The phrase encapsulates the pursuit of rendering Dante Alighieri’s masterpiece, La Divina Commedia, in a way that captures not only the literal meaning of the Italian text but also its artistic merit, historical context, and enduring resonance. It signifies a version that balances accuracy with aesthetic appeal, ensuring that contemporary readers can experience the poem’s power and nuance despite the linguistic and cultural distance separating them from its original creation.
Such a rendition offers enhanced accessibility to a pivotal work of Western literature, making its complex themes and intricate allegories understandable to a wider audience. It preserves the poem’s artistic integrity, allowing the beauty of Dante’s language and the depth of his philosophical insights to shine through, even when conveyed in a different language. Historically, varying attempts at this reflect changing literary tastes and scholarly approaches to textual interpretation.