Real
Abydos
Abydos is the city situated on the Asian shore of the Hellespont strait, opposite Sestos in Thrace, cited by Dante as one extreme of the brief stretch of sea that the swimmer Leander attempted to cross to reach his beloved Hero.
Description
Dante mentions Abydos in verse Purgatorio XXVIII 74, where he places it as one of the two extremes of the brief stretch of sea of the Hellespont, alongside Sestos. According to the notes on the canto, the strait is proposed as an example of a passage that is at once easy and dangerous: Xerxes crossed it with a bridge of ships to invade Greece, and came out defeated and in flight; Leander attempted it every night by swimming to go to his beloved Hero, but the sea often prevented him. The placement of the two cities is specified by the notes: Sestos stood in Thrace, Abydos in Asia Minor, on the two opposite shores. The comparison serves Dante to describe his own inability to proceed toward Matelda.
In the text
Linked verses
1 verses| Cantica | Canto | Verso | Testo | Open verse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purgatory | Canto XXVIII | 74 | per mareggiare intra Sesto e Abido, | Open verse |