INFERNO CANTO 17 Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.	Notes	Ann.
"Behold the beast who bears the pointed tail, who crosses mountains, shatters weapons, walls! Behold the one whose stench fills all the world!" "BEHOLD the monster with the pointed tail, Who cleaves the hills, and breaketh walls and weapons, Behold him who infecteth all the world."	17.001 17.003
So did my guide begin to speak to me, and then he signaled him to come ashore close to the end of those stone passageways. Thus unto me my Guide began to say, And beckoned him that he should come to shore, Near to the confine of the trodden marble;	17.006
And he came on, that filthy effigy of fraud, and landed with his head and torso but did not draw his tail onto the bank. And that uncleanly image of deceit Came up and thrust ashore its head and bust, But on the border did not drag its tail.	17.009
The face he wore was that of a just man, so gracious was his features' outer semblance; and all his trunk, the body of a serpent; The face was as the face of a just man, Its semblance outwardly was so benign, And of a serpent all the trunk beside.	17.010 17.012
he had two paws, with hair up to the armpits; his back and chest as well as both his flanks had been adorned with twining knots and circlets. Two paws it had, hairy unto the armpits; The back, and breast, and both the sides it had Depicted o'er with nooses and with shields.	17.015
No Turks or Tartars ever fashioned fabrics more colorful in background and relief, nor had Arachne ever loomed such webs. With colours more, groundwork or broidery Never in cloth did Tartars make nor Turks, Nor were such tissues by Arachne laid.	17.017 17.018
As boats will sometimes lie along the shore, with part of them on land and part in water, and just as there, among the guzzling Germans, As sometimes wherries lie upon the shore, That part are in the water, part on land; And as among the guzzling Germans there,	17.021
the beaver sets himself when he means war, so did that squalid beast lie on the margin of stone that serves as border for the sand. The beaver plants himself to wage his war; So that vile monster lay upon the border, Which is of stone, and shutteth in the sand.	17.024
And all his tail was quivering in the void while twisting upward its envenomed fork, which had a tip just like a scorpion's. His tail was wholly quivering in the void, Contorting upwards the envenomed fork, That in the guise of scorpion armed its point.	17.027
My guide said: "Now we'd better bend our path a little, till we reach as far as that malicious beast which crouches over there." The Guide said: "Now perforce must turn aside Our way a little, even to that beast Malevolent, that yonder coucheth him."	17.030
Thus we descended on the right hand side and moved ten paces on the stony brink in order to avoid the sand and fire. We therefore on the right side descended, And made ten steps upon the outer verge, Completely to avoid the sand and flame;	17.033
When we had reached the sprawling beast, I saw- a little farther on, upon the sand- some sinners sitting near the fissured rock. And after we are come to him, I see A little farther off upon the sand A people sitting near the hollow place.	17.036
And here my master said to me: "So that you may experience this ring in full, go now, and see the state in which they are. Then said to me the Master: "So that full Experience of this round thou bear away, Now go and see what their condition is.	17.039
But keep your conversation with them brief; till you return, I'll parley with this beast, to see if he can lend us his strong shoulders." There let thy conversation be concise; Till thou returnest I will speak with him, That he concede to us his stalwart shoulders."	17.042
So I went on alone and even farther along the seventh circle's outer margin, to where the melancholy people sat. Thus farther still upon the outermost Head of that seventh circle all alone I went, where sat the melancholy folk.	17.045
Despondency was bursting from their eyes; this side, then that, their hands kept fending off, at times the flames, at times the burning soil: Out of their eyes was gushing forth their woe; This way, that way, they helped them with their hands Now from the flames and now from the hot soil.	17.048
not otherwise do dogs in summer-now with muzzle, now with paw-when they are bitten by fleas or gnats or by the sharp gadfly. Not otherwise in summer do the dogs, Now with the foot, now with the muzzle, when By fleas, or flies, or gadflies, they are bitten.	17.051
When I had set my eyes upon the faces of some on whom that painful fire falls, I recognized no one; but I did notice When I had turned mine eyes upon the faces Of some, on whom the dolorous fire is falling, Not one of them I knew; but I perceived	17.054
that from the neck of each a purse was hung that had a special color and an emblem, and their eyes seemed to feast upon these pouches. That from the neck of each there hung a pouch, Which certain colour had, and certain blazon; And thereupon it seems their eyes are feeding.	17.057
Looking about-when I had come among them- I saw a yellow purse with azure on it that had the face and manner of a lion. And as I gazing round me come among them, Upon a yellow pouch I azure saw That had the face and posture of a lion.	17.059 17.060
Then, as I let my eyes move farther on, I saw another purse that was bloodred, and it displayed a goose more white than butter. Proceeding then the current of my sight, Another of them saw I, red as blood, Display a goose more white than butter is.	17.063
And one who had an azure, pregnant sow inscribed as emblem on his white pouch, said to me: "What are you doing in this pit? And one, who with an azure sow and gravid Emblazoned had his little pouch of white, Said unto me: "What dost thou in this moat ?	17.064 17.066
Now you be off; and since you're still alive, remember that my neighbor Vitaliano shall yet sit here, upon my left hand side. Now get thee gone; and since thou'rt still alive, Know that a neighbour of mine, Vitaliano, Will have his seat here on my left-hand side.	17.068 17.069
Among these Florentines, I'm Paduan; I often hear them thunder in my ears, shouting, 'Now let the sovereign cavalier, A Paduan am I with these Florentines; Full many a time they thunder in mine ears, Exclaiming, ' Come the sovereign cavalier,	17.072
the one who'll bring the purse with three goats, come!'" At this he slewed his mouth, and then he stuck his tongue out, like an ox that licks its nose. He who shall bring the satchel with three goats ;"' Then twisted he his mouth, and forth he thrust His tongue, like to an ox that licks its nose.	17.073 17.074 17.075
And I, afraid that any longer stay might anger him who'd warned me to be brief, made my way back from those exhausted souls. And fearing lest my longer stay might vex Him who had warned me not to tarry long, Backward I turned me from those weary souls.	17.078
I found my guide, who had already climbed upon the back of that brute animal, and he told me: "Be strong and daring now, I found my Guide, who had already mounted Upon the back of that wild animal, And said to me: "Now be both strong and bold.	17.081
for our descent is by this kind of stairs: you mount in front; I want to be between, so that the tail can't do you any harm." Now we descend by stairways such as these; Mount thou in front, for I will be midway, So that the tail may have no power to harm thee."	17.084
As one who feels the quartan fever near and shivers, with his nails already blue, the sight of shade enough to make him shudder, Such as he is who has so near the ague Of quartan that his nails are blue already, And trembles all, but looking at the shade;	17.087
so I became when I had heard these words; but then I felt the threat of shame, which makes a servant-in his kind lord's presence-brave. Even such became I at those proffered words; But shame in me his menaces produced, Which maketh servant strong before good master.	17.090
I settled down on those enormous shoulders; I wished to say (and yet my voice did not come as I thought): "See that you hold me tight." I seated me upon those monstrous shoulders; I wished to say, and yet the voice came not As I believed, "Take heed that thou embrace me."	17.093
But he who-other times, in other dangers- sustained me, just as soon as I had mounted, clasped me within his arms and propped me up, But he, who other times had rescued me In other peril, soon as I had mounted, Within his arms encircled and sustained me,	17.096
and said: "Now, Geryon, move on; take care to keep your circles wide, your landing slow; remember the new weight you're carrying." And said: "Now, Geryon, bestir thyself; The circles large, and the descent be little; Think of the novel burden which thou hast."	17.099
Just like a boat that, starting from its moorings, moves backward, backward, so that beast took off; and when he felt himself completely clear, Even as the little vessel shoves from shore, Backward, still backward, so he thence withdrew; And when he wholly felt himself afloat,	17.102
he turned his tail to where his chest had been and, having stretched it, moved it like an eel, and with his paws he gathered in the air. There where his breast had been he turned his tail, And that extended like an eel he moved, And with his paws drew to himself the air.	17.105
I do not think that there was greater fear in Phaethon when he let his reins go free- for which the sky, as one still sees, was scorched- A greater fear I do not think there was What time abandoned Phaeton the reins, Whereby the heavens, as still appears, were scorched;	17.107 17.108
nor in poor Icarus when he could feel , his sides unwinged because the wax was melting, his father shouting to him, "That way's wrong!" Nor when the wretched Icarus his flanks Felt stripped of feathers by the melting wax, His father crying, "An ill way thou takest !"	17.109 17.111
than was in me when, on all sides, I saw that I was in the air, and everything had faded from my sight-except the beast. Than was my own, when I perceived myself On all sides in the air, and saw extinguished The sight of everything but of the monster.	17.114
Slowly, slowly, swimming, he moves on; he wheels and he descends, but I feel only the wind upon my face and the wind rising. Onward he goeth, swimming slowly, slowly; Wheels and descends, but I perceive it only By wind upon my face and from below.	17.117
Already, on our right, I heard the torrent resounding, there beneath us, horribly, so that I stretched my neck and looked below. I heard already on the right the whirlpool Making a horrible crashing under us; Whence I thrust out my head with eyes cast downward.	17.120
Then I was more afraid of falling off, for I saw fires and I heard laments, at which I tremble, crouching, and hold fast. Then was I still more fearful of the abyss; Because I fires beheld, and heard laments, Whereat I, trembling, all the closer cling.	17.123
And now I saw what I had missed before: his wheeling and descent-because great torments were drawing closer to us on all sides. I saw then, for before I had not seen it, The turning and descending, by great horrors That were approaching upon divers sides.	17.126
Just as a falcon long upon the wing- who, seeing neither lure nor bird, compels the falconer to cry, "Ah me, you fall!"- As falcon who has long been on the wing, Who, without seeing either lure or bird, Maketh the falconer say, "Ah me, thou stoopest,"	17.129
descends, exhausted, in a hundred circles, where he had once been swift, and sets himself, embittered and enraged, far from his master; Descendeth weary, whence he started swiftly, Thorough a hundred circles, and alights Far from his master, sullen and disdainful;	17.132
such, at the bottom of the jagged rock, was Geryon, when he had set us down. And once our weight was lifted from his back, Even thus did Geryon place us on the bottom, Close to the bases of the rough-hewn rock, And being disencumbered of our persons,	17.135
he vanished like an arrow from a bow. He sped away as arrow from the string.	17.136

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