Stephen Wentworth Arndt is an American theologian, philosopher, and linguist who published his translation of The Divine Comedy in iambic pentameter in 1994 (verseandsong.com). Outside of this translation, he is known for his “This is Just to Say” project where he wrote 100 variations of William Carlos Williams’ poem of the same name. Due to how constrictive this particular style of writing is, Arndt has commented that, despite his best efforts, due to the difference in syllables between Italian and English, “in very few cases [he has] found it necessary to omit some word or phrase of the original. If at all significant, the missing information is supplied in the notes” (Arndt 6). While Arndt did largely draw from an Italian version of the text while conducting his translation, he also mentions drawing from the pre-existing translations curated by “Anderson, Bergin, Bickersteth, Binyon, Bandini, Carey, Carlyle–Wicksteed, Chipman, Ciardi, Fletcher, Huse, Lillie, Longfellow, Mandelbaum, Musa, Sayers, Singleton, Sinclair, and White” (Arndt 9). Similar to Boyd’s translation, Arndt has changed some of the names throughout the cantos. However, unlike Boyd he addresses this directly and confirms that he only made these changes when it otherwise would not have been possible to maintain the rhyme and metre scheme. The beginning of each canto has an extended summary describing the time and briefly explaining the events in the form of prose matched to the lines through which they occur. Arndt uses endnotes rather than footnotes, with the notes for all cantos at the end of each volume.

The language in this translation is essentially fully modern and is largely written in a straightforward fashion. However, when the lines do not flow well they tend to stick out, such as these lines in the first Inferno canto: “to treat, though, what I found there of the good, I’ll tell of other things I spotted there” (Arndt 14). Although the phrase does technically make sense it feels as though it is running circles around itself and could easily be avoided if it were not being held to such a rigid standard.

Although the iambic pentameter style is poetic in its own right, there are times where it feels it detracts from the original poetic style. One such instance is in canto 22 of Purgatorio when Statius is speaking about his time spent in purgatory. In most translations he speaks of having to spend “many moons” of a penalty, but in Arndt’s transition this is changed to “months”. Although the direct meanings of these two phrases are the same, Arndt’s feels overly simplified and the words feel forced as though there is only one way they could possibly go together. The rigidity of this translation is also present in the way in which the cantos are narrated.

There are significantly more “I” statements in this translation and it feels as though the cantos are being narrated in real-time. The other translations have more opportunity and freedom to embellish features, whereas Arndt’s seems to be telling things as they happen and sometimes there is not time to add in details in the process.

This translation is the easiest to read in terms of pacing as the Shakespearean structure is likely already familiar to most readers. The lines are also regularly broken up so it is easier to read in smaller chunks. However, similar to Arndt’s “This is Just to Say” exercise, there are times where this translation seems more like an artistic project than a genuine translation. Furthermore, with the notes being at the end of the volume rather than the canto, it is difficult, especially on a digital platform to switch between them and the verse. The notes also feel overly extensive due to the inclusion of necessary information that would not naturally fit in the main translation. This translation is certainly easy and enjoyable to read, but it doesn’t read like a narrative in the same way other translations do.

Works Cited

Alighieri, Dante, and Stephen Wentworth Arndt. Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Poetic Translation In Iambic Pentameter And Terza Rima. eBooks by Barb, 2013.

Arndt, Stephen Wentworth. Verseandsong.Com, www.verseandsong.com/. Accessed 2025.