New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-11-09
DANTE'S "VITA NUOVA."
THE TRANSLATION By PROFESSOR CHARLES
ELIOT NORTON REPRINTED.


Horatian precept about letting literary work
he for a period Of dciiberation and Improvement
His version Of the Vita Nuova" was made in
his youth nearly forty years ago. 1t was, in
decd published then, but its meaning TO tho
translator and 10 readers Of Dante must be
wholly different, for it carries the weight of a
name attached that is now inscribed upon one
of the best tTanslatons of the Dvina Commedia"
eyer made. Though he is doubtless more critical
as to form than he years ago, the fancifu
story Of Dantes love has lost none Of It's at
Effectiveness for him. Il reprint il now" he
writes, feeling the charm Of the original lose
in my age than in my youth, and wishing that
something of this charm may be felt by those
who know the New Life only through my
version" In another place he gives what ne
looks upon as the reason of this charm. The
narrative Of the New Life is quaint, embroidered
with oonoeits, deficient in artistic completeness,
but il has the simplicity of youth, the charm OF
sincerity, the freedom of personal commence
and 80 long as there are lovers in the world, apu
so long as lovers poets, this first ana ten-
derest love story of modern literature VIII no
read with appreciation and responsive sympathy
There was similar delberation in the case
Of the original tale itself Though 1t cannot De
supposed that Dante in writing or even mentally,
noted in his youth the things that he would
say in this little book, yet by figure OF speech
he introduces it as If he had done that very thing,
for he talks of the book of his memory as almost
q blank, or at least as practically undecipherabie
until he reaches a certain page where is written
"Incipit Vita Nova-Ghc New Life begins
Under this ruhrc he found written the words
which he now intended to copy, If not all OF
them at least their meaning" frank confession
that the mature man will give, not the romance
of bis youth as il seemed to him in the days wren
IL was real, but as il seems to him now, looked
at through the identifying mist of years, with
perceptions trained in accordance with the learn
ing of the age. 1t is hard TO imagine even
Dante with all his natural turn for mysticism,
alleporizing his love for Beatrice from the outset
II he had told his story earlier in life, surely IL
would have been different story-not less sweet
and fanoitl but more wholesome, II one may
dare to say 50: less shadowy and more thing
Of Hesh and Blood reality.
The highest beauty of the story to modern
eyes is that Dante, in spite Of the other
worldliness that had begun to absorb him, was
unable to keep the reality out OF his visionary
autobiography 1t will be answered. OF course
that the poet was intensely realistic, and that
all his descriptions in the Divine Comedy" par
ticularly In the g. HELP and the "Purgatory,
are marked by the keennees of vlsion' when
left not a single detail of the Italian character
ever. that the problem there was to give re-
ality to the unreal-or, If that phrase be objected
to on the score of religion. belief to give ex-
ternal form TO what, viewed from this life, can
never be ANYTHING but a subjective fact. Now, If
the problem in the "Vita Nuova" had been the
same if the author had created the inquire Oh
Beatrice and of the ladies who became his de
fence against the publicity of his passion and
his melancholy; and of the lady who looked
compassionately upon him from her window, IL
is easy to see from the example of the Divine
Comedy" how ely distinct and vital he
would have made them in the pages OF his
narrative. But, as a matter Of fAct his art
proceeds here upon lines wholly diverse from
those to be deciphered In the "Ovina Com
media" He aims to spritualize the matter, 70
ettenuate and refine and sublimate very prac-
tical fact In bis life, because, on reflection, ne
sees how It can be turned into deeply philo-
sophical lesson. He has so far succeeded IN TINS
that he has given occasion for controversy which
will probably never be ended between those VINO
believe that Dante's Beatrice was once living
woman and those who deem her naught Out
the impersonation of his ideal
In the case of another lady who figured in the
story it is only fair TO point out that Professor
Norton, In his desire to harmonic philosophically
the words of the Vita Nuova" and those of the
"Convito" has given prominence to alHgory AT
the expense of the literal Interpretation. AT least
the effect of his words will be TO confuse those
readers whose nstuih tendency is opposed to mat
tiers Of fact. As an autobographic'l sketch The
whole of the book must be taken together Ii
single chapter, the intent OF which IS coniesSedy
that of narrative and not OF commentary DC
stricken out as wholly allegorical and deusive,
all the rest go with it, Dante was too good a
schoolman not to know precisely what the laws of
argument were in his time. He knew well that an
alerorv NAV be evolved from mcagie and disjointed
material but that the chain of literal interpre-
tation can never be stronger than its weakest link
After the death of Beatrice. Dante acknowledges
that he was very miserable. and he tells tins lutte
incident: Some time afterwards, happening
10 be In place where l was reminded
of the past time, i stood deep in thought,
and with such doleful thoughts that they
made me exhibit an appearance OF Ter
rible distress Wherefore, l, becoming aware oil
NV woebegone look, lifted mp my eyes to see II
any ore saw me, and l saw gentle lady, young
and very beautiful, who was looking at me from
a window, with face full of compassion, 50 that
all pity seemed gathered in it He thought her
"a most noble love- indited sonnet TO her, and
.was brought to such a pass by the sight of this
body that his eyes began TO delight too much III
seeing her. Now, from tie literal side. this
episode must be taken with the rest. III 1t Is
merely a freak of the imagination, then the whole
book falls TO pieces, and no scheme OF internal
criticism will save it. But after one has followed
Dantes literal method TO its logical conclusion,
and has laid it aside one is then at liberty t. DIP
into the plausibilitiee of allegory, and there is
nothing more reasonable than what Professor
Norton has to say, except that he and Others
have raised difficulty which could not nave eX-
listed in Dantes mind at all
H.. xrith
would have seemed obvious thin| to sGy -:
The plain meaning of certain passages in the
Vita Nuova' is thus and so,' and he would
have expected the reader to bit on this plain
meaning OF the words as they stood and 10 lay
the narrated fact by to be considered, so far
as it was a fact, BY itself, without secondary |
suggestions That done, the New Life" lit |