Dante's Hell, Or The Story About The Guy With The Bluest Eyes

I reckon that Dante is most commonly known for his book on the circles of Hell. He's written more than just a nice political allegory; he's also written a very beautiful tribute to his love Beatrice, whose true historical identity still remains a mystery. His love for her was truly eternal, since he continued to long for her long after her death. I've read Vita Nuova a few years back, and fell in love with the language and the intensity of his love for her. His love was almost ravenous, and his passion spoke to me in a clear, crisp voice. If you haven't read it yet, you should. It's a wonderful read. I especially like the line: "I am your master; Behold your heart." I fell in love with this line, not that I'm an aficionado of leather straps and bondage (not that there's something wrong with a little slap'n'tickle), but it speaks such a raw energy. Dante must have had ichor pumping through his veins because he's managed to capture the eternal aspect of love quite befittingly.

Love, or any inclination resembling the concept, is a double-edged sword. It can liberate and bind one at once. One can feel absolutely happy, when one's lover reciprocates one's feelings, and miserable, when one's lover shows himself/herself cold, and distant. Love is a constant master/slave role play in which both lovers alternate between the roles of master and slave. This is what Dante meant with that line, I reckon.

Well, given the choice no-one wants to linger in Dante's Hell. We'd all prefer to spend our days in our lover's arms staring into our lover's eyes, while our lover whispers sweet nothings in our ears, and tells us of her/his undying love for us. In reality such a situation does rarely, if ever, exist. And, as long as our view of love is askew we will never get what we truly want/need. We all know that love is hard work, but we never seem to understand how much work exactly, and in which areas, and how we can be our best selves in a relationship. "To know my deed. 'Twere best not know myself.", MacBeth uttered. I would like to say: "To know Love. 'Tis best to know myself." At any rate, one needs to have an inkling.