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Dante's Divina Commedia, Tr. in the Metre and Triple Rhyme of the Original, With Notes, by Mrs. Ramsay
Dante's Divina Commedia Tr in the Metre and Triple Rhyme of the Original With Notes by Mrs Ramsay Author:Dante Alighieri General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1862 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: CANTO III. Inscription on the gate of Hell. -- Punishment of the worthless, whose deeds were neither good nor evil. -- Charon's bark, and voyage of the souls. " Through me ye pass the mournful city's door ; Through me ye go to never-ending woe ; Through me are with the lost for evermore : By justice moved, my Maker willed it so, When I was form'd by the Supremest Mind, 5 From whom all love, and power, and wisdom flow. Before me, no created thing ye find, If not eternal ; ever I endure : O ye who enter here leave hope behind." These words were written there, of hue obscure, 10 Above the entrance of a gateway wide. " Master," I said, " their sense to me is sore." And then once more replied my skilful guide : " Here must thou leave each unbelieving mood, Each coward fear must here be put aside. 15 Now we have come unto the dread abode, Where I have said the doleful spirits lie, Those who have lost all intellectual good." And then he placed his hand in mine, and I, Who drew much comfort from his cheerful mien, 20 Enter'd with him the land of secrecy. Here sighs, and groans, and mournful shrieks, I ween Resounded through the thick and starless air : I wept when first I entered that sad scene, For many tongues, and accents of despair, 25 And tones of anguish, words of wildest wrath, And voices shrill, and gnashing teeth were there. And ever the eternal darkness hath A sound of tumult, eddying round and round, As turns the sand when in the whirlwind's path. 30 I said, who had my mind with error bound : " What voices do I hear in sad amaze 1 And who are they who in such gri...« less