Matthew Arnold's 'S.S. Lusitania': A Poetic Journey Inspired by Dante's 'Divine Comedy' - , Apuntes de Idioma Inglés

¡Descarga Matthew Arnold's 'S.S. Lusitania': A Poetic Journey Inspired by Dante's 'Divine Comedy' - y más Apuntes en PDF de Idioma Inglés solo en Docsity! “S.S. Lusitania” It was in the 19th century, specifically in 1879, when the poet Matthew Arnold wrote "S.S. Lusitania", with the reason for the trip from England to Australia of his son, called Richard Penrose Arnold, also known as Dick. Matthew Arnold wrote this poem when his son Dick, the third of six children, already an adult, travelled from England to Australia to set up in the country in the ship “S.S Lusitania”. It is a hopeful poem, in which the writer hopes Dick arrived healthy to that new and unknown land, after sailing through those seas, and being close to that island with that volcano considered so dangerous along history and by many poets. And happened so, Dick arrived healthy to Australia. But, actually, Dick did not cross near to Tenerife, it was an invention of the author. Arnold decided start writing the poem making reference to the canto number twenty-six from "Divine Comedy" written by Dante Alighieri in the 14th century. First of all, it is important to comment some aspects of this literary work. Divine Comedy narrates the journey of Dante through Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso, accompained with Virgilio, his admired poet, who wrote works such as Dido and Aeneas. Here, I left you the piece of the canto XXVI which is related to "S.S. Lusitania": "But I put forth on the high open sea With one sole ship, and that small company By which I never had deserted been. Both of the shores I saw as far as Spain, Far as Morocco, and the isle of Sardes, And the others which that sea bathes round about. I and my company were old and slow When at that narrow passage we arrived Where Hercules his landmarks set as signals, That man no farther onward should adventure. On the right hand behind me left I Seville, And on the other already had left Ceuta. 'O brothers, who amid a hundred thousand Perils,' I said, 'have come unto the West, To this so inconsiderable vigil Which is remaining of your senses still Be ye unwilling to deny the knowledge, Following the sun, of the unpeopled world. Consider ye the seed from which ye sprang; Ye were not made to live like unto brutes, But for pursuit of virtue and of knowledge.' So eager did I render my companions, With this brief exhortation, for the voyage, That then I hardly could have held them back. And having turned our stern unto the morning, We of the oars made wings for our mad flight, Evermore gaining on the larboard side. Already all the stars of the other pole The night beheld, and ours so very low It did not rise above the ocean floor. Five times rekindled and as many quenched Had been the splendour underneath the moon, Since we had entered into the deep pass, When there appeared to us a mountain, dim From distance, and it seemed to me so high As I had never any one beheld. Joyful were we, and soon it turned to weeping;