INFERNO CANTO 24 Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.	Notes	Ann.
In that part of the young year when the sun begins to warm its locks beneath Aquarius and nights grow shorter, equaling the days, IN that part of the youthful year wherein The Sun his locks beneath Aquarius tempers, And now the nights draw near to half the day,	24.001 24.002 24.003
when hoarfrost mimes the image of his white sister upon the ground-but not for long, because the pen he uses is not sharp- What time the hoar-frost copies on the ground The outward semblance of her sister white, But little lasts the temper of her pen,	24.006
the farmer who is short of fodder rises and looks and sees the fields all white, at which he slaps his thigh, turns back into the house, The husbandman, whose forage faileth him, Rises, and looks, and seeth the champaign All gleaming white, whereat he beats his flank,	24.009
and here and there complains like some poor wretch who doesn't know what can be done, and then goes out again and gathers up new hope Returns in doors, and up and down laments, Like a poor wretch, who knows not what to do; Then he returns and hope revives again,	24.012
on seeing that the world has changed its face in so few hours, and he takes his staff and hurries out his flock of sheep to pasture. Seeing the world has changed its countenance In little time, and takes his shepherd's crook, And forth the little lambs to pasture drives.	24.015
So did my master fill me with dismay when I saw how his brow was deeply troubled, yet then the plaster soothed the sore as quickly: Thus did the Master fill me with alarm When I beheld his forehead so disturbed, And to the ailment came as soon the plaster.	24.018
for soon as we were on the broken bridge, my guide turned back to me with that sweet manner I first had seen along the mountain's base. For as we came unto the ruined bridge The Leader turned to me with that sweet look Which at the mountain's foot I first beheld.	24.019 24.021
And he examined carefully the ruin; then having picked the way we would ascend, he opened up his arms and thrust me forward. His arms he opened, after some advisement Within himself elected, looking first Well at the ruin, and laid hold of me.	24.024
And just as he who ponders as he labors, who's always ready for the step ahead, so, as he lifted me up toward the summit And even as he who acts and meditates, For aye it seems that he provides beforehand, So upward lifting me towards the summit	24.027
of one great crag, he'd see another spur, saying: "That is the one you will grip next, but try it first to see if it is firm." Of a huge rock, he scanned another crag, Saying: "To that one grapple afterwards, But try first if 'tis such that it will hold thee."	24.030
That was no path for those with cloaks of lead, for he and I-he, light; I, with support- could hardly make it up from spur to spur. This was no way for one clothed with a cloak; For hardly we, he light, and I pushed upward, Were able to ascend from jag to jag.	24.033
And were it not that, down from this enclosure, the slope was shorter than the bank before, I cannot speak for him, but I should surely And had it not been, that upon that precinct Shorter was the ascent than on the other, He I know not, but I had been dead beat.	24.036
have been defeated. But since Malebolge runs right into the mouth of its last well, the placement of each valley means it must But because Malebolge tow'rds the mouth Of the profoundest well is all inclining, The structure of each valley doth import	24.039
have one bank high and have the other short; and so we reached, at length, the jutting where the last stone of the ruined bridge breaks off. That one bank rises and the other sinks. Still we arrived at length upon the point Wherefrom the last stone breaks itself asunder.	24.042
The breath within my lungs was so exhausted from climbing, I could not go on; in fact, as soon as I had reached that stone, I sat. The breath was from my lungs so milked away, When I was up, that I could go no farther, Nay, I sat down upon my first arrival.	24.043 24.045
"Now you must cast aside your laziness," my master said, "for he who rests on down or under covers cannot come to fame; "Now it behoves thee thus to put off sloth," My Master said; "for sitting upon down, Or under quilt, one cometh not to fame,	24.048
and he who spends his life without renown leaves such a vestige of himself on earth as smoke bequeaths to air or foam to water. Withouten which whoso his life consumes Such vestige leaveth of himself on earth. As smoke in air or in the water foam.	24.051
Therefore, get up; defeat your breathlessness with spirit that can win all battles if the body's heaviness does not deter it. And therefore raise thee up, o'ercome the anguish With spirit that o'ercometh every battle, If with its heavy body it sink not.	24.054
A longer ladder still is to be climbed; it's not enough to have left them behind; if you have understood, now profit from it." A longer stairway it behoves thee mount; 'Tis not enough from these to have departed; Let it avail thee, if thou understand me."	24.055 24.057
Then I arose and showed myself far better equipped with breath than I had been before: "Go on, for I am strong and confident." Then I uprose, showing myself provided Better with breath than I did feel myself, And said: "Go on, for I am strong and bold."	24.060
We took our upward way upon the ridge, with crags more jagged, narrow, difficult, and much more steep than we had crossed before. Upward we took our way along the crag, Which jagged was, and narrow, and difficult, And more precipitous far than that before.	24.063
I spoke as we went on, not to seem weak; at this, a voice came from the ditch beyond- a voice that was not suited to form words. Speaking I went, not to appear exhausted; Whereat a voice from the next moat came forth, Not well adapted to articulate words.	24.066
I know not what he said, although I was already at the summit of the bridge that crosses there; and yet he seemed to move. I know not what it said, though o'er the back I now was of the arch that passes there; But he seemed moved to anger who was speaking	24.069
I had bent downward, but my living eyes could not see to the bottom through that dark; at which I said: "O master, can we reach I was bent downward, but my living eyes Could not attain the bottom, for the dark; Wherefore I: "Master, see that thou arrive	24.072
the other belt? Let us descend the wall, for as I hear and cannot understand, so I see down but can distinguish nothing." At the next round, and let us descend the wall; For as from hence I hear and understand not, So I look down and nothing I distinguish."	24.073 24.075
"The only answer that I give to you is doing it," he said. "A just request is to be met in silence, by the act." "Other response," he said, "I make thee not, Except the doing; for the modest asking Ought to be followed by the deed in silence."	24.078
We then climbed down the bridge, just at the end where it runs right into the eighth embankment, and now the moat was plain enough to me; We from the bridge descended at its head, Where it connects itself with the eighth bank, And then was manifest to me the Bolgia;	24.081
and there within I saw a dreadful swarm of serpents so extravagant in form- remembering them still drains my blood from me. And I beheld therein a terrible throng Of serpents, and of such a monstrous kind, That the remembrance still congeals my blood	24.084
Let Libya boast no more about her sands; for if she breeds chelydri, jaculi, cenchres with amphisbaena, pareae, Let Libya boast no longer with her sand; For if Chelydri, Jaculi, and Pharae She breeds, with Cenchri and with Ammhisbaena.	24.086 24.087
she never showed-with all of Ethiopia or all the land that borders the Red Sea- so many, such malignant, pestilences. Neither so many plagues nor so malignant E'er showed she with all Ethiopia, Nor with whatever on the Red Sea is !	24.090
Among this cruel and depressing swarm, ran people who were naked, terrified, with no hope of a hole or heliotrope. Among this cruel and most dismal throng People were running naked and affrighted. Without the hope of hole or heliotrope.	24.093
Their hands were tied behind by serpents; these had thrust their head and tail right through the loins, and then were knotted on the other side. They had their hands with serpents bound behind them; These riveted upon their reins the tail And head, and were in front of them entwined.	24.096
And-there!-a serpent sprang with force at one who stood upon our shore, transfixing him just where the neck and shoulders form a knot. And lo ! at one who was upon our side There darted forth a serpent, which transfixed him There where the neck is knotted to the shoulders.	24.099
No o or i has ever been transcribed so quickly as that soul caught fire and burned and, as he fell, completely turned to ashes; Nor O so quickly e'er, nor I was written, As he took fire, and burned; and ashes wholly Behoved it that in falling he became.	24.102
and when he lay, undone, upon the ground, the dust of him collected by itself and instantly returned to what it was: And when he on the ground was thus destroyed, The ashes drew together, and of themselves Into himself they instantly returned.	24.105
just so, it is asserted by great sages, that, when it reaches its five-hundredth year, the phoenix dies and then is born again; Even thus by the great sages 'tis confessed The phoenix dies, and then is born again, When it approaches its five-hundredth year;	24.107 24.108
lifelong it never feeds on grass or grain, only on drops of incense and amomum; its final winding sheets are nard and myrrh. On herb or grain it feeds not in its life, But only on tears of incense and amomum, And nard and myrrh are its last winding-sheet.	24.111
And just as he who falls, and knows not how- by demon's force that drags him to the ground or by some other hindrance that binds man- And as he is who falls, and knows not how, By force of demons who to earth down drag him, Or other oppilation that binds man,	24.114
who, when he rises, stares about him, all bewildered by the heavy anguish he has suffered, sighing as he looks around; When he arises and around him looks, Wholly bewildered by the mighty anguish Which he has suffered, and in looking sighs;	24.117
so did this sinner stare when he arose. Oh, how severe it is, the power of God that, as its vengeance, showers down such blows! Such was that sinner after he had risen. Justice of God ! O how severe it is, That blows like these in vengeance poureth down !	24.120
My guide then asked that sinner who he was; to this he answered: "Not long since, I rained from Tuscany into this savage maw. The Guide thereafter asked him who he was; Whence he replied: "I rained from Tuscany A short time since into this cruel gorge.	24.123
Mule that I was, the bestial life pleased me and not the human; I am Vanni Fucci, beast; and the den that suited me-Pistoia." A bestial life, and not a human, pleased me, Even as the mule I was; I'm Vanni Fucci, Beast, and Pistoia was my worthy den."	24.125 24.126
And I to Virgil: "Tell him not to slip away, and ask what sin has thrust him here; I knew him as a man of blood and anger." And I unto the Guide: "Tell him to stir not, And ask what crime has thrust him here below, For once a man of blood and wrath I saw him."	24.129
The sinner heard and did not try to feign but turned his mind and face, intent, toward me; and coloring with miserable shame, And the sinner, who had heard, dissembled not, But unto me directed mind and face, And with a melancholy shame was painted.	24.132
he said: "I suffer more because you've caught me in this, the misery you see, than I suffered when taken from the other life. Then said: "It pains me more that thou hast caught me Amid this misery where thou seest me, Than when I from the other life was taken.	24.135
I can't refuse to answer what you ask: I am set down so far because I robbed the sacristy of its fair ornaments, What thou demandest I cannot deny; So low am I put down because I robbed The sacristy of the fair ornaments,	24.138
and someone else was falsely blamed for that. But lest this sight give you too much delight, if you can ever leave these lands of darkness, And falsely once 'twas laid upon another; But that thou mayst not such a sight enjoy, If thou shalt e'er be out of the dark places,	24.141
open your ears to my announcement, hear: Pistoia first will strip herself of Blacks, then Florence will renew her men and manners. Thine ears to my announcement ope and hear: Pistoia first of Neri groweth meagre; Then Florence doth renew her men and manners;	24.143 24.144
From Val di Magra, Mars will draw a vapor which turbid clouds will try to wrap; the clash between them will be fierce, impetuous, Mars draws a vapour up from Val di Magra, Which is with turbid clouds enveloped round, And with impetuous and bitter tempest	24.145 24.147
a tempest, fought upon Campo Piceno, until that vapor, vigorous, shall crack the mist, and every White be struck by it. Over Campo Picen shall be the battle; When it shall suddenly rend the mist asunder, So that each Bianco shall thereby be smitten	24.150
And I have told you this to make you grieve." And this I've said that it may give thee pain."	24.151

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