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Midway upon my own journey I found myself in a dark forest For the straightforward pathway had been lost I could not understand where I was! |
Dante lost himself into the dark forest and is looking for a way out |
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More and more becomes a dark path I cannot get out of it and the darkness falling down on me will not let me chance, I have to stop! |
Not finding his path he falls asleep; sunrays then wake him up |
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… and I wake up in the sun |
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I began to climb the mountain but three beasts obstructing my path hungry lion, she-wolf and a panther light they have forced me down from the hill |
Dante tries to walk up the hill he face three beasts which make him fall down |
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Suddenly appeared a dark shape ghost or man ? I could not know was my master, a great poet who has lived in Rome, so here's Virgilio ! |
Dante meets his guide, Virgilio, who calms him down |
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….and here he's there, in front of me |
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and I said to him "Have you pity on me" and he to me, calmly reassuring he said |
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"Rise up and follow me to hell, where you could meet ancient spirits, you'll see hopefuls in flames And then if you want to ascend a worthy soul will take and guide you on" |
Virgilio reassures Dante with him being his guide through this long and perilous trip |
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......Thus said I and when he had moved, I entered on the deep and savage way |
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There sighs, complaints, ululations loud Resounded in the air , a gloomy air without stars Languages diverse, horrible dialects and Accents of anger, words of agony, And the voices high and hoarse, with the sound of hands |
Dante describes his feelings walking through the gate |
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Through the gate of hell is the way to the dolent city forever Waves of tears and hard is the pain wandering among the dark people lost Dangling my limbs across the trail to the dolent city forever Life is lost and hope is over Walking last step to eternal dole |
Referring to the words above the gate "Per me si va ne la città dolente, per me si va ne l'etterno dolore,per me si va tra la perduta gente...." |
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and here melancholy souls, of those who lived without infamy or praise "Speak not of them, Look and pass" An incredible horde, chasing flag and running unceasingly |
Visions of sloths Virgilio's literal quote "Non ragioniamo di loro, guarda e passa" |
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And I Beheld the shade of him who made through cowardice the great refusal |
referring to pope Celestino V, who refused papacy |
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Black sail is coming, steered by an ancient beard roughly shut up by my guide "it's how is wanted there where all wished can be, dare not asking furthermore" |
Caronte's arrival, who's blamed and silenced by Virgilio Virgilio's talking |
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"Don't expect to face the sky I'll take you to the other side into the dark of forever among frost and fire " |
Caronte's talking |
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Through the gate of hell is the way to the dolent city forever Waves of tears and hard is the pain wandering among the dark people lost Dangling my limbs across the trail to the dolent city forever Life is lost and hope is over Walking last step to eternal dole |
Referring to the words above the gate "Per me si va ne la città dolente, per me si va ne l'etterno dolore,per me si va tra la perduta gente...." |
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Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch’intrate
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Literal quote |
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And after that I fell as a man-whom sleep hath seized, breaks my lethargy an heavy thunder |
Dante's fainted, and is being relieved by a thunder's blast on the shores of Acheronte river |
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upon the other verge I find me of the abyss's valley dolorous That gathers sound of eternal laments |
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Obscure, profound it was, and nebulous so dark my eyes can’t catch any living motion Here I found myself in the blind world where sparkles of life can burn but of damnation |
Dante's describing the place where he founds himself as obscure, profound and nebulous; he also says to be unable to see anything |
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Let us go, for the long way... And there now, we are listening No lamentations, but only sighs That tremble made the everlasting air |
Dante and Virgilio are about to descend when Dante focuses on his hearing only sighs |
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"here we are entering the hell with fear this the first circle, will be the home of my pain, my punishment is to stay here, where no one is sinner only not baptized....." |
Virgilio tells him that Limbo contains souls of people who were not baptized, and he is part of it too |
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Obscure, profound it was, and nebulous so dark my eyes can’t catch any living motion Here I found myself in the blind world where sparkles of life can burn but of damnation |
Dante's describing the place where he founds himself as obscure, profound and nebulous; he also says to be unable to see anything |
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Thus I descended down to the second (circle) Here it comes Minos, the infernal judge …… |
Dante and Virgilio go down to the second circle where they meet Minosse |
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And then two souls come to me and tell me how they were killed condemned in the name of love |
Here Dante and Virgilio come across two souls |
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And the woman she only talks to me she realized her dream but the sentence everything has drowned |
Only the female one talks to Dante: she's Francesca, she finds herself down here in hell with her loved Paolo |
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Love spares no one to those who love love's back always somehow you can not stop |
Referring to renowned sentence: “Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona” |
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....And the story of their agonies make me sad, i want to cry So I asked them how they got in hell and how they have surrendered to love |
Dante gets sad, and asks the lovers how they yielded to a "wrong" love; and they remember |
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She told me that one day they were reading for delight, of Lancelot they were alone and without fear There was a kiss … |
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Galeotto was the book and he who wrote it ! |
Literally translated from the known sentence: "galeotto fu quel libro e chi lo scrisse" |
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Left alone in fear and paleness I see the figure of my master Demons are behind while the gates close in a slam |
Dante is overwhelmed by the surroundings |
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Were not we allowed? Our trip blessed? Uncertainty holds and grasps my heart Cannot find any confort in my guide's eyes |
Dante is still frightened, looking for an explanation, and tries to find relief in Virgilio |
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Spine shivers as feet make them near infernal furies stained with blood wrapped in serpents aimed us in a feral flight “Medusa come, to stone will change him” |
Erinni's calling for Medusa |
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I feared we would have ended lost there, under the high tower in red-flaming light From the first grade Someone fell to here ?" Seldom, but don't worry I know the way |
Dante asks Virgilio if someone from Limbo has ever got to where they're going to Virgilio says rarely, but reassures him telling he has already been there during past |
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Souls Wandering 'cross the wastelands, Stumbling among right and wrong, Mined by temptations and remorse Crying for a help from above Down here reason has not Any Redemption but A mere second of relief Salvation's under light of love |
Reason itself is not sufficient: it's God, as Love, to enlighten human's path |
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Cover my eyes Save me from sin heavenly messenger |
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….down to seventh circle Here's what to expect |
Dante and Virgilio arrive to the seventh circle’s first ring |
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Just behind a turn a view eyes reject infamy of Crete, self biting staggered by own ferocity. |
Dante bears witness of a monstrous horde, with Minotauro atop |
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LIE IN A HOT RIVER OF BLOOD WONDROUS TREES IN A BLACK FOREST |
Description of two kinds of pain, inflicted to the damned as counterpass |
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Seething life drops far Here dark peace, sorrow gloom sighs whines trees dread blood voice pain |
Seventh circle’s infernal sights |
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CHASED TO BITES BY BLACK SHE-MASTIFFS RAIN OF FIRE ALL AROUND THEM |
Again, description of two kinds of pain inflicted to the damned as counterpass |
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Violence is lack of respect blindness towards life and its miracle; while the deepest of human feelings, with love |
In this ring find their place those damned guilty of violence toward God |
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blood stands as a memory of the life they have outraged now rivers of it burn off their cries |
Blood here is Flegetonte river’s one |
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the solitary forest set me in anxiety I found hold in a branch I have torn taken by the fear |
Dante breaks a tree branch: it is Pier della Vigna who asks him to redeem his name |
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never thought it would have bled no voice to utter asking begging me to clear his name soul spoke instead of me |
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There's a place In The Hell Known as Malebolge Stone, and iron walls Around as the turning circle |
Generic description of the sight of Malebolge |
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That Venedico, who sold own sister's dignity to his longing and avarice |
They meet Venedico Caccianemico, who made his sister a prostitute |
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Reached slowly the tall figure of Giasone, here for having seduced Medea |
Here they meet Giasone, guilty of having seduced Medea and let her down |
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Among the horde, saw that one clothed in shit like he veiled, others with praises |
Alessio Interminelli, a flatterer, whose mouth “was never tired” |
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Near, a relentless soul: Taide, never sit nor standing, tortured by her own nails |
Taide is a whore, tortured by her very nails |
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Malibolgie ' est proprie vocabulum Auctoris quia numquam tale vocabulum in aliquo loco, nec in auctoribus poetis, nec in philosophis inveni, nec in chronicis, nec in Sacra Scriptura |
Literal latin quote by Serravalle, who describes Malebolge |
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Down, circulatory running of souls fraudolent and malicious back and forth, by horned demons, beating behind naked |
Overall description of Malebolge pimps, seducers and flatterers, go back and forth at the bottom of the trench hit and whipped by demons |
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down the bridge eyes to the plain all, crying face and feets stumbling backwards |
Dante, walking on a bridge, sees damned With their face torn backwards as counterpass. This horror hurts him to tears |
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not human pity forced tears out my heart facing the horror i was touched |
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who are you, to cry on those lost souls, sinners who in their life played on others ? |
Virgilio tells Dante not to cry, because those damned deserve the pain |
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you are right but what I see glancing in the dark, is pure cruelty |
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Cannot stand! Whatever the sin, all of this is far from justice |
Dante however can’t stand the sight of those inhuman Creatures, who were human beings |
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don't ever dare to doubt you're a merely mortal and not allowed to discuss the divine judgement given |
Virgilio reproaches him, remembering not to discuss God’s judgement |
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No one can discover the future reading the vast constellations only god set the divine rules of fate |
Here are fortunetellers, who try to foresee the future, but only God can: thus condemning them to hell |
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and in this circle are comndamned those who looked too much far before him and now they're forced forever just look back as counterpass! adulterating holy laws and justifying the lies of the lords that's all,we walked away |
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a long journey to the wisdom's shore calls to the hero back to home |
Introducing Ulisse |
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near the bridge, now approaching, a shiny dual flame a breath of wind shakes one of them, and waving as a talking tongue breaking silence |
Dante and Virgilio see two flames, one of those is Ulisse who tells about his long and troubled journey |
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neither love, my old father, nor missing my son took my soul from craving to sail, away on the waves, searching for the unknown |
Ulisse narrates his journey from his own point of view |
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those ones who didn't left me we sailed the tides old and spent we arrived to the pillars |
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fatti non foste a viver come bruti, ma per seguir virtute e canoscenza |
Literal quote |
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we turned oars into wings in our Flying, southern constellations were shining |
Description of Ulisse’s arrival, the journey’s end |
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when that mountain appeared highest ever, our joy became tears sinking us |
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Fall into the remote mist and shift the bound onward on God the only one who can enlight your journey, now pray |
Ulisse urges to sail to the unknown because this is human nature Dante does not agree and confirms that only God can enlighten humans’ light |
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hey brothers o' mine, consciousness has no age, nor stands as a flag once at a border never negate yourself a way beyond it right trough our Sun |
Ulisse reiterates the concept to jump over the boundaries of knowledge to discover more and more |
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smoke and burning air unravel just one standing above another teeths to the bones, eating him out everlasting feral meal |
Dante focused on the figure of a damned biting another’s neck: count Ugolino. |
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jaws drowning into living blood claws in deep, making him despair only echoes of hate while time wipes all but the pain |
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"e se non piangi, di che pianger suoli?" |
Literal quote |
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such a sighting pushes my heart feeding courage to ask the reason as he raises head from torture tears start melting with the blood |
Dante can’t stand the sight |
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cleaning mouth with his victim’s hair he will tell his desperation an infame betrayer such grief to brake a heart down |
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Ed ecco son qui guardo fuori da questo pertugio la luce morra', nella torre restiamo serrati il domani sara' noncurante del nostro destino e poi .... e poi .... e poi ......... |
Ugolino is talking: locked inside the tower, cries in despair because he realizes he’ll die there |
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pale moonlight shines on, revealing on him gracility of need, door locked forever blind eyes in tears my hurt palms on their bodies not a breathe, neither a mere heartbeat And Surrender to sorrow |
Count Ugolino, prisoner inside the tower with his sons, tells about his feelings |
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alas pisa! people disgrace neighbours so slow and lazy... if only the two islands could unite and wall arno up to make you sink, people drowning maybe guilty, but can be his innocent souls considered the same? modern thebes |
Dante’s invective against Pisa, guilty for having reiterated the same crimes Thebe’s had, imprisoning the Count (guilty for giving away important castles) along with his sons: blameless for the early age. |
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Behold Dite ! this is the place where you'd better with fortitude must arm thyself I then raised my eyes, the vision was there |
They arrive to Dite, infernal city where there is the sixth ring |
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The emperor of the kingdom dolorous gigantic was in front of me I did not die, and not I remained alive |
Dante and Virgilio get close to Lucifero: a majestic figure stuck in ice |
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Without forces I got along Toiling without words in silence, my mind staggered in a storm of emotions, nightmares petrified me |
Dante’s reaction to the sight of Lucifero |
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"Vexilla Regis Prodeunt Inferni" |
Literal latin quote |
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lord of hell is here majestic rises from the ice with regality like a tower three faces on his head lord of hell is here deceiver, fallen from the sky pulsing core of pain beaten by god immortal evil/demon |
Description of the sight of Lucifero |
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Before leaving hell, without any rest, and walking right into that hidden road to return to the bright world And Ere from the abyss I tear myself away I feel the urge to ask my guide for answers … |
Just before leaving hell, Dante feels the urge of asking Virgilio some questions |
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Thus I said my Lead: "Where is the ice? How is he kept Stuck upside down? And how the sun made its day path in such a short time? " |
These are the three questions Dante’s asking his guide |
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Now we are beneath the hemispere and we pass the point to which things heavy with great force draw from every side Here it is morning when it's eve there The beast is still Fixed the way he was Cast off and fallen from the skies |
Virgilio answers Dante: he says they have passed the Earth’s centre and will exit on the other side, so night and day are inverted |
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Below There's a place Which is Known not by the sight But by The sound of a small river |
Description of the scene around, the slowly ascent for leaving hell |
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Gushing from the stone eroded and just slightly falls Me and my Master Without care Forever leave hell to rebehold the stars Forever Leaving Hell |
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"E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle." |
Literal quote |
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forever leave hell rising to the heavens eyes towards the blue to return to the bright world turn my back to pain aiming to the everlasting love fill my heart with light like a sky full of stars |
finally ascendant |