Helenus's Route Advice and Parting Gifts — Virgil, Aeneid Book 3 (lines 399–477), Latin & English

399

Hic et Narycii posuerunt moenia Locri,

Here also Narycian Locrians built walls,

400

et Sallentinos obsedit milite campos

and Lyctian Idomeneus besieged the Sallentine fields with soldiers;

Lyctius Idomeneus; hic illa ducis Meliboei

here is that small Petelia of the Meliboean leader Philoctetes,

parva Philoctetae subnixa Petelia muro.

relying on its wall.

Quin, ubi transmissae steterint trans aequora classes,

Moreover, when your fleet having crossed the seas shall have anchored,

et positis aris iam vota in litore solves,

and you shall now pay your vows on the shore at the established altars,

405

purpureo velare¹ comas adopertus amictu,

veil your hair covered with a purple mantle,

ne qua inter sanctos ignis in honore deorum

lest any hostile face should appear amidst the holy fires in the honor of the gods

hostilis facies occurrat et omina turbet.

and disturb the omens.

Hunc socii morem sacrorum, hunc ipse teneto:

Keep this custom of sacred rites, you yourself and your allies;

hac casti maneant in religione nepotes.

let your descendants remain pure in this religious practice.

410

Ast ubi digressum Siculae te admoverit orae

But when the wind shall have brought you, departed, to the Sicilian coast,

ventus, et angusti rarescent claustra Pelori,

and the barriers of narrow Pelorus shall begin to open,

laeva tibi tellus et longo laeva petantur

let the land on the left and the seas on the left be sought by you

aequora circuitu: dextrum fuge litus et undas.

with a long circuit: flee the right shore and waves.

Haec loca vi quondam et vasta convolsa ruina—

These places, once shattered by force and vast ruin—

415

tantum aevi longinqua valet mutare vetustas—

so much does the long lapse of time have power to change—

dissiluisse² ferunt, cum protinus utraque tellus

are said to have leaped apart, whereas each land had been continuous

una foret; venit medio vi pontus et undis

and one; the sea came with force between them, and with its waves

Hesperium Siculo latus abscidit, arvaque et urbes

cut off the Hesperian side from the Sicilian, and washed between fields and cities

litore diductas angusto interluit aestu.

separated by a narrow tide.

420

Dextrum Scylla latus, laevum implacata Charybdis

Scylla occupies the right side, implacable Charybdis the left,

obsidet, atque imo barathri ter gurgite vastos

and thrice she sucks the vast waves into the steep abyss with the lowest whirlpool of her gulf,

sorbet in abruptum fluctus, rursusque sub auras

and again lifts them alternately into the air and strikes the stars with the wave.

erigit alternos et sidera verberat unda.

But a cavern confines Scylla in dark hiding-places,

At Scyllam caecis cohibet spelunca latebris,

stretching out her mouths and dragging ships onto the rocks.

425

ora exsertantem et navis in saxa trahentem.

Her face is human first, and she is a virgin with a beautiful breast down to her groin,

Prima hominis facies et pulchro pectore virgo

her lower parts a sea-monster of monstrous body,

pube tenus, postrema immani corpore pristis,

joined with the tails of dolphins to a belly of wolves.

delphinum caudas utero commissa³ luporum.

It is better to traverse the turning-points of Trinacrian Pachynus,

Praestat Trinacrii metas lustrare Pachyni

lingering, and to bend long courses around,

430

cessantem, longos et circumflectere cursus,

than once to have seen misshapen Scylla under her vast cave,

quam semel informem vasto vidisse sub antro

and the rocks resounding with her dark-blue dogs.

Scyllam, et caeruleis canibus resonantia saxa.

Furthermore, if there is any wisdom in Helenus, if there is any trust

Praeterea, si qua est Heleno prudentia, vati

in the prophet, if Apollo fills his mind with truths,

si qua fides, animum si veris implet Apollo,

this one thing, O goddess-born, one instead of all things,

435

unum illud tibi, nate dea, proque omnibus unum

I will foretell to you, and repeating it again and again I will warn you:

praedicam, et repetens iterumque iterumque monebo:

first adore the divinity of great Juno with prayer;

Iunonis magnae primum prece numen adora;

willingly sing vows to Juno, and overcome the powerful mistress

Iunoni cane vota libens, dominamque potentem

with suppliant gifts: thus at last, as a victor,

supplicibus supera donis: sic denique victor

having left Trinacria, you will be sent to the Italian borders.

440

Trinacria finis Italos mittere relicta.

When, carried hither, you shall have approached the Cumaean city,

Huc ubi delatus Cumaeam accesseris urbem,

and the divine lakes, and Avernus sounding with its woods,

divinosque lacus, et Averna sonantia silvis,

you will behold the frenzied prophetess, who under the deep rock

insanam vatem aspicies, quae rupe sub ima

sings the fates, and commits signs and names to leaves.

fata canit, foliisque notas et nomina mandat.

Whatever prophecies the virgin has written on leaves,

445

Quaecumque in foliis descripsit carmina virgo,

she arranges in order, and leaves them shut up in her cave.

digerit in numerum, atque antro seclusa relinquit.

They remain unmoved in their places, nor do they depart from their order;

Illa manent immota locis, neque ab ordine cedunt;

but when, the hinge being turned, a light wind has pushed them

verum eadem, verso tenuis cum cardine ventus

and the door has disturbed the tender leaves,

impulit et teneras turbavit ianua frondes,

she never cares thereafter to catch them as they flutter in the hollow rock,

450

numquam deinde cavo volitantia prendere saxo,

nor to restore their positions or join the prophecies:

nec revocare situs aut iungere carmina curat:

they depart without counsel, and hate the seat of the Sibyl.

inconsulti abeunt, sedemque odere Sibyllae.

Here, let no loss of delay be of such great value to you,—

Hic tibi ne qua morae fuerint dispendia tanti,⁴—

although your allies chide, and the course loudly calls your sails to the deep,

quamvis increpitent socii, et vi cursus in altum

and you can fill the favorable folds of your sails,—

455

vela vocet, possisque sinus implere secundos,—

that you should not go to the prophetess and demand with prayers

quin adeas vatem precibusque oracula poscas

that she herself sing the oracles, and willingly loosen her voice and mouth.

ipsa canat, vocemque volens atque ora resolvat.

She will unfold to you the peoples of Italy and the wars to come,

Illa tibi Italiae populos venturaque bella,

and in what manner you should flee or bear each labor,

et quo quemque modo fugiasque ferasque laborem

and, being worshipped, she will give you a prosperous course.

460

expediet, cursusque dabit venerata secundos.

These are the things which you are permitted to be warned of by our voice.

Haec sunt, quae nostra liceat te voce moneri.

Go, proceed, and raise great Troy to the heavens by your deeds.”

Vade age, et ingentem factis fer ad aethera Troiam.

After the prophet had thus spoken these things with friendly mouth,

Quae postquam vates sic ore effatus amico est,

he then orders gifts heavy with gold and carved ivory

dona dehinc auro gravia sectoque elephanto

to be carried to the ships, and packs the hulls with abundant silver

465

imperat ad navis ferri, stipatque carinis

and Dodonaean cauldrons,

ingens argentum, Dodonaeosque lebetas,

a breastplate woven with hooks and triple-ply with gold,

loricam consertam hamis auroque trilicem,

and the cone of a distinguished helmet and flowing crests,

et conum insignis galeae cristasque comantis,

the armor of Neoptolemus; there are also his own gifts for the father.

arma Neoptolemi; sunt et sua dona parenti.

He adds horses, and adds guides;

470

Addit equos, additque duces;

he supplies rowers; at the same time he equips the allies with weapons.

remigium supplet; socios simul instruit armis.

Meanwhile, Anchises was ordering the fleet to be prepared with sails,

Interea classem velis aptare iubebat

lest any delay should be made to the favoring wind.

Anchises, fieret vento mora ne qua ferenti.

Whom the interpreter of Phoebus addresses with much honor:

Quem Phoebi interpres multo compellat honore:

”Anchises, deemed worthy of the proud marriage of Venus,

475

Coniugio, Anchise, Veneris dignate superbo,

care of the gods, twice snatched from Trojan ruins,

cura deum, bis Pergameis erepte ruinis,ecce tibi Ausoniae tellus; hanc arripe velis.

behold for you the land of Ausonia; seize this with your sails.”

Syntax notes4 items

3.405velare
Second-person singular passive imperative (used in a middle sense), meaning 'veil yourself' or 'cover your head'. Together with the preceding passive participle 'adopertus', it instructs the Roman style of ritual head-covering (capite velato).
3.416dissiluisse
The infinitive of the accusative-and-infinitive construction (ACI) governed by 'ferunt' ('they say' in line 416). The subject is 'Haec loca' in line 414. This describes the mythological natural history of the separation of Sicily from Italy.
3.428caudas utero commissa
Greek accusative (accusative of specification). The passive participle 'commissa' ('joined') governs the part affected, 'delphinum caudas' ('tails of dolphins'), in the accusative. 'utero' is the dative meaning 'to the belly (of wolves)'.
3.453tanti
Genitive of value. In the construction 'ne qua fuerint morae dispendia tanti... quin adeas', it means 'let no losses of delay be of such great value (importance) to you that they should prevent you from going (quin adeas) to the prophetess'.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:3.399-3.477