Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita

Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura
ché la diritta via era smarrita.

I love the sound of these opening lines of Dante's Inferno

Here's Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's translation:

Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.

Last night I meant to go to bed early because I had a long journey to Hougang in the morning to give a talk at a retreat at CAYC. But I couldn't fall asleep - so I thought of searching for a recitation of Dante in Italian.


I found one by the famous Roberto Benigni. Here's Canto I of Inferno



The recitation is in front of the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence.

Turns out that Benigni is a huge fan of Dante. See how he gets carried away in this interview:



"Is a book alive! You can eat it...you can smell!" Hehee :D