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Journeys and Climbing
In Purgatorio, singing is communal activity and points to the hope of a common salvation toward which the souls in Purgatory journey together. By contrast, the souls in Hell (as described in Dante’s Inferno) don’t sing—devoid of hope for redemption, these souls mostly lament in isolation.
For instance, when Dante encounters the souls in Purgatory who are being purged for gluttony, he notices that the souls are singing even as they cry: “And all these people, weeping as they sing, / because their gullets led them past all norms / are here remade as holy, thirsty hungering. / Cravings to eat and drink are fired in us / By perfumes from that fruit and from the spray [.]” Having overindulged themselves on earth, these souls are now subject to constant longing, as the food and drink they can smell around them only makes them hungrier and thirstier. This is obviously painful—and a clear reminder of their gluttonous, sinful pasts—which is why they’re understandably weeping. But their pain is purposeful, meant to cleanse or purge them of their sinfulness so that they’re able to ascend to Heaven. It is this hope for their salvation that spurs the souls to sing even in their suffering.
Likewise, newly arriving souls sing a Psalm in unison, and throughout Purgatory, each level has its own Psalm or hymn which penitents sing as part of the soul’s cleansing and training in virtue. That the souls in Purgatory sing together activity symbolizes the basic hopefulness that underpins Purgatory, that Heaven is within reach.
Music, Song, and Singing Quotes in Purgatorio
The Purgatorio quotes below all refer to the symbol of Music, Song, and Singing. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Canto 1
Quotes
To race now over better waves, my ship
of mind – alive again – hoists sail, and leaves
behind its little keel the gulf that proved so cruel.
And I’ll sing, now, about that second realm
where human spirits purge themselves from stain,
becoming worthy to ascend to Heaven.
Here, too, dead poetry will rise again.
For now, you sacred Muses, I am yours.
So let Calliope, a little, play her part […]
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Canto 2
Quotes
Celestial, at the stern, the pilot stood –
beatitude, it seemed, inscribed on him –
and, ranged within, a hundred spirits more.
‘In exitu Israel de Aegypto’:
they sang this all together, in one voice,
with all the psalm that’s written after this.
[…]
The crowd that now remained, it seemed, was strange,
astray there, wondering, looking all around,
as people do, assessing what is new.
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Get the entire Purgatorio LitChart as a printable PDF.
Music, Song, and Singing Symbol Timeline in Purgatorio
The timeline below shows where the symbol Music, Song, and Singing appears in Purgatorio. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Canto 2
...is being piloted by an angel with upraised wings. The ship contains 100 spirits, all singing “In exitu Israel de Aegypto” in unison. The angel makes the sign of the cross...
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Canto 12
...that will lead them more easily upward, and he brushes his wings across Dante’s forehead, erasing the first of the seven “P”s. As the two climb, they hear voices singing Beati...
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Canto 15
...climb a stair—less steep than the previous ones—up to the third level of Purgatory. The song “Blessed are the merciful” rings out. As they journey, Dante asks Virgil about some of...
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Canto 16
...Dante through the enveloping smoke of the third level of lower Purgatory. They hear souls singing “Lamb of God.” Out of the smoke, one voice asks Dante if he is still...
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Canto 17
...Then an angel removes the “P” of wrath from Dante’s forehead as he hears the song, “Blessed are the peacemakers.” Night falls, and it’s too late to climb further, but Virgil...
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Canto 20
...Dante is alarmed when the entire mountain shakes violently. All the souls cry out the hymn, “Gloria in excelsis Deo!” Dante is filled with wonder at this mystery.
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Canto 25
...and must make their way cautiously along a narrow rim. They hear the lustful penitents singing the hymn “God of supreme clemency,” and Dante sees spirits walking through the flames. After...
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Canto 27
Just before sunset, the angel of chastity sings “Blessed are the pure in heart” beyond the wall of flame. The angel tells the...
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...encouraging him by reminding him of Beatrice. Eventually, through the darkness, they hear an angel singing, “Come, blessed of my Father!” Emerging from the fire, they see a steep pathway, and...
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Canto 28
...eager to take it all in. The wood is filled with gentle breezes and joyous birdsong. He comes to a brook and sees a lady on its opposite bank, picking flowers...
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Canto 29
...light flash through the forest, growing brighter and brighter. It’s soon followed by a beautiful melody. Dante then sees seven massive golden candlesticks, which guide people in pure white robes. The...
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Canto 30
The procession stops, and the people face the chariot. Above the chariot, 100 angels sing, “Blessed art thou who comest,” as well as a line from Virgil’s Aeneid: “With full...
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...weep? Dante looks shamefacedly at the ground and, at the sound of the angels’ pitying song, bursts into fresh tears.
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Canto 32
...tree, and at this, the tree suddenly bursts into vivid, purplish-rose blossom, and the others sing an unearthly hymn, which Dante finds unbearably beautiful.
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Dante is lulled to sleep by the beautiful hymn, and Matilda awakes him sometime later. She shows him that Beatrice is sitting at the...
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