The Earthly Paradise and Matilda

Dante, Virgil, and Statius enter the Earthly Paradise at the summit of Mount Purgatory. The forest is dense and living-green, and a gentle breeze rustles the leaves. A stream, Lethe, blocks their path. On the other side, a beautiful lady, Matilda, is gathering flowers and singing. She explains the nature of the Earthly Paradise and the origin of the rivers Lethe and Eunoe. She tells Dante that this place was created for innocent humanity and that the air and water here are free from the corruption of the fallen world. This episode presents the Earthly Paradise as a restoration of the Garden of Eden.