PROJECT DANTE Canto I

PROJECT DANTE

Canto I

When I was near two score years old 1
I found myself in forest cold
For I was lost, from path I'd strayed
In forest dark with shadows frayed 4
How hard it is to fear recall
Without the shame of undies soiled
This wood of darkness I did find
Put creepy crawlies on my spine 8
If I must speak of what is good
Then first must speak of pain and blood
For us to learn of what is fair
We need first evil tale to share 12
And journey took along a road
Of deepest pit and sorrow sowed
That found in me epiphany
When seen I there the things I seen 16
And tell now of this evil stroll 17
My word is good, so cost my soul
So found myself in shadowed vale
My feet had strayed on spooky trail 20
As set the sun so I know fear 21
Then sudden there a trail appear.
Then from the foot of hill I reached
A path that rose through mountain breached
And almost where the hill did rise 25
I saw a leopard thin and lithe
And stretched it out its jagged claws
I tell you what, it gave me pause 28
And then a lion I beheld
Full ravenous with fearsome head
And then the kitty starts to roar
Loud bellows that soon chilled my core
And then a she-wolf showed herself
Her leanness seemed to bring despair
And darker beast there never was
Than this foul dog that gnashed its jaws 36
As then she starts to round me stalk
And backwards now I start to walk
This very sight so frightened me
I lost all sense or so it seemed 40
And having there abandoned hope
Of climbing up that mountain slope
That restless beast she stalked me down
Retreated I to lower ground 44
Before my eyes there then appeared
A vision faint of silence speared
A man I saw in vastness wild
'Oh pity me,' were words I cried 48
‘Please tell me how to dodge this beast
Who plans of me to make a feast!’
'Whatever you may be.' I said
He answered me with ghostly breath 52
'Not man but once before was man
From Lombardy my parent came
Sub Julio I sang the praise
Of Anchises and Troy in flames 56
A poet I was born before
The son of one true God was born.'
'And you are Virgil,' I replied
'The stream of all fair speech,' I cried 60
‘The beast that blocks your climbing path
Is metaphor of blood and wrath!
And any man that dares to stray
On road to top by wolf is slain. 64
I think and judge it best for you
To follow me, I'll lead you through,
For passage you must look below
Where Phlegathon and Styx fast flow, 68
And so this other path you'll take.’
He answered as he watched me shake,
‘From Lions Gate and fear beyond
Do you concur? You must respond! 72
And none alive have gone this road
Where demons live and Satan bodes
And if on lower path you fail
In madness then your spirit wail 76
For all time until the judgment comes.’
He told me as I stood there numb
And told me then of Lady high
Who’d sent this shade to be my guide 80
And how she asked from heaven great
That help might come my soul be saved
And granted was her special prayer
A path provide if I would dare 84
And so the poet moved away
And followed him to my dark fate
On journey deep he guided me
So soul of mine could be complete 88

Anything that I added to hit my 88-92 line target per canto is in red. For these early canto's there is going to be a lot of red, some are as short as 50 lines after the first pass, this first one was only 40 lines long. It was an easy choice to tackle first as a. its the first verse and b. its also the shortest by a mile.

The next step for the completed canto's is going to be getting the notes and annotations ready as well as the illustration. Big jobs for another day.