XI
The structure of Hell: The Lower Circles. The structure of Hell: The Upper Circles. Virgil explains usury.
Above the Seventh Circle: The Minotaur. The descent to the Seventh Circle. The First Ring: The Centaurs: The Violent. The Tyrants, Murderers and Warriors.
The Second Ring: The Harpies: The Suicides. The Wood of Suicides: Pier delle Vigne. The fate of The Suicides. Lano Maconi and Jacomo da Sant’ Andrea. The unnamed Florentine.
The Third Ring: The Violent against God. Capaneus. The Old Man of Crete. The Rivers Phlegethon and Lethe.
The Violent against Nature: Brunetto Latini. Brunetto’s prophesy. Dante accepts his fate.
Rusticucci, Guido Guerra, Aldobrandi. The condition of Florence. The monster Geryon.
The poets approach Geryon. The Ursurers. The poets descend on Geryon’s back.
The Eighth Circle: Malebolge: Simple Fraud. The First Chasm: The Pimps and Seducers. The Panders: Venedico de’ Caccianemico. The Seducers: Jason. The Second Chasm: The Flatterers.
The Third Chasm: The Sellers of Sacred Offices. Pope Nicholas III. Dante speaks agains Simony.
The Fourth Chasm: The Seers and Seducers. The Seers. Manto and the founding of Mantua. The Soothsayers and Astrologers.
The Fifth Chasm: The Sellers of Public Offices. The Barrators. Virgil challenges the Demons’ threats. The Demons escort the Poets.
The Poets view more of the Fifth Chasm. Ciampolo. Ciampolo names other Barrators. Ciampolo breaks free of the Demons. The Malebranche quarrel.
The Sixth Chasm: The Hypocrites. The Frauti Gaudenti: Caiaphas. The Poets leave the Sixth Chasm.
The Poets climb up: Virgil exhorts Dante. The Seventh Chasm: The Thieves. Vanni Fucci’s and the serpent. Vanni Fucci’s prophesy.
Cacus. Cianfa and Agnello. Buoso delgi Abati and Francesco.
The Eigth Chasm: The Evil Counsellors. Ulysses and Diomede. Ulysses’s last voyage.
Guido Da Montefeltro. The situation in Romangna. Guido’s history.
The Ninth Chasm: The Sowers of Discord. Mahomet: The Caliph Ali. Pier della Medicina and others. Curio and Mosca. Bertrand de Born.
Geri del Bello. The Tenth Chasm: The Falsifiers. Griffolino and Capocchio. Griffolino’s narrative. The Spendthrift Brigrade.
Schicci and Myrrha. Adam of Brescia. Sinon: Potiphar’s wife. Virgil reproves Dante.
The Giants that guard the central pit. Nimrod. Ephialtes. Antaeus.
The Ninth Circle: The frozen River Cocytus. The Caïna: The delgi Alberti: Camicion. The Antenora: Bocca delgi Abbati. Ugolino and Ruggieri.
Count Ugolino’s story. Friar Alberigo and Branca d’Oria.
The Judecca: Satan. Judas: Brutus: Cassius. The Poets leave Hell.
Canto I
Argument.—The writer, having lost his way in a gloomy forest, and being hindered by certain wild beasts from ascending a mountain, is met by Virgil, who promises to show him the punishments of Hell, and afterward of Purgatory; and that he shall then be conducted by Beatrice into Paradise. He follows the Roman poet.
In the midway[1] of this our mortal life,
I found me in a gloomy wood, astray
Gone from the path direct: and e’en to tell,
It were no easy task, how savage wild
That forest, how robust and rough its growth,
Which to remember only, my dismay
Renews, in bitterness not far from death.
Yet, to discourse of what there good befel,
All else will I relate discover’d there.
How first I enter’d it I scarce can say,
Such sleepy dulness in that instant weigh’d
My senses down, when the true path I left;
But when a mountain’s foot I reach’d, where closed
The valley that had pierced my heart with dread,
I look’d aloft, and saw his shoulders broad
Already vested with that planet’s beam,[2]
Who leads all wanderers safe through every way.
Then was a little respite to the fear,
That in my heart’s recesses deep had lain
All of that night, so pitifully past:
And as a man, with difficult short breath,
Forespent with toiling, ’scaped from sea to shore,
Turns to the perilous