Ezio Anichini

So now my master goes through an obscured
   path, between the wall of earth and the torments,
   as I go with him, behind. "Oh, you pinnacle
of courageous virtue, who whirls me through
   the wicked circles," I began, "do speak
   to me, as pleases you, and satisfy me of
my own desires. Can the people that lie throughout
   the sepulchers do any seeing? All the covers
   are already raised, & no one's keeping watch."
And to me, he says: "They will all be shut up,
   when they get back here from valley of Jehoshaphat,
   with their body, which they've forsaken up there.
All the followers of Epicurus hold
   their burial plot in this vicinity, for
   believing that the soul has its death with
the corpse. But as for the request which you
   demand of me, it will be fulfilled soon enough
   upon entering within, as well as the wish you
mention not to me." My response: "Kind leader,
   I've no reply to you at heart, unless
   it's speaking just a bit, & this is not the first
time you handled me like this..." "Hey you, man
   of Tuscany, going through the city of
   flame while still alive, speaking so sincerely,
please stay in this locale! Your accent does
   reveal that you are native of that noble
   homeland, towards which I was maybe too harsh."
This sound egressed quite suddenly, from one
   of the tombs; and I approached, with dreadful fear,
   a little closer to my noble lord.[30
And he told me: "What are you doing? Turn
   around. Look at Farinata there, as
   if it were right: see him from hip to head."
I was already keeping my own gaze
   upon his heavy-set frame; and he stood upright
   in breast and face, like he held hell in great disdain.
So my leader's bold and ready hands shoved
   me between the sepulchers toward him,
   stating, "Make your statements appropriate."
As I got to the foot of his entombment,
   I put up my guard a bit, & then, as if
   in contempt, he asked: "Who were your ancestors?"
As I desired to comply, I absconded not
   from him, but rather told him all of it;
   at which he lifted his brow, upraised a bit.
Then said he, "They were fiercely opposed
   to me and my best people and my party,
   so I scattered them about some two times."
"If they got thrown out, their return was from all
   over," I replied to him, "the one time and that
   other; but your own have not learned that art well."
Next another tall shade rises in the
   direct line of sight, on up to the chin:
   I think he was sitting upon his knees.
He checked round about me, as if his talent
   were for seeing whether anyone else was with
   me; then as th' examination was totally expended,
crying he did say: "If it's by the summit
   of genius that you travel through this blind jail,
   where is my son? -- why isn't he with you?" And[60
I told him, "I come not for my own interest:
   that soul who's waiting there, he guides me to this
   point, to one whom perhaps your boy Guido
did not respect." His phrases and the means
   of punishment had already told me who
   he was: yet the response was far too much.
Suddenly, he straightened up, crying: "What did you
   say? He 'was'? Isn't he still alive? Does
   the sweet sunlight not hurt those eyes of his?!"
When he noticed something of a delay which
   I produced before answering, he fell back
   and no longer made an outward appearance.
But that other great, big shade, at whose request
   I had stayed, changed not his look, & neither did
   he shift his neck nor even move his side:
and continuing on with th' original statement,
   "If they may have learned that art so badly, this
   tortures me far more than this very bed.
But the visage of the very lady that rules
   down here will not fifty times be kindled, before
   you get to know how heavy that same art is.
And should you ever return to the sweet world,
   tell me: why are those people of yours so
   cruel to me in each one of their laws?"
So I told him, "The agony and mayhem which
   did stain the stream of Arbia red, causes some
   to make such proclamation in our city."
Then as he moved his head about with sighing,
   he said: "I was not alone in that, & I surely
   wouldn't have formed a movement with th' others[90
for no reason. But I was all by myself, when I
   endured each one trying to demolish Florence,
   as one who defended it, in open secret."
"Oh, if I ever do restore your line,"
   I swore to him, "then unravel that knot for
   me, that tied my opinion up so tight.
What you can see into, if I do hear
   rightly, that which time brings forth before it comes,
   & in the present y' all maintain another
way." He said, "We do some seeing, just like those
   who are far-sighted, with things far removed
   from us; the chief lord illuminates as much,
so far. When they are approaching or present,
   our intelligence is worthless in full; and if
   others bring us no report, we may know nothing
of your human condition. But I could understand
   that our consciousness would be completely dead
   from that point which may shut the future's gate."
Then as if humbled by my own fault, I said,
   "Then tell that fallen guy, now, that his son is
   still joined with living souls; and if I offered
no comment before in my response, let him
   know I did it because I was already thinking
   over my misconception that you just solved."
And right then was my master recalling me,
   so I asked the spirit, with more animated
   tone, to tell me who was lying there with him.
He told me, "I'm interred with more than a thousand
   people: right inside here is Frederick II,
   and the Cardinal; I'm keeping quiet on the rest."[120
Then he hid away; and I turned my footsteps
   toward the ancient poet, thinking over
   that speaking which seemed hostile to me.
He moved on; and then, in walking thus, Vergil
   said to me, "Why are you so off base?" So
   I appeased him, by his very own request.
"Bear in mind what you've heard against yourself,"
   that wise soul commanded me. "And now pay
   attention here," and he raised his finger: "when
you shall come before the sweet sunlight of that
   lady whose gorgeous vision does see all, you
   will get to know of your lifetime's voyage from her."
He turned his footsteps toward the lefthand side: we
   left the wall and headed for the middle way,
   through a path that falls off, into a valley,
whose stench, at last, made us feel sorry up there.