Vita Nuova

 

As I rode out one day not long ago
by narrow roads, and heavy with the thought
of what compelled my going, I met Love
in pilgrim's rags coming the other way.

Vita Nuova (new life). Dante writes this short book of prose and poetry to share what experiences led him to a new life. This is Dante's first major work, and it is beautifully written. The parallel of Beatrice and his love for her follows the path that leads to God, and therefore the truest, deepest love that is at the centre of all things. The three characters of this book are Dante, Beatrice, and the Love that sees all outside of time and as one whole thing. Yet it is a Love that still shares tears with Dante and seeks him in the joys and sorrows. Ah, the more I read of Dante the more I am drawn to his writings and want to read more and study more.

Dante opens this book of his memory to share the story through prose and verse, telling of the catalyst that began his new life. The vita nuova. What preceded this story doesn't matter. He looks at this as the important episodes to share, leaving out anything else he sees as not significant.  

We become more familiar with his love for Beatrice, which at every level points to God. All the allusions and trinity-inspired language clearly points to this deeper source of how Dante became something new. If we feel low or in a point of darkness of grief along with Dante, Dante's recollection from his book of memory tells of the dreams/visions he has when visited by Love himself, who shares his tears and has compassion on him.

When Dante asks the Lord why he weeps, the answer he receives is - 

"I am like the centre of a circle, 
equidistant from all points on the
circumference, but you are not."

Dante is not sure what this means, so he asks why he speaks so obscurely.
The Lord replies - 

"Do not ask more than is useful to you."

More mystery in the reply and Dante is left confused in these moments. But what we learn later is the truth of God's place outside time. So, He is at the centre and can see all of everything at once, equidistant from everything at his central position. There is no time for Him - He sits above it all. So, He knows the sorrow that is to come for Dante when Beatrice dies. Yet, He reminds Dante that sometimes we aren't meant to know more than is useful to us at that moment. We are made to live inside time, yet move toward the centre all the while, closer to God, who knows all and draws us to Him.

Love, who perceived her in my memory,
had come awake within the ravaged heart
and to my signs he said, 'Go forth from here,'
whereat each one went on his grieving way.

It's beautiful writing, nourishing to a soul divided with questions and battles with reason. It lays down the pathway to discovery of the deeper recollections of the trinity and God's place in our longings. As the reader, you can follow down that path and ponder more about his use of numbers, 3 and 9, and how those are perfectly fitted to the trinity and also the medieval astrological views of the 9 spheres that move, and have relation to one another. This segues so smoothly into the main theme of The Divine Comedy where he explores this in much more detail as Love is One who moves the stars and planets, and the lyrical perfection of the heavenly spheres is the pathway leading closer to Him.

This short book sets us up for his later masterpiece, The Divine Comedy, which he even alludes to at the end of the poem saying if he is one day capable of writing about her (Beatrice) in a more worthy fashion, he hopes to write more.