Turnus Demands Single Combat with Aeneas — Virgil, Aeneid Book 12 (lines 1–77), Latin & English

Turnus ut infractos adverso Marte Latinos

When Turnus saw that the Latins, broken by the adverse war,

defecisse videt, sua nunc promissa reposci,

had lost heart, that his own promises were now demanded,

se signari oculis, ultro implacabilis ardet

and that he was marked out by the eyes of all, he voluntarily burned with unappeasable anger

attollitque animos. Poenorum qualis in arvis

and raised his courage. Just as in the fields of the Carthaginians,

saucius ille gravi venantum vulnere pectus¹

that lion, wounded in the breast by a heavy wound of hunters,

tum demum movet arma leo gaudetque comantis

only then moves his weapons, and rejoices

excutiens cervice toros fixumque latronis

shaking the hairy muscles from his neck, and fearlessly

inpavidus frangit telum et fremit ore cruento:

breaks the fixed weapon of the robber and roars with bloody mouth:

haud secus adcenso gliscit violentia Turno.

not otherwise does violence swell in the inflamed Turnus.

Tum sic adfatur regem atque ita turbidus infit:

Then he addresses the king thus and in a turbulent manner begins:

Nulla mora in Turno; nihil est quod dicta retractent

”There is no delay in Turnus; there is no reason why the cowardly sons of Aeneas should

ignavi Aeneadae, nec quae pepigere recusent.

retract their words, or refuse what they have agreed to.

Congredior, fer sacra, pater, et concipe foedus.

I engage; bring the sacred things, father, and make the treaty.

Aut hac Dardanium dextra sub Tartara mittam,

Either I will send this Dardanian,

desertorem Asiae (sedeant spectentque Latini),

the deserter of Asia, with this right hand beneath Tartarus (let the Latins sit and watch),

et solus ferro crimen commune refellam,

and alone with the sword refute the common charge,

aut habeat victos, cedat Lavinia coniunx.

or let him hold us as defeated, let Lavinia yield as his wife.”

Olli sedato respondit corde Latinus:

To him Latinus replied with a calm heart:

O praestans animi² iuvenis, quantum ipse feroci

”O youth outstanding in spirit, by as much as you yourself surpass in fierce

virtute exsuperas, tanto me impensius aequum est

courage, by so much more carefully is it right for me

consulere atque omnis metuentem expendere casus.

to counsel and, in fear, to weigh every outcome.

Sunt tibi regna patris Dauni, sunt oppida capta

You have the kingdom of your father Daunus, you have many towns

multa manu, nec non aurumque animusque Latino est;

captured by your hand; and Latinus also has gold and goodwill;

sunt aliae innuptae Latio et Laurentibus arvis,

there are other unmarried girls in Latium and the Laurentine fields,

nec genus indecores. Sine me haec haud mollia fatu

not ignoble in birth. Allow me to lay open these things, not easy to say,

sublatis aperire dolis, simul hoc animo hauri.

with guiles removed, and at the same time drink this into your mind.

Me natam nulli veterum sociare procorum

It was not permitted for me to ally my daughter with any of her former suitors,

fas erat, idque omnes divique hominesque canebant.

and all the gods and men foretold this.

Victus amore tui, cognato sanguine victus

Overcome by love of you, overcome by kindred blood

coniugis et maestae lacrumis, vincla omnia rupi:

and by the tears of my sorrowful wife, I broke all bonds:

promissam eripui genero, arma impia sumpsi.

I snatched the promised girl from my son-in-law, and took up unholy arms.

Ex illo qui me casus, quae, Turne, sequantur

From that time, Turnus, you see what disasters pursue me, what

bella, vides, quantos primus patiare labores.

wars, and how great are the troubles you yourself first suffer.

Bis magna victi pugna vix urbe tuemur

Twice defeated in a great battle, we scarcely defend within the city

spes Italas; recalent nostro Thybrina fluenta

the hopes of Italy; the streams of Tiber are still warm with our

sanguine adhuc campique ingentes ossibus albent.

blood, and the vast plains are white with our bones.

Quo referor totiens? Quae mentem insania mutat?

Why do I drift back so many times? What madness changes my mind?

Si Turno exstincto socios sum adscire paratus,

If, Turnus being dead, I am ready to accept them as allies,

cur non incolumi³ potius certamina tollo?

why do I not rather end the conflicts while he is safe?

Quid consanguinei Rutuli, quid cetera dicet

What will my kinsmen the Rutulians, what will the rest of

Italia, ad mortem si te—Fors dicta refutet!—

Italy say, if I—may Fortune refute my words!—

prodiderim, natam et conubia nostra petentem?

have betrayed you to death, while seeking my daughter and our marriage?

Respice res bello varias; miserere parentis

Look back upon the diverse fortunes of war; pity your aged

longaevi, quem nunc maestum patria Ardea longe

father, whom now in his sorrow his distant native Ardea

dividit. Haudquaquam dictis violentia Turni

separates far from you.” By no means is the violence of Turnus

flectitur: exsuperat magis aegrescitque medendo.

bent by his words; it rather increases and grows worse with the healing.

Ut primum fari potuit, sic institit ore:

As soon as he was first able to speak, he thus began:

Quam pro me curam geris, hanc precor, optime, pro me

”The care which you have for me, I pray, best of men, that you lay

deponas letumque sinas pro laude pacisci:

this aside for my sake, and allow me to barter death for praise:

et nos tela, pater, ferrumque haud debile dextra

for we too, father, scatter weapons and no weak iron with our

spargimus; et nostro sequitur de volnere sanguis.

right hand, and blood follows from our wound as well.

longe illi dea mater erit, quae nube fugacem

His goddess-mother will be far from him, she who covers the fugitive

feminea tegat et vanis sese occulat umbris.

in a womanly cloud and hides herself in empty shadows.”

At regina, nova pugnae conterrita sorte,

But the queen, terrified by the new terms of the battle,

flebat et ardentem generum monitura tenebat:

wept, and held her burning son-in-law, about to warn him:

Turne, per has ego te lacrimas, per siquis Amatae

”Turnus, by these tears I entreat you, by whatever honor of Amata

tangit honos animum⁴ (spes tu nunc una, senectae

touches your mind (you are now our only hope, the quiet

tu requies miserae, decus imperiumque Latini

of my wretched old age, the honor and dominion of Latinus

te penes, in te omnis domus inclinata recumbit).

rest in your hands, upon you all our leaning house reclines).

unum oro: desiste manum committere Teucris.

One thing I beg: cease to join hands with the Teucrians.

Qui te cumque manent isto certamine casus,

Whatever fortunes await you in that contest, Turnus,

et me, Turne, manent: simul haec invisa relinquam

await me also: at the same time I will leave this hated

lumina nec generum Aenean captiva videbo.

light, nor as a captive will I see Aeneas as my son-in-law.”

Accepit vocem lacrimis Lavinia matris

Lavinia received her mother’s words, her burning

flagrantis perfusa genas,⁵ quoi plurimus ignem

cheeks drenched with tears, to whom an abundant blush

subiecit rubor et calefacta per ora cucurrit.

cast fire and ran through her heated face.

Indum sanguineo veluti violaverit ostro

Just as if someone has stained Indian ivory with bloody

siquis ebur, aut mixta rubent ubi lilia multa

purple, or when white lilies blush mixed with many

alba rosa: talis virgo dabat ore colores.

a red rose: such colors did the maiden show on her face.

Illum turbat amor, figitque in virgine voltus:

Love throws him into turmoil, and he fixes his gaze on the maiden:

ardet in arma magis paucisque adfatur Amatam.

he burns more for arms, and speaks briefly to Amata.

Ne, quaeso, ne me lacrimis neve omine tanto

”Do not, I pray, do not send me away with tears or with such

prosequere in duri certamina Martis euntem,

an omen as I go into the contests of harsh war,

O mater; neque enim Turno mora libera mortis.

O mother; for Turnus has no free delay of death.

Nuntius haec Idmon Phrygio mea dicta tyranno

Idmon, as messenger, carry these words of mine to the Phrygian tyrant,

haud placitura refer: cum primum crastina caelo

which will not please him: as soon as tomorrow’s Aurora

puniceis invecta rotis Aurora rubebit,

red on her crimson wheels shall blush in the sky,”

Syntax notes5 items

12.5saucius... pectus
pectus is an accusative of specification (or Greek accusative) qualifying the perfect passive participle saucius (wounded), indicating the specific part of the body where the lion is injured.
12.19praestans animi
animi is a genitive of specification (or genitive of respect) dependent on the adjective praestans (outstanding), meaning "outstanding in spirit."
12.39incolumi
Although it could grammatically be interpreted as a dative, it is best understood here as an ablative absolute with Turno omitted, meaning "while he (Turnus) is safe/unharmed."
12.56per siquis Amatae / tangit honos animum
An anacoluthon where the conditional clause si quis honos... tangit directly follows the preposition per (by). Standard syntax would require per honorem, si quis... (by whatever honor, if any...), but the structure is compressed due to the urgency of the entreaty.
12.65flagrantis perfusa genas
The perfect passive participle perfusa (drenched) is used in a middle/Greek sense, taking the accusative genas (cheeks) as its direct object, meaning "having drenched her own burning cheeks."

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-24) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:12.1-12.77