The River God Tiberinus Appears to Aeneas — Virgil, Aeneid Book 8 (lines 1–80), Latin & English

Ut belli signum Laurenti Turnus ab arce

When Turnus raised the signal of war from the Laurentine citadel

extulit et rauco strepuerunt cornua cantu,

and the trumpets blasted with their harsh sound,

utque acris concussit equos utque impulit arma,

and when he spurred his fierce horses and clashed his arms,

extemplo turbati animi, simul omne tumultu

straightway minds were troubled, and at once all Latium,

coniurat trepido Latium saevitque iuventus

in trembling panic, banded together and the wild youth raged

effera. Ductores primi Messapus et Ufens

madly. The foremost leaders Messapus and Ufens

contemptorque deum Mezentius undique cogunt

and Mezentius, scorner of the gods, gather forces from all sides

auxilia et latos vastant cultoribus agros.

and strip the wide fields of their tillers, laying them waste.

mittitur et magni Venulus Diomedis ad urbem,

And Venulus too is sent to the city of great Diomedes,

qui petat auxilium et Latio consistere Teucros,

to ask for aid and to inform him that the Trojans are settling in Latium,

advectum Aenean classi victosque penatis

that Aeneas has arrived with a fleet and is bringing in his defeated gods,

inferre et fatis regem se dicere posci

declaring himself to be demanded as king by the fates,

edoceat¹ multasque viro se adiungere gentis

and that many nations are joining themselves to the Dardanian hero,

Dardanio et late Latio increbrescere nomen.

and that his name is growing widespread in Latium.

Quid struat his coeptis,² quem, si Fortuna sequatur,

And to show that what Aeneas is planning by these beginnings, what end

eventum pugnae cupiat, manifestius ipsi

of the battle he desires if Fortune should follow him, is clearer to Diomedes himself

quam Turno regi aut regi apparere Latino.

than to king Turnus or to king Latinus.

Talia per Latium. Quae Laomedontius heros

Such were the things through Latium. The Laomedontian hero,

cuncta videns magno curarum fluctuat aestu,

seeing all this, tosses on a great tide of cares,

atque animum nunc huc celerem, nunc dividit illuc.

and divides his swift mind now here, now there,

In partisque rapit varias perque omnia versat:

and hurries it in various directions, turning it through all things:

sicut aquae tremulum labris ubi lumen aenis³

just as when in bronze basins the trembling light of water,

sole repercussum aut radiantis imagine lunae

reflected by the sun or the image of the radiant moon,

omnia pervolitat late loca iamque sub auras

flits widely through all places, and now is lifted high

erigitur summique ferit lacuaria tecti.

into the air and strikes the ceiling panels of the highest roof.

Nox erat, et terras animalia fessa per omnis

It was night, and deep sleep held throughout all lands

alituum pecudumque genus sopor altus habebat:

the weary animals, the race of birds and beasts alike:

cum pater in ripa gelidique sub aetheris axe

when father Aeneas, troubled in his heart by the sad war,

Aeneas, tristi turbatus pectora bello,

lay down on the bank under the axis of the cold sky,

procubuit seramque dedit per membra quietem.

and gave late rest to his limbs.

Huic deus ipse loci fluvio Tiberinus amoeno

To him the god of the place himself, Tiberinus of the pleasant stream,

populeas inter senior se attollere frondes

seemed to raise himself as an old man among the poplar leaves;

visus; eum tenuis glauco velabat amictu

a thin linen cloth veiled him with a grey-green mantle,

carbasus, et crinis umbrosa tegebat harundo,

and a shady reed covered his hair;

tum sic adfari et curas his demere dictis:⁴

then he seemed to speak thus and to take away his cares with these words:

O sate gente deum, Troianam ex hostibus urbem

”O born of the race of gods, who bring back to us the Trojan city from the enemy

qui revehis nobis aeternaque Pergama servas,

and preserve eternal Pergama,

exspectate solo Laurenti arvisque Latinis,

awaited on the Laurentine soil and Latin fields,

hic tibi certa domus, certi, ne absiste, penates;

here is your sure home, sure are your gods (do not draw back!);

neu belli terrere minis: tumor omnis et irae

nor be terrified by the threats of war; all the swelling anger and rages

concessere deum.

of the gods have yielded.

Nunc qua ratione quod instat

Now, in what way you may solve what presses upon you

expedias victor, paucis (adverte) docebo.

as victor, I will teach you in a few words (pay attention).

Arcades his oris, genus a Pallante profectum,

Arcadians on these shores, a race sprung from Pallas,

qui regem Euandrum comites, qui signa secuti,

who, as companions, followed king Evander and his banners,

delegere locum et posuere in montibus urbem

have chosen a place and built a city on the mountains,

Pallantis proavi de nomine Pallanteum.

called Pallanteum from the name of their ancestor Pallas.

Hi bellum adsidue ducunt cum gente Latina;

These wage war continuously with the Latin nation;

hos castris adhibe socios et foedera iunge.

add them to your camp as allies and join in league.

Ipse ego te ripis et recto flumine ducam,

I myself will guide you along the banks and by the straight river,

adversum remis superes subvectus ut amnem.

so that, carried up, you may overcome the adverse stream with oars.

Surge age, nate dea, primisque cadentibus astris

Rise, come, goddess-born, and with the first stars setting,

Iunoni fer rite preces iramque minasque

offer prayers to Juno in due form, and overcome her anger and threats

supplicibus supera votis. Mihi victor honorem

with suppliant vows. To me as victor you shall pay

persolves. Ego sum pleno quem flumine cernis

due honour. I am he whom you see grazing the banks with full stream

stringentem ripas et pinguia culta secantem,

and cutting the rich tilled lands,

caeruleus Thybris, caelo gratissimus amnis.

the blue Tiber, a river most pleasing to heaven.

Hic mihi magna domus, celsis caput urbibus, exit.

Here my great home, a head for lofty cities, arises.”

Dixit, deinde lacu fluvius se condidit alto,

He spoke, and then the river-god hid himself in the deep pool,

ima petens; nox Aenean somnusque reliquit.

seeking the depths; night and sleep left Aeneas.

Surgit et aetherii spectans orientia solis

He rises, and looking at the rising lights of the ethereal

lumina rite cavis undam de flumine palmis

sun, in due form holds water from the river in his hollow palms,

sustinet ac talis effundit ad aethera voces:

and pours forth such words to the heavens:

Nymphae, Laurentes nymphae, genus amnibus unde est,

”Nymphs, Laurentine nymphs, from whom the race of rivers is sprung,

tuque, o Thybri tuo genitor cum flumine sancto,

and you, O father Tiber, with your sacred stream,

accipite Aenean et tandem arcete periclis.

receive Aeneas and at last keep him from dangers.

Quo te cumque lacus miserantem incommoda nostra

In whatever spring the pool holds you, pitying our hardships,

fonte tenet, quocumque solo pulcherrimus exis,

on whatever soil you emerge in all your beauty,

semper honore meo, semper celebrabere donis

always by my honour, always with gifts you shall be celebrated,

corniger hesperidum fluvius regnator aquarum.

horned river, ruler of Hesperian waters.

Adsis o tantum et propius tua numina firmes.

Only be present, and confirm your divine will more closely.”

sic memorat geminasque legit de classe biremis

Thus he speaks, and chooses two biremes from the fleet,

remigioque aptat, socios simul instruit armis.

equips them with oars, and at the same time provides his companions with arms.

Syntax notes4 items

8.10qui petat auxilium et Latio consistere Teucros... edoceat
"qui" introduces a relative clause of purpose with the subjunctives "petat" and "edoceat". A series of accusative and infinitive clauses ("Teucros consistere", "Aenean inferre", "se dicere posci", "se adiungere", "nomen increbrescere") depend on "edoceat" as its direct objects.
8.15Quid struat his coeptis
The indirect questions "quid struat..." and "quem... cupiat" serve as the subject of the infinitive "apparere", which continues the indirect discourse depending on "edoceat".
8.22sicut aquae tremulum labris ubi lumen aenis
The structure of this simile is "sicut [est] ubi tremulum lumen aquae ... omnia pervolitat late loca". The ablatives "sole... aut radiantis imagine lunae" express the means associated with the participle "repercussum" modifying "lumen".
8.35tum sic adfari et curas his demere dictis
"adfari" and "demere" are best interpreted not as historical infinitives, but as infinitives depending on "visus [est]" in line 8.33 ("he seemed to speak thus and to take away...").

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:8.1-8.80