DANTE RE-READ Snt,—May a fellow-student of Dante, who has found
consola- tion during difficult times in the Divina Commedia, express his appreciation of Mr. Woodward's article " On Re-reading Dante," adding, however, two minor criticisms?
From the context it would appear that the line (as Mr. Wood- ward quotes it) In la sua voluntade a nostra pace was spoken by Francesca da Rimini in the second Cirde of Hell, whereas it was actually the utterance of Piccarda Donati in the Heaven of the Moon, given in answer to Dante's question whether the spirits there felt longing for any more exalted place. Francesca, looking back on first happiness, said something very different.
The line, it should be noted further, does not stand by itself beginning a new tercet with " In," but belongs to the preceding one, to which it is bound by the conjunction "E." The same slip was made by Mr. Gladstone when writing his fine eulogy on Piccarda's speech. The passage will be found in Morley's Life, ill, 70. To the statesman these particular words seemed to have " an inexpressible majesty about them," an opinion with which Mr. Woodward would doubtless agree.
Previous page
