The Ghost of Hector and the Burning of Troy — Virgil, Aeneid Book 2 (lines 241–321), Latin & English

241

O patria, O divom domus Ilium, et incluta bello

O fatherland, O Ilium, home of the gods, and the walls of the sons of Dardanus

moenia Dardanidum, quater ipso in limine portae

renowned in war! Four times on the very threshold of the gate

substitit, atque utero sonitum quater arma dedere:

it halted, and four times the arms gave a sound from its belly;

instamus tamen inmemores caecique furore,

yet we press on, unmindful and blind with madness,

245

et monstrum infelix sacrata sistimus arce.

and place the ill-omened monster on the sacred citadel.

Tunc etiam fatis aperit Cassandra futuris¹

Then also Cassandra opens her mouth for future fates,

ora, dei iussu non umquam credita Teucris.

by the command of the god never believed by the Teucrians.

Nos delubra deum miseri, quibus ultimus esset

We, miserable ones, for whom that day would be our last,

ille dies,² festa velamus fronde per urbem.

veil the shrines of the gods with festive foliage throughout the city.

250

Vertitur interea caelum et ruit oceano nox,

Meanwhile the sky turns and night rushes from the ocean,

involvens umbra magna terramque polumque

enveloping in its great shadow both the earth and the heavens

Myrmidonumque dolos; fusi per moenia Teucri

and the deceits of the Myrmidons; scattered through the walls, the Teucrians

conticuere, sopor fessos complectitur artus:

fell silent, and deep sleep embraces their weary limbs.

et iam Argiva phalanx instructis navibus ibat

And now the Argive phalanx was going with its equipped ships

255

a Tenedo tacitae per amica silentia lunae

from Tenedos through the friendly silence of the quiet moon,

litora nota petens, flammas cum regia puppis

seeking the familiar shores, when the royal ship had raised

extulerat, fatisque deum defensus iniquis

the flames, and Sinon, defended by the hostile fates of the gods,

inclusos utero Danaos et pinea furtim

secretly releases the Greeks shut up in the belly and the pine

laxat claustra Sinon. Illos patefactus ad auras

barriers. The opened horse returns them to the air,

260

reddit equus, laetique cavo se robore promunt

and they joyfully bring themselves out from the hollow wood:

Thessandrus Sthenelusque duces, et dirus Ulixes,

the leaders Thessandrus and Sthenelus, and dread Ulysses,

demissum lapsi per funem, Acamasque, Thoasque,

having slipped down a lowered rope, and Acamas, and Thoas,

Pelidesque Neoptolemus, primusque Machaon,

and Neoptolemus, grandson of Peleus, and Machaon first,

et Menelaus, et ipse doli fabricator Epeos.

and Menelaus, and Epeos himself, the builder of the deceit.

265

Invadunt urbem somno vinoque sepultam;

They invade the city buried in sleep and wine;

caeduntur vigiles, portisque patentibus omnis

the sentries are slain, and with open gates they receive

accipiunt socios atque agmina conscia iungunt.

all their companions and join the conscious bands.

Tempus erat, quo prima quies mortalibus aegris

It was the time when the first rest begins for weary mortals,

incipit, et dono divom gratissima serpit.

and creeps most welcome as a gift of the gods.

270

In somnis, ecce, ante oculos maestissimus Hector

In my sleep, behold, before my eyes most sorrowful Hector

visus adesse mihi, largosque effundere fletus,

seemed to be present to me, and to pour forth abundant tears,

raptatus bigis, ut quondam, aterque cruento

dragged by the chariot, as formerly, and black with bloody

pulvere, perque pedes traiectus lora tumentis.³

dust, and pierced through his swollen feet with thongs.

Ei mihi, qualis erat, quantum mutatus ab illo

Alas to me, what a sight he was, how much changed from that

275

Hectore, qui redit exuvias indutus Achilli,

Hector who returned dressed in the spoils of Achilles,

vel Danaum Phrygios iaculatus puppibus ignis,

or having hurled Phrygian fires at the ships of the Greeks,

squalentem barbam et concretos sanguine crinis

bearing a filthy beard and hair matted with blood,

volneraque illa gerens, quae circum plurima muros

and those wounds which he received in great numbers

accepit patrios. Ultro flens ipse videbar

around his native walls. Weeping myself, I seemed voluntarily

280

Compellare virum et maestas expromere voces:

to address the hero and to bring forth mournful words:

O lux Dardaniae, spes O fidissima Teucrum,

”O light of Dardania, O most faithful hope of the Teucrians,

quae tantae tenuere morae? Quibus Hector ab oris

what great delays have held you? From what shores, Hector,

exspectate venis? Ut te post multa tuorum

long-awaited, do you come? How wearied we look upon you,

funera, post varios hominumque urbisque labores

after so many deaths of your people, after various labors of both men and city!

285

defessi aspicimus! Quae causa indigna serenos

What unworthy cause has defiled your serene countenance?

foedavit voltus? Aut cur haec volnera cerno?

Or why do I see these wounds?”

Ille nihil, nec me quaerentem vana moratur,

He made no reply, nor does he delay me seeking vain things,

sed graviter gemitus imo de pectore ducens,

but drawing groans heavily from the depths of his chest,

Heu fuge, nate dea, teque his, ait, eripe flammis.

says, “Alas, flee, goddess-born, and snatch yourself from these flames.

290

Hostis habet muros; ruit alto a culmine Troia.

The enemy holds the walls; Troy falls from her high summit.

Sat patriae Priamoque datum: si Pergama dextra

Enough has been given to the fatherland and Priam: if Pergama could be defended

defendi possent, etiam hac defensa fuissent.⁴

by a right hand, it would have been defended even by this one.

Sacra suosque tibi commendat Troia penatis:

Troy commends her sacred things and her Penates to you:

hos cape fatorum comites, his moenia quaere

take these as companions of your fates, seek for these great walls,

295

magna, pererrato statues quae denique ponto.

which you will establish at last after the sea has been thoroughly traversed.”

Sic ait, et manibus vittas Vestamque potentem

Thus he speaks, and with his hands brings forth the headbands and powerful Vesta

aeternumque adytis effert penetralibus ignem.

and the eternal fire from the innermost sanctuaries.

Diverso interea miscentur moenia luctu,

Meanwhile, the city is confused with varied grief on all sides,

et magis atque magis, quamquam secreta parentis

and more and more, although the house of my father Anchises

300

Anchisae domus arboribusque obtecta recessit,

was set back, secret and covered with trees,

clarescunt sonitus, armorumque ingruit horror.

the sounds become clear, and the horror of arms grows near.

Excutior somno, et summi fastigia tecti

I am shaken from sleep, and ascend to the top of the roof

ascensu supero, atque arrectis auribus adsto:

by climbing, and stand with pricked-up ears:

in segetem veluti cum flamma furentibus austris

just as when a flame falls on the standing grain with raging south winds,

305

incidit, aut rapidus montano flumine torrens

or a rapid torrent from a mountain river

sternit agros, sternit sata laeta boumque labores,

lays low the fields, lays low the joyful crops and the labors of oxen,

praecipitisque trahit silvas, stupet inscius alto

and drags headlong the forests, the ignorant shepherd is amazed,

accipiens sonitum saxi de vertice pastor.

hearing the sound from the lofty summit of a rock.

Tum vero manifesta fides, Danaumque patescunt

Then indeed the truth is manifest, and the treachery of the Greeks

310

insidiae. Iam Deiphobi dedit ampla ruinam

lies open. Already the wide house of Deiphobus has given ruin,

Volcano superante domus; iam proxumus ardet

with Vulcan overcoming it; already neighboring Ucalegon

Ucalegon; Sigea igni freta lata relucent.

is on fire; the broad Sigean straits reflect the light with the fire.

Exoritur clamorque virum clangorque tubarum.

The clamor of men and the clangor of trumpets arise.

Arma amens capio; nec sat rationis in armis,⁵

Distracted, I take arms; nor is there enough of reason in arms,

315

sed glomerare manum bello et concurrere in arcem

but my mind burns to gather a band for war and to rush into the citadel

cum sociis ardent animi; furor iraque mentem

with companions; madness and anger drive my mind headlong,

praecipitant, pulchrumque mori succurrit in armis.

and it comes to my mind that it is beautiful to die in arms.

Ecce autem telis Panthus elapsus Achivom,

But behold, Panthus, having escaped the weapons of the Greeks,

Panthus Othryades, arcis Phoebique sacerdos,

Panthus, son of Othryas, priest of the citadel and Phoebus,

320

sacra manu victosque deos parvumque nepotem

himself drags the sacred things, the conquered gods, and his small grandson,

ipse trahit, cursuque amens ad limina tendit.

and runs, distracted, toward our threshold.

Syntax notes5 items

2.246fatis ... futuris
Dative of purpose or reference with aperit ('for future fates' or 'to predict the future fates').
2.248quibus ultimus esset / ille dies
The subjunctive esset in the relative clause characterizes the subject miseri with a nuance of destiny or concession ('we, for whom that day was destined to be our last').
2.273traiectus lora tumentis
An accusative of specification ('Greek accusative') of the part affected, with lora as the object of the passive participle traiectus ('having been pierced as to his swollen feet with thongs').
2.291si ... defendi possent, etiam hac defensa fuissent
A past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence. The imperfect subjunctive possent in the protasis expresses continuous ability or potentiality in the past, while the pluperfect subjunctive defensa fuissent in the apodosis expresses a completed past certainty.
2.314nec sat rationis in armis
An ellipsis of the verb est with a partitive genitive rationis depending on sat ('nor is there enough of reason in arms').

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:2.241-2.321