Goaded by Virgil, Dante continues ascending. Dante tires quickly, although they soon reach a terrace on which is Belacqua, a lazy friend of Dante’s. Dante and Virgil have trouble discovering the way into the mountain of Purgatory, but Manfred and the souls around him guide the poets to a place where they can ascend. Cato castigates the group for being so easily distracted, and they scatter. Among them is Casella, a friend of Dante’s, who sings for everyone. When the two poets come to the shore and follow his directions, the reed they pluck miraculously rejuvenates.Īs dawn rises, a set of newly departed souls appears at the shore. Cato orders that Dante be taken to the sea, washed, and have a reed wrapped around him. Dante and Virgil soon see and talk with Cato of Utica, who oversees this region, known as Ante-Purgatory. Dante the pilgrim enjoys the fresh air, and they watch as Venus rises. Dante announces that he will now take as his topic “the second kingdom.” This is where “the soul of man is cleansed,” the mountain of Purgatory. The Purgatorio begins just as Dante and Virgil, the famous Latin poet who serves as Dante's guide, have escaped Hell.
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