And Deep Down Dante Feared This

Col falso lor piacer,
Dead, angelic Beatrice
Scolded Dante the pilgrim
In Dante the poet’s words.

Scholarship still debates this—
What were those present delights?
Living women, secular
Philosophy head the list

Of candidates. No one scolds
The Beatrice in Dante,
His conscience accusing him,
For falsely accusing him.

It’s always medieval this
And Augustinian that,
As if no one can admit
When Dante’s mind felt riven

Between his theology
And pagan philosophy,
The contest was close enough
For him to try to chivvy

Himself as his creation.
He wouldn’t end up the last
Potentially heretic
Soul to give authority

To a righteous ghost conjured
By his own gorgeous phrases
To firm up his doubtful faith.
That’s the difference between mind

And real gods mind imagines.
When gods are the creators,
Creators scold creations,
Not the other way around.

And as for present delights,
However false or fleeting,
They’re more true than Beatrice
Or any Heaven promised.