Dante Book III Canto XXV1 Scene I

 Canto XXVI

The Eighth Circle: Fraud

Bolgia 8: Counsellors of Fraud

Scene I

 

Dante of the living soul took a rest by the side of the path after they crossed the rope bridge. Virgil who was eager to move went on and then returned to Dante.

“For once I sight beautiful scenery beyond us. I see green fields and lights all around.” Virgil smiled. “It’s’ refreshing indeed to the miserable bolgia we had passed.”

“Virgil, we are not past the bolgia and whatever awaits us may be a mirage seen in the desert,” Dante said to Virgil.

“An illusion you meant, or could it be we are all in an illusion here too?” Virgil smiled. “I am a man of science and illusion eludes me for I do not believe in it. Or shall I beg to differ, my marriages were one. I was in the illusion that both intellectual minds may co-exist beside the need for physical consummation but women are, without doubt, fixated on that and the aftermath of it, children of our genes. How could they be telling us that the children we produce will be as smart as us? Or in your world, read and write like great poets.”

“The creative mind may be nurtured from young, Virgil. As ----”

“As education may make be taught, but the mind is of its own. It’s driven by many other factors. I could ---or rather have dumb children who knew no more than the basic algebra compared to my knowledge. Scientific testing had proven that the clone may not emulate the donor when the environment is different. You out a child to the different education trail, the child may develop other skills.”

“Then, my dear Virgil, you may have failed.” Dante smiled. “As a father ----”

“Spoken like a true parent but your chastity remained intact like a set of guarded gates.” Virgil switched to French for his follow-up. 
“La clé manque.”

“My key is not missing.” Dante snapped back. “It’s intact at my heart. Enough of my lust and let me speak another of my heart. I ache for Florence, and hearing what those who are here; disturbed my heart? Could it be my city will be laid to waste as Vanni had said? The war was to be fought by Generals with strategies in their mind, and yet two of them duel of their vanity for their own? An Empress now dead whom I was besotted to her my heart feel?”

“Poet, assault not your heart with those thoughts. Are we out of Hell now? We are not and till we are, we cannot do much from here. Be heroic and await your return to the living world. Use your knowledge to quell those other sinners.” Virgil spoke to Dante. “I may be dead but there are others like me who will be your companion in the living world. Together with them, they will assist you.”

“You speak to me as I am the hero to the nation.” Dante laughed. “Heroes never exist. They are mere imagination of the mind.”

“Then I am lost for words on you for I had thoughts you may be one.” Virgil sighed.

“Does a hero trembled at the sight of demons, or even crossed the bridge that only ropes hold its weight? Or ---” Dante replied with sadness.

“You did cross the bridge. You did outrun the demons. For God’s sake, you have traversed much of Hell and will live to speak of it.” Virgil sought to motivate the poet.

“Why is that another dead soul foretelling here? I have seen it and not all are true. Do stop, Virgil, before you ended up looking backward when you walk. That is the fate of the fortune teller’s journey.” Dante then stood up. He took the new steps to continue on his journey. Virgil smiled and followed behind.

“There is no determination than a man determined inside him,” Virgil muttered to himself. Their walk soon reached a bridge which they were to cross. Dante took to it and looked at the flowing stream. If it was gushes of waters, he sought there then he was mistaken. He saw was souls wandering listlessly in the stream. Without comment, he crossed the bridge.

“I thought I saw flowers before there.” Virgil who stood by Dante after the crossing saw before they were tiny flames on the petals of the flowers.

“I told you may have seen was a mirage. You wished for the peace there when seen was the flames of sins.”

“I am sure of my sight as of my hearing. I did see flowers. Fields of it but this is not what I had seen.” Virgil defended his earlier view. “What are these?”

Dante leaned to the flames to see what was there and almost tripped into the flames for it flickers high then surround Dante. It was the orb that appeared and blasted the flames to retreat.

“Thank you, Orb. I would have been ingested into the flame if not for you.” Dante straightened up and then looked at the flames. He saw then a diminutive figure with four wings and the head held four faces on it; one on each side. The figure flew to Dante and with one of its faces, it stared at the other.

“Are you a Hero? You don’t look like one and I see it all with my faces.”

“Is one needed here?” Virgil stepped up to the winged figure. “Are you one?”

“I am the dark shade cherub, and I guard the fields here. There are heroes beneath those flames but they are for better bad heroes for they had not used their deeds well, and earned the wrath to be here.” The winged figure explained.

“I am baffled if heroes are not good, then they are the villain.” Dante gave out his view.

“A hero or villain is the interpretation of the listener or the writer. Is Robin Hood a hero or villain? Is Caesar one too? Or Alexander the Great? Ask the vanquish and the reply will be different.” The dark shade cherub posed the question back. “Are you?”

“I met Caesar back there, and so was Alexander. Or rather their souls. It was at Limbo. They are ---- resting.” Virgil defended those he considered to be heroes.

“Resting or avoidance?“The dark shade cherub asked.

“I ---- did not ask. I am however not, and moving on soon. I am not suited here.” Virgil replied.

“Who lies here, and why do they need to be punished?” Dante asked then to the dark shade cherub.

“Souks who were heroes; they had claimed to have performed heroic acts. Their acts will be spoken or written but the contents of it depend on the one who speaks or write. One man’s heroic act may be seen as treason to the other as the piece of meat seen from two different sides.” The dark shade cherub replied. “As in the war you were in, your heroes are the ones who fought for your side but to the other side, they are branded otherwise.”

“In history, the freedom fighter is viewed as a hero if the war was won on them, or brigands if they lose. History has always been written by the victor while some legends only lived by the speech. And the ones here are the heroes which were deemed unworthy of their deeds. Or rather they had done more misdeeds then.”

“In doing their misdeeds, they had committed sins which were unaware then, but when in here, nothing unaware will be revealed. Soon after judgment, they lies here below the flames.” The dark shade cherub concluded its explanation.