Dante, Purgatorio
The Prayers of the Living in Purgatory
Manfredi says that repentance does not erase his period of waiting but prayers from good people can shorten it. He asks Dante to explain his condition to his daughter. When Dante questions whether prayer can change a decree, Virgil answers that love fulfils in a short time what the waiting person would otherwise satisfy. He refers the traveller to Beatrice for fuller assurance.
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In the sources
The encounter
LiteraryManfredi says that repentance does not erase his period of waiting but prayers from good people can shorten it. He asks Dante to explain his condition to his daughter.
Further detail
LiteraryWhen Dante questions whether prayer can change a decree, Virgil answers that love fulfils in a short time what the waiting person would otherwise satisfy. He refers the traveller to Beatrice for fuller assurance.
Context & interpretation
This entry follows the supplied Thompson & Thomas edition of H. F. Cary’s translation. It describes Dante’s literary vision, distinguishing its assignments and reported claims from historical biography, other classical traditions and independently established accounts of an afterlife.
Original passages
Source 1
Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante
prayers of good men shorter mude. Look therefore if thou canst advance my bliss; Revealing to my good Costanza how Thou hast beheld me, and beside,Open this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Purgatory and Paradise, Cary translation; active reader leaf 25
Passage read in the exact edition’s extracted canto text; whitespace-normalised anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Associated plates separately inspected.
- Edition
- IMJ-0119-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0119-E001-P0025
- Original scan leaf
- 26
- Recorded leaf number
- 26
- Current Reader position
- 22
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed
Source 2
Purgatory and Paradise: The Vision of Dante
because love's flame In a short moment all fulfils, which he, Who sojourns here, in right should satisfy. Besides, when I this point concluded thus, ByOpen this page in the book
Passage & edition details
Location recorded at citation review: Purgatory and Paradise, Cary translation; active reader leaf 39
Passage read in the exact edition’s extracted canto text; whitespace-normalised anchor and original-leaf mapping checked. Associated plates separately inspected.
- Edition
- IMJ-0119-E001
- Reader page
- IMJ-0119-E001-P0039
- Original scan leaf
- 40
- Recorded leaf number
- 40
- Current Reader position
- 36
- Reader verification
- Source-preserving update confirmed