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Spartan Surfers

1265–1321

Dante

Florentine poet who wrote the Divine Comedy in exile, a journey from the dark wood through Hell and up to the stars.

8 sourced lines

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. Midway through life, I found myself in a dark wood.

    The most famous opening in Italian begins with a man who has lost his way. Getting lost in the middle of life is common and survivable. Admitting you are in the dark wood is how the journey starts.

    Inferno 1.1-3, our translation from the Italian

  2. No one comes to glory sitting on cushions.

    Virgil pushes an exhausted Dante up a rocky climb out of a pit of Hell. Comfort and fame do not mix. Get up off the couch.

    Inferno 24.47-48, our translation from the Italian

  3. Get up. Beat exhaustion with the spirit that wins every battle.

    Virgil adds that the spirit wins as long as it does not sink under the weight of the body. Tiredness is real but it is not the boss. Let your will carry your legs.

    Inferno 24.52-53, our translation from the Italian

  4. You were not made to live like animals, but to seek courage and knowledge.

    Ulysses uses these words to urge his old crew past the edge of the known world. Humans are made for more than comfort and appetite. Keep exploring and keep learning.

    Inferno 26.119-120, our translation from the Italian

  5. And then we came out to see the stars again.

    This is the last line of the Inferno, as Dante and Virgil climb out of Hell. Every canticle of the poem ends on the word stars. However deep the descent, there is a way back up.

    Inferno 34.139, our translation from the Italian

  6. Raise the sails for better waters.

    Dante opens the second part of his poem by leaving the cruel sea of Hell behind. The little ship of his mind raises its sails. When a dark chapter closes, set out on purpose.

    Purgatorio 1.1-2, our translation from the Italian

  7. Follow me and let people talk. Stand like a tower.

    Dante slows down because souls are whispering about him, and Virgil tells him to keep walking. A tower does not shake its top because the wind blows. Gossip is weather; keep your direction.

    Purgatorio 5.13-15, our translation from the Italian

  8. A small spark can light a great flame.

    Dante hopes his attempt will inspire better poets after him. Big things often start small. Your spark may be the one that catches.

    Paradiso 1.34, our translation from the Italian