Ecco l'atra palude

English Libretto or Translation:

HOPE
Here is the horrible quagmire, here the boatman
who ferries naked spirits to the far shore,
where Pluto has his vast realm of shadows.
Beyond that inky pool, beyond that river,
in those wastes of weeping and grief,
cruel destiny conceals the one who was everything to you.
Now you have need of a stout heart and an entrancing song.
Thus far I have led you, but further I may not
come with you, for a harsh law forbids it,
a law inscribed in iron on hard stone
at the hideous threshold of the lowest kingdom,
which in these words declares its ruthless intent:
"Abandon all hope, ye who enter."
Therefore, if you are still determined in your heart
to set foot in the city of sorrow,
I must hasten away and return
to my usual abode.