INFERNO CANTO 05 Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.	Notes	Ann.
So I descended from the first enclosure down to the second circle, that which girdles less space but grief more great, that goads to weeping. THUS I descended out of the first circle Down to the second, that less space begirds, And so much greater dole, that goads to wailing.	05.001 05.002 05.003
There dreadful Minos stands, gnashing his teeth: examining the sins of those who enter, he judges and assigns as his tail twines. There standeth Minos horribly, and snarls; Examines the transgressions at the entrance; Judges, and sends according as he girds him.	05.004 05.006
I mean that when the spirit born to evil appears before him, it confesses all; and he, the connoisseur of sin, can tell I say, that when the spirit evil-born Cometh before him, wholly it confesses; And this discriminator of transgressions	05.009
the depth in Hell appropriate to it; as many times as Minos wraps his tail around himself, that marks the sinner's level. Seeth what place in Hell is meet for it; Girds himself with his tail as many times As grades he wishes it should be thrust down.	05.012
Always there is a crowd that stands before him: each soul in turn advances toward that judgment; they speak and hear, then they are cast below. Always before him many of them stand; They go by turns each one unto the judgment; They speak, and hear, and then are downward hurled.	05.015
Arresting his extraordinary task, Minos, as soon as he had seen me, said: "O you who reach this house of suffering, "O thou, that to this dolorous hostelry Comest,"said Minos to me, when he saw me, Leaving the practice of so great an office,	05.018
be careful how you enter, whom you trust; the gate is wide, but do not be deceived!" To which my guide replied: "But why protest? "Look how thou enterest, and in whom thou trustest; Let not the portal's amplitude deceive thee." And unto him my Guide: "Why criest thou too?	05.021
Do not attempt to block his fated path: our passage has been willed above, where One can do what He has willed; and ask no more." Do not impede his journey fate-ordained; It is so willed there where is power to go That which is willed; and ask no further question."	05.024
Now notes of desperation have begun to overtake my hearing; now I come where mighty lamentation beats against me. And now begin the dolesome notes to grow Audible unto me, now am I come There where much lamentation strikes upon me.	05.027
I reached a place where every light is muted, which bellows like the sea beneath a tempest, when it is battered by opposing winds. I came into a place mute of all light, Which bellows as the sea does in a tempest, If by opposing winds 't is combated.	05.028 05.030
The hellish hurricane, which never rests, drives on the spirits with its violence: wheeling and pounding, it harasses them. The infernal hurricane that never rests Hurtles the spirits onward in its rapine; Whirling them round, and smiting, it molests them.	05.033
When they come up against the ruined slope, then there are cries and wailing and lament, and there they curse the force of the divine. When they arrive before the precipice, There are the shrieks, the plaints, and the laments, There they blaspheme the puissance divine.	05.036
I learned that those who undergo this torment are damned because they sinned within the flesh, subjecting reason to the rule of lust. I understood that unto such a torment The carnal malefactors were condemned, Who reason subjugate to appetite.	05.039
And as, in the cold season, starlings' wings bear them along in broad and crowded ranks so does that blast bear on the guilty spirits: And as the wings of starlings bear them on In the cold season in large band and full, So doth that blast the spirits maledict;	05.042
now here, now there, now down, now up, it drives them. There is no hope that ever comforts them- no hope for rest and none for lesser pain. It hither, thither, downward, upward, drives them; No hope doth comfort them for evermore, Not of repose, but even of lesser pain.	05.045
And just as cranes in flight will chant their lays, arraying their long file across the air, so did the shades I saw approaching, borne And as the cranes go chanting forth their lays, Making in air a long line of themselves, So saw I coming, uttering lamentations,	05.048
by that assailing wind, lament and moan; so that I asked him: "Master, who are those who suffer punishment in this dark air?" Shadows borne onward by the aforesaid stress. Whereupon said I: "Master, who are those People, whom the black air so castigates?"	05.051
"The first of those about whose history you want to know," my master then told me "once ruled as empress over many nations. "The first of those, of whom intelligence Thou fain wouldst have, "then said he unto me, "The empress was of many languages.	05.054
Her vice of lust became so customary that she made license licit in her laws to free her from the scandal she had caused. To sensual vices she was so abandoned, That lustful she made licit in her law, To remove the blame to which she had been led.	05.057
She is Semiramis, of whom we read that she was Ninus' wife and his successor: she held the land the Sultan now commands. She is Semiramis of whom we read That she succeeded Ninus, and was his spouse; She held the land which now the Sultan rules.	05.060
That other spirit killed herself for love, and she betrayed the ashes of Sychaeus; the wanton Cleopatra follows next. The next is she who killed herself for love, And broke faith with the ashes of Sichcaeus; Then Cleopatra the voluptuous."	05.061 05.063
See Helen, for whose sake so many years of evil had to pass; see great Achilles, who finally met love-in his last battle. Helen I saw, for whom so many ruthless Seasons revolved; and saw the great Achilles, Who at the last hour combated with Love	05.065 05.066
See Paris, Tristan . . ."-and he pointed out and named to me more than a thousand shades departed from our life because of love. Paris I saw, Tristan; and more than a thousand Shades did he name and point out with his finger, Whom Love had separated from our life.	05.067 05.069
No sooner had I heard my teacher name the ancient ladies and the knights, than pity seized me, and I was like a man astray. After that I had listened to my Teacher, Naming the dames of eld and cavaliers, Pity prevailed, and I was nigh bewildered.	05.071 05.072
My first words: "Poet, I should willingly speak with those two who go together there and seem so lightly carried by the wind." And I began: "O Poet, willingly Speak would I to those two, who go together, And seem upon the wind to be so light."	05.075
And he to me: "You'll see when they draw closer to us, and then you may appeal to them by that love which impels them. They will come." And, he to me: "Thou'lt mark, when they shall be Nearer to us; and then do thou implore them By love which leadeth them, and they will come."	05.078
No sooner had the wind bent them toward us than I urged on my voice: "O battered souls if One does not forbid it, speak with us." Soon as the wind in our direction sways them, My voice uplift I: "O ye weary souls ! Come speak to us, if no one interdicts it."	05.081
Even as doves when summoned by desire, borne forward by their will, move through the air with wings uplifted, still, to their sweet nest, As turtle-doves, called onward by desire, With open and steady wings to the sweet nest Fly through the air by their volition borne,	05.084
those spirits left the ranks where Dido suffers approaching us through the malignant air; so powerful had been my loving cry. So came they from the band where Dido is, Approaching us athwart the air malign, So strong was the affectionate appeal.	05.087
"O living being, gracious and benign, who through the darkened air have come to visit our souls that stained the world with blood, if He "O living creature gracious and benignant, Who visiting goest through the purple air Us, who have stained the world incarnadine,	05.089 05.090
who rules the universe were friend to us then we should pray to Him to give you peace for you have pitied our atrocious state. If were the King of the Universe our friend, We would pray unto him to give thee peace, Since thou hast pity on our woe perverse.	05.093
Whatever pleases you to hear and speak will please us, too, to hear and speak with you, now while the wind is silent, in this place. Of what it pleases thee to hear and speak, That will we hear, and we will speak to you, While silent is the wind, as it is now.	05.096
The land where I was born lies on that shore to which the Po together with the waters that follow it descends to final rest. Sitteth the city, wherein I was born, Upon the sea-shore where the Po descends To rest in peace with all his retinue.	05.097 05.099
Love, that can quickly seize the gentle heart, took hold of him because of the fair body taken from me-how that was done still wounds me. Love, that on gentle heart doth swiftly seize, Seized this man for the person beautiful That was ta'en from me, and still the mode offends me.	05.102
Love, that releases no beloved from loving, took hold of me so strongly through his beauty that, as you see, it has not left me yet. Love, that exempts no one beloved from loving, Seized me with pleasure of this man so strongly, That, as thou seest, it doth not yet desert me;	05.103 05.104 05.105
Love led the two of us unto one death. Caina waits for him who took our life." These words were borne across from them to us. Love has conducted us unto one death; Caina waiteth him who quenched our life !" These words were borne along from them to us.	05.107 05.108
When I had listened to those injured souls, I bent my head and held it low until the poet asked of me: "What are you thinking?" As soon as I had heard those souls tormented, I bowed my face, and so long held it down Until the Poet said to me: "What thinkest ?"	05.111
When I replied, my words began: "Alas, how many gentle thoughts, how deep a longing, had led them to the agonizing pass!" When I made answer, I began: "Alas ! How many pleasant thoughts, how much desire, Conducted these unto the dolorous pass !"	05.114
Then I addressed my speech again to them, and I began: "Francesca, your afflictions move me to tears of sorrow and of pity. Then unto them I turned me, and I spake, And I began: "Thine agonies, Francesca, Sad and compassionate to weeping make me.	05.116 05.117
But tell me, in the time of gentle sighs, with what and in what way did Love allow you to recognize your still uncertain longings?" But tell me, at the time of those sweet sighs, By what and in what manner Love conceded, That you should know your dubious desires?"	05.120
And she to me: "There is no greater sorrow than thinking back upon a happy time in misery-and this your teacher knows. And she to me: "There is no greater sorrow Than to be mindful of the happy time In misery, and that thy Teacher knows.	05.121 05.123
Yet if you long so much to understand the first root of our love, then I shall tell my tale to you as one who weeps and speaks. But, if to recognise the earliest root Of love in us thou hast so great desire, I will do even as he who weeps and speaks.	05.126
One day, to pass the time away, we read of Lancelot-how love had overcome him. We were alone, and we suspected nothing. One day we reading were for our delight Of Launcelot, how Love did him enthral. Alone we were and without any fear.	05.128 05.129
And time and time again that reading led our eyes to meet, and made our faces pale, and yet one point alone defeated us. Full many a time our eyes together drew That reading, and drove the colour from our faces; But one point only was it that o'ercame us.	05.132
When we had read how the desired smile was kissed by one who was so true a lover, this one, who never shall be parted from me, When as we read of the much-longed-for smile Being by such a noble lover kissed, This one, who ne'er from me shall be divided,	05.135
while all his body trembled, kissed my mouth. A Gallehault indeed, that book and he who wrote it, too; that day we read no more." Kissed me upon the mouth all palpitating. Galeotto was the book and he who wrote it. That day no farther did we read therein."	05.138
And while one spirit said these words to me, the other wept, so that-because of pity- I fainted, as if I had met my death. And all the while one spirit uttered this, The other one did weep so, that, for pity, I swooned away as if I had been dying,	05.141
And then I fell as a dead body falls. And fell, even as a dead body falls.	05.142

Previous or Next Canto