PURGATORIO, Episode 186. Of Eels And Wine: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIV, Lines 16 - 33

Forese Donati continues to answer Dante the pilgrim's questions by naming five penitent gluttons surrounding them on the sixth terrace of Mount Purgatory.

As he points them out, Forese (and Dante the poet behind him) use culinary and gastronomical imagery to reinforce the themes of the terrace and perhaps to further fuel that long-standing feud between French and Italian cuisine.

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

[01:52] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIV, lines 16 - 33. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me, please scroll down this page.

[03:17] The deft use of culinary and gastronomic imagery in this passage.

[06:40] Five penitent gluttons: Bonagiunta of Lucca, Pope Martin IV, Ubaldino della Pila, Boniface, and Master Marchese degli Orgogliosi.

[17:12] A curiosity: It's not forbidden to name them?

[19:16] Is this passage a false lead?

[22:54] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXIV, lines 16 - 33.

And here’s my translation of PURGATORIO, Canto XXIV, Lines 16 – 33

So he said at first, then [he said], “It’s not forbidden

To name each other here, since our aspects

Have been milked dry by our bill of fare.

“This. . . .” (And he pointed his finger.) “Is Bonagiunta,

Bonagiunta of Lucca. And that face beyond him

Over there, the one more punctured than the others,

Held the holy church in his arms.

He was from Tours. By fasting he cleanses

His taste for eels from Lake Bolsena and Tuscan white wine.”

One by one he named many others for me.

They seemed pleased to be so named.

In fact, I didn’t see one lowered brow because of it.

I saw Ubaldino da la Pila, who was chewing the air

Because of hunger, as well as Boniface,

Who led many people to pasture with his rook.

I saw Master Marchese who had the free time

To drink at Forlì even though he wasn’t thirsty.

He was in such a state that he never got enough.