We've come to the heart of the second story sequence in PURGATORIO, Canto II. Here, Dante tries to hug one of the souls off the angels boat and discovers an old friend, Casella.

Casella has some surprising news about souls, their journey to the afterlife, and his own hesitations. All from a soul we hardly know.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we look at some of the interpretive knots in this early, crucial episode in PURGATORIO.

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

[01:24] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 88 - 105. If you'd like to read along, print it off, or drop a comment, please scroll down this page.

[03:15] Who is Casella? Some source evidence, some information from the early commentators, and the problems with all of that.

[08:09] Dating problems in the passage. When did Casella die? How long did he wander around the land of the living?

[12:03] More dating problems in the passage: Pope Boniface VIII's Jubilee Year of 1300 and its plenary indulgences.

[12:57] The ghost story in the passage.

[17:50] Love: the great thematic of PURGATORIO, a part of Dante's historical moment.

[21:53] Why is this passage so murky? Some tentative speculations.

[26:25] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 88 - 105

And here’s my English translation of Purgatorio, Canto II, Lines 88 – 105

He replied, “Just as much as I loved you

When I was in my mortal body, so I still love you when let go from it.

So sure, I’ll stick around. But you? Where are you headed?”

 

“My Casella,” I said, “I make this journey to get back to the spot

Where I am right now.

But how come so much time has been taken from you?”

 

And he [said] to me: “Nothing outrageous happened to me,

If the one who picks up whom he will when he will

Refused me passage so many times.

 

“For his will is made by a will that is righteous.

Sure enough, for three months he has peacefully taken

All others who wanted to step aboard.

 

“And so I came back to that spot near the sea

Where the Tiber’s water turns to salt

At the right moment and he mercifully gathered me in.

 

“Back to that river’s mouth he has now directed his wings,

For that’s where all those congregate

Who don’t fall down to Acheron.”