- Source
- Vergil. The Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics Of Virgil. Greenough, J.B., editor. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1881.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:1.604-1.679
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Aeneas reveals himself and expresses deep gratitude to Dido for her compassion. Dido welcomes the Trojans into her palace and orders a magnificent banquet, while Venus, suspicious of Juno's intentions, plans to have Cupid disguise himself as Ascanius to inflame Dido with passion for Aeneas.
usquam iustitia est et mens sibi conscia recti,1
if justice is anywhere and a mind conscious of the right to itself,
praemia digna ferant. Quae te tam laeta tulerunt
may they bring worthy rewards. What so happy ages brought you
saecula? Qui tanti talem genuere parentes?
forth? What so great parents begot such a child?
In freta dum fluvii current, dum montibus umbrae
While rivers shall run into the seas, while shadows
lustrabunt convexa, polus dum sidera pascet,
shall traverse the convex slopes on the mountains, while the sky shall feed the stars,
semper honos nomenque tuum laudesque manebunt,
always your honor and name and praises shall remain,
quae me cumque2 vocant terrae. Sic fatus, amicum
whatever lands call me.” Thus having spoken, he seeks his friend
Ilionea petit dextra, laevaque Serestum,
Ilioneus with his right hand, and Serestus with his left,
post alios, fortemque Gyan fortemque Cloanthum.
after them others, both brave Gyas and brave Cloanthus.
Obstipuit primo aspectu Sidonia Dido,
Sidonian Dido was amazed at first by his appearance,
casu deinde viri tanto, et sic ore locuta est:
then by so great a misfortune of the man, and thus she spoke with her mouth:
Quis te, nate dea, per tanta pericula casus
”What misfortune, goddess-born, pursues you through so great
insequitur? Quae vis immanibus applicat oris?
dangers? What force drives you to these wild shores?
Tune ille Aeneas, quem Dardanio Anchisae
Are you that Aeneas, whom nourishing Venus
alma Venus Phrygii genuit Simoentis ad undam?
bore to Dardanian Anchises by the wave of Phrygian Simois?
Atque equidem Teucrum memini Sidona venire3
And indeed I remember that Teucer came to Sidon,
finibus expulsum patriis, nova regna petentem
expelled from his native borders, seeking new kingdoms with the help of Belus;
auxilio Beli; genitor tum Belus opimam
my father Belus then
vastabat Cyprum, et victor dicione tenebat.
was devastating rich Cyprus, and as victor held it under his sway.
Tempore iam ex illo casus mihi cognitus urbis
Already from that time the misfortune of the Trojan city
Troianae nomenque tuum regesque Pelasgi.
was known to me, and your name, and the Pelasgian kings.
Ipse hostis Teucros insigni laude ferebat,
The enemy himself used to extol the Trojans with distinguished praise,
seque ortum antiqua Teucrorum ab stirpe volebat.
and wished himself to be sprung from the ancient stock of the Trojans.
Quare agite, O tectis, iuvenes, succedite nostris.
Therefore come, young men, enter our dwellings.
Me quoque per multos similis fortuna labores
A similar fortune willed that I too, tossed
iactatam hac demum voluit consistere terra.
through many labors, should at last settle in this land.
Non ignara mali, miseris succurrere disco.
Not ignorant of misfortune, I learn to succor the wretched.”
Sic memorat; simul Aenean in regia ducit
Thus she speaks; at the same time she leads Aeneas into the royal
tecta, simul divom templis indicit honorem.
palace, at the same time she proclaims a thanksgiving in the temples of the gods.
Nec minus interea sociis ad litora mittit
Nor less meanwhile does she send to the companions at the shores
viginti tauros, magnorum horrentia centum
twenty bulls, a hundred bristling backs of great swine,
terga suum, pinguis centum cum matribus agnos,
a hundred fat lambs with their mothers,
munera laetitiamque dii.4
gifts and the joy of the day.
At domus interior regali splendida luxu
But the interior of the house is arranged, splendid with royal luxury,
instruitur, mediisque parant convivia tectis:
and they prepare a banquet in the midst of the halls:
arte laboratae vestes ostroque superbo,
coverlets worked with art and of proud purple,
ingens argentum mensis, caelataque in auro
massive silver on the tables, and carved in gold
fortia facta patrum, series longissima rerum
the brave deeds of their fathers, a very long series of events
per tot ducta viros antiqua ab origine gentis.
traced through so many heroes from the ancient origin of the race.
Aeneas (neque enim patrius consistere mentem
Aeneas (for fatherly love did not suffer his mind
passus amor) rapidum ad navis praemittit Achaten,
to rest) sends swift Achates ahead to the ships,
Ascanio ferat haec, ipsumque ad moenia ducat;
to carry these tidings to Ascanius and lead him to the city;
omnis in Ascanio cari stat cura parentis.
all the care of the dear parent stands centered in Ascanius.
Munera praeterea, Iliacis erepta ruinis,
Besides, he orders him to bring gifts snatched from the Trojan ruins,
ferre iubet, pallam signis auroque rigentem,
a cloak stiff with figures and gold,
et circumtextum croceo velamen acantho,
and a veil woven around with yellow acanthus,
ornatus Argivae Helenae, quos illa Mycenis,
the ornaments of Argive Helen, which she had brought
Pergama cum peteret inconcessosque hymenaeos,
from Mycenae, when she was seeking Pergama and forbidden marriage,
extulerat, matris Ledae mirabile donum:
the wonderful gift of her mother Leda;
praeterea sceptrum, Ilione quod gesserat olim,
moreover, the scepter which Ilione, the eldest of Priam’s daughters,
maxima natarum Priami, colloque monile
had once borne, and a pearl necklace,
bacatum, et duplicem gemmis auroque coronam.
and a crown double with gems and gold.
Haec celerans ita ad naves tendebat Achates.
Hastening these things, Achates thus was making his way to the ships.
At Cytherea novas artes, nova pectore versat
But the Cythean goddess revolves new arts, new counsels in her breast,
Consilia, ut faciem mutatus et ora5 Cupido
that Cupid, changed in face and features, should come
pro dulci Ascanio veniat, donisque furentem
instead of sweet Ascanius, and by his gifts inflame
incendat reginam, atque ossibus implicet ignem;
the raging queen, and entwine the fire in her bones;
quippe domum timet ambiguam Tyriosque bilinguis;
for she fears the ambiguous house and the double-tongued Tyrians;
urit atrox Iuno, et sub noctem cura recursat.
fierce Juno burns her, and at nightfall her care returns.
Ergo his aligerum dictis adfatur Amorem:
Therefore with these words she addresses winged Love:
Nate, meae vires, mea magna potentia solus,
”O son, my strength, my sole great power,
nate, patris summi qui tela Typhoia temnis,
O son, who despise the Typhoean darts of the supreme father,
ad te confugio et supplex tua numina posco.
to you I flee and suppliant entreat your divine power.
Frater ut Aeneas pelago tuus omnia circum
How your brother Aeneas is tossed on the sea around
litora iactetur odiis Iunonis iniquae,
all shores by the hatred of unjust Juno,
nota tibi, et nostro doluisti saepe dolore.
is known to you, and you have often grieved with our grief.
Hunc Phoenissa tenet Dido blandisque moratur
Phoenician Dido holds him and detains him with flattering
vocibus; et vereor, quo se Iunonia vertant
words; and I fear where Junonian hospitality
hospitia; haud tanto cessabit cardine rerum.
may turn itself; she will not be idle at such a turning point of affairs.
Quocirca capere ante dolis et cingere flamma
Wherefore I plan to capture the queen beforehand with wiles and encircle
reginam meditor, ne quo se numine mutet,
her with flame, lest she change her mind by any divine power,
sed magno Aeneae mecum teneatur amore.
but may be held with me by a great love for Aeneas.
Qua facere id possis, nostram nunc accipe mentem.
How you may do this, receive now my plan.
Regius accitu cari genitoris ad urbem
At the summons of his dear father, the royal boy,
Sidoniam puer ire parat, mea maxima cura,
my greatest care, prepares to go to the Sidonian city,
dona ferens, pelago et flammis restantia Troiae:
bearing gifts remaining from the sea and the flames of Troy:
- 1.604mens sibi conscia recti
recti is the genitive of the neuter noun rectum (right), functioning as an objective genitive dependent on the adjective conscia ('conscious of the right to itself').
- 1.610quae me cumque
quae...cumque is a classic example of tmesis, where the compound relative pronoun quaecumque is split by the accusative pronoun me.
- 1.619Teucrum memini Sidona venire
In the accusative and infinitive construction introduced by the verb memini ('I remember'), the present infinitive venire is used instead of the perfect venisse to represent a past event that the speaker directly witnessed or experienced.
- 1.636dii
dii is interpreted as an archaic genitive singular of dies (day), equivalent to diei, meaning 'of the day' (referring to the gifts and joy of the day's feast). It should not be confused with di, the nominative plural of deus (gods).
- 1.658faciem mutatus et ora
mutatus is a passive participle used in a middle (reflexive) sense, taking the accusatives of specification (or respect) faciem and ora as its direct objects, meaning 'having changed his face and features'.