INFERNO Canto 5

Inferno, Canto 5

[1] INF5.1

Così discesi del cerchio primaio 1 Thus I descended from the first circle

sounds innocent enough

and it just so happens that HELL 5 has I descended in the first line and I dropped in the last.

[1] INF5.2

giù nel secondo, che men loco cinghia 2 down into the second, which girds a smaller space

[1] INF5.3

e tanto più dolor, che punge a guaio. 3 but greater agony to goad lament.

isn’t this almost the same strange compressed construction—punge a guaio—only in reverse, as

where fear had stabbed my heart repentant, [a long since replaced line]

15 H1> che m'avea di paura il cor compunto,

which had pierced my heart with fear,

in both cases you have a) an aggression of something sharp and b) an emotionally distressed reaction, fear in H1 and wailing in H5

[months later:] Here’s what I think now (winter 2004). I now believe the reason for this strange construction is that

D is intent on mirroring the sin and the punishment. The poke|thrust and resulting moans of sex, the greater grief and

resulting wails of punishment for same. So D, in the very first terzina of all the circles of sin,

presents a form of his entire Inferno thesis—

one’s sin is one’s punishment, in the most offhand way

[2] INF5.4

Stavvi Minòs orribilmente, e ringhia: 4 There stands Minos, snarling, terrible.

[2] INF5.5

essamina le colpe ne l'intrata; 5 He examines each offender at the entrance,

[2] INF5.6

giudica e manda secondo ch'avvinghia. 6 judges and dispatches as he encoils himself.

[3] INF5.7

Dico che quando l'anima mal nata 7 I mean that when the ill-begotten soul

mal nata: compare Purgatorio 5:

E io: "Perché ne' vostri visi guati, 58 And I replied: 'However hard I gaze into your faces,

non riconosco alcun; ma s'a voi piace 59 none do I recognize. But if in anything

cosa ch'io possa, spiriti ben nati, 60 I can please you, spirits born for bliss,

voi dite, e io farò per quella pace 61 'by the very peace I seek

che, dietro a' piedi di sì fatta guida, 62 from world to world, following the steps

di mondo in mondo cercar mi si face." 63 of such a guide, that I will do.'

predestination?

[3] INF5.8

li vien dinanzi, tutta si confessa; 8 stands there before him it confesses all,

[3] INF5.9

e quel conoscitor de le peccata 9 and that accomplished judge of sins

[4] INF5.10

vede qual loco d'inferno è da essa; 10 decides what place in Hell is fit for it,

[4] INF5.11

cignesi con la coda tante volte 11 then coils his tail around himself to count

[4] INF5.12

quantunque gradi vuol che giù sia messa. 12 how many circles down the soul must go.

Tozer points out that the process is described again in HELL 27, as experienced by Guido da Montefeltro:

Oh me dolente! come mi riscossi 121 'Oh, wretch that I am, how I shuddered

quando mi prese dicendomi: 'Forse 122 when he seized me and said: "Perhaps

tu non pensavi ch'io löico fossi!' 123 you didn't reckon I'd be versed in logic."

A Minòs mi portò; e quelli attorse 124 'He carried me to Minos, who coiled his tail

otto volte la coda al dosso duro; 125 eight times around his scaly back

e poi che per gran rabbia la si morse, 126 and, having gnawed it in his awful rage,

disse: 'Questi è d'i rei del foco furo'; 127 'said: "Here comes a sinner for the thieving fire."

per ch'io là dove vedi son perduto, 128 And so, just as you see me, I am damned,

e sì vestito, andando, mi rancuro." 129 cloaked as I am. And as I go, I grieve.'

[5] INF5.13

Sempre dinanzi a lui ne stanno molte: 13 Always before him stands a crowd of them,

[5] INF5.14

vanno a vicenda ciascuna al giudizio, 14 going to judgment each in turn.

[5] INF5.15

dicono e odono e poi son giù volte. 15 They tell, they hear, and then are hurled down.

[6] INF5.16

"O tu che vieni al doloroso ospizio," 16 'O you who come to this abode of pain,'

[6] INF5.17

disse Minòs a me quando mi vide, 17 said Minos when he saw me, pausing

[6] INF5.18

lasciando l'atto di cotanto offizio, 18 in the exercise of his high office,

[7] INF5.19

"guarda com' entri e di cui tu ti fide; 19 'beware how you come in and whom you trust.

[7] INF5.20

non t'inganni l'ampiezza de l'intrare!" 20 Don't let the easy entrance fool you.'

[7] INF5.21

E 'l duca mio a lui: "Perché pur gride? 21 And my leader to him: 'Why all this shouting?

[8] INF5.22

Non impedir lo suo fatale andare: 22 'Hinder not his destined journey.

[8] INF5.23

vuolsi così colà dove si puote 23 It is so willed where will and power are one,

[8] INF5.24

ciò che si vuole, e più non dimandare." 24 and ask no more.'

[9] INF5.25

Or incomincian le dolenti note 25 Now I can hear the screams

Exactly the line where D in HELL 4 begins to hear, and hears “sighs, not cries”

[9] INF5.26

a farmisi sentire; or son venuto 26 of agony. Now I have come

[9] INF5.27

là dove molto pianto mi percuote. 27 where a great wailing beats upon me.

[10] INF5.28

Io venni in loco d'ogne luce muto, 28 I reached a place mute of all light,

[10] INF5.29

che mugghia come fa mar per tempesta, 29 which bellows as the sea in tempest

[10] INF5.30

se da contrari venti è combattuto. 30 tossed by conflicting winds.

[11] INF5.31

La bufera infernal, che mai non resta, 31 The hellish squall, which never rests,

[11] INF5.32

mena li spirti con la sua rapina; 32 sweeps spirits in its headlong rush,

Commentary: Tozer
 Language: English
 Publ.Date: 1901
 Reference: 10-Inferno 5. 32-32
Text:
 rapina: its `furious rush' which sweeps them
 along; cp. Conv. ii. 6, ll. 149, 150, `la rapina del Primo
 Mobile.'

[11] INF5.33

voltando e percotendo li molesta. 33 tormenting, whirls and strikes them.

[12] INF5.34

Quando giungon davanti a la ruina, 34 Caught in that path of violence,

[12] INF5.35

quivi le strida, il compianto, il lamento; 35 they shriek, weep, and lament.

[12] INF5.36

bestemmian quivi la virtù divina. 36 Then how they curse the power of God!

[13] INF5.37

Intesi ch'a così fatto tormento 37 I understood that to such torment

[13] INF5.38

enno dannati i peccator carnali, 38 the carnal sinners are condemned,

[13] INF5.39

che la ragion sommettono al talento. 39 they who make reason subject to desire.

[14] INF5.40

E come li stornei ne portan l'ali 40 As, in cold weather, the wings of starlings

I will try to make an echoing motif of all the portares in this canto:

the wings of the starlings, here, carry/bear up/transport the starlings:

E come li stornei ne portan l'ali 40 As, in cold weather, the wings of starlings

nel freddo tempo, a schiera larga e piena, 41 bear them up in wide, dense flocks,

the shades in 49 are carried/borne by their trouble/distress/ordeal:

così vid' io venir, traendo guai, 48 thus I saw approach, heaving plaintive sighs,

ombre portate da la detta briga; 49 shades lifted on that turbulence,

and p and f, in 84, are carried/borne—like doves!—by desire:

Quali colombe dal disio chiamate 82 As doves, summoned by desire, their wings

con l'ali alzate e ferme al dolce nido 83 outstretched and motionless, move on the air,

vegnon per l'aere, dal voler portate; 84 borne by their will to the sweet nest,

then in 108 the words of p and f are borne from them (no agent specified) after francesca finishes her first speech:

Caina attende chi a vita ci spense." 107 Caïna waits for him who quenched our lives.'

Queste parole da lor ci fuor porte. 108 These words were borne from them to us.

[14] INF5.41

nel freddo tempo, a schiera larga e piena, 41 bear them up in wide, dense flocks,

Singleton is magnificent here:

Commentary: Singleton
 Language: English
 Publ.Date: 1970-75
 Attrib.: copyright
 Reference: 10-Inferno 5. 41-41
Text:
 nel freddo tempo: In late autumn, birds such as
 starlings are seen gathering in great flocks, wheeling about in
 flight (see M. Barbi, 1927, pp. 126-127). The suggestion of
 autumn and of winter's coming continues (see Inf. III, 112) and
 extends here into the simile of the cranes (vss. 46-47),
 contributing the tone of sadness and melancholy commonly
 associated with these seasons. Indeed, the cumulative effect of
 such touches as these establishes for the Inferno a mood that
 is impressively different from that of the Purgatorio or the
 Paradiso.

[14] INF5.42

così quel fiato li spiriti mali 42 so does that blast propel the wicked spirits.

[15] INF5.43

di qua, di là, di giù, di sù li mena; 43 Here and there, down and up, it drives them.

[15] INF5.44

nulla speranza li conforta mai, 44 Never are they comforted by hope

[15] INF5.45

non che di posa, ma di minor pena. 45 of rest or even lesser punishment.

[16] INF5.46

E come i gru van cantando lor lai, 46 Just as cranes chant their mournful songs,

for his beautiful over I am greatly indebted to John Ciardi.

[16] INF5.47

faccendo in aere di sé lunga riga, 47 making a long line in the air,

D in the Paradiso will make much of creatures in the air making of themselves one pattern after another

meanwhile, I must pay closer attention. This is the riga of rigavan of the disgusting worms of HELL 3:

Questi sciaurati, che mai non fur vivi, 64 These wretches, who never were alive,

erano ignudi e stimolati molto 65 were naked and beset

da mosconi e da vespe ch'eran ivi. 66 by stinging flies and wasps

Elle rigavan lor di sangue il volto, 67 that made their faces stream with blood,

che, mischiato di lagrime, a' lor piedi 68 which, mingled with their tears,

da fastidiosi vermi era ricolto. 69 was gathered at their feet by loathsome worms.

To translate merely as line is to deprive the reader of much.

I am not chiding the Hollanders. I am scolding myself. I was very close to letting riga be line and move on.

[16] INF5.48

così vid' io venir, traendo guai, 48 thus I saw approach, heaving plaintive sighs,

see the PAROLE, this line

but since the phrase appears in the central canzone of Vita Nuova and in the entire C only here*, the association prompting D to use it may have been the birds that fell dead from the sky during his vision of the death of Beatrice,

since in this terzina there are a) birds b) lamenting birds and c) birds used to describe a scene in Hell.

but HELL 13.22:

Io sentia d'ogne parte trarre guai 22 Lamentations I heard on every side

e non vedea persona che 'l facesse; 23 but I saw no one who might be crying out

per ch'io tutto smarrito m'arrestai. 24 so that, confused, I stopped.

[17] INF5.49

ombre portate da la detta briga; 49 shades lifted on that turbulence,

meant to have the same general meaning as molesta in 33?

voltando e percotendo li molesta. 33 tormenting, whirls and strikes them.

distress, making life miserable, really annoy

[17] INF5.50

per ch'i' dissi: "Maestro, chi son quelle 50 so that I said: 'Master, who are these

curious. hasn’t D just identified these as Lustful Sinners, in [9]: why is he asking?

Ah! He wants their names. He knows why they’re there, now he wants to know who’s included.

Intesi ch'a così fatto tormento 37 I understood that to such torment

enno dannati i peccator carnali, 38 the carnal sinners are condemned,

che la ragion sommettono al talento. 39 they who make reason subject to desire.

NOTE: every one of the carnal sinners pointed out betrayed a spouse in some way,

except Achilles (whose intention to marry a Trojan was a—marriage-related—betrayal of his country)

[17] INF5.51

genti che l'aura nera sì gastiga?" 51 whom the black air lashes?'

[as of 2/8/04 I’m at “black air grinds.”]

[18] INF5.52

"La prima di color di cui novelle 52 'The first of them about whom

Whoa! Led to Aeneid 6.734 by Putnam’s “Virgil’s Inferno,” I come across Anchises going,

in 6.724, “Principio . . .” and I’m like, “Whoa! That sounds familiar—and helps explain Virgil’s sort of

odd padding-seeming “La prima . . “ I have to say Virgil, with the preceding line’s

“atque ordine singula pandit” [and reveals each truth in order—Loeb], has what seems like more justification

for “Principio,” but maybe Dante, given the Virgil passage, has no, or at least less, need of setup.

Allusion as sufficient setup, as setup enow.

[18] INF5.53

tu vuo' saper," mi disse quelli allotta, 53 you would hear,' he then replied,

consciously archaic as a way of taking us back to an older time?

[18] INF5.54

"fu imperadrice di molte favelle. 54 'was empress over many tongues.

Commentary: Oelsner
 Language: English
 Publ.Date: 1899
 Reference: 10-Inferno 5. 52-60
Text:
 According to Orosius, Semiramis succeeded her
 husband Ninus as ruler of Assyria. She was known for her
 licentious character. Dante appears to have confused the ancient
 kingdom of Assyria or Babylonia in Asia with the Babylon in
 Egypt, for only the latter was ruled by the Sultan. Or perhaps he
 followed a tradition according to which Ninus conquered Egypt.
 The mention of the molte favelle in verse 54 is probably due to
 the fact that Babylon and Babel were commonly held to be
 identical.
 

And somewhere in the Convivio, I think, D allows as how Semiramis and Ninus were something like

history’s first recorded rulers—so “la prima” has extra point. Plus perhaps D is saying ‘twas every thus,

from the very very beginning

[19] INF5.55

A vizio di lussuria fu sì rotta, 55 'She was so given to the vice of lechery

[19] INF5.56

che libito fé licito in sua legge, 56 she made lust licit in her law

[19] INF5.57

per tòrre il biasmo in che era condotta. 57 to take away the blame she had incurred.

[20] INF5.58

Ell' è Semiramìs, di cui si legge 58 'She is Semiramis, of whom we read[i]

D is so casually perfect. It’s as though he were a great golfer and the Comedy a game of miniature golf,

at which he seems somehow effortlessly transcendent.

!!! the subtle harbinger of the p and f reading,

and reading about a famous lover,

and reading no more

Oxford Classical Dictionary:

Semiramis

Semiramis in history was Sammu-ramat, wife of Shamshi-Adad V of Assyria, mother of Adad-nirari III, with whom she campaigned against Commagene in 805 BC. Her inscribed stela stood with stelae of kings and high officials in Assur. In Greek legend, she was the daughter of the Syrian goddess Derceto at Ascalon, wife of Onnes (probably the first Sumerian sage Oannes) and then of Ninos, eponymous king of Nineveh; she conquered 'Bactria' and built 'Babylon' (Berossus denied this). In Armenian legend, she conquered Armenia (ancient Urartu), built a palace and waterworks, and left inscriptions.

W. Schramm, Historia 1972, 513–21; F. W. König, Die Persika des Ktesias von Knidos, Archiv für Orientforschung Beiheft 18 (1972), 37–40; V. Donbaz, Annual Review of the Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia Project (1990), 5–10; Moses Khorenats'i, History of the Armenians, ed. R. W. Thomson (1978), 93–104.

S. M. D.

© Copyright The Oxford Classical Dictionary © Oxford University Press 1996, 2000

[20] INF5.59

che succedette a Nino e fu sua sposa: 59 that she, once Ninus' wife, succeeded him.

[20] INF5.60

tenne la terra che 'l Soldan corregge. 60 She held sway in the land the Sultan rules.

[21] INF5.61

L'altra è colei che s'ancise amorosa, 61 'Here is she who broke faith with the ashes

Commentary: Grandgent
 Language: English
 Publ.Date: 1909-13
 Attrib.: copyright
 Reference: 10-Inferno 5. 62-62
Text:
 Note Aen., IV, 552: `non servata fides cineri
 promissa Sichaeo.'

[21] INF5.62

e ruppe fede al cener di Sicheo; 62 of Sichaeus and slew herself for love.

[21] INF5.63

poi è Cleopatràs lussurïosa. 63 The next is wanton Cleopatra.

[22] INF5.64

Elena vedi, per cui tanto reo 64 'See Helen, for whose sake so many years

[22] INF5.65

tempo si volse, e vedi 'l grande Achille, 65 of ill rolled past. And see the great Achilles,

[22] INF5.66

che con amore al fine combatteo. 66 who battled, at the last, with love.

[23] INF5.67

Vedi Parìs, Tristano"; e più di mille 67 'See Paris, Tristan,' and he showed me more

Tristan gets us into medieval romance times, which is where we want to be when we meet p and f

we go from myth time to Tristan—and halt.

[23] INF5.68

ombre mostrommi e nominommi a dito, 68 than a thousand shades, naming as he pointed,

[23] INF5.69

ch'amor di nostra vita dipartille. 69 whom love had parted from our life.

[24] INF5.70

Poscia ch'io ebbi 'l mio dottore udito 70 When I heard my teacher name the ladies

very cool

first appearance in the C

the second: just sixty lines from now, when Francesca says, “I’m sure your teacher knows what I’m talking about.”

this line helps ensure that Francesca’s bitter parenthetical will hit home without passing hunh?

[24] INF5.71

nomar le donne antiche e ' cavalieri, 71 and the knights of old, pity overcame me

more p and f setup

[24] INF5.72

pietà mi giunse, e fui quasi smarrito. 72 and I almost lost my senses.

[24] is a palate cleanser, the entr’acte preparing the way for p and f

also a warning: cf Monty Python’s Holy Grail: “The problem!”

In any case, we now know this means closure—the conclusion of this section: taking it all in has become too overwhelming to continue

[25] INF5.73

I' cominciai: "Poeta, volontieri 73 I began: 'Poet, gladly would I speak

D is so good. We have seen volontieri only once before—in the Hell 1 simile where a big winner reacts to total loss

—and who else are p and f? HELL 1:

E qual è quei che volontieri acquista, 55 And like one who rejoices in his gains

e giugne 'l tempo che perder lo face, 56 but when the time comes and he loses,

che 'n tutti suoi pensier piange e s'attrista; 57 turns all his thought to sadness and lament,

[25] INF5.74

parlerei a que' due che 'nsieme vanno, 74 with these two that move together

remember that van cantando went the cranes in line 46

E come i gru van cantando lor lai, 46 Just as cranes chant their mournful songs,

cranes are far more elegant than starlings—and their flocks far smaller

I have go moving to echo go singing

even though it’s on the face of it quite an awkward locution, smacking loudly of redundancy

[25] INF5.75

e paion sì al vento esser leggieri." 75 and seem to be so light upon the wind.'

[26] INF5.76

Ed elli a me: "Vedrai quando saranno 76 And he: 'Once they are nearer, you will see:

[26] INF5.77

più presso a noi; e tu allor li priega 77 if you entreat them by the love

priega an ironic contrast with the prayers of the faithful?

cf.