INFERNO CANTO 20 Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.	Notes	Ann.
I must make verses of new punishment and offer matter now for Canto Twenty of this first canticle-of the submerged. OF a new pain behoves me to make verses And give material to the twentieth canto Of the first song, which is of the submerged.	20.001 20.003
I was already well prepared to stare below, into the depth that was disclosed, where tears of anguished sorrow bathed the ground; I was already thoroughly disposed To peer down into the uncovered depth, Which bathed itself with tears of agony;	20.006
and in the valley's circle I saw souls advancing, mute and weeping, at the pace that, in our world, holy processions take. And people saw I through the circular valley, Silent and weeping, coming at the pace Which in this world the Litanies assume.	20.009
As I inclined my head still more, I saw that each, amazingly, appeared contorted between the chin and where the chest begins; As lower down my sight descended on them, Wondrously each one seemed to be distorted From chin to the beginning of the chest;	20.012
they had their faces twisted toward their haunches and found it necessary to walk backward, because they could not see ahead of them. For tow'rds the reins the countenance was turned, And backward it behoved them to advance, As to look forward had been taken from them.	20.013 20.015
Perhaps the force of palsy has so fully distorted some, but that I've yet to see, and I do not believe that that can be. Perchance indeed by violence of palsy Some one has been thus wholly turned awry; But I ne'er saw it. nor believe it can be.	20.018
May God so let you, reader, gather fruit from what you read; and now think for yourself how I could ever keep my own face dry As God may let thee, Reader, gather fruit From this thy reading, think now for thyself How I could ever keep my face unmoistened,	20.021
when I beheld our image so nearby and so awry that tears, down from the eyes, bathed the buttocks, running down the cleft. When our own image near me I beheld Distorted so, the weeping of the eyes Along the fissure bathed the hinder parts.	20.024
Of course I wept, leaning against a rock along that rugged ridge, so that my guide told me: "Are you as foolish as the rest? Truly I wept, leaning upon a peak Of the hard crag, so that my Escort said To me: "Art thou, too, of the other fools ?	20.027
Here pity only lives when it is dead: for who can be more impious than he who links God's judgment to passivity? Here pity lives when it is wholly dead; Who is a greater reprobate than he Who feels compassion at the doom divine ?	20.030
Lift, lift your head and see the one for whom the earth was opened while the Thebans watched, so that they all cried: 'Amphiaraus, Lift up, lift up thy head, and see for whom Opened the earth before the Thebans' eyes; Wherefore they all cried: ' Whither rushest thou,	20.033
where are you rushing? Have you quit the fight?' Nor did he interrupt his downward plunge to Minos, who lays hands on every sinner. Amphiaraus ? Why dost leave the war ? ' And downward ceased he not to fall amain As far as Minos, who lays hold on all.	20.034 20.036
See how he's made a chest out of his shoulders; and since he wanted so to see ahead, he looks behind and walks a backward path. See, he has made a bosom of his shoulders ! Because he wished to see too far before him Behind he looks, and backward goes his way:	20.039
And see Tiresias, who changed his mien when from a man he turned into a woman, so totally transforming all his limbs Behold Tiresias, who his semblance changed, When from a male a female he became, His members being all of them transformed;	20.040 20.042
that then he had to strike once more upon the two entwining serpents with his wand before he had his manly plumes again. And afterwards was forced to strike once more The two entangled serpents with his rod, Ere he could have again his manly plumes.	20.045
And Aruns is the one who backs against the belly of Tiresias-Aruns who, in Luni's hills, tilled by the Carrarese, That Aruns is, who backs the other's belly, Who in the hills of Luni, there where grubs The Carrarese who houses underneath,	20.046 20.048
who live below, had as his home, a cave among white marbles, from which he could gaze at stars and sea with unimpeded view. Among the marbles white a cavern had For his abode; whence to behold the stars And sea, the view was not cut off from him.	20.051
And she who covers up her breasts-which you can't see-with her disheveled locks, who keeps all of her hairy parts to the far side, And she there, who is covering up her breasts, Which thou beholdest not, with loosened tresses, And on that side has all the hairy skin,	20.054
was Manto, who had searched through many lands, then settled in the place where I was born; on this, I'd have you hear me now a while. Was Manto, who made quest through many lands, Afterwards tarried there where I was born; Whereof I would thou list to me a little.	20.055 20.057
When Manto's father took his leave of life, and Bacchus' city found itself enslaved, she wandered through the world for many years. After her father had from life departed, And the city of Bacchus had become enslaved, She a long season wandered through the world.	20.060
High up, in lovely Italy, beneath the Alps that shut in Germany above Tirolo, lies a lake known as Benaco. Above in beauteous Italy lies a lake At the Alp's foot that shuts in Germany Over Tyrol, and has the name Benaco.	20.063
A thousand springs and more, I think, must flow out of the waters of that lake to bathe Pennino, Garda, Val Camonica. By a thousand springs, I think, and more, is bathed, 'Twixt Garda and Val Camonica, Pennino, With water that grows stagnant in that lake.	20.065 20.066
And at its middle is a place where three- the bishops of Verona, Brescia, Trento- may bless if they should chance to come that way. Midway a place is where the Trentine Pastor, And he of Brescia, and the Veronese Might give his blessing, if he passed that way.	20.069
Peschiera, strong and handsome fortress, built to face the Brescians and the Bergamasques stands where the circling shore is at its lowest. Sitteth Peschiera, fortress fair and strong, To front the Brescians and the Bergamasks, Where round about the bank descendeth lowest.	20.070 20.072
There, all the waters that cannot be held within the bosom of Benaco fall, to form a river running through green meadows. There of necessity must fall whatever In bosom of Benaco cannot stay, And grows a river down through verdant pastures.	20.075
No sooner has that stream begun to flow than it is called the Mincio, not Benaco- until Governolo, where it joins the Po. Soon as the water doth begin to run No more Benaco is it called, but Mincio, Far as Governo, where it falls in Po.	20.077 20.078
It's not flowed far before it finds flat land; and there it stretches out to form a fen that in the summer can at times be fetid. Not far it runs before it finds a plain In which it spreads itself, and makes it marshy, And oft 'tis wont in summer to be sickly.	20.081
And when she passed that way, the savage virgin saw land along the middle of the swamp, untilled and stripped of its inhabitants. Passing that way the virgin pitiless Land in the middle of the fen descried, Untilled and naked of inhabitants;	20.082 20.084
And there, to flee all human intercourse, she halted with her slaves to ply her arts; and there she lived, there left her empty body. There to escape all human intercourse, She with her servants stayed, her arts to practise And lived, and left her empty body there.	20.087
And afterward, the people of those parts collected at that place, because the marsh- surrounding it on all sides-made it strong. The men, thereafter, who were scattered round, Collected in that place, which was made strong By the lagoon it had on every side;	20.090
They built a city over her dead bones; and after her who first had picked that spot, they called it Mantua-they cast no lots. They built their city over those dead bones, And, after her who first the place selected, Mantua named it, without other omen.	20.093
There once were far more people in its walls, before the foolishness of Casalodi was tricked by the deceit of Pinamonte. Its people once within more crowded were, Ere the stupidity of Casalodi From Pinamonte had received deceit.	20.095 20.096
Therefore, I charge you, if you ever hear a different tale of my town's origin, do not let any falsehood gull the truth." Therefore I caution thee, if e'er thou hearest Originate my city otherwise, No falsehood may the verity defraud."	20.099
And I: "O master, that which you have spoken convinces me and so compels my trust that others' words would only be spent coals. And I: "My Master, thy discourses are To me so certain, and so take my faith, That unto me the rest would be spent coals.	20.102
But tell me if among the passing souls you see some spirits worthy of our notice, because my mind is bent on that alone." But tell me of the people who are passing, If any one note-worthy thou beholdest, For only unto that my mind reverts."	20.105
Then he to me: "That shade who spreads his beard down from his cheeks across his swarthy shoulders- when Greece had been so emptied of its males Then said he to me: "He who from the cheek Thrusts out his beard upon his swarthy shoulders Was, at the time when Greece was void of males,	20.108
that hardly any cradle held a son, he was an augur; and at Aulis, he and Calchas set the time to cut the cables. So that there scarce remained one in the cradle, An augur, and with Calchas gave the moment, In Aulis, when to sever the first cable.	20.110 20.111
His name's Eurypylus; a certain passage of my high tragedy has sung it so; you know that well enough, who know the whole. Eryphylus his name was, and so sings My lofty Tragedy in some part or other; That knowest thou well, who knowest the whole of it.	20.112 20.114
That other there, his flanks extremely spare, was Michael Scot, a man who certainly knew how the game of magic fraud was played. The next, who is so slender in the flanks, Was Michael Scott, who of a verity Of magical illusions knew the game.	20.116 20.117
See there Guido Bonatti; see Asdente, who now would wish he had attended to his cord and leather, but repents too late. Behold Guido Bonatti, behold Asdente Who now unto his leather and his thread Would fain have stuck, but he too late repents.	20.118 20.120
See those sad women who had left their needle, shuttle, and spindle to become diviners; they cast their spells with herbs and effigies Behold the wretched ones, who left the needle, The spool and rock, and made them fortune-tellers; They wrought their magic spells with herb and image.	20.123
But let us go; Cain with his thorns already is at the border of both hemispheres and there, below Seville, touches the sea. But come now, for already holds the confines Of both the hemispheres, and under Seville Touches the ocean-wave, Cain and the thorns,	20.126
Last night the moon was at its full; you should be well aware of this, for there were times when it did you no harm in the deep wood." And yesternight the moon was round already; Thou shouldst remember well it did not harm thee From time to time within the forest deep."	20.129
These were his words to me; meanwhile we journeyed. Thus spake he to me, and we walked the while.	20.130

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