Click here to load reader
View
221
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
1321
THE DIVINE COMEDY: PURGATORY
Alighieri Dante
translated by Henry F. Cary
Dante, Alighieri (1265-1321) - Italian poet. Dante was the first noteworthypoet to write in Italian and is considered one of the greatest poets in all literature.He is best known as the author of The Divine Comedy, a three- Cantica epic al-legory of the human soul and a monument of the Middle Ages. Purgatory (1321) -The second part of The Divine Comedy describes Dantes voyage up the moun-tain of Purgatory. Virgil again acts as Dantes guide up to the entrance of theEarthly Paradise. See Inferno and Paradise.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CANTO I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
CANTO II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
CANTO III . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
CANTO IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
CANTO V . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
CANTO VI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
CANTO VII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
CANTO VIII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
CANTO IX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
CANTO X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
CANTO XI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
CANTO XII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
CANTO XIII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
CANTO XIV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
CANTO XV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
CANTO XVI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
CANTO XVII . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
CANTO XIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
CANTO XX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
CANTO XXI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
CANTO XXII . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
CANTO XXIII . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
CANTO XXIV . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
CANTO XXV . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
CANTO XXVI . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
CANTO XXVII . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
CANTO XXVIII . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
CANTO XXIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
CANTO XXX . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
CANTO XXXI . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
CANTO XXXII . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
CANTO XXXIII . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
NOTES - CANTO I. . . . . . . . . . . . 260
NOTES - CANTO II. . . . . . . . . . . . 262
NOTES - CANTO III. . . . . . . . . . . . 264
NOTES - CANTO IV. . . . . . . . . . . . 266
NOTES - CANTO V. . . . . . . . . . . . 268
NOTES - CANTO VI. . . . . . . . . . . . 271
NOTES - CANTO VII. . . . . . . . . . . . 275
NOTES - CANTO VIII. . . . . . . . . . . 279
NOTES - CANTO IX. . . . . . . . . . . . 282
NOTES - CANTO X. . . . . . . . . . . . 285
NOTES - CANTO XI. . . . . . . . . . . . 287
NOTES - CANTO XII. . . . . . . . . . . . 289
NOTES - CANTO XIII. . . . . . . . . . . 291
NOTES - CANTO XIV. . . . . . . . . . . 293
NOTES - CANTO XV. . . . . . . . . . . . 298
NOTES - CANTO XVI. . . . . . . . . . . 300
NOTES - CANTO XVII. . . . . . . . . . . 302
NOTES - CANTO XVIII. . . . . . . . . . . 304
NOTES - CANTO XIX. . . . . . . . . . . 306
NOTES - CANTO XX. . . . . . . . . . . . 308
NOTES - CANTO XXI. . . . . . . . . . . 313
NOTES - CANTO XXII. . . . . . . . . . . 315
NOTES - CANTO XXIII. . . . . . . . . . . 319
NOTES - CANTO XXIV. . . . . . . . . . . 321
NOTES - CANTO XXV. . . . . . . . . . . 324
NOTES - CANTO XXVI. . . . . . . . . . . 326
NOTES - CANTO XXVII. . . . . . . . . . . 329
NOTES - CANTO XXVIII. . . . . . . . . . 331
NOTES - CANTO XXIX. . . . . . . . . . . 333
NOTES - CANTO XXX. . . . . . . . . . . 337
NOTES - CANTO XXXI. . . . . . . . . . . 339
NOTES - CANTO XXXII. . . . . . . . . . . 341
NOTES - CANTO XXXIII. . . . . . . . . . 345
CANTO IThe poet comes to Purgatory, beholds four stars seenonly by our first parents, and meets Cato of Utica.
OER better waves to speed her rapid courseThe light bark of my genius lifts the sail,Well pleased to leave so cruel sea behind;And of that second region will I sing,In which the human spirit from sinful blotIs purged, and for ascent to Heaven prepares.
Here, O ye hallowd Nine! for in your trainI follow, here the deadend strain revive;Nor let Calliope refuse to soundA somewhat higher song, of that loud toneWhich when the wretched birds of chattering noteHad heard, they of forgiveness lost all hope.
Sweet hue of eastern sapphire, that was spreadOer the serene aspect of the pure air,
High up as the first circle, to mine eyesUnwonted joy renewd, soon as I scapedForth from the atmosphere of deadly gloom,That had mine eyes and bosom filld with grief.The radiant planet, that to love invites,Made all the orient laugh, and veild beneathThe Pisces light, that in his escort came.
To the right hand I turnd, and fixd my mindOn the other pole attentive, where I sawFour stars neer seen before save by the kenOf our first parents. Heaven of their raysSeemd joyous. O thou northern site! bereftIndeed, and widowd, since of these deprived.
As from this view I had desisted, straightTurning a little toward the other pole,There from whence now the wain had disappeard,I saw an old man standing by my sideAlone, so worthy of reverence in his look,That neer from son to father more was owed.Low down his beard, and mixd with hoary white,
Descended, like his locks, which, parting, fellUpon his breast in double fold. The beamsOf those four luminaries on his faceSo brightly shone, and with such radiance clearDeckd it, that I beheld him as the sun.
Say who are ye, that stemming the blind stream,Forth from the eternal prison-house have fled?"He spoke and moved those venerable plumes.Who hath conducted, or with lantern sureLights you emerging from the depth of night,That makes the infernal valley ever black?Are the firm statutes of the dread abyssBroken, or in high heaven new laws ordaind,That thus, condemnd, ye to my caves approach?"
My guide, then laying hold on me, by wordsAnd intimations given with hand and head,Made my bent knees and eye submissive payDue reverence; then thus to him replied:
Not of myself I come; a Dame from heaven
Descending, him besought me in my chargeTo bring. But since thy will implies, that moreOur true condition I unfold at large,Mine is not to deny thee thy request.This mortal neer hath seen the furthest gloom;But erring by his folly had approachdSo near, that little space was left to turn.Then, as before I told, I was despatchdTo work his rescue; and no way remaindSave this which I have taen. I have displaydBefore him all the regions of the bad;And purpose now those spirits to display,That under thy command are purged from sin.How I have brought him would be long to say.From high descends the virtue, by whose aidI to thy sight and hearing him have led.Now may our coming please thee. In the searchOf liberty he journeys: that how dear,They know who for her sake have life refused.Thou knowest, to whom death for her was sweetIn Utica, where thou didst leave those weeds,That in the last great day will shine so bright.
He breathes, and I of Minos am not bound,For us the eternal edicts are unmovedAbiding in that circle, where the eyesOf thy chaste Marcia beam, who still in lookPrays thee, O hallowd spirit! to own her thine.Then by her love we implore thee, let us passThrough thy seven regions; for which, best thanksI for thy favor will to her return,If mention there b