Purgatorio: The Comedy of Dante Alighieri, Canticle Two (Unabridged)

Dante’s conception of Purgatory involves principles of comparative awareness and the possibility of change.

To course over better waters the little boat

of my imagination raises her sails,

and leaves behind her that sea so cruel

The process of listening to Dante’s Comedy is a journey into not just literature but into the mysteries of human nature and its capacity for unhappiness and happiness, folly and wisdom, rejection and wonder over the miracles of creation and existence.