The Wounding of Aeneas and Turnus's Onslaught — Virgil, Aeneid Book 12 (lines 318–399), Latin & English

318

Has inter voces, media inter talia verba

Amidst these voices, in the middle of such words,

ecce viro stridens alis adlapsa sagitta est

behold, a whirring arrow glided on wings to the man,

320

incertum qua pulsa manu, quo turbine adacta,

uncertain by what hand shot, by what force driven,

quis tantam Rutulis laudem, casusne deusne,¹

who brought such great praise to the Rutulians, whether chance or a god:

adtulerit: pressa est insignis gloria facti.

the outstanding glory of the deed was concealed,

nec sese Aeneae iactavit vulnere quisquam.

nor did anyone boast of the wounding of Aeneas.

Turnus ut Aenean cedentem ex agmine vidit

Turnus, as he saw Aeneas withdrawing from the ranks

325

turbatosque duces, subita spe fervidus ardet:

and the leaders in confusion, burns, hot with sudden hope:

poscit equos atque arma simul saltuque superbus

he demands his horses and weapons at once, and proud with a leap

emicat in currum et manibus molitur habenas.

springs onto his chariot and manages the reins with his hands.

Multa virum volitans dat fortia corpora Leto,

Flying about, he gives many brave bodies of men to Death,

semineces volvit multos aut agmina curru

rolls many half-dead, or with his chariot treads down

330

proterit aut raptas fugientibus ingerit hastas.

the ranks, or hurls snatched spears at those fleeing.

Qualis apud gelidi cum flumina concitus Hebri

Just as when by the streams of cold Hebrus, stirred up,

sanguineus Mavors clipeo increpat atque furentis

blood-stained Mavors clashes with his shield and, stirring up wars,

bella movens immittit equos; illi aequore aperto

lets loose his raging horses; they fly over the open plain

ante Notos Zephyrumque volant; gemit ultima pulsu

swifter than the South winds and the West wind; the furthest

335

Thraca pedum; circumque atrae Formidinis ora

Thrace groans with the beat of their feet; and around them the faces of black Dread,

Iraeque Insidiaeque, dei comitatus, aguntur:

and Wraths and Treacheries, the company of the god, are driven:

talis equos alacer media inter proelia Turnus

such in the midst of battles does eager Turnus shake

fumantis sudore quatit, miserabile caesis

his horses steaming with sweat, leaping over the wretchedly slain

hostibus insultans; spargit rapida ungula rores

enemies; the rapid hoof scatters bloody dew,

340

sanguineos, mixtaque cruor calcatur harena.

and gore is trampled, mixed with the sand.

Iamque neci Sthenelumque dedit Thamyrumque Pholumque,

And now he has given to death both Sthenelus and Thamyris and Pholus,

hunc congressus et hunc, illum eminus; eminus ambo

the former two in close encounter, the latter from afar; from afar both

Imbrasidas, Glaucum atque Laden, quos Imbrasus ipse

the sons of Imbrasus, Glaucus and Lades, whom Imbrasus himself

nutrierat Lycia paribusque ornaverat armis,

had nurtured in Lycia and adorned with equal weapons,

345

vel conferre manum² vel equo praevertere ventos.

either to engage hand-to-hand or to outstrip the winds on horseback.

Parte alia media Eumedes in proelia fertur,

In another part Eumedes is borne into the midst of battles,

antiqui proles bello praeclara Dolonis,

the offspring illustrious in war of ancient Dolon,

nomine avum referens, animo manibusque parentem,

recalling his grandfather in name, his father in spirit and hands,

qui quondam, castra ut Danaum speculator adiret,

who once, that he might approach the camp of the Danaans as a spy,

350

ausus Pelidae pretium sibi poscere currus;

dared to demand for himself the chariot of the son of Peleus as a reward;

illum Tydides alio pro talibus ausis

him the son of Tydeus repaid with another reward for such daring,

adfecit pretio, nec equis adspirat Achillis.³

nor does he aspire to the horses of Achilles.

Hunc procul ut campo Turnus prospexit aperto,

As Turnus descried him from afar in the open field,

ante levi iaculo longum per inane secutus

having first pursued him with a light javelin through the long void,

355

sistit equos biiugis et curru desilit atque

he stops his twin-yoked horses and leaps down from the chariot,

semianimi lapsoque supervenit et pede collo

and comes upon him half-dead and fallen, and pressing his foot

impresso dextrae mucronem extorquet et alto

on his neck, wrests the blade from his right hand, and deep

fulgentem tinguit iugulo atque haec insuper addit:

in his throat dyes it gleaming, and adds these words besides:

En agros et quam bello, Troiane, petisti,

”Lo, Trojan, lie there and measure the fields and Hesperia

360

Hesperiam metire iacens: haec praemia qui me

which you sought in war: these rewards they bear who dare to tempt me

ferro ausi temptare ferunt, sic moenia condunt.

with the sword; thus they build walls.”

Huic comitem Asbyten coniecta cuspide mittit.

To him he sends Asbytes as a companion, a spear being hurled,

Chloreaque Sybarimque Daretaque Thersilochumque

and Chloreus and Sybaris and Dares and Thersilochus,

et sternacis equi lapsum cervice Thymoeten.

and Thymoetes fallen from the neck of his throwing horse.

365

Ac velut Edoni Boreae cum spiritus alto

And just as when the breath of Edonian Boreas resounds

insonat Aegaeo sequiturque ad litora fluctus,

on the deep Aegean and pursues the wave to the shores,

qua venti incubuere, fugam dant nubila caelo:

where the winds have fallen upon it, the clouds take flight from the sky:

sic Turno, quacumque viam secat, agmina cedunt

so to Turnus, wherever he cuts his path, the ranks give way

conversaeque ruunt acies; fert impetus ipsum,

and the turned battle-lines rush; his own impulse carries him,

370

et cristam adverso curru quatit aura volantem.

and the breeze shakes his flying crest as his chariot faces them.

Non tulit instantem Phegeus animisque frementem:

Phegeus did not endure him pressing on and raging with spirit:

obiecit sese ad currum et spumantia frenis

he threw himself before the chariot and with his right hand turned away

ora citatorum dextra detorsit equorum.

the foaming mouths of the swift horses from the reins.

Dum trahitur pendetque iugis, hunc lata retectum

While he is dragged and hangs from the yokes, a broad spear

375

lancea consequitur rumpitque infixa bilicem

follows him uncovered, and fixed in him breaks his double-woven

loricam et summum degustat volnere corpus.

corslet, and tastes the surface of his body with a wound.

Ille tamen clipeo obiecto conversus in hostem

He, however, with his shield opposed, turned toward the enemy

ibat et auxilium ducto mucrone petebat:

and was going, and was seeking help with drawn blade:

cum rota praecipitem et procursu concitus axis

when the wheel and the axle, stirred up by the forward course,

380

impulit effunditque solo, Turnusque secutus

pushed him headlong and cast him on the ground, and Turnus following

imam inter galeam summi thoracis et oras

between the bottom of the helmet and the edge of the top of the breastplate

abstulit ense caput truncumque reliquit harenae.

took off his head with his sword, and left the trunk to the sand.

Atque ea dum campis victor dat funera Turnus,

And while Turnus the victor deals these deaths on the plain,

interea Aenean Mnestheus et fidus Achates

meanwhile Mnestheus and faithful Achates and companion

385

Ascaniusque comes castris statuere cruentum,

Ascanius set down bleeding Aeneas in the camp,

alternos longa nitentem cuspide gressus.

supporting his alternate steps with a long spear.

Saevit et infracta luctatur arundine telum

He rages, and struggles to pluck out the weapon, its shaft broken,

eripere auxilioque viam, quae proxima, poscit

and demands the nearest way of help, that they should cut

ense secent lato vulnus telique latebram

the wound with a broad sword, and lay open the hiding place of the weapon

390

rescindant penitus seseque in bella remittant.

deep within, and send him back into the battles.

Iamque aderat Phoebo ante alios dilectus Iapyx

And now was present Iapyx, loved of Phoebus before others,

Iasides, acri quondam cui captus amore

the son of Iasus, for whom once, seized by sharp love,

ipse suas artes, sua munera, laetus Apollo

Apollo himself, rejoicing, offered his own arts, his own gifts:

augurium citharamque dabat celerisque sagittas.

augury, the lyre, and swift arrows.

395

Ille ut depositi proferret fata parentis,⁴

He, that he might defer the fate of his dying parent,

scire potestates herbarum usumque medendi

preferred to know the powers of herbs and the practice of healing,

maluit et mutas agitare inglorius artes.

and to practice, inglorious, the silent arts.

Stabat acerba fremens, ingentem nixus in hastam

Bitterly raging, Aeneas stood, leaning on his huge spear,

Aeneas magno iuvenum et maerentis Iuli

amidst a great crowd of youths and mourning Iulus.

Syntax notes4 items

12.321casusne deusne
A disjunctive indirect question introduced by -ne... -ne... ("whether... or..."), governing the perfect subjunctive verb adtulerit.
12.345vel conferre manum
The infinitives conferre and praevertere depend on the preceding verb ornaverat ("had equipped/endowed"), expressing purpose or result—a Greek-style epexegetical infinitive.
12.352nec equis adspirat Achillis
The verb adspirare ("to aspire to, breathe upon") here takes the dative equis. It serves as a euphemism for death, recalling his father's fatal request for Achilles' horses and indicating that Eumedes can no longer desire them.
12.395depositi parentis
The participle depositi (literally "laid down") is used here in its idiomatic sense of "despaired of, dying," referring to a sick person laid on the ground whose recovery is hopeless.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:12.318-12.399