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Orlando Furioso
The only unabridged prose translation of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso - a witty parody of the chivalric legends of Charlemagne and the Saracen invasion of France - this version faithfully recaptures the entire narrative and the subtle meanings behind it.
552 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1516
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About the author
Ludovico Ariosto
1,059听books128听followersKnown Italian writer Ludovico Ariosto, or Lodovico Ariosto first published
Orlando Furioso
his primary epic comic poem, in 1516.
He best authored the romance. This continuation of Orlando Innamorato of Matteo Maria Boiardo describes the adventures of Charlemagne and the Franks, who battle against the Saracens, with diversions into many side plots. Ariosto composed in the ottava rima scheme and introduced narrator commentary throughout the work.
He best authored the romance. This continuation of Orlando Innamorato of Matteo Maria Boiardo describes the adventures of Charlemagne and the Franks, who battle against the Saracens, with diversions into many side plots. Ariosto composed in the ottava rima scheme and introduced narrator commentary throughout the work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 196 reviews
October 22, 2018
Fantasmagorico
A colui che di fantasy va ghiotto
猫 offerto questo mio consiglio scaltro:
di gettar gli young adults gi霉 di sotto,
che fotocopia sono l'un dell'altro,
e leggere il Furioso in un sol botto,
di fantasia stracolmo e in pi霉, peraltro,
di fate e negromanti s矛 ripieno
da risultargli certo molto ameno.
Il testo dell'Ariosto, 猫 ver, 猫 in rima,
ma zeppo d'avventure e assai cruento,
che sembrer脿 scalar facile cima.
Pi霉 arduo apparir puote il suo cimento,
m'al fin de l'epopea chi scrive stima
che massimo sar脿 il divertimento.
Ors霉, cessa di leggiucchiar errando
e corri tosto a prendere l'Orlando!
A colui che di fantasy va ghiotto
猫 offerto questo mio consiglio scaltro:
di gettar gli young adults gi霉 di sotto,
che fotocopia sono l'un dell'altro,
e leggere il Furioso in un sol botto,
di fantasia stracolmo e in pi霉, peraltro,
di fate e negromanti s矛 ripieno
da risultargli certo molto ameno.
Il testo dell'Ariosto, 猫 ver, 猫 in rima,
ma zeppo d'avventure e assai cruento,
che sembrer脿 scalar facile cima.
Pi霉 arduo apparir puote il suo cimento,
m'al fin de l'epopea chi scrive stima
che massimo sar脿 il divertimento.
Ors霉, cessa di leggiucchiar errando
e corri tosto a prendere l'Orlando!
April 2, 2009
Perhaps it speaks more to the age I live in than that of the author, but I'm always surprised to find a reasonable, rational mind on the other end of the pen. Though Ariosto's unusual work is full of prejudice and idealism, it is constantly shifting, so that now one side seems right, and now the other.
His use of hyperbole and oxymoron prefigures the great metaphysical poets, and like them, these are tools of his rhetoric and satire. Every knight is 'undefeatable', every woman 'shames all others by her virtue', and it does not escape Ariosto that making all of them remarkable only makes more obvious the fact that none of them are.
Ariosto's style flies on wings, lilting here and there, darting, soaring. He makes extensive use of metafiction, both addressing the audience by means of a semi-fictionalized narrator and by philosophical explorations of the art of poetry itself, and the nature of the poet and his patron.
As with most epics, Ariosto's asides to the greatness of his patron are as jarring as any 30-second spot. His relationship to his various patrons was extremely difficult for him--he was paid a mere pittance and constantly drawn away from his writing to deliver bad news to the pope (if you're thinking that's a bad job, Ariosto would agree--the See nearly had him killed).
This is likely the reason that these moments of praise fall to the same unbelievable hyperbole as the rest. His patrons could hardly be angry at him for constantly praising them, but his readers will surely be able to recognize that his greatest compliments are the most backhanded, and merely serve to throw into stark contrast the hypocrisy of man--tell me a man is great once, and I will believe you, tell me five times, and I'll start to think you're covering for something.
Since we will all be oblivious hypocrites at some point (for most of us, nearly all the time), the only useful defense is finding the humility to admit our flaws. Great men never have it so easy: they cannot accept their mistakes, but must instead be buried by them.
Though Ariosto often lands on the side of the Christians, his Muslims are mighty, honorable, well-spoken, and just as (un)reasonable in their faith. The only thing which seems to separate the two sides is their petty squabbling.
Likewise, he takes a surprisingly liberal view of sex and gender equality, with lady knights who are not only the match for any man, but who need no marriage to make them whole--they are women with or without a man beside them. He even presents homosexuality amongst both sexes, though with a rather light hand.
His epic is not the stalwartly serious sort--like Homer, Virgil, or Dante--Ariosto is a humanist, and has none of the fetters of nationalism or religious idealism to keep him chained. His view of man is a contrary, shifting, absurd thing. The greatest achievements of man are great only in the eyes of man.
By showing both sides of a conflict, by supporting each in turn, Ariosto creates a space for the author to inhabit. He is not tied to some system of beliefs, but to observation, to recognition--not to the ostensible truth of humanity, but to our continuing story.
Ariosto took a great leap from Petrarch's self-awareness: while Petrarch constantly searched and argued in his poems, he found a sublime comfort in the grand unknown. Ariosto is the great iconoclast, not only asking why of the most obvious conflicts, but of the grandest assumptions. The universal mystery is only as sacred as it is profane.
Ariosto is also funny, surprising, and highly imaginative. Though his work is defined by its philosophical view, this view is developed slowly and carefully. It is never stated outright, but is rather the medium of the story: a thin, elegant skein which draws together all characters and conflicts.
The surface of the story itself is a light-hearted, impossible comedy. It is no more impossible than the grand heights of any other epic, but only seems so because it is not girt tightly with high-minded seriousness. Perhaps Ariosto's greatest gift is that he is doing essentially the same thing all the other epic authors do, the same situations and characters, but he makes you laugh to see it.
To be able to look at life simply as it is and laugh is the only freedom we will ever know. It is all wisdom. For this gift, I hail fair Ariosto: the greatest of all epicists, all poets, all writers, all wits, all humanists, all men--never to be surpassed.
His use of hyperbole and oxymoron prefigures the great metaphysical poets, and like them, these are tools of his rhetoric and satire. Every knight is 'undefeatable', every woman 'shames all others by her virtue', and it does not escape Ariosto that making all of them remarkable only makes more obvious the fact that none of them are.
Ariosto's style flies on wings, lilting here and there, darting, soaring. He makes extensive use of metafiction, both addressing the audience by means of a semi-fictionalized narrator and by philosophical explorations of the art of poetry itself, and the nature of the poet and his patron.
As with most epics, Ariosto's asides to the greatness of his patron are as jarring as any 30-second spot. His relationship to his various patrons was extremely difficult for him--he was paid a mere pittance and constantly drawn away from his writing to deliver bad news to the pope (if you're thinking that's a bad job, Ariosto would agree--the See nearly had him killed).
This is likely the reason that these moments of praise fall to the same unbelievable hyperbole as the rest. His patrons could hardly be angry at him for constantly praising them, but his readers will surely be able to recognize that his greatest compliments are the most backhanded, and merely serve to throw into stark contrast the hypocrisy of man--tell me a man is great once, and I will believe you, tell me five times, and I'll start to think you're covering for something.
Since we will all be oblivious hypocrites at some point (for most of us, nearly all the time), the only useful defense is finding the humility to admit our flaws. Great men never have it so easy: they cannot accept their mistakes, but must instead be buried by them.
Though Ariosto often lands on the side of the Christians, his Muslims are mighty, honorable, well-spoken, and just as (un)reasonable in their faith. The only thing which seems to separate the two sides is their petty squabbling.
Likewise, he takes a surprisingly liberal view of sex and gender equality, with lady knights who are not only the match for any man, but who need no marriage to make them whole--they are women with or without a man beside them. He even presents homosexuality amongst both sexes, though with a rather light hand.
His epic is not the stalwartly serious sort--like Homer, Virgil, or Dante--Ariosto is a humanist, and has none of the fetters of nationalism or religious idealism to keep him chained. His view of man is a contrary, shifting, absurd thing. The greatest achievements of man are great only in the eyes of man.
By showing both sides of a conflict, by supporting each in turn, Ariosto creates a space for the author to inhabit. He is not tied to some system of beliefs, but to observation, to recognition--not to the ostensible truth of humanity, but to our continuing story.
Ariosto took a great leap from Petrarch's self-awareness: while Petrarch constantly searched and argued in his poems, he found a sublime comfort in the grand unknown. Ariosto is the great iconoclast, not only asking why of the most obvious conflicts, but of the grandest assumptions. The universal mystery is only as sacred as it is profane.
Ariosto is also funny, surprising, and highly imaginative. Though his work is defined by its philosophical view, this view is developed slowly and carefully. It is never stated outright, but is rather the medium of the story: a thin, elegant skein which draws together all characters and conflicts.
The surface of the story itself is a light-hearted, impossible comedy. It is no more impossible than the grand heights of any other epic, but only seems so because it is not girt tightly with high-minded seriousness. Perhaps Ariosto's greatest gift is that he is doing essentially the same thing all the other epic authors do, the same situations and characters, but he makes you laugh to see it.
To be able to look at life simply as it is and laugh is the only freedom we will ever know. It is all wisdom. For this gift, I hail fair Ariosto: the greatest of all epicists, all poets, all writers, all wits, all humanists, all men--never to be surpassed.
March 4, 2017
I read many years ago, but I still remember the good feeling as I went through 's pages. A fantastic and unusual parody of chivalry.
___
鈥淣ature made him, and then broke the mold.鈥�Highly recommended!
鈥淎h, how I rue that what I could have done I did not do!鈥�
___
November 3, 2019
This poem is about the siege of Paris by the Mauritanians and the Saracens. Christian King Charlemagne has to confront the African Agramand and his Mauritanian allies, who come from Spain. But this is not the only theme that dominates the poet's narrative.
Love is the greatest force that drives the threads of history. The main characters, and many of the secondary who make their way through the narrative, are in love and have to go through many ordeals in order to gain a moment of happiness. It is an epic dedicated to love.
Ah! false and cruel Fortune! foul despite!
While others triumph, I am drown'd in woe.
And can it be that I such treasure slight?
And can I then my very life forego?
No! let me die; 'twere happiness above
A longer life, if I must cease to love."
( CANTO 1 XLIV)
螣 魏蔚谓蟿蟻喂魏蠈蟼 维尉慰谓伪蟼 蟿慰蠀 苇蟻纬慰蠀 伪蠁慰蟻维 蟽蟿畏谓 蟺慰位喂慰蟻魏委伪 蟿慰蠀 螤伪蟻喂蟽喂慰蠉 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 螠伪蠀蟻喂蟿伪谓慰蠉蟼 魏伪喂 蟿慰蠀蟼 危伪蟻伪魏畏谓慰蠉蟼. 螣 蠂蟻喂蟽蟿喂伪谓蠈蟼 尾伪蟽喂位喂维蟼 螝伪蟻位慰渭维纬谓慰蟼 苇蠂蔚喂 谓伪 伪谓蟿喂渭蔚蟿蠅蟺委蟽蔚喂 蟿慰谓 螒蠁蟻喂魏伪谓蠈 螒纬魏蟻伪渭维谓蟿 魏伪喂 蟿慰蠀蟼 螠伪蠀蟻喂蟿伪谓慰蠉蟼 蟽蠀渭渭维蠂慰蠀蟼 蟿慰蠀, 蟺慰蠀 苇蟻蠂慰谓蟿伪喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 螜蟽蟺伪谓委伪. 螖蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蠈渭蠅蟼 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 渭蠈谓慰 胃苇渭伪 蟺慰蠀 魏蠀蟻喂伪蟻蠂蔚委 蟽蟿畏 未喂萎纬畏蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎.
螣 苇蟻蠅蟿伪蟼 蔚委谓伪喂 畏 渭蔚纬伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻畏 魏伪喂 蟺伪谓蟿伪蠂慰蠉 蟺伪蟻慰蠉蟽伪 未蠉谓伪渭畏 蟺慰蠀 魏喂谓蔚委 蟿伪 谓萎渭伪蟿伪 蟿畏蟼 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪蟼. 螣喂 尾伪蟽喂魏慰委 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 苇蟻纬慰蠀 魏伪喂 蟺慰位位慰委 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 未蔚蠀蟿蔚蟻蔚蠉慰谓蟿蔚蟼, 蟺慰蠀 魏维谓慰蠀谓 蟿慰 蟺苇蟻伪蟽渭维 蟿慰蠀蟼 渭苇蟽伪 蟽蟿畏谓 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏, 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚蟻蠅蟿蔚蠀渭苇谓慰喂 魏伪喂 蠀蟺慰蠂蟻蔚蠅渭苇谓慰喂 谓伪 尉蔚蟺蔚蟻维蟽慰蠀谓 蟺慰位位苇蟼 未慰魏喂渭伪蟽委蔚蟼 蟺蟻慰魏蔚喂渭苇谓慰蠀 谓伪 魏蔚蟻未委味慰蠀谓 渭喂伪 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 蔚蠀蟿蠀蠂委伪蟼. 螤蟻蠈魏蔚喂蟿伪喂 纬喂伪 苇谓伪 苇蟺慰蟼 伪蠁喂蔚蟻蠅渭苇谓慰 蟽蟿慰谓 苇蟻蠅蟿伪 魏伪喂 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪蟼 蠉渭谓慰蟼 纬喂伪 蟿畏 未蠉谓伪渭畏 蟿畏蟼 伪纬维蟺畏蟼 伪位位维 魏伪喂 纬喂伪 蟿喂蟼 蟺委魏蟻蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟿喂蟼 伪蟺慰纬慰畏蟿蔚蠉蟽蔚喂蟼 蟺慰蠀 伪蠀蟿萎 蟽蠀谓蔚蟺维纬蔚蟿伪喂.
螠蟺慰蟻蔚委 蟿慰 苇蟻纬慰 谓伪 伪谓伪蠁苇蟻蔚喂 蟿慰谓 喂蟺蟺蠈蟿畏 螣蟻位维谓未慰 蟽蟿慰谓 蟿委蟿位慰 蟿慰蠀, 伪蟺慰蟿蔚位蔚委 维位位蠅蟽蟿蔚 蟽蠀谓苇蠂蔚喂伪 蔚谓蠈蟼 蟺蟻慰纬蔚谓苇蟽蟿蔚蟻慰蠀 蟺慰委畏渭伪蟿慰蟼, 蟿慰 Orlando Innamorato (螘蟻蠅蟿蔚蠀渭苇谓慰蟼 螣蟻位维谓未慰蟼) 蟿慰蠀 螠伪蟿蟿苇慰 螠蟺慰纬喂维蟻谓蟿慰 (Matteo Boiardo, 1495), 魏伪喂 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿喂 蔚尉喂蟽蟿慰蟻蔚委 蟿伪 纬蔚纬慰谓蠈蟿伪 蟺慰蠀 慰未萎纬畏蟽伪谓 蟿慰谓 萎蟻蠅伪 蟽蟿畏谓 蟿蟻苇位伪, 蠅蟽蟿蠈蟽慰 蟺维谓蠅 伪蟺蠈 蠈位蔚蟼 蟿喂蟼 未喂畏纬萎蟽蔚喂蟼 蟽蟿苇魏蔚喂 畏 蔚尉喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏蟽畏 蟿畏蟼 伪纬维蟺畏蟼 伪谓维渭蔚蟽伪 蟽蟿畏谓 蠅蟻伪委伪 蠂蟻喂蟽蟿喂伪谓萎 喂蟺蟺蠈蟿喂蟽蟽伪 螠蟺蟻伪谓蟿伪渭维谓蟿蔚 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 危伪蟻伪魏畏谓蠈 蟺慰位蔚渭喂蟽蟿萎 巍慰蠀蟿味苇蟻慰 蟿慰蠀蟼 慰蟺慰委慰蠀蟼 慰 螒蟻喂蠈蟽蟿慰 蟿慰蟺慰胃蔚蟿蔚委 (渭苇蟽伪 伪蟺蠈 苇谓伪 渭蠀胃喂魏蠈 纬蔚谓蔚伪位慰纬喂魏蠈 未苇谓蟿蟻慰) 蠅蟼 纬蔚谓维蟻蠂蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 蟺蟻慰蟽蟿维蟿畏 蟿慰蠀, 螜蟺蟺蠈位蠀蟿慰蠀 谓蟿蝿螆蟽蟿蔚 蟿畏蟼 桅蔚蟻蟻维蟻伪蟼.
螣 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎蟼 苇蠂蔚喂 谓伪 未喂伪蠂蔚喂蟻喂蟽蟿蔚委 魏伪喂 谓伪 蔚谓蟽蠅渭伪蟿蠋蟽蔚喂 蟽蟿慰 苇蟻纬慰 苇谓伪 蟿蔚蟻维蟽蟿喂慰 蠀位喂魏蠈 伪蟺慰 蟿伪 纬伪位位喂魏维 Chanson de geste (渭蔚蟽伪喂蠅谓喂魏维 蟺慰喂萎渭伪蟿伪) 魏伪喂 伪蟺蠈 伪谓蟿委蟽蟿慰喂蠂蔚蟼 未喂畏纬萎蟽蔚喂蟼 魏伪喂 渭蠉胃慰蠀蟼 蟿慰蠀 螒蟻胃慰蠀蟻喂伪谓慰蠉 螝蠉魏位慰蠀. 韦慰 魏伪蟿伪蠁苇蟻谓蔚喂 渭蔚 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 渭慰谓伪未喂魏蠈, 渭蔚 渭委伪 蟿蔚蠂谓喂魏萎 蟺慰蠀 蔚尉伪蟽蠁伪位委味蔚喂 渭喂伪 伪蟺伪蟻维渭喂位位畏 喂蟽慰蟻蟻慰蟺委伪 蟺慰蠀 魏蟻伪蟿维 蟿慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 蟿慰蠀 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿畏 味蠅谓蟿伪谓蠈 蠅蟼 蟿慰谓 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委慰 蟽蟿委蠂慰, 未蔚未慰渭苇谓慰蠀 蟺蠅蟼 蟺蟻蠈魏蔚喂蟿伪喂 纬喂伪 46 cantos 渭蔚 蟿慰蠀位维蠂喂蟽蟿慰谓 100 (蟽蠀蠂谓维 魏伪喂 蟺蔚蟻喂蟽蟽蠈蟿蔚蟻蔚蟼) 蟽蟿蟻慰蠁苇蟼 蟿慰 魏伪胃苇谓伪, 蟿伪 慰蟺慰委伪 慰 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎蟼 蔚蟺蔚尉蔚蟻纬伪味蠈蟿伪谓 纬喂伪 蟺维谓蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿蟻喂维谓蟿伪 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪:
"螌蟺蠅蟼 慰 魏伪位蠈蟼 渭慰蠀蟽喂魏蠈蟼 蟺慰蠀 伪位位维味蔚喂 蟽蠀蠂谓维 蠂慰蟻未萎 魏伪喂 蟺慰喂魏委位位蔚喂 蟿慰蠀蟼 萎蠂慰蠀蟼, 蠄维蠂谓慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟺蠈蟿蔚 蟿慰谓 尾伪蟻蠉 蟺蠈蟿蔚 蟿慰谓 慰尉蠉 萎蠂慰, 慰 螒蟻喂蠈蟽蟿慰 蔚谓伪位位维蟽蟽蔚喂 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟿蠈谓慰蠀蟼 蟿畏蟼 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏蟼, 蟺蔚蟻谓蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蔚谓伪位位维尉 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 畏蟻蠅喂魏蠈 蟽蟿慰 魏伪胃畏渭蔚蟻喂谓蠈, 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 魏蠅渭喂魏蠈 蟽蟿慰 蔚位蔚纬蔚喂伪魏蠈, 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 蠀蟺蔚蠁蠀蟽喂魏蠈 蟽蟿慰 蟻蔚伪位喂蟽蟿喂魏蠈. 螕喂伪 谓伪 蠁蟿维蟽蔚喂 蟽蔚 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 伪蟺慰蟿苇位蔚蟽渭伪, 慰 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼 未蔚 未喂蟽蟿维味蔚喂 谓伪 未喂伪魏蠈蠄蔚喂 苇谓伪 蔚蟺蔚喂蟽蠈未喂慰 纬喂伪 谓伪 蟽蠀谓蔚蠂委蟽蔚喂 苇谓伪 蟺蟻慰畏纬慰蠉渭蔚谓慰 萎 谓伪 蔚喂蟽伪纬维纬蔚喂 苇谓伪 魏伪喂谓慰蠉蟻纬喂慰. 螚 蔚位蔚蠀胃蔚蟻委伪 渭蔚 蟿畏谓 慰蟺慰委伪 未喂伪魏蠈蟺蟿蔚喂 萎 蔚蟺伪谓伪位伪渭尾维谓蔚喂, 蟿慰蠀 蔚蟺喂蟿蟻苇蟺蔚喂 谓伪 魏蟻伪蟿维 蟿畏谓 蟺蟻慰蟽慰蠂萎 蟿慰蠀 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿畏 蟽蔚 蔚纬蟻萎纬慰蟻畏. 螤蟻伪纬渭伪蟿蠋谓蔚喂 苇蟿蟽喂 渭委伪 位蔚蟺蟿萎 喂蟽慰蟻蟻慰蟺委伪 渭蔚蟿伪尉蠉 蟿畏蟼 伪蠁畏纬畏渭伪蟿喂魏萎蟼 蟺位慰魏萎蟼 魏伪喂 蟿畏蟼 蟻蠀胃渭喂魏萎蟼 伪蟻渭慰谓委伪蟼".
(螜蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿畏蟼 螘蠀蟻蠅蟺伪蠆魏萎蟼 螞慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼, 蟿. 螒', 蔚魏未. 危慰魏蠈位畏, 蟽蔚位. 413)
螚 未喂萎纬畏蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 螒蟻喂蠈蟽蟿慰 蔚委谓伪喂 纬蔚渭维蟿畏 伪蟺蠈 渭蠀胃喂魏维 蟺位维蟽渭伪蟿伪. 螒谓胃蟻蠅蟺慰蠁维纬伪 螣蟻魏, 喂蟺蟺慰纬蟻蠉蟺蔚蟼, 渭维纬慰蠀蟼 魏伪喂 渭维纬喂蟽蟽蔚蟼, 纬畏蟿蔚渭苇谓蔚蟼 伪蟻渭伪蟿蠅蟽喂苇蟼 - 蟺畏纬苇蟼 -魏维蟽蟿蟻伪 -未伪蠂蟿蠀位委未喂伪, 伪蟻蠂伪委蔚蟼 胃蔚蠈蟿畏蟿蔚蟼 蟺慰蠀 蟽蠀谓蠀蟺维蟻蠂慰蠀谓 蟺伪蟻维位位畏位伪 渭蔚 蟿慰蠀蟼 伪纬纬苇位慰蠀蟼 魏伪喂 蟿伪 蟺谓蔚蠉渭伪蟿伪 蟿畏蟼 蠂蟻喂蟽蟿喂伪谓喂魏萎蟼 胃蟻畏蟽魏蔚委伪蟼, 蟿慰谓 蔚蠀伪纬纬蔚位喂蟽蟿萎 螜蠅维谓谓畏, 蟿畏谓 魏蠈位伪蟽畏 魏伪喂 蟿慰谓 蟺伪蟻维未蔚喂蟽慰. 螌位伪 伪蠀蟿维 蟽蠀谓未蠀维味慰谓蟿伪喂 渭蔚 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺苇蟿蔚喂蔚蟼 蟽蟿伪 蟺苇蟻伪蟿伪 蟿慰蠀 魏蠈蟽渭慰蠀 (伪魏蠈渭伪 魏伪喂 苇谓伪 蟿伪尉委未喂 蟽蟿慰 蠁蔚纬纬维蟻喂), 蟺慰位蔚渭喂魏苇蟼 伪谓伪渭蔚蟿蟻萎蟽蔚喂蟼, 蔚蟻蠅蟿喂魏苇蟼 蟽蠀谓蔚蠀蟻苇蟽蔚喂蟼 魏伪喂 蟽蟿慰蠂伪蟽渭慰蠉蟼 蔚蟺维谓蠅 蟽蟿畏 味蠅萎 魏伪喂 蟿伪 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺喂谓伪 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿伪.
韦慰 蠂喂慰蠉渭慰蟻 蟿慰蠀 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎 魏伪喂 畏 蔚喂蟻蠅谓喂魏萎 蟿慰蠀 未喂维胃蔚蟽畏 伪谓伪未蔚喂魏谓蠉慰谓蟿伪喂 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 喂未伪谓喂魏蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 蟽蟿畏 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 David R. Slavitt. 螣 慰蟺慰委慰蟼 蟺伪蟻伪位蔚委蟺蔚喂 慰位蠈魏位畏蟻伪 cantos 蔚喂未喂魏维 蟽蟿慰 未蔚蠉蟿蔚蟻慰 渭喂蟽蠈 蟿慰蠀 苇蟻纬慰蠀 - 蟽蟿蔚蟻蠋谓蟿伪蟼 苇蟿蟽喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿畏 蟺慰位位苇蟼 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰蠀蟽蔚蟼 蠀蟺慰未喂畏纬萎蟽蔚喂蟼 蟿喂蟼 慰蟺慰委蔚蟼 蠀蟺慰蠂蟻蔚蠋胃畏魏伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾维蟽蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 蟺伪位伪喂蠈蟿蔚蟻畏 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 William Stewart Rose 畏 慰蟺慰委伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蠀蟺苇蟻慰蠂畏 伪位位维 蟺伪蟻蠅蠂畏渭苇谓畏. 螚 蔚蟺喂蟿慰渭萎 蠅蟽蟿蠈蟽慰 蟿慰蠀 Slavitt 未喂伪胃苇蟿蔚喂 渭喂伪 纬位蠋蟽蟽伪 慰位慰味蠋谓蟿伪谓畏 魏伪喂 蟺慰位位慰蠉蟼 蔚渭尾蠈位喂渭慰蠀蟼 蟽蠂慰位喂伪蟽渭慰蠉蟼 - 蟺慰喂畏蟿喂魏萎 伪未蔚委伪 蟿慰蠀 渭蔚蟿伪蠁蟻伪蟽蟿萎 - 蟺慰蠀 未委谓慰蠀谓 渭喂伪 蔚尉伪喂蟻蔚蟿喂魏萎 蠁蟻蔚蟽魏维未伪 魏伪喂 蔚蟺喂魏伪喂蟻蠈蟿畏蟿伪 蟽蟿慰 魏蔚委渭蔚谓慰, 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 谓伪 伪位位慰喂蠋谓慰蠀谓, 魏伪蟿维 蟿畏谓 维蟺慰蠄萎 渭慰蠀, 蟿慰 喂蟿伪位喂魏蠈 蟺蟻蠅蟿蠈蟿蠀蟺慰.
螆谓伪蟼 魏伪位蠈蟼 魏伪喂 伪纬伪蟺畏渭苇谓慰蟼 渭慰蠀 蠁委位慰蟼 魏伪喂 渭苇纬伪蟼 尾喂尾位喂慰未委蠁畏蟼, 慰 螕喂蠋蟻纬慰蟼 危魏伪纬喂维魏慰蟼 (shout-out) 渭蔚 尾慰萎胃畏蟽蔚 蟽蟿畏谓 伪谓伪味萎蟿畏蟽萎 渭慰蠀 纬喂伪 渭喂伪 蔚位位畏谓喂魏萎 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏. 螚 渭慰谓伪未喂魏萎 蟺慰蠀 魏蠀魏位慰蠁蠈蟻畏蟽蔚 蟺慰蟿苇 苇蠅蟼 蟽萎渭蔚蟻伪 蟽蟿伪 蔚位位畏谓喂魏维 蔚委谓伪喂 渭喂伪 蟺伪位伪喂蠈蟿伪蟿畏 苇魏未慰蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 19慰蠀 伪喂蠋谓伪. 螒蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟿蟻蔚喂蟼 蟿蠈渭慰蠀蟼 渭慰谓维蠂伪 慰 苇谓伪蟼 蟽蠋味蔚蟿伪喂 ( 慰喂 维位位慰喂 维蟻伪纬蔚 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺位苇慰谓 慰蟻喂蟽蟿喂魏维 蠂伪渭苇谓慰喂; ) 蟽蟿畏谓 蟺伪谓苇渭慰蟻蠁畏 尾喂尾位喂慰胃萎魏畏 蟿慰蠀 螝苇谓蟿蟻慰蠀 螠喂魏蟻伪蟽喂伪蟿喂魏蠋谓 危蟺慰蠀未蠋谓, 蟽蟿畏谓 螤位维魏伪. 螤蟻蠈魏蔚喂蟿伪喂 纬喂伪 渭喂伪 蟺蔚味萎 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 螕蔚蠅蟻纬委慰蠀 螖. 螞伪渭蟺委蟽畏, 未畏渭慰蟽喂蔚蠀渭苇谓畏 蟽蟿伪 1852 蟽蟿畏谓 危渭蠉蟻谓畏 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 蔚魏未蠈蟿畏 螒谓蟿. 螤伪蟿蟻委魏喂慰. 螤萎纬伪 谓伪 未蠅 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰, 苇谓伪 渭喂魏蟻蠈 未喂伪渭伪谓蟿维魏喂 蟺慰蠀 魏蟻维蟿畏蟽伪 蟽蟿伪 蠂苇蟻喂伪 渭慰蠀 渭蔚 喂未喂伪委蟿蔚蟻畏 蟽蠀纬魏委谓畏蟽畏 魏伪喂 渭慰蠀 蔚蟺苇蟿蟻蔚蠄伪谓 谓伪 尾纬维位蠅 魏维蟺慰喂蔚蟼 蠁蠅蟿慰纬蟻伪蠁委蔚蟼 纬喂伪 谓伪 蟿喂蟼 渭慰喂蟻伪蟽蟿蠋 渭伪味委 蟽伪蟼:
螚 伪谓维纬谓蠅蟽畏 伪蠀蟿慰蠉 蟿慰蠀 苇蟻纬慰蠀 伪蟺慰蟿苇位蔚蟽蔚 纬喂伪 蔚渭苇谓伪 渭喂伪 渭慰谓伪未喂魏萎 伪谓伪纬谓蠅蟽蟿喂魏萎 蔚渭蟺蔚喂蟻委伪. 违蟺萎蟻蠂伪谓 蟽蟿喂纬渭苇蟼 蟺慰蠀 未蠀蟽魏慰位蔚蠀蠈渭慰蠀谓 谓伪 蟿慰 伪蠁萎蟽蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿伪 蠂苇蟻喂伪 渭慰蠀, 蟿蠈蟽慰 渭蔚纬维位畏 萎蟿伪谓 畏 蟺蔚蟻喂苇蟻纬蔚喂维 渭慰蠀 魏伪喂 畏 伪纬蠅谓委伪 渭慰蠀 纬喂伪 谓伪 未蠅 蟿委 胃伪 纬委谓蔚喂 蟺伪蟻伪魏维蟿蠅. 螒谓 未蔚谓 蔚委蠂蔚 46 伪位位维 100 cantos 蔚委渭伪喂 蟽委纬慰蠀蟻畏 蟺蠅蟼 魏伪喂 蟺维位喂 未蔚谓 胃伪 苇蠂伪谓伪 蟿慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 渭慰蠀, 魏伪胃蠋蟼 畏 蟺苇谓伪 蟿慰蠀 螒蟻喂蠈蟽蟿慰 蔚委谓伪喂 渭慰谓伪未喂魏萎.
螆谓伪 苇蟻纬慰 蟺慰蠀 伪蟺慰蟿苇位蔚蟽蔚 蟽蟿伪胃渭蠈 蟽蟿畏谓 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿畏蟼 蟺伪纬魏蠈蟽渭喂伪蟼 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼, 蟺慰蠀 蔚谓苇蟺谓蔚蠀蟽蔚 蟺慰位位慰蠉蟼 维位位慰蠀蟼 蟽蟺慰蠀未伪委慰蠀蟼 位慰纬慰蟿苇蠂谓蔚蟼 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 螛蔚蟻尾维谓蟿蔚蟼 苇蠅蟼 蟿慰谓 螠蟺蠈蟻蠂蔚蟼, 蟺慰蠀 蟺蔚蟿蠀蠂伪委谓蔚喂 谓伪 蔚谓蟽蠅渭伪蟿蠋蟽蔚喂 渭蔚 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 渭慰谓伪未喂魏蠈 蟺慰位位苇蟼 魏伪喂 未喂伪蠁慰蟻蔚蟿喂魏苇蟼 蔚魏未慰蠂苇蟼 蟿慰蠀 魏蠈蟽渭慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 味慰蠉渭蔚 魏伪喂 蠈位蠅谓 蔚魏蔚委谓蠅谓 蟿蠅谓 渭伪纬喂魏蠋谓 尾伪蟽喂位蔚委蠅谓 蟺慰蠀 伪魏蠈渭伪 魏伪喂 蟽萎渭蔚蟻伪 蟽蠀谓蔚蠂委味慰蠀谓 谓伪 蠀蟺维蟻蠂慰蠀谓 渭苇蟽伪 蟽蟿畏 蠁伪谓蟿伪蟽委伪 魏伪喂 蟿喂蟼 魏伪蟻未喂苇蟼 蟿蠅谓 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺蠅谓.
Love is the greatest force that drives the threads of history. The main characters, and many of the secondary who make their way through the narrative, are in love and have to go through many ordeals in order to gain a moment of happiness. It is an epic dedicated to love.
Ah! false and cruel Fortune! foul despite!
While others triumph, I am drown'd in woe.
And can it be that I such treasure slight?
And can I then my very life forego?
No! let me die; 'twere happiness above
A longer life, if I must cease to love."
( CANTO 1 XLIV)
螣 魏蔚谓蟿蟻喂魏蠈蟼 维尉慰谓伪蟼 蟿慰蠀 苇蟻纬慰蠀 伪蠁慰蟻维 蟽蟿畏谓 蟺慰位喂慰蟻魏委伪 蟿慰蠀 螤伪蟻喂蟽喂慰蠉 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 螠伪蠀蟻喂蟿伪谓慰蠉蟼 魏伪喂 蟿慰蠀蟼 危伪蟻伪魏畏谓慰蠉蟼. 螣 蠂蟻喂蟽蟿喂伪谓蠈蟼 尾伪蟽喂位喂维蟼 螝伪蟻位慰渭维纬谓慰蟼 苇蠂蔚喂 谓伪 伪谓蟿喂渭蔚蟿蠅蟺委蟽蔚喂 蟿慰谓 螒蠁蟻喂魏伪谓蠈 螒纬魏蟻伪渭维谓蟿 魏伪喂 蟿慰蠀蟼 螠伪蠀蟻喂蟿伪谓慰蠉蟼 蟽蠀渭渭维蠂慰蠀蟼 蟿慰蠀, 蟺慰蠀 苇蟻蠂慰谓蟿伪喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 螜蟽蟺伪谓委伪. 螖蔚谓 蔚委谓伪喂 蠈渭蠅蟼 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 渭蠈谓慰 胃苇渭伪 蟺慰蠀 魏蠀蟻喂伪蟻蠂蔚委 蟽蟿畏 未喂萎纬畏蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎.
螣 苇蟻蠅蟿伪蟼 蔚委谓伪喂 畏 渭蔚纬伪位蠉蟿蔚蟻畏 魏伪喂 蟺伪谓蟿伪蠂慰蠉 蟺伪蟻慰蠉蟽伪 未蠉谓伪渭畏 蟺慰蠀 魏喂谓蔚委 蟿伪 谓萎渭伪蟿伪 蟿畏蟼 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪蟼. 螣喂 尾伪蟽喂魏慰委 蠂伪蟻伪魏蟿萎蟻蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 苇蟻纬慰蠀 魏伪喂 蟺慰位位慰委 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 未蔚蠀蟿蔚蟻蔚蠉慰谓蟿蔚蟼, 蟺慰蠀 魏维谓慰蠀谓 蟿慰 蟺苇蟻伪蟽渭维 蟿慰蠀蟼 渭苇蟽伪 蟽蟿畏谓 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏, 蔚委谓伪喂 蔚蟻蠅蟿蔚蠀渭苇谓慰喂 魏伪喂 蠀蟺慰蠂蟻蔚蠅渭苇谓慰喂 谓伪 尉蔚蟺蔚蟻维蟽慰蠀谓 蟺慰位位苇蟼 未慰魏喂渭伪蟽委蔚蟼 蟺蟻慰魏蔚喂渭苇谓慰蠀 谓伪 魏蔚蟻未委味慰蠀谓 渭喂伪 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 蔚蠀蟿蠀蠂委伪蟼. 螤蟻蠈魏蔚喂蟿伪喂 纬喂伪 苇谓伪 苇蟺慰蟼 伪蠁喂蔚蟻蠅渭苇谓慰 蟽蟿慰谓 苇蟻蠅蟿伪 魏伪喂 蔚委谓伪喂 苇谓伪蟼 蠉渭谓慰蟼 纬喂伪 蟿畏 未蠉谓伪渭畏 蟿畏蟼 伪纬维蟺畏蟼 伪位位维 魏伪喂 纬喂伪 蟿喂蟼 蟺委魏蟻蔚蟼 魏伪喂 蟿喂蟼 伪蟺慰纬慰畏蟿蔚蠉蟽蔚喂蟼 蟺慰蠀 伪蠀蟿萎 蟽蠀谓蔚蟺维纬蔚蟿伪喂.
螠蟺慰蟻蔚委 蟿慰 苇蟻纬慰 谓伪 伪谓伪蠁苇蟻蔚喂 蟿慰谓 喂蟺蟺蠈蟿畏 螣蟻位维谓未慰 蟽蟿慰谓 蟿委蟿位慰 蟿慰蠀, 伪蟺慰蟿蔚位蔚委 维位位蠅蟽蟿蔚 蟽蠀谓苇蠂蔚喂伪 蔚谓蠈蟼 蟺蟻慰纬蔚谓苇蟽蟿蔚蟻慰蠀 蟺慰委畏渭伪蟿慰蟼, 蟿慰 Orlando Innamorato (螘蟻蠅蟿蔚蠀渭苇谓慰蟼 螣蟻位维谓未慰蟼) 蟿慰蠀 螠伪蟿蟿苇慰 螠蟺慰纬喂维蟻谓蟿慰 (Matteo Boiardo, 1495), 魏伪喂 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿喂 蔚尉喂蟽蟿慰蟻蔚委 蟿伪 纬蔚纬慰谓蠈蟿伪 蟺慰蠀 慰未萎纬畏蟽伪谓 蟿慰谓 萎蟻蠅伪 蟽蟿畏谓 蟿蟻苇位伪, 蠅蟽蟿蠈蟽慰 蟺维谓蠅 伪蟺蠈 蠈位蔚蟼 蟿喂蟼 未喂畏纬萎蟽蔚喂蟼 蟽蟿苇魏蔚喂 畏 蔚尉喂蟽蟿蠈蟻畏蟽畏 蟿畏蟼 伪纬维蟺畏蟼 伪谓维渭蔚蟽伪 蟽蟿畏谓 蠅蟻伪委伪 蠂蟻喂蟽蟿喂伪谓萎 喂蟺蟺蠈蟿喂蟽蟽伪 螠蟺蟻伪谓蟿伪渭维谓蟿蔚 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 危伪蟻伪魏畏谓蠈 蟺慰位蔚渭喂蟽蟿萎 巍慰蠀蟿味苇蟻慰 蟿慰蠀蟼 慰蟺慰委慰蠀蟼 慰 螒蟻喂蠈蟽蟿慰 蟿慰蟺慰胃蔚蟿蔚委 (渭苇蟽伪 伪蟺蠈 苇谓伪 渭蠀胃喂魏蠈 纬蔚谓蔚伪位慰纬喂魏蠈 未苇谓蟿蟻慰) 蠅蟼 纬蔚谓维蟻蠂蔚蟼 蟿慰蠀 蟺蟻慰蟽蟿维蟿畏 蟿慰蠀, 螜蟺蟺蠈位蠀蟿慰蠀 谓蟿蝿螆蟽蟿蔚 蟿畏蟼 桅蔚蟻蟻维蟻伪蟼.
螣 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎蟼 苇蠂蔚喂 谓伪 未喂伪蠂蔚喂蟻喂蟽蟿蔚委 魏伪喂 谓伪 蔚谓蟽蠅渭伪蟿蠋蟽蔚喂 蟽蟿慰 苇蟻纬慰 苇谓伪 蟿蔚蟻维蟽蟿喂慰 蠀位喂魏蠈 伪蟺慰 蟿伪 纬伪位位喂魏维 Chanson de geste (渭蔚蟽伪喂蠅谓喂魏维 蟺慰喂萎渭伪蟿伪) 魏伪喂 伪蟺蠈 伪谓蟿委蟽蟿慰喂蠂蔚蟼 未喂畏纬萎蟽蔚喂蟼 魏伪喂 渭蠉胃慰蠀蟼 蟿慰蠀 螒蟻胃慰蠀蟻喂伪谓慰蠉 螝蠉魏位慰蠀. 韦慰 魏伪蟿伪蠁苇蟻谓蔚喂 渭蔚 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 渭慰谓伪未喂魏蠈, 渭蔚 渭委伪 蟿蔚蠂谓喂魏萎 蟺慰蠀 蔚尉伪蟽蠁伪位委味蔚喂 渭喂伪 伪蟺伪蟻维渭喂位位畏 喂蟽慰蟻蟻慰蟺委伪 蟺慰蠀 魏蟻伪蟿维 蟿慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 蟿慰蠀 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿畏 味蠅谓蟿伪谓蠈 蠅蟼 蟿慰谓 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委慰 蟽蟿委蠂慰, 未蔚未慰渭苇谓慰蠀 蟺蠅蟼 蟺蟻蠈魏蔚喂蟿伪喂 纬喂伪 46 cantos 渭蔚 蟿慰蠀位维蠂喂蟽蟿慰谓 100 (蟽蠀蠂谓维 魏伪喂 蟺蔚蟻喂蟽蟽蠈蟿蔚蟻蔚蟼) 蟽蟿蟻慰蠁苇蟼 蟿慰 魏伪胃苇谓伪, 蟿伪 慰蟺慰委伪 慰 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎蟼 蔚蟺蔚尉蔚蟻纬伪味蠈蟿伪谓 纬喂伪 蟺维谓蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿蟻喂维谓蟿伪 蠂蟻蠈谓喂伪:
"螌蟺蠅蟼 慰 魏伪位蠈蟼 渭慰蠀蟽喂魏蠈蟼 蟺慰蠀 伪位位维味蔚喂 蟽蠀蠂谓维 蠂慰蟻未萎 魏伪喂 蟺慰喂魏委位位蔚喂 蟿慰蠀蟼 萎蠂慰蠀蟼, 蠄维蠂谓慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟺蠈蟿蔚 蟿慰谓 尾伪蟻蠉 蟺蠈蟿蔚 蟿慰谓 慰尉蠉 萎蠂慰, 慰 螒蟻喂蠈蟽蟿慰 蔚谓伪位位维蟽蟽蔚喂 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟿蠈谓慰蠀蟼 蟿畏蟼 伪蠁萎纬畏蟽畏蟼, 蟺蔚蟻谓蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蔚谓伪位位维尉 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 畏蟻蠅喂魏蠈 蟽蟿慰 魏伪胃畏渭蔚蟻喂谓蠈, 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 魏蠅渭喂魏蠈 蟽蟿慰 蔚位蔚纬蔚喂伪魏蠈, 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰 蠀蟺蔚蠁蠀蟽喂魏蠈 蟽蟿慰 蟻蔚伪位喂蟽蟿喂魏蠈. 螕喂伪 谓伪 蠁蟿维蟽蔚喂 蟽蔚 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 伪蟺慰蟿苇位蔚蟽渭伪, 慰 蟽蠀纬纬蟻伪蠁苇伪蟼 未蔚 未喂蟽蟿维味蔚喂 谓伪 未喂伪魏蠈蠄蔚喂 苇谓伪 蔚蟺蔚喂蟽蠈未喂慰 纬喂伪 谓伪 蟽蠀谓蔚蠂委蟽蔚喂 苇谓伪 蟺蟻慰畏纬慰蠉渭蔚谓慰 萎 谓伪 蔚喂蟽伪纬维纬蔚喂 苇谓伪 魏伪喂谓慰蠉蟻纬喂慰. 螚 蔚位蔚蠀胃蔚蟻委伪 渭蔚 蟿畏谓 慰蟺慰委伪 未喂伪魏蠈蟺蟿蔚喂 萎 蔚蟺伪谓伪位伪渭尾维谓蔚喂, 蟿慰蠀 蔚蟺喂蟿蟻苇蟺蔚喂 谓伪 魏蟻伪蟿维 蟿畏谓 蟺蟻慰蟽慰蠂萎 蟿慰蠀 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿畏 蟽蔚 蔚纬蟻萎纬慰蟻畏. 螤蟻伪纬渭伪蟿蠋谓蔚喂 苇蟿蟽喂 渭委伪 位蔚蟺蟿萎 喂蟽慰蟻蟻慰蟺委伪 渭蔚蟿伪尉蠉 蟿畏蟼 伪蠁畏纬畏渭伪蟿喂魏萎蟼 蟺位慰魏萎蟼 魏伪喂 蟿畏蟼 蟻蠀胃渭喂魏萎蟼 伪蟻渭慰谓委伪蟼".
(螜蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿畏蟼 螘蠀蟻蠅蟺伪蠆魏萎蟼 螞慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼, 蟿. 螒', 蔚魏未. 危慰魏蠈位畏, 蟽蔚位. 413)
螚 未喂萎纬畏蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 螒蟻喂蠈蟽蟿慰 蔚委谓伪喂 纬蔚渭维蟿畏 伪蟺蠈 渭蠀胃喂魏维 蟺位维蟽渭伪蟿伪. 螒谓胃蟻蠅蟺慰蠁维纬伪 螣蟻魏, 喂蟺蟺慰纬蟻蠉蟺蔚蟼, 渭维纬慰蠀蟼 魏伪喂 渭维纬喂蟽蟽蔚蟼, 纬畏蟿蔚渭苇谓蔚蟼 伪蟻渭伪蟿蠅蟽喂苇蟼 - 蟺畏纬苇蟼 -魏维蟽蟿蟻伪 -未伪蠂蟿蠀位委未喂伪, 伪蟻蠂伪委蔚蟼 胃蔚蠈蟿畏蟿蔚蟼 蟺慰蠀 蟽蠀谓蠀蟺维蟻蠂慰蠀谓 蟺伪蟻维位位畏位伪 渭蔚 蟿慰蠀蟼 伪纬纬苇位慰蠀蟼 魏伪喂 蟿伪 蟺谓蔚蠉渭伪蟿伪 蟿畏蟼 蠂蟻喂蟽蟿喂伪谓喂魏萎蟼 胃蟻畏蟽魏蔚委伪蟼, 蟿慰谓 蔚蠀伪纬纬蔚位喂蟽蟿萎 螜蠅维谓谓畏, 蟿畏谓 魏蠈位伪蟽畏 魏伪喂 蟿慰谓 蟺伪蟻维未蔚喂蟽慰. 螌位伪 伪蠀蟿维 蟽蠀谓未蠀维味慰谓蟿伪喂 渭蔚 蟺蔚蟻喂蟺苇蟿蔚喂蔚蟼 蟽蟿伪 蟺苇蟻伪蟿伪 蟿慰蠀 魏蠈蟽渭慰蠀 (伪魏蠈渭伪 魏伪喂 苇谓伪 蟿伪尉委未喂 蟽蟿慰 蠁蔚纬纬维蟻喂), 蟺慰位蔚渭喂魏苇蟼 伪谓伪渭蔚蟿蟻萎蟽蔚喂蟼, 蔚蟻蠅蟿喂魏苇蟼 蟽蠀谓蔚蠀蟻苇蟽蔚喂蟼 魏伪喂 蟽蟿慰蠂伪蟽渭慰蠉蟼 蔚蟺维谓蠅 蟽蟿畏 味蠅萎 魏伪喂 蟿伪 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺喂谓伪 蟺蟻维纬渭伪蟿伪.
韦慰 蠂喂慰蠉渭慰蟻 蟿慰蠀 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎 魏伪喂 畏 蔚喂蟻蠅谓喂魏萎 蟿慰蠀 未喂维胃蔚蟽畏 伪谓伪未蔚喂魏谓蠉慰谓蟿伪喂 渭蔚 蟿慰谓 喂未伪谓喂魏蠈蟿蔚蟻慰 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 蟽蟿畏 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 David R. Slavitt. 螣 慰蟺慰委慰蟼 蟺伪蟻伪位蔚委蟺蔚喂 慰位蠈魏位畏蟻伪 cantos 蔚喂未喂魏维 蟽蟿慰 未蔚蠉蟿蔚蟻慰 渭喂蟽蠈 蟿慰蠀 苇蟻纬慰蠀 - 蟽蟿蔚蟻蠋谓蟿伪蟼 苇蟿蟽喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 伪谓伪纬谓蠋蟽蟿畏 蟺慰位位苇蟼 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰蠀蟽蔚蟼 蠀蟺慰未喂畏纬萎蟽蔚喂蟼 蟿喂蟼 慰蟺慰委蔚蟼 蠀蟺慰蠂蟻蔚蠋胃畏魏伪 谓伪 未喂伪尾维蟽蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 蟺伪位伪喂蠈蟿蔚蟻畏 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 William Stewart Rose 畏 慰蟺慰委伪 蔚委谓伪喂 蠀蟺苇蟻慰蠂畏 伪位位维 蟺伪蟻蠅蠂畏渭苇谓畏. 螚 蔚蟺喂蟿慰渭萎 蠅蟽蟿蠈蟽慰 蟿慰蠀 Slavitt 未喂伪胃苇蟿蔚喂 渭喂伪 纬位蠋蟽蟽伪 慰位慰味蠋谓蟿伪谓畏 魏伪喂 蟺慰位位慰蠉蟼 蔚渭尾蠈位喂渭慰蠀蟼 蟽蠂慰位喂伪蟽渭慰蠉蟼 - 蟺慰喂畏蟿喂魏萎 伪未蔚委伪 蟿慰蠀 渭蔚蟿伪蠁蟻伪蟽蟿萎 - 蟺慰蠀 未委谓慰蠀谓 渭喂伪 蔚尉伪喂蟻蔚蟿喂魏萎 蠁蟻蔚蟽魏维未伪 魏伪喂 蔚蟺喂魏伪喂蟻蠈蟿畏蟿伪 蟽蟿慰 魏蔚委渭蔚谓慰, 蠂蠅蟻委蟼 谓伪 伪位位慰喂蠋谓慰蠀谓, 魏伪蟿维 蟿畏谓 维蟺慰蠄萎 渭慰蠀, 蟿慰 喂蟿伪位喂魏蠈 蟺蟻蠅蟿蠈蟿蠀蟺慰.
螆谓伪蟼 魏伪位蠈蟼 魏伪喂 伪纬伪蟺畏渭苇谓慰蟼 渭慰蠀 蠁委位慰蟼 魏伪喂 渭苇纬伪蟼 尾喂尾位喂慰未委蠁畏蟼, 慰 螕喂蠋蟻纬慰蟼 危魏伪纬喂维魏慰蟼 (shout-out) 渭蔚 尾慰萎胃畏蟽蔚 蟽蟿畏谓 伪谓伪味萎蟿畏蟽萎 渭慰蠀 纬喂伪 渭喂伪 蔚位位畏谓喂魏萎 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏. 螚 渭慰谓伪未喂魏萎 蟺慰蠀 魏蠀魏位慰蠁蠈蟻畏蟽蔚 蟺慰蟿苇 苇蠅蟼 蟽萎渭蔚蟻伪 蟽蟿伪 蔚位位畏谓喂魏维 蔚委谓伪喂 渭喂伪 蟺伪位伪喂蠈蟿伪蟿畏 苇魏未慰蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 19慰蠀 伪喂蠋谓伪. 螒蟺蠈 蟿慰蠀蟼 蟿蟻蔚喂蟼 蟿蠈渭慰蠀蟼 渭慰谓维蠂伪 慰 苇谓伪蟼 蟽蠋味蔚蟿伪喂 ( 慰喂 维位位慰喂 维蟻伪纬蔚 蔚委谓伪喂 蟺位苇慰谓 慰蟻喂蟽蟿喂魏维 蠂伪渭苇谓慰喂; ) 蟽蟿畏谓 蟺伪谓苇渭慰蟻蠁畏 尾喂尾位喂慰胃萎魏畏 蟿慰蠀 螝苇谓蟿蟻慰蠀 螠喂魏蟻伪蟽喂伪蟿喂魏蠋谓 危蟺慰蠀未蠋谓, 蟽蟿畏谓 螤位维魏伪. 螤蟻蠈魏蔚喂蟿伪喂 纬喂伪 渭喂伪 蟺蔚味萎 渭蔚蟿维蠁蟻伪蟽畏 蟿慰蠀 螕蔚蠅蟻纬委慰蠀 螖. 螞伪渭蟺委蟽畏, 未畏渭慰蟽喂蔚蠀渭苇谓畏 蟽蟿伪 1852 蟽蟿畏谓 危渭蠉蟻谓畏 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 蔚魏未蠈蟿畏 螒谓蟿. 螤伪蟿蟻委魏喂慰. 螤萎纬伪 谓伪 未蠅 蟿慰 尾喂尾位委慰, 苇谓伪 渭喂魏蟻蠈 未喂伪渭伪谓蟿维魏喂 蟺慰蠀 魏蟻维蟿畏蟽伪 蟽蟿伪 蠂苇蟻喂伪 渭慰蠀 渭蔚 喂未喂伪委蟿蔚蟻畏 蟽蠀纬魏委谓畏蟽畏 魏伪喂 渭慰蠀 蔚蟺苇蟿蟻蔚蠄伪谓 谓伪 尾纬维位蠅 魏维蟺慰喂蔚蟼 蠁蠅蟿慰纬蟻伪蠁委蔚蟼 纬喂伪 谓伪 蟿喂蟼 渭慰喂蟻伪蟽蟿蠋 渭伪味委 蟽伪蟼:
螚 伪谓维纬谓蠅蟽畏 伪蠀蟿慰蠉 蟿慰蠀 苇蟻纬慰蠀 伪蟺慰蟿苇位蔚蟽蔚 纬喂伪 蔚渭苇谓伪 渭喂伪 渭慰谓伪未喂魏萎 伪谓伪纬谓蠅蟽蟿喂魏萎 蔚渭蟺蔚喂蟻委伪. 违蟺萎蟻蠂伪谓 蟽蟿喂纬渭苇蟼 蟺慰蠀 未蠀蟽魏慰位蔚蠀蠈渭慰蠀谓 谓伪 蟿慰 伪蠁萎蟽蠅 伪蟺蠈 蟿伪 蠂苇蟻喂伪 渭慰蠀, 蟿蠈蟽慰 渭蔚纬维位畏 萎蟿伪谓 畏 蟺蔚蟻喂苇蟻纬蔚喂维 渭慰蠀 魏伪喂 畏 伪纬蠅谓委伪 渭慰蠀 纬喂伪 谓伪 未蠅 蟿委 胃伪 纬委谓蔚喂 蟺伪蟻伪魏维蟿蠅. 螒谓 未蔚谓 蔚委蠂蔚 46 伪位位维 100 cantos 蔚委渭伪喂 蟽委纬慰蠀蟻畏 蟺蠅蟼 魏伪喂 蟺维位喂 未蔚谓 胃伪 苇蠂伪谓伪 蟿慰 蔚谓未喂伪蠁苇蟻慰谓 渭慰蠀, 魏伪胃蠋蟼 畏 蟺苇谓伪 蟿慰蠀 螒蟻喂蠈蟽蟿慰 蔚委谓伪喂 渭慰谓伪未喂魏萎.
螆谓伪 苇蟻纬慰 蟺慰蠀 伪蟺慰蟿苇位蔚蟽蔚 蟽蟿伪胃渭蠈 蟽蟿畏谓 喂蟽蟿慰蟻委伪 蟿畏蟼 蟺伪纬魏蠈蟽渭喂伪蟼 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼, 蟺慰蠀 蔚谓苇蟺谓蔚蠀蟽蔚 蟺慰位位慰蠉蟼 维位位慰蠀蟼 蟽蟺慰蠀未伪委慰蠀蟼 位慰纬慰蟿苇蠂谓蔚蟼 伪蟺蠈 蟿慰谓 螛蔚蟻尾维谓蟿蔚蟼 苇蠅蟼 蟿慰谓 螠蟺蠈蟻蠂蔚蟼, 蟺慰蠀 蟺蔚蟿蠀蠂伪委谓蔚喂 谓伪 蔚谓蟽蠅渭伪蟿蠋蟽蔚喂 渭蔚 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 渭慰谓伪未喂魏蠈 蟺慰位位苇蟼 魏伪喂 未喂伪蠁慰蟻蔚蟿喂魏苇蟼 蔚魏未慰蠂苇蟼 蟿慰蠀 魏蠈蟽渭慰蠀 蟺慰蠀 味慰蠉渭蔚 魏伪喂 蠈位蠅谓 蔚魏蔚委谓蠅谓 蟿蠅谓 渭伪纬喂魏蠋谓 尾伪蟽喂位蔚委蠅谓 蟺慰蠀 伪魏蠈渭伪 魏伪喂 蟽萎渭蔚蟻伪 蟽蠀谓蔚蠂委味慰蠀谓 谓伪 蠀蟺维蟻蠂慰蠀谓 渭苇蟽伪 蟽蟿畏 蠁伪谓蟿伪蟽委伪 魏伪喂 蟿喂蟼 魏伪蟻未喂苇蟼 蟿蠅谓 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺蠅谓.
January 8, 2018
[2 novembre 2012]
Appena comprata questa edizione Bur mi dicevo: ma perch茅 in una collezione di classici con nuovi commenti ristampano questo di Emilio Bigi che compie proprio ora trent'anni? Ora che lo sto leggendo capisco il perch茅.
[5 settembre 2017]
Una delle cose che non sopporto 猫 quando dicono che nel Furioso tutte le vicende dipendono dalla fuga e dall'inseguimento di Angelica. Una parte. Una parte cospicua, se proprio si vuole, ma tutte proprio no! Bisognerebbe buttare via ben pi霉 di mezzo poema se fosse vero...
[21 ottobre 2017]
E, a proposito, chi mai si ricorda che l'evento che d脿 il titolo al tutto non 猫 semplicemente la conseguenza di un amore non ricambiato che si trasforma in pazzia violenta?
Nel canto XXXIV viene chiaramente rivelato invece che si tratta di una punizione divina, perch茅 il campione della 芦santa fede禄 si 猫 allontanato dal 芦camin dritto禄 con il suo amore peccaminoso per 芦una pagana禄.
脠 proprio la volont脿 divina, non l'eccesso di sentimento umano (la gelosia e la certezza di quello che 猫 vissuto come un tradimento da parte di Angelica) che conduce Orlando alla sua distruttiva follia:
芦E Dio per questo fa ch鈥檈gli va folle,
e mostra nudo il ventre, il petto e il fianco;
e l鈥檌ntelletto s矛 gli offusca e tolle,
che non pu貌 altrui conoscere, e s茅 manco.禄
[12 settembre 2017]
Il lettore dell鈥�Orlando furioso soltanto quando arriva all鈥檜ltimo canto del lungo poema, scopre che si 猫 trattato di un viaggio. Per la precisione, di un viaggio per mare, dall鈥檃pprodo non scontato. La scrittura, secondo lunga tradizione, 猫 una navigazione sull鈥檃cqua, per mare; e quindi intrinsecamente pericolosa. Salire su una nave per attraversare le acque significa l鈥檃pertura di uno spazio dove il controllo della volont脿 umana non 猫 assicurato.
Infatti soltanto ad apertura di quest鈥檜ltimo canto si capisce che non si 猫 materializzato il rischio di non riuscire a concludere, fatto aleggiare fin dalle primissime ottave del primo canto: canter貌 le cortesie le audaci imprese 鈥� dir貌 d鈥橭rlando鈥� ecc. ecc. ma solo se colei che mi ha fatto pazzo per amore quasi quanto Orlando stesso mi conceder脿 abbastanza ingegno per permettermi di scrivere.
Il viaggio per acqua come metafora che rappresenta la scrittura viene rivelato per貌 soltanto alla conclusione, nel proemio di questo ultimo canto XLVI (nella prima edizione il XL), che annuncia l鈥檃rrivo in porto della nave del poema, nell鈥檃ccoglienza festosa di donne, cavalieri, poeti e amici.
Or, se mi mostra la mia carta il vero,
non 猫 lontano a discoprirsi il porto;
s矛 che nel lito i voti scioglier spero
a chi nel mar per tanta via m鈥檋a scorto;
ove, o di non tornar col legno intero
o d鈥檈rrar sempre, ebbi gi脿 il viso smorto.
Ma mi par di veder, ma veggo certo,
veggo la terra, e veggo il lito aperto.
Appena comprata questa edizione Bur mi dicevo: ma perch茅 in una collezione di classici con nuovi commenti ristampano questo di Emilio Bigi che compie proprio ora trent'anni? Ora che lo sto leggendo capisco il perch茅.
[5 settembre 2017]
Una delle cose che non sopporto 猫 quando dicono che nel Furioso tutte le vicende dipendono dalla fuga e dall'inseguimento di Angelica. Una parte. Una parte cospicua, se proprio si vuole, ma tutte proprio no! Bisognerebbe buttare via ben pi霉 di mezzo poema se fosse vero...
[21 ottobre 2017]
E, a proposito, chi mai si ricorda che l'evento che d脿 il titolo al tutto non 猫 semplicemente la conseguenza di un amore non ricambiato che si trasforma in pazzia violenta?
Nel canto XXXIV viene chiaramente rivelato invece che si tratta di una punizione divina, perch茅 il campione della 芦santa fede禄 si 猫 allontanato dal 芦camin dritto禄 con il suo amore peccaminoso per 芦una pagana禄.
脠 proprio la volont脿 divina, non l'eccesso di sentimento umano (la gelosia e la certezza di quello che 猫 vissuto come un tradimento da parte di Angelica) che conduce Orlando alla sua distruttiva follia:
芦E Dio per questo fa ch鈥檈gli va folle,
e mostra nudo il ventre, il petto e il fianco;
e l鈥檌ntelletto s矛 gli offusca e tolle,
che non pu貌 altrui conoscere, e s茅 manco.禄
[12 settembre 2017]
Il lettore dell鈥�Orlando furioso soltanto quando arriva all鈥檜ltimo canto del lungo poema, scopre che si 猫 trattato di un viaggio. Per la precisione, di un viaggio per mare, dall鈥檃pprodo non scontato. La scrittura, secondo lunga tradizione, 猫 una navigazione sull鈥檃cqua, per mare; e quindi intrinsecamente pericolosa. Salire su una nave per attraversare le acque significa l鈥檃pertura di uno spazio dove il controllo della volont脿 umana non 猫 assicurato.
Infatti soltanto ad apertura di quest鈥檜ltimo canto si capisce che non si 猫 materializzato il rischio di non riuscire a concludere, fatto aleggiare fin dalle primissime ottave del primo canto: canter貌 le cortesie le audaci imprese 鈥� dir貌 d鈥橭rlando鈥� ecc. ecc. ma solo se colei che mi ha fatto pazzo per amore quasi quanto Orlando stesso mi conceder脿 abbastanza ingegno per permettermi di scrivere.
Il viaggio per acqua come metafora che rappresenta la scrittura viene rivelato per貌 soltanto alla conclusione, nel proemio di questo ultimo canto XLVI (nella prima edizione il XL), che annuncia l鈥檃rrivo in porto della nave del poema, nell鈥檃ccoglienza festosa di donne, cavalieri, poeti e amici.
Or, se mi mostra la mia carta il vero,
non 猫 lontano a discoprirsi il porto;
s矛 che nel lito i voti scioglier spero
a chi nel mar per tanta via m鈥檋a scorto;
ove, o di non tornar col legno intero
o d鈥檈rrar sempre, ebbi gi脿 il viso smorto.
Ma mi par di veder, ma veggo certo,
veggo la terra, e veggo il lito aperto.
November 20, 2019
Not sure about this translation; I read it in Sir John Harington's, 1591, assigned to him by the the First Elizabeth for his witty account of his invention, the water closet or water "jakes": the Metamorphosis of Ajax-pron. a Jakes. (The Elizabethan Brits called a toilet by a French name, whereas the French called it a John. Foreign names to imply the lower life of foreigners.) I've also read maybe 30 pp in Italian, ottava rima in iambic hendecasyllables, not the Latin hendecasyllables Catullus wrote, with three long syllables to start (like the White-throated Sparrow).
Charlemagne sends Rinaldo to England--this French and English melding first done by Boiardo in Orlando Inamorato, which Ariosto's poem extends. Rinaldo was never more unwilling (to follow his orders) but because Charlemagne commanded, he crossed the English Channel from Calesso, Calais.
"Contra la volunt脿 di ogni nocchiero,
pel gran desir che di tornare avea,
entr貌 nel mar ch'era turbato e fiero,
e gran procella minaciar parea.
Il Vento sdegn貌, che da altiero
sprezzar si vide; e con tempesta rea
sollev貌 il mar intorno, e con tal rabbia,
che gli mand貌 a bagnar sino alla gabbia."
Garzanti, 1980, Canto 3 (p.41)
Against the will of any helmsman, who most wanted to turn to port, he left the harbor on a turbulent sea, that a perfect storm menaced. The disdainful wind, that spurned them, haughty with anger, bathed the ship up to the lookout on the mast.
When Rinaldo gets to England, he meets Merlin and a woman magus who tells of his progenitors from Troy down, referring to Ugo, duke of Milan in 1021, who ended the reign of the Insubri there--they a Lepontic people speaking a Celtic language. I'm amused since our English Sheepdog born in Italy and named there, was Ugo. Later in Canto 3, we learn in a footnote that Rinaldo dies "avvelenato," poisoned. Before that, a great survey of feudal history like Frederico Barbarossa and Ezzelino da Romano,
"Ezzelino, immanissimo tiranno,
che sia creduto figlio del demonio,
far脿, troncando i sudditi, tal danno,
e distruggendo il bel paese ausonio,
che pietosi apo che lui stati saranno
Mario, Silla, Neron, Caio ed Antonio.
E Frederico imperator secondo
sia per questo Azzo rotto e messo al fondo."(63)
Such a tyrant, called "son of the devil," cutting down his subjects and destroying the beautiful Ausonian lands unworthy successor to by Sulla, Nero, Caligula (!) and Antony.
Ariosto's plot is too complex for me, but I find him often witty (esp in his satires), and his verse more complex than Tasso's, partly because multi-syllable words fitted into the same meter and stanza. So I have not read it all, except in translation.
By the way, Orlando Furioso "ends" with how the story will continue in the next canto, "al'altro canto io parlo." It's unfinished, "only" 21 cantos of a projected 24. Just as Edmund Spenser's Fairie Queene is only half finished, as I recall, six books out of twelve, though Spenser may have even once thought 24, like both Ariosto and Tasso.
But I have read entirely in Italian Ariosto's Satire e Lettere (Einaudi 1976/Ricciardi 1954). This was when I visited his Castello in Garfagnana, over the mountains from Carrara (in the 90s). A foto of me at his Castello features online for those who google Alan Powers (and on my habitableworlds website). Ariosto was the military governor of Garfagnana, which he called "questa fossa," this ditch. It's beautiful, but it was the home of dozens of brigands, outlaws. Ariosto as military commander for the Duke of Ferrara had maybe forty troops, half of them horse--which he points out in a satire (maybe #2, to his brother)--are useless in the mountain rocks. He was also plagued by desertions from his troops, and by the geo-political fact of three contiguous rulers,I seem to recall.
I have always preferred Ariosto's wit to Tasso's seriousness, writing in the same ottava rima later in the same century, 16th. But now in retirement, perusing Gerusalemme Liberata, I'm impressed with Tasso's ease, writing in hendecasyllables. In the third canto, Goffredo tells his troops,
--Gi脿 non si deve a te doglia n茅 pianto,
ch茅 se mori nel mondo, in Ciel rinasci...
(p.93, Einaudi 1993)
They should ready for battle unburdened by dying, because if they were to die, they'll be reborn in Heaven. This, good Christian counsel, and incidentally, why Rome began converting to Christianity under Emperor Constantine: the Christian armies fought to the death, not fearing it.
Charlemagne sends Rinaldo to England--this French and English melding first done by Boiardo in Orlando Inamorato, which Ariosto's poem extends. Rinaldo was never more unwilling (to follow his orders) but because Charlemagne commanded, he crossed the English Channel from Calesso, Calais.
"Contra la volunt脿 di ogni nocchiero,
pel gran desir che di tornare avea,
entr貌 nel mar ch'era turbato e fiero,
e gran procella minaciar parea.
Il Vento sdegn貌, che da altiero
sprezzar si vide; e con tempesta rea
sollev貌 il mar intorno, e con tal rabbia,
che gli mand貌 a bagnar sino alla gabbia."
Garzanti, 1980, Canto 3 (p.41)
Against the will of any helmsman, who most wanted to turn to port, he left the harbor on a turbulent sea, that a perfect storm menaced. The disdainful wind, that spurned them, haughty with anger, bathed the ship up to the lookout on the mast.
When Rinaldo gets to England, he meets Merlin and a woman magus who tells of his progenitors from Troy down, referring to Ugo, duke of Milan in 1021, who ended the reign of the Insubri there--they a Lepontic people speaking a Celtic language. I'm amused since our English Sheepdog born in Italy and named there, was Ugo. Later in Canto 3, we learn in a footnote that Rinaldo dies "avvelenato," poisoned. Before that, a great survey of feudal history like Frederico Barbarossa and Ezzelino da Romano,
"Ezzelino, immanissimo tiranno,
che sia creduto figlio del demonio,
far脿, troncando i sudditi, tal danno,
e distruggendo il bel paese ausonio,
che pietosi apo che lui stati saranno
Mario, Silla, Neron, Caio ed Antonio.
E Frederico imperator secondo
sia per questo Azzo rotto e messo al fondo."(63)
Such a tyrant, called "son of the devil," cutting down his subjects and destroying the beautiful Ausonian lands unworthy successor to by Sulla, Nero, Caligula (!) and Antony.
Ariosto's plot is too complex for me, but I find him often witty (esp in his satires), and his verse more complex than Tasso's, partly because multi-syllable words fitted into the same meter and stanza. So I have not read it all, except in translation.
By the way, Orlando Furioso "ends" with how the story will continue in the next canto, "al'altro canto io parlo." It's unfinished, "only" 21 cantos of a projected 24. Just as Edmund Spenser's Fairie Queene is only half finished, as I recall, six books out of twelve, though Spenser may have even once thought 24, like both Ariosto and Tasso.
But I have read entirely in Italian Ariosto's Satire e Lettere (Einaudi 1976/Ricciardi 1954). This was when I visited his Castello in Garfagnana, over the mountains from Carrara (in the 90s). A foto of me at his Castello features online for those who google Alan Powers (and on my habitableworlds website). Ariosto was the military governor of Garfagnana, which he called "questa fossa," this ditch. It's beautiful, but it was the home of dozens of brigands, outlaws. Ariosto as military commander for the Duke of Ferrara had maybe forty troops, half of them horse--which he points out in a satire (maybe #2, to his brother)--are useless in the mountain rocks. He was also plagued by desertions from his troops, and by the geo-political fact of three contiguous rulers,I seem to recall.
I have always preferred Ariosto's wit to Tasso's seriousness, writing in the same ottava rima later in the same century, 16th. But now in retirement, perusing Gerusalemme Liberata, I'm impressed with Tasso's ease, writing in hendecasyllables. In the third canto, Goffredo tells his troops,
--Gi脿 non si deve a te doglia n茅 pianto,
ch茅 se mori nel mondo, in Ciel rinasci...
(p.93, Einaudi 1993)
They should ready for battle unburdened by dying, because if they were to die, they'll be reborn in Heaven. This, good Christian counsel, and incidentally, why Rome began converting to Christianity under Emperor Constantine: the Christian armies fought to the death, not fearing it.
December 10, 2019
"No soy yo, no lo soy? El que parezco:
Orlando ya est谩 muerto y enterrado;
su ingrat铆sima amada lo ha matado,
y faltando a su fe, lo ha sometido.
Yo soy su errante esp铆ritu, que vaga
por este oscuro infierno, atormentado,
para dar con su sombra un escarmiento
a cuantos en Amor ponen su anhelo."
Cuando escuchaba la pregunta de "驴cu谩l ser铆a la obra que te hubiera gustado a escribir?" nunca me decid铆a hasta hoy, pues creo que cualquier persona que hubiera escrito aunque s贸lo sea esta obra dar铆a un gran legado al mundo. "Orlando Furioso" es un sinf铆n de historias y recursos literarios, de cuentos y de gestas, de amores y de sarcasmos vertidos en un estilo muy depurado y cuidado de tiempos del Renacimiento italiano.
Surgen tantas ideas que es imposible vertirlas en una rese帽a. Ya me queda con esta obra un panorama m谩s grande de las 茅picas que he venido ley茅ndolas desde ni帽o. Si el franc茅s Chr茅tien de Troyes revivi贸 la leyenda arturiana (inglesa) y la volvi贸 una novela de caballer铆a pues el italiano Ariosto (y antes Boiardo) revivi贸 la leyenda carolingia (francesa) con gran erudici贸n y refinamiento.
La obra deber铆a llamarse desde luego "La Historia de Rugero y Bradamante" pues Orlando (o Rold谩n) no tiene el centro gravitacional de la historia aunque en realidad es una obra de muchos personajes.
La historia desde luego es una continuaci贸n del poema de Boiardo "Orlando enamorado". Contin煤a la acci贸n donde se qued贸, usa los mismos personajes, no altera lo que ha pasado anteriormente al contrario lo usa muy a menudo. Tenemos esta gran gesta entre cat贸licos y paganos, entre imperiales (del Imperio Carolingio franc茅s-austrio-alem谩n) y sarracenos (el conjunto de musulmanes incluyendo a los espa帽oles). Por el lado de los carolingios est谩n el gran Carlomagno (Carlo), Orlando, Rinaldo, la hero铆na Bradamante (estoy seguro el personaje favorito de muchos), Olivero, Astolfo (mi caballero favorito), Ricardetto, Brandimarte, Etc. y por el lado sarraceno al rey Agramante, el temible Rodomonte, el espa帽ol Marsilio, Mandricardo y otro etc茅tera.
La obra es atrapante, no aburre en casi ning煤n momento, los sucesos son demasiado diversos tanto en tiempo como en espacio. Cuando empieza la aventura de uno, pasamos a la de otro y as铆 sucesivamente, todo se va hilvanando hasta un final que aunque poco defectuoso a mi gusto es la gran s铆ntesis de la gran aventura que es el "Orlando furioso".
Aunque Ang茅lica, la hermosa pagana que enamora a todos, es el gran im谩n de la historia como fue en "Orlando enamorado", termina por diluirse bastante en cambio aqu铆 y no me gust贸 el trato que le dieron. Vemos a los caballeros en diferentes aventuras, t铆picas de la 茅poca, desafi谩ndose en duelos hasta el cansancio, salvando doncellas por doquier, mostrando su gran cortes铆a y honor en cada paso que van y cruz谩ndose con seres fant谩sticos, hipogrifos, magos, demonios, gigantes y un largo etc茅tera. Son varias historias metidas en una sola por la que digo que esta obra bastar铆a para decir que una persona fue un gran escritor.
Es el retrato de una 茅poca influida por m煤ltiples c谩nones est茅ticos contempor谩neos que fueron muy de mi gusto, de la mitolog铆a, del cristianismo, incluso con ecos de la leyenda art煤rica, me dio risa particularmente que los espa帽oles y en general las tierras de Espa帽a son tratadas como paganas pues en esa 茅poca eran gobernadas por musulmanes, y pues un gran contraste para la 茅poca en que se compuso cuando ya Espa帽a con Carlos V era la gran potencia que incluso avasallaba a la propia Italia de Ariosto.
Lejos de la historia misma, de los caballeros, de los usos de la 茅poca, el vasallaje de los caballeros y el respeto siempre hacia el emperador Carlos a quien deb铆an sus tierras y sus posesiones, las gestas para la cual eran llamados siempre a favor del imperio cristiano est谩 el alma del poeta, de Ariosto. Muchas de sus frases debieron haber sido chocantes o por lo menos controversiales en la 茅poca, sobre todo cuando se ve su claro intento por abogar siempre por la situaci贸n de las mujeres, el propio Ariosto de manera quiz谩s po茅tica siempre se muestra triste, apresado por el Amor y muchos de sus versos parecen indirectas a la amada ingrata. Ariosto da m煤ltiples opiniones sobre el amor, la infidelidad, el honor, que salpican las aventuras de sus legendarios caballeros. Es una obra pues compleja y muy completa, no s贸lo son historias fant谩sticas sino tambi茅n el sentimiento del poeta y desde luego tambi茅n busca el ensalzamiento de sus protectores, los grandes se帽ores de la Casa de Este. Ellos son descendientes del h茅roe Rugero de ra铆ces italianas por ello sin duda copa tanto espacio su historia y de su amada Bradamante destacando a煤n m谩s que el propio Orlando. Diversos personajes italianos de la 茅poca son mencionados y desde luego han despertado mi curiosidad para poder conocer un poco m谩s de ellos.
Un poema 茅pico muy largo pero que vale y mucho la pena. Fue especial adem谩s poder leerlo teniendo a la mano otro libro con las ilustraciones de Dor茅.
Orlando ya est谩 muerto y enterrado;
su ingrat铆sima amada lo ha matado,
y faltando a su fe, lo ha sometido.
Yo soy su errante esp铆ritu, que vaga
por este oscuro infierno, atormentado,
para dar con su sombra un escarmiento
a cuantos en Amor ponen su anhelo."
Cuando escuchaba la pregunta de "驴cu谩l ser铆a la obra que te hubiera gustado a escribir?" nunca me decid铆a hasta hoy, pues creo que cualquier persona que hubiera escrito aunque s贸lo sea esta obra dar铆a un gran legado al mundo. "Orlando Furioso" es un sinf铆n de historias y recursos literarios, de cuentos y de gestas, de amores y de sarcasmos vertidos en un estilo muy depurado y cuidado de tiempos del Renacimiento italiano.
Surgen tantas ideas que es imposible vertirlas en una rese帽a. Ya me queda con esta obra un panorama m谩s grande de las 茅picas que he venido ley茅ndolas desde ni帽o. Si el franc茅s Chr茅tien de Troyes revivi贸 la leyenda arturiana (inglesa) y la volvi贸 una novela de caballer铆a pues el italiano Ariosto (y antes Boiardo) revivi贸 la leyenda carolingia (francesa) con gran erudici贸n y refinamiento.
La obra deber铆a llamarse desde luego "La Historia de Rugero y Bradamante" pues Orlando (o Rold谩n) no tiene el centro gravitacional de la historia aunque en realidad es una obra de muchos personajes.
La historia desde luego es una continuaci贸n del poema de Boiardo "Orlando enamorado". Contin煤a la acci贸n donde se qued贸, usa los mismos personajes, no altera lo que ha pasado anteriormente al contrario lo usa muy a menudo. Tenemos esta gran gesta entre cat贸licos y paganos, entre imperiales (del Imperio Carolingio franc茅s-austrio-alem谩n) y sarracenos (el conjunto de musulmanes incluyendo a los espa帽oles). Por el lado de los carolingios est谩n el gran Carlomagno (Carlo), Orlando, Rinaldo, la hero铆na Bradamante (estoy seguro el personaje favorito de muchos), Olivero, Astolfo (mi caballero favorito), Ricardetto, Brandimarte, Etc. y por el lado sarraceno al rey Agramante, el temible Rodomonte, el espa帽ol Marsilio, Mandricardo y otro etc茅tera.
La obra es atrapante, no aburre en casi ning煤n momento, los sucesos son demasiado diversos tanto en tiempo como en espacio. Cuando empieza la aventura de uno, pasamos a la de otro y as铆 sucesivamente, todo se va hilvanando hasta un final que aunque poco defectuoso a mi gusto es la gran s铆ntesis de la gran aventura que es el "Orlando furioso".
Aunque Ang茅lica, la hermosa pagana que enamora a todos, es el gran im谩n de la historia como fue en "Orlando enamorado", termina por diluirse bastante en cambio aqu铆 y no me gust贸 el trato que le dieron. Vemos a los caballeros en diferentes aventuras, t铆picas de la 茅poca, desafi谩ndose en duelos hasta el cansancio, salvando doncellas por doquier, mostrando su gran cortes铆a y honor en cada paso que van y cruz谩ndose con seres fant谩sticos, hipogrifos, magos, demonios, gigantes y un largo etc茅tera. Son varias historias metidas en una sola por la que digo que esta obra bastar铆a para decir que una persona fue un gran escritor.
Es el retrato de una 茅poca influida por m煤ltiples c谩nones est茅ticos contempor谩neos que fueron muy de mi gusto, de la mitolog铆a, del cristianismo, incluso con ecos de la leyenda art煤rica, me dio risa particularmente que los espa帽oles y en general las tierras de Espa帽a son tratadas como paganas pues en esa 茅poca eran gobernadas por musulmanes, y pues un gran contraste para la 茅poca en que se compuso cuando ya Espa帽a con Carlos V era la gran potencia que incluso avasallaba a la propia Italia de Ariosto.
Lejos de la historia misma, de los caballeros, de los usos de la 茅poca, el vasallaje de los caballeros y el respeto siempre hacia el emperador Carlos a quien deb铆an sus tierras y sus posesiones, las gestas para la cual eran llamados siempre a favor del imperio cristiano est谩 el alma del poeta, de Ariosto. Muchas de sus frases debieron haber sido chocantes o por lo menos controversiales en la 茅poca, sobre todo cuando se ve su claro intento por abogar siempre por la situaci贸n de las mujeres, el propio Ariosto de manera quiz谩s po茅tica siempre se muestra triste, apresado por el Amor y muchos de sus versos parecen indirectas a la amada ingrata. Ariosto da m煤ltiples opiniones sobre el amor, la infidelidad, el honor, que salpican las aventuras de sus legendarios caballeros. Es una obra pues compleja y muy completa, no s贸lo son historias fant谩sticas sino tambi茅n el sentimiento del poeta y desde luego tambi茅n busca el ensalzamiento de sus protectores, los grandes se帽ores de la Casa de Este. Ellos son descendientes del h茅roe Rugero de ra铆ces italianas por ello sin duda copa tanto espacio su historia y de su amada Bradamante destacando a煤n m谩s que el propio Orlando. Diversos personajes italianos de la 茅poca son mencionados y desde luego han despertado mi curiosidad para poder conocer un poco m谩s de ellos.
Un poema 茅pico muy largo pero que vale y mucho la pena. Fue especial adem谩s poder leerlo teniendo a la mano otro libro con las ilustraciones de Dor茅.
September 17, 2007
I am in love with this book, and I have no idea why everybody isn't reading it all the time. It is a massively fun tale dealing with the exploits of the knights of Charlemagne. It moves incredibly quickly, seamlessly weaves together dozens of terrific stories, and gives the reader all the fulfillment one could wish for in an adventure novel. Lots of battles and intrigue and sorcerers and giants and mistaken identities and flying steeds and magic and all of that good fantasy stuff, and it was written in the 16th century, so you get to enjoy the fact that you're learning a little about the people and ideas of former times and exposing yourself to a classic. Also, the women in this book aren't a bunch of helpless or overly virtuous props for the men. Two of the baddest-ass knights in the story are women who go around saving all of the male characters, and the Saracen princess Angelica, who everybody loves, does a lot of outmanoevering the several knights who are constantly in pursuit of her. Then Orlando goes completely insane from unrequited love and starts all sorts of gruesome wholesale killing while the paladin Astolpho travels to the moon with the Apostle John to fetch back Orlando's lost wits. Then all sorts of other wonderful crazy crap happens, and you should definitely read the book to find out about it. Sir Walter Scott, Voltiare and Byron all compared Ariosto to Homer, favoring the former, and I'd much rather read him than any modern fantasy writer.
(Note on the translation: I'm very pleased that the translator of the Oxford World Classics edition, Guido Waldman, decided to render this book in prose rather than trying to emulate the octava rima scheme of the original epic poem. Perhaps the fact that a prose version has only been available for a couple of decades is what has been responsible for this book's neglect in the English speaking world. Meanwhile, it's a testament to Ariosto's skill that not a single stanza seems to contain an extra line or extraneous detail. I can barely imagine how anybody could write something so tight under the imposition of a poetic schema. I don't think Pushkin or Dante or Chaucer or Virgil was so successful.)
(Note on the translation: I'm very pleased that the translator of the Oxford World Classics edition, Guido Waldman, decided to render this book in prose rather than trying to emulate the octava rima scheme of the original epic poem. Perhaps the fact that a prose version has only been available for a couple of decades is what has been responsible for this book's neglect in the English speaking world. Meanwhile, it's a testament to Ariosto's skill that not a single stanza seems to contain an extra line or extraneous detail. I can barely imagine how anybody could write something so tight under the imposition of a poetic schema. I don't think Pushkin or Dante or Chaucer or Virgil was so successful.)
April 10, 2024
Drugo 膷itanje - 2024.
Ta膷no sedam godina je pro拧lo od prvog 膷itanja ovog kolosalnog Ariostovog vekove膷nog epa koji mi se od tada za srce zalepio i tako je do dana dana拧njeg, gde stoji odmah pored Dantea.
Sad kad se osvrnem na utiske koje sam zapisao 2017. godine, jasno mi je da u to vreme ja nisam shvatio ni deli膰 ovog dela, budu膰i da niti sam znao i拧ta o Ariostovom 啪ivotu (拧to je vrlo va啪no za nastanak samog epa, njegovu posvetu i brojne likove koji se tu pojavljuju) niti mi je bio jasan koncept koji je Ariosto koristio. Ali, kao 拧to je i sa Danteom bilo 鈥� koga tako膽e u vreme kad sam se prvi put susreo s njim nisam skoro ni拧ta razumeo zbog nezrelosti, ali je posejao seme koje 膰e mnogo godina kasnije da isklija u pravo, jako drvo 鈥� tako se i sa 鈥濨esnim Orlandom鈥� desilo 鈥� da je utisak nakon 膷itanja bio izuzetno jak, ali da nisam ba拧 bio siguran 拧ta sam ta膷no pro膷itao niti sam uspeo da razumem tok epa i popamtim sve likove.
Prvi put sam 膷itao drevni Dragi拧e Stanojevi膰a iz 1896. koji je, sada to vidim, poprili膷no slobodno doneo Ariostovu ottava rimu (kao 拧to je i Dantea i Tasa prepevavao), i gdegde mi je konstrukcija stiha u to vreme bila te拧ka i nerazumljiva, te mi je pa啪nja 膷esto vrludala i stoga je i ostao veliki broj rupa u se膰anju. Ovoga puta 膷itao sam 鈥濷rlanda鈥� primarno u hrvatskom prepevu Danka Angjelinovi膰a iz 1953. godine, i kao 鈥瀙ozitivnu kontrolu鈥� koristio sjajan i hvaljen engleski Barbare Rejnolds, vrsnog dantologa koji je podeljen u dva toma, sadr啪i obilje obja拧njenja, obiman predgovor i brojne dodatne informacije o epu, kao i indeks imena na kraju svake knjige. Naravno, tu i tamo sam povremeno zavirivao i u Dragi拧in prepev, 膷isto da vidim koliko im on 鈥瀊e啪i鈥� u izrazu. Angjelinovi膰ev se prepev sasvim poklapa sa Rejnoldsinim, ali je nekako sterilan u toj preciznosti u izrazu. Dragi拧in, ma koliko povremeno 鈥瀊ludeo鈥� i udaljavao se od originala, ipak donosi toplinu stiha i pribli啪ava ga 膷itaocu. Sa sada拧njeg aspekta, ona konstrukcija njegovog stiha mi je bila samo jedno odu拧evljenje vi拧e.
艩to se samog epa ti膷e 鈥� ja, posle Dantea, nisam pro膷itao ni拧ta sadr啪ajnije i so膷nije od 鈥濨esnog Orlanda鈥�. Za razliku od , koja je 膷itava u alegorijama, 鈥濷rlando鈥� je su拧ta suprotnost 鈥� Ariostov izraz je jednostavan, 膷esto satiri膷an i humoristi膷an. Me膽utim, kada peva o bitkama, oru啪ju i oklopima, ton postaje uzvi拧en i sve膷an, ali nikada ne pose啪e za alegorijom da bi ne拧to opisao. Nekoliko puta koristi metaforu poput Ovidija u kada personifikuje Neslogu, Ti拧inu, Lenjost ili Prevaru koje arhangel Mihajlo treba da na bojnom polju zauzda, ali to je daleko od Danteovog izraza.
Kako u prvoj strofi prvog pevanja Ariosto ka啪e: 鈥濴jubavi, gospe, borbe, vitezove, skladnosti pjevam i juna膷ke zgode鈥� 鈥� toga 膰e se dr啪ati svih 46 pevanja. Kao 拧to 膰e, kasnije i Spenser u svom ni拧ta manje obimnom, ali nezavr拧enom, epu koga poku拧avam da 鈥瀘svojim鈥�, po uzoru na Ariosta da na isti na膷in organizuje radnju, tako je i kod Ariosta radnja raspr拧ena i ispresecana brojnim digresijama, poukama i pohvalama, te ne treba o膷ekivati da 膰e se nit jednog junaka pratiti od po膷etka do kraja pevanja ve膰 Ariosto u samom piku kulminacije radnju prekida i prelazi na drugu epizodu, 膷esto u okviru istog pevanja, tako da se slike i scene smenjuju jako brzo 拧to ponekad ume da bude zamorno i obori koncentraciju, naro膷ito jer se radnja odvija na nekoliko kontinenata i zemalja u isto vreme. U jednom pevanju radnja se odigrava 膷ak i u Srbiji, u Beogradu, kada Ru膽ero ide kao ispomo膰 Bugarima da pobedi Grke i gr膷kog kralja Konstantina 膷iji sin Leon mu je 鈥瀘teo鈥� Bradamantu koja mu se obe膰ala. Me膽utim, ako se hvataju bele拧ke, jako se lako mo啪e uhvatiti i nit izdvojenih epizoda koje se prote啪u kroz nekoliko pevanja. Kao 拧to je Spenser u Ariostu imao inspiraciju, tako je i potonji bio inspirisan pre膽a拧njim Bojardovim epom i 膰e u jednom osvrtu da ka啪e kako je 鈥濬urioso鈥� neodvojivi nastavak 鈥濱nnamorata鈥� i da su deo jedne velike celine. Ariosto nastavlja tamo gde Bojardo staje, tako da su likovi uvedeni bez ikakvog obja拧njenja, jer je 膷itali拧tu onoga vremena itekako bio poznat Bojardov ep.
Orlando je kroz ve膰i deo epa tek epizodna uloga i tek u XXIII pevanju otkriva njegovu mahnitost i njen razlog 鈥� da pati zbog An膽elike koju jo拧 u prvom pevanju predstavlja. Me膽utim, glavniji nosilac radnje jeste drugi ljubavni par 鈥� Ru膽ero i Bradamanta, o kojima mnogo vi拧e peva i 膷ije sudbine 膷italac mnogo bolje upoznaje. Sr啪 epa jeste sukob Muslimana i Hri拧膰ana, gde se sukobljavaju vojske Karla Velikog (sa hri拧膰anske strane) i saracenskog kralja Agramanta. Drugi par jesu Izabela i 拧kotski paladin Zerbino. Tre膰i An膽elika i Medoro, zbog kojih Orlando poludi.
Mitologije u epu nema. Ali obiluje fantasti膷nim elementima i fantasti膷nim bi膰ima i aluzijama na druga velika dela kao 拧to su Ovidijeve , Danteova i Vergilijeva . Junaci spasavaju dame od nemani, imaju 膷arobo oru啪je i oklope, slu啪e se napicima i putuju uz pomo膰 magije a poma啪u im, naravno, 膷arobnice i magovi 鈥� pre svih Melisa, Merlinova sestra i Logistila, a sa suprotne, tamne strane, osporavaju ih Al膰ina i Atlant, 膷iji se duh u jednom momentu epa iskupljuje za zlodela jednim dobrim delom.
Meni omiljeni lik jeste engleski paladin Astolfo, Orlandov i Rinaldov ro膽ak, koga Ru膽ero pronalazi da je pretvoren u drvo i nakon peripetija sa 膷arobnicom Al膰inom, vra膰a mu ljudski lik. Astolfova pojava u pevanju zna膷i da 膰e biti dosta fantasti膷nih momenata jer su njemu magusi i 膷arobnice vrlo nastrojeni, tako da 膰e pro膰i bezbroj peripetija ja拧u膰i na hipogrifu, da 膰e u jednom momentu za膰i 膷ak i u predvorje pakla, jure膰i harpije, i odleteti na mesec sa Svetim Jovanom.
Kraj epa mi je potpuni oma啪 Vergiliju jer se na isti na膷in zavr拧ava kao i . Sad, nakon drugog 膷itanja, moji utisci su jo拧 izra啪eniji nego pre sedam godina, naro膷ito jer sada poznajem sasvim dovoljno i Ariostovu biografiju ali i jasan mi je koncept epa i tvorba epizoda, tako da mi predstoji da u narednim danima sa odu拧evljenjem ponovo prolazim kroz obele啪ena pevanja i prizivam neke od omiljenih epizoda.
____________________________________
Prvo 膷itanje - 2017.
Bezmalo mesec dana bistrim ovih hiljadu i ne拧to strana, koliko ih ukupno ima kada se sumiraju sva 膷etiri dela ovog epa. Malo je re膰i da sam odu拧evljen. 艩tavi拧e, likovi o kojima Ariosto poje su mi postali opsesija - da bele啪im i ponovo 膷itam segmente epa u kojima se zbiva ne拧to 拧to mi je bilo interesantno. Ve膰 nakon pro膷itanog prvog pevanja sam uvideo da 膰e mi, uz Danteovu Bo啪anstvenu komediju, ep o Besnom Orlandu biti slede膰e omiljeno delo srednjovekovne knji啪evnosti. Prepev dr Dragi拧e Stanojevi膰a, iako poti膷e iz 1895., sve啪 je, savremen, didakti膷an i razumljiv mnogo vi拧e nego dana拧nji bljuzgavi i nepismeni prevodi bez recenzija. Tako膽e, obja拧njena i komentari koje je prevodilac dao uz stihove su od velike pomo膰i u razumevanju i tuma膷enju odre膽enih delova. Nezaobilazan i nerazdvojiv deo u toku 膷itanja, bio je i atlas ilustracija Gistava Dorea - , fenomenalnog umetnika, koga sam zavoleo pre vi拧e godina, odu拧eviv拧i se njegovim ilustracijama Danteovog Pakla. Tako je svojim ilustracijama i sada doprineo da jo拧 vi拧e u啪ivam u scenama iz Ariostovog epa. Ovo delo vredi 膷itati bar jednom godi拧nje, kao 拧to obi膷avam i sa Danteom, i uvek, iznova u啪ivam u redovima tih bezvremenih epova koji nikad ne膰e da mi dosade.
Ta膷no sedam godina je pro拧lo od prvog 膷itanja ovog kolosalnog Ariostovog vekove膷nog epa koji mi se od tada za srce zalepio i tako je do dana dana拧njeg, gde stoji odmah pored Dantea.
Sad kad se osvrnem na utiske koje sam zapisao 2017. godine, jasno mi je da u to vreme ja nisam shvatio ni deli膰 ovog dela, budu膰i da niti sam znao i拧ta o Ariostovom 啪ivotu (拧to je vrlo va啪no za nastanak samog epa, njegovu posvetu i brojne likove koji se tu pojavljuju) niti mi je bio jasan koncept koji je Ariosto koristio. Ali, kao 拧to je i sa Danteom bilo 鈥� koga tako膽e u vreme kad sam se prvi put susreo s njim nisam skoro ni拧ta razumeo zbog nezrelosti, ali je posejao seme koje 膰e mnogo godina kasnije da isklija u pravo, jako drvo 鈥� tako se i sa 鈥濨esnim Orlandom鈥� desilo 鈥� da je utisak nakon 膷itanja bio izuzetno jak, ali da nisam ba拧 bio siguran 拧ta sam ta膷no pro膷itao niti sam uspeo da razumem tok epa i popamtim sve likove.
Prvi put sam 膷itao drevni Dragi拧e Stanojevi膰a iz 1896. koji je, sada to vidim, poprili膷no slobodno doneo Ariostovu ottava rimu (kao 拧to je i Dantea i Tasa prepevavao), i gdegde mi je konstrukcija stiha u to vreme bila te拧ka i nerazumljiva, te mi je pa啪nja 膷esto vrludala i stoga je i ostao veliki broj rupa u se膰anju. Ovoga puta 膷itao sam 鈥濷rlanda鈥� primarno u hrvatskom prepevu Danka Angjelinovi膰a iz 1953. godine, i kao 鈥瀙ozitivnu kontrolu鈥� koristio sjajan i hvaljen engleski Barbare Rejnolds, vrsnog dantologa koji je podeljen u dva toma, sadr啪i obilje obja拧njenja, obiman predgovor i brojne dodatne informacije o epu, kao i indeks imena na kraju svake knjige. Naravno, tu i tamo sam povremeno zavirivao i u Dragi拧in prepev, 膷isto da vidim koliko im on 鈥瀊e啪i鈥� u izrazu. Angjelinovi膰ev se prepev sasvim poklapa sa Rejnoldsinim, ali je nekako sterilan u toj preciznosti u izrazu. Dragi拧in, ma koliko povremeno 鈥瀊ludeo鈥� i udaljavao se od originala, ipak donosi toplinu stiha i pribli啪ava ga 膷itaocu. Sa sada拧njeg aspekta, ona konstrukcija njegovog stiha mi je bila samo jedno odu拧evljenje vi拧e.
艩to se samog epa ti膷e 鈥� ja, posle Dantea, nisam pro膷itao ni拧ta sadr啪ajnije i so膷nije od 鈥濨esnog Orlanda鈥�. Za razliku od , koja je 膷itava u alegorijama, 鈥濷rlando鈥� je su拧ta suprotnost 鈥� Ariostov izraz je jednostavan, 膷esto satiri膷an i humoristi膷an. Me膽utim, kada peva o bitkama, oru啪ju i oklopima, ton postaje uzvi拧en i sve膷an, ali nikada ne pose啪e za alegorijom da bi ne拧to opisao. Nekoliko puta koristi metaforu poput Ovidija u kada personifikuje Neslogu, Ti拧inu, Lenjost ili Prevaru koje arhangel Mihajlo treba da na bojnom polju zauzda, ali to je daleko od Danteovog izraza.
Kako u prvoj strofi prvog pevanja Ariosto ka啪e: 鈥濴jubavi, gospe, borbe, vitezove, skladnosti pjevam i juna膷ke zgode鈥� 鈥� toga 膰e se dr啪ati svih 46 pevanja. Kao 拧to 膰e, kasnije i Spenser u svom ni拧ta manje obimnom, ali nezavr拧enom, epu koga poku拧avam da 鈥瀘svojim鈥�, po uzoru na Ariosta da na isti na膷in organizuje radnju, tako je i kod Ariosta radnja raspr拧ena i ispresecana brojnim digresijama, poukama i pohvalama, te ne treba o膷ekivati da 膰e se nit jednog junaka pratiti od po膷etka do kraja pevanja ve膰 Ariosto u samom piku kulminacije radnju prekida i prelazi na drugu epizodu, 膷esto u okviru istog pevanja, tako da se slike i scene smenjuju jako brzo 拧to ponekad ume da bude zamorno i obori koncentraciju, naro膷ito jer se radnja odvija na nekoliko kontinenata i zemalja u isto vreme. U jednom pevanju radnja se odigrava 膷ak i u Srbiji, u Beogradu, kada Ru膽ero ide kao ispomo膰 Bugarima da pobedi Grke i gr膷kog kralja Konstantina 膷iji sin Leon mu je 鈥瀘teo鈥� Bradamantu koja mu se obe膰ala. Me膽utim, ako se hvataju bele拧ke, jako se lako mo啪e uhvatiti i nit izdvojenih epizoda koje se prote啪u kroz nekoliko pevanja. Kao 拧to je Spenser u Ariostu imao inspiraciju, tako je i potonji bio inspirisan pre膽a拧njim Bojardovim epom i 膰e u jednom osvrtu da ka啪e kako je 鈥濬urioso鈥� neodvojivi nastavak 鈥濱nnamorata鈥� i da su deo jedne velike celine. Ariosto nastavlja tamo gde Bojardo staje, tako da su likovi uvedeni bez ikakvog obja拧njenja, jer je 膷itali拧tu onoga vremena itekako bio poznat Bojardov ep.
Orlando je kroz ve膰i deo epa tek epizodna uloga i tek u XXIII pevanju otkriva njegovu mahnitost i njen razlog 鈥� da pati zbog An膽elike koju jo拧 u prvom pevanju predstavlja. Me膽utim, glavniji nosilac radnje jeste drugi ljubavni par 鈥� Ru膽ero i Bradamanta, o kojima mnogo vi拧e peva i 膷ije sudbine 膷italac mnogo bolje upoznaje. Sr啪 epa jeste sukob Muslimana i Hri拧膰ana, gde se sukobljavaju vojske Karla Velikog (sa hri拧膰anske strane) i saracenskog kralja Agramanta. Drugi par jesu Izabela i 拧kotski paladin Zerbino. Tre膰i An膽elika i Medoro, zbog kojih Orlando poludi.
Mitologije u epu nema. Ali obiluje fantasti膷nim elementima i fantasti膷nim bi膰ima i aluzijama na druga velika dela kao 拧to su Ovidijeve , Danteova i Vergilijeva . Junaci spasavaju dame od nemani, imaju 膷arobo oru啪je i oklope, slu啪e se napicima i putuju uz pomo膰 magije a poma啪u im, naravno, 膷arobnice i magovi 鈥� pre svih Melisa, Merlinova sestra i Logistila, a sa suprotne, tamne strane, osporavaju ih Al膰ina i Atlant, 膷iji se duh u jednom momentu epa iskupljuje za zlodela jednim dobrim delom.
Meni omiljeni lik jeste engleski paladin Astolfo, Orlandov i Rinaldov ro膽ak, koga Ru膽ero pronalazi da je pretvoren u drvo i nakon peripetija sa 膷arobnicom Al膰inom, vra膰a mu ljudski lik. Astolfova pojava u pevanju zna膷i da 膰e biti dosta fantasti膷nih momenata jer su njemu magusi i 膷arobnice vrlo nastrojeni, tako da 膰e pro膰i bezbroj peripetija ja拧u膰i na hipogrifu, da 膰e u jednom momentu za膰i 膷ak i u predvorje pakla, jure膰i harpije, i odleteti na mesec sa Svetim Jovanom.
Kraj epa mi je potpuni oma啪 Vergiliju jer se na isti na膷in zavr拧ava kao i . Sad, nakon drugog 膷itanja, moji utisci su jo拧 izra啪eniji nego pre sedam godina, naro膷ito jer sada poznajem sasvim dovoljno i Ariostovu biografiju ali i jasan mi je koncept epa i tvorba epizoda, tako da mi predstoji da u narednim danima sa odu拧evljenjem ponovo prolazim kroz obele啪ena pevanja i prizivam neke od omiljenih epizoda.
____________________________________
Prvo 膷itanje - 2017.
Bezmalo mesec dana bistrim ovih hiljadu i ne拧to strana, koliko ih ukupno ima kada se sumiraju sva 膷etiri dela ovog epa. Malo je re膰i da sam odu拧evljen. 艩tavi拧e, likovi o kojima Ariosto poje su mi postali opsesija - da bele啪im i ponovo 膷itam segmente epa u kojima se zbiva ne拧to 拧to mi je bilo interesantno. Ve膰 nakon pro膷itanog prvog pevanja sam uvideo da 膰e mi, uz Danteovu Bo啪anstvenu komediju, ep o Besnom Orlandu biti slede膰e omiljeno delo srednjovekovne knji啪evnosti. Prepev dr Dragi拧e Stanojevi膰a, iako poti膷e iz 1895., sve啪 je, savremen, didakti膷an i razumljiv mnogo vi拧e nego dana拧nji bljuzgavi i nepismeni prevodi bez recenzija. Tako膽e, obja拧njena i komentari koje je prevodilac dao uz stihove su od velike pomo膰i u razumevanju i tuma膷enju odre膽enih delova. Nezaobilazan i nerazdvojiv deo u toku 膷itanja, bio je i atlas ilustracija Gistava Dorea - , fenomenalnog umetnika, koga sam zavoleo pre vi拧e godina, odu拧eviv拧i se njegovim ilustracijama Danteovog Pakla. Tako je svojim ilustracijama i sada doprineo da jo拧 vi拧e u啪ivam u scenama iz Ariostovog epa. Ovo delo vredi 膷itati bar jednom godi拧nje, kao 拧to obi膷avam i sa Danteom, i uvek, iznova u啪ivam u redovima tih bezvremenih epova koji nikad ne膰e da mi dosade.
March 24, 2011
If I told you that you should read an early sixteenth century Italian verse epic whose primary themes are courtly love and chivalry, would you do it? What if I told you there's a new translation which abridges the massive original to a mere 700 pages? Too good to be true?
I know what you're thinking: uh, yawn, cough, cough, maybe I'll get to that when I can't use my legs any more. Thanks anyway.
But what if I told you it's one of the funniest, most rollicking adventures ever written, with astounding feats of derring-do and psychological insights so sly and accurate that you can only marvel at them? What if I told you that the breezy tone and author's wit make you feel like you're in the company of an ideal fantasy Renaissance court, enjoying the best that Italy has ever had to offer?
Well, I am telling you.
The translator's obvious joy in the humor comes through in the elasticity of the meter, which he's ready and willing to sacrifice whenever a just-right but too-long or too-short English word perfectly expresses a joke. Sometimes serious but never earnest, this adventure is both a celebration and a send-up of courtly traditions, and it can be read in long sittings or stolen moments with equal enjoyment.
What are you waiting for?
I know what you're thinking: uh, yawn, cough, cough, maybe I'll get to that when I can't use my legs any more. Thanks anyway.
But what if I told you it's one of the funniest, most rollicking adventures ever written, with astounding feats of derring-do and psychological insights so sly and accurate that you can only marvel at them? What if I told you that the breezy tone and author's wit make you feel like you're in the company of an ideal fantasy Renaissance court, enjoying the best that Italy has ever had to offer?
Well, I am telling you.
The translator's obvious joy in the humor comes through in the elasticity of the meter, which he's ready and willing to sacrifice whenever a just-right but too-long or too-short English word perfectly expresses a joke. Sometimes serious but never earnest, this adventure is both a celebration and a send-up of courtly traditions, and it can be read in long sittings or stolen moments with equal enjoyment.
What are you waiting for?
Read
November 13, 2016I read this version after giving up on two different verse translations.
So Orlando Furioso is a very strange thing. It's a sequel to a book called Orlando Inamorata, by Tasso, and it has one of the horrible flaws of fanfic that it assumes you're already deeply invested in these characters, and that when it is revealed to you that (gasp) the character is Rinaldo in disguise, you'll be all excited. And this would be a real payoff for somebody who cares about Rinaldo, but if you've started reading here and you barely know who he is, well, it's just confusing. So it starts in media res, and not only that but it has many many characters and it doesn't stay with any character for very long. If you think late volumes of Robert Jordan are bad, they're nothing to Orlando Furioso.
Ariosto was a Renaissance poet, a client of the D'Este family. This is important and kind of hilarious, because although this poem is set at the time of Charlemagne, he keeps on dragging the D'Estes into everything. There's even one point where some characters have the tent of Hector, from Troy, embroidered by Cassandra with designs showing -- the life of Cardinal Ippolito D'Este. I laughed out loud.
Having said this, the reason I gave this book a third try and persevered past the points where I'd given up before, was because Beatrice and Isabella D'Este wrote about it in their letters, and were at one point seeking champions to fight a duel about whether Rinaldo or Ruggiero was better. (I'm sorry to say I agree with Isabella, Ruggiero all the way.) But Voltaire was insane to say that the bit with Armida and Rinaldo is better than the bit of the Odyssey with Circe. I love Voltaire, and I'd defend to the death his right to make this ridiculous claim, but he's absolutely and utterly wrong about this.
There are a lot of characters. Most of them are paladins. Some of them are Saracen paladins. Some are Europeans. Some of the Saracens are good guys. Religion isn't actually very significant compared to important things like who has what sword and what device on their shield. Two of the paladins are women, Marfisa and Bradamant. There are also damsels, most memorably Isabel and Angelica. There's a hippogriff. There are magic weapons, lots of prophets, sorcerers and sorceresses, and trips to hell and heaven. What you have to do is keep reading, even if it is no fun, and about half way through people will start to meet up again and everything will make more sense, and it will become enjoyable. I genuinely enjoyed reading the second half, but the first half was grim determination not to let this thing defeat me again, and a desire to see what the heck it was that got everyone so excited about it.
I think it's impossible to see that, reading it in translation, because I think a lot of what is so great about it is the actual Italian poetry.
It's very easy to describe Orlando Furioso in a way that makes it seem hilarious, and either much better or much worse than it is.
For instance. my absolute favourite bit is a venture into allegory where St Michael literally beats up Discord, who he finds wasting her time in a monastery instead of in the Saracen camp where he sent her. There's also a hilarious bit where a princess falls in love with Bradamant, who is disguised as a man. Bradamant has to reveal her gender to get away. The princess is very sad. Then Bradamant meets her identical twin brother (yes I know), who disguises himself as Bradamant (disguise is very easy for everyone, because it consists of changing the device on your shield) and goes back to the princess, saying "I met a fairy in the wood and look what she gave me!" (It was definitely an influence on Spencer's Faerie Queen.)
Orlando Furioso has no real plot, no consistent worldbuilding, and only very sketchy characters. I did come to care about the characters, even if I spent most of the book saying "Astolfo is the one with the magic horn, right?" "Maugis, huh, have I seen him before?" Some of it is definitely funny, and it's undoubtedly full of incident. In the end, I'm glad I've read it -- not just glad I've finished it, though I am that, but glad I've read it.
So Orlando Furioso is a very strange thing. It's a sequel to a book called Orlando Inamorata, by Tasso, and it has one of the horrible flaws of fanfic that it assumes you're already deeply invested in these characters, and that when it is revealed to you that (gasp) the character is Rinaldo in disguise, you'll be all excited. And this would be a real payoff for somebody who cares about Rinaldo, but if you've started reading here and you barely know who he is, well, it's just confusing. So it starts in media res, and not only that but it has many many characters and it doesn't stay with any character for very long. If you think late volumes of Robert Jordan are bad, they're nothing to Orlando Furioso.
Ariosto was a Renaissance poet, a client of the D'Este family. This is important and kind of hilarious, because although this poem is set at the time of Charlemagne, he keeps on dragging the D'Estes into everything. There's even one point where some characters have the tent of Hector, from Troy, embroidered by Cassandra with designs showing -- the life of Cardinal Ippolito D'Este. I laughed out loud.
Having said this, the reason I gave this book a third try and persevered past the points where I'd given up before, was because Beatrice and Isabella D'Este wrote about it in their letters, and were at one point seeking champions to fight a duel about whether Rinaldo or Ruggiero was better. (I'm sorry to say I agree with Isabella, Ruggiero all the way.) But Voltaire was insane to say that the bit with Armida and Rinaldo is better than the bit of the Odyssey with Circe. I love Voltaire, and I'd defend to the death his right to make this ridiculous claim, but he's absolutely and utterly wrong about this.
There are a lot of characters. Most of them are paladins. Some of them are Saracen paladins. Some are Europeans. Some of the Saracens are good guys. Religion isn't actually very significant compared to important things like who has what sword and what device on their shield. Two of the paladins are women, Marfisa and Bradamant. There are also damsels, most memorably Isabel and Angelica. There's a hippogriff. There are magic weapons, lots of prophets, sorcerers and sorceresses, and trips to hell and heaven. What you have to do is keep reading, even if it is no fun, and about half way through people will start to meet up again and everything will make more sense, and it will become enjoyable. I genuinely enjoyed reading the second half, but the first half was grim determination not to let this thing defeat me again, and a desire to see what the heck it was that got everyone so excited about it.
I think it's impossible to see that, reading it in translation, because I think a lot of what is so great about it is the actual Italian poetry.
It's very easy to describe Orlando Furioso in a way that makes it seem hilarious, and either much better or much worse than it is.
For instance. my absolute favourite bit is a venture into allegory where St Michael literally beats up Discord, who he finds wasting her time in a monastery instead of in the Saracen camp where he sent her. There's also a hilarious bit where a princess falls in love with Bradamant, who is disguised as a man. Bradamant has to reveal her gender to get away. The princess is very sad. Then Bradamant meets her identical twin brother (yes I know), who disguises himself as Bradamant (disguise is very easy for everyone, because it consists of changing the device on your shield) and goes back to the princess, saying "I met a fairy in the wood and look what she gave me!" (It was definitely an influence on Spencer's Faerie Queen.)
Orlando Furioso has no real plot, no consistent worldbuilding, and only very sketchy characters. I did come to care about the characters, even if I spent most of the book saying "Astolfo is the one with the magic horn, right?" "Maugis, huh, have I seen him before?" Some of it is definitely funny, and it's undoubtedly full of incident. In the end, I'm glad I've read it -- not just glad I've finished it, though I am that, but glad I've read it.
December 9, 2023
Reread:
Rereading, this time with the free complete verse translation by A.S.Kline from PoetryinTranslation although i actually purchased a hardcopy. Two inches thick, A4 sized with, over 600 Dor茅 engravings, fantastic.
Dividing the reread into 4.
First Quarter:
This is very different from Innamorato, the latter being much more fun and over the top. This is distinctly more grounded and harsher in places. I鈥檓 not sure which i prefer now.
Second Quarter:
Still good but a lot of different tales weaved together. There's one really messed up Dor茅 engraving where orlando, (before his frenzy) cuts up all these people aswell as chopping a horse in half and decapitating a dog and making like a human centipede of headless people, so crazy. And now the frenzy begins where orlando turns into the hulk pretty much.
Third Quarter:
...yeah there's a lot of messing about filling time and doing the equivalent of advertising. The characterization in Innamorato and the early parts of this i have to feel was more interesting.
Final Quarter:
...Reread complete, yeah not as good second time, my god so much advertising or nationalistic propaganda. Orlando is relegated to background in favour of the italian insert character Ruggiero.
*
First Read:
I read the 1831 verse translation by William Stewart Rose. However there are a small number of pieces missing in that translation which i filled in using the 1591 translation by John Harrington.
Epic italian poem, featuring knights, damsels, magic and the occasional monster. Its not so much a single story as an entire library of them all mixed together. Set against the backdrop of the Moors invading France. This gives the work a lot more cohesion than other epics like the Faerie Queene.
The author does a pretty good job of reminding you who's who and whats been happening, whenever he switches characters. This helps a lot and i wasn't often confused about which character was which.
The best thing about this is the moral greyness of it all. It really is almost 'Game of Thrones' in places. Heroes lie, make bad deals to save their own skin, kill hundreds of soldiers or farmers, and in one intance tried to rape some woman who they just rescued.
I do have to say it has a LOT less attempted sexual assaults than the Faerie Queene, but a lot more consensual sex. It also has less monsters and magical creatures than than Spenser's work but i like that, it means that when things do get strange it has more of an impact.
A few of minor issues, one is the lists of famous people rammed in to the work here and there, these are only of interest to people of the day or historical scholars, but are easily skippable.
The other thing that can annoy is the structure, most of the switches between character are fine but occasionally it happens at an exciting moment and instead of hearing what happens next your forced to get through a completely unrelated plot before getting back to the action.
Also this is a direct sequel to the unfinished 'Orlando Innamorata' and while the version i read contained a quick summary of events from that work i still felt confused at the start and on occasions when it refers back to previous events from Innamorata.
Overall despite not being able to read it in its native language, its REALLY good. There's just so much in here and some of it is just the right amount of morally gray for a modern audience to appreciate. Oh and there's some kick ass females in here aswell.
Rereading, this time with the free complete verse translation by A.S.Kline from PoetryinTranslation although i actually purchased a hardcopy. Two inches thick, A4 sized with, over 600 Dor茅 engravings, fantastic.
Dividing the reread into 4.
First Quarter:
This is very different from Innamorato, the latter being much more fun and over the top. This is distinctly more grounded and harsher in places. I鈥檓 not sure which i prefer now.
Second Quarter:
Still good but a lot of different tales weaved together. There's one really messed up Dor茅 engraving where orlando, (before his frenzy) cuts up all these people aswell as chopping a horse in half and decapitating a dog and making like a human centipede of headless people, so crazy. And now the frenzy begins where orlando turns into the hulk pretty much.
Third Quarter:
...yeah there's a lot of messing about filling time and doing the equivalent of advertising. The characterization in Innamorato and the early parts of this i have to feel was more interesting.
Final Quarter:
...Reread complete, yeah not as good second time, my god so much advertising or nationalistic propaganda. Orlando is relegated to background in favour of the italian insert character Ruggiero.
*
First Read:
I read the 1831 verse translation by William Stewart Rose. However there are a small number of pieces missing in that translation which i filled in using the 1591 translation by John Harrington.
Epic italian poem, featuring knights, damsels, magic and the occasional monster. Its not so much a single story as an entire library of them all mixed together. Set against the backdrop of the Moors invading France. This gives the work a lot more cohesion than other epics like the Faerie Queene.
The author does a pretty good job of reminding you who's who and whats been happening, whenever he switches characters. This helps a lot and i wasn't often confused about which character was which.
The best thing about this is the moral greyness of it all. It really is almost 'Game of Thrones' in places. Heroes lie, make bad deals to save their own skin, kill hundreds of soldiers or farmers, and in one intance tried to rape some woman who they just rescued.
I do have to say it has a LOT less attempted sexual assaults than the Faerie Queene, but a lot more consensual sex. It also has less monsters and magical creatures than than Spenser's work but i like that, it means that when things do get strange it has more of an impact.
A few of minor issues, one is the lists of famous people rammed in to the work here and there, these are only of interest to people of the day or historical scholars, but are easily skippable.
The other thing that can annoy is the structure, most of the switches between character are fine but occasionally it happens at an exciting moment and instead of hearing what happens next your forced to get through a completely unrelated plot before getting back to the action.
Also this is a direct sequel to the unfinished 'Orlando Innamorata' and while the version i read contained a quick summary of events from that work i still felt confused at the start and on occasions when it refers back to previous events from Innamorata.
Overall despite not being able to read it in its native language, its REALLY good. There's just so much in here and some of it is just the right amount of morally gray for a modern audience to appreciate. Oh and there's some kick ass females in here aswell.
August 13, 2018
A few years ago when I read Irving Stone's amazing work The Agony And The Ecstasy about the life of Michelangelo, the poet Ludovico Ariosto was mentioned somewhere as being a dinner guest of the Pope of the day. With my typical curiosity, I wondered if Ariosto was a real person (he was); what did he write (Orlando Furioso, for one); and could I find a copy of the work at my favorite online library Project Gutenberg (yep!!).
It took a few years to get to to the top of my Someday List, but I did finally start reading Orlando and at first I was completely enchanted with it. Knights in shining armor, damsels in distress, monsters, magic rings, swords with names, horses with personality, plenty of wizards both evil and good, lots of action. It was all very exciting and nearly always readable.
Allow me to quote from the wiki article about this poet ~~
The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions into many sideplots. Ariosto composed the poem in the ottava rima rhyme scheme and introduced narrative commentary throughout the work.
Ariosto also coined the term "humanism" (in Italian, umanesimo) for choosing to focus upon the strengths and potential of humanity, rather than only upon its role as subordinate to God. This led to Renaissance humanism.
Before I began Furioso, I read what I could find about Boiardo's poem, so I knew a little bit what to expect. That 'ottava rima rhyme scheme' meant that each stanxa had eight lines, with a specific rhyming pattern that was easy to read and never fell into that horrid thumpety thump sound that many poems force me into. Here is an example:
To good Rogero here was brought a steed,
Puissant and nimble, all of sorel hue;
Who was caparisoned with costly weed,
Broidered with gold, and jewels bright to view.
That other winged horse, which, at his need,
Obedient to the Moorish wizard flew,
The friendly damsels to a youth consigned,
Who led him at a slower pace behind.
Orlando Innamorato was left unfinished at the time of Boiardo's death in 1494. Furioso was published in 1516, and translated for this edition by William Stewart Rose, who worked on the epic project from 1823 to 1831. So there were lots of interesting archaic words to look up, like that puissant. which turned out to mean powerful. My dictionary website and I became very good friends while I was reading this poem!
Now for the 'but'. Even though I was at first captivated and interested and couldn't wait to find out what happened to our many various heroes, there were a few things that finally defeated me completely. All those 'sideplots', for one thing. We would just get to the decisive moment in this or that fight and Ariosto would say 'Oh, but now we must leave so-and-so and go witness what became of whosit, remember we left him doing thus and so'. By Canto 19 (of nearly 50) I was so lost I could barely remember who was so-and-so and who was whosit.
And at some point I realized that Orlando himself had not been mentioned in ages. The sideplots triggered other sideplots, and every damsel in distress had to tell her tale of woe to whichever knight found her, which meant more sideplots. There were several times when Ariosto commented that he hoped he would be able to take up all the different threads of his tale and tie them off properly. If the poet himself worries about such a thing, how can the reader expect to be able to follow anything?!
Well, I finished 18 cantos and my notes show that I was still fascinated, except that I was beginning to wonder about Orlando, and I had to skim a bunch of stanzas that sung the praises of the poet's patron's ancestors. He wove this type of thing into the story many times, but I was getting tired of that by this point. I had also begun to skim or skip the first few stanzas of each Canto, where Ariosto would speak directly to his patron before getting back to the story. I think I would have detested being a poet or artist in the Renaissance period. Without a powerful patron they could do nothing, and yet with the patron they had to glorify egos rather than be as creative as they might have wanted to be.
So annoyance was already settling in, and then came The Break. I probably should not have started reading this work just one week before our yearly five day trip to Teotihuacan. I knew it was a long piece and that I would not be able to finish it before we left, but I did not expect to come home with absolutely no more interest in the poem at all. I tried to get back into it, but it was impossible. I may try again someday: the remaining dozens of cantos and their hundreds of stanzas will always be readily available at Gutenberg, after all. But for now, I have to give up on our hero Orlando and leave him Furioso, never knowing if he ever managed to be Innamorato again.
(I wavered between 2 and 3 stars. I did like many parts of this, but overall for me it was just okay, when I think carefully about it all. Maybe Someday when (if) I can actually finish the rest of the poem, the rating will change.)
It took a few years to get to to the top of my Someday List, but I did finally start reading Orlando and at first I was completely enchanted with it. Knights in shining armor, damsels in distress, monsters, magic rings, swords with names, horses with personality, plenty of wizards both evil and good, lots of action. It was all very exciting and nearly always readable.
Allow me to quote from the wiki article about this poet ~~
The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions into many sideplots. Ariosto composed the poem in the ottava rima rhyme scheme and introduced narrative commentary throughout the work.
Ariosto also coined the term "humanism" (in Italian, umanesimo) for choosing to focus upon the strengths and potential of humanity, rather than only upon its role as subordinate to God. This led to Renaissance humanism.
Before I began Furioso, I read what I could find about Boiardo's poem, so I knew a little bit what to expect. That 'ottava rima rhyme scheme' meant that each stanxa had eight lines, with a specific rhyming pattern that was easy to read and never fell into that horrid thumpety thump sound that many poems force me into. Here is an example:
To good Rogero here was brought a steed,
Puissant and nimble, all of sorel hue;
Who was caparisoned with costly weed,
Broidered with gold, and jewels bright to view.
That other winged horse, which, at his need,
Obedient to the Moorish wizard flew,
The friendly damsels to a youth consigned,
Who led him at a slower pace behind.
Orlando Innamorato was left unfinished at the time of Boiardo's death in 1494. Furioso was published in 1516, and translated for this edition by William Stewart Rose, who worked on the epic project from 1823 to 1831. So there were lots of interesting archaic words to look up, like that puissant. which turned out to mean powerful. My dictionary website and I became very good friends while I was reading this poem!
Now for the 'but'. Even though I was at first captivated and interested and couldn't wait to find out what happened to our many various heroes, there were a few things that finally defeated me completely. All those 'sideplots', for one thing. We would just get to the decisive moment in this or that fight and Ariosto would say 'Oh, but now we must leave so-and-so and go witness what became of whosit, remember we left him doing thus and so'. By Canto 19 (of nearly 50) I was so lost I could barely remember who was so-and-so and who was whosit.
And at some point I realized that Orlando himself had not been mentioned in ages. The sideplots triggered other sideplots, and every damsel in distress had to tell her tale of woe to whichever knight found her, which meant more sideplots. There were several times when Ariosto commented that he hoped he would be able to take up all the different threads of his tale and tie them off properly. If the poet himself worries about such a thing, how can the reader expect to be able to follow anything?!
Well, I finished 18 cantos and my notes show that I was still fascinated, except that I was beginning to wonder about Orlando, and I had to skim a bunch of stanzas that sung the praises of the poet's patron's ancestors. He wove this type of thing into the story many times, but I was getting tired of that by this point. I had also begun to skim or skip the first few stanzas of each Canto, where Ariosto would speak directly to his patron before getting back to the story. I think I would have detested being a poet or artist in the Renaissance period. Without a powerful patron they could do nothing, and yet with the patron they had to glorify egos rather than be as creative as they might have wanted to be.
So annoyance was already settling in, and then came The Break. I probably should not have started reading this work just one week before our yearly five day trip to Teotihuacan. I knew it was a long piece and that I would not be able to finish it before we left, but I did not expect to come home with absolutely no more interest in the poem at all. I tried to get back into it, but it was impossible. I may try again someday: the remaining dozens of cantos and their hundreds of stanzas will always be readily available at Gutenberg, after all. But for now, I have to give up on our hero Orlando and leave him Furioso, never knowing if he ever managed to be Innamorato again.
(I wavered between 2 and 3 stars. I did like many parts of this, but overall for me it was just okay, when I think carefully about it all. Maybe Someday when (if) I can actually finish the rest of the poem, the rating will change.)
January 28, 2022
Wow, that was ... long. Good, but long. And featuring surprisingly little of Mad Roland, all things considered.
So this was an English prose translation (from 1973) of an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto that's almost exactly 500 years old -- first published in 1516 although, like George Lucas, Ariosto kept tinkering with it over the years until his death.
Basically, this was a chivalric romance -- set hundreds of years prior to its writing, featuring an assortment of historical and not-so-historical characters who put on armor, wandered around the countryside, and bashed away at each other with swords and spears. There was a cast of almost literally thousands, not least of whom was Orlando himself (who does, in fact, lose his wits at one point, and spends large amounts of time, on- and off-screen, wandering around the countryside naked and gibbering, and bashing poor shepherds on the head with rocks so he can take their horses).
The basic conflict is between the Christian knights of Charlemagne and the Saracen invaders of France; but this is one of those kinds of stories where, as far as can be told, almost everyone wears the same kind of armor, rides to joust, and has various Italianate names like Clariel and Ruggiero. Which, to be honest, occasionally makes it hard to keep track of exactly which character is on which side at any given point, especially given the knights' tendency, upon seeing any other knight, to immediately issue challenge just for the hell of it.
But there are some truly memorable characters in the mix, including a couple of Brienne-of-Tarth-like women -- Bradamant and Marfisa -- who also strap on armor and bash away with swords and spears. Plus more than your fair share of wizards and sorceresses and the like.
The narrative kind of bounces from character to character as the whim takes Ariosto, and/or for dramatic purpose -- each canto (chapter) begins with a bit where Ariosto is directly addressing his patron (often, unsurprisingly, in flattering terms) and explaining why we have to leave Rinaldo on the bridge in peril of his life (n.b. I don't remember whether Rinaldo was ever actually in peril on a bridge; but all three of those elements -- Rinaldo, peril, bridge -- definitely did appear in the poem at one point or another, even if not in combination) to instead shift our attention to the fair Angelica, princess of far Cathay. (Remember what I said about everyone having vaguely Italianate names?)
So there's romance and chivalry and quests and peril, and enchanted swords and armor, and at least one hippogryff and a flight to the Moon.
So this was an English prose translation (from 1973) of an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto that's almost exactly 500 years old -- first published in 1516 although, like George Lucas, Ariosto kept tinkering with it over the years until his death.
Basically, this was a chivalric romance -- set hundreds of years prior to its writing, featuring an assortment of historical and not-so-historical characters who put on armor, wandered around the countryside, and bashed away at each other with swords and spears. There was a cast of almost literally thousands, not least of whom was Orlando himself (who does, in fact, lose his wits at one point, and spends large amounts of time, on- and off-screen, wandering around the countryside naked and gibbering, and bashing poor shepherds on the head with rocks so he can take their horses).
The basic conflict is between the Christian knights of Charlemagne and the Saracen invaders of France; but this is one of those kinds of stories where, as far as can be told, almost everyone wears the same kind of armor, rides to joust, and has various Italianate names like Clariel and Ruggiero. Which, to be honest, occasionally makes it hard to keep track of exactly which character is on which side at any given point, especially given the knights' tendency, upon seeing any other knight, to immediately issue challenge just for the hell of it.
But there are some truly memorable characters in the mix, including a couple of Brienne-of-Tarth-like women -- Bradamant and Marfisa -- who also strap on armor and bash away with swords and spears. Plus more than your fair share of wizards and sorceresses and the like.
The narrative kind of bounces from character to character as the whim takes Ariosto, and/or for dramatic purpose -- each canto (chapter) begins with a bit where Ariosto is directly addressing his patron (often, unsurprisingly, in flattering terms) and explaining why we have to leave Rinaldo on the bridge in peril of his life (n.b. I don't remember whether Rinaldo was ever actually in peril on a bridge; but all three of those elements -- Rinaldo, peril, bridge -- definitely did appear in the poem at one point or another, even if not in combination) to instead shift our attention to the fair Angelica, princess of far Cathay. (Remember what I said about everyone having vaguely Italianate names?)
So there's romance and chivalry and quests and peril, and enchanted swords and armor, and at least one hippogryff and a flight to the Moon.
Want to read
December 26, 2015My brother got me a hardcover 1st of the new translation of the Furioso for Xmas - hell yes bro!
May 23, 2019
Roland Furious
Ludovico Ariosto, called L鈥橝rioste (1474-1533)
鈥極rlando Furioso鈥� is an Italian romantic epic by Ludovico Ariosto.
The work can be seen as the summary of all chivalry literature since its early existence in the middle ages to the Renaissance.
The primary and real subject of Ariosto鈥檚 work is the sublimation of The Codes of honour of the errant knight:
His deep religious Christian belief, unquestioned loyalty to the King, bravery in battle for fame and glory, never-ending faith and loyalty to a friend; to serve and save any lady in distress.
Many heroes are known to the reader familiar with medieval chivalry sagas,
King Arthur and his knights; Don Quixote, Knights of the Crusades; Marlin and many others.
Ariosto takes us into a magical universe situated at a time of feudal kingdoms.
Adventurous encounters, duels and battles, interwoven with courtly love stories take place without interruption.
Our author is not following any historical or geographical accuracy;
The poem wanders from Brittany to Paris, to India, to Egypt, to Persia, to Africa and other places.
He includes many fantastical creatures, dragons, sea monsters, giants and dwarfs;
We observe magical events, such as a trip to the moon, to the Christian Paradise and the deep underground hell.
We see angels and devils influence the human sinners; fairies and magicians use their tricks to help their favourites.
Some of the knights have magical powers with invincible armoury and weapons and even horses of alien features.
Ariosto鈥檚 style is friendly and humorous, conversational, exuberant, transparent, and a pleasure to read.
Ludovico Ariosto, called L鈥橝rioste (1474-1533)
鈥極rlando Furioso鈥� is an Italian romantic epic by Ludovico Ariosto.
The work can be seen as the summary of all chivalry literature since its early existence in the middle ages to the Renaissance.
The primary and real subject of Ariosto鈥檚 work is the sublimation of The Codes of honour of the errant knight:
His deep religious Christian belief, unquestioned loyalty to the King, bravery in battle for fame and glory, never-ending faith and loyalty to a friend; to serve and save any lady in distress.
Many heroes are known to the reader familiar with medieval chivalry sagas,
King Arthur and his knights; Don Quixote, Knights of the Crusades; Marlin and many others.
Ariosto takes us into a magical universe situated at a time of feudal kingdoms.
Adventurous encounters, duels and battles, interwoven with courtly love stories take place without interruption.
Our author is not following any historical or geographical accuracy;
The poem wanders from Brittany to Paris, to India, to Egypt, to Persia, to Africa and other places.
He includes many fantastical creatures, dragons, sea monsters, giants and dwarfs;
We observe magical events, such as a trip to the moon, to the Christian Paradise and the deep underground hell.
We see angels and devils influence the human sinners; fairies and magicians use their tricks to help their favourites.
Some of the knights have magical powers with invincible armoury and weapons and even horses of alien features.
Ariosto鈥檚 style is friendly and humorous, conversational, exuberant, transparent, and a pleasure to read.
March 22, 2017
Why is this epic not better known? Sure, there are ample academic texts written about it, its importance to later literature is widely acknowledged, and I've read more than one reference to it in the works of other great authors, but the vast majority of readers have never even heard of Orlando Furioso. Though originally published less than fifty years after Mallory's Le Morte D'Arthur, Orlando Furioso is not nearly as well-known or as widely read, which is a shame because it's a far better book. Orlando Furioso is filled with interesting aspects, for instance it reframes and retells numerous stories from the Greek epics, it delivers progressive morality lessons through stories (better than The Canterbury Tales ever does), and it features a narrator/author that interacts with the story in fascinating ways. More important than any of those things, though, it's actually very fun to read. Its episodic structure, combined with its extensive cast of characters and multiple divergent story threads, means that you have to put more time and effort into this book than the length may suggest, and that's my best bet for what has kept it from being more popular among mainstream readers (and what holds it back from being a five star book for me). Though the structural flaws may detract from it, Orlando Furioso does so many things well, and is so interesting and enjoyable overall, that I highly recommend it.
Though titled Orlando Furioso, the madness of Orlando is actually not significant compared to the two main plot threads of 1) female knight Bradamant's romance with the knight Ruggiero, and 2) the war over Paris between Charlemagne's Christian forces and the invading Muslims led by African king Agramant. Orlando is, however, acknowledged as the mightiest of knights in the realm, and Orlando Furioso is a pretty great title, so it makes sense as the epic's name. These three main plot threads solidify the central themes of this epic as love and chivalric warfare, and Ariosto emphasizes both with the narrative's other aspects: the journeys of the many characters in this epic are replete with chivalric deeds, stories about love and faithfulness, and fierce battles. I would say that, though this is not the definitive text on the code of chivalry and the actions taken thereunder, it's still the most interesting book I've read that tackles the subject. It's the aforementioned stories about love and faithfulness and the fierce battles where this text shines, though. The stories of love and faithfulness are designed, naturally, to impart lessons on the characters and the reader about these subjects, and what is striking is how progressive these lessons are. Unfaithful women are degraded, but so are the men that are obsessed with the faithfulness of their wives or are foolish enough to put it to the test. At one point the text reads:
This would have been a progressive stance for a book to take a hundred years ago, and Orlando Furioso is now over five hundred years old. This is not to say that everything is aligned with our modern sensibilities, for instance even our heroes are occasionally overcome with the urge to rape a beautiful women, but these instances are rare, all things considered. It is fascinating to read Ariosto give such similar weight to women as compared to men, both as characters and in the lessons of the text, in an epic from so long ago, and it makes the book seem fresh and relevant in a way that few works from this historical period (or morality lessons in general) do.
The battles of Orlando Furioso likewise impress in a way rare among epics. In the Iliad, more often than not it seemed that a thrown spear pierced the nipple area of an enemy, or that a blow splattered the brains of an enemy, so the fighting often seemed repetitive. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, enemies clash in nondescript ways until a bombard sounds with mind-numbing frequency. Compare that to Orlando Furioso, where the violence that makes up a significant portion of the book is characterized by both its variety and inventiveness. Enemy knights get cut in half in battle, stabbed in the forehead, thrown over (as opposed to from atop) walls and crushed on impact, multiple enemies get shish-kebabed on lances, and more. Bloody battles are, unavoidably, a significant part of war epics, and all too often the fighting itself goes on for pages but is not at all interesting. Orlando Furioso keeps these scenes from getting repetitive, so that such sections do not drag, and in fact are sometimes quite enjoyable.
Orlando Furioso has other interesting aspects as well, that are not strictly necessary for a narrative of this type, but the addition of them enhances the book. The narrative takes various famous scenes from Greek epics and mythology and reframes them as part of this chivalric tale, so one page you are reading about a knight crossing the countryside and the next you recognize that the text has shifted to retelling the story of Ulysses and the cyclops, or Perseus fighting Cetus, or the island of Circe, or a reimagined Orpheus and Eurydice. I expect that Ariosto included these tales to link the chivalric age with the golden age of civilization, and to thereby compare the heroes of Orlando Furioso to the greatest mythical heroes. For a modern reader, it's interesting to identify what sources Ariosto is drawing from on any given page. Ariosto himself leads to another interesting aspect of the text, namely a narrator that plays a far more significant role in the narrative than you would expect. Some of this is boilerplate for epics, with Ariosto introducing the text, lavishing praise on his benefactors, etc. But Ariosto also comments on the actions and lessons of the story more frequently than a narrator typically does, refers you to other texts for further information on a given topic, pines for his own love, tells you when a canto can be skipped without detriment to the overall story, and essentially takes a victory lap in the final canto of the epic (naming all his worthy friends and the beautiful women of the court). Ariosto thereby becomes a character in his own right, and the text is more interesting for it.
In addition to the engaging war segments, the progressive love lessons, and the transformed classic myths, the original episodes in the book are likewise interesting, and the characters (though not drawn with much depth, as the code of chivalry makes them all a bit one-note) are likable enough that you care about the book's central romance and Orlando's madness. All of this together makes Orlando Furioso not only interesting, but a largely enjoyable read.
It is not without flaws, however, namely structural flaws, though I understand that a part of this is a historical artifact that I don't think Ariosto deserves much blame for. This artifact is the episodic nature of the text, with many of this book's cantos serving as stories largely independent from the main narrative, where a certain character defeats a wrongdoer or gains a magical item or some such thing. Often these individual stories push forward one of the main themes or lessons of the book, but they nevertheless feel divorced, to a certain degree, from the main narrative. The envoy from the queen of Iceland and the three Scandinavian kings escorting a golden shield, staying in a castle where only one group of knights or maidens can rest at a time and then must fight/have a beauty contest with the next group to arrive, who are challenged by Bradamant, makes for an entertaining vignette on its own, but it does nothing to push forward any of the main plot threads. In an era where an epic like this was written to be told to an audience, and likewise in a piecemeal fashion, however, this episodic structure was likely a benefit and not a detriment. I have a pair of married friends who read aloud to each other most nights, and that might well have been the perfect way to consume this epic when it was originally published, a leisurely reading of one canto per night for a month and a half.
I think that such a method of consumption does not work nearly as well nowadays because of the other structural flaw of Orlando Furioso, the vast cast of important characters. To understand the action of this book you absolutely have to keep track of what Orlando, Rinaldo, Angelica, Bradamant, Ruggiero, Astolfo, Charlemagne, and Agramant are doing. You should also probably be keeping track of what Marfisa, Brandimart, Rodomont, Mandricard, Grifon the White, Aquilant the Black, and Zerbin are doing. The sorcerers of the story are also important, popping up at various times, so you have to remember who Atlas, Melissa, Alcina, and Maugis are. Also, many of the most important knights have named steeds and swords (not to mention armor of different levels of enchantment) that are frequently exchanged, lost, or fought over, so you need to keep rough track of who has what (though the text will almost always remind you about these things). Also, many of the characters are related in various ways, which sometimes becomes important. All this, and I'm still leaving off literally a good twenty characters that are of significant, or even key importance to multiple cantos of this book. With some characters disappearing for upwards of a hundred pages, with the key characters rarely (never?) all in the same place at the same time, and with various plot threads happening in tandem that at times interconnect and that the narrative skips between, the annotated index of the Oxford World's Classics edition of Orlando Furioso is more than useful, it's almost a necessity. Perhaps when it was written, these character were ones that everyone was at least vaguely familiar with, so that the audience could keep track more easily than I could. I don't have that background though, so I found myself having to look up who a character was with some frequency.
Either of these problems individually would be relatively minor, but they are magnified because they work to frustrate whichever way you're trying to read this book. Taking it slow? Then the episodic nature isn't a problem, but you'll struggle even more than I did to remember who all the characters are, especially if it has been weeks since you read about Astolfo flying on his hippogryph. Reading straight through? Then you'll have a better time of keeping the players and their equipment and relationships straight, but you will have to deal with many cantos that feel like filler. Entertaining filler, but filler nonetheless. A book this entertaining and interesting should have been easier to read than it was, but the structure hampered my enjoyment. In bygone days this may well have been less of a problem, but I can only judge by my own standards.
Nevertheless, the good aspects far outweigh the frustrating ones in Orlando Furioso. This is a chivalric epic done right, a war epic done right, a book of love lessons done right, a classic love story done right. I've written so much here and I've only scratched the surface: I haven't even mentioned that at one point a character teams up with Saint John and travels to the moon to search the palace that holds all things lost on Earth. This is an imperfect, but great book, and you should read it.
Though titled Orlando Furioso, the madness of Orlando is actually not significant compared to the two main plot threads of 1) female knight Bradamant's romance with the knight Ruggiero, and 2) the war over Paris between Charlemagne's Christian forces and the invading Muslims led by African king Agramant. Orlando is, however, acknowledged as the mightiest of knights in the realm, and Orlando Furioso is a pretty great title, so it makes sense as the epic's name. These three main plot threads solidify the central themes of this epic as love and chivalric warfare, and Ariosto emphasizes both with the narrative's other aspects: the journeys of the many characters in this epic are replete with chivalric deeds, stories about love and faithfulness, and fierce battles. I would say that, though this is not the definitive text on the code of chivalry and the actions taken thereunder, it's still the most interesting book I've read that tackles the subject. It's the aforementioned stories about love and faithfulness and the fierce battles where this text shines, though. The stories of love and faithfulness are designed, naturally, to impart lessons on the characters and the reader about these subjects, and what is striking is how progressive these lessons are. Unfaithful women are degraded, but so are the men that are obsessed with the faithfulness of their wives or are foolish enough to put it to the test. At one point the text reads:
If the same ardour, the same urge drives both sexes to love's gentle fulfilment, which to the mindless commoner seems so grave an excess, why is the woman to be punished or blamed for doing with one or several men the very thing a man does with as many women as he will, and receives not punishment but praise for it?
This would have been a progressive stance for a book to take a hundred years ago, and Orlando Furioso is now over five hundred years old. This is not to say that everything is aligned with our modern sensibilities, for instance even our heroes are occasionally overcome with the urge to rape a beautiful women, but these instances are rare, all things considered. It is fascinating to read Ariosto give such similar weight to women as compared to men, both as characters and in the lessons of the text, in an epic from so long ago, and it makes the book seem fresh and relevant in a way that few works from this historical period (or morality lessons in general) do.
The battles of Orlando Furioso likewise impress in a way rare among epics. In the Iliad, more often than not it seemed that a thrown spear pierced the nipple area of an enemy, or that a blow splattered the brains of an enemy, so the fighting often seemed repetitive. In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, enemies clash in nondescript ways until a bombard sounds with mind-numbing frequency. Compare that to Orlando Furioso, where the violence that makes up a significant portion of the book is characterized by both its variety and inventiveness. Enemy knights get cut in half in battle, stabbed in the forehead, thrown over (as opposed to from atop) walls and crushed on impact, multiple enemies get shish-kebabed on lances, and more. Bloody battles are, unavoidably, a significant part of war epics, and all too often the fighting itself goes on for pages but is not at all interesting. Orlando Furioso keeps these scenes from getting repetitive, so that such sections do not drag, and in fact are sometimes quite enjoyable.
Orlando Furioso has other interesting aspects as well, that are not strictly necessary for a narrative of this type, but the addition of them enhances the book. The narrative takes various famous scenes from Greek epics and mythology and reframes them as part of this chivalric tale, so one page you are reading about a knight crossing the countryside and the next you recognize that the text has shifted to retelling the story of Ulysses and the cyclops, or Perseus fighting Cetus, or the island of Circe, or a reimagined Orpheus and Eurydice. I expect that Ariosto included these tales to link the chivalric age with the golden age of civilization, and to thereby compare the heroes of Orlando Furioso to the greatest mythical heroes. For a modern reader, it's interesting to identify what sources Ariosto is drawing from on any given page. Ariosto himself leads to another interesting aspect of the text, namely a narrator that plays a far more significant role in the narrative than you would expect. Some of this is boilerplate for epics, with Ariosto introducing the text, lavishing praise on his benefactors, etc. But Ariosto also comments on the actions and lessons of the story more frequently than a narrator typically does, refers you to other texts for further information on a given topic, pines for his own love, tells you when a canto can be skipped without detriment to the overall story, and essentially takes a victory lap in the final canto of the epic (naming all his worthy friends and the beautiful women of the court). Ariosto thereby becomes a character in his own right, and the text is more interesting for it.
In addition to the engaging war segments, the progressive love lessons, and the transformed classic myths, the original episodes in the book are likewise interesting, and the characters (though not drawn with much depth, as the code of chivalry makes them all a bit one-note) are likable enough that you care about the book's central romance and Orlando's madness. All of this together makes Orlando Furioso not only interesting, but a largely enjoyable read.
It is not without flaws, however, namely structural flaws, though I understand that a part of this is a historical artifact that I don't think Ariosto deserves much blame for. This artifact is the episodic nature of the text, with many of this book's cantos serving as stories largely independent from the main narrative, where a certain character defeats a wrongdoer or gains a magical item or some such thing. Often these individual stories push forward one of the main themes or lessons of the book, but they nevertheless feel divorced, to a certain degree, from the main narrative. The envoy from the queen of Iceland and the three Scandinavian kings escorting a golden shield, staying in a castle where only one group of knights or maidens can rest at a time and then must fight/have a beauty contest with the next group to arrive, who are challenged by Bradamant, makes for an entertaining vignette on its own, but it does nothing to push forward any of the main plot threads. In an era where an epic like this was written to be told to an audience, and likewise in a piecemeal fashion, however, this episodic structure was likely a benefit and not a detriment. I have a pair of married friends who read aloud to each other most nights, and that might well have been the perfect way to consume this epic when it was originally published, a leisurely reading of one canto per night for a month and a half.
I think that such a method of consumption does not work nearly as well nowadays because of the other structural flaw of Orlando Furioso, the vast cast of important characters. To understand the action of this book you absolutely have to keep track of what Orlando, Rinaldo, Angelica, Bradamant, Ruggiero, Astolfo, Charlemagne, and Agramant are doing. You should also probably be keeping track of what Marfisa, Brandimart, Rodomont, Mandricard, Grifon the White, Aquilant the Black, and Zerbin are doing. The sorcerers of the story are also important, popping up at various times, so you have to remember who Atlas, Melissa, Alcina, and Maugis are. Also, many of the most important knights have named steeds and swords (not to mention armor of different levels of enchantment) that are frequently exchanged, lost, or fought over, so you need to keep rough track of who has what (though the text will almost always remind you about these things). Also, many of the characters are related in various ways, which sometimes becomes important. All this, and I'm still leaving off literally a good twenty characters that are of significant, or even key importance to multiple cantos of this book. With some characters disappearing for upwards of a hundred pages, with the key characters rarely (never?) all in the same place at the same time, and with various plot threads happening in tandem that at times interconnect and that the narrative skips between, the annotated index of the Oxford World's Classics edition of Orlando Furioso is more than useful, it's almost a necessity. Perhaps when it was written, these character were ones that everyone was at least vaguely familiar with, so that the audience could keep track more easily than I could. I don't have that background though, so I found myself having to look up who a character was with some frequency.
Either of these problems individually would be relatively minor, but they are magnified because they work to frustrate whichever way you're trying to read this book. Taking it slow? Then the episodic nature isn't a problem, but you'll struggle even more than I did to remember who all the characters are, especially if it has been weeks since you read about Astolfo flying on his hippogryph. Reading straight through? Then you'll have a better time of keeping the players and their equipment and relationships straight, but you will have to deal with many cantos that feel like filler. Entertaining filler, but filler nonetheless. A book this entertaining and interesting should have been easier to read than it was, but the structure hampered my enjoyment. In bygone days this may well have been less of a problem, but I can only judge by my own standards.
Nevertheless, the good aspects far outweigh the frustrating ones in Orlando Furioso. This is a chivalric epic done right, a war epic done right, a book of love lessons done right, a classic love story done right. I've written so much here and I've only scratched the surface: I haven't even mentioned that at one point a character teams up with Saint John and travels to the moon to search the palace that holds all things lost on Earth. This is an imperfect, but great book, and you should read it.
June 9, 2016
Written in 1532, Orlando Furioso is a wonderful Italian Renaissance chivalric romance, taking inspiration from the Arthurian cycle as well as classical Greek and Roman epic and romance (Homer, Vergil, Apuleius etc.), but which is uniquely itself. Set vaguely during the time of Charlemagne and the Saracen invasion of France, it really inhabits a mythic world full of errant knights, distressed damsels, wicked enchanters, marauding monsters and not a few female knights who are quite capable of being the rescuers rather than the rescued.
Itself an inspiration for Spenser's The Faerie Queene, this is crucially central to European literature, spanning a variety of genres.
Some reviewers have hated the prose translation, but personally I prefer it to the Penguin verse translation which feels quite contrived to me. Rich, witty, exciting, moving and absolutely never dull, this is a wonderful and very accessible read.
Itself an inspiration for Spenser's The Faerie Queene, this is crucially central to European literature, spanning a variety of genres.
Some reviewers have hated the prose translation, but personally I prefer it to the Penguin verse translation which feels quite contrived to me. Rich, witty, exciting, moving and absolutely never dull, this is a wonderful and very accessible read.
September 29, 2008
Classic of world literature. Renaissance Proto-feminism, dizzying irony, labyrinths of interwoven parallel plotting, and very funny: what more could you want from a this ponderous multi-volume work of an iconoclastic poetic genius? Here one sees the beginning of the breakdown of the rigid classical literary norms: e.g. the poet breaks into the narrative to cast aspersions on the supposed chastity of the beautiful princess who all the knights fall in love with: "Forse era ver, ma non pero' credibile". Ariosto could be speaking of his work, which like the princess, has a beautiful face that masks (stylistic) impurity, but is much the better creation as a result. It is a work of powerful imagination and memorable images.
December 15, 2016
Let me confess: I read the French prose translation not the Italian verse original I am thus unable to comment on the poetic qualities of the Italian. What I was able to comprehend convinced me that this is an extraordinary adventure tale from the Renaissance and with a very modern perspective on many issues that we are still grappling with today.
If you have the good fortune to be taking this work on a university course, you should obviously concentrate on the interpretation that your professor presents. The naive reaction of a modern reader is sure to be misleading on several issues.
This works belongs to the Renaissance not the Middle Ages. The author is constantly referring to recent events that will change the ways of the world in the future. The invention of muskets will make wars more destructive. The Portuguese by finding a sea route to India will end Italy's position of dominance in European commerce. The discovery of America will make Western Europe richer and more important relative to Italy.
Arioste also argues for a changing view of woman. He gives us two very strong woman warriors as leading characters in his novel and then argues that male writers out of jealousy have always tried to conceal the quality of women as warriors. All in all, Arioste shows us a world where ideas, values and social structures are in a state of constant evolution.
A young reader encountering this work early in his or her undergraduate career would find this book a great transitional link between contemporary juvenile culture and classical literature. The central drama involves a Muslim named Roger who converts to Christianity so that he can marry the great female warrior Bradamente. This is something like Han Solo in Star Wars abandoning his life of crime to fight with the bright side of the force and win the love of Princess Leia the spunky, laser sword wielding leader of the Rebels.
Roland for whom the work is named goes crazy ("fou furieux") when his girl friend dumps him. He then spends roughly one third of the book running around Europe stark naked killing people indiscriminately. Fortunately a friend of his borrows the Hippogriff from Harry Porter who carries him to the moon where he discovers Roland's wits in bottle in the vault where the brains of Earthly poets are stored. He returns to the Earth and pours Roland's wits back into his head. With their leader back, the Christians then score a decisive victory over the Muslims. Roger converts to Christianity and marries Bradamente.
All in all, Orlando Furioso offers all the pleasures of a inter-Galactic adventure with great sword fights, passionate love stories and the triumph of the Force over the Dark Side. It is not to be missed.
If you have the good fortune to be taking this work on a university course, you should obviously concentrate on the interpretation that your professor presents. The naive reaction of a modern reader is sure to be misleading on several issues.
This works belongs to the Renaissance not the Middle Ages. The author is constantly referring to recent events that will change the ways of the world in the future. The invention of muskets will make wars more destructive. The Portuguese by finding a sea route to India will end Italy's position of dominance in European commerce. The discovery of America will make Western Europe richer and more important relative to Italy.
Arioste also argues for a changing view of woman. He gives us two very strong woman warriors as leading characters in his novel and then argues that male writers out of jealousy have always tried to conceal the quality of women as warriors. All in all, Arioste shows us a world where ideas, values and social structures are in a state of constant evolution.
A young reader encountering this work early in his or her undergraduate career would find this book a great transitional link between contemporary juvenile culture and classical literature. The central drama involves a Muslim named Roger who converts to Christianity so that he can marry the great female warrior Bradamente. This is something like Han Solo in Star Wars abandoning his life of crime to fight with the bright side of the force and win the love of Princess Leia the spunky, laser sword wielding leader of the Rebels.
Roland for whom the work is named goes crazy ("fou furieux") when his girl friend dumps him. He then spends roughly one third of the book running around Europe stark naked killing people indiscriminately. Fortunately a friend of his borrows the Hippogriff from Harry Porter who carries him to the moon where he discovers Roland's wits in bottle in the vault where the brains of Earthly poets are stored. He returns to the Earth and pours Roland's wits back into his head. With their leader back, the Christians then score a decisive victory over the Muslims. Roger converts to Christianity and marries Bradamente.
All in all, Orlando Furioso offers all the pleasures of a inter-Galactic adventure with great sword fights, passionate love stories and the triumph of the Force over the Dark Side. It is not to be missed.
November 27, 2022
Viele Aha-Erlebnisse, wenig Lesevergn眉gen f眉r sp盲ter Geborene
脺ber die Jahrhunderte gern beklauter Klassiker mit viel Zukunftspotenzial f眉r die Fantasyliteratur bis Harry Potter (Hippogreif, Drusilla) und wohl dar眉ber hinaus. Wenn ich meinen Verst盲ndnisgewinn als Kriterium nehmen m眉sste, w眉rde ich f眉nf Sterne geben. Allerdings wurde das Epos voller Cliffhanger f眉r ein Publikum mit ganz anderen Rezeptionserwartungen oder Gewohnheiten verfasst.
Dass alles Volk, das nicht zur erlesenen Ritterkaste geh枚rt, von den Helden gleich herdenweise dahin gemetzelt werden darf, hat mich fast noch mehr abgeschreckt als die geringe Charaktertiefe und praktische Profillosigkeit des Lanzen f眉hrenden oder Schwerter schwingenden Personals. R眉stungen und Waffen sind oft genauer beschrieben als Recken und nicht minder heldenhafte Streiterinnen. All das k枚nnte ja noch eine Erbs眉nde von Homer selig sein, wo Achilles, Ajax und wie sie alle hei脽en, wie die Schnitter durch feindliche Reihen sensen. Etliche der Wunderwaffen sind auch Erbst眉cke aus dem trojanischen Krieg. So hat Roland anfangs das Schwert Hektors, w盲hrend sein maurisches Gegenst眉ck in Sachen Kampfkraft 眉ber die R眉stung von Trojas st盲rkstem Recken verf眉gt und gern seine Ausr眉stung komplettieren w眉rde. Da Wunderpferde und Zauberschwerter h盲ufiger durch schlichten Raub als durch fairen Zweikampf den Besitzer wechseln, braucht man ein komplettes Tabellenwerk, um nicht den 脺berblick zu verlieren. Der Wunderhornbl盲ser Astolf, der mit seiner Waffe gleicherma脽en Freund und Feind in Panik versetzt, bildet vielleicht eine Ausnahme. Aber als der sp盲tere Retter von Rolands Verstand zum aktiven Personal hinzu st枚脽t, hatte ich schon vergessen, dass er weiter vorn als verzauberter Baum im Garten der Hexe Alcina herum stand, um Vorgeschichte zu liefern. Um sp盲ter von Roger, dem eigentlichen Haupthelden, erl枚st zu werden. Titelheld Roland schafft es in Sachen Pr盲senz nicht mal in die Top Ten. Im Vergleich zu diesem Wimmelbild in permanenter Bewegung. ist jeder noch so personen- und kosenamenreiche russische Dickwanst ein Kinderspiel. Zumal, siehe oben, sogar die Recken und Heroinen s盲mtliche Signalsymbole zwischenzeitlich einb眉脽en.
Zwischen den Lichtblicken bzw. Ahaerlebnissen in Sachen Nachwirkung (Voltaire, Opern von H盲ndel und Mozart) gibt es immer wieder l盲ngere Strecken, die sich wie eine Ansammlung gereimter Turniersportberichte lesen. Rund 15 Verse jedes der 47 Ges盲nge sind Huldigungen an der Herrscherhaus Este von Ferrara, dessen Geschichte Urahnin Bradamante als Prophezeiungen an Merlins Grab und in einem Schloss zu sehen bekommt, in dem jeder Gast sein Nachtlager gegen Nachz眉gler im Turniermodus verteidigen muss. Die mit drunter gemischte Familiengeschichte war damals sicher gut f眉r jede Menge Beifall f眉r Best盲tigung der eigenen Vortrefflichkeit. Aus heutiger Sicht sind die zahlreichen Verbeugungen, bei denen auch immer wieder eifrig der Klingelbeutel herum geht, aber auch ein Grund daf眉r, warum das Werk zwar ein popul盲rer Steinbruch geblieben ist, aber f眉r sp盲tere Generationen eine h枚here H眉rde als Joyce, Musil oder Proust darstellt. W眉rde trotzdem jedem zu Ariost als Vorlauf zu Don Quijote raten, der Ritter von der traurigen Gestalt verliert sonst ein paar Bedeutungsebenen und ger盲t zur unn枚tigen Leserqu盲lerei. Ganz egal, welche Lobeshymnen von welcher kritischen Instanz auch immer 眉ber Cervantes Abrechnung mit den Ritterepen im Umlauf ist.
脺ber die Jahrhunderte gern beklauter Klassiker mit viel Zukunftspotenzial f眉r die Fantasyliteratur bis Harry Potter (Hippogreif, Drusilla) und wohl dar眉ber hinaus. Wenn ich meinen Verst盲ndnisgewinn als Kriterium nehmen m眉sste, w眉rde ich f眉nf Sterne geben. Allerdings wurde das Epos voller Cliffhanger f眉r ein Publikum mit ganz anderen Rezeptionserwartungen oder Gewohnheiten verfasst.
Dass alles Volk, das nicht zur erlesenen Ritterkaste geh枚rt, von den Helden gleich herdenweise dahin gemetzelt werden darf, hat mich fast noch mehr abgeschreckt als die geringe Charaktertiefe und praktische Profillosigkeit des Lanzen f眉hrenden oder Schwerter schwingenden Personals. R眉stungen und Waffen sind oft genauer beschrieben als Recken und nicht minder heldenhafte Streiterinnen. All das k枚nnte ja noch eine Erbs眉nde von Homer selig sein, wo Achilles, Ajax und wie sie alle hei脽en, wie die Schnitter durch feindliche Reihen sensen. Etliche der Wunderwaffen sind auch Erbst眉cke aus dem trojanischen Krieg. So hat Roland anfangs das Schwert Hektors, w盲hrend sein maurisches Gegenst眉ck in Sachen Kampfkraft 眉ber die R眉stung von Trojas st盲rkstem Recken verf眉gt und gern seine Ausr眉stung komplettieren w眉rde. Da Wunderpferde und Zauberschwerter h盲ufiger durch schlichten Raub als durch fairen Zweikampf den Besitzer wechseln, braucht man ein komplettes Tabellenwerk, um nicht den 脺berblick zu verlieren. Der Wunderhornbl盲ser Astolf, der mit seiner Waffe gleicherma脽en Freund und Feind in Panik versetzt, bildet vielleicht eine Ausnahme. Aber als der sp盲tere Retter von Rolands Verstand zum aktiven Personal hinzu st枚脽t, hatte ich schon vergessen, dass er weiter vorn als verzauberter Baum im Garten der Hexe Alcina herum stand, um Vorgeschichte zu liefern. Um sp盲ter von Roger, dem eigentlichen Haupthelden, erl枚st zu werden. Titelheld Roland schafft es in Sachen Pr盲senz nicht mal in die Top Ten. Im Vergleich zu diesem Wimmelbild in permanenter Bewegung. ist jeder noch so personen- und kosenamenreiche russische Dickwanst ein Kinderspiel. Zumal, siehe oben, sogar die Recken und Heroinen s盲mtliche Signalsymbole zwischenzeitlich einb眉脽en.
Zwischen den Lichtblicken bzw. Ahaerlebnissen in Sachen Nachwirkung (Voltaire, Opern von H盲ndel und Mozart) gibt es immer wieder l盲ngere Strecken, die sich wie eine Ansammlung gereimter Turniersportberichte lesen. Rund 15 Verse jedes der 47 Ges盲nge sind Huldigungen an der Herrscherhaus Este von Ferrara, dessen Geschichte Urahnin Bradamante als Prophezeiungen an Merlins Grab und in einem Schloss zu sehen bekommt, in dem jeder Gast sein Nachtlager gegen Nachz眉gler im Turniermodus verteidigen muss. Die mit drunter gemischte Familiengeschichte war damals sicher gut f眉r jede Menge Beifall f眉r Best盲tigung der eigenen Vortrefflichkeit. Aus heutiger Sicht sind die zahlreichen Verbeugungen, bei denen auch immer wieder eifrig der Klingelbeutel herum geht, aber auch ein Grund daf眉r, warum das Werk zwar ein popul盲rer Steinbruch geblieben ist, aber f眉r sp盲tere Generationen eine h枚here H眉rde als Joyce, Musil oder Proust darstellt. W眉rde trotzdem jedem zu Ariost als Vorlauf zu Don Quijote raten, der Ritter von der traurigen Gestalt verliert sonst ein paar Bedeutungsebenen und ger盲t zur unn枚tigen Leserqu盲lerei. Ganz egal, welche Lobeshymnen von welcher kritischen Instanz auch immer 眉ber Cervantes Abrechnung mit den Ritterepen im Umlauf ist.
Read
September 11, 2015Le donne, i cavallier, l'arme, gli amori,
le cortesie, l'audaci imprese io canto[...]
Con alcuni libri accade cos矛: come per l'amore a prima vista, lo capisci dall'inizio se ti appassioner脿... Questo per me 猫 stato Ariosto. Perci貌 non ve lo posso spiegare n茅 mi sento di dirvi di leggerlo... 猫 troppo "personale"... L'ho letto per dovere, ma, poi, sono stata molto contenta di questa forzatura... come una pianta legata al sostegno per crescere diritta, puoi non apprezzare il laccio, ma al sole ci arrivi per il verso giusto, perci貌, alla fine, a quel laccio, magari mal-volentieri, ti trovi a dire grazie.
le cortesie, l'audaci imprese io canto[...]
Con alcuni libri accade cos矛: come per l'amore a prima vista, lo capisci dall'inizio se ti appassioner脿... Questo per me 猫 stato Ariosto. Perci貌 non ve lo posso spiegare n茅 mi sento di dirvi di leggerlo... 猫 troppo "personale"... L'ho letto per dovere, ma, poi, sono stata molto contenta di questa forzatura... come una pianta legata al sostegno per crescere diritta, puoi non apprezzare il laccio, ma al sole ci arrivi per il verso giusto, perci貌, alla fine, a quel laccio, magari mal-volentieri, ti trovi a dire grazie.
September 20, 2013
Bought after hearing an interview with the translator, David R. Slavitt (listen at the following link):
I thought that, since I hadn't read more than excerpts in undergrad, I should try to read the entire work. Well, not really - let's just say the first half, since the entire text is even more massive than this version. Note this fact from the :
So at 658 pages this isn't the complete poem. From the preface:
I read a used copy which has been marked and underlined, with notes added here and there, by former owner Kate Miley (I think). Kate has won me over by the odd doodles and the random cartoon bear she sketched on the last page. At first I was rolling my eyes over the "lol" added here and there, but then I began to really get into the reading, and when I'd come to a "lol" I'd say to the book "I know, right?!" Because yes, there are some really funny moments. (And of course I had to quote them, see below.)
I should also note here that the earliest version of this came out in around 1516. So when you read the more modernized text of this version - the sentiments are still original and some wildly unusual for that time. (Here's the on Gutenberg, from 1823-31.)
So what's the book like? Hmmm, how to describe this to you...well, it's not like reading your average piece of 16th century poetic literature, not in this translation anyway. Think of this as a cross between a pulp novel, a comic book, a session of Dungeons and Dragons (where the DM has a great sense of humor), and a bodice-ripper romance that's heavy on the near-rape scenes (some of those made me wince, some made me say "oh great, not again" - because yes, it's a trope). In fact it's now inspired me to go read other translations just to see how others have translated some of these words. (Though I'm probably not going to get around to doing that anytime soon.)
I should add that I started reading this book during a particularly crappy time in my life, and I vaguely hoped that reading it might get my mind off of reality. But I was also expecting it to be a standard poetic epic that I'd have to work to understand what's going on - like, say, (which I still have not finished). I was actually trying to use it as Put Yourself To Sleep Reading at Bedtime. Instead I ended up reading it, enjoying it, and laughing every so often. And forgetting the crappiness I was in the midst of. Which I very much needed, and not at all what I expected from an epic. Also I'm the quietly-snickering-to-herself type more than laughing type - but I confess, I did laugh. So now I'm going to regard the book fondly just for helping me out. It gets a special bookshelf place. (After it's loaned to my father who's dying to read this translation.)
How much did I enjoy this read? Read the following quotes, and then the Reading Progress section. The amount I've bothered to quote is always a sign I'm having fun. For those wanting the quick version without having to read the HUGE amount of quotes - I think I quoted this book more than anything else I've read. Because I wanted a place to quick reference some of these lines. And then note how many stars I gave it.
IMPORTANT! My reaction is completely due to this particular translation. Having looked at one or two examples of previous translations - reading them would be a completely different experience.
Quotes:
(Not always copying the full stanza, just the funny and interesting bits.)
Canto II, 10
Rinaldo raises up Fusberta, which,
believe it or not, is the name of his broadsword.
.......
Canto II, 11
She's fleeing from Rinaldo, and here he stands,
victorious, and no one is left to protext her.
Unless she wants to give in to his demands,
as, if she remains there, he would expect her
to do, she had better make some other plans
and leave at once, out of self-respect or
simply fear. She does not make excuses
but with a twitch of the reins of her horse vamooses.
.......
Canto II, 58
The knight once more falls silent. You remember the knight
is talking to Bradamante. Those quotation
marks were reminders of this. But his story was quite
long, and during the course of his narration,
you may have forgotten the frame. But that's all right.
.......
Canto II, 72
And there it is, easy as pie, although
why pie is easy is difficult to explain.
.......
Canto II, 76 (last stanza before Canto III)
And then? Is this the end? But surely not.
The smaller twigs of the elm branch break her fall,
as you might have guessed, with all those pages you've got
in your right hand. So this cannot be all
there is. She doesn't die here, but just what
happens to her after this close call
that leaves her on the bottom, stunned and hurt so
we'll get to soon, perhaps in Canto Terzo.
.......
Canto III, 67
"...the odds would still be against you, for that mad
necromancer inside that arrogant
steel castle of his rides about on that bad
hippogryph that flies in extravagant
aerial maneuvers. But worse, you'll find,
is his shield with which he can render his foes blind.
68
"when he uncovers it. And do not expect
that you can contrive some stratagem - to fight
with your eyes closed perhaps. ..."
.......
Canto III, 77
She does not let him sit too close to her knowing
that he could rob her and then .
.......
Guinevere, a king's daughter, is accused of being unchaste and thus law decrees she will be put to death. Rinaldo thinks this is a bad law, even if Guinevere has slept with someone:
Canto V, 66
"If the same ardor moves both men and women
to the sweetness of love, it is unfair
that women should be punished for being human
once, while men are praised as debonair
for doing it as often as they can do. Man
and woman should be treated the same. I declare
that I mean, with the help of God, to right this wrong
that is so outrageous and has gone on so long."
.......
Canto VI, 20
The island was like the one that
lived on (it was , I recall),
fleeing the river god. (You have to use a
book of myths to get these stories all
in order.) Let's say it was nice (and who's a
critic of islands anyway?) The small
island loomed much larger as they got lower,
and the hippogryph flew gentlier and slower.
.......
Ruggiero must fight the "cruel giantess" Erifilla:
Canto VII, 3
Her armor, first, was set with gems of many
colors - rubies, emeralds, chrysolite.
She was mounted, not on a horse that any
person might want, but a wolf on which she'd fight.
Ruggiero took a second look at this when he
approached and wondered if she had trained it to bite.
And it wasn't a normal wolf but enormous in size,
tall as an ox, and with gleaming yellow eyes.
.......
Canto VIII, 71
...He tries to focus his mind without
success and these notions, whirling about like
in a , or, say, like moonbeams put to rout
as they bounce off the surface of water and one discerns
on the ceiling a dance of their tiny lights that are acting
as if they were terrified - it can be distracting.
.......
Orlando wondering where Angelica is, and worrying about her possible rape (because her loss of virginity would be such a trauma for *him* because of course she belongs to him - all males in this story seem to have this attitude towards Angelica), among other dangers:
Canto VIII, 77
"And where are you now, my hope, my love, without
my protection? Do wicked wolves surround you,
their slathering jaws agape as they circle about
their prey? That delicate flower that I found, you
beautiful blossom the angels gave me. I doubt
that you can survive untouched, unplucked, your dew
still on those lovely petals. Or have they by force
taken you? I worry about that, of course.
78
"And if the worst that I can imagine has come
to pass, what can I wish for but a quick
death? O God, I pray to you to have some
mercy. Afflict me some other way, sick
crippled, blind, dishonored, deaf and dumb,
but spare her. Otherwise, I shall have to pick
some painful form of suicide." ...
.......
Must give you three stanzas here so that you can see how fun Aristo is - what at first seems a pacifist rant then becomes something else in stanza 90. All about the modern technology of destruction - in this time period - the cannon.
Canto IX, 88
And neither is Orlando hanging around.
He departs, having taken but one
thing - that machine of fire, iron, and sound,
a weapon of mass destruction, that terrible gun,
which he does not want for his own use, having found
it to be unfair and unsporting: only a son
of a bitch would think to use it in a fight.
It isn't at all appropriate for a knight.
89
It ought to be destroyed, he thinks, to keep
anyone from ever making use
of it against men to kill and to .
He cannot think of any sane excuse
for it to exist, and he throws it into the deep
of the sea to make men and women safer, whose
futures will not be blighted by such an obscene,
inelegant, and dangerous machine.
90
He also finds it politically incorrect
in the way it makes a weak man equal to
the strongest, so that all rank and respect
are fundamentally threatened, for otherwise who
would know his place or observe the correct
distinctions? Civilization as he knew
it would be over, equality would reign.
The very idea gives our paladin pain.
.......
I had no idea orc had so many definitions. In this case it's a sea monster:
Canto X, 101
Ruggiero, however, has his lance at the ready,
and with it he strikes the , a writhing mass
that is more a blob than a beast, except for the head he
is aiming at. Its mouth is a dark crevasse
with protruding teeth like a boar's. Ruggiero's steady
lance strikes at the forehead but he has
little success. It's as if he is striking blows
on granite or iron. It's perfectly .
.......
Hey look, it's more cannon ranting! And the devil is to blame!
Canto XI, 22
Had it been up to Orlando we would all
be much better off. But the cannon's cruel inventor
was the one who tempted Eve and contrived the fall
of mankind from the garden, the arch tormentor,
whose clear intention was that what we call
guns and cannons would one day re-enter
the world of men, in our grandparents' time or before
and would transform both society and war.
23
A hundred fathoms down it was, but some
necromancer raised it from the deep
and gave it to the Germans who learned from
repeated trial and error how to keep
from blowing themselves up. The curriculum
of the devil suited them well and with a steep
learning curve they rediscovered its use.
But secrets tend to spread and reproduce.
24
...And what this means is that anyone, high or low,
is the equal of anyone else. It has done away
with rank and order, and honor, and valor, too,
and the rabble are just the same as me and you.
.......
Enchantress Melissa (one of the good ones) explains the castle that's a magical trap set by the villain Atlas - and in which the reader can see as a metaphor...:
Canto XIII, 49
She reveals his trick of intuiting the desire
of every person and offering just that
for which the man's or woman's heart is on fire,
but whatever it is, it's just out of reach, which is what
keeps them there, searching through the entire
structure for that voice they keep hearing but
can never quite locate. It is a quest
that can never succeed but from which they can never rest.
.......
(February 2, 2010)
The Italian Renaissance epic 鈥淥rlando Furioso,鈥� was once a hot volume, at least among the literati, such as Shakespeare, and musicians, such as Scarlotti and Haydn. But 鈥檚 long tale of knights and monsters duking it out largely dropped off the radar screen in the 20th century, though it was Italo Calvino鈥檚 favorite work of literature. Translator David R. Slavitt wants to rectify that with his English translation of the poem, the first in 30 years. World Books Editor Bill Marx talks to Slavitt, a veteran translator of over eighty volumes of poetry and fiction, about how his playful version reflects the giggly, surrealist mischievousness of the original.
I thought that, since I hadn't read more than excerpts in undergrad, I should try to read the entire work. Well, not really - let's just say the first half, since the entire text is even more massive than this version. Note this fact from the :
Ariosto's work is 38,736 lines long in total, making it one of the longest poems in European literature.
So at 658 pages this isn't the complete poem. From the preface:
"What we have in this volume is slightly more than half of what Aristo wrote - primarily because the production costs of an enormous and unwieldy volume (or volumes) would have made for a discouragingly expensive book, which would have defeated my purpose of broadening Aristo's Anglophone audience."
I read a used copy which has been marked and underlined, with notes added here and there, by former owner Kate Miley (I think). Kate has won me over by the odd doodles and the random cartoon bear she sketched on the last page. At first I was rolling my eyes over the "lol" added here and there, but then I began to really get into the reading, and when I'd come to a "lol" I'd say to the book "I know, right?!" Because yes, there are some really funny moments. (And of course I had to quote them, see below.)
I should also note here that the earliest version of this came out in around 1516. So when you read the more modernized text of this version - the sentiments are still original and some wildly unusual for that time. (Here's the on Gutenberg, from 1823-31.)
So what's the book like? Hmmm, how to describe this to you...well, it's not like reading your average piece of 16th century poetic literature, not in this translation anyway. Think of this as a cross between a pulp novel, a comic book, a session of Dungeons and Dragons (where the DM has a great sense of humor), and a bodice-ripper romance that's heavy on the near-rape scenes (some of those made me wince, some made me say "oh great, not again" - because yes, it's a trope). In fact it's now inspired me to go read other translations just to see how others have translated some of these words. (Though I'm probably not going to get around to doing that anytime soon.)
I should add that I started reading this book during a particularly crappy time in my life, and I vaguely hoped that reading it might get my mind off of reality. But I was also expecting it to be a standard poetic epic that I'd have to work to understand what's going on - like, say, (which I still have not finished). I was actually trying to use it as Put Yourself To Sleep Reading at Bedtime. Instead I ended up reading it, enjoying it, and laughing every so often. And forgetting the crappiness I was in the midst of. Which I very much needed, and not at all what I expected from an epic. Also I'm the quietly-snickering-to-herself type more than laughing type - but I confess, I did laugh. So now I'm going to regard the book fondly just for helping me out. It gets a special bookshelf place. (After it's loaned to my father who's dying to read this translation.)
How much did I enjoy this read? Read the following quotes, and then the Reading Progress section. The amount I've bothered to quote is always a sign I'm having fun. For those wanting the quick version without having to read the HUGE amount of quotes - I think I quoted this book more than anything else I've read. Because I wanted a place to quick reference some of these lines. And then note how many stars I gave it.
IMPORTANT! My reaction is completely due to this particular translation. Having looked at one or two examples of previous translations - reading them would be a completely different experience.
Quotes:
(Not always copying the full stanza, just the funny and interesting bits.)
Canto II, 10
Rinaldo raises up Fusberta, which,
believe it or not, is the name of his broadsword.
.......
Canto II, 11
She's fleeing from Rinaldo, and here he stands,
victorious, and no one is left to protext her.
Unless she wants to give in to his demands,
as, if she remains there, he would expect her
to do, she had better make some other plans
and leave at once, out of self-respect or
simply fear. She does not make excuses
but with a twitch of the reins of her horse vamooses.
.......
Canto II, 58
The knight once more falls silent. You remember the knight
is talking to Bradamante. Those quotation
marks were reminders of this. But his story was quite
long, and during the course of his narration,
you may have forgotten the frame. But that's all right.
.......
Canto II, 72
And there it is, easy as pie, although
why pie is easy is difficult to explain.
.......
Canto II, 76 (last stanza before Canto III)
And then? Is this the end? But surely not.
The smaller twigs of the elm branch break her fall,
as you might have guessed, with all those pages you've got
in your right hand. So this cannot be all
there is. She doesn't die here, but just what
happens to her after this close call
that leaves her on the bottom, stunned and hurt so
we'll get to soon, perhaps in Canto Terzo.
.......
Canto III, 67
"...the odds would still be against you, for that mad
necromancer inside that arrogant
steel castle of his rides about on that bad
hippogryph that flies in extravagant
aerial maneuvers. But worse, you'll find,
is his shield with which he can render his foes blind.
68
"when he uncovers it. And do not expect
that you can contrive some stratagem - to fight
with your eyes closed perhaps. ..."
.......
Canto III, 77
She does not let him sit too close to her knowing
that he could rob her and then .
.......
Guinevere, a king's daughter, is accused of being unchaste and thus law decrees she will be put to death. Rinaldo thinks this is a bad law, even if Guinevere has slept with someone:
Canto V, 66
"If the same ardor moves both men and women
to the sweetness of love, it is unfair
that women should be punished for being human
once, while men are praised as debonair
for doing it as often as they can do. Man
and woman should be treated the same. I declare
that I mean, with the help of God, to right this wrong
that is so outrageous and has gone on so long."
.......
Canto VI, 20
The island was like the one that
lived on (it was , I recall),
fleeing the river god. (You have to use a
book of myths to get these stories all
in order.) Let's say it was nice (and who's a
critic of islands anyway?) The small
island loomed much larger as they got lower,
and the hippogryph flew gentlier and slower.
.......
Ruggiero must fight the "cruel giantess" Erifilla:
Canto VII, 3
Her armor, first, was set with gems of many
colors - rubies, emeralds, chrysolite.
She was mounted, not on a horse that any
person might want, but a wolf on which she'd fight.
Ruggiero took a second look at this when he
approached and wondered if she had trained it to bite.
And it wasn't a normal wolf but enormous in size,
tall as an ox, and with gleaming yellow eyes.
.......
Canto VIII, 71
...He tries to focus his mind without
success and these notions, whirling about like
in a , or, say, like moonbeams put to rout
as they bounce off the surface of water and one discerns
on the ceiling a dance of their tiny lights that are acting
as if they were terrified - it can be distracting.
.......
Orlando wondering where Angelica is, and worrying about her possible rape (because her loss of virginity would be such a trauma for *him* because of course she belongs to him - all males in this story seem to have this attitude towards Angelica), among other dangers:
Canto VIII, 77
"And where are you now, my hope, my love, without
my protection? Do wicked wolves surround you,
their slathering jaws agape as they circle about
their prey? That delicate flower that I found, you
beautiful blossom the angels gave me. I doubt
that you can survive untouched, unplucked, your dew
still on those lovely petals. Or have they by force
taken you? I worry about that, of course.
78
"And if the worst that I can imagine has come
to pass, what can I wish for but a quick
death? O God, I pray to you to have some
mercy. Afflict me some other way, sick
crippled, blind, dishonored, deaf and dumb,
but spare her. Otherwise, I shall have to pick
some painful form of suicide." ...
.......
Must give you three stanzas here so that you can see how fun Aristo is - what at first seems a pacifist rant then becomes something else in stanza 90. All about the modern technology of destruction - in this time period - the cannon.
Canto IX, 88
And neither is Orlando hanging around.
He departs, having taken but one
thing - that machine of fire, iron, and sound,
a weapon of mass destruction, that terrible gun,
which he does not want for his own use, having found
it to be unfair and unsporting: only a son
of a bitch would think to use it in a fight.
It isn't at all appropriate for a knight.
89
It ought to be destroyed, he thinks, to keep
anyone from ever making use
of it against men to kill and to .
He cannot think of any sane excuse
for it to exist, and he throws it into the deep
of the sea to make men and women safer, whose
futures will not be blighted by such an obscene,
inelegant, and dangerous machine.
90
He also finds it politically incorrect
in the way it makes a weak man equal to
the strongest, so that all rank and respect
are fundamentally threatened, for otherwise who
would know his place or observe the correct
distinctions? Civilization as he knew
it would be over, equality would reign.
The very idea gives our paladin pain.
.......
I had no idea orc had so many definitions. In this case it's a sea monster:
Canto X, 101
Ruggiero, however, has his lance at the ready,
and with it he strikes the , a writhing mass
that is more a blob than a beast, except for the head he
is aiming at. Its mouth is a dark crevasse
with protruding teeth like a boar's. Ruggiero's steady
lance strikes at the forehead but he has
little success. It's as if he is striking blows
on granite or iron. It's perfectly .
.......
Hey look, it's more cannon ranting! And the devil is to blame!
Canto XI, 22
Had it been up to Orlando we would all
be much better off. But the cannon's cruel inventor
was the one who tempted Eve and contrived the fall
of mankind from the garden, the arch tormentor,
whose clear intention was that what we call
guns and cannons would one day re-enter
the world of men, in our grandparents' time or before
and would transform both society and war.
23
A hundred fathoms down it was, but some
necromancer raised it from the deep
and gave it to the Germans who learned from
repeated trial and error how to keep
from blowing themselves up. The curriculum
of the devil suited them well and with a steep
learning curve they rediscovered its use.
But secrets tend to spread and reproduce.
24
...And what this means is that anyone, high or low,
is the equal of anyone else. It has done away
with rank and order, and honor, and valor, too,
and the rabble are just the same as me and you.
.......
Enchantress Melissa (one of the good ones) explains the castle that's a magical trap set by the villain Atlas - and in which the reader can see as a metaphor...:
Canto XIII, 49
She reveals his trick of intuiting the desire
of every person and offering just that
for which the man's or woman's heart is on fire,
but whatever it is, it's just out of reach, which is what
keeps them there, searching through the entire
structure for that voice they keep hearing but
can never quite locate. It is a quest
that can never succeed but from which they can never rest.
.......
July 18, 2008
Orlando Furioso is a miracle of lightness, speed, and wit. Imagine all the brightest qualities Byron, Spenser, Calvino, and Cervantes jumbled deliciously together, and spiced with a dash of Kafka. It's little wonder so many Italian operas sprang from such fertile soil. The poem is about the labyrinthine impossibility of desire and the wild weavings of destiny, told in a wry tone that jumps so quickly from person to person and scene to scene that the reader is soon swept up in Ariosto's ironic whirlwind of Amor. My new favorite book--this is one I'll be rereading the rest of my life!
I wrote a little more on it here:
I wrote a little more on it here:
June 15, 2024
I have never been a fan of poetry, so it was quite a surprise when I ended up enjoying this immensely during a read-along with some of my friends. Didn't know much about this work other than it being one of the Italian Renaissance classics, so I went in expecting a fairly clich茅 story about chivalry and knighthood, but it turned out to be extremely humorous and entertaining, with rich and ornate stanzas.
The narrative is long, featuring a multitude of characters whose stories are intertwined. The author successfully juggles these stories by swapping points of view at opportune times, keeping the plot fresh. The story itself is adventurous and expansive, capturing a wild range of emotions, with plenty of twists and turns鈥攕ome foreshadowed, some contrived鈥攂ut with the narrator's meta-commentary where he pokes fun at everything, including himself, you can easily excuse it. What surprised me the most was how progressive Ariosto seemed for his era, advocating for gender equality and calling out double standards in the 1500s. The adventures range from your typical "saving the damsel in distress" to so most of them were quite appealing. The satiric elements, featuring larger-than-life characters and insightful critiques of the cultural and political landscape of the time, were also well-executed, but chances are many of these nuances went over my head due to my lack of familiarity with the context. My favorite characters were although the last one could have had more presence in the story. The antagonists, including were also intriguing, as I was eager to see who would prevail each time.
However, the poem does have certain problems I couldn't overlook despite my enjoyment. This particular translation omits several cantos, which can be read in the second Lacuna book required for the complete experience. That one felt comparatively weaker due to most of the cantos being dedicated to the author's patrons back then, which is understandable but hinders the pacing. I thought the first half was better overall, but the poem became more meandering towards the end, culminating in an abrupt, somewhat underwhelming conclusion. While several character arcs are resolved, there are still some loose ends. Additionally, despite the title, which I wasn鈥檛 the biggest fan of. The translator took some liberties by including anachronisms that made several moments more hilarious, but this could affect immersion for some readers.
This epic is a direct sequel to Orlando Innamorato, which I wasn't aware of initially. If possible, read that first, although I didn鈥檛 find it necessary. If you are a fan of knights, battles, and magic in medieval times, you will likely enjoy this poem. Don鈥檛 let its length or age intimidate you; I found it accessible enough despite the occasional archaic words.
The narrative is long, featuring a multitude of characters whose stories are intertwined. The author successfully juggles these stories by swapping points of view at opportune times, keeping the plot fresh. The story itself is adventurous and expansive, capturing a wild range of emotions, with plenty of twists and turns鈥攕ome foreshadowed, some contrived鈥攂ut with the narrator's meta-commentary where he pokes fun at everything, including himself, you can easily excuse it. What surprised me the most was how progressive Ariosto seemed for his era, advocating for gender equality and calling out double standards in the 1500s. The adventures range from your typical "saving the damsel in distress" to so most of them were quite appealing. The satiric elements, featuring larger-than-life characters and insightful critiques of the cultural and political landscape of the time, were also well-executed, but chances are many of these nuances went over my head due to my lack of familiarity with the context. My favorite characters were although the last one could have had more presence in the story. The antagonists, including were also intriguing, as I was eager to see who would prevail each time.
However, the poem does have certain problems I couldn't overlook despite my enjoyment. This particular translation omits several cantos, which can be read in the second Lacuna book required for the complete experience. That one felt comparatively weaker due to most of the cantos being dedicated to the author's patrons back then, which is understandable but hinders the pacing. I thought the first half was better overall, but the poem became more meandering towards the end, culminating in an abrupt, somewhat underwhelming conclusion. While several character arcs are resolved, there are still some loose ends. Additionally, despite the title, which I wasn鈥檛 the biggest fan of. The translator took some liberties by including anachronisms that made several moments more hilarious, but this could affect immersion for some readers.
This epic is a direct sequel to Orlando Innamorato, which I wasn't aware of initially. If possible, read that first, although I didn鈥檛 find it necessary. If you are a fan of knights, battles, and magic in medieval times, you will likely enjoy this poem. Don鈥檛 let its length or age intimidate you; I found it accessible enough despite the occasional archaic words.
May 12, 2009
This book is so intricately woven. It really is one of those classics that so many other stories draw from. The characters are fabulous and the stories legendary.
April 13, 2022
鈥淟a naturaleza lo cre贸 y luego rompi贸 el molde.鈥�
El 鈥淥rlando Furioso鈥� es junto al 鈥淎mad铆s de Gaula鈥� uno de los dos libros preferidos de Alonso Quijano, es decir, 鈥淒on Quijote de la Mancha鈥�.
Cervantes tuvo a bien recordar, homenajear y tener muy presente a este enorme poema no s贸lo 茅pico, relacionado con las novelas de caballer铆as (aunque no lo es, salvo su tem谩tica) sino tambi茅n amoroso y laudatorio de Ludovico Ariosto que fue publicado definitivamente en 1832.
En 茅l, desfila un sinn煤mero de personajes siendo 茅l, Orlando, la apasionada Bradamante, as铆 tambi茅n como Ang茅lica, la mujer por la cual Orlando se vuelve furioso (tal vez la inspiraci贸n que Cervantes tuvo para crear la locura de su Quijote), Ruggiero, Rodamonte, Astolfo y muchos m谩s.
Lo m谩s impactante de este libro, que uno puede leer junto a otros 肠濒谩蝉颈肠辞蝉 como 鈥淟a Divina Comedia鈥� de Dante Alighieri, 鈥淓l para铆so perdido鈥� de John Milton, 鈥淕argant煤a y Pantagruel鈥� de Rabelais o poemas como 鈥淟a balada del viejo marinero鈥� de Samuel Taylor Coleridge es que todos fueron ilustrados por el genio inigualable de Gustave Dor茅, tal es el caso de mi edici贸n, cuyas ilustraciones son realmente impresionantes.
Aunque la edici贸n que poseo est谩 resumida (el poema original de Ariosto consta de 38.736 versos) no pierde ilaci贸n ni coherencia y es otro cl谩sico que quer铆a tener en mi biblioteca.
El 鈥淥rlando Furioso鈥� es junto al 鈥淎mad铆s de Gaula鈥� uno de los dos libros preferidos de Alonso Quijano, es decir, 鈥淒on Quijote de la Mancha鈥�.
Cervantes tuvo a bien recordar, homenajear y tener muy presente a este enorme poema no s贸lo 茅pico, relacionado con las novelas de caballer铆as (aunque no lo es, salvo su tem谩tica) sino tambi茅n amoroso y laudatorio de Ludovico Ariosto que fue publicado definitivamente en 1832.
En 茅l, desfila un sinn煤mero de personajes siendo 茅l, Orlando, la apasionada Bradamante, as铆 tambi茅n como Ang茅lica, la mujer por la cual Orlando se vuelve furioso (tal vez la inspiraci贸n que Cervantes tuvo para crear la locura de su Quijote), Ruggiero, Rodamonte, Astolfo y muchos m谩s.
Lo m谩s impactante de este libro, que uno puede leer junto a otros 肠濒谩蝉颈肠辞蝉 como 鈥淟a Divina Comedia鈥� de Dante Alighieri, 鈥淓l para铆so perdido鈥� de John Milton, 鈥淕argant煤a y Pantagruel鈥� de Rabelais o poemas como 鈥淟a balada del viejo marinero鈥� de Samuel Taylor Coleridge es que todos fueron ilustrados por el genio inigualable de Gustave Dor茅, tal es el caso de mi edici贸n, cuyas ilustraciones son realmente impresionantes.
Aunque la edici贸n que poseo est谩 resumida (el poema original de Ariosto consta de 38.736 versos) no pierde ilaci贸n ni coherencia y es otro cl谩sico que quer铆a tener en mi biblioteca.
November 8, 2018
Letti i canti I, II, IV, XXIX, XXXIV per l'esame di letteratura italiana.
Se avessi dei bambini mi piacerebbe leggerne un canto ogni sera e poi raccontarglielo, come una splendida fiaba. Nonostante le tante disquisizioni in merito, trovo che L'Orlando Furioso sia prima di tutto un poema di intrattenimento. "Devertere" , ovvero trovare strade diverse e aprire nuovi orizzonti alla fantasia, 猫 il suo scopo.
Ariosto, mago del divertimento.
(E so benissimo che non 猫 tutto qui)
Se avessi dei bambini mi piacerebbe leggerne un canto ogni sera e poi raccontarglielo, come una splendida fiaba. Nonostante le tante disquisizioni in merito, trovo che L'Orlando Furioso sia prima di tutto un poema di intrattenimento. "Devertere" , ovvero trovare strade diverse e aprire nuovi orizzonti alla fantasia, 猫 il suo scopo.
Ariosto, mago del divertimento.
(E so benissimo che non 猫 tutto qui)
March 31, 2018
This book is really important to me. Thinking about re-reading it soon, but Reynold's two volume verse version instead of Waldman's prose translation. I dunno.
November 8, 2022
La lettura completa dell鈥�Orlando furioso, ad essere onesti, non 猫 impresa da pigliare a gabbo: ad occhio e croce, gi脿 se si parla di dimensioni, 猫 un poema lungo fra il doppio e il triplo della Divina Commedia e della Gerusalemme Liberata; in compenso 猫 molto pi霉 facile da leggere rispetto a quella, e rispetto a questa 猫, almeno in apparenza, molto pi霉 lineare dal punto di vista psicologico e perfino linguistico: infatti, sebbene a ridosso della pubblicazione ambedue fossero letti o ascoltati con piacere da gente della pi霉 varia cultura e posizione sociale, credo che soltanto il poema dell鈥橝riosto risulti piano e comprensibile a un lettore di modesta istruzione, in gran parte, anche senza l鈥檃usilio di note, perlomeno se si saltano i brani che lodano uomini di cultura e principi coevi o alludono a fatti storici vicini all鈥檃utore, perspicui allora ma talvolta enigmatici oggi. Confesso che, dopo aver letto il poema una trentina d鈥檃nni fa, vi ero tornato spesso, ma soltanto su canti singoli o brani che mi piacevano; ora che invece l鈥檋o finalmente riletto per intero, mi accorgo che avevo fatto male, perch茅 appunto leggendolo per intero lo si gusta molto di pi霉, e si scoprono molte cose dianzi trascurate o dimenticate. Inoltre la lettura integrale permette di assaporare una delle virt霉 principali dell鈥�inventio ariostesca: l鈥檌ntreccio e il proliferare continuo di trame, di vicende, di personaggi: 鈥淨uante corbellerie, messer Ariosto!鈥�, pare che commentasse al riguardo il cardinal Ippolito d鈥橢ste; il quale suona giudizio superficiale all鈥檕recchio del superficiale critico dei nostri tempi, ed 猫, all鈥檕pposto, esattissimo, perch茅 mette in luce tutta la gratuit脿, la sovrabbondanza trabocchevole, il puro gusto del raccontare, del girovagare fra le digressioni, del creare, illustrare, signoreggiare con divertita sprezzatura un intero mondo variopinto e onirico. Il sorriso ariostesco, di cui molto s鈥櫭� scritto e discusso, innamora e piace proprio perch茅 investe la materia cavalleresca con la luminosit脿 del suo sovrano distacco e al contempo la segue accarezzandola con amorevole cura; il riso aperto, la parodia sollazzevole 鈥� seppure piena di ombre, di malesseri, di nostalgie, di angoli dolenti 鈥� arriver脿 pi霉 tardi, con Cervantes, e in parte, ma in tono sghembo, giullaresco e lunare assieme, gi脿 s鈥檈ra un po鈥� affacciata nella nostra poesia col Morgante di Luigi Pulci. Ludovico Ariosto mantiene in miracoloso equilibrio l鈥檃ffetto per un mondo di cortesia guerriera e di valore sempre temperato da un鈥檃lta civilt脿, e un鈥檌ronia discreta, urbanissima e sottile che sa brillare ora con brevi guizzi salaci, ora con crepuscolare garbo screziato di agrodolce. Non per fare del nazionalismo letterario, ma basta confrontare il sorriso ariostesco e quello di Rabelais per vedere quale differenza culturale vi fosse tra l鈥橧talia umanistica e cortigiana e una Francia che ancora si stava sbrogliando dai panni medievali, e in molte cose restava medievale anche senza volerlo e lottando per non esserlo, a cominciare da una comicit脿 greve, grassa e beffarda e purtroppo, a tratti, fangosa. Il poema, tuttavia, non resta frutto ed esercizio di puro capriccio. La mano lontana e guantata dell鈥檃rchitetto si sente soprattutto man mano che l鈥�Orlando furioso volge al termine. La magia, il meraviglioso pian piano si spengono in un鈥檃ura vaga di malinconia, a mo鈥� d鈥檜n sole che volge al tramonto; anche qui, per貌, con una leggerezza svagata, come il volo delle navi create con un pugno di fronde da Astolfo, che alla fine della guerra tornano foglie perdendosi lievi nel vento. Le ottave ariostesche, con elegante seduzione, invitano in un mondo di castelli e d鈥檌sole incantate, di fontane amene, di selve infinite, di paladini sventati o cortesi, di saraceni sbruffoni o cavallereschi, di maghi, d鈥檌ncantatrici, di donzelle, di eremiti; ci fanno trepidare per quei combattimenti sempre simili e sempre nuovi, dove le lance volano in frantumi o le spade fatate sprizzano scintille mentre gli usberghi e le corazze resistono a cozzi micidiali: e davvero ci si trova a entusiasmarsi per questi combattimenti, come ci s鈥檌ntenerisce alla morte di Zerbino o di Brandimarte, o nell鈥檈pisodio, giustamente famoso, di Cloridano e Medoro 鈥� anche se la commozione, in Ariosto, 猫 asciutta e labile, perch茅 l鈥橝riosto ama il suo mondo poetico, ma non senza riserve come invece avviene col Tasso. Credo che tutti, una volta lontani dagli obblighi scolastici, dovremmo tornare sul Furioso: lo scopriremmo cos矛 molto pi霉 ricco, pi霉 coinvolgente, pi霉 bello di troppa narrativa inutile con cui ci stordisce l鈥檈ditoria odierna; ed anzi credo che sarebbe bello da leggere a voce alta in compagnia o in famiglia, come si faceva una volta: sarebbe un divertimento. Altro che videogiuochi, altro che televisione!...
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