the divine comedy(三)(朗费罗译但丁之神曲 )-第32章
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wind； and men devout； Strangers of Rome； and the new proselytes； In their
own language hear thy wondrous word； And many are amazed and many
doubt。
POSTSCRIPT
'Ich habe unter meinen Papieren ein Blatt gefunden； wo ich die
Baukunst eine erstarrte Musik nenne。' （Johann Wolfgang Goethe； 1829
March 23）
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THE DIVINE COMEDY
I found Dante in a bar。 The Poet had indeed lost the True Way to be
found reduced to party chatter in a Capitol Hill basement； but I had found
him at last。 I must have been drinking in the Dark Tavern of Error； for I
did not even realize I had begun the dolorous path followed by many since
the Poet's journey of A。D。 1300。 Actually no one spoke a word about
Dante or his Divine Comedy； rather I heard a second…hand Goethe call
architecture 〃frozen music。〃 Soon I took my second step through the gate
to a people lost； this time on a more respectable occasiona lecture at the
Catholic University of America。 Clio； the muse of history； must have been
aiding Prof。 Schumacher that evening； because it sustained my full three…
hour attention； even after I had just presented an all…night project。 There I
heard of a most astonishing Italian translation of 'la Divina Commedia' di
Dante Alighieri。 An Italian architect； Giuseppi Terragni； had translated the
Comedy into the 'Danteum；' a projected stone and glass monument to Poet
and Poem near the Basilica of Maxentius in Rome。
Do not look for the Danteum in the Eternal City。 In true Dantean form；
politics stood in the way of its construction in 1938。 Ironically this
literature…inspired building can itself most easily be found in book form。
Reading this book I remembered Goethe's quote about frozen music。 Did
Terragni try to freeze Dante's medieval miracle of song？ Certainly a cold…
poem seems artistically repulsive。 Unflattering comparisons to the lake of
Cocytus spring to mind too。 While I cannot read Italian； I can read some
German。 After locating the original quotation I discovered that 'frozen' is a
problematic （though common） translation of Goethe's original 'erstarrte。'
The verb 'erstarren' more properly means 'to solidify' or 'to stiffen。' This
suggests a chemical reaction in which the art does not necessarily chill in
the transformation。 Nor can simple thawing yield the original work。 Like a
chemical reaction it requires an artistic catalyst； a muse。 Indeed the
Danteum is not a physical translation of the Poem。 Terragni thought it
inappropriate to translate the Comedy literally into a non…literary work。
The Danteum would not be a stage set； rather Terragni generated his
design from the Comedy's structure； not its finishes。
The poem is divided into three canticles of thirty…three cantos each；
plus one extra in the first； the Inferno； making a total of one hundred
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THE DIVINE COMEDY
cantos。 Each canto is composed of three…line tercets； the first and third
lines rhyme； the second line rhymes with the beginning of the next tercet；
establishing a kind of overlap； reflected in the overlapping motif of the
Danteum design。 Dante's realms are further subdivided： the Inferno is
composed of nine levels； the vestibule makes a tenth。 Purgatory has seven
terraces； plus two ledges in an ante…purgatory； adding these to the Earthly
Paradise yields ten zones。 Paradise is composed of nine heavens；
Empyrean makes the tenth。 In the Inferno； sinners are organized by three
vicesIncontinence； Violence； and Fraudand further subdivided by the
seven deadly sins。 In Purgatory； penance is ordered on the basis of three
types of natural love。 Paradise is organized on the basis of three types of
Divine Love； and further subdivided according to the three theological and
four cardinal virtues。 （Thomas Schumacher； 〃The Danteum；〃 Princeton
Architectural Press； 1993）
By translating the structure； Terragni could then layer the literal and
the spiritual meanings of the Poem without allowing either to dominate。
These layers of meaning are native to the Divine Comedy as they are
native to much medieval literature； although modern readers and tourists
may not be so familiar with them。 They are literal； allegorical； moral； and
anagogical。 I offer you St。 Thomas of Aquinas' definition of these last
three as they relate to Sacred Scripture：
。 。 。this spiritual sense has a threefold division。 。 。so far as the things
of the Old Law signify the things of the New Law； there is the allegorical
sense； so far as the things done in Christ； or so far as the things which
signify Christ； are types of what we ought to do； there is the moral sense。
But so far as they signify what relates to eternal glory； there is the
anagogical sense。 （Summa Theologica I； 1； 10）
Within the Danteum the Poet's meanings lurk in solid form。 An
example： the Danteum design does have spaces literally associated with
the Comedythe Dark Wood of Error； Inferno； Purgatorio； and the
Paradisobut these spaces also relate among themselves spiritually。 Dante
often highlights a virtue by first condemning its corruption。 Within Dante's
system Justice is the greatest of the cardinal virtues； its corruption； Fraud；
is the most contemptible of vices。 Because Dante saw the papacy as the
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THE DIVINE COMEDY
most precious of sacred institutions； corrupt popes figure prominently
among the damned in the Poet's Inferno。 In the Danteum the materiality of
the worldly Dark Wood directly opposes the transcendence of the Paradiso。
In the realm of error every thought is lost and secular； while in heaven
every soul's intent is directed toward God。 The shadowy Inferno of the
Danteum mirrors the Purgatorio's illuminated ascent to heaven。 Purgatory
embodies hope and growth where hell chases its own dark inertia。 Such is
the cosmography shared by Terragni and Dante。
In this postscript I intend neither to fully examine the meaning nor the
plan of the Danteum； but rather to evince the power that art has acted as a
catalyst to other artists。 The Danteum； a modern design inspired by a
medieval poem； is but one example。 Dante's poem is filled with characters
epitomizing the full range of vices and virtues of human personalities。
Dante's characters come from his present and literature's past； they are
mythological； biblical； classical； ancient； and medieval。 They； rather than
Calliope and her sisters； were Dante's muses。
'La Divina Commedia' seems a natural candidate to complete Project
Gutenberg's first milleditio and to begin its second thousand e…texts。
Although distinctly medieval； its continuum of influence spans the
Renaissance and modernity。 Terragni saw his place within the Comedy as
surely as Dante saw his own。 We too fit within Dante's understanding of
the human condition； we differ less from our past than we might like to
believe。 T。 S。 Eliot understood this when he wrote 〃Dan
