Rome's Imperial Mission and the Lament for Marcellus — Virgil, Aeneid Book 6 (lines 827–901), Latin & English

827

concordes animae nunc et dum nocte premuntur,

”Souls in harmony now, and as long as they are kept in check by night,

heu quantum inter se bellum, si lumina vitae

alas, what a great war between themselves, if they reach the light of life,

attigerint, quantas acies stragemque ciebunt!

what battle-lines and slaughter they will stir up!

830

Aggeribus socer Alpinis atque arce Monoeci

The father-in-law descending from the Alpine ramparts and the citadel of Monoecus,

descendens,¹ gener adversis instructus Eois.

the son-in-law drawn up opposite with Eastern forces.

Ne, pueri, ne tanta animis adsuescite bella,

Do not, my children, do not accustom your minds to such great wars,

neu patriae validas in viscera vertite vires;

nor turn your country’s mighty strength against her own vitals;

tuque prior, tu parce, genus qui ducis Olympo,

and you first, you spare, who derive your race from Olympus,

835

proice tela manu, sanguis meus!—

cast the weapons from your hand, my own blood!—“

Ille triumphata Capitolia ad alta Corintho

That one, when Corinth has been triumphed over, shall drive his victorious chariot to

victor aget currum, caesis insignis Achivis.

the lofty Capitol, distinguished by the slaughtered Achaeans.

Eruet ille Argos Agamemnoniasque Mycenas,

That other shall overthrow Argos and Agamemnon’s Mycenae,

ipsumque Aeaciden, genus armipotentis Achilli,

and even the descendant of Aeacus, the offspring of arms-mighty Achilles,

840

ultus avos Troiae, templa et temerata Minervae.

avenging his ancestors of Troy and the desecrated temples of Minerva.

Quis te, magne Cato, tacitum, aut te, Cosse, relinquat?

Who could leave you, great Cato, unmentioned, or you, Cossus?

Quis Gracchi genus, aut geminos, duo fulmina belli,

Who would pass over the race of Gracchus, or the twin Scipios, two thunderbolts of war,

Scipiadas, cladem Libyae, parvoque potentem

the ruin of Libya, and Fabricius powerful in his little wealth,

Fabricium vel te sulco Serrane, serentem?

or you, Serranus, sowing in your furrow?

845

quo fessum rapitis, Fabii? Tu Maxumus ille es,

Whither do you hurry my weary self, O Fabii? You are that greatest Maximus,

unus qui nobis cunctando restituis rem.

who alone by delaying restores our state to us.

Excudent alii spirantia mollius aera,

Others shall shape breathing bronzes more softly, indeed I believe it,

credo equidem, vivos ducent de marmore voltus,

and draw living features from marble,

orabunt causas melius, caelique meatus

they shall plead causes better, and describe the pathways of heaven

850

describent radio, et surgentia sidera dicent:

with the rod, and tell of the rising stars:

tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento;²

do you, O Roman, remember to rule the peoples with authority;

hae tibi erunt artes; pacisque imponere morem,

these shall be your arts: to impose the custom of peace,

parcere subiectis, et debellare superbos.

to spare the vanquished and to war down the proud.

Sic pater Anchises, atque haec mirantibus addit:

Thus father Anchises spoke, and added these words for them in their wonder:

855

Aspice, ut insignis spoliis Marcellus opimis

”See how Marcellus marches, distinguished by the supreme spoils,

ingreditur, victorque viros supereminet omnes!

and towers as victor over all other men!

Hic rem Romanam, magno turbante tumultu,

He shall stay the Roman state when a great tumult throws it into confusion;

sistet, eques sternet Poenos Gallumque rebellem,

as a horseman he shall lay low the Carthaginians and the rebellious Gaul,

tertiaque arma patri suspendet capta Quirino.

and shall hang up the third captured arms to father Quirinus.”

860

Atque hic Aeneas; una namque ire videbat

And here Aeneas said—for he saw walking with him

egregium forma iuvenem et fulgentibus armis,

a youth outstanding in beauty and shining arms,

sed frons laeta parum, et deiecto lumina voltu:

but his brow was little joyful and his eyes cast down on his dejected face:

Quis, pater, ille, virum qui sic comitatur euntem?

”Who, father, is he who thus accompanies that man as he goes?

Filius, anne aliquis magna de stirpe nepotum?

His son, or someone from the great lineage of his descendants?

865

Quis strepitus circa comitum! Quantum instar in ipso!

What a din of companions around him! How great a presence in the man himself!

Sed nox atra caput tristi circumvolat umbra.

But black night flits around his head with sad shadow.”

Tum pater Anchises, lacrimis ingressus obortis:

Then father Anchises, with tears welling up, began:

O gnate, ingentem luctum ne quaere tuorum;

”O my son, do not ask about the immense grief of your people;

ostendent terris hunc tantum fata, neque ultra

the fates will only show him to the earth, nor suffer him

870

esse sinent. Nimium vobis Romana propago

to exist longer. The Roman offspring would have seemed too powerful

visa potens, Superi, propria haec si dona fuissent.³

to you, O gods above, if these gifts had been lasting.

Quantos ille virum magnam Mavortis ad urbem

What great groans of men shall that field of Mars drive towards

campus aget gemitus, vel quae, Tiberine, videbis

the great city of Mavors, or what funerals, O Tiber, shall you see,

funera, cum tumulum praeterlabere recentem!

when you glide past the fresh mound!

875

Nec puer Iliaca quisquam de gente Latinos

No boy of Ilium’s race shall raise his Latin

in tantum spe tollet avos, nec Romula quondam

ancestors so high with hope, nor shall Romulus’ land ever

ullo se tantum tellus iactabit alumno.

boast so much of any of her foster children.

Heu pietas, heu prisca fides, invictaque bello

Alas, piety! Alas, ancient faith, and right hand unconquered in

dextera! Non illi se quisquam impune tulisset

war! No one would have moved against him in arms

880

obvius armato, seu cum pedes iret in hostem,

with impunity, whether he marched on foot against the foe,

seu spumantis equi foderet calcaribus armos.

or dug his spurs into the flanks of his foaming steed.

Heu, miserande puer, si qua fata aspera rumpas,⁴

Alas, boy to be pitied, if in any way you can break through the harsh fates,

tu Marcellus eris. Manibus date lilia plenis,

you shall be Marcellus. Give me lilies with full hands,

purpureos spargam flores, animamque nepotis

let me scatter purple flowers, and let me heap at least these gifts upon

885

his saltem adcumulem donis, et fungar inani

the soul of my descendant, and perform this empty duty—“

munere —Sic tota passim regione vagantur

Thus they wander everywhere through the whole region,

aëris in campis latis, atque omnia lustrant.

in the broad fields of air, and survey all things.

Quae postquam Anchises natum per singula duxit,

After Anchises had led his son through each of these,

incenditque animum famae venientis amore,

and kindled his mind with love of the coming glory,

890

exin bella viro memorat quae deinde gerenda,

next he tells the man of the wars which must then be waged,

Laurentisque docet populos urbemque Latini,

and teaches him of the Laurentine peoples and the city of Latinus,

et quo quemque modo fugiatque feratque laborem.

and in what way he should avoid or bear each labor.

Sunt geminae Somni portae, quarum altera fertur

There are twin gates of Sleep, of which one is said to be

cornea, qua veris facilis datur exitus umbris;

of horn, by which an easy exit is given to true shades;

895

altera candenti perfecta nitens elephanto,

the other, shining, is wrought of gleaming ivory,

sed falsa ad caelum mittunt insomnia Manes.

but through it the spirits of the dead send false dreams to the sky.

His ubi tum natum Anchises unaque Sibyllam

When Anchises had escorted his son and the Sibyl

prosequitur dictis, portaque emittit eburna,

with these words, he sent them out through the ivory gate,

ille viam secat ad naves sociosque revisit:

he cuts a way to the ships and revisits his companions:

900

tum se ad Caietae recto fert litore portum.

then he bears himself straight along the shore to the harbor of Caieta.

Syntax notes4 items

6.830Aggeribus socer Alpinis... descendens
An antithetical structure with the main verb (such as descendit) omitted. The participle descendens (descending) and instructus (equipped) modify socer (father-in-law, Caesar) and gener (son-in-law, Pompey) respectively, highlighting their opposition through nominative apposition. Aggeribus Alpinis is an ablative of separation.
6.851tu regere imperio populos, Romane, memento
An imperative sentence containing an address (Romane). memento (remember) is a future imperative, taking the infinitive regere (to rule), whose implied subject is tu. imperio is an ablative of means or manner.
6.871propria haec si dona fuissent
A conditional clause representing past unreality (past counterfactual), using the pluperfect subjunctive fuissent (with the apodosis verb visa essent omitted). The adjective propria functions as a predicate adjective meaning "permanent, lasting as one's own."
6.882si qua fata aspera rumpas
A conditional clause of remote future possibility (future less vivid) using the present subjunctive rumpas. Combined with the future indicative eris in the apodosis, it forms a mixed conditional sentence expressing a sorrowful, barely possible wish.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:6.827-6.901