Anonymous 19th century wood-cut

In the middle of our life’s way I found I
     was in a shady forest because the
     right road was confusedly lost. Oh my,
so difficult a thing it is to speak
     what it was, that savage and harsh and hard
     wood, that thinking of it renews fearful streak!
So bitter is it that death is yet far
     less sweet; but to go over the good I dis-
     covered there, I’ll tell of th’ other things I saw.
I don’t know how to recount the way which
     I came in there, I was so full of sleep at
     that point I left the truthful way amiss.
But when I was at the foot of a great
     hill, where that valley which had overwhelmed
     my heart with fear did make its end, on that
height I looked and saw its shoulders attired
     already in rays of the planet which guides
     other people along all highways, road.
The fear was calmed a little bit at this,
     so that I lasted in the heart’s lake through
     it, the night I spent in such pitiful pains.
And as one with life’s breath under stress, who
     gets out of the depths and ashore, turns to the
     dangerous water and looks intently into
it, so did my mind, while still breaking free,
     turn back to marvel once more at the pass-
    age way no person has yet left living.
Then with body rested a bit, my path
     I did resume through the deserted climb, so
     that the firm foot always was the lowest stand.[30
And see, as though about to start down the slope,
     a sleek and very swift leopard, which was
     covered by spot-stained skin; and it didn’t go
to get out of my face: actually, because
     it so obstructed my walking way, I
     was turned by returning more times faced. As
the time was at outset of morning, and high
     the sun climbed on up with those stars which were
     with it when divine love first set these fine
things into motion, so I had reason for
     right goodly hope about that beast in the
     motley skin at which point in time, & the hour
of the sweet spring; but it was not by means
     such that fear failed to give me the glimpse
     that appeared to me, a lion’s sight. It seemed
to be this that was coming after me, its
     head held high, and with ravenous hunger,
     so that it seemed th’ air was trembling for it.
And a wolf that seemed loaded down with all
     cravings in her leanness, and which still yet has
     made many people live wretched lives, for
this she-wolf offered me so much heaviness
     in terror I got right out of its sight,
     as I lost the hope of the peak on high’s
tip. And like he who gets that which he buys
     willingly, and the time comes which makes him lose
     face — that in all thoughts weeps and mourns, just like
so did that creature make me feel no peace, whose
     coming toward me little by little put
     me back there, where the sun’s quiet shade ensues.[60
While I was fleeing to a low-down spot,
     one who seemed hardly perceptible, from long-stand-
     ing silence, was offered up to my eyesight.
When I saw this fellow in the waste land,
     “Pity me,” I shouted at him, “whoever
     you may be, whether ghost or some certain man!”
He responded to me: “Not man, before
     I was once a man — and my family, from
     Lombardy, both parents were Mantuan for
homeland. I was born in Julius Caesar’s time,
     though later, and lived under great Augustus
     at Rome, in th’ age of fake and lying gods. I
was a poet, and sang of Anchises’s just
     son who came from Ilium, when arrogant Troy
     burned to cinders. But why do you return thus
to such tedious anxiety? So why
     aren’t you scaling the delightful mountain
     which is origin and reason for all joy?”
“So are you that same Virgil and that fountain-
     head which extend in speaking so vast a stream?”
     I replied to him, my brow lined shy as shame.
“Oh you other poets’ pride and light, let the
     eager study and great love, which made me pore
     over your volume, test the value of me.
You are my master-teacher and my source,
     you are th’ only one from whom I’ve taken
     the lovely style which has brought me honor.
Look at the beast by which I am turned back; &
     help me with it, you famous genius, since
     she makes me, veins and heartbeat, feel shaken.”[90
“It’s agreed for you to take a different trip,”
     he replied then as he saw me shed tears, “if
     you want to make it from savage place like this;
now this beast which you cry out about, it lets
     not others pass over its path, but impedes
     as much as it kills; and its nature gets
so vile and wicked, that the desire’s
     trembling will is ever unfulfilled — after
     a meal’s greater hunger than before. Beings
that take it as spouse are many, and far
     more will be still, till the greyhound arrives:
     he’ll make the beast die with pain. Never
will this hound feed on earth, nor mixed alloys,
     but on wisdom, love and goodness, & his
     heritage will be between banner and country.
From this nation, will humble Italy — for which
     the virgin Camilla, Euryalus and
     Turnus, Nisus died of injuries — be saved. This
one will hunt the beast throughout every town,
     until he will have sent her back to hell,
     where envy first departed from. So I
think my interest is in yours and can tell
     that you follow me, and your guide shall I be,
     and take you from here through an eternal
place, where you will hear the despairing shouts, see
     the age-old spirits in pain, how each screams
     over the second death; and you’ll view the
ones who are contented in the fire, because
     they hope to come, whenever it may be, to
     the blessed people. Then, if your wish is[120
to ascend to these, there should be a soul who is
     more worthy than I… I’ll leave you with her as
     I depart; for that emperor who rules
above, because I was a rebel to his
     law, wills not entrance into his city for
     me. In all places does he rule and holds
up beyond that: there is his city or
     throne on high: how fulfilled are those of true
     happiness whom he elects to choose there.”
And I told him, “Poet, by that God whom
     you did not know to recognize, so that
     I may flee from this evil and worse, do
I ask you to lead me where you said,
     in order that I might see St. Peter’s gate
     and those whom you say are hopelessly sad.”
Then he got moving, & behind him I went.