Inferno
The Gate of Hell. The Inefficient or Indifferent. Pope Celestine V. The Shores of Acheron. Charon. The Earthquake and the Swoon. "
Through me lies the path to the city of suffering;
Through me lies the path to eternal sorrow;
Through me lies the path among the lost souls.
Justice moved my sublime Creator to make me;
Divine power shaped me,
The highest Wisdom and primordial Love.
Before me, nothing was created
Except eternal things, and I endure forever.
Abandon all hope, you who enter here!
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THE GATE OF HELL
“Abandon all hope, you who enter here!”
These words, written in dark lettering,
I saw inscribed above a gate.
"Master," I said, "their meaning troubles me."
And he answered, like one who understands:
"Here you must leave behind all hesitation,
Here cowardice must die within you.
We have reached the place I told you of,
Where you will see the wretched people
Who have lost the good of reason."
After he placed his hand on mine
With such a joyful expression that I felt comforted,
He led me into the secret realm.
Here sighs, lamentations, and piercing screams
Echoed through the starless air,
So that at first I wept to hear them.
Diverse languages, horrible pronunciations,
Words of pain, accents of anger,
High voices and hoarse ones, the sound of striking hands—
All this made a tumult that swirls on
Forever in that timeless black air,
Like sand spinning in a whirlwind.
And I, my head wrapped in horror, said:
"Master, what is this I'm hearing?
What people are these, so conquered by pain?"
He answered: "This is the miserable way
Of those sorry souls who lived
Without disgrace and without praise.
They are mixed with that cowardly choir
Of angels who were neither rebellious
Nor faithful to God, but served only themselves.
Heaven cast them out to preserve its beauty;
The depths of Hell won't receive them either,
For even the damned would gain glory over them."
"Master," I said, "what weighs so heavily on them
That makes them wail so desperately?"
He replied: "I'll tell you briefly.
These souls no longer hope for death,
And their blind life is so degraded
They envy every other fate.
The world allows no memory of them;
Both mercy and justice scorn them.
Let's not speak of them—just look and pass on."
Looking again, I saw a banner
Whirling and racing forward so rapidly
It seemed to scorn all rest.
Behind it came such a long procession
Of people that I never would have believed
Death had undone so many.
After I recognized some among them,
I saw and knew the shadow of the one
Who made the great refusal through cowardice.
At once I understood and was certain
This was the sect of worthless wretches
Hateful to God and to his enemies.
These miserable souls, who were never truly alive,
Were naked and constantly stung
By wasps and hornets.
The insects streaked their faces with blood
Which, mixed with tears, fell to their feet
Where disgusting worms gathered it up.
When I looked farther ahead,
I saw people on the bank of a great river.
"Master," I said, "please grant me this—
Let me know who these are, and what law
Makes them seem so eager to cross over,
As I can see in this dim light."
He answered: "These things will all be revealed
When we stop walking
On the sorrowful shore of Acheron."
Then, my eyes cast down in shame,
Fearing my words had annoyed him,
I kept silent until we reached the river.
And look! Coming toward us in a boat
Was an old man, his hair white with age,
Shouting: "Woe to you, you corrupt souls!
Never hope to see the heavens again!
I come to ferry you to the other shore,
Into eternal darkness, fire, and ice.
And you there—you living soul—
Get away from these dead ones!"
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CHARON AND THE RIVER ACHERON
“And look! Coming toward us in a boat / Was an old man, his hair white with age, / Shouting: "Woe to you, you corrupt souls!”
But when he saw I didn't move,
He said: "By other routes, through other gates
You'll reach the shore, not here.
A lighter boat must carry you."
My guide answered him: "Don't torment yourself, Charon.
This is willed where there is power
To do what is willed. Ask no more questions."
At this, the woolly cheeks fell silent
On the ferryman of the livid marsh,
Who had wheels of flame around his eyes.
But all those weary, naked souls
Changed color and gnashed their teeth
As soon as they heard his cruel words.
They cursed God and their parents,
The human race, the place, the time,
The seed of their conception and their birth.
Then, weeping bitterly, they all gathered together
On the accursed shore
That awaits everyone who doesn't fear God.
Charon the demon, with glowing eyes,
Signals and collects them all,
Strikes with his oar anyone who lingers.
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THE EMBARKATION OF THE SOULS
“Charon the demon, with glowing eyes, / Signals and collects them all, / Strikes with his oar anyone who lingers.”
As autumn leaves fall away,
First one, then another, until the branch
Gives all its spoils to the earth,
So the evil seed of Adam
Throws itself from that shore one by one
At his signals, like a bird to its call.
They depart across the dark water,
And before they land on the other side,
A new crowd assembles here again.
"My son," my courteous master said,
"All those who die in God's anger
Gather here from every country.
They are ready to cross the river
Because divine justice spurs them on,
So their fear transforms into desire.
No good soul ever passes this way,
So if Charon objects to you,
Now you understand what he means."
When he finished speaking, the dark plain
Trembled so violently that the memory
Of that terror still bathes me in sweat.
The land of tears sent forth a wind
And flashed a crimson light
That overwhelmed all my senses,
And I fell like someone seized by sleep.