The Storm Unleashed and Neptune's Rebuke — Virgil, Aeneid Book 1 (lines 76–148), Latin & English

Aeolus haec contra: Tuus, O regina, quid optes¹

Aeolus in reply said: “Your task, O queen, is to examine what you desire;

explorare labor; mihi iussa capessere fas est.

for me, it is right to execute your commands.

Tu mihi, quodcumque hoc regni,² tu sceptra Iovemque

You secure for me whatever this kingdom is, you gain the scepter and Jupiter’s favor,

concilias, tu das epulis accumbere divom,

you grant me to recline at the banquets of the gods, and

nimborumque facis tempestatumque potentem.

you make me ruler of storm clouds and tempests.”

Haec ubi dicta, cavum conversa cuspide montem

When these things were said, he struck the hollow mountain on its side

impulit in latus: ac venti, velut agmine facto,

with his turned spear: and the winds, as if in a formed column,

qua data porta, ruunt et terras turbine perflant.

where an opening was given, rush forth and blow through the lands in a whirlwind.

Incubuere mari, totumque a sedibus imis

They have brooded over the sea, and from its deepest depths, together

una Eurusque Notusque ruunt creberque procellis

both East wind and South wind and the Southwest wind thick with tempests

Africus, et vastos volvunt ad litora fluctus.

churn up the whole sea, and roll vast waves to the shores.

Insequitur clamorque virum stridorque rudentum.

There follows both the clamor of men and the creaking of ropes.

Eripiunt subito nubes caelumque diemque

Suddenly the clouds snatch away the sky and the light of day

Teucrorum ex oculis; ponto nox incubat atra.

from the eyes of the Trojans; black night broods over the deep.

Intonuere poli, et crebris micat ignibus aether,

The poles thunder, and the ether flashes with frequent fires,

praesentemque viris intentant omnia mortem.

and all things threaten present death to the men.

Extemplo Aeneae solvuntur frigore membra:

At once Aeneas’ limbs are loosened with cold fear:

ingemit, et duplicis tendens ad sidera palmas

he groans, and stretching his duplicate palms to the stars,

talia voce refert: O terque quaterque beati,

he utters such words with his voice:

quis³ ante ora patrum Troiae sub moenibus altis

”O three and four times blessed, whose lot it was to meet death before

contigit oppetere! O Danaum fortissime gentis

the faces of their fathers, under the high walls of Troy!

Tydide! Mene Iliacis occumbere campis

O son of Tydeus, bravest of the race of the Greeks!

non potuisse,⁴ tuaque animam hanc effundere dextra,

Why could I not have fallen on the Trojan plains, and poured out

saevus ubi Aeacidae telo iacet Hector, ubi ingens

this soul of mine by your right hand, where fierce Hector lies by the weapon

100

Sarpedon, ubi tot Simois correpta sub undis

of Achilles, where mighty Sarpedon lies, where Simois rolls beneath its waves

scuta virum galeasque et fortia corpora volvit?

so many snatched-away shields of men and helmets and brave bodies?”

Talia iactanti⁵ stridens Aquilone procella

As he is tossing out such words, a tempest howling from the North

velum adversa ferit, fluctusque ad sidera tollit.

strikes the sail head-on, and raises the waves to the stars.

Franguntur remi; tum prora avertit, et undis

The oars are broken; then the prow turns away, and gives its side to the waves;

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dat latus; insequitur cumulo praeruptus aquae mons.

a precipitous mountain of water follows in a mass.

Hi summo in fluctu pendent; his unda dehiscens

Some hang on the crest of the wave; to others the gaping water

terram inter fluctus aperit; furit aestus harenis.

discloses the earth between the waves; the tide rages with the sands.

Tris Notus abreptas in saxa latentia torquet—

The South wind twists three snatched-up ships onto hidden rocks—

saxa vocant Itali mediis quae in fluctibus aras—

rocks in the midst of the waves which the Italians call the Altars—

110

dorsum immane mari summo; tris Eurus ab alto

a huge ridge on the surface of the sea; three the East wind drives from the deep

in brevia et Syrtis urguet, miserabile visu,

into the shallows and the Syrtes, a pitiful sight to see,

inliditque vadis atque aggere cingit harenae.

and dashes them against the flats and girdles them with a mound of sand.

Unam, quae Lycios fidumque vehebat Oronten,

One ship, which was carrying the Lycians and faithful Orontes,

ipsius ante oculos ingens a vertice pontus

before his very eyes a huge sea from above strikes upon the stern:

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in puppim ferit: excutitur pronusque magister

the helmsman is shaken off and pitched headfirst;

volvitur in caput; ast illam ter fluctus ibidem

but the wave twists that ship three times in the same place,

torquet agens circum, et rapidus vorat aequore vortex.

driving it around, and a rapid vortex devours it in the sea.

Adparent rari nantes in gurgite vasto,

Scattered swimmers appear in the vast abyss,

arma virum, tabulaeque, et Troia gaza per undas.

the arms of men, planks, and Trojan treasure through the waves.

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Iam validam Ilionei navem, iam fortis Achati,

Now the strong ship of Ilioneus, now that of brave Achates,

et qua vectus Abas, et qua grandaevus Aletes,

and that by which Abas was carried, and that by which aged Aletes,

vicit hiems; laxis laterum compagibus omnes

the storm has conquered; with the loose joints of their sides, all

accipiunt inimicum imbrem, rimisque fatiscunt.

receive the hostile water and gape with cracks.

Interea magno misceri murmure pontum,

Meanwhile, Neptune sensed that the sea was being mixed with a great roar,

125

emissamque hiemem sensit Neptunus, et imis

and the storm was sent forth, and the still waters were poured back

stagna refusa vadis, graviter commotus; et alto

from their deepest depths, being greatly moved; and looking out over the deep,

prospiciens, summa placidum caput extulit unda.

he raised his serene head from the crest of the wave.

Disiectam Aeneae, toto videt aequore classem,

He sees Aeneas’ fleet scattered over the whole sea,

fluctibus oppressos Troas caelique ruina,

the Trojans oppressed by waves and the ruin of the sky;

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nec latuere doli fratrem Iunonis et irae.

nor did the tricks and anger of Juno escape her brother.

Eurum ad se Zephyrumque vocat, dehinc talia fatur:

He calls the East and West winds to himself, then speaks such things:

Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri?

”Has so great a confidence in your origin possessed you?

Iam caelum terramque meo sine numine, venti,

Now, winds, do you dare to mix heaven and earth without my divine will,

miscere, et tantas audetis tollere moles?

and to raise such great masses of water?

135

Quos ego⁶—sed motos praestat componere fluctus.

Whom I—but it is better to compose the troubled waves.

Post mihi non simili poena commissa luetis.

Afterward you shall pay for your offenses to me with no similar punishment.

Maturate fugam, regique haec dicite vestro:

Hasten your flight, and say these things to your king:

non illi imperium pelagi saevumque tridentem,

not to him was the rule of the sea and the cruel trident given,

sed mihi sorte datum. Tenet ille immania saxa,

but to me by lot. He holds the immense rocks,

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vestras, Eure, domos; illa se iactet in aula

your homes, O East wind; let Aeolus boast in that hall,

Aeolus, et clauso ventorum carcere regnet.

and let him rule in the closed prison of the winds.”

Sic ait, et dicto citius tumida aequora placat,

Thus he speaks, and quicker than his word he pacifies the swollen seas,

collectasque fugat nubes, solemque reducit.

scatters the gathered clouds, and brings back the sun.

Cymothoe simul et Triton adnixus acuto

Cymothoe and Triton together with an effort push

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detrudunt navis scopulo; levat ipse tridenti;

the ships from the sharp rock; he himself lifts them with his trident,

et vastas aperit syrtis, et temperat aequor,

and opens the vast sandbanks, and tempers the sea,

atque rotis summas levibus perlabitur undas.

and glides over the tops of the waves on light wheels.

Ac veluti magno in populo cum saepe coorta est

And just as when in a great crowd a riot has often arisen

Syntax notes6 items

1.76quid optes
An indirect question clause, serving as the object of the infinitive explorare. The subjunctive present optes is used.
1.78quodcumque hoc regni
Meaning "whatever there is of this kingdom." regni is a partitive genitive dependent on the relative pronoun quodcumque, forming a self-deprecating expression.
1.95quis
An archaic dative plural form of the relative pronoun for quibus. Its antecedent is beati, the subject of the exclamation, and it serves as the dative complement of the impersonal verb contigit (it befell).
1.97Mene Iliacis occumbere campis / non potuisse
An accusative with infinitive of exclamation expressing indignity or regret, using the accusative (subject me with the enclitic -ne) and the infinitive potuisse. It expresses intense emotion: "That I could not have fallen!"
1.102iactanti
Dative masculine singular of the present participle iactans. It functions as a dative of reference or relation, describing Aeneas's situation: "As he was tossing out (such words), [the tempest struck]."
1.135Quos ego—
A classic example of "aposiopesis" (rhetorical silence), where the speaker abruptly stops mid-sentence: "Whom I— [will punish]." It vividly conveys a state of intense anger breaking off speech.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:1.76-1.148