Reconciliation of Jupiter and Juno and Departure of Juturna — Virgil, Aeneid Book 12 (lines 798–875), Latin & English

798

aut ensem (quid enim sine te Iuturna valeret?)

or that the snatched-away sword (for what could Juturna do without you?)

ereptum reddi Turno et vim crescere victis?

be restored to Turnus and strength increase to the defeated?

800

Desine iam tandem precibusque inflectere¹ nostris,

Cease now at last, and be swayed by our prayers,

ventum ad supremum est. Terris agitare vel undis

the end has been reached. You have been able to harass the Trojans on land

Troianos potuisti, infandum adcendere bellum,

or on the waves, to kindle an unspeakable war,

805

deformare domum et luctu miscere hymenaeos:

to defile a house and mingle bridal songs with grief:

ulterius temptare veto. Sic Iuppiter orsus;

I forbid you to attempt further.” Thus Jupiter began;

sic dea submisso contra Saturnia voltu:

thus the Saturnian goddess replied with downcast look:

Ista quidem quia nota mihi tua, magne, voluntas,

”Because indeed that will of yours is known to me, great

Iuppiter, et Turnum et terras invita reliqui;

Jupiter, I have left both Turnus and the earth against my will;

810

nec tu me aeria solam nunc sede videres

nor would you now see me alone on my airy seat

digna indigna² pati, sed flammis cincta sub ipsa

suffering things worthy and unworthy, but girt with flames right under

starem acie traheremque inimica in proelia Teucros.

the battle line I would stand, and drag the Trojans into hostile combat.

Iuturnam misero, fateor, succurrere fratri

I persuaded Juturna, I confess, to help her wretched brother

suasi et pro vita maiora audere probavi,

and approved that she dare greater things for his life,

815

non ut tela tamen, non ut contenderet arcum:

not, however, that she should hurl weapons, nor that she should bend the bow:

adiuro Stygii caput implacabile fontis,

I swear by the implacable head of the Stygian fount,

una superstitio superis quae reddita divis.

which is the sole binding oath assigned to the gods above.

Et nunc cedo equidem pugnasque exosa relinquo.

And now indeed I yield, and, loathing them, leave the battles.

Illud te, nulla fati quod lege tenetur,

This one thing, which is bound by no law of fate,

820

pro Latio obtestor, pro maiestate tuorum:³

I entreat you, for Latium’s sake, for the majesty of your people:

cum iam conubis pacem felicibus, esto,

when soon they establish peace with happy marriages (so be it!),

component, cum iam leges et foedera iungent,

when soon they join laws and treaties,

ne vetus indigenas nomen mutare Latinos

do not order the native Latins to change their ancient name,

neu Troas fieri iubeas Teucrosque vocari

nor to become Trojans and be called Teucrians,

825

aut vocem mutare viros aut vertere vestem.

or that the men change their tongue, or alter their garb.

Sit Latium, sint Albani per saecula reges,

Let Latium be, let there be Alban kings through the ages,

sit Romana potens Itala virtute propago:

let the Roman offspring be powerful through Italian valor:

occidit, occideritque sinas cum nomine Troia.

Troy has fallen; and let it remain fallen, together with its name.”

Olli subridens hominum rerumque repertor

Smiling at her, the creator of men and things replied:

830

Es germana Iovis Saturnique altera proles:

”You are the sister of Jupiter and another offspring of Saturn:

irarum tantos volvis sub pectore fluctus.

so great the waves of wrath you roll within your breast.

Verum age et inceptum frustra submitte furorem

But come, and subdue the anger begun in vain;

do quod vis, et me victusque volensque remitto.

I grant what you wish, and, conquered and willing, I yield myself.

Sermonem Ausonii patrium moresque tenebunt,

The Ausonians shall keep their paternal tongue and customs,

835

utque est nomen erit; commixti corpore tantum

and as their name is, so it shall be; only mingled in body

subsident Teucri. Morem ritusque sacrorum

shall the Teucrians settle down. The custom and rites of sacred worship

adiciam faciamque omnis uno ore Latinos.

I will add, and I will make them all Latins of one tongue.

Hinc genus Ausonio mixtum quod sanguine surget,

Hence the race which shall rise, mingled with Ausonian blood,

supra homines, supra ire⁴ deos pietate videbis,

you shall see rise in devotion above men, above gods,

840

nec gens ulla tuos aeque celebrabit honores.

nor shall any nation celebrate your honors so much.”

Adnuit his Iuno et mentem laetata retorsit.

Juno nodded assent to these things, and, rejoicing, changed her mind.

Interea excedit caelo nubemque relinquit.

Meanwhile she departs from heaven and leaves her cloud.

His actis aliud genitor secum ipse volutat

These things done, the father revolves another plan in his own mind,

Iuturnamque parat fratris dimittere ab armis.

and prepares to dismiss Juturna from her brother’s aid.

845

Dicuntur geminae pestes cognomine Dirae,

There are said to be twin plagues named the Furies (Dirae),

quas et Tartaream Nox intempesta Megaeram

whom, along with Tartarean Megaera, untimely Night

uno eodemque tulit partu paribusque revinxit

bore at one and the same birth, and bound alike

serpentum spiris ventosasque addidit alas.

with coils of serpents, and added swift wings.

Hae Iovis ad solium saevique in limine regis

These appear at the throne of Jupiter and at the threshold of the fierce king,

850

adparent acuuntque metum mortalibus aegris,

and they sharpen fear for weary mortals,

siquando letum horrificum morbosque deum rex

whenever the king of the gods works horrific death and diseases,

molitur meritas aut bello territat urbes.

or terrifies deserving cities with war.

Harum unam celerem demisit ab aethere summo

One of these Jupiter sent down swift from high heaven,

Iuppiter inque omen Iuturnae occurrere iussit.

and ordered her to meet Juturna as an omen.

855

Illa volat celerique ad terram turbine fertur.

She flies, and is borne to earth in a swift whirlwind.

Non secus ac nervo per nubem impulsa sagitta,

No otherwise than an arrow shot from a bowstring through a cloud,

armatam saevi Parthus quam felle veneni,

which, armed with the gall of cruel poison, a Parthian,

Parthus sive Cydon, telum immedicabile, torsit,

a Parthian or a Cydonian, has shot—an incurable weapon—

stridens et celeris incognita⁵ transilit umbras:

whirring, it leaps unseen through the swift shadows:

860

talis se sata Nocte tulit terrasque petivit.

such did the daughter of Night bear herself and seek the earth.

Postquam acies videt Iliacas atque agmina Turni,

After she sees the Trojan lines and the army of Turnus,

alitis in parvae subitam conlecta figuram,

shrinking suddenly into the shape of a small bird,

quae quondam in bustis aut culminibus desertis

which sometimes, sitting on tombs or deserted rooftops

nocte sedens serum canit importuna per umbras,

by night, sings its ill-boding song late through the shadows,

865

hanc versa in faciem Turni se pestis ob ora

changed into this shape, the plague flings herself before the face of Turnus

fertque refertque sonans clipeumque everberat alis.

again and again, shrieking, and beats his shield with her wings.

Olli membra novus solvit formidine torpor,

A strange numbness loosed his limbs with dread,

adrectaeque horrore comae, et vox faucibus haesit.

and his hair stood up with horror, and his voice clung to his throat.

At procul ut Dirae stridorem adgnovit et alas,

But from afar, when she recognized the whirring and wings of the Fury,

870

infelix crinis scindit Iuturna solutos,

unhappy Juturna tears her loosened hair,

unguibus ora soror foedans et pectora pugnis:

a sister defiling her face with her nails and her breast with her fists:

Quid nunc te tua, Turne, potest germana iuvare?

”How now can your sister help you, Turnus?

Aut quid iam durae superat mihi? Qua tibi lucem

Or what is left now for me, hard-hearted one? By what art

arte morer? Talin possum me opponere monstro?

may I prolong your life? Can I oppose myself to such a monster?

875

Iam iam linquo acies. Ne me terrete timentem,

Now, now I leave the battle-lines. Do not terrify me, who am already afraid,

Syntax notes5 items

12.800inflectere
Second-person singular present passive (or middle) imperative. It means "allow yourself to be bent" or "be swayed" by our prayers, rather than being an infinitive.
12.811digna indigna
Accusative neuter plural. The juxtaposition of these two words without a conjunction (asyndeton) is a formulaic expression meaning "all things, both worthy and unworthy alike."
12.820tuorum
Genitive masculine plural of the possessive adjective tuus. It refers to "your people" or "your kin," specifically the Latin lineage descended from Saturn and connected to Jupiter's divine majesty.
12.839supra ire
The infinitive ire belongs to the accusative-and-infinitive construction (genus... ire), and here functions with the adverb supra to mean "to go above" or "to surpass."
12.859incognita
Nominative feminine singular adjective qualifying the subject sagitta (with a short -a), functioning adverbially to mean "unseen" or "unrecognized," rather than qualifying the accusative plural noun umbras.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:12.798-12.875