What is Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno about? The main ideas, characters, plot and composition of the poem “The Divine Comedy”

At the heart of Dante's poem is humanity's recognition of its sins and ascent to spiritual life and to God. According to the poet, in order to find peace of mind, it is necessary to go through all the circles of hell and renounce blessings, and atone for sins with suffering. Each of the three chapters of the poem includes 33 songs. “Hell”, “Purgatory” and “Paradise” are eloquent names of the parts that make up “ The Divine Comedy». Summary makes it possible to comprehend the main idea of ​​the poem.

Dante Alighieri created the poem during the years of exile, shortly before his death. It is recognized in world literature as brilliant creation. The author himself gave it the name “Comedy”. So in those days it was customary to call any work that had a happy ending. Boccaccio called it “Divine”, thus giving it the highest rating.

Dante's poem "The Divine Comedy", a summary of which schoolchildren study in the 9th grade, is difficult for modern teenagers to perceive. Detailed analysis some songs cannot give a complete picture of the work, especially taking into account today's attitude towards religion and human sins. However, acquaintance, albeit only a review, with Dante’s work is necessary to create a complete understanding of world fiction.

"The Divine Comedy". Summary of the chapter "Hell"

The main character of the work is Dante himself, to whom the shadow appears famous poet Virgil’s proposal to travel through Dante is at first doubtful, but agrees after Virgil informs him that Beatrice (the author’s beloved, long dead by that time) asked the poet to become his guide.

Path characters starts from hell. Before entering it there are pitiful souls who during their lifetime did neither good nor evil. Outside the gates flows the Acheron River, through which Charon transports the dead. The heroes are approaching the circles of hell:

Having gone through all the circles of hell, Dante and his companion went up and saw the stars.

"The Divine Comedy". Brief summary of the part "Purgatory"

The main character and his guide end up in purgatory. Here they are met by the guard Cato, who sends them to the sea to wash themselves. The companions go to the water, where Virgil washes the soot of the underworld from Dante’s face. At this time, a boat sails up to the travelers, ruled by an angel. He lands on shore the souls of the dead who did not go to hell. With them, the heroes travel to the mountain of purgatory. On the way, they meet Virgil's fellow countryman, the poet Sordello, who joins them.

Dante falls asleep and in his sleep is transported to the gates of purgatory. Here the angel writes seven letters on the poet’s forehead, indicating the Hero goes through all the circles of purgatory, cleansing himself of sins. After completing each circle, the angel erases the letter of the overcome sin from Dante’s forehead. On the last lap, the poet must pass through the flames of fire. Dante is afraid, but Virgil convinces him. The poet passes the test by fire and goes to heaven, where Beatrice is waiting for him. Virgil falls silent and disappears forever. The beloved washes Dante in the sacred river, and the poet feels strength pouring into his body.

"The Divine Comedy". Brief summary of the part "Paradise"

Beloved ones ascend to heaven. To the surprise of the main character, he was able to take off. Beatrice explained to him that souls not burdened with sins are light. Lovers pass through all the heavenly skies:

• the first sky of the Moon, where the souls of nuns are located;
• the second - Mercury for ambitious righteous people;
• third - Venus, here the souls of the loving rest;
• the fourth - the Sun, intended for sages;
• fifth - Mars, which receives warriors;
• sixth - Jupiter, for just souls;
• the seventh is Saturn, where the souls of contemplators are located;
• the eighth - for the spirits of the great righteous;
• ninth - here are angels and archangels, seraphim and cherubim.

After rising to last sky, the hero sees the Virgin Mary. She is among the shining rays. Dante raises his head up into the bright and blinding light and finds the highest truth. He sees divinity in its trinity.

On the night before Good Friday in 1300, Dante, who at that time was only 35 years old, became lost in the forest, which made him very frightened. From there he has a view of the mountains, and he tries to climb them, but a lion, a wolf and a leopard get in his way and Dante has to return back to the dense thicket. In the forest, he meets with the spirit Virgil, who says that he can lead him to Paradise through the circles of purgatory and Hell. The hero agrees and follows Virgil through Hell.

Behind the walls of Hell you can hear the groans of lost souls who, during their existence, were neither good nor evil. Further on there is a view of the Acheron River. It is the place where the demon Charon transports the dead to the first circle of hell, which is called Limbo. Limbo holds the souls of the wise, writers, and children who have not been baptized. They suffer because for them there is no way to heaven. Here Dante, along with Virgil, was able to go and talk with famous writers and meets Homer.

Descending below, to the next circle of hell, the heroes observe the demon Minos, who is busy determining which sinner should be sent where. Here they see how the souls of voluptuous people are carried away somewhere. Among them are Helen the Beautiful and Cleopatra, who died as a result of their own passion.

On the third circle of hell, travelers meet Cerberus - a dog. On this circle in the mud in the rain are the souls of those whose sin is gluttony. Here Dante meets his fellow countryman, Chacko, who asks the hero to remind those living on earth about him. In the fourth circle, executions take place for the stingy and those who were too wasteful; they are guarded by the demon Plutos. The fifth circle is a place of torment for those who were lazy and angry.

After the fifth circle, travelers find themselves near a tower, which is surrounded by a body of water. They cross it with the help of the demon Phlegius. Having crossed the pond, Dante and Virgil find themselves in the hellish city of Dit, but they cannot get into it, since the city is guarded by dead evil spirits. They were helped to move on by a heavenly messenger who suddenly appeared at the entrance to the city and curbed the anger of the dead. In the city, tombs on fire appeared before the travelers, from where the groans of heretics could be heard. Before descending from the sixth circle to the next circle, Virgil tells the hero about how the remaining three circles are arranged, which begin to narrow towards the center of the earth.

The seventh circle is located in the middle of the mountains, guarded by the Minotaur. In the middle of this circle there is a seething blood stream, in it those who were robbers or tyrants suffer terribly. There are thickets around, these are the souls of those who committed suicide.

Next comes the eighth circle, which consists of 10 ditches, which are called Zlopazuchi. In each of them, seducers of women, flatterers, sorcerers, soothsayers, bribe-takers, thieves, insidious advisers and sows of trouble are tormented. At the tenth ditch, the travelers descended through the well and found themselves at the center of the globe. There they appeared in front of an icy lake, where those who betrayed their relatives stand frozen. In the center of the lake was Lucifer, the king of hell. From it there is a small passage that leads to the other hemisphere of the earth. The travelers passed through it and came to purgatory.

Purgatory

Once in purgatory, the travelers washed themselves in the water and saw a boat with souls that did not go to hell sail up to them; it was controlled by an angel. The travelers swam on it to the foot of Mount Purgatory. Here they were able to talk with those who, before dying, managed to sincerely repent of their sins and therefore did not go to hell. Next, the hero falls asleep and is transported to the gates of purgatory.

In purgatory, the proud, envious, possessed by anger, the lazy, those who were too wasteful and stingy, gluttons and voluptuous people are cleansed of their sins. After passing through the circles of this place, Dante comes to a wall that is on fire, through which he must pass in order to get to Paradise. After passing this wall, Dante enters Paradise. He meets elders dressed in snow-white robes, everyone is dancing and having fun. Here he notices his beloved Beatrice, and then faints. A moment later, Dante wakes up in the river of oblivion of sins - Lethe. The hero approaches Evnoe, a river that helps strengthen the memory of good done, he washes himself in it and now he is worthy of rising to the stars.

The hero's journey now continues with his beloved, and they rise to the Heavenly circles. Immediately they meet nuns, their souls, who were forcibly married. Next they saw the shining souls of the righteous. In the third heaven are the souls of lovers. The fourth heaven is the home of the souls of the sages. Further dwell the souls of the just.

The travelers finally rose to the seventh heaven and found themselves on Saturn.

Next, the hero stood up and began to talk with the spirits of the righteous about such concepts as love, faith and hope. On the ninth circle, the first thing that was revealed to the travelers was a solar point, which represented a deity. Next, Dante ascended to the Empyrean, highest point in the Universe, where he saw the old man, then they sent him even higher. The old man, whose name was Bernard, became Dante’s teacher and the two of them remained here, where the souls of babies shine. Here, Dante saw the deity and found the highest truth.

He encourages the timid author, claiming that Beatrice herself came down to him from heaven to hell and asked him to be a guide on his journeys. Above the entrance to hell there is an inscription: “Abandon hope, all who enter here!” At the entrance are the pitiful souls of those who did neither good nor evil during their lives. Next is the Acheron River, encircling hell. Through it, Charon transports the dead on a boat. Charon at first refuses to transport Dante, because he is alive. But Virgil pacifies the formidable carrier. The first circle of hell is limbo. Here live the souls of those who did not receive baptism, but did not commit evil. Among them is Virgil. The glorious sages and heroes of antiquity do not suffer, but mourn that they, as non-Christians, have no place in heaven. Among them are Homer, Socrates, Aristotle, Plato...

At the descent into the second circle underground kingdom the monstrous Minos (king of the island of Crete) determines which place of hell the sinner should be cast into. In the first circle of hell, like dry leaves, the souls of those who did not know how to subdue their love passions are carried by a whirlwind. Among them are Cleopatra and Helen the Beautiful.

Dante's attention is drawn to Paolo and Francesca. One day the two of them were reading a book about the love of the knight Lancelot for Queen Ginevra. Passion took possession of them - “and that day we read no more...” Legal spouse Franceschi found out about his wife's betrayal and in anger killed both her and Paolo.

"...and the torment of their hearts
My brow was covered with mortal sweat;
And I fell like a dead man falls.”

The third circle is guarded by the three-headed dog Cerberus. There is continuous freezing rain and hail falling here. The souls of those who sinned with gluttony suffer in the mud. In the fourth circle, spendthrifts and misers suffer. There are many clergymen among the misers, including popes and cardinals. This circle is guarded by the giant Plutos. The sinners, divided into two camps, roll huge boulders at each other shouting:
- Why save to no avail?
- Is there any sense in squandering and extravagance?
What they have in common is that both of them had money as their main meaning in life.

In the fifth circle, those who were subject to the sin of anger, as well as the lazy, mired in the swamps of the Stygian lowland, are tormented. Angry people constantly fight, using their nails and teeth. Those who have been tormented all along by secret malice are suffocating in the depths of a fetid swamp.
Near the hellish city of Dita, the travelers met three furies and many demons. Everywhere Dante sees tombs engulfed in flames, from which the groans of heretics can be heard. One of the heretics is Farina-ta, a proud and arrogant Ghibelline. And in hell he does not stop political disputes. “Your family is the enemy of mine!” - he shouts to the poet. The circles of hell, like an overturned cone, narrow towards the center of the Earth. The seventh circle is compressed by mountains. He is guarded by the half-bull demon Minotaur. Tyrants and robbers are tormented in a boiling bloody stream. Centaurs shoot at them from the shore with bows.

Having crossed the stream with the help of the centaur Nessus, Dante saw thorny thickets without greenery. He broke a branch, and suddenly black blood flowed from it. The trunk groaned. It turned out that these bushes are the souls of suicides. They are pecked by the Harpy hellbirds, causing unbearable pain. One trampled bush asked the narrator to collect the broken branches and return them to him. It turned out that the unfortunate man was Dante's fellow countryman. fulfilled his request, and the travelers moved on. A sandy desert opened up before them. A burning fiery rain falls onto the sand from above, tormenting sinners. Sinners rush about, scream and moan. Only one shadow stands proudly, motionless. This is Capaneus - one of the ancient Greek kings. He challenged Zeus himself and was struck down by lightning. The proud king does not complain: he either remains silent or loudly curses the gods. Virgil accuses Capaneus of being to blame for his own torment.

In the seventh circle, moneylenders also suffer. Multi-colored wallets with embroidered coats of arms hang from their necks.

The eighth circle is divided into ten ditches. In the first, pimps and seducers of women are punished, those who persuaded girls to commit love sin, and then abandoned them to their fate, condemning them to shame and condemnation by their parents and fellow citizens. Scoundrels are scourged by horned demons. Among the seducers and greek hero Jason, who behaved very dishonestly towards women. Next are the flatterers, who sit in a liquid mass of feces. The stench is unbearable! Flattery and any lie stink just as unbearably.

The third ditch is made of stone. There are recesses in the stone from which the feet of high-ranking clergy protrude. They traded church positions to secure luxurious life yourself and your relatives. Their heads and torsos are hidden in stone. And the heels burn like torches. Dante talks with one of the Roman popes (Orsini), who claims that his successor - while Pope Boniface is still alive - will also be subjected to such torture for his corruption and self-interest.
The fourth moat is a place for soothsayers and sorcerers. Their necks are twisted so that when they sob, they wet their backs rather than their chests with tears. They falsely claimed that they could see into the future, but now they can only see what is behind them. Virgil condemns liars, and speaks with sympathy about his fellow countrywoman, the soothsayer Manto, after whom Mantua was named.

The fifth ditch is filled with boiling resin. Black winged devils throw bribe-takers at her.
In the sixth ditch the hypocrites languish under the weight of gilded lead clothes. There is also a Jewish high priest nailed to the ground with stakes, the same one who insisted on the execution of Christ. He is trampled underfoot by the Pharisees in their heavy robes.
Travelers make their way through the rocks to the seventh ditch along a difficult path. There are thieves here who are bitten by monstrous poisonous snakes. From their bites, the robbers crumble to dust, but are immediately restored to their appearance. Among them, in particular, Vanni Fucci, who robbed the sacristy and blamed it on someone else. He curses God, holding up two figs.

Ditch eight. Cunning advisers are placed here. Among them is Odysseus (Ulysses). His soul is imprisoned in a flame that has the gift of speech.

In the ninth ditch the sowers of religious unrest and bloody strife are executed. The devil himself mutilates them with a heavy sword, cuts off their noses and ears, crushes their skulls. Here both Mohammed and Curio, who incited Caesar to civil war, and warrior-troubadour Bertrand de Born. The latter is beheaded, and carries his head in his hand like a lantern. The head exclaims: “Woe!”

In the tenth ditch, alchemists suffer from an eternal itch. One of them was burned for boasting that he could fly. Counterfeiters and other liars are executed here. Finally, the travelers approached the well leading from the eighth circle of hell to the ninth. The ancient titans stand there. Among them is Antaeus, who, at the request of Virgil, lowered the travelers on his huge palm to the bottom of the well.

The ninth circle of hell is located near the center of the globe. This is an icy lake into which those who betrayed their loved ones are frozen. Scary picture: an ice pit in which one dead man gnaws the skull of another. This is Count Ugolino taking revenge on his former like-minded friend, Archbishop Ruggeri, who betrayed him. The archbishop starved the count and his children, imprisoning them in the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Their suffering was unbearable; the children died in front of their father, who was the last to die. In the very center of the earth there is the ruler of hell, Lucifer, frozen in ice, cast down from heaven. Lucifer has three mouths. The most terrible traitor sticks out from the first one - Judas, who betrayed Christ. In the second and third are Brutus and Cassius who betrayed Caesar. Horrified by what they saw in hell, Virgil and Dante rose to the surface and saw the stars.

Virgil leads Dante through purgatory. The angel inscribed seven letters on Dante's forehead - the signs of the seven deadly sins. In each circle of purgatory, Dante is cleansed of one of his sins. In the first, the sin of pride is replaced by the virtue of humility. In the second circle, the sin of envy is cleared by the ability to rejoice in the successes of another person.
In the third circle, the angry ones toss around - they are enveloped in impenetrable smoke: this is how anger blinded them during life. The higher Dante rises, the easier it is for him to walk, the more strength he has, because the angel erases from his forehead the letters denoting sins: the sin of despondency, the sin of stinginess, the sin of gluttony (gluttony)...

Dante's purification by fire does not take place without fear, but he still overcomes the wall of flame.
Virgil disappears, and Beatrice becomes Dante's companion on his journey through paradise. She washes him in the waters sacred river, leads him higher and higher. Angels, archangels, seraphim appear to the poet’s enlightened eyes. Finally, he sees the Virgin Mary “on the petals of a heavenly rose,” in a crown of shining rays.

The most vivid, final vision: God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit - the divine “Love that moves the Sun and luminaries.”

Need a cheat sheet? Then save - "A brief retelling in prose of the poem "The Divine Comedy". Literary essays!

This night turned out to be very dark. Dante, finding himself in the forest, the next morning sees mountains, golden from sunlight. He tries to climb on them, but he fails and retreats. Entering back into the forest, he notices the spirit of Virgil, he tells the hero that he will soon find himself in other world, in all three of its parts. The hero decides to take this difficult path and goes with Virgil to Hell.

A picture of Hell appears before Dante. In it he hears the groan of souls that have not manifested themselves in any way in life. Having passed them, they emerge into Charona. He transports souls from the world of the living to world of the dead. After crossing they find themselves in Limbo. There are souls here former soldiers, writers, and with them infants who were not baptized during their lifetime. The hero was able to communicate with Homer here.

After Limbo, he moves into the second circle. It is controlled by Minos. Minos decides the further fate of the sinner, i.e. what punishment the sinner will suffer.

On the third lap they met hellhound, Cerberus. On this circle there are gluttons, rolled in the mud. Ciacco from Florence was here. Chacko asked to tell his relatives about him.

After that, he went to the next circle, where there were greedy people, and behind this circle there were lazy souls and evil souls during their lifetime.

Having passed the fifth circle, Dante came to the castle of Phlegia, through which they also had to go. After passing the castle, Dante saw the city of Dit. There were guards in front of him, but the messenger helped them pass through the guards, pacifying them. In this city there were tombs, they were engulfed in fire, and heretics lay in them.

And now the seventh circle of Hell appears before them, Virgil described the last circles to Dante. The hero entered there and saw the Minotaur holding tyrants and robbers in a cauldron. Centaurs were constantly shooting at them with bows.

Further there was a circle guarded by Geryon, around it there were moats - Sinisters. Each had its own sinners and punishers: in the first, seducers with demons; in the second there are flatterers sitting in excrement; in the third, confessors who sold positions blazing with fire and pinched with stones; in the fourth, witches and sorcerers whose necks were broken; in the fifth, those who took bribes bathed in tar; in the sixth there was a single soul who betrayed Jesus; in the seventh, thieves with snakes; in the eighth, treacherous advisers; in the ninth, those who started troubles will be executed by Satan.

There was a well ahead, and Antaeus led them through it. Having descended, they saw a lake covered in ice. There were traitors to our own blood in this lake. Lucifer was located in the center of Hell; he tortured Judas, Brutus and Cassius. They passed them and found themselves on the other side.

They ended up in Purgatory. Approaching the sea, they washed themselves from the dirt of Hell. An angel carried them across the sea. Once on the other side, they saw main mountain Purgatory. Not far from her they met sinners repenting of their sins. Dante lay down and fell asleep. He had a dream about how he came to the entrance to Purgatory. There, the Angel painted the letter “G” on the sinners’ foreheads seven times. Sinners had to go through all of purgatory to be cleansed of sins and letters.

In the first circle of the sinner there are those who are proud, with huge stones on their backs. On the second are the envious, they are blinded. On the third are angry souls that are covered with hopeless darkness. On the fourth, they are lazy, they are forced to run. Next are those who love wealth. Suddenly, the hero felt an earthquake. It means that someone was healed through torment.

On the sixth circle are those who loved to overeat; they languish in hunger. At the last are those who loved voluptuousness, sinful souls sing songs about chastity.

The hero and Virgil are on the way to Paradise, and their path is blocked only by fire, which must be passed through.

They passed it and found themselves in Paradise. The hero saw a beautiful grove on which beautiful girl sings a song and collects flowers. Old men in snow-white clothes were walking in the same place. He saw Beatrice and could not control his feelings, so he fainted. Having regained consciousness, he found himself in a river that cleansed him of sins. The hero, together with his newly purified soul, rinsed in the river. Beatrice showed Dante that the sky is divided into parts. The first contains nuns who were given in marriage. The second contains purer souls, emitting a particularly bright radiance.

On the next one, the radiance of the souls was fiery. Next was the fourth, where the sages lived. Then the fifth, on which the light forms letters, and after that the light eagle, this speaks of justice.

Next were the contemplators. In the penultimate heaven were the righteous. In this heaven, the Apostle Peter told the hero what true faith means, he said that only in it is love, faith, and hope possible. It was in this sky that the hero became acquainted with the radiance of Adam. The last one had the most purest souls who radiated the light of goodness. Dante saw a divine point, next to it he saw circles of angels. There were nine laps in total. Among those in the circles were seraphim, cherubim, archangels and angels.

The girl told the hero about the origin of angels, that they were created on the day of the beginning of divine creations. Beatrice explained that the entire universe moves precisely because of their endless movement.

Dante saw Empiria, this is the highest sphere not only in the sky but in the entire universe. Dante saw Bernard nearby, he was becoming the hero's new mentor. Beatrice left and disappeared into the sphere. Bernard and the hero saw the rose of Empyria. The rose contained the souls of babies.

Bernard told Dante to look up while he prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. She heard him and the greatest truth appeared before Dante - God.

The work teaches us a lot, firstly, inaction is also punishable, as was the case with the nuns, and the lack of strength of perseverance in them. The story explains to us the values ​​of the definitions of faith, love and hope. After all, these three feelings are valuable at any time. The author describes not only love for the opposite sex, but also love for the whole world. And finally, it is God who opens the curtain before the hero, calling love light.

Dante Alighieri 1265-1321
Divine Comedy (La Divina Commedia) – Poem (1307-1321)
HELL
Halfway through life, I - Dante - got lost in deep forest. Scary all around wild animals– allegories of vices; nowhere to go. And then a ghost appears, who turns out to be the shadow of my beloved ancient Roman poet Virgil. I ask him for help. He promises to take me from here to wander through the afterlife so that I can see Hell, Purgatory and Paradise. I'm ready to follow him.
Yes, but am I capable of such a journey? I became timid and hesitated. Virgil reproached me, telling me that Beatrice herself (my late beloved) came down to him from Heaven to Hell and asked him to be my guide in my wanderings in the afterlife. If so, then you cannot hesitate, you need determination. Guide me, my teacher and mentor!
There is an inscription above the entrance to Hell that takes away all hope from those entering. We entered. Here, right behind the entrance, the pitiful souls of those who did neither good nor evil during their lives groan. Next is the Acheron River, through which the ferocious Charon transports the dead in a boat. We are with them. “But you’re not dead!” - Charon shouts angrily at me. Virgil pacified him. Let's swim. A roar was heard from afar, the wind was blowing, and flames flashed. I lost my senses...
The first circle of Hell is Limbo. Here the souls of unbaptized babies and glorious pagans languish - warriors, sages, poets (including Virgil). They do not suffer, but only grieve that they, as non-Christians, have no place in Paradise. Virgil and I joined the great poets of antiquity, the first of whom was Homer. They walked sedately and talked about unearthly things.
At the descent into the second circle of the underworld, the demon Minos determines which sinner should be cast into which place of Hell. He reacted to me in the same way as Charon, and Virgil pacified him in the same way. We saw the souls of voluptuaries (Cleopatra, Helen the Beautiful, etc.) carried away by a hellish whirlwind. Among them is Francesca, and here she is inseparable from her lover. Immense mutual passion led them to tragic death. With deep compassion for them, I fainted again.
In the third circle, the bestial dog Cerberus rages. He started to bark at us, but Virgil pacified him too. Here the souls of those who sinned with gluttony are lying in the mud, under a heavy downpour. Among them is my fellow countryman, the Florentine Ciacco. We talked about destinies hometown. Chacko asked me to remind living people about him when I return to earth.
The demon guarding the fourth circle, where spendthrifts and misers are executed (among the latter there are many clergy - popes, cardinals) - Plutos. Virgil also had to besiege him in order to get rid of him. From the fourth we descended into the fifth circle, where the angry and lazy suffer, mired in the swamps of the Stygian lowland. We approached some tower.
This is a whole fortress, around it there is a vast reservoir, in the canoe there is a rower, the demon Phlegius. After another squabble we sat down with him and sailed. Some sinner tried to cling to the side, I cursed him, and Virgil pushed him away. Before us is the hellish city of Deet. Any dead evil spirits prevent us from entering it. Virgil, leaving me (oh, it’s scary to be alone!), went to find out what was the matter, and returned worried, but hopeful.
And then the hellish furies appeared before us, threatening. A heavenly messenger who suddenly appeared and curbed their anger came to the rescue. We entered Deet. Everywhere there are tombs engulfed in flames, from which the groans of heretics can be heard. We make our way along a narrow road between the tombs.
A mighty figure suddenly emerged from one of the tombs. This is Farinata, my ancestors were his political opponents. In me, having heard my conversation with Virgil, he guessed a fellow countryman by the dialect. He was proud, he seemed to despise the entire abyss of Hell. We argued with him, and then another head poked out from a neighboring tomb: this is the father of my friend Guido! It seemed to him that I was dead and that his son was also dead, and he fell on his face in despair. Farinata, calm him down; Guido is alive!
Near the descent from the sixth circle to the seventh, above the grave of the heretic master Anastasius, Virgil explained to me the structure of the remaining three circles of Hell, tapering downwards (towards the center of the earth), and what sins are punished in which zone of which circle.
The seventh circle is compressed by mountains and is guarded by the half-bull demon Minotaur, who roared menacingly at us. Virgil shouted at him, and we hastened to move away. They saw a stream boiling with blood, in which tyrants and robbers were boiling, and from the shore centaurs were shooting at them with bows. The centaur Nessus became our guide, told us about the executed rapists and helped us ford the boiling river.
All around there are thorny thickets with no greenery. I broke some branch, and black blood flowed from it, and the trunk groaned. It turns out that these bushes are the souls of suicides (violators of their own flesh). They are pecked by the hellish birds Harpies, trampled by the running dead, causing them unbearable pain. One trampled bush asked me to collect the broken branches and return them to him. It turned out that the unfortunate man was my fellow countryman. I complied with his request and we moved on. We see sand, flakes of fire fly down on top of it, scorching sinners who scream and moan - all except one: he lies silent. Who is this? King Kapanei, a proud and gloomy atheist, struck down by the gods for his obstinacy. He is still true to himself: he either remains silent or loudly curses the gods. “You are your own tormentor!” - Virgil shouted over him...
But the souls of new sinners are moving towards us, tormented by fire. Among them I hardly recognized my venerable teacher Brunetto Latini. He is among those who are guilty of same-sex love. We started talking. Brunetto predicted that glory awaits me in the world of the living, but there will also be many hardships that must be resisted. The teacher bequeathed to me to take care of his main work, in which he is alive - “Treasure”.
And three more sinners (same sin) dance in the fire. All Florentines, former respected citizens. I talked to them about the misfortunes of our hometown. They asked me to tell my living fellow countrymen that I saw them. Then Virgil led me to a deep hole in the eighth circle. A hellish beast will bring us down there. He's already climbing towards us from there.
This is the mottled tailed Geryon. While he is preparing to descend, there is still time to look at the last martyrs of the seventh circle - the moneylenders, tossing about in a whirlwind of flaming dust. From their necks hang colorful wallets with different coats of arms. I didn't talk to them. Let's hit the road! We sit down with Virgil astride Geryon and - oh horror! – we are gradually flying into failure, to new torment. We went down. Geryon immediately flew away.
The eighth circle is divided into ten ditches called Zlopazuchi. In the first ditch, pimps and seducers of women are executed, in the second - flatterers. Pimps are brutally scourged by horned demons, flatterers sit in a liquid mass of stinking feces - the stench is unbearable. By the way, one whore was punished here not for fornication, but for flattering her lover, saying that she felt good with him.
The next ditch (third cavity) is lined with stone, mottled with round holes, from which protrude the burning legs of high-ranking clergy who traded in church positions. Their heads and torsos are pinched by the holes in the stone wall. Their successors, when they die, will also kick their flaming legs in their place, completely pushing their predecessors into stone. This is how Pope Orsini explained it to me, at first mistaking me for his successor.
In the fourth sinus, soothsayers, astrologers, and sorceresses suffer. Their necks are twisted so that when they sob, they wet their backsides with their tears, not their chests. I myself burst into tears when I saw such a mockery of people, and Virgil shamed me; It’s a sin to feel sorry for sinners! But he, too, with sympathy, told me about his fellow countrywoman, the soothsayer Manto, after whom Mantua, the homeland of my glorious mentor, was named.
The fifth ditch is filled with boiling tar, into which the Grudge-grabber devils, black, winged, throw bribe-takers and make sure that they do not stick out, otherwise they will hook the sinner with hooks and finish him off with the most in a cruel way. The devils have nicknames: Evil-Tail, Crooked-Winged, etc. We will have to go through part of the further path in their creepy company. They make faces, show their tongues, their boss made a deafening obscene sound with his backside. I've never heard anything like this before! We walk with them along the ditch, the sinners dive into the tar - they hide, and one hesitated, and they immediately pulled him out with hooks, intending to torment him, but first they allowed us to talk with him. The poor fellow, by cunning, lulled the vigilance of the Grudgers and dived back - there was no time to catch him. The irritated devils fought among themselves, two of them fell into the tar. In the confusion, we hastened to leave, but it was not to be! They are flying after us. Virgil, picking me up, barely managed to run across to the sixth bosom, where they are not the masters. Here the hypocrites languish under the weight of lead and gilded clothing. And here is the crucified (nailed to the ground with stakes) Jewish high priest, who insisted on the execution of Christ. He is trampled underfoot by hypocrites weighed down with lead.
The transition was difficult: along a rocky path - into the seventh bosom. Thieves live here, bitten by monstrous poisonous snakes. From these bites they crumble into dust, but are immediately restored to their appearance. Among them is Vanni Fucci, who robbed the sacristy and blamed it on someone else. A rude and blasphemous man: he sent God “to hell”, raising two figs in the air. Immediately the snakes attacked him (I love them for this). Then I watched as a certain snake merged with one of the thieves, after which it took on his appearance and stood on its feet, and the thief crawled away, becoming a reptile. Miracles! You won’t find such metamorphoses in Ovid either,
Rejoice, Florence: these thieves are your offspring! It's a shame... And in the eighth ditch live treacherous advisers. Among them is ULYSSES (Odysseus), his soul is imprisoned in a flame that can speak! So, we heard the story of Ulysses about his death: eager to know the unknown, he sailed with a handful of daredevils to the other side of the world, was shipwrecked and, together with his friends, drowned far from the world inhabited by people,
Another speaking flame, in which the soul of the evil adviser, who did not call himself by name, is hidden, told me about his sin: this adviser helped the Pope in one unrighteous deed - counting on the Pope to forgive him his sin. Heaven is more tolerant of the simple-minded sinner than of those who hope to be saved by repentance. We moved to the ninth ditch, where the sowers of unrest are executed.
Here they are, the instigators of bloody strife and religious unrest. The devil will mutilate them with a heavy sword, cut off their noses and ears, and crush their skulls. Here are Mohammed, and Curio, who encouraged Caesar to civil war, and the beheaded troubadour warrior Bertrand de Born (he carries his head in his hand like a lantern, and she exclaims: “Woe!”).
Then I met my relative, angry with me because his violent death remained unavenged. Then we moved to the tenth ditch, where the alchemists suffer from the eternal itch. One of them was burned for jokingly boasting that he could fly - he became a victim of denunciation. He ended up in Hell not for this, but as an alchemist. Those who pretended to be other people, counterfeiters and liars in general are executed here. Two of them fought among themselves and then argued for a long time (Master Adam, who mixed copper into gold coins, and ancient Greek Sinon, who deceived the Trojans). Virgil reproached me for the curiosity with which I listened to them.
Our journey through the Sinisters ends. We approached the well leading from the eighth circle of Hell to the ninth. There are ancient giants, titans. Among them were Nimrod, who angrily shouted something to us in an incomprehensible language, and Antaeus, who, at the request of Virgil, lowered us to the bottom of the well on his huge palm, and immediately straightened up.
So, we are at the bottom of the universe, near the center of the globe. In front of us is an icy lake, those who betrayed their loved ones were frozen into it. I accidentally hit one on the head with my foot, he screamed and refused to identify himself. Then I grabbed his hair, and then someone called his name. Scoundrel, now I know who you are, and I will tell people about you! And he: “Lie whatever you want, about me and about others!” And here is an ice pit, in which one dead man gnaws the skull of another. I ask: for what? Looking up from his victim, he answered me. He, Count Ugolino, takes revenge on his former like-minded person who betrayed him, Archbishop Ruggieri, who starved him and his children by imprisoning them in the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Their suffering was unbearable, the children died in front of their father’s eyes, he was the last to die. Shame on Pisa! Let's move on. Who is this in front of us? Alberigo? But, as far as I know, he didn’t die, so how did he end up in Hell? It also happens: the villain’s body still lives, but his soul is already in the underworld.
In the center of the earth, the ruler of Hell, Lucifer, frozen in ice, cast down from heaven and hollowed out the abyss of the underworld in his fall, disfigured, three-faced. Judas sticks out of his first mouth, Brutus from the second, Cassius from the third, He chews them and torments them with his claws. The worst of all is the most vile traitor - Judas. A well stretches from Lucifer leading to the surface of the opposite earthly hemisphere. We squeezed through, rose to the surface and saw the stars.
PURGATORY
May the Muses help me sing of the second kingdom! His guard, Elder Cato, greeted us unfriendly: who are they? How dare you come here? Virgil explained and, wanting to appease Cato, spoke warmly of his wife Marcia. What does Marcia have to do with this? Go to the seashore, you need to wash yourself! We are going. Here it is, the distance of the sea. And there is abundant dew in the coastal grasses. With it, Virgil washed away the soot of abandoned Hell from my face.
A boat guided by an angel floats towards us from the distance of the sea. It contains the souls of the deceased who were lucky enough not to go to Hell. They landed, went ashore, and the angel swam away. The shadows of the arrivals crowded around us, and in one I recognized my friend, the singer Cosella. I wanted to hug him, but the shadow is insubstantial - I hugged myself. Cosella, at my request, began to sing about love, everyone listened, but then Cato appeared, shouted at everyone (they weren’t busy!), and we hurried to the mountain of Purgatory.
Virgil was dissatisfied with himself: he gave a reason to yell at himself... Now we need to reconnoiter the upcoming road. Let's see where the arriving shadows will move. And they themselves just noticed that I am not a shadow: I do not let light pass through me. We were surprised. Virgil explained everything to them. “Come with us,” they invited.
So, let's hurry to the foot of the purgatory mountain. But is everyone in a hurry, is everyone so impatient? Over there, near a large stone, there is a group of people who are not in a hurry to climb up: they say, they will have time; climb the one who is itching. Among these sloths I recognized my friend Belakva. It’s nice to see that he, even in life an enemy of all haste, is true to himself.
In the foothills of Purgatory I had the opportunity to communicate with the shadows of the victims violent death. Many of them were serious sinners, but when they said goodbye to life, they managed to sincerely repent and therefore did not end up in Hell. What a shame for the devil, who has lost his prey! He, however, found a way to get even: not having gained power over the soul of the repentant dead sinner, he violated his murdered body.
Not far from all this we saw the regal and majestic shadow of Sordello. He and Virgil, recognizing each other as fellow-country poets (Mantuans), embraced brotherly. Here is an example for you, Italy, a dirty brothel, where the bonds of brotherhood are completely broken! Especially you, my Florence, are good, you can’t say anything... Wake up, look at yourself...
Sordello agrees to be our guide to Purgatory. It is a great honor for him to help the venerable Virgil. Conversing sedately, we approached a flowering, fragrant valley, where, preparing to spend the night, the shadows of high-ranking persons - European sovereigns - settled down. We watched them from afar, listening to their consonant singing.
It's here evening hour when desires draw those who have sailed back to their loved ones, and you remember the bitter moment of farewell; when sadness takes hold of the pilgrim and he hears how the distant chime cries bitterly about the irrevocable day... An insidious serpent of temptation crawled into the valley of rest of earthly rulers, but the angels who arrived drove him out.
I lay down on the grass, fell asleep and in a dream was transported to the gates of Purgatory. The angel guarding them inscribed the same letter on my forehead seven times - the first in the word “sin” (seven deadly sins; these letters will be erased one by one from my forehead as I ascend the purgatory mountain). We entered the second kingdom of the afterlife, the gates closed behind us.
The ascent began. We are in the first circle of Purgatory, where the proud atone for their sin. In shame of pride, statues were erected here that embody the idea of ​​high achievement - humility. And here are the shadows of the purifying proud: unbending during life, here they, as punishment for their sin, bend under the weight of the stone blocks piled on them.
“Our Father...” - this prayer was sung by the bent and proud people. Among them is the miniature artist Oderiz, who during his lifetime boasted of his great fame. Now, he says, he realized that there is nothing to boast about: everyone is equal in the face of death - both the old man and the baby who babbled “yum-yum”, and glory comes and goes. The sooner you understand this and find the strength to curb your pride and humble yourself, the better.
Under our feet are bas-reliefs depicting scenes of punished pride: Lucifer and Briareus cast down from heaven, King Saul, Holofernes and others. Our stay in the first circle ends. An angel who appeared erased one of the seven letters from my forehead - as a sign that I had overcome the sin of pride. Virgil smiled at me
We went up to the second circle. There are envious people here, they are temporarily blinded, their formerly “envious” eyes do not see anything. Here is a woman who, out of envy, wished harm to her fellow countrymen and rejoiced at their failures... In this circle, after death, I will not be cleansed for long, because I rarely and few envied anyone. But in the past circle of proud people - probably for a long time.
Here they are, blinded sinners, whose blood was once burned by envy. In the silence, the words of the first envious man, Cain, sounded thunderous: “Whoever meets me will kill me!” In fear, I clung to Virgil, and the wise leader told me bitter words that the highest eternal light is inaccessible to envious people, carried away by earthly lures.
We passed the second circle. The angel appeared to us again, and now only five letters remained on my forehead, which we have to get rid of in the future. We are in the third circle. A cruel vision of human rage flashed before our eyes (the crowd stoned a meek young man). In this circle those possessed by anger are purified.
Even in the darkness of Hell there was no such black darkness as in this circle, where the fury of the angry is subdued. One of them, the Lombardian Marco, got into a conversation with me and expressed the idea that everything that happens in the world cannot be understood as a consequence of the activity of higher heavenly powers: this would mean denying the freedom of human will and absolving man of responsibility for what he has done.
Reader, have you ever wandered in the mountains on a foggy evening, when you can hardly see the sun? That's how we are... I felt the touch of an angel's wing on my forehead - another letter was erased. We ascended to the fourth circle, illuminated by the last ray of sunset. Here the lazy are purified, whose love for good was slow.
Sloths here must run quickly, not allowing any indulgence in their lifetime sin. Let them be inspired by examples Holy Virgin Mary, who, as you know, had to hurry, or Caesar with his amazing efficiency. They ran past us and disappeared. I want to sleep. I sleep and dream...
I dreamed of a disgusting woman who, before my eyes, turned into a beauty, who was immediately put to shame and turned into an even worse ugly woman (here she is, the imaginary attractiveness of vice!). Another letter disappeared from my forehead: it means I have conquered such a vice as laziness. We rise to the fifth circle - to the misers and spendthrifts.
Stinginess, greed, greed for gold are disgusting vices. Molten gold was once poured down the throat of one obsessed with greed: drink to your health! I feel uncomfortable surrounded by misers, and then there was an earthquake. From what? In my ignorance I don’t know...
It turned out that the shaking of the mountain was caused by rejoicing that one of the souls was purified and ready to ascend: this is the Roman poet Statius, an admirer of Virgil, rejoiced that from now on he will accompany us on the path to the purgatory peak.
Another letter has been erased from my forehead, denoting the sin of stinginess. By the way, was Statius, who languished in the fifth round, stingy? On the contrary, he is wasteful, but these two extremes are punished together. Now we are in the sixth circle, where gluttons are purified. Here it would be good to remember that gluttony was not characteristic of Christian ascetics.
Former gluttons are destined to suffer the pangs of hunger: they are emaciated, skin and bones. Among them I discovered my late friend and fellow countryman Forese. They talked about their own things, scolded Florence, Forese spoke condemningly about the dissolute ladies of this city. I told my friend about Virgil and about my hopes of seeing my beloved Beatrice in the afterlife.
I had a conversation about literature with one of the gluttons, a former poet of the old school. He admitted that my like-minded people, supporters of the “new sweet style,” had achieved much more in love poetry than he himself and the masters close to him. Meanwhile, the penultimate letter has been erased from my forehead, and the path to the highest, seventh circle of Purgatory is open to me.
And I keep remembering the thin, hungry gluttons: how did they get so thin? After all, these are shadows, not bodies, and it would not be fitting for them to starve. Virgil explained: the shadows, although incorporeal, exactly repeat the outlines of the implied bodies (which would become thin without food). Here, in the seventh circle, the voluptuaries scorched by fire are purified. They burn, sing and praise examples of abstinence and chastity.
The voluptuaries, engulfed in flames, were divided into two groups: those who indulged in same-sex love and those who knew no limits in bisexual intercourse. Among the latter are the poets Guido Guinizelli and the Provençal Arnald, who greeted us exquisitely in his dialect.
And now we ourselves need to go through the wall of fire. I was scared, but my mentor said that this was the way to Beatrice (to the Earthly Paradise, located on top of the purgatory mountain). And so the three of us (Statsius with us) go, scorched by the flames. We passed, we moved on, it was getting dark, we stopped to rest, I slept; and when I woke up, Virgil turned to me with the last word parting words and approval, That’s it, from now on he will be silent...
We are in Earthly Paradise, in a blooming grove resounding with the chirping of birds. I saw a beautiful donna singing and picking flowers. She said that there was a golden age here, innocence flourished, but then, among these flowers and fruits, the happiness of the first people was destroyed in sin. Hearing this, I looked at Virgil and Statius: both were smiling blissfully.
Oh Eva! It was so good here, you ruined everything with your daring! Living lights float past us, righteous elders in snow-white robes, crowned with roses and lilies, walk under them, and wonderful beauties dance. I couldn't stop looking at this amazing picture. And suddenly I saw her - the one I love. Shocked, I made an involuntary movement, as if trying to press myself closer to Virgil. But he disappeared, my father and savior! I burst into tears. “Dante, Virgil will not return. But you won't have to cry for him. Look at me, it's me, Beatrice! How did you get here?” – she asked angrily. Then a voice asked her why she was so strict with me. She answered that I, seduced by the lure of pleasure, was unfaithful to her after her death. Do I admit my guilt? Oh yes, tears of shame and repentance choke me, I lowered my head. “Raise your beard!” – she said sharply, not ordering him to take his eyes off her. I lost consciousness and woke up immersed in Lethe - a river that grants oblivion of committed sins. Beatrice, look now at the one who is so devoted to you and so longed for you. After a ten-year separation, I looked into her eyes, and my vision was temporarily dimmed by their dazzling brilliance. Having regained my sight, I saw a lot of beauty in the Earthly Paradise, but suddenly all this was replaced by cruel visions: monsters, desecration of sacred things, debauchery.
Beatrice deeply grieved, realizing how much evil was hidden in these visions revealed to us, but expressed confidence that the forces of good would ultimately defeat evil. We approached the Evnoe River, drinking from which strengthens the memory of the good you have done. Statius and I washed ourselves in this river. A sip of it sweetest water poured new strength into me. Now I am pure and worthy to rise to the stars.
PARADISE
From the Earthly Paradise, Beatrice and I will fly together to the Heavenly Paradise, to heights beyond the comprehension of mortals. I didn’t even notice how they took off, looking at the sun. Am I really capable of doing this while still alive? However, Beatrice was not surprised by this: a purified person is spiritual, and a spirit not burdened with sins is lighter than ether.
Friends, let's part here - don't read further: you will disappear in the vastness of the incomprehensible! But if you have an insatiable hunger for spiritual food, then go ahead, follow me! We are in the first sky of Paradise - in the sky of the Moon, which Beatrice called the first star; plunged into its depths, although it is difficult to imagine a force capable of placing one closed body (which I am) into another closed body (the Moon),
In the depths of the Moon we encountered the souls of nuns kidnapped from monasteries and forcibly married off. Not through their own fault, but they did not keep the vow of virginity given during tonsure, and therefore higher heavens are inaccessible to them. Do they regret it? Oh no! To regret would mean to disagree with the highest righteous will.
But still I am perplexed: why are they to blame for submitting to violence? Why don't they rise above the sphere of the Moon? It is not the victim who should be blamed, but the rapist! But Beatrice explained that the victim also bears a certain responsibility for the violence committed against her, if, while resisting, she did not show heroic fortitude.
Failure to fulfill a vow, Beatrice argues, is practically irreparable with good deeds (too many need to be done to atone for guilt). We flew to the second sky of Paradise - to Mercury. The souls of ambitious righteous people live here. These are no longer shadows, unlike the previous inhabitants of the underworld, but lights: they shine and radiate. One of them glowed especially brightly, rejoicing in communicating with me. It turned out that this was the Roman emperor, legislator Justinian. He realizes that being in the sphere of Mercury (and not higher) is the limit for him, for ambitious people, doing good deeds for the sake of their own glory (that is, loving themselves first of all), missed the ray true love to the deity.
Justinian's light merged with the dance of lights - other righteous souls. I began to think, and the train of my thoughts led me to the question: why did God the Father sacrifice his son? It was possible just like that, by the supreme will, to forgive people for the sin of Adam! Beatrice explained: the highest justice demanded that humanity itself atone for its guilt. It is incapable of this, and it was necessary to impregnate an earthly woman so that the son (Christ), combining the human with the divine, could do this.
We flew to the third sky - to Venus, where the souls of the loving are blissful, shining in the fiery depths of this star. One of these spirit-lights is the Hungarian king Charles Martel, who, speaking to me, expressed the idea that a person can realize his abilities only by acting in a field that meets the needs of his nature: it is bad if a born warrior becomes a priest...
Sweet is the radiance of other loving souls. How much blissful light and heavenly laughter there is here! And below (in Hell) the shadows grew sad and gloomy... One of the lights spoke to me (troubadour Folko) - he condemned the church authorities, selfish popes and cardinals. Florence is the city of the devil. But nothing, he believes, will get better soon.
The fourth star is the Sun, the abode of the sages. Here shines the spirit of the great theologian Thomas Aquinas. He greeted me joyfully and showed me other sages. Their consonant singing reminded me of a church gospel.
Thomas told me about Francis of Assisi, the second (after Christ) wife of Poverty. It was following his example that the monks, including his closest disciples, began to walk barefoot. He lived a holy life and died - naked man on bare ground - in the bosom of Poverty.
Not only I, but also the lights - the spirits of the sages - listened to Thomas's speech, stopping singing and twirling in the dance. Then Franciscan Bonaventure took the floor. In response to the praise given to his teacher by the Dominican Thomas, he glorified Thomas’s teacher, Dominic, a farmer and servant of Christ. Who now continued his work? There are no worthy ones.
And again Thomas took the floor. He talks about the great merits of King Solomon: he asked God for intelligence and wisdom - not to solve theological issues, but to intelligently rule the people, that is, royal wisdom, which was granted to him. People, do not judge each other hastily! This one is busy good deed, he is evil, but what if the first one falls and the second one rises?
What will happen to the inhabitants of the Sun on the day of judgment, when the spirits take on flesh? They are so bright and spiritual that it is difficult to imagine them materialized. Our stay here is over, we have flown to the fifth heaven - to Mars, where the sparkling spirits of warriors for the faith are arranged in the shape of a cross and a sweet hymn sounds.
One of the lights forming this marvelous cross, without going beyond its limits, moved downward, closer to me. This is the spirit of my valiant great-great-grandfather, the warrior Kachchagvida. He greeted me and praised the glorious time in which he lived on earth and which - alas! - passed, replaced worst time.
I am proud of my ancestor, my origin (it turns out that you can experience such a feeling not only on the vain earth, but also in Paradise!). Cacciaguida told me about himself and about his ancestors, born in Florence, whose coat of arms - a white lily - is now stained with blood.
I want to find out from him, the clairvoyant, about my future fate. What lies ahead for me? He replied that I would be expelled from Florence, in joyless wanderings I would learn the bitterness of other people's bread and the steepness of other people's stairs. To my credit, I will not associate with unclean political groups, but I will become my own party. In the end, my opponents will be put to shame, and triumph will await me.
Cacciaguida and Beatrice encouraged me. Your stay on Mars is over. Now - from the fifth heaven to the sixth, from red Mars to white Jupiter, where the souls of the just soar. Their lights form letters, letters - first into a call for justice, and then into the figure of an eagle, a symbol of the just imperial power, unknown, sinful, tormented earth, but established in heaven.
This majestic eagle entered into conversation with me. He calls himself “I”, but I hear “we” (fair power is collegial!). He understands what I myself cannot understand: why is Paradise open only to Christians? What is wrong with a virtuous Hindu who does not know Christ at all? I still don’t understand. And it’s true,” the eagle admits, “that a bad Christian is worse than a good Persian or Ethiopian,
The eagle personifies the idea of ​​justice, and its main thing is not its claws or beak, but its all-seeing eye, composed of the most worthy light-spirits. The pupil is the soul of the king and psalmist David, the souls of pre-Christian righteous people shine in the eyelashes (and didn’t I just mistakenly talk about Paradise “only for Christians”? This is how to give vent to doubts!).
We ascended to the seventh heaven - to Saturn. This is the abode of contemplatives. Beatrice became even more beautiful and brighter. She didn’t smile at me - otherwise she would have completely incinerated and blinded me. The blessed spirits of the contemplators were silent and did not sing - otherwise they would have deafened me. The sacred luminary, theologian Pietro Damiano, told me about this.
The spirit of Benedict, after whom one of the monastic orders is named, angrily condemned modern self-interested monks. After listening to him, we rushed to the eighth heaven, to the constellation Gemini, under which I was born, saw the sun for the first time and breathed the air of Tuscany. From its height I looked down, and my gaze, passing through the seven heavenly spheres we had visited, fell on the ridiculously small globe of the earth, this handful of dust with all its rivers and mountain steeps.
Thousands of lights burn in the eighth sky - these are the triumphant spirits of the great righteous. Intoxicated by them, my vision intensified, and now even Beatrice’s smile will not blind me. She smiled wonderfully at me and again prompted me to turn my gaze to the luminous spirits who sang a hymn to the Queen of Heaven - the Holy Virgin Mary.
Beatrice asked the apostles to talk to me. How far have I penetrated into the mysteries of sacred truths? The Apostle Peter asked me about the essence of faith. My answer: faith is an argument for the invisible; mortals cannot see with their own eyes what is revealed here in Paradise, but may they believe in a miracle without having visual evidence of its truth. Peter was pleased with my answer.
Will I, the author of the sacred poem, see my homeland? Will I be crowned with laurels where I was baptized? The Apostle James asked me a question about the essence of hope. My answer: hope is the expectation of future deserved and God-given glory. Delighted, Jacob was illuminated.
Next up is the question of love. The Apostle John asked it to me. In answering, I did not forget to say that love turns us to God, to the word of truth. Everyone rejoiced. The exam (what is Faith, Hope, Love?) was successfully completed. I saw the radiant soul of our forefather Adam, who lived briefly in the Earthly Paradise, expelled from there to earth; after the death of one who languished in Limbo for a long time; then moved here.
Four lights glow before me: three apostles and Adam. Suddenly Peter turned purple and exclaimed: “My earthly throne has been captured, my throne, my throne!” Peter hates his successor, the Pope. And it’s time for us to part with the eighth heaven and ascend to the ninth, supreme and crystal. With unearthly joy, laughing, Beatrice threw me into a rapidly rotating sphere and ascended herself.
The first thing I saw in the sphere of the ninth heaven was a dazzling point, a symbol of the deity. Lights revolve around her - nine concentric angelic circles. Those closest to the deity and therefore smaller are seraphim and cherubim, the most distant and extensive are archangels and simply angels. On earth we are accustomed to thinking that the great is greater than the small, but here, as you can see, the opposite is true.
Angels, Beatrice told me, are the same age as the universe. Their rapid rotation is the source of all the movement that occurs in the Universe. Those who hastened to fall away from their host were cast into Hell, and those who remained are still ecstatically circling in Paradise, and they do not need to think, want, remember: they are completely satisfied!
Ascension to the Empyrean - the highest region of the Universe - is the last. I again looked at the one whose growing beauty in Paradise lifted me from heights to heights. Pure light surrounds us. There are sparkles and flowers everywhere - these are angels and blessed souls. They merge into a kind of shining river, and then take the form of a huge paradise rose.
Contemplating the rose and comprehending overall plan Raya, I wanted to ask Beatrice something, but I saw not her, but a clear-eyed old man in white. He pointed upward. I looked - she was shining in an unattainable height, and I called out to her: “O donna, who left a mark in Hell, granting me help! In everything I see, I recognize your goodness. I followed you from slavery to freedom. Keep me safe in the future, so that my spirit, worthy of you, will be freed from the flesh!” She looked at me with a smile and turned to the eternal shrine. All.
The old man in white is Saint Bernard. From now on he is my mentor. We continue to contemplate the rose of the Empyrean. The souls of virgin babies also shine in it. This is understandable, but why were there souls of babies here and there in Hell - they couldn’t be vicious, unlike these? God knows best what potentials - good or bad - are inherent in which infant soul. So Bernard explained and began to pray.
Bernard prayed to the Virgin Mary for me - to help me. Then he gave me a sign to look up. Looking closely, I see the Supreme and brightest light. At the same time, he did not go blind, but gained the highest truth. I contemplate the deity in his luminous trinity. And I am drawn to him by Love, which moves both the sun and the stars.

.

You are currently reading: Summary of The Divine Comedy - Dante Alighieri