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第55节

the divine comedy(神曲)-第55节

小说: the divine comedy(神曲) 字数: 每页4000字

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  The images of such humility;
  And dear to look on for their Maker's sake;

〃Behold; upon this side; but rare they make
  Their steps;〃 the Poet murmured; 〃many people;
  These will direct us to the lofty stairs。〃

Mine eyes; that in beholding were intent
  To see new things; of which they curious are;
  In turning round towards him were not slow。

But still I wish not; Reader; thou shouldst swerve
  From thy good purposes; because thou hearest
  How God ordaineth that the debt be paid;

Attend not to the fashion of the torment;
  Think of what follows; think that at the worst
  It cannot reach beyond the mighty sentence。

〃Master;〃 began I; 〃that which I behold
  Moving towards us seems to me not persons;
  And what I know not; so in sight I waver。〃

And he to me: 〃The grievous quality
  Of this their torment bows them so to earth;
  That my own eyes at first contended with it;

But look there fixedly; and disentangle
  By sight what cometh underneath those stones;
  Already canst thou see how each is stricken。〃

O ye proud Christians! wretched; weary ones!
  Who; in the vision of the mind infirm
  Confidence have in your backsliding steps;

Do ye not comprehend that we are worms;
  Born to bring forth the angelic butterfly
  That flieth unto judgment without screen?

Why floats aloft your spirit high in air?
  Like are ye unto insects undeveloped;
  Even as the worm in whom formation fails!

As to sustain a ceiling or a roof;
  In place of corbel; oftentimes a figure
  Is seen to join its knees unto its breast;

Which makes of the unreal real anguish
  Arise in him who sees it; fashioned thus
  Beheld I those; when I had ta'en good heed。

True is it; they were more or less bent down;
  According as they more or less were laden;
  And he who had most patience in his looks

Weeping did seem to say; 〃I can no more!〃



Purgatorio: Canto XI


〃Our Father; thou who dwellest in the heavens;
  Not circumscribed; but from the greater love
  Thou bearest to the first effects on high;

Praised be thy name and thine omnipotence
  By every creature; as befitting is
  To render thanks to thy sweet effluence。

Come unto us the peace of thy dominion;
  For unto it we cannot of ourselves;
  If it come not; with all our intellect。

Even as thine own Angels of their will
  Make sacrifice to thee; Hosanna singing;
  So may all men make sacrifice of theirs。

Give unto us this day our daily manna;
  Withouten which in this rough wilderness
  Backward goes he who toils most to advance。

And even as we the trespass we have suffered
  Pardon in one another; pardon thou
  Benignly; and regard not our desert。

Our virtue; which is easily o'ercome;
  Put not to proof with the old Adversary;
  But thou from him who spurs it so; deliver。

This last petition verily; dear Lord;
  Not for ourselves is made; who need it not;
  But for their sake who have remained behind us。〃

Thus for themselves and us good furtherance
  Those shades imploring; went beneath a weight
  Like unto that of which we sometimes dream;

Unequally in anguish round and round
  And weary all; upon that foremost cornice;
  Purging away the smoke…stains of the world。

If there good words are always said for us;
  What may not here be said and done for them;
  By those who have a good root to their will?

Well may we help them wash away the marks
  That hence they carried; so that clean and light
  They may ascend unto the starry wheels!

〃Ah! so may pity and justice you disburden
  Soon; that ye may have power to move the wing;
  That shall uplift you after your desire;

Show us on which hand tow'rd the stairs the way
  Is shortest; and if more than one the passes;
  Point us out that which least abruptly falls;

For he who cometh with me; through the burden
  Of Adam's flesh wherewith he is invested;
  Against his will is chary of his climbing。〃

The words of theirs which they returned to those
  That he whom I was following had spoken;
  It was not manifest from whom they came;

But it was said: 〃To the right hand come with us
  Along the bank; and ye shall find a pass
  Possible for living person to ascend。

And were I not impeded by the stone;
  Which this proud neck of mine doth subjugate;
  Whence I am forced to hold my visage down;

Him; who still lives and does not name himself;
  Would I regard; to see if I may know him
  And make him piteous unto this burden。

A Latian was I; and born of a great Tuscan;
  Guglielmo Aldobrandeschi was my father;
  I know not if his name were ever with you。

The ancient blood and deeds of gallantry
  Of my progenitors so arrogant made me
  That; thinking not upon the common mother;

All men I held in scorn to such extent
  I died therefor; as know the Sienese;
  And every child in Campagnatico。

I am Omberto; and not to me alone
  Has pride done harm; but all my kith and kin
  Has with it dragged into adversity。

And here must I this burden bear for it
  Till God be satisfied; since I did not
  Among the living; here among the dead。〃

Listening I downward bent my countenance;
  And one of them; not this one who was speaking;
  Twisted himself beneath the weight that cramps him;

And looked at me; and knew me; and called out;
  Keeping his eyes laboriously fixed
  On me; who all bowed down was going with them。

〃O;〃 asked I him; 〃art thou not Oderisi;
  Agobbio's honour; and honour of that art
  Which is in Paris called illuminating?〃

〃Brother;〃 said he; 〃more laughing are the leaves
  Touched by the brush of Franco Bolognese;
  All his the honour now; and mine in part。

In sooth I had not been so courteous
  While I was living; for the great desire
  Of excellence; on which my heart was bent。

Here of such pride is paid the forfeiture;
  And yet I should not be here; were it not
  That; having power to sin; I turned to God。

O thou vain glory of the human powers;
  How little green upon thy summit lingers;
  If't be not followed by an age of grossness!

In painting Cimabue thought that he
  Should hold the field; now Giotto has the cry;
  So that the other's fame is growing dim。

So has one Guido from the other taken
  The glory of our tongue; and he perchance
  Is born; who from the nest shall chase them both。

Naught is this mundane rumour but a breath
  Of wind; that comes now this way and now that;
  And changes name; because it changes side。

What fame shalt thou have more; if old peel off
  From thee thy flesh; than if thou hadst been dead
  Before thou left the 'pappo' and the 'dindi;'

Ere pass a thousand years? which is a shorter
  Space to the eterne; than twinkling of an eye
  Unto the circle that in heaven wheels slowest。

With him; who takes so little of the road
  In front of me; all Tuscany resounded;
  And now he scarce is lisped of in Siena;

Where he was lord; what time was overthrown
  The Florentine delirium; that superb
  Was at that day as now 'tis prostitute。

Your reputation is the colour of grass
  Which comes and goes; and that discolours it
  By which it issues green from out the earth。〃

And I: 〃Thy true speech fills my heart with good
  Humility; and great tumour thou assuagest;
  But who is he; of whom just now thou spakest?〃

〃That;〃 he replied; 〃is Provenzan Salvani;
  And he is here because he had presumed
  To bring Siena all into his hands。

He has gone thus; and goeth without rest
  E'er since he died; such money renders back
  In payment he who is on earth too daring。〃

And I: 〃If every spirit who awaits
  The verge of life before that he repent;
  Remains below there and ascends not hither;

(Unless good orison shall him bestead;)
  Until as much time as he lived be passed;
  How was the coming granted him in largess?〃

〃When he in greatest splendour lived;〃 said he;
  〃Freely upon the Campo of Siena;
  All shame being laid aside; he placed himself;

And there to draw his friend from the duress
  Which in the prison…house of Charles he suffered;
  He brought himself to tremble in each vein。


I say no more; and know that I speak darkly;
  Yet little time shall pass before thy neighbours
  Will so demean themselves that thou canst gloss it。

This action has released him from those confines。〃



Purgatorio: Canto XII


Abreast; like oxen going in a yoke;
  I with that heavy…laden soul went on;
  As long as the sweet pedagogue permitted;

But when he said; 〃Leave him; and onward pass;
  For here 'tis good that with the sail and oars;
  As much as may be; each push on his barque;〃

Upright; as walking wills it; I redressed
  My person; notwithstanding that my thoughts
  Remained within me downcast and abashed。

I had moved on; and followed willingly
  The footsteps of my Master; and we both
  Already showed how light of foot we were;

When unto me he said: 〃Cast down thine eyes;
  'Twere well for thee; to alleviate the way;
  To look upon the bed beneath thy feet。〃

As; that some memory may exist of them;
  Above the buried dead their tombs in earth
  Bear sculptured on them what they were before;

Whence often there we weep for them afresh;
 

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