Anchises Reviews the Future Heroes of Rome — Virgil, Aeneid Book 6 (lines 751–826), Latin & English

751

rursus et incipiant in corpora velle reverti.

”and begin to wish to return again into bodies.”

Dixerat Anchises, natumque unaque Sibyllam

Anchises had spoken, and leads his son and with him the Sibyl

conventus trahit in medios turbamque sonantem,

into the midst of the gathering and the murmuring crowd,

et tumulum capit, unde omnes longo ordine possit

and takes his place on a mound, from where he could review them all in a long line

755

adversos legere, et venientum discere vultus.

face to face, and discern the features of those who came.

Nunc age, Dardaniam prolem quae deinde sequatur

”Come now, what glory shall henceforth follow the Dardan offspring,

gloria, qui maneant Itala de gente nepotes,

what descendants await you from the Italian race,

inlustris animas nostrumque in nomen ituras,

illustrious souls destined to go under our name,

expediam dictis, et te tua fata docebo.

I will unfold in words, and teach you your own fates.

760

Ille, vides, pura iuvenis qui nititur hasta,

That youth, you see, who leans on a headless spear,

proxuma sorte tenet lucis loca, primus ad auras

holds by lot the place nearest to the light, and first to the breezes

aetherias Italo commixtus sanguine surget,

of heaven he shall rise, mingled with Italian blood,

Silvius, Albanum nomen, tua postuma proles,

Silvius, of Alban name, your last-born child,

quem tibi longaevo serum Lavinia coniunx

whom late in your old age Lavinia your wife

765

educet silvis regem regumque parentem,

shall bring forth for you in the woods, a king and the father of kings,

unde genus Longa nostrum dominabitur Alba.

from whom our race shall rule in Alba Longa.

Proxumus ille Procas, Troianae gloria gentis,

Next to him is Procas, the glory of the Trojan race,

et Capys, et Numitor, et qui te nomine reddet

and Capys, and Numitor, and he who will restore your name,

Silvius Aeneas, pariter pietate vel armis

Silvius Aeneas, equal in piety and in arms

770

egregius, si umquam regnandam¹ acceperit Albam.

excellent, if ever he should receive Alba to rule.

Qui iuvenes! Quantas ostentant, aspice, vires,

What youths! See what great strength they show,

atque umbrata gerunt civili tempora quercu!

and they wear their temples shaded with the civic oak!

Hi tibi Nomentum et Gabios urbemque Fidenam,

These shall build Nomentum and Gabii and the city of Fidena for you,

hi Collatinas imponent montibus arces,

these shall place the Collatine fortresses on the mountains,

775

Pometios Castrumque Inui Bolamque Coramque.

Pometii, and the Fort of Inuus, and Bola, and Cora.

Haec tum nomina erunt, nunc sunt sine nomine terrae.

These then shall be names, but now they are nameless lands.

Quin et avo comitem sese Mavortius addet

Nay, more, Romulus, child of Mavors, shall join as companion

Romulus, Assaraci quem sanguinis Ilia mater

to his grandfather, whom his mother Ilia of Assaracus’ blood

educet. Viden,² ut geminae stant vertice cristae,

shall bear. Do you see how twin plumes stand on his crest,

780

et pater ipse suo superum iam signat honore?

and his father himself already marks him for the gods above with his own honor?

En, huius, nate, auspiciis illa incluta Roma

Lo, under his auspices, my son, that famous Rome

imperium terris, animos aequabit Olympo,

shall make her empire equal to the earth, her spirit to Olympus,

septemque una sibi muro circumdabit arces,

and, single city, shall compass seven hills with her wall,

felix prole virum: qualis Berecyntia mater

blessed in her brood of heroes: just as the Berecyntian mother

785

invehitur curru Phrygias turrita per urbes,

with turreted crown is carried in her chariot through Phrygian cities,

laeta deum partu, centum complexa nepotes,

joyous in her divine offspring, embracing a hundred descendants,

omnes caelicolas, omnes supera alta tenentes.

all sky-dwellers, all holding the high heavens.

Huc geminas nunc flecte acies, hanc aspice gentem

Hither now turn your twin eyes, look upon this nation

Romanosque tuos. Hic Caesar et omnis Iuli

and your Romans. Here is Caesar and all the offspring of Iulus,

790

progenies magnum caeli ventura sub axem.

destined to come beneath the great vault of heaven.

Hic vir, hic est, tibi quem promitti saepius audis,

This is the man, this is he, whom you so often hear promised to you,

Augustus Caesar, Divi genus, aurea condet

Augustus Caesar, son of a god, who shall establish

saecula qui rursus Latio regnata³ per arva

a golden age again in Latium through the fields once ruled

Saturno quondam, super et Garamantas et Indos

by Saturn, and shall extend his empire beyond both the Garamantes

795

proferet imperium: iacet extra sidera tellus,

and the Indians: there lies a land beyond the stars,

extra anni solisque vias, ubi caelifer Atlas

beyond the paths of the year and the sun, where sky-bearing Atlas

axem umero torquet stellis ardentibus aptum.

turns on his shoulder the heaven fitted with burning stars.

Huius in adventum iam nunc et Caspia regna

At his approach even now both the Caspian kingdoms

responsis horrent divom et Maeotia tellus,

shudder at the responses of the gods, and the Maeotian land,

800

et septemgemini turbant trepida ostia Nili.

and the trembling mouths of the sevenfold Nile are in turmoil.

Nec vero Alcides tantum telluris obivit,

Nor indeed did Alcides traverse so much of the earth,

fixerit aeripedem cervam licet,⁴ aut Erymanthi

though he pierced the bronze-footed hind, or appeased

pacarit nemora, et Lernam tremefecerit arcu;

the groves of Erymanthus, and made Lerna tremble with his bow;

nec, qui pampineis victor iuga flectit habenis,

nor Liber, who guides his car with reins of vine-leaves

805

Liber, agens celso Nysae de vertice tigres.

in triumph, driving his tigers down from Nysa’s lofty peak.

Et dubitamus adhuc virtute extendere vires,

And do we still hesitate to extend our power by valor,

aut metus Ausonia prohibet consistere terra?

or does fear forbid us to settle in the Ausonian land?

Quis procul ille autem ramis insignis olivae

But who is he yonder, distinguished by branches of olive,

sacra ferens? Nosco crines incanaque menta

bearing sacred things? I recognize the hair and hoary chin

810

regis Romani, primus qui legibus urbem

of the Roman king, who first shall establish the city with laws,

fundabit, Curibus parvis et paupere terra

sent from tiny Cures and a poor land

missus in imperium magnum. Cui deinde subibit,

into a great empire. Next after him Tullus shall succeed,

otia qui rumpet patriae residesque movebit

who shall break the peace of his country, and shall rouse to arms

Tullus in arma viros et iam desueta triumphis

sluggish men and armies now unaccustomed to triumphs.

815

agmina. Quem iuxta sequitur iactantior Ancus,

Next to him follows more boastful Ancus,

nunc quoque iam nimium gaudens popularibus auris.

even now too much delighting in popular favor.

Vis et Tarquinios reges, animamque superbam

Do you wish to see also the Tarquin kings, and the proud soul

ultoris Bruti, fascesque videre receptos?

of Brutus the avenger, and the recovered fasces?

Consulis imperium hic primus saevasque secures

He first shall receive the consular power and the cruel axes,

820

accipiet, natosque pater nova bella moventes

and the father, for the sake of beautiful liberty, shall call his sons

ad poenam pulchra pro libertate vocabit.

to punishment for stirring up new wars.

Infelix, utcumque ferent ea facta minores,

Unhappy man, however posterity shall bear those deeds,

vincet amor patriae laudumque immensa cupido.

love of country shall conquer and the boundless desire for praise.

Quin Decios Drusosque procul saevumque securi

Nay, look at the Decii and Drusi far off, and Torquatus

825

aspice Torquatum et referentem signa Camillum.

savage with his axe, and Camillus bringing back the standards.

Illae autem, paribus quas fulgere cernis in armis,

But those souls, whom you see shining in equal armor—

Syntax notes4 items

6.770regnandam
The gerundive of the verb regno (here used transitively) agreeing with Albam, meaning "to be ruled". This is a poetic usage where a normally intransitive verb is treated transitively.
6.779Viden
A colloquial shortening of videsne. The indirect question introduced by ut takes the indicative stant (and signat), which is an archaic or poetic usage instead of the standard subjunctive required in classical prose.
6.793regnata
The perfect passive participle of the intransitive verb regno, used transitively here ("ruled"). The following word Saturno is a dative of agent, a construction common in poetry with perfect passive participles.
6.802fixerit ... licet
The impersonal verb licet is used here as a conjunction with the perfect subjunctives (fixerit, pacarit, tremefecerit) to introduce a concessive clause meaning "although he pierced / appeased / terrified".

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

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:6.751-6.826