Purgatory SONG ONE Exit from Hell to the foot of the mountain of Purgatory 4. The second kingdom - that is, Purgatory. Dante depicts him as a huge mountain rising in the southern hemisphere in the middle of the Ocean. It has the shape of a truncated cone. The coastline and the lower part of the mountain form the Prepurgatory, and the upper one is surrounded by seven ledges (seven circles of Purgatory itself). On the flat top of the mountain, Dante places the desert forest of the Earthly Paradise. 7. Dead... hymn - because it described the area of eternal death - Hell. 9-12. Let Calliope ... - The nine daughters of the Thessalian king Pier, Pierida, dared to compete with the muses in the art of singing, but were disgraced and turned into forty. On the side of the muses was Calliope, the muse of epic poetry, the eldest of the nine muses (Met., V, 294-678). 19-21. A beacon of love, a beautiful planet - that is, Venus, eclipsing with its brightness the constellation Pisces in which it was located. 22. To the ost - that is, to the celestial pole, in this case the south. 23-27. Four stars (Ch., VIII, 91-92; XXXI. 106) symbolize the four "basic" ("natural") virtues
ancient world (wisdom, justice, courage and moderation). 24. He illuminated the first people - that is, Adam and Eve, who lived in the Earthly Paradise. 29. By midnight - towards the North Celestial Pole. 30. Chariot - Ursa Major, hidden behind the horizon. 31. A certain old man - Cato the Younger Utic (95-46 BC), a statesman of the last times of the Roman Republic, who, not wanting to survive its collapse, committed suicide (in the city of Utica - see Art. 74) . Dante makes him the guardian of Purgatory, on top of which, according to the poet, the spirit gains freedom (Ch., XXVII, 140-142). 41. Blind waterfall - an underground stream along which the poets rose from Hell. 42. Plumage - the stately beard of Cato. 58. The last evening - that is, death. Verses 59-60 refer to the spiritual death that threatened the erring one. 71. He desired freedom - spiritual freedom, which is achieved through moral purification. To this freedom, which is not realizable without civil freedom, Cato dedicated and gave his life (vv. 73-75). 75. On a terrible day - that is, on the day of the Last Judgment. 77. Minos. - Virgil, as an inhabitant of Limbo, is not subject to Minos. 78. And my circle is the one where your Marcia is ... - Limbo, where Marcia, the wife of Cato, lives (A., IV, 128). 80. Treat her as yours. - Cato gave Marcia to his friend Hortensius, after whose death she returned to Cato again, wishing to die "his Marcia". 82. Your seven kingdoms are the seven circles of Purgatory. 88. Sinister shaft - waves of Acheron, bordering Hell. 89. Wounded out by miraculous power - from Limbo (A., IV, 46-63). 94. Girdle him with a cane - a reed, a symbol of humility. 98. To the first of the servants - the gatekeeper angel (Ch., IX, 76-84). CANTO TWO At the foot of Mount Purgatory. - Newly arrived souls of the dead 1-3. According to Dante, the Mount of Purgatory and Jerusalem are located at opposite ends of the earth's diameter, so they have a common horizon. In the northern hemisphere, the top of the celestial meridian ("half-day circle") that crosses this horizon falls over Jerusalem. At the hour described, the sun, visible in Jerusalem, was sinking, to soon appear in the sky of Purgatory. 4-6. And the night ... - According to medieval geography, Jerusalem lies in the very middle of the land, located in the northern hemisphere between the Arctic Circle and the equator and stretching from west to east for only 180 degrees of longitude. The remaining three quarters of the globe are covered by the waters of the Ocean. Equally distant from Jerusalem are: in the extreme east - the mouth of the Ganges, flowing from west to east, in the extreme west - the Pillars of Hercules, Spain and Morocco. When the sun sets in Jerusalem, night approaches from the Ganges. At the time of the year described, that is, at the time of the vernal equinox, the night holds the scales in its hands, that is, it is in the constellation of Libra, opposing the sun, which is in the constellation of Aries. In the autumn, when she "overcomes" the day and becomes longer than it, she will leave the constellation of Libra, that is, she will "drop" them. 16. And again let it sparkle! - Dante longs after death to find himself again at the Mount of Purgatory, on the shore of salvation. 26. In that first whiteness. - What was white on the sides of the approaching world were the wings of an angel; what was white below is his clothes. The focus of the light was his face. 46. "In exttu Israel" (lat.) - "When Israel came out [from Egypt]." 56-57. Having knocked down Capricorn from the heavenly middle. - At sunrise, the constellation Capricorn was on the meridian, and now it has begun to lean towards the west. 86. And then I recognized her. - Dante recognized the shadow of his friend, composer and singer Casella (v. 91). 91-92. For the sake of returning here - in order to end up in Purgatory after death, and then in Paradise. 94-105. Casella tells the poet that the souls of those "who are not attracted by Acheron" (cf. A., III, 70-129), that is, not condemned to the torments of Hell, flock after death to the mouth of the Tiber (cf. Ch., XXV, 85 -87), whence an angel takes them in a canoe to the island of Purgatory. Although he did not take Kasella with him for a long time, he does not see any offense in this, being convinced that the desire of the angel-carrier "is similar to the highest truth." But now it is the spring of 1300, in Rome, starting from Christmas, the church "anniversary" is celebrated (see note A., XVIII, 28-33), sins of the living are generously forgiven and the lot of the dead is alleviated. Therefore, for three months now, as the angel "freely takes" into his boat everyone who asks 112. "Love, talking with me in the soul." - Thus begins one of Dante's canzones, which opens the third treatise of the Feast. 119. Majestic old man - Cato. CANTO THREE At the foot of Mount Purgatory - Those who died under church excommunication 7. His self-reproaches - that he stopped to listen to the singing of Casella. 25-27. By order of Emperor Augustus, the body of Virgil, who died (19 BC) in Brundusia (Brindisi), was transferred to Naples and buried there. When it's early morning in Purgatory, it's evening in Naples. 37. Quia is a Latin word meaning "because", and in the Middle Ages it was also used in the sense of quod ("what"). Scholastic science, following Aristotle, distinguished between two kinds of knowledge: scire quia - knowledge of the existing and scire propter quid - knowledge of the causes of the existing. Virgil advises people to be content with the first kind of knowledge, without delving into the causes of what is. 40. You - that is, "the human race" (v. 37). 50. Lerice Castle and Turbia -
extreme points ., east and west, mountainous coast of the Ligurian Sea. 59. A series of shadows - the souls of people who died under church excommunication, but repented of their sins before death. They are waiting for access to Purgatory for a period thirty times longer than the time they were in "strife with the church" (see vv. 136-141). 112-113. Manfred-king of Naples and Sicily (from 1258 to 1266), son of Frederick II (A., X, 119 and approx.), grandson of Costanza (see approx. R., III, 118-120), implacable opponent of the papacy excommunicated from the church. To fight him, the papal throne called for Charles of Anjou (see note Ch., VII, 112-114). In the Battle of Benevento (1266), Manfred died and his kingdom went to Charles 115-116. To my beautiful daughter ... - Costanza, widow of Pedro III of Aragon (see note Ch., VII, 112-114), who took possession of Sitshia in 1282. 117. Do not believe the wicked lie - that Manfred, as an excommunicated , is in Hell. 124. Read this page - the gospel page, where it says: "Those who come to me I will not cast out." 125-131. Manfred was buried at the bridge of Benevento, and every soldier of the enemy army, honoring the brave king, threw a stone on his grave, so that a whole hill grew. Fulfilling the will of Pope Clement IV, the archbishop of Cosenza, who swore to expel Manfred from his possessions, dug up his remains and transferred them to the other side of the Verde River, outside the Kingdom of Naples. 132. Where did he carry them, having extinguished the fires. - When the excommunicated was buried, candles were extinguished at his coffin and then they were carried upside down. CANTO FOUR The first ledge of the Prepurgatory. - Negligent 1. One of our spiritual powers - that is, hearing or sight. 5. The error is refutable - the doctrine of the Platonists about the trinity of the human soul and the Manicheans - about its duality. 12. This one is tied, and that one is floating. - One force is absorbed by some sensation, and the other is inactive - it floats. 15-16. The sun had risen above the horizon by 50 degrees. 25-26. San Leo, Noli, Bismantova - hard-to-reach mountainous areas in Italy. 60. Aquilon - north wind. Here in the sense of: north. 61-66. Meaning: “If the sun (mirror) were now in the constellation of Gemini (Dioscuri), you would see that the “blushing” part of the zodiac (the one where the sun is located) rotates even closer to the North Pole (to the constellations Ursa), if only the sun will not change his eternal way." In other words: "In June you would see the sun even lower on the horizon in a northerly direction." 68. Zion - that is, Jerusalem (see note Ch., II, 1-3). 71-72. The road where the unfortunate Phaethon ruled is the zodiac (see. approx. A., XVII, 106-108). 79. The rotator of the universe is the ninth heaven, or the prime mover (R., XVIII-XXIX). 104. People settled down. - These are negligent, until the hour of death they hesitated to repent. 123. Belacqua - a Florentine who made fretboards for lutes and guitars. Dante was friends with him and liked to listen to him play. 137-139. It is now noon on Mount Purgatory, and night has stretched over the opposite northern hemisphere, from the mouth of the Ganges, in the east, to the western coast of land - to Morocco (Morocco) (see note Ch., II, 4-6). SONG FIFTH The second ledge of the Prepurgatory - Negligent, who died a violent death 24. "Mzserere" (lat.) - Psalm: "Have mercy [on me]." 38. Burning steam - lightning or shooting star (according to Aristotle). 64-84. One said. - This is Jacopo del Cassero, a native of the city of Fano in the Ancon March, lying between the land of Charles II of Anjou, that is, the Kingdom of Naples, and Romagna. Feuding with Azzo VIII d "Este, Marquis of Ferrara, and invited in 1298 to the post of podest in Milan, out of caution he went through the Padua possessions, but here, in Oriaco, he was killed by the mercenaries of Azzo. 75. Antenors are Padua, because Padua was said to have been founded by the Trojan Antenor 79 Mira - a town between Oriaco and Padua 88-93 I was Bonconte - Buonconte, son of Count Guido da Montefeltro (see note A., XXVII, 4), led the Aretine Ghibellines in the war against the Florentine Guelphs and fell on June 11, 1289 in the battle of Campaldino (see note A., XXII, 5). she does not need pain - that is, where Arcchiano flows into Arno and loses his name. 106-108. Eternal - the soul of Buonconte, which the angel takes to Paradise, "using a tear" of his remorse. The devil decides to take possession of at least "other", that is, 116. The valley of the Arno, in the place where Buonconte died, lies between the mountain range of Prato magno and a large ridge of the Apennines. 122. To the big river - to the Arno. 129. With their prey - that is, stones and sand. 133-136. Pia dei Tolomei, originally from Siena, married Nello dei Pannocchieschi, who out of jealousy secretly killed her in one of his castles in the Siena Maremma. CANTO SIX The second ledge of the Forerunner (end) 13-14. Aretinets - Benincasa, a judge who was killed and beheaded by the Sienese rogue-robber Gin di Tacco. 15. Drowned in pursuit - Guccio Tarlati, an Aretinian who drowned, either pursuing enemies or fleeing. 15-16. Federico Novello - from the family of the Counts of Guidi. 17-18. Pisan - Gano, the son of Marzucco Scornigiani, who was killed in 1287. His father, having shown unusual fortitude, forgave the murderer. 19. Orso degli Alberti, Count of Mangona, killed by his cousin. He was the son of Napoleone, one of two brothers who killed each other and are executed at Cain (A., XXXII, 40-60). 19-24. Pierre de la Brosse - courtier of the French king Philip III the Bold, executed at the intrigues of Mary of Brabant, the king's wife. Dante advises the "brabant" to think about repentance so as not to end up in Hell. 29. In the verse, sung by you - "Do not hope to bend the imperious will of the gods with prayers" (En., VI, 376). 38. The fire of love - that is, the fervent prayer of the living. 40. Where my verse originated with me - that is, in the pagan world. 62. Lombard spirit - Sordello, a poet of the 13th century, who wrote in the Provencal language, who, according to legend, died a violent death, a native of Mantua, like Virgil. 88-90. Justinian - see note. R., VI, 10. He "corrected the reins" of the horse, curbed the state with laws, but now "the saddle is empty", there is no autocrat on the throne. 91-96. O you, to whom you should pray - the Pope and the clergy, who appropriated secular power, contrary to the gospel word: "Give Caesar's to Caesar, and God's to God." 97. German Albert - Albrecht I, son of Rudolf of Habsburg, German Emperor and "King of the Romans" from 1298 to 1308. 104. Imperial Garden - Italy. 111. Santafior - the county of Santafiora in the Sienese Maremma, which belonged to the Aldobrandeschi family; Boniface VIII won a significant part of his possessions from him. 118. Diy (Jupiter) - instead of "Christ". 125. In the image of a slander - that is, pretending to be an adherent of a political party. 126. Marcellus - political enemy of Julius Caesar. Here in the sense: an influential opponent of imperial power. SONG SEVEN Valley of earthly rulers 6. Octavian - emperor Augustus (see note Ch., III, 25-27). 25. Not by deed, but by idleness, he lost ... - Virgil is deprived of the sight of God (the Sun) not because he sinned, but because he did not know the Christian faith. 27. I learned to know him late - already after death, when Christ descended into Hell (A., IV, 52-54). 28. There is an edge below - Limb (A., IV, 25-151). 34-36. Three holy virtues - the so-called "theological" - faith, hope and love. The rest are four "basic" or "natural" (see note Ch., I, 23-27). 72. Where less than half the height is less than half the highest edge of the wall bordering the valley. 82. "Salve, Regina" (lat.) - "Glory, queen", church hymn. 83. A crowd of shadows sitting in a secluded valley - the souls of earthly rulers who were absorbed in worldly affairs. 91-95. Rudolph of Habsburg - Emperor of the so-called "Holy Roman Empire" (from 1273 to 1291). He "neglected his vocation," that is, he did not go to Italy to subject it to his power. 96. And now this hour is again far away - because the Italian campaign of the German emperor Henry VII in 1310-1313. will end in failure. 97-102. Rudolf is consoled by his sworn enemy, the Bohemian king Přemysl-Ottokan II, who fell in battle with him in 1278. 103-111. Snub-nosed - the French king Philip III the Bold, was defeated in the war against Pedro III of Aragon and died in 1285, during the retreat, "clouding the honor of the lilies" of his coat of arms. His interlocutor, only in appearance a benevolent good-natured man, is Henry the Fat, King of Navarre (died in 1274), who married his daughter to the son of Philip the Bold, Philip IV the Handsome (reigned in 1285-1314). Father and father-in-law mourn the "abomination" of Philip IV, the "French villain", whom Dante stigmatizes more than once. 112-114. Two more enemies "sing in harmony": the thick-set one, Pedro III of Aragon, and the big-nosed one. Charles I of Anjou. Charles, Count of Anjou (c. 1226-1285), brother of Louis IX of France, was called by the popes to fight against Manfred (see note Ch., III, 112-113) and in 1268 captured Naples and Sicily. In 1282, an uprising broke out in Palermo against the French ("Sicilian Vespers"), and Pedro III of Aragon was elected king of Sicily (died in 1285). Charles left the Kingdom of Naples. 116. Young man - the eldest son of Pedro III, Alfonso III (died in 1291). 119-120. James II of Aragon (died 1327) and Federigo (Federic) II of Sicily (died 1337) are Pedro's second and third sons. "All that is better," that is, their father's prowess, they did not inherit. 124-126. Nosach, Charles I of Anjou, is also unhappy in his offspring: Provence (Ch., XX, 61 and approx.) and Puglia (Kingdom of Naples) groan under the rule of his son Charles II. 127-129. Charles I is just as superior to his son. Charles II, as far as Costanza, the widow of Pedro III (see note Ch., III, 115-116), has more reason to be proud of her husband than the first and second wives of Charles I, Beatrice and Margherita. 130-132. Henry III of England (died 1272) - father of Edward I. 133-136. Guglielmo Spadalunga, Marquis of Montferrat and Canavese. - The inhabitants of the city of Alessandria, who rebelled against him, took him prisoner and put him in an iron cage, where he died (1292). The unsuccessful war of his son against Alessandria ruined the country for a long time. CANTO EIGHT Valley of earthly rulers (continued) 7. Hearing involuntarily relinquishing - involuntarily ceasing to listen, because Sordello fell silent, and the souls finished singing "Salve, Regina". 13. "Te lucis ante" (lat.) - the initial words of the evening church hymn: "You, at the end of the world ... [please ...]". 18. To the supreme arcs - that is, to the celestial spheres. 19-21. Dante points out: the allegory of further verses is so transparent that it is easy to understand its meaning, namely, the sky, through our prayer, protects us from temptations. 53. Nino Visconti - "judge" (ruler) of the district of Gallura in Sardinia (see note A., XXII, 81-87), grandson and rival of Count Ugolino (see note A., XXXIII, 13-14). He died in 1296. 65. Currado - see note. 115-119. 71. Giovanna - young daughter of Nino Visconti. 73-75. Her mother, Beatrice, did not wear a widow's "white kerchief" for long, having remarried Galeazzo, from the Milanese Visconti, who suffered a difficult fate. 79-81. It would have been more honorable for Beatrice if the coat of arms of her first husband, the “kochet” (a rooster, the coat of arms of the Pisan Visconti, judges of Gallura), and not the “echidna” (the coat of arms of the Milanese Visconti: a snake devouring a baby) was carved on her tomb. 89-93. Three bright stars shining at this hour around the South Pole symbolize faith, hope and love (see note Ch., VII, 34-36; Ch., I, 23-27). 115-119. Currado (Corrado) Malaspina the Younger - the Marquis of Lunigiana, who died around 1294. The exile Dante found a warm welcome at the Marquises of Malaspina in 1306. Valdimagra - the valley of the Magra River in Lunigiana. 131. A bad head - that is, a pope. 133-139. Meaning: "The sun will not have time to enter the sign of Aries seven times, where it stands now, that is, seven years will not pass, as you yourself will be convinced of our cordiality, since the sentence of fate must come true, dooming you to wandering." CANTO NINE Valley of earthly rulers (end) - Gates of Purgatory 1-6. The concubine of ancient Typhon. - Two interpretations are possible: 1) The concubine of the Trojan prince Typhon (in a non-judgmental sense) - Aurora. Using the same technique as in Ch. II, 1-9; III, 25-27; IV, 137-139; XV, 6; XXVII, 1-5; P. I, 43-45 - Dante in Art. 1-6 indicates the hour that has come in Italy: there, in the east, a solid dawn broke, and the constellation Pisces ("cold beast") shone on it, and in st. 7-9 he determines the appropriate hour for Mount Purgatory; 2) Dante endows Typhon, along with his wife, also a concubine, with a lunar dawn. In Art. 1-6 the hour that came on the Mount of Purgatory is described: the moon dawn rose to whiten on the morning platform, that is, it appeared in the east, and the constellation Scorpio (“cold beast”) shone on it like a crown. 7-9. And the night meant two steps ... - Two hours had passed from the beginning of the night in the place where we were, that is, on the mountain of Purgatory, and even the third hour was drawing to a close. 10. With Adam in his essence - that is, having a body subject to fatigue. Virgil and the other shadows don't need sleep. 12. Five of us - that is, Dante, Virgil, Sordello, Nino Visconti and Corrado Malaspina. 14-15. Killer whale - the ill-fated princess Philomela, turned into a swallow (killer whale) (see note Ch., XVII, 19-20). 22-24. Where Ganymede is - that is, on Mount Ida Phrygian. 30. To the very fire - to the sphere of fire, which was considered to lie between the sphere of air and the sky of the Moon. 34-39. Achilles once shuddered no less ... - When the young man Achilles was brought up by the centaur Chiron (A., XII, 71), the goddess Thetis, his mother, knowing that he was in danger of death in the war, transferred him sleeping to the island of Skir. the help of cunning was discovered by Ulysses and Diomedes (see note A., XXVI, 61-62). 55-63. Lucia - see A., II, 97-108 and note. A., II, 97. 112. Seven Rs (initial letter
Latin word "ressatum" - "sin") - means the seven deadly sins, from which it is necessary to be cleansed as one ascends the mountain of Purgatory. 137. Tarpey - Tarpey cliff of the Roman Capitol, where the state treasury was kept. When Caesar demanded the issuance of this treasury to him, the popular tribune Lucius Caecilius Metellus refused him, and he forcefully opened the doors. 141. "Te Deum" - Latin church hymn "Thee, God, [praise]". CANTO TEN Purgatory - The first circle. - Proud 2. Because of bad love. - Love is the cause of all human deeds, both good and evil, depending on whether this love is good or bad (Ch., XVII, 91-139). 8. This and that wall moved - that is, it formed undulating ledges, so that the path was winding. 16. Needle eye - a narrow passage. 17. We went out there... - The poets have reached the first circle of Purgatory, where souls atone for the sin of pride. 28-33. The circular path goes along the marble wall of the mountainside, decorated with bas-reliefs depicting examples of humility. 32. Polikleitos - the famous Greek sculptor of the 5th century. BC. 34-45. The first bas-relief depicts the gospel legend of the humility of the Virgin Mary in front of an angel announcing that she will give birth to Christ. 40. "Ave!" (lat.) - "Rejoice!" 44. "Esse ancilla Dei" (lat.) - "Here is the servant of the Lord." 55-69. The second bas-relief depicts the humility of the biblical king David, who, when transferring the "ark of the covenant" to Jerusalem, "jumped and danced before the Lord," which his wife Michal (Bible) looked out of the window with indignation. 73-93. The third bas-relief reproduces the legend of how the Roman emperor Trajan (from 98 to 117) humbly listened to the reproach of the widow and rendered her justice. 75. Gregory immortalized majestically. - There was a legend that, through the prayer of Pope Gregory (died in 604), meek Trajan, a pagan emperor, was released from hell, lived a second time as a Christian and reached heavenly bliss (R., XX, 44-48; 106 -117). 94. Who has never seen something new - that is, a god to whom both the past and the future are open. 111. The hour of the terrible decision is the hour of the Last Judgment. SONG ELEVEN First circle (continued) 11. "Hosanna" (Hebrew - save, save) - a welcome exclamation. 13. Daily manna - daily bread, in the sense: spiritual food, heavenly grace. 58-69. I was a Latin ... - This is Omberto Aldobrandeschi, Count of Santafiora (Ch., VI, 111), who died in 1259 during the siege by the Sienese of his castle of Campagnatico. 62-63. Everyone has one mother - the earth. 66. The whole child - the whole team. 79-80. Oderisi of Gubbio - famous miniaturist in his time (died 1299) ). 81. "Illuminur", as they say in Paris - that is, a miniature. 83. Franco from Bologna - miniaturist, contemporary of Dante. 94. Cimabue - Florentine painter (died c. 1302). 95. Giotto - the famous Italian painter (died in 1337), a friend of Dante. 97-99. The first Guido is the poet Guido Guinicelli (died 1276) (Ch., XXVI, 91 and approx.); "new Guido" - Guido Cavalcanti (died in 1300), Dante's friend (see A., X, 58-72; 109-111). 108. The starry hall is spinning. - According to Dante ("Feast", II, 14), the movement of the starry sky from west to east is equal to one degree in a hundred years. 109-113. Thundered all over Tuscany. - Provenzan Salvani (see Art. 121), the leader of the Tuscan Ghibellines, who was at the head of the Sienese Republic, "when the anger broke out" of the Florentine Guelphs, defeated at Montaperti in 1260. In 1269 at Colle di Valdelsa, where the Florentines in their turn defeated the Sienese, he was captured and beheaded, and the Sienese Guelphs, returning to power, demolished his houses. 133-142. When one of the friends of Provenzan Salvani was taken prisoner by Charles I of Anjou and he demanded a huge ransom for him, threatening the execution of the prisoner, the proud Salvani sat on the Campo, the main square of Siena, and humbly asked the townspeople to help him collect the required money. The prisoner was redeemed. For this act of his, Provenzan "did not stay there," that is, at the foot of Mount Purgatory. 139-141. Dante will understand what it means: "He was ready to tremble in every vein" (v. 138), when his "neighbors", the Florentines, will force him to resort to foreign help in exile (cf. R., XVII, 58-60). CANTO TWELVE Circle one (end) 13. Look under your feet! - On carvings that are examples of punished pride (v. 25-63). 25-27. It means Lucifer. 28-30. Briray - see approx. A., XXXI, 98. 31-33. Timbreus (one of the nicknames of Apollo), Mars and Pallas, surrounding Zeus, look at the giants they have slain (A., XXXI, 44-45 and approx.). 34-36. Nimrod - see note. A., XXXI, 46-81. 37-39. Niobe, the wife of Amphion (A., XXXII, 11), proud of her seven sons and seven daughters, sneered at Latona, the mother of only two twins - Apollo and Diana. Then the children of the goddess killed with arrows all the children of Niobe, who turned to stone from grief (Met., VI, 146-312). 40-42. Saul - the king of Israel, defeated by the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, fell on his sword (Bible). 42. No dew, rain and grass! - Upon learning of the death of Saul, David exclaimed: "Mountains of Gilboa! May neither dew nor rain [fall] on you, and may there be no fields with fruits on you. .." (Bible). 43-45. Arachne - see note A., XVII, 18. Here she is depicted at the very moment of transformation. 46-48. Rehoboam is a cruel Israeli king fleeing from a popular uprising (Bible) 49-51 The son of Oedipus, Polynices, looking for allies to win back Thebes from his brother Eteocles, presented the vain Eriphile, the wife of the Argos king Amphiaraus (A., XX, 31-39 and approx.), the necklace of Harmony, which brought misfortune to everyone its owners, and she showed him where her husband was hiding, who hid, knowing that he would lose his life if he went on this campaign.When Amphiaraus died near Thebes, his son Alcmaeon, fulfilling the revenge bequeathed by his father, killed his mother (cf. R ., IV, 103-105), so that she cursed "the headdress given to her perishing". 52-54. The haughty Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, was killed in the temple by his sons (Bible). 55-57. Tamirisa, the Scythian queen avenging Cyrus for the death of her son, she defeated the Persian army, ordered to cut off the head of the king who fell in battle and put it in a fur filled with che human blood. At the same time, she exclaimed: "Drink on the blood that you have insatiably thirsted for for thirty years!" (Orosius, History, II, 7). 58-60. When the Assyrian commander Holofernes was besieging Vetilu, the Jewish woman Judith came to his tent and beheaded him. The Assyrians fled (Bible). 80-81. The handmaidens of the day - Horas (in ancient mythology - the goddess of the seasons, as well as the hours of the day), replacing each other on the solar chariot (Ch., XXII, 118-120). It has already passed the sixth hour after sunrise, that is, it has passed noon. 97-98. With a wave of his wings, the angel erased one of the "P" carved on the forehead of Dante (Ch., IX, 112-114). 100-108. Dante compares the stepped ascent to the second circle with the path along which, leaving Florence and crossing the Rubaconte bridge (now Ponte alle Grazie), they rise to the church of San Miniato. 101. Vale of order - this is how Florence is ironically named. 105. When the notebook was vomited and the tub was honored - that is, when the public figures of Florence were more honest. Dante alludes to two high-profile frauds that occurred in his time: Messer Niccola Acciaoli and judge Baldo d "Aguglione (R., XVI, 55-56 and approx.) Removed a compromising entry from the notary book, and Durante Chiaramontesi, who was in charge of the sale of salt, reduced 109-110 "Beati pauperes spritu" (lat.) - "Blessed are the poor in spirit" roots of all sins, other signs became dull, especially since pride was the main sin of Dante (Ch. , XIII, 136-138). CANTO THIRTEEN Second Circle - Envious 29. "Vinum non habent!" (lat.) - "They have no wine!" - the words of Mary at the marriage in Cana of Galilee, an example of caring for others. 32. "I'm Orestes!" - The exclamation of Orestes, who arrived in time at the moment when his friend Pilate, calling himself by his name, wanted to take the execution instead of him. 39-40. The "scourge" are examples of love; examples of punished envy should serve as a "bridle" (Ch., XIV, 130-144). 94. Eternal city - the sky. 106-129. From Siena I ... - Sapia, a noble Sienese lady, aunt of Provenzan Salvani (Ch., XI, 109-142). 109-110. Not wise, although my name was Sapia. - A play on words: the proper name Sapia is compared with the Italian adjective savia (in Old Italian also: sapia), that is, "wise". 115. Colle di Waldelsa. - See note. Ch., XI, 109-113. 128. Pierre Pettinayo - a comb-maker by trade, who was reputed to be a saint in Siena. 133-138. Dante realizes that he sinned much less with envy than with pride, and foresees the torment of the "lower cliff", the one where the proud are "oppressed by the burden." 151-154. In that city, that is, in Siena, everyone dreams of acquiring the harbor of Talamone in order to get access to the sea (which was realized in 1303). But this enterprise will prove to be as unprofitable as the fruitless search for the underground river Diana, which the Sienese tried to find in order to provide the city with water. The expression "admirals" was interpreted differently: 1) those who hoped to become admirals of the Sienese fleet; 2) chiefs of port operations who died in Talamone from malaria; 3) contractors who went bankrupt on these works. CANTO FOURTEENTH Second circle (continued) 17. Falterona - a mountain range in the Apennines. 32. Pelor - that is, Cape Faro, the northeastern tip of Sicily. 42. Circe - see note. A., XXVI, 91. 43-45. The pig breed is the inhabitants of Casentino, especially the counts of Guidi, the rulers of Romena and Porciano (see note A., XXX, 61-90). Wordplay: Porciano - porci (pigs). 46-48. The mongrels are Aretinians. At first, the Arno flows to the south, but not far from Arezzo it turns sharply to the west, as if contemptuously "turning up its nose." 49-51. Wolves are Florentines. 52-54. Foxes are Pisans. 58-66. The speaker, the Romance Guido del Duca (v. 81), from the Ravenna family of Onesti, Ghibelline (died in the middle of the 13th century), predicts to his interlocutor and countryman Rinieri da Calboli (v. 88-89) the atrocities of his nephew Fulceri da Calboli, who, at the invitation of the party of the Blacks, will take the post of podest in Florence in 1303 and subject the Whites and Ghibellines who remained in the city to cruel torture and execution. 64. Sorrowful forest - Florence. 88-89. But Rinier is a Romanesque Rinieri da Calboli, from Forli, a representative of a noble Guelph family (died in 1296). 91. Blood - that is, offspring. 92. Between Pau and Reno, sea and mountain - that is, in Romagna. 97-108. Guido lists the Romans of the past, whom he considers models of valor. 112-114. Brettinoro (Bertinoro) is a town between Forl and Cesena. The glorious Manardi family, who owned it, left it. 115. Bagnacaval - the castle of the Counts of Malvicini, whose male offspring was cut short. 116-117. In the castles of Konyo and Castrocaro lived their sovereign counts. 118. Demon - Maginardo Pagani, nicknamed "demon" (see note A., XXVII, 49-51). 121-123. Ugolin de "Fantolin - whose family was cut short. 133. "The one who meets me will kill!" - Cain's words to God, who cursed him because out of envy he killed Abel (Bible). 139. "I am the shadow of Aglavra ..." - Aglaura envied her sister Gersa, whom the god Hermes loved, and he turned her into stone (Met., II, 708-832). in tempting examples of rewarded virtue)". Wabilo - see note A., XVII, 128. SONG FIFTEENTH Circle two (end). - Circle three. - Wrathful 1-5. which by three o'clock in the afternoon (counting from sunrise) "the sphere, like a living child," that is, the sky of the Sun, eternally moving, has time to turn. In other words, three hours remained before sunset. 6. There - in Purgatory; here with us - in Italy 29. Family of heaven - angels 37-38 Beati misericordes! deities. 67. Light body - that is, a body capable of receiving light rays. 87-93. Mary, finding three days later her missing son, twelve-year-old Jesus, talking in the temple with a teacher, speaks meek words to him (the Gospel). 94-105. A young man in love with the daughter of Peisistratus, the Athenian tyrant, kissed her in public. Peisistratus did not listen to his wife, who demanded that the insolent one be punished, and the matter ended in a wedding. 98. Discord has been sown among the gods. - Poseidon and Athena argued about whose name the city should be named. Athena triumphed. 106-114. The young man is St. Stephen being stoned. 131. The moisture of reconciliation is meekness, extinguishing the fire of anger. Boccaccio tells about the extreme temper of the poet in the Life of Dante. CANTO SIXTEEN Round Three (continued) 1-9. Like a dense cover with a prickly pile, the blinding smoke into which the poets have entered envelops the souls of those who in life were blinded by anger. 19. "Agnus Dei" (lat.) - "Lamb of God", the words of the Catholic prayer. 46. I was a Lombard. My name was Marco. - Marco, a Lomoardian, lived in the 13th century. and was a "court", that is, a man who served at the court of one or another feudal lord. 53-63. But I had a doubt: what is the reason for the general corruption - in the influence of heavenly bodies or in the evil will of people? This doubt, which arose after the words of Guido del Duca (Ch., XIV, 38-39), was aggravated after the words of Marco (v. 47-48), confirming the very thing (general decline in morals) with which this doubt was connected, that is, with what it was evoked, both "here" (in conversation with Marco) and "there" (in conversation with Guido). 68. Only the sky - that is, only the influence of the stars. 73-81. Meaning: “Some of our inclinations depend on the star (“heaven”) under which we were born, but if our will endures the first struggle with the influence of the stars (“first battle with the sky”), then with the support of good spiritual food, it will overcome it. influence, because we are subject to a higher power, that is, to God, but the stars cannot influence our mind. 85. From the hands of that - a deity. 96. Tower of the City - justice. 97-98. But who is their protection? No one - for the imperial throne is empty (cf. Ch., VI, 88-90). 98-99. Your shepherd even chews the gum, but his hooves are not cloven. - According to the Law of Moses, those who had cloven hooves and who, moreover, chewed the cud, were considered clean animals. Christian theologians used this image symbolically: chewing gum - reflection on the Holy Scripture and its correct understanding; split hooves - the distinction of some deep concepts, including good and evil. Dante wants to say: "The Pope is both pure and impure; he is authoritative in matters of religion, but does not distinguish between the spiritual and the secular, encroaches on imperial rights, is seduced by earthly blessings." 107. Two suns - pope and emperor. 109. One extinguished the other - the papal power abolished the imperial. 110. The sword merged with the staff - the secular power merged with the spiritual, the pope appropriated the rights of the monarch. 115. In the country where the Po and the Adice (Adige) flow - in Lombardy, the speaker's homeland. 117. In the days of Federico, the way of life began to break down. - The struggle of Emperor Frederick II (A., X, 119 and approx.) with the popes led to party strife and damage to good old morals. 123. Longing for a different homeland - longing for a transition to a better world. 124-126. Gerardo da Camino, captain general of Treviso. Guido da Castel, who welcomed travelers in Reggio. Currado da Palazzo from Brescia. 131. Levites - the priestly class of the ancient Jews, which did not receive land allotments (Bible). CANTO SEVENTEEN Third circle (end). - Round four. - Sad 19-20. The cruelty of that ... - Prokna, in order to take revenge on her husband - the Thracian king Tereus, who raped her sister Philomela and cut out her tongue, killed her son Itis and fed his father with his meat (Metam., VI, 424-674). Procne (according to the version of the myth followed by Dante) was turned into a nightingale, and Philomela into a swallow (cf. Ch., IX, 13-15). 26-30. Crucified, proud in appearance, a villain... - Haman, close associate of the Persian king Artaxerxes, angry at Mordecai, planned to hang him and exterminate all the Jews. But Queen Esther, a Jew, prevented his plan, and the king ordered to hang Haman on a tree that he was preparing for Mordecai (Bible). 34-39. A maiden appeared in tears ... - Lavina, or Lavinia (A., IV, 125; R., VI, 3), the daughter of King Latius, Latina, and Amata. Her father married her to the Trojan leader Aeneas, and her mother wanted to marry her to Turn, the king of the rutuli. Looking at the battle of the Trojans with the rutuli and thinking that Turnn was killed, Amata "hung herself in a gloomy rage" (En" VII, 249-474; XII, 593-613). 68-69. "Beati pacific!" (lat.) - “Blessed are the peacemakers.” 91-139 Virgil expounds the doctrine of love as the source of all good and evil and explains the gradation of the circles of Purgatory: circles I, II, III - love for “foreign evil”, that is, malevolence (pride, envy, anger ); circle IV - insufficient love for the true good (despondency); circles V, VI, VII - excessive love for false goods (covetousness, gluttony, voluptuousness). 94. Natural love is the natural desire of creatures (be it a primary substance, a plant , animal or person) to what is beneficial for them ("Feast", III, 3). She never makes mistakes in choosing a goal. 110. First, the essence is god. 114. In your mud - that is, on earth. SONG EIGHTEEN Round Four (continued) 18. Sleptsov - that is, the Epicureans, who affirm that "love is always justified" (v. 34-36). it is saved - that is, to the sphere of fire (cf. approx. Ch., IX, 30). 49-51. The creative principle, according to the teachings of the scholastics, is that which, uniting with matter, gives it one form or another of being. For man, the creative principle is the soul, which is apart from the substance, within the limits of the substance. The "special power" lurking in it is "natural love" (Ch., XVII, 19-27; XVIII, 19-27). 73-74. This is what Beatrice calls free will. - See R., IV, 13-21; 73-80; R., V, 19-24. 79. Towards the sky. - The daily movement of the Moon in the celestial sphere occurs from west to east. 79-81. Where the sun rushes ... - The moon rose in the sign of Scorpio and followed the same path that the Sun passes when it, having entered this constellation, seems to the inhabitants of Rome to set between Sardinia and Corsica. 82. Pietola - the birthplace of Virgil (see note A., I, 69). 91-93. Ason and Ismenius are rivers in Boeotia. 100. Mary took a step into the mountains. - According to the gospel legend, the Virgin Mary hurried to the mountains to greet her relative Elizabeth, who had conceived a son. 101-102. Caesar, having ousted Pompey from Italy, quickly moved to Gaul, left Trebonius and Decimus Brutus to besiege Marsilla (Massilia, Marseilles) from land and from the sea, entered Spain and near Ilerda (Lerida) forced the Pompeians to surrender (49 BC). e.). 118. San Zeno - a monastery in Verona. The name of the abbot speaking here remains unclear. 119-120. Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1162 destroyed Milan, which resisted him; that is why in this city he is "mournfully spoken of." 121-126. Alberto della Scala, ruler of Verona (died in 1301), who illegally appointed his illegitimate son, the lame-legged Giuseppe, an immoral man (died in 1313), has already put one foot in the coffin. 131-132. Teeth clinging to despondency - that is, condemning this sin. 133-135. According to biblical legend, the Jews who left Egypt along the bottom of the Red Sea were afraid to enter the promised land. For this, all adults were condemned to die in the wilderness, and only their children, forty years later, finally saw the Jordan. 136-138. Cowardly companions of Aeneas who remained in Sicily (En. V, 700-778). CANTO NINETEEN Fourth circle (end). - Fifth round. - Avaricious and spendthrifts 1-3. Meaning: "In the predawn hour, when the air that has warmed up during the day can no longer fight the cold rays of the moon, because the" heat of the day "has weakened under the influence of cold emanating from the earth or from Saturn ..." 4-6. Geomancers guessed by figures based on randomly sketched points. The "Fortuna major" figure looked like the extreme stars of Aquarius along with the nearest stars of Pisces. Dante wants to say that Aquarius and partly Pisces have already risen in the east, that is, about three hours remained before sunrise. 7-9. The woman in Dante's dream personifies the three sins that are redeemed in the upper three circles: covetousness, gluttony, and voluptuousness (cf. Art. 58-59). 12-15. So is my view ... - Meaning: "Only our eyes give charm to base goods, which are vile in themselves." 22-23. Ulysses (Odysseus) was seduced from the path not by the sirens, but by the sorceress Circe. 26. Holy and diligent wife. - Older commentators usually see it as a symbol of reason, exposing the falsity of base goods. 50. "Qui lugent" (lat.) - "crying". 58-60. Have you seen a witch... - See note. 7-9. 62. Wabilo - see note. A., XVII, 128. 73. "Adhaesit pavimento anima meal" (lat.) - "My soul stuck to the dust." 94. Who were you. - This is Cardinal Ottobuono Fieschi, Count of Lavagna, who ascended the papal throne in 1276 under the name of Adrian V. He died thirty-eight days after his election. 98-99. "Scias guod fui successor Petri" (lat.) - "Know that I was the successor of Peter", that is, the pope. 100-102. Between Chiaveri and Siestri, two towns on the shores of the Gulf of Genoa, the "great stream" Lavagna flows into the sea and the city of the same name is located. Hence the title of the speaker. 122. She did not attract to deeds - that is, to good deeds. 137. "Negye nubent" (lat.) - "do not marry." Adrian means to say that he is no longer "the husband of the church", not the pope. 141. In which what you said is ripening. - See Art. 91-92. 142. Aladgia dei Fieschi was married to Moroello Malaspina (see note A., XXIV, 145-150). CANTO TWENTIE Fifth Circle (continued) 1. Before a better will - that is, before the will of Adrian V, who wanted to surrender to tears of repentance (Ch., XIX,. 139-141). 3. I didn’t saturate my lips when I was immersed - that is, I stopped the conversation without having time to ask a lot. 8. The evil that filled the world is greed. 10-12. She-wolf of ancient years... - See note. A., I, 31-60. 25. Fabricius - Roman commander (III century BC), famous for his disinterestedness. 31. The generosity of Nicholas - a church legend about St. Nicholas. 43. I was the root of a harmful plant - that is, the ancestor of the French
royal dynasty detrimental to the Christian world. 46-48. Gwant (Ghent), Lille (Lille), Brujah (Bruges) and Duak (Duai, lat. - Duacum) are the main cities of Flanders. The speaker would like Flanders to take revenge on his descendant, Philip IV, for the offenses suffered, which happened in 1302, when the Flemish people's militia defeated the French. 49. I was Googon - Capet, betrothed. - Dante merges two historical figures together: Hugh the Great, Count of Paris, "Duke of France", who died in 956, and his son, Hugh Capet, who, after the death in 987 of the last king of the Carolingian dynasty, Louis V, was elected to throne and died in 996, marking the beginning of the Capetian dynasty. 52. My parent was a butcher in Paris - the legend of Hugo Capet. 54-55. The last of the tribe of lords put on grey. - Apparently, Dante confused the last Carolingian with the last Merovingian, Childeric III, who in 751 was deposed and tonsured a monk. 58. Diadem by a widow - that is, vacant after the death of the last Carolingian - Louis V. 61. Provencal pompous vein (dowry). - In 1246, Charles of Anjou (see note Ch., VII, 112-114) obtained wealthy Provence by marriage. 66. Ponty - county of Ponthieu. 67. Carl landed in Italy. - See note. Ch., VII, 112-114. 68. Stabbed Kurradin. - In 1268, the sixteen-year-old Conradin, the last Hohenstaufen, claimed his rights to the Sicilian throne, was defeated by Charles at Tagliacozzo (A., XXVIII, 18 and approx.) and beheaded in Naples in front of the king. 68-69. He returned Thomas to heaven - Thomas Aquinas (see note R., X, 82). It was believed that Charles of Anjou ordered him to be poisoned. 70-78. New Charles - Charles of Valois, nicknamed Landless (cf. Art. 76-78), brother of Philip IV. Boniface VIII (see note A., XIX, 52), plotting to subjugate Florence, where the White party was hostile to him, and to win back Sicily from Federigo II (see note Ch., VII, 119-120), invited Charles to Italy to help him in these enterprises. As a reward, he promised him the imperial crown. On November 1, 1301, Charles, invested with the title of "pacifier of Tuscany", entered Florence and here treacherously took the side of the Blacks, which led to the defeat and expulsion of the Whites, including Dante himself (see note R., XVII, 48 ). Then he undertook
unsuccessful campaign to Sicily, after which he returned to France (1302). Died 1325 79-80. A prisoner, taken at sea, sells his daughter. - Charles II of Anjou, King of Neapolitan (from 1285 to 1309), son of Charles I (see note Ch., VII, 112-114), during the life of his father was taken prisoner in
sea battle with the Aragonese fleet (1284). In 1305, he married his daughter to the old Azzo VIII d "Este, Marquis of Ferrara, receiving a generous monetary gift for her. 83. My blood is my offspring. 86-90. Christ is captured in his governor ... - When the conflict between Pope Boniface VIII and Philip IV, reflecting the struggle of ecclesiastical and secular power, reached its greatest tension, the envoy of the king Guillaume Nogare and the hostile Pope Sharra Colonna entered (September 7, 1303) with the royal banner ("lilies") in Alanya (now Anagni), where Boniface was, and subjected him to cruel insults. From the shock he experienced, he soon died. 92. The newest Pilate - Philip IV. take possession of his wealth. Their trial was accompanied by torture and executions at the stake and block (1307-1314). 97. My exclamation is "Mary!" (v. 19). 101-102. While the day lasts - we remember Mary and others the poor and the bountiful. dbe - that is, we proclaim examples of punished greed. 104-105. Pygmalion is the Tyrian king, Dido's brother (A., V, 61-62), who treacherously killed her husband Sycheus in order to take possession of his treasures (En., I, 340-368). 106-108. Midas is a Phrygian king who asked Bacchus for the gift of turning into gold everything he touches. Since the food and drink of the king also turned into gold, Bacchus took pity on him and ordered him to bathe in the streams of Pactol. The river then became gold-bearing, and Midas fell into a stupidity, and when, during the musical contest between Pan and Apollo, he gave preference to Pan, Apollo endowed him with donkey ears (Met., XI, 85-193). 109-111. Achan - according to the biblical legend, the warrior of Joshua, who stole part of the spoils of war and was stoned and burned along with his sons and daughters for this. 112. Sapphira and her husband - according to church legend, one of the first Christians, were stricken with death for their greed. 113. When Heliodorus, the messenger of the Syrian king Seleucus, entered the treasury of the Jerusalem temple in order to take the riches stored there for the royal treasury, a mysterious horseman trampled him with his horse, and two wonderful youths beat him with whips (Bible). 115. Killer of Polydor - see note. A., XXX, 13-21. 116-117. Cross is a Roman commander who accumulated enormous wealth and fell in the war against the Parthians (53 BC). When his head was brought to the Parthian king Orod, he ordered to pour molten gold into her mouth and said: "You were thirsty for gold, so drink it." 130-132. The island of Delos rushed over the waves until it gave shelter to Aatone, who gave birth to Apollo and Diana on it (the eyes of the sky are the Sun and the Moon). 136. "Gloria in excelsis" (lat.) - "Glory in the highest [God]" - according to the gospel story, the song of the angels that the shepherds heard (v. 140) on the night of the birth of Christ. 145. Ignorance. - Dante does not understand what this earthquake means and this song, which announced all the ledges of the mountain. CANTO TWENTY-ONE Fifth circle (end) 1-3. The natural thirst for knowledge is quenched only by the "living water" of truth, which the Samaritan woman asks for in the gospel legend. 10. So the spirit appeared here - the shadow of Publius Papinius Statius, a Roman poet of the 1st century. (born c. 45 - died c. 96), the author of The Thebaid (a poem about the campaign of the Seven against Thebes) and the unfinished Achilles. His collection Silva was unknown at the time of Dante. 25. The one that always pulls the yarn - parka Lachesis (Ch., XXV, 79), spinning the thread of human life. Klotb (v. 27) winds the tow on the spindle, Lachesis twists the thread, Atropos (A., XXXIII, 126) cuts it. 48. At the blocked gates - that is, at the gates of Purgatory. 50-51. The daughter of Fawmant is Irida, the messenger of the gods, mainly Juno, the personification of the rainbow. 52. Dry vapors, according to Aristotle, generate wind. 57. Earthquakes, according to Aristotle, are caused by subterranean winds. 62. To change the abode - that is, to ascend from Purgatory to Paradise. 83-84. Good Titus avenged... - Titus, the son and heir of Emperor Vespasian, destroyed Jerusalem in 70 (see note R., VI, 88-93). 86. The strongest and most glorious of names - that is, the name of the poet. 89. Tolosatom - that is, a native of Tolosa (now Toulouse) in Gaul. In fact, Statius was born in Naples, but in the Middle Ages he was confused with the Tolosan rhetorician Lucius Statius Ursulus. 93. But under the second burden I fell down. - Statius died before completing his second poem, the Achilles. 101. In exile - that is, in Purgatory. 102. At least the sun - that is, at least a year. CANTO TWENTY-TWO Ascent to the sixth circle. - Round six. - Gluttons 6. "Sitiunt" (lat.) - "thirst". 14. Juvenal - Roman satirist poet (born in the 60s - died after 127), a contemporary of Statius and his admirer. 23. Avarice. - Virgil heard from Adrian V (Ch., XIX, 115-126) that in the fifth circle, where Statius was (Ch., XXI, 67-68), souls are cleansed from the sin of covetousness. 40-41. Treasured hunger for gold... - In the original, these two verses represent a translation of a quotation from Virgil (En., III, 56-57), meaning: "What do you not impel mortal breasts (hearts), accursed hunger for gold! " But Dante, apparently, misunderstood this place, namely: "Why do not you direct, sacred (that is, virtuous, moderate) hunger for gold, lust for mortals!" In the Russian translation, an attempt was made to convey Dante's couplet in this way, so that it admits both meanings ("Treasured" can mean both "forbidden" and "sacred"; and "To what you do not direct" can mean: 1) "To what you do not lead" or 2) "Why do not you instruct on the true path.") 42. With a fight, I would move loads into darkness - the punishment of misers and spenders in Hell (A., VII, 25-35). 46. How many shorn ones will be resurrected. - See A., VII, 56 -57. 55-56. Terrible battles of the double sorrow of Jocasta sang. - That is, he sang in his Thebaid the fratricidal enmity of Eteocles and Polynices (A., XXVI, 54), the sons of Jocasta and Oedipus. 57. Singing peaceful villages - Virgil, author of the Bucolic 58. Clio is the muse of history, to whose help Statius appeals in his Thebaid 63. For the fisherman - that is, for the Apostle Peter, a former fisherman. 65 To Parnassus - the mountain of Apollo and the Muses, where the Castal spring flows, giving inspiration. 70-72. "A century of renewal awaits ..." - Statius quotes the famous verses from the fourth eclogue of Virgil's "Bucolik", written, probably on the occasion of the birth of a son from Asinius Pollio. In this eclogue, the Middle Ages saw a prophecy about the coming of Christ. There were legends that she converted many pagans to Christianity. Dante also includes Statius among such converts. 83. Domitian - Roman emperor (from 81 to 96). 88-89. And, without bringing the Greek squads - that is: "Before I finished The Thebaid." 97-98. Terentius and Caecilius - Roman comedians of the 2nd century BC, Plautus - Roman comedians of the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. BC, Varius - Roman poet of the 1st century BC, friend of Virgil 100. Persius - Roman satirist poet of the 1st century 101. Greek - that is, Homer 104-105. About the mountain - Parnassus, where the Muses live 106-107. Antiphon, Euripides, Agathon - ancient Greek tragedians; Simonides - lyricist. 109-114. There of you sung ... - Virgil names the heroines of the Statius poems. Antigone - daughter of Oedipus and Jocasta, sister of Eteocles and Polynices (See note 55-56) Areeia is the wife of Polynices Deifila (or Deipyla) is the wife of Tydeus (see note A., XXXII, 130-131) and the mother of Diomedes (A., XXVI, 56 and note. ) Yemena - Antigone's sister. Daughter of Tiresias (A., XX, 40) - Manto. Since Statius does not mention other daughters of Tiresias, here Dante conflicts with himself, because in "Hell" (A., XX , 55) he places Manto not in Limbo, but in the den of soothsayers. Thetis is a Nereid, the mother of Achilles. Deidamia with her sisters are the daughters of Tsar Lykomed (see note A., XXVI, 61-62). Langia opened to the kings ("Thebaid", IV, 716-V, 753) - Gipsipyla (see note A., XVIII, 83-96). Sold to the Nemean king Lycurgus, she nursed his son Ofelt. Once, undertaking to lead seven kings who had taken up arms against Thebes to the source of Langia, she left Ofelt in the forest, and he died. Lycurgus wanted to kill Hypsipyle, but at that moment her sons, who arrived from Lemnos, recognized her and threw themselves into her arms (Ch., XXVI, 94-95). 118-120. The four servants of the day, that is, the first four hours (cf. Ch. XII, 80-81), have fulfilled their term, and already the fifth (eleventh hour after midnight) is standing over the tongue of the solar chariot, whose “burning horn” rises higher and higher. 141. "You are forbidden this blessing!" - These words are addressed to the souls of gluttons. 142-144. At the marriage in Cana of Galilee, taking care of the wine, Mary took care of the guests, and not of herself (cf. Ch., XIII, 29). SONG TWENTY-THREE Sixth round (continued) 11. "Labia mea, Domine" (lat.) - "My mouth, Lord [open ...]". 25-27. Erysichthon cut down the oak of Ceres, for which the goddess sent him such an insatiable hunger that, having sold everything for food, even his own daughter, he began to eat his own body (Met., VIII, 739-878). 28-30. Here are those ... - Dante compares emaciated sinners with hungry Jews in the days of the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans (70), when the Jewess Mariam ate her infant (Joseph Flavius, "Jewish War", VI, 3). 32-33. Who is looking for "omo" ... - It was believed that in the features of a human face one can read "Homo Dei" ("Man of God"), with the eyes depicting two "O", and the eyebrows and nose - the letter M. 48. Forese Donati - Florentine, brother of Corso (see note Ch., XXIV, 82-90) and Piccardy Donati (Ch. XXIV, 10; 13-15; R., Ill, 34-108; note R., Ill, 49) , a friend of Dante and a relative of his wife Gemma Donati. He died in 1296. 73. After all, the same will - that is, the will to suffer. 74. "Or!" - in Hebrew: "My God!" 84. Where they pay time for time - that is, in the Prepurgatory, among the negligent (see Ch., IV, 128-132). 87. To my Nella - widow Forese. 94. Sardinian Barbagia - a mountainous region in Sardinia, inhabited by immigrants from Africa. According to old commentators, the local women went bare-breasted or even completely naked - because of the heat and licentiousness. 96. Before that Barbagia ... - that is, before Florence. 121. The sister of that one is the sister of the Sun, that is, the Moon (cf. A., XX, 127). CANTO TWENTY-FOUR Sixth circle (end) 10. Piccarda is the sister of Forese (see note Ch., XXIII, 48). 15. On the heights of Olympus - that is, in Paradise (R., III, 34-108). 19. Bonajunta Orbicchani - Lucca poet, representative of the Sicilian school (see note 52-54), who died c. 1300 21. Embroidered
dark color - that is, covered with shells. 22-24. The holy church was called his wife by the "husband of the church", Pope Martin IV (from 1281 to 1285), a Frenchman by birth. 28. Pila Ubaldin - Ubaldino degli Ubaldini, owner of Pila castle. 29-30. Boniface Fieschi - Archbishop of Ravenna from 1274 to 1295, he not only satiated his spiritual flock with moral food, but his entourage - with dainty dishes. 31. Messer Marchese degli Argogliosi was from Forlì. 37-48. The exile Dante lived at one time in Lucca (in 1308 or 1315). Gentukka is identified with Gentukka Morla, who married Bonaccorso Fondor. 38. I felt there - that is, on the lips of Bonajunta. 43. Still without a veil - that is, not married. 52-54. When I breathe love ... - In this tercene, Dante formulates the psychological basis of both his poetics and, in general, the "new captivating mode", or "sweet new style", "doice stil nuovo" (v. 57), which replaced the dominant before him, the currents: the Sicilian school, which imitated the Provencal models, and the so-called "learned" school. 56. Gwitton - Gwittone d "Arezzo (Ch.,. XXVI, 124-126), head of the "scientific" school, died in 1294. Notary Jacopo da Lentino, poet of the Sicilian school, notary of the court of Frederick II (see A. , X, 119, etc.), died about 1250. 59. Your feathers are representatives of the "doice stil nuovo": Dante, Guido Cavalcanti, Lapo Gianni, Dino Frescobaldi, etc. 65. Birds wintering along the Nile - that is, 79. The land given to me to dwell in is Florence 82-90. The instigator of all troubles is Corso Donati, brother Forese. He was the head of the Blacks and led the pogrom of the Whites in the winter of 1301 (see note R., XVII, 48 ) In 1308, accused of treason, he fled, but was captured. On the way to Florence, he deliberately fell off his horse and was killed. Dante gives the whole picture an allegorical meaning: Corso, as a traitor and murderer, is tied to the tail of a horse 115. The offspring of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Ch., XXXII, 37-39), which grows on high (v. 116), that is, in the Earthly Paradise. 121-123. Sons of Nephele , "two-bodied" centaurs, drunk on weddings e Pirithous, they wanted to kidnap the women, but Theseus and his comrades overcame them (Met., XII, 210-535). 124-126. Gideon, speaking out against the Midianites, sent away, as worthless, those warriors who, having come to the water, drank "freely", kneeling (Bible). CANTO TWENTY-FIVE Ascension to the seventh circle. - Round seven. - Voluptuous 2-3. Meaning: "In the southern hemisphere it was two o'clock in the afternoon, and in the northern hemisphere it was two in the afternoon." 22. Meleager is the son of the Calydonian king Oineus and Alfea. At his birth, the parkas put a log into the fire, predicting that Meleager would live no longer than he did. Alfea put it out and hid it. When Meleager killed his mother's brothers, she, avenging them, threw a brand into the fire, and Meleager died (Met., VIII, 270-545). With this example, Virgil wants to explain that souls can wither for no apparent reason. 25-26. Just as your mirrors echo every movement, so the shell of souls reflects their inner state. 31-108. I expound the eternal system ... - Statius expounds, closely following Thomas Aquinas (see note R., X, 82), the doctrine of the uterine life of a person, the origin of the rational soul and its posthumous existence in an incorporeal shell. 48. In the highest place - in the heart. 63-66. Wise than you ... - Averroes, an Arab philosopher of the XII century. (A., IV, 144). "Possible reason" is a scholastic term for cognitive ability. 79. Lachesis - see note. Ch., XXI, 25. 86. To one of the banks - to the mouth of the Tiber or to the bank of Acheron (see note. Ch., II, 94-105). 91-96. Here Dante disagrees with Thomas Aquinas, who argued that the soul, after leaving the body, becomes completely incorporeal. 121. "Summae Deus clementiae" (lat.) - "God of the highest mercy" - the initial words of the prayer for the sending down of spiritual and bodily purity. 127. "Virum non cognosco!" (lat.) - "I don't know my husband!" - the words of the Virgin Mary. 131. Shame on Gelika. - Diana expelled from her forest the nymph Gelika (Callisto), dishonored by Jupiter. Jealous Juno turned Helika into a bear, but Jupiter took her to heaven with her son Arkad, in the form of constellations
Ursa Major and Bootes (Met., II, 401-530) (cf. R., XXXI, 32-33). CANTO TWENTY-SIX The seventh circle (continued) 16. Reverence - to Virgil and to Statius, going in front. 18. Longs to hear the answer and burns in a cleansing flame. 24. One of the souls - Guido Guinicelli (see Art. 74 and 91). 40. Gomorrah and Sodom - according to biblical legend, cities burned by God for the unnatural debauchery of their inhabitants. 41. Pasiphae - see note. A., XII, 12-13. 44. One to the sands - Africa, the other to the Riphean - to the northern mountains. 59. There is a wife - the virgin Mary (see A., II, 94-99). 77-78. Caesar sinned with sodomy with the king of Bithynia, Nicomedes, which earned him the nickname "queen" and ridicule during the Gallic triumph. 82-87. Our sin, on the contrary, was a hermaphrodite - that is: "It was love of two sexes, but unrestrained like a bestial. Therefore," to our shame, "we commemorate Pasiphae." 91. Guido Guinicelli of Bologna, poet of the "learned" school, the closest predecessor of the "doice stil nuovo" (see note Ch., XXIV, 52-54). 94-99. Just as the sons rushed to their mother Hypsipile (see note Ch., XXII, 109-114), so Dante would have rushed to embrace Guido Guinicelli. 106. From your confession. - See Art. 55-60. 109. This oath - see Art. 103-105. 113. While what is now new will last - that is, poetry in Italian, which arose in the first half of the 13th century. 115. Here is the Provencal poet Arnaut (Arnald) Daniel (Art. 142), who died c. 1200 118. In tales - that is, in narrative poems. 120. Limousin - Provencal poet Girautde Bornel (late XII-early XIII century), a native of the Limousin region. 124. Gwitton - that is, Gwittone d "Arezzo (see note Ch., XXIV, 56). 140-147. Arnald answers in Provencal. CANTO TWENTY-SEVENTH Circle of the seventh (end). - Ascent to the Earthly Paradise 1-5 Night was approaching on the Mount of Purgatory, and the sun was setting, preparing to "strike the first rays into those countries" where Jerusalem is located. At this hour in Spain, where the Ebro flows, the celestial meridian is occupied by the constellation Libra, and there is midnight, and above the waves Ganga - noon (see notes Ch., II, 1-3; 4-6) 7. "Beati mundo corde!" (lat.) - "Blessed are the pure in heart!" 37-39. The young man Piram, thinking, 59 "Venite, benedicti Patris mei!" (lat.) - "Come, blessed of my father!" 95. Cythera - Venus. 97-108. Leah, a symbol of active life, is the prototype of Matelda, whom Dante will meet in the Earthly Paradise. Rachel, the symbol of the contemplative life, is the prototype of Beatrice. 115. That sweet fruit - that is, the true, highest good. 142. Miter and crown. - Dante is invested with complete power over himself. (The imperial crown consisted of a miter surrounded by a crown.) CANTO TWENTY-EIGHT An earthly Paradise. - Matelda 2. The Lord's forest - that is, the Earthly Paradise. 20. Over the seaside of Chiassi, filling the forest - a pine forest (Pineta) on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, south of Ravenna. This area is called Chiassi, or Classe (from Latin classis - fleet), because during the time of Imperial Rome, the seaport (Portus Classis) of Ravenna was located here. Subsequently, the sea receded to the east. 21. Aeolus is the king of the winds, keeping them chained in a cave and releasing them at will. Sirocco - southeast wind. 25. Flow - Lethe (see vv. 121-133). 40. A woman appeared. - From the lips of Beatrice (Ch., XXXIII, 119) we learn her name: Matelda. 49-51. Proserpina (see note A., IX, 38-48), the daughter of Jupiter and Ceres, was kidnapped by the god of the underworld Pluto at the moment when she was picking flowers in the meadow (Metam., V, 385-401). b5-66. Venus, wounded unexpectedly by a filial hand. - Venus was inflamed with love for Adonis when her son Cupid accidentally hit her chest with an arrow (Met., X, 525-532). 71-72. Hellespont... - Xerxes, building bridges, crossed the Hellespont with a myriad army and invaded Greece (in 480 BC). Having been defeated, he swam it back in a fishing boat, fleeing. 73-74. Leander, the hero of Greek legend, who lived in Abydos, on the Asian coast of the Hellespont, crossed the strait at night to meet Hero, who lived in Sesta, on the European coast. humanity. 81. "Delectasti" (lat.) - "You gladdened [me, Lord, with your creation ...]". Matelda explains that she rejoices in the beauty of the Earthly Paradise. 82. You, in front... - Dante stands closer to Matelda than Virgil and Statius accompanying him (v. 145-147). 85-87. Dante, remembering what Statius said (Ch., XXI, 46-54), is surprised to meet water and wind in the Earthly Paradise. 97-108. According to Aristotelian physics, atmospheric precipitation is generated by "wet vapors", and wind is generated by "dry vapors". Matelda explains that only below the level of the gates of Purgatory are there such disturbances, generated by steam, which "follows the heat", that is, under the influence of the sun's heat, rises from the water and from the earth. At the height of the Earthly Paradise, there are no more erratic winds. Here, only the uniform circulation of the earth's atmosphere from east to west (cf. vv. 7-12) is felt, caused by the rotation of the first firmament, that is, the ninth heaven, or the First Mover, which sets in motion the eight heavens closed in it. 121-133. The stream flowing in the Earthly Paradise is divided into two. Lethe flows to the left (v. 27), destroying the memory of committed sins; to the right - Evnoya ("good memory"), resurrecting in a person the memory of all his good deeds. 141. In Parnassian dreams - that is, in poetic dreams. 41. Urania with a choir - that is, with the rest of the muses. Urania (celestial) is the muse of celestial science (astronomy). Dante invokes her because his subject is especially exalted. 43-154. Away, beyond the distorting expanse... - From here, until the end of the song, there follows a description of the procession of the triumphant church, going towards the repentant sinner. 50. Lamps. - The procession opens with seven lamps, which, according to the Apocalypse (ch. 4, 5), "are the seven spirits of God." 78. The bow of the sun or the baldric of the moon - the colors of the rainbow (the bow of Apollo) or the lunar ring (the baldric of Diana). 82-83. Twelve four venerable elders - twenty-four books of the Old Testament. 92. Four beasts - four Gospels. 96. Argus - see note. Ch., XXXII, 65. 100-105. Read Ezekiel... - The book of Ezekiel (Bible) and the Apocalypse of John describe fantastic beasts dotted with eyes. In the first case, they are four-winged, and in the second, they are six-winged, as in Dante, which is stipulated in Art. 104-105. 107. Victory wagon - a chariot symbolizing the Christian church. 108. Griffin (a lion with eagle wings and an eagle's head) is a symbol of the God-man, Christ. 116. Scipio Africanus, the winner of Hannibal. 117-120. The departure of the Sun itself ... - See note. A., XVII, 106-108. 121-129. Three women at the right wheel - three "theological" virtues: scarlet - Love, green - Hope, white - Faith. 130-132. Four women at the left wheel - four "basic" ("natural") virtues (see note Ch., I, 23-27). Of these, Wisdom has three eyes, with which she looks at the past, present and future. 133-141. Two elders. - One personifies the "Acts of the Apostles", attributed to the Apostle Luke, who, according to legend, was a doctor and therefore dressed like a pet of Hippocrates (A., IV, 143). The other is the "Epistle of the Apostle Paul", which was considered an attribute of the sword. 142. Humble four - "Epistle" of the apostles James, Peter, John and Jude. 143-144. Lonely old man - Apocalypse. 154. Behind the banners - that is, behind the seven candlesticks. CANTO TWENTY-NINE Earthly Paradise. - Mystical procession 3. "Beati, auorum tecta sunt peccata!" (lat.) - "Blessed are those whose sins are covered!" 27. She did not want to endure the cover - the cover of ignorance. 28-30. If Eve had not violated the ban, mankind would have lived in the Earthly Paradise and Dante from birth to death would have tasted the bliss that has now been revealed to him. 37. A host of sacred virgins - muses. 40. Helikon - the mountain of muses, where the keys of Hippocrene and Aganippus flow, inspiring poets. CANTO THIRTY Earthly Paradise. - Appearance of Beatrice 1-7. Meaning: “When the upper seven stars of the heavens (seven lamps descended from the tenth heaven, eclipsed only by spiritual darkness, the consequence of sin), indicating to all participants in the procession what they should do, just as the lower seven stars of the eighth heaven (Ursa Minor with its Polar Star) indicate movement to the shipbuilder, stopped ... " 11. "Veni, sponsti, de Libano, uepg!" (lat.) - "Go, bride, from Lebanon, go!" 17. Ad vocem tanti senis (lat.) - with the voice of such a great old man. 17-18. One hundred ... messengers and servants - many angels. 19. Benedictus qm venis! (lat.) - "Blessed is the one who comes!" 21. "Manibus o date lilia plenis!" (lat.) - slightly modified words of Virgil (En., VI, 883): "Give me handfuls of lilies!" . 32. A woman appeared - Beatrice. 53. Washed with dew - at the foot of Purgatory (Ch., I, 121-129). 68. Minervine foliage—that is, olive branches (v. 31). 74. How deigned you to come up here. - An ironic appeal to the once proud philosopher, who tried to comprehend everything with his mind. 83-84. "In te, Domine, speram" (lat.) - "In you, Lord, I trust." 89. The earth, where the shadows perish, barely dies - that is, the wind from Africa barely blows, where the shadow disappears at noon. 92-93. Until the song of those - that is, until the angels sang. 115. In a new life - that is, in his youth, about which he wrote in a book entitled "New Life". 124-125. Between the first and second of the ages - that is, twenty-five years of age. 126. Having left me, he went to others - that is, he was unfaithful to Beatrice both as a woman and as heavenly wisdom, looking for answers to all his questions in human wisdom. 134. And in reality - that is, in the visions about which Dante tells in the "New Life" (XXXIX; XLII). CANTO THIRTY-ONE Earthly Paradise - Summer 3. The blade - that is
indirect speech about Dante (Ch., XXX, 103-145). 11. The memory of the years of sadness - that is, the delusions of Dante. 12. Wave - that is, the waters of Lethe. 23-24. About the good sought above all others - that is, about God. 41-42. The whetstone rotates towards the blade, dulling the sword of justice. 72. In Yarbina country - that is, in Africa, where Yarba reigned (En., IV, 196). 77. The firstborn of creation - that is, angels. 81. On the Beast, who merged two incarnations - that is, on the Griffin (see note Ch., XXIX, 108). 83. She conquered her former self - that is, she surpassed her beauty. 92. Weaving a wreath - that is, Matelda (Ch., XXVIII, 68). 98. "Asperges me" (lat.) - in the words of the psalm: "Sprinkle me." 102. I had to take a sip of the water of foundry, which bestows the forgetfulness of sins. 104. Between the four beauties - see Ch., XXIX, 130-132 and approx. 106. We are the stars in the darkness of heights. - See note. Ch., I, 23-27. 107-108. The face of Beatrice was not revealed to the world. - That is, the heavenly revelation was not yet revealed to the world, when the four basic virtues were sent down to people in order to prepare them for its perception. 111. Among those three, whose gaze is sharper - that is, among the three "theological" virtues. 123. Now suddenly in one, then suddenly in another guise. - In the eyes of Beatrice, the Griffin is reflected either as a lion (human), or as an eagle (deity). 137-138. The second beauty of Beatrice is her mouth. The first is her eyes, which Dante has already seen (vv. 115-123). CANTO THIRTY-TWO An Earthly Paradise. - The tree of knowledge 2. Ten year thirst - to see Beatrice, who died ten years before 1300. 8. From the lips of the goddesses - that is, the three "theological" virtues. 17-18. The holy army went on the paths of return. - That is, the mystical procession turned back to the east (see Ch., XXIX, 12). 37-39. Tree. - This is the biblical "tree of the knowledge of good and evil", from the forbidden fruits of which Eve and Adam ate. Dante turns it into a symbol of the empire. 44. Do not hurt with a beak - do not encroach on the prerogatives of secular power. 49-51. The griffin turns to the chariot (church), draws it to the orphan, that is, the bare tree (empire) and one of its branches connects its drawbar (cross) with it. 52-54. When a stream of great light (that is, solar) is mixed with the rays of Aries, which connects with the sun after the dace of heaven (the constellation of Pisces), - in other words: in the spring. 65. Tale of Syringa. - Mercury put to sleep the story of the nymph Syringa and then beheaded the hundred-eyed Argus, who, by order of Juno, vigilantly guarded Io, the beloved of Jupiter (Met., I, 568-747). 72. And the exclamation - the exclamation of Matelda (see v. 83-84). 73-81. Meaning: "As - in the gospel legend - struck by the transfiguration of Christ (the sacred apple tree), the apostles Peter, John and Jacob fell on their faces and, waking up from his voice, which destroyed even the sleep of the dead, saw that their teacher was wearing the same clothes and that those who talked with them Moses and Elijah..." 89. They rise high - ascend to heaven. 98. Seven nymphs - seven virtues, who took lamps in their hands. 99. Austrian -
South wind ; Aquilon - northern. 103-105. Beatrice instructs the poet to describe everything that he will now see. Before Dante appear in allegorical images the past, present and future destinies of the Roman Church 109-117. The eagle (bird Diya), rushing to the chariot from the top of the tree, which it harms at the same time, personifies the pagan Roman emperors who persecuted the Christian church to the detriment - according to Dante - of the empire itself. 118-123. Fox - symbolizes the heresies of the first centuries of Christianity. 124-126 Again the eagle descends to the chariot and showers it with its feathers. - These are the riches with which the Christian emperors endowed the church, and mainly - the "gift of Constantine" (see note A., XIX, 115-117) 130-141. The dragon (devil) tore off part of its bottom from the chariot - the spirit of humility and poverty. Then she instantly dressed herself in feathers, overgrown with riches. 142-147. The feathered chariot turns into an apocalyptic beast (see note A., XIX, 106-110). 149-153. The impudent harlot - the papacy, with the eyes of a roar, seeks out friends for herself. Next to her stands a jealous giant - King Philip IV of France, who sometimes got along with Boniface VIII, but ended up inflicting a cruel insult on him in Anagni (see note Ch., XX, 86-90). 154-160. An allusion to the transfer of the papal throne from Rome to Avignon, under Clement V, in 1309 (see note A., XIX, 79-84). SONG THIRTY-THREE Earthly Paradise - Evnoya 1. "Deus, venerunt gentes" (lat.) - "God, the pagans have come." 10-12. "Modicum, et non vtdetntis me; et iterum modicum, et vos vzdelntis me" (lat.) - "Soon you will not see me, and soon you will see me again." With these words (a quote from the Gospel), Beatrice expresses confidence that the chariot stolen by the giant will be returned and will take on its former appearance. 13. I precede the week - that is, the seven virtues that carry lamps. 14. To me, a woman and a sage - Dante, Matelda and Statius. 34. A vessel torn down by a snake - that is, a chariot of the church, from which the dragon tore off part of the bottom (Ch., XXXII, 130-135). 35. Was and did not become - the monstrously distorted church ceased to be itself (cf. R., XXVII, 22-27). 36. Wine and bread will not save a villain. - In Italy, there was a custom according to which the relatives of the murdered person lost the right to blood feud if the murderer or his relative came to the grave of the victim for nine days in a row and ate bread soaked in wine there. Beatrice wants to say: "Nothing will protect the villain from God's judgment." 43. Five hundred and fifteen is a mysterious designation of the coming savior of the church and restorer of the empire, who will destroy the thief (the harlot of song XXXII, who has taken someone else's place) and the giant (the French king). The number DXV forms, when the signs are rearranged, the word DVX (leader), and the oldest commentators interpret it this way. 47 - 51. Sphinga (Sphinx) - in ancient myth - a winged monster with a female face that lived near Thebes and killed everyone who could not solve its riddle. When Oedipus (Laiad) figured it out, Sphinga threw herself off a cliff and fell to her death. Revenging for her death, the soothsayer Themis sent a predatory beast to Thebes, which destroyed fields and herds (Metam., VII, 759-765). In the old lists of the Metamorphoses, instead of Laiades, Naiades was read, and Dante attributed the solution to the riddle to the Naiads. The meaning of Art. 49-51: "Events will show who the 'Five Hundred and Fifteen' are, but the solution of this difficult riddle will lead not to disaster, but to peace." 57. Twice - by Adam, who ate of its fruits, and by the giant, who unleashed the chariot from him. 62. The first soul is Adam. 68. As in the jet of Elsa. - Items dipped into the lime water of the Elsa (a tributary of the Arno) are covered with a hard shell. 69. Do not be their charm - like Pyramus for mulberries. - That is, if the charm of vain thoughts had not clouded Dante's consciousness, just as Pyramus dyed the white berries of a mulberry tree dark with his blood (see note Ch., XXVII, 37-39). 78. Like a wand... - Beatrice wants Dante, returning to the people, to convey her words to them, without even delving into their meaning, but simply keeping them in his memory; so the pilgrim returns from Palestine with a palm branch tied to a staff. 85. What kind of school - the school of poets and philosophers. 90. Up to the sky rushing all the faster - that is, up to the Prime Mover (see R., XXVIII). 98-99. Meaning: "Your oblivion itself proves that you were guilty when you followed a false school and directed your will not towards me, but past. If it were not a sin, Summer would not have washed away this memory." 112-114. They spread there... - Spreading from the same source, Leta and Evnoi remind the poet of the Tigris and Euphrates, which medieval geography considered flowing from a common source. 118. To which they said so. - That is, said Beatrice. 119. Matelda. - Here, for the first time, a beautiful woman who met the poet in the Earthly Paradise is named. 121. And about this. - See Ch., XXVIII, 121-133. 129. Faded strength - that is, the strength of the memory of the good deeds he has done (see note Ch., XXVIII, 121-133). 139. The account is set from the beginning. - In the construction of the "Divine Comedy" Dante observes strict symmetry. Each of its three parts (cantik) contains 33 songs; "Hell" contains, in addition, one more song, which serves as an introduction to the whole poem. The volume of each of the hundred songs is approximately the same. 142. I walked back - to Beatrice. 145. Luminaries - see note. A., XXXIV, 139.
The action of the Divine Comedy begins from the moment when lyrical hero(or Dante himself), shocked by the death of his beloved Beatrice, tries to survive his grief, setting it out in verse, in order to fix it as concretely as possible and thereby preserve the unique image of his beloved. But here it turns out that her immaculate personality is already immune to death and oblivion. She becomes a guide, the savior of the poet from inevitable death.
Beatrice, with the help of Virgil, the ancient Roman poet, accompanies the living lyrical hero - Dante - bypassing all the horrors of Hell, making an almost sacred journey from existence to non-existence, when the poet, just like the mythological Orpheus, descends into the underworld to save his Eurydice. “Abandon all hope” is written on the gates of Hell, but Virgil advises Dante to get rid of fear and trembling before the unknown, because only with open eyes man is able to comprehend the source of evil.
Hell Dante. Start
Sandro Botticelli "Portrait of Dante". (wikimedia.org)
Hell for Dante is not a materialized place, but the state of the soul of a sinning person, constantly tormented by remorse. Dante inhabited the circles of Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, guided by his likes and dislikes, his ideals and ideas. For him, for his friends, love was the highest expression of the independence and unpredictability of the freedom of the human person: it is freedom from traditions and dogmas, and freedom from the authorities of the Church Fathers, and freedom from various universal models of human existence.
Love comes to the fore capital letter, directed not to a realistic (in the medieval sense) absorption of individuality by a ruthless collective integrity, but to a unique image of a truly existing Beatrice. For Dante, Beatrice is the embodiment of the entire universe in the most concrete and colorful way. And what could be more attractive for a poet than the figure of a young Florentine, accidentally met on a narrow street ancient city? So Dante realizes the synthesis of thought and concrete, artistic, emotional comprehension of the world. In the first song of "Paradise", Dante listens to the concept of reality from the lips of Beatrice and cannot take his eyes off her emerald eyes. This scene is the embodiment of deep ideological and psychological shifts, when artistic comprehension of reality tends to become intellectual.
Illustration for The Divine Comedy, 1827. (wikimedia.org)
The afterlife appears before the reader in the form of an integral building, the architecture of which is calculated in the smallest details, and the coordinates of space and time are distinguished by mathematical and astronomical accuracy, full of numerological and esoteric context.
Most often in the text of a comedy there is the number three and its derivative - nine: a three-line stanza (tertsina), which became the poetic basis of the work, which in turn is divided into three parts - canticles. Excluding the first, introductory song, 33 songs are allotted for the image of Hell, Purgatory and Paradise, and each of the parts of the text ends with the same word - stars (stelle). To the same mystical digital series can be attributed the three colors of clothes in which Beatrice is clothed, three symbolic beasts, the three mouths of Lucifer and the same number of sinners devoured by him, the tripartite distribution of Hell with nine circles. All this clearly built system gives rise to a surprisingly harmonious and coherent hierarchy of the world, created according to unwritten divine laws.
Speaking of Dante and his Divine Comedy, one cannot fail to note the special status that the birthplace of the great poet, Florence, had in the host of other cities of the Apennine Peninsula. Florence is not only the city where the Accademia del Cimento raised the banner of experimental knowledge of the world. It is a place where nature has been looked at as closely as anywhere else, a place of passionate artistic sensationalism, where rational vision has replaced religion. They looked at the world through the eyes of an artist, with spiritual upliftment, with the worship of beauty.
The initial collection of ancient manuscripts reflected the transfer of the center of gravity of intellectual interests to the structure of the inner world and the creativity of the person himself. Space ceased to be the dwelling place of God, and they began to treat nature from the point of view of earthly existence, in it they looked for answers to questions understandable to man, and took them in earthly, applied mechanics. A new way of thinking - natural philosophy - humanized nature itself.
Hell Dante. Topography
The topography of Dante's Hell and the structure of Purgatory and Paradise stem from the recognition of fidelity and courage the highest virtues: traitors are in the center of Hell, in the teeth of Satan, and the distribution of places in Purgatory and Paradise directly corresponds to the moral ideals of the Florentine exile.
By the way, everything that we know about Dante's life is known to us from his own memoirs, set out in the Divine Comedy. He was born in 1265 in Florence and remained faithful to his native city all his life. Dante wrote about his teacher Brunetto Latini and about his talented friend Guido Cavalcanti. The life of the great poet and philosopher took place in the circumstances of a very long conflict between the emperor and the Pope. Latini, Dante's mentor, was a man with encyclopedic knowledge and based his views on the sayings of Cicero, Seneca, Aristotle and, of course, on the Bible - the main book of the Middle Ages. It was Latini who most of all influenced the formation of the personality of Bud current Renaissance humanist.
Dante's path was full of obstacles when the poet faced the need for a difficult choice: for example, he was forced to contribute to the expulsion of his friend Guido from Florence. Reflecting on the theme of the vicissitudes of his fate, Dante in the poem " New life» many fragments are dedicated to a friend of Cavalcanti. Here Dante brought out the unforgettable image of his first youthful love - Beatrice. Biographers identify Dante's beloved with Beatrice Portinari, who died at the age of 25 in Florence in 1290. Dante and Beatrice have become the same textbook embodiment of true lovers, like Petrarch and Laura, Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet.
In 1295, Dante entered the guild, membership in which opened the way for him into politics. Just at that time, the struggle between the emperor and the Pope escalated, so that Florence was divided into two opposing groups - the "black" Guelphs, led by Corso Donati, and the "white" Guelphs, to whose camp Dante himself belonged. The "Whites" won and drove the opponents out of the city. In 1300, Dante was elected to the city council - it was here that the brilliant oratorical abilities of the poet were fully manifested.
Dante increasingly began to oppose himself to the Pope, participating in various anti-clerical coalitions. By that time, the “blacks” had stepped up their activities, broke into the city and dealt with their political opponents. Dante was called several times to testify to the city council, but each time he ignored these requirements, so on March 10, 1302, Dante and 14 other members of the "white" party were sentenced in absentia to death penalty. To save himself, the poet was forced to leave native city. Disillusioned with the possibility of changing the political state of affairs, he began to write the work of his life - the Divine Comedy.
Sandro Botticelli "Hell, Canto XVIII" (wikimedia.org)
In the 14th century, in the Divine Comedy, the truth that was revealed to the poet who visited Hell, Purgatory and Paradise is no longer canonical, it appears to him as a result of his own, individual efforts, his emotional and intellectual impulse, he hears the truth from the lips of Beatrice . For Dante, the idea is the “thought of God”: “Everything that dies and everything that does not die is / Only a reflection of the Thought, to which the Almighty / with His Love gives life.”
Dante's path of love is the path of perception of divine light, a force that simultaneously elevates and destroys a person. In The Divine Comedy, Dante made special emphasis on the color symbolism of the Universe he depicted. If Hell is characterized by dark tones, then the path from Hell to Paradise is a transition from dark and gloomy to light and shining, while in Purgatory there is a change in lighting. For the three steps at the gates of Purgatory, symbolic colors stand out: white - the innocence of a baby, crimson - the sinfulness of an earthly being, red - redemption, the blood of which whitens so that, closing this color range, white reappears as a harmonic combination of previous symbols.
In November 1308, Henry VII becomes King of Germany, and in July 1309, the new Pope Clement V declares him King of Italy and invites him to Rome, where the new Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire is crowned magnificently. Dante, who was an ally of Henry, returned to politics again, where he was able to use his literary experience productively, writing many pamphlets and speaking publicly. In 1316, Dante finally moved to Ravenna, where he was invited to spend the rest of his days by the signor of the city, philanthropist and patron of the arts, Guido da Polenta.
In the summer of 1321, Dante, as ambassador of Ravenna, went to Venice on a mission to make peace with the Doge's Republic. Having completed a responsible assignment, on the way home, Dante falls ill with malaria (like his late friend Guido) and suddenly dies on the night of September 13-14, 1321.
The Mystery of Time: When Dante's Famous Journey Began
Your journey to afterworld Dante dated the year 1300. This is evidenced by several clues left by the poet in the text. Let's start with the obvious: the first line of the Divine Comedy - "Crossing the border of mature years ..." - means that the author is 35 years old.
Dante believed that a human life lasts only 70 years, as it is written in the 89th psalm ("The days of our years are seventy years, and with a large fortress - eighty years"), and it was important for the poet to indicate that half of his life path he passed. And since he was born in 1265, it is easy to calculate the year of travel to Hell.
The exact month of this campaign is suggested to researchers by astronomical data scattered throughout the poem. So, already in the first song we learn about "constellations with uneven meek light." This is the constellation "Aries", in which the sun is in the spring. Further clarifications give every reason to assert that the lyrical hero falls into the "dark forest" on the night from Good Thursday to Friday (from April 7 to 8) in 1300. On the evening of Good Friday, he descends into Hell.
Mystery of the Popadants: Pagan Gods, Heroes and Monsters in Christian Hell
In the underworld, Dante often meets mythological creatures: in Limbo, Charon is the mediator and carrier, the guardian of the second circle is the legendary King Minos, the gluttons in the third circle are guarded by Cerberus, the miserly are Plutos, and the angry and despondent are Phlegius, the son of Ares. Elektra, Hector and Aeneas, Helen the Beautiful, Achilles and Paris are tormented in different circles of Dante's Hell. Among the pimps and seducers, Dante sees Jason, and among the ranks of crafty advisers - Ulysses.
Why does the poet need all of them? The simplest explanation is that in Christian culture, the former gods turned into demons, which means their place is in Hell. The tradition of associating paganism with evil spirits has taken root not only in Italy. The Catholic Church had to convince the people of the failure of the old religion, and preachers of all countries actively convinced people that all ancient gods and heroes were adherents of Lucifer.
However, there is also a more complex subtext. In the seventh circle of Hell, where rapists endure torment, Dante meets the Minotaur, harpies and centaurs. Dual nature these creatures - an allegory of sin, for which the inhabitants of the seventh circle suffer, the animal principle in their character. Associations with animals in The Divine Comedy very rarely carry a positive connotation.
Encrypted biography: what can you learn about the poet by reading "Hell"?
Actually, quite a lot. Despite the monumentality of the work, on the pages of which famous historical figures, Christian saints and legendary heroes, Dante did not forget about himself. For starters, he fulfilled a promise he made in his first book, A New Life, where he promised to say about Beatrice "things that have not yet been said about any." By creating the "Divine Comedy", he really made his beloved a symbol of love and light.
Something about the poet is said by the presence in the text of St. Lucia, the patroness of people suffering from eye disease. Early experiencing problems with vision, Dante prayed to Lucia, this explains the appearance of the saint along with the Virgin Mary and Beatrice. By the way, note that the name of Mary is not mentioned in "Hell", it appears only in "Purgatory".
There are in the poem and indications of individual episodes from the life of its author. In the fifth song, the lyrical hero meets a certain Chakko - a glutton who is in a stinking swamp. The poet sympathizes with the unfortunate man, for which he opens the future for him and tells about the exile. Dante began working on The Divine Comedy in 1307, after the Black Guelphs came to power and were expelled from their native Florence. In fairness, we note that Chacko tells not only about the misfortunes that await him personally, but also about the entire political fate of the city-republic.
A very little-known episode is mentioned in the nineteenth canto, when the author speaks of a broken jug:
Everywhere, and along the channel, and along the slopes,
I saw an innumerable number
Rounded wells in grayish stone.
<...>
I, saving the lad from suffering,
Broke one of them last year...
Perhaps, with this retreat, Dante wanted to explain his actions, which, perhaps, led to a scandal, because the vessel he broke was filled with holy water!
Biographical facts include the fact that Dante placed his personal enemies in Hell, even though some of them were still alive in 1300. So, among the sinners, was Venedico dei Cacchanemici - the famous political figure, leader of the Bolognese Guelphs. Dante neglected chronology only in order to take revenge on his enemy at least in a poem.
Among the sinners clinging to Phlegius's boat is Filippo Argenti, a wealthy Florentine who also belongs to the Black Guelph family, an arrogant and wasteful person. In addition to the Divine Comedy, Argenti is also mentioned in The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio.
The poet did not spare the father of his best friend Guido - Cavalcante dei Cavalcanti, an epicurean and atheist. For his beliefs, he was sent to the sixth circle.
The riddle of numbers: the structure of the poem as a reflection of the medieval worldview
If we ignore the text and look at the structure of the entire Divine Comedy, then we will see that much in its structure is connected with the number “three”: three chapters are “kantiki”, thirty-three songs in each of them (added to “Hell” still a prologue), the whole poem is written in three-line stanzas - tertsina. Such a strict composition is due to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the special meaning of this number in Christian culture.
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Hell
Song One
The poet tells that, getting lost in a dark, dense forest and meeting various obstacles to reach the top of the mountain, he was overtaken by Virgil. The latter promised to show him the torments of sinners in Hell and Purgatory, and said that Beatrice would later show the poet the Paradise Abode. The poet followed Virgil.
1 Once upon a time in my mature years
I went into the dense forest and got lost.
Lost was a direct and true trail ...
4 There are no such words for me to decide
The forest is gloomy and gloomy to describe,
Where my brain froze and the secret horror lasted:
7 So even death cannot frighten...
But in that forest, dressed in sinister darkness,
In the midst of horrors I found grace.
10 I got into the thicket wild; nowhere there
I did not find, embraced by some kind of dream,
A familiar path in all respects.
13 The desert was all around before me,
Where the heart sank with involuntary horror.
I saw before me then
16 The foot of the mountain. She was
In the rays of the light of a joyful day
And the light of the sun was gilded from above,
19 Driven away the involuntary fear from me.
In my soul the embarrassment was erased,
As darkness perishes from a bright fire.
22 Like a cast ashore in a wreck
An exhausted swimmer in the fight against the wave
Looks back where the sea is in a frenzy
25 He promises a painful end;
So precisely I looked around timidly,
Like a timid, weary fugitive,
28 So that once again on a terrible path sadly,
Taking a breath, take a look:
Until now, everything that is alive has died,
31 Making that impassable path.
Deprived of strength, like a corpse, exhausted
I went down quietly to rest,
34 But again, having overcome fatigue,
I directed a step forward along the steepness,
Higher, higher every moment.
37 I was walking forward, and suddenly towards me
A leopard appeared, covered with motley skin
And with spots on the arched back.
40 I, like a passer-by taken by surprise,
I look: he does not take his eyes off me
With determination, like a challenge to me,
43 And blocks the way, lying down on it,
So I started thinking about retreat.
It was morning in the sky at this hour.
46 The earth woke up after awakening,
And the sun floated in the blue sky,
That sun that in the days of peace
49 Lighted up for the first time, met all around
By the radiance of the stars, with their clear, gentle light...
Encouraged by a cheerful, bright day,
52 Ruddy and solemn dawn,
I endured the anger of the leopard without fear,
But a new horror awaited me at the same time:
55 Suddenly there was a lion in front of me.
Throwing his head back, he proudly
He walked towards me: I stood subdued.
58 He looked into his eyes so greedily and firmly,
That I trembled like a leaf then;
I look: a she-wolf's muzzle is visible behind him.
61 She was terribly thin:
Insatiable greed, it seemed
The she-wolf is always suppressed.
64
She is like their death ... She is in me
Drunk with monstrous glances,
67 And again became full of despair
My soul.
That courage is gone
Which was supposed to lead
70 Me to the top of the mountain. Like a greedy miser
Sobs, having lost capital,
In which I saw happiness, good life,
73 So before wild beast I sobbed
The path traveled losing step by step,
And again ran down the slope
76 To those abysses and gaping ravines,
Where you can't see the sun shine
And the night is dark under the eternal, black flag.
79 From rapids to rapids sliding down,
I met a man that time.
Depicting silence,
82 He seemed so accustomed to fate
To the silence that lost his voice,
Seeing a stranger in front of you.
85 In the wilderness of the dead I called loudly:
"Whoever you are - alive or a ghost,
Save me!" And the ghost answered:
88 “Once I was a living creature;
Now a dead man is standing in front of you.
I was born in Mantua in one village;
91 My father used to live in Lombardy.
I began my life under Julia and in Rome
In the age of Augustus lived a long time, finally,
94 When by their false gods
People considered idols. Then
I was a poet, I wrote poems, and they
97 Aeneas also sang of those years,
When the walls of Ilion collapsed...
And why are you striving down here,
100 In the abode of sorrow, gnashing and groaning?
Why from the path to the home of eternal blessings
Under the graceful brilliance of the sky
103 Strive for darkness irresistibly so?
Go ahead and spare no effort!”
And, blushing, I made a sign to him
106 And he asked: “Are you Virgil,
Poets of all greatness and light?
Let about my delight and strength
109 My love for you, holy poet,
Will tell my weak work and creations
And what I studied for many years
112 Your great works 1
“And what I have studied for many years / Your great works”. - Even before the appearance of the Divine Comedy, Dante was already known as the author of many works in Latin and Italian.
.
Look: I tremble before the beast,
All veins tensed. Looking for salvation
115 Singer, I'm looking for your help.
"You must look for other ways,
And I want to show this way.
118 I heard from the lips of the poet the word:
“Know, a terrible beast-monster for a long time
This path blocks everyone severely
121 And destroys, and torments all equally.
The monster is so greedy and cruel
That it will never be satisfied
124 And the victims vomit in the twinkling of an eye.
To him for death an uncountable number
Pitiful creatures descend from afar, -
127 And long will such evil live,
While the Hound Dog 2
Hound Dog- So Dante called the owner of Verona Cana Grande della Scala, known for his courage and nobility. Name Dog he received, according to his contemporaries, due to the fact that his mother had a dream during pregnancy that she was relieved of her burden by a dog. During his lifetime, he was called the Great for his exploits. It was at his court that Dante, expelled from Florence, found refuge. Since Dante began writing the Divine Comedy even before his exile, when Can was a child, commentators believe that the verses about the Hound Dog were inserted by the poet later, in those days when contemporaries placed all their hopes on Cana Grande.
Don't fight the beast
To harm no more could
130 Monster. The Hound Dog will be proud
Not by pathetic lust for power, but in it
And wisdom and greatness will be reflected,
133 And we will call it homeland
Country from Feltro to Feltro 3
"And we will call his homeland / The country from Feltro to Feltro." - Here we are talking about Verona, which borders on one side with Trevisaca, where there is a place Feltro, and on the other adjoins Romagna, where there is a mountain, also called Feltro.
Forces
He will dedicate Italy; we are waiting,
136 What will rise with him again from the grave
Italy, where before the blood flowed,
The blood of the virgin, warlike Camille,
139 Where Thurn and Niz found their hour of death 4
"Blood of the virgin, militant Camilla, / Where Thurn and Niz found their hour of death." – Camilla- a warlike maiden, daughter of Metab, king of the Vols, and turn- the son of Daun, king of the Ruguls, defending Latium, died in a battle with people from Troy. Courageous was killed there Bottom along with his friend Euryal.
.
Chase from hail to hail
He will be this she-wolf more than once,
142 Until she is thrown into the crater of Hell,
Where was she expelled from?
Only envy ... I need to save you
145 From these places where doom is so sure;
Follow me, you won't be hurt
I will bring out - for that I have been given the power -
148 You through the region of eternity from here,
Through the region where you hear in the darkness
Moaning and wailing, where, like a miracle,
151 Visions of the dead on earth
Second death is expected and will not wait 5
“Visions of the dead on earth / Secondary death await and will not wait ...”- The souls of sinners, condemned to hellish torments, call for the oblivion of these torments - secondary death.
And from prayer they rush to blasphemy.
154 Then they will sweep before you
jubilant ghosts on fire
In the hope that they will open up before them,
157 Perhaps the doors to heavenly side
And their sins will be redeemed by suffering.
But if you turn to me
160 With the desire to be in Paradise - that desire
For a long time already my soul is full -
That is, the soul is different: according to deeds
163 She is more worthy of me, and I
I'll give you to her at the door of heaven
And I will leave, melting my sadness.
166 I was born in a different and dark faith,
No one has been brought to insight,
And now there is no place for me in the heavenly sphere,
169 And I will not show the way to Eden.
Who is subject to the sun, these stars,
Who reigns over the ages over the world to all,
172 That abode is Paradise... In this world
Blessed are all who are exacted by him!” Became
Then I look for support in the poet:
175 "Save me, poet! I begged. -
Save me from disasters, you are terrible
And take me to the area of death, so that I know
178 I am the sorrow of the shadows of the languishing, unfortunate,
And lead to those sacred gates,
Where is Peter the Holy abode of beautiful souls
181 Age guards. I wish to be there."
My guide sent steps forward,
And I followed in his footsteps.
Song Two
In the second song, the poet, after the usual introduction, begins to doubt his strength for the upcoming path and thinks that he will not be able to descend into Hell with Virgil. Encouraged by Virgil, he finally decides to follow him as his mentor and guide.
1 day went out. Dusk fell on the ground,
Calling the people of labor to rest.
Only I alone could not be dead,
4 The path is difficult, tedious doing.
All that was ahead of me -
Suffering and the charm of Paradise, -
7 That will never die in memory ...
Oh, muses, oh holy inspiration!
Now you are my only stronghold!
10 Remember, memory, every manifestation,
Which only a glance noticed!
"Say, poet! I exclaimed in excitement. -
13 My way is hard, there are a number of obstacles in the way ...
Am I capable of the feat that lies ahead?
You described just descending into Hell
16 Hero Aeneas 6
Aeneas- father Sylvia, son of Anchises, brother of Priam, conqueror of Latium, where his descendants ruled, from whom the family of Romulus, the founder of Rome, is descended.
Then still wearing
Human flesh, and came out unharmed:
The eternal God himself, who destroys evil in the world,
19 Always stood guard over him
And he honored the ancestor of Rome in him;
And we know - to this glorious Rome
22 The blessing descended invisibly...
Holy, source of good
Let there be hail, where power is tireless
25 Vicars of St. Peter!..
Aeneas descended into Hell, sung by you,
In it, who did not find a deathbed,
28 But warmed by knowledge and insight,
He carried the greatness of the popes from Hell.
Later, from this sad land
31 Paul himself was taken up into heaven,
Where he became the pillar of our salvation.
But I am embarrassed by a difficult feat,
34 I tremble at bold ambitions.
I am not the apostle Paul, not Aeneas, -
Choose their way who gave me permission?
37 That's why to appear in the world of shadows
I'm afraid with you. Am I not insane?
But you are wiser and stronger than me:
40 I submit to you in my sorrow.”
Like a man deprived of will suddenly,
In which new thoughts replaced
43 A number of past thoughts and thoughts and torments,
So for sure I began to hesitate along the way
And looked around in awe,
46 And quickly began to be replaced by timidity
My resolve. The ghost told me:
“You began to obey with low cowardice.
49 Such fear often turned away
From good deeds. So the beast is afraid of the shadow.
But I will dispel your fear. I wandered
52 Among the ghosts, and waited for the decision
Above my fate is a sentence,
Suddenly I hear - I could not help but be surprised -
55 Holy Virgin in a quiet conversation
Joined with me. Happiness without hiding
I have submitted to the Virgin since then.
58 As the stars of the sky did not live, sparkling,
Her eyes and voice sounded so
Like the singing of cherubim in the kingdom of Paradise:
61 "Oh, you are a poet whose genius has shone
And will live until the destruction of the world,
Go! On the steepness of the desert rocks
64 My friend is waiting for both support and advice,
Confused by terrible obstacles.
Is it all for him? Answer
67 I will wait: will he be saved?
Go to him and by the power of strict speech
May he be delivered from trouble.
70 My name is Beatrice; from afar
I showed up. Love led me
My love with you was looking for a meeting:
73 I was waiting for your help with prayer.
In the abode of God soon I will appear
And where every blasphemy perishes,
76 I will praise you loudly ... "
And Beatrice was silent. I said:
“I swear I won’t get tired of serving you!
79 You are a high ideal of holiness,
You are the image of a wonderful virtue!
All the joys of the earth that God has given us,
82 Bring you to the joy of Heaven!
It's easy for you to obey me...
And if, O incorporeal ghost,
85 I fulfilled your will completely,
Everything would always seem to me
That I acted sluggishly, as in a dream,
88 That the thing was moving too slowly.
I could appreciate your desires,
But answer: how were you not afraid
91 Go to the dwelling of the underworld
From that holy abode above the stars,
Which you can not forget? .. "
94 "Without fear, I glide over this abyss, -
Beatrice said, - and, poet,
I can give you useful advice:
97 Believe me - when there are no evil thoughts in us,
We should not be afraid of anything.
Evil to neighbor - that's where the source of troubles,
100 And it is only evil that we all need to fear.
Good Heaven gives me a fortress,
So that I could not suffer suffering
103 And even the flames of my feet do not burn.
There in Heaven there is an All-good Virgin 7
Virgo All-good- the personification of mercy. Isn't it easier - that this is the image of the Mother of God, the Madonna? The interpreters of Dante, even in the person of Beatrice, are looking for the personification of theology, although Dante, it seems, simply recreated in her the image of his first and only love. Beatrice was the source of his still infant inspiration. It is known that when Dante was only nine years old, he fell in love with an eight-year-old, beautiful child - Beatrice Portinari, who died young. Dante remained faithful to his ideal love for Beatrice until the end of his life.
,
And to her, Omnipotent, he became pitiful,
106 Whom should you save by saving.
And to Lucia 8
Lucia- a fantastic image, apparently, the personification of heavenly grace and compassion.
She came with a prayer:
"Hurry to help you, dear,
109 who needs your hand.”
And Lucia visited that place,
Full of love and compassion
112 Where I spoke with old Rachel,
And she said: “A terrible moment has come!
What, Beatrice, you're not in a hurry
115 Save the one who has become great in the world,
Loving you? Don't you hear, or something,
A familiar cry and a cry for salvation?
118
In the fight against death, the formidable was exhausted,
Which is terrible in a crazy will,
121 Like the ocean is a mad stream ... "
No one raced faster for prey,
No one could run away from troubles,
124 How I rushed here, Beatrice,
Leaving the shelter of holy shadows,
And crying out to you alone for help.
127 You are the gift of words in the world of all the stronger,
And I'm looking for support in your words ... "
Then on me silently, without speeches,
130 She stopped her eyes in tears,
And I hurried to help you
Without delay, I am afraid of her reproaches;
133 I didn't let the she-wolf to you
And opened the way for you to the mountain ...
What are you delaying? Ile did not humble in the heart
136 Are you timid in vain anxiety?
When the three virgins in the eternal Heaven
For your life, prayers are offered to God,
139 When in me, in all my words
You find greetings and encouragement,
Doesn't your fear subside?"
142 As from the cold winds of a breath,
Flowers bend from the cold
And in the morning they rise again in an instant
145 Under the glare of the sun, full of beauty,
So I suddenly woke up from fear,
Exclaiming: "Bless you,
148 In whose compassion I was not deceived,
You, cheerfulness planted in my chest,
When my camp bent from horror...
151 And you, poet, be blessed,
Fulfilling the command of the Virgin of Paradise.
With you, I'm ready to start boldly,
154 Burning with desire for difficult deeds.
With you, I am not afraid of the abyss of evil ...
Lead me, not understanding the ways ... "
157 So I said and followed the singer.
Song three
Dante, following Virgil, reaches the doors of Hell, where both enter after reading terrible words at the entrance. Virgil, pointing out to the poet the torment that cowards deserve, leads him further. They come to a river called Acheron, where they find Charon carrying souls to the other side. When Dante crossed the Acheron, he fell asleep on the banks of this river.
1 “Behind me is a world of tears, suffering and torment,
Behind me - sorrow without borders, without end,
Behind me is a world of fallen souls and ghosts.
4 I am the justice of the supreme Creator,
Creation of power and wisdom,
Heavenly Father's creation
7 Erected before the universe.
In front of me - a trace of centuries has passed,
My destiny is eternity, eternity of punishment,
10 There is no hope for anyone behind me!”
Above the entrance to Tartarus, the inscription was black.
I read terrible words. "Poet,
13 The meaning of these words, I exclaimed timidly,
Brings fear! Virgil guessed
That my heart is frozen.
16 “There is no place for fear here,” he answered. -
We came to the abode of sorrow
Those fallen souls, - Virgil continued, -
19 That they wandered like fools on the earth" 9
"That on earth they wandered like madmen." - That is, those who on earth were smitten with madness. The word "madness" in this passage must be understood not in the sense of insanity, but as a general concept of people whose common sense is often suppressed by their passions.
.
And the singer squeezed my hand with a smile;
I became more cheerful, and now we saw
22 The abode of eternal mystery, at last,
Where in the dawnless darkness resounded
Scream and groan from end to end;
25 Everywhere groans, wherever we were,
And I cried, I could not stand it ...
We are closer - the cries of sinners merged
28 mix different languages, in one stream.
Blasphemy, curses, rabies squealing,
Terrible movements of arms and legs, -
31 Everything merged into a rumble in a general howl.
So the hurricane twists the sands of the steppes.
Roars and destroys everything, without compassion.
34 In ignorance, filled with longing,
I exclaimed involuntarily: “Oh, teacher!
Are the sins of the shadows so great
37 Shadows trapped in a terrible abode?
And who are they? "Nothing - they
In a crowd of people, the guide said. -
40 While living on earth on other days
They were considered the most miserable creatures.
They are on the ground - look around yourself -
43 Blame or praise was not given;
Now - they have entered into a host of spirits,
Which did not change the Creator,
46 But sin crushed them with the weight of fetters
And they did not have faith in Providence.
The great God cast them down from the clouds,
49 So that Heaven knows no defilement,
And even Hell didn't want to let them in:
In Hell, even crime was abhorred
52 The worthlessness and abomination of their deeds.
“What kind of torment is assigned to them?
What is their fate, my mentor?
55 Their terrible cries are piercing sounds ... "
And Virgil answered: "Deprived
They are hopes; their hands are chained.
58 In their present sorrows are so strong,
What is the worst fate, the greater torment
They should always be jealous.
61 The world has forgotten them - and there is no end to oblivion:
They are not spared, but also not executed,
Condemned to eternal contempt.
64 But turn away from them and cast your eyes forward,
Follow me tirelessly."
I took a step, but stepped back:
67 A banner passed before me,
So fast, like a whirlwind carried away
Its forward, forward unstoppable.
70 Ghosts of graves flew behind him
Uncountable string: it was scary,
That there are so many lives in the world, so many forces
73 Death turned into dumb ghosts.
One of them seemed familiar to me:
The well-known image is preserved in memory.
76 I look: yes, that's exactly who he is talking about
The people often spoke with contempt,
Who, twisting his soul and tongue,
79 High renunciation stained 10
I look: yes, it’s definitely he, about whom / The people often spoke with contempt ...– Literally translated: “I peer and recognize in her the one who dishonored himself with high renunciation.” This place is very controversial. Some suggest that Dante meant Esau who sold the birthright (an assumption more than implausible); others - Diocletian, who abdicated; Pope Celestine V, who folded the papal tiara at the intrigues of Cardinal d'Anagny, later pope Boniface VIII; Torregiano de Cerchi, the leader of the White party, who refused to command the troops.
Given the fierceness with which Dante pursued papal power in his poem, most likely, we are talking about Celestine V, especially since the abdication of this pope happened during the life of the poet. The scandalous character of this renunciation struck the whole Western Europe. It was said that every night Cardinal d'Anagny, who was seeking the papacy, hid in the church where the pope prayed and ordered him to lay down his tiara. Celestine obeyed, taking his words for a voice from above. This explanation, like many others to which we point, is made by the translator of Dante's Inferno, Fan Dim, who commented on Dante ancient dictionary Vocabolario degli Academici della Crusca.
.
Then I realized that this host of shadows
He was a collection of outcast souls,
82 Despicable for enemies and for friends.
Their life was not life, but vegetation,
And here now, in my nakedness,
85 Got these miserable creatures
On the sacrifice of insects - flies and wasps -
And they are in constant pain.
88 By their faces, interfering with the flow of tears,
Blood flowed and flowed down to their feet,
Where a lot of worms in the blood curled,
91 And that blood instantly devoured.
I turned away from them. far away
Many new ghosts stood
94 On the bare bank, crowding to the river.
“Master,” I asked, “whose shadows are these,
That the crossings seem to be waiting in anguish?
97 I can hardly see them in the dim light.”
“You will know about this,” he said,
When, - I turned pale at that answer, -
103 A big river that ran without a murmur.
Here a gray-haired old man swam up to us in a canoe.
“Oh, woe to you, criminal creatures! -
106 He shouted to Virgil and to me. -
Hope all you need to leave here,
You can't see the sky above.
109 I'm here to take you there,
Where eternal cold reigns and night
Where the flame is able to melt everything.
112 And you, - he told me, - get out of here!
There is no place for the living among the dead."
Unable to overcome curiosity
115 I didn't move. "In a different way
You will sail the way, - he added, -
And ferry to another shore
118 You boat is light ... "" You know, Charon, -
My cold-blooded companion told him, -
That you are indignant with vain anger:
121 He whose will, the law is unconditional,
So he commanded, and you must be silent.
And the huge boatman fell silent at once,
124 And ceased to sparkle with rage
His eyes in their fiery orbits,
But the ghosts, having managed to catch the words,
127 Cursed erupted; in open mouths
Their teeth began to gnash loudly;
In their dead faces, pitted with ulcers,
130 Paleness appeared. brazenly spew
They blasphemed the whole world,
Creator and ancestors began to curse
133 And the very hour that they were born.
Then, with a sob, gliding to the shore,
They rushed to a terrible crossing:
136 They cannot escape the common punishment.
They were driven by Charon, his eyes sparkling all around,
With an oar, stray ghosts are smashed.
139 As in autumn the leaves fall, flickering,
Until the branches are completely bare,
Wrapping the earth in a faded outfit,
142 So shadows on the way to deep Hell
At the call of the rower, they rushed into his boat,
Crowded and placed in a row.
145 As soon as they rushed across the stream,
How to transport the terrible again
Other ghosts have already fled.
148 "My son," said the poet, "you must know
That the souls of the condemned arrive
From everywhere to Acheron. unravel
151 They desire their future,
Rushing to swim across the stream
And forever their desires devour
154 Learn the execution that awaits them for vice.
Still no one with an uncorrupted soul
Here he could not swim across the river;
157 That's why the sleepless Charon rejected
You, my son, and blazed with anger,
I am greatly irritated by your appearance.
160 The poet was silent, and suddenly I heard
A terrible roar - the soil trembled ...
Cold sweat broke out on the body.
163 Overhead the storm groaned,
And a bloody streak in Heaven
Winding lightning flashed...
166 Some new fear gripped me,
And in one minute I lost my senses,
Unable to keep on my feet
169 And, as in a dream, he sank to the ground.
Song Four
The poet, following Virgil, descends into the first circle of Hell, where he finds ghosts in a special bright abode. famous people antiquities, who greet them and continue with them on their way. A number of other famous men. Virgil leads the poet further into the Kingdom of darkness.
1 I was awakened by a roll of thunder
And shuddered from his blows.
A heavy, vague dream was dispelled;
4 Opening my eyes, I looked around,
Wanting to know where I am, where I am,
And he bent over the gaping abyss:
7 From the abyss the rumble of wailing flew
To our attentive hearing, -
Below us, an eternal groan stood,
10 He was formidable, then he froze deafly,
The depth of that abyss was dark,
And if a cry could reach the ear,
13 That eye could not see the abyss of the bottom,
Though I strained my eyesight.
“Let this eternal abyss be gloomy, -
16 The poet said and turned pale in an instant, -
We will now descend into this gloomy world;
Follow me boldly without embarrassment.
19 His face changed. About
I remarked: “If you turn pale,
In my doubts, becoming my shield,
22 Can I be bold when you yourself are timid?
He replied: "In the face, in my eyes
You can't read all my feelings.
25 Now I feel not a miserable fear,
But I feel only compassion
To the fate of the shadows languishing in the dark,
28 Under the hopeless punishment of punishment.
Come after me. Our path is still far
Slowness will not bring us knowledge ... "
31 And the poet drew me along with him
To the fence of the first impenetrable abyss.
Although the cry of the shadows could not reach us,
34 But the very air of that stinking abyss,
It seemed as if he was moaning with sighs:
That was the Kingdom of grief desolate,
37 Despair without pain, where wandered
Host of ghosts - men, wives, children.
Then the guide told me:
40 “Why don’t you ask me who these
Unfortunate? You must know everything
What were these ghosts in the world,
43 Until we went forward again.
So know: they do not know the crime,
But heaven's grace is inaccessible
46 Just because the sacrament of baptism
They did not have to wash away their sins, -
They wandered in eternal delusion
49 In those days when Christ did not descend into the world.
Their faith did not soar to Heaven.
I myself once grew up in ignorance of them:
52 Ignorance alone has destroyed us,
And for him we are all condemned
For eternal desire beyond the grave,
55 Hope, my dear son, is deprived ... "
From these words, longing squeezed my heart:
All these ghosts must suffer
58 Though their brow shone with greatness.
Who will tell them what the future holds for them?
And I wanted, by all means,
61 Penetrate into the mystery of Heaven and forward
To know the limit of their bitter suffering;
And so he said: “Desire burns me,
64 Poet. Tell me: in the Kingdom of punishment
So far no one has been able to
Salvation deserve and justification
67 For the exploits and glory of former deeds?
Did no one dare to save them?”
And the teacher answered: “My destiny
70 I was also new here when I went down
Here in the darkness the Savior of the world himself
And crowned with laurels of victory.
73 Our forefather Adam was saved by him,
Both Noah and Moses are legislators,
And King David, and old Abraham,
76 Rachel, and then the Creator saved many,
And transferred to the mountain villages,
Forgiving them, Divine Punisher.
79 Until then, until the world of eternal tears
Atonement has never touched ... "
We moved on. And soon we had to
82 Cross space. ghosts,
Like a dense forest, they appeared ahead,
As elusive as dreams.
85 Leaving the entrance to the abyss behind,
I suddenly noticed a flickering light in the darkness,
And my heart fluttered in my chest.
88 I guessed that I was bright in the dusk
Shower the chosen special corner.
“My teacher! I'm waiting for you to answer
91 And called those to whom the almighty fate
Gave a bright, special abode
And I didn’t carry others into the abyss of darkness!”
94 “Their glory,” answered the guide,
Having survived them, lives until later days,
And for that, the Heavenly Almighty
97 He gave distinction in the abode of shadows.
And at the same moment we heard the word:
"Hi singer! Hello his friends!
100 He returned to the world of ghosts again ... "
Here the voice is silent. Four shadows walked
Towards us. Silent suffering,
103 Or bright, pure joy of the earth,
Or sadness hidden in the heart -
We couldn't read their faces.
106 Then the words of the poet sounded:
"Look, with a sword 11
“Look, with a sword…” – The sword here is a symbol of the wars sung once by Omir.
Here comes forward
Singer Omir: he was considered a king
109 Poetry. Horace goes with him,
And here is Lucan with Ovid. hello,
The same hello as the one
112 What I just heard from the poet,
They are worthy of everything ... "And I entered
To the assembly of great singers of light,
115 To that school where above all, like an eagle,
The king of high chants ascended...
The circle of shadows started talking to me,
118 Hailing my rising genius;
Virgil couldn't hide his smile here.
Then, following the salutation of the visions,
121 I was invited by the singers to enter
In their close circle, and was the sixth among them.
We started talking to each other
124 In agreement, like brothers. With them
I went where the pale light flickered;
And with companions, dear to the heart,
127 I saw the majestic castle,
Surrounded by seven walls;
The stream of the river wrapped around that castle.
130 And through the stream, surrounded by singers,
I crossed, as if through dry land, all of a sudden;
Through the seven gates I entered, amazed,
133 To a long yard where a green meadow bloomed.
On that meadow there were other shadows:
On their faces - calmness without torment
136 And as if strict thoughts froze.
Their appearance is imprinted with greatness;
They hardly spoke at all.
142 The whole bright meadow where the ghosts wandered.
To many glorified shadows
The satellites pointed out to me at that time
145 In the middle of a clearing. I saw her
Elektra 12
Elektra- some people think that Dante is talking about Electra - the daughter of Atlas and the wife of Carita - the king of Italy, who from Jupiter gave birth to King Dardanus, the founder of Troy. Others recognize in this case Electra as the daughter of Agamemnon, known for her misfortunes and mentioned in the tragedies of Sophocles.
Along with many shadows:
Here is Hector, known to all, here is Aeneas,
148 Here is Caesar with hawk eyes,
With Camilla 13
Camilla Daughter of Metabus, king of the Vols.
Penthesilea 14
Penthesilea- Queen of the Amazons, killed by Achilles in the defense of Troy.
Here,
Here is the king of Latin 15
Latin- the king of the aborigines, the father of Lavinia, who was promised as a wife to Turnu - the king of the Rutuli, but later married Aeneas, which caused a war between Aeneas and Turnn.
With Lavinia before us;
151 Here is Brutus, and here is Lucretia,
Here is the ghost of the lonely Saladin 16
Saladin Sultan of Egypt and Syria
,
Shadow of Marcia 17
Marcia wife of Cato of Utica.
and Julia 18
Julia Daughter of Caesar and wife of Pompey.
Rises
154 With Cornelia 19
Cornelia mother of the Gracchi.
; here is the new picture:
Around the sage 20
Around the sage...– Dante speaks of Aristotle, whose teaching was held in high esteem in his time.
Philosophers are sitting
Marveling at him and glorifying him together;
157 Plato sat with Socrates by his side.
Here are the shadows of Diogenes, Democritus 21
Democritus- An ancient Greek philosopher who attributed the creation of the world to the action of chance alone.
;
Here are familiar ghosts
160 Thales, Empedocles, Heraclitus.
Here is Zeno, and he, Dioscorides 22
Dioscorides- a native of Sicily, known for his treatise "On Medicinal Substances."
,
In which much knowledge was hidden;
163 Anaxagoras and the geometer Euclid,
Here is the ghost of Cicero and Orpheus,
Tit-Livia, Seneca; here it slides
166 The shadow of Hippocrates with the shadow of Ptolemy;
Here is Galien, the sage Averroes 23
Averroes- a native of Cordoba, was known as the best interpreter of Aristotle.
…
Unable to convey now completely I
169 All miracles that appeared before me
And I can't find words to express.
The circle of satellites disappeared in front of me.
172 From the bright shelter at that moment
My guide began to descend with me
In the sinister, gloomy world of the fall,
175 Where even the air most trembled,
Where through the darkness that nested there,
The beam of light never fell.
178 And into this world with a poet I descended.
In the two greatest works of Dante Alighieri - "New Life" and in "The Divine Comedy" (see its summary) - the same idea is carried out. Both of them are connected by the idea that pure love ennobles the nature of a person, and the knowledge of the frailty of sensual bliss brings a person closer to God. But the "New Life" is only a series of lyrical poems, while the "Divine Comedy" is a whole poem in three parts, containing up to one hundred songs, each of which contains about one hundred and forty verses.
In early youth, Dante experienced a passionate love for Beatrice, daughter of Fulk Portinari. He kept it for last days life, although he never managed to connect with Beatrice. Dante's love was tragic: Beatrice died at a young age, and after her death great poet saw in her a transfigured angel.
Dante Alighieri. Drawing by Giotto, 14th century
In his mature years, love for Beatrice began to gradually lose its sensual connotation for Dante, turning into a purely spiritual dimension. Healing from sensual passion was a spiritual baptism for the poet. The Divine Comedy reflects this spiritual healing of Dante, his view of the present and the past, his life and the lives of his friends, art, science, poetry, Guelphs and Ghibellines, on the political parties of "black" and "white". In The Divine Comedy, Dante expressed how he views all this comparatively and relatively to the eternal moral principle of things. In "Hell" and "Purgatory" (he often calls the second "Mountain of propitiation") Dante considers all phenomena only from the side of their external manifestation, from the point of view of state wisdom, personified by him in his "guide" - Virgil, i.e. point of view of law, order and law. In "Paradise" all the phenomena of heaven and earth are presented in the spirit of the contemplation of a deity or the gradual transformation of the soul, by which the finite spirit merges with the infinite nature of things. The transfigured Beatrice, a symbol of divine love, eternal mercy and true knowledge of God, leads him from one sphere to another and leads him to God, where there is no more limited space.
Such poetry might have seemed like a purely theological treatise if Dante had not littered his journey through the world of ideas with living images. The meaning of the "Divine Comedy", where the world and all its phenomena are described and depicted, and the allegory carried out is only slightly indicated, was very often reinterpreted when analyzing the poem. Under clearly allegorical images, they understood either the struggle of the Guelphs and Ghibellines, then politics, the vices of the Roman church, or events in general modern history. This best proves how far Dante was from the empty play of fantasy and how he was wary of drowning out poetry under allegory. It is desirable that his commentators should be as circumspect in their analysis of the Divine Comedy as he was.
Statue of Dante in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence
Dante's Inferno - analysis
"I think it's for your good that you should follow me. I will show the way and lead you through the countries of eternity, where you will hear the cries of despair, you will see the mournful shadows that lived on earth before you, calling for the death of the soul after the death of the body. Then you will also see others rejoicing in the midst of the purifying flame, because they hope to gain access to the habitation of the blessed through suffering. If you wish to ascend to this dwelling, then a soul worthier than mine will lead you there. She will stay with you when I leave. By the will of the supreme lord, I, who never knew his laws, was not allowed to show the way to his city. The whole universe obeys him, according to his kingdom there. There is his chosen city (sua città), there stands his throne above the clouds. Oh, blessed are those who are sought by him!”
According to Virgil, Dante will have to know in "Hell", not in words, but in deeds, all the disaster of a person who has fallen away from God, and see all the vanity of earthly greatness and ambition. To do this, the poet depicts the underworld in the Divine Comedy, where he combines everything that he knows from mythology, history and his own experience about a person’s violation of the moral law. Dante inhabits this realm with people who have never sought to achieve pure and spiritual existence through labor and struggle, and divides them into circles, showing, by their relative distance from each other, the various degrees of sins. These circles of Hell, as he himself says in the eleventh song, personify the moral teaching (ethics) of Aristotle about man's deviation from divine law.
