1. the minotaur and the centaurs
we drew near the swift creatures. chiron took an arrow and pushed back his beard from his face with the notched flight. when he had uncovered his huge mouth, he said to his companions: 'have you noticed that the one behind moves whatever he touches? the feet of dead men do not usually do so.'
2. the harpies and capaneus
then my guide spoke, with a force i had not heard before: 'o capaneus, you are punished more in that your pride is not quenched: no torment would produce pain fitting for your fury, except your own raving.'
3. the old man of crete and geryon
and he to me: 'you know the place is circular, and though you have come far, always to the left, descending to the depths, you have not yet turned through a complete round, so that if anything new appears to us, it should not bring an expression of wonder to your face.'
4. descending on geryon's back
as the falcon that has been long on the wing descends wearily, without seeing bird or lure, making the falconer cry: 'ah, you stoop!' and settles far from his master disdainful and sullen, so geryon set us down, at the base, close to the foot of the fractured rock and, relieved of our weight, shot off like an arrow from the bow.
5. jason and the demons
the demons rushed from below the bridge and turned their weapons against him with the storm and fury with which a dog rushes at a poor beggar who suddenly seeks alms when he stops. but virgil cried: 'none of you commit an outrage. before you touch me with your forks, one of you come over here, to listen and then discuss whether you will grapple me.'
6. caiaphas
i stood still and saw two spirits who were eager in mind to join me, but their burden and the narrow path delayed them. when they arrived, they eyed me askance for a long time, without speaking a word; then they turned to one another and said: 'this one seems alive by the movement of his throat, and if they are dead, by what grace are they moving free of the heavy cloaks?'
7. ulysses and diomede
i said: 'master, i beg you greatly and beg again so that my prayers may be a thousand, if those inside the fires can speak, do not refuse my waiting until the horned flame comes here: you see how i lean towards it with desire.'
8. the giants
no huge earthquake ever shook a tower, as violently as ephialtes promptly shook himself. then i feared death more than ever, and the fear alone would have been enough to cause it had i not seen his chains. we then went further on and reached antaeus, who projected twenty feet from the pit, not including his head.
9. ugolino
'after a short chase, the father and his sons seemed weary to me, and i thought i saw their flanks torn by sharp teeth. when i woke before dawn, i heard my sons, who were with me, crying in their sleep and asking for food. you are truly cruel if you do not sorrow already at the thought of what my heart presaged: and if you do not weep, what do you weep at?
10. satan
the master said: 'that soul up there that suffers the greatest punishment, he who has his head inside and flails his legs outside, is judas iscariot. of the other two who have their heads hanging downwards, the one who hangs from the face that is black is brutus: see how he writhes and does not utter a word; and the other is cassius, who seems so long in limb. but night is ascending, and now we must go, since we have seen it all.'
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| nine circle's of hell |
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