The Monster Geryon: Canto XVII of Dante’s Inferno, Translated by Stephen Binns

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The Monster Geryon:
Canto XVII of Dante’s Inferno

by Dante Alighieri (1265-1321)
translated by Stephen Binns

“Behold the stinger tail upon that freak! ____a mythical monstrous king of Spain
__He soars o’er mounts, breaks walls and weaponry.
__Behold the one that makes the whole world reek!”
These were the words my master said to me, ____Virgil
__and then he signaled that dread beast to fly
__up closer to the end of our levee.
That unclean emblem of all fraud drew nigh, ____lured strangers to his realm to rob them
__put head and breast upon the apogee
__of our dark cliff, but let his tail o’er lie. ____to conceal the stinger
His face was free of any kind of guile,
__as if benignity and justice met,
__and under it the body was reptile.
Each arm was hairy to the very pit;
__his back and breast both had a certain style,
__all patterned o’er with a kind of a circlet,
and never was a tapestry of flowers
__so woven by a Tartar’s or Turk’s hand,
__nor by Arachne with her magic powers. ____expert weaver of myth
As ferries sometimes lie upon the sand
__with stern afloat, and as a beaver lowers—
__up north in the imbibing Germans’ land—
himself, half on the bank, when fishing’s done: ____beavers thought to lure fish with flapping tail
__just so lay this sore beast, and there he’d cling
__to ledge which bounds the burning sand with stone.
His tail flicked in the void beyond that ring
__and thrashed, and he brought up the poison weapon,
__which, like a scorpion’s tail, contains the sting.
My master said: “It’s time now to approach
__the monster.” And then with a newfound vim
__we moved ten paces outward, not to broach
the sand and flame, and when we were with him ____the sand itself is burning
__I saw upon the sand, all in a crouch,
__some spirits staying closer to the rim.
The master said: “That you may understand,
__take full absorption of this roundelay, ____third ring, for usury, of Seventh Circle, for violence
__descend and find the last state of that band.
But let your speech be short; I now will stay
__and ask this beast, till knowledge you accrue, ____from the usurers
__if his wide back might serve us on our way.”
So farther yet along the edge I drew,
__the verge of Seventh Circle, there to stand
__alone with those sad souls within their mew.
Their eyes popped with their pain; each busy hand
__moved up and down the body, I submit,
__to ward off flame and now the fiery sand. ____flakes of fire fall from the sky
A dog in summer that by flies is bit,
__which waves its paws about, twitching its tongue
__now here, now there, behaves with more profit.
I studied several faces there among
__that ashen group, and I knew not the least
__of them, but saw that on each one was slung
a giant purse, each marked with its own beast ____each one was a usurer
__and its own color, like some heraldry. ____usury is violence to nature and industry
__On these the tearful eyes appeared to feast. ____symbolic of their love of money
I looked around. On one purse I could see
__a kind of lion on blue; I saw another show, ____arms of the Florentine Gianfigliazzi family
__on crimson field, a goose shining brightly. ____arms of the Florentine Obriacci family
And one who bore a huge and bloated sow,
__of sapphire on a silver field, then cried: ____arms of the Paduan Scrovegni family
__“What are you doing in this fosse of woe?
Leave us in peace! And since you haven’t died
__I’ll have you know Vitaliano’s in your sight. ____an unidentified man of Padua
__He’ll come and sit right here at my left side.
A Paduan with Florentines in their plight,
__and constantly they give my ears sore clout.
__They shout to me: ‘Send us the sovereign knight ____Florentine Gianni Buiamonte dei Becchi
with purse of those three goats!’” He came half out ____still alive in 1300, the time of the poem
__and screwed his mouth and shot his tongue my way,
__and looked just like an ox licking its snout.
And I, afraid that this my long delay
__might anger him who warned of long account, ____Virgil
__left those poor weary souls in their dismay.
And back, I saw my guide already mount
__upon the monster’s rump, and there he clung.
__He said to me: “Do not this you now daunt.
The beast must be our passage down this rung.
__You’ll ride in front and I right here will hew,
__twixt you and tail, lest you be sorely stung.”
Like one who’s close to that quartan ague, ____similar to malaria
__whose flesh goes cold as he is walking toward
__mere sight of shady grove, who turns near blue,
so did I tremble at each chilling word.
__But scolding gave me such shame that might prompt
__a servant’s courage in presence of his lord.
I mounted on the shoulders, far from rump,
__and tried to say, “Now help me hold tightly!”
__But voice stuck. I was then too weak to slump.
No sooner had I sat where he placed me
__than he, my stay, my fortress, ever steady
__in other trials, leant forward and embraced me,
and then he called: “Now, Geryon, we are ready!
__And bear in mind a novel burden’s here ____Dante, a living being
__and make your glide and circles smooth,” said he.
And as a ship from beach will sharply veer
__backward, backward, just so that beast would sail
__back from the brim, and when he had gone clear
he turned about and, stretching forth his tail,
__he worked it like some slippery moray.
__He scooped up air. I felt my courage fail.
I think there was no greater fear that day
__that Phaeton loosed the reins and burned near black ____son of Helios, the sun
__all of the sky along the Milky Way—
nor when Icarus too close to sun did tack
__and saw the wax melt, unfeathering him o’er,
__and heard his father cry, “My son! Turn back!”— ____Daedalus
than what I felt when through the void we’d soar,
__afloat in space and with no single trace
__of anything but that sore beast that bore.
Slowly he swam out through the empty space,
__wheeled and descended, but I could only sense
__all this by the swift wind across my face.
Already on the right I heard the resonance,
__the booming, of the whirlpool. Head bent, ____the whirlpool Phlegethon
__I looked downward upon this Hell, and hence
I trembled at the prospect of descent.
__I cowered for I saw then fires flare
__at every turn and heard a deep lament.
And then I saw—before I was aware—
__the course of our dread spiral to malady,
__which rose to us from every part down there.
As flight-worn falcon sinks down listlessly,
__though not by lure; she merely tires of men’s ____device for returning a falcon
__orders, falconer crying, “You’re done, I see,”
then turns and in a hundred tightening spins
__shrinks from her master’s call, sullen but well,
__the monster Geryon circles, then begins
to set us down at cliff’s foot, on the dell
__of ragged rock in that eighth place of Hell, ____Eighth Circle, home of fraudsters
__and once free of our burden shoots away
into the night like darts shot into day.

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Original Italian, Inferno, Canto 17

“Ecco la fiera con la coda aguzza,
che passa i monti, e rompe i muri e l’armi!
Ecco colei che tutto ’l mondo appuzza!”
Sì cominciò lo mio duca a parlarmi;
e accennolle che venisse a proda
vicino al fin d’ i passeggiati marmi.
E quella sozza imagine di froda
sen venne, e arrivò la testa e ’l busto,
ma ’n su la riva non trasse la coda.
La faccia sua era faccia d’ uom giusto,
tanto benigna avea di fuor la pelle,
e d’un serpente tutto l’altro fusto;
due branche avea pilose insin l’ascelle;
lo dosso e ’l petto e ambedue le coste
dipinti avea di nodi e di rotelle.
Con più color, sommesse e sovraposte
non fer mai drappi Tartari né Turchi,
né fuor tai tele per Aragne imposte.
Come talvolta stanno a riva i burchi,
che parte sono in acqua e parte in terra,
e come là tra li Tedeschi lurchi
lo bivero s’assetta a far sua guerra,
così la fiera pessima si stava
su l’orlo ch’è di pietra e ’l sabbion serra.
Nel vano tutta sua coda guizzava,
torcendo in sù la venenosa forca
ch’ a guisa di scorpion la punta armava.
Lo duca disse: “Or convien che si torca
la nostra via un poco insino a quella
bestia malvagia che colà si corca.”
Però scendemmo a la destra mammella,
e diece passi femmo in su lo stremo,
per ben cessar la rena e la fiammella.
E quando noi a lei venuti semo,
poco più oltre veggio in su la rena
gente seder propinqua al loco scemo.
Quivi ’l maestro “Acciò che tutta piena
esperïenza d’esto giron porti,”
mi disse, “va, e vedi la lor mena.
Li tuoi ragionamenti sian là corti;
mentre che torni, parlerò con questa,
che ne conceda i suoi omeri forti.”
Così ancor su per la strema testa
di quel settimo cerchio tutto solo
andai, dove sedea la gente mesta.
Per li occhi fora scoppiava lor duolo;
di qua, di là soccorrien con le mani
quando a’ vapori, e quando al caldo suolo:
non altrimenti fan di state i cani
or col ceffo, or col piè, quando son morsi
o da pulci o da mosche o da tafani.
Poi che nel viso a certi li occhi porsi,
ne’ quali ’l doloroso foco casca,
non ne conobbi alcun; ma io m’ accorsi
che dal collo a ciascun pendea una tasca
ch’avea certo colore e certo segno,
e quindi par che ’l loro occhio si pasca.
E com’ io riguardando tra lor vegno,
in una borsa gialla vidi azzurro
che d’ un leone avea faccia e contegno.
Poi, procedendo di mio sguardo il curro,
vidine un’ altra come sangue rossa,
mostrando un’oca bianca più che burro.
E un che d’una scrofa azzurra e grossa
segnato avea lo suo sacchetto bianco,
mi disse: “Che fai tu in questa fossa?
Or te ne va; e perché se’ vivo anco,
sappi che ’l mio vicin Vitaliano
sederà qui dal mio sinistro fianco.
Con questi Fiorentin son padoano:
spesse fïate mi ’ntronan li orecchi
gridando: “Vegna ’l cavalier sovrano,
che recherà la tasca con tre becchi!’
Qui distorse la bocca e di fuor trasse
la lingua, come bue che ’l naso lecchi.
E io, temendo no ’l più star crucciasse
lui che di poco star m’ avea ’mmonito,
torna’ mi in dietro da l’ anime lasse.
Trova’ il duca mio ch’era salito
già su la groppa del fiero animale,
e disse a me: «Or sie forte e ardito.
Omai si scende per sì fatte scale;
monta dinanzi, ch’ i’ voglio esser mezzo,
sì che la coda non possa far male.”
Qual è colui che sì presso ha ’l riprezzo
de la quartana, c’ha già l’unghie smorte,
e triema tutto pur guardando ’l rezzo,
tal divenn’ io a le parole porte;
ma vergogna mi fé le sue minacce,
che innanzi a buon segnor fa servo forte.
I’ m’assettai in su quelle spallacce;
sì volli dir, ma la voce non venne
com’ io credetti: “Fa che tu m’ abbracce.”
Ma esso, ch’ altra volta mi sovvenne
ad altro forse, tosto ch’ i’ montai
con le braccia m’ avvinse e mi sostenne;
e disse: “Gerïon, moviti omai:
le rote larghe, e lo scender sia poco:
pensa la nova soma che tu hai.”
Come la navicella esce di loco
in dietro in dietro, sì quindi si tolse;
e poi ch’al tutto si sentì a gioco,
là ’v’ era ’l petto, la coda rivolse,
e quella tesa, come anguilla, mosse,
e con le branche l’aere a sé raccolse.
Maggior paura non credo che fosse
quando Fetonte abbandonò li freni,
per che ’l ciel, come pare ancor, si cosse;
né quando Icaro misero le reni
sentì spennar per la scaldata cera,
gridando il padre a lui “Mala via tieni!”
che fu la mia, quando vidi ch’ i’ era
ne l’aere d’ ogne parte, e vidi spenta
ogne veduta fuor che de la fera.
Ella sen va notando lenta lenta:
rota e discende, ma non me n’ accorgo
se non che al viso e di sotto mi venta.
Io sentia già da la man destra il gorgo
far sotto noi un orribile scroscio,
per che con li occhi ’n giù la testa sporgo.
Allor fu’ io più timido a lo stoscio,
però ch’ i’ vidi fuochi e senti’ pianti;
ond’ io tremando tutto mi raccoscio.
E vidi poi, ché nol vedea davanti,
lo scendere e ’l girar per li gran mali
che s’appressavan da diversi canti.
Come ’l falcon ch’ è stato assai su l’ ali,
che sanza veder logoro o uccello
fa dire al falconiere “Omè, tu cali!”
discende lasso onde si move isnello,
per cento rote, e da lunge si pone
dal suo maestro, disdegnoso e fello;
così ne puose al fondo Gerione
al piè al piè de la stagliata rocca,
e, discarcate le nostre persone,
si dileguò come da corda cocca.

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Stephen Binns is an editor at the Smithsonian (the institution, not the magazine). His most recently published poetry appeared in the January 2023 issue of First Things.

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