Данте Алигьери – The Divine Comedy / Божественная комедия (страница 7)

Bitterly weeping, to the accursed shore,

Which waiteth every man who fears not God.

Charon the demon, with the eyes of glede,

110 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;

115 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,

120 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,

125 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.”

130 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,

135 Which overmastered in me every sense,

And as a man whom sleep hath seized I fell.

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,

5 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.

10 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;

15 “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

20 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.

25 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,

30 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,