The divine comedy — Page 2
He thus to me: "This miserable fate Suffer the wretched souls of those, who liv'd Without or praise or blame, with that ill band Of angels mix'd, who nor rebellious prov'd Nor yet were true to God, but for themselves Were only.
Él me dijo así: «Este miserable destino padecen las desdichadas almas de aquellos que vivieron sin alabanza ni culpa, mezclados con aquella mala banda de ángeles que ni rebeldes resultaron ni fueron fieles a Dios, sino que para sí mismos solo existieron.
From his bounds Heaven drove them forth, Not to impair his lustre, nor the depth Of Hell receives them, lest th' accursed tribe Should glory thence with exultation vain."
El Cielo los expulsó de sus confines para no menoscabar su brillo, ni las profundidades del Infierno los recibe, no sea que la maldita tribu se gloríe de ello con vana exultación.»
I then: "Master! what doth aggrieve them thus, That they lament so loud?"
Entonces yo: «¡Maestro! ¿qué es lo que tanto los aflige, que así se lamentan tan ruidosamente?»
He straight replied: "That will I tell thee briefly.
Él respondió enseguida: «Te lo diré brevemente.
These of death No hope may entertain: and their blind life So meanly passes, that all other lots They envy.
Estos no pueden albergar esperanza alguna de muerte: y su ciega vida transcurre tan miserablemente, que envidian cualquier otra suerte.
Fame of them the world hath none, Nor suffers; mercy and justice scorn them both.
El mundo no tiene fama de ellos ni la tolera; la misericordia y la justicia los desprecian por igual.
Speak not of them, but look, and pass them by."
No hables de ellos, sino míralos y pasa de largo.»
And I, who straightway look'd, beheld a flag, Which whirling ran around so rapidly, That it no pause obtain'd: and following came Such a long train of spirits, I should ne'er Have thought, that death so many had despoil'd.
Y yo, que al instante miré, vi una bandera que girando corría tan velozmente que no lograba detenerse: y tras ella venía una procesión de espíritus tan larga, que jamás hubiera pensado que la muerte hubiera despojado a tantos.
When some of these I recogniz'd, I saw And knew the shade of him, who to base fear Yielding, abjur'd his high estate.
Cuando reconocí a algunos de ellos, vi y conocí la sombra de aquel que, cediendo al vil temor, abjuró de su alta condición.
Forthwith I understood for certain this the tribe Of those ill spirits both to God displeasing And to his foes.
Al instante comprendí con certeza que esta era la tribu de aquellos malos espíritus que desagradan tanto a Dios como a sus enemigos.
Vocabulary
- dijo
- Past tense of 'decir'; he/she said
- así
- Adverb meaning 'thus', 'so', or 'in this way'
- miserable
- Adjective meaning wretched, miserable, or pitiable
- destino
- Noun meaning fate, destiny, or destination
- padecen
- Third person plural of 'padecer'; they suffer or endure
- desdichadas
- Adjective meaning unfortunate, wretched, or unhappy souls
- almas
- Plural noun meaning souls or spirits
- aquellos
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' referring to distant things
- vivieron
- Preterite of 'vivir'; they lived in the past
- alabanza
- Noun meaning praise or commendation given to someone
- culpa
- Noun meaning guilt, blame, or fault
- mezclados
- Past participle of 'mezclar'; mixed or blended together
- aquella
- Feminine demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' distant thing
- banda
- Noun meaning band, group, or gang of people
- ángeles
- Plural noun meaning angels or divine spiritual beings
- rebeldes
- Adjective or noun meaning rebels or rebellious beings
- resultaron
- Preterite of 'resultar'; they turned out or resulted
- fieles
- Adjective meaning faithful or loyal to someone
- Dios
- Noun meaning God, the supreme divine being
- sino
- Conjunction meaning 'but rather' or 'but instead'
- sí
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself', 'herself', or 'themselves'
- mismos
- Intensive pronoun meaning 'themselves' or 'the same ones'
- existieron
- Preterite of 'existir'; they existed in the past
- Cielo
- Noun meaning Heaven or sky, divine realm above
- expulsó
- Preterite of 'expulsar'; expelled or drove out forcefully
- confines
- Plural noun meaning confines, boundaries, or remote regions
- menoscabar
- Verb meaning to diminish, impair, or lessen something's worth
- brillo
- Noun meaning brightness, shine, or radiance
- profundidades
- Plural noun meaning depths or profound deep regions
- Infierno
- Noun meaning Hell, the underworld place of punishment
- recibe
- Third person singular of 'recibir'; receives or accepts something
- sea
- Subjunctive of 'ser'; may be or let it be
- maldita
- Adjective meaning cursed, damned, or accursed
- tribu
- Noun meaning tribe or group of people
- gloríe
- Subjunctive of 'gloriarse'; may boast or glory in something
- ello
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it' referring to an abstract idea
- vana
- Adjective meaning vain, empty, or futile
- exultación
- Noun meaning exultation or great joyful triumph
- Maestro
- Noun meaning master, teacher, or skilled guide
- tanto
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'so much' or 'so many'
- aflige
- Third person singular of 'afligir'; afflicts or distresses someone
- lamentan
- Third person plural of 'lamentar'; they lament or mourn
- ruidosamente
- Adverb meaning noisily or loudly in a clamorous way
- respondió
- Preterite of 'responder'; he/she responded or answered
- enseguida
- Adverb meaning immediately, right away, or at once
- diré
- Future tense of 'decir'; I will tell or say
- brevemente
- Adverb meaning briefly or concisely in few words
- Estos
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these' referring to nearby things
- albergar
- Verb meaning to harbor, shelter, or hold within
- esperanza
- Noun meaning hope or expectation for something good
- alguna
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'any' or 'some' in feminine form
- muerte
- Noun meaning death or end of life
- ciega
- Adjective meaning blind or without sight or insight
- transcurre
- Third person singular of 'transcurrir'; time passes or elapses
- miserablemente
- Adverb meaning miserably or wretchedly in a pitiful way
- envidian
- Third person plural of 'envidiar'; they envy or covet
- cualquier
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'any' or 'whatever'
- suerte
- Noun meaning luck, fate, or fortune
- fama
- Noun meaning fame, reputation, or renown
- tolera
- Third person singular of 'tolerar'; tolerates or allows
- misericordia
- Noun meaning mercy, compassion, or pity toward others
- justicia
- Noun meaning justice, fairness, or righteousness
- desprecian
- Third person plural of 'despreciar'; they scorn or disdain
- igual
- Adjective or adverb meaning equal, equally, or alike
- hables
- Subjunctive/imperative of 'hablar'; don't speak or say nothing
- míralos
- Imperative of 'mirar' with pronoun; look at them
- largo
- Adjective meaning long; 'de largo' means passing by without stopping
- instante
- Noun meaning instant, moment, or very brief time
- miré
- Preterite of 'mirar'; I looked or gazed at something
- bandera
- Noun meaning flag or banner
- girando
- Gerund of 'girar'; spinning, turning, or rotating continuously
- corría
- Imperfect of 'correr'; it was running or moving fast
- velozmente
- Adverb meaning swiftly or rapidly at great speed
- lograba
- Imperfect of 'lograr'; it managed to or succeeded in doing
- detenerse
- Reflexive infinitive of 'detener'; to stop or halt oneself
- tras
- Preposition meaning 'behind' or 'after'
- venía
- Imperfect of 'venir'; was coming or approaching
- procesión
- Noun meaning procession or long parade of people
- espíritus
- Plural noun meaning spirits or souls
- jamás
- Adverb meaning never or not ever at any time
- hubiera
- Past subjunctive of 'haber'; would have or had (hypothetical)
- pensado
- Past participle of 'pensar'; thought or considered something
- despojado
- Past participle of 'despojar'; stripped, deprived, or dispossessed
- tantos
- Indefinite adjective meaning 'so many' in masculine plural
- reconocí
- Preterite of 'reconocer'; I recognized or identified someone
- algunos
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'some' or 'a few' people
- conocí
- Preterite of 'conocer'; I met or came to know someone
- sombra
- Noun meaning shadow or shade; also spirit of the dead
- aquel
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' referring to a distant person
- cediendo
- Gerund of 'ceder'; yielding, giving in, or surrendering
- vil
- Adjective meaning vile, base, or contemptible
- temor
- Noun meaning fear, dread, or apprehension
- abjuró
- Preterite of 'abjurar'; renounced or formally gave up something
- condición
- Noun meaning condition, status, or social standing
- comprendí
- Preterite of 'comprender'; I understood or grasped something
- certeza
- Noun meaning certainty or absolute sureness about something
- desagradan
- Third person plural of 'desagradar'; they displease or are disliked
- enemigos
- Plural noun meaning enemies or foes
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →