Latin Aeneid I Verse Set Text

urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere coloni,

There was an ancient city, which the Tyrian colonists occupied,

Karthago, Italiam contra Tiberinaque longe

Carthage, it was opposite Italy and far off from the mouths of the river Tiber,

ostia, dives opum studiisque asperrima belli,

it was rich in wealth and most fierce in war's pursuits;

quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam 15

this place alone Juno is said to have favoured more than all other lands

posthabita coluisse Samo. hic illius arma,

with [even] Samos less valued; here was the weaponry of that goddess,

hic currus fuit; hoc regnum dea gentibus esse,

here was her chariot; that this might be the seat of power among nations, the goddess

si qua fata sinant, iam tum tenditque fovetque.

if somehow the fates would permit, even then both strove for and cherished.

progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci

But since she had heard that a race was being drawn from Trojan blood,

audierat, Tyrias olim quae verteret arces; 20

that would one day overturn the Tyrian towers;

hinc populum late regem belloque superbum

that from this [race] a people who were kings far and wide and proud in war

venturum excidio Libyae; sic volvere Parcas.

would come forth to Libya's ruin: as the Fates were unfolding.

id metuens veterisque memor Saturnia belli,

The daughter of Saturn, fearing this and mindful of the old war,

prima quod ad Troiam pro caris gesserat Argis-

which she had first waged at Troy for her beloved Argives-

necdum etiam causae irarum saevique dolores 25

nor yet also had the reasons for her anger and her bitter sorrows

exciderant animo; manet alta mente repostum

faded from her mind: fixed deep in her heart remained

iudicium Paridis spretaeque iniuria formae

the judgement of Paris and the insult of her scorned beauty,

et genus invisum et rapti Ganymedis honores.

and the hated race, and the honours of stolen Ganymede.

his accensa super, iactatos aequore toto

Inflamed further by these, [she kept back], storm-tossed on the wide sea

Troas, reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achilli, 30

The Trojans, the survivors of the Greeks and merciless Achilles,

arcebat longe Latio, multosque per annos

she kept them back far away from Latium, and for many years

errabant acti fatis maria omnia circum.

They wandered driven by the fates, around all the oceans.

tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem.

So great was the effort to found the Roman race.

vix e conspectu Siculae telluris in altum

Scarcely out of sight of the Sicilian land, upon the deep

vela dabant laeti et spumas salis aere ruebant, 35

the joyful Trojans were spreading their sails, and rushing through the foam of the salt-sea with their bronze prow,

cum Iuno, aeternum servans sub pectore vulnus,

when Juno, nursing an everlasting wound within her heart,

haec secum: 'mene incepto desistere victam,

spoke these words to herself: 'Am I, defeated, to cease from what I began,

nec posse Italia Teucrorum avertere regem?

and is it not possible to turn away the king of the Trojans from Italy?

quippe vetor fatis. Pallasne exurere classem

In fact I am forbidden by the fates. Was Pallas able to burn up the fleet

Argivum atque ipsos potuit summergere ponto 40

of the Argives and to sink them below the sea

unius ob noxam et furias Aiacis Oilei?

on account of the guilt of one man and the madness of Ajax son of Oileus?

ipsa Iovis rapidum iaculata e nubibus ignem

She herself, having hurled from the clouds the swift flame of Jupiter,

disiecitque rates evertitque aequora ventis,

both scattered their ships and overturned the seas with gales,

illum exspirantem transfixo pectore flammas

and that man (Ajax), as he breathed forth flames with his chest pierced through,

turbine corripuit scopuloque infixit acuto; 45

she seized with a whirlwind and impaled on a sharp rock.

ast ego, quae divum incedo regina Iovisque

But I, who proceed as queen of the gods, and

et soror et coniunx, una cum gente tot annos

as both the sister and wife of Jupiter, have waged war with a single people for so many years!

bella gero. et quisquam numen Iunonis adorat

And does anyone still worship the divinity of Juno,

praeterea aut supplex aris imponet honorem?"

or furthermore lay down a sacrifice as a suppliant on my altars?"

talia flammato secum dea corde volutans 50

Considering such thoughts with herself in her inflamed heart, the goddess

nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus Austris,

went to Aeolia into the homeland of storm clouds, to places brimming with raging winds.

Aeoliam venit. hic vasto rex Aeolus antro

Here in his vast cave, their king Aeolus

luctantes ventos tempestatesque sonoras

subdues the struggling gales and roaring storms

imperio premit ac vinclis et carcere frenat.

with his power and reins them in with chains and imprisonment.

illi indignantes magno cum murmure montis 55

Those [winds] straining resentfully with a mighty groan of the mountainside

circum claustra fremunt; celsa sedet Aeolus arce

roar around the barriers; in his lofty citadel Aeolus sits

sceptra tenens mollitque animos et temperat iras.

holding his sceptre, and soothes their spirits and softens their rages.

ni faciat, maria ac terras caelumque profundum

If he did not do this, they would certainly bear off the seas and lands and highest heaven

quippe ferant rapidi secum verrantque per auras.

and sweep these rapidly with them through the air.

sed pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris 60

But the all-powerful father fearing this hid them within dark caves,

hoc metuens molemque et montes insuper altos

and piled up over them a great weight and tall mountains,

imposuit, regemque dedit qui foedere certo

and gave them a king, who by a sure covenant

et premere et laxas sciret dare iussus habenas.

would know both how to restrain and to give slack to the reins at his command.

ad quem tum Iuno supplex his vocibus usa est:

To whom Juno now as a suppliant appealed with these words:

'Aeole, namque tibi divum pater atque hominum rex 65

'Aeolus, for it was to you that the father of the gods and the king of humankind

et mulcere dedit fluctus et tollere vento,

gave both (the power) to ease and to lift up the waves with the wind,

gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum navigat aequor

a people hateful to me are sailing over the Tyrrhenian sea,

Ilium in Italiam portans victosque Penates:

carrying Ilium into Italy and the conquered Penates:

incute vim ventis submersasque obrue puppes,

Hurl violence upon them with your winds and flood their engulfed ships,

aut age diversos et dissice corpora ponto. 70

or drive the men apart and scatter their bodies on the deep.

sunt mihi bis septem praestanti corpore Nymphae,

I have twice seven nymphs of outstanding physique,

quarum quae forma pulcherrima Deiopea,

from among whom Deiopea, the one who has the most beautiful form,

conubio iungam stabili propriamque dicabo,

I shall join to you in enduring marriage and I shall dedicate her as uniquely yours,

omnes ut tecum meritis pro talibus annos

so that in exchange for such services she may live out all her fated years with you,

exigat, et pulchra faciat te prole parentem.' 75

and make you a parent to fair offspring.'

Aeolus haec contra: 'tuus, o regina, quid optes

Aeolus answered with these words: 'O queen, your task is to

explorare labor; mihi iussa capessere fas est.

seek out what you desire; it is right for me to eagerly undertake your orders.

tu mihi quodcumque hoc regni, tu sceptra Iovemque

you grant to me, whatever there is of this kingdom, you grant me this sceptre and Jove ['s authority]

concilias, tu das epulis accumbere divum,

you allow me to recline at the feasts of the gods,

nimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem.'

and you create my power over both clouds and storms.'

haec ubi dicta, cavum conversa cuspide montem

When he had spoken these words, having turned his spear towards the hollow mountain

impulit in latus; ac venti velut agmine facto,

he hurled it into its side: and the winds, just like an assembled column of soldiers,

qua data porta, ruunt et terras turbine perflant.

by whichever passage is given, rush forth and blast the lands with cyclone.

incubuere mari totumque a sedibus imis

They fell down upon the sea, and from its lowermost depths overturn it completely

una Eurusque Notusque ruunt creberque procellis. 85

together both the East and South winds rush down and the Southwestern thick with whirlwinds,

Africus, et vastos volvunt ad litora fluctus.

and they roll vast surges towards the shore.

insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum.

There follows both the shouting of men and the creaking of ropes.

eripiunt subito nubes caelumque diemque

Suddenly clouds snatch away both the sky and daylight

Teucrorum ex oculis; ponto nox incubat atra.

from the eyes of the Trojans; dark night settles down upon the deep.

intonuere poli, et crebris micat ignibus aether 90

The poles thundered, and the atmosphere lights up with frequent flashes,

praesentemque viris intentant omnia mortem.

and all [signs] threaten instant death for the men.

extemplo Aeneae solvuntur frigore membra;

At once Aeneas' limbs weaken with chilling fear;

ingemit et duplices tendens ad sidera palmas

he groans, and stretching both his palms upwards to the stars

talia voce refert: 'o terque quaterque beati,

he calls out these such words with his voice: "O three and four times blessed ones,

quis ante ora patrum Troiae sub moenibus altis 95

For whom the fate was to meet death before their fathers' eyes beneath the high walls of Troy!

contigit oppetere! o Danaum fortissime gentis

O son of Tydeus bravest of the Danaan race!

Tydide! mene Iliacis occumbere campis

Alas that I could not fall on the Ilian fields,

non potuisse tuaque animam hanc effundere dextra,

and pour out this lifeforce at your right hand,

saevus ubi Aeacidae telo iacet Hector, ubi ingens

where fearsome Hector lies low under the spear of the grandson of Aeacus,

Sarpedon, ubi tot Simois correpta sub undis 100

where mighty Sarpedon is, where Simois rolls beneath the waves so many snatched up

scuta virum galeasque et fortia corpora volvit!'

shields and helmets of men and their brave bodies!'

talia iactanti stridens Aquilone procella

As he is casting forth these words, a hurricane whistling from the North

velum adversa ferit, fluctusque ad sidera tollit.

strikes fully against his sail, and lifts the waves aloft to the stars.

franguntur remi, tum prora avertit, et undis

The oars snap; then the prow swings around, and

dat latus, insequitur cumulo praeruptus aquae mons. 105

gives its broad side to the waves; a sheer mountain of water comes down upon then in a heap.

hi summo in fluctu pendent; his unda dehiscens

Some men hang upon the crest of the surge; to others the gaping wave

terram inter fluctus aperit, furit aestus harenis.

reveals the seabed between the surges; the swell seethes with sand.

tris Notus abreptas in saxa latentia torquet

Three times the South Wind spun snatched up ships onto hiding rocks--

(saxa vocant Itali mediis quae in fluctibus Aras,

rocks in the middle of the waves which the Italians call the Altars--

dorsum immane mari summo), tris Eurus ab alto 110

an immense ridge at the top of the sea; three times from the deep sea the East Wind

in brevia et Syrtis urget, miserabile visu,

pushes [vessels]into the shallows and Syrtian sandbanks, pitiful to see,