The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-08
DIVINE COMEDY
 IS GREAT WORK One of the Worlds Really
 Vital Books SAYS GEORGE H. FITCH Dante's Great Work Influenced Famous Writers-Exilcd FlOrentines Poem Colored Litcrature-Life of
 the Celebrated Poet
SAYS GEORGE H. FITCH

George Hamilton Fitch in San Francisco Chronicle.
 Some of the worlds great books are | noteworthy for the profound influence that they have exerted, not only over the contemporaries of the writers, but I 'yer many succeeding generations. Some there are which seem to have ih them perennial stimulus to all that is best in
 human nature; to stretch hands across the gulf of the centuries and to give to
 people today the flaming zeal, the unques- tfoning religious faith, the love of beau | ty and of truth that inspired their au- thors hundreds of years ago. Among the small number of these transcendently great books stand Dante's Divine Com edy." one of the greatest poems of all ages and one of the tremendous spiritual forces that has colored and shaped and actually transformed many lives. History lis full of examples of the vital influence | lof Dante's great work only a few years after it was given to the world. Then came a long period of neglect, and 1t was only with the opening of the Nineteenth century. that Dante came fairly into his own. The last century saw great we'll
 ing up of enthusiasm over this poet and his work. ''The Divine Comedy became the manual of Mazzini and Manzoni and the other leaders of new Italy, and it's in fluence spread over all Europe. Preach CTS of all creeds, scholars, poets, all acclaimed this great religious epic as one
 of the chief books of all the ages. In it
 they found inspiration and stimulus to
 the spiritual life. Their testimony to its
 deathless force would fill a volume.
 Yet in taking up 'rhe Divine Com edy' the reader who does not know Italian Is confronted with the same diff
 ficulty as in reading the Greek or Latin | IAdr oF flaA fxxyn
 classical languages. He must be pre-
 pared to get only dim appreciation of
 the beauties of the original. because
 Dante is essentially Italian. and the
 form in which his verse is cast cannot
 bo reproduced in English without great
 loss On this subject of translating
 poetry, George E. Woodberry, one of
 tho abest of American literary critics, says: ITO read great poet in translation is like seeing the sun
 through a smoked glass. To un-
 derstand a canzone of Dante or Le- opardi one must feel as an Italian feels;
 to appreciate It's form he must know
 the music of the form as only the 1tal-
 ian language can hold and eternize It.
 Translation is inpotent to overcome
 either of these difficulties"
 This Is the scholars estimate; yet
 Emerson, who saw as clearly as any
 man of his time and who grasped the essentials of all the great books, fa- yored translations and declared he got
 great good from them. At any rate
 the average reader has no time to learn Italian In order to appreciate
 Dante. The best he can do is to read a good translation and then help out
 his own impressions by the comment
 and appreciation of such lovers of the
 great poet as Ruskin, Carlyle, Lowell
 and Lohgfellow The best translation
 Is Cary's version, which was revised
 and brought out in its present. form
 in 1874, just before the translators death. It Is written in blank verse. easy and
 melodious.
 Experiences of Dante
 To understand even an outline of the "Divine Comedy" one must know
 a few fects about the life of Dante and the experience that matured ;sl1is
 mind and found expression in this great poem Dante was born. in Florence in Il265 of good Italian family, but re-
 duced to poverty. At IS he wrote his first poems, which were recognized by Cavalcanti, the foremost Italian poet of his day. He became a soldier and he was involved in the petty wars be- tween the Guelfs and the Ghibellines. In 129O Beatrice, the woman whom he adored and who served as the inspira- ton of all his poetry, died, and soon after he gathered under the title Vita Nuova," or New Life,". the prose mar rative. studded with lyrics. which is
 one of the great love songs of all ages.
 This is the highest essence of romantic love. a love so sublimated that it never
 seeks physical eradication. Praise of his lady. contemplation of her angelic beauty of face and lovellness of mind and character these are the forms in
 which Dante's love finds Its exquisite
 expression. And this same love and
 adoration of Beatrice will be found as the chief inspiration of the Divine
 Comedy" > +ef
 For 10 years after the death of Beatrice Dante was immersed in po- litical conflicts. He took a prominent part in the government of Florence. I but in 1902 he was sentenced with 15 other citizens of that city to be
 burned alive should he at any time come within the confines of Florence.
 For three years the poet hoped to suc- l ceed ir regnining hls power in Flor
 ence. but when these hopes finally
 failed he turned to the expression of
 ..4.x d ~