For Amin and MikeP

"Who is within the flame that comes so twinned
above that it would seem to rise out of
the pyre Eteocles shared with his brother?

He answered me: Within that flame, Ulysses
and Diomedes suffer; they, who went
as one to rage, now share one punishment.

And there, together in their flame, they grieve
over the horse's fraud that caused a breach-
the gate that let Rome's noble seed escape."

(Dante, Canto XXVI, 'the Fraudolent Counselors', v. 52 - 60)

(only because you asked for it, and I didn't want to bother the classified... )

Is there a "T" missing in the last line? Seed and steed both work, but with rather different results.

G

PS: How civilised to wind up a disagreement with poetry!

Seed it is,

talking about Iulus (or Ascanius) son of Aeneas and Creusa, who manage to escape from burning Troy.. and later create Rome...

It really does seem civilised. Although its also true that in his time, Dante managed to piss off so many people!!!!

Ah! I thought it might have referred to the horse.

You can tell this is an area I know little about!

G