Dido's Passion for Aeneas and Anna's Counsel — Virgil, Aeneid Book 4 (lines 1–80), Latin & English

At regina gravi iamdudum saucia cura

But the queen, long since wounded by heavy care,

volnus alit venis, et caeco carpitur igni.¹

nourishes the wound in her veins, and is consumed by a hidden fire.

Multa viri virtus animo, multusque recursat

Much does the hero’s virtue, and much does the glory of his race

gentis honos: haerent infixi pectore voltus

recur to her mind; his looks and words cling

verbaque, nec placidam membris dat cura quietem.

fixed in her breast, nor does care grant peaceful rest to her limbs.

Postera Phoebea lustrabat lampade terras,

The following Aurora was traversing the earth with Phoebus’s lamp,

umentemque Aurora polo dimoverat umbram,

and had removed the damp shadow from the sky,

cum sic unanimam adloquitur male sana sororem:

when, scarce sane, she thus addresses her like-minded sister:

Anna soror, quae me suspensam insomnia terrent!

”Sister Anna, what dreams terrify me, keeping me in suspense!

Quis novus hic nostris successit sedibus hospes,

Who is this new guest that has entered our dwellings,

quem sese ore ferens,² quam forti pectore et armis!

bearing himself so noble in mien, of how brave a breast and arms!

Credo equidem, nec vana fides, genus esse deorum.

Indeed I believe, nor is my faith groundless, that he is of the race of gods.

Degeneres animos timor arguit: heu, quibus ille

Fear proves degenerate souls: alas, by what fates

iactatus fatis! Quae bella exhausta canebat!

he was tossed! What exhausted wars he sang of!

Si mihi non animo fixum immotumque sederet,

If it did not remain fixed and immovable in my mind,

ne cui me vinclo vellem sociare iugali,

that I would not wish to associate myself with anyone in conjugal bond,

postquam primus amor deceptam morte fefellit;

after my first love deceived and failed me by death;

si non pertaesum thalami taedaeque fuisset,

if I had not become utterly weary of the bridal chamber and the torch,

huic uni forsan potui³ succumbere culpae.

perhaps I might have been able to succumb to this one fault.

Anna, fatebor enim, miseri post fata Sychaei

Anna, for I will confess, after the fate of my wretched husband Sychaeus

coniugis et sparsos fraterna caede Penatis,

and the household gods were splattered by fraternal slaughter,

solus hic inflexit sensus, animumque labantem

this man alone has swayed my feelings, and impelled my wavering

impulit: adgnosco veteris vestigia flammae.

mind: I recognize the traces of the ancient flame.

Sed mihi vel tellus optem prius ima dehiscat,⁴

But I would wish either that the deepest earth gape open for me first,

vel Pater omnipotens adigat me fulmine ad umbras,

or that the omnipotent Father drive me with his lightning to the shades,

pallentis umbras Erebi noctemque profundam,

the pale shades of Erebus and deep night,

ante, Pudor, quam te violo, aut tua iura resolvo.

before, O Shame, I violate you, or loosen your laws.

Ille meos, primus qui me sibi iunxit, amores

He who first joined me to himself has taken away my

abstulit; ille habeat secum servetque sepulchro.

love; let him keep it with himself and preserve it in his tomb.”

Sic effata sinum lacrimis implevit obortis.

Thus having spoken, she filled her bosom with welling tears.

Anna refert: O luce magis dilecta sorori,

Anna replies: “O you who are dearer to your sister than light,

solane perpetua maerens carpere iuventa,

will you alone be consumed in mourning throughout your youth,

nec dulcis natos, Veneris nec praemia noris?

nor know sweet children, nor the rewards of Venus?

Id cinerem aut Manis credis curare sepultos?⁵

Do you believe that ashes or the buried spirits of the dead care for that?

Esto: aegram nulli quondam flexere mariti,

Granted: of old no suitors could bend your grieving heart,

non Libyae, non ante Tyro; despectus Iarbas

neither in Libya, nor before in Tyre; Iarbas was despised,

ductoresque alii, quos Africa terra triumphis

and other leaders whom the African land, rich in triumphs,

dives alit: placitone etiam pugnabis amori?

nourishes; will you fight even against a love that pleases you?

Nec venit in mentem, quorum consederis arvis?

Does it not come to your mind in whose lands you have settled?

Hinc Gaetulae urbes, genus insuperabile bello,

On this side, the Gaetulian cities, a race unconquerable in war,

et Numidae infreni cingunt et inhospita Syrtis;

and the unbridled Numidians hem us in, and the inhospitable Syrtis;

hinc deserta siti regio, lateque furentes

on that side, a region deserted through drought, and the widely raging

Barcaei. Quid bella Tyro surgentia dicam,

Barcaeans. Why should I mention the wars rising from Tyre,

germanique minas?

and your brother’s threats?

Dis equidem auspicibus reor et Iunone secunda

Indeed under the guidance of the gods and with favoring Juno, I believe

hunc cursum Iliacas vento tenuisse carinas.

that the Trojan ships held this course with the wind.

Quam tu urbem, soror, hanc cernes, quae surgere regna

What a city you will see here, sister, what kingdoms rise

coniugio tali! Teucrum comitantibus armis

by such a marriage! With the weapons of the Trojans accompanying us,

Punica se quantis attollet gloria rebus!

to what great heights will Punic glory raise itself!

Tu modo posce deos veniam, sacrisque litatis

Do you only ask favor of the gods, and, having performed sacrifices,

indulge hospitio, causasque innecte morandi,

indulge in hospitality, and weave reasons for delay,

dum pelago desaevit hiemps et aquosus Orion,

while winter and watery Orion rage on the deep,

quassataeque rates, dum non tractabile caelum.

and the ships are shattered, and the weather is unfavorable.”

His dictis incensum animum inflammavit amore,

With these words she inflamed her already burning mind with love,

spemque dedit dubiae menti, solvitque pudorem.

and gave hope to her wavering mind, and dissolved her shame.

Principio delubra adeunt, pacemque per aras

First they approach the shrines, and through the altars seek

exquirunt; mactant lectas de more bidentis

peace; they sacrifice chosen sheep according to custom

legiferae Cereri Phoeboque patrique Lyaeo,

to law-giving Ceres and Phoebus and father Lyaeus,

Iunoni ante omnis, cui vincla iugalia curae.

to Juno above all, to whom conjugal bonds are a care.

Ipsa, tenens dextra pateram, pulcherrima Dido

The most beautiful Dido herself, holding the bowl in her right hand,

candentis vaccae media inter cornua fundit,

pours it between the horns of a white cow,

aut ante ora deum pinguis spatiatur ad aras,

or walks before the statues of the gods to the rich altars,

instauratque diem donis, pecudumque reclusis

and renews the day with gifts, and, looking intently into the opened

pectoribus inhians spirantia consulit exta.

breasts of the victims, consults the panting entrails.

Heu vatum ignarae mentes! quid vota furentem,

Alas, the ignorant minds of prophets! What do vows, what do

quid delubra iuvant? Est mollis flamma medullas

shrines profit one who is raging? Meanwhile the soft flame devours her marrow,

interea, et tacitum vivit sub pectore volnus.

and the silent wound lives beneath her breast.

Uritur infelix Dido, totaque vagatur

Unhappy Dido burns, and wanders raging through the whole

urbe furens, qualis coniecta cerva sagitta,

city, like a doe hit by an arrow,

quam procul incautam nemora inter Cresia fixit

which, off her guard, a shepherd chasing with weapons has pierced from afar

pastor agens telis, liquitque volatile ferrum

amid the Cretan groves, and left the winged iron in her,

nescius; illa fuga silvas saltusque peragrat

unknowing; she in her flight traverses the woods and lawns

Dictaeos; haeret lateri letalis arundo.

of Dicte; the lethal shaft clings to her side.

Nunc media Aenean secum per moenia ducit,

Now she leads Aeneas with her through the midst of the walls,

Sidoniasque ostentat opes urbemque paratam;

and displays the Sidonian wealth and the city prepared;

incipit effari, mediaque in voce resistit;

she begins to speak, and stops in the middle of her voice;

nunc eadem labente die convivia quaerit,

now, as the day declines, she seeks the same banquets,

Iliacosque iterum demens audire labores

and, mad, demands to hear again the Trojan labors,

exposcit, pendetque iterum narrantis ab ore.

and hangs again upon the lips of the narrator.

Post, ubi digressi, lumenque obscura vicissim

Afterward, when they had departed, and the dim moon in turn

Syntax notes5 items

4.2caeco... igni
This can be interpreted as "invisible/hidden fire" or "blind fire (blind passion)." In this translation, it is understood as "hidden fire" representing the passion kept concealed within her breast, invisible to others.
4.11quem sese ore ferens
The pronoun quem is used exclamatorily. sese ferens (literally "bearing himself"), accompanied by the ablative ore (countenance, mien), means "displaying himself in mien" or "how noble in mien he presents himself."
4.19potui
This sentence forms a contrary-to-fact conditional (with subjunctive sederet and fuisset in the protasis), but uses the indicative perfect potui in the apodosis. In Latin, verbs denoting ability or obligation (like possum) often use the indicative in the apodosis of contrary-to-fact conditionals to vividly express what was possible.
4.24optem prius ima dehiscat
optem is a present subjunctive expressing a softened wish ("I would wish"). It takes the dependent subjunctives dehiscat and adigat (line 25) directly without the conjunction ut.
4.34Id cinerem aut Manis credis curare sepultos
This is an accusative and infinitive construction dependent on credis. cinerem aut Manis... sepultos acts as the subject accusative, while the pronoun id (referring to the concerns of the living) is the direct object of the infinitive curare.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:4.1-4.80