Sailing Across the Great Sea of "To Be": PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 94 - 114

Beatrice has answered Dante's first doubt, but he has another. He can't quite understand how he, maybe in his body, can make his way across the universe.

She doesn't have a quick answer. Instead, she has a theory of how the whole universe works.

Her answers are always bigger than his questions.

And in this case, she brings him out onto the great sea of "to be" as he begins to sail into port.

Join me, Mark Scarbrough, as we explore the first part of her great schematic for the universe: its diverse order is a reflection of its unified creator.

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

[01:14] My English translation of PARADISO, Canto I, Lines 94 - 114. If you'd like to read along or drop a comment about this episode, please find its entry on my website, markscarbrough.com.

[03:14] Dante's agitation, Beatrice's smile.

[10:00] His implicit question: my body v. all the heavenly bodies.

[13:25] The first part of her answer about the orderliness of creation.

[20:10] Order and disorder: Dante's and our dualities.

[23:43] Rereading the passage: PARADISO, Canto I, lines 94 - 114.