manibus date lilia plenis: give lilies with full hands

this is from virgil’s aeneid and is the only virgil directly quoted in dante’s purgatorio–it happens at the end, as virgil is leaving–for he cannot accompany dante to heaven. this is a lamentation of loss out of time. it holds deep personal meaning for me.

“and now it seems to me the beautiful uncut hair of graves.” walt whitman

watercolor on cold press paper. project for lettering class.