Part 29 (1/2)

'This one is Cacus,'[653] did my Master say, 'Who underneath the rock of Aventine Watered a pool with blood day after day.

Not with his brethren[654] runs he in the line, Because of yore the treacherous theft he wrought Upon the neighbouring wealthy herd of kine: 30 Whence to his crooked course an end was brought 'Neath Hercules' club, which on him might shower down A hundred blows; ere ten he suffered nought.'

While this he said, the other had pa.s.sed on; And under us three spirits forward pressed Of whom my Guide and I had nothing known But that: 'Who are ye?' they made loud request.

Whereon our tale[655] no further could proceed; And toward them wholly we our wits addressed.

I recognised them not, but gave good heed; 40 Till, as it often haps in such a case, To name another, one discovered need, Saying: 'Now where stopped Cianfa[656] in the race?'

Then, that my Guide might halt and hearken well, On chin[657] and nose I did my finger place.

If, Reader, to believe what now I tell Thou shouldst be slow, I wonder not, for I Who saw it all scarce find it credible.

While I on them my brows kept lifted high A serpent, which had six feet, suddenly flew 50 At one of them and held him bodily.

Its middle feet about his paunch it drew, And with the two in front his arms clutched fast, And bit one cheek and the other through and through.

Its hinder feet upon his thighs it cast, Thrusting its tail between them till behind, Distended o'er his reins, it upward pa.s.sed.

The ivy to a tree could never bind Itself so firmly as this dreadful beast Its members with the other's intertwined. 60 Each lost the colour that it once possessed, And closely they, like heated wax, unite, The former hue of neither manifest: Even so up o'er papyrus,[658] when alight, Before the flame there spreads a colour dun, Not black as yet, though from it dies the white.

The other two meanwhile were looking on, Crying: 'Agnello, how art thou made new!

Thou art not twain, and yet no longer one.'

A single head was moulded out of two; 70 And on our sight a single face arose, Which out of both lost countenances grew.

Four separate limbs did but two arms compose; Belly with chest, and legs with thighs did grow To members such as nought created shows.

Their former fas.h.i.+on was all perished now: The perverse shape did both, yet neither seem; And, thus transformed, departed moving slow.

And as the lizard, which at fierce extreme Of dog-day heat another hedge would gain, 80 Flits 'cross the path swift as the lightning's gleam; Right for the bellies of the other twain A little snake[659] quivering with anger sped, Livid and black as is a pepper grain, And on the part by which we first are fed Pierced one of them; and then upon the ground It fell before him, and remained outspread.

The wounded gazed on it, but made no sound.

Rooted he stood[660] and yawning, scarce awake, As seized by fever or by sleep profound. 90 It closely watched him and he watched the snake, While from its mouth and from his wound 'gan swell Volumes of smoke which joined one cloud to make.

Be Lucan henceforth dumb, nor longer tell Of plagued Sabellus and Na.s.sidius,[661]

But, hearkening to what follows, mark it well.

Silent be Ovid: of him telling us How Cadmus[662] to a snake, and to a fount Changed Arethuse,[663] I am not envious; For never of two natures front to front 100 In metamorphosis, while mutually The forms[664] their matter changed, he gives account.

'Twas thus that each to the other made reply: Its tail into a fork the serpent split; Bracing his feet the other pulled them nigh: And then in one so thoroughly were knit His legs and thighs, no searching could divine At where the junction had been wrought in it.

The shape, of which the one lost every sign, The cloven tail was taking; then the skin 110 Of one grew rough, the other's soft and fine.

I by the armpits saw the arms drawn in; And now the monster's feet, which had been small, What the other's lost in length appeared to win.

Together twisted, its hind feet did fall And grew the member men are used to hide: For his the wretch gained feet with which to crawl.

Dyed in the smoke they took on either side A novel colour: hair unwonted grew On one; the hair upon the other died. 120 The one fell p.r.o.ne, erect the other drew, With cruel eyes continuing to glare, 'Neath which their muzzles metamorphose knew.

The erect to his brows drew his. Of stuff to spare Of what he upward pulled, there was no lack; So ears were formed on cheeks that erst were bare.

Of that which clung in front nor was drawn back, Superfluous, on the face was formed a nose, And lips absorbed the skin that still was slack.

His muzzle who lay p.r.o.ne now forward goes; 130 Backward into his head his ears he draws Even as a snail appears its horns to lose.

The tongue, which had been whole and ready was For speech, cleaves now; the forked tongue of the snake Joins in the other: and the smoke has pause.[665]

The soul which thus a brutish form did take, Along the valley, hissing, swiftly fled; The other close behind it spluttering spake, Then, toward it turning his new shoulders, said Unto the third: 'Now Buoso down the way 140 May hasten crawling, as I earlier sped.'

Ballast which in the Seventh Bolgia lay Thus saw I s.h.i.+ft and change. Be my excuse The novel theme,[666] if swerves my pen astray.

And though these things mine eyesight might confuse A little, and my mind with fear divide, Such secrecy they fleeing could not use But that Puccio Sciancatto plain I spied; And he alone of the companions three Who came at first, was left unmodified. 150 For the other, tears, Gaville,[667] are shed by thee.

FOOTNOTES:

[649] _The robber, etc._: By means of his prophecy Fucci has, after a fas.h.i.+on, taken revenge on Dante for being found by him among the cheating thieves instead of among the n.o.bler sinners guilty of blood and violence. But in the rage of his wounded pride he must insult even Heaven, and this he does by using the most contemptuous gesture in an Italian's repertory. The fig is made by thrusting the thumb between the next two fingers. In the English 'A fig for him!' we have a reference to the gesture.

[650] _Pistoia_: The Pistoiese bore the reputation of being hard and pitiless. The tradition was that their city had been founded by such of Catiline's followers as survived his defeat on the Campo Piceno. 'It is no wonder,' says Villani (i. 32) 'that, being the descendants as they are of Catiline and his followers, the Pistoiese have always been ruthless and cruel to strangers and to one another.'