L ' I N F E R N O

THE DARK BECOMES DIMNESS. WE SEE DANTE AND VIRGIL WALKING UP, VIRTUALLY FOR THE FIRST
TIME - DOING THE STEPS-AND-BEHIND-THE-CURTAIN CIRCUIT IN REVERSE.
INF C34 94-99 / KLINE
My Master said:‘Get up, on your feet: the way is long, and difficult the road, and the sun already returns to midtierce’.
Where we stood was no palace hall, but a natural cell with a rough floor, and short of light.
DANTE:
INF C34 100-102 / DANTE INF C34 100-102 / KLINE
«Prima ch'io de l'abisso mi divella, When I had risen, I said: My Master,
maestro mio», diss' io quando fui dritto, before I leave the abyss, speak to me a while,
«a trarmi d'erro un poco mi favella: and lead me out of error.
INF C34 103-105 / DANTE
ov' è la ghiaccia? e questi com' è fitto Where is the ice? And why is this monster
sì sottosopra? e come, in sì poc' ora, fixed upside down? And how has the sun moved
da sera a mane ha fatto il sol tragitto?». from evening to dawn in so short a time?
218
VIRGIL:
INF C34 106-108 / DANTE INF C34 106-108 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Tu imagini ancora And he to me: You imagine you are still on the
d'esser di là dal centro, ov' io mi presi other side of the earth’s centre, where I caught hold
al pel del vermo reo che 'l mondo fóra. of the Evil Worm’s hair, he who pierces the world.
INF C34 109-111 / DANTE INF C34 109-111 / KLINE
Di là fosti cotanto quant' io scesi; You were on that side of it, as long as I climbed
quand' io mi volsi, tu passasti 'l punto down, but when I reversed myself, you passed the
al qual si traggon d'ogne parte i pesi. point to which weight is drawn, from everywhere:
INF C34 112-114 / DANTE
E se' or sotto l'emisperio giunto and are now in the southern hemisphere, below the
ch'è contraposto a quel che la gran secca hemisphere opposite that which covers the wide
dry
coverchia, e sotto 'l cui colmo consunto land, and opposite that under whose zenith the Man
was crucified, who was born, and lived,
THE MEDIAEVAL WORLD CONTAINED A KNOWN HEMISPHERE OF LAND (THE NORTHERN, THE KNOWN WORLD) & A
HEMISPHERE OF WATER…THE MOUNTAIN OF PURGATORY , RISING OUT OF THE SEA AT A POINT DIRECTLY OPPOSITE
JERUSALEM ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLOBE…[IS] AN ISLAND IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN. [LONGFELLOW]
INF C34 115-117 / DANTE
fu l'uom che nacque e visse sanza pecca; without sin. You have your feet
tu haï i piedi in su picciola spera on a little sphere that forms
che l'altra faccia fa de la Giudecca. the other side of the Judecca, the circle of Judas.
INF C34 118-120 / DANTE
Qui è da man, quando di là è sera; Here it is morning, when it is evening there:
e questi, che ne fé scala col pelo, and he who made a ladder for us
fitto è ancora sì come prim' era. of his hair is still as he was before.
INF C34 121-123 / DANTE
Da questa parte cadde giù dal cielo; He fell from Heaven on this side of the earth, and
the
e la terra, che pria di qua si sporse, land that projected here before, veiled itself with
the
per paura di lui fé del mar velo, ocean for fear of him, and entered our hemisphere:
INF C34 124-126 / DANTE
e venne a l'emisperio nostro; e forse and that which now projects on this side,
per fuggir lui lasciò qui loco vòto left an empty space here, and shot outwards,
quella ch'appar di qua, e sù ricorse». maybe in order to escape from him.
THE REVISED VEXILLA REGIS ENDS AND LUCIFER, HAVING FAILED TO RECRUIT DANTE AND VIRGIL,
DAMNS THEM AS THEY CLIMB.