The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-18
Dnnte's Love for ReatrIee.


work on Dante, recently published by
g. scribner q Co., of New York. we
take the following account of his love
for Beatrice: Y s s-sa Z
1t was in the ninth year of his age
that Dante first met Beatrice, who, ac-
cording to the popular idea, inspired
MIN with that transcendant love, the
story OF which he himself relates in the
vita Nova, and which he has immor-
talized in the Divina C0mmedfa, Con-
cerutng the nature of this love there
have been various opinions among
commentators. While some have re-.
garded IL as the romantic devotion of
an impassioned lover to an actual wo-
man, by others Beatrice is considered
as purely symbolic character. II
L The Vita Nuova, composed from 1898
70 1900, contains thirty-one poems of
Inherent dates, accompanied by prose
notes and interpretations which con-
meet them together, and explain their
occasions and apparent meaning. It is
essentially mystic in its character, and
leaves the reader in doubt as TO the ma
ture Of the love, whether real or sym
oolical, which It portrays. Dante here
describes his first meeting with Beat
rice, when love became the master of
his soul the devotion with which he
IolloWed her lwhi1ela boy; and how, af-
y
again appeared before him, clothed in
pure white-7and, passing along the
street, she turned her eyes toward the
place Where he stood very timidly, and,
by her inetable courtesy, saluted him
With. such grace that, Intoxicated with
delight, he turned away from the crowd,
ana, yhetak1ng himself to his solitary
chamber, he fell into sweet slumbef,
IN which marvellous vision appeared
to him. This vision he described in q
sonnet, his first poetical composition,
copies of which, as was often the GUS
tom IN that age, were sent to-the poets
for Interpretation. :. The sonnet was
Wen received, and poems in answer to
u We're returned-one particularly from
Guido :Cavalcand, who, having thus
made the acquaintance Of Dante, con-
cetved for him a fFieddship which ter
minated only with his death. Dante
Ola MoJanas however, another poet of
some renown, showed very little SYM
pathy with the mystic fancies of the
lover, and, in a satirical response, ad-
vised the poet to seek the aid Of the
physician.
Thus Dante, according to the letter of
the Vita NuoYa; continued to dream
and to love-to gaze at Beatrice from a
distance, and to compose poems in her
naming her, fearful lest he should
offend her purity or compromise her
honor. he tells us that he attempted
10 conceal his affection, even by feign-
ing love for another lady, to whom he
dedicated the songs intended for Beat
rice, and that at last Beatrice refused to
salute him when they met. Then he
relates that he returned home, locked
himself in his chamber, where his la
mentations could not be heard, and
gave himself up to despair, until at
length he tell asleep, with tears in his
eyes, like child who had been beaten.
Again, at wedding festival, he was SO
overpowered by her presence that he
was led away by his friends; and, in
answer to their inquiries as to what was
the matter with him, he replied: 81
have set my feet on that edge of life
beyond which no man can go with
power to return"
In a CANON he describes dream, or
vision, in which he beholds the dead
body of Beatrice, surrounded by women
with unbound hair, who abandon them
selves to mourning, as they cover their
beautiful features with q snowy veil
DARK clouds obscure the sun; the stars
are pale with grief. He beholds the
slow and sorrowful funeral procession;
ne sees q company of angels bearing
awaythe soul -0fshis beloved. enveloped
In white cloud. Tears gush from his
closed eyes; he cries: 30 bountifnl soul,
how happy is he who can yet behold
theeW and he calls on death to bear
him away to Beatrice. The fair watch
ers at his bedside hasten to awaken him
from his terrible dream, and ask the
occasion of his grief. But, in the sobs
and groans with which he reveals it,
they are unable to distinguish the name
of Beatrice, and SO the cause of his sor-
row remains poetical mystery to
them. 4i
This vision was the foreshadowine Of
approaching reality, for the actual
twenty-four, having been married for
some years to Simon de Bardi, after
ward conspicuous in the political party
OF, the Neri, by, which Dante was SC
bitterly prosecuted.