THE DIVINE COMEDY: PURGATORY - · PDF file1321 THE DIVINE COMEDY: PURGATORY Alighieri Dante translated by Henry F. Cary

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