Purgatorio, Canto 2
Dante Alighieri · Italian original · new English translation and commentary by Text Atlas
Overview
At dawn on Purgatory's shore, Dante and Virgil see a miraculous light become the angelic pilot, who crosses the sea without oar or sail and brings more than a hundred souls singing the Exodus psalm. The new souls, strange to the place, ask the way to the mountain; Virgil says the poets too are pilgrims, newly arrived by a harsher route. The souls notice Dante's living breath and gather around him. Dante recognizes Casella, tries in vain to embrace his shade, and asks for the love song that once consoled him. Casella sings so sweetly that everyone stands fixed in delight until Cato rebukes their delay and drives them toward the mountain to strip away the slough that hides God.
Narrative arc
- Cosmic dawn sets Purgatorio against Jerusalem, Ganges, Night, Aurora, and the shore where desire moves before the body
- A swift sea-light becomes the angelic pilot whose wings disdain ordinary human navigation
- The divine bird lands, the souls sing the Exodus psalm, receive the cross, disembark, and the angel departs
- The newly arrived souls are strange to the shore, ask the way to the mountain, and Virgil names both groups pilgrims
- The souls notice Dante's breathing body and crowd around him, almost forgetting the work of becoming beautiful
- Dante tries and fails to embrace an empty shade, recognizes Casella, and hears love persist after bodily release
- Dante explains his living journey, and Casella explains delayed passage, just will, the Tiber mouth, and Acheron's alternative
- Dante asks for Casella's love song; the sweetness fixes Virgil, Dante, and the new souls in contented attention
- Cato rebukes negligence, commands the souls to strip away the slough, and the dove-like band flees toward the slope
Central themes
- freedom
- cleansing
- song
- discipline
- hope
Cosmic dawn sets Purgatorio against Jerusalem, Ganges, Night, Aurora, and the shore where desire moves before the body II.1–12
1Già era ’l sole a l’orizzonte giunto
lo cui meridïan cerchio coverchia
Ierusalèm col suo più alto punto;
e la notte, che opposita a lui cerchia,
5uscia di Gange fuor con le Bilance,
che le caggion di man quando soverchia;
sì che le bianche e le vermiglie guance,
là dov’ i’ era, de la bella Aurora
per troppa etate divenivan rance.
10Noi eravam lunghesso mare ancora,
come gente che pensa a suo cammino,
che va col cuore e col corpo dimora.
1Already the sun had reached the horizon
whose meridian circle covers
Jerusalem with its highest point;
and night, which circles opposite him,
5was coming forth from Ganges with the Scales,
which fall from her hand when she grows stronger;
so that the white and crimson cheeks,
where I was, of beautiful Aurora
through too much age were turning orange.
10We were still beside the sea,
like people thinking on their way,
who go in heart while the body stays.
Commentary
The opening time scheme of Jerusalem, Ganges, Libra, Night, Aurora, and the Purgatory shore forms a single cosmological dawn setup rather than a modernized time stamp.
II.4–6 The Ganges marks the far eastern reference point in Dante's antipodal time scheme; the Scales keep the equinoctial/cosmic frame visible. The line keeps Night personified with the Scales; the syntax remains compressed be.
II.4–6 The Ganges marks the far eastern reference point in Dante's antipodal time scheme; the Scales keep the equinoctial/cosmic frame visible. Line 5: The Ganges marks the far eastern reference point in Dante's antipodal time scheme; the Scales keep the equinoctial/cosmic frame visible. Line 6: The line keeps Night personified with the Scales; the syntax remains compressed because Dante is staging cosmological simultaneity rather than a simple clock note.
II.5 The Ganges marks the far eastern reference point in Dante's antipodal time scheme; the Scales keep the equinoctial/cosmic frame visible. The Ganges marks the far eastern reference point in Dante's antipodal time scheme; the Scales keep the equinoctial/cosmic frame visible.
II.6 The line keeps Night personified with the Scales; the syntax remains compressed because Dante is staging cosmological simultaneity rather than a simple clock note. The line keeps Night personified with the Scales; the syntax remains compressed because Dante is staging cosmological simultaneity rather than a simple clock note.
II.7–9 Rance is rendered as orange to preserve the aged-color change in Aurora's cheeks without smoothing away the strangeness.
II.7–9 Rance is rendered as orange to preserve the aged-color change in Aurora's cheeks without smoothing away the strangeness. Line 9: Rance is rendered as orange to preserve the aged-color change in Aurora's cheeks without smoothing away the strangeness.
II.9 Rance is rendered as orange to preserve the aged-color change in Aurora's cheeks without smoothing away the strangeness. Rance is rendered as orange to preserve the aged-color change in Aurora's cheeks without smoothing away the strangeness.
II.10–12 The body-heart split carries Purgatorio's training of desire and movement: inward motion has begun before the body moves.
II.10–12 The body-heart split carries Purgatorio's training of desire and movement: inward motion has begun before the body moves. Line 12: The body-heart split carries Purgatorio's training of desire and movement: inward motion has begun before the body moves.
II.12 The body-heart split carries Purgatorio's training of desire and movement: inward motion has begun before the body moves. The body-heart split carries Purgatorio's training of desire and movement: inward motion has begun before the body moves.
A swift sea-light becomes the angelic pilot whose wings disdain ordinary human navigation II.13–36
13Ed ecco, qual, sorpreso dal mattino,
per li grossi vapor Marte rosseggia
15giù nel ponente sovra ’l suol marino,
cotal m’apparve, s’io ancor lo veggia,
un lume per lo mar venir sì ratto,
che ’l muover suo nessun volar pareggia.
Dal qual com’ io un poco ebbi ritratto
20l’occhio per domandar lo duca mio,
rividil più lucente e maggior fatto.
Poi d’ogne lato ad esso m’appario
un non sapeva che bianco, e di sotto
a poco a poco un altro a lui uscìo.
25Lo mio maestro ancor non facea motto,
mentre che i primi bianchi apparver ali;
allor che ben conobbe il galeotto,
gridò: «Fa, fa che le ginocchia cali.
Ecco l’angel di Dio: piega le mani;
30omai vedrai di sì fatti officiali.
Vedi che sdegna li argomenti umani,
sì che remo non vuol, né altro velo
che l’ali sue, tra liti sì lontani.
Vedi come l’ha dritte verso ’l cielo,
35trattando l’aere con l’etterne penne,
che non si mutan come mortal pelo».
13And behold, as, surprised by morning,
through thick vapors Mars reddens
15low in the west over the sea-floor,
so there appeared to me, may I see it again,
a light coming over the sea so swiftly
that no flight could equal its motion.
From it, when I had withdrawn
20my eye to question my guide,
I saw it again, brighter and made larger.
Then on every side of it appeared
something white, I did not know what; and beneath,
little by little, another came out from it.
25My master still had not spoken,
while the first white things appeared as wings;
then, when he clearly knew the pilot,
he cried: "Quick, quick, bend your knees.
Behold the angel of God: fold your hands;
30from now on you will see such ministers.
See how he disdains human instruments,
so that he wants no oar, nor any other sail
than his wings, between shores so far apart.
See how he holds them straight toward heaven,
35working the air with eternal feathers,
which do not change like mortal hair."
Commentary
The Mars-like light, enlarging whiteness, and Virgil's recognition delay the angel until the wings and pilot are clear; human devices, oar, sail, wings, and eternal feathers stand as the contrast.
II.16–18 The wish to see the light again keeps the retrospective beat without identifying the angel too early.
II.16–18 The wish to see the light again keeps the retrospective beat without identifying the angel too early. Line 16: The wish to see the light again keeps the retrospective beat without identifying the angel too early.
II.16 The wish to see the light again keeps the retrospective beat without identifying the angel too early. The wish to see the light again keeps the retrospective beat without identifying the angel too early.
II.25–27 Galeotto is rendered pilot here, not Galeotto the go-between; the nautical office matters before the angel is named.
II.25–27 Galeotto is rendered pilot here, not Galeotto the go-between; the nautical office matters before the angel is named. Line 27: Galeotto is rendered pilot here, not Galeotto the go-between; the nautical office matters before the angel is named.
II.27 Galeotto is rendered pilot here, not Galeotto the go-between; the nautical office matters before the angel is named. Galeotto is rendered pilot here, not Galeotto the go-between; the nautical office matters before the angel is named.
II.31–33 Argomenti umani is kept as human devices: oar and sail belong to ordinary navigation, which this angelic crossing disdains.
II.31–33 Argomenti umani is kept as human devices: oar and sail belong to ordinary navigation, which this angelic crossing disdains. Line 31: Argomenti umani is kept as human devices: oar and sail belong to ordinary navigation, which this angelic crossing disdains.
II.31 Argomenti umani is kept as human devices: oar and sail belong to ordinary navigation, which this angelic crossing disdains. Argomenti umani is kept as human devices: oar and sail belong to ordinary navigation, which this angelic crossing disdains.
II.34–36 The eternal feathers do not molt or change like mortal hair; the odd comparison is left visible.
II.34–36 The eternal feathers do not molt or change like mortal hair; the odd comparison is left visible. Line 36: The eternal feathers do not molt or change like mortal hair; the odd comparison is left visible.
II.36 The eternal feathers do not molt or change like mortal hair; the odd comparison is left visible. The eternal feathers do not molt or change like mortal hair; the odd comparison is left visible.
The divine bird lands, the souls sing the Exodus psalm, receive the cross, disembark, and the angel departs II.37–51
37Poi, come più e più verso noi venne
l’uccel divino, più chiaro appariva:
per che l’occhio da presso nol sostenne,
40ma chinail giuso; e quei sen venne a riva
con un vasello snelletto e leggero,
tanto che l’acqua nulla ne ’nghiottiva.
Da poppa stava il celestial nocchiero,
tal che faria beato pur descripto;
45e più di cento spirti entro sediero.
‘In exitu Isräel de Aegypto’
cantavan tutti insieme ad una voce
con quanto di quel salmo è poscia scripto.
Poi fece il segno lor di santa croce;
50ond’ ei si gittar tutti in su la piaggia:
ed el sen gì, come venne, veloce.
37Then, as more and more he came toward us,
the divine bird appeared more bright;
therefore the eye could not bear him close by,
40but bent it down; and he came to shore
with a little vessel, slender and light,
so that the water swallowed none of it.
At the stern stood the heavenly helmsman,
such that his very description would bless one;
45and more than a hundred spirits sat within.
"In exitu Israel de Aegypto"
they all were singing together in one voice
with all that is written afterward in that psalm.
Then he made the sign of the holy cross over them;
50at which they all threw themselves upon the beach;
and he went away, as he had come, swift.
Commentary
The landing passage brings the angelic boat, beatifying helmsman, retained Latin Exodus incipit, full psalm reference, cross-sign, beach landing, and immediate departure. The Exodus psalm marks liberation and ordered passage, not decorative liturgy.
II.43–45 The angel's beauty is treated as beatifying even in description, supporting Virgil's immediate command to reverence.
II.43–45 The angel's beauty is treated as beatifying even in description, supporting Virgil's immediate command to reverence. Line 44: The angel's beauty is treated as beatifying even in description, supporting Virgil's immediate command to reverence.
II.44 The angel's beauty is treated as beatifying even in description, supporting Virgil's immediate command to reverence. The angel's beauty is treated as beatifying even in description, supporting Virgil's immediate command to reverence.
II.46–48 The Latin incipit is retained because Dante quotes the Exodus psalm directly; the psalm frames the souls' passage as liberation from bondage.
II.46–48 The Latin incipit is retained because Dante quotes the Exodus psalm directly; the psalm frames the souls' passage as liberation from bondage. Line 46: The Latin incipit is retained because Dante quotes the Exodus psalm directly; the psalm frames the souls' passage as liberation from bondage.
II.46 The Latin incipit is retained because Dante quotes the Exodus psalm directly; the psalm frames the souls' passage as liberation from bondage. The Latin incipit is retained because Dante quotes the Exodus psalm directly; the psalm frames the souls' passage as liberation from bondage.
The newly arrived souls are strange to the shore, ask the way to the mountain, and Virgil names both groups pilgrims II.52–66
52La turba che rimase lì, selvaggia
parea del loco, rimirando intorno
come colui che nove cose assaggia.
55Da tutte parti saettava il giorno
lo sol, ch’avea con le saette conte
di mezzo ’l ciel cacciato Capricorno,
quando la nova gente alzò la fronte
ver’ noi, dicendo a noi: «Se voi sapete,
60mostratene la via di gire al monte».
E Virgilio rispuose: «Voi credete
forse che siamo esperti d’esto loco;
ma noi siam peregrin come voi siete.
Dianzi venimmo, innanzi a voi un poco,
65per altra via, che fu sì aspra e forte,
che lo salire omai ne parrà gioco».
52The crowd remaining there seemed unfamiliar
with the place, gazing all around
like one who tastes new things.
55From every side day was shooting arrows,
the sun, which with its sure shafts
had driven Capricorn from mid-heaven,
when the new people lifted their brows
toward us, saying to us: "If you know,
60show us the way to go to the mountain."
And Virgil answered: "You believe
perhaps that we are experienced in this place;
but we are pilgrims, as you are.
Just now we came, a little before you,
65by another way, which was so rough and hard
that the climbing now will seem play to us."
Commentary
This passage covers the newly arrived souls are strange to the shore, ask the way to the mountain, and Virgil names both groups pilgrims.
II.55–57 The arrowing day and the sun's sure shafts continue Purgatorio's corrected light rather than Inferno's dim or distorted vision.
II.55–57 The arrowing day and the sun's sure shafts continue Purgatorio's corrected light rather than Inferno's dim or distorted vision. Line 55: The arrowing day and the sun's sure shafts continue Purgatorio's corrected light rather than Inferno's dim or distorted vision.
II.55 The arrowing day and the sun's sure shafts continue Purgatorio's corrected light rather than Inferno's dim or distorted vision. The arrowing day and the sun's sure shafts continue Purgatorio's corrected light rather than Inferno's dim or distorted vision.
II.58–60 Via remains way as the new souls immediately need the path to the mountain.
II.58–60 Via remains way as the new souls immediately need the path to the mountain. Line 60: Via remains way as the new souls immediately need the path to the mountain.
II.60 Via remains way as the new souls immediately need the path to the mountain. Via remains way as the new souls immediately need the path to the mountain.
II.64–66 Altra via deliberately recalls the other-way pressure from Inferno III and marks the poets' exceptional path out of Hell. The climb seeming play does not make Purgatorio easy; it contrasts the hard infernal exit and f.
II.64–66 Altra via deliberately recalls the other-way pressure from Inferno III and marks the poets' exceptional path out of Hell. Line 65: Altra via deliberately recalls the other-way pressure from Inferno III and marks the poets' exceptional path out of Hell. Line 66: The climb seeming play does not make Purgatorio easy; it contrasts the hard infernal exit and frames ascent as hope-filled discipline.
II.65 Altra via deliberately recalls the other-way pressure from Inferno III and marks the poets' exceptional path out of Hell. Altra via deliberately recalls the other-way pressure from Inferno III and marks the poets' exceptional path out of Hell.
II.66 The climb seeming play does not make Purgatorio easy; it contrasts the hard infernal exit and frames ascent as hope-filled discipline. The climb seeming play does not make Purgatorio easy; it contrasts the hard infernal exit and frames ascent as hope-filled discipline.
The souls notice Dante's breathing body and crowd around him, almost forgetting the work of becoming beautiful II.67–75
67L’anime, che si fuor di me accorte,
per lo spirare, ch’i’ era ancor vivo,
maravigliando diventaro smorte.
70E come a messagger che porta ulivo
tragge la gente per udir novelle,
e di calcar nessun si mostra schivo,
così al viso mio s’affisar quelle
anime fortunate tutte quante,
75quasi oblïando d’ire a farsi belle.
67The souls, when they became aware of me
by my breathing, that I was still alive,
marveling, grew pale.
70And as to a messenger who carries an olive branch
the people press to hear the news,
and no one shows himself shy of trampling,
so upon my face those souls
fortunate, all of them together, fixed themselves,
75almost forgetting to go make themselves fair.
Commentary
This passage covers the souls notice Dante's breathing body and crowd around him, almost forgetting the work of becoming beautiful.
II.73–75 Farsi belle keeps the souls' purgatorial beautification active: their task is to become fit for vision.
II.73–75 Farsi belle keeps the souls' purgatorial beautification active: their task is to become fit for vision. Line 75: Farsi belle keeps the souls' purgatorial beautification active: their task is to become fit for vision.
II.75 Farsi belle keeps the souls' purgatorial beautification active: their task is to become fit for vision. Farsi belle keeps the souls' purgatorial beautification active: their task is to become fit for vision.
Dante tries and fails to embrace an empty shade, recognizes Casella, and hears love persist after bodily release II.76–90
76Io vidi una di lor trarresi avante
per abbracciarmi con sì grande affetto,
che mosse me a far lo somigliante.
Ohi ombre vane, fuor che ne l’aspetto!
80tre volte dietro a lei le mani avvinsi,
e tante mi tornai con esse al petto.
Di maraviglia, credo, mi dipinsi;
per che l’ombra sorrise e si ritrasse,
e io, seguendo lei, oltre mi pinsi.
85Soavemente disse ch’io posasse;
allor conobbi chi era, e pregai
che, per parlarmi, un poco s’arrestasse.
Rispuosemi: «Così com’ io t’amai
nel mortal corpo, così t’amo sciolta:
90però m’arresto; ma tu perché vai?».
76I saw one of them draw forward
to embrace me with such great affection
that it moved me to do the same.
O empty shades, except in outward form!
80three times behind that shade I clasped my hands,
and as many times I brought them back to my breast.
With wonder, I believe, I showed myself;
at which the shade smiled and drew back,
and I, following it, pressed farther on.
85Gently it told me to stop;
then I knew who it was, and begged
that, to speak with me, he might pause awhile.
He answered me: "As I loved you
in the mortal body, so I love you freed;
90therefore I stop; but why do you go?"
Commentary
This passage covers dante tries and fails to embrace an empty shade, recognizes Casella, and hears love persist after bodily release.
II.79–81 The failed embrace revises Dante's handling of shades after Inferno: affection remains, but bodies are no longer possessed.
II.79–81 The failed embrace revises Dante's handling of shades after Inferno: affection remains, but bodies are no longer possessed. Line 79: The failed embrace revises Dante's handling of shades after Inferno: affection remains, but bodies are no longer possessed.
II.79 The failed embrace revises Dante's handling of shades after Inferno: affection remains, but bodies are no longer possessed. The failed embrace revises Dante's handling of shades after Inferno: affection remains, but bodies are no longer possessed.
II.88–90 Sciolta is rendered released to keep the soul's separation from the mortal body without implying completed freedom.
II.88–90 Sciolta is rendered released to keep the soul's separation from the mortal body without implying completed freedom. Line 89: Sciolta is rendered released to keep the soul's separation from the mortal body without implying completed freedom.
II.89 Sciolta is rendered released to keep the soul's separation from the mortal body without implying completed freedom. Sciolta is rendered released to keep the soul's separation from the mortal body without implying completed freedom.
Dante explains his living journey, and Casella explains delayed passage, just will, the Tiber mouth, and Acheron's alternative II.91–105
91«Casella mio, per tornar altra volta
là dov’ io son, fo io questo vïaggio»,
diss’ io; «ma a te com’ è tanta ora tolta?».
Ed elli a me: «Nessun m’è fatto oltraggio,
95se quei che leva quando e cui li piace,
più volte m’ha negato esto passaggio;
ché di giusto voler lo suo si face:
veramente da tre mesi elli ha tolto
chi ha voluto intrar, con tutta pace.
100Ond’ io, ch’era ora a la marina vòlto
dove l’acqua di Tevero s’insala,
benignamente fu’ da lui ricolto.
A quella foce ha elli or dritta l’ala,
però che sempre quivi si ricoglie
105qual verso Acheronte non si cala».
91"My Casella, to return another time
where I still belong, I make this journey,"
I said; "but how has so much time been taken from you?"
And he to me: "No wrong has been done me
95if he who takes up when and whom he pleases
has denied me this passage many times;
for his will is made from a just will:
yet truly, for three months he has taken
whoever wished to enter, in complete peace.
100Therefore I, who had now turned to the shore
where the water of Tiber grows salty,
was kindly gathered in by him.
To that mouth he has now directed his wing,
because there always gathers there
105whoever does not descend toward Acheron."
Commentary
This passage covers dante explains his living journey, and Casella explains delayed passage, just will, the Tiber mouth, and Acheron's alternative.
II.91–93 Dante's phrasing points back to the living world he must return to; still belong makes the living status explicit without changing the itinerary.
II.91–93 Dante's phrasing points back to the living world he must return to; still belong makes the living status explicit without changing the itinerary. Line 92: Dante's phrasing points back to the living world he must return to; still belong makes the living status explicit without changing the itinerary.
II.92 Dante's phrasing points back to the living world he must return to; still belong makes the living status explicit without changing the itinerary. Dante's phrasing points back to the living world he must return to; still belong makes the living status explicit without changing the itinerary.
II.97–99 Casella does not accuse the angel: the angel's choosing is aligned with just will, not arbitrary delay.
II.97–99 Casella does not accuse the angel: the angel's choosing is aligned with just will, not arbitrary delay. Line 97: Casella does not accuse the angel: the angel's choosing is aligned with just will, not arbitrary delay.
II.97 Casella does not accuse the angel: the angel's choosing is aligned with just will, not arbitrary delay. Casella does not accuse the angel: the angel's choosing is aligned with just will, not arbitrary delay.
II.100–102 The Tiber mouth is the gathering shore for saved souls who do not descend to Acheron; the current three-month openness is noted but not explained.
II.100–102 The Tiber mouth is the gathering shore for saved souls who do not descend to Acheron; the current three-month openness is noted but not explained. Line 101: The Tiber mouth is the gathering shore for saved souls who do not descend to Acheron; the current three-month openness is noted but not explained.
II.101 The Tiber mouth is the gathering shore for saved souls who do not descend to Acheron; the current three-month openness is noted but not explained. The Tiber mouth is the gathering shore for saved souls who do not descend to Acheron; the current three-month openness is noted but not explained.
Dante asks for Casella's love song; the sweetness fixes Virgil, Dante, and the new souls in contented attention II.106–117
106E io: «Se nuova legge non ti toglie
memoria o uso a l’amoroso canto
che mi solea quetar tutte mie doglie,
di ciò ti piaccia consolare alquanto
110l’anima mia, che, con la sua persona
venendo qui, è affannata tanto!».
‘Amor che ne la mente mi ragiona’
cominciò elli allor sì dolcemente,
che la dolcezza ancor dentro mi suona.
115Lo mio maestro e io e quella gente
ch’eran con lui parevan sì contenti,
come a nessun toccasse altro la mente.
106And I: "If a new law does not take from you
memory or practice of the loving song
that used to quiet all my pains,
may it please you to comfort awhile
110my soul with it, which, coming here
with its body, is so wearied!"
"Love, who speaks within my mind,"
he then began so sweetly
that the sweetness still sounds within me.
115My master and I and those people
who were with him seemed so content
as if nothing else touched anyone's mind.
Commentary
This passage covers dante asks for Casella's love song; the sweetness fixes Virgil, Dante, and the new souls in contented attention.
II.106–108 Memoria o uso is rendered memory or practice, preserving both recollection and performative skill.
II.106–108 Memoria o uso is rendered memory or practice, preserving both recollection and performative skill. Line 107: Memoria o uso is rendered memory or practice, preserving both recollection and performative skill.
II.107 Memoria o uso is rendered memory or practice, preserving both recollection and performative skill. Memoria o uso is rendered memory or practice, preserving both recollection and performative skill.
II.109–111 The soul-body strain is kept across lines 110-111: Dante's living body burdens the journey even in Purgatorio.
II.109–111 The soul-body strain is kept across lines 110-111: Dante's living body burdens the journey even in Purgatorio. Line 110: The soul-body strain is kept across lines 110-111: Dante's living body burdens the journey even in Purgatorio.
II.110 The soul-body strain is kept across lines 110-111: Dante's living body burdens the journey even in Purgatorio. The soul-body strain is kept across lines 110-111: Dante's living body burdens the journey even in Purgatorio.
II.112–114 The quoted incipit is translated rather than retained in Italian; speaks within my mind keeps the love, speech, and mind field active.
II.112–114 The quoted incipit is translated rather than retained in Italian; speaks within my mind keeps the love, speech, and mind field active. Line 112: The quoted incipit is translated rather than retained in Italian; speaks within my mind keeps the love, speech, and mind field active.
II.112 The quoted incipit is translated rather than retained in Italian; speaks within my mind keeps the love, speech, and mind field active. The quoted incipit is translated rather than retained in Italian; speaks within my mind keeps the love, speech, and mind field active.
II.115–117 The shared contentment is ethically unstable: sweet song consoles, but it also arrests the purgatorial work.
II.115–117 The shared contentment is ethically unstable: sweet song consoles, but it also arrests the purgatorial work. Line 117: The shared contentment is ethically unstable: sweet song consoles, but it also arrests the purgatorial work.
II.117 The shared contentment is ethically unstable: sweet song consoles, but it also arrests the purgatorial work. The shared contentment is ethically unstable: sweet song consoles, but it also arrests the purgatorial work.
Cato rebukes negligence, commands the souls to strip away the slough, and the dove-like band flees toward the slope II.118–133
118Noi eravam tutti fissi e attenti
a le sue note; ed ecco il veglio onesto
120gridando: «Che è ciò, spiriti lenti?
qual negligenza, quale stare è questo?
Correte al monte a spogliarvi lo scoglio
ch’esser non lascia a voi Dio manifesto».
Come quando, cogliendo biado o loglio,
125li colombi adunati a la pastura,
queti, sanza mostrar l’usato orgoglio,
se cosa appare ond’ elli abbian paura,
subitamente lasciano star l’esca,
perch’ assaliti son da maggior cura;
130così vid’ io quella masnada fresca
lasciar lo canto, e fuggir ver’ la costa,
com’ om che va, né sa dove rïesca;
né la nostra partita fu men tosta.
118We were all fixed and attentive
to his notes; and behold the venerable old man
120crying: "What is this, slow spirits?
What negligence, what standing still is this?
Run to the mountain to strip away the slough
that does not let God be manifest to you."
As when, gathering grain or darnel,
125the doves assembled at the feeding-ground,
quiet, without showing their usual pride,
if something appears of which they are afraid,
suddenly leave the food behind
because they are assailed by a greater care;
130so I saw that fresh band
leave the song and flee toward the slope,
like one who goes and does not know where he will come out;
nor was our departure less swift.
Commentary
This passage covers cato rebukes negligence, commands the souls to strip away the slough, and the dove-like band flees toward the slope.
II.118–120 The honored old man is Cato from Canto I; his authority returns as corrective urgency, not mere severity.
II.118–120 The honored old man is Cato from Canto I; his authority returns as corrective urgency, not mere severity. Line 119: The honored old man is Cato from Canto I; his authority returns as corrective urgency, not mere severity.
II.119 The honored old man is Cato from Canto I; his authority returns as corrective urgency, not mere severity. The honored old man is Cato from Canto I; his authority returns as corrective urgency, not mere severity.
II.121–123 Scoglio is rendered slough for the encrusting burden that blocks God's manifestation; this is a key Purgatorio purification image.
II.121–123 Scoglio is rendered slough for the encrusting burden that blocks God's manifestation; this is a key Purgatorio purification image. Line 122: Scoglio is rendered slough for the encrusting burden that blocks God's manifestation; this is a key Purgatorio purification image.
II.122 Scoglio is rendered slough for the encrusting burden that blocks God's manifestation; this is a key Purgatorio purification image. Scoglio is rendered slough for the encrusting burden that blocks God's manifestation; this is a key Purgatorio purification image.
II.124–126 The doves' usual pride is left literal: the simile carries animal softness while quietly touching the pride that purgation must strip away.
II.124–126 The doves' usual pride is left literal: the simile carries animal softness while quietly touching the pride that purgation must strip away. Line 126: The doves' usual pride is left literal: the simile carries animal softness while quietly touching the pride that purgation must strip away.
II.126 The doves' usual pride is left literal: the simile carries animal softness while quietly touching the pride that purgation must strip away. The doves' usual pride is left literal: the simile carries animal softness while quietly touching the pride that purgation must strip away.