Sapía, Part One—The Pilgrim Gets More (And Less!) Than He Bargained For: PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, Lines 94 - 111

Walking With Dante

Dante the pilgrim worked up the courage (or the flattery) to get one of the envious to speak up on the second terrace of Purgatory proper. She does . . . and gives him both more and exactly what (or perhaps a bit less) than he asked for.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as I work our first sight of one of the most intricate souls in COMEDY: Sapía. She's a lot more than Dante bargained for.

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

[01:18] My English translation of the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, lines 94 - 111. If you'd like to read along or continue the conversation, please go to the page about this podcast on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[03:02] The penitent envious soul schools Dante the pilgrim by reassessing their relationship, both by family and by politics.

[05:53] Pilgrims choose to be other, to be strangers in a foreign land.

[09:19] Dante the poet focuses on the naturalistic details in an otherwise hyper-moral passage.

[11:35] Dante the pilgrim is apparently not teachable at the moment . . . . except he does understand the work of the will in Purgatory.

[14:30] The penitent soul identifies herself reticently . . . only by name and city.

[19:38] Her reticence is found in a generous canto full of explanations.

[20:55] One generosity: Sapía offers a succinct definition of envy.

[24:49] Rereading the passage: PURGATORIO, Canto XIII, lines 94 - 111.