD’ FROM LUSTRA, AND HIS TRANSLATION OF THE LAMENT ‘PLANH FOR THE YOUNG ENGLISH KING’ IN
PERSONAE: ALSO HIS TRANSLATION OF ‘DOMPNA POIS DE ME NO’US CAL’ IN LUSTRA, WHERE BERTRAND MAKES ‘A BORROWED
LADY’, ‘UNA DOMPNA SOISEUBUDA’ OR ‘UNA DONNA IDEALE’, OUT OF THE BEST CHARACTERISTICS OF THE NOBLE WOMEN HE
KNOWS, AND ITS COMPANION PIECE ‘NA AUDIART’ IN PERSONAE.)
DANTE:
INF C28 118-120 / DANTE INF C28 118-120 / KLINE
Io vidi certo, e ancor par ch'io 'l veggia, I saw it clearly, and still seem to see, a headless
un busto sanza capo andar sì come trunk, that goes on before, like the others,
andavan li altri de la trista greggia; in that miserable crew,
INF C28 121-123 / DANTE
e 'l capo tronco tenea per le chiome, and holds its severed head, by the hair,
pesol con mano a guisa di lanterna: swinging, like a lantern, in its hand.
e quel mirava noi e dicea: «Oh me!». It looked at us, and said: “Ah me!”.

INF C28 124-126 / DANTE
Di sé facea a sé stesso lucerna, It made a lamp of itself, to light itself,
ed eran due in uno e uno in due; and there were two in one, and one in two:
com' esser può, quei sa che sì governa. how that can be he knows, who made it so.
DANTE:
INF C28 123 / DANTE INF C28 123 / KLINE
e quel mirava noi e dicea: «Oh me!». It looked at us, and said: “Ah me!”.
INF C28 124-126 / DANTE
Di sé facea a sé stesso lucerna, It made a lamp of itself, to light itself,
ed eran due in uno e uno in due; and there were two in one, and one in two:
com' esser può, quei sa che sì governa. how that can be he knows, who made it so.
INF C28 127-142 / KLINE
When it was right at the foot of our bridge, it lifted its arm high, complete with the head, to bring its words near to
us, which were: ‘Now you see the grievous punishment, you, who go, alive and breathing, to see the dead: look if
any are as great as this. And so that you may carry news of me, know that I am Bertrand de Born, he who gave evil
counsel to the Young King. I made the father and the son rebel against each other: Ahithophel did no more for
Absolom and David, by his malicious stirrings. Because I parted those who were once joined, I carry my intellect,
alas, split from its origin in this body. So, in me, is seen just retribution.
DANTE HAS CLOSED THE CANTO BUT HIS EYES ARE ENTRAINED BY THE SWING OF THE
HEAD./.LANTERN. HIS FREE HAND BEGINS BEATING OUT IAMBS OF HIS TANTO GENTILE…
SONNET AS HE MOUTHS POSSIBLE WORDS.
VIRGIL RETURNS AND SURPRISES HIM.
CANTO 29
INF C29 1-3 / KLINE
The multitude of people, and the many wounds, had made my eyes so tear-filled, that they longed to stop and weep,
VIRGIL:
INF C29 4-6 / DANTE INF C29 4-6 / KLINE
Ma Virgilio mi disse: «Che pur guate? but Virgil said to me: Why are you still gazing?
perché la vista tua pur si soffolge Why does your sight still rest,
là giù tra l'ombre triste smozzicate? down there, on the sad, mutilated shadows?
INF C29 7-9 / DANTE
Tu non hai fatto sì a l'altre bolge; You did not do so at the other chasms.
pensa, se tu annoverar le credi, Think, if you wish to number them,
che miglia ventidue la valle volge. that the The valley circles twenty-two miles,
190
INF C29 10-12 / DANTE
E già la luna è sotto i nostri piedi; and the moon is already underneath our feet.
lo tempo è poco omai che n'è concesso, The time is short now, that is given us,
e altro è da veder che tu non vedi». and there are other things to view., than those you
see.
DANTE MUTTERS A LINE IN PROVENÇAL FROM DE BORN WHICH IS APPROPRIATE TO DE
BORN AND TO DANTE’S COMPOSING OF TANTO GENTILE… (HE QUOTES IT IN DE VULGARI
ELOQUENTIA.)
DANTE:
CANZONE? / DE BORN CANZONE? / DE BORN
Non posc mudar c’un cantar non exparia. I cannot refrain from sending forth my song.
…AND INVENTS AN ALIBI.

DANTE:
INF C29 13-15 / DANTE INF C29 13-15 / KLINE
«Se tu avessi», rispuos' io appresso, I replied, then: Had you noticed the reason
«atteso a la cagion per ch'io guardava, why I looked, perhaps you might
forse m'avresti ancor lo star dimesso». still have allowed me to stay.
INF C29 16-18 / DANTE
Parte sen giva, e io retro li andava, Meanwhile, the guide was moving on,
lo duca, già faccendo la risposta, and I went behind him, making my reply,
e soggiugnendo: «Dentro a quella cava and adding, now: In the hollow
INF C29 19-21 / DANTE
dov' io tenea or li occhi sì a posta, where I held my gaze, I believe a spirit
credo ch'un spirto del mio sangue pianga of my own blood, laments the guilt
la colpa che là giù cotanto costa». that costs so greatly here.
VIRGIL:
INF C29 22-24 / DANTE INF C29 22-24 / KLINE
Allor disse 'l maestro: «Non si franga Then the Master said: Do not let your thoughts
lo tuo pensier da qui innanzi sovr' ello. be distracted by him:
Attendi ad altro, ed ei là si rimanga; attend to something else: let him stay there.
INF C29 25-27 / DANTE
ch'io vidi lui a piè del ponticello I saw him point to you, at the foot of the little
bridge,
mostrarti e minacciar forte col dito, and threaten, angrily, with his finger:
e udi' 'l nominar Geri del Bello. and I heard them call him Geri del Bello
GERI DEL BELLO: FIRST COUSIN OF DANTE’S FATHER, WHO WAS KILLED FOR SOWING DISCORD AMONG THE SACCHETTI
FAMILY & WAS NOT AVENGED UNTIL THIRTY YEARS AFTER THE VISION, WHEN GERI’S NEPHEWS, THE SONS OF MESSER CIONE
DEL BELLO ALIGHIERI KILLED ONE OF THE SACCHETTI IN HIS OWN HOUSE. THE FAMILIES WERE RECONCILED IN 1342.
INF C29 28-30 / DANTE
Tu eri allor sì del tutto impedito You were so entangled, then, with him
sovra colui che già tenne Altaforte, who once held Altaforte, that you did not
che non guardasti in là, sì fu partito». look that way, so he departed.
WITH HIM: BERTRAND DE BORN (THIS SECTION IS OMITTED)
DANTE:
INF C29 31-33 / DANTE INF C29 31-33 / KLINE
«O duca mio, la vïolenta morte I said: Oh, my guide, his violent murder made
che non li è vendicata ancor», diss' io, him indignant, not yet avenged on his behalf,
«per alcun che de l'onta sia consorte, by any that shares his shame:
INF C29 34-36 / DANTE
fece lui disdegnoso; ond' el sen gio therefore, I guess, he went away,
sanza parlarmi, sì com' ïo estimo: without speaking to me: and, by that,
e in ciò m'ha el fatto a sé più pio». has made me pity him the more.
DANTE QUIETLY TRANSLATES DE BORN’S LINE.
DANTE:
CANZONE? / DE BORN CANZONE? / DE BORN
Non posc mudar c’un cantar non exparia. I cannot refrain from sending forth my song.
191
INF C29 37-45 / KLINE
So we talked, as far as the first place on the causeway that would have revealed the next valley, right to its floor, if it
had been lighter. When we were above the last cloister of Malebolge, so that its lay brothers could be seen, many
groans pierced me, whose arrows were barbed with pity, at which I covered my ears with my hands.

192
VIRGIL TURNS AT HIS WORDS AND DANTE LAUNCHES INTO A FALSELY-FERVENT
DESCRIPTION OF THE 10 TH CHASM. VIRGIL INTERPRETS OR GIVES HIS OWN, BRIEFER
ACCOUNT.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C29 46-48 / DANTE INF C29 46-48 / KLINE
Qual dolor fora, se de li spedali Such pain there was, as there would be, if the
di Valdichiana tra 'l luglio e 'l settembre diseases in the hospitals of Valdichiana, Maremma
e di Maremma e di Sardigna i mali and Sardinia, between July and September,
INF C29 49-51 / DANTE
fossero in una fossa tutti 'nsembre, were all rife in one ditch:
tal era quivi, e tal puzzo n'usciva a stench arose from it,
qual suol venir de le marcite membre. such as issues from putrid limbs.
INF C29 52-54 / DANTE
Noi discendemmo in su l'ultima riva We descended on the last bank
del lungo scoglio, pur da man sinistra; of the long causeway, again on the left,
e allor fu la mia vista più viva and then my sight was clearer,
INF C29 55-57 / DANTE
giù ver' lo fondo, la 've la ministra down to the depths, where infallible Justice,
de l'alto Sire infallibil giustizia the minister of the Lord on high,
punisce i falsador che qui registra. punishes the falsifiers that it accounts for here.
INF C29 58-60 / DANTE
Non credo ch'a veder maggior tristizia I do not think it would have been a greater
fosse in Egina il popol tutto infermo, sadness to see the people of plague-ridden Aegina,
quando fu l'aere sì pien di malizia, when the air was so malignant,
AEGINA: OVID: METAMORPHOSES 7 523-657
INF C29 61-63 / DANTE
che li animali, infino al picciol vermo, that every animal, even the smallest worm,
cascaron tutti, e poi le genti antiche, was killed, and afterwards, as Poets say,
secondo che i poeti hanno per fermo, for certain, the ancient race
INF C29 64-66 / DANTE
si ristorar di seme di formiche; was restored from the seed of ants,
ch'era a veder per quella oscura valle than it was to see the spirits languishing
languir li spirti per diverse biche. in scattered heaps through that dim valley.
INF C29 67-84 / KLINE
This one lay on its belly, that, on the shoulders of the other, and some were crawling along the wretched path. Step
by step we went, without a word, gazing at, and listening to, the sick who could not lift their bodies. I saw two
sitting, leaning on each other, as one pan is leant to warm against another: I never saw a stable lad his master waits
for, or one who stays awake unwillingly, use a currycomb as fiercely, as each of these two clawed himself with his
nails, because of the intensity of their itching, that has no other relief. And so the nails dragged the scurf off, as a
knife does the scales from bream, or other fish with larger scales.
INF C29 85-108 / KLINE
My Guide began to speak: ‘O you, who strip your chain-mail with your fingers, and often make pincers of them, tell
us if there is any Latian among those here, inside: and may your nails be enough for that task for eternity.’ One of
them replied, weeping: ‘We are both Latians, whom you see so mutilated here, but who are you who enquire of us?
And the guide said: ‘I am one, who with this living man, descends from steep to steep, and mean to show him Hell.’
Then the mutual prop broke, and each one turned, trembling, towards me, along with others that heard him, by the
echo. The good Master addressed me directly, saying: ‘Tell them what you wish,’ and I began as he desired: ‘So that
your memory will not fade, from human minds, in the first world, but will live for many suns, tell us who you are,
and of what race. Do not let your ugly and revolting punishment make you afraid to reveal yourselves to me.’

FALSIFIERS, LIARS
VOICES COME OUT OF THE DARKNESS AS DANTE SPEAKS.
GRIFFOLINO (VOICE):
INF C29 109-111 / DANTE INF C29 109-111 / KLINE
Io fui d'Arezzo, e Albero da Siena, The one replied: I was Griffolino of Arezzo,
rispuose l’un mi fé mettere al foco; and Albero of Siena had me burned:
ma quel per ch'io mori' qui non mi mena. but what I died for did not send me here.
GRIFFOLINO *---- ? - *---- ? AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
AREZZO.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
GRIFFOLINO (VOICE):
INF C29 112-114 / DANTE INF C29 112-114 / KLINE
Vero è ch'i' dissi lui, parlando a gioco: It is true I said to him, jesting,
``I' mi saprei levar per l'aere a volo"; “I could lift myself into the air in flight.,”
e quei, ch'avea vaghezza e senno poco, and he He who had great desire and little brain,
193
INF C29 115-117 / DANTE
volle ch'i' li mostrassi l'arte; e solo wished me to show him that art: and only because
perch' io nol feci Dedalo, mi fece I could not make him Daedalus, he caused me
ardere a tal che l'avea per figliuolo. to be burned., by one who looked on him as a son.
INF C29 118-120 / KLINE
But to the last chasm of the ten, Minos, who cannot err, condemned me, for the alchemy I practised in the world.’
DANTE:
INF C29 121-123 / DANTE INF C29 121-123 / KLINE
E io dissi al poeta: «Or fu già mai And I said to the poet: Now was there
gente sì vana come la sanese? ever a people as vain as the Sienese?
Certo non la francesca sì d'assai!». Certainly not the French, by far.
VIRGIL:
INF C29 122 / DANTE INF C29 122 / KLINE
gente sì vana come la sanese? ever a people as vain as the Sienese?
DANTE:
INF C29 123 / DANTE INF C29 123 / KLINE
Certo non la francesca sì d'assai! Certainly not the French, by far.
THE UNSEEN CAPOCCHIO IS IMPERSONATED BY A MUSE.
CAPOCCHIO / EUTERPE (VOICE):
INF C29 124-126 / DANTE INF C29 124-126 / KLINE
Onde l’altro lebbroso, che m’intese, At which the other leper, hearing me,
rispuose al detto mio: Tra'mene Stricca replied to my words: What of Stricca,
che seppe far le temperate spese, who contrived to spend so little:

CAPOCCHIO *---- ? - 1293
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BORN IN FLORENCE BUT MAY HAVE PICKED UP THE SIENESE DIALECT.
DESCRIPTION
MUSE EUTERPE
CAPOCCHIO: FLORENTINE ALCHEMIST KNOWN TO DANTE, BURNT ALIVE AT SIENA IN 1293.
STRICCA: WITH NICCOLO, CACCIA & THE ABBAGLIATO (‘THE FOOLISH’) A MEMBER OF THE BRIGATA SPENDERECCIA, THE
SPENDTHRIFT BRIGADE, A CLUB FOUNDED BY TWELVE WEALTHY SIENESE, IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE THIRTEENTH
CENTURY, WHO VIED WITH EACH OTHER IN SQUANDERING THEIR MONEY ON RIOTOUS LIVING.
CAPOCCHIO / EUTERPE (VOICE):
INF C29 127-129 / DANTE INF C29 127-129 / KLINE
e Niccolò che la costuma ricca and Niccolo who first discovered the costly use
del garofano prima discoverse of cloves, in that garden, Siena,
ne l'orto dove tal seme s'appicca; where such seed takes root:
INF C29 130-132 / DANTE
e tra'ne la brigata in che disperse and that company in which Caccia of Aciano
Caccia d'Ascian la vigna e la gran fonda, threw away his vineyard, and his vast forest,
e l'Abbagliato suo sen no proferse. and Abbagliato the fool showed his wit.
INF C29 133-135 / DANTE
Ma perché sappi chi sì ti seconda But so So that you may know who seconds you
contra i Sanesi, aguzza ver' me l'occhio, like this against the Sienese, sharpen your eye
sì che la faccia mia ben ti risponda: on me, so that my face may reply to you:
INF C29 136-138 / DANTE
sì vedrai ch'io son l'ombra di Capocchio, so you will see I am Capocchio’s shadow shade,
che falsai li metalli con l'alchìmia; who made false metals, by alchemy,
e te dee ricordar, se ben t'adocchio, and you must remember, if I know you rightly,
INF C29 139 / DANTE
com' io fui di natura buona scimia. how well I aped nature.
CAPOCCHIO / EUTERPE (VOICE):
DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA dialect / DANTE DE VULGARI ELOQUENTIA / SOC. DANT. tr?
Onche renegata avess’io Siena If only Id left Siena for good.
THIS REMARK COULD INSTEAD BE MADE BY GRIFFOLINO OF AREZZO.
DANTE PEERS AT THE UNSEEN FACE AND CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C29 136-138 / DANTE INF C29 136-138 / KLINE
sì vedrai ch'io son l'ombra di Capocchio, so you will see I am Capocchio’s shadow,
che falsai li metalli con l'alchìmia; who made false metals, by alchemy,
e te dee ricordar, se ben t'adocchio, and you must remember, if I know you rightly,
INF C29 139 / DANTE
com' io fui di natura buona scimia. how well I aped nature.
CANTO 30
194
DANTE RETURNS TO WHAT HE HAS ALREADY SEEN. HE SPEAKS./.READS TO THE AUDIENCE,
BREATHLESS IN HIGH FIGURATIVE FLIGHT. VIRGIL WAITS ELSEWHERE FOR DANTE TO
COME BACK TO EARTH. THIS SEGMENT COULD BE ENTIRELY OMITTED.

195
DANTE:
INF C30 1-3 / DANTE INF C30 1-3 / KLINE
Nel tempo che Iunone era crucciata At the time when Juno was angry, as she had
shown
per Semelè contra 'l sangue tebano, more than once, with the Theban race, because of
come mostrò una e altra fïata, Jupiter’s affair with Semele, she so maddened
INF C30 4-6 / DANTE
Atamante divenne tanto insano, King Athamas, that, seeing his wife, Ino,
che veggendo la moglie con due figli go by, carrying her two sons
andar carcata da ciascuna mano, in her arms, he cried:
INF C30 7-9 / DANTE
gridò: «Tendiam le reti, sì ch'io pigli “Spread the hunting nets, so that I can take
la leonessa e ' leoncini al varco»; the lioness and her cubs, at the pass,”
e poi distese i dispietati artigli, and then stretched out his pitiless talons,
INF C30 10-12 / DANTE
prendendo l'un ch'avea nome Learco, snatching the one, named Learchus, and, whirling
e rotollo e percosselo ad un sasso; him round, dashed him against the rock: and Ino
e quella s'annegò con l'altro carco. drowned herself, and her other burden, Melicertes.
INF C30 13-15 / DANTE
E quando la fortuna volse in basso And after fortune had brought down
l'altezza de' Troian che tutto ardiva, the high Trojan pride, that dared all, so that
sì che 'nsieme col regno il re fu casso, Priam the king, and his kingdom were destroyed,
INF C30 16-18 / DANTE
Ecuba trista, misera e cattiva, Queen Hecuba, a sad, wretched captive,
poscia che vide Polissena morta, having witnessed the sacrifice of Polyxena,
e del suo Polidoro in su la riva alone, on the sea-shore,
OTHER ONE TOO POLYXENA: TROJAN PRINCESS, DAUGHTER OF PRIAM & HECUBA. ACCORDING TO OVID (METAMORPHOSES
13 448) SHE IS SLAUGHTERED AT ACHILLES’S TOMB AFTER THE FALL OF TROY, BUT ACCORDING TO LATER VERSIONS OF THE
MYTHS HIS LOVE FOR HER BROUGHT ABOUT HIS DEATH, WHEN HE WAS KILLED BY PARIS IN A TEMPLE WHERE HE HAD GONE TO
MARRY HER, AFTER BEING PROMISED HER HAND IF HE WOULD JOIN FORCES WITH THE TROJANS.
INF C30 19-21 / DANTE
del mar si fu la dolorosa accorta, when she recognised the body of her Polydorus,
forsennata latrò sì come cane; barked like a dog, driven out of her senses,
tanto il dolor le fé la mente torta. so greatly had her sorrow racked her mind.
POLYDORUS: SON OF PRIAM & HECUBA, SENT BY PRIAM TO THE COURT OF POLYMESTOR OF THRACE & DONE TO DEATH BY
POLYMESTOR, PRIAM’S SON-IN-LAW.
INF C30 22-24 / DANTE
Ma né di Tebe furie né troiane But neither Theban nor Trojan Furies
si vider mäi in alcun tanto crude, were ever seen embodied so cruelly,
non punger bestie, nonché membra umane, in stinging creatures, or even less in human limbs,
INF C30 25-27 / DANTE
quant' io vidi in due ombre smorte e nude, as I saw displayed in two shades, pallid and naked,
che mordendo correvan di quel modo that ran, biting, as a hungry pig does,
che 'l porco quando del porcil si schiude. when he is driven out of his sty.
INF C30 28-59 / KLINE
The one came to Capocchio, and fixed his tusks in his neck, so that dragging him along, it made the solid floor rasp
his belly. And the Aretine, Griffolino, who was left, said to me, trembling: ‘That goblin is Gianni Schicci, and he
goes, rabidly, mangling others like that.’ ‘Oh, be pleased to tell us who the other is, before it snatches itself away,
and may it not plant its teeth in you.’ And he to me: ‘That is the ancient spirit of incestuous Myrrha, who loved her
father, Cinyras, with more than lawful love. She came to him, and sinned, under cover of another’s name, just as the
one who is vanishing there, undertook to disguise himself as Buoso Donati, so as to gain the mare, called the Lady
of the Herd, by forging a will, and giving it legal form.’ When the furious pair, on whom I had kept my eye, were
gone, I turned to look at the other spirits, born to evil. I saw one, who would have been shaped like a lute, if he had
only had his groin cut short, at the place where a man is forked. The heavy dropsy, that swells the limbs, with its
badly transformed humours, so that the face does not match the belly, made him hold his lips apart, as the fevered
patient does who, through thirst, curls one lip towards the chin, and the other upwards.

196
WE DON’T KNOW WHAT DANTE SAW BECAUSE ADAMO OF BRESCIA ROLLS OUT OF THE
DARKNESS TO THE BACK OF THE STAGE. SINON AND THE FALSE WIFE REMAIN INVISIBLE
BEHIND HIM.
ADAMO OF BRESCIA
INF C30 58-60 / DANTE INF C30 58-60 / KLINE
O voi che sanz' alcuna pena siete, He said to us: O you, who are exempt from
e non so io perché, nel mondo gramo, punishment in this grim world
diss' elli a noi, guardate e attendete (and why, I do not know), look and attend to
ADAMO OF BRESCIA *---- ? - *---- ? AGE : 50??
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BRESCIA, ROMAGNA.
DESCRIPTION
WRAPPED UP AND LYING BARELY VISIBLE AT THE BACK OF THE STAGE.
ADAMO OF BRESCIA
INF C30 61-63 / DANTE INF C30 61-63 / KLINE
a la miseria del maestro Adamo; the misery of Maestro Adamo.
io ebbi, vivo, assai di quel ch'i' volli, I had enough of what I wished, when I was
e ora, lasso!, un gocciol d'acqua bramo. alive, and now, alas, I crave a drop of water.
INF C30 64-66 / DANTE
Li ruscelletti che d'i verdi colli The little streams that fall, from the green hills
del Casentin discendon giuso in Arno, of Casentino, down to the Arno,
faccendo i lor canali freddi e molli, making cool, moist channels,
INF C30 67-69 / DANTE
sempre mi stanno innanzi, e non indarno, are constantly in my mind, and not in vain, since
ché l'imagine lor vie più m'asciuga the image of them parches me, far more than
che 'l male ond' io nel volto mi discarno. the disease, that wears the flesh from my face.
DANTE NOTES WITH UNCONSCIOUS CRUELTY.
DANTE:
INF C30 63 / DANTE INF C30 63 / KLINE
e ora, lasso!, un gocciol d'acqua bramo. alive, and now, alas, I crave a drop of water.
INF C30 64-66 / DANTE
Li ruscelletti che d'i verdi colli The little streams that fall, from the green hills
del Casentin discendon giuso in Arno, of Casentino, down to the Arno,
faccendo i lor canali freddi e molli, making cool, moist channels,
ADAMO’S VOICE IS HOARSER NOW.
ADAMO OF BRESCIA
INF C30 70-72 / DANTE INF C30 70-72 / KLINE
La rigida giustizia che mi fruga The rigid justice, that examines me,
tragge cagion del loco ov' io peccai takes its opportunity from the place
a metter più li miei sospiri in fuga. where I sinned, to give my sighs more rapid flight.
INF C30 73-75 / DANTE
Ivi è Romena, là dov' io falsai That is Romena, where I counterfeited the coin
la lega suggellata del Batista; of Florence, stamped with John the Baptist’s
image:
per ch'io il corpo sù arso lasciai. for that, on earth, I left my body, burned.

197
INF C30 76-90 / KLINE
But if I could see the wretched soul of Guido here, or Alessandro, or Aghinolfo, their brother, I would not exchange
that sight for Branda’s fountain. Guido is down here already, if the crazed spirits going round speak truly, but what
use is it to me, whose limbs are tied? If I were only light enough to move, even an inch, every hundred years, I
would already have started on the road, to find him among this disfigured people, though it winds around eleven
miles, and is no less than half a mile across. Because of them I am with such a crew: they induced me to stamp those
florins that were adulterated, with three carats alloy.’
DANTE:
INF C30 91-93 / DANTE INF C30 91-93 / KLINE
E io a lui: Chi son li due tapini I said to him: Who are those abject two,
che fumman come man bagnate 'l verno, lying close to your right edge,
giacendo stretti a' tuoi destri confini? and giving off smoke, like a hand, bathed, in
winter?
ADAMO OF BRESCIA:
INF C30 94-96 / DANTE INF C30 94-96 / KLINE
Qui li trovai--e poi volta non dierno, He replied: I found them here, when I rained down
rispuose, quando piovvi in questo greppo, into this pound, and they have not turned since
then,
e non credo che dieno in sempiterno. and may never turn I believe.
INF C30 97-99 / DANTE
L'una è la falsa ch'accusò Gioseppo; One is Potiphar’s the false wife who accused
Joseph.
l'altr' è 'l falso Sinon greco di Troia: The other is lying Sinon, the Greek from Troy.
per febbre aguta gittan tanto leppo». A burning fever makes them stink so strongly.
JOSEPH: POTIPHAR’S WIFE TRIED TO SEDUCE HIM & CAUSED HIM TO BE IMPRISONED. (GENESIS 29.)
INF C30 100-105 / KLINE
And Sinon, who perhaps took offence at being named so blackly, struck Adamo’s rigid belly with his fist, so that it
resounded, like a drum: and Master Adam struck him in the face with his arm, that seemed no softer,
ADAMO IS ROLLED BACK INTO THE DARKNESS BY SINON’S HAND. SINON STRIKES
‘ADAMO’S RIGID BELLY WITH HIS FIST, SO THAT IT RESOUNDS LIKE A DRUM’ [INF C30 100-
105]. SINON AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
GREECE.
DESCRIPTION.
BEHIND ADAMO.
SINON: A GREEK WHO ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BE CAPTURED BY THE TROJANS & PERSUADED THEM TO ADMIT THE WOODEN
HORSE INTO TROY. DANTE, AS A TUSCAN CONSIDERS HIMSELF OF TROJAN DESCENT & OPPOSED TO THE GREEKS.
ADAMO OF BRESCIA (VOICE):
INF C30 106-108 / DANTE INF C30 106-108 / KLINE
dicendo a lui: Ancor che mi sia tolto saying to him: I have an arm free
lo muover per le membra che son gravi, for such a situation, though I am
ho io il braccio a tal mestiere sciolto. kept from moving by my heavy limbs.
WE HEAR ADAMO HITTING SINON IN THE FACE [INF C30 100-105].
SINON (VOICE):
INF C30 109-111 / DANTE INF C30 109-111 / KLINE
Ond' ei rispuose: Quando tu andavi At which Sinon answered: You were not so ready
al fuoco, non l'avei tu così presto; with it, going to the fire, but as ready,
ma sì e più l'avei quando coniavi. and readier, when you were coining.

198
HE HITS ADAMO IN THE STOMACH AGAIN. THE TWO CONTINUE TO PUNCTUATE THEIR
QUARREL WITH CONTRASTING BLOWS, WHICH BECOME RHYTHM FOR DANTE’S MENTAL
COMPOSITION OF THE TANTO GENTILE... SONNET. HE STARES INTO SPACE, HIS BACK TO THE
AUDIENCE, AND MARKS THE METRICAL FEET WITH A HAND.
ADAMO OF BRESCIA (VOICE):
INF C30 112-114 / DANTE INF C30 112-114 / KLINE
E l'idropico: Tu di' ver di questo: And he of the dropsy: You speak truth in that,
ma tu non fosti sì ver testimonio but you were not so truthful a witness, there,
là 've del ver fosti a Troia richesto. when you were questioned about the truth at Troy.
SINON (VOICE):
INF C30 115-117 / DANTE INF C30 115-117 / KLINE
S'io dissi falso, e tu falsasti il conio, If I spoke falsely, you falsified the coin,
disse Sinon; e son qui per un fallo, Sinon said, and I am here for the one crime,
e tu per più ch'alcun altro demonio! but you for more than any other devil.
ADAMO OF BRESCIA (VOICE):
INF C30 118-120 / DANTE INF C30 118-120 / KLINE
Ricorditi, spergiuro, del cavallo, He who had the swollen belly answered:
rispuose quel ch'avëa infiata l'epa; Think of the Wooden Horse, you liar, and let it be
e sieti reo che tutto il mondo sallo! a torment to you that all the world knows of it.
SINON (VOICE):
INF C30 121-123 / DANTE INF C30 121-123 / KLINE
E te sia rea la sete onde ti crepa, The Greek replied: Let the thirst that cracks the
disse 'l Greco, la lingua, e l'acqua marcia tongue be your torture, and the foul water make
che 'l ventre innanzi a li occhi sì t'assiepa! your stomach a barrier in front of your eyes.
ADAMO OF BRESCIA (VOICE):
INF C30 124-126 / DANTE INF C30 124-126 / KLINE
Allora il monetier: Così si squarcia Then the coiner: Your mouth gapes wide as usual,
la bocca tua per tuo mal come suole; to speak ill. If I have a thirst, and moisture
ché, s'i' ho sete e omor mi rinfarcia, swells me, you have the burning,
INF C30 127-129 / DANTE
tu hai l'arsura e 'l capo che ti duole, and a head that hurts you: and you would
e per leccar lo specchio di Narcisso, not need many words of invitation,
non vorresti a 'nvitar molte parole. to lap at the mirror of Narcissus.
VIRGIL RETURNS AND FACES DANTE.
VIRGIL:
INF C30 130-132 / DANTE INF C30 130-132 / KLINE
Ad ascoltarli er' io del tutto fisso, I was standing, all intent on hearing them,
quando 'l maestro mi disse: Or pur mira, when the Master said to me: Now, keep gazing
che per poco che teco non mi risso! much longer, and I will quarrel with you!
INF C30 133-135 / KLINE
When I heard him speak to me in anger, I turned towards him, with such a feeling of shame that it comes over me
again, as I only think of it.
DANTE STARTS. HE SPEAKS TO VIRGIL (UNHEARD BY THE AUDIENCE) THEN TURNS TO THE
AUDIENCE, PERHAPS MAKING A NOTE IN HIS BOOK. HE SPEAKS AS ONE ASHAMED.

199
DANTE:
INF C30 136-138 / DANTE INF C30 136-138 / KLINE
Qual è colui che suo dannaggio sogna, And like Like someone who dreams of something
che sognando desidera sognare, harmful to them, and dreaming, wishes it were a
sì che quel ch'è, come non fosse, agogna, dream, so that they long for what is, as if it were
not;
INF C30 139-141 / DANTE
tal mi fec' io, non possendo parlare, that I became, who, lacking power to speak,
che disïava scusarmi, e scusava wished to make an excuse, and all the while did so,
me tuttavia, e nol mi credea fare. not thinking I was doing it.
VIRGIL:
INF C30 142-144 / DANTE INF C30 142-144 / KLINE
Maggior difetto men vergogna lava, My Master said: Less shamefacedness would wash
disse 'l maestro, che 'l tuo non è stato; away a greater fault than yours,
però d'ogne trestizia ti disgrava. so unburden yourself of sorrow,
INF C30 145-147 / DANTE
E fa ragion ch'io ti sia sempre allato, and know that I am always with you,
se più avvien che fortuna t'accoglia should it happen that fate takes you,
dove sien genti in simigliante piato: where people are in similar conflict:
INF C30 148 / DANTE
ché voler ciò udire è bassa voglia». since the desire to hear it, is a vulgar desire.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO, MORE ASHAMED BY VIRGIL’S READY FORGIVENESS.
DANTE:
INF C30 142-144 / DANTE INF C30 142-144 / KLINE
Maggior difetto men vergogna lava, My Master said: Less shamefacedness would wash
disse 'l maestro, che 'l tuo non è stato; away a greater fault than yours,
però d'ogne trestizia ti disgrava. so unburden yourself of sorrow,
INF C30 145-147 / DANTE
E fa ragion ch'io ti sia sempre allato, and know that I am always with you,
se più avvien che fortuna t'accoglia should it happen that fate takes you,
dove sien genti in simigliante piato: where people are in similar conflict:
INF C30 148 / DANTE
ché voler ciò udire è bassa voglia». since the desire to hear it, is a vulgar desire.
CANTO 31
INF C31 1-9 / KLINE
One and the same tongue at first wounded me, so that it painted both my cheeks with blushes, and then gave out the
ointment for the wound. So I have heard the spear of Achilles, and his father Peleus, was the cause first of sadness,
and then of a healing gift. We turned our back on the wretched valley, crossing without a word, up by the bank that
circles round it.

NIMROD
DANTE SUDDENLY LOOKS INTO THE DARK BACKSTAGE, PLACING HIS HAND ON VIRGIL’S
ARM.
DANTE:
INF C31 10-12 / DANTE
Quiv' era men che notte e men che giorno,
INF C31 10-12 / KLINE
Here was less darkness than night and less light
sì che 'l viso m'andava innanzi poco; than day, so that my vision showed only a little
ma io senti' sonare un alto corno, in front: but I heard a high-pitched horn sound,
HE ADDRESSES THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
INF C31 12 / DANTE INF C31 12 / KLINE
ma io senti' sonare un alto corno, little in front: but I heard a high-pitched horn
sound,
200
INF C31 13-15 / KLINE
so loudly, that it would have made thunder seem quiet: it directed my eyes, that followed its passage back, straight
to a single point.
VIRGIL:
INF C31 16-18 / DANTE INF C31 16-18 / KLINE
Dopo la dolorosa rotta, quando Roland did not sound his horn so fiercely,
Carlo Magno perdé la santa gesta, after the sad rout, when Charlemagne
non sonò sì terribilmente Orlando! had lost the holy war, at Roncesvalles.
DANTE:
INF C31 16-18 / DANTE INF C31 16-18 / KLINE
Dopo la dolorosa rotta, quando Roland did not sound his horn so fiercely,
Carlo Magno perdé la santa gesta, after the sad rout, when Charlemagne
non sonò sì terribilmente Orlando. had lost the holy war, at Roncesvalles.
DANTE PEERS AND POINTS INTO THE BLACK DISTANCE OF BACKSTAGE.
DANTE: or DANTE:
INF C31 19-21 / DANTE INF C31 19-21 / KLINE
Poco portäi in là volta la testa, I had kept my head turned for a while in that
che me parve veder molte alte torri; direction, when I seemed to make out many high
ond' io: Maestro, dì, che terra è questa? towers, at which I said: Master, tell me what city
this is?
VIRGIL:
INF C31 22-24 / DANTE INF C31 22-24 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Però che tu trascorri And he to me: Because your eyes traverse
per le tenebre troppo da la lungi, the darkness from too far away,
avvien che poi nel maginare abborri. it follows that you imagine wrongly.
INF C31 25-27 / DANTE
Tu vedrai ben, se tu là ti congiungi, You will see, quite plainly, when you reach there,
quanto 'l senso s'inganna di lontano; how much the sense is deceived by distance,
però alquanto più te stesso pungi». so press on more strongly.

201
INF C31 28-30 / DANTE
Poi caramente mi prese per mano Then he took me, lovingly, by the hand, and said:
e disse: «Pria che noi siam più avanti, Before we go further, so that the reality
acciò che 'l fatto men ti paia strano, might seem less strange to you,
INF C31 31-33 / DANTE
sappi che non son torri, ma giganti, know that they are Giants, not towers,
e son nel pozzo intorno da la ripa and are in the pit, from the navel downwards,
da l'umbilico in giuso tutti quanti». all of them, around its bank.
♫INFERNAL * * * * * * * * * *
INF C31 33
THEY STEP TOWARDS THE BLACKNESS. DANTE PEERS AND SPEAKS. VIRGIL INTERPRETS
OR TELLS WHAT HE SEES HIMSELF.
INF C31 34-39 / KLINE
As the eye, when a mist is disappearing, gradually recreates what was hidden by the vapour thickening the air, so,
while approaching closer and closer to the brink, piercing through that gross, dark atmosphere, error left me, and my
fear increased.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C31 40-42 / DANTE INF C31 40-42 / KLINE
però che, come su la cerchia tonda As Montereggione crowns its round wall
Montereggion di torri si corona, with towers, so the terrible giants,
così la proda che 'l pozzo circonda whom Jupiter still threatens
INF C31 43-45 / DANTE
torreggiavan di mezza la persona from the heavens, when he thunders,
li orribili giganti, cui minaccia turreted with half their bodies
Giove del cielo ancora quando tuona. the bank that circles the well.
THE BLACKNESS DISSIPATES AND EUTERPE, THE SECOND-SMALLEST MUSE, IS REVEALED.
DANTE:
INF C31 46-48 / DANTE INF C31 46-48 / KLINE
E io scorgeva già d'alcun la faccia, And I already saw the face of one, the shoulders,
le spalle e 'l petto e del ventre gran parte, chest, the greater part of the belly,
e per le coste giù ambo le braccia. and the arms down both sides.
INF C31 49-51 / DANTE
Natura certo, quando lasciò l'arte When nature abandoned the art of making
di sì fatti animali, assai fé bene creatures like these, she certainly did well
per tòrre tali essecutori a Marte. by removing such killers from warfare,
INF C31 52-54 / DANTE
E s'ella d'elefanti e di balene and if she does not repent of making
non si pente, chi guarda sottilmente, elephants and whales, whoever looks at the issue
più giusta e più discreta la ne tene; subtly, considers her more prudent and more
right in that,
INF C31 55-57 / DANTE
ché dove l'argomento de la mente since where the instrument of mind
s'aggiugne al mal volere e a la possa, is joined to ill will and power,
nessun riparo vi può far la gente. men have no defence against it.

INF C31 58-60 / DANTE
La faccia sua mi parea lunga e grossa His face seemed to me as long and large
come la pina di San Pietro a Roma, as the bronze pine-cone,
e a sua proporzione eran l'altre ossa; in front of St Peter’s in Rome,
BRONZE PINE-CONE: ONCE ON THE TOP OF THE MAUSOLEUM OF ADRIAN & THEN MOVED TO THE VATICAN GARDENS, STOOD
IN FRONT OF ST PETER’S & WAS BETWEEN SEVEN & EIGHT FEET HIGH.
DANTE DEMONSTRATES BY HOLDING HIS HAND ABOVE HIS HEAD.
DANTE:
INF C31 61-63 / DANTE INF C31 61-63 / KLINE
sì che la ripa, ch'era perizoma and his other features were in proportion, so
dal mezzo in giù, ne mostrava ben tanto that the bank that covered him from the middle
di sovra, che di giugnere a la chioma onwards, revealed so much of him above that
INF C31 64-66 / DANTE
tre Frison s'averien dato mal vanto; three Frieslanders would have boasted in vain of
però ch'i' ne vedea trenta gran palmi reaching his hair, since I saw thirty large
dal loco in giù dov' omo affibbia 'l manto. hand-spans of him down from the place where a
man pins his cloak.
NIMROD./.EUTERPE RESPONDS TO DANTE’S SCRUTINY BY BABBLING HER LIPS AT HIM WITH
HER FINGER. (MAKING NO ATTEMPT AT Raphèl maì…).
NIMROD / EUTERPE:
INF C31 67-69 / DANTE INF C31 67-69 / KLINE
«Raphèl maì amècche zabì almi», Raphèl maì amècche zabì almi,
cominciò a gridar la fiera bocca, The savage mouth, for which
cui non si convenia più dolci salmi. no sweeter hymns were fit, began to rave:
202
NIMROD mythical?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
BABYLON.
DESCRIPTION
MUSE EUTERPE.
RAPHÈL: AN UNINTELLIGIBLE MIXTURE OF TONGUES.
NIMROD: THE MIGHTY HUNTER, RULER OF BABEL (BABYLON), UNDER WHOSE RULE DANTE PLACES THE BUILDING OF THE
TOWER OF BABEL IN THE LAND OF SHINAR, WHICH GOD FROWNED ON, CONFOUNDING THEIR LANGUAGE (GENESIS 10 9,
GENESIS 11 4)
DANTE:
INF C31 68-69 / DANTE INF C31 68-69 / KLINE
cominciò a gridar la fiera bocca, The savage mouth, for which
cui non si convenia più dolci salmi. no sweeter hymns were fit, began to rave:
VIRGIL:
INF C31 70-72 / DANTE INF C31 70-72 / KLINE
E 'l duca mio ver' lui: «Anima sciocca, And my guide turning to him, said: Foolish spirit,
tienti col corno, e con quel ti disfoga stick to your hunting-horn and vent your breath
quand' ira o altra passïon ti tocca! through that when rage, or some other passion, stirs
you.
INF C31 73-75 / DANTE INF C31 73-75 / KLINE
Cércati al collo, e troverai la soga Search round your neck, O confused soul,
che 'l tien legato, o anima confusa, and you will find the belt where it is slung,
e vedi lui che 'l gran petto ti doga. and see that which arcs across your huge chest.

NIMROD./.EUTERPE PRETENDS TO LOOK AS VIRGIL HAS ORDERED, THEN SMILES. SHE
OPENS HER (HOLLOW) BOOK WITH ITS DOUBLE-FLUTE SYMBOL AND TAKES OUT A TINY
DOUBLE-FLUTE.
203
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C31 76-78 / DANTE INF C31 76-78 / KLINE
Poi disse a me: Elli stessi s'accusa; Then he said to me: He declares himself. This is
questi è Nembrotto! per lo cui mal coto Nimrod through whose evil thought, one language
pur un linguaggio nel mondo non s'usa. is not still used, throughout the whole world.
INF C31 79-81 / DANTE
Lasciànlo stare e non parliamo a vòto; Let us leave him standing here, and not speak
ché così è a lui ciascun linguaggio to him in vain: since every language, to him,
come 'l suo ad altrui, ch'a nullo è noto. is like his to others, that no one understands.
INF C31 82-108 / KLINE
So we went on, turning to the left, and, a crossbow-shot away, we found the next one, far larger and fiercer. Who
and what the power might be that bound him, I cannot say, but he had his right arm pinioned behind, and the other in
front, by a chain that held him tight, from the neck down, and, on the visible part of him, reached its fifth turn. ‘My
guide said: This proud spirit had the will to try his strength against high Jupiter, and so has this reward. Ephialtes is
his name, and he made the great attempt, when the Giants made the gods fear, and the arms he shook then, now, he
never moves.’ And I said to him: ‘If it were possible, I would wish my eyes to light on vast Briareus.’ To which he
replied: ‘You will see Antaeus, nearby, who speaks and is unchained, and will set us down in the deepest abyss of
guilt. He whom you wish to see is far beyond, and is formed and bound like this one, except he seems more savage
in his features.’ No huge earthquake ever shook a tower, as violently as Ephialtes promptly shook himself.
INF C31 109-123 / KLINE
Then I feared death more than ever, and the fear alone would have been enough to cause it, had I not seen his chains.
We then went further on, and reached Antaeus, who projected twenty feet from the pit, not including his head. ‘O
you, who, of old, took a thousand lions for your prey, in the fateful valley, near Zama, that made Scipio heir to
glory, when Hannibal retreated with his army; you, through whom, it might still be believed, the Giant sons of Earth
would have overcome the gods, if you had been at the great war with your brothers; set us down, and do not be shy
to do it, where the cold imprisons the River Cocytus, in the Ninth Circle.
INF C31 124-145 / KLINE
Do not make us ask Tityos or Typhon. Bend, and do not curl your lips in scorn: this man can give that which is
longed for, here: he can refresh your fame on earth, since he is alive, and still expects long life, if grace does not call
him to her before his time.’ So the Master spoke, and Antaeus quickly stretched out both hands, from which
Hercules of old once felt the power, and seized my guide. Virgil when he felt his grasp, said to me: Come here, so
that I may carry you.’ Then he made one bundle of himself and me. To me, who stood watching to see Antaeus
stoop, he seemed as the leaning tower [at Bologna], the Carisenda, appears to the view, under the leaning side, when
a cloud is passing over it, and it hangs in the opposite direction. It was such a terrible moment I would have wished
to have gone by another route, but he set us down gently in the deep, that swallowed Lucifer and Judas, and did not
linger there, bent, but straightened himself, like a mast raised in a boat.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C31 79-81 / DANTE INF C31 79-81 / KLINE
Lasciànlo stare e non parliamo a vòto; Let us leave him standing here, and not speak
ché così è a lui ciascun linguaggio to him in vain: since every language, to him,
come 'l suo ad altrui, ch'a nullo è noto. is like his to others, that no one understands.
THEY DESCEND THE → R → AND COME BACK TO THE STAGE.
CANTO 32
DANTE:
INF C32 1-3 / DANTE INF C32 1-3 / KLINE
S'ïo avessi le rime aspre e chiocce, If I had words, rough and hoarse enough,
come si converrebbe al tristo buco to fit the dismal chasm, on which
sovra 'l qual pontan tutte l'altre rocce, all the other rocky cliffs weigh, and converge,

INF C32 4-6 / DANTE
io premerei di mio concetto il suco I would squeeze out the juice of my imagination
più pienamente; ma perch' io non l'abbo, more completely: but since I have not,
non sanza tema a dicer mi conduco; I bring myself, not without fear,
DANTE:
INF C32 1-3 / DANTE INF C32 1-3 / KLINE
S'ïo avessi le rime aspre e chiocce, If I had words, rough and hoarse enough,
come si converrebbe al tristo buco to fit the dismal chasm, on which
sovra 'l qual pontan tutte l'altre rocce, all the other rocky cliffs weigh, and converge…,
INF C32 4-6 / DANTE
io premerei di mio concetto il suco I would squeeze out the juice of my imagination
più pienamente; ma perch' io non l'abbo, more completely: …but since I have not,
non sanza tema a dicer mi conduco; I bring myself, not without fear,
INF C32 7-9 / DANTE
ché non è impresa da pigliare a gabbo to describe the place: to tell of the pit of the
discriver fondo a tutto l'universo, Universe is not a task to be taken up in play, nor
in
né da lingua che chiami mamma o babbo. a language that has words like ‘mother’ and
‘father’.
INF C32 10-12 / DANTE
Ma quelle donne aiutino il mio verso But may the Muses, those Ladies, who helped
ch'aiutaro Anfïone a chiuder Tebe, Amphion shut Thebes behind its walls, aid my
sì che dal fatto il dir non sia diverso. speech, so that my words may not vary from the
truth.
AMPHION: BUILT THE WALLS OF THEBES AIDED BY THE MAGICAL MUSIC OF HIS LYRE. SEE OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 6 176 &
15 427. HE KILLED HIMSELF THROUGH GRIEF AT THE LOSS OF HIS SONS.
EUTERPE STEPS OUT OF THE DARKNESS BEHIND DANTE AND PLAYS TWO OR THREE HORN
NOTES ON HER FLUTE. THE CHORUS BRIEFLY IMITATES HER IMITATION.
♫RALLYING CALL: EUTERPE’S FLUTE HORN IN CHORUS * * * * * * * * * *
INF C32 12
204
THE OTHER MUSES (MINUS URANIA AND POLYHYMNIA) FLOCK IN AND FORM UP THEIR 2
CHORUS LINES AROUND EUTERPE.
DANTE AND VIRGIL WALK THROUGH THE CURTAIN OR DESCEND THE → R → AGAIN, TO THE
FROZEN RIVER COCYTUS.

THE FROZEN COCYTUS
♫INFERNAL: COLD * * * * * * * * * *
INF C32 12
VIRGIL ADDRESSES SOULS./.SOULS IN THE DARKNESS.
VIRGIL:
INF C32 13-15 / DANTE INF C32 13-15 / KLINE
Oh sovra tutte mal creata plebe O you people, created evil beyond all others, in
che stai nel loco onde parlare è duro, this place that is hard to speak of, it were better
mei foste state qui pecore o zebe! if you had been sheep or goats here on earth!
INF C32 16-18 / KLINE
When we were down, inside the dark well, beneath the Giants’ feet, and much lower, and I was still staring at the
steep cliff,
BOCCA / URANIA:
INF C32 19-21 / DANTE INF C32 19-21 / KLINE
dicere udi'mi: «Guarda come passi: I heard a voice say to me:Take care as you pass,
va sì, che tu non calchi con le piante so that you do not tread, with your feet, on the
heads
le teste de' fratei miseri lassi». of the wretched, weary brothers.
BOCCA DEGLI ABATI *---- ? - 1260 +
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FLORENCE.
DESCRIPTION
MUSE URANIA..
A GHIBELLINE WHO FOUGHT ON THE GUELPH SIDE AT MONTAPERTI (1260) WHEN THE FLORENTINE GUELPHS WERE
DEFEATED. BOCCA CUT OFF THE HAND OF THE FLORENTINE STANDARD BEARER AT THE CRITICAL MOMENT.
205
BOCCA./.URANIA AND BUOSO./.POLYHYMNIA , BOTH MUSES IN THEIR ORDINARY DRESS, ARE
AT BACKSTAGE ON OPPOSITE SIDES. THEY LIE OR KNEEL FACING FRONT, SO THAT THE
LOWER PART OF THEIR BODIES, OBSCURED BY THEIR GARMENT, MAY WELL BE IN ICE. OR,
THEY MAY BE SO FAR TO THE BACK THAT THEIR BODIES ARE BEHIND THE STAGE.
BUOSO./.POLYHYMNIA KEEPS HIS./.HER FACE DOWN AND MAY NOT BE SEEN UNTIL HE./.SHE
SPEAKS. THERE MAY ALSO BE ONE OR TWO NON-MUSES WHO KEEP THEIR HEADS DOWN.
DANTE AND VIRGIL TURN. DANTE OPENS HIS BOOK, WRITES AND SPEAKS.
BUOSO DE DUERA *---- ? - 1266? AGE : 40??
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
CREMONA.
DESCRIPTION
MUSE POLYHYMNIA.
BUOSO DE DUERA: BRIBED BY THE FRENCH, BUOSO, LEADER OF THE CREMONESE, TREACHEROUSLY ALLOWED CHARLES OF
ANJOU ENTRY TO PARMA, IN 1266, AT THE BEGINNING OF HIS CAMPAIGN AGAINST MANFRED, WHO HAD ORGANISED ITS
RESISTANCE.
DANTE:
INF C32 22-24 / DANTE INF C32 22-24 / KLINE
Per ch'io mi volsi, e vidimi davante At which I turned, and saw a lake,
e sotto i piedi un lago che per gelo in front of me and underneath my feet, that,
avea di vetro e non d'acqua sembiante. because of the cold, appeared like glass not water.

206
INF C32 25-30 / DANTE
The Danube, in Austria, never formed so thick a veil for its winter course, nor the Don, far off under the frozen sky,
as was here: if Mount Tambernic in the east, or Mount Pietrapana, had fallen on it, it would not have even creaked at
the margin.
INF C32 31-33 / DANTE
E come a gracidar si sta la rana As frogs sit croaking with their muzzles
col muso fuor de l'acqua, quando sogna above water, at the time when peasant
di spigolar sovente la villana, women often dream of gleaning,
INF C32 34-36 / DANTE
livide, insin là dove appar vergogna so the sad shadows sat sit, in the ice.,
eran l'ombre dolenti ne la ghiaccia, livid to where the blush of shame appears,
mettendo i denti in nota di cicogna. chattering with their teeth, like storks.
INF C32 37-39 / DANTE
Ognuna in giù tenea volta la faccia; Each one held his face turned down:
da bocca il freddo, e da li occhi il cor tristo the The cold is witnessed, amongst them,
tra lor testimonianza si procaccia. by their mouths: and their sad hearts, by their eyes.
INF C32 40-72 / KLINE
When I had a looked around awhile, turning to my feet, I saw two, so compressed together, that the hair of their
heads was intermingled. I said: ‘Tell me, you, who press your bodies together so: who are you?’ And they twisted
their necks up, and when they had lifted their faces towards me, their eyes, which were only moist, inwardly, before,
gushed at the lids, and the frost iced fast the tears, between them, and sealed them up again. No vice ever clamped
wood to wood as firmly: so that they butted one another like two he-goats, overcome by such rage. And one, who
had lost both ears to the cold, with his face still turned down, said: ‘Why are you staring at us, so fiercely? If you
want to know who these two are, they are the degli Alberti, Allesandro and Napoleone: the valley where the
Bisenzio runs down, was theirs and their father Alberto’s. They issued from one body, and you can search the
whole Caïna, and will not find shades more worthy of being set in ice: not even Mordred, whose chest and shadow,
were pierced, at one blow, by his father’s, King Arthur’s, lance: nor Focaccia: nor this one, who obstructs my face
with his head, so that I cannot see further, who was named Sassol Mascheroni. If you are a Tuscan, now, you know
truly what he was. And so that you do not put me to more speech, know that I am Camicion de’ Pazzi, and am
waiting for Carlino, my kinsman, to outdo me.’ Afterwards I saw a thousand faces, made doglike by the cold, at
which a trembling overcomes me, and always will, when I think of the frozen fords.
DANTE AND VIRGIL BEGIN WALKING OFF. DANTE, VERSIFYING, (NEARLY?) TRIPS OVER
BOCCA./.URANIA.
DANTE:
INF C32 31-33 / DANTE INF C32 31-33 / KLINE
E come a gracidar si sta la rana As frogs sit croaking with their muzzles
col muso fuor de l'acqua, quando sogna above water, at the time when peasant
di spigolar sovente la villana, women often dream of gleaning,
INF C32 34-36 / DANTE
livide, insin là dove appar vergogna so the sad shadows sat, in the ice,
eran l'ombre dolenti ne la ghiaccia, livid to where the blush of shame appears,
mettendo i denti in nota di cicogna. chattering with their teeth, like storks.
INF C32 37-39 / DANTE
Ognuna in giù tenea volta la faccia; Each one held his face turned down:
da bocca il freddo, e da li occhi il cor tristo the cold is witnessed, amongst them,
tra lor testimonianza si procaccia. by their mouths: and their sad hearts, by their eyes.
INF C32 73-78 / KLINE
And, whether it was will, or fate or chance, I do not know: but walking, among the heads, I struck my foot violently
against one face.
BOCCA / URANIA:
INF C32 79-81 / DANTE INF C32 79-81 / KLINE
Piangendo mi sgridò: Perché mi peste? Weeping it cried out to me: Why do you
se tu non vieni a crescer la vendetta trample on me? If you do not come to increase the
di Montaperti, perché mi moleste?. revenge for Montaperti, why do you trouble me?

DANTE:
INF C32 82-84 / DANTE INF C32 82-84 / KLINE
E io: Maestro mio, or qui m'aspetta, And I: My Master, wait here for me, now,
sì ch'io esca d'un dubbio per costui; so that I can rid me of a doubt concerning him,
poi mi farai, quantunque vorrai, fretta. then you can make as much haste as you please.
VIRGIL MOVES OFF AND DANTE ADDRESSES BOCCA./.URANIA.
DANTE:
INF C32 85-87 / DANTE INF C32 85-87 / KLINE
Lo duca stette, e io dissi a colui The Master stood, and I said to that shade
che bestemmiava duramente ancora: which still reviled me bitterly:
Qual se' tu che così rampogni altrui? Who are you, who reproach others in this way?
207
BOCCA / URANIA:
INF C32 88-90 / DANTE INF C32 88-90 / KLINE
Or tu chi se' che vai per l'Antenora, No, who are you, he answered, who go through
percotendo, rispuose, altrui le gote, the Antenora striking the faces of others, in such a
sì che, se fossi vivo, troppo fora? way, that if you were alive, it would be an insult?
DANTE:
INF C32 91-93 / DANTE INF C32 91-93 / KLINE
Vivo son io, e caro esser ti puote, I replied: I am alive, and if you long for fame,
fu mia risposta, se dimandi fama, it might be a precious thing to you,
ch'io metta il nome tuo tra l'altre note. if I put your name among the others.
BOCCA / URANIA:
INF C32 94-96 / DANTE INF C32 94-96 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: Del contrario ho io brama. And he to me: I long for the opposite:
Lèvati quinci e non mi dar più lagna, take yourself off, and annoy me no more:
ché mal sai lusingar per questa lama! since you little know how to flatter on this icy
slope.
DANTE SEIZES BOCCA./.URANIA BY THE HAIR. HE./.SHE GRUNTS.
DANTE:
INF C32 97-99 / DANTE INF C32 97-99 / KLINE
Allor lo presi per la cuticagna Then I seized him by the back of the scalp,
e dissi: El converrà che tu ti nomi, and said: You need to name yourself,
o che capel qui sù non ti rimagna. before there is not a hair left on your head!
BOCCA / URANIA:
INF C32 100-102 / DANTE INF C32 100-102 / KLINE
Ond' elli a me: «Perché tu mi dischiomi, At which he said to me: Even if you pluck me,
né ti dirò ch'io sia, né mosterrolti, I will not tell you who I am, nor demonstrate it to
se mille fiate in sul capo mi tomi». you, though you tear at my head, a thousand times.
INF C32 103-106 / KLINE
I already had his hair coiled in my hand, and had pulled away more than one tuft of it, while he barked, and kept his
eyes down, when another spirit cried:
BUOSO./.POLYHYMNIA RAISES HER HEAD.
BUOSO DE DUERA / POLYHYMNIA:
INF C32 106-108 / DANTE INF C32 106-108 / KLINE
quando un altro gridò: «Che hai tu, Bocca? What is wrong with you, Bocca, is it not enough
non ti basta sonar con le mascelle, that you chatter with your jaws,
se tu non latri? qual diavol ti tocca?» but you have to bark too? What devil is at you?

DANTE SPEAKS TO BOCCA./.URANIA.
DANTE:
INF C32 109-111 / DANTE INF C32 109-111 / KLINE
«Omai», diss' io, «non vo' che più favelle, I said: Now, accursed traitor, I do not want
malvagio traditor; ch'a la tua onta you to speak: since I will carry
io porterò di te vere novelle». true news of you, to your shame.
BOCCA./.URANIA REPLIES WITH SISTERLY BITCHINESS.
BOCCA / URANIA:
INF C32 112-114 / DANTE INF C32 112-114 / KLINE
«Va via», rispuose, «e ciò che tu vuoi conta; He answered: Go, and say what you please, but,
ma non tacer, se tu di qua entro eschi, if you get out from here, do not be silent about
di quel ch'ebbe or così la lingua pronta. him, who had his tongue so ready just now.
208
INF C32 115-117 / DANTE
El piange qui l'argento de' Franceschi: Here he regrets taking French silver. You can say,
"Io vidi", potrai dir, "quel da Duera “I saw Buoso de Duera, there,
là dove i peccatori stanno freschi". where the sinners stand caught in the ice.”
INF C32 118-120 / DANTE
Se fossi domandato "Altri chi v'era?", If you are asked who else was there,
tu hai dallato quel di Beccheria you have Tesauro de’ Beccheria,
di cui segò Fiorenza la gorgiera. whose throat was slit by Florence.
TESAURO DE’ BECCARIA, TESAURO DE’ BECCHERIA OF PAVIA, ABBOT OF VALLOMBROSA & LEGATE OF POPE ALEXANDER
IV IN FLORENCE, PLOTTED AGAINST THE GUELPHS, AFTER THE GHIBELLINES HAD BEEN EXPELLED IN 1258 & WAS EXECUTED.
INF C32 121-123 / DANTE
Gianni de' Soldanier credo che sia Gianni de’ Soldanier is further on, with Ganelon,
più là con Ganellone e Tebaldello, and Tribaldello, who unbarred the gate
ch'aprì Faenza quando si dormia». of Faenza while it slept.
GIANNI DE’ SOLDANIER: A GHIBELLINE WHO BECAME LEADER OF THE GUELPH COMMONS OF FLORENCE WHEN THEY
REBELLED AGAINST GUIDO NOVELLO & THE GHIBELLINE NOBLES AFTER MANFRED’S DEFEAT AT BENEVENTO (1265).
GANELON (GANELLON): DECEIVED CHARLEMAGNE WHEN ROLAND (ORLANDO) SOUNDED HORN AT THE BATTLE OF
RONCESVALLES
TRIBALDELLO: TEBALDELLO; ONE OF THE ZAMBRASI OF FAENZA WHO HAD A SPITE AGAINST THE GHIBELLINE LAMBERTAZZI,
A BOLOGNESE FAMILY, OPENED THE GATE TO THEIR ENEMIES, THE GEREMEI, A BOLOGNESE GUELPH FAMILY, AFTER THE
LAMBERTAZZI HAD TAKEN REFUGE IN FAENZA IN 1280.
INF C32 124-132 / KLINE
We had already left him, when I saw I saw two spirits frozen in a hole, so close together that the one head capped
the other, and the uppermost set his teeth into the other, as bread is chewed, out of hunger, there where the back of
the head joins the nape. Tydeus gnawed the head of Menalippus, no differently, out of rage, than this one the skull
and other parts.
THE LIGHT ABOVE THEM SWITCHES OFF ABRUPTLY AND ANOTHER SHINES ON COUNT
UGOLINO, IMPERSONATED BY MELPOMENE, WHO SITS, LEANING FORWARD. HE./.SHE
HOLDS HER BOOK CLOSE TO HER FACE, ITS FRONT COVER SHOWING THE TRAGIC MASK.
THE MASK REPRESENTS THE SKULL OF RUGGIERI DEGLI UBALDINI WHICH UGOLINO
GNAWS IN L’INFERNO THE POEM.

209
COUNT UGOLINO GHERARDESCA *---- ? - 1289 AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
PISA. (IRRELEVANT).
DESCRIPTION
SEEN ONLY: MUSE MELPOMENE. DANTE VOICES UGOLINO’S WORDS.
COUNT UGOLINO GHERARDESCA: A LEADING GUELPH OF PISA. IN 1288 UGOLINO INTRIGUED WITH ARCHBISHOP RUGGIERI
DEGLI UBALDINI. THE ARCHBISHOP HOWEVER BETRAYED HIM & HAD UGOLINO & 4 OF HIS SONS & GRANDSONS (GADDO,
UGUCCIONE; NINO (BRIGATA), ANSELMUCCIO (‘LITTLE ANSELM’) IMPRISONED IN THE TORRE DEI GUALANDI IN JULY 1288.
WHEN GUIDO DA MONTEFELTRO TOOK COMMAND OF THE PISAN FORCES, IN MARCH 1289, THE KEYS WERE THROWN INTO
THE RIVER ARNO & THE PRISONERS LEFT TO STARVE TO DEATH, EVEN A PRIEST BEING DENIED THEM. THE TOWER WAS KNOWN
AFTERWARDS AS THE TORRE DELLA FAME, THE TOWER OF FAMINE. UGOLINO HAD PREVIOUSLY ACQUIRED A REPUTATION BY
THE SURRENDER OF CERTAIN CASTLES TO THE FLORENTINE & LUCCHESE AFTER THE DEFEAT OF THE PISANS BY THE GENOESE
AT MELORIA IN 1284. (THE ISLANDS OF CAPRARA & GORGONA MENTIONED, NORTH-WEST OF ELBA & SW OF LIVORNO
RESPECTIVELY, WERE HELD BY PISA AT THE TIME.)
♫INFERNAL: COLD: EXTREME * * * * * * * * * *
INF C32 123
UGOLINO./.MELPOMENE GIVES AN EXTREME (JAPANESE) STYLISED ACCOUNT OF
CANNIBALISING HIS./.HER OWN CHILDREN. DANTE SPEAKS ALL THE WORDS.
UGOLINO./.MELPOMENE HOLDS THE MASK AWAY FROM HIS./.HER FACE, SHOWING TEETH.
DANTE:
INF C32 133-135 / DANTE INF C32 133-135 / KLINE
«O tu che mostri per sì bestial segno I said: O you, who, in such a brutal way,
odio sovra colui che tu ti mangi, inflict the mark of your hatred, on him,
dimmi 'l perché», diss' io, «per tal convegno, whom you devour, tell me why:
INF C32 136-138 / DANTE
che se tu a ragion di lui ti piangi, on condition that, if you complain of him with
sappiendo chi voi siete e la sua pecca, reason, I, knowing who you are, and his offence,
nel mondo suso ancora io te ne cangi, may repay you still in the world above,
INF C32 139 / DANTE
se quella con ch'io parlo non si secca». if the tongue I speak with is not withered.
DANTE CLOSES THE CANTO.
DANTE:
INF C32 136-138 / DANTE INF C32 136-138 / KLINE
che se tu a ragion di lui ti piangi, on condition that, if you complain of him with
reason,
sappiendo chi voi siete e la sua pecca, I, knowing who you are, and his offence,
nel mondo suso ancora io te ne cangi, may repay you still in the world above,
INF C32 139 / DANTE
se quella con ch'io parlo non si secca». if the tongue I speak with is not withered.
UGOLINO./.MELPOMENE RAISES HIS./.HER HEAD AND PUTS THE BACK OF THE BOOK AGAINST
HIS./.HER FACE TO COVER IT.
CANTO 33

210
DANTE:
INF C33 1-3 / DANTE INF C33 1-3 / KLINE
La bocca sollevò dal fiero pasto That sinner raised his mouth from the savage feast,
quel peccator, forbendola a' capelli wiping it on the hair,
del capo ch'elli avea di retro guasto. of the head he had stripped behind.
UGOLINO./.MELPOMENE SLIDES THE BOOK UP TO SHOW HIS./.HER OPEN MOUTH, THEN
SLIDES IT DOWN TO SHOW GRIEVING EYES.
DANTE:
INF C33 4-6 / DANTE INF C33 4-6 / KLINE
Poi cominciò: «Tu vuo' ch'io rinovelli Then he began: You wish me to renew desperate
disperato dolor che 'l cor mi preme grief, that wrings my heart at the very thought,
già pur pensando, pria ch'io ne favelli. before I even tell of it.
INF C33 7-9 / DANTE
Ma se le mie parole esser dien seme But if my words are to be the seed, that bears
che frutti infamia al traditor ch'i' rodo, fruit, in the infamy, of the traitor whom I gnaw,
parlar e lagrimar vedrai insieme. you will see me speak and weep together.
INF C33 10-12 / KLINE
I do not know who you are, nor by what means you have come down here, but when I hear you, you seem to me, in
truth, a Florentine.
UGOLINO./.MELPOMENE HOLDS THE BOOK OUT AT ARM’S LENGTH, THE MASK POINTING
TOWARDS HIM./.HER. HE./.SHE FEELS HIS./.HER OWN FACE WITH THE OTHER HAND, THEN
DARTS THE HAND OUT ACCUSINGLY AT THE MASK.
DANTE:
INF C33 13-15 / DANTE INF C33 13-15 / KLINE
Tu dei saper ch'i' fui conte Ugolino, You must know that I am Count Ugolino, and
e questi è l'arcivescovo Ruggieri: this is the Archbishop Ruggieri. Now I will tell
or ti dirò perché i son tal vicino. you why I am a neighbour such as this to him.
INF C33 16-18 / DANTE
Che per l'effetto de' suo' mai pensieri, It is not necessary to say that, confiding in him,
fidandomi di lui, io fossi preso I was taken, through the effects of
e poscia morto, dir non è mestieri; his evil schemes, and afterwards killed.
INF C33 19-21 / DANTE
però quel che non puoi avere inteso, But what you cannot have learnt,
cioè come la morte mia fu cruda, how cruel my death was, you will hear:
udirai, e saprai s'e' m'ha offeso. and know if he has injured me.
UGOLINO./.MELPOMENE STANDS AND STARES FOR A LONG TIME TOWARDS THE BACK OF
THE STAGE, THROUGH THE CURTAIN, THE BOOK IN HIS./.HER HANGING HAND. HE./.SHE
TURNS QUICKLY AND BRINGS THE MASK ON THE BOOK UP TO THE FACE AND IMMEDIATELY
TURNS IT SO THAT THE MASK FACES THE AUDIENCE.
HE./.SHE SLIDES THE MASK SIDEWAYS, TO SHOW HALF THE FACE AND STANDS STILL
THROUGHOUT THE FOLLOWING.
DANTE:
INF C33 22-24 / DANTE INF C33 22-24 / KLINE
Breve pertugio dentro da la Muda, A narrow hole inside that tower,
la qual per me ha 'l titol de la fame, which is called Famine, from my death,
e che conviene ancor ch'altrui si chiuda, and in which others must yet be imprisoned,

INF C33 25-27 / DANTE
m'avea mostrato per lo suo forame had already shown me several moons
più lune già, quand' io feci 'l mal sonno through its opening, when I slept an evil sleep
che del futuro mi squarciò 'l velame. that tore the curtain of the future for me.
211
INF C33 28-30 / DANTE
Questi pareva a me maestro e donno, This man seemed to me the lord, and master,
cacciando il lupo e ' lupicini al monte chasing the wolf and its whelps, on Monte di San
per che i Pisan veder Lucca non ponno. Guiliano, that blocks the view of Lucca from the
Pisans.
INF C33 31-33 / DANTE
Con cagne magre, studïose e conte He had the Gualandi, Sismondi and
Gualandi con Sismondi e con Lanfranchi Lanfranchi running with him,
s'avea messi dinanzi da la fronte. with hounds, slender, keen, and agile.
INF C33 34-36 / DANTE
In picciol corso mi parieno stanchi After a short chase the father and his sons
lo padre e ' figli, e con l'agute scane seemed weary to me, and I thought
mi parea lor veder fender li fianchi. I saw their flanks torn by sharp teeth.
♫INFERNAL: COLD: DREAM * * * * * * * * * *
INF C33 21
Ending with a cold version of Euterpe’s horn notes or a reveille.
AS THE DREAM MUSIC SOUNDS, DANTE MAY BE ABLE TO DISCREETLY DELIVER THE
ITALIAN VERSE AFTER THE ENGLISH.
DANTE:
INF C33 22-24 / DANTE INF C33 22-24 / KLINE
Breve pertugio dentro da la Muda, A narrow hole inside that tower,
la qual per me ha 'l titol de la fame, which is called Famine, from my death,
e che conviene ancor ch'altrui si chiuda, and in which others must yet be imprisoned,
INF C33 25-27 / DANTE
m'avea mostrato per lo suo forame had already shown me several moons
più lune già, quand' io feci 'l mal sonno through its opening, when I slept an evil sleep
che del futuro mi squarciò 'l velame. that tore the curtain of the future for me.
INF C33 28-30 / DANTE
Questi pareva a me maestro e donno, This man seemed to me the lord, and master,
chasing
cacciando il lupo e ' lupicini al monte the wolf and its whelps, on Monte di San Guiliano,
per che i Pisan veder Lucca non ponno. that blocks the view of Lucca from the Pisans.
INF C33 31-33 / DANTE
Con cagne magre, studïose e conte He had the Gualandi, Sismondi and
Gualandi con Sismondi e con Lanfranchi Lanfranchi running with him,
s'avea messi dinanzi da la fronte. with hounds, slender, keen, and agile.
INF C33 34-36 / DANTE
In picciol corso mi parieno stanchi After a short chase the father and his sons
lo padre e ' figli, e con l'agute scane seemed weary to me, and I thought
mi parea lor veder fender li fianchi. I saw their flanks torn by sharp teeth.

♫INFERNAL: COLD: BLANK DAY * * * * * * * * * *
INF C33 21
DANTE:
INF C33 37-39 / DANTE INF C33 37-39 / KLINE
Quando fui desto innanzi la dimane, When I woke, before dawn, I heard my sons,
pianger senti' fra 'l sonno i miei figliuoli who were with me, crying in their sleep,
ch'eran con meco, e dimandar del pane. and asking for food.
212
INF C33 40-42 / DANTE
Ben se' crudel, se tu già non ti duoli You are truly cruel if you do not sorrow
pensando ciò che 'l mio cor s'annunziava; already at the thought of what my heart presaged:
e se non piangi, di che pianger suoli? and if you do not weep, what do you weep at?
INF C33 43-45 / DANTE
Già eran desti, e l'ora s'appressava They were awake now, and the hour nearing,
che 'l cibo ne solëa essere addotto, at which our food used to be brought to us,
e per suo sogno ciascun dubitava; and each of us was anxious from dreaming,
INF C33 46-48 / DANTE
e io senti' chiavar l'uscio di sotto when below I heard the door of the terrible
a l'orribile torre; ond' io guardai tower locked up: at which I gazed into the faces
nel viso a' mie' figliuoi sanza far motto. of my sons, without saying a word.
INF C33 49-51 / DANTE
Io non piangëa, sì dentro impetrai: I did not weep: I grew like stone inside:
piangevan elli; e Anselmuccio mio they wept: and my little Anselm said to me:
disse: ``Tu guardi sì, padre! che hai?". “Father you stare so, what is wrong?”
INF C33 52-54 / DANTE
Perciò non lagrimai né rispuos' io But I shed no tears, and did not answer,
tutto quel giorno né la notte appresso, all that day, or the next night,
infin che l'altro sol nel mondo uscìo. till another sun rose over the world.
INF C33 55-57 / DANTE
Come un poco di raggio si fu messo When a little ray of light was sent
nel doloroso carcere, e io scorsi into the mournful gaol, and I saw in
per quattro visi il mio aspetto stesso, their four faces, the aspect of my own,
INF C33 58-60 / DANTE
ambo le man per lo dolor mi morsi; I bit my hands from grief.
ed ei, pensando ch'io 'l fessi per voglia And they, thinking that I did it
di manicar, di sùbito levorsi from hunger, suddenly stood,
INF C33 61-63 / DANTE
e disser: ``Padre, assai ci fia men doglia and said: “Father, it will give us less pain, if you
se tu mangi di noi: tu ne vestisti gnaw at us: you put this miserable flesh on us,
queste misere carni, e tu le spoglia". now strip it off, again.”
INF C33 64-66 / DANTE
Queta'mi allor per non farli più tristi; Then I calmed myself, in order not to make them
lo dì e l'altro stemmo tutti muti; more unhappy: that day and the next we all were
ahi dura terra, perché non t'apristi? silent. Ah, solid earth, why did you not open?
INF C33 67-69 / DANTE
Poscia che fummo al quarto dì venuti, When we had come to the fourth day, Gaddo
Gaddo mi si gittò disteso a' piedi, threw himself down at my feet, saying:
dicendo: ``Padre mio, ché non m'aiuti?". “My father, why do you not help me?”

INF C33 70-72 / DANTE
Quivi morì; e come tu mi vedi, There he died, and even as you see me,
vid' io cascar li tre ad uno ad uno I saw the three others fall one by one, between
tra 'l quinto dì e 'l sesto; ond' io mi diedi, the fifth and sixth days: at which, already blind,
213
INF C33 73-75 / DANTE
già cieco, a brancolar sovra ciascuno, I took to groping over each of them, and called
e due dì li chiamai, poi che fur morti. out to them for three days, when they were dead:
Poscia, più che 'l dolor, poté 'l digiuno». then fasting, at last, had power to overcome grief.
UGOLINO./.MELPOMENE DROPS TO HIS./.HER ORIGINAL SITTING POSITION AND SLIDES THE
MASK SIDEWAYS TO HIDE THE WHOLE FACE. THE LIGHT SWITCHES OFF.
♫INFERNAL * * * * * * * * * *
INF C33 75
DANTE TURNS TO THE AUDIENCE. VIRGIL INTERPRETS./.TRANSLATES.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C33 76-78 / DANTE INF C33 76-78 / KLINE
Quand' ebbe detto ciò, con li occhi torti When he had spoken this, he seized the wretched
skull
riprese 'l teschio misero co' denti, again with his teeth, which were as strong
che furo a l'osso, come d'un can, forti. as a dog’s on the bone, his eyes distorted.
INF C33 79-81 / DANTE
Ahi Pisa, vituperio de le genti Ah Pisa, shame among the people, of the lovely
land
del bel paese là dove 'l sì suona, where ‘si’ is heard, let the isles of Caprara
poi che i vicini a te punir son lenti, and Gorgona shift and block the Arno at its mouth,
INF C33 82-84 / DANTE
muovasi la Capraia e la Gorgona, since your neighbours are so slow
e faccian siepe ad Arno in su la foce, to punish you, so that it may
sì ch'elli annieghi in te ogne persona! drown every living soul.
INF C33 85-90 / KLINE
Since if Count Ugolino had the infamy of having betrayed your castles, you ought not to have put his sons to the
torture. Their youth made Uguccione and Brigata, and the other two my words above have named, innocents, you
modern Thebes.
DANTE AND VIRGIL LOOK OFFSTAGE AT OTHER FROZEN SOULS.
INF C33 91-93 / KLINE
We went further on, where the rugged frost encases another people, not bent down but reversed completely.
VIRGIL:
INF C33 94-96 / DANTE INF C33 94-96 / KLINE
Lo pianto stesso lì pianger non lascia, The very weeping there prevents them weeping:
e 'l duol che truova in su li occhi rintoppo, and the grief that makes an impediment to their
sight,
si volge in entro a far crescer l'ambascia; turns inward to increase their agony:

INF C33 97-99 / DANTE
ché le lagrime prime fanno groppo, since the first tears form a knot,
e sì come visiere di cristallo, and like a crystal visor,
rïempion sotto 'l ciglio tutto il coppo. fill the cavities below their eyebrows.
INF C33 100-110 / KLINE
And though all feeling had left my face, through the cold, as though from a callus, it seemed to me now as if I felt a
breeze, at which I said: ‘Master, what causes this? Is the heat not all quenched here below?’ At which he said to me:
‘Soon you will be where your own eyes, will answer that, seeing the source that generates the air.’
214
FRIAR ALBERIGO (VOICE):
INF C33 109-111 / DANTE INF C33 109-111 / KLINE
E un de' tristi de la fredda crosta And one of the sad shadows, in the icy crust,
gridò a noi: O anime crudeli cried out to us: O spirits, so cruel that the last place
tanto che data v'è l'ultima posta, of all is reserved for you,
FRIAR ALBERIGO MANFREDI *---- ? - 1300 + AGE : *-- ?
PLACE./.LANGUAGE ETC
FAENZA.
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
ALBERIGO MANFREDI OF FAENZA, ONE OF THE FRATI GAUDENTI, THE JOVIAL FRIARS, AVENGED A BLOW FROM HIS YOUNGER
BROTHER MANFRED, IN 1284, BY INVITING HIM, AND HIS SON, TO A BANQUET IN 1285, AND AT A GIVEN SIGNAL ‘BRING THE
FRUITS’ MANFRED AND HIS SON WERE MURDERED. LE MALE FRUTTA (THE EVIL FRUIT) DI FRATE ALBERIGO BECAME A
PROVERB. HE WAS STILL ALIVE IN 1300, THE DATE OF THE VISION.
FRIAR ALBERIGO (VOICE):
INF C33 112-114 / DANTE INF C33 112-114 / KLINE
levatemi dal viso i duri veli, remove the solid veils from my face, that I
sì ch'ïo sfoghi 'l duol che 'l cor m'impregna, might vent the grief a little that chokes my heart,
un poco, pria che 'l pianto si raggeli». before the tears freezes again.
INF C33 115-126 / KLINE
At which I said to him: If you would have my help, tell me who you are: and if I do not disburden you, may I have
to journey to the depths of the ice.’ He replied to that: ‘I am Friar Alberigo, I am he of the fruits of the evil garden,
who here receive dates made of ice, to match my figs.’ I said to him: ‘O, are you dead already?’ And he to me:
‘How my body stands in the world above, I do not know, such is the power of this Ptolomaea, that the soul often
falls down here, before Atropos cuts the thread.
DANTE LOOKS INTO THE DARKNESS AND ADDRESSES VIRGIL AND./.OR THE AUDIENCE.
DANTE:
Alberigo Manfredi…Jovial Friar…He invited his
brother and nephew to a banquet and had them
murdered at the signal “Bring the fruits”.
FRIAR ALBERIGO (VOICE):
INF C33 127-129 / DANTE INF C33 127-129 / KLINE
E perché tu più volentier mi rade And so that you may more willingly clear
le 'nvetrïate lagrime dal volto, the frozen tears from my face,
sappie che, tosto che l'anima trade know Know that when the soul betrays,
INF C33 130-132 / DANTE
come fec' ïo, il corpo suo l'è tolto as mine did, her body is taken
da un demonio, che poscia il governa from her by a demon, there and then,
mentre che 'l tempo suo tutto sia vòlto. who rules it after that, till its time is complete.
INF C33 133-135 / DANTE
Ella ruina in sì fatta cisterna; She falls, plunging down to this well: and perhaps
e forse pare ancor lo corpo suso the body of this other shade, that winters here,
de l'ombra che di qua dietro mi verna. behind me, is still visible in the world above.

215
INF C33 136-147 / KLINE
You must know it, if you have only now come down here: it is Ser Branca d’Oria, and many years have passed since
he was imprisoned here.’ I said to him: ‘I believe you are lying to me: Branca d’Oria is not dead, and eats and
drinks, and sleeps, and puts on his clothes.’ He said: ‘Michel Zanche had not yet arrived, in the ditch of the
Malebranche above, there where the tenacious pitch boils, when this man left a devil in his place in his own body,
and one in the body of his kinsman who did the treachery with him.
INF C33 148 / DANTE INF C33 148-149 / KLINE
Ma distendi oggimai in qua la mano; But reach your hand here: open my eyes.’
aprimi li occhi». E io non gliel' apersi; And I did not open them for him:
DANTE FOLDS HIS ARMS AND WALKS AWAY WITH VIRGIL. HE CLOSES THE CANTO,
WRITING.
DANTE:
INF C33 148-150 / DANTE INF C33 148-150 / KLINE
Ma distendi oggimai in qua la mano; But reach your hand here: open my eyes.’
aprimi li occhi». E io non gliel' apersi; And I did not open them for him:
e cortesia fu lui esser villano. and it It was a courtesy to be rude to him.
DANTE:
INF C33 148-150 / DANTE INF C33 148-150 / KLINE
Ma distendi oggimai in qua la mano; But reach your hand here: open my eyes.’
aprimi li occhi». E io non gliel' apersi; And I did not open them for him:
e cortesia fu lui esser villano. and it was a courtesy to be rude to him.
INF C33 151-153 / DANTE
Ahi Genovesi, uomini diversi Ah, Genoese, men divorced from all morality,
d'ogne costume e pien d'ogne magagna, and filled with every corruption,
perché non siete voi del mondo spersi? why are you not dispersed from off the earth?
INF C33 154-157 / KLINE
I found the worst spirit of Romagna was one of you, who for his actions even now bathes, as a soul, in Cocytus, and
still seems alive on earth, in his own body.
CANTO 34

VEXILLA REGIS: ASCENT & DAMN!
216
VIRGIL:
INF C34 1-3 / DANTE INF C34 1-3 / KLINE
«Vexilla regis prodeunt inferni Vexilla Regis prodeunt inferni, the banners of the
verso di noi; però dinanzi mira», King of Hell advance towards us: so look in front
disse 'l maestro mio, «se tu 'l discerni». of you to see if you discern him,’ said my Master.
♫INFERNAL: A SINGLE LOUD NOTE * * * * * * * * * *
INF C34 2
INF C34 4-27 / KLINE
I seemed to see a tall structure, as a mill, that the wind turns, seems from a distance, when a dense mist breathes, or
when night falls in our hemisphere, and I shrank back behind my guide, because of the wind, since there was no
other shelter. I had already come, and with fear I put it into words, where the souls were completely enclosed, and
shone through like straw in glass. Some are lying down, some stand upright, one on its head, another on the soles of
its feet, another bent head to foot, like a bow. When we had gone on far enough, that my guide was able to show me
Lucifer, the monster who was once so fair, he removed himself from me, and made me stop, saying: ‘Behold Dis,
and behold the place where you must arm yourself with courage.’ Reader, do not ask how chilled and hoarse I
became, then, since I do not write it, since all words would fail to tell it. I did not die, yet I was not alive. Think,
yourself, now, if you have any grain of imagination, what I became, deprived of either state.
INF C34 28-33
The emperor of the sorrowful kingdom stood, waist upwards, from the ice, and I am nearer to a giant in size than the
giants are to one of his arms: think how great the whole is that corresponds to such a part. If he was once as fair, as
he is now ugly, and lifted up his forehead against his Maker, well may all evil flow from him. O how great a wonder
it seemed to me, when I saw three faces on his head! The one in front was fiery red: the other two were joined to it,
above the centre of each shoulder, and linked at the top, and the right hand one seemed whitish-yellow: the left was
black to look at, like those who come from where the Nile rises. Under each face sprang two vast wings, of a size fit
for such a bird: I never saw ship’s sails as wide. They had no feathers, but were like a bat’s in form and texture, and
he was flapping them, so that three winds blew out away from him, by which all Cocytus was frozen. He wept from
six eyes, and tears and bloody spume gushed down three chins. He chewed a sinner between his teeth, with every
mouth, like a grinder, so, in that way, he kept three of them in torment.
DANTE’S LUCIFER IS A GROTESQUE, IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT ON THE STAGE.
INF C34 68-81 / KLINE
But night is ascending, [6 PM Sat] and now we must go, since we have seen it all.’ I clasped his neck, as he wished,
and he seized the time and place, and when the wings were wide open, grasped Satan’s shaggy sides, and then from
tuft to tuft, climbed down, between the matted hair and frozen crust. When we had come to where the thigh joint
turns, just at the swelling of the haunch, my guide, with effort and difficulty, reversed his head to where his feet had
been, and grabbed the hair like a climber, so that I thought we were dropping back to Hell.
DANTE STARES AND STARTS FAINTING. VIRGIL HOLDS HIM UP AND STEPS FORWARD INTO
THE DARKNESS.
VIRGIL: or VIRGIL:
INF C34 82-84 / DANTE INF C34 82-84 / KLINE
Attienti ben, ché per cotali scale», Hold tight., said my guide, panting
disse 'l maestro, ansando com' uom lasso, like a man exhausted, ‘since by these stairs,
«conviensi dipartir da tanto male». we must depart from all this evil.’

♫HYMN: VEXILLA REGIS * * * * * * * * * *
INF C34 84 from INF C34 1-2
From various sources:
Vexilla Regis was written by Venantius Fortunatus (530-609) and is considered one of the greatest hymns of the
liturgy. Fortunatus wrote it in honor of the arrival of a large relic of the True Cross which had been sent to
Queen Radegunda by the Emperor Justin II and his Empress Sophia. Queen Radegunda had retired to a convent
she had built near Poitiers and was seeking out relics for the church there. To help celebrate the arrival of the
relic, the Queen asked Fortunatus to write a hymn for the procession of the relic to the church.
http://Home.earthlink.net/~thesaurus/thesaurus/Hymni/Vexilla.html Michael Martin
This "world-famous hymn, one of the grandest in the treasury of the Latin Church" (Neale), and "surely one of
the most stirring strains in our hymnology" (Duffield)…
…Its original processional use is commemorated in the Roman Missal on Good Friday, when the Blessed
Sacrament is carried in procession from the Repository to the High Altar. Its principal use however, is in the
Divine Office, the Roman Breviary assigning it to Vespers from the Saturday before Passion Sunday daily to
Maundy Thursday, and to Vespers of feasts of the Holy Cross.
The correctors of the Breviary under Urban VIII [1632] revised Fortunatus’ hymn in the interest of classical
prosody…The correctors replaced the last two lines of the first stanza by those of the eighth, and changed
"reddidit" into "protulit", giving us the 1 st verse:
Vexilla regis prodeunt, Abroad the royal banners fly
Fulget crucis mysterium, And bear the gleaming Cross on high -
Qua vita mortem pertulit That Cross whereon Life suffered death
Et morta vitam protulit. And gave us life with dying breath.
One of about 40 translations
The splendour and triumph suggested by the first stanza can be appreciated fully only by recalling the occasion
when the hymn was first sung--the triumphant procession from the walls of Poitiers to the monastery with
bishops and princes in attendance and with all the pomp and pageantry of a great ecclesiastical function. "And
still, after thirteen centuries, how great is our emotion as these imperishable accents come to our ears!"
(Pimont). Gounod took a very plain melody based on the chant as the subject of his "March to Calvary" in the
"Redemption", in which the chorus sings the text at first very slowly and then, after an interval, fortissimo. H.T.
HENRY The Catholic Encyclopedia Online Edition © 2003 by K. Knight
IN THE DARK, THE FAMOUS HYMN HAS NEW WORDS.
Abroad [the] infernal banners fly
The King of Hell, himself, is nigh.
………………………………….
THE INFERNAL VERSION OF SATAN’S FALL IS A GLOSS.
Brilliant, beautiful and bold
Was Lucifer, and God was old.
The homeward Angel found the Gate
Barred and could [did] not stand or wait
To serve, but [or He] shook and fell, poor leaf,
Red with shame, then black with grief.
INF C34 85-93 / KLINE
Then he clambered into an opening in the rock, and set me down to sit on its edge, then turned his cautious step
towards me. I raised my eyes, thinking to see Lucifer as I had left him, but saw him with his legs projecting
upwards, and let those denser people, who do not see what point I had passed, judge if I was confused then, or not.
217

THE DARK BECOMES DIMNESS. WE SEE DANTE AND VIRGIL WALKING UP, VIRTUALLY FOR THE FIRST
TIME - DOING THE STEPS-AND-BEHIND-THE-CURTAIN CIRCUIT IN REVERSE.
INF C34 94-99 / KLINE
My Master said:‘Get up, on your feet: the way is long, and difficult the road, and the sun already returns to midtierce’.
Where we stood was no palace hall, but a natural cell with a rough floor, and short of light.
DANTE:
INF C34 100-102 / DANTE INF C34 100-102 / KLINE
«Prima ch'io de l'abisso mi divella, When I had risen, I said: My Master,
maestro mio», diss' io quando fui dritto, before I leave the abyss, speak to me a while,
«a trarmi d'erro un poco mi favella: and lead me out of error.
INF C34 103-105 / DANTE
ov' è la ghiaccia? e questi com' è fitto Where is the ice? And why is this monster
sì sottosopra? e come, in sì poc' ora, fixed upside down? And how has the sun moved
da sera a mane ha fatto il sol tragitto?». from evening to dawn in so short a time?
218
VIRGIL:
INF C34 106-108 / DANTE INF C34 106-108 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Tu imagini ancora And he to me: You imagine you are still on the
d'esser di là dal centro, ov' io mi presi other side of the earth’s centre, where I caught hold
al pel del vermo reo che 'l mondo fóra. of the Evil Worm’s hair, he who pierces the world.
INF C34 109-111 / DANTE INF C34 109-111 / KLINE
Di là fosti cotanto quant' io scesi; You were on that side of it, as long as I climbed
quand' io mi volsi, tu passasti 'l punto down, but when I reversed myself, you passed the
al qual si traggon d'ogne parte i pesi. point to which weight is drawn, from everywhere:
INF C34 112-114 / DANTE
E se' or sotto l'emisperio giunto and are now in the southern hemisphere, below the
ch'è contraposto a quel che la gran secca hemisphere opposite that which covers the wide
dry
coverchia, e sotto 'l cui colmo consunto land, and opposite that under whose zenith the Man
was crucified, who was born, and lived,
THE MEDIAEVAL WORLD CONTAINED A KNOWN HEMISPHERE OF LAND (THE NORTHERN, THE KNOWN WORLD) & A
HEMISPHERE OF WATER…THE MOUNTAIN OF PURGATORY , RISING OUT OF THE SEA AT A POINT DIRECTLY OPPOSITE
JERUSALEM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLOBE…[IS] AN ISLAND IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN. [LONGFELLOW]
INF C34 115-117 / DANTE
fu l'uom che nacque e visse sanza pecca; without sin. You have your feet
tu haï i piedi in su picciola spera on a little sphere that forms
che l'altra faccia fa de la Giudecca. the other side of the Judecca, the circle of Judas.
INF C34 118-120 / DANTE
Qui è da man, quando di là è sera; Here it is morning, when it is evening there:
e questi, che ne fé scala col pelo, and he who made a ladder for us
fitto è ancora sì come prim' era. of his hair is still as he was before.
INF C34 121-123 / DANTE
Da questa parte cadde giù dal cielo; He fell from Heaven on this side of the earth, and
the
e la terra, che pria di qua si sporse, land that projected here before, veiled itself with
the
per paura di lui fé del mar velo, ocean for fear of him, and entered our hemisphere:
INF C34 124-126 / DANTE
e venne a l'emisperio nostro; e forse and that which now projects on this side,
per fuggir lui lasciò qui loco vòto left an empty space here, and shot outwards,
quella ch'appar di qua, e sù ricorse». maybe in order to escape from him.
THE REVISED VEXILLA REGIS ENDS AND LUCIFER, HAVING FAILED TO RECRUIT DANTE AND VIRGIL,
DAMNS THEM AS THEY CLIMB.

LUCIFER
DESCRIPTION
VOICE ONLY.
Damn God’s spies!
Damn your books. They’re packs of lies
HE GOES ON TO DAMN THE PEOPLE OF ALL NATIONS…
…………….………………
Damn Italians, those who are
From Florence in particular.
…THE SONNET AND SICILY FOR INVENTING IT, TERZA RIMA, SONG AND SINGERS, THE SAINTS, FAITH,
HOPE AND LOVE:
Damn the ladies, Be-a-tri-ce
Not included: what a peach, eh,
Dante! Do I see your Gemma
In the Sienese Maremma?
MOST OF THE DAMNING IS STILL BEING COMPOSED. SATAN FINISHES WITH
RETURNED
Damn the Primum Mobile,
The colours in eternal play,
The whirling planetary spheres,
The music for immortal ears,
The Empyrean - the sham!
Whatever I may be, I am!
DAMN!
VIRGIL EMERGES FROM THE LOWER STEPS, DANTE BEHIND HIM. THEY STEP FORWARD INTO THE BRIGHT
LIGHT AND RAISE THEIR EYES.
VIRGIL:
INF C34 127-129 / DANTE INF C34 127-129 / KLINE
Luogo è là giù da Belzebù remoto Down there, is a space, as far from Beelzebub
tanto quanto la tomba si distende, as his cave extends, not known by sight,
che non per vista, ma per suono è noto but by the sound
INF C34 130-132 / DANTE
d'un ruscelletto che quivi discende of a stream falling through it, along the bed
per la buca d'un sasso, ch'elli ha roso, of rock it has hollowed out,
col corso ch'elli avvolge, e poco pende. into a winding course, and a slow incline.
INF C34 133-135 / DANTE
Lo duca e io per quel cammino ascoso The guide and I We entered by that hidden path,
intrammo a ritornar nel chiaro mondo; to return to the clear world: and,
e sanza cura aver d'alcun riposo, not caring to rest,
219

INF C34 136-138 / DANTE
salimmo sù, el primo e io secondo, we climbed up, he first, and I second,
tanto ch'i' vidi de le cose belle until, through a round opening,
che porta 'l ciel, per un pertugio tondo. I saw the beautiful things that the sky holds:
DANTE:
INF C34 136-138 / DANTE INF C34 136-138 / KLINE
salimmo sù, el primo e io secondo, we climbed up, he first, and I second,
tanto ch'i' vidi de le cose belle until, through a round opening,
che porta 'l ciel, per un pertugio tondo. I saw the beautiful things that the sky holds:
INF C34 137-138 / DANTE
tanto ch'i' vidi de le cose belle until, through a round opening,
che porta 'l ciel, per un pertugio tondo. I saw the beautiful things that the sky holds:
220
VIRGIL
INF C34 139 / DANTE INF C34 139 / KLINE
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle. and we issued came out, from there, to see, again,
the stars.
DANTE:
INF C34 139 / DANTE INF C34 139 / KLINE
E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle. and we issued out, from there, to see, again, the
stars.
THE MUSES EMERGE FROM BELOW AS THEY ENTERED – AT A FAST TROT IN SINGLE FILE. THEY FORM
THEIR LINES.
OFFSTAGE SINGERS, THE SPOKEN VOICES, THE DIRECTOR, THE MUSICAL DIRECTOR ETC. COME ON STAGE
TO RECEIVE THEIR PLAUDITS AND STAY.
THE LIGHT DIMS. DANTE RAISES HIS ARM AND HALF-TURNS TO RECITES HIS GREAT SONNET.
EVERYBODY ELSE TURNS TO FACE BACKSTAGE.
LA VITA NOVA 26 DANTE / MUSA Società Dantesca Italiana
THIS MOST GRACIOUS LADY OF WHOM I HAVE SPOKEN IN THE PRECEDING POEMS CAME INTO SUCH
WIDESPREAD FAVOR THAT, WHEN SHE WALKED DOWN THE STREET, PEOPLE RAN TO SEE HER. THIS MADE ME
WONDERFULLY HAPPY. AND WHEN SHE PASSED BY SOMEONE, SUCH MODESTY FILLED HIS HEART THAT HE DID
NOT DARE TO RAISE HIS EYES OR TO RETURN HER GREETING (MANY PEOPLE, WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS,
COULD TESTIFY TO IT IF ANYONE SHOULD NOT BELIEVE ME).
CROWNED AND CLOTHED WITH HUMILITY, SHE WOULD GO HER WAY, TAKING NO GLORY FROM WHAT SHE
HEARD AND SAW. MANY WOULD SAY AFTER SHE HAD PASSED: "THIS IS NO WOMAN, THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST
BEAUTIFUL ANGELS OF HEAVEN." AND OTHERS WOULD SAY: "SHE IS A MIRACLE! BLESSED BE THE LORD WHO
CAN WORK SO WONDROUSLY."
LET ME SAY THAT SHE SHOWED SUCH DECORUM AND WAS POSSESSED OF SUCH CHARMING QUALITIES THAT
THOSE WHO LOOKED AT HER EXPERIENCED A PURE AND SWEET DELIGHT, SUCH THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO
DESCRIBE IT; AND THERE WAS NO ONE WHO COULD LOOK AT HER WITHOUT IMMEDIATELY SIGHING.
THESE AND STILL MORE MARVELOUS THINGS WERE THE RESULT OF HER POWERS. THINKING ABOUT THIS, AND
WISHING TO TAKE UP AGAIN THE THEME OF HER PRAISE, I DECIDED TO WRITE SOMETHING WHICH WOULD
DESCRIBE HER MAGNIFICENT AND BENEFICENT EFFICACY, SO THAT NOT ONLY THOSE WHO COULD SEE HER
WITH THEIR OWN EYES, BUT OTHERS, AS WELL, MIGHT KNOW OF HER WHATEVER CAN BE SAID IN WORDS. AND
SO I WROTE THIS SONNET WHICH BEGINS: SUCH SWEET DECORUM.
THIS SONNET IS SO EASY TO UNDERSTAND FROM WHAT HAS PRECEDED THAT IT HAS NO NEED OF DIVISIONS.
AND SO, LEAVING IT ASIDE, LET ME SAY THAT MY LADY CAME INTO SUCH HIGH FAVOR THAT NOT ONLY SHE
WAS HONORED AND PRAISED, BUT ALSO MANY OTHER LADIES WERE HONORED AND PRAISED BECAUSE OF HER.

DANTE:
LA VITA NOVA 26 SONETTO / DANTE LA VITA NOVA SONNET MUSA
Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare Such sweet decorum and such gentle grace
la donna mia quand'ella altrui saluta, attend my lady's greeting as she moves
ch'ogne lingua deven tremando muta, that lips can only tremble into silence,
e li occhi no l'ardiscon di guardare. and eyes dare not attempt to gaze at her.
Ella si va, sentendosi laudare, Moving, benignly clothed in humility,
benignamente d'umiltà vestuta; untouched by all the praise along her way,
e par che sia una cosa venuta she seems to be a creature come from Heaven
da cielo in terra a miracol mostrare. to earth, to manifest a miracle.
221
Mostrasi sì piacente a chi la mira, Miraculously gracious to behold,
che dà per li occhi una dolcezza al core, her sweetness reaches, through the eyes, the heart
che 'ntender no la può chi no la prova: (who has not felt this cannot understand),
e par che de la sua labbia si mova and from her lips it seems there moves a gracious
un spirito soave pien d'amore, spirit, so deeply loving that it glides
che va dicendo a l'anima: Sospira. into the souls of men, whispering: "Sigh!"
BEATRICE APPEARS UNDER THE HEAVENLY SPOTLIGHT..◙ ., SMILES, RAISES HER ARM IN FAREWELL AND
DISAPPEARS.
♫MELISMATIC TRIBUTE TO BE-A-T-RI-CE:
INF C34 139
Splendid, extended.
************************

222

SPERANZA HOPE
THE MUSES
The 9 goddesses who inspire humanity & maim, destroy or transform into birds any human who challenges their supremacy.
NAME SYMBOL DOMAIN INTEREST EPITHET name of player
CALLIOPE Writing tablet Epic Poetry Philosophy The Fair-Voiced
CLIO Scroll History the Alphabet The Proclaimer
ERATO Lyre Love Poetry The Lovely
EUTERPE Double flute Music The Giver of Pleasure
MELPOMENE Tragic mask Tragedy Chanting The Songstress
POLYHYMNIA Pensive mask finger/mouth Sacred Poetry Geometry She of Many Hymns
TERPSICHORE Dancing figure Dancing The Whirler
THALIA Comic mask Comedy The Flourishing
URANIA (Staff points to) globe/stars Astronomy Prophecy The Heavenly
THE CAST:
FEDE FAITH
DANTE DURANTE ALIGHIERI (1265-1321) WAS BORN IN FLOR-
ENCE OF A PRO-PAPACY GUELPH FAMILY. THE DISHONESTY &
CORRUPTION OF POPE BONIFACE VIII ALIGNED HIM WITH THE
GHIBELLINE GHIBELLINE PRO-IMPERIALS. THE CENTURIES-LONG, EUROPEAN
GUELPH./.GHIBELLINE GUELPH./.GHIBELLINE SCHISM ORIGINATED IN GERMANY, SUP-
POSEDLY WHEN ONE PRINCE DISPARAGED THE HUNTING-DOG OF
ANOTHER. FLORENTINE FAMILIES WERE SPLIT, ALSO, INTO
BLACKS BLACKS & WHITES, ORIGINALLY BECAUSE OF A PRETTY PIS-
TOIAN. TOIAN. IN 1302, FRENCH INTERVENTION LED TO THE EXILE OF
DANTE DANTE & 14 OTHERS UNDER SENTENCE OF DEATH. DANTE NEV-
ER RETURNED.
BEATRICE BICE DI FOLCO PORTINARI WAS FIRST SEEN BY
DANTE DANTE WHEN SHE WAS 8 YEARS OLD & HE WAS 9. HIS LOVE
FOR HER INSPIRED THE VITA NUOVA & THE DIVINE COMEDY, IN
WHICH SHE REPRESENTS DIVINE PHILOSOPHY. SHE DIED IN
1290, AGED 24.
VIRGIL PUBLIUS VERGILIUS MARO (70 – 19 BC), THE ROMAN
POET, GUIDES DANTE FROM L’INFERNO 1 TO IL PURGATORIO 30.
HE HE IS THE TYPE OF HUMAN PHILOSOPHY, WHICH GUIDES THE
MIND FROM UNWORTHINESS TO BLISS. ECLOGUE 4 GAVE HIM
REPUTE AS A PROPHET OF CHRIST. HIS AENEID LINKED, FOR
DANTE, DANTE, THE GREEK WORLD OF HOMER & TROY WITH THE RO-
MAN EMPIRE.
SONNET LA VITA NOVA 26 / DANTE / MUSA
Tanto gentile e tanto onesta pare
la donna mia quand'ella altrui saluta,
ch'ogne lingua deven tremando muta,
e li occhi no l'ardiscon di guardare.
Such sweet decorum and such gentle grace attend my lady’s
greeting as she moves, that lips can only tremble into silence,
and eyes dare not attempt to gaze at her.
Ella si va, sentendosi laudare,
benignamente d'umiltà vestuta;
e par che sia una cosa venuta
da cielo in terra a miracol mostrare.
Moving, benignly clothed in humility, untouched by all the praise
along her way, she seems to be a creature come from Heaven to
earth, to manifest a miracle.
Mostrasi sì piacente a chi la mira,
che dà per li occhi una dolcezza al core,
che 'ntender no la può chi no la prova:
Miraculously gracious to behold, her sweetness reaches, through
the eyes, the heart (who has not felt this cannot understand),
e par che de la sua labbia si mova
un spirito soave pien d'amore,
che va dicendo a l'anima: Sospira.
and from her lips it seems there moves a gracious spirit, so deeply
loving that it glides into the souls of men, whispering: "Sigh!"
AMOR LOVE
PROGRAMME
IL PROGRAMMA
THIS MOCK-UP IS PRINTED ON A4 FOR CONVEN-
IENCE. TO MAKE IT MORE LIKE THE OFFICIAL
ITALIAN FLAG (PERHAPS NOT A GOOD IDEA) THE
WIDTH.:.HEIGHT RATIO SHOULD BE 3 : 2. THE
FLAG’S COLOURS DO NOT DERIVE FROM THE COL-
OURS OF THE 3 HOLY VIRTUES: PURG C29 121.
D A N T E
D R A M A T I S E D
L’ I N F E R N O
D A N T E
D R A M M A T I Z Z A T O
231

232
L’ I N F E R N O
DARK WOOD & HILL ♫ WILD NIGHT SOUNDS
DANTE MEETS VIRGIL
MUSES ALL invoked
♫ RESPONSE TO INVOCATION: OVERTURE
◙ Beatrice ! ♫ B MOTIF
Sonnet: La donna mia!
MUSES ALL follow down
THE GATE OF HELL
♫ INFERNAL
♫ MISERABLE MODE: sighs, whirlwind
SOULS & CHARON
♫ SORROW, NOT TORMENT
THE GREAT 4 POETS lamp ERATO
HEROES & HEROINES ♫ PASTORAL
DIDO
PHILOSOPHERS / MUSES ALL
♫ MISERABLE MODE
MINOS
THE LUSTFUL DIDO
♫ FLIGHT OF P. & F. : ‘Colombe’
PAOLO & FRANCESCA
♫ HEAVY RAIN CERBERUS
CIACCO: Prophecy: Florence
PLUTUS: great voice
THE FERRY: PHLEGYAS
♫ INFERNAL: BOATING
FILIPPO ARGENTI
CITY OF DIS: FALLEN ANGELS / MUSES ALL etc.
◙ BEATRICE roused
♫ Sì? Sì?…NO! NO!
◙ BEATRICE & HEAVENLY MESSENGER
FURIES: THALIA, CLIO, URANIA
ANGEL MESSENGER
ENTERING CITY: ♫ INFERNAL
TOMBS: FARINATA: Dante’s Exile
CAVALCANTE CAVALCANTI
♫ INFERNAL descent
Violence, Fraud, THE MINOTAUR
CENTAURS: NESSUS CHIRON
♫ INFERNAL THE BLOODY STREAM
TYRANTS, MURDERERS, WARRIORS
HARPY WOOD ♫ HARPIES & SOULS
TRUNK / PIER DELLE VIGNE
♫ CHASE LANO JACOMO
THE VIOLENT AGAINST GOD
CAPANEUS
RIVERS: RED ETC. Old Man of Crete
BRUNETTO LATINI
FELLOW SPIRITS Prophecy
◙ BEATRICE: books 1
JACOPO RUSTICUCCI & 2
♫ WATERFALL/BEEHIVE HUM
GERYON ♫ HUM: DEAFENING
TERPSICHORE
◙ BEATRICE: books 2
THE 8 TH CIRCLE: D: Sketch & Lecture
PANDERS SEDUCERS FLATTERERS
VENEDICO CACCIANIMICO
ALESSIO INTERMINEI
SIMONISTS POPE NICHOLAS III
SEERS & SORCERERS : turned heads & tears
Manto & Mantua CLIO
DEMONS The Venetian Arsenal
BLACK DEMON SCARMIGLIONE
BARBARICCIA MALACODA
GRAFFIACANE / MELPOMENE
DRAGHIGNAZZO
HYPOCRITES FRIAR LODERINGO / THALIA
FRIAR CATALANO / TERPSICHORE
THE WALL VANNI FUCCI
◙ BEATRICE: books 3 Tanto gentile
CACUS Serpents & transformation
AGNELLO BUOSO PUCCIO
LAMPS ULYSSES / CALLIOPE
GUIDO DA MONTEFELTRO / ERATO
Sonnet: da cielo…a miracol mostrare
THE SOWERS OF DISCORD
♫ INFERNAL which heartens Dante
BORN: THE LANTERN HEAD D: Sonnet
Geri del Bello
FALSIFIERS LIARS
GRIFFOLINO CAPOCCHIO
ADAMO OF BRESCIA SINON
NIMROD / EUTERPE
MUSES ALL assemble
THE FROZEN COCYTUS ♫ COLD
BOCCA DEGLI ABBATI / URANIA
BUOSO DE DUERA / POLYHYMNIA
UGOLINO / MELPOMENE
FRIAR ALBERIGO
♫ VEXILLA REGIS THE ASCENT Damn…
RETURNED ◙ BEATRICE
Sonnet: Tanto gentile…Sospira!
MUSES ALL ♫ BEATRICE TRIBUTE
MUSIC & DESIGN
THE MOTIF OF EACH DRAMATISATION IS 3 SETS OF 3 STEPS: 3
FOR ITS BEGINNING, MIDDLE & END; 3 FOR THE TRINITY; 3
FOR FAITH, HOPE & LOVE; 3 FOR THE GROUPS OF PLANE-
TARY ORBITS; 3 FOR THE HIERARCHIES OF ANGELS; 3 FOR
THE ORDERS WITHIN EACH HIERARCHY; 3 FOR MUSICA MUN-
DANA, HUMANA & INSTRUMENTALIS; 3 FOR THE GRACES; 3 FOR
1/3 OR √ OF 9, BEATRICE’S NUMBER; 3 FOR TERZA RIMA; 3
FOR THE CANTICLES OF THE DIVINE COMEDY AND THEIR 33
CANTOS (+ 1 CANTO INTRODUCTION FOR L’INFERNO) ETC.
IL PARADISO HAS A TRIPTYCH AS WELL.
DRAMATISATION OF THE DIVINE COMEDY: (G.K.)
Difficulties:
IMPENETRABLE POLITICS & THEOLOGY WITHOUT ACTION;
ACTION & ACTORS TOO MONSTROUS OR SUBLIME TO SHOW.
NO CLEAR PROGRESSION: DANTE CALLED IT A COMEDY AS IT
BEGINS AMONG THE DAMNED & ENDS AMONG THE BLESSED,
BUT HE DAMNS POPE BONIFACE IN CANTO 97 OF THE 100.
Solutions:
MUSIC (MUCH OF IT LISTED BY DANTE). MUSES TO LEAVEN
THE MASCULINE MASS, TO SUPPORT & SUBVERT: THE FEMI-
NINE ROLES.
COUNTERPOISE OF POETRY & PROSE, ITALIAN & ENGLISH.
CONVENTIONAL DEVICES: CUTTING, STYLISING, HUMANISING
OF THE MAIN CHARACTERS THROUGH HUMOUR.
GIFTS:
(1) THE UNCONSCIOUS HUMOUR OF BEATRICE AS DANTE’S
MOUTHPIECE & CHASTISER IN THE TRADITION OF
COURTLY LOVE.
(2) I GAVE DANTE A BOOK & EVERYBODY WANTED ONE.
VARIOUS
THE PROSE. © A.S. KLINE
LA COMMEDIA SECONDO L’ANTICA VULGATA a cura di Giorgio
Petrocchi Edizione Nazionale a cura della Società Dantesca Italiana
[Milano]: Arnoldo Mondadori Editore 1966-67 in public domain?
electronic edition by William I Johnston
Sonnet Tanto gentile tr. Mark Musa 1973 Indiana U. Press
PERFORMANCE RIGHTS FOR THE ENGLISH VERSION OR ONE USING
ANOTHER LANGUAGE: