The Portable Dante by Dante Alighieri
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Some men have justice in their hearts; they think before they shoot their judgments from the bow— your people merely shoot off words about it!
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Some men think twice when offered public post; your citizens accept before they’re asked, shouting, “I’ll gladly sacrifice myself!”
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Rejoice, I say to you, you have good cause, rich as you are, so wise, knowing such peace! The facts bear out the truth of what I say.
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Athens and Lacedaemon, still well known for ancient laws and civil discipline, showed but the faintest signs of order then
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compared to you, who plan so cleverly that by the time November is half done the laws spun in October are in shreds.
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How often within memory have you changed coinage and customs, laws and offices, and members of your body politic!
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Think back, and if you see the truth, you’ll see that you are like a woman, very sick, who finds no rest on her soft, sumptuous bed,
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but turns and tosses to escape her pain.)
CANTO VII
THE ACTION IS renewed as Virgil and Sordello conclude their elaborate embrace. Upon learning that he has embraced not merely a fellow Mantuan but Virgil, the very glory of the Latin race, Sordello does him further homage. Virgil explains to Sordello the nature and scope of his journey with the Pilgrim and asks to be shown the quickest way up the mountain. Sordello volunteers his services as guide but remarks that it is almost nightfall and that it is the law of Purgatory that no one may ascend the mountain at night: the darkness of the shadows afflicts the will with impotence. However, Sordello knows of a good place to rest and suggests that they might spend the night there. He leads the two poets to a ledge above the Valley of the Princes, where they see the socalled Negligent Rulers, who are singing the Salve Regina. From this vantage above the valley, Sordello points out a number of the souls below: Rudolf of Hapsburg; Henry VII of Luxembourg; Ottokar II, king of Bohemia; Philip III of France; Henry the Fat of Navarre; Peter III of Aragon; his son, Charles of Anjou; Henry III of England; and William VII (Longsword).
When this glad, ceremonious embrace had been repeated several times, Sordello, stepping back, said, “Tell me, who are you two?”
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“Before those souls worthy to climb to God were taken to this mountain by His grace, my bones were buried by Octavian.
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I am Virgil. The reason I lost Heaven was through no other fault than lack of faith. ” This was the answer my guide gave that shade.
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As one who suddenly beholds a thing incredible will first believe and then misdoubt and say: “It is—it cannot be!”
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6. Octavian was the emperor Augustus, the first of the Roman emperors (63 B.C. -
A.D. 14).
so seemed Sordello. Then he bent his head and, this time, reverently, turned to embrace my master as a vassal does his lord.
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“O glory of the Latin race, ” he said, “you who did prove the power of our tongue, O deathless excellence of my own land,
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what merit or what grace grants me this sight? Tell me, if I am worthy of your words, are you from Hell and, if so, from what ward?”
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“Through all the circles of the realm of grief have I come here, ” he said. “A heavenly power showed me this road, and with its aid I come.
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Not what I did, but what I did not do cost me the sight of that high Sun you seek whose meaning was revealed to me too late.
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There is a place down there made sorrowful by darkness of its untormented grief: no shrieks of pain are heard, but hopeless sighs.
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I dwell with infant souls of innocence bit off from life by death before the sin that they were born with could be washed away;
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I dwell with those who could not clothe themselves in the three holy virtues but, unstained, knew all the rest, and practiced all of them.
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But if you know, and are allowed to tell, how can we find the quickest way to reach the place where Purgatory truly starts?”
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“Since we are not restricted to one spot, being free to roam around and up, ” he said, “I’ll be your guide as far as I may climb.
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16. “Latin race” (Latini, “Latins”) is the general term for ancient, and modern, Ital- ians who considered Latin their language.
But, see, the day is coming to an end; at night it is forbidden to ascend, so we should think of some good place to rest.
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Off to the right here is a group of souls; if you allow me, I shall take you there; I think you will take pleasure meeting them. ”
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“What do you mean?” my guide said, “If a soul started to climb at night, would he be stopped, or would he simply find he could not move?”
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Sordello drew his finger along the ground answering, “Look! After the sun has set you could not go a step beyond this line.
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There’s nothing that prevents our going up except the darkness of the shadows: this, alone, afflicts the will with impotence.
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We can, indeed, go down the slope and roam as far around the mountain as we wish, as long as the horizon locks out day. ”
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My lord, amazed by what he heard, replied: “In that case, take us to the place you said, where we would find a pleasurable rest. ”
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We started on our way, and soon I saw a hollow in the mountain slope, just like the hollow that a valley makes on earth.
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“Now we will go, ” the shade announced to us, “to where the mountain folds into a lap; there we will wait until the new day comes. ”
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A winding path that was not very steep led to a point upon the hollow’s rim where the side sloped to less than half its height.
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Think of fine silver, gold, cochineal, white lead, Indian wood, glowing and deeply clear, fresh emerald the instant it is split—
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the brilliant colors of the grass and flowers within that dale would outshine all of these, as nature naturally surpasses art.
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But nature had not only painted there: the sweetness of a thousand odors fused in one unknown, unrecognizable.
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I heard Salve Regina; sitting there upon the grass and flowers I saw souls hidden till then below the valley’s rim.
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“Please do not ask me, ” said our Mantuan guide, “to lead you down to where you see those souls, until the sinking sun has found its nest;
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from here it is much easier to see the faces and the movements of them all than if you were among them there below.
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The one who sits the highest and who looks as if he left undone what was to do, and does not join the others in their song,
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was Rudolf, Emperor, who could have cured the wounds that were the death of Italy— it will be long before she lives again!
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The one who seems to comfort him once ruled over that land whose waters flow into the Moldau to the Elbe to the sea:
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Ottokar—more respected as a babe than Wenceslaus, his bearded son, is now, feasting on lechery and idleness.
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94. Rudolf of Hapsburg (1218-1291), the first emperor of the House of Austria, gave priority to the internal affairs of Germany and neglected Italy, allowing it to remain outside the unifying influence of the empire.
100. In a spirit of reconciliation, Ottokar II, king of Bohemia from 1253 to 1278, a valiant warrior, comforts Rudolf of Hapsburg, formerly his bitterest enemy.
101. Wenceslaus IV (1270-1305) succeeded his father, O
That snub-nosed figure in close conference with the kind-looking person at his side, dishonoring the lily, died in flight.
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Look at him there, see how he beats his breast; look at the other soul, cradling his cheek within his palm, sighing. Father-in-law
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and father of the Plague of France they are; they know about his dissolute, foul life, and that is why they feel such piercing grief.
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That sturdy-looking soul seated beside the big-nosed one, singing in tune with him, was girded with the cord of every good.
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103. The figure, Philip III the Bold, king of France (1245-1285), called le Camus because of his nose, was defeated by Peter of Aragon in 1285 during the massacre of the French in Sicily. Philip was the son of Louis IX, whom he succeeded, and the nephew of Charles of Anjou. In 1262 he married Isabella, the daughter of James I of Aragon. From this marriage was born his son, Philip, who succeeded him as Philip IV the Fair, whom Dante dubs “the Plague of France” (109).
104. Henry the Fat of Navarre, contrary to his kindly appearance, was reputed to have had a harsh temperament. He died in 1274, suffocated by his fat. Henry was king of Navarre from 1270 to 1274, succeeding Thibaut II, his brother. His daughter Jeanne married Philip the Fair.
105. The lily (fleur de lis) was the emblem of the kings of France.
109. The “Plague of France” is Philip IV the Fair, son of Philip III the Bold and son- in-law of Henry the Fat. His reign was characterized by tyranny, corruption, and viciousness. Though never mentioned by name, he is the frequent object of Dante’s scorn in the Comedy (Purgatory XX, 85-96; XXXII, 148-60; XXXIII, 34-45; Paradise XIX, 118). Philip died in 1314.
112. The soul is that of Peter III of Aragon (1236-1285), the husband of Manfred’s daughter, Constance, who became king of Sicily in 1282, succeeding Charles of Anjou, after the massacre of the Sicilian Vespers.
113. The “big-nosed one” is Charles I of Anjou (1226-1285), champion of the Guelphs in Italy. He defeated Manfred at Benevento in 1266 to become king of Sicily and Naples, later losing the throne to Peter III. Though these two were bitter rivals, here they are presented as singing in harmony. Charles married Beatrix, daughter of Count Raymond Berenger IV of Provence, in 1246, thus becoming count of Provence. After Beatrix’s death in 1267, he married Margaret of Burgundy in 1268.
If only that young man behind him there had lived to rule a longer time, indeed, true merit would have flowed from cup to cup—
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as did not happen with the other heirs. Now James and Frederick possess his realms, but neither got the better heritage.
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Not often does the sap of virtue rise to all the branches. This is His own gift, and we can only beg that He bestow it.
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My words apply to him with the big nose as well as Peter there, who sings with him on whose account Provence and Puglia grieve.
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As much as this seed’s plant is less than he, just so much more than Margaret and Beatrix can Constance boast her husband’s excellence.
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And see Henry of England sitting there all by himself, king of the simple life whose branches bear him better fruit by far.
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115. The man is most likely Alfonso III of Aragon, who was Peter III’s eldest son and who reigned less than six years (1285-1291).
119. James II of Aragon and Frederick II of Sicily, the second and third sons of Peter III of Aragon, were involved in a lengthy dispute over a claim to the kingdom of Sicily.
127. This seed, the father, is Charles I; his plant, the son, is Charles II. Here we have a recapitulation of what had been hinted at in the lines immediately preceding: Charles I, like Peter III, was unfortunate in his progeny.
128-129. Margaret of Burgundy and Beatrix of Provence were both wives of Charles I of Anjou; Constance, daughter of Manfred, was the wife of Peter III of Aragon. Thus Dante is really saying in lines 127-129 that Charles II is as much inferior to Charles I as Charles I is to Peter III.
130-131. Henry III (1216-1272), whose son, Edward I, is credited with an enduring reform of English law, is reproached in Sordello’s lament for Blacatz (see note to Canto VI, 74) for his sloth and cowardice. His contemporaries frequently referred to his piety.
The one who sits below them on the ground and who looks up at them is Marquis William, whose war with Alessandria has made
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all Montferrat and Canavese weep.
CANTO VIII
AS THE PILGRIM looks on, one of the souls in the valley below rises and begins singing the Te lucis ante. The rest of the inhabitants of the valley join in and sing the hymn through to the end, keeping their eyes fixed on the sky. As they continue to stare upward, two angels are seen to descend from Heaven. These angels take up positions on either side of the group of souls, and Sordello explains that they have come to guard the valley against the serpent who will appear at any moment; he then announces that it is time to go down among the great shades of the valley. Having descended only a few steps, Dante recognizes the shade of Nino Visconti. Nino, righteously indignant, discusses with Dante the infidelity of widows who remarry. Virgil is explaining certain stellar phenomena of the Southern Hemisphere, when suddenly Sordello announces the coming of the serpent. No sooner does the beast appear, however, than it is put to flight by the two angel guardians. The Pilgrim then speaks to Conrad Malaspina, lavishly praising the reputation of the Malaspina family, and Conrad prophesies that Dante will one day have cause from his own experience to praise this family.
It was the hour when a sailor’s thoughts, the first day out, turn homeward, and his heart yearns for the loved ones he has left behind,
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134. William VII, surnamed “Longsword, ” was Marquis of Montferrat from 1254 to 1292. Failing in his attempt to quell a revolt in the city of Alessandria in Piedmont, William was locked in an iron cage hy his enemies and put on display until his death in 1292.
the hour when the novice pilgrim aches with love: the far-off tolling of a bell now seems to him to mourn the dying day—
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I was no longer listening to words but looking at a soul who had stood up, requesting, with a gesture, to be heard.
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He raised his hands, joining his palms in prayer, his gaze fixed toward the east, as if to say: “I have no other thought but Thee, dear Lord. ”
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Te lucis ante, with such reverence, and so melodiously, came from his lips, that I was lost to any sense of self;
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the rest then, reverently, in harmony, joined in to sing the hymn through to the end, keeping their eyes fixed on the heavenly spheres.
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Sharpen your sight, Reader: the truth, this time, is covered by a thinner veil, and so, the meaning should be easy to perceive.
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I saw that noble host of souls, who now in silence kept their eyes raised to the heavens, as if expectant, faces pale and meek,
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and then I saw descending from on high two angels with two flaming swords, and these were broken short and blunted at the end.
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Their garments, green as tender new-born leaves unfurling, billowed out behind each one, fanned by the greenness of their streaming wings.
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One took his stand above us on our side, and one alighted on the other bank; thus, all the souls were held between the two.
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26. The flaming swords of the angels recall the flammeum gladium of the Cherubim placed at the entrance to Eden as guardians after the Fall (Genesis 3:24).
28. The green color of the angels is, of course, the symbol of hope.
My eyes could see with ease their golden hair, but could not bear the radiance of their faces: light that makes visible can also blind.
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“From Mary’s b
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Not knowing from what point he would appear, I turned around and, frozen by my fear, I pressed close to those shoulders I could trust.
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Sordello spoke again: “Now it is time for us to join the noble shades below and speak with them—I know they will be pleased. ”
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I only had to take three steps, I think, before I reached the bottom. I saw a shade peering at me, trying to know my face.
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By now, the air had started turning dark, but not so dark that we could not see clear (so close we were) what was concealed before.
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He made his way toward me, and I toward him— Noble Judge Nino, how I did rejoice to see that you were not among the Damned!
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No loving words of welcome did we spare; then he: “How long since you have come across the boundless waters to the mountain’s base?”
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“Oh, ” I replied, “I left the realm of grief this morning; I am still in my first life, but hope to gain the other by this road. ”
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When Nino and Sordello heard my words, both of them backed away from me, amazed, unable to believe what they had heard.
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53. Nino Visconti (died 1296) was the son of Giovanni Visconti and (on his mother’s side) the grandson of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca (see Inferno XXXIII).
One turned to Virgil, and the other one turned to a soul nearby. “Corrado, rise!” he cried: “Come here! See what God’s grace has willed!”
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He turned to me: “I beg you in the name of that grace shown to you by Him who hides His primal cause too deep for man to delve—
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when you have crossed the enormous gulf once more, tell my Giovanna she should plead for me, for prayers from guiltless hearts are listened to.
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I think her mother has stopped loving me, for she has put aside those bands of white which she, poor soul, will soon be longing for.
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From her it is not difficult to learn how long love’s flame burns in a woman’s heart, if sight and touch do not rekindle it.