Sinners of Tartarus and Entry into Elysium — Virgil, Aeneid Book 6 (lines 599–675), Latin & English

599

viscera, rimaturque epulis, habitatque sub alto

its entrails, and gropes for them for its feast, and dwells deep beneath

600

pectore, nec fibris requies datur ulla renatis.

his breast, nor is any rest given to the fibers that are born again.

quos super¹ atra silex iam iam lapsura cadentique

Over them a black rock, just about to slip and like to one

imminet adsimilis; lucent genialibus altis

already falling, hangs threatening; there shine on high bridal couches

aurea fulcra toris, epulaeque ante ora paratae

golden feet, and feasts are prepared before their faces

605

regifico luxu; Furiarum maxima iuxta

with kingly luxury; nearby the greatest of the Furies

accubat, et manibus prohibet contingere mensas,

reclines, and forbids them to touch the tables with their hands,

exsurgitque facem attollens, atque intonat ore.

and leaps up, raising her torch, and thunders with her mouth.

Hic, quibus invisi fratres, dum vita manebat,

Here are those who hated their brothers, while life remained,

pulsatusve parens, et fraus innexa clienti,

or struck a parent, or spun deceit for a client,

610

aut qui divitiis soli incubuere repertis,

or who brooded alone over riches they had found

nec partem posuere suis (quae maxima turba est),

nor set aside a part for their own (which is the greatest crowd),

quique ob adulterium caesi, quique arma secuti

and those slain on account of adultery, and those who followed

impia nec veriti dominorum fallere dextras,

impious arms and did not fear to deceive the right hands of their masters,

inclusi poenam exspectant. Ne quaere doceri

shut up, they await their punishment. Do not seek to be taught

615

quam poenam, aut quae forma viros fortunave mersit.

what punishment, or what form or fortune overwhelmed these men.

Saxum ingens volvunt alii, radiisque rotarum

Some roll a huge stone, and hang stretched out on the spokes

districti pendent; sedet, aeternumque sedebit,

of wheels; unhappy Theseus sits, and will sit eternally;

infelix Theseus; Phlegyasque miserrimus omnis

and most miserable Phlegyas warns all,

admonet, et magna testatur voce per umbras:

and testifies with a loud voice through the shadows:

620

Discite iustitiam moniti, et non temnere divos.

’Learn justice, having been warned, and not to despise the gods.’

Vendidit hic auro patriam, dominumque potentem

This one sold his country for gold, and imposed a powerful

imposuit; fixit leges pretio atque refixit;²

master; he set up laws for a price and tore them down again;

hic thalamum invasit natae vetitosque hymenaeos;

this one invaded his daughter’s chamber and forbidden marriage;

ausi omnes immane nefas, ausoque potiti.

all dared monstrous wickedness, and attained what they dared.

625

Non, mihi si linguae centum sint oraque centum,

Not even if I had a hundred tongues and a hundred mouths,

ferrea vox, omnis scelerum comprendere formas,

an iron voice, could I encompass all forms of crimes,

omnia poenarum percurrere nomina possim.³

or run through all the names of punishments.

Haec ubi dicta dedit Phoebi longaeva sacerdos:

When the aged priestess of Phoebus had given these words:

Sed iam age, carpe viam et susceptum perfice munus;

’But come now, take the way and finish the task you have undertaken;

630

adceleremus ait; Cyclopum educta caminis

let us hasten,’ she said; ‘I see the walls built in the furnaces

moenia conspicio atque adverso fornice portas,

of the Cyclopes, and the gates in the archway opposite,

haec ubi nos praecepta iubent deponere dona.

where our instructions bid us deposit these gifts.’

Dixerat, et pariter, gressi per opaca viarum,

She had spoken, and at the same time, having walked through the darkness of the ways,

corripiunt spatium medium, foribusque propinquant.

they hurry across the space between, and approach the doors.

635

Occupat Aeneas aditum, corpusque recenti

Aeneas occupies the entrance, and sprinkles his body

spargit aqua, ramumque adverso in limine figit.

with fresh water, and fixes the branch on the threshold opposite.

His demum exactis, perfecto munere divae,

These things at last performed, the gift of the goddess completed,

devenere locos laetos et amoena virecta

they came to happy places and the pleasant green places

fortunatorum nemorum sedesque beatas.

of the fortunate groves and the blessed seats.

640

Largior hic campos aether et lumine vestit

Here a more abundant ether clothes the plains with purple

purpureo, solemque suum, sua sidera norunt.

light, and they know their own sun, their own stars.

Pars in gramineis exercent membra palaestris,

Part exercise their limbs on grassy wrestling-grounds,

contendunt ludo et fulva luctantur harena;

contend in sport and wrestle on the yellow sand;

pars pedibus plaudunt choreas et carmina dicunt.

part beat dances with their feet and sing songs.

645

Nec non Threïcius longa cum veste sacerdos

Moreover, the Thracian priest in his long robe

obloquitur numeris septem discrimina vocum,

accompanies the measures with the seven differences of tones,

iamque eadem digitis, iam pectine pulsat eburno.

and now strikes them with his fingers, now with his ivory plectrum.

Hic genus antiquum Teucri, pulcherrima proles,

Here is the ancient race of Teucer, a most beautiful offspring,

magnanimi heroes, nati melioribus annis,

magnanimous heroes, born in better years,

650

Ilusque Assaracusque et Troiae Dardanus auctor.

and Ilus and Assaracus and Dardanus, the founder of Troy.

Arma procul currusque virum miratur inanes.

He marvels from afar at the empty arms and chariots of the men.

Stant terra defixae hastae, passimque soluti

Spears stand fixed in the earth, and everywhere released

per campum pascuntur equi. Quae gratia currum

horses feed through the plain. What pleasure in chariots

armorumque fuit vivis, quae cura nitentis

and arms they had when alive, what care to feed

655

pascere equos, eadem sequitur tellure repostos.

shining horses, the same follows them laid to rest in the earth.

Conspicit, ecce, alios dextra laevaque per herbam

Behold, he sees others on the right and on the left through the grass

vescentis, laetumque choro paeana canentis

feasting, and singing a joyful paean in a choir

inter odoratum lauri nemus, unde superne

amidst the fragrant grove of laurel, whence from above

plurimus Eridani per silvam volvitur amnis.

the abundant river of Eridanus rolls through the forest.

660

Hic manus ob patriam pugnando volnera passi,

Here is the band of those who suffered wounds in fighting for their country,

quique sacerdotes casti, dum vita manebat,

and those who were chaste priests, while life remained,

quique pii vates et Phoebo digna locuti,

and those who were pious poets and spoke things worthy of Phoebus,

inventas aut qui vitam excoluere per artes,

or those who adorned life through discovered arts,

quique sui memores alios fecere merendo,

or those who made others mindful of them by deserving well;

665

omnibus his nivea cinguntur tempora vitta.

for all of these the temples are girt with a snow-white band.

Quos circumfusos sic est adfata Sybilla,

Whom gathered around the Sibyl thus addressed,

Musaeum ante omnes, medium nam plurima turba

Musaeus before all; for a very great crowd held him

hunc habet, atque umeris exstantem suspicit altis:

in their midst, and looked up to him standing out with his high shoulders:

Dicite, felices animae, tuque, optime vates,

’Tell, happy souls, and you, best of poets,

670

quae regio Anchisen, quis habet locus? Illius ergo⁴

what region, what place holds Anchises? For his sake

venimus, et magnos Erebi transnavimus amnes.

we have come, and have sailed across the great rivers of Erebus.’

Atque huic responsum paucis ita reddidit heros:

And to her the hero thus returned answer in few words:

Nulli certa domus; lucis habitamus opacis,

’To none is there a fixed home; we dwell in shady groves,

riparumque toros et prata recentia rivis

and inhabit the cushions of banks and meadows fresh with streams.

675

incolimus. Sed vos, si fert ita corde voluntas,

But you, if the desire in your heart so leads,

Syntax notes4 items

6.602quos super
This is a connecting relative placed at the beginning of the sentence, referring back to Tityos or the other major sinners. The preposition super is postpositioned after the pronoun.
6.622fixit leges pretio atque refixit
This expression derives from the Roman practice of publishing laws by engraving them on bronze tablets and hanging them up (figere), and removing them when repealed (refigere). It is an idiom for political corruption: 'making and unmaking laws for a bribe'.
6.625Non, mihi si linguae centum sint... possim
Both sint and possim are in the present subjunctive, expressing a potential or contrary-to-fact condition. This construction uses a classical literary topos (a hundred tongues, a hundred mouths) going back to Homer.
6.670Illius ergo
Here ergo is not a conjunction, but functions as a postpositioned preposition taking the genitive case (illius), meaning 'for the sake of' or 'because of'. This is an archaic stylistic feature.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:6.599-6.675