Commentary Purg II 46-48

The arriving pilgrims, seated in the ship that carries them to purgation and eventual salvation, sing the Psalm of the Exodus, 114-115 in the modern Bible, 113 in the Vulgate.  The text states clearly that they sing all of it in their shared exhilaration.  For the informing pattern of the Exodus in this canto (and in the poem as a whole) see, among others, Singleton (Sing.1960.1), Tucker (Tuck.1960.1), Freccero (Frec.1986.1), pp. 14-15, 55-69, Armour (Armo.1981.1), and Pasquini (Pasq.1999.2).

      For the pertinence of typical medieval rubrics to the Psalm, which divide it into three parts (the miracle of the Exodus, the Hebrews' backsliding worship of the Golden Calf, reaffirmation of God's continuing support), a division that is seen as paralleling the three scenes of the canto (completion of the 'exodus' of the arriving souls, Casella's song as 'idolatrous,' Cato's insistence on the pilgrims' devotion to God) see Hollander (Holl.1990.1), pp. 35-36.  Each of these moments is assigned, as it were, a single simile that reflects its central action, the arrival of the ship (vv. 13-18), Dante's unique status as still living in the flesh (vv. 70-74), Cato's rebuke (vv. 124-132). 

      Since the words of the incipit of this Psalm offer the basis for the analysis of the Commedia as conforming to the analytical practice of allegory as practised by theologians to interpret the Bible offered in the Epistle to Cangrande, it is not surprising that those who believe that Dante is in fact the author of this document make much of its precepts in discussing this tercet.  It should be kept in mind that the citation of the Psalm here, ca. 1310, predates the composition of the epistle (ca. 1317-21).  Thus the epistle, if it is authentic (as this writer believes: see Holl.1993.2, with bibliography of the debate to that date), does not describe proleptically the procedures of the poem, but reflects them.  The two most recent editors of the epistle, Thomas Ricklin (Rick.1993.1) and Enzo Cecchini (Cecc.1995.1), both argue strongly for its authenticity.  For two attempts to counter the growing consensus that the epistle is, after all, Dante's own, see Brugnoli (Brug.1998.2) and Inglese (Ingl.1999.1).

      For this moment in which, according to a recent discussant, Dante decisively confronts and rejects the 'hard' poetics of his rime petrose for the 'liquid' poetry of salvation see Vinciguerra (Vinc.1999.1), esp. pp. 896-909. For the program of Psalms and hymns utilized by Dante in the Purgatorio see Mastrobuono (Mast.1979.1), pp. 181-89, La Favia (Lafa.1984.1), and Ardissono (Ardi.1990.1).