“Without hope we live on in desire.” Sanza speme vivemo in disio.
Dante, Inferno, Canto IV, line 42
Love ran through his island heart From springes freed took flight Left swallows’ cries of yesteryears Desire-torn in apple-bright
Bone-white his wings that beat the air And strain bent low his neck Wind beat hard his sinews bare Yet Hope grew clear his sight
Quiet-warmed as kingly deer by brook Calm shattered shivers of doubt Drawn unseen through cloud and dark Dew-quenched his thirsting heart
Love and Hope together sang He heard their various strain Not far the wing-breadths that remained To reach the One he loved.
“That without hope we live on in desire” The pagan poet found But pity more each one whose fire Burns for themselves alone.
Before Canto 4 of the Inferno where the pilgrim Dante is introduced to the virtuous pagans among whom is his guide through Hell, the poet Virgil himself, Dante first crosses the gate of Hell whereon he sees inscribed, “Abandon hope all who enter here” (Canto 3). Here, he sees the first sinners in Hell, a craven company who lived for themselves, filled with envious desires, whom Virgil describes as “the sorry souls of those who lived without infamy or praise. They are mingled with that base band of angels who were neither rebellious nor faithful to God, but stood apart.” Being disengaged from the battle, this endless line of souls have no hope of death’s oblivion, “mercy and justice disdain them. Let us not speak of them, but look, and pass on” (trans. Charles S. Singleton). Virgil won’t even name them for they have reduced reality, reduced the world to a show, a spectacle for their own amusement. These rage and wail as swarms of stinging wasps and flies follow them and worms engorge on their blood. In contrast the virtuous pre-Christian pagans whom Dante meets next in Limbo live in a bucolic garden, their great sadness, desiring yet remaining apart from God.
Björn at dVerse invites us to "Meet the Bar" with an invented aphorism around which to fashion our prose. I'm afraid I'm a complete failure with this attempt, the aphorism not being my own nor re-fashioned from the original, and blatantly accompanied by poetry not prose. Thankfully, I did manage to meet the bar at Shay's Word Garden from which I chose to use the following: islands, shiver, springes, various. Thanks to both Björn and Shay for their intriguing challenges.
22 thoughts on “Love Ran Through His Island Heart”
I know it isn’t what you intend here, but i can’t help thinking Icarus, flying too close to the sun. At least he wasn’t a bystander. And he left Daedalus behind to carry on.
Did you ever watch the 80s medical drama St. Elsewhere? There was an episode where Dr. Fiscus is shot and has a near death experience. While in the after-world, he sees all these football-style referees throwing penalty flags and signaling infractions with elaborate gestures. Fiscus asks who they are and is told, oh, those are the referees. They never did anything themselves, they just criticized what others did. There are a lot of bystanders and referees around.
Shay, Wonder if the writers weren’t thinking of Dante! That word list you compiled from Amy Lowell’s poetry pushed me towards the imagism that you gave us a taste of, so I’m not surprised that Icarus came to mind, probably subconsciously in mine.
~ 🧡Dora
I love the depth of your writing, but I have never really understood how pagan virtues still left people on the edge of hell… virtue in itself is what makes a human good.
I think Dante’s point is that virtue or vice isn’t what gets you into heaven or hell respectively but simply whether one sought God (which no one does perfectly). In accordance with his Catholic cosmology, there are sinners in Purgatory whose vices parallel those in hell, but sought God sincerely and after their purging attain heaven.
~Dora
Thanks, qbit. You can’t ask for better literary guides through heaven, hell , and in between than Dante (and John Bunyan of course). Blake’s poetic genius on the other hand just lands you in a ditch.
Punam,
Thank you much! So sorry I somehow missed your comment, so the delayed response. I’m not sure where I first encountered Dante. He’s so very much in the background of so much literature that I think I began with spoonfuls that added up to the lot somehow, if that makes sense!
~Dora
Beautiful, visionary piece…I often think of poetry as a spirit guide. I’m never sure where I will travel, light or dark, yet travel I do. This poem brought joy to me today. I just finished meditating and you extended the light for me.
Thank you for that extraordinarily generous comment. Poetry is a vehicle for journey, isn’t it, such an apt comparison given the inspiration we find in visionary poets of old, including those in the Psalms. I find myself returning to them for just such a journey, for guidance, many of them for the very reason you say.
~Dora
Dreams from a Pilgrimage 
I know it isn’t what you intend here, but i can’t help thinking Icarus, flying too close to the sun. At least he wasn’t a bystander. And he left Daedalus behind to carry on.
Did you ever watch the 80s medical drama St. Elsewhere? There was an episode where Dr. Fiscus is shot and has a near death experience. While in the after-world, he sees all these football-style referees throwing penalty flags and signaling infractions with elaborate gestures. Fiscus asks who they are and is told, oh, those are the referees. They never did anything themselves, they just criticized what others did. There are a lot of bystanders and referees around.
So glad you took up the list challenge, Dora. 🙂
–Shay
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Shay, Wonder if the writers weren’t thinking of Dante! That word list you compiled from Amy Lowell’s poetry pushed me towards the imagism that you gave us a taste of, so I’m not surprised that Icarus came to mind, probably subconsciously in mine.
~ 🧡Dora
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Some amazing rhyme in this gorgeous poem Dora! I also love the detailed information and history behind it. Brilliant writing!
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Glad you enjoyed it, Carrie! Thank you 🙏
~Dora 💙
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Have a blessed Lord’S day today (9/11/22)!
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Rejoicing with you, Jimmy, every blessing this day to you and yours 🙏
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Aww God bless!
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I love the depth of your writing, but I have never really understood how pagan virtues still left people on the edge of hell… virtue in itself is what makes a human good.
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Thanks, Björn, as always for your comments.
I think Dante’s point is that virtue or vice isn’t what gets you into heaven or hell respectively but simply whether one sought God (which no one does perfectly). In accordance with his Catholic cosmology, there are sinners in Purgatory whose vices parallel those in hell, but sought God sincerely and after their purging attain heaven.
~Dora
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A beautiful tender poem, Dora, with some lovely images. I enjoyed the 4th stanza particularly. Glad to see you back on the blogosphere 🙂
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Very sweet of you, thanks Sunra. 🙏
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Such a wonderful poem .Thanks for sharing this
Anita
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Glad you liked it 😀
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The Dante echo is very cool!
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Thanks, qbit. You can’t ask for better literary guides through heaven, hell , and in between than Dante (and John Bunyan of course). Blake’s poetic genius on the other hand just lands you in a ditch.
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I learnt something new today, Dora, through your beautiful write. Took me back to college when we studied a bit about Dante’s Inferno.
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Punam,
Thank you much! So sorry I somehow missed your comment, so the delayed response. I’m not sure where I first encountered Dante. He’s so very much in the background of so much literature that I think I began with spoonfuls that added up to the lot somehow, if that makes sense!
~Dora
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Beautiful, visionary piece…I often think of poetry as a spirit guide. I’m never sure where I will travel, light or dark, yet travel I do. This poem brought joy to me today. I just finished meditating and you extended the light for me.
LikeLike
Thank you for that extraordinarily generous comment. Poetry is a vehicle for journey, isn’t it, such an apt comparison given the inspiration we find in visionary poets of old, including those in the Psalms. I find myself returning to them for just such a journey, for guidance, many of them for the very reason you say.
~Dora
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I like what you did with this one Dora. The quote and your follow up aphorism works very well.
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Glad you liked it 🙂 🙏
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:>)
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