Heavenly Omens and Aeneas Carrying Anchises from Troy — Virgil, Aeneid Book 2 (lines 648–723), Latin & English

648

demoror, ex quo¹ me divom pater atque hominum rex

I drag out my years, since the father of gods and king of men

fulminis adflavit ventis et contigit igni.

blew upon me with the winds of his thunderbolt and touched me with his fire.”

650

Talia perstabat memorans, fixusque manebat.

Recalling such things, he persisted and remained fixed.

Nos contra effusi lacrimis, coniunxque Creüsa

We, on the contrary, dissolved in tears—both my wife Creusa

Ascaniusque omnisque domus, ne vertere secum

and Ascanius and the whole household—lest our father wish to ruin

cuncta pater fatoque urguenti incumbere vellet.²

everything with himself and add weight to the pressing fate.

Abnegat, inceptoque et sedibus haeret in isdem.

He refuses, and clings to his purpose and to the same spot.

655

Rursus in arma feror, mortemque miserrimus opto:

Again I rush to arms, and in my utter misery I long for death:

nam quod consilium aut quae iam fortuna dabatur?

for what counsel or what fortune was now offered?

Mene efferre pedem, genitor, te posse relicto

”Did you hope, father, that I could step out, leaving you behind,

sperasti, tantumque nefas patrio excidit ore?

and did so great an impiety fall from a father’s lips?

Si nihil ex tanta Superis placet urbe relinqui,

If it pleases the gods above that nothing of so great a city be left,

660

et sedet hoc animo, perituraeque addere Troiae

and this is fixed in your mind, and it pleases you to add both yourself

teque tuosque iuvat, patet isti ianua leto,

and your own to dying Troy, the door is open to that death of yours,

iamque aderit multo Priami de sanguine Pyrrhus,

and soon Pyrrhus will be here, fresh from the abundant blood of Priam,

natum ante ora patris, patrem qui obtruncat ad aras.

who slaughters the son before the father’s face, and the father at the altars.

Hoc erat, alma parens, quod³ me per tela, per ignis

Was this the reason, gentle mother, that you rescue me through weapons, through fires,

665

eripis, ut mediis hostem in penetralibus, utque

so that I might see the enemy in the midst of our innermost chambers, and see

Ascanium patremque meum iuxtaque Creüsam

Ascanius and my father and Creusa alongside them,

alterum in alterius mactatos sanguine cernam?

slaughtered, each in the other’s blood?

Arma, viri, ferte arma; vocat lux ultima victos.

Arms, men, bring arms; the last light calls the vanquished.

Reddite me Danais; sinite instaurata revisam

Give me back to the Greeks; let me return to the renewed

670

proelia: Numquam omnes hodie moriemur inulti.

battles: never shall we all die unavenged today.”

Hinc ferro accingor rursus clipeoque sinistram

Hereupon I gird myself again with steel, and was fitting my left hand

insertabam aptans, meque extra tecta ferebam.

into the shield, adjusting it, and was bearing myself outside the house.

Ecce autem complexa pedes in limine coniunx

But lo, my wife, clasping my feet on the threshold,

haerebat, parvumque patri tendebat Iulum:

clung to me, and held out little Iulus to his father:

675

Si periturus abis, et nos rape in omnia tecum;

”If you go to perish, carry us too with you into all things;

sin aliquam expertus sumptis spem ponis in armis,

but if from experience you place some hope in the arms you have taken,

hanc primum tutare domum. Cui parvus Iulus,

guard this house first. To whom is little Iulus,

cui pater et coniunx quondam tua dicta relinquor?

to whom is your father, and to whom am I, once called your wife, abandoned?”

Talia vociferans gemitu tectum omne replebat,

Crying out such words, she filled the whole house with her groaning,

680

cum subitum dictuque oritur mirabile monstrum.

when a sudden and wondrous portent, marvelous to tell, arises.

Namque manus inter maestorumque ora parentum

For between the hands and before the faces of his sorrowing parents,

ecce levis summo de vertice visus Iuli

behold, a light tuft of hair on the very top of Iulus’ head seemed

fundere lumen apex, tactuque innoxia mollis

to pour forth light, and a soft flame to lick

lambere flamma comas et circum tempora pasci.

his hair harmlessly and feed around his temples.

685

Nos pavidi trepidare⁴ metu, crinemque flagrantem

We, trembling in panic with fear, fluttered to shake out the blazing hair

excutere et sanctos restinguere fontibus ignis.

and to extinguish the sacred fires with spring water.

At pater Anchises oculos ad sidera laetus

But father Anchises joyfully lifted his eyes to the stars,

extulit, et caelo palmas cum voce tetendit:

and stretched his palms to heaven, with a prayer:

Iuppiter omnipotens, precibus si flecteris ullis,

”Almighty Jupiter, if you are bent by any prayers,

690

aspice nos; hoc tantum, et, si pietate meremur,

look upon us; this is all we ask, and, if we deserve it by our piety,

da deinde auxilium, pater, atque haec omina firma.

grant then your aid, father, and confirm these omens.”

Vix ea fatus erat senior, subitoque fragore

Scarcely had the old man spoken these words, when with a sudden crash

intonuit laevum,⁵ et de caelo lapsa per umbras

it thundered on the left, and falling from heaven through the shadows

stella facem ducens multa cum luce cucurrit.

a star carrying a torch ran with much light.

695

Illam, summa super labentem culmina tecti,

We see it, gliding over the highest rooftops,

cernimus Idaea claram se condere silva

bury itself bright in Mount Ida’s forest,

signantemque vias; tum longo limite sulcus

marking its pathways; then with a long track the furrow

dat lucem, et late circum loca sulphure fumant.

gives light, and widely around the places smoke with sulphur.

Hic vero victus genitor se tollit ad auras,

At this indeed, overcome, my father raises himself toward the air,

700

adfaturque deos et sanctum sidus adorat.

and addresses the gods and adores the sacred star.

Iam iam nulla mora est; sequor et qua ducitis adsum.

”Now, now there is no delay; I follow, and where you lead, I am present.

Di patrii, servate domum, servate nepotem.

Ancestral gods, save my house, save my grandson.

Vestrum hoc augurium, vestroque in numine Troia est.

This omen is yours, and Troy is in your divine power.

Cedo equidem, nec, nate, tibi comes ire recuso.

I indeed yield, nor, my son, do I refuse to go as your companion.”

705

Dixerat ille; et iam per moenia clarior ignis

He had spoken; and now through the walls the fire is heard

auditur, propiusque aestus incendia volvunt.

more clearly, and the conflagrations roll their heat closer.

Ergo age, care pater, cervici imponere nostrae;

”Therefore come, dear father, place yourself on my neck;

ipse subibo umeris, nec me labor iste gravabit:

I myself will support you with my shoulders, nor will that labor burden me:

quo res cumque cadent, unum et commune periclum,

however things fall out, there will be one and a common danger,

710

una salus ambobus erit. Mihi parvus Iulus

one safety for us both. Let little Iulus be

sit comes, et longe servet vestigia coniunx:

my companion, and let my wife follow our footsteps at a distance:

vos, famuli, quae dicam, animis advertite vestris.

you, servants, turn your minds to what I shall say.

Est urbe egressis⁶ tumulus templumque vetustum

To those having departed from the city, there is a mound and an ancient temple

desertae Cereris, iuxtaque antiqua cupressus

of deserted Ceres, and nearby an ancient cypress tree,

715

religione patrum multos servata per annos.

preserved through many years by the reverence of our fathers.

Hanc ex diverso sedem veniemus in unam.

To this one seat we shall come from different directions.

Tu, genitor, cape sacra manu patriosque Penatis;

You, father, take the sacred items and ancestral Penates in your hand;

me, bello e tanto digressum et caede recenti,

for me, having departed from so great a war and recent slaughter,

attrectare nefas, donec me flumine vivo

it is a sin to touch them, until with living water

720

abluero.

I have washed myself.”

Haec fatus, latos umeros subiectaque colla

Having spoken these words, I am covered over my broad shoulders and lowered neck

veste super fulvique insternor⁷ pelle leonis,

with a garment and the skin of a tawny lion as an overlay,

succedoque oneri; dextrae se parvus Iulus

and submit to the burden; little Iulus clasped himself to my right hand

Syntax notes7 items

2.648ex quo
A temporal relative expression meaning "from which time" or "since," here taking the event of Jupiter's lightning blast as the starting point of the duration.
2.652ne vertere ... vellet
The clause with ne introduces a plea or fear implied by the family's weeping (effusi lacrimis), functioning as "begging him not to..." or "fearing lest he should wish to...". cuncta is the object of vertere.
2.664Hoc erat ... quod
The demonstrative hoc anticipates the following quod clause. Literally, "Was this the thing, namely that you rescue me...?" meaning "Was it for this that you rescued me...?"
2.685trepidare
Historical infinitives (trepidare, excutere, restinguere), used instead of finite past verbs to describe rapid and anxious action in a vivid manner. The subject is the nominative pronoun nos.
2.693laevum
Neuter accusative singular of laevus used adverbially ("on the left"). In Roman augury, the observer faced south, so the left side (the east, where light rises) was considered highly favorable.
2.713egressis
Dative plural of the perfect participle of egredior. This is a dative of reference (specifically, a dative of the person judging or local standpoint): "to those who have gone out of the city, there is a mound..."
2.722insternor
The passive form of insterno is used here with a middle or reflexive sense ("I spread [it] over myself" or "I cover myself [with it]").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:2.648-2.723