Walking With Dante

Beatrice has finished her case against the pilgim Dante. All that's left is for him to find his way beyond confession and into confession . . . which he does with a major crack-up that leads him to faint for the third time in COMEDY.Before he collapses, the poem begins a series of inversions or reversals that both increase the ironic valences of the passage and give its reader an almost vertigo-inducing sense of Dante's emotional landscape.A difficult passage in the Garden of Eden, here Beatrice accomplishes what she came for. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the slow build-up to the final moment of contrition . . . which mimics the moment when Dante gives way in front of Francesca, back in INFERNO's circle of lust.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:20] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 64 - 90. 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.[04:15] Dante, from boy to man.[07:26] Recognition, the key to the passage, to contrition, and a possible node of irony.[10:38] The "unbearded" oak and the final crack-up.[13:49] Iarbas and Dido v. Dante and the new Dido.[16:28] Beatrice's venom.[17:27] Dante's beard.[20:00] The angels' departure?[21:16] The meaning of the beast's two natures.[23:53] Glossing the end of the passage: lines 82 - 90.[27:57] Francesca and her physical seduction v. Beatrice and her physical-theological seduction.[33:01] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 64 - 90.

Beatrice continues to lead Dante toward contrition, pointing out both the purposes of her body (or corpse) and the ways he has failed to followed her lofty beauty.She finishes her second salvo at the pilgrim with a rhetorical flourish, showing the reader (and Dante) that she is a master of rhetoric, someone who commands a high, elevated style of poetry--that is, a fusion of the literal and the metaphoric that will become increasingly necessary to describe the PARADISO experience.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at the conclusion of Beatrice's second run at the pilgrim Dante and find the ways that she is directing both him and his poetry.To support the work of this podcast with a small monthly stipend or a one-time gift, please visit this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:09] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 49 - 63. 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.[03:19] Glossing the full passage: "beauty" three times, high rhetorical style, low vulgar vocabulary, and an aphoristic ending.[13:15] Rereading Beatrice's second salvo at Dante: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 22 - 63.[15:22] The uneasy but crucial balance between allegorical/metaphorical language and literal/realistic language.[18:57] Beatrice: negative space made flesh.[23:38] Renegotiating COMEDY v. intending these revelations all along.[28:06] High rhetorical style in Dante's vernacular mouth.

Ever since INFERNO, Canto I, we've never fully understood why Dante woke up lost in that dark wood.Now, in the Garden of Eden, Beatrice brings him to the point where he can voice what he did wrong. He can finally offer his confession.It was all about her all along. And maybe about what he wrote. And maybe about another woman who caught his eye. Or maybe all of it at once.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the moment in PURGATORIO in which Beatrice finally brings the pilgrim to his full confession.If you'd like to support this podcast, consider a small monthly stipend or a one-time donation, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:12] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, Lines 22 - 48. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find this episode's entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:16] An easy outline of this passage.[04:27] Recasting Dante's faults into metaphoric language.[09:18] Dante's confession.[12:40] Beatrice and the formal form of "you."[14:34] Her acceptance of Dante's confession, leading him to contrition.[18:15] Beatrice: allegory v. realism.[23:15] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 22 - 48.

Wailing, Dante comes in for Beatrice's impatience. He hasn't responded yet to her charges, so she turns the spear point of her words on him.He cracks . . . and in doing so, loses language, words, the very things that are the heart of his craft.Canto XXXI opens with an intensely emotional scene, meant to bring the pilgrim right to the brink of his ability to handle things . . . about like what happened with Francesca in INFERNO, Canto V.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the second canto of PURGATORIO that is centered on the pilgim Dante's interiority . . . and his craft as a poet.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:49] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 1 - 21. 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.[03:36] Prefatory remarks on PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI.[07:02] A node of Dantean irony in a very serious canto.[10:14] Confession, the first step to forgiveness for Dante (but not for the church).[15:49] The master poet and the failure of his language.[24:29] Dante, the cracked crossbow.[28:15] The return of Francesca.[30:34] Rereading PURGATORIO, Canto XXXI, lines 1 - 21.

Beatrice finishes her first indictment of Dante by showing him the fit subject matter for his abundant talent: her and the damned.She accuses him of chasing after false images, then of discounting her own inspiration in dreams. She ends with her final hope: to descend to the doorway of the dead and get the pilgrim started across the known universe.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the final lines of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX: Beatrice's first indictment of Dante.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:25] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 127 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the discussion with me, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:16] In praise of Beatrice's elevated rhetoric.[05:20] The erotic tension between Beatrice and Dante.[07:59] First callback in the passage: to either the Siren in PURGATORIO XIX or to the second woman in the VITA NUOVA.[10:22] Second callback: to either Beatrice's eyes or her appearance in a dream toward the end of the VITA NUOVA.[13:43] Third callback: to Limbo (and Virgil).[15:37] Dante's search for the subject matter that will fit his talent.[16:47] Four levels of interpretation for Beatrice's first indictment: literal, moral, allegorical, and anagogical.[21:31] When was Dante supposed to purse these failings on the mountain?[23:27] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 127 - 145.

Beatrice is now fully in charge . . . so much so that she can even tell the angels in the chariot with her what they can't understand.She launches into her first indictment of the pilgrim, Dante. Here, she claims that he hasn't fulfilled his talent.He hasn't? With so much of COMEDY behind us?And what if then the point of this journey? Is it poetic craft or personal redemption?Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we comb through the first of Beatrice's condemnations of Dante's many failings that have led him to the top of Mount Purgatory.If you'd like to help support this podcast with a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend, please consider donating what you can through this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:41] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 100 - 126. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:23] What can the angels in the chariot not know?[08:13] What germinates from heaven, far above the seeds that blow out of the Garden of Eden?[11:15] What was Dante supposed to have done?[15:19] What good was this journey across the known universe?[18:40] How do you stay open to the grace you get but perhaps don't expect?[20:02] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 100 - 126.

Beatrice has offered her first condemnation of Dante, just as his salve and mentor, Virgil, has left the scene. He's stuck across Lethe with the ice sheet encasing his heart. Even the angels surrounding Beatrice in the chariot seem dumbfounded by her vitriol and offer the pilgrim a psalm of consolation . . . which finally makes the ice that has surrounded his heart melt. He ends up wailing.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore this brilliant passage about interiority from the very top of Mount Purgatorio in the Garden of Eden.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:34] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 79 - 99. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website: markscarbrough.com.[03:53] One textual reference in the passage: Psalm 30/31: 1 - 8.[07:46] A second textual reference in the passage: Augustine's CONFESSIONS, Book VIII.[09:07] One metaphoric rearrangement in the passage: Beatrice as mother and Dante as son.[11:55] A second metaphoric rearrangement: the melting ice inside of Dante.[19:28] Allegory as art.[22:30] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 79 - 99.

We finally hear the first words from Beatrice's mouth. (We've heard her before but as told by Virgil in INFERNO, Canto II.) She is certainly not person we expected. She's the admiral controlling her ship.She names the pilgrim, names herself, and gets very close to blasphemy in a passage that defies our expectations, about as revelation should.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, for the moment that Beatrice takes center stage in Dante's masterwork, COMEDY.If you'd like to help underwrite this podcast, please consider a one-time donation or a very small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:33] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 55 - 78. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website: markscarbrough.com.[04:41] The pilgrim finally named: Dante.[09:03] The crux dilemma of orthodoxy: purity versus human feeling.[13:44] Beatrice's ship, plus other ships in COMEDY.[15:29] Beatrice, the admiral.[17:34] Dante's difficulty in naming himself.[20:20] Beatrice, Minerva, and our (or the pilgrim's?) expectations.[23:42] Beatrice's curious blasphemy and questions.[27:09] Dante as a rejuvenated Narcissus.[30:32] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 55 - 78.

The parade of revelation has stopped and everything holds its breath for what comes next.She's veiled, behind scattered flowers. But Beatrice arrives, in the place of Jesus Christ, her second coming, her advent in the victory chariot.And as she arrives, Virgil disappears from COMEDY. (Statius, too, even if he's still standing next to the pilgrim.) This moment is perhaps the climax of the poem as we have understood it up until now. From here on, everything changes. We have moved out of time and into a world beyond human reason. It's a cause for rejoicing but also for great sadness.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:13] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 22 - 54. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:14] Word choices in the passage that reflect its thematic and emotional space.[07:04] The Vita Nuova as foundational to Beatrice's appearance.[12:00] Beatrice's colors and the parade of revelation.[13:39] Christological confusions with Beatrice.[16:48] Gender confusions during her arrival.[19:10] The pilgrim's imagined dialogue with a (mis)quote from The Aeneid.[23:03] The sad, quiet disappearance of Virgil and the pilgrim's pronounced, loud interiority.[29:02] The silent, almost unnoticed departure of Statius from the poem.[31:06] The cleansing of the pilgrim as a bookend for the work of PURGATORIO.[32:39] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 22 - 54

The grand parade of revelation has come to a stop across Lethe from our pilgrim, Virgil, and Statius. Everything seems to hold its breath: the constellations stop moving, the crowd goes quiet, one voice calls out for the bride, then a hundred angels appear, calling out for the groom . . . which is surely Jesus, right?We seem to be on the verge of a celestial marriage ceremony, the mystic union of Jesus and his church . . . except Virgil's AENEID gets the last word and darkens the scene considerably.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we stand in expectation at the top of Mount Purgatory for the arrival of . . . somebody.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:24] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, Lines 1 - 21. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me by dropping a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website: markscarbrough.com.[04:33] The Little Dipper, the North Star, the chariot, a griffin, and the Bible, all bound up in the longest sentence in COMEDY.[13:59] The resurrection with a reclothed voice (that is, the stuff of poetry).[16:38] Many angels in a very small cart.[19:32] Quoting the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (here and in The Vita Nuova).[21:44] Quoting the tragic prophecy about Marcellus from THE AENEID.[24:43] Inserting Dante and Virgil into Biblical citations.[26:59] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXX, lines 1 - 21.

As we have done throughout PURGATORIO, let's read through a chunk of the canticle to get the plot down so that we can then focus on the many moving parts that comprise it.Here are cantos XXX and XXXI, in many ways the climax of the first part of COMEDY: the arrival of Beatrice, long awaited since INFERNO, Canto II.Her arrival is like nothing we can expect. In fact, it's her second coming . . . like Christ, in judgment. Get ready. She's not one to be toyed with![01:29] A read-through of PURGATORIO, Cantos XXX and XXXI.

The pilgrim has found the perfect perch to see the full scope and length of the parade of allegories at the top of the Mount Purgatory in the garden of Eden.After the griffin and its chariot come seven merry women and seven more somber men. They are complex allegories that have inspired much debate.More than that, they are also an atemporal moment, something outside of chronological time, the way revelation most often happens.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look more closely at the end of the (first half of the) apocalyptic parade our pilgrim witnesses from across the river Lethe.If you'd like to help with the many costs of this podcast, please consider a very small monthly stipend or a one-time gift, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:13] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 121 - 154. 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.[04:34] The three theological virtues (or colors)--which cause a rereading of previous moments in the great parade.[09:02] The four cardinal or philosophical virtues, clothed in purple, a deep, imperial red.[12:00] The seven men who end the parade as seen through the now standard (or consensus) interpretation: the latter books of the New Testament.[16:06] Alternate interpretations: the allegories as a parade of revelation, rather than strictly the books of the Bible.[20:38] The metapoetics of living, walking books.[21:24] The temporal anomaly of the grand parade.[24:11] Rereading the entire parade: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 43 - 154.

The parade goes on to include a Roman, two-wheeled, victory chariot between the four animals. It's a brilliant moment, a chariot better than even famous Roman conquerors got, pulled by a griffin, a legendary two-natured creature . . . yet with a curious moment of emptiness right in all of the victory.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we continue deeper into the allegory of the parade of revelation at the top of Mount Purgatory.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:32] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 106 - 120. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation about this passage with me, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.[03:13] The changing nature of allegory at the top of Mount Purgatory.[09:38] The poetics of the passage: extreme concision and more of Guido Cavalcanti's pastoral poetry.[13:26] Roman military history in the passage: Scipio the Younger and Caesar Augustus.[17:41] Roman (or Ovidian) mythology in the passage: Phaëthon and the sun's chariot.[21:39] The griffin: ancient, medieval, and allegorical (but of what?).[27:20] The great aporia: the chariot is empty![28:51] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 106 - 120.

The parade goes on, now that the pilgrim, Dante, is in a good spot to see it.After the twenty-four lords in white come four animals with green fronds as crowns. They are like the Cherubim in both the prophecies of Ezekiel and in the Apocalypse of St. John (or the book of Revelation).Except not really. Or sort of. Well, the poet doesn't have time to explain. Go read the text yourself. And especially the one that doesn't quite agree with what I saw.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we find Dante's irony alive and well, even during the grand parade of divine revelation.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:20] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 88 - 105. 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.[02:56] The naturalistic, lush landscape à la Guido Cavalcanti's pastoral poem.[04:49] The constellations, Argus, and the peacock.[06:35] The four "animals" from Ezekiel and the Apocalypse of St. John (or the New Testament book of Revelation).[09:19] Allegorical interpretations of the four animals.[11:19] "Unmoored" allegories in COMEDY: here and with the three beasts in INFERNO, Canto I.[14:02] Dante, the Biblical text, and questions of its inerrancy.[16:25] The direct address tot he reader, perhaps a wild bit of Dantean irony even here in the divine parade.[21:34] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 88 - 105.

The parade goes on! Our pilgrim, Dante, turns back from Virgil's amazement and finds more of the parade coming toward him . . . at least, he does so after he's reprimanded by the lady who stands across Lethe.In this passage, the poet's craft heightens to reveal gorgeous poetry that comes from the apocalyptic tradition but far exceeds its beauty with both the Easter eggs Dante puts in the text and the ways the poetry itself enhances the wonder of the parade at hand.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through our second passage on the parade of revelation in the Garden of Eden at the top of Mount Purgatory.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:19] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 58 - 87. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please find the entry for this podcast episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:09] The tradition of apocalyptic literature and Dante's use of it.[08:44] Biblical references in this part of the apocalyptic parade.[13:54] Contemporary cultural references in the parade.[16:01] Surprises: Dante's changes to Biblical imagery, his Easter eggs to his own text, and his idiosyncratic word choices.[20:07] Possible allegorical interpretations for the twenty-four lords (or elders) and the distance of ten paces between the lights.[25:20] The poetry of the parade: colorful brushwork and gorgeous (if incomplete) reflections in Lethe.[28:43] More on emergent revelation.[31:47] Rereading PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 58 - 87.

As the pilgrim, his poets, and the beautiful lady continue to stand beside Lethe, they see the approaching parade of the apocalypse, which is an example of emergent revelation, the truth coming in slowly and even deceptively.Our poet has set up a poetic space that leaves even Virgil speechless as we witness the first of the parade of multiple, open-ended meanings proliferate in the Garden of Eden.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we catch our first glimpse of Dante's answer to St. John's Apocalypse.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees associated with this podcast, please consider a one-time donation or a very small monthly stipend, using this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:16] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 31 - 57. 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.[04:00] The emergent revelation of the images and sounds.[09:00] The process of perception (and understanding).[14:12] Multiplying meanings in the apocalyptic parade.[20:27] The creation of space for the poetic imagery.[23:11] The second invocation of PURGATORIO.[26:50] The questions of poetic craft in this vision.[28:23] Virgil in the apocalypse.[31:10] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 31 - 57.

Our pilgrim, Dante, and the beautiful lady across Lethe walk on for a bit before the stream bends and the pilgrim ends up facing the right way to see the first flash of light that will signal the great apocalyptic parade in Eden.The opening of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, brings us back to the pastoral world of Guido Cavalcanti's poem before launching us into allegory, theology, morality, and even misogyny.If you'd like to help underwrite the many fees for this podcast, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend using this PayPal link right here.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we find ourselves at the front of the great parade in Eden.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:27] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, Lines 1 - 30. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation by dropping a comment, please find the entry for this episode on my website, markscarbrough.com.[04:07] An introduction to PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX.[06:59] The only canto in COMEDY that begins with a derivative of the word "canto."[08:24] More references to Guido Calvalcanti's pastoral poem.[11:44] A psalm retrofitted to become a beatitude, moving us from the classical world to divine revelation.[14:31] The symbolism (and allegory?) of their paces and the stream's bend.[18:00] Sight and hearing as the basis but not nearly enough, as with Guido Cavalcanti's poem.[19:02] The lady's reaction ("brother") and the pilgrim's reaction (a lack of fear).[21:45] The misogyny from the initial flash of light.[28:59] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIX, lines 1 - 30.

The beautiful lady winds up her discourse with a corollary that combines both revelation and reason to offer a fulcrum to COMEDY as a whole: The classical world dreamed of Eden.Redemption is a cul-de-sac, returning us to our primal state while also offering us a way to remain readers of the classical world's poetry.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the end of the lady's discourse, the longest speech by a woman yet in COMEDY.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:15] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 134 - 148. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment on this episode to continue the conversation, please find the entry for this episode on my website: markscarbrough.com.[02:55] Revelation and reason as coequals in scholastic theology.[06:52] The Golden Age and the Garden of Eden as overlapping spaces and the cul-de-sac of revelation.[09:14] The pilgrim (and indeed, the poem) in the cul-de-sac with the classical poets on one side and the beautiful lady on the other.[12:27] The longest speech by a woman yet in COMEDY.[16:57] Rereading this passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 134 - 148.

The lady across the stream continues her answer to the pilgrim Dante's question about the breeze and the water. In this case, she explains the ecology of Eden, offers an understanding of global botany, and finally layers the meaning thick over the rivers of Eden, one of which is the poet's utter invention.The landscape itself is becoming allegorical, moral, theological, even anagogical, all while remaining true to its pastoral form (and roots).Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we delve deeper into the lady's capacious answers and the poet's ever-widening imagination.If you'd like the help defray the many costs and fees associated with this website, please consider a one-time donation or a small monthly stipend through this PayPal link right here.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:31] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 109 - 133. 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.[04:09] The botany of both Eden and our own world.[07:28] The ecology of Eden: abundance.[11:05] The hydrology of Eden.[14:03] The strange placement of Lethe in Dante's afterlife.[17:15] The poet's reimagination of Eden, including an unprecedented river.[20:23] The vertical layering of meaning onto the pastoral form.[23:09] The inevitable logical faults of an imagined landscape.[25:48] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 109 - 133.

The lady in Eden says she's come to answer the pilgrim's questions. And he's got one. It just might not be the first question on our minds.But it's one that reveals the hall of mirrors that the poet has created in COMEDY, in which the poem itself justifies its own fictional if scientific answers to questions that lead the fictional pilgrim (and the very real reader) to a position of faith, based on the imagined landscape.Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we work through the first of the lady's speech with our pilgrim (as well as Virgil and Statius) in the Garden of Eden at the top of Mount Purgatory.Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:[01:27] My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 85 - 108. 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.[04:06] The lady's six-line theological explanation for the Garden of Eden and the fall of mankind.[07:31] The lady's six-line scientific explanation for the breeze on the top of Mount Purgatory.[11:04] The lady's six-line glimpse of Paradise above.[12:54] The pilgrim's question of faith is built off the fictional landscape and its "scientific" answers found in the poem itself.[21:39] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, lines 85 - 108.