This poem is called Limbo. Who wrote it, what is the full text?
(There is a chance it is from Dante's Inferno, but I doubt it)

Through me the way is to the city of sorrow;
  Through me the way is to perpetual grief;
  Through me the way among the forever lost.... 

  All hope abandon, ye who enter here!

[...] 

And I looked again, and saw a banner,
  Which, whirling round, ran forward so rapidly,
  That any thought of pausing it seemed to scorn;

And after it there came so long a train
  Of people: I never would have thought
  That Death had ever undone so many...

Then I understood, and I knew,
  That this was the place of the cowardly wretches
  Hateful to both God and to his enemies...

Dear macaonghus-ga 

It is from The Vision, or, Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise of Dante
Alighieri, albeit a slightly different translation and edited.

A version appears here
http://www.bralyn.net/etext/literature/dante.alighieri/1ddcc10.txt
If you analyse it line by line you will see it is the same.

Here is your text:
Through me the way is to the city of sorrow; 
Through me the way is to perpetual grief; 
Through me the way among the forever lost.... 
All hope abandon, ye who enter here! 

From this translation.
Canto III, commencing line 1. 

"THROUGH me you pass into the city of woe: 
Through me you pass into eternal pain: 
Through me among the people lost for aye. 
Justice the founder of my fabric mov'd: 
To rear me was the task of power divine, 
Supremest wisdom, and primeval love. 
Before me things create were none, 
save things Eternal, and eternal I endure. 
All hope abandon ye who enter here."


Your text:
And I looked again, and saw a banner, 
Which, whirling round, ran forward so rapidly, 
That any thought of pausing it seemed to scorn; 

And after it there came so long a 
train Of people: I never would have thought
 That Death had ever undone so many... 

Then I understood, and I knew, 
That this was the place of the cowardly wretches 


From this translation.
Canto III, commencing line 50.

"And I, who straightway look'd, beheld a flag, 
Which whirling ran around so rapidly,
That it no pause obtain'd: and following came 
Such a long train of spirits, I should ne'er 
Have thought, that death so many had despoil'd. 
When some of these I recogniz'd, I saw 
And knew the shade of him, who to base fear 
Yielding, abjur'd his high estate. Forthwith 
I understood for certain this the tribe 
Of those ill spirits both to God displeasing 
And to his foes."

I hope this answers your question. If it does not, or the answer is
unclear, then please ask for clarification of this research before
rating the answer. I shall respond to the clarification request as
soon as I receive it.
Thank you
answerfinder

Search Strategy
Recognised Dante?s ?All hope abandon ye who enter here? and search for the text.

I'm sure I've seen the 'All hope abandon ye who enter here' quote
above the entrance to somewhere... is it Auschwitz (or is that 'Work
will set you free') or the Paris catacombs maybe? Probably ought to
ask this as a question so don't worry unless you happen to know it...