The Green Valley, Purgatorio Cantos Vii-viii
Artist: Henry Arthur Payne (British, 1868-1940)
Date: 1800's
Medium: Watercolour and body color
Collection: Private Collection
The Green Valley, Purgatorio Cantos VII-VIII
Canto VII
Virgil identifies himself to Sordello, explaining that he has been barred from Heaven for his lack of Christian faith. Sordello humbly embraces Virgil around the knees, praising him as the pioneer of Latin literature. Sordello wants to know more about Virgil’s eternal fate, so Virgil explains that Limbo, though “melancholy,” is not as grievous and painful as the rest of Hell. Then Virgil asks Sordello how to reach Purgatory proper. Sordello explains that there’s no fixed path and adds that no one is permitted to climb overnight—it’s a law of Mount Purgatory.
Canto VIII
Night is falling. A single soul rises from the group of penitents and reverently leads the rest in an evening hymn. The group gazes expectantly skyward. Soon, two sword-bearing angels descend; the points of their swords are broken, and they wear bright green garments. Sordello explains that these guardian angels descend nightly to protect the penitents from a snake that always passes through the valley.