Cascaron tutti, e poi le genti antiche, Ch' era a veder per quella oscura valle Qual sopra il ventre, e qual sopra le spalle Passo passo andavam senza sermone, Guardando ed ascoltando gli ammalati, Che non potean levar le lor persone. Io vidi due sedere a sè poggiati, spoiled Come a scaldar si poggia, tegghia a tegghia, Dell' unghie sopra sè per la gran rabbia fun 80 E sì traevan giù l', unghie la scabbia, Come coltel di scardova le scaglie, lis 'O tu che colle dita ti dismaglie,' Cominciò il Duca mio all' un di loro, 66. Biche, 'stacks': cf. IX, 78. 74. Tegghia, 'pan.' 75. Schianze, scabs.' 76. Stregghia striglia, 'currycomb.' 77. Ragazzo, 'stable-boy.' Signorso signor suo. 78. Vegghia, stays awake': one who is in a hurry to get to bed. 79. Morso, 'bite,' i. e., edge. 81. Pizzicor, 'itching.' 83. Scardova, 'bream.' 85. Dismaglie, 'dismailest': cf. V, 19. 85 인 'E che fai d' esse tal volta tanaglie, Dinne s' alcun Latino è tra costoro Che son quinc' entro, se l' unghia ti basti 'Latin sem noi, che tu vedi sì guasti ¿ E tremando ciascuno a me si volse Dicendo: 'Di' a lor ciò che tu vuoli.' Nel primo mondo dall' umane menti, Di palesarvi a me non vi spaventi.' f.iq! 88. Latino: cf. XXII, 65. 89. Se l' unghia, etc.: formula of adjuration: cf. X, 82. 91. Sem siamo: cf. IV, 41. 95. Balzo, 'ledge.' 96. Intendo, 'I am busied.' 90 95 100 105 97. Rincalzo, 'support,' of the two invalids who are propped against each other, like pans. 99. Di rimbalzo, 'on the rebound': who caught the words that were directed at the two lepers. 100. S'accolse, 'drew close.' IOI. Vuoli vuoi. 102. Volse volle. 103. S'imboli, 'steal away.' Ll. 103, 105 contain the same construction as 1. 89. 'Io fui d' Arezzo, ed Albero da Siena,' wit Perch' io nol feci Dedalo, mi fece Me per alchìmia che nel mondo usai E Niccolò, che la costuma ricca ΠΙΟ 115 120 125 109. Most of the early commentators give the name of the speaker as Griffolino; a 'Maestro Griffolino da Arezzo' is attested in Bologna in 1259. Albero da Siena belonged to a rich and noble family, and was alive as late as 1294; nothing more is known of him. III. One of the early commentators, Jacopo della Lana, says that Griffolino was burned for heresy. But what brings him here is alchemy. 114. Vaghezza, 'curiosity.' 116. Because I did not teach him to fly like Dædalus. Cf. XVII, 109. 117. A tal, 'by a certain man': the early commentators say it was the bishop of Siena. The latter part of the line probably means: 'who loved him (Albero) as a son.' 120. Lece, 'it is permitted.' 122. Vana, 'silly.' The foolishness of the Sienese was a standing joke in the rival city of Florence. 124. We learn in l. 136 that 'the other leper' is Capocchio. 'heard.' Intese, 125. Trammene, 'except': evidently ironical. Stricca: probably Giovanni Stricca de' Salimbeni, mayor of Bologna in 1276 and 1286. 127. Niccolò, said to be a brother of Stricca. Capocchio calls him the inventor of the 'costly fashion of the clove,' that is, apparently, the one who clive Del garofano prima discoperse Nell' orto dove tal seme s' appicca; Caccia d' Ascian la vigna e la gran fronda, E ti dei ricordar, se ben t' adocchio, 130 135 introduced into Siena the use of cloves as a spice. Cloves, which were imported from the East, paid a heavy duty. 129. 'The garden where such seed takes root' is Siena, where a foolish custom, once started, is bound to thrive. 130. Excepting also the brigata spendereccia, or Spendthrifts' Club, a group of young men who vied with one another in extravagance. — Disperse, 'squandered.' 131. Caccia d' Ascian is perhaps the poet known as Caccia da Siena. Vigna, 'vineyards.' Fronda, 'forests.' 132. L'Abbagliato : a nickname of Bartolommeo Folcacchieri, a brother of the poet Folcacchiero. He held important offices, and lived as late as 1300. Projerse, 'displayed.' 136. Capocchio was burned alive in Siena in 1293. 138. Se ben t' adocchio, if I descry thee aright': if thou art really the man I think. 139. Scimia scimmia, ‘ape.' CANTO XXX ARGUMENT FALSE personation is represented by Myrrha of Cyprus and Gianni Schicchi of Florence; counterfeiting by the counts of Romena and their agent, Master Adam; lying by Potiphar's wife and Sinon the Greek. Before leaving this valley, Dante, listening to a vulgar altercation, shows the same weakness for which he was rebuked in the preceding canto. Nel tempo che Giunone era crucciata Che, veggendo la moglie con due figli 5 ΤΟ 1. Juno was enraged at the royal family of Thebes on account of the love of Jupiter and Seměle, daughter of Cadmus, the founder and king of that city. Cf. Met., III, 253 ff. 2. For the accentuation Semelè, see V, 4. In Latin poetry the ictus fell on the final syllable of such names as Sěmělē, Hěcătē, Tīsĭphònẽ: cf. Met., III, 293; Æn., IV, 609, X, 761. 3. The two instances are the destruction of Semele and the tragic incident that follows (Met., IV, 512 ff.). 5. La moglie: Ino, sister of Semele and nurse of Bacchus, Semele's child by Jupiter. Ino and Athămas had two children, Learchus and Melicerta. 11. Rotollo lo rotò, 'whirled him.' 12. Quella: Ino. L'altro carco: cf. l. 6. |