beacon lights of history-iii-2-第3章

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combine　rare　things；art；　music；　genius；　original　thought；　wisdom

made　still　richer　by　learning；　and；　above　all；　a　power　of　appealing

to　inner　sentiments；　which　all　feel；　yet　are　reluctant　to　express。

So　choice　are　the　gifts；　so　grand　are　the　qualities；　so　varied　the

attainments　of　truly　great　poets；　that　very　few　are　born　in　a　whole

generation　and　in　nations　that　number　twenty　or　forty　millions　of

people。　　They　are　the　rarest　of　gifted　men。　　Every　nation　can　boast

of　its　illustrious　lawyers；　statesmen；　physicians；　and　orators；　but

they　can　point　only　to　a　few　of　their　poets　with　pride。　　We　can

count　on　the　fingers　of　one　of　our　hands　all　those　worthy　of　poetic

fame　who　now　live　in　this　great　country　of　intellectual　and

civilized　men；　one　for　every　ten　millions。　　How　great　the　pre…

eminence　even　of　ordinary　poets！　　How　very　great　the　pre…eminence

of　those　few　whom　all　ages　and　nations　admire！



The　critics　assign　to　Dante　a　pre…eminence　over　most　of　those　we

call　immortal。　　Only　two　or　three　other　poets　in　the　whole　realm　of

literature；　ancient　or　modern；　dispute　his　throne。　　We　compare　him

with　Homer　and　Shakspeare；　and　perhaps　Goethe；　alone。　　Civilization

glories　in　Virgil；　Milton；　Tasso；　Racine；　Pope；　and　Byron；all

immortal　artists；　but　it　points　to　only　four　men　concerning　whose

transcendent　creative　power　there　is　unanimity　of　judgment；

prodigies　of　genius；　to　whose　influence　and　fame　we　can　assign　no

limits；　stars　of　such　surpassing　brilliancy　that　we　can　only　gaze

and　wonder；growing　brighter　and　brighter；　too；　with　the　progress

of　ages；　so　remarkable　that　no　barbarism　will　ever　obscure　their

brightness；　so　original　that　all　imitation　of　them　becomes

impossible　and　absurd。　　So　great　is　original　genius；　directed　by

art　and　consecrated　to　lofty　sentiments。



I　have　assumed　the　difficult　task　of　presenting　one　of　these　great

lights。　　But　I　do　not　presume　to　analyze　his　great　poem；　or　to

point　out　critically　its　excellencies。　　This　would　be　beyond　my

powers；　even　if　I　were　an　Italian。　　It　takes　a　poet　to　reveal　a

poet。　　Nor　is　criticism　interesting　to　ordinary　minds；　even　in　the

hands　of　masters。　　I　should　make　critics　laugh　if　I　were　to　attempt

to　dissect　the　Divine　Comedy。　　Although；　in　an　English　dress；　it　is

known　to　most　people　who　pretend　to　be　cultivated；　yet　it　is　not

more　read　than　the　〃Paradise　Lost〃　or　the　〃Faerie　Queene；〃　being

too　deep　and　learned　for　some；　and　understood　by　nobody　without　a

tolerable　acquaintance　with　the　Middle　Ages；　which　it　interprets；

the　superstitions；　the　loves；　the　hatreds；　the　ideas　of　ages　which

can　never　more　return。　　All　I　can　doall　that　is　safe　for　me　to

attemptis　to　show　the　circumstances　and　conditions　in　which　it

was　written；　the　sentiments　which　prompted　it；　its　historical

results；　its　general　scope　and　end；　and　whatever　makes　its　author

stand　out　to　us　as　a　living　man；　bearing　the　sorrows　and　revelling

in　the　joys　of　that　high　life　which　gave　to　him　extraordinary　moral

wisdom；　and　made　him　a　prophet　and　teacher　to　all　generations。　　He

was　a　man　of　sorrows；　of　resentments；　fierce　and　implacable；　but

whose　〃love　was　as　transcendent　as　his　scorn；〃a　man　of　vast

experiences　and　intense　convictions　and　superhuman　earnestness；

despising　the　world　which　he　sought　to　elevate；　living　isolated　in

the　midst　of　society；　a　wanderer　and　a　sage；　meditating　constantly

on　the　grandest　themes；　lost　in　ecstatic　reveries；　familiar　with

abstruse　theories；　versed　in　all　the　wisdom　of　his　day　and　in　the

history　of　the　past；　a　believer　in　God　and　immortality；　in　rewards

and　punishments；　and　perpetually　soaring　to　comprehend　the

mysteries　of　existence；　and　those　ennobling　truths　which　constitute

the　joy　and　the　hope　of　renovated　and　emancipated　and　glorified

spirits　in　the　realms　of　eternal　bliss。　　All　this　is　history；　and

it　is　history　alone　which　I　seek　to　teach；the　outward　life　of　a

great　man；　with　glimpses；　if　I　can；　of　those　visions　of　beauty　and

truth　in　which　his　soul　lived；　and　which　visions　and　experiences

constitute　his　peculiar　greatness。　　Dante　was　not　so　close　an

observer　of　human　nature　as　Shakspeare；　nor　so　great　a　painter　of

human　actions　as　Homer；　nor　so　learned　a　scholar　as　Milton；　but　his

soul　was　more　serious　than　either；he　was　deeper；　more　intense

than　they；　while　in　pathos；　in　earnestness；　and　in　fiery　emphasis

he　has　been　surpassed　only　by　Hebrew　poets　and　prophets。



It　would　seem　from　his　numerous　biographies　that　he　was　remarkable

from　a　boy；　that　he　was　a　youthful　prodigy；　that　he　was　precocious；

like　Cicero　and　Pascal；　that　he　early　made　great　attainments；

giving　utterance　to　living　thoughts　and　feelings；　like　Bacon；　among

boyish　companions；　lisping　in　numbers；　like　Pope；　before　he　could

write　prose；　different　from　all　other　boys；　since　no　time　can　be

fixed　when　he　did　not　think　and　feel　like　a　person　of　maturer

years。　　Born　in　Florence；　of　the　noble　family　of　the　Alighieri；　in

the　year　1265；　his　early　education　devolved　upon　his　mother；　his

father　having　died　while　the　boy　was　very　young。　　His　mother's

friend；　Brunetto　Latini；　famous　as　statesman　and　scholarly　poet；

was　of　great　assistance　in　directing　his　tastes　and　studies。　　As　a

mere　youth　he　wrote　sonnets；　such　as　Sordello　the　Troubadour　would

not　disdain　to　own。　　He　delights；　as　a　boy；　in　those　inquiries

which　gave　fame　to　Bonaventura。　　He　has　an　intuitive　contempt　for

all　quacks　and　pretenders。　　At　Paris　he　maintains　fourteen

different　theses；　propounded　by　learned　men；　on　different　subjects；

and　gains　universal　admiration。　　He　is　early　selected　by　his　native

city　for　important　offices；　which　he　fills　with　honor。　　In　wit　he

encounters　no　superiors。　　He　scorches　courts　by　sarcasms　which　he

can　not　restrain。　　He　offends　the　great　by　a　superiority　which　he

does　not　attempt　to　veil。　　He　affects　no　humility；　for　his　nature

is　doubtless　proud；　he　is　even　offensively　conscious　and　arrogant。

When　Florence　is　deliberating　about　the　choice　of　an　ambassador　to

Rome；　he　playfully；　yet　still　arrogantly；　exclaims：　〃If　I　remain

behind；　who　goes？　and　if　I　go；　who　remains　behind？〃　　His

countenance；　so　austere　and　thoughtful；　impresses　all　beholders

with　a　sort　of　inborn　greatness；　his　lip；　in　Giotto's　portrait；　is

curled　disdainfully；　as　if　he　lived　among　fools　or　knaves。　　He　is

given　to　no　youthful　excesses；　he　lives　simply　and　frugally。　　He

rarely　speaks　unless　spoken　to；　he　is　absorbed　apparently　in

thought。　　Without　a　commanding　physical　person；　he　is　a　marked　man

to　everybody；　even　when　he　deems　himself　a　stranger。　　Women　gaze　at

him　with　wonder　and　admiration；　though　he　disdains　their　praises

and　avoids　their　flatteries。　　Men　make　way　for　him　as　he　passes

them；　unconsciously。　　〃Behold；〃　said　a　group　of　ladies；　as　he

walked　slowly　by　them；　〃there　is　a　man　who　has　visited　hell！〃　　To

the　close　of　his　life　he　was　a　great　devourer　of　books；　and

digested　their　contents。　　His　studies　were　as　various　as　they　were

profound。　　He　was　familiar　with　the　ancient　poets　and　historians

and　philosophers；　he　was　still　better　acquainted　with　the　abstruse

speculations　of　the　schoolmen。　　He　delighted　in　universities　and

scholastic　retreats；　from　the　cares　and　duties　of　public　life　he

would　retire　to　solitary　labors；　and　dignify　his　retirement　by

improving　studies。　　He　did　not　live　in　a　cell；　like　Jerome；　or　a

cave；　like　Mohammed；　but　no　man　was　ever　more　indebted　to　solitude

and　meditation　than　he　for　that　insight　and　inspiration　which

communion　with　God　and　great　ideas　alone　can　give。



And　yet；　though　recluse　and　student；　he　had　great　experiences　with

life。　　He　was　born　among　the　higher　ranks　of　society。　　He　inherited

an　ample　patrimony。　　He　did　not　shrink　from　public　affairs。　　He　was

intensely　patriotic；　like　Michael　Angelo；　he　gave　himself　up　to　the

good　of　his　country；　like　Savonarola。　　Florence　was　small；　but　it

was　important；　it　was　already　a　capital；　and　a　centre　of　industry。

He　repr