Inferno: Canto III

"THROUGH ME YOU GO TO THE CITY OF GRIEVING
OF WAILING, GNASHING OF TEETH AND OF SCREAMING
THROUGH ME YOU ENTER ETERNAL PAIN WITHOUT EQUAL
THROUGH ME YOU GO TO REMAIN AMONG THE LOST PEOPLE

MY CREATOR WAS MOTIVATED BY JUSTICE
AND HE MADE ME FROM SUBLIME SUBSTANCE
AS AN EVERLASTING INSTRUMENT OF THE HIGHEST WISDOM
COMBINED WITH PRIMAL LOVE IN THE DIVINE VISION

NOTHING WAS MADE IN ALL CREATION
EXCEPTING THE ETERNAL BEFORE MY MAKING
AND I SHALL ENDURE FOREVER
ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER"

This was the grave statement engraved in dark script
Written straight above the gate to a vast crypt
I paused, turned forth to Virgil and asked him
'Sir, the meaning of these words is hard to pin'

And he, answering with such deliberate intent
As if to demonstrate that he knew what I meant
said, 'Here you must surrender all doubts in your head;
All trace of cowardice must now be dead.

We have arrived at the place where I said
That you'll witness dwelling in suffering without end
The souls of those who know they are forever lost
To the benevolent intellect of God.'

And then his right hand extended to mine and
With an encouraging smile he held my eye
Which comforted me more than I can tell
Before he finally led me right into that occult realm.

Immediately on entering, the sound of pained yelling,
Sobs and desperate cries overwhelmed me
Assailing my ears, Echoing through the starless air
And provoking me uncontrollably to shed tears.

Such an incomparable mix of strange languages,
Horrible dialects, savage words of agony
Voices shrill and hoarse, forced to the loudest shrieking
All punctuated by the coarse sound of beatings

made a confusing, brutal, deafening cacophony
That turns tumultuously, swirling constantly
In that dark atmosphere beyond the reaches of time
Like a sand storm that rises when a whirlwind strikes

And I, my head full of horror and fear,
Said, 'Master, what is this that I hear?
And who are these people here,
Who are so grievously overcome with grief and tears?'

And he then replied to me, 'This choir of grief
That rings out hereabouts so violently
Is formed from the lukewarm souls who delayed
Their decision and remained living with neither infamy or praise

And mixed in among them are angels as well
From that cowardly group who didn't deign to rebel
were faithful neither to God nor to who reigns in hell
but instead chose to live for themselves

Heaven and hell both reject them the same
Heaven because their presence would tarnish its name
And deep Hell because the wicked would gain
Some fame from these angels if they entered in.'

So I said to him 'Master, what ever is
So terrible that they scream and wail so relentlessly
And lament so strongly and grievously?'
And he to me, 'Very well, I will tell you briefly.

This whole group of souls is so totally bereft,
Possessing no hope of approaching closer to death
And their blind life is so base in this pit
That they envy every single other fate that exists.

The world in which you live doesn't deign to permit
Any fame of their name to remain on its lips
Mercy and justice disdain them as quick.
Let's talk of them no more, but look and then split.'

When I looked back at the pit,
I saw a black flag in rags on a stick, but no one carrying it
And yet it was travelling quick
Flapping in the wind and refusing to stand still for a bit

And after it, there came a gigantic horde
A rabble chasing after that flag as it soared
And that train of people was so long and plenty
I couldn't believe death had undone so many.

As they came near I was tempted to tremble
I looked at them and recognised several
And then I saw one particular shade and knew that
It was the one who through cowardice made the great refusal.

Immediately I understood and was certain
That this rabble circling was made up of those persons
Who were cowards and equally deserving
of the disdain of God and of his enemies' curses.

These pathetic creatures, who never really lived,
Were now all naked and dreadfully tormented
By large flies and wasps that often vexed
And bit them, attracted by their rotting flesh,

And down their faces, dripping bright
was blood streaming right from their horrific bites,
Mixing with their tears, and putridly slathered
Around their feet where it gathered to be consumed by maggots.

And when I took a look beyond those nameless spirits
I saw an incomparable mass of shades of figures
Standing massed, back on the banks of a great river
So I grasped the chance to ask, 'Master, will you reveal

To me the details so that I may know the
Station, nation and Identification of those who
Seem so urgently disposed to cross over,
Which I can discern even though the light is low.'

And he then exclaimed to me, a little impatient,
'These things will be fully explained when
We have travelled on
And our feet have reached the banks of the dark river Acheron.'

And we walked on a bit, but I kept my eyes set
Down, on the ground and the path ahead
And in fear that by speaking I'd earn his displeasure
I kept my mouth shut until we reached the river.

Where we witnessed the scrawniest
Tallest longest bearded oarsman rowing towards us
In a boat, his hair and beard all grey with old
Yelling, 'Woe to you, depraved souls!

Resign yourselves nigh and for the rest of time
To never henceforth espying the sky, for I
Will lead you to the other shore and leave you
In eternal darkness, in fire and in freezing.

And you standing there, Breathing air,
You living soul, separate yourself and stand clear
Of the rest of these wretches who are all dead.'
But when he comprehended that I had not left,

He said, 'There is another road, and other ports
By which you'll cross over to the other shore.
You will not cross here, today, do not wait:
There is a lighter boat that you will take.'

And my guide defiantly replied to his request,
'Charon, Do not torture yourself with such stress
This quest has been willed and blessed
Where what is willed can manifest so cease your protest.'

There then arrived a moment of silence
As the bearded jaw of the pilot fell quiet
On the banks of that river mire
But his eyes were still encircled by rings of fire.

And after that moment of peace, he began to speak
And the bedraggled naked souls within reach
Became enraged, writhing, grinding their teeth
As soon as they heard the crude lines of his speech

They blasphemed, cursing god and his deeds
They cursed their parents and all their beliefs
They cursed the human race, the place on earth,
The day, and even the semen which created their birth.

Then all of the entire horde moved forward
Involuntarily, weeping, their bodies being drawn
Towards the river, that malevolent shore,
Which calls all who do not tremble before God's law.

That is where this demon Charon forever stands tall
With haggard eyes glowing like embers of coal
And making signs with his hands, gathers them all
And any that resist, he smacks back with his oar.

And just like in Autumn, when the leaves all come
Detached from the tree one by one and begin falling
Until the branch itself looks back down
And sees all of its clothing collapsed on the ground,

In this way, indeed, this strange motley gathering
This fistful of the evil seed of Adam
Throw themselves to the edge and over
Like a falcon returning on the signal of its owner.

In this manner they move off and travel
Rowed across the dark river waves by Charon
And before they have finished crossing the channel
On this bank a whole other flock has already gathered.

'My son,' explained my courteous master,
'Those who die in the eye of God's eternal wrath all
Come and gather here on these shores and just stand
Together from every single earthly culture and land;

And they demand, completely ready and willing
To be taken quickly across this malevolent river
For the justice divine so inclines and inspires
That it converts and turns their burning fear into desire

In all history no good soul has been claimed
By Charon, and been made to cross this way
So if he complains of you in this scene
You can clearly understand what he means.'

When he finished speaking the dark landscape
And the ground surrounding me began to shake
So violently trembling, upset so terribly
That I am bathed in craven sweat at the memory:

The earth itself split, with a terrifyingly large sound
And an awesome fork of lightning suddenly blasted out
Crimson in colour, so bright and charged now
It overcame all of my senses, and I passed out.