Of A Poet, His Hubris, And His Doubts: PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 12

These are the opening lines of PURGATORIO, in whcih we start, not with the Dante the pilgrim (as we did in INFERNO), but with Dante the poet, who puts his hubris and his doubts on full display.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we slow-walk through the opening lines of the second canticle, the second third, of Dante's masterwork COMEDY. We'll hear the poet state his intentions and hear him cite a bit of orthodox theology as well as some possibly heterodox bits. He'll also invoke the muses, not to guide him, but to follow him, before expressing an implicit warning to himself about the work ahead.

Here are the segments for this episode of WALKING WITH DANTE:

[01:01] Reading my English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 12. You can find these lines on my website, markscarbrough.com, where you can also drop comments or ask questions.

[03:01] Dante arrives in PURGATORIO in his own boat, although we know an angel will bring everyone else.

[08:13] PURGATORIO is a terrestrial poem that begins with the Dante the poet--whereas INFERNO was a terrestrial poem that began with the Dante the pilgrim.

[10:24] Dante offers the third invocation to the Muses in COMEDY, now with distinct references to that most Christian doctrine: the resurrection.

[16:39] There's a slight problem with Calliope. For Dante, she may well be the greatest muse, not necessarily "just" the muse of epic poetry.

[18:55] What exactly is this thing Dante calls "deadened poetry" ("morta poesí")? The answer is harder than you may think.

[22:07] The opening twelve lines of PURGATORIO are jam-packed with the poet's hubris.

[26:57] But the poet Dante may also express his fears in these lines.

[29:18] Something to consider before we move on in the poem: INFERNO may well have been purgatory for the Dante the poet.

[30:49] Rereading PURGATORIO, Canto I, Lines 1 - 12.