PURGATORIO, Episode 19. Cato's Back--Mad But A Bit Baffling As Well: PURGATORIO, Canto II, Lines 118 - 133

The souls off the angel's boat, Dante, and Virgil have all been enjoying a nice song on the shores of Purgatory. It's so refreshing, so pastoral . . . until Cato reappears.

His return brings up a host of problems for the end of PURGATORIO, Canto II. Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I offer you lots of interpretive possibilities without coming to any firm conclusions . . . because that's the way we'll have the most interpretive fun with the poem.

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

[01:46] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 118 - 133. If you'd like to read along, print it off, or drop a comment, please scroll down this page.

[03:11] More about the ways humans can refuse love (according to Dante).

[05:48] The on-going dove "program" in COMEDY--comparing INFERNO, Canto V, with PURGATORIO, Canto II.

[09:54] CONVIVIO's song ends unnaturally and COMEDY's plot lurches back in motion, having been halted for a long while.

[12:42] Five ways to interpret the reappearance of Cato in PURGATORIO, Canto II.

[13:54] One, a reprimand to Dante the poet for abandoning Beatrice for a love of philosophy.

[18:53] Two, a reprimand merely to the souls off the boat, not to Dante.

[21:06] Three, a reference to Moses, the tablets of the law, and the golden calf.

[23:01] Four, a reprimand about delay to both the souls off the boat and to Dante the poet.

[26:02] Five, a ham-handed way to get the plot moving again.

[29:59] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto II, lines 118 - 133.

And here’s my English translation of Purgatorio, Canto II, Lines 118 – 133

We were all transfixed and gave our full attention

To his melodic notes—when behold! The honorable old man

Appeared out of nowhere and cried, “What’s up, lazy spirits?

“What utter negligence is this, holding you all in this spot?

Run to the mountain to get rid of the slough

That keeps God from being made manifest to you!”

As when doves, pecking at wheat or tares,

Will peacefully flock to a pasture

Without their usual air of prideful strutting,

Yet when something appears that they fear,

They’ll all at once forget about eating,

Because they’ve been bashed about by bigger concerns,

So did I see this new band of souls

Leave off the song and flee toward the slope,

Like men who hurry away even if they don’t know the road ahead.

We, too, bolted out of there just as fast.