Latin Literature

urbs antiqua fuit (Tyrii tenuere coloni) Karthago

There was an ancient city (Tyrian colonists held it), Carthage

Italiam contra Tiberinaque longe ostia

facing Italy and the far off river mouth of the Tiber

dives opum studiisque asperrima belli

rich in wealth and very fierce in the pursuit of war

quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam posthabita coluisse Samo;

which it is said that Juno cherished uniquely more than all lands, placing even Samos second;

hic illius arma, hic currus fuit

here were her weapons, here was her chariot

hoc regnum dea gentibus esse, si qua fata sinant, iam tum tenditque fovetque

here the goddess, even then, tended and nourished the idea that it would have supremacy over the nations, if the fates should allow it.

progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci audierat Tyrias olim quae verteret arces

but indeed she had heard of a race of men, sprung from Trojan blood, who would one day overturn the Tyrian citadels

hinc populum late regem belloque superbum venturum excidio Libyae;

from this, a race would come, widely ruling and fierce in the pursuit of war for the destruction of Lybia

sic volvere Parcas.

thus the fates unrolled/unfurled/ordained.

id metuens, veterisque memor Saturnia belli,

The daughter of Saturn (Juno), fearing this and mindful of the ancient war

prima quod ad Troiam pro caris gesserat Argis

which she had previously waged at Troy on behalf of her beloved Greeks

(necdum etiam causae irarum saevique dolores exciderant animo;

(for even now the causes of her anger and her savage resentments had not yet fallen from her mind;

manet alta mente repostum iudicium Paridis spretaeque iniuria formae, et genus invisum et rapti Ganymedis honores)

the judgement of Paris and the outrage to her spurned beauty and the hated race and the honours given to snatched Ganymede remained stored deep in her mind)

his accensa super iactatos aequore toto Troas, reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achilli, arcebat longe Latio,

inflamed by these things as well, she was keeping the Trojans away, tossed over the whole sea, the remnants left by the Greeks and cruel Achilles, far from Latium

multosque per annos errabant acti fatis maria omnia circum.

and for many years they were wandering, driven by the fates, around all the seas.

tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem.

Such a difficult task it was to found the Roman race.

vix e conspectu Siculae telluris in altum vela dabant laeti, et spumas salis aere ruebant,

Scarcely out of sight of the Sicilian land, the Trojans were happily setting sail into the sea, and churning up the spray of the salt sea with their bronze prows

cum Iuno aeternum servans sub pectore vulnus haec secum:

when Juno, preserving the eternal wound deep in her heart, said this to herself:

'Mene incepto desistere victam nec posse Italia Teucrorum avertere regem? quippe vetor fatis.

'To think that I, defeated, should give up my attempt and not be able to avert the king of the Trojans from Italy!? Of course, I am forbidden by the fates.

Pallasne exurere classem Argivum atque ipsos potuit submergere ponto, unius ob noxam et furias Aiacis Oilei?

Was Pallas able to burn up the fleet of the Greeks and drown them in the sea because of the harm and madness of one man, Ajax, son of Oileus?

ipsa, Iovis rapidum iaculata e nubibus ignem, disiecitque rates evertitque aequora ventis,

She, hurling the swift fire of Jupiter from the clouds, both scattered the boats and upturned the seas with winds,

illum expirantem transfixo pectore flammas turbine corripuit scopuloque infixit acuto;

while he, breathing forth flames from his pierced breast, she snatched him up in a whirlwind and impaled him on a sharp rock;

ast ego, quae divum incedo regina Iovisque et soror et coniunx, una cum gente tot annos bella gero

But I, who walk as the queen of the gods, both sister and wife of Jupiter, wage war with one race for so many years

et quisquam numen Iunonis adorat praeterea, aut supplex aris imponet honorem?'

and does anyone revere the divinity of Juno anymore, or put offerings on my altars as a suppliant?

talia flammato secum dea corde volutans nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus Austris, Aeoliam venit.

The goddess, turning over such things with herself in her inflamed heart, came to Aeolia, the land of the clouds, an area full of raging south winds.

hic vasto rex Aeolus antro luctantis ventos tempestatesque sonoras imperio premit ac vinclis et carcere frenat.

Here king Aeolus, by his command, confines the struggling winds and sounding storms in a vast cave and controls them with chains and a prison.

illi indignantes magno cum murmure montis circum claustra fremunt;

They, indignant, roar around the prison bars with the mighty murmur of the mountain;

celsa sedet Aeolus arce sceptra tenens mollitque animos et temperat iras;

Aeolus sits in the lofty citadel holding a sceptre and soothes their feelings and restrains their anger;

ni faciat, maria ac terras caelumque profundum quippe ferant rapidi secum verrantque per auras.

If he didn't do this, they would of course carry rapidly with them the seas and lands and the heavens and sweep them through the breezes.

sed pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris, hoc metuens,

But the all powerful father, fearing this, concealed them in a dark cave

molemque et montis insuper altos imposuit, regemque dedit, qui foedere certo et premere et laxas sciret dare iussus habenas.

and placed a mass of high mountains on top, and gave them a king, so that under a fixed treaty he would know both how to tighten and to give them free rein when ordered.

ad quem tum Iuno supplex his vocibus usa est: 'Aeole, namque tibi divum pater atque hominum rex et mulcere dedit fluctus et tollere vento,

to him, then, Juno as a suppliant used these words: 'Aeolus, (for to you the father of the gods and king of men gave the right to both soothe the waves and raise them with wind)

gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum navigat aequor Ilium in Italiam portans victosque Penatis:

a race hostile to me is sailing the Tuscan sea, carrying Troy and its conquered household gods to Italy:

incute vim ventis submersasque obrue puppis, aut age diversos et disice corpora ponto.

strike violence into the winds and overwhelm them and sink their ships, or drive them in different directions and scatter their bodies into the sea.

sunt mihi bis septem praestanti corpore Nymphae, quarum quae forma pulcherrima Deiopea,

I have fourteen Nymphs of extraordinary beauty, of whom she who is most beautiful in form, Deiopeia

conubio iungam stabili propriamque dicabo, omnis ut tecum meritis pro talibus annos exigat, et pulchra faciat te prole parentem.'

I will join with you in lasting marriage and consecrate her as your own, so that in return for such services, she will spend all of her years with you and make you the parent of beautiful children.'

Aeolus haec contra: 'Tuus, O regina, quid optes explorare labor; mihi iussa capessere fas est.

Aeolus said in reply to this: 'oh queen, it is your task to discover what you desire; it is right for me to carry out your orders.

tu mihi, quodcumque hoc regni, tu sceptra Iovemque concilias, tu das epulis accumbere divum, nimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem.'

you obtained for me this little kingdom, the sceptre and Jupiter's favour, you allow me to recline at the banquet of the gods, and make me powerful over the clouds and the storms.'

haec ubi dicta, cavum conversa cuspide montem impulit in latus; ac venti velut agmine facto, qua data porta, ruunt et terras turbine perflant.

With this having been said, having turned his spear he struck the hollow mountain on the side; and the winds, as if they had formed a column (of men), rush wherever outlets are given and blow through the lands in a whirlwind.

incubuere mari, totumque a sedibus imis una Eurusque Notusque ruunt creberque procellis Africus, et vastos volvunt ad litora fluctus;

They fell upon the sea, and the East and South winds together, and the Africus full of storms, churn up everything from the lowest depths and they roll massive waves to the shore;

insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum.

There follows both the shout of men and the screech of cables.

eripiunt subito nubes caelumque diemque Teucrorum ex oculis; ponto nox incubat atra.

Suddenly the clouds snatch away the sky and the daylight from the eyes of he Trojans; black night falls upon the sea.

intonuere poli, et crebris micat ignibus aether, praesentemque viris intentant omnia mortem.

The heavens thundered, and the upper air flashes with frequent fires, and everything threatens instant death for the men.

extemplo Aeneae solvuntur frigore membra; ingemit, et duplicis tendens ad sidera palmas talia voce refert:

At once Aeneas' limbs were loosened with an icy terror; he groaned, and stretching out both his palms to the stars, he replied such words aloud:

'O terque quaterque beati, quis ante ora patrum Troiae sub moenibus altis contigit oppetere!

'Oh three and four times blessed, those who had the good fortune to die before the faces of their founding fathers, beneath the high walls of Troy’

O Danaum fortissime gentis Tydide! Mene Iliacis occumbere campis non potuisse tuaque animam hanc effundere dextra,

Oh son of Tydeus, bravest of the race of Greeks! To think that I was not able to fall on the plains of Troy and pour out this sould beneath your right hand,

saevus ubi Aeacidae telo iacet Hector, ubi ingens Sarpedon, ubi tot Simois correpta sub undis scuta virum galeasque et fortia corpora volvit!'

where savage Hector lies beneath the spear of Achilles, where huge Sarpedon lies, where the Simois seized the shield, helmets and bodies of so many brave men and roll them beneath the waves!'

talia iactanti stridens Aquilone procella velum adversa ferit, fluctusque ad sidera tollit.

While he was crying out such things, a storm whistling with the North wind struck the sail full in front, and raised the waes to the stars.

franguntur remi; tum prora avertit et undis dat latus; insequitur cumulo praeruptus aquae mons.

The oars were broken; then the prow turned away and offered the side to the waves; a sheer mountain of water followed in a mass.

hi summo in fluctu pendent; his unda dehiscens terram inter fluctus aperit; furit aestus harenis.

Some hung on the top of the wave; for others, the gaping sea revealed the earth among the waves; the tide rages with the sands.

tris Notus abreptas in saxa latentia torquet (saxa vocant Itali mediis quae in fluctibus Aras, dorsum immane mari summo),

The South Wind, having snatched three ships, whirled them onto the hidden rocks (the rocks in the middle of the waves which the Italians call 'the Altars', a huge reef on the surface of the sea),

tris Eurus ab alto in brevia et syrtis urget, miserabile visu, inliditque vadis atque aggere cingit harenae.

the East wind pushes three ships from the high seas onto the shallows and sandbanks, miserable to behold/a sorry sight. and struck them against the shallows and surrounded them with a mound of sand.

unam, quae Lycios fidumque vehebat Oronten, ipsius ante oculos ingens a vertice pontus in puppim ferit:

The huge sea, falling from its highest point, struck one ship on the stern, which was carrying the Lycians and faithful Orontes, before the very eyes (of Aeneas):

excutitur pronusque magister volvitur in caput; ast illam ter fluctus ibidem torquet agens circum, et rapidus vorat aequore vertex.

the helmsman is shaken off and face down he is rolled headfirst; but a wave twists the ship round three times on the same spot, driving it round, and a rushing whirlpool devours it in the sea.

apparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto, arma virum tabulaeque et Troia gaza per undas.

The men appear scattered/here & there swimming in the immense whirlpool. with the weapons of men and planks and Trojan treasure throughout the waves.

iam validam Ilionei navem, iam fortis Achatae, et qua vectus Abas, et qua grandaevus Aletes, vicit hiems;

Now the storm overcame Ilioneus' strong ship, now that of brave Achates, and both the ship in which Abas sailed, and that in which old Aletes (sailed);

laxis laterum compagibus omnes accipiunt inimicum imbrem, rimisque fatiscunt.

when the framework of the sides had been loosened, they all take in the hostile water, and gape with cracks.