Lines 305-417 Flashcards
At pius Aeneas, per noctem plurima volvens,
ut primum lux alma data est, exire locosque
explorare novos, quas vento accesserit oras,
qui teneant, nam inculta videt, hominesne feraene,
quaerere constituit, sociisque exacta referre.
But dutiful Aeneas, turning many things over through the night,
as soon as kindly dawn has delivered, decides, to go out
and explore the new place, to find what shores he has reached on the wind,
who owns them (for he sees desert) man or beast,
and bring back the details to his friends.
Classem in convexo nemorum sub rupe cavata
arboribus clausam circum atque horrentibus umbris
occulit; ipse uno graditur comitatus Achate,
bina manu lato crispans hastilia ferro.
He conceals the fleet in an over-hanging grove under a hollow cliff,
enclosed by trees and bristling shade:
accompanied only by Achetes he walks,
grasping twinned broad-bladed spears in his hand.
Cui mater media sese tulit obvia silva,
virginis os habitumque gerens, et virginis arma
Spartanae, vel qualis equos Threissa fatigat
Harpalyce, volucremque fuga praevertitur Hebrum.
His mother met him herself, in the middle of the trees,
with the face and appearance of a virgin, and a virgin’s weapons,
a Spartan girl, or such as Harpalyce of Thrace,
she outlasts the horses, and outdoes winged Hebrus in flight.
Namque umeris de more habilem suspenderat arcum
venatrix, dederatque comam diffundere ventis,
nuda genu, nodoque sinus collecta fluentis.
For she’d slung her bow from her shoulders, according to custom,
like a huntress, and loosed her hair for the wind to scatter,
with her knees bare, and her flowing tunic gathered up in a knot.
Ac prior, “Heus” inquit “iuvenes, monstrate mearum
vidistis si quam hic errantem forte sororum,
succinctam pharetra et maculosae tegmine lyncis,
aut spumantis apri cursum clamore prementem.”
And she said first: ‘Hello, young men, tell me,
if you’ve seen my sister wandering here by any chance,
wearing a quiver, and the hide of a dappled lynx,
or shouting, hot on the track of a slavering boar?
Sic Venus; et Veneris contra sic filius orsus:
“Nulla tuarum audita mihi neque visa sororum—
So Venus (said); and so Venus’s son began in answer: ‘I’ve not seen or heard any of your sisters,
O quam te memorem, virgo? Namque haud tibi voltus
mortalis, nec vox hominem sonat: O, dea certe—
an Phoebi soror? an nympharum sanguinis una?—
sis felix, nostrumque leves, quaecumque, laborem,
oh how should I name you, virgin? For your looks are not mortal
nor does your voice sound human: oh, a goddess for certain!
Or Phoebus’s sister? Or one of the race of Nymphs?
Be fortunate, whoever you may be, and lighten our labour,
et, quo sub caelo tandem, quibus orbis in oris
iactemur, doceas. Ignari hominumque locorumque
erramus, vento huc vastis et fluctibus acti:
multa tibi ante aras nostra cadet hostia dextra.”
and I beg you teach us what sky we’re under, on what shores
we are landed on the edge of: knowing nothing of the people or the country:
we are adrift, driven by wind and vast seas,
many a sacrifice will fall to you before the altars, under our hand.’
Tum Venus: “Haud equidem tali me dignor honore;
virginibus Tyriis mos est gestare pharetram,
purpureoque alte suras vincire cothurno.
Then Venus (said): ‘I don’t think myself worthy of such honours:
it’s the custom of Tyrian girls to carry a quiver,
and lace our calves high up, over red hunting boots.
Punica regna vides, Tyrios et Agenoris urbem;
sed fines Libyci, genus intractabile bello.
You see the kingdom of Carthage, Tyrians, and Agenor’s city:
but bordered by Libyans, a people formidable in war.
Imperium Dido Tyria regit urbe profecta,
germanum fugiens. Longa est iniuria, longae
ambages; sed summa sequar fastigia rerum.
Dido rules this empire, having set out from the city of Tyre,
fleeing her brother. It’s a long tale of wrong, with many
windings: but I’ll trace the main chapters of the story.
“Huic coniunx Sychaeus erat, ditissimus agri
Phoenicum, et magno miserae dilectus amore,
cui pater intactam dederat, primisque iugarat
ominibus. Sed regna Tyri germanus habebat
Pygmalion, scelere ante alios immanior omnes.
Sychaeus was her husband, a Phoenician richest of fields,
and held dear in love by the most unfortunate woman,
her father had given her to him untouched, and joined (her to him) first with marriage omens,
But her brother Pygmalion had the kingdom of Tyre,
more monstrous in villainy than all others.
Quos inter medius venit furor. Ille Sychaeum
impius ante aras, atque auri caecus amore,
clam ferro incautum superat, securus amorum
germanae; factumque diu celavit, et aegram,
multa malus simulans, vana spe lusit amantem.
Alienating rage came between them.
He impious before the altars, and blind by love of gold,
secretly overpowered Sychaeus unawares with a dagger,
unconcerned about the loves of his sister; and he hid the deed for a long time,
and imitating many evils, with empty hopes he deceived the lovesick (Dido).
Ipsa sed in somnis inhumati venit imago
coniugis, ora modis attollens pallida miris,
crudeles aras traiectaque pectora ferro
nudavit, caecumque domus scelus omne retexit.
But the ghost itself of her unburied husband came (to her) in sleep,
raising its pale mouth in a strange manner,
he revealed the cruelty at the altars and the dagger transfixed in his heart,
and uncovered all the secret wickedness of the house.
Tum celerare fugam patriaque excedere suadet,
auxiliumque viae veteres tellure recludit
thesauros, ignotum argenti pondus et auri.
Then he advised her to make haste an escape and depart her fatherland,
and for help on the journey he uncovered an ancient treasure from the earth,
an unknown weight of gold and silver.
His commota fugam Dido sociosque parabat:
conveniunt, quibus aut odium crudele tyranni
aut metus acer erat; navis, quae forte paratae,
corripiunt, onerantque auro: portantur avari
Pygmalionis opes pelago; dux femina facti.
Moved by these things Dido was preparing her escape and allies:
They assembled, either because of hatred of the cruel tyrant
or it was bitter fear; the ships, which were prepared by chance,
they seized, and they loaded them with gold:
the riches of greedy Pygmalion was carried over the sea; a woman made the leader.
Devenere locos, ubi nunc ingentia cernis
moenia surgentemque novae Karthaginis arcem,
mercatique solum, facti de nomine Byrsam,
taurino quantum possent circumdare tergo.
They came to this place, where you now see
the vast walls, and resurgent stronghold, of new Carthage,
and bought land, as much as they could enclose with the hide
from a single bull, and from that deed they called it Byrsa.
Sed vos qui tandem, quibus aut venistis ab oris,
quove tenetis iter? “Quaerenti talibus ille
suspirans, imoque trahens a pectore vocem:
But who then (are you)? Or from what shores do you come?
What course do you take?’ He, sighing as she questioned him on such things,
and drawing his voice from deep in his heart (he replied):
“O dea, si prima repetens ab origine pergam,
et vacet annalis nostrorum audire laborum,
ante diem clauso componat Vesper Olympo.
‘O goddess, if going right back to the start I might proceed at the beginning,
and there is time to hear the story of our toils,
before then Vesper would have shut day away within closed Olympus.
Nos Troia antiqua, si vestras forte per auris
Troiae nomen iit, diversa per aequora vectos
forte sua Libycis tempestas adpulit oris.
We, being carried across the various seas from ancient Troy,
if by chance the name of Troy has come to your ears,
a storm drove us by its own chance to Libya’s shores.
Sum pius Aeneas, raptos qui ex hoste Penates
classe veho mecum, fama super aethera notus.
Italiam quaero patriam et genus ab Iove summo.
I am dutiful Aeneas, who carries my household gods in my ship with me,
having been snatched from the enemy, my fame is known beyond the sky.
I seek my country Italy, and a people (born of) Jupiter on high.
Bis denis Phrygium conscendi navibus aequor,
matre dea monstrante viam, data fata secutus;
vix septem convolsae undis Euroque supersunt.
I embarked on the Phrygian sea with twenty ships,
having followed my given fate, my mother, a goddess, showing the way:
barely seven are left, wrenched from the wind and waves.
Ipse ignotus, egens, Libyae deserta peragro,
Europa atque Asia pulsus.” Nec plura querentem
passa, Venus medio sic interfata dolore est:
I myself wander, in need (and) unknown, in the Libyan desert,
driven from Europe and Asia.’ Venus not putting up with
him complaining more, broke into the middle of his lament like this:
“Quisquis es, haud, credo, invisus caelestibus auras
vitalis carpis, Tyriam qui adveneris urbem.
‘Whoever you are I believe you don’t draw the breath of life
while hated by the gods, since you have reached a city of Tyre.
