Canto XVII Project Dante

This took about 24 hours from start to stop. I think it will come in at about 90 lines, I sort of lost count half way through.

I ended up including the last few lines of canto XVI at the start of canto XVII because it was an incantation or proclamation of truth on behalf of the author about the validity of the things that he had seen (in the eight circle.)

First pass.

Faced with truth what seems like lies
A man would rather fade and die
Than let what can't be called the truth
Escape and pass a rotten tooth 4
The things I saw below this wall
It shook my heart as I recall
As looked I down into the gloom
There saw I very shape of doom 8
And beat its wings and flicked its tail
As arm about my head I flailed
My thoughts struck mad by evil sight
I damned near die from fecking fright! 12
'Behold the beast' my master cried
As watched we nearer monster glide
'The death of valor, weapons, walls
The one whose stench will drown us all!' 16
The monster Geryon here now comes
Beneath the wings that beat like drums
Its body black and yet face fair
It kind of looked like Tony Blair 20
And landed there upon the edge
Like vulture parked on jagged ledge
With tail hung down with poison sting
It sits right there with mouth of string 24
So Virgil says ' Our path we'll bend
And skirt the burning sand amend
Our way from here to waiting beast
To place where circle seven ceased.' 28
So made we then then ten steps to right
As soiled myself in abject fright
Then out of corner eye I spot
A group of souls on surface hot 32
And as the sparks would catch their skins
Like dogs they'd scratch like mortal sin
With legs they'd flick at any flames
That caught on shade by sin unmade 36
'Go talk to those so tour complete'
Said Virgil, 'while I parley beast.'
So wandered I to talk to shades
Who sat on sand in fire bathed 40
And each of them around their necks
A bag hung down on blistered chests
The symbols of a thousand banks
Were stitched upon the purses rank 44
And in the bags the weight of gold
Weighed down their heads for saviour sold
I pitied not these usurious dogs
That God now used for starter logs 48
Who spent their days as if by fleas
Tormented here to God appease
I saw there faces once I knew
That here now learned a painful truth 52
That God was good and God was kind
But usury was sin you'd find
Sat Mister Potter on the sand
As beat he at the flames with hands 56
Then looked at me and out he stuck
With impudence, his purple tongue
'Why are you here oh you not dead'
With spiteful eyes the spirit said 60
These sinners here I pitied not
When saw I their eternal lot
These wretches who had earned their fee
Off others while they lived for free 64
And while they burned I wouldn't spit
On sinners who in flames there sit
So went and found my master now
Who sat upon the monster bowed 68
'We fight for peace' then said the beast
But master says 'His words deceive,
His face is fair but it ends there.'
He tells me as I stand and star 72
And shame it caused me to recall
How scared I was to take the fall
But climbed I up on monster's back
As shoulders hunched and tendons cracked 76
Then cast itself into the void
This monster neath my hema-roids
'Be strong and wary.' cautioned then
My guide as made we our descent 80
'Be sure to keep your circles wide!'
To Geryon my master cried
So lost I lunch on monster hunched
As flew it down on muscles bunched 84
And knew I then the greatest fright
On dreadful down of fearful flight
And Icarus was not so scared
As I upon my life would swear 88
While lamentations rose around
As flew we down to mournful sound. 90