Virgil Aeneid II Lines 268-317 & 370-558

Tempus erat quo prima quies mortalibus aegris incipit et dono divum gratissima serpit.

It was the time when first rest begins for weary mortals and most welcome, it creeps over {them} as a gift from the gods.

In somnis, ecce, ante oculos maestissimus Hector visus adesse mihi largosque effundere fletus,

Behold, in {my} dreams Hector seemed to be there before my eyes most grief stricken and pouring out plentiful tears,

raptatus bigis ut quondam, aterque cruento pulvere perque pedes traiectus lora turmentis.

Having been dragged along by a two-horse-chariot as he once was, blackened by bloodstained dust and pierced leather thongs through his swollen feet.

Ei mihi, qualis erat, quantum mutatus ab illo Hectore qui redit exuvias indutus Achilli vel Danaum Phrygios iaculatus puppibus ignes!

Woe is me! What a state he was in! How much changed from that Hector who returned {home} sporting the spoils of Achilles or having hurled Phrygian flames onto the ships of the Greeks!

squalentem barbam et concretos sanguine crines vulneraque illa gerens, quae circum plurima muros accepit patrios.

{He was} wearing a filthy beard and hair matted with blood and these multiple wounds which he received around the walls of his homeland.

Ultro flens ipse videbar compellare virum et maestas expromere voces:

Weeping myself I seemed of my own accord to address the man and to utter mournful words:

'O lux Dardaniae, spes o fidissima Teucrum,

'O light of Troy, O most trusted hope of the Trojans,

quae tantae tenuere morae?

what delays so great have detained you?

quibus Hector ab oris exspectate venis?

From which shores do you come, long awaited Hector?

ut te post multa tuorum funera, post varios hominumque urbisque labores defessi aspicimus!

How {happily} we weary men see you, after the many deaths of your kin, after the varied toils of the men and city!

quae causa indigna serenos foedavit vultus? aut cur haec vulnera cerno?'

What undeserved cause has defiled your bright face? Or why do I see these wounds?'

ille nihil, nec me quaerentem vana moratur,

He {said} nothing, nor did he waste time on me asking futile questions,

sed graviter gemitus imo de pectore ducens,

but drawing groans heavily, from the depths of his chest,

'heu fuge, nate dea, teque his' ait 'eripe flammis.

He said 'Alas flee {o you} goddess born and save yourself from these flames.

hostis habet muros; ruit alto a culmine Troia.

The enemy holds the walls; Troy is crashing down from its lofty summit

sat patriae Priamoque datum: si Pergama dextra defendi possent, etiam hac defensa fuissent.

Enough has been given {by you} to your country and to Priam: if Troy could have been defended by a strong right hand, it would have been defended by this one also.

sacra suosque tibi commendat Troia penatis;

Troy entrusts its sacred vessels and its household gods to you;

hos cape fatorum comites, his moenia quaere magna pererrato statues quae denique ponto.'

take these as companions of fate, for these seek out a mighty city, which you will eventually establish after much wandering over the ocean.'

sic ait et manibus vittas Vestamque potentem aeternumque adytis effert penetralibus ignem.

Thus he spoke and with his hands brought forth from the innermost shrine {the image of} mighty Vesta and her sacred headbands and the eternal flame.

Diverso interea miscentur moenia luctu,

et magis atque magis, quamquam secreta parentis

Anchisae domus arboribusque obtecta recessit,

clarescunt sonitus armorumque ingruit horror.

Meanwhile the walls were beset with distant lamentation, and more and more, the sound grew clearer and the clashing of arms increased, although the house of my father Anchises stood back, set apart, and covered by trees.

excutior somno et summi fastigia tecti

ascensu supero atque arrectis auribus asto:

I was shaken from my sleep and by climbing up I passed over the gables at the top of the roof and I stood with my ears pricked up.

in segetem veluti cum flamma furentibus Austris incidit,

just as when flames fell with the South wind raging onto a cornfield,

aut rapidus montano flumine torrens sternit agros, sternit sata laeta boumque labores praecipitisque trahit silvas;

or a rapid torrent from a mountain river flattens the fields, flattens the fertile crops and the labours of the oxen and drags forests headlong;

stupet inscius alto accipiens sonitum saxi de vertice pastor.

the bewildered shepherd taking in the sound from the lofty summit of a rock is astounded.

tum vero manifesta fides, Danaumque patescunt insidiae.

Then indeed the truth was evident, and the tricks of the Greeks were revealed.

iam Deiphobi dedit ampla ruinam Volcano superante domus,

Already the spacious house of Deiphobus collapsed in ruins, overcome by fire,

iam proximus ardet Ucalegon; Sigea igni freta lata relucent.

Now Ucalegon's {house} next door was ablaze; the wide straits of Sigeum reflected the fire.

exoritur clamorque virum clangorque tubarum.

The shouts of men and the blare of trumpets arose.

arma amens capio; nec sat rationis in armis,

Frantic, I seized weapons; there was not enough reason in weapons,

sed glomerare manum bello et concurrere in arcem cum sociis ardent animi;

but my spirit burned to gather a band {of men} for war and to rush into the citadel with my comrades;

furor iraque mentem praecipitat, pulchrumque mori succurrit in armis.

fury and anger drove my mind headlong, and it occured {to me that} to die in arms {was} beautiful.

(370) Primus se Danaum magna comitante caterva Androgeos offert nobis, socia agmina credens inscius, atque ultro verbis compellat amicis:

Androgeos was the first to present himself to us with a great band of Greeks accompanying him, believing our troops to be allies, unaware of who we were, and voluntarily addressed us with friendly words:

'festinate, viri! nam quae tam sera moratur segnities?

"Hurry men! For what sluggishness delayed you {making you} so late?

alii rapiunt incensa feruntque Pergama: vos celsis nunc primum a navibus itis?'

Others are plundering and pillaging burning Troy: Are you just now coming from the lofty ships for the first time?'

Dixit, et extemplo (neque enim responsa dabantur fida satis) sensit medios delapsus in hostis.

He spoke, and immediately (since the replies given were not sufficiently credible) he realised that he had fallen into the midst of the enemy.

obstipuit retroque pedem cum voce repressit.

He was dumbfounded and {shrinking} backwards he checked his step along with his voice.

improvisum aspris veluti qui sentibus anguem pressit humi nitens trepidusque repente refugit attollentem iras et caerula colla tumentem,

Just as one who, putting his full weight on the ground has trodden on an unexpected snake in the rough brambles and in panic suddenly runs backwards {from it} as it rises in anger and puffs out its dark blue neck,

haud secus Androgeos visu tremefactus abibat.

in the same way, Androgeos, panic-stricken at the sight tried to withdraw.

inruimus densis et circumfundimur armis,

We charged, pouring around them with closely packed arms,

ignarosque loci passim et formidine captos sternimus; aspirat primo Fortuna labori.

and laid them low far and wide, ignorant {as they were} of the place and seized with fear; Fortune favoured our first efforts.

atque hic successu exsultans animisque Coroebus

And at this point Coroebus, rejoicing in his success and {high} spirits

'o socii, qua prima' inquit 'Fortuna salutis monstrat iter, quaque ostendit se dextra, sequamur:

said 'O comdrades, let us follow where Fortune first points out the way to safety, and where she shows herself to be favourable:

mutemus clipeos Danaumque insignia nobis aptemus.

Let us change shields and attach to ourselves the emblems of the Greeks.

dolus an virtus, quis in hoste requirat?

{Whether it be} trickery or courage, who would ask in {dealing with} an enemy?

arma dabunt ipsi.'

They themselves will provide the weapons."

Sic fatus, deinde comantem

Androgei galeam clipeique insigne decorum

induitur, laterique Argivum accommodat ensem.

Having spoken thus, he then put on the plumed helmet of Androgeos and the handsome blazoned shield and fit the Grecian sword to his thigh.

hoc Rhipeus, hoc ipse Dymas omnisque iuventus

laeta facit: spoliis se quisque recentibus armat.

Rhipeus did this, as did Dymas himself and all the cheerful young men: each man armed himself with the freshly acquired spoils.

Vadimus immixti Danais haud numine nostro,

multaque per caecam congressi proelia noctem

conserimus, multos Danaum demittimus Orco.

We made our way, mixed in with the Greeks, under gods not our own, and we engaged in many battles, as we came together in the blindness of night, {and} we sent many of the Greeks down to hell.

Diffugiunt alii ad navis et litora cursu fida petunt; pars ingentem formidine turpi scandunt rursus equum et nota conduntur in alvo.

Some scattered to their ships and sought the safe shores in flight; some in shameful terror scaled the huge horse again and hid {themselves} in its familiar belly.

Heu nihil invitis fas quemquam fidere divis!

Alas it is not at all right for anyone to trust in gods {who are} unwilling!

ecce trahebatur passis Priameia virgo crinibus a templo Cassandra adytisque Minervae

Behold Cassandra the maiden daughter of Priam was being dragged from the temple and the innermost shrine of Minerva with her hair dishevelled

ad caelum tendens ardentia lumina frustra,

straining her blazing eyes to heaven in vain,

lumina, nam teneras arcebant vincula palmas.

{only} her eyes for chains were holding back her delicate hands.

non tulit hanc speciem furiata mente Coroebus et sese medium iniecit periturus in agmen; consequimur cuncti et densis incurrimus armis.

In his frenzied mind, Coroebus could not endure thus sight and threw himself into the band of men, destined to die; we all joined in following him and rushed on into the thick of the fray.

hic primum ex alto delubri culmine telis nostrorum obruimur oriturque miserrima caedes armorum facie et Graiarum errore iubarum.

Here, for the first time, we were overwhelmed by the weapons of our own men from the lofty summit of the temple and there arose the most wretched slaughter due to the appearance of our arms and the confusion of our Greek plumes.

Tum Danai gemitu atque ereptae virginis ira

undique collecti invadunt,

Then the Greeks with a groan and in anger at the rescue of the maiden gathered together and attacked us on all sides,

acerrimus Aiax, et gemini Atridae, Dolopumque exercitus omnis:

Ajax most fierce, and the twin sons of Atreus, and the whole army of the Dolopians:

adversi rupto ceu quondam turbine venti

confligunt, Zephyrusque Notusque et laetus Eois

Eurus equis;

Just as at times when a storm has broken, the opposing winds clashed together, the West, the South and the East wind rejoicing in the horses of Dawn;

stridunt silvae, saevitque tridenti spumeus atque imo Nereus ciet aequora fundo.

the woods roar and foaming Nereus rages with his trident and he stirs up the seas from their deepest depths.

illi etiam, si quos obscura nocte per umbram fudimus insidiis totaque agitavimus urbe, apparent;

If there were any, whom in the dark night we routed through the shadows by our trickery and hunted through the whole city, they too appeared;

primi clipeos mentitaque tela

agnoscunt atque ora sono discordia signant.

they were rhe first to recognise our shields and deceiving weapons and madk our speech as different in sound.

ilicet obruimur numero, primusque Coroebus Penelei dextra divae armipotentis ad aram procumbit;

We were immediately overwhelmed by their number, and Coroebus was the first to fall by the right hand of Peneleus at the altar of the goddess powerful in arms;

cadit et Rhipeus, iustissimus unus

qui fuit in Teucris et servantissimus aequi

(dis aliter visum);

Rhipeus also falls, who among the Trojans was the most just of all men and the most respectful of fairness (the gods it seems thought otherwise);

pereunt Hypanisque Dymasque confixi a sociis;

both Hypanis and Dymas perished, pierced through by their own comrades;

nec te tua plurima, Panthu, labentem pietas nec Apollinis infula texit.

nor did your numerous acts of devotion, O Panthus, or the ribbons of Apollo protect you as you fell.

Iliaci cineres et flamma extrema meorum, testor, in occasu vestro nec tela nec ullas vitavisse vices Danaum et, si fata fuissent ut caderem, meruisse manu.

O you ashes of Troy and last flames of my people, I call upon you, to witness that in your ruin I have avoided neither weapons nor any exchanges {in battle} with the Greeks and, if the fates had been that I should fall, that I earned it by my own hand.

divellimur inde, Iphitus et Pelias mecum (quorum Iphitus aevo iam gravior, Pelias et vulnere tardus Ulixi), protinus ad sedes Priami clamore vocati.

Then we were torn away, Iphitus and Pelias along with me (of whom Iphitus was already on the heavier side because of his age and Pelias was slowed down by a wound from Ulixes), immediately we were summoned by a shout to the dwelling of Priam.

hic vero ingentem pugnam, ceu cetera nusquam

bella forent, nulli tota morerentur in urbe,

Here indeed we saw a huge battle, as if there were {now} no other battles anywhere else, {and} none were dying in the whole city,

Sic Martem indomitum, Danaosque ad tecta ruentis

cernimus, obsessumque acta testudine limen.

and so we saw unrestrained war and the Greeks rushing to the buildings and the threshold beseiged by the tortoise {of shields} driven against them.

Haerent parietibus scalae, postisque sub ipsos

nituntur gradibus, clipeosque ad tela sinistris

protecti obiciunt, prensant fastigia dextris.

Scaling ladders clung to the walls and up against the doorposts themselves, they strove up the rungs and thrust forward their shields with their left hands as protection against the missiles, with their right hands they grasped the gables.

Dardanidae contra turris ac tota domorum culmina convellunt;

On the other hand, the Trojans tore down the turrets and all the roofs of the houses;

his se, quando ultima cernunt,

extrema iam in morte parant defendere telis,

with these as weapons, when they saw that the end was near, they prepared to defend themselves, now in the final moment of death,

auratasque trabes, veterum decora alta parentum, devolvunt;

and they rolled down the golden beams, the lofty ornaments of their ancient ancestors;

alii strictis mucronibus imas

obsedere fores, has servant agmine denso.

others blockaded the doors below with drawn swords, {and} protected these in close array.

Instaurati animi, regis succurrere tectis,

auxilioque levare viros, vimque addere victis.

My spirit was renewed to assist the palace of my king, to relieve the men with our help and to increase the strength in the defeated.

Limen erat caecaeque fores et pervius usus

tectorum inter se Priami,

There was an entrance and hidden doors and an accessible interconnecting passageway of Priam's apartments,

postesque relicti a tergo,

amd doors left unguarded at the rear,

infelix qua se, dum regna manebant,

saepius Andromache ferre incomitata solebat

ad soceros, et avo puerum Astyanacta trahebat.

by which poor Andromache often used to take herself, unaccompanied, while the kingdom still stood, to her parents-in-law and used to take the boy Astyanax along to his grandfather.

evado ad summi fastigia culminis, unde

tela manu miseri iactabant inrita Teucri.

I came out at the highest gable of the roof, from where the despairing Trojans were throwing their futile weapons with vigour.

turrim in praecipiti stantem summisque sub astra eductam tectis,

{There was} a tower standing on a sheer edge and rising up to the stars from the top of the roof,

unde omnis Troia videri

et Danaum solitae naves et Achaica castra,

from which all of Troy and the ships of the Greeks and the Greek camps were accustomed to be seen,

adgressi ferro circum, qua summa labantis

iuncturas tabulata dabant, convellimus altis

sedibus, impulimusque;

having attacked {this tower} with crowbars round all its sides, where the highest stories yielded unsteady joints, we tore it away from its lofty position, and we gave it a shove;

ea lapsa repente ruinam cum sonitu trahit et Danaum super agmina late incidit.

collapsing suddenly, it came crashing down with a roar and fell far and wide over the ranks of Greeks.

ast alii subeunt, nec saxa nec ullum

telorum interea cessat genus.

But others came in support, meanwhile neither rocks or any type of weapons ceased.

Vestibulum ante ipsum primoque in limine Pyrrhus exsultat telis et luce coruscus aena:

Before the porch itself and on the outer threshold, Pyrrhus lept up glittering with his weapons and the gleam of bronze:

qualis ubi in lucem coluber mala gramina pastus,

Just like a snake, when having fed on poisonous herbs,

frigida sub terra tumidum quem bruma tegebat,

{and} swollen, which cold winter was concealing underground,

nunc, positis novus exuviis nitidusque iuventa,

now, renewed, having shed his skin and gleaming with youth,

lubrica convolvit sublato pectore terga arduus ad solem,

it rolls forth its slippery body to the light raising its breast aloft to the sun,

et linguis micat ore trisulcis.

and it flickers from its mouth its triple-forked tongue.

una ingens Periphas et equorum agitator Achillis, armiger Automedon,

Together {with him} huge Periphas and armour bearing Automedon, the charioteer of Achilles's horses,

una omnis Scyria pubes

succedunt tecto et flammas ad culmina iactant.

with him all the young men of Scyros {now} advanced to the palace and hurled firebrands at the roofs.

ipse inter primos correpta dura bipenni limina perrumpit postisque a cardine vellit aeratos;

{Pyrrhus} himself, amid the front ranks, having seized a two-headed axe, burst through the tough doors and tried to wrench the bronze doorposts from their hinges;

iamque excisa trabe firma cavavit robora et ingentem lato dedit ore fenestram.

and now, having cut out a pannel, he hollowed out the sturdy oak and made a huge opening with a wide mouth.

apparet domus intus et atria longa patescunt;

The household within became visible and the long halls were laid open;

apparent Priami et veterum penetralia regum,

{also} visible were the innermost chambers of Priam and the ancient kings,

armatosque vident stantis in limine primo.

and they saw armed men standing on the outer theshold.

at domus interior gemitu miseroque tumultu miscetur,

But the inside of the palace was engulfed by groaning and wretched turmoil,

penitusque cavae plangoribus aedes femineis ululant;

and the vaulted rooms wailed deep within with the lamentations of women;

ferit aurea sidera clamor.

the din {rose up to} strike the golden stars.