Observations placeholder
Dante - Paradiso - Venus and love
Identifier
014663
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Dante – The Divine Comedy – Paradiso VIII
The world used to think, in its time of danger,
That the lovely Cyprian radiated the madness
Of love, as she turned in the third epicycle;
And therefore not only the ancient peoples
In the ancient error did her the honour
Of sacrifices and cried to her in prayer
But they honoured also Dione and Cupid
The one as her mother, the other as her son;
And told how the boy had sat in Dido's lap;
And from her with whom I began my canto
They took the designation of the star
Which stares at the sun, now before it, now at its back
I did not notice our rise into this element
But of my being there I was assured
By the fact that I saw my lady become more beautiful