The Burning of the Fleet and Nautes' Advice — Virgil, Aeneid Book 5 (lines 637–715), Latin & English

637

ardentes dare visa faces: Hic quaerite Troiam;

She seemed to give burning torches in her sleep: “Seek Troy here;

hic domus est inquit vobis. Iam tempus agi res,¹

here is your home,” she says. “Now is the time for action,

nec tantis mora prodigiis. En quattuor arae

nor is there delay for such great wonders. Behold, four altars

640

Neptuno; deus ipse faces animumque ministrat.

to Neptune; the god himself supplies the torches and the courage.”

Haec memorans, prima infensum vi corripit ignem,

Recalling these things, she first seizes the hostile fire with force,

sublataque procul dextra conixa coruscat,

and with her right hand raised far, she brandishes it with effort,

et iacit: arrectae mentes stupefactaque corda

and throws it: the minds of the Trojan women were aroused

Iliadum. Hic una e multis, quae maxima natu,

and their hearts astounded. Here one from many, who was the eldest,

645

Pyrgo, tot Priami natorum regia nutrix:

Pyrgo, the royal nurse of so many children of Priam, says:

Non Beroë vobis, non haec Rhoeteïa, matres,

”This is no Beroe for you, mothers, this is not the Rhoeteian

est Dorycli coniunx; divini signa decoris

wife of Doryclus; note the signs of divine beauty

ardentesque notate oculos; qui spiritus illi,

and her burning eyes; what spirit is in her,

qui voltus, vocisque sonus, vel gressus eunti.

what a countenance, and the sound of her voice, or her gait as she goes.

650

Ipsa egomet dudum Beroen digressa reliqui

I myself just now left Beroe behind

aegram, indignantem, tali quod sola careret

sick, grieving because she alone was lacking such

munere, nec meritos Anchisae inferet honores.

a duty, and would not pay the merited honors to Anchises.”

Haec effata.

She spoke these words.

At matres primo ancipites oculisque malignis

But the mothers at first, hesitating and with hostile eyes,

655

ambiguae spectare² rates miserum inter amorem

gazed doubtfully at the ships between their wretched love

praesentis terrae fatisque vocantia regna,

of the present land and the kingdoms calling by the fates,

cum dea se paribus per caelum sustulit alis,

when the goddess raised herself through the heaven with equal wings,

ingentemque fuga secuit sub nubibus arcum.

and cut a vast rainbow under the clouds in her flight.

Tum vero attonitae monstris actaeque furore

Then indeed astounded by the wonders and driven by madness

660

conclamant, rapiuntque focis penetralibus ignem;

they cry out, and snatch fire from the inner hearths;

pars spoliant aras, frondem ac virgulta facesque

some despoil the altars, and throw leafy branches, brushwood, and torches.

coniciunt. Furit immissis Volcanus habenis

Vulcan rages with loose reins

transtra per et remos et pictas abiete puppes.

through the benches and oars and painted fir-wood sterns.

Nuntius Anchisae ad tumulum cuneosque theatri

Eumelus carries the news of the burning ships to the tomb

665

incensas perfert naves Eumelus, et ipsi

of Anchises and the wedges of the theater, and they themselves

respiciunt atram in nimbo volitare favillam.

look back and see black ash flying in a cloud.

Primus et Ascanius, cursus ut laetus equestres

First also Ascanius, just as he was gladly leading the equestrian

ducebat, sic acer equo turbata petivit

maneuvers, so fiercely on his horse sought the troubled

castra, nec exanimes possunt retinere magistri.

camp, nor can the breathless teachers hold him back.

670

Quis furor iste novus? Quo nunc, quo tenditis inquit,

”What is this new madness? Whither now, whither do you tend,”

heu, miserae cives? Non hostem inimicaque castra

he says, “alas, wretched citizens? Not the enemy and the hostile camp

Argivum, vestras spes uritis. En, ego vester

of the Greeks, but your own hopes you burn. Behold, I am your

Ascanius! Galeam ante pedes proiecit inanem,

Ascanius!” He cast his empty helmet before his feet,

qua ludo indutus belli simulacra ciebat;

with which clothed in play he was stirring up the images of war;

675

accelerat simul Aeneas, simul agmina Teucrum.

at the same time Aeneas hastens, at the same time the troops of the Trojans.

Ast illae diversa metu per litora passim

But those women scatter in fear everywhere along the diverse shores,

diffugiunt, silvasque et sicubi concava furtim

and seek the woods and wherever there are hollow

saxa petunt; piget incepti lucisque, suosque

rocks secretly; they are weary of their undertaking and the light, and recognizing

mutatae adgnoscunt, excussaque pectore Iuno est.

their own people with changed mind, Juno is shaken from their breast.

680

Sed non idcirco flammae atque incendia vires

But not on that account did the flames and fires lay down

indomitas posuere; udo sub robore vivit

their untamed strength; under the wet oak lives

stuppa vomens tardum fumum, lentusque carinas

the oakum, vomiting slow smoke, and a slow heat

est vapor, et toto descendit corpore pestis,

devours the hulls, and the plague descends through the whole body,

nec vires heroum infusaque flumina prosunt.

nor do the strengths of heroes and poured-in waters profit.

685

Tum pius Aeneas umeris abscindere³ vestem,

Then pious Aeneas tore the garment from his shoulders,

auxilioque vocare deos, et tendere palmas:

and called the gods for help, and stretched out his palms:

Iuppiter omnipotens, si nondum exosus ad unum

”Almighty Jupiter, if you do not yet hate the Trojans

Troianos, si quid pietas antiqua labores

to a man, if ancient pity looks back upon human

respicit humanos, da flammam evadere classi

labors at all, grant that the fleet escape the flame

690

nunc, Pater, et tenues Teucrum res eripe leto.

now, Father, and snatch the weakened fortunes of the Trojans from death.

Vel tu, quod superest infesto fulmine morti,

Or do you, if I deserve it, send down what remains to death with your hostile thunderbolt,

si mereor, demitte, tuaque hic obrue dextra.

and overwhelm me here with your right hand.”

Vix haec ediderat, cum effusis imbribus atra

Scarcely had he uttered these things, when with poured-out rains a black

tempestas sine more furit, tonitruque tremescunt

tempest rages without measure, and with thunder tremble

695

ardua terrarum et campi; ruit aethere toto

the high places of the earth and the plains; there rushes from the whole sky

turbidus imber aqua densisque nigerrimus austris;

a turbulent rain with water and very black with dense south winds;

implenturque super puppes; semiusta madescunt

and the sterns are filled from above; the half-burned

robora; restinctus donec vapor omnis, et omnes,

timbers become wet; until all heat was extinguished, and all,

quattuor amissis, servatae a peste carinae.

with four lost, the ships were saved from the plague.

700

At pater Aeneas, casu concussus acerbo,

But father Aeneas, struck by the bitter misfortune,

nunc huc ingentes, nunc illuc pectore curas

was turning massive cares in his breast, now here, now there,

mutabat versans, Siculisne resideret arvis,

pondering whether he should settle in the Sicilian fields,

oblitus fatorum, Italasne capesseret oras.

mindless of the fates, or seek the Italian shores.

Tum senior Nautes, unum Tritonia Pallas

Then elder Nautes, whom alone Tritonian Pallas

705

quem docuit multaque insignem reddidit arte,

taught and rendered distinguished with much skill,

haec responsa dabat, vel quae portenderet ira

gave these responses, whether what the great wrath

magna deum, vel quae fatorum posceret ordo;

of the gods portended, or what the order of the fates required;

isque his Aenean solatus vocibus infit:

and consoling Aeneas with these words, he begins:

Nate dea, quo fata trahunt retrahuntque, sequamur;

”Goddess-born, whither the fates draw us and draw us back, let us follow;

710

quidquid erit, superanda omnis fortuna ferendo est.⁴

whatever shall be, every fortune must be overcome by enduring.

Est tibi Dardanius divinae stirpis Acestes:

You have Trojan Acestes of divine lineage:

hunc cape consiliis socium et coniunge volentem;

take him as a partner for your counsels and join him willing;

huic trade, amissis superant qui navibus, et quos

hand over to him those who are left over from the lost ships, and those

pertaesum magni incepti rerumque tuarum est;

who are weary of your great undertaking and your fortunes;

715

longaevosque senes ac fessas aequore matres,

and the aged elders and the mothers weary of the sea,”

Syntax notes4 items

5.638tempus agi res
agi is a passive infinitive modifying the noun tempus with the sense of 'time for things to be done' (a poetic construction imitating Greek usage, used instead of the genitive gerund agendi).
5.655spectare
An historical infinitive with the nominative subject matres, used instead of a finite verb (like an imperfect indicative) to vividly describe an ongoing action in the past.
5.685abscindere
Like spectare above, this is an historical infinitive, as are the following vocare and tendere. It vividly conveys the urgent and sudden actions of Aeneas tearing his clothes and calling upon the gods.
5.710superanda omnis fortuna ferendo est
ferendo is the ablative of the gerund, expressing means ('by enduring'). superanda ... est is the passive periphrastic conjugation (gerundive + sum), expressing necessity or duty ('must be overcome').

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)

2026-09-21 AI review — note 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:5.637-5.715