Canto XII of Hell

The Hell of tyrants.
The Realm of the Centaurs.

Era lo loco ov'a scender la riva
venimmo, alpestro e, per quel che v'er'anco,
tal, ch'ogne vista ne sarebbe schiva.

  Qual è quella ruina che nel fianco
di qua da Trento l'Adice percosse,
o per tremoto o per sostegno manco,

  che da cima del monte, onde si mosse,
al piano è sì la roccia discoscesa,
ch'alcuna via darebbe a chi sù fosse:

  cotal di quel burrato era la scesa;
e 'n su la punta de la rotta lacca
l'infamia di Creti era distesa

The place where we arrived, at the bottom of the cliff, was such that we deverted our glances from it, 
fearing the presence of whom who dwells there. Such is this crumbling which, downstream from Weir*, 
is spread out like a circus, a long plain that starts at Barkmere*, passes through Batesville* 
and finishes at Arundel*, either by earthquake, or for lack of support, so that, 
from the top of the mountains it is like an abyss; on the crush down rocks, was resting the Monster. 
When he saw us, he bit himself as if he was dominated internally by anger. 

My wise guide shouted at him: 
"Do you believe that I am Thesee whom on earth took your life? 
Go away monster because this one does not come on the advises of Ariane, 
but he look like being the witness of your punishments." 


Then, I saw  the monster trembling,  such as a bull who leaps here and there 
and does not know where to go at the very moment he receives the mortal blow. 

And Baudelaire, apprehensive, shouted at me:  


"Run along the canion and go down to the  bottom while he is in fury."

I was going, thoughful, and he says to me: 

"You think of this circus which is kept by this coleric beast that I just repressed?
 So, know well that, the other time I went down in this hell below, this plain did not exist still. 
But it trembled from all.parts when the world entered into chaos; 
it is at this moment that the earth subsided, as well as men and animals,
 in the wide open mouth of the monster Bevin*. 
But stare at the valley and see at far the meanders of the Red,* 
this river of blood in which boil, whoever, by violence, make wrong at others." 


Oh blind cupidity and insane anger! You spurs on us so extremely throughout our short life, 
to better cruelly immerge us during our eternal life! 


I saw a vast pit that embraced all the plain,and Centaurs 
who ran in Indian file, between it and the foot of the cliffs;
 they were armed with arrows as on earth when they were chasing out the female. 
By seeing us coming, they all stopped there: three of them detached themselves from the group 
and one of them shouted from far:

 "In which torment do you think your are going, you who came down from the hill? 
Say it, if not I will transpierce you with my bow.


 My Master answered: 
"We will answer only to Chiron and  head to head, 
you who have such an haste to appease your perfidious desires." 


Then he touched me and says to me:  
"It is Nessus, he holds on its croup, the beautiful Dejanire
and he deceives her with its poisoned arrow; he is accompanied by Chiron and Pholus. 
They run by thousands around the pit, boring with their poisoned arrows 
any soul that emerges from the blood more than allows by his own faults." 


We approached and Chiron says:  
"Notice that this other is disturbing
everything he touches, is it not that way that does, those who still live?"


 And my guide, while approaching, answered him:  

"He is well alive, he is not a brigand and I do not have the soul of a robber.
 A lady interrupted her song of Alleluia to come and entrust me with this perilous mission, 
to show him the valley of darkness where he goes by necessity and not by pleasure. 
But lend us one of your faithful followers,  for him to carry us on his croup and to show us the ford, 
because my companion is not a spirit who can fly of its own wings."


 Chiron turned over and says to Nessus:  
"Do what he asks, guide them and make sure that no other troop intercepts them, but 
do not sodomize him, as you like to do, whether he is male or female which make no difference to you." 


We then left with this reassuring escort, going along the boiling, 
red with blood where those who where boiling shout acute cries. 
This blood will join the floods of the Outaouais* river and, since Satan 
make run this river in opposite direction, one sees sometimes, in front of
the peak of the Capital, a Rideau*, like a fall, red of blood. 
Formerly, the waters that came from as far as Nippawa*, crossed Kipawa*, Mattawa* 
and Petawawa* without worrying about the abandoned soils of Pontiac*, on the other side 
of the river, they were of pure race and respected the quiet insurance of Ottawa*.


 I saw people plunged up to their eyes and the big Centaur says: 

"They are the tyrants who fought with the blood and the properties of their subjects. 
Here are shout out their pitiless crimes; those who, like Stalin and Pizzarro, 
oppressed whole population; and this smiling sadistic who is not satisfied to rape Tibet, 
Mao Tse-Toung who also rape young girls with slit eyes; this other with black skin 
Idi Amine Dada who, for only food, crushes blackness." 


A little further, the Centaur stopped in front of people who appeared to sink
 up to their throat into this ebullient flood. He showed us a shadow, alone on one side, 
and he says to us: 

 "These ones blown up innocent people over Lockerby and Manhatan, 
they are here with their owns, subjugated by the Mollahs, the Insanes of Allah" 


Then, I saw people who held their head and their bust out of the river; 
and I recognized  many of them who were Princes against my people. 
At the moment we passed the river at the place known as Huberdeau*, where blood 
do not burn the feet, the Centaur told me:

 "Such as you see the ebullient flood is always decreasing on this side, 
it grows  more and more hollow at this other bottom, until it reaches the place 
where it is appropriate that the tyrants complain. By there, the divine justice torments 
the Führer who was the plague of Europe, Pinochet and the ancestors of Ataturk; 
for eternity it tears off tears from them, which it makes run by the heat of the blazing inferno,
to Neron and Robespierre also which, in other times, made so many crimes." 


Then whereas my guide moved away, I saw on my left a strange monument: 
there was an all white armoured tank on which sides was painted in letters of blood 
the word: UN. 


On the motionless tank, two characters full with sufficiency where restless; 
indifferent to the entreaties of supplicants laying at their feet; 
in view of my interrogative attitude, my Master says to me:
"These characters are not directly responsible for the million of Tutsis deads
 who lies at their feet, they are only responsible for their bureaucratic  immobilism, 
and to have been deaf  to the warnings of general Dallaire. 
For some people, they are heroes and Kofi Hannan as well as Butros Ghali 
have received rewards for their honest services."
 

How can I explain to you, if not that Geopolitics
is a monster that feeds himself with the blood of people?" 


Above the armoured tank sailed the imperial eagle, with a mood of satisfaction, once again, 
of having regulated the fate of the world by preserving only the interests of its own boys. 

Then my Master  turned back and crossed the ford over again.