PURGATORIO, Episode 221. The Abundance Of The Poet's Imagination In Eden: PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 109 - 133

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).

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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 scroll down this page.

[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.

My English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXVIII, Lines 109 – 133

[She continued:] “And the [breeze-]struck plant is so full of potentiality

That it impregnates the air with its formative power—

Which means that the air, in its circling, scatters [that force] around.

“The rest of the earth, however it’s worthy in and of itself

And because of its sky, conceives and bears

Diverse plants from this diverse power.

“Down there, it wouldn’t seem like a marvel,

Having heard this [explanation], when some plants

Take root without any apparent seeds.

“And please know that the holy countryside

Where you are is full of every type of seed

And even has fruit for itself that’s not harvested down there.

“The water that you see here doesn’t rise from a vein

Which vapor restores by cold condensation,

Like a river that may fill or recede;

“But [this water] comes out of a sure and firm fountain.

It takes everything from the will of God

That flows forth, open in two directions.

“On this side it descends with the power

To blot out all memory of sin.

On the other, it returns [the memory] of every good deed.

“Here it’s Lethe, as on the other side

It’s called Eünoè. It’s not effective

Until it’s tasted on this side and on the other—

And this is a flavor above any other. . . .”