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		<title>Dante Alighieri -- The Divine Comedy [Divina Commedia], Book 2 &#8220;Purgatorio,&#8221; Canto 12, l.  95ff (12.95-96) (1314) [tr. Bang (2019)]</title>
		<link>https://wist.info/dante-alighieri-poet/65717/</link>
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		<pubDate>Fri, 22 Dec 2023 19:21:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Dave</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Dante Alighieri]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ascent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[destiny]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[discouragement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[faltering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[flight]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[humanity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[obstacle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[problem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[triviality]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[O human beings, you&#8217;re born to fly straight up, Why does a little gust of wind bring you down? &#160; [O gente umana, per volar sù nata, perché a poco vento così cadi?] Some translators have this as a comment by Dante on how few takers there are to the Angel of Humility&#8217;s invitation to [&#8230;]]]></description>
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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>O human beings, you&#8217;re born to fly straight up,<br />
Why does a little gust of wind bring you down?<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<em>[O gente umana, per volar sù nata,<br />
perché a poco vento così cadi?]</em></p>
<br><b>Dante Alighieri</b> (1265-1321) Italian poet<br><i>The Divine Comedy [Divina Commedia]</i>, Book 2 <i>&#8220;Purgatorio,&#8221;</i> Canto 12, l.  95ff (12.95-96) (1314) [tr. Bang (2019)] 
									<br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;(<a href="https://poems.com/poem/canto-xii-excerpt/#:~:text=O%20human%20beings,bring%20you%20down%3F" target="_blank">Source</a>)
										<br><br><span class="cite">
						

Some translators have this as a comment by Dante on how few takers there are to the Angel of Humility's invitation to ascend higher; others, including most modern translators, make it part of the Angel's speech.<br><br>

(<a href="https://it.wikisource.org/wiki/Divina_Commedia/Purgatorio/Canto_XII#:~:text=o%20gente%20umana%2C%20per%20volar%20s%C3%B9%20nata%2C%0Aperch%C3%A9%20a%20poco%20vento%20cos%C3%AC%20cadi%3F">Source (Italian)</a>). Alternate translations:<br><br>

<blockquote>Ye Souls for Heav'n design'd! ye Sons of Day!<br>
Why should a random breeze o'erset your fail <br>
When heav'n-ward bound?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/divinacommediad00unkngoog/page/n178/mode/2up?q=%22How+few%2C+alas+%21%22">Boyd</a> (1802), st. 18] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab"><span class="tab">O ye race of men<br>
Though born to soar, why suffer ye a wind<br>
So slight to baffle ye?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/8795/8795-h/8795-h.htm#cantoII.12:~:text=A%20scanty%20few%20are%20they%2C%20who%20when%20they%20hear%0ASuch%20tidings%2C%20hasten.%20O%20ye%20race%20of%20men%0AThough%20born%20to%20soar%2C%20why%20suffer%20ye%20a%20wind%0ASo%20slight%20to%20baffle%20ye%3F">Cary</a> (1814)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human race! whose birthright is to soar,<br>
How little wind will make your course give o'er!<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/comedyofdanteal00dant/page/216/mode/2up?q=%22whose+birthright%22">Bannerman</a> (1850)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human creatures, born to soar aloft,<br>
Why fall ye thus before a little wind?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Divine_Comedy_(Longfellow_1867)/Volume_2/Canto_12#:~:text=O%20human%20creatures%2C%20born%20to%20soar%20aloft%2C%0A%C2%A0%C2%A0%C2%A0Why%20fall%20ye%20thus%20before%20a%20little%20wind%3F">Longfellow</a> (1867)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O race of men, born to fly upward, why at a little wind fall ye so down?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/purgatorydantea00aliggoog/page/n160/mode/2up?q=%22O+race+of+men%22">Butler</a> (1885)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human race, though born above to soar,<br>
Why at the slightest breath dost thou thus fall ?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/divinecomedyofda00dantrich/page/176/mode/2up?q=%22born+above+to%22">Minchin</a> (1885)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human race, born to fly upward, why before a little wind dost thou so fall?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1996/1996-h/1996-h.htm#cantoII.XII:~:text=O%20human%20race%2C%20born%20to%20fly%20upward%2C%20why%20before%20a%20little%20wind%20dost%20thou%20so%20fall%3F">Norton</a> (1892)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human folk, born to fly upward, why at a breath of wind thus fall ye down?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/purgatorioofdant00dant_0/page/144/mode/2up?q=%22born+to+fly+upward%22">Okey</a> (1901)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O race of men, born to fly upward, why do you fall back so for a little wind?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/iipurgatoriowith00dant/page/158/mode/2up?q=%22o+race+of+men%22">Sinclair</a> (1939)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human spirits, upward born to spring, <br>
Why fall ye down at a brief blast of air?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/portabledante00dant/page/248/mode/2up?q=%22o+human+spirits%22">Binyon</a> (1943)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human race, born to take flight and soar,<br>
Why fall ye, for one breath of wind, to earth?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/divinecomedy0002unse/page/160/mode/2up?q=%22born+to+take+flight%22">Sayers</a> (1955)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O sons of man, born to ascend on high, <br>
how can so slight a wind-puff make you fall?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/purgatorio00dant/page/132/mode/2up?q=%22sons+of+man%22">Ciardi</a> (1961)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O race of men, born to fly upward, <br>
why do you fall so at a breath of wind?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Divine_Comedy_II_Purgatorio_Vol_II_P/2Q48EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=o%20%22born%20to%20fly%22">Singleton</a> (1973)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O race of men, born to fly heavenward,<br>
how can a breath of wind make you fall back?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/dantealighierisd03dant/page/118/mode/2up?q=%22born+to+fly+heavenward%22">Musa</a> (1981)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human race, born to fly upwards, <br>
Why do you fall at such a little breeze?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/divinecomedy0000dant/page/250/mode/2up?q=%22born+to+fly%22">Sisson</a> (1981)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O humankind, born for the upward flight, <br>
why are you driven back by wind so slight?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/purgatorio0000dant_m5q7/page/106/mode/2up?q=%22humankind+born%22">Mandelbaum</a> (1982)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human race, born to fly upward, why do you fall at so little wind?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/divinecomedyofda0002dant_d4k9/page/192/mode/2up?q=%22born+to+fly%22">Durling</a> (2003)]</blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human race, born to soar, why do you fall so, at a breath of wind?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.poetryintranslation.com/PITBR/Italian/DantPurg8to14.php#PurgCantoXII64:~:text=O%20human%20race%2C%20born%20to%20soar%2C%20why%20do%20you%20fall%20so%2C%20at%20a%20breath%20of%20wind%3F">Kline</a> (2002)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human nature! You are born to fly! <br>
Why fail and fall at, merely, puffs of wind?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://archive.org/details/divinecomedy2pur0000dant/page/110/mode/2up?q=%22born+to+fly%22">Kirkpatrick</a> (2007)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O race of man, born to fly on high,<br>
why does a puff of wind cause you to fall?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://dante.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/dante/campuscgi/mpb/GetCantoSection.pl?INP_POEM=Purg&INP_SECT=12&INP_START=95&INP_LEN=2&LANG=0">Hollander/Hollander</a> (2007)] </blockquote><br>

<blockquote>O human race, born to fly on high,<br>
How can the slightest breeze blow dust in your eyes?<br>
[tr. <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Divine_Comedy/WZyBj-s9PfsC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22born%20to%20fly%22">Raffel</a> (2010)] </blockquote><br>
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