Canto 28

Who, even with words unfettered,¹⁷⁸ could ever tell in full of the blood and of the wounds that I now saw, though many times narrating? Every tongue assuredly would come short, by reason of our speech and our memory that have small capacity to comprise so much.

Who, even with unrestricted words,¹⁷⁸ could fully describe all the blood and wounds I now saw, even after telling the story many times? Surely everyone would fall short, because our speech and memory have too little capacity to hold so much.

If all the people were again assembled, that of old upon the fateful land of Apulia lamented for their blood shed by the Trojans,¹⁷⁹ and in the long war that made such high spoil of the rings,¹⁸⁰ as Livy writes, who erreth not; with those that, by resisting Robert Guiscard,¹⁸¹ felt the pain of blows, and the rest whose bones are still heaped up at Ceperano,¹⁸² where every Apullian was false, and there by Tagliacozzo,¹⁸³ where without arms the old Alardo conquered,—and one should show his limb pierced through, and one his lopped off, it would be nothing to equal the grisly mode of the ninth pit.

Suppose all the people were gathered again who once mourned their blood shed by the Trojans on the fateful land of Apulia.¹⁷⁹ Suppose they were joined by those who suffered in the long war that yielded such a great haul of rings.¹⁸⁰ Livy, who makes no mistakes, writes of that war. Add those who were wounded resisting Robert Guiscard,¹⁸¹ and the others whose bones still lie heaped at Ceperano,¹⁸² where every Apullian was false. Add those whose bones lie at Tagliacozzo,¹⁸³ where old Alardo conquered without arms. Even if one showed a pierced limb and another a severed one, it would be nothing compared with the grisly sights of the ninth pit.

Truly cask, by losing mid-board or cross-piece, is not so split open as one I saw cleft from the chin to where the wind is broken: between his legs were hanging his entrails, his inner parts were visible, and the dismal sack that makes ordure of what is swallowed. Whilst all on seeing him I fix myself, he looked at me, and with his hands opened his breast, saying, “Now see how I rend myself, see how mangled is Mahomet. Ali¹⁸⁴ goeth before me weeping, cleft in the face from chin to forelock; and all the others whom thou seest here were, when living, sowers of scandal and of schism, and therefore are they so cleft. A devil is here behind, that adjusts us so cruelly, putting again to the edge of the sword each of this crew, when we have turned the doleful road, because the wounds are closed up ere one passes again before him. But thou, who art thou, that musest on the crag, perchance to delay going to the punishment that is adjudged on thine own accusations?”¹⁸⁵ “Nor death hath reached him yet,” replied my Master, “nor doth sin lead him to torment him; but, in order to give him full experience, it behoves me, who am dead, to lead him through Hell down here, from circle to circle; and this is true as that I speak to thee.”

No cask split open by the loss of a middle board or crosspiece was ever as torn as one man I saw. He was split from his chin to where he breaks wind. His entrails hung between his legs. His inner organs were visible, along with the wretched sack that turns what is swallowed into excrement. As I stood staring at him, he looked at me and opened his chest with his hands. He said, “Now see how I tear myself open. See how mangled Mahomet is. Ali¹⁸⁴ walks before me weeping, his face split from chin to forelock. All the others you see here sowed scandal and schism when they were alive. That is why they are split open. A devil stands behind us here and cruelly cuts us in this way. He puts each of us to the sword again when we have made our way around this sorrowful road. Our wounds close before we pass him again. But who are you, standing lost in thought on the crag? Perhaps you are delaying your journey to the punishment sentenced on your own accusations?”¹⁸⁵ My Master replied, “Death has not yet reached him, and no sin leads him here to be tormented. But to give him full experience, I must lead him through Hell, from circle to circle. I am dead, and what I say is as true as the fact that I am speaking to you.”

More than a hundred there were that, when they heard him, stopped in the ditch to look at me, forgetting the torment in their wonder. “Now, say to Fra Dolcino,¹⁸⁶ then, thou who perchance shalt shortly see the sun, if he wish not soon to follow me here, so to arm himself with supplies that stress of snow bring not the victory to the Novarese, which otherwise to gain would not be easy”:—after he had lifted one foot to go on Mahomet said to me these words, then on the ground he stretched it to depart.

More than a hundred of them stopped in the ditch when they heard him. They stared at me, forgetting their torment in their amazement. “Now, you who may soon see the sun again, tell Fra Dolcino¹⁸⁶ this. If he does not want to follow me here soon, he should stock up on supplies. Otherwise, heavy snow may give the Novarese a victory they would not easily win.” Mahomet said this to me after lifting one foot to move on. Then he set it on the ground and departed.

Another who had his throat pierced and his nose cut off up under his brows, and had but one ear only, having stopped to look in wonder with the rest, before the rest opened his gullet, which outwardly was all crimson, and said, “O thou whom sin condemns not, and whom of old I saw above in the Latian land, if too great resemblance deceive me not, remember Pier da Medicina¹⁸⁷ if ever thou return to see the sweet plain that from Vercelli slopes to Marcabb, and make known to the two best of Fano, to Messer Guido and likewise to Angiolello,¹⁸⁸ that, if foresight here be not vain, they will be cast forth from their vessel and drowned near to the Cattolica, by treachery of a fell tyrant. Between the islands of Cyprus and Majorca Neptune never saw so great a crime, not of the pirates, nor of the Argolic people. That traitor who sees only with one eye, and holds the city from sight of which one who is here with me would fain have fasted,¹⁸⁹ will make them come to parley with him; then will act so that against the wind of Focara¹⁹⁰ they will not need or vow or prayer.” And I to him, “Show to me and declare, if thou wishest that I carry up news of thee, who is he of the bitter sight?”¹⁹¹ Then he put his hand on the jaw of one of his companions, and opened the mouth of him, crying, “This is he, and he speaks not; this outcast stifled the doubt in Caesar, by affirming that the man prepared always suffered harm from delay.” Oh, how dismayed, with his tongue slit in his gorge, seemed to me Curio,¹⁹² who in speech had been so hardy!

Another man had stopped with the rest to stare in wonder. His throat had been pierced, his nose cut off up to his brows, and he had only one ear. Before the others spoke, he opened his gullet, which was crimson on the outside, and said, “You whom sin does not condemn, I saw you long ago in the Latian land, if a strong resemblance does not deceive me. Remember Pier da Medicina¹⁸⁷ if you ever return to the sweet plain that slopes from Vercelli to Marcabb. Tell the two best men of Fano, Messer Guido and Angiolello,¹⁸⁸ what lies ahead. If the foresight we have here is not in vain, they will be thrown from their ship and drowned near the Cattolica, betrayed by a cruel tyrant. Between the islands of Cyprus and Majorca, Neptune has never seen so great a crime, either among pirates or among the Argolic people. That traitor, who sees with only one eye, holds the city that one of my companions here wishes he had never seen.¹⁸⁹ He will summon the two men to speak with him. Then he will see to it that they need make no vow or prayer against the wind of Focara¹⁹⁰.” I said to him, “If you want me to carry news of you back above, show me who bitterly regrets that sight and tell me his name.”¹⁹¹ Then he put his hand on the jaw of one of his companions and opened the man's mouth. He cried, “This is he, and he cannot speak. This exile silenced Caesar's doubts by declaring that delay always harmed a man who was ready to act.” Oh, how dismayed Curio¹⁹² seemed to me, with his tongue slit in his throat, though he had once spoken so boldly!

And one who had both hands lopped off, lifting the stumps through the murky air so that the blood made his face foul, cried out, “Thou shalt remember Mosca,¹⁹³ too, who said, alas! ‘Thing done has an end,’ which was the seed of ill for the Tuscan people.” And I added thereto, “And death to thine own race.” Whereat he, accumulating woe on woe, went away like a person sad and distracted.

A man with both hands cut off raised his stumps through the murky air, staining his face with blood. He cried out, “You will remember Mosca,¹⁹³ too, who said, alas, ‘A thing done has an end.’ Those words were the seed of evil for the Tuscan people.” I added, “And death to your own family.” His sorrow now greater than before, he went away sad and distraught.

But I remained to look at the crowd, and I saw a thing that I should be afraid, without more proof, only to tell, were it not that conscience reassures me, the good companion that emboldens man under the hauberk of feeling himself pure. I saw in truth, and still I seem to see it, a trunk without a head going along even as the others of the dismal flock were going. And it was holding the cut-off head by its hair, dangling in hand like a lantern. And it gazed on us, and said, “O me!” Of itself it was making for itself a lamp; and they were two in one, and one in two. How it can be He knows who so ordains. When it was right at the foot of the bridge, it lifted its arm high with the whole head, in order to approach its words to us, which were, “Now see the dire punishment, thou that, breathing, goest seeing the dead: see thou if any other is great as this! And that thou mayest carry news of me, know that I am Bertran de Born,¹⁹⁴ he that gave to the young king the ill encouragements. I made father and son rebellious to each other. Ahithophel did not more with Absalom and with David by his wicked goadings. Because I divided persons so united, I bear my brain, alas! divided from its source which is in this trunk. Thus retaliation is observed in me.”

But I stayed to look at the crowd, and I saw something I would be afraid to describe without further proof. Yet my conscience reassures me. It is the good companion that gives a man courage when he feels protected by his own innocence. I truly saw it, and I still seem to see it: a headless body walking along with the rest of that miserable flock. It held its severed head by the hair, dangling from its hand like a lantern. The head gazed at us and said, “Oh, me!” The body was making a lamp of itself for itself. They were two in one and one in two. How that can be, he who ordains it knows. When the body reached the foot of the bridge, it raised its arm, holding the whole head high. It did this so the head could speak closer to us. It said, “Now see this terrible punishment, you who walk among the dead while still breathing. See if any other punishment is as great as this! And so that you may carry news of me, know that I am Bertran de Born,¹⁹⁴ the one who gave the young king evil advice. I set father and son against each other. Ahithophel did no more with his wicked urging of Absalom against David. Because I divided people so closely joined, I bear my brain, alas, separated from its source in this body. In this way, my punishment repays what I did.”