Then said another: "Ah, be that desire Fulfilled that draws thee to the lofty mountain, I was of Montefeltro, and am Buonconte; Giovanna, nor none other cares for me; 66 Led thee astray so far from Campaldino, A river crosses named Archiano, born There where the name thereof becometh void Did I arrive, pierced through and through the throat, There my sight lost I, and my utterance Ceased in the name of Mary, and thereat I fell, and tenantless my flesh remained. Truth will I speak, repeat it to the living; God's Angel took me up, and he of hell Shouted: 'O thou from heaven, why dost thou rob me? 105 Thou bearest away the eternal part of him, For one poor little tear, that takes him from me; Well knowest thou how in the air is gathered That humid vapour which to water turns, To intellect, and moved the mist and wind From Pratomagno to the great yoke covered Down fell the rain, and to the gullies came And as it mingled with the mighty torrents, Towards the royal river with such speed My frozen body near unto its outlet The robust Archian found, and into Arno I made of me, when agony o'ercame me; It rolled me on the banks and on the bottom; 110 115 120 125 66 Ah, when thou hast returned unto the world, Siena made me, unmade me Maremma; 130 135 CANTO VI. WHENE'ER is broken up the game of Zara, The people with the other all depart; One goes in front, and one behind doth pluck him, 5 He pauses not, and this and that one hears; They crowd no more to whom his hand he stretches, Even such was I in that dense multitude, Turning to them this way and that my face, There was the Aretine, who from the arms Untamed of Ghin di Tacco had his death, Frederick Novello, and that one of Pisa By hatred and by envy from its body, While still on earth the Lady of Brabant, Who only prayed that some one else may pray, Began I: "It appears that thou deniest, O light of mine, expressly in some text, Might then their expectation bootless be? And he to me: "My writing is explicit, And not fallacious is the hope of these, Because the fire of love fulfils at once Do not decide, unless she tell it thee, Of Beatrice; her shalt thou see above, And see, e'en now the hill a shadow casts." "We will go forward with this day," he answered, "As far as now is possible for us; But otherwise the fact is than thou thinkest. Him, who now hides himself behind the hill, It will point out to us the quickest way." How lofty and disdainful thou didst bear thee, Nothing whatever did it say to us, But let us go our way, eying us only But of our native land and of our life It questioned us; and the sweet Guide began: "Mantua," and the shade, all in itself recluse, Rose tow'rds him from the place where first it was, Saying: "O Mantuan, I am Sordello Of thine own land!" and one embraced the other. Ah! servile Italy, grief's hostelry! A ship without a pilot in great tempest ! No Lady thou of Provinces, but brothel ! That noble soul was so impatient, only At the sweet sound of his own native land, Thy living ones, and one doth gnaw the other The bridle mend, if empty be the saddle? If well thou hearest what God teacheth thee, Being no longer by the spur corrected, Her that has grown recalcitrant and savage, Upon thy blood, and be it new and open, By greed of those transalpine lands distrained, Monaldi and Fillippeschi, careless man! Come, cruel one! come and behold the oppression Widowed, alone, and day and night exclaims, “My Cæsar, why hast thou forsaken me?” Come and behold how loving are the people; And if for us no pity moveth thee, Come and be made ashamed of thy renown! And if it lawful be, O Jove Supreme ! Who upon earth for us wast crucified, Are thy just eyes averted otherwhere? Or preparation is 't, that, in the abyss Of thine own counsel, for some good thou makest 120 For all the towns of Italy are full Of tyrants, and becometh a Marcellus With this digression, which concerns thee not, Many at heart have justice, but shoot slowly, That unadvised they come not to the bow, Many refuse to bear the common burden; Without being asked, and crieth: "I submit." Now be thou joyful, for thou hast good reason; Thou affluent, thou in peace, thou full of wisdom! Athens and Lacedæmon, they who made The ancient laws, and were so civilized, Made towards living well a little sign Compared with thee, who makest such fine-spun Provisions, that to middle of November Reaches not what thou in October spinnest. How oft, within the time of thy remembrance, Laws, money, offices, and usages Hast thou remodelled, and renewed thy members? And if thou mind thee well, and see the light, Thou shalt behold thyself like a sick woman, Who cannot find repose upon her down, But by her tossing wardeth off her pain. CANTO VII. AFTER the gracious and glad salutations Had three and four times been reiterated, Sordello backward drew and said, "Who are you?" "Or ever to this mountain were directed The souls deserving to ascend to God, I am Virgilius; and for no crime else Did I lose heaven, than for not having faith ;" As one who suddenly before him sees Something whereat he marvels, who believes 125 130 135 140 145 150 5 ΤΟ |