Gustave Doré

"Hey, look at the beast with the spiked tail, as he
   slips by the mountainsides, shattering walls and
   weapons: see that monster who corrupts all the
world in his stench!" Thus began my lord Vergil
   to speak to me: and he was foreshadowing th' arrival
   alongside the streaming, at the reaches of the ford.
Now that filthy image of fraud itself came at
   us, and brought its head and breast on up, without
   dropping its tail into the river. Its
visage was just like a righteous man's look,
   so harmless was the surface of the skin, made
   of snake in full down the rest of his body;
there were two appendages, both furry to
   the armpit; the back, thorax and either of
   its sides were stained with knots small spires.
No Tartar man or Turk has yet woven
   heraldric emblem with more vibrant color,
   nor were the nets so worked by Arachne in design.
Just like how docked boats stand with respect to
   the shoreline, as they are a bit in water and
   also over land, and like how the woodland
beaver lies in ambush waiting, in the drunken land
   of the Germans, so was that worst of beasts
   over the stone ledge which the sand limited.
In th' abyss, it made his entire tail quiver,
   flipping the poisoned point up, like how a
   scorpion puts its tail at arm. Master Vergil
said, "Now's the time to wrench our way a bit,
   up to the wicked demon that is crouching
   over there." And thus climbed we, upon the right-[30
hand slope, and trod ten paces up from the edge,
   to put a stop to the sand and snowflakes of fire.
   And when we had both made it there, just a
bit further, along the sandy rock, I
   eyed people sitting near a really stupid
   spot. Then the master poet told me, "March,
to get experience of this circle fully
   in totum: go have a look at their status.
   You should let your argumentation be
brief, regarding it; and while you turn aside
   from the way, I will negotiate with this wild thing,
   to where he gives up his strong shoulder-blades
for it." Thus so I marched over the border of
   the circle of violence all by myself, walking
   to where the gloomy people were located.
Their grief was breaking out, outwardly by means
   of their very eyes; they were rushing around
   all over with their hands between the burning
smoke and the scorching ground: the hounds perform
   no differently in kind at muzzle or with paw,
   when bitten by fleas or mosquitoes or flies.
As I laid eyes on some individuals that
   I recognized, the likes of whom are bombarded with
   doleful fire, I found none I knew for certain;
however I did notice that a purse -- of
   designated color and certain fixèd emblem, --
   hung about each one's neck: and they seemed to feast
their eyesight on these pouches. So as I came
   by, looking back over their number, I saw
    yellow purse with azure blue insignia, which had[60
the profile and bearing of a lion. Next,
   my gaze moving further on, I saw yet another,
   blood red as rouge, presenting a goose even
more pale than butter. And one that was marked
   with a fattened, azure sow, clutching his pale
   little purse, said to me: "What are you doing
in this ditch? It's making you step through it now;
   and since you're still alive, you must know that
   my neighbor Vitaliano will take his seat here
at my right side. I'm from Padua, among these
   Florentines: many a time have they assailed my
   ears, screaming, 'Let the sovereign knight come, as
he'll bring the wallet with three goats!'" Then he
   pursed his lips and stuck out his tongue, like
   an ox licking its own nose. And in fear
that staying longer might offend the shade
   who warned me to be quick, I turned back from
   those worn out ghosts. I did find my guide,
as he already had climbed upon the back
   of that wild beast, who said to me: "Be
   brave and bold. At this point, climbing descends
by means of steps made like so: get up in the
   front there, for I wish to be in between you,
   so that tail is unable to make mischief."
As the man who feels the onset of quartan fever,
   with his nails already turning pale, does
   shiver all over at just the sight of shadow,
so became I myself, at the statements presented;
   although shame threatened me with its ultimatum,
   which makes for a strong servant before the noble lord.[90
I placed myself on top of those shoulders; I
   tried to say, 'Make sure you hold on to me.', but
   my voice did not come out like I had hoped.
Yet that poetic shade, who in another spot
   had supported me at other times of doubt,
   grabbed me by the arm and steadied me, as soon
as I ascended; said he, "Get going now, Geryon:
   make the circling broad, and the descent, slight;
   consider the new burden that you carry."
Just as a small ship will disembark, with reiterative
   setbacks, so did Geryon take off; and soon as
   he felt himself to be entirely at large,
he wrenched his tail to where his upper body was,
   and extended it, like an eel, as he
   gathered the air to oneself with his arms.
I believe that there could have been no greater
   fear when Phaethon gave up the reins, to scorch
   the sky itself, as can still be seen, nor was the
terror bigger when poor Icarus felt his hips
   stripped of feathers by the melted wax, with his
   father crying out to him, "You're going the wrong
way!" -- that's how my soul felt, when I saw myself
   surrounded by empty air, with no scene
   around my person except for the monster.
That beast goes along the gully, slowing down,
   down: it turned into a dive, but gave me no notice,
   except for the wind about my face from below.
On the righthand side, I could perceive the whirpool
   below us, producing a terrifying roar, as
   I turned my head and pressed my eyes downward.[120
Yet was I all the more fearful about the dive,
   since I saw the fires and heard the crying; and
   so, shaking all over, I held on for dear life.
And, since I had not looked into it before, I then
   witnessed Geryon drop and turn about the massive
   evils which were approaching with conflicting sounds.
As the falcon which is quite positioned on
   the wing, without viewing any lure or bird,
   will cause the falconer to exclaim, "Oh my, you're
falling!", it descends exhausted where it alighted
   through a hundred turns, to place itself at a
   remove, before its master, haughty and taxed;
just like so, Geryon fixed himself at the bottom
   of the descent, to the very basis of the outcrop,
   and -- having relieved himself of our person --
vanished he like an arrow off the bow.