#astounded there are people who haven’t heard this
Text
Kazui audio drama (t2) - English TL
[ links: Spotify / Youtube ]
I cannot believe my hs philosophy class came in handy as I was translating this. Thanks Milgram your references never fail to astound me
Aaanyways you know how it is,, feel free to send an ask or hit me up on Twitter if you’ve got any questions or other feedback re: this translation etc 💪 (<- sincerely hoping that Twitter DMs still work these days)
⬇️ translation under the cut ⬇️
(door opens)
E: I’ve kept you waiting, Kazui.
K: It’s been a while, Warden-kun.
E: Yeah… It has been.
K: Things have gotten pretty tough inside the prison, but… well, you’ve probably heard all about that from the others already, haven’t you?
E: Yeah… I heard that you protected other prisoners from Kotoko. I owe you my thanks.
K: That much is only natural. However… she really is strong, isn’t she? I mean, I’ve experienced some fights myself, but [going up against] a woman like her was a first.
E: Hm… Is she strong enough that even you can’t stop her from doing harm?
K: Well, in cases like this, it’s generally the heavier person who ends up winning. After all, if she really does have proper killing intent, I can’t afford to let her injure anyone. It’s difficult, isn’t it.
E: Is that so…
K: I was afraid that it’d come to this from the very beginning. There’s a lot of young kids here, too. It’d be hard for anyone to keep a decent mentality in a situation like this.
E: …You’re pretty rational.
K: I wonder. Maybe it’s because I’m used to violence. Even so… I couldn’t make it for Shiina-chan. I feel responsible for [what happened to] her.
E: …
K: Well, rest assured, though. As long as I can move, I’ll be protecting [the others]. After all, it’s pretty much just me who can fight her on equal terms.
E: Mikoto, too.
K: Ah… yeah. Like back when he went out of control, right? I can’t quite read him, though… If both of them were to attack us, it’s possible that we’d suffer a total defeat.
E: A total defeat…?
K: If that happens, this prison game would probably come to an end as well. All of that depends on your judgment, right, Warden-kun? Who will be forgiven by you and who won’t be…
E: What are you trying to say?
K: If at all possible, I would like you to choose a method that will not get any more people hurt. That’s what I’m saying.
E: So you’re telling me to forgive you?
K: (laughs) Oi, oi…! Don’t look at me like that.
E: I’m the Warden. If I forgive you, I forgive you. If I don’t, I don’t. There’s no other factors to it.
K: (sighs) Wouldn’t it be okay? I mean, this situation with prisoners being hurt wasn’t what you wanted either, was it?
E: …
K: Just pretend that you’re looking at our sins, and make your judgment with the protection of the prisoners in mind. After all, nobody can read your mind – so that much craftiness would be fine, don’t you think?
E: Hmph. That’s a very “you” kind of pretentious solution.
K: It’s the most natural conclusion, isn’t it? Do you think it’s a sin to lie in order to protect people?
E: That would be Kant.
K: Kant?
E: A philosopher who stated that lying is inherently a sin, no matter the circumstances.
K: Huh…
E: Apparently, even if your friend is being chased by a murderer and the murderer asks you about their whereabouts, you shouldn’t lie, according to Kant.
K: That’s ridiculous. If you can save someone by telling a lie, that’s what you should do.
E: However… You killed someone with your lies, didn’t you?
K: … Ah… You forgave me, didn’t you? Aren’t you being especially strict towards me?
E: Am I?
K: Mmh, it’s obvious. You said you would figure out my murder by watching the footage of my mind. Is this the result of that?
E: You were unfaithful, right? That’s stupid.
K: Hmm…
E: The reason I forgave you was because I was lacking details. I still don’t understand your true feelings or how things got to that point, either.
K: I see.
E: It was extremely hard to understand. Even with all of that poetry, though, your self-absorbed nature was more than obvious.
K: Ohh my… That’s quite the sweeping generalization, even though you forgave me.
E: It’s a personal dislike of mine. People who act based on their sexual urges like that, that is.
K: It’s personal?
E: Yeah. That’s right.
K: That’s strange. I did think that, despite being neutral as a Warden, you had some things you dislike, but…
E: …
K: Isn’t it unusual to openly reveal a personal dislike as a personal dislike?
E: You’re splitting hairs.
K: Seems like you really disliked my crime… I get it! Maybe it was because you’re so young, which is to say… …
E: Hah? Stop staring at me so openly. It’s disgusting.
K: …
E: …! (punches him)
(clattering)
E: (sighs) Now I feel better.
K: — Ow…! What are you doing all of a sudden…?!
E: It was an instinctive reaction. Don’t take it personally.
K: Would you stop just punching me in the face without hesitation? … (sighs) Anyways… that’s how it is, huh? That’s how it is…?
E: Hah?
K: I didn’t even consider this a possibility… Personal impressions sure can be scary.
E: If you say any more things than this that I don’t get, I’m hitting you again.
K: Geez, cut out the hysterics… Hmm, if it’s like this, that explains some things, though. I don’t have kids, but I’ve heard that this is what it’s like.
E: Hey. Stop blabbering on while looking like you know it all. It’s obnoxious.
K: Hahaha! But you know what? You’re wrong.
E: …? What are you talking about?
K: You’re wrong.
E: …
K: You said I was unfaithful – in other words, that I cheated or committed adultery of some kind.
E: Yeah. That’s what I deduced from your footage.
K: It’s not true. It didn’t even turn into infidelity. It didn’t turn into anything like that. For me… In my case, you see.
E: … You’re married… You’re a married man, aren’t you?
K: Hm? Yeah, that’s right. Oh, right, I never told you, did I?
E: You’ve taken off your ring.
K: … Right… I did take it off, huh. Right…
E: Yeah.
K: Mh. … I do carry it with me, though. See? – I was forgiven. My feelings were validated. So… maybe that means that I don’t have to do this anymore? Thanks to that, I was feeling better when the second trial started… I really do feel sorry about that. Towards my wife.
E: If that ring is a symbol of punishment to you… There really is nothing that could possibly be more cruel towards her.
K: Mmh.
E: Marriage is something that both partners want equally, isn’t it? It’s something you can’t do if only one person wants it. Deciding to treat it as a punishment all on your own… You’re making a mockery out of it.
K: I really am. Ah… She must have thought so as well. My wife, that is.
E: I’ve said this before: You’re a liar. Those lies have killed a person.
K: (sighs)
E: I forgave you. While I wasn’t sure yet, I thought that it didn’t seem like you killed her directly, and with all sorts of things taken into consideration, I judged that your murder was not a sin. However. That doesn’t mean that I’m praising your nature as a liar.
K: Yeah. I believe you’re right about that.
E: In short – between love and hate, [I would say] I hate you. Remember that.
K: … I get that.
E: Huh?
K: I despise myself for lying, too. Being a liar, you see – it’s painful.
E: Heh. Then just–
K: So I’ve tried to change! I’ve tried to change. I have tried to stop lying to myself and others!
E: …
K: I’ve confided in others. I’ve tried to be myself! I’ve tried to just be the way I was born!
E: …Hey, Kazui–
K: It’s not my lies that killed her. She’s dead because I stopped lying to her! If I had just kept lying- She wouldn’t have died…!
E: Kazui…
K: I can’t live unless I lie. That’s how I was born… I’m pathetic, aren’t I?
E: (sighs) I really can’t seem to understand you.
K: …
E: Just when I thought you weren’t letting out any of your true feelings and cleverly hiding your actual emotions… Now here you are, drowning in self-loathing like this.
K: (weak laugh) An old man in unstable condition… that’s not something you’d wanna see, is it. Sorry about that.
E: You know, about Kant…
K: Ah, the one who said you shouldn’t lie even if your friend might get killed.
E: From his point of view, if your friend dies because you didn’t lie, there’s no causal connection between the two… or so I’ve heard.
K: I don’t think so, though…
E: Even if you don’t lie, your friend might survive. And if you do lie, your friend might end up dying on a different occasion. That’s the reason why you’re supposed to always tell the truth.
K: …That’s convincing.
E: It’s not really.
K: Yeah, it’s not.
E: It may not be, but… I thought that for someone who has failed in their attempts to be honest, it might be a [saving] grace so they won’t end up doubting honesty in its entirety.
K: …
E: I still don’t know what happened, but… isn’t it okay to be proud that you made an effort to be honest in the first place?
K: … You’re so kind all of a sudden.
E: I just said what I was thinking. And besides – I forgave you. I made it as if your sin wasn’t a sin at all. And yet, you don’t seem the slightest bit relieved.
K: I know right.
E: Everyone else seems more or less liberated by the fact that they were forgiven.
K: That’s right.
E: Just from that… I understand that having your feelings approved of by someone else can have a major impact on the development of one’s personality.
K: …
E: However… You have not forgiven yourself. That’s why you can’t change.
K: …
E: Alternatively, even if your lying self was forgiven… it would still do nothing to help you.
K: …Aah, you really are impressive. You think so much.
E: I am watching over ten troublesome prisoners, after all. Even if I don’t want to, I’m being relied on.
K: I haven’t forgiven myself… even if my lies are forgiven, it won’t resonate [with me]. It might just be both of these. All the lies I’ve told are tying me down. Ever since I was little, I’ve never truly opened myself to anyone. But in the end, people can’t be saved if they don’t [open up]. And by now, it’s gotten to a point where I can’t do it by myself anymore…
(machinery whirrs, bell rings)
K: I did think Milgram would be able to force its way past that, though.
E: Is that an attempt at provocation?
K: You didn’t manage to reach my sin.
E: …
K: Even though I want you to… Milgram isn’t so great after all, is it?
E: …Heh. Don’t push yourself too hard, after all that whining from earlier.
K: Ha. [This is] the wish of a liar who’s reached a dead end – come and figure out my lies, Milgram. And, Es… please, free me from these lies.
E: Yeah. Leave it to me. – Prisoner no.7, Kazui. Sing your sins.
#translation#fan translation#milgram#milgram music videos#milgram es#milgram kazui#kazui mukuhara#audio drama#ooooo it's hitting hard again#PLEASE listen to the vd for the latter half at least it's so. AUGH /pos
671 notes
·
View notes
Note
HI LATI CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR MILESTONE! can i request jk smut drabble with a prompt “My tongue still remembers the way you taste.” lemme eat that pussy out yeah 🤭
taste | jjk (m)
>> pairing jungkook x fem!reader
>> genre/au's college reunion AU | smut
>> summary jungkook shows you what he's been missing at the college reunion.
>> word count 1.9k
>> warnings oral (f. receiving) | hair pulling | slight exhibitionism | ft. taehyung & jimin
>> author's note hi anoniieeee!! i hope you enjoy this and thank you for requesting <3
[keep in mind that i do not have taglists for request, and prompts are marked in bold! thank you.]
Since you left college, you had never expected to come back. Reunions were always a bit silly in your eyes, the mere thought of seeing everyone again and hearing them babble on how perfect their life is made you want to stay home.
Although, Jimin was a pro in convincing you. It took him merely three words to get you in the car with him and towards where the reunion was held.
“Who are you most excited to see again?” Jimin asks, smiling with his pearly whites as he glances towards you before averting his gaze towards the road.
“No one.” Jimin gasps, turning it to a high pitched laugh. He isn’t surprised by your answer. You were never really the type of person to hold on to people from college except Jimin but you’re living with the guy.
“You sure about that? I heard from Taehyung that Jungkook is stopping by.”
Your eyes pop out by the name. Jeon Jungkook. One of the greatest swimmers at your college — also, the one you found yourself hooking up with a bit too much during college.
Some would say it was a friends with benefits situation, others that you were dating but you frankly didn’t care. Jungkook and you had a lot of fun and that’s all that mattered. It didn’t really surprise you when you parted ways after college, losing complete touch. After all, he was moving to the States to pursue his swimming career, and you stayed and moved in with Jimin not long after.
Either way, Jungkook was a fun college experience, and that’s all there was to it. Yet for some odd reason, your stomach is acting up at the minor thought of seeing him again after so many years.
“Interesting.” You answer in a monotone voice, not wanting Jimin to read on too fast that you’re kind of excited now for this reunion.
“Taehyung and I already betted some money on if you and Jungkook get together after the reunion.” You shake your head, laughing at the stupidity of Jimin and Taehyung as a duo. It doesn’t even surprise you that they made a whole bet about this, after all they were the victims when it came to you and Jungkook sneaking around.
Time surely passed quickly, Jimin already put the car to a stop in front of the building where a huge sign indicated this was the right place.
Surprisingly the inside is crowded, it almost astounds you because, were there really that many people in your college? You weren’t exactly one to fill yourself up with crowds, Jimin the same which explains how he dragged you directly to Taehyung and Jungkook the moment you stepped inside.
At first you can’t even recognize Jungkook. His hair is shorter than last you saw him, dyed in a minty color and he has a lip piercing. You scold yourself internally for imagining what that would feel like against your bare—
“Wow, can’t believe you’re here!” Jungkook jokes, knowing you’re not fond of social gatherings.
“Shut up, Jeon.” You roll your eyes, Jungkook laughing as he grabs onto your waist, pulling you in for a hug. Before you pull away, Jungkook lowers his head for his lips to reach your ear.
“You look fucking great.” He whispers, letting you retract right after. You gulp down, hating yourself for being affected when you haven’t seen Jungkook for years. Yet here you are, finding yourself getting hot and bothered over a simple compliment, while Jungkook acts as if nothing happened.
“I’m gonna take a look around, see you later.” You say to Jimin, excusing yourself to wander around the place.
There’s apparently a second floor, filled with empty spaces, some rooms are locked while others are free to use.
“Did you find something interesting?” You halt in your tracks, recognizing the voice. Of course he followed you.
“Just looking, Jeon.” You look back, smiling innocently, returning back to walking further down the hallway, hearing a huff behind you before he joins you in rapid steps.
“So… how are you? It’s been a while.” Jungkook tucks his hands in his pants, smiling in your direction while you slow in your steps.
“I’m okay. How about you? With swimming and everything?” You let it slip, proving you remember how Jungkook was the best swimmer back in college. A minor detail as such, makes Jungkook’s eyes light up before he gives you an answer.
“It was fun, I’m doing coaching now for professionals.” The news surprise you. Jungkook doesn’t swim anymore?
“You don’t swim anymore?” You ask with caution, scared that it’s a sensitive topic.
“I do! I just fell in love with helping out young boys who are thriving after becoming the best. I don’t know, it just makes sense for me to help them.” Jungkook’s smile never fades when he talks about his job, and your heart might’ve swooned over how soft he sounds.
“That’s amazing Jungkook.” You respond, both of you finally reaching the end of the hall. To the right there’s an empty office, the only furniture inside the room is a table.
“Well, we should head ba–”
“Do you ever think about back then?” Jungkook surprises you with the question. You can’t exactly lie and tell him no. Sometimes it just slipped your mind whenever you had some time alone, thinking back to everything you and Jungkook did.
“Maybe…” You grin when Jungkook begins to frown, not exactly content with your answer.
Instead, he steps closer. “Maybe? Doesn’t exactly sound like a no.” He sounds hopeful.
“Jeon, why are you—”
“I’ve missed you, isn’t it obvious enough?” Okay, so maybe you’ve lied a bit. There might’ve been a bit more between you and Jungkook than just casual sex. But, it would’ve never worked out so you kept it as it was.
“Is this your way of flirting with me?” You suggest, hoping he’s simply trying to relieve some old memories.
“Why? Is it working?” He smirks, humor laced in his tone to state that he was obviously flirting with you.
“I don’t know… What else have you missed about me?” You’re testing him. He catches on quickly, pondering to drag out the time between you.
“The way you taste.” He steps closer, his lips able to brush against yours.
“You can’t miss something you don’t remember. Jungkook, that was a long time ago.” You try to explain, fighting off how your underwear is becoming damp by his words.
“Trust me, my tongue still remembers the way you taste.” Your breath hitches at his words.
“Holy shi—” Jungkook cuts you off, kissing you without a second's doubt. The way he kisses is just as you remember, gentle yet with a rough pull. His hands are roaming on your back, shamefully grabbing your ass to pull you against his hard on.
Before you can grab onto his hair, he pulls away, resting his forehead against yours. “Tell me you missed this.” He breathes out, his eyes searching for an answer while you contemplate what to say.
“I—” You hesitate. “Fuck. I did. I did miss this.” You answer truthfully, Jungkook lips capturing yours once more, this time with a goal.
Somehow he manages to push you inside the empty office, forcing you to sit down on the desk while he hovers above you, clutching his hands on your ass.
You truly wouldn’t mind if Jungkook fucked you right here, even though anyone could walk upstairs and hear it. Then again, you’ve done way worse in college.
Patiently waiting for Jungkook to ask you if you want this, it doesn’t happen. Instead, Jungkook pulls away, staring you down before he drops down on his knees.
His hands are now on your thighs, spreading them apart as his palm feels warm against your exposed skin. It’s easy for him to have access, simply pulling the fabric of your dress until he sees your covered core.
Jungkook looks up, noticing how he’s stunned you with his sudden action. Your breaths have shortened, hands clutching on the edge of the desk. You want this. Jungkook can easily tell.
So, he proceeds, licking his lips before he peppers your thighs with kisses, some with small bites to them. The action sends an unexpected rush to your core, making you whine. You can see the shape of Jungkook’s smirk as he continues, moving upwards, his face almost disappearing under your dress.
Jungkook used to tease you a lot during college. He loved to rile you up and make you beg, which is why you’re expecting him to do the same now — but he doesn’t.
He seems rather impatient, tucking your underwear down, instead of kissing you above the fabric like he used to. It’s new, seeing Jungkook like this but fuck, you love it.
After grabbing a hold of your underwear, Jungkook just goes for it. The action catches you off guard, his tongue tracing every inch on you.
“S–Shit.” You gasp, your hand reaching for Jungkook’s minty hair, pulling it with every movement of his tongue on you.
It’s hard to pinpoint how it feels as you’re too overwhelmed by the situation in the first place. You just can’t believe that Jeon motherfucking Jungkook is on his knees for you.
You throw your head back, the feeling intensifying when his lips wrap around your clit, sucking it gently. Slowly with time, the room begins to fill with your moans and Jungkook groaning against your mouth whenever you grind down on his tongue, desperate for more of him.
It’s not until Jungkook adds his fingers that you feel that familiar pit in your stomach growing. Jungkook is eating you out like he’s been craving it all this time, not caring how loud his tongue is against your core with every lick.
Jungkook’s fingers slide in with ease, finding your g-spot easily while his mouth continues to suck down on your clit. When your orgasm starts to near, you feel yourself clench against his fingers, yearning for the release that’s nearing.
What surprises you more is Jungkook accidentally whining against your core when you continue to clench. Fuck, he’d do anything to fuck you right here, feel you clench against his cock instead of his fingers — but time is ticking and for now, Jungkook just wants you to finish all over his tongue.
When your orgasm is on the brink of releasing itself, Jungkook pulls out his fingers, his tongue replacing your hole, while his nose rubs against your clit with every buck of your hips. The new sensation is the last push you need, finishing on Jungkook’s tongue with a high pitched moan and a harsh grip to his hair.
It takes a minute for you to collect yourself, breathing out while Jungkook slowly removes himself. Half of his face is covered in your slick, the view arousing you, despite you just having an orgasm a second ago.
“Holy fuck.” You say, trying to catch your breath.
“Just as I remember.” Jungkook says to himself, guiding you back to his earlier comment about how he remembered how you tasted.
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
“You flatter me, should we join the guys?” Jungkook suggests, completely ignoring how he’s half hard after eating you out.
“What about you?” You ask, moving your hands towards his belt, indicating you’d love to help him out.
“Trust me, the minute we’re out of here, I’m gonna fuck you.” He promises, winking before he grabs onto you and leads you out of the office.
Now there’s only one thought left wandering in your head, how much did Taehyung and Jimin bet?
© jjkeverlast 2023 [do not copy, translate or repost any of my works.]
#jungkook smut#jeon jungkook smut#bts jungkook smut#jungkook#jeon jungkook fanfic#bts fanfiction#bts fan fic#bts jungkook fic#jeon jungkook x reader#jungkook x reader#jeon jungkook#bts jungkook#bts jeon jungkook#bts jungkook drabble#jungkook drabble
654 notes
·
View notes
Text
Sunset Savannah’s Tamashina-Mina – Episode 2 (Part 1)
Following is part 1 of my translation of Episode 2 of the Tamashina-Mina event. This part contains episodes 2-1 to 2-3.
Spoilers after the cut!
Episode 2-1
Leona: We made it.
Grim: Woah! So this is Sunset Savannah.
Leona: Yup. This is Sunrise City - the imperial capital, and also my hometown. Allow me to welcome ya'll to my sordid abode.
Jack: Ah- It’s hot….
Vil: It’s certainly hotter than it is back at Sage’s Island and the Shaftlands. Even the air here feels different.
Kalim: Everything is so bright and pretty!
Lilia: Indeed. And it’s quite uncommon for a large metropolis like this to have so much greenery in it.
Leona: That’s thanks to this country’s conviction, which we’re all so grateful for. The people here value “coexistence with nature” more than anythin’ else, and we make sure to conserve natural areas like this so the local animals have places to live, since they’re our ancestors and all.
Lilia: So what do you think, Leona? You feeling nostalgic about returning to your homeland after so long?
Leona: The opposite. I’m sick of lookin’ at this place. It never changes.
Lilia: Oh, really? I haven’t been to Sunset Savannah in quite a while, and it appears to have completely transformed since the last time I was here. The city back then wasn’t really developed very much, and they didn’t have any of these skyscrapers or whatnot.
Leona: That woulda been decades ago. Even back when my dad was healthy an’ ruled over the country, development of the city had already started.
Vil: I’ve also been to Sunrise City countless times before, but each time I come here I can’t help but be astounded by what an amazing place it is.
Leona: Amazing? You know… For folks who only come here once in a while just to kick back and relax, I guess that’s about what they’d think.
Vil: What is up with you? You keep beating around the bush about something.
Leona: Kalim, Scalding Sands is a hot and dry country like this one, right?
Kalim: Uh-huh. Most of my country is desert. But there’s a canal that runs through my hometown, Silk City, so it’s actually not too hot there. It used to be a huge problem trying to find enough drinking water, but we don’t have to worry about that anymore.
Leona: I’d wager that’s ‘cause the folks who run the government over there are proactive about adoptin’ new technologies, and they’ve been workin’ hard to improve the living conditions of your people.
Sunset Savannah is mostly made up of arid land. We ain’t got any deserts, but water’s still a precious resource for us. Unlike Scalding Sands, however, the development of infrastructure here is pretty much nonexistent. We even got people who still live off well water.
Folks here are so conscientious they’ll go out of their way to adapt to the land in whatever ways they can, and their whole lives are spent subject to the whims of mother nature. That’s why we still have this stupid festival to pray for rain every year.
There’s tons of natural resources underneath these lands, and if we’d just set up some large-scale mining operations then no doubt we’d be a lot better off. But everybody’s way too concerned about “coexistence with nature” or whatever. I doubt urban development ever even crosses their minds. It’s a lot different from Scalding Sands, huh?
Vil: So it’s not that the people here are unable to develop the infrastructure, it’s that they’re purposefully avoiding doing it… Something like that?
Leona: Yeah.
Lilia: Hmm. I don’t think that’s entirely a bad thing. As far as arbitrary development is concerned, if you spend enough money, it’s easily doable. And that’s why you’ll find modernized towns all over the world. But trying to develop an area and preserve the surrounding nature at the same time, like what they’re doing here? That’s astronomically more difficult.
Leona: My, what an exemplary response. If my big brother heard you sayin’ something that, he’d be beggin’ you through his tears to tell that to me, too.
Kalim: Your big brother, huh. Isn’t he the leader of this country right now?
Leona: My dad is the king, but he’s been sick in bed for a while. Falena, the first in line to the throne, has been runnin’ this place the past few years.
Kalim: I’ll need to be sure to say "Hi" to your brother! I’ll tell him how you and me always have so much fun together, Leona!
Leona: I don’t remember ever havin’ fun with you.
Lilia: We should give him our greetings, as well! I’m sure it’ll be fine if we just say something that sounds nice, right?
Vil: We’ll need to tell him all about how hardworking and kind our dear friend Leona is.
Grim: And I’ll tell him that Leona’s my henchman’s henchman!
Leona: Fat chance he’d come meet a bunch of tourists. We’re talking about the guy who’s the chief executive of the whole country. Sorry, but I ain’t in the mood to go see him, either. Why, I’m shakin’ in my boots just at the thought of havin' an audience with his royal majesty. Heh.
Vil: Oh, really? That’s a shame.
(A car pulls up)
Kalim: Ah! Here comes my ride. I’ll need to get headed to the hotel now.
Lilia: Leaving already, Kalim? That’s no fun. Here, why don’t you tell us what hotel you’re staying at? We can hang out together tonight.
Leona: As if ya even need to ask him. No doubt he’s staying at the Sunset Villa hotel.
Kalim: Hmm, let’s see here… Hey, you’re right! “Sunset Villa hotel!!!! (Don’t forget it)” …is what it says here on this note that Jamil left me. How did you know, Leona?
Leona: We don’t got many hotels that are luxurious enough to house guests of the state. It’s the same place we're gonna be stayin' at.
Kalim: Really? Awesome! It’ll be so much fun being together with everyone.
Vil: Sounds like you really did book us a proper hotel, Leona.
Kalim: Bye you guys! Let’s meet up later!
(Kalim gets into the car and departs)
Lilia: How about we go do some sightseeing now?
Vil: Good idea.
Jack: Man, it’s hot…..
Leona: Was wonderin’ when you’d finally pipe up, but you’re just saying the same thing you did before. You honestly think it’s that hot?
Yuu: Yeah, it’s pretty hot out!
Leona: That’s just your imagination talkin’. Deal with it. Sunset Savannah is a lot longer than it is wide, and we got a lot of tall mountains that are high above sea level. The climate changes completely from one area to the next, but the average temperature in Sunrise City is a bit higher than it is at school.
Jack: B-but still… Isn’t it really hot here….? Argh…. I’m dripping with sweat….
Leona: I mean, the UV rays in Sunset Savannah are really strong. A lot more than in other countries.
Vil: Thank goodness I applied ample sunscreen before we left.
Lilia: And I’m glad I brought my sun visor! I took every possible measure I could before coming here.
Grim: I've been standing in your guys’ shadows this whole time so I’m A-okay!
Lilia: My, aren’t you a clever one. That’s something I do quite often, myself.
Jack: …..
Leona: ….Jack? Hey, you alright?
Jack: I…. I’m fine….
Leona: Cut the crap! Your face is gettin’ paler by the second. Hurry up and go sit down in the shade over there!
Jack: I’m fine…. I….
(Jack collapses and falls on top of Grim)
Everyone: JACK!?
Jack: ….
Vil: He collapsed all of a sudden…. And he isn’t responding when I call his name.
Leona: This isn’t good... He probably got heat exhaustion.
Lilia: He’s unconscious. This is an emergency!
Grim: Waaaah! I’m stuck under Jack!
Yuu: Somebody help!!
Leona: Calm down! We need to bring him somewhere he can rest and look for something to cool him down with…
???: You seem to have quite the problem on your hands, Lord Leona.
Leona: !? You’re….
Everyone: ?
Grim: Who’s this guy?
Episode 2-2
???: Now I understand. I’ll go ahead and perform a physical examination, then.
Jack: Ugh.
???: Hmm. Just as Lord Leona surmised, you appear to be ailing from heat exhaustion. Come, let’s get you in the shade and I’ll patch you up for the time being.
Vil: Leona, may I ask who this is? You two appear to know each other.
Leona: *Sigh* This guy’s the head chamberlain of Sunset Savannah, and he serves the royal family.
Kifaji: My name is Kifaji, and I’m pleased to make the acquaintance of Lord Leona’s school companions.
Vil: A pleasure to meet you. I’m Vil Schoenheit.
Kifaji: Ah, yes. I recognized you immediately. We are truly honored to have a distinguished model such as yourself come visit us.
Lilia: I’m Lilia, from Briar Valley. Nice to meet you.
Grim: And I’m Grim!
Yuu: Name’s Yuu! Nice to meet you.
Kifaji: My, what a lively bunch. Thank you all for coming.
Leona: Anyways, your timing was pretty impeccable.
Kifaji: I noticed it was about time for you to arrive and came here to welcome you, Lord Leona.
Leona: Hah. Don’t make me laugh. I bet you swung by just to check whether or not I even showed up. You seriously don’t trust me, huh.
Kifaji: What a terrible thing to say. I wonder, which one of us is it that doesn’t trust the other?
Jack: A…augh…
Leona: Ya comin’ to, Jack?
Jack: S-sorry. I got super dizzy all of a sudden and blacked out before I realized what was going on…
Kifaji: Master Jack, please have a sip of this water.
(Jack drinks the water)
Jack: Haaah….. I feel a little better now…
Vil: You sure gave us quite the shock back there.
Leona: You idiot…. You should’ve dressed more appropriately for the heat. The hell did you come in your school uniform for?
Jack: I’m sorry. I…. I don’t do good in hot weather.
Leona: Yeah, I know. …I should’ve given you a heads up before we came.
Grim: Huh!? Leona’s admitting up front that he made a mistake…!
Leona: Why’re you actin’ so surprised?
Kifaji: We don’t want your condition to worsen any further. You’ll need to rest today.
Leona: Yeah.
Jack: What!? I don’t need any freakin’ rest! The tournament starts tomorrow… We have to train today…! Heat exhaustion isn’t even a big deal…. I’m going to our practice session with you guys!
Lilia: It is a big deal. You mustn't push yourself so much.
Vil: He’s right, Jack. That one-track mind of yours can be a real virtue, but sometimes it can also be your undoing. Anyways, we’re guests in a foreign land right now, so really you need to stop being so unreasonable.
Jack: But… But Leona Senpai’s counting on me… He chose me as a member of the team and everything… I’d feel awful if we couldn’t compete in the tournament just ‘cause of something stupid like this…!
Leona: If you’re feelin’ sorry, then zip it and listen to us already. You need to rest.
Jack: B-but…
Leona: You’ll just end up dragging us down in the condition you’re in. I’m kicking you off the team.
Jack: No....!!
Leona: This is an order from your dorm warden. You understand, right?
Jack: Dammit…. I’m really sorry…!
Leona: I told ya already, I’m the one who messed up. Don’t make me say it again. You tryin’ to make me look bad or something?
Kifaji: You were talking about Catch the Tail just now, correct? Might I presume you all are members of the Night Raven College Team that will be competing in the tournament?
Leona: Yup. Remember I asked ya to keep a spot open for 'em in the tournament?
Kifaji: Yes, and I’ve made the proper preparations. However, you never revealed your reasons for doing all this. Could it be…. You’re attempting to shirk your responsibility of performing the “Lessons of the Guardian”?
Leona: Nice guess. You’ve always been sharp as a tack, Kifaji.
Kifaji: Goodness gracious. That cunning nature of yours hasn’t changed one bit. What a pity. It’s your job to perform the “Lessons of the Guardian”, and that’s something you should take pride in. I should hope you'd adopt an attitude more befitting of a member of the royal family. To begin with, you’re always so-
Leona: Tsch. Here we go again with the damn lectures. It doesn't matter whether or not I go around actin' like I'm royalty. It's not like anybody cares.
Kifaji: ….Lord Leona, you really shouldn’t say something like that. Well then, I shall go ahead and accompany Master Jack to the hotel.
Leona: ‘Kay, sounds good.
(Kifaji departs)
Leona: …….. Wait a sec, Kifaji. We’ll go with ya.
Episode 2-3
Leona: Here we are. This is Sunset Villa, the hotel ya’ll are gonna stay at.
Grim: Holy cow! Talk about luxurious!!! I wish I could live here forever!
Leona: It’s the most high-end hotel in the entire country.
Lilia: What a magnificent place this is. Any patient should be able to recuperate in peace here.
Vil: Ah, Kifaji’s come back.
Kifaji: I’ll go ahead and begin my report now. I have taken Master Jack to the room we prepared for him, and I’ve also made arrangements for a personal doctor and nurses to look after him.
Leona: Nice work. Alright, now we need to go look for you-know-who.
Vil: And just who would that be?
(The camera pans around the room and then Kalim appears)
Kalim: Hey! You guys made it.
Leona: Perfect timing. We were just lookin’ for ya, Kalim.
Kalim: Hm? Is something the matter, Leona?
Kifaji: ….Don’t tell me!?
Leona: Kalim, you gotta enter the Catch the Tail tournament.
Everyone: !?
Kalim: Huh? Me? You mean join your guys’ team?
Leona: Yup. There’s three players to a team, but Jack ended up passin’ out from the heat so we’re a man down.
Kalim: Oh no! Is he okay!?
Leona: Yeah. But at this rate, Vil and Lilia aren’t gonna be able to compete in the tournament at all. We need one more player.
Lilia: Hmm. You're correct, however…
(Vil, Leona, and Lilia huddle together and start whispering)
Vil: Are you sure about this?
Leona: I know, I know. Compared to Jack, Kalim’s a pretty cruddy athlete. But havin’ him on the team is better than getting disqualified. Just think about it for a second. We got Yuu, who hardly knows anything about the world; Grim, who doesn’t listen to a word anybody says; and Jamil, who’s lord knows where right now. We pretty much got no other choice but to have Kalim join us.
Leona: So whadya think, Kalim? Your “buddies” are in a real jam here… You’ll help us out, right?
Kifaji: You stop right there!
Leona: Huh?
Kifaji: Master Kalim was formally invited to our country as a guest of the state. It is out of the question for him to take part in the tournament! He could get injured! If something were to befall him, the repercussions of such an incident would rock the peoples’ trust in the state.
Leona: Humph. You’re as stuffy as ever. Listen, Kifaji. All I’m tryin’ to do is enjoy my homeland’s festival with my school friends. I can’t even begin to tell ya how much Vil and Lilia have been lookin’ forward to competing in the tournament. And Grim and Yuu - they came all the way out here just to cheer on their friends. Wouldn’t it be a real shame if we turned them away now and just sent ‘em packin'?
Vil: My, what kind words. You’re moving me to tears.
Leona: Besides, if they don't get to compete, poor Jack’s gonna end up blamin’ himself for everything. I’d never wanna put my precious Kouhai through somethin’ like that.
Vil: Oh, and he even mixed in some concern for Jack!
Lilia: This loquacity is quite unlike him.
Leona: So what’ll it be, Kalim?
Kalim: Of course I’ll join you guys! I’d never just stand by if you’re in trouble. Besides, this Catch the Tail stuff sounds really fun.
Leona: Awesome, then it’s settled!
Kifaji: Nothing is settled!!
Leona: Oh, come on, Kifaji. You heard him, didn’t you? Our dear guest of the state himself, Master Kalim from Scalding Sands, said he wants to compete with us. Letting him join is what a member of the royal family should do, as a show of good faith an’ all.
Kifaji: Ack…. You always had quite the way with words. How I wish you’d employ such talent in other endeavors!
Leona: Stop stickin’ your nose into other people’s business, would ya? Anyways. Kalim, you gotta keep this a secret from the other Scalding Sands guests that are here. Especially Jamil.
Kalim: Huh? But why?
Leona: Jack’s just about drownin’ in shame right now ‘cause of this whole mess…. It’d be awful if everyone found out about it, don’t ya think?
Kalim: Yeah, you’re right. Okay, I won’t tell anyone!
Vil: ….If Jamil were to catch wind of this, no doubt he’d do everything in his power to put a stop to it.
Lilia: He might just end up fainting from shock when he sees Kalim step out into the arena tomorrow.
Leona: Now that everything’s cleared up, we need to start gettin' ready for Catch the Tail. They prepared outfits for ya'll to wear during the tournament, so go to your rooms an’ get changed.
Episode 1
Episode 2 (Part 2)
Episode 3 (Part 1)
Episode 3 (Part 2)
Episode 3 (Part 3)
Episode 4 (Part 1)
Episode 4 (Part 2)
Episode 5
#leona kingscholar#lilia vanrouge#vil schoenheit#kalim al asim#jack howl#twst spoilers#twst#twisted wonderland#tamashina-mina#my tl
412 notes
·
View notes
Text
Underneath the Stars
“So, accept defeat,” he urges.
“Fine. Tell me where the alpha centauri is,” she demands.
“What would my compensation be?”
“How about not making you walk the plank at dawn,” she scoffs.
“You drive a hard bargain, Princess. I was thinking less along the lines of not drowning and more along the lines of this,” he mutters as his hands reach to cup her full cheeks. They are warm under his palms, even against the biting gust, his thumb moves to caress her pillowy lips, eyes flicking down to her mouth landing on the crescent birthmark by her chin.
PAIRING - spy!harry x princess!y/n
a/n - i wrote so much. so, i’ve decided to split it into two parts. i made a banner for forbidden hours and it took me a lot longer than anticipated but i think it tured out great. as always, like and reblog. feed back is not only appreciated but much welcome. happy reading!
Word Count - 6.2k (not proofread)
MASTERPOST | MASTERLIST
….
நீள்பயணம். Voyage. News had spread far and wide across the expanse of the empire about the Princess’ journey far East. Throngs of people gathered on the docks to bid farewell to her and scream out wishes of luck and fortune. It was a busy day, filled with fanfare from the subjects, priests blessing the vessel and ministers of court spewing out strategies whilst handing bundles of parchment of the meticulously crafted plans.
A journey always stirred up feelings of unbridled joy, especially since the aim of this particular voyage is to draw up a treaty with Handuman - three small islands that lie smack in the middle of a crucial trade route between the Cholas and Burmese. A tiny island kingdom that was a thorn on Y/N’s side for the past year; with news of shipment from Burma being pillaged and sabotaged at sea constantly thwarting her plans of bringing components of machinery to assemble aiding with agriculture. She put together a counsel which oversaw striking a peaceful agreement that would mutually benefit both nations, a long drawn process of negotiations with a vacillating King that finally culminated to this day.
A day where she set sail on a three week journey to visit the islands, attend a ball hosted in her honour, and cap it off with signing the treaty. Needless to say the kingdom was ecstatic with the promise of the Princess Royal bringing more riches into the land. All of Y/N’s voyages to neighbouring kingdoms resulted in astounding successes, so people did have a shred of doubt that this one would go south. At the break of dawn, the majestic vessel was filled with her entourage - guards, a trade minister, the guard captain who was responsible for her safety, the sail crew, two of her handmaidens, and her lady-in-waiting, Shobhita.
Shobhita has been by Y/N’s side since they were partnered together for dance lessons fifteen years ago. As kids, Y/N took it upon herself to teach her how to conduct herself properly in court. Despite not liking the bossy Princess Royal, things took a turn for Shobhita when some children of nobility made fun of her lineage - going so far as to calling her ‘murky blood.’ She had light blue irises and hair the colour of sticky toffee - resembling her overseas mother, far different from what everyone else looked like and that made her an easy target. Though Y/N was not around for the name calling, she personally gave the other kids a stern talking, going so far as shoving one them and getting confined to her quarters by the Queen Mother. The two have been thick as thieves ever since.
“Remember Y/N, you are representing our Dynasty from the second you dock there until you set sail,” the Queen Mother starts.
“I know. I know, grandmum. Best behaviour and all,” Y/N rolls her eyes.
“You know better than to roll your eyes at me?!?” The older woman narrows her eyes in warning.
“Have I not conducted myself well on my trips so far?”
“I’m not saying that you haven’t, but be wary. I’ve heard nothing but vile things about the Prince of Handuman. I’ve seen to it that your guards have been doubled.”
“Is that why I’m going there alone without any advisors? You know I can take care of myself-“
“I know you can,” the Queen Mother interrupts her. “Keep an eye out on all our girls.” She whispers, taking her palm in her hands and gives it a warm squeeze, before walking towards the chief.
When she gets a minute to herself, Y/N turns away from the enthusiastic crowd, gripping on to a wooden mast, she closes her eyes, picturing her garden. The patch of flowering shrub - right by her reading bench - which attracted the prettiest of blue butterflies. She feels the tightness in her shoulders ebb away, only to have it disrupted when she feels someone pull on her braid. She flicks her head around in annoyance to find her little brother sheepishly looking at her.
“What do you want?”
“You’re sleeping standing up,” Karthi notes.
“I was not. I was trying to relax,” she sighs.
“I’m sure that the vast blue of the water is relaxing enough. Never knowing what’s under the thousands of leagues under the sea. Maybe there’s a giant fish with razor sharp teeth as long as the mountains waiting to capsize the boat. Shame, won’t even know it’s coming in the dark of the night with nothing but pitch black in the horizon-“
“Shut up, Karthi!”
“Calm down,” he throws his hands over her shoulder, pulling her into his side. “You really think Dad is gonna let that happen to his favourite child. There’s no way this voyage was approved by him without contingencies for every single thing that could go wrong. He’s not gonna let the people’s Princess get lost at sea.”
“I appreciate you trying but it’s not helping. Why are you still here anyway? Didn’t Dad want you at the capital yesterday?”
“It can wait,” he shrugs it off. “I’m not going to leave without saying goodbye to my favourite sister.” He bends down to engulf his big sister in a hug.
“I’m your only sister,” she chuckles, swatting him away. “In other words you hung around for morsels of attention from Shobhita.”
“Give me some credit!” He says feigning being wounded. “I brushed my hand against her arm,” he whispers, pointing to his left palm.
Y/N shakes her head at the smirk that tugged at the corner of her little brother’s lips. They’ve had a crush on each other from when they were both old enough to understand what that meant. Being the daughter of a vassal king, who happened to be close friends with her father, it was agreed upon by the elders that Shobhita and Karthi were to wed. Though Shobhita was a Princess of a small hilly region in the dynasty, it was thought best by the parents to have her grow up in the palace and serve with Y/N as her lady-in-waiting to learn the ropes of handing the responsibilities that would fall on her shoulders once she married.
Right as Y/N was going to say something witty, their attention was pulled to the commotion at the gangplank. When Y/N peers over she sees Harry hold up his royal seal to the guards before lugging up his things.
“What’s he doing here?” Y/N asks her grandmother, but finds the Queen Mother cluelessly staring at her grandchildren.
“Your majesties,” Harry bows, and wordlessly hands the Queen Mother’s guard the parchment before it’s passed to the old woman.
His eyes flit over to Y/N with a small smile tugging but he finds her pointedly staring over his shoulder with a scowl. He frowns, did she forget our time at the docks? The last time he saw her was filled with fiery passionate kisses and sweet nothings. He didn’t expect the Princess Royal to throw herself at him in front of everyone but was he not warranted a polite smile.
“It’s from your brother,” the Queen Mother tells the siblings. “Looks like Harry over here would also be travelling with you.”
“What? Why?” Y/N asks, dreading the thought of being locked in close quarters with the spy.
“He wants Harry to accompany you and be added to oversee your guard detail along with the chief.”
“But that makes no sense, he’s hardly a guard,” she protests.
“That’s quite true, Princess but I do know a thing or two about fighting. The Crown Prince wants you to be protected, that-“
“I do not require your protection, Mister Styles,” she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest.
“The Crown Prince has spoken. His reasons are clear,” the Queen Mother tells Y/N firmly, handing her the parchment. “Harry Styles will be accompanying you.”
////
The texts spoke of the majestic wonders of the sea in all its boundless beauty, sailors talked about the vast bodies of water being their companion; the sea was glorified by almost everyone Y/N had met and even by herself - she’d allow herself to stand at the edge of the shoreline and daydream about what life on the other side of the water looked like. There was immeasurable poetry that was either written at sea or took place at sea, but what none of them talked about was what it did to your psyche. Four days of constantly bobbing about the tides, with nothing around but endless blue and a blanket of darkness at nightfall, not to mention the terrifying sounds that accompanied no visibility. She missed the feel of the earth beneath her feet, the smell of her freshly watered gardens, the buzz of bees, birdsong, the vivid colours of her flowers against the green.
She brushed them aside as champagne problems for the first two days but the confines of close quarters were slowly creeping up on her. It didn’t help that she was avoiding Harry on top of all this, so she’d holed herself up in her room with Shobhita working on a project for the gala that’s being thrown in her honour. That’s how she found herself standing at the stern, hands clasped firmly on the wooden banister, at an odd hour in the night. She had her eyes closed, not that it made much of a difference in pitch darkness as she felt the wind against her face. It was eerily quiet, yet noisy as the vessel zipped through the tides, and everytime she flicked her eyes open she would only stare into the vast expanse of the hazy abyss. An insidious fear crept in which made her bones tremble about the nightmarish creatures that would leap out from the water at any moment.
“Careful there, Princess, any more harder and you might splinter the wood,” Harry’s voice cuts through the silence, the teasing apparent in the undercurrent of his tone.
She blinks down at her the way her knuckles have gone pale from gripping onto the wood. Sighing she turns her head to the side, to catch a sweet smile painted on his face as he bows spitting out the formalities.
“Mister Styles,” she acknowledges him halfheartedly, turning her attention back to the abyss.
“Trouble sleeping?” He enquires, stepping forward but the guard captain steps out from the shadow, directly in front of him, blocking his path. Harry throws his arms up, pausing. “I don’t mean any trouble, Captain.”
“You may not approach her royal highness,” he warns, the captain towers over Harry.
“It’s alright, Captain. He may step closer,” Y/N says.
“Princess, no man is allowed in your vicinity without a chaperone,” the Captain reminds her, and it doesn’t escape Y/N, the way he flexes his mammoth muscles to intimidate the spy.
“He is no ordinary man, remember. The Crown Prince has instated him to oversee my guard detail,” she points out. “I think it is time he took over the watch. I have kept you up for three nights now, and it’s high time you get some sleep. You may retire to your cabin for the night, Captain.” She smiles, wordlessly thanking him for being diligent enough to follow her each night.
He nods, muttering something to Harry as he hands over his spear to him. He bids Y/N goodnight and disappears down to his cabin.
“Whew,” Harry breathes out in relief. “Thought I’d be tossed overboard. Thanks for the save.” He mutters, making his way to the banister, leaving a comfortable distance between the two in case the Captain decides to check in on him.
“Don’t go thanking your lucky stars yet, I can certainly see to it that it’s arranged,” she bites back at him.
“You’re angry with me,” he states, making her chuckle.
“Wonder what gave that away,” she mutters, directing an eye roll at him.
He ignores her retort and continues, “You’ve been avoiding me since the minute I came on board.”
“That’s two for two. Gee for a spy, you sure do have a knack for picking up on the fucking obvious,” she shakes her head.
“I don’t understa-”
“Of course you don’t,” she huffs out a weak chuckle. “Apologies start with an I’m sorry.”
“Princess-” he starts, running his hand through his locks. “Y/N, I don’t understand why you’re cross with me. Is it because I’m sailing with you unannounced?”
“God, you’re thick,” she lets out a weak chuckle. “A storm hit the coast two days after you set sail to Lanka, Harry. I didn’t know for weeks if Karthi got the message on time!”
“I’m a good spy, am I not? When have I ever faltered in keeping to your word? Prince Karthi reached the Port Palace two weeks ago, according to your word, did he not?”
“That’s not the point, you idiot!” She turns to face him. “I did not hear from you! I did not know if you made it there. For three whole months! I didn’t know what to think.”
“Oh.” His face reddens as warmth spreads across his chest. He doesn’t understand why but he feels his face split into a wide grin as he replies, “I was doing my job and protocol states that - .”
“And you rode off to Vikram up north,” her tone was still accusatory.
“I had to, Y/N.”
“Why? Why did you have to get to him with such urgency? Was it Karthi’s orders? Why was it so important that you come with me all this way? Don’t give me all that poppycock about me needing extra security. My brother and I trust the captain with our lives. He’s overseen our protection since we were children.”
“Vikram’s mingled with the close friend of the Prince of Handuman. He’s foul, according to his best friend’s admission. He hits women and beds them without consent. He has complete disregard for matters of the court and he is well known for schmoozing -”
“Why does that even matter?”
Harry lets out a frustrated groan, “Will you please just listen to me.” He continues when Y/N quietens down. “The royal astrologer had seen to it that your portraits were sent to all neighbouring kingdoms - under your father’s orders - for matrimony. Prince Vinay had come across it when you were liaising with them for the trade deal. He, um, publicly vowed to…”
“Vowed to what?” She implores when he trails off.
“I’m sorry for being crude but he said that he wanted to ‘tear off your clothes, pin you against his throne and thrust some obedience into you while the court watches.’” He takes in a long breath before he continues, “So you will be under his pinkie and he can boast that the great Chola Princess was another notch on his bedpost.”
Y/N’s face twists in disgust as she processes what Harry had just shared with her. “Vikram knows I can handle myself around such odious men. I have more protection during this trip than I ever had in my life. Why did he send you to supervise my security? You have no experience…”
“It was my idea actually. I asked him to sign that decree to let me join this company and this was the only way to not raise any eyebrows among our men. I know you can handle yourself around the Handuman Prince, but I would not forgive myself if something were to happen to you…” He pauses, eyes roaming around for any lurking shadows, what comes next is communicated in a murmur, “This could provide a perfect cover for a Chola spy to be digging around Handuman.”
“A cover for what?” Her eyebrows scrunch, mouth twisting down in displeasure of being kept in the dark.
“Too many ears around,” he reminds her. He interjects before she can protest, “You will be the first to know once I have evidence.”
They hear a heavy splash making the ship drag, and the two lurch forward at the sudden movement. Y/N gasps, grabbing hold of the bannister and tightening her grip as a strong hand wraps around her elbow and tries to pull her away.
Things feel dissonant for her, there’s a ringing in her ears that’s managed to make all other sounds feel like it’s echoing from deep inside a well, she feels her body spasm as she struggles to draw in breaths, like her throat has something blocking the way. Her vision fades around the edges making her scrunch her eyes shut, but that only makes the successive shallow drum of her heart louder. She can feel the way the boat has a pull under her feet, like it was lugging around something heavy as it resists the sway of the vessel. She’s experienced unease before, but this time was different. This uneasiness was not fleeting. It was a type of fear. Fear oozes from the centre of her bones, slowly following its wake across everything it could consume inside her being. Paralysing to her anomalous senses. “I knew it,” she whispers. “Consumed by the waters, of course.”
If this was how she was going to perish, so be it.
“Princess,” his voice is distorted and faint but she picks it up. “Y/N.” It’s louder this time, floating closer. “We’re fine.” She feels his arms tightening around her frame. “Y/N, look at me.”
////
Harry does not understand what’s happening. Once second, he hears the men throw the anchor into the water and the next Y/N’s crumpled over the banister beside him. She looks to be in pain, her face ashen under the silver beam, he tries to tug her back - away from the edge but she’s bolted, hunching over the banister. He tries getting her attention, but can hear her mutter something about being engulfed by the water and it all makes sense to him. Why she was so hesitant to get on his boat when they were at the docks, how uncomfortable she was sitting opposite him, what made her hole up in her quarters all this time, the way she was gripping onto the banister earlier. The ocean petrified her.
He understands why she was mad for not hearing from him sooner. He left right before a storm hit the coast, showering her in kisses and whispering sweet promises. Promises. Well, promise. He promised to be safe and he did keep up his word, and he left for the battle tents of the Crown Prince, like he normally would when his job was done. But things were not normal. They’d kissed. Several times in fact. And he’d confessed his fondness for her.
He never faltered in his duties, he’d kept them up this time too. He had not realised a duty had implicitly fallen in his shoulders to bear when their lips met. To let her know that he was safe and not taken by the treacherous waters of the stormy seas as she’d let herself imagine. She had been worried about him. He made her worry.
“We’re fine,” he reassures, moving closer to her, holding her close to him.
It takes him a few tries but he gets her to look at him and a few more to convince her to let go of the banister. Her quivering lips and glassy eyes pierce his heart, but he manages to get her to slump to the floor beside him. It takes her a long while to stop trembling but he tightens her torso to his side, hoping to instill some warmth into her.
“We’re fine now,” he reassures, squeezing her hands. “The men tossed the anchor overboard. That is what made us jerk forward along with the ship. It takes a while for the anchor to latch onto the seabed. They’ve retired to their cabins for the night. It’s just that. It has happened everyday since we boarded the ship. It will keep happening until we reach home. We will sail again just before the break of dawn. Nothing is wrong with the ship. We are not in the way of any harm.”
She nods as he continues, “I apologise for not letting you know that I had reached Lanka in one piece. I’m sorry for all the worry I have caused you. I never intended to. I promise to never make you fret again.”
“Okay,” she tells him in a quiet voice, closing her eyes, as she forces her shallow shuddering breath to regain its steadiness.
He looks around once more, making sure that they’re truly alone, before focusing on her blinking back her watery eyes. “Why did you agree to the voyage in the first place?”
“King’s orders,” she tells him softly.
“You’re terrified of the ocean,Y/N ,” he reasons.
“I have duties, Harry. I get to experience all the luxuries one can imagine, compared to all that-” she shrugs. “Champagne problems, I guess.”
Harry shakes his head, she says king like it wasn’t her father. He would never do something that he didn’t want to, no matter who’s orders. But it was important to the princess in front of him and there was no use trying to challenge that. This was her deal, and it only made sense that she saw it through - she owed her people that. Instead he picks a different route, one that would help him understand her better, “What’s got you this scared? I’ve never seen you like this before.” It’s true. She was the first Chola Princess to be trained in combat alongside her brothers - demanding her father that when it came to the worst, she wanted to defend her people. She did not want to be holed underground with other women of court or in a temple praying for victory. She was an excellent rider, often would compete in races and encouraged young girls to follow suit.
“I do not wish to say,” she says hesitantly. She leans back and scoots away, her face slowly regaining composure.
“I don’t mean to pry, Princess. I grew up sailing the waters, I understand not wanting to recount a time -”
“It’s not that. I don’t have a harrowing story or anything.” She adds the next part quietly, “It is risible,” and her cheeks heat in response. Harry quickly notes the way she blushes, making him smile down at her in endearment.
“I promise not to laugh. Sailor’s honour,” he crosses over his heart.
Y/N lets out a peeling giggle in response, “You’re no sailor, Harry.”
“Yes, I am! Was practically born on a ship, Y/N.”
“You were born on a ship?” Y/N asks, sometimes it felt like he knew more about her than she did him.
Harry shakes his head, “Was born in my mother’s cottage in North England.”
“Did you grow up there?”
He shakes his head again, this time quicker with a frown. “No. I grew up on my father’s ship. Back to what we were talking about; you can’t discredit me as a sailor.”
Y/N’s brows scrunch at the sudden pivot in the conversation, but she doesn’t press on further, opting to say, “I thought you were a spy.”
A warmth blossomed in Harry’s chest from the mocking undercurrent of her tone. He’s never had anyone volley a conversation with him, and it came easy with her. “I am more of a ‘Jack of all trades’ kind of person.”
“Ah, I see,” she chuckles, bringing her knees up to her chest and encircling her arms around it. “So a master of none?”
Harry laughs, a high pitched carefree one, “Better than a master of one.”
Companionate silence blankets around the two, Harry passes her his leather water flask - that was clasped to his belt - and she quickly drains it muttering a quiet thank you. Harry leans back on his elbows, looking up at the shimmering moon above, it’s lovely tonight, he thinks. He’s spent many nights in a bobbing vessel with nothing around but the moon as company but he doesn’t feel the familiar solitude tonight. There was no intolerable silence this particular night, just the tinkle of Y/N’s anklet and silent sighs that escapes her lungs. His gaze flits over to her cheek, smushed against her arm, her gaze is fixed on her fingers as they fiddle with the ornament. A simple gold rope with a small lotus motif made from three pink diamonds and an emerald, clasped around her ankle.
Her foot. That’s what caught his attention, not the precious stones, but the curve of the arch of her bare feet. He wonders if it would tickle when he runs his lips over them, as he slowly nudged her knees apart, the fabric slipping away, the way her anklets would tinkle over his shoulders in sync with his head between her thighs. He shakes his head, rubbing his face, shifting to conceal his hardening cock and shoots her a polite smile.
“Not knowing,” Y/N says. “I do not like the deep waters because I have no idea what’s underneath.”
“No one does, Y/N,” he reminds her.
“I know. It is uncomfortable to not know. It feels like I am at its mercy, with the currents that can drag me under in a split second, if I’m not careful enough. It’s vast, and we have not explored these territories. I met with this woman that studies living creatures, and she believes that there is a high possibility of colossal squids and fishes deep down. There are old sailing accounts and drawings as proof. You have seen giant sharks and whales, have you not?”
Harry nods, as she continues fidgeting with her anklet.
“Life began in the waters, Harry, and we hardly know a thing about it. We cannot survive diving the depths; we certainly cannot compete with the predators that we know of. Imagine being at mercy of something unknown. It is the biggest mystery known, quite possibly the worst because it takes up much of our planet and we cannot even begin to understand it. The ocean has had a longer time to evolve than us, and we know much of the sky than we do about what is below.”
Y/N looks up at him, chin resting on her arm, as she waits for a response. She feels a pang of regret opening up to him when she is not met with anything. You expect him to comfort him just because you kissed a few times, a voice rings in her head followed by her grandmother’s lecture of having one’s cards close to your chest. No royal ever spoke of things that frightened them, she never did either. So, why did she think this was a good idea? Her maternal great - grandfather, a Chera king, was thrown into the castle moat filled with crocodiles by his subjects. He was vain and cruel to his people - granted that could have been the reason - but it had been prophesied that he would meet his end by the scaly reptilians, so he rewarded people to poach every last one of them and had them all in his moat. Ironically, he actively participated in furthering his prophecy while trying to avoid it. People would not have picked death by crocodiles if they never knew about his irrational fear. The kingdom was in shambles for many years until the birth of her mother, which enabled them to forge an alliance with the Cholas through matrimony.
While the Princess was caught in her own dilemma, Harry had a similar one running through his mind. He wants to assure her how secure ships are. He wants to explain how when you’re in the middle of nowhere with dwindling supplies, you start to see and hear things that aren’t really there. He wants to tell her that worrying would do her no good, especially the things that were occupying her mind because they were simply out of her control. All of the things he’d come to learn from his father’s experiences and his own. She was right, they barely knew about the ocean, but it wasn’t something to lose sleep over. But he understands, Harry was also scared of the ocean as a child before he got used to it. This was Y/N’s first time, and fears aren’t supposed to be rational. It wasn’t far-fetched, she had her nose stuck in books for answers and was born into duties, which required she understood the workings of life. She prided herself for being a step ahead of people around her and to do that one needed control. But the moment didn’t call for revelations; she needed solace.
He gives her a sympathetic smile before going on to say, “I was scared of the endless ocean as a child too, especially at night. You’re right, we don’t know much about the sea but we do know a lot about the sky.
“Look up for me, Princess,” he continues and they both take in the twinkling dots in the blanket of the night.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispers, beaming up at the gleaming moon.
“It is. We’re so caught up by things around us, we often forget to look up. The sky's the one thing that will not change. The moon will wax and wane and the stars will stay right where they are, flickering, guiding us to shore. It helped to look up at the sky when I was scared or in trouble. To be reminded that in the grand scheme of things, my fears didn’t matter. For whatever reason, the cosmos flows through me and that would mean my existence is a marvel. Even for a speck - no bigger than a grain of sand on the beach - the sky has many wonders in store for me.”
She stays quiet, her eyes glassing over, blurring her vision. Harry quickly catches the stray tear from the corner of her eyes with the backs of his fingers. He coos, leaning over to brush his lips against her temple, “I apologise for saying something out of line, Y/N.”
“You're not out of line, Harry,” she hastily blinks back her tears. “It helps. Thank you.”
“You don’t need to-“
“I want to.”
Anyone else pondering their significance by looking out into the universe might end up feeling helpless, paralysed even, but she feels none of that. She was born into significance and her roles only cemented the burden of upholding the legacy of the Crown. So, letting herself feel like a mere speckle was liberating.
////
The days that follow the same routine - the Princess holes herself up in her cabin during the day with Shobhita. Harry’s unsure what she was up to - and formulating any judgement from the box of fabric spools one of the handmaidens carted into her room, and the occasional laughs from behind the door - he’s happy she was occupied. It was hard to catch a glimpse of her when the sun was shining; there were guard’s stationed outside at all times and he did not want to tick off the guard captain.
The nights. That solely belongs to the two of them. She would come out of her cabin two hours before midnight to catch some fresh air to find him softly smiling at her. He'd readily stand, at the ship’s bow, with a spear in his hand by the intricately carved wooden swan figurehead. Y/N had ordered the guard captain to retire at night, since he’d been stationed by her cabin all day. When he’d resisted - uncomfortable that the Crown Prince had instated a young man with no prior expertise as head of security- she’d gently reminded him that it was best for Harry to learn what guarding actually entailed in the safe confines of their ship. They’d spend the nights in each other’s companionship, Y/N’s heart swelled with Harry’s stories. Particularly the one of him as a boy, where he was convinced that someone had left a giant bunny up the moon. She looked at him endeared as he pointed out the outline of the rabbit in the dark markings of the full moon. It soothed her, looking up at the heavens with someone made her confining thoughts about the ocean melt away.
This night was no different, the Princess pads to her usual spot to find a blanket spread out with two pillows. Her eyes fly to meet him and he gives her the same smile he did every night, bending down to light the two oil lamps, illuminating the jade of his eyes. “Your highness,” he bows, stepping away.
She nods, shooting him a surprised smirk as she curls up with her book. Harry eyes the old parchment she unfolds, a star catalogue, and he can’t help the chortle that escapes his lips.
“Stop it, Mr. Styles,” Y/N shoots him a warning look, not wanting to draw the attention of the crew.
“I apologise, majesty,” he murmurs, but Y/N notices the mocking smile that paints his lips.
She pointedly ignores him with a roll of her eyes, as she focuses her attention on Aryabhata’s text in front of her. Harry had challenged her last night, and she was determined not to lose.
The crew had dropped the anchor and had retired below deck a short while ago, and Harry could not help but admire the furrow in between her brows as she concentrated. Harry had spent the last few nights pointing out different constellations that Y/N simply could not fathom. Harry was amused that it bugged her so much that she couldn’t map out the stars in the night’s sky with ease. Her anklet falls on the blanket, and he’s sure that she had loosened the clasp from how much she fiddled with it while reading. She sighs, turning her attention back to the gold rope, fastening it in place, making sure to press down on the hook.
“Rijl al-Qinṭūrus”, she reads out loud in Arabic after a long while, flicking up to look at the sky. The star map had a figure of a centaur and all she had to do was find the brightest one right at the bottom. Her head cranes to find the brightest spot in the sky - the alpha centauri.
The only problem was, there were multiple bright specks and she lets out a defeated sigh, pushing her hair back, “Fuck this,” she mutters.
“Not very royal of you, Princess,” Harry’s teasing tone floats over, she finds him slumped over the bannister looking at her.
“It is the brightest and biggest star to spot at night,” he reminds her.
She narrows her eyes at him, looking back at the star catalogue again, and slumps back in defeat. “There’s something wrong with this star catalogue,” she declares. “There has to be, Harry.”
“Or maybe you are inept at this,” he smirks, coming to sit beside her.
“I am not!” She protests. “The illustrations are misleading. None of the constellations look like this,” she points to the image of a centaur holding a spear on one hand and a dead goat on the other.
“That’s because it’s meant for people like you,” he chuckles.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” She arches her brow.
“Someone who learns from books. It only makes sense the catalogue has full fledged pictures of animals on there, otherwise it would be a mess of lines connecting one dot to another. So, accept defeat,” he urges.
“Fine. Tell me where the alpha centauri is,” she demands.
“What would my compensation be?”
“How about not making you walk the plank at dawn,” she scoffs.
“You drive a hard bargain, Princess. I was thinking less along the lines of drowning and more along the lines of this,” he mutters as his hands reach to cup her full cheeks. They are warm under his palms, even against the biting gust, his thumb moves to caress her pillowy lips, eyes flicking down to her mouth landing on the crescent birthmark by her chin. They hadn’t kissed since he’d left for Lanka and every night he’d spend in her presence, Harry’s mind could not stop drifting to the way her mouth pressed against his with urgency.
Y/N eyes flutter shut, leaning towards him, nudging his cupid's bow with her lips. Her mouth brushes his as she whispers, “Not before I get my information, spy.” She backs away, observing the way his pupils dilate under the soft buttery light.
“You can’t spot the alpha centauri-”
“I know, which is why I asked you.”
He rolls his eyes at her hastiness. “No one can, because it can only be seen from the southern hemisphere.”
“You tricked me,” she gasps.
He shrugs, as he tugs her to him, wasting no time in capturing her lips against his. It was more heavenly than he’d remembered. Y/N’s hands snake up to bury them in the baby curls at the nape of his neck, bringing him closer. She melts against his chest, curiously slicking her tongue against his lips, smiling as he parts his mouth for her. She tasted like the tamarind candy she loved. Harry drops one of his hands from her cheek, finding home in the curve of her hip. It’s heady, both greedily smacking wet kisses the curve of their jaw when they part to draw in air. Harry’s heart thumps loudly against his chest, sending him rhythmic reminders that he was twitterpated by the woman trailing her lips against the stubble of his jaw. Plebeians and royalty don’t mix, and on the rare occasion that they did, it never ended well. But until midday tomorrow - when they would reach the port of Handuman - she was just a woman, made from the same stardust as him, whom he wanted to keep melding lips with.
LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK SO FAR!
#harry styles#harry styles imagine#harry styles one shot#harry styles x reader#harry styles fluff#harry styles smut#harry styles angst#harry styles x y/n#harry styles x you#spy!harry#princess!reader#princess!y/n#indian!princess#COME SAY HI#fishnets-fingers#please leave tags if you reblog#underneath the stars#harry styles fanfiction
87 notes
·
View notes
Text
If you guys don’t know yet. This was pretty recent. A woman flew from Miami all the to Morocco, just to see Pedro Pascal. I don’t remember the name or the city specifically but just that motivation is astounding to me.
I have been a fan of his since Narcos came out. I have always loved how he carries him self on and off screen. The great thing about time in general is I get to gown with him. Like you would with anyone you would admire. As he grew in his acting career I grew in my own career. And just someone very comforting to see on screen.
This is when people tend to forget that this person that we see on TV is a real person. He goes to threw the motions like everyone else. Whenever you see him doing interviews for a show or just for himself. Remember he is working, he is getting paid to be there, he has to pay bills like everyone else. And to have the thought that traveling across the globe to see one man. Who does not know you. Is absolutely insane.
From what I have gathered she painted her nails ‘his favorite color’ and went up to him to ask for a picture. He said no, which is a fair response when you are in another country working. It’s not like he’s on vacation. (Side note if he is, leave him alone. He’s trying to relax like everyone else on their vacation. Celebrities deserve a break.)
This part is a bit hazy because I’ve haven’t heard from multiple sources to confirm its credibility. She had apparently snuck onto the set of Gladiator 2. (Pls lmk if this is credible)
What I do know is that he went into the water. And security had to drag her away as she followed him in.
I just want to send good energy to him. I hope he is doing ok and feels safe in his surroundings. At work and at his home. That must have been an awful experience. I hope to anyone reading this sends a little positive thought to him. I also hope that this experience doesn’t happen again. He is a good person who truly cares about the people around him.
10 notes
·
View notes
Text
[Nayaka and Mile are talking to Haruki and Z about people's reaction to them being twins.]
Mile: The worst ones are the over-dramatic ones who say crap. Like, ‘Whoa, I thought I was seeing double!'
Nayaka: Yeah, and they’ll add, ‘And I haven’t even started drinking today!’ They all think they’re so original.
Z: I can see how that can get very annoying.
(As if on cue, a man walks by and stares at Nayaka and Mile astounded.)
Man: Oh, dang, are you guys twins?
Nayaka & Mile: *nods*
Man: And I thought I was seeing double! Wow, I haven’t even started drinking yet! Haha! (walks away)
Haruki, Z & The twins: …
Haruki : Oh, come on. He had to have heard us talking from outside… Right?
#ultraman incorrect quotes#tokusatsu incorrect quotes#tokusatsu#ultraman#ultraman zett#ultraman z#ultrawoman oc: Nayaka#ultrawoman oc: Mile#haruki natsukawa
4 notes
·
View notes
Note
im poc and i have a hard time watching mash at points when it comes to the treatment of klinger and the korean characters. not bashing it — it’s a favorite and it was a product of its period — but i wish people cared about issues like that like they cared about the mash shipping discourse of the week — the scope just seems very narrow and from a place of … idk ignorance. sorry for this rant rip :(
my short response to this is: unfortunately shit's hitting the fan right now because of the creation of some version of the trapper vs BJ poll once on the hour, which i maintain, just makes everyone unhappy. there's one going around (you know the one) that is a major upset because the frontrunner is losing and the few who delight in repeated confirmation of the same information are experiencing what it's like to lose (in a highly scientific tumblr poll), for the first time, and therefore things are getting even uglier.
i hope we all come to our senses soon but tbh, so many fandoms have been ruined by ship wars, i'm not confident that we shouldn't be bracing for impact...
no worries about the vent. i'm especially interested in racialized voices in fandom, provided people are willing to put themselves out there. i'll take any opportunity to talk about race on MASH, usually at length. long answer below:
i’m gonna take this apart a little:
im poc and i have a hard time watching mash at points when it comes to the treatment of klinger and the korean characters
i can sympathize with this. it’s one thing to watch something that is racist and another thing to be in a fandom environment where that stuff tends to go largely over peoples heads, and not always maliciously, but because if you’re not affected by something and you haven’t idk, gone to film school, then you may not blink. it can be very un-fun in a smaller fandom.
i’ve talked at length about how the “S1-3 = immoral and unwatchable, S4-11 = good and pure” is just about the whitest thing i’ve ever heard, but i’ve recently also been thinking a lot about how sex, women and marriage are treated in the early years and… i don’t agree that the later years treat women better, as an overarching statement.
i maintain that the most egregious narrative crime that MASH committed was having its pro-army moments in the later years, and that’s my opinion. but no era of the show is free from instances of astounding racism and additionally, it does set itself up to stumble into these moments that aren’t “racism” against any one individual but are still prioritizing the experiences of the white main cast over the korean people, in a show about the korean war.
additionally, some of the casting quirks/lack of continuity are distasteful in some instances and completely fine in others depending on who’s involved. white guy playing multiple generals across different episodes? a non-issue, or potentially a comment on the hivemind of army drones, carrying out their duties without a second thought of the impact they’re having on others. a handful of non-korean, east asian actors playing 100 korean characters across the entire show? hard for me to see how this doesn’t reinforce the idea of the asian monolith, which was another factor in the brutal slaughter of korean civilians during the korean war.
you have to ask yourself, is it worth it? am i getting something of value from this show that outweighs the parts you’re gritting your teeth to get through? i’ve decided that i do and it sounds like you have too, but there are still a few moments i find completely unwatchable – not many, but they exist. the last five minutes (not including the epilogue) of S03E01 The General Flipped at Dawn is one example – I was so uncomfortable with the minstrelsy at the end and the idea that they had to go that far for everyone to believe that steele was unwell was too much for me to ever rewatch. henry and hawk are appropriately disgusted, and the MP seems to be as well, but I just can't stand to look at the expression of officer williams’ face when it happens. it’s not worth it! i feel similarly about the scene in S06E21 when winchester refers to finding the right woman to marry to be about finding the right kind of “breeding stock” after margaret confides in him about her troubles with her in-laws. it was unnecessary.
but i wish people cared about issues like that like they cared about the mash shipping discourse of the week
you can do both. i’ve definitely done both. i try to stay out of it because i think shipping wars are a net negative for fandom communities, but the thing is, shipping biases are also not free of our personally held biases, and it grinds my gears when those personal biases take precedence over what is being said in the narrative. i’m hearing “it’s just a headcanon” a lot but more and more it is unclear to me what being asserted as a headcanon and what is being asserted as intentional messaging within a narrative. i am not saying anyone needs to give a shit about the canon, that’s not really my thing. but i do think we need to be able recognize what the canon is saying.
for example, it’s important i be able to point out that episodes like the Kids, Kim and Yessir that’s our baby are saying “our white heroes care so deeply about these nameless korean orphans, aww isn’t that sweet” so that i can talk about why the non-korean writers can be so sure it will evoke a certain emotional response in a largely white, American audience. perhaps that is annoying to people but i think it is far more annoying to watch tv while brown and see people who look like you being orphaned or brutalized or what have you without any agency, so that they can be rescued by a white person.
i appreciate that you might need to vent about how you feel and that’s completely justified, but i’ve also found that those who feel they are targeted by such complaints just feel antagonized and “called out” and become even less responsive to your perspective. i’ve tried to deal with it another way by caring about the things that i wish more people cared about (#race on MASH) and i’ve generally found that the response to that work has been positive.
fandom is never going to be a place where shipping isn’t the dominant activity. every once in awhile a post floats around about how someone wishes there was more genfic, or more fics about women characters or racialized characters, or that xyz racist thing wasn’t turned into an uwu shipping moment for the nearest couple of bland ass white dudes. and as someone who does love a good uwu shipping moment, when i see posts like that, i mostly look the other way. in my mind, there’s enough work out there that is meant for me, so i don’t take it personally when someone else out there is venting about their experience, which happens to be in the minority. it’s in poor taste for the winning side to gripe about the 1% of time we have to see something that isn’t for us.
there could be some value though, in talking about the intersection of “shipping discourse” and “race issues” rather than seeing them as two opposing sides. i have a whole post about it i’m working on, but it’s interesting to me that the canonical romantic plot at the forefront of GFA (Klinger and Soon-Lee) is largely untouched in discussions about romance in GFA.
I have eyes and ears, I know what “I’ll never be able to shake you” sounds like and I’m not trying to take that from anyone – I’m gonna ask for some grace here as a brown gay man myself and tell you that I’m not trying to pit gay love against love between two racialized characters. but it’s important that a character like Klinger, a Lebanese man played by a Lebanese actor, on the most-watched series finale of all time, got to be the romantic hero of the episode. That was a hell of a choice, and it was done intentionally, in a good way. I’m here in 2023 and asian men are still routinely emasculated or otherwise seen as “not an option” wrt sex and romance – to echo a similar statement delivered by Nurse Kellye in s11e01 Hey look me over!. And this is without even really talking about Soon-Lee for now, because I’m going to save that for my “Klinger and Soon-Lee are the romantic leads of GFA” essay.
I’d also say that i don’t need anyone to care “as much” about xyz as they do about shipping, because as i mentioned before, you’re gonna be in for a bad time if you have that expectation - i say that with love! but it would be nice if people cared at all and didn’t go around shouting down or vagueing at anyone who dares to point out that MASH, like any other thing, isn’t free from criticism. i’ve used h*rry p*tter as an example before because not everyone was shocked that JKR is a massive TERF and a racist and antisemite. people have been talking about her bullshit since the books were published, and some fans are still even willing to separate JKR the person from her books, as though they didn’t come out of her, and as though there aren’t clear examples of her various biases against marginalized people woven all throughout her books.
so while i wouldn’t say people are ignoring race in favour of shipping discourse, i do think it’s fair to say that race is largely ignored and when it does get talked about, i feel a sort of… resistance. i am frustrated right now by a post i saw that seemed to take a shot at people who try to talk about the real war that happened in korea on a show that is set during the korean war because i don’t know what to make of it. i’m not encouraging anyone to go around yelling at people who are having fun with their lil fanfics and posts and stuff, but i also don’t think it’s an epidemic that is worth vagueing about, and then that post getting quite popular rubs me the wrong way, which perhaps it shouldn’t, i just don’t know what it’s in reaction to because to be honest with you i don’t see a lot of people talking about the war in this fandom?
for me it comes down to having some level of self-awareness, which we’re called to do in the real world in any communal space, and i wish would apply more to fandoms. like, we recognize the social status and privilege of the “BNF” right? so who’s on the other side of that? who’s at the table, who isn’t etc, all conversations that should be had in all spaces. respectfully, if possible.
thanks for the ask. i hope you can seek out some people who are supportive of your views and willing to chat with you about them.
18 notes
·
View notes
Text
some videos i watched in 2022
undefined
youtube
Harry Potter (Shaun)
if you are familiar with shaun you’ll know he’s more about that breadtube pipeline compared to those who stick to critiques and essays about media, but this video works as a blend between these two. it’s not necessarily focused on the narrative thread of the story, but things will pop up about it every now and then, and having read the books back when i was a teen it was interesting to hear his thoughts and how he breaks down the story. what i find great about this video (and what i would say sets it apart from other dissections of this franchise) is the focus on the characters and story-beats from the context of who is writing it. this includes discussions of other book she’s written and some context about her real life, so if you’re tired of the discourse surrounding this woman, then i would suggest you don’t watch it. otherwise, this is a nicely paced, calmly delivered exploration of some of the most controversial aspects of this book saga.
viewing recommendation: it serves pretty well as a podcast, although there are some visual elements that pop out here and there that you might want to look at. since shaun’s voice is pretty slow and steady, 1.25x speed works just fine.
undefined
youtube
Elden Ring - A Shattered Masterpiece (Joseph Anderson)
i discovered joe this year through his odyssey video (also pretty good!), and having gotten into a lot of gaming content in 2020 i felt like my hunger for critiques and video essays about games was finally being satiated. that said, joe’s video on elden ring doesn’t necessarily focus on the narrative: the meat of it is on the gameplay and how the game fails to live up to his own hype as you approach its final stretch. having experienced the release of this game through the eyes of other content creators, i was under the impression that this game was universally loved and admired (and even won Game of The Year), so this perspective was incredibly intriguing to me. i do recommend watching this if you’ve ever had any sort of experience with dark souls/bloodborne/sekiro, be it even just being aware of what they’re about and what they’re known for. otherwise i don’t think you’d get that much from this video, as there’s not really a narrative analysis to get a hold of the plot and story of the game. it’s not like joe doesn’t explain most of it (he has to justify that 1.5 hour runtime), so give it a try nonetheless.
viewing recommendation: there are some sections that flow better as a podcast and others where you’ll want to see what joe is talking about, so judge for yourself. joe is also a slow speaker, so 1.25x will do the job.
undefined
youtube
Why Stranger Things 5 (Probably) Won't Be Good | Story Analysis (Local)
while this is a relatively new channel, the quality of the production and the structure of it is pretty astounding. if you were in tumblr at any point this year you MUST have heard about this season so maybe this will satisfy your curiosity about the series - that, if you haven’t watched it. to everyone else, well, go feast my children. what i really appreciate about this video is that 1) although i am biased towards longer videos (this is the shortest of this list, at ten minutes) not a single moment of this video feels wasted, and 2) the clear focus on the show as a narrative device, and treating characters as what they are: inventions meant to serve the story. while this is not necessarily a fresh perspective, i do feel people sometimes forget that characters don’t have a life beyond what’s presented in canon, and it’s good to reel that in. i also recommend checking this channel in general: there are few videos, but maybe you’ll find some other media he’s analyzed that you’ll vibe with.
viewing recommendation: it’s just ten minutes long... just sit and watch all of it. i’m a big believer of SPEED in my youtube videos, but this one feels too fast in anything above 1x speed.
undefined
youtube
The Forgotten Disaster of the SS Eastland (Ask a Mortician)
i came to know about this video through the “controversy” surrounding it - fret not, as it was simply about youtube’s flawed policy around age restriction, which another famous youtube channel (SummoningSalt) had also talked about around that time. while i’ve never had any interest in the channel, i decided to take a look at the offending video out of spite for youtube being a cunt and i ended up loving it. it’s a really well put together investigation about, well, the disaster of the ss eastland, presented in a documentary form. i’ll say right now that i’ve never been fond of documentaries because i feel like they explore every subject extremely superficially and i hate not getting answers to my questions, but this video delves into every topic it presents all while still having great pacing. more than anything, you can feel the love put into every part of this video: the images used, the testimonies, the people interviewed, the care in which it treats this tragedy. it’s a great viewing experience and i cannot state how glad i am that my time wasn’t wasted, at all.
viewing recommendation: since it’s pretty much a documentary, i’d say just watch the entire thing. i’m a 1.25x speed addict, as you sure have noticed by now, but i guess anything between 1x and 1.25x is fine.
undefined
youtube
Why WandaVision Is Bad At Mysteries (James Woodall)
another show i expect you to at least know half a thing about. of course, as the average hater™ i love to see criticism of popular media, but james goes the extra mile by analyzing the show by the standards of every story involving a mystery. it’s a well researched video and very fun to watch, and what felt missing from other people talking about this show.
viewing recommendation: the video has a pretty high production value, so i had the most fun actually watching it. 1.25x speed works fine too.
(looks like i can’t embed more than 5 videos, gosh darn it, so i’ll get creative for the rest)
I Debunked Every "Body Language Expert" on Youtube (münecat)
i’ve been starving for a good video that covered this topic and this one does the job pretty well. granted, it’s presented in a humorous way you might not like (i’d say just skip those sections), the audio quality is surprisingly not good (maybe watching it not on headphones could help?), and the person who talks is british (i can’t do anything about that, sorry), but it’s very well researched and worth it for the information it presents alone. i’d even say it’s a must watch if you’re in any way keeping up with celebrity “drama”, since we both know you won’t read any of the papers münecat presents in her video.
viewing recommendation: i have a short attention span when watching long videos like these, so i did it while doing mindless stuff on the side and switching back to the video whenever i deemed it appropriate. 1.25x could be a little overwhelming in certain sections.
The Lesbian Gaze (verilybitchie)
i’ve taken a likening to verilybitchie’s videos because, although i do not always agree with her opinions, i can always appreciate how they bring a fresh perspective to different media and historical events. i cannot tell you how BORED i am of 15 minute videos about topics that have about the same substance as me searching said topic on twitter and reading the top 10 tweets about it. i really like how the video uses this interesting premise to actually say really interesting things about the male gaze and movies about queer women. and i would say, don’t stop there: maybe verity’s already talked about some other topic or media you’re interested about, and whatever her takes are, they’re never boring.
viewing recommendation: gaze is in the title, so watching the video is actually crucial to its content. however, the video is heavily censored for very obvious reasons. they do have a non-censored version available, although you’d have to sign to their patreon to get it.
from my fair lady to he's all garbage (julia cudney)
i can say julia’s content has aged as she has: while her first videos were very nitpicky, cinemasins style of rapid-fire vapid criticism, now she’s put on the work to have a really interesting video analyzing the media that inspired “she’s all that” and its very recent gender-bent remake. you can be a hater™ while also learning about other works that are crucial in understanding the trope “she’s all that” borrows from. we all win.
viewing recommendation: i am very fond of julia’s editing. maybe it’s because she just strikes the zillennial style that caters specifically to Me, but i do recommend watching the video to get the most out of it. and as usual, 1.25x speed is a welcome tool.
YMS: The Lion King (Part 1) (YourMovieSucksDOTorg)
if you have ever encountered adam’s channel before it’s probably because you can’t resist to the innate clickbaitery of his channel name, and i’ll admit i’m not fond of some of his content. i don’t like to waste time with people that think movies are trash because they have a few plot holes or some other bazillion nitpicks you can poke through it. it’s the same reason why i tend to avoid discussions on one piece of media above 4 hours: to me, a video that long has long lost its value and only wants the credits to say “hey, i once made a 5 hour long video essay :D”. some of adam’s YMS videos fall on that trap and it infuriates me, as i feel like my time has been lost. but his video on the lion king 2019 remake is a genuine, loving exploration of how great the original work is - and how it remains one of the best animated movies of all time - all while tearing its cash-grabbing remake to shreds for not understanding what made the movie great in the first place. a MUST watch if you also hate these soulless “live-action” remakes.
viewing recommendation: there’s a lot of value in what’s shown on screen (especially considering how lifeless the remake looks), but some sections make use of the editing and production better than others. you be the judge of that. and 1.25x speed is a good tool to keep the pacing bearable.
#youtube#video essays#new year#long post#shaun#joseph anderson#local#ask a mortician#james woodall#munecat#verilybitchie#julia cudney#yms
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
Some very short prompts I did with @taffee23 that are Fallout 4 centred, so I thought I’d post them! It was so fun to do a timed writing challenge, we have to do it again! (Please check them out, their stuff is AMAZING!)
“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” (1)
The cold night air felt refreshing against your burning cheeks. Tears streamed down your face and you sniffled, clutching the pipe pistol close to your chest. Stars blurred together in the night sky.
You heard a knock against the metal door. You hollered behind you, “I don’t wanna talk!” you winced with just how hoarse your voice broke out.
The door creaked open, and a pair of large brown eyes peeked out, “Knight Lanen?”
You croaked, “I said I don’t wanna talk!” You sat hunched over your gun, legs dangling off the roof of the police station. You sniffled again, a gross, clogged sound coming from your nose.
Danse slipped past the door; no groans of metal followed in his wake, merely the soft footfalls of Brotherhood leather boots. You were surprised to see the Paladin, your superior, outside his power armour. He sat down beside you along the rooftop, feet dangling off the edge. You watched him with careful eyes that burned red, “What could you possibly want?”
Danse sighed. You were not his first Knight to break down beneath the pressure of the Brotherhood. Ordinarily a negotiation tactic was taken, but with a soldier out of time, he knew this was beyond the stress of murder, “I… I know why you left the Prydwen.”
“Yeah. Why the hell didn’t you tell me? That these things, these people-”
“Not-!” Danse huffed and bit his lip, “Not… people anymore,” he stressed, “They’re not the same. They’re not human, Knight. I need you to know this.”
“Not human?!” you cried, “Mrs. Harris was my neighbour! She watched my son!”
“Mrs. Harris is a ghoul now, and that was no fault of her own. I remember you telling me about your husband, and how he-” Danse stopped himself. It felt dirty to bring up your husband, but still he looked up into your bloodshot eyes, “He was a victim. Mrs. Harris was a victim, too. Victims deserve rest, not… not whatever ghouls are.”
“She recognized me!” you howled, “She looked me in the eyes! She hesitated! That was her locket around her neck- Those were her eyes, I saw them past the fog, she-!”
You fell into Danse, sobbing. He stiffened, feeling your body wrack itself with grief as you screamed into his shoulder.
“You look cute all pouty and sleep-deprived.” (2)
Your feet scuffed against the trodden ground of rock and cigarette butts. You yelped as you nearly fell but caught yourself, no thanks to your snickering companion.
“What’s so funny?”
“Ah, nothin’,” he turned his head, leaving you to your humility, “just admiring the clown show.”
“Hey! You agreed to be my guide!”
“Yeah,” he threw you a smug look from over his shoulder, “that don’t mean I can’t enjoy watching you stumble around the wastes at the ass crack of dawn. Wasn’t it you who wanted that cache anyway?,” Hancock laughed that deep, sultry laugh he knew you enjoyed. You huffed and puffed out your cheeks.
“N’aww, you look cute all pouty and sleep-deprived,” he cooed, “but those bags aren’t doing you any favours.”
“This is better than sex!” (3)
“No way!”
You bulldozed a poor scribe into the wall as you charged towards what looked to be stalls with suspicious knobs in the walls. Familiar plastic, albeit stained, curtains lined the little metal box, and when you spun a knob, water came rushing out.
“No way, no way, no way…!”
“Yes,” Danse confirmed uncomfortably, giving the disgruntled scribe a look, “this is the showers. They’re unisex.”
“I don’t really give a damn!” You threw off your belt and unzipped the skin-tight vault suit, revealing your pre-war lacey bra.
You nearly bust a gut at the astounding colour Danse turned, “Showers are scheduled, Knight! Put your clothes back on!” he barked, maintaining stiff eye contact with the roof.
“Paladin, I haven’t had a shower in over 200 years!” you moaned when the hot water hit your arm. You tore off your vault suit and jumped into the shower, barely covering your behind with the curtain as you jumped in. It was just you, Danse, and the steam. The disgruntled Scribe left minutes before.
“Maybe you’re embarrassed,” you teased from behind the curtain. Admittedly, Danse couldn’t help but stare at your silhouette, “but this is better than sex!”
5 notes
·
View notes
Note
It astounds me youre so pathetically idiotic you still haven’t deleted your blog when everybody on here clearly hates you. Just like Amber Heard, you use your status as a “weak victim” to spread lies, in her case about Johnny Depp abusing her after she divorced him which btw she did right after his mom had died. This so-called human being basically ruined his acting career because he prioritized caring for his mom over giving her spending money. Also she slapped in a lawsuit cause god forbid Depp gets any money from the divorce. Coming from a fellow woman…I fucking hate people like you and Amber Heard with every fiber of my body so get fucked you dimwad and I hope your parents die in their sleep.
this idiot thinks i have parents
anyway, clearly you dont understand how i feel about this case or how this actually played out legally, so ill elaborate under the cut my actual opinion so u can see we're really not fighting on this
Inferno: Canto I Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost. Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear. So bitter is it, death is little more; But of the good to treat, which there I found, Speak will I of the other things I saw there. I cannot well repeat how there I entered, So full was I of slumber at the moment In which I had abandoned the true way. But after I had reached a mountain’s foot, At that point where the valley terminated, Which had with consternation pierced my heart, Upward I looked, and I beheld its shoulders,
Vested already with that planet’s rays Which leadeth others right by every road. Then was the fear a little quieted That in my heart’s lake had endured throughout The night, which I had passed so piteously. And even as he, who, with distressful breath, Forth issued from the sea upon the shore, Turns to the water perilous and gazes; So did my soul, that still was fleeing onward, Turn itself back to re-behold the pass Which never yet a living person left. After my weary body I had rested, The way resumed I on the desert slope, So that the firm foot ever was the lower. And lo! almost where the ascent began, A panther light and swift exceedingly, Which with a spotted skin was covered o’er! And never moved she from before my face, Nay, rather did impede so much my way, That many times I to return had turned.
The time was the beginning of the morning, And up the sun was mounting with those stars That with him were, what time the Love Divine At first in motion set those beauteous things; So were to me occasion of good hope, The variegated skin of that wild beast, The hour of time, and the delicious season; But not so much, that did not give me fear A lion’s aspect which appeared to me. He seemed as if against me he were coming With head uplifted, and with ravenous hunger, So that it seemed the air was afraid of him; And a she-wolf, that with all hungerings Seemed to be laden in her meagreness, And many folk has caused to live forlorn! She brought upon me so much heaviness, With the affright that from her aspect came, That I the hope relinquished of the height. And as he is who willingly acquires, And the time comes that causes him to lose,
Who weeps in all his thoughts and is despondent, E’en such made me that beast withouten peace, Which, coming on against me by degrees Thrust me back thither where the sun is silent. While I was rushing downward to the lowland, Before mine eyes did one present himself, Who seemed from long-continued silence hoarse. When I beheld him in the desert vast, “Have pity on me,” unto him I cried, “Whiche’er thou art, or shade or real man!” He answered me: “Not man; man once I was, And both my parents were of Lombardy And Mantuans by country both of them. ‘Sub Julio’ was I born, though it was late, And lived at Rome under the good Augustus, During the time of false and lying gods. A poet was I, and I sang that just Son of Anchises, who came forth from Troy,
After that Ilion the superb was burned. But thou, why goest thou back to such annoyance? Why climb’st thou not the Mount Delectable, Which is the source and cause of every joy?” “Now, art thou that Virgilius and that fountain Which spreads abroad so wide a river of speech?” I made response to him with bashful forehead. “O, of the other poets honour and light, Avail me the long study and great love That have impelled me to explore thy volume! Thou art my master, and my author thou, Thou art alone the one from whom I took The beautiful style that has done honour to me. Behold the beast, for which I have turned back; Do thou protect me from her, famous Sage, For she doth make my veins and pulses tremble.” “Thee it behoves to take another road,” Responded he, when he beheld me weeping, “If from this savage place thou wouldst escape; Because this beast, at which thou criest out, Suffers not any one to pass her way, But so doth harass him, that she destroys him; And has a nature so malign and ruthless, That never doth she glut her greedy will, And after food is hungrier than before. Many the animals with whom she weds, And more they shall be still, until the Greyhound Comes, who shall make her perish in her pain. He shall not feed on either earth or pelf,
But upon wisdom, and on love and virtue; ’Twixt Feltro and Feltro shall his nation be; Of that low Italy shall he be the saviour, On whose account the maid Camilla died, Euryalus, Turnus, Nisus, of their wounds; Through every city shall he hunt her down, Until he shall have driven her back to Hell, There from whence envy first did let her loose. Therefore I think and judge it for thy best Thou follow me, and I will be thy guide, And lead thee hence through the eternal place, Where thou shalt hear the desperate lamentations,
Shalt see the ancient spirits disconsolate, Who cry out each one for the second death; And thou shalt see those who contented are Within the fire, because they hope to come, Whene’er it may be, to the blessed people; To whom, then, if thou wishest to ascend, A soul shall be for that than I more worthy; With her at my departure I will leave thee; Because that Emperor, who reigns above, In that I was rebellious to his law,
Wills that through me none come into his city. He governs everywhere, and there he reigns; There is his city and his lofty throne; O happy he whom thereto he elects!” And I to him: “Poet, I thee entreat, By that same God whom thou didst never know, So that I may escape this woe and worse, Thou wouldst conduct me there where thou hast said, That I may see the portal of Saint Peter, And those thou makest so disconsolate.” Then he moved on, and I behind him followed.
Inferno: Canto II Day was departing, and the embrowned air Released the animals that are on earth From their fatigues; and I the only one Made myself ready to sustain the war, Both of the way and likewise of the woe, Which memory that errs not shall retrace. O Muses, O high genius, now assist me! O memory, that didst write down what I saw, Here thy nobility shall be manifest! And I began: “Poet, who guidest me, Regard my manhood, if it be sufficient, Ere to the arduous pass thou dost confide me. Thou sayest, that of Silvius the parent, While yet corruptible, unto the world Immortal went, and was there bodily. But if the adversary of all evil Was courteous, thinking of the high effect
That issue would from him, and who, and what, To men of intellect unmeet it seems not; For he was of great Rome, and of her empire In the empyreal heaven as father chosen; The which and what, wishing to speak the truth, Were stablished as the holy place, wherein Sits the successor of the greatest Peter. Upon this journey, whence thou givest him vaunt, Things did he hear, which the occasion were Both of his victory and the papal mantle. Thither went afterwards the Chosen Vessel, To bring back comfort thence unto that Faith, Which of salvation’s way is the beginning. But I, why thither come, or who concedes it? I not Aeneas am, I am not Paul, Nor I, nor others, think me worthy of it. Therefore, if I resign myself to come,
I fear the coming may be ill-advised; Thou’rt wise, and knowest better than I speak.” And as he is, who unwills what he willed, And by new thoughts doth his intention change, So that from his design he quite withdraws, Such I became, upon that dark hillside, Because, in thinking, I consumed the emprise, Which was so very prompt in the beginning. “If I have well thy language understood,” Replied that shade of the Magnanimous, “Thy soul attainted is with cowardice, Which many times a man encumbers so, It turns him back from honoured enterprise, As false sight doth a beast, when he is shy. That thou mayst free thee from this apprehension, I’ll tell thee why I came, and what I heard At the first moment when I grieved for thee. Among those was I who are in suspense, And a fair, saintly Lady called to me In such wise, I besought her to command me. Her eyes where shining brighter than the Star; And she began to say, gentle and low, With voice angelical, in her own language: ‘O spirit courteous of Mantua, Of whom the fame still in the world endures, And shall endure, long-lasting as the world; A friend of mine, and not the friend of fortune, Upon the desert slope is so impeded Upon his way, that he has turned through terror, And may, I fear, already be so lost, That I too late have risen to his succour,
From that which I have heard of him in Heaven. Bestir thee now, and with thy speech ornate, And with what needful is for his release, Assist him so, that I may be consoled. Beatrice am I, who do bid thee go; I come from there, where I would fain return; Love moved me, which compelleth me to speak. When I shall be in presence of my Lord, Full often will I praise thee unto him.’ Then paused she, and thereafter I began: ‘O Lady of virtue, thou alone through whom The human race exceedeth all contained Within the heaven that has the lesser circles, So grateful unto me is thy commandment, To obey, if ’twere already done, were late; No farther need’st thou ope to me thy wish. But the cause tell me why thou dost not shun The here descending down into this centre,
From the vast place thou burnest to return to.’ ‘Since thou wouldst fain so inwardly discern, Briefly will I relate,’ she answered me, ‘Why I am not afraid to enter here. Of those things only should one be afraid Which have the power of doing others harm; Of the rest, no; because they are not fearful. God in his mercy such created me
That misery of yours attains me not, Nor any flame assails me of this burning. A gentle Lady is in Heaven, who grieves At this impediment, to which I send thee, So that stern judgment there above is broken. In her entreaty she besought Lucia, And said, “Thy faithful one now stands in need Of thee, and unto thee I recommend him.” Lucia, foe of all that cruel is, Hastened away, and came unto the place Where I was sitting with the ancient Rachel. “Beatrice” said she, “the true praise of God, Why succourest thou not him, who loved thee so, For thee he issued from the vulgar herd? Dost thou not hear the pity of his plaint? Dost thou not see the death that combats him Beside that flood, where ocean has no vaunt?” Never were persons in the world so swift To work their weal and to escape their woe, As I, after such words as these were uttered, Came hither downward from my blessed seat,
Confiding in thy dignified discourse, Which honours thee, and those who’ve listened to it.’ After she thus had spoken unto me, Weeping, her shining eyes she turned away; Whereby she made me swifter in my coming; And unto thee I came, as she desired; I have delivered thee from that wild beast, Which barred the beautiful mountain’s short ascent. What is it, then? Why, why dost thou delay? Why is such baseness bedded in thy heart? Daring and hardihood why hast thou not, Seeing that three such Ladies benedight Are caring for thee in the court of Heaven, And so much good my speech doth promise thee?” Even as the flowerets, by nocturnal chill, Bowed down and closed, when the sun whitens them, Uplift themselves all open on their stems; Such I became with my exhausted strength, And such good courage to my heart there coursed, That I began, like an intrepid person: “O she compassionate, who succoured me,
And courteous thou, who hast obeyed so soon The words of truth which she addressed to thee! Thou hast my heart so with desire disposed To the adventure, with these words of thine, That to my first intent I have returned. Now go, for one sole will is in us both, Thou Leader, and thou Lord, and Master thou.” Thus said I to him; and when he had moved, I entered on the deep and savage way.
Inferno: Canto III “Through me the way is to the city dolent; Through me the way is to eternal dole; Through me the way among the people lost. Justice incited my sublime Creator; Created me divine Omnipotence, The highest Wisdom and the primal Love. Before me there were no created things, Only eterne, and I eternal last. All hope abandon, ye who enter in!” These words in sombre colour I beheld Written upon the summit of a gate; Whence I: “Their sense is, Master, hard to me!” And he to me, as one experienced: “Here all suspicion needs must be abandoned, All cowardice must needs be here extinct. We to the place have come, where I have told thee Thou shalt behold the people dolorous Who have foregone the good of intellect.” And after he had laid his hand on mine With joyful mien, whence I was comforted, He led me in among the secret things. There sighs, complaints, and ululations loud Resounded through the air without a star, Whence I, at the beginning, wept thereat. Languages diverse, horrible dialects, Accents of anger, words of agony,
And voices high and hoarse, with sound of hands, Made up a tumult that goes whirling on For ever in that air for ever black, Even as the sand doth, when the whirlwind breathes. And I, who had my head with horror bound, Said: “Master, what is this which now I hear? What folk is this, which seems by pain so vanquished?” And he to me: “This miserable mode Maintain the melancholy souls of those Who lived withouten infamy or praise. Commingled are they with that caitiff choir Of Angels, who have not rebellious been, Nor faithful were to God, but were for self. The heavens expelled them, not to be less fair;
Nor them the nethermore abyss receives, For glory none the damned would have from them.” And I: “O Master, what so grievous is To these, that maketh them lament so sore?” He answered: “I will tell thee very briefly. These have no longer any hope of death; And this blind life of theirs is so debased, They envious are of every other fate. No fame of them the world permits to be; Misericord and Justice both disdain them. Let us not speak of them, but look, and pass.” And I, who looked again, beheld a banner, Which, whirling round, ran on so rapidly, That of all pause it seemed to me indignant; And after it there came so long a train Of people, that I ne’er would have believed That ever Death so many had undone. When some among them I had recognised, I looked, and I beheld the shade of him Who made through cowardice the great refusal. Forthwith I comprehended, and was certain, That this the sect was of the caitiff wretches Hateful to God and to his enemies. These miscreants, who never were alive, Were naked, and were stung exceedingly By gadflies and by hornets that were there. These did their faces irrigate with blood,
Which, with their tears commingled, at their feet By the disgusting worms was gathered up. And when to gazing farther I betook me. People I saw on a great river’s bank; Whence said I: “Master, now vouchsafe to me, That I may know who these are, and what law Makes them appear so ready to pass over, As I discern athwart the dusky light.” And he to me: “These things shall all be known To thee, as soon as we our footsteps stay Upon the dismal shore of Acheron.” Then with mine eyes ashamed and downward cast, Fearing my words might irksome be to him, From speech refrained I till we reached the river. And lo! towards us coming in a boat An old man, hoary with the hair of eld, Crying: “Woe unto you, ye souls depraved! Hope nevermore to look upon the heavens; I come to lead you to the other shore, To the eternal shades in heat and frost. And thou, that yonder standest, living soul, Withdraw thee from these people, who are dead!” But when he saw that I did not withdraw, He said: “By other ways, by other ports Thou to the shore shalt come, not here, for passage;
A lighter vessel needs must carry thee.” And unto him the Guide: “Vex thee not, Charon; It is so willed there where is power to do That which is willed; and farther question not.” Thereat were quieted the fleecy cheeks Of him the ferryman of the livid fen, Who round about his eyes had wheels of flame. But all those souls who weary were and naked Their colour changed and gnashed their teeth together, As soon as they had heard those cruel words. God they blasphemed and their progenitors, The human race, the place, the time, the seed Of their engendering and of their birth! Thereafter all together they drew back,
Bitterly weeping, to the accursed shore, Which waiteth every man who fears not God. Charon the demon, with the eyes of glede, Beckoning to them, collects them all together, Beats with his oar whoever lags behind. As in the autumn-time the leaves fall off, First one and then another, till the branch Unto the earth surrenders all its spoils; In similar wise the evil seed of Adam Throw themselves from that margin one by one, At signals, as a bird unto its lure. So they depart across the dusky wave,
And ere upon the other side they land, Again on this side a new troop assembles. “My son,” the courteous Master said to me, “All those who perish in the wrath of God Here meet together out of every land; And ready are they to pass o’er the river, Because celestial Justice spurs them on, So that their fear is turned into desire. This way there never passes a good soul; And hence if Charon doth complain of thee, Well mayst thou know now what his speech imports.” This being finished, all the dusk champaign Trembled so violently, that of that terror The recollection bathes me still with sweat. The land of tears gave forth a blast of wind, And fulminated a vermilion light, Which overmastered in me every sense, And as a man whom sleep hath seized I fell.
Inferno: Canto IV Broke the deep lethargy within my head A heavy thunder, so that I upstarted, Like to a person who by force is wakened; And round about I moved my rested eyes, Uprisen erect, and steadfastly I gazed, To recognise the place wherein I was. True is it, that upon the verge I found me Of the abysmal valley dolorous, That gathers thunder of infinite ululations. Obscure, profound it was, and nebulous, So that by fixing on its depths my sight Nothing whatever I discerned therein. “Let us descend now into the blind world,” Began the Poet, pallid utterly; “I will be first, and thou shalt second be.” And I, who of his colour was aware, Said: “How shall I come, if thou art afraid,
Who’rt wont to be a comfort to my fears?” And he to me: “The anguish of the people Who are below here in my face depicts That pity which for terror thou hast taken. Let us go on, for the long way impels us.” Thus he went in, and thus he made me enter The foremost circle that surrounds the abyss. There, as it seemed to me from listening, Were lamentations none, but only sighs, That tremble made the everlasting air. And this arose from sorrow without torment,
Which the crowds had, that many were and great, Of infants and of women and of men. To me the Master good: “Thou dost not ask What spirits these, which thou beholdest, are? Now will I have thee know, ere thou go farther, That they sinned not; and if they merit had, ’Tis not enough, because they had not baptism Which is the portal of the Faith thou holdest; And if they were before Christianity, In the right manner they adored not God; And among such as these am I myself. For such defects, and not for other guilt, Lost are we and are only so far punished, That without hope we live on in desire.” Great grief seized on my heart when this I heard,
Because some people of much worthiness I knew, who in that Limbo were suspended. “Tell me, my Master, tell me, thou my Lord,” Began I, with desire of being certain Of that Faith which o’ercometh every error, “Came any one by his own merit hence, Or by another’s, who was blessed thereafter?” And he, who understood my covert speech, Replied: “I was a novice in this state, When I saw hither come a Mighty One, With sign of victory incoronate. Hence he drew forth the shade of the First Parent, And that of his son Abel, and of Noah, Of Moses the lawgiver, and the obedient Abraham, patriarch, and David, king,
Israel with his father and his children, And Rachel, for whose sake he did so much, And others many, and he made them blessed; And thou must know, that earlier than these Never were any human spirits saved.” We ceased not to advance because he spake, But still were passing onward through the forest, The forest, say I, of thick-crowded ghosts. Not very far as yet our way had gone This side the summit, when I saw a fire That overcame a hemisphere of darkness. We were a little distant from it still, But not so far that I in part discerned not That honourable people held that place. “O thou who honourest every art and science, Who may these be, which such great honour have, That from the fashion of the rest it parts them?” And he to me: “The honourable name,
That sounds of them above there in thy life, Wins grace in Heaven, that so advances them.” In the mean time a voice was heard by me: “All honour be to the pre-eminent Poet; His shade returns again, that was departed.” After the voice had ceased and quiet was, Four mighty shades I saw approaching us; Semblance had they nor sorrowful nor glad. To say to me began my gracious Master: “Him with that falchion in his hand behold, Who comes before the three, even as their lord. That one is Homer, Poet sovereign; He who comes next is Horace, the satirist; The third is Ovid, and the last is Lucan. Because to each of these with me applies The name that solitary voice proclaimed,
They do me honour, and in that do well.” Thus I beheld assemble the fair school Of that lord of the song pre-eminent, Who o’er the others like an eagle soars. When they together had discoursed somewhat, They turned to me with signs of salutation,
And on beholding this, my Master smiled; And more of honour still, much more, they did me, In that they made me one of their own band; So that the sixth was I, ’mid so much wit. Thus we went on as far as to the light, Things saying ’tis becoming to keep silent, As was the saying of them where I was. We came unto a noble castle’s foot, Seven times encompassed with lofty walls, Defended round by a fair rivulet; This we passed over even as firm ground; Through portals seven I entered with these Sages; We came into a meadow of fresh verdure. People were there with solemn eyes and slow, Of great authority in their countenance; They spake but seldom, and with gentle voices. Thus we withdrew ourselves upon one side Into an opening luminous and lofty, So that they all of them were visible. There opposite, upon the green enamel,
Were pointed out to me the mighty spirits, Whom to have seen I feel myself exalted. I saw Electra with companions many, ’Mongst whom I knew both Hector and Aeneas, Caesar in armour with gerfalcon eyes; I saw Camilla and Penthesilea On the other side, and saw the King Latinus, Who with Lavinia his daughter sat; I saw that Brutus who drove Tarquin forth, Lucretia, Julia, Marcia, and Cornelia, And saw alone, apart, the Saladin. When I had lifted up my brows a little, The Master I beheld of those who know, Sit with his philosophic family. All gaze upon him, and all do him honour. There I beheld both Socrates and Plato, Who nearer him before the others stand; Democritus, who puts the world on chance, Diogenes, Anaxagoras, and Thales,
Zeno, Empedocles, and Heraclitus; Of qualities I saw the good collector, Hight Dioscorides; and Orpheus saw I, Tully and Livy, and moral Seneca, Euclid, geometrician, and Ptolemy, Galen, Hippocrates, and Avicenna, Averroes, who the great Comment made. I cannot all of them pourtray in full, Because so drives me onward the long theme, That many times the word comes short of fact. The sixfold company in two divides; Another way my sapient Guide conducts me Forth from the quiet to the air that trembles; And to a place I come where nothing shines.
Inferno: Canto V Thus I descended out of the first circle Down to the second, that less space begirds, And so much greater dole, that goads to wailing. There standeth Minos horribly, and snarls; Examines the transgressions at the entrance; Judges, and sends according as he girds him. I say, that when the spirit evil-born Cometh before him, wholly it confesses; And this discriminator of transgressions Seeth what place in Hell is meet for it; Girds himself with his tail as many times As grades he wishes it should be thrust down. Always before him many of them stand; They go by turns each one unto the judgment;
They speak, and hear, and then are downward hurled. “O thou, that to this dolorous hostelry Comest,” said Minos to me, when he saw me, Leaving the practice of so great an office, “Look how thou enterest, and in whom thou trustest; Let not the portal’s amplitude deceive thee.” And unto him my Guide: “Why criest thou too? Do not impede his journey fate-ordained; It is so willed there where is power to do That which is willed; and ask no further question.” And now begin the dolesome notes to grow Audible unto me; now am I come There where much lamentation strikes upon me. I came into a place mute of all light,
Which bellows as the sea does in a tempest, If by opposing winds ’t is combated. The infernal hurricane that never rests Hurtles the spirits onward in its rapine; Whirling them round, and smiting, it molests them. When they arrive before the precipice, There are the shrieks, the plaints, and the laments, There they blaspheme the puissance divine. I understood that unto such a torment The carnal malefactors were condemned, Who reason subjugate to appetite. And as the wings of starlings bear them on In the cold season in large band and full, So doth that blast the spirits maledict; It hither, thither, downward, upward, drives them;
No hope doth comfort them for evermore, Not of repose, but even of lesser pain. And as the cranes go chanting forth their lays, Making in air a long line of themselves, So saw I coming, uttering lamentations, Shadows borne onward by the aforesaid stress. Whereupon said I: “Master, who are those People, whom the black air so castigates?” “The first of those, of whom intelligence Thou fain wouldst have,” then said he unto me, “The empress was of many languages. To sensual vices she was so abandoned, That lustful she made licit in her law,
To remove the blame to which she had been led. She is Semiramis, of whom we read That she succeeded Ninus, and was his spouse; She held the land which now the Sultan rules. The next is she who killed herself for love,
And broke faith with the ashes of Sichaeus; Then Cleopatra the voluptuous.” Helen I saw, for whom so many ruthless Seasons revolved; and saw the great Achilles, Who at the last hour combated with Love. Paris I saw, Tristan; and more than a thousand Shades did he name and point out with his finger, Whom Love had separated from our life. After that I had listened to my Teacher, Naming the dames of eld and cavaliers, Pity prevailed, and I was nigh bewildered. And I began: “O Poet, willingly Speak would I to those two, who go together, And seem upon the wind to be so light.” And, he to me: “Thou’lt mark, when they shall be Nearer to us; and then do thou implore them By love which leadeth them, and they will come.” Soon as the wind in our direction sways them, My voice uplift I: “O ye weary souls! Come speak to us, if no one interdicts it.” As turtle-doves, called onward by desire, With open and steady wings to the sweet nest
Fly through the air by their volition borne, So came they from the band where Dido is, Approaching us athwart the air malign, So strong was the affectionate appeal. “O living creature gracious and benignant, Who visiting goest through the purple air Us, who have stained the world incarnadine, If were the King of the Universe our friend, We would pray unto him to give thee peace, Since thou hast pity on our woe perverse. Of what it pleases thee to hear and speak, That will we hear, and we will speak to you, While silent is the wind, as it is now. Sitteth the city, wherein I was born, Upon the sea-shore where the Po descends To rest in peace with all his retinue. Love, that on gentle heart doth swiftly seize, Seized this man for the person beautiful That was ta’en from me, and still the mode offends me. Love, that exempts no one beloved from loving, Seized me with pleasure of this man so strongly,
That, as thou seest, it doth not yet desert me; Love has conducted us unto one death; Caina waiteth him who quenched our life!” These words were borne along from them to us. As soon as I had heard those souls tormented, I bowed my face, and so long held it down Until the Poet said to me: “What thinkest?” When I made answer, I began: “Alas! How many pleasant thoughts, how much desire, Conducted these unto the dolorous pass!” Then unto them I turned me, and I spake, And I began: “Thine agonies, Francesca, Sad and compassionate to weeping make me. But tell me, at the time of those sweet sighs, By what and in what manner Love conceded, That you should know your dubious desires?” And she to me: “There is no greater sorrow
Than to be mindful of the happy time In misery, and that thy Teacher knows. But, if to recognise the earliest root Of love in us thou hast so great desire, I will do even as he who weeps and speaks. One day we reading were for our delight Of Launcelot, how Love did him enthral. Alone we were and without any fear. Full many a time our eyes together drew That reading, and drove the colour from our faces; But one point only was it that o’ercame us. When as we read of the much-longed-for smile Being by such a noble lover kissed, This one, who ne’er from me shall be divided, Kissed me upon the mouth all palpitating. Galeotto was the book and he who wrote it. That day no farther did we read therein.” And all the while one spirit uttered this, The other one did weep so, that, for pity, I swooned away as if I had been dying, And fell, even as a dead body falls.
Inferno: Canto VI At the return of consciousness, that closed Before the pity of those two relations, Which utterly with sadness had confused me, New torments I behold, and new tormented Around me, whichsoever way I move, And whichsoever way I turn, and gaze. In the third circle am I of the rain Eternal, maledict, and cold, and heavy; Its law and quality are never new. Huge hail, and water sombre-hued, and snow, Athwart the tenebrous air pour down amain; Noisome the earth is, that receiveth this. Cerberus, monster cruel and uncouth,
With his three gullets like a dog is barking Over the people that are there submerged. Red eyes he has, and unctuous beard and black, And belly large, and armed with claws his hands; He rends the spirits, flays, and quarters them. Howl the rain maketh them like unto dogs; One side they make a shelter for the other; Oft turn themselves the wretched reprobates. When Cerberus perceived us, the great worm! His mouths he opened, and displayed his tusks; Not a limb had he that was motionless. And my Conductor, with his spans extended, Took of the earth, and with his fists well filled, He threw it into those rapacious gullets. Such as that dog is, who by barking craves, And quiet grows soon as his food he gnaws, For to devour it he but thinks and struggles, The like became those muzzles filth-begrimed
Of Cerberus the demon, who so thunders Over the souls that they would fain be deaf. We passed across the shadows, which subdues The heavy rain-storm, and we placed our feet Upon their vanity that person seems. They all were lying prone upon the earth, Excepting one, who sat upright as soon As he beheld us passing on before him. “O thou that art conducted through this Hell,” He said to me, “recall me, if thou canst; Thyself wast made before I was unmade.” And I to him: “The anguish which thou hast Perhaps doth draw thee out of my remembrance, So that it seems not I have ever seen thee. But tell me who thou art, that in so doleful A place art put, and in such punishment, If some are greater, none is so displeasing.” And he to me: “Thy city, which is full Of envy so that now the sack runs over, Held me within it in the life serene. You citizens were wont to call me Ciacco;
For the pernicious sin of gluttony I, as thou seest, am battered by this rain. And I, sad soul, am not the only one, For all these suffer the like penalty For the like sin;” and word no more spake he. I answered him: “Ciacco, thy wretchedness Weighs on me so that it to weep invites me;
But tell me, if thou knowest, to what shall come The citizens of the divided city; If any there be just; and the occasion Tell me why so much discord has assailed it.” And he to me: “They, after long contention, Will come to bloodshed; and the rustic party Will drive the other out with much offence. Then afterwards behoves it this one fall Within three suns, and rise again the other By force of him who now is on the coast. High will it hold its forehead a long while, Keeping the other under heavy burdens,
Howe’er it weeps thereat and is indignant. The just are two, and are not understood there; Envy and Arrogance and Avarice Are the three sparks that have all hearts enkindled.” Here ended he his tearful utterance; And I to him: “I wish thee still to teach me, And make a gift to me of further speech. Farinata and Tegghiaio, once so worthy, Jacopo Rusticucci, Arrigo, and Mosca,
And others who on good deeds set their thoughts, Say where they are, and cause that I may know them; For great desire constraineth me to learn If Heaven doth sweeten them, or Hell envenom.” And he: “They are among the blacker souls; A different sin downweighs them to the bottom; If thou so far descendest, thou canst see them. But when thou art again in the sweet world,
I pray thee to the mind of others bring me; No more I tell thee and no more I answer.” Then his straightforward eyes he turned askance, Eyed me a little, and then bowed his head; He fell therewith prone like the other blind. And the Guide said to me: “He wakes no more This side the sound of the angelic trumpet; When shall approach the hostile Potentate, Each one shall find again his dismal tomb, Shall reassume his flesh and his own figure, Shall hear what through eternity re-echoes.” So we passed onward o’er the filthy mixture Of shadows and of rain with footsteps slow,
Touching a little on the future life. Wherefore I said: “Master, these torments here, Will they increase after the mighty sentence, Or lesser be, or will they be as burning?” And he to me: “Return unto thy science, Which wills, that as the thing more perfect is, The more it feels of pleasure and of pain. Albeit that this people maledict To true perfection never can attain, Hereafter more than now they look to be.” Round in a circle by that road we went, Speaking much more, which I do not repeat; We came unto the point where the descent is; There we found Plutus the great enemy.
Inferno: Canto VII “Pape Satan, Pape Satan, Aleppe!” Thus Plutus with his clucking voice began; And that benignant Sage, who all things knew, Said, to encourage me: “Let not thy fear Harm thee; for any power that he may have Shall not prevent thy going down this crag.” Then he turned round unto that bloated lip, And said: “Be silent, thou accursed wolf; Consume within thyself with thine own rage. Not causeless is this journey to the abyss; Thus is it willed on high, where Michael wrought Vengeance upon the proud adultery.” Even as the sails inflated by the wind
Involved together fall when snaps the mast, So fell the cruel monster to the earth. Thus we descended into the fourth chasm, Gaining still farther on the dolesome shore Which all the woe of the universe insacks. Justice of God, ah! who heaps up so many New toils and sufferings as I beheld? And why doth our transgression waste us so? As doth the billow there upon Charybdis, That breaks itself on that which it encounters,
So here the folk must dance their roundelay. Here saw I people, more than elsewhere, many, On one side and the other, with great howls, Rolling weights forward by main force of chest. They clashed together, and then at that point Each one turned backward, rolling retrograde, Crying, “Why keepest?” and, “Why squanderest thou?” Thus they returned along the lurid circle On either hand unto the opposite point, Shouting their shameful metre evermore. Then each, when he arrived there, wheeled about Through his half-circle to another joust; And I, who had my heart pierced as it were, Exclaimed: “My Master, now declare to me What people these are, and if all were clerks, These shaven crowns upon the left of us.” And he to me: “All of them were asquint
In intellect in the first life, so much That there with measure they no spending made. Clearly enough their voices bark it forth, Whene’er they reach the two points of the circle, Where sunders them the opposite defect. Clerks those were who no hairy covering Have on the head, and Popes and Cardinals, In whom doth Avarice practise its excess.” And I: “My Master, among such as these I ought forsooth to recognise some few, Who were infected with these maladies.” And he to me: “Vain thought thou entertainest; The undiscerning life which made them sordid Now makes them unto all discernment dim. Forever shall they come to these two buttings; These from the sepulchre shall rise again With the fist closed, and these with tresses shorn. Ill giving and ill keeping the fair world Have ta’en from them, and placed them in this scuffle; Whate’er it be, no words adorn I for it. Now canst thou, Son, behold the transient farce Of goods that are committed unto Fortune,
For which the human race each other buffet; For all the gold that is beneath the moon, Or ever has been, of these weary souls Could never make a single one repose.” “Master,” I said to him, “now tell me also What is this Fortune which thou speakest of, That has the world’s goods so within its clutches?” And he to me: “O creatures imbecile, What ignorance is this which doth beset you? Now will I have thee learn my judgment of her. He whose omniscience everything transcends The heavens created, and gave who should guide them, That every part to every part may shine, Distributing the light in equal measure; He in like manner to the mundane splendours
Ordained a general ministress and guide, That she might change at times the empty treasures From race to race, from one blood to another, Beyond resistance of all human wisdom. Therefore one people triumphs, and another Languishes, in pursuance of her judgment, Which hidden is, as in the grass a serpent. Your knowledge has no counterstand against her;
She makes provision, judges, and pursues Her governance, as theirs the other gods. Her permutations have not any truce; Necessity makes her precipitate, So often cometh who his turn obtains. And this is she who is so crucified Even by those who ought to give her praise, Giving her blame amiss, and bad repute. But she is blissful, and she hears it not; Among the other primal creatures gladsome She turns her sphere, and blissful she rejoices. Let us descend now unto greater woe; Already sinks each star that was ascending When I set out, and loitering is forbidden.” We crossed the circle to the other bank,
Near to a fount that boils, and pours itself Along a gully that runs out of it. The water was more sombre far than perse; And we, in company with the dusky waves, Made entrance downward by a path uncouth. A marsh it makes, which has the name of Styx, This tristful brooklet, when it has descended Down to the foot of the malign gray shores. And I, who stood intent upon beholding, Saw people mud-besprent in that lagoon, All of them naked and with angry look. They smote each other not alone with hands, But with the head and with the breast and feet, Tearing each other piecemeal with their teeth. Said the good Master:
“Son, thou now beholdest The souls of those whom anger overcame; And likewise I would have thee know for certain Beneath the water people are who sigh And make this water bubble at the surface, As the eye tells thee wheresoe’er it turns. Fixed in the mire they say, ‘We sullen were In the sweet air, which by the sun is gladdened, Bearing within ourselves the sluggish reek; Now we are sullen in this sable mire.’ This hymn do they keep gurgling in their throats, For with unbroken words they cannot say it.” Thus we went circling round the filthy fen A great arc ’twixt the dry bank and the swamp, With eyes turned unto those who gorge the mire; Unto the foot of a tower we came at last.
Inferno: Canto VIII I say, continuing, that long before We to the foot of that high tower had come, Our eyes went upward to the summit of it, By reason of two flamelets we saw placed there, And from afar another answer them, So far, that hardly could the eye attain it. And, to the sea of all discernment turned, I said: “What sayeth this, and what respondeth That other fire? and who are they that made it?” And he to me: “Across the turbid waves What is expected thou canst now discern, If reek of the morass conceal it not.” Cord never shot an arrow from itself That sped away athwart the air so swift, As I beheld a very little boat Come o’er the water tow’rds us at that moment, Under the guidance of a single pilot,
Who shouted, “Now art thou arrived, fell soul?” “Phlegyas, Phlegyas, thou criest out in vain For this once,” said my Lord; “thou shalt not have us Longer than in the passing of the slough.” As he who listens to some great deceit That has been done to him, and then resents it, Such became Phlegyas, in his gathered wrath. My Guide descended down into the boat, And then he made me enter after him, And only when I entered seemed it laden. Soon as the Guide and I were in the boat, The antique prow goes on its way, dividing More of the water than ’tis wont with others. While we were running through the dead canal, Uprose in front of me one full of mire, And said, “Who ’rt thou that comest ere the hour?” And I to him: “Although I come, I stay not; But who art thou that hast become so squalid?” “Thou seest that I am one who weeps,” he answered. And I to him: “With weeping and with wailing, Thou spirit maledict, do thou remain; For thee I know, though thou art all defiled.” Then stretched he both his hands unto the boat; Whereat my wary Master thrust him back,
Saying, “Away there with the other dogs!” Thereafter with his arms he clasped my neck; He kissed my face, and said: “Disdainful soul, Blessed be she who bore thee in her bosom. That was an arrogant person in the world; Goodness is none, that decks his memory; So likewise here his shade is furious. How many are esteemed great kings up there, Who here shall be like unto swine in mire, Leaving behind them horrible dispraises!” And I: “My Master, much should I be pleased, If I could see him soused into this broth, Before we issue forth out of the lake.” And he to me: “Ere unto thee the shore Reveal itself, thou shalt be satisfied; Such a desire ’tis meet thou shouldst enjoy.” A little after that, I saw such havoc Made of him by the people of the mire, That still I praise and thank my God for it. They all were shouting, “At Philippo Argenti!” And that exasperate spirit Florentine
Turned round upon himself with his own teeth. We left him there, and more of him I tell not; But on mine ears there smote a lamentation, Whence forward I intent unbar mine eyes. And the good Master said: “Even now, my Son, The city draweth near whose name is Dis, With the grave citizens, with the great throng.” And I: “Its mosques already, Master, clearly Within there in the valley I discern Vermilion, as if issuing from the fire They were.” And he to me: “The fire eternal That kindles them within makes them look red, As thou beholdest in this nether Hell.” Then we arrived within the moats profound, That circumvallate that disconsolate city;
The walls appeared to me to be of iron. Not without making first a circuit wide, We came unto a place where loud the pilot Cried out to us, “Debark, here is the entrance.” More than a thousand at the gates I saw Out of the Heavens rained down, who angrily Were saying, “Who is this that without death Goes through the kingdom of the people dead?” And my sagacious Master made a sign Of wishing secretly to speak with them. A little then they quelled their great disdain,
And said: “Come thou alone, and he begone Who has so boldly entered these dominions. Let him return alone by his mad road; Try, if he can; for thou shalt here remain, Who hast escorted him through such dark regions.” Think, Reader, if I was discomforted At utterance of the accursed words; For never to return here I believed. “O my dear Guide, who more than seven times Hast rendered me security, and drawn me From imminent peril that before me stood, Do not desert me,” said I, “thus undone;
And if the going farther be denied us, Let us retrace our steps together swiftly.” And that Lord, who had led me thitherward, Said unto me: “Fear not; because our passage None can take from us, it by Such is given. But here await me, and thy weary spirit Comfort and nourish with a better hope; For in this nether world I will not leave thee.” So onward goes and there abandons me
My Father sweet, and I remain in doubt, For No and Yes within my head contend. I could not hear what he proposed to them; But with them there he did not linger long, Ere each within in rivalry ran back. They closed the portals, those our adversaries, On my Lord’s breast, who had remained without And turned to me with footsteps far between. His eyes cast down, his forehead shorn had he Of all its boldness, and he said, with sighs, “Who has denied to me the dolesome houses?” And unto me: “Thou, because I am angry, Fear not, for I will conquer in the trial, Whatever for defence within be planned. This arrogance of theirs is nothing new; For once they used it at less secret gate, Which finds itself without a fastening still. O’er it didst thou behold the dead inscription; And now this side of it descends the steep, Passing across the circles without escort, One by whose means the city shall be opened.”
Inferno: Canto IX That hue which cowardice brought out on me, Beholding my Conductor backward turn, Sooner repressed within him his new colour. He stopped attentive, like a man who listens, Because the eye could not conduct him far Through the black air, and through the heavy fog. “Still it behoveth us to win the fight,” Began he; “Else. . .Such offered us herself. . . O how I long that some one here arrive!” Well I perceived, as soon as the beginning He covered up with what came afterward, That they were words quite different from the first; But none the less his saying gave me fear, Because I carried out the broken phrase, Perhaps to a worse meaning than he had. “Into this bottom of the doleful conch Doth any e’er descend from the first grade,
Which for its pain has only hope cut off?” This question put I; and he answered me: “Seldom it comes to pass that one of us Maketh the journey upon which I go. True is it, once before I here below Was conjured by that pitiless Erictho, Who summoned back the shades unto their bodies. Naked of me short while the flesh had been, Before within that wall she made me enter,
To bring a spirit from the circle of Judas; That is the lowest region and the darkest, And farthest from the heaven which circles all. Well know I the way; therefore be reassured. This fen, which a prodigious stench exhales, Encompasses about the city dolent, Where now we cannot enter without anger.” And more he said, but not in mind I have it; Because mine eye had altogether drawn me Tow’rds the high tower with the red-flaming summit, Where in a moment saw I swift uprisen The three infernal Furies stained with blood, Who had the limbs of women and their mien, And with the greenest hydras were begirt; Small serpents and cerastes were their tresses, Wherewith their horrid temples were entwined. And he who well the handmaids of the Queen Of everlasting lamentation knew, Said unto me: “Behold the fierce Erinnys. This is Megaera, on the left-hand side; She who is weeping on the right, Alecto;
Tisiphone is between;” and then was silent. Each one her breast was rending with her nails; They beat them with their palms, and cried so loud, That I for dread pressed close unto the Poet. “Medusa come, so we to stone will change him!” All shouted looking down; “in evil hour Avenged we not on Theseus his assault!” “Turn thyself round, and keep thine eyes close shut, For if the Gorgon appear, and thou shouldst see it, No more returning upward would there be.” Thus said the Master; and he turned me round Himself, and trusted not unto my hands So far as not to blind me with his own. O ye who have undistempered intellects, Observe the doctrine that conceals itself Beneath the veil of the mysterious verses! And now there came across the turbid waves The clangour of a sound with terror fraught, Because of which both of the margins trembled; Not otherwise it was than of a wind
Impetuous on account of adverse heats, That smites the forest, and, without restraint, The branches rends, beats down, and bears away; Right onward, laden with dust, it goes superb, And puts to flight the wild beasts and the shepherds. Mine eyes he loosed, and said: “Direct the nerve Of vision now along that ancient foam, There yonder where that smoke is most intense.” Even as the frogs before the hostile serpent Across the water scatter all abroad, Until each one is huddled in the earth. More than a thousand ruined souls I saw, Thus fleeing from before one who on foot Was passing o’er the Styx with soles unwet. From off his face he fanned that unctuous air, Waving his left hand oft in front of him,
And only with that anguish seemed he weary. Well I perceived one sent from Heaven was he, And to the Master turned; and he made sign That I should quiet stand, and bow before him. Ah! how disdainful he appeared to me! He reached the gate, and with a little rod He opened it, for there was no resistance. “O banished out of Heaven, people despised!” Thus he began upon the horrid threshold; “Whence is this arrogance within you couched? Wherefore recalcitrate against that will, From which the end can never be cut off,
And which has many times increased your pain? What helpeth it to butt against the fates? Your Cerberus, if you remember well, For that still bears his chin and gullet peeled.” Then he returned along the miry road, And spake no word to us, but had the look Of one whom other care constrains and goads Than that of him who in his presence is; And we our feet directed tow’rds the city, After those holy words all confident. Within we entered without any contest; And I, who inclination had to see What the condition such a fortress holds, Soon as I was within, cast round mine eye, And see on every hand an ample plain,
Full of distress and torment terrible. Even as at Arles, where stagnant grows the Rhone, Even as at Pola near to the Quarnaro, That shuts in Italy and bathes its borders, The sepulchres make all the place uneven; So likewise did they there on every side, Saving that there the manner was more bitter; For flames between the sepulchres were scattered, By which they so intensely heated were, That iron more so asks not any art. All of their coverings uplifted were, And from them issued forth such dire laments, Sooth seemed they of the wretched and tormented. And I: “My Master, what are all those people Who, having sepulture within those tombs, Make themselves audible by doleful sighs?” And he to me: “Here are the Heresiarchs, With their disciples of all sects, and much More than thou thinkest laden are the tombs. Here like together with its like is buried; And more and less the monuments are heated.” And when he to the right had turned, we passed Between the torments and high parapets.
Inferno: Canto X Now onward goes, along a narrow path Between the torments and the city wall, My Master, and I follow at his back. “O power supreme, that through these impious circles Turnest me,” I began, “as pleases thee, Speak to me, and my longings satisfy; The people who are lying in these tombs, Might they be seen? already are uplifted The covers all, and no one keepeth guard.” And he to me: “They all will be closed up When from Jehoshaphat they shall return Here with the bodies they have left above. Their cemetery have upon this side With Epicurus all his followers, Who with the body mortal make the soul; But in the question thou dost put to me, Within here shalt thou soon be satisfied, And likewise in the wish thou keepest silent.” And I: “Good Leader, I but keep concealed From thee my heart, that I may speak the less, Nor only now hast thou thereto disposed me.” “O Tuscan, thou who through the city of fire Goest alive, thus speaking modestly,
Be pleased to stay thy footsteps in this place. Thy mode of speaking makes thee manifest A native of that noble fatherland, To which perhaps I too molestful was.” Upon a sudden issued forth this sound From out one of the tombs; wherefore I pressed, Fearing, a little nearer to my Leader. And unto me he said: “Turn thee; what dost thou? Behold there Farinata who has risen; From the waist upwards wholly shalt thou see him.” I had already fixed mine eyes on his, And he uprose erect with breast and front
E’en as if Hell he had in great despite. And with courageous hands and prompt my Leader Thrust me between the sepulchres towards him, Exclaiming, “Let thy words explicit be.” As soon as I was at the foot of his tomb Somewhat he eyed me, and, as if disdainful, Then asked of me, “Who were thine ancestors?” I, who desirous of obeying was, Concealed it not, but all revealed to him; Whereat he raised his brows a little upward. Then said he: “Fiercely adverse have they been To me, and to my fathers, and my party;
So that two several times I scattered them.” “If they were banished, they returned on all sides,” I answered him, “the first time and the second; But yours have not acquired that art aright.” Then there uprose upon the sight, uncovered Down to the chin, a shadow at his side; I think that he had risen on his knees. Round me he gazed, as if solicitude He had to see if some one else were with me, But after his suspicion was all spent, Weeping, he said to me: “If through this blind Prison thou goest by loftiness of genius, Where is my son? and why is he not with thee?” And I to him: “I come not of myself;
He who is waiting yonder leads me here, Whom in disdain perhaps your Guido had.” His language and the mode of punishment Already unto me had read his name; On that account my answer was so full. Up starting suddenly, he cried out: “How Saidst thou,—he had? Is he not still alive? Does not the sweet light strike upon his eyes?” When he became aware of some delay, Which I before my answer made, supine He fell again, and forth appeared no more. But the other, magnanimous, at whose desire I had remained, did not his aspect change, Neither his neck he moved, nor bent his side. “And if,” continuing his first discourse,
“They have that art,” he said, “not learned aright, That more tormenteth me, than doth this bed. But fifty times shall not rekindled be The countenance of the Lady who reigns here, Ere thou shalt know how heavy is that art; And as thou wouldst to the sweet world return, Say why that people is so pitiless Against my race in each one of its laws?” Whence I to him: “The slaughter and great carnage Which have with crimson stained the Arbia, cause Such orisons in our temple to be made.” After his head he with a sigh had shaken, “There I was not alone,” he said, “nor surely Without a cause had with the others moved. But there I was alone, where every one Consented to the laying waste of Florence, He who defended her with open face.” “Ah! so hereafter may your seed repose,” I him entreated, “solve for me that knot, Which has entangled my conceptions here. It seems that you can see, if I hear rightly, Beforehand whatsoe’er time brings with it,
And in the present have another mode.” “We see, like those who have imperfect sight, The things,” he said, “that distant are from us; So much still shines on us the Sovereign Ruler. When they draw near, or are, is wholly vain Our intellect, and if none brings it to us, Not anything know we of your human state. Hence thou canst understand, that wholly dead Will be our knowledge from the moment when The portal of the future shall be closed.” Then I, as if compunctious for my fault, Said: “Now, then, you will tell that fallen one, That still his son is with the living joined. And if just now, in answering, I was dumb, Tell him I did it because I was thinking Already of the error you have solved me.” And now my Master was recalling me,
Wherefore more eagerly I prayed the spirit That he would tell me who was with him there. He said: “With more than a thousand here I lie; Within here is the second Frederick, And the Cardinal, and of the rest I speak not.” Thereon he hid himself; and I towards The ancient poet turned my steps, reflecting Upon that saying, which seemed hostile to me. He moved along; and afterward thus going, He said to me, “Why art thou so bewildered?” And I in his inquiry satisfied him. “Let memory preserve what thou hast heard Against thyself,” that Sage commanded me, “And now attend here;” and he raised his finger. “When thou shalt be before the radiance sweet Of her whose beauteous eyes all things behold, From her thou’lt know the journey of thy life.” Unto the left hand then he turned his feet; We left the wall, and went towards the middle, Along a path that strikes into a valley, Which even up there unpleasant made its stench.
Inferno: Canto XI Upon the margin of a lofty bank Which great rocks broken in a circle made, We came upon a still more cruel throng; And there, by reason of the horrible Excess of stench the deep abyss throws out, We drew ourselves aside behind the cover Of a great tomb, whereon I saw a writing, Which said: “Pope Anastasius I hold, Whom out of the right way Photinus drew.” “Slow it behoveth our descent to be, So that the sense be first a little used To the sad blast, and then we shall not heed it.” The Master thus; and unto him I said, “Some compensation find, that the time pass not Idly;” and he: “Thou seest I think of that. My son, upon the inside of these rocks,”
Began he then to say, “are three small circles, From grade to grade, like those which thou art leaving. They all are full of spirits maledict; But that hereafter sight alone suffice thee, Hear how and wherefore they are in constraint. Of every malice that wins hate in Heaven, Injury is the end; and all such end Either by force or fraud afflicteth others. But because fraud is man’s peculiar vice, More it displeases God; and so stand lowest The fraudulent, and greater dole assails them. All the first circle of the Violent is; But since force may be used against three persons, In three rounds ’tis divided and constructed. To God, to ourselves, and to our neighbour can we Use force; I say on them and on their things,
As thou shalt hear with reason manifest. A death by violence, and painful wounds, Are to our neighbour given; and in his substance Ruin, and arson, and injurious levies; Whence homicides, and he who smites unjustly, Marauders, and freebooters, the first round Tormenteth all in companies diverse. Man may lay violent hands upon himself And his own goods; and therefore in the second Round must perforce without avail repent Whoever of your world deprives himself, Who games, and dissipates his property, And weepeth there, where he should jocund be. Violence can be done the Deity, In heart denying and blaspheming Him, And by disdaining Nature and her bounty. And for this reason doth the smallest round Seal with its signet Sodom and Cahors, And who, disdaining God, speaks from the heart. Fraud, wherewithal is every conscience stung, A man may practise upon him who trusts, And him who doth no confidence imburse. This latter mode, it would appear, dissevers Only the bond of love which Nature makes; Wherefore within the second circle nestle Hypocrisy, flattery, and who deals in magic, Falsification, theft, and simony, Panders, and barrators, and the like filth. By the other mode, forgotten is that love Which Nature makes, and what is after added,
From which there is a special faith engendered. Hence in the smallest circle, where the point is Of the Universe, upon which Dis is seated, Whoe’er betrays for ever is consumed.” And I: “My Master, clear enough proceeds Thy reasoning, and full well distinguishes This cavern and the people who possess it. But tell me, those within the fat lagoon, Whom the wind drives, and whom the rain doth beat, And who encounter with such bitter tongues, Wherefore are they inside of the red city Not punished, if God has them in his wrath, And if he has not, wherefore in such fashion?” And unto me he said: “Why wanders so Thine intellect from that which it is wont? Or, sooth, thy mind where is it elsewhere looking? Hast thou no recollection of those words
With which thine Ethics thoroughly discusses The dispositions three, that Heaven abides not,— Incontinence, and Malice, and insane Bestiality? and how Incontinence Less God offendeth, and less blame attracts? If thou regardest this conclusion well, And to thy mind recallest who they are That up outside are undergoing penance, Clearly wilt thou perceive why from these felons They separated are, and why less wroth Justice divine doth smite them with its hammer.” “O Sun, that healest all distempered vision, Thou dost content me so, when thou resolvest, That doubting pleases me no less than knowing! Once more a little backward turn thee,” said I, “There where thou sayest that usury offends
Goodness divine, and disengage the knot.” “Philosophy,” he said, “to him who heeds it, Noteth, not only in one place alone, After what manner Nature takes her course From Intellect Divine, and from its art; And if thy Physics carefully thou notest, After not many pages shalt thou find, That this your art as far as possible Follows, as the disciple doth the master; So that your art is, as it were, God’s grandchild. From these two, if thou bringest to thy mind Genesis at the beginning, it behoves Mankind to gain their life and to advance; And since the usurer takes another way, Nature herself and in her follower Disdains he, for elsewhere he puts his hope. But follow, now, as I would fain go on, For quivering are the Fishes on the horizon, And the Wain wholly over Caurus lies, And far beyond there we descend the crag.”
Inferno: Canto XII The place where to descend the bank we came Was alpine, and from what was there, moreover, Of such a kind that every eye would shun it. Such as that ruin is which in the flank Smote, on this side of Trent, the Adige, Either by earthquake or by failing stay, For from the mountain’s top, from which it moved, Unto the plain the cliff is shattered so, Some path ’twould give to him who was above; Even such was the descent of that ravine, And on the border of the broken chasm The infamy of Crete was stretched along, Who was conceived in the fictitious cow; And when he us beheld, he bit himself,
Even as one whom anger racks within. My Sage towards him shouted: “Peradventure Thou think’st that here may be the Duke of Athens, Who in the world above brought death to thee? Get thee gone, beast, for this one cometh not Instructed by thy sister, but he comes In order to behold your punishments.” As is that bull who breaks loose at the moment In which he has received the mortal blow,
Who cannot walk, but staggers here and there, The Minotaur beheld I do the like; And he, the wary, cried: “Run to the passage; While he wroth, ’tis well thou shouldst descend.” Thus down we took our way o’er that discharge Of stones, which oftentimes did move themselves Beneath my feet, from the unwonted burden. Thoughtful I went; and he said: “Thou art thinking Perhaps upon this ruin, which is guarded By that brute anger which just now I quenched. Now will I have thee know, the other time I here descended to the nether Hell,
This precipice had not yet fallen down. But truly, if I well discern, a little Before His coming who the mighty spoil Bore off from Dis, in the supernal circle, Upon all sides the deep and loathsome valley Trembled so, that I thought the Universe Was thrilled with love, by which there are who think The world ofttimes converted into chaos; And at that moment this primeval crag Both here and elsewhere made such overthrow. But fix thine eyes below; for draweth near
The river of blood, within which boiling is Whoe’er by violence doth injure others.” O blind cupidity, O wrath insane, That spurs us onward so in our short life, And in the eternal then so badly steeps us! I saw an ample moat bent like a bow, As one which all the plain encompasses, Conformable to what my Guide had said. And between this and the embankment’s foot Centaurs in file were running, armed with arrows, As in the world they used the chase to follow. Beholding us descend, each one stood still,
And from the squadron three detached themselves, With bows and arrows in advance selected; And from afar one cried: “Unto what torment Come ye, who down the hillside are descending? Tell us from there; if not, I draw the bow.” My Master said: “Our answer will we make To Chiron, near you there; in evil hour, That will of thine was evermore so hasty.” Then touched he me, and said: “This one is Nessus,
Who perished for the lovely Dejanira, And for himself, himself did vengeance take. And he in the midst, who at his breast is gazing, Is the great Chiron, who brought up Achilles; That other Pholus is, who was so wrathful. Thousands and thousands go about the moat Shooting with shafts whatever soul emerges
Out of the blood, more than his crime allots.” Near we approached unto those monsters fleet; Chiron an arrow took, and with the notch Backward upon his jaws he put his beard. After he had uncovered his great mouth, He said to his companions: “Are you ware That he behind moveth whate’er he touches? Thus are not wont to do the feet of dead men.” And my good Guide, who now was at his breast, Where the two natures are together joined, Replied: “Indeed he lives, and thus alone
Me it behoves to show him the dark valley; Necessity, and not delight, impels us. Some one withdrew from singing Halleluja, Who unto me committed this new office; No thief is he, nor I a thievish spirit. But by that virtue through which I am moving My steps along this savage thoroughfare, Give us some one of thine, to be with us, And who may show us where to pass the ford, And who may carry this one on his back; For ’tis no spirit that can walk the air.” Upon his right breast Chiron wheeled about, And said to Nessus: “Turn and do thou guide them, And warn aside, if other band may meet you.” We with our faithful escort onward moved Along the brink of the vermilion boiling, Wherein the boiled were uttering loud laments. People I saw within up to the eyebrows,
And the great Centaur said: “Tyrants are these, Who dealt in bloodshed and in pillaging. Here they lament their pitiless mischiefs; here Is Alexander, and fierce Dionysius Who upon Sicily brought dolorous years. That forehead there which has the hair so black Is Azzolin; and the other who is blond, Obizzo is of Esti, who, in truth, Up in the world was by his stepson slain.” Then turned I to the Poet; and he said, “Now he be first to thee, and second I.” A little farther on the Centaur stopped Above a folk, who far down as the throat Seemed from that boiling stream to issue forth. A shade he showed us on one side alone,
Saying: “He cleft asunder in God’s bosom The heart that still upon the Thames is honoured.” Then people saw I, who from out the river Lifted their heads and also all the chest; And many among these I recognised. Thus ever more and more grew shallower That blood, so that the feet alone it covered; And there across the moat our passage was. “Even as thou here upon this side beholdest The boiling stream, that aye diminishes,” The Centaur said, “I wish thee to believe That on this other more and more declines Its bed, until it reunites itself Where it behoveth tyranny to groan. Justice divine, upon this side, is goading That Attila, who was a scourge on earth, And Pyrrhus, and Sextus; and for ever milks The tears which with the boiling it unseals In Rinier da Corneto and Rinier Pazzo, Who made upon the highways so much war.” Then back he turned, and passed again the ford.
Inferno: Canto XIII Not yet had Nessus reached the other side, When we had put ourselves within a wood, That was not marked by any path whatever. Not foliage green, but of a dusky colour, Not branches smooth, but gnarled and intertangled, Not apple-trees were there, but thorns with poison. Such tangled thickets have not, nor so dense,
Those savage wild beasts, that in hatred hold ’Twixt Cecina and Corneto the tilled places. There do the hideous Harpies make their nests, Who chased the Trojans from the Strophades, With sad announcement of impending doom; Broad wings have they, and necks and faces human, And feet with claws, and their great bellies fledged; They make laments upon the wondrous trees. And the good Master: “Ere thou enter farther,
Know that thou art within the second round,” Thus he began to say, “and shalt be, till Thou comest out upon the horrible sand; Therefore look well around, and thou shalt see Things that will credence give unto my speech.” I heard on all sides lamentations uttered, And person none beheld I who might make them, Whence, utterly bewildered, I stood still. I think he thought that I perhaps might think So many voices issued through those trunks From people who concealed themselves from us; Therefore the Master said: “If thou break off
Some little spray from any of these trees, The thoughts thou hast will wholly be made vain.” Then stretched I forth my hand a little forward, And plucked a branchlet off from a great thorn; And the trunk cried, “Why dost thou mangle me?” After it had become embrowned with blood, It recommenced its cry: “Why dost thou rend me? Hast thou no spirit of pity whatsoever? Men once we were, and now are changed to trees; Indeed, thy hand should be more pitiful, Even if the souls of serpents we had been.” As out of a green brand, that is on fire At one of the ends, and from the other drips And hisses with the wind that is escaping; So from that splinter issued forth together Both words and blood; whereat I let the tip Fall, and stood like a man who is afraid. “Had he been able sooner to believe,”
My Sage made answer, “O thou wounded soul, What only in my verses he has seen, Not upon thee had he stretched forth his hand; Whereas the thing incredible has caused me To put him to an act which grieveth me. But tell him who thou wast, so that by way Of some amends thy fame he may refresh Up in the world, to which he can return.” And the trunk said: “So thy sweet words allure me, I cannot silent be; and you be vexed not, That I a little to discourse am tempted. I am the one who both keys had in keeping Of Frederick’s heart, and turned them to and fro
So softly in unlocking and in locking, That from his secrets most men I withheld; Fidelity I bore the glorious office So great, I lost thereby my sleep and pulses. The courtesan who never from the dwelling Of Caesar turned aside her strumpet eyes, Death universal and the vice of courts, Inflamed against me all the other minds, And they, inflamed, did so inflame Augustus, That my glad honours turned to dismal mournings. My spirit, in disdainful exultation, Thinking by dying to escape disdain, Made me unjust against myself, the just. I, by the roots unwonted of this wood, Do swear to you that never broke I faith Unto my lord, who was so worthy of honour; And to the world if one of you return, Let him my memory comfort, which is lying Still prostrate from the blow that envy dealt it.” Waited awhile, and then: “Since he is silent,” The Poet said to me, “lose not the time, But speak, and question him, if more may please thee.” Whence I to him: “Do thou again inquire Concerning what thou thinks’t will satisfy me;
For I cannot, such pity is in my heart.” Therefore he recommenced: “So may the man Do for thee freely what thy speech implores, Spirit incarcerate, again be pleased To tell us in what way the soul is bound Within these knots; and tell us, if thou canst, If any from such members e’er is freed.” Then blew the trunk amain, and afterward The wind was into such a voice converted: “With brevity shall be replied to you. When the exasperated soul abandons The body whence it rent itself away,
Minos consigns it to the seventh abyss. It falls into the forest, and no part Is chosen for it; but where Fortune hurls it, There like a grain of spelt it germinates. It springs a sapling, and a forest tree; The Harpies, feeding then upon its leaves, Do pain create, and for the pain an outlet. Like others for our spoils shall we return; But not that any one may them revest, For ’tis not just to have what one casts off. Here we shall drag them, and along the dismal Forest our bodies shall suspended be, Each to the thorn of his molested shade.” We were attentive still unto the trunk,
Thinking that more it yet might wish to tell us, When by a tumult we were overtaken, In the same way as he is who perceives The boar and chase approaching to his stand, Who hears the crashing of the beasts and branches; And two behold! upon our left-hand side, Naked and scratched, fleeing so furiously, That of the forest, every fan they broke. He who was in advance: “Now help, Death, help!” And the other one, who seemed to lag too much,
Was shouting: “Lano, were not so alert Those legs of thine at joustings of the Toppo!” And then, perchance because his breath was failing, He grouped himself together with a bush. Behind them was the forest full of black She-mastiffs, ravenous, and swift of foot As greyhounds, who are issuing from the chain. On him who had crouched down they set their teeth, And him they lacerated piece by piece, Thereafter bore away those aching members. Thereat my Escort took me by the hand, And led me to the bush, that all in vain Was weeping from its bloody lacerations. “O Jacopo,” it said, “of Sant’ Andrea, What helped it thee of me to make a screen? What blame have I in thy nefarious life?” When near him had the Master stayed his steps, He said: “Who wast thou, that through wounds so many Art blowing out with blood thy dolorous speech?” And he to us: “O souls, that hither come To look upon the shameful massacre That has so rent away from
me my leaves, Gather them up beneath the dismal bush; I of that city was which to the Baptist Changed its first patron, wherefore he for this Forever with his art will make it sad. And were it not that on the pass of Arno Some glimpses of him are remaining still, Those citizens, who afterwards rebuilt it Upon the ashes left by Attila, In vain had caused their labour to be done. Of my own house I made myself a gibbet.”
Inferno: Canto XIV Because the charity of my native place Constrained me, gathered I the scattered leaves, And gave them back to him, who now was hoarse. Then came we to the confine, where disparted The second round is from the third, and where A horrible form of Justice is beheld. Clearly to manifest these novel things, I say that we arrived upon a plain, Which from its bed rejecteth every plant; The dolorous forest is a garland to it All round about, as the sad moat to that; There close upon the edge we stayed our feet. The soil was of an arid and thick sand, Not of another fashion made than that Which by the feet of Cato once was pressed. Vengeance of God, O how much oughtest thou
By each one to be dreaded, who doth read That which was manifest unto mine eyes! Of naked souls beheld I many herds, Who all were weeping very miserably, And over them seemed set a law diverse. Supine upon the ground some folk were lying; And some were sitting all drawn up together, And others went about continually. Those who were going round were far the more, And those were less who lay down to their torment,
But had their tongues more loosed to lamentation. O’er all the sand-waste, with a gradual fall, Were raining down dilated flakes of fire, As of the snow on Alp without a wind. As Alexander, in those torrid parts Of India, beheld upon his host Flames fall unbroken till they reached the ground. Whence he provided with his phalanxes To trample down the soil, because the vapour Better extinguished was while it was single; Thus was descending the eternal heat, Whereby the sand was set on fire, like tinder Beneath the steel, for doubling of the dole. Without repose forever was the dance
Of miserable hands, now there, now here, Shaking away from off them the fresh gleeds. “Master,” began I, “thou who overcomest All things except the demons dire, that issued Against us at the entrance of the gate, Who is that mighty one who seems to heed not The fire, and lieth lowering and disdainful, So that the rain seems not to ripen him?” And he himself, who had become aware That I was questioning my Guide about him,
Cried: “Such as I was living, am I, dead. If Jove should weary out his smith, from whom He seized in anger the sharp thunderbolt, Wherewith upon the last day I was smitten, And if he wearied out by turns the others In Mongibello at the swarthy forge, Vociferating, ‘Help, good Vulcan, help!’ Even as he did there at the fight of Phlegra, And shot his bolts at me with all his might, He would not have thereby a joyous vengeance.” Then did my Leader speak with such great force, That I had never heard him speak so loud: “O Capaneus, in that is not extinguished Thine arrogance, thou punished art the more; Not any torment, saving thine own rage,
Would be unto thy fury pain complete.” Then he turned round to me with better lip, Saying: “One of the Seven Kings was he Who Thebes besieged, and held, and seems to hold God in disdain, and little seems to prize him; But, as I said to him, his own despites Are for his breast the fittest ornaments. Now follow me, and mind thou do not place As yet thy feet upon the burning sand, But always keep them close unto the wood.” Speaking no word, we came to where there gushes Forth from the wood a little rivulet, Whose redness makes my hair still stand on end. As from the Bulicame springs the brooklet, The sinful women later share among them, So downward through the sand it went its way. The bottom of it, and both sloping banks, Were made of stone, and the margins at the side; Whence I perceived that there the passage was. “In all the rest which I have shown to thee Since we have entered in within the gate Whose threshold unto no one is denied, Nothing has been discovered by thine eyes So notable as is the present river, Which all the little flames above it quenches.” These words were of my Leader; whence I prayed him That he would give me largess of the food, For which he had given me largess of desire. “In the mid-sea there sits a wasted land,”
Said he thereafterward, “whose name is Crete, Under whose king the world of old was chaste. There is a mountain there, that once was glad With waters and with leaves, which was called Ida; Now ’tis deserted, as a thing worn out. Rhea once chose it for the faithful cradle Of her own son; and to conceal him better,
Whene’er he cried, she there had clamours made. A grand old man stands in the mount erect, Who holds his shoulders turned tow’rds Damietta, And looks at Rome as if it were his mirror. His head is fashioned of refined gold, And of pure silver are the arms and breast; Then he is brass as far down as the fork. From that point downward all is chosen iron, Save that the right foot is of kiln-baked clay, And more he stands on that than on the other. Each part, except the gold, is by a fissure Asunder cleft, that dripping is with tears, Which gathered together perforate that cavern. From rock to rock they fall into this valley;
Acheron, Styx, and Phlegethon they form; Then downward go along this narrow sluice Unto that point where is no more descending. They form Cocytus; what that pool may be Thou shalt behold, so here ’tis not narrated.” And I to him: “If so the present runnel Doth take its rise in this way from our world, Why only on this verge appears it to us?” And he to me: “Thou knowest the place is round, And notwithstanding thou hast journeyed far, Still to the left descending to the bottom, Thou hast not yet through all the circle turned. Therefore if something new appear to us, It should not bring amazement to thy face.” And I again: “Master, where shall be found Lethe and Phlegethon, for of one thou’rt silent, And sayest the other of this rain is made?” “In all thy questions truly thou dost please me,” Replied he; “but the boiling of the red
Water might well solve one of them thou makest. Thou shalt see Lethe, but outside this moat, There where the souls repair to lave themselves, When sin repented of has been removed.” Then said he: “It is time now to abandon The wood; take heed that thou come after me; A way the margins make that are not burning, And over them all vapours are extinguished.”
Inferno: Canto XV Now bears us onward one of the hard margins, And so the brooklet’s mist o’ershadows it, From fire it saves the water and the dikes. Even as the Flemings, ’twixt Cadsand and Bruges, Fearing the flood that tow’rds them hurls itself, Their bulwarks build to put the sea to flight; And as the Paduans along the Brenta, To guard their villas and their villages, Or ever Chiarentana feel the heat; In such similitude had those been made, Albeit not so lofty nor so thick, Whoever he might be, the master made them. Now were we from the forest so remote, I could not have discovered where it was, Even if backward I had turned myself, When we a company of souls encountered, Who came beside the dike, and every one Gazed at us, as at evening we are wont To eye each other under a new moon,
And so towards us sharpened they their brows As an old tailor at the needle’s eye. Thus scrutinised by such a family, By some one I was recognised, who seized My garment’s hem, and cried out, “What a marvel!” And I, when he stretched forth his arm to me, On his baked aspect fastened so mine eyes, That the scorched countenance prevented not His recognition by my intellect; And bowing down my face unto his own, I made reply, “Are you here, Ser Brunetto?” And he: “May’t not displease thee, O my son, If a brief space with thee Brunetto Latini
Backward return and let the trail go on.” I said to him: “With all my power I ask it; And if you wish me to sit down with you, I will, if he please, for I go with him.” “O son,” he said, “whoever of this herd A moment stops, lies then a hundred years, Nor fans himself when smiteth him the fire. Therefore go on; I at thy skirts will come, And afterward will I rejoin my band, Which goes lamenting its eternal doom.” I did not dare to go down from the road Level to walk with him; but my head bowed I held as one who goeth reverently. And he began: “What fortune or what fate Before the last day leadeth thee down here? And who is this that showeth thee the way?” “Up there above us in the life serene,” I answered him, “I lost me in a valley, Or ever yet my age had been completed. But yestermorn I turned my back upon it; This one appeared to me, returning thither,
And homeward leadeth me along this road.” And he to me: “If thou thy star do follow, Thou canst not fail thee of a glorious port, If well I judged in the life beautiful. And if I had not died so prematurely, Seeing Heaven thus benignant unto thee, I would have given thee comfort in the work. But that ungrateful and malignant people, Which of old time from Fesole descended, And smacks still of the mountain and the granite, Will make itself, for thy good deeds, thy foe; And it is right; for among crabbed sorbs It ill befits the sweet fig to bear fruit. Old rumour in the world proclaims them blind; A people avaricious, envious, proud;
Take heed that of their customs thou do cleanse thee. Thy fortune so much honour doth reserve thee, One party and the other shall be hungry For thee; but far from goat shall be the grass. Their litter let the beasts of Fesole Make of themselves, nor let them touch the plant, If any still upon their dunghill rise, In which may yet revive the consecrated Seed of those Romans, who remained there when The nest of such great malice it became.” “If my entreaty wholly were fulfilled,” Replied I to him, “not yet would you be
In banishment from human nature placed; For in my mind is fixed, and touches now My heart the dear and good paternal image Of you, when in the world from hour to hour You taught me how a man becomes eternal; And how much I am grateful, while I live Behoves that in my language be discerned. What you narrate of my career I write, And keep it to be glossed with other text By a Lady who can do it, if I reach her. This much will I have manifest to you;
Provided that my conscience do not chide me, For whatsoever Fortune I am ready. Such handsel is not new unto mine ears; Therefore let Fortune turn her wheel around As it may please her, and the churl his mattock.” My Master thereupon on his right cheek Did backward turn himself, and looked at me; Then said: “He listeneth well who noteth it.” Nor speaking less on that account, I go With Ser Brunetto, and I ask who are His most known and most eminent companions. And he to me: “To know of some is well; Of others it were laudable to be silent, For short would be the time for so much speech. Know them in sum, that all of them were clerks, And men of letters great and of great fame,
In the world tainted with the selfsame sin. Priscian goes yonder with that wretched crowd, And Francis of Accorso; and thou hadst seen there If thou hadst had a hankering for such scurf, That one, who by the Servant of the Servants From Arno was transferred to Bacchiglione, Where he has left his sin-excited nerves. More would I say, but coming and discoursing Can be no longer; for that I behold New smoke uprising yonder from the sand. A people comes with whom I may not be; Commended unto thee be my Tesoro,
In which I still live, and no more I ask.” Then he turned round, and seemed to be of those Who at Verona run for the Green Mantle Across the plain; and seemed to be among them The one who wins, and not the one who loses.
Inferno: Canto XVI Now was I where was heard the reverberation Of water falling into the next round, Like to that humming which the beehives make, When shadows three together started forth, Running, from out a company that passed Beneath the rain of the sharp martyrdom. Towards us came they, and each one cried out: “Stop, thou; for by thy garb to us thou seemest To be some one of our depraved city.” Ah me! what wounds I saw upon their limbs, Recent and ancient by the flames burnt in! It pains me still but to remember it. Unto their cries my Teacher paused attentive; He turned his face towards me, and “Now wait,”
He said; “to these we should be courteous. And if it were not for the fire that darts The nature of this region, I should say That haste were more becoming thee than them.” As soon as we stood still, they recommenced The old refrain, and when they overtook us, Formed of themselves a wheel, all three of them. As champions stripped and oiled are wont to do,
Watching for their advantage and their hold, Before they come to blows and thrusts between them, Thus, wheeling round, did every one his visage Direct to me, so that in opposite wise His neck and feet continual journey made. And, “If the misery of this soft place Bring in disdain ourselves and our entreaties,” Began one, “and our aspect black and blistered, Let the renown of us thy mind incline To tell us who thou art, who thus securely
Thy living feet dost move along through Hell. He in whose footprints thou dost see me treading, Naked and skinless though he now may go, Was of a greater rank than thou dost think; He was the grandson of the good Gualdrada; His name was Guidoguerra, and in life Much did he with his wisdom and his sword. The other, who close by me treads the sand, Tegghiaio Aldobrandi is, whose fame Above there in the world should welcome be. And I, who with them on the cross am placed,
Jacopo Rusticucci was; and truly My savage wife, more than aught else, doth harm me.” Could I have been protected from the fire, Below I should have thrown myself among them, And think the Teacher would have suffered it; But as I should have burned and baked myself, My terror overmastered my good will, Which made me greedy of embracing them. Then I began: “Sorrow and not disdain Did your condition fix within me so,
That tardily it wholly is stripped off, As soon as this my Lord said unto me Words, on account of which I thought within me That people such as you are were approaching. I of your city am; and evermore Your labours and your honourable names I with affection have retraced and heard. I leave the gall, and go for the sweet fruits Promised to me by the veracious Leader;
But to the centre first I needs must plunge.” “So may the soul for a long while conduct Those limbs of thine,” did he make answer then, “And so may thy renown shine after thee, Valour and courtesy, say if they dwell Within our city, as they used to do, Or if they wholly have gone out of it; For Guglielmo Borsier, who is in torment With us of late, and goes there with his comrades, Doth greatly mortify us with his words.” “The new inhabitants and the sudden gains, Pride and extravagance have in thee engendered,
Florence, so that thou weep’st thereat already!” In this wise I exclaimed with face uplifted; And the three, taking that for my reply, Looked at each other, as one looks at truth. “If other times so little it doth cost thee,” Replied they all, “to satisfy another, Happy art thou, thus speaking at thy will! Therefore, if thou escape from these dark places, And come to rebehold the beauteous stars,
When it shall pleasure thee to say, ‘I was,’ See that thou speak of us unto the people.” Then they broke up the wheel, and in their flight It seemed as if their agile legs were wings. Not an Amen could possibly be said So rapidly as they had disappeared; Wherefore the Master deemed best to depart. I followed him, and little had we gone, Before the sound of water was so near us,
That speaking we should hardly have been heard. Even as that stream which holdeth its own course The first from Monte Veso tow’rds the East, Upon the left-hand slope of Apennine, Which is above called Acquacheta, ere It down descendeth into its low bed, And at Forli is vacant of that name, Reverberates there above San Benedetto From Alps, by falling at a single leap, Where for a thousand there were room enough; Thus downward from a bank precipitate,
We found resounding that dark-tinted water, So that it soon the ear would have offended. I had a cord around about me girt, And therewithal I whilom had designed To take the panther with the painted skin. After I this had all from me unloosed, As my Conductor had commanded me, I reached it to him, gathered up and coiled, Whereat he turned himself to the right side, And at a little distance from the verge, He cast it down into that deep abyss. “It must needs be some novelty respond,” I said within myself, “to the new signal The Master with his eye is following so.” Ah me! how very cautious men should be With those who not alone behold the act, But with their wisdom look into the thoughts! He said to me: “Soon there will upward come What I await; and what thy thought is dreaming Must soon reveal itself unto thy sight.” Aye to that truth which has the face of falsehood,
A man should close his lips as far as may be, Because without his fault it causes shame; But here I cannot; and, Reader, by the notes Of this my Comedy to thee I swear, So may they not be void of lasting favour, Athwart that dense and darksome atmosphere I saw a figure swimming upward come, Marvellous unto every steadfast heart, Even as he returns who goeth down Sometimes to clear an anchor, which has grappled Reef, or aught else that in the sea is hidden, Who upward stretches, and draws in his feet.
Inferno: Canto XVII “Behold the monster with the pointed tail, Who cleaves the hills, and breaketh walls and weapons, Behold him who infecteth all the world.” Thus unto me my Guide began to say, And beckoned him that he should come to shore, Near to the confine of the trodden marble; And that uncleanly image of deceit Came up and thrust ashore its head and bust, But on the border did not drag its tail. The face was as the face of a just man, Its semblance outwardly was so benign, And of a serpent all the trunk beside. Two paws it had, hairy unto the armpits;
The back, and breast, and both the sides it had Depicted o’er with nooses and with shields. With colours more, groundwork or broidery Never in cloth did Tartars make nor Turks, Nor were such tissues by Arachne laid. As sometimes wherries lie upon the shore, That part are in the water, part on land; And as among the guzzling Germans there, The beaver plants himself to wage his war; So that vile monster lay upon the border, Which is of stone, and shutteth in the sand. His tail was wholly quivering in the void, Contorting upwards the envenomed fork,
That in the guise of scorpion armed its point. The Guide said: “Now perforce must turn aside Our way a little, even to that beast Malevolent, that yonder coucheth him.” We therefore on the right side descended, And made ten steps upon the outer verge, Completely to avoid the sand and flame; And after we are come to him, I see A little farther off upon the sand A people sitting near the hollow place. Then said to me the Master: “So that full Experience of this round thou bear away,
Now go and see what their condition is. There let thy conversation be concise; Till thou returnest I will speak with him, That he concede to us his stalwart shoulders.” Thus farther still upon the outermost Head of that seventh circle all alone I went, where sat the melancholy folk. Out of their eyes was gushing forth their woe; This way, that way, they helped them with their hands
Now from the flames and now from the hot soil. Not otherwise in summer do the dogs, Now with the foot, now with the muzzle, when By fleas, or flies, or gadflies, they are bitten. When I had turned mine eyes upon the faces Of some, on whom the dolorous fire is falling, Not one of them I knew; but I perceived That from the neck of each there hung a pouch, Which certain colour had, and certain blazon; And thereupon it seems their eyes are feeding. And as I gazing round me come among them,
Upon a yellow pouch I azure saw That had the face and posture of a lion. Proceeding then the current of my sight, Another of them saw I, red as blood, Display a goose more white than butter is. And one, who with an azure sow and gravid
Emblazoned had his little pouch of white, Said unto me: “What dost thou in this moat? Now get thee gone; and since thou’rt still alive, Know that a neighbour of mine, Vitaliano, Will have his seat here on my left-hand side. A Paduan am I with these Florentines; Full many a time they thunder in mine ears, Exclaiming, ‘Come the sovereign cavalier, He who shall bring the satchel with three goats;’” Then twisted he his mouth, and forth he thrust
His tongue, like to an ox that licks its nose. And fearing lest my longer stay might vex Him who had warned me not to tarry long, Backward I turned me from those weary souls. I found my Guide, who had already mounted Upon the back of that wild animal,
And said to me: “Now be both strong and bold. Now we descend by stairways such as these; Mount thou in front, for I will be midway, So that the tail may have no power to harm thee.” Such as he is who has so near the ague
Of quartan that his nails are blue already, And trembles all, but looking at the shade; Even such became I at those proffered words; But shame in me his menaces produced, Which maketh servant strong before good master. I seated me upon those monstrous shoulders; I wished to say, and yet the voice came not As I believed, “Take heed that thou embrace me.” But he, who other times had rescued me In other peril, soon as I had mounted, Within his arms encircled and sustained me, And said: “Now, Geryon, bestir thyself; The circles large, and the descent be little;
Think of the novel burden which thou hast.” Even as the little vessel shoves from shore, Backward, still backward, so he thence withdrew; And when he wholly felt himself afloat, There where his breast had been he turned his tail,
And that extended like an eel he moved, And with his paws drew to himself the air. A greater fear I do not think there was What time abandoned Phaeton the reins, Whereby the heavens, as still appears, were scorched; Nor when the wretched Icarus his flanks Felt stripped of feathers by the melting wax, His father crying, “An ill way thou takest!” Than was my own, when I perceived myself On all sides in the air, and saw extinguished The sight of everything but of the monster. Onward he goeth, swimming slowly, slowly;
Wheels and descends, but I perceive it only By wind upon my face and from below. I heard already on the right the whirlpool Making a horrible crashing under us; Whence I thrust out my head with eyes cast downward. Then was I still more fearful of the abyss; Because I fires beheld, and heard laments, Whereat I, trembling, all the closer cling. I saw then, for before I had not seen it, The turning and descending, by great horrors That were approaching upon divers sides. As falcon who has long been on the wing, Who, without seeing either lure or bird,
Maketh the falconer say, “Ah me, thou stoopest,” Descendeth weary, whence he started swiftly, Thorough a hundred circles, and alights Far from his master, sullen and disdainful; Even thus did Geryon place us on the bottom, Close to the bases of the rough-hewn rock, And being disencumbered of our persons, He sped away as arrow from the string.
Inferno: Canto XVIII There is a place in Hell called Malebolge, Wholly of stone and of an iron colour, As is the circle that around it turns. Right in the middle of the field malign There yawns a well exceeding wide and deep, Of which its place the structure will recount. Round, then, is that enclosure which remains Between the well and foot of the high, hard bank, And has distinct in valleys ten its bottom. As where for the protection of the walls Many and many moats surround the castles, The part in which they are a figure forms, Just such an image those presented there;
And as about such strongholds from their gates Unto the outer bank are little bridges, So from the precipice’s base did crags Project, which intersected dikes and moats, Unto the well that truncates and collects them. Within this place, down shaken from the back Of Geryon, we found us; and the Poet Held to the left, and I moved on behind. Upon my right hand I beheld new anguish, New torments, and new wielders of the lash, Wherewith the foremost Bolgia was replete. Down at the bottom
were the sinners naked; This side the middle came they facing us, Beyond it, with us, but with greater steps; Even as the Romans, for the mighty host, The year of Jubilee, upon the bridge, Have chosen a mode to pass the people over; For all upon one side towards the Castle Their faces have, and go unto St. Peter’s;
On the other side they go towards the Mountain. This side and that, along the livid stone Beheld I horned demons with great scourges, Who cruelly were beating them behind. Ah me! how they did make them lift their legs At the first blows! and sooth not any one The second waited for, nor for the third. While I was going on, mine eyes by one Encountered were; and straight I said: “Already With sight of this one I am not unfed.” Therefore I stayed my feet to make him out, And with me the sweet Guide came to a stand,
And to my going somewhat back assented; And he, the scourged one, thought to hide himself, Lowering his face, but little it availed him; For said I: “Thou that castest down thine eyes, If false are not the features which thou bearest, Thou art Venedico Caccianimico; But what doth bring thee to such pungent sauces?” And he to me: “Unwillingly I tell it; But forces me thine utterance distinct, Which makes me recollect the ancient world. I was the one who the fair Ghisola Induced to grant the wishes of the Marquis,
Howe’er the shameless story may be told. Not the sole Bolognese am I who weeps here; Nay, rather is this place so full of them, That not so many tongues to-day are taught ’Twixt Reno and Savena to say ‘sipa;’ And if thereof thou wishest pledge or proof, Bring to thy mind our avaricious heart.” While speaking in this manner, with his scourge A demon smote him, and said: “Get thee gone
Pander, there are no women here for coin.” I joined myself again unto mine Escort; Thereafterward with footsteps few we came To where a crag projected from the bank. This very easily did we ascend, And turning to the right along its ridge, From those eternal circles we departed. When we were there, where it is hollowed out Beneath, to give a passage to the scourged, The Guide said: “Wait, and see that on thee strike The vision of those others evil-born, Of whom thou hast not yet beheld the faces, Because together with us they have gone.” From the old bridge we looked upon the train Which tow’rds us came upon the other border,
And which the scourges in like manner smite. And the good Master, without my inquiring, Said to me: “See that tall one who is coming, And for his pain seems not to shed a tear; Still what a royal aspect he retains! That Jason is, who by his heart and cunning The Colchians of the Ram made destitute. He by the isle of Lemnos passed along After the daring women pitiless Had unto death devoted all their males. There with his tokens and with ornate words
Did he deceive Hypsipyle, the maiden Who first, herself, had all the rest deceived. There did he leave her pregnant and forlorn; Such sin unto such punishment condemns him, And also for Medea is vengeance done. With him go those who in such wise deceive; And this sufficient be of the first valley To know, and those that in its jaws it holds.” We were already where the narrow path Crosses athwart the second dike, and forms Of that a buttress for another arch. Thence we heard people, who are making moan In the next Bolgia, snorting with their muzzles,
And with their palms beating upon themselves The margins were incrusted with a mould By exhalation from below, that sticks there, And with the eyes and nostrils wages war. The bottom is so deep, no place suffices To give us sight of it, without ascending The arch’s back, where most the crag impends. Thither we came, and thence down in the moat I saw a people smothered in a filth
That out of human privies seemed to flow; And whilst below there with mine eye I search, I saw one with his head so foul with ordure, It was not clear if he were clerk or layman. He screamed to me: “Wherefore art thou so eager To look at me more than the other foul ones?” And I to him: “Because, if I remember, I have already seen thee with dry hair, And thou’rt Alessio Interminei of Lucca; Therefore I eye thee more than all the others.” And he thereon, belabouring his pumpkin: “The flatteries have submerged me here below, Wherewith my tongue was never surfeited.” Then said to me the Guide: “See that thou thrust Thy visage somewhat farther in advance,
That with thine eyes thou well the face attain Of that uncleanly and dishevelled drab, Who there doth scratch herself with filthy nails, And crouches now, and now on foot is standing. Thais the harlot is it, who replied Unto her paramour, when he said, ‘Have I Great gratitude from thee?’—‘Nay, marvellous;’ And herewith let our sight be satisfied.”
Inferno: Canto XIX O Simon Magus, O forlorn disciples, Ye who the things of God, which ought to be The brides of holiness, rapaciously For silver and for gold do prostitute, Now it behoves for you the trumpet sound, Because in this third Bolgia ye abide. We had already on the following tomb Ascended to that portion of the crag Which o’er the middle of the moat hangs plumb. Wisdom supreme, O how great art thou showest In heaven, in earth, and in the evil world, And with what justice doth thy power distribute! I saw upon the sides and on the bottom
The livid stone with perforations filled, All of one size, and every one was round. To me less ample seemed they not, nor greater Than those that in my beautiful Saint John Are fashioned for the place of the baptisers, And one of which, not many years ago, I broke for some one, who was drowning in it; Be this a seal all men to undeceive. Out of the mouth of each one there protruded The feet of a transgressor, and the legs
Up to the calf, the rest within remained. In all of them the soles were both on fire; Wherefore the joints so violently quivered, They would have snapped asunder withes and bands. Even as the flame of unctuous things is wont To move upon the outer surface only, So likewise was it there from heel to point. “Master, who is that one who writhes himself, More than his other comrades quivering,” I said, “and whom a redder flame is sucking?” And he to me: “If thou wilt have me bear thee
Down there along that bank which lowest lies, From him thou’lt know his errors and himself.” And I: “What pleases thee, to me is pleasing; Thou art my Lord, and knowest that I depart not From thy desire, and knowest what is not spoken.” Straightway upon the fourth dike we arrived; We turned, and on the left-hand side descended Down to the bottom full of holes and narrow. And the good Master yet from off his haunch Deposed me not, till to the hole he brought me Of him who so lamented with his shanks. “Whoe’er thou art, that standest upside down,
O doleful soul, implanted like a stake,” To say began I, “if thou canst, speak out.” I stood even as the friar who is confessing
The false assassin, who, when he is fixed, Recalls him, so that death may be delayed. And he cried out: “Dost thou stand there already, Dost thou stand there already, Boniface? By many years the record lied to me. Art thou so early satiate with that wealth, For which thou didst not fear to take by fraud The beautiful Lady, and then work her woe?” Such I became, as people are who stand, Not comprehending what is answered them,
As if bemocked, and know not how to answer. Then said Virgilius: “Say to him straightway, ‘I am not he, I am not he thou thinkest.’” And I replied as was imposed on me. Whereat the spirit writhed with both his feet, Then, sighing, with a voice of lamentation Said to me: “Then what wantest thou of me? If who I am thou carest so much to know, That thou on that account hast crossed the bank,
Know that I vested was with the great mantle; And truly was I son of the She-bear, So eager to advance the cubs, that wealth Above, and here myself, I pocketed. Beneath my head the others are dragged down Who have preceded me in simony, Flattened along the fissure of the rock. Below there I shall likewise fall, whenever That one shall come who I believed thou wast, What time the sudden question I proposed. But longer I my feet already toast, And here have been in this way upside down,
Than he will planted stay with reddened feet; For after him shall come of fouler deed From tow’rds the west a Pastor without law, Such as befits to cover him and me. New Jason will he be, of whom we read In Maccabees; and as his king was pliant, So he who governs France shall be to this one.” I do not know if I were here too bold, That him I answered only in this metre: “I pray thee tell me now how great a treasure Our Lord demanded of Saint Peter first, Before he put the keys into his keeping? Truly he nothing asked but ‘Follow me.’ Nor Peter nor the rest asked of Matthias
Silver or gold, when he by lot was chosen Unto the place the guilty soul had lost. Therefore stay here, for thou art justly punished, And keep safe guard o’er the ill-gotten money, Which caused thee to be valiant against Charles. And were it not that still forbids it me The reverence for the keys superlative Thou hadst in keeping in the gladsome life, I would make use of words more grievous still; Because your avarice afflicts the world,
Trampling the good and lifting the depraved. The Evangelist you Pastors had in mind, When she who sitteth upon many waters To fornicate with kings by him was seen; The same who with the seven heads was born, And power and strength from the ten horns received, So long as virtue to her spouse was pleasing. Ye have made yourselves a god of gold and silver; And from the idolater how differ ye, Save that he one, and ye a hundred worship? Ah, Constantine! of how much ill was mother,
Not thy conversion, but that marriage dower Which the first wealthy Father took from thee!” And while I sang to him such notes as these, Either that anger or that conscience stung him, He struggled violently with both his feet. I think in sooth that it my Leader pleased, With such contented lip he listened ever
Unto the sound of the true words expressed. Therefore with both his arms he took me up, And when he had me all upon his breast, Remounted by the way where he descended. Nor did he tire to have me clasped to him; But bore me to the summit of the arch Which from the fourth dike to the fifth is passage. There tenderly he laid his burden down, Tenderly on the crag uneven and steep, That would have been hard passage for the goats: Thence was unveiled to me another valley.
Inferno: Canto XX Of a new pain behoves me to make verses And give material to the twentieth canto Of the first song, which is of the submerged. I was already thoroughly disposed To peer down into the uncovered depth, Which bathed itself with tears of agony; And people saw I through the circular valley, Silent and weeping, coming at the pace Which in this world the Litanies assume. As lower down my sight descended on them, Wondrously each one seemed to be distorted From chin to the beginning of the chest; For tow’rds the reins the countenance was turned,
And backward it behoved them to advance, As to look forward had been taken from them. Perchance indeed by violence of palsy Some one has been thus wholly turned awry; But I ne’er saw it, nor believe it can be. As God may let thee, Reader, gather fruit From this thy reading, think now for thyself How I could ever keep my face unmoistened, When our own image near me I beheld Distorted so, the weeping of the eyes Along the fissure bathed the hinder parts. Truly I wept, leaning upon a peak
Of the hard crag, so that my Escort said To me: “Art thou, too, of the other fools? Here pity lives when it is wholly dead; Who is a greater reprobate than he Who feels compassion at the doom divine? Lift up, lift up thy head, and see for whom Opened the earth before the Thebans’ eyes; Wherefore they all cried: ‘Whither rushest thou, Amphiaraus? Why dost leave the war?’ And downward ceased he not to fall amain
As far as Minos, who lays hold on all. See, he has made a bosom of his shoulders! Because he wished to see too far before him Behind he looks, and backward goes his way: Behold Tiresias, who his semblance changed, When from a male a female he became, His members being all of them transformed; And afterwards was forced to strike once more The two entangled serpents with his rod,
Ere he could have again his manly plumes. That Aruns is, who backs the other’s belly, Who in the hills of Luni, there where grubs The Carrarese who houses underneath, Among the marbles white a cavern had For his abode; whence to behold the stars And sea, the view was not cut off from him. And she there, who is covering up her breasts, Which thou beholdest not, with loosened tresses, And on that side has all the hairy skin, Was Manto, who made quest through many lands, Afterwards tarried there where I was born; Whereof I would thou list to me a little. After her father had from life departed, And the city of Bacchus had become enslaved,
She a long season wandered through the world. Above in beauteous Italy lies a lake At the Alp’s foot that shuts in Germany Over Tyrol, and has the name Benaco. By a thousand springs, I think, and more, is bathed, ’Twixt Garda and Val Camonica, Pennino, With water that grows stagnant in that lake. Midway a place is where the Trentine Pastor, And he of Brescia, and the Veronese Might give his blessing, if he passed that way. Sitteth Peschiera, fortress fair and strong, To front the Brescians and the Bergamasks,
Where round about the bank descendeth lowest. There of necessity must fall whatever In bosom of Benaco cannot stay, And grows a river down through verdant pastures. Soon as the water doth begin to run, No more Benaco is it called, but Mincio, Far as Governo, where it falls in Po. Not far it runs before it finds a plain In which it spreads itself, and makes it marshy,
And oft ’tis wont in summer to be sickly. Passing that way the virgin pitiless Land in the middle of the fen descried, Untilled and naked of inhabitants; There to escape all human intercourse, She with her servants stayed, her arts to practise And lived, and left her empty body there. The men, thereafter, who were scattered round, Collected in that place, which was made strong By the lagoon it had on every side; They built their city over those dead bones, And, after her who first the place selected, Mantua named it, without other omen. Its people once within more crowded were,
Ere the stupidity of Casalodi From Pinamonte had received deceit. Therefore I caution thee, if e’er thou hearest Originate my city otherwise, No falsehood may the verity defraud.” And I: “My Master, thy discourses are To me so certain, and so take my faith, That unto me the rest would be spent coals. But tell me of the people who are passing, If any one note-worthy thou beholdest, For only unto that my mind reverts.” Then said he to me: “He who from the cheek
Thrusts out his beard upon his swarthy shoulders Was, at the time when Greece was void of males, So that there scarce remained one in the cradle, An augur, and with Calchas gave the moment, In Aulis, when to sever the first cable. Eryphylus his name was, and so sings My lofty Tragedy in some part or other;
That knowest thou well, who knowest the whole of it. The next, who is so slender in the flanks, Was Michael Scott, who of a verity Of magical illusions knew the game. Behold Guido Bonatti, behold Asdente, Who now unto his leather and his thread Would fain have stuck, but he too late repents. Behold the wretched ones, who left the needle, The spool and rock, and made them fortune-tellers;
They wrought their magic spells with herb and image. But come now, for already holds the confines Of both the hemispheres, and under Seville Touches the ocean-wave, Cain and the thorns, And yesternight the moon was round already; Thou shouldst remember well it did not harm thee From time to time within the forest deep.” Thus spake he to me, and we walked the while.
Inferno: Canto XXI From bridge to bridge thus, speaking other things Of which my Comedy cares not to sing, We came along, and held the summit, when We halted to behold another fissure Of Malebolge and other vain laments; And I beheld it marvellously dark. As in the Arsenal of the Venetians
Boils in the winter the tenacious pitch To smear their unsound vessels o’er again, For sail they cannot; and instead thereof One makes his vessel new, and one recaulks The ribs of that which many a voyage has made; One hammers at the prow, one at the stern, This one makes oars, and that one cordage twists, Another mends the mainsail and the mizzen; Thus, not by fire, but by the art divine, Was boiling down below there a dense pitch Which upon every side the bank belimed. I saw it, but I did not see within it Aught but the bubbles that the boiling raised, And all swell up and resubside compressed. The while below there fixedly I gazed, My Leader, crying out: “Beware, beware!” Drew me unto himself from where I stood. Then I turned round, as one who is impatient To see what it behoves him to escape,
And whom a sudden terror doth unman, Who, while he looks, delays not his departure; And I beheld behind us a black devil, Running along upon the crag, approach. Ah, how ferocious was he in his aspect! And how he seemed to me in action ruthless, With open wings and light upon his feet! His shoulders, which sharp-pointed were and high,
A sinner did encumber with both haunches, And he held clutched the sinews of the feet. From off our bridge, he said: “O Malebranche, Behold one of the elders of Saint Zita; Plunge him beneath, for I return for others Unto that town, which is well furnished with them. All there are barrators, except Bonturo; No into Yes for money there is changed.” He hurled him down, and over the hard crag Turned round, and never was a mastiff loosened In so much hurry to pursue a thief. The other sank, and rose again face downward; But the demons, under cover of the bridge, Cried: “Here the Santo Volto has no place! Here swims one otherwise than in the Serchio;
Therefore, if for our gaffs thou wishest not, Do not uplift thyself above the pitch.” They seized him then with more than a hundred rakes; They said: “It here behoves thee to dance covered, That, if thou canst, thou secretly mayest pilfer.” Not otherwise the cooks their scullions make
Immerse into the middle of the caldron The meat with hooks, so that it may not float. Said the good Master to me: “That it be not Apparent thou art here, crouch thyself down Behind a jag, that thou mayest have some screen; And for no outrage that is done to me Be thou afraid, because these things I know, For once before was I in such a scuffle.” Then he passed on beyond the bridge’s head, And as upon the sixth bank he arrived,
Need was for him to have a steadfast front. With the same fury, and the same uproar, As dogs leap out upon a mendicant, Who on a sudden begs, where’er he stops, They issued from beneath the little bridge, And turned against him all their grappling-irons;
But he cried out: “Be none of you malignant! Before those hooks of yours lay hold of me, Let one of you step forward, who may hear me, And then take counsel as to grappling me.” They all cried out: “Let Malacoda go;” Whereat one started, and the rest stood still, And he came to him, saying: “What avails it?” “Thinkest thou, Malacoda, to behold me
Advanced into this place,” my Master said, “Safe hitherto from all your skill of fence, Without the will divine, and fate auspicious? Let me go on, for it in Heaven is willed That I another show this savage road.” Then was his arrogance so humbled in him, That he let fall his grapnel at his feet, And to the others said: “Now strike him not.” And unto me my Guide: “O thou, who sittest Among the splinters of the bridge crouched down, Securely now return to me again.” Wherefore I started and came swiftly to him; And all the devils forward thrust themselves, So that I feared they would not keep their compact. And thus beheld I once afraid the soldiers
Who issued under safeguard from Caprona, Seeing themselves among so many foes. Close did I press myself with all my person Beside my Leader, and turned not mine eyes From off their countenance, which was not good. They lowered their rakes, and “Wilt thou have me hit him,”
They said to one another, “on the rump?” And answered: “Yes; see that thou nick him with it.” But the same demon who was holding parley With my Conductor turned him very quickly, And said: “Be quiet, be quiet, Scarmiglione;” Then said to us: “You can no farther go Forward upon this crag, because is lying
All shattered, at the bottom, the sixth arch. And if it still doth please you to go onward, Pursue your way along upon this rock; Near is another crag that yields a path. Yesterday, five hours later than this hour, One thousand and two hundred sixty-six Years were complete, that here the way was broken. I send in that direction some of mine To see if any one doth air himself; Go ye with them; for they will not be vicious. Step forward, Alichino and Calcabrina,” Began he to cry out, “and thou, Cagnazzo; And Barbariccia, do thou guide the ten. Come forward, Libicocco and Draghignazzo, And tusked Ciriatto and Graffiacane, And Farfarello and mad Rubicante; Search ye all round about the boiling pitch;
Let these be safe as far as the next crag, That all unbroken passes o’er the dens.” “O me! what is it, Master, that I see? Pray let us go,” I said, “without an escort, If thou knowest how, since for myself I ask none. If thou art as observant as thy wont is, Dost thou not see that they do gnash their teeth, And with their brows are threatening woe to us?” And he to me: “I will not have thee fear; Let them gnash on, according to their fancy, Because they do it for those boiling wretches.” Along the left-hand dike they wheeled about; But first had each one thrust his tongue between His teeth towards their leader for a signal; And he had made a trumpet of his rump.
Inferno: Canto XXII I have erewhile seen horsemen moving camp, Begin the storming, and their muster make,
And sometimes starting off for their escape; Vaunt-couriers have I seen upon your land, O Aretines, and foragers go forth, Tournaments stricken, and the joustings run, Sometimes with trumpets and sometimes with bells, With kettle-drums, and signals of the castles, And with our own, and with outlandish things, But never yet with bagpipe so uncouth
Did I see horsemen move, nor infantry, Nor ship by any sign of land or star. We went upon our way with the ten demons; Ah, savage company! but in the church With saints, and in the tavern with the gluttons! Ever upon the pitch was my intent, To see the whole condition of that Bolgia, And of the people who therein were burned. Even as the dolphins, when they make a sign To mariners by arching of the back,
That they should counsel take to save their vessel, Thus sometimes, to alleviate his pain, One of the sinners would display his back, And in less time conceal it than it lightens. As on the brink of water in a ditch The frogs stand only with their muzzles out, So that they hide their feet and other bulk, So upon every side the sinners stood; But ever as Barbariccia near them came,
Thus underneath the boiling they withdrew. I saw, and still my heart doth shudder at it, One waiting thus, even as it comes to pass One frog remains, and down another dives; And Graffiacan, who most confronted him, Grappled him by his tresses smeared with pitch, And drew him up, so that he seemed an otter. I knew, before, the names of all of them, So had I noted them when they were chosen, And when they called each other, listened how. “O Rubicante, see that thou do lay Thy claws upon him, so that thou mayst flay him,”
Cried all together the accursed ones. And I: “My Master, see to it, if thou canst, That thou mayst know who is the luckless wight, Thus come into his adversaries’ hands.” Near to the side of him my Leader drew, Asked of him whence he was; and he replied: “I in the kingdom of Navarre was born; My mother placed me servant to a lord, For she had borne me to a ribald knave,
Destroyer of himself and of his things. Then I domestic was of good King Thibault; I set me there to practise barratry, For which I pay the reckoning in this heat.” And Ciriatto, from whose mouth projected, On either side, a tusk, as in a boar, Caused him to feel how one of them could rip. Among malicious cats the mouse had come; But Barbariccia clasped him in his arms, And said: “Stand ye aside, while I enfork him.” And to my Master he turned round his head;
“Ask him again,” he said, “if more thou wish To know from him, before some one destroy him.” The Guide: “Now tell then of the other culprits; Knowest thou any one who is a Latian, Under the pitch?” And he: “I separated Lately from one who was a neighbour to it; Would that I still were covered up with him, For I should fear not either claw nor hook!” And Libicocco: “We have borne too much;” And with his grapnel seized him by the arm,
So that, by rending, he tore off a tendon. Eke Draghignazzo wished to pounce upon him Down at the legs; whence their Decurion Turned round and round about with evil look. When they again somewhat were pacified, Of him, who still was looking at his wound,
Demanded my Conductor without stay: “Who was that one, from whom a luckless parting Thou sayest thou hast made, to come ashore?” And he replied: “It was the Friar Gomita, He of Gallura, vessel of all fraud, Who had the enemies of his Lord in hand, And dealt so with them each exults thereat; Money he took, and let them smoothly off, As he says; and in other offices A barrator was he, not mean but sovereign. Foregathers with him one Don Michael Zanche Of Logodoro; and of Sardinia
To gossip never do their tongues feel tired. O me! see that one, how he grinds his teeth; Still farther would I speak, but am afraid Lest he to scratch my itch be making ready.” And the grand Provost, turned to Farfarello, Who rolled his eyes about as if to strike, Said: “Stand aside there, thou malicious bird.” “If you desire either to see or hear,” The terror-stricken recommenced thereon,
“Tuscans or Lombards, I will make them come. But let the Malebranche cease a little, So that these may not their revenges fear, And I, down sitting in this very place, For one that I am will make seven come, When I shall whistle, as our custom is To do whenever one of us comes out.” Cagnazzo at these words his muzzle lifted, Shaking his head, and said: “Just hear the trick
Which he has thought of, down to throw himself!” Whence he, who snares in great abundance had, Responded: “I by far too cunning am, When I procure for mine a greater sadness.” Alichin held not in, but running counter Unto the rest, said to him: “If thou dive, I will not follow thee upon the gallop, But I will beat my wings above the pitch; The height be left, and be the bank a shield
To see if thou alone dost countervail us.” O thou who readest, thou shalt hear new sport! Each to the other side his eyes averted; He first, who most reluctant was to do it. The Navarrese selected well his time; Planted his feet on land, and in a moment Leaped, and released himself from their design. Whereat each one was suddenly stung with shame, But he most who was cause of the defeat; Therefore he moved, and cried: “Thou art o’ertakern.” But little it availed, for wings could not Outstrip the fear; the other one went under, And, flying, upward he his breast directed; Not otherwise the duck upon a sudden
Dives under, when the falcon is approaching, And upward he returneth cross and weary. Infuriate at the mockery, Calcabrina Flying behind him followed close, desirous The other should escape, to have a quarrel. And when the barrator had disappeared, He turned his talons upon his companion,
And grappled with him right above the moat. But sooth the other was a doughty sparhawk To clapperclaw him well; and both of them Fell in the middle of the boiling pond. A sudden intercessor was the heat; But ne’ertheless of rising there was naught, To such degree they had their wings belimed. Lamenting with the others, Barbariccia Made four of them fly to the other side With all their gaffs, and very speedily This side and that they to their posts descended; They stretched their hooks towards the pitch-ensnared, Who were already baked within the crust, And in this manner busied did we leave them.
Inferno: Canto XXIII Silent, alone, and without company We went, the one in front, the other after, As go the Minor Friars along their way. Upon the fable of Aesop was directed My thought, by reason of the present quarrel, Where he has spoken of the frog and mouse; For ‘mo’ and ‘issa’ are not more alike Than this one is to that, if well we couple End and beginning with a steadfast mind. And even as one thought from another springs,
So afterward from that was born another, Which the first fear within me double made. Thus did I ponder: “These on our account Are laughed to scorn, with injury and scoff So great, that much I think it must annoy them. If anger be engrafted on ill-will, They will come after us more merciless Than dog upon the leveret which he seizes,” I felt my hair stand all on end already With terror, and stood backwardly intent, When said I: “Master, if thou hidest not Thyself and me forthwith, of Malebranche
I am in dread; we have them now behind us; I so imagine them, I already feel them.” And he: “If I were made of leaded glass, Thine outward image I should not attract Sooner to me than I imprint the inner. Just now thy thoughts came in among my own, With similar attitude and similar face, So that of both one counsel sole I made. If peradventure the right bank so slope That we to the next Bolgia can descend, We shall escape from the imagined chase.” Not yet he finished rendering such opinion, When I beheld them come with outstretched wings, Not far remote, with will to seize upon us. My Leader on a sudden seized me up,
Even as a mother who by noise is wakened, And close beside her sees the enkindled flames, Who takes her son, and flies, and does not stop, Having more care of him than of herself, So that she clothes her only with a shift; And downward from the top of the hard bank Supine he gave him to the pendent rock, That one side of the other Bolgia walls. Ne’er ran so swiftly water through a sluice To turn the wheel of any land-built mill, When nearest to the paddles it approaches, As did my Master down along that border, Bearing me with him on his breast away, As his own son, and not as a companion. Hardly the bed of the ravine below His feet had reached, ere they had reached the hill
Right over us; but he was not afraid; For the high Providence, which had ordained To place them ministers of the fifth moat, The power of thence departing took from all. A painted people there below we found, Who went about with footsteps very slow, Weeping and in their semblance tired and vanquished. They had on mantles with the hoods low down
Before their eyes, and fashioned of the cut That in Cologne they for the monks are made. Without, they gilded are so that it dazzles; But inwardly all leaden and so heavy That Frederick used to put them on of straw. O everlastingly fatiguing mantle! Again we turned us, still to the left hand Along with them, intent on their sad plaint; But owing to the weight, that weary folk Came on so tardily, that we were new In company at each motion of the haunch. Whence I unto my Leader: “See thou find Some one who may by deed or name be known,
And thus in going move thine eye about.” And one, who understood the Tuscan speech, Cried to us from behind: “Stay ye your feet, Ye, who so run athwart the dusky air! Perhaps thou’lt have from me what thou demandest.” Whereat the Leader turned him, and said: “Wait, And then according to his pace proceed.” I stopped, and two beheld I show great haste Of spirit, in their faces, to be with me; But the burden and the narrow way delayed them. When they came up, long with an eye askance
They scanned me without uttering a word. Then to each other turned, and said together: “He by the action of his throat seems living; And if they dead are, by what privilege Go they uncovered by the heavy stole?” Then said to me: “Tuscan, who to the college Of miserable hypocrites art come, Do not disdain to tell us who thou art.” And I to them: “Born was I, and grew up In the great town on the fair river of Arno, And with the body am I’ve always had. But who are ye, in whom there trickles down Along your cheeks such grief as I behold? And what pain is upon you, that so sparkles?” And one replied to me: “These orange cloaks Are made of lead so heavy, that the weights
Cause in this way their balances to creak. Frati Gaudenti were we, and Bolognese; I Catalano, and he Loderingo Named, and together taken by thy city, As the wont is to take one man alone, For maintenance of its peace; and we were such That still it is apparent round Gardingo.” “O Friars,” began I, “your iniquitous. . .” But said no more; for to mine eyes there rushed One crucified with three stakes on the ground. When me he saw, he writhed himself all over, Blowing into his beard with suspirations;
And the Friar Catalan, who noticed this, Said to me: “This transfixed one, whom thou seest, Counselled the Pharisees that it was meet To put one man to torture for the people. Crosswise and naked is he on the path, As thou perceivest; and he needs must feel, Whoever passes, first how much he weighs; And in like mode his father-in-law is punished Within this moat, and the others of the council, Which for the Jews was a malignant seed.” And thereupon I saw Virgilius marvel O’er him who was extended on the cross So vilely in eternal banishment. Then he directed to the Friar this voice:
“Be not displeased, if granted thee, to tell us If to the right hand any pass slope down By which we two may issue forth from here, Without constraining some of the black angels To come and extricate us from this deep.” Then he made answer: “Nearer than thou hopest There is a rock, that forth from the great circle Proceeds, and crosses all the cruel valleys, Save that at this ’tis broken, and does not bridge it; You will be able to mount up the ruin,
That sidelong slopes and at the bottom rises.” The Leader stood awhile with head bowed down; Then said: “The business badly he recounted Who grapples with his hook the sinners yonder.” And the Friar: “Many of the Devil’s vices Once heard I at Bologna, and among them, That he’s a liar and the father of lies.” Thereat my Leader with great strides went on, Somewhat disturbed with anger in his looks; Whence from the heavy-laden I departed After the prints of his beloved feet.
Inferno: Canto XXIV In that part of the youthful year wherein The Sun his locks beneath Aquarius tempers, And now the nights draw near to half the day, What time the hoar-frost copies on the ground The outward semblance of her sister white, But little lasts the temper of her pen, The husbandman, whose forage faileth him, Rises, and looks, and seeth the champaign
All gleaming white, whereat he beats his flank, Returns in doors, and up and down laments, Like a poor wretch, who knows not what to do; Then he returns and hope revives again, Seeing the world has changed its countenance In little time, and takes his shepherd’s crook, And forth the little lambs to pasture drives. Thus did the Master fill me with alarm, When I beheld his forehead so disturbed,
And to the ailment came as soon the plaster. For as we came unto the ruined bridge, The Leader turned to me with that sweet look Which at the mountain’s foot I first beheld. His arms he opened, after some advisement Within himself elected, looking first Well at the ruin, and laid hold of me. And even as he who acts and meditates, For aye it seems that he provides beforehand, So upward lifting me towards the summit Of a huge rock, he scanned another crag, Saying: “To that one grapple afterwards,
But try first if ’tis such that it will hold thee.” This was no way for one clothed with a cloak; For hardly we, he light, and I pushed upward, Were able to ascend from jag to jag. And had it not been, that upon that precinct
Shorter was the ascent than on the other, He I know not, but I had been dead beat. But because Malebolge tow’rds the mouth Of the profoundest well is all inclining, The structure of each valley doth import That one bank rises and the other sinks. Still we arrived at length upon the point Wherefrom the last stone breaks itself asunder. The breath was from my lungs so milked away,
When I was up, that I could go no farther, Nay, I sat down upon my first arrival. “Now it behoves thee thus to put off sloth,” My Master said; “for sitting upon down, Or under quilt, one cometh not to fame, Withouten which whoso his life consumes Such vestige leaveth of himself on earth, As smoke in air or in the water foam. And therefore raise thee up, o’ercome the anguish
With spirit that o’ercometh every battle, If with its heavy body it sink not. A longer stairway it behoves thee mount; ’Tis not enough from these to have departed; Let it avail thee, if thou understand me.” Then I uprose, showing myself provided Better with breath than I did feel myself, And said: “Go on, for I am strong and bold.” Upward we took our way along the crag,
Which jagged was, and narrow, and difficult, And more precipitous far than that before. Speaking I went, not to appear exhausted; Whereat a voice from the next moat came forth, Not well adapted to articulate words. I know not what it said, though o’er the back I now was of the arch that passes there; But he seemed moved to anger who was speaking. I was bent downward, but my living eyes
Could not attain the bottom, for the dark; Wherefore I: “Master, see that thou arrive At the next round, and let us descend the wall; For as from hence I hear and understand not, So I look down and nothing I distinguish.” “Other response,” he said, “I make thee not, Except the doing; for the modest asking Ought to be followed by the deed in silence.” We from the bridge descended at its head, Where it connects itself with the eighth bank, And then was manifest to me the Bolgia; And I beheld therein a terrible throng Of serpents, and of such a monstrous kind,
That the remembrance still congeals my blood Let Libya boast no longer with her sand; For if Chelydri, Jaculi, and Phareae She breeds, with Cenchri and with Amphisbaena, Neither so many plagues nor so malignant
E’er showed she with all Ethiopia, Nor with whatever on the Red Sea is! Among this cruel and most dismal throng People were running naked and affrighted. Without the hope of hole or heliotrope. They had their hands with serpents bound behind them; These riveted upon their reins the tail And head, and were in front of them entwined. And lo! at one who was upon our side There darted forth a serpent, which transfixed him There where the neck is knotted to the shoulders. Nor ‘O’ so quickly e’er, nor ‘I’ was written,
As he took fire, and burned; and ashes wholly Behoved it that in falling he became. And when he on the ground was thus destroyed, The ashes drew together, and of themselves Into himself they instantly returned. Even thus by the great sages ’tis confessed The phoenix dies, and then is born again,
When it approaches its five-hundredth year; On herb or grain it feeds not in its life, But only on tears of incense and amomum, And nard and myrrh are its last winding-sheet. And as he is who falls, and knows not how, By force of demons who to earth down drag him, Or other oppilation that binds man, When he arises and around him looks, Wholly bewildered by the mighty anguish Which he has suffered, and in looking sighs; Such was that sinner after he had risen. Justice of God! O how severe it is,
That blows like these in vengeance poureth down! The Guide thereafter asked him who he was; Whence he replied: “I rained from Tuscany A short time since into this cruel gorge. A bestial life, and not a human, pleased me,
Even as the mule I was; I’m Vanni Fucci, Beast, and Pistoia was my worthy den.” And I unto the Guide: “Tell him to stir not, And ask what crime has thrust him here below, For once a man of blood and wrath I saw him.” And the sinner, who had heard, dissembled not, But unto me directed mind and face, And with a melancholy shame was painted. Then said: “It pains me more that thou hast caught me
Amid this misery where thou seest me, Than when I from the other life was taken. What thou demandest I cannot deny; So low am I put down because I robbed The sacristy of the fair ornaments, And falsely once ’twas laid upon another; But that thou mayst not such a sight enjoy, If thou shalt e’er be out of the dark places, Thine ears to my announcement ope and hear:
Pistoia first of Neri groweth meagre; Then Florence doth renew her men and manners; Mars draws a vapour up from Val di Magra, Which is with turbid clouds enveloped round, And with impetuous and bitter tempest Over Campo Picen shall be the battle; When it shall suddenly rend the mist asunder, So that each Bianco shall thereby be smitten. And this I’ve said that it may give thee pain.”
Inferno: Canto XXV At the conclusion of his words, the thief Lifted his hands aloft with both the figs, Crying: “Take that, God, for at thee I aim them.” From that time forth the serpents were my friends; For one entwined itself about his neck As if it said: “I will not thou speak more;” And round his arms another, and rebound him, Clinching itself together so in front, That with them he could not a motion make. Pistoia, ah, Pistoia! why resolve not
To burn thyself to ashes and so perish, Since in ill-doing thou thy seed excellest? Through all the sombre circles of this Hell, Spirit I saw not against God so proud, Not he who fell at Thebes down from the walls! He fled away, and spake no further word;
And I beheld a Centaur full of rage Come crying out: “Where is, where is the scoffer?” I do not think Maremma has so many Serpents as he had all along his back, As far as where our countenance begins. Upon the shoulders, just behind the nape, With wings wide open was a dragon lying, And he sets fire to all that he encounters. My Master said: “That one is Cacus, who Beneath the rock upon Mount Aventine Created oftentimes a lake of blood. He goes not on the same road with his brothers, By reason of the fraudulent theft he made
Of the great herd, which he had near to him; Whereat his tortuous actions ceased beneath The mace of Hercules, who peradventure Gave him a hundred, and he felt not ten.” While he was speaking thus, he had passed by, And spirits three had underneath us come, Of which nor I aware was, nor my Leader, Until what time they shouted: “Who are you?” On which account our story made a halt, And then we were intent on them alone. I did not know them; but it came to pass, As it is wont to happen by some chance,
That one to name the other was compelled, Exclaiming: “Where can Cianfa have remained?” Whence I, so that the Leader might attend, Upward from chin to nose my finger laid. If thou art, Reader, slow now to believe What I shall say, it will no marvel be, For I who saw it hardly can admit it. As I was holding raised on them my brows, Behold! a serpent with six feet darts forth
In front of one, and fastens wholly on him. With middle feet it bound him round the paunch, And with the forward ones his arms it seized; Then thrust its teeth through one cheek and the other; The hindermost it stretched upon his thighs,
And put its tail through in between the two, And up behind along the reins outspread it. Ivy was never fastened by its barbs Unto a tree so, as this horrible reptile Upon the other’s limbs entwined its own. Then they stuck close, as if of heated wax They had been made, and intermixed their colour; Nor one nor other seemed now what he was; E’en as proceedeth on before the flame Upward along the paper a brown colour,
Which is not black as yet, and the white dies. The other two looked on, and each of them Cried out: “O me, Agnello, how thou changest! Behold, thou now art neither two nor one.” Already the two heads had one become, When there appeared to us two figures mingled Into one face, wherein the two were lost. Of the four lists were fashioned the two arms, The thighs and legs, the belly and the chest Members became that never yet were seen. Every original aspect there was cancelled;
Two and yet none did the perverted image Appear, and such departed with slow pace. Even as a lizard, under the great scourge Of days canicular, exchanging hedge, Lightning appeareth if the road it cross; Thus did appear, coming towards the bellies Of the two others, a small fiery serpent,
Livid and black as is a peppercorn. And in that part whereat is first received Our aliment, it one of them transfixed; Then downward fell in front of him extended. The one transfixed looked at it, but said naught; Nay, rather with feet motionless he yawned, Just as if sleep or fever had assailed him. He at the serpent gazed, and it at him; One through the wound, the other through the mouth
Smoked violently, and the smoke commingled. Henceforth be silent Lucan, where he mentions Wretched Sabellus and Nassidius,
And wait to hear what now shall be shot forth. Be silent Ovid, of Cadmus and Arethusa; For if him to a snake, her to fountain, Converts he fabling, that I grudge him not; Because two natures never front to front
Has he transmuted, so that both the forms To interchange their matter ready were. Together they responded in such wise, That to a fork the serpent cleft his tail, And eke the wounded drew his feet together. The legs together with the thighs themselves Adhered so, that in little time the juncture No sign whatever made that was apparent. He with the cloven tail assumed the figure
The other one was losing, and his skin Became elastic, and the other’s hard. I saw the arms draw inward at the armpits, And both feet of the reptile, that were short, Lengthen as much as those contracted were. Thereafter the hind feet, together twisted, Became the member that a man conceals,
And of his own the wretch had two created. While both of them the exhalation veils With a new colour, and engenders hair On one of them and depilates the other, The one uprose and down the other fell, Though turning not away their impious lamps, Underneath which each one his muzzle changed. He who was standing drew it tow’rds the temples, And from excess of matter, which came thither, Issued the ears from out the hollow cheeks; What did not backward run and was retained Of that excess made to the face a nose, And the lips thickened far as was befitting. He who lay prostrate thrusts his muzzle forward,
And backward draws the ears into his head, In the same manner as the snail its horns; And so the tongue, which was entire and apt For speech before, is cleft, and the bi-forked
In the other closes up, and the smoke ceases. The soul, which to a reptile had been changed, Along the valley hissing takes to flight, And after him the other speaking sputters. Then did he turn upon him his new shoulders, And said to the other: “I’ll have Buoso run,
Crawling as I have done, along this road.” In this way I beheld the seventh ballast Shift and reshift, and here be my excuse The novelty, if aught my pen transgress. And notwithstanding that mine eyes might be
Somewhat bewildered, and my mind dismayed, They could not flee away so secretly But that I plainly saw Puccio Sciancato; And he it was who sole of three companions, Which came in the beginning, was not changed; The other was he whom thou, Gaville, weepest.
Inferno: Canto XXVI Rejoice, O Florence, since thou art so great, That over sea and land thou beatest thy wings, And throughout Hell thy name is spread abroad! Among the thieves five citizens of thine
Like these I found, whence shame comes unto me, And thou thereby to no great honour risest. But if when morn is near our dreams are true, Feel shalt thou in a little time from now What Prato, if none other, craves for thee. And if it now were, it were not too soon;
Would that it were, seeing it needs must be, For ’twill aggrieve me more the more I age. We went our way, and up along the stairs The bourns had made us to descend before,
Remounted my Conductor and drew me. And following the solitary path Among the rocks and ridges of the crag, The foot without the hand sped not at all. Then sorrowed I, and sorrow now again, When I direct my mind to what I saw, And more my genius curb than I am wont, That it may run not unless virtue guide it; So that if some good star, or better thing,
Have given me good, I may myself not grudge it. As many as the hind (who on the hill Rests at the time when he who lights the world His countenance keeps least concealed from us, While as the fly gives place unto the gnat)
Seeth the glow-worms down along the valley, Perchance there where he ploughs and makes his vintage; With flames as manifold resplendent all Was the eighth Bolgia, as I grew aware As soon as I was where the depth appeared. And such as he who with the bears avenged him Beheld Elijah’s chariot at departing,
What time the steeds to heaven erect uprose, For with his eye he could not follow it So as to see aught else than flame alone, Even as a little cloud ascending upward, Thus each along the gorge of the intrenchment Was moving; for not one reveals the theft, And every flame a sinner steals away. I stood upon the bridge uprisen to see, So that, if I had seized not on a rock, Down had I fallen without being pushed. And the Leader, who beheld me so attent, Exclaimed: “Within the fires the spirits are; Each swathes himself with that wherewith he burns.” “My Master,” I replied, “by hearing thee I am more sure; but I surmised already
It might be so, and already wished to ask thee Who is within that fire, which comes so cleft At top, it seems uprising from the pyre Where was Eteocles with his brother placed.” He answered me: “Within there are tormented Ulysses and Diomed, and thus together They unto vengeance run as unto wrath. And there within their flame do they lament
The ambush of the horse, which made the door Whence issued forth the Romans’ gentle seed; Therein is wept the craft, for which being dead Deidamia still deplores Achilles, And pain for the Palladium there is borne.” “If they within those sparks possess the power To speak,” I said, “thee, Master, much I pray, And re-pray, that the prayer be worth a thousand, That thou make no denial of awaiting
Until the horned flame shall hither come; Thou seest that with desire I lean towards it.” And he to me: “Worthy is thy entreaty Of much applause, and therefore I accept it; But take heed that thy tongue restrain itself. Leave me to speak, because I have conceived That which thou wishest; for they might disdain Perchance, since they were Greeks, discourse of thine.” When now the flame had come unto that point,
Where to my Leader it seemed time and place, After this fashion did I hear him speak: “O ye, who are twofold within one fire, If I deserved of you, while I was living, If I deserved of you or much or little When in the world I wrote the lofty verses, Do not move on, but one of you declare Whither, being lost, he went away to die.” Then of the antique flame the greater horn,
Murmuring, began to wave itself about Even as a flame doth which the wind fatigues. Thereafterward, the summit to and fro Moving as if it were the tongue that spake, It uttered forth a voice, and said: “When I From Circe had departed, who concealed me More than a year there near unto Gaeta, Or ever yet Aeneas named it so, Nor fondness for my son, nor reverence
For my old father, nor the due affection Which joyous should have made Penelope, Could overcome within me the desire I had to be experienced of the world, And of the vice and virtue of mankind; But I put forth on the high open sea
With one sole ship, and that small company By which I never had deserted been. Both of the shores I saw as far as Spain, Far as Morocco, and the isle of Sardes, And the others which that sea bathes round about. I and my company were old and slow When at that narrow passage we arrived Where Hercules his landmarks set as signals, That man no farther onward should adventure. On the right hand behind me left I Seville,
And on the other already had left Ceuta. ‘O brothers, who amid a hundred thousand Perils,’ I said, ‘have come unto the West, To this so inconsiderable vigil Which is remaining of your senses still Be ye unwilling to deny the knowledge, Following the sun, of the unpeopled world. Consider ye the seed from which ye sprang;
Ye were not made to live like unto brutes, But for pursuit of virtue and of knowledge.’ So eager did I render my companions, With this brief exhortation, for the voyage, That then I hardly could have held them back. And having turned our stern unto the morning, We of the oars made wings for our mad flight,
Evermore gaining on the larboard side. Already all the stars of the other pole The night beheld, and ours so very low It did not rise above the ocean floor. Five times rekindled and as many quenched Had been the splendour underneath the moon,
Since we had entered into the deep pass, When there appeared to us a mountain, dim From distance, and it seemed to me so high As I had never any one beheld. Joyful were we, and soon it turned to weeping; For out of the new land a whirlwind rose, And smote upon the fore part of the ship. Three times it made her whirl with all the waters, At the fourth time it made the stern uplift, And the prow downward go, as pleased Another, Until the sea above us closed again.”
Inferno: Canto XXVII Already was the flame erect and quiet, To speak no more, and now departed from us With the permission of the gentle Poet; When yet another, which behind it came, Caused us to turn our eyes upon its top By a confused sound that issued from it. As the Sicilian bull (that bellowed first With the lament of him, and that was right, Who with his file had modulated it) Bellowed so with the voice of the afflicted,
That, notwithstanding it was made of brass, Still it appeared with agony transfixed; Thus, by not having any way or issue At first from out the fire, to its own language
Converted were the melancholy words. But afterwards, when they had gathered way Up through the point, giving it that vibration The tongue had given them in their passage out, We heard it said: “O thou, at whom I aim My voice, and who but now wast speaking Lombard, Saying, ‘Now go thy way, no more I urge thee,’ Because I come perchance a little late,
To stay and speak with me let it not irk thee; Thou seest it irks not me, and I am burning. If thou but lately into this blind world Hast fallen down from that sweet Latian land, Wherefrom I bring the whole of my transgression, Say, if the Romagnuols have peace or war, For I was from the mountains there between
Urbino and the yoke whence Tiber bursts.” I still was downward bent and listening, When my Conductor touched me on the side, Saying: “Speak thou: this one a Latian is.” And I, who had beforehand my reply In readiness, forthwith began to speak: “O soul, that down below there art concealed, Romagna thine is not and never has been Without war in the bosom of its tyrants; But open war I none have left there now. Ravenna stands as it long years has stood; The Eagle of Polenta there is brooding,
So that she covers Cervia with her vans. The city which once made the long resistance, And of the French a sanguinary heap, Beneath the Green Paws finds itself again; Verrucchio’s ancient Mastiff and the new, Who made such bad disposal of Montagna,
Where they are wont make wimbles of their teeth. The cities of Lamone and Santerno
Governs the Lioncel of the white lair, Who changes sides ’twixt summer-time and winter; And that of which the Savio bathes the flank, Even as it lies between the plain and mountain, Lives between tyranny and a free state. Now I entreat thee tell us who thou art; Be not more stubborn than the rest have been,
So may thy name hold front there in the world.” After the fire a little more had roared In its own fashion, the sharp point it moved This way and that, and then gave forth such breath: “If I believed that my reply were made
To one who to the world would e’er return, This flame without more flickering would stand still; But inasmuch as never from this depth Did any one return, if I hear true, Without the fear of infamy I answer, I was a man of arms, then Cordelier, Believing thus begirt to make amends;
And truly my belief had been fulfilled But for the High Priest, whom may ill betide, Who put me back into my former sins; And how and wherefore I will have thee hear. While I was still the form of bone and pulp My mother gave to me, the deeds I did Were not those of a lion, but a fox. The machinations and the covert ways
I knew them all, and practised so their craft, That to the ends of earth the sound went forth. When now unto that portion of mine age I saw myself arrived, when each one ought To lower the sails, and coil away the ropes, That which before had pleased me then displeased me; And penitent and confessing I surrendered, Ah woe is me! and it would have bestead me; The Leader of the modern Pharisees Having a war near unto Lateran,
And not with Saracens nor with the Jews, For each one of his enemies was Christian, And none of them had been to conquer Acre, Nor merchandising in the Sultan’s land, Nor the high office, nor the sacred orders,
In him regarded, nor in me that cord Which used to make those girt with it more meagre; But even as Constantine sought out Sylvester To cure his leprosy, within Soracte, So this one sought me out as an adept To cure him of the fever of his pride. Counsel he asked of me, and I was silent, Because his words appeared inebriate. And then he said: ‘Be not thy heart afraid;
Henceforth I thee absolve; and thou instruct me How to raze Palestrina to the ground. Heaven have I power to lock and to unlock, As thou dost know; therefore the keys are two, The which my predecessor held not dear.’ Then urged me on his weighty arguments There, where my silence was the worst advice;
And said I: ‘Father, since thou washest me Of that sin into which I now must fall, The promise long with the fulfilment short Will make thee triumph in thy lofty seat.’ Francis came afterward, when I was dead, For me; but one of the black Cherubim Said to him: ‘Take him not; do me no wrong; He must come down among my servitors, Because he gave the fraudulent advice From which time forth I have been at his hair; For who repents not cannot be absolved,
Nor can one both repent and will at once, Because of the contradiction which consents not.’ O miserable me! how I did shudder When he seized on me, saying: ‘Peradventure Thou didst not think that I was a logician!’ He bore me unto Minos, who entwined Eight times his tail about his stubborn back,
And after he had bitten it in great rage, Said: ‘Of the thievish fire a culprit this;’ Wherefore, here where thou seest, am I lost, And vested thus in going I bemoan me.” When it had thus completed its recital, The flame departed uttering lamentations,
Writhing and flapping its sharp-pointed horn. Onward we passed, both I and my Conductor, Up o’er the crag above another arch, Which the moat covers, where is paid the fee By those who, sowing discord, win their burden.
Inferno: Canto XXVIII Who ever could, e’en with untrammelled words, Tell of the blood and of the wounds in full Which now I saw, by many times narrating? Each tongue would for a certainty fall short By reason of our speech and memory,
That have small room to comprehend so much. If were again assembled all the people Which formerly upon the fateful land Of Puglia were lamenting for their blood Shed by the Romans and the lingering war That of the rings made such illustrious spoils, As Livy has recorded, who errs not, With those who felt the agony of blows By making counterstand to Robert Guiscard,
And all the rest, whose bones are gathered still At Ceperano, where a renegade Was each Apulian, and at Tagliacozzo,
Where without arms the old Alardo conquered, And one his limb transpierced, and one lopped off, Should show, it would be nothing to compare With the disgusting mode of the ninth Bolgia. A cask by losing centre-piece or cant Was never shattered so, as I saw one Rent from the chin to where one breaketh wind. Between his legs were hanging down his entrails;
His heart was visible, and the dismal sack That maketh excrement of what is eaten. While I was all absorbed in seeing him, He looked at me, and opened with his hands His bosom, saying: “See now how I rend me; How mutilated, see, is Mahomet; In front of me doth Ali weeping go, Cleft in the face from forelock unto chin; And all the others whom thou here beholdest,
Disseminators of scandal and of schism While living were, and therefore are cleft thus. A devil is behind here, who doth cleave us Thus cruelly, unto the falchion’s edge Putting again each one of all this ream, When we have gone around the doleful road; By reason that our wounds are closed again
Ere any one in front of him repass. But who art thou, that musest on the crag, Perchance to postpone going to the pain That is adjudged upon thine accusations?” “Nor death hath reached him yet, nor guilt doth bring him,”
My Master made reply, “to be tormented; But to procure him full experience, Me, who am dead, behoves it to conduct him Down here through Hell, from circle unto circle; And this is true as that I speak to thee.” More than a hundred were there when they heard him, Who in the moat stood still to look at me, Through wonderment oblivious of their torture. “Now say to Fra Dolcino, then, to arm him, Thou, who perhaps wilt shortly see the sun,
If soon he wish not here to follow me, So with provisions, that no stress of snow May give the victory to the Novarese, Which otherwise to gain would not be easy.” After one foot to go away he lifted,
This word did Mahomet say unto me, Then to depart upon the ground he stretched it. Another one, who had his throat pierced through, And nose cut off close underneath the brows, And had no longer but a single ear, Staying to look in wonder with the others, Before the others did his gullet open,
Which outwardly was red in every part, And said: “O thou, whom guilt doth not condemn, And whom I once saw up in Latian land, Unless too great similitude deceive me, Call to remembrance Pier da Medicina, If e’er thou see again the lovely plain That from Vercelli slopes to Marcabo, And make it known to the best two of Fano, To Messer Guido and Angiolello likewise,
That if foreseeing here be not in vain, Cast over from their vessel shall they be, And drowned near unto the Cattolica, By the betrayal of a tyrant fell. Between the isles of Cyprus and Majorca
Neptune ne’er yet beheld so great a crime, Neither of pirates nor Argolic people. That traitor, who sees only with one eye, And holds the land, which some one here with me
Would fain be fasting from the vision of, Will make them come unto a parley with him; Then will do so, that to Focara’s wind They will not stand in need of vow or prayer.” And I to him: “Show to me and declare, If thou wouldst have me bear up news of thee,
Who is this person of the bitter vision.” Then did he lay his hand upon the jaw Of one of his companions, and his mouth Oped, crying: “This is he, and he speaks not. This one, being banished, every doubt submerged In Caesar by affirming the forearmed Always with detriment allowed delay.” O how bewildered unto me appeared, With tongue asunder in his windpipe slit, Curio, who in speaking was so bold! And one, who both his hands dissevered had, The stumps uplifting through the murky air,
So that the blood made horrible his face, Cried out: “Thou shalt remember Mosca also, Who said, alas! ‘A thing done has an end!’ Which was an ill seed for the Tuscan people.” “And death unto thy race,” thereto I added;
Whence he, accumulating woe on woe, Departed, like a person sad and crazed. But I remained to look upon the crowd; And saw a thing which I should be afraid, Without some further proof, even to recount, If it were not that conscience reassures me, That good companion which emboldens man
Beneath the hauberk of its feeling pure. I truly saw, and still I seem to see it, A trunk without a head walk in like manner As walked the others of the mournful herd. And by the hair it held the head dissevered, Hung from the hand in fashion of a lantern,
And that upon us gazed and said: “O me!” It of itself made to itself a lamp, And they were two in one, and one in two; How that can be, He knows who so ordains it. When it was come close to the bridge’s foot, It lifted high its arm with all the head, To bring more closely unto us its words, Which were: “Behold now the sore penalty, Thou, who dost breathing go the dead beholding; Behold if any be as great as this. And so that thou may carry news of me, Know that Bertram de Born am I, the same
Who gave to the Young King the evil comfort. I made the father and the son rebellious; Achitophel not more with Absalom And David did with his accursed goadings. Because I parted persons so united, Parted do I now bear my brain, alas! From its beginning, which is in this trunk. Thus is observed in me the counterpoise.”
Inferno: Canto XXIX The many people and the divers wounds These eyes of mine had so inebriated, That they were wishful to stand still and weep; But said Virgilius: “What dost thou still gaze at? Why is thy sight still riveted down there
Among the mournful, mutilated shades? Thou hast not done so at the other Bolge; Consider, if to count them thou believest, That two-and-twenty miles the valley winds, And now the moon is underneath our feet; Henceforth the time allotted us is brief, And more is to be seen than what thou seest.” “If thou hadst,” I made answer thereupon, “Attended to the cause for which I looked, Perhaps a longer stay thou wouldst have pardoned.” Meanwhile my Guide departed, and behind him I went, already making my reply, And superadding: “In that cavern where I held mine eyes with such attention fixed,
I think a spirit of my blood laments The sin which down below there costs so much.” Then said the Master: “Be no longer broken Thy thought from this time forward upon him; Attend elsewhere, and there let him remain; For him I saw below the little bridge, Pointing at thee, and threatening with his finger Fiercely, and heard him called Geri del Bello. So wholly at that time wast thou impeded By him who formerly held Altaforte,
Thou didst not look that way; so he departed.” “O my Conductor, his own violent death, Which is not yet avenged for him,” I said,
“By any who is sharer in the shame, Made him disdainful; whence he went away, As I imagine, without speaking to me, And thereby made me pity him the more.” Thus did we speak as far as the first place Upon the crag, which the next valley shows Down to the bottom, if there were more light. When we were now right over the last cloister Of Malebolge, so that its lay-brothers
Could manifest themselves unto our sight, Divers lamentings pierced me through and through, Which with compassion had their arrows barbed, Whereat mine ears I covered with my hands. What pain would be, if from the hospitals
Of Valdichiana, ’twixt July and September, And of Maremma and Sardinia All the diseases in one moat were gathered, Such was it here, and such a stench came from it As from putrescent limbs is wont to issue. We had descended on the furthest bank From the long crag, upon the left hand still, And then more vivid was my power of sight Down tow’rds the bottom, where the ministress Of the high Lord, Justice infallible, Punishes forgers, which she here records. I do not think a sadder sight to see Was in Aegina the whole people sick,
(When was the air so full of pestilence, The animals, down to the little worm, All fell, and afterwards the ancient people, According as the poets have affirmed, Were from the seed of ants restored again,) Than was it to behold through that dark valley The spirits languishing in divers heaps. This on the belly, that upon the back One of the other lay, and others crawling Shifted themselves along the dismal road. We step by step went onward without speech, Gazing upon and listening to the sick
Who had not strength enough to lift their bodies. I saw two sitting leaned against each other, As leans in heating platter against platter, From head to foot bespotted o’er with scabs; And never saw I plied a currycomb By stable-boy for whom his master waits, Or him who keeps awake unwillingly, As every one was plying fast the bite Of nails upon himself, for the great rage Of itching which no other succour had. And the nails downward with them dragged the scab,
In fashion as a knife the scales of bream, Or any other fish that has them largest. “O thou, that with thy fingers dost dismail thee,” Began my Leader unto one of them, “And makest of them pincers now and then, Tell me if any Latian is with those Who are herein; so may thy nails suffice thee To all eternity unto this work.” “Latians are we, whom thou so wasted seest,
Both of us here,” one weeping made reply; “But who art thou, that questionest about us?” And said the Guide: “One am I who descends Down with this living man from cliff to cliff, And I intend to show Hell unto him.” Then broken was their mutual support, And trembling each one turned himself to me, With others who had heard him by rebound. Wholly to me did the good Master gather, Saying: “Say unto them whate’er thou wishest.” And I began, since he would have it so: “So may your memory not steal away
In the first world from out the minds of men, But so may it survive ’neath many suns, Say to me who ye are, and of what people; Let not your foul and loathsome punishment Make you afraid to show yourselves to me.” “I of Arezzo was,” one made reply, “And Albert of Siena had me burned; But what I died for does not bring me here. ’Tis true I said to him, speaking in jest,
That I could rise by flight into the air, And he who had conceit, but little wit, Would have me show to him the art; and only Because no Daedalus I made him, made me Be burned by one who held him as his son. But unto the last Bolgia of the ten, For alchemy, which in the world I practised,
Minos, who cannot err, has me condemned.” And to the Poet said I: “Now was ever So vain a people as the Sienese? Not for a certainty the French by far.” Whereat the other leper, who had heard me, Replied unto my speech: “Taking out Stricca, Who knew the art of moderate expenses, And Niccolo, who the luxurious use Of cloves discovered earliest of all
Within that garden where such seed takes root; And taking out the band, among whom squandered Caccia d’Ascian his vineyards and vast woods, And where his wit the Abbagliato proffered! But, that thou know who thus doth second thee Against the Sienese, make sharp thine eye Tow’rds me, so that my face well answer thee, And thou shalt see I am Capocchio’s shade, Who metals falsified by alchemy; Thou must remember, if I well descry thee, How I a skilful ape of nature was.”
Inferno: Canto XXX ’Twas at the time when Juno was enraged, For Semele, against the Theban blood, As she already more than once had shown, So reft of reason Athamas became, That, seeing his own wife with children twain Walking encumbered upon either hand, He cried: “Spread out the nets, that I may take
The lioness and her whelps upon the passage;” And then extended his unpitying claws, Seizing the first, who had the name Learchus, And whirled him round, and dashed him on a rock; And she, with the other burthen, drowned herself;— And at the time when fortune downward hurled The Trojan’s arrogance, that all things dared, So that the king was with his kingdom crushed, Hecuba sad, disconsolate, and captive,
When lifeless she beheld Polyxena, And of her Polydorus on the shore Of ocean was the dolorous one aware,
Out of her senses like a dog she barked, So much the anguish had her mind distorted; But not of Thebes the furies nor the Trojan Were ever seen in any one so cruel In goading beasts, and much more human members, As I beheld two shadows pale and naked, Who, biting, in the manner ran along That a boar does, when from the sty turned loose. One to Capocchio came, and by the nape Seized with its teeth his neck, so that in dragging It made his belly grate the solid bottom. And the Aretine, who trembling had remained, Said to me: “That mad sprite is Gianni Schicchi,
And raving goes thus harrying other people.” “O,” said I to him, “so may not the other Set teeth on thee, let it not weary thee To tell us who it is, ere it dart hence.” And he to me: “That is the ancient ghost Of the nefarious Myrrha, who became Beyond all rightful love her father’s lover. She came to sin with him after this manner,
By counterfeiting of another’s form; As he who goeth yonder undertook, That he might gain the lady of the herd, To counterfeit in himself Buoso Donati, Making a will and giving it due form.” And after the two maniacs had passed On whom I held mine eye, I turned it back To look upon the other evil-born. I saw one made in fashion of a lute,
If he had only had the groin cut off Just at the point at which a man is forked. The heavy dropsy, that so disproportions The limbs with humours, which it ill concocts, That the face corresponds not to the belly, Compelled him so to hold his lips apart As does the hectic, who because of thirst One tow’rds the chin, the other upward turns. “O ye, who without any torment are, And why I know not, in the world of woe,” He said to us, “behold, and be attentive Unto the misery of Master Adam; I had while living much of what I wished,
And now, alas! a drop of water crave. The rivulets, that from the verdant hills Of Cassentin descend down into Arno, Making their channels to be cold and moist, Ever before me stand, and not in vain; For far more doth their image dry me up
Than the disease which strips my face of flesh. The rigid justice that chastises me Draweth occasion from the place in which I sinned, to put the more my sighs in flight. There is Romena, where I counterfeited The currency imprinted with the Baptist, For which I left my body burned above. But if I here could see the tristful soul Of Guido, or Alessandro, or their brother, For Branda’s fount I would not give the sight. One is within already, if the raving
Shades that are going round about speak truth; But what avails it me, whose limbs are tied? If I were only still so light, that in A hundred years I could advance one inch, I had already started on the way, Seeking him out among this squalid folk, Although the circuit be eleven miles,
And be not less than half a mile across. For them am I in such a family; They did induce me into coining florins, Which had three carats of impurity.” And I to him: “Who are the two poor wretches That smoke like unto a wet hand in winter, Lying there close upon thy right-hand confines?” “I found them here,” replied he, “when I rained Into this chasm, and since they have not turned, Nor do I think they will for evermore. One the false woman is who accused Joseph,
The other the false Sinon, Greek of Troy; From acute fever they send forth such reek.” And one of them, who felt himself annoyed At being, peradventure, named so darkly, Smote with the fist upon his hardened paunch. It gave a sound, as if it were a drum; And Master Adam smote him in the face,
With arm that did not seem to be less hard, Saying to him: “Although be taken from me All motion, for my limbs that heavy are, I have an arm unfettered for such need.” Whereat he answer made: “When thou didst go Unto the fire, thou hadst it not so ready:
But hadst it so and more when thou wast coining.” The dropsical: “Thou sayest true in that; But thou wast not so true a witness there, Where thou wast questioned of the truth at Troy.” “If I spake false, thou falsifiedst the coin,” Said Sinon; “and for one fault I am here, And thou for more than any other demon.” “Remember, perjurer, about the horse,”
He made reply who had the swollen belly, “And rueful be it thee the whole world knows it.” “Rueful to thee the thirst be wherewith cracks Thy tongue,” the Greek said, “and the putrid water That hedges so thy paunch before thine eyes.” Then the false-coiner: “So is gaping wide Thy mouth for speaking evil, as ’tis wont; Because if I have thirst, and humour stuff me Thou hast the burning and the head that aches, And to lick up the mirror of Narcissus
Thou wouldst not want words many to invite thee.” In listening to them was I wholly fixed, When said the Master to me: “Now just look, For little wants it that I quarrel with thee.” When him I heard in anger speak to me, I turned me round towards him with such shame That still it eddies through my memory. And as he is who dreams of his own harm,
Who dreaming wishes it may be a dream, So that he craves what is, as if it were not; Such I became, not having power to speak, For to excuse myself I wished, and still Excused myself, and did not think I did it. “Less shame doth wash away a greater fault,” The Master said, “than this of thine has been; Therefore thyself disburden of all sadness, And make account that I am aye beside thee, If e’er it come to pass that fortune bring thee Where there are people in a like dispute; For a base wish it is to wish to hear it.”
Inferno: Canto XXXI One and the selfsame tongue first wounded me, So that it tinged the one cheek and the other, And then held out to me the medicine; Thus do I hear that once Achilles’ spear, His and his father’s, used to be the cause
First of a sad and then a gracious boon. We turned our backs upon the wretched valley, Upon the bank that girds it round about, Going across it without any speech. There it was less than night, and less than day, So that my sight went little in advance; But I could hear the blare of a loud horn, So loud it would have made each thunder faint,
Which, counter to it following its way, Mine eyes directed wholly to one place. After the dolorous discomfiture When Charlemagne the holy emprise lost, So terribly Orlando sounded not. Short while my head turned thitherward I held When many lofty towers I seemed to see, Whereat I: “Master, say, what town is this?” And he to me: “Because thou peerest forth
Athwart the darkness at too great a distance, It happens that thou errest in thy fancy. Well shalt thou see, if thou arrivest there, How much the sense deceives itself by distance; Therefore a little faster spur thee on.” Then tenderly he took me by the hand, And said: “Before we farther have advanced, That the reality may seem to thee Less strange, know that these are not towers, but giants, And they are in the well, around the bank, From navel downward, one and all of them.” As, when the fog is vanishing away,
Little by little doth the sight refigure Whate’er the mist that crowds the air conceals, So, piercing through the dense and darksome air, More and more near approaching tow’rd the verge, My error fled, and fear came over me; Because as on its circular parapets Montereggione crowns itself with towers, E’en thus the margin which surrounds the well With one half of their bodies turreted The horrible giants, whom Jove menaces
E’en now from out the heavens when he thunders. And I of one already saw the face, Shoulders, and breast, and great part of the belly, And down along his sides both of the arms. Certainly Nature, when she left the making Of animals like these, did well indeed, By taking such executors from Mars; And if of elephants and whales she doth not Repent her, whosoever looketh subtly More just and more discreet will hold her for it; For where the argument of intellect
Is added unto evil will and power, No rampart can the people make against it. His face appeared to me as long and large As is at Rome the pine-cone of Saint Peter’s, And in proportion were the other bones; So that the margin, which an apron was Down from the middle, showed so much of him
Above it, that to reach up to his hair Three Frieslanders in vain had vaunted them; For I beheld thirty great palms of him Down from the place where man his mantle buckles. “Raphael mai amech izabi almi,” Began to clamour the ferocious mouth, To which were not befitting sweeter psalms. And unto him my Guide: “Soul idiotic, Keep to thy horn, and vent thyself with that, When wrath or other passion touches thee. Search round thy neck, and thou wilt find the belt Which keeps it fastened, O bewildered soul, And see it, where it bars thy mighty breast.” Then said to me: “He doth himself accuse;
This one is Nimrod, by whose evil thought One language in the world is not still used. Here let us leave him and not speak in vain; For even such to him is every language As his to others, which to none is known.” Therefore a longer journey did we make, Turned to the left, and a crossbow-shot oft
We found another far more fierce and large. In binding him, who might the master be I cannot say; but he had pinioned close Behind the right arm, and in front the other, With chains, that held him so begirt about From the neck down, that on the part uncovered
It wound itself as far as the fifth gyre. “This proud one wished to make experiment Of his own power against the Supreme Jove,” My Leader said, “whence he has such a guerdon. Ephialtes is his name; he showed great prowess. What time the giants terrified the gods;
The arms he wielded never more he moves.” And I to him: “If possible, I should wish That of the measureless Briareus These eyes of mine might have experience.” Whence he replied: “Thou shalt behold Antaeus Close by here, who can speak and is unbound, Who at the bottom of all crime shall place us. Much farther yon is he whom thou wouldst see, And he is bound, and fashioned like to this one, Save that he seems in aspect more ferocious.” There never was an earthquake of such might That it could shake a tower so violently,
As Ephialtes suddenly shook himself. Then was I more afraid of death than ever, For nothing more was needful than the fear, If I had not beheld the manacles. Then we proceeded farther in advance, And to Antaeus came, who, full five ells Without the head, forth issued from the cavern. “O thou, who in the valley fortunate, Which Scipio the heir of glory made,
When Hannibal turned back with all his hosts, Once brought’st a thousand lions for thy prey, And who, hadst thou been at the mighty war Among thy brothers, some it seems still think The sons of Earth the victory would have gained: Place us below, nor be disdainful of it, There where the cold doth lock Cocytus up. Make us not go to Tityus nor Typhoeus; This one can give of that which here is longed for; Therefore stoop down, and do not curl thy lip. Still in the world can he restore thy fame;
Because he lives, and still expects long life, If to itself Grace call him not untimely.” So said the Master; and in haste the other His hands extended and took up my Guide,— Hands whose great pressure Hercules once felt. Virgilius, when he felt himself embraced,
Said unto me: “Draw nigh, that I may take thee;” Then of himself and me one bundle made. As seems the Carisenda, to behold Beneath the leaning side, when goes a cloud Above it so that opposite it hangs; Such did Antaeus seem to me, who stood Watching to see him stoop, and then it was I could have wished to go some other way. But lightly in the abyss, which swallows up Judas with Lucifer, he put us down; Nor thus bowed downward made he there delay, But, as a mast does in a ship, uprose.
Inferno: Canto XXXII If I had rhymes both rough and stridulous, As were appropriate to the dismal hole Down upon which thrust all the other rocks, I would press out the juice of my conception More fully; but because I have them not, Not without fear I bring myself to speak; For ’tis no enterprise to take in jest, To sketch the bottom of all the universe, Nor for a tongue that cries Mamma and Babbo. But may those Ladies help this verse of mine,
Who helped Amphion in enclosing Thebes, That from the fact the word be not diverse. O rabble ill-begotten above all, Who’re in the place to speak of which is hard, ’Twere better ye had here been sheep or goats! When we were down within the darksome well, Beneath the giant’s feet, but lower far, And I was scanning still the lofty wall, I heard it said to me: “Look how thou steppest! Take heed thou do not trample with thy feet The heads of the tired, miserable brothers!” Whereat I turned me round, and saw before me
And underfoot a lake, that from the frost The semblance had of glass, and not of water. So thick a veil ne’er made upon its current In winter-time Danube in Austria, Nor there beneath the frigid sky the Don, As there was here; so that if Tambernich Had fallen upon it, or Pietrapana, E’en at the edge ’twould not have given a creak. And as to croak the frog doth place himself
With muzzle out of water,—when is dreaming Of gleaning oftentimes the peasant-girl,— Livid, as far down as where shame appears, Were the disconsolate shades within the ice, Setting their teeth unto the note of storks. Each one his countenance held downward bent; From mouth the cold, from eyes the doleful heart Among them witness of itself procures. When round about me somewhat I had looked,
I downward turned me, and saw two so close, The hair upon their heads together mingled. “Ye who so strain your breasts together, tell me,” I said, “who are you;” and they bent their necks, And when to me their faces they had lifted, Their eyes, which first were only moist within, Gushed o’er the eyelids, and the frost congealed The tears between, and locked them up again. Clamp never bound together wood with wood
So strongly; whereat they, like two he-goats, Butted together, so much wrath o’ercame them. And one, who had by reason of the cold Lost both his ears, still with his visage downward, Said: “Why dost thou so mirror thyself in us? If thou desire to know who these two are, The valley whence Bisenzio descends
Belonged to them and to their father Albert. They from one body came, and all Caina Thou shalt search through, and shalt not find a shade More worthy to be fixed in gelatine; Not he in whom were broken breast and shadow
At one and the same blow by Arthur’s hand; Focaccia not; not he who me encumbers So with his head I see no farther forward, And bore the name of Sassol Mascheroni;
Well knowest thou who he was, if thou art Tuscan. And that thou put me not to further speech, Know that I Camicion de’ Pazzi was, And wait Carlino to exonerate me.” Then I beheld a thousand faces, made Purple with cold; whence o’er me comes a shudder, And evermore will come, at frozen ponds. And while we were advancing tow’rds the middle,
Where everything of weight unites together, And I was shivering in the eternal shade, Whether ’twere will, or destiny, or chance, I know not; but in walking ’mong the heads I struck my foot hard in the face of one. Weeping he growled: “Why dost thou trample me? Unless thou comest to increase the vengeance
of Montaperti, why dost thou molest me?” And I: “My Master, now wait here for me, That I through him may issue from a doubt; Then thou mayst hurry me, as thou shalt wish.” The Leader stopped; and to that one I said Who was blaspheming vehemently still:
“Who art thou, that thus reprehendest others?” “Now who art thou, that goest through Antenora Smiting,” replied he, “other people’s cheeks, So that, if thou wert living, ’twere too much?” “Living I am, and dear to thee it may be,”
Was my response, “if thou demandest fame, That ’mid the other notes thy name I place.” And he to me: “For the reverse I long; Take thyself hence, and give me no more trouble; For ill thou knowest to flatter in this hollow.” Then by the scalp behind I seized upon him, And said: “It must needs be thou name thyself, Or not a hair remain upon thee here.” Whence he to me: “Though thou strip off my hair, I will not tell thee who I am, nor show thee,
If on my head a thousand times thou fall.” I had his hair in hand already twisted, And more than one shock of it had pulled out, He barking, with his eyes held firmly down, When cried another: “What doth ail thee, Bocca? Is’t not enough to clatter with thy jaws, But thou must bark? what devil touches thee?” “Now,” said I, “I care not to have thee speak,
Accursed traitor; for unto thy shame I will report of thee veracious news.” “Begone,” replied he, “and tell what thou wilt, But be not silent, if thou issue hence, Of him who had just now his tongue so prompt; He weepeth here the silver of the French; ‘I saw,’ thus canst thou phrase it, ‘him of Duera There where the sinners stand out in the cold.’ If thou shouldst questioned be who else was there, Thou hast beside thee him of Beccaria,
Of whom the gorget Florence slit asunder; Gianni del Soldanier, I think, may be Yonder with Ganellon, and Tebaldello Who oped Faenza when the people slep.” Already we had gone away from him,
When I beheld two frozen in one hole, So that one head a hood was to the other; And even as bread through hunger is devoured, The uppermost on the other set his teeth, There where the brain is to the nape united. Not in another fashion Tydeus gnawed The temples of Menalippus in disdain, Than that one did the skull and the other things. “O thou, who showest by such bestial sign Thy hatred against him whom thou art eating, Tell me the wherefore,” said I, “with this compact, That if thou rightfully of him complain, In knowing who ye are, and his transgression, I in the world above repay thee for it, If that wherewith I speak be not dried up.”
Inferno: Canto XXXIII His mouth uplifted from his grim repast, That sinner, wiping it upon the hair Of the same head that he behind had wasted. Then he began: “Thou wilt that I renew The desperate grief, which wrings my heart already
To think of only, ere I speak of it; But if my words be seed that may bear fruit Of infamy to the traitor whom I gnaw, Speaking and weeping shalt thou see together. I know not who thou art, nor by what mode Thou hast come down here; but a Florentine
Thou seemest to me truly, when I hear thee. Thou hast to know I was Count Ugolino, And this one was Ruggieri the Archbishop; Now I will tell thee why I am such a neighbour. That, by effect of his malicious thoughts, Trusting in him I was made prisoner, And after put to death, I need not say; But ne’ertheless what thou canst not have heard,
That is to say, how cruel was my death, Hear shalt thou, and shalt know if he has wronged me. A narrow perforation in the mew, Which bears because of me the title of Famine, And in which others still must be locked up, Had shown me through its opening many moons Already, when I dreamed the evil dream
Which of the future rent for me the veil. This one appeared to me as lord and master, Hunting the wolf and whelps upon the mountain For which the Pisans cannot Lucca see. With sleuth-hounds gaunt, and eager, and well trained, Gualandi with Sismondi and Lanfianchi He had sent out before him to the front. After brief course seemed unto me forespent
The father and the sons, and with sharp tushes It seemed to me I saw their flanks ripped open. When I before the morrow was awake, Moaning amid their sleep I heard my sons Who with me were, and asking after bread. Cruel indeed art thou, if yet thou grieve not, Thinking of what my heart foreboded me, And weep’st thou not, what art thou wont to weep at? They were awake now, and the hour drew nigh
At which our food used to be brought to us, And through his dream was each one apprehensive; And I heard locking up the under door Of the horrible tower; whereat without a word I gazed into the faces of my sons. I wept not, I within so turned to stone;
They wept; and darling little Anselm mine Said: ‘Thou dost gaze so, father, what doth ail thee?’ Still not a tear I shed, nor answer made All of that day, nor yet the night thereafter, Until another sun rose on the world. As now a little glimmer made its way Into the dolorous prison, and I saw Upon four faces my own very aspect, Both of my hands in agony I bit; And, thinking that I did it from desire Of eating, on a sudden they uprose, And said they: ‘Father, much less pain ’twill give us If thou do eat of us; thyself didst clothe us With this poor flesh, and do thou strip it off.’ I calmed me then, not to make them more sad.
That day we all were silent, and the next. Ah! obdurate earth, wherefore didst thou not open? When we had come unto the fourth day, Gaddo Threw himself down outstretched before my feet, Saying, ‘My father, why dost thou not help me?’ And there he died; and, as thou seest me,
I saw the three fall, one by one, between The fifth day and the sixth; whence I betook me, Already blind, to groping over each, And three days called them after they were dead; Then hunger did what sorrow could not do.” When he had said this, with his eyes distorted, The wretched skull resumed he with his teeth,
Which, as a dog’s, upon the bone were strong. Ah! Pisa, thou opprobrium of the people Of the fair land there where the ‘Si’ doth sound, Since slow to punish thee thy neighbours are, Let the Capraia and Gorgona move, And make a hedge across the mouth of Arno That every person in thee it may drown! For if Count Ugolino had the fame Of having in thy castles thee betrayed, Thou shouldst not on such cross have put his sons. Guiltless of any crime, thou modern Thebes! Their youth made Uguccione and Brigata,
And the other two my song doth name above! We passed still farther onward, where the ice Another people ruggedly enswathes, Not downward turned, but all of them reversed. Weeping itself there does not let them weep, And grief that finds a barrier in the eyes Turns itself inward to increase the anguish; Because the earliest tears a cluster form, And, in the manner of a crystal visor,
Fill all the cup beneath the eyebrow full. And notwithstanding that, as in a callus, Because of cold all sensibility Its station had abandoned in my face, Still it appeared to me I felt some wind; Whence I: “My Master, who sets this in motion? Is not below here every vapour quenched?” Whence he to me: “Full soon shalt thou be where Thine eye shall answer make to thee of this,
Seeing the cause which raineth down the blast.” And one of the wretches of the frozen crust Cried out to us: “O souls so merciless That the last post is given unto you, Lift from mine eyes the rigid veils, that I May vent the sorrow which impregns my heart A little, e’er the weeping recongeal.” Whence I to him: “If thou wouldst have me help thee
Say who thou wast; and if I free thee not, May I go to the bottom of the ice.” Then he replied: “I am Friar Alberigo; He am I of the fruit of the bad garden, Who here a date am getting for my fig.” “O,” said I to him, “now art thou, too, dead?” And he to me: “How may my body fare Up in the world, no knowledge I possess. Such an advantage has this Ptolomaea,
That oftentimes the soul descendeth here Sooner than Atropos in motion sets it. And, that thou mayest more willingly remove From off my countenance these glassy tears, Know that as soon as any soul betrays As I have done, his body by a demon
Is taken from him, who thereafter rules it, Until his time has wholly been revolved. Itself down rushes into such a cistern; And still perchance above appears the body Of yonder shade, that winters here behind me. This thou shouldst know, if thou hast just come down; It is Ser Branca d’ Oria, and many years Have passed away since he was thus locked up.” “I think,” said I to him, “thou dost deceive me; For Branca d’ Oria is not dead as yet,
And eats, and drinks, and sleeps, and puts on clothes.” “In moat above,” said he, “of Malebranche, There where is boiling the tenacious pitch, As yet had Michel Zanche not arrived, When this one left a devil in his stead In his own body and one near of kin, Who made together with him the betrayal. But hitherward stretch out thy hand forthwith, Open mine eyes;”—and open them I did not,
And to be rude to him was courtesy. Ah, Genoese! ye men at variance With every virtue, full of every vice Wherefore are ye not scattered from the world? For with the vilest spirit of Romagna I found of you one such, who for his deeds In soul already in Cocytus bathes, And still above in body seems alive!
Inferno: Canto XXXIV “‘Vexilla Regis prodeunt Inferni’ Towards us; therefore look in front of thee,” My Master said, “if thou discernest him.” As, when there breathes a heavy fog, or when Our hemisphere is darkening into night,
Appears far off a mill the wind is turning, Methought that such a building then I saw; And, for the wind, I drew myself behind �� My Guide, because there was no other shelter. Now was I, and with fear in verse I put it, There where the shades were wholly covered up, And glimmered through like unto straws in glass. Some prone are lying, others stand erect,
This with the head, and that one with the soles; Another, bow-like, face to feet inverts. When in advance so far we had proceeded, That it my Master pleased to show to me The creature who once had the beauteous semblance, He from before me moved and made me stop, Saying: “Behold Dis, and behold the place
Where thou with fortitude must arm thyself.” How frozen I became and powerless then,
Ask it not, Reader, for I write it not, Because all language would be insufficient. I did not die, and I alive remained not; Think for thyself now, hast thou aught of wit, What I became, being of both deprived. The Emperor of the kingdom dolorous From his mid-breast forth issued from the ice; And better with a giant I compare Than do the giants with those arms of his;
Consider now how great must be that whole, Which unto such a part conforms itself. Were he as fair once, as he now is foul, And lifted up his brow against his Maker, Well may proceed from him all tribulation. O, what a marvel it appeared to me, When I beheld three faces on his head! The one in front, and that vermilion was; Two were the others, that were joined with this Above the middle part of either shoulder,
And they were joined together at the crest; And the right-hand one seemed ’twixt white and yellow; The left was such to look upon as those Who come from where the Nile falls valley-ward. Underneath each came forth two mighty wings, Such as befitting were so great a bird;
Sails of the sea I never saw so large. No feathers had they, but as of a bat Their fashion was; and he was waving them, So that three winds proceeded forth therefrom. Thereby Cocytus wholly was congealed.
With six eyes did he weep, and down three chins Trickled the tear-drops and the bloody drivel. At every mouth he with his teeth was crunching A sinner, in the manner of a brake, So that he three of them tormented thus. To him in front the biting was as naught Unto the clawing, for sometimes the spine
Utterly stripped of all the skin remained. “That soul up there which has the greatest pain,” The Master said, “is Judas Iscariot; With head inside, he plies his legs without. Of the two others, who head downward are, The one who hangs from the black jowl is Brutus; See how he writhes himself, and speaks no word. And the other, who so stalwart seems, is Cassius.
But night is reascending, and ’tis time That we depart, for we have seen the whole.” As seemed him good, I clasped him round the neck, And he the vantage seized of time and place, And when the wings were opened wide apart, He laid fast hold upon the shaggy sides; From fell to fell descended downward then Between the thick hair and the frozen crust. When we were come to where the thigh revolves Exactly on the thickness of the haunch,
The Guide, with labour and with hard-drawn breath, Turned round his head where he had had his legs, And grappled to the hair, as one who mounts, So that to Hell I thought we were returning. “Keep fast thy hold, for by such stairs as these,” The Master said, panting as one fatigued, “Must we perforce depart from so much evil.” Then through the opening of a rock he issued, And down upon the margin seated me;
Then tow’rds me he outstretched his wary step. I lifted up mine eyes and thought to see Lucifer in the same way I had left him; And I beheld him upward hold his legs. And if I then became disquieted, Let stolid people think who do not see What the point is beyond which I had passed. “Rise up,” the Master said, “upon thy feet; The way is long, and difficult the road, And now the sun to middle-tierce returns.” It was not any palace corridor There where we were, but dungeon natural, With floor uneven and unease of light. “Ere from the abyss I tear myself away,
My Master,” said I when I had arisen, “To draw me from an error speak a little; Where is the ice? and how is this one fixed Thus upside down? and how in such short time From eve to morn has the sun made his transit?” And he to me: “Thou still imaginest Thou art beyond the centre, where I grasped
The hair of the fell worm, who mines the world. That side thou wast, so long as I descended; When round I turned me, thou didst pass the point To which things heavy draw from every side, And now beneath the hemisphere art come Opposite that which overhangs the vast Dry-land, and ’neath whose cope was put to death The Man who without sin was born and lived.
Thou hast thy feet upon the little sphere Which makes the other face of the Judecca. Here it is morn when it is evening there; And he who with his hair a stairway made us Still fixed remaineth as he was before. Upon this side he fell down out of heaven; And all the land, that whilom here emerged, For fear of him made of the sea a veil, And came to our hemisphere; and peradventure To flee from him, what on this side appears
Left the place vacant here, and back recoiled.” A place there is below, from Beelzebub As far receding as the tomb extends, Which not by sight is known, but by the sound Of a small rivulet, that there descendeth Through chasm within the stone, which it has gnawed With course that winds about and slightly falls. The Guide and I into that hidden road
Now entered, to return to the bright world; And without care of having any rest We mounted up, he first and I the second, Till I beheld through a round aperture Some of the beauteous things that Heaven doth bear; Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars.
15 notes
·
View notes
Note
pls share your oscars takes
… oh boy.
To be honest, most of my takes/opinions on this years awards can be boiled down to the fact that I believe the Academy gave the awards not to the best performances in each category but rather as a reward for legacy/to fit a narrative.
I’m going to get the take that’s most likely to bring me hate out there first: Best Actor. I want to just make it clear that I love Brendan Fraser and I’m so happy for him because what happened to him was awful. But I don’t think he was the best actor in that category, I don’t think The Whale was the film he should have won an award for, and I do believe he won the award not for what I’m certain was a good performance but because it fit the narrative of his comeback and the Academy knew people were wanting him to win for that reason alone.
Personally, and here is my controversial take, I do think Austin Butler should have won - and I’m not some in love fangirl of either him or Elvis, that’s just how I feel. If you watch clips of the real Elvis performing alongside Austin’s performance… it’s actually scary how accurate his movements/mannerisms are, down to the second. Yeah yeah, the voice and the fact he’s still doing it is funny, but I truly do think he was the standout of the film and the main reason it worked - honestly I’m a huge Baz Luhrmann fan but this film hinged on whoever was playing Elvis Presley, and if the actor playing Elvis was wrong then the film would have never worked.
The other acting Oscar I have a take on is the supporting actress one… listen, I adore Jamie Lee Curtis. She’s an icon, a legend, a Queen. But I do not think she was the best nominee in that category, and it felt more like she was being awarded just because of her history as an actress than for her performance she was nominated for. I haven’t seen the film (EEAAT?) but from what I’ve heard she wasn’t even the best nominee from that film in that category. I’m being serious when I say I rooted for Angela Bassett - people seem to scoff and ignore performances from superhero movies but her performance was astounding, I remember seeing that scene in the cinema from Wakanda Forever and everyone being dead silent, the awe in the cinema screening.
So, to sum the above up: I do think the Academy gives some awards based not who was the best in the category but on fitting a certain narrative or even to prove a point.
I think the Oscars used to actually mean something, but nowadays... to me, it just seems like an outdated award show that for some reason is viewed as above and beyond all the other institutions that give out awards, and often times it feels like they don't actually consider most films apart from biographical ones, ones that are clearly Oscar bait (like The Whale is), and dramas.
For example, let’s be honest, with the rare few exceptions, the Academy doesn’t take fantasy/sci fi/horror seriously at all, especially for the acting categories. Even the Lord of the Rings series, which was very awarded, suffered somewhat; the final LOTR film in 2003/2004 won all eleven Oscars it was nominated for (as is right and proper) but there was apparently shock when the nominations were announced and the only categories it wasn’t nominated for were acting ones. Like… seriously? You’re telling me Sean Astin didn’t deserve even just a nomination for the way he cried over Frodo’s lifeless body, for “I can’t carry it but I can carry you!”, for putting on weight even though he’d worked hard to lose it and his co-stars didn’t have to (I’ve heard Dominic had padding to make him look a little more rotund since he used to be so lanky, not sure if that’s true)?
Horror suffers a lot too because people don’t take it seriously and, to my knowledge, rarely gets nominated or recognised; I remember watching Midsommar and wondering why the fuck Florence Pugh didn’t get nominated for that because her performance - the sobbing brokenly at her family’s deaths, the unsettled facial expressions that are tinged with her being taken in by the cult, etc. I’ve seen a number of heartbreaking or genuinely unsettling performances by actors in horror films that are masterfully done and deserve recognition but don’t get it because of the dismissive-ness towards the genre.
I also think actors using motion capture etc are not given the respect they deserve for their performances by the Academy. Like Andy Serkis… that man spent years crawling around the floor in various suits to bring us Gollum and is a master of performing mocap. Any actor who is able to deliver an amazing performance whilst in a motion capture suit deserves a great deal of praise because they’re literally using their imagination for 97% of their performance. For example, the Avatar movies: I’m honestly astounded whenever I see BTS for either film of the actors because they’re literally in studios in silly suits and cameras attached to helmets pretending there’s other blue aliens or various creatures or environments they’re looking at/interacting with. Performances delivered in motion capture are just as valid and deserving as any other performance.
I think the Academy also has an unfortunate habit of choosing Disney to always win Best Animated Feature - which thankfully was not the case this year, I haven’t seen Del Toro’s Pinocchio though I absolutely want to, but frankly 96% of the time when there’s a Disney film nominated they’ll just choose it because it’s Disney (*cough*Toy Story 4*coughcough*).
Anyway, I kind of went off on a tangent there but still.
4 notes
·
View notes
Text
Damian If He Hosted A Game Show
GameShowHost!Damian would absolutely adore you. He absolutely enjoys how there's absolutely not a single thought behind your eyes. He could literally be nonchalantly pulling up your clothes and you would be too dumb or preoccupied to notice him doing it. Would definitely make you wear provocative clothes all under the pretense of how it would be good for the viewer ratings and that this is just the policy of the company. Now get your ass in those tight little outfits before he explodes due to anticipation.
GameShowHost!Damian likes how you are basically almost always dolled and glammed up no matter the time of day. He’d definitely feed into your shopaholic habits if you had any and would only allow you to get the skimpiest of clothes. There is probably a one hundred percent chance of you getting every single question wrong on the quizzes so he has to alter your answers for you.
GameShowHost!Damian: “Okay bunny, what does blue and red make?”
You: “Uhhhhhh orange?”
GameShowHost!Damian: “..... what's that you say? Purple? Why, that’s correct!!!”
You: “No I said–”
GameShowHost!Damian: “Yep and I heard you say purple!!!!”
Other Contestants: *Side-eyeing him*
Viewers: *Too stunned to speak*
GameShowHost!Damian is shoving his tongue down your throat the fastest chance he gets. He would find every excuse to take his horniness out on you. If you ever tell him that you want to pay him back for all he’s done for you, he’s immediately whipping his cock out, no questions asked. Just put those glossy lips right on there and all of your debt is immediately forgiven. He definitely makes sure to emphasize how sexually frustrated he is and how he would just loveeee it if someone were to give him the best sloppy toppy ever. Tries to convince you that if you don’t do it he might actually die and because you’re dumb, you totally believe him.
GameShowHost!Damian enjoys how easily distracted you get and how you have a hard time focusing on multiple things at once. If you ever tried to escape from him all he has to do is talk about how female hyenas have penises and you’d immediately forget what you were about to do. If he ever needed to fall asleep all he'd have to do is talk about the fall of Rome and you’d be out like a light.
GameShowHost!Damian takes advantage of how you never fully process the dangerous situations you put yourself in. For example when it comes to the sleeping arrangement, contestants are put strictly in one room to be monitored 24/7 but you’d probably complain how you don’t want to sleep in a room with so many people in it. Damian would happily decide to offer for you to sleep with him in his bed which you would readily agree to. Next thing you know you’re stuck in bed with a creep who’s busy fondling you to sleep properly. He’d probably try to make this a regular thing and just force you to stay there every night from then on there.
—
You: “It was so nice of you to let me sleep in your bed that was so nice of you. It’s really weird though, you have such a big house but only one bedroom with one bed. You should probably start decorating your house better.”
GameShowHost!Damian: “Yeah silly me I should really do better.”
You: “Wait a sec–” Notices how there's a piece of underwear that you lost a week ago peeking out of his drawer. “OH MY GOSH YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE!! YOU NOTICED HOW MY UNDERWEAR HAS GONE MISSING SO YOU GOT ME NEW PAIRS!!! HOW THOUGHTFUL OF YOU!!!”GameShowHost!Damian: *astounded that anyone could be that dumb*. “... Yeah I noticed that too. You might not want to touch those though. They’re a little dirty because I haven’t washed them yet and accidentally spilled something on them yesterday–”
0 notes
Text
“When she won the first national spelling bee, Marie C. Bolden dealt a blow to racism,” writes Bill Chappell for NPR.
Held in Cleveland, OH, in 1908, the first spelling bee featured teams from across the U.S., some integrated, some not.
Marie C. Bolden, Courtesy the Brown Family
“If you haven't heard about the Black girl who won the first national spelling bee in the U.S. 115 years ago, you're not alone: even many in her family didn't know about Marie C. Bolden's feat until after she died, decades later.
‘It's astounding to me’ that she never talked about winning a gold medal in front of thousands of people, Bolden's grandson, Mark Brown, told NPR...
It was only after Bolden died that her family realized her place in history. Going through a box of her belongings, Brown says, they found a newspaper clipping from The Plain Dealer relating the story of the Black mail carrier's daughter who out-spelled hundreds of white kids.”
While many applauded, some were upset that their white children had been outdone: “...furious members of the school board of New Orleans voted to censure its superintendent, Warren Easton...’we deeply deplore and regret the unfortunate occurrence at Cleveland and the pitting of our children against a Negro.’”
Full story
0 notes
Text
9/16/2022 DAB Transcript
Isaiah 22:1-24:23, Galatians 2:17-3:9, Psalm 60:1-12, Proverbs 23:15-16
Today is the 16th day of September, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and here we are, in the middle of another one of our months, seems like we get to a brand-new, shiny, sparkly month, we step into it, we take a few days to move into it and all the sudden we’re halfway through it. And so, here we are, crossing through the center of another month. I guess we’re a little bit past the center of another month. But here we are. And it is fantastic to be around the Global Campfire together with you today. Our next step forward leads us back into the book of Isaiah, we’re reading from the New International Version this week, and today, Isaiah chapters 22, 23 and 24.
Commentary:
Okay so, in the letter to the Galatians today, Paul is laying out what has become foundational doctrine in the Christian faith. And a lot of what we read today, should at least echo familiar, like, we kind of heard this before, even if we haven’t read the Bible before, because so much of this is in the letter to the Romans. But as we continue the Jew, Gentile controversy that existed in the early church and what Paul is saying to Jewish people, which is that you believe in Jesus the law has been fulfilled, you don't have anything to live up to, your faith, you are justified by your faith. And an unpacking that, we find one of the most famous New Testament passages in the Bible. I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives within me. And it's no wonder that that is one of the most famous passages in the New Testament, because in one sentence it encapsulates our reality. This is a sentence that Paul uses to describe how the law is not a way to be justified before God. Rather faith is a way to be justified before God. If you've been crucified and you no longer live, you’re dead. And as Paul unpacked in the letter to the Romans, a person who's dead, is not bound by any laws anymore and he used marriage as…as the illustration in the letter to the Romans. If a woman is married and she is bound by covenant by the law to her husband, if her husband dies, she is no longer bound by that covenant or law because her husband is no longer living. She is free from the law and her freedom allows her to fall in love and remarry if that's what she should chooses to do and there will be nothing wrong with that, that wouldn't be adultery in any sort of way. She is no longer bound to the law, her husband’s died. Paul is saying, I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, it's Christ who lives in me, right. So, Paul can't live up to the law, but Paul died and is no longer bound by the law, Paul has been resurrected in a spiritual sense, and it is no longer Paul who is alive, it is Christ animating that life, and Christ has fulfilled the law. And so, that is a theological understanding, but the implications are astounding. Like, we could really spend the day or the rest of our lives thinking about the fact that, who we were, actually ended and who we are is a new creature, Christ animates our lives. So, Paul concludes that he died to the law so that he could actually live for God. Or to put it back in Paul's own words in its context “for through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing.” 2000 years later with believers in Jesus all over the world, this doesn't seem controversy or subversive or anything like that. But when Paul is saying these things, they are definitely provocative at minimum and in the view of many of Paul's fellow Pharisees heretical and worthy of death because Paul isn't saying that the law has no purpose, and it should be burned and done away with. But he is saying that the law will not get you justified before God. This is fundamental and foundational in the Hebrew context. So, Paul is saying provocative things, at minimum, Paul invites the Galatians just to think this through. Think about it, and I quote Paul here, “I'd like to learn just one thing from you, did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard.” Right, so, Paul’s saying like, here's the theological framework, but let me just ask you about your experience. He’s trying to tell them like, look, the Holy Spirit is upon you, did that that happen because you perfectly obeyed the law, or because you believed in Jesus? And this becomes important to us, actually, because even though we have freedom in Christ, and that would be understood throughout the church. We have all kinds of rules, all kinds of things that we’re trying to adhere to, and we think that if we do it well, we set ourselves up for blessing from God. That maybe our good efforts can't save us, but there's all kinds of stuff we should do to do this right and that's true, like there's nothing wrong with obeying what the Bible tells us the posture of our heart should be. But if we look into our own heart and if we just take a gander scrolling through social media, we have a lot of opinions about who's doing it wrong, and we attach all kinds of labels to that sort of thing. When in fact we have nothing to say about anyone else. We don't have any authority over that person's soul, only Jesus can save them and only Jesus can save us and only the Holy Spirit can lead us into all truth. Our job is to remember who we are. We have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer we who live, it is Christ who lives with us, and we submit and humble ourselves to that reality by recognizing that we live each day as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable. So, in many ways, as we read through Galatians, we’re covering territory that Paul has covered in Romans but we’re gonna continue through the letters of Paul and many of these things can be review, but there is no harm in us reviewing the fundamentals of the reality that we believe in, because if we examine our lives, we can know this to be true theologically or even intellectually, but are we living this truth? Is this how we live because it's our reality or is it a bit of information that we agree with, but we live a totally different way? Some good things to think about today.
Prayer:
And so, Holy Spirit, we invite You into that, are we trying to obey an unwritten law, are we trying to create a law that will govern our culture, are we trying to live up to something that we could never live up to in the first place, or are we recognizing that every day we live is a day of faith and the reality that we have been made new? Are we really living like we've been made new? Or like the ancient Hebrew people, are we living on the law that we can never live up to? So, we will never be made new, and we will never be righteous, because really the way that we view we are, changes everything about how we live. May this sink deep, deep into our hearts, may this sink down right to where our identity lives. We are Your people. We have faith in what You are telling us. This changes our identity; may we live like it. We ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Announcements:
dailyaudiobible.com that is home base, it is where you can find out what is going on around here and that's good to know. And the Daily Audio Bible app is also available, that can be downloaded free from whatever app store you use, for the device that you have, just search for Daily Audio Bible and that will let you browse around from within the app as well. So, check that out. The different sections, like the Community Section, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop. There are a number of categories or departments there with different resources that are here for the community and that are here for the journey through the Bible in a year. And so, check out the Daily Audio Bible Shop.
If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible. First of all, humble gratitude. Thank you, humbly, deeply, truly, we couldn't do this, we wouldn’t have been doing this for these years, if we didn't do this together and so thank you, deeply for your partnership. There is a link on the homepage at dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner, or the mailing address is P.O. Box 1996 Springhill, Tennessee 37174.
And as always, if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, or you can dial 877-942-4253.
And that's it for today, I'm Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Good morning, DAB family. This is Joyous Janice here. It’s been a long while since I’ve called in. Thank you all who have prayed for me over the last two years since I lost my husband. I had asked prayers, that the Lord would restore my joy. And I have a praise report. He is doing it as I speak. I was praying Jeremiah 31:3-4 over myself. I have loved you with an everlasting love. Crowned you with unfailing kindness. I will build you up again and you will be rebuilt. Again, you will take up your tambourines and go out and dance with the joyful. Most recently He has restored my joy indeed and He did stick by me the whole, through all of this time. I can feel the joy of the Lord bursting from my heart. And I am finally able to pick up my ukulele and not my timbrels and sing joyful songs. I just love all of you who prayed for you, for me and I just praise the Lord for the work He continues to do in my life. And I pray for those of you out there who are going through that valley. That he will rebuild you and help you to go out and dance with the joyful. Praise God.
Hey beautiful DAB family, this is Coffee Bean. I used to call in as Missy from the Midwest but I’m now adopting the name Coffee Bean. And the reason for that is a dear prayer warrior friend of mine, sent me something that I just fell in love with, via text, last week. She said, we have three responses that we can have when difficulties come, and if we liken that to boiling water our response can be like that of a carrot where we become soft, and the world affects us and gets inside. The other is we can be like an egg, become hard, hard towards other in the world, others in the world. And our response is just hardness. Or we can be like a Coffee Bean when hot water, boiling water is poured over it, where we make everything better. We enhance that around us. We bring flavor, we bring life, we bring energy. So, I love that, so I’m Coffee Bean and I also love coffee, so it’s very fitting. The reason, the main reason for my call today is to lift up my dear friend Heather. Heather has a 23-year-old son, Henry, who just discovered purely, kind of by accident, that he has testicular cancer. He had surgery and their waiting on pathology reports and what treatment will be from there. But tumor markers look high so, she’s extremely concerned. Please lift up this wonderful Christian family. And that the correct procedures would be done, and they would be directed to the correct doctors. Thanks, love you all.
Hi family, this is Maurice from Florida. And I’m calling to request prayers from each and every one of you, if possible. I have recently taken myself to the Lord cause it seems as if everything is just, I’m in and out of the hospital with high blood pressure. On top of flu, influenza, this COVID, it’s one thing after the other and I can’t get the Lord’s help. Pray, I’m living in society and just need prayers. I’m praying every day that I could show you all the prayers I can get. Thank you, family, I bless each and every one of you and I pray for all of you all the time. God bless, each and every one of you.
Dear DAB family, this is your sister Ashley from California. And I am so grateful for this community. When others call in reaching out for help, there are times when it fits right for my heart too. And I am so grateful for the fact that the word is the lamp unto my feet and that God promises to lead the way. And I’m calling today because like Paul, in Romans 7 said, the other day I did something I hate towards my sister. And I didn’t do what I wanted to. And right now, I need the Holy Spirit, I’m in desperate need for the Lord to super naturally step in and help. Because it’s only through Him that things can be made right. Please pray for that reconciliation but I would be put to apologize and that there would be forgiveness but also like, understanding of wisdom to rebuild trust and that we could, we could work on that. And I could just use some encouragement family. Alright, I hope you guys have a great day. Thank you, this is your sister Ashley from California. Thank you, guys, bye.
Hello DAB family, this is Bubba D back in Tennessee, praying today, August 13th for the lady who shared about her ex-husband and two kids. Lord God, we ask that You would bless this woman, give her wisdom, give her strength to see what’s the best decision, how to do right by her kids. Give her your revelation Father. We pray that the enemy would not have dominion over her mind and the blame that it’s all her fault or the kids taking the blame that it’s their fault. We know that’s not the truth. And yet Lord, that’s what the enemy does with our heart and our soul, and they conflict with any separation, there’s this guilt and shame and hopelessness that the enemy’s trying to get set in to distort God’s image. Father, I pray for this lady and the kids, her ex-husband. Lord God, would you deal with that? Would you give them Your encouragement? For all the prayers on this podcast and all the friends that she has in her life, Father. Bless them, help them see that they’re loved, that they’re cherished by You and that You’re right there with them. Thank You Abbah, in Your precious son Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. God bless everyone and thanks Brian for the podcast. I’ve been listening for about three years now. It’s been an amazing blessing in my life. Peace.
0 notes
Text
it’s astounding to see how many people who aren’t victims from sexual and/or domestic abuse talk about the depp/heard trial like it’s pure entertainment. glad dehumanising us makes your day so much better - it’s not like we haven’t been through that yet right lol.
0 notes
Text
light || ayato kamisato x reader
summary: you become ayato's assistant
warning: none
chapters: i , ii
iii - light
It took your project a few months.
You were able to meet a lot of distinguished people, some more interesting than the next, and you were able to see so many sights that you never thought you would in your entire life. From the beautiful icy Snezhnaya to the deserts of Sumeru, you were left astounded by all that was outside Inazuma.
It has been so long since Inazuma opened its borders and now that the decree has been abolished, you took the chance to explore the world with Ayato.
The entire trip was supposed to be for business but to your surprise, Ayato made it seem like a vacation. He took you out to eat in the most famous restaurants in the particular nation, sometimes it would even be free because you would be the nation's guests, and he bought you little presents and trinkets to serve as memories of the journey you've had. He took you on long walks, admiring the scenery and talking about life. It would surprise you more that you'd be called for meetings and conferences with how rare they were.
And of course, all good things must come to an end.
It was a long journey home, you thought as you laid down your bed. You enjoyed the Crux, learning so much from Captain Beidou, but coming back to Inazuma was something else. It was like a piece of yourself returned.
Ayato gave you a week-long off, he said it was because you must've been so tired of seeing his face for months that a break would be nice. You laughed it off but accepted the break. He'll work under Ayaka's supervision while you're away and you told him to focus on his work even without you.
"How was it, Y/N?" Thoma dropped by your house the next morning, a few rolls of cloth hanging by his arm. He hasn't seen you for months and you missed him!
"It was so much fun and I think we did a pretty good job. I got to see Mondstadt too!" You told him, remembering that Thoma came from there. "Did you get the dandelion wine that Ayato asked to be shipped here?"
"I did! Thank you! Reminded me of home." Thoma grinned, "I'm glad you had fun, Y/N. Well anyway, I have to go. We still have things to do. The Kamisato estate is being prepared for the Naganohara Fireworks Show." He gestured at the cloth in his hands.
"Oh, so that's what its for." You nodded in understanding, "This is the first time I've heard of the Kamisato preparing for this event."
Thoma nodded as you followed him out of your house, "Yes but since the decree is over, Lady Ayaka thought it would be nice to have the entire estate look festive for everybody. We'll also have flowers delivered from Liyue too. Those glaze lilies."
"Oh! That's great!" You loved the lilies when you saw them blooming. They looked so magical, especially since they only bloomed at night. "I'm sure Lady Ayaka would love them."
Thoma grinned, "I'm sure. Anyway, come over on that night, we'll have a big feast!"
"Alright!" You told him, waving before he left. You stretched your arms, taking note of the fireworks event. It wouldn't be for a few days so you had time to prepare for it.
The next day, you came across Yoimiya who was checking the request slips in her hands. "Oh hey Y/N! I haven't seen you for a while! How was the trip?" She greeted you, shoving the numerous slips in her bag.
You laughed as some of the paper slips flew away, you and Yoimiya ran after them before you got the chance to answer, "It was so much fun. Do you have a lot of firework requests for this year's fireworks show?"
Yoimiya nodded with a large grin, her energy radiating off her bright smile, "I do! I can't wait to show everyone the surprise I have for this year! That reminds me! I have to go check on- I'll have to go, Y/N, alright? Enjoy the fireworks show!" Then she ran off.
You giggled, knowing how busy Yoimiya was during this time. She was deeply passionate about her craft and was often very proud about it - she had all the reasons in the world to be!
You saw Sayu next, sitting by the Amenoma Smithy. Her head was bobbing, as though she was drifting off to sleep but is trying not to. You met Sayu not long after you started working for the Yashiro Commission, you had to be acquainted with the Shuumatsuban since you were directly working for Ayato.
"Sayu?"
"Ah! No- oh! It's you" Sayu sat back down, realizing you were not the shrine maiden. She stretched and yawned again, "Don't scare me like that."
You crouched down, "What are you doing here?"
"Mmm," Sayu rubbed her eyes with a clenched fist, "Mission. I have to fetch-," She let out another yawn again, "A special package."
"Oh, Ayato's sword needs some sharpening huh?" You guessed, remembering that it has been a while since he had his sword brought over. "Alright, I'll leave you to it. Just make sure the shrine maiden doesn't catch you!"
You spent the remaining time catching up with your friends, and you didn't bother Ayato too much. He must have a lot of work to do. You almost ended your break just to help but he was adamant that you rest up. He expected the next few months to be hectic, especially since the first part of the plan is over. Soon enough, invites will be sent out to all the nations and you will have your hands full.
You agreed and let him have his way.
It was nearly dark when you made your way to the Kamisato estate. The gates were open, people (most were staff and guards) were having drinks and food, and, you noted, the entire building is decorated with the same dark blue cloth you saw Thoma carrying.
"Y/N, hello." Lady Ayaka walked towards you, dressed in a beautiful kimono that she saved for special occasions. "I hope you like what we did to the estate. I thought it would be nice to open our doors for Inazuma, we are, after all, on very high grounds. It would be perfect to view the fireworks here. I had Yoimiya set up a few fireworks around the place. I sure hope you like what I have planned."
"I'm sure I will, Lady Ayaka." You nodded happily, excited to be able to experience it.
"Oh yes, my brother, he is waiting for you in your usual spot." Ayaka winked from behind her fan. "Come back when all is over, we'll celebrate with more food and drinks."
"Alright Lady Ayaka, I'll see you later." You walked out and up to the higher grounds that surrounded the estate. Ayato was sitting under the same tree you first found him in, it made you very nostalgic as you approached.
"Y/N, this is quite serendipitous." He lifted his head from the tree bark and patted the space beside him. He was using a blanket made out from the same cloth the entire estate was decorated with. "I remember when I first saw you here, you were so beautiful that day."
You settled beside him and leaned on his form, "And you were too."
"Beautiful?" He smiled in amusement.
"Yes, you're beautiful." You nodded, resigning to the fact that your boyfriend would be more beautiful than you would ever hope to be.
"Mmm, I would not contest to that." He chuckled, nodding at the fact you presented. From behind him, Ayato offered you a bouquet of glaze lilies, you accepted them happily, "But you my love, you brighten up my whole world. You are my sun." Ayato wrapped his arms around you, and you put the bouquet on your side so he would be free to cuddle as much as he wanted, "My lovely sun who extinguished all that is dark in my world."
"Thank you." He whispered, "For showing me that there is more to life than my responsibilities, that I am destined to a life more than what is expected of me, and for allowing me to rest in times that even I won't admit that I needed them."
You sighed, practically contented in his arms, "You just needed a reminder, Ayato."
"And you were always the best one."
The fireworks show started, spilling a million colors in the dark sky. You smiled wide, seeing Yoimiya's artwork come to life right before your eyes. Ayato let you go and you both stood up, watching the sky. You felt so close to the fireworks that you could almost touch them, it was surreal.
There were sakura blossoms, tanuki, and various other shapes in Yoimiya's show.
"Look Ayato, that looks like the red string you tied on my finger when we were in-,"
You turned your body, about to show your boyfriend what you were seeing when you found him on one knee, offering you the most beautiful ring in the world.
"My light, my love, will you marry me?"
this chapter is dedicated to @nevermoresworld . thank you for the inspiration!
300 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
matsmurdock
devil's back
aly-san
Mégane à trois
artdesignvc
Untitled
riessene
RIESSENE
stayforya
the cause of my euphoria