Feb 27, 2003 an acclaimed translation of dante alighieris the divine comedy volume 1. Produced by johns hopkins university press in collaboration with the sheridan libraries. A smaller circle of so much greater pain the voice of the damned rose in a bestial moan. Inferno by dante alighieri free ebook on read print. Canto ii day was departing, and the embrowned air released the animals that are on earth from their fatigues. Side by side translations of dante s inferno canto 2 longfellow translation inferno. Different versions of the inferno as interpreted by different translators the divine comedy is regarded as the foundation of modern literary italian.
The divine comedy is regarded as the foundation of modern literary italian. Side by side translations of dantes inferno canto 2 longfellow translation inferno. This translation of the inferno, the first canticle of dante alighieris divine comedy, by robert and jean hollander, is one of the best that ive read. The subject of the whole work, then, taken in the literal sense alone, is simply the state. This translation first published in the united states of america by indiana. He examines each lost soul as it arrives and delivers his verdict with his coiling tail. The inferno follows the wanderings of the poet dante as he strays off the rightful and straight path of moral truth and gets lost in a dark wood.
The first canto is generally agreed to function as a sort of introduction, and the epic truly begins here in canto 2, before progressing through a total of thirtyfour cantos through hell. I also recommend the course on dantes divine comedy. Canto i midway upon the journey of our life i found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost. From hell dante will emerge to see the stars once more, then travel up the mountain of purgatory and finally through the planetary spheres of heaven. The inferno is an epic poem set in dantes vision of hell, which dante has divided into nine circles, ledges shaped like a ninelayered inverted cone of measured depth and width established under the city of jerusalem the story takes place on the evening of good friday through the morning of easter sunday in the year 0. But since force may be used against three persons, in three rounds tis divided and constructed. The violent against god softhearted dante, overcome by the anonymous thorn bushs sad story, shares the suicides love of florence. Side by side translations of the inferno different versions of the inferno as interpreted by different translators. Divina commedia is an epic poem written by dante alighieri between c. The inferno is the first cantica of dante alighieri s masterpiece, the divine comedy. The epic poem is broken up into many long cantos, which chronicles the poets journey into hell. Feb 07, 2010 fifteen translations of dante compared in my last post i compared john ciardi and allen mandelbaums translation of the inferno by looking at how they handled canto xxvi, lines 112120. Inferno english by dante alighieri canto i one night, when half my life behind me lay, i wandered from the straight lost path afar.
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. Librivox free audiobook persistence karawane by ball, hugo city church nottingham power and grace fm riding in the car with chris modern nostalgia gaming dialing strangers overcoming your hangups and selling on the phone. Translated by anthony esolen illustrations by gustave dore. 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.
Dante peopled his divine comedy with figures from that florence, many of whom. Read texts from the inferno musa translation and join the genius community of scholars to learn the meaning behind the words. Project muse dantes inferno, the indiana critical edition. Fifteen translations of dante compared boisterous beholding.
If youre writing a inferno essay and need some advice, post your dante alighieri essay question on our facebook page where fellow bookworms are always glad to help. There dante witnesses the souls who delight in the punishments that purify them and allow them to see the face of god. Inferno that retains all the style, power and meaning of the original, this penguin classics edition is translated from the italian with an introduction by mark musa this vigorous translation of inferno preserves dantes simple, natural style, and captures the swift movement of the original italian verse. Line by line, canto by canto, robert pinksy affirms the inferno as a powerful living. The portable dante captures the scope and fire of dantes genius as thoroughly as any single volume can. Excerpts from inferno by dante alighieri translated by. Dante alighieri the inferno musa translation lyrics. Inferno that retains all the style, power and meaning of the original, this penguin classics edition is translated from the italian with an introduction by mark musa. A groundbreaking bilingual edition of dantes masterpiece that includes a substantive introducion, extensive notes, and appendixes that reproduce dantes key sources and influences. The subject of the whole work, then, taken in the literal sense alone, is simply the state of souls after death, for the movement of the whole work hinges on this. Inferno that retains all the style, power and meaning of the original a penguin classic this vigorous translation of inferno preserves dantes simple, natural style, and captures the swift movement of. English and original text lay opposite each page for you to study and observe the differences of the interpretation. Comparing three verse translations of dantes inferno.
Robert pinsky, the distinguished american poet, preserves the burning clarity and universal relevance of this th century literary masterpiece in a triumphant new translation for our times. Dantes inferno the divine comedy video game is a thirdperson action adventure game based off the dante aligheris epic poem, the divine comedy. Dec 01, 2002 it is believed that the divine comedycomprised of three canticles, the inferno, the purgatorio, and the paradisowas written between 8 and 20. Minos, the judge, has a tail that wraps around the sinner the number of times that represents the sinners circle of hell. I recommend that you read the translation by mark musa. Inferno that retains all the style, power and meaning of the original a penguin classic this vigorous translation of inferno preserves dante s simple, natural style, and captures the swift movement of the original italian verse. In dantes depiction of hell there are 9 main circles of hell with 1 being the best place to be and 9 being the worst. Purgatorio by dante alighieri, translated by mark musa. Inferno is a sumptuously entertaining reada novel that will captivate readers with the beauty of classical italian art, history, and literature. Englishitalian translation by dante alighieri, translation and. Canto 1 of dante s inferno serves as the introduction both to the inferno and to the entire divine comedy. Dante alighieri the inferno musa translation lyrics and. Here i want to expand that exercise, comparing 15 different translations in a more systematic way. The inferno by dante alighieri by seth mefford on prezi.
It was one of the first major works of literature written in the italian language, rather than latin which was until then still the language of the. The italian text given beside the translations is based on the editions of giogio petrocchi. Canto v inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john. Instead i read the first part, the inferno, as adapted by sandow birk and marcus sanders.
They translated the original in contemporary english slang, and threw in some contemporary figures yes, hitler is in hell, but so are. Dante alighieri, edited by dante alighieri and mark musa, translated by mark musa. The inferno was written during dantes exile from florence, whereas it purports to recount events that occurred much earlier. Excerpts from inferno from the divine comedy by dante alighieri. He shows his respect by gathering up all the broken branches and tenderly placing them back into the thorn bush. Circle two the carnal so we went down to the second ledge alone. A new translation by anthony esolen 9780812970067 by dante alighieri. Hear dantes inferno read aloud by influential poet. An acclaimed translation of dante alighieris the divine comedy volume 1. Canto i inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john. Dantes divine comedy has been translated maybe 1,000 times with varying success and now robert pinsky has dared to try by translating the first book, the inferno, and has produced an eminently readable and successful translation. In this context, minos is most likely a conflation of two king minosesthe first, a decent king.
The divine comedy translated by henry wadsworth longfellow etext courtesy ilts digital dante project inferno inferno. The inferno john ciardi translation by dante alighieri, paperback. Dante wrote the inferno in the fourteenth century which means the 0s. Side by side translations of the inferno dantes inferno. This new critical edition, including mark musas classic translation, provides students with a clear, readable. The publication of the first two volumes of the sixvolume divine comedy brings readers mark musa s vivid verse translation of the inferno. A groundbreaking bilingual edition of dantes masterpiece that includes a substantive introduction, extensive notes, and appendixes that reproduce dantes key sources and influences. Canto 1 of dantes inferno serves as the introduction both to the inferno and to the entire divine comedy. Dante alighieri 1265 21, translated by henry wadsworth longfellow 1807 1882 the divine comedy italian. Dramatic, intense, and gripping, the inferno of dante is an astonishing masterpiece that no listener can afford to miss. Commedia, later christened divina by giovanni boccaccio, written by dante alighieri between 8 and his death in 21, is widely considered the central epic poem of italian literature, the last great work of literature of the.
Because the hero of the inferno is also the writer, we have to look at both aspects of himdante the author and dante the character. Persistence karawane by ball, hugo city church nottingham power and grace fm riding in the car with chris modern nostalgia gaming dialing strangers overcoming your hangups and selling on the phone. Canto v inferno by dante alighieri as translated by john ciardi. The inferno is the first of three parts in an epic poem.
Excerpts from inferno by dante alighieri translated by mark musa the subject of this work must first be considered according to the letter, then be considered allegorically. Excerpts from inferno by dante alighieri translated by mark. A discussion guide by david bruce this is a royaltyfree discussion guide. And that, folks, is just the beginning just as three wild animals threaten to attack him, dante is rescued by the ghost of virgil, a celebrated roman poet and also dantes idol. It is believed that the divine comedycomprised of three canticles, the inferno, the purgatorio, and the paradisowas written between 8 and 20. Inferno is the first part of the long journey which continues through redemption to revelation through purgatory and paradise and, in this translation prepared especially for audiobook, his images are as vivid as when the poem was first written in the early years of the fourteenth century. The farther down that one descends into hell, the worse. Fuller notes are provided in the back of the book along with appendices. Jan 01, 2005 inferno is the first part of the long journey which continues through redemption to revelation through purgatory and paradise and, in this translation prepared especially for audiobook, his images are as vivid as when the poem was first written in the early years of the fourteenth century. The 15 translations are those of ciaran carson, john ciardi, anthony esolen, robert and jean hollander, robin kirkpatrick, stanley lombardo, henry. The really great thing about the comedy, however, is that it gets better as it goes along. And yet, the presence of dantes many personal and political enemies injects no small amount of dark humor into the poem, such that one can read it as political satire as well as an ingenious marriage of medieval catholic theology and philosophy with the poetry of.
The inferno treats the existence of hell and the grievous sins that consign its inhabitants there with the utmost seriousness. A groundbreaking bilingual edition of dantes masterpiece that includes a substantive introduction, extensive notes, and appendixes. Musa has revised his earlier version, long cited as the most accessible and reliable of the english translations. Dante alighieri was born in florence in i265 and belonged to a noble but impoverished. Jul 19, 2016 the inferno, courtesy of its shocking imagery, is the book of the comedy most familiar to the general public. Side by side translations of dantes inferno canto 2. Maybe he does a littlepope boniface viii sure receives no mercy from himbut dante is also interested in divine justice, free will, charity, and the glory of god.
In my last post i compared john ciardi and allen mandelbaums translation of the inferno by looking at how they handled canto xxvi, lines 112120. Feb 11, 2017 furthermore, only reading the inferno gives some readers the impression that dante delights in gore and in sending people to hell. This text provides short glosses at the bottom of the page, deisgned mainly to explain an elliptical phrase so that the reader can move on. Aug 07, 2007 dramatic, intense, and gripping, the inferno of dante is an astonishing masterpiece that no listener can afford to miss. The inferno the setting the setting of dantes inferno is hell itself. It was one of the first major works of literature written in the italian language, rather than latin which was until then still the language of the scholars and poets. The other works in the trilogy, purgatorio and paradiso, are each thirtythree cantos in length, creating one hundred total cantos across the three poems. I will not make a dime from it even from the print edition. Read inferno by dante or thousands of other ebooks from famous authors for free at read print.
Dantes inferno a discussion guide miss skirtich english. Previous part 1 next part 3 more it displeases god. Dante s inferno visceral dante s inferno dante s inferno the divine comedy video game is a thirdperson action adventure game based off the dante aligheris epic poem, the divine comedy. Mark musa is a professor at the center for italian studies at indiana university. Robert hollander, a renowned scholar and master teacher of dante, and jean hollander, an accomplished poet, have written a beautifully accurate and clear. Nov 01, 2008 near the end of inferno which is split into three sections, each one loosely corresponding to a section of dante s divine comedy, eileen myles writes that poetry is most of all a mastery of places, not the world but the weather of the states that form in your life and what you read and how things were taken and what came back 260. Dante s divine comedy has been translated maybe 1,000 times with varying success and now robert pinsky has dared to try by translating the first book, the inferno, and has produced an eminently readable and successful translation.