Sonnet VI (the last one!) on Dante's Divine Comedy by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
See the sender's note for more information!
Sender’s note: Hello all, Flynn here. Thanks for making it to the end, especially if you were with us from the start :) As I said a couple of months ago, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to continue the newsletter for its next intended cycle, but I hope to do so. In the meantime, in the Project Gutenberg text for Longfellow’s translation of the Comedy, the Appendix hosts six sonnets on the Comedy written by Longfellow. I thought it would be apt to send these out after we finished our rounds. Please enjoy!
SIX SONNETS ON DANTE’S DIVINE COMEDY BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
(1807-1882)
VI
O star of morning and of liberty!
O bringer of the light, whose splendor shines
Above the darkness of the Apennines,
Forerunner of the day that is to be!
The voices of the city and the sea,
The voices of the mountains and the pines,
Repeat thy song, till the familiar lines
Are footpaths for the thought of Italy!
Thy fame is blown abroad from all the heights,
Through all the nations; and a sound is heard,
As of a mighty 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.
Thank you so much! I probably wouldn't have managed to read the whole thing if it wasn't for this substack. I love that you included the notes too, sometimes I felt like I was rushing through a canto just to get to the notes :D And these sonnets were a nice touch, definitely helped with the empty feeling after finishing such a long project!
Well done, Flynn! Congratulations and great job. Thank you, John.