第35章

Charonbeatingthelaggingshadeswithhisoar；AntaiospickingupthepoetswithhisfingersandloweringtheminthehollowofhishandintotheNinthCircle；Satancrunchinginhismonstrousjawsthearch-traitors，Judas，BrutusandCassius；UgolinoappeasinghisfamineuponthetoughnapeofRuggieri；BertranddeBornlooking(ifImaybeallowedtheexpression)athisowndisseveredhead；therobbersexchangingformwithserpents；thewholedemoniactroopofMalebolge，——arenotallthesethingsgrotesquebeyondeverythingelseinpoetry？Tous，nurturedinthisscientificnineteenthcentury，theydoubtlessseemso；andbyLeighHunt，whohadtheeighteenth-centurywayofappreciatingotheragesthanhisown，theywereuniformlytreatedassuch。Toustheyareatfirstsightgrotesque，becausetheyarenolongerrealtous。Wehaveceasedtobelieveinsuchthings，andtheynolongerawakenanyfeelingakintoterror。Butinthethirteenthcentury，inthemindsofDanteandhisreaders，theywereliving，terriblerealities。ThatDantebelievedliterallyinallthisunearthlyworld，anddescribeditwithsuchwonderfulminutenessbecausehebelievedinit，admitsoflittledoubt。AshewalkedthestreetsofVeronathepeoplewhispered，“See，thereisthemanwhohasbeeninhell！“Truly，hehadbeeninhell，anddescribeditashehadseenit，withthekeeneyesofimaginationandfaith。Withallitsweirdunearthliness，thereishardlyanotherbookinthewholerangeofhumanliteraturewhichismarkedwithsuchunswervingveracityasthe“DivineComedy。“ Nothingistheresetdownarbitrarily，outofwantoncapriceorforthesakeofpoeticeffect，butbecausetoDante’simaginationithadsoimposinglyshownitselfthathecouldnotbutdescribeitashesawit。Inreadinghiscantosweforgetthepoet，andhavebeforeusonlytheveracioustravellerinstrangerealms，fromwhomtheshrewdestcross-examinationcanelicitbutoneconsistentaccount。Tohismind，andtothemediaevalmindgenerally，thisouterkingdom，withitswardsofDespair，Expiation，andBeatitude，wasasrealastheHolyRomanEmpireitself。Itsextraordinaryphenomenawerenottobelookedonwithcriticaleyesandcalledgrotesque，butweretobeseenwitheyesoffaith，andtobeworshipped，loved，orshudderedat。Rightlyviewed，therefore，thepoemofDanteisnotgrotesque，butunspeakablyawfulandsolemn；andthestatementisjustifiedthatallgrotesquenessandbizarrerieinitsinterpretationistobesedulouslyavoided。 Therefore，whileacknowledgingtheaccuracywithwhichMr。 Longfellowhaskeptpacewithhisoriginalthroughlineafterline，followingthe“footingofitsfeet，“accordingtothemottoquotedonhistitle-page，IcannotbutthinkthathisaccuracywouldhavebeenofasomewhathigherkindifhehadnowandthenallowedhimselfalittlemorelibertyofchoicebetweenEnglishandRomanicwordsandidioms。 Afewexampleswillperhapsservetostrengthenaswellastoelucidatestillfurtherthisposition。 “Inferno，“CantoIII。，line22，accordingtoLongfellow:—— “Theresighs，complaints，andululationsloudResoundedthroughtheairwithoutastar，WhenceIatthebeginningweptthereat。“ AccordingtoCary: “Heresighs，withlamentationsandloudmoansResoundedthroughtheairpiercedbynostar，Thate’enIweptatentering。“ AccordingtoParsons- “Midsighs，laments，andhollowhowlsofwoe，Which，loudresoundingthroughthestarlessair，Forcedtearsofpityfrommineeyesatfirst。“[42] “Quivisospiri，piantiedaltiguaiRisonavanperl’nersenzastelle，Perch’ioalcominciarnelagrimai。“ CantoV。，line LONGFELLOW。“Flythroughtheairbytheirvolitionborne。“ CARY。“Cleavetheair，waftedbytheirwillalong。“ PARSONS“Spedeveronwardbytheirwishalone。“ “Volanperl’aerdalvolerportate。“ LONGFELLOW。“Thatheconcedetoushisstalwartshoulders。“ CARY“ThattoushemayvouchsafeTheaidofhisstrongshoulders。“ PARSONS。“Andaskforushisshoulders’strongsupport。“[44] “Cheneconcedaisuoiomeriforti。“ “Histailwaswhollyquiveringinthevoid，ContortingupwardstheenvenomedforkThatintheguiseofscorpionarmeditspoint。“ CARY—— “InthevoidGlancing，histailupturneditsvenomousfork，Withstinglikescorpionsarmed。“ PARSONS——“Inthevoidchasmhistremblingtailheshowed，Asuptheenvenomed，forkedpointheswung，Which，asinscorpions，armeditstaperingend。“[45] “Nelvanotuttasuecodaguizzava，Torcendoinsulavenenosaforca，Che，aguisadiscorpion，lapuntaarmava。“ CantoV。，line51:—— LONGFELLOW——“Peoplewhomtheblackairsocastigates。 CARY——“Bytheblackairsoscourged。“ “Gentichel’auranerasigastiga。“ LONGFELLOW——“Kissedmeuponthemouthallpalpitating。“ CARY——“Mylipsalltremblingkissed “Laboccamibaciotuttotremante。“ “Purgatorio，“CantoXV。，line139:—— “Wepassedalong，athwartthetwilightpeeringForwardasfarasevereyecouldstretchAgainstthesunbeamsserotineandlucent。“[48] “NoiandavamperlovesperoattentiOltre，quantopoteangliocchiallungarsi，Contrairaggiserotinielucenti。“ Mr。Cary’s“brightvespertineray“isonlyatriflebetter；butMr。Wright’s“splendouroftheeveningray“is，initssimplicity，farpreferable。 LONGFELLOW。“DidtheotherthreeadvanceSingingtotheirangelicsaraband。“ CARY。“TotheirowncarolontheycameDancing，infestiveringangelical“ WRIGHT-“Andsongsaccompaniedtheirangeldance。“ HereMr。LongfellowhasapparentlyfollowedtheauthorityoftheCrusca，reading“Cantandoalloroangelicocarribo，“ andtranslatingcarribobysaraband，akindofMoorishdance。Thebestmanuscripts，however，sanctionM。Witte’sreading:—— “Danzandoalloroangelicocarribo。“ Ifthisbecorrect，carribocannotsignify“adance，“butrather“thesongwhichaccompaniesthedance“；andthetruesenseofthepassagewillhavebeenbestrenderedbyMr。Cary。[49] SeeBlanc，VocabolarioDantesco，s。v。“caribo。“ WheneverMr。Longfellow’stranslationiskeptfreefromodditiesofdictionandconstruction，itisveryanimatedandvigorous。 Nothingcanbefinerthanhisrenderingof“Purgatorio，“CantoVI。，lines “OGermanAlbert！whoabandonestHerthathasgrownrecalcitrantandsavage，Andoughtesttobestridehersaddle-bow，MayajustjudgmentfromthestarsdownfallUponthyblood，andbeitnewandopen，Thatthysuccessormayhavefearthereof: Becausethyfatherandthyselfhavesuffered，Bygreedofthosetransalpinelandsdistrained，Thegardenoftheempiretobewaste。 ComeandbeholdMontecchiandCappelletti，MonaldiandFilippeschi，carelessman！ Thosesadalready，andthesedoubt-depressed！ Come，cruelone！comeandbeholdtheoppressionOfthynobility，andcuretheirwounds，Andthoushaltseehowsafe[？]isSantafiore。 ComeandbeholdthyRomethatislamenting，Widowed，alone，anddayandnightexclaims’MyCaesar，whyhastthouforsakenme？’ Comeandbeholdhowlovingarethepeople； Andifforusnopitymoveththee，Comeandbemadeashamedofthyrenown。“[50] [50]“OAlbertoTedesco，cheabbandoniCosteich’efattaindomitaeselvaggia，Edovrestiinforcarlisuoiarcioni，GiustogindiziodallestellecaggiaSoprailtuosangue，esianuovoedaperto，Talcheiltuosuccessortemenzan’aggia: Cheavetetueiltuopadresofferto，Percupidigiadicostadistretti，Cheilgiardindell’imperiosiadiserto。 VieniavederMontecchieCappelletti，MonaldieFilippeschi，uomsenzacura: Colorgiatristi，equesticonsospetti。 Vien，crudel，vieni，evedilapressuraDe’tuoigentili，ecurelormagagne，EvedraiSantafiorcom’eoscura[secura？]。 VieniavederlatuaRomachepiagne，Vedovaesola，edienottechiama: Cesaremio，perchenonm’accompagne？ Vieniavederlagentequantos’ama； Esenulladinoipietatimove，Avergognartiviendellatuafama。“ So，too，CantoIII。，lines “AssheepcomeissuingforthfromoutthefoldByones，andtwos，andthrees，andtheothersstandTimidlyholdingdowntheireyesandnostrils，AndwhattheforemostdoestheothersdoHuddlingthemselvesagainstherifshestop，Simpleandquiet，andthewhereforeknownot。“[51] “ComelepecorelleescondelchiusoAduna，adue，atre，el’altrestannoTimidetteatterrandol’occhioeilmuso；