The Flames And Abyss Of Lust: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, Lines 109 - 139

Dante, Statius, and Virgil arrive on the seventh terrace of Mount Purgatory filled with the flames of lust.

The pilgrim must make his precarious way between those burning fires and the abyss just to his right, a narrow path that may give us a clue to the poet's own fears of lust.

This passage is a grab-bag of ideas, hymns, references, and emotions. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore it more fully.

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

[01:23] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, lines 109 - 139. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation with me by dropping a comment on this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[03:55] Three curiosities: a double meaning at line 109, the flaming geography, and the parallels in INFERNO, Canto XXV.

[08:13] Three surprising moments in the passage: a bit of humor, a glancing reference to an Aristotelean mean, and a direction connection with our poet.

[12:21] A hymn for chastity and a reference to Shadrach, Mishach, and Abednego from Daniel 3.

[16:56] Three examples of chastity . . . except the third seems smudged or inaccurate.

[23:08] Penance as a medieval medical remedy.

[24:19] PURGATORIO, the most human canto, about human development and art, all connected to nature.

[26:21] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XXV, lines 109 - 139.