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Dante

WHAT should be said of him cannot be said;
By too great splendor is his name attended;
To blame is easier than those who him offended,
Than reach the faintest glory round him shed.
This man descended to the doomed and dead
For our instruction; then to God ascended;
Heaven opened wide to him its portals splendid,
Who from his country's, closed against him, fled.
Ungrateful land! To its own prejudice
Nurse of his fortunes; and this showeth well
That the most perfect most of grief shall see.
Among a thousand proofs let one suffice,
That as his exile hath no parallel,
Ne'er walked the earth a greater man than he.

Notes

Translated by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Comments

1 - 5 of 5
  • TheMechanicalAngel
    May 18, 2004
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    This guy had a lot of talent,and it wouldnt surprise me if this Dante and the Dante from Dante's Inferno are the same people. Then again,this could just be me and my random insanity coming in. But yeah...lol...This is a great poem,and its almost like Michelangelo was a herald(the guys who kept records of important events) but yeah. This is awesome.

  • slowlydying
    May 18, 2004
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    i really like it but is it Dante from dante's inferno...or is that just me..anyways theres some really great emotions in this piece...i think it's awesome as well that michelangelo's art carrer lasted over 70 years, i love all this paintings and inventions...he's a very smart man and im glad he's being given credit for the stuff he's done
    gina

  • FlyingDaggers
    May 18, 2004
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    it was really great i liked it, but it needs somthing else, but it seems to late for that , it was written in 1500! good poem

  • Annandhel
    May 18, 2004
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    I really like this piece. I was not aware that Michelangelo wrote poetry, but then again I am just a young naive freshmen. All that aside, I loved the subtle rhymes. There isn't a rhyme scheme, but the consonance he used was magical. I really loved it.

  • Nam
    March 9, 2004
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    I have read this piece many-a-time and each time I go away with the same feeling, but, still I get different aspects from it. Same feeling, different images. Maybe of dreams maybe not. But, it is a wholesome feeling when reading this piece.

    I've always stated to myself 'I could write like this'. Then I dismiss it and say 'no I can't - well, not unless I plagiarized him.' (which I wouldn't).

    Just an outstanding piece.



    Edited on Mar 09, 4:49 p.m. because ''.

1 - 5 of 5