Dido's Welcome and the Revelation of Aeneas — Virgil, Aeneid Book 1 (lines 529–603), Latin & English

529

non ea vis animo, nec tanta superbia victis.¹

No such violence is in our mind, nor is there such pride in the vanquished.

530

Est locus, Hesperiam Grai cognomine dicunt,

There is a place, the Greeks call it Hesperia by name,

terra antiqua, potens armis atque ubere glaebae;

an ancient land, mighty in arms and in the richness of its soil;

Oenotri coluere viri; nunc fama minores

Oenotrian men cultivated it; now there is a rumor that their descendants

Italiam dixisse ducis de nomine gentem.

have called the nation Italy from the name of their leader.

Hic cursus fuit:

This was our course:

535

cum subito adsurgens fluctu nimbosus Orion

when suddenly rising with a wave, stormy Orion

in vada caeca tulit, penitusque procacibus austris

carried us into hidden shallows, and with completely boisterous south winds

perque undas, superante salo, perque invia saxa

scattered us both through the waves, with the sea overwhelming, and through trackless rocks;

dispulit; huc pauci vestris adnavimus oris.

here a few of us have drifted to your shores.

Quod genus hoc hominum? Quaeve hunc tam barbara morem

What race of men is this? Or what so barbarous country permits

540

permittit patria? Hospitio prohibemur harenae;

this custom? We are prohibited from the hospitality of the sand;

bella cient, primaque vetant consistere terra.

they stir up wars, and forbid us to stand on the edge of the land.

Si genus humanum et mortalia temnitis arma

If you despise the human race and mortal arms,

at sperate deos memores fandi atque nefandi.

yet expect gods mindful of right and wrong.

Rex erat Aeneas nobis, quo iustior alter,

Aeneas was our king, than whom another more just

545

nec pietate fuit, nec bello maior et armis.

was not in piety, nor greater in war and arms.

Quem si fata virum servant, si vescitur aura

If the fates preserve this man, if he feeds on the ethereal

aetheria, neque adhuc crudelibus occubat umbris,

air, and does not yet lie dead among the cruel shades,

non metus; officio nec te certasse² priorem

there is no fear; nor should it repent you to have striven first

paeniteat. Sunt et Siculis regionibus urbes

in kindness. There are also cities in Sicilian regions

550

arvaque, Troianoque a sanguine clarus Acestes.

and fields, and famous Acestes from Trojan blood.

Quassatam ventis liceat subducere classem,

Let it be permitted to draw up our fleet shattered by the winds,

et silvis aptare trabes et stringere remos:

and to fashion planks in the forests and trim oars:

si datur Italiam, sociis et rege recepto,

if it is granted to stretch toward Italy, our companions and king recovered,

tendere, ut Italiam laeti Latiumque petamus;

so that we may joyfully seek Italy and Latium;

555

sin absumpta salus, et te, pater optume Teucrum,

but if safety has been taken away, and you, best father of the Trojans,

pontus habet Lybiae, nec spes iam restat Iuli,

the sea of Libya holds, and no hope of Iulus now remains,

at freta Sicaniae saltem sedesque paratas,

yet at least let us seek the straits of Sicania and the prepared homes,

unde huc advecti, regemque petamus Acesten.

from where we were carried here, and seek king Acestes.”

Talibus Ilioneus; cuncti simul ore fremebant

With such words Ilioneus spoke; all the Trojans together

560

Dardanidae.

shouted assent.

Tum breviter Dido, voltum demissa, profatur:

Then briefly Dido, with lowered look, speaks out:

Solvite corde metum, Teucri, secludite curas.

”Dismiss fear from your heart, Trojans, shut out cares.

Res dura et regni novitas me talia cogunt

Hard necessity and the novelty of my kingdom compel me to construct

moliri, et late finis custode tueri.

such things, and to guard my borders widely with a guard.

565

Quis genus Aeneadum, quis Troiae nesciat urbem,

Who does not know the race of Aeneas’ people, who the city of Troy,

virtutesque virosque, aut tanti incendia belli?

and its virtues and heroes, or the fires of so great a war?

Non obtusa adeo gestamus pectora Poeni,

We Carthaginians do not carry minds so blunt,

nec tam aversus equos Tyria Sol iungit ab urbe.

nor does the Sun yoke his horses so turned away from the Tyrian city.

Seu vos Hesperiam magnam Saturniaque arva,

Whether you desire great Hesperia and the fields of Saturn,

570

sive Erycis finis regemque optatis Acesten,

or the borders of Eryx and king Acestes,

auxilio tutos dimittam, opibusque iuvabo.

I will send you away safe with help, and will assist you with resources.

Voltis et his mecum pariter considere regnis;

Or do you wish to settle on equal terms with me in these kingdoms?

urbem quam statuo vestra est,³ subducite navis;

The city which I build is yours; draw up your ships;

Tros Tyriusque mihi nullo discrimine agetur.

Trojan and Tyrian will be treated by me with no distinction.

575

Atque utinam rex ipse Noto compulsus eodem

And would that the king himself, driven by the same South wind,

adforet Aeneas! Equidem per litora certos

Aeneas, were present! Indeed, through the shores reliable men

dimittam et Libyae lustrare extrema iubebo,

I will send and command them to search the extremes of Libya,

si quibus eiectus silvis aut urbibus errat.

if, cast out, he wanders in any forests or cities.”

His animum arrecti dictis et fortis Achates

Inspirited in mind by these words, both brave Achates

580

et pater Aeneas iamdudum erumpere nubem

and father Aeneas were burning already for a long time to break out of the cloud.

ardebant. Prior Aenean compellat Achates:

Achates addresses Aeneas first:

Nate dea, quae nunc animo sententia surgit?

”Goddess-born, what decision now rises in your mind?

omnia tuta vides, classem sociosque receptos.

You see all is safe, the fleet and companions recovered.

Unus abest, medio in fluctu quem vidimus ipsi

One is missing, whom we ourselves saw in the midst of the wave

585

submersum; dictis respondent cetera matris.

submerged; the rest respond to the words of your mother.”

Vix ea fatus erat, cum circumfusa repente

Scarcely had he spoken these things, when suddenly the surrounding

scindit se nubes et in aethera purgat apertum.

cloud splits itself and clears into open air.

Restitit Aeneas claraque in luce refulsit,

Aeneas stood and shone in clear light,

os umerosque⁴ deo similis; namque ipsa decoram

in face and shoulders like a god; for his mother herself had breathed

590

caesariem nato genetrix lumenque iuventae

beautiful hair upon her son, and the glowing light of youth,

purpureum et laetos oculis adflarat honores:

and joyful graces upon his eyes:

quale manus addunt ebori decus, aut ubi flavo

such grace as hands add to ivory, or when Parian stone

argentum Pariusve lapis circumdatur auro.

or silver is surrounded by yellow gold.

Tum sic reginam adloquitur, cunctisque repente

Then thus he addresses the queen, and suddenly to all

595

improvisus ait: Coram, quem quaeritis, adsum,

unexpectedly says: “Before you, whom you seek, I am present,

Troius Aeneas, Lybicis ereptus ab undis.

Trojan Aeneas, snatched from Libyan waves.

O sola infandos Troiae miserata labores,

O you who alone have pitied the unspeakable labors of Troy,

quae nos, reliquias Danaum, terraeque marisque

who receive us, the remnants of the Greeks, exhausted

omnibus exhaustos iam casibus, omnium egenos,

by all misfortunes of land and sea, destitute of all things,

600

urbe, domo, socias, grates persolvere dignas

in your city and home as allies; to pay worthy thanks

non opis est nostrae, Dido, nec quicquid ubique est

is not of our power, Dido, nor of whatever of the Trojan race

gentis Dardaniae, magnum quae sparsa per orbem.

exists anywhere, which is scattered through the great world.

Di tibi, si qua pios respectant numina, si quid

May the gods, if any divinities respect the pious, if any

Syntax notes4 items

1.529victis
Dative of possession with an implied est in the clauses non ea vis animo, nec tanta superbia victis [est]. It corresponds to animo (also a dative of possession) and describes the condition belonging to those who have been vanquished (victis, perfect participle of vincere used substantively).
1.548certasse
A syncopated form of the perfect infinitive certavisse. It forms an infinitive clause acting as the subject of the impersonal verb paeniteat. The pronoun te functions as the accusative subject of the infinitive, and is also the person affected by the regret.
1.573urbem quam statuo vestra est
An instance of inverse attraction (or prolepsis) where the antecedent urbs is attracted into the accusative case urbem by the relative pronoun quam of the relative clause. Structurally, it is equivalent to urbs, quam statuo, vestra est.
1.589os umerosque
Accusative of specification (also known as the Greek accusative), modifying the adjective similis. It specifies the parts ("in face and shoulders") in respect to which Aeneas is similar to a god.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:1.529-1.603