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PURGATORIO CANTO 14
Mandelbaum Tr. and Longfellow Tr.		 NotesAnn. 

	"Who is this man who, although death has yet
to grant him flight, can circle round our mountain,
and can, at will, open and shut his eyes?"

	"WHO is this one that goes about our mountain,
Or ever Death has given him power of flight,
And opes his eyes and shuts them at his will ?"








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	"I don't know who he is, but I do know
he's not alone; you're closer; question him
and greet him gently, so that he replies."

	"I know not who, but know he's not alone;
Ask him thyself, for thou art nearer to him,
And gently, so that he may speak, accost him."








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	So were two spirits, leaning toward each other,
discussing me, along my right-hand side;
then they bent back their heads to speak to me,

	Thus did two spirits, leaning tow'rds each other,
Discourse about me there on the right hand;
Then held supine their faces to address me.








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	and one began: "O soul who-still enclosed
within the body-make your way toward Heaven,
may you, through love, console us; tell us who

	And said the one:"O soul, that, fastened still
Within the body, tow'rds the heaven art going,
For charity console us, and declare








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	you are, from where you come; the grace that you've
received-a thing that's never come to pass
before-has caused us much astonishment."

	Whence comest and who art thou; for thou mak'st us
As much to marvel at this grace of thine
As must a thing that never yet has been."








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	And I: "Through central Tuscany there spreads
a little stream first born in Falterona;
one hundred miles can't fill the course it needs.

	And I:"Through midst of Tuscany there wanders
A streamlet that is born in Falterona,
And not a hundred miles of course suffice it;








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	I bring this body from that river's banks;
to tell you who I am would be to speak
in vain-my name has not yet gained much fame."

	To tell you who I am were speech in vain, 
Because my name as yet makes no great noise."
"If well thy meaning I can penetrate








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	"If, with my understanding, I have seized
your meaning properly," replied to me
the one who'd spoken first, "you mean the Arno."

	With intellect of mine,"then answered me
He who first spake,"thou speakest of the Arno."
And said the other to him:"Why concealed








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	The other said to him: "Why did he hide
that river's name, even as one would do
in hiding something horrible from view?"

	This one the appellation of that river,
Even as a man doth of things horrible ?"
And thus the shade that questioned was of this  








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	The shade to whom this question was addressed
repaid with this: "I do not know; but it
is right for such a valley's name to perish,

	Himself acquitted:"I know not; but truly
'Tis fit the name of such a vallev perish:
For from its fountain-head where is so pregnant








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	for from its source (at which the rugged chain-
from which Pelorus was cut off-surpasses
most other places with its mass of mountains)

	The Alpine mountain whence is cleft Peloro
That in few places it that mark surpasses
To where it yields itself in restoration








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	until its end point (where it offers back
those waters that evaporating skies
drew from the sea, that streams may be supplied),

	Of what the heaven doth of the sea dry up.
Whence have the rivers that which goes with them,
Virtue is like an enemy avoided








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	virtue is seen as serpent, and all flee
from it as if it were an enemy,
either because the site is ill-starred or

	By all, as is a serpent, through misfortune
Of place, or through bad habit that impels them;
On which account have so transformed their nature








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	their evil custom goads them so; therefore,
the nature of that squalid valley's people
has changed, as if they were in Circe's pasture.

	The dwellers in that miserable valley,
It seems that Circe had them in her pasture.
'Mid ugly swine, of acorns worthier








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	That river starts its miserable course
among foul hogs, more fit for acorns than
for food devised to serve the needs of man.

	Than other food for human use created,
It first directeth its impoverished way.
Curs findeth it thereafter, coming downward,








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	Then, as that stream descends, it comes on curs
that, though their force is feeble, snap and snarl;
scornful of them, it swerves its snout away.

	More snarling than their puissance demands,
And turns from them disdainfully its muzzle.
It goes on falling, and the more it grows,








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	And, downward, it flows on; and when that ditch,
ill-fated and accursed, grows wider, it
finds, more and more, the dogs becoming wolves.

	The more it finds the dogs becoming wolves,
This maledict and misadventurous ditch.
Descended then through many a hollow gulf,








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	Descending then through many dark ravines,
it comes on foxes so full of deceit-
there is no trap that they cannot defeat.

	It finds the foxes so replete with fraud,
They fear no cunning that may master them.
Nor will I cease because another hears me;








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	Nor will I keep from speech because my comrade
hears me (and it will serve you, too, to keep
in mind what prophecy reveals to me).

	And well 'twill be for him, if still he mind him
Of what a truthful spirit to me unravels.
Thy grandson I behold, who doth become








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	I see your grandson: he's become a hunter
of wolves along the banks of the fierce river,
and he strikes every one of them with terror.

	A hunter of those wolves upon the bank
Of the wild stream, and terrifies them all.
He sells their flesh, it being yet alive;








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	He sells their flesh while they are still alive;
then, like an ancient beast, he turns to slaughter,
depriving many of life, himself of honor.

	Thereafter slaughters them like ancient beeves .
Many of life, himself of praise, deprives.
Blood-stained he issues from the dismal forest;








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	Bloody, he comes out from the wood he's plundered,
leaving it such that in a thousand years
it will not be the forest that it was."

	He leaves it such, a thousand years from now 
In its primeval state 'tis not re-wooded."
As at the announcement of impending ills








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	Just as the face of one who has heard word
of pain and injury becomes perturbed,
no matter from what side that menace stirs,

	The face of him who listens is disturbed,
From whate'er side the peril seize upon him;
So I beheld that other soul, which stood








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	so did I see that other soul, who'd turned
to listen, growing anxious and dejected
when he had taken in his comrade's words.

	Turned round to listen, grow disturbed and sad,
When it had gathered to itself the word.
The speech of one and aspect of the other








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	The speech of one, the aspect of the other
had made me need to know their names, and I
both queried and beseeched at the same time,

	Had me desirous made to know their names,
And question mixed with prayers I made thereof, 
Whereat the spirit which first spake to me








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	at which the spirit who had spoken first
to me began again: "You'd have me do
for you that which, to me, you have refused.

	Began again:"Thou wishest I should bring me
To do for thee what thou'lt not do for me;
But since God willeth that in thee shine forth








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	But since God would, in you, have His grace glow
so brightly, I shall not be miserly;
know, therefore, that I was Guido del Duca.

	Such grace of his, I'll not be chary with thee; 
Know, then, that I Guido del Duca am.
My blood was so with envy set on fire,








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	My blood was so afire with envy that,
when I had seen a man becoming happy,
the lividness in me was plain to see.

	That if I had beheld a man make merry,
Thou wouldst have seen me sprinkled o'er with pallor.
From my own sowing such the straw I reap!








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	From what I've sown, this is the straw I reap:
o humankind, why do you set your hearts
there where our sharing cannot have a part?

	O human race! why dost thou set thy heart
Where interdict of partnership must be ?
This is Renier; this is the boast and honour








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	This is Rinieri, this is he-the glory,
the honor of the house of Calboli;
but no one has inherited his worth.

	Of the house of Calboli, where no one since
Has made himself the heir of his desert.
And not alone his blood is made devoid,








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	It's not his kin alone, between the Po
and mountains, and the Reno and the coast,
who've lost the truth's grave good and lost the good

	'Twixt Po and mount, and sea-shore and the Reno,
Of good required for truth and for diversion;
For all within these boundaries is full








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	of gentle living, too; those lands are full
of poisoned stumps; by now, however much
one were to cultivate, it is too late.

	Of venomous roots, so that too tardily
By cultivation now would they diminish.
Where is good Lizio, and Arrigo Manardi,








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	Where is good Lizio? Arrigo Mainardi?
Pier Traversaro? Guido di Carpigna?
O Romagnoles returned to bastardy!

	Pier Traversaro, and Guido di Carpigna,
O Romagnuoli into bastards turned ?
When in Bologna will a Fabbro rise ?








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	When will a Fabbro flourish in Bologna?
When, in Faenza, a Bernadin di Fosco,
the noble offshoot of a humble plant?

	When in Faenza a Bernardin di Fosco,
The noble scion of ignoble seed ?
Be not astonished, Tuscan, if I weep








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	Don't wonder, Tuscan, if I weep when I
remember Ugolino d'Azzo, one
who lived among us, and Guido da Prata,

	When I remember, with Guido da Prata,
Ugolin d' Azzo, who was living with us,
Frederick Tignoso and his company








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	the house of Traversara, of Anastagi
(both houses without heirs), and Federigo
Tignoso and his gracious company,

	The house of Traversara, and th' Anastagi,
And one race and the other is extinct .
The dames and cavaliers, the toils and ease








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	the ladies and the knights, labors and leisure
to which we once were urged by courtesy
and love, where hearts now host perversity.

	That filled our souls with love and courtesy, 
There where the hearts have so malicious grown!
O Brettinoro! why dost thou not flee,








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	O Bretinoro, why do you not flee-
when you've already lost your family
and many men who've fled iniquity?

	Seeing that all thy family is gone,
And many people, not to be corrupted ?
Bagnacaval does well in not begetting








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	Bagnacaval does well: it breeds no more-
and Castrocuro ill, and Conio worse,
for it insists on breeding counts so cursed.

	And ill does Castrocaro, and Conio worse,
In taking trouble to beget such Counts.
Will do well the Pagani, when their Devil








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	Once freed of their own demon, the Pagani
will do quite well, but not so well that any
will testify that they are pure and worthy.

	Shall have departed; but not therefore pure
Will testimony of them e'er remain.
O Ugolin de' Fantoli, secure








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	Your name, o Ugolin de' Fantolini,
is safe, since one no longer waits for heirs
to blacken it with their degeneracy.

	Thy name is, since no longer is awaited
One who, degenerating, can obscure it!
But go now, Tuscan, for it now delights me








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	But, Tuscan, go your way; I am more pleased
to weep now than to speak: for that which we
have spoken presses heavily on me!"

	To weep far better than it does to speak,
So much has our discourse my mind distressed."
We were aware that those beloved souls








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	We knew those gentle souls had heard us move
away; therefore, their silence made us feel
more confident about the path we took.

	Heard us depart; therefore, by keeping silent,
They made us of our pathway confident.
When we became alone by going onward,








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	When we, who'd gone ahead, were left alone,
a voice that seemed like lightning as it splits
the air encountered us, a voice that said:

	Thunder, when it doth cleave the air, appeared
A voice, that counter to us came, exclaiming:
"Shall slay me whosoever findeth me!"








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	"Whoever captures me will slaughter me";
and then it fled like thunder when it fades
after the cloud is suddenly ripped through.

	And fled as the reverberation dies
If suddenly the cloud asunder bursts.
As soon as hearing had a truce from this,








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	As soon as that first voice had granted us
a truce, another voice cried out with such
uproar-like thunder quick to follow thunder:

	Behold another, with so great a crash,
That it resembled thunderings following fast:
"I am Aglaurus, who became a stone!"








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	"I am Aglauros, who was turned to stone";
and then, to draw more near the poet, I
moved to my right instead of moving forward.

	And then, to press myself close to the Poet,
I backward, and not forward, took a step.
Already on all sides the air was quiet;








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	By now the air on every side was quiet;
and he told me: "That is the sturdy bit
that should hold every man within his limits.

	And said he to me:"That was the hard curb
That ought to hold a man within his bounds;
But you take in the bait so that the hook








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	But you would take the bait, so that the hook
of the old adversary draws you to him;
thus, neither spur nor curb can serve to save you.

	Of the old Adversary draws you to him,
And hence availeth little curb or call.
The heavens are calling you, and wheel around you,








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	Heaven would call-and it encircles-you;
it lets you see its never-ending beauties;
and yet your eyes would only see the ground;

	Displaying to you their eternal beauties,
And still your eye is looking on the ground;   
Whence He,  who all discerns, chastises you."








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	thus, He who sees all things would strike you down."

	Whence He, who all discerns, chastises you."
	



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