Sunday 19 November 2023

Dante's Inferno, Canto#6: "DANTE, GO and SEE" (Crayfish Étouffée)

"The Circle of the Gluttons"
W. Blake

PASTICHE WITH PARODY SONG-LYRICS
ORIGINAL POEM:  Canto#6 of "Inferno" by Dante Alighieri, the first book in the triad, "The Divine Comedy", written in the early 14th century.
ORIGINAL SONG: "Baby, Please Don't Go", Big Joe Williams 1935, popularized by Muddy Waters, used here primarily for music and meter.
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, November 2015.


In the Third Circle, Dante sees the fate of gluttons like his friend from Florence named ‘Ciacco’ (the equivalent of ‘Piggy’). No fire used for torture here; the climate sounds like Toronto in March. The poor souls confined here in the freezing mud are tormented by a demonic three-headed dog, Cerberus. I took some liberties with Ciacco’s tale; in the original, he discusses the complex politics of 14th century Florence. The details I provided re Ciacco's gluttonous exploits are imagined. Eschatology is the part of theology concerned with final judgment and the destiny of the soul.  Étouffée is a delicious Louisiana dish of seafood, usually crayfish, in a Cajun roux sauce.



"Cerberus", W. Blake
New Orleans style crayfish etouffée














DANTE, GO AND SEE 

(to the tune of "Baby Please Don't Go")

Sono al cerchio terzo,
Dov'è'l crudele Cerbero

La pena di golosi; mi veggio intorno
Novi tormentati.

Dante go and see
Dante go and see
Dante go and see what’s in Circle Three - 
They punish gluttony.

Virge led me way down here
Virge brought me way down here
Another Ring of Fear, fiend in charge appear
Be a three-headed dog.

Thermostat set low
Pelting rain, hail, snow
Sinners grovel, sit in freezing mud, like sh*t
Hounded by that cursed dog.

Guy who waves hello -
Dante used to know,
‘Ciacco’, brought so low; he’s a Florentine
He tells his story, so …..

'ALL YOU EAT - ' , sign say - 
'CRAYFISH ÉTOUFFÉE'
Stayed all day and ate food from New Orleans
Now Circle Three’s my fate. ”

Virgil’s prophecy:
Eschatology -
Our friend ‘Piggy’ sit in that freezing sh*t
‘Til final trumpet blow.

So baby, please don’t stray
Don’t pig out that way
Don’t eat étouffée down in New Orleans
Or Circle Three’s your fate.

Dante go and see
Dante go and see
Dante go and see what’s in Circle Three - 
They punish gluttony.







HOT LINKS TO THE SATIRE-SONGS IN THIS SERIES:
Canto 1A: Dante’s Song
Canto 6: Dante, Go and See (Crayfish Étouffée)  - see below.



UKULELE-FRIENDLY FORMAT: 
(Click on any chord-chart slide to advance to 'presentation/singalong' mode.)


































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