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第 8 节
作者:辛苦      更新:2021-02-20 05:04      字数:9322
  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;
  Tha