The Footrace Outcome and the Call for Boxers — Virgil, Aeneid Book 5 (lines 321–397), Latin & English

321

insequitur Salius; spatio post deinde relicto

Salius follows; then, after an interval left,

tertius Euryalus:

Euryalus is third:

Euryalumque Helymus sequitur; quo deinde sub ipso

and Helymus follows Euryalus; next, close behind him,

ecce volat calcemque terit iam calce Diores,

behold, Diores flies and now rubs heel with heel,

325

incumbens umero, spatia et si plura supersint,

leaning over his shoulder; and if more space remained,

transeat elapsus prior, ambiguumque relinquat.¹

he would have slipped past and gone ahead, leaving the issue in doubt.

Iamque fere spatio extremo fessique sub ipsam

And now they were almost at the end of the course and, weary, were approaching

finem adventabant, levi cum sanguine Nisus

the very goal, when Nisus on slippery blood

labitur infelix, caesis ut forte iuvencis²

unluckily slips, where by chance, from slaughtered bullocks,

330

fusus humum viridisque super madefecerat herbas.

the poured-out blood had soaked the ground and the green grass above.

Hic iuvenis iam victor ovans vestigia presso

Here the youth, already exulting as victor, did not hold

haud tenuit titubata solo, sed pronus in ipso

his stumbling footsteps on the trodden ground, but fell prone

concidit immundoque fimo sacroque cruore.

into the filthy dung itself and the sacred blood.

Non tamen Euryali, non ille oblitus amorum;³

Yet he was not forgetful of Euryalus, nor of his love;

335

nam sese opposuit Salio per lubrica surgens;

for rising through the slippery place, he opposed himself to Salius;

ille autem spissa iacuit revolutus harena.

but he fell back and lay on the thick sand.

Emicat Euryalus, et munere victor amici

Euryalus springs forward, and victor by the gift of his friend

prima tenet, plausuque volat fremituque secundo.

holds the first place, and flies with applause and favoring cheers.

Post Helymus subit, et nunc tertia palma Diores.

After him comes Helymus, and now Diores is the third prize.

340

Hic totum caveae consessum ingentis et ora

Here Salius fills the whole assembly of the great theater and the eyes

prima patrum magnis Salius clamoribus implet,

of the elders in the front row with loud outcries,

ereptumque dolo reddi sibi poscit honorem.

and demands that the honor snatched from him by trickery be restored to him.

Tutatur favor Euryalum, lacrimaeque decorae,

Favor protects Euryalus, and his graceful tears,

gratior et pulchro veniens in corpore virtus.

and merit appearing more pleasing in a beautiful body.

345

Adiuvat et magna proclamat voce Diores,

Diores also helps and proclaims with a loud voice,

qui subiit palmae, frustraque ad praemia venit

who succeeded to the prize, and came in vain to the last

ultima, si primi Salio reddentur honores.

reward, if the first honors are restored to Salius.

Tum pater Aeneas Vestra inquit munera vobis

Then father Aeneas says: “Your gifts remain sure

certa manent, pueri, et palmam movet ordine nemo;

to you, boys, and no one moves the prize from its order;

350

me liceat casus misereri insontis amici.

let it be permitted to me to pity the misfortune of an innocent friend.”

Sic fatus, tergum Gaetuli immane leonis

Thus having spoken, he gives Salius the huge hide of a Gaetulian lion,

dat Salio, villis onerosum atque unguibus aureis.

heavy with shaggy hair and golden claws.

Hic Nisus, Si tanta inquit sunt praemia victis,

Here Nisus says: “If such great rewards are for the vanquished,

et te lapsorum miseret, quae munera Niso

and you pity those who have fallen, what worthy gifts

355

digna dabis, primam merui qui laude coronam,

will you give to Nisus, who deserved the first crown with praise,

ni me, quae Salium, fortuna inimica tulisset?⁴

had not the same hostile fortune carried me away as did Salius?”

Et simul his dictis faciem ostentabat et udo

And at the same time with these words he showed his face and limbs

turpia membra fimo. Risit pater optimus olli

filthy with wet dung. The excellent father smiled at him

et clipeum efferri iussit, Didymaonis artem,

and ordered a shield to be brought out, the workmanship of Didymaon,

360

Neptuni sacro Danais de poste refixum.

taken down by the Greeks from the sacred doorpost of Neptune.

Hoc iuvenem egregium praestanti munere donat;

With this outstanding gift he presents the excellent youth.

Post, ubi confecti cursus, et dona peregit:

Afterwards, when the races were finished and he had completed the gifts:

Nunc, si cui virtus animusque in pectore praesens,

”Now, if anyone has courage and a ready spirit in his breast,

adsit, et evinctis attollat brachia palmis.

let him stand forth, and raise his arms with bound hands.”

365

Sic ait, et geminum pugnae proponit honorem,

Thus he speaks, and proposes a double honor for the contest,

victori velatum auro vittisque iuvencum,

for the victor a bullock veiled with gold and ribbons,

ensem atque insignem galeam solacia victo.

a sword and a noble helmet as consolation for the vanquished.

Nec mora: continuo vastis cum viribus effert

Nor is there delay: immediately with vast strength Dares

ora Dares, magnoque virum se murmure tollit;

presents his face, and rises amid the great murmur of the men;

370

solus qui Paridem solitus contendere contra,

who alone was accustomed to contend against Paris,

idemque ad tumulum, quo maximus occubat Hector,

and the same at the tomb where great Hector lies,

victorem Buten immani corpore, qui se

struck down Butes of huge body, who boasted

Bebrycia veniens Amyci de gente ferebat,

himself as coming from the Bebrycian race of Amycus,

perculit, et fulva moribundum extendit harena.

and stretched him dying on the yellow sand.

375

Talis prima Dares caput altum in proelia tollit,

Such Dares raises his high head first for the battle,

ostenditque umeros latos, alternaque iactat

and shows his broad shoulders, and tosses his arms,

brachia protendens, et verberat ictibus auras.

stretching them out alternately, and beats the air with blows.

Quaeritur huic alius; nec quisquam ex agmine tanto

Another is sought for him; nor does anyone from so great a crowd

audet adire virum manibusque inducere caestus.

dare to approach the man and draw the gauntlets onto his hands.

380

Ergo alacris, cunctosque putans excedere palma,

Therefore, eager, and thinking that all had given up the prize,

Aeneae stetit ante pedes, nec plura moratus

he stood before Aeneas’ feet, and delaying no longer,

tum laeva taurum cornu tenet, atque ita fatur:

then holds the bull by the left horn, and thus speaks:

Nate dea, si nemo audet se credere pugnae,

”Son of a goddess, if no one dares to trust himself to the fight,

quae finis standi? Quo me decet usque teneri?

what is the end of my standing? How long is it fitting for me to be held?

385

Ducere dona iube. Cuncti simul ore fremebant

Order me to lead away the gifts.” At the same time all the

Dardanidae, reddique viro promissa iubebant.

Trojans shouted assent, and ordered the promised gifts to be returned to the man.

Hic gravis Entellum dictis castigat Acestes,

Here grave Acestes chides Entellus with words,

proximus ut viridante toro consederat herbae:

as he sat next to him on the green couch of grass:

Entelle, heroum quondam fortissime frustra,

”Entellus, once the bravest of heroes in vain,

390

tantane tam patiens nullo certamine tolli

will you so patiently permit such great gifts to be carried off with no contest?

dona sines? Ubi nunc nobis deus ille magister⁵

Where is now that godlike teacher Eryx,

nequiquam memoratus Eryx? Ubi fama per omnem

celebrated by us in vain? Where is your fame through all

Trinacriam, et spolia illa tuis pendentia tectis?

Trinacria, and those spoils hanging from your roof?”

Ille sub haec: Non laudis amor, nec gloria cessit

He replied to this: “Neither the love of praise nor glory has departed,

395

pulsa metu; sed enim gelidus tardante senecta

driven away by fear; but indeed my cold blood is dulled

sanguis hebet, frigentque effetae in corpore vires.

by delaying old age, and my exhausted strength is cold in my body.

Si mihi, quae quondam fuerat, quaque improbus iste

If I had what once was mine, and in which that impudent fellow

Syntax notes5 items

5.325spatia et si plura supersint, / transeat elapsus prior, ambiguumque relinquat.
The present subjunctives supersint, transeat, and relinquat form a conditional sentence in a past context (vividly using the present tense instead of the pluperfect for counterfactual statement): "if more space had remained, he would have slipped past and gone ahead, leaving the issue in doubt."
5.329caesis ut forte iuvencis
Here ut acts as a relative adverb of place or time, introducing the clause with madefecerat: "where [or when] by chance, from the slaughtered bullocks, the poured-out blood had soaked the ground."
5.334Non tamen Euryali, non ille oblitus amorum
The genitives Euryali (singular) and amorum (plural) are parallel objects of the participle oblitus (with est omitted), which regularly governs the genitive case.
5.355primam merui qui laude coronam, / ni me, quae Salium, fortuna inimica tulisset?
A mixed conditional sentence combining an indicative perfect merui in the apodosis with a subjunctive pluperfect ni ... tulisset in the protasis. The indicative emphasizes the certainty of his merit: "I had deserved [and would have received] the first crown, had not a hostile fortune carried me away."
5.391Ubi nunc nobis deus ille magister
nobis functions as an ethical dative (dative of interest/possession), expressing a sense of personal loss, shared concern, or lament: "Where is now for us that godlike teacher?"

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:5.321-5.397