Commentary Par I 82-84

Both the beautiful sound (the music of the spheres? [see C.Par.I.78]) and the brilliant and extended pool of light (the sphere of fire between the earth and Moon? [see C.Par.I.61-63]) increase Dante's intense desire to know their realities.  It will at least seem that Beatrice's answer (vv. 88-93) does little to answer either of Dante's questions in ways that we, earthlings like him, would consider satisfying.  However, it certainly does seem that the poet means us to be aware of our unslaked curiosity about the identity of these two heavenly phenomena.  An attractive hypothesis is that he means us to draw exactly these conclusions without having left himself open to attack by making extraordinary claims (e.g., 'I passed through the sphere of fire and listened to the music of the spheres').