Dante Lost in the Dark Forest

Midway upon the journey of his life, Dante finds himself lost in a dark, savage forest, having abandoned the straight path. The fear and terror of this place are so great that death itself seems little more bitter. He cannot recall how he entered, so full of slumber was he at the moment he left the true way. After a night of piteous wandering, he reaches the foot of a hill whose shoulders are already clothed with the rays of the planet that leads men right by every road. His fear is somewhat quieted, and he looks back at the pass that never yet left a living person alive. After resting his weary body, he begins to climb the desert slope, but his way is impeded by three beasts: a swift and spotted panther, a ravenous lion with head uplifted, and a she-wolf laden with all hungerings. The she-wolf drives him back toward the dark valley where the sun is silent. This opening scene establishes the allegorical framework of the entire poem: the soul's journey from sin to salvation, with the dark forest representing worldly error and the sunlit hill representing spiritual perfection.