Divine Comedy, Longfellow's Translation, Hell: 40 words to know before you read it
The 40 words Dante Alighieri uses again and again in Divine Comedy, Longfellow's Translation, Hell that are outside the 4,000 most common in English. Learn them first and the opening chapters read much more easily. Each comes with its pronunciation and a sentence from the book.
thou/ˈðaʊ/329× in the book
“Whiche’er thou art, or shade or real man!”
thee/ˈði/156× in the book
And lead thee hence through the eternal place,
unto/ˈəntu/116× in the book
“Have pity on me,” unto him I cried,
doth/ˈdɔθ/57× in the book
For she doth make my veins and pulses tremble.”
descend/dɪˈsɛnd/39× in the book
The here descending down into this centre,
behold/bɪˈhoʊɫd/32× in the book
Turn itself back to re-behold the pass
downward/ˈdaʊnwɝd/28× in the book
While I was rushing downward to the lowland,
weep/ˈwip/26× in the book
Who weeps in all his thoughts and is despondent,
thine/ˈðaɪn/23× in the book
To the adventure, with these words of thine,
crag/ˈkɹæɡ/21× in the book
Shall not prevent thy going down this crag.”
wholly/ˈhoʊɫi/21× in the book
Cometh before him, wholly it confesses;
depart/dɪˈpɑɹt/20× in the book
Day was departing, and the embrowned air
moat/ˈmoʊt/19× in the book
Then we arrived within the moats profound,
torment/ˈtɔɹˌmɛnt/19× in the book
And this arose from sorrow without torment,
wont/ˈwoʊnt/17× in the book
Who’rt wont to be a comfort to my fears?”
onward/ˈɔnwɝd/17× in the book
So did my soul, that still was fleeing onward,
whence/ˈhwɛns/16× in the book
There from whence envy first did let her loose.
thyself/ˌðaɪˈsɛɫf/16× in the book
Consume within thyself with thine own rage.
lament/ɫəˈmɛnt/15× in the book
To these, that maketh them lament so sore?”
boil/ˈbɔɪɫ/15× in the book
Near to a fount that boils, and pours itself
serpent/ˈsɝpənt/14× in the book
Which hidden is, as in the grass a serpent.
upward/ˈəpwɝd/14× in the book
It hither, thither, downward, upward, drives them;
honour/ˈɑnɝ/13× in the book
“O, of the other poets honour and light,
thrust/ˈθɹəst/13× in the book
As grades he wishes it should be thrust down.
beast/ˈbist/13× in the book
The variegated skin of that wild beast,
dolorous12× in the book
Thou shalt behold the people dolorous
se/ˈseɪ/12× in the book
That, as thou seest, it doth not yet desert me;
disdain/dɪsˈdeɪn/12× in the book
Misericord and Justice both disdain them.
weary/ˈwɪɹi/12× in the book
After my weary body I had rested,
eternal/iˈtɝnəɫ/12× in the book
Through me the way is to eternal dole;
colour/ˈkəɫɝ/11× in the book
These words in sombre colour I beheld
sinner/ˈsɪnɝ/11× in the book
Down at the bottom were the sinners naked;
vain/ˈveɪn/11× in the book
“Phlegyas, Phlegyas, thou criest out in vain
demon/ˈdimən/11× in the book
Charon the demon, with the eyes of glede,
backward/ˈbækwɝd/11× in the book
Each one turned backward, rolling retrograde,
conceal/kənˈsiɫ/11× in the book
If reek of the morass conceal it not.”
lamentation10× in the book
Where thou shalt hear the desperate lamentations,
countenance/ˈkaʊntənəns/10× in the book
Of great authority in their countenance;
lofty/ˈɫɔfti/10× in the book
There is his city and his lofty throne;
pity/ˈpɪti/10× in the book
Dost thou not hear the pity of his plaint?
Pronunciation: ipa-dict (MIT), from Wiktionary.
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