Love That Moves the Sun and Other Stars

by Dante Alighieri

'Happiness beyond all words! A life of peace and love, entire and whole!'A collection of cantos from Paradiso , the most original and experimental part of the Divina Commedia .One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

Genres: Classics, Poetry, Fiction, Short Stories, Italian Literature, Italy, Love

Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1321

About the author

Dante Alighieri, or simply Dante (May 14/June 13 1265 – September 13/14, 1321), is one of the greatest poets in the Italian language; with the story-teller, Boccaccio, and the poet, Petrarch, he forms the classic trio of Italian authors. Dante Alighieri was born in the city-state Florence in 1265. He first saw the woman, or rather the child, who was to become the poetic love of his life when he was almost nine years old and she was some months younger. In fact, Beatrice married another man, Simone di' Bardi, and died when Dante was 25, so their relationship existed almost entirely in Dante's imagination, but she nonetheless plays an extremely important role in his poetry. Dante attributed all the heavenly virtues to her soul and imagined, in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy, that she was his guardian angel who alternately berated and encouraged him on his search for salvation.

Politics as well as love deeply influenced Dante's literary and emotional life. Renaissance Florence was a thriving, but not a peaceful city: different opposing factions continually struggled for dominance there. The Guelfs and the Ghibellines were the two major factions, and in fact that division was important in all of Italy and other countries as well. The Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor were political rivals for much of this time period, and in general the Guelfs were in favor of the Pope, while the Ghibellines supported Imperial power. By 1289 in the battle of Campaldino the Ghibellines largely disappeared from Florence. Peace, however, did not insue. Instead, the Guelf party divided between the Whites and the Blacks (Dante was a White Guelf). The Whites were more opposed to Papal power than the Blacks, and tended to favor the emperor, so in fact the preoccupations of the White Guelfs were much like those of the defeated Ghibellines. In this divisive atmosphere Dante rose to a position of leadership. in 1302, while he was in Rome on a diplomatic mission to the Pope, the Blacks in Florence seized power with the help of the French (and pro-Pope) Charles of Valois. The Blacks exiled Dante, confiscating his goods and condemning him to be burned if he should return to Florence.

Dante never returned to Florence. He wandered from city to city, depending on noble patrons there. Between 1302 and 1304 some attempts were made by the exiled Whites to retrieve their position in Florence, but none of these succeeded and Dante contented himself with hoping for the appearance of a new powerful Holy Roman Emperor who would unite the country and banish strife. Henry VII was elected Emperor in 1308, and indeed laid seige to Florence in 1312, but was defeated, and he died a year later, destroying Dante's hopes. Dante passed from court to court, writing passionate political and moral epistles and finishing his Divine Comedy, which contains the Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. He finally died in Ravenna in 1321.

Reviews

[Gerhard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Penguin Little Black Classics, while a great idea, are often hit or miss. This is a decidedly odd Dante primer, a selection of ten Cantos from Paradiso only (the 2007 Robin Kirkpatrick translation). Not my favourite part of the The Divine Comedy anyway; more divinity than comedy. I do think an introduction essay would help for context, and also guide the reader to pursue the fuller text in the larger Penguin Classics series.

[Anca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't get it why is everybody complaining about how you won't understand the whole plot of The Divine Comedy after reading this; it's specified that this short book it's supposed to help the reader get a glimpse of Dante's work and writing instead of the actual plot. (also it's a 57 pages book, how can you expect to understand who these characters are and what exactly is going on)
I definitely want to read The Divine comedy now, I found the verses so beautiful, and the translation was acceptable compared to other Little Black Classics. (See Homer's Circe and the Cyclops)

[Helena De Wachter · Rating 5 out of 5]

of ik hardhandig toch mijn 20 boeken challenge probeer af te ronden dus daarom mijn dagen vul met little black penguin classics? ik weet niet hoe je daarbij komt.

5 sterren voor deze trouwens want ik ben een hopeloze romanticus en ahhhh Dante <3

[Eveslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Canto XI
Headlong he ran - a callow boy - to war
and fought, against his father, for a girl
to whom - as though to death - all lock joy's door.
So, coram patre in the bishop's court,
he joined himself with her and, ever on,
from day to day he loved her all the more.
She, sad and widowed of her first beloved,
remained a thousand years (and more) till he
came on to her - obscure, undated, scorned.
Nor did it count to hear how Caesar- terror
of the world - had found her true, unwavering,
with Amyclas, not moved by his command.


Those idiotic strivings of the human mind!
How flawed their arguments and logic are,
driving our wings to flap in downward flight.
Some follow Law. Some drift (great tomes in hand)
to Medicine, others train in priestly craft.
Some rule by force, as others do by tricks.
Some choose to steal, some trade in politics,
some toil, engrossed in pleasures of the flesh,
and others concentrate their minds on ease,
while I, released from all that sort of thing,
was gathered up on high with Beatrice
in glorious triumph to the heavenly spheres.

[Carolina Almeida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I had read the Bible before reading this book!

A lovely quote;) :

‘Those idiotic strivings of the human mind!
How flawed their arguments and logic are,
driving our wings to flap in downward flight.’

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Happiness beyond all words! A life of peace and love, entire and whole!”

Some cantos were great, some were not. All in all 3/5 stars

[— sab · Rating 1 out of 5]

why did i think it was a good idea to revisit paradiso

[Oana · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you only need a glimpse of Dante's Divina Commedia, this should help you form an opinion. However, I am not sure the English translation was the best choice, I've also read something in Romanian and although it may seem awkward it sounded more like the original (or how I picture it).

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 3 out of 5]

But now my will and my desire were turned, as wheels that move in equilibrium, by love that moves the sun and other stars.

Sometimes there is a book that shows me exactly that English is definitely not my first language.

[T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5*
Bro has the same level of delusional as me

[Tadeea Ernst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, jaw dropping stunning amazing will never be the same. I was shocked. I read this in a second. I don’t know what to say anymore but good words. This made me raise my standard in everything 10 /10.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this is another editors mash-up. This is really aimed at people who have the desire (like myself) to own a complete set of little black classics, otherwise, avoid.

[Sefkat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tbh I'm not entirely sure I understood or connected with this at all, BUT I kind of wanted to read it to say I have read Dante! Surely I'm not alone on this!

[Benjamin Just · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Into the gold of that now-always rose,
which grows from arc to arc, dilates and breathes
the scent of praise to always-springtime Sun...”

[clodagh kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

gay

[avamoore2608 · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was beautiful (I have no idea what he was talking about)

[Melania · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Eternal light, you sojourn in yourself alone. Alone, you know yourself. Known to yourself, you, knowing, love and smile on your own being" (Canto XXXIII)

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just dipping my pinky toe into the Divine Comedy. 3 for the translation, not Dante.

[Mirjam · Rating 1 out of 5]

So much for reading more classics and educating myself. I just didn't like this at all. The language reminded me too much of the latin translations I did in high school, except without the original present to make sense of the translation... The writing was beautiful in the descriptions, but I had a really hard time grasping the plot or characters or anything really. This should have had an introduction of some sort.

[Teddy]

ik ga niet liegen ik kreeg maar heel weinig mee omdat ik gwn stupid ben maar dat geeft niet want ik ga volgend jaar de divina comedia in het nederlands lezen en echt goed zodat ik het snap. wel heel lief dat hij in zo'n intense situatie zit en vervolgens zit van anyway beatrice <3 zij is zo mooi <3 maar ja hij heeft haar 2x gezien ofzo dus beetje creepy misschien ook? wie weet

[Jess Aitchison · Rating 1 out of 5]

The equivalent of taking every third chapter of lotr 3 and saying it's "a taste for someone looking to get into the series".

Funny when he said "has made my own burial ground a shit hole reeking of blood and pus" though.

[Chris Haigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic ending from a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance literature. Adding a star because I nearly got a tattoo of the title (L'amore che move il sole e l'altre stelle) but managed to resist.

[Katrīna · Rating 4 out of 5]

saprotu tagad

[Camille Christmas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t really understand any of it but I’m intrigued

Beautiful writing

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dante Alighieri,

Master writer & Master philosopher.

I love so much works by Dante Alighieri.
His writing style, his philosophy is something special.
In his works we can feel & see traces after looking knowledge.

"Love that Moves the Sun and Other Stars" is a collection of Cantos from work Paradiso - Dante's finale in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy.

We know very well that Dante was suffering because love to Beatrice.

There are many struggling factors in that age when Dante lived...different teachings of belief,
Gnosis, Simon Magus, Christianity...Virgil philosophy...esoteric teaching about Holy trinity.

But the key dwells in understanding Dante's philosophy.

Dante points out for looking a love.

Dante can see Beatrice everywhere.

Beatrice is a Goddess for Dante's mind.

Beatrice as concept of love can be found everywhere whether on the Earth in form of the Sun or in form of the Rose.
"I saw one sun that, soaring, lit them all,
as our sun lights the stars seen over us,
And through this clear and living light there shone
the being that creates that glow, too bright
within my eyes for me to tolerate.
My sweetness! Beatrice, guiding me!"
(Canto XXIII)

"Love, in your womb, was fanned to fire again.
And here, in this eternal peace, the warmth of love
has brought the Rose to germinate and bloom.
You are, among those mortals there below,
the clearest fountain of their living hopes.
You are, in dignity and power, Our Lady."
(Canto XXXIII)

Dante was only human as each other human, too.
"Thos idiotic strivings of the human mind!
Some follow Law. Some drift (great tomes in hand)
to Medicine, others train in priestly craft.
Some rule by force, as others do by tricks.
Some choose to steal, some trade in politics,
some toil, engrossed in pleasures of the flesh,
and others concentrate their minds on ease,
while I, released from all that sort of thing,
was gathered up on high with Beatrice
in glorious triumph to the heavenly spheres."

Dante followed his Beatrice...Dante followed his love...

He suffered for a love because Beatrice because hard times of medieval philosophy.
Christians in that age refused other different teachings of belief.
To know Gnosis. To looking for knowledge.

But Dante fought for knowledge for whole life.

He was true philosopher.
He was very talented man.
He had perfect knowledge in astronomy, in history.

But very interesting fact is that Beatrice wasn't only one a lover.

His other lover was Constance from Swabia land.
"But, over to my right, there shows to you another splendour who, enkindled now
with all the light that gathers in our sphere,
knows from her own life what I say of mine.
She was our sister. And from her head, too,
was torn the shadow of her pure, white hood.
This is the light of Constance, that high queen
who bore to Swabia..."
(Canto III)

We know very well that in that age, philosophers had secret groups & no doubt that Constance was very high degree at philosophy. She had to be a great philosopher similarly like Dante. To understand how law works.

Dante has lost Constance and here is proof:
"-she went back to the world,
she never let the veil fall from her heart.'
Those were her words to me. But then 'Ave Maria' began, singing. And, singing,
she went from sight, as weight sinks deep in water.
My eyes pursued as far as eyesight can,
but, as I lost her, so I turned once more
to target a desire far greater still."
(Canto III)

After loosing of Constance. Dante focuses on his new love Beatrice.
"Now all my thoughts were fixed on Beatrice.
But she, as lightning strikes, so stunned my gaze,
my eyes at first could not support the sight,
and this was why my question came so slow."
(Canto III)

Many philosophical groups had problems in the medieval age.
Dante, his secret philosophical group with Constance says to us that the light of knowledge, the light of gnosis burns as flame.

This is philosophy of life. Philosophy of a Love.

"Eternal light, you sojourn in yourself alone.
Alone, you know yourself. Known to yourself,
you, knowing, love and smile on your own being."
(Canto XXXIII)

In nowadays we face to same problems as our Dante philosopher.
Ignorance of knowledge.
Ignorance of Gnosis.
Ignorance of a LOVE.

There are two groups of society.
One live in medieval age & one live in 21st century.

Dante Philosophy is a proof that Philosophy lives in 21st century & lives with us.

His philosophy is a gift from Universe saying to us.
"But now my will and my desire were turned,
as wheels that move in equilibrium,
by love that moves the sun and other stars."

It implies that we can love each other when we are in state of Gnosis, in state of tolerance.

With Love

Angela L.E. Komorovska

[adrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

My fault too for going into this book without reading Dante's other works in result having zero context, but read through it and had amazing time reading, really pulled in to the book with other familiar references to his past work (Given the title of the book, is the last line of his book 'The Divine Comedy') Anyway! I love it, and will definitely come back after reading his other works :))

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this "Little Black" to get familiar with Dante's writing and his style - for that purpose, it was useful. Additionally, I liked the cantos that were selected from "Paradiso".
However, I feel like context-wise, it would have been better to read Dante's whole book, as I had to do a lot of googling to keep up (I knew nothing about the context or the protagonists in his Divine Comedy).

[romaissa ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It feels a little as if I had found a love letter from long ago, something clearly not meant for me, but even so painstakingly attempt to translate it from a language still very foreign. The verses are beautiful, even if I sometimes don't understand what Dante is trying to convey.

[Nirvana Karolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Incredible verses and a beautiful writing style, featuring selected cantos from Paradiso, which I consider Dante’s most complex work. However, if you’re not familiar with his style yet, I’d recommend reading La Divina Commedia first.

[leidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a beautiful and poetic introduction to Dante’s writing. Rather than feeling overwhelming, it worked as a gentle entry point into his style, luminous, elevated, and carefully composed.

the language is rich without ever feeling excessive, and many passages invite slow, thoughtful reading. Dante’s imagery has a clarity and grace that makes even abstract ideas feel tangible, and there’s a quiet sense of wonder running throughout the text that rewards patience and attention.

as someone who hasn’t yet read The Divine Comedy, this felt like an ideal place to start. It allowed me to become familiar with Dante’s voice and sensibility without the weight or intimidation of his full cosmological vision.
overall, this was a rewarding and elegant read, one that left me curious, rather than daunted, about exploring more of Dante’s work in the future.