第 15 节
作者:
辛苦 更新:2021-02-20 05:04 字数:9322
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