Inferno canto I versi 3-12 [English translation]

In the middle of the pathway of our life

I found myself in a dark forest,

for the right way had been lost.

Ahi how hard it is to say how it was

this wild and bitter and strong forest,

that in my mind [tn] lit. in my thought [/tn] the fear renews!

So bitter, that a little more is death;

but in order to talk about the good which i found there,

i’ll tell about the other things that i discovered there.

I can’t really tell how i got there,

was i so full of slumber at that point

that i abandoned the truthful way.