DANTE ON THE COIN

Dante on a two Euro coin

In his Monarchia, Dante did not predict a two Euro coin stamped with his portrait. This shows humility.

In Italy, two Euros buy a medium ice cream cone; in China a 250-page book or 5 packs of 0.8mg Zhongnanhai cigarettes.

With his head on a coin, Dante becomes a quantum: this item is worth a Dante, that is not.

But in fact only the Dante expelled from Florence in 1302 is worth a Dante.

So many pinch a Dante between two fingers, among whom must be Dante’s descendants, or even Dante reincarnated. Some recognize Dante on the coin, some don’t.

Moving so unhappily place to place, Dante could hardly imagine leaving himself in banks, shops, vending machines, payphones.

Dante may not have mentioned “joy” in the Inferno, or simply forgot to trace sin’s path from joy to hell’s nine levels.

Dante couldn’t guess how the greedy would find his face a proper object of worship.

Though he described a much better place in Paradiso, few now consider heaven’s benefits.

In Dante’s paradise they don’t use the two Euro Dante. Here we buy and donate with his image, but hardly in his name.