L ' I N F E R N O

INF C25 82-84 / DANTE
sì pareva, venendo verso l'epe so a little serpent… came towards the bellies
de li altri due, un serpentello acceso, of the other two, burning with rage,
livido e nero come gran di pepe; black and livid as peppercorn.
DANTE:
Francesco (Guercio) de’ Cavalcanti.
175
A LITTLE REPTILE: FRANCESCO (GUERCIO) DE’ CAVALCANTI, WHO CHANGES FROM SERPENT TO MAN & BACK, WAS KILLED BY
THE VILLAGERS OF GAVILLE, IN THE UPPER VAL D’ARNO, THE MURDERERS & OTHERS BEING SUMMARILY EXECUTED BY HIS
KINSMEN.
VIRGIL:
INF C25 82-84 / DANTE INF C25 82-84 / KLINE
sì pareva, venendo verso l'epe so a little serpent came towards the bellies
de li altri due, un serpentello acceso, of the other two, burning with rage,
livido e nero come gran di pepe; black and livid as peppercorn.
DANTE AND VIRGIL WATCH.
VIRGIL:
INF C25 85-87 / DANTE INF C25 85-87 / KLINE
e quella parte onde prima è preso And it It pierced that part, in one of them, where
we
nostro alimento, a l'un di lor trafisse; first receive our nourishment from our mothers:
poi cadde giuso innanzi lui disteso. then fell down, stretched out in front of him.
INF C25 88-90 / DANTE
Lo trafitto 'l mirò, ma nulla disse; The thief, transfixed, gazed at it but said nothing,
anzi, co' piè fermati, sbadigliava but with motionless feet, only yawned,
pur come sonno o febbre l'assalisse. as if sleep or fever had overcome him.
INF C25 91-93 / DANTE
Elli 'l serpente e quei lui riguardava; He looked at the snake: it looked at him:
l'un per la piaga e l'altro per la bocca the one gave out smoke, violently, from his
fummavan forte, e 'l fummo si scontrava. wound, the other from its mouth, and the smoke
met. Smoke from the thief’s wound and the
snake’s mouth, gushed out and met.
DANTE: & VIRGIL:
INF C25 94-96 / DANTE INF C25 94-96 / KLINE
Taccia Lucano ormai là dov' e' tocca Let Lucan now be silent,
del misero Sabello e di Nasidio, about Sabellus and Nasidius
e attenda a udir quel ch'or si scocca. and wait to hear that which I now tell.
INF C25 97-99 / DANTE
Taccia di Cadmo e d'Aretusa Ovidio, Let Ovid be silent about Cadmus and Arethusa:
ché se quello in serpente e quella in fonte if he in poetry changes one into a snake,
converte poetando, io non lo 'nvidio; and the other into a fountain,
CADMUS: SON OF THE PHOENICIAN KING AGENOR, WHO SEARCHES FOR HIS SISTER EUROPA, STOLEN BY JUPITER IN THE FORM
OF A BULL. HE SOWS THE SERPENT’S TEETH & FOUNDS THEBES, BUT OFFENDS THE SACRED SERPENT OF MARS. HE & HIS WIFE
HARMONIA ARE ULTIMATELY TURNED INTO SNAKES. SEE OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 4 563 ET AL.
ARETHUSA: NYMPH OF ELIS, ONE OF DIANA’S MAIDENS, WHO WAS LOVED BY THE RIVER-GOD ALPHEUS. PURSUED BY HIM,
SHE WAS TURNED INTO A FOUNTAIN. SEE OVID’S METAMORPHOSES 5 572
DANTE:
INF C25 100-102 / DANTE INF C25 100-102 / KLINE
ché due nature mai a fronte a fronte I do not envy him, since he never transmuted
non trasmutò sì ch'amendue le forme two natures, face to face, so that both forms
a cambiar lor matera fosser pronte. were eager to exchange their substance.