Literature Network » Dante Alighieri

SCIENCE; Notebook

Content courtesy of

From: The Washington Post
Date: 20050411
Author:

Galileo Galilee, the Italian physicist, astronomer and mathematician, may have unintentionally cribbed one of his greatest insights from a countryman who had been dead 300 years: the poet Dante Alighieri.

The description of Dante's descent from the seventh to the eighth circle of hell in "The Divine Comedy" involves the poet being transported on the wings of the monster Geryon. In a translation by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dante describes the sensation of not knowing whether he was at rest or in motion after losing visual points of reference: "Onward he goeth, swimming slowly, slowly / ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Dante Alighieri

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.