Aeneas's Trophy and Lamentation for Pallas — Virgil, Aeneid Book 11 (lines 1–78), Latin & English

Oceanum interea surgens Aurora reliquit:

Meanwhile, rising Aurora left the Ocean.

Aeneas, quamquam et sociis dare tempus humandis¹

Aeneas, although cares also urge him to give time for burying his comrades,

praecipitant curae turbataque funere mens est,

and his mind is troubled by the death,

vota deum primo victor solvebat Eoo.

yet as victor was paying his vows to the gods at the first dawn.

Ingentem quercum decisis undique ramis

He set up a huge oak, with its branches cut off on all sides,

constituit tumulo fulgentiaque induit arma,

on a mound, and clothed it in shining arms,

Mezenti ducis exuvias, tibi, magne, tropaeum,

the spoils of the leader Mezentius, as a trophy to you, great ruler of war.

bellipotens: aptat rorantis sanguine cristas

He fits the crests dripping with blood,

telaque trunca viri et bis sex thoraca petitum

and the man’s shattered weapons, and the breastplate struck

perfossumque locis clipeumque ex aere sinistrae

and pierced in twelve places, and binds the bronze shield to its left side,

subligat atque ensem collo suspendit eburnum.

and hangs the ivory-hilted sword from the neck.

Tum socios, namque omnis eum stipata tegebat

Then, for the whole crowding throng of leaders was surrounding him,

turba ducum, sic incipiens hortatur ovantis:

he thus begins to encourage his rejoicing comrades:

Maxima res effecta, viri; timor omnis abesto,

”A very great thing has been accomplished, men; let all fear be absent

quod superest: haec sunt spolia et de rege superbo

as to what remains: these are the spoils and the first-fruits of a proud king,

primitiae, manibusque meis Mezentius hic est.

and here is Mezentius by my hands.

Nunc iter ad regem nobis murosque Latinos.

Now we have a march to the king and the Latin walls.

Arma parate animis² et spe praesumite bellum,

Prepare arms with courage and anticipate the war with hope,

nequa mora ignaros, ubi primum vellere signa

so that no delay may hinder you unawares, as soon as the gods above

adnuerint superi pubemque educere castris,

agree to pluck up the standards and lead out the youth from the camp,

impediat segnisve metu sententia tardet.

or any sluggish feeling from fear slow you down.

Interea socios inhumataque corpora terrae

Meanwhile, let us commit to the earth our comrades and their unburied bodies,

mandemus, qui³ solus honos Acheronte sub imo est.

which is the only honor in the depths of Acheron.

Ite, ait, egregias animas, quae sanguine nobis

Go,”

hanc patriam peperere suo, decorate supremis

he says,

muneribus, maestamque Evandri primus ad urbem

”decorate with the last gifts those noble souls who by their blood

mittatur Pallas, quem non virtutis egentem

have won this homeland for us; and first to the mourning city of Evander

abstulit atra dies et funere mersit acerbo.

let Pallas be sent, whom, not lacking in virtue,

Sic ait inlacrimans recipitque ad limina gressum,

a black day snatched away and plunged in bitter death.”

corpus ubi exanimi positum Pallantis Acoetes

Thus he spoke weeping, and retraced his steps to the threshold,

servabat senior, qui Parrhasio Evandro

where the aged Acoetes was guarding the body of the lifeless Pallas placed there,

armiger ante fuit, sed non felicibus aeque

who previously had been the armor-bearer to Parrhasian Evander,

tum comes auspiciis caro datus ibat alumno.

but then, set as a companion under not equally happy auspices, was going with his dear foster-child.

Circum omnis famulumque manus Troianaque turba

Around stood the whole band of servants, and the Trojan crowd,

et maestum Iliades crinem de more solutae.

and the Trojan women, with their hair let down in mourning according to custom.

Ut vero Aeneas foribus sese intulit altis,

But when Aeneas entered the lofty doors,

ingentem gemitum tunsis ad sidera tollunt

they raise a huge groan to the stars, beating their breasts,

pectoribus, maestoque immugit regia luctu.

and the palace resounds with sorrowful wailing.

Ipse caput nivei fultum Pallantis et ora

He himself, when he saw the head of snowy Pallas propped up, and the face,

ut vidit levique patens in pectore vulnus

and the open wound on his smooth chest

cuspidis Ausoniae, lacrimis ita fatur obortis.

made by the Ausonian spear, speaks thus with welling tears:

Tene,⁴ inquit, miserande puer, cum laeta veniret,

”Did Fortune, when she came joyful, grudge you to me,

invidit Fortuna mihi, ne regna videres

wretched boy, so that you should not see our kingdom,

nostra neque ad sedes victor veherere paternas?

nor be carried as victor to your father’s home?

Non haec Evandro de te promissa parenti

These were not the promises about you I had given to your father Evander

discedens dederam, cum me complexus euntem

at my departure, when having embraced me as I went,

mitteret in magnum imperium metuensque moneret

he sent me into a great command, and anxiously warned me

acris esse viros, cum dura proelia gente.

that the men were fierce, that the battle was with a hardy nation.

Et nunc ille quidem spe multum captus inani

And now indeed he, much captured by vain hope,

fors et vota facit cumulatque altaria donis:

perhaps is even now making vows and piling the altars with gifts;

nos iuvenem exanimum et nil iam caelestibus ullis

we in sorrow accompany with empty honor the lifeless youth,

debentem vano maesti comitamur honore.

who now owes nothing to any of the heavenly gods.

Infelix, nati funus crudele videbis!

Unhappy father, you will see the cruel funeral of your son!

Hi nostri reditus expectatique triumphi!

Are these our returns and expected triumphs?

Haec mea magna fides! At non, Evandre, pudendis

Is this my great pledge? Yet, Evander, you will not look upon him

vulneribus pulsum adspicies nec sospite dirum

beaten with shameful wounds, nor as a father will you pray

optabis nato funus pater. Ei mihi, quantum

for a dreadful death, since your son is safe. Alas for me, how great

praesidium Ausonia et quantum tu perdis, Iule!

a protection you lose, Ausonia, and how great a loss you suffer, Iulus!”

Haec ubi deflevit, tolli miserabile corpus

When he had finished weeping over these things, he orders the miserable body

imperat et toto lectos ex agmine mittit

to be lifted, and sends a thousand chosen men from the whole army,

mille viros, qui supremum comitentur honorem

to attend the final rites

intersintque patris lacrimis, solacia luctus

and to share in the father’s tears, a small solace

exigua ingentis, misero sed debita patri.

for so great a grief, but due to a wretched father.

Haud segnes alii crates et molle feretrum

Others without delay weave a wicker frame and a soft bier

arbuteis texunt virgis et vimine querno

of arbutus twigs and oak wickerwork,

exstructosque toros obtentu frondis inumbrant.

and shade the piled-up couch with a canopy of leaves.

Hic iuvenem agresti sublimem stramine ponunt,

Here they place the youth high on his rustic bed,

qualem virgineo demessum pollice florem

like a flower plucked by a maiden’s finger,

seu mollis violae seu languentis hyacinthi,

either of tender violet or drooping hyacinth,

cui neque fulgor adhuc necdum sua forma recessit:

whose brightness has not yet departed, nor yet its own form,

non iam mater alit tellus viresque ministrat.

but its mother earth no longer nourishes it nor supplies it with strength.

Tum geminas vestes auroque ostroque rigentis

Then Aeneas brought out two garments stiff with gold and purple,

extulit Aeneas, quas illi laeta laborum

which Sidonian Dido, rejoicing in the labor,

ipsa suis quondam manibus Sidonia Dido

had once made for him with her own hands, and had shot the warp with fine gold.

fecerat et tenui telas discreverat auro.

Of these, he sadly puts one on the youth as a final honor,

Harum unam iuveni supremum maestus honorem

and veils with a wrapping those locks that are destined to burn,

induit arsurasque comas obnubit amictu,multaque praeterea Laurentis praemia pugnae

and many spoils besides from the Laurentian battle

Syntax notes4 items

11.2sociis dare tempus humandis
A gerundive construction. sociis... humandis acts either as a dative of purpose or as an adjectival modifier of the noun tempus (time), meaning 'to give time for burying the comrades.'
11.18animis
Ablative of manner/means or dative/ablative of place ('in your minds/spirits'). Parallel with the following spe (ablative), it is best understood as preparing the mental arms or spirit within one's heart for the coming war.
11.23qui
The relative pronoun qui has as its antecedent the entire action of committing the comrades and their unburied bodies to the earth in the previous line. Rather than taking the natural neuter gender for an action, qui agrees in gender and number with the predicate noun honos (masculine singular) in its own clause by attraction.
11.42Tene
The pronoun te (accusative) combined with the interrogative/empathic enclitic -ne. It functions as the direct object of the transitive verb invidit ('grudge/withhold'), forming the structure 'Did Fortune grudge you to me?'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:11.1-11.78