‘O sanguis meus, o superinfusa
gratïa Deï, sicut tibi cui
bis unquam celi ianüa reclusa?’
Thus spoke that light. And I gave heed,
vv. 28-31
Dante is welcomed by his ancestor, Cacciaguida.— Cacciaguida tells of his family, and of the simple life of Florence in the old days.
In the sphere of Mars, the souls cease their singing so Dante may speak with them. The soul of Cacciaguida (1090–1147), a mysterious ancestor of Dante’s, joyfully addresses his descendant. He thanks God for gracing Dante with the privilege of visiting Paradise and gratefully acknowledges Beatrice’s role in making Dante ready for “this great flight.” Asked about his own life, Cacciaguida recalls a time—conspicuously unlike Dante’s own—in which Florence “lived on in modesty, chasteness and peace.” Those days, when everyone was content with their lot and social customs had not yet been corrupted by money, are long gone, as Cacciaguida recognizes. He then describes his own death in the Crusades.
Riassunto in inglese tratto da https://www.coursehero.com/lit/Paradise/
Canto adopted by Andrea Bandini.
View Dante’s itinerary on the map