The divine comedy — Page 2
"
"
He thus to me: "This miserable fate
Egli così a me: «Questo misero fato
Suffer the wretched souls of those, who liv'd
Subiscono le misere anime di coloro, che vissero
Without or praise or blame, with that ill band
Senza lode né biasimo, con quella trista schiera
Of angels mix'd, who nor rebellious prov'd
Di angeli mescolati, che né ribelli si mostrarono
Nor yet were true to God, but for themselves
Né fedeli a Dio furono, ma per sé stessi
Were only. From his bounds Heaven drove them forth,
Soltanto. Dal suo regno il Cielo li cacciò,
Not to impair his lustre, nor the depth
Per non sminuire il suo splendore, né la profondità
Of Hell receives them, lest th' accursed tribe
Dell'Inferno li accoglie, affinché la tribù maledetta
Should glory thence with exultation vain."
Non si glori di ciò con vana esultanza.»
I then: "Master! what doth aggrieve them thus,
Io allora: «Maestro! che cosa li affligge così,
That they lament so loud?" He straight replied:
Che si lamentano così forte?» Egli subito rispose:
"That will I tell thee briefly. These of death
«Te lo dirò brevemente. Questi della morte
No hope may entertain: and their blind life
Non possono nutrire speranza: e la loro cieca vita
So meanly passes, that all other lots
Così miseramente trascorre, che tutte le altre sorti
They envy. Fame of them the world hath none,
Invidiano. Fama di loro il mondo non ha,
Nor suffers; mercy and justice scorn them both.
Né ne tollera; misericordia e giustizia li sprezzano entrambe.
Speak not of them, but look, and pass them by."
Non parlare di loro, ma guarda, e passa oltre.»
And I, who straightway look'd, beheld a flag,
E io, che subito guardai, scorsi un'insegna,
Which whirling ran around so rapidly,
Che girando correva così rapidamente,
That it no pause obtain'd: and following came
Che non otteneva mai sosta: e seguiva
Such a long train of spirits, I should ne'er
Una così lunga schiera di spiriti, che mai avrei
Have thought, that death so many had despoil'd.
Pensato, che la morte avesse spogliato tanti.
When some of these I recogniz'd, I saw
Quando alcuni di questi riconobbi, vidi
And knew the shade of him, who to base fear
E riconobbi l'ombra di colui, che al vile timore
Yielding, abjur'd his high estate. Forthwith
Cedendo, abiurò la sua alta dignità. Immediatamente
I understood for certain this the tribe
Compresi con certezza che questa era la tribù
Of those ill spirits both to God displeasing
Di quegli spiriti malvagi, spiacevoli a Dio
And to his foes.
E ai suoi nemici.
Vocabulary
- Egli
- Third person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he'
- così
- Adverb meaning 'so', 'thus', or 'in this way'
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'
- me
- First person singular pronoun used after prepositions, 'me'
- Questo
- Demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'this'
- misero
- Adjective meaning 'wretched', 'miserable', or 'pitiful'
- fato
- Noun meaning 'fate' or 'destiny'
- Subiscono
- They undergo or suffer something imposed upon them
- le
- Feminine plural definite article or feminine indirect pronoun
- misere
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'wretched' or 'miserable'
- anime
- Plural noun meaning 'souls' or 'spirits'
- di
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'by'
- coloro
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' referring to people
- che
- Conjunction or relative pronoun meaning 'that', 'who', 'which'
- vissero
- Third person plural past tense of 'vivere', meaning 'they lived'
- Senza
- Preposition meaning 'without'
- lode
- Noun meaning 'praise' or 'commendation'
- né
- Conjunction meaning 'nor', used in negative constructions
- biasimo
- Noun meaning 'blame', 'reproach', or 'censure'
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- quella
- Feminine singular demonstrative adjective or pronoun meaning 'that'
- schiera
- Noun meaning 'band', 'group', or 'host' of people
- Di
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'by'
- angeli
- Plural noun meaning 'angels'
- mescolati
- Past participle of 'mescolare', meaning 'mixed' or 'blended'
- ribelli
- Plural noun or adjective meaning 'rebels' or 'rebellious'
- si
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself', 'themselves', or 'each other'
- mostrarono
- They showed or revealed themselves to others
- fedeli
- Plural adjective meaning 'faithful' or 'loyal'
- Dio
- Noun meaning 'God'
- furono
- Third person plural past tense of 'essere', meaning 'they were'
- ma
- Conjunction meaning 'but'
- per
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'through', or 'by means of'
- sé
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'themselves'
- stessi
- Plural adjective meaning 'same' or 'themselves', used emphatically
- Soltanto
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'solely'
- Dal
- Contraction of 'da' and 'il', meaning 'from the'
- suo
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
- regno
- Noun meaning 'kingdom' or 'realm'
- il
- Masculine singular definite article meaning 'the'
- Cielo
- Noun meaning 'sky' or 'Heaven'
- li
- Third person plural masculine direct object pronoun meaning 'them'
- cacciò
- Third person singular past tense of 'cacciare', meaning 'expelled'
- Per
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to', or 'through'
- non
- Negative adverb meaning 'not'
- sminuire
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to diminish' or 'to lessen'
- splendore
- Noun meaning 'splendor', 'brilliance', or 'radiance'
- la
- Feminine singular definite article or direct object pronoun 'the'
- profondità
- Noun meaning 'depth' or 'profundity'
- Dell'
- Contraction of 'di' and 'l'', meaning 'of the'
- Inferno
- Noun meaning 'Hell' or 'Inferno'
- accoglie
- Third person singular present of 'accogliere', meaning 'welcomes' or 'receives'
- affinché
- Conjunction meaning 'so that' or 'in order that'
- tribù
- Noun meaning 'tribe' or 'group'
- maledetta
- Past participle adjective meaning 'cursed' or 'damned'
- Non
- Negative adverb meaning 'not'
- ciò
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this', 'that', or 'it'
- vana
- Feminine adjective meaning 'vain', 'empty', or 'futile'
- Io
- First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- allora
- Adverb meaning 'then', 'at that time', or 'so'
- Maestro
- Noun meaning 'master', 'teacher', or 'guide'
- cosa
- Noun meaning 'thing' or interrogative meaning 'what'
- affligge
- Third person singular of 'affliggere', meaning 'afflicts' or 'torments'
- Che
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that', 'what', or 'who'
- lamentano
- They lament, moan, or complain about something
- forte
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'strong', 'loud', or 'hard'
- subito
- Adverb meaning 'immediately' or 'right away'
- rispose
- Third person singular past tense of 'rispondere', meaning 'answered'
- Te
- Second person singular pronoun used after prepositions, 'you'
- lo
- Third person singular masculine direct object pronoun meaning 'it'
- dirò
- First person singular future tense of 'dire', meaning 'I will tell'
- brevemente
- Adverb meaning 'briefly' or 'in a few words'
- Questi
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these' referring to people
- della
- Contraction of 'di' and 'la', meaning 'of the'
- morte
- Noun meaning 'death'
- possono
- Third person plural present of 'potere', meaning 'they can'
- nutrire
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to nourish', 'to feed', or 'to harbor'
- speranza
- Noun meaning 'hope'
- e
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- loro
- Pronoun or adjective meaning 'their', 'them', or 'they'
- cieca
- Feminine adjective meaning 'blind'
- vita
- Noun meaning 'life'
- Così
- Adverb meaning 'so', 'thus', or 'in this way'
- miseramente
- Adverb meaning 'miserably' or 'wretchedly'
- trascorre
- Third person singular of 'trascorrere', meaning 'passes' or 'goes by'
- tutte
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'all' or 'every'
- altre
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'other' or 'others'
- sorti
- Plural noun meaning 'fates', 'lots', or 'destinies'
- Invidiano
- They envy or are jealous of others
- Fama
- Noun meaning 'fame', 'reputation', or 'renown'
- mondo
- Noun meaning 'world'
- ha
- Third person singular present of 'avere', meaning 'has'
- ne
- Partitive or pronoun meaning 'of it', 'of them', or 'from there'
- tollera
- Third person singular of 'tollerare', meaning 'tolerates' or 'allows'
- misericordia
- Noun meaning 'mercy', 'compassion', or 'pity'
- giustizia
- Noun meaning 'justice' or 'fairness'
- sprezzano
- They scorn or despise something or someone
- entrambe
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'both', feminine form
- parlare
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'
- guarda
- Second or third person singular of 'guardare', meaning 'look' or 'looks'
- passa
- Third person singular of 'passare', meaning 'passes' or 'goes by'
- oltre
- Adverb or preposition meaning 'beyond' or 'further'
- E
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- guardai
- First person singular past tense of 'guardare', meaning 'I looked'
- scorsi
- First person singular past tense of 'scorgere', meaning 'I glimpsed'
- un'
- Feminine indefinite article before vowels meaning 'a' or 'an'
- insegna
- Noun meaning 'banner', 'standard', or 'flag'
- girando
- Gerund of 'girare', meaning 'turning', 'spinning', or 'rotating'
- correva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'correre', meaning 'was running'
- rapidamente
- Adverb meaning 'rapidly', 'quickly', or 'swiftly'
- otteneva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'ottenere', meaning 'was obtaining'
- mai
- Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever'
- sosta
- Noun meaning 'pause', 'stop', or 'rest'
- seguiva
- Third person singular imperfect of 'seguire', meaning 'was following'
- Una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'one'
- lunga
- Feminine adjective meaning 'long'
- spiriti
- Plural noun meaning 'spirits' or 'souls'
- avrei
- First person singular conditional of 'avere', meaning 'I would have'
- Pensato
- Past participle of 'pensare', meaning 'thought'
- avesse
- Third person singular subjunctive of 'avere', meaning 'had'
- spogliato
- Past participle of 'spogliare', meaning 'stripped' or 'emptied'
- tanti
- Plural adjective meaning 'so many' or 'such a large number'
- Quando
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'when'
- alcuni
- Plural indefinite pronoun meaning 'some' or 'a few'
- questi
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these' referring to people
- riconobbi
- First person singular past tense of 'riconoscere', meaning 'I recognized'
- vidi
- First person singular past tense of 'vedere', meaning 'I saw'
- l'
- Definite article elided before vowels meaning 'the'
- ombra
- Noun meaning 'shadow', 'shade', or 'spirit of the dead'
- colui
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'he who' or 'that man'
- al
- Contraction of 'a' and 'il', meaning 'to the' or 'at the'
- vile
- Adjective meaning 'cowardly', 'base', or 'vile'
- timore
- Noun meaning 'fear', 'dread', or 'timidity'
- Cedendo
- Gerund of 'cedere', meaning 'yielding', 'giving in', or 'surrendering'
- sua
- Feminine possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
- alta
- Feminine adjective meaning 'high', 'great', or 'lofty'
- dignità
- Noun meaning 'dignity' or 'honor'
- Immediatamente
- Adverb meaning 'immediately' or 'at once'
- Compresi
- First person singular past tense of 'comprendere', meaning 'I understood'
- certezza
- Noun meaning 'certainty' or 'sureness'
- questa
- Feminine demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this'
- era
- Third person singular imperfect of 'essere', meaning 'was'
- malvagi
- Plural adjective meaning 'wicked', 'evil', or 'villainous'
- spiacevoli
- Plural adjective meaning 'unpleasant' or 'disagreeable'
- ai
- Contraction of 'a' and 'i', meaning 'to the' plural masculine
- suoi
- Masculine plural possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
- nemici
- Plural noun meaning 'enemies' or 'foes'
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