Canto III of Hell

Acheron or the vestibule of the cowards.
Those who abandon the good of conciousness.

Per me si va ne la città dolente,
per me si va ne l'etterno dolore,
per me si va tra la perduta gente.

  Giustizia mosse il mio alto fattore:
fecemi la divina podestate,
la somma sapienza e 'l primo amore.

  Dinanzi a me non fuor cose create
se non etterne, e io etterno duro.
Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate".

  Queste parole di colore oscuro
vid'io scritte al sommo d'una porta;
per ch'io: «Maestro, il senso lor m'è duro».

BY ME ONE GOES IN THE DOLENT CITY  
BY ME ONE GOES IN THE ETERNAL PAIN, 
BY ME ONE GOES AMONG THE LOST RACE.
JUSTICE INSPIRED THE ARTISAN 
THE DIVINE POWER HAS MADE ME
AND SUPREME WISDOM AND THE FIRST LOVE. 
BEFORE ME NOTHING WAS  CREATED
IF NOT ETERNAL AND I LAST ETERNALLY. 
HE WHO ENTER, LEAVE ANY HOPE. 

I read these words in dark colours, written on top of the gate and whose meaning is cruel 
to understand.

 "Here, you should not fear, and you must kill any cowardice in you. 
We came to the place where I told you that you would see the painful race 
of those who, on earth, lost the meaning of consciousness." 


He took my hand and comforted me, then we entered into this world full with mysteries; 
there were sighs, complaints, groanings and tears, what made me cry.

 "O my Guide, what do I hear? 
And who are those people who appear overpowered by regrets?" 


He answered me: 
"This miserable state is that of the painful hearts, of those 
who lived without consciousness and imagination; they are mixed with the chorus of 
Angels 
they who were neither faithful nor rebels to God, but who where satisfied with their servitude.
Ignorant they where of the world in which they lived, Heaven refuses them 
not to deteriorate its greatness and Hell, not to expect glory from it!"


 I say to him: 
"Master, what suffering make them complain so extremely?" 

And he answered me as follows:  
"I  will say it to you in few words.
They can, any more, hope to die, and their life of misery is so deep, 
that, they envy any other fate. The world does not remember  them, and he despices them, 
those who had refused their own name. I beg you, forget about them, let us look and pass 
quickly."


 And me, I looked and I saw a flag , agitated by the wind and that advanced so quickly, 
and that never seemed to stop; behind him, came a herd of people 
who followed the flag in a rhythmic pace and who seemed unconscious of the reason of their escape, 
neither of the resson of being like this, so that never would  I have believed 
that absence of consciousness had struck so many.


 I believed I recognize some of them: friends, brothers, sisters, 
people whom I had loved and others, despised; those miserables, who were never 
completely alive, 
they were harassed on earth and completely willing to be, by Masters and States, 
Mothers or Wives, Dogmas and Churches, or by infamous Laws, 
Conventions and Fashion, or fear of being Free. 
They where naked and hardly harassed, stitched, tortured and abused by horseflies, wasps 
and bees that where everywhere. They stain their face with blood, 
blood mixed with their tears that fell and were absorbed on the ground by filthy worms.


 Then I diverted my glance and, while looking further away, 
I saw people along the bank of a large river; I said to my Guide: 

"grant me the favour of knowing, who are those that the low clearness let me foresee." 

"Those things will be revealed to you at the sad bank of the Acheron."

 And I stop talking by shame, until we reach the river; where a boat was approaching,
 led  by an old man with a beard bleached by age, he challenged us as follows: 

"Misfortune with you, malicious hearts! Do not hope to see heaven any day; 
I came to carry you to the other bank, in the fire and ice of the eternal darkness. 
And you who are here, with your soul still alive, moove away from those who are already 
dead." 


But, as I did not go away, he says to me: 
"Go by another way
or by any other ports, a lighter boat will carry you where you must go."


Then, my guide says to him:  
"Caron, do not get angry: it is needed as such and it is what we want; do not ask any 
more." 


And the pilot, with bearded cheeks and whose eyes sprinkles with fire, calm down.

But the weary and naked souls, hearing these cruel words, their faces changes color, 
and they beggered, they swear to  God and their parents, 
mankind, the place, time, the origin of their race and of their birth. 
Then, while crying with full tears, they assembled on the curse bank
that awaits for the souls who do not fear God. 

Caron, the demon with the fiery eyes, gathered them all with a sign, he struck with its oar
 those who were delayed. The souls went away on the dark water and 
 before they where on the other bank, a new troop still gathered on this side. 

And my guide says to me: 
"My son, those who die cursed, meet here from any countries, 
any color, race and sex; and they are in a hurry to cross the river, 
because the divine justice makes that their fear changes into desire.
 Here, never passes a virtuous soul; this is why, if Caron complains about your presence,
 you can well now understand the reason of his words." 

Then, from the ground, spouts out a flash of fire, which removed my feelings
and I fell like whom who succumbs of sleeping.