- Source
- Vergil. The Bucolics, Aeneid, and Georgics Of Virgil. Greenough, J.B., editor. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1881.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:11.382-11.455
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
Turnus fiercely refutes Drances' accusations, boasting of his own military valor and declaring his readiness for a single combat with Aeneas, only for their debate to be interrupted by news of the approaching Trojan army, throwing the city into panic.
agger murorum nec inundant sanguine fossae.1
[while] the rampart of the walls [keeps off the enemy] and the trenches do not overflow with blood.
Proinde tona eloquio, solitum tibi, meque timoris
Therefore, thunder with your eloquence, as is your custom, and accuse me of fear,
argue tu, Drance, quando tot stragis acervos
O Drances, since your right hand has caused so many heaps of slaughter
Teucrorum tua dextra dedit passimque tropaeis
of the Teucrians, and you adorn the fields everywhere with trophies.
insignis agros. Possit quid vivida virtus,
What a lively valor can do, you may try;
experiare licet;2 nec longe scilicet hostes
nor indeed do we have to search far for the enemies:
quaerendi nobis: circumstant undique muros.
they surround the walls on every side.
Imus in adversos: quid cessas? An tibi Mavors
We go against them; why do you hesitate? Will Mars for you
ventosa in lingua pedibusque fugacibus istissemper erit?
always be in your windy tongue and in those swift feet of yours?
Pulsus ego?3 Aut quisquam merito, foedissime, pulsum
Was I beaten? Or will anyone justly accuse me of being beaten, O most foul one,
arguet, Iliaco tumidum qui crescere Thybrim
who will see the Tiber swell and grow with Trojan blood,
sanguine et Evandri totam cum stirpe videbit
and all the house of Evander, along with his race,
procubuisse domum atque exutos Arcadas armis?
prostrate, and the Arcadians stripped of their armor?
Haud ita me experti Bitias et Pandarus ingens
Not in such a way did the giant Bitias and Pandarus find me,
et quos mille die victor sub Tartara misi,
nor those thousands whom in one day as victor I sent to Tartarus,
inclusus muris hostilique aggere saeptus.
though I was shut within the walls and enclosed by the hostile rampart.
Nulla salus bello. Capiti cane talia, demens,
”There is no safety in war.” Sing such things, madman, to the Dardanian
Dardanio rebusque tuis. Proinde omnia magno
head and to your own affairs. Therefore, do not cease to disturb everything with great
ne cessa turbare metu atque extollere vires
fear and to extol the strength of the twice-conquered nation,
gentis bis victae, contra premere arma Latini.
and on the other hand, to suppress the arms of the Latins.
Nunc et Myrmidonum proceres Phrygia arma tremescunt,
Now even the chiefs of the Myrmidons tremble at Phrygian arms,
nunc et Tydides et Larissaeus Achilles,
now even the son of Tydeus and Larisaean Achilles,
amnis et Hadriacas retro fugit Aufidus undas.
and the river Aufidus flees backward from the Adriatic waves.
Vel cum se pavidum contra mea iurgia fingit
Or even when he feigns himself fearful against my reproaches,
artificis scelus et formidine crimen acerbat.
by the craft of a villain, and sharpens the charge with dread.
Numquam animam talem dextra hac, absiste moveri,
Never will you lose such a life by this right hand—cease to be troubled—
amittes: habitet tecum et sit pectore in isto.
let it dwell with you and remain in that breast of yours.
Nunc ad te et tua magna, pater, consulta revertor.
Now to you and your great consultations, O father, I return.
Si nullam nostris ultra spem ponis in armis,
If you place no further hope in our arms,
si tam deserti sumus et semel agmine verso
if we are so deserted, and once our line has turned,
funditus occidimus neque habet Fortuna regressum?
we are utterly ruined, nor does Fortune have any return:
oremus pacem et dextras tendamus inertis.
let us pray for peace and stretch out our helpless right hands.
Quamquam O, si solitae quicquam virtutis adesset!
Yet, oh, if any of our accustomed valor were present!
Ille mihi ante alios fortunatusque laborum
He seems to me fortunate in his labors beyond others,
egregiusque animi,4 qui, nequid tale videret,
and distinguished in spirit, who, lest he should see any such thing,
procubuit moriens et humum semel ore momordit.
fell dying and bit the ground once with his mouth.
Sin et opes nobis et adhuc intacta iuventus
But if we still have resources and a youth untouched,
auxilioque urbes Italae populique supersunt,
and Italian cities and peoples remain for our aid,
sin et Troianis cum multo gloria venit
and if glory came to the Trojans with much
sanguine, sunt illis sua funera parque per omnis
blood, and they have their own deaths, and the storm was equal for all:
tempestas: cur indecores in limine primo
why do we fail ignobly on the very threshold?
deficimus? Cur ante tubam tremor occupat artus?
Why does trembling possess our limbs before the trumpet?
Multa dies variisque labor mutabilis aevi
Many things have been brought back to the better by time and the shifting labor of changeable age;
rettulit in melius, multos alterna revisens
visiting many in turn, Fortune has played with them
lusit et in solido rursus Fortuna locavit.
and placed them back on solid ground.
Non erit auxilio nobis Aetolus et Arpi:
The Aetolian and Arpi will not be an aid to us;
at Messapus erit felixque Tolumnius et quos
but Messapus will be, and fortunate Tolumnius, and those leaders
tot populi misere duces, nec parva sequetur
whom so many peoples have sent; nor will small glory follow
gloria delectos Latio et Laurentibus agris.
the chosen men from Latium and the Laurentian fields.
Est et Volscorum egregia de gente Camilla,
There is also Camilla, of the noble nation of the Volscians,
agmen agens equitum et florentis aere catervas.
leading a troop of horsemen and squadrons blooming with bronze.
Quod si me solum Teucri in certamina poscunt
But if the Teucrians call me alone to the contest,
idque placet tantumque bonis communibus obsto,
and this is pleasing, and I stand so much in the way of the common good,
non adeo has exosa manus Victoria fugit,
Victory has not fled, hating these hands so much,
ut tanta quicquam pro spe temptare recusem.
that I should refuse to try anything for such great hope.
Ibo animis contra, vel magnum praestet Achillem
I will go against him with spirit, even though he should surpass the great Achilles
factaque Vulcani manibus paria induat arma
and put on equal arms made by the hands of Vulcan.
ille licet.5 Vobis animam hanc soceroque Latino
To you and to my father-in-law Latinus, I, Turnus,
Turnus ego, haud ulli veterum virtute secundus,
second to none of our ancestors in valor,
devovi. Solum Aeneas vocat : et vocet oro,
have devoted this life. “Aeneas calls him alone”: I pray that he may call,
nec Drances potius, sive est haec ira deorum,
and let not Drances rather, if this is the wrath of the gods,
morte luat, sive est virtus et gloria, tollat.
atone for it with death, or if it is valor and glory, bear it away.
Illi haec inter se dubiis de rebus agebant
They were debating these things among themselves in rivalry
certantes; castra Aeneas aciemque movebat:
concerning their doubtful affairs; Aeneas was moving his camp and line of battle.
nuntius ingenti per regia tecta tumultu
Behold, a messenger rushes through the royal palace
ecce ruit magnisque urbem terroribus implet,
in great tumult and fills the city with great terrors, saying:
instructos acie Tiberino a flumine Teucros
the Teucrians, drawn up in line of battle, and the Tyrrhenian band
Tyrrhenamque manum totis descendere campis.
are descending from the Tiber river over the whole plain.
Extemplo turbati animi concussaque vulgi
Immediately minds were disturbed and the breasts of the common folk
pectora et adrectae stimulis haud mollibus irae.
shaken, and anger was aroused by no gentle spurs.
Arma manu trepidi poscunt, fremit arma iuventus,
Trembling, they demand weapons with their hands; the youth clamor for arms;
flent maesti mussantque patres. Hic undique clamor
the fathers weep in sadness and mutter. Here, a great cry from every side
dissensu vario magnus se tollit in auras
rises into the air with varied dissension.
- 11.382agger murorum nec inundant sanguine fossae
Construed as a continuation of the dum clause introduced by dum distinet hostem in the preceding line. The main clause's action from the previous line (tuto tibi magna volant) is understood to apply here as well.
- 11.387experiare licet
A construction of licet with a subjunctive without a conjunction (equivalent to licet ut experiare). The second-person singular present subjunctive experiare (equivalent to -ris) expresses permission or concession ("you may try").
- 11.392Pulsus ego?
An indignant rhetorical question with the omission of the verb sum. It expresses Turnus' intense anger and disdain: "Was I beaten?"
- 11.416laborum / animi
Genitives of specification or respect modifying the adjectives fortunatus and egregius, in imitation of Greek usage. They mean "fortunate in his labors" and "distinguished in spirit" respectively.
- 11.440ille licet
The postposition of licet used as a concessive conjunction with the subjunctives praestet and induat. It forms a concessive clause: "even though he should surpass..."