Walking With Dante

Jaksot

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  Piccarda Donati's Apotheosis of the Will: PARADISO, Canto III, Lines 58 - 87 16.09.2026 30min

  Piccarda has confessed to her more humble place in the heavens. Our pilgrim Dante then wants to know if she wants more.Her answer leads her to an apotheosis of the will. Everything in the universe is in harmony; all dissonances are put aside.It also leads her to a similar spot that Francesca comes to in INFERNO V: a riff off a quotation from St. Augustine's CONFESSIONS.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as Piccarda offers her answer to a central question in COMEDY: How does the universe reconcile its differences?Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:04] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto III, Lines 58 - 87. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me through a dropped comment, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:35] Dante's position in this passage: (1) the pilgrim's smaller question gets a bigger, cosmological answer; and (2) the poet's desire for a greater position may lie under the pilgrim's question.[08:39] Movement in the passage: (1) from not knowing to living the best life, (2) from individuality to unity, and (3) from created to creator.[15:41] Metamorphosis in the passage: (1) their aspects, (2) Piccarda's desire, (3) their wills, and (4) possibly God's.[20:57] Piccarda's use of Latin: the sweet new style gets elevated.[23:49] Francesca and Piccarda: Augustine's students![28:11] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto III, lines 58 - 87.
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  The First Soul in Paradise, Piccarda Donati: PARADISO, Canto III, Lines 34 - 57 13.09.2026 29min

  At long last, the first soul--or "shade"--steps forward in Paradise. She's Piccarda Donati, a figure we've already encountered once (maybe even twice) in COMEDY.Dante flatters her to speak and she begins, not with herself, but with some theology and thoughts on her placement in the heavens.Along the way, her speech takes on some dark spots of ambiguity, about like the moon with its rare and dense material.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin our time with the first soul in Paradise.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:04] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto III, Lines 34 - 57. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:12] Introducing Piccarda Donati, a nun forced to violate her vows.[09:11] Finding Piccarda Donati elsewhere in COMEDY, particularly at PURGATORIO XXIII and XXIV, in the speech of her brother, Forese, among the gluttons.[12:19] Also finding Piccarda Donati in Francesca from INFERNO V.[18:00] Finding darkness (or ambiguity) in Piccarda--moon spots, as it were.[22:51] Playing games with vows, voids, and volition (or the will).[26:37] Rereading PARADISO, Canto III, lines 34 - 87.
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  Catching Feelings in the Sensual Sphere of the Moon: PARADISO, Canto III, Lines 1 - 33 09.09.2026 28min

  Dante is about to meet the first souls in Paradise, emerging from the liquid light of the moon.The poetry is lush and sensuous. The metaphors are complex and compounded. And Beatrice is a bit chilly, full of Latinisms and a condescending smile.It's a marvelous banquet for the senses, here in this first sphere, where the souls seems to emerge as reflections in the diaphanous lunar realm.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we see our first redeemed souls in heaven--and discover that Paradise is not as bright or as clear as we might expect.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:13] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto III, Lines 1 - 33. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode to continue the conversation, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:53] The lush, even sensual poetics of the moon.[09:14] Deeper, even dark complexities within the lush poetry.[11:53] Beatrice, not an allegory, but a real woman, and an honored spokesperson for truth.[15:30] Dante as Narcissus . . . or not.[20:20] Getting stuck on the marginalia, so much so that you can't make out the text.[23:48] Truth as an approximation, not a delineation.[25:56] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto III, Lines 1 - 33.
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  The Souls of the Universe: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 127 - 148 06.09.2026 27min

  Beatrice concludes her explanation for moon spots by veering away from them specifically to talk about the nature of the universe.Blessed movers turn the spheres. Or perhaps inhabit them. Or are bound to them. Or maybe even give them life.Her argument may veer into heresy as Dante brings his universe alive . . . maybe literally.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this dense and abstruse conclusion to Beatrice's first major discourse in PARADISO.To support this podcast, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:20] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 127 - 148. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation by dropping a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website: markscarbrough.com.[04:26] A paraphrase of this difficult passage.[06:14] Beatrice's central questions: How do the spheres of the heavens move and how do they disperse their influence?[13:03] Light as the vehicle for stellar or heavenly influence.[14:26] Heresy, angels, spheres, souls, and bodies: Is the universe at least partly alive?[20:36] Beatrice's incomplete discourse: How do some spheres have more than one nature and how are any dark spots dark?[23:08] The bigger implication: Dark and light parts of people . . . and maybe of the blessed.[24:47] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto II, lines 127 - 148.
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  The Diversity of Being in a Universe of Light: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 106 - 126 02.09.2026 28min

  Beatrice now launches into the true explanation for moon spots, found not in folklore, not in natural philosophy, but in metaphysics.Her explanation pushes her to disclose the parts of the universe we could never see, then lets her discuss diversity as a function of the light falling from the stars through the planets to us.A gorgeously poetic passage, it also raises many more questions than it answers . . . . questions that will trouble PARADISO for cantos to come.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin the discovery of Dante's ultimate explanation for moon spots. They're not physical. They're metaphysical.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:45] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 106 - 126. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode to continue the conversation, find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:10] An overview of the three explanations for moon spots and of the structure of this passage.[06:27] Beatrice's metaphysical explanation for moon spots.[16:32] Dante's fully aligned (and thus broken) cosmos.[19:05] Two astrological implications from Beatrice's metaphysics.[22:41] Beatrice's metaphors in the passage.[26:37] Rereading PARADISO, Canto II, lines 106 - 126.
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  Testing Theology With Optics: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 85 - 105 30.08.2026 26min

  Beatrice continues in her scientific and Scholastic explanation for moon spots by taking apart a secondary argument . . . and proposing an optical experiment.She voices an objection Dante might have: perhaps there are dense bits behind the rare bits that reflect light as darker spots because those denser bits are farther off.To prove him wrong (although he hasn't said a thing), she asks him to set up an experiment with three mirrors.Problem is, he doesn't need three mirrors for this experiment. But he does need three if he wants to show that the universe is based on a trinitarian concept of God.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at one of the more surprising moments in PARADISO: the call for scientific experimentation (perhaps to prove a theological point).Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:13] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 85 - 105. To read along or to continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:25] The basic structure of the passage: Beatrice's secondary explanation (or objection), then her experimental refutation of that explanation.[05:29] Medieval optical theory and its limits.[08:36] The limits of Beatrice's proposed experiment--and why they may not matter since the point may be theology, not optical theory or cosmology.[17:23] Four possiblereasons this long discussion of moon spots lands here in COMEDY.[23:41] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto II, lines 85 - 105.
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  Mixed Metaphors and the Limits of Human Senses: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 64 - 84 26.08.2026 20min

  Beatrice begins her destruction of Dante's explanation for moon spots by taking apart his notion of dense and rare spots on the lunar surface . . . with a dizzying display of mixed metaphors.Her argument lofts to the highest visible heaven, the eighth sphere; then falls back into scholastic reasoning; and offering both experimental and poetic rationales for why he's wrong.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the first part of Beatrice's explanation for moon spots, predicated on the bass line of the incarnation.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:20] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 64 - 84. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation about this passage, find its entry at my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:27] Paraphrasing this difficult passage in Beatrice's argument about moon spots.[04:46] Lofting the argument to the eighth heaven, the highest part of visible creation (from Dante's perspective).[08:15] Offering diversity as complexity beyond a simple continuum for an answer.[12:31] Moving into experimental (or experiential) proofs for her argument (and implicitly for an understanding of the incarnation of Jesus).[15:13] Inspiring a dizzying vertigo through mixed metaphors to state the negative of her argument.[18:41] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto II, lines 64 - 84.
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  Of Moon Spots and Virgil: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 46 - 63 23.08.2026 21min

  Now that our pilgrim Dante is standing in the moon, he has a fundamental question: Why are there spots on the moon?And he thinks he knows the answer, right out of natural philosophy. They're caused by rare and dense material in the moon.He's asking a question for which he knows the answer, trying to play teacher's pet. But Beatrice is having none of it. She's ready to show him how he's not as smart as he thinks he is.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin our descent into some of the most complicated material in all of COMEDY.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:14] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 46 - 63. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[02:57] Two small thematic details: the uses of the word "body" and Beatrice's watery metaphor of "submerged."[06:02] Two of three explanations for moon spots in this canto: 1) the folkloric myth and 2) the natural philosophy deduction.[07:57] Folklore: Cain and his thorns in the moon.[09:21] Natural philosophy: rare and dense materials (and how they reflect light).[12:54] The distance Beatrice puts between her arguments (to come) and 1) sensory input and 2) reason . . . and thereby Virgil.[17:07] Diversity and a pluralistic world.[19:07] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto II, lines 46 - 63.
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  Incarnated in the Moon: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 19 - 45 19.08.2026 28min

  After Dante's warning to his readers (or perhaps some of his readers), we return to the plot, ascending through the heavens to arrive at the moon . . . or really, in the moon.Dante and Beatrice find themselves inside this translucent pearl in the heavens.And in so doing, Dante proves the incarnation really happened . . . at least, if you accept that his journey really happened.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the first of several complex passages in the second canto of PARADISO.If you'd like to support this work, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:11] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, lines 19 - 45. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:12] Backgrounds: A brief history of "natural philosophy" in Dante's day.[07:29] Backgrounds: The incarnation, of the prime methods of redemption for Dante.[10:10] A thought experiment: the universe as a diaphanous, aesthetic object.[12:20] The journey into the universe . . . or mystery (without spoilers).[14:16] Hysteron proteron: the rhetorical flourish of PARADISO and the ultimate structure of COMEDY.[17:16] Lots of joinings here and in Canto I, all anticipating the incarnation.[18:37] The complex symbolism of the moon as a pearl.[21:27] The incarnation in the foreground of the narrative.[24:17] Dante's journey as proof of the incarnation.[26:37] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto II, lines 19 - 45.
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  Go Home: PARADISO, Canto II, Lines 1 - 18 16.08.2026 25min

  Our poet steps out of the shadows with an important message: "Go home."Because PARADISO is hard. Because we might get lost. Because we're not prepared.The stark address to all readers--or perhaps to a much more limited set of specialty readers--that opens Canto II is one of the most unusual moments in COMEDY. When does an author ever warn his readers to stay away?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we attempt to find a way survive with the other Argonauts as our Jason begins to plow his own field.Consider supporting this work with a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:04] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto II, lines 1 - 18. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[02:41] Introductory remarks: Don't skip this canto but don't be too optimistic.[05:10] The rhetoric of the new: PARADISO is not Virgil, not Statius, not the Apocalypse of St John, not PURGATORIO, not INFERNO, and not the CONVIVIO.[10:08] The bread of angels: the Eucharist, theological study, or something less well defined?[12:11] Jason, the Argonauts, and the rewriting of Ovid's METAMORPHOSIS.[15:25] An address to any reader or an address to a more limited audience, like fellow poets?[19:41] The grace of partial understanding with metonymies.[23:19] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto II, lines 1 - 18.
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  Of Natural Instincts and Their Natural Ends: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 115 - 142 12.08.2026 23min

  Beatrice continues in her discourse about our natural instincts, making the bold claim that they can lead us to our natural ends . . . which are the good, not the catastrophic bad.Her Scholastic theology is tinted with poetic metaphors in a bold move to explain how the arrow, once shot, can deviate from its preordained track.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the conclusion of Beatrice's first major discourse in PARADISO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:39] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 115 - 142. To read along or continue the conversation about this passage, please find the entry for this podcast episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:50] Paraphrasing Beatrice's discourse on instinct, order, and ends.[06:41] Keeping the instinct to a predetermined end fuzzy.[09:29] Highlighting Beatrice's poetics in two metaphors: archery and art.[14:43] Swerving with the lightning.[16:02] Drawing further conclusions from Beatrice's first major discourse in PARADISO.[21:05] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, lines 115 - 142.
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  Sailing Across the Great Sea of "To Be": PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 94 - 114 09.08.2026 25min

  Beatrice has answered Dante's first doubt, but he has another. He can't quite understand how he, maybe in his body, can make his way across the universe.She doesn't have a quick answer. Instead, she has a theory of how the whole universe works.Her answers are always bigger than his questions.And in this case, she brings him out onto the great sea of "to be" as he begins to sail into port.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the first part of her great schematic for the universe: its diverse order is a reflection of its unified creator.If you'd like to support this work, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:14] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 94 - 114. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:14] Dante's agitation, Beatrice's smile.[10:00] His implicit question: my body v. all the heavenly bodies.[13:25] The first part of her answer about the orderliness of creation.[20:10] Order and disorder: Dante's and our dualities.[23:43] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, lines 94 - 114.
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  Returning Home Through the Music of the Spheres: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 61 - 93 05.08.2026 37min

  Our pilgrim finds everything doubled in brightness . . . because he's begun to fly up to the heavens, although he doesn't know it at first.He's too busy figuring out all that light . . . and listening to the music of the spheres.But Beatrice is there to set him straight and tell him that his ascent is faster than he could ever understand.She also redefines "home"--not the Italian peninsula, nor the Garden of Eden, but the highest heaven, where they're headed in this journey to the final vision.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we begin our flight among the planets and stars to head home.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[00:49] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 61 - 93. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment to continue the conversation, please find this episode's entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:34] Glaucus, the fisherman who becomes a sea-god.[05:01] Glossing lines 61 - 72: the changing light and pilgrim.[10:14] Glossing lines 73 - 75: the mind/body problem.[13:19] Glossing lines 76 - 84: the sempiternal music of the spheres.[18:55] Glossing lines 85 - 93: Beatrice's answer to an unasked question.[21:00] How a guy transhumans--and how this guy translates some hard lines.[28:06] There is always more light.[30:06] Wonder and awe are not ends in themselves.[32:03] Life is an on-going redefinition of "home."[34:30] Rereading PARADISO, Canto I, lines 61 - 93.
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  Staring at the Sun: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 37 - 60 02.08.2026 36min

  The plot gets underway in PARADISO.Our pilgrim Dante turns to Beatrice . . . who is paying him no attention. She's staring at the sun.So he does the same! He hasn't even left earth, yet the miraculous nature of his story is already in high gear.As is his understanding of the universe ahead of him. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we experience Beatrice's return to the poem and the pilgrim's new mode of reflecting her glory.If you'd like to help underwrite this work, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:19] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 37 - 60. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me through a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:23] In PARADISO plot comes second.[06:06] Where are we? Cosmology and geography in the first three tercets.[12:26] Dante explains the vernal equinox by the geocentric crossings of various circles around the globe.[16:16] PARADISO is based on locations that its readers can observe in real time.[19:18] Beatrice returns to the poem and manifests her ray of light.[26:07] The pilgrim wishes to return home--but where is that?[28:21] PARADISO excels at unanswered questions.[30:24] The sparks fly from the sun . . . or from the sphere of fire.[34:00] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, lines 37 - 60.
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  A Polyvocal Passage With All Its Dissonances: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 13 - 36 29.07.2026 41min

  Our poet moves from his scholastic and even (medieval) scientific opening of PARADISO into his invocation . . . to Apollo?This passage has often embarrassed Dante scholars who feel the need to excuse various pieces of it.But we can let those pieces stand as part of the polyvocality of the text.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we move back and forth from the Christian to the pagan as we walk through this second part of Dante's opening lines of PARADISO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:11] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 13 - 36. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me via a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:09] This passage embarrasses too many Dante scholars.[09:14] This passage is polyvocal, a two-part fugue or invention.[17:59] These two voices lead to dissonances in the passage.[23:36] Did Dante intend these dissonances?[25:20] Three small dissonances: Dante crowns himself, fights in an arena, and find his worth in two places at once.[28:32] Marsyas, a comedic tragedy.[32:01] The flame of the tongue, Pentecost, or maybe Ulysses.[34:48] A high-toned, perhaps red-flag reference to Cyrrha.[35:55] An inaccurate but telling reference to Parnassus.[39:07] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, lines 13 - 36.
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  Welcome to a Renegotiated Poem: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 12 26.07.2026 37min

  From its opening lines, it's clear that PARADISO is not like what has come before in COMEDY. Dante seems to be renegotiating the terms of his poem, establishing a new voice, a new model, and a new methodology for who he will proceed.These opening lines are already packed with the sort of theological and philosophical stumbling blocks that make PARADISO a challenge, not just for a modern reader, but even for a medieval one.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we slowly walk throug the first twelve lines of what is assuredly the most imaginative canticle, PARADISO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[02:42] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, lines 1 - 12. If you'd like to read along, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:56] The glory of the unmoved mover.[09:39] The varying illuminations of the universe.[13:27] The finite geography of heaven.[15:54] A passing glance at the highest heaven.[17:34] Dante and St. Paul, renegotiated.[19:25] The interrelations of desire, intellect, memory, and potentially Beatrice.[22:23] The memory of a memory--or knowing by not knowing, the core of the aphophatic revelation.[29:37] The key paradox of the mystical experience: the cross-currents of the material and the immaterial.[33:02] The resurrection of Brunetto Latini.[35:25] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 12.
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  Final Thoughts On PURGATORIO 26.04.2026 19min

  We've reached the end of our time on the great mountain of Purgatory . . . and in the great second canticle of COMEDY.Here are some final thoughts, an attempt to bring our time with this part of the poem to a close.Dante has worked hard to make PURGATORIO the hinge of his entire poem. Let's explore some ways it reflects back on INFERNO and looks ahead to PARADISO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:01] PURGATORIO is an inversion of INFERNO.[02:54] PURGATORIO is most human part of COMEDY.[04:34] PURGATORIO is a rehearsal of the structure of the New Testament.[07:29] PURGATORIO is a meta-commentary on the writing of INFERNO.[09:45] PURGATORIO is the end of one sort of poem and the beginning of another.[10:35] PURGATORIO ends with two unique creations by Dante.[12:01] Where do the souls go when they are lifted out of Limbo?[13:46] Why does PURGATORIO end with the virtue of purity?[15:48] Is the will truly the necessary, sufficient, and final cause of a soul's purgation?
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  The Seven Addresses To The Reader In PURGATORIO 19.04.2026 25min

  Dante, the poet, steps out of the story seven times in PURGATORIO to address his reader directly--sometimes to spur the reader on to action, sometimes to put a bridle on the reader's intentions or thoughts.If we trace these seven addresses, can we find a developmental pattern? Or uncover Dante's changing attitude toward his work? Or toward his reader? Can we see a growing frustration or even fear about what lies ahead in COMEDY?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work our way through these seven call-outs to find ways to summarize the greater work and ingenuity of PURGATORIO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:31] PURGATORIO, Canto VIII, Lines 19 - 21.[05:23] PURGATORIO, Canto IX, Lines 70 - 72.[08:00] PURGATORIO, Canto X, Lines 106 - 111.[11:55] PURGATORIO, Canto XVII, Lines 1 - 9.[15:39] PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 97 - 105.[19:20] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 124 - 126.[22:22] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 136 - 138.
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  Dante's Theories Of Writing Across INFERNO and PURGATORIO 12.04.2026 30min

  As one of three sum-up episode to conclude our time on Mount Purgatory, this one’s about Dante’s conception of what he’s doing when he’s writing, outlined in nine selected passages from INFERNO and PURGATORIO.We’ve moved far enough into the poem that we can see the ways the poet has changed, hedged, and developed his theories of how and why he’s writing COMEDY. Given that one of my theses is that COMEDY is a poem in process, we can then trace some sort of developmental curve in Dante’s thinking about what he’s doing as a poet.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through Dante's possible theories on his own craft.If you'd like to help underwrite this work, consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Here are the nine selected passages for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:21] INFERNO, Canto III, lines 1 - 12[05:02] INFERNO, Canto XV, lines 88 - 96a.[09:42] PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 106 - 114.[13:01] PURGATORIO, Canto VIII, lines 70 - 72.[15:36] PURGATORIO, Canto XXIV, lines 49 - 60.[19:24] PURGATORIO, Canto XXVI, lines 97 - 102.[22:05] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 52 - 57.[24:53] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 76 - 78.[27:33] PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 139 - 141.
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  All The Hopeful Ambiguity Of The Second Canticle: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 124 - 145 08.04.2026 19min

  We come to the end of the second canticle, of PURGATORIO . . . and it includes all the ambiguity and humanness we've come to expect, plus hopeful notes for the journey ahead into Paradise.Dante complicates his ending of PURGATORIO with notes about his own dark mind and the incomplete work of this second part of his masterpiece COMEDY.At the same time, we're ready for the stars.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the final passage of PURGATORIO.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:22] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, Lines 124 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:26] Dante, ever the medieval poet, no matter how modern we try to make him.[05:28] The final address to the reader in PURGATORIO and the tricky question of the "woven bridle."[10:58] Matelda, apparently doing what she's always done . . . which only makes her character more complex.[12:49] The threat to memory, the threat to COMEDY as a whole.[15:23] Four hopeful notes that conclude PURGATORIO.[17:55] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXIII, lines 124 - 145.