Poets and thinkers
Lucan
Latin poet, author of the Pharsalia, recalled by Dante as one of the great masters of Limbo, where he appears together with Homer, Horace, Ovid, and Virgil.
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Lucan is the Latin poet, author of the Pharsalia, placed by Dante in Limbo among the great ancient poets. In Canto IV of the Inferno, after naming Homer as "sovrano" and Horace as "savio," Dante indicates the remaining poets of the group with the verses "Ovidio è 'l terzo, e l'ultimo Lucano." Virgil presents these five authors as "la bella scola," the company of poets who honor the name of poetry and welcome Dante with reverence. The notes to Canto IV specify that the poets mentioned appear in chronological order and that Lucan here represents the tragic style. Dante recognizes Lucan as one of his major epic models, second only to Virgil, and recalls him throughout the Commedia; in particular, in Canto XXV of the Inferno, before the metamorphoses of the thieves, the author addresses the poet directly with the verse "Taccia Lucano…," declaring that his description surpasses that of the metamorphoses narrated in the Pharsalia.
In the text
Linked verses
2 verses| Cantica | Canto | Verso | Testo | Open verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inferno | Canto IV | 90 | Ovidio è ’l terzo, e l’ultimo Lucano. | Open verse |
| Inferno | Canto XXV | 94 | Taccia Lucano ormai là dov’ e’ tocca | Open verse |