We come to the end of Canto XXIII and the sixth of the evil pouches, the malebolge, that make up the subsets of fraud in INFERNO. Virgil has already seen something that has left him gawking, maybe even a representation of his own fate.

Virgil’s humiliations aren’t over. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the final moments among the hypocrites in hell. There's more to come as the old poet realizes that he's been tricked, that he's been lied to, and that his overconfidence almost got the pilgrim Dante into real trouble.

What else is the poet to do but try to redeem his relationship with Virgil?

Here are the segments of this episode of the podcast WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:46] My English translation of this passage: Inferno, Canto XXIII, lines 127 - 148. If you'd like to read along, just scroll down this page.

[03:55] How exactly is Caiaphas a hypocrite?

[08:08] At last, the revelation that Evil Tail (Malecoda) lied to Virgil, who had trusted the demon. There are no bridges that span the sixth of the malebolge (the evil pouches) of fraud in the eighth circle of hell.

[16:14] The nasty reply of the hypocrite, who uses a sacred text to needle Virgil.

[20:31] Structural concerns in Canto XXIII--that is, the canto works both linearly and geometrically.

[24:23] The problem of Virgil's footprints--in other words, is Virgil corporeal? (That old question!)

[26:03] How are Virgil's feet "dear" to our pilgrim and poet Dante?

And here’s my English translation of Inferno, Canto XXIII, Lines 127 – 148

When he got his voice back, he said to the friar,

“If it doesn’t displease you, and if you are allowed,

Please tell us if along the right hand wall there’s some sloping passage

 

That can enable us to make an exit from down here

Without relying on those black angels

To come to this bottom and provide us transportation.”

 

That one replied, “A lot closer than you hope!

Up ahead is one of the ridges that starts at the largest circle

And moves down over these savage valleys,

 

Except for this one, where it’s all tumbled down and doesn’t span it.

You can climb up over the rocky rubble

Lying along the bottom and piled up the side.”

 

My leader stood there for a moment with his head lowered,

Then he said, “That one over there who hooks the sinners

Gave us bad advice about this matter.”

 

And the friar: “Once in Bologna I heard something said

About the devil’s many vices:

He is a liar and the father of lies.”

 

Then my leader took off with big strides,

Troubled a bit and looking very angry.

I, too, parted from the burdened souls,

Following in the footprints of those dear feet.