The Trojan Game and Iris Inciting the Ship-Burning — Virgil, Aeneid Book 5 (lines 556–636), Latin & English

556

omnibus in morem tonsa coma pressa corona;¹

All had their hair pressed by a shorn crown, according to custom;

cornea bina ferunt praefixa hastilia ferro;

they carry two cornel-wood spears tipped with iron;

pars levis umero pharetras;² it pectore summo

some bear light quivers on their shoulder; at the top of the breast

flexilis obtorti per collum circulus auri.

goes a pliant ring of twisted gold around the neck.

560

Tres equitum numero turmae, ternique vagantur

Three are the squadrons of horsemen in number, and three leaders

ductores: pueri bis seni quemque secuti

ride about: twice six boys following each

agmine partito fulgent paribusque magistris.

shine in the divided troop and with equal teachers.

Una acies iuvenum, ducit quam parvus ovantem

One battle-line of the youth, which young Priam leads rejoicing,

nomen avi referens Priamus,—tua clara, Polite,

bearing his grandfather’s name—your illustrious offspring, Polites,

565

progenies, auctura Italos,—quem Thracius albis

destined to increase the Italians—whom a Thracian horse carries,

portat equus bicolor maculis, vestigia primi

two-colored with white spots, displaying white hoofs of its foremost

alba pedis frontemque ostentans arduus albam.

foot as it steps and, tall, displaying a white forehead.

Alter Atys, genus unde Atii duxere Latini,

Another is Atys, from whom the Latin Atii have drawn their lineage,

parvus Atys, pueroque puer dilectus Iulo.

little Atys, a boy beloved by the boy Iulus.

570

Extremus, formaque ante omnis pulcher, Iulus

Last, and beautiful in form before all, Iulus

Sidonio est invectus equo, quem candida Dido

rode on a Sidonian horse, which fair Dido

esse sui dederat monumentum et pignus amoris.

had given to be a monument of herself and a pledge of love.

Cetera Trinacrii pubes senioris Acestae

The rest of the youth are carried on the horses of the elder

fertur equis.

Sicilian Acestes.

575

Excipiunt plausu pavidos, gaudentque tuentes

The Trojans receive them with applause as they are fearful, and rejoice beholding them,

Dardanidae, veterumque adgnoscunt ora parentum.

and recognize the features of their old parents.

Postquam omnem laeti consessum oculosque suorum

After they, joyful, had traversed on their horses the whole assembly

lustravere in equis, signum clamore paratis

and the eyes of their people, Epytides from afar gave the signal

Epytides longe dedit insonuitque flagello.

with a shout to them ready, and cracked his whip.

580

Olli discurrere pares, atque agmina terni

They galloped apart in equal numbers, and the three leaders broke

diductis solvere choris, rursusque vocati

their ranks into separated groups, and called back again,

convertere vias infestaque tela tulere.

they reversed their paths and bore hostile weapons.

Inde alios ineunt cursus aliosque recursus

Then they enter upon other courses and other retreats

adversi spatiis, alternosque orbibus orbes

opposite in their spaces, and entangle alternating circles

585

impediunt, pugnaeque cient simulacra sub armis;

with circles, and stir up images of battle under arms;

et nunc terga fuga nudant, nunc spicula vertunt

and now they lay bare their backs in flight, now they turn their darts

infensi, facta pariter nunc pace feruntur.

hostilely, now having made peace they ride together.

Ut quondam Creta fertur Labyrinthus in alta

Just as once the Labyrinth in high Crete is said to have had

parietibus textum caecis iter, ancipitemque

a path woven with blind walls, and an ambiguous deception

590

mille viis habuisse dolum, qua signa sequendi

with a thousand ways, where an undetected and irretraceable error

falleret indeprensus et inremeabilis error;

would deceive the signs of following;

haud alio Teucrum nati vestigia cursu

in no other course do the sons of the Trojans entangle

impediunt texuntque fugas et proelia ludo,

their steps and weave flights and battles in play,

delphinum similes, qui per maria umida nando

like dolphins, which swimming through the watery seas

595

Carpathium Libycumque secant,

cleave the Carpathian and Libyan waters.

Hunc morem cursus atque haec certamina primus

This custom of the course and these contests Ascanius first

Ascanius, Longam muris cum cingeret Albam,

renewed, when he girt Alba Longa with walls,

rettulit, et priscos docuit celebrare Latinos,

and taught the ancient Latins to celebrate them,

quo puer ipse modo, secum quo Troïa pubes;

in the same manner as he himself, a boy, and with him the Trojan youth had done;

600

Albani docuere suos; hinc maxima porro

the Albans taught their own; from here in turn greatest

accepit Roma, et patrium servavit honorem;

Rome received it, and preserved the ancestral honor;

Troiaque nunc pueri, Troianum dicitur agmen.

and now the boys are called ‘Troy’, and the troop ‘Trojan’.

Hac celebrata tenus sancto certamina patri.

Thus far the contests were celebrated for the holy father.

Hic primum fortuna fidem mutata novavit.

Here first Fortune changed and renewed her faith.

605

Dum variis tumulo referunt sollemnia ludis,

While they pay the solemn rites at the tomb with various games,

Irim de caelo misit Saturnia Iuno

Saturnian Juno sent Iris from heaven

Iliacam ad classem, ventosque adspirat eunti,

to the Trojan fleet, and breathes winds upon her as she goes,

multa movens, necdum antiquum saturata dolorem.

pondering many things, not yet having sated her ancient grief.

Illa, viam celerans per mille coloribus arcum,

She, hastening her way through a rainbow of a thousand colors,

610

nulli visa cito decurrit tramite virgo.

runs down her swift path, a maiden seen by none.

Conspicit ingentem concursum, et litora lustrat,

She beholds the vast gathering, and surveys the shores,

desertosque videt portus classemque relictam.

and sees the harbors deserted and the fleet abandoned.

At procul in sola secretae Troades acta

But far off on the lonely shore, the Trojan women apart

amissum Anchisen flebant, cunctaeque profundum

were weeping for lost Anchises, and all, weeping,

615

pontum adspectabant flentes. Heu tot vada fessis

were gazing at the deep sea. ‘Alas, that so many shoals for the weary

et tantum superesse maris!³ vox omnibus una.

and so much of the sea still remains!’ was the one voice of all.

Urbem orant; taedet pelagi perferre laborem.

They pray for a city; they are weary of enduring the labor of the deep.

Ergo inter medias sese haud ignara nocendi

Therefore she flings herself into their midst, not ignorant of doing harm,

conicit, et faciemque deae vestemque reponit;

and lays aside the face and vesture of a goddess;

620

fit Beroë, Tmarii coniunx longaeva Dorycli,

she becomes Beroe, the aged wife of Tmarian Doryclus,

cui genus et quondam nomen natique fuissent;⁴

to whom once there had been family, name, and children;

ac sic Dardanidum mediam se matribus infert:

and thus she introduces herself into the midst of the Trojan mothers:

O miserae, quas non manus inquit Achaïca bello

’O wretched women, whom no Achaean hand in war,’

traxerit⁵ ad letum patriae sub moenibus! O gens

she says, ‘dragged to death under the walls of your homeland! O unhappy

625

infelix, cui te exitio Fortuna reservat?

race, for what destruction does Fortune reserve you?

Septuma post Troiae exscidium iam vertitur aestas,

The seventh summer since the destruction of Troy is now turning,

cum freta, cum terras omnes, tot inhospita saxa

while we are carried, having measured seas, all lands, so many inhospitable

sideraque emensae ferimur, dum per mare magnum

rocks and stars, while through the great sea

Italiam sequimur fugientem, et volvimur undis.

we pursue a fleeing Italy, and are tossed by the waves.

630

Hic Erycis fines fraterni, atque hospes Acestes:

Here are the brotherly borders of Eryx, and the host Acestes:

quis prohibet muros iacere et dare civibus urbem?

who prevents us from casting up walls and giving a city to our citizens?

O patria et rapti nequiquam ex hoste Penates,

O homeland, and Penates snatched in vain from the enemy,

nullane iam Troiae dicentur moenia? Nusquam

will no walls now be called those of Troy? Shall I nowhere

Hectoreos amnes, Xanthum et Simoenta, videbo?

see Hectorean rivers, Xanthus and Simois?

635

Quin agite et mecum infaustas exurite puppes.

Nay, come and burn with me the ill-omened ships.

Nam mihi Cassandrae per somnum vatis imago

For to me the image of the prophetess Cassandra in my sleep’

Syntax notes5 items

5.556tonsa coma pressa corona
The ablative 'tonsa corona' (by a shorn crown) modifies the perfect passive participle 'pressa' (pressed), which in turn agrees with 'coma' (hair). Alternatively, 'coma' can be taken as an accusative of specification (Greek accusative), but the core meaning of their hair being bound by leafy wreaths remains consistent across all versions.
5.558pars levis umero pharetras
The subject 'pars' (some, a part) takes the verb 'ferunt' (they carry) by ellipsis from the preceding line. 'umero' (on the shoulder) functions as an ablative of place.
5.615Heu tot vada fessis / et tantum superesse maris!
An accusative and infinitive construction ('tot vada... et tantum... superesse') used to express exclamation: 'Alas, that so many shoals... and so much of the sea still remains!'
5.621cui genus et quondam nomen natique fuissent
The subjunctive 'fuissent' in the relative clause characterizes Beroe as someone who once had family, name, and children, making her a highly respected woman suitable for Iris's disguise (subjunctive of characteristic).
5.623quas non manus ... traxerit
The relative clause 'quas... non... traxerit' with the subjunctive 'traxerit' is a clause of characteristic modifying 'O miserae' (O wretched women whom no Achaean hand dragged [and thus spared for a worse fate]).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:5.556-5.636