Canto 30 begins with the arrival of the chariot from the end of Canto 29. We are not specifically told but can infer that Beatrice is the one arriving on the chariot. The chariot is greeted by angels “who all cried, ‘Benedictus qui venis’ and, scattering flowers up and around, ‘Manibus, oh, date lilia plenis” (Purgatorio XXX.19-21). Dante’s use of this line is profound in that it both serves as a welcome to Beatrice and hints at the end of Virgil’s guidance.
Singleton points out in his commentary that the literal meaning of the second quote is “an utterance of the welcoming angels, who, as will be seen, toss flowers for Beatrice” (Singleton 734). However, he further explains that this line holds much deeper meaning. It can be found in one of the most recognized farewell verses, taken from Book VI of the Aeneid:
Miserande puer, si qua fata aspera rumpas,
tu Marcelus eris! manibus date lilia plenis,
purpureos spargam flores animamque nepotis
his saltem accumulem donis et fungar inani
munere (Aen. VI.882-86)
“Ah! Child of pity, if haply thou couldst burst the harsh bonds of fate, thou shalt be Marcellus! Give me lilies with full hand: let me scatter purple flowers; let me heap o’er my offspring’s shade at least these gifts and fulfil an unavailing service.”
Anchises speaks these words at the end of Book VI as he prophesizes the early death of Marcellus. These words draw a parallel to the disappearance of Virgil soon to come. Dante uses Virgil’s own words to anticipate his leaving, and this magnifies the sadness of the situation.
The angels use these words to welcome Beatrice, the guide that Dante has been longing to encounter. The image Dante paints of Beatrice here is beautiful:
Cosi dentro una nuvola di fiori
Che da le mani angeliche saliva
E ricadeva in giu dentro e di fori,
Sovra candido vel cinta d’uliva
Donna m’apparve, sotto verde manto
Vestita di color di fiamma viva (Purgatorio XXX.28-33)
“so within a cloud of flowers, which rose from the angelic hands and fell down again within and without, olive-crowned over a white veil a lady appeared to me, clad, under a green mantle, with hue of living flame”
The three holy virtues are apparent in this image: the white veil being faith, the green mantle being hope, and the hue of living flame being charity. Dante uses these colors to paint Beatrice magnificently, and the reader gains a true sense of what she stands for. At the same time, Dante describes her appearing in this cloud of flowers, and one cannot help but imagine a cloud of purple because of the mention of lilies in the welcoming quote. Purple is a color that symbolizes penitence and mourning in medieval literature. Again, the careful choices Dante makes in this one line make such a difference in how one interprets it. Dante sees Beatrice for the first time in all her beauty, yet he is unaware of the mourning he is about to experience. To create both such excitement and such sadness within one line is amazing.
Dante uses Virgil’s words once more when he turns to speak to him right after seeing Beatrice: “Not a drop of blood is left in me that does not tremble: I know the tokens of the ancient flame” (Purgatorio XXX.46-48). Singleton points out that these words remind us of Dido in Book IV of the Aeneid as she says to Anna, “I recognize the traces of the olden flame.” Here, Dido describes her love, or better said, eros, for Aeneas. Her words foreshadow her death. Right after Dante says these words, he realizes Virgil is gone. This moment is so sad, but his words remind us that just as Dido’s love was of the earth and not directed properly, Virgil is of the earth and cannot serve Dante as a guide any longer. Virgil’s words both illustrate the miserable situation of his departure and the necessity of it. Dante demonstrates more than ever his gift in writing by using Virgil’s words in this canto.
Transitional Housing 