Gaze

A New Persective On Dante's Dream of Siren is a wonderful article that I discoverred recently.

It covers the second dream in purgatorio, it provides a key to understanding divine comedy as a whole.

(To me, all three dreams in purgatorio are fascinating.)

 

	Canto 19	Meaning
7	a stammering woman came to me in dream: her eyes askew, and crooked on her feet, her hands were crippled, her complexion sallow.	Not to be loved
10	I looked at her; and just as sun revives cold limbs that night made numb, so did my gaze loosen her tongue and then, in little time,	gaze
13	set her contorted limbs in perfect order; and, with the coloring that love prefers, my eyes transformed the wanness of her features.	Projected love
16	And when her speech had been set free, then she began to sing so, that it would have been most difficult for me to turn aside.	Can't escape
19	“I am,” she sang, “I am the pleasing siren, who in midsea leads mariners astray— there is so much delight in hearing me.
22	I turned aside Ulysses, although he had longed to journey; who grows used to me seldom departs—I satisfy him so.”	Siren change songs to fit the desire of hearers
25	Her lips were not yet done when, there beside me, a woman showed herself, alert and saintly, to cast the siren into much confusion.	Lady (reason, power of free choice)
28	“O Virgil, Virgil, tell me: who is this?” she asked most scornfully; and he came forward, his eyes intent upon that honest one.
31	He seized the other, baring her in front, tearing her clothes, and showing me her belly; the stench that came from there awakened me.	Belly (Dante's desire)

Here interpret "Belly" to "Dante's desire" is  thunderbolt to me. 

Affect: 

	Canto 19	Meaning
58	“The one you saw,” he said, “that ancient witch— for her alone one must atone above; you saw how man can free himself from her.	How man can free her?
61	Let that suffice, and hurry on your way; fasten your eyes upon the lure that’s spun by the eternal King with His great spheres.”	Lure (Beatrice)

 

The author identify false images and true image (Beatrice), and argues that true image "drives the lover to investigate his desires".

The article (or the author) tries to use reason to exaplain true image, which will eventually fail. I still view the Beatrice image as esthetic image.