Arrival of Aeneas and the Landing Battle — Virgil, Aeneid Book 10 (lines 232–307), Latin & English

232

praecipitis ferro Rutulus flammaque premebat,

”the Rutulian was pressing us headlong with sword and flame,

rupimus invitae tua vincula teque per aequor

unwillingly we broke your cables and seek you through the sea.

quaerimus. Hanc Genetrix faciem miserata refecit

The Mother, pitying, remade this appearance of ours

235

et dedit esse deas¹ aevumque agitare sub undis.

and granted us to be goddesses and to spend our life beneath the waves.

At puer Ascanius muro fossisque tenetur

But the boy Ascanius is held by wall and ditches

tela inter media atque horrentis Marte Latinos.

in the midst of weapons and Latins bristling with war.

Iam loca iussa tenent forti permixtus Etrusco

Now the Arcadian cavalry, mingled with the brave Etruscan, hold

Arcas eques: medias illis opponere turmas,

the commanded locations; to oppose their middle squadrons to them,

240

ne castris iungant, certast sententia Turno.

lest they join the camp, is Turnus’ settled purpose.

Surge age et Aurora socios veniente vocari

Rise, come, and as Dawn arrives, command your allies to be called

primus in arma iube et clipeum cape, quem dedit ipse

first to arms, and take the shield which the Fire-lord himself gave

invictum Ignipotens atque oras ambiit auro.

unconquered, and rimmed its edges with gold.

Crastina lux, mea si non inrita dicta putaris,²

Tomorrow’s light, if you do not think my words vain,

245

ingentis Rutulae spectabit caedis acervos.

will look upon huge heaps of Rutulian slaughter.”

Dixerat, et dextra discedens impulit altam

She had spoken, and departing, with her right hand she pushed the high

haud ignara modi puppim: fugit illa per undas

stern, not ignorant of the way; it flees through the waves

ocior et iaculo et ventos aequante sagitta.

swifter than both a javelin and an arrow that equals the winds.

Inde aliae celerant cursus. Stupet inscius ipse

Then the others speed their course. He himself, unknowing, is amazed,

250

Tros Anchisiades; animos tamen omine tollit.

the Trojan son of Anchises; yet he raises his spirits with the omen.

Tum breviter super adspectans convexa precatur:

Then, looking up briefly at the vault above, he prays:

Alma parens Idaea deum, cui Dindyma cordi

”Kindly Idaean mother of the gods, to whom Dindyma is dear,

turrigeraeque urbis biiugique ad frena leones,

and turreted cities, and lions coupled at the reins,

tu mihi nunc pugnae princeps, tu rite propinques

be you now my leader in battle, do you duly bring near

255

augurium Phrygibusque adsis pede, diva, secundo.

the omen, and attend the Phrygians with favorable favor, goddess.”

Tantum effatus. Et interea revoluta rubebat

He spoke only so much. And meanwhile, rolled round, was growing red

matura iam luce dies noctemque fugarat:

day with mature light now, and had routed the night:

principio sociis edicit, signa sequantur

first he commands his allies to follow the standards

atque animos aptent armis pugnaeque parent se.

and fit their spirits to arms, and prepare themselves for battle.

260

Iamque in conspectu Teucros habet et sua castra,

And now he has the Trojans and his camp in sight,

stans celsa in puppi; clipeum cum deinde sinistra

standing on the high stern; when then with his left hand

extulit ardentem. Clamorem ad sidera tollunt

he raised his burning shield. They raise a shout to the stars,

Dardanidae e muris, spes addita suscitat iras,

the Dardanians from the walls, hope added rouses their anger,

tela manu iaciunt: quales sub nubibus atris

they throw weapons from their hands: just as under dark clouds

265

Strymoniae dant signa grues atque aethera tranant

Strymonian cranes give signals and swim through the air

cum sonitu fugiuntque notos clamore secundo.

with sound, and flee the south winds with favorable cry.

At Rutulo regi ducibusque ea mira videri³

But to the Rutulian king and the Ausonian leaders these things seemed wondrous,

Ausoniis, donec versas ad litora puppes

until they look back at the sterns turned to the shores

respiciunt totumque adlabi classibus aequor.

and the whole sea gliding on with the fleets.

270

Ardet apex capiti cristisque a vertice flamma

The peak burns on his head, and from the crest a flame from the top

funditur et vastos umbo vomit aureus ignes:

is poured, and the golden boss vomits vast fires:

non secus ac liquida siquando nocte cometae

not otherwise than if ever in a clear night bloody comets

sanguinei lugubre rubent aut Sirius ardor,

glow mournfully, or the burning of Sirius,

ille sitim morbosque ferens mortalibus aegris,

he, bringing thirst and diseases to weary mortals,

275

nascitur et laevo contristat lumine caelum.

rises and saddens the sky with unfavorable light.

Haud tamen audaci Turno fiducia cessit

Yet confidence did not leave bold Turnus

litora praecipere et venientis pellere terra.

to seize the shores beforehand and to drive the coming foes from the land.

Quod votis optastis, adest, perfringere dextra;

”What you wished for in your prayers is here, to break through with the right hand;

280

in manibus Mars ipse viris.⁴ Nunc coniugis esto

Mars himself is in the hands of men. Now let each be mindful of his wife

quisque suae tectique memor, nunc magna referto

and his home, now recall the great

facta, patrum laudes. Ultro occurramus ad undam,

deeds, the praises of our fathers. Let us run to meet them at the water of our own accord,

dum trepidi egressisque labant vestigia prima.

while they are flurried and their first steps waver as they disembark.

Audentis Fortuna iuvat,

Fortune helps the brave,”

285

haec ait et secum versat, quos ducere contra

so he speaks, and revolves in his mind whom he can lead against them

vel quibus obsessos possit concredere muros.

or to whom he can entrust the besieged walls.

Interea Aeneas socios de puppibus altis

Meanwhile Aeneas disembarks his allies from the high sterns

pontibus exponit. Multi servare recursus

by gangplanks. Many watch the retreats

languentis pelagi et brevibus se credere saltu,

of the spent sea and trust themselves to the shallows with a leap,

290

per remos alii. Speculatus litora Tarchon,

others by the oars. Tarchon, having surveyed the shores,

qua vada non sperat nec fracta remurmurat unda,

where he expects no shallows, and no broken wave murmurs back,

sed mare inoffensum crescenti adlabitur aestu,

but the unobstructed sea glides in with the rising tide,

advertit subito proram sociosque precatur:

suddenly turns his prow and implores his allies:

Nunc, o lecta manus, validis incumbite remis;

”Now, o chosen band, lean on your strong oars;

295

tollite, ferte rates; inimicam findite rostris

lift, drive the ships! cleave with your beaks this hostile

hanc terram, sulcumque sibi premat ipsa carina.

land, and let the keel itself press a furrow for itself.

Frangere nec tali puppim statione recuso

Nor do I refuse to break the ship in such a mooring,

arrepta tellure semel. Quae talia postquam

once the land has been seized.” After Tarchon spoke such

effatus Tarchon, socii consurgere⁵ tonsis

words as these, his allies rise upon their oars

300

spumantisque rates arvis inferre Latinis,

and drive the foaming ships onto the Latin fields,

donec rostra tenent siccum et sedere carinae

until the beaks hold dry land and all the keels sat

omnes innocuae, sed non puppis tua, Tarchon.

harmless, but not your ship, Tarchon.

Namque inflicta vadis dorso dum pendet iniquo,

For, dashed upon the shallows, while she hangs on an uneven ridge,

anceps sustentata diu fluctusque fatigat,

poised in doubt for a long time, and tires the waves,

305

solvitur atque viros mediis exponit in undis

she breaks up and casts out the men into the midst of the waves,

fragmina remorum quos et fluitantia transtra

whom fragments of oars and floating benches

impediunt, retrahitque pedem simul unda relabens.

hinder, and at the same time the ebbing wave pulls back their footing.

Syntax notes5 items

10.235dedit esse deas
The verb do (to give/grant) is used with the infinitive esse (with deas as a predicate accusative, though in the nominative/accusative plural shape matching the omitted subject), imitating a Greek construction meaning "granted [them] to be goddesses."
10.244putaris
A syncopated form of putaveris (perfect subjunctive or future perfect indicative second person singular), used here in a conditional clause introduced by si.
10.267videri
A historical infinitive, used in place of the imperfect indicative (videbantur) to create a vivid and rapid narrative effect of the sudden surprise felt by the Rutulians.
10.280in manibus Mars ipse viris
The copula est is omitted, and viris functions as a dative of reference or possession. The phrase literally means "Mars himself is in the hands for men," urging them that victory lies in their own strength and initiative.
10.299consurgere
A historical infinitive; the same applies to inferre in the following line. It depicts the sudden, collective, and rapid movement of the soldiers reacting to Tarchon's command.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:10.232-10.307