“On meurt deux Source fois, je le vois bien : > > Cesser d’aimer & d’être aimable, > > C’est une mort insupportable : > > Cesser de vivre, ce n’est rien.”
This poignant verse speaks of two deaths. The first is a spiritual death: the end of love. The second is merely physical. For the poet, the loss of love is the only unbearable end. This theme of spiritual life and death provides a powerful lens through which we can examine another epic journey of the soul: Dante Alighieri‘s Divine Comedy. Dante’s pilgrimage is a profound escape from spiritual death in the darkness of the Inferno. It culminates in the blinding, beautiful life of Paradiso. Specifically, in the final cantos, Dante uses the symbolism of color and light to articulate a vision of divine love that transcends human experience. He shows how one moves from earthly perception to a heavenly understanding that is beyond form and shadow.
The Journey from Shadow to Substance
Dante’s entire Divine Comedy charts a progression of light. The Inferno is a place of profound darkness, punctuated only by fire and gloom. It represents the absence of God’s grace. Subsequently, Purgatorio introduces natural light. Here, the sun marks the passage of time and symbolizes a returning hope and divine guidance. Dante’s ascent up the mountain is a journey toward this cleansing light. However, it is in Paradiso that light transforms from a mere symbol of God into His very presence. Each celestial sphere radiates with greater intensity. This increasing brilliance signifies Dante’s growing capacity to understand and endure the divine.
This escalation is not merely about brightness. It is about the quality of the light itself. In the lower heavens, light illuminates distinct forms and colors, much like on Earth. For instance, the spirits in the sphere of Mercury appear as shining splendors. Yet, they retain a sense of individuality. This reflects a state of spiritual understanding that still relies on familiar, tangible metaphors. Dante uses these early images to ground the reader in a reality they can comprehend. He builds a bridge from the known world to the utterly unknown.
Earthly Hues as Divine Metaphors
In the approach to the final vision, Dante still grasps for earthly comparisons to describe heaven’s beauty. He often uses colors like gold, ruby, and sapphire to paint a picture of celestial glory. For example, he compares a vision of Christ and Mary to a radiant sun illuminating a field of flowers. Furthermore, he describes the celestial rose, where the blessed reside, in vibrant hues. These colors are not random. They carry deep theological weight. Gold signifies divinity and perfection. White represents purity and faith. Red symbolizes love and sacrifice.
However, Dante consistently shows the inadequacy of these descriptions. He frequently laments the failure of his own memory and language to capture what he witnessed. He uses the simile of morning and evening clouds suffused with sunlight. This serves as a powerful transitional image. Clouds catch and refract light, displaying stunning colors. Yet, they have no color of their own. Their beauty is entirely dependent on the light that passes through them. In the same way, the splendor of the saints and angels is a reflection of God’s divine light. They are vessels, not the source. This concept is crucial for understanding the final cantos.
Transcending Color in the Empyrean
As Dante enters the Empyrean, the highest heaven, a dramatic shift occurs. Color begins to dissolve into pure, undifferentiated light. Language and earthly imagery start to fail him completely. He describes a river of light, from which living sparks emerge and settle like flowers on its banks. This is a breathtaking vision, but Beatrice explains it is merely a shadow—a prelude to the true reality. She urges him to drink from the river with his eyes, enabling him to perceive the divine essence directly. After this, the river transforms from a linear stream into a circular sea of light. The flowers and sparks become the souls of the blessed and angels, arranged in the Celestial Rose.
The Final Vision of Canto XXXIII
In the final canto, Dante gazes into the heart of this divine light. Source He finds that it is not a monolithic, simple brightness. Instead, it is a complex, triune light containing the mystery of the Trinity. He sees three circles of three different colors, yet they share one dimension. One circle seems to reflect the other, and the third appears as a fire breathing forth from both. This is the culmination of his journey. He is no longer seeing reflections or symbols of God. He is witnessing the divine essence itself, an experience that defies all worldly physics and language.
Within this profound light, Dante perceives the image of humanity. He sees our likeness, inexplicably and perfectly integrated within the divine geometry of the circles. This is the ultimate mystery of the Incarnation. Dante struggles to understand how this union is possible, comparing himself to a geometer trying to square the circle. At this moment, his intellect fails. A flash of divine grace illuminates his mind, granting him the understanding he seeks. His desire and will become one with the