As mentioned previously, Longfellow wrote six sonnets on Dante’s Divina Commedia. The first two are about Inferno, the middle two about Purgatorio, and the final two about Paradiso. In these sonnets, Longfellow describes his impression of an emotion or theme in the poem, rather than a reaction to a specific scene. Thus, Longfellow’s first sonnet on the Inferno covers the first canto, when the middle-aged Dante is walking through the wood. The first sonnet’s theme is the idea of pilgrimage through life. The second sonnet moves on to Inferno proper, with a primary focus on Dante’s reaction to the souls in torment. In this sonnet, Longfellow is more impressionistic than specific in his commentary on Dante.
Sonnet II sets up the dichotomy between the world and the church, between the lost and the saved. We often speak of people being “outside the church,” meaning that they are not saved. Longfellow is literally outside the church, where sin reigns in the actions of the world. “The loud vociferations of the street” of Sonnet I refer to the cacophony and confusion of Hell (I.7).* Only inside the church can the pilgrim find salvation and rest (I.9-14, III.12-14).
The octave of the first sonnet describes the exterior of the cathedral that Longfellow is visiting. From the later sonnets, it appears that the exterior of the cathedral, as well as the world outside, symbolizes Hell. In lines 1-5, Longfellow admires the carvings of saints and sinners on the facade of the Gothic cathedral. In lines 6-8, it appears that one of these scenes is the crucifixion of Christ, with Judas watching from a corner of the picture. “The traitor Judas lowers!” and this alludes to Dante’s placement of Judas at the bottom of hell, in the circle reserved for the traitors (II.8). The “living thieves” could refer to an earlier circle of hell, but more likely refers to sinners in general (II.7). The grotesque gargoyles around the sides of the church are likely the demons who torment the sinners in Hell (II.6). They look down on the people on the street, the people who never enter the cathedral, and remind them of the anguish to come.**
While the octave describes the grotesqueness of hell, the sestet shows us Dante’s reaction to the horrors of Inferno. Longfellow effectively portrays the mingled pity and horror, the glee and hatred that Dante experiences as he travels down through the circles. Several scenes from Inferno immediately spring to mind while reading lines 9-11. First, there is the famous story of Paolo and Francesca, the lovers who were killed by a jealous husband. As Dante listens to her pathetic tale, he is moved to tears and faints at the end of Canto 5. Virgil rebukes him for his weakness, say that he must learn to scorn sin. Dante is an apt pupil, and by the ninth circle, he mocks and torments Bocca degli Abbati, frozen in the ice. Dante sees the horror and sadness of hell with human eyes at first, but he learns to look on it with God’s eyes of justice.
Finally, Longfellow concludes the sonnet by praising Dante’s artistry and passion (II.11-14). Dante did not just write the Divine Comedy as an academic exercise (though there is much that is academic in his song). He wrote it out of human passion and feeling, with vivid descriptions of the earth and the air, so that we might feel and partake in his journey.
*Tchaikovsky’s symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini is based on Canto V of Dante’s Inferno and provides a fascinating musical commentary on the noise and chaos of hell, balanced by the pity that Dante feels in hearing her story.
** Longfellow also makes a subtle reference in lines 3-4 to the liturgical year. Dante descends into Hell on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Flowers bloom and birds make their nests in springtime, the season of Easter. Since the parvis (portico) and portal are mentioned as being especially adorned, perhaps Longfellow is visiting the cathedral himself on Holy Saturday in order to follow Dante’s pilgrimage more closely.
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You had fun with this...I need to go look up Francesca da Rimini now.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard he was trying to cover the whole of the Inferno in one poem, I was kind of in shock that he thought he could do it. But, reading Sonnet 2, there seems to be that pattern of all of Dante's emotions. The first four lines cover his sense of wonder and awe as he approaches hell and passes through limbo. The next four outline his growing sense of pity, fear, and finally, as you pointed out, just condemnation of the souls in hell. The next three seem to be his dramatic reconciliation with the work of Christ and flow smoothly into the last two lines. Here, he exits hell, lays the past to rest, and prepares his soul for the upward climb and wonder of Purgatory.
As, just as a passigin reference, I am curious to see where the pattern of speech goes in this set of sonnets. In the beginning of Sonnet 1 you see him chanting the Pater Noster, a form of singing, and in Sonnet 2, in the very last line, the poet is singing as he escaped Hell and sees the hint of God on the horizon. The reference to "This mediaeval miracle of song!" reminded me of Dr. Esolen's article about singing in Christianity on Touchstone.
Okay, babbling over. :-)
Yes, you should listen to Francesca da Rimini.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of Dante's emotional progression is brilliant! This progression would also work well for the third sonnet.
I hadn't paid much attention to the speech patterns before, but there is speech or singing in every sonnet. In the third sonnet, the souls make confession and receive pardon. Dante himself repeats the pattern in the fourth sonnet. The fifth sonnet mentions Latin hymns, and the sixth sonnet describes the preaching of the gospel.
You should babble more often. I like it.