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Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.
DanteInferno · Canto I.1
Prologue: The Dark Wood
Canto 1 of 34 — 3% descent
At age 35 — the midpoint of the biblical lifespan — the poet Dante finds himself lost in a dark wood of sin and confusion. Three beasts block his path upward. The shade of the Roman poet Virgil appears, sent by Beatrice, to guide him on an alternative route: down through Hell itself.
Why This Matters
The opening line of the Divine Comedy — one of the most recognizable first lines in world literature.
exilecrisisjourney
The Dark Wood
Gustave Doré, 1857 · Public Domain