Dante/La Double Vie de Véronique

One of my New Year's resolutions is to read Dante. I keep putting it off and then feel stupid when my flatmates (who had to study Inferno as part of a Classical Legacies course) make reference to it - but I've only ever read selections. It's incredibly time-consuming, especially because I have this mistaken idea that I'll read it in Italian - actually all this means is that I'll never get round to it. But 2011 is the year to try.

I watched La Double Vie de Véronique in December and absolutely loved it. I can't really explain the premise - essentially, two women living different lives in different countries are inexplicably linked. To some extent they are the same person - not really understanding their double nature but somehow aware of the connection. That doesn't sound especially compelling, but believe me, it's beautiful. Music has an important role both in terms of the plot and the structure of the film - it links together the two (one?) protagonists, and has an unusually violent effect on them.

In one of the most dramatic scenes Weronika sings part of the 'Van den Budenmayer concerto' - apparently by a forgotten Dutch master, but actually composed specifically for the film by Zbigniew Preisner. The music continues to haunt Véronique throughout the latter part of the film, though she is unable to explain why.

The text is from Dante's Paradiso, and it is really is haunting. The music and words together send a chill down my spine.

O voi che siete in piccioletta barca, 
desiderosi d'ascoltar, seguiti
dietro al mio legno che cantando varca, 
[tornate a riveder li vostri liti:] 
Non vi mettete in pelago, ché forse,
perdendo me, rimarreste smarriti. 
L'acqua ch'io prendo giá mai non si corse; 
Minerva spira è conducemi Appollo,
è nove Muse mi dimostran l'Orse.
Dante, Paradiso, II, 1-9.

O you who are in your tiny boat,
eager to hear more, following
behind my ship that advances, singing,
[go back, if you are to see your shores again.]
Do not put yourselves to sea, for if
you lose me, you too will be forever lost.
The waters I travel have never yet been crossed;
Minerva breathes, and Apollo guides me,
it is the nine Muses who show me the North Star.

 

I put the fourth line in brackets, because it is not included in the 'concerto'; I wonder if this is because there is no return for Weronika.

Another resolution is to blog more. I'm amazed I've kept this going for nearly two years, despite sporadic periods of inactivity. I've still not quite figured out the right balance, so for those that do read this occasionally, what sort of content do you prefer? More Classics? More personal? Less personal? More quotes? Less artwork? More language-based posts? Let me know if you have any ideas.

Happy New Year to all!