The Clashing Cavalry and Camilla's Prowess — Virgil, Aeneid Book 11 (lines 611–688), Latin & English

611

crebra¹ nivis ritu caelumque obtexitur umbra.

Thick as snow, and the sky is covered with shadow.

Continuo adversis Tyrrhenus et acer Aconteus

Straightway the Tyrrhenian and eager Aconteus, facing each other,

conixi incurrunt hastis primique ruina

straining, rush on with spears and first with a huge

dant sonitum ingenti perfractaque quadrupedantum

crash make a sound, and break the shattered breasts

615

pectora pectoribus rumpunt: excussus Aconteus

of the horses, dashing them breast against breast; flung off, Aconteus,

fulminis in morem aut tormento ponderis acti

in the manner of a thunderbolt or a heavy weight driven from an engine,

praecipitat longe et vitam dispergit in auras.

falls headlong far away and scatters his life into the air.

Extemplo turbatae acies, versique Latini

Immediately the ranks are thrown into confusion, and the turned Latins

reiciunt parmas et equos ad moenia vertunt.

sling back their shields and turn their horses toward the walls.

620

Troes agunt, princeps turmas inducit Asilas.

The Trojans pursue; foremost Asilas leads on the squadrons.

Iamque propinquabant portis, rursusque Latini

And now they were approaching the gates, and again the Latins

clamorem tollunt et mollia colla reflectunt:

raise a shout and bend back the supple necks of their horses;

hi fugiunt penitusque datis referuntur habenis.

these now flee and are carried back far away with given reins.

Qualis ubi alterno procurrens gurgite pontus²

Just as when the sea, running forward with alternating tide,

625

nunc ruit ad terram scopulusque superiacit unda

now rushes to the land and, foaming, throws its wave over the rocks,

spumeus extremamque sinu perfundit arenam,

and drenches the edge of the sand with its bosom;

nunc rapidus retro atque aestu revoluta resorbens

now rapid back again, and sucking back the stones

saxa fugit litusque vado labente relinquit:

rolled in its undertow, it flees and leaves the shore as the shallow water slips away.

bis Tusci Rutulos egere ad moenia versos,

Twice the Etruscans drove the turned Rutulians to the walls;

630

bis reiecti armis respectant terga tegentes.

twice, repulsed, they look back, protecting their backs with their shields.

Tertia sed postquam³ congressi in proelia totas

But after they joined battle for the third time and entangled

implicuere inter se acies legitque virum vir:

their whole lines with one another, and man chose man;

tum vero et gemitus morientum et sanguine in alto

then indeed, both the groans of the dying, and in deep blood

armaque corporaque et permixti caede virorum

weapons and bodies, and, mingled with the slaughter of men,

635

semianimes volvuntur equi, pugna aspera surgit.

half-dead horses are rolled; a bitter fight arises.

Orsilochus Remuli, quando ipsum horrebat adire,

Orsilochus, since he dreaded to approach Remulus himself,

hastam intorsit equo ferrumque sub aure reliquit.

hurled his spear at the horse and left the iron head beneath its ear.

Quo sonipes ictu furit arduus altaque iactat

By which blow the steed rages, rearing high, and,

vulneris impatiens arrecto pectore crura:

unable to bear the wound, flings its legs aloft with upright breast;

640

volvitur ille excussus humi. Catillus Iollan

he, thrown off, is rolled on the ground. Catillus dejected Iollas,

ingentemque animis, ingentem corpore et armis

and Herminius, huge in spirit, huge in body and in arms,

deicit Herminium, nudo cui vertice fulva

whose bare head had yellow hair flowing,

caesaries nudique umeri, nec vulnera terrent:

and bare shoulders, nor did wounds terrify him;

tantus in arma patet. Latos huic hasta per armos

so huge he lay open to weapons. A spear, driven through his broad

645

acta tremit duplicatque virum transfixa dolore.

shoulders, quivers and, piercing him, doubles the man with pain.

Funditur ater ubique cruor; dant funera ferro

Dark blood is poured out everywhere; fighting they deal death

certantes pulchramque petunt per vulnera mortem.

with the sword, and seek a beautiful death through wounds.

At medias inter caedes exsultat Amazon,

But in the midst of the slaughters the Amazon exults,

unum exserta latus pugnae, pharetrata Camilla,

with one side bared for the fight, Camilla girt with a quiver,

650

et nunc lenta manu spargens hastilia denset,

and now with her hand scattering she makes thick the tough javelins,

nunc validam dextra rapit indefessa bipennem;

now with untired right hand she seizes a strong double-axe;

aureus ex umero sonat arcus et arma Dianae.

the golden bow and the arms of Diana resound from her shoulder.

Illa etiam in tergum, siquando pulsa recessit,

She also toward her back, if ever driven back she retreated,

spicula converso fugientia dirigit arcu.

directs fleeing arrows with her turned bow.

655

At circum lectae comites, Larinaque virgo

And around her are chosen companions, the maiden Larina,

Tullaque et aeratam quatiens Tarpeia securem,

and Tulla, and Tarpeia shaking her bronze-clad axe,

Italides, quas ipsa decus sibi dia Camilla

daughters of Italy, whom divine Camilla herself chose

delegit pacisque bonas bellique ministras:

for her own glory and as good helpers of both peace and war:

quales Threiciae cum flumina Thermodontis

just as when the Thracian Amazons trample the waters

660

pulsant et pictis bellantur Amazones armis

of Thermodon and fight with painted arms,

seu circum Hippolyten, seu cum se Martia curru

whether around Hippolyte, or when Penthesilea, daughter of Mars,

Penthesilea refert, magnoque ululante tumultu

returns in her chariot, and with a great howling tumult

feminea exsultant lunatis agmina peltis.

the female hosts exult with their crescent shields.

Quem telo primum, quem postremum, aspera virgo,

Whom first with your weapon, whom last, fierce maiden,

665

deicis? Aut quot humi morientia corpora fundis?

do you cast down? Or how many dying bodies do you strew on the ground?

Eunaeum Clitio primum patre, cuius apertum

First Eunaeus, whose father was Clytius, whose open

adversi longa transverberat abiete pectus:

breast as he faced her she pierces with a long pine spear;

sanguinis ille vomens rivos cadit atque cruentam

vomiting streams of blood he falls, and bites the bloody

mandit humum moriensque suo se in volnere versat.

ground, and dying turns himself on his own wound.

670

Tum Lirim Pagasumque super; quorum alter⁴ habenas

Then Liris and Pagasus on top of him; of whom the one, tumbled

suffosso revolutus equo dum colligit, alter

from his stabbed horse, while he gathers the reins, the other,

dum subit ac dextram labenti tendit inermem,

while he comes up and stretches out his unarmed right hand to the falling man,

praecipites pariterque ruunt. His addit Amastrum

fall headlong and together. To these she adds Amastrus,

Hippotaden, sequiturque incumbens eminus hasta

son of Hippotas, and pursues, pressing upon them from afar with her spear,

675

Tereaque Harpalycumque et Demophoonta Chrominque;

Tereus and Harpalycus and Demophoon and Chromis;

quotque emissa manu contorsit spicula virgo,

and as many arrows as the maiden sent spinning from her hand,

tot Phrygii cecidere viri. Procul Ornytus armis

so many Phrygian men fell. At a distance, Ornytus, a hunter

ignotis et equo venator Iapyge fertur,

with unfamiliar arms, is carried on an Apulian horse;

cui pellis latos umeros erepta iuvenco

a hide stripped from a steer covers the broad shoulders

680

pugnatori operit, caput ingens oris hiatus

of him as he fights, and the huge gaping mouth of a wolf

et malae texere lupi cum dentibus albis,

and its jaws with white teeth covered his head;

agrestisque manus armat sparus; ipse catervis

and a rustic hunting spear arms his hands. He himself in the midst of the squadrons

vertitur in mediis et toto vertice supra est.

moves, and is above them by a whole head.

Hunc illa exceptum, neque enim labor agmine verso,

Him she catches—for there was no difficulty, since the line had turned—

685

traicit et super haec inimico pectore fatur:

and transfixes him, and speaks these things over him with hostile breast:

Silvis te, Tyrrhene, feras agitare putasti?

”Did you think, Tyrrhenian, that you were chasing wild beasts in the forests?

Advenit qui vestra dies muliebribus armis

The day has come that refutes your words

verba redarguerit.⁵ Nomen tamen haud leve patrum

with a woman’s weapons. Yet no light name to your fathers’ shades...

Syntax notes5 items

11.611crebra
Neut. pl. nom. (or acc.) adjective modifying tela (weapons) at the end of the preceding line. It forms an enjambment, and is followed by the main clause caelumque obtexitur umbra (and the sky is covered with shadow).
11.624Qualis ubi alterno procurrens gurgite pontus
A grand epic simile introduced by Qualis ubi (just as when). The alternating movement of the tide is symmetrically depicted by the two nunc clauses: nunc ruit... (now it rushes...) and nunc rapidus retro... (now rapid back again...).
11.631Tertia sed postquam
The beginning of a long period. The subordinate clause introduced by postquam (after) continues up to legitque virum vir, and the main clause is introduced by tum vero (then indeed). The subjects of the main clause are gemitus, arma, corpora, and equi in apposition, all sharing the verb volvuntur (are rolled).
11.670quorum alter... alter...
Introduced by the genitive relative pronoun quorum (of whom), the two clauses alter... dum colligit (the one... while he gathers) and alter... dum subit ac tendit (the other... while he comes up and stretches) are arranged in contrast. Both function as subjects to the main verb ruunt (they fall).
11.687qui... redarguerit
A relative clause modifying the antecedent dies (day). The verb redarguerit is either in the perfect subjunctive (relative clause of characteristic or result) or future perfect indicative, expressing a fateful nuance: "a day that shall refute your words."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:11.611-11.688