Dante Alighierie’s Divine Comedy is a lasting, complex piece of literature that has been translated over 400 times in more than 50 languages. Written in the 1300’s before Dante’s death in 1326, the poetry was written in the Italian Vernacular and we don’t have a manuscript written in Dante’s own hand. The editions we do have that circulated before his death were transcribed by others. One of the earliest complete manuscripts we have of the Divine Comedy is the Chantilly Manuscript and it was produced more than 20 years after Dante’s death. The first English translation didn’t come until more than 400 years later in the 1700s. The first American translation came in the 1860s.

At the time that the poems were written, Dante had been sent into political exile after openly opposing Pope Boniface VIII’s rule after the Guelph and Ghibelline conflict came to an end. At the time of writing The Divine Comedy Dante was coming to terms with this theological, political and personal beliefs. His poetry served as guide for him to explore themes of contrapasso (punishment is designed to mirror the sin), redemption, forgiveness and divine love. Dante’s journey to hell illustrates to readers the need to repent and change sinful ways. His journey to Purgatory exemplifies repentance and his time in Heaven exemplifies divine love, justice and faith.

Each translator comes to Dante’s story in a different way

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was the first American translator, and his translation is both historical and literary. As a famous fireside poet, his hope was to make poetry easily understood by readers who may not have studied poetry. Though his translation was accessible for audiences when it was written, it can be quite dry and difficult to read for a modern audience.

John Ciardi offers a more stylistic approach which some audiences do find more accessible. Even so, published more than 70 years ago contemporary audiences can find Ciardi’s style difficult to follow. He uses a closer rhyming scheme to the Terza Rima that Dante created for the comedy, and his use of language is much more dynamic. His translation is more interpretive than literal (something we will see with Sayers and Palma) which does create some concern for the more nuanced themes of the original work

Allen Mandelbaum is a popular choice for scholars and readers looking to dive deeper into the world of Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso. Mandelbaum’s translation is freeform, and more accessible than Longfellow’s. Mandelbaum’s choice to publish the Italian version next to the English version can be interesting in an academic setting but for English readers with no background in Italian it can be visually overstimulating, or readers may not find it helpful at all. Mandelbaum’s balance of story telling and free verse makes his translation popular for those interesting in the journey instead of the form of The Divine Comedy

Dorothy Sayers translation is strongly reminiscent of a novel, which makes sense as she gained popularity as a crime author. Coming from a religious and theological background, Sayer’s attention to detail and reference in the Commedia is impressive. Her use of the Terza Rima is also impressive. There is some debate on how well readers feel she stuck to the structure of Terza Rima but the overall impression is that she was one of the closest of her time. Her style can be dry as a lot of British literature can feel, but that is primarily vocabulary and syntax. She was 51 when she first translated Inferno which makes her ability to capture the youthful heaviness of losing ones way in the world all the more compelling.

Michael Palma offers the newest translation of the Divine Comedy and his version is mostly poetic. He captures the Terza Rima and chooses to deviate from literal meaning instead of structural. The lyrical nature of his writing lends well to the poetry of Dante and some people respond well to the lack of notes and summaries for each Canto. This makes the poem feel more streamlined and like a single piece of work, rather than each canto feeling like a poem itself.

My recommendation to anyone who had no experience with Dante or Italian would be to start with Sayers and Palma, Sayers in particular if someone will only read one. I find the story and the themes most compelling about The Divine Comedy so I recommend the translators that share those beliefs with me. You can’t isolate story from poetry in the Commedia, so finding an option that fulfills both is important and impactful