Thereās a reason why Dante is known in Italy as theĀ āSupreme Poetā; his immortal verses are ingrained in our collective memory, having been studied by countless generations of students, and often find their way in our everyday speech as well. The following expressions, all taken from his Divine Comedy, will sound at least familiar to most Italians, even though not everyone uses them or knows their original meaning. See if youāve already heard them!
1. Non ti curar di lor, ma guarda e passa
This is actually a common distortion of the original verseĀ āNon ragioniam di lor, ma guarda e passaā (āLet us not speak of them, but look and pass onā), uttered by Vergil in the third Canto of the Inferno [Hell]. Heās urging Dante not to pay too much attention to the souls theyāre passing by, belonging to those who took no sides in life and therefore did nothing to be remembered. Itās commonly used to say that one shouldnāt worry about others spreading slander about them, but just ignore it and go on with their life.
2. Lasciate ogne speranza, voi chāintrate
Also quoted asĀ āLasciate ogni speranza, o voi chāentrateā (āAbandon all hope, ye who enter hereā), itās not really used as a saying, but youāll have a hard time finding an Italian school without this sign hanging out or inside one or more classrooms. Itās supposed to be a part of the inscription found on top of the gates of Hell, so you can draw your own conclusions.
3. Senza infamia e senza lode
The original quote being ācoloro / che visser sanza ānfamia e sanza lodoā (āthose who lived without infamy and without praiseā), this expression once again refers to those who took no sides in life, and is used in the third Canto of the Inferno. If something isĀ āsenza infamia e senza lodeā, it means that itās mediocre: not terrible, but not that great either.
In the second circle of Hell are those overcome by lust; among them Dante comes across Francesca da Rimini and her lover, Paolo Malatesta. Francesca was in an arranged marriage with Giovanni Malatesta (also known as Gianciotto), but quickly fell in love with his younger brother, and began to carry on an adulterous affair with him, until the two were surprised and killed by her husband. Through the voice of Francesca, Dante describes how the pair finally surrendered to love while reading the old French romance Lancelot du Lac, and especially the description of the adultery between Guinevere and Lancelot. āGaleotto fu āl libro e chi lo scrisseā (āA Gallehaut was the book, and he who wrote itā), says Francesca, meaning that the book served as an intermediary for their love just like the character of Gallehaut did for Lancelot and Guinivereās. Nowadays, any object or person that ends up favoring a romantic relationship can replace the wordĀ ālibroā in this construction.
Italy is commonly (and sometimes ironically) known asĀ āil bel Paeseā (āthe fair landā), and thatās thanks to Dante and Petrarcaās verses, who respectively wroteĀ ādel bel lĆ Paese doveĀ āl sƬ sonaā (āOf the fair land there where the 'SƬā doth soundā, Inferno, canto XXXIII) andĀ āil bel paese /Ā ch'Appennin parte e 'l mar circonda e l'Alpeā (āthat fair country / the Apennines divide, and Alps and sea surroundā).
āColui / che fece per viltade il gran rifiutoā (āHe who / due to cowardice made the great refusalā, Inferno, canto III) is commonly thought to be Pope Celestine V, who was only pope for five months in 1294 before he resigned, enabling Bonifacio VIII to take up the position; Dante was notoriously salty about this, since he wasnāt really on good terms with Boniface (who was responsible for his exile from Florence). As you might imagine, this quote made a huge comeback back in 2013, when pope Benedict XVI also resigned, but itās often employed in less extraordinary situations, usually for comedic effect.
āStare frescoā usually means to be in for some trouble, or to delude oneself into thinking that one will escape a negative (and predictable outcome); āStai fresco!ā is roughly equivalent toĀ āYeah, right!ā orĀ āIn your dreams!ā. The expression apparently refers to a specific place in Danteās Hell, the frozen lake of Cocytus,Ā ālĆ dove i peccatori stanno freschiā (āthere where the sinners are put to stay freshā).
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