Aeneid, lines 518 - END

ipsum autem sumptis Priamum iuvenalibus armis

but when she saw Priam himself with his youthful armour bound on, she said

ut vidit, 'quae mens tam dira, miserrime coniunx,

“What so dreadful frame of mind has driven you, o my very wretched husband,

impulit his cingi telis? aut quo ruis?' inquit.

to be dressed in these weapons? Or where are you rushing off to?

'non tali auxilio nec defensoribus istis

The moment does not need help of such a kind nor those types of defenders;

tempus eget; non, si ipse meus nunc adforet Hector.

not even if my Hector himself were here.

huc tandem concede; haec ara tuebitur omnis,

Please come here; this altar will save us all

aut moriere simul.' sic ore effata recepit

or you will die together with us.” Once she had spoke in this way

ad sese et sacra longaeuum in sede locavit.

she pulled him to her and placced the holy man on the sacred seat.

Ecce autem elapsus Pyrrhi de caede Polites,

But look, having escaped from death at the hands of Pyrrhus, Polites,

unus natorum Priami, per tela, per hostis

one of the sons of Priamm, through weapons, through enemies,

porticibus longis fugit et vacua atria lustrat

is fleeing within the long collonades, and traverses the empty courtyards,

saucius. illum ardens infesto vulnere Pyrrhus

wounded. Blazing with anger Pyrhhus pursues that man with a wound imminent,

insequitur, iam iamque manu tenet et premit hasta.

and moment by moment he grasps him with his hand and presses close with his spear.

ut tandem ante oculos evasit et ora parentum,

Finally as he came before the eyes and faces of his parents,

concidit ac multo vitam cum sanguine fudit.

he fell, and he poured forth his life with a gush of blood.

hic Priamus, quamquam in media iam morte tenetur,

Then Priam, although he is now gripped in the midst of death,

non tamen abstinuit nec voci iraeque pepercit:

yet he does not hold back, nor spare his anger and voice,

'at tibi pro scelere,' exclamat, 'pro talibus ausis

he exclaims: “But to you, in return for such wickendess, in return for such sins,

di, si qua est caelo pietas quae talia curet,

if there is any sense of duty in heaven to tend to such matters,

persolvant grates dignas et praemia reddant

may the gods pay fitting thanks and return the rewards

debita, qui nati coram me cernere letum

owed to you, you who made me watch the death of my son before my eyes

fecisti et patrios foedasti funere vultus.

and defiled my fatherly features with death.

at non ille, satum quo te mentiris, Achilles

But that man Achilles, from whom you wrongly claim that you are descended,

talis in hoste fuit Priamo; sed iura fidemque

he was not like this with his enemy Priam; but he valued the rights and trust

supplicis erubuit corpusque exsangue sepulcro

of a supplicant and he returned the bloodless body

reddidit Hectoreum meque in mea regna remisit.'

of Hector to the tomb and sent me back into my kingdom.”
sic fatus senior telumque imbelle sine ictu

coniecit, rauco quod protinus aere repulsum,

which, having been repelled straight away from the ringing bronze

et summo clipei nequiquam umbone pependit.

hung in vain from the boss at the top of the shield.

cui Pyrrhus: 'referes ergo haec et nuntius ibis

To whom Pyrrhus said: “Therefore you shall bear these events and go as a messenger

Pelidae genitori. illi mea tristia facta

to the son of Peleus; remembber to tell that man about my sad actions

degeneremque Neoptolemum narrare memento.

and his degenerate Neoptolemus.

nunc morere.' hoc dicens altaria ad ipsa trementem

Now die.” Speaking in this way he dragged the man, trembling

traxit et in multo lapsantem sanguine nati,

and slipping in the excess blood of his son, to the altar stones themselves,

implicuitque comam laeva, dextraque coruscum

and he wound his hair in his left hand and in his right he drew a whirling sword,

extulit ac lateri capulo tenus abdidit ensem.

and buried it in his side all tha way up to the hilt.

haec finis Priami fatorum, hic exitus illum

This was the end of Priam’s fortunes; this was the ending

sorte tulit Troiam incensam et prolapsa videntem

delivered to him by fate, seeing Troy burned and Pergamum felled,

Pergama, tot quondam populis terrisque superbum

once the proud ruler of so many tribes and lands,

regnatorem Asiae. iacet ingens litore truncus,

of Asia. He lies here, his great torso on the shore

avulsumque umeris caput et sine nomine corpus.

and his head hacked from his shoulders and his body without a name