Commentary Inf III 27

E suon di man con elle. Boccaccio's gloss (DDP Boccaccio.Inf.IX.49-51) to [Inf IX 50], 'battiensi a palme,' which describes the Furies beating their breasts 'come qui [on earth] fanno le femine che gran dolor sentono, o mostran di sentire,' may help unravel this verse as well: the sound is that of hands striking the sinners' own bodies as they beat their breasts, as Boccaccio had already suggested in his gloss to this verse: 'come soglion far le femine battendosi a palme' (DDP Boccaccio.Inf.III.27-29). See M. Barbi (Barb.1934.1), p. 267. Others today (e.g., Bosco/Reggio [DDP Bosco.Inf.III.27]) allow for two possibilities: the sound results either from striking the body of another or one's own.