Landing in Sicily and the Proclamation of Funeral Games — Virgil, Aeneid Book 5 (lines 1–78), Latin & English

Interea medium Aeneas iam classe tenebat

Meanwhile Aeneas with his fleet was now holding his course directly on the deep,

certus iter, fluctusque atros Aquilone secabat,

resolute on his journey, and was cutting the dark waves with the North Wind,

moenia respiciens, quae iam infelicis Elissaeconlucent flammis. Quae tantum accenderit ignem,

looking back at the walls which now gleamed with the flames of unhappy Elissa. Of what cause had kindled so great a fire

causa latet; duri magno sed amore dolores

the cause remains hidden; but the harsh pains of a great love

polluto, notumque, furens quid femina possit,¹

defiled, and the knowledge of what a raging woman can do,

triste per augurium Teucrorum pectora ducunt.

lead the hearts of the Trojans through sad foreboding.

Ut pelagus tenuere rates, nec iam amplius ulla

When the ships held the deep, and no longer any

occurrit tellus, maria undique et undique caelum,

land appeared, with seas on all sides and sky on all sides,

olli caeruleus supra caput adstitit imber,

a dark rain-cloud stood above his head,

noctem hiememque ferens, et inhorruit unda tenebris.

bringing night and storm, and the wave shuddered with darkness.

Ipse gubernator puppi Palinurus ab alta:

Palinurus the pilot himself cried from the high stern:

Heu! quianam tanti cinxerunt aethera nimbi?

”Alas! why have such great storm-clouds girdled the sky?

Quidve, pater Neptune, paras? Sic deinde locutus

Or what, father Neptune, are you preparing?” Having thus spoken, next

colligere arma iubet validisque incumbere remis,

he orders them to gather the tackle and bend to the strong oars,

obliquatque sinus in ventum, ac talia fatur:

and he turns the sails slantwise into the wind, and speaks as follows:

Magnanime Aenea, non, si mihi Iuppiter auctor

”Magnanimous Aeneas, not even if Jupiter as guarantor should

spondeat, hoc sperem² Italiam contingere caelo.

promise it to me, could I hope to reach Italy with this sky.

Mutati transversa fremunt et vespere ab atro

The winds have shifted and roar athwart us, and from the dark west

consurgunt venti, atque in nubem cogitur aër.

they rise up, and the air is thickened into cloud.

Nec nos obniti contra, nec tendere tantum

We are neither able to struggle against them, nor to make enough

sufficimus. Superat quoniam Fortuna, sequamur,

progress. Since Fortune overcomes us, let us follow,

quoque vocat, vertamus iter. Nec litora longe

and wherever she calls, let us turn our course. Nor far away,

fida reor fraterna Erycis portusque Sicanos,

I think, are the faithful shores of your brother Eryx and the Sicanian ports,

si modo rite memor servata remetior astra.

if only, rightly remembering, I retrace the stars I watched.”

Tum pius Aeneas: Equidem sic poscere ventos

Then pious Aeneas spoke: “Indeed, that the winds so demand,

iamdudum et frustra cerno te tendere contra:

I have long seen, and that you struggle against them in vain:

Flecte viam velis. An sit mihi gratior ulla,

Bend your course with the sails. Could any land be more welcome to me,

quove magis fessas optem demittere naves,

or where would I more wish to bring in my weary ships,

quam quae Dardanium tellus mihi servat Acesten,

than that which keeps Dardanian Acestes for me,

et patris Anchisae gremio complectitur ossa?

and embraces in its bosom the bones of my father Anchises?”

Haec ubi dicta, petunt portus, et vela secundi

When these things were said, they seek the ports, and the favorable

intendunt Zephyri; fertur cita gurgite classis,

Zephyrs stretch the sails; the fleet is borne swiftly on the deep,

et tandem laeti notae advertuntur harenae.

and at last, rejoicing, they turn towards the familiar shores.

At procul ex celso miratus vertice montis

But from afar, from the high summit of a mountain, wondering at

adventum sociasque rates occurrit Acestes,

their arrival and the friendly ships, Acestes runs to meet them,

horridus in iaculis et pelle Libystidis ursae,

rough with javelins and the skin of a Libyan bear,

Troïa Criniso conceptum flumine mater

whom a Trojan mother bore, conceived by the river Crinisus:

quem genuit:³ veterum non immemor ille parentum

he, not unmindful of his ancient parents,

gratatur reduces, et gaza laetus agresti

welcomes them on their return, and rejoices to receive them with rustic wealth,

excipit, ac fessos opibus solatur amicis.

and comforts the weary ones with friendly resources.

Postera cum primo stellas Oriente fugarat

When on the next day the bright dawn had routed the stars with the first

clara dies, socios in coetum litore ab omni

rising sun, Aeneas summons his companions to an assembly from the whole shore,

advocat Aeneas, tumulique ex aggere fatur:

and speaks from the mound of a hillock:

Dardanidae magni, genus alto a sanguine divom,

”Great Trojans, a race from the high blood of gods,

annuus exactis completur mensibus orbis,

a yearly circle is completed with the months fulfilled,

ex quo reliquias divinique ossa parentis

since we committed to the earth the remains and bones of my divine parent

Condidimus terra maestasque sacravimus aras.

and consecrated mournful altars.

Iamque dies, nisi fallor, adest, quem semper acerbum,

And now the day is here, unless I am mistaken, which I shall always hold as bitter,

semper honoratum—sic di voluistis—habebo.

always honored—so you, gods, have willed.

Hunc ego Gaetulis agerem si Syrtibus exsul,

If I were spending this day as an exile on the Gaetulian Syrtes,

Argolicove mari deprensus et urbe Mycenae;

or caught on the Argolic sea and in the city of Mycenae;

annua vota tamen sollemnisque ordine pompas

I would still perform my yearly vows and solemn processions in order,

exsequerer, strueremque suis altaria donis.

and would heap the altars with their proper gifts.

Nunc ultro ad cineres ipsius et ossa parentis,

Now, moreover, at the very ashes and bones of my parent,

haud equidem sine mente, reor, sine numine divom,

not indeed, I think, without the purpose and divine will of the gods,

adsumus et portus delati intramus amicos.

we are present, and having been carried here, we enter friendly ports.

Ergo agite, et laetum cuncti celebremus honorem;

Therefore come, and let us all celebrate this joyful honor;

poscamus ventos; atque haec me sacra quotannis

let us pray for winds, and may he wish that I perform these sacred rites yearly,

urbe velit posita templis sibi ferre dicatis.⁴

when our city is established, in temples dedicated to him.

Bina boum vobis Troia generatus Acestes

Acestes, born of Trojan race, gives you two heads of cattle

dat numero capita in naves; adhibete Penates

by number for each ship; invite to the feast the Penates

et patrios epulis et quos colit hospes Acestes.

both of our fatherland and those whom our host Acestes worships.

Praeterea, si nona diem mortalibus almum

Furthermore, if the ninth Dawn shall bring forth a genial day for mortals

Aurora extulerit radiisque retexerit orbem,

and lay open the world with her rays,

prima citae Teucris ponam certamina classis;

I will first establish for the Trojans contests of the swift fleet;

quique pedum cursu valet, et qui viribus audax

and whoever is strong in the foot-race, and whoever, daring in strength,

aut iaculo incedit melior levibusque sagittis,

either steps forward better with the javelin and light arrows,

seu crudo fidit pugnam committere caestu,

or trusts to join battle with the raw-hide boxing-glove,

cuncti adsint, meritaeque exspectent praemia palmae.

let all be present, and expect the rewards of the well-deserved palm.

Ore favete omnes, et cingite tempora ramis.

Keep silence, all of you, and bind your temples with branches.”

Sic fatus, velat materna tempora myrto;

Having thus spoken, he veils his temples with his mother’s myrtle;

hoc Elymus facit, hoc aevi maturus Acestes,

this Elymus does, this Acestes mature in years,

hoc puer Ascanius, sequitur quos cetera pubes.

this the boy Ascanius, whom the rest of the youth follow.

Ille e concilio multis cum milibus ibat

He went from the assembly with many thousands

ad tumulum, magna medius comitante caterva.

to the mound, in the midst of a great accompanying crowd.

Hic duo rite mero libans carchesia Baccho

Here, pouring in libation according to rite two bowls of unmixed wine,

fundit humi, duo lacte novo, duo sanguine sacro,

he pours them on the ground, two of fresh milk, two of sacred blood,

Syntax notes4 items

5.6notumque, furens quid femina possit
The subject of the main verb ducunt (5.7) consists of two parts: dolores (5.5) and the neuter participle notum (5.6), used substantively ("the knowledge"). notum is followed by the indirect question furens quid femina possit ("what a raging woman can do").
5.17non, si mihi Iuppiter auctor / spondeat, hoc sperem
This is a future less vivid conditional sentence, using the present subjunctive in both the protasis (si... spondeat) and the apodosis (sperem). auctor is in apposition to Iuppiter, meaning "as a guarantor" or "authorizer."
5.38Troia Criniso conceptum flumine mater / quem genuit
The word order is highly inverted (hyperbaton). Restructured into prose, it would be quem Troia mater genuit, conceptum Criniso flumine ("whom a Trojan mother bore, having conceived him by the river Crinisus"). Criniso flumine is an ablative of origin/agent with the participle conceptum.
5.59atque haec me sacra quotannis / urbe velit posita templis sibi ferre dicatis
velit is a present subjunctive of wish (or dependent on poscamus), whose implied subject is the deceased father Anchises. It governs the accusative with infinitive construction me ferre ("that I perform"). urbe posita is an ablative absolute ("after the city has been established"), and templis... dicatis is a dative of destination ("in temples dedicated to him").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:5.1-5.78