The song 'Standing' is a famous extract from Dante's Inferno. It's quite inspiring, for a good purpose; the passage is half directed to Dante the pilgrim and half to Dante the poet (himself). He needed as much inspiration to finish writing the damn thing as his imaginary self needed inspiration to get through hell. This is where Virgil's short monologue comes in. Through his words, he is able to exalt Dante enough to want to finish writing Inferno and overcome hell. But what does he say that is so inspiring? How does this passage fit in with the rest of the poem? The "Standing" passage can be divided into three parts, each with its own individual meaning. The three parts of the "Standing" passage in Dante's Inferno relate to the rest of the poem because they address how far Dante has already come, his immediate future, and the rest of his journey. Initially, the first part of the "Standing" passage relates to the rest of the poem because it discusses how far Dante has already come. In lines 46-51, it is clear that Dante intends for Virgil to remind the pilgrim Dante of what he has already accomplished, as well as warn him of the consequences of inaction. "Standing! This is no time to get tired! The sleeping man will never wake up to fame, and his desire and his whole life pass by him like a dream, and the traces of his memory fade from time like smoke in the air, or ripples in a stream. (Lines 46-51)” Virgil means that if Dante gives up this opportunity, he will not have another chance and will be forgotten. So why stop? Virgil basically tells Dante that since he's already passed through the Forest of Error, the first seven circles of... half the paper... are so close to getting out of there! So here Virgil is telling Dante that he needs to cheer up, because there is still a lot of work to do. It might even make this trip worthwhile. Clearly, this is a pretty deep passage in Dante's Inferno. It has a meaning that goes beyond the literal sense and encourages Dante to finish his tour through Hell. In a sense Virgil reproaches Dante for wanting to end it when he has come this far. In another sense, Virgil convinces Dante to get up and continue because he is very close to the end. In a final sense, Virgil is suggesting that Dante still has a long way to go, and stopping here will do him no good at all. Underneath it all, the poet Dante wrote this as a bit of self-motivation to get the drive to finish Hell. So, any way you look at it, the "Standing" passage is crucial to the rest of Dante's Inferno..