After the leap of  Paradiso 23,  Dante face a quiz. The one asking the questions is none other than Peter -- the first man to put faith in...

“Tu se' sì presso a l'ultima salute,” cominciò Bëatrice, “che tu dei aver le luci tue chiare e acute;  e però, prima che tu più ...

If Paradiso 22 is the stark, solitary realm of thunder and sublimity, canto 23 is another realm altogether. It is necessary to appreciate ...

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...