The stunning figure of the bird that opens Paradiso 23 speaks of ardent expectation - of light, which will enable this mother to see the ...

Cantos 21-22 of Dante's Paradiso are in some ways rather forgettable. Not much happens, nor is there any especially heightened poetic...

Apropos of the crows ( pole ) that appear in Saturn, Paradiso. 21: 34-39: In Ancient Greece and Rome, several myths about crows and jac...

The appearance of the gaggle of  pole  -- jackdaws, or grey crows ( cornacchie grige ) -- in  Paradiso 21  is a strangely unsolemn moment ...

"The whole story of Ripheus is nothing less than outrageous," says Robert Hollander, with complete justification.  With the in...

The simile of the lark that comes in the middle of Paradiso 21 reminded me of a lovely piece by Bernard de Ventadorn:   When I s...

CALENDAR FOR ROSKAMP MEETINGS FOR 2017 ALL MEETINGS ARE ON WEDNESDAYS JANUARY 4TH, 18TH FEBRUARY 1ST, 15TH MARCH 1ST, 15TH ...

Much time and space here was given to Paradiso 18   for two reasons - first, it traces a clear change in the poet's power to speak (an...

The BBC has a story about Justinian (above flanked by military and clergy), whom we encountered in Paradiso 6 .  It's worth rec...

Già si solea con le spade far guerra;  ma or si fa togliendo or qui or quivi  lo pan che 'l pïo Padre a nessun serra. Ma tu che sol pe...