Thank you, everyone. I have been playing around with this one for about five years and was stuck, so this exercise was very useful. I have made many changes as a result of the comments, and I am particularly grateful for "thug," although I do want to be stubborn on one where I think the trot led people astray--"fruitless" is in my book a mistranslation of "effetas," an easy reach for a standard image of Hell. The adjective is really "worn out" or "exhausted"--and leads to a haunting image of spirits in huge numbers wearing out a river bank despite their lack of materiality.
Again, thanks!!!
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