Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars

The line "Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars" (Italian: "E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle") is the final verse of the Inferno, marking Dante and Virgil's emergence from Hell onto the shore of Mount Purgatory. It is one of the most famous and resonant lines in the Divine Comedy, encapsulating the transition from the darkness of damnation to the hope of purification and the promise of celestial light.

Position and Context

The line appears at the very end of Inferno, Canto XXXIV, immediately after Dante and Virgil have climbed down Lucifer's body and passed through the center of the earth to emerge in the southern hemisphere. The journey through Hell began with the poet lost in a dark forest ("Midway upon the journey of our life / I found myself within a forest dark, / For the straightforward pathway had been lost") and has taken him through all nine circles of torment. The final words of the canticle are: "Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars." This single line serves as the structural and thematic conclusion of the Inferno, providing a moment of release and reorientation after the harrowing descent.

Thematic Significance

The line functions as a powerful symbol of hope, renewal, and the possibility of salvation. Throughout the Inferno, the stars are associated with divine order, guidance, and the ultimate goal of the journey. At the beginning of the poem, Dante is lost and the sun is silent; at the end, he rebeholds the stars, indicating that he has not only escaped Hell but has also reoriented himself toward the light of God. The stars also appear at the end of Purgatorio ("Pure and disposed to mount unto the stars") and at the very end of Paradiso ("The Love which moves the sun and the other stars"), creating a three-part refrain that unifies the entire poem. The line thus marks the first step in a progressive movement from darkness to light, from sin to grace, and from exile to homecoming.

Narrative and Structural Role

As the final line of the Inferno, "Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars" provides a decisive narrative turn. It closes the first canticle on a note of emergence and anticipation, rather than despair. The reader, who has witnessed the frozen lake of Cocytus and the three-faced Lucifer, is suddenly brought into the open air under the stars. This shift in setting and mood prepares the ground for the Purgatorio, which begins with the poet's little vessel hoisting its sail "to run o'er better waters" and the description of the sweet color of the oriental sapphire. The line also fulfills Virgil's promise made in Canto I: "I will be thy guide, / And lead thee hence through the eternal place." The emergence is the successful completion of the first stage of the journey.

Poetic and Linguistic Features

The line is notable for its simplicity and power. The verb "riveder" (to rebehold) implies a return to something once known but lost, reinforcing the theme of recovery and restoration. The word "stelle" (stars) is the final word of the Inferno, and it rhymes with nothing else in the tercet, giving it a sense of finality and openness. The line is written in the first-person plural, emphasizing that Dante is not alone; he emerges with Virgil, and the journey is a shared experience. The line's placement at the very end of the canticle gives it the weight of a conclusion that is also a beginning.

Influence and Legacy

"Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars" has become one of the most quoted and adapted lines in Western literature. It has been used as a title for works of art, music, and scholarship, and it is often invoked as a symbol of survival, hope, and the human capacity to endure darkness and emerge into light. The line's resonance extends beyond the poem itself, serving as a cultural shorthand for the idea of a journey through suffering that leads to a renewed vision of beauty and truth. In the context of the Divine Comedy, it is the first of three star-related endings that together form a ladder of ascent from the infernal to the celestial.