The Aeneid Translation (Full)

Urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere coloni,

Karthago, Italiam contra Tiberinaque longe

ostia, dives opum studiisque asperrima belli;

quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam

posthabita coluisse Samo; hic illius arma,

hic currus fuit; hoc regnum dea gentibus esse,

si qua fata sinant, iam tum tenditque fovetque.

Long ago, there was a city, held by Tyrian colonists, Carthage, opposite Italy and the far off mouths of the Tiber, rich in resources and most harsh in the pursuits of war; Juno is said to have revered Carthage alone, more than all other lands, with Samos placed after; here were her weapons, here was her chariot; even then, the goddess both strived and cherished the idea that this should be a kingdom over nations, if only the fates might allow it.

progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci

audierat, Tyrias olim quae verteret arces;

hinc populum late regem belloque superbum

venturum excidio Libyae: sic volvere Parcas.

However, she had heard of a race that derived from Trojan blood which would one day overthrow the Tyrian strongholds; henceforth, a people, wide ruling and proud in war, would come to Libya’s destruction: so the fates spun.

id metuens, veterisque memor Saturnai belli,

prima quod ad Troiam pro caris gesserat Argis

(necdum etiam causae irarum saevique dolores

exciderant animo: manet alta mente repostum

iudicium Paridis spretaeque iniuria formae,

et genus invisum, et rapti Ganymedis honores.)

Fearing this, and remembering the long-standing war which Juno had first waged at Troy on behalf of her beloved Argos (also, not yet had the causes of her anger and bitter sorrows fallen from her mind: the judgement of Paris remained buried deep in her mind, and the injustice to her scorned beauty, and the hated race, and the honours paid to stolen Ganymede.)

his accensa super, iactatos aequore toto

Troas, reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achilli,

arcebat longe Latio, multosque per annos

errabant, acti fatis, maria omnia circum.

Incensed further by this, she was keeping the Trojans, tossed over the whole sea, the remnants left by the Greeks and pitiless Achilles, far away from Latium, and they were wandering for many years, driven by the Fates, around all the seas.

tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem!

So great a struggle it was to found the Roman people!

Vix e conspectu Siculae telluris in altum

vela dabant laeti, et spumas salis aere ruebant,

cum Iuno, aeternum servans sub pectore vulnus,

haec secum: ‘mene incepto desistere victam,

nec posse Italia Teucrorum avertere regem?

Scarcely out of sight of Sicily’s land, in the deep sea,

they were joyfully setting sail and were ploughing through the sea foam with their bronze prow,

when Juno, nursing the eternal wound in her breast,

spoke these words to herself: ‘Am I to abandon my purpose, conquered,

unable to turn the Tucrian king away from Italy?

quippe vetor fatis. Pallasne exurere classem

Argivum atque ipsos potuit submergere ponto,

unius ob noxam et furias Aiacis Oilei.

But of course, I am forbidden by the Fates. Was Pallas able to burn up the fleet of the Argives and submerge them themselves in the sea on account of one man’s offence and the rage of Ajax, son of Oileus.

Ipsa Iovis, rapidum iaculata e nubibus ignem,

disiecitque rates evertitque aequora ventis,

illum exspirantem transfixo pectore flammas

turbine corripuit scopuloque infixit acuto.

She herself, having hurled the swift fire of Jupiter from the clouds, both scattered the ships and overturned the seas with the winds, while him, breathing forth flames from his pierced chest, she snatched up in a whirlwind and thrust him onto a sharp rock.

ast ego, quae divum incedo regina, Iovisque

et soror et conuinx, una cum gente tot annos

bella gero. et quisquam numen Iunonis adorat

praeterea, aut supplex aris imponet honorem?

But I, who grandly walk as queen of the gods and both sister and wife of Jupiter, have been waging wars with one race for so many years. And besides, does anyone worship the divine power of Juno anymore, or, as a suppliant, will anyone place an offering in honour of me on the altars?

talia flammato secum dea corde volutans

nimborum in patriam, loca feta furentibus Austris,

Aeoliam venit. hic vasto rex Aeolus antro

luctantes ventos tempestatesque sonoras

imperio premit ac vincilis et carcere frenat.

Debating such things with herself in her inflamed heart, the goddess came to Aeolia, into the native home of the clouds, a place teeming with the raging South winds. Here, in this vast cave, king Aeolus holds down the wrestling winds and the roaring storms with his power and restrains them with chains and imprisonment.

illi indignantes magno cum murmure montis

circum claustra fremunt; celsa sedet Aeolus arce

sceptra tenens, mollitque animos et temperat iras.

They roar, feeling indignant, with a great rumbling of a mountain, around the barriers; Aeolus sits in his lofty citadel, holding his sceptre, and softens their passions and tempers their rage.

ni faciat, maria ac terras caelumque profundum

quippe ferant rapidi secum verrantque per auras.

If he didn’t do this, they would surely carry off at speed the seas and the lands and the boundless sky with them and sweep through the air.

sed pater omnipotens speluncis abdidit atris,

hoc metuens, molemque et montes insuper altos

imposuit, regemque dedit qui foedere certo

et premere et lacas sciret dare iussus habenas.

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

and placed upon them a mass and high mountains on top,

and gave them a king, who, by a settled agreement,

would know how to both hold them down and slacken the reigns if ordered to.

ad quem tum Iuno supplex his vocibus usa est:

‘Aeole, namque tibi divum pater atque hominum rex

et mulcere dedit fluctus et tollere vento,

gens inimica mihi Tyrrhenum vanigat aequor,

Illium in Italiam portans victosque Penates:

incute vim ventis submersasque obrue puppes,

aut age diversos et disiice corpora ponto.

Juno then offered these words to him as she supplicated: ‘Aeolus (since the father of gods and king of men gave you the power to both soothe and raise the waves with the winds), a race hateful to me is sailing the Tyrrhenian sea, carrying Troy and its conquered household gods into Italy: strike force into the winds and overwhelm their ships that have been plunged underwater, or drive them far apart and cast their bodies asunder into the sea.

sunt mihi bis septem praestanti corpore nymphae,

quarum quae forma pulcherrima Deiopea,

conubio iungam stabili propriamque dicabo,

omnes ut tecum meritis pro talibus annos

exigat, et pulchra faciat te prole parentem.’

I have fourteen nymphs of outstanding body, of whom Deiopea, who is the most beautiful in form, I will join to you in a stable marriage and will set apart as your own so that she may spend all of her years with you in return for such favours and make you a father with beautiful children.’

Aeolus haec contra: ‘tuus, O regina, quid optes

explorare labor; mihi iussa capessere fas est.

Aeolus said this in reply: ‘Your task, O queen, is to ascertain what you wish;

it is my divine duty to fulfil your orders.

tu mihi quodcumque hoc regni, tu sceptra Iovemque

concilias, tu das epulis accumbere divum,

nimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem.’

You have secured for me whatever of a kingdom this is, you secured the sceptre and Jupiter’s favour, you allow me to recline at the banquets of the gods, and make me powerful over the storm clouds and tempests.’

haec ubi dicta, cavum conversa cuspide montem

impulit in latus: ac venti, velut agmine facto,

qua data porta, ruunt et terras turbine perflant.

When he had spoken these words, with his upturned trident, he struck the hollow mountain on the side: and the winds, as though in a formed column of men, rushed out by the door which had been created, and blew over the lands in a whirlwind.

incubuere mari, totumque a sedibus imis

una Eurusque Notusque ruunt creberque procellis

Africus, et vastos volvunt ad litora fluctus.

They flung themselves onto the sea, together, both the East and the South winds and the wind from Africa, thick with storms, stirred up the whole sea from its lowest depths and rolled vast waves to the shores.

insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum.

Both a shouting of men and a creaking of ropes followed.

eripiunt subito nubes caelumque diemque

Teucrorum ex oculis; ponto nox incubat atra.

Suddenly, the clouds snatched away both the sky and the day from the eyes of the Trojans; dark night lay upon the sea.

intonuere poli, et crebris micat ignibus aether,

praesentemque viris intentant omnia mortem.

The heavens thundered and the sky flickered with frequent fires and all things threatened immediate death to men.

extemplo Aeneae solvuntur frigore membra:

ingemit, et duplices tendens ad sidera palmas

tolia voce refert: ‘O terque quaterque beati,

quis ante ora patrum Troiae sub moenibus altis

contigit oppetere! O Danaum fortissime gentis

Tydide! mene Iliacis occumbere campis

Immediately, Aeneas’ limbs were slackened with cold: he groaned and, stretching both palms of his hands towards the stars, replied in such a way with his voice: ‘O three and four times blessed are those who chanced to meet death before the faces of their fathers under the high walls of Troy! O Diomedes, son of Tydeus, the bravest of the Greek race!

Tydide! mene Iliacis occumbere campis

non potuisse, tuaque animam hanc effundere dextra,

saevus ubi Aeacidae telo iacet Hector, ubi ingens

Sarpedon, ubi tot Simois correpta sub undis

scuta virum galaesque et fortia corpora volvit?

Why could I not have fallen to my death on the plains of Troy and poured out this spirit of mine by your right hand, where fierce Hector lies slain by Achilles’ weapon, where huge Sarpedon lies slain, where the Simois rolls under its waves so many snatched up shields of men and helmets and brave bodies?

talia iactanti stridens Aquilone procella

velum adversa ferit, fluctusque ad sidera tollit.

Shrieking such words, a howling storm from the North wind struck the sail head-on and lifted up 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 turned around and gave its flank to the waves; a steep mountain of water followed in a mass.

hi summo in fluctu pendent; his unda dehiscens

terram inter fluctus aperit; furit aestus harenis.

These men hung on the crest of the wave; to these, the water, gaping open,

revealed the Earth between the waves; the surging water raged with sand.

tres Notus abreptas in saxa latentia torquet

(saxa vocant Itali mediis quae in fluctibus aras

dorsum immane mari summo); tres Eurus ab alto

in brevia et Syrtes urget, miserabile visu,

inliditque vadis atque aggere cingit harenae.

The South wind flung three snatched ships onto hidden rocks (the rocks the Italians call the Altars, which are in mid ocean - a monstrous ridge on the surface of the sea); the East wind drove three ships from the deep onto the Shallows and the Syrtes, a pitiful sight, and clashed them against the shoals and surrounded them with a heap of sand.