The Aeneid Book 1 Translation

[1.1-1.33] Arma virumque canō, Trōiae quī prīmus ab ōrīs

I sing of arms and a man, who first from the shores of Troy

Ītaliam fātō profugus Lāvīniaque vēnit

an exile by fate, came to Italy and the Lavinian

lītora, multum ille et terrīs iactātus et altō

shores he, having been tossed about a lot both on land and on sea,

vī superum, saevae memorem Iūnōnis ob īram,

by the force of the gods above, on account of the unforgetting anger of cruel Juno,

multa quoque et bellō passus, dum conderet urbem

and also having endured many things in war, until he established a city

īnferretque deōs Latiō; genus unde Latīnum

and he brought the god Latium; from where the Latin race

Albānīque patrēs atque altae moenia Rōmae.

and the Alban fathers and the walls of high Rome [came].

Mūsa, mihī causās memorā, quō nūmine laesō quidve dolēns rēgīna deum tot volvere cāsūs īnsignem pietāte virum, tot adīre labōrēs impulerit. Tantaene animīs caelestibus īrae?

Muse, recount to me the reasons, with which the divine authority having been offended, or the queen of the gods, grieving over what, forced a man distinguished with great piety to undergo so many misfortunes, to do so many labors. Do the heavenly spirits have so much anger?

Urbs antīqua fuit (Tyriī tenuēre colōnī)

There was an ancient city (the Tyrian settlers held it)

Karthāgō, Ītaliam contrā Tiberīnaque longē

Carthage, opposite Italy and far from the Tiberian

ōstia, dīves opum studiīsque asperrima bellī,

shores rich in resources and very harsh in the zeals of war,

quam Iūnō fertur terrīs magis omnibus ūnam

posthabitā coluisse Samō. hīc illius arma,

which one land Juno is said to have cherished more than all other lands, with Samo having been placed aside. Here her weapons,

hīc currus fuit; hoc rēgnum dea gentibus esse,

here was the chariot; the goddess cherishes this to be the kingdom for the people,

sī quā Fāta sinant, iam tum tenditque fovetque. audierat Tyriās ōlim quae verteret arcēs; Prōgeniem sed enim Trōiānō ā sanguine dūcī

if the Fates allowed it in any way, indeed but she had heard that an offspring was being produced from Trojan blood who at one point would overthrow the Tyrian citadels;

hinc populum lātē rēgem bellōque superbum ventūrum excidiō Libyae; sīc volvere Parcās.

from this would come a proud people ruling far and wide in war and the destruction of Libya; thus the Fates rolled out.

Id metuēns veterisque memor Sāturnia bellī,

Saturnia, fearing this and mindful of the old war,

prīma quod ad Trōiam prō cārīs gesserat Argīs—

which she had waged first at Troy on behalf of the dear Greeks --

necdum etiam causae īrārum saevīque dolōrēs exciderant animō; manet altā mente repostum

also the causes of her anger and the cruel griefs had not yet left her mind; it remained deep buried in her mind

iūdicium Paridis sprētaeque iniūria fōrmae

the judgement of Paris and the injury of the rejected form

et genus invīsum et raptī Ganymēdis honōrēs:

both the hateful race and the stolen honors of Ganymede:

hīs accēnsa super iactātōs aequore tōtō Trōas, rēliquiās Danaüm atque immītis Achillī, arcēbat longē Latiō, multōsque per annōs errābant āctī Fātīs maria omnia circum.

she, having been stirred up by these things, was repelling the Trojans far from Latium, the remnants of Greece and of cruel Achilles, having been tossed about above the whole water, they having been driven by the Fates were walking through many years around all the seas.

Tantae mōlis erat Rōmānam condere gentem.

It was of such great effort to found the Roman race.

[1.34-1.80] Vix ē cōnspectū Siculae tellūris in altum vēla dabant laetī et spūmās salis aere ruēbant,

Scarcely out of sight of the Sicilian land in the deep, they, happy were giving the sails and were rushing upon the foams of salt with bronze,

cum Iūnō aeternum servāns sub pectore vulnus

when Juno, preserving the eternal wound under her heart,

haec sēcum: 'Mēne inceptō dēsistere victam

[said] these to herself: "Am I, having been conquered, to stop from my beginning..."

nec posse Ītaliā Teucrōrum āvertere rēgem?

and not able to turn away the king of the Trojans from Italy?

Quippe vetor Fātīs. Pallasne exūrere classem Argīvum atque ipsōs potuit summergere pontō

Indeed I am forbidden by the Fates. Wasn't Pallas able to burn up the Greek fleet and to sink them on the sea

ūnius ob noxam et furiās Āiācis Oīleī?

on account of the crime and angers of Ajax?

Ipsa Iovis rapidum iaculāta ē nūbibus ignem

She herself, having hurled the quick fire of Jupiter from the clouds,

disiēcitque ratēs ēvertitque aequora ventīs,

both scattered the ships and overturned the seas with winds

illum exspīrantem trānsfīxō pectore flammās turbine corripuit scopulōque īnfīxit acūtō;

she grabbed him, breathing out flames from his pierced heart with a whirlwind and fixed him on a sharp rock.

ast ego, quae dīvum incēdō rēgīna Iovisque et soror et coniūnx, ūnā cum gente tot annōs bella gerō. Et quisquam nūmen Iūnōnis adōrat

but I, who walk as queen of the gods and both sister and wife of Jupiter, wage war with one race for so many years. And who now adores the divine authority of Juno

praetereā aut supplex ārīs impōnet honōrem?'

"...and thereafter as a supplient places honors on the altar?"

Tālia flammātō sēcum dea corde volūtāns

The goddess, pondering such things to herself in her inflamed heart,

nimbōrum in patriam, loca fēta furentibus Austrīs, Aeoliam venit. Hīc vāstō rēx Aeolus antrō

came into the fatherland of the clouds, Aeolia, a place teeming with raging winds. Here king Aeolus in his vast cave

luctantēs ventōs tempestātēsque sonōrās imperiō premit ac vinclīs et carcere frēnat.

controls the struggling winds and the resounding storms with power and he reigns them in with chains and with a jail.

Illī indignantēs magnō cum murmure montis circum claustra fremunt; celsā sedet Aeolus arce

They, indignant, roar around the bolts with a great murmur of the mountain; Aeolus sits in his lofty citadel

scēptra tenēns mollitque animōs et temperat īrās.

holding a staff, he softens his spirits and he soothes the angers

nī faciat, maria ac terrās caelumque profundum quippe ferant rapidī sēcum verrantque per aurās;

If he does not do this, surely they, quick, would carry the seas and the lands and the deep sky with them and they would sweep them through the breezes;

Sed pater omnipotēns spēluncīs abdidit ātrīs hoc metuēns mōlemque et montēs īnsuper altōs imposuit, rēgemque dedit quī foedere certō

but the all-powerful father, fearing this, hid them in the dark caves, and he placed it on a high mound and a mountain on top, and he gave them a king who under a fixed agreement

et premere et laxās scīret dare iussus habēnās.

having been ordered, would know both to give out and to control the loose reigns.

Ad quem tum Iūnō supplex hīs vōcibus ūsa est:

To whom at that time, Juno, as a suppliant, used these voices:

'Aeole, namque tibī dīvum pater atque hominum rēx

"Aeolus, and for the father of the gods and the king of men..."

et mulcēre dedit flūctūs et tollere ventō,

gave to you both to soften the waves and to lift them up with wind,

gēns inimīca mihī Tyrrhēnum nāvigat aequor

a race unfriendly to me sails the Tyrainnin sea

Īlium in Ītaliam portāns victōsque Penātēs:

carrying Troy into Italy and the conquered household gods:

incute vim ventīs submersāsque obrue puppēs,

strike force into the winds and overwhelm their sunken ships,

aut age dīversōs et dissice corpora pontō.

or drive them scattered and scatter their bodies on the sea.

Sunt mihi bis septem praestantī corpore nymphae,

I have fourteen nymphs with standing beauty,

quārum quae fōrmā pulcherrima Dēïopēa,

of which Deiopea, who has the most beautiful form,

cōnūbiō iungam stabilī propriamque dicābō,

I will join you in stable marriage and I will declare her your own,

omnēs ut tēcum meritīs prō tālibus annōs exigat et pulchrā faciat tē prōle parentem.'

"...so that for such merits she may endure all years with you and make you a parent with beautiful offspring."

Aeolus haec contrā: 'Tuus, ō rēgīna, quid optēs explōrāre labor; mihi iussa capessere fās est.

Aeolus said these things in reply: "Oh queen, your task is to explore what you want; for me it is divinely right to undertake the orders..."

Tū mihi quodcumque hoc rēgnī, tū scēptra Iovemque conciliās, tū dās epulīs accumbere dīvum

You win over for me whatever this is of the kingdom, you unite the scepter and Jupiter, you give it to me to recline at the banquets of the gods

nimbōrumque facis tempestātumque potentem.'

"and you make me the power of clouds and storms..."

[1.81-1.131] Haec ubi dicta, cavum conversa cuspide montem impulit in latus: ac venti, velut agmine facto,

When this, having been said, he struck the hollow mountain on the side with a spear, reversed: and the winds, just as when a battle line has been made up,

qua data porta, ruunt et terras turbine perflant.

where a gateway is given, rush and blow the lands with a whirlwind

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

Together the East Wind, the North Wind, and the Southwest Wind, quick with blast, laid upon the sea and rushed upon the whole sea from their lowest dwellings, and they rolled waves fast to the shore.

Insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum.

The shouting of men and the creaking of shores followed.

Eripiunt subito nubes caelumque diemque

Suddenly clouds snatched the sky and day

Teucrorum ex oculis; ponto nox incubat atra.

from the eyes of the Trojans; dark night lies upon the sea.

Intonuere poli, et crebris micat ignibus aether,

The heavens thundered and the sky flashes with frequent fires,

praesentemque viris intentant omnia mortem.

everything threatens present death to the men.

Extemplo Aeneae solvuntur frigore membra:

Suddenly the limbs of Aeneas are loosened by cold:

ingemit, et duplicis tendens ad sidera palmas

he groaned inward and extending both palms to the stars

talia voce refert: 'O terque quaterque beati,

he brings back such things with voice: "Oh three and four times blessed..."

quis ante ora patrum Troiae sub moenibus altis contigit oppetere! O Danaum fortissime gentis

to whom it befell to encounter [death] before the faces of the fathers under the high walls of Troy! Oh the strongest of the Greek race

Tydide! Mene Iliacis occumbere campis non potuisse, tuaque animam hanc effundere dextra,

son of Tydeus! Why was I not able to fall from the Trojan camps and to pour out this spirit by your right hand,

saevus ubi Aeacidae telo iacet Hector, ubi ingens

where cruel Hector lies by the spear of Aeacides, where the mighty

Sarpedon, ubi tot Simois correpta sub undis scuta virum galeasque et fortia corpora volvit?'

"...Sarpedon [lies], where the Simois rolls up so many shields, men, helmets, and strong bodies, having been snatched under the waves?"

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

To [the one] uttering such things to himself, by roaring storm, the North wind strikes the sail head on, and raises the waves to the stars.

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

The oars were broken; then the prow turns away and gives the side to the waves; a towering mountain of water follows in a mass.

Hi summo in fluctu pendent; his unda dehiscens

They hang in the highest wave; this gaping surge

terram inter fluctus aperit; furit aestus harenis.

reveals the land between the waves; the surge wages with sand.

Tris Notus abreptas in saxa latentia torquet—

the South wind turns three, having been snatched up into the hiding rocks --

saxa vocant Itali mediis quae in fluctibus aras—

the Italians call the rocks which are in the middle of the waves the altars --

dorsum immane mari summo; tris Eurus ab alto in brevia et Syrtis urget, miserabile visu,

a huge cliff atop the sea; the East Wind drives three from the deep to the shallows and the sandbanks, miserable to see,

inliditque vadis atque aggere cingit harenae.

and it strikes them to a shallow place and surrounds them with a wall of sand.

Unam, quae Lycios fidumque vehebat Oronten,

One, which was carrying the Lucians and the faithful Oranies,

ipsius ante oculos ingens a vertice pontus in puppim ferit: excutitur pronusque magister

before the eyes of him himself, a giant wave strikes to the stern from the top and the turned master is shaken out

volvitur in caput; ast illam ter fluctus ibidem torquet agens circum, et rapidus vorat aequore vortex.

he is rolled onto his head; but the wave, driving, twists it three times around in the same place and the rapid top devours it with water.

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

The scattered swimmers in the vast whirlpool, the arms of men and the tablets and the Trojan treasure appear through the waves.

Iam validam Ilionei navem, iam fortis Achati, et qua vectus Abas, et qua grandaevus Aletes, vicit hiems; laxis laterum compagibus omnes accipiunt inimicum imbrem, rimisque fatiscunt.

Now the storm conquered the strong ship of Ilioneus, now the one of strong Achates, and the one on which Abais was carried, and the one which old man Aletes [was carried], they all receive hostile waters by the loose bindings of the sides, and they split by the cracks.

Interea magno misceri murmure pontum, emissamque hiemem sensit Neptunus, et imis

Meanwhile Neptune sensed that the sea was being mixed up with a large murmur and he sensed that the storm had been sensed out and

stagna refusa vadis, graviter commotus; et alto

that the shallow parts had been moved from the shallow parts, having been moved severely, and on the deep

prospiciens, summa placidum caput extulit unda.

looking out, he dragged out his peaceful head from the high wave.

Disiectam Aeneae, toto videt aequore classem,

He sees the scattered fleet of Aeneas on the whole sea,

fluctibus oppressos Troas caelique ruina,

The Trojans, having been oppressed by the waves and by the ruins of the sky,

nec latuere doli fratrem Iunonis et irae.

nor did the tricks and angers of Juno lie hidden from [her] brother.

Eurum ad se Zephyrumque vocat, dehinc talia fatur:

He calls the East wind and the West wind to him, and finally he says such things:

[1.132-1.179] 'Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri?

"Has such great confidence of your type held you all?"

Iam caelum terramque meo sine numine, venti, miscere, et tantas audetis tollere moles?

Do you dare now, winds, to stir up sky and earth without my divine authority and to raise such great masses?

Quos ego—sed motos praestat componere fluctus.

Whom I -- but it is better to compose the waves, having been moved.

Post mihi non simili poena commissa luetis.

After you will atone for your crimes to me with a not similar punishment.

Maturate fugam, regique haec dicite vestro:

Hurry your flight and say these things to your king:

non illi imperium pelagi saevumque tridentem, sed mihi sorte datum. Tenet ille immania saxa,

not to him has the power of the sea and the cruel trident been given, but to me, by fate. He holds huge rocks,

vestras, Eure, domos; illa se iactet in aula Aeolus, et clauso ventorum carcere regnet.'

"...East Winds, in your homes; Let Aeolus toss himself about in that hall and let him rule the closed prison of the winds"

Sic ait, et dicto citius tumida aequora placat,

So he says, and he placates the swelling waters more quickly than word,

collectasque fugat nubes, solemque reducit.

and he chases away the collected clouds, and he returns the sun.