DANTE

Inferno 4.61 · 4.61

He made them blessed

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e altri molti, e feceli beati. E vo’ che sappi che, dinanzi ad essi, spiriti umani non eran salvati».

and many others, and he made them blessed. And I would have you know that, before these, no human souls had been saved.’

Word by word

eehandaltriAHL-treeothersmoltiMOHL-teemany,eehandfeceliFEH-cheh-leehe made thembeatibeh-AH-teeblessed.EehAndvo’voI wouldchekethatsappiSAHP-peeyou knowchekethat,dinanzidee-NAHN-tseebeforeadahdessiES-seethem,spiritiSPEE-ree-teespiritsumanioo-MAH-neehumannonnonnoteranEH-ranweresalvatisal-VAH-teesaved».

The setting

And many others he led out and made blessed; before them, Virgil says, no human souls were saved.

A note on this passage

Virgil finishes the great answer: the mighty one <i>feceli beati</i>, made them blessed, opening heaven to them at last. Dante's question — did anyone ever leave? — is answered with a resounding yes.

The closing fact is stark: <i>dinanzi ad essi… non eran salvati</i>. Before the harrowing, no human soul had entered heaven at all. Salvation itself had a beginning in time, and Virgil, dead just before it came, missed it by the narrowest of margins — a fact he states without complaint.

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