latin - aeneid translation

urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere coloni, /

There was an ancient city, which Tyrian colonists held,

Karthago, Italiam contra Tiberinaque longe /ostia,

Carthage, opposite Italy and far off from the mouth of the Tiber,

dives opum studiisque asperrima belli, /

rich in resources and most fierce in the efforts of war,

quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam /posthabita coluisse Samo.

and it is said that Juno cared for this one land more than all other lands with even Samos valued less.

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.

the goddess, even then, endeavoured and cherished this place, if in any way the fates would allow it, to be a kingdom over nations.

progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci /audierat,

But indeed she had heard that a race was springing from Trojan blood,

Tyrias olim quae verteret arces; /

which one day would overthrow the Tyrian citadel;

hinc populum late regem belloque superbum /venturum excidio Libyae;

that from this a nation would come ruling far and wide and proud in war, for the destruction of Libya;

sic volvere Parcas. /

thus the fates turned.

id metuens veterisque memor Saturnia belli, /

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

prima quod ad Troiam pro caris gesserat Argis - /

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

necdum etiam causae irarum saevique dolores /exciderant animo;

even then the causes of her anger and the cruel pain had not yet fallen from her mind;

manet alta mente repostum /iudicium Paridis spretaeque iniuria formae /

there remained fixed deep in her mind the judgement of Paris and the injury to her scorned beauty

et genus invisum et rapti Ganymedis honores. /

and the hated nation and the honours of abducted Ganymede.

hic accensa super,

Further inflamed by these things,

iactatos aequore toto /Troas, reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achilli, /arcebat longe Latio,

she was waylaying the Trojans scattered over the whole sea, those left by the Greeks and merciless Achilles, a long way off from Latium,

multosque per annos /errabant acti fatis maria omnia circum. /

and they were wandering for many years, driven by the fates around the whole ocean.

tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem.

So great was the difficulty of founding the Roman race.

vix e conspectu Siculae telluris

Scarcely out of sight of the land of Sicily,

in altum /vela dabant laeti

they were happily setting sail into the deep sea

et spumas salis aere ruebant, /

and rushing over the foam of the salt sea with their bronze prows,

cum Iuno, aeternum servans sub pectore vulnus, /

when Juno, preserving the eternal wound in her heart,

haec secum: ‘mene incepto desistere victam, /

said these things to herself: ‘am I, defeated, to cease from my undertaking,

nec posse Italia Teucrorum avertere regem! /

and not be able to divert the king of the Trojans from Italy!

quippe vetor fatis.

Of course, the fates forbit it.

Pallasne exurere classem /Argivum atque ipsos potuit summergere ponto /

Was Pallas able to burn up the fleet of Argives and submerge them in the sea

unius ob noxam et furias Aiacis Oilei? /

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

ipsa Iovis rapidum iaculata e nubibus ignem /

She, having hurled the roaring fire of Jupiter from the clouds,

disiecitque rates evertitque aequora ventis, /

scattered the ships and overturned the waves with the winds,

illum exspirantem transfixo pectore flammas /

that man, breathing the flames out from his pierced heart,

turbine corripuit scopuloque infixit acuto; /

she snatched up with a whirlwind and impaled him on a sharp rock;

ast ego, quae divum incedo regina

but I, who walk in majesty, queen of the gods

Iovisque /et soror et coniunx,

and both sister and wife of Jupiter,

una cum gente tot annos /bella gero.

have waged a war for so many years with one nation.

et quisquam numen Iunonis adorat /praeterea

Is there anyone who worships the power of Juno anymore

aut supplex aris imponet honorem?’

or will anyone, as a suppliant, lay honours on my altar?’

talia flammato secum dea corde volutans /

The goddess, debating such things with herself in her burning heart,

nimborum in patriam, loca feeta furentibus Austris, /Aeoliam venit.

came to the homeland of the clouds, a place teeming with the wild South winds, Aeolia.

hic vasto rex Aeolus antro /luctantes ventos tempestatesque sonoras /imperio premit

Here in a vast cave the king Aeolus controls the wrestling winds and resounding storms with his authority

ac vinclis et carcere frenat. /

and he reigns them in with chains and imprisonment.

illi indignantes magno cum murmure montis /circum claustra fremunt;

They, in their frustration, growl around the door with the great rumble of the mountain;

celsa sedet Aeolus arce /sceptra tenens

Aeolus sits in his lofty citadel, holding his sceptre,

mollitque animos et temperat iras. /

and softens their spirits and restrains their anger.

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

If he did not do this, the roaring winds would surely carry off with themselves the sea and lands and boundless heaven and sweep them through the air.

sed pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris /hoc metuens

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

molemque et montes insuper altos /imposuit,

and set a mass of high mountains over them,

regemque dedit qui foedere certo /

and gave them a king who, by fixed agreement,

et premere et laxas sciret dare iussus habenas. /

would know how to both tighten and loosen the reigns when ordered.

ad quem tum Iuno supplex his vocibus usa est: /

To him Juno then appealed with these words as a suppliant:

‘Aeole, namque tibi divum pater atque hominum rex /et mulcere dedit fluctus et tollere vento, /

‘Aeolus, indeed the father of the gods and the king of men has given to you the power to both soften and raise the waters with the wind,

gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum navigat aequor /

a nation, hateful to me, is sailing the Tyrrhenian sea,

Ilium in Italiam portans victosque Penates: /

bringing Troy to Italy and the defeated Penates:

incute vim ventis submersasque obrue puppes, /

strike force into the winds and overwhelm and sink their boats,

aut age diversos et dissice corpora ponto. /

or drive them apart and scatter their bodies over the sea.

sunt mihi bis septem praestanti corpore Nymphae, /

I have fourteen nymphs of outstanding beauty,

quarum quae forma pulcherrima Deiopea, /

of whom she who is the most beautiful in appearance, Deiopea,

conubio iungam stabili propriamque dicabo, /

I will join her to you in steadfast marriage and I will call her your very own,

omnes ut tecum meritis pro talibus annos /exigat,

so that, in return for such kindnesses, she will spend all her years with you,

et pulchra faciat te prole parentem.’ /

and she will make you the father of beautiful children.’

Aeolus haec contra: ‘tuus, o regina, quid optes /explorare labor;

Aeolus said in reply: ‘o queen, your task is to decide what you wish;

mihi iussa capessere fas est. /

it is right for me to carry out your orders.

tu mihi quodcumque hoc regni, tu sceptra Iovemque /concilias,

You grant me this little kingdom, the sceptre of Jupiter,

tu das epulis accumbere divum, /

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

nimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem.’ /

and you make me powerful over clouds and storms.’

haec ubi dicta, cavum conversa cuspide montem /impulit in latus;

When he had said these things, he struck the side of the hollow mountain with his spear turned around;

ac venti velut agmine facto, /

and the winds, just like a column of soldiers,

qua data porta, ruunt et terras turbine perflant. /

rushed out where the door was open, and blew over the lands in a whirlwind.

incubere mari

They swooped down on the sea,

totumque a sedibus imis /una Eurusque Notusque ruunt creberque procellis /Africus,

the East wind and the South wind and the South-West wind thick with storms together, and they stirred it all up from the lowest places

et vastos volvunt ad litora fluctus. /

and they rolled the huge waves to the shores.

insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum. /

There followed the shouts of men and the creaking of ropes.

eripiunt subito nubes caelumque diemque /Teucrorum ex oculis;

Suddenly the clouds ripped away both the sky and the day from the eyes of the Trojans;

ponto nox incubat atra. /

dark night lay over the sea.

intonuere poli,

The poles thundered,

et crebris micat ignibus aether /

and the ether pulsed with thick fire

praesentemque viris intentant omnia mortem. /

and everything threatened instant death to the men.

extemplo Aeneae solvuntur frigore membra; /

At once the limbs of Aeneas loosened with cold fear;

ingemit et duplices tendens ad sidera palmas /

he groaned and, holding both palms to the stars

talia voce refert:

he spoke such things with his voice:

‘o terque quaterque beati, /quis ante ora patrum Troiae sub moenibus altis /contigit oppetere!

‘o three or four times more fortunate were you who were fated to perish before the faces of your fathers under the high walls of Troy!

o Danaum fortissime gentis /Tydide!

o Diomedes, the bravest of the race of the Greeks!

mene Iliacis occumbere campis /non potuisse

Could I not have fallen in the fields of Ilium

tuaque animam hanc effundere dextra, /

and poured out my life at your right hand,

saevus ubi Aeacidae telo iacet Hector, ubi ingens /Sarpedon,

where fierce Hector lies killed by the spear of Achilles, where huge Sarpedon lies,

ubi tot Simois correpta sub undis /scuta virum galeasque et fortia corpora volvit!’ /

where the Simois collects and rolls away so many shields and helmets and brave bodies of men under its waves!’

talia iactanti

As he was yelling such things,

stridens Aquilone procella /velum adversa ferit,

a storm howling with the North wind struck the sail straight on,

fluctusque ad sidera tollit. /

and lifted the waves to the stars.

franguntur remi, tum prora avertit,

The oars broke, then the prow swung around,

et undis /dat latus,

and laid the side on the waves,

insequitur cumulo praeruptus aquae mons. /

there followed a steep mountain of water in a mass.

hi summo in fluctu pendent;

Some men teetered on the top of the wave;

his unda dehiscens /terram inter fluctus aperit,

to others the gaping deep showed the land between the waves,

furit aestus harenis. /

the swell raged with sand.

tris Notus abreptas in saxa latentia torquet /

Three ships the South wind snatched up and whirled onto hidden rocks

(saxa vocant Itali mediis quae in fluctibus Aras, /

(rocks the Italians call the Altars, in the middle of the waves,

dorsum immane mari summo),

a huge ridge on the surface of the sea),

tris Eurus ab alto /in brevia et Syrtis urget,

three the East wind shoved from the deep to the shallows of the quicksands,

miserabile visu, /

a terrible sight,