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INFERNO CANTO 04
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn.

	The heavy sleep within my head was smashed
by an enormous thunderclap, so that
I started up as one whom force awakens;

	BROKE the deep lethargy within my head
A heavy thunder, so that I upstarted,
Like to a person who by force is wakened;








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	I stood erect and turned my rested eyes
from side to side, and I stared steadily
to learn what place it was surrounding me.

	And round about I moved my rested eyes,
Uprisen erect, and steadfastly I gazed, 
To recognise the place wherein I was.








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	In truth I found myself upon the brink
of an abyss, the melancholy valley
containing thundering, unending wailings.

	True is it, that upon the verge I found me
Of the abysmal valley dolorous,
That gathers thunder of infinite ululations.








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	That valley, dark and deep and filled with mist,
is such that, though I gazed into its pit,
I was unable to discern a thing.

	Obscure, profound it was, and nebulous,
So that by fixing on its depths my sight
Nothing whatever I discerned therein.








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	"Let us descend into the blind world now,"
the poet, who was deathly pale, began;
"I shall go first and you will follow me."

	"Let us descend now into the blind world,"
Began the Poet, pallid utterly;
"I will be first, and thou shalt second be."








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	But I, who'd seen the change in his complexion,
said: "How shall I go on if you are frightened,
you who have always helped dispel my doubts?"

	And I, who of his colour was aware,
Said: "How shall I come, if thou art afraid,
Who'rt wont to be a comfort to my fears ?"








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	And he to me: "The anguish of the people
whose place is here below, has touched my face
with the compassion you mistake for fear.

	And he to me: "The anguish of the people
Who are below here in my face depicts
That pity which for terror thou hast taken.








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	Let us go on, the way that waits is long."
So he set out, and so he had me enter
on that first circle girdling the abyss.

	Let us go on, for the long way impels us."
Thus he went in, and thus he made me enter
The foremost circle that surrounds the abyss.








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	Here, for as much as hearing could discover,
there was no outcry louder than the sighs
that caused the everlasting air to tremble.

	There, as it seemed to me from listening,
Were lamentations none, but only sighs,
That tremble made the everlasting air.








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	The sighs arose from sorrow without torments,
out of the crowds-the many multitudes-
of infants and of women and of men.

	And this arose from sorrow without torment, 
Which the crowds had, that many were and great
Of infants and of women and of men. 






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	The kindly master said: "Do you not ask
who are these spirits whom you see before you?
I'd have you know, before you go ahead,

	To me the Master good: "Thou dost not ask
What spirits these, which thou beholdest, are ?
Now will I have thee know, ere thou go farther,








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	they did not sin; and yet, though they have merits,
that's not enough, because they lacked baptism,
the portal of the faith that you embrace.

	That they sinned not; and if they merit had,
'Tis not enough, because they had not baptism
Which is the portal of the Faith thou holdest;








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	And if they lived before Christianity,
they did not worship God in fitting ways;
and of such spirits I myself am one.

	And if they were before Christianity,
In the right manner they adored not God;
And among such as these am I myself








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	For these defects, and for no other evil,
we now are lost and punished just with this:
we have no hope and yet we live in longing."

	For such defects, and not for other guilt,
Lost are we and are only so far punished,
That without hope we live on in desire."








04.042
 






	Great sorrow seized my heart on hearing him,
for I had seen some estimable men
among the souls suspended in that limbo.

	Great grief seized on my heart when this I heard,
Because some people of much worthiness
I knew, who in that Limbo were suspended.








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	"Tell me, my master, tell me, lord." I then
began because I wanted to be certain
of that belief which vanquishes all errors,

	"Tell me, my Master, tell me, thou my Lord,"
Began I, with desire of being certain
Of that Faith which o'ercometh every error,








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	"did any ever go-by his own merit
or others'-from this place toward blessedness?"
And he, who understood my covert speech,

	"Came any one by his own merit hence,
Or by another's, who was blessed thereafter ?"  
And he, who understood my covert speech,








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	replied: "I was new-entered on this state
when I beheld a Great Lord enter here;
the crown he wore, a sign of victory.

	Replied: "I was a novice in this state,
When I saw hither come a Mighty One, 
With sign of victory incoronate.







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	He carried off the shade of our first father,
of his son Abel, and the shade of Noah,
of Moses, the obedient legislator,

	Hence he drew forth the shade of the First Parent, 
And that of his son Abel, and of Noah,
Of Moses the lawgiver, and the obedient








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	of father Abraham, David the king,
of Israel, his father, and his sons,
and Rachel, she for whom he worked so long,

	Abraham, patriarch, and David, king,
Israel with his father and his children,
And Rachel, for whose sake he did so much,








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	and many others-and He made them blessed;
and I should have you know that, before them,
there were no human souls that had been saved."

	And others many, and he made them blessed;
And thou must know, that earlier than these
Never were any human spirits saved."








04.063
 






	We did not stay our steps although he spoke;
we still continued onward through the wood-
the wood, I say, where many spirits thronged.

	We ceased not to advance because he spake,
But still were passing onward through the forest
The forest, say I, of thick-crowded ghosts.








04.066
 






	Our path had not gone far beyond the point
where I had slept, when I beheld a fire
win out against a hemisphere of shadows.

	Not very far as yet our way had gone
This side the summit, when I saw a fire
That overcame a hemisphere of darkness.








04.069
 






	We still were at a little distance from it,
but not so far I could not see in part
that honorable men possessed that place.

	We were a little distant from it still,
But not so far that I in part discerned not
That honourable people held that place. 








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	"O you who honor art and science both,
who are these souls whose dignity has kept
their way of being, separate from the rest?"

	"O thou who honourest every art and science,
 Who may these be, which such great honour have,
That from the fashion of the rest it parts them ?"  








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	And he to me: "The honor of their name,
which echoes up above within your life,
gains Heaven's grace, and that advances them."

	And he to me: "The honourable name,
That sounds of them above there in thy life,
Wins grace in Heaven, that so advances them."








04.078
 






	Meanwhile there was a voice that I could hear:
"Pay honor to the estimable poet;
his shadow, which had left us, now returns."

	In the mean time a voice was heard by me:
"All honour be to the pre-eminent Poet;
His shade returns again, that was departed."








04.081
 






	After that voice was done, when there was silence,
I saw four giant shades approaching us;
in aspect, they were neither sad nor joyous.

	After the voice had ceased and quiet was,
Four mighty shades I saw approaching us;
Semblance had they nor sorrowful nor glad.








04.084
 






	My kindly master then began by saying:
"Look well at him who holds that sword in hand
who moves before the other three as lord.

	To say to me began my gracious Master:  
"Him with that falchion in his hand behold, 
Who comes before the three, even as their lord.







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	That shade is Homer, the consummate poet;
the other one is Horace, satirist;
the third is Ovid, and the last is Lucan.

	That one is Homer, Poet sovereign;
He who comes next is Horace, the satirist;
The third is Ovid, and the last is Lucan.








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	Because each of these spirits shares with me
the name called out before by the lone voice,
they welcome me-and, doing that, do well."

	Because to each of these with me applies
The name that solitary voice proclaimed,
They do me honour, and in that do well."








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	And so I saw that splendid school assembled
led by the lord of song incomparable,
who like an eagle soars above the rest.

	Thus I beheld assemble the fair school
Of that lord of the song pre-eminent,
Who o'er the others like an eagle soars.








04.096
 






	Soon after they had talked a while together,
they turned to me, saluting cordially;
and having witnessed this, my master smiled;

	When they together had discoursed somewhat,
They turned to me with signs of salutation,
And on beholding this, my Master smiled;








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	and even greater honor then was mine,
for they invited me to join their ranks-
I was the sixth among such intellects.

	And more of honour still, much more, they did me,
In that they made me one of their own band
So that the sixth was I, 'mid so much wit.








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	So did we move along and toward the light,
talking of things about which silence here
is just as seemly as our speech was there.

	Thus we went on as far as to the light,
Things saying 'tis becoming to keep silent,
As was the saying of them where I was.








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	We reached the base of an exalted castle,
encircled seven times by towering walls,
defended all around by a fair stream.

	We came unto a noble castle's foot, 
Seven times encompassed with lofty walls,
Defended round by a fair rivulet;






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	We forded this as if upon hard ground;
I entered seven portals with these sages;
we reached a meadow of green flowering plants.

	This we passed over even as firm ground;
Through portals seven I entered with these sages
We came into a meadow of fresh verdure.








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	The people here had eyes both grave and slow;
their features carried great authority;
they spoke infrequently, with gentle voices.

	People were there with solemn eyes and slow,
Of great authority in their countenance;
They spake but seldom, and with gentle voices.








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	We drew aside to one part of the meadow,
an open place both high and filled with light,
and we could see all those who were assembled.

	Thus we withdrew ourselves upon one side
Into an opening luminous and lofty,
So that they all of them were visible.








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	Facing me there, on the enameled green,
great-hearted souls were shown to me and I
still glory in my having witnessed them.

	There opposite, upon the green enamel, 
Were pointed out to me the mighty spirits,
Whom to have seen I feel myself exalted.






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	I saw Electra with her many comrades,
among whom I knew Hector and Aeneas,
and Caesar, in his armor, falcon-eyed.

	I saw Electra with companions many,
'Mongst whom I knew both Hector and Aenas,
Caesar in armour with gerfalcon eyes;








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	I saw Camilla and Penthesilea
and, on the other side, saw King Latinus,
who sat beside Lavinia, his daughter.

	I saw Camilla and Penthesilea
On the other side, and saw the King Latinus,  
Who with Lavinia his daughter sat;








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	I saw that Brutus who drove Tarquin out,
Lucretia, Julia, Marcia, and Cornelia,
and, solitary, set apart, Saladin.

	I saw that Brutus who drove Tarquin forth,
Lucretia, Julia, Marcia, and Cornelia, 
And saw alone, apart, the Saladin. 







04.128
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	When I had raised my eyes a little higher,
I saw the master of the men who know
seated in philosophic family.

	When I had lifted up my brows a little,
The Master I beheld of those who know,
Sit with his philosophic family.








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	There all look up to him, all do him honor:
there I beheld both Socrates and Plato,
closest to him, in front of all the rest;

	All gaze upon him, and all do him honour.
There I beheld both Socrates and Plato,
Who nearer him before the others stand;








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	Democritus, who ascribes the world to chance,
Diogenes, Empedocles, and Zeno,
and Thales, Anaxagoras, Heraclitus;

	Democritus, who puts the world on chance,
Diogenes, Anaxagoros, and Thales,
Zeno, Empedocles, and Heraclitus;








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	I saw the good collector of medicinals,
I mean Dioscorides; and I saw Orpheus,
and Tully, Linus, moral Seneca;

	Of qualities I saw the good collector,
Hight Dioscorides; and Orpheus saw I,
Tully and Livy, and moral Seneca,








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	and Euclid the geometer, and Ptolemy,
Hippocrates and Galen, Avicenna,
Averroes, of the great Commentary.

	Euclid, geometrician, and Ptolemy,
Galen, Hippocrates, and Avicenna, 
Averroes, who the great Comment made. 







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	I cannot here describe them all in full;
my ample theme impels me onward so:
what's told is often less than the event.

	I cannot all of them pourtray in full,
Because so drives me onward the long theme,
That many times the word comes short of fact.








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	The company of six divides in two;
my knowing guide leads me another way,
beyond the quiet, into trembling air.

	The sixfold company in two divides;
Another way my sapient Guide conducts me
Forth from the quiet to the air that trembles;  








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	And I have reached a part where no thing gleams.

	And to a place I come where nothing shines.




04.151

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