T. s. eliot begins "the love song of j. alfred prufrock" with a translated quotation from dante’s inferno. if i thought my reply were to someone who could ever return to the world, this flame would waver no more. but since, i’m told, nobody ever escapes from this pit, i’ll tell you without fear of ill fame. what is the best explanation for prefacing the poem with this quotation? the narrator will tell the story in the poem because he wants to leave a record of the events in his life. the narrator will tell the story in the poem because the reader is unable to tell anyone else. the narrator will tell the story in the poem because he believes that his fate is set and he has nothing to lose. the narrator will tell the story in the poem to everyone who will listen, but he is worried about his reputation.