Plaque placed at the foot of the Baptistery, on the side facing the Cathedral.
Paradiso – Canto XXV vv 1 – 9
” SE MAI CONTINGA CHE ‘L POEMA SACRO
AL QVALE HA POSTO MANO E CIELO E TERRA
SI CHE M’HA FATTO PER PIV ANNI MACRO,
VINCA LA CRVDELTA CHE FVOR MI SERRA
DEL BELLO OVILE, OV’IO DORMì AGNELLO
NIMICO AI LVPI, CHE LI DANNO GVERRA,
CON ALTRA VOCE OMAI, CON ALTRO VELLO
RITORNERO POETA, ED IN SVL FONTE
DEL MIO BATTESIMO PRENDERO ‘L CAPELLO”
“If it should ever happen that the sacred poem, to which both Heaven (divine experience) and Earth (human experience) have set their hand, and which has made me lean for many years (due to the labor it cost me), should overcome the cruelty [of my enemies] that keeps me barred from the fair fold (Florence), where as a lamb I slept, a foe to the wolves that war against it; then I shall return as a poet, with a new fame (‘another voice’) and honor (‘another fleece’), and I shall receive the laurel crown at the font of my Baptism [the Baptistery of San Giovanni].”
“Dante defines the Comedy as ‘sacred’ not only for its subject matter but because it is an overarching work of universal scope. The expression ‘Heaven and Earth’ indicates its total inspiration. ‘Made me lean’ (fatto macro) is a captatio benevolentiae that highlights the enormous physical and moral effort the composition cost him during his years of exile.
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The Fair Fold and the Wolves: The ‘fair fold’ (bell’ovile) is an affectionate, biblical metaphor for his birthplace, Florence, seen as a protected place. The ‘wolves’ are his political enemies (the Black Guelphs) who condemned him.
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Another Fleece (Altro vello): Dante imagines returning not as the young, exiled Guelph, but as a world-renowned poet. The ‘fleece’ continues the sheep/lamb metaphor, suggesting a mature, poetic ‘coat.’
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The Baptismal Font: The climax of his hope is the Baptistery of San Giovanni. He desires the laurel crown—the symbol of the poet laureate—not in a foreign court, but in the most sacred and significant place of his own city.
In summary: These verses express Dante’s deepest hope: that the universal value of his work might be recognized, compelling his enemies to recall him from exile and crown him poet in his beloved Florence, as a deserved honor for his life and his labor.”
