Canto v inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john. Inferno inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john. Guided by the poet virgil, dante plunges to the very depths of hell and embarks on his arduous journey towards god. World of dante complete allen mandelbaum translation complete sidebyside comparison of the entire inferno for longfellow, cary, and norton translations divinecomedy. But the further we move from the late medieval world of dante, the more a rich understanding and enjoyment of the poem depends on knowledgeable guidance. Dorothy sayerss 194962the translator even tried to use dantes rhyme scheme. The translation, which pulls off the incredible feat of reproducing the original terza rima rhyme scheme in english, certainly has its charms, but in many places it strikes me more as an interpretation of dante than a.
Dantes masterwork is a 3 volume work written in italian rather than latin. The divine comedy is composed of 14,233 lines that are divided into three canticas ital. Fifteen translations of dante compared boisterous beholding. Dantes inferno dantes inferno the divine comedy of dante alighieri translated by henry wadsworth longfellow volume 1 this is all of longfellows dante translation of inferno minus the illustrations. But perhaps the most neglected one is the battered volumes i found on ebay, translated by henry wadsworth longfellow. Sep 25, 20 the inferno was written during dantes exile from florence, whereas it purports to recount events that occurred much earlier. This edition contains the english translation only. The translation of the divine comedy undertaken by dorothy l. What was one of the most memorable moments of inferno.
Circle two the carnal so we went down to the second ledge alone. It embraces human individuality and happiness in a way which suggests the beginning of the renaissance. There were at least 50 english translations of the inferno in the 20th century alone, and now we have another, by. Dec 21, 2002 the inferno of dante alighieri translated by ciaran carson 296pp, granta. Sayers and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Sayers wrote novels, poetry, and translated dante for the penguin classics. Heres what i learned from reading the divine comedy. O, of the other poets honour and light, avail me the long study and great love that have impelled me to explore thy volume.
We are all familar or think we are with the inferno. Doing so will allow this index to be used with all the many links to the volumes and chapters when you are not connected to the internet. Jun 29, 2014 ive been making my way through dantes comedy for my third time this time in dorothy l. Canto i inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john ciardi. Apr 14, 2012 herein follows an incomplete list of booklinks related to dorothy l. Sayers in her introduction to her translation of the inferno, allows dante the freedom. Find all the books, read about the author, and more.
Ive been making my way through dantes comedy for my third time this time in dorothy l. I purchased durlings translation of dantes inferno for my humanities class, so we certainly picked. New verse translation english and italian edition dante s inferno, the indiana critical edition indiana masterpiece editions dante s inferno. When penguin accepted dorothy leigh sayers manuscript for her translation of dantes inferno, little did they realize. Inferno full unabridged audiobook of dante aligheris the. The divine comedy changed my life, and it may do the same to you. Bringing dante into the realm of contemporary english. Hi, i was thinking about finally reading the inferno and was struck by the shear amount translations available. Together they descend through the nine circles of the underworld and encounter the tormented souls of the damned. The lack of english translations before this is due in part to dantes catholic views being distasteful, or at least. English translations of dantes divine comedy wikipedia. Any person using this document file, for any purpose, and in any way does so at his or her own risk. Canto i midway upon the journey of our life i found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.
The text is small, but the translation of the content of dorothy sayers is pretty good in comparison to other authors translation which i found was very poor. I may end up reading sayerss translation of dante in parallel with. Dante s inferno is a religious quest through the realm of hell. The divine comedy translated by henry wadsworth longfellow etext courtesy ilts digital dante project inferno inferno. The first part of dantes divine comedy is many things. Readers of the poethead blog will note that i dedicate saturday mornings to the work of women writers, editors and translators. The lack of english translations before this is due in part to dante. Sep 25, 20 inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john ciardi this blog serves as a guide for those who wish to read the english translation of dante alighieri s inferno. Written in the early 14th century and completed in 21, the year of dantes death, the divine comedy is perhaps the greatest work of epic poetry ever. It is widely considered to be the preeminent work in italian literature and one of the greatest works of world literature.
Hell penguin classics alighieri, dante, sayers, dorothy l. He examines each lost soul as it arrives and delivers his verdict with his coiling. The radiant climax to dantes aweinspiring epic, in a definitive new translation having plunged to the utmost depths of hell and climbed mount purgatory in the first two parts of the divine comedy, dante now ascends to heaven, guided by his beloved beatrice, to continue his search for god. A symphony to dantes divina commedia the divine comedy. Follow these instructions if you would like to have your own copy of this index and all the volumes of dantes divine comedy, on your hard disk. The epic grandeur of dantes masterpiece has inspired readers for 700 years, and has entered the human imagination. Dante alighieri divine comedy, inferno 5 which spreads abroad so wide a river of speech. I had never read dantes inferno before, even in college, and always wished i had. Reddit comment on divine comedy thread praising the work and certain translations wordpress site line by line comparison of fifteen translations of canto xxvi, lines 112120 complete side by side comparison of the entire inferno for longfellow, cary, and norton translations. Part of his divine comedy, dante s inferno is a journey through the levels of hell and the sins that place humans there. May 14, 20 inferno complete unabridged audiobook of dante aligheri s the inferno inspiration behind dan brown s book inferno and 1st part of the divine comedy. Divine comedy project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks read. The visual description and personalities are absorbing. This is the first appearance of the roman poet virgil, dantes guide to the inferno and purgatorio.
Dante s use of real characters, according to dorothy sayers in her introduction to her translation of the inferno, allows dante the freedom of not having to involve the reader in description, and allows him to make room in his poem for the discussion of a great many subjects of the utmost importance, thus widening its range and increasing. I have recently finished hell, the first volume of dantes divine comedy. Incipit comoedia dantis alagherii, florentini natione, non moribus. It is a hard thing to speak of, how wild, harsh and impenetrable that wood was, so that thinking of it recreates the fear. Part of his divine comedy, dantes inferno is a journey through the levels of hell and the sins that place humans there. An acclaimed translation of dante alighieris the divine comedy volume 1. The divine comedy by dante aligheri was translated into french and spanish and other european languages well before it was first translated into english. Pdf the divine comedy from a psychosynthesis perspective. This blog serves as a guide for those who wish to read the english translation of dante alighieri s inferno. The poems imaginative vision of the afterlife is representative of the. Lewis read the inferno in italian when he was a teenager. The divine comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and this translation decades in the making gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent and compulsively listenable lyric poem. Canto v inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john ciardi.
Pope boniface face down in a trough of muck with his feet being burned is hard to forget. Virgil, because he recounted aeneas journey through the underworld in the aeniad, is an appropriate guide for dante on the. An initial canto serves as an introduction to the poem and is generally considered to be part of the first cantica, bringing the total number of cantos to 100. The divine comedy, finished by dante alighieri in 20, is one of the most famous literary works of all time, and its author is considered the father of the italian language. Thou art my master, and my author thou, thou art alone the one from whom i took. It was not a lateborn obsession with evil or the ways of damnation that drove robert pinsky to translate dantes inferno, the 14thcentury poets odyssey through hell. Dorothy sayers translation is incredible and she offers tremendous insight into past history and and provides much needed background to enjoy this timeless. This portable document file is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. Sayers wrote novels, poetry, and translated dante for penguin classics. The first volume of dantes divine comedy guided by the poet virgil, dante plunges to the very depths of hell and embarks on his arduous journey towards god. Canto i inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john. Sayers translation of the divine comedy by dante alighieri. Sayers, whose translation of the comedy is still in print, once called the poem the drama of the souls choice.
Dantes inferno preliminarysyllabus coursedescription. Critical reception and influence david lummus dante and the divine comedy have had a profound influence on the production of literature and the practice of literary criticism across the western world since the moment the comedy was first read. Ive read a number of translations of dante well, inferno, at least over the years, and i agree with your positive evaluations of the faithful if not perfectly literal translations. Dorothy l sayers edition and translation of dantes divine comedy runs to 3 volumes and over pages, and im nowhere near halfway through it yet. The first volume of dante s divine comedyguided by the poet virgil, dante plunges to the very depths of hell and embarks on his arduous journey towards god. Dorothy l sayers edition and translation of dantes divine comedy runs to 3 volumes and over. Inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john ciardi. I read the sayers translations of inferno and purgatorio when i was fifteen. A passage in canto xxi, 112114, has been used by commentators to fix the fictional date of canto i as the night before good friday, april 7, 0. Excerpts from inferno from the divine comedy by dante alighieri translated by mark musa the subject of this work must first be considered according to the letter, then be considered allegorically.
Virgil 7019 bce, best known for the aeneid, was born is a village near mantua and lived in rome during the reign of julius caesar and, later, augustus caesar. It includes the arguments prefixed to the cantos by the rev. The inferno italian for hell is the first part of dantes fourteenthcentury poetic trilogy, the divine comedy, which is comprised of inferno, purgatorio, and paradiso. Dorothy sayers translation offers more background information. But perhaps the most neglected one is the battered volumes i found on ebay. Led by his guide, beatrice, dante leaves the earth behind and soars through the heavenly spheres of paradise. Translations by 20 contemporary poets the divine comedy translated, annotated, illustrated the divine comedy, vol. Next part 2 the divine comedy of dante alighieri translated by henry wadsworth longfellow volume 1 this is all of longfellows dante translation of inferno minus the illustrations. Dantes inferno is a religious quest through the realm of hell. Neither the pennsylvania state university nor jim manis, faculty editor, nor anyone associated. Herein follows an incomplete list of booklinks related to dorothy l. Jul 03, 20 clive james has waited 50 years to translate dante s commedia. He worked on the divine comedy from 8 until near the time of his death in ravenna in 21. The inferno of dante alighieri translated by ciaran.
Thank you very much for this most informative post. If, however, you do feel like doing some reading, here are a few. The divine comedy is composed of three canticas or cantiche inferno hell, purgatorio purgatory, and paradiso paradise composed each of 33 cantos or canti. This vigorous translation of inferno preserves dantes simple, natural style, and captures the swift movement of the original italian verse. Which is the best englishlanguage translation of dante. This is a multi volume index file the index has links to all volumes. Divine comedy project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Translated by john ciardi with an introduction by archibald t. Although critics and commentators normally address the work as a.
The divine comedy, translated by dorothy l sayers vulpes. Side note i pulled my copy off of my shelf the first time in several years to look at who translated it so i. Inferno full audiobook greatest audiobooks by dante alighieri 126521. In the middle of the journey of our life, i came to myself, in a dark wood, where the direct way was lost. Translated by robert pinsky dantes inferno dante symphony, s. Feb 07, 2010 thank you very much for this most informative post. A text with the clarity and sobriety of a firstrate prose translation which at the. A smaller circle of so much greater pain the voice of the damned rose in a bestial moan. Page 365 charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living god, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy. She proved this by answering my appeal to have the famous paolo and francesca episode in inferno 5 explained to me from the.
I have a shelf devoted to dante, but as of today, i give the nod to jean and robert hollander for their rather recent translations. The horrors of inferno and the trials of purgatory are left far behind. The very first canto serves as an introduction to the poem and is generally not considered to be part of the first cantica, bringing the total number of cantos to 100. Whats the best way to read the divine comedy if you dont. Inferno that retains all the style, power and meaning of the original this vigorous translation of inferno preserves dantes. Doing so will allow this index to be used with all the m. Suggestions for reading theres absolutely no need, before attending this course, to read anything whatsoever. The divinde comedy 1 hell by dante translated by dorothy l. The inferno was written during dantes exile from florence, whereas it purports to recount events that occurred much earlier. In this third and final part of the divine comedy, he encounters the just rulers and holy saints of the church. Mark musas blank verse rendition of the poets journey through the circles of hell recreates for the modern. Follow these instructions if you would like to have your own copy of this index and all the volumes of dante s divine comedy, on your hard disk. Inferno is a fourteenthcentury epic poem by dante alighieri in which the poet and pilgrim dante embarks on a spiritual journey at the poems beginning, dante is.
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