Oh, far, far down, in the
intervale
among the
rocks !
rocks !
Krasinski - The Undivine Comedy
Happy he whose life thus flows ; he lives
in eternity ! What has happened to thee, Henry? What
means this blood upon thy breast and on the handle of
thy knife?
Young Man. Alighieri, a little more, and I must have
perished ! This is not the blood of a bounding roe or
innocent chamois. I will tell thee all as we wend our
way below, for I sent the hunters on in advance, and we
must hasten if we would overtake them before night-fall.
Alighieri. I will listen as I follow thee.
Young Man. Hearken, then, and I will tell thee all.
I fire upon a chamois; it falls and rolls to the bottom of
a precipice. I call my Tyrolese, show them the spot, but
they see nothing. Consequently, I must descend myself
to find my prey. Three of them follow me ; we make a
long, winding descent, ever lower and lower, until we
reach a dense wood, a thick forest of pines. But as we
advance we observe something moving in the thicket be-
JNTR OD UCTION.
135
fore us, within range of our bullets, — it may be a deer, a
stag. I look eagerly towards it, but in my haste have
forgotten to reload my gun. I seize a cartridge, but in
this very moment a bear starts from the thicket, stops,
and scents the air. Ah ! he has discovered us ! My men
instantly fire upon him ; their balls only graze his hide ;
rising and roaring, he rushes upon us ! They, crying
loudly upon me to follow, take to flight. Still shouting
as long as breath lasts them, they climb upon the
branches of a tall pine. I know not why I remain alone ;
what possible glory can a man achieve in a wild struggle
with a beast ? I know not why I was ashamed to run.
But my fathers never fled, whether before the wild beast
or upon the field of battle !
I throw away my gun, rapidly tear my knife from my
belt, — it is time, for the velvety king of the forests is
already upon my breast. As if he were human, he clasps
me in his arms ; he buries his claws in my quivering
flesh ! I strike him instantly in the breast ; it avails
not, and again I strike him ! He topples over at the
third blow, bears me with him to the earth, and lies
heavy and dead upon me. Throwing a glance of con-
tempt at my hunters, I leave the skin of my victim to
them in memory of their cowardice.
Alighieri. The Lord has saved thee ; hast thou ren-
dered thanks to him?
Voting Man. Not in words, but truly from my heart.
When I rose, shaking off the bear, and glad to find my-
self still living, I lifted my hands gratefully to Heaven.
Alighieri. There are moments in which the Lord ex-
acts no more.
Voting Man. It is strange that I feel no weariness ; I
am as fresh as I was at sunrise. Look, Alighieri, how
rapidly we descend. We cannot now be far from the
dwellings of man, for here is a young girl passing near
us. Ha ! good-evening, my Beauty ! Do you not hear
me? What do you fear? Do stay, and give me the lily
you bear in your hand !
T/ie Voting Girl {in passing). I will not give it to
you, but to the other !
Voting Man. And wherefore ?
136 THE '' fragment:'
The Young Girl. Because he looks like the white
angel which stands on our great altar to the right of the
Mother of God; but you do not belong to this country,
have never been in our church, and so have never seen
our angel ! {To Aiighieri. ) Good-evening ! I pray you,
sir, accept these flowers !
Alighieri. Tiianks, ray child. May you be happy !
Young Man. I suppose, then, I must be very ugly, fair
maiden ?
The Young Girl. You too are beautiful, but not like
our angel !
{She passes on. ^
Young Man. Give me the half of those flowers ; I will
keep them in memory of the fact that this simple young
girl felt the same impression which I experienced the first
time I saw thee. What she says is true, — very true, — and
it is not only thy face which is so much finer than mine,
but thy high soul, Alighieri. Dost thou remember the
hour in which we first met ? It is as present to me as if
it had been but yesterday.
Alighieri. To me too, Henry, for in that hour I be-
came thy friend.
Young Man. Yes, I still see the old building in whose
halls a thousand of my companions sat, and the professors
wlio instructed us from their high desks. I see the wind-
ing staircase and its embrasure, with its steps of stone, on
which thou first appearedst to me: — am I not right? I
was a proud boy, though still a mere child and very feeble.
I had just left my father's house, and was passing through
the throng of students, with pride upon my brow, for I
felt they hated me, though I knew not why. They crowded
round me, they pressed against me, they nearly stifled
me, they shouted " the little aristocrat," — as if I ought to
blush because I had more than one ancestor who had given
his life for his country and the church in which he was to
repose ! O God ! then first was hell born in my infant
breast ! i clung to the balustrade of iron while they i)ulled
me down by my hands, my feet, and the folds of my
mantle. Perhaps I should have rolled under their feet
hadst thou not then appeared : thou descendedst from
above, as pale, as slight, as thou art to day, but thine eyes
INTRODUCTION.
137
flashed fire ! No one knew thee, but they must have seen
thee from time to time and remembered the expression of
thy brow. Thou gavest a cry ; and they fell from me like
dead leaves ! Give me thy hand, Alighieri ! Ah ! I
can never, never forget that moment !
Alighieri. Thou mayst forget it, Henry ; but never
forget the words then spoken to thee, and the first I ever
addressed to thee !
Young Man. Ah ! I still feel thee embrace me ; I
still hear thy voice : ''They are unjust. Thou must be
more than just ; pardon them in thy soul, and love them
in thy deeds! " Then we descended together, and as
thou passedst through them, thou repeatedst, with a tran-
quil voice : " Shame ! shame ! "
Alighieri. And since that hour we have been insepar-
able !
Young Man. And will be until death ! for since that
hour I have felt thee my superior ; therefore is it I so love
thee.
Alighieri. Thou sayest : ''even until death" ?
Young Man. Yes.
Alighieri. But I must die before thee.
Young Man. Sadden not this tranquil hour with a pre-
sentiment so dark ! Rather let us with full eyes drink in
this softened light ; with full breasts breathe this balmy
air, perfumed by mountain roses. Look at the last rays
of light upon those peaks of snow, at that star rising above
yon crest of rocks ; the smile of God is upon us, — and thou
with me — and I with thee, — what would we more ?
Alighieri. I must, however, repeat it : I will die before
thee.
Young Man. Nay, thou art not kind ! Thou knowest
my father is already dead, — my mother and sister sleep in
the grave, — many of those among whom I grew up left
me long, long ago, — their graves ache for me in our poor
and distant country ! I am alone — the last of my race, —
and thou wilt abandon me, — thou too, Alighieri ! Thou
wilt go there, where it is happier to be ; thou wilt not
remain with me? No, oh, no, Alighieri !
Alighieri. I feel a germ of death in my breast ; but
canst thou only love the living ? My spirit will not die
138
THE "FRAGMENT:
in thee because my body leaves thee. In every heart into
which it passes thought takes new life !
That for which I have prayed, which I have desired,
thou wilt accomplish, — and I have desired that thou
shouldst be a hero among men, an angel among the
celestial spirits !
Looking upon these mountains in this glowing light,
this lovely sky, these trembling stars, wouldst thou not
be glad to stay the course of time? Thou exclaimest,
"How beautiful! " But, Henry, think what a miracle
in this world a soul would be which no mortal could see
without crying: " How beautiful ! "
Give such a bliss to thy Brothers ! Be in their midst a
Master-Work !
Young Man. Art thou thus expressing to me thy last
wishes? Cease, Alighieri, cease! I cannot bear it!
With a breath thou hast dimmed for me the transparency
of these bright skies ; a veil is darkening before my eyes ;
— speak! Where are we ? What can this mean? Were
we not already near the valley ? When at day-break this
morning we passed this place together, I saw somewhere
here, upon our right, a cross, — what can have become of
it?
Alighieri. Follow me !
Young Alan. Knowest thou this place better than I do ?
But look, friend, the moon rises, and she will solve this
mystery.
Alighieri. That is well. Let us wait.
Young Man. By the living God, the more light we
have the more does this country seem utterly unknown to
me! If these mists would only disperse ! — there — far —
far below — is a road which seems to whiten. No — it is
only a belt of fog across the plain. Ho ! Halloo ! Is
there no one there below us ? Halloo ! Answer ! I will
fire my gun ; perhaps some one will hear it.
Alighieri. The mountains hear and reply.
Young Man. Yes, in a voice of thunder. I cannot
imagine how it is possible we could have gone so far
astray. It seems to me we have never ceased to advance
in the right direction, and yet these rocks seem doubling
around us. The very sky has changed ; an ocean of cloud
INTROD UCTION.
139
surges up through the ravine ! It glitters like a motion-
less glacier !
On this side now the vapors rise; they blind, they
stifle me ! My head reels ! I can almost feel the dark-
ness ! Look, Alighieri ! The moon mounts higher, but
tawny and ghastly is her light, painful to look at, and
more perplexing than the darkness ! Alighieri, I cannot
extricate myself from this chaos !
Alighieri. Why, then, dost thou linger? Follow me !
Young Man. Down this steep, narrow gorge to our
left?
Alighieri. Such is my inspiration.
Young Man. Lead me as thou wilt ! I will follow,
seek, wind, climb down below, — do all thou mayst de-
sire ! But all will be in vain ; we are lost, and can do
nothing but wander about until the dawn of day. I have
never seen so strange, so wild, a night. To find the way
now, one must be the supreme master of these solitudes,
or the chamois which rule these rocks !
Ho ! Where art thou ? Answer !
Alighieri. Here ! Near thee !
Young Man. This bewildering fog ! It rises now di-
rectly under my feet ; it darkens my sight ; I cannot see
thee ! Ha ! now it breaks, it sails above and joins its
sister bands on high !
Look, Alighieri ! Is that not an old, long-bearded
king upon his throne, his sceptre in his hand ? After him
comes an immense serpent — no — rather a dragon — no —
now it is a cherub with four great wings. Look down
there !
Oh, far, far down, in the intervale among the
rocks ! there throngs a whole nation of spirits, hastening
to the Last Judgment ! Alighieri, what is this before me ?
Against what have I bruised myself?
Alighieri. It is the gateway of an ancient cemetery.
Young Man. Look at the moon ! It burns like a pale
purgatory of souls above the graves where their bodies rest.
But a moment ago I was so strong, so fresh, light as the
air, and now I am so weary, — so ill at ease, — and I know
not how nor why, unless the old dead here have cast their
spells upon me ! If I do not sit down upon this stone I
believe I will fall asleep.
X40
THE "FRAGMENTS
Alighieri. Lean upon me, Henry.
Young Man. Yes, — for my eyelids close; — I must rest
here !
Alighieri. Come but a few steps farther : only as far
as this White Chapel.
Young Man. I will. We will be more quiet under its
roof than out here in the open air.
A/ighieri. Why do you stop? Goon!
Young Man. Have these mists really blinded me? or
am I asleep ? Is this a dream ?
Alighieri. What seest thou, Henry?
Young Afan. Thy forehead grows strangely livid under
the rays of the moon, — thine eyes look hollow, — thou art
so slight and attenuated, — thou seemest older, older — but
sublime ! Is it really thyself, Alighieri?
Alighieri. It is really I, Henry.
Young Man. The voice alone recalls thee. It seems
to me now that a crown of laurel glitters round thy brow,
that it winds and unwinds, appears and disappears. Leave
me ! I fear thee ! I will go no farther !
Sleep bows me to the earth . . . I am falling . . . let
me fall ! Touch me not, Alighieri ! God is my witness
that I have somewhere seen a face like thine . . . some-
where. . . .
Alighieri. A few steps more !
Young Man. ' Where are we ? Where ?
Ah ! now I know the laurel crown, the strange fire in
the eye brought from other worlds ! This image stands
in the great Hall of my ancestors, under the canopy
strewn thick with silver stars : yes, it is under the green
canopy in my home ! My father told me that in centu-
ries past that man had visited Hell and Purgatory, and
had seen Paradise !
Master ! Master ! whither dost thou lead me?
Alighieri (bearing him into the chapel). Now thou
mayst sleep !
THE DREAM. 1 41
II.
THE DREAM.
It seemed to the young man that the figure of Dante
turned to him, and said : " From that reahii where Love,'
Wisdom, and the Eternal Will abide, thence have they
sent me to show thee the Hell of the present days!
Therefore banish all fear, and whither I go, follow me ! "
Like a pale column the Figure rose, and took its flight
across the night of space, gliding rapidly over nebulous
vapor, and through aerial waves. Sometimes a rapid me-
teor broke flashing under its feet, and here and there gray
dawns awoke, floating away to disappear in the distance.
But the soul of the Young Man was overwhelmed with
sadness, for it knew not whither it was going, and it went
into the Infinite : — and it felt it was the Infinite of Evil !
The Figure stopped upon the summit of a mountain,
and it appeared to the Young Man that*they com-
menced to descend within its bosom. The darkness
yielded by degrees, and where the way could be dis-
cerned, it appeared bordered on either side by walls cut
in the solid rock ; the most terrific passes were scarcely
penetrated by the doubtful twilight, and on the right and
the left, all along the rocky parapet, were ranged soldiers,
all arrayed in the same costume, all of the same height,
all alike in the expression of their features, all in per-
petual motion, sometimes leaning forward, and sometimes
standing erect ; all engaged in the same monotonous oc-
cupation of sedulously polishing the barrels of the mus-
kets, which all held in their hands. Light as a sigh, the
hand of the Shade swept the eyelids of the Young Man
as he said : "Look ! this is truly the entrance of the Hell
of Earth ! " And instantly he saw the Souls of the Sol-
diers, bent half-way out of their bodies, into which they
could return no more, and from which they could not
tear themselves away. And in their agony they cried :
" We can neither live nor die, — we must forever go where
they order us, — order us against God, and we go, —
13
142
THE ''FRAGMENTS
against our brothers, and we go :" — and their tears were
unquenchable! The Shade stopped and said: "Who
are you, and'what is your name? " But the souls of all
those bodies answered nothing. " Where is your coun-
try? " And the souls of all those bodies straightened
themselves, full of astonishment ! " Where is your
home? " And among so many eyes, a few let fall a tear
^s at some vague remembrance ! But the arms ceased not
to move more and more vigorously, ever rubbing the bar-
rels of their guns and sharpening the points of their bayo-
nets, and lo ! above those mute bodies all the souls groaned
out together : " Since infancy, they have driven us about
the world without our own volition ; they have forced us
to forget ourselves and to murder others; whoever re-
sisted us, we were commanded to shoot as a traitor; and
now we know not whence we came nor whither we are
going! "
Then the pale figure spake : " When men of old sought
the combat, they knew what cause they were serving, and
why they must die; they were like gods of war, but you
perish like |)oor brutes ! " And breaking with a sign the
ranks of the armed people, the Figure advanced to the
stairs which wound down into the depths.
Following the steps of the Seer, the young man plunged
into the subterranean darkness.
Suddenly a deluge of light poured around him ; he saw
the black walls, the prison grates, the rings with chains
clamped into the rocks : luxurious flames blazed in lamps
of alabaster, soft carpets of silk were underfoot, and a
numberless crowd was gathered round a man who occu-
pied a high seat, and who, delicate and slight as a woman,
turned over the pages of a black book. Before him stood
a gigantic cross, rising almost to the vault, and a figure of
Clirist was stretched upon it. The shade of Dante trem-
bled from head to foot as he spake: "I never met that
sacred sign with the Condemned of old ! At least they
did not know how to blaspheme God in the name of God !
Look and listen ! "
The Official of the multitude, the slight and delicate
man, bent forward, and drew many heavy bags of gold
from under the base of the cross. All who were present
THE DREAM.
143
approached and formed a circle round him, stretching
out to him their hands, — and the sweat of their cupidity
streamed from their brows! And in paying, he instructed
them ; his voice was sharp and hissing as the grinding of
a dagger over the face of a polished mirror.
" Wheresoever you may glide, be cautious and of honied
sweetness !
" In the house of the old Signors, be humble and lavish
of incense to their pride : in the house of the poor, flat-
ter their poverty !
** When the husband tyrannizes over his wife, console
her : when the father is hard with his sons, lend them the
money of which they have need !
" The strong every where oppress the weak : protect the
weak ; and all complaints and furtive hopes, like hidden
treasures, shall open before you !
" Should you find one melancholy and silent, be your-
self loudly desperate : your cry of pain will awaken his
voice !
" When you meet the young devoured with impatience
to act, bind them on the instant by terrible oaths ! Glide
mysterious arms under their garments ; it is with men as
with grains of corn: the fuller they are, the more easily
may they be hulled !
"Let your memory be eager, keen, and limitless: if
the winds shake the leaves of a tree, listen to their rust-
ling !
" Should you find a pin upon your way, pick it up and
bring it here : it is of more worth than a sword, for where
the sword intervenes, there is no longer time !
" Love children, and learn skillfully to play with them ;
as butterflies upon flowers, so repose the secret mysteries
of families upon their lips !
" Knowledge is the gift of gifts. A single prison
would not contain the bodies of all, but a single brain
may seize upon the thoughts of all, and, like the dome
of an immense dungeon, may vault above them all !
" Go and traverse the world ! "
And all laden with gold, they vanished like phan-
toms ! A rose-colored curtain was now rolled upon the
other side of the subterranean abyss, and iron doors were
144
THE "FH AG ME NT. "
opened behind it. Servants entered carrying in a wretch
in rags, who, as he staggered forward, roared like a beast :
" Give me food, food ! drink ! drink ! My father died
of hunger yesterday, — this morning my mother perished,
— fever consumes me, — I must die ere night ! "
The Official made a sign, a drapery of azure was sud-
denly opened before him, behind which stood a table,
glittering and groaning under the weight of its dishes of
silver, its cups of crystal. The famished man darted for-
ward, but they held him back: "First swear fealty to
us! "
"Food ! food ! afterwards I will swear ! " The slight
Official broke into a laugh at these words, pointed him to
the cross, and the dying man fell on his knees before it.
It seemed to the Young Man that the voice of the
Official sounded like the hissing of a serpent as he dic-
tated the oath: "In the name of the Holy Trinity and
the Passion of our Lord, I swear to report here all I shall
see, all I shall hear, all I may divine, were it the groans
of my brother, or the sighs of my sister ! Should my
friends or relations imagine anything in secret, I swear to
reveal it, though I know I should thus place their heads
under the axe of the executioner ! Should I conceal
anything from you, may I be tortured, nailed to the cross,
burned by fire, and fed on poison 1"
But the kneeling wretch would not repeat the words,
and, falling upon the earth, he gasped : " I die! "
And the slight Official cried: "Die! " and calmly
crossing his hands, he waited !
A great silence followed ; and it seemed to the Young
Man that he asked the Shade: " Master, where are the
souls of these men ? I do not see them, though thou hast
lent me the power to perceive spirits. "
And the Shade replied: "In the justice of God, no
punishment has been found sufficiently severe for them,
therefore, abandoned to eternal contempt, their souls are
identified with their bodies. From them alone, among
the myriads, has the holy gift of life been taken, and when
their first bodies shall fall into corruption, these beings
will no longer exist ! "
'At this moment the starving man, stiffening himself,
^ THE DREAM. . . ^
turned toward the richly-spread table : "I will swear! "
he muttered.
His eye sparkled with dying fire, while the Official
stretched out his hand to him and again placed him on
his knees. He began to take the oath !
Then a phantom like an angel, with a veiled brow, de-
tached himself from space, and with outspread wings
shielded the crucifix, and as long as the oath lasted, the
angel thus held himself before the cross. But none of them
could see him. When the last word of the oath expired,
and the famished body, rising, tottered away, the face of
the angel grew ghastly in its pallor, and rending the veil,
he cried : " A soul. Lord, has perished ! "
This cry transpierced the heart of the Young Man, and
he bowed his head under the weight of an insupportable
grief.
When he again raised his eyes, he was surrounded by
darkness, in the midst of which he saw unburied bones
and cemeteries full of gibbets on which already swung their
victims dimly floating, and they multiplied and sailed on,
one after the other, like the gathering clouds of a tem-
pest. Like whirlwinds of autumn leaves they drifted on •
above with mournful sighs; thousands of voices joined
the funereal murmur ; the sobs of women, the wails of
children, and the hoarser groans of men ! But the Shade
of Dante spake to them and said : " Unfortunate as you
are, your hour will surely come, and you will live with a
double immortality; your own, and the immortality of
those who have ruined you! For, from the nothingness
to which they are destined, a spirit will be disengaged
which will pass into you. Calm yourselves, then, O ye
unfortunate ! "
But as he spake, his own tears flowed.
And returning towards the surface of the earth, 'they
repassed through the Armed People, who were already un-
der arms in rows like countless statues. The blast of the
trumpet and the roll of the drum, in monotonous rhythm,
meted out to them time and life. Some were marched off
to rest, others, stolid as stones, marched up to replace
them. Some, placed in guard of prisoners, who, too
weak to stand, were stretched upon the ground, watched
13*
146 THE '^ FRAGMENTr
them breathlessly with unmoving eyes, the butt-ends of
tlieir guns upon their breasts, and their fingers upon the
trigger; and at intervals the report of fire-arms, some-
times in the rear, sometimes on either side, proved that
the sport of death was in process.
As the Young Man followed the steps of the Seer, the
walls hollowed out through the rock began to diverge,
always embracing a wider horizon, until one took its di-
rection to the east, the other to the west, as far as the eye
could follow them.
They ran on and on, — one might have said they would
embrace all space, — and they increased in height and they
spread in breadth, and their girdle of rock grew up into
the horizon and lined the whole arch of the sky with a
vault of stone, so closely that it formed a building as im-
mense as the world, granitic, gray, without verdure, and
without azure ! And, far in the distance in this granite
world, the Young Man perceived the phantom of a Sun
nailed upon the overhanging canopy and lighting the in-
closed space with its oblique rays. But its glimmer seemed
rather the sickness of light than light itself. Innumerable
throngs hurried to and fro through this wan atmosphere,
as if all the nations of the earth were collected there, and,
like the crossing surges of great seas, the uproar of the
myriad voices broke against the granite walls of that
world !
The Soul entranced by the Dream, the Soul of the Young
Man, asked : " Master, where are we ? "
And he answered : "In the Sanctuary which Humanity
has, for the present, chosen for its Home ; but from which
God is absent ! "
He then entered a group seated upon the threshold.
Each one composing it had an open ditch before him, his
own property, deep and long as a grave ; and each bore
upon his head a lamp which, as he stooped, lighted the
dark trench before him, whence he selected the tools of
various trades. Each worked with his hands, though his
look was stolid as the face of an idiot ; and the Young
Man saw some who held in their fingers the head of a pin,
and their brows were as furrowed with expressionless
wrinkles as if they had passed the whole of their lives in
THE DREAM.
147
rounding this head of a pin ! But whenever the hour of
death, tolling always in the distance, echoed nearer along
the walls of this gigantic vault, here one, and then another,
would bow his head, and roll with a groan into his own
ditch. Then their souls became visible ; like bluish
clouds, and somewhat resembling the implements of their
life-long labors, they detached themselves from their
bodies, and skimming along the surface of the earth, they
floated on towards the yellow and distant sun !
At the approach of the Seer, the men rose, and, break-
ing their lamps, cried : " If you are the gods or the de-
mons of whom we have heard, — and it matters to us little
which you are, — give us gold ! gold ! "
And their skeletons extended their shivering hands !
The blood of indignation colored the pale face of Dante
as he replied: "Mercenary wretches, possessed by the
Demon! " And, like inert masses, they fell to earth
before the Spirit !
The face of Dante again flushed, but it was with the
glow of inspiration, as he said : " Would you understand
me if I should prophesy to you of the future? When my
body advanced from the other side of the grave through
the free light of the sun towards death, there were also
artisans upon the earth, and the banners of their guilds
floated from the terraces of the towers. They trafficked
in purple, fine gold, and precious stones upon the public
marts, but they carried the sword, and the rosary of prayer
hung at their girdles. Their hands could guide the helm
over the stormy waves, and their brains could raise invin-
cible fortresses upon the land. They received gold ; but
they washed its stain away in the blood of battle ! But
you, to-day, whose fingers are as soft as wax, what could
you possibly effect ? You, whose lips have never breathed
a prayer ! You have no strength upon earth, no hope in
heaven ! You have lost the sinews of men in the thirst
for gold! "
A boy, beautiful as an angel, but faded before his time
by the rude labor exacted from his little hands, dragged
himself to him, and placing his head upon his feet, mur-
mured, in low tones : " Have pity upon us ! All that we
can gain through the day we are forced to spend at night ;
148 THE "FRAGMENT. "
and at the dawn of the next day we must go to work
again ! VVe have no time to pray to God, but only to
work to get something to eat that we may not die of
hunger ; and scarcely have we eaten, when we must again
work for food. Have pity upon us ! "
And the Shade grew as pallid as the boy, who was
wiping his feet with his fair hair, and raising his eyes, he
sighed: " My child, the past will never return ! Pray
for the FUTURE to our Father who dwells in Heaven ! "
And the boy went away murmuring : '^ In Heaven per-
haps, but not upon earth. "
During this time many, crawling in the dust, ground
their teeth ; while the Shade of Dante hurried through
them like an avalanche, sweeping on elsewhere.
In the midst of this world of granite, other throngs
were leaning over an immense gulf. The faces of those
who looked down into it swam in a crimson light ; the
earth around it trembled, as if convulsed by hidden earth-
quakes. When the Young Man drew near, it seemed to
him he saw the vast crater of a volcano, or the sunken bed
of a dry lake surrounded by high and precipitous walls.
The bottom was black with human heads ; black as the
waves in a tempest; a bloody light glowed as if from
burning coals and smoking cinders like volcanic scoriae, —
and threats and curses rose continually therefrom !
As a mother folds her infant to her breast, so the Shade
wound the Young Man in his arms, and glided with him
into the dismal depths of this great gulf.
in eternity ! What has happened to thee, Henry? What
means this blood upon thy breast and on the handle of
thy knife?
Young Man. Alighieri, a little more, and I must have
perished ! This is not the blood of a bounding roe or
innocent chamois. I will tell thee all as we wend our
way below, for I sent the hunters on in advance, and we
must hasten if we would overtake them before night-fall.
Alighieri. I will listen as I follow thee.
Young Man. Hearken, then, and I will tell thee all.
I fire upon a chamois; it falls and rolls to the bottom of
a precipice. I call my Tyrolese, show them the spot, but
they see nothing. Consequently, I must descend myself
to find my prey. Three of them follow me ; we make a
long, winding descent, ever lower and lower, until we
reach a dense wood, a thick forest of pines. But as we
advance we observe something moving in the thicket be-
JNTR OD UCTION.
135
fore us, within range of our bullets, — it may be a deer, a
stag. I look eagerly towards it, but in my haste have
forgotten to reload my gun. I seize a cartridge, but in
this very moment a bear starts from the thicket, stops,
and scents the air. Ah ! he has discovered us ! My men
instantly fire upon him ; their balls only graze his hide ;
rising and roaring, he rushes upon us ! They, crying
loudly upon me to follow, take to flight. Still shouting
as long as breath lasts them, they climb upon the
branches of a tall pine. I know not why I remain alone ;
what possible glory can a man achieve in a wild struggle
with a beast ? I know not why I was ashamed to run.
But my fathers never fled, whether before the wild beast
or upon the field of battle !
I throw away my gun, rapidly tear my knife from my
belt, — it is time, for the velvety king of the forests is
already upon my breast. As if he were human, he clasps
me in his arms ; he buries his claws in my quivering
flesh ! I strike him instantly in the breast ; it avails
not, and again I strike him ! He topples over at the
third blow, bears me with him to the earth, and lies
heavy and dead upon me. Throwing a glance of con-
tempt at my hunters, I leave the skin of my victim to
them in memory of their cowardice.
Alighieri. The Lord has saved thee ; hast thou ren-
dered thanks to him?
Voting Man. Not in words, but truly from my heart.
When I rose, shaking off the bear, and glad to find my-
self still living, I lifted my hands gratefully to Heaven.
Alighieri. There are moments in which the Lord ex-
acts no more.
Voting Man. It is strange that I feel no weariness ; I
am as fresh as I was at sunrise. Look, Alighieri, how
rapidly we descend. We cannot now be far from the
dwellings of man, for here is a young girl passing near
us. Ha ! good-evening, my Beauty ! Do you not hear
me? What do you fear? Do stay, and give me the lily
you bear in your hand !
T/ie Voting Girl {in passing). I will not give it to
you, but to the other !
Voting Man. And wherefore ?
136 THE '' fragment:'
The Young Girl. Because he looks like the white
angel which stands on our great altar to the right of the
Mother of God; but you do not belong to this country,
have never been in our church, and so have never seen
our angel ! {To Aiighieri. ) Good-evening ! I pray you,
sir, accept these flowers !
Alighieri. Tiianks, ray child. May you be happy !
Young Man. I suppose, then, I must be very ugly, fair
maiden ?
The Young Girl. You too are beautiful, but not like
our angel !
{She passes on. ^
Young Man. Give me the half of those flowers ; I will
keep them in memory of the fact that this simple young
girl felt the same impression which I experienced the first
time I saw thee. What she says is true, — very true, — and
it is not only thy face which is so much finer than mine,
but thy high soul, Alighieri. Dost thou remember the
hour in which we first met ? It is as present to me as if
it had been but yesterday.
Alighieri. To me too, Henry, for in that hour I be-
came thy friend.
Young Man. Yes, I still see the old building in whose
halls a thousand of my companions sat, and the professors
wlio instructed us from their high desks. I see the wind-
ing staircase and its embrasure, with its steps of stone, on
which thou first appearedst to me: — am I not right? I
was a proud boy, though still a mere child and very feeble.
I had just left my father's house, and was passing through
the throng of students, with pride upon my brow, for I
felt they hated me, though I knew not why. They crowded
round me, they pressed against me, they nearly stifled
me, they shouted " the little aristocrat," — as if I ought to
blush because I had more than one ancestor who had given
his life for his country and the church in which he was to
repose ! O God ! then first was hell born in my infant
breast ! i clung to the balustrade of iron while they i)ulled
me down by my hands, my feet, and the folds of my
mantle. Perhaps I should have rolled under their feet
hadst thou not then appeared : thou descendedst from
above, as pale, as slight, as thou art to day, but thine eyes
INTRODUCTION.
137
flashed fire ! No one knew thee, but they must have seen
thee from time to time and remembered the expression of
thy brow. Thou gavest a cry ; and they fell from me like
dead leaves ! Give me thy hand, Alighieri ! Ah ! I
can never, never forget that moment !
Alighieri. Thou mayst forget it, Henry ; but never
forget the words then spoken to thee, and the first I ever
addressed to thee !
Young Man. Ah ! I still feel thee embrace me ; I
still hear thy voice : ''They are unjust. Thou must be
more than just ; pardon them in thy soul, and love them
in thy deeds! " Then we descended together, and as
thou passedst through them, thou repeatedst, with a tran-
quil voice : " Shame ! shame ! "
Alighieri. And since that hour we have been insepar-
able !
Young Man. And will be until death ! for since that
hour I have felt thee my superior ; therefore is it I so love
thee.
Alighieri. Thou sayest : ''even until death" ?
Young Man. Yes.
Alighieri. But I must die before thee.
Young Man. Sadden not this tranquil hour with a pre-
sentiment so dark ! Rather let us with full eyes drink in
this softened light ; with full breasts breathe this balmy
air, perfumed by mountain roses. Look at the last rays
of light upon those peaks of snow, at that star rising above
yon crest of rocks ; the smile of God is upon us, — and thou
with me — and I with thee, — what would we more ?
Alighieri. I must, however, repeat it : I will die before
thee.
Young Man. Nay, thou art not kind ! Thou knowest
my father is already dead, — my mother and sister sleep in
the grave, — many of those among whom I grew up left
me long, long ago, — their graves ache for me in our poor
and distant country ! I am alone — the last of my race, —
and thou wilt abandon me, — thou too, Alighieri ! Thou
wilt go there, where it is happier to be ; thou wilt not
remain with me? No, oh, no, Alighieri !
Alighieri. I feel a germ of death in my breast ; but
canst thou only love the living ? My spirit will not die
138
THE "FRAGMENT:
in thee because my body leaves thee. In every heart into
which it passes thought takes new life !
That for which I have prayed, which I have desired,
thou wilt accomplish, — and I have desired that thou
shouldst be a hero among men, an angel among the
celestial spirits !
Looking upon these mountains in this glowing light,
this lovely sky, these trembling stars, wouldst thou not
be glad to stay the course of time? Thou exclaimest,
"How beautiful! " But, Henry, think what a miracle
in this world a soul would be which no mortal could see
without crying: " How beautiful ! "
Give such a bliss to thy Brothers ! Be in their midst a
Master-Work !
Young Man. Art thou thus expressing to me thy last
wishes? Cease, Alighieri, cease! I cannot bear it!
With a breath thou hast dimmed for me the transparency
of these bright skies ; a veil is darkening before my eyes ;
— speak! Where are we ? What can this mean? Were
we not already near the valley ? When at day-break this
morning we passed this place together, I saw somewhere
here, upon our right, a cross, — what can have become of
it?
Alighieri. Follow me !
Young Alan. Knowest thou this place better than I do ?
But look, friend, the moon rises, and she will solve this
mystery.
Alighieri. That is well. Let us wait.
Young Man. By the living God, the more light we
have the more does this country seem utterly unknown to
me! If these mists would only disperse ! — there — far —
far below — is a road which seems to whiten. No — it is
only a belt of fog across the plain. Ho ! Halloo ! Is
there no one there below us ? Halloo ! Answer ! I will
fire my gun ; perhaps some one will hear it.
Alighieri. The mountains hear and reply.
Young Man. Yes, in a voice of thunder. I cannot
imagine how it is possible we could have gone so far
astray. It seems to me we have never ceased to advance
in the right direction, and yet these rocks seem doubling
around us. The very sky has changed ; an ocean of cloud
INTROD UCTION.
139
surges up through the ravine ! It glitters like a motion-
less glacier !
On this side now the vapors rise; they blind, they
stifle me ! My head reels ! I can almost feel the dark-
ness ! Look, Alighieri ! The moon mounts higher, but
tawny and ghastly is her light, painful to look at, and
more perplexing than the darkness ! Alighieri, I cannot
extricate myself from this chaos !
Alighieri. Why, then, dost thou linger? Follow me !
Young Man. Down this steep, narrow gorge to our
left?
Alighieri. Such is my inspiration.
Young Man. Lead me as thou wilt ! I will follow,
seek, wind, climb down below, — do all thou mayst de-
sire ! But all will be in vain ; we are lost, and can do
nothing but wander about until the dawn of day. I have
never seen so strange, so wild, a night. To find the way
now, one must be the supreme master of these solitudes,
or the chamois which rule these rocks !
Ho ! Where art thou ? Answer !
Alighieri. Here ! Near thee !
Young Man. This bewildering fog ! It rises now di-
rectly under my feet ; it darkens my sight ; I cannot see
thee ! Ha ! now it breaks, it sails above and joins its
sister bands on high !
Look, Alighieri ! Is that not an old, long-bearded
king upon his throne, his sceptre in his hand ? After him
comes an immense serpent — no — rather a dragon — no —
now it is a cherub with four great wings. Look down
there !
Oh, far, far down, in the intervale among the
rocks ! there throngs a whole nation of spirits, hastening
to the Last Judgment ! Alighieri, what is this before me ?
Against what have I bruised myself?
Alighieri. It is the gateway of an ancient cemetery.
Young Man. Look at the moon ! It burns like a pale
purgatory of souls above the graves where their bodies rest.
But a moment ago I was so strong, so fresh, light as the
air, and now I am so weary, — so ill at ease, — and I know
not how nor why, unless the old dead here have cast their
spells upon me ! If I do not sit down upon this stone I
believe I will fall asleep.
X40
THE "FRAGMENTS
Alighieri. Lean upon me, Henry.
Young Man. Yes, — for my eyelids close; — I must rest
here !
Alighieri. Come but a few steps farther : only as far
as this White Chapel.
Young Man. I will. We will be more quiet under its
roof than out here in the open air.
A/ighieri. Why do you stop? Goon!
Young Man. Have these mists really blinded me? or
am I asleep ? Is this a dream ?
Alighieri. What seest thou, Henry?
Young Afan. Thy forehead grows strangely livid under
the rays of the moon, — thine eyes look hollow, — thou art
so slight and attenuated, — thou seemest older, older — but
sublime ! Is it really thyself, Alighieri?
Alighieri. It is really I, Henry.
Young Man. The voice alone recalls thee. It seems
to me now that a crown of laurel glitters round thy brow,
that it winds and unwinds, appears and disappears. Leave
me ! I fear thee ! I will go no farther !
Sleep bows me to the earth . . . I am falling . . . let
me fall ! Touch me not, Alighieri ! God is my witness
that I have somewhere seen a face like thine . . . some-
where. . . .
Alighieri. A few steps more !
Young Man. ' Where are we ? Where ?
Ah ! now I know the laurel crown, the strange fire in
the eye brought from other worlds ! This image stands
in the great Hall of my ancestors, under the canopy
strewn thick with silver stars : yes, it is under the green
canopy in my home ! My father told me that in centu-
ries past that man had visited Hell and Purgatory, and
had seen Paradise !
Master ! Master ! whither dost thou lead me?
Alighieri (bearing him into the chapel). Now thou
mayst sleep !
THE DREAM. 1 41
II.
THE DREAM.
It seemed to the young man that the figure of Dante
turned to him, and said : " From that reahii where Love,'
Wisdom, and the Eternal Will abide, thence have they
sent me to show thee the Hell of the present days!
Therefore banish all fear, and whither I go, follow me ! "
Like a pale column the Figure rose, and took its flight
across the night of space, gliding rapidly over nebulous
vapor, and through aerial waves. Sometimes a rapid me-
teor broke flashing under its feet, and here and there gray
dawns awoke, floating away to disappear in the distance.
But the soul of the Young Man was overwhelmed with
sadness, for it knew not whither it was going, and it went
into the Infinite : — and it felt it was the Infinite of Evil !
The Figure stopped upon the summit of a mountain,
and it appeared to the Young Man that*they com-
menced to descend within its bosom. The darkness
yielded by degrees, and where the way could be dis-
cerned, it appeared bordered on either side by walls cut
in the solid rock ; the most terrific passes were scarcely
penetrated by the doubtful twilight, and on the right and
the left, all along the rocky parapet, were ranged soldiers,
all arrayed in the same costume, all of the same height,
all alike in the expression of their features, all in per-
petual motion, sometimes leaning forward, and sometimes
standing erect ; all engaged in the same monotonous oc-
cupation of sedulously polishing the barrels of the mus-
kets, which all held in their hands. Light as a sigh, the
hand of the Shade swept the eyelids of the Young Man
as he said : "Look ! this is truly the entrance of the Hell
of Earth ! " And instantly he saw the Souls of the Sol-
diers, bent half-way out of their bodies, into which they
could return no more, and from which they could not
tear themselves away. And in their agony they cried :
" We can neither live nor die, — we must forever go where
they order us, — order us against God, and we go, —
13
142
THE ''FRAGMENTS
against our brothers, and we go :" — and their tears were
unquenchable! The Shade stopped and said: "Who
are you, and'what is your name? " But the souls of all
those bodies answered nothing. " Where is your coun-
try? " And the souls of all those bodies straightened
themselves, full of astonishment ! " Where is your
home? " And among so many eyes, a few let fall a tear
^s at some vague remembrance ! But the arms ceased not
to move more and more vigorously, ever rubbing the bar-
rels of their guns and sharpening the points of their bayo-
nets, and lo ! above those mute bodies all the souls groaned
out together : " Since infancy, they have driven us about
the world without our own volition ; they have forced us
to forget ourselves and to murder others; whoever re-
sisted us, we were commanded to shoot as a traitor; and
now we know not whence we came nor whither we are
going! "
Then the pale figure spake : " When men of old sought
the combat, they knew what cause they were serving, and
why they must die; they were like gods of war, but you
perish like |)oor brutes ! " And breaking with a sign the
ranks of the armed people, the Figure advanced to the
stairs which wound down into the depths.
Following the steps of the Seer, the young man plunged
into the subterranean darkness.
Suddenly a deluge of light poured around him ; he saw
the black walls, the prison grates, the rings with chains
clamped into the rocks : luxurious flames blazed in lamps
of alabaster, soft carpets of silk were underfoot, and a
numberless crowd was gathered round a man who occu-
pied a high seat, and who, delicate and slight as a woman,
turned over the pages of a black book. Before him stood
a gigantic cross, rising almost to the vault, and a figure of
Clirist was stretched upon it. The shade of Dante trem-
bled from head to foot as he spake: "I never met that
sacred sign with the Condemned of old ! At least they
did not know how to blaspheme God in the name of God !
Look and listen ! "
The Official of the multitude, the slight and delicate
man, bent forward, and drew many heavy bags of gold
from under the base of the cross. All who were present
THE DREAM.
143
approached and formed a circle round him, stretching
out to him their hands, — and the sweat of their cupidity
streamed from their brows! And in paying, he instructed
them ; his voice was sharp and hissing as the grinding of
a dagger over the face of a polished mirror.
" Wheresoever you may glide, be cautious and of honied
sweetness !
" In the house of the old Signors, be humble and lavish
of incense to their pride : in the house of the poor, flat-
ter their poverty !
** When the husband tyrannizes over his wife, console
her : when the father is hard with his sons, lend them the
money of which they have need !
" The strong every where oppress the weak : protect the
weak ; and all complaints and furtive hopes, like hidden
treasures, shall open before you !
" Should you find one melancholy and silent, be your-
self loudly desperate : your cry of pain will awaken his
voice !
" When you meet the young devoured with impatience
to act, bind them on the instant by terrible oaths ! Glide
mysterious arms under their garments ; it is with men as
with grains of corn: the fuller they are, the more easily
may they be hulled !
"Let your memory be eager, keen, and limitless: if
the winds shake the leaves of a tree, listen to their rust-
ling !
" Should you find a pin upon your way, pick it up and
bring it here : it is of more worth than a sword, for where
the sword intervenes, there is no longer time !
" Love children, and learn skillfully to play with them ;
as butterflies upon flowers, so repose the secret mysteries
of families upon their lips !
" Knowledge is the gift of gifts. A single prison
would not contain the bodies of all, but a single brain
may seize upon the thoughts of all, and, like the dome
of an immense dungeon, may vault above them all !
" Go and traverse the world ! "
And all laden with gold, they vanished like phan-
toms ! A rose-colored curtain was now rolled upon the
other side of the subterranean abyss, and iron doors were
144
THE "FH AG ME NT. "
opened behind it. Servants entered carrying in a wretch
in rags, who, as he staggered forward, roared like a beast :
" Give me food, food ! drink ! drink ! My father died
of hunger yesterday, — this morning my mother perished,
— fever consumes me, — I must die ere night ! "
The Official made a sign, a drapery of azure was sud-
denly opened before him, behind which stood a table,
glittering and groaning under the weight of its dishes of
silver, its cups of crystal. The famished man darted for-
ward, but they held him back: "First swear fealty to
us! "
"Food ! food ! afterwards I will swear ! " The slight
Official broke into a laugh at these words, pointed him to
the cross, and the dying man fell on his knees before it.
It seemed to the Young Man that the voice of the
Official sounded like the hissing of a serpent as he dic-
tated the oath: "In the name of the Holy Trinity and
the Passion of our Lord, I swear to report here all I shall
see, all I shall hear, all I may divine, were it the groans
of my brother, or the sighs of my sister ! Should my
friends or relations imagine anything in secret, I swear to
reveal it, though I know I should thus place their heads
under the axe of the executioner ! Should I conceal
anything from you, may I be tortured, nailed to the cross,
burned by fire, and fed on poison 1"
But the kneeling wretch would not repeat the words,
and, falling upon the earth, he gasped : " I die! "
And the slight Official cried: "Die! " and calmly
crossing his hands, he waited !
A great silence followed ; and it seemed to the Young
Man that he asked the Shade: " Master, where are the
souls of these men ? I do not see them, though thou hast
lent me the power to perceive spirits. "
And the Shade replied: "In the justice of God, no
punishment has been found sufficiently severe for them,
therefore, abandoned to eternal contempt, their souls are
identified with their bodies. From them alone, among
the myriads, has the holy gift of life been taken, and when
their first bodies shall fall into corruption, these beings
will no longer exist ! "
'At this moment the starving man, stiffening himself,
^ THE DREAM. . . ^
turned toward the richly-spread table : "I will swear! "
he muttered.
His eye sparkled with dying fire, while the Official
stretched out his hand to him and again placed him on
his knees. He began to take the oath !
Then a phantom like an angel, with a veiled brow, de-
tached himself from space, and with outspread wings
shielded the crucifix, and as long as the oath lasted, the
angel thus held himself before the cross. But none of them
could see him. When the last word of the oath expired,
and the famished body, rising, tottered away, the face of
the angel grew ghastly in its pallor, and rending the veil,
he cried : " A soul. Lord, has perished ! "
This cry transpierced the heart of the Young Man, and
he bowed his head under the weight of an insupportable
grief.
When he again raised his eyes, he was surrounded by
darkness, in the midst of which he saw unburied bones
and cemeteries full of gibbets on which already swung their
victims dimly floating, and they multiplied and sailed on,
one after the other, like the gathering clouds of a tem-
pest. Like whirlwinds of autumn leaves they drifted on •
above with mournful sighs; thousands of voices joined
the funereal murmur ; the sobs of women, the wails of
children, and the hoarser groans of men ! But the Shade
of Dante spake to them and said : " Unfortunate as you
are, your hour will surely come, and you will live with a
double immortality; your own, and the immortality of
those who have ruined you! For, from the nothingness
to which they are destined, a spirit will be disengaged
which will pass into you. Calm yourselves, then, O ye
unfortunate ! "
But as he spake, his own tears flowed.
And returning towards the surface of the earth, 'they
repassed through the Armed People, who were already un-
der arms in rows like countless statues. The blast of the
trumpet and the roll of the drum, in monotonous rhythm,
meted out to them time and life. Some were marched off
to rest, others, stolid as stones, marched up to replace
them. Some, placed in guard of prisoners, who, too
weak to stand, were stretched upon the ground, watched
13*
146 THE '^ FRAGMENTr
them breathlessly with unmoving eyes, the butt-ends of
tlieir guns upon their breasts, and their fingers upon the
trigger; and at intervals the report of fire-arms, some-
times in the rear, sometimes on either side, proved that
the sport of death was in process.
As the Young Man followed the steps of the Seer, the
walls hollowed out through the rock began to diverge,
always embracing a wider horizon, until one took its di-
rection to the east, the other to the west, as far as the eye
could follow them.
They ran on and on, — one might have said they would
embrace all space, — and they increased in height and they
spread in breadth, and their girdle of rock grew up into
the horizon and lined the whole arch of the sky with a
vault of stone, so closely that it formed a building as im-
mense as the world, granitic, gray, without verdure, and
without azure ! And, far in the distance in this granite
world, the Young Man perceived the phantom of a Sun
nailed upon the overhanging canopy and lighting the in-
closed space with its oblique rays. But its glimmer seemed
rather the sickness of light than light itself. Innumerable
throngs hurried to and fro through this wan atmosphere,
as if all the nations of the earth were collected there, and,
like the crossing surges of great seas, the uproar of the
myriad voices broke against the granite walls of that
world !
The Soul entranced by the Dream, the Soul of the Young
Man, asked : " Master, where are we ? "
And he answered : "In the Sanctuary which Humanity
has, for the present, chosen for its Home ; but from which
God is absent ! "
He then entered a group seated upon the threshold.
Each one composing it had an open ditch before him, his
own property, deep and long as a grave ; and each bore
upon his head a lamp which, as he stooped, lighted the
dark trench before him, whence he selected the tools of
various trades. Each worked with his hands, though his
look was stolid as the face of an idiot ; and the Young
Man saw some who held in their fingers the head of a pin,
and their brows were as furrowed with expressionless
wrinkles as if they had passed the whole of their lives in
THE DREAM.
147
rounding this head of a pin ! But whenever the hour of
death, tolling always in the distance, echoed nearer along
the walls of this gigantic vault, here one, and then another,
would bow his head, and roll with a groan into his own
ditch. Then their souls became visible ; like bluish
clouds, and somewhat resembling the implements of their
life-long labors, they detached themselves from their
bodies, and skimming along the surface of the earth, they
floated on towards the yellow and distant sun !
At the approach of the Seer, the men rose, and, break-
ing their lamps, cried : " If you are the gods or the de-
mons of whom we have heard, — and it matters to us little
which you are, — give us gold ! gold ! "
And their skeletons extended their shivering hands !
The blood of indignation colored the pale face of Dante
as he replied: "Mercenary wretches, possessed by the
Demon! " And, like inert masses, they fell to earth
before the Spirit !
The face of Dante again flushed, but it was with the
glow of inspiration, as he said : " Would you understand
me if I should prophesy to you of the future? When my
body advanced from the other side of the grave through
the free light of the sun towards death, there were also
artisans upon the earth, and the banners of their guilds
floated from the terraces of the towers. They trafficked
in purple, fine gold, and precious stones upon the public
marts, but they carried the sword, and the rosary of prayer
hung at their girdles. Their hands could guide the helm
over the stormy waves, and their brains could raise invin-
cible fortresses upon the land. They received gold ; but
they washed its stain away in the blood of battle ! But
you, to-day, whose fingers are as soft as wax, what could
you possibly effect ? You, whose lips have never breathed
a prayer ! You have no strength upon earth, no hope in
heaven ! You have lost the sinews of men in the thirst
for gold! "
A boy, beautiful as an angel, but faded before his time
by the rude labor exacted from his little hands, dragged
himself to him, and placing his head upon his feet, mur-
mured, in low tones : " Have pity upon us ! All that we
can gain through the day we are forced to spend at night ;
148 THE "FRAGMENT. "
and at the dawn of the next day we must go to work
again ! VVe have no time to pray to God, but only to
work to get something to eat that we may not die of
hunger ; and scarcely have we eaten, when we must again
work for food. Have pity upon us ! "
And the Shade grew as pallid as the boy, who was
wiping his feet with his fair hair, and raising his eyes, he
sighed: " My child, the past will never return ! Pray
for the FUTURE to our Father who dwells in Heaven ! "
And the boy went away murmuring : '^ In Heaven per-
haps, but not upon earth. "
During this time many, crawling in the dust, ground
their teeth ; while the Shade of Dante hurried through
them like an avalanche, sweeping on elsewhere.
In the midst of this world of granite, other throngs
were leaning over an immense gulf. The faces of those
who looked down into it swam in a crimson light ; the
earth around it trembled, as if convulsed by hidden earth-
quakes. When the Young Man drew near, it seemed to
him he saw the vast crater of a volcano, or the sunken bed
of a dry lake surrounded by high and precipitous walls.
The bottom was black with human heads ; black as the
waves in a tempest; a bloody light glowed as if from
burning coals and smoking cinders like volcanic scoriae, —
and threats and curses rose continually therefrom !
As a mother folds her infant to her breast, so the Shade
wound the Young Man in his arms, and glided with him
into the dismal depths of this great gulf.
