Cupid's Deception and Dido's Request for Aeneas's Tale — Virgil, Aeneid Book 1 (lines 680–756), Latin & English

680

hunc ego sopitum somno super alta Cythera

”Him, lulled in sleep, I will hide on high Cythera

aut super Idalium sacrata sede recondam,

or on Idalium in a sacred shrine,

ne qua¹ scire dolos mediusve occurrere possit.

lest in any way he should learn my wiles or meet them in the midst.

Tu faciem illius noctem non amplius unam

For not more than a single night do you by deceit

falle dolo, et notos pueri puer indue voltus,

counterfeit his form, and, a boy yourself, put on the familiar features of the boy,

685

ut, cum te gremio accipiet laetissima Dido

so that, when Dido, most joyful, shall receive you in her lap

regalis inter mensas laticemque Lyaeum,

amid the royal tables and Lyaean liquor,

cum dabit amplexus atque oscula dulcia figet,

when she shall give you her embraces and imprint sweet kisses,

occultum inspires ignem fallasque veneno.

you may breathe into her a hidden fire and deceive her with poison.”

Paret Amor dictis carae genetricis, et alas

Love obeys the words of his dear mother, and puts off

690

exuit, et gressu gaudens incedit Iuli.

his wings, and rejoices to walk with the step of Iulus.

At Venus Ascanio placidam per membra quietem

But Venus pours gentle sleep through the limbs

inrigat, et fotum gremio dea tollit in altos

of Ascanius, and, warming him in her bosom, the goddess raises him to the high

Idaliae lucos, ubi mollis amaracus illum

groves of Idalia, where soft amaracus embraces him with flowers

floribus et dulci adspirans complectitur umbra.

and breathing sweet shade.

695

Iamque ibat dicto parens et dona Cupido

And now Cupid was going, obeying her word, and carrying the royal

regia portabat Tyriis, duce laetus Achate.

gifts to the Tyrians, happy with Achates as his guide.

Cum venit, aulaeis iam se regina superbis

When he arrives, the queen has already placed herself amid proud draperies

aurea composuit sponda mediamque locavit.

on a golden couch, and positioned herself in the midst.

Iam pater Aeneas et iam Troiana iuventus

Now father Aeneas and now the Trojan youth

700

conveniunt, stratoque super discumbitur ostro.

assemble, and they recline on the spread purple.

Dant famuli manibus lymphas, Cereremque canistris

Servants give water for hands, and serve bread from

expediunt, tonsisque ferunt mantelia villis.

baskets, and bring napkins with closely shorn pile.

Quinquaginta intus famulae, quibus ordine longam²

Fifty maidservants within, whose care it is to arrange the long store

cura penum struere, et flammis adolere Penatis;

in order, and to worship the Penates with flames;

705

centum aliae totidemque pares aetate ministri,

a hundred others and as many male servants equal in age,

qui dapibus mensas onerent et pocula ponant.

who may load the tables with feasts and place the cups.

Nec non et Tyrii per limina laeta frequentes

Also the Tyrians assembled in crowds through the joyful portals,

convenere, toris iussi discumbere pictis.

ordered to recline on the painted couches.

Mirantur dona Aeneae, mirantur Iulum

They marvel at the gifts of Aeneas, they marvel at Iulus,

710

flagrantisque dei voltus simulataque verba,

and the glowing face of the god and his simulated words,

Praecipue infelix, pesti devota futurae,

Especially the unhappy Phoenician, devoted to her future ruin,

expleri mentem³ nequit ardescitque tuendo

cannot satisfy her mind and burns with looking,

Phoenissa, et pariter puero donisque movetur.

and is moved equally by the boy and the gifts.

715

Ille ubi complexu Aeneae colloque pependit

He, when he had hung on the embrace and neck of Aeneas

et magnum falsi implevit genitoris amorem,

and satisfied the great love of his false father,

reginam petit haec oculis, haec pectore toto

seeks the queen; she with her eyes, she with her whole breast

haeret et interdum gremio fovet, inscia Dido,

clings to him, and sometimes fondles him in her lap, Dido, unaware

insidat quantus miserae deus; at memor ille

how great a god sits on her, wretched one; but he, mindful

720

matris Acidaliae paulatim abolere Sychaeum

of his Acidalian mother, begins gradually to efface Sychaeus,

incipit, et vivo temptat praevertere amore

and tries to preoccupy with a living love

iam pridem resides animos desuetaque corda.

her long-dormant mind and unaccustomed heart.

Postquam prima quies epulis, mensaeque remotae,

After the first silence fell upon the feast and tables were removed,

crateras magnos statuunt et vina coronant.

they set up large bowls and crown the wine.

725

Fit strepitus tectis, vocemque per ampla volutant

A noise is made in the house, and they roll their voices through the wide

atria; dependent lychni laquearibus aureis

halls; burning lamps hang from the golden paneled ceilings,

incensi, et noctem flammis funalia vincunt.

and torches conquer the night with flames.

Hic regina gravem gemmis auroque poposcit

Here the queen asked for a bowl heavy with gems and gold,

implevitque mero pateram, quam Belus et omnes

and filled it with pure wine, which Belus and all

730

a Belo soliti; tum facta silentia tectis:

from Belus were accustomed to fill; then silence was made in the house:

Iuppiter, hospitibus nam te dare iura loquuntur,

”Jupiter, for they say you give laws to guests,

hunc laetum Tyriisque diem Troiaque profectis

may you wish this day to be happy for both the Tyrians and those

esse velis, nostrosque huius meminisse minores.

set forth from Troy, and may our descendants remember this.

Adsit laetitiae Bacchus dator, et bona Iuno;

May Bacchus, giver of joy, be present, and good Juno;

735

et vos, O, coetum, Tyrii, celebrate faventes.

and you, O Tyrians, celebrate this gathering with favor.”

Dixit, et in mensam laticum libavit honorem,

She spoke, and poured an offering of liquor on the table,

primaque, libato,⁴ summo tenus attigit ore,

and first, after the libation, touched it with the tip of her lips,

tum Bitiae dedit increpitans; ille impiger hausit

then gave it to Bitias, challenging him; he eagerly drained

spumantem pateram, et pleno se proluit auro

the foaming bowl, and drenched himself from the full gold;

740

post alii proceres. Cithara crinitus Iopas

afterwards the other chiefs. Long-haired Iopas

personat aurata, docuit quem maximus Atlas.

makes the hall resound on his golden lyre, whom greatest Atlas taught.

Hic canit errantem lunam solisque labores;

He sings of the wandering moon and the labors of the sun;

unde hominum genus et pecudes; unde imber et ignes;

whence the race of men and beasts; whence rain and lightning;

Arcturum pluviasque Hyadas geminosque Triones;

Arcturus and the rainy Hyades and the twin Triones;

745

quid tantum Oceano properent se tinguere soles

why the winter suns hasten so much to dip themselves in the Ocean,

hiberni, vel quae tardis mora noctibus obstet.

or what delay blocks the slow nights.

Ingeminant plausu Tyrii, Troesque sequuntur.

The Tyrians redouble their applause, and the Trojans follow.

Nec non et vario noctem sermone trahebat

No less did the unhappy Dido drag out the night with varied talk,

infelix Dido, longumque bibebat amorem,

and drank long love,

750

multa super Priamo rogitans, super Hectore multa;

asking many things about Priam, many things about Hector;

nunc quibus Aurorae venisset filius armis,

now with what arms the son of Aurora had come,

nunc quales Diomedis equi, nunc quantus Achilles.

now what kind were the horses of Diomedes, now how great was Achilles.

Immo age, et a prima dic, hospes, origine nobis

”Nay, come, and tell us, O guest, from the first origin

insidias , inquit, Danaum, casusque tuorum,

the snares of the Greeks, and the misfortunes of your people,

755

erroresque tuos; nam te iam septima portat

and your own wanderings; for now the seventh summer carries you,

omnibus errantem terris et fluctibus aestas.

wandering over all lands and waves.”

Syntax notes4 items

1.682ne qua
qua is a shortened form of the indefinite adverb aliquā (with ratione or via implied), meaning 'in any way' or 'by any means.' Although it could theoretically be interpreted as the feminine singular nominative indefinite pronoun (referring to 'any woman,' e.g., Dido), the adverbial reading to prevent any disclosure of the plot is more natural.
1.703quibus ordine longam
quibus is the dative of possession or reference, working with an implied verb est (or erat) to form the construction quibus cura [est] struere ('whose care/task it is to arrange'). ordine is an ablative of manner meaning 'in order' or 'systematically.'
1.713expleri mentem
expleri is an infinitive functioning in the middle voice (or passive), with mentem acting as an accusative of respect (Greek accusative) or as a direct object of the middle verb, meaning 'to be satisfied in her mind' or 'to satisfy her own mind.'
1.737libato
An impersonal ablative absolute using the neuter ablative of the perfect participle of libare ('to pour a libation'). It functions as a one-word parenthetical phrase meaning 'after the libation had been made.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:1.680-1.756