Here, I am curious how the poem's title influences my own reading of the poem. Beginning the poem with the title, "Dante" I read it with an understanding that the poem is about Dante Alighieri, thought showers rush in about the Inferno and other stages of the Divine Comedy.
As a reader at best only vaguely familiar with Dante's life and work, I want to highlight the context clues within the poem that reinforce the title, while simultaneously exploring the more universal themes within the text.
* "Even after his death he did not return/to the city that nursed him." (1-2): This immediately suggests exile and expatriation. The use of "nursed" implies a maternal sensibility that links one's homeland with vitality (as if the city is responsible for both birthing and sustaining life). Specifically, in reference to Dante -- he was condemned to permanent exile from his native Florence. Furthermore, his city is continually referred to with feminine pronouns (e.g., "her streets", "sent her a curse"), which reinforces the maternal function of a city.
* "his beloved Florence" (11): This seems to be one of the most explicit connections to Dante, as he is inextricably linked to his Florentine identity.
* "But never, in a penitent's shirt,/did he walk barefoot with lighted candle" (9-10): "Never, in a penitent's shirt" suggests Dante's refusal to express sorrow or regret for his actions. He believed he was not guilty for the accusations that forced his exile, so refused to pay the fines or confess. More broadly, this statement seems to express a dignity of those wrongfully accused (or abused) and illustrates the refusal to return as a stranger to one's wrecked home. Walking "barefoot" and with a "lighted candle" both emphasize a profound disorientation. To require a "lighted candle" assumes darkness has fallen upon one's city and there are no relics of familiarity or recognition. Furthermore walking "barefoot" demonstrates the profound lack of a citizenry expelled, forced to return to nothing with nothing. The lighted candle toward the end of the poem is contrasted with the "torches" (5) at the beginning. As he is sent from his city torches illuminate the night, which implies a certain lucidity as he leaves, but if he were to return the darkness would only be interrupted by a single flickering candle.
* "He sent her a curse from hell/and in heaven could not forget her." (7-8): The reference to hell and heaven are explicit gestures to the Inferno and Paradise of Dante's Divine Comedy.
The clues in this poem are undeniable; the subject Dante could be derived with or without the title. This poem is extremely well written and resolved, yet I feel the risk of its title is that it tempts the reader to particularize the poem to Dante, closing it off to a more universal reading. Instead this poem should be read as an allegorical account that represents the challenges of exile, namely how to reconcile one's relationship with the city he or she has been expelled from.
After two seemingly unrelated commentaries on two Dante-inspired poems, I have a series of questions:
Are both poems about Dante Alighieri? What clues in "Identity Check" might support that reading?
How would a real character, Dante, affect the task of representation "Identity Check" attempts to resolve?
These poems are drastically different: one is originally Russian, one german; one was written in 1936, one is much more contemporary. Can these differences be resolved? Can these poems be compared in a way that is productive and yields new understanding?
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