The Divine comedy of Dante Alighiere Author:Dante Alighieri Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Then at this pathway's ending thou wilt be ; There to repose thy panting breath expect; 95 No more I answer; and this I know for true." And as he finished ... more »uttering these words, A voice close by us sounded : " Peradventure Thou wilt have need of sitting down ere that." At sound thereof each one of us turned round, uj And saw upon the left hand a great rock, Which neither I nor he before had noticed. Thither we drew; and there were persons there Who in the shadow stood behind the rock, As one through indolence is wont to stand. 105 And one of them, who seemed to me fatigued, Was sitting down, and both his knees embraced, Holding his face low down between them bowed. "O my sweet Lord," I said, "do turn thine eye On him who shows himself more negligent no Than even if Sloth herself his sister were." Then he turned round to us, and he gave heed, Just lifting up his eyes above his thigh, And said: " Now go thou up, for thou art val- iant." Then knew I who he was ; and the distress, 115 That still a little did my breathing quicken, My going to him hindered not; and after I came to him he hardly raised his head, Saying : " Hast thou seen clearly how the sun O'er thy left shoulder drives his chariot ? " 120 His sluggish attitude and his curt words A little unto laughter moved my lips ; Then I began : " Belacqua, I grieve not For thee henceforth; but tell me, wherefore seated In this place art thou ? Waitest thou an escort ? Or has thy usual habit seized upon thee ? " 126 And he : " O brother, what's the use of climbing ? Since to my torment would not let me go The Angel of God, who sitteth at the gate. First heaven must needs so long revolve me round Outside thereof, as in my life it did, m Since the good sighs I to the end po...« less