Scholars believe that Dante was born in Gemini, the astrological season that begins on this day. As we travel through the horrors of his infamous Inferno, it is meter—the reassuring artifice of poetry itself—that enables us to keep moving, Tim Parks writes.
As we travel through the horrors of Dante’s Inferno, it is metre—the reassuring artifice of poetry itself—that enables us to keep moving.“Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” the rich man asks Jesus. “Sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven” is the reply. The rich man is sorrowful and turns away.
Yet, long after the fires of Hell have burned themselves out, the debate about the Divina Commedia rages on.
But how can a living man go unscathed through Hell? And how can a reader follow him? Will the poem be bearable? “Abandon all hope, you who enter here,” the words above the gate announce. Hopefully, we go through. First, Dante sees the wretched souls of those “who lived / without disgrace yet without praise.” Aimlessly following a whirling banner, they suffer because they would rather be anyone but themselves. Well, we’re used to people like that. Six hundred years later, T. S.
Now we see why Dante chooses as a guide a poet renowned for the perfection of his verse. As Virgil leads Dante from circle to circle, he first directs his attention, inviting him to talk to the damned, but then, crucially, he decides exactly how long Dante is to be allowed to stay in any one place. “We must not linger here,” Virgil says, or, again, “Let your talk be brief.” The constant danger is that the poet will find himself paralyzed:that I was moved to linger there and weep.
The choice of staying with Dante’s terza rima is only for the boldest, or most reckless. Here is Dorothy Sayers giving us the speech in which that epitome of recklessness Ulysses remembers his voyage through the Pillars of Hercules, an act of hubris that, in Dante’s version of the story, led to fatal shipwreck:That should have comforted PenelopeAll human worth and wickedness to prove.Of comrades that had never left me yet.
O living creature gracious and friendly, who goest through the murky air visiting us who stained the world with blood, if the King of the universe were our friend we would pray to Him for thy peace, since thou hast pity of our evil plight. When Indiana Jones enters an ancient temple, we know what is about to happen. This sacred place, frozen in time, is going to be utterly destroyed. As the edifice comes crashing down, Jones will rush out into the fresh air of a world where nothing is sacred, except perhaps lucre and serial romance.
This exploration of Hell’s bureaucracy leads Dante to discuss the state of Italy and, especially, Florence, where all these crimes, he assures us, are daily being committed. Indeed, Dante’s Florence and Dante’s Inferno often seem contiguous in the poem, as if Hell were just one more busy Tuscan metropolis, seething with political intrigue and rivalry. Since such matters are a key subject of the poem, the provision of informative notes is essential. In this regard, Hollander is impeccable.
On the other hand, there is hypocrisy here, is there not? A whore is passing herself off as a fortune-teller. And hypocrisy would plunge her back to the eighth circle, but in the sixth ditch this time, where she will drag her heels eternally under a cloak of gilded lead. Dante, as I recall, includes just one prostitute in the Inferno, inserting her, rather surprisingly, into the ditch where the flatterers wallow in shit.
Not so Hollander. Ominously, in his introduction he has told us, “Dante, not without risk, decided to entrust to us, his readers, the responsibility for seizing upon the details in the narratives told by sinners, no matter how appealing their words might be, in order to condemn them on the evidence that issues from their own mouths.”
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
SWIFT, Capgemini team up to test using the international network for CBDC transfersSWIFT stays up to date and is ready to test CBDCs interconnection for cross-border transactions. The Belgian firm is teaming up with French IT company Capgemini to develop the project.
Les mer »
Paychecks to Montgomery city employees delayedThe city of Montgomery says it’s working with the bank it uses to process payroll disbursements to determine why city employees have not yet gotten their paychecks.
Les mer »
Move Over, Pearls—Harry Styles Has a New Favorite NecklaceHarry's choice of beads have gotten bigger, but his favorite brand remains the same.
Les mer »
How Many Weddings Is Too Many?Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker are reportedly getting married again in Italy this weekend.
Les mer »
Multiverse of Madness Funko Pops Include Dead Doctor StrangeThe new DoctorStrange in the Multiverse of Madness Funko Pops include an adorably gruesome Dead Strange figure.
Les mer »