Purgatorio
Hugh Capet. Corruption of the French Crown. Prophecy of the Abduction of Pope Boniface VIII and the Sacrilege of Philip the Fair. Examples of Avarice punished.
A will struggles badly against a better will;
so to please him, against my own desire,
I drew back the sponge.
We moved forward, my guide and I, through the empty spaces
along the rock face, like walkers on a wall beside the battlements.
Those souls who weep their endless tears—
the sickness that infects the entire world—
pressed too close to the cliff's edge on the other side.
Cursed are you, ancient she-wolf of greed,
who devour more prey than all other beasts
because your hunger can never be filled!
O heaven, whose turning some believe
can change conditions here below,
when will he come who will drive her away?
We walked on with slow and careful steps,
and I listened intently to the shades
I heard weeping and lamenting piteously.
By chance I heard someone cry "Sweet Mary!"
from ahead of us, amid the weeping,
like a woman in the throes of childbirth.
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THE AVARICIOUS
“and I listened intently to the shades / I heard weeping and lamenting piteously. / By chance I heard someone cry "Sweet Mary!"”
The voice continued: "How poor you were
is shown by that humble inn
where you laid down your sacred burden."
Then I heard: "O noble Fabricius,
you chose virtue with poverty
over the possession of great wealth with vice."
These words gave me such pleasure
that I moved closer to learn more
about the spirit from whom they seemed to come.
He was speaking now of the generosity
Nicholas showed to the young maidens,
guiding their youth toward honor.
"O soul who speaks so excellently,
tell me who you were," I said, "and why
are you alone in renewing these well-deserved praises?
Your words will not go unrewarded
if I return to complete the brief journey
of this life that flies toward its end."
And he replied: "I'll tell you, not for any comfort
I might expect from earth, but because such grace
shines in you before you have even died.
I was the root of that poisonous tree
which casts its shadow over all the Christian lands,
so that good fruit is rarely gathered from it.
But if Douai and Ghent and Lille and Bruges
had the power, they would soon take vengeance on it—
and this I pray from Him who judges all.
On earth I was called Hugh Capet.
From me were born the Louises and Philips
who have ruled France in later days.
I was the son of a Parisian butcher
when all the ancient kings had perished
except one, repentant in gray cloth.
I found myself grasping the reins
of the kingdom's government, with such great power
from new acquisitions, and so many friends,
that my own son's head was promoted
to the widowed crown, from whom
the consecrated bones of these kings began.
As long as the great dowry of Provence
did not strip the shame from my bloodline,
it was worth little, but at least did no harm.
Then with lies and force
it began its pillaging, and afterward, to make amends,
seized Ponthieu, Normandy, and Gascony.
Charles came to Italy, and for amends
made a victim of Conradin, and then
sent Thomas back to heaven, for amends.
I see a time, not far distant now,
that will bring forth another Charles from France
to make both himself and his family better known.
He goes unarmed, carrying only the lance
that Judas wielded, and he thrusts it so
that he bursts the belly of Florence.
From this he'll gain not territory, but sin and shame—
all the more grievous to himself
because he considers such damage so lightly.
The other one, already departed on his ship,
I see selling his own daughter, bargaining for her
like pirates do with other female slaves.
What more can you do to us, Avarice,
since you have so drawn my blood to yourself
that it no longer cares for its own flesh?
To make the future and past evil seem less,
I see the fleur-de-lis enter Alagna
and Christ made captive in his own vicar.
I see him mocked yet again,
I see the vinegar and gall renewed,
and him slain between living thieves.
I see the new Pilate, so pitiless
that this does not satisfy him—without decree
he brings his greedy sails into the temple.
O my Lord, when shall I be made joyful
by seeing the vengeance that, hidden,
makes your anger sweet in your secrecy?"
What I was saying about that sole bride
of the Holy Spirit, which made you turn
to me for explanation, continues
as the prescribed response to all our prayers
as long as day lasts. But when night comes,
we take up the contrary examples instead.
Then we repeat the story of Pygmalion,
whom his insatiable lust for gold
made traitor, thief, and parricide;
and the misery of greedy Midas
that followed his unreasonable request,
at which one can only laugh forever.
Each soul then recalls foolish Achan
and how he stole the spoils, so that Joshua's wrath
still seems to sting him here.
Then we accuse Sapphira and her husband,
we praise the hoofbeats that trampled Heliodorus,
and the whole mountain echoes with the infamy
of Polymnestor, who murdered Polydorus.
Finally comes the cry: 'Tell us, Crassus,
for you know—what does gold taste like?'
Sometimes we speak loudly, sometimes softly,
according to the desire that spurs us
to greater or lesser intensity.
But in speaking of the good examples told by day,
I was not alone just now—though nearby
no other soul was raising his voice."
We had already left him behind
and were striving to advance along the path
as much as our strength allowed,
when I felt the mountain tremble
like something about to fall, and a chill seized me
like one who goes to his death.
Certainly Delos did not shake so violently
before Latona made her nest there
to give birth to heaven's two eyes.
Then on all sides began such a cry
that my master drew close to me,
saying, "Do not fear while I am your guide."
"Glory to God in the highest!" everyone
was saying, from what I could understand
where it was possible to hear the words.
We stood motionless and in suspense,
like the shepherds who first heard that song,
until the trembling ceased and was finished.
Then we resumed our sacred journey,
watching the shades lying on the ground,
already returned to their accustomed lament.
Never had ignorance assaulted me
with such great urgency to know—
if my memory does not err in this—
as I seemed to feel while pondering then.
But I dared not ask out of haste,
nor could I perceive anything by myself,
so I went forward, fearful and thoughtful.