Battle on the Shore and Pallas Rallying the Arcadians — Virgil, Aeneid Book 10 (lines 308–381), Latin & English

308

Nec Turnum segnis retinet mora, sed rapit acer

Nor does slow delay hold Turnus back, but, fierce, he rushes

totam aciem in Teucros et contra in litore sistit.

his entire army against the Trojans and stations them opposite on the shore.

310

Signa canunt. Primus turmas invasit agrestis

The trumpets sound. First Aeneas attacked the rustic squadrons,

Aeneas, omen pugnae, stravitque Latinos

an omen of the battle, and laid low the Latins,

occiso Therone, virum¹ qui maximus ultro

having killed Theron, who, greatest of men, of his own accord

Aenean petit: huic gladio perque aerea suta,

sought Aeneas: with his sword, through the bronze joints

per tunicam squalentem auro latus haurit apertum.

and through the tunic stiff with gold, he drains his exposed flank.

315

Inde Lichan ferit, exsectum iam matre perempta

Then he strikes Lichas, who had been cut from his already dead mother

et tibi, Phoebe, sacrum: casus evadere ferri

and was sacred to you, Phoebus: how was he allowed as a little one to escape the peril of the iron?

quo licuit parvo? Nec longe Cissea durum

Not far away, tough Cisseus

immanemque Gyan, sternentis agmina clava,

and huge Gyas, who were laying low ranks with a club,

deiecit Leto: nihil illos Herculis arma

he cast down to death: the weapons of Hercules availed them nothing,

320

nec validae iuvere manus genitorque Melampus,

nor did their strong hands, nor their father Melampus,

Alcidae comes usque gravis dum terra labores

the companion of Alcides as long as the earth provided heavy labors.

praebuit. Ecce Pharo, voces dum iactat inertis,

Lo, at Pharus, while he is throwing out idle words,

intorquens iaculum clamanti sistit in ore.

hurling his javelin, he plants it in his shouting mouth.

Tu quoque, flaventem prima lanugine malas

You too, unhappy Cydon, while you follow Clytius, your new joy,

325

dum sequeris Clytium infelix, nova gaudia, Cydon,

whose cheeks were yellow with their first down,

Dardania stratus dextra, securus amorum,

laid low by a Trojan right hand, free of care for those loves

qui iuvenum tibi semper erant, miserande iaceres,²

which were always yours for youths, pitiable one, you would be lying there,

ni fratrum stipata cohors foret obvia, Phorci

had not the crowded band of brothers, the offspring of Phorcus, met you,

progenies, septem numero, septenaque tela

seven in number, and seven weapons

330

coniciunt; partim galea clipeoque resultant

they throw; some rebound in vain from his helmet and shield,

inrita, deflexit partim stringentia corpus

some, grazing his body, gentle Venus deflected.

alma Venus. Fidum Aeneas adfatur Achaten:

Aeneas speaks to faithful Achates:

Suggere tela mihi: non ullum dextera frustra

”Supply weapons to me: my right hand shall not have hurled any in vain against the Rutulians,

torserit in Rutulos, steterunt quae in corpore Graium

of those which stood in the bodies of the Greeks on the Trojan plains.”

335

Iliacis campis. Tum magnam corripit hastam

Then he seizes a great spear

et iacit: illa volans clipei transverberat aera

and throws it: flying, it pierces through the bronze of Maeon’s shield,

Maeonis et thoraca simul cum pectore rumpit.

and shatters his breastplate and his breast at once.

Huic frater subit Alcanor fratremque ruentem

To him his brother Alcanor comes up, and supports his falling brother

sustentat dextra: traiecto missa lacerto

with his right hand: the spear, sent on, flies straight through his pierced arm

340

protinus hasta fugit servatque cruenta tenorem,

and, bloody, keeps its course,

dexteraque ex umero nervis moribunda pependit.

and his dying right arm hung from his shoulder by the sinews.

Tum Numitor iaculo fratris de corpore rapto

Then Numitor, having snatched the javelin from his brother’s body,

Aenean petiit; sed non et figere contra

aimed at Aeneas; but it was not permitted to transfix him in turn,

est licitum, magnique femur perstrinxit Achatae.

and it grazed the thigh of great Achates.

345

Hic Curibus fidens primaevo corpore Clausus

Here Clausus of Cures, trusting in his youthful body,

advenit et rigida Dryopem ferit eminus hasta

comes up and strikes Dryops from afar with his stiff spear,

sub mentum graviter pressa pariterque loquentis

driven heavily under his chin, and at once, as he speaks,

vocem animamque rapit traiecto gutture; at ille

deprives him of voice and life, his throat being pierced; but he

fronte ferit terram et crassum vomit ore cruorem.

strikes the ground with his forehead and vomits thick blood from his mouth.

350

Tres quoque Threicios Boreae de gente suprema

Three Thracians also of the exalted race of Boreas,

et tris, quos Idas pater et patria Ismara mittit,

and three whom father Idas and their native Ismara send,

per varios sternit casus. Accurrit Halaesus

he lays low by various fates. Halaesus runs up

Auruncaeque manus, subit et Neptunia proles,

and the Auruncan bands, and the offspring of Neptune comes up,

insignis Messapus equis. Expellere tendunt

Messapus, famous for horses. Now these, now those strive to drive them out;

355

nunc hi, nunc illi; certatur limine in ipso

the struggle is on the very threshold

Ausoniae. Magno discordes aethere venti

of Ausonia. Just as in the great heavens discordant winds

proelia ceu tollunt animis et viribus aequis;

stir up battles, with equal spirits and strength;

non ipsi inter se, non nubila, non mare cedit;

neither they themselves yield to each other, nor the clouds, nor the sea;

anceps pugna diu, stant obnixa omnia contra:

the fight is doubtful for a long time, all things stand locked in struggle against each other:

360

haud aliter Troianae acies aciesque Latinae

not otherwise the Trojan ranks and the Latin ranks

concurrunt; haeret pede pes densusque viro vir.

clash; foot clings to foot, and man packed close to man.

At parte ex alia, qua saxa rotantia late

But in another part, where a torrent had rolled rolling stones far and wide,

impulerat torrens arbustaque diruta ripis,

and trees torn from the banks,

Arcadas insuetos acies inferre pedestris

when Pallas saw the Arcadians, unaccustomed to lead infantry lines,

365

ut vidit Pallas Latio dare terga sequaci

turning their backs to the pursuing Latins,

(aspera quis³ natura loci dimittere quando

(since the rough nature of the place persuaded them at some point to let go of their horses),

suasit equos), unum quod rebus restat egenis,

the one thing which remains in needy circumstances,

nunc prece, nunc dictis virtutem accendit amaris:

now by prayer, now by bitter words he kindles their courage:

Quo fugitis, socii? Per vos et fortia facta,

”Whither do you flee, allies? By yourselves and your brave deeds,

370

per ducis Evandri nomen devictaque bella

by the name of leader Evander and the wars you have won,

spemque meam, patriae quae nunc subit aemula laudi,

and by my own hope, which now rises to rival my father’s praise,

fidite ne pedibus. Ferro rumpenda per hostis

do not trust in your feet. By the sword must a way be broken through the enemy.

est via. Qua globus ille virum densissimus urget,

Where that densest crowd of men presses on,

hac vos et Pallanta ducem patria alta reposcit.

this way your noble fatherland demands back you and Pallas your leader.

375

Numina nulla premunt, mortali urgemur ab hoste

No gods oppress us; we, mortals, are pressed by a mortal enemy,

mortales, totidem nobis animaeque manusque.

we have just as many lives and hands.

Ecce, maris magna claudit nos obice pontus,

Look, the deep sea shuts us in with a great barrier of water,

deest iam terra fugae: pelagus Troiamne petemus?

land is already lacking for flight: shall we seek the ocean, or Troy?”

Haec ait et medius densos prorumpit in hostis.

He said this, and rushes into the midst of the crowded enemies.

380

Obvius huic primum, fatis adductus iniquis,

First meeting him, led by unfavorable fates,

fit Lagus. Hunc, magno vellit dum pondere saxum,

is Lagus. Him, while he plucks a stone of great weight,

Syntax notes3 items

10.312virum
A poetic/archaic syncopated form of the genitive plural 'virorum'. It functions as a partive genitive with 'maximus' ('the greatest of men').
10.327iaceres
Imperfect subjunctive in the apodosis of a contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. Though referring to a past event ('you would have been lying there'), the imperfect subjunctive (along with the protasis 'ni... foret' in line 328) is used to bring the scene vividly before the reader's eyes, as if it were happening in the present.
10.366quis
Not the interrogative pronoun, but an archaic/poetic contracted form of the dative plural 'quibus'. It refers back to the Arcadians ('Arcadas') as the indirect object of 'suasit' ('persuaded them/to whom it persuaded [to let go of their horses]').

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:10.308-10.381