Dante and the early astronomers . e other hemi-sphere consequently is all in darkness, from Ganges(la riva ^) to Morocco. Other spirits have been met and spoken with, andthey are still climbing when evening comes, and Dante,thinking he is to reach the summit of the mountainand see Beatrice that day, entreats Virgil to hasten.**See, he says, how the mountain now casts a shadow^For the sun has travelled round to the west, and thepoets, still on its eastern side, are in deep shadow: thisexplains how, when they meet Sordello, he does notrecognize that Dante is a living man, as all the spiritsuntil
Dante and the early astronomers . e other hemi-sphere consequently is all in darkness, from Ganges(la riva ^) to Morocco. Other spirits have been met and spoken with, andthey are still climbing when evening comes, and Dante,thinking he is to reach the summit of the mountainand see Beatrice that day, entreats Virgil to hasten.**See, he says, how the mountain now casts a shadow^For the sun has travelled round to the west, and thepoets, still on its eastern side, are in deep shadow: thisexplains how, when they meet Sordello, he does notrecognize that Dante is a living man, as all the spiritsuntil now have done. But Virgil assures him that theway is longer than he knows: before they reach thesummit, the sun, now hidden behind the mountain and ^ If the meaning is that the sun is now 50° above the horizon, thiswould indicate a later hour, nearing midday, for the sun does not risevertically in this latitude, and reaches only 58° at noon at the time of theequinox. But the first explanation is the more probable. 2 The 378 PURGATORY. not causing Dante to cast any shadow, will returnagain to the east. Immediately after this, they meet with Sordello,who tells them that it is impossible to climb even onestep on the mountain after sunset, and leads them to aflowery valley, in which to rest for the night. Thespirits in the valley sing the evening hymn while thesun sets; and it begins to grow dark while Dante istalking with judge Nino, explaining whence he camethat morning. As soon as the stars become visible, hiseyes seek the southern pole, and fix themselves onthree brilliant stars which have taken the place of thatconstellation of four which he saw some fourteen hoursbefore. The latter have travelled to the south-west,and are hidden behind the mountain, and the new con-stellation is above the pole towards the east. Night has risen two steps and part of a third in thisplace when Dante falls asleep, and the most naturalmeaning of this is that it is somewhat more than two
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