English Poetry by Thomas Gray

Author:Thomas Gray
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: poetry
Publisher: (Privatkopie)
Published: 2010-02-02T23:00:00+00:00

[Translation from] Dante, Canto 33 dell' Inferno.

From his dire food the greisly Fellon raised

His gore-dyed lips, which on the clotter'd locks

Of th' half devoured Head he wiped, & thus

Began; »Wouldst thou revive the deep despair

The Anguish, that unutter'd nathless wrings

My inmost Heart? yet if the telling may

Beget the Traitour's infamy, whom thus

I ceaseless gnaw insatiate, thou shalt see me

At once give loose to Utterance & to Tears.

I know not who thou art nor on what errand

Sent hither; but a Florentine my ear

Won by thy tongue, declares thee. Know, thou seest

In me Count Ugolino, & Ruggieri

Pisa's perfidious Prelate, this: now hear

My Wrongs & from them judge of my revenge.

That I did trust him, that I was betrayd

By trusting, & by Treachery slain, it rekes not

That I advise Thee; that which yet remains

To thee & all unknown (a horrid Tale)

The bitterness of Death, I shall unfold.

Attend, & say if he have injurd me.

Thro' a small Crevice opening, what scant light

That grim & antique Tower admitted (since

Of me the Tower of Famine hight & known

To many a Wretch) already 'gan the dawn

To send; the whilst I slumbring lay, A Sleep

Prophetic of my Woes with direful Hand

Oped the dark Veil of fate. I saw methought

Toward Pisa's Mount, that intercepts the view

Of Lucca chas'd by Hell-hounds gaunt & bloody

A Wolf full grown; with fleet & equal speed

His young ones ran beside him, Lanfranc there

And Sigismundo & Gualandi rode

Amain, my deadly foes! headed by this

The deadliest; he their Chief, the foremost he

Flashed to pursue & chear the eager Cry:

Nor long endured the Chase: the panting Sire

Of Strength bereft, his helpless offspring soon

Oerta'en beheld, & in their trembling flanks

The hungry Pack their sharp-set Fangs embrued.

The Morn had scarce commencd, when I awoke:

My Children (they were with me) Sleep as yet

Gave not to know their Sum of Misery

But yet in low & uncompleated Sounds

I heard 'em wail for bread. oh! thou art cruel

Or thou dost mourn to think, what my poor Heart

Foresaw, foreknew: oh! if thou weep not now,

Where are thy Tears? too soon they had arousd them

Sad with the fears of Sleep, & now the Hour

Of timely food approached: when at the gate

Below I heard the dreadful Clank of bars,

And fastning bolts; then on my Children's eyes

Speechless my Sight I fix'd, nor wept, for all

Within was Stone: they wept, unhappy boys!

They wept, & first my little dear Anselmo

Cried, ›Father, why, why do you gaze so sternly?

What would you have?‹ yet wept I not, or answerd

All that whole day, or the succeeding Night

Till a new Sun arose with weakly gleam

And wan, such as mought entrance find within

That house of Woe: but oh! when I beheld

My sons & in four faces saw my own

Despair reflected, either hand I gnawed

For Angeuish, which they construed Hunger; straight

Ariseing all they cried, ›far less shall be

Our sufferings, Sir, if you resume your gift;

These miserable limbs with flesh you cloathed;

Take back what once was yours.‹ I swallowd down

My struggling Sorrow, nor to heighten theirs.

That day & yet another, mute we sate

And motionless: O! Earth!

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.