A Translation of Dante's Purgatorio Author:Dante Alighieri General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1867 Original Publisher: Printed at the "Chronicle" Office Subjects: History / General Literary Criticism / European / Italian Poetry / Continental European Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or miss... more »ing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CANTO II. The two Poets consider their Journey. A Bark approaches the shore, guided by an angel, and containing souls on their way to Purgatory. Dante recognises a great musician and a former friend, Casello by name. While all listen to Caaello's sweet song, Cato suddenly appears and chides them. Now had the sun to the horizon reached, Whose arc meridian forms the covering vault Which at its greatest height Jerusalem copes ; And night, which in opposing circuit rolls, Now from the Ganges rising holds the Scales, 5 To let them drop when in excess of day; So that the white and rosy tinted cheeks Of beautiful Aurora, where I stood, By gathering age the hue of orange took. We still were loitering by the ocean's verge, 10 Like men who weighed their journey in their thoughts, The mind in action but the body still; When, lo ! as at the early break of day Through the thick fog Mars shews his ruddy disk In the far west, above the watery waste 15I saw -- ah, could I see it once again ! -- A light which streamed so swiftly o'er the sea No flying pinion might its speed surpass, And which, in the short moment I withdrew My gaze to ask my master what it meant, 20 More bright in hue and larger had become. From either side of it there seemed to flow I know not what of white, whence, by degrees And underneath, more glittering radiance came. Still gave my master neither sign nor word, 25 Till into wings the first-seen whiteness grew ; Then well he ...« less