Tour of Future Rome and Venus's Request to Vulcan — Virgil, Aeneid Book 8 (lines 326–404), Latin & English

326

deterior donec paulatim ac decolor aetas¹

Until gradually a worse and discolored age succeeded,

et belli rabies et amor successit habendi.

and the madness of war, and the love of possessing.

Tum manus Ausonia et gentes venere Sicanae,

Then the Ausonian band and the Sicanian nations came,

saepius et nomen posuit Saturnia tellus;

and more than once the Saturnian land laid aside its name;

330

tum reges asperque immani corpore Thybris,

then kings, and harsh Thybris of monstrous frame,

a quo post Itali fluvium cognomine Thybrim

from whom we Italians afterwards called the river by the name

diximus,² amisit verum vetus Albula nomen;

of Thybris, and ancient Albula lost its true name.

me pulsum patria pelagique extrema sequentem³

Me, driven from my country and seeking the extremes of the sea,

Fortuna omnipotens et ineluctabile fatum

almighty Fortune and inevitable fate

335

his posuere locis matrisque egere tremenda

placed in these spots, and the dreadful warnings of my mother,

Carmentis nymphae monita et deus auctor Apollo.

the nymph Carmentis, and the god Apollo, my author, drove me here.

Vix ea dicta: dehinc progressus monstrat et aram

Scarcely had these words been spoken, when advancing he points out the altar

et Carmentalem Romani nomine portam

and the gate which the Romans call Carmentalis by name,

quam memorant, nymphae priscum Carmentis honorem,

as they record, an ancient honor of the nymph Carmentis,

340

vatis fatidicae, cecinit quae prima futuros

the prophetic seer, who first sang that the future

Aeneadas magnos et nobile Pallanteum.

descendants of Aeneas would be great, and Pallanteum noble.

Hinc lucum ingentem quem Romulus acer Asylum

From here he points out a huge grove which active Romulus restored as an Asylum,

rettulit et gelida monstrat sub rupe Lupercal,

and under a cold rock the Lupercal,

Parrhasio dictum Panos de more Lycaei.

named after the Parrhasian custom of Lycaean Pan.

345

Nec non et sacri monstrat nemus Argileti

And no less does he point out the grove of sacred Argiletum,

testaturque locum et letum docet hospitis Argi.

and calls the place to witness and teaches the death of his guest Argus.

Hinc ad Tarpeiam sedem et Capitolia ducit,

Hence he leads them to the Tarpeian seat and the Capitol,

aurea nunc, olim silvestribus horrida dumis.

now golden, once bristling with wild briars.

Iam tum religio pavidos terrebat agrestis

Even then the dreadful religion of the place terrified the trembling rustics,

350

dira loci, iam tum silvam saxumque tremebant.

even then they shuddered at the wood and the rock.

Hoc nemus, hunc, inquit, frondoso vertice collem

”This grove, this hill with leafy crest,” he says,

(quis deus incertum est) habitat deus: Arcades ipsum

”a god inhabits (which god is uncertain); the Arcadians believe

credunt se vidisse Iovem, cum saepe nigrantem

they have seen Jove himself, when often with his right hand

aegida concuteret dextra nimbosque cieret.

he shook his darkening aegis and summoned the storm-clouds.

355

Haec duo praeterea disiectis oppida muris,

Moreover, these two towns with demolished walls,

reliquias veterumque vides monimenta virorum.

you see the remains and monuments of ancient men.

Hanc Ianus pater, hanc Saturnus condidit arcem:

This citadel father Janus founded, that one Saturn:

Ianiculum huic, illi fuerat Saturnia nomen.

Janiculum was the name of this, Saturnia of that.”

Talibus inter se dictis ad tecta subibant

With such words between them they were approaching the house

360

pauperis Euandri passimque armenta videbant

of poor Evander, and saw herds here and there

Romanoque foro et lautis mugire Carinis.

lowing in the Roman forum and the luxurious Carinae.

Ut ventum ad sedes: Haec, inquit, limina victor

When they came to the dwelling: “These thresholds,” he says, “the victorious

Alcides subiit, haec illum regia cepit.

Alcides entered; this palace received him.

Aude, hospes, contemnere opes et te quoque dignum

Dare, my guest, to despise wealth, and make yourself also worthy

365

finge deo⁴ rebusque veni non asper egenis.

of a god, and come not harsh to our poor estate.”

dixit et angusti subter fastigia tecti

He spoke, and beneath the roof of his narrow dwelling

ingentem Aenean duxit stratisque locavit

led the giant Aeneas, and placed him on a bed

effultum foliis et pelle Libystidis ursae.

supported by leaves and the skin of a Libyan bear.

Nox ruit et fuscis tellurem amplectitur alis.

Night rushes down and embraces the earth with dusky wings.

370

At Venus haud animo nequiquam exterrita mater

But Venus, a mother terrified in mind not without reason,

Laurentumque minis et duro mota tumultu

and moved by the threats of the Laurentines and the harsh tumult,

Volcanum adloquitur thalamoque haec coniugis aureo

addresses Vulcan, and in the golden bedchamber of her husband

incipit et dictis divinum adspirat amorem:

begins, and with her words breathes divine love:

Dum bello Argolici vastabant Pergama reges

”While the Argolic kings in war were laying waste to Troy,

375

debita casurasque inimicis ignibus arces,

doomed to fall, and the citadels destined to sink in hostile fires,

non ullum auxilium miseris, non arma rogavi

I asked no help for the wretched, no arms of your art

artis opisque tuae nec te, carissime coniunx,

and power, nor did I wish, dearest husband,

incassumve tuos volui exercere labores,

to employ your labors in vain,

quamvis et Priami deberem plurima natis

although I owed much to the sons of Priam,

380

et durum Aeneae flevissem saepe laborem.

and had often wept for the hard labor of Aeneas.

Nunc Iovis imperiis Rutulorum constitit oris:

Now by the commands of Jove he has settled on the shores of the Rutulians:

ergo eadem supplex venio et sanctum mihi numen

therefore I, the same, come as a suppliant and ask arms

arma rogo⁵ genetrix nato. Te filia Nerei,

of a deity sacred to me, a mother for her son. The daughter of Nereus,

te potuit lacrimis Tithonia flectere coniunx.

the wife of Tithonus, could bend you with tears.

385

Aspice qui coeant populi, quae moenia clausis

See what nations are combining, what cities with closed gates

ferrum acuant portis in me exscidiumque meorum.

are sharpening the sword against me and the destruction of my people.”

Dixerat et niveis hinc atque hinc diva lacertis

She had spoken, and the goddess on this side and that with snowy arms

cunctantem amplexu molli fovet. Ille repente

cherishes him hesitating in her soft embrace. He suddenly

accepit solitam flammam, notusque medullas

received the accustomed flame, and the well-known warmth

390

intravit calor et labefacta per ossa cucurrit:

entered his marrow and ran through his loosened bones:

non secus atque olim tonitru cum rupta corusco

not otherwise than when sometimes a fiery chink, shattered by gleaming thunder,

ignea rima micans percurrit lumine nimbos.

runs flashing with light through the storm-clouds.

Sensit laeta dolis et formae conscia coniunx.

His wife, glad of her wiles and conscious of her beauty, felt it.

Tum pater aeterno fatur devinctus amore:

Then the father, bound by eternal love, speaks:

395

Quid causas petis ex alto? Fiducia cessit

”Why do you seek causes from afar? Whither has departed

quo tibi, diva, mei?⁶ Similis si cura fuisset,

your trust in me, goddess? If there had been a similar care,

tum quoque fas nobis Teucros armare fuisset:

then also it would have been lawful for us to arm the Teucrians;

nec pater omnipotens Troiam nec fata vetabant

neither the almighty father nor the fates were forbidding Troy

stare decemque alios Priamum superesse per annos.

to stand, and Priam to survive for ten other years.

400

Et nunc, si bellare paras atque haec tibi mens est,

And now, if you prepare to wage war and this is your mind,

quidquid in arte mea possum promittere curae,

whatever care I can promise in my art,

quod fieri ferro liquidove potest electro,

whatever can be made with iron or liquid electrum,

quantum ignes animaeque valent, absiste precando

as much as fires and breath can avail, cease by entreating

viribus indubitare tuis. Ea verba locutus

to doubt your own power.” Having spoken these words,

Syntax notes6 items

8.326deterior donec paulatim ac decolor aetas
The conjunction donec with the perfect indicative successit (line 327) indicates the temporal transition and consequence ('until... succeeded'). The adjective decolor ('discolored' or 'faded') contrasts with the 'golden age' (aurea saecula) of the preceding lines, metaphorically suggesting the transition to the bronze or iron age.
8.331a quo post Itali fluvium cognomine Thybrim / diximus
The verb diximus is used here in the sense of 'to call' or 'to name,' taking a double accusative (fluvium and Thybrim). cognomine is an ablative of specification ('by name') or means. The relative phrase a quo ('from whom') refers to the king Thybris, after whom the river was named.
8.333me pulsum patria pelagique extrema sequentem
The accusative pronoun me is the direct object of the main verbs posuere (and egere) in line 335, and is modified by the participles pulsum and sequentem. The core syntactic structure is: 'almighty Fortune and inevitable fate placed me (who had been driven from my country and was seeking the extremes of the sea) in these places.' The subject, object, and verb are widely separated by long modifying phrases.
8.364te quoque dignum / finge deo
finge is the second-person singular imperative ('fashion yourself' or 'make yourself'). The adjective dignum (accusative, object complement of te) takes the ablative of association/respect deo ('worthy of a god'). The phrase exhorts Aeneas to elevate his spirit above material wealth to be worthy of divinity, just as Hercules did.
8.382sanctum mihi numen / arma rogo
The verb rogo ('ask for') takes a double accusative construction ('to ask someone for something'). Here, she asks the 'holy deity' (sanctum numen, referring to Vulcan, in the accusative) for 'arms' (arma, also accusative). mihi is a dative of reference ('sacred to me').
8.395Fiducia cessit / quo tibi, diva, mei?
mei is the genitive of the personal pronoun ego, functioning as an objective genitive modifying fiducia ('trust in me'). quo is an interrogative adverb ('whither'), with a verb of motion (such as abiit) understood. 'Whither has your trust in me departed, goddess?'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-22)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0690.phi003.humanitext-lat2:8.326-8.404