48 Dante Variations
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
che la diritta via era smarrita
The Divine Comedy – Pt. 1 Inferno – Canto 1 – (1-3)
-
Along the journey of our life half way
I found myself again in a dark wood
wherein the straight road no longer lay
(Dale, 1996) -
At the midpoint in the journey of our life
I found myself astray in a dark wood
For the straight path had vanished.
(Creagh and Hollander, 1989) -
HALF over the wayfaring of our life,
Since missed the right way, through a night-dark wood
Struggling, I found myself.
(Musgrave, 1893) -
Half way along the road we have to go,
I found myself obscured in a great forest,
Bewildered, and I knew I had lost the way.
(Sisson, 1980) -
Halfway along the journey of our life
I woke in wonder in a sunless wood
For I had wandered from the narrow way
(Zappulla, 1998) -
HALFWAY on our life’s journey, in a wood,
From the right path I found myself astray.
(Heaney, 1993) -
Halfway through our trek in life
I found myself in this dark wood,
miles away from the right road.
(Ellis, 1994) -
Half-way upon the journey of our life,
I found myself within a gloomy wood,
By reason that the path direct was lost.
(Pollock, 1854) -
HALF-WAY upon the journey of our life
I roused to find myself within a forest
In darkness, for the straight way had been lost.
(Johnson, 1915) -
In middle of the journey of our days
I found that I was in a darksome wood
the right road lost and vanished in the maze
(Sibbald, 1884) -
In midway of the journey of our life
I found myself within a darkling wood,
Because the rightful pathway had been lost.
(Rossetti, 1865) -
In our life’s journey at its midway stage
I found myself within a wood obscure
Where the right path which guided me was lost
(Johnston, 1867) -
In the middle of the journey
of our life
I came to myself
In a dark forest
The straightforward way
Misplaced.
(Schwerner, 2000) -
In the middle of the journey of our life I came to
myself in a dark wood, for the straight road was lost
(Durling, 1996) -
In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself
within a dark wood where the straight road was lost.
(Sinclair, 1939) -
In the middle of the journey of our life
I found myself astray in a dark wood
where the straight road had been lost sight of.
(Heaney, 1993) -
IN the middle of the journey of our life, I found myself in a
dark wood; for the straight way was lost.
(John A Carlyle, 1844) -
In the mid-journey of our mortal life,
I wandered far into a darksome wood,
Where the true road no longer might be seen.
(Chaplin, 1913) -
In the midtime of life I found myself
Within a dusky wood; my way was lost.
(Shaw, 1914) -
In the midway of this our mortal life,
I found me in a gloomy wood, astray,
Gone from the path direct:
(Cary, 1805) -
Just halfway through this journey of our life
I reawoke to find myself inside
a dark wood, way off-course, the right road lost
(Phillips, 1983) -
Midway along the highroad of our days,
I found myself within a shadowy wood,
Where the straight path was lost in tangled ways.
(Wheeler, 1911) -
Midway along the journey of our life
I woke to find myself in some dark woods,
for I had wandered off from the straight path.
(Musa, 1971) -
Midway along the span of our life’s road
I woke to a dark wood unfathomable
Where not a vestige of the right way shewed.
(Foster, 1961) -
Midway in our life’s journey I went astray
from the straight road & woke to find myself
alone in a dark wood
(Ciardi, 1996) -
Midway in the journey of our life I found myself in a
dark wood, for the straight road was lost.
(Singleton, 1970) -
MIDWAY life’s journey I was made aware
That I had strayed into a dark forest,
And the right path appeared not anywhere.
(Binyon, 1933) -
Midway on our life’s journey, I found myself
In dark woods, the right road lost.
(Pinsky, 1994) -
Midway on the journey of our life I found myself within
a darksome wood, for the right way was lost.
(Sullivan, 1893) -
Midway the path of life that men pursue
I found me in a darkling wood astray,
For the direct way had been lost to view
(Anderson, 1921) -
Midway this way of life we’re bound upon,
I woke to find myself in a dark wood,
Where the right road was wholly lost and gone
(Sayers, 1949) -
MIDWAY upon the course of this our life
I found myself within a gloom-dark wood,
For I had wandered from the path direct.
(Bodey, 1938) -
MIDWAY upon the journey of my days
I found myself within a wood so drear,
That the direct path nowhere met my gaze.
(Brooksbank, 1854) -
MIDWAY upon the journey of our life,
I found me in a forest dark and deep,
For I the path direct had failed to keep.
(Wilstach, 1888) -
Midway upon the journey of our life,
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the right road was lost.
(Vincent, 1904) -
MIDWAY upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.
(Longfellow, 1867) -
Midway upon the journey of our life
I found that I had strayed into a wood
So dark the right road was completely lost.
(MacKenzie, 1979) -
MIDWAY upon the journey of our life
I woke to find me astray in a dark wood,
Confused by ways with the straight way at strife
(Bickersteth, 1955) -
Midway upon the pathway of life
I found myself within a darksome wood
wherein the proper road was lost to view.
(Edwardes, 1915) -
MIDWAY upon the road of our life I found myself within
a dark wood, for the right way had been missed.
(Norton, 1891) -
On traveling one half of our life’s way,
I found myself in darkened forests when
I lost the straight and narrow path to stray.
(Arndt, 1994) -
Upon the journey of my life midway,
I found myself within a darkling wood,
Where from the straight path I had gone astray
(Minchin, 1885) -
UPON the journey of our life half way,
I found myself within a gloomy wood,
For I had missed the oath and gone astray.
(Pike, 1881) -
Upon the journey of our life midway
I came unto myself in a dark wood,
For from the straight path I had gone astray.
(Fletcher, 1931) -
Upon the journey of our life midway,
I found myself within a darksome wood,
As from the right path I had gone astray.
(Cayley, 1851) -
When half-way through the journey of our life
I found that I was in a gloomy wood,
because the path which led aright was lost.
(Langdon, 1918) -
When I had journeyed half of our life’s way,
I found myself within a shadowed forest,
for I had lost the path that does not stray.
(Mandelbaum, 1980) Caroline Bergvall, “VIA” from Fig. Copyright © 2005 by Caroline Bergvall. Reprinted by permission of Salt Publishing.
Source: Fig (Salt Publishing, 2005)