PURGATORIO, Episode 156. The Loneliness Of Pope Adrian V: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, Lines 127 - 145

Pope Adrian V concludes his discourse on the fifth terrace of Mount Purgatory on a strangely lonely, alienated note. Perhaps this is what avarice does to a person. Or perhaps this is what exile has done to Dante.

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

[01:39] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 127 - 145. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please scroll down this page.

[03:32] Informal "you" v. formal "you."

[06:22] Two New Testament references: Apocalypse 19:9 - 10 and the Gospel of Matthew 22:23 - 30.

[10:53] The mystery of what is purified as a new plotting strategy in COMEDY.

[13:14] The sad loneliness at the end of Canto XIX.

[15:31] INFERNO XIX v. PURGATORIO XIX.

[18:09] Misreading PURGATORIO XIX as a plea for democracy.

[19:29] Reading all of Pope Adrian V's discourse: PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, lines 91 - 145.

And here’s my English translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XIX, Lines 127 – 145

I’d knelt down and wished to say something—

But as soon as I started, he caught wind

Of my reverence solely by listening to me

And said, “Why are you bending down in this way?”

And I to him: “Because of your dignity,

My conscience chastised me right away.”

“Straighten your legs,” he replied, “and stand up, brother!

Don’t err. With you and everyone else,

I’m a servant to the one Power.

“If you’ve ever heard the holy sounds of the gospel

In which it says neque nubent,

You can well see why I reason this way.

“Now go on your way. I don’t want you to stop here any longer.

You see, your intrudes on my weeping

By which I mature the thing you mentioned.

“I have a niece over there whose name is Alàgia.

She’s good on her own, so long as our house

Doesn’t make her wicked by its example.

She alone is left for me back there.”