Confused Combat and the Defense of Priam's Palace — Virgil, Aeneid Book 2 (lines 405–486), Latin & English

405

ad caelum tendens ardentia lumina frustra,—

stretching her burning eyes to heaven in vain—

lumina, nam teneras arcebant vincula palmas.

her eyes, for chains restrained her tender hands.

Non tulit hanc speciem furiata mente Coroebus,

Coroebus, with a maddened mind, did not endure this sight,

et sese medium iniecit periturus in agmen.

and threw himself to his death into the midst of the band.

Consequimur cuncti et densis incurrimus armis.

We all follow him and rush in with thick weapons.

410

Hic primum ex alto delubri culmine telis

Here first from the high top of the temple we are overwhelmed by the weapons

nostrorum obruimur, oriturque miserrima caedes

of our own men, and a most pitiful slaughter arises

armorum facie et Graiarum errore iubarum.¹

from the appearance of our arms and the error of our Greek crests.

Tum Danai gemitu atque ereptae virginis ira

Then the Greeks, with a groan and anger at the rescued maiden,

undique collecti invadunt, acerrimus Aiax,

gather from all sides and attack: fiercest Ajax,

415

et gemini Atridae, Dolopumque exercitus omnis;

and the twin sons of Atreus, and the whole army of the Dolopes;

adversi rupto ceu quondam turbine venti

just as when a whirlwind burst, opposing winds

confligunt, Zephyrusque Notusque et laetus Eois

clash—Zephyrus and Notus and Eurus joyful with his Eastern

Eurus equis; stridunt silvae, saevitque tridenti

steeds; the woods shriek, and foamy Nereus rages with his trident

spumeus atque imo Nereus ciet aequora fundo.

and stirs the waters from their deepest bottom.

420

Illi etiam, si quos obscura nocte per umbram

Those too, whomsoever we routed by stratagem in the dark

fudimus insidiis totaque agitavimus urbe,

night through the shadow and pursued through the whole city,

apparent; primi clipeos mentitaque tela

appear; they are the first to recognize the shields and the deceptive

adgnoscunt, atque ora sono discordia signant.

weapons, and they note our voices differing in tone.

Ilicet obruimur numero; primusque Coroebus

Straightway we are overwhelmed by numbers; and first Coroebus

425

Penelei dextra divae armipotentis ad aram

falls by the right hand of Peneleus at the altar of the goddess potent in arms;

procumbit; cadit et Rhipeus, iustissimus unus

Rhipeus also falls, who was the single most just man

qui fuit in Teucris et servantissimus aequi:

among the Teucrians and most observant of the right—

dis aliter visum;² pereunt Hypanisque Dymasque

it seemed otherwise to the gods; Hypanis and Dymas perish,

confixi a sociis; nec te tua plurima, Panthu,

pierced by their own companions; nor did your greatest piety, Panthus,

430

labentem pietas nec Apollinis infula texit.

nor the fillet of Apollo protect you as you fell.

Iliaci cineres et flamma extrema meorum,

O ashes of Ilium and final flame of my people,

testor, in occasu vestro nec tela nec ullas

I call you to witness that in your fall I avoided neither weapons nor any

vitavisse vices Danaum, et, si fata fuissent

hazards from the Greeks, and, if the fates had been that I should fall,

ut caderem, meruisse manu.³ Divellimur inde,

I had merited it by my hand. Thence we are torn away,

435

Iphitus et Pelias mecum, quorum Iphitus aevo

Iphitus and Pelias with me, of whom Iphitus was already heavy

iam gravior, Pelias et volnere tardus Ulixi;

with age, and Pelias slow because of a wound from Ulysses;

protinus ad sedes Priami clamore vocati.

summoned immediately to the palace of Priam by the shouting.

Hic vero ingentem pugnam, ceu cetera nusquam

Here indeed we see a huge battle, as if there were no other

bella forent, nulli tota morerentur in urbe.

wars anywhere, and no one was dying in the whole city.

440

Sic Martem indomitum, Danaosque ad tecta ruentis

Thus we behold the untamed conflict, and the Greeks rushing to the palace,

cernimus, obsessumque acta testudine limen.

and the entrance besieged, with a tortoise-formation driven up.

Haerent parietibus scalae, postisque sub ipsos

Ladders cling to the walls, and they struggle up the steps

nituntur gradibus, clipeosque ad tela sinistris

close to the doorposts themselves, and protected they oppose their shields with their left hands

protecti obiciunt, prensant fastigia dextris.

against weapons, and grasp the roof-edges with their right hands.

445

Dardanidae contra turris ac tota domorum

The Dardanians on the other hand tear down towers and the whole roofs

culmina convellunt; his se, quando ultima cernunt,

of the houses; with these, since they see the end,

extrema iam in morte parant defendere telis;

they prepare to defend themselves even in extreme death as weapons;

auratasque trabes, veterum decora alta parentum,

and they roll down gilded beams, the lofty ornaments of their ancient ancestors;

devolvunt; alii strictis mucronibus imas

others with drawn swords have blocked the lowest

450

obsedere fores; has servant agmine denso.

doors; these they guard in a dense crowd.

Instaurati animi, regis succurrere tectis,

Our spirits were renewed to aid the palace of the king,

auxilioque levare viros, vimque addere victis.

and to relieve the men with help, and to add strength to the defeated.

Limen erat caecaeque fores et pervius usus

There was an entrance and a hidden door and a common passage between the halls

tectorum inter se Priami, postesque relicti

of Priam’s palace, and a neglected postern at the rear,

455

a tergo, infelix qua se, dum regna manebant,

where, while the kingdom remained, the unhappy Andromache was often

saepius Andromache ferre incomitata solebat

accustomed to go unattended to her parents-in-law,

ad soceros, et avo puerum Astyanacta trahebat.

and used to drag the boy Astyanax to his grandfather.

Evado ad summi fastigia culminis, unde

I escape to the edges of the highest roof, whence

tela manu miseri iactabant inrita Teucri.

the wretched Teucrians were throwing vain weapons with their hands.

460

Turrim in praecipiti stantem summisque sub astra

A tower standing on the edge, and built up to the stars

eductam tectis, unde omnis Troia videri

from the highest roofs, whence all Troy

et Danaum solitae naves et Achaia castra,

and the usual ships of the Greeks and the Achaean camp were accustomed to be seen,

adgressi ferro circum, qua summa labantis

we attacked with iron all around, where the highest stories offered

iuncturas tabulata dabant,⁴ convellimus altis

unstable joints, and we tore it from its lofty foundations,

465

sedibus, impulimusque; ea lapsa repente ruinam

and pushed it; having slipped, it suddenly drags down ruin

cum sonitu trahit et Danaum super agmina late

with a crash and falls widely upon the bands of the Greeks:

incidit: ast alii subeunt, nec saxa, nec ullum

but others come up, nor do stones nor any kind of

telorum interea cessat genus.

weapons cease meanwhile.

Vestibulum ante ipsum primoque in limine Pyrrhus

Before the entrance itself and on the very threshold Pyrrhus

470

exsultat, telis et luce coruscus aëna;

exults, flashing with weapons and bronze light;

qualis ubi in lucem coluber mala gramina pastus

just as when a snake, having fed on poisonous herbs,

frigida sub terra tumidum quem bruma tegebat,

which the cold winter was hiding swollen under the earth,

nunc, positis novus exuviis nitidusque iuventa,

now, its skin cast off, new and shining with youth,

lubrica convolvit sublato pectore terga

rolls its slippery back with raised breast,

475

arduus ad solem, et linguis micat ore trisulcis.

towering toward the sun, and darts with its three-forked tongue from its mouth.

Una ingens Periphas et equorum agitator Achillis,

Together with him huge Periphas and the driver of Achilles’ horses,

armiger Automedon, una omnis Scyria pubes

the armor-bearer Automedon, together with him all the Scyrian youth

succedunt tecto, et flammas ad culmina iactant.

advance to the house, and hurl flames to the roofs.

Ipse inter primos correpta dura bipenni

He himself among the first, having seized a hard double-axe,

480

limina perrumpit, postisque a cardine vellit

breaks through the stubborn thresholds, and tears the bronze-plated doorposts

aeratos; iamque excisa trabe firma cavavit

from their hinges; and now, having cut through the beam, he hollowed out the firm

robora, et ingentem lato dedit ore fenestram.

oak, and made a huge window with a wide opening.

Adparet domus intus, et atria longa patescunt;

The house within appears, and the long halls lie open;

adparent Priami et veterum penetralia regum,

the inner sanctuaries of Priam and of ancient kings appear,

485

armatosque vident stantis in limine primo.

and they see armed men standing on the very threshold.

At domus interior gemitu miseroque tumultu

But the inner house with groaning and wretched tumult...

Syntax notes4 items

2.412errore iubarum
Meaning "the mistake concerning the Greek crests." The noun "iubarum" is an objective genitive. The entire phrase is an ablative of cause, explaining how their fellow Trojans mistakenly attacked them due to their Greek armor.
2.428dis aliter visum
An ellipsis of the copula "est" ("visum est"). Literally "it seemed otherwise to the gods," indicating that the divine will and fate differed from human moral standards (which would expect the most just Rhipeus to survive).
2.434meruisse manu
An infinitive clause of indirect speech dependent on "testor" (line 432), with the accusative subject pronoun "me" omitted. It functions as the apodosis of the conditional clause "si fata fuissent...", meaning "I swear... that I had deserved [death] by my own hand."
2.455qua summa labantis / iuncturas tabulata dabant
A relative clause introduced by the adverb "qua." "summa tabulata" (the highest flooring) serves as the subject, "dabant" as the verb, and "labantis iuncturas" (weak or loose joints, with "labantis" being an archaic accusative plural for "labantes") as the direct object.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:2.405-2.486