The Divine Comedy

of Dante Alighieri

Translated by
HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW
PURGATORIO

Contents

[I. The Shores of Purgatory. The Four Stars. Cato of Utica. The Rush.]
[II. The Celestial Pilot. Casella. The Departure.]
[III. Discourse on the Limits of Reason. The Foot of the Mountain. Those who died in Contumacy of Holy Church. Manfredi.]
[IV. Farther Ascent. Nature of the Mountain. The Negligent, who postponed Repentance till the last Hour. Belacqua.]
[V. Those who died by Violence, but repentant. Buonconte di Monfeltro. La Pia.]
[VI. Dante’s Inquiry on Prayers for the Dead. Sordello. Italy.]
[VII. The Valley of Flowers. Negligent Princes.]
[VIII. The Guardian Angels and the Serpent. Nino di Gallura. The Three Stars. Currado Malaspina.]
[IX. Dante’s Dream of the Eagle. The Gate of Purgatory and the Angel. Seven P’s. The Keys.]
[X. The Needle’s Eye. The First Circle: The Proud. The Sculptures on the Wall.]
[XI. The Humble Prayer. Omberto di Santafiore. Oderisi d’ Agobbio. Provenzan Salvani.]
[XII. The Sculptures on the Pavement. Ascent to the Second Circle.]
[XIII. The Second Circle: The Envious. Sapia of Siena.]
[XIV. Guido del Duca and Renier da Calboli. Cities of the Arno Valley. Denunciation of Stubbornness.]
[XV. The Third Circle: The Irascible. Dante’s Visions. The Smoke.]
[XVI. Marco Lombardo. Lament over the State of the World.]
[XVII. Dante’s Dream of Anger. The Fourth Circle: The Slothful. Virgil’s Discourse of Love.]
[XVIII. Virgil further discourses of Love and Free Will. The Abbot of San Zeno.]
[XIX. Dante’s Dream of the Siren. The Fifth Circle: The Avaricious and Prodigal. Pope Adrian V.]
[XX. Hugh Capet. Corruption of the French Crown. Prophecy of the Abduction of Pope Boniface VIII and the Sacrilege of Philip the Fair. The Earthquake.]
[XXI. The Poet Statius. Praise of Virgil.]
[XXII. Statius’ Denunciation of Avarice. The Sixth Circle: The Gluttonous. The Mystic Tree.]
[XXIII. Forese. Reproof of immodest Florentine Women.]
[XXIV. Buonagiunta da Lucca. Pope Martin IV, and others. Inquiry into the State of Poetry.]
[XXV. Discourse of Statius on Generation. The Seventh Circle: The Wanton.]
[XXVI. Sodomites. Guido Guinicelli and Arnaldo Daniello.]
[XXVII. The Wall of Fire and the Angel of God. Dante’s Sleep upon the Stairway, and his Dream of Leah and Rachel. Arrival at the Terrestrial Paradise.]
[XXVIII. The River Lethe. Matilda. The Nature of the Terrestrial Paradise.]
[XXIX. The Triumph of the Church.]
[XXX. Virgil’s Departure. Beatrice. Dante’s Shame.]
[XXXI. Reproaches of Beatrice and Confession of Dante. The Passage of Lethe. The Seven Virtues. The Griffon.]
[XXXII. The Tree of Knowledge. Allegory of the Chariot.]
[XXXIII. Lament over the State of the Church. Final Reproaches of Beatrice. The River Eunoe.]

Purgatorio: Canto I

To run o’er better waters hoists its sail
The little vessel of my genius now,
That leaves behind itself a sea so cruel;

And of that second kingdom will I sing
Wherein the human spirit doth purge itself,
And to ascend to heaven becometh worthy.

But let dead Poesy here rise again,
O holy Muses, since that I am yours,
And here Calliope somewhat ascend,