The Divine Comedy“Under James’s uncanny touch, seven long centuries drop away, and the great poem is startlingly fresh and new.”—Stephen Greenblatt The Divine Comedy is the precursor of modern literature, and Clive James’s translation—decades in the making—gives us the entire epic as a single, coherent, and compulsively readable lyric poem. For the first time ever in an English translation, James makes the bold choice of switching from the terza rima composition of the original Italian—a measure that strains in English—to the quatrain. The result is “rhymed English stanzas that convey the music of Dante’s triple rhymes” (Edward Mendelson). James’s translation reproduces the same wonderful momentum of the original Italian that propels the reader along the pilgrim’s path from Hell to Heaven, from despair to revelation. |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Aeneas angels beast Beatrice blessed blood born breath brought burned can’t CANTO Charles of Anjou Christ circle climb Clive James cried Dante Dante’s dark divine Divine Comedy Dogbreath Don Paterson earth eternal eyes face fame father fear feet fire flame gave gaze Geryon Ghibelline God’s gone grace grief Guide head hear heard heart Heaven holy holy soldiers keep knew lady leaves less light living look Malebolge Master mind mortal mountain moved never once pain Pistoia rest rhymes Rome sang seemed seen shade shame shine side sight sing smile song soon Sordello soul speak speech spoke stars Statius stay step stood sweet tears tell terza rima there’s things thought took true truth turned Virgil virtue voice weep what’s wheel wings words You’ll you’re you’ve