Part 33 (2/2)

There lies Romena, where of the money coined[770]

With the Baptist's image I made counterfeit, And therefore left my body burnt behind.

But could I see here Guido's[771] wretched sprite, Or Alexander's, or their brother's, I For Fonte Branda[772] would not give the sight.

One is already here, unless they lie-- Mad souls with power to wander through the crowd-- What boots it me, whose limbs diseases tie? 81 But were I yet so nimble that I could Creep one poor inch a century, some while Ago had I begun to take the road Searching for him among this people vile; And that although eleven miles[773] 'tis long, And has a width of more than half a mile.

Because of them am I in such a throng; For to forge florins I by them was led, Which by three carats[774] of alloy were wrong,' 90 'Who are the wretches twain,' I to him said, 'Who smoke[775] like hand in winter-time fresh brought From water, on thy right together spread?'

'Here found I them, nor have they budged a jot,'

He said, 'since I was hurled into this vale; And, as I deem, eternally they'll not.

One[776] with false charges Joseph did a.s.sail; False Sinon,[777] Greek from Troy, is the other wight.

Burning with fever they this stink exhale.'

Then one of them, perchance o'ercome with spite 100 Because he thus contemptuously was named, Smote with his fist upon the belly tight.

It sounded like a drum; and then was aimed A blow by Master Adam at his face With arm no whit less hard, while he exclaimed: 'What though I can no longer s.h.i.+ft my place Because my members by disease are weighed!

I have an arm still free for such a case.'

To which was answered: 'When thou wast conveyed Unto the fire 'twas not thus good at need, 110 But even more so when the coiner's trade Was plied by thee.' The swol'n one: 'True indeed!

But thou didst not bear witness half so true When Trojans[778] at thee for the truth did plead.'

'If I spake falsely, thou didst oft renew False coin,' said Sinon; 'one fault brought me here; Thee more than any devil of the crew.'

'Bethink thee of the horse, thou perjurer,'

He of the swol'n paunch answered; 'and that by All men 'tis known should anguish in thee stir.' 120 'Be thirst that cracks thy tongue thy penalty, And putrid water,' so the Greek replied, 'Which 'fore thine eyes thy stomach moundeth high.'

The coiner then: 'Thy mouth thou openest wide, As thou art used, thy slanderous words to vent; But if I thirst and humours plump my hide Thy head throbs with the fire within thee pent.

To lap Narcissus' mirror,[779] to implore And urge thee on would need no argument.'

While I to hear them did attentive pore 130 My Master said: 'Thy fill of staring take!

To rouse my anger needs but little more.'

And when I heard that he in anger spake Toward him I turned with such a shame inspired, Recalled, it seems afresh on me to break.

And, as the man who dreams of hurt is fired With wish that he might know his dream a dream, And so what is, as 'twere not, is desired; So I, struck dumb and filled with an extreme Craving to find excuse, unwittingly 140 The meanwhile made the apology supreme.

'Less shame,' my Master said, 'would nullify A greater fault, for greater guilt atone; All sadness for it, therefore, lay thou by.

But bear in mind that thou art not alone, If fortune hap again to bring thee near Where people such debate are carrying on.

To things like these 'tis shame[780] to lend an ear.'

FOOTNOTES:

[759] _Semele_: The daughter of Cadmus, founder and king of Thebes, was beloved by Jupiter and therefore hated by Juno, who induced her to court destruction by urging the G.o.d to visit her, as he was used to come to Juno, in all his glory. And in other instances the G.o.ddess took revenge (Ovid, _Metam._ iv.).

[760] _Athamas_: Married to a sister of Semele, was made insane by the angry Juno, with the result described in the text.

[761] _Hecuba_: Wife of Priam, king of Troy, and mother of Polyxena and Polydorus. While she was lamenting the death of her daughter, slain as an offering on the tomb of Achilles, she found the corpse of her son, slain by the king of Thrace, to whose keeping she had committed him (Ovid, _Metam._ xiii.).

[762] _Trojan fury, etc._: It was by the agency of a Fury that Athamas was put out of his mind; but the Trojan and Theban furies here meant are the frenzies of Athamas and Hecuba, wild with which one of them slew his son, and the other scratched out the eyes of the Thracian king.

[763] _Capocchio_: See close of the preceding Canto. Here as elsewhere sinners are made ministers of vengeance on one another.

[764] _The Aretine_: Griffolino, who boasted he could fly; already represented as trembling (_Inf._ xxix. 97).

[765] _Gianni Schicchi_: Giovanni Schicchi, one of the Cavalcanti of Florence.

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