L ' I N F E R N O

INF C15 52-54 / DANTE
Pur ier mattina le volsi le spalle: Only yesterday morning I turned my back on it:
questi m'apparve, tornand' ïo in quella, he appeared to me as I was returning to it,
e reducemi a ca per questo calle». and guides me back again, but by this path.
♫PROPHECY MOTIF * * * * * * * * * *
INF C15 54
BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 55-57 / DANTE INF C15 55-57 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Se tu segui tua stella, And he to me: If you follow your star,
non puoi fallire a glorïoso porto, you cannot fail to reach a glorious harbour:
se ben m'accorsi ne la vita bella; if I judged clearly in the sweet life.
INF C15 58-60 / DANTE
e s'io non fossi sì per tempo morto, If I had not died before you, I would have
veggendo il cielo a te così benigno, supported you in your work,
dato t'avrei a l'opera conforto. seeing that Heaven is so kind to you.
DANTE INTERPRETS TO THE ITALIAN-SPEAKING AUDIENCE, ADDING EMPHASIS.
DANTE:
INF C15 55-57 / DANTE INF C15 55-57 / KLINE
Ed elli a me: «Se tu segui tua stella, And he to me: If you follow your star,
non puoi fallire a glorïoso porto, you cannot fail to reach a glorious harbour:
se ben m'accorsi ne la vita bella; if I judged clearly in the sweet life.
INF C15 58-60 / DANTE INF C15 58-60 / KLINE
e s'io non fossi sì per tempo morto, If I had not died before you, I would have
veggendo il cielo a te così benigno, supported you in your work,
dato t'avrei a l'opera conforto. seeing that Heaven is so kind to you.
124
BRUNETTO LATINI:
INF C15 61-63 / DANTE INF C15 61-63 / KLINE
Ma quello ingrato popolo maligno Ma quello...popolo…But that ungrateful,
che discese di Fiesole ab antico, malignant people who came down from Fiesole to
e tiene ancor del monte e del macigno, Florence, in ancient times, and still have something
of the mountain and the rock,
MALIGNANT PEOPLE: ACCORDING TO TRADITION CATILINE WAS BESIEGED, BY CAESAR, IN FIESOLE (FAESULAE), IN THE HILLS,
THREE MILES NORTH-WEST OF FLORENCE. WHEN THE TOWN FELL A NEW TOWN WAS ESTABLISHED, IN THE VALLEY, BY THE
RIVER ARNO. THE INHABITANTS WERE A MIXTURE OF FIESOLANS & ROMAN SOLDIERS. THE FLORENTINE COMMONERS
(WHITES) WERE HELD TO BE DESCENDED FROM THE FIESOLANS, THE NOBILITY (BLACKS) FROM THE ROMANS. THIS WAS
REGARDED AS A SOURCE OF THE FUTURE CONFLICTS. DANTE WAS FOR A REFORMED PAPACY & A STRONG (HOLY ROMAN)
EMPIRE & WAS ACTIVE IN THE EXPULSION OF BOTH WHITES & BLACKS FROM FLORENCE, HE WAS THEREFORE OPPOSED BY
BOTH PARTIES, THOUGH OSTENSIBLY A GHIBELLINE (HIS FATHER HAVING BEEN A GUELPH) & COURTED & VILIFIED BY BOTH.
DANTE IS RECONCILED TO BRUNETTO’S & FARINATA’S PROPHECY, OF A TROUBLED EXILE.
INF C15 64-66 / DANTE
ti si farà, per tuo ben far, nimico; will be inimical to you for the good you do,
ed è ragion, ché tra li lazzi sorbi and with reason., since it is not fitting for the
si disconvien fruttare al dolce fico. sweet fig tree to fruit, among the sour crab-apples.
DANTE TRANSLATES AGAIN.