Archive of Classic Poems

The Divine Comedy (translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

Inferno

• I. The Dark Forest. The Hill of Difficulty. The Panther, the Lion, and the Wolf. Virgil.
• II. The Descent. Dante's Protest and Virgil's Appeal. The Intercession of the Three Ladies Benedight.
• III. The Gate of Hell. The Inefficient or Indifferent. Pope Celestine V. The Shores of Acheron. Charon. The Earthquake and the Swoon.
• IV. The First Circle, Limbo: Virtuous Pagans and the Unbaptized. The Four Poets, Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Lucan. The Noble Castle of Philosophy.
• V. The Second Circle: The Wanton. Minos. The Infernal Hurricane. Francesca da Rimini.
• VI. The Third Circle: The Gluttonous. Cerberus. The Eternal Rain. Ciacco. Florence.
• VII. The Fourth Circle: The Avaricious and the Prodigal. Plutus. Fortune and her Wheel. The Fifth Circle: The Irascible and the Sullen. Styx.
• VIII. Phlegyas. Philippo Argenti. The Gate of the City of Dis.
• IX. The Furies and Medusa. The Angel. The City of Dis. The Sixth Circle: Heresiarchs.
• X. Farinata and Cavalcante de' Cavalcanti. Discourse on the Knowledge of the Damned.
• XI. The Broken Rocks. Pope Anastasius. General Description of the Inferno and its Divisions.
• XII. The Minotaur. The Seventh Circle: The Violent. The River Phlegethon. The Violent against their Neighbours. The Centaurs. Tyrants.
• XIII. The Wood of Thorns. The Harpies. The Violent against themselves. Suicides. Pier della Vigna. Lano and Jacopo da Sant' Andrea.
• XIV. The Sand Waste and the Rain of Fire. The Violent against God. Capaneus. The Statue of Time, and the Four Infernal Rivers.
• XV. The Violent against Nature. Brunetto Latini.
• XVI. Guidoguerra, Aldobrandi, and Rusticucci. Cataract of the River of Blood.
• XVII. Geryon. The Violent against Art. Usurers. Descent into the Abyss of Malebolge.
• XVIII. The Eighth Circle, Malebolge: The Fraudulent and the Malicious. The First Bolgia: Seducers and Panderers. Venedico Caccianimico. Jason. The Second Bolgia: Flatterers. Allessio Interminelli. Thais.
• XIX. The Third Bolgia: Simoniacs. Pope Nicholas III. Dante's Reproof of corrupt Prelates.
• XX. The Fourth Bolgia: Soothsayers. Amphiaraus, Tiresias, Aruns, Manto, Eryphylus, Michael Scott, Guido Bonatti, and Asdente. Virgil reproaches Dante's Pity. Mantua's Foundation.
• XXI. The Fifth Bolgia: Peculators. The Elder of Santa Zita. Malacoda and other Devils.
• XXII. Ciampolo, Friar Gomita, and Michael Zanche. The Malabranche quarrel.
• XXIII. Escape from the Malabranche. The Sixth Bolgia: Hypocrites. Catalano and Loderingo. Caiaphas.
• XXIV. The Seventh Bolgia: Thieves. Vanni Fucci. Serpents.
• XXV. Vanni Fucci's Punishment. Agnello Brunelleschi, Buoso degli Abati, Puccio Sciancato, Cianfa de' Donati, and Guercio Cavalcanti.
• XXVI. The Eighth Bolgia: Evil Counsellors. Ulysses and Diomed. Ulysses' Last Voyage.
• XXVII. Guido da Montefeltro. His deception by Pope Boniface VIII.
• XXVIII. The Ninth Bolgia: Schismatics. Mahomet and Ali. Pier da Medicina, Curio, Mosca, and Bertrand de Born.
• XXIX. Geri del Bello. The Tenth Bolgia: Alchemists. Griffolino d' Arezzo and Capocchino.
• XXX. Other Falsifiers or Forgers. Gianni Schicchi, Myrrha, Adam of Brescia, Potiphar's Wife, and Sinon of Troy.
• XXXI. The Giants, Nimrod, Ephialtes, and Antaeus. Descent to Cocytus.
• XXXII. The Ninth Circle: Traitors. The Frozen Lake of Cocytus. First Division, Caina: Traitors to their Kindred. Camicion de' Pazzi. Second Division, Antenora: Traitors to their Country. Dante questions Bocca degli Abati. Buoso da Duera.
• XXXIII. Count Ugolino and the Archbishop Ruggieri. The Death of Count Ugolino's Sons. Third Division of the Ninth Circle, Ptolomaea: Traitors to their Friends. Friar Alberigo,
  Branco d' Oria.
• XXXIV. Fourth Division of the Ninth Circle, the Judecca: Traitors to their Lords and Benefactors. Lucifer, Judas Iscariot, Brutus, and Cassius. The Chasm of Lethe. The Ascent.

Purgatorio

• I. The Shores of Purgatory. The Four Stars. Cato of Utica. The Rush.
• II. The Celestial Pilot. Casella. The Departure.
• III. Discourse on the Limits of Reason. The Foot of the Mountain. Those who died in Contumacy of Holy Church. Manfredi.
• IV. Farther Ascent. Nature of the Mountain. The Negligent, who postponed Repentance till the last Hour. Belacqua.
• V. Those who died by Violence, but repentant.
  Buonconte di Monfeltro. La Pia.
• VI. Dante's Inquiry on Prayers for the Dead. Sordello. Italy.
• VII. The Valley of Flowers. Negligent Princes.
• VIII. The Guardian Angels and the Serpent. Nino di Gallura. The Three Stars. Currado Malaspina.
• IX. Dante's Dream of the Eagle. The Gate of Purgatory and the Angel. Seven P's. The Keys.
• X. The Needle's Eye. The First Circle: The Proud.
  The Sculptures on the Wall.
• XI. The Humble Prayer. Omberto di Santafiore.
  Oderisi d' Agobbio. Provenzan Salvani.
• XII. The Sculptures on the Pavement. Ascent to the Second Circle.
• XIII. The Second Circle: The Envious. Sapia of Siena.
• XIV. Guido del Duca and Renier da Calboli. Cities of the Arno Valley. Denunciation of Stubbornness.
• XV. The Third Circle: The Irascible. Dante's Visions. The Smoke.
• XVI. Marco Lombardo. Lament over the State of the World.
• XVII. Dante's Dream of Anger. The Fourth Circle: The Slothful. Virgil's Discourse of Love.
• XVIII. Virgil further discourses of Love and Free Will. The Abbot of San Zeno.
• XIX. Dante's Dream of the Siren. The Fifth Circle:
  The Avaricious and Prodigal. Pope Adrian V.
• XX. Hugh Capet. Corruption of the French Crown.
  Prophecy of the Abduction of Pope Boniface VIII and the Sacrilege of Philip the Fair. The Earthquake.
• XXI. The Poet Statius. Praise of Virgil.
• XXII. Statius' Denunciation of Avarice. The Sixth Circle: The Gluttonous. The Mystic Tree.
• XXIII. Forese. Reproof of immodest Florentine Women.
• XXIV. Buonagiunta da Lucca. Pope Martin IV, and others. Inquiry into the State of Poetry.
• XXV. Discourse of Statius on Generation. The Seventh Circle: The Wanton.
• XXVI. Sodomites. Guido Guinicelli and Arnaldo Daniello.
• XXVII. The Wall of Fire and the Angel of God. Dante's Sleep upon the Stairway, and his Dream of Leah and Rachel. Arrival at the Terrestrial Paradise.
• XXVIII. The River Lethe. Matilda. The Nature of
  the Terrestrial Paradise.
• XXIX. The Triumph of the Church.
• XXX. Virgil's Departure. Beatrice. Dante's Shame.
• XXXI. Reproaches of Beatrice and Confession of Dante. The Passage of Lethe. The Seven Virtues. The Griffon.
• XXXII. The Tree of Knowledge. Allegory of the Chariot.
• XXXIII. Lament over the State of the Church. Final Reproaches of Beatrice. The River Eunoe.

Paradiso

• I. The Ascent to the First Heaven. The Sphere of Fire.
• II. The First Heaven, the Moon: Spirits who, having taken Sacred Vows, were forced to violate them. The Lunar Spots.
• III. Piccarda Donati and the Empress Constance.
• IV. Questionings of the Soul and of Broken Vows.
• V. Discourse of Beatrice on Vows and Compensations. Ascent to the Second Heaven, Mercury: Spirits who for the Love of Fame achieved great Deeds.
• VI. Justinian. The Roman Eagle. The Empire. Romeo.
• VII. Beatrice's Discourse of the Crucifixion, the Incarnation, the Immortality of the Soul, and the Resurrection of the Body.
• VIII. Ascent to the Third Heaven, Venus: Lovers. Charles Martel. Discourse on diverse Natures.
• IX. Cunizza da Romano, Folco of Marseilles, and Rahab. Neglect of the Holy Land.
• X. The Fourth Heaven, the Sun: Theologians and Fathers of the Church. The First Circle. St. Thomas of Aquinas.
• XI. St. Thomas recounts the Life of St. Francis. Lament over the State of the Dominican Order.
• XII. St. Buonaventura recounts the Life of St. Dominic. Lament over the State of the Franciscan Order. The Second Circle.
• XIII. Of the Wisdom of Solomon. St. Thomas reproaches Dante's Judgement.
• XIV. The Third Circle. Discourse on the Resurrection of the Flesh. The Fifth Heaven, Mars: Martyrs and Crusaders who died fighting
  for the true Faith. The Celestial Cross.
• XV. Cacciaguida. Florence in the Olden Time.
• XVI. Dante's Noble Ancestry. Cacciaguida's Discourse of the Great Florentines.
• XVII. Cacciaguida's Prophecy of Dante's Banishment.
• XVIII. The Sixth Heaven, Jupiter: Righteous Kings and Rulers. The Celestial Eagle. Dante's Invectives against ecclesiastical Avarice.
• XIX. The Eagle discourses of Salvation, Faith, and Virtue. Condemnation of the vile Kings of A.D. 1300.
• XX. The Eagle praises the Righteous Kings of old.
  Benevolence of the Divine Will.
• XXI. The Seventh Heaven, Saturn: The Contemplative. The Celestial Stairway. St. Peter Damiano. His Invectives against the Luxury of the Prelates.
• XXII. St. Benedict. His Lamentation over the Corruption of Monks. The Eighth Heaven, the Fixed Stars.
• XXIII. The Triumph of Christ. The Virgin Mary. The Apostles. Gabriel.
• XXIV. The Radiant Wheel. St. Peter examines Dante on Faith.
• XXV. The Laurel Crown. St. James examines Dante on Hope. Dante's Blindness.
• XXVI. St. John examines Dante on Charity. Dante's Sight. Adam.
• XXVII. St. Peter's reproof of bad Popes. The Ascent to the Ninth Heaven, the 'Primum Mobile.'
• XXVIII. God and the Angelic Hierarchies.
• XXIX. Beatrice's Discourse of the Creation of the Angels, and of the Fall of Lucifer. Her Reproof of Foolish and Avaricious Preachers.
• XXX. The Tenth Heaven, or Empyrean. The River of Light. The Two Courts of Heaven. The White Rose of Paradise. The great Throne.
• XXXI. The Glory of Paradise. Departure of Beatrice. St. Bernard.
• XXXII. St. Bernard points out the Saints in the White Rose.
• XXXIII. Prayer to the Virgin. The Threefold Circle of the Trinity. Mystery of the Divine and Human Nature.

  Appendix