Dante's Provençal Gallery

Abstract

IN chapter two of second book of his De Vulgari Eloquentia Dante defines capital matters that ought to be treated supremely by poets; they are three: safety, love, and virtue, which are spelled out in specific language as prowess in arms, fire of love, and direction of will. He adds that the illustrious writers have written poetry in tongue on these subjects exclusively, namely Bertran de Born on Arms, Arnaut Daniel on Love, Giraut de Borneil on Righteousness, Cino of Pistoja on Love, his friend on Righteousness ... I do not find however that any Italian has as yet written poetry on subject of arms.' The passage well exemplifies Dante's fondness for categories and where possible, symmetry: three subjects, three poets (at least when gallery is complete as Provengal is and Italian not yet). Knowing Dante's attachment to his authorities and his cult of three, one could almost predict that if he were to write great poem it would have three divisions and each would contain representative of vulgar tongue which had been such an inspiration to him and other writers in his own vernacular. And so, in fact, it comes out; of all Dante's triads Provengal poets are most obviously and architectonically disposed, one for each cantica, each one clearly identified and prominently placed, varying only, I would say, in their degree of integration with their milieu. But before venturing any further statement on group as whole, I would like to pass chosen troubadours in review. Bertran de Born's dramatic and macabre appearance in bolgia of sowers of discord (Inferno XXVIII, 112 ff.) will not easily be forgotten. He appears carrying his own severed head in his hand a guisa di lanterna. Approaching Dante, he raises his arm con tutta la testa, gesture of spaventosa naturalezza;2 movement of line, as Crescini remarks,3 underlines painful effort required. Frightful scene is, to be sure, although grotesque here all but verges on comic. Where Dante got notion of portable head scholars have been unable to find out with any certainty; roots are probably in folklore and myth and most American readers of my generation at least are prepared for weird spectacle by stratagem of Brom Van Brunt, in Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Washington Irving, as has been pointed out by various critics,4 owed much to German folklore; probably even before Orpheus' head rolled down Hebrus pathetically calling on Eurydice as memorialized in Georgics, sight that terrified Ichabod Crane was familiar to our fanciful ancestors. Joyce's Virag illustrates that image continues to have an appeal. Cases have been cited from old literatures, Indian,