Riso della donna e riso di Dio : una traccia trobadorica per Paradiso XXVII

The theme of the renovatio constitutes one of the most frequent openings in Pro- vençal poetry. In Raimbaut d’Aurenga’s Ab nou cor et ab nou talen (BdT 389,1), ll. 31-35 the lady’s smile is related to the smile of God and the angels. The image, unique in the lyric tradition, brings immediately to mind Beatrice’s smile in Par. XXVII. The possibility that Dante may be quoting Raimbaut is supported by the argument that in the canto Dante retraces the stages of his love for Beatrice and the definitive abandonment of earthy love. Raimbaut’s poem could therefore narrate, in a nutshell, the journey from love as renovatio (Vita Nova) to the contemplation of the lady’s riso in Paradise.